Change a Career in a Successful Way (Step-by-Step)

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StrategyDriven Practices for Professionals ArticleIs the work challenging? Do you think your career decisions were great? Do you really like your career growth? All the answers lead to a negative feeling? If so, it is time to change all these things and think about next steps.

Your career should make you happy and offer you a work-life balance. It is sometimes better to forget about your current job. Maybe you need to start a new job, where you can use all your skills. Or it is possible to make your current position much better for your career growth?

There are several reasons for changing your career and some steps that will help you do it.

Signs That Your Career Needs to be Changed

Your dissatisfaction in a career may be a reason for problems with your mental health. To avoid them, you need to know when to start thinking about changing a career. And don’t get concerned over such changes. Stay confident and keep in mind that CV writing service reviews can help you choose the professional and reliable company to assist you with writing the application document to find the new job.

So, let’s observe which signs you should pay attention to.

Physical Signs

Is there an anxiety? Are you aging? Maybe there were some work-related injuries?

Maybe you feel good when you receive a paycheck. But the work environment doesn’t bring out the best of you? Talk to your boss. There should be some alternative options. Remember that high-stress environment cannot help you work well.

You also shouldn’t feel that your co-workers just take advantage of you. Fear of losing your job is abnormal too.

Mental Signs

Today a lot of people have mental health issues, most of which are related to stress. To avoid problems with your health, be attentive to these signs:

  • High anxiety;
  • Difficulties with concentration and sleeping;
  • The tension in the neck;
  • You feel depressed.

If these tips can characterize you, maybe it is time to think about changing something.

Why Can a Career Change be Good for You?

A career change may become a reason for reviving the excitement for your work. It may fulfill your lifelong dream. So, it is time for a career change, if:

  • You work in a negative workplace. Just change a workplace and don’t be discouraged.
  • Your boss is a difficult person. Maybe it is time to talk to your boss? In most cases, communication is the greatest decision.
  • You feel lost about what you always do. Don’t fear the idea of working on a completely new project. This may make you feel that life is passing by you. Fear of the unknown shouldn’t prevent you from your career growth.

Common Mistakes

When you make a career change, try to avoid things that can negatively influence the result:

  • A desire to get a higher salary. This is not the tip that shows that you are in a wrong career. Remember that a position with a higher salary may be completely not what you expect.
  • Overnight decisions. Don’t make such quick decisions in this situation. When you are stressed or just disappointed you can’t think clearly. The biggest problem, in this case, is that positive tips are overlooked.
  • Promotion. In most cases, promotion takes a lot of time. That is why don’t think that there are no results. It may take years. So, this is not the reason to change your current place of work.
  • You are bored. Remember that repeated job is always boring. In this case, you may change your desk or communicate with co-workers. This may be enough to forget that you are bored with the job.

But before you will make a final decision think about these questions:

  • Can you imagine working in a new department?
  • Can you work well with people? What is a real problem at work?
  • How much time have you devoted to your career to get any result?

Making a Change for a Successful Career

If you are ready for changes, follow these tips:

  1. Write a career plan. Think carefully about the courses you need to take and other things to do to complete the goal.hat
  2. Weight your options. You may use your diplomas and gained degrees in different roles. But think which role will be able to make your happy.
  3. Think about your pros and cons. Be honest. Your weaknesses and strengths may have a real impact on your job.
  4. Find a mentor. This person can tell you a lot about the position you want to get. Ask this person what career tools you need to have.
  5. Volunteer first. Take on volunteer opportunities. This will help you to understand whether you really want to get the position.

Remember that you need to spend some time to move towards a new career. To reach this goal you need to avoid common mistakes. Also, remember about signs that will show that it is the right time for changes. Think about the steps of changing carefully to get the wanted result.

4 Strategies for Dealing with Workplace Stress

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StrategyDriven Practices for Professionals ArticleMost people have experienced work-related stress at least once in their lifetime. Even if you love what you do, you can inevitably feel a bit of pressure to either meet a deadline or complete a challenging task. On the one hand, a certain amount of stress can be useful because it can keep you alert and help you complete that job with a higher determination. On the other hand, being exposed to prolonged stress can eventually take a toll on your health.

While it is impossible to avoid stress at all times, one can still figure out a few ways of dealing with stress. Before doing that, you need to learn what the factors that cause stress are. Low salaries, excessive workloads or work that isn’t challenging are just a few of them. If you’re willing to make a change in your work life, here are a few strategies.

Establish Boundaries

Due to the fact that people spend most of their time at work, they somehow feel the need to remain connected to their work-related problems even when they are at home. If stress is taking over your personal life and it is affecting your relationships, you might want to establish some boundaries. For example, not checking your emails in the evening or not answering the phone while you’re with your family can be a good start. Although it might be difficult to leave stress behind, you should somehow separate your personal and professional life in order to diminish the amount of stress that you’re dealing with.

Take Time to Recharge

Taking time to recharge is without a doubt the most efficient way of dealing with workplace stress. No matter what kind of job you have to perform, breaks are essential. If you want to avoid the risk of injury or even a burnout, taking time to recharge is that you need to do. Disconnecting from time to time allows you to allocate time for yourself, time that you can spend focusing on your well-being. However, if you’ve already been injured due to repetitive strain, you could contact The Compensation Experts. Keep in mind that your health is a lot more important than anything else and you should not be afraid to speak up when something bad happens.

Learn How to Relax

At times, it can be difficult to take a whole day off and focus on your well-being. That is why you need to learn some equally effective practices that don’t take long to complete, but that have great results. Meditation, mindfulness or deep breathing exercises are very useful for everyone who is dealing with work-related stress. Being able to concentrate on a single task without distraction will change your life.

Talk to Your Supervisor

Your supervisor should know exactly what to do when an employee is complaining about work-related stress. They should know that healthy employees are more likely to be a lot more productive, so their main focus should be on their worker’s health. Write a list of your stressors and have an open conversation with your supervisor. This will help you create an effective plan for managing your stress, which will improve your performance.

Workplace stress is a serious problem that should not be treated as a regular occurrence. Check out these tips for some guidance, and if they are not helpful, you might want to consider a career change.

Where Do They Go To Get Business Advice?

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StrategyDriven Big Picture of Business ArticleBusinesses operate at a pace such that they grab for help wherever it is available. More often than not, they reach toward the wrong resources, the untied advisors and sources that send them down rabbit holes.

It is lonely at the top. There are many demands upon entrepreneurs and senior management of companies. Each organization is confronted with challenges and opportunities, both real and perceived. It is tough to tackle all the obstacles and feel that substantial progress is being made.

Businesses spend so much time on momentary pieces of their puzzles that they neglect long-term Strategic Planning and miss potential successes. Costs of band aid surgery and make-good work cost six times that of planning for business on the front end.

The need exists for comprehensive business ideas and growth strategies. The need is ever-present for interfacing with senior executives and updating management skills, to avoid burnout and stimulate the seasoned professionals toward new heights. Top management regularly needs the creative inspiration to take the company to new heights. Cutting-edge executives (the very top and those about to take the mantle) need seasoned advice and inspiration.

Here is where they go to get ideas, strategies and help, in the order where they commonly go. The lower numbers represent introductory resources. The highest numbers are where they should be reaching.

1. Hearsay and third hand

  • Comments heard at parties and networking functions
  • Uninformed sources
  • Friends of friends
  • High participation networkers
  • Research and surveys

2. Special Interests

  • Websites containing educational material as a way to sell services
  • Surveys and their feedback

3. People Selling Stuff

  • Vendors who distract you, using expressions like “funding to grow your business.”
  • Online marketing firms
  • Internet solicitors and sellers
  • Website consulting

4. Internal Management

  • People you work with
  • Mid-managers and supervisors
  • Corporate leadership

5. Niche Experts and Consultants

  • Trainers
  • Freelance consultants, per industry niche
  • Banking, insurance benefits, human resources, etc.
  • Technology consulting firms
  • Researchers

6. Educational Programs

  • Speakers
  • Seminars
  • Panels at forums
  • Workshops
  • Conferences
  • Webinars
  • Material published or broadcast in the media

7. Books

  • Articles excerpted for meetings
  • Blog material posted online
  • Thin self-published books by people seeking to establish a platform
  • Online articles and blogs
  • Serious books in libraries
  • Cutting-edge books with original material

8. Advocacy Groups

  • Business clubs
  • Chambers of commerce
  • People with whom you work in community and charity leadership roles
  • Boards of directors
  • The Better Business Bureau
  • SCORE
  • Small Business Development Center
  • Trade industry groups
  • Associations
  • Political action committees
  • Community alliances
  • Professional alliances
  • Consortiums of business
  • Cross-industry cooperative initiatives

9. Mentors

  • Pier advisory groups such as Vistage, Silver Fox Advisors
  • One-on-one coaching
  • CEO roundtables
  • Corporate heir apparent training
  • Programs such as Shark Tank, Fox Den, Ted Talks
  • Leadership programs

10. Senior Business Advisors

  • Professional service firms, including lawyers, accountants, marketing, public relations, quality management

11. Major Business Gurus

  • Track record experts with many years in advising strategically

About the Author

Hank MoorePower Stars to Light the Business Flame, by Hank Moore, encompasses a full-scope business perspective, invaluable for the corporate and small business markets. It is a compendium book, containing quotes and extrapolations into business culture, arranged in 76 business categories.

Hank’s latest book functions as a ‘PDR of business,’ a view of Big Picture strategies, methodologies and recommendations. This is a creative way of re-treading old knowledge to enable executives to master change rather than feel as they’re victims of it.

Power Stars to Light the Business Flame is now out in all three e-book formats: iTunes, Kindle, and Nook.

Top Apps to Have When Traveling for Business

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In contemporary times, time is of the essence. Advancements in technology have led to increased company projections, growth and the enhancement of capitalist ideals.

The internet has also contributed to the advancement of the global village phenomenon, flying from one place to another for a couple of business meetings is now the norm. At times, one-on-one meetups are quite important because one can learn so much more from them about their fellow business partners.

Before setting up meetings in far-away lands, one should ensure that they have a couple of handy apps at the ready. Gadgetgestures.com covers topics like these to help ensure that one is able to achieve maximum productivity. These apps are made to ensure that the meeting proceeds unencumbered since one is able to keep track of progress back at work without having to be present. We’ve listed a couple of the top apps we believe every businessman needs up their sleeve.

Asana

Asana helps ensure that irrespective of one’s location in the world, they are able to keep tabs on what’s happening in their work circle and communicate with others back at the office. The Asana app enables easy communication, deadline progress monitoring, and the management of tasks to employees. Thus, if one’s business entails team management, output goals definition and a number of deadlines, Asana is the go-to app.

Twitter

The #hashtag feature on Twitter helps ensure that the top trending topics in the world are associated with a specific topic. As a business and thought leader, one should ensure that they stay in tune with the happening in the cyberspace world.

Through Twitter, one can also check out their team’s social media statistics over a given period and look at possible ways to boost engagement. To do this, all one needs is a stable internet connection.

Google Drive

Google drive allows the mass collaboration of various teams from anywhere on the globe. One can share documents, track team input and adjust their calendars to keep track of what’s incoming and find out the natures of the team’s discussion.

Concur

Concur is an amazing travel/expense manager that has the potential to dethrone all business-oriented apps from whichever throne they sit on. The app has fantastic expense management tools, features to automatically export expense reports and the ability to sync to the office in order to facilitate necessary approvals.

One of the tools on Concur is TripIt which helps make itinerary planning is a breeze and that all reservation numbers are easily stored up in one place for ease of access. To create a master itinerary, all one needs to do is forward the confirmation emails and the app will get hard at work to create everything one needs.

Circleback

This app is perfect because it helps maintain contact records, consolidate them and ensure they remain accurate and up-to-date. In addition to all contacts feature, the app has impressive business card scanning and email signature capturing provisions.

4 Hacks to Become More Productive In Business

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Productivity levels are as important to a business as its revenue streams. In fact, the true character of a company can only be found out from the productivity levels of the workers. Still for many businesses productivity levels seem to be an abstract concept. The point is that a business without a tight grip on its productivity levels is bound to suffer. Here are 5 hacks to become more productive in business. They may take some time to implement and some more time for the workers to get used to it, but the long-term results are promising in terms of work satisfaction and revenue generation.

Control of phones

All organizations must keep a close eye on their workers’ tendencies to use their phones at work. It’s a worrying habit because everyone is a victim of it. All it takes is one notification sound to divert their attention for 10-15 minutes or even more. However, to avert this, a business can establish no notification zones.

In the workplace there should be no notification zones where it’s not allowed to check the phone for notifications. Unless it is a phone call, employees should not be allowed to take out their phones at all in these zones. In case they need to check their phone, they should excuse themselves and leave the room to do so.

To do list apps

Several software companies make specialized apps for businesses to use. A to-do list app that can be centrally accessed can work wonders for an organization. The benefits of such an app are aplenty, some of them include:

• Keeping track of all job schedules.

• Supervisors are able to check which worker is lagging.

• Allotment of work becomes easier.

In case the organization is unable to afford investing in a personalized application, it can always look for free alternatives in the app stores.

Reading business articles

Reading business magazines and journals, especially the types that are suited to the workers’ job requirements must be encouraged by the organizational heads. Here’s how an organization can encourage its workers to read more:

• Subscribing to magazines and newspapers related to the field of work undertaken by the organization.

• Sharing websites and article links on a common social space for all workers to view and read. There are several knowledgeable websites which business professionals must read. For instance, Fabweb.Org is a great website which keeps its readers up to date on the latest technological and business advancements around the world.

Refusing additional work

Productivity does not mean taking up a large number of tasks and not being able to finish any one of them. It is measured in terms of how successful the worker has been in the process of completion of all the tasks that have been assigned to him/her. If they feel that taking up additional work could hamper their chances of finishing their assigned work, workers should be given the chance to refuse it.

Apart from following these guidelines, you must also have trust in the workers and give them their freedom to do their best. Only then can your business become truly productive.