Time for a Change?

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With the New Year comes resolutions, goals, and other thoughts of change--including change of the job variety. So, if you have decide to transition careers with in the new few months or years, where do you start? This Forbes article offers some advice on tackling this huge feat.

Have you ever changed careers? What was your secret to success?

Tools for the Job Hunt In 2012

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While job search engines, job boards, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn can be great job search tools, are there others that you are not aware of. You could be missing out on opportunities you were not aware of! This article by U.S. News outlines four other job search tools that you can begin using today.

What tools have you used for your past or recent job search? What do/don't you recommend?

Learning in Demand Job Skills

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In today's market you have to continually reinvent yourself in order to stay relevant. Technology changes quickly and if you are not up-to-speed, you could get left behind. This article, from Brazen will show you how to obtain and maintain relevant skills necessary for today's competitive job market.


What are you doing to stay current?

New Year, New Desk!

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This time of year, in addition to making resolutions, it is a great time to declutter and get reorganized. Both personally and professionally, one of the best places to start can be our desks.  Since our desk can be the central location of in our home and office it is important to set it up so that we can be most efficient.


Here are some great tips from WiseBread to get you started. What are your tips for keeping your desk in top order?

How to Reduce Clutter in 5 Minutes

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Aside from setting resolutions that are related to health, fitness, and our career many of us set intentions to get more organized. But when it comes down to it, many people feel overwhelmed and don't know where to begin--so they just give up. Since organization can be crucial to implementing and succeeding with other goals and resolutions, arguably it may be the most important.


Getting things organized. does not have to be a task that take hours on end. You can accomplish a lot in little bit of time. Here is a quick outline of some tips to get you more organized and reduce clutter in just 5 minutes.

1. Grab your supplies. You will need a timer, a folder and three bags/boxes. The folder is for any important documents and or receipts that need to be saved and or scanned. One box is for giveaways, one is for recycling, one is for those items you just cannot part with (yet) but know you are not using, and the last one is for items that need to be transported to another room.
2. Set your timer. Block everything else out for the next 5 minutes and focus solely on your work. This is easy, since you know you will only be working on this for 5 minutes. When you know you will be spending hours doing something, it is often much harder to focus.
3. GO! Begin sorting items into the receptive folder/boxes/bags.
4. Stop. Once the timer beeps, stop and reassess. If necessary, go for one more 5 minute round (or two if you have a big mess!).
5. Take action. Sit down with your boxes and take the next step. If the giveaway box is full, tape it up and walk it out to your car to drop-ff at Goodwill or another charity. If the giveaway box still has room, save it to use when you clean another room/area. Take the recycling box to the appropriate bin/area. The box containing items you know you don't need but cannot yet part with, seal with tape and set aside in a closet or attic for 30 days. Put an expiration date on the outside of the box and calendar that date. If you don't open that box within that 30 day time period to retrieve something (assuming it is not just a keepsake), then recycle, giveaway or throw away the items in the box at the end of the 30 day deadline.
6. File it. Put away any documents that are in your "to file" folder. Bonus points if you scan any receipts or documents that you do not need to keep the original. If you do not yet have storage space for scanned documents, consider a Gmail account or use Dropbox. Either way make sure you either have a third party account or be sure to back-up the documents on your computer, in case of a crash.
7. Prevent. The best way to reduce clutter is to prevent it in the first place. Try to only handle something once, meaning if you retrieve your mail, don't just stack it on your desk and let it pile up, take action!  Quickly sort through the items, scan what you need to keep, shred any junk mail containing personal information, and set your bills in your "to pay" stack. Anything remaining can go straight to the recycling bin. By dealing with the mail immediately, you are preventing a need to declutter in the future.
8. Check-in weekly. Rather than waiting to Spring Clean,, why not check in every week. Are there books you know longer use hanging out on the bookshelf? Turn them in a a used bookstore and get something new to read. Are there clothes hanging in your closet that no longer fit you or you don't feel  put together when you wear them? Put them in the box to go to Goodwill or consign them for some new-to-you outfits.

By taking small actions you can make a BIG impact in achieve goals in the New Year. How do you plan to organize your life this year? What item is on the top of your list?

Can Creativity Get You the Job?

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While technical job skills are a must for the position that you are seeking, how does creativity play a role? According to this Wall Street Journal article, creativity, flexibility and adaptability maybe the key to landing a job in this economy.

5 Ways to a Healthier, More Efficient New Year

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With the New Year quickly approaching, many of us decide to make a list of resolutions to work on in the coming weeks. Often times, we abandon most of them before January even comes to a close. So why not pick a few that are easy to incorporate into your work day? Try one of these (or all 5) to make 2012 a great year at work. These 5 things can make a BIG difference in your work day.

1. Take a walk. Sitting for long periods of time can not only cause aches and it pains but believe it or not, it can be energy draining. Commit to getting up every hour or so, even if it is just for a quick stroll around the office. If you have the time, try to find a reason to walk to another department (hand-deliver a reports, get some face time with other employees, grab some water). For even more bonus points, when weather and time permits use part of your lunch time to take a walk outside. You don't even have to break a sweat (but even more bonus points if you can!) to get the mental benefits of having a change of scenery and the physical benefits of being outdoors.
2. Drink one additional glass of water. If you don't already drink water, now is the perfect time to start. There really is no better beverage. No added chemicals, preservatives or sugar. If you already drink H20, adding one more glass will be a good thing since most of us do not quite get enough. Plus, it gives you and excuse to go to the break room and squeeze in #1. Drinking enough water can naturally support energy levels, as well as keep you from snacking when you are not really hungry.
3. Eat a nutritious afternoon snack. If you are really hungry, try not to head to the vending machine for a snack filled with preservatives, sugar and most likely filled with saturated fat. Your afternoon snack (if you need one), can be the perfect opportunity to get an extra serving of fruit of vegetables in your diet, while giving you a natural energy boost.
4. Pick your most challenging task for the day and do it first. Usually, we put the most challenging item on our to-do list for the day off at least until late morning once we have had the time to sort of "wake-up" and settle into our day. But consider doing that item first. Not only will it get that item off your list but you will most likely be motivated to knock a few other things off your list, too. Plus, when 5:00 p.m rolls around, you will not be scrambling to finish that task before you can leave the office.
5. Set a timer. Get your stopwatch (or clock or iPhone app) ready and set it for 5, 10 or 15 minutes and work on only one thing for that period of time. Of course, if you have to answer the phone and it is urgent, that is fine but don't answer a call or email unless must be prioritized over what you are currently doing. Multitasking can be great in a lot of situations but when you need to get something done quickly, often times working on only that task will allow you to check the "completed" box sooner.

Making just a few small changes over the course of your day can really add up in the long run.

What are your work resolutions for 2012?

7 Things Highly Effective People Do

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This time of year we often start to think about the New Year and those resolutions that often go with them. In some form or fashion, people usually have time management or productivity on their list to tackle.


So what are the "secrets" of highly effective people. This article from Inc.com outlines 7 skills you can begin implementing immediately.


What are you planning on doing to be more productive in the coming year?

Reverse Mentoring in the Workplace

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Typically, we think of the workplace mentoring model as one where the senior employees guide the newer hires through the ropes. However, the model seems to be changing.


This Wall Street Journal article highlights the reverse trend where younger employees are mentoring the more seasoned veterans on topics such as technology and social media.


What do you think of this trend? Does your workplace have any sort of mentoring programs in place. Or is it more of an informal approach? Have you mentored some one or ever been a mentee?

10 Feng Shui Ways To Make Office Life Better

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An organized office can be one of the most effective time management tools. There is almost nothing more distracting than a messy desk stacked with files and paperwork.  When an office is orderly and things can be found quickly, you can focus on the project at hand. You can find a few tips on how to easily Feng Shui, here.

What is Your Company's Stance on Social Media in the Workplace?

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Sure, your company may have its on presence on social media with a Facebook book page, Twitter handle or You Tube channel but do you know their stance on the use of social media outlets at work?

According to this article, many companies block the use of social media sites on their computers, even during break time. However, with the explosion in popularity of Smartphones and employee most likely still logs in to some sort of social media app during the workday anyway.

What are your thoughts on social media in the workplace? Do you think they create more connections or provide unnecessary distractions?

Weekend Wrap-Up November 12, 2011

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Did you miss any of our posts this week? If so, catch up here:


Monday-How Your Resume is Reviewed in 15 Seconds
Wednesday-How Virtual Workers Can Collaborate and Stay Connected
Friday-Happy Veteran's Day

Veteran's Day

Suntsone Staffing would like to take a moment this Veteran's Day to say THANK YOU to all those who have served and are currently our Country.

How Virtual Workers Can Collaborate And Stay Connected

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Teleworking either full or part-time is becoming more and more a part of the typical workforce landscape. While it opens up many opportunities it can also create challenges when collaborating with co-workers.

What can you do to stay better connected? Try these tips to create a better long distance working relationship.

How Your Resume Is Reviewed In 15 Seconds

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Believe it or not, you only have about 15 seconds to impress a recruiter with your resume. Only 15 seconds?  That is not much time at all, is it? But that is all you have--like it or now.


Recruiters are very busy with many jobs to fill, many candidates to research and even more resumes to sort through. That limits the amount of time they have to initially scan your resume.  Sure, eventually the "ones" that make it past the first round will be reviewed more thoroughly, at some point. But if your resume is not picked-up initially, then there is no second round for it to be considered.


What can you do to clean up your resume to make sure the right things shine, when it is being quickly scanned?  View these tips from reCareed.com to see what you can change now, that make get you a call back!

Is Your To-Do List Too Long?

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It is Monday and the weekly tasks are beginning to pile up. The more on your to-do list the better, right? Or could it be causing you to be less productive?


Read this article, here to see how your mile long task list may be hindering you what you can do about it.


How do you tackle your to-do list?

Successful Starts: Five Tips for Kicking Off Your New Job - Simply Hired Blog

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Starting a new job can be exciting and terrifying at the same time. You want to make sure to leave a good impression from Day 1. So what can you to to ensure things go well on your first week and beyond?

Here are five great tips for getting started off on the right foot at your new job.

What a Job Seeker’s Twitter Bio Should – and Shouldn’t – Look Like

Now that social media is an integral part of your professional image, it is important to portray yourself in a way that could land you the job. Even on Twitter. 

You would never want your bio to turn people away. So what can you do to make your bio really stand out.  Try these tips and log into your Twitter account now and a few quick changes that will make a BIG difference.

Discover Your Unique Talent

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Knowing your strengths and (weaknesses) is an integral part of your personal and professional development. But do you know what your unique talent is?  Find our how to pinpoint it, here.

Weekend Wrap-Up October 1, 2011

Photo credit: Manosphoto

Did you miss any of our posts this week? If so, catch up here:

Monday--4 Killer Dropbox Tricks
Tuesday--5 Ways to Ruin a Resume
Wednesday--7 Tips for Surviving and Thriving at Networking Events
Thursday--The Next Big Thing on Your Resume
Friday--How to Redeem a Disastrous Job Interview