Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom Be at Peace While Chaos Surrounds You

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom Be at Peace While Chaos Surrounds You When I entered the business world for the first time, I took my Type-A self with me. I was accustomed to executing, perfectly, everything I wanted to do. The thought of my company having a mind of its own terrified me, but I learned quickly that this was the reality. There was so much aboutCorporate America that I could not control, and I had a decision to make. Was I going down with a stress-induced stomach ulcer, or was I going to become more comfortable with nonsensical approaches and difficult situations? I took the latter path, but it was years before I could say I was okay when things at work did not turn out the way I wanted them to, or when I was put into situations that made me supremely uncomfortable. Here’s some advice for how you can get to this point faster than I did. Start One Step at a Time Many Americans lead unhealthy, sedentary lives because the thought of eating the right things and exercising makes them feel uncomfortable. The prospect of change seems so overwhelming that they avoid it altogether. The thing is, there’s a happy medium. Pick something at work that causes you discomfort and expose yourself to it in small doses. For example, if you don’t likepublic speakingbut your new job requires it, how about starting by speaking up in a team meeting? While you’re doing the test activity, note how you feel and whether anything bad happened as you faced your fear. Some Problems Aren’t Meant to Be Solved No matter what you do, if you work in an organization with other people, you will not be able to configure your environment to your exact specifications. So, let go of the notion that you are responsible for ridding the company of its issues, its crazy people, etc. Tell yourself that you are going to do your job to the best of your ability, and that you will relinquish power over situations you can’t control. When you stop railing against the system and realize that some degree of company turmoil is par for the course, you will experience less discomfort andnegative emotionsin general. For the rest of my advice, check out the full post on Intuits Fast Track blog.

Sales Resume Skills - Developing Your Skills

Sales Resume Skills - Developing Your SkillsSales resume skills are the most important skill you need to master. Even if you're not in sales but you could still use this skill. In any sales career you will need the skills to generate enough leads to achieve the sales goals of your organization. But, how do you know if you've mastered the skills needed?The basic sales resume skills include organizing your resume, cutting through the red tape and making sure your resume is appealing enough to be read by the HR representative. Then again, you will still need to develop those skills in your sales job. There are many ways to go about it. You can develop your own skills or hire someone to coach you on creating your own sales resume. Either way will get you where you want to be in the job market.The sales resume skills that are not developed are a waste of time and money. If you invest time and money into developing your skills, then you'll receive great returns on those investments.It does n't matter what level you are in your sales career. This skill will only get better as you progress through the sales career.When you are ready to take on the challenge of becoming a sales manager, you'll need to develop skills. These skills will help you understand more about your organization and your customers. This knowledge will help you develop more strategies to meet the needs of your customers.Now that you have these sales skills, you will need to build on them by improving the skills that you already have. The key is to get on top of the challenge and continue to develop your skills as your sales career progresses.Your skills are what you make of them. What kind of sales manager will you become?What kind of sales manager are you?The first step in getting ahead of the sales resume skills curve is to determine the skills you currently have and work on developing those skills. If you think you can handle the task, then you can advance your sales career.

5 Tricks to Buying a House for Cheap

5 Tricks to Buying a House for Cheap Buying a house can be a scary prospect. Taking on a huge monthly payment for decades at a time â€" why would anyone want to do that? Because it’s part of the American dream and because when done right, it can boost your net worth and make you money in the end. So how do you do it right? To make money and immediately increase your net worth, you need to buy a house for cheap and improve the value of it. There are many ways to avoid paying full price for a home. Here are just a few. Foreclosures Someone else’s bad luck can be turned into your good luck. As awful as that sounds, it happens all the time and there is no need for you to feel guilty about it. When a homeowner stops making their mortgage payments, the house goes into foreclosure. To buy a foreclosure, you work with the bank that is trying to recoup the money from the original loan. That is why foreclosures are a great deal â€" they are often listed well under what they are worth. You will need loan pre approval and a real estate agent working on your behalf. There may be multiple offers on the house, so be prepared to pay more than list price. Short Sales A short sale is a way for the homeowner and the bank to avoid a foreclosure, because the bank allows the homeowner to sell the house for less than what they owe on it. It’s a better deal for the bank because they don’t have to go into formal foreclosure proceedings, and it’s better for the homeowner because they can get out from under their house. The downside for you as the buyer is that this process can take a long time, as the banks are in no hurry to approve your offer. The list price may also be under market value, which can create a bidding war among buyers. To have your offer seriously considered by the bank, make an offer that is close to market value for the home. Auctions There are many benefits of buying a house through an auction, for both parties. For a homeowner who puts their house up for auction, they’re ensured a quick, fair sale to a motivated buyer. As a buyer of an auction home, you’re also guaranteed a quick sale, you get to set the price you are willing to pay and you are privy to the offers other buyers are making. One fair warning on auction houses: They come as-is, so any damage done while the property was inhabited or vacant will be on the buyer to fix. Having a handyman ready for closing day is a good call. Go Nontraditional If a traditional stick-built house just isn’t in the cards, go for something nontraditional like a modular home. Modular homes are more cost-effective because they are built rapidly indoors.   The speed and efficiency enables the builders to pass savings along to their customers. Getting financed for a prebuilt modular home is just like buying a stick-built house, but if you are having your home custom-made, then you’ll need to secure a construction loan. Once the construction is complete and the house is in place, you can convert your construction loan into a standard mortgage. Rent-to-Own When you find your dream home but your finances aren’t quite yet in order, you can ask for the option of rent-to-own. This allows you to move into the house and pay rent, part of which goes toward the purchase of the house when you are ready to buy. Depending on how long you rent before you buy, you can substantially reduce the amount of loan you need to take out from the bank. The lower the loan, the less interest you end up having to pay back in the end, so rent-to-own can be a win-win situation for all involved. Unfortunately these situations can only occur when the seller doesn’t immediately need the funds from the sale of the house, so not everyone will be open to this arrangement. You don’t have to go the traditional route when it comes to home buying. In fact, if you are trying to buy a house on the cheap, traditional is not the way to go. Sometimes, nontraditional methods of purchasing a home require more upfront work on your end when it comes to securing finances and the closing might take longer. However, the money you will save in the long run will be well worth it.

Are You Holding Yourself Back Five Career Mistakes to Avoid

Are You Holding Yourself Back Five Career Mistakes to Avoid Theres more to a job than simply showing up. If youve toiled in the trenches without any sign of a promotion, you may be starting to wonder if youve done something wrong. Although it depends on the situation, its entirely possible that youre doing everything right in a technical sense. But to keep your career from hitting a plateau, you need to keep growing as an employee or entrepreneur. Are you sabotaging yourself by making any of these five common career mistakes? Neglecting to Self-Promote In an ideal world, our talents and skills would be immediately recognized and wed be promoted accordingly. Yet in the real world, if youve completed a task youre proud of it may be necessary to give your boss a gentle reminder. Self-promotion is also incredibly important if youre freelancing, self-employed, or interested in starting up your own business. Most industries are highly competitive, meaning that youll have to draw attention to your hard work and talents. If payment negotiations come up, dont be afraid to remind your boss of a job well done. Being unprepared or disorganized Have you been given the green light to head up an important project or give a key presentation at the workplace? Dont shoot yourself in the foot by not being prepared, or you may not get a second chance. Brushing up on some project management basics can make a world of difference, as can doing your research before a presentation. If you get a shot at greatness, be ready to make the most of it! Forgetting to Ask for Feedback You wont know if youre meeting your employers expectations at work unless you ask. Dont be afraid to ask for feedback at the conclusion of an important project or product launch, to find out what you did right and where theres room for improvement. Taking an active role in your own career growth will help propel you forward. It also shows that youre willing to undergo additional training or learn from your mistakes if necessary. An Unwillingness to Take Risks Do you play it too safe with your career? Whether you want to start a business of your own or have a great idea that you think could benefit your current employer, go for it! Taking a step outside of your comfort zone shows higher-ups and colleagues that you have what it takes to get promoted. Speaking Up at the Wrong Time Its often recommended to ask for new responsibilities, training, or a raise. Being assertive and letting your boss know what you want is a great way to advance your career, but be sure that your timing is right. If the companys struggling, its not a good time to ask for a raise. You dont want to come across as pushy, so learn how your manager operates and time your requests accordingly. If work is going well, its all too tempting to go with the flow. But taking the time to be a bit more proactive can work wonders in your career development, so be on the lookout for these typical career mistakes. Todays post is written by Rachel MacDonald, a freelance writer for small businesses with an avid interest in entrepreneurship.

Job Skills Resumes Writing

Job Skills Resumes WritingJob skills resume template is a great way to go when trying to improve the chances of getting a job interview. Resumes are not mandatory for an interview, but they sure help you get noticed. There are many different ways to make a resume stand out, and often times the best way is to make it yours. Job skills resume template is a great way to do this, because it allows you to create a resume that has a personal touch and is unique to you.Job skills resume template also makes it easy to customize the information on your resume. Because the template allows you to write your own job history, skills, education, and work experience, you can be sure to include all of the necessary elements needed to land the job you want. You don't have to worry about retyping dates, positions, or experience in the format of your resume, because it's already there.It's important to know how to do the right things when making a resume, and a template will make sure that you don't fo rget them. A resume should start off with a successful date and then follow with skills and experience information. A template is designed to make this process simple, so you know what needs to be included in order to ensure that you will have a positive impression of yourself.Job skills resume template is very useful for those who are already working and need to replace their old job skills list with a new one. One advantage of using a template is that you don't have to worry about remembering or finding certain jobs or specific skills. The template will take care of it for you.Skills that you need to consider will depend on the position you are applying for. For example, a nurse's assistant may require a lot of different skills that a restaurant server doesn't. If you're interested in a specialized position, such as computer support or accounting, then you'll have to identify them in the resume as well. Because these are specialized skills, you will want to focus on them while wri ting your job skills.Remember that a resume is supposed to showcase your skills. You won't want to simply include something that is common to everyone, like your school training, work experience, or awards. Your resume should reflect your unique and individual skills, not your common traits.When writing a job skills resume, you need to be clear and concise in what you're writing. This is not just a formality, but something that needs to be done so that you will impress the employer. Don't use fancy words or write to fast, as this will only cause you to forget important details, and it could also make you look like you don't have a clue.The resume should be short and sweet, and shouldn't fill up the page. You need to give the employer enough information to get a good idea of who you are, without going into a lot of detail. It's okay to add some colors and fun things, but keep the details to clean and to the point.

A Complete Guide to Hiring iOS App Developers (2020) CareerMetis.com

A Complete Guide to Hiring iOS App Developers (2020) Choosing a platform to make an app, you have two wide-spread options: iOS and Android. There are more than 2.2 billion applications on the App Store. Additionally, iPhone users tend to spend more on apps in comparison to Android ones.To create an iOS app, you should hire skilled and qualified iOS developers. In this guide, you can find all necessary information about iOS engineers’ roles, skills, rates, and so on.Roles and Responsibilities of iOS App DevelopersevaliOS developers’ roles can be divided depending on their working experience and hard skills. So, the more project developers have released, the more complicated problems they can solve.It’s typical to divide developers into three groups: junior, middle, and senior. Let’s discuss them more precisely.Junior iOS developers â€"This level is the beginning of an iOS developer career. Usually, such developers can solve some simple tasks. They tend to work with more experienced colleagues to improve skills and expand their k nowledge.Middle iOS developers â€" Having worked on various projects, the junior iOS developers become middle ones. They can solve a lot of technical issues themselves and work independently.Senior iOS developers â€" Such software engineers have released dozens of successful problems. They can solve any technical issues. Additionally, senior iOS developers tend to find the best tech solutions and integrate various technologies.Depending on the project complexity, you need to choose the qualification level of the iOS app developer. One more point to consider here is your budget. The more experienced developers are, the higher rates they get.As for iOS app developers’ responsibilities, the primary one is writing quality code. Additionally, developers should participate in every development stage, like planning and design. iOS app engineers also fix bugs and publish apps to the App Store.Simply saying, the main responsibility of any iOS developer is to make the app workable and user- friendly.Required Skills for iOS DevelopersAny iOS developer should have two skill sets: hard and soft skills.Speaking about hard skills, there can be any technical knowledge required for development. You can find the list below:Strong knowledge of Swift and Objective-C programming languages;Experience in Xcode IDE;Working experience with APIs like Cocoa Touch and UIKit;Knowledge of RESTful APIs;Comprehension of UI/UX principles;Understanding of Apple Human Interface Guidelines.evalAs for soft skills, any iOS developers need to have the following ones:Teamwork;Communication;Constant learning;Problem-solving;Time management.Where to Hire iOS App Developers?Let’s move on with the hiring options of iOS developers. The modern IT market offers three main variants: freelance developers, in-house teams, and outsourcing companies.Each option has some peculiarities as well as advantages and disadvantages. It’s time to discuss every variant more precisely to find the most suitable.i) Free lance iOS DevelopersevalevalIt’s possible to hire a freelance specialist in every field, so iOS development isn’t an exception. However, it’s not the best option considering long-term cooperation.Freelance developers tend to have the lowest hourly rates. However, they also can fail deadlines and requirements. It’s common to hire freelancers for some minor tasks like bug fixing.Pros of Freelance iOS Developers:Freelance iOS developers have a lower hourly rate compared to in-house and outsourced developers.There’s no need to pay a freelancer if you don’t have tasks.You don’t need to worry about taxes, office rent, and more.Cons of Freelance iOS Developers:Freelancers tend to fail deadlines.Nobody can guarantee the high quality of code If you want to hire an in-house team of developers, you need to offer a competitive salary. You can check the platform called Glassdoorto find out the iOS app developers’ salary.For example, the average salary for an iOS engineer is appro ximately $108K in the USA. However, this number can change depending on the specialists’ skills and experience.Additionally, the salaries can vary according to the state since each one has a different number of required developers.b) Freelance iOS Developer RatesevalAs you know, freelancers get money for every working hour. So, let’s discuss the hourly rates of a freelance iOS app developer.According to Codementor, freelancers can get from $80-100 for every working hour. As a result, if a freelance iOS engineer works full day However, these numbers are approximate since you can find a specialist with lower or higher rates.c) Outsourced iOS Developers RatesIf you hire an outsourcing software development company, you also pay for every working hour of the iOS developer. Their rates depend on the country the company is located.For example, vendors from North America and Australia have pretty high rates ($140 on average). The developers from Asia get the lowest hourly rates ($30), b ut it’s common to face the language barrier working with Asian vendors.One more popular region for outsourcing software development in Eastern Europe. This region offers affordable hourly rates and many experienced iOS engineers.You can check the outsourcing developers’ rates using such platforms as Clutchand GoodFirms.Points to Consider While Hiring iOS App DevelopersThere are several aspects that you need to consider before hiring an iOS developer.Experience â€"The iOS developers are divided into levels (junior, middle, and senior) depending on their skills and experience. You need to consider this factor before hiring the specialist. It’s better to pay attention to the number of projects released by the developer.Expertise â€" Don’t confuse experience and expertise. Expertise stands for tech issues developers have already faced. For example, iOS developer has already worked with certain types of apps (e.g. social media) or industry (e.g. marketplace).Portfolio â€"Checking the developers’ portfolios, you can study their expertise and experience. Additionally, you can download and test the released apps. As a result, you get a full understanding of the iOS developers’ proficiency.As you can see, hiring iOS app developers can be a complicated and time-consuming task. You need to study the candidates’ portfolios and skills carefully.There are various hiring options (freelancers, in-house teams, and outsourced iOS developers). You need to decide which option to choose, depending on your project requirements and business goals.Additional Resources:A Complete Guide to Hiring Node.js DevelopersA Complete Guide to Hiring Front-End DevelopersA Complete Guide to Hiring AngularJS DevelopersA Complete Guide to Hiring Dedicated DevelopersA Complete Guide to Hiring JavaScript Developers

Learn How Savvy Executives Stay In Demand

Learn How Savvy Executives Stay In Demand You dont need to be a corporate executive to be in charge of managing your career.   What I am suggesting is that we learn some of their strategies for moving forward and creating a in demand reputation! Each year, ExecuNet releases their executive job market intelligence report. The 2012 version is OUT! You can download a copy (at no cost) for yourself on ExecuNet.   ExecuNet surveyed 5,733 participants in January 2012. Most of the participants were executives in North America (4,282) but executives from the rest of the world and executive recruiters were included as well. How Executives Create/Find New Career Options 66% of executives said they found their new opportunity through NETWORKING! But obviously, not just any type of networking activity works.   Here are the types of networking that resulted in their success. 20% Face-to-Face with peers 19% With network referrals 15% through online networking 10% with search firms and executive recruiters 2% with people found through research Think about how you can adapt and adopt some of this for your own search and career management strategies.   Their peer to peer networking results may be slightly better than yours (if you arent an executive) because their peers have hiring authority and influence. Think about how you can reach hiring influencers (C-level contacts) in your networking activities! It is all about the power and strength of your referral or relationship! Online Visibility Yes, even executives are concerned about being found online! In fact 67% of them are working on their online personal reputation! Shouldnt you?! Activities to Manage Career These executives have seen first hand how volatile the economy is these days. Globalization, technology and other issues were cited as factors in ExecuNets summary. Here are the top five ways executives said they are staying competitive. Poised for Growth?! Based on the predictions of recruiters, these are the industries predicted to be growing as we continue through 2012. I think it is interesting to note the previous years predictions too. What are your take-aways from this information? Will you start doing anything differently?

Vote for Me for the Next Top Newsletter!

Vote for Me for the Next Top Newsletter! There were 160 entries, but Ive made it to the top 20 finalists in the Next Top Newsletter contest! I totally wanna sing A Moment Like This while crying hugging Ryan Seacrest, so please head to this site, scroll about halfway down til you see my lil face in the sidebar, gimme a thumbs up before Aug 2nd at 3p Eastern. If youve subscribed to my newsletter, you know I totally deserve a power ballad moment. If not, you can check em all out here then subscribe yourself. The next one will be out next week, Ill let ya know if I won. Hooray! Hm. Just found out that I got Next Top Newsletter confused with American Idol. So I dont get a power ballad, or to pat Ryan Seacrest on the head? Ah. Thats OK. Maybe Ill sing the song anyway if I win will post it on YouTube. Yup, thats a promise. An embarrassing promise. You better make me do it.