How to Work from Home Successfully

You’ve been dreaming of this day ever since you started working. That fabulous life of waking up and working in your jammies all day from your own humble abode. You get to skip out on the pesky morning traffic, your grouchy boss, those darn office politics, and most importantly, the brown colored water in your office they call “coffee”. Seems like a great way to work, right? Wrong. It’s actually way harder than it seems. Working from home is a luxury that is earned because your boss trusts you and it’s important not to take advantage of this newfound freedom.

Here is some insight on how to work from home like a boss:

Routine is Important

When you first start working from home, it can be a little overwhelming. Where do you start first? How do you prioritize your tasks? When do you take your breaks? Can you even take breaks? The best thing you can do for the first couple of weeks is develop a routine that suits you. If you get up and immediately start working, it sets the tone for the day and determines how productive you will be. Plus, if you’re up before everyone gets in the office, it gives you the chance to get ahead. If you have children that need to be picked up from daycare, write down all the things you need to get done before you leave to go pick them up. Try setting an alarm for an hour and then take a five-minute break to succumb to one of the many distractions around your house – like laundry or putting away the dishes. Get into a groove that works best with your schedule and stick to it!

Get Out of Those Pajamas!

Staying in your pajamas while working from home makes it easy to succumb to getting back into bed. Don’t be lazy – change into something you would wear if you were going into the office. Dress for success!

Take Care of Your Distractions Before You Start

Distractions. Your children, the television, your loud neighbors, the doorbell ringing, household chores, and your phone are all great examples of why it’s so hard to work from home. Take care of them beforehand. Make a point to only use your phone for work-related calls, drop your kids off at daycare, keep the television off, and do NOT answer that door! If you must, reward yourself with 5 minutes of distraction time – that is, if you get your important tasks done.

Get Your Own Office Space

Just because you’re not in the office doesn’t mean you can’t create your own workspace at home! Create an office out of a spare room in your house or if you can’t do that, find a clean, quiet space to do your work. Having your own space keeps the distractions at bay.

Work {Away} from Home

Yes, it’s called “work from home” but you don’t actually have to be at home. In fact, getting out of your house and working in libraries, coffee shops, or anywhere else with Wi-Fi, gives you the feeling of still being in a working environment, plus you’ll be in a space where the coffee is good! It also gets you away from all the distractions at home. Get out of the house – grab your work necessities and head on over to the closest Starbucks stat!

Take Many Breaks – Seriously!

If you have been working all day long without any breaks, then you’ll burn out fast. Get some fresh air – take a ten-minute walk around your house or go get a cup of coffee from a local coffee shop. Take time to recharge yourself so you’re ready to crush the next couple of hours.

Working from home is a lot tougher than it seems and it’s hard not to get sucked into all the distractions. If you’re new to working from home and you’re having a difficult time adjusting to all the distractions around you, read this article to help you stay focused.

Top Five Things That Hinder Career Growth

Are you not feeling satisfied with yourself in the professional world? Have you not been able to reach any of the goals you set?

You could have developed some negative traits that are holding you back in your career. Here’s five:

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Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting My First Job

Whether you’re a new grad or you’ve decided to look for a new position, congratulations on the new adventure you’re starting! Not only can this be a really exciting time for you, but it can also be a bit stressful. Full disclosure: this will be one of the toughest times in your life. Yes, there are tons of positions open all over the world, but you’re also in the same position as four million other people!  Don’t get discouraged though! The time will come where you start going on interviews and then, finally, you’ll start your first job!

Starting your very first full-time job can be a little overwhelming. While it’s an exciting time because you finally get to start making your own money to save up for a new car, a house, a wedding, or just to start paying off your student loans, the unknowns can be a little stressful. Here are a couple of things I wish I knew before starting my first position:

Everyone is on their own timeline.

Some people have their dream jobs right out of the gate and others will still be in school getting their Master’s. The worst thing you can do is compare yourself to them. You are not falling behind, and you are not way ahead, you are right on time.

You’re going to make many, many, MANY mistakes.

That’s really the only way you are going to learn. You’re not going to learn anything by being perfect. The worst thing you can do is get angry with yourself.  Forget the mistake, remember the lesson and move on.

Make the extra effort to befriend your coworkers.

Starting a new job can be intimidating and so can the people around you. When you start your first workday, try to introduce yourself to as many people as possible. Remember people’s names and make an effort to start a conversation. The friendlier you are, the more comfortable you and your coworkers will be.

There is an opportunity in every single task.

Whether it be a team outing, helping a coworker, or grabbing lunch with your boss,  always think about the possible positive outcomes – you could be surprised where it takes you. “Our lives are defined by opportunities, even the ones we miss.” Eric Roth

Decorate your office/cube.

There is no shame in making your office or cubicle feel a little more like home. Grab some picture frames or an inspirational quote and put it on your desk. You’ll spend 40 hours a week in that space, you might as well spice it up with things you like. AND it doesn’t hurt to keep it clean.

Setting attainable goals.

Whether it be work related or personal, it’s important to set goals. Goals are like plans that help us break things down into doable tasks. Too often we celebrate finished products and not all the little tasks we completed that got us there. Allow yourself the gratification of completing all these tasks, you’ll be surprised how accomplished and motivated you feel.

You are not alone if starting a new job stirs feelings of anxiety and fear.  Be confident in your skills, remember they hired you and trust the process. For help with resume writing, preparing for your interview, negotiating salaries, and more subscribe to our blog.

 

 

5 Ways to Take Charge of Your Career

In just about every interview, you can expect to be asked, “Where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years?” A generation ago, we used to know… You get a job in your twenties, work hard to get raise after raise, get promoted once or twice, and then you retire. Nowadays, people don’t know. They get bored with one company and then jump to the next one, looking for something that’s new and challenging, sometimes even returning to school for a complete career change. An unclear path like this makes it hard to create a career vision and figure out where you actually see yourself in 10 years. Hiring managers understand this jump-ship mentality and it’s why almost every hiring manager asks you this question.

Let’s dive in and help you take control of your own future.

  1. Develop yourself.

In order for you to grow in your career, you also need to grow your skillset. Try to learn something new every day. Find people who have similar roles to you and take a look at their skills. What are they doing that you can’t?

  1. Networking is a must.

Take the time to build relationships with people in the business world. This could open many doors for you down the road. It’s also nice to have a lot of people in your corner rooting for you to succeed. The more connections you have, the more possibilities there are. Use them to your advantage.

  1. When you want something, you’ve got to ask for it.

For example, if there’s an opening in upper management and you want the position, what do you do? Go to your supervisor and tell them why you should be considered for the role. Don’t tell them why you should have the role. Explain why you should be considered, use statistics, explain your experience, and share your accolades. Don’t risk being looked over for the position because you didn’t say something.

  1. Stay passionate.

Write a list of all the things you love about your position to keep you motivated. Then, write a list of things you’d like to be doing down the road – skill wise. Chances are you could find that in with your current company. Maybe you’d like to lead a team- create a target and work towards it.

  1. Ride outside your comfort zone.

Consider your comfort zone a small circle around you using the skills and connections you’ve had for years. Now think of all the skills and connections outside of that small circle that you are missing out on. Live life to the fullest and try to be a “yes man”. You never know what could come out of going outside your comfort zone.

Figure out where you want to be, what direction you want to go in, and what you want to be doing (what’s your 10-year plan). Only you can control your future.

Using a Temporary Assignment to Land a Permanent Position

Temporary employment has seen tremendous increase over the past few years, especially in healthcare. Many industries, including retail and healthcare, experience increased personnel needs several times a year, be it for a special assignment, auditing or due to a seasonal increase in business.

Although it’s common to first see the cons in a temporary position, there are some very strong positives to keep in consideration. Temporary employment allows you to get a feel for or “test drive” a company and/or position. This type of employment can also offer the opportunity to pick up new skills that were not available to you in your past position.  Another perk to a temporary job comes in the connections you will make. Getting the opportunity to work a temporary job alongside a professional you admire or for a highly sought-after firm will allow you to expand your contacts and build professional and personal connections that could provide solid references or suggest you for a future permanent opening.

Now that you know the vantage point of temporary employment, let’s look into ways you can use a temporary assignment to land a permanent position:

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  1. The first’s ones obvious: Be good at what you do.

Be a successful temporary employee and show them why they need to hire you permanently. Treat your temporary position as a permanent one because managers look for quality workers that are committed, hardworking, and passionate about what they do.

Carpe diem! Seize every opportunity you get to better yourself – whether that be staying extra after work helping someone with their patient or arriving a few minutes early to help the administrators. Make it your mission to come in everyday and learn something new, whether that be in your job description or outside it. There is never such thing as too much growth and knowledge.

 

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  1. Being a team player can help you turn a temp position into a permanent one.

Teamwork skills are very important skills to build and maintain. Not only does it improve your relationship with your coworkers, but it also shows everyone that you have what it takes to work alongside them permanently. Your coworkers just might become your promoters when a permanent position becomes available.

 

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  1. Let your employer and recruiting firm know that you’d like to be hired permanently.

This is probably the easiest thing to do, but is often overlooked. It’s important your manager and recruiter know you are serious about this position and want to be hired full time. Show them you are dedicated and motivated to fully be a part of the company. It doesn’t hurt to show them how you’ve impacted the company during your assignment either!

Giving Back to Our Orlando Community

At HealthCare Support, we strive to be one of the most trusted employment partners in our industry. But, we aren’t only concerned with the quality of services we provide to our clients – we also take pride in providing a great place for our employees to work and a culture that they want to be a part of. Indeed, one of our core missions is “Shaping futures for individuals and their families.”

Our employees have come to learn this firsthand, as well as all the health care professionals we place in jobs. However, we also think the same way about our community here in Orlando. We are in a great position to be a positive force in our local community, and our service-based culture extends into many volunteering efforts.

Throughout the year, our Internal Development Team rallies our employees around several charitable causes. One of our favorite things to do is participating in various races and walks to raise money. Just last month, we were able to raise $12,000 for the American Foundation for Suicide prevention at the “Out of Darkness Walk.” We also had the privilege of sending several volunteers to the Florida Citrus Sports 2018 “Feast on the 50” at the Camping World Stadium. There, our employees helped raise money for disadvantaged children in the community surrounding the stadium.

Another thing we love to do is collecting food and supplies for different drives. We participate annually in the A Gift for Teaching School Drive, rounding up boxes of necessary school supplies like crayons, notebooks, pencils, markers, and scissors for needy students. And, as Florida residents who understand the devastating effects of hurricanes, we raise hurricane relief supplies for those most in need whenever the situation calls. Most recently, our team collected essentials like diapers, toilet paper, paper towels, food, and clothing for those affected by hurricane Michael last year.

Every deal we make, every professional we recruit, and every new person we hire allows us to have more of an impact around us. If you are looking for your next job in the healthcare industry, let us help! To get in touch with us, you can call 407-478-0332.