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.
Career changes are challenging at any age. But they end up being even more challenging when you’re 40.
Why, you ask? Children, increased responsibilities, lack of time to pick up more qualifications, and an advanced age just increase the difficulty level, but if you hold yourself together and navigate this sea proactively, the resultant opportunities and possibilities will be immense.
Here’s how to make that career switch at 40.
Step 1. Be sure that it’s your career you want to change, and not just the job
At a lot of spots, people are merely frustrated with their current job, work environment, and more, which just makes them feel that they are not made or suited for this career, maybe it’s your work-life balance not working out, or a cocky boss.
So just take your time, and explore other workplaces before you just decide to switch your field altogether.
Step 2. Choose the right career option
Now here’s the tricky part. You need to be sure that the alternative career path you choose is worth the bargain. You’re 40, and if you end up at the wrong place, it will just be too much to handle.
And choosing a career is like choosing your soulmate. You need to be sure if you make the cut. Whether it’s the skill set, work ethic, or the work-life balance, every factor needs to be duly considered.
Step 3. Finances need to be considered
You first follow steps one and two and then come to this because if you look at your finances first, you will just shut down most of the possibilities in advance.
Take the help of financial advisors, try navigating through the situation if you feel you can manage the crunch. Just give everything a careful thought before you decide on something.
5 Things to Consider Before Changing Your Career Track
Career change is not something that happens overnight. And a moment of impulse shouldn’t really govern your decision to change your career.
Many people wish to get out of their dead-end jobs to make a transition. But to make a smooth transition, a lot of brainstorming is required. Here are the factors you need to consider before making that choice to change your career.
1. Is your career the problem?
Dissatisfaction with your current life doesn’t necessarily have to do with your career particularly. Sometimes it’s the work environment or the organization, or maybe the colleagues. Maybe there’s a problem maintaining a work-life balance considering the current job. You probably need a change of workplace rather than a change of career.
2. Interests
You need to sit peacefully in a corner and brainstorm. Think about your likes and dislikes, your passions, and whether you want your passion to be a full-time career. Things like these need to be considered and well thought over before making that final decision.
3. Do you need an upgrade?
If you’re going to opt for a drastic career change, you need to be sure that you have the skill set necessary to make the cut. And if you need to catch up, find out what needs to be worked on.
Even if your career choice is not that drastic, you need to give yourself a heads-up on the prospective employers, current market trends, and other details required for the transition. You have to research well before coming to any conclusions.
Your career transition needs a strong backing of networks to be successful. If you have to change your field of work, you need to be able to find someone who can help you connect with your future employers.
Moreover, you will be able to grasp the nuances and be able to know what needs to be done to excel on the job.
5. Consider your entire life centering around this
Your career change might shift your place and field of work, but if what you want is more than just that, you need to consider factors like freedom, a flexible work environment, and a better work-life balance.
So, these are the things you should consider before having a career change at any age.
The southernmost country of the Scandinavian area, Denmark is a beautiful country with tiny colored houses along the rivers and delicious street food. Not many people are aware of Denmark and the wonderful things it holds. Danes, the people of Denmark, are some of the friendliest people you’ll come across.
Here are four reasons why you should visit Denmark:
1. 8,700 km of coastline
Even though it is a Nordic country, it doesn’t have extreme weather. That means you can enjoy the vast coastline of Denmark. The waters are blue and green and perfect for a quick dip. You can stay for a day or two at one of the beaches as there are many B and Bs, cottages, and beach resorts.
Denmark is famous for its street food. It is cheap and truly reflects the Danish culture. You will find everything from the traditional smørrebrød to something like a burrito. Some foods to try on the streets of Denmark are open-face sandwiches, hot dogs, frikadeller, and Koldskål.
Denmark’s capital city, Copenhagen, was voted as the most liveable city in 2017. It is very laid-back, and you’ll often find people enjoying it at cafes. Danish people love to celebrate and don’t need a reason to do so. Other cities in Denmark you must definitely visit are Aarhus and Odense. All three of these cities are distinct in their appeal and will be the highlight of your trip.
Denmark was very important to the Vikings as they thrived there since 793 AD. There are many Vikings architecture in Denmark, especially in South Denmark. If you love the Vikings, you can even stay for a night at one of the forts and live life as the Vikings did multiple centuries ago.
Pack your bags and book your tickets now to visit this laidback city. Its natural views and rich history will make every second you spend there worthwhile.
So, what are you waiting for? Get your gears started and go on to spend a vacation in Denmark with your friends and family.
Going to a foreign nation for further studies is a huge decision. It takes a lot of searches, finding a course that you are eligible for, a course that will get you a good job, and funding. The United States of America is a great country for any study. All universities are well equipped with technology and comfort.
If you are an international student, here are four best states that you can study in the US:
Every year 75,000 international students enroll in New York universities. These universities are ideal for journalism, choreography, biomedicine, architecture, and computer science.
California is the home to Silicon Valley and excellent universities for engineering and business. Often called the Golden State, California is the largest and most populated state of the US.
Universities in California for your to consider are Stanford University, the University of Southern California, and the California Institute of State. And you’ll never get bored in California because there is so much to explore, always.
3. Florida
The Sunshine State of the US, Florida, is a popular choice among international students, especially Indians. The weather is very similar to India.
Top grade universities in Florida are the University of Miami, Florida, and Florida State University. Florida has lovely beaches and fantastic street food that you will entirely fall in love with.
4. Texas
Texas is a vast state and a home to over 100 universities. Leading fields in Texas are biomedical, aerospace, petrochemical, and industrial agriculture.
The best universities of Texas are the University of Houston, Rice University, the University of Texas at Austin. People are friendly and very supportive and won’t make you feel homesick even slightly.
So, these were the best states to pursue your education from if you ever plan on studying
Before deciding to study in a foreign country, the biggest question in any student’s mind is the cost of living. Studying in a foreign country is a big commitment in finances and effort.
You have to stay away from your family and manage everything independently. Looking at the brighter side, you are becoming better in your career and taking a step ahead towards your success.
Today, we are going to tell you the cost of living in Japan as a student.
The break up below doesn’t include tuitions fees.
Cost of Living as a Student:
Accommodation –
Living in Japan is affordable. Most students share apartments, so it comes down to around $250 a month or 15,000 yen. It also includes service fees and taxes. Japan’s capital, Tokyo, is costlier than other cities. Here’s how living in Japan as a student looks like:
Transport –
As a student, you get a 20 percent discount on your train pass by Japan Rail East. It will cost you around $179 or 20,000 yen after the discount. If you live closer to your university, the cost can go very low because you can walk to your college.
So, it is best advised to look for accommodations nearby your university/college, to cut off commute expenses.
Food and groceries –
Japan is a wonderland for foodies. From sushi and Chinese food to shakes and coffee, you’ll get everything in Japan. Since the local grocery stores are cheap, food goes up to $223 or 25,000 yen a month.
Medical insurance, phone, and books –
You will only find pay-per-month mobile offers in Japan. It costs $18 or 2,000 yen on average. All Japanese universities have libraries that give free membership to students.
You won’t need to buy textbooks or study material. You will have to invest in stationery that can cost around $27 or 4,000 yen a month. Students must take a mandatory national health service scheme that covers their basic medical expenses. It will cost you $22 or 2,500 yen a month.
So, living in Japan as a student won’t cost you a fortune. The majority of the expenses will be covered under your budget. All you need is to plan efficiently.
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.
Every person who loves to travel dreams of getting paid for doing what they love. Now you’d be wondering, why would anyone let you travel for free? Well, PR agencies are constantly looking for such influencers. It isn’t only about traveling but more about living the luxurious life you’ve always dreamed of.
And in this article, we will tell how you can get paid for traveling and also how you can reduce your costs of traveling if you have decided to sponsor yourself on your own.
Here are some tips that will help you if you want to get paid traveling:
Strong social media statistics
Focus on your Instagram followers and find ways to grow them. Pick a theme and follow it all the time. You need to have at least 10,000 followers with a conversion rate of at least 3 to 8 percent.
Hire a photographer to click photos for you. If you don’t want to invest so much money in a photographer, buy a good DSLR camera and learn how to click photos. Teach your mother, sister, brother, friend, or partner to click photos and request them to click photos for you. Also, learn Photoshop because it will come in very handy to edit photos.
Engage with your network
If you belong to the tourism department, look for travelers who upload good photos. Comment on their photos and get to know them personally. Comment on only those photos that you genuinely like. Grow your own network and host giveaways together.
Research well
Whichever location you are heading to, research the best places to see there. Also, know the best time of the year and day to visit that place. You can visit that location one day in advance to check where you can click photos.
Contact restaurants and guides for collaboration
While traveling, contact restaurants and local guides of that place. Tell them that you want to click photos at their restaurant. They will surely hit you up with a free meal. Local guides representing the state tourism department will give you special tours and also free passes.
Traveling isn’t as expensive as people think it is. It also depends on how you imagine traveling. If traveling for you is all about staying at 5-star hotels and eating at Michelin star restaurants, it will be a costly affair. If you really want to experience your travel destination, you have to live like a local.
There are several people who are passionate about traveling and can’t wait to explore the world but are not able to find a sponsor for themselves. Here are four tips to reduce your travel costs:
Rent an apartment
Avoid staying at a hotel as it will increase your travel costs. If you are staying for more than a week, rent an apartment. It costs just as much as staying in a hostel, and you get a lot of space to yourself. You can also cook your own breakfast and snacks and save a lot of money there as well.
Travel to cheaper destinations first
If you don’t have enough money to travel to faraway destinations, visit the ones that are near your country. When you start earning well enough, you can take trips to all other exotic places you’d always dreamed of going to.
You might have heard many people say, book three months in advance. But we would say, book four months in advance. Many booking websites give you discounts during a certain time or in the night after 12 am. Grab those discounts, no matter how small or big they are. Go for budget airlines and travel your heart out.
Eat where the locals eat
Ask the locals or your apartment owners where you get the best food that is traditional to their country. Indulge in that local food because you won’t find it back home. Eat at cheaper restaurants, so that you can eat a lot too. Make sure the place is neat enough, or else you will end up with traveler’s diarrhea.
So, these are some of the tips on how you can get paid while traveling and how you can lower your travel costs. All you have to do is aim in the right direction and then pack your bags and get going.
The rising costs of education and living are worrisome already coupled with that the lack of opportunities in their respective home countries makes life much tougher for underprivileged students.
But the good news is that there is no dearth of countries that are easy on your pocket and sponsor education for underprivileged and meritorious students. Check these destinations out for pursuing an affordable, comprehensive higher education.
This country has always been inviting to foreign students, and anyway, the state sponsors the education here. Most courses are taught in English and offer Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Ph.D. programs.
You don’t require permanent residency to secure admission here. Moreover, living grants are available for many fellowship programs as well.
The top universities in Norway include:
The Norwegian University of Science University and the University of Oslo. The University of Bergen is famous as well.
Contrary to popular belief, France is not really an isolated country. There are so many courses offered by French universities for foreign students. Financial aid is also provided for a time span of 2 to 3 years for deserving students.
There are stipends, pre-paid air tickets, tuition waivers, and health insurance. Moreover, tailor-made scholarships and subsidized student restaurants and accommodation are also available.
The top universities in France include the Universite Pierre et Marie Curie and the Universite Claude Bernard Lyon I. Many love the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis as well.
Swedish universities provide industrial exposure to students and pay maximum emphasis on practical approaches to theoretical concepts. Moreover, they offer courses in English and have more than 600 master’s and bachelor’s degree programs. Also, the universities offer more than 500 scholarships to students annually.
You are also permitted to work during your study tenure.
Top universities include the Linkoping University and the Royal Institute of Technology.
Germany
German universities are known for offering courses to international students at zero or minimal tuition fees. You can work for over 120 full days in a year, and scholarships are plenty in store.
Top universities in Germany include the Technical University of Berlin and the Free University of Berlin.
Finland
The Finnish education system, ranging from schooling, has been ranked best worldwide according to the Learning Curve, Pearsons, 2012 — the annual education report published by Pearson. There is a wide range of options to choose from, traineeship, exchange programs, or full-fledged academic courses. Finnish universities don’t charge any tuition fees from students of all nationalities.
The top universities in Finland are the University of Helsinki and the Tampere University of Technology.
So, these are the five most friendly countries for underprivileged students around the world. If you are also willing to study abroad but are running low on finances, these places are the best you should really consider.
Everyone wants to climb up the ladder of success at work. Promotion is the single most important goal for any professional. But sometimes, despite putting in your best possible efforts, you fail to get that coveted promotion.
It’s heartbreaking, really, but there may be a lot of reasons for that happening. And these reasons could be really trivial but equally devastating for your career growth and frustrating to limits that you just fill yourself with self-doubt. Here are a few reasons you might fail to fetch that promotion.
5 Reasons You Are Being Ignored
Lack of Confidence
Confidence is an attribute that is more important than caliber at times. In fact, more important than doing a job perfectly is the ability to believe that you can do it.
Only this approach can help you become well equipped to deal with the challenges if you get a promotion in the future. If you lack confidence, you will not be considered for that promotion.
You need to consider your company, not as a mere place of work and attaining a salary but way more than that. If you consider the organization you’re working for as your own company, persevering for attaining targets like it’s your own venture, your employers will value your contributions to the organization.
But if you just work mechanically without a company owner approach, you will get paid for what you do without any rewards or perks, as that will negatively reflect your commitment to your job.
If you fail to look at the bigger picture, you don’t deserve a bigger office. Of course, it is crucial to focus on your projects and your individual work, but aligning it with the company motto and objectives is of utmost importance because an employer will only promote the employee who adds value to the organization. To get noticed and work towards expanding the company vision.
Condescending your boss
We all are humans, yet sometimes, employees tend to be extremely condescending to their bosses. You never ever correct your boss in public, even if he makes a mistake.
Never mock or embarrass your boss in public. If you don’t agree with them over something, resolve the matter in private because if you fail to support your boss in public, they will never ever consider you for promotion, no matter how deserving you are. And many employees miss out on their promotions for this simple reason.
Your employer is entitled to give you inputs on your work, and it will sometimes be criticized. But criticism is constructive.
But many employers end up getting defensive, making this a prestige issue. This is one of the most common reasons to be denied a promotion.
If you’re unwilling to work on your boss’s suggestions and feedback, they will consider you unfit to handle a higher position.
So, these are some of the reasons why you are being ignored for promotion. Work on it to get noticed and climb up the success ladder in your workplace.
