Wishing you a happy and safe New Year's Eve!

With the New Year just a couple days away, it is time to think of our New Year's Resolutions. This usually has something to do with finally stopping all of the procrastination that has kept us from completing these tasks all year. So whether you are planning to take more responsibility at work, lose weight, or become a more active member of your community. Stop procrastinating and give yourself a deadline. Don’t just say you have a resolution; have a goal and act on it. You will be delightfully surprised at how accomplished you feel after completing your resolution.

Corporate social responsibility is an integral part in organizations today. With all of the news media and information technology we are able to look at the business practices of different organizations with a magnifying glass and those with good corporate social responsibility tend come out on top. People enjoy knowing that businesses have the big picture on their brain so when they are taking care of the environment and the like, people are more willing to invest in them.

Creating a mentorship program is one way a company can bring in new young talent and prepare them to be the leaders of the future within the company. To best implement a program of this caliber you need to recruit your more experienced employees to take a new hire under their wing and teach them the ropes along the way. This is likely to boost your retention rate by teaching people when they are on the job and it makes the job more interesting to learn from a more senior person. The new hire is able to have a “go to” person which gives them a sense of a solid network of supporters and both benefit from the perspective of the other person in the mentoring partnership.

Keeping your eyes healthy and in tip top shape is very important. With the new technology available these days, more and more people are spending a majority of their time staring at a screen. SO whether it is a television, computer monitor, or your PDA be sure that you are not straining your eyes. Make sure you are aware of where the screen is in relation to your eyes. It has been suggested that a computer monitor should be 5 to 9 inches below eye level. To better focus your eyes you can also follow the 20/20/20 rule. This rule is designed to remind you to allow your eyes to refocus. For every 20 minutes you are looking at a screen, look away for 20 seconds at an object that is 20 feet away. This will refocus your eyes and keep from dry eyes and blurred vision.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Managers deal with conflict everyday. Project managers in particular are often called upon on a daily basis to resolve some type of conflict. The conflicts can arise from internal or external forces or events. The potential for conflict is present whenever there are a group of people involved and decisions need to be made. The thing that makes a project manager a great project manager is being able to understand the root of the problem, and analyze the problem he/she is dealing with and devise possible solutions.

When it comes to dressing for work, the guidelines are not always as clear cut as they should be. With terms such as “snappy casual” people are often left very confused as to what is appropriate attire for the work day. Having evolved from the mandatory suit and tie for men and a skirt suit or pantsuit for women companies have begun to adjust the dress code with casual Fridays or other themed days. The business casual workplace is one with many gray areas. The guide lines are less subtle, making them much harder to follow. General rule of thumb is to look at top management and try to follow their model of appropriate dress.

Enthusiasm and a positive attitude go hand in hand with each other. Enthusiastic and motivated people make things happen for them, and the positive attitude makes people want to associate themselves with you. This is important when you are thinking of networking and making connections. The people who get the most referrals are people that are sincere, enthusiastic, and motivated to do well.

We learn new information everyday. Whether it is as simple as meeting someone new, and learning their name or remembering a grocery list the information needs to be retained to help us in the future. There are some ways of improving your memory. When you are trying to remember unfamiliar material, think about how the information you are trying to learn relates to something you already know. Establishing relationships between the new ideas that are entering in to your brain and existing memories can help increase the likelihood you will remember the information and will also help you recall the information faster in the future.

Interview etiquette should extend beyond the interview room, and beyond the goodbye handshake. Following up with the interviewer is a common courtesy typically done by sending a thank-you not. While thanking the interviewer is always acceptable, as well as checking to see if someone else has been hired for the position, aggressively following up is not all right. Therefore, try not to excessively call, e-mail or stop by the office. Although you feel that you are showing persistence and a passion for the job or position it is not well perceived.

When winter weather is at its worse, it is important for drivers to be on their best behavior. The best advice for driving in winter weather is to not drive at all if possible, and allow the snow plows and sanders to do their work. However if you do need to venture out make sure that you keep speeds slow, and allow plenty of room between you and the car in front of you. To avoid skidding, break slowly. Keep your lights on and windshields clean. It is also important to be especially careful over bridges, overpasses and unplowed roads all of which will freeze before treated roads.

Regardless of what you are planning it is important for people affected by the plan to gain their support. Therefore explaining why the plan is being carried out and by selling the benefits to everyone involved is important. Ensure that all of the resources needed are procured and that they remain available for as long as you need them. Then, devise a timeline to keep the plan in motion and before anything else, keep it all simple and straightforward. Be flexible and consider alternative arrangements incase things go array that why you will be prepared for anything.

It’s not what you say, but how you say it. This is important to remember in interviews, during conversations, and when giving presentations. Your tone, inflection, body language, attitude and motive combine to make how you are saying this as important as what you are saying. Be respectful of your company and use all of the above to your benefit. Use your verbal and body language to enhance and improve your communication.

During an interview, we all know it is important to show the value we can add to the company by connecting with the company’s mission, its people, and its customers. However, the only person you are able to connect with at that moment is the interviewer, and given the short amount of time with them your interview needs to give a lasting impression. Do not worry about making a mistake during your interview, worry about not making a good enough effort in connecting with the interview. Share commonalities, listen attentively and respond well. Listening attentively finding out the focus of the question, and during your response remembering that object but also try to engage the interviewer to your point or offer proof of what you are saying. This will give them a connection that they will remember when they go to make their referrals.

If you have ever sat in a meeting that seemed to drone on forever, chances are an accurate agenda was not set beforehand…and if it was no one was paying attention to it. Meetings run more smoothly with a set agenda and preferably a time limit set to discussing the different topics. That way, if one item is a smaller issue allocating a 5-10 minute discussion can give way to discussing some of the bigger issues that are a little more important and need more dialogue. Having someone that can move the discussion along as well as items on the agenda is also helpful.

You can find different courses of action to help you land any job on the internet and by talking with friends and family. If you are worried about landing a job with the current economic environment as many of us are especially new graduates looking for their first job it is important to maximize every contact and make the best of every opportunity you have. Even if the job you are offered isn’t the most ideal, use it as a time to hone your skills, and gain some experience.

“ You can make a difference if you speak up and set your mind to changing things.” This quote by A.G. Lafley, CEO of Proctor & Gamble is one that we should remember each and every day. They say that staying silent means affirmation to what is going on around you. People are dependent on each other. The technology we use today was developed by technology someone invented before our time and others will continue to build off of the original to bigger and better things. If you feel shy and timid about proposing a better solution, you will not get very far. So speak up, make yourself heard, put yourself out there and great things will come. And if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.

If you don’t deal with stress immediately, and try to manage it sooner or later the burden becomes increasingly more heavy, and the breaking point will render us unable to carry on. At this time, you need to put down all of the weight on your shoulders. Take a deep breath, go on a walk, and rest before holding all of that weight again. Then when you are refreshed make a list, prioritize, and take things one day at a time. Leave your work stress at work, do not take it home, you can always pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you are carrying with you now put them down if even just for a moment and take time for yourself.

Participating or just being out in cold-weather activities means that you must be sure to eat enough food and drink a lot of water. In cold weather, your body uses calories to not only stay warm but also make up for the calories burned while exercising. If you partake in skiing, snowboarding or other winter weather sports you need to drink large quantities of liquid because burning calories to stay warm requires water.

We are currently in the cold and flu season, so what can you do to protect yourself and those around you from spreading the flu germs?

Be proactive, get a flu shot.

If you know you are sick with the flu, stay home.

Sneeze or cough in to your elbow, not in to you hands.

Clean phones, door knobs and desktops with alcohol swabs.

Wash your hands and face often with hot, soapy water.

If you are a job seeker in this job market, make sure you do not limit yourself. If you can’t get a job in the industry you want, reassess your work situation as well as other aspects of your life. Positive lifestyle habits and the concept of finding a creative way to do what you want or adjusting what you want to do for other industries is a good thing when looking for a position. Always look for new ways to expand your network and get involved with other professionals in your field, increasing your visibility within an industry can help you in the long run.

One of the most frustrating things for an interviewer can be when the interviewee is not aware of the company’s background and what the company actually does. Therefore, researching your prospective employer is one way if you are competing against other candidates with equally impressive skills, experience, and education that can allow you to stand out. Also being aware of current trends or growth opportunities of the industry for which you are apply can give you the competitive advantage. Using the company website can help you gain insight in to this information as well as other research information sites that will help you learn about the company.

Technology and the internet in particular has been a great resource for a number of job seekers around the globe. However, with all of the technology available we still need to be mindful of human errors that could affect the hiring process. Some basic tips to remember when using the internet to scope out prospective job opportunities is to make sure that your e-mail address is professional. Be sure to reread your resumes and cover letters for spelling and grammar errors and have a text only version of all your documents that is compatible with most computers so they can be easily sent and submitted to employers.

For years, people have been under the assumption that being respected may be more important than being liked. However, more and more people are thinking that people who exude confidence and are charismatic are finding the road to success easier than those who do not. Pay raises, promotions and other rewards are being based on these characteristics and how well people are liked by their supervisors. Likeability is a skill that can be learned, and to do so all you need to do is increase your friendliness in order to communicate openness and welcoming of others. Make the extra effort to greet people cheerfully, smile and be aware of your body language and words.

There are currently about 33.2 million people living with HIV and 2.5 million of which are children. Around half of all the people infected with HIV are infected before the time they reach 25 and are killed by AIDS before they are 35. Today, December 1st is World AIDS Day. World AIDS Day is about raising money, increasing awareness, and fighting prejudices. Most importantly World AIDS Day strives to improve education and remind people that HIV has not gone away and that there are many ways people can help. For more information click here.