HOW I STARTED WEARING THE HELL I WANT TO WORK AND STOPPED BUYING 'ESSENTIALS THAT EVERY WOMAN SHOULD HAVE'

I've been stumbling upon articles about what you should have in your wardrobe, what essentials to get for a while now., but nothing really says ME, no matter how much I want it to.

I would like to own things that would look on me like as they look like on those Instagram photos I'm addicted to browsing. Simple, effortless, amazing... and here I am, trying to get into a pair of pants that magically shrunk overnight (they were perfectly fine when I wore them yesterday!). My clothes crinkle, fade, get dirty on my way to work, you know, all the things that actually happen to clothes in real life. The Instagram reality is tempting, but also super disappointing when you find out it's not reachable.

I used to do business casual when I worked corporate. Really liked it. Delicate tops, super cute trousers, matching jewellery, all that jazz. I had the weirdest reality check when I was asked to go to the HR office for a chat one day.

Our HR lady was a really weird one. Not someone you really want to have a chat with. She was anchored in the era when Human Resources meant that people are expendable and not really important. Hire and get rid of when needed.

I was super surprised that she wants to see me, but ok, why not, let's do it. When I got there she told me that 'people are talking' (wait, what people?) and 'people can see my bra under the tops that I am wearing' (wait...what people are looking at my bra again?) and that I have to wear different clothes from now on. Awesome.

That was the most awkward thing ever.

But ok, fair enough, maybe I didn't notice something, maybe it was too much, there was a lot of maybes in my head at a time. I went shopping for more coverage and decided to look for a different favourite store. Because you never know. Maybe my clothes were all wrong.

A few days later when I walked into the office we had a meeting. A lovely short meeting where my HR lady was wearing the exact same top I was wearing last time.

The 'People Can See Your Bra' Top.

The top that I just bought and had to stash at the bottom of my wardrobe because it wasn't suitable for the office. Joy, oh joy, the HR lady was shopping at my favourite store. And apparently, she banned me from wearing clothes that she wanted to buy for herself. I was seriously not amused.

So I decided not to give a fuck and I started wearing more and more of whatever I wanted. Because after the 'we can see your bra' affair (I am totally going to call it that, it was stupid as hell) I couldn't care less. I transitioned into wearing leggings to work - best decision ever and you can actually get super cute ones if you look online.

Then came loose chiffon tops and I started loving comfort instead of fake corporate style. I ditched heavy makeup sometime along the way and I made extra time in the morning to exercise. On the plus side: I don't have to ever hand wash anything ever again All of my clothes are perfectly fine for the washing machine. I kinda buy whatever is easy to wear and looks good on me. I don't need to think if my outfit is perfect enough for everyone - it's ok for me so it will do well. I kinda love it. Life is good. Much simpler.

And next time that someone will tell me that something I'm wearing is problematic I will tell them not to look at me. Because seriously, I wear what I want.

Have fun!

HOW TO LEARN THINGS THE PROPER WAY - TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE LEARNING

I don't know about you, but I love learning new things, figuring out how to do or not do stuff and slowly getting better as I go. Learning rocks!

But have you ever wondered how to learn things the proper way? 

It's actually quite easy to get the best of your time and effort while getting all the new information in your head. All you need to do is following this super handy list:

1. BEFORE YOU EVEN START ANYTHING MAKE SURE THAT YOU WILL NOT BE INTERRUPTED.

That goes both for interruptions from the inside and the outside. Inside is pretty straightforward - do not shoot your own foot, stop sabotaging yourself. In other words, find some quiet space, relax, don't let any excuses take over (no, you are not hungry, your house doesn't need cleaning right this very moment and the cat videos on the internet can wait) and get your brain in I Can Do It! mode. Outside is even easier to sort out - for your study space choose a location that should be nice and quiet by default, get your phone away from you (or put it on silent, but no peeking!), and if possible, put a 'Do not disturb' note on the door. It will help.

2. FOCUS, BUT TAKE IT SLOW

Do you have to study and read a whole 20 chapters of a super boring book? Is the online course that you are taking 50 hours long? Find a way to make the workload smaller and manageable. Divide it into smaller pieces and go for it - it's way easier to tell yourself to read one paragraph at a time, watch a tutorial video while enjoying a cup of coffee or take notes as you go than try and tackle all of the available material in one go. Remember that you don't have to do everything right now, you just have to finish it at some point. Chill out, slow down and enjoy it. But no slacking either!

3. TAKE NOTES, SCRIBBLE, ARGUE, THINK ABOUT IT - MAKE IT INTERESTING

There is a huge difference between skim reading an article or binge-watching video tutorials and actually interacting with the information that is out there. Sure, no matter what and how you do it, you will learn something, but you can greatly improve your understanding of any topic just by engaging in it more. Try writing some notes as you go, try and come up with a real-life situation where you will be able to apply this new knowledge, think about a way to improve what your instructor is talking about. By making it more interesting for yourself, you are actually getting more from it, so get out there and figure out what will make it fun for you. Then learn like there is no tomorrow!

Have fun!

HOW TO MAKE A KILLER PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN (THAT WILL TAKE YOU EXACTLY WHERE YOU WANT TO BE) - FREE WORKSHEE

Where would you like to be in 5 or 10 years? Do you have a plan?

This post is for anyone that would like to stop daydreaming about how they will push their career forward, get fit and get that certification they need and start planning how they will make things actually happen. Don't worry – it's easier than you think, you just need a Personal Development Plan.

What is that thing? PDP is a super handy tool for setting your goals, listing step by step how you can make it real and helping you to keep track of everything. It works for both long and short-term goals so you can put some easy things along with the big, hard-to-achieve ones (and having a mix of those will make you more motivated, as you cross off everything that you already completed every now and then).

What you need is one simple worksheet, tea or coffee and 30 - 40 minutes of free time:

Start from the beginning. What would you like your life to be in a year? What kind of job would you like? How would you like to feel? What kind of changes would you like to make? When you have a somewhat clear vision of where would you like your life to go, try and think about what needs to be done to make it happen and strip it down to specific goals.

Do you need to find a new job, get some new qualification or start a freelance project? What is it that you would like to achieve?

Always write down why is it that you want to do something – if you have a reason and you remind yourself of it from time to time, your motivation will last way longer.

Also, set a clear deadline on finishing every single one of your goals. It's only for you and you should use it for reference – will you manage to complete everything in time?

Everything that you want to do can be broken into smaller pieces. So you want to change a job? You have to prepare a CV, find a job that you like, send out applications, interview. You would like to get a yoga instructor certificate? You need to find a course that will give you qualifications, attend, pass the exam. Put everything into tiny, achievable pieces that you can cross off as you complete them - easy as that!

You always need to know what exactly is it that you want. Do you just want to move to a different city, or do you want to find a new studio flat on a specific street? What outcome is good enough to be considered a success for you?

If there are any things that you need to make sure to send/check/hand in before a certain date – put them on the list whenever you find out about them (with a date when you will do it next to whatever it may be). This is simply to make sure that you are on top of everything.

If there are some things that are not so clear in your head (yet...) write them down in the four squares at the bottom. This space is for ideas that will develop as you go. Remember that your Personal Development Plan will change with time and will need to be updated – maybe things from the bottom part will reach the top? Maybe they are just the next goals that are slowly growing on you?

You can find a full .pdf version of this Personal Development Plan worksheet on Tiny Upload my SlideShare.

Have fun!

OFFICE SURVIVAL ACADEMY: HOW TO GET BACK TO THE OFFICE AND GET THINGS UNDER CONTROL AFTER TAKING SOME TIME OFF

It's that time of the year again! Getting your days off (and I do hope that you do – not using your vacation days is like telling your manager that you are paid way too much and would love some surprise unpaid overtime), so you finally can sleep in, read that book sitting on your table for ages and go to the wilderness/beach/most amazing city in the world for two care-free, adventure-heavy weeks.

But, as awesome as all that is, you have to come back to the office at some point. Awwww... Do I really have to? I know that pain, so let me make it a bit easier for you with some tips I gathered and tested out for you:

Before leaving

1. LEAVE ALL YOUR PROJECTS FINISHED, EMAILS READ AND REPORTS HANDED IN AND YOUR OUT OF OFFICE MESSAGE ON

Work like crazy if you have to, but don't leave any unfinished business that will blow up in your face when you come back from your perfect vacation. It's easier to tune in when you have new projects coming in just in time when you are back in the office. Any overdue work will just make you feel tired, overwhelmed and stressed and that is just not a good start for anyone.

2. DELEGATE

Try and find someone that can fill in for you in case of emergency. Be nice and don't leave them with any actual work that needs a lot of time and resources on a daily basis (because that is just mean, they will probably not do it anyway and you can get in trouble for trying to be sneaky), but prepare and send them an email listing things that you worked on and when to find all the information on those if needed. Leaving your email and computer password with your manager is also a great idea (and it will save you calls and texts if anyone needs urgent access to your laptop).

3.MAKE A TO-DO LIST (AND EMAIL IT TO YOURSELF)

If there is anything that you can't possibly complete before you leave, make a list of everything that you need to do when you get back (with details such as who you should email/call, addresses where you need to send things, websites that you need to update). Don't pretend that you will remember everything (because let's face it, there is no way that you will or even will want to). With that list you will have a head start and you will be able to make sure that everything goes as planned – stress-free.

4. CLEAN YOUR DESK

It's just nicer to come back to an uncluttered, fresh space rather than to a chaotic mess. You will probably forget where you left that super important post-it with the phone number of that guy that was meant to do the thing, so make sure that you organize everything on and in your desk before you leave and that you get rid of everything you don' need anymore. For the sake of your future self.

While on vacation

5. SEND A POSTCARD TO THE OFFICE (AND LEAVE YOUR PHONE OFF, DON'T CHECK EMAILS AND TEXTS EVERY 5 SECONDS)

Why send a postcard? Because it's a nice thing to do, it brings a five-minute chill to the office and it gives people a conversation point when you get back. You will have an easier time to relax at work if you still have memories of everything great that just happened to you at the back of your head and a postcard to prove it on the wall. Also, seriously, it's called vacation for a reason - leave your phone off or on mute. Lives are not at stake here and your boss can live without that report for the next few days.

When you get back to the office

6. LEAVE YOUR OUT OF OFFICE MESSAGE ON IN THE MORNING

Everyone knows that you are in, but leaving you're out of office tune out there for a little bit you will get some breathing space and you will be able to deal with the most pressing things. Use the extra time to go through your emails. Do it first thing in the morning, so you catch up on everything that happened when you were off. If you sort the emails by the person, you will have an option to read all of the messages and you won't respond to something that was resolved a couple of days ago. With every email that you read do one of 4 things straight away: delete, do nothing, respond immediately, the flag so you can do it later (do not overuse this option, it's only for big things that will really take more than 20 – 30 minutes of your time). You will feel much better with an empty inbox, knowing what is going on around you.

7. LEAVE THE OFFICE ON TIME

As tempting as it may seem, staying late on your first day back will probably crush your holiday vibe and make you feel drained. Leave on time even if that means completing your work tomorrow. Give yourself some credit and relax. You just came back after a long absence and it is perfectly normal that you have a lot of things to do.

8. BOOK YOUR NEXT HOLIDAY AND ARRANGE SOME SIMPLE PLEASURES

Give in and book your next time off. Why? Because it will make you feel better, you will have something to look forward to and it will give you a boost of motivation during your first week back. Get your favourite tea and cookies and stash them in your desk, go to the cinema, find some way to enjoy your time back!

Have fun and remember - you can do it!

7 TIPS ON HOW TO ACE THAT PHONE INTERVIEW

I have a phone interview...what now?

First of all - great job! This is amazing news!

How can you make sure that everything goes as you want it to go? The short answer is: You can't. The long one? You can make sure that you limit all the things that can potentially go wrong and prepare everything you want to say, what you want to ask about and what kind of impression do you want to make. Then, you basically keep your fingers crossed and try your best to sound like a capable and amazing person that you are.

Now, the things that you can control during your phone interview are:

1. WHEN YOU TAKE THE CALL

This one is really important, so please try to remember about it. You don't want to talk to a recruiter right after you wake up (because sounding sleepy and a bit spaced out is just not good) and you don't want to do that when you are tired (because you will sound either bored or angry and you will definitely not focus on the call that well). When scheduling your phone interview to be mindful of the time of the day. Aim for when you are free, relaxed and generally in good shape. 

2. WHERE YOU TAKE THE CALL

Again, this one is important and really basic. You need to make sure that when you will take the call you will be in a quiet place, uninterrupted and not bothered by anyone. If you can do this at home – great. If you can't... You can risk taking this call at a meeting room at work, but I would strongly advise against it. It's just not good this way (and you definitely don't want to use your company's phone or be caught by your boss talking to a recruiter). Try and go to the park, maybe a quiet cafe if you know one. You can also try and take this call in your car if possible. In any case – relax and think for a while before you choose the right place.

3. IF YOU WILL HAVE TABLET/LAPTOP/YOUR CV/ JOB SPEC/ NOTES WITH YOU

Since the recruiter won't see you, you can have as many open documents or websites as you like. This is a great thing, but do not go crazy with it. It's a good thing to have your CV prepared (with notes about specific things that you may want to talk about), the job spec (because you will be able to link your experience with requirements that the company wants you to meet) and some notes (if you did your homework and researched the company, you should have some key points on a separate document or piece of paper).

4. WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO ATTEND THE FACE TO FACE INTERVIEW

You should prepare some dates and times for when you are free to attend the face to face interview. Why? Because if everything goes well (and I am keeping my fingers crossed for you) it really makes a good impression if the candidate knows his/her schedule. It's way better than hearing the candidate panic and frantically go through their calendar.

5. YOUR HOMEWORK - WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE COMPANY/POSITION YOU APPLIED FOR/MOST COMMON JOB INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

This one is simple – the better you prepare, the bigger chances you have to get the job. You should roughly know what do you want to say, how you will respond to questions about your skills and background, what the company does and what is the role they contacted you about. This research will help you relax and feel comfortable during the call. You are prepared - you got this!

6. QUESTIONS THAT YOU WANT TO ASK

The recruiter will always ask if you have any questions, so be sure to prepare a list of 2 – 3 things that you would like to know. Whether this is about a team that you will work with, type of contract or when the final list of candidates will be drafted. What are you curious about?

7. YOUR VOICE

Relax, stay calm, don't giggle, don't pause for more than 10 seconds or repeat random words. This may be a little bit stressful (as every interview can be), but to be honest – this is just a more formal phone conversation. You will be asked questions, give some answers and get to ask questions of your own – simple and easy.

Things that you can't control: there are many and you can't really do much about them, so – go prepare for your phone interview and stop worrying!

You can do this!

And remember to tell me how your interview went!

Have fun!

GOOD, BAD AND UGLY: 6 THINGS YOU HAVE TO GET RIGHT BEFORE SENDING OUT YOUR CV

When was the last time that you looked at your CV?

Do you update it regularly? Could you just start sending your resume out straight away if something happened to your current company?

For me, keeping my CV neat and up to date is all about reminding myself what I am good at, what I achieved and what should I do next. It's nice to have something that shows me how I got to where I am now. For some of my clients' CV is something that they dislike – it reminds them that they were laid off or that they are stuck in a job that sucks. But how else can you change something about your job if not starting with your CV?

Make your CV amazing and remember to:

1. EDIT YOUR PERSONAL/CONTACT DETAILS: 

You want to mention:

- your name in BIG, bold letters

- the city where you live  (because no one is interested in your full postal address at this point and it takes way too much space anyway) 

- your phone number (please include your city or country code if you are applying to an international company – I still remember one situation, where I recruited for the same post in 3 different cities and I had to guess which prefix should I use, because some candidates didn't include their location or full phone number) 

- your email address (if your email looks anything like this: xxx_lover@sweetness.com no recruiter will EVER get back to you – get a new email if necessary)

- consider including your LinkedIn profile link (I used to love clicking through them at work and a majority of people I hired were found on LinkedIn)

2. SUMMARY/OBJECTIVE/PROFILE:

Include a short statement about which job you are applying for and what makes you a good candidate. Remember, this is not a place for your complete life story, it just has to tell the recruiter the most important things of you as a candidate. The summary should have 3 - 4  lines and it should focus on your expertise and how will it help you in your new position.

3. WORK EXPERIENCE:

This section depends on how much work experience do you have. If you are just starting your career and have 1 or 2 things to put here, then try and focus on duties and responsibilities that you had in each job. List 5 – 6 things that you did and learn while being employed. 

If you have quite a few years of experience only include the posts that have anything to do with the role that you are applying for (because no one will ask you about an internship that you had 10 years ago) and try to list the most important responsibilities and achievements for every role. Don't worry if it takes you 2 or 3 pages to fit everything. It's not physically possible to squeeze 15 years of a successful career on one page. Also – remember that the most recent jobs should be at the top of this section.

4. EDUCATION/COURSES:

If you finished any university, training or professional qualification it should be listed here. You don't have to put specific dates – writing down a year when you graduated is more than enough. If only education/qualification you have is at a high school level you can skip this section entirely and it's perfectly fine.

5. SKILLS:

This is the most important part of your CV. Here you should have a solid list of all the great things that you learnt and all the character traits that you have. 

The best approach is to divide your skills into 2 or 3 categories: language skills, soft skills, IT skills, practical skills, accounting skills, programming skills, art/design skills... You can pick and choose, but make sure that you have a few key categories listed. When you decide on what categories you wish to include, sit down and go through your day-to-day work routine and think about one thing:

What kind of tasks do you have and what skills do they require? 

For example, while mailing back and forth customers and updating them about a project you show great communication skills, organisation and customer service skills. If you have to prepare paperwork for your boss every week, you are probably great at reporting

6. YOUR INTERESTS:

Because, surprisingly, they can be great. Do you love travelling? Maybe there is a position open that requires your skills and a lot of flying. Are you into languages? Maybe you would like to take care of international customers?

If you are planning to put music and reading here - skip them, everyone lists those anyways.

OK... How does your CV look like now? Do you feel like you are a super skilled and talented person? I do hope so

Have fun!