Have you fallen into the overworked, overwhelmed blues when all you can think about is when you can take your next vacation? Chances are you have fallen into a slump and can’t remember what made you fall in love with your line of work to begin with. What you need to do is go back and find the passion you at one time had. Once you find what made you passionate your motivation to give 100% effort will be rekindled. Refocus, take some alone time, and get inspired again by the challenge presented by your line or work. Everyone faces adversity and hardship, so dump the negativity and figure out what excites you all over again.

The internet with all different social networking sites, and blogs can be great resources if you are employed or unemployed. If you are unemployed, perhaps consider making a personal web site related to your work experiences. This site could include your resume, certifications, and examples of your work such as your portfolio. This site could also contain your blog where you talk about your related career interests. If you are interested in a particular industry start blogging about the trends in the industry or industry news related to other topics.

Conflicts and differing of opinions often occur in the workplace. Respecting the views of other people, and having them respect yours is something that needs to be worked on everyday. Whether you agree to disagree and continue with your day, the fact of the matter is that friction leads to a level of being uncomfortable. Try not to back down without having your opinion heard just for the sake of not making waves, try speaking up and voicing your ideas without trying to get anyone to agree with you right off the bat. If people are interested in your belief they will probe you for more information and will be able to come up with their own ideas on the suggestion.

No one is perfect, which leads to the fact that everyone makes mistakes. However, depending on how you deal with your mistakes is what could earn you the respect of your boss and colleagues. Managing any possible mistakes tells more about your individual integrity and character than being the all star of the team. Accepting defeat, weighing your options, and choosing the outcome that presents the best scenario for all parties is what is important. So, instead of wasting time and energy getting upset with yourself, utilize your problem solving skills, turn it around and start working on the solution.

Stress affects all of us differently, but in most cases stress makes it hard to shift our focus and our attention from one thing to another. Whether we are juggling our day to day home or work life, it is important to cut down on multitasking and make one thing at a time a priority. This will give you complete attention to the task at hand and may even improve your efficiency, allowing you to get more things done from your “to do” list which could cut down on your overall stress.

Have you ever had an interview and afterwards thought of all the things you feel you did not express correctly? You know you are the right person for the job, but seemed to say all the wrong things to the interviewer. In this case, you do not usually get a second chance to make a good first impression. However, you can try to highlight your strengths again through your “thank you” letter. If you feel there was one question you did not answer to the best of your ability, reference it in your letter and say that you have had more time to reflect on it and give your response in the letter. As always, be sure to express your interest and strong qualifications for the position.

There have been times in life when all of us can look back and say and realize we weren’t being realistic. Whether it was simple or complex, sometimes we expect something and are mad when it shows up short. This theory is often present in the job hunt. Sometimes we expect too much of our next job, and believe that it can make up for the shortcomings of our previous positions whether they be salary, benefits, or career opportunities. However, being realistic about the company, the job and what will make you happy is important. Seek to concentrate on the factors that are most important to you and more importantly what is actually under your control. Don’t make demands that seem unreasonable, and always work hard and be rewarded accordingly for your efforts.

We learn new things everyday, and that information comes to us in all different forms. Whether it is news from television, radio or the internet we take that information and our day to day experiences and apply them to our futures. Learning something new in the workplace is very important. Not only will it be beneficial to your job but signing up for additional training could also help when it comes down to job security. Seeking out ways to improve your skills that will help you grow within your professional career may cost you as an individual some time and money but is well worth it. Investing in your future employability is priceless. Look in to area colleges that offer graduate programs or online courses and other certificate programs to add value to you.

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY

For most of us, typing on a keyboard is part of our daily ritual for at least some portion of the day. We respond to e-mails, surf the web, play computer games, research, and write reports on the regular. Have you ever examined how dirty and dusty your keyboard can become? Germs can be easily spread by sharing a keyboard with someone. Of course there is traditional keyboard cleaners people use, but they are full of toxic chemicals and add to greenhouse gases. Instead of turning to the traditional approach try using a little elbow grease. By flipping your keyboard upside down over a trash can and using double stick tape between the keys you can keep your work area dust free without adding pollutants to the air.

It is easy to become overwhelmed and preoccupied with issues that present a sense of urgency or immediacy rather than long term goals and objectives. Although it is important to deal with those issues as they come up, it is important not to forget about your overall business objective. Your quick decisions regardless of how remedial you believe they are will eventually have a deep impact on your long term plan. Make sure that your company or the people that are working for you have a solid understanding of the framework of the organization. Reexamining your company and/or your individual work can help you become more efficient. Simply identify your current status in terms of analyzing your strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities and see what is working and what is not. From there, make the necessary adjustments and continually reevaluate your plans to optimize better effectiveness.

Women are playing a particularly active role in business these days. They have a different way of thinking than men and often a different way of carrying out day to day business operations. Women have a charm about them that helps with business negotiations. In order to be a successful woman in business it takes a lot of poise. You need to find your own management style, always knowing when to play hardball and which battles to choose. As with all business, go where the business is headed this way you can stay ahead of the trends so you can be part of them. Believe in yourself and understand the finances of your business. From there you will know what needs to be done in order to stay on top. Women have a way of wanting to take care of everything and everyone. Set boundaries, trust in others when you delegate tasks and speak up if they are not living up to your expectations.

First Blog

This is my first blog (ever), and to be honest, I’m a little nervous – and not just because my words will appear next to those of our insightful resident blogger. I’m nervous because as soon as they’re posted, my thoughts essentially become an extension of eRichards. I’ll be representing the company in an entirely new way, totally different from when I’m talking to a client, a candidate, or even a friend.

As I sit here writing, I’m wondering: at what point do my actions/words stop reflecting the company and just reflect me? It’s not an easy question and maybe there’s no clear answer. Take a look at the recent events (and by “events” I mean endorsements lost) in the world of swimming and I think you’ll see what I mean.

Upcoming WPO event

The Women Presidents’ Organization will be hosting its annual conference from April 23 -25 in Coronado, CA. The focus this year is sustainability.

For more information, go to: http://womenpresidentsorg.com/2009conf

Work life balance is something that you always needs special attention. We live in a world with so much technology that we can almost always access our e-mail accounts and work voicemails. The problem is that often being able to work from home we can sometimes infringe on our home lives making us stressed out and distracted. Making a list of priorites of what really matters to you will help you discover if you are devoting too much time to activities that are not really important. Once you do that, scheduling things that are important to you will become easier because unnecessary activities keep you away from things that are more important. Also, do not try to do everything yourself. Rely on others such as family members, colleagues etc to share in some of the work whether it is at home or the office this will take some of the burden off of you and allow you some extra free time. Work for most is imperative to living well, but finding the time for fun and relaxation is also essential to living a well-balanced life.

Open offices, or open floor plans with rows of cubicles is the trend among many office buildings. This can lead to employees being distracted by background noise. Because people are more easily distracted in this environment it is important to find out what works best for you as an individual. Reserving a conference room for a block of time during the day will give you some time to work on projects that require extra focus and concentration. If this is not an option, try using ear plugs or a set of headphones to provide some relief from the noise.