Automating documents is a great way of trimming down and organizing files. Take the extra time needed to purge unnecessary paperwork and materials from your files, and find a way of arranging them on your computer in a useful manner. To do this, simply scan and identify the documents and separate them in to broad categories. Then look to sort your files chronologically or alphabetically within these categories whichever works best for you.

With the holiday season in full effect it is important to keep your health in mind. All of the holiday foods, parties, and desserts are on the top of everyone’s mind. It is important to know about the different fats that are in the foods we enjoy so much, which are ok and which you should try to avoid. Not all fats are created equal and some damage your body and promote disease whereas others can actually help prevent ailments. Try to avoid unhealthy trans fats and limit saturated fats. Include healthy fats such as such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated, which include omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at eRichards Consulting!

It can be helpful to your job if you bring some of what you have learned through outside activities to work. If you have ever volunteered to run an event or fundraiser you can bring that knowledge and experience with you to work when you are preparing to delegate responsibility, motivate others or assume responsibility for an event. If one of your outside activities is running, and another is acting those skills can also be displayed at work. Running can exemplify your self discipline and time management whereas acting could be representative of your speaking skills. All of which can be beneficial to apply to your work environment. Exploring different activities, places and cultures can be beneficial to your work if you can apply what you have learned and add value to your work by integrating those activities into fresh insights and ideas for your career.

Businesses are scrambling to adapt to some of the hardest economic times, and as the recession deepens it is time to look at the strategy of your business. Some businesses are in terrible trouble and looking for a lifeline or bail out to continue operations, others are in better shape and trying to think of some of the advantages or opportunities currently presented to them. This could be trying to take some of the market share of their weakened competitors. However, either way you look at the situation the ability of a company to be resilient and smart is what is going to help them out in the long run. Making smart decisions on both fronts the offense and defense is what is going to help you survive. So get to the drawing boards and set up the new game plan for both sides of your operation.

There is a definite connection between living well and having a cheerful outlook on life, and all of the obstacles that come at us. So make it a daily challenge for you to find new ways of exercising. Some of the easiest ways to exercise is to incorporate it in to your daily activities such as climbing the stairs instead of taking an escalator or elevator. Walk your dog, toss a ball around with your kids or friends, mow the lawn or park a little further away from your destination to get a little bit more exercise in. Anything that requires you to move is not only good for your overall fitness but can also help lower your stress levels. Movement can be for short spurts and doesn’t require you to be in a gym for a set amount of time.

In turbulent economic times, people are watching their spending and often cutting back on unnecessary things. This could result in people monitoring their power usage and driving patterns to save some money. With this in mind, finding out facts about recycled materials often inspire others to do their share. Did you know…13% of plastic water bottles are recycled every year out of an estimated 28 billion, 25% is the national recycling rate for glass containers and glass containers are 100% recyclable? Help the planet and yourself by being environmentally friendly.

No one likes when his/her weaknesses are pointed out, but being in the right mindset to take the constructive feedback and planning to fix them is what is key. Spend more time and care thinking about what people say. Ask your friends and family to bounce ideas off of them for improving yourself. Then put their suggestions to good use at work and at home.

The hardest thing about interviewing is not knowing in what direction you should take your answer. However, if you listen, your interviewer will guide you toward what they want to know and what is important to them. Sometimes our nerves and excitement have a way of distracting us, but pay attention to what the other person is saying and make sure to answer all questions fully. If you are not sure that you did, feel free to ask the interviewer.

Working in an inclusive work environment allows employees the feeling of being one part of a bigger whole. Companies that foster this inclusive work environment by resolving diversity related complaints actually improve retention and by providing equal access to career opportunities and promoting diversity they find that throughout the workplace efforts of the employees have improved whether they are on the product or the services side. Bringing together people with different talents from different backgrounds is what give the employer the competitive advantage because when it comes down to it, your employees are what make your business work.

There have been a number of blogs about the interview process or how best to get yourself out there to employers, but the more I began thinking about it there seems to be a change in how people are hired these days for a number of companies. A lot of companies are still looking for intelligent, well rounded and outgoing people that possess the skills and characteristics of the position that is open. Looking beyond the obvious requirements, they are also looking for candidates that have the potential to evolve as the company grows. It seems to me that a lot of organizations are looking for candidates that complement their culture. So during the interview, make sure that you can identify why you are a good fit for the position, and what value you can bring to the company. Think of it as how the business can benefit from having you on their team. Figure our why exactly you and the company are a good match, and sell yourself from there.

Taking a quick nap is what helps many of us through a long day. However, you need to be sure that it is a “quick” nap. Your heart, hormones, and cells all benefit from power napping which makes it even more worthwhile than you may have already thought. Therefore, a twenty minute nap could help you be more successful for the rest of your day. The key to taking a twenty minute nap is to take it in the morning or after lunch. Stay away from foods with too much caffeine, fat or sugar, and eat foods high in calcium and protein which will actually help you sleep. Then try to find a quiet dark place, grab a blanket and set an alarm! You will hopefully wake up refreshed and ready to tackle the next project.

The weather is getting colder, and the days are getting darker earlier. To help you make it through the work day try short bursts of exercise. Walking even ten minutes can jump start your brain and brighten your mood. Asking a friend or co worker to take a quick walk or just bringing along some music can help break up your day and get you more focused on what you should be working on, and it only takes a couple of minutes.

Do you ever feel that there just aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done? There are ways to get more from your day without having to need more hours, you just have to know what they are. Time management is one of the most important things anyone can learn. If you were in a flex-based environment creating and keeping a schedule will require some effort at first, but once it becomes routine you will wonder how you ever managed without it. The first thing you can do is to separate your home chores from your work chores. Then decide what you do that is a time waster and what maximizes your use of time and adjust. If telephone calls and dealing with email are two of your biggest time wasters keep calls short and on topic stay away from using that time to socialize and catch up unless that is the purpose of the call. Have separate e-mail accounts for work and personal use that way you can save personal e-mails for when you are not at work and vice versa.

Are you a casual observer in life? Or do you see problems as possibilities? Careers are people’s way of making a difference, so if you do not see problems as possibilities…it may be time to reframe how you think. Consider the experiences and lessons you will learn by trying to fix the problems. Those experiences may open your eyes to new inventions, or ideas that could go on to help others. Open your eyes and open your mind.

During cold and flu season, prevention begins with basic hygiene. First of all, hand washing should never be over looked. Never touch your mouth, nose, or eyes without washing your hands. Be weary of sharing drinks and “double dipping” chips in to dips. Remind those around you to cover their mouths with a tissue when they cough or sneeze. Lastly, don’t share personal items like toiletries, towels, or pillows. These easy steps could help keep you healthy!

Speaking in front of an audience is something that makes many of us nervous. However, knowing the needs of your audience as well as the material you are presenting thoroughly will help put your mind at ease. First, put your materials in a logical sequence, this will allow you to stay on track and allow others to follow your presentation. Practice your speech at home and in front of friends and family, or even videotape yourself giving the presentation. Analyze the videotape yourself or asking for friends and family to comment and give constructive criticism on your presentation. Picture yourself as an actor on a stage and be aware of your strong and weak points of the presentation. Only emphasize your strong points. Dress appropriately for the occasion, and speak to the person farthest away from you to ensure your voice is loud enough to project to the back of the room.

It has been highly publicized that more and more companies are using social networking sites to check job applicant’s profiles when evaluating job candidates. Are employers using these sites to understand more about the candidate then shows up on their resume? In a day where a lot of companies believe that finding the right “fit” for the company culture goes beyond just the set of job skills and education required for the job the use of surfing social networking sites could allow for that insight. If you plan on keeping your profile during your job hunt, make sure that you do keep your profile updated. Make sure that there is nothing on your profile that says anything about your current position, either good or bad. If you plan on joining groups, be sure that they add to your image, instead of take away or give the wrong impression. Overall, make sure that you do your homework, be sure that you do not have any information on social networking sites or others that could make a recruiter decide to pass on you as a job candidate.

A friendly environment at work is essential in maintaining a good working community. An easy way to make your office or business better is by showing your coworkers how appreciative of their efforts. Simple things such as remembering to say “thank you” when someone does something for you or being flexible and accommodating of other people’s schedules when possible are other ways of showing people you value them enough to bend for them. Asking for ideas and opinions and incorporating where appropriate is another way to give people credit and their contributions will make them feel part of the group and important. Don’t underestimate the importance of each person and their own set of skills, knowledge, and talents.

Finding a job when you don’t know exactly what you want to do can be very difficult. If you don’t know what you want to do, it makes it very hard to sell yourself on just any position that you are applying for. Try writing down things you enjoy. Make a list of jobs, careers, and topics that interest you. Start employing your social networking skills, talk with others about what industries they are in and ask them any questions you may have. Then start on to the process of getting in to the mind set or applying for a position. Align your education with any job prospects; don’t apply for a job if you don’t have the skills and qualifications to back it up. Then use your cover letter to illustrate your qualifications.

Setting realistic career goals can help you stay motivated, improve your current work performance, and help you get that promotion to a job that you're qualified for as long as you are sure that each goal is both specific, but more importantly something that can be attained. The best place to start in mapping out your goals, is to gain the input you need from your boss regarding your strengths and weaknesses. Having his/her opinion opinion on skills that will boost your chances of advancing and then keeping in contact to learn about your performance will help you continuously revamp and reevaluate the goals and priorities you have established for yourself.

In his victory speech following the results of the election, President Elect- Barack Obama declared that “change has come to America”. This is not uncommon with new leadership whether it is on such a grand universal scale as change for a country, or change within an organization. New leaders ultimately mean new change. However, looking back on his campaign slogan “yes we can” we see that he is acknowledging and opening an invitation for everyone regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity or national origin to be part of this change and movement towards a new America. Listening, learning, contributing, letting your voices be heard is monumental in being part of a change. Apply that knowledge not only in thinking about what this change means for the country, but how you can step things up within your organizations and affiliations to promote inclusivity as well as change and development for the future.

eRichards would like to encourage everyone that is eligible to vote to get out to the polling stations today and cast your vote. A vote is a way to express support or preference for a certain candidate or a certain political party. Make sure your voice is heard. For more information on voting and your state, please click here.

Planning is essential to careers. For people looking for careers you need to plan out applications, interviews, and decisions on a timeline. On the other hand, if you are in a position you may want to start planning your career growth. However, most people are reluctant to set goals or even develop plans out of fear of not following through or failing. Don’t be afraid; identify how you can be more effective in your career plans. Be active, get involved, make compromises and set goals, you’ll be better for it.

Looking for someone that is a “good fit” for a position both in terms of qualified but also someone who will be comfortable in the corporate culture is important. Although hiring managers look for the perfect fit, no one is perfect and finding the perfect employee for every position is impossible. Therefore finding a “good fit” candidate is the best approach. That way even if you need to and redefine the job, and let the candidate make the job their own in a way, you can help take your organization to the next level. When deciding if someone is a “good fit” it is important to allow for some flexibility. Allowing flexibility in the job duties will allow the employee to control his/her individual strengths as the job evolves.