If you’re anything like the typical email user, you have tons of emails in your inbox and spam folders. And if you’re anything like me, it drives you absolutely crazy to see hundreds of emails in your box! Who seriously needs 452 messages in their inbox? After being frustrated receiving up to 30 emails daily and not being able to keep my inbox at a manageable level, I began a quest to de-clutter my inbox and get my sanity back!
Here’s how I did it.
Unsubscribe to automatic email alerts. This was a biggie. Over the years I had signed up for so many automatic online subscriptions and alerts that my daily email totals were overwhelming. I couldn’t keep up with reading everything I wanted to read so I ended up flagging them to read later, which in the end added to my overall inbox count and left me still overwhelmed. I ended up making a decision to unsubscribe to the subscriptions and alerts that weren’t a priority in my life now. The number of emails I receive on a daily basis has greatly decreased…whew!
Delete old emails. I know this sounds cliché, but it’s the truth! Don’t hang on to old Groupon alerts or emails from subscriptions you previously unsubscribed from, it’s just a waste of space and a play on your sanity! My personal favorite trick is to use the “search” feature of my email and search for emails related to a particular company, person, or newsletter I no longer care to read. I then delete multiple emails at once making my inbox total shrink.
Use folders to organize. Most email applications have a feature that allows you to organize important emails. Organizing your emails into folders allows you to retrieve your important emails quickly. This not only saves you time, but also cleans up your inbox at the same time.
In addition to working as a RN, Nachole Johnson is a freelance copywriter and an author with her first book, You’re a Nurse and Want to Start Your Own Business? The Complete Guide, available on Amazon. Visit her ReNursing blog at www.renursing.com for more ideas on how to reinvent your career
Being a nurse is hard. And stressful. Depending on where you work your daily stress level can escalate from 0 to 10 in a matter of seconds when a critical situation arises. Even worse, the average nurse’s stress level can fluctuate greatly over the course of a shift frying ones’ nerves by the time it’s time to punch the clock and go home.
What’s the best way for a nurse to manage daily on-the-job stressors? By using stress relieving methods on a regular basis. There are many ways to ease tension when stressed.
Here are 8 ways to combat stress:
Take a deep breath. Deep breathing does more than giving the brain a boost of oxygen. Stopping to take a deep breath when times get rough has been shown to reduce cortisol levels, which in turn can lead to reduced stress and anxiety.
Listen to music.Music has a soothing effect people and can prove beneficial when tension runs high.
Exercise. Exercise releases endorphins, which instantly makes you feel better. Imagine punching out your stress on a punching bag or running your best mile. Trust me, after you’re done exercising you’ll feel much better.
Cuddle with your pet. Dogs and cats are good cuddle buddies and can help you feel more at ease when times get tough.
Hug somebody! Have you ever hugged someone while you were feeling tense? If you’re like most people, you immediately feel a release during the act. That is stress leaving your body!
Get a massage. Getting a massage from someone can relieve physical tension in your muscles. Another added benefit from a massage is human touch. Think of the human touch of a massage the same way you would of receiving a hug.
Write. Writing when stressed can help release stress-related symptoms. Have you ever heard of someone writing a letter and then burning it to “let it go?” Writing allows you to say whatever it is you need to say about what is bothering you. You don’t have to burn it when you’re done because the act of writing is actually a release within itself.
Go out with friends. Surrounding yourself with people you love and trust is good for your mental health. Aside from being able to speak to someone about what is bothering you, you could probably use a fun night out.
In addition to working as a RN, Nachole Johnson is a freelance copywriter and an author with her first book, You’re a Nurse and Want to Start Your Own Business? The Complete Guide, available on Amazon. Visit her ReNursing blog at www.renursing.com for more ideas on how to reinvent your career.
Many people believe their resume is the only part of an application that human resources focuses on. Although a properly crafted resume can make or break an applicant, the cover letter really makes you stand out.
Cover letters serve an important purpose for the job hunter. The cover letter shows the employer that you are the best candidate for the job. There are specific aspects you need to include in your cover letter to catch the eye of the hiring manager.
Incorporate these tips in your next cover letter to grab the attention of your future employer!
Address the letter to the hiring manager.
Use some researching skills to find out the name of the hiring manager (or recruiter) for the position you are applying for. This will make your application stand out since you have actually gone through the trouble of obtaining this information. No one likes the generic, “To Whom It May Concern” salutation.
Use the company name at least twice in the body of your letter.
Your opening statement should say something like “I am inquiring about the (insert job position here) at (company name). You can also mention the company name later in the letter when you explain why you would be the best candidate for the job.
Highlight your most pertinent experience related to the job you are applying for.
Customize each cover letter for each job you apply to. This may mean highlighting your ICU experience when applying to an outpatient infusion center or emphasizing your charge nurse experience for a management position.
Show enthusiasm.
Employers love to hire people who show enthusiasm for a position. You can show enthusiasm by the tone of your cover letter. Don’t make the cover letter generic for every job you apply for. Show your interest by researching the company and mentioning something about them in your cover letter. This could be something like, “I know XYZ company values empowering individuals to improve their health, and I do too. In a past position I have served as a wellness nurse educating people on making positive changes in their life.”
Close strong.
After you have convinced the hiring manager why you are the best candidate for the job you need a call to action to end the letter. Don’t be afraid to say you are looking forward to hearing from them about the position. You could use the line, “I am confident I can be a valuable asset to XYZ company, and I look forward to discussing my qualifications and experience with you in greater depth.”
In addition to working as a RN, Nachole Johnson is a freelance copywriter and an author with her first book, You’re a Nurse and Want to Start Your Own Business? The Complete Guide, available on Amazon. Visit her ReNursing blog at www.renursing.com for more ideas on how to reinvent your career.
As graduation season quickly approaches, it’s time to start focusing on that first job. It’s becoming increasingly difficult for new graduate nurses to find a job in some areas of the country. New nurses can increase their chances of gainful employment after graduation by employing a few key tips.
Start the Job Search Early
If you’re a nursing student reading this blog and haven’t started your job hunt yet, do so NOW! It’s too tight of a market for new graduates to wait until they graduate to find a job. Start applying to jobs and externships a few months before graduation before slots fill up.
Follow-up
If you have already applied to a few jobs and haven’t heard anything back from HR don’t be afraid to call to check on the status of your application. Some may worry about upsetting the recruiter, but I’ve done this on numerous occasions to my benefit. The worse that could happen is they tell you they are pursuing other applicants. This is actually a good thing. You don’t want to be left wondering if HR doesn’t call back to let you know you weren’t a good candidate for the job.
Network, Network, Network
Tell anybody and everybody you come in contact with that you are a nursing student on the verge of graduating…even if they don’t directly work in health care. You never know who is married to whom, or who has a brother/sister/mother who is in the field. If you know someone personally who works at a facility that can forward your resume to a key person, even better! Use networking to your advantage.
Don’t Be Too Picky
Many nursing students have a goal of landing their “dream job” immediately after graduation. Typically these areas are the ICU, ER, NICU and Pedi positions. I just want to be honest…these positions are hard to get as a new graduate because they are flooded with applications from hundreds of other new grads.
Keep your options open and make a short list of at least 3 areas you could see yourself working. I wanted to work Mother/Baby when I was in school until I did my clinical rotation and found it wasn’t for me. From there I thought ER would be best for me. When I graduated there were no ER positions open so I took a job in Neuro ICU. Looking back on my 9-year tenure in ICU, I can’t say I ever wanted to work ER after becoming a seasoned ICU nurse.
Be Open to Relocation or Commuting
I know this may be a difficult pill to swallow for some, but it’s not practical to think you’ll get a job at the sole hospital in town. Relocation or a longer commute may be necessary. With experience your chances of getting into the hospital of your choice may be easier.
In addition to working as a RN, Nachole Johnson is a freelance copywriter and an author with her first book, You’re a Nurse and Want to Start Your Own Business? The Complete Guide, available on Amazon. Visit her ReNursing blog at www.renursing.com for more ideas to reinvent your career.
So you find out somehow you’ve been victimized by an identity thief. Maybe your bank notified you of an outrageous charge on your account or you receive an email one day from a company thanking you for a purchase you didn’t make. Nonetheless, someone used your personal information (email, credit card, bank account, ect) for financial gain.
How do you recover from having your identity stolen? There are specific steps you need to take when someone violates your personal information, especially if they have stolen large amounts of money or opened bogus accounts in your name.
It’s unfortunate to fall prey to identity theft, but you can recover. Here are seven steps to take after identity theft to get your life back on track:
Change passwords of all affected accounts such as email, bank login, ect. Depending on the severity of the security breech you will want to close an account completely and start over (ie: credit and debit card accounts.)
Notify your bank of cases of stolen identity immediately no matter how small. Sometimes thiefs like to charge a small amount to your credit or debit card just to see if it works before they make larger purchases.
If you know which company erroneous charges originated from contact them and alert them of the identity theft as well. Do this as quickly as possible.
Call the local police and file a police report. A report is often necessary to become eligible for a 7-year credit freeze from one of the three credit bureaus at no cost.
Complete an Identity Theft Victims’ Complaint and Affidavit on the Federal Trade Commission website.
Check your credit from all 3 credit bureaus to catch any other potential fraud.
Place a fraud alert or credit freeze on your credit account so you will be alerted to anyone trying to establish credit in your name in the future.
Be diligent in filing reports, changing passwords, and canceling accounts soon after you find evidence of theft. These steps may not be enough to protect you from further identity theft in the future, but following them will make it harder for someone to unlawfully access and ruin your credit or financial standing.
In addition to working as a RN, Nachole Johnson is a freelance copywriter and an author with her first book, You’re a Nurse and Want to Start Your Own Business? The Complete Guide, available on Amazon. Visit her ReNursing blog at http://renursing.wordpress.com.
