Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom 5 Spreadsheet Hacks for Excel Users

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom 5 Spreadsheet Hacks for Excel Users Some of you might have to do spreadsheets more often than I do. And let me tell you, when I do them, it’s a project. In an effort to help us all, I went in search of the most helpful Excel hacks to make data entry and calculation easier. Here are some gems I bookmarked for my own use. Tip #1 From Launch Excel Entering values into multiple cells using CTRL + ENTER Scenario 1 â€" quickly enter data in multiple cells To quickly enter data in multiple cells, first select all of the cells. Type in the data and press CTRL + ENTER, which enters the same value in all of the selected cells. Select all the cells you want to fill. Type ‘John’ then enter the same value in all selected cells using CTRL + ENTER. For non-contiguous cells, hold down the CTRL key and click to select each cell. To enter values in non-contiguous cells first hold down the CTRL key and click to select each cell then type in ‘John’ and use CTRL + ENTER to enter the same value in all selected cells. Scenario 2 â€" quickly correct data in multiple cells To quickly correct the data in multiple cells, select all of the cells containing the names you want to fix. Let’s say you need to replace ‘Betty’ with ‘Britney’ in five cells. How do you quickly replace ‘Betty’ with ‘Britney’ in these five cells? First, select all five cells containing ‘Betty’. For non-contiguous cells, hold down the CTRL key and click to select each cell. You can then type ‘Britney’ and press CTRL + ENTER, which will enter ‘Britney’ in all of the selected cells. Scenario 3 â€" quickly fill upwards If you would like to fill up instead of fill down, you can do this by a clever modification of the CTRL + ENTER trick. Let’s say you want to replace ‘Britney’ with ‘Charlie.’ There’s already a ‘Charlie’ entered in the cell below. Select the cells starting with ‘Charlie’ and ending with the topmost ‘Britney.’ How do you fill ‘Charlie’ upwards to overwrite the five cells showing ‘Britney’? With the cells selected, press F2 to go into Edit mode, then press CTRL + ENTER to copy the correct name into all of the selected cells. With the cells selected, press F2 then press CTRL + Enter and ‘Charlie’ has been filled upwards to replace ‘Britney.’ Note, the first cell with ‘Charlie’ must be the active cell. You can see this in the screenshot as it has a white background instead of a blue background. For more hacks, take a look at the full post on Intuits Fast Track blog.

Take Your Child to Work Day should be cancelled

Take Your Child to Work Day should be cancelled Its time to admit that Take Your Child to Work Day is an outdated relic of 1970s feminism, and we can put the whole thing to rest. Do you remember that the day started as Take Our Daughters to Work? It was the 70s, and women wanted their daughters to know that they could do anything. Heres what came of that era: Latchkey kids who never saw their parents after school except on Take Our Daughters to Work Day. And, then later, those same little girls grew up to feel intense pressure to put work before kids which ushered in the biggest fertility train wreck in history, with Gen X thinking it would be fine to wait until after 30 to have kids. So I have a bad taste in my mouth from the era of Take Our Daughters to Work. But then we had the era of boys underperforming. Thats right: Boys are doing so much worse than girls in school that its officially easier to get into college if youre a boy (scores are lower and so are GPAs) and once these kids enter the workforce, girls make more than boys do. So some probably-drumming, angry, white male decided that it shouldnt just be daughters. It should be sons, too. So now we have Take Your Child to Work. But heres what I want to know: Why? This holiday now strikes me as one similar to Secretaries Day, which is a relic from the days when there were no computers and secretaries had thankless jobs and the men who were having sex with them on the side always forgot to thank her in the spotlight for the typing, so there is an official reminder day to buy her a card. That made sense. Twenty years ago. Which is why it reminds me of Take Your Child to Work Day. You know what else reminds me of this special day? The Week of the Young Child. Seriously. It was last week. Did you celebrate? Of course you did. Because every week is the week of the young child, because if you dont focus on young children they die. They eat bleach or get bitten by a squirrel or run over by a car. The reason the Week of the Young Child reminds me of Take Your Child to Work Day is because, at this point, every day is taking children to work. Im on my Blackberry all the time, and my division between work and kids is very tenuous. This is pretty common for my generation. And I think were pretty happy with it or wed stop. So its pretty clear to me that we dont need a day for kids being at work because they get exposed to their parents working all the time. And anyway, do you know how annoying kids are for people who do not have kids? Its already totally over the top how many concessions people with kids get vs. people without kids. My cousin, for example, is a doctor, and when her colleague went on maternity leave early, my cousin was asked to cover for her because everyone in the practice has kids except for my cousin. This is routine behavior in corporate life (I know I benefit from it all the time at my own company where Im the only one with kids.) So what we dont need is a day when peoples kids come into the office, disrupt everyone, eat all the good snacks and use up all the good office supplies. The disruption serves little purpose except to remind people without kids that kids are the center of the universe. So I think this holiday is BS, and kids understand that they can be anything they want to be, so I dont see a point in dragging them to work. Which is why I didnt. I ignored the holiday last year. And when I picked my son up at school, he said, Its Take Children to Work Day. Are you taking me to your work? I say, What? How do you know its that day? Who told you? My teachers brought their children to school because school is their work. What? Is this legal? My kids are in Madison, WI public schools. Surely it is not legal for teachers to bring their own kids into the classroom. But before I can decide what to do about this, my son says, I want to go to your work. How can I say no? I try to think of a way, believe me. But I dont have the heart. The problem is that there is nothing in my office. Just some books. So I buy a bunch of cookies from the coffee shop across the street from my office, and I borrow the white board from Photis and magic markers from Ryan Paugh. And my son draws on the board in between bites of cookies. He says, Take Your Child to Work Day is boring, lets go home. Maybe this is a victory.

Its coming homelessons for career success from Englands World Cup campaign

It’s coming home…lessons for career success from England’s World Cup campaign Harry Kane may win the Golden boot and Harry Maguire has emerged as one of the best defenders at this year’s World Cup, but one of the unsung heroes is England’s sports psychologist Pippa Grange. She has apparently been instrumental in developing the player’s resilience and a positive mental approach. We can learn some interesting lessons for career success from sports psychology if we re-frame our thinking. Journalists and commentators have noted how much happier and grounded the current squad is, in stark contrast to the so-called golden generation. In previous tournaments players who excelled for their club sides appeared to play within themselves whenever they represented their country, weighed down by unrealistic expectations and history.   Often leading to the seemingly inevitable penalty shoot out defeatin the quarter finals. This transformation in attitude and self-belief has been attributed in part to the power of sports psychology and it does raise some interesting parallels for career success. After defeating Columbia and winning on penalties for the first time ever in a World Cup, Gareth Southgate said that tonight the players showed that they dont have to conform to whats gone before. If you think about your preparation for the graduate recruitment and selection process that is a powerful message. We often meet students who attend assessment centres and interviews expecting to fail because that is what has happened in the past. This negative inner voice almost becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Expect to fail and this is often what tends to happen. The negativity impacts on your body language, the tone of your voice, your confidence and ultimately your self-esteem. What if you adopt a positive mental approach and challenge your unhelpful inner voice?    Rather than be weighed down by that unsuccessful interview or assessment centre, focus on the good feedback. What did you do well and what would/could you do differently next time? Accept that you have been shortlisted because you are the ideal candidate, that you have the required skills and qualifications. If you attend an interview or assessment feeling confident and self-assured that is how the recruiter will perceive you. Psychology teaches us that our thoughts can be re-framed to become a help rather than a hindrance. Dele Alli replied that he was excited, not nervous when asked if the prospect of a World Cup semi-final was making him nervous.  If you are nervous whenever you are faced with an interview or you have to deliver a presentation for example, consider what it is specifically that is causing your anxiety. Understanding it is the first step to overcoming it and quite often it is a fear of failure. Sports psychology instills the attitude that taking a penalty is an exciting opportunity and not something to be feared. Take inspiration from this. How much more effective could your presentation be if you approached it with the same positivity? Fear is essentially made up, argues Sports Performance Consultant Andy Barton , because it is a projection into the future, where you have created a narrative of something badly going wrong. Create an alternative narrative, imagine delivering your presentation confidently and receiving a good reaction from an engaged audience. Of course, a positive mental attitude may only take you so far, practice is also key to your success. Harry Kanes 70mph penalties have been practised over and over on the training ground to the extent they have become almost routine. In the context of a job interview, using the STAR model  will help you answer employers competency questions confidently and effectively. With practice, the STAR structure can become your routine which can help you achieve interview success. Rather than wanting an interview to be over as quickly as possible the STAR model will help you to enjoy telling your story. The England teams psychologist Pippa Grange has spoken about how powerful and useful failure can be or rather how we respond to   failure. Gareth Southgate missed a crucial penalty in the European Championships in 1996 and experienced relegation as Middlesbrough manager. Dealing with such disappointment has perhaps developed a resilience that has served him well in such a high pressure environment as manager of the national team. Try not to have a I have to get that jobexcel in this assessment centreget that promotion attitude. Failure is inevitable. But what can you learn from it, what can you do differently next time? Perhaps you didnt prepare sufficiently for that interview and couldnt answer the commercial awareness questions convincingly. Or you didnt consider your audience and didnt expect them to be switched off by the amount of information you gave them in your presentation. Next time you might try to make the learning more interactive and your resources more creative. So take a leaf out of  Pippa Granges and Gareth Southgates coaching manuals. Be positive and visualise your success. Its much more likely to happen. 52 years of hurt, never stopped me dreaming      

The Rise of Work Separation Anxiety

The Rise of Work Separation Anxiety With UK sick leave reportedly the lowest on record, we could be fooled in thinking the modern workforce is healthier than ever. However, the reality is almost two-thirds of employees have worked during their annual leave or when unwell. These alarming statistics are contributing to the rise in a growing epidemic Work Separation Anxiety. Understanding the problem These days it can be difficult for employees to fully switch-off from work. Thanks to online file-sharing platforms and email access on phones, employees get caught up in work, even when away from the office. Although this isn’t necessarily a problem on its own â€" and can be positive for facilitating flexible working benefits â€" it becomes an issue when work becomes all-consuming and starts to take a negative toll on employees’ health. Staff end up taking work home with them in the evenings and replying to emails all weekend, without taking a proper break. This not only creates an unhealthy relationship with work but can translate into their  personal lives, putting a strain on relationships and exacerbating other health issues. As a result, employees burn out, with exhaustion and mental fatigue impacting their lives and work. Burnout is now even a recognized medical condition, defined by the World Health Organisation â€" so, why is it becoming such a big problem? Common Causes Work Separation Anxiety is an unsurprising result of the growing expectations in today’s workforce. The distinction between work and personal life is becoming increasingly blurred, with many employees expected to deal with work issues and check emails outside the office. Many aiming to get ahead in their careers also believe one of the key ways to do so is being ‘on call’ at all times, but this responsibility can be draining. Employees remain in a heightened state of stress for too long at the expense of their health. The pattern is cyclical, with overworking causing poor health, and poor health has a knock-on effect on their performance at work. Employers can play their part in minimizing employee burnout by working with staff to ensure they understand their responsibilities, for example knowing their contracted hours and that they shouldn’t be regularly exceeding them. The  European Court of Justice  recently ruled staff should not be working more than the 48-hour maximum work week and should take proper rest breaks. For businesses, it’s not just a matter  of decency anymore, but a legal requirement to ensure staff aren’t overworking. Spotting the signs It’s unlikely many employees suffering from Work Separation Anxiety would open up to colleagues about their struggles, for the same reason they’re overworking in the first place. They may feel they’ll be seen as weak or their managers will lose respect for them. So, it’s important line managers are trained to spot signs and symptoms of overworking in colleagues to be able to offer help. Common signs may include failure to delegate tasks, canceling annual leave or working while on leave, plus persistently working from home outside work hours. Making occasional adjustments to fit in work isn’t a cause for concern, especially for those in more senior roles, where it may be required from time to time. But employers and managers should be able to identify signs when these behaviors are negatively impacting employees. There may be physical symptoms like tiredness and headaches, plus changes in usual behavior, like a short temper or unproductiveness. A study even found persistent stress stopped the body from properly regulating the inflammatory response of cortisol, meaning over-workers are more susceptible to colds and illness. If you spot these signs in an employee and are worried about their health, take them aside for an informal chat and let them know you’ve noticed some behavioral changes. Ask them if they’re okay and if there’s anything you can do to help relieve some of their work stresses. Try to create a culture of openness, where employees feel they can share their feelings and talk openly about any work or personal struggles they’re facing. It might be the first step towards realizing they need to make positive changes. Support systems Successful support comes from company-wide buy-in, starting from the very top. If employees see senior managers taking full lunch breaks and sticking to their 9-5 routine, they’ll be more inclined to follow suit, as they know they won’t be seen differently. Look for training courses which address symptoms and solutions for overworking and make sure managers are educated on how to address these with their colleagues. Employers offering support to those dealing with Work Separation Anxiety need to consider which interventions will help struggling employees. Speak to your employees to understand why they’re struggling to disconnect from work and ask what adjustments you can make to relieve some of the pressure they’re feeling. This may include re-scheduling some of their workloads so they’re not taking work home with them or having to work weekends to meet deadlines. Consider inviting a stress management expert into the office to share tips on how to switch off outside of work hours. Most importantly, think about how your workplace may be contributing to the problem. Do you have international clients who require employees to check emails during the evening because of the time difference? Making simple changes like offering more flexible shifts may help employees build a healthier work-life balance. Making the changes is a positive start, but employees need to know about your initiatives and how they can take advantage of them. Make regular contact with the staff however they prefer to receive company information â€" like email, in person or over the phone â€" and emphasize the programs readily available and their advantages. Once you’ve started to notice positive changes, implement ways to measure the effectiveness of your new policies. Combining hard and soft measures, like recording sickness absence and handing out satisfaction surveys will help you review employee buy-in. About the author:   Jenni Wilson is a Corporate Director at  Nuffield Health. She oversees enhancing client relationships, growing new business, and building Nuffield Health’s connected health strategy for its corporate clients. During her time with Nuffield Health Jenni has been responsible for the organization’s corporate fitness accounts and clinical services, such as physiotherapy and occupational health.

Why Your Candidates Are Turning Down Your Job Offers

Why Your Candidates Are Turning Down Your Job Offers When it comes to hiring talent, some employers have all the luck. Or, do they? Recent data reveals how some hiring decisions can affect the number of quality candidates you recruit.Photo Credit- Lifed.comIf you’re struggling to find the right candidates, you might need to change your hiring process. Find out why candidates turn down your job offers to see how you could improve.Why candidates are rejecting job offersevalA recent report reveals information about why candidates are turning down job offers. Recruitment software company Top Echelon surveyed its customer base of over 5,000 recruiters to find the recruiting industry trends behind these rejections.The three most common reasons candidates gave for turning down job offers include:evalThe salary was too low for the position The return on investing in top talent is often worth the extra payroll expense. Before approaching a candidate with an offer, research how much you should pay them. Look at online resources such as the Bur eau of Labor Statistics and find out what similar businesses in your area pay.2. Other offers are betterThe Top Echelon report reflects a candidates’ market. Many employers are looking for skilled workers, but there are not enough candidates. And, job seekers in some industries often receive multiple offers in a candidate-driven market.Candidates turn down job offers because they receive a better one elsewhere A large part of convincing a candidate to accept a job offer is your company culture. The way you and your employees interact has a big role in recruiting. Think about the beliefs and behaviors seen at your company, and consider the following factors:Employee initiativeDo you welcome new ideas and allow employees to take risks? Or, is your business by-the-book? Tell candidates whether the job calls for innovation or more structure.Work scheduleHow much control do employees have over their schedules? Let candidates know if you offer flexible hours or allow employees to work f rom home.Employee engagementTell candidates about how current employees interact with each other. How often do you encourage teamwork at your business? You might host events and holiday parties for your employees.Training and onboardingHow rigorous is your onboarding program? Some positions require more training and supervision than others. Before a candidate accepts an offer, walk them through the steps they will take once hired. Also, go over opportunities for growth within your company.Values and missionThe purpose of your business should be present when recruiting candidates. Applicants want to know what your company stands for and if their own values match. Show how your brand is reflected in the company culture.Company culture makes your offer more attractive because candidates want to work for a business that has similar beliefs, ethics, and attitudes. When a candidate connects with a business, they are more likely to accept that offer over another.3. Hiring Managers take too long to make OffersThe final reason candidates turn down jobs is that employers are taking too long to make offers Hiring a new employee is a big investment, so you should carefully screen and select candidates. But, don’t be afraid to make the call when you find the right candidate.Hesitating to hire skilled candidates doesn’t sit well with job seekers. Candidates met with radio silence feel they’re being strung along and undervalued. If you drag your feet during recruitment, you’re more likely to lose talent.Keep the lines of communication open throughout the hiring process. Promptly contact candidates for interviews, follow-ups, and offers. Answer questions and inquiries about open positions. If you’ve decided not to hire a candidate, let them know. RecapThe Top Echelon State of the Industry Report revealed three common reasons candidates turn down job offers. The responses included the salary being too low for the position, receiving better offers from other companies , and the hiring managers taking too long to make an offer.evalAs a hiring manager, you need to adjust your strategy in order to appeal to candidates. Offer a competitive salary, provide an excellent company culture, and be timely when communicating with candidates. A favorable candidate experience in recruitment often leads to acquiring top talent.

Summary Sunday Dont Get Discouraged When You Dont Hear Back

Summary Sunday Dont Get Discouraged When You Dont Hear Back On Sunday, I highlight posts from the week that resonated with me and my followers! These posts are about why you havent heard back after an interview and/or why you arent getting any calls at all after you apply for a job. Dont Get Discouraged After the Interview UPDATED: Susan Joyce is editor and publisher for Work Coach Cafe which was featured on YouTerns Savvy Intern blog. There is nothing worse than not hearing back after an interview, but perhaps this post will help you understand the causes for delay After the Interview: 10 Reasons You Havent Heard Anything.  The post concludes with: Despite all this anxiety… don’t discard an opportunity too soon.  It almost always takes employers more time to fill a job than they believe it will take.  Particularly if it has only been few days or a week past the date the employer said they’d get back to you, don’t give up! Another post also addresses the delay in communication from employers after the interview. Ronnie Ann is not new to the job seeker blogging world! She used to own Work Coach Cafe. Her new site,  Career Nook, addresses the job search issues for recent college graduates. Check out her post  After The Interview Blues: Still Waiting for a Call That Never Comes. 6  Reasons You Never Anything After You Apply for a Job The Undercover Recruiter hosted a post by  Andrew Fairley  highlighting reasons you never hear anything after you apply for a job. Heres the reality: In an ideal world, every candidate would get a detailed reason why their application isn’t progressed. Unfortunately, that’s never happening â€" we’re all too busy. A recent advert received over 100 responses; 10 were worth speaking to. To call all the other 90 candidates who applied would have taken all week, and I wouldn’t have done any work on the dozen other roles needing coverage. However, if you ensure your application is well-formatted, relevant, and shows strong correlation to the role applied for, you’ll get a call back! When you understand some of this stuff, you can take corrective action! Quick Overview of Job Search Articles You May Have Missed If you dont follow me on Twitter (@CareerSherpa), then you are probably missing what I share.

Writing a Resume For a Graphic Design Job

Writing a Resume For a Graphic Design JobWhen you want to write a resume for a graphic design job, it is important to write a resume that is unique. A graphic designer's resume will differ from an architect's resume or a writer's resume. If you know the graphic designer you are interviewing with, this can help you create a resume that is very unique.First, the graphic designer you are interviewing with will probably be someone who has an idea of what the job entails. So, he or she may not have a resume to show you. It is important to make sure that the resume is a true reflection of your skills and work history.Using a template can be a great way to begin. Most jobs will have a standard resume that is formatted in the same way. These resumes are easy to change to add an extra bit of flair to them. This is also a great way to start if you have little or no experience in creating a resume.Remember, a graphic designer's resume will most likely not include an introduction. This is becaus e it is more about selling the employee than actually making a sale. You do not want to make a presentation on the first paragraph.When you are trying to decide how you want to format your resume, keep in mind that you need to fit in the main facts about yourself in the first three or four sentences. Then, break down the job duties to a smaller group of related terms in the following paragraphs. Finally, summarize your achievements and skills.In addition to this, many times the company that is hiring will have their own individual resume template that they use for every single applicant. They may ask for the name of the person who wrote your resume, or the person who submitted it. In this case, you should just include your name.If you are having trouble writing a resume for a graphic designer, this can be as simple as adding the work experience and skills you learned in school to your resume. Make sure that you are comparing apples to apples. The more you have to compare, the easier it will be to write a resume that is truly representative of you.A graphic designer's resume is one of the first things the company will be looking at when determining who is a good fit for the job. Because of this, it is important to come up with a unique one. If you can add more to your resume, then you will likely get a better chance of getting hired.