If you are a busy professional, and someone brings up the subject of hobbies, you might reply with a derisive snort. Who has time for hobbies? It may seem that hobbies are a luxury only the leisure class or retired can afford, but if you give it some thought, there are a number of benefits… Read more »

Asking for a raise is generally a pretty stressful proposition. But after you have been with a company for a while, you may feel you deserve one. However, the number of years you have been at a company is not by itself a basis for a raise. It won’t carry much water with your supervisor…. Read more »

Companies never tire of telling employees that they value people who are innovative, who can come up with new and better ideas and ways of doing things. But then, you might ask, how is it that many companies have outdated policies and procedures, ways of doing things that have been in place for a long… Read more »

In dealing with other people, much has been written about what we say and how we say it. But more and more, researchers are focusing on another aspect of communication that we don’t often think about. Body language. It turns out to be much more important than we think. We send strong signals to other… Read more »

Starting a new job is stressful. You want to make good impression. You need to learn the ropes, how things are done. You are getting to know a lot of new people. What can you do to make sure you get off to the best start possible? Here are a few ideas. 1. Listen more… Read more »

We spend a lot of time at work. Many of us put in long hours, often a lot more than the traditional 40 hours a week. Time spent at work is supposed to be an indicator of dedication, ambition, and productivity. But, on closer inspection, how productive are we really? How much of the time… Read more »

You may not think much about your email habits. Among your list of priorities, you may not deem email important enough to be near the top. Email, however, is ubiquitous in today’s business world. We use it all the time. For that reason, it may be worthwhile to take a look at your email habits… Read more »

Are you not getting as much done as you would like? Do you find yourself getting bogged down doing nonessential things? If you are losing your focus and your productivity is flagging, you may need to make some adjustments to your daily routine. Here are a few things to consider. 1. Pare your to do… Read more »

When you apply for a job, it is expected that if you are a top candidate, you will be interviewed, and will possibly have some type of job tryout. But you now may have to prepare for something else – an exam. Companies more and more are using tests to assess the qualifications of job… Read more »