New Kid on the Block How to Settle into Your New Job

New Kid on the Block How to Settle into Your New Job Settling into a new role at big organisation can be difficult, but you wont be the new person for long and no doubt your team and the wider company will do what they can to make you feel welcome and a part of the team from your first day. I have previously spoken before about the benefits of joining a start-up company  everyone knowing your name and how much you can learn in a shorter period of time, across the wider business and not just your niche. If you are lucky enough to join a bigger more established and respected company and learn from some very experienced professionals, settling in can be much more difficult in comparison to a smaller company. Feeling like a valued member to your team, as well as the entire company can take a little longer, but you won’t be the new employee for long. Impress in your probation period You will of course be set certain tasks and objectives to complete within the probation period. It would be very beneficial to set yourself some tasks and objectives to complete within a shorter period of time. No doubt it will contributing to your overall success at the company, have the ambition to become an industry expert as quickly as possible. Reading about any new trends in the market or what your competitors are doing can earn you brownie points when speaking with your clients as they consult with you over new plans and projects. Writing industry updates yourself or blogging about your own creative ideas, personal highs, or anything in the industry that may have inspired or impressed you can also develop your understanding of the industry quickly. The most important thing is communication. Sharing these findings or thoughts with team members. Dont just keep it all to yourself. Share and bounce ideas off each other. Even if you are the new employee, your ideas will be heard and they may come to life. You won’t be the new employee for long. Read. Write. Communicate. Get to know your new colleagues It may have been a couple of years since you had to make new friends again after college or university. But the same principles apply, just say Hi. Of course it is easy talking to members of your team, but try and take yourself out of your comfort zone and speak to employees on different teams. Try and make the conversation more social than professional at first, no one likes to talk about work 24/7. Here is the hardest part; trying to remember everyones name at a company with 200 plus employees. You wont remember everyones name first time, and for the 200 plus employees they only have to remember one new name. Dont let it reach the stage where youve met someone on a different team, started partnering up based on a few projects for a client, but youve left it too long to ask what their name is and they already have a nick name for you. Dont be too shy to ask what their name is for the first couple of weeks, humans are understanding creatures. With smaller companies you could possibly draw up a little floor plan. Making friends around the office will make settling in that much easier. Finding out their job titles and a little bit about what they do for certain clients would also be very beneficial for you. Knowing what other teams offer to clients can allow for cross-selling, being the first point of contact and lightly introduce a further service which you have a brief understanding of can give yourself and your company the competitive advantage above others  offering the same service. This could involve more reading, or taking short exams to develop your knowledge, but when you are in those tense client meetings and have an urge to speak you will know what you are talking about and you will be heard. That sense of pride you get when you feel you have made an impact will be great. You won’t be the new employee for long. Stay organised Also don’t forget to write down what tasks you have taken on and completed in the week, month and quarter. What you have learnt or noticed week on week, good or bad and report back in team meetings. You are the new employee, but it would be easier for you to notice mistakes or be impressed by performance or projects. This shows you are developing a better understanding of your industry. Carpe diem.

4 Tips for Dealing with Workplace Stress

4 Tips for Dealing with Workplace Stress With workplace stress on the increase, it’s vital to know how to manage those feelings when they start creeping up, and how to do something about them before they can become detrimental to your health. If you’re experiencing levels of stress that could be damaging to your health then speak to your employer immediately, however if your stress levels are more manageable here are some top tips on how to keep work stresses at bay. Switch Off Work Emails If you’re worrying about work related issues outside of your contracted hours then stopping checking your work emails is the first place to start. By looking at your work emails outside of work, you’re failing to set a balance between your personal life and work life, making your leisure time feel like an extension of work. If there’s anything that’s absolutely urgent, someone from work would call you in order to address it. Take Up a New Hobby A great way to stop thinking about work outside of work is by getting a new hobby. Depending on your likes and interests this could be anything from swimming, to starting the gym or cycling. Hobbies that help you to relax can be extremely helpful for managing stress so try taking up a yoga class or join a knitting club to wind down after a stressful day. Order your knitting yarn here at Deramores in advance or try a yoga YouTube tutorial before joining a class to see if it’s the hobby for you. Get Enough Sleep Being tired at work only contributes to workplace stress and makes you feel more like you can’t cope, so prioritising getting enough sleep is vital. Going to bed early is a must, and if you struggle to switch off from worrying about work try reading in bed or listening to an audio book to distract you from work worries. Prioritise When in work, you can only be expected to do so much, so prioritising is key. It can help to make a list of everything you have to do and ordering them from most important to least, then working through the list in that order. This helps you to feel more in control of your workload and helps to keep workplace stress at bay. Keeping a work life balance is the best way to ensure that you stay on top of workplace stresses, so putting your best efforts into getting this back is vital. If you do feel like you’re struggling at work communication with your managers is key as they will be able to put measures in place to help.

You Arent Trapped How I Changed My Work Life To Make Me Happy

You Aren’t Trapped How I Changed My Work Life To Make Me Happy This week begins a new chapter of my life. I have been giving you little hints about what that is over the last few months, but today I am sharing more about what exactly that means for me. But first, the back-story that led to me making this huge change to my life in order to make myself happier: We Paid off $80,000 of Debt in 18 Months Seven years ago when my husband and I got married, we decided the best thing to do was take on lots of debt to keep up with the Jones’. We continued to make large purchasing decisions such as buying brand new cars, traveling abroad, and refusing to really think about our financial future. Three years ago I happened to be reading another blog that was about getting out of debt. The writer said she followed the advice from Dave Ramsey’s book, The Total Money Makeover  and got out of debt. So I checked it out. When you have lots of debt, thinking about getting out of it is very overwhelming!   What I liked about this book is he put it all into baby steps, which just made it so easy! With the advice in this book, my husband and I were able to pile away our income, do as much as possible to decrease our expenses, and paid off $80,000 of student loan, credit card, and car loan debt in 18 months.  (And yes, we did celebrate when we finished). We still can’t believe it and are so happy that we made the choice to work our butts off early in our lives instead of just putting it off until later. I am writing this today hoping that I can inspire just one other reader to take a different path for their financial future just like the other blogger who helped me change my life. What Does Paying off Debt Have To Do With My Career? Everything. Without debt controlling your life, you can make life and career decisions that really make you happy. You have nothing hanging over your head nor do you have student loan, credit card and car loan bills piling up to pay. You have savings available for emergencies and you aren’t living paycheck to paycheck wondering if you will ever have the life and career you dreamed of. Not having to worry about debt allows your mind to open up so that you can really think about what makes you happy and what you really want to do with your life. That is exactly what happened to me. My husband and I got out of debt in April 12. For the last few months, I have been able to really think about what I want to do for work. I have been able to think about what makes me happy and what type of work fits best for my interests, values, and mission in life. I have been able to explore creative work assignments and new career opportunities that I could never have thought about with debt hanging over my head. I Decided to Take a 50% Pay Cut Yep, that’s right. This week, I made the bold move of starting a part-time arrangement at work.  But, I don’t see this as stepping down. Instead, this arrangement is giving me the opportunity to open up my creative side and apply myself in other places. Since going part-time a few days ago, I have already received another job offer and a teaching opportunity at a University. These things would never have opened if I hadn’t taken the time to evaluate my future career and myself. I untrapped myself and other options came flooding in for the other part-time of my life. After this experience, I truly believe that your financial decisions and priorities directly affect your career.   If you need to pay bills and students loans, you may continue working at a job that you may not enjoy just because you have to pay those bills. Which is fine! But, set a goal to pay off your debt in the next year or two and then move on to something that makes you happier! Get yourself out of the debt that is clouding your professional future and instead find areas that you will succeed at even more because you are passionate about them. There are so many things you can do if you aren’t worried about paying off your debt. You could travel, start a business, or take a 50% pay cut to explore and evaluate your professional future like I did. You arent trapped. Plan your work around your life, not your life around your work. P.S. If you want to know how I was able to go part-time, it’s really simple. I just asked. That’s it and my boss said yes. So what are you scared of asking for at work? A raise? A promotion? Just ask.   What’s the worse that can happen? P.P.S. This also goes to show why it is so important to work your butt off and do the best you can at work because down the line, when you really need something, your boss and co-workers will trust you and they will work around what you want and need.  Thats what happened to me after 7 years of working really hard for my clients and company. P.P.P.S.  This also means that I get to do more fun things on this blog like write more, return all your comments and create more free resources for you! Stay tuned for upcoming announcements! Do you feel trapped? How can you start taking steps to untrap yourself?

Speculate to accumulate Five steps to a successful speculative application

Speculate to accumulate Five steps to a successful speculative application Depending on whose statistics you believe, as many as 50-70% of jobs in the UK are never advertised. Why? Many companies prefer to gather candidates through word of mouth, by recruiting internally, or through networking sites like LinkedIn; while some smaller companies simply may not have the budget to advertise on the larger jobs boards. Stick to applying to advertised positions and you risk limiting your prospects. Supplement your search with speculative applications and you’ll tap into a hidden underground network of job opportunities! Many candidates are put off from sending speculative applications because the likelihood of them being successful seems so remote; but there are several ways you can significantly improve your chances of getting noticed. Here are the five steps to preparing successful speculative application! : 1. Choose Your Target, Then Research, Research…and Research Some More Investigate companies in the industry you want to work in. Once you’ve chosen your target company, it’s time to research the heck out of it! In particular, look at: what the company does, their recent highs and lows, their competition, current staff profiles, the types of roles they’ve recruited for before, and what sort of skills they look for. The more information you can get your hands on, the better! You’ll have more weapons in your armoury when it comes to part 2- tailoring your speculative application. Not all companies accept speculative applications; have a look on their website to check for their policy before you start. As a general rule of thumb: larger employers often have structured hiring processes, particularly for their graduate recruitment, whereas smaller companies tend to be a little more flexible. 2.  Tailor Your Speculative Application to within an Inch of its Life! Tailoring your application to the company you’re applying to is more important than ever when applying speculatively; so adjust both your covering letter and your CV using your research from part one. Whereas a covering letter for an advertised role is typically about 50% ‘Why I want to work for your company’ and 50% ‘What I can offer your company’; when applying speculatively the balance tips in favour of the latter. The emphasis has to be on what you can do for the company, rather than what you want from them. You want to seem proactive, not desperate. With that in mind, write a brief introductory paragraph which outlines who you are and your career aspirations, then spend the majority of the letter matching up your skills and experiences to what you think the company needs. Remember, your speculative application is designed to convince someone to go out of their way to get in contact with you, so it has to be hard hitting! Keep it upbeat and concise no more than, say 300 words, and keep your sentences short and punchy. 3.  Find a Named Contact at the Company When applying speculatively it’s much better to have a name than to go in blind. Dear Sir/Madam covering letters look generic and have an unfortunate tendency to be ignored! There are several ways you can go about getting a name. The first is by looking on the company’s website, or by searching the company name together with titles like ‘HR Manager’ or ‘Recruiter’ on Google or LinkedIn. Alternatively, you can ring the HR department/general office number and ask who would be the best person to contact regarding company vacancies. Yes, all of these methods do sound a little stalker-esque, but getting that name will drastically increase the chances of your application being read! 4.  Initiate Contact Once you have a name, there are three main ways to initiate contact with your prospective employer calling, emailing or in a letter. A phone call is going to get you more attention. If you think you have a good phone manner, be brave and go for an initial call it gives you a chance to show off your communication skills. If you’re not sold on the idea, go for an email or letter. Some people argue that letters are better than emails, as letters are almost always opened, whereas emails may go unread but the choice is yours! 5.  Chase up Your Speculative Application! No matter how you choose to make contact, it’s ESSENTIAL to follow up about a week afterwards. Again, a phone call is best as emails are far too easy to ignore, and a follow up email can feel a little pestery. Expect some rebuffs but don’t take it personally. Even if you get a ‘no’, console yourself with the fact that you’ve made a contact at that company, now know how/when the organisation recruits and, most importantly, have refined your speculative technique for next time!

Why Every Weekend Should Be A 3 Day Weekend, According To Science

Why Every Weekend Should Be A 3 Day Weekend, According To Science There just aren’t enough hours in the day. How many times have you caught yourself thinking that? It seems no matter how hard we work, we just seem to fall farther and farther behind. Not everyone even has the time to figure out a good long-term plan to escape the grind.We fight tooth and nail to make it through to the weekend, and then end up spending our two precious days off working on all the things around the house we didn’t have time to get finished during the week. We just don’t have time for everything, and unless you’ve managed to retire by 30, or are well on track to do so, this problem is likely to continue for decades.The saying “work smarter, not harder” is common in most company environments, and there is a new scientific discovery emphasizing this idea. More work in less time is the core principle of this philosophy.evalReinforcing what some of us have suspected for a long time, evidence is piling up supporting the fact that a shorter workweek can actually generate more productivity than the standard 40 (or more) hours can produce. More work done and a 3-day weekend? This is a win-win all around.Below is a simple infographic with data compiled to support this practice, complete with links to their scientific sources to make it easy for anyone to see the obvious benefits. Why Every Weekend Should Be a 3-Day Weekend should be required reading for all upper management.The significant advantage in getting extra rest and making the most of the remaining time works in favor of both the employees and the company. Check it out and join the other companies reaping the benefits of this surprisingly effective practice!Via: InvestmentZen.com

How to Find the Gateways to New Career Paths - Pathfinder Careers

How to Find the Gateways to New Career Paths - Pathfinder Careers How to Find the Gateways to New Career Paths Albeit current economic conditions are causing some professionals to rethink potential job switches, choosing to remain in the somewhat reassuring security of their current employment is safer for some. But there are always others who continue to yearn for greener pastures and to find meaning in their work. However, finding that connection between vocation (the work you have to do) and the avocation (the work youd like to do) doesnt necessarily match up perfectly skill-wise. So how does one leap-frog from one career field to another, if they aren’t related? One of my most favorite examples of this conundrum was a client of mine who has been a writer, but had a passion for wine. She had taken a staggering number of enology (wine) classes on her own, and had even visited Napa and Sonoma Valley wineries to participate in the harvest and spend time with wine-makers. Her goal: to be a wine marketing representative. We paired her experience with writing marketing materials and conducting sales activities associated with that work with her intensive wine knowledge, and wrote a functional résumé, blending those skill sets together, and presto! A new wine marketing consultant was born! But how would you make this work for yourself? The following areas can be keys to bridging that gap to transition from your current career to the type of work that youd rather be doing: Volunteering Most busy professionals have some kind of volunteer activity going on in their lives, but in addition to giving back, volunteering is also a great conduit to finding out whether a specific industry is really a fit for you. And if you are seeking a career in this area, volunteering can provide skills, background, and contacts, as well as make you become a known quantity to a particular organization. You never know where this might take you! Volunteering is a positive avenue that gives back to an organization, while at the same time allows for safe career exploration. Involvement/memberships Practically every industry has some type of professional trade or membership association. These organizations are fountains of information and contacts. By targeting an industry sector, you can research the professional groups associated with that area, and then do some digging. What kind of networking and educational activities does each group offer? Focus in on one or two groups, then get involved as a member and build industry credibility, attend networking events and gain additional sector-specific knowledge through educational programs. This can do wonders for your portfolio and network! Education Formal training and professional development are also excellent ways to build up skills and expertise in a new career field. Credit can be given for professional experience already gained in a field, so starting from scratch often isnt necessary. Many institutions and certifying agencies not only provide the classroom portion of learning, but also have connecting activities through outplacement or internships that enable real world practical experience. Marrying your current relevant skill sets with formal education can help you shift career direction significantly in ways that youve never dreamed! Vocational immersion An exciting new concept for new career-field seekers is to actually immerse oneself into a particular career area without jumping ship from a current job. Test-driving ones dream job is the idea behind VocationVacations, which is an organization that allows people to explore new career directions in a safe environment. Vocationers are paired up with industry experts as mentors, and spend a pre-determined amount of time (akin to a vacation period) with that mentor, and learn the inside scoop and ropes of that particular business. Tapping into an experts knowledge can help you determine if this is the right fit before you make any significant life and career-altering decisions. All of these options are all viable means to gain inside knowledge, understanding and expertise to take that leap into a new career field. The best part is that you can engage in these activities while at the same time maintaining your current employment until you feel that you are ready to transition to your avocation. It’s exciting and invigorating, and can open up brand new avenues as well as providing meaning to your work life!

Using Wikipedia For a Great Resume

Using Wikipedia For a Great ResumeIf you are a student looking for a job and would like to learn how to write a good resume, then the use of Wikipedia will be your greatest ally. Wiki can be used for almost any purpose you could ever want or need. It is an interesting website that do not really have an agenda; rather, it is a collection of information that anyone can edit and add to.There are many sections within Wikipedia about a variety of subjects, some of which include the power of Wikipedia and how the encyclopedia can be used. One article on Wikipedia talk by Zachary Corneliussen, an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Dickinson College, shows how Wikipedia can be a valuable tool in evaluating online articles. His article points out that this website should be edited by anyone and used to evaluate written articles. It is a great resource for college students when it comes to crafting a nice resume.In addition to academic research, Wikipedia has articles which discuss topics in the entertainment industry. By using Wikipedia as a resource, entertainment industry professionals can find valid information. This article discusses how a resume written for entertainment purposes can help you succeed. The information will help you improve your skills and gain an edge over your competition. This article also points out that a resume for any other job you may have done will help you get a better chance of getting hired.When you read articles on Wikipedia, you will find that they are often researched and written in an informative and humorous way. This type of information is the perfect addition to your resume writing. If you are trying to improve your professional credentials, a nice resume with interesting information will get noticed by a hiring manager. This article also mentions the idea of incorporating humor in your resume. Humor can work wonders on anyone's resume writing skills.Many teachers who use Wikipedia for their students' education are grateful for t he way it can help them teach their students. Educators will find that using this resource can help them teach their students how to use the Internet and how it can help them build their resumes. This article gives examples of how a resume can work for educational purposes. It can help students improve their resumes by making it easy to understand.Resumes can be difficult to write. Many of them contain a variety of important information. This makes it challenging to summarize all of the important information needed to get a job. Students and professionals are using this unique resource to benefit themselves and their career development. This article illustrates how a resume can improve after it has been written and edited by the editor.If you are a professional looking for information, you can search the vast collections of information available on Wikipedia. There are many helpful lists of trivia, tips, links, and guides to help you make your resume better. This article provides se veral examples of how articles on Wikipedia can help you. It is an excellent resource for beginners and seasoned professionals alike. If you are using resume writing to improve your resume, using articles such as this one will help you improve your resume.Wikipedia is great for career guidance. This can be an excellent resource for people looking for different aspects of their career. If you are a student looking for information on how to write a good resume, this is the website for you. Everyone benefits from the wonderful use of this website.