Monthly Archives: October 2012

Top 10 Things You Should Do to Ensure you are Appreciated Work

 

Did you ever have a time in your career where you were unhappy? Maybe you are unhappy now and are looking for a positive shift. Close your eyes, and think back to your past work experiences and think about what made you miserable. What were the reasons that you threw your hands up and said I quit and you left?

 

Did you not feel welcome?

Did you feel underpaid?

Maybe you felt unappreciated for all you did for your boss?

Now,  I am a firm believer in communication and showing your appreciation, but unfortunately in today’s busy society we don’t say, “Thank You” or “I value you” enough to one another.  We have forgotten to focus on what is going great and instead have turned our attention to the things that aren’t.  The good news is that there are many ways you can get rid of your, “Don’t want to work today blues!”  If you want to feel important at work and be noticed here are 10 key elements to consider:

 

1.  Be punctual!

– More than likely your work place has an attendance policy which includes tardiness! Being even just 2 or 3 minutes late to work isn’t cool! Be 5 to 10 minutes early everyday! This ensures you are not feeling rushed which causes you added stress and gives you time to get settled in! Your boss will appreciate that you care enough to be on time!

 

2.  Be organized!

– Don’t keep a filing stack; put things away in their proper places so you can find them when you need them. Label and highlight important items so you can find them quickly if your boss asks for something.  If you have meetings keep a schedule near so you don’t forget and so you can be on time!

 

3. Be Positive!

– It’s easy to get caught up in the negative complaining session going on in the break room or around the water cooler during the work day. It’s ok to listen but don’t get caught in this negative trap! You will be respected by others who notice you don’t gossip and gripe! Keep yourself in an optimistic healthy state of mind and try to turn the negativity around! It will surely rub off on others!

 

4. Be Reliable!

– Occasionally you are going to be asked to stay late or cover an extra task for someone who might have an overload of work already. Just do it! Do you think your boss wants to work late? Turn your projects in on time and take ownership of your mistakes should you make one!

 

5.  Be Professional!

– Professionalism sells! Don’t slouch if you are standing! Remember good posture! Smile and say hello to someone you pass in the hallway. If dealing with customers use their last name. Don’t use fowl language! Make eye contact. Speak clearly.

Remember the old adage, treat others as you would like to be treated?  Treat your clients, customers and coworkers with kindness and professionalism. You will be noticed and praised for your mannerisms.

 

6. Be a Role Model!

– Have you ever needed help with a project or needed to talk to someone about something that bothered you at work? Don’t go bragging to your boss about helping out Shannon with her conclusion to her sales pitch! Listen to a co-worker who’s having a problem and needs someone to talk to and don’t go spreading gossip! Keep it to yourself! Others will appreciate this quality in you and you will feel good about yourself for helping others!

 

7. Be Efficient

– Manage your time accordingly. If you are having trouble on a project and it’s taking longer than you think it should or know it should ask someone at work for help! Don’t try to be a hero and get it all done yourself!  In the end you could waste valuable time and your boss would respect you that you were big enough to ask for help!

 

8.  Be a Participant!

– Volunteer for the Company Relay for Life event! You don’t have to sign up for everything your work does in the community but it would certainly be nice to represent your company in something! Choose an event you have a passion for! Participant in group activities in meetings and answer questions if you know the answers!

 

9.  Be Healthy

– This may seem like a strange element but by you being happy and healthy you will rub off on your output of your work and your co-workers. Exercise to relieve stress, eat the right foods to keep your immune system up so you don’t have to call in sick as often! Have good hygiene!

 

10. Be Passionate

– If you give 100% to your tasks at work without expecting anything in return your hard work will pay off. Do your best and put your heart into your work as though it is your family!  Know your works values and what is expected of you and follow them!

 

Remember everyone gets into a funk at work but you can get yourself out!  Do you want that raise? Do you feel you deserve a promotion? Do you want to work up to that big corner office with the gigantic windows? Don’t loose sight of your goals and your future. What you do today will make an impact on your tomorrow and the years to come in your professional journey.

 

How Long Should A Blog Be?

How Long Should A Blog BeIn this big world of content management, social media and blogging, it is easy to get lost in all the details that are available. The beauty of the web is that it is never constant and is an ever changing environment. That means if you are a business or entrepreneur you need to be sure that you have flowing and updated information on your own website.  This ensures optimal Search Engine Optimization (SEO) ranking on such sites as Goggle, Bing and Yahoo.  One way to ensure that you have fresh content on your websites is to be consistent in blog writing.

What is a blog, you might ask, well a blog is essentially a journal or diary that is on your website.  It is a place you share information pertaining to you and/or your business. A blog can provide up-to-date news, technical information, political topics, business support, health, wellness, sports and other topics that burn passion in your heart.  One of the most common question asked by businesses and new writers wanting to join the online social blogging community is, “How long should a blog be?”

Many professional bloggers have a different answer for this. The best way to put it is that there is no right or wrong answer! Some may say a blog should be 250-500 words while others say 500-750 words and there are even those who swear by 700-1,000 words! Then you have those that will not give a number and just say however short or long you need the blog to be in order to get your message across!

It’s actually quite natural to have blogs with different lengths. A blog post should be as long as you need it to be to make your point across to your reader. You want to keep your audience engaged. Your topic will determine the length of your blog. If you are blogging about where the best place is to buy eggs vs. who should one vote for, the length can vary greatly!  You will also want to reflect on your blog once finished. Is it too wordy or is it too concise? If you don’t feel good about it you should change it!

You would not want to write 750 words on where to buy eggs. This will bore your reader and you will lose their interest!  However, if you want to write that much when it comes to the heart of politics, especially if it is something you are passionate about, go for it! If you feel that a blog is getting too long and is becoming a book I strongly suggest breaking it down and creating a series of blogs. This will help with your SEO and will keep readers coming back for more.

How Long Should a Blog BeThere are advantages in both short and long blogs. Short blogs take a shorter amount of time to write so if you want to write everyday then a shorter blog would be the way to go. If you expect 800 words or more every day, you may lose interest in blogging soon after starting. However, as easy as short blogs are they will not implement On-Page SEO techniques, which are ultimately, what attracts attention to your page. While lengthier blogs do take longer to write, readers who appreciate the content will value the information and will draw attention to your site. Readers also enjoy images within blogs which allows them to connect more with the topic being blogged about.

Many bloggers like to change it up and have a short blog and later that week they may have a longer blog.  I personally think a variety of blogging is good. You don’t want to be predictable. Readers often enjoy reading short blogs more often because their attention span does not stay on the subject, therefore when writing both short and long, you give the reader reason to check back frequently and even subscribe to your blogs. Keep your readers coming back for the variety you may offer them. As long as your keyword density is intact and you are getting your point across you should be set.

The more the blog is to the point, the easier it is for the reader to extract the information you are relaying. Readers tend to scan not read long blogs, keep the content compelling and strong. The first paragraph of any blog should grab the readers’ attention so they want to keep going. You could create a series of blogs to make your blog grow quicker.  By doing this your readers will be looking forward to reading about what you have to say next. Don’t be afraid to use the thesaurus to find new vocabulary and be ready for the replies you may receive. Keep your own interests in mind; do you like long or shorter blogs? Remember to keep an optimistic mind and you will be a successful blogger! Most of all…Happy Blogging!!!!