5 Things to Know about Working from Home

Posted on June 22, 2018July 31, 2018 by Katie Evans

Most people envision working from home as sitting on the beach with a margarita while scrolling through Facebook on their phones. That would be wonderful, but it’s simply not true. Working from home is actual work…just from home.

Working from home may or may not help your work-life balance, but it will definitely end your morning commute. If you are considering working from home, there are a few things you should know before you make the commitment.

1. You Need a Workstation

To work from home efficiently, you need to set up a workstation. While working from home means that you can work in whatever room you want, you will likely need to take video calls with your boss or clients, and they will expect you to have a professional-looking backdrop when you do.

I staged my home office by painting the walls of a bedroom a warm shade of grey. I then situated my desk beside a window, with my computer’s webcam facing one of the pretty grey walls. Then, I hung thin frame shelves from IKEA on the wall in view of the webcam, and strategically staged my trophies, degrees, and random colorful “stuff” on the shelves. The finished look is polished and professional, and I generally only use the setup for web conferences.

The rest of the time, I work at the kitchen table, in an armchair facing my rose garden, or outside in the shade. Some myths about working at home are true—you really can work from anywhere, most of the time.

To create this kind of mobility, I actually use two workstations: A stable, 27-inch Macbook Pro in my home office facing the pretty wall, and a 15-inch Macbook Pro that I take quite literally everywhere. I even took it to the hair salon on Tuesday. I use an iPad pro for social media, research, and making graphics, too.

2. You Need a Business Phone

I’m not talking about a separate cell phone number just for your work—I mean a landline. Carrying two cell phones is madness and expensive. Plus, your cell phone connection isn’t always crystal clear and reliable.

Instead, contact your internet provider and ask for a landline number that you can use for conference calls and give out to clients. Landlines cost less than $20 per month and make an amazing back up during summer storms when cell signal drops. It’s more professional, all the way around.

3. Email will become Your Lifeline

While you might text your friends and live on Facebook’s Messenger, the business world still runs on email. Everywhere you go, your email will be with you on your phone or tablet. You will drive to the grocery store and check email from the parking lot. You will check email while waiting in the drive through at Starbucks. Remember the beach scenario with the warm ocean breeze and the margarita? Yeah, even on the weekend, you’ll be checking email. You need to become an expert at all things email, so consider MS Outlook training and master the art of email anywhere.

4. You Have to Plan Your Days

Yes, you can do the laundry during your work-from-home workday, but you have to plan your day carefully if you’re going to make it work. It’s one of the actions that can help you feel less stressed.

There are many ways to plan your day. I use both an electronic calendar and my iPhone’s reminders tool to make sure I never miss a meeting and I complete all tasks that need to be completed for the day. Find a calendar and reminder tool that works between your computer, phone, and tablet. The synchronization will keep you sane.

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5. You Must Treat Working From Home Like a “Real” Work Routine

Treat your work-at-home workday like any other normal, in-office working day. You have to set your hours over the course of the day, and set aside time for a lunch and other breaks. You have to have a set time that you’re going to be “off,” too. Keeping your sanity means having a point where work is done and you shut down your computer and do something else.

Setting boundaries for working hours can boost your work from home experience and productivity. If you have a home office, have a point in the day where you shut the door and walk away. On Friday afternoon, shut the door and don’t open it again until Monday. It’s harder to do than it sounds, but it’s vital to your work-life balance and overall well-being.

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How to Start Planning for Your Dream Career

Posted on June 22, 2018August 19, 2018 by Katie Evans

Your dream career isn’t going to fall out of the sky and smack you on the head. You have to plan for it.

If you are completely lost and unsure how to plan your dream career, there are a few things you can do right now to identify the steps it will take to reach your goals. Once you’ve identified the steps, reaching your goals is simply a matter of completing each step!

To figure out the steps to the best career for you, try these ideas:

Research Companies in Your Chosen Industry

When you’re envisioning your dream career, picture the physical place where you’ll work when you’ve achieved your goals. Is it a corporation? A small business? A college? A hospital? An airport?

Now, from that vision, research companies that will allow you to work in your perfect location. You can Google to find companies, or surf on LinkedIN. Do your research to find out as much as you can about companies that offer your ideal work environment. You want to know about their company culture, what kind of projects they do, the different job roles within the company, and who their employees are.

Once you know who the employees are, you can follow them on LinkedIN, or at least look at the kind of skill set they have. Pay attention to their previous work experience and the degrees they hold. Make a list of common skills, education, and previous work experience you see among the workers.

After you’ve made a good list of common skills and education among employees at your target companies, start looking through their open job advertisements. Is there anything listed that you could do now to start networking within the company while you improve your skills for your dream job? If not, pay attention to the wording in the job advertisements. Are there even more skills and experience the company wants?

If you can find three companies where you’d love to work and research them thoroughly, you will see patterns in the skills, education, and work experience between their employees and their job advertisement. You will begin to form a clear picture of the skills and experience you need to gain.

Network and Ask for Advice

With a clear vision of the companies where you want to work and what skills you’ll need to get there, the next step you should take to planning the steps to your career goal is to start networking with the people who do the job you want to do. Send emails to people in the role you want and ask them if they mind talking to you over coffee or Skype. Start making connections so that you understand your dream job better. These connections can help you find internships and recommend you internal positions within their companies.

You should also consider finding a career coach. A good career coach can help you set goals, make plans, and clearly see your next steps toward your dreams.

Strengthen Your Skill Set

If you’ve researched companies in your chosen industry and networked with people doing the job that you want to do, you should have a very clear list of skills and education you need to land your dream job. Now it’s time to start gaining the skills you need.

Outside of traditional college education, companies like Training Connection offer computing courses for those wanting to boost their IT skills. You can also find workshops and certifications for almost every industry. Don’t count on your college education alone to get you a job—in most cases you will need skills outside of your degree to find your dream job.

Intern, Extern, or Volunteer

To break into your chosen industry, you will need work experience of some sort. One of things you can do if you can’t find a job is to take an internship. Believe it or not, a lot of internships are paid, and those that aren’t offer a wealth of experience and networking opportunities.

If you’re out of college or don’t feel comfortable taking an internship, look for opportunities to extern or volunteer. Contact HR departments at the companies where you want to work and ask if they’re open to volunteers. Explain that you’re trying to gain experience in the industry and you’d love to work for them. Very few places will turn down free work, so it doesn’t hurt to ask.

Plan Your Next Move

Everything on this list so far should help you clearly see the steps to at least entering the industry for your dream job. You should have actionable steps to start today to start down your career path. Your next move should be to either research companies, network with people in your industry, gain skills, or gain experience. Make a list of the steps to your dream job and start checking things off the list!

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8 Tips to Help You Climb the Corporate Ladder

Posted on June 22, 2018 by Katie Evans

If your career goal is to climb the corporate ladder, you can succeed easier than you think. A growing number of people have little interest in climbing the corporate ladder, and instead focus on work-life balance and lifestyle design. This leaves big opportunity for those who want to move up to management roles.

If you want to rule the corporate world, here’s a few tips to help you on your way up the ladder:

1. Show Up

‘Just showing up’ might sound simple, and that’s because it is. Woody Allen famously said, “80% of success is simply showing up.” What he means is that if you show up, you better your chances of being in the right place at the right time. You also increase your chances of having your work seen by the right people.

Showing up means don’t be the person that calls out to go to the movies. It also means being the person that goes to conferences, interviews, networking meetings, and any other extras. It means showing up early, and sometimes staying late. You can’t win the corporate game unless you are there. Show up!

2. Don’t Wait To Be Told

Follow-the-leader might get you out of the mailroom, but it won’t help you climb much further up the corporate ladder. Take the initiative by looking at what’s coming and preparing for it. Don’t wait for someone to tell you what to do—figure out your next step and start doing it immediately.

Is your boss going to need a sales update on Friday? Have it on her desk before she leaves on Thursday. Is your team running low on supplies? Fill out the order form and get it to purchasing, then CC your boss on the correspondence. Show that you’re not only a team player, but you’re a born leader who wants to succeed.

3. Don’t Complain and Don’t Gossip

Whatever you do, don’t put yourself in a situation where anyone can cast you in a negative light. That means not complaining at work. If you’re given a task you hate, remember the bigger picture: It’s a step toward your goal of climbing the corporate ladder. If you hate a coworker, treat the coworker with kindness and respect—be the bigger person. Your coworkers will respect you for it.

Never gossip at work. It’s not high school, and there’s no reward in it for anyone. Gossiping makes you look small minded and like you don’t have enough to do. Plus, in the right situation, it could get you fired.

4. Get A Coach Or A Mentor

Mentorship can be a very helpful tool for those who want to make their way up the career ladder. They can be your guide and help you to navigate the corporate landscape effectively. Make sure you do your research, and try to ensure that your coach or mentor has experience in your specific industry or niche so that they can give you appropriate advice.

Perfectly Employed offers career-coaching services too. Our coaching focuses on helping you construct a plan to reach your goals and figure out your next steps. We help people from all walks of life and in all industries.

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5. Earn Extra Credit

The best way to ensure your ladder-climbing success is to do more than your job description says. You can speak at conferences, write research reports, write for blogs in your industry—you name it. Work on crafting your personal brand and making a name for yourself in your industry.

When you take on extra tasks in your job, make sure your employer doesn’t take advantage of you. You can learn more about your employee rights by visiting HayberLawFirm.com. Take a look so you know where you stand.

6. Help Others

Some people think that they have to have a cut throat attitude to get to where they want to be, but what goes around comes around and that rarely brings with it the positive energy you need if you’re going to advance up the ladder. Instead, aim to help others. They will begin to see you as a leader and this can be very effective for you. Your colleagues won’t resent you when you get the promotion over them, either!

7. Be Willing To Do What Others Won’t

If you really want to get ahead at work, you need to make sure you’re willing to do the things that others aren’t. This will help you to stand out and you’ll be given the chance to further your career. Make sure you are willing to go the extra mile.

This may mean creating boring spreadsheets or working with a problematic client. Remember your end goal and power through it!

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8. Chat With Your Boss

Your boss is not a mind reader. You need to have discussions with your boss about your career goals. Your boss can help you reach your goals by giving you tasks that align with your aspirations, and recommending you when a superior position opens. Your boss can be a great ally in your climb up the corporate ladder, so whatever you do, don’t be afraid to let him know that you have your eye on the corner office!

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4 Basics of Managing a Team for the First Time

Posted on June 22, 2018June 22, 2018 by Edna Crane

If you’re just out of college and considering taking a leadership role, or if you’re managing a team for the very first time, knowing what to do can be tricky. Good leaders focus on supporting their team to reach their collective and individual goals. Support means kindness and compassion, but it also means making 1,000 decisions—both small and large—every day. It’s not a role for the wishy-washy.

If you’re a new leader, there are four basic things you must know to manage your team, whether your team is sourced from manufacturing labour hire, freelancers, or even senior management, and whether the team you manage are part time or full time.

1. Lead: You are the Boss

To lead for the first time, you have to think of yourself as a director, not a dictator. You aren’t a ruler and no one has handed you a crown. You are a part of your team just like everyone else, and you should work with your team to accomplish your collective goals. But, you are the boss. That means that your team will look to you to direct them on what needs to be done. When a decision needs to be made, you must make it.

Some leaders think of themselves as a captain. Of course, there are many sorts of captains, and the term captain is often associated with pirates who bark orders to their crew. Think instead about the captain of an airplane; they are civil and respectful, yet assertive and bold in terms of their leadership style. They respect their team, and they aren’t afraid to ask for advice, but they also direct the different tasks during takeoff, cruising, and landing, and everyone aboard their flights listens for their directions and immediately follows them.

Don’t be afraid to take the lead. A lot of new managers fail because they can’t make decisions or crack under pressure. Be the boss.

2. Don’t Micromanage

It’s important you allow people to “own their task” as nobody likes to be micromanaged. In fact, in some company cultures micromanagement is considered a form of implicit bullying and even emotional abuse. When employees take ownership for their work, they do a better job. They feel pride in what they do, and they are more committed to it. As a leader, you want your team to feel like their work is important, and more importantly, that it’s theirs.

That said, it’s important you retain your role as the directional leader that provides tasks for people to complete, but once a task has been set, leave it for the other person to complete. If you start micromanaging someone they will start resenting you and your leadership. This behavior infers a lack of trust and respect; it also suggests you feel they require hand-holding, which feels patronizing and demeaning. The last thing you want as a leader is for your team to feel like you don’t respect them.

3. Use both the Carrot and the Stick

You may have heard the metaphor about the carrot and the stick, which describes the polar forces of motivation theory. In psychology, there are two broad types of people; those who prioritize moving toward pleasure and those who prioritize getting away from pain.

Of course, most people have a mixture of both, but there is normally one predominant force that motivates a person – and it’s different for everyone. Get to know your team and see what makes them take action; is it the possibility of reward or is it the fear of being fired?

That said, you should never rule through fear. Make sure your employees feel that you support them, and that you have their back. While we’re talking in metaphors, never throw an employee under the bus. If you have their back, they will have yours. That’s the purpose of teamwork!

4. Work Collaboratively with Your Team

The important thing to remember is that, as a team, you should be making decisions together, standing side by side as teammates—not sitting at opposite ends of the table like adversaries debating and arguing over who does what. Just because you have the authority to be the final decision maker doesn’t mean you aren’t part of your team. It’s important that you don’t just stand back and give orders. Work with your team, and find ways to support them every step of the way.

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6 Ways to Avoid a Loss of Income

Posted on June 22, 2018June 22, 2018 by Edna Crane

No one wants to experience a loss of income. Depending on how much you earn and how much you lose, it could mean that you end up struggling financially or it could just mean a hit to your savings. However it affects you, it’s better to prevent it if you can.

All kinds of things could affect your income, from being unable to work to having an investment go wrong. If you want to avoid losing money, it’s best to be prepared for any situation. You can prepare for almost anything, even situations completely out of your control. Here are some things you can do to protect yourself.

1. Know Your Employment Rights under the Law

It’s always smart to know what your rights are when you’re employed. You should know they ways the law protects you, and the ways the law doesn’t protect you, so that you can prepare for any situations when it might not be on your side.

For example, in most states in the US, you can be fired for almost any reason at all. However, there are protections for employees to prevent discrimination on the basis of gender, race, and other factors. As well as knowing the general law, you should check your employment contract to see what protections it might offer you.

2. Choose Supportive Employers

Everyone knows that there are good employers and others that aren’t so good. You don’t always have a great choice between employers, but when you are able to be more selective, it’s worth looking for an employer who takes care of their employees.

Many employers recognize the value in treating their employees well and offering them various protections or allowances. For example, you might look for an employer that offers flexible working hours, which can be useful if you’re a parent. You should also look for an employer that offers disability insurance, which can protect you in the long-term if you become disabled.

3. Understand What to Do After an Injury at Work

Your employer needs to have worker’s compensation insurance, which protects both you and them if you are injured at work. It’s important to know how this helps you and what you should do after a work injury.

Worker’s compensation helps you to recover the financial loss an injury might have caused. If the insurer doesn’t come through, you can get in touch with a firm like mcmahanlawfirm.com today and take legal action. If you sue the insurance provider, you’re not suing your employer, and you shouldn’t lose your job. Suing can help you avoid losing income due to your injury.

3. Stay Healthy to Avoid Sick Days

It’s impossible to completely avoid ever getting ill. We all catch coughs and colds, and common illnesses like the flu or stomach viruses can hit us hard too. Even if you live a very healthy lifestyle, an illness can always come out of nowhere, whether it affects you for just a few days or for months or even years.

However, staying healthy can make getting ill less likely. You can support your immune system and avoid behaviors that could cause serious or chronic illnesses. For example, not smoking can help you avoid long-term diseases like cancer and heart disease. Eating a healthy diet may help you avoid diabetes. In the short term, a balanced diet can boost your immune system and help you fight short-term illnesses like colds and the flu.

4. Make Childcare Arrangements in Advance

Juggling work and being a parent is tough. Even when your child is at school all day, and perhaps even at an after-school program after, there are unexpected things that can happen. If your child is ill or injured or their school unexpectedly closes for the day, you need to make other arrangements. Having a supportive employer can help with this, but it’s also useful to try and make plans before anything happens. Know who could look after your child if they can’t go to school so you don’t have to take a last-minute day off.

5. Always Be Prepared to Look for Work

Losing your job can be devastating, but it’s often unavoidable. If you’re going to be out of work, you don’t want to be for long. That’s why it’s a good idea to always be prepared to look for a new job. Even if you feel secure in your current position, you never know when things might change.

If you want to be ready to find a new job as soon as possible, keep your resume up to date. Continue working on your professional development, even when it’s not necessary for your current role. And maintain a network of professional contacts so that you can reach out to people for advice, recommendations and tip-offs about jobs.

6. Manage Investments Carefully

Investments are another form of income that can benefit you both now and in the future. But if an investment goes wrong, it could upset your financial plans. It’s especially annoying if an investment is paying out a regular income that you’ve been using for daily expenses.

It’s always important to be cautious with investments, but it’s especially wise not to rely on them as a main source of income. If you only have a few investments, one of them going wrong could have a huge effect on your budget. Manage your risk carefully by hiring a wealth adviser, and it will help you avoid any real disasters. Investing is a good way to increase your income, but only if you get it right.

If you want to protect yourself against a loss of income, you need to be prepared. If you’re prepared for anything, it will be less of an impact if something unexpected happens.