20 Signs You Need a Break from Work

20 Signs You Need a Break from Work Are you feeling drained? Do you get tired easily? Are you getting irritated by everything and anything at work? You may need some time off. Every so often, as humans, we work ourselves too hard and become burnt out and the best thing to do is take a break, relax and refresh yourself.  Here are 20 signs that you might be at the end of your tether and need to take some time out: If you set your alarm early just so you can press the  snooze button, then the first thing you do in a morning could be the biggest sign that youve had enough. If youre normally frantic in the morning, and end up being late, you need to take some time away. Do you finish work and want to go straight to sleep, because you feel depleted? Do you lack any type of hobby or time with those closest to you? Just relax, go to the gym, cook and talk to your family itll help. Do you toss and turn at night because of inconsistent sleeping patterns, thinking of something that happened at work? Youre probably over stressed. Once the week is over, and work is done, you feel free on a Friday. Nope, you need some proper rest. If your family or friends ask how work is, and it may be the first day or years in but you answer with Fine. Thats a big sign that youre not enjoying it. Do your co-workers pick up on your misery and ask how youre feeling? It may be because youre not feeling the way you should be. Your network is one of the most important element of any job, so if you shy away from company trips or lunches with co-workers, you need a break. We dont mean in a bitey-neck type way, but do you feel like a vampire, by arriving at dawn and leaving in the evening? Have a switch up! If you live for Friday and dread Monday, its time to take a few Mondays and Fridays out. You can dream about moving to a job with a higher salary or better hours, but if you often fantasise about quitting,  theres an issue. Do you find yourself at parties not wanting to talk or  explain your job? You need new territory. If youre sick of your job and dont want to be there anymore, youll be treating your coworkers in a fashion that you shouldnt be. That could be a big sign. Accomplishments should be remembered and if you forget them, its a sign of possible burn out. Getting into stressful situations at work is a given, but if you feel stressed at everything and overwhelmed, you need to take note. When was the last time you progressed in your job? Take a vacation and go somewhere, if you feel like youre going nowhere. If youre a cynical so-and-so, and have stopped caring about the company and the work you produce you may just become a hindrance. Are you frequently getting angry at work and losing your temper at people or situations? You may need a break. Its fine to vent or rant to a friend or partner every once in a while, but if it becomes a staple part of conversation and youre over-complaining, you need to stop. If you hate your current position, but youre over stressed, you may not put aside time to search for a new opportunity or start a job search at all. Youll just be stuck in the same rut. Do you feel that coworkers are being hesitant and walking on eggshells around you? You may be difficult to work with. Do you suffer from any of these? Let us know in the comments below! READ MORE: 6 Ways to Turn Stress into Success [Featured image: Shutterstock]

Resume Services at Atlanta

Resume Services at AtlantaLooking for resume services at Atlanta? You are not alone; there are many people who find these services to be the best way to get ahead in their new job.You may have wondered why it is so important to get a job as quickly as possible. Some employers will not even take a second look at your resume if it is not professional. Because of this, a lot of job seekers are trying to do everything possible to impress their employer so that they will get the job. However, you do not have to spend too much money in order to get started with resume services at Atlanta.There are several ways you can get free resume services at Atlanta. First, the career centers in your area will provide the services for you. The centers tend to offer up the services free of charge so that you can try them out before spending any money. Try using the services at the local offices first before taking a chance on using companies that might not have a good reputation.Second, there are a numb er of career websites that will offer you free resume services. These websites offer free services in order to attract users to their site so that they can make more money. Take advantage of these free services so that you can try them out before you go with the professionals.If you want to save money, you can also use these resume services online. They offer their services free of charge, which means that you are likely going to get an excellent service for your money. Make sure to get free services if you can as a way to get a good service.There are many online companies that offer these free resume services. However, make sure to only use companies that have a solid reputation. Check for testimonials and reviews before you choose a company for your resume service. Also, do some research about these companies so that you can make sure that they will provide you with quality services.Another way to get your resume services at Atlanta is to use the services of a career center. These centers are staffed by career counselors that are trained to help people with their careers. You will not have to pay anything to use their services. However, make sure that the services offered are not just for the clients and are offered to everyone who needs the services.The bottom line is that there are plenty of places that you can get resume services at Atlanta. Just take your time to find a good company that you can trust so that you can find help that will help you get hired and get your dream job.

The secrets we keep at work How I navigate with dyslexia

The secrets we keep at work How I navigate with dyslexia Most of us have personal problems we hide from our business associates. In fact, most of us have been hiding problems since we were kids. Often, though, these guarded secrets provide a hidden stash of strength at the workplace. My problems started at tap dance lessons. As an eight-year-old, I didnt know what to do when the teacher said, Turn left, but I pretended to know what I was doing. The teacher said to my mom, Penelopes always a beat behind. In high school, I was in advanced English, advanced history, and advanced French. I waited until no one was looking to slip into my remedial math class. My teacher told me, When you grow up, dont go into business. In college, I took a car trip from Chicago to Detroit and went up the wrong side of Lake Michigan. Its a big lake. And Michigans a big state. So I shocked even myself when I missed the state completely and ended up in Wisconsin. It was around that time that I realized I was dyslexic. Once I understood my problem, I was able to keep track of recurring problem situations and find ways to avoid them: For example, I became an ace with Excel so I didnt have to do math in my head. And I quit tap dance and took up swing dancing because the lack of structure in swing means that turning the wrong direction looks creative, not brain-dead. Contrary to many predictions, I flourished in corporate America. Today I dont worry that the dyslexia will hold me back professionally. Now the dyslexia is just sort of interesting to me. I like watching how my brain works, and I like having a better understanding of why I did what I did when I was younger. But I hide the dyslexia when it comes up at work. Its easy: Frequently someone says, The bathroom is at the end of the hall on the right, and then the person sees me turn left. The person doesnt say, What the hell is wrong with you? The person just says, No, turn right. And I know what to do. It never occurs to anyone that an adult doesnt know her left and right. So dyslexia is a secret I can keep. In the perfect world, we would all list our secret disabilities on our resumes. These are the pieces of our lives that make us able to overcome adversity at work. Mental illness, physical limitations, family disasters, these are also secrets people keep from co-workers. Of course, if you bring this stuff up in interviews the hiring manager will think you are insanely needy (or just insane) and you wont get the job. But keep an active stock of your secret difficulties, because these are what make you strong. In the face of these secrets, a screaming client, incompetent boss, or plummeting stock price all seem manageable. Admittedly, dyslexia is not as earth shattering a secret as it could be; today dyslexia is fashionable among businesspeople and was the cover story of a recent issue of Fortune magazine. Heck, John Chambers, CEO of Cisco, is dyslexic. Everyone should be so lucky to have a brain so similar to his. But as CEO secrets start to slip out, take a look at your own secrets. Recognize them for what they are: Huge difficulties that you have overcome to get where you are. And maybe, one day, we will add them to our resumes in the education section.

Location, Location, Location

Location, Location, Location The job market is extremely competitive, and one small disadvantage can cost you the offer.   Location can be an advantage for you or hold you back, especially for young jobseekers competing for their first job.   Here’s how. Jacksonville, like many sprawling cities, is really a series of neighborhoods rather than a cohesive city.   If you live at the beaches, you usually eat, shop and play there â€" and would work there if you could.   The same is true for our other unique neighborhoods; people seldom venture out of their part of the city unless there’s a great enticement. That means that if you work in service, retail, or hospitality, you have a chance to work in your neighborhood.   You may also have a chance to work in a local professional office (think doctor, attorney, accountant, etc.)  If you live near where you want to work, use it in the interview to stand out as a potential employee.   In most retail and professional offices, dependability is one of the most important characteristics for a worker â€" and believe it or not, one of the hardest to find.   Yes, just showing up every day on time will make you a standout employee.   So if you’re local, say so, and talk about how you’ll be on time every day and available to come in on short notice. If you are great with directions, and your job requires any travel, talk about that in the interview.   You can make a case for efficiency, savings in time and fuel, and more productivity if you know your way around the city.   If you are in sales, you can talk about how being local gives you insight into local business and neighborhoods, an advantage if you’re competing with new college grads who may also be new to the city. If you’re the one who is new to the city, make it your business to become familiar with the local landmarks and the major commuting routes.   Invest in a GPS system that will help you get around.   Make the case to your employer that native knowledge of the land is good, but the ability to adapt to challenges with technology is even better.   If you’re savvy enough to find a solution to your shortcomings with directions, you’ll be more likely to solve more of your own problems on the job.

Resume Scanner Free Programs

Resume Scanner Free ProgramsA lot of people want to know about the free resume scanner software available for download. It's really not that hard to find one or two free programs that scan and review your resume.There are actually two ways you can go about protecting your personal information. The first is through protecting your computer, a few minutes every day is usually all it takes to take care of it. This doesn't always work but it is a good place to start.You should be able to create a folder on your hard drive that only your family and important people have access to. Some of your things are easily accessed by family members so these should be well protected. It's also a good idea to make copies of the files on your computer so that they aren't exposed to those that can look for them.Many of us simply allow what we consider to be our 'foolproof' computer to take care of this. Well you're wrong. Your computer is still a potential target for hackers, and you can never be too ca reful.Viruses, spyware, and other forms of malware are the easiest way to infect your computer. There are some great protection programs out there that will scan your system and remove any spyware that you might not even know about. All you need to do is download and install them.Good job, now get out there and look for some good offers. There is always a lot of free software out there and sometimes when it comes to your very life you need to protect what you do have. You can get rid of the virus that stole it in the first place and get back to getting your life back.So when it comes to protecting your resume with a free software don't trust the ones you think you'll find on the internet. Check the more reputable ones and make sure the price is correct, you don't want to pay for something you'll get for free anyway.Finally, remember when it comes to protecting your resume with a free program that you have the option of upgrading if you choose to do so. Just go to the website and fol low the links provided to go and see how easy it is to protect yourself.

This is how to become an expert in anything youre learning - Debut

This is how to become an expert in anything youre learning - Debut When I was younger, my mother sat down with me as I threw a tantrum in protest of practicing the  piano. I hate the piano, I groaned. Im not good at it. In response, my mother spoke three magic words. Practice makes perfect. Unfortunately, me being a stubborn seven-year-old and all, the advice didnt take. I havent touched a piano in years. However, science has proven her sage words right. To become an expert in anything, you need to practice. In fact, practice is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Practice makes perfect, but it still isnt enough Author Malcolm Gladwell once asserted that you need 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to become world-class in any field. In his book Outliers, he claimed that the 10,000-hour rule was how the Beatles became so famous, and how Bill Gates became the richest man, like, ever. Endless hours of rehearsal and endless hours of bashing out code were apparently the secrets to their success. Not only that, but to really nail the principle of deliberate practice, you need to be consciously pushing the borders of your ability at that skill. So you cant just practice; you have to practice with the aim of improvement. Sounds about right, you might think. However, its our duty at Debut to break the bad news, no matter how much it hurts. Deliberate practice doesnt make that much of a difference. It does account for something a meta-analysis by psychologist Brooke Macnamara found that deliberate practice accounts for an 18 per cent difference in the mastery of a skill. 18 per cent seems like a number you can shout from the rooftops about. The downside? This only applies to anyone who wants to move from an average level to a good level of mastery. Her study found that in order for you to move from good to great, deliberate practice only accounts for a 1% change. Alright then, how do I  really become an expert in anything? Heres the lowdown according to journal  Nature Neuroscience.  According to them, the most effective strategy to becoming an expert in anything is to practice something called over-learning. Theres no hidden trick to this, apparently. Over-learning is as straightforward as it says on the tin: you have to study or practice the thing until you fully understand the thing. Then you practice some more. This is how they figured it out. During the study, researchers observed 60 volunteers during a visual-recognition task, and asked them to study a series of images to identify the pattern. To succeed in the task, the volunteers had to suss out which groups of pictures had patterns, and which pictures didnt. On average, it took eight rounds of practice to nail this. During the second stage of the study, the researchers brought in a new batch of participants to do the same task. This time, they divided them into two groups. The first group practice for the standard eight rounds, took a break, then practiced for another eight. The second group did a whopping 16 rounds double the amount they needed, took a break, and did eight more. Whoa. They called them back in the next day to repeat the same tasks.  The first group did worse in their first session but better in the second. The second group? They maintained consistency in the latter session and did significantly better in the  first one, (the one theyd over-learned for). How will over-learning turn you into an expert? The results seem legit and all, but if youre looking for the ~science~ behind it all, heres what the study said. The study authors concluded that over-learning helps to cement information in your head. It also helps to block other information from coming along and replacing the thing youve been working hard to learn. Heres why this is important: when youre learning something new, the information that goes into your head is  particularly  vulnerable. Anything can come and knock that precious info straight outta your noggin. The study puts it this way: “Usually, learning immediately after training is so unstable that it can be disrupted by subsequent new learning until after passive stabilization occurs hours later. Looks like there  are no shortcuts to greatness after all. Oh well. -Download the Debut app and get Talent-Spotted by amazing graduate employers! Connect with Debut on Facebook and Twitter

A question for ya Marketing my book - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

A question for ya Marketing my book - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Yesterday I finished the happy at work book, updating it according to all the great feedback you guys gave me. Thank you to everyone who read a chapter, and gave me their input. Today the book goes out to proofreading and then itll be done. Now I have a question for ya: How do I market and sell the book? Heres what Im currently thinking of doing: The book will be available in pdf for $20 and on paper from lulu.com and amazon for $30. Ill give away 100 electronic copies of the book to the first 100 bloggers who sign up to ask for one. (Dont sign up yet, therell be an official announcement later.) Ill contact all the bloggers that write about happiness at work or similar topics and offer them a free copy of the book as well as the chance to do an interview with me. Ill advertise the book in the sidebar here on the blog and at the end of every post. Ill be posting excerpts from the book as blogposts. Ill make the whole book available for free as html here on the blog. What else can I do to make the book a huge hit? Write a comment! 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

5 Things to Say When Its Not Your Fault - Career Advice Blog for Millennials

5 Things to Say When Its Not Your Fault - Career Advice Blog for Millennials What can you do when misplaced blame slaps your professional reputation around? You feel shocked and hurt when your boss or coworker blames you out of nowhere for something thats not your fault. Childish backs-and-forths ideally get left in the schoolyard, where they belong. Unfortunately, pointing fingers still occurs in adulthood and even in the workplace, which contributes to toxic work culture. How do you respond to accusations without sounding petty, unaccountable or unwilling to be a good team player? Here are five things to say when its not your fault. 1. “Now I know where to go for the information I need. Thank you. Situations may arise where you try your best, but its not good enough because you didnt have all the resources you needed. Ideally, you ask clarifying questions when you feel confused, but sometimes you feel so lost you dont even know what or how to ask. This response redirects the blame back to a lack of information while communicating that you recognize the proactive steps you need to take in the future, with an appreciation for the matter getting brought up. 2. “I chose this course of action because” The company created a set of guidelines or an unspoken set of preferred courses of action that should be taken. But you made a conscious decision to go a different route. Then, you get confronted about it. What do you do? This phrase allows you to discuss your thought process, provide the logical justification behind your decision, and walk the person through the steps you took. It also allows discussing strategy, which may open both of your eyes and potentially improve company policy, whether or not youre at fault. 3. “There may be some confusion here. Can we talk about this at the team meeting? You know Sally screwed up the numbers on the report, but youre not about to say that right now. Currently, you have to listen to rapid-fire negative feedback directed at the spot between your eyebrows, spittle included, and just a dash of a headache forming. What do you do next? Here, you find yourself in a tricky spot because you dont want to toss another body under the bus, but you also dont want your reputation dragged through the streets. While people sometimes perceive delicate wording as passive-aggressive, you need to note possible confusion and redirect the topic to where the whole team gets to discuss it. The topic does concern everyone, after all. 4. Let me retrace my steps before we discuss this matter further. Blame-placing catches you off guard even when no one intends to assign blame outright. You get swooped up in panic and brain fog because your past performance and gut both say you didnt do any wrong here. But what if you did contribute to the error? And what if you have trouble recalling that point in time? Stating that you need time to retrace your steps gives you breathing room without assuming the blame. It assures the other party that you are willing to look at your actions and you will follow up. Dont immediately apologize â€" especially if you often find it hard to say no. Search for another course of action that allows you to stay true to your values and voice and make you an active team member. Take in what the person has to say and perform due diligence by retracing your steps. Once you have more information, you have more power and resources. 5. Well, why do you say that? This catches the accuser off-guard and comes with a mindfulness exercise that allows you to remain an impartial party. Dont take it personally, with the help of a mini-meditation. While they speak, feel your connection to Earth and the weight in your legs. Youre grounded. Now, feel the upper half of your body become less solid. Youre mist, and whatever they say wafts right through you so you dont absorb misplaced negativity. Think of this meditation as a more mindful version of the classic sticks and stones axiom. It also gives you enough psychic distance to listen objectively. Play with tone on each of the words and see how they feel, because that also communicates intention. There is no single voice thats normal, but tone affects the dynamic interaction between the listener, signal, context and speaker. Sometimes, a slight, properly placed tone does all the communicating you need â€" a form of I see what you tried to do there. You alert the other party that you know theyre trying to push your buttons and youre not going to stand for it. You also didnt outright accuse them of that, either. The question gives them an opportunity to reflect and be more mindful of their words. The well adds a pause for consideration before the impact of why. A pause provides time to listen and learn, and when you control the pause, you control the conversation. So pacing matters as much as tone. A mostly neutral and natural tone is best to impart objectivity. You can always add: That was informational, but I have to get back to work now. Then, exit stage left, away from the drama-makers who always find something wrong. The strategic question does still place you at risk, because some people just dont stop. In that case, crack a smile, give a little laugh, like at a good-humored joke, or say excuse me with a smile and walk away. If the behavior continues, talk to someone you trust in a higher position who will offer advice or put a stop to it. Ever been in a tricky situation where you had to talk your way out of misplaced blame? Had to deal with drama-makers at work? Add your scenarios and suggestions below. Subscribe to Punched Clocks for tips on keeping your cool in tricky work situations and defining what success means for you in your career. Keep the conversation going by sharing and commenting! Get everything you need to build a career you love by signing up for the newsletter.