Minggu, 29 Agustus 2010

Effective Time Management - Five Tips For Employees

When I asked managers and supervisors what they believed to be an area where they and their employees struggled the most, I received consistent feedback that time management was a key area of concern. Indeed, the lack of good time management skills at work can take its toll not only on job performance, but on several aspects of one's life, from work to family to health to any social life outside of work. To be effective managers and employees, we need to find ways to improve time management on an individual basis so we can do our jobs as we should (and still have a life). Below are five tips to point you in the right direction

1. Organize, organize, and organize!
Make a list. Use a PDA. Hire an assistant. Everyone has their own style of organization, which is fine, as long as you use whatever method works best for you on a regular basis. You may choose to make a list on a pad of paper you check things off of and add items to at the end of each day. Or maybe you use your blackberry or other PDA to review and keep important tasks listed. Another option, if permitted, is to hire an assistant to help you. It takes a bit of time to get organized initially, but if kept up with on a consistent basis, it's well worth it in the long run. On the contrary, when you're not organized, it can often seem like nothing gets done or things fall through the cracks because you're so busy and don't have a good focus on what needs to be done and when.

2. Prioritize.
Once you have a method of organization, you can then focus on prioritizing your day and week. Be clear on the significance of what you're doing each day and what is most important.

3. Manage expectations.
Okay. So it's not always easy to say no to your boss. However, it's important for your own sanity to learn to manage expectations. If someone comes in 5 minutes before a meeting, then ask them if you can touch base with them at another time that works for them as you have another commitment to keep. Or, if you're asked to complete a task for someone and it was needed 'yesterday' in their mind (we've all been there) but you have another big project due in the morning, learn to say, 'OK. I have a big project to complete by the morning, but I can work on this tomorrow afternoon and have it to you by noon the next day.' At the end of the day, coworkers should respect the fact that you honor your commitments to others, as well (including yourself). Remember, every time you are saying 'yes' to something, you are saying 'no' to something else. No matter what, things will always be there the next day.

4. Delegate.
It's sometimes hard for managers to delegate tasks to their employees for various reasons. For one, they often think it would take too much time to train someone. However, if they took the time to train their employees properly on certain tasks and projects, it could pay off ten fold. It might take some time in the beginning, but would free up time for them to do other important tasks in the long run. For any employee, considering hiring someone to help with various tasks outside of work, like housecleaning and running errands, so you have time to focus on your family and/or social life when you get out of work.

5. Block out time for projects, returning phone calls and email.
Look at your calendar daily and weekly and determine what day and time you can block out to focus on projects that require little or no distraction. Also, it's good to focus on responding to email and voicemail at certain times throughout the day. You can get a lot more done in a day when you're not continuously responding and reacting to emails and phone calls.

Time management is not something that's learned over night. It takes time. There are several resources available, so find one that fits with your style and personality. It will pay off in the long run!

Maurisa Westbury 


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Career Tips

Your career choice Should suits your abilities, skills, ambitions and ideals, which determines your success of life.

You should identify your Assets and Aspirations;Recognizing Your Assets helps you to understand yourself & ensures you to make full use of your assets.

1. Your knowledge: you should know about subjects or course have you studied & your qualifications

2. Your skills: What you can do very well & what you can't do

3.Your experience: Experience about your jobs / roles performed

4. Your interests: Your likes/ dislikes & hobbies /interests

5. Your resources: Who (or what organization) is prepared to help you? Either financially or overall

6. Focusing on Your Aspirations: Once you know your starting point, you should think through your ambitions and what you want to achieve with your life. A great way of doing this is to set goals.

This section on Personal Goal Setting helps you to think through what you want to achieve with your life in important areas such as your career, your family, artistic or sporting goals and public service.

If the major focus of your life is to spend a lot of time with your family, then you must recognize that this will limit the time and effort you can dedicate to your career. If you want to focus exclusively on your career, then you must understand and manage the consequences.

Bear in mind that your priorities will probably change over time - many people focus completely on their careers in their twenties as they make a place for themselves in the world. In their thirties, they may take more of a family focus. Other things may become important later on - this is a normal part of life.



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How to Become a Rapper - 5 Rap Career Tips

If you want to know how to become a rapper, then read this now. You will discover rap career tips on how to make money as an independent hip hop artist.

Secret #1: Commit to learn music and business

It's not enough to know how to rap to become a successful rapper. That's because there are too many rappers everywhere. To stand out, you need to know how to promote yourself to make money in the rap industry. Even if you get signed with a big record label, that doesn't mean anything because a lot of these companies hire and fire rappers on a consistent basis.

So don't just depend on your music skills. Also don't depend all your financial security on a record label. At the end of the day, you can only depend on yourself to succeed in the rap business. That's the true secret on how to become a rapper.

Secret #2: Create YouTube Videos

Here's a big secret on how to become a rapper that most emcees don't know. Create your own YouTube video channel. This will boost your rap career. Many hip hop artists do not take advantage of the internet's power. You don't want to be like every other rapper who doesn't do a thing. Instead, you want to create your own YouTube channel and post a whole bunch of videos of you and your every day life.

Don't just create videos about you promoting yourself. Instead, submit videos of you hanging out with your friends, enjoying your hobbies, and doing a freestyle battle against another emcee. Having different types of videos will make others be more connected to you and thus end up liking you more. The more people like you, the more they will end up buying your music in the future.

Secret #3: Create a Blog

A blog is a powerful way to connect with your fans. This is a great way to make your fans feel like they actually know you in person. The more you are connected to your fans, the more they end up supporting you and buying your music.

A blog is basically like an online journal where you post your thoughts and what happened in your day. Don't write in a boring and formal way. Instead, add your own personality in your blog. Express yourself like you express in your raps. This will help you seem more like a real person to your fans and they will love you for that.

Secret #4: Sell your music online

It's getting much easier to sell your music on the internet. You don't even need to have your own website even though I do recommend you to have one. But you just basically need to have your songs in mp3 format. Then you can go to Amazon CreateSpace music store.

Secret #5: Keep taking action

Don't worry about perfection. Instead, focus on progression. Many rap artists think they have to have the perfect song before they sell it. That is not true. Just get it done and start selling. So take this lesson to heart and whatever you do in the hip hop business, always keep taking action.


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Career Advice - Six Proven Job Tips For Career Success

Achieving career success is not an exact process. Nevertheless, there are common sense rules that winners follow to achieve their career goals.

Here are six of those real-world career guidelines that are critical to developing and executing a successful career path.

1. Job Tip: Do not hire anyone you can't fire, unless you are under the harshest kind of pressure you can resist.

When you hire a new employee, hopes are high that the relationship will work out to everyone's benefit, even if it's a shotgun wedding. However, the wise manager will take care to avoid a position where he can't dismiss that person if things don't work out.

This means resisting situations where employment is based on any reason other than the needs of the company and the particular worth and "fit" of the person being recruited.

When possible run for cover when you are being pressured by a friend to hire his friend. Especially try to duck the bullet when the "do hire" message comes on a personal basis from the boss.

In the real world there may be no escaping. If that is the case, protect yourself from the start. Have a clear understanding with all concerned of the basis on which you are acting. Insist that everyone understands that so long as you are held responsible for the results of your department you have the absolute right to hire and fire. You should insist on being let off the hook if that right is denied.

Be sure to document the performance of the offspring of the shotgun wedding. You need facts, whether he or she is a raging success or a total disaster.

2. Job Tip: The only reality in any organization is individual perceptions of the information that is available. Therefore, "reality" is what those in power say it is. Learn to live with it.

3. Job Tip: The very attributes that make for a successful career - independence of thought, ambition, assertiveness - go against the culture of organizations.

4. Job Tip: The organization will never be a perfect universe.
Organizations are no better or worse than the people who inhabit them. The organization will do things of which you do not approve; it will make mistakes.

So, don't enter the organization with a missionary zeal to purify the structure, its purposes and those who make it up. Focus your attention on making your best efforts to move yourself toward your goals and those of the organization.

If, after time, you find that you cannot achieve these objectives, you have two choices. Compromise your standards or leave. That is the way it is.

5. Job Tip: Don't expect your comrades to support you to the bitter end if you are in serious conflict with the organization.

If you and your associates are in a knock-down-drag-out squabble with the organization, be very cautious if your associates say, "We'll hold your coat, Charlie; you go fight 'em." Or the corollary to that, "If you get fired, Charlie, we will leave with you."

That all sounds fine in the heat of the moment. But if it comes to actual conflict, most people shy away and begin thinking more about job security and house payments than they do loyalty to the cause you once shared.

6. Job Tip: Most people are waiting for something to happen. For one reason or another, the majority of people spend most of their careers waiting for the spark to light. They want someone to come along and tell them what to do. They want to wake up some morning motivated to achieve success.

On the other hand, a few people are impatient. They are chomping at the bit to shape their world. They win big or lose big in the process, but they get to choose the game and set the stakes. Meanwhile, those who wait for career success are dancing to someone else's music.

In the final analysis career success is a matter of individual choice.


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6 Career Tips You Must Know

Although there are more occupational choices today than previous decades, economy has remained unstable and tumultuous. As we contemplate increasing career uncertainties, job jumping, work stress and dissatisfaction have become all too common. So how does a new graduate succeed? How do you get that job where the environment is favorable, the career is promising and the money is good.

Here are six tips to help you win at the business world's game. Gain transferable skills such as interpersonal and communication skills, time management and leadership. When you're not sure where your career is going, you can be sure that soft skills are needed along the way. Managers are increasingly searching for these in candidates because training can be given for technical skills.

Market yourself. In the business world, the one that you'll be promoting most is you. Learn to capitalize on your skills, stress your achievements, and be a corporate professional. Set-up beneficial relationships: Business networking is an invaluable tool to gain information, increase visibility and make all the right connections. Find mentors that you admire and connect with at a career level.

Get people to say "YES". It's not a fluffy world out there - people always want to know what's in it for them. By letting both parties win, your approach to negotiation will not only build relationships but also get what you want.

Stay motivated despite difficult circumstances: The wisdom of the day is: don't let your environment determine you because you can choose your response to the environment.

Frustrating moments will come, but a positive outlook can strengthen emotional Intelligence. Be aggressive about your career growth. Remember, it is your responsibility to direct your career. Be ready to identify new opportunities and focus on the long run. If you feel like these steps are not worth the effort, just remember how much time you'll be working in the business world.

Roughly one tenth of your life is spent making someone else rich. Isn't it only fair to create a satisfying work experience? Plus another great tip is always take things day by day and have a few short term goals rather then a couple big ones. Break them down into months and weeks rather then years. You'll find that this way you will always be on your toes and will actually be getting stuff 'done'.

Once you find that job where the people are great, the money is good and its work that you actually enjoy, then my friend you got a great thing going. Keep at it, work your way up and reach for the top. You know what they say, aim for the sky so if you fall, you'll land with the stars.

Jenna Forthright 


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Top Career Tips - A Must Read For Everyone

Most of us are stuck in unrewarding and unsuitable jobs due to one thing - lack of information regarding career options available. A job as medical practitioner is one of the most coveted career options of our times. It is a highly rewarding career, not just financially, but emotionally too. But many of us fail to qualify for the profession for our apparent ignorance or indifference.

The Medical Council of India has promulgated some quality standards, which needs to be met, in order to qualify for medical practice. The members of the council keep a constant watch on the activities of medical colleges of India and evaluate the certificates awarded by foreign colleges to those who want to work in India as a medicine doctor.

Likewise, there are approved parameters for other career options too. The career as a Chef, a Pilot, a Software Engineer, a Government Officer or any other jobs can be rewarding only if you have an inclination towards it and work diligently to meet the requirements.

Our industrial revolution has thrown up many interesting career options. Blogs and other informative sites can be of optimum benefit to anyone looking for interesting and rewarding careers. Useful career tips inform the students about examination dates, commencement of classes, educational and physical qualifications required, how the entrance exam should be tackled etc. They can even advise potential students on which institutes are legitimate and which are not.

Information regarding prominent universities and colleges, the careers options they offer etc can also be found in career related blogs. These sites are very useful in making the student arrive at a correct decision without any outside influence. The sites are good sources of evaluative information which help people to find out the best careers in consonance with his or her interest, personality etc.


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Tips to Starting a Small Business

Before starting a business it is wise to take the time to plan. A business plan is the most important document you will compose and it should be well thought out. Your plan may change over time, but the basics will keep you on the right track to making your business a success. You may have the passion to start a business and that passion and vision are only a part of what it takes.

1. Write a business plan that addresses your resources, capital needs, marketing plan, budget and how to differentiate you firm from others.

2. Do a competitive analysis. Where are the competitors? Are you better and what is the value proposition that makes you faster, cheaper or state of the art?

3. When businesses fail they fail in part because of a lack of planning. Run scenarios and use different assumptions on sales and expenses to ensure you have staying power

4. Use a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats ) to help you assess the business strategy and its pitfalls.

5. Do a PEST analysis to stay abreast of how or what the Political, Economic, Social and Technological environments can affect your business. Example: Is there a local ordinance or law that you have to comply with? Do you understand all the regulations regarding your business such as sales tax, business license, and how your firm's ownership structure can impact your compliance with taxes?

6. Remember you are not alone...seek an experienced and certified coach to help you unlock your potential, be a sounding board to your ideas, and keep a positive perspective.

Key Pointe Coaching works with companies to unlock the potential of their greatest asset, their employees. We offer coaching to all management and executive levels as well as leadership training courses.

Candice Shehorn


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30 Top Career Tips

Here are our top 30 career tips to help you to be more effective in your job, work or career.

1. Consider all parts of your life when you change your career, e.g. work/life balance, salary, career progression.

2. Have a career plan. Do you know where you want to be in 1, 5 or 10 years time?

3. On a scale of 1-10, how happy are you with work right now? What would make it a 10? How will you get there?

4. What three things are annoying you in your job? Write them down. What can you do to reduce their effect on you?

5. What three things do you enjoy about your job? How can you make these even better?

6. If you want to change your career, first find out about other opportunities in your organisation.

7. Understand what your strengths are. Then make sure these are recognised and work to these strengths.

8. When was the last time you did a SWOT analysis on yourself? Take 10 minutes now to list these.

9. Want to change your career? What are your transferrable skills and strengths? What job or industry inspires you?

10. Never stop learning.

11. To future-proof your career, keep up to date with technology. What skills do you need for your job and in the future?

12. CV stands for Curriculum Vitae, which means Life List. Your CV should sell your unique skills but not tell your life story!

13. Create a personal profile for your CV to outline your main achievements, skills and abilities to make recruiters read on.

14. Create a record of your achievements and successes, as well as your professional development plans for your future.

15. Listen to your colleagues, boss, and peers. You can learn a lot from their experience and knowledge.

16. Want to learn something new, but feel stuck in your job? Ask for extra responsibilities or a new project.

17. Develop your perfect pitch. Who are you and what do you do? How do you convince someone to hire you?

18. Join a professional organisation to meet potential contacts or organisations, & attend interesting presentations.

19. Build and maintain professional networks both in and outside of your organisation.

20. People make a first impression of you within the first few minutes of meeting you. Tips - eye contact, firm handshake, smile!

21. Embrace the change going on around you. See each change as a new opportunity to grow, learn and develop.

22. If you want to make changes in your job, stop moaning or worrying and take action. What's the worst or best that can happen?

23. Who do you want to meet to get ahead in your career? What can you do today to do this?

24. Do you want a pay rise or promotion? Ask yourself what you have done to deserve this. If you have enough reasons, just go for it!

25. Go on a complaints diet. Avoid negativity, office politics and unhelpful comments.

26. When someone asks 'how are you?' instead of saying 'fine', 'not bad' or 'OK', say something more positive instead.

27. Be a coach at work. Ask great questions, listen attentively and help others to succeed.

28. Ask for feedback from your colleagues, managers and peers and work on their tips.

29. Learn from others, observe their skills, talents and abilities.

30. Become a mentor for others and share your own knowledge and learning.

Copyright Karen Williams 2010. All Rights Reserved.


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Spell Success for Your Life With Easy Feng Shui Career Tips

The main aspects of a person's life are health, wealth, personal relationships and career. Although catering to different sides of a person's personality, the four have an interconnectivity that regulates our life. Among all the career section is the most difficult to manage, as it depends not only among us but also on other individuals who may not even be aware of our existence. A job, for instance, will depend on the interviewer, you in turn will not even know about you, till the time you actually show up for the interview. Feng Shui career tips can help you in influencing these uncontrollable factors through the perfect balance of energy, vibes and elements. A little guidance can then help you sort out your career and life with the maximum ease.

A person's birth date can help to calculate the ruling number for his life, which is known as the kua. According to this number you will be able to determine the lucky and unlucky directions for you, which in turn will be related to the various aspects of your life. If you want to apply Feng Shui career tips, then it is important for you to know your success or sheng chi direction. Once that has been determined, it is advisable to sleep with your head pointed towards that direction to achieve overall success. You can also make better business decisions if you sit facing a direction that is favorable for you. Feng Shui career tips can also help in activating positive energies around you that will help you better deal with office politics, back stabbing by colleagues and the recognition for your hard work.

Some of us may go through our work life, feeling that we never achieve results to do justice to our efforts. A certain blockage seems to be undoing our every move and in this scenario, Feng Shui career advice can greatly benefit the individual. The water element is considered to be good to activate career luck. Under Feng shui tips, one could keep a water body like an aquarium or a fountain towards the northern part of his home or office. The aquarium can contain either goldfish or a terrapin turtle to activate his career luck. The more active the fish or the turtle the better will it be for one's career and job. However, before activating such luck, it is advisable to reconsider the fact whether you are ready to deal with such excess of energy.

Feng Shui career tips make use of simple rearrangement of furniture or objects around our living space, to enable the energy or chi to move around freely. Colors and elements that can be enhanced or reduced from certain corners of a room can work wonders in activating our career luck. Feng Shui is also a practice that emphasizes on the visual aspect of any object. If an object looks good, chances are that it will be good for you. Therefore, use pictures or colors that make you feel good about yourself and use the right tips to give you a successful career.

Amit Bhalla 


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Freelance Bid Jobs - Tips on Getting Your Bid Selected

These tips will help you stand out against the competition by showcasing your experience, efficiency, confidence, and ability.

State that You Have Experience with that Type of Work

With the plethora of freelancers out there, employers are looking for those who offer not only competitive rates, but also experience. Stating your experience shows that you know what you're doing because you've done it before. It also shows that previous employers have paid you to do that type of work, which prospective employers take seriously. However, be careful not to overstate your abilities. This will most likely just lead to disappointment on the part of your employer, as well as you being overwhelmed by taking on a task you're not ready for.

Reassure the Employer that You Can Do the Work Quickly and Easily

Obviously, employers are looking to get a job done. Stating your experience helps show that you are able to get the job done, but it's important to let them know you are also able to get the job done in an efficient and timely manner. Tell them when you can have it done. Try to make that date as soon as possible, while also being realistic about how long it may take you. In other words, give yourself a tiny bit of cushion to make sure your goal is achievable, but try to get it done quickly.

Be Confident

Don't try to get a job by telling an employer how desperate you are for this job. Telling a sob story is not appealing at all. Even if you are in dire need of money, pretend you're not. That doesn't mean you act like the job doesn't matter. It just means you show you're confident in your skills as well as your ability to find work because of those skills. Even if you don't get this job, you will get another one because you're good at what you do.

Explain HOW You Will Do the Work (So They Know You Already Have a Plan)

This shows you're ready, prepared, and organized-something employers greatly value. Outlining a plan for getting the job done lets the employer know you're serious about their project and that you're capable of handling it. It also reiterates your confidence. Let them know how you plan to handle their project.

Bids can get very competitive, but stay confident and be patient. Your bid will get selected if you follow these tips.


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Give Yourself a Competitive Edge With Feng Shui Career Tips

Our career is the central point of our lives and although money cannot buy everything, however a successful career can definitely open up the path to achieving the big and small pleasures of life. All of us try to get that extra edge over competition in every area of our life, be it through enhancing our career skills, polishing our knowledge or through other means such as luck enhancing tactics. The ancient practice of Feng Shui is one such tool available to individuals through which they can enhance different aspects of their lives. This Chinese practice balances the various elements like wind, water, air and fire to achieve peace and harmony in the crucial areas of our life like career, health, wealth and ofcourse personal relationships. Among the most popular methods is the Feng Shui career luck enhancing tips.

You may face a certain phase in your life where nothing seems to work out for you in the career front, or perhaps you are not being able to achieve the level of success that you deserve. At times some negative energy blocks our career luck, preventing us from successfully moving ahead in life. At times we do many things and act in ways which work against the Feng Shui career tips, thereby negating all our positive efforts. The implementation of the right and effective Feng Shui career guidance is therefore crucial to open up and activate the career luck of an individual. An individual's career is ruled by particular direction according to his kua number and enhancing that corner will work wonders for his career.

Some Feng Shui career tips are general in nature and are beneficial for one and all. The water element is a strong force in activating career luck. The goldfish or terrapin turtle are popular choices for activating career luck. However, the direction in which you are placing the water body containing the fish or the turtle will play a crucial role in determining the positive effect on career luck. The Chinese coins are believed to be an auspicious tool in attracting wealth and luck. Place three coins tied together with a red ribbon in your wallet and you will see your wealth luck changing. The coins are also an auspicious symbol to be hung at the doorknob, facing the room. As the wealth and career factor are somewhat related, enhancing one also works in a complementary manner for the other.

Feng Shui career tips are very potent tools that can make a great change in your professional life. However, it is always advisable to implement any Feng Shui tips only after a consultation with an authentic professional. The elements need to be properly balanced in our living space to provide the best results. Wrongly implemented tips could very well play havoc and cause more harm than good. So implement Feng Shui career tips with care and see your life change for the better with the passage of time. Also let other tips and guidance enhance each aspect of your life successfully.

Amit Bhalla


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