When Should You Accept a LinkedIn Invitation from a Recruiter

When Should You Accept a LinkedIn Invitation from a Recruiter Being on Linkedin with your full professional profile including previous employments, buzz and keywords means you are likely to be found by people looking your skills. When I say people, nine times out of ten it will be a recruiter. In order for them to contact you over Linkedin, they will have to either send an InMail or get introduced by a third person. InMails are limited/costly and introductions take time, therefore the recruiter may just try to connect with you direct. Sometimes you get a full introduction email stating why the person wants to link up with you. Sometimes you don’t at all, and you can only guess what the purpose is. Whatever the case may be, the big question is what to do with the invitation. Should you accept? The answer to this depends completely on your situation. If you are actively looking for a new position and everyone knows this, absolutely yes. If you are secretly looking for a new position and nobody knows about it, especially not your boss, the answer will be no. Does accepting mean I am looking for a job? Well, some people could interpret it that way. I would say it depends on the culture where you work. Some companies cultures are very open about people being headhunted, others are very secretive about it. If others are linking up to recruiters and get no grief for it, you will probably get away with it as well. Even if you are working for a business where being headhunted is a taboo, there can of course be several legitimate reasons to linking up with a recruiter. You might be involved in internal recruitment for your business. You might have changed jobs recently and it’s only natural to link up to the recruiter. If this isn’t the case however, you linking to a recruiter will raise a few eyebrows. You linking up to five recruiters in one week will send a few warning signals to your manager. But who will know? By adding the recruiter to your network, you are telling the world that you are now linked up as it will appear on both your and the recruiter’s home feeds. All your connections will be able to see it and they will draw their own conclusions. Can they now see my connections? That depends on your settings! Some recruiters will be very gentle about this and ask you for permission to speak to contacts of yours. Others will just go for it and call everyone up in an instant. By selecting not allowed, you stop anyone from browsing your connections. Be aware that they will still come up in searches, there is no stopping that. Trick o’ the trade Accept invitations in bundles. Let’s say you have received four invitations, by accepting them all at the same time they will come up on your feed together. You would hope that your manager and other folks are too busy to check up every person you link up to and therefore you might just get away with linking up to a recruiter. Another way of doing it is the old bad-news-on-Facebook method; do it when you assume nobody will be seeing it. This could be a Saturday or even a Sunday night; people will hopefully have better things to do than trawling Linkedin at these times in the week. Bottom line As with all things on Linkedin and social media, be aware of the consequences of your actions. You are sharing your activities with the world so if you link up to recruiters, be prepared to answer questions. Do you accept recruiter invitations? If you are a recruiter, do you send unsolicited invitations? Share your thoughts in the comments! Related: What If an Employer Requests My Facebook Password?

Hourly Rate For Resume Writing - How to Get a Great Writer

Hourly Rate For Resume Writing - How to Get a Great WriterThe hourly rate for resume writing has been taken up and debated with great passion. Many people are saying that it is hard to find a good, reputable writer and that they may have to spend a lot of money to get a great resume.However, this is not the case at all; in fact, you can just find a good writer for affordable prices, as long as you take the right steps. You need to know what to look for when choosing an online service to help you write your resume.First of all, you need to know exactly what the writer's fees are. The fee is usually going to be the most important factor in determining which online service you should choose.Most online services are going to offer the same fee; it is just the amount that you should ask for when speaking to the writer about the project. When you ask for the price, you need to get a quote of what the writer will be charging you.It is important to realize that the Internet is constantly cha nging. In order to stay current on the industry standards, the writers are constantly updating their resume writing services. Therefore, you should always ask for the newest rates that the writers are offering.Also, when you choose a freelance writer, make sure you check the credentials of the writer. If the writer has had any previous jobs or assignments, then you should definitely consider that person to be a good fit for your resume writing needs.Finally, make sure you ask for samples of the work that the writer has done before you hire them. If they do not have the samples available, then you should ask for them and try to arrange a payment plan so that you can see how their services will work for you.With these tips, you can ensure that you find the best online writer for your resume writing needs. If you have decided to use the Internet to help you write your resume, then it is important to make sure that you take your time to find the right writer to help you create the perfe ct resume.

Spring into action its a great time to look for jobs University of Manchester Careers Blog

Spring into action its a great time to look for jobs University of Manchester Careers Blog The other day I was talking to a graduate and he said there are not many jobs at this time of year are there? Actually May and June are the months when the Careers Service gets the most ads. Today we have 637 full-time vacancies live on CareersLink. Thats more than any of the major national graduate recruitment websites! Milkround 394 TargetJobs 280 Prospects 232 How can we have more jobs than the national sites? Major companies advertise everywhere youll see the same names on all these sites.   But smaller or local companies only tend to advertise locally so we have lots of opportunities in the north-west that will not be promoted nationally.   Plus we are targeted by organisations that are looking for Manchester graduates in particular.   We also work hard to source and create additional jobs that would not have existed otherwise, such as those on MGIP. Some points to bear in mind Final years It often takes a month or two for companies to process applications, conduct interviews and check references. If you apply now you might start work late summer or even September, which means you can still get time to relax after the end of exams. If you put off applying until you have had a break you will find less to choose from. Dont sacrifice your revision to apply for dozens of jobs, but try and make time to put in a couple of applications. See also this Guardian article: Exams vs job hunting: Is it too late to apply for graduate jobs? Already graduated thousands of new graduates will be flooding onto the job market in a few weeks. Apply for as many jobs as you can now to get ahead. Dont be put off by a company name you have not heard of. Many small and medium sized companies (SMEs) offer great jobs to graduates. SMEs can offer you the chance to be a big cog in a small machine, to make a difference and to have your ideas listened to right from day one! If you cannot see any opportunities that interest you it may be that the types of careers which appeal to you either advertise at a particular time of year (e.g. investment banking) or dont advertise vacancies very often (e.g. creative and media sectors). Book a careers guidance appointment to discuss your options. Dont forget to check out the Graduate fair â€" there are loads of top companies attending. All Graduate graduate schemes job hunting job market jobs

10 WAYS STRESS IS WRITTEN ALL OVER YOUR FACE

10 WAYS STRESS IS WRITTEN ALL OVER YOUR FACE Stress, STRESS, STRESS!  It seems every day has an ample dose of the things of life that cause us stress.  While we may try to hide it or pretend everything is just fine, it usually doesnt work.  According to Dr. Sanam Hafeez,  stress is written all over our face and can result in looking years older when stressed for prolonged periods of time. Dr. Hafeez,  whose expertise is in understanding neural pathways as they respond to anxiety, stress and trauma,  explains that how we think directly impacts how we age and how youthful we appear. The routine stressors in our lives really impact how fast or slow we age. When stressed, we see it in our skin tone, texture, elasticity, and over all glow. “When someone is under stress they can appear up to 5 years older, 10 years if they don’t manage stress or make changes to their lives. Stressful relationships and careers age people. I have seen patients end relationships or get new jobs and look 10 years younger within days.   People are spending money on creams, facials and cosmetic procedures but if the stress is still there it will still show in their face,” offers Dr. Hafeez. Here are Ways Stress is Written All Over Your Face You have dark circles.  Stress results in blood flow to main organs plus capillaries under eyes are fragile and break under stress leaving your face looking sallow and tired. Dark circles seem more apparent. Mini-Menopause.  The jury is still out on exactly how or if this is possible, but it appears that the constant flow of cortisol that goes along with chronic stress causes a dip in estrogen, one that mimics, on a smaller scale, the dip that occurs during menopause. Less estrogen means less collagen and less moisture. So, while estrogen levels may not drop enough to shut down your period, stress may make them dip enough to make your skin look dull and dry. You notice more wrinkles.  Life’s stress due to divorce, death of loved one, job-loss, financial concerns; impacts our brain chemistry. When we feel sad or anxious, are crying or not sleeping well it’s common to see deeper lines around the middle of the eyes, forehead, under eye area and mouth. You itch, flake and even have hives.  Stress leads to inflammation which may lead to rashes, rosacea, eczema flare ups and changes in skin moisture. People ask if you’re feeling okay.  When the Starbucks barista or guy at the dry cleaners asks if you’re feeling okay, pay attention. These people may not know the details of your life but they know how you look because they see you quickly.  Under-Eye Bags:  Tomorrows  to-do list can weigh on your mind, keeping you from getting enough beauty sleep. This can cause fluid to pool below your lower eyelid area, and what you end up with is a puffy mess in the a.m. Stomach sleepers, bad news: You can expect the puffiness of your under-eye bags to be even worse because of gravity. Increased jaw sizeâ€" Heavy jaw.  Grinding teeth and clenching of the jaw are common symptoms of stress. Unfortunately, these habits can cause the jaw muscles to work overtime. This can result not only in damaged teeth, but also a heavier than usual jawline, as the muscles become larger with the grinding action. Hair Loss.  Stress can cause sudden hair loss by literally flipping the switch on the hair follicle’s growth stage from an active to a resting phase. Once the follicle enters this resting phase prematurely, it stays there for about three months, after which time a large amount of hair will be shed. When you experience an overall shedding of hair, you must cast back a few months to find the trigger. Rest assured that in most women, this hair will grow back. Adult Acne.  Acne isn’t just for hormonally crazed teenagers. Many adults can’t seem to outgrow it because of stress hormones. What makes it worse is that tense people often can’t leave pimples alone. Squeezing, poking and picking at them becomes an almost obsessive way to release tension, but it also makes breakouts worse, exacerbating the inflammatory response, and you’re left feeling a bit more stressed. So no picking Hormonal Mood Swings.  There is a lot of interaction between hormone physiology and mood that works both ways. Our mood can impact our physiology, and our physiology can influence the balance of our hormones. If stress can sit at the top of a cascade of events that lead to undesirable hormonal changes in the body (like those that trigger insomnia, insatiable hunger and weight gain, and collagen breakdown), then what we want to do is find ways to gain the upper hand on our stress level and ensure that we keep all those hormones in check. Stress Management According to Dr. Hafeez, “The good news is that we can get to the root cause of our stress and manage it. When you notice changes in your facial appearance take inventory of what is going on in your life and what may be stressing you out. Simple things like sitting quietly for 10 minutes focusing on breathing, writing in a journal, exercising or taking a walk outside, reading, baking, painting, listening to music and reaching for an activity that takes focus off the stress is helpful. If you find yourself reverting back to the stressful issue consider therapy. Clearly there is a connection between how we look and how we feel and think.” About Dr. Sanam Hafeez:   Dr. Hafeez  is available to speak to media on a plethora of topics that connect stress, anxiety and depression and its negative impact on our wellbeing and physical appearance. She provides neuropsychological educational and developmental evaluations in her practice.   She also works with children and adults who suffer from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), learning disabilities, autism, attention and memory problems, trauma and brain injury, abuse, childhood development and psychopathology (bipolar, schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, etc…) In addition, Dr. Hafeez serves as a medical expert and expert witness by providing full evaluations and witness testimony to law firms and courts.

How to Write a Resume How to Say Fired Or Suspended Differently

How to Write a Resume How to Say Fired Or Suspended DifferentlyIf you are looking for tips on how to write a resume how to say fired or suspended differently then this article is for you. Even though a lot of people do not have much of a clue as to what really happens when they get fired or suspended, there are plenty of people who feel a little more comfortable when it comes to talking about what really goes on with their professional lives. So, I will give you some tips on how to say fired or suspended differently and how to talk about the situation in a more confident manner.'Fired' as a replacement for 'terminated' is an acceptable phrase in some cases. There are a few situations where 'fired' is not a good idea however. To be honest with you, a fired person is still someone who has been terminated and if you were fired, it is not a time to start thinking about what you can do to stay on a job that has made you uncomfortable.'Suspended' should always be replaced with 'withdrawn' if the person was suspended. If you were fired, the company just gave you a warning and have allowed you to continue working until the company approves of your resume or job search skills. If you were suspended, the company will allow you to return to work only if the company says you will be able to return to work and no one is making any efforts to hire you at this time.It is best to be careful with tough questions to ask your resume writer. I understand that hiring a person to write your resume is a very personal thing and that it is sometimes difficult to ask the right questions. You want to make sure that all questions are asked and answered honestly but if you need help with some areas of your resume then there are several things that you can do to get answers.Calling the company will get you answers to some questions and a phone call will get you answers to other questions that you may have. In addition, if you are having problems with your resume, many people feel comfortabl e asking an HR professional for assistance. If you feel that your resume is either not writing well or that you do not know enough about your career, an HR professional is someone that can help you with either problem.If you were laid off from your job or had your hours cut, you need to follow up with the company that laid you off or reduced your hours to make sure you did not lose your job because of something on your resume. The company will probably be aware of the issue. However, it is still important to find out the true reason why you were let go or if you were laid off. Since so many people get laid off, many times the company will not tell you the truth so being persistent can help get you some answers.For example, if you were laid off because your sales were lower than projected, try to get the employee to tell you the exact percentage that you were hired on the higher. Usually, they will not be honest but if you are persistent you can get the information that you need. If you had to move to another location or take a vacation, try to find out how long you will have to move or take time off. A lot of times, the reason that a person gets fired or suspended is because the employee has moved to another area that is much more crowded or that the employee has had to take a vacation.How to write a resume how to say fired or suspended differently is not difficult if you follow these tips. Be persistent and keep asking questions until you get answers. It is also important to make sure that your resume is correct so if you are reading one and there is some information that is incorrect, contact the company immediately and ask them to take the information off of your resume.

7 Reasons Why Freelancing Is More Difficult Than a Regular Job - CareerMetis.com

7 Reasons Why Freelancing Is More Difficult Than a Regular Job Freelancing is one of those things that are polarizing people. It can be stressful and demanding, or it can be equally liberating and rewarding at the same time. To some it is a dream career, to many, it is stressful and demanding so people wouldn’t try it.Freelancing is not like a cup of tea for everyone, and it is not more comfortable than regular work. Working as a freelancer means you are empowering yourself, but it can be emotionally and physically taxing. It takes time to build a steady stream of clientele. Freelancers experience an ebb flow in their work and need a plan for lean times. Managing multiple clients and projects at low cost is a great challenge for the freelancer community.1. Problems Faced By FreelancersevalevalWe all are different, and we all react to the new situations differently based on our backgrounds, experiences, and ability to adopt change.Similarly, Transition from a full-time worker to freelancing is one of those times when everyone reacts differently .There are times when freelancers feel like they have been thrown into the deep end of the swimming without the proper game plan and them don’t know how to get out of that pool.Either it is the freelance newbie or seasoned professional, before diving into the freelancing, must have to determine the problems and possible challenges which they have to face on the voyage to be a freelancer.The career choice to be a freelancer is so inviting and so beckoning. We all want to control our destiny by deciding when to work and how to work. Life would be a heaven if there is no clocking in, no boss breathing over your shoulder, no gossiping at all just freedom to work how and when you like.But is freelancing that simple and straightforward? Obviously NO!Life as a freelancer is filled with so many ups and downs, pros, and cons. So, it’s essential for the freelancers to get ready and have a route map in their hands if they want to reach their planned destination.evalTherefore, here is the l ist of some most common problems faced by the freelancers. Have a quick look at all of these issues before you quit your regular 9 to 5 white color job.2. Too much or too littleFreelancing is the game of extremes. Being a freelancer means you are either too busy or too idle. Some you will end with a lot of work, deadline or assignments and a constant amount of deposits in your account. While on other days you may don’t have a single lead coming your way.Not even an email or a missed call from your clients. Well, that is frustrating because your saving account is steadily draining.Pay parity is another big problem associated with freelancing. There is always a bidding war in the box of the client. They pretend to focus on quality, but the cheapest bet wins the game.evalIt seems funny that the decent high-quality work procured at ridiculously low prices sometimes for free. People call it exposure, but according to me, it is exploitation.Unfortunately, freelancing as a career means u nstable and inconsistent workload and income. You cannot depend on a regular project, client or profit. On the other hand, you know the exact pay you will receive at a traditional 9 to 5 job.3. Difference between Work and Personal Time We all hate nine to five grind, Right?What if the concept of 9 to 5 vanishes? What if you don’t have office timing? No Monday to Friday? No Saturday and Sunday? No breaks for Diwali, Christmas, holidays? No bonus, no promotion, No health benefit?You will end up with dark circles in your eyes and so many sleepless nights. As the freelancer you are not leaving your office, you are leaving all the benefits as well.Being your boss is exciting, but it will cost you as well. Working from home means there is no difference between your work time and your personal life. Either you can work long hours and never make time for personal interest, or you don’t work at all.In such a case proper time management to manage the flow of work is necessary to create th e balance between work and life.4. A lot of legworkFreelancers are known as the in charge of their owned clients and projects. On the other hand in case of traditional job someone else is responsible for handling the task to you.Being a sole owner of your entrepreneurial venture, you have to take responsibility for all tasks. So, it means a lot of legwork on your part is essential for the freelancers. To manage your career as a freelancer, you have to wear many hats because you have to market sale and advertise your skills.5. Not Getting Paidand lack of benefitsevalevalFreelancing is all about running the risk of not getting paid on time. What payment follows up is an inevitable torture in this field. Payment for the work done months ago is the nightmare for almost all freelancers irrespective of their area and their experiences.In freelancing, debt collection is another hat which you have to wear as the sole owner of your business. You can protect yourself from the non-paying clien ts, but sometimes you have to realize you are at the risk before it’s too late.Not getting paid for the holidays is another major drawback associated with freelancers. Traditional 9 to 5 job offer a broad range of bonuses, incentive, and benefits along with the salary package. On the other hand in freelancing, you have no right to enjoy such perks and benefits associated with the pay.6. The Buck Stops with YouIn freelancing, there is no luxury to pass on the client problems and office mishaps to someone else. In case of being a freelancer, the proverbial bucks cannot stop with you.Other than negotiating with some deadbeat clients and soothing the irate client you have to handle things from the male functioning of the office equipment to miss payments.evalWhen your laptop falls in love with death or blue screen, there is no IT professional to fix things for you and to fix things for you. In short, being a freelancer means you are the only one who have to face all the repercussions and after effects of your own decisions.7. Way forwardGone are the days when you have to work a regular white color 9 to 5 job for some outstanding earnings. Approximately more than 15.5 million workers are self-employed revealed by The Bureau of Labor Statistics.Freelancing offers you an opportunity to skip the commute pursue your passion but this lifestyle not without its challenges. Freelancing does have some active and negative parts. What you need to do is to decide if you are willing to take the risk. Freelancing means professional freedom, but it also implies instability and the risk of failure.The decision to be a freelancer can be a life-changing, but it’s not something you have to take lightly. Only you are the one who can determine whether freelancing as a career choice is right for you or not.If you are going to make the plunge in freelancing, then the first thing to do is to examine all the pros and cons of freelancing thoroughly.It will help you to determine the diff iculty level of this career choice. If you find rewards outweigh the risks, then jump on a voyage of being a freelancer but if the chance seems too big, then it’s not good to ditch your freelancing job.In short, we have to admit that freelancing is not more comfortable than the regular job but being your boss is more thrilling and passionate endeavor than being a part of a large team.

3 reasons why leaders should recognize effort instead of results - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

3 reasons why leaders should recognize effort instead of results - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Here?s a thought experiment for you: Imagine two sales people?working for the same company but in different?regions. Johnson?slaves away in her?area. She does a great job, she?s a professional?and accomplished sales rep?and she?s always ready to help her?clients and colleagues. However,?due to circumstances beyond her control she doesn?t reach her?sales target this quarter. Maybe her?biggest account goes bankrupt or maybe there?s just less economic activity in her region. Smith,?on the other hand, is lazy. He is not very competent and he never bothers to go the extra mile to help his colleagues or his clients. But due to circumstances beyond his control he achieves his sales target nonetheless that quarter. Maybe a big order drops in completely by chance, or maybe the growth in his region is increasing, or maybe his sales target just wasn?t ambitious enough from the start. Which of the two deserves praise and recognition? Johnson, who does a great job, but performs below target or lazy Smith, who just got lucky this budget year? To me it?s pretty obvious that it?s both better, more fair and more helpful to the future results of the company to acknowledge and reward the employees who have delivered the bigger effort. And of course most companies do the opposite and reward only results, partly because results are easier to measure, but also because of we have a systematic bias for underestimating the??luck?-factor. Daniel Kahneman is the only psychologist who?s been awarded a Nobel Prize. However he won it in economics, since there is no Nobel Prize in psychology. He got the prize for his work with identifying how humans make decisions and founding the field of behavioral economics. One of the intriguing results of his research is that we highly underestimate the impact that luck has in many situations, and we massively overestimate the effects of our own actions. Good results are often due to luck (at least in part), but we choose to take credit for them anyway. It?s extremely demotivating to those employees who have made an extra effort but don?t get recognition for it, to stand by and see their less competent (but luckier) colleagues receive?both accolades?and financial rewards. Some companies try to solve the problem by creating more complicated bonus structures, but thats rarely a good solution. Experience shows that bonus schemes are either so simple that they?re almost sure to be unfair to somebody, or so complicated that no one can make heads or tails of them. The study also shows that bonus schemes and rewards on the whole lead to poorer results, less motivation and inferior efforts. I?ve blogged about this before in this column. To me the solution is simple: Leaders?must focus just more?on the effort of employees than on just their results. We must recognize not only those who reach their goals, but especially those who do an amazing job and even more so those who help others to become better at their job. One great example if this is the New York-based company Next Jump. Their most important and prestigious employee award?is not given based on performance but based on who helps others the most. In this video you can see their 2014 awards ceremony: It?s not so straightforward, as results tend to be more measurable and visible. Encouraging a?great effort will require that we as leaders have more insight and show more interest in our employees? daily work. However there are three good reasons why we should do it anyway, even if it?s more demanding on us. Effort is not reliant on?luck While good results may be due to luck, great effort is always due to the employee?s talents and attitude ? and those employees who consistently demonstrate and improve skills, should clearly be recognized and celebrated. A strong?effort will in the long run always lead to better results It?s no good if we only optimize for this quarterly result. We are optimizing for the next 20 or 30?quarterly results. We avoid suboptimization If we only recognize the employee?s results, we?re creating a culture in which we?ll do anything to obtain results ? instead of doing what?s right for the clients and for the long term targets of the company. If I only get rewards for achieving my own sales targets, why on earth should I spend time and effort helping my colleagues? The upshot So leaders must encourage and acknowledge effort rather than results. In the long run it will create more fairness, more motivation and ? ironically ? better results. Your take What is valued most in your workplace results or efforts? What does that approach do for your motivation and engagement? How has it affected you and your coworkers? Write a comment wed love to hear your take. Related posts Rewarding school kids for good test score does not help test scores Paying employees to get healthy is a bad idea Why rewards dont motivate What makes Next Jump a happy workplace Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

Client Show Tell Jamie House talks Colors!

Client Show Tell Jamie House talks Colors! Image from Google Images I’m on vacation early this week, my clients are doing some Show Tell! Today I have the talented adorable Jamie House, a virtual interior designer, helping you pick the best colors for your home. Where was she 8 months ago when we moved into our new apartment? Thankfully I can still use her tips as I keep decorating my new abode! Having a hard time selecting paints? Hi Im Jamie of Jamie House Design! Im so excited to do this post for Miss Amazing Michelle. Im an interior designer also an e-designer, which means that I work with you to design your space, online. We never meet in person, but I provide you with a room in a box essentially, everything you need to pull together a professionally designed space yourself. Its fun to be able to work with people around the country! Ok.Ill get on with it! I love selecting paint colors! Its probably my favorite part of being an interior designer. Its also completely nerve racking. What if its different than I expect, what if they dont like it.oohhh it can be stressful. But it IS the easiest way to change the look of your home. Here are 5 tips to help you! 1. Pay attention to the colors you wear everyday. Most of the time you enjoy wearing the colors youll enjoy living with. Say for instance you wear a lot of black. I would use black as an accent color in a primarily neutral space, possible with bright accessories. If you love orange but cant see it on your wall you can use it as a unifying theme throughout your home, in pillows, window treatments, etc. 2. If your decorating your room around a key piece, like a sofa or rug, bring paint chips home to look at till you find some that match the piece. Then use these color chips as the foundation for selecting colors for the room. Paint my Love by ginparis2002 3. Be prepared to tone down colors. Once you find that amazing candy apple red youve been dreaming about you may find its too much for your space. Simply pick up the same color in a more muted tone, itll make the color more  livable. Martha Stewart always use muted colors her rooms are stunning. 4. Once youve selected a few shades, purchase a quart of each paint a test area. Apply a vertical stripe thats several paint brush widths across. To see how the color works in all areas of your room try painting a spot at the baseboard, near a window a dark corner. The color may look completely different in each part of the room so be sure you like them all! *Be sure when you paint a test stripe to keep the brush strokes moving vertically, its easier to paint over. * Rainbow House on Clipper Street by PJ Taylor Photo 5. Moldings ceilings are usually painted a shade or 2 lighter than the walls, but I prefer to break the rules. I often paint ceilings a coordinating color in a light shade. It makes the room feel finished. A simple way to select a ceiling color is also to have the paint store cut your wall color in half, this gives the illusion that the wall color is simply reflecting onto the ceiling (this doesnt work with all colors, ahemred). A darker ceiling will bring the ceiling in closer, giving the room a cozy feeling. A deeper hue on the window trim leads the eye to the window and then to the view outside. I hope these tips help you feel more confident choosing paint colors to reflect your style! Thanks again Michelle for the opportunity to talk to your amazing audience I hope your vacation is amazing!! ************************************************************************************************************* Delicious Discounts Great Giveaways for When I Grow Up Readers! Through July 20th: 20% off of Crafty Fannys shop enter to win a virtual room makeover from Maggie Rose. Through July 24th: enter to win a  custom scrapbook from  Tara Sroka. Through Aug 31st: get a $25 discount for any $250 purchase from    Tara Sroka. As Gwen Stefani would say, What You Waiting For? Get Danielle LaPorte’s Nuggets of Genius in your own home, on your own time.   The Digital Firestarter Sessions from my “cult leader” have launched! What’s your Joy Equation? Find out with Molly Hoyne’s Pay-What-You-Can-Afford Program!