Getting A Mean E-mail, or Comment, or Post Online What To Do

Getting A Mean E-mail, or Comment, or Post Online… What To Do Its easy to miscommunicate, isnt it?   I do it all the time In e-mail were told to not be sarcastic as it is really easy to misconstrue a message.   Something like No, those pants dont make you look fat, but the sandals do! might be funny in person, but in e-mail it can totally be taken the wrong way (not as a joke, rather as a personal jab). We can make this mistake in e-mail, IM, SMS, blog posts, comments, social networking (Twitter, LinkedIn Answers, Facebook Walls, etc.) we have plenty of opportunities to make the mistake! Instead of suggesting things to do to not mess up there, let me suggest something that you should do if you get crossed in one of these forums.   Actually, this is excellent advice if you get crossed anywhere. Scott Allen, author of The Virtual Handshake and Entrepreneur expert at About.com says: Presume good intent. Its easy to get fired up after reading something.   Some people commenting on my post about GenY being a bunch of Whiners (actually, I titled the post SOUNDS LIKE instead of ARE for a reason) presumed bad intent. But many commenters saw this post as a discussion, a conversation not an ultimatum or conclusion.   Some presumed good intent and joined in the conversation, and it was constructive.   Others presumed bad intent and attacked. When you get an e-mail that sounds attacking, presume good intent, and communicate.   You may be surprised that your presumption was right! Getting A Mean E-mail, or Comment, or Post Online… What To Do Its easy to miscommunicate, isnt it?   I do it all the time In e-mail were told to not be sarcastic as it is really easy to misconstrue a message.   Something like No, those pants dont make you look fat, but the sandals do! might be funny in person, but in e-mail it can totally be taken the wrong way (not as a joke, rather as a personal jab). We can make this mistake in e-mail, IM, SMS, blog posts, comments, social networking (Twitter, LinkedIn Answers, Facebook Walls, etc.) we have plenty of opportunities to make the mistake! Instead of suggesting things to do to not mess up there, let me suggest something that you should do if you get crossed in one of these forums.   Actually, this is excellent advice if you get crossed anywhere. Scott Allen, author of The Virtual Handshake and Entrepreneur expert at About.com says: Presume good intent. Its easy to get fired up after reading something.   Some people commenting on my post about GenY being a bunch of Whiners (actually, I titled the post SOUNDS LIKE instead of ARE for a reason) presumed bad intent. But many commenters saw this post as a discussion, a conversation not an ultimatum or conclusion.   Some presumed good intent and joined in the conversation, and it was constructive.   Others presumed bad intent and attacked. When you get an e-mail that sounds attacking, presume good intent, and communicate.   You may be surprised that your presumption was right! Getting A Mean E-mail, or Comment, or Post Online… What To Do Its easy to miscommunicate, isnt it?   I do it all the time In e-mail were told to not be sarcastic as it is really easy to misconstrue a message.   Something like No, those pants dont make you look fat, but the sandals do! might be funny in person, but in e-mail it can totally be taken the wrong way (not as a joke, rather as a personal jab). We can make this mistake in e-mail, IM, SMS, blog posts, comments, social networking (Twitter, LinkedIn Answers, Facebook Walls, etc.) we have plenty of opportunities to make the mistake! Instead of suggesting things to do to not mess up there, let me suggest something that you should do if you get crossed in one of these forums.   Actually, this is excellent advice if you get crossed anywhere. Scott Allen, author of The Virtual Handshake and Entrepreneur expert at About.com says: Presume good intent. Its easy to get fired up after reading something.   Some people commenting on my post about GenY being a bunch of Whiners (actually, I titled the post SOUNDS LIKE instead of ARE for a reason) presumed bad intent. But many commenters saw this post as a discussion, a conversation not an ultimatum or conclusion.   Some presumed good intent and joined in the conversation, and it was constructive.   Others presumed bad intent and attacked. When you get an e-mail that sounds attacking, presume good intent, and communicate.   You may be surprised that your presumption was right!

Learn How to Avoid These Mistakes of Resume Writing

Learn How to Avoid These Mistakes of Resume WritingThere are several mistakes of resume writing that you need to know about. The truth is, it's best not to embellish anything on your resume. Try to keep it simple, honest and clean. It doesn't matter if the resume was written well before or even if it was written a few months ago.Mistakes in resume writing can occur with the same resume when its first time submitted, or in one year's time. Once you know what to avoid, the rest of the mistakes can be avoided as well. Here are a few mistakes that you need to avoid at all costs.The most common mistake is to add 'writing experience' in your academic background. There is nothing wrong with 'writing experience' but adding it on your resume is extremely disrespectful. Remember that it's not exactly fair to make a person who has earned all the credits admit that they were just in the class once.The second mistake is using titles instead of careers, and that is a very wrong way to do it. If yo u want people to read your resume in two minutes, give them a career. For one, a career is a career and not some sort of glorified term.And secondly, it makes you sound like a person with many short term accomplishments, when you actually have only a few achievements for each person's strengths. There's nothing wrong with giving a person with no achievements a career title. However, if you don't, people are going to think that you just added a lot of credits in a hurry.These two mistakes can lead to quite a few other mistakes as well. For example, if you put a program director on your resume, but it shows that you spent most of your time working as a secretary, then that's going to come across as fake. It makes it difficult to get jobs with people who have 'magical resumes' written by ghost writers.The last mistake is when you list your career title under a person's qualifications. In your mind, the qualifications can be one thing, but in reality, it's not. As a matter of fact, you shouldn't put the qualifications in the resume at all.Mistakes in resume writing happen when people read it and start making some snide comments like, 'That doesn't look like a career', or 'Well, that's nothing'. Those kinds of remarks are signs that the person you're applying to is being ignored, or it doesn't really matter to you that much. You should always give a person's qualifications first, then their work history, and then their education, not vice versa.

The Truth About Annoying Coworkers - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

The Truth About Annoying Coworkers - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career This week I want to share with you an interesting infographic titled “The Truth about Annoying Coworkers”. This infographic has shared with me by the graduate school at Olivet Nazarene University. Most of us work at least 40 hours a week and this means that we see our coworkers more than we see our family. As a result of spending too much time with our coworkers, we get annoyed by some of their behaviors. According to a survey made with 2,000 Americans, 100% of them get annoyed at work. 73% of employees are annoyed by up to 5 of their coworkers on a regular basis, and almost 80% of the workforce has confronted a coworker about their annoying behavior. Healthcare and insurance industries have the highest number of annoying coworkers. Professionals working in fashion/art and retail are most annoyed on a regular basis. See below for the rest of the results and think about whether you also get annoyed by your coworkers.

Mature, Unemployed, and the Next Steps - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Mature, Unemployed, and the Next Steps - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Even though the economy has improved lately, there’s still a large contingency of people who after long and successful careers find themselves not only blocked but also bewildered about their professional future because of their age. This is a serious problem because these people still need to provide for their families, and many are by no means ready to retireâ€"either mentally or physically. The pressure on this sector of people continues to mount, and they know that initiating their Social Security benefits too soon would put them at a long-term disadvantage. Many do not have employer pensions, and those who have retirement funds such as 401(k) plans should not start distributions too soon because of penalties for doing so. The last resort is in the form of tapping personal savingsâ€"if any exist at all. What might be some reasons? Of course each person’s case is individual, but the long-term unemployed must face reality. If the marketplace was unable to absorb them in a reasonable time, it means either they don’t have the skills required to compete with others vying for the same position or they’re deemed not a good fit for subjective reasons such as age, appearance, or image. Another possibility might be that they simply don’t know how to market themselves as well as others do. Perhaps there’s also a level of rigidity about adapting to the current marketplace, or difficulty in accepting having to learn new job-related skills, or refusing a significantly lower benefit package, or reluctance to move to a different geographic job market. In many cases, the last is not an option for, say, family reasons. What are some solutions? Start with a self-evaluation to identify strengths as well as weaknesses. If you don’t trust your own judgment, then look for professionals who can provide help in doing it. Next, evaluate opportunities where you can use your skills and experience and market yourself to employers that can use your talent and are willing to pay for it. If you don’t know how to find such employers, then seek advice from career coaches who specialize in identifying such opportunities for job seekers. Yes, there are people who specialize in that aspect of career coaching. Then, once you’ve identified those potential employers, you’ll need an outstanding résumé and a strong and complete LinkedIn profile. Short of these, you will not be found by recruiters and employers. Yes, you guessed it: there are experts who write résumés and develop LinkedIn profiles for job seekers. Once those things have been done and are in place, your phone might start ringing because recruiters are busy finding candidates for the jobs they need to fill. The last step involves learning how to present yourself in an interview. Yes, I know, you think that step can be skipped, because after all, you’re good at itâ€"right?â€"and the proof of that is that in the past, you’ve gotten jobs based on your interviewing skills. I suggest, however, that you reevaluate that conclusion because in today’s job marketâ€"and especially for anyone who’s experiencing a huge gap in employmentâ€"good interviewing skills are of utmost importance. What I have described here is a journey with a specific process. Job search takes endurance, determination, and follow-through. At times you’ll feel very uncomfortable and totally rejected. But every occurrence of such feelings serves to take you one step closer to an offer. Many people who followed this exact journey were successful. Can you add yourself to the statistics? Do you have the desire and the will to make the trek? This is the test. Bon voyage and best of luck as you embark to navigate your way to a landing at a pleasant and professionally profitable port.

Tips For Writing a Resume For Principal Jobs

Tips For Writing a Resume For Principal JobsThe advantages of an excellent resume writing for principal jobs over other kinds are that it is effective in getting you hired, easy to write and it does not require a high level of skill. Before taking a resume writing for principal jobs to apply for any principal job, ensure that the opening requires an applicant who is qualified with an acceptable level of qualifications. Here are some things to take note when going through these kinds of resume writing for principal jobs.A good idea is to make your own cover letter as part of your resume. You can use this part of your application and make a better impression on the employers who are willing to hire you. However, before doing this, make sure that you have the correct information to write the cover letter properly.One main reason why you will need to write a cover letter is that you are required to send a separate letter when you submit your resume. This is because the letter will contai n information about you that will be listed on your resume. It should also be short and simple and easy to read. Ensure that you go through the resume writing for principal jobs carefully before making any changes in your resume.Do not add your previous job titles unless they are relevant to the job you are applying for. Never put your actual name at the end of your resume as this will create an unsolicited appearance for the employer. You should always include the contact number at the bottom of your resume if you want to get in touch with the employer.Remember that your real purpose in writing a resume is to provide a summary of your qualifications so that the employer can easily identify your capabilities. You should never leave out your past experience as it will only show that you are a novice in the field. An average person cannot be easily identified by a resume.Always write down all the necessary details about the jobs that you have had before applying for the one you are ap plying for. The most important thing is to keep the spelling correct and avoid using nicknames for your subordinates or superior. This may sound very professional but it will create a negative impression on your resume.Another crucial point that needs to be noted is that you can ask for a reference when the employer asks for it. This will save you from writing an email in return that will mention only your name. Many employers will send out emails for them to get a reference.Also, it is advisable to note down your experiences in a good reputation with the company. The employee's department, general manager and your supervisor will be good references. If you have lost your job before and you find that there is no difficulty in getting the job back, you can mention this in your resume.

5 TV shows and films that will make you more productive - Debut

5 TV shows and films that will make you more productive - Debut This post was written by an external contributor. Lucy Pegg breaks down the best TV shows and films to cut procrastination and get everyone feeling energised… It’s the middle of summer, the sun is (hopefully) shining, and if you’re a student or recent graduate it’s also possible you have a lot of free time on your hands. Even if you’re jetting off on holiday or meeting up with friends, the absence of uni’s hectic buzz can leave you with quite the void to fill. As so-called Millennials, of course the first option for filling free time is binge watching a TV series or marathoning films. Not the most productive use of time, right? Well, potentially, wrong â€"  pick the right thing to tune in to and youll find yourself more energised and ready to be productive than before you spent an hour sitting on your bum. So what are these magical series and films that’ll get you so invigorated? Of course it’s a little down to your own taste, but here are five suggestions to get you started. Bridget Jones Bridget Jones is an icon; a successful working woman, a hapless singleton, and she also lives in a London flat she certainly shouldn’t be able to afford on her salary. The former of these usually seem to get forgotten though, so I implore you to adopt Bridget as your new Queen of Productivity. Bridget manages to fend off the advances of f*ck-boy Daniel Cleaver and get it together with Mark Darcy, whilst also climbing up the career ladder â€" from editorial assistant to TV correspondent. By the final film she’s the producer of a news channel, as well as keeping that infamous diary. So watch a Bridget Jones film, pull up your biggest pair of pants, stop daydreaming about Colin Firth and start doing that work. The West Wing Yes, it’s 11 years since The West Wing finished, but I’m late to the party and only recently started watching â€" plus nothing else has convinced me that I can be a super confident career woman quite like this dramatisation of the inner workings of the White House. Each time I finish an episode I’m ready to start running the country, so applying for jobs or researching my dissertation is nothing.  Somehow the crazy working hours and high stress of The West Wing’s characters’ lives even seems desirable. As a wannabee journalist, CJ Cregg the White House Press Secretary is my new idol and I shall channel her steely determination each time I have a to-do list to complete. Project Runway Ahhh, America. You have an idiotic president and you mispronounce the English language, but you do know how to make a high-stakes reality TV show that’s packed full of energy. It’s practically impossible to feel lazy whilst watching Project Runway, with contestants completing challenges in order to become “the next great American designer”, or just to be remembered past their season’s end. If these designers can create beautiful dresses from potato sacks in a matter of hours (that really did happen), we have no excuse not to get busy on our far more mundane tasks.  As you struggle to craft that perfect cover letter, just picture Tim Gunn (America’s Mel and Sue, in my opinion) calmly speaking his infamous words of wisdom: make it work. Girl Boss If anything can be used to coerce me into something I don’t fancy doing, it’s amazing vintage clothes and an unapologetic heroine. Though Netflix’s comedy about a lost young woman who founds an über successful vintage clothing business has been panned by critics, there’s something about its feisty, almost ruthless, attitude that perhaps we more timid folk can learn from. When you finish an episode you feel that what you need to do isn’t proof-read that email for the eleventh time â€" you need to send it. University Challenge The best is saved for last. University Challenge is an institution, the highest a student can dare to dream. If the bewildering intelligence of the team members doesn’t kick your arse into gear already, just remember that they’re potentially the graduates you have to compete with for jobs (but, of course, there’s no need to worry if you’ve signed up for Debut…). Sometimes it’s failing to correctly answer questions that I really should know that motivates me.  Other times it’s the euphoric “I can change the world” elation of getting multiple answers right. Either way University Challenge is sure to get your fingers tapping over the keyboard and your feet marching out the door towards your future and if Jeremy Paxman can’t tear you away from procrastination, I really don’t think anyone else stands a chance of helping you either. So next time you’re struggling to summon the resolve to get your work done, watch one of these TV or film suggestions and make that next hour on the sofa propel you into many more productive hours at your desk. Connect with Debut on  Facebook,  Twitter,  and  LinkedIn  for more careers insights.

Please join me on C4 - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Please join me on C4 - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog I previously wrote about my good friends on C4 and how theyre helping Africa by letting people like you and me invest in small African businesses. They are now moving into an open beta and are looking for more people to use the system. Wont you join me there? Ive been using it for a while now and have already invested in a group of 6 women who want to sell auto spare parts and in Sulaiman Bulega (shown in the picture) who is going to expand the selection of office stationery in his store. The really cool thing here is not only that helping people in the third world feel great I also stand to get my investments back, with interest. So far, all the investments on the site have been repaid in full, meaning the default rate on the loans is lower than in banks in developed nations. Its really simple to join the site and to use it but you will have to put at least 150 Euro (about 200 USD) in your account which you can then immediately invest in Africa. In my opinion, THIS is how we will help the third world. Not by giving away money and aid but through investments and trade. I urge you to join C4 read all about it here and join here. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

Tough (Question) Tuesday What will you declare today

Tough (Question) Tuesday What will you declare today Dont Hold Back by Nan Lawson via Creature Comforts Yes, its true I have The Declaration of You on the brain. Not only are we starting on Monday (wanna join us? Wed love to have you!), but todays my last day in Atlanta, where I spent the weekend with Jess laughing, working (it never feels like work when were together!), eating, drinking, and essentially being merry. It was amazeballs. While The Declaration of You is there to help everyone find their own big, brave declaration, we can go smaller than that (but still be super empowering). So join me in the comments by answering: What will you declare today?