Career Advice

We all arrive in the office full of promise for the day ahead, we’ve got a clear list of tasks in our head, we know what needs to be done that day and we’ve got a rough idea of how we’re going to get it all done. For most of us those hopeful little plans last until about two minutes past nine by which time we’ve turned our emails on, been bombarded by clients and colleges asking if we could just squeeze this or that in and already had to field half a dozen phone calls. This is going to go on all day, and before you know it you haven’t got anything done that you actually wanted to get done. So just how do you change your working day from reactive to proactive? Turn off the email For most people who work in an office email will be the primary way of communication so check it in the morning then leave it alone until lunch time. Anything that is that important can be communicated through the phone so if it has been sent via email the chances are it can wait. As for those tasks that are … [Read more...] about 5 Ways To Make Your Working Day More Productive

So you’ve decided to quit your job? Whatever the reason for leaving, it isn’t always easy to leave gracefully. Many of us don’t like endings, even if it is a ‘positive’ ending and it can bring up all kinds of emotions. So regardless of the situation, how do you leave your role gracefully and in a way that makes you feel proud? Resign Obviously, this is the first thing you need to do when leaving your job. You will need to put this in writing in the form of a resignation letter. Keep it short, professional and positive, whatever the circumstance. You may want to let close colleagues know informally, but ensure that word doesn’t get out before you have a chance to tell your boss personally! Notice Your notice period will obviously depend on what is written in your contract so if you need to leave earlier than your contract states you will need to negotiate with your boss and vice versa. Being fair to the company you are leaving and making an effort to help them with the … [Read more...] about How To Leave Your Job Gracefully

It’s the space where you spend 8-9 hours per day—staring at the same three walls day in and day out. Why not make the most of it? Unless you're like some people who like to keep an empty cubicle! There’s a ton of ways that you can make your cubicle your own. If you take the time to personalize your cubicle by adding your taste in décor, such as wall art, and organize it in a way that makes sense to you, you can lead a much happier day-to-day work life.  The following are some suggestions about how to make the most of your cubicle space. Stylish calendar: Calendars can help you add a personalized touch and organize your monthly tasks at the same time. DO: Hang a medium or small sized wall calendar with appropriate photos or images of your choice. Motivational calendars are a great touch for office spaces. DON’T:  This is not the time to indulge in your guilty pleasures—so leave your Rebecca Black poster calendar at home. Dry-erase checklist: Hanging a dry-erase board is a great way … [Read more...] about How to Make the Most of Your Cubicle Space

One factor to being a successful leader is to find ways to inspire your employees to aspire to be great. Every employee has aspects of their job that they would love to change. They are those aspects that bring your employees down, drain them of their energy, and de-motivate them to give their full effort. On the other hand they also have aspects of their job that motivate them, make them want to give 100 percent, and keep them coming back day after day. Your job as a leader is to uncover these aspects that we like to call “Shoves and Tugs” and use them to help your employees aspire greatness. Shoves are those aspects that shove your employees out the door day after day. They may start small, but begin to build and eventually can drive an employee to quit. Tugs are the aspects that are tugging at your employee to stay with your company. Shoves and Tugs are not opposites and you definitely cannot fix a Shove with a Tug. No matter how many things are tugging at an employee to stay, if … [Read more...] about Shoves & Tugs

Let’s get one thing straight: I’m a bit high-strung. And by “bit” I mean a tighter than an 18th Century corset clamped down on an anorexic. So when I discovered a ten-day meditation course in northern India, I leapt at the chance. Let’s back up for a second. You need to understand how this all happened.  It all began when my dear friend Joshie-Boy began practicing meditation in his mid-twenties. Now mind you, Joshie-Boy and I have known each other since high school; we partied together, traveled together and – like Bill Murray says in Caddyshack – “someone to, you know, just get weird with”. In other words: good friends. Now ole’ Joshie-Boy always had a mind. While most people’s brains swing one way (artistic or mechanical, analytic or creative) Joshie-Boy’s swung back and forth like a pendulum. A talented writer, he also built his own car, took up cooking and took up French for fun. But brains can swing out of control, and the stronger the pendulum, the stronger the whiplash. I … [Read more...] about Inner Peace in 10 Days Or Less: A Primer On Meditation

Every company has them and every manager struggles with them. Talented Terrors, as we call them, are those employees who have 100% skills but 0% attitude. They have the talent you can only dream all of your employees could have, but they have the absolute worst attitude to deal with. They argue about everything, drag their feet when doing a project, and are just mad all the time. These employees not only affect their own work, but also have a negative impact on other employees and anyone who interacts with your company. So why do you keep them around? Well they have the ability to be a high performer, but are they really achieving their fullest potential when possessing such an unmanageable attitude? We believe no employee can be 100% without both the talent and the attitude. We conducted a three-year hiring study that tracked 5,000 leaders who collectively hired over 20,000 employees. These organizations, like most, focused on skill during the hiring process and were hiring based on … [Read more...] about The 6 Rules of Managing Talented Terrors

You might be surprised what a piece of paper can say about you, given a palpable lack of vocal cords, or indeed a central nervous system.  However, the fact is that those couple of sheets of paper can speak volumes about you in the mind of a busy interviewer or employer, and unfortunately, this assessment can often be less than kind.  No wonder an increasing number of people are turning to professional proofreading services supplied by companies like proofreading.co.uk to avoid avoidable errors.  You might be the best-qualified person in the world for the job that’s up for grabs, but if you lose sight of the appropriate spelling of the site, your CV may be landfill before the ink has properly dried. … [Read more...] about What Does Your CV Say About You?