Prizes and Surprises Coming Monday September 27th 2010

Prizes and Surprises Coming Monday September 27th 2010 10 Over $2000 in prizes will finally be awarded. On Monday September 27th, the 4th Annual JobMob Guest Blogging Contest comes to an end with the official final results and the winners' announcement. It's been a terrific contest here on JobMob, the biggest and best yet, as predicted. Thanks to our Gold sponsor Jason Alba of JibberJobber and to our Silver sponsor JobSpice, every contestant will win at least 2 prizes. Also on Monday, there will be some surprises too, namely:eval a previously unannounced cash prize a list of grand prize winners that has changed dramatically since the Contest Rankings were frozen It's true. To build some suspense towards the winners' announcement, the Contest Rankings page hasn't been updated since September 17th. In other words, no one has any idea of what's happened during the last week of the contest.evaleval Here's a hint: of the Top 5 positions on the day the rankings were frozen â€" i.e. the people in line to win the contest's grand prizes â€" only 2 haven't changed. On Monday at 9pm Israel time or 3pm EST, you'll find out who the new winners are.

Why Hard Workers Need Quality Sleep - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Why Hard Workers Need Quality Sleep - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Many consider sleep as another obligation to fulfill in the everyday routine. If that mindset continues, you may influence your quality of sleep at night. If you dread sleep, the experience wont be a pleasant one. Gaining quality sleep is vital for hard workers to do their best every day, and clocking in seven to eight hours of shut-eye helps you succeed at work. Getting the most out of your nights rest means more energy for the day, a mood boost and higher performance levels at work. Here are the superpowers youll gain at work by getting optimal rest nightly. Taking Advantage of the Secret Sleeper Booster Commonly known as the power nap, the secret sleeper booster will optimize your time and money. Nap time isnt only for preschoolers and kindergartners. Increasing demands take up employee time at work and at home. Many companies now recognize the importance of allowing employees to take naps while at work, rather than risk falling asleep on the job. If a 20 or 30-minute power nap optimizes the way employees work, then why not invest in a pro-nap time policy? As long as you know youll wake up, close your eyes during your lunch hour for a few minutes. Successful companies such as Google and Uber let their employees nap: 3 percent of companies have nap rooms out of 510 respondents in one survey, while nearly half of U.S. workers indicate a lack of sleep affects their ability to perform daily tasks. 90-Minute Sleep and Work Intervals Improve Performance Have a deadline that you need to meet soon? Dont see a way around missing sleep? When push comes to shove, longer nap periods do you more good than short ones. Full sleep cycles last 90 minutes: light sleep, deep sleep and REM. Youll wake up naturally and feel more alert by focusing on 90-minute nap periods. That includes keeping sessions of hard work within intervals of ninety minutes. Your body protests when you do one task for too long, and you need to get up and move. Walk around the department or do a few yoga moves for five minutes every hour to optimize your work performance and minimize mistakes Try to avoid your first cup of coffee within the first 90 minutes of waking. Focus on hydrating with water. Coffee consumption tends to dehydrate the body, and drinking enough water throughout the day will keep your mind and body healthy to focus on tasks ahead. No Alarm Clock Needed Tired of waking up to a blaring alarm and hitting the reset button two more times? Make time yours by honoring the sleep patterns that work best for your body. When you get enough sleep, youll wake up without an alarm at a time your body feels perfectly well-rested. That may mean shifting your sleep schedule and routine to wake up later or fall asleep earlier. Not sure when that is? If youre a techie, use your smartphone as a smart alarm with various apps that track your sleep and gently wake you up. Dont startle yourself awake with an obnoxious alarm. These apps also give you hard data about when you experience sleep disturbances or how many times you rolled over at night. Using a blue light filter app in the evening will also reduce eyestrain and help you fall asleep easily. Healthy Bedtime Routines Need a nightcap before bed? What about one more cup of coffee before you fall asleep? Your theory entails that the warmth of a cup of Joe makes you nice and sleepy. Alcohol actually causes you to awaken during the night, disrupting your REM sleep. Alcohol and caffeine impair your sleep. In a study surveying the effects of caffeine on healthy sleepers, researchers found 400mg of caffeine 30 minutes before bed severely disrupted sleep and vital cardiovascular activity. Sleep disruptions were also found in coffee consumption three and six hours before bed, leading to increased time in bed to make up for lost sleep. Improve your bedtime routines by surrounding yourself with relaxing activities. Replace that cup of coffee or that whiskey on the rocks with decaf or a caffeine-free tea with calming properties, such as lavender. Developing a personalized bed time routine will cue your body into efficiently falling asleep faster and getting a more restful sleep. Improved Productivity Levels More employees are taking lunch at their desks to multitask and assume theyll conduct some level of work while on vacation. Attempts to improve work performance by multitasking this way doesnt boost productivity. More time spent at work means less time for sleep. Less than six hours of sleep predisposes you for burnout if made into a nightly habit, yet higher levels of quality sleep improve your productivity levels. When male basketball players slept for at least ten hours, their three-point and free-throw shooting rates improved by a 9 percent average. Getting proper levels of sleep will improve your work performance and decrease the risk of burnout. Healthy bedtime routines create a relaxing atmosphere to ease you into sleep and help you wake up well-rested. Dont think of sleep as a burden but as a work and life boon that helps you succeed and lead a long and healthy life.

Why Business is Still Personal Marla Gottschalk

Why Business is Still Personal Marla Gottschalk Workplace evolution is a constant and accepting this fact is inevitable. Many of us have re-invented ourselves, redefined our roles (more than once), embraced the would be powers of social media and hopefully made some measure of peace with the on-going mobile revolution. But as time marches on, and our attention becomes infinitely divided we must be careful not to overlook the core skills that are critical to business success. The recommendations posed years ago that will always remain uniquely relevant. We may have brushed them aside or underestimated their importance for a moment. However, the expectation remains each time we   introduce ourselves to a new co-worker or pitch an idea to a client. Business is about people and business is still personal. It has been discussed, that the state of our economy has allowed some of us to become forgetful concerning the importance of people skills.   This is somewhat understandable, but not excusable. The resulting stress can cause us to skip the people component even though we know on some level this is ill-advised. The reality remains that in the long-term, we really cannot hope to move forward individually or organizationally, without this skill set intact. Business is not only about spreads sheets and IPOs. It is essentially about connecting with your employees and the dreams of your customers. Business is about people and if we forget this, we are likely to fail miserably somewhere down the line. The business of understanding people There is no need to re-invent the wheel to refresh our memories. There are resources out there to help us sharpen or re-connect with this skill set. The Dale Carnegie classic, How to Win Friends and Influence People, (which should be required reading for all aspiring business students and entrepreneurs), is one example. The basic tenets of the book still make perfect business sense. Concepts such as showing appreciation, and leaving others with the feeling that they are worthy of your undivided attention, are certainly crucial leadership building blocks which have stood the test of time. Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman, another people skills basic, takes a closer look at how the ability to understand others can impact all aspects of our lives. As we have all learned, possessing a spectacularly high IQ may not be enough to propel you forward in business. You also need to grasp how your behavior impacts others and how that ultimately affects your business future. (Find a review of studies on Emotional Intelligence here.) A few other basics worth mentioning: Face-to-face contact still works Reading the Human Moment at Work can be a game changer for developing leaders. Written at the forefront of our now technologically nagged world its posed premise will only become more important as time goes on. Listen more,talk less When considering the skill of strategic   listening attitude and awareness are key. As described recently by Tom Peters, author of In Search Of Excellence, My argument is skills such as listening are full-scale professions to be studied, practiced, and mastered as the cello would be. Manage technology Dont expect to develop business relationships if you are always tethered to an electronic device. If you think that your overall level of distraction isnt noticed you are wrong. Eye contact, a smile and a handshake I am not sure when these common courtesies were expunged from the game plan, because they are so accessible, yet so very powerful. Having someone feel welcome and comfortable, is a gift that will come back to you in so many ways. Reward effort Never underestimate the power of a thank you and a job well done. If you are unsure how to show gratitude, start with a simple note to let someone know youve notice, and appreciate their contribution. Offer respect I dont know if you can teach respect   but the belief that everyone has something to offer is a basic business tenant. Most everyone brings something to the table, and they deserve respect for that contribution. Consider history     Knowing and recognizing someones journey in life and work, is consummate to that person. Just as you need to know the history of an organization when doing business with them, know the history of the key players as well. Weve all witnessed uncomfortable moments when we realize that an individual has completely forgotten the skill set mentioned here. It is alarming to watch. We can only hope, that someone with influence and wisdom can set them straight and point them in the right direction. Dr. Marla Gottschalk is a Workplace Psychologist and career coach. Connect with her on Twitter and Linkedin.

How to Write a Cover Letter for Your First Job

How to Write a Cover Letter for Your First Job As a new college graduate, you may find writing the cover letter for your first job very difficult. However, a well-written cover letter can very well be the key factor that distinguishes you from other entry-level job seekers. Despite not having much work experience, it is still possible for you to impress your potential employers. A quality cover letter not only shows your potential employers that you value their employment opportunity, but it also demonstrates to them that you can communicate effectively. Here are some tips on how to carve out that impressive cover letter that will capture your potential employer’s attention. 1. Research the job: Before you start writing, you have to know the job you are applying for inside out. From the job posting, you know what skills and education the employer is looking for. If you are not sure, do some research and find out what it takes to do well in that job. On top of this, you will be expected to have an understanding of what exactly it is that the company does and how your skills fit in with that. As well as looking at the employers website, you may also be able to learn a bit more about an organisation and the staff working there from social media profiles, so its worth having a look. 2. Do a personal inventory: Now that you know what the employer is looking for, do a personal inventory and list out all your skills, experiences, and personal qualities that are relevant to the requirements for the job. Ask yourself this question: why should the employer hire you for that? For each asset in your personal inventory, put together a phrase,  elaborating on that particular asset and explaining why it sets you aside from other candidates.   3. Reference the job position: You should reference the job position or type of jobs for which you are applying in the first paragraph of your cover letter. You should show your enthusiasm and tell your potential employer that you are really interested in the job. When discussing your skills and experience, continue to relate back to the job position you are applying for and how those particular skills will benefit you in that role.   4. Use the right format: Employers receive countless numbers of applicants for a job posting, so they like to be able to  scan through cover letters quickly to filter out the potential hires. Therefore its a good idea to make your cover letter scannable by using short paragraphs and a clear structure.   Make sure you use keywords appropriate  to the position, as you never know when a computer may be reading your cover letter, rather than a real person and it will detect relevant phrases.   5. Show them what you’re made of: Employers who hire new college graduates are usually looking for future leaders for their company. In your cover letter, tell your potential employers about any successful leadership role you have played before. In addition, highlight any award and recognition you have received in school or in other side projects, such as volunteer projects. 6. Make your closing strong: In order to leave a lasting impressions in the readers mind, you want the closing paragraph of your cover letter  to  be one of the strongest elements.  You should  reiterate your interest in the job and your belief that you are the perfect match for the position. A little flattery doesnt hurt either, so you may wish to mention the companys outstanding reputation and express how much you would appreciate the opportunity to interview and why you would like to join the organisation.   Image Credit: Shutterstock

6 Tips to Start Your Career in Acting with Minimal Experience - CareerMetis.com

6 Tips to Start Your Career in Acting with Minimal Experience Acting is one of those careers in life that always seem like they are for other people. After all, when you have bills and mortgages to pay, there is little time to put aside for those old dreams you had as a kid.However, many famous actors â€" Morgan Freeman, for example â€" didn’t start treading the boards until much later in life. They didn’t go to drama school, but went for it anyway, and found success.So, if you have ever fancied trying out acting, don’t ever give up.evalSure, you might not end up in movies like The Shawshank Redemption or Batman, but it is possible to have a good career in acting, no matter how old you are.And even if you can’t manage to make the switch to a full-time actor, it’s an excellent way to improve your life skills, communication, and a host of other things.With this in mind, Here are 6 tips to get into your dream career in acting with minimal experience.Photo Credit â€" Pexels.com1. Love the artevalFirst and foremost, you need to ask yoursel f a serious question. Do you actually want to act, or just get famous?If your answer is the latter, forget it. No one makes it in acting if they don’t love the art, and the chances of hitting fame are virtually nil.2. Consume informationNext, make sure you are reading books about acting, watching and reading plays, and checking out old YouTube videos of old TV shows like ‘Inside the Actor’s Studio.’You will need to learn a lot about theory, techniques, and terminology if you want to excel.3. Take classesevalServices like Auditions HQ offer acting classes lists, and you can see that there are opportunities all over the country. Will acting classes guarantee a career? Definitely not.But it will give you a focused learning environment that will help you learn about speech, voice, and scene study â€" and help you make the most of your innate talents.4. Get involved with the communityActing is a community activity, just like a team sport. And it’s incredibly sociable â€" in eve ry city in the country, you will find coffee shops and bars with actors discussing their art.If you want to start breaking into the field, your best bet is to join a local acting troupe. You could offer to help out backstage, start joining in with rehearsals and building your network of contacts.5. Put yourself out thereevalevalAnother good way of meeting people in the trade is to put yourself forward for movie extra roles. Although they can be incredibly long days, you will earn your first paycheck as an actor, and you will also be able to develop some ideas of how directors and actors work on set.Who knows, you might even manage to grab a chat with one of the A-listers â€" many of them are very friendly and approachable, and some are keen to help out good people wherever they can.6. AuditionFinally, once you are confident enough, it will be time to start auditioning. It’s daunting at first, but if you ever want a good career front the art, it’s something you will need to get u sed to.With a solid, well-rehearsed and researched audition, who knows what amazing parts you might land?

Job Search Wasnt Built in a Day - CareerAlley

Job Search Wasnt Built in a Day - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. Acting is all about honesty. If you can fake that, youve got it made. George Burns Are we there yet? You either remember that phrase from your childhood or your parenthood. Either way, job search (like Rome) was not built in a day. Patience, dedication and perseverance are your best tools for keeping your sanity in what sometimes seems like an eternity in job search. But for finding a job, your best tools are balancing your search across the major job search resources: Networking, Recruiters, Company Career Sites and Job Search Sites. I get lots of emails offering job search tips, tricks and resources. Todays post is focused on your recommendations. 10 High-Paying Jobs That Arent Worth It High paying jobs that arent worth it? Sounds strange. This article covers a number of jobs that are familiar to us all (including the fact that they are high paying). Some you would not suspect are high paying and others, while high paying, you would not suspect that the job is not worth it. The article leads with the theory that the most secure and highest paying jobs are those that either no one wants or where few people have the qualifications. Now the first 5 are highly respected jobs, so at first glance you might not get it. The second 5 are the usual suspects and it will take you all of a nano-second to understand (like why a bomb squad officer may be less than desirable). In any event, the article is worth a read. 10 Career Enhancing Social Networking Sites So I know what you are expecting to see, the usual list of social sites that comes up time after time. Well not so for this time. This article provides a list social networking sites that are specific to careers, such as Teachers, Police Officers, Nurses and more (7 more to be exact). Take a look, maybe your profession is on the list. CareerFlux This is a great careers site. There are tabs at the top of the page for Blog, Videos, Jobs and more. The home page has career related articles followed by a Job Board. Click Blog and, well, you will go the the blog page. Lots of great careers related articles on the blog page as well. The videos page is really neat too. Click the tab at the top and you will see 7 or so links. Click any of the career videos to watch. Feel like you missed something? Click the archives tab and you will see lots of great links. Take a look. Top 6 Things You Should Never Wear to a Job Interview Of course what you wear to an interview depends on the company and the job. But there are some things you just dont wear (and yes, you would think that any adult would know, but apparently not). This article covers a few tips on what not to wear. As with most things in life, some of the suggestions should be common knowledge, but some are not. As the article points out, you get but one chance to make a first impression, dont make the wrong one (take a read). 23 Funniest Job Infographics From The Onion From one of my favorite career related sites, jobmob, this is a great read when it is time to take a break and look at the lighter side. There is some really funny stuff here, so if you need a break from the job hunt, take a look. Good luck in your search.

Musical Theatre Resume

Musical Theatre ResumeIf you are looking for a way to show employers that you have been successful in school, the music and theater resume can help. There are many different types of resumes but musical resume is the most common one. Before submitting this type of resume you must know what this means. This will guide you through the process of creating your resume and guide you to know how to get it noticed.The first thing that needs to be done is that you must create a resume. You need to be aware that there are different types of ways to write a resume. Do not think that this means you need to make your resume professional looking or you need to use fancy fonts. A resume needs to be professional looking and it also needs to be impressive. You do not want anyone to miss out on your application because they did not even see your resume.Next, is that you must know what your future employer is looking for; show lyrics, reading comprehension, and musical background. Lyrics are the most important part of the resume. This can help you get noticed by the company because they will see how you would learn on stage. You should know what the company expects from you because this can help you determine what they will be expecting from you. For example, if you are an actor they will expect that you know how to act on stage.Next, when you are creating your musical theatre resume you need to focus on the person who is going to read it. You want to show them how you learned on stage, the material they should expect to read, and what they should expect to see on stage. You should also show them how you would behave on stage. Show them how you would act if they walked up to you.Music and theatre are two different things. You do not want to confuse someone by making the music for the production resemble the language of the play. You will find that when people understand what they are reading they will not take your resume seriously. Therefore, you want to focus on the lyrics and the play if you want to write music and theatre resume.Also, you need to remember that musical theatre resume is not just about the resume but more than the resume. You need to focus on what you can offer the company. What do you do well? Who do you work well with?When writing the resume you should also focus on your technical skills. There are many people who think that technical skills are overrated but you should know that these skills are used all the time. Therefore, you should focus on what you do well. Remember, people are looking for people who can create something amazing.Lastly, when you are looking for a job always remember that what you put on your resume really matters. It is a good idea to get feedback from your supervisors and friends before you start creating your resume. These are the best places to get feedback on your resume.