10 Tips for Embracing Your Evenings

10 Tips for Embracing Your Evenings Its so easy to get home from a long day at work, kick your shoes off and laze in front of the TV until bedtime. But why not use the evening hours for something more productive than catching up with the most recent episode of your favourite reality TV programme? It may seem like the day is over when the clock strikes 5 at work, but the evening is your oyster! Why not embrace the extra hours you have and use them well? Below I have compiled some of my top tips and tricks for having an awesomely productive evening: 1) Plan for the following day: Just before you go to bed, its always a good idea to prepare for the following day. Do this by ironing all necessary clothing items, planning your breakfast and making your lunch for the next day. This will not only make the following day easier, but it will also help you relax and have a better nights sleep. 2) Leave your shoes on! This is a trick for those of you who get home and dive straight for the sofa Leave your shoes on! The moment you take your shoes off, you begin to feel comfortable and therefore a little lazy meaning your more likely to flop onto the sofa and remain their until bedtime. Not sure if this tip is for me, but if youre finding it hard to remain motivated in the evening you should try this trick! Leave your shoes on like this little fella. 3) Allow yourself time away from the screen its very tempting to put Netflix on for a few hours or get the laptop out for  a night of online browsing, but think about all the things you could be doing instead of mindlessly staring at a screen! Call a loved one, read a book or even participate in a hobby or sport not only will you feel like you have a fresher head the next day but you will also notice that youll sleep better that evening. There is also a proven correlation between sleep disorders and artificial light, so close that laptop immediately! 4) But allow yourself some RR in front of the TV too! Although the previous point suggested that you should avoid screens in the evening, its more about keeping a balance! Its more than okay to catch up with your favourite TV programmes and kick-back on the sofa. Just make sure youre not spending all night doing it. Relax in front of the TV like these two! 5) Get changed: This is a bit of a no-brainer, but get out of your work clothes as soon as you get home! This will change your mindset and make you feel fresher so you can take full advantage of the evening ahead of you! 6) Allow yourself a bit of fun: It can be really easy to limit yourself on weekday evenings, but dont forget that having fun is key for a balanced lifestyle! If a friend is hosting a party or its a colleagues birthday, dont be afraid to have a bit of weekday fun! Its good for the soul. If you cant have a Vodka Beach Party, why not have a Cider Pub Party instead? 7)  Make the right dinner choices: A healthy body makes for a healthy mind, and a good sleep! Make sure the dinner you eat is a well balanced meal containing protein, vegetables and carbs. Overall this will keep you healthier, and youll feel better for it the next day! 8) Exercise: This goes hand-in-hand with the previous point, and its pretty important! Its recommended that an adult should exercise at least three times a week for half an hour or more. Getting your blood pumping releases endorphins in your brain which actually makes you feel happier as a result. Youll also have a better night sleep! 9)  Have an early night: Sleep. Its one of my personal favourite things about evening time! Sleep is one of the most important aspects of a healthy lifestyle. In order to have a great nights sleep, you should always avoid screens for up to an hour before bedtime (Take a look at point 3!). I also enjoy reading and listening to music as an alternative to any screen as a way to relax. Avoiding caffeine before sleeping is another sure-fire way to improve your sleeping. Zzz 10)  Reflect: An important thing to do every evening is to reflect on the days events. You can do this either alone or in discussion with your family or friends. Reflection is the perfect way to work out which aspects of your day are working well and which aspects arent working so well. From here you can re-jiggle, and change anything that you dont feel is working. How to you keep your evenings productive? Let me know in the comments!

Workplace Drama Easier to Eliminate Than You May Think - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Workplace Drama Easier to Eliminate Than You May Think - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Meeting with a prospective client last week, the first words out of this business owners mouth, the owner of a three million dollar small business were, I just want the drama to end. Whenever I hear a statement like that I get the impression that the drama permeates the environment through multiple sources. Yet, upon further investigation most times I learn that the drama revolves around just one or two people. It only feels like the source of the drama is more extensive because when it goes unaddressed, others learn that its okay to jump on the bandwagon, and they do so, because people like to feel connected. I believe there are two contexts of workplace drama. One context is internal drama, which is drama occurring due to issues within the work environment. This could include complaints about working conditions, blaming others and making excuses for poor performance, etc. The other context is external drama, which I define as external to the workplace. This would include an individual employees personal life drama they bring into the workplace that distracts them and their co-workers. Either context needs to be addressed. As I wrote in my Conscious Communicator blog a few weeks ago it is not realistic to expect employees to leave their personal life at the door when they come to work. Ive been there, I know. I remember when I was going through my divorce 15 years ago the first three months of my separation from my wife, it was a huge distraction. In those circumstances a manager or leader would do well to confront it with empathy and compassion with the individual at the earliest opportunity. In doing so they can create a space for the individual to work through their personal challenges while offering specific goals on the job that can offer direction and distraction from the personal challenges. In circumstances where drama is occurring due to workplace issues, these too, must be confronted at the earliest opportunity, and also with compassion and empathy. The former should always be done privately, while often it is best to address the workplace drama in a public forum, allowing team members to vent and express their concerns. My clients are often afraid to address these situations because they fear the situation getting out of control or individuals making unrealistic demands. Often, its never as bad as expected. The best way to address the internal drama is head-on. Get the issues out on the table, deal with them individually by identifying the easy issues that can be worked through. Then, prioritize the issues of biggest concern, consider the requests being made and offer a response. This does not mean a company has to fulfill the requests, but they do have to listen, consider solutions, then respond with a thoughtful, reasonable response. All too often issues are allowed to be raised, hope is offered that something will be done and nothing is ever heard about them again. They go into a black hole.  This creates a state of learned helplessness and perpetuates and exacerbates the drama. How much is drama in your workplace impacting company results?

Gearing up for final year 3 things you can (should!) do now towards your career plans University of Manchester Careers Blog

Gearing up for final year 3 things you can (should!) do now towards your career plans University of Manchester Careers Blog If you’re just about to start your final year and you’d like to get something sorted career-wise by the time you graduate, you might think there isn’t really much you can or need to do at this stage, but youd be wrong. You’ll be so busy with academic work once the semester starts that it’s all too easy to let the first semester slide by without thinking about your career after graduation, and yet its also a key time for graduate job applications.   So to make sure you don’t miss out on valuable opportunities for when you graduate, here are three suggestions for things you can do now to get prepared: Research your career options. If you’re not sure what you want to do and need some help, use the last few weeks of the vacation to do some careers research to try to get a bit more focussed. See our Explore your Options pages of the careers website and download our  I Don’t Know What I Want To Do guide. If you think you’d find it useful to talk to someone about your plans (even if it’s because you don’t have any yet!) you might want to book a guidance appointment with one of our careers consultants. Get in as quick as possible though, as we sometimes book up a couple of weeks or more in advance, and October is always our busiest month, so we usually have more limited availability during that time. If youre not around in Manchester over the summer, we offer telephone or Skype appointments. Draw up a list of organisations to target, check their recruitment timetables and apply early! If you already know what sort of job you want, start to identify specific employers to target. You can find out some good lists of employers for different sectors on graduate job sites like www.prospects.ac.uk, www.targetjobs.co.uk and www.insidecareers.co.uk. Then go directly to the employers’ websites and see if you can find out when applications open for their graduate jobs starting in September 2012. Get those dates in your diary. Believe it or not, some 2014 schemes, (e.g. some of the accountancy firms and banks) are already starting to open for applications. In general, our advice is to apply as early as possible when schemes open for applications â€" recruiters don’t tend to wait for their advertised closing dates before starting to recruit candidates, and it’s often a case of “when it’s full it’s full”. It is worth bearing in mind though that these graduate schemes wit h large organisations only represent a small percentage of   jobs that graduates go on to do. There are lots of other really interesting and challenging graduate jobs out there. More on alternatives to grad schemes in future blog posts, but why not check out our vacancies on CareersLink to get a flavour of the jobs we’re advertising right now for Manchester students and graduates. Take a hard look at your CV. If you don’t yet have a CV, now’s the time to start thinking about putting one together. Take a look at our CVs guide for advice and tips and to see some examples. Do you have good evidence of the sorts of skills employers tend to look for, e.g. teamwork, communication, organisation and problem solving? If you’ve had a position of responsibility in a student society or sports club or done some volunteering, organised an event or had a part-time or summer job, make sure you include these experiences on your CV and explain how they have enhanced your skills. Do you have any relevant work experience for the areas of work you might be applying for? If not, try to find out how important this is for the jobs and organisations you’re targeting. Sometimes, even a day or two of work shadowing will help and you might be able to squeeze something in even in your final year. Otherwise, you might want to consider doing a graduate internship when you finish you r degree to boost your employability. All Undergraduate Undergraduate-highlighted career planning career research careers Closing dates final year graduate schemes to do

PhD Zone Talk directly to employers University of Manchester Careers Blog

PhD Zone Talk directly to employers University of Manchester Careers Blog As part of our annual Pathways: Careers Options for Researchers programme, we bring a select group of employers together to answer your questions about what employers look for in applicants who have a PhD, in our PhD and Researchers Zone at the Graduate Recruitment Fair. When? Wednesday 12th June 2013 Where? Armitage Centre, Fallowfield, alongside the first day of the Graduate Recruitment Fair Who can attend? Any current or recent PhDs or doctoral research staff, from any university How do I book a place? You dont have to! However, if you register beforehand, it will make it much quicker to get into the event (otherwise, youll be made to register on the door) More info here: PhD Researcher Career Zone Who will be there? At the moment (be warned we sometimes have drop-outs on the day!), the employers signed up to attend are: Adelphi Group Ltd pharmaceutical consultancy and medical communications AMEC Power and Process engineering BAE Systems Detica information systems, business technical consultancy Complete Clarity (part of McCann Complete Medical) pharmaceutical consultancy (update: cancelled, 6/7/13 sorry!) GVI Global Vision International volunteer abroad opportunities IBM UK Ltd IT and business services The Institute of Physics careers and employment advice for physicists Instrument Design Technology Ltd beamline engineering and technology company Jaguar Land Rover automotive design, manufacture and sales Nucleus Central healthcare communications Pentest Ltd IT security consultancy Praesto Consulting Customer Relationship Management and Business Intelligence consultancy Schlumberger global oilfield services company SRG scientific recruitment agency and scientific services employer Tessella scientific and technical computing Unilever FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) multinational (including RD) There will also be a stand for careers and employability advice, staffed by me and other careers and researcher development colleagues, to answer any general careers queries or give you an extra confidence boost before you go and tackle all those employers. I think this is the strongest range of employers weve ever had at the PhD Zone. We normally have a good selection of employers looking for physical science, engineering and IT specialists, but this time, weve also got 3 employers targeting life and medical sciences researchers, and several consultancies and other employers who will consider any discipline (some but not all will expect you to be interested in applying technology, maths or statistics to business problems but that doesnt mean you have to be a programmer). Will they all have current vacancies for PhDs? No. They are all interested in recruiting people with PhDs at some point, but not necessarily right now. This means that even if youre not actively looking for a job imminently, its worth coming along to talk to them, for future reference. The aim of the PhD Zone is to allow you to quiz them on how they view PhDs, the value that PhDs can add to their organisations, and how they recruit PhDs, when they need them. Why no public sector/arts/social sciences employers? Unfortunately, those organisations either recruit PhDs in such small numbers or have such tight budgets that they cant afford the resources to send someone to recruitment fairs. (Believe me, we try, including offering them the space for free!) So not worth my while coming? Hold on there! If you want to see if your skills could be put to good use in a business setting, come along with an open mind and see what the PhD Zone employers say or see which other (non-business) employers are coming to the main fair. Talking of which Are there any other employers I can talk to? Keep an open mind and come and talk to the 70+ employers in the main Graduate Recruitment Fair downstairs. They are looking for people who have degrees and that includes you. A lot of the employers in the main fair look for graduates (including postgraduates) from a wide range of backgrounds, including humanities. If you come to the first day of Pathways (Friday 7th June), youll probably hear from PhDs who started employment by using graduate entry points and then hear about how they progressed much faster than other graduates, because of their maturity and advanced skills. Of course, the graduate route is not for everyone. This is our advice on deciding whether or not you should consider a graduate job after a PhD. If you are open minded, on Wednesday 12th, other employers include Her Majestys Government Communication Centre, the Information Commissioners Office, News Associates (journalism courses), Teach First and the Teaching Agency, Creative Support (care provider) as well as lots of retail management, engineering, finance, IT and science employers and general recruitment agencies the full list here. And theres more on Thursday 13th June, we have a whole different set of employers (but no PhD Zone that day). Employers on Thursday include the UK Civil Service, Government Operational Research Service, the Co-operative Group, the Local Government Association, the National Health Service Leadership Academy, Language Empire (interpreters and translators), and loads more retailers, engineering, finance, IT and science employers and general recruitment agencies full list here. Want to know how the make the most of these recruitment events? I know lots of you will have attended these fairs and come away saying they were pretty useless. If youre not interested in jobs with any of the employers attending, or any similar employers, then theres probably not a lot of point wasting your time. However, Im going to be controversial, and say that some of you were just asking the wrong questions or expecting the wrong information. Before you dismiss the idea of attending, try reading my advice on How to make the most of careers events as a postgraduate. Then make up your mind! All Postgrad-highlighted Postgraduate Careers fair employers

Forbes Top 100 Websites for your Career - Career Pivot

Forbes Top 100 Websites for your Career - Career Pivot Career Pivot made the Forbes Top 100 Websites for your Career We made the Forbes Top 100 Websites for your Career list with a website that is only 19 months old. I say “we” because I could not have done this without your support. I first want to say Thank You! Let’s take a look at who is on the list! In this post, I want to point out websites that might be very useful in managing your career. My next post, I will be looking at what is not there. The list is loaded with big names: CareerBuilder About.com/Careers Bureau of Labor Statistics Dice.com Glassdoor Idealist.org Indeed LinkedIn Monster.com Recruiter.com Salary.com Simply Hired TheLadders Twitter USAJobs All of these websites are well established and funded. These are either corporate, government, or non-profit. What sites on the Forbes Top 100 Websites should you consider following: My Lifestyle Career Thinking about working on a part-time basis during your retirement? Career coach Nancy Collamer, author of Second-Act Careers: 50+ Ways to Profit from Your Passions During Semi-Retirement offers advice on career reinvention, lifestyle-friendly income ideas and the best resources for boomers eager to leave the 9 to 5 workplace behind. Note â€" Nancy is a regular contributor to PBS NextAvenue. I have reviewed her book on Amazon. You can read my review here. Jibberjobber Jibberjobber was originally designed to help people organize and track their job searchâ€"but has since evolved into a “personal relationship manager” that allows you to manage your job search and optimize your network relationships for the duration of your career. The site was designed by Jason Alba during his first real job search in early 2006. Membership to the website is free, but users can pay to upgrade their account to Silver ($60/year) or Premium ($99/year) statusâ€"which offers additional features. Note â€" I personally know the Jibberjobber founder, Jason Alba, and he is a true visionary in this arena. I use Jibberjobber in my business and recommend it’s use to my clients. Jason recently published his latest book 51 Alternatives to a Real Job. I have not read this book as yet but plan to write a review before the end of the year. Pivot Planet Pivot Planet, a resource for finding real-life career and start-up business advice shared by experienced advisers who can answer your questions and offer insights into their profession anywhere, anytime (for $50+ an hour), is the brainchild of Brian Kurth, founder of the in-person career mentorship company VocationVacations. Pivot Planet connects people around the world looking to “pivot” from an existing career to a new oneâ€"or to enhance their current job skills with expert advisers working in hundreds of fields. The advisers provide one-on-one video and phone sessionsâ€"and some even offer the option of in-person mentorship. Note â€" Brian relocated to Austin Texas in the last year and I have gotten to know this fine gentleman. He has a true passion in helping people. In fact, PivotPlanet was in the NY Times last week â€" Taste-Testing a Second Career, With a Mentor. Great read Listen to the most recent episode Personal Branding Blog Founded in 2007 by Dan Schawbel, managing partner at Millennial Branding, a Boston-based company that does research and consulting on Generation Y, Personal Branding Blog offers information about how to create your personal brand. The blog includes video podcasts, interviews with branding specialists, research reports, articles and games. Schawbel is also a Forbes.com contributor andthe author of Me 2.0, Revised and Updated Edition: 4 Steps to Building Your Future andPromote Yourself: The New Rules for Career Success Note â€" I write a weekly blog post for this website that appears every Sunday. The same article appears the following Wednesday on this blog. Personal Branding is key to every baby boomers future. It is important that you get a thorough grasp of this topic. Next week, I will make some observations of what is not on the Forbes Top 100 Websites for your career list. Marc Miller Like what you just read? Share it with your friends using the buttons above. Like What You Read? Get Career Pivot Insights! Check out the Repurpose Your Career Podcast Do You Need Help With ...

Some Insights About Cover Letters and Resume Writing - CareerAlley

Some Insights About Cover Letters and Resume Writing - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. By John Sylo There are four aspects to the job search process: looking for job openings; applying to the job openings; attending the job interview; and evaluating the job offer. This article will focus on the second aspect, applying for a job opening. Two key documents are at play at this stage. The cover letter and the resume. Most job seekers know to send these, but dont truly understand their purpose and, thus, how to fully leverage their potential to move on to the next phase. The Cover Letter The key function of the cover letter is to introduce you. Think about this logically. The employer has a job opening and solicits qualified candidates. He puts a job posting and receives applications. He knows nothing about the candidates. He has nothing to go by, but the candidates cover letter and resume. He needs to narrow down the field to only a few. How will he make his decision? The odds are that he will use his intuition, based on what he has before him. This is where the cover letter plays a critical role. The cover letter is there to catch the employers attention by showing the employer that you have something different, unique, that deserves further attention. How do you catch the employers attention? A sure way is to show the employer that you are interested in the job and that you have the necessary qualifications. Regarding your qualifications, you dont have to elaborate upon them, your resume is there for that. However, you do need to address them and relate them to the job opening. Avoid the key mistake of sending out generic cover letters. If you lack inspiration, browse cover letter samples online to get you started. The Resume Once you have caught the employers attention with your cover letter, he will show more interest towards your application and thus will spend more time looking at your resume. Your resume is there to support your cover letter and seal the deal to the job interview. This is key. The resume is not there to land you the job. Employers will not hire after they look at your resume. They will hire you after they interview you. The resume needs to be clear, on point, and address the main requirements of the job you are applying to. The resume is not about showing your past work experience out of context. It is about showing your past work experience, as clearly as possible, in relation to the requirements of the job you are applying to. To see what others in your field have written, you can browse resume samples online. Conclusion When writing your cover letter and your resume, keep these basic concepts in mind. The cover letter and the resume go hand in hand. They form a pair. Make sure to write them so they leverage each others strengths. You would be surprised how many job seekers fail to do so. Good luck in your job search. This is a Guest post. If you would like to submit a guest post to CareerAlley, please follow these guest post guidelines. Good luck in your search. Joey Trebif

Tips for Writing a Resume for Hiring

Tips for Writing a Resume for HiringIn order to make a resume, you will have to be able to use the resume writing and workforce services of a professional. There are hundreds of online and local businesses that offer this service. You must be careful and find the right one to hire. Do not be surprised if it takes some time to do.The most important thing in the hiring process is having confidence in your skills. Without confidence, you cannot get the job. You will not be hired unless you can convince the employer that you are the right person for the job. A resume is your first step to having the proper career path in mind. A resume should be like a guide to making a decision about your future career.You need to show the employers that you have the qualifications that they are looking for when they are deciding about you for the job. You will need to be organized and prepared before you take the information from your resume. A well written resume can help you get into the doors of com panies that are in need of employees. It can open the doors of employment for you as well.When writing your resume, try to be professional. You can not write with emotion. Be professional.Make sure to list all the jobs you have held before you leave on your job hunt. Be honest about all the positions you have held. With that, you will be able to show that you have the skills needed to get the position you want.Showing your skills will also help you find out what kind of career goals you want to achieve. Make a plan to succeed. Your plan will help you make sure that you are prepared to do your job properly. It will also help you gain the confidence you need to get the job you want.Skills include communication, the ability to see both positive and negative situations, leadership, and negotiation skills. Good writing skills will also make you look more appealing to the employer. When you start applying for the jobs you have applied for before, you will learn more about yourself and abo ut the company you want to work for. Just remember to use the information you have learned from the resume to make sure you will get the job you want.When you have done the right things, then you can start taking steps towards the goal you have set. The bottom line is that you must be confident in your skills, your writing skills, and your potentials. If you have all three, then you are ready to succeed.