5 Tips to a Better Work-Life Balance

5 Tips to a Better Work-Life Balance With what feels like an ongoing struggle with achieving the ideal work-life balance, recent research shows that two-thirds of British employees  are not happy with their work-life balance. Sure, it’s not easy to achieve, but the work-life balance isn’t a myth. As the workplace becomes increasingly competitive and the financial stresses of living in the city are on the rise, more of the population are finding themselves putting in extra hours at work. Which eats into what should be (much-needed) downtime. According to a recent survey commissioned by outsourcing platform Airtasker, given the chance of getting help with our daily tasks, reading came up as top chosen pastime with a majority 18% of Brits wanting more time to read, whilst watching TV came second (15%) and a pamper session (14%) came in third. Airtasker has come up with 5 tips to give your well-being a boost whilst keeping up with your career: 1. Know when to say no This one is a little tougher for some. If you’re the kind of person that finds it hard to say no to your boss or teammates when they ask for help, you’ll find your plate overflowing more often than not. There’s no need to respond straight away when someone asks you for help with a task. Tell them you’ll get back to them and take a moment to check whether you have time to do it. If not, they won’t be offended if you say no. Remember, it’s better to do a few things well rather than burning the candle at both ends trying to get too much done. 2. Leave work at work Our smartphones have somehow made us more productive  and less productive at the same time. Despite all the distractions they offer, they also give us a chance to do our work from pretty much anywhere. This isn’t necessarily a good thing though. You really shouldn’t be looking at work emails at 11.30p.m. A good way to switch your mind off when leaving work is to write a to-do list for the following day. Then shut down and do your best to leave any work stresses in the office. 3. Learn how to work ‘smart’ In an age of useless email threads and meetings about meetings, you must master your focus and learn how to work smarter. It’s easy to unconsciously waste time while at the office, leaving work piled up for you at the end of the day. Prioritization is the number one thing to master if you want to be efficient and productive in your work hours. This links back to the first point about being able to say no. Don’t be afraid to decline meeting invites if your presence isn’t necessary. Set deadlines for each step in each task and stick to them. Block out time in your diary or move to a quiet area to get a presentation done if you need to. Outsource smaller tasks that you feel are a waste of your time. If you’re able to eliminate the ‘faff’ and cut out the noise, you’ll find yourself getting a lot more done in a lot less time. 4. Plot in your work and personal time According to a  recent study, quality ‘me-time’ can actually make you a better employee. And of course, it’s also great for your well-being. So, how do you make sure you’re getting it? Try this: plot self-care time into your diary and give it as much importance as you do your career. Have a clear divide between your work hours and your personal hours, and don’t let either intrude into each other. If you’re on the work-obsessed side, think of it this way â€" if you focus on your personal well-being, you’ll be a more engaged employee and perform better at work. It’s a win-win. 5. Listen to your mind and body A poor work-life balance takes a toll on your physical health, not just your mental well-being. Exercise is oh-so-important to de-stress both your body and mind; thanks to the wonderful endorphins it releases. Try and get a half hour every day â€" even a simple walk can reduce stress and re-energize you. Similarly, meditation and other types of relaxing activities pre or post-work can help you disengage from stressful thoughts about work. Even if it’s just for a bit. About the author:  Airtasker is a community marketplace that connects people and businesses with members of the local community who are able to complete tasks to earn more.  The global Airtasker community is made up of approx. 2 million people, 1 million verified reviews and A$100 million in Tasker earnings annually.

Writing a Resume thats Ready For ATS

Writing a Resume that's Ready For ATSDo you know what is meant by writing a resume that's ready for ats? Well, here you will learn the type of skills and qualifications required in this regard. The first thing to be noted here is that there are a number of different forms of resumes available today. You can either use a conventional one or go for a customized one.Your first option might be a home based business resume. This type is capable of generating job opportunities from many places. It is essential to highlight a wide range of skills. Examples are the ability to do research, follow instructions, follow instructions well and so on. The best part is that these are all positive qualities.This kind of resume is very useful because it can generate many opportunities right away without giving proper attention to each of them. It is also not too rigid. On the other hand, if you apply for a home based job at an online job board, you will have to display your experience. This is necessa ry since the employer is already familiar with your profile.Different companies may want different types of information. In such a case, you will find it difficult to choose a specific skill, while the next person applying will have a completely different set of requirements. Therefore, it is advisable to choose one among the skills and qualifications.When you give them a list of required skills and qualifications, the employer will need to read through each of them. As such, they will need to decide which of the ones they need and leave the rest for others. Once they are all picked, they will want to check the references to see whether the resume is good enough.Since these types of resumes can be of great help to both you and the likely candidates, the entire process is easy. All you need to do is to write a very specific resume for each of the jobs that you want. Since you will only be given a few options, you should be able to find out which particular job is of interest to the c ompany. This can be done by checking the job listings available on the company's website.Another key point to remember is that you need to make sure that you write every detail completely accurately. Of course, this will also have an impact on your credibility. A perfect resume may just show up and you will be judged based on your imperfect version.The point is that you have to be really careful when you go about filling up a resume at an AtS agency. It is important to ensure that the resume is filled up properly and by the candidates who have been short listed for the jobs. At the same time, the employer will need to assess how much care and accuracy have been put into this.

Meet the people who are best at meeting goals

Meet the people who are best at meeting goals I tell my husband  tidbits about the kids because part of my strategy to get  him to relocate to Swarthmore is to keep him feeling close to us. I tell him my younger son is winning more on his video game than ever before because the Internet we get from living above Dunkin Donuts is so much faster than on the farm. Is he connected to us? I dont know. Farmers are so connected to their work that its hard to divide  their life and their job. But then I have coached so many people like that. Its not  healthy to conflate  yourself and your job. But Im like that too; I could never be me and not write.  The essence of being me is words. And maybe the essence of being my husband is nature. You know Ive lost my mind when I am talking about the essence of people because thats language people use when they are getting ready to do nothing. Spiritual philosophizing  is not the language of a high achiever. Before he goes to bed, I call him say Hi. To tell him I love him. This  is not a typical call for me, because I am not people oriented. But I am goal oriented, and I want my kids to live in a stable family. So I make the call to meet a goal. Me:  Did you see that Merriam-Websters  word of the year is surreal? Him: Is that a new word? Me: A new use. As in my life is surreal. You know? To mean bizarre. Then we hang up.  We are not big phone people. He didnt really even grow up with a phone. Even when I was dating him, and I called his house, there was a party line, so people not in his house might answer. I call him every other day with a fact. Because he is an ISTP. He thinks my reliance on my intuition is hilarious. I dont tell him how small his world is when he is only interested in concrete reality. I just try my best to stay in it while Im with him. One of the problems of living in reality is its very difficult to set goals, because goals are about something thats not yet happening. And if its worth doing, its a little unrealistic. So for most of my husbands life, he didnt really have a goal. He fed pigs, raked hay, cut corn Until I came along. The more I talk with people about meeting their goals, the more  I understand why ENTJs set big goals and meet them    and no one else really does. Im not kidding. I learned it the hard way. I made the title of my  ENTJ course Accomplish Whatever You Want and then Do it Again.  Because ENTJs are obsessed with meeting their goals. But the course doesnt sell to ENTJs because they  dont need help meeting their goals. Instead, the course sells to people who are not ENTJs but want to be more like ENTJs. I can understand that. ENTJs have all the money and all the power. Well, except me, but Im a damaged ENTJ, thank goodness for you, because  thats what makes this blog interesting. Most ENTJs will not bother to explain how ENTJs meet all their goals. But I will: An ENTJ always has a big goal.  For every action, because nothing is worth doing if it doesnt meet an important goal. Also,  the ENTJ rarely  dumps a  goal until its met. Intellectual tenacity comes naturally to an ENTJ. An ENTJ constantly adjusts  the goal. I knew moving the kids to Swarthmore  was  essential to meeting their goals. But I wasnt  sure if my husband  should come to Swarthmore. Now  I am pretty sure he should move. Hes isolated on the farm. The nearest house is a mile away. And he scaled back his farm work to the point where he calls himself semi-retired. And he  has lots of things he wants to pursue  that are best done in a city. Ive had people tell me I can convince anyone to do anything, but actually thats because I spend a lot of time figuring  out the other persons goals and how they can best meet them. An ENTJ is constantly learning about how to reach their goal. But unlike  the researchers who are all learning and no action, an ENTJ takes action all the time. Melissa says I run  my kids like they are a company. And I can see why thats true, because each company Ive founded was in a field I knew nothing about, so I read about it obsessively for years and years. Thats what Ive done with the cello world. I spend five hours a week doing research about how people build music careers, where the good  cello teachers are, whats the best way to practice. Im always thinking about the next step. An ENTJ does not like regular  fun.  ENTJ fun  is meeting a goal, which means making  a little progress each day, reviewing the remaining milestones. And then  lingering on the big-picture in the way  I imagine others sip a tall glass of beer during happy hour. I hope  my husband reads this post.  He doesnt read posts  that look boring at first blush, so  I put a picture of him at the top of this one just in case. This is my love letter to him. My goals are my life. And everything I do is to meet a goal. Being part of my goals is my highest form of love. And I want to stay with him. And I want to continue to meet goals with him. I love him because he brings out my most heartfelt goal-meeting self.

The 12 Myths of Careers Refresher! University of Manchester Careers Blog

The 12 Myths of Careers Refresher! University of Manchester Careers Blog Over the twelve days of Christmas, we busted some of the common misconceptions about careers and the future that have been causing Manchester students anxiety over the academic year so far. If you were too busy with deadlines, exams and New Year festivities to catch any of these myths, heres a refresher! Myth #1: If you dont get on a graduate scheme during your final year, youve blown your chances of a good job.  No, no, no! Grad schemes are just a small portion of the many options open to final year students and graduates. Myth #2: Your degree dictates your career. Sometimes your degree subject wont lead directly into what you want to do after university. (But its also fine if it does!) Myth #3: Getting a First gives you a better chance of getting a job. Actually, a well-rounded graduate with a 2:1 degree, some work experience and extracurricular activities on their CV will stand a much greater chance of being employed than a student who has only a First-class degree to their name. Myth #4: There arent any jobs out there for graduates in this economic climate. Dont worry! There are jobs out there, and employers are looking to recruit students throughout the year. Myth #5: Internships arent paid. The good ones are. Myth #6: Postgraduates have to work in academia. Only if you want to! If youre becoming a bit disenchanted with research, there are plenty of other options available. Myth #7: Networking is just senior professionals in suits schmoozing over canapés. Alright, so it can be sometimes. But really networking is just making connections, talking to people who work in the sector or company of interest to you (or are knowledgeable about it) and learning from others. Myth #8: LinkedIn is just about showing off. LinkedIn is increasingly becoming a tool through which students find great jobs. Myth #9: You need to know what you want to do in order to use the Careers Service. Not at all, and booking an appointment with a Careers Consultant is not the only way you can use the Careers Service. Myth #10: The Careers Service will tell you what job to do. So you dont need to know exactly what you want to do before you come to us for advice, but we also cant just tell you what job you should do. Myth #11: You need to decide now what to do with the rest of your life. Great if youve got a plan, but no worries if you havent many people have career changes at various stages in their lifetime. Focus on setting and achieving short-term goals to help you figure things out. Myth #12: Nobody would want to hire me. One of the biggest barriers between students and graduate jobs is self-confidence. Be reassured that you as an individual will have qualities, skills and interests that will appeal to employers and you have plenty of time to develop these further. All Graduate Postgraduate Undergraduate Undergraduate-highlighted Applications and interviews career planning careers confidence Getting started job hunting jobs Positive thinking work experience

How To Use A Resume Skill Of Writing In Your Job Search

How To Use A Resume Skill Of Writing In Your Job SearchThere are a lot of resumes that are seeking to enhance the skill of writing. Here, you will learn what you can do to stand out from the rest and create a more appealing cover letter that should get you a good chance in the job search.When it comes to a cover letter, you should be able to write. What does that mean? Well, many people will try to rehash the same information when writing a resume. Well, this is not the way to do it.For a resume to have a skill of writing, the cover letter should at least hold the reader's attention for a few seconds before it wanders off to the next page. That's right, it should grab the reader's attention before moving on to the next area. This is not something that can be done by a well-written resume.The better the resume or cover letter is, the better chance of landing the job. It is all a matter of building on a solid foundation that your resume has built. You need to do some thinking and effor t to build something that is going to make people want to go to the next page to see if it will get them an interview.So, the better a resume or cover letter is the better the chances of getting the interview. You should make sure to study the principles that apply to writing a resume. This will help you organize and look at the writing on a different level and understand why it is written in the way that it is.People are naturally attracted to new experiences. We all want to know more about the person we are going to interview. If you can give people an opportunity to learn about you before you speak with them, you will always stand out from the rest. This is what happens when you know how to write a resume.If you are trying to be perfect when it comes to a resume, you will fall short of what your resume is trying to accomplish. Make sure to follow the outline of a resume. You want to build on it so it will shine as it builds a base. Make sure that you keep that in mind and remembe r where the cover letter begins.So, with these guidelines in mind, you can begin to use the resume skill of writing. Whether you are looking for a job or want to improve your skills as a writer, make sure to use the knowledge you have acquired. Do not be afraid to take a little time and be creative when it comes to finding a position or asking for a promotion.

Use These Tips When You Have a Little Experience and Big Gaps in Your Experience

Use These Tips When You Have a Little Experience and Big Gaps in Your ExperienceWriting a resume is a daunting task for those who are new to this career field. You may think that because you have little experience, it will be impossible to secure a job as a new graduate with little or no experience. The truth is that there are several options available to new graduates. Here are some tips to help you build a strong resume from a blank slate.Writing a resume without experience is the most common option. There are many companies who require less experience before offering jobs to new graduates. If you have no experience at all, then applying with an agency or a corporation is a good option.Writing a resume while having a large gap in your experience is possible. This is also the option that more people try to pursue. The problem with this method is that it is very expensive to have a professional writer to write a resume for you. The resumes of your colleagues are likely to have mistak es. A professional resume writer should not be too hard to find.Using an old resume or file is another option that many people choose to take. All you need to do is run a search on the internet. Look for a company that will allow you to create a resume using a sample that has been uploaded onto their website. This process is free to apply for a job. A resume needs to have a good amount of skill and knowledge in order to get a job.One way to get around the problem of not having any experience when you have little gaps in your experience is to rely on the work experience that you have in previous jobs. This is a good option if you have worked at a small business for a long time. You can highlight all of the skills that you have learned in these previous jobs. A person who knows how to use computers and has excellent typing abilities will be able to prove that they know how to use technology.When people overlook this option, they tend to take on a lot of information in a poorly organiz ed manner. They tend to forget key information that is required to build a resume. They also have no idea about how to use Microsoft Word Express to format a resume. It is essential that you make sure that you write your resume in a professional way. A resume needs to be properly formatted and written in a way that makes it easy for a potential employer to read.When you have large gaps in your career, then you may want to consider using a professional writer to create a resume. The drawback of this option is that the fees tend to be high. When you are looking for a resume writer, look for someone who has experience with completing resumes. Ask them to look at previous resumes to see how the format was written.Writing a resume is a difficult task for many people. Do not let this discourage you from trying to get a job. There are plenty of options available to new graduates, and you can still use some of the techniques that you learned to create a professional resume.

Six Tips To Make Your Resume Positively Pop - Pathfinder Careers

Six Tips To Make Your Resume Positively Pop - Pathfinder Careers Six Tips To Make Your Resume Positively Pop In all the résumés that I’ve seen from clients, there are  six tips that many people miss in writing this important career document. These are the things that make the document jump out and scream, “Pick Me” either to the applicant tracking software or to the human who has to plow through the hundreds of submissions. Here are six tips that will help you jump to the top of the résumé heap: 1) Job Title Headline This should either be the same as or very similar to the job opening you are pursuing, but it also themes your résumé. Face it, you can’t cram everything and the kitchen sink into your résumé, nor should you. Focus on how your background specifically relates to the job opening, and create a focal point at the top (bold, centered, capitalized) that immediately positions you for that job. This headline also drives the development of your resume â€" everything else you talk about should feed back into that headline. 2) 30 Second Commercial Don’t you think that in all places, your résumé should state why they should hire you? Ditch the objective statement… employers don’t care what you want… give them something that they can benefit from… sell them on your soft skills and how they connect to your ability to do the job. Everyone needs an elevator pitch- this is the time to include it in your résumé. 3) Skill Sets Think like an employer and understand what ‘applicant tracking system’ or ‘keyword scanning software’ means. Then take the time to carefully research the skills necessary to do the job for which you are applying, and don’t rely only on the job description. Sometimes, the person who wrote that overview doesn’t quite understand the job themselves, so you’ll need to do some digging on similar positions. Eventually, you’ll start to see a pattern of keywords, and you know you’ve struck gold. 4) Notable Achievements I am amazed at how many times that I see where people list awards or things that make them stand out in their field at the very end of the résumé. Obviously, they are at a loss of where exactly this information belongs, and reserve it to the end. Now why would you do that? The first 1/3 of your résumé is going to be your ticket to the interview, and you absolutely should state anything that distinguishes you. Things like awards, speaking engagements, being published or interviewed in an industry publication, or holding a patent… those are points you want to include near the top of the document. Don’t have any? No sweat… but if you do, this is where you want to include them so they stand out, instead of appearing as an afterthought. 5) Showcase Your Work Accomplishments Cutting and pasting your job duties under each employment record = FAIL. This isn’t good enough, especially in todays highly competitive job marketplace. Prospective employers are reading through this section to figure out what you did for the other company so they can make a guess of what you might do for them. Think action and result- this will tell the story of how you are able to do those job duties and how you performed doing them. 6) Design Be careful about adding too many different font types, and for Pete’s sake, don’t include a photo or color elements in your résumé. Font size should be between 10-12 point, and white space is critical to breaking up the sections and letting the reader move on to a new area. Keeping these factors in mind can greatly improve your chances to making it to the next screening level and make you stand out, so you can shine in the interview.

Hallie Recommends Ever Wonder and inspirational question of the week - Hallie Crawford

Hallie Recommends Ever Wonder and inspirational question of the week Happy Tuesday! This week its a question instead of a quote. I have this cool book of compelling questions called Ever Wonder. I highly recommend it for inspiration and for jarring you out of your typical way of thinking. We all need to shake things up from time to time! What difference does it make if the thing youre scared of is real or not? Think about this-it really doesnt make a difference. If youre scared, and so much so that you dont move forward or take a risk, it doesnt matter if its real. Youre stuck and not moving either way. This week think about this: What are you afraid of and is it all in your head? Fears and disempowering beliefs are two of the big obstacles I work on with clients. I talk about this extensively in my Finding a Career that FITS Teleclass (click here to listen to an MP3 recording of that class.) These hold people back from pursuing their dreams or making a change in their career path. Once my clients learn how to overcome these, their world starts opening up. Its inspirational to witness and I love being a part of that process for them. If you feel stuck and need help getting out of the rut, get in touch. Im here to help, Hallie finding a new job