11 things you realise when you start working from home

11 things you realise when you start working from home by Amber Rolfe So working from home is officially the new normalTechnically, you’re still at work. The only differences are, your commute is infinitely shorter, your new colleagues are always meowing or asking for snacks, and video chat is the new face-to-face. OK, there are quite a few differences.    If you’ve found yourself suddenly working from home for the foreseeable future, here are 11 things you’ve probably realised:  1. Your furniture has a whole new use nowNo longer do you simply sit on your sofa and sleep in your bed. Your furniture has now transformed into something much better a desk/meeting room/bed/sofa/chair/eating station hybrid, with wings.*  How to make your home office setup work better for you2. You’ll be so grateful for that extra hour in bed  So long, awkwardly trying to sleep on the train. Unfortunately though, you’ll make up for it by not being able to sleep till 1am.3. You can’t function unless you’re surrounded by copious amounts of snacks  Sure, you told yourself you’d be healthier at home. But this Twix won’t eat itself.  4. You’ll get lonelier than you thought you wouldYour housemate. Your parents. That pigeon on the windowsill. They are now your targets…for friendship.  5. You’ll have night pyjamas and day pyjamas  Because who would work from home in jeans? A monster, that’s who.  6. You might actually miss the office  â€œI wonder what Sandra is doing right now. Is her cat OK? Who is making her cups of tea? Jeez I need to know. Better IM her.”7. You can’t work with the TV on  Just put on something boring for background noise, you said. It’ll be fine, you said. You were wrong. Turns out you can become addicted to anything. We’re talking about you, Homes Under the Hammer.  8. You’ll realise how much time you spend on your commute  And you’ll use it to work on all those important projects you’ve been meaning to start. Lol JK, you’ll spend it in bed.  9. You’ll actually save a lot of money  To your surprise, you didn’t actually need to spend £3 on a coffee every day (but you probably still want to).10. You’re never really sure what day it isRemember when you had a favourite day, and a least favourite day? That’s the old you. The new you sees all days equally. Mostly because you’re never sure which one it is.  11. You actually like routineYou’ll probably try a laissez faire approach at first; you don’t need no rules, you tell yourself. Time is a construct, you say. Then suddenly it’s 4pm and you’re scrambling to get everything done in an hour. How’s that routine looking now, champ?  Pretty. Damn. Good.  How to stay productive while working from homeStill searching for your perfect position? View all available jobs now.* Probably won’t have wings.  Find 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 cond itions 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. COVID-19 and work Features Flexible working Work from home jobs Work-life balance

The 7 Office Personalities Everyone Will Recognise

The 7 Office Personalities Everyone Will Recognise If you work in an office, youll understand that having a variety of characters and personalities around means your work is more creative and collaborative. It keeps things interesting and often means you get to see things from multiple perspectives. However, there a select group of personalities whose reputations precede them. They include the office gossip, the lazy one and the over-enthusiastic summer intern. Have you ever had experience of working with any of them? Make sure you tweet us and let us know which ones youve come in contact with! Here are some personalities you may recognise: 1) The bad-influence: Bad influencers can be found anywhere, but its especially bad if its at work! Eternally hungover, always encouraging you to have another pint at lunch; the bad-influence is a rule breaker, but somehow they never seem to get fired. How do they do it?! Characteristics: Always buying rounds of tequila for the team at quiet midweek drinks. Always late, always pulling sickies, but always loved by all the bosses. Often use their charisma to charm their way out of anything. 2) The over-committed colleague: The over-committed colleague is a great example for others. Always at work early, never having a proper lunch break and always the perfectionist the over-committed colleague knows how to get into the bosses good books. Characteristics: Always arrives first and leaves the office last Besties with their manager Always going the extra mile 3) The lazy-bones: This personality is EASY to identify. They usually put minimal effort into anything they do, which can get particularly annoying if youre working on a project with them. Characteristics: Always last to arrive and first to leave. Tries to get away with the least amount of work they can. Can typically be found at their desk perusing social media. 4) The way-too-happy colleague: Happiness is contagious, and in this case thats a terrible thing. Almost as bad as an infectious tropical disease. And like an infectious tropical disease, its recommended that you stay away from the source. Characteristics: Spin anything in a positive light. Always make you feel a little bit brighter. Totally unbearable anytime before 10am. 5) Mr-pointless-meeting: Mr-pointless-meeting loves organisation. Dont even bother asking them what they are having for lunch as theyll want to set a meeting time in order to discuss what theyre having for lunch. Characteristics: Love holding meetings. If you work with a Mr Pointless Meeting, you will often leave meetings wondering why on earth you just had a meeting. They look very intensely into your eyes as you speak. A bit too intensely. 6) The office gossip: The office gossip can often be found hovering around  their colleagues desks waiting to hear some juicy goss. Characteristics: Lives for the latest office scandal. Has the dirt on everyone and everything. Loves to be the centre of attention. 7) The over-enthusiastic summer intern: We all remember being there. Bright eyed, bushy tailed and super annoying! Characteristics: Would bend over backwards to impress the boss. Buy coffees for the team every single morning. Arrives for work an hour and a half early.

12 Tips for New Recruiters Tackling NEW Business Development

12 Tips for New Recruiters Tackling NEW Business Development Picking up the phone can be a daunting task for a newbie recruiter. Needless to say, itd be fairly harsh of an employer to task a rookie  with winning new clients before theyve even got a feel for their new role or market, but there is something to be said for throwing them in the deep end. Everyone has to start somewhere, right? New recruiters should be given the warmest introduction possible, so needless to say, a greta balance needs to be struck between careful coaching and letting them get a feel for things themselves. We recruited our panel of industry experts to offer their advice to new recruiters tackling new business development! Lisa Jones Network, network, network. Dont be afraid to call clients and ask them questions about their sector. Have a chat with them and THEM, not you. And do more with LinkedIn Groups share decent content and comment on others content to market yourself effectively. But in all cases spend as much time on the phone and with clients and candidates as possible. Oh! And remember their birthdays! Lisa Jones  is Director at Barclay Jones Bronwen Hann Be persistent, be persuasive, and never give up. Once you start having lots of conversations, you start having lots of leads. Pick up the phone and have as many conversations as possible. Find a way to make every one of those conversations valuable in one way or another. If you’re talking to a candidate who’s just left a job, find out what the job is. Work to get referrals. Have conversations about what people are seeing in the market â€" without expecting it to turn into a job order right away. You’ll build leads, but you’ll also build relationships and learn about the field you’re recruiting in, which is the best thing you can do for long-term success. Bronwen Hann is  President   Senior Partner at Argentus Supply Chain Recruiting David Morel Two tips â€" do your research on the client beforehand â€" look at their website, look at any past dealings your company has had with the client etc. The more information, you can draw upon in the conversation, the more credible you will sound.  Secondly, don’t be too salesy. There is nothing a client hates more than a hardcore sales call. Finesse your approach. David Morel  is CEO Founder of Tiger Recruitment Billy Smith Don’t cold call for the sake of hitting call volume targets. Conversations are so important in our industry and will help recruiters learn key market intelligence enabling them to build their desks quicker instead of having random pointless conversations because of KPI’s. Take time to ask about the client and understand their business challenges before trying to pitch services. Only with key market knowledge can recruiters create a specialism within their industry. Billy Smith  is Managing Director at FGS Recruitment Iain Hamilton Cold calling only pisses off potential clients! It can be successful, but tends to attract clients who are desperate or who will show little commitment. Before you lift the phone or send an email, think, what value can I add? What information can I give away, for free, that they will appreciate? As Jeffery Gitomer says people do not like being sold to, but they love to buy and thanks to Rob Malec we know the idea is to sell more, by selling less. If you have to cold call then you are not spending enough time marketing. Read Joe Pullizis Epic Content Marketing for some epic ideas. Iain Hamilton is Founder of People Traction Adam Glassman In much the same way as companies are creating their employer brands, you too should be creating YOUR own brand. Why do you do what you do? What’s your passion, and where’s your niche? What is your methodology to recruiting and where is your proficiency? Use data in many of these points and tell the story of who you are as a recruiter. You’ll start to separate yourself from the pack in this way. Adam Glassman is Recruitment Strategies Manager at Alorica Lysha Holmes RESEARCH. Spend time finding out WHO you are going to call and give yourself a good REASON why you are calling them, not just have you got any jobs- talk about their business wins, latest awards/products/services, recent hires, similarities in your background. Above all, be genuine and friendly. Engage with the other human at the end of the phone and LISTEN to what they have to say. Maybe it wont be a win TODAY but if you handle it properly, it could be a win for tomorrow. Lysha Holmes  is Founder of Qui Recruitment Gill Buchanan Keep the focus on quality rather than quantity. Make sure you have something to speak about, whether it is an upcoming seminar, a reference or company news. Do a little bit every day, track everything you do, and always ensure you follow up as needed. Gill Buchanan  is Director at Pure Resourcing Solutions Chad MacRae Stop selling. Learn to build relationships, as slowly as it needs to take. Ask lots of questions, and listen. Stop trying to be the expert, stop trying to give advice. Just listen to what your prospects have to say, need and want. Chad MacRae is Founder of Recruiting Social James Nathan Do lots and lots and lots of it. Tackling cold calls and new business meetings can be really nerve racking for new recruiters, and the only way to get good at them is to do lots of them, analyse everything you do and say, and try to be better the next time. Watch, listen and learn from the more experienced and successful people around you. Try out their ways of doing things, and take away what works for you. But most importantly try to enjoy them, take your job seriously, never take yourself too seriously. James Nathan  is  Founder of The James Nathan Experience Caroline Stokes Don’t look at new business development as new business development. Look at business development as life long relationship management and learn, learn and learn. From understanding, comes growth. Caroline Stokes  is Founder of FORWARD Dualta Doherty Stop sending generic inmails. Recruiters need to invest in learning how to specifically tailor their approach on line to niche skill types such as developers. Dualta Doherty  is Founder of Pro Recruitment Solutions

Make Your Resume Stand Out Using Marketing Strategies - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Make Your Resume Stand Out Using Marketing Strategies - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Few would doubt the importance of a resume in the job process. It is the first chance you have to convince an employer you’re the person for the job. According to a report in the George Washington University Office of Career Services, job seekers compete with 75 to 100 other candidates for every job opening. Your resume needs to show you have the skills and experience for the job, but also it needs to stand out from all the resumes listing similar skills and experiences. So it’s always a surprise to me when people treat their resume like a laundry list of accomplishments instead of what it really is, a marketing piece. To stand out in the crowd, use the same strategies that successful marketers do to reach their market. Know what you have to offer Odds are you know what skills and experience you have that make you a good candidate for a job, but that isn’t all you have to offer. The resume is where you market yourself as a brand, including what you stand for, what you’re known for, what sets you apart from your competitors and your value to the employer. Deliver your brand through a resume by crafting a statement that illustrates your professional identity, work style and ethic, and the value you bring to the workplace. For example, my background is in social work, so my statement might look like: “Passionate, empowering family social worker with drive and patience to help families identify negative patterns, determine relationships goals, and make a plan to build a strong, healthy family.” Know your market Many job titles can be found in a variety of settings and industries, but that doesn’t mean you can send the same generic resume to every employer. Showing your knowledge of the clients or customers, products or services, and industry language of each potential employer will improve your chances of getting an interview. Using the social work example, my education makes me eligible to work in schools, health clinics, and social services. But while these agencies need social workers, the social work conducted in each setting is slightly, if not drastically, different. Applying to a school social work position, I’d want to demonstrate my understanding of what school social workers do and how school systems work. But working at a health clinic, my chances of getting hired improve if I show my knowledge of public health, poverty and social issues that impact health. Same job title social worker but different skill sets, services, language and knowledge base. Speak to your market Recommended resume length is one to two pages, which means you have to convey a great deal of information in very little space. As a result, many resumes ask that the employer to make assumptions about how the candidate’s skills and experience will fit the job. But it doesn’t take much to create a resume that shows you’re exactly what the employer is looking for simply by incorporating what you’ve learned about your market. Using the social work example, if I was applying to a job as adoption social worker, instead of saying I know how to write psycho-social histories, I’d say I know how to write home studies, which is what the background reports are called in adoption. Connecting your skills, experience, and knowledge of the company to the requirements of the job, you’ll appear to be the person the employer is looking for. Showcasing your skills and experience is the goal of a resume, but using the strategies businesses use to market, including conveying your brand and speaking directly to your market, you can leap frog your resume to the top of pile giving you a better chance of earning an interview. Author: Leslie Truex  is a career design expert who has been helping people find or create work that fits their lifestyle goals since 1998 through her  website Work-At-Home Success. She is the author of “The Work-At-Home Success Bible” and “Jobs Online: How To Find a Get Hired to a Work-At-Home Job”. She speaks regularly on career-related topics including telecommuting and home business.

How to overcome anxiety and be great at group work - Debut

How to overcome anxiety and be great at group work - Debut This post was written by an external contributor.  Zahra Clembintson talks us through the steps you can take if you have anxiety and are faced with a group project. Group projects can be a complete nightmare. With the potential for so many things to go wrong, from group members refusing to do their share of the work, to tyrant-like group leaders, as well as the sheer difficulty of coordinating multiple people’s schedules, it’s little wonder that so many people hate doing group work. But for people with anxiety, group work can be even more daunting. However, if you do have anxiety, there are things you can do to make group work less stressful, which will allow you to smash that assignment! Tell someone Being open about having anxiety may not appeal to some people. You may fear being ridiculed, not believed or being treated differently. Whilst you should never feel as if you have to disclose your anxiety to anyone, being open about it is likely to make completing your group work much easier in the long run. Who you tell about your anxiety is entirely up to you; if you feel able to tell your whole group, great, but telling only the group leader or a trusted course mate is also fine. If you don’t feel as if you can tell anyone in your group, try speaking to a tutor who you feel you can trust. They’ll be able to let your group leader know about how your anxiety may affect your work, or intervene if things become tricky for you. Making someone involved in your group work aware of your anxiety will mean that people are more likely to understand why you may be a bit quiet in group discussions, feel uncomfortable giving a presentation to your class or be unable to make a group meeting if you’re having a bad anxiety day. Use your strengths Are you an amazing writer? A computer geek? Great at doing research? Brilliant! You can use your strengths to make group work a less anxiety-triggering experience. Offer to take care of tasks which will show off your talents. For example if you like writing, you could take charge of putting together a report, or if you’re a whizz with technology, making snazzy presentations may be the thing for you. If you’re responsible for a part of the group work which utilises your skills, you’re more likely to produce good quality work and maybe even enjoy yourself! This will benefit the entire group and of course your overall grade! Harness the power of technology Technology can be a brilliant way of navigating many of the issues you may have completing group work whilst having anxiety. Apps like Facebook Messenger and Whatsapp are great for when you need to communicate with other group members at times when talking in person or over the phone may feel too overwhelming. Platforms like Google Docs and Asana are brilliant ways of carrying out collaborative work without having to physically be in the same room as each other, perfect for times when being in busy, public places such as the library or a café may be too much for you. The benefits of using such platforms aren’t limited to just those with anxiety, so you’ll probably find by encouraging the rest of your group to use them, you’ll make carrying out the work a less anxiety-provoking experience for everyone! Focus on you This may sound counter-intuitive as advice for being successful at group work, but hear me out. Although team-working and combined effort are undoubtedly core aspects of group work, at the end of the day, it’s your individual effort that will matter the most when it comes to getting it done. So when working on a group assignment, try not to focus too much on what other people may (or may not) be doing and instead concentrate on doing the very best piece of work that you can do. If you do this, you can feel reassured that once your group work has been submitted, you made every effort to make the assignment a success. Hopefully these tips will give you the confidence to now go and ace a group assignment, even if you’re struggling with anxiety. Good luck! Connect with Debut on  Facebook,  Twitter,  and  LinkedIn  for more careers insights. (Image:  AP Photo/CBS, Monty Brinton)

7 Success Factors for Working Mothers

7 Success Factors for Working Mothers “How do you make it work when you're a working mother with big career aspirations?” This is a question I was asked by a woman who’s going to have her first baby in a few months. For 18 out of my 24 years in a corporate career, I was a working mother. Our three wonderful daughters, born within 6 years of each other, were all under the age of 10 during the “driving years” in my career on the path to becoming COO for Morgan Stanley Europe. Having three children and being a working parent while driving an ambitious career path was definitely challenging at times, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way. With the luxury of hindsight, here are 7 Success Factors that I found worked well for me over my 24-year corporate career. Most of them I learned the hard way, which involved lots of trial and error! And they apply whether you're an experienced mother, a first-time mother, a working parent, or just starting to consider having children. I truly hope they serve you well and help you avoid some of the struggles I had at times. 7 Success Factors for Working Mothers 1. Marry Well I know by the time you're having children you've likely already found your partner, so I don't mean that you need to find somebody different. What I mean by “marry well” is making sure you've done everything you can to cultivate a supportive partner. And to be a supportive partner yourself too. Supportive partners respect your desire to have your career, encourage you in your career goals, and take on their fair share at home. You’ll have enough headwinds at work, so you need someone squarely in your corner on the home front. Frankly, the single most important thing in my career success was and still is having a super supportive husband. Supportive partners respect your desire to have your career, encourage you in your career goals, and take on their fair share at home. Since people who are “practically perfect in every way” (to quote Mary Poppins!) don’t exist in real life, we have to do the next best thing, which is to work toward being the best version of ourselves. Cultivating a supportive partner begins by having conversations and discussions on a regular basis. And there’ll be times you need to negotiate for what you need at home just as much as you need to negotiate at work. This applies to household tasks (like who does the laundry, takes out the garbage, pays the bills, makes travel plans, etc.) as well as childcare coverage (school runs, emergency coverage, attending school events, etc.). Reaching a mutual understanding of what “good” looks like on the home front is a good place to start. Which brings us to success factor #2. 2. Get Clear on What Good Looks Like The second success factor is you need to get clear on what “good” looks like. This is not about shooting for “perfect” or being “the best”. Sure, you want to do your best under the circumstances. But rather than trying to be the best employee ever or the best mother in the world, get in touch with what “good” looks like for each of your roles. For example, what does it mean to you to be a good parent, a good partner, and a good professional at the office? Once you've identified what “good” looks like for each of the roles you play, you can start to set some boundaries and priorities. This can be really freeing. Make sure you write down these criteria so you can come back to them when you need some perspective. 3. Set Up Your Systems & Processes at Work and at Home Success factor number three is to set up your systems and processes both at work and at home. The most important one in my experience is to set up your childcare situation. If you don't have peace of mind with the safety of your child, then you're not going to be able to concentrate at work. Beyond childcare, there are also other ongoing responsibilities to consider, like housekeeping, meals, commuting, and so forth. Then there’s the unexpected: How are you going to handle different emergencies that come up? Are you staffed appropriately at home and in your office team? When it comes to making decisions about what to outsource versus do yourself, keep in mind that as a working mother, you have very little time to spare. On the other hand, you are making money. So, to give yourself peace of mind that your family is taken care of, I’ve found it’s worth it to invest money in making sure things in the household are taken care of. I call this “throwing money at the problem”. As my mother reminded me, the period of time when you need childcare is finite. If the money you make can buy you time and peace of mind, go ahead and do it. This will make it easier for you to be your best self for your children and for yourself at work. 4. Stop Judging Yourself The next success factor is to stop judging yourself. It’s so easy for high achievers to be hard on themselves but resist the urge. From personal experience, judging myself usually means I haven’t lived up to my (unrealistic) expectations. This often leads to a dark place laden with self-doubt, guilt and frustration. As a working mother, you’re way too busy for that! And when others judge you, stop allowing it to affect you. While that’s easier said than done, a great first step is to start recognizing when you feel judged by others. When you notice that feeling of being judged, you can choose what you want to do about it. For me, it was when family members, colleagues and well-meaning friends would give me unsolicited advice. Back in those days, I was so defensive that even helpful advice landed as a criticism. Eventually, I figured out that it was just a piece of advice or feedback and not something that I had to wrestle to the ground or argue about. And like any feedback situation, the single best strategy is to say, “thank you” and leave it at that. The technique that worked best for me was to smile, nod and listen. Then say, “thank you so much”. After all, they cared enough to take the time to share their views, right? How to handle unsolicited advice: Smile, nod and listen. Then say, “thank you so much”. Then you can go home and take whatever bits sound helpful and throw out the rest. Remember, you have permission to disregard all their advice and do whatever you think is the right thing to do. It’s your life, not theirs. And most of the time, there’s no one right answer. 5. Communicate Your Aspirations and Ambitions The fifth success factor is to communicate, especially at work, because when people don't know what you're thinking and don't know what you want or need, they start making assumptions about you. For example, it would be a real possibility that an uninformed boss might assume, “she’s a new mother and won’t want to take an overnight trip because she has children”. When, in reality, that overnight trip could be for a crucial client meeting that you really want to be at, but you don’t hear about it until it’s too late. So, make sure you're sharing what your aspirations and ambitions are, and what you are willing or not willing to do, with the people that need to know. Share your aspirations and ambitions, and what you are willing or not willing to do, with the people that need to know. 6. Be Ruthless with Your Time Number six is to be ruthless with your time. After all, time is the only thing you can't get back. For me, every day after work I wanted to get home to my family. So being ruthless with my time meant that I made some decisions about things I was and wasn't going to do. For example, I never went out for drinks with the work gang to bond with my colleagues after work. I’m not a big drinker and that was prime time for seeing my husband and kids. Instead, I created other opportunities to do team bonding by going to lunch or having coffee meet ups. Don’t be afraid to get creative with other bonding opportunities. Maybe for you, being ruthless with your time is about meetings. It could be that you decide, “I'm not going to any meetings unless there's an agenda and it's clear that I personally have to be there.” So, figure out what you do and don't want to do with your time and then be absolutely ruthless about it. If you have an assistant, you can take this a step further and get him or her to help you protect your time on your calendar. Figure out what you do and don't want to do with your time. Then be absolutely ruthless about it. 7. Just Keep Going Finally, the seventh success factor is to just keep going. Yes, you're going to have challenges. Yes, there will be bumps in the road. And sometimes in the morning you may even have to have your partner prop you up and push you out the door… just like my husband did for me. But years later, I'm so glad I kept going because I did have the career I wanted. And it has given me a lifetime of insights, learnings and practical strategies to share with others and help them succeed. You want to live with no regrets. And that's one of the reasons you must keep going in whatever direction you decide is right for you. So, keep your career and family goals in mind as you make your choices. There’s No One “Right Way” In the end, remember there is no single right way to make it work. It's so personal and you need to make sure it's tailored to you. There is no single right way to make it work as a working parent. It's so personal and you need to make sure it's tailored to you. So, I invite you to take these 7 Success Factors as guidelines or guidepost examples and then figure out how it will work for you. Which of these 7 Success Factors is a strength for you? And which one will you work on? And if you have other success factors that you'd like to share, leave a comment below and let me know.

How to Choose the Best Resume Writing Service in Chicago Military Industry

How to Choose the Best Resume Writing Service in Chicago Military IndustryThe fact that you are looking for the best resume writing service in Chicago military industry should not be a problem. You will find the best one, however there are a few things that you need to know before hiring a company.First, before you select a company, make sure that it has a clear objective. For example, is it hiring those who have previous military experience, or those who are just seeking employment? If it is the former, your best bet is to look at the companies that specialize in hiring people with prior military experience.Second, ensure that the company can actually turn your work into an actual resume. It is one thing to send in a resume, but it is another to get it turned into a professional looking resume. Also, make sure that the resume you are sending out is relevant to the job you are seeking. Make sure that your resume includes all of the information that you require in the resume.Third, ma ke sure that the resume is easy to read. If you are not used to reading resumes, this might not be the best place to start. Also, make sure that the font size is not too big or too small. You will want to make sure that you do not have any typos in your resume.Finally, make sure that you do not submit more than one resume at a time. Make sure that you are submitting just one resume, which you will then send out to different companies. If you are going to send out more than one resume, you may find yourself needing to update the information in the resume each time.Here is a final note on how to choose the best resume writing service in Chicago military industry. This tip is something that is often overlooked, but it is very important. It is also something that is often overlooked because of all of the competition out there. Make sure that you focus on choosing the best company that you are going to get the job from.This tip does not mean that you do not want to hire the best resume w riting service in Chicago military industry, it simply means that you want to make sure that you choose the company that you feel most comfortable with. After all, it is your resume and you deserve the very best.