Top 5 - Irritating office habits (and how to deal with them)

Top 5 - Irritating office habits (and how to deal with them) by Michael Cheary Anyone who’s spent time working in an office knows how important observing the right workplace etiquette can be.Unfortunately, however, a happy and harmonious environment can be all too easily compromised by the idiosyncrasies of others.To help you get to grips with some of your co-workers more aggravating attributes, here are our top five irritating office habits and how to deal with them1. ‘The Clutterer’Unless you’re one of the lucky few who has their own office (see also: cubicle), you will probably be sharing your workspace with at least one other person.And, if you have particular problems with sharing, this may be a challenge. Find yourself sitting next to someone who can’t keep paperwork to themselves and the challenge may be even greater.To combat the clutterer, try tidying their things for them or giving them some simple rules, reminding them to Keep It Tidy, or K.I.T (feel free to come up with your own acronym here). Because nothing says fun but fair like a barrage of gently persuasive post-it notes attached to everything they own.Remember: completely disregard if you work from home. Young children are less perceptive than you may think…2. ‘The Latecomer’You know the type. They turn up late every day for work without fail. No matter how far in advance the meeting’s scheduled, they always seem to arrive five minutes after it’s started. There’s always one in every office. And if you feel your office lacks a latecomer, the chances are it’s probably you.The best way to deal with tardiness is to pre-empt it. Schedule meetings half an hour, an hour, or even a day in advance. That way, the meeting slacker becomes the early bird. For more serious cases, set their computer’s clock ten minutes early, and they should even themselves out. Unless, of course, they wear a watch. In that case, you’re on your own.3. ‘The Desktop DJ’Depending on your role and your place of work, employees may be permitted to li sten to music as they go about their day. If you’re one of the lucky ones, music can increase your productivity, and positively affect your morale. That is of course, unless you sit next to the ‘Desktop DJ’, or in other words, a frustrated musician convinced that those noise cancelling headphones cancel the noise for everyone else.First of all, they don’t. Politely remind them to try and keep the volume at an acceptable level. And, if you’re not allowed to listen to music, courteously ask them to leave the boombox at home. Music can still be their life, just not between nine and five.4. ‘The phone f(r)iend’Nothing says workplace rudeness like an important business conversation being cut short by a colleague’s phone going off. Let’s get this straight, some phone calls need to be taken (we’re thinking partner going into labour/serious accident/a more important business conversation etc.). If a friend’s simply ringing to tell them what’s just happened on Home an d Away*, you’re well within your rights to say something.Similarly, it’s good business practice to keep your phone on silent.  A ringtone says a lot about a person. If their ringtone screams ‘I’m in my mid-thirties and I’m still into Justin Bieber’, it’s probably best to keep it on silent anyway.Because not everyone loves experimental Latin Jazz-Folk Fusion. And that’s ok…5. ‘The no-names policy’When people have been at a company for so long that they’re practically part of the furniture, it’s easy to forget about the little things. And politeness is not necessarily restricted to remembering your P’s and Q’s.For example, if there are new people starting in the office, even something as simple as remembering their names can go a long way. And, when it comes to e-mails, common courtesy would be to reply to it within 24 hours. That way you display perfect etiquette, and avoid any embarrassing moments around the watercooler/in the lift/other awkward social situations.If a co-worker does not follow these golden rules, feel free to say something. Alternatively, try fighting fire with fire. Call them the wrong name a few times (‘Are you sure it’s not Kevin?’) and stop forwarding them the funnies, they’ll soon get the message.Because Karma is a lot quicker if you do it yourself…Honourable mentions: The know-it-all, the inappropriate dresser, the sniffler, that annoying guy in accounts* (who we can’t quite put our finger on).*N.B. reed.co.uk would like to point out that we have absolutely nothing against Home and Away. Or accountants. Please share your office etiquette fails and frustrations* in the comments section below. Or, if you prefer, tweet them to @reedcouk.!More Top 5sFind a job What Where Search JobsSign up for more Career AdviceSign up for moreCareer Advice Please enter a valid email addressmessage hereBy clicking Submit you agree to the terms and conditions applicable to our service and acknowledge that your personal data will be used in accordance with our privacy policy and you will receive emails and communications about jobs and career related topics. Features

Resume Writing For a Sales Job at an Escalation Specialist

Resume Writing For a Sales Job at an Escalation SpecialistResume writing for a sales job at an escalation specialist requires the same standards and expectations as any other type of job. You need to make your resume stand out in the crowd and bring in the type of people who would be most interested in doing business with you. A recruiter will pay attention to every little detail of your resume, and this includes the style of resume you use.For a sales job at an escalation specialist, the very first thing that should be on your resume is your title. Your title could be Sales Manager, Sales Trainee, Sales Trainer, or something else. It doesn't really matter what your title is; all that matters is that you have a sales job. If your title does not state your role, it does not matter how long you've been working at the company; even if you've been there for ten years, your resume needs to highlight that fact.The second thing that should be on your resume is your success as a new leader a t the company. This should include your accomplishments in the past five years. This is important because this shows that you are not just some new hire, but that you've been given a major opportunity to make the company stronger.The third section of your resume should be for your leadership training program. Again, this should highlight the fact that you have a leadership role within the company and that you are taking the company in a new direction. This section should also show how you contributed to the growth of the company in the past.Fourth, include your team members. Team members can include your supervisors, team leaders, subordinates, and so on. While they may not all be important when discussing your sales history, they should all be listed and be clearly identified.Finally, you should have follow-up sections to your resume. For example, in your sales history section, include what you did to establish your reputation. What methods did you use to sell and persuade your cus tomers? A good example would be if you sold a door-to-door approach to your customers, then provide a letter of reference.And in your non-personal information section, list any certifications that you have, such as a certification in industrial manufacturing, or an industry trade school. You also need to include contact information for your boss. If you have letters of recommendation, these should be included as well.Resume writing for a sales job at an escalation specialist is just as important as writing resumes for any other job in the company. By following these simple guidelines, you will be able to create a highly effective resume that is sure to catch the eye of a recruiter.

Personal Branding TV Episode 6 - Entrepreneurship - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Personal Branding TV Episode 6 - Entrepreneurship - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career [youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=OrvtbLKIqhM] This week on Personal Branding TV I interview my uncle. Bill Schawbel is the founder and CEO of The Schawbel Corporation, a business he formed in 1981 through the acquisition of two divisions from The Gillette Company. Prior to founding The Schawbel Corporation, Bill Schawbel held senior management positions with The Gillette Company including President of Gillette-Japan and President of Braun North America. His marketing and management experience includes significant contributions to many of Gillette’s divisions within the U.S. and internationally with particular success in the areas of acquisitions and new business development. The topic of Entrepreneurship will be discussed from the viewpoint of one of the most successful entrepreneurs I know. For those of you who are new to this topic, you will learn how to get started, how to network and build business partnerships and the significance of philanthropy. In todays society and with the growth in social networking, the barriers to starting your own practice have decreased and with the rise of Personal Branding, everyone is the CEO of Me Inc.

Do Something That Builds You Up While Job Hunting - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Do Something That Builds You Up While Job Hunting - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career A couple years ago, I lost a dream job in a horrid way. Id spent years networking and branding myself for the opportunity and had just gotten it. Then, shortly after I started, the companys fortunes went downhill and my co-workers and I endured an agonizing, demoralizing few months until we were laid off. It was devastating. This was something Id dreamed about and worked incredibly hard for, and it was snatched out of my hands by forces beyond my control. Suddenly, I had to start my  job hunt all over again when I was already demoralized from working in a company that was racing downhill. A bunch of other friends of mine have been in similar situations in recent months. One also lost a hard-won job at a dream company because  her companys  business went downhill. Another, about to graduate with his MBA, had to jump back into job hunting after the start-up he was working at part-time reluctantly concluded that they couldnt  get the funding to bring him on full-time Finding yourself back on the market unexpectedly is really stressful and demoralizing.   But  when you lose a job, you have to get back out there right away.   No matter how much you want to, you simply cannot spend all your time curled up on your couch watching Greys Anatomy with an increasingly cuddle-resistant cat!  Nor surfing the internet or any other ways people cope. So off to networking events you go. Then, you fill out job applications, go on interviews and beg everyone you know for help. And when youre already feeling  down you hear No a lot.   And all the while, your nest egg is ticking towards empty.   The worst part of this is that  no matter how down you feel, you have to go into each interview and networking event with a smile and a positive attitude! Unsurprisingly,  unexpected job-hunting  feels really depressing. Which is why its so important to keep your personal branding going even when you have a job you like so if the worst happens, you  dont have to start from scratch. However, whether  or not youve kept up your personal branding, throwing yourself back into a job-hunt takes a lot out of you. So when you find yourself in that position, even if youre short on money, its absolutely essential to find a way to do activities  that make you feel good about yourself. For me, that was horseback riding. Even when I was carefully watching my money, I kept a partial lease on a horse at a nearby stable.  Regularily, I would head  over to the ranch, saddle up Jet and head out for a run on the trails.    I always came back feeling much better. Another friend of mine, embroiled in a tough job hunt, kept his spirits up by playing a sport hes incredible at, and traveling to regional tournaments around the US where he could compete at an elite level.     Hed get there the cheapest way possible, sleep on the floor of a friends house and do everything he could to keep his costs down, but hed still go.* For both of us, those activities  were essential parts of our job-hunting strategy. We were able to keep going to  networking events and keeping our spirits up for interviews because we consistantly had something that we did well at and that forced us to think positively for a while. And thats so essential because if you have to put your best self on display after a discouraging job loss you need to feel positive about yourself as well. So dont throw yourself into your job hunt and forget about everything else that makes you happy in life. Youll do better in your job-hunt if you get a regular emotional boost even if you have to be creative to figure out ways to make that thing you enjoy happen. *Incidentally, my friend  was offered a job he really wanted less than a week after he finished highly in a Nationals competition for his hobby. Perhaps a coincidence, but the effort he put into preparing for this  competition and then the resulting emotional high probably helped! Author: Katie Konrath  blogs about creativity, innovation and “ideas so fresh… they should be slapped” at  www.getfreshminds.com.   She works for leading innovation company,  Ideas To Go.

Resume Writing Services and LinkedIn

Resume Writing Services and LinkedInAs a professional writer, I can say that LinkedIn networking is the fastest growing platform in the job market today. Everyone is using it to grow their professional network and connecting with new prospects for jobs. With that said, what can we learn from hiring a professional resume writing service?First of all, professional resume writers have built up a portfolio of their own. In LinkedIn, you will see many people's profiles that are as important as your own. The entire reason why you are creating a profile on LinkedIn is to build a professional network. You want to get to know the people on LinkedIn.What if the people you are talking to don't seem interested in what you have to say? If they are not responding to your connections, you need to take note of it. There are some LinkedIn professionals that specialize in creating professional resumes.Some people are looking for skills to showcase. That is OK. You will be pleased to know that there ar e professional resume writing services that are ready to take your resume and make it one of a kind. What do you think? Do you want to have a resume that is unique?For example, let's say you are running your own business. Most people who start their own business just create a standard resume listing their qualifications. How would you like to be told that you have a unique resume?This is exactly what a professional resume writer can do. They can create a unique resume for you that is still relevant. For example, you can list the skills you have learned in college and what skills you have gained since graduating. That makes it more appealing to the people you are networking with.In addition, they can also customize your resume to reflect a marketable skill. Perhaps you have several years of experience as a programmer. They can match your skills to a job opening in their industry.Not only can you find resume writing services that can put together a personalized resume for you, but the y can also develop a cover letter and various other components of your resume to make them more effective. Then when you present these services, you will be able to present yourself to a potential employer in a way that shows you have what it takes to do the job.

Re-focusing- What is TRULY Important

Re-focusing- What is TRULY Important Dan Schawbel interviewed Lisa Earle McLeod who is a speaker and author specializing in humor business coaching and spirituality attainment.    The full interview! But in case you dont have timehere are some key points. We are being forced to re-evaluate and refocus. McLeod says: In today’s environment people are questioning everything. People who once thought they were secure and had a life plan are now finding themselves broke. Relationships that seemed stable are crumbling in the face of stress. Personally, I think the problem is much bigger than a financial crisis. I think we’re in a spiritual crisis that has caused a financial crisis, meaning that we are having a crisis of spirit. Relationships and giving back lead to happiness The secret of happiness is really simple, it’s two things : You need to be connected to the people around you, and to know that you’re part of something bigger than yourself. Be grateful, live in the moment and enjoy the special parts of your life Yes life is tough, but it is up to you to change how you look at the challenges. Find your happiness in your own back yard!   It is there!

Please help - I need a Danish title for my book - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Please help - I need a Danish title for my book - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Im busy reviewing the Danish translation of my book. Its a bit of a chore but the nice thing about it is that I get to read my own book in my native language for the first time a nice if somewhat surreal experience. I wrote the book in English in 2006 and its now been translated into Danish and will be published here in Denmark in April. So now I need a Danish title for the book because the Happy Hour metaphor does not really fly in Danish. Apparently, my brain lacks the particular area responsible for coming up with names for stuff, and you guys came through beautifully for me when I needed a title for my book in English, so please, let me hear any idea you may have! I need a title and a subtitle for the book, and Id like a title that grabs peoples attention and creates an immediate mental image or connection. Bob Sutton has a post on Sticky Book titles, including The 4-hour Workweek, Orbiting the Giant Hairball, Guns, Germs and Steel and of course his own excellent, excellent book The No Asshole Rule. Those titles all do just that. So any ideas for me? Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related