How To Avoid The Mistake Of Making A Reactive Shift

How To Avoid The Mistake Of Making A Reactive Shift Expert Advice > How to develop the mindset you need to shift How To Avoid The Mistake Of Making A Reactive Shift * Newly Updated Are you desperate to get away from your current career? Willing to do anything to escape? You might be heading toward a reactive shift. With two real-life examples, Natasha explains how to make sure your future isn't dictated by your past. Tuesday, 6 p.m. It's overcast and beginning to drizzle, and you've just started your commute home. You're exhausted. The day started badly and, as it continued, you felt like you were living a comedy of errors. The project you've been working on for weeks took a nosedive. The people you work with seem to have been trying their best to make your life as difficult as possible and you've been fighting to hide your irritation all day. All this work, and for what? You shake your head. Why are you so stressed out? You don't even care about this stuff. Your heart hasn't been in this work for months. As you sink into your seat, your body has never felt heavier. But even through your exhaustion, your mind starts to spin. You can't go on feeling this way. You have to get out; you have to find something else. What are you going to do? How are you ever going to get out of this situation? Are these attempts to find work you love ultimately futile? Are you just driving yourself crazy over a foolish fantasy? “One thing's for sure,”you tell yourself,“if I ever get out of here, I am never, ever doing anything like this again.” Sound familiar? If everything you're doing at work is wrong for you (and it sure feels like it is right now), your life seems to require a full 180-degree turn. You wish you could step onto a pendulum and be carried, Alice-in-Wonderland-style, to the precise inverse of your current situation. If you're constantly supporting other people at work, you decide you're never going to help ungrateful people again. In fact, you simply must be better suited to going it alone. Maybe it's time to start your own business, in fact, and be the boss for once. If you're sick of feeling like your time is controlled by someone else, you might decide to go freelance, or seek out work that allows you to work remotely. Or if your career feels meaningless and trivial, you start searching for jobs in charity and the social sector. It makes sense, right? If what you're doing feels so awful, it's logical to head as far as possible in the other direction. Or is it? It's important to remember that life isn't composed of antithetical states of being. That pendulum ride may feel like the most logical thing to do, and it may take you to exactly where you want to be. But it's certainly a risky move. I call it a Reactive Shift. So what is a reactive shift, and what's the alternative? A Reactive Shift: a career change that's primarily driven by the past A reactive shift's primary drivers are the negative emotions elicited by work that isn’t right for you. While articulating what you don't want can be a good starting point for figuring out what you do want, there's a rebellious, 'fight-or-flight response' quality to a reactive shift. They tend to have a knee-jerk, just-stood-on-a-plug atmosphere about them, which carries a number of risks: 1. Swinging too far (throwing the baby out with the bathwater) Rob worked in sales for a major telecommunications company. He's a talented and perceptive communicator, able to tailor messages precisely to whatever audience he has in front of him. After six years using those abilities for a cause that didn't mean anything to him, he began to resent not only the company he worked for, but even his own skill-set. “I felt like a fraudster. “My days were spent manipulating people to do what the company wanted them to do. It got to the point where I was so ashamed of what I did, the only way I could imagine redeeming myself was to move to something totally different. I threw my CV in the bin and went in search of work which would never involve getting people to do something they didn't want to do.” Rob retrained as a fireman, and for the first few months was proud of getting so far away from his sales career. But then something started to change. “It was fine, but I missed a lot of aspects of my old job, and I noticed it creeping into my work as a fireman. I quickly became the one the team turned to when we had a difficult person to deal with at an incident, because the guys knew I was good with words and had a knack for getting people on my side. “I started to realise I still loved a lot of what I used to do, it was just the environment that was wrong. And by that time it felt too late. I felt like I'd thrown the baby out with the bathwater really.” Rob's reactive shift was, from the outside, logical. But when we look at where it stemmed from â€" the feelings of shame about what he did as a salesperson â€" we see that it was this false association that drove his entire career change. In his urgency to get away from the negative feelings attached to his work in sales, he'd also given up on the positive aspects of his old job. He had, in his own words, thrown the baby out with the bathwater, and it didn't feel good. 2. Swinging into the unknown Bex had been a probation officer for 15 years when she made the decision to change career. In a sector with such a high staff turnover, she had become something of a legend in her region. If anyone had a work-related question, she was the one they turned to. Problem client? Bex would sort it out. On the outside, Bex was always helpful and cheery, but deep inside she felt herself turning sour. “I was just so sick of people wanting things from me all the time â€" service users, agencies, colleagues, even people who were meant to be senior to me. “I was knackered. But I didn't feel knackered, I just felt angry and resentful. I wanted everyone to just leave me alone. And I didn't see that happening ever again if I stayed in probation.” Bex had always loved writing, and decided that becoming a writer would be the perfect antidote to a frantic, demanding schedule. She was so fed up with work, and had such a lovely idea of what being a writer would be like, that she decided to jump ship and make a go of it. “I had this image of myself sitting at my desk in the mornings, in my pyjamas, with a cup of coffee and the cat, just tapping away for a few hours. And it would be quiet, and I'd choose my own working hours, and nobody would bother me… “I used to literally dream about it at night. Turns out I had absolutely no idea what it was all about. I quickly found out that I'm lousy at being my own boss, and working at home on your own is actually really lonely! Plus the time you spend looking for writing work far outweighs the time you spend writing, for the first six months at the very least. “I didn't miss my old job in the slightest, but I realised this new path wasn't that much better…” Bex made a classic reactive shift, leaping onto the pendulum and sailing as far from her old career as she could get. At that point it may not have mattered where she went, so long as it wasn't her old office, but after a few months of scrambling for writing work and missing the hubbub of her old career, it did start to matter. She realised that in her urgency to escape, she hadn't taken the time to look into the reality of where she was going. She realised she'd sailed into the unknown, and it wasn't as romantic a journey as she'd imagined. So what's the alternative option? An Active Shift: a change that's informed by the past without reacting to the past An active shift takes a curious, investigative approach to what you've learned from experiences in the past, without automatically leading you to the pendulum. It creates a multifaceted picture of both the past and the future, making use of what you can learn about what works and what doesn't work. Rather than choosing a course of action based on an 'anything-but-this' mentality, your actions are led by the information you've gathered in an objective, inquisitive way. 1. Look for 'negativity overflow' and get specific about what isn't working A reactive shift often arises when you allow one or two negative elements of a career to taint everything about what you're doing. Rob associated his work in sales with an emotion: shame. And the weight of that emotion tainted not just the sales-in-telecoms nature of his role, but even his skills and talents. Once Rob realised that he didn't have to be ashamed of his abilities â€" that they weren't inextricably linked to his role as a salesman, he started to look for ways he could incorporate the wordsmithery and people-skills of his sales job into something that felt more meaningful. He's now a fundraising communications manager for a major children's charity, using his natural talents to change the world. How specific can you get about what you enjoy and what you don't enjoy about your current career? Where can you see 'negativity overflow' showing up in your attitude toward your shift? 2. Avoid 'anything-but-this' thinking, and test drive your ideas An active shift is all about getting connected with reality, rather than with the panicked crazy-thought-loop that accompanies a career you don't enjoy. Bex learned her lesson, too. She decided that next time she shifted, she'd be prepared. After two years of feeling miserable as a writer, she started to test-drive a few different ideas that had been bubbling at the back of her mind. In small, low-risk ways, she found ways to experience her new career ideas. She ran a few creative writing classes, took on a part-time role as an estate agent to bring in some extra cash, and signed up for an entrepreneurship course. These experiences cemented her love for being around creative people and creating spaces for innovation. She decided to set up a co-working space for freelancers. Now, she spends her days managing the desk rentals and working on her second novel: “I could easily have freaked out and swung the other way â€" gone back to a job where I was surrounded by people and didn't have to seek out work all the time. But when I really examined what I'd learned, even from the bad stuff, I found a way to bring it all together in a way that works perfectly for me. “Inever dreamed it would be possible to love some of the things I used to hate, but I really get a kick out of the people who use the space coming to me for advice and to bounce ideas around with these days! I just wish I'd taken control of my career change earlier, instead of making a knee-jerk escape.” Can you feel yourself reacting to your current situation? What could you learn from Rob and Bex's experiences? Let me know in the comments below.

Jobseekers What NOT to Do, According to Recruiters

Jobseekers What NOT to Do, According to Recruiters It is a familiar scene â€" the candidate leaves the interview asking themselves a thousand and one questions. How did I do? Did I say the right thing? Have I had that bit of food in my teeth the whole time? Regardless of how well a candidate thinks they have done, especially in the early stages of employment, there are bound to be one or two aspects of the interview process that may not have come off well. Having said that, a significant number of us make the same, somewhat obvious, mistakes time after time after time… Here, we take a look at some of the worst traits candidates have brought to the interview room and further into their first day at their new job, straight from the mouth of the recruiters at RecruitmentRevolution.com. From putting a smiley face on your CV to dressing too provocatively in the interview, we look at the worst of the worst and how to avoid alienating potential employers. Sorry CVs: Before a candidate even reaches the interview stage, they must get past the first hurdle: having their CV read, understood and appreciated. The initial feeling a recruiter has towards an applicant starts as early as their CV so starting as you mean to go on is a must. Some of the worst CV howlers include: OMG LOL! â€" Putting text-speak on your resume is likely to be received very badly. Albeit lighthearted, the language is not professional and certainly does nothing to solidify a serious intention to find work. Abbreviations are also not considered adequate CV speak, for instance using ‘2’ instead of ‘to’ does not send the right message. Texting is for phones, not for CVs! Who, what, where? â€" So the qualifications are great, work history is astounding but… where is your phone number? A surprising number of candidates forget to include contact information on their CVs. Cast a spell check â€" A lot of candidates have been guilty of having a quick spell-check at the end of writing their CV, assuming it will correct the silly errors made whilst madly typing. However, spell check is not an infallible tool! Spelling and grammatical errors are the biggest pet peeve of RecruitmentRevolution.com workers, a little time and effort to check a CV makes sense before it is sent as it shows attention to detail and a desire to be taken seriously. Picture not-so-perfect â€" Including a picture on a CV is a relatively recent addition to the format, perhaps echoing the online profiles we have all become so used to. One particular applicant we’ve read about felt it necessary to show a little more than his credentials by attaching a full-sized nude picture to the front of his CV. Choosing a professional (and not naked) picture can help recruiters visualise you before the interview. Ins and outs of interviews: If the candidate has provided an excellent CV, the next step is the interview. This is the make or break point for many recruiters, and for candidates it is the point when the nerves can really start to show. Being nervous before an interview can influence a candidate’s behaviour and body language, often to their detriment. Recruiters cite the following things as top reasons why candidates to not get the job: Relax, don’t do it â€" Sometimes the nerves can give way to an over-confidence which recruiters find off-putting. Candidates who slouch in their chair, use confrontational body language or unashamedly flirt with the interviewer are likely to hear the phrase, “don’t call us, we’ll call you.” Nail-biting nerves â€" If a candidate is unconfident, it will show in their body language. Starting the interview with a limp handshake and head looking down to the floor appears submissive and scared. Not making eye contact makes it hard for recruiters to build a rapport and mumbling through answers without annunciating is likely to lead to a no. Clean as a whistle â€" Although we would all like to assume we are only judged based on our abilities, a professional image counts for a lot in an interview. Our interviewers thought that having bad breath was a catalyst in forming an opinion of a candidate so cleanliness and a professional appearance are extremely important if the recruiter is to properly visualise you as a potential part of the team. Life online â€" Some recruiters may look to social networking platforms to glean more information about a candidate pre or post-interview. Although the majority of the opinion will be formed through the information provided on CVs and through interviews, a quick search of Facebook or Twitter may turn up a few undesirable shots  of last weekend’s pub crawl. Recruiters can look to LinkedIn for professional information but they may try and work out a bit more about the candidate’s personality through their social media footprint, so they must be sure their privacy settings support their professional veneer. First time for everything: For a candidate with a perfect CV and enviable interview skills, getting the job is the next step. However, it is a recruiter’s job to follow up on the new hire and make sure they are working well within their new team. Candidates should not assume that just getting the job ensures stability as it is important they follow through with their professionalism right up to the first day and beyond. Some characteristics made apparent on the first day that have recruiters seeing red include: Too big for your boots â€" Starting a new job as you mean to go on is key to gelling in a new team. Recruiters said new employees who tell others what to do or show a tendency to be bossy to seasoned workers will often rub people up the wrong way on the first day. Being understanding and getting a feel for the office hierarchy is key. Pain of complaining â€" New hires who complain about the work they have to do, or express that their work is too difficult are sure to cause friction within a working environment. Of course there is a learning curve with new jobs, but complaining on the first day and showing a lack of willingness to try or put in any effort will have co-workers wondering how they got hired. Talk is cheap â€" Getting to know co-workers is important but spending hours and endless coffee breaks chatting and disrupting the flow of other people’s work is sure to upset the balance that has been created before the candidate was hired. If the candidate hopes to be an integral part of the team moving forward, then there is plenty of time to get to know everyone in the office. No free lunch â€" Recruiters have also said that how the new hire takes their lunch break can be a point of contention during those first few days. Not taking a lunch break at all can make people feel as though the new hire is trying too hard to impress, whereas taking several hours out of the office to have lunch can be seen as a less than desirable way to dine on the first day. Recruiters see thousands of applicants every week and have come across every imaginable CV, interview and first day scenario. Whereas many of these mistakes and errors seem laughable, they are made on a daily basis and can cost jobseekers dearly. Candidates must cover all their bases, using confidence and common sense to stand out from the crowd, but for all the right reasons. Author: Jamie Mistlin is the Director of RecruitmentRevolution.com, an online recruitment agency based in the South East of England. Follow RecruitmentRevolution.com on Twitter at @RecRev.

Empower Each Other, Make The World a Better Place - Classy Career Girl

Empower Each Other, Make The World a Better Place The world would be a much better place if we supported each other while reaching our goals.  Unfortunately, thats not always the case. As Madeleine K. Albright said, There is a special place in hell for women who dont help other women. I’m sure that youve all experienced this phenomenon. While you work hard, making sure you do your job perfectly, aiming to succeed in achieving your goals, there are often ladies who will counteract you â€" either by criticizing you, talking behind your back, or even taking actions to make your journey harder so they can advance before you. I know your frustration and I can really relate to that since I’ve also been there before. Many female managers need to work twice as hard while being viewed through a magnifying glass and simultaneously navigating through competitive women.  I can also understand why some women tear others down. They simply think that there is only one chair reserved for women in the boardroom. This might have been the case in the past. However, if we focus the energy we use to compete with each other to help each other we can reserve half of the seats for smart, competent, and hungry women like us. At the same time, we make our organizations better, and in that way, were making the world a better place in our own way. So How Can We Make The World a Better Place? By Empowering Each Other. 1. See Other Women As Peers, Not Competition See other qualified and ambitious women as peers and team members that can help each other advance in their careers. 2.  Be Careful of Who You Criticize Understand that your dislike or criticism towards strong women is natural due to bias, fear, and competition. Try to see them as a person and to judge them just the way you see men. 3.  Focus on Company-wide Results Remember that together we can reserve more seats in the management room. Studies show that companies with better equality at the management level are more successful. So, in other words, you are not only helping other women, you are helping your organization succeed by supporting women. [RELATED: How to Handle Gossip at Work] 4. Look for Ways to Empower Other Women Listen and see how you can help and empower other women through your contacts, your skills or even just being a supportive friend to a co-worker. 5. Pay it Forward Once you have achieved your career vision â€" pay it forward! Help others on the way up by mentoring and promoting the next generation of qualified women.  By using all of the human resources that we have in an equal way, we will not only make our organizations more efficient, creative, and friendly â€" we can also make a difference in the world. Giving equal opportunities not based on gender or diversity while using our human capital in a much efficient way will give the world better chances to decrease poverty, illnesses, and maybe even war. In this way,  we are going to have a richer, healthier world. So ladies â€" let’s all help each other and make the world a better place! Dare to make a difference! Believing in you,   Moran.

9 Steps to acing a job interview

9 Steps to acing a job interview A good way to think about the process of getting a job is that a resume gets you in the door, and an interview is where you close the deal. Here are nine ways to ace an interview and get the job: 1. Tell good stories. When someone says, Tell me about yourself, they dont want to hear you rattle off a list of what youve done or what youve accomplished. People want stories.  Stories are what make you stick in peoples minds. The problem is, most people cant figure out a story to tell about themselves, so they start listing facts. This is boring, and research shows that listing facts about ourselves instead of telling stories actually makes us feel disjointed which is, of course, no good in an interview.  Compelling stories make us believe in ourselves. So find a story arc to your career, and tell it during every interview. 2. Understand the behavioral interview. When someone asks you a question that begins, Tell me about a time when its a cue that youre in a behavioral interview. There are established ways to answer this type of question. The interviewer is trying to see how you acted in the past, which is a good predictor of how youll act in the future. You need to tell the interviewer about a situation you encountered, the action you took to solve the problem, and quantify the results. This is called  the STAR response   Situation or Task, Action, Results. 3. Ask questions at the beginning, not the end. Dont wait until the end to ask good questions. Whats the point? You just spent the whole interview telling the person youre right for the job its a little late to be asking questions about the job, right? So  ask your questions at the beginning. And then use the answers to better position yourself for the job during the interview. At the end, when the interviewer says, Do you have any questions? you can say, No, I think I asked everything I needed to ask at the beginning of the interview. But thank you instead of thinking of a pile of pseudo-questions 4. Stop stressing about your MySpace page. Look, theres nothing we can do about the fact that nearly every college kid is writing stupid things to his friend and posting it on MySpace or Facebook. Hiring managers care less and less about these pages; its not earth-shattering news to human resources that college kids do stupid things. Which is lucky, because often,  trying to clean up an online footprint is a lost cause. So instead of worrying about what you did in the past, focus on what youre doing now. Write articles online, or write a blog do anything that will come up higher on  Googlethan your prom date photo. Getting your ideas at the top of a search is the way to impress an interviewer. You want to get hired for your ideas, not your clean record on MySpace. 5. Explain away job hopping and long gaps. It doesnt matter what you do with your time as long as youre doing productive, interesting things. So a gap is fine, as long as you can talk about what you learned, and how you grew during the gap. And  job hopping is fine  as long as you can show you made a significant, quantifiable contribution everywhere you went. 6. Present a plan. Show the interviewer that youve done a bit of thinking about the company and the job. Brendon Connelly at Slacker Manager suggests that you  go to the interview with a plan  for the first three months youre in the job. Show some humility say, This is just something I came up with that we might use to get the interview started. Of course, you can only do this if you know a lot about the job. But the best way to get the job is to know a lot about it. 7. Manage your parents. Its common today for parents to be involved in their twentysomething childs job hunt. Parental involvement is so ubiquitous during interviews for summer internship programs that companies like Merrill Lynch will actually send an acceptance letter to a parent if the candidate requests one. But some parents hover so close by that they make their kid look incompetent. Get help from your parents, but dont get too much. Check out CollegeRecrutier.com to find out where your parents fall on the spectrum. 8. Play to stereotypes. Youll probably interview with more than one person. And each person you talk with will have some sort of personal agenda that will infiltrate your interview. Your job is to identify the type of person youre talking to so that you can give the type of answer theyre looking for. Understanding personality types will be helpful. But also take a look at Guy Kawasakis hilarious list of interviewer stereotypes and how to wow each type with your answers. 9. Practice. A lot. An interview isnt an improvisation its a rehearsed performance. And its no mystery what the  most common interview questions  are, so prepare you answers. Even if you end up fielding a question you didnt anticipate, surely a version of one the 50 answers you did prepare will work with the surprise question. You can practice with a friend, or you can go back to your college counseling office, which will probably help you out no matter where you are in your career. But Alexandra Levit at  Water Cooler Wisdom  recommends using  InterviewTrue  to practice on video.

Writing a Resume Objective Example

Writing a Resume Objective ExampleSo you want to write a resume objective example that will bring out the best in you? If this is your first time to use the objective example, you may be wondering what to write. There are a lot of information online, but most of it is out of date. I will show you the best example of a resume objective and why this one is so powerful.Name: Tells the reader what you are about. You can do this by using the first name of the person you are looking for. Or, even better, describe who you are in the third person. This will set you apart from anyone else on your market.Time Location: To give you a little more information, you can include the names of your office hours of operation. For example, if you are looking for a position in New York City, your resume objective should mention NYC in your first sentence. A good example would be 'NYC-based customer service representative.'Faculty: If this is included, it will take away from the objective, so you should n ot include this when writing a CV. But, if you feel you need to make this part of your resume, make sure to give enough information so it doesn't feel like filler. Your objective should tell the reader something they want to know, not just an overview of you.Education: When looking for a job, it's important to know where you learned your skills. Do you have certificates or diplomas? How many years of experience do you have? Just a couple of sentences will let the reader know where you learned.This is the most important part of a resume objective and this is why it's vital to get it right. You need to emphasize exactly who you are, not just tell the reader. You want the reader to remember your name, not just what you did.The best example is a true example. One of the best examples I have seen is from the Seattle Times. It's not hard to find, so feel free to do a search on Google. You will find a bunch of examples, but most of them are from newspapers and magazines, so they are not ne cessarily the best.This is why it's crucial to use one of these examples instead of just trying to guess what a company wants to see. The examples will get you close, but if you want to be as specific as possible, you need to use professional resumes and CV writing services.

12 ways to pimp your office - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

12 ways to pimp your office - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog When your office was furnished, did the shopping list go something like this: One desk. Gray. One ergonomic office chair. Black. One waste paper basket. Gray plastic. One filing cabinet. Gray. You know the usual stuff. Typical. Traditional. Booooooring! Im not going to claim that a fancy desk or a weird chair is going to magically improve your creativity and productivity but I am damn sure, that all that sameness and eternal corporate grayness, does nothing good for your ability to come up with great new ideas. Here are some ways to spruce up a workplace that may actually inject some color and fun into your work environment. Got Milk? The Milk desk is a new design to match your Apple gear with its white surface and rounded edges. It lowers and raises electrically, it has ways to hide the cable clutter, and it also has four compartments at one end that can be configured for storage, trash or, yes, as an aquarium. Partition magic Softwall is a great way to flexibly partition a room. Its made of paper with a felt core, and I love it because it doesnt eat all the light in the room (if you go for the white one). It can be twisted into just about any shape or rolled up when you dont need it and it dampens sound more than most room partitioners. Plus it looks amazing! The wing desk Or how about a desk made from the wing of a DC3 plane? The saddle chair The starting point for the Haag Capisco is just your average, garden-variety office chair but theyve moved on from there. The saddle seat gives you a more erect posture and doesnt cut of the blood flow to your legs. The seat and back are constructed so you can sit sideways or reversed on it and still support your arms. And the whole thing tilts back into a very comfortable reclined position. Ive had one of these myself they rock. Bean bags Bean bags look great and can be used in a million different positions. Four bags and a coffee table and you have a great meeting room! Im partial to the the Sumo Omni (pictured above) myself. Disclosure: They once sent me a free one to review here on the blog. Bibliochaise Where do you keep all your reference manuals and handbooks? Close to where you can sit and read them, of course! Meet the Bibliochaise. Stokke Garden Its a tree. Its a sculpture. Its I dont know what it is, but I like it. Since I first saw these, Ive wanted one and only the huge price tag has kept from picking one up. It looks strange, but is actually supremely comfortable and allows you to sit/lie in many positions. I know, Ive spent quite some time in a showroom testing one thoroughly :o) The meeting bed. When your business is innovation, your office cant really look like any other corporate wasteland. London-based innovation agency ?WhatIf! know that as evidenced by e.g. the life-sized plastic cow statue painted like Spiderman in the lobby and the big red couch/bed they use for meetings: Conference bike This has got to be the coolest idea in a long time. 7 people pedal along, one of them steers. Its the conference bike and I want one!! I also mentioned this in my post on seeeeeriously cool workplaces. Art tables I was sitting in my usual caf? writing this blogpost when I spotted a lady at the next table looking through some pictures of weird and beautiful desks. Of course I had to ask her what the story was. Turns out shes Marie Westh, an artist and these are one-off tables she created, first for exhibitions and then later on as usable art pieces. Check out Maries website with many more weird and fantastic creations. A balance act This is more a metaphor than a piece of furniture but its pretty cool all the same. The idea is that three people can have a meeting where they must work together to hold their balance during the meeting. Like we must each contribute to a conversation, to make it balanced. Impractical but cool! More here. Wood wall Or how about an entire wall covered in cordwood? Not only is it amazingly beautiful, its also great for the acoustics and it gives the wall a great texture. I saw my friends at Connecta and their roommates build this from a huge stack of cord woodon the floor to the finished wall. Superb!! The upshot So is it the furniture that determines whether a company is creative and fun or staid and boring? Of course not! But the type and variety of furniture does reflect the mood at the company. If you have row upon row of identical, gray desks and chairs then odds are this is not the place wild ideas are born. And why exactly is it that everyone must have the same desk and chair? Why not let people choose for themselves, and give them a chance to create an environment that suits them. The resulting variety may be confusing to those who think that business is about structure, order and control but its sure to be more stimulating and fun for those of us who think that work is about being happy. There are more pictures of cool furniture in this flickr set. Also check out my post on 10 seeeeeriously cool workplaces: Or check out some other past favorites from the blog: Top 10 reasons why happiness at work is the ultimate productivity booster Top 10 mistakes managers of geeks make How to deal with a bad boss Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

Land A Job With The Webs Help - Margaret Buj - Interview Coach

Land A Job With The Webs Help Beyond the interview and the job application, what is it that can help you secure the role or at least help you get to the next step in the hiring process? The prep work you can do can have a big impact on your job search, and the internet might be able to help you in more ways than you might think. Here’s how to weave the web to work for you on your search. Know who you’re talking to First of all, use the internet to research any companies that you plan on applying to work in. There could be all kinds of information that could help you better position yourself as a fit for the team. For instance, you can look at their mission or any indication of their values and align yourself with them during the interview. You can also look at their recent news to strike up a positive conversation. For instance, if they have news of a recent success, you can congratulate the interviewer, especially if they were personally involved. Build your network online Social media is playing an increasingly important part of our professional lives, and it’s not always from a marketing perspective. Networking has always been crucial to a good career. Having connections to trusted professionals will work in your favour. Now, with networks like LinkedIn, you can build those networks online, capitalising on your work experience to show your experience with an industry, as well as a reliable and public record of your work history. Establish yourself on LinkedIn and start connecting with other professionals you have been in touch with before. Create a totally unique resume Your CV can help land you the job, but there could be a better way to present your skills, experience, and what makes you such a great hire. More people, especially those in highly competitive fields, are building their own websites. With a little web design, you can give your experience, skills, and portfolio the kind of professional shine that it deserves. Not only will many employers be impressed by the initiative, but they will see that you have a clear understanding of branding and sales, which is always important in a corporate role. Position yourself as an authority Back to social media for a bit. Besides creating a profile for yourself and linking with others you’ve worked with in the past, what you post can play a huge role in where you get hired, too. If you’re looking to work in a particular industry, then make sure you start following accounts that are well known for great news and insights in said industry. By engaging with the professional community, be it through thoughtful comments, sharing articles, and so on, it shows that you are truly invested in the industry, not just in finding a job. Take the time to establish an online presence for yourself and take advantage of whatever presence your potential employers have, as well. You never know when making the right connection online could pay off.