Business Travel

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Business Travel: What to bring and what to leave

Packing for a business trip can be a colossal pain. Different from packing for vacation, which is a low-stress activity, business packing requires a lot more forethought and the consequences of forgetting important items are even more steep. In order to avoid an embarrassing situation without packing your whole entire house, here are some good tipAlan_Rasof_Business_Travel-What_to_Bring,_What_to_Leaves and tricks:

Lay out your Outfits: It’s hard to talk your way out of wearing the same shirt or dress for three of the five days that you’re out of town. Think through your outfits in depth before you actually start throwing stuff in your suitcase. That way, you neither overpack nor under pack. Think about how many outfits you can stretch out of one item like a pencil skirt or a pair of slacks. Also consider the breadth of formalities you need to prepare for. Do you need a dinner party outfit? What about hiking or golfing clothes?

Put your chargers next to your devices: The bane of our modern existence, chargers determine whether our precious devices live or die. It’s embarrassing and frustrating to travel with dead devices and spend extra money on chargers when you have a perfectly good one sitting at home. Make sure all your batteries are fresh and your devices have all the necessary wires and bricks.

Look through your To Dos: If you’re being sent on a business trip, you’ll presumably have some important tasks to accomplish while you’re on the road. From presentations to evaluations, you need to be prepared to execute your tasks to the the best of your ability. As you look over your assignments, write down what you’ll need for each one. Does your presentation require that you have print outs or a clicker? Should you be bringing along rubrics? Work out exactly what you need to bring, and bring only those things.

Bring what makes you feel good: Sure, it may be gratuitous to bring along a scent diffuser or a favorite blanket or a travel-sized French Press. But it’s important that you feel good and confident about yourself while you’re conducting business away from home. Bring what’s convenient to retain as much of your regular routine as possible so that you can continue to perform at the top of your game. As long as they fit in your suitcase or backpack, bring them along.

Desk for Success: Keeping Yourself Organized at Work

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Desk for Success Alan Rasoff

 

For many professionals, their desk is a comfort zone in their home away from home. Significant items usually linger on a desk such as family photos, favorite coffee mugs, and of course important work materials. However, when a workspace becomes overcrowded and messy, a disruption in overall productivity is likely possible.

 

Keep it Simple

Certain individuals argue that clutter equals a creative mind, but knowing exactly where vital pieces of information reside, poses more important than innovation. The best way to ensure a workspace remains organized it to keep the arrangement of the space simple. Although folders and tabs for everything can seem proactive, too many possible options can get overwhelming. Limiting the number of locations of a specific item creates a more user-friendly experience when time is a factor. Creating limitations on what is necessary on the desk and keeping that list short, will set an organizational standard to follow in the future.

 

Give Everything a Home

Lucky for those who tend to be messy and aren’t sure where to begin, Quartz Media shares tips on desk organization. One of the most important points made in their article references not allowing piles to even find a temporary home on the desk. Immediately finding a permanent location for papers or non-essential resources off of the workspace gives a great advantage in the organizational process. Everyone has certain items that they use on a daily basis, so having them easily accessible is important. Creating a space for everything else is vital because if there is no a permanent resting spot, it will most likely find that spot on the desk.

 

Utilize Technology

Though everyone has a unique style, CNN Money suggest there is a “right” way to organize a desk. Giving pointers on the position of essentials, the experts express just how important desk organization is to productivity. The transition to more technology in the workplace actually benefits the organization of a desk. Whereas in the past, sticky notes and calendars were the reminder tools of choice, these days almost all email and computer systems create reminders virtually. Most programs additionally have the ability to link all information and send it to cell phones. Having access to thousands of apps and online resources is guaranteed to assist during professional organization. The small task of scanning documents and storing them in a digital file alleviates any hassle of scrounging for a specific piece of paper, especially when needed in a timely manner.

Distractions

A desk full of items unnecessary to a current project causes small distractions, most of the time not recognized by humans, but the brain still processes even a glance at such items. Consequently, CNN recommends no more than 3 personal items (photos, memorabilia, etc.) positioned on the workspace. Music, though necessary for many working professionals to ensure a productive day, should be monitored. Listening to music during the workday can distract a professional more than they realize and should be turned off for portions of the day. Another common distraction includes consuming food directly at the workspace. Experts discourage professionals from eating at the desk as it allows for clutter and interruption. If provided, employees are encouraged to take advantage of a kitchen, or eating space, should they decide to take meal breaks on-site. Stepping away from the desk allows the brain time to regroup and dismiss itself from work, a healthy break is always highly encouraged.

For a large portion of the population, a majority of their time is spent in their place of work. Whether a large office or small desk to work from, staying on top of organizing the space is crucial to productivity levels. Simple tasks, including limiting the number of personal items creates optimization of output for job-related responsibilities. There are endless amounts of purchasable and DIY items to help enhance organizing, rather making the task more enjoyable than tedious.

 

5 Ways to Improve Your Resume

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Alan Rasof

1. CUSTOMIZE FOR THE APPLICATION.

Employers who are screening resumes will eliminate any of the generalized resumes submitted. Offer only specific qualifications you have to best perform the job advertised. State your desired job title, for example, physical trainer, and then make all content relevant to performing that job. You should use a customized resume for different job titles even if you are qualified for several (i.e., one resumé for Physical Trainer, and another separate resume for Office Administrator) stressing only the information relevant to doing that specific job.

2. USE KEYWORDS!

Employers who sort resumés electronically look for keywords. Be sure to include potential keywords for job duties in your resume. Example: state purchased, bought or procured inventory (instead of bought inventory). That way, if the employer searches using the keyword “procured” your resume will not be overlooked.

3. SHOW BUSINESS SAVVY.

Only submit resumes created in the Microsoft WORD software, which is the business world’s standard. Many home computers use other word processing software that can’t always be read by many employer computers. You want to avoid this possible mishap and stick to the reliable Microsoft WORD. Whenever possible, also mail a hard copy of your resume after you have submitted one electronically since you would never be informed if the electronic version wasn’t readable.

4. ONE PAGE IS BEST.

Employers have stated that resumes get less than a 15-second glance, so concise and to the point worked best no matter what level position the candidate applied for. Be a skillful editor, deleting old portions or anything not relevant or helpful to your securing a particular position. No vague generalities. Say exactly what you mean, using the smallest number of words to make the point.

5. BE PERFECT.

The resumé must be flawless. No spelling errors, mistakes or typos. Many HR managers have insisted that they would not hire offenders. PROOFREAD CAREFULLY. Don’t trust computer spell checkers since a correctly spelled word like sea, would go unnoticed by your computer but would be incorrectly used if you meant to say “see.”

The Correlation Between Kindness & Success For Your Business

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All businesses can benefit from giving back to their community in a number of ways. Supporting a local charity, hosting philanthropy events, and even partnering up with various nonprofit organizations prove to be beneficial for a company’s success. Being kind goes a long way in all aspects of the world. Charitable acts should not be carried out with expectations for financial gain. But, they certainly have many rewards that can help businesses grow. Here are just a few ways businesses can benefit from giving back:

community, alan rasof

First, companies should recognize that it is important to build a good reputation within their community. According to an article published by Entrepreneur.com, “ The relationships formed between customers and prominent community member can be of great value to the company in the future,” (Boitnott, 4 Ways Your Company Benefits From Giving Back). When businesses help out around the community, the community will want to help out those businesses in return. Think of this as a form of good karma – you get what you give. Being recognized as a business that has foundations of compassion towards the local community will help establish the business as a leader in the community, and you will most likely gain a few customers who trust the company and like what the company represents.

Giving back to your community will also help the community grow and become a better place to live. By helping to fix local parks, donating money to school systems, and keeping the streets safe and clean, employees will work in a safer environment, and if they live in the area their children will have a safer place to learn and play. Plus, everyone can benefit from an enjoyable park to relax at and soak up some sun on the weekends.

community service, alan rasof

Furthermore, employees will respect the company they work for if it is involved with some kind of community service, and they will look up to strong leaders who make these impactful initiatives. According to Entrepreneur.com, “If you make your company a positive force in the community it can improve employees’ regard for their corporate leaders, which can only help you. It’s also simply a nice feeling and can make you more motivated to work there,” (Boitnott, 4 Ways Your Company Benefits From Giving Back). Always remember, good morale is essential for growing a successful business.

In conclusion, there are many ways a company can benefit by being kind and helping out around the community. The main point of community service is to help the people around you, and there’s no greater feeling than knowing you’ve done so. So be kind in all aspects of life, it’s the best thing you can do.