Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom Celebrating Your Team During the Holidays

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom Celebrating Your Team During the Holidays In an effort to serve your customers during your busiest period, you may unintentionally slight your team. However, there may be no more critical time to honor the employees who make your dream a daily reality. Holiday celebrations can be significant drivers of positive staff morale and engagement, and an excellent opportunity to support a caring and lively culture. I asked three small-business owners about their holiday strategies: Lisa Hennessy, founder of Your Pet Chef in Chicago; Miles Jennings, founder of Recruiter.com in Connecticut; and Jason Parks, founder of The Media Captain in Ohio. How do the holidays play into your larger strategy for employee rewards and recognition? Lisa Hennessy: I feel a very personal connection with my employees, because theyre in the trenches with me every day as we make food, create new recipes and grow the business. Therefore, I want to be sensitive to employees when they need time off during the holidays. We work around our employees family commitments. Miles Jennings: We have always valued the importance and fun involved with surprise rewards given to team membersâ€"just to thank them for being a part of our company. During the holiday season, we use this program as frequently as possible. We give out Groupon deals for holiday-related eventsâ€"holiday meals, gift baskets, holiday activities and moreâ€"to randomly selected team members, and we reward the team as a whole with extra days off during the holidays. Jason Parks: The holiday season comes at a nice time, because I can take into consideration our company’s performance over the past year and give rewards based on results. I always have a holiday party to show everyone how appreciative I am of their hard work. How cana small business celebrate its employeesduring the holidays if it has little or no budget to spend? Parks:You should have some type of party, even if it has to be held at your office. Its a really nice gesture to celebrate everyone’s accomplishments. Jennings: I suggest in-office events for employees to mingle and have fun. Potluck lunches and dinners are always a great place to start, because everyone chips in and brings their own dishes. Giving a few extra days off around the holidaysâ€"or allowing remote work during the holidaysâ€"may also be greatly appreciated. Hennessy: I put aside $20 a week toward a bonus fund so, at the end of the year, I can give each employee a week’s extra salary. How do you get around cultural sensitivities that come up during the holidays? Jennings: We respect each team member’s religion, culture and differences, and to make sure that there aren’t any awkward or inappropriate moments, we focus all events, rewards, recognition, parties and gifts on the holidays in general. We don’t have a specific themeâ€"our efforts are just a celebration of a great team. They can be enjoyed by all, regardless of background. Parks: Everyone has different viewpoints and beliefs, which is what makes our country great. We try and learn about everyones traditions during the holiday time, but if they dont want to share, it’s no big deal. I consider the holiday season a time when our company comes together and bonds a bit more. For the rest of the interview, check out the AMEX Open Forum.

Using WordPress To Write A Resume

Using WordPress To Write A ResumeWordPress theme can be an effective marketing tool for resumes. Having a certain design of your resume or cover letter is just one of the many things you can do to promote your business and add credibility to your job search. The success of your resume largely depends on the skill of the writer. What's more, professional resume writing can also be done with the help of WordPress themes.WordPress themes allow you to create a professional-looking web page that is easy to use. If you've used the platform before, you might know about a few basic features of WordPress that make it suitable for resume writing. You can use these tools for free in just about any language you like. However, if you're looking for something beyond plain and simple functionality, it is best to hire a professional.There are several online and offline companies that provide custom-made WordPress themes. It is a good idea to compare prices before you make a final decision. You can g et an idea about the most affordable service online through the reviews on various websites. WordPress themes are usually written in XML code and XHTML markup format. You can read these codes to have a better understanding of how the code works.A basic theme is usually a starter kit, which comes with most common features. There is also a site builder available, which will let you customize the look of your profile page. You can even add your own logo or background to your page. You can use this WordPress template to add a professional look to your resume.Custom WordPress themes come with a wide variety of options and customization features. You can access and edit the code easily, so you don't have to worry about those technicalities. However, if you want to have a professional look to your resume, it is better to hire a professional. Your resume will not only make you stand out from the crowd but also improve your chances of getting hired.It's possible to use a simple WordPress the me to put together a simple resume. However, if you want to have a complete work of art, you can easily get a WordPress theme and go for a professional resume writing service. Not only will it give you a professional appearance, it will also help you get noticed as you customize your resumes.With a simple WordPress theme, you can also customize and tweak its various functions. You can adjust the color scheme, theme and layout as per your needs. Resumes can also be made more eye-catching by using fonts and backgrounds that blend in well with the design of the page.WordPress themes are very convenient for resume writing. They allow you to have a professional look and also become a part of the design process. Before hiring a service, be sure to get their price. Also, check out some testimonials and check out their portfolio of past clients.

The entrepreneurs guide to a good divorce settlement

The entrepreneurs guide to a good divorce settlement Heres what happens in every meeting I have with investors: They ask about my divorce. Many people ask about my divorce. Usually its because the person cares about me. But with the investors, there is no pretense. They just want to know if Nino is going to get a large percentage of my stock in the settlement. The risk to them is that at some point, Nino would have so much stock in my company that it wouldnt be worth my time to continue doing the company. The investors want to make sure they dont get involved in a situation like this. So I assure the investors it wont happen, but honestly, I have to work hard to make that true. For the most part, divorce is a divide-down-the-middle thing. For an entrepreneur with a venture backed start-up, the trick is finding the middle. Because theres no perfect way to figure out the value of the company. I try to make the company look valuable enough that I can pay off our debt and support the kids, but not so valuable that Nino thinks its his ticket to divorce heaven. My lawyer, Allan, sees it as his job to put the fear of God in me: If I cash out big and it turns out I mislead people in the divorce proceeding, then Nino can come after me for everything. Just be honest is what Allan tells me. For $400 an hour. I refer him to the blog post where I say that lying on ones resume is an art form and honesty is not black and white. He tells me that divorce law is different from career advice. I say I think the difference is that career advice has more than a one-time use. Allan thinks this is not true because he thinks that one day I will divorce the farmer. He says, Your farmer has land in the middle of nowhere. If you like farmers, I have a farmer for you. He owns the land at the end of [sworn to secrecy major road in Wisconsin]. And he just sold a bunch. I remind Allan about how pissed off he was when I wrote a post about the last guy he set me up with. Allan concurs: I am a nightmare to set up on a date. This conversation takes place on the short walk to the building to meet Nino and his lawyer. Allan asks me how Im feeling about custody. This is why I like Allan. He cares about me. He is thinking of the flurry of phone calls I made to him after I read that women who make a lot of money are losing custody to their husbands who make no money. Where did you read that? Allan asked. In the London Mail. Allan said, Forget it. This is Madison. Dont worry about it. If you want to know what to worry about, worry about the company. I didnt know if I should believe Allan. I didnt know if I should worry. I have so many mentors who help me with my start-up: almost all of them are men, and all are extremely generous with their time and ideas. But none has experience losing custody as a mom. So I asked Nino one day, when it was our three-year-olds birthday and I was premenstrual and I forgot half of the goodie bags, Do you think we parent equally or do you think you do more? He said, I think you do way more than I do. I said, Really? I should have recorded it or something. But instead, I cried. He said, Could we just have a normal birthday party? No crying? Okay. So, flash forward, to the meeting with our lawyers. And in our ongoing quest to be normal, Nino and I sit in the room and we try to do niceties. But niceties are difficult for me and Nino. Not because we are not nice to each other, but because we are bad with small talk. I feel an affinity to him when both of us are befuddled during lawyer small talk about the weather and the Badgers. We get down to business. Which is the business of figuring out how much my business is worth. Ninos lawyer, Steve, is worried that my business is stupid and Ill never be able to pay off our debt. He says, So much of the business is you. What if people start saying bad things about you? I say, Havent you been reading my blog? Nino says, No. I told him not to. I thought it would be too expensive. Steve says, Ive looked at it. I say, Did you like it? Steve smiles. Or maybe he says yes. I cant remember. But I remember getting the distinct feeling that he would let me use his name in my blog posts even though Allan told me to never use Steves name. Me: Didnt you see the comments? People tell me Im an idiot all the time. Steve: Well. I didnt see that. But I saw the letter to the editor in the Wisconsin State Journal. Allan: I have it right here. Me: What? What is that? A scrapbook? Allan: Yeah. Sort of. Here is where you were covered in the New York Times. Steve, did you see this? Steve: Oh. What is this? Me: Let me see the letter to the editor. Oh, this is just some over-educated person from Madison whining about how her graduate degree mattered. [I look up. The lawyers are lost in the clips. Nino is shaking his head incredulously. Then everyone looks up.] Me: I get hundreds of comments each week saying how stupid I am. Steven: Really? I think I dont understand how the business works. I thought you were an authority. Me: Its a fine line, stupidity and authority. Nino: [giddy at the line of questioning] Oh, do you think so? Steven: Can you explain the company again? How do you tell investors that you are going to make money from this thing? Me: Well, I think the way I explained it last time probably didnt work for you. So, I have an idea. Would you like me to give you the pitch I give to investors? Steve: Sure. Me: Should I stand? I usually stand. Steve: Okay. Me: Well, I usually have a PowerPoint presentation as well. Allan: We can imagine it. Allan is excited that Im going to do the pitch. He thinks our best-case scenario is if Nino and his lawyer understand the company very clearly. Allan says theyll leave all the stock to me if they see its in everyones best interest. So it turns out that the key to a good divorce is good communication. Hilarious. For people who are not us. I look over at Nino. Hes never even asked me what my company does. I am secretly happy to finally tell him. I think he should be more curious. I do the pitch. At first I sort of tone it down, but then I get rolling. I realize that I dont need the PowerPoint. I say, We aggregate people who blog about their careers. Then I talk about how great the bloggers on our network are: Super-engaged employees that employers are looking for. I toss around some financial estimates and explain, We encourage employers to recruit by having a conversation in the blogosphere. Steve says he thinks that companies dont know what blogs are. Steve says he doesnt see an employee shortage in Madison law firms. These are not good observations. I worry that I have not explained things well. But then Nino says, That stuff is not going to be a problem. The problem is that the PR people wont want to let everyone talk to bloggers. I say, Ninos right. Thats the weak link in the plan. Hes so smart. Thats why I married him.

Social Media and Your Job Search An Interview with Tamara Joiner

Social Media and Your Job Search An Interview with Tamara Joiner On August 27, Tamara Joiner, president of  IntelliTalent Management Consulting, LLC,  spoke to the WorkSource Professional Network on how social media can have an impact on your job search.   Here are a few tips from Joiner, got her start in human resources as a recruiter in Washington, DC over twenty years ago.   She has worked in staffing ever since and is a Certified Personnel Consultant.   Joiner says that the key to a successful job search is to make sure you use all available channels to connect with opportunities.   “If you focus on just one, like the newspaper, you’re really missing out.   Only about four percent of available jobs show up there.”   Joiner says that older candidates (we mean you, baby boomers) are having trouble adjusting to social media as serious career tools; many still consider them time wasters and frivolous activities. Joiner relies heavily on social media sites like LinkedIn to find candidates for her recruiting and consulting clients; she says that most companies expect to find candidates through these channels.   You may be overlooked if you’re not there, since she estimates that 95% of the companies she works with use some form of social media in their search.     Recently, she uncovered 200 candidates for a job solely through online communities.   She likes the format because she can see a person’s whole background â€" and sometimes, samples of their work â€" with just a few clicks.    She can also view candidates who are not actively searching for new opportunities, or use them as resources to find others in their industry. Joiner says that the mistake most people make is being afraid to reach as far as you can.   “No connection is too remote,” she insists.   Connect with your network from church, your former classmates, and especially, people you used to work with.   “You never know where that next job lead will come from; you should be reaching out to everyone you know.   Being in a career transition is a great excuse to get back in touch.” Coming soon: Building your online brand through social media.

Tips on Finding the Best Resume Writing Services in NYC

Tips on Finding the Best Resume Writing Services in NYCEven though we are busy living our lives full of normal activities and distractions, it seems like the most important thing that we need to do is get a job. So, to help you prepare yourself for this tedious task, here are some tips that will help you out in your quest to find the best resume writing services in NYC.You have to write a formal resume. You might be well aware of how a resume works, but you need to make sure that the information on your application is well organized and coherent. Organizing and listing your professional accomplishments and skills should be included in your resume. You need to also highlight the areas where you have shown potential in improving your career.Create a well-researched resume. Don't just throw out your resume and head straight for the sales representative at your local human resource management company or your favorite computer company. Aside, from the fact that you don't have any experien ce as a professional resume writer, you will not get the job.Make sure that you are prepared for the interview. You will never know if you are invited for an interview if you were not well prepared for the interview. Be prepared with a list of questions that you need to ask the interviewer. It would be best if you can interview both before the interview and during the interview as well.Make sure that your resume is ready to go. This means that you have written all the necessary information such as the contact details, educational details, and employment history.These are only a few basic tips that will help you create a well-written resume. There are many more, but these are the basic ones. If you apply these tips, you can feel confident that you will be able to ace the interview process and land the job. Though you should be aware of this old trick, you need to remember that it will never work if you are not very well prepared. Therefore, you should try to prepare yourself prior to applying for the job. This way, you will be sure that you will not come across any last minute hurdles when applying for the job.Career changes are very common in today's world. It is necessary that you take advantage of the job opportunities that come your way and are able to land the job of your dreams.

To Get What You Need You Must Know What You Need [Podcast] - Career Pivot

To Get What You Need You Must Know What You Need [Podcast] - Career Pivot Episode 21 â€" Marc advises people in the second half of life to recognize and learn from moments of clarity, to pivot to their next career. Description: In this episode, Marc shares the chapter, “To Get What You Need You Must Know What You Need” from his upcoming book, Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the Second Half of Life, currently available for pre-order in March, and available on Amazon, in April, 2017. Key Takeaways: [:57] Marc starts this episode by thanking you listeners for your reviews. Repurpose Your Career now has a Five Star rating! Marc shares one review, and will share one review per episode, for the next few weeks. If you haven’t left your review, Marc has instructions for how to do it, linked below. Download Link |iTunes|Stitcher Radio|Google Podcast|Podbean|TuneIn|Overcast [2:50] If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there. When you’re tired of wandering, figure out what you want to be. What do you want out of life, and what role does your job play in that? It’s not just about pay, perqs, or a nice boss, but about your underlying needs that you may never recognize. Take an assessment to see. [3:40] Marc tells how one woman was surprised at her need for status â€" to be aligned with key decision makers. When she didn’t have that, she felt frustrated. Many need to be in charge of their own schedules. Not getting what you need isn’t always as obvious as having an abusive boss or poor working conditions, but it can frustrate you. [4:32] Rewards â€" One of the top reasons we change jobs is because we don’t feel valued. Most people want and need to feel rewarded for doing good work. Marc explores the various forms rewards can take. Marc learned he needs a pat on the back from his customers. When he was a high school math teacher, that was not to be had! [5:50] Marc had a client who was increasingly depressed, because he praised others often, and he expected his boss to tell him when he was doing well. When he heard nothing, he feared he was in trouble, about to be fired, or not thought of highly. (He was excelling.) Marc suggested he talk to his boss, who was glad to know of his concern. [6:47] Most managers want to know how to manage better, and they really can’t figure out all their different employees feedback styles. Some clients don’t push for compensation, and this can lead to pay inequity. [7:10] Marc’s client’s boss gave bonuses, but not raises. Marc’s client wanted an increased paycheck! Some are best rewarded with time off. Others crave challenging projects; the chance to learn new skills. For some in nonprofits, or the military, the best reward is a mission that resonates with them. What kinds of rewards do you need? [7:47] Freedom â€" The ability to take a two-hour client lunch without explaining it to anybody, go to a doctor’s appointment, or take a Friday afternoon off, and make it up Saturday morning. Or, freedom to use your imagination in creating products and solutions, or freedom to wear jeans, or work from home, or to speak your mind. [8:15] Marc categorizes three freedoms: freedom from micromanagement, freedom to be creative and individualistic in your approach, and freedom from structure and rules. Most professionals want the freedom to do their job, and let everyone else get out of the way, as long as their results meet or exceed expectations. [8:59] Freedom is increasingly important to employees. New, flatter hierarchies make it possible for employees to design their own jobs, as long as the work gets done. If you could create your own job description, in terms of freedom, what would it include? [9:17] Respect and emotional support â€" Everybody needs to be respected. Everyone has different expectations and needs for communication with others. How do we select the job with the emotional support that suits us? Strategic networking is one tool to use to experience different work environments. [10:37] Variety â€" One of the key happiness factors at work is how much variety you have. Marc tells of a woman who almost took a job with none of the features she wanted, and some she did not want. Marc asked her, did she really want that job? She did not. She changed her focus. Another client always needed chaos to clean up. [15:47] Do you want a lot of variety? Look at these questions: Are you more or less productive when you have lots of things going on? At what point does multi-tasking become stressful to you? What happens when you are interrupted frequently? Think about the perfect culture for you, based on your positive experiences. Ask for that. [17:14] Action Steps: Reflect back to the job that made you feel most rewarded. What did you receive that made you feel good? Write down what you need, including intangibles like freedom, respect, physical activity, and variety. Write down the kind of culture you prefer to work in: small or large company, established, or startup. [17:45] Highlights to consider: Did you see yourself in that chapter? Work through the Action Steps. You will find it worthwhile. Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the Second Half of Life, is now available for pre-order on Amazon. Mentioned in This Episode: Audible.com Get a free audiobook download and free 30-day trial. CareerPivot.com CareerPivot.com/blog Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the Second Half of Life, by Marc Miller with Susan Lahey, available in the middle of April, 2017 Take a moment â€" go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Give this podcast a review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there. Marc Miller Like what you just read? Share it with your friends using the buttons above. Like What You Read? Get Career Pivot Insights! Check out the Repurpose Your Career Podcast Do You Need Help With ...

Starting Kit For Escape Game Businesses

Starting Kit For Escape Game Businesses Live escape rooms â€" as in a room in which you and your friends or team are being physically locked in â€" are growing in popularity. They exist in a variety of names and in a variety of countries, from mystery rooms to puzzle games, but the most famous denomination is escape rooms. Ultimately, a company that offers escape room facilities from small and large groups is guaranteed to attract both individuals and professionals. If you can safely welcome hen dos, birthday parties and team building groups, you can ensure a constant stream of income throughout the week. More importantly, you can also become an excellent dating location for new couples and an alternative to shopping and museum visits for urban tourists. In other words, running an escape room company is a profitable business, assuming you know how to get started in this subtle sector. The perfect puzzle themes First of all, the principle of the mystery room is to solve the problems and escape. Consequently, you want to design a room that can be challenging enough for players while remaining entertaining. Ultimately, you don’t want people to feel like they have to sit an exam to go through, but you also don’t want to make it too visible. Best rooms are those that can introduce puzzles within an immersive theme. A typical scenario is to pick a zombie invasion, as it might create just the stress factor you need to keep the game challenging. If you’re not a horror fan, you can offer an exploratory tour to an ancient Egyptian tomb, to keep players on their toes! Custom-made rooms Once you’ve got the theme, you have to establish the room decor. The decor is essential as there will be clues, boxes and doors dissimulated within your interior. In short, you need to tailor the decor to your puzzle. For instance, if your players need to build a plumbing network to cool down a machine, you can introduce custom-cut black malleable threaded pipe elements, which are easy to thread in place by hand. If you’ve got a secret door, use hand-cut wallpaper to hide it. Are you hiding something within a globe? Custom-build the globe so that it was opens easily to release the next clue. Game masters you can rely on What keeps the game fun for players is the game master. The game master provides clues to help players escape the room and sets the immersive ambience before the players discover the place. Without a good game master, the experience is ruined. That’s precisely why as a business owner, you need to ensure your game masters feel recognized and praised for their efforts. Make sure to provide refreshments too, as game masters need to talk all day to keep players entertained. You don’t want a sore throat to affect the game! Remember: it’s all about the fun An escape room business gives you the opportunity to provide entertainment to your visitors. Players want to be challenged, but they also want to escape. So you need to make sure that the majority of players can have a chance. Additionally, you can’t afford to run the same games indefinitely, as it can get dull. Keep it fun and exciting by changing your rooms!   Escape rooms are not only high in excitement, but they also provide a profitable business model. Your role is to monetize mystery entertainment for the players and to keep it exciting and enriching for your game masters.

Check it out Do you want to enjoy your job Im opening up 5 additional client slots. Act now and win a free coaching session! - Hallie Crawford

Check it out Do you want to enjoy your job I’m opening up 5 additional client slots. Act now and win a free coaching session! Do you dread getting out of bed in the morning to go to work? Is your job no longer rewarding, but you’re not sure what would be better? Do you feel stuck where you are? Wouldn’t you rather have a career you are passionate about? Here’s the good news. You don’t have to settle for less! You can create your own path to a career you desire … and deserve. You can close the gap between where you are now and where you want to be. You can have a job that is fulfilling, rewarding, and FUN! Yesterday I was reading an Elle magazine article about 3 people who worked with a coach and the life-changing benefits they received from doing so! (Thanks Elizabeth). It was heartwarming to read about this from the clients perspective. I was inspired to help more people enjoy their jobs, so I decided to expand my coaching practice. I am opening up 5 more client spots for individual coaching clients to help you make it happen. Act now â€" I predict these slots will fill up quickly! Plus, everyone who contacts me by the end of this week (2/25) to discuss individual coaching will be entered into a drawing to win a Free coaching session (worth $166). Let’s work together to find the job that’s perfect for you. We’ll examine your likes and dislikes, your skills, your priorities, and your goals for the future. We’ll uncover the obstacles that have held you back, and I’ll give you the tools to overcome them. With my help, you’ll gain clarity, confidence, and the power to succeed in the career of your dreams. Contact me today for an introductory meeting to grab one of only 5 client slots available, and to find out if career coaching is right for you. Rock and roll, lets make it happen Hallie