Time Off from Work

Many people don’t take vacations often enough. The busier we get and the more commitments we have, the harder it can become to take quality time off. Time away from the workplace can recharge your batteries, and vacations are essential to avoiding job burnout.   Read: How Important is Taking Time Off    Take A Break For Stress Relief Letting stress build up can be unhealthy in several ways. The body is designed to respond to short bursts of stress, but when stress is prolonged, the situation turns into one of chronic stress, when the real health problems set in.    ...

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How to Boost Your Confidence at work

You’re probably already aware that confidence plays an enormous role in business success. When it comes to building self-confidence, perception is everything. The way you view yourself has a huge impact on how others will ultimately perceive you.   While blows to our self-worth can come from many directions, some of the typical issues that break down our confidence while at work are:   Doubt we can do the job/task Too many competing opinions Politics Difficult people Difficult conversations Lack of clear direction Doubt in our ability to make the right decision Lack of support Contradictory feedback Negative people / ...

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PA of The Month: Helen Rees

  Helen Rees is the PA to the Chief Executive at Marwell Wildlife Zoo. She is an avid supporter of the zoo and an animal lover. Sometimes she has unusual zoo’ tasks, like holding a press call to their famous Humboldt penguin Ralph.    1. How did you arrive at your position? I have held a variety of PA and admin roles in various organisations, from Southern Arts (the former arts funding body for the south of England) and local authority arts venues, to the regional office of the Audit Commission. I also ran a community youth music project for a couple of ...

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The Ultimate 15 Tips for a Great Skype Interview

The Skype video interview is now firmly part of the job application process. Got a job interview via Skype? Skype interviews are quickly becoming common practice. More and more employers are conducting initial job interviews over Skype or other online services, hoping to get a better feel for candidates than a phone conversation might allow.   Did you know? 18% of candidates have experienced a video interview in the past year, more than double the amount from a year ago, according to a survey by Right Management. 82% of hiring managers have used Skype, and 6% have used pre-recorded platforms.   ...

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What’s The Worst Question To Be Asked In a Job Interview?

A while back, we asked readers to send in some examples of bad interview questions — and below the response we got! Here are some of our favourites.   While brainteaser questions are no longer trendy, some companies still rely on them. Read up on these challenging questions and be prepared in case you run into one. Interviewers ask these questions to test your thinking and check your problem-solving skills. They want to find out if you can think logically and think under pressure and they want to see how well you’ll go compared with the other applicants. It’s all ...

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8 Fabulous Apps to Help Manage Your Goals

How can PAs be more productive at work and in their personal lives? It probably comes down to planning, consistency and accountability, among other things. And guess what- there’s quite a few apps for that! There are lots of tools available on the web to remind you to do something, connect you with people who are doing the same thing, and help you look back on your progress to see how close you are to your goal. So what’s the key to creating a goal and actually sticking to it?     Take a look at these apps to increase ...

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Tips for Effective Teamwork

Any person is able to work in a team, but effective teamwork is the true key to productivity. People working together can bring the best out of each other and produce good results while also creating a positive working environment. Good teamwork is an important goal. Learning how to create good teamwork will help to create a good team.   What is Team Work? The sum of the efforts undertaken by each team member for the achievement of the team’s objective is called teamwork. In other words, teamwork is the backbone of any team.   Below some important tips for ...

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How to Improve Your Communication Skills

Strong verbal communication skills are important for everyone to master. They are extremely valuable in both your personal and professional life. These days, technology is making everything easier. Unfortunately, easier doesn’t always mean better, and in the case of communication, the same ease that allows you to bridge long distances in a matter of seconds may also be crippling your ability to communicate well when it matters the most. In the business world, communication is especially important, and ineffective communication can make or break your success.   Here are a 14 Simple Tips to Improve Your Communication Skills    Watch Your ...

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The Benefits of Networking for Your Career

Networking is about developing long-term relationships for mutual gain and creating a lasting impression with people so that they think of you positively when an opportunity arises. Why should you invest the time and energy to make your “net work”? There are hundreds of benefits, and here is a summary of my top 12.   Main Benefits:    Being active. Being active is a benefit of networking. Believe it or not, by just getting yourself out there and connecting to people you are moving your career forward. By going to a networking party or group, you are taking the first ...

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13 Steps to Advance in Your Career

As you contemplate your career, where do you hope to be in five years? Three years? Next year? Do you want to advance your career? If so what are you waiting for? Start taking the steps needed to advance your career today. It’s not going to happen unless YOU make it happen.    Create a leaning plan and share it with your boss. Employees who proactively share their plan with their manager will be more likely to receive the support and guidance needed to advance their careers than those who do not. Involving managers early and often ensures that employees ...

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