Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom Productivity Experiments You Always Wanted to Try

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom Productivity Experiments You Always Wanted to Try Over the course of the year, Chris Bailey, author of the new book The Productivity Project, completed several personalexperiments to assess which ones positively and negatively impacted his productivity. Let’s highlight some intriguing ones that worked, as well as a few that didn’t. Working 90 Hours a Week When Bailey was working 90-hour weeks, he got a lot done, but only during the first few days of the week. After that, he didn’t have the time or mental space to recharge, so his productivity dropped. In the long-run, working long hours pushes you to procrastinate more, work less efficiently, and causes you to get less done. In fact, after 40 hours, Bailey reported that your marginal productivity begins to drop, until at approximately eight 60-hour weeks, the total work done is the same as what would have been done in eight 40-hour weeks. And with 70 and 80-hour weeks, you reach the break-even point in justthreeweeks. Why does this happen? When you work excessive hours, that extra time has to come from somewhere, which may force you to push away the very things that reenergize you, like working out and spending time with loved ones. Then, you begin to fight a losing battle, and become stressed out, unmotivated, and ultimately less productive. Bailey suggested that instead of working longer, work smarter. Step back from your work: spending more time planning (not just executing), scheduling less time for things, guarding and nurturing your energy levels, and reminding yourself of what’s most important. Living in Isolation for 10 Days Living and working without people interrupting him didn’t help Bailey’s productivity either. At the end of this experiment, he said hewas less productive than he would have been normally. Everyone has a different definition of productivity, butmost of the benchmarks Bailey uses involve people, such as how happy he makes other people, and the difference he’s able to make in people’s lives. When he took people out of that equation, he was either a) not able to accomplish much, or b) not able to accomplish much that was meaningful. Bailey also shared that he “let himself go” when there weren’t other people around. Surrounded by more people, one tries harder to be a better person. And when he hit the lows of this experiment â€" taking three hours to fall asleep, battling a huge cold, and getting depressed, he had no social support network as a safety net. For the rest of the experiments, read more at the QuickBase Fast Track blog.

Resume Writing Handout 2020 - Three Things You Need to Remember When Designing a Resume Handout

Resume Writing Handout 2020 - Three Things You Need to Remember When Designing a Resume HandoutResume writing handouts can be a great asset when it comes to advancing your career. You are going to get a lot of companies that want to hear from you and they're going to have a difficult time searching the pile of resumes on your desk. In this article I'm going to show you the things that you should keep in mind when you're designing a resume handout for your next job interview.The first thing that you need to remember when designing a great resume handout is that the cover page is not where you begin. Your resume should always come before the resume itself. If you're writing a resume for a job opening, you need to focus on the resume cover first and build it around it.If you're going to send out a resume handout that's going to give your employer something to look at, it's critical that you make sure it looks good. There are a few things that you need to be aware of if you want to make sure that it's in tip-top shape when you send it off.First of all, the font type that you choose to use needs to be something that you trust and can read. It's not going to do you any good to have something that is bold and flashy, because it's going to throw off the reader's eye. Instead, use something that is understated and clean, and someone can read it easily and will have no problem with it at all.You also need to be aware of how big the font is, so that the resume can be read without being too large. The next thing that you need to consider is the layout of the resume. You need to be able to see the information clearly, which means that you don't need to have a lot of information on your resume, but you also don't need to cram it with details that will make it hard to read. Another thing that you need to take into consideration is the spacing between the information on your resume. It doesn't have to be a very small space between paragraphs, but it does need to be a consisten t one. It should also be enough that the eye is able to have room to keep up with it and keep looking at it while it's scrolling down.Finally, you need to make sure that the resume actually makes sense. You need to put your best foot forward, and make sure that you really have your resume written in a way that is easy to read and make sense. When it looks like someone was just trying to fill their resume with everything and didn't really have the time to put thought into it, it's obvious that it was a poorly written resume.A resume that looks great on paper is not always going to look good on the screen in front of your employer. Be sure that you pay attention to the design of your resume, and be sure that it looks as good on paper as it does on paper. In order to make sure that your resume looks as good as it should, you should pay attention to every single detail.

Love It or Hate It - Three Spring Trends That Arent for Everyone

Love It or Hate It - Three Spring Trends That Arent for Everyone Its Springtime, which means several things: wearing white is not a crime, Americans have a reason to purge their homes of Winter filth and new trends. While I could do without Spring cleaning, I love spring trends!  Spring is the one time of year that pastel colors are popular and the looks are refreshing with florals and metallics. However, not all trends are for everyone. Some trends are just for runway concepts and cannot be worn in everyday, practical situations. Three popular Spring trends this year are florals, mod and ruffles. 1. Floral Prints Floral prints are the essence of Spring and are bright in color, however, if done wrong, can scream FTD, come pick me up. There are some floral print elements that do not translate well in the real world. For instance, a full floral print suit in the office is not maj, but is amazing for a Dolce Gabbana ad.  Florals should be worn in moderation (as with any trend). Mix up a solid color look with a floral print wedge. If you would like to make a statement, a stand-alone pastel floral dress is just enough to make a perfect sassy look.   2. Mod Mod is everywhere this season including the runway, print and on some of our favorite bloggers. Although mod is a Euro-culture style, it is in fully effect, and unfortunately people are overdoing the stylish trend. Boxy dresses, stripped pants, bubble  sunglasses  and checkered jackets are mod defining, however, the items should not be worn simultaneously, unless youre Elton John. Also, depending on body type, be careful about the mod patterns you select because these patterns can cause unflattering effects on existing problem areas. 3. Ruffles Ruffles add femininity and drama.  The number one goal with ruffles is: make sure you do not look like a character from Gone with the Wind.  Selecting the wrong ruffles can create drama and  exaggeration, that can create problems in the wrong places.  On the runway, in order to create drama, the designer will create big ruffles for a glamorous effect, however for everyday people, ruffles should be subtle like a fringe on the bottom of a dress or an accent on the heel of a shoe. What Spring trends are you loving and hating right now? What other trends would you like to see this Spring? Would you wear mod, floral prints or ruffles?

A Great Personal Brand Can Shape Your Legacy! - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

A Great Personal Brand Can Shape Your Legacy! - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career When many people hear the question, Whats your personal brand? their hair stands on end. It can sound like youre implying that a unique individual is reduced to the equivalent of a packaged product. The word brand isnt typically associated with human qualities: Defining your brand requires you to take an objective, impersonal look at yourself to sift out what it is that you offer or what your usefulness is in todays economy. The question is, how can you benefit by creating a personal brand and how can you develop it overtime to enhance your reputation? The most widely used definition of a personal brand includes the answers to these questions: What is it that you do better than anyone else? What makes you special and what do you want the rest of the world to know about you? Im proposing an additional question and that is, how can you make your personal brand stand out and create a stellar name (brand) for yourself? To assuage anyone who is uncomfortable with the word brand Id like to suggest another way of looking at this term. How about calling it your personal legacy? Have you ever stopped to qualify what you want to be known for in life and how that message could tie into your business strategy? Heres an example of how your legacy could be tied to the work you do: I recently interviewed Bo Burlingham, the Editor-At-Large for Inc. magazine. After talking with him, I got the sense that his work isn’t merely a job but its a part of a larger personal mission. I think its fair to say that a part of Bo’s legacy will be tied to the topics he chooses to write about. In his recent book  Small Giants,  Bo  showcases businesses that chose to be great and not big. He shines a light on a handful of business practices that he admires, and which he believes are the reason some companies consistently do better than others. His research in spotlighting businesses that give back to their employees, suppliers and their community reflects his personal values. He’s not simply telling a story for a story’s sake but he has a personal agenda that’s attached to a higher purpose: He wants other businesses to take notice of these businesses so they model them in some way. After reading Bos books it’s likely that you’ll associate his name with the stories he tells and the values he espouses in them. From reading Small Giants one can deduce that hes a wonderful storyteller who delivers a profound message! Bos overriding view is that great businesses are both financially successful and serve as a vehicle to improve the world. The focus of Bos work at Inc. and the books he writes reflect his core values which are the basis for his personal brand: Bo is known as a writer and editor who cares about making the world a better place and does so by writing about topics that will impact his readers to reconsider the way they conduct their businesses. In this way his brand and his legacy are synonymous. Whether you’re in business, law, medicine, accounting, media, technology, or any other field, it’s possible to find ways to have an impact. You just need to be creative and thoughtful in how to do it. Your personal brand leads to your legacy! I was asked to write the eulogy for a wonderful man, a retired Pediatrician and naval officer who had MS. At age 30, with a wife, three children and another on the way,  this highly trained medical doctor, who was top in his medical school class and a respected medical resident, was forced to relinquish his career due to his diminished physical strength. I learned a tremendous amount from writing his eulogy.  First off, its relatively easy to write a eulogy when someone has overcome huge obstacles in their life and has done it with positivity, grace and dignity. This physician had an incredibly refined character and had made a huge impression on many people based on his having a positive demeanor in the face of a debilitating disease. Not everyone has the ability to impact people in the ways he did, but everyone can try to find some area that they become great at. Everyone can try to be a bit more positive and proactive when faced with challenges or a failure in life. And everyone can try to find ways to have a positive affect in the world. A great legacy is based on having great character traits. The ideas people talk about in a eulogy typically are ones that should inspire the living! The qualities and ideals a person is remembered for was their brand identity.  Ive never heard a eulogy that talks about how rich someone was or about his or her beautiful home. I have heard beautiful eulogies about how a successful CEO took a personal interest in his employees and changed their lives; how a physician refused to charge certain patients as he feared they wouldn’t return when they were really sick, and how a chronically ill person managed to stay positive and enjoyed simple pleasures in life that many of us take for granted. These are the stories people draw strength from and are remembered for. What do you really want to be remembered for? Who have you helped along the way? What value do you add to your business and to your community?  Are you concerned with making a positive difference somewhere? How do you treat the people you work with and do you have a vision for what matters in terms of your reputation? Are you generally a positive person? Do you try to uplift others or are you a frequent complainer. Do you take pleasure in small things? Do you compliment others when theyve done a good job? Have you ever tried to help someone else get a job or introduced someone just because they could use your help expecting nothing in return? Do you volunteer your time somewhere to lighten someone elses load? In short, are you concerned about improving the world? These are great things to think about early in your career, as now is the time when the choices you make and the people you help will build your personal brand into something you can be proud of. Some of the greatest pleasures in life come from knowing youve had a positive impact somewhere. Your personal brand has the potential to be a statement about yourself that youd be proud to pass on to your children and grandchildren someday. Take the time to think about both what youre doing today and how youre doing it! Who do you associate with? How do you treat people? What are you grateful for? How do you express your gratitude? When you do this on a regular basis you will become a happier, more fully self-actualized person. Your personal brand won’t be a gimmick for attracting attention to yourself. Instead it will become an authentic description of your vision and your accomplishments. If you care about developing it properly, it could be a strong motivator for self-improvement and over time help you achieve a higher purpose in life.

How to Use Resume Writing Software For Free

How to Use Resume Writing Software For FreeIf you are looking for a free resume writing software download, then you have come to the right place. A resume is an important document and there is nothing more annoying than wasting your time filling in the details of an entry when it has already been filled in for you. You want to take out the hassle of doing this and once you get hold of a free resume writing software download, you can actually make life much easier for yourself.I am sure that you are not going to be satisfied with just any resume so you want to find one that is as professional quality as you can get. So you can rest assured that when it comes to your resume you will be able to get it completed as quickly as possible. This is exactly what will happen if you use the best software on the market.You may wonder why you should waste your time writing a resume when you can search through thousands of job advertisements everyday. Well, by using the free resume writing software available online you can actually eliminate a lot of the hassle. You will save a great deal of time and effort that you would have had otherwise.The software is easy to use and very user friendly, which makes it easy to use the best free download. It will allow you to enter all the details of your educational qualifications, work experience and much more. So you will no longer have to look through countless sheets of paper when it comes to making a resume. You can start making a resume immediately from the comfort of your own home with the assistance of this software.Once you start using the software you will see that you can write your resume in no time at all. This is because it is simple to use and you can type in your personal information without having to wait for someone to finish reading it. In fact, it is so easy to use that it makes most other types of resumes look like they take hours to finish. It is also fast, so you will not have to wait for someone to finish before yo u can start working on your resume.Job seekers have a problem right now when it comes to applying for jobs. It is too easy to get lost in the shuffle and never hear back from an employer. Well this problem will be eliminated with the introduction of resume writing software.When it comes to job search, you may spend weeks trying to find a job that fits your needs. You have probably sent out hundreds of resumes to hundreds of employers. It can take months of sending out resumes before you find anything.You can easily solve this problem using the free resume writing software. It will allow you to start immediately and send out your resume to hundreds of employers within minutes. You will have hundreds of employer contacts in days if you use this software and you will be much happier with the results.

Work With Americas Best Executive Recruiters - Executive Career Brandâ„¢

Work With Americas Best Executive Recruiters

College Seniors Get Your Act Together NOW!

College Seniors Get Your Act Together NOW! If your graduation is coming up this spring, NOW is the time to get your job search into full-swing. Actually, I hope you started thinking about this last year. When you were in high school, you knew it was important to get good grades and take the SATs. You were preparing yourself to become attractive to the college of your choice. The same preparation is needed to compete for a job. But, it isnt just good grades or the type of degree that matter. EXPERIENCE carries a lot of weight. Employers want to see proof that you can assimilate to the workforce and ideally have first-hand knowledge for what the job is all about. In order for you to be the more attractive candidate, you should have lined up internships or co-ops last year. (Ooops. Sorry if no one told you that before.) This first-hand experience not only makes you more attractive, it also helps you understand the day-to-day job requirements and provides you with industry language so you can more effectively communicate your qualifications. If the company speaks industry but you speak college classes there is a disconnect. It is like speaking two different foreign languages. In todays US News World Report post, I provide a list of the Top 10 Things College Seniors Do Right NOW! I hope you find that information helpful in mapping out your next several months. The bottom line is that your job search has to begin immediately if you want a job when you graduate!

How having a blog can help you get a job -

How having a blog can help you get a job - I am so excited to share news from a client who just landed a great job. In and of itself, a client landing a job isnt extraordinary that is the point of  hiring me to help, after all! What is special about this client is that she was in a transitional search. She was finding that there were not a lot of opportunities in her field, so she needed to make a change. She was looking for jobs doing things she had not done before. Anyone who talks to me about transitioning knows that this is a tough time to make a career change. While I would never discourage someone from trying, with the economy being what it is, employers tend to have a choice of people who have ALREADY done EXACTLY the thing the job requires. Many people are willing to take a step back for a job and are overqualified. In either case, employers have their pick of people who can just step right into the job. Taking a chance on someone who can learn isnt typical. In this case, a targeted resume is key job seekers need to make a clear case that shows their skills and accomplishments as they relate to the desired job. However, there is so much more to success than just the resume, as my client demonstrated! Previously a copy editor, she landed a job as a development coordinator, involving social media, fundraising and grant writing. None of those items were things she had been paid to do in the past. She noted, The hiring manager told me she initially wasnt going to interview anyone without grant writing experience but was so impressed with my writing skills (on my cover letter, resume and blog; dont know if she checked out my Twitter feed or LinkedIn profile) that she brought me in just to see. Turns out she liked me, her boss liked me during the second interview, and they decided to take a chance on me! Out of six candidates, I was the one chosen. So the blog definitely helped. Go tell your job seekers that. There is more to this storyStay tuned! Please share what YOU have done differently that led to success in your job search! I can help with every part of your job hunt! Need a great resume? Tips to use social networking? Interview coaching?  If you need help mobilizing your networks and your job search plans, learn more about how I can help you! While you’re at it, don’t forget those social networks! Be sure to become a fan of Keppie Careers on Facebook…I’d be thrilled to have you as part of the community! Since we’re on the subject of doing something new…Are you on Twitter? Jump on and touch base with me @keppie_careers. photo by Hawaii