With so many apps available for your smart phones, it can be hard to find quality apps that bring real value to your daily work flow. Here are a few good apps you definitely should check out:

Dropbox (iPhone, Android, Blackberry) – If you are unfamiliar, Dropbox is a free cloud storage system that lets you store and sync your files online. Once you create an account, you can sync your files between any computer or device that has Dropbox installed on it. It is a great way to make sure you have up-to-date files anywhere you have access to the internet, including your phone. Although it is initially limited to 2GB you can get more storage by either referring friends to Dropbox (up to 8GB) or purchase more space (up to 100GB).

QuickOffice (iPhone, Android, Palm, Symbian) – Working with word, powerpoint and excel files on a small device like a phone will probably never be ideal, but when you do need to make some quick changes to documents, QuickOffice can be a life saver. QuickOffice can grab your documents from your Dropbox or GoogleDoc accounts, which makes getting files into the app easy.

Evernote (iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Palm, Windows Mobile) – If you’re the type of person that constantly comes up with great new ideas but often forgets them later, Evernote may be exactly what you should be considering. Evernote lets you quickly take down notes in many ways such as pictures, website addresses, screen shots, audio recordings, emails or just an old fashion “written” note. The app stores your notes online, so you can review your notes later at your desk or at home.

ToodleDo (iPhone) – You could easily use Evernote to create to-do lists if a basic list is all you need, but if your needs are a little more complex, ToodleDo is a great tool to help you keep track of all the things you need to get done. ToodleDo will let you categories, prioritize, as well as set due dates and alerts. ToodleDo also uses “the cloud” to store your to-do list, so you can access your information on your computer as well.

Square (iPhone, Android) – Whether you run your own business or you just like to sell stuff on Craigslist once and a while, Square might be something worth looking into. When you sign up (squareup.com) they will mail you a small credit card reader that you attach to your phone (it looks pretty nifty if you ask me). With their app and device, you can accept credit cards everywhere you go! Now your customers have one less excuse why they can’t pay you on the spot.
Google Voice (iPhone, Android, Blackberry) – Google Voice is a neat service to use, particularly if you are someone that has to manage multiple phone lines (work, home, mobile, etc.). Google Voice well let people call one number that forwards to some or all of your phones. You can set it up so during the day only your work phones ring, but after a certain time calls can be sent directly to voicemail or to a different phone. You can also set up specific voicemails for different groups of people. Perfect if you run multiple businesses or simply use your business line as a personal line as well. There are many other smaller features that are nice as well such as getting your voicemails sent to you as emails using voice-to-text technology. Google Voice will give you a phone number to use when you sign up, but you can also transfer your mobile number to Google Voice if you don’t want to have to tell everyone that you have a new number. But be very careful! If you are still under contract with your mobile carrier keep in mind that when you transfer the number your cell phone line will be cancelled and you will likely get an early termination fee. The only carrier this isn’t currently a problem with is Sprint since they recently have integrated Google Voice into their systems.

Too good for your job?

In this struggling economy it is easy to find yourself landing jobs that you feel over qualified for or simply have no interest in at all. With an undesirable job, many people find themselves unmotivated to work hard and perform well when they feel unappreciated and under-utilised. I’ve seen coworkers get fed up with their jobs and as a result only perform the absolute bare minimum while also complaining about it to all their coworkers. That is a quick way to not only prevent further advancement within the company, but it can also get you fired if you’re not careful. You might be bored because you aren’t given challenging enough tasks, but yet all you are showing your boss is that you can barely handle the tasks you are already given. Instead of letting your ego take over, learn to take your situation as an opportunity to move forward to the position you really want, your dream job.

You may be planning on leaving your current job any day now for the next great opportunity that comes your way, but there are no guarantees. Until you actually leave, keep a positive attitude at work, I promise you it will show in your work. Take pride in your work, performing well will give your boss more incentive to give you a raise or even a promotion. I recall one of my first jobs; I was disappointed that I landed a job that was at a lower level than I thought I deserved. Even though the majority of my work ended up being clerical work, I continued to work hard and efficiently. My boss took notice and was impressed. When it came time for my review, she promoted me to the position I had originally wanted.

With the bachelor’s degree becoming increasingly common, employers have starting looking more at individuals’ experience rather than degrees. To get that experience, you will most likely have to start at the bottom which you probably don’t want to do. Don’t think you are better than the job. Work hard, leave every employer with an excellent impression and you will reach your dream job before you know it!

12 Ways to Make a Bad First Impression - and How to Recover

In the book You Are the Message, media executive Roger Ailes wrote that you only have seven seconds to make a first impression. With a job on the line in an interview, the pressure to immediately impress is even more intense. No wonder we get flustered.

The good news is that no matter what goes wrong during your introduction—your fly is down, you spill your water, you mispronounce the company name—it’s all about how you recover. In fact, reacting gracefully and showing calm under pressure will likely impress your interviewer. “I had one candidate who sat on chair, it flipped out from under her, and she landed on her back,” says Ellen Reeves, author of Can I Wear My Nose Ring to the Interview? “But, she picked herself up, picked up the chair, and made a joke. She knew how to recover—and she got the job.”

Below are 12 ways you can potentially botch your interview, and the steps to take to right your sinking ship.

1. You’re Sick the Day of the Interview
Don’t try to be a martyr. Even if you just have a cold, you should call and reschedule. “I once interviewed someone who told me she threw up on her way over,” says Reeves. “I was just thinking, ‘Why didn’t you cancel?’” You may be trying to prove your dedication, but employers would rather interview you when there isn’t a risk you’ll give them the flu.

2. You Have a Black Eye
If you’re hurt in some way—whether you have a black eye, broken leg, or visible stitches—first assess if you can give the interview the same effort as if you were well. You may then want to call and explain your condition, especially if your injury is severe or requires handicap access. If you decide not to call in advance, be prepared to have a canned explanation that addresses the 15 stitches across your forehead. A general rule of thumb: sporting accidents are more acceptable than bar fights.

3. You Have a Nose Ring
Facial piercings and visible tattoos are tricky. The best bet is to cover up those skull tattoos for the interview and first weeks on the job, and wait until you feel out the culture. If you’re concerned your fashion choices won’t be tolerated, make an anonymous call and ask the receptionist if it’s the correct environment for your nose ring. If the answer is no, remove/hide your piercing/tattoo. If you’re unwilling, be prepared to get rejected because you don’t fit the company culture.

4. You’re Sweating
You’re human. You perspire. But don’t let interviewers see it. If you arrive at an interview spouting like a sprinkler, excuse yourself to the restroom to compose yourself—and towel down. Sweaty palms don’t make for a pleasant handshake. Run your hands under cold water to cool them off, then dry thoroughly.

5. You’re Underdressed
Dressing to impress should be a no-brainer, but many people still struggle with what to wear. “Do your homework,” says image consultant Lauren Solomon. “Be able to walk in and look like part of the team—but one step above.” Solomon suggests looking at peoples’ wardrobes on the company website, checking out what employees are wearing in the lobby (without looking like a stalker), asking the secretary, or posing the question on Twitter. If all those fail, wearing a suit is always a safe bet.

6. You’re Late
There really is no excuse for being late to an interview. Scope out the route beforehand, and give yourself plenty of transit time. If you have to be late—because your car stalled, your train is running late, or there was a UFO landing outside the office—you need to call the interviewer, explain the situation, and ask if they still have time for you or would like to reschedule. Be respectful of their time and they’ll remember it.

7. You’re Early
While you should give yourself plenty of time to get to the interview, checking in with the receptionist and hanging out in the lobby for 30 minutes before the interview gives the impression that you’re desperate. If you get there early, sit and wait in a coffee shop, or just sit in your car. Don’t go into the office until ten minutes before the scheduled time.

8. You Misuse Your Lobby Time
Count your ten minutes in the lobby as part of the interview. “The security guard, doorman, and receptionist will all be judging you,” says Reeves. “If you’re rude or dismissive, they will tattle, and there’s a good chance you won’t get the job.” Talking on your cell about last night’s exploits or reading a book are also bad ideas. Spend your time gathering information—read available literature, ask for a copy of the annual report, or even look at company bulletin boards.

9. Your Handshake Isn’t Up to Par
Handshakes are important: A University of Iowa study found a solid handshake is more important than dress or physical appearance when establishing an impression in an interview. Your embrace should fall between the dead fish shake and the bone-crunching clasp. It sounds silly, but practicing with a friend is the best way to perfect your grip. Also make sure to look your interviewer in the eye and say his name—it makes a confident, lasting impression.

10. You’re Bad at Small Talk
Besides the weather and traffic, you should think of some questions to ask your employer as you walk through the hall. If you noticed something like a company picnic flyer, inquiring about that can be a great way to learn about company culture. Another safe topic is how the interviewer learned about the company. By showing interest in your interviewer’s background, you’ll put her at ease and establish a connection.

11. You Haven’t Done Your Research
One of the worst things you can do right off the bat is forget your interviewer’s name or where you are. “Once I had a job candidate come in, and the first thing she said was, ‘I’m so excited to be at your magazine!’ We’re a book publisher, and it started the interview on a bad note,” says Reeves. To avoid sounding clueless, do your research and if you’re unsure about something, such as pronunciation, ask the secretary or the interviewer during your initial conversation.

12. You Have a Personal Tick
You may be unaware you have a tick, so ask your friends if they notice any nervous habits, such as twirling your hair or bouncing your foot. Then try your hardest not to do it! If it’s something more severe that your interviewer points out—perhaps you become extremely flushed when nervous—don’t let it trip you up. “Brush it off and take it as expressed concern,” says Reeves. “Say, ‘I appreciate your concern but I feel fine and I’m enjoying the interview.’” Then move on.

Time flies when you’re having fun, but why not at work?

You could party for hours all night until the sun comes up without realising it, but getting through your work day can be painful beyond belief. Why does one hour of fun seem to be so much shorter than one hour of work?

Changes in your perception of time is likely a very complex phenomenon and the unfortunate reality is that you probably already know the majority of what any scientist would be able to tell you.

John Herman from Gizmodo writes:

“It’s easy to study people’s perception of time, and lots of people have. And they’ve found all kinds of weird stuff:

• Time passes more slowly to people who are consciously keeping track of it than to people who aren’t. (The study informed half its participants that they’d be asked about the length of the experiment, but not the other.)

• Body temperature can affect perception of time. (It passes slower when you’re cold.)

• Pulse rate does not affect perception of time.

• Drugs can do all kinds of terrifying/awesome things to the perception of time. (c.f. Our college years.)

• Certain health conditions can do the same. (An epileptic seizure, for example, can feel as though its lasted a very long time, even if it was over in a matter of seconds.)”

Although the “why” may not be understood, we do know that when you are enjoying an activity, time seems to disappear. But staying completely focused on a task can also have a very similar effect whether you are having fun or not. On the other hand, activities that have been habitualised or are considered boring can feel as though they drag on forever. If you’re finding your work days are excruciatingly long, you might want to try finding new challenges and activities that really spark your interest.

Choosing the right job offer...

Not too long ago I had the difficult, but very fortunate task of choosing between two job offers. Even with only one job offer it can often be difficult to decide whether or not the job is right for you. Although it may seem tacky, writing the offers in a list with pros and cons can really help clarify what choice is right for you. Here are some items you should definitely consider when jotting down your list:

Salary – While this may seem like the biggest factor, it can be dangerous to give too much priority to this one element. Sometimes keeping the same salary or taking a small pay cut might be something you should consider if the position is going to help you get your dream job.
Benefits – A lower paying job with excellent benefits can actually be worth more than a higher paying job with limited benefits. Be sure to ask what kind of compensation package you will receive including vacation days, paid holidays, health and life insurance.
Retirements and 401k –Even if you’re barely in your 20s, you definitely need to be planning for your future. Will this company match your 401k contributions? A company 401k match can add up to a lot over time.

Advancement opportunities – Especially when you’re at the beginning of your career, you are likely looking for good opportunities to move up. Does the company typically promote people from within? Even if you don’t think you’ll be able to move up within the company, does this position give you the necessary experience and knowledge to make your next job somewhere else even better?

Quality of life – Outside of the job itself a new job can often put added stresses on your personal life. Increased work hours can make it more difficult to maintain relationships with your family and friends? Also, a long commute can not only be stressful with traffic during rush hour, but can also be costly with the high price of gas.
Job stability – Look at the company’s history, how long they have been in business, the profitability of their industry, the company’s growth and their customer base. All these things show how stable the company which typically translates into how stable your position will be too. Does this company seem like a company that is forward thinking and pushing new products and services for their customers? Is it possible that they are only hiring you to complete a current project and once complete, they will no longer need you? Have they had major lay-offs in the past?

Company culture – The job interview is a great time to take in as much information about the company without even asking any questions. Just by observing the current employees you can typically get a good sense as to how happy the employees are, the average age, etc. Do the people at the company seem like friendly people that you would be happy to work with?
Once you’ve finished your list, let your friends and family have a look and see what they think about it. Give it a day or two if you can before making a final decision. Once decided, tell all parties what you have decided. Be courteous, even if you turn down a position now, you may end up working with someone from that company in the future.

Clouding your music...

Now that Apple has announced their upcoming iCloud service, it won’t be long before three technology giants (Google and Amazon’s versions are already available) will all offer their own take on cloud music services. If you’re unfamiliar, a cloud service is essentially a service that is based remotely on the internet. So having a cloud music service such as Google’s Music, means they give you an allotted space on their servers for you to store and stream your music from. So, is putting your music on the cloud a good idea?

Access your entire music library anywhere – While most of us simply choose our favorite songs and albums to put on our phones, I know there have been plenty of times that I wished I had loaded a particular album on my phone but either forgot to or couldn’t get it to fit on my phone with its limited space. If you pay for the extra cloud storage space, you’ll be able to have access to your entire music collection (within the service’s storage capacity) anywhere you are by simply streaming it to your phone or computer.

Having an online backup – While everyone should be backing up their computers anyway, putting your music on the cloud decreases the chances of you losing your music due to theft or a hard drive crash.

Syncing between devices – One of the most annoying aspects of managing a digital music collection can be keeping it organised and updated between all your devices. Each of the major cloud services allows you to stream your music to multiple devices so you don’t have to worry about keeping each one updated individually. Keep in mind that each service has their limitations such as Amazon’s Cloud Drive that lets you stream to your Android device, but not to any of Apple’s iOS devices.

Despite the benefits, keeping everything online does have its drawbacks. Because the music is streaming, it can rack up your phone’s data usage very quickly which can be extremely costly if you don’t have an unlimited data plan. So it’s probably a good idea to still keep the mp3s you listen to a lot stored locally on your phone instead of streaming. Also since cloud based storage is entirely online based, if you lose your internet connection you will be without your cloud music. Don’t forget that each of the cloud services has their limitations on how much cloud space you can get for free and what devices they are compatible with. Regardless of the limitations, I am personally looking forward to using Apple’s iCloud service so I can finally delete those mp3s I keep “just in case.”

Tattoos in the workplace...

It isn’t hard to tell that tattoos and piercings are becoming increasingly more commonplace. Whether you’re at the grocery store or at the bank, chances are someone within sight has a tattoo. According to a 2006 Pew Research Center survey, 36 percent of 18 to 25 year olds have at least one tattoo and 40 percent of adults aged 26 to 40 have at least one as well. Since tattoos and piercings have become more mainstream over the years, they are no longer looked upon as being quite as edgy or controversial. But that doesn’t mean they are universally accepted, particularly in the workplace.

Even large corporations have a mix of responses to individuals that sport unconventional tattoos and piercings. Walmart does not allow employees to wear facial piercings such as eyebrow and lip piercing. They also require “offensive” tattoos to be covered up. Whereas Ford Motor Company allows both tattoos and piercings as long as they don’t pose a danger to anyone’s safety in their factories. Some businesses, like Borders even consider tattoos to be favorable, as they want their business to come across as being modern, edgy and unique.

If you’re on the fence about getting a tattoo, think about the field you work in and how potential employers might view your tattoos. A survey from vault.com found that 60 percent of employers were less likely to hire a candidate with tattoos or piercings. The primary concern was typically how their customers would perceive tattoos and piercings on employees. Unless you are absolutely sure your interviewer will love your tattoos and piercings, you may want to conceal them if possible. Even tattoo establishments have been known to warn their customers about getting tattoos in locations that are difficult to hide such as your neck and forearms. Many people consider their tattoos a part of who they are, but keeping your tattoos and piercings discreet may still be necessary to get and keep your job.