It isn’t impossible, but you have to be prepared.
Maybe you love to brew coffee. Perhaps embroidery is your favorite thing. It’s even possible you want to dedicate your life to raising alpacas.
Whatever your passion, if it results in a product or service, there’s someone out there making a living off it.
However, before you quit your job to paint or to open your own clothing boutique, there are a few things to keep in mind.
February is the month of love, which means it’s a time for Valentines, roses, and love songs. Do you know that love songs are more than just sappy lyrics or heart-wrenching vocals? In fact, some of the most popular love songs today have a message that can apply to your job search or career as well.
Here are five workplace lessons you can learn from popular love songs playing on the radio today!
The lyrics say, “Oh don’t you dare look back. Just keep your eyes on me. I said you’re holding back. She said shut up and dance with me.” This song has many timely messages for the workplace. Like the lyrics suggest, don’t look back on past jobs, failures, or mistakes. Keep your eyes on the present and the ways you can succeed. When you look back, you lose track of your future, so ignore the voice that constantly reminds you of your past, and dance into making your career the best it can be. Stop procrastinating and holding back.
Are you “too hot” and you know it? This song is perfect for you. Learn to accept your victories at work and do not be afraid to let your superiors know when you have succeeded. Letting your boss and co-workers know that you’ve achieved a milestone lets them see your talents, but also shows off the skills of the people on your team. And if someone thinks you can’t finish a project or deadline, just borrow the line, “Don’t believe me? Just watch!”
Yeah, we’ve all been there. We remember “the good old days when our momma sang us to sleep,” but now “we’re stressed out.” This song helps us remember that stress can be detrimental to not only our health, but our work quality as well. If you find that you are overwhelmed at your job, find ways to deal with that stress, like getting regular sleep, exercising to burn off energy, or talking with a supervisor about ways to lighten your load.
This song is a great reminder to be grateful for your job every day. With the confusing economy, lots of workers have been laid off and are desperate for a job. Never take for granted that your position is not invincible. Work at all times to make yourself valuable and irreplaceable so you won’t have to worry about losing your job.
Guess what? Even rock stars make mistakes. In this song, Bieber says, “You gotta go and get angry at all of my honesty. You know I try but I don’t do too well with apologies. I hope I don’t run out of time, could someone call the referee? ‘Cause I just need one more shot at forgiveness.” If you make a mistake at work, own up to it. Honestly confessing that something went wrong and then finding a way to make it right works much better than covering up the mistake or blaming someone else. Sometimes, everyone needs one more shot. Likely, if you are honest and have a plan to correct your mistake, you’ll get that shot to redeem yourself.
Do you have any love songs that motivate you at work too? Share your favorites in the comments section below!
Movin’ On Up is brought to you by Express Employment Professionals.
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, millions of people will be coming together to be with their loved ones to celebrate the bond they have with each other. While wives, husbands, boyfriends, girlfriends, and significant others are getting ready for the romantic holiday, there’s a very special someone you might not be considering – your job.
It happens to the best of us. The passion is gone for your job and the flame has died out at the workplace. It can be easy to neglect the dwindling desire you once had for your job, but not being passionate about your job can lead to a stilted career path later on. Here are ways you can fall in love with your job all over again.
Reach Out
If nobody knows there is a problem, no one can help fix it. Consider reaching out to your manager or mentor to discuss your lack of passion and find out what it is that’s keeping your interest down. It could be a simple fix of changing your workflow or new project, or it could be as big as moving on to the next challenge. Your leaders have the experience to give you a frame of reference and point you in the right direction.
Another way to recharge your batteries is to develop relationships with co-workers and peers. Practice your networking skills and schedule lunch breaks with others to learn about different areas in your organization, uncover interesting opportunities, or discuss trends in your industry. Building relationships can break up the boring routine and let you see diverse points of view.
Live Life
It may sound counter-productive, but are you doing what you’ve always wanted to do with your spare time? Passion is often contagious, and if you can find fun, fulfilling hobbies and activities outside of the workplace, that enthusiasm can flow through to your work. Work often doesn’t allow you to practice your passions through the job, so it’s important to get back to the root of what you love.
Challenge Your Innovation
Nothing can smother a fire of passion more than a routine. Workers can get stuck in a pattern that becomes second nature. This repetition can have no room for excitement or imagination. That’s why it’s important to put forth some effort to keep a fire burning. Someone once told me, “Remember K.I.S.S.: Keep Innovating Something Significant.” Challenge yourself to improve every day. Dream big, set a goal for yourself, and work to make a change. This mentality can greatly increase and fuel the fire than can burn inside you.
There’s not a rut from which you can’t crawl out. Whether with the help of others or through changing your mentality, falling in love with your job is possible. Your career is going to be with you for most of your life. You might as well love it.
What are some ways you’ve fallen in love with your job? Let us know in the comments section below. You can also use our ecards site to send free valentine greetings!
With the start of February comes flowers, chocolates, and candlelight dinners. But, nobody will be working harder this month to make these acts of love happen than a certain mythological character – Cupid.
Starting with his ancient Greek roots as the mischievous god of desire, Eros, he was known as the son of Aphrodite until he was given his Roman name, Cupid, and has since became a cultural icon in modern times as a winged child whose arrows can make two people fall head over heels in love with each other.
Cupid is often featured playing games, pranks, and politics among the Pantheon and lesser mortals. But in modern times, Cupid is just a symbol of Valentines Day. With Cupid working so hard only one day out of the year, it makes us wonder – what would Cupid be doing the other 11 months of the year? Let us know in the poll below!
What job is right for you? It’s a big question to ask when you start your job search. While pay and work hours should be major factors, one of the most important things to look for is a job you can see yourself enjoying.
In a global study by BlessingWhite, an employee engagement and leadership development consulting firm, the top reason employees worldwide give for staying with their employer is “My work. I like the work that I do.”
To help you get started, check out in to J.O.B.1’s: Behind the Right Job to hear a story of how one woman’s talents, passions, and ideal work environment led to a job that helps her grow and excel in the workplace.
When you go in for an interview, what will set you apart from your competition? Odds are, the other hopefuls interviewing for the position have as much, if not more, experience than you. How can you impress recruiters and prove to them that you are the right person for the job?
They want to see if you’re the right fit for the company. They’re looking between the lines of your résumé for what you have beyond your work experience. To really make a good impression, you should project certain qualities that will make you a more desirable candidate. What qualities are they, you ask? Well, here are five of them that can make a recruiter or interviewer say “Wow!”
Passion
There are countless books, websites, and seminars about the best kinds of answers to interview questions. Job seekers are asked these questions to see if they have the ability to answer them competently. But, they’re also looking for something more. Many hiring managers want to see passion for their company, the position, and the industry. They want to know why candidates are truly excited about the opportunity, rather than viewing it as just another job interview. The truly passionate candidates are not only likely to excel in their role, but will also remain involved in their responsibilities and motivate those around them.
Professionalism
Being professional is something that is hard to teach. It’s a mixture of motivation, presence, and hard and soft skills. To be professional, you have to project an image that you are actively listening to what recruiters are saying and take interest in the job.
Preparation
You can really stand out among your competition when you do your homework. If you can demonstrate your interest in an employer and the issues they’re facing while showcasing your research skills, you can leave a lasting impression on hiring managers. Take the time to research and get to know the recruiter and interviewer, and you’ll find a quicker connection and develop a stronger rapport.
Poise
Confidence is a key component in every aspect of your job search. When networking or interviewing, it’s important to exhibit knowledge, modesty, openness, gratitude, and skilled verbal and written communication. Recruiters should be able to see that you can take tasks, jobs, or projects given to you and run with them. Prove that you are proactive and can handle the job requirements through your handshake, body posture, and communication skills.
Providing Humor
The hiring process can be a long and often trying process. Recruiters and hiring managers listen to the same pre-prepared answers from candidate after candidate. A job seeker with professionalism and a sense of humor lightens the atmosphere, but be careful if now you decide to use humor when talking to hiring managers. If humor isn’t a part of your everyday personality, think twice before taking it too far in an interview. If it doesn’t come naturally, there’s a bigger chance that it can backfire. You don’t have to crack jokes, but you can bring a light-hearted and happy attitude that can brighten the mood when talking to recruiters.
There are a lot of different things employers look for in a new hire. On top of work history, job experience, and specific skill sets, there are other traits that can help propel job candidates above the large number of job seekers vying for the same job. If you excel at any one of these five qualities, use it to your advantage. It could make the difference between silence and a call back. What are some ways you have shown one of the five traits when interviewing with an employer?
