July You Get It Winner Katie Konrath

July You Get It Winner Katie Konrath This month the prestigious You Get It award goes to Katie Konrath, author of the Get Fresh Minds blog! Ive been watching Katie for a little while now and each time she pops up Im really impressed with what I see. Ive even introduced you to her formally so you should be familiar with her. Here are some things that I LOVE on/about her blog: Katies blog is about innovation and creativity, right? Her title/subtitle make it very clear, and her category names totally reinforce it. You can tell that everything she writes is aligned with the ideas/creativity/innovation track. In just 3 months of blogging she has somehow managed to find a bunch of people that read and comment on her blog. Check out her recent comments section (on the left) and youll see that most comments are made on different posts by different people this is NOT easy to do, but her content is so fresh and rich that she generates excellent discussion! I like how she renamed Blogroll to Fresh Blogs, which is aligned with her brand (or, her blog title) this reinforcement is icing on the cake. Katie has a nice, easy, engaging style of writing. It doesnt hurt my simple mind to read it and follow what shes talking about. Including videos helps me, as a reader, get her message more and gives me more of an emotional attachment (Ill never forget that she is studying German. Why? Because I saw this hilarious video that she put into a post about how hard it is to learn foreign languages). Aside from her style, she breaks up the reading with font, bullets, pictures, etc. She is making it easy for ME to read critical! Katie does good blog marketing. She has left comments here and on some other blogs that I frequent. Does it work? Heck ya, she has been blogged about (or, her posts have spawned new posts on someone elses blog) and she got on my radar. Its a tactic to get your blog out there, and she does it really well. Katie has done an excellent job in just a few months. Im looking forward to more great ideas (make that, fresh ideas!), and watching her personal brand online grow! Congratulations Katie! You join a special group of professionals and have earned a coveted link from my monthly winner’s blogroll area (on the left), six months of premium JibberJobber (you can transfer/award this to someone else :)), and a cyber-high five! Feel free to post the You Get It award on your blog! Here are the past winners: September 2006 ClickDave my review October 2006 Kent Blumberg my review November 2006 Heather Henricks my review December 2006 Adelino de Almeida my review January 2007 Rob Humphrey my review January 2007 Ariel Meadow Stallings my review February 2007 Mike Schaffner my review March 2007 Susan Johnston my review April 2007 Thomas Clifford my review May 2007 Rob Frankel my review June 2007 Trent Hamm my review July You Get It Winner Katie Konrath This month the prestigious You Get It award goes to Katie Konrath, author of the Get Fresh Minds blog! Ive been watching Katie for a little while now and each time she pops up Im really impressed with what I see. Ive even introduced you to her formally so you should be familiar with her. Here are some things that I LOVE on/about her blog: Katies blog is about innovation and creativity, right? Her title/subtitle make it very clear, and her category names totally reinforce it. You can tell that everything she writes is aligned with the ideas/creativity/innovation track. In just 3 months of blogging she has somehow managed to find a bunch of people that read and comment on her blog. Check out her recent comments section (on the left) and youll see that most comments are made on different posts by different people this is NOT easy to do, but her content is so fresh and rich that she generates excellent discussion! I like how she renamed Blogroll to Fresh Blogs, which is aligned with her brand (or, her blog title) this reinforcement is icing on the cake. Katie has a nice, easy, engaging style of writing. It doesnt hurt my simple mind to read it and follow what shes talking about. Including videos helps me, as a reader, get her message more and gives me more of an emotional attachment (Ill never forget that she is studying German. Why? Because I saw this hilarious video that she put into a post about how hard it is to learn foreign languages). Aside from her style, she breaks up the reading with font, bullets, pictures, etc. She is making it easy for ME to read critical! Katie does good blog marketing. She has left comments here and on some other blogs that I frequent. Does it work? Heck ya, she has been blogged about (or, her posts have spawned new posts on someone elses blog) and she got on my radar. Its a tactic to get your blog out there, and she does it really well. Katie has done an excellent job in just a few months. Im looking forward to more great ideas (make that, fresh ideas!), and watching her personal brand online grow! Congratulations Katie! You join a special group of professionals and have earned a coveted link from my monthly winner’s blogroll area (on the left), six months of premium JibberJobber (you can transfer/award this to someone else :)), and a cyber-high five! Feel free to post the You Get It award on your blog! Here are the past winners: September 2006 ClickDave my review October 2006 Kent Blumberg my review November 2006 Heather Henricks my review December 2006 Adelino de Almeida my review January 2007 Rob Humphrey my review January 2007 Ariel Meadow Stallings my review February 2007 Mike Schaffner my review March 2007 Susan Johnston my review April 2007 Thomas Clifford my review May 2007 Rob Frankel my review June 2007 Trent Hamm my review July You Get It Winner Katie Konrath This month the prestigious You Get It award goes to Katie Konrath, author of the Get Fresh Minds blog! Ive been watching Katie for a little while now and each time she pops up Im really impressed with what I see. Ive even introduced you to her formally so you should be familiar with her. Here are some things that I LOVE on/about her blog: Katies blog is about innovation and creativity, right? Her title/subtitle make it very clear, and her category names totally reinforce it. You can tell that everything she writes is aligned with the ideas/creativity/innovation track. In just 3 months of blogging she has somehow managed to find a bunch of people that read and comment on her blog. Check out her recent comments section (on the left) and youll see that most comments are made on different posts by different people this is NOT easy to do, but her content is so fresh and rich that she generates excellent discussion! I like how she renamed Blogroll to Fresh Blogs, which is aligned with her brand (or, her blog title) this reinforcement is icing on the cake. Katie has a nice, easy, engaging style of writing. It doesnt hurt my simple mind to read it and follow what shes talking about. Including videos helps me, as a reader, get her message more and gives me more of an emotional attachment (Ill never forget that she is studying German. Why? Because I saw this hilarious video that she put into a post about how hard it is to learn foreign languages). Aside from her style, she breaks up the reading with font, bullets, pictures, etc. She is making it easy for ME to read critical! Katie does good blog marketing. She has left comments here and on some other blogs that I frequent. Does it work? Heck ya, she has been blogged about (or, her posts have spawned new posts on someone elses blog) and she got on my radar. Its a tactic to get your blog out there, and she does it really well. Katie has done an excellent job in just a few months. Im looking forward to more great ideas (make that, fresh ideas!), and watching her personal brand online grow! Congratulations Katie! You join a special group of professionals and have earned a coveted link from my monthly winner’s blogroll area (on the left), six months of premium JibberJobber (you can transfer/award this to someone else :)), and a cyber-high five! Feel free to post the You Get It award on your blog! Here are the past winners: September 2006 ClickDave my review October 2006 Kent Blumberg my review November 2006 Heather Henricks my review December 2006 Adelino de Almeida my review January 2007 Rob Humphrey my review January 2007 Ariel Meadow Stallings my review February 2007 Mike Schaffner my review March 2007 Susan Johnston my review April 2007 Thomas Clifford my review May 2007 Rob Frankel my review June 2007 Trent Hamm my review

Home Security Product Review GuardLine Motion Sensors -

Home Security Product Review GuardLine Motion Sensors - Ms Career Girl was provided product for the purpose of this review.   Opinion are our own. No matter where you live, home security is a priority.    Criminal activity can occur virtually anywhere, and whether you live in the city, suburbs, or in a rural location, having a reliable alert or alarm system is important.   Of course, almost all security systems rely on the internet or at least wifi to operate.   But what about those areas that are simply too far for use of an internet or wifi dependent system?   We recently came across a solution, from GuardLine Security.   It looked interesting enough that we asked to see and test the product.   Heres what we found. GuardLine Security Motion Alarm First, this is not intended to be your primary security system.   It doesnt send an alert to your smartphone or email.   What it is designed as, rather, is an alarm that notifies you of motion in areas that are beyond the reach of most wireless alarm systems.   In fact, it has a range of up to 1/4 mile.   So if youve got a long drive way, or a remote corner of your property thats vulnerable to intruders, this is ideal.   Because youre alerted to any motion whenever you have the system turned on. Features We Like In examining the base unit and the remote sensors, here are the features we were impressed with. One base unit can handle up to four remote sensors on each of its four zones, for a total of up to 16. Each remote sensor, powered by AA batteries, has a unique user-selected alarm tone, with many to choose from. The base unit alerts you to low battery conditions, so you dont have wonder if its time to replace them. Set up is quick and easy.   We had two remote sensors up and going in just a few minutes. Theres More! The base unit is powered with an a/c adapter, or with batteries.    It appears they intended the batteries as a backup in the event of a power outage.   Although we didnt test this, it seems that youd be able to use the system virtually anywhere for a shorter duration, limited only by battery life and your imagination. Theres also some playful tunes included in the alarm selection.   So, for example, you can greet your party guests with Jingle Bells, a haunting melody, or even the theme song to Indiana Jones. We Like It! While we do think it would be great if the base unit could connect to a phone app, overall its a well-designed product that is a great home security enhancement.   If youd like to get one for yourself, use coupon code CAREER for a $20 discount.

Entrepreneurship, challenges and University QA with Studifuels founder University of Manchester Careers Blog

Entrepreneurship, challenges and University QA with Studifuels founder University of Manchester Careers Blog Enterprise Clubs Johnny Dixon interviews the founder of Studifuel about the beginnings of the business and the part University played, amongst other things. Q. What are you studying at UoM? A. I am a second year BA Economics Student â€" interested in subject since A-Level and think it’s quite a well-rounded subject. Q. How did you get started with Studifuel? A. I’ve been interested in enterprise from a young age and always wanted to start a small business, but I never knew how to get started. Living in halls as a health conscious student, I saw that the people I lived with had scarily unhealthy diets. People were eating frozen, processed foods for their meals and snacking on unhealthy and high sugar snacks. There’s also a real takeaway culture in Fallowfield. There isn’t anything bad about eating this food from time to time, but I saw that so many students ate nothing else. My friends from school told me this was the same at their universities, so I started to think about what I could do to improve student health. With unhealthy food being so much easier to get than healthy stuff, I saw a gap in the market for a product that promotes healthy eating whilst being easy to get a hold of. The Studifuel boxes get delivered to your door and are filled with healthy snacks, vitamins and minerals, herbal teas and easy to follow recipes. Q. What is a day in the life of Studifuel like? A. As an e-commerce, there’s lots of different things that need to be done, so depending on the time of month, I’m either producing marketing for social media advertising, fulfilling orders, dealing with shipments or responding to customer queries. When you start your own business, you don’t always think about the number of trips to the postoffice! I study full-time, too, so I have to balance all of this with my uni work. Q. How has your time at UoM helped you? A. The environment at the University is something I really try to take advantage of. There are so many quiet spaces to work, like the SU and Atrium, and there are so many different people and programmes that can help you to explore ideas and grow your business. I got involved with AccelerateME with Manchester Entrepreneurs, which really taught me a lot. I’m also looking at taking a module in enterprise next semester through the Masood Enterprise Centre. Q. How did you get involved with AccelerateME and what did it entail? A. I found out about Manchester Entrepreneurs at the Fresher’s Fair in first year and went along to a couple of their events. From there I started out my business and found out about the AccelerateME programme. I applied for the programme this year and was successful. This 12 weeks programme gave me invaluable funding, opportunities for peer mentoring and knowledge about starting your own business. I think, most importantly, I was part of a community of people in the same situation as me, and we all developed our businesses together. Q. What advice do you have for someone that wants to start their own business? A. Entrepreneurship is a seriously valid career opportunity. You get to follow your passion and grow it. If you can put in the time and effort, you can really make something that’s bigger than yourself. It is difficult, though. I don’t make enough to pay myself a wage. But I’m proud of the fact that I’ve planted this seed and watched it grow into something that’s having a serious impact. I think it’s important that you test out your ideas first and don’t be afraid of failing. Not everything will work, but you have nothing to lose and a safe eco-system at the university that can help you with every step. Q. What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced? A. Balancing my course with my business is a big challenge. I have to sacrifice my business for exams and coursework, but this has taught me a real lesson about managing my time and prioritising. I’ve also had a few technical issues, and as my business partner is currently teaching in Asia, it can be hard to communicate these issues and get things solved quickly. This has meant that I have learnt how to problem solve and to organise our communications effectively. I still make occasional mistakes with orders, which is just a challenge attached to working out of halls, but these are all part of the experience. You really have to identify and learn from your mistakes. Q. Do you think of yourself as an entrepreneur? A. It’s weird as a student to think of yourself as an entrepreneur, but I guess I’d say I am. It’s a scary word that’s hard to define, but I think the spirit of developing an idea into a real product is a skill that makes you an entrepreneur. Anyone can have a great idea, all it takes is a willingness to develop it and to pursue it as a career. Q. Do you think that you could define what enterprise is? A. I think it’s about developing certain skills. You need to be passionate, hardworking and dedicated, but you also have to have a creative spark because it’s easy to get started, but it takes work to push yourself and compete in online markets. You also need skills in innovation and learn professional people skills. I never thought I’d be able to network or work with others, but I think enterprise includes developing these skills to succeed. Enterprise Club is a brand new initiative for any University of Manchester student who has an interest in thinking differently and treading their own career path Careers advice Enterprise Graduate entrepreneurship

Size Doesnt Matter Decorating Your First Dorm Room

Size Doesnt Matter Decorating Your First Dorm Room Starting college life is a new and exciting experience for anyone leaving home. Youll be on your own, likely getting to enjoy a large campus, and meeting plenty of people from across the country. You may only be spending time in your cramped dorm room to sleep and get ready for the day. You are going to want to make the most of the new space. Everyone can use a few  decorating and organizing tips, especially when moving into a tiny college room. Getting creative and economical are key ways to avoid a cramped and messy room. Here are some ideas for getting settled in and setting up your dorm to provide a relaxing and fun space in which to live and study. Wise Credit Card Use Making big purchases, like furniture and electronics, may require the use of a credit card. Banks and credit card companies love getting college students lined up with cards because of their minimal credit history. While it is more valuable to stay away from using these, it may be the only option if you have no leftover funds. When making purchases with credit cards, you will need  your personal information safe  and secure. Investing in an identity theft protection service like  LifeLock  to protect yourself from identity theft will prove to be priceless. This valuable tip will give you peace of mind, helping you to keep extra stress down during an important time in your college life. Wants and Needs Dont take a lot of basic supplies with you.  Dorm rooms are small, and a years supply of laundry detergent, water, shampoo or other basics will add loads of clutter. Take only a single container of each item and make use of the local grocery store when you run out. Ignore some of the things youve seen in home fashion magazines. Futons and lounge chairs are not going to fit. Colleges also dont rent furniture storage units. Whatever wont go in the room will have to go home with mom and dad or be thrown away. Remember that dorm beds are usually extra-long twins. Make sure to buy XL twin sheets to use with them. Its a good rule of thumb to spend a little extra on sheets, rather than go for the $10 special on sheets that feel like construction paper. Youre going to be sleeping on these for nine months; comfort is key. Channel Your Inner Designer Try some  feng shui techniques  to improve your academic success and increase peace with your roommate. A bowl of rice and sea salt, changed monthly, is said to be good for harmony. Avoid putting a mirror across from a doorway or in a place where a person laying in the bed will get a clear view of their face. In a partially-asleep state, youll be shocked to see a face looking back at you. By the time you wake up enough to recognize yourself, your sleep will be ruined. Keep It Together Keep everything well organized. This will help your thoughts remain clear and help improve your grades. Best of all, simple chores like putting your clothes away help to clear your mind and center your thoughts for the rest of the day. Invest in some plastic bins for your clothes and school supplies. The last thing you want is to go back to your messy dorm after a long day of studying and lectures. By being prepared and knowing what to expect, your transition to a dorm room will be as stress-free as possible and youll be able to concentrate on the more important aspects of the college experience: having fun while taking your education to the next level. 1

Resume Profile Writing - How to Get the Most Out of Resume Writing

Resume Profile Writing - How to Get the Most Out of Resume WritingIn resume profile writing, one of the most important elements is to get a resume that is very unique. It needs to catch the eye of the employer and catch their attention so they can decide whether or not you will be a good fit for the job. So, how do you make your resume stand out?Here are some tips on what you need to know about writing a strong resume. First, always consider your writing style when writing a resume. Use formal and clear writing instead of slang and fluff. This is a very important thing to keep in mind.Next, consider what kind of resume you want to create. Do you want to give your resume as a gift to an employer or do you want to give it to a resume review site? There are lots of different websites that offer free resume writing samples and templates that you can use to create your own resume. Some sites even offer a hiring tool, so you can put your resume together on your own without hiring a profess ional.When creating your resume, write what the employers want. Write your resume in the form of a sales letter and emphasize the points that they want to see. You do not have to be an expert at writing sales letters, but you do need to be able to sell your skills to an employer. If you know that what they want, write it down and make sure that you emphasize it in your resume.When it comes to resume writing, make sure that you do not use any free resume writing samples or templates. Your resume will be used for a lot of different things so you need to make sure that it is something that is going to catch the eye of your potential employer. This means that you do not want to rely on what someone else wrote on the Internet. Instead, take the time to find a list of job opportunities and look through them. Resume writing includes details on skills that you have that are specific to your job. For example, if you are an office manager, focus on the technical aspects of your job such as yo ur ability to organize documents, prepare reports and handle meetings. Focus on the technical aspects and on the most common tasks that you have to perform as a manager and you will definitely come across as someone who knows his or her job very well. Besides, your resume writing will show your strengths to the employer and you will be given more chances to apply for a job.After you have written your resume, the next step is to send it out. The best way to do this is to send it as a scanned email attachment. Once you scan your resume for you are happy with it, send it out to various sites that specialize in helping you search for the perfect job. You can also have the resume read by a professional for any corrections or changes that you may want to make.While resume writing can be tough at times, it can be made easier with the help of a professional resume writer. Many sites allow you to upload your resume to be reviewed and edited before you send it in. Just be sure that you do not use any free resume writing samples and templates.

25 Best Cities for Jobs - CareerEnlightenment.com

Why Raleigh Takes Top HonorRaleigh has long held a reputation for tech companies looking to flee the expensive and congested Northeast corridor, with companies like IBM, Cisco and SAS setting up shop in North Carolina. Raleigh is also situated in the famous “Research Triangle” and has several universities feeding skilled workers to employers. Couple this with Raleigh’s walkable neighborhoods and affordable homes, it’s no surprise that Raleigh stands out as the best city for jobs.What the Best Have in CommonRaleigh’s appeal mirrors the overarching trend we’re seeing across this list. The cities that really stand out offer job seekers what they really want: a stable career that they’re happy with, and the feeling that they can get ahead and eventually own a home. We see this taking place in fast-growing, mid-sized tech magnets like Austin and Seattle, which have benefitted tremendously from the tech boom as an alternative to high-cost tech hubs such as San Francisco, Bost on and New York City. Job seekers are also being pulled towards cities like Kansas City and Louisville that boast a stable middle-class and affordable, family-friendly neighborhoods. While these cities may not have scorching tech job growth, they make up for it with low housing costs compared to paychecks and affordable middle-class neighborhoods.Perception ProblemsMany cities on this list offer great economic value for job seekers, but are facing a roadblock with branding. The dramatic transformation of America’s mid-sized cities hasn’t kept up with public perception of where the best places for work really are. While salaries tend to skew on the lower side in these cities, they counter this with affordable housing options and vibrant job markets in which people can get hired, then advance their careers. A key takeaway for job seekers is that a bigger city doesn’t always mean better when it comes to finding a job, being satisfied in that job and affording a mortgage.Want to f ind a job you love where you live, or in a new city? Search for jobs today.*Methodology: Glassdoor’s Best Cities for Jobs report identifies U.S. metros with the highest overall Glassdoor Job Score, based on a comparison of the 50 most populated U.S. metros. Each region’s Glassdoor Job Score, based on a 5-point scale (5.0=best city for a job, 1.0=worst city for a job), is determined by weighting three factors equally: hiring opportunity, cost of living and job satisfaction.Hiring opportunity is determined by the ratio of active job openings to population. (Job openings per metro represent active job listings on Glassdoor as of 4/30/15. Population data is according to the U.S. Office of Management Budget).Cost of living is determined by the ratio of median annual base salary to median  metro  home value. (Median annual base salary per metro based on at least  1,100  salary reports shared by local employees on Glassdoor over the past year (4/28/14-4/27/15). Median home value is ac cording to the  Zillow Home Value Index for All Homes, as of March 2015).Job satisfaction ratings  per metro is based on  at least  1,000  company reviews shared by local employees on Glassdoor over the past year (4/28/14-4/27/15; Ratings based on a 5-point scale: 5.0=very satisfied, 1.0=very dissatisfied).

The need for structure - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

The need for structure - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog My recent post on how not to manage geeks has sparked a lot of interest and a lot of great comments. Right now theres a very interesting debate going on in the comments about the need for structure in small or large organizations. This debate is great because it goes right to the core of the central dilemma of new leadership and employee empowerment. Here are some of the key arguments that have come up: Elling writes: I think you?re attacking structures which you can do without in a small company In a large company there?s a NEED for the structures Jeremy writes: I can anticipate some of this need the need to account for diverse costs accurately and thoroughly, the need to maintain a standard of output for workers in an organized, fair fashion, etc. but these play to the weaknesses of large organizations. In other words, large organizations SHOULD be at a disadvantage, and the structures we?re proposing tearing out actually add value only in the sense that MegaCorp is inherently inefficient and out of scale with the market. Numeeja writes: there is NEVER a ?NEED? for self-serving, ?personal progression over departmental improvement? style work places and managers. Thad writes: The place where I work is managed by good people who don?t want to be bureaucratic jerks, but they can?t grasp one simple concept: they are giving me money in exchange for doing something I love?they don?t have to shackle me with schedules and policies to get me to produce! I will be here working my little heart out because *I want to be*. I try to block out the memos and TPS reports and remind myself that those things aren?t really changing what I get to do here, but damn, every time the red tape is thrust in my face it just deflates me and I don?t even feel like trying to design or build something. Elling writes: If you have 20 people which you want to pull in the same direction, you NEED to have a manager who?s job it will be to try and ensure that the people in the group DO pull in the same direction On the other hand, I do realize that there ARE idiot-bastard-managers out there. And I?m not defending them. Cityzenjane writes: small tech teams in my experience when left to their own devices do a GREAT job of pulling in the same direction, getting behind technical strategic priorities that they have been part of developing. First let me say thanks to all whove commented. THIS is what blogging is all about one post sparking many great contributions. I feel lucky to be hosting this dialogue. But which is it? Do companies need structure or dont they? Is less management better than more management? Is management a necessary evil or simply evil? :o) Niels Bohr, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist once said: The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. But the opposite of a profound truth may well be another profound truth and thats exactly what I think were dealing with here. Whenever Im faced with one of these either-or questions, I try to loook beyond the immediate choice, to see if there might exist an answer that transcends the dilemma and includes both. Can we have both personal freedom and structure at work? The answer is not only that it can be done, but that many highly succesful companies are actively doing it. The truth is that there needs to be structure for personal freedom to even be possible. But we are talking a different kind of structure. Where the old structures are often opaque, rigid and top-down we can instead create new structures that are the exact opposite but perform the same function of coordinating and streamlining peoples efforts. These new structures are transparent, dynamic and participatory. Companies that have done this include business school case classics like Semco, Oticon, Southwest Airlines and GE Aviation. None of them are doing too shabby (understatement alert), and people are really happy at work there. Herb Kelleher, ex-CEO of Southwest, was once asked how he could maintain control when his employees had so much freedom. His answer is classic: Control? Never had it. Dont want it. I think we can move forward most efficiently if we shift away from choosing between freedom and structure, and work from the assimption that its about choosing both and thus creating a new kind of structure. Let me hit you with one last Niels Bohr quote (Yes Im a fan, dammit): How wonderful that we have met with a paradox. Now we have some hope of making progress. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related