Critical Thinking and Innovation – The New High Ranking Skills at the Workplace

When searching for your next job, consider that a potential employer may be looking for a candidate skilled in critical thinking and innovation.  Learn more in the following post.

“For CEOs today, it’s all about achieving growth and efficiency through innovation.  It’s not about product innovation so much anymore as about innovating business models. process, culture and management.”  ~ Ginni Rometty, IBM CEO You might attribute critical thinking and innovation as a strong skill set for leaders

See original article here:

Critical Thinking and Innovation – The New High Ranking Skills at the Workplace

Does March Madness Boost Morale in the Workplace?

It is that time of year again when college basketball fans brace themselves for March Madness.  However, can all of this excitement affect morale in the office?  Learn more in the following post. Continue Reading

7 Ways to Put on a Happy Face at Work–and Smile All the Way to the Bank

Vicky Oliver

Having an infectious smile and putting some zip in one’s step doesn’t just make work life more fun. Being happy at work is also a career booster.

A study of recent MBA hires found that optimistic people get hired more quickly than their less-optimistic peers. What’s more, two years into the job, these happy workers were more likely to have been promoted. (Here’s a link.)

Being happy on the job improves your reputation. Optimism also makes you more resilient, able to adapt to new situations, and solve problems faster. Happy employees get better feedback from bosses and peers. And they enjoy more job satisfaction because work doesn’t feel boring, difficult, or unpleasant. Continue Reading

What women really want in the workplace (and why men matter)

Female dressmaker working on clothes with a mannequin. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

If you want to start a fight at the next big family gathering, you could bring up the issue of gender and employment. Since long before the feminist movement hit center stage in the 1960s, social and academic commentators have been arguing over the role of women in the workplace.

The discussion has moved beyond simply should women work to how and why they want to. While it is now a given women can work in virtually any role currently occupied by a man, that doesn’t necessarily mean they are motivated by the same factors as their male counterparts. Continue Reading

6 Workplace Tips for the Socially Challenged

Christina Steinorth, MA, MFT

Are you the type of person who hates to be interrupted at work with “good mornings” and other niceties? Do you routinely avoid the break room or eat lunch at your desk? Do your coworkers hang out socially, but rarely invite you for an after-work drink?

While you may think of yourself as an introvert, your coworkers may be interpreting your communication cues quite differently. They may feel that you’re impolite, snobby, or antisocial.

So often with people, simple interactions and misunderstandings may lead to negative feelings and poor workplace relationships. Here are a few cue cards, or quick actionable tips, that will make a big difference in the way you interact at work–and how others respond to you. Continue Reading

Survey: Tattoos Hurt Your Chances of Getting a Job

Aaron Gouveia, Salary.com contributing writer

Maybe it’s a tribal arm band, the orchids on your lower back playing peek-a-boo with your coworkers, or — gulp — you’re wearing it on your face a la Mike Tyson. But even if it’s that cute little leprechaun on your ankle, our latest survey results show visible tattoos at work could have a negative effect on your pot of gold.

A recent study from the Pew Research Center found nearly 40% of people between the ages of 18 and 29 have at least one tattoo, and body piercings are also a growing means of self-expression among people in this age group. In a perfect world we would all be judged solely on the merit of our work. But if the 2,675 people we surveyed are any indication, there is a lot more going on when it comes to performance evaluations, raises, promotions, and making character assumptions about people based on their appearance. Continue Reading

Get ahead in 2013: 5 steps for workplace success

Businessman focused on his work. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

Some people are natural-born networkers and move from one position to another with fluid grace. Others have to work a lot harder at getting promotions and landing new and better-paying jobs.

Moving up the ladder isn’t always about being in the right place at the right time, nor is it about being lucky. Success in the workplace most often stems from careful planning and following a dedicated and deliberate career path to achieve your goals. Here are five tips you can follow to better position yourself for the opportunity of a salary boost, or promotion that might make your 2013 federal tax return outshine your 2012 earnings. Continue Reading

3 Ways To Flex Your Best Work Muscles

I believe that all of us want to perform at our best on the job.  So, how can we use our best skills to our advantage?  According to the following post, there are three ways to do so.

“Know what you’re the best at; go where you can shine.”

That is one of my favorite pieces of career advice, especially good for anyone who’s just starting in a field. Or perhaps you prefer this approach: “Play to your strengths.”

Those two pieces of smart advice can ignite your career, taking it from a struggling flicker of flame to a huge roaring bonfire, big enough for a dozen people to toast their toes or their marshmallows.

More:

3 Ways To Flex Your Best Work Muscles

5 Ways Your Online Lifestyle Can Ruin A Career Opportunity

If you are a job seeker who uses social media, be very careful about your perception online.  The following post examines ways that employers might view you negatively based on your social media profiles.

Many people want to keep their “work lives” and their “personal lives” separate. However, with social media it has become more and more difficult to keep the two worlds from colliding. Today’s employers will look through social profiles in order to help them decide who would be a good candidate for a job position. The amount of information your publish on social media sites makes it easy for potential employers to have access to your personal life, which could turn out to be bad for you if they happen to spot some things that will turn them off, and ruin your opportunity to get the job.

More -

5 Ways Your Online Lifestyle Can Ruin A Career Opportunity

13 Tips for ’13: Ways to Improve Your Workplace Relationships

Beverly Flaxington

Ninety-nine percent of career success hinges on your ability to communicate well, foster mutually beneficial relationships at work, and earn the respect and loyalty of bosses, coworkers, clients, and customers. In other words, it’s all about your interpersonal skills and behaviors.

Here are 13 behaviors to practice in 2013. If you can master these over the course of the next year, your career will take a big leap. Continue Reading