A question for ya New boss gets the cold shoulder - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

A question for ya New boss gets the cold shoulder - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Ive written a lot about bad bosses and what you should do if you work for one but sometimes its the other way around. I recently got this email from a reader: Dear Alexander, I hope you dont mind me off-loading on you, but I could really do with your advice. I have just started a new job as the Director of a department that has undergone significant restructuring. I do not have a predecessor as my role is brand new. However, I have inherited a team of 4, all older than me, with clear loyalties to the person who did a similar role before and left in very unpleasant circumstances. She had about 50% of my role, but only managed 2 of them. I am now responsible for the over-seeing of all 4 posts. The office that previously was independent is my biggest challenge. I am being given the complete cold shoulder. They dont speak to me, make conversation, keep me informed and trying to get information from them is like trying to get blood from a stone. There are 3 women and 1 man. I am a woman, and my problems are with the women! What can I do? I feel miserable and scared I wont be able to perform. I have the feeling Im being set up for failure I would really appreciate your advice. Interesting question and something Im sure a lot of new managers face. What would you do? 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

6 signs you should start your own business -

6 signs you should start your own business - Youve been having a tough time finding a job, and the longer it takes, the more obstacles you face. Your last jobs end date has become more distant, and you arent seeing any reason to be optimistic about landing something permanent anytime soon. Should you start a business? If this describes you, it could be time to shift gears and stop looking for a job in favor of starting your own consulting firm or business. Is the writing on the wall, but you arent seeing it? Consider the following signs that you should re-focus your energies and start thinking about working for yourself. Why to start a business? 1. Hiring independents is on the rise. Independent workers (people working 15 or more hours per week as freelancers, contractors, or business owners) are part of a fast-growing sector of our workforce. The Harvard Business Review (HBR) frequently shares research showcasing these trends. For example, Author and Workplace Researcher Tammy Ericksons HBR post highlights data from the temporary placement service provider Adecco, illustrating that contingent (temporary) workers will grow at three to four times the rate of the traditional workforce in the future. Whitney L. Johnson, author of Dare, Dream, Do: Remarkable Things Happen When You Dare to Dream, had a recent post on HBR noting there are currently around 17 million independent workers, which is expected to rise to 23 million by 2017. When you start a business, you join this group. On her blog, Workplace author and Columnist Alexandra Levit recently shared data from technology firm Mavenlink that shows the number of self-employed, independent service firms, solopreneurs, and temporary workers grew by an estimated 4.3 million workers since 1995. The contingent workforce is expected to grow to 40 percent, or 64.9 million, by 2020. While its not always a good idea to follow the crowd when it comes to your career, these data suggest it may be time to think about how to market yourself as a business of one and start a business. 2. A lack of jobs or hiring freezes in your field. Its tough to land a job in the midst of hiring freezes. If your industry is hard hit by the economy or in a state of flux, its likely hiring freezes will affect your ability to land a new jobâ€"or even a promotion. 3. Projects are going to contractors. Most trends dont manifest overnight, but sometimes employees dont notice them until its too late to respond. Look around: Is your organization contracting with freelancers to get things done? 4. You need a new challenge. Not all signs suggesting its time to start a business come from your industry. Take a good, hard look at your own goals, skills, and what you want to accomplish in your career. 5. Controlling your work environment is important to you. The recent news from Yahoo! demanding that employees who work from home report to the office highlights how tides can turn. The only way to be sure you maintain control over your work environment is to work for yourself. 6. Working for yourself is the new job security. With millions of workers serving as employees at will, subject to layoffs and reductions in force at the drop of a hat, traditional, or corporate jobs no longer offer the type of income security that people once though. Dont be the last one to the entrepreneur party. Whether starting a business is something youve always wanted to do, or youre thinking of going that route because youre having trouble finding work, you should start planning now to prepare yourself to succeed in the new economy. Read the whole post at U.S. News World Report. photo by karindalziel

Taking Online Resume Writing Courses to Improve Your CV

Taking Online Resume Writing Courses to Improve Your CVOnline resume writing courses have been very effective in improving the quality of an employee's CV. If you are working with a company, it will be very important for you to have a better CV. You do not want to do some other person's job, but ensure that you get hired by them! They will need to know that you are capable of doing their job, not just taking an examination to get hired.Not only is this why you want to make sure you are a perfect candidate, but also, if you have any skills, then make sure that you put them to work for you. By taking these online resume writing courses, you will learn how to write the perfect CV, keeping in mind the requirements of your prospective employer.Resume writing courses provide a selection of different types of resume writing. Some are tutorials while others offer reading and practicing materials for students to practice with. Some have free training sessions, while some require a payment to their participants. There are also some that charge extra for their materials, but if you can afford it, you should definitely try them out.If you find that it is more convenient for you to take online resume writing courses, you should definitely do so. Online courses are much easier to handle compared to actually going out and using the resources of a college or university.Your education allows you to quickly gather information in regard to the kind of curriculum that you will be taking, as well as your availability to take classes. Also, you will be able to locate online courses that fit your budget and your schedule. It is highly recommended that you seek out online courses that are reasonably priced.With all of the convenience that online courses bring, it is highly recommended that you enroll in these courses. You can save a lot of time if you enroll in these courses and are given all of the proper instructions. Besides the practical skills that you gain through online course, you will also gain a broader perspective on how to write a resume. That will benefit you, especially if you are a recent graduate.Because the instruction is online, it will allow you to be able to work as many hours as you wish, if you do not mind doing them at the same time. Aside from all of this, there is nothing to lose when you try online course or even enrolled in them.

5 Ways to Achieve Workplace Zen

5 Ways to Achieve Workplace Zen Back in the day, unwinding once the clock hit 5 P.M. meant a pow-wow with coworkers at a local watering hole. But as work pressures have exponentially increasedâ€"admit it, you check office email in bedâ€"lowering your cortisol levels requires more than just a happy hour. In fact, a study released this year by the Harvard and Stanford business schools found a direct link between work-related stress and serious health issues ranging from hypertension to depression. “It’s the relentless demand and constant change. There is no coming home and unwinding anymoreâ€"only the ever-present struggle to set boundaries for when you’re ‘on’ and ‘off,’ ” says Sharon Melnick, a business psychologist and author of “Success Under Stress: Powerful Tools for Staying Calm, Confident, and Productive When the Pressure’s On.” If this all sounds frighteningly familiar, take a deep breathâ€"literally. Because if you’re finding it exceedingly more difficult to deal with stress at work, you may need to embrace something different. And by different we mean strategies you may have once deemed too “alternative-y.” “You can’t manage the things outside of you, but you can manage yourselfâ€"your physiology, your psychology,” Melnick says. To help you do just that, we’ve rounded up five wellness trends hitting the mainstream that are simple enough to execute from a quiet spot in your office. Although they may seem a bit out there to someâ€"ever heard of tapping?â€"they could be just the thing to help you reclaim the Zen that work zaps out of you. Mindfulness Meditation What Is It? A type of meditation derived from Buddhism in which you focus on your breathing in order to remain present and in the moment. It’s garnered attention in recent years, thanks to high-profile converts like Steve Jobs, who practiced mindfulness meditation regularly, and Arianna Huffington, who describes it as a way to fight burnout in her 2014 book, “Thrive.” They’re fans for a reason: A 2011 study found that eight weeks of practicing mindfulness meditation triggered changes in the brain, increasing grey matter in areas that help regulate emotion, learning, and memory. How to Practice It: Sit in a comfortable chair or cross-legged on the floor. Then close your eyes and simply breathe, intently focusing on each breath you take. “Your mind will wander, and that’s normal. But bring it back,” says Jane Ehrman, a mind-body coach and owner of the practice Images of Wellness. “The more you practice bringing it back, and just breathing, [the more] you’re teaching yourself to be present and far more aware of when your mind wanders.” Ehrman suggests starting with five minutes a few times a week, and then gradually building up to seven and then 15 minutes. Where to Learn More: Visit mindful.org for a video that can help guide you through your first mindfulness meditation session. You can also download the Headspace app, which was created by a former Buddhist monk and features daily mindfulness exercises. Adult Coloring Books What Is It? As the name implies, it’s the childhood practice of staying inside the lines, except with more intricate patterns and pictures. And it’s gaining momentum among members of the grown-up set who want a little art therapy to help relieve stress. In fact, at one point, adult coloring books outsold Harper Lee’s hotly anticipated “Go Set a Watchman” on Amazon.com’s best-seller list. And Game of Thrones fans can expect a coloring book based on the T.V. series to hit stores this fall. “When you’re coloring, all you have to do is stay in the moment,” Erhman says. “It gets you out of your head. That’s what’s so great about it.” How to Practice It: Order an adult coloring book off Amazon.com, or download freepatterns and pictures online. Then grab your crayons, colored pencils, or markersâ€"and start coloring away. Consider it an alternative lunchtime activity to checking emails on your smartphone. Where to Learn More: Check out this list to see what types of adult coloring books are availableâ€"from hypnotic patterns to whimsical scenesâ€"and get recommendations on art supplies. Pranayama Breathing What Is It? Yoga-based breathing techniques that provide a calming effect, like alternate-nostril breathing (Nadi Shodhana) and “cooling breath,” which helps lower your body temperature (Sitali). Studies have shown that not only does pranayama breathing reduce stress, but it also helps improve cardiovascular function and symptoms of asthma. And as more companies incorporate yoga and mindfulness into employee wellness programs, they’re also increasing awareness of controlled breathing. For example, Aetna’s yoga and meditation classes for employees teach breathing techniques, while a popular mental-wellness course offered at Google encourages employees to take a deep, conscious breath as part of a five-step process to deal with work stress. How to Practice It: For alternate-nostril breathing, sit up straight, with your shoulders relaxed. Bring your right hand up to your nose, folding your index and middle finger toward your palm, so they are out of the way. Then place your ring and pinky fingers over your left nostril, and your thumb over the right nostril. (These fingers will alternate closing and opening your nostrils as you breathe.) Gently press down with your thumb to close your right nostril, inhaling through your left. Then close off your left nostril, and exhale through the right. Then inhale through the right, and exhale through the left again. This is one cycle. Try repeating 10 cycles. For cooling breath, breathe in for several seconds as though you were sipping through a straw, creating a wind tunnel by curling the tip of your tongue. Exhale through your nose. “When you’re feeling heated, [cooling breath] can immediately calm you downâ€"and take your brain out of hijack mode,” Melnick says. Where to Learn More: There are many types of pranayama breathing, so get a rundown of descriptions and benefits of each at Yoga Journal. You can also watch video tutorials of alternate-nostril breathing here, and cooling breath here. Guided Imagery What Is It? A visualization technique that helps you relax by imagining a calming place, or doing a mental rehearsal of a stressful situation, such as giving a presentation in front of clients. A variation on strategies used to help athletes visualize a win, guided imagery is now popular as a wellness technique. A 2015 medical study, for instance, showed it significantly decreased anxiety levels among patients undergoing an angiogram, while the Cleveland Clinic says it can have a positive effect on your heart rate and blood pressure. That might be why Richard Branson put guided imagery on in-flight meditation channels on some Virgin Atlantic flights, allowing stressed-out travelers to transport themselves to a deserted island or a summer meadow. How to Practice It: Sit in a comfortable spot, close your eyes, and take three or four deep breaths. Imagine yourself in nature, or walking on a path. If it helps, listen to music or nature sounds. “You’re putting yourself in that mindset of everything going well,” Ehrman says. Next, picture you’re about to take on the source of your anxietyâ€"for instance, that big presentation. “Tell yourself all kinds of positive facts, like ‘I know this information. I know how to speak clearly, accurately, and concisely,’ ” suggests Ehrman. “Imagine yourself being asked questions by the audience, and giving an answer. I used to be a gymnastics coach and would say, ‘Where your head goes, your body goes.’ It applies here, too.” Where to Learn More: Check out the Academy for Guided Imagery for more on how the technique works, and Meditainment.com for guided imagery scenarios that can help you escape to an island paradise, a mountain refuge, an arctic igloo, and more. Poll: If You Could Make Enough Money to Live, Would You Go Freelance? More From LearnVest: 5 No Good, Very Bad Office Behaviors That Could Be Holding You Back at Work Money Stress Across America: ‘What Keeps Us Up at Nightâ€"and How We Cope’ 6 People, 6 Balancing Acts: ‘The Brilliant Work-Life Hack That Saves My Sanity’

Kristi Wiggins - Work It Daily

Kristi Wiggins - Work It Daily Recruiter Info Name: Kristi Wiggins Title: Talent Acquisition Manager Email: tophire923@gmail.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kristi-wright-wiggins-lion-42636573 Phone: 323-491-6083 Company Info Company: Recruiter Society Location: 18121 C E Hampden 80 Aurora, Co 80013 Website: recruitersociety.com For Job Candidates Preferred Method To Be Contacted By A Candidate: Email Preferred Process For Following Up On Application: My preferred method for follow up, is to make use of three methods that work really well. I like to contact the candidate by email, phone and LinkedIn. Things That Impress You In A Candidate: 1. Professionalism 2. Positivity 3. Good Communication Skills 4. Confidence Things Candidates Must Include To Be Considered For Job: 1. Proper communication and correspondence. 2. Proper qualifications. 3. Good attitude. 4. Current and truthful information on resume. 5. Consistent work history. Things That Will Disqualify A Candidate From Getting Considered: 1. Lack of communication and correspondence. 2. Lack of job qualifications. 3. Inconsistent Job track/ work history. 4. Fictitious information on a resume. 5. Bad attitude. Can Candidates Apply For Multiple Positions And Not Get Penalized?: Yes Recruiter's Perspective What's your favorite quote? To See Change...Be Change. What do you like to do in your free time? Read, Write, Artistic Endeavors, Listen to Music, Community Involvement In a sentence, why do you enjoy working at your company? I am able to help people find the career they seek. In a sentence, how does your company have fun on a regular basis? We take trips to exotic places. In a sentence, how would you describe the employees at your company? Each person is dedicated and completely committed to their role as a Talent Scout. Have you joined our career growth club?Join Us Today!

What are your favorite workplace rituals

What are your favorite workplace ritualsWe asked 100 employees about their workplace rituals, and their response would surprise you. It wont be Monday blues, as some could feel it on a Sunday. It wont be the traffic either. (It didnt take place in the office.) And it wont be unexpected happenings. (Its a bird Its a plane Its the poster of an upcoming Marvel film.) Lets do a countdown10. Caffeine. You were quite tired, and it happened to be the first day of the week. You didnt want it for a start, but something came up. Your buddies invited you to a Saturday night boozing, as you havent met in ages. And you went for it. You thought about a sun-kissed coastline until you figured out the hangover. You were supposed to do the chores the following day, but you opted to lie down. You hardly slept the entire day. And you didnt like the TV program (for that day). You werent in a good mood on a Monday morning, which your colleagues notlageiced right away. It welches an instinct that prompted you to get a cup of coffee before you focused on the tasks. It would keep you awake at the least.9. E-mails. You must check your mailbox, and you were thrilled to see an e-mail from your long-lost friend. He was hoping that you would join him (and his girlfriend) for a meetup, but you were uncertain about a holiday plan. And then you noticed the spam emails. You were quite irritated at the bulk of it, but you werent ready to start the job. You needed to sharpen your focus, and the coffee wasnt enough. It wont take seconds to delete the spam emails.8. Gadgets. You must have your mobile phone in front of you. And you would make sure that your earphones were attached to it.7. Music. You were hesitant to play your favorite songs during your first hour until the day you were struggling to concentrate on the tasks ahead of you. Besides, you would keep it on a low volume. It would be a series of upbeat tunes. Take a Picture (Filter), Beautiful Day (U2), Policy of Truth (Depeche Mode). And a couple of songs by The Cure would complete the set. There were days when you would play a rap song or two.6. Food. You would munch M&M during the next few hours, if not a sandwich. And there would be a bottle of water somewhere.5. Positive thinking. You can do it. You must do it. Youll do it.4. Workplace illness. You were thinking of the next Christmas party. You were already worried about your dapper appearance, even the gifts that you might receive from your workmates. And you wouldnt drink too much.3. The blame game. You were beating yourself again. Someone might notice that you werent doing a good job, and it would remind you of a TV game. The weakest link? Maybe. Could this be your last day? Dont think too much.2. Learning curve. You would assure yourself, every hour or two, that you were a work in progress. You were a young, ambitious fellow. You would keep your eye on the career ladder. And you wont let negative feedback affect you. But you managed so far.1. Work/home life culture. Your boss reminded you about striking a balance between work and home. You could hardly understand it, as lunch would come to mind. Read all news

The Benefits of Resume Writing Services Buffalo

The Benefits of Resume Writing Services Buffalo The site also provides free resume samples and exceptional job search advice. If you choose a resume service with a jumbled and confusing worksheet, then odds are that is just how yur resume will turn out. Its extremely important to read carefully essay services reviews, because you would like to prevent low excellent services. The Ultimate Resume Writing Services Buffalo Trick You may also find out more about resume writing services NJ has to offer you. Resume writing may be an easy job if you understand how Employing a resume writer is a good deal more than simply hiring someone type up our resume. It is not a task that should be taken lightly. Whatever They Told You About Resume Writing Services Buffalo Is Dead Wrong...And Heres Why Resume writing services online resumeyou can dont forget to discover professional resume writing service you are searching for. To acquire a professional resume made, youll need to devote a s ignificant sum of money. TCB Solutions is among the very best NYC IT resume writing services that provide cleanly written resumes to customers. There are hundreds and hundreds of career service professionals around who provide resume writing services. Your resume writer might be able to steer you toward job openings before the remaining portion of the pack. Resume writing is the most significant step in presenting your abilities and receiving the job that you desire. Stunning Resume matters a lot when youre trying to find a fine job. What You Should Do to Find Out About Resume Writing Services Buffalo Before Youre Left Behind If you know more about the particular job opening and the company that you may use the targeted resume. However polished your writing skills are, occasionally its far better to seek the services of a professional who can frame your experiences in a manner that permits you to command the interest of the greatest companies in your industry. Resume writi ng services have a personalized approach to come up with a sort of resume that will certainly supply the maximum quality of professional resume writing. Youre a personal services business. Up in Arms About Resume Writing Services Buffalo? While the resume writer should earn a living, their prices ought to be such that you may afford the services rendered. When thinking about the price of a resume service, consider first what youve gone through to get where youre. Many services supply some kind of guarantee, while its doubling your interviews, offering unlimited revisions or providing you a refund if youre not satisfied with the turnout. Unfortunately, youll need to buy a more expensive service so as to receive resume writing from My Brand Evolved.