My First Rule of Writing

My First Rule of Writing 4 As the JobMob Guest Blogging Contest nears its midpoint, let's take a look and see who's closest to winning the US$100 prize. The Top 3 Yehuda’s 3 Job Myths for Immigrant Lawyers in Israel finished its visitor-getting period on July 30th with 81 unique visitors and 1 tie-breaking link. This was just enough to put it into first place ahead of Week 1's leader, Joyce Babu’s How To Ace A Walk-in Panel Job Interview which had already received 75 unique visitors. Week 2 saw a new entry, Philip's Why I Decided Not to Look for a Job From Outside Israel, which has gotten off to a slow start with only 3 unique viewers so far. “Why I Decided” has until midnight August 5th to move to the top of the contest standings. My First Rule of Writing If you're hesitating to email an article for the contest, perhaps my First Rule Of Writing will help you take the last step. Here it is: Know your audienceeval Another way of saying it might be: Know for whom you're writing or bloggingeval If I'm writing something that I hope you'll enjoy and remember, it's critical to know what kinds of things you like and dislike â€" what interests you or bores you â€" in order to understand what you'll read and what you won't even bother to open. This advice is important for your job search too, and is the reason that you should adapt and personalize every CV that you send out. Tips to Get You Started Thanks to Isabella Mori, I found out that over on CleanCutBlog, Rory has begun a group writing project called “What Is Your FIRST Rule Of Writing?”. These writing project submissions provide useful tips to get your JobMob guest blog entry ready: Don’t wait for inspiration to strike Choose a suitable topic Write about what interests you Pick a subject that you're passionate about If You Don't Feel Strongly About It, Don't Write It Write how you talk Find your own voice The whole article should be great There is no one rule 2 More Weeks To Go I hope the above tips and links are inspiring. Remember, the submission deadline is holding still at August 17, 2007.

Do I HAVE TO Take This Job - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Do I HAVE TO Take This Job - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career A number of people have asked me if they should take the job offered them. Questions are lingering due to extenuating circumstances they each face. A down economy is a company’s preferred market to find the best employees. Therefore, once you receive a job offer that meets your criteria and offers possible career advancement, I would suggest considering the following: For the most part, hiring shuts down during November and December for the holidays. Other job seekers have shared that while they were told “We want you, you are perfect”, the jobs interviewed for remain vacant. There is more competition today while fewer jobs are available. The offer in question came from a giant corporation. The proposed job will further the candidate’s career, a decent salary with benefits are included and the job description very closely matches what he was looking for. It sounds perfect except for the fact rarely is there a perfect scenario. The downside to this offer is “Richard” has been out of work for many months and is very low on cash. In today’s market, companies are no longer offering relocation costs. Richard will need to pay to have his belongings put in storage and only take the necessities with him half-way across the United States. Once he arrives, most likely, first and last month will be required upfront. Richard doesn’t know how he is going to pay for everything in order to get to the job. His question to me was, “Do I have to take this job or would I be better off waiting for a local offer?” I believe in calculated risk when the percentages are at least 51% in your favor. However, Richard would most likely have to wait many more months for a new offer that may or may not be local, and the wait would put him further into debt. In my opinion, he HAS TO take the job. A second piece of advice was provided. It was suggested Richard try to get a low profile job just to pay for food, rent, and gas. He should seek temporary work where there is high turnover and that does not require a formal process to begin earning immediate income. One possibility is to become a waiter. This will help make the move easier and relieve some of his tension. Each time a dilemma confronts you, find your quiet space. Analyze the problem from all angles to develop the best plan for your situation to overcome the hurdle. Nothing is impossible when you have your plan ready to go and view it as a new adventure. Your level of motivation to solve problems and succeed is a big piece of your personal brand and is a requirement to further your career. Life is made up of many adventures as we journey forward. Even bad experiences bring better opportunity. Should you be in a similar situation, you and Richard will be much relieved to know a good job is waiting for you. Keep learning, questioning and become adept at making change. Instead of facing rough seas, you will soon become accustomed to the Smooth Sale! Author: Elinor Stutz, CEO of Smooth Sale, LLC authored the International Best-Selling book, “Nice Girls DO Get the Sale: Relationship Building That Gets Results”, Sourcebooks and the best selling career book, “HIRED! How to Use Sales Techniques to Sell Yourself On Interviews”, Career Press. She provides team sales training, private coaching and highly acclaimed inspirational keynotes for conferences. Elinor is available upon request for consultation.

Tips for Creating an Organized and Functional Workspace

Tips for Creating an Organized and Functional Workspace Whether we like it or not, we spend the better part of our lives working. 40 hours per week, 50 weeks per year, over the course of 45 years (if we’re lucky enough to retire at 65). All told, that means we spend 90,000 hours in our workplaces. For many of us, it will be even more than that, and even if you’ve found the perfect job, all that time can wear you down. With so much of our lives spent at our desks and other workspaces, one would think it goes without saying that we would do everything possible to ensure those spaces are as organized and functional as possible. But the sad reality is that many never take the time to customize the spaces they work in, and the effect this has on productivity and general satisfaction while working cannot be underestimated. While we understand that some workplaces simply don’t allow for customization and personal touches, thank goodness that many do. If that’s true of your own workplace, read on for our best tips to creating an organized and functional workspace. Make the space fit your aesthetics. Each of us has our own sense of style, sense of taste, and sense of what we find beautiful. When we surround ourselves with these things, we inevitably experience a lift in mood. Whether it’s a vase of freshly cut flowers from your garden, pictures from your last camping trip with your kids, or a poster of your favorite baseball player, decorate your workspace with things you find inspirational. (Of course, this must fall within the rules of office decorum.) As we said, you’ll experience a lift in your mood, and an improved mood generally means a boost of energy. And energy, well, we need that to get our work done, don’t we? So, get some modern and unique products for your desk that will make you look forward to working. Even getting a cool piece of art for your office could entice you to spend more time there. Make the space suit your workflow. A streamlined workflow allows you to enter into your most efficient state of mind and complete tas ks as if without thought. Hours seem to pass in minutes, and you almost feel as though your body worked on its own while your mind drifted off into some hazy dream-state. Psychologists call this experience “flow,” and we’ve all had it at one time or another. To experience this state more often and be your most productive self, you need to create conditions in your workspace that will facilitate entering flow. This means tending to basic ergonomic issues like buying the right chair to support your back and adjusting it to the proper height, purchasing a keyboard and mouse that won’t leave your wrists aching, installing proper lighting to spare your eyes, and so on. All of this will prevent physical discomfort from distracting you. Having tended to ergonomic matters, you will also need to situate whatever materials you needâ€"whether staples and paperclips or paints and brushes, etc.â€"as to allow ease of use. You want to be able to develop a consistent and repeatable pattern of work, one in which everything you need is always ready at hand. And, again, you want to be able to engage in these patterns without poor ergonomics causing physical discomfort. Tidy up your workspace every day. We understand no one likes to clean, and we also understand that cleaning can be the last thing you want to do when you have a lot of work on your plate. However, the psychological reality is that our environment exerts a quiet yet profound influence over our internal state. That’s why we’ve already suggested you make your workspace aesthetically pleasing. A cluttered work environment can easily lead to a cluttered mind. So, each day before you dig in to your tasks, tidy everything up. Get a small trashcan for your desk clutter. Put everything in its proper place and eliminate any stray debris that might affect you. We spend literally decades of our lives in our workspaces. You owe it to yourself to make those decades the best they can be. So, take the time to organize your workspace for aesthetics, ergonomics and productivity. You’ll be glad you

5 Ridiculous Company Rules to Make You Appreciate Your Job

5 Ridiculous Company Rules to Make You Appreciate Your Job We’ve all heard the entertaining stories of employees who got fired from their jobs for the most ridiculous reasons. Of course, what seems shocking to some appears perfectly sensible to others, otherwise those employees would still have jobs. But there can be no terminations without rules to be broken, and where there are ridiculous firings, there are usually ridiculous rules. A code of conduct is a necessity in any workplace, for without it, there would be no delineation between productivity and anarchy (as evidenced by the movie The Wolf of Wall Street). Nevertheless, in their effort to protect the company, achieve personal goals, or sometimes for no apparent reason, some employers instill rules that cross the line. Let’s look at a few examples. 1. Kissing the boss How would you feel if you were required to kiss your boss every morning before starting work? Such is the case with a company that sells home-brewing equipment in Beijing, China. Apparently, each morning, female employees are required to line up and kiss their boss before starting their shifts. The head of the company claims it enhances corporate culture, boosts employee morale and fosters a closer bond between employees and their superior. Not surprisingly, this rule has been causing quite an uproar on social media, with photos of the daily routine going viral. While the company claims the women haven’t complained, other sources say differently. According to Shanghaiist, “While the women were initially reluctant to attend the morning ceremony, almost all of them have since given in to their boss’ demand. Only two female staff members absolutely refused to kiss their boss and resigned from the company.” 2. Timed bathroom breaks Remember in elementary school when bathroom breaks were timed? This is also the reality that call center employees in Norway experience. Thanks to a new hi-tech surveillance system, workers at a Norwegian insurance company have exactly eight minutes of restroom time before an alarm sounds, accompanied by flashing lights. This alerts management that the offending employee is away from his or her desk beyond the allotted time. Employers claim the reason for the time limit is to avoid leaving call center phones unattended. However, unions and workplace inspectors have called the practice “highly intrusive” and a potential breach of employees’ human rights. This isn’t the first time a Norwegian company has been reprimanded for its overbearing bathroom rules. Recently, another company made employees sign a “visitor’s book” before using the restroom, while a third employer issued workers an electronic key card to gain access to the toilet so they could monitor breaks. 3. No pointing Disney may be home to the Enchanted Kingdom, but according to Guff, they’re well known for imposing some unique and stringent rules upon their employees. For example, pointing is forbidden. When employees are asked for directions, they are required to point with two fingers or their whole hand. Because pointing with one finger is considered offensive in some cultures, Disney rule makers don’t want to risk offending their international guests. Another unique rule is the requirement that employees pick up trash if they see it on the ground. However, they are not allowed to bend over, but must pick it up in a “scooping” motion. Finally, you’ll never hear a Disney employee say “I don’t know.” If they’re asked a question they don’t know the answer to, they must find a phone and call an operator. 4. No pyjamas Ever wish you could wear your pyjamas to an interview? Apparently in Ireland, too many people did, causing the need for banning the practice. Damastown social welfare office in Dublin banned interviewees from wearing pyjamas, posting a notice stating “pyjamas are not regarded as appropriate attire when attending Community Welfare Service at these offices.” Surprisingly, this is just the latest in a string of pyjama bans, including schools in Belfast, Ireland and Middlesborough, England, a store in Cardiff, Wales and attempts at a city-wide ban in Caddo Parish, Louisiana after the parish’s commissioner was offended by a pyjama-clad individual at a local Walmart. 5. Public spankings Apart from termination, what’s the worst that can really happen to you for not excelling at your job? How about a public spanking followed by having your head shaved? According to online reports by the BBC, this is what happened at Changzhi Zhangze Rural Commercial Bank in northern China. During a recent training session for 200 employees, eight were singled out for receiving low scores in a training exercise. The trainer then subjected the eight employees to four rounds of spankings with a stick, followed by shaving the men’s heads and cutting the women’s hair. While the trainer was not a bank employee, the bank’s chairman and deputy governor were suspended for failing to check the content of the course. While the trainer issued an apology, it only added to the online outrage the incident caused, as many felt the apology was directed toward the bank’s executives and not its employees. A few years ago when Reddit posed the question, “What is the dumbest rule your school or workplace has actually enforced?” it brought to light a wealth of ridiculous responses. No water bottles, no emails without a purpose, no turning things off, no carrying boxes, no cell phone-shaped objects, no saying ‘bless you’ when someone sneezes â€" these are just a few of the beauties keeping workplaces safe from inherent evil. I’m sure every company has a rule or two that its employees could do without. But when looking at the extreme examples cited above, the majority of us can leave the office taking comfort in the fact that we really don’t have it so bad.

How to Write a Resume For Medical School

How to Write a Resume For Medical SchoolIn order to learn how to write a resume for medical school, the right approach is to not follow any templates as there are simply too many available and most are extremely vague about what a generic medical school resume should be. What you want to do is to put your best foot forward and tailor it to fit the specific needs of the admissions officer at each medical school that you're applying to.The best way to learn how to write a resume for medical school is to do it yourself first by using your imagination and skills as a person who has had a career in one or more fields. While it's true that the medical profession is not for everyone, a strong desire to help others and have a genuine interest in the medical profession will be the most important key to your ability to write a resume for medical school.The more research and brainstorming you do, the better your resume will be when you finally sit down to review it and get it ready to submit. Y ou can find out about available resources online, but always remember that no matter where you go and what you do, it is crucial that you focus on finding out all you can about medical school so that you know what you're getting into before you ever begin.Your resume should not only include information about your academic performance, but you'll also want to put in place statements about your volunteer work, family background, work experience, leadership abilities, job-related interests, and other attributes that the admissions officer may look for when reviewing your application. One thing that the admissions officer will look for when reviewing your resume is how current you are, so make sure that you include a statement on this in your writing.Since this is a big step in your life, it's important that you also include a statement about your reason for wanting to go to medical school. One of the main reasons that medical schools hire for positions is to fill positions they need fi lled and help to make their institution look good to potential employers, so you should be truthful and honest with them about this statement.While it's true that it's okay to have previous jobs that you had before going to medical school, the admissions officer won't be impressed if they see that you've only had several jobs and barely finished them. To learn how to write a resume for medical school, you should focus your attention on what you want to do and what you feel you have the abilities to do.It's a good idea to include on your resume your complete academic record, but don't give it all to the admissions officer. Instead, focus on the accomplishments and degrees that you have, and also write a few letters of recommendation for people who might be interested in helping you.A letter of recommendation is a great way to let the admissions officer know that you're someone they can trust and that they can rely on for future assignments that you have in the future. Write these as soon as possible after you've received an offer of admission to medical school and use a professional that can write your letter of recommendation.

Fridays Are Meant for...

Fridays Are Meant for... TGIF.   Remember when you were working and you looked forward to Fridays!   Friday marks the end of the typical work week. Maybe for some job seekers Friday is a bitter-sweet day.   Does it bring back memories of when you DID have a job? Does it make you remember happy hours with co-workers.   Or does it make you remember how much you really dis-liked your last job/employer? Today, as a job seeker, your Friday can be anything you want it to be.   How will you use your time today?   What will you remember? What will you celebrate? What is your plan for next week? In case you want to know what I think you should be doing you can read both of these posts! Structure Your Week Time Management in Your Job Search OK, this will be my last plug asking for your help! (The contest ends on Monday 8/8)   All week, Ive been pushing my guest post over on JobMob.   I could still use your help.   All you need to do is click on this post!   1o Surefire Ways to Boost Your Job Search.   This post features links to great work by Jason Alba, Tim Tyrell-Smith, Miriam Salpeter, Meg Guiseppi, Ronnie Ann and more! Dont miss it! Read it, like it on Facebook, Retweet it, share it please! (Id love to win one of the prizes in the contest for Most visited post!) Thank YOU ALL!

Entreprenur Open Space Conference - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Entreprenur Open Space Conference - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog I was going to write about the excellent Open Space conference for entrepreneurs that d-i-f arranged last friday, but then I saw that Lars Pind has already said pretty much everything that I wanted to sat about it, so go there and read about it. 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