June 2007 - Posts

• Want to Live the Good Life? Stop Getting in Your Own Way

  Adrian Savage , an author and a retired business executive, is an older gentleman with some perspective. He wrote an excellent post on Lifehack about giving yourself the best shot at a good life. He offers some wonderful lessons for those of us in our Read More... Posted Friday, June 29, 2007 7:00 AM by AlexandraLevit | 1 Comments Filed under: Attitude & Motivation, Emotional Intelligence, Personal Development, Productivity

• “The System” Has a Face

  In the business world, the nonprofit world, academia, you name it, there is something known as “the system.” The system is a set of rules for how things must be done, and how people must conduct themselves. “The system” is associated with bureaucracy, Read More... Posted Monday, June 25, 2007 8:10 PM by AlexandraLevit | 0 Comments Filed under: HR Issues, Office Politics, People Skills, Work

• Feeling Overwhelmed? Speak Up.

  The summer is supposed to be the least stressful period of the year, but in most organizations today, no one can score a break from the frenetic pace – not even from June-September. In fact, summer months can actually be more pressure-filled because more Read More... Posted Friday, June 22, 2007 7:00 AM by AlexandraLevit | 1 Comments Filed under: Attitude & Motivation, Life Balance, Ownership & Initiative, Daily Life, Work

• Six Tips for Blanking on Someone’s Name

  As a person who believes in the power of using people’s first names when networking in business, but who has a permanent impairment when it comes to remembering them, I found this post from Gretchen Rubin over at the Happiness Project extremely valuable. Read More... Posted Wednesday, June 20, 2007 7:56 PM by AlexandraLevit | 0 Comments Filed under: Emotional Intelligence, Handy Resources, People Skills, Troubleshooting

• How to Write the Perfect Thank You Note

  On Vault.com this week, Judi Perkins offered some great advice on writing a thank you note after a job interview. I love this topic because it’s discussed so infrequently, as if people fundamentally understand that a thank you note should in fact be written, Read More... Posted Monday, June 18, 2007 7:00 AM by AlexandraLevit | 0 Comments Filed under: Best Practices, Communication, Handy Resources, Job Hunting, Personal Marketing

• Do You Know How to Take a Compliment?

  My husband watches a lot of sports on television, and he usually sticks around for the post-game interviews. He recently noticed a common thread in these conversations. Inevitably, a reporter will be congratulating an athlete on a spectacular play, and Read More... Posted Friday, June 15, 2007 7:00 AM by AlexandraLevit | 2 Comments Filed under: Attitude & Motivation, Best Practices, Communication, People Skills

• Beware of Self-Absorbed Blogging

  Lately, I’ve been hearing a lot about the presumed self-centeredness of bloggers. The topic came up again today when I read Patricia Kitchen’s post, which said that while speaking at recent conferences, Patricia had audience members dismissing all blogs Read More... Posted Wednesday, June 13, 2007 7:00 AM by AlexandraLevit | 0 Comments Filed under: Communication, Personal Marketing, Blogging

• First Rule of Salary Negotiation: Don't Tip Your Hand Too Early

  Steven Rothberg at College Recruiter posted a great article from Beyond.com on salary negotiation. I loved this piece in particular because it addresses the question of how much information to give away about your requirements before the interview. This Read More... Posted Monday, June 11, 2007 7:00 AM by AlexandraLevit | 0 Comments Filed under: Compensation, Job Hunting, Work

• Nobody Cares About Titles Anymore…Or Do They?

  Corporate hierarchies are out. Organizations are flatter than ever. Entrepreneurialism is the new best practice. The newest college grads are railing against the establishment, saying they don’t want to “pay their dues” in order to climb the corporate Read More... Posted Friday, June 08, 2007 7:00 AM by AlexandraLevit | 0 Comments Filed under: Attitude & Motivation, Office Politics, Reviews & Promotions, Plans, Hopes, Goals

• Job Hunting/Recruiting on Craig’s List? What Will They Think of Next?

  A post by Laurie Smith over at Career Hub talks about the rise of Craig’s List as a job hunting and recruiting tool. That’s right. Not only can furnish your new apartment or sell your old baseball card collection on the classifieds mega-portal, you can Read More... Posted Wednesday, June 06, 2007 7:00 AM by AlexandraLevit | 2 Comments Filed under: Handy Resources, Job Hunting, Technology

• Americans Are Still Puritans At Heart

  I am taking an actual vacation. To someplace warm and tropical. Yes, you heard correctly. I am writing this week’s posts in advance so that I can go away with my husband, leave the laptop at home, and lie on the beach and do nothing for a week. Believe Read More... Posted Monday, June 04, 2007 7:00 AM by AlexandraLevit | 0 Comments Filed under: Current Affairs, Life Balance, Work

• The "American Dream" Shouldn't Be Everyone's Dream

  It seems like every other business book I pick up lately is written by a successful entrepreneur who either A) experienced a ridiculous amount of trial and tribulation to pursue his dream – such as living homeless for a year – or B) shunned a traditional Read More... Posted Friday, June 01, 2007 7:00 AM by AlexandraLevit | 0 Comments Filed under: Current Affairs, Discovering Your Passion, Business, Work, Plans, Hopes, Goals