Category: Blog
How to overcome performance anxiety: a 5-step guide
Have you ever heard that joke that many people would rather be in their own coffins at a funeral than give a eulogy? While this may be a bit of an exaggeration, it would not be an overstatement to say that most people would agree. Heart racing, sweaty palms, dry mouth, shaking knees. You know that gut-wrenching feeling you get. Most of us feel a certain degree of anxiety when preparing to speak up in front of a group, whether it is six people or thousands, whether it is a presentation, a group interview, an oral exam or a meeting in the office. Performance anxiety, often called stage fright, is all in your head, but manifests itself in the physical sense. When you feel that all eyes are on you, your self-awareness makes it nearly impossible to focus on what is really going on around you. Your mind goes foggy and ...
How to overcome procrastination and stop putting things off
The Ogre of Procrastination is one of the largest enemies of success, productivity and efficiency. No matter how well-organized, punctual and committed we are, at some point or another, all of us get stuck in the procrastination cycle. Procrastination is not laziness. It is more a lack of focus, mixed with priority confusion and complicated task anxiety. When we procrastinate, we put off important tasks we should be doing until it is late. Putting them off does not make them go away, though. Inevitably, when it is actually too late, we panic, realize that we wasted so much time that we should have been spending on important projects, and wish we got started earlier. There is nothing more frustrating than ending a work day realizing that you have wasted your time in useless activities, without accomplishing a single important task. Time wasted is never regained. It is lost forever and will never return. Why ...
Depression at work: how to recognize and work through it
A leading cause of absenteeism and unproductivity, depression affects more and more people every year. There can be many causes. In most cases, depression might be triggered by traumatic events or major life changes. Work-related stress is another factor to look out for. If you think you might be suffering from a bout of depression, then learn how to identify it by recognizing its tell-tale signs and symptoms: you feel exhausted and lethargic all the time and move slower than usual; you don’t want to get up in the morning, you just want to hide away from work; collaborating with other people and even relating to colleagues takes a huge effort, you tend to close yourself off from coworkers; it’s hard for you to concentrate and stay focused at work; you are easily distracted and forgetful; you might find it difficult to speak up and think straight and clearly; along with ...
What Does a Business Casual Dress Code Mean?
Office environments have long been the haunt of stuffy formalwear like the traditional business suit, shirt, and tie. But in recent years, new media industries and the technology sector in particular have been shaking up perspectives on worker’s attire. Now, with casual Fridays becoming a popular feature of modern offices, company bosses have begun to loosen their rules (and their ties). You may have come across the term business casual dress code and wondered exactly what it means for your wardrobe. And no, those trendy flip-flops you bought recently are not okay to wear to your next business meeting! What is a business casual dress code? Get rid of that old suit and make room for an exciting array of stylish, sophisticated and functional clothing. With a business casual dress code you are expected to project an aura of professionalism, but you also have a chance to hint at your ...
Working as a Hostess wearing a veil
Sara Mahmoud A recent ruling delivered in Italy is likely to set a precedent in matters concerning the balance between religious freedom, integration and the right to work (in Italy and throughout Europe). The facts can be summarised as follows. In 2013, an event staffing and promotion Agency (Evolution Event) located in Imola (province of Bologna) posted a job offer announcing the recruitment of hostesses for the distribution of leaflets. The candidates would have to work at an important footwear fair. The job offer targeted good looking young women (nothing strange considering it is a job where image is crucial) with long and fluffy hair. Generally speaking, job offers can not discriminate based on physical beauty or haircut, but it is obvious (perhaps, it is unnecessary to stress this) that exceptions are made for image jobs such as actors, models and certainly hostesses in fairs and exhibitions. Sara Mahmoud, a ...
How to read a Job posting and understand
Over the ages, the tradition of job posting has improved and technologically developed from just a small advertisement in newspaper to the gigantic network of online blogs and emails and even the job postings on their active websites on the internet as well. If you are an active jobseeker looking for employment in the contemporary world, reading job advertisements and sending in your resumes and application for the particular position would be a part of your life’s daily routine. You see a job posting in a newspaper or over an online website sponsoring a particular advertisement of a job opening. You send in an application with a resume and wait for a reply whereas after all the wait all you get back is an automated Thank You Message over an email. It is quite disappointing for job applicants to get a response like this after so much work and research ...