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Be the Architect of a Positive Work Environment
Tweet Share on Facebook May 23, 2013 CommentWe've all walked into those workplaces that just feel … off. Negativity fills the air. You can practically cut the tension with a knife. People look miserable. The environment makes you want to turn around and run as far away as possible – and that's whether you're a client or an employee.
Clearly, these negative work spaces can have devastating consequences on the people who inhabit them and the business as a whole. The good news is that, no matter what your role, you can help improve the environment where you work. It's everyone's responsibility. Every person, at every level, has an impact. So everyday you get to choose if you're going to contribute to the negativity or create positivity in its place. The latter is obviously preferable, so here are some easy ways to get started.
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What Advice Can Parents Give a New Grad for the Work World?
Tweet Share on Facebook May 23, 2013 CommentIf your child has recently graduated from college and is now looking for – or has hopefully found – her first "real" job, you may want to impart great wisdom to her. It's a difficult time for an inexperienced worker to enter the workforce, but these tips can help make the entry easier and better align her expectations with reality.
Ford R. Myers, author of "Get the Job You Want, Even When No One's Hiring," offers the following advice to new grads:
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5 Lame Excuses Preventing You From Finding a New Job
Tweet Share on Facebook May 22, 2013 CommentIf you're unhappy at work, you've probably thought about finding a new job – but if you're like a lot of people, you never seriously start searching because your own fears hold you back. Take a look at these five common excuses for not job-searching and see if any of them sound familiar.
1. I can't leave my team hanging in the middle of this big project. There's rarely a "good" time to leave a job. If you wait for the perfect time, you might be waiting forever. And even if you leave in the middle of an important project, your team and organization will manage to get by, no matter how bad the timing. And no reasonable person will blame you for the timing; this is just how this stuff works, and most people understand that. So job search when you feel ready, and then once you accept an offer, give as much notice as you can, leave your work in good order and provide thorough documentation for your replacement. That's all you can do, and all that is expected of you.
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Are You Really Ready for a Promotion?
Tweet Share on Facebook May 22, 2013 CommentWouldn't it be great if you could gain more responsibility, a better job title, greater prestige and more money? Who doesn't want all this? Yet it comes at a price. Before you start dreaming about that glamorous-looking job with a private office and oodles of money, think about the what it really means.
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5 Ways Employees Should Prepare for the Workplace of the Future
Tweet Share on Facebook May 22, 2013 CommentAs the millennial generation, often defined as those born between 1982 and 1997, makes up more of the workforce, and as its members move into leadership roles in industry, we can expect their generational perspectives to shape the workplace. Lindsey Pollak, Generation Y career expert and spokeswoman for The Hartford, identifies key items to watch regarding the future world of work in her Tomorrow @Work trends forecast.
How can you prepare for the workplace of the future? These are five tips Pollak suggests:
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3 Smart Career Lessons from Randy Pausch's Last Lecture
Tweet Share on Facebook May 21, 2013 CommentYears ago, Carnegie Mellon University developed the concept for a "Last Lecture Series" that challenged presenters to deliver a talk as if it were their last chance to impart wisdom on others. Ironically, not long after, Randy Pausch, a lauded computer science professor at the university with terminal cancer, did indeed give what would be one of his final lectures through the platform in September 2007. Its legacy continues to inspire countless people today.
The entire 75-minute presentation doesn't disappoint, but this article will extract three lessons from Pausch's speech that are essential to your career success.
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10 Pack-a-Punch Verbs to Include on Your Résumé
Tweet Share on Facebook May 21, 2013 CommentBefore you write a word of your new résumé, make certain that you understand its primary purpose: to demonstrate your ability to contribute to the bottom line of the company or organization you seek to join. You best do this when you begin each bullet point with an active verb that paints a vibrant picture of what you did, and couple it with the results you attained.
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How to Put the Smackdown on Pre-Interview Jitters
Tweet Share on Facebook May 21, 2013 CommentIt's understandable to be nervous when being interviewed for a potential job. After all, this may be where you end up spending a great deal of time, should you get hired. But for some, the nerves get the best of them and impede their success in the interview.
If you're one of those people, these tips will help you reduce your nervousness.
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A Strong Yet Ethical Résumé, Fast
Tweet Share on Facebook May 20, 2013 CommentYou're dreading writing your résumé. That's tempting you to buy résumé-writing software, even though it risks your résumé seeming manufactured, a string of cliches: "Uniquely qualified hard-working, self-starter who spearheads profit-maximizing initiatives and delights in exceeding customer expectations." That would make even a desperate employer press "delete."
You're even thinking of hiring a résumé writer, even though that's no more ethical than paying someone to write your college application essay. Remember that for all but low-level jobs, employers use a résumé not only to assess your work history but your ability to create a well-reasoned, well-written, error-free product. If someone else writes your résumé, it cheats the employer and is unfair to the other applicants who did their own work.
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Why You Hate Your Job (and How to Hate It Less)
Tweet Share on Facebook May 20, 2013 CommentThat sick, sinking feeling you have when you have to get up and go to work means that something is wrong. Unfortunately, you're far from alone if you experience a case of the heebie-jeebies every time your weekday alarm clock goes off.
A 2012 study by Right Management showed that almost two-thirds of respondents from the United States and Canada expressed being unhappy at work. A wider-range 2011 study by Mercer of 30,000 workers worldwide found that close to 60 percent of workers wanted out of their current positions.
