Job

Injured on the Job? What to Do Following a Workplace Injury

It is a requirement in every state that employees work in a safe and friendly environment. They should have all the equipment that protects them from injuries and other safety measures put in place.

Sadly, injuries in the workplace are still a regular occurrence. They can still take place despite all safety precautions. Employees can suffer broken bones, chemical burns, and occupational illnesses, among other injuries.

Whether the injury is caused by carelessness on the side of the employer or the employee, there are measures put in place to handle such cases. We take a look at the steps you should take if you’re injured on the job.

Report your Injury

The first measure you can take when injured at work is to inform the employer in writing. Some states have a specified period under which you need to report the injury. If possible, make sure the employer knows about the injury on the job the same day or a few days after the incident.

Sometimes the injury may be so severe that you don’t understand yourself for some time. You may be unconscious or require immediate medical attention. In this case, reporting immediately may not be possible, but you still need to ensure you do it as soon as possible.

See a Doctor 

It is important to seek compensation for any injuries you suffer at the workplace, but don’t forget that your health matters. Even small injuries that may not seem severe can cause a lot of damage, or even death, if not treated as soon as possible.

Some employers require you to see the company doctor for treatment. If you’re not satisfied with the employer’s chosen doctor, you’re entitled to a second opinion according to compensation laws. Getting good treatment is paramount, even if it means paying for the expenses from your pockets.

Report the Injury Extent

Sometimes you may not know the extent of the injury before getting a doctor’s assessment. Get your doctor to examine your entire body to see all the injuries you might have suffered. If you fell on your back and hurt the leg as well, you should not leave such details out.

You should report all secondary injuries regardless of how small they may seem. You should also notify the compensation court of any trauma or emotional injuries. If possible, get a psychological assessment to ascertain whether you suffered any emotional injuries.

File a Claim for Getting Injured on the Job

Employers may be looking for ways not to compensate you for the injury or give less compensation. You need to protect your rights by filing a claim with the workers’ compensation court. This way, you will give the employer and their insurance company a formal notice of your injury.

This puts you to automatic protection of your rights, and the employer won’t be able to interfere with anything.

Consult an Attorney

In other circumstances, reporting an injury or filing for compensation may be a complicated process that requires some professional help. A personal injury lawyer will be at your service to give you the best legal advice and help you follow up with the whole compensation process.

An attorney will ensure you’re not cheated on the compensation and that no one intrigues your rights. Ensure you get an attorney with experience in handling workers’ compensation claims. The attorney will explain the law, the whole process, and the benefits you’re entitled to get.

Go Back to Work

Some injuries may render you useless, and you may not be able to resume work even after recovery. This is a different case which will be treated in a special way. Otherwise, you should ensure you resume your duties as soon as you’re back on your feet.

Failure to show up back to work in a timely manner may lead to loss of compensation or even termination of your contract. You’re supposed to attempt even if you believe that you won’t perform as you used to before your on the job injury.

Understand the Rules

Every state has its own rules about the workers’ compensation for those who get hurt at work. There are guidelines and deadlines put in place that both the employer and the injured employee need to adhere to when filing the compensation claim. 

Ensure you understand everything required of you and get your attorney to explain anything that’s not clear. The worst mistake you can make in such situations is being ignorant about the rules and the guidelines.

Attend the Hearing

If you’re in a position to do this, ensure you attend all the hearings for your compensation. Don’t relax or assume that the lawyer will handle everything, although they do everything on your behalf. 

Attending the sessions will help you understand proceedings better and ensure your rights are not interfered with in any way. Besides, you will be able to pinpoint any foul play during the process and give an immediate notification.

Don’t Represent Yourself

Don’t make the mistake of thinking the injury is small and the attorney will charge you too much. Representing yourself after getting injured at work to escape the attorney charges is the worst mistake you can ever do. You’re allowed to represent yourself, but since you have no legal expertise, things can turn against you.

Remember, your employer and the insurance company both have legal representation, and you will be up against people who understand the law way better than you do. Consulting a lawyer is always a good idea, even when the case looks small.

Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer

Cases of people getting injured on the job and not getting compensated are not new. No employer or the insurance company wants to part with money for this compensation. It is your duty as the worker to do everything possible and follow the required procedure to get compensated.

You need to understand all the processes and guidelines when handling such cases. It won’t cost you more to hire a legal representative than it will cost you to represent yourself and then lose the case.

The law is too complicated, and sometimes you need legal assistance even in cases that look simple. You can go through our website to get the best legal advice today.

Get Moving: How to Stay Healthy When Working a Sedentary Job

You’ve been feeling a bit sluggish and your body is always in pain. It could be because you have a sedentary job. These jobs pay better than your basic retail job but they can hurt your health. 

You need to be able to stretch and walk around regularly. Depending on how crazy your work schedule is, it may be hard for you to find the time. Rather you know it or not, it’s not too hard to work fitness around your daily life. 

To help you bring in the cash and stay healthy while you do it, here are a few ways to take care of yourself when you’re working a desk job.

Stretch at Your Desk 

Sometimes it’s hard to find time to leave your desk during the day and that’s fine. You can do stretches and exercises without ever leaving. 

If you’re not sure where to start with this you can find some great desk workout ideas online. 

Take the Stairs 

Most workplaces have both stairs and elevators. When you’re left up to choose, go with the stairs. It gives you more opportunity for walking. 

If stairs aren’t your friend then you can get the same kind of benefits from parking further away from your building. Basically, find as many opportunities to take steps throughout your day as you can. 

Have Weekly Fitness Sessions 

While you may not be able to fit in working out every day you can still get wellness benefits from scheduling a few. You don’t have to head to your local gym. You can go on a jog a couple of times a week. 

Some workplaces do have a gym on sight. If yours offers this service then make sure that you’re taking advantage of it. 

Get Up 

Even though you work at a desk you don’t have to keep yourself glued there. You can get up and walk around a little whenever you want. 

For example, say your boss asks you to take a conference call. You can take the call and then pace around as you listen and take notes on a pad. 

Schedule Your Meals 

Between staff meetings and projects you may not give yourself too much time for lunch and if you do take a lunch it’s quick unhealthy options. You need to give yourself time. 

Write down your lunchtime on your calendar every day. When you plan for it you’re less likely to rush to the nearest convenience store and grab a bag of chips and a soda. 

Staying Healthy When You’re Working a Sedentary Job 

Having a sedentary job isn’t a bad thing but there are some health concerns that come from them. You’ve got to schedule in time for fitness and a lunch that’s more substantial than the stuff you get from the work vending machine. Incorporate some of these steps into your day so you can stay in top form at your desk job. 

Did these wellness tips help you start feeling less fatigued and sore from your sedentary job? Check out our blog daily for more articles like this one. 

I Love My Job! 5 Fun Methods for Improving Employee Performance

Have your employees started to lag behind on productivity? If they’re not feeling excited to come to work—or just drained—you could end up losing time and money.

According to this research, 61% of people feel burned out on the job. 

So how do you keep morale up and your team working hard (instead of hardly working)?

Here are five tips for improving employee performance. With these tips, you can strengthen your team so everyone is working happily and productively.

Read on to learn how to improve your employee’s performance. 

1. Match Tasks With Skillsets

Your employees are individuals with their own likes, dislikes, and skills. Get to know them on a personal level. Understanding your employees will make it easier to match each person to a task based on their skillset.

No one’s perfect at everything. Instead of spreading your employees too thin, ask yourself: is this the best person for the task?

Don’t throw your employees into the deep end and expect them to swim. Instead, train your employees. This won’t only improve employee performance, but increase efficiency and reduce errors, too. 

Once your employees are trained, offer them chances at continued development. 

Giving them the opportunity to expand their skills through coaching, workshops, seminars, and courses will benefit the employee and the company.

2. Communicate

Your employees won’t know what they’re doing wrong—or just as importantly, right—if you don’t communicate.

Take the time to talk to your employees. Your feedback is valuable in improving employee performance. This will also help your employees feel recognized for their hard work.

Are your employees feeling engaged? According to research, highly engaged businesses experience a 41% reduction in absenteeism and a 17% increase in productivity. 

Communicating with your employees will give you the chance to make sure they feel engaged in their work, too. 

3. Get SMART

Your employees won’t know what they’re working for without obvious goals.

Instead of assigning busywork, help your employees set SMART goals. These goals are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. SMART goals show employees how their work benefits the entire business.  

You can also focus on their OKR, or Objectives and Key Results, to aspire and inspire your team. Using OKRs drives growth by encouraging your team to work on measurable outcomes. 

With SMART goals and OKRs, you can keep your team focused and working efficiently. 

4. Use Incentives

Show your employees how much you appreciate their hard work with incentives. These can include:

• Going out for a meal
• Paid time off 
• A wellness program
• Handwritten notes

Incentives can motivate your team and improve employee performance.

5. Consider Telecommuting

Allowing employees to work from home can improve efficiency and morale.

Show employees, you care about their work/life balance. Give them the chance to go to a doctor’s appointment or get their AC fixed while they work from home. That way, you’re maximizing time while keeping employees happy. 

Happy Hard Workers: 5 Methods for Improving Employee Performance

You’re only as strong as your team! With these five methods for improving employee performance, you can increase productivity and unite your team.

Check the Work Life section for more informative tips and tricks!

How to Get a Job in Metalworking

Industry reports show more than 300,000 jobs for metalworking and fabrication. If you have a desire to work with your hands and a creative flair, these opportunities could prove just right for you.

How do you get a job in metalworking, though? The answer to this question will depend on a number of factors, including:

• The type of metalworking job
• Educational requirements
• Tools needed for the job

Before you start applying for metalworking jobs, make sure you meet the requirements for the job ahead.

Types of Metalworking Jobs

Metalworking is a broad term involving different types of careers. You can work with specific types of metal such as sheet metal. You can also work on specialized metal parts and products.

While metalworking takes in many industries, it’s best to look at the jobs with the most career growth opportunities. 

Welders and Cutters

Welders and cutters cut, join, and/or repair metal parts on equipment. You can get a job in any industry that involves working with metal pieces as a welder or cutter. 

Welding and cutting is a growing niche of metalworking. This means you can find a job in this niche easier than some other metalworking niches. Welders and cutters make an average of $41,000 per year.

Sheet Metal Workers

Sheet metal workers are also seeing growth. In fact, this niche has a 9% career growth over the next ten years.

Sheet metal workers create products or parts from sheet metal. Workers in this niche can make an average of $48,000 per year.

Machinists

Machinists operate machines and computers to produce metal parts. This niche requires a little more specialized knowledge to operate the machinery involved.

While machinists don’t see large growth, the need for machinists does remain steady. A machinist can make an average of $45,000 per year.

Boilermaker

Boilermakers deal with vats that hold liquids or gases. This involves creating, repairing, installing, and maintaining these vats. 

A boilermaker requires more specialized knowledge, but the industry has a 9% growth over the next ten years. As a boilermaker, you can make an average of $62,000 per year. 

Education Requirements for Working with Metal

For most metalworking careers, you’re only required to have a high school diploma. It’s still best to have some training or vocational school for many of these options though. 

Welders and Cutters

Technically, you only need a high school diploma to get a job as a welder or cutter. Many companies also require on-the-job training though.

If you get specialized training at a vocational school, you can get the experience required for these positions. Since welding and cutting require specialized tools this also helps cut down on accidents.

Sheet Metal Workers

Sheet metal workers only require a high school diploma to get a job. You can take classes, but on-the-job training works best to get the experience needed.

Since the products created differ for each workplace, you will need training at a new company anyway.

Machinists

Since machinists work with specialized equipment, it’s best to take classes at a vocational or community college. You can get on-the-job training, but you have a better chance of getting a job if you’re already familiar with the machines used.

Boilermaker

To get started as a boilermaker, you’re only required to have a high school diploma. This position also requires an apprenticeship of four-to-five years before you can work on your own.

Tools Required for Metalworking

Each type of metalworking job will require specialized tools and materials. There are some basic tools needed for any type of metalworking job though.

Safety Equipment

When working with metal, you’re dealing with cutting or manipulating the metal. This means you’ll need some basic safety equipment. This includes safety glasses and gloves.

If you have facial hair or long hair, you’ll also want to protect yourself from getting your hair tangled into any machines or equipment you’re using.

Cutting Tools

You will need specialized saws and scissors created for metalwork. These tools are created to cut through different types of metals, so you want to make sure you get the right types of saws and scissors for the jobs you’re working on.

Other Specialized Tools

You will also need specialized hammers for the types of metals you work with. Each job will require different types of tools to make the job easier.

If you plan to work in welding, you’ll also need to get the welding tools and specialized safety equipment for these jobs.

Other specialized machines and computers may prove necessary depending on the job you get. You can take advantage of these auctions to get the equipment and tools necessary for the job.

What if You Want to Work for Yourself?

You don’t have to work for a company to get started in metalworking. While starting out in another company will help you get the necessary training, you can also do contract work for different places as jobs come up.

Marketing Yourself

If contract work is the way you want to go, you’ll need to treat yourself as a business. This means marketing your services and learning how to bid for contracts.

You’ll want to create a website so people can find you. You also need to get your name out in your local community so companies know you’re available. Many businesses will prefer to hire contract workers over full-time workers.

Build a Portfolio

You will also need to build a portfolio of the work you’ve done to get new jobs. You can keep a portfolio on a website to make it easier to share your experience. 

The good thing about this portfolio is all the work you do can get included. This means private work you do for training purposes can get included in your business portfolio.

Get the Most Out of Your Metalworking Career

Whether you want to work for a company or for yourself, there are many metalworking opportunities out there. If you want more information about how to market yourself, check out the best digital marketing tips and tricks.

4 Interview Tips and Tricks To Help You Land That Amazing Job

Do you have an interview coming up?

First off, thumbs up. Considering that the average job opening attracts over 250 applicants and only 4 to 6 people get invited for an interview, you’ve done well so far.

However, you aren’t there yet. You still need to excel in the interview if you’re to stand any chance of beating other candidates to the job.

To help you make the best preparations, we’re sharing top interview tips and tricks. Keep reading to learn how to ace your interview.

1. Research the Organization

Before you applied for this job, you probably did some background research on the company. After all, a whopping 69 percent of job seekers consider things like brand reputation before making an application.

Now that you’ve got the nod for an interview, it’s time to go deeper with your research.

For instance, try to establish how the company conducts its recruitment process. Do candidates go through a multiple-step interview process or they just one shot to impress?

A good way to find this information is to scour through company review sites like Glassdoor and Indeed. Smart Circle reviews on Indeed is a good example of how you can use online reviews to know more about a company’s hiring process.

2. Understand the Role

During the application process, you no doubt reviewed the job’s description, including qualification requirements and roles and responsibilities.

However, it’s not uncommon for advertised positions to carry generic descriptions.

With this in mind, it’s important to research the role you’re interviewing for and know the specifics. If you know someone (or someone who knows someone) in the company, reach out to them and gather some information on the position’s everyday duties.

3. Comb Through Your Resume – Again

Your recruiters or interviewers already have your resume. They have combed through it, looking for, among other things, gaps and inconsistencies.

Before showing up for the interview, go through your resume again. If there are inconsistencies, this is not the time to correct. Right now your focus should be on figuring out how to explain them, just in case an interviewer picks them out.

You also need to remember crucial details in your resume without referring to it. Off the top of your head, you should be able to say when you earned your degrees or started on previous jobs.

4. It’s Not Just About the Actual Interview

A common mistake interviewees make is thinking only the actual interview matters.

In truth, every interaction you have with your potential employer counts.

If you didn’t reply to the email inviting you for an interview, for example, or replied with a bland message like “will be there,” you’ve likely already shot yourself in the foot. If you show up during the interview day looking unbothered – perhaps you decide to plug in your earphones and listen to some music before your turn – you won’t be sending an impressive picture.

In short, treat the interview like a process that starts from the day of your invitation right to your first day on the job – and even longer if the job has a probationary period.

Interview Tips and Tricks to Get You Hired

Interviews make most people nervous.

The best way to get over your nervousness is to prepare yourself adequately. With these interview tips and tricks, you’re now in a better position to transform yourself into a compelling candidate for the job.

May the force be with you and don’t forget to explore our blog more career tips and insights.

9 Reasons You Should Work with Job Recruiters

Are you on the hunt for a job?

Maybe you’re fresh off college and looking to enter the job market for the first time or you’re a seasoned pro looking for a new challenge. Or you just lost your job and need to find another one quick.

Regardless of your circumstances, one thing is certain: hunting for a job is not a fun activity – at least for most job seekers. Good jobs are getting harder to come by and scouring job boards to find an exciting opportunity can be frustrating.

The good news? Job recruiters take most of the trouble out of job hunting.

Keep reading to learn why you should absolutely work with job recruiters.

1. Get Access to More Job Opportunities

It’s an open secret in most industries that some employers don’t advertise open positions on public job boards.

Instead, they outsource that task of filling certain positions to recruitment agencies. Unless you have insider information, which is unlikely, you won’t even know those positions ever existed.

As such, one of the top reasons to use a job recruiter is to gain access to more job opportunities. You won’t have to rely on online job boards and public advertisements to know which companies are hiring and for what positions.  

With more opportunities at your disposal, you stand a strong chance of finding your ideal job.

2. Save Time

Looking for a job is a time-consuming activity.

You have to spend hours writing or sprucing up your resume and cover letter, and even more hours browsing through online job boards looking for openings that might interest you.

Depending on your career, it might take several days, weeks or even months before an opening crops up. So you have to keep refreshing the job boards and monitoring your email for job alerts.

And once you’ve submitted your applications, you have to wait for feedback from your potential employers. While some reply in a matter of days, others take their sweet time.

A job recruiter saves you time. Because they have a database of open positions, all they need to do is match your qualifications or suitability to the available jobs. This takes far less time than when you’re doing it on your own.

3. You Have Specialized Skills

Specialized skills call for a specialty career (a career that focuses on a particular subfield within a broader discipline). Think jobs like nuclear technologist, forensic psychologist, and nanotechnology engineer.

Whatever you make of these jobs, we can all agree they aren’t very common.

When you have specialized skills, you need a specialized approach when it comes to finding a job. There’s no point scouring through job boards like other job seekers when there’s little chance a vacancy will be listed there.

In most cases, companies with specialized positions source for candidates directly from training institutions or rely on the expertise of recruiting firms.

If you were not placed in a job by your college or university’s placement services, your best option is to work with a job recruiter.

4. Find a Job in Your Dream/Preferred Company

Considering that job seekers consider a company’s reputation and organizational culture before taking up a job, it’s fair to assume you already have a dream employer in mind.

However, unless you’re lucky, you’re unlikely to get a job in your dream company – at least not in your first try. But with a job recruiter on your side, it’s doable.

You see, the goal of a job recruiter is not just to get you hired. They also want to help you find job satisfaction, and one way to do this is to try and place candidates in their preferred positions.

So when you submit your resume to a recruiter, you’ll also indicate the companies you’d love to work for. With this information, the recruiter will submit your documents to your ideal employers, as long as they have active openings and you meet their qualification requirements.

5. Get Professional Help

Did you know hunting for a job is in itself a skill?

Look. You have to write a resume and a cover letter, ensuring it adheres to modern guidelines and meets acceptable standards. But if you’ve not mastered the art (or science) of writing these documents, do you think you’ll get it right the first or second time?

Then there’s the little matter of job interviews. From dressing right to knowing how to conduct yourself during the interview, you could easily make mistakes that can harm your chances of getting the job.

This is why resume writing and interview coaching services exist. But they cost money.

Lucky for you, when working with a job recruiter you gain free access to these services. Job recruiters get paid when they help their clients fill open positions, so it’s in their best interest to help job seekers become compelling candidates.

This means you can count on your job recruiter to help you polish up your resume and prepare you adequately for interviews.

6. Keep Your Job Search Discreet

On average, a person will hold 12 jobs over the course of a lifetime.

If you’re not on your 12th job yet, chances are you’re planning to hop to another job. But as you probably already know, nothing will irk your current employer than finding out you’re looking to jump ship.

Not only that, you risk getting fired, the legality of the matter notwithstanding.

When an employer figures you’re looking for another job, they could consider you a bad influence on the rest of the team. And they can take steps, such as assigning you more tasks, to set you up for failure and put you on the firing line.

With that in mind, it’s wise to keep your job search discreet. The best way to do this is to sign up with a recruitment agency, as opposed to, say, posting your intentions on LinkedIn, which is a public platform.

7. Avoid Overexposure

This point might look similar to the one described above, but there’s another angle to it.

When hiring, most employers prefer “exclusive candidates.” An exclusive candidate is one who isn’t accessible to multiple employers. It’s more like how elite law firms poach top talent from elite law schools.

The question is: how do you make yourself an exclusive candidate?

The solution is avoiding overexposure, which happens when you post your resume on several job sites to enhance your chances of catching the eyes of a potential employer.

Want to avoid overexposure? Work with a job recruiter.

You can rest assured knowing your resume and other personal details are in a private database, and you’ll be notified when it’s forwarded to a potential employer.

Also, overexposure increases your risk of falling prey to job scammers. When your resume is publicly viewable, scammers can use your details to email you fake jobs and lure you into giving them personal details such as your social security number.

With a legitimate job recruiter, you won’t have to worry about being a victim of a job scam.

8. Beat Job Search Anxiety

When will I get a job?

Will I get a good job?

Will my employer be nice to me?

If you’re asking yourself these questions, you’re certainly starting to get anxious about your job search. While you’re not alone in this, your fear of the unknown is enough to get you worried and restless.

A job recruiter can take some anxiety out of your job search. 

Especially when working with a recruiter with high job placement rates, you’ll be confident of finding your ideal job sooner than later. Plus, the coaching services provided by recruiters will help you learn to cope with job interview anxiety.

9. It’s Free, Yay!

The best things in life are free, and so are job recruiters.

Well, some recruiters will charge you a small fee to sign up, but don’t fall for them. The best recruiters in the business are free, and that’s because they get paid by firms to help them get the best talent. Others will take a percentage off your salary for a certain amount of time, meaning if they don’t get you a job, they won’t make money.

Job Recruiters Offer the Best Route to Your Dream Job

Let’s face it: although employment rates are down, getting a job quickly and conveniently still remains a tall challenge for millions of job seekers.

If you’re in this situation, it’s high time you worked with job recruiters. From shortening the duration of your job hunt to offering you professional coaching services at zero or little cost, you have every reason to try out their services.

Best wishes in your job search and explore our careers and jobs section for more insights.

How to Get a Sex Copywriter Job

It’s not difficult to become a copywriter if you have the right educational foundation. However, finding work as a sex copywriter can be a little more difficult.

Because it’s a niche you will be specializing in, there are less options for sex writers than there are for those in tech or finance. However, that doesn’t mean that finding a job opportunity is impossible.

Here’s how to find steady work writing for sex-related topics:

Learn About The Field

If you want to write intelligently about sex-related topics, you need to do everything you can to become an expert. Do your research and learn about common talking points in the business of sex.

Maybe you find that a lot of people are asking questions about sex workers and phone sex operators online. Maybe some people want to know more about sex toys like vibrators, fleshlights, or anal bullets.

Start compiling a list of topics that you think would adequately serve the online sex community. Your goal should be to try and fill a void of information. If you’re one of the only people writing about a specific topic, people will flock to your website.

Practice Your Craft

If you want to find steady work as a sex copywriter, you need to hone your abilities! Never forget your fundamentals. As in any copywriting field, basic grammar and syntax skills are a must.

After mastering the basics, you can start to practice writing for your chosen niche. Try reading other sex-related copywriting online so you can get a feel for the tone and style required in the field.

Build a Portfolio

Once you have a grasp of what goes into writing sex copy, it’s time to start building a portfolio of clips to show potential employers. Very few companies will hire you if you don’t have writing samples to show them.

Try your hand at writing a sex-related piece even if no one is paying you to do so. Some potential employers might even be impressed with the initiative you are taking.

Market Your Services

Sex copywriting is a niche that not every trained marketing writer feels comfortable trying. You can use this to your advantage.

Create an ad that communicates your credentials and post it on as many job networking sites as you can. Facing any sort of competition is much less likely in the sex niche as it would be for other niches.

Find Clients

Always look out for potential employers. Keep an eye out for as many job websites as you can and be ready to apply for any openings.

Once your get your first client, you’re officially a professional! Using the same process, you can now start building your client base and growing your business quickly.

Success as a Sex Copywriter Takes Determination

However, success does not happen overnight. As a writer for a niche industry, it might be difficult to find work at first. Once you get that first job offer, your earning potential and prospects will increase exponentially.

Don’t forget to check out the rest of our blog for more tips and suggestions!