Are Men More Focused Than Women on Work Fashion ?

Posted on March 2, 2015 by Kate Perrin

It’s been fascinating to watch which of PRofessional Solutions’ “pins” on our Pinterest pages catch a wave of interest.  Lately we’ve had overwhelming likes and repins from our male followers of this recent addition.

Looking professional while still personalizing your style.

Looking professional while still personalizing your style.

Why so many hits with men?  It could be they are becoming more savvy about the impact of dress on their career paths.  Or it could be there are fewer sources of advice and examples of appropriate office attire for men than for women, who have long had magazines and sites dedicated to work, social and other looks.

Check out our pins and let us know what additions you’d like to see us include.

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To Be a Leader, First Be a Scout

Posted on January 15, 2015 by Kate Perrin

GirlScoutUniformsI am one of more than 59 million women in America today who were Girl Scouts during our childhood. You might think that means I’m nothing special, except for the results that so many of us gained from being inspired, challenged, and empowered by the experience.

  • 80% of women business owners like me were Girl Scouts.
  • 69% of female U.S. senators were Girl Scouts.
  • Every female U.S. Secretary of State is a fellow proud Girl Scout alumna.

So much is made of looking for ways to help women and girls take their place in our society. Well, when I was a Scout – Brownies right through Senior scouting – I earned badges and sold cookies and learned lessons that later helped me to grow a successful business. I learned that the same things that make a good Girl Scout make a good business person:

GirlScoutLaw

We’re starting the last lap of celebrating PRofessional Solutions, LLC’s 20th year in business, and I also have come to see that it pays to hire former Girl Scouts: Melanie Jordan has been instrumental in our success for 17 years.  She was a Girl Scout, but maybe even more significant, she was a Girl Scout Troop Leader!

         ~Kate Perrin, CEO PRofessional Solutions, LLC

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Career Dressing Advice Sought by Many

Posted on November 11, 2014 by Kate Perrin

PRofessional Solutions offers guidance on three Pinterest boards: two for job seekers (Interview Dressing and Interview Body Language) and one that is devoted to appsuitropriate but contemporary office dressing.  Guess which gets the most hits?

Each month hundreds of people check out PRofessional Solutions’ Office Attire suggestions for men and women — over 300 again in the past 30 days.  (Check it out at http://www.pinterest.com/prstaffing/office-attire/)

In a tough employment market, keeping the job, showing you fit in and finding ways to demonstrate professionalism and move ahead are on the minds of many.  But the single most viewed Pin?  It’s the classic interview suit!

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PRofessional Solutions CEO on CCTV America

Posted on October 20, 2014 by Kate Perrin

Last week I enjoyed talking with Owen Fairclough, CCTV America business correspondent, as part of a story on how the neRIGHT-TO-BE-FORGOTTEN-GUEST_00_01_04_03_Still001-800x500w ‘Right to be Forgotten’ law in Europe, which has inundated Google with requests to be erased, would impact American hiring practices if a similar law were passed here. The piece aired on Thursday’s Biz Asia America program.

As CEO of PRofessional Solutions, LLC I’m often are asked to speak about employment issues, trends in hiring and related topics, particularly for local professional groups and universities. This was the first request from CCTV America, the U.S. production arm of China Central Television, which launched its first news programming in February 2012.

CCTV America airs in the Washington DC area on Comcast 273, Cox 472, RCN 32, Verizon FiOS 458 and digital broadcast channel 30.3.

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Top Ten Mistakes in Documenting Employee Performance

Posted on September 26, 2014 by Kate Perrin

Every manager eventually is confronted with a problem employee.  Too few realize in time that accurate documentation is crucial when office2terminating an employee – even in an at-will employment state – because it is seen as more objective than personal testimony in the courtroom.

Some of the top mistakes employers make in this area, outlined by Katie Anderson of Strasburger & Price LLP, include not knowing the real audience for performance reviews, backdating a document, doing a poor job of performance evaluations, misuse of performance improvement plans, using email inappropriately and inconsistent application of standards.

Read Top Ten Mistakes in Documenting Employee Performance to see the full list and which is the #1 mistake.

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Not Crazy About the Job, But Still Checking In From Vacation

Posted on September 3, 2014 by Kate Perrin

It was good news-bad news in the latest issue of Staffing Industry Review. Apparently job satisfaction is at its highest level frownies2since the recession, but still low.

Job satisfaction in the 1980s and ’90s routinely neared 60 percent or higher; 2005 was the last year in which a majority of Americans was satisfied at work (52.1 percent). Now, according to a survey by The Conference Board, only 47.7 percent of U.S. workers are satisfied with their jobs, up from an all-time low of 42.6 percent in 2010.

Maybe one reason is that workers no longer enjoy personal time.

The Randstad Engagement Study revealed that many workers never feel they are off-the-clock; 45 percent said they feel obligated to respond to email after hours, and 47 percent said they feel guilty if they don’t work, from home or on site, when sick.

And vacation isn’t what it used to be. 42 percent of U.S. employees surveyed feel obligated to check in with work when they are on vacation and 26 percent feel guilty if they use all of their earned vacation days.

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Advice to Those Starting to “Lean In”

Posted on August 20, 2014 by Kate Perrin
Jennifer Meffert, Kate Perrin, Shelby McIntosh, Sarah Newall and Lacey Faeh.

Jennifer Meffert, Kate Perrin, Shelby McIntosh, Sarah Newall and Lacey Faeh.

As a business owner in the public relations field I frequently am asked to speak on the job market, how to land a position, trends in the profession, skills needed for the future of PR, and the like.  Those are speaking engagements that promote PRofessional Solutions and encourage professionalism in our industry.

But some speaking engagements, like last night’s Lean In DC panel on “The Business of Balance” are from the heart.  It was an opportunity to encourage and inspire young women (and a few brave young men) as they launch their work lives and navigate the confusing and overwhelming choices and challenges of building careers and satisfying lives.

Messages I hope resonated with the large group:

  • Seek balance in life, but not “work-life” balance, because work is life and a wonderful part of it.
  • Be open to opportunities, new paths and directions, which can come through outside passions and activities (volunteer roles, sports or theater you love, community participation, etc.)
  • You can do ANYTHING, but you can’t and should try to do everything.
  • Working hard and proving yourself while young yields wonderful rewards later in your career, so know that putting in the effort now will be worth it.

The young women I met were smart and industrious and headed for great things.  They are already “leaning in”.

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Sage Quotes for Job Seekers

Posted on August 18, 2014 by Melanie Jordan

From the August issue of PRofessional Solutions, LLC’s newsletter “Smart Solutions”:

owlIt can be difficult to stay positive during the search for your next job, so we’d like to share some inspirational quotes to help you keep things in perspective:

“When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.” ~ Alexander Graham Bell

“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” ~ Winston Churchill

“I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.” ~ Thomas Jefferson

“One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation.” ~ Arthur Ashe

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” ~ Benjamin Franklin

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How to Stay Positive During Your Job Search

Posted on August 11, 2014 by Melanie Jordan

From the August issue of PRofessional Solutions, LLC’s newsletter, “Smart Solutions”

staying positiveWhether you’ve been fired or laid off, staying positive during the search for your next job is important but can be challenging. We recommend the following tactics to keep from developing what we call “the stench of defeat”:

  • Keep regular business hours and routine even if you don’t have an interview that day. Start your day early, shower and dress in business office attire. Staying in your pajamas all day will erode your self-confidence.
  • On a day when you’re going out for an interview, plan an additional activity that will be uplifting–lunch with a friend who works nearby, a visit to a museum, a walk along the waterfront. Take advantage of the free time you won’t have once you start your new job and do some things you enjoy.
  • Attend networking and professional society events. Reconnecting with former colleagues, learning about new techniques within the industry and making new contacts can help you feel fresh and keep a positive outlook even if your search for the next job is lengthy.
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5 Tips on How to Rebound when You’re Fired

Posted on August 4, 2014 by Melanie Jordan

firedDuring our 20 years in the public relations staffing business, we’ve received many calls from people who’ve just been fired. Most think it will never happen to them so when it does, it’s devastating. We’ve seen seasoned communicators, even ones with years of crisis communications experience, make serious mistakes in how they proceed after being let go so we’d like to share some tips on what to do if you find yourself in this situation.

  1. Allow sufficient time to recover from the shock. Give yourself permission to experience the roller coaster of emotions associated with being fired and time to lick your wounds.
  2. Don’t submit any job applications, call prospective employers or reach out to people within your network until you’re in a better frame of mind. If you’re still in a state of shock, your cover letter and resume will likely be poorly written and filled with errors.
  3. Assess why you were fired. Did you make mistakes? Was it a matter of personality and fit? You can’t successfully move forward and prevent this from happening again until you are brutally honest with yourself about the reasons you were let go.
  4. Carefully craft your message before you launch your job search. Decide what your elevator speech will be about why you’re looking for a new job and how you will handle being questioned about why you left your last position. Don’t get caught unprepared, never bad-mouth your former employer and don’t be defensive in your explanation.
  5. Be strategic with your search for the next position. In a targeted and personalized way, reach out to key people in your network letting them know you’re looking for a new position. Provide specific details about the type of job, level of experience and kind of organization you prefer. Before you submit a job application, use LinkedIn to see if you have any connections there. If you do, ask the person if he or she would be willing to hand deliver a copy of your resume and cover letter to the hiring manager. That personal connection can make all the difference in being selected for an interview.

 

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