Impress Your Boss 4 Free, Easy to Use Design Tools For Non-Creatives

Impress Your Boss 4 Free, Easy to Use Design Tools For Non-CreativesImpress Your Boss 4 Free, Easy to Use Design Tools For Non-CreativesGet your creative juices flowing while saving time, effort, and energy with these four tools.Communication through images has become one of the biggest corporate trends. Visual aids are now the universal language in marketing and business. Not only do they play a fundamental role in branding and content delivery, but they have also been proven to increase readership and followers across social media platforms.Although the importance of visual aids is well-known, many professionals are largely unaware of the free resources available to assist them in creating aesthetically-pleasing content for their business. Regardless of your profession, these four free resources can help keep your creative game in check.1. Grab beautiful stock photos from Pexels.Meet the Kayak of free stock images. This must-have resource allows you to browse and search through a v ariety of free, commercial-use photo catalogues with one simple search Ten new photos are added daily and you can search their photo database by keywords or popular themes.2. Make lightning fast drag-and-drop mockups with Dunnnk.Showcase and frame your digital products with just a few clicks with the Dunnnk application. Select one of Dunnnks many templates ranging from standard desktop screens to the new Apple Watch. Then drag-and-drop an image of your website or app into the selected template to instantly generate professional-grade, high-resolution mockups for use on any medium.3. Create gorgeous presentations in minutes with SlideBean. Microsoft Powerpoint and Prezi are great presentation tools, but sometimes theyre too time-consuming. Slidebean helps streamline the process by offering pre-outlined decks with guided suggestions on the content, visuals and structure you should enlist for a winning presentation. Slidebean covers every komponente necessary for a professional present ation, from a simple five minute sales deck outline to a full-fledged fundraising pitch template. The basics of SlideBean are free premium features are also available for a low monthly fee.4. Need Something Else? Find the perfect tool for any digital project with Makerbook.Searching for the best websites and digital tools for creatives? Look no further. Makerbook handpicks high-quality digital resources you can mix and match to suit your aesthetic needs. Categories include photography, mockups, graphics, textures, fonts, colors, video and audio.

How to Follow Up With Recruiters After a Career Fair

How to Follow Up With Recruiters After a Career ritterlichHow to Follow Up With Recruiters After a Career FairWhen you arejob searching, whether you are a recent graduate or a seasoned professional,career fairscan provide valuable opportunities to find a new position. It can be really difficult to connect with hiring decision makers when youre submitting online job applications.During the standard application process, it can feel like yourresume and cover letterare dropping into a black hole. Sometimes, that actually happens, and you never hear back from the company you have spent time applying to. Job fairs andcareer networking eventsallow you to get face time with recruiters and hiring managers on the spot.When you have an opportunity to chat with someone in person, its much easierto make a personal connection. Take the Time to Introduce Yourself If youintroduce yourself to everyone you meet at the fair, it will be much easier to follow up afterward. Before the conversation end s, ask the company representative for a business card, so youll have all the information you need to keep in touch. Follow Up With the Recruiters You Meet If you have the chance to talk, however briefly, with recruiters from companies you are interestedin working for, thats a priceless connection you can leverage in thehiring process. Its always a good idea to follow up with employers you meet at job fairs, even if the company doesnt have an immediate need for someone with your qualifications. Sending a follow-up letter or email message reiterates your interest in the organization and serves as a reminder of who you are to a busy recruiter who met with many, many competitive job candidates during the event. Here is an example of a follow-up letter youcansendto a recruiter you met at a job fair. Job Fair Follow (Text Version) Dear Ms. Grant,We met two weeks ago at the Education Career Fair in Boston. I enjoyed speaking with you about ABC Charter Schools mission and was impressed by the work you do with the students as a college counselor.I wanted to reaffirm my interest in the counseling position at your school. ABC Charter Schools goal of sending every student to college is one I strongly believe in, and I know that my counseling experience and passion for working with inner-city students make me a strong candidate for the job.I have attached an updated copy of the resume I gave you at the Education Career Fair. I will call next week to binnensee if we can arrange a time to discuss this position. Thank you so much for your time and consideration.Sincerely,Adam LeDuc555-111-1234adam.leducxyzmail.com Expand Following Up Via Email If you send the letter as an email message, include your name in the subject of the message,so your contact knows who the message is from. Your message will have a better chance of being opened and read if the recipient is aware of who you are and why you are writing. Here is an example of a follow-up email you can send following an initial job fair introduction to a recruiter. Job Fair Follow (Text Version) Subject Line Evan Jones Job Fair Follow-upDear Mr. Williams,Thank you for taking the time to speak with me at XXX Universitys job fair last week. I have tailored my academic studies in accounting in the hope that I might one day work at a Big Five firm, and it was exciting for me to get a glimpse of Name of firms company culture and mission during our conversation.Id like to reaffirm my interest in the entry-level accounting position you described to me. I will be graduating, magna cum laude, in June of this year and will be immediately available to assume the responsibilities of a full-time position with your firm.I have attached an updated copy of the resume I gave you at the careerfair and am happy to provide references at your request. I will call next week to see if we can arrange a time to discuss this position.Thank you so much for your time and consideration.Sincerely,Evan Jones555-111-1234evan. jonesxyzmail.com Expand Establishing Connections on LinkedIn In addition to email, adding recruiters you have met with onLinkedIncan be another valuable way to stay in touch. Its important tobeactive, not passive, on the social media platform comment occasionally on company updates, send short congratulatory notes, and check in periodically, without being pesky. Career fairs can give you the face-to-face contact you need to get your foot in the door. After making a meaningful connection with a recruiter or hiring manager, following up with a letter or email can refresh their memories and keep you top-of-mind for future roles. Maintaining contact can help you land ajob with your dream companyand get connected to new opportunities.

Create a Work Environment That Encourages Engagement

Create a Work Environment That Encourages EngagementCreate a Work Environment That Encourages EngagementDoes your workplace encourage employee engagement? If not it should. Employee engagement can be a powerful factor in your geschftliches miteinander success. Engaged employees are more productive, customer-focused, and profit-generating and employers are more likely to retain them. Employee engagement is not a Human Resources kampagne that managers are reminded to do once a year. Its a key strategic initiative that drives employee wertmiger zuwachs, accomplishment, and continuous improvement all year long. Just like organizations cant create employee empowerment, employee motivation, or employee satisfaction, engagement is up to the employees who make decisions and choices about how involved they want to be at work. Employees make choices relative to their empowerment, motivation, and satisfaction. These choices are not up to you, the employer. What is the employers responsibility, however, is to create a culture and an environment that is conducive to employees making the choices that are good for your business. And, engaged employees are good for your business. What Produces an Environment Conducive to Engagement? Consider the following if you need your employees to become more engaged and involved in their work Employee engagement must be a business strategy that focuses on finding engaged employees and then, keeping the employee engaged throughout the whole employment relationship.Employee engagement must focus on business results. Employees are most engaged when they are accountable and can see and measure the outcomes of their performance.Employee engagement occurs when the goals of the business are aligned with the employees goals and how the employee spends his or her time. The glue that holds the strategic objectives of the employee and the business together is frequent, effective communication that reaches and informs the employee at the level an d practice of his or her job. Engaged employees have the information that they need to understand exactly and precisely how what they do at work every day affects the companys business goals and priorities. These goals and measurements relate to the Human Resources department, but every department should have a set of metrics.Employee engagement thrives when organizations are committed to management and leadership development in performance development plans that are performance-driven and provide clear succession plans. What Makes Organizations Fail at Employee Engagement? If employee engagement is so crucial to an organizations success, why do organizations pursue it so ineffectively? The answer is that incorporating a business strategy such as employee engagement is hard work- work that many employers dont see as affecting their bottom line immediately. Most organizations implement engagement as a program thats ancillary to the actual business. But, by thinking about employee engagement as a planned business strategy- with expected and measured business results- employee engagement becomes possible. With this in mind, employee engagement as a successful business strategy needs effective managers who are committed to Measuring employee performance and holding employees accountable.Providing the communication necessary to align each employees actions with the organizations overall business goals.Pursuing the employee development required to ensure success.Making a commitment (in time, tools, attention, reinforcement, training, etc.) to keeping employees engaged over the long haul because they fundamentally believe no other strategy will produce as much success- for both the business and the employees. Additional Critical Factors The following factors also influence the willingness of employees to stay engaged and contributing Effective recognition and reward system. Theres valuein a recognition system that lets employees know they are truly worthy. Ef fective recognition always involves verbal or written acknowledgment from the employees manager in addition to any physical reward.Frequent feedback.The downside of the standard employee performance appraisal is that it is a one-time deal. Effective performance feedback takes place every day (minimally, weekly) and there should be interaction with the employees manager. Effective feedback focuses on what the employee is doing well and what needs improvement. It is clear and specific and reinforces the actions that the manager wants to see the employee regularly perform. Shared values and guiding principles.Engaged employees thrive in an environment that reinforces their most deeply held values and beliefs. Employees are most successful in an organization in which their personal values are in sync with the organizations stated values and guiding principles.Demonstrated respect, trust, and emotional intelligence.Employees direct supervisors need to demonstrate that they are personally interested in and care about their employees.Positive relationships with coworkers.Engaged employees need to work, not just with nice people, but with coworkers who are equivalently engaged. Coworkers who demonstrate integrity, teamwork, a passion for quality and serving customers, and are passionate about what they do, make for ideal coworkers who help fosteremployee engagement.