The retail sector is booming with job opportunities and avenues. It is a great opportunity to learn a set of skills that would prove to be extremely useful for young people in the future and also offers a chance to earn a quick buck.
And the best part is that you don’t require experience to sign up for this sector. But yes, there are certain qualities you require like communication skills, emotional and social intelligence, digital literacy, knowledge of finances, and teamwork qualities. Here are some of them.
Reliability and Flexibility
There will be times when your manager requires you to put in an extra hour at work or work extra for a busy workday. You need to know that extra efforts never go futile. Extra allowance and a good impression in front of the manager is the bonus you get. Be ready for all kinds of tasks, even the tedious ones.
A job in retail might not be a permanent bet for you, but the skills you learn here will teach you a lot about people. The interpersonal and communication skills you learn here will be handy at any work setup, whether it’s a startup or a big corporate firm. Your speaking skills and confidence will get a boost.
Your financial prowess will also improve.
Apply at the right time
The holiday season has the maximum amount of customers coming in, so this is the best time for you to apply as you will be able to serve more people and learn much more. Also, vacancies are the maximum at this time.
Your personality is key
When you go for a walk-in and personalized interview, your colleagues and employers will get to know you through your body language and behavior. So you need to be well versed with the brand and also be culturally fit the workforce there. Everyone is looking at you the moment you step in.
The physical work and moving around is too much in retail. You have to be on your feet all day, unpacking boxes, sorting racks, cleaning shelves, hanging clothes, and hustling around trial rooms, shop front, and storerooms. So have comfortable shoes, take rest breaks in between, and be aware of your entitlements and fair pay guidelines.
Teamwork is important
Retail is all about being around people for your entire shift, and you need to be friendly, helpful, and focused at all times. A people-oriented and team-oriented approach are important. Be supportive of your team members and divide your responsibilities fairly. Don’t be too offended by criticism, and be easy to work with.
Life is full of competition. Although everybody wants to win, if one wins, the other will definitely be losing. We should take this as a step in the learning process. We can learn from animals and insects who may fall plenty of times but ultimately succeed.
The competition gives us the motivation to achieve a goal; we work with determination, creativity, and perseverance to overcome challenges; and to understand that hard work and commitment lead to a greater chance of success.
In all situations of life, there are winners and losers: getting a job, bidding on a contract, not getting into the desired college, and so on.
Children need to learn how to cope with defeat and disappointment and to be able to genuinely appreciate the good fortune, talents, and abilities of the “winner” and then look forward to the next opportunity to try again.
Our life is a learning platform, and competition is the Warfield. We have to fight with ourselves to achieve success; our heart starts jumping when we win, but we should not lose our heart in case we lose. We should again make better efforts to achieve our goal.
Think over where we were wrong and where there is room for improvement? We try to find out the reasons for failure and explore new ways for getting success.
We have to mold our children in such a way that they understand the importance of teamwork and give them such an atmosphere where they easily learn and be positive as regards winning. They should be told that “ winning isn’t everything,” and if a team wins, it is the win for the whole team and not any individual.
By doing this, we are stripping away the hunger to win over challenges and to value excellence and hard work. In our efforts to ensure our children have good self-esteem, we create adults who have a sense of entitlement and do not know the meaning of hard work and commitment, nor the joy and sense of the accomplishment of overcoming a challenge or solving a problem and achieving success.
For gaining success, one has to develop “the killing instinct.“ This gives a person the winning attitude and ultimately the victory. That means one has to make efforts by body, soul, and heart. One has to make up the mind that I have to win, and this is my future.
We need to instill a winning attitude: A drive for excellence and victory. Instilling this winning attitude is one of the goals of a good coach. When a child learns that given the right attitude, they can succeed at whatever they set their hearts and mind to, it can have an overwhelmingly positive impact on their self-esteem and on their future.
You spend more than half of your day at the office. So your workplace environment has to be ideal and conducive to let the creative juices flow to generate maximum productivity for your organization.
Moreover, when clients visit, you’d like to have a classy, contemporary interior so as to create a good first impression. Follow these five tips for making your office look like a dream job destination.
1. Branding
Make every single article in your office a statement of your brand, from the napkins to the cutlery to the stationary and everything.
Every single thing you use at work should serve as a billboard. This helps propagate your brand and also helps you make an easier choice when selecting office décor.
Break the monotony. Change your office décor when the seasons change. You need to evolve the workplace as you spend the entire year there. This creates an exciting vibe for your employees, and they would look forward to coming to work every day.
3.Quirky designs steal the show
From catchy slogans, Grafitti to interesting pictures, cartoons, or caricatures, make your workplace your creative haven. You can also share the pictures of these creations on social media to create a brand image.
Infusion of a cultural vibe into your office creates uniqueness at the workplace. From designing murals at the conference room to creating a monotone scheme for the entrance will create an exclusive vibe at your workplace.
5.Personalization
Just like everything else at your office is unique enough, even the workers at your office need to feel unique.
Make your employees have an individualistic approach by giving them the freedom to decorate their cubicles according to their own tastes and an inclusive environment by introducing individual dress codes and freedom of expression.
This makes for an excellent decoration choice as your employees are the biggest assets of your office.
If you are a student who has just graduated, then you must have attended career fairs or at least be aware of one. If you want to get noticed and increase your chances of being hired, here are some tips to get you started.
Professional Attire
Formal wear shows that you are serious about your job hunt, and it makes you look great too. Make sure to polish your shoes properly as well. This is your first ticket to get the hiring managers to notice you.
Granted, this is a digital world, but hiring managers will not sit with an excel sheet to keep track of students they meet. Hand over your resume print-out to let them take notes.
Practice your approach
The spontaneous approach may well work in some situations where initiative and creativity are essential. But practice listing out your skills and strengths and how they relate to the job requirements for the employers’ benefits.
Knowledge is power
Research the employers before approaching the hiring managers. It shows your interest in a career there rather than drowning yourself out among a million other generic candidates.
First impressions
Enthusiasm, forward attitude, eye contact, and a pleasant smile are more likely to get you noticed than shying away and having second doubts.
Show interest
Enquire about the job, process, company ethics, company projects, and more information about the job and the working environment. They’ll show an interest only if you show yours.
A suitable case to hold on to business cards, your resumes and notebooks or tablets, and a smartphone or a laptop is sure to help you keep organized.
Networking
Meet people and talk to as many of them about relevant things, but do not overdo it. You never know when you can discover an opportunity.
Follow-ups
Always send a follow-up letter or an email thanking the hiring managers for their time. Chances are, you are the only one to do that. And it’ll make it easier for them to pick you over others!
Chemistry is one of the basis of mankind. Every minuscule reaction, every single process on this planet requires a thorough understanding of the laws and theories of chemistry.
This is why every field from engineering to space sciences, healthcare, and many more is constantly on the lookout for Chemistry majors and postgraduates. Here are some career options you can opt for if you love Chemistry.
Analytical chemistry
Here you will be dealing with the composition of matter and particles. Analytical Chemistry is an extremely versatile field. Many industries employ analytical chemists for seamless manufacturing processes of their product, and a good knowledge of component properties and weaknesses helps them accomplish the task well.
Healthcare scientist, clinical biochemistry
This field deals with the analysis of bodily fluids for medical and health examinations and is also involved in the diagnosis of disorders like diabetes mellitus, jaundice, gout, etc.
These disorders can be ascertained by judging the levels of certain fluids in the body. The healthcare sector is constantly on the lookout for healthcare scientists, and they are also in demand in various labs and diagnostic centers.
Crime scenes are replete with pieces of evidence, and these areas have all the clues for solving cases; this is where Chemistry comes into play.
Crime scenes need highly trained and experienced forensic scientists to examine crime scenes for chemicals, body fluids and their differentiation, DNA and fingerprint analysis, and blood analysis. This field is very lucrative.
Pharmacologist
Pharmacology is defined as the study of the composition mechanism and action of medicines. These professionals are in high demand in the health and pharma sector.
Toxicologist
Toxicologists deal with the effects and actions of certain drugs, chemicals, and agents on the somatic cells and human systems. This field is very research-intensive and is indispensable in today’s times of chemical exposures in the environment due to the high amount of industries mushrooming today.
5 Career Options in Sound Engineering
Sound engineering is the most happening career option today. Especially for music lovers who also have prowess in engineering and hold technology degrees, this field can be an opportunity to play with various sounds and musical and acoustic variations and create something out of the ordinary.
Sound engineers have traditionally been a part of fields like Motion Picture, Video Industries, Sound Recording Industries, Radio, Television Broadcasting, Performing Arts Companies and work with Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers.
But now, due to cut-throat competition, sound engineers are looking for new avenues other than the conventional ones. Previous designations for sound engineers included Live Concert Engineer, Studio Engineer, Sound Designer, Mastering Engineer, Remixing Engineer, Music Producer, Audiovisual Technician, Audio Freelancer, and so on.
Now, due to the diversification of the job market, here is the new set of vocations sound engineers can pick up and excel.
App development
With more updates in mobile technology and operating systems like Android and IOS, sound engineers have come into so much demand for sound-based and voice-based applications like OK Google, google now, and Microsoft Cortana. More sound engineers are now being engaged to develop sound and voice-based apps.
Location Recording Engineer
The film and television industry now works on the principle of live recording, and dubbing is passe.
Sync Sound is a new technology where live recording is used, and sound engineers are now in demand for job profiles of location recording and recording engineers. You need technical expertise as a lot of details have to be looked into while live recording sound.
Firms have permanent audio equipment for various processes, and they are constantly on the lookout for system tuners to fine-tune the audio system and produce quality output. This requires knowledge and expertise in the room as well as environmental acoustics. You also need to be well versed with sound reinforcement products and their installation.
Gaming Industry
Video Games are no longer amateur bike rides in video parlors or joystick-operated arcade ones. New games with refined video quality and sound backup are now in vogue.
Sound is a primary component of entertainment, and the gaming industry henceforth looks for sound professionals who can design creative portions for the games they develop. Audio engineers produce sound designs apt for the game, and this involves composing, scoring, and recording music.
Studio Designer / Acoustic Consultant
This is a diverse job profile and requires expertise in multiple disciplines. You need to be well versed with the basics of audio engineering, and noise cancellation is a must too.
This field involves managing and controlling noises in the environment to enable people to lead a comfortable life. This needs a lot of experience, pragmatism, expertise, and creativity.
As a professional, even as a leader of your organization, you need to communicate the right message to your employees, business partners, customers, and colleagues. You need to understand that your colleagues, bosses, and owners look up to you as a figure.
Work is not the only thing that the workers in the company consider. Your professional image and everyday demeanor reflect your principles and your potential to contribute to the workplace.
We judge people on the basis of their habits, behavior, dressing, and body language. People will form assumptions about you the same way. So your intentions and actions need to be on the same page. So you need to follow the following things to ensure that your actions reflect your intentions.
If you’re always running late for work, your employees will feel it is okay if they do the same. And you should always practice what you preach. If you want your employees to be on time, you need to be on time yourself.
This will set an example for them. And they will see a demonstration of your expectations from them in your behavior itself. This also impacts the work ethic of your employees, and they most likely end up emulating your behavior.
Embody your company’s brand.
You are a reflection of your brand, your company. When you represent your company, you need to adapt its image and incorporate it into your personality, and a major part of your personality is your social media presence.
Update your blog, website, and social media profiles on a regular basis. You need to form a reflection of your company in all your profiles. And after that is accomplished, you need to motivate your employees to deliver this very image about the company’s brand.
You are what you wear. And your dressing starkly represents your value system, your work ethic, and your persona. This forms a part of non-verbal communication. Your dressing needs to imply that you are competent, knowledgeable, conscientious, and powerful.
Always invest in quality clothing and have a personal style that matches your business and industry well.
So, these are three ways how you can set an example in the workplace. Follow it to make your way to the top.
Stagnation in anyone’s career is a horrible fate. Everything stays the same. Day after day, performing the same tasks over and over again until your mind goes numb. Want to get out and upwards? Here are some tips:
Taking risks
Risk is part and parcel of our life. It exists anywhere and everywhere at the same time. It’s a different issue that we choose to be oblivious to it.
But those of us who acknowledge it and still take the plunge have at least a chance to get ahead. So do ask for a promotion or search and apply for new jobs. It’s worth a shot to try for any chance of success instead of no chance at all.
Kindness never goes unnoticed. People will automatically migrate towards you when you develop a positive attitude and outlook towards things.
Refrain from gossips and whining. Do something extra without expecting acknowledgment. You’ll be surprised at the initiative you receive from the people you have helped.
Link your passion and job
There is nothing more satisfactory in your career than finding a job that you actually love doing. Direct your talent and skills towards that job, and you’ll move up the ranks in no time.
If you do what you like and like what you do, you’ll have achieved job nirvana.
So, these are some of the tips and tricks to get ahead in your career and achieve your goals. Apply them in your life and start stepping the ladders of success.
You probably need a wake-up call if your answers to these questions were yes.
You might not realize this, but punctuality is the most important thing for a professional to thrive. If you’re always running late to work, it can prove catastrophic for your career and job prospects. Tardiness at work is more lethal than you think. Here’s why.
Lack of respect –
Suppose if the CEO calls you for a meeting, would you run late?
Not really? Why? Because the CEO is the most respected person in your organization, right?
But you would be running late for the other meetings. This exactly shows that you don’t value those meetings and the employers at a lower level than the CEO.
This shows that you don’t respect anybody’s time and effort, presence for a meeting, or even the goals you need to achieve.
Believe it or not, if you’re late to a meeting, people form the impression that you’re late for everything else, too, your projects, customer sales calls, and basically everything.
Being late raises doubts about your reliability for responsibilities and trustworthiness. So obviously, you won’t be preferred for the valuable projects for the organization as people would just think you will mess it up.
Lack of priorities –
Successful people know how to manage and prioritize things. Everybody is busy. But time management is the mantra for success.
If you can manage to handle what’s on the table right now, you will be able to handle the future responsibilities in enhanced capacity too. But if you can’t handle what you’re already served with, this is bad news for the promotion seekers.
Political posturing –
There is always a hierarchy in the workplace, and usually, the highest-ranking person in the meeting is allowed to be a little late, whether it’s right or wrong.
So if you manage to run late, everyone will just assume that you think you’re more important than your bosses, so what does that make you in their eyes?
Each hour you spend at work is valuable. Meetings are at stake for hundreds of dollars, and wasting time means wasting the organization’s hard-earned money, and arriving late by even a few minutes costs a lot of your company time.
So, knock yourself on the back of your head if you have been doing the same thing.
You don’t realize how much impunctuality sets you on the slippery slope of failure. Every day you are getting closer and closer to becoming a failure, which is certainly not anyone’s goal.
So, wake up and start being punctual if you want your dreams to come into reality.
Your resume is the first document an employer will consult to determine whether you’re fit for a job or not. And you obviously want them to notice you and give you the job. But many people, in a bid to impress prospective employers, end up forging inaccurate details on their resumes. This can be detrimental to your job prospects. Here’s why.
Your Employer is not a Fool:
Every employer will run a background check and confirm your references before deciding to appoint you. So if you feel like adding a few over-the-top details here so you can land into that cubicle, then you’re going the wrong way.
Stop adding inaccurate details onto your resume before you get excluded from that probable list of employees because of this habit. This leaves a bad impression on the employers and may cost you your dream job. Instead, focus on making your resume more catchy and work on your skillset and presentation skills.
Work History:
The resumes and applications you submit are legally bound documents now. And it can be embarrassing when you put an inaccurate reference or fabricate a work experience and history, and the employer tries to confirm it with the mentioned employers. You will land in trouble.
You cannot underestimate how strong the networks are between various organizations. This blunder will make sure you do not secure a job, especially at related firms. This will not just lead to a declination but a possible blacklisting from future job interviews.
If you forge that degree, you can get into significant trouble too. It is very important to provide correct details of your education when you apply for a job.
All paperwork needs to be in place and if your course is on its way to being completed, just mention it on your resume. This will save you a lot of embarrassment at the employer’s end as well as when you have to face your college authorities.
The Do-s and Don’t-s of Creating Your Resume
Your resume is the first thing your employer notices about you. So, your resume needs to be perfect to shine in that interview and land that dream job. Make no mistakes with your resume, and you will be safe. Here are some do-s and don’ts for creating your resume.
Mention all your relevant experiences:
List every single skill, work experience, and the project you’ve worked on according to the job description in a systematic manner. Make sure the descriptions are precise, and you include every achievement and initiative of yours relevant to the job.
Make sure your resume complies with the applicant tracking system:
Most large corporations use an applicant tracking method to shortlist their candidates. So your resume will be scanned for various keywords, phrases, and descriptions, and the ones relevant to the work profile will be considered.
So you need to optimize your resume accordingly. There should be no typos or grammatical errors, and your formatting should be as simple as possible. The right keywords should be incorporated, but optimally.
Don’t plagiarize the job description:
Work on your resume instead of just copy-pasting points from the job description provided by the company. Rephrase the description and make it more unique. Don’t use exact phrases mentioned by the company. Opt for bullet points for optimal clarity.
No confidential details:
Don’t include any detail you might have to be accountable for in the future if it’s meant to be confidential. If there’s something that’s left best unrevealed, don’t put it on the resume.
Put down your Volunteer and Extracurricular activities too:
Doing this will polish your skillset further. Employers are constantly on the lookout for multi-talented employees and those indulging in humanitarian and extracurricular activities. Any interesting projects or voluntary work you have participated in should be mentioned.
Create a resume and keep updating it along the way, as last-minute panic can lead to mistakes.
5 Things Employers Look For in a Resume
Your resume determines your odds of securing that job. So what makes a perfect resume?
1. A comprehensible resume:
A resume written in a readable and properly sized font with normal margins and no unnecessary designing will be better than a tiny and calligraphic font design. Don’t compress your resume too much if it can’t fit on one page. It needs to be readable- it won’t be a problem if it comes in two pages.
2. A resume that employers can easily scan:
Avoid generic statements and use the best phrases and keywords for your resume. Various job descriptions and keywords should be present relevant to your job profile. The most relevant facts should be highlighted so that it’s easy for employers to find. Also, ensure proper spacing.
3. Your qualifications matter:
At the end of the day, your qualifications are the only factor to get you that job. So mention all your qualifications in bold and broad letters that are easy to find for the employer. Match your qualifications required for the job description like organizational skills or leadership qualities- make sure to mention all of that there. List your accomplishments too.
4. Relevant points to be incorporated:
Make your resume to the point and concise. It should be crisp and easy to follow. Irrelevant details about miscellaneous job descriptions need to be ruled out. Display your career growth through your resume; that’s the most important thing.
5. Proper formatting:
It is always better to have a traditional resume format, as this is what most employers are comfortable with. Your resume should be presentable and have all the necessary details in an easy-to-understand and organized format. Also, keep your contact information and make sure it is visible.
Start working now so that your resume is ready when the next opportunity comes knocking at your door.
Often, we find that work is something that we either love to hate or hate to love. This eternal paradox is not that hard to break. It may happen that you are not happy with your work, or your motivation declines. To turn the tables and beat that negativity, check out these handy tips:
Do not mix work with personal life.
It is a very bad combination. Learn to classify your personal and professional life. Be it problems or happy events, keeping both separate will ensure maximum effectiveness. When you leave home, you leave your personal life behind. Likewise, when you leave your office, shed all that workload and concentrate on your family.
It’s probably something you’ve heard a million times. When you organize your tasks, it becomes ridiculously easy to complete them one by one. Prioritizing them makes you even more efficient. You can quickly strike off the important tasks on your lists to relieve your work anxiety.
Rewards are effective
Remember when your parents handed you candy every time you did something good? You gained satisfaction for making that good effort and got a reward on top of that. Well, it works when you are an adult too. Acknowledge your own efforts or achievements. And then you reward yourself for doing so.
This is a no-brainer. Everyone knows that nobody can remain positive all the time. We are human beings, after all. But that does not mean that we should be negative all the time. There are different strategies to deal with stress, anger, sorrow, and hate. Communicate your feelings with a professional and find solutions to move on.
Breathe
It is easy to get stressed out at work. When that happens, relax. Try your hands at Yoga and learn to breathe slowly when you are stressed. It can do you (and others around you) a world of good.
Top Tips to Do More At Your Work
What should you do if you feel that your boss is unfairly favoring an employee?
Favoritism at the workplace is the biggest bane ever. From creating an unhealthy work environment to pushing down revenues to a significant level, the work ethic of the entire organization suffers greatly if nepotism and partiality thrive and cease to end. But there’s little you can do when your boss is heading all the operations and departments at your office. You just sit there performing a thankless job, powerless about the entire situation. So here’s a guide on how to handle this without risking your job.
If you see yourself as being overlooked over someone else, just analyze the situation thoroughly to be certain of it. Sometimes it turns out that you’re just playing the victim.
What if the performance of the person being favored is better than yours? Make sure to work on yourself and be completely convinced of a superlative performance before you arrive at a decision.
Speak up.
You might want to talk it out with your boss, but make sure you’re diplomatic. Don’t make it seem like a confrontation or, worse, an ambush. Just be very concise and clear, and communicate your concerns very calmly.
Don’t accuse
Your boss’ behavior might severely impact you, but just don’t lose it in front of them. Don’t accuse or mention others as witnesses to your boss’ doing. This will make your boss more defensive, and if your coworkers backtrack on their statements, you will just get into trouble. So probably just don’t discuss the favoritism part and just offer to be of assistance instead.
Professionalism goes a long way in creating a name for yourself. Contribute your part to the company, and show your care for the team, bosses, and clients at all times. Don’t let the favoritism affect your work ethic.
Analyze the reason, don’t judge
Just try to find out why there’s favoritism for the particular employee. It could be friendship, some special circumstances, or a common experience. Maybe it’s trust. Don’t resent your favored coworker. They may not even realize they’re being favored. It probably isn’t even their fault. Maintain a healthy relationship with your colleague without any blaming or bad beef.
So, these are some of the tips on how you can stay motivated and productive in the workplace. Never lose sight of your ultimate goal and let temporary materialistic things deviate from it.
