Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom Networking for Remote Workers

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom Networking for Remote Workers One of the benefits of working in an office is the people. Every day, you are exposed to a variety of similarly-minded professionals from whom you can learn and grow. However, when you telecommute or are a remote worker, it’s easy to become isolated. Here are a few ways to keep your networking efforts up to par when you don’t have the crutch of encountering new colleagues as a matter of course. Join a Third-Party Association Scout out the industry organizations in your field and become a member. Attend their events and conferences, and volunteer to help organize activities. You’ll learn more about your business while simultaneously building your contact database. Start a Meetup Group Meetup.com is a terrific way to get acquainted with other local remote workers, share war stories, and pool resources. It’s also nice to have a group with whom you can go out for the occasional happy hour! Like what youre reading? Check out the rest of the tips at the FlexJobs blog.

Oh BoyTime to Look For a New Job! - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Oh Boy…Time to Look For a New Job! - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career I’ve coached hundreds of clients in job search and don’t think I’ve ever heard any of them exclaim that they were excited to be looking for a job. It’s an oxymoron â€" the term excitement and ‘job search’ just don’t go hand-in-hand. But, what is more important is what job search frequently connects us to and that is ‘procrastination’. It’s true, just thinking about getting into the fray of job search can induce procrastination even in the most motivated individuals. So, what are some ways to tackle job search procrastination? 1. Job search fear â€" don’t worry about getting rid of fear because you won’t, it’s as simple as that. Fear is always with us and always will be because it’s built in; trying to get rid of fear completely would be like trying to get rid of your bones… not a good look. What tends to work better (at least for me) is to accept fear and simply move through the fear (in this case, the fear of job search and what may come with it; rejection, humility, anger, negativity, frustration, etc.) Waiting for all fear to be gone before you jump into your search will only feed your procrastination (like a yummy cheeseburger) so that it keeps you stuck. So, don’t let fear stand between you and beginning your job search to land a new job. Acknowledge it as a normal part of the process (like needing to write a resume… ugh, but of course you have to, or asking for references and testimonials, etc.) and then move through it â€" one foot in front of the other and you will be able to move th rough job search fear and stop feeding your procrastination those yummy meals. 2. First impressions â€" many people procrastinate in job search because they are not sure how to begin when it comes to first impressions and personal branding. It is important for you to take some time to organize yourself with your job search and create your personal brand through your overall approach to the marketplace, your documents (i.e., resume, cover letter, references) as well as your online visibility (i.e., LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, etc.). Taking some time to get a good head start on first impressions will increase your visibility, improve your personal branding efforts and reduce your procrastination level. 3. Have a plan â€" if you get out of bed and decide you’ll just dive straight into job search with no plan of attack you will more than likely find yourself in procrastination pain right from the start. You’ll sit down at your computer, and in what seems like an instant, the entire day will go by and you will still be mindlessly searching the job boards, reading duplicate job descriptions and forgetting what comes first. You’ll end up frustrated and unsuccessful, again this is a ‘delicious meal’ for procrastination, but you will probably end up with indigestion! So, make a plan. How will you tackle your job search project? What types of jobs are you interested in? What industries do you want to explore? Who are the companies within that industry sector that you are interested in? My point here is that there are a lot of elements to successful job search and laying out a plan will ensure that you stay on track and move forward daily. Remember… No plan = Procrastination 4. Allocate time â€" just as you allocate time to go to work 5-days a week you need to allocate time for job search when you’re looking for a position. Telling yourself you ‘just don’t have time’ is procrastination’s best friend! I admit myself that letting every little thing get in the way of something you dread doing is easy… “I’ll just get one more cup of coffee”, or “I need to check my email”, or “I told Fred I would check on his dog”, or “My cat ate the keys!” You get what I mean â€" we tend to let everything take priority to what needs to get done. This can especially apply to job search. So, plan a time each day for your job search activities and stick to the plan. Think of job search as your full time job. And don’t forget to reward yourself for a job well done!

Envision. Create. Believe Real Women Talk About Finding Your Work-Life Balance

Envision. Create. Believe Real Women Talk About Finding Your Work-Life Balance We all want to find balance, that stable point between work and family, social and professional, private time and brand exposure. How do we, as women, go about doing this? We all want to find balance, that stable point between work and family, social and professional, private time and brand exposure. How do we, as women, go about doing this? There is so much that is expected of us â€" and we want to have it all. Women are breaking down walls, carrying successful careers and amazing families side by side while finding time to give back to our communities, see out friends, and fit in a #SideHustle for that fun money. In [amazon template=productasin=0446576220]  there is a beautiful moment where Tony Hsieh is impacted by the words: Envision, create, and believe in your own universe. An “aha” moment in the simplicity of dream, make, do. You can do anything. Don’t ever give up on yourself. How can we succeed in this  as career women? I reached out to several women making strides and asked: “What does it mean as a woman balancing career, life, and family to envision, create, and believe in your own universe?” Bree Kelley, a Sales and Marketing Associate at Relational Solutions in Cleveland, OH, said: Define your goals and make a strategic plan of action to achieve them. [Make] goals that fulfill what you feel is your personal greater purpose and not just that of society or of a workplace. The “universe” isnt just going to hand you what you want on a silver platter. You need to decide what you want out of life, and do everything you can in your power to achieve it. Susan Harrison, a former teacher in Boston, MA who recently founded Vac Communications and hosts #IntegratedChat  Tuesdays at 7 p.m. on Twitter, shared: My whole take on it is this is that society tends to constrain women. We all have wonderful ideas and dreams and wants and needs, but society tends to tie us down in prescribed roles. As women we’re constrained. We’re the caretakers. We’re supposed to be. That’s what we have to do. We get married and we’re supposed to be getting dinner on the table. The ability to not feel guilty while breaking away from those roles is what allows us to follow our dreams. Lisa M. Hinz, a content marketer and founder of LMHinz Marketing in San Diego, CA said: One of my favorite quotes is by Walt Disney, who said: If you can dream it, you can do it. I can tell you that there is no greater responsibility in the world than living the life you imagine. Only you can know exactly what you want and how that looks in terms of bridging or harmonizing your professional and personal worlds into one complete universe. I chose to live in wholeness with myself and dared to envision what my life could be if I wasnt afraid and could do what I love most â€" be all of me in all that I do â€" and believe in my own abilities to make it a reality.   For me, [this] means to have the freedom to dream, create, and live a full life because I have the courage to believe in myself. Erin Miller, a Marketing Coordinator at Adjusters International in the Albany, NY area replied: For me it takes dreams of what I would like my universe to be, followed by brainstorming, effort, and perseverance for my [dream] universe to become reality. Every aspect of my universe is this from career, to home, to family. You have to have courage because creating universes won’t happen unless you’re brave. With goals, drive, and a good head on your shoulders anyone can make a universe they envision. @MsCareerGirl wants to know, how do you envision, create, and believe in your own universe?

08 Personal Branding News and Recommendations - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

8/11/08 Personal Branding News and Recommendations - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Book announcement All, the next few weeks are going to be very busy, challenging and hectic for me as I go through the editing phase of my book, which is due to production in just a few weeks. If you email me, I will send a quick response, but save it in my inbox when my time frees up to give you the attention you deserve. From what Ive heard, you might see it on Amazon come November, but it wont be in book stores nationally until next April (2009). My good friends at Kaplan are going to be publishing it as well! My book is on personal branding (go figure!) and is targeted at Gen-Y/millennials/students who are trying to figure out how to get the job of the their dreams, without desperately applying for jobs. Just about anyone can benefit from it though. As you know from reading this blog, there is A LOT of information to cover, but in the book you will find all the basics to help build brand YOU. The title you ask? Ill be revealing that sometime soon. Tim Sanders new book rocks! Are you saving the world at work? I am! Tim Sanders wants you to save the world at work. As you can see above, he has even designed promotional shirts for his new book, Saving The World At Work and a promotional video explaining how hes going to market it (a must see for book authors). Tim is a personal branding evangelist and understands that companies succeed when they treat their people right. His new book, which you can pre-order on Amazon.com right now, comes out on September 16th, which is 2 days after my 25th birthday. His first book, called Love Is The Killer App was a New York Times and international best seller. Tim was also Yahoo!s Chief Solutions Officer. Tim believes that companies need to make a difference in society through products, manufacturing methods, environmental efforts and community outreach. He believes, and I agree with him, that companies that do not clean up their acts will be left in the dust. In Tims book, he makes a compelling argument for the necessity for businesses to appeal to their customers hearts as well as their wallets. If you cant wait for the book, you can also subscribe to his popular blog. Update: Tim is looking for editors for his new website. Apply here! Im speaking in Boston on Wednesday This Wednesday from 6-9pm in Boston, I will be presenting LIVE to raise money for a non-profit called OYFP. Its a free event and all are welcome if youre in the area. As always, it will be video recorded and blogged about. The place will be at the Kennedys Midtown in Downtown Boston on 42 Province Street. Appetizers will be available at a 30% discount for event attendees. A $3 suggested donation is optional. Book recommendations Stephen M.R. Covey just wrote an amazing book on probably the most important part of relationship networking, trust. It is called The Speed of Trust and Stephen draws on businesses cases from his years as a CEO, reminding us that theres plenty of room for improvement on this virtue. His father, and very famous author, Stephen R. Covey, wrote the forward of the book. By focusing on building trust you will be more productive and live a more satisfied life. Trust, says Stephen M.R. Covey, is the very basis of the new global economy, and he shows how trustâ€"and the speed at which it is established with clients, employees and constituentsâ€"is the essential ingredient for any highâ€"performance, successful organization. Srikumar S. Rao wrote a book called Are You Ready to Succeed?, which is based on a course he taught at Columbia Business School. It is a Buddhism-inspired self-help book with tools to effect fundamental changes and find inner peace. His goal when writing this book was to help people along the path of self-improvement and corporate enlightenment. This book will help you become at peace with yourself and make for a better life and work experience. The book is an international best-seller and has been translated into many languages and distributed in all continents. He has conducted workshops for and spoken before executives of Microsoft, Google, Lehman Brothers, McDonalds, Chubb, IBM, United Airlines, Allstate and dozens of others. Spencer Ante has been writing about technology, business and culture for more than 12 years. He is currently the computers department editor at BusinessWeek. His new book, Creative Capital, is a book about Georges Doriot who created the venture capital industry. It traces the pivotal events in Doriots life, including his experience as a decorated brigadier general during World War II; as a maverick professor at Harvard Business School; and as the architect and founder of the first venture capital firm, American Research and Development. It artfully chronicles Doriots business philosophy and his stewardship in startups, such as the important role he played in the formation of Digital Equipment Corporation and many other new companies that later grew to be influential and successful. Jerry Porras, Stewart Emery and Mark Thompsons book Success Built to Last is one remarkable book. Porras, who co-wrote the original Built to Last, teams with successful life coaching company co-founder Emery and top executive coach Thompson, to interview 300 successful people, tagged builders, to uncover the secrets of their winning life journeys. They interview extraordinary business people such as Nelson Mandela, Jimmy Carter, Jack Welch and Steve Jobs. You will learn so much from hearing from these leaders in this book its not even funny. Prepare to learn from the best. Matt Richtel wrote a piece of fiction that will make you get HOOKED (that is also the title). Matt is currently a New York Times reporter and will be releasing another book soon. Here is a quick summary of his current book to hook you. Nat Idle, a medical student turned journalist, sits in a San Francisco cafe when a woman puts a folded note on his table. Nat picks up the note, walks to the door to follow her, opens the note and reads: Get out of the Cafe, NOW! The cafe explodes. Sitting in the rubble, he discovers the impossible: the handwriting on the note appears to belong to his deceased ex-girlfriend, a powerful venture capitalists who died four years earlier. Thus begins Hooked and Nats frantic quest for answers. His search ultimately presents him with a series of surprises and twists and leads him to discover unnerving truths about himself, and the frenetically-paced digital world he inhabits.

Resume Writing Tips For Business Analyst

Resume Writing Tips For Business AnalystAre you interested in getting some more resume writing tips for business analysts? Well, you are not alone. I'm sure you have received a resume that wasn't exactly what you were looking for.Sometimes the organization doesn't want you to come in on such a high paying job - they just don't want to pay you very well! The money is on the other side of the job, so they need to make the money flow in. It is as simple as that, but it can also be difficult sometimes.Even though the company may say that they are putting their best foot forward, if you have your own skills that can help them make money, they may need someone who has them! Most business owners have a specific need, and the kind of skills that you possess may be just what they need to take care of it. It may even open the door to a different job, like a consultant, for example.Business analysts have the ability to see things that no one else does, but you do need to be able to demonstrate your long term experience with their company, or a specialized field that you have worked with before. If you are an accounting expert, for example, they may be looking for a financial analyst. You would have to show that you know how to use numbers in order to convince them that you are the best candidate for the job.Some companies may not have employees and they work very closely with the consultants who are working for them. They will allow them to come in to help out and stay in the office for free. The average salary for an accountant is $70 an hour, and you would be required to be at the office around the clock.These types of businesses are more hands on. Mostwill even be willing to pay you for the hours you spend working for them. That is why they are more likely to hire people with a business degree or experience in a management position, but being an accountant or other specialist doesn't hurt either.There are some that don't really need a computer program to keep track of their money, but the fact remains that there are other job markets out there for people with a great work ethic and passion for helping others make money. Some businesses may not even require that you come into the office to work for them.All in all, there are many different ways that you can approach resume writing tips for a business analyst. You don't necessarily have to go to a major career site and type in your specific job and skill requirements; it is easy to find very useful tips and advice from those who are already in the business.

The Easiest Way to Find a Job - CareerAlley

The Easiest Way to Find a Job - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. According to Career Coach Peggy McKee, the hardest way in the world to get a job is to apply through HR. Its actually part of HRs job description to weed out the hundreds of job seekers who apply and give only a very few (5 out of 1000 is not an exaggeration) to the hiring manager. So unless your resume is letter perfect with what the HR person has decided, you are lost. About 3 years ago, Peggy decided to help job seekers go around that system. She came up with a unique tool she called the Hidden Jobs Finder to teach job seekers how to go out on their own and find unadvertised jobs. I just found out that Peggy has recently expanded her Hidden Jobs Finder, and I was lucky enough to get to speak with her about it, and about the job search process itself and how job seekers can be successful. I thought Id let you in on our conversation, so here are a few of my questions and her answers: When you look at the job seeker whos applying online, why arent they effective? Theyre not effective because most of the time, they have a less-than-perfect resume, that doesnt match exactly what the HR department of that company was instructed to find. They have a sorting machine thats looking for squares, and these job seekers dont look like squares when they hit it, so they get weeded out. Not to mention the sheer numbers of people who are unemployed and applying for those same jobs. Exactly. Hundreds of people can apply for the same job. Because if its on the internet, everyone can see it. So they get lost in the flood. And it makes it worse when you realize that over 70% of the jobs available arent even listed on Indeed or SimplyHired or whatever. Thats the hidden job market. Job seekers are killing their own job search if theyre not trying to access those jobs. Do you find that job seekers are finding more success in the hidden job market? Absolutely. I talked to one woman the other day whod been looking for a job for 6 months. She was still employed, had lots of experience, was a great candidate. But she couldnt get one single interview. She used my Hidden Jobs Finder to contact 41 hiring managers, and in 24 hours, she had 2 interviews. OK, thats impressive. So the key is to go straight to the hiring manager? Yes. And heres another one that illustrates that even better. Last week I heard from one job seeker who had applied twice to the same company, and got no response at all. He took what hed learned in the Hidden Jobs Finder and contacted the person who would be his boss in that company, and that started his interview process. He says its going fantastic and hes on his way to an offer. And youre seeing results like that consistently? The majority of people who use the Hidden Jobs Finder end up with multiple offers. They get more interviews than theyve ever had in their life, and that leads them to receiving multiple offers. Theres tremendous freedom in that for the job seeker. For my last question, I asked Peggy whats the number one thing she would tell someone in the job market whos in a desperate situationunemployed, in debt, out of work for months, with no end in sight? Its really hard for someone in that situation, because not only are they feeling the financial pressure of being out of work but the social pressure of it as well. They psychologically feel like no one wants them. Thats a hard place to be. But what I would say to every one of them is, be bold. Go directly to the folks you can do the work for. Let them know youre available. But dont take rejection personally. Thats one of the biggest barriers to success with the hidden job market. Its a numbers game. Rejection does not reflect on you. It only means they dont have an open spot. But someone does, and its up to you to find it. If youd like more information about Peggy McKees Hidden Jobs Finder, take a look at: http://careerconfidential.com/specials/finding-hidden-jobs/ We are always eager to hear from our readers. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or suggestions regarding CareerAlley content. Good luck in your search,Joey Google+ what where job title, keywords or company city, state or zip jobs by

Work is punishment - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Work is punishment - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog I keep wondering why so many people put up with bad workplaces, bad bosses and bad jobs. Why are many people desperately unhappy at work (up to 50% according to some studies) but accept this as normal? Heres why: Were carrying massive cultural baggage. Through much of Western history, there has been a sense that work is hard and unpleasant and that?s why we get paid to do it. This is expressed most clearly in Max Weber?s biblically-based work The Protestant Work Ethic, which was used by Protestant preachers to preach that hard labor was good for people, good for Christian society, and a salve for original sin. According to Christianity, humans used to live in the Garden of Eden, where everything was perfect. But because of original sin we were ejected and, according to Genesis 3:19, this is our situation now: ?By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.? According to Hebrew belief, work is a ?curse devised by God explicitly to punish the disobedience and ingratitude of Adam and Eve.? The Old Testament itself supports work, not because there?s any joy in it, but because it is necessary to prevent poverty and destitution. The ancient Greek word for work is ponos, taken from the Latin poena, which means sorrow. Manual labor was for slaves, while free men were supposed to pursue warfare, large-scale commerce, and the arts, especially architecture or sculpture1. So, according to our cultural roots, work is a curse, a punishment for original sin, and only for slaves. In short, life is hell?or ?nasty, brutish and short,? as Hobbes put it?work is hell, and we must endure it because we?re all sinners but dont worry, well get our reward once were dead! Any questions? It?s time to put that particular view of work behind us! Richard Reeves has this to say in his excellent book Happy Mondays: Anybody who thinks work should be miserable simply because it is work or that there should be a cordon sanitaire between ?work? and ?life? needs to find a time machine, key in the year 1543, and go and join Calvin?s crew. They?ll feel more at home there. In the meantime, the rest of us will get on with enjoying our work, and our workplaces. But we can never forget that were going up against thoughts and beliefs that have been part of our culture for centuries. This is why we need a conscious revolution in workplaces all around the world and why those of us who have chosen to break with the old attitude to work need to support each other. Related posts The top 10 bad excuses for not quitting a job that sucks. The top 10 signs youre not happy at work. The happy at work manifesto 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