Like most of us, you probably spend most of your time at work. Usually, we spend more time at work than at home. If so, there are three ways to improve your performance at work and help you with your daily tasks.
1. Exercise
The primary reason for taking up a new workout routine is usually weight loss, but there are so many other positive effects to exercise, especially for your career. Regular exercise has been shown to help you sleep more soundly, wake up feeling energized. All of these things can help you do better at work, but there’s actually evidence that working out can help to increase your productivity, too
2. Meditate
Similar to exercise, meditation is hardly ever something people take up because of job performance concerns. Meditation is recommended to help ease depression, soothe anxiety and improve emotional awareness. Research also suggests that it can assist people in developing crucial skills that aid them in a professional environment with self-esteem and productivity.
3. Get Enough Sleep
It might sound obvious, but getting the right number of hours of sleep really is important when it comes to the quality of your work. For most people, enough sleep is 7-9 hours per night. Getting on a regular sleep schedule and being aware of how much sleep is healthy for you can result in reduced stress levels, increased energy and a higher quality of life.
Think about the last time you were searching a big purchase. Most likely you used review and recommendation sites to help you in your search and purchase. Employers are like most buyers. They want to make sure the person they hire will be a good investment. Recommendations help eliminate some of the perceived risk involved in hiring a potential candidate. Traditionally, employers will ask for a list of your references before hiring you to authenticate your experience. LinkedIn recommendations are a great first step to that reference process and allow you to sell yourself immediately.
A LinkedIn Recommendation Demonstrates Your Strengths–Under each job on your LinkedIn profile you have described your key accomplishments and referenced skills and attributes you used to succeed. A written recommendation from a supervisor adds a level of credibility. It supports your performance and endorses the skills you’ve referenced. Prospective employers and recruiters can be skeptical of candidates’ claims; a recommendation can remove some of the doubt. A well-written recommendation will also speak to your attitude and work ethic.
A LinkedIn Recommendation is Public proof—Many years ago, when hard copy letters were the only recommendation were used, these valuable endorsements were private and only shared upon request. Today, LinkedIn recommendations provide public proof of your skills and abilities. Be sure to set your public profile settings so that your recommendations are displayed and visible to anyone who looks at your profile.
A LinkedIn Recommendation Makes You a Stand-out Candidate– LinkedIn recommendations can help you differentiate yourself from other candidates. Many LinkedIn users do not take the time to ask for recommendations either because they don’t know how or don’t want to pester people. To ask for a recommendation on LinkedIn, go to your profile and click the down arrow to the right of the blue “view my profile” button. Next, select “ask to be recommended” from the drop-down options and then follow the prompts to request the recommendation.
A LinkedIn Recommendation Makes You a Stand-out Candidate– LinkedIn recommendations can help you differentiate yourself from other candidates. Many LinkedIn users do not take the time to ask for recommendations either because they don’t know how or don’t want to pester people. To ask for a recommendation on LinkedIn, go to your profile and click the down arrow to the right of the blue “view my profile” button. Next, select “ask to be recommended” from the drop-down options and then follow the prompts to request the recommendation.
The resume strategy you used 10 years ago is not the same strategy used today. In fact, the resume you wrote even just a year ago likely needs to be updated. Here are 3 examples of how resume are changing.
1. Old Strategy: Including an objective
New Strategy: Today, objectives are viewed by most employers as outdated. Instead of an objective, create a resume headline that helps you target jobs and employers. This headline will help you brand yourself during your job search.
2. Old Strategy: A resume is just the facts
New Strategy: Today, resumes include details and context. Successful resumes now include details and quantifiable results. These details help prospective employers to better understand the value you will bring to their organization prior to an interview.
3. Old Strategy: Follow up the uploaded or emailed resume with a hard copy
New Strategy: You may need a printed resume during the interview process; however the initial focus of applying online and/or submitting your resume to a potential hiring manager or recruiter rarely requires a hard copy. The focus now is on digital presentation online. Focusing on your online presentation, including resume, can help you stand out.
It’s always hard to identify our own bad habit, especially in the workplace. There are 5 common bad work habits that can be solved relatively easily once you acknowledge them.
1. Mixing Work and Pleasure
Meeting a partner at work may seem like the best thing ever—until it isn’t. While dating a colleague doesn’t always turn out badly, things can turn bad quickly and immediately affect your work life.
2. Gossiping
Gossip often occurs in the workplace when morale is low. When people are unhappy at work, they want something to talk about other than their own dissatisfaction with their job. However gossiping at the watercooler can quickly make its way to your boss. Constant gossiping can distract from your tasks and often result in lower moral.
3. Showing Up Late
Coming to work late sends a message that your job is not a priority for you. Depending on where you work and what the company culture is like, this can be a major problem. When it comes to meetings, it’s particularly important to be punctual and respectful of other people’s time.
4. Complaining
It happens…it, sometimes you have to do things at work that are less than ideal, but complaining won’t actually fix anything. Instead, constantly griping could make your coworkers see you as a negative person.
5. Being Too Chatty
Whether it’s chatting with your co-workers directly or using messaging apps or texts, chatting with your friends all day is a surefire way to make sure you’re not reaching your full potential at work. If you’re always making small talk with your coworkers instead of actually getting work done, you lose a lot of time. Overtime your boss can also notice.
If you’re struggling to balance your work and personal life, chances are, your manager or direct boss is contributing to these issues. Does you manager constantly give you work over the weekends or ask you to work late? Do you get in trouble if you’re a few minutes late? If so, it’s time to do something about the issue.
Step 1: Recognize the Problem
If you don’t have any balance between you work and personal life, first look for the reason why. Are you pushing yourself too hard and constantly competing with your co-workers? Or do you feel pressured by your boss to go above and beyond every day? Try making a list of the projects your boss has given you that are causing you the most stress. Then, think of some ways you could help yourself. If you try those things and realize your boss truly is the issue, it’s time to call a meeting.
Step 2: Honest Conversation with Your Boss
Arrange a time to meet with your boss to discuss your concerns. Professional honesty is the best tone for the meeting. The focus of the meeting should be on your position and the responsibilities. Focus on the nature of your position and your ability to accomplish your tasks and goals with working flexibly.
Step 3: Know When to Go To HR
First, make sure you understand your company’s guidelines and policies because every workplace is different. However, if you have meet with your boss and the problem persists, it’s probably time to go to HR. Meeting with HR is a great way to understand your organization’s experience with and overall openness to work-life balance. Doing so will help you understand how the company tries to help its employees and getting this background information will help you determine if there are organization barriers or if the challenge really is just dealing with a reluctant manager.
It might seem like a big, scary decision to make, but you’ll be much happier when you have a boss who understands you have a life when you leave the office!
Popular resume templates and HR pros prompt job seekers to include a list of strategic skills on their resume. You skills section of your resume is a opportunity to show off a bit.
Before grabbing your laptop to edit, follow these five steps to make your resume really shine:
Making the decision to quit a job is almost never easy. Deciding to quit your job is a personal decision often based on your career path and career objectives. However, actually quitting a job is never easy. Follow these 7 steps with help you quit your job with grace:
Speak to your manager face-to-face and give two- to three-weeks’ notice. This shows respect is advised unless your employer suggest you leave immediately. Often positions that include personal or confidential information end immediately at the company’s request. This is usually for security reasons only.
Come in after hours to pack your desk and box up your personal items. The goal here is to not disrupt your coworkers.
Keeping others in mind, don’t rub it in people’s faces that you’re leaving. Whether you’re departing for a higher-paying job or an entrepreneurial venture try not to show your glee.
It is easy to feel like you can slack off once you give your two weeks’ notice. However, continue to attend meetings and maintain. Additionally, focus your work time on tying up loose ends and transitioning responsibilities to colleagues.
Often managers will request you create a transition document. This document should outline the projects you’ve been working on, key information and important contacts to pass along to your team or the person assuming your duties. This transition document is a great way to transition out of a role without burning bridges.
No matter what the circumstances are of your exit from the company, thank your manager and colleagues for the years of collaboration, hard work, and achievements. Being appreciative when you exit a position will back off in the long run.
While it may be awkward to leave, you must stick by your decision to quit. Therefore, say your goodbyes and leave. Your former team needs to get back to work and you need to move on to your next role.
Are you asking “How do I get a job”? If so, remember those referrals are so valued by companies that these companies pay referrals. These incentives encourage staff to bring in talented candidates to interview for open roles.
When you first start your job search, take some time to evaluate your experience. Start by looking at your resume to determine what skills and experience you have that make you unique. Does your resume show your special skills, experience, and talents?
There are probably some changes you can make to better reflect your experiences. Make sure your resume includes quantifiable achievements. When possible relate your successes to cost savings and business improvements. Make a new list of your achievements, citing specific examples and stories that showcase how great you are at what you do. These will be an important tool throughout your job search.
2. Network
Use the research you did on social media to strategically make new connections with professionals in your industry. Attending networking events related to your dream job or industry is a great way to make connections regarding open positions. Use social media to help find targeted events in your area.
Leverage your friends and family to get the word out about your job search. Everyone knows someone and getting the word out you are looking for a new job is important. Remember that companies pay referral fees, so there is a personal benefit for your friends and network.
Once you establish that you’ve paid attention to their interests, you shouldn’t ask for a job right away. Instead, ask to learn more about what they do in their role, or what they like about working for their company. Put some effort into cultivating a mutually beneficial relationship. If you take the extra time, many people will be happy to help you apply for the role.
3. Ace your interview.
Landing an interview is the first hurdle in your job search, but then recruiters often use challenging interviews to find – and hire – the best talent.
Even if you’re faced with challenging or odd interview questions, use the accomplishment stories you developed earlier to engage the hiring manager. Your answers should reveal how you can solve problems, and why you’re the best person for the job.
4. Remember to Follow Up
It may seem old school in this age of technology, but a thank you note can go a long way. The note can be hand written or via email.
Thank your interviewers individually for the time they spent meeting you, and reference something specific you enjoyed learning from them during your conversation. This is the last key piece of the puzzle is to show your interest for the position and to ask for the job.
If you hate your open office plan, you are not alone. Surveys show that people who work in open plan offices are less satisfied with their workplace and jobs. Experts claim the open office concept causes more distractions and lowers productivity. So, if you are working in an open office how can you survive?
One big complaint in open offices is the lack of walls. This lack of privacy invites unwanted conversations. To get sustained work done, you are going to have to develop a polite (but firm) way to you are not interested in chatting right now. Wearing headphones to show you do not want to be disturbed or putting a sign on top of your computer “Busy Right Now” are examples of effective and polite signals for your co-workers.
You cannot control the open office space, so schedule some time every day to get away from the office. A daily walk or lunch break will give some time away from the busy, often loud open office spaces. If you don’t have breaks, consider taking advantage of an empty conference room or common area to get some quiet alone time.
Every office has busy time when everyone is bustling around and other times when there is a quiet lull. Use these patterns to your advantage. Consider adjusting your work hours so you can take advantage of the quiet lull to help maximize your productivity.
Headphones are the new office wall. If you work in an open office space, consider utilizing headphone and music to balance the unwanted noise with soothing music that helps your concentrate and be more productive. Consider nature sounds, white noise and music without lyrics to block noise without distracting you from your work.
Sometimes interviews can feel like you are being grilled on a witness stand in a great courtroom movie. However, the key to your success in an interview is asking the right questions. The type of questions you choose to ask the interviewer can show your knowledge and help you evaluate the positon. This means the questions you chose to prioritize should be well thought out.
Here are 5 questions to that will help you impress the interviewer and help you evaluate the opportunity further:
QUESTION #1: What do the day-to-day responsibilities of this role?
The answer to this question should help you formulate your responses. By tailoring your experience to the responsibilities of the role, you can impress the interviewer.
QUESTION #2: What is your favorite part about working at the company?
It’s important to get a sense of your interviewer’s opinions about working there. If enthusiasm flows easily, that’s a great sign. If it doesn’t, that is worth noting too.
QUESTION #3: If we were having lunch a year from now to celebrate my success in this role, what would we be celebrating?
It’s crucial to have a deep understanding of how a company measures success. This will help you understand the role, the success matrix for the company, and your interviewer’s management style.
QUESTION #4: What do you see as the most challenging aspect of this job?
Knowing the good things about the position is just as important as knowing the not-so-good. You want to understand the scale of the problems you’ll be dealing with when you accept the role.
QUESTION #5: Is there anything about my background or resume that makes you question whether I am a good fit for this role?
This question displays that you’re highly invested in the job and committed to understanding your prospects as a candidate. Plus, it will also allow you an opportunity to respond to any potential concerns the interviewer has regarding your skill or experience.
Delta Computer Consulting, Inc. is certified through the WBENC (Women’s Business Enterprise National Council) as a woman-owned and woman-operated business.
