How to Make Summer More Enjoyable in the Office #MondayMotivation

How to Make Summer More Enjoyable in the Office #MondayMotivation Summer time is great. The suns out, the weathers warm and everyones in a good mood. Even at work, the atmosphere is lighter and people are happier. However, theres always going to be those days when youre gutted that youre stuck in a grey office, missing out on the fun that summer brings. Its something that a lot of us have to deal with, but there are some ways that you can bring summer into the office and make working life during the hotter months  a little bit more bearable. Read on to find out my top tips for making summer in the office more bearable for you and your team: 1) Become more flexible: Allowing a bit more flexibility in the summer time turns the workplace into a much more relaxed environment. You could allow employees to leave early, set one day where employees can arrive a bit later or set up a flexi-time scheme so that  theres a bit more freedom. 2) Bring it outside: That Tuesday afternoon meeting? Take it outside! Moving meetings away from the office means that employees wont feel like theyre trapped at work. Having meetings outside breaks up the day and makes it a bit more interesting too. 3) Get rid of the dress code: This may sound pretty drastic, but removing the dress code will mean that every employee will feel more comfortable during the summer months. Employers are often wary about doing this, but getting rid of the dress code wont mean that people turn up looking awful, it just means theyll be slightly more casual than usual. 4) Host a work BBQ: Summer is all about the sun, fun and food. What better way to incorporate them all than by hosting a BBQ! 5) Encourage holidays!: As a business owner or manager, you should never make your employees feel like they cant take a week  off work to relax. You should encourage employees to all take time off to have a holiday during the summer months. Holidays always make employees feel more relaxed and rejuvenated which is exactly what we all need during the summer months. 6) Set up a charity event: Summer in the perfect time to get out there and make some money for charity. Set up charity fun-runs with your team, host charity events in the office such as bake sales or coffee mornings. Events like this are  great because they help other people, but they also unite your team. 7) Host an all-day office party: A fun thing to do during the summer months is to host a themed work day. Why not have a flip-flop day, where everyone arrives at work wearing sandals, or a Hawaiian themed day, where everyone wears colourful shirts and shorts. This makes the working day fun and also takes advantage of everyone good mood! 8) Summer after-hours: Summer is supposed to be full of fun, so why not set up an evening party for your employees? As well as working wonders for your positive company culture, it will help your employees get to know each other and shows them that they are appreciated. 9) Provide food drinks: What better way to liven up the office during summer than providing yummy food and drink to keep hunger and thirst at bay for your employees. Fruit, soft drinks, fruit juices and handy snacks are all great for summer! 10) Spring clean: Sprucing up your office for the summer time is a great way to make the office a nicer place. Make sure theres lots of natural light and fresh air coming through the office. Theres nothing worse than being trapped in a dark and stuffy office in summer time. How are you preparing for summer in your office? Do you have any handy tips to share with us?

3 Reasons to Pursue a Health Sciences Degree

3 Reasons to Pursue a Health Sciences Degree Whether you intend to strictly engage with the business aspect of the healthcare industry, or you have the passion and desire to pursue a career as a physical therapist, a nurse, or a doctor, deciding to work towards your health sciences degree from a reputable source such as Excelsior College is a great first step in the right direction. To better understand why you might choose to go this route, here are three excellent reasons to pursue a health sciences degree. A health sciences degree allows for flexibility in future career choices Some individuals will enter university with a definitive plan about what degree they want and what career they want to find themselves in once they graduate. Others, however, may simply know what field they are looking to work in, but have not yet decided what job they want to secure after graduation. A health sciences degree allows for growth in various directions and gives you the opportunity to explore several different career paths after you have finished your degree. Whether you want to become an audiologist, an occupational therapist, or someone who operates the technology and handles important data-based processes such as running a health information exchange, a health sciences degree gives you the freedom and ability to go wherever you want in your health career. This degree sets you up for a profitable career Having a fulfilling career is often half of the equation for most and the other half consists of making a desirable income in their chosen role. The healthcare industry gives you the option to do both. Jobs in healthcare are typically quite fulfilling, as they give you the opportunity to help others and they are also known for their higher payment thresholds that best positions in other career paths. To give you a better idea of the possible income levels within your grasp when you choose to pursue a health sciences degree, higher-paying positions such as a pharmacist have the potential to earn you approximately $120,000 per year. Even roles on the lower end of the spectrum, such as respiratory therapist supervisors, earn approximately $72,000 per year. Overall, if you are looking for a profitable career, you will certainly be able to find it in the healthcare industry. It better prepares you for higher education and job opportunities after graduation A health sciences degree sets you up for success and it gives you an advantage when it comes to job opportunities. Having this degree in hand will prepare you for the rigorous coursework ahead when you start defining your career path and choosing a specific title. Additionally, this degree gives you the ability to land positions in medical labs, health administration, and other minor medical positions, which is a significant advantage when competing with other individuals who are seeking employment. A health sciences degree can take you far in the healthcare industry and serves as an excellent foundation for your medical career. Jump start your college career by applying!

Dont hold a meeting without an agenda

Dont hold a meeting without an agenda A meeting is a like a party. If you dont plan it carefully youll look incompetent and end up embarrassed. Forethought is necessary. You wouldnt invite three ex-boyfriends to a game of Twister with your mom, and you wouldnt plan a costume party without letting people know the theme in advance. While you might not have ex-boyfriends or a good costume, most offices always have individuals who love to undermine leaders in meetings. Having no agenda is the first sign your meeting will be a time-suck. . Most people who skip writing an agenda have no idea what they want to accomplish during their meeting. They dont know this, though. They begin the meeting thinking they know the goal for example, to get a project back on track. But theyre wrong. The real goal is to bring team members together to create a plan to get the project moving. Without an agenda, someone else will create the plan during the meeting, and youll end up seeming weak and helpless. Most people know they should always have a meeting agenda, but for unfathomable reasons, they assume their meetings are the exception to this rule. Even if you think your meeting is an exception, write an agenda. There is no downside for you in doing this. Every meeting gives you an opportunity to demonstrate that youre a visionary. But if you arent in charge of what happens during the sit-down, how can you ensure that youll look good? Other people dont write agendas because their meetings are routine and predictable. Everyone who attends could write the agenda themselves. In this case, why have the meeting? Then youre knowingly scheduling a time-suck. Youve probably worked for a company where managers hold Monday-morning meetings to hear their staffers say what they did the previous week. A competent manager would ask for a weekly report, then distribute a weekly summary instead. Think daily listserv vs. digest. A digest would alleviate another boring meeting, or it would open up the Monday meeting for more substantive issues. Still not convinced that your weekly meeting is useless? Perhaps you think an agenda-less meeting where everyone reports their progress will make a certain slacker in your group get the point. Forget it: Do your job and handle the slacker on your own instead of making your staff suffer through a meeting. The downside of preparing agendas is they may get attacked. This happens when attendees get the agenda at the start of the meeting. The meeting can then degenerate into group-level agenda attacks, which then can degenerate into group-level personal attacks and a sidetracked meeting. Nip this in the bud by emailing the agenda in a note to participants a day in advance (dont send your agenda as an attachment because no one will read it). By giving attendees a chance to review the agenda, attackees will likely approach you individually, and youll have time to make revisions. (Heres a tip for procrastinators: Write your agenda before you call your meeting. This way youll know whether in fact you need the meeting before you schedule it.) Even after writing a strong agenda, some meeting leaders feel their sit-downs will be unsuccessful. The solution isnt ordering food for participants. If you need food to have a successful meeting, cancel the meeting. Otherwise, food will make your meeting last longer than necessary again, a time-suck. . Theres nothing like the inevitable crash from a a mass sugar high just when you need to develop the big plan. Still not writing that agenda? Lets return to the party theme: The best part of a party is the after-party when you discuss everyone who attended and what they wore and said. In fact, I never feel a party has really happened until Ive done a debriefing. The same is true for meetings. People will debrief and dis each other behind their backs after the meeting nothing you can do about that. But you can ensure theyre only dissing you for what you wore and not what you said by maintaining control with an agenda.

Are YOU Ready to Escape From Corporate America - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Are YOU Ready to Escape From Corporate America - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Pamela Skillings is an author, journalist, blogger and entrepreneur who spent twelve years working as a marketing executive for major New York companies. In 2004, she realized that corporate life wasn’t working for her anymore. By 2005, she left the world of steady paychecks and free office supplies to launch her own company. She met other people like herself and decided to write a book capturing her experience and advice to help others make this big leap. Along the way, she married Alex Andrei, who is one of the best PR people Ive ever received an email from, yet thats not his day job. I get approximately 5 pitches a day and Alexs stood out because he told me who he was, who he was representing (in this case his wife) and that she needed help. I received a review copy in the mail (me holding it on the left) and started reading. Those of you who purchase the book, you will be receiving the bright yellow copy on the right. Below is my interview with the fabulous Pamela. Pamela, I do believe that people can love their jobs. Is escaping from corporate america for everyone though? Dont we need skilled workers to be individual contributors, management, etc to run companies that help the world function? You’re absolutely right. Not everyone feels a need to escape from Corporate America. There are plenty of good corporations out there and working for a big company can be a fantastic learning experience. If you’re lucky, you can find a way to love your corporate job. Unfortunately, there are also a lot of people out there who hate their corporate jobs, but stay because they feel like they don’t have other options. I wrote the book for those people because I know from experience what it’s like to feel trapped in what others would consider a “good’ job. Can you talk about the current job market and how its changed from 5 or years ago? The idea of job security is now officially dead. We now know that no job is forever and that layoffs can happen at any time. As a result, we are realizing that we have to take charge of our own careers. That doesn’t mean that everyone should be an entrepreneur, but everyone should think like an entrepreneur when it comes to their careers. It’s your responsibility to plan for your future and make sure that you’re always learning and growing and moving toward your goals. Another big difference is that there are so many more career options out there than there were in the past. Technology has made it much easier for people to start their own businesses, go freelance, and work remotely. As a result, career change has become a common rite of passage. The average person now makes multiple career changes over the course of a lifetime. You are no longer expected to pick one career path and stay with it forever. You have much more freedom to grow and evolve professionally without worrying so much about how moving around might look on your resume. What can my readers do today to take the first leap to start their own companies? What are the challenges that may lie ahead? Start by taking some action â€" even if it’s just a baby step. A lot of people dream about starting their own companies, but put off taking action because they hope that the perfect time will come along one of these days. But in my experience, that perfect time rarely comes along until you do some prep work. Taking action might mean buckling down to write your business plan, reaching out to a more experienced entrepreneur for some advice, or building your product prototype. You don’t have to quit your job, you don’t have to invest thousands in state-of-the-art equipment, just start moving forward. Momentum is a very powerful force, but you can’t take advantage of it until you get off your butt and do something. There will definitely be challenges ahead â€" everything from finding time to finding funding to finding customers. But the very first challenge for any aspiring entrepreneur is finding the courage to get started. What are your thoughts on personal branding and do you feel that establishing ones brand online through blogging is a clear path to entrepreneurship? Personal branding is important for everyone, and especially for those considering career change. Many people stay stuck in unfulfilling careers because they have trouble thinking about personal brand beyond their current job titles. In order to position yourself for a career change, you have to understand how to communicate the value that you can provide in a new role. What are the existing skills and qualifications that you can leverage? What are some possible weaknesses and how can you present them in the best light? Why should an employer or investor want to ally with you and your brand? Blogging can definitely be a valuable strategy for building both your brand and your business. A great blog lets you demonstrate your credibility and expertise and helps you connect with potential customers and influential people in your industry. That can lead to amazing business and marketing opportunities. I like when you talk about small companies. You share the statistic small businesses generate 75% of new jobs in the country and 50% of the American workforce. What are the pros and cons for joining or starting a company? If you’re thinking about making a move from a large company to a small company, it’s important to understand what you’re getting into. One of the great things about working for a small company is that you’re likely to have more hands-on involvement in how the company is run. There aren’t four levels of bureaucracy between you and the CEO. If you have a great idea, you can probably yell it across the room. If you want to take the lead on a new project, you probably can. And if the company is a huge success, you will probably share in the rewards. On the other hand, you will probably also be asked to do a lot more of the grunt work at a smaller company. Everybody tends to pitch in and get their hands dirty. It’s also even more important to do your due diligence before taking a job at a small business. Small businesses are more vulnerable to market forces, so you want to make sure that the situation is stable. Its hilarious that you refer to being in a cubicle at work as cubicleville. Do you really think its demoralizing to sit in a cubicle? When you were a VP, did your office make that much of a difference? Oh yes, I probably would have quit my job much sooner if not for that office. I had a window with a view and a door that closed, two major luxuries in any New York City work environment. Before I moved into that office, I was sitting in a gray cubicle farm with fluorescent lighting. It looked like the set for a depressing movie about the bleakness of corporate life. My particular gray cubicle was located far, far away from the nearest window and way too close to a guy who loved his speaker phone. It was very demoralizing. But if I had loved my work, I don’t think the cubicle would have been such a big deal for me. In one of my previous positions, I didn’t even have a cubicle, just a desk in a row of other desks in a big chaotic room. I loved that job because the work was interesting enough that I was able to block out all of the noise and annoying people around me. Many corporate refugees flee to small companies for the chance to start making management decisions instead of just management presentations. That is an awesome quote! What are your thoughts about always having to sell anyways though? Since we represent ourselves and our companies, we must all have to understand the concepts of marketing right? Marketing and sales skills are absolutely essential for any entrepreneur. The fantasy about working for yourself is that you’ll have complete freedom and answer to no one. But there will always be people that you have to sell your ideas to: your clients, partners, investors, employees, reporters covering your industry, etc. When you run your own business, however, all of that marketing and selling is in service to your big idea and making your dream a reality, not just satisfying some boss’ whim.

Learn How to Write a Resume and CV

Learn How to Write a Resume and CVIt is essential to be familiar with resume and CV writing and most professionals understand that there are different steps that need to be completed in order to successfully create a professionally written document. Writing a resume is a bit different from writing a CV, however, as it's the CVs that should highlight your achievements rather than what you did not do.There are different things that a professional CV needs to include as opposed to a resume. There are various aspects that have to be considered such as information about your education, past work experience, recent achievements, family background, personal and professional references and any awards you may have won. All of these aspects are very important in helping to portray a positive image of yourself and there are several good guides that can help you make the most of this and outline how you should begin to write a resume.Most people go through a process of writing a CV that can take them many months to complete. To help speed up the process, you can use an online guide that takes you through a step by step process to help you finish the CV by itself. Using a guide can help to ensure that you can quickly write your CV and also helps ensure that your CV can be completed within a few days. In addition, if you follow the guide and use the templates you can also provide it to your potential employer that can help you land a job.Resume writing can be somewhat intimidating as it can seem to be the only thing you're doing that day and sometimes that can cause you to go into a defensive mode. However, you can get out of this mode by letting go of some of your worries. You can use a template or some of the guides available online that will show you the steps that need to be completed in order to create a professional looking CV. You can also purchase good quality resume guides that can be easily downloaded off the internet.Once you have looked at the various aspects of CV writing you can begin to develop your CV and you can use templates that are available to assist you to do this. Once you have decided what types of information you want to include you can either take a template and use it to start the process or you can simply use a pen and paper and try to get your thoughts on paper. If you choose to use a template then you can get started immediately and finish in a relatively short period of time.When you use templates you will see that they will get you started with the various methods of CV writing that you can follow and they will also make your CV very professional looking. These guides can be used for a variety of reasons such as if you have little time to write your CV yourself or if you want to get a professional CV designed for you. The latter is especially useful if you're a self-employed individual and want to add a professional touch to your CV.With the help of a CV writing guide you can also make the most of your CV and make it ref lect how you see yourself. Not only will it appear professional, but it will also help you to highlight what you have achieved throughout your life. This will make you stand out from the crowd and this is very important as this is the only way you will be hired by a company if you are serious about applying for a job.Make sure that you read a guide that will help you create a resume and CV for yourself or use one that is already written. You can then begin to use the guide and start to see improvements in your CV over time.

Meet Kevin Smiley, Philadelphias latest successful sidewalk job seeker

Meet Kevin Smiley, Philadelphias latest successful sidewalk job seeker 0 Flares 0 Flares In the beginning of August I wrote a story about two La Salle graduates struggling to find employment. Down on their luck, and out of ideas, the recent graduates ran out into the street dressed their best and made it their mission to distribute their resume to the masses.  The article expressed my praise towards the hungry, determined, and innovative job seekers, but opposing views quickly flooded my comment box. Professionals that I have a great respect for criticized my praise, and bashed the job search strategy that I believed was  genius. Guess what, Corn Heads I was right. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32804967/ns/local_news-philadelphia_pa/ Not only did both La Salle graduates quickly gain employment after their road side antics, but Philadelphia has found its latest sidewalk job search hero.  Kevin Smiley, Temple graduate, and aspiring Sports Writer saw what worked for both La Salle graduates and found out quickly that it worked for him as well.  For what I believe was a week, Smiley passed out resumes during rush hour in Center City, Philadelphia and held a sign that said, Temple grad looking for work, have resume.  Smiley can now say he has a full-time paid internship with Comcasts Web Department, and he should be thanking his innovative friends over at La Salle for the idea. So, yes, I did tell you so, but let me get over myself and try to explain why this approach CAN work.  I emphasize can because it certainly will not work every time, but when it does Im definitely not surprised.  Simply put, people are sick of resumes.  Sure, a resume is needed at some point or another, but those with a great network, or connection are likely to win the position over a more experienced professional who doesnt have such a strong network.  Recruiters will cut to resumes from referrals, networking, or other outside the box job search tactics before going through the resumes from their postings.  Put yourself in the mind of a recruiter that has received 100 resumes over the weekend for a particular position.  Over the weekend the recruiter also receives an email from the CIO, referring a candidate for the opening.  Which resume do you think will be opened first?  Catch my drift? In the end, what matters most is that three recent graduates have jobs.  Innovation and hunger can go a long way, and while I dont suggest the same job search method for all of you, I do suggest to feed off your hunger, and introduce a bit of innovation to your job search, career, and life.

Top 50 Twitter Accounts To Follow for Job Search 2018

Top 50 Twitter Accounts To Follow for Job Search 2018 These are the top 50 Twitter accounts to follow for job search advice in 2018! They provide everything youll need for your job search!   Wouldnt it be great to have access to only the best job search advice? Thats what youll find on this list. Ive selected Twitter users who are are real practitioners- coaches, recruiters, HR professionals and resume writers who live this stuff every day. Youll get up-to-date information on recruiting trends and how recruiters think. Youll also find advice on personal branding and tips on how to use social media! These folks tweet regularly about job search. You can expect these active Twitter users to post at least once a day, if not more! Do you think you should be on this list? Do you have over 5,000 followers? Do you share job search content written by other people? Are you regularly active on Twitter? Send me a DM on Twitter and we can chat! If you are looking for a list of people tweeting about general career advice and leadership so you can get ahead in your job, be happier, have a better work-life balance,   you need to follow this list instead careeradvice Follow This List On Twitter If you want an easy way to follow everyone on this list, just click on  this link STRICTLY JOB SEARCH @Careersherpa Hannah Morgan (yes, me) @Absolutely_Abby   Abby Kohut | Absolutely Abby @AlisonDoyle Alison Doyle | The Balance  @AmyLAdler    Amy L. Adler @AvidCareerist  Donna Svei | Avid Careerist @bob_mcintosh_1    Bob McIntosh | Things Career Related @hireimaging    Barb Poole | Hire Imaging @intellegojobs    IntellegoJobs | Intellego Jobs @JacobShare   Jacob Share | JobMob @JobHuntOrg  Susan P. Joyce | Job-Hunt.org @Jobjenny Jenny Foss | Job Jenny @JobSearchAmanda Amanda Augustine  | Amanda Augustine @JobscanCo    JobScanCo | JobScan.co @MiriamSalpeter  Miriam Salpeter | Keppie Consulting @markadyson   Mark A. Dyson | The Voice of Job Seekers @phyllismufson  Phyllis Mufson  |  Featured Expert on  Job-Hunt.org @TheMuse The Muse | The Muse @workcoachcafe   Work Coach Cafe | Work Coach Cafe @workitdaily Work It Daily | Work It Daily OVER 50/BOOMERs @CareerPivot   Marc Miller | Career Pivot @KerryHannon Kerry Hannon | Kerry Hannon @NancyCollamer Nancy Collamer | My Lifestyle Career @UnretirementPro    The Unretirement Project |  The Unretirement Project NEW TO THE WORKFORCE @YouTern  | The Savvy Intern on YouTern LINKEDIN/RESUME WRITING EXPERTS @Adrienne_Tom Adrienne Tom |   Career Impressions @ErinKennedyCPRW    Erin Kennedy, CPRW | Professional Resume Service @GreatResume Jessica Hernandez | Great Resumes Fast @LisaRangel  Lisa Rangel | Chameleon Resumes @ResumeExpert Laura Smith-Proulx | An Expert Resume @ResumeWoman Michelle A. Riklan | Riklan Resources @RisingStarRes    Lynda Spiegel | Rising Star Resumes @ValueIntoWords Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter | CareerTrend HR/RECRUITER INSIGHT @ed_han  Ed Han | LinkedIn for Job Search on Job-Hunt.org @hrbartender  Sharlyn Lauby | HR Bartender @JLipschultz    Jeff Lipschultz | Jeff Lipschultz Blog @jimstroud  Jim Stroud  | Jim Stroud @KatrinaMCollier   Katrina M Collier   | The Searchologist @nickcorcodilos  Nick Corcodilos   | Ask The Headhunter @Recruiterdotcom Recruiter.com | Recruiter.com for Job Seekers @SocialTalent Johnny Campbell | SocialTalent @StacyZapar  Stacy Zapar | Tenfold @tonyrestell  Tony Restell | Social-Hire @WillRecruits Will Thomson | Bulls Eye Recruiting PERSONAL BRANDING/SOCIAL MEDIA @dorieclark  Dorie Clark | Dorie Clark @MegGuiseppi  C-suite Branding| Executive Career Brand @RyanRhoten  Ryan Rhoten | Ryan Rhoten @WilliamArruda William Arruda | Reach  Personal Branding USING LINKEDIN @DonnaSerdula Donna Serdula | LinkedIn-Makeover @LinkedInExpert    Viveka Von Rosen | Vengreso More Job Search Advice Follow the websites too if you like. Since not everyone tweets, youll find more advice for your job search through websites listed in 50+ Best Websites for Job Search 2017. Sneak Peek At What Youll See A Twitter List by careersherpa Twitter Lists Twitter can feel overwhelming. Lists provide a great way to organize and prioritize what you see! Thats why you need to create lists. If you are looking for tips to help you use Twitter better and how to use it for your job search, check out this article. How To Find Smart People To Follow on Twitter Twitter Chats Twitter chats are a super way to interact in real time with other people! You can learn more about Twitter Chats here.   Twitter Chat: Do You Participate?