One tiny little task is left: crafting the perfect home office that’ll keep you productive.

But how do you know you’re on the right track?

The perfect home office has two benefits: It keeps you organized so you know what you should be doing and where documents are, and it keeps you motivated to work even when your TV and unlimited streaming subscription are right around the corner.

You can create it in three easy steps:

1. Carve out your space

The perfect office space isn’t a corner of your bedroom or your kitchen, or a pillow on top of your stomach on the couch. For long-term success, the perfect home office is a dedicated workspace that has all of the materials you need to do your job right.

First, make sure you plan your space based on what you do. (Click here to tweet this thought.) Let functionality be the first hallmark of your home office space. Make sure your printer, fax machine and phone are easily accessible.

Then let your speciality guide you. If you’re an artist, you’ll need plenty of desktop space for drafting and illustrating by hand. If you’re a freelance writer, a comfortable chair for reading and research might be worth the space.

Don’t forget to leave room for creativity. It shouldn’t be all about business. Part of the benefit of working from home is letting your surroundings inspire you. Avoid defaulting to what you’ve known in cubeland. Decorate with your eclectic style or let pictures of your family be the centerpiece.

Do you do a lot of drafting or thinking? Focus on carving out wall space for white boards. Do you want a jungle of plants? It’s your call. But be choosy. Experiment with different decorations to find out if that poster of the latest Hollywood heartthrob makes you more creative or predisposes you to daydreaming. Keep personality and family involved, but don’t let them distract you

2. The perfect desk space

Once you’ve identified where the desk needs to go, make sure it’s suited to how you work. The perfect desk space leaves you comfortable enough to get a lot done, but engaging enough to keep the creative juices flowing.

Yes, you still need to clean up after yourself. You might not be able to bill for organizing and cleaning, but 90 percent of Americans find clutter at home and work a cause for negativity. Your home office is no exception, so clean up your workspace at the end of the day. File away papers, resources and binders, and leave yourself a sticky note of things to follow up on. Once a week, clean out and condense those sticky notes, too.

Customize your desk space to make yourself more productive. The real freedom of working from home is absolute customization. You can figure out your weaknesses and put tools in your desk space to help you work around them, no matter what that might look like to former officemates.

Whether you’re a visual thinker or kinesthetic learner, accommodating your own preferences will go a long way in making you more productive (think huge Post-Its, wall-sized calendars or white-board paint to make your entire desk a notepad).

And don’t just sit there. If you’ve got the space and the know-how, consider a stand-up desk, a desk that can convert to a stand-up or a makeshift desk attached to exercise equipment.

Varying your working routine by sitting, standing and exercising gives you variety throughout the day without having to move from location to location — and, oh yeah, warding off that whole “death by sitting” thing.

3. The perfect office lighting

Stick a lamp in your office and you’re done, right? Not so much. When you work from home, especially without natural light, take lighting seriously. Eye strain from looking at a screen with low lighting is a serious problem for those who work on a computer.

Understand the triangle of lighting. Three kinds of lighting should be in your home office: mood lighting, task lighting and balance lighting.

Mood lighting should be in a soft shade of yellow and on the dim side. Task lighting — the lighting closest to where you work — should be bright and white to help you zero in on your work. For computer users, balance lighting is a soft white or yellow glow powerful enough to even out the computer light and help you avoid eye strain.

Use different lighting for different tasks to create moods. The good news about investing in different kinds of lighting is that making use of these three moods can help you be more productive and program you to respond to certain cues.

Train yourself to start shutting down for the day by switching to mood lighting toward the last half-hour of your workday. Or use a particular task lamp for all of your hand-drawn illustrations so that when you turn the lamp on, it helps trigger a certain mindset for a specific task.

Ready to work? When you pay attention to your home office desk, lighting and workspace, you can jump right to the benefits of working from home.

What home office tips do you wish you’d learned early on?

Look sharp! Sarah Greesonbach is a full-time freelance writer with Greesonbach Creative, a distinctive copywriting and content studio of one. She also blogs at Life Comma Etc about back-to-basics food, better relationships and more money for everybody, notwithstanding the occasional elegantly-posed cat photo.

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The post Create the Perfect Home Office That Will Keep You Motivated appeared first on Brazen Life.

If you’re a recent college graduate, take a look at this attitude adjustment checklist so you don’t make a big mistake that could hold you back—or even get you fired.

1. The boss, customer or coworker is always right, even when they’re wrong

You’re paid to show up on time, perform a service and generally be pleasant. If something you don’t like happens in the workplace, you’re entitled to your opinion and to discuss it with your supervisor in a one-on-one meeting and have it resolved.

But you’re not entitled to cop an attitude, shoot out passive-aggressive tweets and emails about it or stop working hard to “show everyone.”

Stay classy at all times. Even when someone is screamingly, grossly or inappropriately wrong. Just stay classy. Do what you can, leave the room and follow up with your supervisor for an appropriate course of action.

2. The place for personal technology is not your desk

Cell phones and personal technology items are everywhere. Even if you have a lax office environment, you don’t have a free license to text, tweet and SnapChat through your day’s work. (Unless you work as the social media expert at Zappos or Hootsuite, of course.)

Appropriate access means checking your phone for important messages every few hours or having your phone in your pocket (without your hands on it). Carrying on active conversations or missing deadlines due to smartphone hijinks means you’re in for an uncomfortable conversation.

3. You’re not the universe’s gift to your employer

If you believe your workplace is lucky to have you, you may be in need of an attitude adjustment. Employment is a pleasant arrangement of partnership between two benefiting parties, and if you do it right, you can get a lot out of it.

Your employer makes an income based on your work (translation: even if you’re amazing at what you do, you can be replaced), and you make a reliable income from your employer (translation: even if the job is awesome, you can find a new one).

Luck or emotional attachment shouldn’t factor into this situation. To think you’re gracing the workplace with your presence—and therefore it’s okay to take a long lunch, show up late frequently or cop an attitude about common practices—means you may not be adjusting well.

4. Work isn’t an “if I show up, I’m good” proposition (Click to Tweet!)

When you show up to work, it shouldn’t be obvious you stayed up til 3:00 a.m drinking with friends or driving back from the nearest large city. Sliding into your desk on time at 9:00 a.m., hung over and barely groomed, doesn’t cut it in a professional workplace.

If you’re receiving a regular paycheck, eat regular meals and sleep regular hours—at least during the workweek—so you can bring your A-game at all times.

5. Work isn’t a whim

In this increasingly digital and mobile world, the workplace is often more flexible and casual. But with great flexibility comes great responsibility. Just because you can do something at home doesn’t entitle you to do it at home.

And not having meetings lined up for the morning doesn’t mean you can ask your boss to let you roll in late just because. For every favor you ask, you’re using up your professional “bank”—make sure it’s worth it.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with the attitude-challenged? Do you think this behavior is unique to 20-somethings, or is it a workplace epidemic?

Sarah Greesonbach is a former teacher turned content and new media specialist who blogs at Life [Comma] Etc about simple food, better relationships and more money for everyone. If you want more of any of that, connect with her on Twitter @AwYeahSarah or see what she’s up to at Greesonbach Creative.

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The post An Attitude Adjustment Checklist to Keep You Successful at Work appeared first on Brazen Life.

Did you know that that waiting period is a federally-mandated minimum? Ninety days is the maximum waiting period that companies can take before providing benefits to new employees. Not only does this move save your new company money (up to $410 per month); it also allows them to make sure you’re going to stick around before they fill out (and pay for) all of the paperwork.

Before you give in to a good, hard freak out over what you’re going to do for those three months, here are three steps that will help you get through it:

Know your rights

Affordable health insurance is important, whether you work for yourself or find yourself between jobs. Read up on the current legislation and hold your ground when you seek medical coverage. Some important (and interesting) updates to the Affordable Care Act include the following:

• You can’t lose coverage due to getting sick.
• You can’t lose coverage for making unintentional paperwork mistakes.
• Insurance companies must meet spending requirements for your premium. (Translation: they can’t deny you care and keep your premium dollars for their own bonuses and marketing purposes—80 cents of every dollar must be spent on you or refunded to you.)

Knowing where to go for answers can save you a lot of time and money in the long run, especially during a period of career transition.

Get in shape and brush your teeth

Sometimes health care in the US seems a lot more like sick care because you only see a doctor (or take a trip to the hospital or fill a prescription) when you’re sick. But you can reduce your medical needs by reaching and maintaining a healthy weight and taking care of your teeth. A healthy person also sees a doctor much less often.

An added benefit of general health is a cheaper health insurance premium if you decide to get independent health care (if, for example, you ever decide to work for yourself).

Save for COBRA

The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) is health care coverage that takes effect when you leave a job but need to maintain coverage (unless your company covers fewer than 20 employees, in which case in many states it is called “State Continuation”).

Before you leave your job, set a savings goal to cover the monthly expenses you will accrue during the time of transition. Get an idea of your situation by reviewing your current pay stub and doing the math. If your company covers 80 percent of your premium, multiply the cost deducted from your paycheck by 1.8 to get a rough estimate of your monthly payment without their help. (If they cover 70 percent, multiply by 1.7, and so on.) Multiply that by three (for three months) to get your 90-day COBRA savings goal.

Have you experienced the 90-day health care wait? How did you deal with it?

Sarah Greesonbach is a Content and New Media specialist who blogs at Life Comma Etc about career, money and love. Follow her on Twitter @LifeCommaEtc for hot links and retweets, or just kind of roam around the Internet long enough and you will probably run into her.

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The post What to Do When Health Care Doesn’t Kick In Immediately at Your New Job appeared first on Brazen Life.

• You outgrow your position or the company.
• You get poached by a growing company who wants your skills.
• You get so good you need to freelance to keep up with the demand.

No matter why you decide to leave a company, winners leave their workplace better than they found it and arrive at their new job with clean karma. Follow these tips to resign from your job like a pro:

Give informal notice, then formal notice

Are you one of those people who relish giving their two weeks’ notice? (You do know to give two weeks’ notice, right?)

Take a deep breath. Instead of waltzing into the office and shoving your letter in the face of HR, show respect to your coworkers and direct supervisor by giving them a private head’s up about your decision. Surprises can be fun, but spare your teammates some drama (and shock) by sharing with them first.

Offer to help with the transition, but don’t expect a consulting gig

If your company suspects you’re leaving them in a lurch intentionally so that you can sell them on your consulting fees, it’s likely they won’t take you up on that offer. No one wants to feel blackmailed! Politely offer to provide transitional training, but leave the final decision in their hands. Play hard to get; if they want your expertise, they can have it, but you are fine with taking your hard-earned knowledge with you when you go.

You can be honest in the exit interview, but you need to stay positive

When it comes to facing an exit interview, here’s something you may not want to hear: either HR knows what’s wrong with the company and they aren’t planning to do anything about it, or they don’t know what’s wrong and they darn sure don’t want to hear about it from you. If you think you’re going to change an entire company in an hour’s time, you might want to reassess your approach—but that doesn’t mean you can’t offer a little advice.

Instead of trying to cover too much, offer positive insight on one or two carefully chosen priorities. For example, instead of providing an analysis of the market rate salaries and how the company is shortcutting their employees, let them know they’re underpaying by sharing something like “I know better compensation would go a long way toward helping people feel recognized and appreciated.” It’s honest, it’s not accusatory and it may just get your former coworkers a bump in pay.

No, really: stay positive

You may actually be leaving the worst job on earth. But even if everyone knows it, it only reflects poorly on you to go out saying so.

Professional, classy individuals don’t express extreme emotions on the job. That includes the sentiment that everyone you worked with is crazy and deserves to be fired. This is your opportunity to practice your win-win reasoning muscle. Use it!

Sarah Greesonbach is a content and communications expert with a lot on the back burner. She manages and writes for the lifestyle and personal finance blog Life [Comma] Etc and launched her first ebook, Life After Teaching, in April 2013.

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The post How to Resign From Your Job Without Burning Bridges appeared first on Brazen Life.

Here are a few important principles—in love and business—that can help you make those tough decisions:

1. Use the first date to feel out your compatibility and pick up on warning signs

The interview (a.k.a. the job equivalent of a first date) is much like its relationship counterpart; you get a general impression of a person and, if you’re paying attention, you can also get a preview of the warning signs.

Note the work environment and the how people present themselves (carefully dressed? splatters of food on the tie or on the desktop?) and how the two relate to each other. An interviewer who talks down to a secretary gives the same impression as a date talking down to a waiter. Look for the basics of kindness, common sense and a touch of humor to give you an impression of what your day-to-day life would be like with this person (or employer) in it.

2. Realize both partners should be giving and taking, not just taking

Give and take is a natural cycle on the job and in your relationships. Don’t get too strict about keeping score, but be sure you have a general sense of when someone (or some job) isn’t contributing a fair share. In the workplace, this could mean telecommuting in exchange for lower pay, or a generous expense account for a tough travel schedule.

If your company starts to pull perks without compensating you in another way, that could be a warning sign that they don’t have your interests at heart… or anywhere at all. In the same way you would seek balance with a partner, don’t be silent about your employer’s lack of consideration. Speak up or move on!

3. Try something new if you don’t feel committed

Leaving is hard, especially when you feel comfortable in your job (or relationship). But if you find yourself “just getting by” or feeling like you aren’t growing as a person or as a professional, you may be in the wrong job.

Don’t get me wrong; very few people wake up thrilled-beyond-reason every morning, in work or in love. There are good days and bad days in every field. But if at the end of the year you don’t come out on top, you’re putting your long-term happiness at risk. Assess the pros and cons of the situation with a close friend and see if you’re really getting what you need out of your job.

4. Play the field to learn more about yourself and find the best fit for you

Therese Schwenkler hit the nail on the head when she wrote, “You don’t start off knowing the exact person you’re going to marry, and no one expects you to…So why do we expect this when it comes to our careers?“

Within a given field, there are as many dream job possibilities as there are job openings. Each position will be different from the other in the way that one potential spouse is different from every other. Some people luck into the perfect job on their first go around, but more and more find it by accident after two or three tries. Many more find a way to make the perfect job for themselves. (Though maybe don’t try that in a relationship, Dr. Frankenstein…)

The important thing is to try new careers (and hobbies and experiences) to keep learning about what you like and what you don’t like, what you need from a job and what you couldn’t care less about.

No job, like no relationship, will be perfect in the long run. But if you make the commitment not to settle and you keep an open mind, you just may find a spouse and a career that help you achieve long-term happiness.

What other relationship or career rules would you recommend?

Sarah Greesonbach is a content and communications expert with a lot on the back burner. She manages and writes for the lifestyle and personal finance blog Life [Comma] Etc and recently launched her first ebook, Life After Teaching.

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The post 4 Relationship Rules That Will Help You Fall in Love With a Job appeared first on Brazen Life.

More than 90 percent of people who took a Verizon poll admitted to daydreaming during meetings, and more than a third even dozed! If either of those behaviors sounds familiar to you, here are three tips to help you survive—and thrive—in boring office meetings:

1. Doodle productively

We’ve all witnessed a small masterpiece being doodled by someone on a conference call. And while that might be a shade more classy than writing your name over and over again, both still come off as immature. However, you can use your doodles for good!

Express your Gen Y tendencies throughout the meeting by drawing creatively, but keep it small and on-topic. For example, during the portion of the meeting about the upcoming expense report, doodle a spreadsheet with important names or symbols. Then, snap a photo and file for later. Discussing systems management? Illustrate your own computer network, including key company figures. Bonus points for accurate (and flattering) caricatures.

2. Refocus on the speaker

If you’re staring at your notes while you listen to someone drone on, work hard to reorient your focus on the person speaking. Note their hair, face and clothes and let yourself be distracted by the tiny details.

Focus on where they’ve come from, who they are. Remember that this is a real person. Whether or not what they’re saying is interesting to you, chances are they’ve worked hard on this presentation or speech or they believe strongly in what they are saying. At the very least, you’ll be practicing several characteristics of charismatic people.

3. Don’t take notes; take action notes

Finally, finish every meeting with a list of items for action. Too often, attendees end the meeting with a list of notes that looks like this:

• Edward will update the roster this week.
• Mark and Edna are on leave Monday and Tuesday for a business meeting.

What a snooze! This tone puts you in the position of a passive, disinterested reader. It’s human nature to be more interested in yourself and your own plans, so instead of boring notes about what other people are doing, give yourself a follow-up task list like the following:

• Next Monday: Email Edward to get the updated roster.
• Next Wednesday: Email Mark and Edna to follow up about their business meeting.

Not only will this give you a clear idea of what you need to do each day to follow up on the meeting, but you will also have pre-invested time in your to-do list.

If you still find yourself too bored to pay attention, you could be in the wrong industry. At the very least, evaluate your eating and sleeping schedule to make sure that your meeting naps aren’t the result of poor health habits.

Sarah Greesonbach is a content and communications expert with a lot on the back burner. She manages and writes for the lifestyle and personal finance blog Life [Comma] Etc and launches her first ebook, Life After Teaching, in April 2013.

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The post 3 Tips for Surviving Boring Meetings appeared first on Brazen Life.

Sometimes good, sometimes bad, the truth is that coworkers have a significant impact on job satisfaction. But did you ever stop to worry you might be a bad one?

Here are a few guides for staying on everyone’s good side:

1. Be nice all the time

We all get angry at work. But you aren’t necessarily paid to be a human being who experiences normal feelings like anger. You are paid to be a consistent, friendly expert in whatever industry you have chosen.

While you will no doubt have good and bad days, strive to present a positive front at all times (and at the very least in emails and meetings) to ensure you’re building a consistent and professional reputation. Coworkers need to know what they can expect from you to build relationships, because the alternative is the hot-and-cold office gremlin who takes his moods out on cubeville.

2. Gossip, but not too much

Gossip gets a bad rap in most office settings, and that’s fair because when done wrong, it turns a normally pleasant office into a world war. However, gossip is also a necessary and vital part of the office.

Business Week hits it on the head by pointing out that “the irony about workplace gossip is that it’s often about things that really matter to the company or team and should be addressed.” As a member of an office community, you should participate in discussions about office goings-on. Otherwise, you won’t be able to manage your reputation, defend those of other coworkers or possibly hear about what’s coming down the line. But if there’s too big a glint in your eye or you start to pant when the latest buzz hits the cubicles, chances are your heart is in the wrong place, and your reputation will suffer.

3. Share, but not too much

Much like gossip, the extremes of sharing can reflect badly on you. Share too much and you become someone people want to avoid or it’s an awkward case of gross TMI (too much information).

On the other hand, if you stay mum about your hobbies and interests, you become a mystery no one feels connected to. Toe the line by becoming known for a few harmless topics (coin collecting, running road races, baking) and being friendly whenever those topics come up.

4. Bring in treats

Finally, let’s be real. Food is the universal path to friendship and good feelings. Whether you make a mean boxed brownie or saw some Chips Ahoy! cookies on sale, bringing food into the office is a way to casually engage with coworkers and offer a token of peace. Here are a few great places to start.

What do you do that makes your office mates happy?

Sarah Greesonbach is a Content Management Specialist with a lot on the backburner (if you count LOLCats and Words with Friends). She curates and writes the lifestyle and personal finance blog Life [Comma] Etc and is studying to be an Accredited Personal Financial Counselor.

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The post 4 Tips for Becoming Everyone’s Favorite Coworker appeared first on Brazen Life.

And yes, I’m speaking from experience. I thought I was a sure thing for a position, but when it came time to interview, I bombed the most basic questions of all.

Here are my worst offenses. Learn from my mistakes and follow these tips so you’ll have a success story to tell.

Mistake No 1: I couldn’t describe myself

You’d think I’d know myself, since I am myself. Yet for some reason, when that question emerged in the interview, I froze and struggled to think of any identifying features that might set me apart.

Avoid this mistake by drafting an elevator pitch that sums up who you are as a professional and as a human being. Here are a few good examples to start with. Just add your own details and a life experience or two:

“For the past 15 years, I was a supervisor at ABC Manufacturing. You might wonder why I want to move into sales at this stage in my career, but much of my time has been spent negotiating with vendors and meeting with CEOs. Although the industries might be different, the skills are the same.”

“I just received my B.A. in marketing with a 3.9 GPA. My courses in account management give me a strong foundation to begin my career with XYZ company, and I’m excited to learn from the industry leaders here.” (Examples from CNN.)

Don’t talk about your current job or your husband (that was my mistake). Instead, tell a clear, compelling story that highlights significant experiences in your life that led you to the moment when you’re sitting in front of the interviewer answering this question. If you can creatively incorporate some personal history and humor, all the better.

Mistake No. 2: I did the hard prep, but not the easy prep

When I sat down to interview for this social media position at a large radio company, I had statistics, figures and ideas for growth for the social media of the company I was interviewing with—and I was excited to share my ideas. But during our small chit chat and socializing, it became clear that I hadn’t actually listened to the radio station.

When it comes to interview preparation, start small and build up. Play around on the company website. Test out their products (if applicable) and talk about the pros and cons of the company with a close friend. Prepare a small summary about what the company does and who their primary market is—and then get some experience with that primary market by role-playing as a customer.

Mistake No. 3: I wasn’t a smooth player

Hopefully you’ve gotten beyond feeling super-nervous midway through the interview. But even if you are comfortable, there’s still an ultimate interviewee level known as the “smooth player.”

No, this is not someone who brings baked goods to the interview. Smooth players are confident and put-together interview candidates who ask game-changing questions like, “If you were forced to say yes or no to hiring me right now, what would be your biggest hesitation in offering me this position?” and “Can you offer me a tour of the office?”

Smooth players do not awkwardly shake hands and thank the interviewer for their time.

When the end of the interview approaches, assess how you think you did. If you feel strongly that you’re still the prime candidate, ask any one of the following analytical questions (or more, if appropriate) to be seen as a slick character:

• “May I have a tour of the office?”
• “If you were forced to say yes or no to hiring me right now, what would be your biggest hesitation in offering me this position?”
• “May I ask why you are interested in me for this position?”
• “What are the most important characteristics you are looking for in the person you plan to hire for this position?”

And if you need more ideas about questions to ask, don’t forget the basics like “What would a typical work day look like for someone in this position?”

What’s the worst thing you’ve done during an interview? Did it cost you the job?

Sarah Greesonbach is a Content Management Specialist with a lot on the back burner (if you count LOLcats and Words with Friends). She curates and writes the lifestyle and personal finance blog Life [Comma] Etc and is studying to be an Accredited Personal Financial Counselor.

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The post How I Bombed a Sure-Thing Interview appeared first on Brazen Life.

While the best networking might happen in person or through acquaintances, email can be a great way to build new relationships and spread the love online.

So here are a few tips for networking via email:

1. Spot your prey

Unlike in-person networking, email networking lets you take on one relationship at a time sans business cards. While in person, this kind of attention to detail and information-gathering could be be jarring and suspicious; using your mouse and keyboard allows you to do your research and tailor your approach in a good way to make meaningful connections.

To apply this, use the Internet and mailing lists strategically to get links, email addresses, Twitter handles and other information about the people you want to connect with. Keep an eye out for portfolios and strategies that impress you, especially ones created by people you have something in common with.

Narrow down your interest to one or two industry leaders who really speak to you, and bookmark their information.

2. Survey the landscape

Now, take time to really study the business or person you’re interested in. Analyze their presence on social media—specifically, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn—and take note of what impresses you the most about how they have built their craft. Try to answer the following questions for yourself:

• How do they fit into the marketplace?

• How long have they been in action?

• What do their services consist of, and how could you help them?

This is the most important part of the process. It’s not about stalking a business and retracing its every step; it’s about taking in the whole picture so you can accurately assess where you can help. You’re essentially looking for a hole in their professional interests that you alone can fill…which leads us to step three.

3. Make your first contact

The final step in the process is to make contact. The perfect networking email will do the following:

• Explain how you got their information.

• Introduce yourself causally, but with pertinent details.

• Express a sense of humor or competence in your field.

• Offer a compliment or assistance.

Special note: don’t talk money or ask for a job in your first email! Express an interest in working together and compliment the person’s portfolio. (If you can’t think of anything to compliment, you’re networking with the wrong person!) This approach is designed for the natural situation in which you see someone’s work, like it and want to be near it, not to nag people for a job by email.

Here’s an example of a solid networking email:

Hello Ms. Sparks,

I came across your business card on the bulletin board in my favorite coffee shop, and I was struck by the diversity and sense of history in your online portfolio.

My name is Annemarie, and I am a freelance graphic designer in the Seattle, WA area with a background in substance abuse counseling. I also blog at www.myblog.com, but that’s just for fun!

I wanted to reach out and introduce myself in the event an opportunity to work together comes up. I also read this article on Forbes magazine and thought it might be interesting to you: www.interestingarticleonForbes.com.

Thank you for your time, and congratulations on your recent Historical Society award!

Sincerely,

Annemarie

Of course, if you’re not comfortable with this approach, you can always try networking on Twitter to make big things happen or looking at in-person networking in a new light. Most importantly, don’t overlook putting plenty of time into your own online portfolio so others will make an effort to network with you!

Have you ever cold-emailed someone you’d like to work with?

Sarah Greesonbach is a Content Management Specialist with a lot on the back burner (if you count LOLcats and Words with Friends). She curates and write the lifestyle and personal finance blog Life [Comma] Etc and is studying to be an Accredited Personal Financial Counselor.

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The post The Delicate Art of the Networking Email appeared first on Brazen Life.

You might want to, but no. You ask yourself these questions:

1. Am I hungry?

Close your eyes and do a quick assessment. When did you eat last? In the majority of cases, office rage is a case of the munchies gone awry.

If you find that you suspiciously start to send passive-aggressive email replies around the same time each day, invest in some nuts and granola bars to keep at your desk. Hunger makes a tyrant (and a less patient person) of us all.

2. Am I mad at someone or something else?

You spend the morning getting chewed out, so around 2 p.m. when your assistant interrupts your web surfing to bring you the meeting notes and they aren’t double-spaced, you are almost overwhelmingly angry at her.

Take a minute. Are you really mad the notes aren’t double-spaced? Or are you mad at what happened this morning and looking for an opportunity to let it all out on someone?

Slow your roll and reconsider the innocent bystander. And if you are indeed genuinely mad….

3. How would a classy person act right now?

Because sometimes you have every right to be pissed off, angry, enraged and all the other words that describe righteous indignation. But rarely is it appropriate for you to express that anger.

Think of the classiest person you can (Jack Donaghy from 30 Rock, anyone?) and imagine how they would respond. Would they yell at someone? Or would they keep it calm and try to be helpful even when they know they’re right? Would they loudly point out someone’s errors? Or would they take the time to speak with the person politely (and privately)?

After all, this is what role models are for—they show us the way when we don’t want to leave it it up to our instincts.

If you can’t manage to summon the “classy” mantra, it might be time to look for a new job.

With any luck, this checklist will spare you from experiencing the real-world consequences of anger, which could include embarrassing yourself at work. Because if you can make it home after a frustrating day at the office without clawing somebody’s eyes out, then you can consider yourself a winner.

Sarah Greesonbach is a Content Management Specialist with a lot on the backburner (if you count LOLCats and Words with Friends). She curates and write the lifestyle and personal finance blog Life [Comma] Etc and is studying to be an Accredited Personal Financial Counselor.

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The post 3 Questions to Ask Yourself When You Get Mad at Work appeared first on Brazen Life.

The first day of work at your first real job has a lot in common with the first day of school: the fear, the preparation and the best part—the excitement!

But pretty much everything else is not in line with what you’ve experienced before, and it’s important to realize that before you make the ultimate rookie mistakes.

So get off on the best foot on the first day with these tips:

1. The word “work” is now a verb, not a noun

In college, how you approached your education was mostly up to you, and it came in the form of homework. You had a single, physical deliverable, and when it was done, you were done.

Most professors had attendance policies to the effect of “If you can come to class once but ace all the tests and turn everything in, you’re good,” but you’ll be hard-pressed to find a job that suits that schedule. The average workplace will expect you to not only show up, but to put time and energy into your work, often for long periods of time.

Prepare to keep up your stamina without necessarily knowing when the work will be finished.

2. Even if you have a chill workplace, stick with appropriate work attire

Unless you were especially motivated, your college wardrobe probably included jeans and a nice t-shirt (or stretch pants and a not-so-nice t-shirt). So imagine how confusing it can be to get hired at a workplace that offers a “casual attire” policy, only to find out “casual” doesn’t mean what it used to.

Avoid the awkward and swift learning curve when it comes to workplace attire by following these guidelines:

Ladies, focus on appropriateness and style:

• Wear clothes that cover your shoulders and your thighs. Rare is the workplace where a tank top (even a really pretty one) is appropriate. Stay on the safe side until you have a few promotions under your belt, and leave the tank tops to the post-work happy hour. (This also has the benefit of keeping you safe from overly-excitable AC systems.)

• Wear clothes that fit now, not a year ago. Flattering without flattening (no outside Spanx, thanks) will make sure you’re dressed appropriately from every angle.

• Wear clothes with fabrics and patterns that aren’t flashy and attention-grabbing. Let your jewelry and, even better, your face be your trademark. Express your personal style, but not at the expense of the attention and taste of everyone else in the office.

Gentleman, focus on cleanliness and fit:

• Discard any t-shirts or khakis you’ve had since high school. Even if you think they’re “totally sweet,” chances are they’re too worn and old-looking to make you look professional.

• Update your khakis and dress pants to make sure you aren’t sporting cuts and styles that were hot in 2002. And, much like the ladies, make sure you’re flattering the body you have now, not the one that played college rugby. Line up your shoulders with the lines on your dress shirts and make sure any gut is politely covered, not pressing against the buttons and pulling out of your tuck.

3. Ageism isn’t just for the elderly

As a recent college graduate, employers will expect you to have basic knowledge of the Microsoft Office Suite and hope you can offer experience in advanced Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel (bonus points if you can get known as the office expert on any of these programs).

If you want to be especially valuable, download the free versions and practice, practice, practice with other technologies like Prezi, Adobe Acrobat, Photoshop and anything else you can get your hands on. Sometimes just mentioning these technologies will be enough to get you in the door for the interview (but of course, make sure you have the skills to back it up).

4. Not every conversation will be life-changing, but you have to talk anyway

Along with assuming you’re skilled with technology, older coworkers might also assume you’d rather text than talk.

Prove them wrong by being pleasantly social. Learn how to talk to people both superficially and deeply. Think up a few phrases that briefly express welcome and interest, and always be armed with one or two inoffensive topics you can speak on if you’re caught for more than five minutes in the breakroom.

Simple social skills will pay out in the long run and, even more importantly, you might find out you actually like your colleagues.

Anyone else have tips to add for a new grad’s first day?

Sarah Greesonbach is a Content Management Specialist with a lot on the back burner (if you count LOLcats and Words with Friends). She curates and write the lifestyle and personal finance blog Life [Comma] Etc and is studying to be an Accredited Personal Financial Counselor.

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But you probably also regret something you did. Whether your regrets involve the classes you didn’t take or the friends you spent your time with or the experiences you didn’t make time for, we can now pass that wisdom onto everyone who’s still in school.

So to all you keg-standing, friend-making machines still partying it up out there, save yourself some trouble. Take these regrets-turned-tips to heart, and you’ll leave college six steps closer to a lucrative dream job and fulfilling life:

1. Dump that dude

Or chick. Chances are, that phat honey who totally has a car freshman year is not your soul mate. And if he is, you’re still better off being friends until after college.

Not only have you got dating (and making out) to do, but more importantly, now is the time to network. Because trust me, the fish in the post-graduate friend-making sea are not especially fresh and if there is any time to be single and social, it’s when you are 19, relatively hot and sans partner.

2. Join a team

Athletic, academic or inter-or-intra-varsity, it doesn’t matter.

Work out with the triathlon club. Show up for chess competitions. Meet people. Revel in the glory of the 24-hr IHOP with people who are actually up to going any time of the night.

Now is the time to get exercise, meet friends, and figure out what you like to do, because someday you will feel old at the bars and tired after 11 p.m.

Plus, if you want any chance of learning what dream job will make you excited to get out of bed in the morning, you want to try out a few hobbies.

3. Go to office hours

Professors are  a) interesting, b) interested in talking to you, and c) incredibly important to keep in touch with for the rest of your life. Don’t be a nameless face in a crowd (which is too easy nowadays, with rising class sizes).

Go to office hours with a few questions (make them up, if you have to) and get to know your professor. Get involved in your field on a social level to reap the professional and academic rewards later in life, when you’ll really need to know how to ace a tenure interview or publish your book.

4. Minor in your passion

Major in some money.

Here’s why: You can read Dostoyevsky and think about the plight of the farmer in sixteenth century Russia on your free time, at the gym, while drunk and on the way home from your high-paying corporate job. But you won’t have that job if you major in your passion.

Save your artistic interests for your minor while you major in something that will guarantee a paycheck, like business, finance, technology and media.

These fields will help you find a job right after graduation, gain valuable experience (and savings), and provide you with the perspective you need to identify, pursue, and attain your dream job down the line.

5. Learn about money

How much did you make at that summer job in college? Maybe $5.15 or $6.15 per hour?

The paycheck may as well been called “gas fund,” but just imagine if you had saved those measly paychecks instead of complaining about how small they were. Chances are you wouldn’t be in debt over a couch several years later.

Every. Penny. Counts. So save them all. 

And here’s another little tip: saving does not mean putting money in your bank and thinking about all the things you’ll spend it on in the next month.

Saving means putting it in the bank and dreaming of the day you give two weeks notice to your 9-to-5 job (plus commute) in favor of jumping on an opportunity that came your way. But none of that can happen if you spend your cash on PBR tonight.

6. Live it up

No really.

Take an obscenely large number of photos of everything, everyone, all the time.

Sleep in til 1pm. Skip a class or two. Then take an 8 a.m. class and be up at 5 a.m. for a few semesters.

Try everything once, and the good things twice. 

It is only through experiencing the outer reaches of lifestyle that you will figure out who you are and what you want as an adult. So the best possible scenario is to try it all out in this relatively consequence-free environment instead of waiting for the volunteer campus police to be real-life cops.

Oh, and thank your meal-plan lunch lady. Because shortly after graduating, you will have to shop for groceries, and then take those groceries and cook them, and those first few tries will not be pretty.

Sarah Greesonbach is a Content Management Specialist with a lot on the backburner (if you count lolcats and Words with Friends). She manages and writes for the lifestyle and personal finance blog Life [Comma] Etc and is studying to be an Accredited Personal Financial Counselor.

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The post 6 Regrets-Turned-Tips That Will Make College Worth Your While appeared first on Brazen Life.

It’s not easy to find a job in this crummy economy. So when the olive branch is extended and that perfect (or not so perfect) job is offered, we launch from our lilypad and bite – even if it means moving across the country, out of the country, or (gulp) back to your hometown in the next month or two.

Here is a tried-and-true plan to help you pack up your worldly possessions and embark on your new adventure:

First 24 hours after the getting job offer

Relax and enjoy your home. Your finger may start twitching to research your new city or start a planning Excel spreadsheet, but there will be time for packing, taping, and stressing later. Spend your first blissful 24 hours calling and seeing your friends and family and preparing for your new job.

The day after you accept the offer

Decide your moving style. If you stayed on a friend’s couch during your last vacation, chances are you’re planning on moving yourself, offering pizza and beer to all who help. If you’re not that type of person, can you afford to hire movers? Look for online price quotes from local movers and check on U-Haul and Budget Truck rentals to make a spending plan.

And if you can afford it, hire a mover over asking a friend. The process goes a lot smoother when you aren’t waiting around for your friend to finish his lunch before helping with the couch.

Take pictures of your current house as-is. Maybe you want a reminder of the fun times of the past… or maybe you want a reminder of why the heck you’re leaving. Either way, now is a great time to snap some photos of “how things were.”

Hit up the liquor store. You’ll need a new bottle of rum for all the stress that – no, no! Just kidding! Liquor stores (in my case, ABC) have been the No. 1 source for free, sturdy and perfectly-sized moving boxes for the last 10 years of my moving life. Depending on the state you’re in, call around to a few stores and find out when they get their deliveries. Then show up and fill your car (or a few cars) with free (empty) boxes.

One month out

Make a “Vital Papers” Box. Dream job or not, chances are when you show up you’ll want to be paid, and it’s a pain in the butt to go hunting through a moving truck for identification or blank checks for your direct deposit paycheck. Solve that headache now by assigning a bright-colored box to hold your vital documents and then keeping a close eye on it through the move.

Here are a few big-ticket items to get you started:

• 3-5 years of filed taxes
• Checks and banking records
• Passport
• Voter Registration card
• Social Security card
• Birth certificate
• Old lease
• New lease
• List of cell phone numbers
• Extra phone charger

Pack a cleaning and painting box. If, like most sane people, you want your security deposit back, plan to clean and paint before you leave your place for good. Set aside a box of paper towels, towels, cleaning supplies, brooms and painting gear in a useful place (kitchen or laundry room) so you can be sure you won’t have a Now where did I put that… moment 24 hours before your lease ends and all your belongings are at the new house.

Clear away a staging area. Set up a special place reserved for boxes that are completely packed and labeled. This will allow you to quickly assess how far along you are in your move as you pack and then again as you carry boxes out.

Sell, sell, sell! On Craigslist, that is! Or Freecycle. Or in the paper. Or at a yardsale. Or to friends…. you get the idea. You never know what your “crap” is worth to someone else until you post it. Just be sure to follow basic safety rules when dealing with online folks and do your best not to spend that cash on video games.

Donate your crap. Even if you have to talk your boyfriend through giving up his two sets of Beavis & Butthead playing cards that have been under the bed for eight months, this is a move you’ll be happy you made. Be gentle. Refer to awesome blogs about minimalism and living simply, including the financial benefits of decluttering. Collect moments, not things.

Two weeks out

Set up some ground rules. If you’re fortunate enough to have a partner in crime who’s up for the divvying of chores, be sure to communicate who will be doing what around the house. Perhaps you like an even 50-50 split of cleaning and lifting boxes. Perhaps one person does the manual labor of lifting, moving and unloading boxes while the other plans logistics, packs boxes, and cleans. Doesn’t matter what you choose, so as long as it works for both of you.

Plan for your pet. Read up on how to move your pet. If you have a chill dog or cat, you might not need to worry as much. But some animals can be very needy, especially if they have never moved before. Most moving websites agree you should sequester your pet with all their favorite toys during the move, and then relocate the pet to the new home and keep them sequestered until they calm down. All pets will experience some kind of stress, but lots of hugs and play time will reassure your animal you won’t be donating her anytime soon.

One week out

Get it on paper. One week out, confirm everything about your move: the new apartment, the old house, the movers, the packers, the whatevers. Write down what each of you will be doing at one-hour increments the whole day, and what you expect to have done by the end of the day. Nothing beats setting an early alarm and finding out (two or three hours later) that the agreed-upon moving time is in the afternoon (and best of luck if it’s a weekend and your moving company doesn’t have normal office hours!).

Plan your meals. Unless you want the “surprise” budget bumps of no breakfast ($0 but OW!), Snacks ($12), BBQ for lunch ($25) and Kabobs for dinner ($20), plan your meals on moving day! Nothing is worse than not having access to your food supplies and over-spending at restaurants in town. Not to mention how tired and needy some people can get when hungry after a move (ahem).

Moving day

Eat. Moving day is one of the worst days to be on a diet or skip a meal. All your stuff is leaving your house, including you, and you’re grumpy and hungry. Check your meal plan and fill your belly so you won’t be tempted to speak unkindly.

Relax. Everything will work out, or it won’t. That doesn’t have to change how you act, what you say or who you are – or the fact that you are now employed!

Take a few breaths and hope for the best worst-case scenario, and you’ll have a great story for your first day on the job.

Sarah Greesonbach is a Content Management Specialist with a lot on the backburner (if you count lolcats and Words with Friends). She manages and writes for the lifestyle and personal finance blog Life [Comma] Etc and is studying to be an Accredited Personal Financial Counselor.

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The post Relocating for a Job? Here’s Your Moving Timeline appeared first on Brazen Life.

When I first starting dreaming about working from home full time, visions of a clean house, on-demand gourmet lunches, and selling my car clouded most of my reasoning. So, my first draft of my request looked something like this:

Me want home work. Now me want work in no pants. Yes.

I ran this request by a few friends and fortunately they got me back on track. Because while the benefits of going virtual are obvious, how to get your boss to see those benefits can often be less-obvious.

But the truth is, this move does have to benefit your company or boss in some way for them to agree to let you work remotely. So before you ask for a meeting with your superior, sit down and compose a request by answering the following questions:

1. First and most importantly, will working from home actually help you do your job?

Unless you’ve done something to personally insult yours, bosses make decisions based on job performance and productivity.

If your job description involves the physical supervision of employees in their cubes or work spaces, you probably need to consider a career change rather than going virtual. If, however, your position requires a high level of creativity and focus and you spend most of your day alone, bring that up.

Working in a loud, booming office environment can make it hard to concentrate, and sometimes even to get things done. Emphasize that working virtually will allow you more control over your environment and allow you to focus on providing high quality work. What’s not to like about that?

2. Does your company’s communication structure support going virtual?

Our company happens to already include several virtual folks. Our meetings are held on Skype or on GoTo Meeting conference calls, and most of us spend the day with our eyes glued on the Microsoft Outlook home screen. (P.S. Microsoft, if you’re reading, maybe give me some more color options? Kthx.)

This is an ideal situation for going virtual, but perhaps it is not your situation. If you can be patient, take the long-term guerilla approach by slowly suggesting best practices and different technologies that can build toward a more virtual business structure six to 12 months down the line.

3. Do you have comfortable and relaxed communication habits with your supervisors and teammates?

Maybe you use Skype and are well-liked on your team… but could you shoot a text to the girl who does graphics or pick up the phone and call your editor without extreme awkwardness?

The state of your current team interaction can either be a hindrance (Uhh…why are you calling me?) or a blessing (Hey girl, what up?). Strong relationships that will encourage cooperation and teamwork regardless of where you work is what makes a team shine, virtual or not.

If this does not describe your current situation, put your time and effort into building those kinds of relationships rather than crafting the perfect thesis on working virtually. Because without this vital piece, your transition probably won’t be smooth anyhow.

4. Have you proven yourself to be a resourceful, passionate and dedicated employee?

Here’s a wake up call: if you’re new to the company (six months or less), you’re wasting your breath with this request and possibly harming your reputation.

Working virtually is about trust. If your boss, HR or the CEO doesn’t trust you without hesitation to work the hours you say you have worked (and even sometimes, honestly, if your boss/HR/CEO doesn’t like you), virtual will never happen for you.

Work on being likeable and give it time.

5. Do you have a dedicated professional working space at home?

Make sure you let your boss know how you’re going to do your work. Speak up about your reliable internet, scanner, printer and dedicated phone line. If you have a full-on home office, all the better.

The goal here is to give your employer the picture of an idyllic, calm and controlled workspace that just happens to be in your house instead of in a cube.

6. Finally, don’t make demands.

You’re asking a big, fat favor. You’re asking for a gift, for trust and for someone to help you make your life easier. The last thing your proposal needs is a tone of entitlement.

Give your boss every reason to say yes by suggesting it as a suggestion. Offer your reasoning, ask for permission, and ask for it to happen on a trial basis.

Try a closing line like this on your written request:

If I could garner permission to try this schedule on a trial basis with room for feedback and flexibility to attend important meetings and events at the office, I feel that this opportunity would allow me to reach my best potential at this company.

A little groveling with a lot of logic and reasoning will pass on the perfect tone.

Good luck!

Sarah Greesonbach is a Content Management Specialist with a lot on the backburner (if you count lolcats and Words with Friends). She manages and writes for the lifestyle and personal finance blog Life [Comma] Etc and is studying to be an Accredited Personal Financial Counselor.

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The post How to Convince Your Boss to Let You Go Virtual appeared first on Brazen Life.