Ask Away Is It Ever Okay to Say #8216;No#8217; at Work

Ask Away Is It Ever Okay to Say 8216No8217 at Work Welcome toAsk AwayEvery Monday,we pose an employment-related question to a group of experts and share their answers. Have a question youd like to ask the experts?Leave it in the comments, and you might just see it in next weeksAsk Away This Weeks Question You have a job to do, and you answer to a boss but is it ever okay to say no at work? When, if ever, do you have the power to decline to do something a supervisor or colleague asks you to do? Are there ever instances when you should say no?I love when my employees say no to me. It means they are thinking for themselves, as opposed to just following an archaic method of top-down leadership.However, I do not expect to receive a no without an explanation. I want my workers to reason to think intelligently to transform ur company, Royce Leather, into something better than it is today.- Andrew Royc e BauerCEORoyce Leather1.) Say no when you cant do your job At your job, you probably have core things that youre responsible for (account management, customer support, etc.), but you also have other auxiliary responsibilities. When you a hit point when ansicht auxiliary things get in the way of your core duties, its time to refocus on whats important. Say no to things that cause you to lose focus or incorrectly prioritize2.) Say no when you dont understand the requirements Your colleague wants you to come for support to the next project meeting. If you dont know the goal of the meeting, or it isnt clear from the agenda how youll add value, skip it. Say no to requests that just arent thought out. Theyll only end up wasting time.- Sean HigginsCofounderilos VideosFirst, you must know what your job requirements are. If you are asked to do more, or asked to do the job of someone else, then you can say no. It is not about being rude it is about setting boundaries and valuing yourself. If you do not value yourself, than no one else will. At the end of the day, if you loose your job because you set a boundary and valued yourself, then why would you want to work for that company anyway?- Leo WillcocksAuthor, Consultantwww.leowillcocks.comToo many employees want to do a great job or impress their bosses. In doing so, they often say yes to requests from supervisors when they know they may not be the best for the job or have the time to complete it. This ends up leaving employees to fail at doing something they committed to, which can make them look unreliable in their supervisors eyes.Instead of saying yes when you dont feel confident, say, I would love to, but could I please get some assistance in this area where I am not quite the strongest? I really am excited to learn Youll be looked at positively and get the weg to learn something new.Instead of saying yes when you dont have the time, say, I have to get this done by a deadline first. Can the task wait, or does it t ake priority over these other things? Let the supervisor decide what is the best use of your time but make sure they know youd love to help.- Joshua RubinFounderCreative CaliforniaIt is absolutely okay to say no at work I believe a big part of being a professional is knowing your limitations. You should always know what the expectations of the job are and plan on being a team player. Sometimes youll be asked to do things that fall outside of your job description, and its important to say yes as much as you can. But, you need to know your limits, and this is when its okay to say no. Be graceful when saying no at work, and help your supervisor or coworkers understand what you have on your plate. Let them know youll be happy to help out when you have more bandwidth. A good workplace should respect your limits and more importantly, saying no can help an employee avoid burnout.- Heather NeisenHR ManagerTechnologyAdvice I believe that saying no is the trait of the most successful people in the world. Having the confidence to say no at the right times shows bosses that you have focus and confidence. Important qualities.Reasonable bosses would want you to say no if that extra work would compromise what youre working on at the moment, if it would cause excessive stress, or if it would lead to an unfavorable outcome.- Sandip SekhonCEO and FounderGoGetFunding.comThere are always circumstances when you should say no. What scares me is that so many employees let stupidity trump logic.Your company is not paying you to say yes. It is paying you to think. Im known for telling my teams, At least 25 percent of what Im going to suggest is completely wrong. Its our job to work together to figure out what that 25 percent is. If something feels stupid, it probably is. Lets talk about it. Either way, we both learn.- Karin HurtAuthor and CEOLets Grow LeadersIt is best not to agree to anything that could potentially cause your job performance and productivity to suffer. Even if yo ur boss tries to pressure you into taking the assignment, remain firm in your position and calmly let them know that your schedule is packed and that you are unable to take on extra work.If your boss insists, make sure you are fully aware of the details of what youre getting yourself into. For instance, higher-ups may not be particularly specific in their requests. In such cases, you can ask them how much time you will need to devote to complete the assignment. This way, instead of taking on more than you can handle, you can inform your bosses of any ongoing projects or preplanned arrangements so that they can help accommodate your needs.- Michael LanSenior Resume ConsultantResume Writer Direct In general the correct, answer at work is yes almost all the time, but here are the rare times that it is okay to say no1.) You are asked to take on the work of another coworker because they are lazy or disorganized and you have been picking up the slack for this part for quite some time. As long as your boss is aware of this issue, it is okay to say no to saving this person yet again.2.) When you are under the weather and approaching burnout because you have been putting in long hours. It is okay to say no as long as you also say its a no for now until you can get some proper rest. Setting healthy self-care boundaries for yourself is okay.3.) If you think the request is outside of your expertise and/or your comfort level you have to say no and let your bosses know that you always enjoy the excitement of working on new things, but this is not something that you feel is using your skills in the best way. Be sure to recommend something that you think would fit your skills.- Kathi ElsterExecutive Coach and Business StrategistK Squared Enterprises

Whos Who in the Hiring Process

Whos Who in the Hiring ProcessWhos Who in the Hiring ProcessWhen you are hunting for a new job it is important to recognize that on the hiring side of the table you will find people with diverse roles and pressures upon them. Each has a valuable contribution to make to the process, but when you step back and fulfill their various needs youll do much to advance your own objective of getting that new position.Hiring ManagersWhat they do These key decision makers recognize a need to be filled, define the expectations for the person who will fill it and ultimately judge candidates based on who will best contribute to their own success as managers.What you need to know The underlying needs of the hiring manager may not be expressed at all on a job description. Its only when you figure out what they are, and demonstrate how you can fulfill them better than anyone else that you will get the job offer.Human Resource Staffing ProfessionalsWhat they do Staffing is one of several specialty area s for human resources professionals. Companies with small HR departements may include these responsibilities as part of a more generalist role, while in larger companies this can be a sub-department of professionals devoted to this task solely. HR professionals partner with the hiring manager and are responsible for assuring that all relevant laws are followed and the process is sufficiently documented throughout.They serve as the face of the company, working with external recruiters and candidates. These professionals manage the entire workflow of the hiring process including writing and posting job descriptions, culling promising rsums, performing initial phone screenings and managing the whole interviewing process up to and including preparing and presenting a job offer.What you need to know They are most commonly judged by twin metrics time-to-hire and cost-per-hire. It is likely that they are conducting searches for multiple positions simultaneously, and they are incentivized t o make things go as quickly as possible despite the fact that job seekers frequently view them as roadblocks to work around. Because cost is always a factor, they will much prefer hiring someone who is referred by a current employee rather than paying the expensive fees recruiters charge. Hint It is always good to network your way into a company to get noticed. When treated with respect for the integrity that they bring to the hiring process, HR professionals can be great allies both for hiring managers and job seekers.External or Third-Party Contingency RecruitersWhat they do Search for candidates who most closely match the deliverables articulated by their corporate clients. Often they must compete against other companies who are simultaneously working on the same assignment, but they are only paid if and when a candidate they submit is hired.What you need to know Because their competition is fierce, recruiters have little time to waste on people who are irrelevant to their core s earch activities. They are about building relationships with people who can be useful to them now and in the future.Recruiters are often unwilling to tell you whom they work for lest you do a foolish end-run around them to speak with the client directly. Companies tend not to like such disloyalty in a candidate. If you do try to cut a recruiter out from his own search and you are found out, you will likely be scratched from consideration for this position and any others that the recruiter or company may have in the future.While you have a legitimate desire to control where your rsum goes, one of the trade-offs of working with a recruiter is that you might not know the personenname of their client until after your rsum is submitted.Believe it or not, the fees a company pays to recruiters dont come out of your salary. Just the opposite is true. Recruiters are in a position to know how much an employer really will be able to pay and will push toward the maximum. The higher your first-y ear salary, the greater an external recruiters commission will be.Executive or Retained RecruitersWhat they do Typically these recruiters focus on executive level or board member searches. They are commissioned as the sole representative of their client company to find and assemble a panel of top-tier talent. Retained recruiters are expected to do serious vetting of candidates, including reference checks prior to submitting candidates.They are more likely be viewed by their client companies as trusted advisors, while contingency recruiters are more likely perceived as hired guns.What you need to know Because they arent competing with other recruiters once they have landed the search, they typically will clearly state who their client is and try to sell the virtues of that client to talented individuals who typically are not perceived to be in the job market. Executive recruiters have a lot riding on the line because they are getting paid along the way and have greater pressure to co mplete difficult searches. Contingency recruiters are, by contrast, only willing to put so much time into a fruitless effort before abandoning it in favor of a more promising search for a different client.Now that you know the pressures on each of the key players in the hiring process, give them whatever you can to make their lives easier. Youre sure to gain the favorable attention your hintergrund deserves.Happy hunting

Survey Not everyone is into banning plastic straws

Survey Not everyone is into banning plastic strawsSurvey Not everyone is into banning plastic strawsAs more companies like Starbucks join a growing movement to ban plastic straws in America, more of us are being forced to reckon with a plastic straw-less future. And when asked about it for a new BuzzFeed News and market research firmIpsos poll, the majority of us say it is not a future we want governments to regulate.Americans are not ready to face the last strawThe erreichbar poll surveyed 2,000 adults nationwide around August and found that we are open to the idea of making individual choices around plastic straws. We are open to cutting back to help the environment, but we want there to be a plastic straw if we need one. More than half agreed that plastic straws are harmful to wildlife and 79% strongly support geschftslebenes using biodegradable straws, but the majority - 75% - also thinkbusinesses should offer plastic straws if requested.The participants were open with individu al businesses cutting back, but there was less support for governments to mandate this. Less than half - 48% - of respondents said they supported a local government ban. The survey suggests that we are not fully behind going straw-less. We want to be able to opt-in, and as disability advocates have pointed out, this is not just a want - its a need.Flexible straws were first developed to help people drink in hospitals, and now, they are used by people with mobility challenges.Reusable straws can be hard to maintain and sterilize, and may not be safe to use, while compostable products, which can dissolve in hot liquids, present a choking and allergen hazard, writer s.e. smith wrote for Vox about how the ban would affect disabled people like her.Its always going to be a good idea for restaurants and coffee shops to keep plastic straws on hand for disabled people.The criticism from survey participants and disability advocates demonstrates that Americans are willing to cut back on pla stic use - as long as business and government are willing to be flexible about it.

Heres why insomnia gets worse this time of year

Heres why insomnia gets worse this time of yearHeres why insomnia gets worse this time of yearIf you find yourself feeling a little bit off this time of year, or maybe are tossing and turning in bed more than usual and then waking up groggy, youre not alone. The lack of sunlight were getting during the winter can really mess with our hormone levels, especiallymelatonin, the sleep regulator, and can cause a case of the winter blues (which can range from simply feeling a bit down to full-blownseasonal affective disorder).Thats right - the feeling is not just in your imagination, and the fluctuation in hormones can have a real impact on your sleeping habits and sense of calmness. We asked sleep and mental health experts to further explain the connection betweeninsomniaand the winter months and the effect sleep has on our overall mood and energy.Keep reading for the tips and tricks you need to keep yoursleep scheduleon track and your well-being in check during what should be the fruchtw ein peaceful season.Why insomnia happensOur bodies are designed to wake with the sunlight, and when the sun rises later and sets earlier, our circadian rhythms (the body clock that regulates our sleeping and waking and can even affect things like our mood andmenstrual cycle) can get out of whack.In winter, waking up when it is dark prevents our wake cycle from abfluging. Sunlight essentially triggers our wakefulness, which needs to complete its cycle before hormones that induce sleep (such as melatonin) can be released, explainsKatharina Lederle, a London-based doctor of human sleep physiology.Melatonin imbalances can cause depressive symptoms as well too much melatonin may be one of the culprits of seasonal affective disorder, saysNada Milosavljevic, a faculty member at Harvard Medical School and founder ofSage Tonic. While this may not cause insomnia, it may have similar after-effects a heavy layer of grogginess and the inability to engage with others as usual or stay energized th roughout the day.On the opposite end of the spectrum, low melatonin levels are what can really keep you awake at night. And it may have something to do with all thatNetflixing and chillingyoure doing in bed during the chilly weather, multiple studies show. The blue, artificial light emitted from our favorite devices while binge-watching or scrolling through Instagram before going to sleep can really mess with our circadian rhythms, therefore disrupting disrupt our bodys sense of sleeping and waking, according to newresearch.More research has tied blue light even closer to insomnia. Researchers from theNational Sleep Foundationhave found that increased exposure toblue lightfrom people using electronic devices before bed causes a decrease in levels of melatonin in their bodies, making it harder to fall asleep and making them less alert in the morning, Milosavljevic says.However, melatonin isnt the only biological factor in sleep health during the winter. Because of the lack of sunligh t, our vitamin D levels are also low this time of year, which can mess with sleep quality and quantity. Low levels of vitamin D are connected to lower sleep efficiency scores, saysCarolyn Dean, a medical doctor, naturopath, and member of the Medical Advisory Board for theNutritional Magnesium Association.This can mean it takes a long time to fall asleep or that sleep is restless and disrupted with many awakenings in the night, Dean says. Its important not to let your health fall by the wayside this time of year, especially when it comes to vital vitamins and minerals.The mineralmagnesiumis also crucial to sleep because it helps the body process both vitamin D and melatonin correctly. Magnesium also relieves the muscle zug that can prevent restful sleep, says Dean.Then, there are the usual winter habits you have, like bundling up in heavy pajamas and blankets and cranking up the heat in your home. This can actually disrupt your sleep, says Tara Youngblood, co-founder and Chief Scient ist atKryo Inc.If our bodies are unable to lower our core temperature, as they are naturally programmed to do, we are unable to reach optimized Slow Wave Sleep and get the benefits of more deep sleep and better sleep density, she explains.Dont forget the poor diet and exercise habits you may have from the influx ofholiday partiesyoure attending, and the shopping, baking, and wrapping too. You may be feeling too sluggish to hit the gym when its cold and pitch-dark in the morning, but your eating habits play a major part also.Holiday foods are chock-full of sugar, dense carbohydrates, and fattening ingredients. Not only can these foods affect your appetite and metabolism, but they can also interfere with the balance of a hormone called leptin, which is known to influence our sleep cycle, Youngblood says. And, Youngblood adds, its high time for colds and the flu, which often cause sleep to be restless and interrupted.Dont blame sleeplessness on a stuffy nose or too many sugar cookies - you cant discount the stress of the holiday season or pressure to keep your list of resolutions either.It is likely that insomnia is further exacerbated by the financial, social, and familial stresses that often occur during and immediately after the festive period, Lederle adds. All the more reason to step back and give yourself the gift ofself-carethis time of year, no matter how many people are on your shopping list.How to fix your sleep habitsTo get yourself back on track after a stretch of insomnia, start by regulating your bedtime and wake up calls. Its best if your phone, alarm clock, or other blue light-filled devices are nowhere near your bed, Milosavljevic says. It may seem like the oldest trick in the book, but stashing electronics and alarm clocks across the room from where you sleep can force you up and out of bed to start the day.Sleeping habits can also improve when you take stock of the amount of vitamins and minerals youre putting into your body. Try a vitamin D a nd a magnesium supplement like magnesium citrate if youre struggling with sleep.Magnesium citrate powder is a highly absorbable form that can be mixed with hot or cold water and sipped in the evening and throughout the day for deep, restful sleep, Dean says.For more help drifting off to sleep, Youngblood says sleeping in cooler temperatures may help you fall asleep faster and can even give your metabolism a boost.Many other natural remedies can help prep the body to relax and wind down one of the bodys most instinctive is exercise. Even a moderate bedtimeyoga flowcan help your mind and body ease into sleep mode.A simple rumliche lage like childs pose can relax the body, ease muscle tension, and clear the mind from daily stresses that can impact a restful nights sleep, says Milosavljevic.To go along with that childs pose, use somelavender essential oilor sip on anherbal tea, particularly one containing lavender, valerian root, and dandelion root, all geared toward combatting sleeples sness and encouraging the body to rest, she adds. If you really need some coaching, ameditation appcan help, or some background sounds of white noise or nature sounds will have you in dreamland in no time.This article was originally published on Brit + Co.

ASME to Offer Career Workshop for Houston-Area Engineers Durin...

ASME to Offer Career Workshop for Houston-Area Engineers Durin... ASME to Offer Career Workshop for Houston-Area Engineers Durin... ASME to Offer Career Workshop for Houston-Area Engineers During IMECEASME will sponsor a complimentary workshop later this month that will offer engineers in the Houston area useful career guidance on such topics as how to find a new job in a tumultuous economy and how to best leverage their skills in different industries.The workshop, titled Speaking the Science of Engineering Across Disciplines, will be held in conjunction with the ASME International Mechanical Engineering Conference and Exposition (IMECE) in Houston. The session will take place on Nov. 17 from 230 p.m. to 400 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom of the Hilton Americas.The special workshop will consist of presentations from several leaders from ASME and the engineering profession, including ASME Past President Marc Goldsmith of Marc Goldsmith Associates LLC, who will discuss Building a Competen cy-Based Resume, and Board of Governors Nominee Karen Ohland, associate director for finance and operations at the Princeton University Art Museum, who will present Your Career Pivot Transferring Your Engineering Skills. Confirmed speakers for the workshop also include ASME member Aaron Knobloch, senior scientist at General Electric weltweit Research, who will cover the Dos and Donts of the Interview Process, and Sara Wilson, chair of the ASME Bioengineering Division and director of the bioengineering graduate program at the University of Kansas, who will discuss the topic Translating Your Skills to Pharma Manufacturing.After the workshop, attendees are invited to visit the IMECE exhibit hall to meet the exhibitors, network with ASME staff and volunteers, and explore potential employment opportunities. For more information on the workshop, visit the IMECE web page at www.asmeconferences.org/IMECE2015/CareerWorkshop.cfm. To RSVP for the event, e-mail LeJ2asme.org.

7 Ways Twitter Can Help You Land Your Dream Job

7 Ways Twitter Can Help You Land Your Dream Job7 Ways Twitter Can Help You Land Your Dream JobLearn how to effectively use Twitter for your job search.Check out the many different ways you can use Twitter to help you find the right job, sooner.Expand your digital footprint.Twitter can be a great place to extend your online personal brand. As with any social media account, if you decide to use it for personal branding, make sure the head shot you upload is professional-looking and that any information you provide about your job title, location and career goals aligns with your resume. Use this profile to share industry-related content and interact with other thought leaders in your space. Click on the following link for more tips on customizing your Twitter profile.Find befhigung job leadsMany companies today have Twitter handles dedicated specifically to their recruitment efforts. Run a quick search for Twitter accounts with the terms Jobs or Careers and youll find a long list of potential employers who are sharing job leads and information about their organization and industry. You can also monitor hashtags such as TweetMyJobs and JobOpening to discover new opportunities shared by employers and recruiters. Want to learn more? Check out Lindsey Olsons article on U.S. News for her list of must-follow hashtags for job seekers.Receive job-search adviceThere are many Twitter accounts like mine and Ladders that are dedicated to sharing job-search advice and career tips with their followers. Check out this list of top Twitter handles to follow, courtesy of BusinessNewsDaily, and subscribe to my Twitter list of over 150 job-search and career experts to get abfluged. In addition, you can run searches for hashtags such as JobSearch, Career, JobTip, and CareerAdvice to receive quick job-search tips in 140 characters or less.Conduct researchWhether youre preparing for an interview, researching your target industry or catching up on news before attending your next netw orking fest, Twitter is a great place to find valuable information for your job hunt. Run a search for Financial Services for instance, and youll be greeted with a list of accounts from publications and companies involved in the financial services sector. There will also be a list of videos, tweets and links that mention this industry.Demonstrate your expertiseIf you currently blog about your industry, youre likely already using Twitter to share your content with the Twittersphere. However, you dont have to be a writer in order to demonstrate your interest in your field. Retweet and favor tweets from other people that you find interesting and relevant to your line of work. When attending a tradeshow, Meetup or other event related to your field, tweet a few quotes from a speaker that resonated with you. If youre in a creative field, dont be afraid to think outside the box and share your work with a dream employer. Click on the following links to learn how Charlie Loyd and Jerry Riz zo used Twitter in unique ways to land their dream jobs.Participate in Twitter chatsTwitter parties, tweet chats, Twitter meetups, Tweetups. These are just some of the many names given to the live business networking events taking place all over the Twittersphere. During a tweet chat, a group of people meet at a specific time to discuss a particular topic using a predetermined hashtag for each tweet. A host or moderator will usually pose questions and prompt participants to share their thoughts. This is a great way to share your expertise, meet new connections, and keep a pulse on your industry. Click on the following link to find a Twitter chat thats right for you.Send private messages to important connections This approach may not be for everyone but, when used appropriately, it can yield great results. If youve identified someone who is in your field and active on Twitter, consider reaching out directly and letting them know youre looking for new opportunities. Before you start b ombarding strangers with cold tweets though, I strongly recommend interacting with them first through a series of retweets, comments to tweets theyve sent or after a Twitter chat in which you both participated in. These connections are much more likely to respond to your message if youve taken the time to build a Twitter rapport with them. Check out a great example of this tactic at the bottom of Susan Adams article for Forbes.

Secret Information on Resume Meaning Only the Pros Know Exist

Secret Information on Resume Meaning Only the Pros Know Exist You may add a URL to your professional website if youve got one and to your LinkedIn account too. The primary distinctive feature is the capacity to open and close the shop. More frequently than not, customizing your resume does not indicate a major rewrite, but instead just a couple tweaks. Visit how to compose a resume to learn to format your resume, which information to use, and far more. Many candidates use resume templates since they enable you to quickly edit your resume. The mixture of our templates and your input is likely to make your resume fly to the peak of any pile. If youre using mobile phone, you might also utilize menu drawer from browser. Think about employing a resume template rather than writing a resume from scratch. Depending on the sort of job application make a crystal clear demarcation on the skills which you would love to expose on the title. Thus, theres no need to attempt to build one r esume profile or write a single profile title that fits every position you need to submit an application for. Just upload your resume in their system then paste the whole job description to begin the comparison. For instance, even in North America, there are specific circumstances where a CV is required. Using Resume Meaning Think of the fruchtwein crucial portions of your qualificationsthe things which you would want to have an employer to know right off the bat. When applying for employment, youre attempting to sell something yourself. For instance, you can select a text-based layout with a professional look that will permit you to highlight your work experience. There are some common forms of resumes, and were likely to evaluate when (or if) you ought to use every one of them. Selecting the chronological resume for the ideal reasons will impact your odds of standing out among the competition. In the current world there are lots of tactics to learn about the resume titles already offered. There are a few things that dont belong on a resume for work. DO be sure the remainder of your resume is completely machine readable. Without it there isnt any life. If youre a person who is changing careers, make sure that you work in how your previous experiences can relate to your upcoming tasksthe same goes for people who are just beginning or who are relatively inexperienced. Without a suitable headline, there is not any other way for communicating your experiences and abilities earned by means of your career. For instance, if youve got a Masters degree, there isnt any point to mention the Bachelor degree also. Resume objectives can be somewhat controversial. Resume headlines are perfect for candidates with a lot of experience. Resume headlines are perfect for candidates with lots of experience. Resume Meaning Explained Your key ability can be found in the attributes you possess. Bullet points are frequently used to conserve space and only the most relevant accomplishments ought to be included, instead of all of them. Additionally, be sure your resume is formatted well. Thus do make efforts to write out the most effective possible titles to boost your image. Resumes may be used for a number of reasons, but most often theyre utilized to secure new employment. No matter what you call it, a resume or CV is the strongest tool you have while searching for work. In a few nations, a CV is typically the very first eintrag a possible employer encounters about the job seeker and is typically utilized to screen applicants, often followed by means of an interview. The three most frequent mistakes that could continue to keep your resume hidden from recruiters are also the simplest to repair. In a CV, for instance, if youre asking for work in education, you may want to set your teaching experience at the summit of your CV. Many work in the public service or academia will take a thorough CV to be submitted as a member of a work applic ation. In the United States, resumes are used for the greater part of job applications. Now you have to determine the resume keywords and phrases employed for your intended position. A resume loaded with acronyms is tough to read even by a person who knows just what you mean by every acronym. Hence, make note of them also so it would help making the ideal blend of phrases. Most importantly, make sure every acronym you are using in your resume is accurate.