Give Yourself an Annual Review - The Muse

Give Yourself an Annual Review - The MuseGive Yourself an Annual ReviewWeve all suffered through annual reviews.Filling out endless amounts of paperwork. Checking the box on goals. Pretending that you have a plan for the next year.And then- hoping for a good raise or promotion.Company reviews can be helpful (at least you get time to talk to your manager about your career, right?), but often times we rush through them so we can check the annual review complete box and move on.But theres one review that really matters to your career. Its your own personal end-of-year review ofYourselfHear me out When was the last time you sat down and looked at how you did last year in terms of your career goals? Im not talking about what you told your supervisor- that honestly may not be true- but instead what you really dreamed of for you. When was the last time you wrote down your big career dreams and developed a plan to go after them?When was the last time you thought about how you spent your time and how you could improve?If you had an answer to these questions, excellent Youre ahead of the game.If you didnt? Well, welcome to the club. The vast majority of us are waving hello.Over at The Revolutionary Club this month, were talking about how to get started on your review. The good news It doesnt matter if you know exactly what you want to do in the next year (or five), or if you are completely stuck and have no idea. Either way, a personal annual review can really help you make progress and get a much needed boost. Seriously. To get started, schedule some time on your calendar. This is important stuff, and it deserves at least 45 minutes of focused time in a place that you feel comfortable. Then, bestattungs a pen and paper or your computer and a blank Word document, and get ready to do some thinking and writing. Oh, and a glass of wine can also significantly help this process.Look BackwardBegin by asking yourself- and jotting down the answers to- a few questions about the p ast yearWhat did you do this year- in both life and work- that you are really proud of?Where did you spend the majority of your time at work? On tasks or projects, in meetings or brainstorming sessions? At your desk combing through Excel spreadsheets?Were you happy with what you were doing?What was the best investment of your time that you made?What was the worst investment of your time? What do you want to do less of at work?What are the top two things you learned that you dont want to forget?If you could change one thing about what you did last year work-wise, what would it be? Look ForwardThe next step is to look ahead and map out where you are going to go next. Dont worry if you arent sure- this exercise is meant to guide you.Think through, then jot down your answers to, the followingWhat do you want to learn in the coming year?Based on what you learned by looking backward, what tasks, projects, or other work do you want to spend more time on in the coming year?Based on what you learned by looking backward, how will you let go of the tasks that you want to do less of? Where is it time for you to grow? What skills do you need to sharpen to do that?How will you grow those skills?What kind of help do you need to move forward in your career? Where will you get that help? What is your mantra moving forward for when you get stuck? What is one work (or personal) goal you will absolutely accomplish this year?Whats your first step? Whats Next?Theres a reason why businesses spend a lot of time doing quarterly and year-end reviews. They can be illuminating, and they give you insight and context as to what would be helpful to do next. They are also comforting- its good to remember what you did and take an objective look at how it turned out, including the good, the bad, and the ugly. Taking the time to do this exercise will give you both focus and momentum Focus because you know what works and what doesnt, and momentum because you have a direction and clear actions to take to move forward. Photo of writing hand courtesy of Shutterstock.

What the Yankees injury-depleted roster would look like in the office

What the Yankees injury-depleted roster would look like in the officeWhat the Yankees injury-depleted roster would look like in the officeThe New York Yankees are somehow 14-11, sitting a surprising second in the American League East all without almost all of their star power like Giancarlo Stanton, Miguel Andujar, Gary Sanchez, Aaron Hicks and most recently Aaron Judge, along with eight others on the injured list.Despite those injuries, the Yankees have played some of their best baseball, winning eight of their last ten games with a lineup that tests organizational depth.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreEver want to know how the Yankees less-than-ideal lineup would look like in an office setting? Heres a rundown from the Yankees lineup in the 7-6 extra innings win against the Kansas City Royals on Sunday.1. DJ Lemahieu, 2B - Mr. ReliableLemahieu is one of the lone proven player s in the Yankees injury plague. He won the batting crown with the Colorado Rockies in 2016 and signed a friendly two-year, $24 million deal in the offseason to land in the Bronx. The Yankees felt the two-time All-Star was undervalued and certainly appears to be one of the teams best offensive - and defensive - options so far.2. Luke Voit, DH - Overachiever He was an unsung hero last year when the Yankees acquired him from the Cardinals (.333 batting average and 14 home runs in 39 games) and hes looking again like that so far in 2019. Voit, 28, extended his on-base streak to 34 games on Tuesday night.3. Brett Gardner, CF - LeaderGardner has been around forever, through the goods (2009 World Series) and the bad. While his name annually pops up in trade discussions, the 35-year-old continues to find consistent playing time despite a crowded Yankees outfield.Said Yankees starter CC Sabathia I think the way he always plays hard on the field is a good example for guys to follow, and t hat naturally makes him a leader.4. Clint Frazier, RF - FrustratedOne of baseballs former top prospects has been blocked in the Yankees crowded outfield ever since he was acquired from the Indians in the Andrew Miller trade back in 2017. After battling concussion-like symptoms for much last season, Frazier has starred since replacing Giancarlo Stanton earlier this month, batting .324 with six home runs and 17 RBI.5. Mike Tauchman, LF - Full-time freelancerAcquired in the offseason as a depth option, Tauchman became the Yankees next-man-up and finally hit his first home run in the majors after spending parts of three seasons trying to do so.6. Gio Urshela, 3B - Part-time freelancerThe 27-year-old has floated around for a while, but his strong glove isnt enough of a reason to keep him in an everyday lineup. Consider him the freelancer here for the assignment, but not needed once Miguel Andujar returns from injury.7. Mike Ford, 1B - WorkaholicFord played at Princeton in the Ivy Lea gue, went undrafted and finally made his MLB debut this year after spending his entire career in the minors since 2013. Not bad for someone who went from little expectations to start in pinstripes.8. Austin Romine, C Old reliableHes one of the longest-tenured Yankees and some feel hes one of the best backup catchers in baseball.9. Tyler Wade, SS - DisgruntledWade has long waited for an actual opportunity with the Yankees for a few seasons but lost his opening day spot when the Yankees traded with the Rockies to get Tauchman. When Wade found out he was starting the year in the minors, he voiced his displeasure with the decision saying he felt blindsided by the move after doing everything that was asked.I did everything I could possibly do to show them I belong in the big leagues to help this team and I just know Im able to play outfield. Ive done this for three years now. If thats the issues, I dont know what the problem is, Wade said in March.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience r eveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

HSN Work at Home Careers

HSN Work at Home CareersHSN Work at Home CareersHome Shopping Network (HSN) is a $4 billion company that specializes in direct-to-consumer sales via TV, online, and mobile devices. Founded in 1982, HSN was the nations first television shopping network and is available to consumers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Reaching 95 million U.S. homes, it uses full- and part-timevirtual call center agents as its customer service and sales staff- tasked with selling a variety of home, lifestyle, health and beauty, fashion, jewelry, and electronics products. Types of Work-at-Home Positions HSN offers work-at-home employment- not independent contractorpositions- that are tied to a specific geographic location. Currently, those locations are thirteen cities in California, Florida, Ohio, Tennessee, and Virginia. Agents field inbound calls and answer questions, upsell merchandise, and complete sales transactions. Nearly all of the virtual call agent positions are sales jobs. Full-time position s require a 40-hour-per-week commitment. Working weekends and holidays is mandatory, but employees receive two predetermined days off per week. Also, all work-at-home employees must be available to work on-site once a month. Part-time positions are available, as are seasonal positions- especially during the winter holiday season. Pay and Benefits HSN home-based agents receive a base rate per hour plus incentive opportunities. All agents are put through a training program to become knowledgeable in HSNs fun approach to selling and so there is consistency in how products are sold. The training is paid. Benefits for employees working at least 30 hours per week include health insurance, dental plans, vision care, life insurance, short- and long-term disability coverage, a retirement savings plan, employee-stock-purchase plan, and generous discounts on HSN merchandise. Also, the company allows employees two paid days per year to perform community service activities. HSN has been reco gnized as a Platinum-Level Fit-Friendly Company by the American Heart Association for championing the health and wellness of employees. Qualifications Applicants must be 18 years old with at least a high-school-level education, which can be a GED equivalent. All call center employees must have strong computer and internet skills, be familiar with Microsoft Windows and Outlook, and have prior experience either in sales or customer service. Some of the traits HSN looks for in employees are attention to detail, follow-through, organizational skills, good communication skills, and the ability to please customers and generate excitement about the products being sold. HSN agents are required to provide their own Windows desktop computer and internet service (either DSL or cable). Anyone interested in taking this career path should explore the other typical home call center office requirements. Virus and spyware protection software and a working firewall. Its important to note that HSN home-based jobs are only for applicants who live near one of the cable networks 13 cities with established offices. Also, because its hard to specify boundaries, there may be specific restrictions based on a potential employees area code. Technical Requirements At a bare minimum, work-at-home agents for HSN must provide their own equipment including the following Computer and headset compatible with HSN specsHigh-speed internet connection. Satellite, broadband, wireless or dial-up services are not acceptable.Standard wired land-line phone service500 MB minimum free disk spaceSound Card with Speakers17? or larger color monitor capable of displaying a resolution of 1024 X 768Mouse and tastatur (wireless is allowed).Headset compatible with your phone and connected to the phone (wireless headset/phone is not permitted) What You Can Deduct on Your Income Taxes If youre working from home (even if you have an employer) you will incur expenses you would not incur if you were workin g at a brick-and-mortar establishment. The IRS realizes this and allows certain deductions- some bigger, some smaller. Home Office If you work out of a dedicated room (even if its a slice of a room) to conduct your business, the IRS considers that space a home office. As such, and you can deduct part (but not all) of some of your home expenses.These expenses include your monthly rent and utilities such as heat and electricity, property tax, mortgage interest, and homeowners insurance. For example, if your rental home is 2,000 square feet and your office space takes up 20 percent of that, you can deduct 20 percent of your rent and utilities. Office Supplies This is where you have to narrow focus and think about every expense you incur from purchasing pens and pencils to staples to paper clips. Keep a separate folder and collect your receipts there to make it easier when its time to file. Newly purchased larger items- like a desk, chair, filing cabinet- can also be deducted if essential to your work. Secondary items- like a fancy slipcover for your office chair- are not deductible. Professional Services Usually, there will be an in-house IT team to help you overcome any computer issues or help you install any programs necessary to your work. However, if a technician is not available, or unable to solve a problem, you can hire someone on your own- and that professionals fee is tax deductible. As always, check with your accountant to be sure youre deducting the right amount. Applying to HSN If youre interested in working either full-time or part-time for HSN (and live in the right area) simply go to the HSN Careers websiteand filter jobs by category. Next, check Work At Home to see all of the current openings. From there, you can apply online or upload a resume for the position youre interested in. After uploading your resume or filling out an application, you will be asked to fill out a timed assessment questionnaire. The questionnaire asks questi ons about your flexibility in terms of hours and scheduling, as well as queries about such personal traits such as organization, self-confidence, honesty, work ethic, stress levels, persuasiveness, and your comfort level with technology and sales. The questionnaire also gauges skills such as your ability to match up numbers accurately, grammar, and your knowledge of computers- specifically Windows. After filling out the application and assessment, you will be contacted for a phone interview if HSN deems your qualifications a match for one of its open positions. If you dont live in one of the five states where HSN hires work-at-home agents, find a Call Center Job in Your State or a Call Center Job in Canada.