Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom Honing Your Entrepreneurial Skills Productivity

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom Honing Your Entrepreneurial Skills Productivity Given that I recently moved into a new office and it’s the end of the year, I thought that now would be an ideal time to tune up my productivity as a small business owner. My enhancements fall into four categories, including built-in exercise, time-saving office equipment, efficiency apps, and streamlined processes. Built-in Exercise My holiday gift to myself this year was a treadmill desk. The desk allows me to easily get in 10,000 steps a day without having to schedule in a trip to the gym or even a walk around the neighborhood. Now, Alyson Shontell at Business Insider used a treadmill desk from LifeSpan for a whole day and said it negatively impacted her productivity because she was so exhausted. I’m not surprised. It’s all about moderation, so in 2015, I will use the desk during busywork periods (answering emails, submitting invoices, making administrative calls, etc.). I have a regular computer desk for periods of intense, focused work. Time-Saving Office Equipment You already know that I’m a spokesperson for Canon, and as such, the company sent me a new Canon Maxify printer designed specifically for small business owners. I don’t employ a full-time assistant, so printing and scanning tasks can be laborious â€" not to mention a time and productivity suck. The best thing about the Canon Maxify is its speed: in just a minute or so it churned out a 20-page client contract. The Maxify also allows me to send documents to print from any location in the cloud, so I can take care of my printing and scanning tasks while on the go. Efficiency Apps The iPhone App Store is always full of interesting finds, and this year I’m adding Dashlane and Gmail Canned Responses to my repertoire. Dashlane, which is free, automatically logs you onto websites so you never have to remember individual passwords. Its security seems pretty robust, as I’ve already received an alert that one of my passwords was potentially compromised. As for Gmail Canned Responses, I learned about this from CNET’s Nicole Cozma and don’t know how I lived without it for this long. The Canned responses feature lets you compose replies to common messages you receive and saves them for future use so that in just few clicks, you can insert one of your pre-written replies. I tend to get asked the same questions over and over, so this tool was invented for me! In 2015, I’ll also continue to use my go-to efficiency apps of Dropbox (cloud-based storage), Doodle (online meeting coordinator), Evernote (note-taking and content-clipping), and If This Then That (social media coordination). Streamlined Processes As a small business owner, three major time management pitfalls are small-task procrastination, working on tasks outside my expertise, and managing my finances. For 2015, I’m implementing a few processes that I anticipate will double my productivity in these areas. First, I’ll increase my use of the “Under 10 Minutes rule.” The rule states that if a task arrives in my queue and it can be completed in less than 10 minutes, I take care of it right away. I’ll also use TaskRabbit, a tool that quickly locates experts on a variety of topics and can also provide administrative support in case, for example, I need someone to help me respond to media pitches. I also plan to expand my usage of Intuit’s Quickbooks, Quickbase, and Mint products in order to better keep track of the money coming in and the money coming out, as well as my client engagements and budgets. Please check out the first and second posts in this series onbusiness acumen and self-discipline, and stay tuned for the last one, which will include advice on enhancing your reliability. Canonwill be spotlighting several small business owners on its social media channels throughout the next several months, so be sure to leave a comment and share your thoughts on this post using the hashtag #MAXIFY in order to qualify. If you are a U.S.-based small business owner (1-9 employees) and have faced a unique business challenge in your first year on the job, let us know! We’d love to hear what line of work your small business falls within and what you feel is the most important takeaway from this post. We’ll also be rewarding select small business owners with a prize pack including the Canon Maxify MB5320 printer as well as other essentials to help you run your business more efficiently. So don’t forget to leave a link to your website or social media pages that way we can see how well you’re marketing your business and get in touch!

Monday Motivation Book Giveaway Wrap-up and Note From the Author

Monday Motivation Book Giveaway Wrap-up and Note From the Author Happy Monday!  I hope you are enjoying book giveaway week as much as I am!  We have one more book giveaway this afternoon.  Todays book is the perfect book for someone who loves social media.  If you are reading this blog, that most likely is you so stay tuned! I also wanted to share with you a few thoughts from Kimberly Lin, the author of the book Recession Proof.  You can find her book giveaway here. Many of you posted comments about begin stuck in a rut during this recession and she wanted me to let you know the following: After reading the comments from this giveaway, I am incredibly humbled and touched. I truly loved reading everyones own personal stories because my goal in writing this book was to really give our generation, especially young career women, a voice as we navigate through these challenging times and face our lives in general. I firmly believe in the strength and intelligence of women and its been incredibly fulfilling to 1) follow my own dreams and inspire other women to do so as well and 2) connect our lives together.   Even as I am traversing through my own journey (and believe me it gets hard), I want to encourage readers to never give up. Never settle. You deserve to have it all and you can have it all through hard work, faith and sheer determination. Im reminded of the quote by Winston Churchill, Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. I also want to extend a huge thank you to the Classy Career Girl, for dedicating her time to running this fabulous site. Her work definitely empowers women and Im so happy that a site like hers exists. A sincere thank you to the readers who showed an interest in the book and congratulations to the winner. I hope you enjoy it! Readers can also read the first chapter here:  http://www.kimberlyslin.com/RPChapterOne.html Now here are your career links to start your week off right: Jump Start Your Day  by Purposeful Woman Advice for successful career  decisions by Bug Girl Trying to find a job? Here are the top entry-level resume characteristics for obtaining an interview  by Career Woman Inc. 7 Keys to Advancing Multicultural Women  by Workingmother.com Small Workplace Asks, Big Career Wins by Forbes.com “I want a big career, a big man, and a big life. You have to think big thats the only way to get it I just couldnt stand being anonymous.” ~ Mia Farrow

StudentJob UKs 5 Top Tips for Happiness and Motivation at Work

StudentJob UKs 5 Top Tips for Happiness and Motivation at Work Happiness and motivation are fundamental to your success and enjoyment at work and in any job role. Unfortunately, both can be difficult to maintain. We’ve put together our 5 top tips to help you maintain your happiness and motivation at work. #1 Healthy heart, healthy mind! A healthy heart and a healthy mind is the most important of all. Eating healthily and keeping yourself hydrated can make a huge difference in your performance and attitude. #2 Fail to plan, plan to fail! Work with a vision. Ask yourself: What is my mission, and how am I going to get there? #3 Rewards Why not implement your own reward system? Rewarding your hard work and efforts will give you something to look forward to and an incentive to work towards. #4 Perspective is everything! Beside the financial benefit, it is important to remind yourself of why you work. Take some time and list the reasons why you do the work you do. #5 Positive action! Negativity kills your enthusiasm and drains you of energy. Think positively, but more importantly act positively for positive results. There you go, there’s our 5 top tips we use to help our workers thrive on a day to day basis. For part time jobs in London, part time jobs in Manchester and part time jobs in Leeds head over to our website. If you have any questions or queries, send them over to info@studentjob.co.uk.

Resume Botox 9 Ways Your Resume Can Avoid Ageism - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Resume Botox 9 Ways Your Resume Can Avoid Ageism - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career So many 40+ job seekers complain about age bias. But many 40+ job seekers dont realize that the way their resume brands them may actually cause or amplify ageism. I talked about this in last weeks column Is Your Personal Brand Making Ageism Worse? This week, lets discuss solutions to self-inflicted ageism, by examining ways to change your resume to lessen the effects of ageism. Just like your resumes personal brand can unknowingly increase ageism, you can also brand yourself to reduce the negative perceptions of age. Your personal brand can give the perception that youre a superior candidate, technologically current, up to date in your industry, flexible, willing to take direction, and reasonably priced. Many 40+ candidates wonder why employers make snap decisions about how effective youll be at your job because of your age. Employers make snap decisions about many parts of your resume, since they decide whether youll get an interview or the discard file in 15 seconds and decide if youre qualified or not in 4 6 seconds. Think of these recommendations as botox for your resume. 9 ways to change your personal brand to avoid ageism: Be Great For THAT EXACT JOB: You cant be great for all jobs, so why write a resume that brands you as awesome for 10 different things? Your audience reads hundreds of resumes each day and they all start to look alike. Your readers search for something that makes you look different than other candidates if they cant find anything substantial, they focus on things like age, employment gaps and prior job titles. If youre the only candidate who has already solved similar problems, theyll want you. Differentiate yourself in a way your reader cant ignore and theyll stop focusing on your age. Demonstrate Subject Matter Expertise: If youre over 40, you were taught that being a generalist was desirable by employers, because you could remember how to handle many different problems, Then came our collective memory bank, Google, so knowing a little about many things wasnt so helpful to employers because they had Google to remember a little about many things. Today, employers look for deep domain knowledge, so you can provide more value than a Google search. If you demonstrate generalist skills in your resume, you remain buried in the ATS. Todays hiring managers screen for subject matter expertise first, even for generalist jobs, determining your ability to handle other tasks during the interview. Dump Years Of Experience: Were used to years of experience demonstrating wisdom and a deep understanding of the job and industry. In some jobs thats still important, but less than it used to be thanks to the giant collective memory of Google. Since Google reduces employers dependence on experience, why trumpet years of experience at the top of your resume? While years of experience carry less benefit, it now just screams Im old. Drop Details Of Early Jobs: I dont recommend excluding early jobs they show you werent in jail (yes, Im serious). However, you dont have to include every last detail of what you did in your first job out of school because, who really cares? Worse, when you include a lot of details about jobs 10 15 years ago (or more), you look like youre waxing nostalgic about the good old days. This gives the impression that your best days are behind you and youre all washed up. Drop references to old technology: Unless youre looking for a job to support old technology, drop the COBOL and Visicalc references they dont tell your audience that youre technically adept in todays technology. No one cares that COBOL programming and Visicalc spreadsheets were took more talent, back in the old days. These technologies were probably obsolete before the person reviewing your resume WAS EVEN BORN. Use Social Media:Want to show that youre technologically adept with current technology? Then use it. Start a blog, start a Linkedin group and tweet (about something other than what you ate for lunch or that youve entered a store or restaurant). Use current resume formats: Dump objectives and summary statements, demonstrate the value youve created for employers, stop describing your day to day activities or job function. List education last, not first: If you want to show that you understand how todays hiring manager (your hopeful boss) thinks, demonstrate that you understand its more important what youve done than where you went to school. Use Bullets Instead Of Paragraphs: Your readers cant pick up details in paragraphs during the 15 seconds they take to decide if you get the interview or not. When you use bulletpoints, you show you understand how employers think today not how they thought 10 or 20 years ago. You can affect how employers perceive your effectiveness and how they view your age. If you make it a weakness, then your age will be treated as a weakness. If you make it part of your strength, it will be perceived as a strength. Author: Phil Rosenberg is President of http://www.reCareered.com, a leading job search information website and career coaching service. Phil also runs the Career Central group, one of Linkedin’s largest groups for job seekers and has built one of the 20 largest personal networks on Linkedin globally. An active blogger about social media, career advice and job search information, Phil’s articles have been published by The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, CNN, CBS, AOL, FastCompany, CIO, ZDnet, The Examiner, and leading job/career/recruiting publications and sites. Check out one of Phil’s complimentary job search webinars at http://ResumeWebinar.com.

Why and How to Encourage Employee Growth and Development CareerMetis.com

Why and How to Encourage Employee Growth and Development Source â€" BigStockPhoto.comBusinesses that invest in their employees can see an increase in employee engagement and loyalty, while also improving the employee’s professional skills and reducing organizational inefficiencies.These changes directly impact the companies bottom line by decreasing the costs of employee turnover and optimizing production.In fact, companies with formalized training programs reported a 218% higher income per employeethan organizations without employee training programs.Investing in employee growth and training program doesn’t just help you improve employee satisfaction and increase productivity; it helps you attract top candidates for open positions in your organization. Competition for talent is only getting worse, so companies must find ways to separate themselves from other businesses. Having an employee growth and development program is an additional benefit that willevalUnderstanding the importance of employee growth programs is one thing â€" but i mplementing changes to encourage employee development is another story.If your organization wants to get serious about its employee growth strategy, then you need to consider the four tips below on encouraging employee development.Learn What Skills They Want to ImproveOrganizations that want to encourage employee growth and development should start by understanding the skills their employees are interested in improving. Your employees are passionate about professional development, but they aren’t being incentivized to pursue that passion.This is further supported by arecent study on employee growthand engagement which found that 76% of employees are actively looking to advance in their careers â€" yet 84% were disengaged with their current work.The gap in employees’ desire to grow and their engagement suggests that managers and organizations are struggling to implement employee growth programs effectively.One of the reasons for this struggle is that organizations don’t know ho w to align their training initiatives so that it’s mutually beneficial to the company and the employee.You can mitigate this issue by simply asking employees what skills and vocational areas they want to improve, and finding ones that relate to their role within your organization. By collecting feedback from your employees about the growth areas that interest them, you can also gain their commitment to the training program â€" increasing its effectiveness.evalThis is further supported by a study from Clear Company that found 25% of employees would be more satisfied in their organization if they were given a chance to develop a skillthat would translate to their job.Not only can you make the employee more satisfied and comfortable in their role, but your organization will benefit through increased productivity and quality.1) Improve Your Training ProgramsevalPoor or nonexistent training programs can be the underlining cause of more issues than you might realize. According to a rece nt study on employee retention, an astounding 40% of employees leave a new job within the first year due to ineffective training and development practices.Training is an important part of new hire onboarding â€" and as the data suggest, it can have a huge effect on the speed at which these hires acclimate and their commitment to the company.evalImproving your organization’s employee training isn’t just important for new hires; poor training and development initiatives can affect your tenured employees, too. A 2018 study from the Conference Board found that almost 68% of employees are dissatisfied with their company’s job and educational training initiatives. Having poor or nonexistent employee training can increase your employee turnover, decrease production levels, and demotivate your staff. Take time to assess and iterate your current training programs, looking for opportunities to make the training material more engaging and relevant.If you don’t have a formalized trainin g program, you need to get one started quickly. Many companies are turning to professional employer organizations Organizations have begun to recognize this shift away from traditional training material and creating a more on-demand, support-ticket style approach to employee education. Do you need help executing this task? Watch this short video or message a support member who will walk you through it in person or remotely.Technology is making it easier for organizations to create video and real-time training opportunities that employees can access when they are actually curious or interested in that information. Employees love the autonomy that this affords them, and it prevents them from having to sit through a lecture or training seminar about something they may or may not ever need to know.Unconventional training doesn’t just mean interactive or on-demand tutorials; it’s a cultural shift that starts from the top-down. Managers must find opportunities to teach and mentor thei r employees. In fact, 24% of employees would consider leaving their job if their manager was not providing adequate feedback â€" and, 68% of employees who receive feedbackconsistently feel fulfilled.Getting managers to spearhead employee learning in the workplace will make the trainingmore engaging and relevant to the employee. It will also foster a culture that supports the continued growth and development of its employees.According to Forbes, companies lose an estimated $550 billion annually due to disengaged employees. Organizations can combat this by making a concerted effort to prioritize employee growth and development. Businesses that are willing to invest in their employees are likely to see an increase in employee satisfaction, retention, and productivity â€" creating a win-win for companies and employees.evalUltimately, companies and managers must be the driving force behind employee growth initiatives. It’s the employer’s responsibility to engage employees, to learn t heir interest, provide them with educational resources and tools, and incentivize them to make professional development a priority.

6 Types of Networking Activities You Need To Land A Job

6 Types of Networking Activities You Need To Land A Job Try these six types of networking activities to help secure interviews and land new job more quickly! The best way to tap into the hidden job market, reduce your perceived risk as a candidate and increase the chance of getting an interview is by having conversations with people. This is called networking. Most people I talk to, especially introverts, are uncomfortable with the idea of networking. They say they dont know a lot of people or dont like cold calling. I get it. Im an introvert too! I have deep relationships with fewer people, hate going to networking events and dont reach out to strangers. But, this doesnt mean I dont network. Ive found a way to adapt and engage in networking activities without feeling yucky. First, lets look at what networking is and why its so important. Know, Like and Trust Research from Edelman tells us that 81% say, ‘Trust in brands is an important part of my purchase behavior. In other words, people buy stuff from people (or companies) they know, like and trust. And getting hired is kind of like a purchase the company is purchasing you. This means they have to feel like they know, like and trust you. So one of the best ways to land a new job is by getting people to know, like and trust you. There are several ways you can do this and they involve you engage in networking activities. Be strategic and purposeful and meet people who work inside companies where there may be job opportunities (some that may have not been advertised yet)! Target insiders (past and present) and find ways to meet them. Here are six different types of networking activities to help you get on the companys radar: 1. Use Employee Referral Programs (ERP) From an employer’s perspective, identifying a candidate for a job is only one piece of the puzzle. The hiring manager needs someone who will do the job well and complement the existing team members which can be difficult to evaluate during the interview process. A referred candidate is a safer investment. So more companies have begun using Employee Referral Programs (ERP) to help fill openings. You can learn more about ERP hiring here. Data from EY has shown that referred candidates tend to make better hires, meaning they stay in the job longer and come up to speed faster. This is one more reason for you to meet people who work inside companies you are interested in. Networking Is About Getting AIR Your purpose for networking is to gather advice, information and recommendations to help you make an informed career move. Thats all. You are not asking for a jobyet. During your conversations, be prepared to share information about yourself to gain recognition as a valuable resource. Make sure you are prepared with a short pitch to answer the question about what you do. Most importantly, your networking efforts require focus and a strategy to organize and prioritize who you will meet with. Without this focus, you could end up meeting with lots of people but not getting any relevant career information or job leads. This is when networking feels like a waste of time. Be focused and strategic! The best way to do this is to create a list of companies you are interested in and think you may like to work for. Now, lets move into the six types of networking activities youll want to add to your job search: 1. Networking Events Plan to regularly attend networking events that allow you to interact with new people in your industry or occupation. There are networking events hosted by professional associations, as well as career conferences, industry trade shows, and even alumni networking events. Identify one or two events per month (if actively job searching) or one or two per year if you just want to stay active. To find events, check your newspaper for local in-person networking events. Newsletters specific to your industry or occupation will often list upcoming events. Professional associations list local and national events on their websites. And dont forget to check with your schools alumni office for upcoming networking events near you. 2. General Networking General networking happens when you reach out to people you know. The people who know you are already familiar with you, and it is easier to reach out and re-educate them on what you are looking for and to request their advice or help. People you know are also more likely to want to help and refer you to people in their network. Consider asking your network for names of people who work at target companies and people they think you should meet. As a student, you can also network in class and around campus. Be open to meeting new people at any time anywhere to learn new things. Just keep in mind your mission for networking and start every conversation off by finding a common interest with the person you are meeting. 3. Social Media Networking The whole purpose of social media is to connect or stay connected with people.  For your job search, the professional networking site you need to devote time to is LinkedIn. Step one is to build an awesome profile. Step two is to connect with people you know! But there is also the work of staying in touch with your network. One way of doing this on LinkedIn is by regularly updating your status. Here are 10 status updates you can use! Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and even Instagram are all platforms where employers are looking for talent and all provide you with an opportunity to network with people you know (or would like to meet). Learn how to use social networks to network. 4. An Informational Meeting Sometimes referred to as an informational interview, an informational meeting is a way to get a conversation with someone youd like to meet. There are two types of people you will want to meet with for an informational meeting â€" company insiders and industry experts. Using your target company list, identify alumni, mutual connections, and even people you know who work for companies you are interested in. Your purpose for wanting to meet with company insiders is to learn about the company. Employees are able to provide you with the inside scoop on what its like to work there and will also be the first to hear about new opportunities. You also want to meet with people who can share their expertise about an industry or occupation. They may not work for a company you are interested in, but the information they share about trends in the field will be incredibly useful to you. Heres help for conducting your informational meeting. 5. Pursuing A Posted Job There will be times when you discover a job posting or hear about a job and want to learn more. In this case, you are networking to acquire information about the posted job. Be clear that your purpose for reaching out is to learn more about the job and what the ideal candidate might look like. You are also interested in understanding the steps in the hiring process and any information that will help you best present your qualifications. Also be sure to ask if the company has a referral hiring program. If there is one, ask if you can use their name as a referral or if they would be willing to refer you as a candidate. Always use the two-step before you submit your online application! 6. Nurture Your Network Networking doesnt end after youve met someone once. You cant expect they’ll remember you in a couple of weeks or months. The best long-term strategy is to nurture the relationships youve built. To do this, look for opportunities to keep in touch with the people you’ve met so they don’t forget about you. And keep in mind, networking is also about giving back. Look for opportunities to help people you meet with. This may be in the form of sharing an article or perhaps making introductions to people who would benefit from knowing one another. You can get more ideas here.

Tips For Writing a Unique Resume Summary

Tips For Writing a Unique Resume SummaryWhen it comes to creating your resume, one of the most difficult parts is writing a unique resume summary. You've put a lot of thought into it and you have probably taken many hours to put together that perfect resume, but the job market is still out there and it will always be there. So what makes this job writing so hard?For starters, your resume summary is the first thing that an employer sees, so make sure it is concise and easy to read. Besides, it is the first impression they will have of you and how confident you are in your job skills. If you don't have a good resume summary, employers will look at your resume twice before even reading your actual resume.So what can you do to improve your basic resume summary? Here are some simple tips that can really help you with your resume summary:- Write an introduction and cover letter to accompany your resume. This is just as important as your resume itself. Writing a powerful introduction will s et you apart from the rest and show them that you took the time to put together a resume.- Do a search engine query that highlights your accomplishments, skills, and qualifications. You want to come up with keywords that include your particular area of expertise. Then add relevant information to back up these keywords and share your accomplishments.- Write a closing paragraph highlighting key points in your resume. Always make sure that your closing statement explains exactly why you're the best candidate for the job you are applying for. Remember that employers are looking for a way to see why someone with your specific qualifications would be an excellent hire.These tips will help you make sure that your resume is on track for the job you are applying for. You want to convince an employer that you are the best person for the job. You want to show them that you are capable of handling this job, but more importantly, you want to show them that you are the best person for the job!