8 Surefire Signs You Need To Change Careers NOW

8 Surefire Signs You Need To Change Careers NOWIt can be scary to change careers, but sometimes its the absolute right thing to do. Dont let yourself get stuck in a career rut. If any of these warning signs apply to you, find yourself a new job STAT. googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) 1. Your weekends are always too short.Everybodys weekends are too short. But yours are really fraught. You get to the office on Monday and by that same afternoon, youre counting down the hours until Friday. Then you spend most of your weekend dreading Monday morning. Even Sunday is a waste because youre so miserable thinking about going back to work.2. Youve lost your passion.Not everyone can be 100% jazzed about their job at all times. But youre bordering on burnout. Theres no joy taken in any aspect of your workeven the tasks that used to be enjoyable. You cant quite remember why you work there anymore. Youve lost your drive. And now youre really only there for the money, which probably isnt that great anyway, and by no means makes up for the apathy and boredom and pervasive emptiness you feel.3. You feel trapped.Its precisely when you feel that you cant get out that you should try your hardest to free yourself. Maybe youre caught in the trap of losing your motivation because you arent being challenged. That vicious cycle will only get worse. Youre eternally bored, which drains your energy, and so on, and so on4. Youre envious of, well, everyone.If you find yourself pining for other peoples career situations, thats a great sign that theres something wrong with your own. Clean up your own house. Make sure youre not looking at other peoples lives, but at your own, and making the changes you need to make. Follow your own big dreams.5. Your health is suffering.Often your body will tell you first when you need to switch jobs. Stress can wreak utter havoc on the bodythrough bad eating habits, high blood pressure, and even heart attacks. If y oure losing vitality and sleep at a job, or if you have spannung headaches, achiness, and fatigue, its time to listen to what your body is telling you. Find a way out.6. You have zero work-life balance.Your friends dont even recognize you anymore. You dont have any time for family or friends. Youre all stress, all the time. You never do the things that used to bring happiness to your home life. Plus, the people closest to you have noticed a change in you for the worsteither in your appearance or demeanor. Youre constantly worn out and depleted. Time for a makeover for both you and your career.7. Everything is a struggle.Your company culture just makes everything so fraught and unpleasant. You cant think of a single nice thing to say about your job. You dont even have a positive relationship with your coworkers whereyou can go out and complain about it over lunch. Youre a little bit isolated and a lot frustrated.8. You could do better.Youre sure that your talents and abilities could really make a difference somewhere, but they are wasted here. Dont be too scared to go for your dream career. Chances are, thats where your passion and creativity lieand where youll actually enjoy going to work each week.

How the Women at My Tech Company Inspire Me to Raise My Voice in My First Job Ever

How the Women at My Tech Company Inspire Me to Raise My Voice in My First Job Ever I have come to learn that there are a multitude of life lessons college does not fully prepare you for, and while I had interned at Cisco the previous summer I welches still nervous about beginning my full-fledged career at a company thats prominence in our global community is impressive, and thus intimidating.Photo Courtesy of Cisco.But when I started at Cisco, I realized my fears had been unfounded.My first day and on-boarding process were supported by a variety of individuals throughout my new organization the Trust Strategy Office (TSO). Many stood out to me, but those that stood out the most were the women of our kollektivI have read and studied previously that there is a continuous phenomenon in regard to the presence of women in a male-dominated workplace. This phenomenon cultivates the idea that women are often pitted against each other, ultimately facilitating a toxic, competitive environmen t.So, along with my nerves of first day at a new job, not knowing the culture on this team and knowing I would be one of few women in a male-dominated team I also wondered if I would have to create a certain work persona or I would even be able to trust my coworkers as a result of that competitive phenomenon.Luckily, that is not the case at Cisco.Photo Courtesy of Cisco.The last thing I expected was to come into my first day at Cisco and discover a number of surprises. The first was witnessing the varying experience levels amongst the other women in my organization. Some of my colleagues have been with Cisco for over a decade. Others have only been around for a couple of years. Despite these varying levels of experience though, each of these women has a voiceThey not only play a specific role within their team, but they also contribute to the way our organization is working to improve our overarching culture.I came to realize that despite these varying levels of experience, all of these women were still learning Cisco. fruchtwein importantly, they were vocal about the learning curve so many of us experience from time to time.As a result, my second surprise upon starting at Cisco came with the openness these women maintained with me, the transparency they welcomed me with.Each and every one of these women acknowledged the fact that I was new. They also assured me that our organization would benefit from the observations of an individual with fresh eyes. Again, even though I interned with Cisco, I was still unfamiliar with the company and what comprised its workplace environment within different organizations.However, that did not mitigate the women of TSOs support of me and my role at Cisco. Rather, they perceived my role as one with influence and impact. This is something I am still struggling to grasp that I, too, have a voice in this organization despite my lack of experience.Photo Courtesy of Cisco.Through this, I have been encouraged to move past that he sitation to speak and ask questions. Each and every one of my teammates genuinely want to hear what I have to say about the company, what I observe and what I believe can be improved.Through this experience, Ive learned that its vital to facilitate these supportive, empowering relationships in the first place as the phenomenon of the competitive workplace, particularly amongst women, certainly exists. The women in my organization are completely aware of that very phenomenon.Its because of that awareness though, they strive every day to combat it. They strive to set a precedent across Cisco to facilitate growth amongst any and all employees.Despite being new to Cisco, I have come to learn that there are a variety of ways one can become successful at what they do. I am still learning as I go, and I am sure I will continue to learn the ins and out of Cisco for quite some time. One thing that I cannot stress enough is to be conscious of who works alongside you you never know what expe rience they might have, or what you might learn from each other.What motivates me to come to the office every single day is these positive relationships with my co-workers that Im still establishing. I love that there are people here who truly want me to succeed, and they push me forward.We are all on the same team Team Cisco and when we empower each other to excel, great things happenCisco is proud to be participating in the 2019 Grace Hopper celebration. Join our FGB Grace Hopper group to get connected with other career-minded women who will be in attendance.--This article was originally published onCisco.Fairygodboss is proud to partner with Cisco.Find a job there today

Characteristics of Is It worth Writing Objective on Resume

Characteristics of Is It worth Writing Objective on Resume If You Read Nothing Else Today, Read This Report on Is It worth Writing Objective on Resume If dont have any work experience or whether you simply graduated from college, youre going to be on the lookout for entry level type jobs. You are likely to need to send out plenty of resumes to receive any response in any way, and naturally dont neglect the intense quantity of executive competition you will face for the exact same job. If youre going to land your dream job, you want to learn how to earn that second appearance. After that, think of what you truly want, and visualize your fantasy job. The Dos and Donts of Is It worth Writing Objective on Resume If you need to have an objective, make certain its the perfect one. Think about what you would like, but write your objective with a focus on what you could do for the organization. An objective needs to be personally-tailored to the employer. Therefore, it should be prominently situated in the top third of the page. When youre crafting your resume objective, you should concentrate on particular abilities and experiences which are directly linked to the job. Writing your own objective is truly notlage anywhere near as hard as many individuals make it out to be. When dont have any experience whatsoever, add your volunteer work inside your principal work history section. Since youll discover, even in the event you dont have any prior professional experiences, you may still draw on your school experiences. As a consequence the resume may be put under file. Think of what youd say in an objective, and choose whether its well worth losing for only a few added lines of white space. Resume objectives can be somewhat controversial. Well, to put it simply, the career objective is intended to describe to the reader the point of your application.

How assertive communication can change your life

How assertive communication can change your lifeHow assertive communication can change your lifeBossed Up recently tapped me to serve as a trainer at their life-changing Bossed Up Bootcamp in DC. (Seriously life-changing Ive met so many people over the past 5 years since Bossed Up has been around whove told me how useful it welches in making a career pivot.)I spent hours preparing for my session on assertive communication, wanting to make sure that the module spoke to each of the women I knew would be in attendance. Little did I know that being with them taught me just as much After all, they say that we do some of our best learning by teaching others.Heres what I took away from training on Assertive Communication1. Im a recovering pushover and thats OKAs a woman and a woman of color at that many of the messages I got growing up about how to be successful in the workplace had to do with playing small and being seen and not heard. So, thats what I unconsciously brought into my firs t jobs after college. Naturally conflict-averse, I even remember telling friends in my 20s that I was the Great Compromiser, hoping to avoid anything that felt like conflict. I thought it was more important for people to like me and be happy than to deal with unpleasantries or be perceived as aggressive.2. Standing up for yourself is more important than making others happyWhen I transitioned into education, the stakes felt higher because I was responsible for kids lives. I quickly learned that not standing up for myself wasnt actually good for the kids whose lives I wanted to impact and it did nothing for my ability to sleep at night. I realized I valued things like authenticity, truthfulness, and standing up for what I believe in way more than I cared about making everyone around me happy all the time.3. Assertive communication is like a muscleI realized that there was an art to having my needs, wants, and desires addressed that could also leave space for others to feel respected, honored, and valued. Its a muscle we all have to keep using or it can start to atrophy. Ive stretched that muscle over and over again during the 4 years that Ive been a solopreneur It has made all the difference in whether or not I get paid on time, how timely prospective clients respond to proposals I submit, how I prioritize my time in working with clients, and with which clients I decide to work. Its even helped me stand up to clients when Ive seen them exhibiting unconscious bias or blatant racism in their business practices.4. You will more often be respected when you assert truthThere are many times when I wish I didnt have to turn my assertiveness on when I wish others would just behave considerately, empathetically, and respectfully of my wants and needs. But I also know that there is no one who can look out for me 100% of the time but me. So, when I have the opportunity to speak truth to power, confidently and directly stand for what I need, want or believe in, the respon se from others is more often than not positive, supportive and respected.It took me years in the workplace to realize that balanced assertiveness is the way to go. Heres to all the women coming up behind me in the workplace perfecting that balance even earlierAlicia Robinson, founder ofEdPlus Consulting, works at the intersection of social justice and education.She is passionate about connecting people with opportunities to create equitable education for every student, promoting empathy across difference, and empowering social justice warriors to succeed.This post was originally published on BossedUp.org.

5 Tips for Conducting a Smooth IT Audit

5 Tips for Conducting a Smooth IT Audit5 Tips for Conducting a Smooth IT AuditIf you havent conducted a recent IT audit, your organization could be vulnerable to costly security and legal risks. If you have determined its time to line up youraudit, you want to get the most out of it.Here are five tips on conducting an IT audit1. Get a clear scopeExtra attention on the initial scope of the audit will increase the chances the procedure will run smoothly. Remember that the audits main goals are to assess the existing IT environment, identify risks, assess current capabilities and gauge whether adopting new technologies or processes would be useful. Involve all relevant stakeholders in the initial planning period to ensure each geschftsleben unit is covered and all applicable laws and regulations are identified.2. Determine whether you need outside resourcesDo you have sufficient internal resources, or do you need to look for outside help? Using staff on hand may seem like a cost-effecti ve approach, but unless you have a suitable audit manager or other dedicated risk management personnel on hand, it can be helpful to look for assistance beyond your organization.For example, a consultant can come in when needed and for as long as needed to support your initiative. As an added benefit, he or she can provide guidance to your full-time staff to ensure theyll have the requisite knowledge for future audits.3. Implement wiselyDevelop a complete inventory of information systems and determine the priority of each one. Analyze current IT methods and procedures to ensure you followindustry standards. Evaluate security controls to gauge whether you have protectedbusiness assets and mitigatedpotential risks.4. Give effective feedbackBecause IT audits are highly technical, its important that the manager who commissioned the audit clearly understands the findings. If possible, deliver your complete report in-person.The report should contain all of the details covered in the initi al scope, such as applications and devices in use and security measures. Ensure that you give detailed recommendations and your solutions are feasible and costs are included. Also include a cost-benefit analysis in whichyou highlight the potential cost of not following the recommendation.5. Ensure future successProvide recommendations on how to maintain your IT resources. Most IT auditing software can perform ongoing monitoring of network users and assets. Identifying and selecting the appropriate tool to conduct the audit may aid in maintaining the solutions from the audit.Implement a plan to revisit applicable laws and regulations on a quarterly basis to stay abreast of new developments, and stay informed throughkey industry publications and media outlets, which should assist you in effectivelyreacting to changes in the business environment.For more detailed information on conducting an IT audit, check out Protivitis IT audit solutions.Related postsWhy Your Company May Need an IT AuditFrom Cybersecurity to IT Governance Is Your IT Audit Program Up to Speed?

Checking Job References the Right Way

Checking Job References the Right WayChecking Job References the Right WayFor some managers, employment references are just a resume tack-on, barely worth a glance. The truth is, checking job references can be invaluable when it comes to thoroughly evaluating your candidates.OfficeTeam research shows that managers eliminate job candidates from the running at a rate of one in five after contacting their references. But some managers still feel it is a waste of time, not to mention a tauglichkeit legal risk in fact, many employers avoid both asking and answering reference check questions because they fear potential lawsuits. In this article, Robert Halfs expert career professionals seek to do away with any confusion, and emphasize instead why checking references is an important step in the candidate evaluation process not to be overlooked. The key is to know which questions to ask and to avoid the most common pitfalls.Here are four tips to keep your reference checks smooth, effective a nd trouble-free1. Ask the right questionsWhen calling references, try to platzset a low-key, informal tone from the start and avoid jumping right into your most pressing inquires. References will be mora prone to honesty if they are relaxed. So, start with a few basic background questions, such as the candidates length of employment, duties and skills, and salary information. Next, move into the tougher questions that will give you a more well rounded assessment of the candidateWhat are his weaknesses?How does she compare to the current worker in the position?How often was he absent or late?What types of people did she have difficulty working with?Would you rehire him in the future?2. Do it yourselfMany managers are tempted to pass the buck and delegate the task of checking references to someone else on the team. However, no one knows what youre looking for in a new hire better than you. A candidates former or current employer is also likely to take the call more seriously if theyre speaking to a fellow manager.Robert Half has been finding A-list candidates for companies since 1948. Let us take on the time-consuming steps and the administrative details of bringing a new person on board.REQUEST TALENT3. Talk to the right peopleEmployers may decide to delegate on the receiving end of these calls, too, so dont be surprised if you contact a reference and find yourself talking to an assistant or someone in human resources instead. The problem here is youre more likely to receive standard, perfunctory answers that wont give you the insight you need. When you make a job reference call, make every effort to speak to the candidates manager, coworkers or anyone who worked directly with them.4. Confirm important claimsJob reference calls are an opportunity to confirm anything candidates said during the interview process, including why theyre leaving their current job. Before placing the call, take a few minutes to give those claims critical thought so you can dig a littl e deeper. For example, if a candidate claimed he was looking for a better salary or greater challenges, ask his employer why he wasnt given those opportunities at his former job. If he lost his job due to outsourcing or other external reasons, ask why he wasnt transferred into another position at the company. This type of careful questioning can help you avoid jumping to conclusions when you spot potential red flags regarding a candidate.Checking job references is a time-consuming process, but its nothing compared to dealing with the repercussions of making a bad hire. The effort you put into contacting candidates references will pay off when you find the perfect person for the job.Learn more about tips on how to handle the often difficult process of checking references for job candidates you are interested in hiring.

Business Management and Leadership Resources

Business Management and Leadership ResourcesBusiness Management and Leadership Resources