Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom The Consumerization of HR and the Employee Experience

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom The Consumerization of HR and the Employee Experience We started talking about the consumerization of IT several years ago, as employees began to demand technology solutions at work on their own terms, via their own devices. It was natural, then, that the discussion eventually moved to the consumerization of HR. People now expect an experience at work that is comparable to the experience they have at home via apps like Netflix and Amazon. To be more explicit, employees are looking for digital content available on demand, a friendly user-interface, and online delivery that is agile and automated. They also expect a social experience driven by personalized recommendations relevant to their role, location, and place in the employee lifecycle. When I talk to HR professionals about this, they get it. Many have taken major steps in the last year to bring their operations to life via mobile and social platforms. They are starting to solicit feedback about what makes a powerful experience at every phase of the employee lifecycle. They are trying new strategies, and using new forms of people analytics to measure their effectiveness. But something is still missing, and the folks at Bersin by Deloitte identified exactly what that something is. It’s design thinking. Deloitte research shows that people collectively check their phones more than 8 billion times each day, yet productivity is barely rising. Traditional HR solutions, say the folks at Bersin, are typically programs or processes to train people, assess performance, ensure compliance, or document a practice at work. Most were built around forms, process steps, formal training, or classroom events. But we’ve reached a new era. Employees are overwhelmed by the complexity of the workforce and the world in general, and need HR’s assistance in managing it. Design thinking moves HR’s focus beyond building programs and processes to a new goal: designing a productive and meaningful employee experience through solutions that are compelling, enjoyable, and simple. For the rest of the piece, check out the SilkRoad blog.

Ministry Resume Writing Service

Ministry Resume Writing ServiceThere are many excellent ministry resume writing services out there that can help you get your job in the business world. However, if you are a beginner, it may be easier to do the job yourself. The more information you have on your resume, the better it will be for you. If you are looking for a ministry resume writing service, you should think about how much you want to write your own resume and then start searching around online.A ministry resume can be a little hard to do. This is because the content of it depends a lot on what the church is about. Even if you are not a person who has degrees, if you are working in a ministry, you will need to have some kind of certificate to get your job. You also have to be aware of the laws surrounding your field. This includes doing background checks and talking to the people who will make the decisions about what you do.The first thing that you need to do when you are getting a ministry resume done is to write a bout yourself. This is where a ministry resume writing service can help you. This can include things like what you have been in your past jobs, what skills you have, and what kind of education you have. If you are looking for a ministry resume writing service, you should think about all of this, because it may come in handy at the interview.After you write your ministry resume, you should submit it to the ministry office. When you are submitting it, you should think about what kind of cover letter you are going to write. What kind of contents you want to put in it, what kind of subject line you want to use, and how long you want it to be. When you are looking for a ministry resume writing service, you should make sure that you have all of these types of questions answered before you submit your resume.After you submit your ministry resume, you should make sure that you keep all of the documents that you have. That way, you can refer back to them as you go along and can make sure tha t everything is right. Most ministries will need your signature on a list of things you can do once they have looked over your resume.Remember that most ministries only look at one or two ministry resumes a year. If you are looking for a ministry resume writing service, you should really think about how often you would like to send out your resume. If you are sending out it every week, then you need to think about how much time you have available to send it out, and how you can spend that time.The next thing you need to do after you send your ministry resume is to find someone to send it to. This may be easy if you already know someone in the ministry, but you may want to start off by just putting an advertisement on the internet. You can do this by using an internet agency that will put your advertisement on the internet for you.These are some things that you should know if you are looking for a ministry resume writing service. Even if you are a novice to the ministry, you should s till be able to get a job when you are looking for one.

Shortcuts to Common New Years Resolutions

Shortcuts to Common New Years Resolutions One reason I have achieved so much in my own career is that Ive taken shortcuts. For example, I played professional beach volleyball without learning how to play indoor sixes very wellI can really only play doubles, which is what people play on the sand. But it allowed me to skip a lot of years of indoor volleyball training and still play pro. Im always fascinated by people who find shortcuts. Tim Ferriss is a shortcut taker, but he totally annoys me because he pretends his shortcuts dont mean he still had to do hard work. One of the reasons I was initially attracted to the Farmer is that he is good at knowing what shortcuts to take and he values hard work. Just last week, in fact, he moved his pigs to a new barn, where they will be able to mix with the cattle herd. Its not something anyone in our area does, but he had a hunch it would work, and now he manages one herd instead of two. I love that Im learning the rules of farming by watching the Farmer cut corners. In lists of the most common New Years resolutions, most are career-related. So I thought Id take a look at the most common things people tell me they want to do, and Id tell you shortcuts to getting to that goal. Because Im pretty good at learning the rules and then figuring out how to work around them. This still means you have to do some hard work, of course, but its a smarter way to spend your energy and still get to what you want. Goal: Get a book deal First of all, Im not convinced that people need to get a book deal. That said, if you want to get a book published, dont write the book until you write the proposal. Thats how you get a book deal â€" from a ten-page proposal, not an actual book. So heres what you should do: Write a proposal and if you dont get a book deal from it, write another. Its a lot easier to write ten proposals to get one book deal than to write a book that no one bids on. And, if you dont invest tons of time in one, single proposal then you wont feel bad if you find out the proposal sucks. Because youve got another in the hopper. Here are tips from my agent on how to get a six-figure book deal. Goal: Sell your company You dont actually need to have a big exit. You just need to build something and then, well, sort of give it away. Because the idea of selling a company is actually just the idea that you build something that someone else wanted. Sure, $10 million would be great. But so few people get that much money for their company. Its much more common to get somewhere around $100,000 when all is said and done. And yes, thats a lot of money, but youd probably still work after that size exit, and youd probably change very little in your life. The value would be that you built something that someone wanted. So sell your company by finding someone who can use what youve built and will give you a small, token fee ($10) but a good job at the company. You can use that staff position as a break while you figure out what company to do next. And maybe youll start a company and sell it all over again. Goal: Change careers Youre going to need to show youve done the new job before you can get the new job. Its not fair, I know. But its how the world works. So just make up a job, do it, and then put it on your resume. You dont need pay or permission to do the job you want. Just start doing it. And if you already have the job you want on your resume, youre much more likely to get hired for the job you want. Are you worried about being exposed as a fake in an interview? First of all, theres not a law that says you cant have unpaid jobs on your resume. And you can have freelance jobs. So thats what a made-up job is: freelance, for free. And then keep at it so that when an interviewer wants to talk about this job and what you gained from doing it, you will look great. Because youll say you made the job up, to get yourself experience, and heres what you did, and heres what you learned, and youll look like a self-starter and a results-oriented super-performer. Because only that sort of someone would make up a job and then do it to gain experience. Goal: Skip entry-level drudgery Start a blog. Think of a blog like a high-end resume. Most peoples resumes are a list of the jobs theyve done that never show how you bring great ideas wherever you go. A blog, on the other hand, is a list of your ideas. You tell the world your opinions regarding your industry or interest. If you have good ideas, people will start listening. But you have to keep writing, to keep trying to find your niche and the audience for your niche. When you get the influencers in your industry to read you, then you become a respected voice in the arena. And thats your ticket to a beyond-entry-level job because people who listen to you will also be willing to help you get a job. (Want to get a jump-start on your blog? Try Blogging Bootcamp.) Goal: Launch a consumer product Dont sell the product direct to consumers. Thats the hard route because you have to build your own sales channel. Instead just make a prototype and sell it to retail buyers. Those buyers have a lot more power than a single consumer. And if your core-competency is product design, then you dont want to spend all your time marketing to consumers. So get the prototype done and if you have no bites, then make another prototype and try again. This will make your failure cycle go fast, which is one of the key factors in finding huge success. Its rare to have a big win on your first try. But its universal that the way to get through failure is to keep trying when other people would stop. Goal: Become a writer People ask me about this goal more than any other. And heres my advice: Just write. No one can write more than three hours a day. And most of us can find an extra three hours to do what we love. You are already a writer. No one has to give you permission to do what you love. Of course, this is the problem with most New Years resolutions that the only thing between us and our goals is self-discipline.

Why You Should Intern After 40

Why You Should Intern After 40 You have a serious problem.At age 39, you feel stuck.You also believe the following:If you quit now, life after 40 will be all about economic hardship. After 40, no one will hire you. You cannot intern. Starting over is impossible.This post will address why these beliefs hold you back and why interning after age 40 makes sense.Common MythsIf you believe no one will hire you after age 40, or that quitting your job will result in a career disaster, your fears will manifest into a reality.This belief sets you up for failure. You are learning nothing new and clinging to a job out of fear.Additionally, you make yourself less attractive to other companies by looking like a person who fears change.You become convinced no one will hire you. You fear others look at you as less productive or too old.You also fear the idea of having a younger boss and fear being demoralized by someone your kid's age.Finally, you believe that interning is something people only do out of college. Wrong.Companies will never save you from your own fears.They will perceive you as negative and cynical and will not hire you.Why You Should Intern Past Age 40Although you will not be making any money at first, there are loads of benefits that come with being a 40+ intern.Learn New Skills Without Paying for ItSchooling costs money whether you do classes online or in a classroom setting. Interning provides on-the-job training while you perform tasks for a company. It is a win-win.You learn new skills as you work. The company benefits from not paying you.Both parties experience working together, which can lead to the next reason why interning past 40 is great.Get Your Foot in the Door at a New CompanyYou are working at a company for free, which gives their staff and management the chance to experience why your wisdom and business experience has great value.If this company likes you and would be sad to see you leave, your internship can become your next full-time paid job.Escaping Fear and a Declining CareerOver the last 20 years, changes in technology and automation have made many careers and industries obsolete.In the future, careers will continue to change due to artificial intelligence.So, if you are feeling the pressure in your workplace from watching technology replace coworkers, it may be time to get out and learn something new.The last thing you should do is trust that your industry will go in reverse. If you fear your job will be gone one day, do not hold onto it.Start interning in a new career that sparks your interest.Discovering New OpportunitiesAll of the trials and hardships experienced during your career make sense only after something good happens. Interning is a way to make something good happen.All the things you do in your career taught you something. Use yourcareer education to discover new opportunities through an internship.There is a large list of people who found success after age 40. Their career experience during their 20’s and 30’s carried over in s ome way. Here are a few you may know:Vera Wang - Figure skater, dancer, and journalist turned fashion icon at age 40 Henry Ford - Farmer turned designer of the Model T car and innovative new labor practices at age 45. Lynda Weinman - Graphic arts professor turned co-founder of Lynda.com at age 40. Julia Child - Media and advertising employee turned writer at age 50 who was known for her cookbooks and television shows.What They All Have in CommonThey worked very hard in one industry. These skills somehow played a role as they sought out new interests after age 40.Interning at age 40 is by no means a career death sentence. It could be the start of something new.The only thing that will hold you back, eventually, is convincing yourself that change is impossible.Keep a winning mindset and you will go further than you ever allowed yourself to imagine.

Take a Stand Against Your Desk, Its So Old School...

Take a Stand Against Your Desk, Its So Old School... News flash:  desks with standard chairs are old news. If youve been on LinkedIn recently, chances are youve been bombarded with videos and images of  the new in-thing standing desks. But I witnessed something on LinkedIn that has changed my outlook on desks forever: Chuck away your Ikea  PÃ…HL desk, and invest in something thats wheelie going to effect your health and wellbeing. A giant hamster wheel. All jokes aside, in recent years, people have really started noticing  the negative effects of sitting at a desk all day. And its true a study conducted by the AMA (American Medical Association) found that sitting for extended periods of time can be bad for your health. So  my office chair can kill? There are many effects that sitting down all day can have on your body. There are the noticeable ones such as a stiff neck, a slower metabolism and weight gain. But there are numerous more shocking implications that staying seated can bring (source) : Sitting at a desk all day can nearly double your risk of having a heart attack. Now thats some serious stuff. It can increase your risk of diabetes a lifelong, serious condition. “For people who sit most of the day, their risk of heart attack is about the same as smoking.” ~ Martha Grogan, Cardiologist, Mayo Clinic Obese people sit for 2.5 more hours than slim people. Modes of attack: If youre desk chair is out to kill, its important you fight back with equal measures. Here are some minor changes that can help you ensure youre chair doesnt harm your health: Mini: Leave your desk once an hour for 5 minutes. Youll not only energise your body, but youll reinvigorate your mind, too. Adjust your chair to a 135degree angle. This will take the strain off your neck. Interrupt your sitting whenever you can. Just get moving. Take the stairs whenever you can to get in that physical exercise. Have very frequent water breaks. Medium: Arrange sports days or initiatives at work to encourage movement. Why not start a Thursday evening 5-aside footie team? Ditch the cramped commute and cycle/walk to work. Introduce walking meetings instead of sitting around in a cramped meeting room, stretch those legs and get the team out on a walk around the block whilst you do your meeting. Massive: Invest in standing desks for your office. they may be expensive but theyll change productivity in your office forever. Build a giant hamster wheel to walk in whilst you work. Host an annual sports day and get your team active! Great for health and also team building. Make healthy swaps, such as swapping out the office biscuits for a bowl of fruit (probably the most outrageous suggestion on this list.) Alternative desk ideas: .@Cyberlane standing/sitting moving desk is standard, treadmill is mine excuse the mess while packing the house. pic.twitter.com/7Sh5DIihU2 Nick Craver (@Nick_Craver) June 10, 2016 The treadmill desk A treadmill desk could be the perfect way to boost your activity during the day. The only potential hazard is losing concentration, balance and being flung off the treadmill at an incredible speed. This option is great if youre multitasking. This guy built himself a human hamster wheel for the ultimate standing desk https://t.co/2ypEtfTiAs pic.twitter.com/FuvdlAYP76 Jon Oringer ?? (@jonoringer) June 15, 2016 The hamster wheel If youve got huge amounts of spare time, energy and money creating your own hamster wheel could change your life. Complete the office with water bowls and packets of seeds and, voila, youre an office of human-sized hamsters. New standing desk arrived from @Varidesk absolutely love it already. 10 mins assemble time ?? pic.twitter.com/Eiq8WUO6nk Todd Mottoâ„¢ (@toddmotto) June 9, 2016 The standing desk The simple, standing desks. No gimmicks, just results! Um, yeah Cycli is an under-desk cycle that lets you compete with your colleagues more https://t.co/m1M7gyAiaz pic.twitter.com/3V88KcsXmC Jack Phan (@JackPhan) May 23, 2016 The cycle desk The cycle desk brings sitting and cycling together. Whats your desk like? If you use a standing desk wed love to see it tweet us a photo of your desk to @UndercoverRec. Main image credit: Shutterstock

How to Create an Inspiring and Distraction-free Home Office - CareerMetis.com

How to Create an Inspiring and Distraction-free Home Office Working from home is just one of the many perks that comes from freelancing.Upwork and Freelancers Union only recently revealed studiesthat concluded that freelancers are predicted to become the overwhelming majority in the US workforce within a decade, with nearly 50% of millennial workers already freelancing.evalThis is how the work environment is rapidly evolving in a space you didn’t quite expect: your own home. As industries shift and technology makes it easier to find freelance work, the prospect of creating your own schedule and living on your own time becomes more and more attractive. Your home becomes a space where your ideas come to life.Envisioning a home office is a concept as personal as it is universal: what do you find yourself most creatively driven by?What do you hope people see in your work from the space that surrounds you? What does a space need to become somewhere you want to spend time in?While everyone’s answers to these vary across the board depending on t heir profession, work ethic, and countless other aspects, the point is that everyone does have an answer.Regardless, a good home office is productive first and aesthetically pleasing second. If you are wondering how you can create a home office that inspires you but doesn’t interrupt your headspace, you can start by exploring a few different areas.1) The Sleek World of MinimalismevalLook up a photo of the quintessential modern office and you will find a open, clutter-free space that feels as to the point as it does productive.There are perks to exploring minimalism in your home office spaceif you often find yourself getting distracted in work settings. The lack of decor feels like an invitation to do some self-reflection, as you are able to focus more on yourself and less so on your surroundings.evalConsider what you need into to get into your ideal mindset, and if you find that the answer is not much, find a way to incorporate that freedom into a creatively fueling space.2) Mood LightingThe light we work in plays a critical part in how we work and how much we enjoy doing it.If you are lucky enough to be blessed with natural light, use that to your advantage â€" revolve the space around the windows and let the sun pour in to get your productivity flowing.If possible, you should try to stick to table lamps that will place the spotlight on what’s really important: your work. Not only do they make any space feel warm and inviting, it’s an easy way to make the design of the office feel more refined.3) Plants, plants, plantsevalIt’s known that plants can improve your productivity 5) Hiding Everything in StorageMaybe having a structured level of organization is what allows you to thrive in work settings. It’s easier to be productive when things are in top, tidy shape â€" or out of sight, out of mind?Offices are prone to collecting “clutter”, especially paper clips, post-it scraps and stacks of files on files. Consider the sort of storage that would all ow you to work most efficiently and how much you are willing to invest in it.Try leaning more towards shelves with storage baskets instead of bookshelves, as they tend to quickly become overstuffed and over-cluttered.6) Following Ergonomic RulesevalLinda Varone, author of The Smarter Home Office, gave Fast Companysome insight on one of the most important aspects of a home office. -“The top of your computer screen should be at eye level or a little below”.As you scan down the screen, your eyelids will naturally close a bit and moisten, which reduces eye fatigue,” Varone said. “It sounds obvious, but you should love the chair you’re sitting on. Otherwise you will never sit at your desk.”Following linear guidelines like this will help increase your productivity and lessen the effects of our day-to-day screen time.7) Adding Personal TouchesPersonal mementos, like framed family photos and childhood trinkets, can be a source of motivation for those of us who harness it through our surroundings.Keeping happy moments around is guaranteed to make you feel more at ease in your home office, because you have reminders around of what you’re working for.Try keeping these memories in rotation and switching around the placement so that you avoid losing touch with it.evalKeep in mind that if there’s too much stimulation going on within the space, one may find themselves getting distracted, so sometimes it works out better for you to separate the personal from the business â€" and that’s ok.8) Creating Cozy ComfortEvery home office should be as comfortable as it is aesthetically pleasing. Find cozy spots to emphasis in your space and broaden their use by converting them into reading nooks and meditation corners. There’s no reason why you can’t have a big couch if you’re open to the idea of lounging in the space at times as well.As soon as you find what makes you feel comfortable, your office will automatically become a space you look forward to spending time in.

College Grads Guide to Dressing for an Interview - CareerAlley

College Grads Guide to Dressing for an Interview - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. When you are a young college grad who is just out of school, Australia can suddenly seem like a fairly unwelcoming place. It always feels like there are fewer jobs than there are applicants, and if you have mostly worked for your family or in part-time jobs, the prospect of an interview can be a little terrifying. If you want to make sure that you are prepared, however, make sure that you consider how you are dressed! First, scope out the place where you have applied. Look at the people who are walking in and out. If the dress code says business casual but you see everyone in rather more formal attire, mimic what you see, not what their website tells you. Remember that the key to dressing for an interview is to signal that you belong there. Choose a suit with good lines. This does not mean that you need to go get a bespoke suit; after all, not everyone has tons of money to throw around! Instead, get a good suit off the rack. Choose one that you know fits you across your broadest point, whether that is through your shoulders or your stomach. Then take the suit to a place to have it altered to fit you well. This alone can win you a second glance. While the suit does not have to be custom made, why not kick your outfit up a notch by throwing in some custom made accessories? A custom made tie is an easy way to give your outfit a focal point and to make sure that you get some attention. A great custom made time is created using the most luxurious materials around, giving you a chance to shine. Remember not to neglect your shoes. The old saying goes that you can learn a lot about a many by his shoes, and if you are someone who is invested in making sure that you make a good impression, choose shoes that are not worn and that have been recently shined. If you do not have access to a shoe shine place, it is very easy to pick up some shoe polish and to take care of it yourself. Are you ready for your big post-college interview? Whether you are in Sydney or Canberra, you need to look like you are ready for everything, and this starts with your wardrobe. Dont forget that how you look matters, so dress your best and aim to please! Author Bio Hayley is a freelance blogger and part time fashion consultant. She recommends custom made ties as a cornerstone of any business wardrobe. This is a Guest post. If you would like to submit a guest post to CareerAlley, please follow these guest post guidelines. Good luck in your search.

Motivation Monday I Can Do - When I Grow Up

Motivation Monday I Can Do - When I Grow Up These are all variations on a theme, so you get two for one today! From Keri Smith: Note to Self from the portfolio of Alex Strowski: Theyre easy to say, but harder to remember. To see all of the Motivation Monday installments, go here. * As an aside, I want to let you guys know that Ill be starting a Book Review on the site over the next few weeks! Take a look at the books listed on my Stuff to help ya discover what you wanna be when you grow up page let me know which one you want to see reviewed first!