Sometimes even before accepting a job, you’re already planning for when to ask for a raise. The need for just compensation becomes harder to deny if you’ve been working hard for quite some time, and nobody has offered a reward. But asking for (and actually receiving) a raise requires finesse. You can’t just blurt it out in the middle of a staff meeting at the end of your first week. It’s normal to be hesitant and feel awkward when trying to find the words to ask for a raise with your boss. Money is an awkward subject, and asking for more raises the stakes. If you’re wondering about the right time to ask for a raise, we’ll be walking through a couple of situations where it might be appropriate. … [Read more...] about When Is the Right Time to Ask for a Raise?
WorkHacks
Bring These Gadgets on Your Next Work Trip
As my career has grown so has the need for me to travel for work. Years ago I would have stressed, obsessing over the time away from home and all of the lost hours on the road or in the air. I'd be fearful of doing things on my own or worried about awkward social interactions with people I hardly know. I dreaded the work trip. Thankfully, I flipped my internal script! Now I embrace work travel. Part of what makes it enjoyable is all of the travel gadgets and tech available to everyday consumers. While it's unlikely your job will foot the bill for most of this stuff, some of it might be worth a little of your hard earned scratch. Here a few of the latest travel gadgets that can make that next work trip more tolerable. … [Read more...] about Bring These Gadgets on Your Next Work Trip
I Dread Going to Work – 12 Ways to Beat the “Sunday Night Blues”
I dread going to work. Well, I used to. Through the years, I have collected tips, tactics, and hacks that help me get through periods of time where I'm dreading work. Because if we are going to be honest, even if you LOVE your job (and I do!), there are occasionally projects or situations that creep up where we dread going to work. For many people, the work dread feeling sets in as the "Sunday Night Blues." And no, that is not an awful band name. Rather, it's the feeling of the work week looming large, casting a shadow on the remainder of the weekend. It starts with a sinking feeling in your stomach. If you don't catch the feeling and squash it immediately, anxiety can build like an out-of-control freight train. Thank God It's Sunday (TGIS) is something you'll never hear. Even those happy at work get caught up in the end-of-the-weekend doldrums. We are all so busy living 24-hours ahead of ourselves that some people are even hit with the Sunday Night Blues as early as … [Read more...] about I Dread Going to Work – 12 Ways to Beat the “Sunday Night Blues”
How to Make Time Go Faster at Work in 5 Easy Steps
Wondering how to make time go faster at work, eh? Well, it's an artform, and we all have our own unique ways to do it. That's because there are simply days where we find ourselves counting the seconds until we can leave. Everything feels slowed down, and we can't take it anymore! It just seems that no matter how much we have to do, or if we have nothing to do at all, that the hands on the clock tick by just a little bit slower. This is a handy guide for those kinds of days! … [Read more...] about How to Make Time Go Faster at Work in 5 Easy Steps
What To Do When You Have Nothing To Do At Work
Nothing to do at work? That means you are underutilized, ignored and ready for action. Take this opportunity to build a new skill, start a side business or work your way into more significant projects at your new job. We have all been there. Slowly wasting away the days under fluorescent lights, waiting for the lunch break to materialize like an oasis. Toiling under a management class that enjoys the fruits of a steady business, but has no time to assist in the growth of its youngest and brightest. Sound familiar? The best thing you can do is take advantage of the time you are allotted and the lack of intense oversight. Build yourself into a candidate that can get a better job, instead of lamenting the problems that stand in your way at the current gig. At the very least, take the perfect deep breath. … [Read more...] about What To Do When You Have Nothing To Do At Work
Tiny Prints Business Cards Are Awesome
Since 2003 Tiny Prints has been creating chic-looking, celebrity-endorsed invitations, stationery, and other printed materials. Even though I have heard the name countless times, I never had a reason to use their services, mainly because I didn’t know that they also specialized in business cards! I have written before about how important it is to have a business card that is professional yet unique – something that is not always easy to accomplish. Well thanks to the array of interesting business card templates available at Tiny Prints, any professional, irrespective of their artistic fortitude, can now create high quality, artsy looking cards. Since I already have enough cards to support Jobacle and my freelance writing endeavors, I decided to come up with cards for my latest project: Lonely Chair. The concept of the site is simple. I take photos of chairs that are out of there element, most frequently, chairs and couches that have been discarded. Since the project is really just a … [Read more...] about Tiny Prints Business Cards Are Awesome
Never Take Work Home Again!
I don't know about you, but there's nothing I dread more than having to take my work home with me or staying late after work. I used to blame these instances on getting assigned an abnormally large workload on certain days, but when I got honest with myself, I admitted that I wouldn't have to do so much after-hours work if I were more productive during working hours. I was determined to figure out how I could get more accomplished at work.The first thing I did was start capitalizing on the first and last hour of work, when many workers are the least productive. Most of us who have access to the Internet at work tend to ease into and out of the workday, checking e-mail, news and entertainment websites and social networks for the first 30 minutes and the last 30 minutes of an average workday. Add that together and you've missed an entire hour of productivity! Change, for me, meant hitting the ground running as soon as I arrived at the office, and working solid through the end of my … [Read more...] about Never Take Work Home Again!
WorkHack: How to Keep a Weightless Diary
Readers of Jobacle.com and listeners of the Working Podcast know that we are big fans of maintaining a work diary. It's a great way to analyze your emotions and get clarity on situations you are in. It will also come in VERY handy when it comes time to state your case for a promotion or raise.Most of us don't remember what happened yesterday, let alone a few months ago.A new Website, Memiary, hopes to jog your memory. The dot com lets you keep a private online diary. What makes the product unique is that it forces the user to be succinct; allowing you to identify up to five things that you do not want to forget.While the product can be used for any type of feeling, we recommend setting up an account and using it exclusively for work-related issues. Log your accomplishments, setbacks, emotions, and so on. Here's an idea of what a daily entry looks like.Keeping a log will let you spot trends and quickly identify potential problems. You'll thank us later for the advice, trust me. … [Read more...] about WorkHack: How to Keep a Weightless Diary
Improve Your Work Chair for $1
We've already told you how to improve your workspace by visiting the 99 cents store. Now the folks at Howcast have some ideas how to improve your office chair for under a buck. Given all the corporate belt tightening, you best pay attention. … [Read more...] about Improve Your Work Chair for $1
WorkHack: Get Out of Work Free Card
I'm about to hand you a "break in case on emergency" button to add to your get-out-of-work arsenal. PhoneMyPhone does exactly what it promises, ringing your phone at a time you pre-designate. You can also tell the system how many times you want to be called consecutively (up to 10). Back to back to back calls reek of catastrophe, and should be a shoo-in to get you out of work with few questions. The calls keep coming until you pick up. Your IP address is captured and all calls are logged, so if you're thinking of driving that ex-girlfriend crazy, think before you click.As seen on RotorBlog. … [Read more...] about WorkHack: Get Out of Work Free Card