10 Ways to Have a Healthy Commute

10 Ways to Have a Healthy Commute Happy Bike to Work Day to all the cyclists among us! Riding your bike to work is something that is always encouraged when possible. Not only does it help to reduce your carbon footprint and save yourself hefty public transport/fuel costs; the health benefits are endless. Regular cycling is a great way of getting fit and it has also been found to reduce stress, so what better way to combat tension after a taxing  day in the office? Cycling is not the only way that you can achieve a  healthy commute however and there are a few things you can do to make your journeys to and from work healthier, no matter what mode of transport you use. Here are a few ways that you can make your commute healthier, less stressful and more pleasant: 1) Walk more: If you live close to work, chances are that you may even be able to get there faster by foot than in rush hour traffic and its a great opportunity to burn a few extra calories in  your busy schedule. If you get the bus or train to work, why not get off a stop earlier and walk the rest of the way? 2) Jog: This option is slightly more physically demanding, but it would do you a world of good! People spend good money on gym memberships, that could be saved by incorporating exercise into our daily routines and killing two birds with one stone! 3) Buddy up: Commuting alone can make us feel a bit lonely at times, which can lead to general unhappiness, so why not find a buddy to share the journey with? If you drive it could also save money on fuel when split between more than one of you, or you could even alternate whose turn is it to do the driving. 4) Healthy snacks: You never know when youre going to be effected by traffic jams or delays, so avoid entering a hangry state by packing some healthy snacks, such as fruit or cereal bars, that will tide you through until youre home for dinner. It will also stop you from caving in to fast food temptations on route! 5) Stay hydrated: Dehydration can make you feel tired and light headed, so always carry a bottle of water with you so that you can stay hydrated throughout your journey. This is extra important if you choose a more active means of getting to and from work, such as cycling, running or walking. 6) Stand/Sit up straight: Whether youre sitting down in a car/train/bus or standing up, try to pay attention to your posture, as it will help to prevent back pain.  Sit at the edge of the seat, keep your feet flat on the floor, draw the navel up and in, and lift up through the crown of the head. If youre standing, stay square through the shoulders, lift from the head and keep the spine straight. 7) Technology time out: Chances are that you spend pretty much all day using technology, so your commute could be an opportunity to take a much needed break from it. Unless youre expecting an important call, you might want to consider turning your phone off and using the journey  to have some down time. 8) Relax: Meditation is a great way to de-stress and put you in a positive mindset. Close your eyes and try to let go of anything that has been playing on your mind.  You could even download a meditation app that will guide you through to a state of relaxation. This probably isnt suitable if you drive to work (its best to focus on the road when behind the wheel!), but by listening to soothing music and focusing on breathing, it can help you to relax and unwind. Focus on long exhalations, then inhalations, as the rhythm will relax both the brain and body. 9) Take a nap: If you take public transport to work, you could grasp the chance to catch up on a few Zs and refresh your body. Just make sure you dont miss your stop! 10) Open the window and make your car a smoke-free-zone: Getting a bit of fresh air when driving will help you to stay alert and focus on the road. If youre a smoker, it may be tempting to light up in the car  , especially if youve got a long commute. You may feel like it helps you to destress when in traffic, however it is not the best habit to get in to. Try to  break this habit by banning all smoking in your vehicle and making sure any cigarettes and lighters are out of reach. Image Credit: Shutterstock

How to Find Resume Header Examples

How to Find Resume Header ExamplesResume header examples provide you with a glimpse of the kinds of headlines that have been successful in the past. They are examples that are not too long and not too short, making them ideal for your resume.Spelling and grammar mistakes are common in resumes. An interesting resume can be easily ruined by a single mistake. Use a resume header that contains only the most important information and requires very little research to remember.Many examples of resume header examples are found online. Although these examples are usually free, there is no harm in being a little picky in selecting the one that you use.The idea behind resume header examples is to provide you with a head start and get you started on the road to success. As you work through these examples, you will be able to see which ones will work best for you. You will know exactly what to include in your resume and also what to exclude.There are many websites that offer resume headers to cho ose from. However, it is important to choose one that has been proven to be effective.Using resume header examples can be a tremendous asset in securing your career path. This is especially true if you are working in a field that requires you to display expertise and experience that will positively reflect on your resume.It is important to remember that your resume is your only chance to convey what you can do to make an employer aware of your capability as a person. When it comes to choosing a good resume, it is critical to be organized, accurate, and to be able to clearly state your goals.Keep in mind that your resume will be read by many people. The best way to make sure that it is read correctly is to practice your resume with different variations.

The Year of the Monkey

The Year of the Monkey 2016 is the Year of the Monkey in the Chinese horoscope. That means it will be a great year for me. I am not a Monkey (I was born in the Year of the Dog) but I admire the monkey spirit. Embed from Getty Imageswindow.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'tgfa0N6WQp1tYpzW4x2_rA',sig:'k5MfIMmNFHWDB_DkO4j56HeAWILFviXcTTKk8JVPctE=',w:'416px',h:'416px',items:'498119192',caption: false ,tld:'com',is360: false })}); According to Chinese astrology, “People born in a year of the Monkey are witty, intelligent, and have a magnetic personality. They display personality traits like mischievousness, curiosity, and cleverness. Those born in a year of the Monkey are fast learners and crafty opportunists. They have many interests and need partners who are capable of stimulating them.” Monkeys know how to have fun. We adult humans, not so much. I love watching young children doing chores or errands with their parents. They have no idea that grocery shopping or gardening or washing dishes should be tedious and miserable. They’re doing important, grown up work. And they’re having fun. If there’s one thing you probably need in your career, it’s more playfulness. We’re driven by an ideal of perfection that can never be obtained. When we make a mistake, we berate ourselves, often for weeks after anyone else has ceased to care or remember. We agonize over “getting it right,” which kills any sense of joy we have in getting it done. We go through life grimly checking items off our to-do list, rather than connecting with why we choose to work in the first place. Here are my tips for bring more monkey spirit into your life in 2016: Read more and read more diverse ideas. Many professionals read only for work; they have simply lost the habit of exploring new ideas for fun. This is your year to make learning play and make play a learning experience. Resolve to read something about a discipline as far from yours as possible. Science, philosophy, pop culture â€" pick any or all of them. Creativity will flourish when you push your brain in new directions. And that might make you better at what you do for a living. Bring toys to work. Many creative companies allow â€" even encourage â€" employees to bring toys to work. Toys can serve as brief breaks from intense concentration and as a way to focus your concentration when you need it. Stress balls, small desk puzzles, any physical toy can work the way fidgeting does. Some neuroscientists believe that fidgeting depletes restless energy, distracting part of the brain so other parts can focus on mundane tasks. Gamify your chores. Everything is a game if you let it be. Crank up music and dance while you work (with headphones, if you’re at the office.) Give yourself rewards for finishing tedious or challenging tasks: a cup of your favorite tea or a walk around the block. Assume a secret identity. This is one of my personal favorites. Pop culture is currently having a superhero revival, and there’s no reason you shouldn’t get in on the fun. If you see yourself as a shy, withdrawn worker bee, build a superhero identity that includes bold, heroic feats of courage. If you think of yourself as lacking focus, give your alter ego laser vision that can penetrate concrete walls. You can be anyone you want to be â€" on the inside.   Eventually, don’t be surprised if you start to believe you have those powers. If you feel silly, think like Beyoncé who created a whole stage persona named Sasha Fierce. If it’s good enough for Queen Bey, it should be good enough for you. Channeling your inner monkey this year will help you lighten up, manage stress better and may even make you more productive and successful. Fun should be one of your most important career goals. Tom Peters once said: The number one premise of business is that it need not be boring or dull. It ought to be fun. If its not fun, youre wasting your life.

Prep for the Future with Lessons from the Present - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Prep for the Future with Lessons from the Present - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Advice for the employed: learn well from the struggles of your unemployed friends With the unemployment rate remaining at a record high for so many months, a lot of advice has been published to help the job seeker. But what about those who remain? They’re a group less likely to seek out career advice because they may not think they need it. Most just want to keep their head down, get their job done, and get through this recession unscathed. While that strategy might be fine for this recession, it denies the fact that the economy moves in cycles. You don’t need a crystal ball to know that we will face another downturn. And you don’t need the Ghost of Christmas Future to show you what may become of you if you don’t start to take a more mindful approach to your career. Just look around at your unemployed friends. Are you falling short? If any are having trouble finding their next position, it’s likely they’re falling short in at least one of the following areas: 1) Compelling skill set and contributions.  Can they clearly articulate how they contributed to making money or saving money for their past employers? Did they continually innovate or increase efficiency? Or were they prone to accept things as they were? 2) Clear proof of expertise.  Wheres the evidence that shows theyre one of the best at what they do and not merely average? What’s on their list of recent accomplishments? Have they been given increasing responsibility at a fast rate or gotten extra training? Are they recognized as an expert in their field? 3) Endorsements and referrals.  Who referred them into the company? Are they known in the industry? Who can vouch for their work? Build a foundation of skills and a strong base of connections True career security comes when you can be plucked out of your current position, dropped off in the middle of an economic desert and still find your way to an oasis of job offers. And the only way to make that happen is to understand what will always be important to employers and reverse engineer your career to fit that expectation. In other words, build a foundation of skills, get involved in important initiatives, and develop a strong base of connections. Do this for every job you have. Even if you’re starting out as someone’s assistant, seek out extra projects where you can fill in the gaps in your skill set and get to know people outside of your department and outside of your company. And if you’re at the other end of the spectrum with years of experience under your belt, be careful that your skill set and your network haven’t become too specialized, useful only at your current company. Again, find extra-curricular projects to beef up transferable skills and meet new people. Even if working for someone else isn’t in your long-term plans and you have dreams of starting your own business, these elements will be even more important. You don’t have to map out your entire career, but as in chess, if you can think a few moves ahead and put yourself in the mind of the other playerâ€"your potential employer or clientâ€"you’ll be less likely to get boxed into a corner, and more likely to emerge triumphant. Author: Liz Lynch is founder of the  Center for Networking Excellence and  author of Smart Networking: Attract a Following In Person and Online (McGraw-Hill, 2008).  Connect with Liz on Twitter at @liz_lynch and get your free Smart Networking Toolkit at http://www.SmartNetworking.com.

Tips On Resume Writing With Active Verbs Examples

Tips On Resume Writing With Active Verbs ExamplesResume writing is very important if you want to land a job, and one of the most important components of resume writing is using active verbs. Active verbs are words that require an action, such as searching or reading. Active verbs help your reader to take in your message and to decide whether or not they would be interested in your company.So, what are some active verbs in resume writing? One good example is the word 'gained' in your resume. In this example, the word 'gained' tells your reader that you gained knowledge in a certain area. Another example is 'enhanced,' which is another word that is active.Another very important component of resume writing is using active verbs. What exactly is an active verb? Simply put, it is a word that will tell your reader that you need to take some action. For example, 'Gained valuable skills' is a very active verb. The second person pronoun, which is you, also tells the reader that you need to ta ke some action.Just think about the difference between your resume and a statement like, 'I'm just trying to get by,' and resume writing. In resume writing, the active verb is you, and the passive verb is the statement that I'm just trying to get by.There is a way to overcome the written communication barrier that resumes can present. Today, many schools have begun to use PowerPoint presentations that are very similar to resumes, but with some different words and sentences included. These PowerPoint presentations can go a long way toward creating the 'active' language that your readers need to take in.Instead of focusing on the passive verbs in resume writing, a school or resume writing company can focus on active verbs in resume writing. Think about all the different areas where you could improve. Rather than writing, 'Gained valuable knowledge in this field,' you might instead say, 'Gained knowledge in this field using my skills.'Another example would be, 'Acquired valuable new sk ills through training.' This positive description of your job skills shows that you are the type of employee that can turn the skills learned into a great career in that area. Your resume doesn't have to be very long to provide good examples of resume writing using active verbs, because you can focus on the active verbs when writing your resume.The best way to learn about resume writing is to simply write a resume. You might not be able to master the language at first, but writing a resume is a great way to increase your writing ability.

Should I Refer to the Person by Name or Gender?

Should I Refer to the Person by Name or Gender?There are many different ways to apply for a job, but it can be a bit confusing when you first start out. If you are thinking about writing a resume, should I refer to the person by name or gender?Writing a resume is the first step in applying for a job. The first thing you want to do is write down your experience and qualifications as clearly as possible. Most companies will use your education and experience when looking for new employees. So you want to make sure that you include all of the information they need to decide if you will be a good fit for the position you are applying for.At this point, you may have found yourself in a situation where you are trying to decide what information to put on your resume. Is it important that you indicate gender, or should you instead refer to the person by his or her name? This is a very important question and is one you need to ask yourself before you begin working on your resume.Many people te nd to get into situations where they will reference the person by his or her name, but usually this isn't done. Your name will help you to have a direct contact with the company you are applying for a job with, so always write it down. However, if you do want to refer to the person by his or her name, you may want to write that information in the 'Other' section of your resume.The reason you should do this is because this place you are using should contain some kind of information about the company you are applying for. It is called an 'Other' section, and when you place any type of information in this area, you are basically giving the company permission to contact you in the future. The first thing you need to know when writing a resume is that you don't have to write every single thing down. In fact, if you think your resume is too long, or if you think it will take you too long to write, you may want to just stop and refer to it as a 'To Do' list.This will allow you to get every thing you need to put on your resume without being overly bothered by putting things down that you didn't even mean to. The next thing you want to do is refer to the person by his or her name as necessary. Remember, you will be referring to the person throughout the resume.Remember, in any situation where you are thinking about using the person's name, you need to refer to him or her by his or her name throughout the resume. This includes names of friends, relatives, and coworkers.

A New Resume is Not the Answer - Wolfgang Career Executive Coaching

A New Resume is Not the Answer - Wolfgang Career Executive Coaching Many people who are dissatisfied with their career often feel that a new resume is the answer. Far too often, these people just dont know where to turn. In these cases, it is comfortable to fall back on what they know on the tactical tools of a career search that they are familiar with. Our brains do not like to live in the unknown and we will seek what is known. One of the tactical career search tools were very familiar with is the resume. A new resume may bring a new job and fulfillment and, oftentimes, a new resume symbolizes hope. Leaving your old job may immediately alleviate many of the symptoms of your job dissatisfaction. And a new resume is certainly an important factor in landing a new job. However,  the cause of your symptoms in your old job will likely go with you. The challenge is identifying the right job, not just a new job. A new resume is only one tool A new resume is one tool in your job search. Like most tools, it does what you tell it to do. It must be crafted to get you the right job but that requires you to know what the right job is! If you do know the right career path and the right job, then your resume will be one of the tools necessary in making the transition. If you don’t know what the right job is for you, then no professional resume writer can shape your resume to land you that job! Put another way Rewriting your resume isn’t where you start when addressing your career dissatisfaction! A new resume is typically a result of the effort put into the larger process of: defining your career goals understanding yourself identifying your skills determining what is most important to you learning about career paths, etc. Research from 2,500 people We recently conducted an analysis of over 2,500 website form submissions we collected over the last 3 years. We did this to see what career services people wanted from a career development coach. The data showed us the top six career services that people seek professional help with. Those 6 accounted for 80% of the results. Here’s a simple graph with the six career services: Top 6 Career Services People Seek Professional Help With Career services categories Here are the definitions of each of these categories of career services: Resume: inquiries who specifically mentioned needing assistance in reviewing or writing a resume. Exploration: you need help determining what jobs/careers would fit you best. You don’t know what career is right for you but you feel unsatisfied and unfulfilled in your current job and career path. You don’t know what it is, but you’re ready to explore who you are and find a better career fit that will result in a great job you love. Transition: There are two common transition scenarios. 1) You’ve had a big change at your employer or in your life and your career needs to change too or 2) you know what you to do or what industry you want to be in and need assistance figuring out how to make that move. In both of these scenarios, you need help leveraging your existing experience, branding yourself properly and then figuring out how to successfully land the right job. Job Search: inquiries who were actively trying to find a job but expressed challenges getting job offers. They are looking for strategies around applying for job openings, networking, and professional branding. Interview Prep: inquiries who were getting interviews but not many offers and wanted an objective assessment of their interviewing ability as well as how to get better. Development: it’s about the future and looking ahead. You want to either 1) proactively develop a long-term career plan, 2) address a short-coming, needed skill set or obstacle or 3) prepare yourself for an upcoming opportunity. You have a vision of where you want to be and need a deliberate plan and an accountability partner to reach your goal. A new resume is not what people need first You can see that “resume” is our #1 requested service. There are many cases, of course, where a new resume is all that is needed. We’ve served thousands of clients and dealt with just as many career challenges. We regularly see a request for a new resume where the client needs a lot more help before assessing the need for a resume. Here are 2 quotes from those form submissions that demonstrate this point. Relocating back to San Antonio from Colorado. Would like to discuss resume writing and career coaching. When you go through a big life change, it usually impacts your career goals and interests. This person suspects that a new resume, alone, may not be the answer. In this case, the first step is to understand the life changes he or she has been going through. When you understand your life objectives you can then better define what you want from a career. I recently quit my current job need assistance with sprucing up my resume finding the right job/career path. Identifying the right career path is a good starting point in this case. The fact that the person recently quit their job (a fairly big life change) brings up lots of questions about what was working, what wasn’t working, defining career goals, understanding what is most important in a career, etc. Here we need to help this individual understand the role of the resume, how the resume fits into the larger picture of their career journey, and how changing the resume may or may not address the entire picture. Its tough to diagnose the real issue It’s often the same for those who request help with their job search â€" they are searching for a job and not finding ones they like or not successfully getting interviews or offers. Sometimes this is caused by not clearly articulating your brand and match for the job. Other times, though, it is a result of not knowing what career path you are really seeking. There are a few reasons why this happens: Most people never learned how to identify the issues causing their symptoms. We know we aren’t fulfilled in our job. We might know some of the reasons causing the dissatisfaction, but we might not know how to identify the root causes. Many people were not taught how to own their career. They arent familiar with the steps for assessing if their career is meeting all of their needs and wants. Nor are they familiar with how to direct their career development and adjust today for changes needed in the future. It’s tough for many of us to make the connection between career dissatisfaction and the exact help they need. A coach will typically need a brief one-on-one meeting to help you make that connection. That’s why we encourage all our prospective clients to take advantage of our free one-on-one initial career consultation. Get a consultation from a career coach At Wolfgang Career Coaching, we find that Exploration, Transition and Development are actually more popular than these figures represent. Those 3 services focus on the underlying goals that set a client’s career direction. The other three â€" Resume Writing, Interview Preparation and Job Search â€" come later, for client’s who have a very clear career direction. If you are struggling with some challenges in your career, ponder how your job aligns with your values and interests. Realize that finding the right job or tweaking your resume will never adequately address that. We help people with this every day, through our career services called Exploration, Transition and Development. Ask us about it and schedule a free 1:1 consultation to find out if that’s the right service for you. By Wolfgang Career Coaching|2018-09-30T02:43:43+00:00July 22nd, 2018|Career Coaching, Career Counseling, Job Search, Resume|2 Comments

A Cant-Mess-It-Up Guide to Pricing Your Offers - When I Grow Up

A Cant-Mess-It-Up Guide to Pricing Your Offers - When I Grow Up Welcome to the second installment of my “Can’t-Mess-It-Up Guide” series! This time, I’m here to help you price your offers. Dun Dun Dun! (Just kidding. Don’t freak out.) There’s no doubt about it, talking about money can be weird. The great news is it so doesn’t have to be. The sooner you get comfortable discussing your rates the better for everyone involved in your sale. Having confidence when discussing your prices will help you gain control over your offers and instill trust in your client. In my own personal experience, I’ve worked and reworked my rates as my experience grew and my offers evolved. I’ve also helped my amazeball clients set prices that they’ve been able to grow into larger and larger numbers, too! Below, I’ve streamlined my fave rate-setting rules and advice in the Can’t-Mess-It-Up Guide to Pricing Your Offers. Shake off that weirdness and put on your boss boots. It’s time to earn that $$$. Drum roll, please Determine how long it will take you to hand over your deliverable. Do this by taking into consideration the time it will take to prep, deliver, and follow-up with your client. Keep in the mind this is the first time you’re inventing the wheel, so don’t panic! Over time, you will become more efficient and the process will get so much easier. If you’re making products or goods, add in the cost of materials. This way, your production fees are covered and you can still collect your rate! This is also a way to demonstrate the quality of your deliverable. (i.e. fancier or nicer materials = a fancier nicer product = a higher rate!) Decide on your ideal hourly rate. In a dream world (and taking into consideration your experience and industry), what would you like to make per hour? Once you have a fair number, determine how many hours you think it will take you to complete the job given your timeline. Then, multiply your predicted hours by your hourly rate to get an idea of your actual price. (Example: if you’d like to make $50 an hour and it will take you 10 hours to get the job done â€" your magic number is $500!) Once you have a sense of your rate, you’ll need to Be honest with yourself about your experience and price accordingly. If you Google hard enough, I’m sure you’ll find someone doing something similar to you for an extraordinary amount of money or no money at all. The person with the high dollar sign likely has years and years of experience, incredible testimonials, multiple success stories, or knew the right person â€" straight up. It’s OK. You can make money exactly where you are and increase your rates as your experience builds! Likewise, those people who are charging next to nothing? They’re also making next to nothing! And that ain’t what you’re here for. Consult with your gut on if your price is realistic for your client demographic. Be honest about what your offer is, who it’s for, and what it’s worth to them. Sure, we’d all like to make $1000 an hour, but if your client base can’t afford it, you won’t see any sales. Similarly, if you’re working with high-level professionals and setting your rates too low, your demo may view your offers as not very valuable or worth their time/money. Don’t do things for free in the beginning. If you provide a service for free, your client won’t be as invested in the outcome as you are. The chances of your guinea pig client ghosting or not taking you seriously is much higher, or they could adopt a misguided attitude that says they’re doing you a favor by being your test subject instead of the other way around. Do give your first clients a discounted rate to build experience and credibility. Offering your first few clients a discount is an awesome strategic biz-building move. It will also make it an easy “yes” for them to get on board, and hopefully result in returning clients. Plus, you’ll have the opportunity to build trust with these fresh clients and get the feedback/testimonials you need to keep growing! Don’t worry about how many clients you need to make a fulltime living in the beginning. It can be tempting to lay in bed at night and think “If I just land x amount of clients at xyz rate for x amount of months I can retire when I’m x years old.” Right now, this is not productive thinking. Right now, it’s all about the first client, then the next, then the next. As you build your business, gain experience, gather testimonials, and establish a client base, your rates will go up and your magic retirement year can get closer. That said Focus on the now, and the later will fall into place. When setting your prices, focus on what makes the most sense based on where your business is at right now. Things like your geographical location, client demographic, personal experience, business industry, and quality of product could all factor into what makes a fair price. These variables will also change as your business grows, so don’t stress about the long game! You’re already playing it just by starting!   Lastly, set your rate slightly above what feels comfortable to say out loud. Seriously. Do it. If you’re really comfy with your rate, you’re setting it too low! For example, if you are happy to charge $50 for your services, try making $60 your actual price point. By slightly tipping the scale in your favor, your clients will automatically have a sense of faith in you and your services and you’ll launch your business with a personal financial bang. $100 or even $75 is probably too much of a jump. You’re looking to feel just a *smidgen* squirmy saying your number out loud. That’s the sweet spot. Feeling pumped to get to work, make some coin and drink some celebration wine? Awesome. My 90 Day Business Launch offer is the ideal place to start. Together, we’ll clarify exactly what your business is, what you can offer, and yes, what to price it all at. No-obligation applications close this Friday, so get in there! It’s time to show you the money.