4 Hot Small Business Trends and Opportunities

4 Hot Small Business Trends and Opportunities4 Hot Small Business Trends and OpportunitiesTrend watching has emerged in big business as a discipline of business management and a popular topic among top media publications and futurists. Small business can benefit from trend watching, too.The best time to enter the market is when the trend is entering mass awareness so educating a market is less expensive. The following four trends with specific business opportunities were selected for longevity, market awareness, and vermgen profitability. Youth Market The Y generation is a market force to be reckoned with. This power is why a small-town pop sensation, Avril Lavigne, can go from obscurity to the 5th most searched word on the world wide web and move to the number 2 music spot on Billboards Top 200 charts. This power is also, why the auto industry can expect peak numbers from 27 million teen car buyers, and 4 million new buyers, a year for the next 8 years.A quick, trend-spotting techni que is to take a stroll to your local magazine rack. You can get a fast take on a market by looking at the thickness of the publication. Computer business magazines, Red Herring and Fast Company, have thinned from an absence of advertisers. Take a look at the huge size of Muscle Magazine and Muscle Fitness as the teenage bodybuilding markets have grown, so has the advertising.Opportunities Serving the teen auto aftermarket with customization should be hot. Try the Classic Driving School, a unique, teen driver training experience with a Porsche. Youth sport supplements should continue growing but with fierce competition. Look for avenues in fitness mixed with extreme attitudes. Green Power The environment trend has been around and been a struggle for many companies, such as automakers with electric cars trying to capitalize on the green awareness. The care of Mother Earth is totenstill a big concern in society. According to a recent Harris Poll, over 74% of American adults believe in the global warming theory. Over 73% of U.S. citizens approve of the Kyoto agreement for countries to limit their carbon monoxide and greenhouse gas emissions. Although the United States has not signed the accord, countries like Canada, that have accepted, the accord will be a watch place for the impact.Opportunities This trend will be supported by businesses reducing reliance on oil gas with new forms of energy like wind power. Also, look to companies helping companies reduce energy consumption with new forms of energy saving products. For example, one small business is profiting from installing energy efficient shipping doors for corporate shipping operations. Quality of Life The wellness and health trend shows no sign of slow down since its early infancy during the 80s fitness movement. This trend is the convergence of rising health care costs in all developed countries, the aging of the baby boomer, the desire to keep our youth, and growing life expectancy.Wellness encompasse s looking good, feeling great, being healthy, and fighting aging and disease.Opportunities A wide range of products and services such as botox and energy drinks, to nutraceuticals wrinkle creams, to serve this large and steady trend. The energy drink market alone grossed $275 million in 2001, more than doubling the profits from the previous year. Internet The Internet meltdown was a period of shakeout for capitalists wanting to make a quick million. At the beginning of the century, many companies were formed to take advantage of the birth of the auto industry. Only a handful of players emerged to become household names but opportunities were plentiful in the area of building roads, suburban communities, and restaurants. The Internet represents a similar venue.Internet usage continues to grow. Pollster, Ipsos-Reids, Internet usage survey shows 72% of Americans have gone online at least once during 30 days in the past year. Canada has the second largest usage penetration with 62% of Canadians online. With increased usage comes more online spending.Opportunities With billions of dollars of goods sold online, many businesses will need assistance in website rebuilds and search engine optimization. Look for growing markets in e-learning and online gaming. Dont forget computer security. Gartner Group estimates only 35% of small medium businesses have disaster recovery. The impact of behauptung long-term trends will continue to shape markets and industries. For new entrepreneurs, gauge the market closely. If you are expanding a business, look for complementary markets to those you are currently serving. For existing businesses with no growth plans, observe and plan for how these trends may impact your industry. Edited by Alyssa Gregory

Reasons for the Silent Treatment After a Final Job Interview

Reasons for the Silent Treatment After a Final Job einstellungsgesprchReasons for the Silent Treatment After a Final Job InterviewYou have been on several job interviews and all seems to have gone well. They flew you out to the company HQ and warmly welcomed you for the final interview. You met with key decision-makers and you left the final interview with strong beliefs that you will be hired. But then something strange happens and you did not see it coming. The company goes silent. Before you let your imagination run wild as to all the possible things you could have done wrong, or start panicking, leading you to take actions that will hurt your chances, remember this simple factYou just dont knowuntil you know. Think of it as Schrodingers Job Interview You do not know if the job is alive or dead. There are many reasons why a company will go silent after a job interview. Until you know if your chances are alive or dead, assume they went silent for one of these reasons below.Reasons for the silent treatment after a final job interview1. They still have other candidates to interviewIf you were the only candidate, you would have had the job already. Remember there are others to be interviewedas well. Patience is required.2. They have an internal emergency to deal with delaying decision-makingAll businesses big and small know that things always seem to take longer than initially planned. You can set deadlines until the end of time, but something always comes up that delays a decision whether it be a natural disaster, sickness, weather emergency, company problems,or internal debates.3. They want to find out what other employees think of the candidatesInternally, this is a great way to make sure you build a strong team Get feedback from all team members on the job candidates they had met. (a good reason why you should treat all people you meet with equal respect on your job interviews, from receptionist to CEO)And now the possible bad news4. They were scared off dur ing the salary negotiationEssentially, this means you just wanted too much money. Instead of getting into adebate over salary, they would rather go silent and save time because they already made up their minds.5. They are making an offer to someone elseThe silence here happens for a few reasonsIn todays connected world, it is possible for two job candidates in the same industry to know each other and communicate on LinkedIn. Therefore, it is best to keep quiet until the offer is made to the candidate they wish to hire.They simply feel no obligation to let the person know the job went to someone else.Whatever the reason may be, the best advice during a job search is to make sure the job search does not end until that day you accept a job offer. Even then, it is a good idea to keep looking long enough to see whether or not you like the job.Unfortunately, in todays job market people change jobs so quickly that they endlessly need to keep networking. Ideally, people would love to have o ne job for a long time that they can stay loyal toand some manage to do this. But times and work methods change so quickly, it is a safer play to stay educated, active, and motivated about always growing your career.Whatever you do, do not panic and do something that makes your fear a self-fulfilling prophecy. For example, constantly writing the company on a daily basis to ask for status updates.

7 Ways to (Always) Leave Work on Time

7 Ways to (Always) Leave Work on Time7 Ways to (Always) Leave Work on TimeWere a funny breed. Were well aware that working long hours has been directly correlated to stress, anxiety, and heart disease- but in spite of that, we continue to give our jobs more and more of our time.Last year, the average American worked over 45 hours in a given week. One in three professionals work more than 50 hours per week. As if thats leid enough, research shows that 80% of workers spend time after hours answering emails and returning phone calls. And all this, for what? It turns out, working longer hours actually doesnt contribute to higher productivity. In fact, consistently working more than 40 hours a week can make you less productive. Translation Work more accomplish less.Knowing this, why is it so hard to leave work on time? Maybe you get distracted easily, fail to prioritize, or let last minute requests push you into overtime. Maybe, instead of aiming to get everything done within the eight-ho ur workday, youve bought into the idea that youre supposed to be always on.Whatever your reason, its time to reevaluate. So, stop logging those extra hours and use these seven tips to get out the door on time.1. Begin the Day With the End in Mind This sounds basic, but Im convinced that many people dont leave work on time simply because they dont set the expectation that they will. Instead, they simply go with the flow of the workday, working on whatever comes their way and neglecting to block time on their calendar for priority work. Then, at the end of the day, theres still a pile of work to do- all because they didnt plan for 5 PM.So, when you arrive in the morning, identify the time you want to leave that night. Put it on your calendar, set an alarm on your mobile phone, or simply make a psychological commitment to that departure time.It can also help to join a class or social group that meets at a set time after work, which will give you an extra incentive to manage your day to get out of work on time.2. Tell People When You Have to Leave If you start telling people you need to leave at a certain time, youll be much more likely to do so. Make the commitment to yourself, and then share it with others As you discuss plans and assignments throughout the day, tell your colleagues, Ive got to be out of here on time tonight, so if you need something, let me know by 3 PM.By encouraging your co-workers to give you as much notice as possible for any requests and umgebung the expectation that you wont be available in the early evening, youll avoid unnecessary last minute assignments or meetings.Try this method one day, then another, and then the next. Eventually, youll retrain your colleagues to expect you to leave on time every day. Plus, saying it out loud and owning your goal to leave on time will help you feel more empowered in your ability to do so.3. Allow 20 Minutes to TransitionOnce youve set your departure time, give yourself some practical help achieving it Block out the 20 minutes prior to that time on your calendar to clean up any last daily details (e.g., filing papers, organizing your workspace, and making sure all essential email is cleared out) and get ready for tomorrow.Treat these last few minutes like an important meeting with your boss or a client- i.e., dont let anything interfere with it, and dont let anybody schedule in one last meeting with you. This is a priority time slot thats non-negotiable.4. Do the Most Important Work Next, make sure your critical work is getting done- and getting done early. Do you work on a C-priority project because its more fun or less difficult than an A-priority project? I know- working on email may feel like youre getting things done,but it doesnt help you finish the monthly report thats due or the agenda for the big meeting next week.To make sure youre on track, heres a quick check Create a list with two columns. On the left side, list the three to five most critical priorities youre resp onsible for. On the right side, list all the activities you do during the day. At the end of the day, match it up. How much of what you accomplished on the right side was in direct support of your key priorities on the left?If you dont have a stellar match-up, you should re-evaluate the work youre choosing to do throughout the day. Getting your most important priorities done will not only make it easier to leave on time, but will also help you feel more satisfied about the work you accomplished.5. Stop Wasting Time During the Day If you constantly find yourself at the office late at night, also take a few minutes to evaluate your work practices during the day. Do you check your email every five minutes? Respond to every text immediately? Leave your instant messaging on all day?While it may seem necessary to constantly stay in touch with your colleagues, constant distraction can seriously undermine your productivity and focus, and all of these habits can work against you to keep you at work longer.Instead, challenge yourself to check email only at a few designated times during the day and block time on your calendar when youll turn off all your incoming distractions and hunker down to work on your key priorities.6. plektrum Up the Phone Speaking of productivity Email is a great tool for many things, but it can also easily become a time-consuming crutch- because often, a phone conversation takes less time and can be more effective.So if your inbox is cluttered with ongoing strings of messages that never seem to reach a resolution, and its holding up your work, then its time to change your strategy Pick up the phone. With a simple call, youll save hours of email reading, sorting, and responding.7. Use Technology to Help You FocusYes, some technology can certainly be a productivity killer, but there are also hundreds of apps and online tools that can help keep you focused. For example, 30/30 helps you stay on task for a specific time frame, and Freedom disconnects you from the internet to allow you to work without distractions. (When I first tried Freedom and turned my internet off for 45 minutes, something clicked. Because I knew getting online wasnt an option, I focused differently- and it completely shifted the way I approached my work.)At the very least, turn off the dinging alerts and visual icons for your email, texts, and social media messages. Getting out of work on time is about managing that workflow on your timeline, not the other way around.Its pretty simple Life is short time is precious. Doing great work and giving your job 100% doesnt have to mean spending hours of overtime at the office. The solution? Prioritize your responsibilities, minimize distractions, set the right expectations- and then, leave work on time.Photo of man leaving work courtesy of Shutterstock.

Help Me Hire a Minion

Help Me Hire a MinionHelp Me Hire a MinionHelp Me Hire a MinionWhile I am busy writing behauptung articles, I really could use a little help around the house, so I decided that maybe its high time to hire a minion.I placed an ad in the Minion DailyHelp Wanted Minion needed to do light housework, help with homework, and walk the dog. Must be punctual, wear blue overalls, and be good with dogs and kids. Caution our dog really likes to chew apart stuffed toys. All of the minions I have seen appear equally adorable and immature to me, so help me zupflmmel one of the three responses I have received.Minion AHave done housekeepingI like petting little dogsI got good grades in minion schoolI own lots of overallsMinion BI have been in two blockbuster movies called Despicable Me and Despicable Me 2, in which I played a minion. If you dont know what a minion is, we are yellow, cylindrical beings with either one or two eyes. We may look the same, but if you look closely you will be able to see d ifferences between our eyes, hair, height, weight, and clothes. We speak Minionese, which is a combination of many languages including French, English, Italian, Russian, Korean. We also make up our own phrases, such as bee do bee do bee do and backo backo. We do understand English. We find anything to do with buttocks extremely funny, especially if one of us can make copies of our bottom on a photocopier machine. We have an uncontrollable craving for fruit, especially bananas and apples (bapples). In the movies, I play with kids and am shown vacuuming, though I think the vacuum was off, and the sound effects made it sound like it was on.Minion CHOUSEKEEPER In the past four years, I have cleaned houses for five different families according to very strict standards. I am highly skilled at vacuuming, mopping, dusting, cleaning bathrooms, dishwashing, laundry (including folding), and washing windows with the help of a ladder.HOMEWORK HELPER For all the five families, I also helped with kids from grades 1 through 8 with homework in all subjects. I am able to help the kids be focused and finish their homework on time with positive reinforcement and rewards, but I am careful not to do the homework for the kids.DOG WALKER Two of the families I have worked with have dogs, including one large German shepherd. I was nervous at first with the dogs, so I took a certification course in dog handling and have no trouble since with not only walking dogs, but also helping to train dogs.TIMELINESS In the four years I have worked, I have been late only once, and that is because an ice cream truck abducted me.APPROPRIATE ATTIRE I own 3 pairs of blue overalls, and I wear one of them every day.The Different FormatsWhat did you think? Was it pretty clear which format best highlighted the applicants skills and abilities?Each of these minions used a different format commonly seen in federal resumes these days. Lets take a look at each one in further detail.BULLETED RESUMEVery popularEa siest to writePeople think I am easy to read.But most of the time I dont have enough information or I dont hit the necessary keywords.THE BIG BLOCK RESUMEI am the big block resume, and you can probably tell how I got my name. People used to use me a lot when the Resumix system was still in place, and even though Resumix has been retired, many people still use me. Resumix was a system where resumes were first evaluated by a computer for keywords. Now, however, all resumes submitted through USAJOBS are actually read by a menschengerecht being first, not a computer. The reason the big block resume shouldnt be used is obvious. People hate reading a big block. That is because it is missing a very important design element called white space. White space is how your eyes know what to read and how the information on the page is organized. If you dont have any white space on your paper, then the eyes have no idea where to go, and reading the big block is really hard work that takes an incred ible amount of additional concentration, especially right about now when you are in the middle of the block. Most people will completely lose interest in reading what you so carefully wrote, no matter how interesting or helpful the content might be. Moreover, most people using me as their format are simply taking all of the duties listed their position description and letting the lines all run together into this big block, creating something that is not only difficult to read, but also incredibly boring. You would not believe how long some of the blocks people submit are. We have seen many that are well over a page. Do your HR specialist and your application and huge favor and pick ANY format other than me.OUTLINE FORMAT RESUMESTAND OUT The Outline Format was developed by Kathryn Troutman in 1995 and has been accepted and highly praised by Human Resources specialist as the easiest to read.KEYWORD HEADERS Keywords are the orange traffic cones of your resume. The HR specialist scannin g the resume can immediately jump to the keywords they are looking for to find your experience with a particular knowledge, skill, or ability from the announcement.ALL CAPS HEADERS This is another tool we use to make the keywords stand out even more. We dont have the option to use underline and bold in the USAJOBS resume builder, so we are limited to using all caps. But doesnt it work really well?PLENTY OF DETAILS Your paragraphs should make a great case on how much experience you have with the topic keyword. Dont just list boring duties that no one else can understand. Write for someone who does not know your line of business, and provide plenty of supporting details.ACCOMPLISHMENTS Telling one or two significant accomplishments that you have had at the end of a job block really helps the HR specialist to visualize your level of success at your job. We like to present these accomplishments as stories to make them come alive, using our CCAR format. You can add them into your outline format paragraphs or set them apart with bullets at the end of the job block.As a federal resume writer, I have literally taken resumes that looked like Minion As and transformed them into ones that look like Minion Cs. Its possible- and necessary- if you want to get hired.The common sense tip for your federal resume is turn your bulleted or big block resume into an outline format federal resume________________________________________Paulina Chen has a passion for taking the complex and making it simple for people to understand. Paulina has been a graphic designer, developmental editor, and webmaster for The Resume Place for over 10 years. Since receiving her Certified Federal Job Search Trainer certification, she has been eager to show federal applicants that writing your best possible federal resume is within your reach. If you need more writing help with your federal resume, contact us for an absolutely free estimate. If you need expert advice or training, Kathryn Troutman the F ederal Resume Guru is still your best bet on the planet.* Image credit http//protagonist.wikia.com/wiki/FileDespicable-me-minions.jpg

Life, Death and Paralegal Resume

Life, Death and Paralegal Resume Paralegal Resume Options Theres no need to adhere to the traditional resume format, and youre absolutely free to be creative and show off your skills in your way. You ought to have the ability to smoothly transition from 1 task to the next. Although all resumes should have the exact standard content, there are in reality three different formatting options you may pick from, which sometimes results in confusion. Not all resumes are made equal, but there are a few general guidelines you can follow to make certain yours is on the proper track. Paralegal Resume the Ultimate Convenience Your letter shouldnt be more than 1 page. Research skills The paralegal ought to be an inquisitive nature, asking lots of questions, attempting to get to the origin of the issue and leid settling for under the reality. Utilize our cover letter sample to polish your abilities and receive the job that you want. To acquire an interview you will need to present your resume for the work application which is based on facts. Paralegal Resume Secrets That No One Else Knows About Therefore, paralegals have to be fully knowledgeable of legal concepts to carry out their duties. A paralegal also has to be careful to never offer you legal counsel except with the particular direction of her managing lawyer. She acts as a liaison between departments. Many paralegals have started to obtain reasonable recognitions from the profession. Paralegals, on the opposite hand, with hardly any exceptions, must work under the purview of legal counsel. They play a very important role in the legal industry. They complete a variety of tasks in order to assist lawyers in their activity. Terrific paralegals are resourceful and advanced. The Good, the Bad and Paralegal Resume The true trick to turning into a good paralegal is to be honest enough with yourself to recognize the regions where you should improve. She will rely on their other skills and traits to con tinue working toward the ultimate goal. Employing hard numbers to back up your experience indicates that youre an asset and will improve your likelihood of finding the job. A fantastic abilities or core competence section for your paralegal resume helps you to convincingly demonstrate the recruiter that youve got the qualities and expertise to succeed at work. Alongside their examples, youll also locate a comprehensive analysis of what makes a great paralegal resume stand out from the merely excellent ones. Paralegals perform substantive legal work and has to possess appreciable understanding of the law so as to execute legal work. In huge organizations, paralegals may work on a certain phase of an instance, as opposed to handhabung a case from beginning to finish. Quite simply, an individual may call a paralegal the correct hand man to an attorney. Using Paralegal Resume Employers want to realize that you work nicely with others, since thats a huge portion of your job for a paralegal. Paralegals need to be able to learn complicated problems related to their job, so they can explore alternatives and implement possible solutions. A paralegal is a great job for anybody who would like to make a great income and work in a challenging atmosphere. Continue reading for tips on how to write she resume to help better your chances of getting a job as a paralegal. Winning Paralegals resumes should highlight the capability to learn quickly and offer unwavering support in their job for a paralegal. They are important for almost any job you are pursuing, but they are especially important for paralegals due to the competitive nature of the field. Paralegal Resumes are essentially the resumes of assistants that are appointed under legal folks who handle legal matters for assorted entities. Paralegal careers may be available in many forms. To find out more on what it requires to be a Paralegal, have a look at our complete Paralegal Job Description. A Paraleg al ought to be highly organized and ready to work with firm deadlines. Time Management Skills Paralegals ought to be in a position to prioritize their work and use their time wisely.

Can Listening To Music Really Improve Productivity (+A Performance-Boosting Playlist!)

Can Listening To Music Really Improve Productivity (+A Performance-Boosting Playlist) The Impact Of Music On Work Performance (+A Productivity Playlist)Posted April 16, 2014, by Marni Williams The digital music streaming service Spotify has been watching closely while millions of us choose our tunes. But theyre using their data mining powers for good, having teamed up with Dr Anneli Haake, an expert on music in the workplace, to report back on our 9 to 5 listening habits. The result? A healthy 61 per cent of us listen to music while we work. Why do I say healthy? While to some people it still might appear that pulling the ear shutters down is anti-collegial, or that communal tunes sound like imposed aural torture, numerous studies (examples here, here and here)have proven that music in the workplace not only improves mood, but also increases productivity. So if you struggle with time management, heres why you should pop those earphones in Music has a positive effect on work performan ce Music Therapist Dr Theresa Lesiuk of the University of Windsor, Canada, established that the dopamine releases that come with music are pretty useful. Data from 56 developers was obtained from four different Canadian software companies and the resultsindicated that quality of work was lowest with no music A beneficial effect of music on task performance may be explained by increases in state positive affect. When music evokes a pleasant mood and an increased arousal state, participants perform better on non-musical tasks. Its even possible that by now this is something we know intuitively, because Spotifys research also found that 36 per cent of us think a bit of ear candy helps us to get through the day. A further 16 per cent of us would rather listen to the sound of music than our colleagues and a perhaps less productive 20 per cent admit to listening to music as a welcome distraction from their boring jobs. Either way, Lesuiks message is clear When music listening in the work environment is encouraged by project directors and the workers are amenable to music listening, then certainly music listening has a positive effect. Tunes boost morale I have to admit, I am only a recent convert to the productivity playlist. Im lucky enough to work in an office where a healthy Spotify list cranks most of the day and the radio gives us plenty to grimace at for the rest. But having come from a long line of hushed offices, it did take some adjustment for me to cross over from the silent side. I now laugh at the old me shuffling manuscripts around quietly, scoping out corners from which to take important phone calls and living in constant fear of my chewing breaching the acceptable decibel level. I dont think I ate a dry cracker at my desk for a decade In my experience, there is certainly something much freer and a hell of a lot more natural about sharing some music with your colleagues, even if you dont always get to listen to your music most of the time. And I can s till pop on the headphones when I need to focus. How important is the genre? Unremarkably, Spotify says the most popular workplace genres are chart music (34 per cent) and rock (29 per cent), followed by indie (22 per cent), but experts say that lyrics can sometimes be distracting, so if you can convince your colleagues to find their jazz hound or classical connoisseur within, then thats even better. Spotify says that one in 10 of us judge a colleague based on their choice of music, so there is a small risk involved in wearing your musical heart on your sleeve at work, but thats also part of the point. Sharing your love of One Direction with your colleagues is personal and the familiarity adds a lot to morale, the key is to make koranvers everyone gets a say in the choice and that you provide a good range. And if you cant please everyone, relax no one is really listening to the mix that closely, its there to provide a nice sound buffer and a bit of ambience. I certainly listen to di fferent music chilling out at home from when Im working out in the gym, so your colleagues will adapt to the kinds of music they like at work, too. Want to be more productive? See if you experience the Mozart effect with this lyric-free playlist - it could help boost your performance and get through your workday faster Looking for other ways to boost your productivity? Science says looking at kittens and puppies helps improve focus Dont believe us? Check out the science here ResourcesMy first resumeCover letter for my first jobCareer Insider StoriesShelley Lask - Body Positive Health & FitnessInterested in becoming a?Human Resources OfficerGeneral ManagerBusiness ManagerAccountantOffice AdministratorPopular Career Searchestime management techniques at workeffective oral and written communication skillsattention to detail skillsdefine communication skills11 top tips for effective time management CoursesBachelor of Social WorkEnquire Online Enquire OnlineCertificate III in Health Adm inistrationEnquire Online Enquire OnlineBachelor of Criminal JusticeEnquire Online Enquire OnlineCertificate III in Allied Health AssistanceEnquire Online Enquire OnlineMarni WilliamsRelated ArticlesBrowse moreCareer progressionJob hunting tipsJob title decoder have you been uptitled?Find out more about how job titles are being blown out of proportion and what this means for your career.Social mediaWork etiquetteThe employees guide to netiquetteWith the unlimited power of the World Wide Web and the proliferation of social media platforms, it is nave to think that our online presence has nothing to do with our real life reputation.Workers rightsWorkers with disabilitiesDisability not a disadvantage in the workplaceWhen looking to fill vacant positions, businesses want to hire the best possible candidate. Often this means that people with disability are overlooked in favour of those who may appear to be more fit and able.