The Importance of Body Language in the World of Work - Classy Career Girl

The Importance of Body Language in the World of Work Too many people underestimate the value of body language in business. This is a big mistake. First impressions absolutely matter, and by being mindful of the right body language, you can make the right gestures and movements that will help you get any meeting or interview off to a positive start. Although verbal communication helps to get things done in the world of work, you should not forget the importance of nonverbal communication and the way body language can help lay the foundation for you to deliver a specific message or statement of intent. Whenever you meet potential customers or employers for the first time, it can be all too easy to focus firmly on what’s coming out of your mouth. It’s not uncommon to use all your mental energy to concentrate on adequately conveying your words, but what’s also really important is to think simultaneously about what your body is doing. [RELATED:  What a Job Interview and a Date Have in Common] If you’re an aspiring entrepreneur looking to learn from some of the masters of body language, look no further than professional poker players and top-level sports stars. These guys have a tremendous will to win and relish in the mental game that poker and professional sports can bring; look no further than some of the best players in the world. Let’s look at some of the simple, yet highly effective body language techniques you can adopt to build immediate rapport with individuals and groups of people without even having to open your mouth: Focus on your posture: Before you sit down to talk business or your future career with an individual or group of people, the first thing they will recognize is the way you carry yourself. Your posture is very important in terms of demonstrating confidence. Make sure you stand up straightâ€"no slouching!â€"with your shoulders back and chest out. A forthright, positive posture will also put you in the right frame of mind when it comes to what you say. All smiles: Your facial expression can also help to set the tone of any business meeting. If you’re looking to make a counterpart or colleague feel at ease and establish an immediate rapport, it’s always a good idea to smile, gain the respect of your peers, and create that positive environment for discussion. Another useful body language tip is to mirror your counterpart’s facial expressions. If they are laid-back and jovial, behave likewise and you’ll feel able to relax and enjoy your meeting. At the other end of the spectrum, if they are serious and want to focus on the matter at hand, it’s never a good idea to behave jovially with all smiles and be silly in such a serious environmentâ€"it takes time to understand where your boundaries are! The value of eye contact: Once you’ve perfected your posture and a welcoming smile, it’s then important to keep a keen eye on what your counterparts or colleagues are saying verbally. Always look a fellow professional in the eye when you talk to him or her as this suggests you’re giving them your full attention and that you care. [RELATED: 7 Weird Psychological Tricks to Help Nail Your Next Job Interview] Business is globalâ€"consider regional traditions: If you work within an industry that requires you to regularly venture overseas, it’s highly recommended that you brush up on the role body language plays in business traditions around the globe. For instance, you may not be aware that while regular eye contact is viewed positively in North America and Canada, further east into the Middle East, eye contact is only viewed as a symbol of sincerity and trust between those of the same gender. Initial greetings and handshakes also differ by region. Business meetings in Italy tend to begin with a kiss on the cheek, while in Asia, Japanese meetings will begin with a bow to one anotherâ€"a sign of mutual respect. As with any other skill in business, body language is incredibly important. And although it is something that you’re unlikely to master overnight, with time and experience, you’ll be able to use this skill to your advantage. In doing so, you’ll also be a much better judge of any professional situation and be well-placed to make better decisions on how to act in the boardroom.

The True Cost of Going to University [INFOGRAPHIC]

The True Cost of Going to University [INFOGRAPHIC] Should I go to University or not? What is the true cost of going to university? These are vital questions for prospective students these days. Well, now there is at least one set of statistics provided by moneysupermarket.com that we can share with you on the topic. The infographic presents some interesting statistics across university areas, for example highest accommodation costs are at Edinburgh University at £231/week, whilst the lowest are at Cardiff University £55/week. Have a look and if you like it, please share on Facebook or Twitter guys! Image source: MoneySupermarket; 7

The argument for paying moms less

The argument for paying moms less This is a guest post from Cathy Reisenwitz, who blogs at Birmingham SEO Blog. Time magazine reports that young, childless women are earning more than men. Youd be hard-pressed to find evidence of widespread discrimination against childless women in the workplace. But equally solid data confirms working mothers suspicions that working moms do in fact get paid less than childless women. Heres another article on it from BusinessWeek. Before you get up in arms about gap in pay between childless women and mothers, consider that maybe gap is fair. Maybe moms get paid less because they work less. The majority of mothers work part time. Fully two-thirds of mothers work less than 40 hours per week, and most mothers prefer part-time over full-time. Employers pay part time workers less, whether parents or not, and offer fewer benefits because part-time workers arent as cost-effective for companies to employ as full-time workers. Childless women are also significantly more likely to work overtime. The vast majority of mothers, 92 percent, work less than 50 hours a week. As a result of working less, working mothers are also less qualified than childless women. You dont get the same amount of experience and expertise working 20 hours a week that you do working 40. Should a woman who worked full time for 2 years and then part time for 3 get the same promotion as a woman who worked full time for 5 years? A 1999 study by Klerman and Liebowitz puts it this way: The motherhood penalty is partially explained by differences in human capital. Women with (more) children may have less experience and seniority due to the employment breaks taken to accommodate childcare. Meanwhile, women who get pregnant, or intend to, are more likely to choose careers that pay less. Then theres the issue of productivity. Do working mothers do less work during the hours theyre at work? I havent found any studies comparing productivity of mothers and childless women, but studies have shown female doctors are less productive than male doctors. So if working mothers work less, are less qualified and choose lower-paying careers than childless women, should they really get paid the same? Im thinking no. This is a guest post from Cathy Reisenwitz, who blogs at Birmingham SEO Blog.

Online Resume Writing Service Reviews - Make Sure You Get Quality

Online Resume Writing Service Reviews - Make Sure You Get QualityOnline resume writing service reviews can help you make an informed decision when hiring someone to write your resume. A service is always a good idea, but sometimes it is important to know what kind of service you are signing up for. Making the right choice when it comes to choosing an online resume writing service can mean the difference between having a great resume and a poor one.I had a very popular online resume written for me a few years ago. I was working with a college in my area and needed to send in my application. There were no online resume writing service reviews available at the time, so I did not know if they were going to be good or not.I had heard a lot about the company from my friends, but I did not know much more than that until I started looking at the job opportunity. They seemed pretty legit, and I figured I would give them a try. I filled out all of the necessary information on their site and wa s surprised when I received my email.Not only did they already have the basic materials set up for me, but they also offered samples of my resume. I was quite excited about this! It looked like they were providing me with everything I needed to get the job. All I had to do was check into the company and check my email!The problem with these service reviews is that it is very hard to know which ones are the good ones and which ones are the bad ones. You can't just search online to find out if a company is legitimate or not. Because of this, many people end up choosing the wrong companies or not finding the ones that are truly right for them.Another problem with these reviews is that many of them are written by people who are not experienced with online resumes. Some people will write their experiences on how much they love to give writing reviews. These people are the ones who should stay away from these types of services.Because writing reviews are not on the up, there are some thin gs you can do to prevent them from happening. You can check out sites like Glassdoor.com to see if there are any current or past employees or customers that have posted any negative feedback about the company. This is a great way to find out if the people who are reviewing other companies are telling the truth.A good online resume writing service review can help you make the right choice when hiring someone to write your resume. Make sure you find a site that is unbiased, because there are a lot of sites out there that offer unbiased reviews. You can find the best company out there when you take the time to read a few reviews to find out which ones you should avoid.

Quadruple-Dog-Dare You!

Quadruple-Dog-Dare You! You are your choices. ~Seneca Can you really be objective when you assess your job searchreally?   I   have seldom heard a job seeker say any of these things: I am spending too much time on the job boards I dont think I am doing a good job communicating what I am looking for when I talk to people I think I need to improve how I follow up after I apply for a job I didnt interview as well as I could have and need to improve how I talk about my successes I believe it is how we are hard-wired. Some of us, especially during times of stress, just cant get out of our own way.   We get stuck in the same line of thinking or we are too close to the subject to look at what we could be doing differently. And, doing things differently is scary, hard, uncomfortable! The Dare The other day, on my Career Sherpa Facebook page, I double-dog-dared the folks following that page to complete a job search assessment and show it to me. You know what?   NO ONE, not one single person responded. So I put out a triple-dog-dare yesterday.   Still no response. I even said I would provide my suggestions on how to fix their job search at no cost.   No discussion, no questions, nothing. Whats Wrong? First, I could be my fault.   I am not doing the best job engaging that group and talking with them. They dont know me or understand how and why I can help them (which is all I really want to do.) Second, seldom do people want to admit they need help. Third, some people dont like a challenge. Fourth, accountability is tough stuff.   Who wants to be told what they SHOULD be doing, especially if it is difficult. The Challenge Every year, this time of year, hundreds and thousands of people head for the gym with a New Years resolution to begin exercising.   They pay good money for a gym membership.   They realize that getting healthy is an investment and will take time and hard work. So my challenge to you is this: Are you ready to make your job search healthy? Complete this questionnaire and return it to me.   Job Search Check Up Dont wait.   I am only making this available for the next 2 days (the offer expires end of day Saturday, January 7th) If I can, well talk, but if I get slammed, I will send you my suggestions, comments, and thoughts via email instead. AT NO COST TO YOU! (send it to careersherpa at gmail dot com) I am hoping the response is huge. I came across a great quote yesterday and I hope it strikes a chord with you. You are your choices. ~Seneca

Living the Dream - CareerAlley

Living the Dream - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality. Walt Disney I caught up with an old friend who had worked for me about 20 years ago. I remember his interview. He was at least 20 minutes late and I remember thinking there is no way this guy is getting the job. Of course I hired him and he wound up being one of the best hires Ive ever made (yes, even 20 years later). To think that he completely changed my mind during the interview from not a chance to being offered the job. That is truly an amazing feat. So, fast forward 20 years and he has decided to leave the corporate life (which can be a real pain at times) and start his own business. A difficult decision, but he is weathering the loss of income hoping to get his business off the ground. Doing something youve always wanted to do is, to me, the true meaning of living the dream. Many of us would love to have the guts to do this, most of us never will. I think Ive heard this term (living the dream) about twenty times in the last few weeks. Of course, everyone uses it to mean the exact opposite of what it implies. So, if you are living the dream (unlike my friend) you are probably in a rotten situation just waiting to move on to better things. This could be anything from a crappy job to no job at all. There are, of course, some people who really are living the dream. You can too. So, what would it take fulfill your living the dream moment? What do you really want to do? I ask myself this question all of the time. In reality, I know that being on the selection committee for Victorias Secret models is probably not realistic, but seriously, if you could do what you really wanted, what would it be? Career Assessment Tools Tests Career assessment for you from Quintcareers.com, these provide assessment tools (split between entry level and established job seekers), sites offering various assessment tools, plus a long list of other assessment links which include Personality Tests, IQ tests and interesting links like WhatHalf.com (as in, what half of your brain). How are You Going to Get There Know what you want to do? How are you going to achieve it? How to Use a Roadmap to Achieve Your Career Plans This article, posted on eHow.com, gives you 8 easy steps to building and implementing your plan. It also provides a list of what you need before you get started. Some of the basics like, desired outcomes, your skills, resources etc. are covered in the article. There are also related links to articles and videos on the right hand side of the screen. Top left hand side are links to additional related articles. Made the decision, now what? Okay, so you know what you want to do, how do you get there? How to Make Sure the New Job is the Right Job This is a great article posted on Dice.com and written in the form of a story. The moment you start reading you will get hooked and want to read it straight through. So what is it about? The tale of someone who falls in love with a company (where they are interviewing) for all of the wrong reasons. Sometimes you need to take that step back and re-evaluate the situation. Definitely worth a read. While you are there, take a look at the latest Tech jobs. Start my own business? -We all think about it. Do you have a specific business in mind? Have you thought about all of the pros and cons? Is Starting Your Own Business the Answer? Great question. So what is the answer? This article was posted on Monster.com and provides many of the issues and topics you should consider before starting your own business. Sometimes things work out and sometimes they dont. Read this article before you start your new business plan. The Dark Side of Being Self Employed Many people, myself included, dream about being their own boss or owning their own business. What could be better? Like everything in life, there are good points and bad points to being self employed. So, before you go out and start your own business, take a look at this article from SteveScottSite.com. Its a great story, and it raised some points that you may not have thought about. Good luck in your search.

Kick start your job search -

Kick start your job search - No one said  looking for a job  was easy, but if you keep certain advice in mind, it can be much easier to successfully land an opportunity. Rachel Elahee, psychologist and author of Choose You! Reignite Your Passion For Life,  offers the following suggestions adapted from the book to help you make the best choices during your job search. 1. Your life is  not  a democracy.  â€œWhen it comes to the opinions of others, majority does not rule,  Elahee says.  Let others opinions remain their opinions only and not the linchpin that your life becomes contingent upon.” While you may ask your colleagues, friends and family for advice and assistance, make sure they do not insert their agendas into your life without your approval. While you may be vulnerable at this time, keep your eyes on your target and goals, and you’ll be less likely to veer from your chosen professional path. “Consider opinions and advice, but do not let your life be dictated by them,”  Elahee says. 2. Ask yourself: “Are you living accidentally or intentionally?”  â€œAccidental living is reactive,  Elahee says.  Intentional living is living with a plan, and that plan includes a contingency plan. She reminds job seekers that planning things intentionally helps increase the likelihood that you’ll  achieve your goal in a timely way. The other option is to wait until you’re accidentally in the right place, at the right time, which could take forever. “If you’re going to be serious about job hunting, you have to plan and be strategic, she says. Don’t sit waiting for the phone to ring. Be laser-focused about this project as if it is your most important assignment you have ever had.” 3. Do not take “no” personally.  One thing most job seekers can expect is rejection. Even if you do everything else right, you’re likely to be turned away and told “no” during your search. “Most likely, it is not about you. A ‘no’ only means, ‘no’ to your request or ‘not right now’ in many cases. It does not mean the person does not like you,”  Elahee says. “No does not mean  you are not intelligent. It does not mean your idea is ridiculous. It does not you will never get a job, or there is something wrong with you, or any other catastrophic result.” Elahee suggests you (politely) ask  the reason for the “no,”  and ask if it’s OK for you to check in with the contact or employer again in a certain period of time. “Regardless of which choice you make, lighten up, she says, The ‘no’ is not always about you.” 4. Get in position, and be patient.  You need to position yourself for the opportunity you want. “When a young child excitedly anticipates something they want, they run to get into position. When my toddler wants milk, dinner, snacks or a toy, I tell him to go get in his high chair, for example, she says. When you are seeking a job, even before you get one, you have to get in position to receive it.” You have to prepare while anticipating its arrival. For example, will you need to  train in new skills  to be well qualified for your target job? Do you need to expand your network so you’ll have a better chance of meeting the person who can introduce you to an employer at your target company? Don’t just sit there â€" get in position to accomplish your goals. Take the steps to make sure you are successful, whether that means signing up for classes, joining and becoming active in new social networking groups or attending more in-person networking events. 5. Be able to answer the question, “who are you?”  Our jobs are so much a part of our identities that it’s not uncommon for  people who are between positions  to feel disconnected from who they are. Elahee suggests you think differently. “Your job is what you do. Your job is not who you are. When your sense of self is tied to your occupation, it is easy to lose sight of who you are when you are unemployed, she says. To combat this phenomenon, write a list of your life roles, excluding your former jobs or positions. In this list, you may identify yourself as a friend, husband, wife, sister, brother, lover of music, chess player, etc. Remember: You are not your job title.” Get my free white paper:  5 Mistakes Preventing You From Landing a Job This Week   When you’re able to separate who you are from what you do, you’ll have a better chance of successfully identifying the best professional course for you, and you’ll be better prepared to engage fully in all of the activities you need to accomplish in order to land a new opportunity. Originally appeared on U.S. News World Reports.