11 creative tips to help you thrive as a remote worker

11 creative tips to help you thrive as a remote worker11 creative tips to help you thrive as a remote workerRemote work offers numerous benefits from saving on commute time to being able to throw in a load of laundry on a break. And while tzu siche are some unique challenges to remote work, its possible to make your work situation more productive and fulfilling than ever before - it just takes a bit more planning.Consider these 11 tips for thriving as a remote worker1. Work outside your home at least once or twice per weekTake advantage of the flexibility of remote work and change up your scenery occasionally. Try working at your local coffee shop or even working outside by creating a Wi-Fi hotspot from your phone. Switching up your location for a few hours every week can help prevent restlessness and boost your productivity.2. Relocate to a city you loveThriving as a remote worker can be possible in a city you love. Remote work can open the door for you to live anywhere in the worl d, at least in theory. If youre feeling adventurous, capitalize on the flexibility of working remotely by finally making a move to your dream destination, whether that means moving back to your hometown, a beach town, or even another country. Its up to you. If youre a remote worker, the world is your office3. Stay active while you workWorking at home allows you to get up and move while working - something you wouldnt typically do in your cubicle. If youre listening in on a conference call, go for a walk around the neighborhood or do some lunges. You could even do a 10-minute yoga routine to hone your productivity and no one will even notice. Thriving as a remote worker means staying healthy.4. Create an ergonomic workspaceTo call sitting the new smoking is a strong yet accurate way to describe the harmful effects that sitting all day can have on your body. Luckily, there are steps you can take to make your workspace even more ergonomic - adjusting your monitors and your keyboard, f or example. If your company has the budget, you may even want to think about asking for a convertible desk that allows you to stand for a portion of your workday.5. Use tech to collaborate with coworkersCollaboration is a huge part of any type of work, and thanks to technology, its easier than ever to collaborate remotely. For instance, to interact with coworkers more during meetings, turn on your video (instead of just audio) - itll help you put faces to the conversations going on. Likewise, implement other collaboration applications and technologies, such as Google Docs, Slack, or Trello to work more effectively with your coworkers.6. Make occasional visits to the office, if possibleAlthough remote work has many benefits, face-to-face interaction with coworkers is invaluable, and you cant completely replicate it remotely. According to Gallup, employees are most engaged in their jobs when they spend 60% to 80% of their time working remotely, so consider working in the office perio dically to strike that balance if you live nearby. When youre in the office, take time to go out to lunch with your coworkers or at least have a few minutes of watercooler talk.7. Designate a specific space and time to workCreating separation between your work and home life allows you to unwind when the workday is over. Establish set working hours and a designated workspace. Ideally, your workspace would be somewhere separate from the rest of your home (not the bedroom or living room). Dont forget to set expectations with your family, roommates, and others - explain that when youre in your workspace, youre at work and should be treated as such.8. Take breaks and use them wiselySometimes you may not feel like you have time for a break, but taking a few minutes away can actually increase productivity and prevent burnout. Schedule breaks into your day and use that time to be away from screens. You could go for a short walk, call a friend, grab a snack in the kitchen, or start a load o f laundry.9. Establish a morning routineWorking at home eliminates commute time, giving you more free time in the morning. Use this extra time to improve your morning routine. Successful people often meditate and exercise as a part of their morning routine, for example. Setting aside time in the morning to do meaningful tasks can help boost your productivity and increase your willpower.10. Dont neglect your professional developmentJust because youre working remotely doesnt mean you cant advance in your career. Take the initiative to attend professional conferences and local networking events, get a professional certification, or grow your network on LinkedIn. Doing so can enhance your professional skills and lead to even better opportunities in the future.11. Tackle your most challenging tasks firstDont allow working from home to become a distraction. Use to-do lists and prioritize your tasks to ensure that youre focused and efficient throughout the day. Completing your toughest tas ks at the beginning of the day - sometimes referred to as eating the frog - can give you a feeling of accomplishment that can propel you through the rest of your day.Implementing these strategies can help you get the most out of working remotely and capitalize on all the benefits telecommuting offers.Monique Serbu is a freelance digital journalist specializing in business, marketing, and technology topics. Her work can be seen on VentureBeat, MediaPost, and the Stanford Blog. In her spare time, she likes to spend time outdoors hiking and hanging out with her Cocker Spaniel.This article was originally published on FlexJobs.com.

4 reasons why you should create a separate email just for your job search

4 reasons why you should create a separate emaille just for your job search4 reasons why you should create a separate email just for your job searchMost people dont think about it, but its always a good idea to create a separate email account just for your job search. In a time when were constantly bombarded with emails about everything from sales, to job postings, to birthday parties, and work requests, creating separate email accounts can make a big impact on your productivity and sanity. Here are four reasons why you should create a separate email just for your job search.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moraYour old high school email account shouldnt be on your resumeLets be clear Your old high school email account (i.e. your old AIM username) should not be onyour resume. If you have an email along the lines of doglover101 or hottamale3000, its important that you create a new ema il account to use for professional emails. Create an email with your first and last name, or some combination of your initials to create an account that is acceptable to use on your resume. Your friends might not mind that you use an old email address with a silly username, but potential employers will. Make things easy and create a simple email address to use for all things job search.It allows you to prioritize emails accordinglyFinding a job is hard. Theres no way to get around it. This gets amplified when youre trying to juggle your job search, your current job, and other responsibilities like family, friends, and self-care. Creating an email account that you only use for your job search allows you to prioritize emails accordingly so you can be sure to see job search emails quickly after they come through.When it comes to finding a job, its important thatall emails you send are timely, clear, and are free from errors. By creating a separate email just for your job search, you cr eate separation so that you can prioritize emails that come specifically to that email. The email about the big department store sale can wait, however, an email from a potential employer cannot. When all of your emails end up in one inbox, its easy to get overwhelmed by sheer volume or simply miss an email within a sea of messages. If you create a separate email account just for your job search, youll know exactly when you get a high priority email, and can ensure to respond quickly, professionally, and efficiently.It will free up your everyday email inboxDepending on how you go about your job search, you may be getting emails when new jobs become available. This is a great tactic to help you stay abreast of new opportunities, but it can begin to clutter your inbox. By creating a separate email solely for your job search, you can free up some space in your main email account. Doesnt it sounds nice to have an inbox that doesnt have a million unread messages in it?It removes any pote ntial conflicts that could arise from using a work emailA lot of people use their work email to apply for jobs and for personal use which can cause a huge issue. Companies can legally look at employees work email to monitor activity and ensure it aligns with company policies. It might sound violating, but the truth is that if youre only using your work email for work purposes (like you should be) they cant find anything personal. If youre applying to other positions from a work email, chances are that you are violating some sort of code of ethics, and youre likely sharing personal information such as why youre interested in leaving your current role. This kind of information can be used against you.If you feel like this is unheard of and dont feel like your company is paying attention to these details, youre likely wrong.A recent survey conducted by Alfresco, a digital geschftliches miteinander platform suggests that 98% of companies monitor their employees digital activity, while 1 1% of employees arent aware that their company captures digital activity at all.Specific results showed that 87% of companies monitor email, 70% look at your web browser history, 55% monitor Slack or Chatter, 41% check your work voicemail, and 34% look at Facebook or LinkedIn.If youre trying to create a more organized email inbox, one of the easiest ways to start is to create a separate email account just to use for your job search. This will give you a professional email address to include on your resume, will help you prioritize job search related emails, will help you organize your current inbox, and will ensure that you keep your current work email and job search emails separate.This article first appeared on Writestylesonline.com.Michele Lando is a certified professional resume writer, personal branding expert, and founder of Write Styles. She has a passion for helping others present the best version of themselves both on paper and in person, and works to polish individuals app lication package and personal style. Aiming to help create a perfect personal branding package, Write Styles provides resources to enhance your resume, professional appearance, and boost your confidence. Michele strives to help others gain the confidence to put their best foot forward in a personal and professional light.

Interview Tips for Hiring a Financial Analyst

Interview Tips for Hiring a Financial AnalystInterview Tips for Hiring a Financial AnalystShortlisted job candidates for financial analyst jobs are not the only ones who need to prep for an bewerbungsinterview. Hiring managers could use some interview tips to prepare as well.In addition to following interview best practices, hiring managers also need to prepare a set of questions that adequately assess whether the applicant has the financial planning, accounting and critical thinking skills required to become a successful contributor to the team. Here are a few interview tips to consider for financial analyst candidates, along with some sample questions to get you started.Start with financial analyst basicsIn the first part of the financial analyst interview, focus on the fundamentals. Verify that you have properly understood the candidates professional and educational background, including certifications, from the resume. Was anything left off? Also, why is the candidate interested in the position and your organization?Assess quantitative and accounting basicsFind out more about what tools the candidates use by asking how they would rank their Excel skills. Also, see if they can provide examples of situations in which theyve used macros, pivot tables or other advanced functions to build models. For a more direct test of their skills (and if time and facilities allow), you could also present the candidates with an Excel spreadsheet populated with sample data and an exercise, and then have them demonstrate their first steps in analyzing it.Ask them to tell you about a situation where they used large amounts of data to analyze actual performance against an accounting objective. For example, have they ever performed analysis to identify duplicate charges? What tools did they use to discover them? If performing a market analysis, what data did they use as a source, and how did they validate and normalize it before proceeding?In addition, have a list of the speciali zed tools you want the candidates to be familiar with. For example, what ERP or other data management systems are required? Ask about how they learned these systems. Was it through on-the-job experience? If they have none listed on their resumes, have they thought about pursuing a certification? As the candidates answer, you may find ways to interject more questions about the particular knowledge you seek in a new employee.At this point, youll also want to start paying attention to the give and take of the conversation. For example, does the candidate listen carefully to the question or anticipate what it is and jump in before youve finished asking?Evaluate business knowledge and critical thinking skillsYou can investigate candidates abilities to handle conceptual problems by asking about something unrelated to your business. For instance, if your company produces and delivers clothing, see if they can analyze the costs of planting trees in a commercial forest. The idea here is to g auge how well the candidates can identify what kind of information they needs and whether they can figure out where they might find that information.Also, you can learn about business acumen by asking how their current employers approach strategic decisions. For example, if one works for a fast food company, ask for an explanation of how the company decides where to open new restaurants or when to close existing ones.Consider cross-team communicationYou expect your employees to have the soft skills necessary to talk to absatzwirtschaft managers and business colleagues in other departments in a productive and collaborative way. To open a dialogue about the importance of a customer service or consultative orientation, consider asking these questionsHow would your boss describe you?What about fellow project team members?Have you ever failed to meet a client or colleagues expectations? How did you resolve the situation?If this was an ongoing work relationship, what steps did you take to mend the relationship?Tell me about a time you influenced an initiative in your colleagues department.With preparation on your part, youll be able to properly assess during the interview what applicants have the skills you need so you can make smart hiring decisions.Want a benchmark for your financial analysts experience, salary and expectations? Visit our Salary Center for more information about hiring trends.READ THE SALARY GUIDEEditors note This post was updated in 2016 to reflect more current information.