10 Office Snacks That Can Keep You Motivated

10 Office Snacks That Can Keep You Motivated The infamous  mid-afternoon energy lull effects even the best of us. A study has shown that the least productive time of day is 2.55pm (which ironically is when cat video views boom!) and lethargy and tiredness creeps in. This is the time you need to get up from your desk, move your feet, grab a drink, and more importantly eat some brain food! So what are the best things to eat when you encounter this dip in motivation? Read my  list of top 10 office snacks that can get you back in the zone to  take full advantage of your last few hours at work: 1) A banana: Ahh, the old classic office snack, the banana. The banana is 100 calories of goodness, and perfect for getting your through the afternoon. Bananas are a very good source of vitamin B6 and a good source of manganese, vitamin C, potassium, dietary fiber, potassium, biotin, and copper. Why WOULDNT you eat a banana? 2) Almonds: As well as being darn  delicious,  almonds  are equally as nutritious!  Almonds can actually reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease, and they can lower your cholesterol. Almonds  are packed full of Vitamin E, which  is proven to boost brain power and can even prevent Alzheimers. They are also the perfect snack to keep at your desk as they cant go bad or go stale. 3) Carrots and hummus: This one takes a bit of preparation, but is definitely worth it! Carrot and hummus is a healthy snack that will tide you over until hometime, or it could even be a part of a balanced lunch!  Carrots will leave you feeling refreshed and the hummus is protein rich so will keep you fuller for longer. 4) A cheesestring: As well as being an incredibly fun, handheld snack, cheesestrings are crammed full of calcium and protein. Cheese also contains an amino acid called tyrosine, which is actually proven to make us feel happier! Wooohoo for cheesestrings! 5) Biscuits: Its all well and good eating healthy food in the office, but sometimes biscuits are the only answer. Keep a biscuit tin full of your favourite sweet snacks and have one when you need a pick-me-up. Dont eat them all at once though! 6) Yogurts: Im sure youve all heard about the benefits of eating yogurts from the dancing ladies on TV adverts, but ill tell you all once more! Yogurt is packed full of protein and calcium and includes nutrients such as vitamin B-2, vitamin B-12, potassium and magnesium to name a few. Its an easy snack to keep in the office fridge and snack on when youre peckish. Just dont forget your spoon! 7) Dried strawberries: If youve never tried dried strawberries before, you are missing out!  When buying dried fruit, make sure you check the ingredients as sometimes unnecessary ingredients are added for taste. Dried strawberries are particularly nice, and perfect for those with a sweet tooth! 8)  Seaweed: This is definitely more of an unusual choice but is becoming more and more popular with the health conscious. Snack packs of dried seaweed are  now widely available in supermarkets and grocery stores. They are high in fibre and protein and a whole packet is usually only about 25 calories! 9) Fruit and nut bars: If youre looking for a mid  afternoon pick-me-up, fruit and nut bars are a great option!  There are so many options to choose from when buying your bars but, but why no make your own?  This way you can add all your favourite things but still monitor the ingredients that go into your bars. You can find two great healthy fruit and nut bar recipes  here and here. 10)  Blueberries: Its official, blueberries  = brain food! Why not keep some blueberries on hand to ease your  hunger? Its scientifically proven that blueberries can improve your memory and keeping it stronger for longer.  Some researchers have even claimed that eating blueberries can even reverse some age-related memory loss. Get yourself  some blueberries, pronto! Have you got any other office snacks youd recommend to others? If you do, make sure you let us know!

Is Resume Writing Services Necessary?

Is Resume Writing Services Necessary?The vast majority of employers do not go out of their way to look for resume writing services and if they do they may be a tad overzealous. However, you may also be one of the few that seek them out to make sure that you do not get stuck with a poorly formatted resume. But just how can a resume be too important to overlook?The truth is that when a potential employer reads your resume it will more than likely tell them the most about you than you can ever hope to accomplish with words on paper. In fact, you should consider giving your resume a little exercise by putting it through some manual edits or copy editing in order to find any typographical errors that could bring down the morale of your prospective employer. It is a good idea to do this because without these little alterations the impression you are trying to make on an employer may be harmed.You should also find out what your current employer thinks of your resume. In many cases the proce ss of finding out how well it actually performed may take a little work. However, it is worth doing if it helps ensure that your resume looks as good as possible.In addition to talking to people in your organization you should also think about whether it would be an excellent idea to hire resume writing services to take care of all of the formatting that needs to be done for you. As you will be able to see there are a lot of things that go into writing a good resume. It is not something that you can accomplish yourself.There are certain aspects of the resume that you need to look at carefully if you want it to be truly professional. For example, while most people prefer to see a cover letter attached to the resume it is the resume that truly conveys what they want to read. When you do not use a proper format for the resume this message is likely to be conveyed with less power.Resume writing services are well known for their skill in presenting a resume in the manner that will best c ommunicate your message to a prospective employer. They know how to ensure that the resume is done properly. This is especially important for job applicants who do not have the time or expertise to take care of the job personally.Even if you hire such a service to write your resume, there is no guarantee that it will work out for you. What most people do not realize is that even the best resumes do not always end up working out. A good resume will usually work until the right job comes along. However, if the company that is advertising your resume does not actually have a vacancy then you will still be limited in your options.You need to make sure that your resume is handled professionally by a professional resume writing service. If you are getting a copy edited at a cost then you should know that you should not pay too much. Paying a small fee for quality editing is the way to go. In fact, the fees that are charged by professionals can sometimes be much lower than those charged by amateurs.

Personal Branding Interview Richard Thaler - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Personal Branding Interview Richard Thaler - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Today, I spoke with Richard Thaler, who  is a professor at the Graduate School of Business at the University of Chicago.   He also authored the bestselling book Nudge.   Richard talks about what a nudge is, an example of a nudge, how they can help us make better business decisions and how technology fits in the picture. What do you mean by nudge, and why do people sometimes need to be nudged? A nudge is some small feature in the choice environment that attracts our attention and alters our behavior, for good or evil. People sometimes need to be nudged because they are human and so sometimes find the world too complicated or too tempting.  A nudge can just be a gentle helping hand. Can you describe a nudge that is now being used successfully? In the 401(k) world I have helped develop a program called Save More Tomorrow. Workers sign up for the program that automatically increases their contributions to the 401k plan every time they get a raise.  The program is available in many companies, and is very popular with the employees who want to save more but never get around to it.  With what has happened to all our 401(k) balances we need more than ever to start saving more. In our work lives, what ways can we employ nudges to help us make better decisions? Are there any that have worked especially well for you? One trick I adopted early in my career was to accept obligations to give a  paper at an upcoming conference in order to make sure that I would get the  paper done.  Since I am absent minded, I also try to arrange meetings at  times that I expect to be in my office anyway, so if I forget, no harm done! Are people too focused on technological fixes instead of changing behavior? The best solutions combine technology with behavior modification.  So, thermostats that allow you to alter the temperature during the day are useless if people never figure out how to use the thing.  We need to make technology more user friendly.  In the book we talk about one experiment that installed something called an Ambient Orb in peoples homes.  This was essentially a light bulb that glows brightly when the home is using a lot of energy.  Equipping homes with this simple devise but energy use in peak periods by 40%. How does a nudge and Homer Simpson go together? Homer Simpson is a great (though exaggerated) example of the human failings we all share.  A great example we use in the book is this:  Homer was mad at someone and wanted to buy a gun to get revenge.  At the gun store he was told that there was a 48 hour waiting period to get a gun (a good nudge!). When Homer heard this he said, 48 hours!  But Im mad now! Richard Thaler  is the  Ralph and Dorothy Keller Distinguished Service Professor of Economics and Behavioral Science  at the  Graduate  School  of Business,  University  of  Chicago, and Director of the GSBs Center for Decision Research.   Richard is the coauthor of Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness.  He is also Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research where he co-directs the Behavioral Economics Project (with Robert Shiller).      Thaler is considered by many to be the inventor of the field of behavioral economics, which integrated psychological research with economic theory.

Graceful Rejections

Graceful Rejections One complaint I consistently hear from jobseekers is how brutal the application process can be. Candidates often put in hours of research and editing time to make sure their resume is targeted to the position. Most online application systems are slow and complex to navigate. And after all that effort, most companies don’t even acknowledge receiving the application. After you have applied, finding a human to follow up with is almost impossible; recruiters let most calls go to voicemail and almost never return calls except to the candidate of choice. “It feels like you’ve sent your resume into a cold and empty black hole,” one applicant told me. There must be a better way. Here are my suggestions to companies who care how they’re perceived by the talent they’re trying to attract. Embed from Getty Imageswindow.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'oOMut1NMQDp0OTd2eZ_NHg',sig:'W8oHGPjZ0FDiJGDDg-hV7Is6GKOLZ2-kY932e4drjIE=',w:'337px',h:'507px',items:'184885763',caption: false ,tld:'com',is360: false })}); First, acknowledge receipt of the application. Most online tracking systems allow you to automate an acknowledgement email. If you’re with a smaller company, you can send a simple message that lets the applicant know you’ve received his resume and what the next step is. If you have a closing date for the position, you can save a step and send a “thanks but no thanks” acknowledgment. “Thank you for your interest in the position. We had a number of qualified candidates apply; at this time, your experience is not the best match for our needs. We encourage you to look into jobs at ABC Company in the future.” If you’ve actually interviewed the candidate, a phone call is the best way to let them know the outcome. Leave a warm message that thanks them for their time and shows that you view them as human beings with feelings. “Hi Mark, this is Kate from ABC Company. I wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed meeting you and learning about your experience. We chose another candidate for this opening, but I encourage you to apply if another customer service position is posted.” If the candidate has gone through a long process or has been one of the finalists, you should try to speak to him or her personally. You may even let them know what the defining factor in your choice was (I know, I know â€" scary thought for litigation-averse HR managers.) “We really liked your approach to the sales cycle and your record of success, but we selected a candidate who had experience with a product line we’re trying to grow in this market. May I pass your resume on to other hiring managers who might be looking for someone with your skills?” Your offer to network on his  behalf will position you as a class act and take some of the sting out of coming in second. Sure, there will be candidates who don’t merit a personal investment, but a quick email takes very little time or effort. Treating good candidates well positions your company as a place that sees talent as an asset, not a necessary evil. You never know when you may have another open position, and you’d like your second choice to be open to the possibility of interviewing again. Other candidates may go on to get the certifications or experience you need, and they may look more attractive to you in a few months or years. I often tell jobseekers to pay close attention to how the company treats you during the recruiting and hiring process. As in a romantic relationship, both parties are on their best behavior, hoping to impress each other and perhaps, fall in  love. If you feel mistreated during this period, imagine how the company will treat you after you’re on the job a few months and the honeymoon is over. How a company treats candidates affects its current workforce as well. Employees hear the stories about callous treatment from people who have applied for jobs â€" sometimes at the encouragement of the employee herself. They watch how the company handles layoffs and other difficult business decisions, and they take note. It’s one of the reasons over 80 percent of workers have reported that they plan to look for a new job in the next year.   They know that how you treat anyone is a reflection of how you treat everyone.

Writing a Professional Resume - Tips and Tricks

Writing a Professional Resume - Tips and TricksWhen you are ready to get started in writing a professional resume, you need to be familiar with the words and phrases that make up your career. A great way to get started is to begin with the last job you held. You will be able to recall everything about that position, including dates, places, and responsibilities.Remember all of the experiences you had while working for the employer in your career. A great resume will show you how you contributed to the growth of the company or organization. In addition, they will help you remember those accomplishments in case you ever apply for another job. This is critical for a great resume and could mean the difference between getting an interview or not.Another tip when writing a professional resume is to use all the letters of the alphabet. This will help you quickly and easily connect your name with other words and phrases that are related to your name. For example, if you are running for Presi dent, you may wish to include a letter 'P' to show that you are also running for POTUS. Most companies have symbols, so using these as well can help you remember what your resume is all about.Writing a professional resume can be quite a challenge. The best way to begin is by writing down everything that you can think of related to your career. It may help to use a small notebook and take notes in your spare time.Once you have written down everything, find a piece of paper and write it out. Make sure you complete each section. Start from the top and work your way down. At the bottom of the page, write your name, the position you hold, and the department that you will be applying for. This will help you remember where you should start and what you should do on the rest of the page.If you are taking the time to write your career choice down, then you are more likely to stick with it. Look at the free sample resumes that are available online. Choose one or two and look through it to see what you like and what you don't. If you like the layout of the page, but you don't like the information, just delete it and go back to your scrapbook.After you have decided what information you want to include, copy and paste your resume into the resume software. Look over the software and make sure that everything is correct. If it is not, you can simply erase the missing or incorrect information and make any necessary changes.Writing a professional resume is not difficult if you take the time to organize and take notes on your free time. Most people are very lazy when it comes to writing a resume, so they put it off until the last minute. Take advantage of these last minute 'opportunities' and make sure that you are prepared for your interview.

8 Ways Job Seekers Can Leverage Social Media During the Holidays - CareerEnlightenment.com

Share Seasons Greetings and Industry InformationAccording to the Career Advisory Boards Job Preparedness Indicator research, 70 percent of job seekers and 60 percent of hiring managers believe that being able to use social media effectively on the job is an essential skill for employees today. During the holidays, hone this skill by exchanging a mix of seasons greetings and useful information in industry-specific social forums, and by using online contact as a jumping off point to warm, in-person interactions. Alex Levit,  Career Advisory BoardClean Up Your Online Presence For Future Job OpportunitiesExcluding seasonal employment, most employers are not focused on building their staff once the holiday season starts. Job seekers should focus their efforts during this time on improving the quality of the materials employers are likely to see such as Facebook pages and LinkedIn accounts. Make sure everything that might be Googled will present you positively. Edward F. Harold,  Fisher P hillipsIncrease your Net Worth by Increasing Your NetworkA very well networked man once told me, Your network equals your net worth. Owning a staffing firm, I have found this to be very accurate. Networking is one of the best ways to find a new position, as 80 percent of jobs are found through word of mouth. I recommend connecting with an individual within 24 hours after meeting them at a party via one of your primary social media accounts. This shows enthusiasm and good follow-up skills. Your social media accounts will keep you connected to them even after the holidays are over! Jennifer Hill,  JHills Staffing Services

Summary Sunday Manage Your Online Reputation

Summary Sunday Manage Your Online Reputation Isnt it time you put more time and effort into managing your online reputation? Reason #1, employers are looking for you online. Reason #2, you want to attract the right opportunities   This weeks roundup contains articles to help you build and refine your online visibility so that it is the best representation of you! Using LinkedIn is one way to build a reputation of excellence, but dont overlook About.me. And to stay on the market, dont forget about managing your online reputation even after youve landed a job. LINKEDIN 4 Keys to Scoring Amazing LinkedIn Recommendations by Jenny Foss | The Muse Make it easy for someone to write a recommendation for you! Get tips on how to ask and what to say! PS: If you want to WRITE a recommendation for someone, LinkedIn seems to have hidden this option (for now). One way to do it is to go to your recommendations page. Heres LinkedIns answer:  Navigate to the Manage Recommendations page. Click the Give recommendations tab at the top of the page. Search for a connection to recommend by typing their name in the text box under Who do you want to recommend? Follow the prompts to write the recommendation. Click Send. Usually, you can find HELP for any of your LinkedIn questions by searching LinkedIns HELP page here. 10 Ways to Communicate with Your LinkedIn Connections by Bob McIntosh | Things Career Related Having a LinkedIn profile isnt enough. You need to use it. Here are 10 ways you can interact with people on LinkedIn. PERSONAL BRANDING 10 Steps to Create Your Best ABOUT.ME Page by  Melissa Brown | About.me Blog Want a super easy way to create a personal website (aka splash page)? About.me is simple and easy. Heres how to create one! Be A Brand, Not A Commodity by William Arruda | YouTube CAREER 5 Unique and Unexpected Places to Find a New Career Mentor by Levo League | YouTern Looking for a mentor? Or looking for a career? These tips work for both! Career Outlook 2017: Strategies for Navigating Today’s Job Market [Infographic] by The Execu-Search Group | YouTern by The Execu-Search Group