5 Life Lessons Only an Idiot Needs a Month Off to Learn

5 Life Lessons Only an Idiot Needs a Month Off to Learn 5 Life Lessons Only an Idiot Needs a Month Off to Learn You may have heard that I recently took a month off. While you didnt see a drop in my articles here on Recruiter.com (because of a stockpile of drafts and the hard-working Red Branch Media gruppe), my sabbatical was chronicled in Forbes (ahem) and I wrote a bit about it on Marenated, my home on the Interwebz.I got a lot of questions about my time off from colleagues, family and even people I met on vacation. While I learned a ton from my vacation and subsequent dive back into running my digital agency, I sorta think most people dont need that much time to realize the things that are now painfully obvious to me.1) Keep your friends close and forget about your enemies. Being busy made me inflate the latter with importance and forget about the former. Talk about screwy priorities Work and business are important but not as important as people who care about you. It can be eas y to forget this in a highly competitive industry. Dont.So, I decided to set aside Fridays for phone calls and emails and cards to friends and colleagues. Of course, I cant spend the whole doing that, but if I bust my hump the rest of the week to ensure that my Fridays are free for connecting, innovating and brainstorming with awesome people then I know my company (and my life, duh) will benefit.2) Inspiration is finite. Coming up with creative designs, campaigns, copy and content for every new client that walks through RBMs virtual doors aint easy people Because inspiration is finite, you need to pounce on it when it shows up and fight hard for ideas you believe in. Lots of people in business want to play it safe, but if you care about the work youre doing, youll push them just a little harder.So, Iam taking morning time to walk and blog. There is only so much time before the crew gets here to work, so if I make myself run for 30 minutes and write for 30 minutes, the inspiration ju st might start showing up around then. I am pushing calls with clients to the afternoon to attack issues when Im freshest- the A.M.3) Hard work isnt finite. When you find that your muse has deserted you (see 2), know that hard work never will. When youre not inspired, pay the bills or answer emails clean up databases or whatever other mindless trick you need to complete, because despite being boring, that stuff needs to get done. And no one ever got anywhere by avoiding the crummy stuff. Except Tim Ferris, that guys amazing.So, Iam answering emails in batches, writing at a specified time and building admin time into my day. Hard work (whether doing the laundry or your taxes) seems to beam all kinds of creative ideas into my head.4) You are not the center of the universe. Crazy right? I learned this, not at my mothers knee like a normal person, but when I left my business in the hands of my VERY capable team and decided to unplug. Now, I was still posting on Instagram, Twitter, and F acebook, but I wasnt really reading emails or checking on invoices. In fact, when team members emailed me about very real issues and I just.didnt care. They figured it out. I might have worked myself out of a job.So, Iam taking it easy. I used to promise clients the quickest turnaround I could muster, only to have them say take your time Now I am giving myself less stress and more fun by revising deadlines, pricing structure and that sweet panacea of the overworked entrepreneur- delegation.5) Families change. Whether that means you break up with a spouse, watch your sister move away, lose a beloved cat or simply see the kids entering high school, there is a reason to leave work at work and enjoy all the other things around you. Most people dont need a month off to realize this most basic of truths, but I did. (See also, the song Cats in the Cradle)So, Iam quitting work at 4pm every day. In extreme cases, I may work longer. But I start early, I always work through lunch and so does t he team. Theres no reason we shouldnt knock off a little earlier and enjoy our families. Work should enable life, not cripple it.Love,Maren

Top 10 Warning Signs You Need a New Job

Top 10 Warning Signs You Need a New JobTop 10 Warning Signs You Need a New JobAre you having a tough time at work? Do you simply not want to be there anymore? Are you thinking about quitting your job, but not sure if you should? It might be time to consider whether you need a new job and its time to move on. Sometimes, we wait too long to recognize that a job situation is not a good fit, but waiting can have negative consequences. It can be easier to stay, especially when you get along well with your colleagues but arent thrilled with the job. However, sometimes its a good idea to make the difficult decision that you need a change. Of course, most people cant afford to leave a bad job at the drop of a hat, but delaying too long can be detrimental to yourself and to others. Whens the best time to leave, and how do you know when you should make the decision to start a job search? Are You Waiting Too Long to Move On? Staying isnt always the right decision, even when its not easy to leave. Waiting too long to find a new job can cause serious stress, resulting in depression, relationship problems, and residual anger. If you dont appropriately plan your resignation, you may find yourself at your wits end one day and end up quitting on the spot, which will ruin your chances to maintain a positive relationship with your past employer. Or worse, you could end up getting fired because youre not productive. Top 10 Warning Signs You Need a New Job You can prevent these possibilities by recognizing some of the signs that your job is unsustainable before the situation reaches a crisis status. Here are the top 10 signs that you might need a new job. You are already thinking about finding a new job. Barring the occasional, bad-day-induced, I need a new job, now if youve already been mulling over the thought of leaving your job, chances are, that rumination is happening for a good reason. If your dislike for your job, your co-workers, or your boss is constantly on your mind, you should take that as a sign that its time to start job searching.Your conversations with your family and friends become dominated by complaints and laments about your workday. If every dinner conversation starts and ends with a negative commentary about your day at work, it might be time to find a job that will incite not complaints but instead productive discussion about your professional challenges, lessons learned, and the days highlights. You find yourself frequently dreaming about retirement - even if youre young. Do you spend all day dreaming about retirement, calculating the years, months, and days until the time comes? Dont spend your professional life in countdown mode. Instead, take that feeling and use it as motivation to find a position that is satisfying and emotionally fulfilling.?Your sleep patterns have been disrupted. You have difficulty getting to sleep, or you wake up during the night with worries about your job. Sleep is very important to your health, an d job-induced stress can be a cause of poor sleep. Unfortunately, this can exacerbate a difficult situation, making a bad job seem even worse. Being tired all the time can make everything seem like a challenge. You have developed headaches, frequent colds, or other physical symptoms of stress. Your physical health can sometimes be an indicator of your mental health, and if youre feeling generally sick or have a sense of enduring malaise, your job might be to blame. If your job is making you sick, thats a good indicator that its time to look for a new position.You have increased your consumption of alcohol or drugs to escape your problems. While its okay to relax with a glass of wine after work, your day shouldnt be driving you to down a bottle or pour glass after glass of vodka tonic. If you find that your work is causing your copious consumption of alcohol, drugs or cigarettes, you should take some time to reflect on your professional situation. Your appetite is suppressed, or you are eating more than usual. Some people turn to food in the same way they do to drugs and alcohol, but stress can also cause you to lose your appetite overall. If youre eating or drinking too much because of stress at work, its a sign that this may not be the job for you.You dread Mondays, or you have trouble waking up for work in the morning. Its normal to be tired in the morning, but you shouldnt feel a pit-inducing dread or thought-consuming anxiety when its time to work. You are less productive at work, lack passion, and are bored more often. If youre checking Facebook every ten minutes, playing around with Pinterest, constantly find yourself on YouTube, or are bored with every task, you might need to look for a more mentally stimulating job.You are arguing more often with co-workers or bosses and dont feel you have control over your work. If your dissatisfaction with your job is causing tension in the office or if you have received warnings about your wertzuwachs or behavior, i ts definitely time to start looking for a new position. Its better to leave a job on good terms so you can keep your past employer as a source for recommendations and as a network connection. Its also important to avoid being fired if you can help it. Of course, these signs can be indicators of other personal, emotional, or physical problems, but if you are stressed about work and experiencing some of these symptoms then you certainly need to reevaluate your employment situation. What to Do Next If youve made the decision to move on, dont just quit your job. In most cases, you can carefully and strategically start looking for a new position before you turn in your resignation. Its easier to get hired when youre working, you dont know how long it will take you to find another job, and you may not be able to collect unemployment benefits if you quit. Rather, take the time to plan your job search. In plus-rechnen to getting you out of a bad situation, it will give you something el se to focus on instead of the job youre not happy with.

Best Job Hunt Advice for the Online Job Search

Best Job Hunt Advice for the Online Job Search Best Job Hunt Advice for the Online Job Search Finding a job in todays job market can be difficult. Job hund strategies are rapidly changing as companies rely more and more on automated recruitment tools. If youre sending out the same resume to every company, youre already doing yourself a disservice. Instead, you should be tailoring your resume to every job you want. Here, well talk about resume tailoring and other tips to help you get a job once and for all.1. Focus on a particular field or fields.If youre really concentrating on finding a job, you should limit your search to only a few fields. First, you want to consider the specific industry in which you want to work. If youve worked in a lot of sectors, be honest with yourself about the industry to which you could best market your skills or where your greatest passion lies. Then, you want to only tailor your job hunting to that field in particular. Rather than sending out 10 applica tions a day willy-nilly, this strategy will help you become a logical candidate to a hiring manager.2. Only apply to jobs for which youre qualified.With the advent of Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), companies can weed out resumes that dont match their requirements. So, it doesnt make much sense to apply for jobs for which you dont meet the basic qualifications. For example, if a position calls for a number of skills you dont have, the ATS is likely to find candidates whose skills and experience better fit the job description. Instead, be realistic in your job search and honest with yourself about the roles you truly have a shot to fill. Otherwise, youre just wasting your time.3. Choose the best online job hunt tools.There are lots of ways to find a job online. Your job hunt can be simplified by only relying on the best job boards available. Some of the best places to efficiently search for jobs in your field include job aggregators like Indeed.com and SimplyHired.com. Or, if youre looking for a non-profit job, Idealist.org is likely your best bet, and USAJobs is a good place to browse through lists of open jobs with the federal government. But perhaps the best job boards are in specific industries and career fields these boards often have the most up-to-date opportunities in your field.4. Expand your career search.There are plenty of useful ways to search for jobs and network outside of online job boards. For example, you can join up to 50 relevant groups on LinkedIn based on skill or industry. To help with your job hunt, you could join specific LinkedIn groups for job seekers or groups organized by profession. Recruiters will also often join these groups and, if your LinkedIn profile is compelling too, they might connect with you. Whats more, you could also find people outside of your typical network on LinkedIn.5. Tailor your resume to each position.Finding a job ultimately means demonstrating that youre the best fit for that position. Your goal is to mak e it easy for hiring managers to see you in your new position. Our best advice about how to find a job is tailoring your resume to demonstrate how you match the qualifications and skills they desire in their ideal candidate. To do this, you want to tailor each and every resume you send out to the specifications of the job description. Jobscan can help tailor your resume more quickly by scanning the words from the job application so you can efficiently include them in your resume.