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Using "SWOT" to Improve Your Job Chances
Tweet Share on Facebook May 31, 2012 Comment (2)The term "SWOT" should be fairly familiar to those of you with business degrees. It's an acronym that stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, and it's a strategic planning tool companies use to determine their competitive advantages. That is, to determine exactly what makes them unique from their competitors. Identifying weaknesses provides valuable insight into the areas these businesses can work on. And knowing both opportunities and threats gives them the chance to take advantage of favorable situations and avoid potential pitfalls.
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5 Steps to Maximize Your Startup Marketing Budget
Tweet Share on Facebook May 31, 2012 Comment (2)Forget the law of averages—when it comes to startup marketing, you're better off maximizing your profits.
If you're considering starting your own business, you'll have to devote a lot of your initial focus to your marketing efforts, no matter which industry you're in. There are so many different marketing channels in which entrepreneurs can invest their money today. There are standard tools such as telesales, direct mail, and radio ads; then there are new tools like email marketing, search engine optimization, pay-per-click, social media, and affiliate marketing.
This plethora of channels makes it easier to promote a company, but how does one determine the best mix of marketing efforts with constraints in money and time?
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How to Really Make the Most of Connections in a Job Search
Tweet Share on Facebook May 30, 2012 Comment (2)With summer upon us, some of you job-seekers may think about taking a break from your search. Instead, you might want to ramp up your efforts and consider the new season an opportunity to relaunch any unfinished career plans.
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10 Salary Negotiating Mistakes to Avoid
Tweet Share on Facebook May 30, 2012 Comment (9)Not much makes job-seekers more anxious than negotiating—or even discussing—salary. After all, you might ask for too much, ask for too little, or otherwise sabotage your own chances of getting the best possible salary. Negotiation will go more smoothly if you know what landmines to avoid.
When it comes time to negotiate salary for a new job, make sure that you don't make these 10 key errors:
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6 Terrible Reasons for Changing Your Career
Tweet Share on Facebook May 29, 2012 Comment (6)So, you've had enough. You've poured your heart out, worked your fingers to the bone, and turned your hairs gray, but no one seems to appreciate it. You're unhappy, and ready to make a career change.
Sounds fair. But hasty decisions might leave you in unfamiliar territory with neither field experience nor contacts. You might even start over as an intern with a salary of zilch.
This isn't to say that it can't be done. If you're absolutely convinced that you're in the wrong occupation, then switching careers might be worth going through the whole she-bang: selling your transferable skills, immersing in new industry knowledge, setting up informational interviews, and coming up with a moving story about why you want to change paths.
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9 Tips for Work-Life Balance
Tweet Share on Facebook May 29, 2012 Comment (9)Many of us work too much, and it's hard to find the time for the after-hours activities we enjoy. Is it possible to balance the teeter totter of work and life? Maybe not, but here are nine tips to help you try:
1. Be 100 percent where you are. It's easy to keep thinking about that project you're working on long after you've left the office. And we're all guilty of sneaking out our phones to check work email during dinner. But by doing so, we let work take up more space than it should in our lives. Make an effort to leave work in the office, physically and mentally. Decide when you are shutting off and then actually do it.
2. Be more organized at work. One major reason many of us bring work home is because we constantly close out the day in the middle of a project, which makes it difficult to mentally leave it behind. Set up tasks on your calendar to finish projects or get to a stopping point each day, and prioritize what's most important. That way, you leave the workday feeling complete and ready to relax.
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Shoddy Employee? You Could Be an Entrepreneur
Tweet Share on Facebook May 24, 2012 Comment (3)Being bad at your current job might just be your cue to start an entrepreneurial career.
At a recent meeting, I heard the story of someone who announced that she was "smarter than everyone else in the company" and that she had been fired because the boss was jealous and insecure. While the room laughed at the perceived arrogance, I couldn't help but wonder, "Is this visitor delusional, or is she an undiscovered entrepreneur?"
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How to Move From Hourly Employee to Salaried Worker
Tweet Share on Facebook May 24, 2012 Comment (1)While hourly positions have their perks, many employees prefer to move into a salaried role for more stability. If you're getting paid by the hour, you may earn less overall than your salaried counterparts, and you may not get as great of a benefits package.
Why Do I Want a Salary?
Typically, a move from hourly to salaried work comes with a promotion and additional responsibility. As long as you're up for the extra work, there's no reason not to take the raise. But realize that if you work more than 40 hours in a week (which many salaried workers do), you won't get any extra money. Salaried employees are expected to get their job done in whatever time it takes.
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4 Steps to Boost Your Personal Energy Reserves
Tweet Share on Facebook May 23, 2012 Comment (6)Resiliency requires energy—mental, emotional, and physical. But many of us spend our days, weeks, and months feeling drained. Daily life can tap our energy reservoir dry, leaving us at great risk when we encounter unexpected or major setbacks.
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7 Ways Bosses Annoy Employees
Tweet Share on Facebook May 23, 2012 Comment (13)Even good managers frustrate their employees now and then—while bad managers, of course, do it regularly. Here are seven of the most common complaints about the things bosses do without even realizing it:
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