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?