Checking Work Emails Outside of the Office is Damaging Your Health

Checking Work Emails Outside of the Office is Damaging Your Health The average person in the UK checks their phone every 12 minutes, cementing the fact that smartphones are engrained within the 21st-century  culture.   It is not just social media that is at our fingertips as work emails and office-based tools are just a click away.   In the quest to create a relaxed office environment, many are arguing that such a workplace culture paves the way to having no work boundaries at all.   Research from Glassdoor reveals that the average UK employee sacrifices 6.5 days of their holiday entitlement each year through fear of being out of the office.   Out of office worries can make the prospect of checking emails too tempting to resist.   However, ‘checking in’ can have a detrimental impact on our mental health, personal relationships and levels of productivity.   Here, the health and wellbeing brand Gear Hungry presents the effects that checking emails out of office hours has on an employee’s health along with tips on how to avoid the temptation. Emails on the brain Stanford University conducted a study that revealed when people multi-tasked, they trained the brain to switch its attention so frequently that it was constantly unable to focus.   Consequently, switching between everyday tasks and emails can have a long-term effect on your concentration levels.  Retraining the brain to fully focus on one task at a time can be problematic as it is effectively trying to form new habits. Checking your emails outside of work has been linked to ‘Anticipatory Stress’, a type of stress that occurs when a person experiences a surge in anxiety due to thoughts of an event or specific occurrence.   This can happen when a person feels pressured to check their work emails in order to stay up to date with the happenings in the office.   Anticipatory Stress often stems from a lack of confidence and consistent fear of failure.   This can lead people to commit to working out of hours.   Jordan Carter at Gear Hungry says, ‘fear of failure is incredibly common as workloads mount and the pressure to climb career ladders heighten.   This can lead to employees believing that if they work harder and for longer, success must be imminent.   In my view, this is not true.   Working smarter, not harder ensures success and avoids burnout.   Working long hours tirelessly often sees that tasks are completed far less effective and are of poor quality’. When Relationships Suffer Study’s from Virginia Tech showed that those checking their emails had no idea of the effect it was having on their romantic partners.   Working intermittently in your social hours can cause a disconnect between partners as they feel second best and unable to gain your full attention. The counterproductive facts Sacrificing your   ‘free time’ by checking emails will not only have a negative lasting impression on your physical and mental wellbeing, but it will also have a detrimental effect on your levels of productivity. Not allowing yourself enough rest bite out of the office is a sure-fire way to experience office burnout.   Office burnout will ensure that tasks are completed at a slower pace and that there is a deficiency in workplace engagement.   Every time you are interrupted by an email, it takes a total of 20 minutes to fully focus on the previous task in hand.   Research has shown that chopping and changing between tasks can see that they take 40% longer to complete.   Carter says, ‘frequent emails can affect your focus within the workplace as well as outside.   Close your emails when you are working on specific tasks and open them again once the task is completed.   I implemented this rule within my business and some employees noted that their tasks took half the time to complete’. How to avoid checking your emails out of hours 1.Create a plan of action When it hits half 5, it can be tempting to run for the door, however, before you leave the office plan the next day’s tasks and ensure that the todays duties do not overrun into tomorrow.   Employees can feel the need to check in with work when they are conscious that they may have some tasks outstanding.   Tie up loose ends at the end of every day to avoid this. 2. If I worry then I am better at my job Employees often feel that if they send emails out of hours then they will portray the message that they are committed to their role and therefore must be a good employee.   The quality of your work will always speak louder than several emails that are often unnecessary.   Not checking your emails will give your brain the opportunity to recharge and allow you to fully focus on the work in hand. 3. Disconnect from temptation Perhaps the simplest and most effective way to ensure that you do not check work emails outside of the office is to not have them on your phone at all.   Unless it is in your contract, there is no law that suggests you are obliged to connect to the workplace out of hours.   Keep your phone for personal use and leave your work at work.

What Are the Mistakes in Writing Resume Regarding Career Objectives?

What Are the Mistakes in Writing Resume Regarding Career Objectives?What are the mistakes in writing resume regarding career objective? Many people have a problem in defining their career objectives. While this is not an essential problem, it can still be a problem to define your career objective.The first mistake that many people make when they write their resume about career objective is not to look at their career goals. Some of the people make the mistake of describing the specific job they want to do in the paper. This is a mistake. As much as you can think what you want to do and describe the job in your resume, you still need to use your career goals for your description.The second mistake when writing resume regarding career objective is not to choose a career where you would like to stay. Since the entire purpose of creating a resume is to get a job or remain employed, you must use your career objective as a guide in choosing a job or career. You should look for jobs or care ers that you would like to continue to be employed in.The third mistake when writing resume regarding career objective is not to state clearly in the paper the specific skills that you have. All it takes is two sentences of stating the specific skills that you have. Make sure that the statement in the paper is not a list of skills or requirements.The fourth mistake when writing resume regarding career objective is not to look at the specific skills that you have that could help you land the job or career. It is only after having thought of the skills that you have that you can then describe them in the paper. Thus, you must choose a specific job or career that could suit your skills to a great extent.The fifth mistake when writing resume regarding career objective is not to remember what you want to achieve from your job or career. Remember that when you are writing your resume, this will be your cover letter.If you are planning to employ yourself in a career that you are still inte rested in, just include this in your resume. Remember that your cover letter will also contain your description of your skills and qualifications. Once you have this, you will be able to tell a potential employer that you are a professional who can also bring in profits to the company.These are some of the mistakes in writing resume regarding career objective. Just remember these mistakes when you are writing your resume.

7 Job Search Mistakes Every Job Applicant Should Stop Doing

7 Job Search Mistakes Every Job Applicant Should Stop Doing Job searching in a tough market is a daunting and tedious process. Not everyone was given the chance that theyve wanted for their career. More often than not, every applicant finds more failure over success in each position they applied for. During the job hunt course, the applicant has to go through a series of doors. Each step is important and once a mistake was done, a door will be closed instantly.  Everyday, hundreds or even thousands of people look for new work through variety of methods available. Although, you can find tons of company openings on the web and on print theres no guarantee that you will land a job that you desire. Yes, there are plenty of tactics you can apply in the search process to rise above the crowd. But as an applicant you must remember that the important keys to be successful in your endeavor  is making the right contacts and avoiding job-search missteps.  Here are some mistakes that every job seeker should stop doing:   1. Sweating the Small Stuff (source) Instead of focusing on little things like tracking down information about your interviewer or how you should address him on your cover letter, you must put your energy into showing your qualifications and why youre the best fit for the job. Most candidates tend to concentrate on not-so-important things during their job hunt. Keep in mind that recruiters are more keen in your skills and the things you can contribute to the company than those little stuff that dont matter at all.  2. Setting Expectations Too High Sometimes, candidates thought that they are the right person for the job because of the good signs they saw from the hiring manager. But when the offer never comes, they were left wondering why they didnt get the job. Dont expect too much even if you think the recruiters give you hints that you fit for the position. Never assume that your search is over until theyve given a formal offer.  3. Forgetting to Evaluate Potential Employers Job seekers forgot to assess their target employers so they tend to overestimate their own work experience for the position they applied for. During the interview process, you should also spend time to be curious about what the hiring manager needs and if you really want the job. Before you decide whether you will take the job or not, make sure that you already evaluated the company you wanted to work for.  4. Providing a Not-so-Good Reference List Avoid job reference disaster if you really want to get hired for a new job. References can make or break your opportunity so manage your list carefully. Do not just provide whoever you think is a good reference for your application. They should be familiar with your accomplishments and your work performances. Otherwise, they might give worse opinion about you  5.  Making Careless Interview Errors Many candidates take their job interview for granted. They go on their scheduled interview unprepared and even late, sometimes. The most common mistakes of candidates are submitting an illegible résumé, showing unprofessional behaviour, failure to muster enthusiasm on the position and forgetting the importance of punctuality. When a candidate demonstrates frequent errors during the interview, hiring managers most likely not consider him on the position.  6. Bringing up Salary Too Soon (source) According to a career manager, someone who brings up salary first, loses the job. Some job seekers bring up the money issue early instead of focusing first if they are really qualified for the work. The salary is best left for the final stage of negotiation. As an applicant, avoid answering questions about money especially if it emphasize on how much money you want to earn.  7. Failing to Build Wide Networks A successful job hunt can achieve through obtaining leads, referrals, advice, information and support from professional networks. A pro-active search is making meaningful connections by making contacts and building relationships with other professionals. Based on some statistics, 80% of jobs are found through networking and direct contact. So do not waste your time answering ads or sending out your resumes to unknown contacts. Be a pro-active job seeker and take advantage of the power of technology wisely. Job seekers too often focus on looking for the perfect job instead of a position where they can learn a great deal and explore more opportunities. Do not just apply to all vacant positions that you find. Pick only the jobs that you think youre best qualified for. During the search process, take every opportunity seriously and avoid all the mentioned missteps to get hired for a new job. Author: Amber Stanley is a writer at www.resumesplanet.com and a contributor at Lifehack.org. She shares her perspectives on creative writing, blogging, and career on her published works. Connect with her on google+ and twitter.

Why Online Job Applications are Not Effective - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Why Online Job Applications are Not Effective - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career If you only apply for jobs online directly through career websites, there is a high possibility that your resume would get lost in the shuffle. HR personnel usually get so many resumes in a day that they cannot keep track of all the resumes that they get. Another reason why applying online does not work is that anyone with a resume and an internet connection can apply to any job. Therefore, in some cases, hundreds of candidates can apply to the same position although they are under qualified or sometimes overqualified for that job. Besides, if you apply to any position only to get a job for now, no one would like to call you for an interview. For example; you were working as a Senior Analyst until you got laid off and just to find work, you started applying for Analyst positions. Then, most probably employers don’t want to hire you because they know that you will switch to another company in a few months once you find a Senior Analyst position. Keep in mind that no one wants to replace employees every few months. Most of the time recruiters prefer to give preference to referrals or to the people they met at career fairs or at networking events. By the time they get to the resumes submitted through career websites, most likely they have already identified and found a good number of potential candidates, so they don’t need to look carefully at website-generated resumes. For that reason, it is always better to find someone working for your target company to refer you to the HR personnel so that your resume can be picked up quickly. Then, if HR thinks you are a good fit for an open position, you would be invited for an interview. It is much faster to be called for an interview if you connect with other people. This is called networking. Also, keep in mind that connecting with the hiring manager is much better than connecting with the HR personnel because hiring managers know what skills they want from an employee better than the HR personnel. If the position you are applying for is highly technical, the HR employee may not have the necessary background to identify you as a potential candidate for the position. For example, let’s assume you are a bioinformatics professional and you have applied for a very specific position related to bioinformatics. If the company’s HR employees have no information about bioinformatics, then it’s very hard for them to identify you as a good candidate for the position and they may overlook your resume and the skills you have. However, hiring managers know what skills they are looking for, so it’s easier for them to identify a good candidate to interview. It’s always better to connect with the person that you are going to work with in the future rather than with the HR person nel.

Making A Good IT Technician Resume

Making A Good IT Technician ResumeIf you want to be a certified IT technician, it is advisable that you compose a convincing and appropriate IT technician resume. You can do this at home but if you want to get the most authentic results you should have the resume professionally prepared by an IT professional. Make sure you take the service of a certified resume writer who is well versed in the field and has great experience in the industry.In writing your resume, you should not give more importance to the things which will appear in the future when your potential or prospective employer is browsing through it. You should provide details about your best work experiences at present as well as in the past. Also, keep the information relevant and genuine. You must portray yourself as someone who will be able to do a good job in your work and at home.Your resume should not contain false information. In fact, it should reflect the correct facts. You should not choose the programs that are of no use to you. While you are putting down the program or services you are interested in, it is advisable that you understand the situation properly before you have put down the required information. There is no point in putting down something that you do not understand completely.The IT technician CV and resume should contain only the facts that your current employer require. It is always better that you have a few samples of the documents you will be putting up on your resume. A sample of your resume is quite effective as compared to an actual resume. This is because a real resume usually includes details such as references, present position, and past positions.To get the best results with your IT technician CV and resume, you should do the following things: prepare it in a concise way; keep the formatting of the document short and simple; remember to include all your qualifications and achievements; write it without any mistakes; avoid using of any abbreviations; and check all the details before putting it up. These points are considered as standard and have been successfully used by many people. However, it is up to you to decide the authenticity of the sample and its format.There are many companies who have created excellent IT technician CV and resume templates that you can use for creating your own CV. There are various types of formats available online such as PDF, MS Word, and PostScript. The type of format depends on the requirements of the employer.When preparing an IT technician resume, you should take care of only the necessary information and never omit anything. When selecting a company for hiring, make sure they are experienced and licensed. This will help you get the best results.The professionals working as technicians need to be specific with their skills. The resume should be prepared keeping in mind the characteristics and capabilities of the person.

Healthcare Entrepreneur Business Ideas for Nurses

Healthcare Entrepreneur Business Ideas for Nurses Nursing is an incredibly well respected and rewarding career. You get to genuinely help people and make a difference to their lives- care for them at their most vulnerable and in many cases, hopefully bring them back to health. However, it’s a demanding role- the hours are unsociable, the days are long and as time goes on, you might start looking for a different direction. You might even want to start a business that you can nurture and grow, and utilise your skills while growing them or taking a slightly different path. As a nurse, you’re already qualified to do a number of medical duties and with a bit of extra training there’s plenty more you could go into. Here are some ideas for businesses you could set up if you’re a nurse. Dietician/ nutritionist We’re in the midst of an obesity epidemic. Long working hours in sedentary jobs combined with cheap, accessible and tasty convenience food means that far too many people eat more calories than they need, and aren’t active enough to maintain the balance. There’s a high demand for dieticians and nutritionists to work with people looking to lose weight or live a healthier lifestyle. Since you’ll already have a degree in nursing, in most cases you’ll just need to undertake another twelve months of training in dietetics education. Faith based nurse Health and religion are often seen as two completely separate entities. However, a combination of the two is what some patients will request and require. Nurses have an essential role in providing spiritual care to patients and their families who require it. Therefore, an understanding of the fundamental issues related to spirituality and spiritual care will better equip nurses to provide meaningful support to patients and families and meet their spiritual needs. An online masters in nursing and innovation is one way you can improve your formal qualifications to do this. From there, you could work as a care nurse for patients requiring a spiritual nurse on a self employed basis. Clients will generally pay well for this kind of specialist, individual care. Esthetician Do you have an interest in the beauty industry? If so, your skills and qualifications as a nurse can help you to go a long way in your career. With a massive increase in injectable procedures such as botox, fillers and lip enhancers, there comes a demand for people that have the skills to perform them. Treatments such as IV therapy where vitamins are delivered into the bloodstream via a drip are becoming more popular, and again, this kind of procedure can’t be carried out by just anyone. You will of course need to undertake more training, but you have a medical license and the skills to be able to fit drips and inject already so you’re one step ahead. Being trained as a nurse also builds trust, meaning it will be easier to get clients. There are so many directions you can take your nursing degree in. You don’t have to spend your whole career working in hospitals if you dont want to. This could just be the stepping stone to your own business venture.

Happiness is subversive - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Happiness is subversive - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Ive previously mentioned the reboot conference, how good it is and that you should definitely get yourself some tickets to reboot9, which is happening later this week right here in Copenhagen. If you didnt listen and get yourself a ticket, its now too late the event has sold out. Ill be speaking again this year on a theme that is tremendously important to me: Happiness. Not happiness at work, mind you, but happiness in general. Specifically, Ill be talking about the fact that: Happiness is really, really important. And really, really easy. We dont seem to know much about what makes us happy. Or we dont act much on that knowledge, anyway. Happiness is subversive. Im on Thursday at 15:00-15:40. Read more about my presentation here. Nicole Simon did a pre-reboot interview with me again this year and we had another great, fun conversation. Visit her blog or click play below to hear the whole thing. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related