Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom How to Survive a Cutthroat Culture

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom How to Survive a Cutthroat Culture Unfortunately, there are some offices in which going into work feels like going into battle. For all of the talk about creating a positive culture, you witness backstabbing, hostility, and gossip on a daily basis. Is it possible to be successful in such a culture? While the situation is by no means ideal, you do have the power to rise above it. Here are some to-dos to that effect: Stay Relevant In a workplace where people are always trying to one-up one another, demonstrate that you are keeping up and able to contribute the freshest and most current approaches and ideas. This means always being ready and willing to try out the latest technologies, as well as honing your existing skills and acquiring new ones. Don’t Be Passive Allowing yourself to fade into the background will ensure that someone else steps up and takes your opportunities for herself. Instead, vocally communicate to your manager and other higher-ups what you’d like to work on and why you’re the best person for the job. Whenever a senior exec asks for a volunteer on a project, take it even if it’s less than desirable, and even when you’re feeling insecure, show confidence. This is how you get noticed. For the rest of the tips, head over to Intuits Fast Track blog.

How to Upgrade Your Resume, Part 3 - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

How to Upgrade Your Resume, Part 3 - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Part 1 in this series  discussed the importance of your resume passing the  â€œ15-Second Skim Test”  and  I shared  suggestions  to avoid being instantly rejected by recruiters and other humans. In Part 2, we began the process of walking through the typical professional or executive resume from top to bottom and discussed  the header and (optional) objective sections. In this, Part 3, lets look at the  area of the resume that comes next before we get to the reverse chronological work history section. The area in question  is one of the most non-standard and chaotic considerations for both professional resume writers and amateur writers (job seekers and their friends).  Amateurs  ad-lib  a wide variety of information in this section  and change their minds  on  whims, which  frequently  makes their resumes confusing, laborious, and  ineffective  for HUMAN readers. Human or non-human resume reader? An  important question you must ask yourself at this point in the composition of your resume is whether you are writing your resume for a human or a machine (ATS screening software). If you are writing for a machine and trying to win a battle of resumes for a posted job (yuck!), then many of the options that follow will work as long as your content is relevant to the job posting. My comments that follow assume you are writing for a human reader. Please keep this in mind. Here are a variety of informational groupings (sections) I have seen preceding the reverse  chronological work history of a resume: The summary/objective/profile section I recommend you omit this section  because most people wont read it. If you feel compelled to  include it, you will do well to omit  these items: A description of  what you want (An opportunity to apply my skills”, “A growing company…) Glowing self-promotion  (An innovative thought leader with strategic vision and) A broad description of yourself that lacks focus (Expertise in sales, marketing, and business operations.) The skills section This section usually consists of bulleted phrases in two or three columns. If you are a worker bee or first level manager, then this can  be helpful. If you are a software developer then readers  want to see  your programming languages and your technical credentials. For those at the  mid-levels through executive levels, however,  I generally recommend you  omit this section or at least move it to the end of your resume. The functional areas section The functional areas section typically contains three to five sub-section headers  like Sales Operations or Software Development that have bulleted items under each of them. The three conventional resume types are (1) reverse chronological, (2) functional and (3) combined. The inclusion of a functional areas section in your resume immediately brands yours a functional resume. And, guess what?  Most recruiters, hiring managers and other resume readers HATE functional resumes. So, my general advice is dont use a functional resume which means you can omit this section. The qualifications section As I noted in  Fast Track Your Job Search (and Career!), try replacing the Summary/Profile section with a summary of qualifications section. The qualifications section, as the name says, lists relevant qualifications. I dont see this used very often, but it is the number one option  I recommend as the precursor to the reverse chronological work experience section. Because readers like to skim rather than read resumes, this section will be more effective if you use bulleted items that are  brief and contain key quantifications (annual revenues, % quality improvement, etc.). In summary Human resume readers want to skim quickly and get to your work history efficiently, so adding too much preliminary information can be distracting and counterproductive. Be careful in choosing what information and what volume of information you include prior to your work history. Worker bees, include a skills section. Professionals and executives,  include a qualifications section and skip the other options discussed in this post. Good luck and best wishes.

5 Must-Know Tax Deductions if Youre Self-Employed

5 Must-Know Tax Deductions if You’re Self-Employed The self-employed lifestyle has many benefits.  Its great being your own boss,  having  flexible hours,  working from home, and  having more  tax deductions. But whether you run your own business, live off contract work,  or freelance for income, tax season can be very stressful if you’re unprepared. “It’s imperative, if you’re self-employed, that you save money to pay taxes immediately.  You should set aside a minimum of 15.3 percent for your self- employment tax.  As well as another set percent for your regular income tax,” advises John Curtin, CPA. Tax deductions can significantly reduce the amount you owe. However, if you’re not careful, they can get blown out of proportion and trigger an audit. To avoid doing this, categorize your expenses first. Generally speaking, those who are self-employed can write off expenses that fall into three categories: Things you use exclusively in operating your business Things you eat in the course of doing business Things related to the exclusive business use of the place where your business operates As you prepare for tax filing season, don’t forget to take advantage of these five tax deductions. Home Office Many who are self-employed take advantage of working from a home office. The IRS does allow a self-employed person to deduct the portion of their mortgage or rent going toward this space. You must have a specific area designated for your office, and it must be primarily used for business to qualify for the home office deduction. For example, your office can’t double as playroom for your children after 5 p.m. Expenses like utilities, phone and Internet can also be deducted based on certain parameters. For example, you can deduct one third of your utility bill if one third of your home is used for your office. Professional Development The cost of attending educational seminars and classes can add up for freelancers trying to keep ahead of the competition. The IRS allows freelancers to deduct expenses related to professional development, professional organizations and membership fees. In addition, they permit deductions on various marketing and advertising services including business development software, web advertising and print ads. Vehicle Mileage Tax deductions are available for costs related to vehicle mileage or normal vehicle wear and tear. While you cannot deduct for the commute to and from work, you can include mileage. So if you regularly drive to meet clients or suppliers throughout your workday, keep track of those miles. Business Travel In addition, the IRS permits business travel deductions including transportation and accommodation costs, but allows only 50 percent for business meal expenses. It’s important to remember that deducting for leisure travel or sightseeing is not permitted and can trigger an audit by the IRS. Consider Launching an LLC If you’re an established freelancer, setting up an LLC has considerable tax benefits. Some of these include lowering the amount you owe in self-employment taxes. Taxes used to pay for Social Security and Medicare are usually split between employer and employee, but as a freelancer  you are both. That means you usually end up paying double the amount. An LLC business structure allows you to set up a company in which you’re the only owner and employee, dividing your income between salary and profit. With an LLC, you  won’t have to pay self-employment taxes on your profit when tax season rolls around. In this case, you’re taxed as an individual, rather than a company with employees, according to BizFilings. Tax deductions are an important topic if youre self-employed, doing contract work or freelancing full time. Tax preparation for anyone in these categories can get complicated, and it’s always in your best interest to consult with a tax specialist who can give you proper advice, helping you make the most of these deductions. Remember: The money that you make or save does impact your personal bottom-line.  Just like that of the corporation you left in the dust for self-employed work. Images: Main  Pictures of Money

6 Challenges You Will Face as a Woman Pursuing Your Career Goals - Classy Career Girl

6 Challenges You Will Face as a Woman Pursuing Your Career Goals Women face unique challenges in the workforce. In some ways, it’s just not fair that there are a lot of extra hurdles you have to clear to be successful, but if you’re earnest and sincere about doing some great work in this world, then you will find success in your career goals. 6 Challenges You Will Face as a Woman Pursuing Your Career Goals 1. The Need To Be Everything To Everyone When you pursue your career goals, things will constantly pull you in different directions and you will always question yourself. Are you enough for your children? Your partner? Your boss, co-workers, or employees? You’ll wonder if you’re doing the right thing for your family. You’ll wonder if you’re missing milestones. You’ll wonder if your kids will turn out hellions, and you’ll worry for their safety while they’re away from you. You’ll worry about your partner’s career more than your own and will sacrifice time and responsibility at the office so you can take care of those cute, little humans that look a bit like you. One thing that could help is to have an honest, open discussion with your partner about how things would change around the house and how you’re going to divide up the responsibilities. It’s a lot easier to further your career when you know what exactly you can give to your career and what you can give to your family. 2. Fewer Leadership Opportunities Women are underrepresented in leadership positions across the board. McKinsey and Company’s Women in the Workforce report found that for numerous reasons, women are simply less likely than men to advance in their careers. You’ll likely be working with a male boss and won’t have many women role models to look to or have as a mentor. This means less access to senior leadership, which likely means fewer leadership opportunities for you. If this makes you angry, work on being a positive agent of change. Keep blazing your trail. Truly, there never has been a better time to be a woman in the workforce. Just ask your mom. 3. Younger Colleagues If you’ve taken time off to start your family, returning to the workforce to work alongside a bunch of “whipper snappers” may seem unappealing. Your life experience and maturity do give you an edge in the workforce, but you will still be working alongside some who are much younger and more immature than you are. Know all that patience you cultivated raising your kids? It’ll come in handy with your younger colleagues. [RELATED:  Achieve Your Goals In 6 Easy Steps] 4. Limited Options Without a Degree If you put your partner’s career before your own, it’s possible you also put your degree on hold. It’s difficult to go through college with a family to provide for. However, it is important to get some education and/or job training. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the higher your educational attainment, the less likely you are to be unemployed. The good news is there are a lot of options available for you to be able to get this education and get back into the workforce. Take a look at some of the online education options. You can take general education requirements such as English, history, science, and math from home. If you’re interested in getting into a career like medical transcription training faster, there are many other job education training sites available. 5. Difficulty Negotiating a Pay Raise Many women feel guilty asking for a pay raise after leaving the job to care for children. Whether leaving temporarily for a doctor’s visit or for an extended maternity leave, it feels hard to justify a pay raise to your employer when you’ve been gone. This is part of the reason women have fewer leadership opportunities and why salaries lag behind those of men. 6. Less Time You’ll be giving your time to someone other than yourself and your children. It’s a difficult adjustment, but can be rewarding. Your life will change when you start to pursue your career goals and there are a lot of challenges you’ll face. Fortunately, you’ll see a lot of positive things also happen in your life. You’ll make money and friends. You’ll feel valued, and you’ll treasure the time you have with your family even more. So wipe the ketchup off your brow, brush out the crusted baby spit from your hair, and lean in to your new career.

Writing a Resume Online Free - Top Tips

Writing a Resume Online Free - Top TipsThere are several benefits to writing a resume online free. Most employers that conduct free trial programs usually only require a few hours of your time and some spare writing space on their website. By making sure that you only request the information you need you can keep your costs down. Not only will your resume be more effective but it will also be easier to print out if needed later.You should ask for the information you need when you first start out with the free trial. This will give you a better understanding of what they want and give you a better chance of getting exactly what you want from your resume. Remember, they will only ever be interested in your expertise, experience and qualification and not on your hobbies, interests or other details.Keep in mind that the free trial is only a short amount of time. Many companies are very competitive so many offer renewal offers after your free trial has expired. With this in mind, do not m ake the mistake of accepting the offer right away. Let them know that you would like to extend your trial.Your resume online is just the beginning. Once you have it, you should submit it in multiple formats. Make sure that the formatting is set up correctly so that the text is legible. Check for errors and make sure that the fonts, sizes and styles are all appropriate for the particular job you are applying for.Most companies that offer a free trial generally have a special section where you can put your resume. They are usually grouped by the type of positions that you are applying for. Make sure that you read through them all and put your resume in all of them.Writing a resume online is definitely the way to go. It's much easier to look at your resume in one sitting than it is to sift through dozens of paper resumes. You can print it out and save yourself the time and effort of typing it out.By choosing to write a resume online free, you also avoid the cost of having to hire someo ne to take a look at your resume. Having a professional glance at it will save you time and effort and give you more confidence about your skills. Your resume will be ready for you to review in the comfort of your own home. When you first start out, it may seem like a hassle but as time goes on, you will find that it is much less expensive than hiring a professional.When you first start out with the free trial, be sure to check each company out thoroughly. Some require that you have never held any job before so do some preliminary research. As you go along, you will find that it becomes easier to be more efficient and work your way through the different resume formats as well.

5 Ways to Ruin Your Job Search - CareerAlley

5 Ways to Ruin Your Job Search - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. When youre up to your armpits in alligators, its hard to remember to drain the swamp. Ronald Reagan There is nothing more uncomfortable than having an interview implode (whatever side of the table you are on). Most of these experiences for me have been as the interviewer, but I would be lying if I said I never had a rough interview on the interviewee side of the table. Sometimes it is a personality thing (and its better to find out during the interview). Sometimes you dont do your homework on the company or the job (basically, your fault). But there are many other ways you can ruin your job search. Im sure I wont cover all of them here, because someone is always dreaming up some new way to screw thing up. Share your job search horror stories (its good for the soul to purge every so often). Your Profile: This is a very broad topic. It includes things posted on the Internet that, if seen, will ruin any chance you have (like some college party pictures or worse). References that youve either not checked with or give you a bad reference. Things on your resume that are not true (like our education or where youve worked). And then, there is always that crazy email address that was great when you were 17 years old but should not be used for your job search. The top of the list, of course, is if youve been arrested (and convicted). Lots depends on the crime, but any criminal record will make your life difficult. ==Reputations Matter When Searching for a Job Resumes: There are too many things you can do wrong on your[easyazon_link asin=B00HRJMOM4 locale=US new_window=default nofollow=default tag=caree07-20 add_to_cart=default cloaking=default localization=default popups=default]resume[/easyazon_link] to list here (sad to say). But some of the big mistakes include things like misspelled words and grammatical errors. There is also the too hard to believe resumes where people claim to have saved the world or some other unlikely event. How about colored paper (the answer is no). And, while not resume specific, not including a cover letter is also a big mistake. == Nine Worst Rsum Mistakes Interviews: Like resumes, there are so many ways you can ruin an interview. Many are obvious (not to everyone unfortunately) and some are not. My personal favorite is someone falling asleep during the interview. While I know Im not the most exiting person in the world, was more than a little surprised when a candidate was having trouble staying awake during the interview. Showing up late (not a great idea), forgetting the name of the interviewer, not knowing what job you are interviewing for, not knowing what the company does, not having a copy of your resume. And the list goes on and on. ==Top 50 Ways to Ruin Your Job Interview Dress for Success: There is so much truth to beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Unfortunately, in a job interview, the eyes of the interviewer are the most important. So much of this is, you would think, common sense. But if that was the case, why do so many people get it wrong? Some are so bad, Im convinced that the candidate either doesnt own a mirror or has circus mirror. So what are some examples? A low cut blouse that shows too much, a too short skirt that shows too much or clothes that are not appropriate (like wearing shorts to an interview). == How Not to Dress for an Interview Watch What you Say: There are lots of things that you should not discuss during your interview and there are even more things you should not lead with. One good example of how not to start an interview is I need to make $xxx or I need to be CEO. Another thing to avoid is criticizing your current (or former) boss, job, company, etc. There are more effective ways to explain why you are looking for a new job. ==5 Things Not to Say At A Job Interview We are always eager to hear from our readers. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or suggestions regarding CareerAlley content. Good luck in your search,Joey Job Search job title, keywords, company, location jobs by

career coaching a waste of money - Margaret Buj - Interview Coach

Is interview/career coaching a waste of money A few months ago I was speaking at a Stepstone career event organized by college students in London. There were 3 other presenters including someone talking about working with recruitment agencies and personal branding. I was talking about successful interviewing and after my presentation I’ve also reviewed several CVs and gave career/interview advice to several participants. During one of my conversations, I was asked this question: There are so many career coaches out there, how do I know which one to hire? Is it even worth it? Your Job Search is Like Running a Business I know you’ve heard this before. But let’s get real with it. When a business hires a consultant, it is viewed as an investment not a cost. ROI is determined. Need is greater than cost. And a decision is made. (plus consultants are tax deductable) I find it very alarming that job seekers don’t see their career coaches as a similar investment. Instead most people make the mistake of only looking at the price tag. And that is bad business. After all, your career or interview coach may be able to shave months off of your job search. Determining Your Investment First, think about how much you used to earn. Let’s say that is £3,000 per month. Therefore, the opportunity cost of not having a job is £3,000 per month minus unemployment benefits (if you have any). You lose £3,000 every month. A good interview/career coach or some kind of job search program will cost you between £200 and £1500 in total. An interview coaching session will cost you £150- £250. I can’t tell you how many clients I’ve seen who have been out of work for months (in one case 2 years!) and who got a job within several weeks (sometimes within a week!) of working with me. The same clients who thought spending £200 on getting some support was ‘too expensive’ ended up losing out on £10k, £20, £50k by not getting the support they needed and wasting months on unsuccessful interviewing. What Questions Should I Ask? When deciding on a career/interview coach or job seeking program, you only really need to know if they can help you get a result. So ask them: • What is the average number of months your clients take to get a job? • How many job interviews do you think you can help me get per week? • What is your success rate? • What is your recruitment/interviewing experience? (There are a lot of consultants out there who’ve never worked in recruitment, they probably can’t find jobs themselves and so they pretend to help others find employment) Where to Start If you don’t know what you want to do or want a complete career change, you really need to see a career change expert. Someone who can help you with self-assessments and personality matching. I don’t specialize in career change myself but I could recommend someone if you were interested. If you happen to like my advice and think that I can shave some months off of your job search, you might be interested in my Job Search Programmes. And if you’ve not seen my ‘You’re HIRED!’ FREE video course yet, you can get access here: http://www.YouAreHiredVideoCourse.com Remember, never think of a consultant, coach or training program as a cost. Think of it as an investment. Calculate the benefits of that investment intelligently. And you could be back to work or in a new, great job sooner that you think.