Tag Archives: career

Aug4

How Can You Tell When A Job Is Good For You?

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How Can You Tell When A Job Is Good For You?

Being able to tell when a job is good for you can be hard; it’s tricky in the moment, when you’re caught up with work, and it might be all forgotten about by the time you slip into bed at night. However, there are quite a few things you can look out for as you work away day by day to tell you if the job you’re currently signed up for is actually good for your health. Make sure you keep the points below in mind if you’re curious about where you stand with your occupation, and whether or not something needs to change:

Every Day is Satisfying:

If you want to know if a job is good for you or not, it’s important to take note of how you feel at the end of each working day. Say, if you’re working in food service jobs right now, and you’re coming home feeling like the day was good (Even with a couple of fussy customers!) and you’re surrounded by friends at work, you might just be in the right position for you.

Overall, you need to be satisfied with how your workdays usually go. You need to be able to come home feeling like you’ve done some good work, and you’re ready to face a similar tomorrow. Jobs should be satisfying, in order for you to do your best work through them, and if not, it’s time to look elsewhere!

You’re Always Motivated to Keep Going:

Working can take a lot out of us, but when we enjoy a job, we keep going, if not for any other reason than we’re being paid for it – don’t worry, it’s valid! But in knowing that a job is right for you, being able to keep going, no matter how tough things get, is a great way to determine whether or not you’re happy where you are.

Take some time to think about the worst days and how you handled them. Did you need to stop and take five? If so, did you get back to the task at hand? Because even if you did, you’re well suited to your job!

You’re Still Feeling Healthy:

And, finally, it’s important to think about how physically strong and/or well you feel, after working in a job for at least six months. Are you worn out? Do you get on with labor you’re not trained for or can’t handle? Are you at a desk for 8 hours a day? Because all of these questions can help you to determine if your work is keeping you healthy, and if you need to offset any of the effects.

A job is good for you when you know how to do it, you can do it safely, and you’re satisfied when you come home again at the end of the day. A good job is one that treats you like a human being, and ensures you have everything you need to succeed. Good luck!

Featured Image By: Pexels

Jul21

4 Things To Consider If You’re Thinking About Going Back To School

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4 Things To Consider If You’re Thinking About Going Back To School

Are you thinking of going back to school? Although it’s a very exciting endeavor, it’s also very daunting – especially if you’ve been out of education for several years. You need to make sure that you’re prepared for what’s coming your way. No matter the reason behind the decision – whether it’s to follow your interests or boost your career, you’ll want to research thoroughly into it beforehand.

Throughout the research process, it’s likely that you’ll have several main considerations about furthering your education, which might include the following:

What You’ll Specialize in:

What are you interested in studying? If you’re doing it as a way of enhancing your career, chances are this will be a subject that’s related to the job you’re doing now. For example, if you’re a lawyer, you might want to specialize in a particular type of law – like brain injury law, commercial law, or family law.

However, if you’re looking for something new that you’ve never done before, the selection process might be a bit trickier. This is why it’s a good idea to look at various colleges/universities/training programs, comparing and contrasting them based on what they include and what career you could get into in the future from completing it.

The Cost:

Unfortunately, studying doesn’t come cheaply. And with some universities across the country costing up to $70,000, it might feel out of reach. Before applying to further education, it’s important to look at how much it costs and whether there are any finance options available to you. This way, you’ll know that you can afford to take it on – without unbearable student debts in the future. As you explore different higher education websites, you might notice handy features like university AI chatbots – use them! They will be able to direct you to links, services, and people to help you better explore financial options for your education.

Online VS In Person:

Do you want to study online or in-person? This is a top consideration that will help to shape your final decision. This choice will depend on how you want your studying to fit around your lifestyle. For example, if you work part-time or full-time, online studying is likely to be the best choice for you as you can work on assignments in the evenings or on the weekend.

If you’re looking to focus full-time on studying and only take on some part-time work to help cover your monthly costs, in-person studying at the university or college may be more suitable.

Should You Gain Work Experience Instead?

Is there a way that you can gain work experience? Even though further education will give you another degree, diploma, or other accreditation, for some roles, work experience is preferred. Also, if you want to get an insight into that career but don’t want the cost or ties to a course, then perhaps trying to get work experience is the better option.

Through taking on an internship or placement, you’ll be able to see whether that type of career is right for you while showcasing to future employers your dedication to the profession.

These are four of the top things to consider if you’re thinking of going back to school. At the end of the day, of course, the decision is up to you. But by looking at the above and researching into the course and prospects it will offer you, you’ll be able to determine the best route to follow.

Featured Image By: Moose Photos from Pexels

May1

The Ultimate Guide To Help You Understand Telecommuting

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The Ultimate Guide To Help You Understand Telecommuting

We live in a digital world and the concepts of a daily commute or corporate cubicles can be a thing of the past for people who telecommute. What is telecommuting? It’s when an employee of a company can do their work from home.

This can be full-time at-home work or part-time, but the key is the ability to do almost all of one’s daily work activities from home. There is no need to visit the office or even have an office. While telecommuting is more popular than ever, it’s not as easy as it seems.

In today’s post, we’ll explain some of the best practices for telecommuting and how you can be more efficient:

What Is Telecommuting and Is it for Me?

There are some jobs that are more suited for telecommuting than others. Jobs that require the use of computers can be done anywhere. If your job requires hands-on labor or to use assets only available at the office, then telecommuting would be difficult.

The digital world of today is suited for telecommuting because cloud storage, Internet use at home, and reasonably priced computers have made it possible for people to have everything they need without leaving their homes.

Telecommuters can connect with company assets and data via their Internet connection, password protected online servers, and company websites. There are also high speed connectivity solutions that can be utilized so you can have reliable, fast internet no matter your location. Types of jobs that allow for telecommuting include sales and marketing, healthcare, education, customer service, and information technology.

If this sounds like your job or a type of living you want, then telecommuting might be right for you.

Reasons Businesses Offer Telecommuting:

With telecommuting jobs on the rise, companies understand the benefits of offering it to their employees, but not all companies. If you’re a business owner, then consider allowing your employees to work from home at least part-time.

How much money do you spend to rent or buy office space every year? Has your company grown, and you need to expand your office to accommodate new employees? Telecommuting decreases these costs substantially. You don’t need an office at all or you can have a small office to meet with clients, etc. and never worry about expanding. Since most of your employees work from home, you can hire new ones without expanding your office space.

Studies show employees will work for less money if telecommuting is an option for their job. You can also hire employees from anywhere in the world and not worry about them moving to the area. They can stay wherever they are, so your pool for potential employees grows.

Telecommuting and Efficiency:

If you’re planning on telecommuting, then you need to have a good work ethic and be efficient. One of the biggest motivators for in-office employment is the ability for the manager to make sure the work is done on time. You can’t procrastinate if there is a manager hanging over you that wants daily meetings. When you work from home, it’s more difficult to focus and work because you’re surrounded by the familiar.

Before telecommuting, the home was a place of leisure. It’s where you could forget about work and enjoy your family and the comforts of home. It can be difficult to shake that feeling when you need to work from home.

Don’t work in your pajamas or from your bed. Treat the telecommuting day as you would any other. Wake up, get dressed in work-appropriate clothes, and work from an at-home office area. This will help you focus on work time and not home time. If you can’t be efficient from home, then your company may not offer the option.

Working from home is great because it offers you flexibility, lower stress, and an atmosphere that you control. It also requires focus and discipline to get the necessary work done and not be distracted by the comforts of home.

Keeping Telecommuting Secure:

The biggest worry an employer has about their data is security. Your servers house everything about your company and customers and it needs to be secure, but how can you do that with telecommuting employees? We’ve seen countless stories about data breaches in the news and you don’t want that to happen to you. You can provide your employees with computers that have security programs or provide them access to the security programs for at-home computers.

Keeping data secure 2021 is so important because our whole lives tend to be on our devices. Whether working from home or on vacation, always do checks for viruses or unusual activity frequently to prevent from getting hacked and having sensitive information stolen.

Beating the Telecommuting Blues:

At first, telecommuting seems amazing for employees. They don’t have to commute and still get paid without dealing with an office. After a while, the employees begin to miss having coworkers and may get cabin fever because they never seem to leave the house. Work friends and human interaction are important, and telecommuting removes that.

If you want to beat the telecommuting blues, then you need to continue having work relationships despite working from home. Video chat meetings via Zoom or other programs allows people to see their co-workers and chat about not only work but life as well.

Schedule time to leave the house during the week for fun activities with your friends. Have a drink after work or go see a movie. It’s important to maintain relationships when telecommuting or else it can be lonely.

Keep Employees in the Loop:

When dealing with telecommuting employees, the manager must remember to keep them in the loop. This involves not only ensuring they have the appropriate help like managed IT  support at home, but also the necessary data and information required to do their jobs. In offices where the employees are a mix of in-office and at-home, managers may forget to loop virtual workers in on meetings or changes to projects.

This not only hurts the business but also makes the telecommuting employees feel less important than those working in the office. You must maintain communication with telecommuters and provide the same feedback for projects, success, etc. that you would for those working in the office.

If you are considering working from home or letting your employees telecommute, use the tips above for the best success!

Mar12

Creating A Business From Home

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Creating A Business From Home

Being able to create a business from home is something we’d all probably aspire to do if we had the opportunity. However, it’s more possible now than ever to create a business from scratch and run it from your own home. You just need to have the knowledge and drive to be able to do it. Here are some tips if you want to do just that:

Have An Investment Budget:

An investment budget is something any business will need to some degree, even if you’re going to be working from home. When you’re creating a business from scratch, there are certain things that are going to need to be paid for. From the furniture and equipment you’ll need to access the internet and to do your communications to the stock you’ll need to create in order to package and send out products that you might be selling online.

There’s a lot to think about, regardless of what you do as a business, so the best place to start is to create an investment budget. Start with what you need in terms of a ballpark figure and then begin saving to achieve that amount.

Create Your Business Plan:

When creating a business plan, you want to make sure that everything has been thought of because it all matters in making sure you have everything laid out in preparation for your business to begin. Think of any objectives and goals you’d like to achieve over the first quarter of your business and don’t be afraid to set some long-term goals because everyone who starts a business has hopes of it lasting for more than just a few months. It’ll hopefully also give you the motivation you need to push through the hard times that you might endure.

As you create your business plan, think of what is important to its structure to maximize success. This includes outweighing the pros and cons of different options like exploring some disadvantages of structuring your business as an S corp or if you want to incorporate work from home hours to your model. The business plan is your roadmap to a thriving business so create it carefully.

Start Seeking Out Suppliers:

Depending on your business, you might have items that you wish to sell, and so it’s good to look into suppliers that are suitable for what you’re after. Whether it’s tumblers in bulk that you’re after or a wholesale provider who can offer clothing that you might be planning on printing on. There are lots of places out there to take advantage of so think about all of the different options that are available before making a selection.

Prepare To Work Hard:

It’s important to know that it’s going to be a lot of hard work that goes into running your own business. Some days will go great, some days will be bad, and others will be worse. It’s important to take the highs with the lows and to enjoy the experiences and challenges that come with owning a business from home.

When creating a business, it’s not something that’s easy, otherwise, everyone would be doing it. Stay focused, believe in yourself, trust your instincts, and work hard.

Featured Image By: Pexels

Mar7

Taking Some “Me” Time

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Taking Some “Me” Time

Hello! As an owner of two businesses, it almost seems impossible to hunker down during a work day for some “me” time. Especially considering that when I don’t work, I don’t get paid. I can count on five fingers the amount of times I have cancelled with my clients that wasn’t due to my oral surgery mishap or the car accident that happened this past year. So, yeah, I’ve been feeling pretty burnt out!

This past week was a rough one for me. My stomach was nauseous, I was on my period, and I just felt so fatigued. Then, on Wednesday night, I had a lot of my tattoos touched up which wore me out even more. Come Thursday morning, I got up around six and felt so lightheaded and weak that I grabbed my phone, cancelled all of my clients and plans for the day, and went back to bed. I ended up waking up at 10:30! It was beautiful. :*)

By the time I woke up and was feeling much better, I was kicking myself in the ass for not going to work and debated on heading over to my afternoon client’s house. But, after realizing that I probably would have left shortly after arriving there, I decided to just stay home and relax.

During my day off, I was able to clean my apartment, work on hanging pictures for my accent wall, and watch at least five episodes of America’s Next Top Model before my boyfriend came home from work. It was great! In fact, it made me wonder why I don’t have days like that more often and then I remembered it’s because I wouldn’t get paid! Lol, whomp whomp.

I didn’t really realize just how exhausted I was until I had my me day and it taught me a lesson in listening to what my body needs and being more accommodating to that. Calling off of work definitely will not be a regular thing for me, but scheduling a random day off for myself every now and then is going to be on the agenda and I am already thanking myself for it in advance!

How do you take time for you? How do you relax after a long day? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan22

Why Career Mistakes Can Be A Good Thing

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Why Career Mistakes Can Be A Good Thing

No one gets to where they want to go in life by taking the express shuttle to the top. If you look at the world’s most successful people, what you’ll typically find is a sort of zig-zag journey, one that took them to highs and lows and false-starts, before eventually ending up where they wanted to be. This is just as it is with the rest of life, which is always filled with ups and downs.

Your reasons for taking a different path in your career could be many-fold; you might be bored with your current work or you might make a serious error that ultimately ends up with your termination. When we find ourselves in this position, it’s easy to fall into a disheartened state of mind. We can begin to identify ourselves with our failures, or the dissatisfaction that we feel in our work.

But there is a way towards more career fulfillment. Instead of falling into a pit of negativity, we can embrace the idea of our career shortcomings, learn from them, and then push forward. These career detours can ultimately lead us towards a better and more fulfilling life. It’s all about owning the mistakes that you make, rather than allowing them to own you. There are lessons to be learned everywhere, and you can always take on a positive state of mind, rather than taking the negative route. To learn more about the idea of career detours, take a look at the infographic below, which was produced by the University of Maryland:


Infographic design by University of Maryland University of Maryland

 

Oct1

Side Hustles You Could Turn Into A Full-Time Career

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Side Hustles You Could Turn Into A Full-Time Career

A side hustle is a great way to earn some extra money. It’s also a way to pursue your interests, and it can help you build skills that might not be possible with your regular job. Some side hustles can even lead to bigger and better things. If you’ve wanted to make a career switch or you want to pursue your life’s passion, then a side hustle could be the beginning to helping you realize this.

Are you interested in knowing what’s out there? Here are some amazing side hustles you could turn into a full-time career:

Copywriting:

Copywriting is a popular side hustle choice. Businesses and individuals need copyrights for their websites, social media channels, etc. which puts copywriters in demand. If you’ve got great writing skills and are good with a deadline, then becoming a copywriter could be an excellent way for you to make some money. Eventually, you could decide to make the switch to a full-time copywriter, either for a business or on a freelance basis and choose a career path that’s flexible and relevant to your skills.

Online Surveys:

There are so many amazing websites out there where companies will pay you for your opinion in the form of surveys. And, if you are using some of the best survey sites, then that money can really add up quickly. Take an hour or so out of your day to get started and give your thoughts on anything from vacation spots to groceries to earn some pocket change. You can always extend your time if the survey route is working well for you.

Realtor:

Do you love all things HGTV? Then becoming a realtor on the side could be a fantastic way for you to pursue your interest. Of course, you’ll need a real estate license to be able to become a realtor, but it’s a qualification worth having if you’d like to pursue the role full-time. Some people start out their real estate career helping friends and family or working weekends, which can help you to earn some extra income while you get yourself established.

Photographer:

Are you a talented photographer? Why not use your skills to become a photographer as a side hustle? From photographing events and weddings to selling photos to stock websites, you could make a great second income from photography. If your photos are good and you market yourself well, word will soon spread – allowing you to easily turn your photography work into your full-time job. Expand your reach by posting photos regularly or even creating your own website like this Surrey wedding photographer. You never know who will be interested in hiring you if you don’t show off your content!

As your photography business takes off, it is a good idea to plan ahead. For example, you might want to consider photography insurance to keep all of your expensive equipment well protected. This is something that you might not need right now but you will be so happy you have it should anything go wrong. You might also want to start thinking about what it would cost to hire an assistant or rent out a studio if this is really the direction you want to go in.

Selling online:

Interested in starting an online shop? Many people make great side hustles from selling on eBay or Etsy. If you’ve got a talent for making things or an eye for vintage apparel, selling online can be an enjoyable way of increasing your income. If things take off, you could look at starting your own online business and start selling from your own website. With online sales, you will want to cultivate a brand that is unique to you. You can build your brand with custom packaging and ship your products with high-quality welna drzewna (wood wool), set up a booth at vendor fairs, and good old-fashioned word-of-mouth marketing.  What might start out as a hobby could soon be an amazing way to take charge of your career.

Having a side hustle can be a simple way to top up your earnings, while also making the most of your free time. While there are many people who enjoy their side hustle on top of their regular work, there are also plenty of people whose side hustles become a full-time career. Take a look at opportunities to boost your career through life-long learning; you never know where these additional skills could take you!

Featured Image By: Unsplash under Creative Commons

Sep15

Improving Your Health Within The Workplace

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Improving Your Health Within The Workplace

Depending on your job, you may not always have to be working in an office environment. However, a lot of us do work at a desk for most of the working day. Not being on your feet all the time can end up being a little unhealthy and, among other things, sometimes work can be a threat to your health. Here’s how to improve your health within the workplace:

Get HR To Do A Workplace Assessment:

The HR in your business should be doing this already, but if they’re not, it’s worth suggesting it. Everyone should really get a workplace assessment done to find out what areas of the working environment are a challenge for you and maybe causing you ill health. It’s mostly focused on the desk that you have and whether the office chair is supportive enough and how far away your computer screen is in relation to where you’re sitting. After this assessment is completed, any notes where you’ve asked for things to be purchased should then be followed up with the person or persons responsible for doing the ordering of office furniture.

Improve Your Furniture And Desk Accessories:

After your workplace assessment, your furniture and desk accessories may need some improvement. Make sure that you get a chair that has good back support to protect your lumbar spine from damage caused by poor posture. Look for ergonomic chairs from a reputable retailer such as Fenstone and think about what description best suits your needs. Perhaps you need additional lumbar support or adjustable seat depth? There’s a chair for that! Reading reviews can help you to decide if a specific model will work for you too! If they acknowledge the assessment but they’re not getting you the furniture or equipment that you require, then if you end up later getting problems with your body, there’s always a worker’s compensation doctor that you can go to.

Take Regular Breaks From The Chair:

Sitting at your chair for a prolonged amount of time can be damaging to your spine, and that’s the last place that you want to do damage to. Try and take plenty of regular breaks from the chair. Stand up and stretch your legs and other muscles throughout your body. Go and make yourself a drink, take a brief walk outside so that you can take five or ten minutes away from your screen. A lot of us don’t do this nearly enough, and we don’t realize just how dangerous this can be to our bodies over a long period of time.

Do More Physical Exercise:

To reduce the risk of injuring your back, neck, or other body parts, it’s important to do physical exercise. This keeps the body moving, but certain exercise can also improve flexibility, among other things. Try to commit to a class or exercise once or twice a week and improve on that number when you can. The more exercise you can do, the better. This will help tackle the amount of time that is spent in your chair at work.

Improving your health within the workplace is something that is definitely worth looking at seriously, and the more we can do to avoid any future problems, the better.

Featured Image By: Pixabay

Sep12

Self Care & Me

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Self Care & Me

Helloooo everyone! Today, I thought that we would talk a little about my self care journey. And, believe me, it’s not an easy thing to do when you run two businesses and are constantly running around like a mad woman! At first, I used to consider “self care” as going shopping and having a spending spree… and, although that’s nice, it doesn’t get to the root of true self care, which I take to mean as doing something mentally or physically stimulating to help improve your mood.

I think the main thing that has helped me become more conscious of trying to incorporate self care into my life is my weekly skating practices. Being on the ice and riding that high of an invigorating work out and doing something that I’m good at always makes me feel my best. And, since I began weekly instead of biweekly practices, it has made me realize that I really don’t do enough for myself. So, I decided to change that.

When I began my career as a service provider for people with special needs, working evenings were just part of the deal. But, now that I’m more established, I thought that it was high time to treat myself to a normal schedule. And, come October, I will only be working one evening a week!

This is a change that I have been craving for a long time now and I’m looking forward to actually having time for myself when I get home from work. Whether that be practicing my languages, reading a book, binge watching a show, or taking a bath – I finally have that option now! And, maybe *just maybe*, I could start having a regular social life. Because, trust and believe, it’s hard fitting in hang outs, errands, and skating all in one weekend. This caused me to enter my work week feeling even more exhausted and it grew into a vicious cycle.

There are so many things that I plan on doing with my evenings off but, what I’m most looking forward to is finding an American Sign Language class to attend. Weirdly enough, there are no weekend classes at the centers for the deaf in my area but evening classes are available. So, that is definitely going to be on my agenda very soon! It feels good to do for me while still maintaining my caseload at work and lifewithlilred and I am ready for work free evenings to commence!

How do you practice self care? What do you do during your free time to relax? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug2

Four Steps To Landing A Job Abroad

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Four Steps To Landing A Job Abroad

Applying for a job in another country is much more difficult than looking for a job in your own. You have to understand that other countries would prioritize hiring their own citizens before giving the same opportunities to other people. But, despite these hurdles, landing a job in another country is still a huge possibility as long as you get in contact with a legitimate employment agency that offers job opportunities abroad, like any POEA-accredited manning agency.

If you go through these channels, you’re likely to land a good job in another country. In order to increase your chances of getting hired, here are other tips you might want to follow.

Find a city looking for your skills:

Go online and check the cities you would want to work in and see if they are looking for particular professionals. If your background is in construction, then perhaps you might want to consider looking for a job either in the Middle East, where they’re always looking for construction workers, or New Zealand since they’re ramping up their hiring process to get more people to work on construction projects.

Do some research and look for countries that are actively searching for a particular profession that you’re good at, and you’ll be able to improve your chances of landing a job abroad.

Make adjustments to your resume:

Update your resume and make sure that the language you use will match the language of the country you want to move into. For example, you will learn that New Zealand is hiring lots of engineers to help rebuild Christchurch, which is perfect for you if you recently graduated with a degree in civil engineering.

Before you send out resumes to every headhunting company in Christchurch, make sure that your language matches theirs, which means that you should use British English as your reference and not American English if you’re used to the latter.

Know international headhunting companies:

Once your resume is fixed, the next step would be to get acquainted with most of the international headhunting companies and send them your resume. Websites such as Jobstreet, Monster, and Kununu provide thousands of job opportunities abroad that you can check. Make sure that you’re registered on all of these websites.

Also, visit your local manning agencies and get acquainted with them. Some companies abroad prefer to go through these agencies when they’re looking to hire people from another country, so these agencies might know a company or two that’s hiring people like you that you won’t find in Jobstreet or any of the other headhunting sites mentioned earlier.

Learn the language:

Another useful tip to landing a job abroad is to learn the language of the country you want to work in. If English is your second language, it wouldn’t be a problem for you to look for a job in the U.S., the UK, Australia, or New Zealand. But, if you want to work in Japan, you should brush up on your Nihongo and even take an exam to ensure Japanese employers that you know how to communicate properly with them.

Also, learning a language other than English will give you an advantage because there are many non-English speaking countries that are actively hiring people from other countries. If these countries find out that you’re well versed in their native tongue, then you just became a lot more appealing to them.

job1

These are just some of the tips you can use to improve your chances of landing a job abroad. Make use of them, and hopefully, you’ll find your dream job in another country in no time.