Key to Productivity: Simplify.

Being productive these days can be tough. Globalization, increased competition and the jarring immediacy of technology have made it difficult for modern employees to stay on top of their growing workloads while maintaining a good work-life balance. Fortunately, The Wall Street Journal reports, small adjustments in how you think about work can have a big impact on your workplace efficiency.

What’s Your Get-Ahead Plan?

You work hard. You pay attention to details. And every day you focus on the job at hand — to make sure you do it to the best of your ability. But does your laser focus on your day-to-day duties some at the expense of your long-term plans to get ahead? Writing in Fast Company, Brendan Reid says getting a promotion can take two or three years — and he has five steps to help you forge a promotion plan.

Controlling Your Online Image

By Tyler Cohen Wood

If you’re job hunting and not on LinkedIn and Twitter, it’s time to get moving and create accounts. Nine out of ten recruiters uses social networks to recruit.

When it comes to social media, your boss, colleagues and experts in your field and future employers will get an immediate first impression and perception of who you are as a person based on your posted content.

And it’s a lot harder to change a bad first impression than it is to maintain a good one.

How do you manage your online identity through social media and create the impact that you want others to see?

Your goal should be to portray your social media content so that it manages other people’s perception of you. The best way to achieve this is to look at your current social media content through the eyes of a recruiter, boss, or professional expert. Each post itself might be innocuous, but when pieced together with all of your other posted content, you might see that you are coming across differently than you intended.

Here are five tips to ensure that you make a good first impression online and maintain your hard-earned reputation. Read More

Middle Age Women Leaving Work Force Early

Since the recession, a growing number of women in their late 40s and early 50s, have left the work force just as they reach their peak earning years. Demands on them to care for their parents during tough times is one reason, The New York Times reports. But state and local governments, which employ women in large numbers and were hit hard during this recession, also cut budgets.

Recent College Grad?

By Deborah Shane

If you’re a recent college grad, you know that your education is a gift, asset and tool. Education gives anyone an edge in the job and career world but what makes the difference is how you use it and what you do to get hired, get ahead and succeed.

You make the difference.

The most important thing you can do post graduation is to put a Marketing Yourself Plan into motion. This plan paints a clear picture of your assets and values. How well you market and articulate that plan will determine if you stand out, get noticed and are remembered.

Competition for jobs these days is fierce; making smart connections can help you cut through the clutter. Social media marketing and showing up at events where you have the opportunity to meet key players — even for just a few minutes — can be a game changer. A lot can happen in five minutes if you are prepared. Read More

Women Leaders Share Success Secrets

Just because many male executives lead a certain way doesn’t mean women need to follow what they do. Fast Company talks to 10 women in leadership who say there’s value in being yourself, staying humble and trusting your instincts in corporate America.