Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom 5 Ways to Increase Your Teams Well Being

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom 5 Ways to Increase Your Team's Well Being You want your team members to be ashappyand productive as possible. A little while ago, we talked about some easywellness ideasyou can implement. Here are other novel ways you might switch things up for the better. Nix Email After 11PM People who work all day generally need to sleep at night. If you want healthy and happy employees, don’t encourage them to be online at all hours. Tell your team, flat out, that they can do what they want with their own time but their manager and colleagues don’t want to hear from them after “curfew.” And whatever you do, don’t send email yourself after 11PM. This behavior is likely what started your team on it in the first place. Young employees in particular are vulnerable to pressure to work all the time and be available whenever their bosses are, and often try to one-up one another in this respect. Rotate Seating As I said last year,open officesneed to go away. But that aside, you might also get rid of permanent seating arrangements. In theWall Street Journal, Rachel Feintzeig interviewedChristian Catalini, a professor at MIT’s Sloan School of Management who studies workplace efficiency. Christian recently examined the impact of proximity at an academic campus in Paris. When scientists were shuffled around to different buildings because of an asbestos problem, the result was more experimentation and more breakthrough ideas. Changing up seating also prompted workers to meet, collaborate with, and form friendships with a greater variety of people. It keeps things interesting without sacrificing too much privacy. Purchase FitBits Devices like theFitBit, which track actions like steps walked and time slept, are surprisingly effective in nudging people toward new and better habits. Purchase FitBits for your whole team (they’re not that expensive) and launch a contest to track who walks the most steps in a week. The competition aspect will spur your employees to get out of their chairs more. Note: there are apps that track steps too, but because many women don’t carry their smartphones on their persons, the FitBit bracelet is more effective. For more ways to be a more effective manager, head over to Intuits Fast Track blog.

Getting Kids to Exercise More

Getting Kids to Exercise More Children need exercise for healthy development. But in a world of smart phones, videogames and tablets, getting your kids outside and physically exercise can be a challenge. In fact, only one in three children are physically active every day according to the Presidents Council on Sports, Fitness Nutrition.  This has seen a rise in childhood obesity, with The Centers for Disease Control reporting that 18.5% of children aged 2 â€" 19 are obese. A large part of this is due to the unhealthy eating habits being adopted by young children. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015 2020 recommends that no more than 10% of calories come from added sugar. However, the same guidelines report that boys aged 9 â€" 13 are consuming an average of 17% of calories from added sugar, while girls an average of 16%. With sugary drinks and fast food becoming common place in young people’s diet, so does the health risks. With the lack of physical activity combining with high consumption levels of sugar, it makes sense then that childhood obesity rates are spiking, What is even more shocking, is that overweight adolescents have a 70% chance of becoming an overweight or obese adult. This is why it’s critical to lay the foundations of a healthy lifestyle at an early age, for success later on in life. Of course, getting kids to exercise isn’t always as easy as it sounds. So, to help you ‘convince’ them that its in their best interest to go outside for play, here are some ways to motivate them. Motivate with Rewards You can motivate your kids with rewards, that don’t include sweet, processed foods of sedentary activities. Purchase or print out a calendar from the web and stick it somewhere that it can be seen, like your fridge. Every time your children choose to go a physical activity, such as outdoor play or team sports, they get a star. These stars can be used to redeem rewards at the end of the week, allowing you to set different star ‘prizes’ that can be won. These rewards could range from a trip to the movies, an outdoor play toy or even staying up a little later on weekend nights. https://pixabay.com/en/swing-playground-children-playing-1188132/ Purchase Outdoor Play Equipment One of the main reasons why children will stay indoors is because videogames, tablets, television and similar keep them engaged. Simply put, if they have an empty backyard, it’s hard to get excited when it comes time to play outside. This could then lead to the perfect opportunity at purchasing outdoor play equipment that will entertain for hours. There are a large range of different options available today as well. Climbing frames for kids are a perfect addition to your outdoor space. They allow for climbing, swinging and balancing â€" all effective ways of working key muscle groups. If you want something that can be used out and about consider scooters. They are a great addition to any family and provide a fun way to get out and about. Similarly,   kids wagon carts are growing in popularity. They are ideal for 2 or more kids, as they can take turns sitting and pulling each other in the cart itself. If the heat is keeping everyone inside, consider play equipment that helps you cool down. Super Soakers are a classic summer play toy and mix well with water bombs. There are even portable lawn water slides that are a blast not just for children, but adults as well. If your budget is tighter, don’t spending more time to take your kids down to the local park. A ball or a frisbee can do wonders or simply make use of the free playground equipment. Playing a Team Sport             Don’t forget that team sports can be a fantastic way of getting kids into physical activities. Not only does it help disguise exercise, but it provides a range of other benefits as well. A good starting point is to ask their school if they have any internal sports programs available, as this is often is the best way to get them involved. However, if the school does not, or they want to try another sport, most municipalities have recreational sports leagues. It doesn’t just have to be a purely sporting activity either. There are several physical hobbies or clubs that your children can participate in. This could include something like Scouts, joining a swimming team or even having a go at gymnastics. Joining a group activity also allows for new friendships to be found and forged, and assists with developing social skills. Be a Good Influence One of the better ways to motivate your children is to set a good example yourself. As the old saying goes, ‘actions are better than words’, and it’s proven they mimic behaviours that they see. A child is almost six times more likely to be active themselves, if their parents are also active according to Science Direct. Get them to participate as much as possible! Get them involved in your fitness routine, even if it’s just joining in for a few minutes.   Or get  them to join you in morning jogs or evening strolls. If they are still reluctant to join, just get them to come and observe. It’s significant they at least see you living a healthy lifestyle, as it will translate how important it is in their minds.

How to Get a Job Past the Age of 50

How to Get a Job Past the Age of 50 Having recently gone through an employment change at 55, I battled my own demons as I thought about the possibility that somebody would actually hire me, versus the options a potential employer has to fill their openings with someone younger and cheaper. It wasn’t just about finding a job. It was about finding a job I wanted. It was about taking whatever steps necessary to “stand out” among the candidates being considered for the role I was interested in.  Preparing myself to compete in a tight job market required me to take stock of the factors that were motivating me to action. The first was reflecting on the question, “Why am I still looking to be gainfully employed at my age?”   My dad retired at 59, and he’s enjoyed his retirement to this very day (he turns 84 this year). In the generation of my parents, with life expectancy a decade less than it is today, retiring between 60 and 65 years of age was the norm.  Looking at my generation, many of us “Baby Boomers” lead healthier lives than our parents did. We eat better, exercise more, smoke less, and take better care of ourselves. We can expect to live longer. Given this, why not extend our professional careers at least a decade beyond that of our parents? Another factor influencing people to remain employed longer is a financial one. Not being children of the Depression Era, our spending and saving habits were not as rigorous as our parents, and many of us extended ourselves, having taken on bigger mortgages, and paid to put our children through private high schools and college. Additionally, we may have gone overboard with the wedding plans for our children. The list of financial commitments made over the years is staggering. Whether by choice or necessity, many of us who may have wanted to retire at the age our parents did could be facing another 10 years of employment, with retirement more likely closer to 70 years of age versus 60, particularly if we want to live comfortably in our “Golden Years”. There are many things you can do to strengthen your candidacy when you are faced with finding employment in your fifties or later.  Here are four areas to focus on: 1) Research the market rates for the positions that you plan to apply for You need to understand what the market is willing to pay for a person with your background and experience.   Know that your most recent total compensation package may not represent what the market is willing to pay. This is particularly true if you were released from a company that employed you for many years, providing you with annual increases that brought your total income to a level that is no longer “marked to market”.   This is important. While you may feel you deserve every dollar that you made, you need to understand that if your goal is to earn “not a penny less” in your next job, you may be searching for a job for a long time. Make an effort to understand what the market is willing to pay for a person with your experience, and prepare yourself to be willing to accept this level of compensation. 2) Maintain your professional networks It may be overstating the obvious to remind you that who you know is more important than what you know. Don’t confuse this point, because what you know is in fact important, it’s just that who you know is more important first. Today, the internet is an easy and effective way to identify employment opportunities (Monster, Dice, CareerBuilder, Indeed, etc). Research the companies offering the jobs by perusing their websites. Find out who is employed at those companies by scouring a source like LinkedIn and research what is being said about the quality of those firms as an employer (Glassdoor is a good site for gathering this intelligence.) Once you have done your research submit your resume and cover letter.  Sounds easy, right?  It is not. If everybody is looking for a job in this manner, you need to differentiate yourself from everyone else.  How can you do so?  Use your social networks! Do you know anybody who is employed at the company where you are a candidate? Would they recommend you? Have you worked with them in the past? Have you kept up with them, so they would be comfortable recommending you?  If you’re not great about keeping up with current and former work colleagues, professional acquaintances, fraternity or sorority brothers and sisters, etc., then make a renewed effort at this, as it will most likely pay off for you when you most need it. 3) Don’t become obsolete As you age, you must embrace technology and its rapid daily evolvement. I know you have no idea what makes a “smart phone” smart, and for the life of you, you don’t understand why your daughter keeps insisting on installing something called a “router” in your house. Here’s the best advice that I can give you: Don’t become your father.  Remember how after they stopped making vinyl records, he stopped having an interest in music? Think about how every time he comes to your house, he pushes every button on your remote controls, to the point it takes you an hour to get everything back to normal. It’s safe to say that at some point, he made a decision to stop embracing technological change, and now he’s become an outlier when it comes to understanding how the advances in technology enable and empower the world in which we live and work.  It is imperative you keep up with technological change and embrace it.  Don’t allow yourself to become the equivalent of a “technology dinosaur.” Today’s companies embrace technology and use it to their advantage when competing for business. Don’t allow yourself to be eliminated from consideration for a job you desire because you have lost touch with technology. 4) Preparation, preparation, preparation! The great basketball coach John Wooden said, “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail”. I couldn’t agree more, nor could I give better advice.  Here are several key components to being prepared: Have your resume professionally done for you There are dozens of companies willing to help you with this, many of whom will do it for free. Most employment companies have a “resume production” team or capability, and can work with you to create a resume that is germane to your experience and highlights your greatest competencies. Check your wardrobe Have you been working in a “business casual” environment for years? Does your suit or blouse no longer fit the way it did when you purchased it? Is the style of your clothing representative of a different time? Spend a little money to make certain the first impression you make is a quality one. Have you researched the company you will be interviewing with Do you know what their annual revenue is? Do you know what their primary product and service offerings are? Are they a public company? If so, what is their stock trading at? Do you know where their primary offices are? Do you know who their main competitors are? Have you read their website? Do you know who the members of the leadership team are? Take the time to learn this information, as it may distinguish you from your competitors during your interview. Interview your interviewer  This is a must! When the interviewer finally asks you if you have any questions, it is not ok to say, “No, not at this time.” Be prepared to ask your interviewer two or three questions. Asking questions expresses genuine interest on your part.  Here are a few you can ask: What are the strategic plans for growth for the company over the next three years? Who are your main competitors, and how do you go about beating them, in the markets where you compete with them directly? What is the company’s commitment to community service? Does your company have a Mission Statement or Core Values statement? How would you describe the culture of your organization? Conclusion While the “Baby Boomer generation” is more inclined to seek permanent employment, the workplace has evolved to a point where most companies now employ a mix of consultants and contractors as a strategic component to their workforce. Many staffing companies work with their clients to place both permanent and temporary workers with them, and can be a terrific resource in helping you find that next great job. These tips are equally useful should you desire to pursue contract work instead of permanent employment.  Hopefully I have given you enough information to encourage you to tackle the employment marketplace with confidence.  Great luck and success in landing your next big role, even though you’ve moved well through your 50s and your 60s are fast approaching! Author: Thomas Hart joined Eliassen Group as its Staffing Business Development Leader and CMO in October 2012. He also served as the senior executive for Fidelity’s HR Access Solutions in Paris, France, from 2004 through 2006.

Do You Have What it Takes to Be Famous - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Do You Have What it Takes to Be Famous - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Miley, Lindsay, Amanda, Brittany, Justin, Chris, Rihanna, Honey Boo Boo, You? When children are asked what they want to be when they grow up, a popular new answer is: “famous.” Honey Boo Boo is famous â€" famous enough for People magazine to sponsor a lookalike contest. Parents actually entered their kids’ photos in hopes of winning. You think your senior high school picture was your worst moment? How about forever being tagged as a doppelganger for Honey Boo Boo? Today, famous is as famous does. In fact, most of us watch a lot of extreme behavior from a lot of unexceptional people. Is that personal branding at its best? When there is no “there, there” but the person can generate an audience? Eyeballs are a gold mine. Not a gold mind. Is famous the end goal of your personal brand? Is that a goal worth pursuing? After all, famous people are simply newsmakers. And really often, it’s not good news they are making. You don’t have to be talented, smart, or hard-working to be famous. That’s become a problem for those of us in even the most mundane occupations, with relatively normal lives. This new notion of famous has brought about a prevailing meme that anything goes, anywhere, anytime by anyone, to anyone. Raunchy is the new racy. Any way you want to dress, any thing you want to say, any quality of work or art, any time you care to do it, and anyone you want to address about anything, on any public media form â€" anything goes. It’s so common to watch these famous people do things of such low character, that you may not realize how offensive real life has become. If I get one more LinkedIn message from an overly familiar, complete stranger who expresses his irritation that I haven’t responded to his other messages about how his product is going to make my company more profitable â€" without his even knowing what business I’m in? I may scream. And, I can scream because screaming in public is now the norm, especially when people greet each other in restaurants and anywhere they’re on the phone. If I see one more Facebook post that declares this woman’s God is the only God and the rest of us are going to perish, I’ll scream (why not?). Or, the man-hater rants, or the President of the United States-hater rants, or more photos of salad (thank you Prince for jumping on that trend, which jumped the shark a couple years back, eh?). This has happened in part because we see people rising to the top of high profile professions â€" including politics as well as entertainment â€" making terrible decisions about what they say and how they act. Of course, were enabled by social networks and civilian media, much less those supposedly meant-just-for-you texts that wind up viral on Twitter, Facebook, TMZ and major media (depending on how famous you are at the moment). Think about the real equity of your personal brand and how you’re spending it. Think about the patience of those around you, for the problems you might be bringing to them. Lamar Odom is yet another cautionary tale. From a source quoted by People magazine: Theres an old saying in the NBA: Are you more valuable than your problems? And its just reached the point with Lamar where he is not more valuable than his problems, the insider said. Up until about two years ago, Lamar Odom was averaging about 15 points and eight rebounds a game and you know what? You deal with his off-court problems for that. When Lamar Odom averages four points a game, hes not worth the problems.” Talent is no excuse. Neither is the lack of it. Personal brands: get dressed, get organized, get your work done, get it right, say it right, and work on being great! Bring back famous as a positive meme. Author: Nance Rosen  is the author of Speak Up! Succeed. She speaks to business audiences around the world and is a resource for press, including print, broadcast and online journalists and bloggers covering social media and careers. Read more at NanceRosenBlog. Twitter name: nancerosen Jorg Hackemann / Shutterstock.com

5 Ways to Be A Better Freelancer in 2018 - CareerMetis.com

5 Ways to Be A Better Freelancer in 2018 Freelancing culture is spreading like wildfire globally, giving abundant opportunities to the aspiring candidates.With so many options, there is a piece of pie for everyone, from marketing to copy writing, web programming to graphic designing, technical support, any kind of service needed is provided by Freelancers.evalIf you are already working as a freelancer and struggling to make best out of your freelancing career then don’t fret this blog post is for you. This article shares 5 ways to be a better freelancer in 2018.1. Do what you are passionate aboutevalTo make the most out of your freelancing career, you need to make sure whatever you do, you are passionate about it. People often get into different projects and end up being demotivated. If you have interest in copywriting, then don’t chose to be a SEO specialist. Similarly, if you have skills and interest for coding, don’t end up being a marketer.Sometimes people keep taking everything that comes their way and end up hav ing their plate full but with all the wrong projects.So, next time you get a yes, just don’t promptly say yes rather carefully consider the opportunity and ask yourself following questions:Do I specialize in the work that client has given?Will adding this project to my plate can make my freelancing portfolio better?Answering these questions will help you determine whether you should take such projects or not. Idea is to stick to take only those projects in your hand that you are passionate about.2. Focus on quality than quantityAs a freelancer it is quite likely that you will be getting your major projects from online freelance sites like Elance.com, Freelancer.com, to name a few.evalFreelancers often do the mistake of bidding on as many projects as possible. However, to be a better freelancer you need to understand quantity of bid does not matters rather quality of bid matters. One high quality bid worths the dozens of low quality bids.For example-if you are a designer, instead o f getting plenty of small graphic designsprojects, you should try to get one big lucrative project.It is better to focus on getting few quality bids wherein you can comprehensively analyze client’s requirements and make them understand what your skill sets are.Focusing on quality projects will help you make good amount of money and will also make your portfolio better as you will be doing more quality projects rather than wasting time energy on many small projects.3. Always get a down paymentevalI have heard so many freelancers complaining about payment issues, their payment often gets delayed or even worse they end up getting stiffed by the client. To avoid any such payment issues, you must ask for a down payment in advance.Generally, majority of freelancers ask for a 50% amount upfront before starting any project. You can make this thing clear to your clients in very first preliminary discussions or include it in your contract.Clients are generally fine with this and if they ha ve any issue regarding this then you should know it is time to raise a red flag. This way you will never complain about a late payment. Once you are done with the project, deliver your workable files only after receiving the final 50% payment.This also saves you from the situation, when clients after taking your work files at times run and cancels the project. So, make it a point not to send any final work files before full payment is done.4. Need to know your NumbersYour freelancing efforts are no less than a business, so treat it like one. And like any other business, you need to focus on the numbers.Business Revenueâ€" To begin with you need to keep track of your business revenue. How much do you need to make per month to sustain?Site Trafficâ€" Analyze where is your site traffic coming from and which is your most popular content?.CTAâ€" Figure out which call-to-action buttons are working and giving maximum conversion rates. And also figure out which pages are dead and needs impr ovement.These numbers are important and will enable you to figure out from where your main income is coming such as which clients are giving you maximum business and focus more on those areas that are producing the maximum results.eval5. Make Clear ContractevalBefore jumping on any client project make sure you are on the same page about all the aspects of your project including even the minutest of details like which days of the week you will be working, what pieces of work they can expect to receive at certain key points, in case you tend to exceed the deadline, what can be the repercussions etc.It is important to manage client expectations in a realistic way rather than making empty promises. So, make a detailed contract that you can use for every client stating all points clearly from payment to delivery of the project.This can save you from any kind of disagreements over the course of work production and if you are having a hard time making a contract then you can go to IPSE Whe ther you are an aspiring freelancer or already working as a freelancer by including the above-mentioned tips in your work process, you will be able to experience a major growth.

The Right Way To Use Your Infographic Resume

The Right Way To Use Your Infographic Resume Technology has enabled job seekers to break out of the standard “apply online and wait” mold. By applying out-of-the-box marketing strategies such as social media campaigns, personal websites and infographic resumes, you  can do more to stand out and garner the attention you  crave (and deserve)! Sharing Your Infographic Resume No, no, no! You are not going to apply for a job with your infographic resume. Applicant Tracking Systems arent set up to accept visual content. But dont abandon the idea. Your infographic resume makes an excellent tool to share during networking meetings. It is also a way to distinguish yourself during an interview, so bring it along! To get maximum exposure, youll want to share it online too. Remember to name your file using your name and key words or occupation so that someone searching for your name might stumble across it. Next upload it to SlideShare. Ive shown you examples of people who have done this  well here  3 Inspiring Visual Resume Examples on SlideShare. The benefit of using Slideshare is that your infographic resume now lives online and you can include a link to it in an email or as an update on any social media platform you want.  Oh, and SlideShare is owned by and part of LinkedIn, making it super easy to include as embedded media in your LinkedIn Summary! How To Create One If youre excited about using an infographic resume, then I guess youll want to know how to create one. Before you rush to your computer and begin trying to build yours, take time to walk through these planning steps. Get ideas and inspiration by looking an all types of infograhics, not just infographic resumes. Next, choose the best design elements and keep these tips in mind. Punch up your infographic resume by Will It  Work? There are never guarantees. But what have you got to loose? The human brain LOVES visual content.  And if you are in a creative field, an infographic resume is proof of your creativity. If you use an infographic the RIGHT way, your odds of standing out increase! Venngage ShoutOut Many thanks to my friends at  Venngage for creating this infographic! They asked me to write a post about infographic resumes and you can see it here. Venngage is one of several tools you can use to create infographics. They even have infographic resume templates. You can sign up  and create up to 5 infographics for free.  With a Free  account, export options are not available. However, you can publish your infographic and share a link with others.  Find out more about publishing your infographic   here. Venngage created this infographic Infographic Resume | Infographics If you want to learn more about creating an infographic resumeyou can check out my book on Amazon  The Infographic Resume

Format for Side by Side Writing

Format for Side by Side WritingAn excellent way to ensure a strong back and forth discussion is by having a standard word resume format for side by side writing. When starting out in your job search, you may not know what to write. If you have never written a resume, you may find it difficult.A resume format for a side by side writing is simply a format for the resume that is different from a standard format. Typically, you will use both your name and your job title. This means that instead of writing 'Bob Smith' on your cover letter, you will put in 'Bobby Smith' instead.It's important to make a distinction between a resume format for side by side writing and a format for standard resume formats. Generally, an employer will not read both of these documents. They will focus on one or the other. It is important to note that when doing this, it is critical to keep the resume format for standard resume formats.When your employer sees a format for a standard resume format for side by sid e writing, you will have a lot of explaining to do. You should make sure to have your cover letter well prepared. You can also use this letter as a document to introduce yourself as well as your accomplishments, skills, and qualifications to the reader.The letter, cover letter, and resume are often written in a standard format for standard resume formats. However, if you are going to use a format for side by side writing, there are several things that you should be aware of. If you don't have a formal education in English writing, you may want to hire a professional.An example of an extremely good word resume format for side by side writing is a letter to the reader. In this case, you will be writing a short letter to introduce yourself. In this letter, you will introduce yourself, briefly describe your skills, qualifications, and career goals, and thank the reader for taking the time to review your resume.Keep in mind that a format for a standard resume will be more traditional and formal. Therefore, it will more often be used to outline your skills, qualifications, and what you are looking for in a job. Word resumes can also be more effective in conveying a more casual personality and it can be more meaningful and useful to the reader.Always include a cover letter and resume in any format for side by side writing. These will be used to introduce yourself and to emphasize the main points of your qualifications. Include these in a format for standard resume formats, but if you are using a format for side by side writing, you can also include them in the letter that is just for the cover letter.