Author: Heather R.

Why You Should Be Sending Out Personalized Christmas Cards

Each year as Christmas approaches and I get ready to address the personalized Christmas cards I want to send, it brings back delightful memories of sitting together at the table with my mother, who has since deceased, as she prepared to send her cards to family and friends. Mom would reminisce about the events of the year that reminded her of special times she shared with friends and family that were meaningful and fun. After telling me all the wonderful stories and seeing me giggle, (I was about eight at the time), she would begin writing her cards in which she would include a personal message, relating to those fun times, specifically to each person she was addressing. It was a very special time for me to share in Mom’s past together with her, and I remember how pleased and delighted everyone was after reading their personalized greeting cards and called her to continue talking about those fun times.

Snowflake Fantasy Christmas Card

Now, many, many years later, I find myself following in my Mom’s footsteps. I, too, prepare myself for a trip down Memory Lane when getting ready to personalize my Christmas cards. Like Mom, I also get calls thanking me for the cards and it gives us a chance to chat about those wonderful times. It’s a good thing to send personalized Christmas cards. It’s a small gesture that reminds people they are special to someone, and that is the perfect way to feel during the holidays!

How To Answer Job Interview Questions

Going for a job interview is one of the most stressful things a person can do. Here are some helpful tips for how to answer job interview questions. Hopefully these tip scan help put you at ease and land you that job!

Job_Interview_Questions

 

Q.) Tell me about yourself.

A.) Be brief. Keep your answer to 30 – 45 seconds max or you will lose the interviewers attention. Summarize your skills and experiences that will make you stand out and show why you are the best person for the job.

Q.) What about this job interests you?

A.) The interviewer is listening for an answer that indicates you have given this position some thought and that you have knowledge of the company. Make sure you research the comapny, and the position, before you go to the interview.

Q.) What are your strengths?

A.) This is the one question you know you will be asked. List three or four proficiencies such as your ability to learn quickly, determination to succeed, positive attitude, your ability to relate to people and achieve a common goal. Also, any skills you may have that relate to the job, such as being highly proficient in Excel.

Q.) Have you ever had a conflict with a colleague or superior? If so, how did you handle it?

A.) I think everyone at some point has had a conflict at work whether with a superior or coworker. I’ve found that when I am in a difficult situation it helps to communicate with the other person, understand their reasoning and try to work out a collaborative solution whenever possible.

Q.) What are your salary expectations?

A.) I will need more information about the job and responsibilities before we can discuss salary. I would appreciate it if you could give me an idea of the salary range that you have budgeted for this position.

Remember, at the end of the interview always  thank the Interviewer/s for their time and ask when you can expect to hear back from them. It also helps you stand out to send a brief email the next day thanking them for taking the time to meet with you, and expressing your sincere interest in becoming part of the company.

What are the Most Common Job Interview Questions

When heading in for a job interview, it is always important to try and be prepared for the types of questions that you will be asked. The more prepared you are, the better you look to your potential employer. Below are some of the most common questions that are asked during job interviews. We are sure that at least a couple of them will be brought up in your next interview!

interview

  1. Why do you want to work for this organization?
  1. Why do you think you should be hired for this position?
  1. What is your means of transportation?
  1. What are your goals?
  1. What words would you use to describe yourself?
  1. Do you like teamwork?
  1. Are you available to work overtime if requested?
  1. Where do you see yourself five years from now?
  1. What is your greatest strength?
  1. What is your greatest weakness?
  1. Do you prefer multi-tasking or concentrating on one project at a time?
  1. What do you like/dislike about your present job?
  1. What are your goals for the future?
  1. What are your salary requirements?
  1. What can you contribute to this company?
  1. What did you like/dislike about your previous job?
  1. Are you willing to relocate?
  1. Do you have any questions for me?
  1. If I were your supervisor and asked you to do something you disagreed with what would you do?

Team Building Activities For Work

Sitting at the desk working on the computer for many hours can be tedious. With this in mind, several members in my company and I were discussing possible ways to alleviate this tension and came up with the idea of a Suggestion Box we would set up for the staff, requesting ideas on activities we could pursue to help us relax mentally and physically. To our surprise, we received an abundance of responses, some ideas that I will not mention here!, including several that we seriously considered.

Work_Yoga

One of these suggestions came from our co-worker, Betty, who has been practicing yoga for over a year. Betty found that yoga has helped her to relax and has found it very rewarding both mentally and physically. She has offered to share her knowledge of yoga and its benefits with us as a team building activity. After presenting this to the staff they proved to be very enthusiastic and showed great interest in this suggestion. We all decided to move ahead with the planning of this team building activity.

Next on the agenda was scheduling. After much discussion, we decided to divide our lunch hour into two parts; 30 minutes practicing yoga under Betty’s supervision, and 30 minutes enjoying a “healthy” lunch. Our Human Resources department offered us one of the Conference Rooms for this practice and we were ready to move ahead. As beginners we focused on the fundamentals, learned to follow the rhythm of our breath, and develop a sense of body awareness; understand alignment and avoid injury; learned to strengthen and stretch, and much, much more. This was a wonderful team building activity for all who participated and we have grown from a group of twenty to fifty. I have since become a yoga advocate and workout routinely at home.

What Should I Write In Employee Happy Birthday Cards?

As the owner of a small greeting card company with slightly less than one hundred employees, I like to acknowledge the birthday of each member of my staff by sending an employee happy birthday card.  As always, after my loyal assistant brings my attention to the date of each employee’s birthday as it comes up, I like to include a personal message from myself inside the card, in which I express my appreciation for their contribution to the success of my company.  My staff deals with our customers with compassion and genuine care.  As a result, profits increase annually, therefore allowing me to give a salary increase and/or bonus to each staff member.

birthday cards

The message I extend is one of gratitude and appreciation, such as “Thank you for your dedicated service,”  …..  “Thank you for your outstanding work” …..   “We strive to give our customers an exceptional product and superior customer service and you have helped deliver on these standards” ….  “I appreciate all the hard work you have done to help make this company what it is”.

This show of appreciation on my part, and, an employee Happy Birthday card to each member of my staff has brought much gratitude from all and, I’m happy to say, the comrade is felt and shared throughout my company.

How To Increase Sales With Birthday Cards

I am the owner of a small flower shop and I am always looking for new ways to increase my sales. Of course advertising plays a big role in letting potential customers know that we can make any celebration a spectacular event in the presence of beautiful flower arrangements. Many of my new clients have told us that they were recommended to my shop by satisfied customers spreading their satisfaction by word of mouth. Although my company is doing well, there is always room to increase business, and I decided to put an item on our agenda for the next monthly staff meeting as follows: “Suggestions on How to Increase Sales.”

Increase Sales

During our monthly staff meeting, when we came to Item 2, “Suggestions on How to Increase Sales”, one of my employees suggested we send Birthday cards to our clients. This was agreeable to all and our next step was to find a company with special Birthday cards. After browsing through the internet we all agreed that The Gallery Collection offered an elegant selection of business Birthday cards.

The above suggestion proved to be beneficial in that we did receive a significant increase in sales from our “Birthday” customers, as well as personal thanks when they called in for orders or when they stopped in the flower shop. It was comforting to know how such a small, but special thought, could be so meaningful, and rewarding. In more ways than one.

 

How To Deal With A Disgruntled Employee

As the owner of a small company, when a disgruntled employee comes to me with a complaint involving another employee, or employees, I find the best way to deal with it is to hear from everyone involved, individually and then together. I’m sure we’ve all heard the cliché, there are two sides to every story, as well as nothing is black or white, it’s all grey. I find that LISTENING to the employees is of utmost importance. Usually, they calm themselves after airing their views, knowing someone cares enough to hear them after which we can work on resolving their anger/frustration. Taking the time to show that you care and want to help is a great attribute both to you and the employee. Keeping this in mind I have always had 100% positive results.

Disgruntled Employee

If the disgruntled employee’s complaint does not involve another person, but rather a situation, i.e. they would like to sit in an area away from a window; they have expressed concerns about getting a new chair, keyboard, art supplies, to their Supervisor to no avail, I assure them that I will personally take the time to look into the situation, and reach a satisfactory solution, one that is agreeable to all concerned. It works every time.

 

Why You Should Be Sending Out Personalized Christmas Cards

Each year as Christmas approaches and I get ready to address the personalized Christmas cards I want to send, it brings back delightful memories of sitting together at the table with my mother, who has since deceased, as she prepared to send her cards to family and friends. Mom would reminisce about the events of the year that reminded her of special times she shared with friends and family that were meaningful and fun. After telling me all the wonderful stories and seeing me giggle, (I was about eight at the time), she would begin writing her cards in which she would include a personal message, relating to those fun times, specifically to each person she was addressing. It was a very special time for me to share in Mom’s past together with her, and I remember how pleased and delighted everyone was after reading their personalized greeting cards and called her to continue talking about those fun times.

Love, Peace, Joy Wreath Holiday Card

Now, many, many years later, I find myself following in Mom’s footsteps. I, too, prepare myself for a trip down Memory Lane when getting ready to personalize my Christmas cards. Like Mom, I also get calls thanking me for the cards and it gives us a chance to chat about those wonderful times.