Journal of Office Workers
Archive for October 15, 2014
5 Reasons Black Denim Should Be Your Wardrobe Staple This Fall
Originally posted on Thought Catalog:
1. They’re understated.
Like butterfly clips or Bijou Phillips, black denim belongs to the group of understated ‘90s trends that you hardly even took note of until they were gone. Well thankfully GAP has brought them back in new, but equally understated iterations. Like these black denim elastic pants on Camille — there’s a distinct depth to them that the average pair of jeans lacks and, when paired with a simple turtleneck and slip-on sneakers, a chic French look to them too.
2. It’s one step up from casual.
Yes, black denim is still denim, but there’s something about a black wash that feels much more sophisticated than a blue wash. It’s appropriate to wear to work and is hardly even distinguishable from a pair of black trousers, as Camille Rowe demonstrates in these simple black GAP jeans. Hate changing your daytime clothes just to go out at night? I…
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42 Ways to Make People Like and Respect You
Originally posted on TIME:
This post is in partnership with The Muse. The article below was originally published on The Muse.
We all want to be liked, yes. But—perhaps more importantly in the workplace—we all want to be respected.
Respect is so important when it comes to your career development. It comes into play when the higher-ups are considering your ideas, when they’re choosing people to participate in projects, and—yes—when they’re thinking about who’s getting promotions or raises.
But too often people associate earning respect with, well, not being very nice. We’re here to tell you that’s not often the right approach. Instead, try some of the ways below that you can make sure your colleagues like and respect you. You’ll be on your way to being seen as a leader in no time.
1. Do Your Job and Do It Well
The most basic way to get respect? Don’t spend your time…
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7 Office Wear Ideas & How To NOT Dress Boring To Work
Originally posted on Fashion Tag:
Modays. They’re the best of times, they’re the worst of times. Or maybe just the latter if you’re to pay any attention to all the facebook Monday hatred memes going around. Still, not all is lost on Mondays, cause alongside the blues and the weekend hangovers, we get to play with fashion and take style to work. Yay.
Please constrain your excitement. If our love for all sartorial things has taught us a valuable lesson it’s that this ‘passion for fashion’ blissful crap is both a gift as well as a nightmare. How many of you really wake up and start singing of joy cause it’s Monday, and use the extra hour before work to try on outfits with a smile on your face, only to finally, in an even more retard happy state of mind, pick a colorful posh combo to go with your Monday happiness? Yeah. I thought…
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10 Job Skills You’ll Need in 2020
Originally posted on TIME:
This post is in partnership with The Muse. The article below was originally published on The Muse.
The world of work—and the world in general—is changing. People are living longer, new technologies are emerging, and we’ve never been more globally connected. That means the skills we use now in the workplace are not necessarily the skills we’ll need in the future.
To get a sense of what skills you might want to start investing your time into developing, check out the infographic below. (Note: It might sound like 2020 is really far into the future, but it’s actually only about five years away.)
Infographic courtesy of Top10OnlineColleges.org.
3 Little Words You Should Never Say
Originally posted on TIME:
This post is in partnership with The Muse. The article below was originally published on The Muse.
You’re in a meeting, just wrapping up your status update, and things are going well. The group seems reassured that you’re on top of things. Then, just as you’re about to close your laptop and head for the door, your boss’ peer asks, “How are projections looking for Q2?” Your boss nods in your direction and suddenly, all eyes in the room are back on you.
Blurting out a panicked “I don’t know!” may seem like the path of least resistance in an uncomfortable moment—but if you want to be taken seriously as an emerging leader, you should ditch that phrase and learn what experienced leaders say when they don’t know the answer.
Saying “I Don’t Know” Costs You Credibility and Influence
I once spoke with a woman who was…
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#1 Secret To Identifying Your Top Skill Sets
Over the course of the last year, I have been given the gift of learning to identifying my top skill sets. These lessons were not without skepticism and questioning. But, I can say that these lessons have transformed the way I work and the types of work I take on. Because I was lucky enough to have someone share with me the #1 secret to identifying your top skill sets. And it is this:
The tasks and projects are you best at.
AND
When you finish the task, you have more energy than when you started the task.
It is that simple.
Related: 5 Things You Should Be Doing If You’re Unemployed
When I tell people about this secret that was shared with me, they immediately know what I am talking about and know the work that they are awesome at and gives them energy.
And I tell people that you should focus everything you have into making sure that as much of your day as possible doing those things that you are awesome at AND give you energy.
This is what is called your “Zone of Genius.”
The creator of this concept is Gay Henricks from the book “The Big Leap.” There is of course nuance to this. When you do things that you completely rock AND get energy by doing them, this puts you squarely in your “Zone of Genius”. When you do things that you completely rock at and it drains your energy, that is your “Zone of Excellence”. You want to spend the bulk of your time, if not all of it in your Zone of Genius.
The first time I heard about this concept about a year ago from the brilliant Giovanni Cavalieri, I was incredibly skeptical as I am sure you are right now. This is impossible. Just getting to do what you do best and get energy from. Pfft…. crazy talk! You can’t possibly spend all your time working in your Zone of Genius. Can you? Maybe not all your time, but 90+% of your time can be spent in your Zone of Genius if you’re on the right team at the right company.
The thing about Zone of Genius is that you are more efficient when you are working in that zone. You get more done than anyone else at that skill. You probably spend the rest of your time in the Zone of Excellence. These are the tasks that you should be actively looking for people who have these tasks in THEIR Zone of Genius. When you are doing tasks and projects that are outside of your Zone of Genius, you are drained. The problem is that many of us are spending our entire day in the Zone of Excellence or even the Zone of Competence (which is exactly what is sounds like).
Getting rid of the tasks in the non-Zone of Genius can be a challenge. But, oddly enough, there are people who’s Zone of Genius is your Zone of Excellence or Zone of Competence and should be taking on those tasks to fulfill their time in their Zone of Genius. It generally works out, not all the time, which is why I can’t get to 100% Zone of Genius.
But suffice it to say, when you know where your Zone of Genius is, you can spend time honing in on tasks, projects and roles that highlights your best skills that you can bring to the table so that you can spend even more time working in your Zone of Genius.
My Zone of Genius is all about helping people connect with their dream job. What’s yours?
Related Posts
What To Do When You Lack Desirable Skills
How To Match Your Skills To A Job With Your Resume
5 Great Tools That Showcase Your Skills To Recruiters
About the author
With passion and an innate curiosity, Tracey strives to push the envelope to create great experiences for talent. Tracey has been developing digital, mobile and social solutions for nearly 20 years in the talent acquisition space. Currently CredHive’s CEO, she is dedicated to changing the way hiring is done to create a more level playing field for talent. Visit CredHive to learn more.
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by a CAREEREALISM-approved expert. You can learn more about expert posts here.
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
The post #1 Secret To Identifying Your Top Skill Sets appeared first on CAREEREALISM.
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The Intriguing Truth About Your Dream Job
Did you know that working for Zappos, a company on the GameChangers 500 list of the world’s top purpose-driven companies, is so desirable that it’s actually harder to get a job there than it is to be admitted to Harvard?
Related: Is It Ever ‘Too Late’ To Get Your Dream Job?
It’s true. In 2013, 25,000 people applied for jobs with Zappos, and they only hired 250.
That means that 99% of people who applied didn’t get the job.
So, what makes these types of companies so darn desirable? (Because there are thousands more out there.)
And how do you get the attention of a company like this and get the job?
Here’s The Scoop
One reason why people love these types of organizations is that they take empowering their employees and creating a phenomenal workplace to the NEXT LEVEL.
Employees at Zappos enjoying “Customer Service Week” with a Slime Fight!
Another reason is that we’re bored out of our minds - and want to do something that excites us.
In other words, we’ll watch Office Space, get fired up about finding a job we love, and research some companies we find on Monster.com or Craigslist…
And then make one small change to our resume or cover letter and fire it off to as many companies as we can find.
Here’s the problem with that approach. You saw the stats - Zappos only hired 1% of applicants, and you can bet other Game Changing organizations like them have similar numbers.
Many people continue to suffer in their miserable jobs while getting more and more frustrated about being the 99% who don’t get the results they desire.
How To Get Your Dream Job
The good news? I’m not going to let that happen to you. If you’re reading this article, it means you CAN do it - and believe me, it is possible to get your dream job.
(By the way - there’s a great free resource here that will help you do that.)
1. STOP Scanning Job Boards
A friend of mine calls this the ‘Monster Effect.’ It’s when you scan huge job boards hoping to find something that jumps out at you…
And then submit your resume to any position that looks moderately interesting. Guess what?
1 moderately interesting position + 1 moderately interesting company = 1 BORING JOB.
Here’s what you do instead. Flip your job seeking process around by using the 2nd tip…
2. Have FUN Discovering Your Dream Job
The root problem most people experience in their careers is that they aren’t inspired by their work. They aren’t fulfilled.
And the best way to solve that problem is by focusing on enjoying the process of finding your dream job.
Think about the best things that have happened in your life.
Maybe sparking that flame with your spouse…
Or achieving some milestone growing up.
Were you ever in a place of desperation and unhappiness when those things happened? Probably not. You were likely in a positive state… maybe even feeling invincible.
The intriguing truth of it all is that the best things happen when you’re already in a good place.
So, one of these evenings… turn on some music, crack open a bottle of wine, and have some fun reflecting on and researching your ultimate dream job.
Then jump into tip #3 (and check out this free resource for more help with this)
3. Use Modern Job Seeking Strategies
It’s simple. If you want the kind of job we’re talking about here - with insanely desirable companies like Zappos…
Where you wake up excited to go to work - not knowing if there’s going to be a slime fight or a laser tag party that day…
It’s likely not going to be at the kind of place that will hire you with a traditional resume alone. Zappos sure won’t.
You need to make a real impression on them by doing something creative and unique that showcases what you bring to the table.
You need to really love their organization, mission, and culture - otherwise you just won’t make the cut.
YouTube videos, websites, and mailing physical packages with a unique presentation are some great ways to stand out.
Every company will be unique, so there’s no “1 size fits all” approach here. Remember, be creative, authentic, and unique - and show them how you can add value to their organization.
That’s how you’ll get your dream job.
And if you want a little extra help finding the best companies out there (like Zappos) and getting their attention, check out the free video I put together for you here.
Good luck!
Related Posts
5 Exciting Career Moves That Will Change Your Life
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About the author
Ryan Niessen is a keynote speaker and co-creator of The Gateway Method: a simple, proven way to gain inside access to the world’s best employers and get your dream job. Connect with him on LinkedIn or Facebook.
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by a CAREEREALISM-approved expert. You can learn more about expert posts here.
The post The Intriguing Truth About Your Dream Job appeared first on CAREEREALISM.
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How To Be The Employee Your Company Wants To Promote
Do you know how to be the employee your company wants to promote?
Related: 7 Reasons Why You Lost That Promotion
I heard an interesting statistic on the radio awhile back that really sparked my interest. It stated that 90% of people who do this are promoted. Then, they had listeners call in and try to guess what that one thing was. It was something I personally NEVER would have guessed.
About 90% of people who keep a candy bowl on their desks for people who visit their office or drop by are promoted. Can you believe it? Maybe you can… maybe you can’t… but it got me to thinking. I think, as a generalization (I use this term loosely), employees can fall into one of two categories: wanters and doers. So, are you a wanter or a doer?
Wanters
Wanters are the employees that always want to know when they’re going to get a raise, a promotion, or something that benefits them. They’re the employees who never stay past 5 p.m. And you can set your watch by them; because at 5:00 p.m.—on the dot—they’re clocking out, checking out, and going on about their day. Is there something amiss with this type of employee? Maybe, maybe not. I know there have been times in my life when I was this type of employee, and the reasons varied.
Doers
Doers are the employees you can count on to help bear your burden. They’re right there beside you—making sure the job gets done—doing their part, and going above and beyond to help out wherever and whenever needed. They take the pressure off of their bosses. They’re the type of employee that says, “Will you let me take care of that so that you can focus on something else?” These are the employees that employers want to promote.
Doers notice when a co-worker has something going on outside of work and could use someone to pitch in and help. This is tremendously helpful to the person the doer is helping; but it’s not just the co-worker that takes notice—the employer does too. Does this mean you have to stay late every day, work overtime, and run yourself ragged to be promoted? No. But you do have the type of personality and work ethic that says “Hey, if something needs to get done, I’m here to help do it.” Diligent and intentional people are promoted.
This post was originally published at an earlier date.
Related Posts
How To Show You Deserve A Promotion
6 Ways To Position Yourself For A Promotion
4 Things To Do Before Asking For A Promotion
About the author
Jessica Holbrook Hernandez, CEO of Great Resumes Fast is an expert resume writer, career and personal branding strategist, author, and presenter. Want to work with the best resume writer? If you would like us to personally work on your resume, cover letter, or LinkedIn profile—and dramatically improve their response rates—then check out our professional and executive resume writing services at GreatResumesFast.com or contact us for more information if you have any questions.
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by a CAREEREALISM-approved expert. You can learn more about expert posts here.
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
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