Decision Time Should I Stay or Should I Go

Decision Time Should I Stay or Should I Go We’ve all been there â€" a crossroads in our life when we are forced to choose between staying at a comfortable job versus exploring a new opportunity. The first option offers safety and familiarity, while the second offers new challenges, new surroundings and a bit of mystery and excitement as to what the future will bring. In a way, being in this situation is much like a poker game. Those who have gambled and won will tell you “nothing ventured, nothing gained.” One needs only look on Facebook or LinkedIn to find a nauseating number of memes professing that only with risk comes reward. However, many a brave soul has taken a leap of faith only to later wish they hadn’t, and those are the ones you rarely hear about. When weighing the pros and cons of accepting a new position, there are a number of factors that should be taken into consideration. Let’s look at a few. Challenge vs. comfort One of the most common reasons for changing jobs is career advancement, which brings new challenges, new experiences and even new scenery. A new opportunity can allow you to take the skills you’ve acquired at previous jobs and add to them. As the saying goes, if you’re not green and growing, you’re red and rotting. No one wants to stay in one place and do one thing their entire career. Once you feel stagnant, it may be time to move on and expand your horizons. However, with change comes uncertainty. Will you be as good at your new job, or as happy? Will you have job security, or will your new role become outdated while your old role remains in demand? What about work/life balance? How much of these will you be giving up in exchange for a new experience? I don’t believe comfort should be confused with stagnation. If you’re comfortable in your current role, there may be no reason for a change. New connections vs. old friends Who doesn’t like making new friends? Unless you join a company that is unusually cliquish and unwelcoming, each new job will allow you to make new friends and expand your circle of connections. While it’s inevitable that as you move through your career you’ll lose contact with some, you’ll remain close with others and they will often be the source of future leads, referrals and career opportunities. On the other hand, one negative person can ruin a job experience, and when it comes to accepting a new job, you won’t know until it’s too late. There have been a number of articles written lately about workplace bullying and toxic coworkers and bosses. If you’re unfortunate enough to experience this, you know there’s nothing a new job can offer that’s worth working with someone who makes your life a living hell. Obviously this shouldn’t be a reason to shy away from new opportunities; however, it may be a reason to appreciate your current job if you have a great working relationship with your coworkers and managers. Incentives vs. reputation Aside from career advancement, the other popular reason for changing jobs is incentives. Whether it be salary, PTO, benefits, flex time, etc., often the grass appears greener on the other side of the fence. If your current employer doesn’t offer competitive pay, benefits or scheduling flexibility, finding one that does may make your life a lot easier, which in turn may lead to greater job satisfaction. But nothing comes without a price, and the cost of a new job with better incentives is starting over from square one. Were you known for your work ethic at your last position? Were you known as the expert in your field? Were you the go-to person when it had to be done right? Well, no one at the new company knows that. Unless you were recruited by someone who already knew your reputation, you’ll be starting from the ground floor and rebuilding your credibility. If you’re lucky, it won’t take as long as it did at your last job, but if you put in many years building your reputation and establishing your expertise the first time, most of your new coworkers won’t know this until you’ve worked with them for a while. Again, while this shouldn’t be a deterrent from exploring new opportunities, it should be taken into consideration to ensure the advantages of the new opportunity outweigh the challenges. Decision time Life is full of difficult decisions, and deciding whether or not to start a new job or remain at an old one is especially difficult as it affects so many aspects of your life. Where you work, where you live, who you work with, who you socialize with, where you will work ten years from now â€" these are all determined by your present career decisions. Even if you choose to leave your current job only to regret your decision and return later, your career path may still be different from never having left. Ultimately, there’s no one who can make the decision for you â€" only you know what’s best for your career. But never make the decision out of frustration or emotion. Only after carefully weighing all aspects of each option should you decide whether accepting a new job or remaining at your current one will move you closer to your career goals.

Writing Degree - A Job Writing Degree is a Great Way to Improve Your Resume

Writing Degree - A Job Writing Degree is a Great Way to Improve Your ResumeA writing degree can be a useful tool for your resume. It will help you create an impressive resume that will allow you to get the job you want. Here are a few tips to help you get started.Writing a resume is no easy task. You have to be professional and concise in order to impress the interviewer. Unfortunately, one of the mistakes that people make is overusing words. Even if you use every single word on your resume, it will still look amateurish.To avoid this, write your entire resume in one sitting. Then start deleting all the unnecessary sentences, including any typos. It will help you get rid of some of the key points of your resume.After you have eliminated the key points, you can start eliminating the rest of the important information. Include only the highlights. These should be the most important things on your resume: employment history, education, work experience, certifications, volunteer activitie s, awards, etc.You can include these highlights in the sections that describe your skills and experiences. Use this as the basis for each section. For example, if you want to include your work experience in your resume, include all the details from a high school diploma to an associate's degree.People want to hire people with a strong background. When writing a resume, don't forget to mention this in your job background. If you want to mention your certification, mention the type of certificate and the length of time you have been working in your field. Don't leave anything out!In summary, take out the personal information and just write a long list of your accomplishments. Include as much information as possible, but leave out the most important details out.A writing degree can make your resume more appealing to the hiring manager. The trick is to keep your resume professional, and your potential employer will see what they need to see.

Where Does Candidate Experience Start and Where Does it End

Where Does Candidate Experience Start and Where Does it End Is there such a thing as candidate experience starting and ending? Our panel of experts are divided on this. Some say it doesnt really start so it cant possibly end but others are pretty sure when it starts and when it ends. Why dont you read on to see which of our panelists you agree with, if at all? Katrina Kibben I dont know that candidate experience has a tangible start and end because we have to start thinking about our audience more broadly. The potential for boomerang employees or recruiting customers for example are two key areas to why we need to broaden our candidate definition. We need to create more touch points to create a true experience. Katrina Kibben is the CEO and Principal Consultant at Three Ears Media. Kevin Grossman Candidate experience is 24/7. It never ends. It encompasses every single candidate interaction with an employer â€" from pre-application to onboarding and beyond. In fact, even once employed, the employee experience is the candidate experience, because we’ll all perpetual candidates at any given time, whether were actively looking or not. In fact, those employed have to be constantly re-recruited to be retained, so the employee experience is synonymous with candidate experience. Kevin Grossman is President of Global Programs at The Talent Board. Lori Sylvia The candidate experience starts at awareness, not at application, and ends in my opinion on their first day of work. Then employee experience kicks in. . . Lori Sylvia is the  Founder and CEO of Rally Recruitment Marketing. Manuel Heichlinger Candidate experience starts with a potential candidate’s very first exposure or interaction with a new potential employer. That might be an online job advert, the careers section of a company website, or it might even be a candidate researching target companies to apply to. Every touchpoint is important in shaping a candidate’s perception of an organisation. Similarly, in some instances, the candidate experience is never truly over, even if the candidate doesn’t get the job. A rejected candidate should remain a prospective candidate. For example, if they follow the company’s LinkedIn page or are a customer of a company, their experience of the company should remain positive, if that individual is to consider applying for future roles. Manuel Heichlinger is  LinkedIn’s Senior Manager for Talent Acquisition. Jeanette Maister The experience can start when a candidate isn’t even looking. That’s why you have to start with a compelling attraction strategy and work on engaging processes end-to-end to retain vested interests and win the best talent. For example, most college students go to recruiting events for the free food and cinch-bags but the impression they may get from employers there is what sticks with them. Is your employer brand getting noticed at events? A candidate experience never ends because the relationship-building process is constantly in motion. Jeanette Maister, is Head of Americas at  Oleeo  (formerly WCN). Josh Tolan It starts when the candidate does research on your company. This is before they even apply to your organization. Therefore, you need to control the content thats out there and optimize your recruiting content strategy to make sure your best information is easy for a candidate to find. In my opinion, candidate experience ends once someone has completed their onboarding. Josh Tolan is the CEO of Sparkhire. Aida Fazylova Candidate experience begins the moment they click on a job post and ends when they leave the company. Applicants should be treated as customers because in a way they are internal customers. You want a candidate to always associate good thoughts with your company, regardless if they get the job or not. If they do continue on with the company, you want them to use that candidate experience to refer others for open positions and be an advocate for your company’s work environment. Aida Fazylova, CEO and Founder, of  XOR.ai. Benjamin Gledhill For me it doesn’t really start and end and such. Orgs should be continually looking to engage with people with the target or converting them to candidates and applications through open comms, engaging content and a continual journey once they start in an organisation. Benjamin Gledhill is the Head of Resourcing at Yodel. Jill Shabelman The candidate experience begins when someone has awareness of your organization and has an interest in exploring opportunities, whether that’s just browsing your website or actually applying for a role. I’m not sure the experience ever really ends â€" if someone does join your organization, they could be a candidate for a new internal opportunity. And if they don’t join, they could always re-engage down the road as a potential client or candidate, and a consistent experience across time and interactions is important. Jill Shabelman is the  Employer Brand Marketing Manager at Deloitte Services LP. Chris Murdock Candidate experience starts before you even make the first connection with your candidate. Just like you want your candidates to be searchable to you in the sourcing process, your candidates want you, as a company and employer, to be researchable. Candidates conduct at least an hour of research on your company before they even consider a position with you. Creating a representable employer brand online is your first step. Where candidate experience ends and employee engagement starts is kind of a fuzzy line that fades out of the offering stage and into the onboarding stage. Essentially, constant connection and information is your finest asset during all of these stages. Chris Murdock is Senior Partner and Co-Founder at IQTalent Partners.

How to Spend Less Time Doing Your Least Favorite Chores

How to Spend Less Time Doing Your Least Favorite Chores When asked which chores they hate the most, most people jump straight to the same few answers â€" among them, laundry, dishes, bathroom cleaning and mowing the lawn. These tasks may be important, but the mindset toward doing them is very universal â€" chores are no fun. To cut down on the hassle that is chore-doing, all you really need is a good plan of attack for the ones that take up the most of your time. For each chore, you need to take preemptive strikes against it, and be smart in your upkeep. Source: Kaboompics.com 1. Dish Duty Preemptive Strikes Whether you live alone or with others, some house-wide rules need to be enforced for dish duty: Rule #1. Dishes must be rinsed immediately after theyre used. That way no one has to spend 20 minutes soaking and scrubbing a pan caked with sauce or bacon grease. Rule #2. Check the dishwasher before walking away. If its empty or half-filled with dirty dishes, put yours straight in. If it holds clean dishes, take a couple minutes and put the dishes away. Smart Upkeep If the dishes in the dishwasher are clean, unload them as youre cooking. Doing both at once cuts down time on both chores â€" and by having the dishwasher empty when you finish your meal, you can easily enforce Dish Rule #1. Voila! No messy, dread-worthy dish pile building up in the sink. 2. Kitchen Cleaning Preemptive Strikes With those pesky dirty dishes out of the way, youre already making kitchen cleanup vastly easier before it begins. Another good preemptive move â€" keep your countertops uncluttered. That way real cleanup is just a matter of wiping down surfaces. Smart Upkeep According to Healthy Living, kitchen countertops need to be cleaned every day â€" that is, of course, assuming you use them every day. Each time you cook, go ahead and wipe down all your kitchen surfaces, and be sure to use a sanitizing spray. Kitchens â€" especially the areas around the sink â€" are bacteria magnets. They just cant help it. Source: Pexels.com 3. Bathroom Cleaning Preemptive Strikes Hopefully, everyone living in your home is already courteous enough to remove their hair from the drain after showering and wipe down the sink area if they splash toothpaste. If not, it may be time to enforce a couple bathroom rules. Aside from those preemptive moves, you can also take simple steps like attaching an automatic toilet bowl cleaner. Be wise in your shopping, though. Some of these products can use too much bleach and be more harmful than helpful. It never hurts to read some reviews before buying. Smart Upkeep In bathroom cleaning, sanitation is key, which means your cleaning products needs to sit for a few minutes before you get to scrubbing. Believe it or not, this can work to your advantage. Time out your spraying, soaking and scrubbing so youre rotating around the room. For instance, spray down your shower with whatever cleaner it is that you use. Let it soak for a few minutes while you give the bathroom mirror and sink a quick scrub. 4. Dusting Preemptive Strike How can you cut down on dusting? Easy. Have fewer surfaces to clean! Thats right. Its time to reevaluate your furniture and get rid of all the outdated pieces you dont want or barely use. Goodwill would be glad to take them. And, if youre thinking of replacing some of that older furniture, imagine dusting as you pick out your new pieces. For instance, you can replace that old, colossal, entertainment unit with a modern, simplistic, open-shelved TV stand. So much easier to dust. Smart Upkeep Dust weekly. Its as simple as that. If you wait longer, the chore just becomes worse and worse. Source: Unsplash.com 5. Laundry Preemptive Strikes One of the easiest preemptive moves you can make against laundry washing is separating clothes as you toss them in the basket. For instance, invest in a three-sectioned laundry basket. As you toss in your clothes throughout the week, make sure youre putting whites in the white section, colors in the color section and delicates in the delicate section. Boom. Youve just saved yourself precious sorting time on laundry day. Smart Upkeep With your clothes already separated, its easy to see which ones needs to go to the washer first. As soon as you see one of your sections of laundry getting full, throw those clothes in the wash. 6. Sweeping, Mopping and Vacuuming Preemptive Strikes Whether your floors are carpet or hardwood, theyre going to get a little dirtier each day. After all, theyre the most frequently used part of your home. Aside from cleaning them once a week, theres really only one thing you can do to prevent floor-cleaning disaster â€" dont wait until floor day in your chore chart to clean up that marinara sauce you just spilled on the floor. Smart Upkeep Clean your floors once a week, right after you dust. That way, youre truly getting rid of the dust you just knocked off your countertops rather than just moving it from the top of the bookshelf to the ground. Source: Pixabay.com 7. Lawn Care Preemptive Strikes If you love gardening and mowing the lawn, more power to you. If, on the other hand, you want your yard to look nice with as little effort as possible, try out some low-maintenance landscaping ideas. For instance, you could start by choosing plants that thrive in your region rather than thirsty ones that require constant watering. You could also cut down on mowing and watering by replacing part of your lawn with a rock landscaping display â€" or you could even go for the fake lawn. If you still want to have a real lawn with real grass, be ready to pay for it or be ready to dedicate an hour each week. The  average mowing price  for a professional lawn service to do the job is about $40 per mow. So, if you dont want to dish out the extra $200 per month to get rid of your chore all-together. Be prepared to commit at least an hour each week to your lawn. Waiting every other week to tackle the chore just gives your grass more time to grow, creating more work to be done and actually ends up being less efficient than just setting aside an hour per week. But if you would rather go with the fake lawn, be smart about the upkeep. Smart Upkeep If you decide to go all-out with the fake lawn, your yardwork upkeep just became pretty darn close to nonexistent. If you have grass and/or other plants, though, there are many great time-saving tricks that may be worth your while. Among these tricks, you could try putting your sprinklers on a timer, cutting your grass high and using a rain gauge. If you’re like most people, chores aren’t likely on your list of favorite things to do. However, by preparing a little ahead of time, you can make your chores less intimidating â€" and have more time for those things you actually want to do.

An Honest Guide To Studying On Addicts Writing A Resume

An Honest Guide To Studying On Addicts Writing A ResumeWhen you are asked to study on addicts writing a resume for an addict, there are several things that you should consider. Not everyone is a potential drug addict nor does one need to have had their education interrupted due to addiction. As long as the person has the capacity to work and is capable of learning and performing day-to-day tasks, they are able to contribute to society.When it comes to writing a resume, there are several things to keep in mind. The most important of these is to not be overly aggressive or offensive. If you offend the person you are trying to get to read your resume, then they will never take a look at it again. So before you even start to write anything, try to get to know the person in some way. This can be done by simply asking questions or keeping in touch over the phone or e-mail.When you finally decide to take the time to write a resume, there is an important subject that you should consider: Thi s person has decided to make a significant change in their life and is unable to go back. Whether they have chosen to quit drugs or not, it is still a very important subject that you need to make sure to cover. In addition, you should note this person's reasons for making this change. Did they realize how much they were causing their family and friends pain? If so, then you will want to include this in your resume.Your educational achievements should also be noted in your resume. There are many ways to make a listing of what you have accomplished during your educational career. Most people tend to overlook the fact that this can be very helpful for a potential employer.A specific point to include is the date of when the individual received relevant experience. If they worked hard in school, then it is a good idea to list this time. If they received many awards or had some other type of accolade, list it as well.The last thing to mention is the number of years that this person has ha d college experience. This is usually very helpful in gaining an interview with certain companies. Some employers prefer a person who has more experience than someone who has just graduated from high school. So make sure to include this information in your resume.One other thing to keep in mind is to make sure to include the person's social security number. This will be very helpful if a future employer is asked to verify the information provided. It is usually wise to include a social security number in your resume for the reason that most companies have taken steps to protect their information.Being honest is the best way to gain a potential employer's trust. Also, honesty will help the potential employer to make sure they do not hire an illegal immigrant who does not understand the rules and regulations that govern a new position. So, when you are studying on addicts writing a resume, remember to be honest and use all of the proper methods to make sure you get a job.

Careers in Real Estate What You Need to Know

Careers in Real Estate What You Need to Know Photo Credit â€" PixabayEver dreamt of making money from property? If you can’t afford to become a property developer, you could go into a career in real estate. The real estate job market is very competitive indeed. But if you follow these steps, you should have no problem making it to the top!1. Get EducatedThis is one thing there is no way of getting around. You need to get the right education. If you don’t get the education you require, employers won’t even bother looking at your application. Each state has its very own requirements, but most require you to take a course in real estate. Once you graduate, you can then move on to get your license. This will allow you to trade as a realtor.2. Get Your LicenseevalBefore you can start trading as a realtor, you need a license. In order to get the license, you will have to sit a few national exams. These can be quite expensive as you will have to pay for them yourself. Each US state charges slightly different prices, but you shou ld expect to pay around $200 for the licensure and exams.3. Choose Your BrokerageOnce you are a fully qualified realtor, you will need to find a brokerage. These are offices or agencies which hire real estate professionals. Nine times out of ten, you will be working on commission. So that means, the more properties you sell, the higher your wage packet will be at the end of the month. You can use a real estate commission calculator to estimate how much you will earn at each brokerage. This will help you figure out which one it will be most advantageous to work for.4. Chat with Current Real Estate ProfessionalsThis is super important. Chatting with real estate professionals who have been in the business for some time can help you setup your own daily routine. They can also give you an idea of how much work you should be taking on. They will also be able to advise you on budgets and how to handle client relationships. If possible, try and see if there is a local realtor who will let y ou shadow them for a couple of weeks.5. Start Building Your Contacts List NowOne of the keys to success in the real estate industry is networking. You will need a lot of contacts if you are ever going to make it in this business! So start now by building up your contacts list. Go to as many networking events as possible. You can also widen your audience by using social media. When you get someone’s name and address, don’t forget to also ask for their phone number and email. The more contact details you can get, the better!Photo Credit â€" PixabayevalevalOne final thing you need to do is join the National Association of Realtors. Once you are on the official list, you will find it much easier to get clients. Good luck in your new career in real estate and property!

Huh - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Huh - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Check out this comment on Euan Semples blog: I was seriously asked in my annual review last year to stop saying I have a fantastic job apparently its not fair on those who dont. I told my manager that the freedom to say that I love my job was indeed a dealbreaker he looked sheepish and the conversation ended. Interesting approach rather than make the unhappy employees happier at work, managers could just stop the happy ones from expressing their happiness. Sheesh! Related posts: Euans excellent post on love at work. Why annual reviews are a big fat waste of time. 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 Huh - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog This blog often gets trackbacks in languages I dont speak but this one tickles me no end: Its a summation/translation of this post. Woo-hoo! 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

How to Turn Your Job into a Career - Hallie Crawford

How to Turn Your Job into a Career The Oxford Dictionary defines a career as “an occupation undertaken for a significant period of a persons life and with opportunities for progress.” Whether you are new to the workforce or are a seasoned professional, it can be easy to lose focus on opportunities for progress. In fact, with so many day-to-day tasks and projects at work, you may completely lose sight of the big picture from time to time, and why you took your job in the first place. Or perhaps you have a temporary position that you enjoy but aren’t sure how to take things to the next level. Here are a few tips to help you turn your job into a fulfilling career. Determine your ultimate destination. This step has to do with your long-term professional goals. What is your current position? Where would you like to be in one, three, and five years from now? Write down your ideas. Don’t be afraid to be creative! If you are unsure what your options are for career progression, research your industry and the company you work for online, speak with your manager, and conduct informational interviews with others who work in your industry. Once you have an idea of how you can progress as a professional, you will need to work on your path to reaching your goal. Create your career map. If you are traveling somewhere unfamiliar, you need a map to ensure that you arrive at your destination. Similarly, you need to determine a route that will help you reach your career goals. To do this, there are three important steps to take. Identify who you are as a professional. This involves defining your career values, strengths, relevant experience, and professional interests. Include all of these elements in your career map to ensure that you are honoring your career values throughout your career, and ensure you are using your strengths effectively. Identify what success means to you. Does this mean making a certain amount of money, achieving a certain level of work/life balance, or working in a specific department of your organization? This will help you determine if your current path and the long-term trajectory of your job will allow you to be your version of successful. Identify the action steps you need to take. Using your ideas for your one, three, and five-year goals, think about the skills and experience that are required to achieve those goals. Next, determine how you can acquire those skills and experience. Perhaps you need to: Take an online course. Volunteer for projects that will help you acquire more experience. Expand your network. For more tips on planning your career plan, download our free presentation, “Three Keys to Unlock YOUR Strategic Career Plan.” Write down your ideas. Then choose 2-3 action steps for each career goal. Ask for support from 2 friends and family members to help keep you on track. Don’t get discouraged if you hit a roadblock or two on the road to achieving your career goals, that just means you will need to make a few adjustments as you progress. Stay focused on the big picture!