Interview With Valerie Germain

National Business Women's Week

Next week is National Business Women’s Week (October 17-21). There are so many incredible women who paved the way for my generation and the generations to come. Over the course of the next week, please follow us on Facebook and Twitter to pay homage to some of these inspiring women.

Student Interview with Nora Kzirian

Work experience is an integral part of one’s journey, but returning to academia ten years later can present challenges. It is one of the biggest concerns for most returning students. Nora told me, “My online educational experience started rocky. I had not been a student for nearly a decade and at that point had forgotten many of the rules for academic writing.”

Women in the Workplace

I came across McKinsey’s annual Women in the Workplace Report for 2016. The study was conducted by LeanIn.org and McKinsey. It looked at more than 34,000 men and women at over 130 companies. While the results are not necessarily a surprise, it tells us there is much more work to be done.

Work life balance

How do you define your work-life balance? And by the way – where did that phrase come from?

Attending Conferences

Conferences are like a week of summer camp sans the archery or rock climbing for adults. The only hitch – there is work to be done when you return, but there are three great benefits!

Trending: Volunteer Sabbaticals

Today, there is an increasing trend to offer employees paid time off to volunteer. In a March 16, 2015 Forbes article, “These 21 Companies Will Pay You to Take Time Off” Colleen Kane highlights the options available at companies such as Pricewaterhouse Coopers, REI, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, The Cheesecake Factory, The Container Store, and Adobe Systems. While each company’s program is different, they all offer this type of paid time off to volunteer, and the employee can choose a charitable organization that aligns with their interests.

Fiction or Nonfiction?

In July, McKinsey & Company published an article about summer reading. They listed 17 CEOs and what they were reading this summer. Of the 57 titles listed, 84% were nonfiction. Only 9 works of fiction were listed, including a Mandarin Chinese version of Mulan (that was interesting).

Management Through Appreciation and Recognition

When leaders manage those under them only through expectations and demands, discussing performance on an annual basis, workers at all levels are left feeling undervalued. This leads to dissatisfaction and resentment, which ultimately prevents the person from effectively doing his/her job. And it doesn’t stop there – resentment and negativity can breed like rabbits.

Poor Communication Has a Huge Financial Impact

Confusing emails, poor directions, incomplete responses - have you ever thought about the actual cost of poor communication?

5 Writing Tips For Business

Business writing, like all forms of writing, can’t be sloppy, unfocused, or lack structure. As a writer, I get numerous questions about writing techniques. It doesn’t matter whether you are writing creative nonfiction, a business proposal, or content for a website, there are numerous tips.

Updating LinkedIn When You're In-Between Jobs

LinkedIn is a professional networking site, therefore if your place of employment it not up-to-date, you might lose out on a potential job or confuse people who are looking to learn more about your company or your profession.