How NOT to Ruin Your Career at Work Parties

How NOT to Ruin Your Career at Work Parties Tis the  season to not get too folly. Everyone loves a good summer party. Not only does it break up the lengthy wait between Christmases, but its also  an opportunity to let your hair down with the people who  youve toughed out  the first half of the year with. Apart from your colleagues, there is usually one guest who never fails on attendance, and they go by the name of Inappropriate Behaviour. In most cases, great food, drink and sunshine is a great recipe for  celebrating  the company you work for. However, its a combination that  can also be a  catalyst for extremely cringeworthy behaviours. Unless you are planning to flee the country the day after your summer do, its best you save face and hold onto your dignity. How can you do this? Simply.  Avoid these  extremely embarrassing acts: 1. Avoid friendly confrontation After having broken free  from the confines of the office walls and all the rules that come with being there, you might feel inclined to be up front about  some workplace  frustrations and annoyances. You might think its a good chance to passively address ongoing issues that have been brewing in the background, but it really isnt. Its an unprofessional behaviour that will only add fuel to fires. Youll probably end up saying things you really should have kept quiet about, or gone to HR with first. The big no-no here is having it out with your boss, and trying to make light of the situation. 2. Dont spill your  secrets The thing with secrets, is that once youve spilled the beans, the beans cannot be unspilled. Opening up has its place: it can sometimes be a really good thing, and encourage a sense of cohesion and trust among you and your work mates. However there is definitely a line, and crossing it will likely leave you feeling  exposed and regretful. You dont want to be the butt of jokes at your company, or open yourself up for scrutiny by revealing too much about your personal life. 3. Keep your clothes on When the weathers warm and the good vibes are flowing, you might feel inclined to strip off and let the warm air caress your skin. NO. Just, no. Even if there is a pool at your disposal, make a promise with yourself that its bathers or nothing. Not only will getting semi-naked make you look unprofessional, it will also come back to haunt you  again and again, thanks to smart phones with cameras. 4.  Stay awake Youre  tired,  perhaps a little bit tipsy and maybe even a bit sun stroke. Still, sleeping in public places is not an acceptable behaviour.  If you feel yourself nodding off, take yourself home.  Falling asleep looks really bad, and again, the photos will haunt you forever.  And then there are the safety issues involved 5. Dont become overly affectionate We work with our colleagues every day; you share a special bond that should generally be kept as a verbal, professional one. Watch your wandering hands; the summer party can often create what seems like the perfect opportunity to become affectionate and tell our colleagues just how much they mean to us. Remember to keep things professional.  In the instance that you have an office crush attending the party too, its best to lay out some ground rules for yourself beforehand, and stick to them. Without some serious self control you could end up putting on a show for your company that you maybe wouldnt usually want them having tickets to 6.  Get out of the gossip circles Interesting stories often come out at summer parties. Only a couple of hours in, youll probably find yourself learning A LOT of new information about the people you work closely with day to day. Whatever you do, dont get roped in to nasty gossiping. This sort of behaviour can make some employees feel left out and insecure, and really encourages a negative culture. Try to remain as positive as possible youll feel so much better having been a friendly patron, and you wont have that sinking feeling the next day, trying to remember all the hurtful things you said in jest. Avoid these 6 acts and your  summer party should be smooth sailing!  Whats the most embarrassing thing youve seen at a  work  party? Image: Shutterstock

Why Should You Be Thinking About Resume Writing NJ?

Why Should You Be Thinking About Resume Writing NJ?What is resume writing NJ, and why should you be thinking about this? Because you are in a position where you are going to be submitting a resume for the first time, or if you have been looking at job openings in your state for a while, chances are that you have never seen the words that appear on your resume. And it may not be clear enough for you to comprehend what you are looking at either.Resume writing NJ is important if you want to understand what a resume is about. You will not only understand what the placement of the resume says about you, but you will also know where to go when you are writing your own resume.The first thing that you should learn about resume writing NJ is what it is actually about. There are many different things that you will be able to do when you are applying for a job. Some of them include being able to use the resume for any type of job you might want, so if you have been looking at jobs where you are a librarian, the resume may be designed to fit that specific need.Also, you will be able to write for specific types of careers and for departments within a company. For example, if you are applying for an online job, you can place the resume on the Internet and add to it with your resume. There is also the resume that can be placed on your business card.When you are writing a resume, you should always remember that it should tell people who you are, and what you can do for them. Remember, you are being hired to promote your services and/or products, so you have to make it as easy as possible for potential employers to see what you can do for them. There are a few ways to accomplish this.One of the most important things to remember when you are applying for a job isthat you are competing with thousands of other people, and one mistake can put you at the bottom of the pile. If you see a potential employer look at the same cover letter that you have seen, you may feel that they did n ot take the time to read it, or that they do not care about you. If you do not write a resume that gets attention, it could take you several hours before your resume will be seen, and even then, you will only have the briefest glimpse of it.Using resume writing NJ may help you avoid these mistakes. By using this method, you will be able to write your resume that will get you noticed and get you the job you have been looking for. Remember, you are the one who wants to get the job, so you should take the time to be careful and get your work done right.These days, you have to be knowledgeable about a variety of things, and one thing that you do not want to forget is that you are aware of personal success and failure. This is important to you, and the more you know about this, the better prepared you will be to succeed. So, you should be doing what you can to get yourself the best education possible.

New LinkedIn desktop version what you need to know! University of Manchester Careers Blog

New LinkedIn desktop version what you need to know! University of Manchester Careers Blog Well, it’s all change at LinkedIn, and they seem to have finished the roll out of their new desktop user interface.   It has been given a bit of a makeover, to bring it into line with the mobile version which has also changed some of the functionality.  We’re in the process of updating our LinkedIn resources, but in the meantime, here’s our top 5 things you need to know… UPDATE YOUR BROWSER You need to be using the latest version of your web browser for it to work best   not always the case in PC clusters we have discovered!    If it is becoming unreliable when using one browser, try using a another (we’ve found Firefox to be most reliable on campus, and Chrome is usually fairly good too). IT’S ALL ABOUT ‘ME’! If you want to update your profile, you now need to select ‘Me’ from the top menu.   Most of the functionality there is similar, with a few subtle differences.   To insert a new profile section (like Projects or Skills), the options are on a drop-down menu on the right rather than at the top of your profile as before.   They’ve also removed the option to notify changes to your network from the main profile edit screen, though it sometimes prompts you in each section.   As before, our advice is to switch off notifications using via ‘Me Settings Privacy Privacy Sharing profile edits’ before you start any complex overhaul of your profile. PROFILES NOW HAVE A FIXED STRUCTURE In the past, you could move the sections of a LinkedIn profile to better reflect your experience (like moving Education to the top of your profile).   Not anymore!   It is therefore even more important to have a strong profile Headline and Summary, to highlight your educational achievements.  Check out these 5 tips to give your profile a mini-makeover. SEARCHING ON LINKEDIN In the latest desktop version, all searches start with the Search box at the top of the screen.   It is no longer possible to perform an Advanced People Search (booo!) or filter out group searches, but there are still ways to perform specific searches once you know how. Search filters: when you type in some text, LinkedIn will suggest filters you can apply to narrow the results. In the example below, you can specify whether you want to search for jobs, people’s job titles or groups containing your search text. Search operators: you can also narrow your results by using 5 ‘search operators’, which allow you to search specific parts of profiles. They are: firstname Finds members based on first name lastname Finds members based on last name title Finds members based on their current job title company Finds members based on their current company (keyword search) school Finds members based on schools attended (keyword search) The example LinkedIn gives is to search for current software engineers not named Doe, who have attended either Harvard University or Stanford University, try: You’ll notice in this example that it uses NOT and OR to refine the search (you can also use AND too).   These are called Boolean searches and, though at first glance look complicated, are not too difficult to master. It’s worth taking time to learn how to perform searches on LinkedIn and their help pages are the best place to start. Searching on LinkedIn ALUMNI SEARCH HAS CHANGED BUT YOU CAN STILL USE THE OLD ONE (FOR NOW) To do an Alumni search, type ‘The University of Manchester’ into the top search box, or select the logo in your profile.   There is a preview of the new look Alumni search interface but we prefer the old version as it tends to be most reliable at the moment.   (Never heard of Alumni search? Check this out!) By Suzanne Creeber Careers Consultant All Careers advice Graduate International Undergraduate Undergraduate-highlighted advice career research careers CV LinkedIn

How I Left Corporate Without Burning Bridges With Jennifer Kroiss (Case Study) - Classy Career Girl

How I Left Corporate Without Burning Bridges With Jennifer Kroiss (Case Study) Welcome! In todays case study, I am interviewing Jennifer Kroiss, a Career Strategist from Kroiss Consulting. Shes going to talk to us about the journey she went through starting her own business and how she left corporate without burning bridges. Welcome Jennifer! How I Left Corporate Without Burning Bridges With Jennifer Kroiss (Case Study) Tell us a little more about the fears  you had when  starting  your own business? What fears did I not have? Everything was unknown. I was coming out of corporate and all I knew was corporate. So starting a business was going into the unstructured area where I wasnt the expert. That was tough for me. It was tough knowing I wasnt the person that knew all the answers like I was in corporate. There was a lot of fear of the  unknown. Having to understand that I had to go to others for answers. It was hard to be strategic when I didnt know what was next. I had to get my mind around that. Tell us about your  business journey and where you are currently at in your journey? I used to be in Corporate America as of just 2 months ago. I am in phase 4 of Corporate Rescue Plan in the Entrepreneur Phase. I have some paying clients and I am getting good results for them. I am really starting to build out things in my business. I really wanted to know that I had given 100% in my corporate role and just build the bare bones of my business. So when I left I was able to hit the ground running. I had referrals for my business even before leaving the company. After I quit, I got paying customers a lot quicker than I had anticipated. That was a big self-esteem  booster. What were you thinking before joining CRP and making the commitment to start your business? I had never considered leaving corporate ever. But my favorite part of being a manager was developing people and building teams and getting  the best out of people whether that was interviewing or mentoring others. I accidentally stumbled onto one of your Facebook ads and thought, Wow, there is an actual world out there and you can do this as a full-time job rather than just a portion of your job. I also realized that it was scalable and there were no boundaries. I could maximize myself and my knowledge. When I got into CRP, I saw that Anna had a similar background to me and was able to make it into this entrepreneurial  space. I knew I wanted to be involved and thats what helped me make the leap. What kind of challenges did you go through? Mindset was the biggest challenge. I left a pension. I left a guaranteed six-figure income and benefits. I left my identity. I was used to being with the company. Making that mental switch was the biggest problem. Another was time management. I was used to working 60-70 hours a week for my company and was available 7 days a week. I felt pretty strongly validating that there was a market and making sure that I will get paid and build out the bare bones knowing it was going to work. It would have been challenging to really have launched my business while still at the company without burning bridges. How did it make you feel when you were going through these challenges? Scared and excited but mostly excited. Its amazing to know that there is a community like Corporate Rescue Plan. There are women in all different industries and people who have done it before you. Everyone is an expert in different areas. It was more exciting than anything. When did you make the decision to go head first into starting a business? We had a phone call and I looked at the commitment. I knew if I was going to invest time and finances I wanted to make sure it was something that I really wanted to do. Even more, I knew once I was more excited about working on the modules and seeing what was going on in the CRP FB group that I was choosing to make more time for that.  I knew that being around the CRP community was where my heart was rather than going into the office every day. [RELATED: The Best Business Decisions I Made in 2016 (Podcast #69)] What did you do first in CRP when you joined? I started in the Facebook group to see what was going on and who was in there. I am an organized person and so I checked out the modules and figured out what I wanted. I used the worksheets to get myself there and get a much clearer picture. I was blown away by the community. I always wanted to find a community of strong and professional women who are there to support one another. Theres not the office gossip or those type of things. Thats what this was and its been very clear from day 1 that it is very professional and very supportive. People go out of their way to help each other which is really neat. I  have been involved for awhile and will be for awhile. I have never seen anything different. I think it starts from the top down and it starts with Anna. It has been exactly what I expected. What sticks with you that you learned the most and helped you the most in the beginning? Imperfect action is better than perfect inaction. I tend to be Type A and perfectionist. I can freeze when I get overwhelmed. I learned that I need to keep moving forward and do something. Keep setting the goals and just keep doing it. Get it done. I needed that because its amazing how 1-2 weeks go by without doing anything but you need to keep the ball rolling the whole time. How many years did you work for the company in your Corporate position? It would have been 12 years in November. That was tough. I never imagined I would be leaving. I planned to retire from there. It goes back to my mindset challenges and needing to work through that but thats what CRP helped me to do. CRP helped me realize that I really wanted to impact a lot more people and it helped me make the decision to walk out that door. Did people think you were crazy? It was a shock to people I worked with. People thought I was committed to the company forever so they were surprised that I was leaving the company. Before they even knew what my new business was about, they were asking how they could support me. I had helped people through developing them in the company and now they wanted to support and give back to me. It was pretty neat. They were all extremely supportive and I still hear from people every day. That door didnt shut it just enhanced what I am doing now. I even got clients before I left. It made it a positive experience and helped me understand how to leave a company on good terms. What would life had been like without CRP? Very different. I wouldnt be home at 3pm. It would have been in the office early morning until late at night. My stress level is very different than it is now. I still have stress but it is stress that I control now and manage. I own the outcomes of what I am doing. That is awesome. We just had a family gathering and they noticed my smile that they hadnt seen in awhile. I am who I am meant to be and doing what I am meant to be doing. I loved my job but it would have been the same thing every week just a little different story. Now I can change the script whenever I want. I used to be at the chiropractor every week from stress and sitting in meetings. When I went to my office before I had to wear a mask as a manager. I was there for the company. Now I am the company and CRP gave me that. Starting a business can be high or low but knowing that I have a community I can reach out anytime..that is what CRP gives me. What are some results youve seen in your  business? The results I am most proud of are the feedback from people who have been early clients for me. Getting emails from someone who just had this interview and because we had 3 sessions together, they knew what to expect and because of our session, they knew questions before they were even asked. Then, finding out my client got the job a week later and wants to give me a testimonial. That is what I am most proud of. Thats the exciting part of seeing the results from clients you work with. Also, I did frame my first invoice when I got paid. That was fun. It made it very satisfying to get the first payment. Where can people find out more about  you? www.jenniferkroiss.com Do you have any last words of wisdom? Just do it. Remember its about taking imperfect action and being confident in yourself and trusting yourself. We are all amazing we just have to go out, do it and not shy away from it. Sometimes as women we downplay that. We are pretty awesome so just trust in yourself and make sure you are setting yourself up to be successful. Thank you Jennifer! If you want to learn how to become your own boss in 2017 and grow and scale your business like Jennifer is doing, make sure you grab your free spot to our upcoming Freedom Workshop starting December 29th. Sign-up here.

3 Way Balance Your Life, Your Job and Your Side Hustle

3 Way Balance Your Life, Your Job and Your Side Hustle Life Balance on a 3-Sided Seesaw I work full time, run a side hustle and try to keep up with friends, family and the rest of life. It’s a real juggling act and I don’t even have children or a husband to worry about! Sometimes I feel like I am on a seesaw, only with 3 parts to balance, instead of 2! After falling over from exhaustion a few times, I’ve learned a few things about how to balance it all. Have clear priorities Having a side hustle means redefining the role your job, and the hustle, will play in your life. Which is more important to you, writing one more office email or updating your website?   Give 100% during working hours, but when the work day is over, switch off the office. No more catching up on emails till 10 PM there’s hustling to be done! Side benefit? You become far more productive at all of your activities when you know the time is limited. Focus, focus, focus Dont try to balance your seesaw in the middle: throw your weight to one side at a time. Whatever you are doing at a given moment, whether it’s writing a presentation for work, developing your website, or spending time with friends and family, devote 100% of your attention to it. Get the most of that time. Then move on to something else and give that 100%. Multitasking is a myth. Schedule ‘Me Time’ With so much going on in your life, it’s even more important to rest your brain periodically. Do something that’s just for you: a long walk outside, massage, hot bath â€" anything to help you relax and chill out. Actually, research shows that giving your brain time off from intense thinking lets it make bigger leaps and solve problems. Use shortcuts and productivity hacks Every moment counts, so make the most of every moment. Batch your work for efficiency: pay all your bills in one day. Choose one evening to write your email blasts for the next few weeks. My favorites? The Urgent/Important grid (sometimes called the Eisenhower Box), artificial ‘self meetings’ in my calendar for productive time at work, and most importantly, appointments with myself after work, to get me out of the office and on to my other priorities by 5.30 latest. Remember the reason Keep your goal in mind. Is your side hustle letting your artistry flourish? Is your current job keeping food on the table until your side hustle takes off? And is that workout strengthening your bones as well as making you sweat? Remember the bigger reasons for making yourself so busy, and you will feel more in control. And feeling in control helps you feel that you have balance. Keep it all in perspective Those of us juggling life, work and side hustle are busy people! Find the right balance between your different activities. With these few simple concepts, you can get all the important things done, and still enjoy your life. And now, times up… Keep hustling and good luck! You can find more articles on life balance on Ms Career Girl here.

The New Grads Ultimate Guide for Finding a Job

The New Grads' Ultimate Guide for Finding a Job There is a common conception that our Colleges and Universities prepare us well for the adult life. As suggested by the latest research studies, 77% of college graduates consider themselves to be prepared to find their first job just as the convocation is over. But what is hidden under those numbers?The truth is â€" you never know for sure until you try. And, in most cases, those tries go far from smooth. People tend to perceive job application as something almost automatic â€" you send resumes to a bunch of employers and recruiters, then you casually skim through a couple of interviews â€" and BOOM â€" you’re hired.Well, not quite. As stated by numerous HR experts, there is a huge problem with students properly identifying their own skillset that follows with an inability to present yourself from a professional standpoint. Graduates do think that the diploma gives them an advantage over other candidates.evalAs a result, they don’t care to include vitally important skills on thei r CV. Among them are critical thinking, the ability to work under tight deadlines, unlimited research capacities. Their resumes do not “sell”.If you are a graduate yourself, there is a lot to consider. Making first steps in adult/professional life is a tricky business, so knowing how to detach yourself from the crowd can get you a job of your dreams. Also, you should be prepared before sending your CV to the company: read more articles guides on finding a job!The brand new infographic from HandMadeWritings is a “how to” material for graduates that are seeking for their first employment. With statistical data from reliable sources, resume sections break-down, common mistakes and tips on how to prepare for your first interview â€" this is a road map for an aspiring job-seeker.Infographic Credit â€" handmadewritings.com

5 Reasons Every Job Seeker Should Blog - CareerEnlightenment.com

You demonstrate that you are motivated: Everyone goes into a job interview promising high performance and passion. But when that flame burns out after three months on the job, that new hire becomes a liability â€" a very costly hiring mistake. Alleviate your hiring managers anxiety by showing that you are who you say you are that you care about this work enough to research and write about it at least twice a week.You have something to say: Very few hiring managers want to hire “yes” men. They are looking for co-pilots, for creative tension, for dynamics in the office. Even if a hiring manager doesn’t agree with your opinion, at least you had one and had the courage to voice it. Not only does this demonstrate self-confidence, you also differentiate yourself from other candidates in a non-competitive way.You are a leader in a community: When you blog consistently, obtain some Google page rank and spark discussions in your comments, you begin to look like an expert. In marketing, there is no force more powerful than social proof. Comments on your blog make you look like that charismatic kid in high school who always had people buzzing around him. Invariably, the thought will cross the hiring managers mind, “Well, if other people listen to this guy, then he must be legit.”If you blog and would like to get more comments and credibility, consider joining the Comment Co-op where bloggers support each other by giving out comments and links: https://careerenlightenment.com/blogger-co-op

Gain some perspective for your job hunt -

Gain some perspective for your job hunt - Take a look at this photoIts a sculpture from the de Young art museum in San Francisco. You cant really tell, but these apples and pears are hugeYou couldnt even jump over them theres no real perspective here. Are you approaching your job hunt without   perspective? If you havent looked for work for a while or, youve been looking for work for a long while, but with no success, my guess is you are probably missing some key perspective that could help you succeed. If you look carefully, you can almost tell that there is a barrier all around this fruitIs there a barrier preventing you from getting the job you want? Consider these potential speed bumps: Are you sending a dated or boring resume? Does it come from a Word template? Are you saying Responsible for. in every line? Do you have paragraph after paragraph listing stuff you did, and it has nothing to do with what you want to do next? Is it full of useless jargon and buzz words that dont come with actionable details to prove you are what you say you are? Did you pay any attention to the job description before you applied does your resume reasonably indicate why and how you are a good match? Have you Googled your name? What comes up? Do you have a digital doppelganger someone else with your name who ranks higher than you online? (Unless you are active online or have a very unique name, this is likely.) What are you doing to create content about you online so people will learn about your professional qualifications? Did you consider the fact that you may share a name with a criminal or otherwise be suffering from mistaken identity online? Its your job to look. And to take action if necessary. Have you been tagged or labeled in photos or associated with information that will deter your job search plans? Someone I know recently told me the story of a person his company was trying to hire, until a Google search found unflattering (illegal drug related) photos on Facebook. The candidate claimed not to even know about those photos. Its your job to find out if there is information out there preventing you from landing a job. Are you doing everything you can to demonstrate youre up-to-date with modern technology, especially if you are an experienced job seeker? Having a LinkedIn profile is required, at the least. If you are truly savvy, youll maintain other appropriate networks (Twitter, Facebook, Google+) and demonstrate your expertise online. Having your own professional website (a social resume) could really help you own your name online and create a portfolio of your work. Are you getting out and meeting people? Are you making an effort to extend your network, in person and online? Have you been meeting people, even if you dont think they can help you? Are you taking the attitude that anyone even your sons soccer coach may be the key to your next job? What about your attitude? Are you posting negative status updates every day on Facebook or knocking your last interviewer on Twitter. (Because, who reads that stuff, anyway?) If you are, youre probably making people hesitate to try to recommend you. No one wants to stake his or her reputation on a loose cannon. Dont be a loose cannon. When you land an interview, are you ready? Do you know the answer to the question, Why should we hire you? If not, you are not likely to get the job. How about, Tell me about yourself? (Please, do not start, Well, I was born in) I dont think you need to memorize answers, but you should be prepared to address key topics, and these are two biggies. If you lose the interviewer with a boring intro, you may blow your chance to advance in the process. Have you been remembering thank you notes? Do they have typos? Yes, you can stand out from a crowd (positively and negatively) via your follow up. No one is saying someone will hire you only because of your nice thank you note, but in a field of similar candidates, if you are the one who can follow up well, it will probably help. These are only a few of the items that may be affecting your ability to land a jobIf youve been looking without luck, maybe its time for some perspective. If you are planning a search soon, why wait until you are frustrated and annoyed with the process before you reevaluate? Sometimes, having a little expert advice makes all the difference. At the very least, take a few steps back and really survey what youre dealing with. If you are looking at a plate of over-sized fruit, be sure you know it!