Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Black Friday Gadget Deals!

Looking for BLACK FRIDAY Deals?!


Having trouble waiting for Black Friday to get your hands on some new gadgets? Not to worry. There are already some cool electronics up for (relatively) cheap prices online.
We've put together some of our favorites — from the very cheap to the more high-end — to help you buy something for your gadget-inclined friends this season, or just treat yourself.

1. Dell OptiPlex 3020 Mini Tower (and optional monitor)


unnamed (2)

IMAGE: DELL


Was: $827.14
Now: $499
If you've been meaning to upgrade your desktop, now might be the time. Dell's offering up an early Black Friday deal with this computer tower, marked down $328 from market value. The computer has an Intel Core i3 processor and 500GB hard drive. As a bonus, Dell will throw in a 22-inch monitor for an extra $129.

2. Samsung 55-inch HU6950 Series Smart TV


samsung-TV


IMAGE: SAMSUNG


Was: $2,399
Now: $1,200

Now for something a bit more fancy to use with one of the latest streaming media devices — a Samsung TV that comes with a not-too-shabby $1,199 discount.

3. Dell 22 Dual Monitor Bundle


dell-monitors


IMAGE: DELL


Was: $589.97
Now: $369.99
If you need a little more space for your new computer's display, Dell also has a holiday deal for two 21.5-inch monitors for $220 cheaper than normal.

4. Seagate 2TB backup hard drive


seagate-harddrive


IMAGE: NEWEGG


Was: $199.99
Now: $79.99
Now's a good time to back up your computer with this fairly cheap Seagate external hard drive, which comes with a 60% discount. The deal ends in two days, so act quickly.

5. Sony Extra Bass Bluetooth Headset


sony headphones


IMAGE: SONY


Was: $199.99
Now: $99
This deal's available now from Sony: bass-heavy headphones with Bluetooth capabilities with a $100 discount.


Find full article at http://mashable.com/2014/11/25/dell-black-friday-cheap/

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

4 Changes to Refresh Your Resume!

4 Changes to Refresh Your Resume!

As a job seeker, it's easy to see hiring managers as big, bad obstacles that need to be overcome. They're the gatekeepers, after all. But this kind of thinking actually leads to weaker job applications.
Think about it this way: Hiring managers read a ton of resumes — to the point at which their eyes cross. More importantly, hiring managers are just people. With this in mind, the only thing you really need to do to stand out is to have the one resume that actually lets them breathe a sigh of relief during this painful process. Here are four ways you can do just that.

1. Make the first thing on your resume immediately relevant

There’s nothing worse for a hiring manager than having to dig through a resume to find what, exactly, an applicant’s relevant experience entails. Don’t make this harder than it needs to be for the person who will be reading your resume, and make sure the first thing on your resume is something you know he or she wants.
Are you applying to a sales position? Titling the first section of your resume “Sales Experience” might be a good way to start. Throwing your hat in for a position that requires specific training or certifications? Make that section number one. Go ahead. Make that hiring manager’s day, and actually start your resume with something that makes sense for the position.

2. Don’t slap your reader in the face with text

So, you’ve managed to fit your resume all on one page with some efficient formatting and size eight font. Well, let me stop you right there. No hiring manager is going to see that resume and think, “Well, it’s still technically one page, so I better give it my full attention.” He or she will either read it while developing an impression that you’re already a burdensome job candidate, or he or she won’t even bother with the eye strain and just toss it.
Be kind to your resume reviewer. Leave plenty of white space on that page, and use a reasonable size font — even if it means you have to cut some details. No big blocks of text. Favor bullets that don’t exceed two lines of text over paragraphs when describing your experience. And, of course, think about what you can do to make your resume easier to skim overall. (These 12 little tricks will point you in the right direction.)

3. Cut the resume speak and get to the point

Does your resume have phrases like “utilized innovative social media techniques” to describe how you posted to the company’s Twitter account every once in awhile? If so, you might be guilty of resume speak. (For extreme — and extremely hilarious — examples of this, the Resume Speak Tumblr is worth a browse.) Not only can hiring managers usually see right through this, but worse, resume speak often obscures what your real experience actually is.
There is no way your resume can make a strong case for your skills and experiences if the language you use is imprecise, fluffy or hard to comprehend. Be concise and specific when describing your past experience (in the example above, perhaps, “Posted weekly Twitter updates and grew followers by 200%”). The hiring manager will thank you—and maybe even call you.

4. Just be thoughtful

I can’t stress this point enough. The person who will (eventually) be reading your resume is a human being. If you’re thoughtful, it won’t go unnoticed.
What does that mean? To start, save your resume as your first and last name plus “resume,” make your job titles more descriptive for easier scanning (for example, “Viral Marketing Intern” instead of just “Intern”), and actually send a cover letter that’s tailored to the position.
Beyond that, put yourselves in the shoes of the hiring manager and consider what would make his or her job easier when it comes to evaluating job candidates. No need for gimmicks, inflated descriptions or corporate jargon. Try to get your experiences across as precisely and succinctly as possible, and emphasize the parts that are the most relevant by pulling them out into their own section and placing that section at the top of your resume.
Yes, your resume might go through an applicant tracking system before it ever gets to a human being, but if you’re a good fit, it will eventually get in front of a hiring manager. When that happens, it’ll be these little things that you do that make the difference between being just another job candidate and one who actually makes a hiring manager smile.

Find full article at: http://mashable.com/2014/11/15/resume-updates/

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Struggling With Giving Feedback?...

GIVING FEEDBACK...
Giving constructive feedback is an essential management tool. Hopefully, your employees know this — and when you critique them, understand that it’s because you care enough to want them to do their best.
Unfortunately though, not everyone has perfected the art of taking constructive criticism in stride. Read on for the employees who take it the worst, and how to best reach them.
1. The employee with the emotional response
An employee who cries or huffs and puffs when told that he did something wrong isn’t just an unfortunate stereotype, it really happens. I know I’ve experienced being so invested in a project — an attribute which is usually laudable — that I couldn’t help but let out a few tears when told my work wasn’t up to par.
Your first step is to assess whether this response is routine or out of the ordinary. If an employee who usually takes feedback in stride looks a bit teary, odds are there is something else going on. The best thing to do here — if at all possible — is to table the discussion for another time. A simple, “It seems like you’re having a tough day, how about we check in tomorrow?” gives your employee the breathing room she needs. It also opens the door for her to share what is going on if she’d like.

If an employee regularly loses control of his emotions, then you need to address his inability to hear criticism as you would any other area for improvement. Find time to address this issue specifically: Begin by underscoring why feedback is important —emphasizing that you value him as an employee and that constructive criticism is a normal part of professional growth — then transition to what you’ve observed.

Try this: “I make suggestions because I want to provide you with everything you need to do a great job. However, I’ve noticed that when I start to bring up areas for improvement, you look visibly upset. Is that a fair assessment? I wanted to draw your attention to this issue, because I don’t want you to miss out on information specifically meant to help you excel in your role.”

2. THE EMPLOYEE WHO GETS DEFENSIVE

Not all emotional responses are the same — the defensive reaction is in a category of its own. Whenever this employee is confronted with the suggestion that she did a less-than-stellar job, she tries to explain why her actions were infallible.
Often, the “But I did nothing wrong” approach comes from low self-awareness, so skip the Socratic method and be as direct as possible. In lieu of, “What is the best way to handle this sort of situation?” say, “I understand why you made the decision you did, but our policy is to handle the situation you encountered this way.”
Dealing with a subordinate who’s still convinced he didn’t do anything wrong? Schedule a time for him to give you critical feedback. Perhaps he thinks you single him out for criticism, or perhaps he really does have a brilliant timesaving method. Regardless, hearing him out will help with your communication standstill.

3. THE EMPLOYEE WHO DOESN'T GET IT

What about an employee who listens, nods, thanks you for your feedback — and then keeps making the same mistake? Some people won’t cry or get defensive, but they don’t know how to act on what you’re saying, because you’re not really getting through to them.
To remedy this, make sure you’re giving crystal clear feedback that includes examples and action steps. Instead of leaving it at, “It might be helpful for you to be friendlier,” try: “When we met with Bill last week you said, ‘Hello’ and then immediately dove right into your pitch. But taking a couple of minutes to visit — on anything from the weather to local sports — is often a better way to help you build rapport and ease the client into the meeting. Can you give that a try in today’s meeting?”
Taking feedback in stride is an important professional skill, and one you want all of your employees to possess. If someone struggles with criticism, help him or her as you would with any other skill, and temper your approach using the strategies above. Your hard work will help your employees work better now (and manage better someday).

Find full article at http://mashable.com/2014/10/28/giving-feedback/

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Stop interview Stressing!

Job Search Stress - Things Not to Worry About - The Muse4 Things Job Seekers Overly Stress About—But Shouldn't