Should I Put a Picture on My Resume (HR Experts Explain)

Should I Put a Picture on My Resume (HR Experts Explain) Resume with pictureGood idea? Terrible idea?Heres the issue:You sit for an interview. They love you. But then, landslide! They confuse your resume with someone elses. Youre stuck asking friends for spare change.Suddenly a resume picture sounds like a doggone good idea.But is it?This guide will show you:Why a resume with a picture is a bad career move.Why a picture on a resume makes a lot of sense (but you still shouldnt do it).What to do instead of putting a photo on your resume to get the same effect.Five resume photo tips if you want to ignore my great advice.Want to save time and have your resume ready in 5 minutes? Try our resume builder. Its fast and easy to use. Plus, youll get ready-made content to add with one click. See 20+ resume templates and create your resume here.Sample resume made with our builderSee more templates and create your resume here.One of our users, Nikos, had this to say:[I used] a nice template I found on Zety. My resume is now one page long, not three. Wi th the same stuff.Create your resume now1Should I Include a Picture on My Resume?In the US, UK, or Canada, dont submit a resume-with-picture. These countries are bias-conscious. Employers worried about discrimination lawsuits often discard resumes with pictures out of policy. Though resume photos may seem like a good idea, most career experts warn against them.A resume with a picture isnt a bad thought, though. It lets employers connect the sheet of paper with a living, breathing human being. It ensures they wont forget you or confuse you with another applicant. But even resumes for fashion models or BMW salespeople should not include headshots.Should You Put Your Picture on Your Resume? No. Heres Why:Employer nightmare:She looks through 200 resumes. Ten have resume pictures. She hires someone.A few weeks later, disaster! One of the picture-on-resume applicants sues her for discriminationand wins.This scenario is all too real. Its so scary for businesses in the US, UK, and other cou ntries that businesses have created policies against photos on resumes.Some companies will actually toss out all resumes with pictures.Unless you know for sure that the company wont do that, dont add a resume photo (even though its a great idea for other reasons).Should You Send a Resume with a Picture for a Modeling Job?What about jobs like modeling or high-end sales, where appearance is a qualification?Nope.Even with a modeling resume, dont send a resume with a picture.Save the photos for your portfolio. If its online (it should be) put a link to it in your resume header.Pro Tip: Pictures on resumes are common in mainland Europe. CVs with resume photographs do add valuable job search info when theres no danger of a lawsuit.Want a clean, professional resume header even without a resume picture? See our guide: Professional Resume Header Examples Why They Work2Why a Resume With Picture Is a Good Idea (But Dont Do It)Its all too common.The hiring team sits in the conference room with a stack of 190 resumes.Wheres that candidate? they say. The one we like. Its this one, isnt it?Its sooo much easier with a picture on a resume. They can just say, Yep, this guy here.A resume with picture is a great idea because your face is like a logo for your job search.Employers can match resumes with faces and make it easier to keep their choices straight.Plus, these days anyone can find you on social media anyway. Its not like leaving your photo off a resume makes you sight-unseen.ButPolicies against resume pictures are silly, but for now, theyre here to stay. Dont try to fight them, or youll disqualify yourself from jobs you want.Pro Tip: Youre right that linking a picture to your job search is a good idea. Just dont put a picture on your resume. Need some ways to get around it? Thats up next.Now you know not to send a resume-with-picture. Want some other great tips to make a resume that gets job offers? See our guide: How to Make a Resume for a Job [from Application to Inter view in 24h]3How to Solve the Picture-on-Resume DilemmaMake them remember you.Dont let the hiring team confuse you with another candidate.Do include a photo in your job search.Just dont send a resume with a picture.Heres how:Put a Logo on Your ResumeIf a picture on a resume is like your job search logo, why not use an actual logo?This works.Companies use logos for a reason. They want instant recognition.In your job search, you do too.You have two options:Pick the Initials template in our resume builder and youll get a ready logo with your initials on your resume:Create my resume nowIts simple yet eye-catching. No wonder its one of the best resume templates available.Or, if you want something more sophisticatedFind an artist on Etsy or Fiverr who can whip up a logo cheap for you. Even quicker, use a free logo design service like Free Logo Design.Then use our resume builder or Canva to add your logo picture to your resume.Add a Headshot Photo to Your LinkedIn ProfileYou cant put a pho to on your resume.But you can put a picture on your LinkedIn profile.ThenPut your LinkedIn handle in your resume header.Voila. Instant resume with a picture, but without a picture on your resume.Half of all recruiters will click through to your LinkedIn profile.The best LinkedIn pictures follow a few rules. Use this LinkedIn profile picture advice from a study of 60,000 user ratings by PhotoFeeler.com:SmileSquint a littleHave a shadow on your jawlineDress wellLook at the cameraDo those things, and youll stand out in a good way.Add Photos to Business Cards and Stick Them to Your ResumesYou already know you shouldnt use a resume picture.SoPut a photo on your business card, then attach it to your resume.Its the best of both worlds.Employers who like resume photos will get what they want.Those who cant use pictures on resumes will toss the business card and keep the resume.Personally, I cant stand business cards without pictures.When I get home from a conference with a stack of cards, I cant match any of them to the people I met.The downside? Business cards with photos make you look a little like a realtor. :)Pro Tip: Are you making a resume to bring to networking events? Non job-search resumes or one-sheets definitely should have pictures on them.Your LinkedIn profile is an extension of your resume. See our guide for tips: 99 LinkedIn Profile Tips: Background Photo, Headline, Summary4How to Put a Picture on a ResumeWant to ignore my great advice not to send a resume with a picture?Do so at your peril.You already know a picture on a resume can get your resume tossed out.If you want to do it anyway, heres how. Follow the LinkedIn photo tips above:Smile (with your teeth)Squint a bitShade your jawlineDress for successMake eye contactShow your head-and-shoulders onlyHave an unobtrusive backgroundNo selfiesPlace your resume picture at the top left. (Its okay to use the top right too.)Pro Tip: Dont be afraid to pay for a professional resume photo. Professional pictures for work will make you look more, well, professional. Theyre worth the extra $100.Whether or not you send a resume with picture, a well-formatted resume can move you to the top of the pile. See our guide for help: Resume Format: Samples and Templates for all Types of ResumesKey TakeawaysHeres what you need to know about resumes with a picture:Dont put a picture on your resume. Too many employers will toss it from fear of a discrimination lawsuit.Do add a logo to your resume to personalize it (if you like).Also include your LinkedIn address in your resume. Then hiring teams can see your smiling face.Finally, attach a business card with a photo to your resume. If the employer has a no-picture-on-resume policy, they can toss the card and keep the resume.Why do you want to use a resume with picture? Whats your craziest picture-on-resume story? Give us a shout in the comments. Wed love to talk!

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese How to Trim the Learning Curve for New Workers

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese How to Trim the Learning Curve for New Workers Its often been said that it can take a new employee from six months to a year to really become effective in an organization, but in todays fast-paced environment thats like saying its OK to still use dial-up. Organizations that hope to remain competitive must ensure that theyre not only hiring qualified workers, but that these new employees will be able to trim their learning curve so their input will be felt as soon as possible. But onboarding new workers can often be a difficult task, and many organizations fail. For example, half of all hourly workers leave new jobs within the first 120 days, while half of all senior outside hires fail within 18 months in a new position, research shows. In areportfor the Society for Human Resource Management Foundation on effective onboarding, Dr. Talya N. Bauer of Portland State University in Oregon notes that the faster new hires feel welcome and prepared to do their jobs, the faster they will be able to successfully contribute to the firms mission. One of the companies cited in Bauers report and is often included in best practices for onboarding is LOreal USA. The company doesnt end onboarding after a few weeks or months, as do many employers. Instead, it starts with a welcome of new workers on their first day and then supports each hire with a two-year, six-part integration program. CalledLOreal Fit, the program includes training and roundtable discussions; meetings with key insiders; on-the-job learning supported by line management; and individual mentoring. In addition, new hires at LOreal get field and product experiences by being allowed to visit different sites or shadow programs. Research shows that organizations that engage in formal onboarding by implementing step-by-step programs for new employees to teach them what their roles are, what the norms of the company are and how they are to behave are more effective than those that do not, Bauer says. In other words, employers that use a sink or swim approach for new employees may not only delay the effectiveness of their new workers, butdrive them out the door. Mary Ann Masarech, lead consultant of the employee engagement practice at BlessingWhite, says that many development efforts by employers fall short (read more here)

Building The Best Place To Work - Strong, Employee-Centric Core Values -

Building The Best Place To Work - Strong, Employee-Centric Core Values - Building a best place to work is easier than you think. With the right people and the right formula, any company can have the type of corporate culture that fosters employee retention and makes recruiting top talent easy. I know because the company I’ve been helping build as director of business development for the past six years, Confirm BioSciences, has consistently won Best Place to Work awards on a local and national level from the San Diego Chamber of Commerce and Inc. magazine, respectively. It’s also grown by 300% in that time from 15 to more than 60 employees. To build a best place to work, establish strong core values that put employees first and then stay true to those values. Let’s take a closer look. You need passion, trust teamwork. In startups, all employees must share a founder’s mentality of all hands on deck, meaning everyone has to be passionate about what the company does, they have to trust each other, and they must respect the value of teamwork. Your company should have employee-centric values that allow for development and eschew micromanagement. Always put employees first, especially during times of rapid growth. Your team is the heartbeat of the entire organization and will set your pace and placement in your industry. Putting the focus on your employees and trusting them to make decisions will promote retention and help you with recruitment. If you take care of your employees, they’ll be the service-oriented representatives that your customers deserve. Hand-select employees that embody the right corporate culture. Every employee you hire should fit your corporate culture, especially when your company is still small, because the smaller your company, the more of your workforce each individual represents. For example, if you have four people in your company, each of them is 25% of your entire workforce. When an individual is one quarter or one-fifth of your workforce, you want to make sure that person is completely on board with your culture. Hiring is one of the most important tasks for a young company and it should be given the time it deserves, so be intentional to ensure you are getting the right people. In time, these key hires will be senior leaders and stakeholders who represent your company on all levels. Transparency is key. Be honest with your employees, both when things are going well and when they aren’t. Be transparent about your company’s profitability and how it will affect them. Imagine that your company has a particularly profitable year. Your employees might be expecting a larger end-of-year bonus than the prior year. However, as a business owner, you might feel the extra profit could be better used to build a new facility to support growth or to expand employee benefits. Communicating throughout the year on this means they will value reinvestments to the company. And when your company isn’t doing well, it’s much better for employees to hear not so great news from you, so as a team you can pivot and change tactics collectively to impact the organization. An open door (or inbox) will help solicit feedback and creative solutions that are fundamental for innovation and growth. Empower your employees, allow flexibility provide support in shifting roles. Employees love new challenges and growing into expanded roles. Allow your team the flexibility to do that instead of trying to keep them in rigidly defined roles. They are the ones who have to fulfill the roles, so if they see a more efficient way of doing a task or they have a suggestion about something within the business, they should be encouraged to contribute their thoughts. Support them with training and education so they can become experts in the roles and departments they are passionate about. Confirm BioSciences did not have the budget to hire seasoned veterans early on, so we had to develop our own experts internally, and it’s paid off for us. When you ensure the framework is in place, that makes it possible for knowledge transfers, increased training and education. You build a brain-trust of passionate and enabled specialists who will make it their mission to drive company growth in multiples. In conclusion, remember that by establishing a strong and employee-centric corporate culture early on and fostering individual growth among your team members while keeping an open and transparent workplace, you can develop the type of company that wins those coveted Best Place to Work awards. Culture is not static, so encourage your team to evolve and reshape it within your mission to articulate the unique value your company represents to people. Keep your eyes forward and the collective engaged you will have a truly amazing team founded with cultural foresight in mind, that lingers in the air whether you are present or not. This guest post was authored by Sara Holtmeyer Sara Holtmeyer is the director of business development at Confirm BioSciences, where she oversees all business development initiatives involving strategic market plans, product and platform development, launches, business and organizational operations, as well as partnerships. Sara’s top interests include building relationships with customers and growing Confirm’s distributor base in key markets with customized client solutions across products, services, and technologies. As a key spokesperson of Confirm, Sara represents the company on the public front with a presence at national conferences, trade shows, and speaking engagements. Additionally, with a passion for sustainability, she serves as Confirm’s Green Eco Ambassador. Before her career at Confirm, Sara worked in client services and project management at ENCO Pharmaceutical Development, Inc. Prior, Sara studied anthropology at the University of North Florida, and is also certified in business strategy and competitive advantage from Cornell University. Outside of the office, Sara is likely to be on a new adventure traveling, dancing, hiking with her dog, or enjoying a glass of sweet iced tea.

The Context of Content and Your Personal Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

The Context of Content and Your Personal Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career S??i?l m?di? i? such a ??werful marketing tool ??t over 70% ?f ?m?ll businesses and solopreneurs ?truggl? with it. Oft?n, I ?m looking thr?ugh the social media of people starting up a business or running a business and am surprised to see how much they struggle to focus on any cohesive message â€" 70% ?f th??? th?t I l??k at ?r? terrible. For m?n? ?m?ll bu?in????? hiring a professional social media ????i?li?t is b???nd th?ir budg?t ?r l?w on th?ir ?g?nd? â€" this i? often wh? th?? ?uff?r. Because introduction to social media happens via their own personal account, there’s a lack of marketing focus or an actual target goal to what they want to achieve.   F?r m?, th? m?j?rit? of my w?rk is writing ?tr?t?gi?? ?nd ??n?ulting ?n h?w to ??timiz? accounts f?r bu?in?????.   When I look at a personal brand that is the foundation of a start-up or a solo business, I look for content that is balanced between personal and professional. If you want to do this yourself, especially if you’re bootstrapping then Pr?m?R??ubli? i? tr?ing t? fill in th?t g?? â€" it is an ?nlin? t??l f?r Twitt?r, LinkedIn, Instagram, (Pinterest,soon!) ?nd F???b??k th?t is ?im?d ??l?l? ?t small bu?in????? and solopreneurs. M??t th?t ?r? f?iling t? m?k? th? most ?f th?ir ???i?l media ?ft?n ?r? b???u??: Th?? are ?nl? ???ting ??l?? driv?n posts (?nl? 30% of ???t? ?h?uld b? â€" the ?th?r 70% ?h?uld be brand ?w?r?n???, kn?wl?dg? ?h?r? or community building) Im?g?? ?r? n?t ??timiz?d in t?rm? ?f size and ?u?lit? Im?g?? ?r? n?t u??d ?t all Posting t?? much ?t ?n?? (kn?wn as bur?t?) N?t ???ting ?n?ugh Posts ?r? n?t seasonally r?l?v?nt ?r u?ing n?w? ?nd ?v?nt? Th?? h?v? automated one of th?ir channels t? ?h?r? ??nt?nt from ?n?th?r so ???? i? n?t ??tim??d They d?n’t analyse statistics N?t responding t? r??li?? N?t m?nit?ring th? community, k?? h??ht?g?, or ???ul?r w?rd? At fir?t I will ?dmit th?t I w?? skeptical ?f Pr?m?R??ubli? â€" I loved th? concept but was worried that the content would be too generic or too familiar online and would be easily recognized like stock photos. Yet, th?? h?v? a system that I r??ll? w?uld recommend small businesses and solopreneurs to try out. B??i??ll? it br??k? down to thr?? diff?r?nt sections: th? ??l?nd?r, post ideas ?nd ?t?ti?ti??. The fir?t tim? th?t you ???n th? website ??u will g?t ??nt to th? dashboard â€" thi? i? m?inl? made u? of ideas but ?l?? has a ??u?l? of ?th?r features lik? a r?gul?rl? updated ti?, statistics, and a fully stocked event calendar filled with holidays and national/international days and special occasions. Th? d??ign of th? w?b?it? is v?r? nice and ?l??n but m??t im??rt?ntl? it is easy t? navigate. For im?g? creation, th?r? i? a gr??t m?nu ?n the side th?t shows wh?r? ??u are ?t all tim??. All ?f th? w?rding or descriptions ?f things are ?tr?ight f?rw?rd making it a ???t?m even th? m??t techno-phobic ??uld navigate. Th? whole dir??ti?n ?f PromoR??ubli? i? ?b?ut m?king managing ???i?l m?di? easy f?r small bu?in????? and solopreneurs ?nd it d?finit?l? m?n?g?? th?t.   Pr?m?R??ubli?’? int?gr?ti?n b?tw??n th? ideas ?nd ??l?nd?r i? b? far the best aspect of the whole ??rvi?? ?? it gr???full? w?lk? u??r? ?t?? b? ?t?? thr?ugh the process with?ut b?ing ??nd????nding ?r t?? confusing. Sponsored content.

How to Put Minor on Resume - Get Rid of Minor Problems

How to Put Minor on Resume - Get Rid of Minor ProblemsHow to put minor on resume is a good question and the answer may not be what you think. The problem lies in the fact that the employee is not conscious about the fact that they do not want to be humiliated by the company. But after this small lapse, they end up suffering from the humiliation of having an incompetent employee with a lower professional background.Once they have a good impression of you, they can easily work with you again. If they do so, they are bound to improve your standards and will be in a position to give their best. It does not mean that they will give the best that they can. It is just the case that in case of non-employment of your staff, you have not made any mistake in your decision.You should think that how can you recover that humiliation. One option is by trying to contact the employees. By talking to them, you will be able to know whether the previous employee has a new face. If there is a new face in the company, it means that they have replaced the person with a person who will not be incompetent but of higher qualification. If that is the case, it is your duty to make the employee aware of the fact that he/she is not the only one whose records need to be checked.There are various methods that can be used to identify that a person is incapable. One is that the person is so ignorant that you will not be able to get any clarity about his/her skills. If this is the case, it is best to leave him/her. Even if there is another candidate available who can help your business in any way, you should first of all let the person know that you are not interested in hiring the staff you are after.Another method is by making the person aware of the fact that you are not interested in hiring him/her. The way you choose to handle this situation is really dependent on the kind of person you are dealing with. While making the person aware of the fact that he/she is not good enough, you should tr y to make the impression of not caring about his/her skills. After all, you are not looking for a person to do the same task as the previous employee. You want a person who can do better and at lower cost.If the person knows about the fact that you are not interested in hiring him/her, it means that he/she already has enough knowledge about your work. In that case, you have a few options. One is that you can try to give the new staff the same tasks and responsibilities as the former staff. If that does not work, you can leave the job vacant so that he/she can complete the work in the most effective manner.You can also go for the next option and this is called temporary work. You can get your employee to start from home. In that case, you can even do away with the interview process. By having this kind of arrangement, you will be able to give some of the employees training so that they can be qualified to take over the work once the person starts working from home.In a word, you can ask the employee to start from home even before he/she is going to work in the company. This can be very advantageous for you because you can avoid wasting your money on someone who will not be able to do the work for which he/she was hired. It is definitely better to let the person feel that you are happy that he/she has not been fired.

Dreading Open Enrollment Breeze Through It With These 6 Questions - Cubicle Chic

Dreading Open Enrollment Breeze Through It With These 6 Questions - Cubicle Chic Dreading Open Enrollment? Breeze Through It With These 6 Questions Career, Corporate Life, Lifestyle November 7, 2017 9 CommentsThank you Dignity Health for sponsoring this post. Enroll in humankindness.Ah, health insurance and open enrollment… something all of us have to live with yet none of us look forward to dealing with.   For those of us who work in Corporate America and buy health insurance through our employer, late October and early November is usually when “Open Enrollment” rolls around. When it does, we all collectively sigh a little bit in our heads. Leave a comment that says “UGH YES” if that’s you! Yes, a year has passed and yes, we have to spend time again scrolling through documents and make life and death decisions …just feels so pesky!But fear not! I’ve taken my own experience and hours of research and come up with a list of 6 questions to help you navigate this process! To make things more interesting, I’ve got an infographic, a cheat sheet for glossaries, and a simple Youtube video, among other things. I posted 6 questions for you to think about in order to prepare for Open Enrollment… are you ready??Do you know what aspect of your life Open Enrollment impacts?Open enrollment is a period when you make selections to choose the best benefits that will help you and your family. Part of this benefits package is health insurance, which is arguably the most important part of your benefits package.But there are other things that are part of your benefits package that you may want to look into tweaking during open enrollment â€" life insurance, short-term and long-term disability insurance, child care reimbursement, FSA/HSA, etc. Know the different aspects of open enrollment and which part of your life these benefits impact!Do you understand all the terms and vocabularies regarding health insurance?Sometimes, they might as well be speaking a different language. I know for myself in most of my 20’s, I probably didn’t understand half of the nomenclature related to health insurance. Co-pay, ded uctible, HSA, PPO, HMO… they all escaped me. Just like learning a language, practice and experience make new words stick. So keep a useful glossary like this handy and available during open enrollment.Also, here is an amazing video that explains some of the common healthcare insurance terms in absolute simplicity:  Do you have big life events coming up?Depending on your age, gender, employment status, general health state, there are many ways to pick your health insurance coverage. But in general, there are a few life events that would dramatically change what kind of health insurance you would require:  Are you planning a wedding next year? You might want to consider your health insurance plan against your future spouse’s. One might be better than the other, so you might want to consider adding him/her onto your plan!Are you getting married next year your future spouse might need your insurance?If you are getting married, your spouse may benefit from your healthcare insurance if, for some reason, she or he doesn’t have their own insurance or has a less favorable plan than yours. You might want to consider what the premium will be for another person. It’s usually more expensive than your own premium. Getting married is one of the “qualified life events” that allows you to add more people to your health insurance plan, but it doesn’t allow you to change the plan itself. So if your future spouse has different medical needs than you, this is the time to consider that!Are you planning on having a baby biologically or via adoption?If you are, find out about two things â€" do you have a specific OB/GYN you want, and research on what kind of medical expenses you need to expect (standard pregnancy delivery related type of expenses as well as genetic testing if you are a bit older and fall into the high-risk group). Based on your answer, there is a list pregnancy related things you should find out from your insurance company to figure out how to best ch oose a plan.Do you plan on having major medical procedures done next year?If you are, you might want to increase your FSA or HSA contribution, so you have more pre-tax cash hanging around to pay for your planned medical procedure. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau,r  oughly half of all collection accounts on credit reports are due to medical debt. To the extent that you can prepare, plan for these medical procedures ahead of time!Does your employer offer a webinar/seminar or benefits fair to go over the details of your options?If you’re getting health benefits from your employer, around this time (late October early November) is when they usually host an event where all your employee benefits are explained to you. This is when you go with all your questions ready so you can get one-on-one, individually based answers. Studies have shown that two-thirds of millennials wish they spent more time during open enrollment to look at their selections (see more statisti cs at the bottom of this post!). Don’t miss your one chance to ask questions and get the answer immediately!Do you understand the relationship between your lifestyle and your medical needs?Besides how often you fall sick and how dependent you are on seeing a doctor, there are many other factors in your lifestyle that may change your health insurance plan selection. For example, do you have acne problem and therefore need to see a dermatologist very often? Are you a rock climbing enthusiast and go out into nature to do outdoor climbs a lot, therefore need a plan that will cover your needs in case you get injured? Another factor is your relationship with your physician, whether be it specialty physician or family doctor… do you feel like you have to see this one particular doctor in order to have your medical needs met? If so, you might want to consider choosing a plan in which the doctor is an in-network physician.Being in California, one of the most interesting things I learned from a study done by Dignity Health is that most Californians don’t choose their insurance plan based on whether their preferred doctors are in the network or not (see infographic at the bottom of the page).   This is just something for you to consider.What are FSA/HSA and how do I know which one I need?These are some of the most confusing parts of Open Enrollment, as I found in my own experience. FSA and HSA are similar that  they both allow you to contribute to an account tax-free so you can spend the money on “qualified medical expenses” such as copay and other prescription costs.How they are different though and whether you should choose one or the other, takes more time to understand. Basically, HSA is only for people that are on high deductible health plans or HDHP. And if you’re not on that, FSA is the option for you. Here is a more in-depth comparison of the two savings plan if you are interested to dig deeper. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVE R and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Stressed out Join the club

Stressed out Join the club Who isnt stressed out right now.   There is so much going on in our lives.   If you are unemployed, there is financial stress, emotional stress, waiting stress (stress caused by waiting for a return call or status of interview).   If you are working, there is time management stress, and a myriad of job related stressors. I was almost hyperventilating yesterday, I couldnt take a deep breath.   There was this overwhelming feeling like I had too much to do and not enough time.   But you know what, I cause my own stress.   I am notorious for waiting until the last minute to get things done.   But instead of obsessing over all the things I needed to do, I wrote them all down on a list and went for a walk. Phew.   When I returned, I felt less overwhelmed and had a clearer idea of what I needed to do to get out of the weeds! Step one is recognizing what is causing this stress.   The more specific you can get in identifying the stress, the easier is can be to address it. 3 Ways to Reduce Stress: Physical: Introducing physical activities into your daily routine has been proven to reduce stress.   Walking, cycling, swimming, yoga or anything that gets you moving and gets your endorphins flowing. Emotional: Picking up an instrument, telling jokes (laughing), singing or any activity that would bring you emotional relief. Intellectual: Charging up the brain by solving a crossword puzzle or sudoku, a jigsaw puzzle, learning a new language, attending classes or teaching yourself   new skill can all chip away at stress too. Taking time for yourself to re-energize and eliminate stress can be so helpful.   As the flight attendants say, please secure your oxygen mask first so you may better assist those traveling along side you. Here are some additional posts to help you look at ways to reduce the stress in you life or at least recognize that you are not alone. Workplace Stress:   Top Tips for Career Survival from Debra Wheatman Everything Youre Doing Thats Stressing Out Employees from Business Insider *This post cites a recent study done by the American Psychological Association and the findings indicate that almost half surveyed are stressed by their low salaries. 5 Steps to Creating a Balanced Life from WorkAwesome What have you been doing to eliminate stress in your life? (Photo By mia.gant)