Changing Careers? 7 Details to Include on Your Resume

Every so often we feel the need to change our career. It is always a daunting step to go through and could feel like going back to zero. You think about updating resumes again, waiting for emails and calls, attending interviews and just falling in line again with other job seekers. Surely, shifting careers is not an easy decision. But…

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What To Do When You Feel You Just Can’t Find Employment

We’ve all been there, you are searching and searching but can’t seem to land a new position. It feels scary, like a dead end is near. If you have a family, your stress levels are higher. With over 80% of American’s not having more than $500 in their savings account, it can be a treacherous time. So what do you…

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How to be a Good Neighbor in an Open Office

So you have a new job – congratulations! It’s bound to be filled with all kinds of new challenges and tests – not the least of which is learning to get along with your new colleagues. This is not something to be taken lightly. How you get along with people will affect your social life and work performance at your…

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How to Conduct a Confidential Executive Job Search While Employed

According to the US Department of Labor, about 2 million Americans quit their jobs every year. And while these statistics are typically lower for executive-level employees, more and more senior-level team members are looking for new opportunities outside their current roles. Whether this is because you’re seeking new responsibilities, higher pay, you’re dissatisfied with some aspect of your company, or…

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Reflect on Your Career this Holiday Season

The holiday season isn’t just for relaxing with friends and family. Now that we’re on the brink of entering 2017, it’s a good time to reflect on the past year, what you have accomplished, and what you want to do next, career wise. Reflect on 2016 to Prepare for a Better 2017 So this year, as you sip your eggnog…

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Networking for Millennials

December is a time for parties so your networking skills—or lack thereof—will be tested. Millennials, as their reputation suggests, often do things differently. So it’s not surprising that they have their own strategies when it comes to networking. If you’re a shy millennial who would rather stay at home than mingle with your co-workers, or you’re a lost gen X-er…

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Creating a Better Candidate Experience:  Tips for Recruiting and Interviewing

Good is sometimes a loaded word. Good often means just passable or adequate. But raise the standards a little, and you can go from good to better. Raise it even more, and you can be recognized as the best in your field. When sourcing a candidate for a job, sometimes recruiters forget that candidates are rating and comparing us, too….

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Professional Resume Tips: Your Resume, Redone

If you’re ready to get serious about your career, the first thing you will have to do is give your resume a good once, twice, or thrice over! The reality is your resume is your career calling card. Along with networking, good references, experience, a strong LinkedIn profile and connections, your resume is what gets your foot in the door…

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Your Quick Guide to Surviving Holiday Work

Maybe you’re a newbie in your office, or maybe you just drew the short straw. Either way, you’re stuck working this coming Thanksgiving. It’s a done deal. Nobody will trade shifts with you – after all, who would want to? They are just breathing a sigh of relief that it’s not them – and it’s written in stone on the…

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From Salaried to Hourly: How to Tell Employees about the Upcoming Transition

As an employer, manager, or human resources staffer, you’ve probably already heard the news that there’s a new Federal Department of Labor salary rule taking effect on December 1. The minimum salary to qualify for exemption will increase from $455 a week or $23,660 annually, to $913 a week, which will put the overtime threshold at $47,476 annually. How will…

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The White Lies Employers and Recruiters Tell Unsuspecting Applicants like You

When you’re looking for a job, you want to put your best foot forward. You and a hundred other applicants. You may be seeking employment, but the company is also looking for someone fantastic. Because they can’t hire everyone that applies, it makes sense that recruiters sometimes hide behind niceties to protect your feelings, such as… “We’ve decided to go…

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Celebrating the Value of a Humanities Degree in National Arts and Humanities Month

Whether you’re on the cusp of finishing high school or considering a career change and heading back to a higher education institution, you may be weighing out your options. Everyone has advice to give – “Take science classes,” your parents say. Your friends tell you to major in engineering, and your former teachers tell you that computer science is the…

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How to Deal With Unethical Behavior in the Workplace

Workplaces are complicated. There isn’t a lot of black and white most of the time, so it’s normal for employees to deal with issues of ethics at some point. Whether they’re asked to do something they don’t think is quite right, against the general morals of the workplace or society at large, or hide something, the guilty feeling in the…

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Remembering the Importance of Work-life Balance after Labor Day

Recently, we celebrated the last long weekend of the summer. In honor of Labor Day, workers vacated their cubicles, turned on their out-of-office notifications and had a great BBQ with their friends and neighbors. Did you join in the fun? Did you take advantage of the R&R? Or did you hunker down at your desk to catch up or get…

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How to Administer Exit Interviews to Laid Off Employees

When you’re the boss, one of the hardest things you’ll have to do is tell an employee that they no longer have a job, sometimes through no fault of their own. When an employee loses a job through termination, layoffs, firing, downsizing or reduction in force, the manager or supervisor should complete an exit interview. That might be the second-hardest…

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5 Skills that Look Good on Any Entry-Level Resume

If you’re a freshly-minted graduate, you’ve had the summer to take a break and recover from you hard work as a student, and maybe even relax on the beach, by the pool, or do some traveling. Perhaps you took on a job to save some money and gather your thoughts, or simply spent time meandering over what you’d like to…

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A Primer for Compassionately Dealing with the Emotions of Laid Off Employees

It’s the hardest part about being the boss – you will inevitably have to lay off one or more employees at one point in your career. If you haven’t had to do it before, you might wonder: Why is it so hard to lay off an employee? After all, it’s not your fault – you had no say in the…

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Introverts: Afraid of Mingling? Don’t Let That Impact Relationships with Co-Workers

There are all kinds of people in a workplace… Outspoken, gregarious types, and shy, timid types. And that’s OK, everyone is different. The problem with that is, even though we’ve moved beyond high school, popularity contests still exist in real life. People still gravitate towards others who are outgoing, friendly, outspoken, and give off high energy because they are exciting…

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Career Advice from Moms, Dads, and the Parental Figures in Our Lives

You may think of your parents as from a different generation, or even as archaic. But that doesn’t change the fact that they care about you and want the best for you. They’ve also been alive for a longer period of time, and likely have more work experience than you. So whether their wisdom is welcome or not, they give…

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6 Odd Jobs for the Unemployed Running Out of Inspiration

Its summer, which means a fresh new set of college graduates just entered the working world. If you’re one of them, congratulations! You’re about to embark into the career force – that is, if you are lucky. You will likely have more trouble finding a job than your parents did 20 or 30 years ago. Studies show that this is…

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Lessen the Guilt You Feel After Giving the Pink Slip to an Employee

Many managers have experienced it at one time or another; an employee just didn’t work out or fit into the workplace culture. But even when it’s the employee’s fault – a history of tardiness, no-call or no-show behavior, or performance issues at work – it’s hard to let go of someone. It’s hard, even with the knowledge that it is…

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Lessons Learned after Firing Someone

Being the manager or the boss definitely has its perks. Honing your leadership skills, having a say in the direction of the company, and the satisfaction of leading a stellar team are just some of its advantages. Unfortunately, being the boss has its downside, too. One of the hardest things that you may have to do at some point as…

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Employee Recognition: How to Celebrate the Dad’s and Father Figures at Work

As a manager or supervisor at your workplace, you’re responsible for more than managing the workload, assigning duties, and giving feedback to your team. You’re also responsible, at least in part, for their well-being. Why? A happy staff member is a productive staff member, and one who will call in sick less often, take fewer personal days, and be more…

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3 Crushing Experiences Every Job Applicant Experiences (And How to Get Through Them)

You usually feel pretty good about your work experience, education, and resume. That is, until you start looking for the job of your dreams. Suddenly, your alma mater isn’t as impressive as your competition’s and your previous experiences don’t look as interesting. Your resume just didn’t sparkle the way it seemed to just a while ago. So what happened? Everyone…

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5 Challenges Veterans Face in Getting Hired

They’ve been vigorously and meticulously trained, and have served our country with everything that was in them. But after they finish their term of service and get back to civilian life, many veterans, despite their extensive qualifications, find it hard to get employed. Even with their intense training and discipline, and the opportunities or programs offered to them, many veterans…

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4 Steps to Spring Clean Your Resume in Less than 90 Minutes

You probably have a resume. If you’ve been at the same job for a number of years, it likely lives in your computer somewhere, in some folder that contains important documents that you never really look at. It’s always a good idea to keep your resume fresh in case a golden opportunity pops up. That way, you won’t be wasting…

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5 Ways to Calm Your Nerves and Fight Interview Jitters like a Pro

You’ve spotted a posting for the job of your dreams. You decide that life is short, you’re ready for new challenges. You send out your resume and a cover letter, and hope for the best. Lo and behold, you get an interview! You’re excited. But getting an interview usually means jitters and anxiety. After all, you really want the job,…

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4 Wrong Ways to Announce a Layoff

It’s the hardest part about being a boss – delivering the bad news nobody wants to hear. With a global economic downturn comes cutbacks, and they are happening all over the country. Companies are slimming their budgets and making some difficult cuts. If this includes your company, you might find yourself having to deliver some rather difficult news. Nobody likes…

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Don’t Accept that Management Job UNTIL You Ask Yourself these Questions

For many people, getting a management role seems like the most obvious option in climbing their career ladder. While it’s true that nobody aspires to work at an entry-level job for the rest of their lives, the truth is that a leadership role isn’t for everyone. No, I don’t mean that you have to be born with it. Having a…

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6 Reasons Your Presentation Didn’t Go as Well as You Imagined

You’re accustomed to giving presentations. You felt well prepared, you knew your notes well enough not to have to read from them, and you weren’t nervous. Your voice was confident, and you checked to make sure that it carried across the room. Yet, you feel the presentation could have been better. As you glanced around the room, you noticed that…

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How Layoffs Affect 3 Types of Employees

Employees in different levels of an organization are all affected when a layoff occurs, but not in the same way. Just as every employee plays a different role in a healthy, productive company, they also play a different role, and act differently, in times of distress. Leaders and Executives Through thick and thin, leaders are there to guide the company…

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4 Not-so-Techy Tech Jobs and the Skills You Need to Get Them

The tech industry is one of the fastest growing fields worldwide. Unfortunately, a lot of students and applicants stay clear of the industry because they feel they’re not “techy” enough. The tech industry isn’t exclusive to programming, engineering, and computer science majors though. Tons of jobs exist for applicants in the field of analysis, humanities, business, customer service, and sales….

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4 Spot-On Strategies to Get Your Manager’s Trust

When it comes to your career, there are a number of factors that can influence how quickly you get ahead, or if you get ahead at all, but none are as crucial as your boss. Yes, your manager can control when you get promoted – and if you get promoted at all – what projects you take on, where and…

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Warning! 5 Signs You’re About to be Let Go

It’s every employee’s worst nightmare – being let go from a job that they don’t want to leave, or that they’re not ready to leave. Finding yourself without a job, with bills to pay and a family to support, is likely one of the most stressful things that could happen to you as an employee. Lately, with an uncertain job…

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5 Things to Never Say (or Admit Out Loud) to Your Boss

In a perfect world, you’d be on good terms with your boss. You might not be the best of friends, trading holiday cookies, or hanging out and drinking beer after work, but at least your communication lines are always honest and open. But you don’t live in a perfect world — no matter how nice your boss is. Your boss…

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5 Layoff Alternatives that will Save You Money without Reducing Your Workforce

Companies are laying off people again and some financial experts say we might experience another financial downturn because of China’s slowing economy. Before you start listing employees to layoff, consider how much a restructuring can cost your business, especially in the long run. Aside from severance pay, and the risk of litigation, your business will also suffer from the low…

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How to Stop Beating Yourself up over Your Mistakes at Work

I found this interesting post on Reddit. Can you relate? “We were at a conference and I had to take notes and photos and write a report on it the following day, several people were speaking and at some point I got distracted with taking photos and forgot to take notes for one of the speakers except for one or…

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How can you be Assertive but Not Aggressive in Job Interviews?

This month, I received a rather intriguing question from Jake in New Hampshire, “I just came from an interview and the recruiter told me that I wasn’t assertive enough. I don’t know what he meant, but as far as I know, I emphasized my strong points and other skills.” Great question. Many job applicants fall on the extreme ends of…

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Suspicious Tactics Companies Use to Get Rid of Older Employees

Just last month, two friends told me how their colleagues lost their jobs under dubious pretenses. The five people who were laid off were skilled and tenured professionals in their early 50s. They haven’t had any attendance or performance issues, as far as my friends could tell. That’s why everyone in their office was shocked. Is this the newest tactic…

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Speakers, Here are 4 Powerful Ways to Start Your Speech

Article originally posted at http://www.fearlesspresentations.com/presenters-here-are-4-powerful-ways-to-start-your-speech. Jitters, sweaty palms, scratchy throat, you’re practically shaking. Someone called you to the stage. The time has come, the time you’ve prepared for — and dreaded — for weeks. You’re about to give a speech. You take the mic and all heads turn to you. Suddenly, you’re extremely aware of the fact that people are…

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How to Conduct Your Own End of Year Business Review

It’s that time of the year again. Everyone is about to start planning their business goals for 2016. How about you? What are your business goals for 2016? Ramp up talent acquisition, restructure a department, cross-train employees, or close more sales? Hold your horses. Before you call the whole team for a brainstorming and planning session, you should first look…

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Admitting Your Mistakes, Your Highway Ticket to Maturing as a Leader

Article originally posted at http://www.leadersinstitute.com/admitting-your-mistakes-your-key-to-maturing-as-a-leader. Would you rather die than admit you made a mistake? It’s midnight and three hours have passed but you’re still tossing and turning on your bed. You know your alarm will ring in a few hours, but you don’t want it to. The thought of admitting, in front of your team, that you made a…

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Good Leadership Change Whiners and Pessimists into Top Performers

Article originally posted at http://www.leadersinstitute.com/good-leadership-change-whiners-and-pessimists-into-top-performers. A pessimist can bring down a whole team without trying. But that doesn’t mean you should ignore the pessimists in your team completely. In some cases, these people can add a touch of realism into an overly optimistic team. As a leader, you have two options here: convert the pessimists and whiners into cautious top…

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Bosses Beware: Are You Exhibiting Symptoms of Bad Leadership?

Article originally posted at http://www.leadersinstitute.com/bosses-beware-are-you-exhibiting-symptoms-of-bad-leadership. Do you sometimes think your team hates you? Do you sometimes feel that they question your decisions behind your back? Does your team lack faith in your ability to lead them? Do you resent them for feeling this way? Or are you curious to know why they’re like that in the first place? As the…

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How to Stop Using “Er,” “So,” “Um,” and Other Filler Words in Speeches and Presentations

Article originally posted at http://www.fearlesspresentations.com/how-to-stop-using-er-um-and-other-filler-words-in-speeches. Call me weird, but it’s sometimes painful for me to watch motivational speeches. These talks inspire me alright, but I’m not looking forward to my knee-jerk reaction of counting ‘um’ and other filler words I hear during a speech. In fact, I recently sat through a presentation and in 60 minutes, the presenter said “Right?”…

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How to Have More Big Wins by Pushing Your Team through Small Wins

Article originally posted at http://www.leadersinstitute.com/create-more-big-wins-by-celebrating-your-teams-small-wins. About 65% of employees don’t feel valued by their boss, according to a study by CareerBuilder. You might think it’s time consuming or expensive to celebrate if the accomplishment is just a small progress in an ongoing project, or an otherwise unnoticeable upward movement in a long term goal. It’s not like your team was…

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5 Signs Your Team Needs a Teambuilding Event

Article originally posted at http://www.leadersinstitute.com/5-signs-team-needs-teambuilding-event. The word “Teambuilding” alone is enough to get some rolling their eyes and checking their calendar for a scheduling conflict. And while many of our first thoughts of teambuilding go to a comical episode of The Office or a YouTube video of an exercise gone wrong, the process of teambuilding, in whatever form it takes,…

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Re-engaging a Team: Refresh, Re-Focus, Re-Invent

Article originally posted at http://www.leadersinstitute.com/to-re-engage-a-team-refresh-refocus-and-reinvent. Teams come in different shapes and sizes, and serve various purposes. When you’re lucky enough to have a team that has been together for some time or worked on multiple projects, one of the difficulties can be re-engaging that team. Downtime can be great; you can consider it like an “offseason,” but what to do…

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Do You Care about the Quality of Outplacement Services Given to Departing Employees?

Many companies say they value employee satisfaction. But does that commitment extend to departing employees during a layoff? I don’t mean to say that the HR leaders and managers of organizations conducting layoffs don’t care about laid-off employees — I think they do. But in times of distress, priorities shift to keeping the company afloat so concerns like employee satisfaction…

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November is a Month to Give Thanks, another Reason to Send a Thank You Letter

For many of us, we remember Thanksgiving as a time for family reunions and big celebrations. It’s a time to reflect and give thanks for everything good that happened this year. Even when you’re job hunting, Thanksgiving should remind you to be grateful for every opportunity you’re given, including job interviews. Gratitude, a Critical but Overlooked Tool in the Job…

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5 Leadership lessons we can Learn from Iron Man 3

We can all learn something from what’s going on around us; the kids running around, your family and even from the movies you watch. Without further ado, I present to you the lessons I learned from Iron Man: Scene 1: When Tony and Killian met for the first time, Killian was a limping, over-enthusiastic guy with a brilliant idea. Tony…

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How to End Your Presentation with a Bang

Article originally posted at http://www.fearlesspresentations.com/how-to-end-your-presentation-with-a-bang. Have you ever heard a great speaker end an amazing talk with a lousy “Thank you,” or worse, “That’s it folks, any questions?” Such endings are anti-climactic. You went through all that effort to deliver a good presentation and that’s how you end it? Shame. To your audience, it’s like a great fairytale with a…

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4 Strategies for Handling Hecklers While Giving a Speech

Article originally posted at http://www.fearlesspresentations.com/4-strategies-for-handling-hecklers-while-giving-a-speech. Which is worse, hecklers or trolls? While they have a couple of things in common, such as mean and offensive language, trolls are able to hide their real identity in fake online accounts. Majority of them aren’t really mean in real life. Hecklers, on the other hand, are braver in a way that they’re confident…

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The New Manager’s Guide to Leading a New and Dysfunctional Team

This article was originally posted at http://www.leadersinstituteteambuilding.com/new-managers-how-to-fix-a-dysfunctional-team. “I’ve been appointed a team manager at a software consulting company. I was really happy with my luck in securing the position, until I found the mountain of problems awaiting me. Apparently, the previous manager swept a lot of employee and performance issues under the rug and it all didn’t come out until…

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A Leader’s Guide to Profiling the 5 Common Trouble Makers in the Office

Article originally posted at http://www.leadersinstitute.com/a-leaders-guide-to-profiling-the-5-common-trouble-makers-in-the-office. There will always be difficult employees in any organization; even Fortune 500 companies have rotten tomatoes in them. Sun Tzu said in Art of War, “It is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know your enemies but do…

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3 Stereotype Shattering Strategies to Unite a Diverse Team

Article originally posted at http://www.leadersinstitute.com/three-stereotype-shattering-strategies-to-unite-a-diverse-team. Gone are the days when it’s normal to see offices mostly filled with people from the same town, age group, and university. Now, it’s normal for an office to have a 50-year old mid-level employee supervised by a fresh from business school 30-year old. That’s not even considering the diversity of religion, race, gender, political…

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How to Give a Memorable (and Believable) Speech

Article originally posted at http://www.fearlesspresentations.com/how-to-deliver-a-memorable-speech-and-be-believable. How much can you recall of the last speech you listened to? None? A few snippets? Not even an inspiring quote? You might feel guilty about this, but it’s not just you. Several studies report the audience’s retention of a speech or lecture ranges from a measly 10% to 30%. So if your talk is…

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Public Speaking Workshops for Millennials — A Worthwhile Investment

Article also posted at http://www.fearlesspresentations.com/a-worthwhile-investment-public-speaking-workshops-for-millennials. Recently, I was out to dinner with an industry colleague at a new and trendy restaurant. The lights were not too dim and the music was not overpowering which made this a great choice for catching up and having a conversation. The restaurant seemed to attract a good mix of clientele from the more mature…

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3 Step Guide to Building Employee Morale after a Layoff

Layoffs serve to prevent a struggling company from capsizing. But if not done properly, a layoff may damage the company more than it saves it. Layoffs affect the company in terms of lost workforce and massive restructuring but that’s just the surface. Deep down, it traumatizes surviving employees even if they don’t want to admit it. Whatever circumstances surrounding the…

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Job Applicants and Networking: Four Ways you’re Doing It Wrong

Do you only build your network when you’re in need of a job? Do you think “networking,” is pretentious and phony, like everyone is just there to take, take, take? If so, you’re doing it wrong! Networking is more than doling out your resume and business cards. It has nothing to do with the font on your resume sample or…

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The Best Way to Handle Inappropriate Co-worker Behavior without Stooping Down to their Level

When a co-worker is unnecessarily mean, flirtatious, or inappropriate, it’s sometimes hard to know how to respond professionally. HOW you respond can literally mean your career. You don’t want to look like a stick-in-the-mud, but you also don’t want to feel uncomfortable at work. You don’t want to be seen as a complainer, but it’s just as important to stand…

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Five Myths and Facts about Layoffs

If your business is undergoing a layoff, you must understand what’s really going to happen. Don’t be misled by myths of what you think is supposed to happen. Myth 1: Reducing “people costs” will result in an indirect organizational productivity gain the next week. Reality: The surviving employees will not be more productive, in most cases. Don’t hope for the…

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Your Questions About LinkedIn, Answered Here

I get a lot of questions about using LinkedIn. For some of them, the answer is obvious. Should you put up a profile picture? Yes, of course. Some questions, however, have no definite answer. Bear with me, as I try to explain some of the tricky situations you might encounter while using LinkedIn: Is it a good idea to accept…

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Layoff Survivors: How Employees Change After a Layoff

Century Link, one of the biggest companies in Louisiana, is restructuring to the tune of 1,000 employees. Yes, it’s just a small dent to their 44K global workforce, but to the surviving employees, the change is bound to affect them — whether they admit it or not. No One Relaxes After a Layoff No employee, not even the star performer,…

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“Sell Me this Pen:” 2 Ways to Answer this Popular Job Interview Question

Sell me this pen. Sell me this cup. Sell me this bag. This question is a staple among job interviews, especially for sales positions. But it recently rose to fame again after Leonardo DiCaprio appeared as Jordan Belfort, the smooth-talking penny stock broker in the movie The Wolf of Wall Street. In the movie, Belfort’s cohort answers the question by…

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10 Great Cover Letter Tips to Give Your Application an Edge

Writing a resume is rather straight forward. What you should do with a cover letter is less obvious. However, if you stick to certain principals, you should be able to draft a great cover letter to supplement your resume. Below are 10 great cover letter tips that should help. 1. Start with a Good Opening Like any piece of good…

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Layoff Checklist for EMPLOYEES: Everything You Need to Ensure Your Paycheck and Other Benefits During a Layoff

Times are tough when you’re on the receiving end of a layoff notice. Things might be chaotic in the office, and your direct manager or HR may or may not be able to assist you every step of the way. I created this checklist with that in mind. Please note, however, that this list isn’t all-inclusive and that the chronological…

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Stand Out! Ask these Questions on Your Next Job Interview

Job interviews, for most people, feel like a one-sided conversation. A question and answer, where you’re expected to behave and put your best foot forward. Yes, definitely do that if you want to be as memorable as every other candidate on the planet. If you want to stand out, you have to do what majority of candidates don’t do… Ask…

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Layoff Checklist: The What, When, Where, and Everything a Company Needs During a Downsizing

All employers big and small will eventually need to do a layoff or company restructuring. The process can be daunting. If done wrong, it could bring even more trouble to an already struggling organization. Feeling overwhelmed is normal. You have so many decisions to make, and not enough time, or resources, to make sure everything gets done right. This checklist…

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5 Ways to Close Questionable Employment Gaps in Your Resume

You’ve got the skills, years of experience, and carefully selected references. You are ready to send that resume. Except, well, there’s the small matter of a gap in your employment history. Recruiters and companies are known to question employment gaps in an applicant’s resume. It’s important your gaps don’t paint you as incompetent, unfit for work, unstable, or unemployable. A…

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How does Executive Outplacement Work?

As of August 2014, about 119 CEOs announced their resignation, the highest recorded number since 2008, according to an article published in Chief Executive Magazine. Executives know that figuring out the next phase of their career isn’t as simple as submitting a resume. Transitioning from one C-level job to another, after all, requires a lot of upfront work. Business owners,…

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Career Stress

4 Ways to Celebrate Stress Awareness Month even if You’re Super Busy at Work

Have you heard? April is National Stress Awareness Month. Rightfully so, I think, because it’s also the deadline for filing taxes. I’m guessing a lot of you are stressed out right now. Have you ever felt that even just trying to relax is making you more stressed out? You’re busy and unnecessarily stressing yourself, even while you’re relaxing. You plan…

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5 Tips for Creating a Severance Policy That is Fair to Everyone Involved

According to a recent study from RiseSmart, about 40% of companies don’t have a severance package for employees. That’s ironic, considering how many companies keep touting their dedication to their employee’s well-being and motivation. Many states don’t require companies to provide a severance package to displaced employees, but from a long-term stand point, it makes sense to do so. Protecting your public…

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Should Outplacement Benefits be provided AFTER an Employee Signs a Release Agreement?

People ask me this a lot, and that’s understandable. It’s a tricky question with no right and wrong answer. Since the 1970s, many employees have been required to sign a release agreement before they were provided outplacement services. Keep in mind, though, that this was a time when outplacement was generally reserved to senior executives and layoffs were rare. Outplacement…

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Why I don’t do “Objective Statements”

I got this interesting question about resumes last week: “I always thought a resume should have an objective statement. Is that true?” Well, Kristen, career experts are still divided on that matter. Ten years ago, the career objective, aka objective statement, was a standard part of any resume. This statement mostly explained the job applicant’s wishes or target in his…

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3 Questions to Ask a Corporate Outplacement Provider

Layoffs are difficult for employees and business owners alike. As the boss, you’re torn between trying to conserve all remaining resources of your company and doing the right thing for the people who worked with you for years. Deciding whether to offer outplacement services or not isn’t just a moral question. It’s also a question of protecting your company’s image…

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Staying Motivated and Avoiding Depression When You’re Unemployed during the Holidays

With excerpts from an interview with David Kaplan, Chief Professional Officer of American Counseling Association. If you are interested in hearing the full interview and 31 other career experts, click here: The National Career Summit. You’ve been unemployed for a few months now, perhaps longer. Your savings account is shrinking by the minute, and so is your self-confidence. It’s hard…

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4 Top Job Options for Employees 50 and Over

The times are changing. The unemployment rate for workers 50 and up is higher than it was in the last Great Recession. While the unemployment rate is going down, albeit slowly, many older workers remain unemployed six months to a year, way longer than young employees with less work experience. It’s as if older workers are past their “sell-by” date….

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ALERT: Read this if You Don’t Want to Ruin Your Reputation at the Office Party this Year

It’s that time of the year again! Parties and gatherings everywhere, which means another Holiday party at the office. Don’t think of this as a perfect opportunity to wine and dine, or flirt with that cute guy from accounting. It’s not your family or friends holiday reunion after all. Office Party Etiquette Guide 101 Don’t Bring a “Plus One,” Unless…

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Are Listening Skills—and Decent Customer Service—Lost in this Generation’s Fresh Graduates?

Here’s a typical scene every time I go through a Dunkin Donuts drive-thru… Me: One medium hot latte with skim milk Crew: Okay, would you like it hot or cold? Me: Hot (okay…he’s too young to be deaf) Crew: Whole or skim milk? Me: Skim milk (getting impatient here…) Every. Single. Time. And that was just a single item order….

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Stock Up on these Career Essentials on Black Friday

What are you going to buy this Black Friday? A new flat screen? A new Xbox? New shoes? You can buy those to impress your friends and neighbors – or you can update your professional wardrobe and impress people at your office. Take advantage of Black Friday sales by investing in your professional look. You’ll be glad you did when…

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GiveThanks

Thanksgiving and the Networking Opportunities It Presents to Graduating Students

Thanksgiving, a time to feast, give thanks and sometimes, endure awkward questions with your family. That’s it, right? Well, not just that. Thanksgiving is also a good time to build your network. With all the parties and dinners to attend, I am sure your professional life isn’t your top priority right now. Thanksgiving and your career aren’t mutually exclusive, this…

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Corporate America Doesn’t Care About You: It’s Time to Put Yourself First

When was the last time you came home late because you needed to finish an urgent project? Did you take your work home recently? Have you ever missed your kid’s recital because of work? Sacrificing work/life balance to move up in the corporate ladder seems like a fair trade, at least on the surface. Martin Yate, author of New York…

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You’re Probably Ignoring this Lucrative Job Market

October brings us two holidays, Halloween and United Nations Day. What do those events have to do with careers, you ask? If you graduated last March and haven’t received a decent job offer ’til now, I bet you’re scared to move back with your parents. But okay, let’s say you’re not a fresh graduate. Aren’t you the least bit afraid…

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Do You Make These Mistakes During the Phone Interview?

It’s International Update Your Resume Month! Have you updated your resume yet? Or maybe you’ve already received a favorable response after updating it? Perhaps you have an upcoming phone interview? Hooray! Good for you. But don’t let your guard down just yet. The phone interview seems innocuous enough, but many applicants don’t realize its importance. Whether it lasts 10 or…

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Are You Prepared for the Fall Job Hiring Rush?

The lax summer season, when vacations are rampant and most companies take a breather from expansion, makes way for Fall, considered the busiest season for hiring. While there’s no definite rule signaling September as the hiring season, it definitely seems like the busiest season for many industries. If you’re aspiring to switch careers, move to a bigger company or if…

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What Happens if You Take the Summer Off After Graduating?

If you graduated May this year, is it possible that you missed the boat by taking the summer off from interviewing? I know you’re worn out, what with all the exams, internships and the thesis you had to complete. But it’s so tempting to take a few months or a year off to unwind after graduating from college. You can’t…

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Hottest Jobs of 2015 and 2016

Time flies fast doesn’t it? Half of the year is gone! Where are you in your career? Happily employed? Just got out of college? Looking for another job? The year 2015 marks the time when the majority of post World War II baby boomers will turn 60, which means many of them will retire or move to other careers. What…

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