Tricks For Life

Asking For a Pay Rise: How to Do It

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Professionals tend to get paid more, but they also get stuck in a cycle of self-sabotage, making it almost impossible to be as successful as they wish. In our recent post “Treating the ‘Why Me?’ Problem”, I talked about how to ask for a raise, and today I want to talk about some different ways to deal with other kinds of self-sabotage. Ask for a pay rise, and you’ll be told you’re greedy, or too demanding, or you’ve been around too long.  But is it such a bad thing to ask for a pay rise? If you’re doing your job well, and if you’re behind your team, who’s to say you don’t deserve one?  Just because you haven’t asked doesn’t mean you don’t deserve one.  That’s the crux of the problem, and that’s the problem many find themselves in.

How much should you ask for in salary? Should you start by asking for a pay rise, and if so, when? When you ask for a pay rise, you have to be prepared to negotiate an acceptable amount, but is it possible to ask for more without getting a negative response? Is it wise to ask for a pay rise at the same time as asking for a pay review, or should you wait until after that has taken place?

Know the worth of your work

Imagine you’re working hard for your boss all week long, and you finally get a chance to ask for a pay rise. How do you know if you’re even worth what you earn in your job? The challenge is definitely not an easy one. Do you need to have a lot of experience to earn the promotion? Are the other employees in your department as productive as you? If so, are they paid more? Who decides what prices you, or your colleagues, should be paid?

Be considerate about your timing

Depending on your industry, the deadline for submitting your pay details may be up to several months before the official start of a pay period. If you’re an hourly worker, you could be waiting until the end of a pay period to ask your employer for a better wage. But if you’re a salaried worker, some employers may ask for a salary increase during the same period. The subject of a pay raise is a tricky one, especially if you’re asking for it. Not everyone is in a position to ask for a raise, so you may need to be creative. So, how can you beat the system? The most useful approach is to ask for a raise at the right time. If you ask for a raise too early in your career, your boss may not be willing to give you one. If you wait too long, you may have become a liability to the company and may only receive a much lower salary.

Do some investigations in your company’s salary structure

By now, most people have probably heard of the term ‘glass cliff.’ More commonly known as the ‘women’s salary. The term was coined to describe the phenomenon where female executives are more likely to be promoted to a position of leadership when the economy is struggling, and their company is facing hardship than their male counterparts, regardless of actual skills and qualifications. When it comes to negotiating pay raises, the advice you will get is ‘you ask, you negotiate.’ This is misleading. Most people don’t ask for more money. They should, but they don’t. Ask for what you deserve, and be prepared to negotiate.

Do you want to ask for a raise but are afraid you’ll be turned down? You’re not alone, according to a survey by Salary.com. 56% of us will ask for a pay rise in the next year to get more money in the next year, but only 39% are satisfied with their salaries. Another study by PayScale found that more than a quarter of us feel pressured to ask for a raise, but only 2% will ask for more money. Many people are unemployed or in positions that are underemployed. For some people, this means a full-time job that pays well, but for many others, it means that they are working just enough to get by, but they’re not working enough to live a decent lifestyle. For the underemployed, the path to earning more money can be tricky.

 

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Drives And Adventures

Great Driving Roads in China

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That makes driving in China so great, and what are the best driving roads in China? There are so many great driving roads in China that it can be difficult to give an objective assessment of all of them. However, there are some roads that are more well-known than others, and that tend to be featured quite often in driving videos. In this article, we will introduce you to some great driving roads in China.

  • Jiamo Highway

The Jiamo Highway in China is one of the most beautiful roads in the world. The drive from Xiamen to Zhuhai is 3,000 kilometers (1,860 miles) long and takes about 22 hours to complete.

  • Guabi Road

The Guabi road is a mountain road in China that extends for over 300 kilometers (186 miles) and is especially known for being a tourist attraction. It was built in 2008 as a way to get around the mountains of Guandi and Pingshan in Yunnan Province, and it connects the Yunnan and Shanxi provinces.

  • Aizhai Highway

China’s National Highway System (NHS) has more than 20,000 miles of road in the country, and climbing every one of them for a lap makes for a long day. If you can follow along on the Aizhai Highway, that will be all you’ll need to do to get a taste of the scenic beauty of China. This drive is officially only three miles long between the cities of Yecheng and Tianshui, but it’s two hours long without stops, and it’s easy to see why people choose to do it once.

  • Shennongjie Highway

The Shennongjie Highway is a 4.6 km (2.8 mi) highway in the Linyi District of Shandong Province, China, named after the famous Chinese Emperors Shennong and Jiagu. It forms part of China National Highway 104 and connects the provincial capital Jinan to the provincial capital Yantai.

  • Aizhai Highway

Long-distance driving is a must when you’re on vacation—so you’ll want to check out the Aizhai Highway. It’s a stunning piece of roadway that connects Tibet to Xinjiang. It’s a stunning piece of roadway that connects Tibet to Xinjiang. The highway is the only major east-west road that runs through China, so when you want to travel across the country, this is the only option you have. It’s about 2,500 miles long, and it’s one of the highest paved roads in the world (at an elevation of more than 11,000 feet). It’s also well known for its scenic beauty, which is pretty hard to resist.

  • The 24-Zig

It’s a bit of a cliché to talk about the “24-zig”, the 24 kilometers of the Great Wall of China that the inhabitants of the ng Dynasty used to protect their families from the Mongols. While that doesn’t immediately make the Great Wall worth writing about, it’s well worth considering since it’s one of the wonders of the world and a testament to the strength of the Chinese.

  • Chuanzang Highway

Chuanzang Highway, or the Great Silk Road, was the second of the ancient trading routes in the world. It was a road that started in China and linked up with the Mediterranean coast. It was the only road that was open to all countries. You can go from one country to another country on this highway, even if you are not Asian. But you need to know that you need to find your way on this highway.

Just an hour’s drive from Beijing, the breathtaking Jiayuguan Pass is one of the best driving routes in the world. On its northern side, the mountains of the Tian Shan mountain range tower over more than 3,000 meters above sea level, with some peaks reaching more than 5,000 meters above sea level. On the southern side, the main road winds through the Zhesan Mountains, where snow-capped peaks soar to well over 3,000 meters above sea level. Between them lie some of the most spectacular scenery found in China.

Driving in China can be a challenging experience, especially if you are used to driving in your home country (they say that if you can’t drive in your native country, you shouldn’t be driving anywhere). Even though the roads are fairly good, they don’t necessarily make the trip to the Great Wall of China any easier. Whether you are driving on a major highway or a smaller road, you should expect to drive for several hours at a time and sometimes travel over hundreds of kilometers per day.

 

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Cooking And Eating

Top 3 Pizza Hacks to Try Next

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Most people love pizza. It’s one of the most popular foods in the world. And because it is loved so very much, over the years, people have found there to be a variety of different ways to enjoy this favoured cuisine.

You can order it from your favourite pizza place, make it at home (provided that you have the best firewood appliances from companies like Cutting Edge Firewood, the perfect dough, and all the ingredients you need) or you can even get a frozen pizza and cook it in your kitchen. No matter how you like to eat pizza, there are some hacks that can make the experience better.

Though it can make the process more exciting, for some, eating their finished product can be a bit of a challenge. Maybe you’re not sure how to order it properly or maybe you don’t know how to make it at home. However, that shouldn’t be something worth fretting about. In today’s digital age, the quest for culinary inspiration often begins with a simple web search. From family dinners to extravagant feasts, the internet has become our trusted recipe book, and websites dedicated to sharing culinary delights are aplenty. Although websites can be helpful for finding recipes, food blogs offer an even richer variety of dishes. These blogs cater to readers looking for a diverse and nutritious culinary experience, offering everything from a Caesar salad to a mouthwatering Cheese Margherita Pizza Recipe, and much more.

Now we’re here to show you the top three pizza hacks that will make your experience better.

Use a Baking or Pizza Stone

A baking stone, also known as a pizza stone, is a tool that you can use to improve your pizza experience. When you cook a pizza on a baking stone, it heats up more evenly than if you cooked it on a regular pan or baking sheet. This results in a crispy crust and a deliciously cooked pizza, which is guaranteed every time.

If you don’t have a baking stone, you can use a cast iron skillet or a heavy-duty baking sheet. Place the pizza on the preheated baking stone or skillet and cook for 10-12 minutes.

Once cooked, you can enjoy your freshly baked pizza. What’s more, if you don’t have a proper serving platter, you can use your baking stone as an alternative, ensuring that your pizza stays as hot and as fresh as possible.

Don’t Use Too Much Sauce

Pizza sauce is a key ingredient to use while making this type of food, however, it’s important not to use too much of it. If you use more than you need, your pizza will be too wet, to the point of finding it difficult to eat.

A thin layer of sauce is all you need to enhance the flavour of the pizza crust and toppings. In order to get the most out of this cuisine, be sure to use about 2-3 tablespoons of sauce. This is the typical measurement for a 12-inch pizza.

On the other hand, if you’re using a pre-made sauce that has been bought in a shop, be sure to taste it before adding it to your pizza. This is because some sauces can be very salty or sweet, and you may not need to use as much as you first thought.

Get Creative with Your Toppings

Though not much of a hack, one of the best things about pizza is that you can personalise it however you want. If you’re feeling creative, why not try some new and different toppings?

Veggies, meats and cheeses are all great options, but don’t be afraid to get a little crazy with your toppings. Some ideas include:

  • Fruit toppings like pineapple and bananas
  • SPAM
  • Sardines
  • Kimchi
  • Shrimp
  • Buffalo chicken

When it comes to pizza toppings, the possibilities are well and truly endless, so get creative and have fun with it! Who knows, you may even create a recipe that becomes the go-to choice amongst your family and friends.

There are so many different ways to enjoy pizza, and even more ways to hack your pizza experience for a better outcome. Whether you’re looking to make your pizza crust thicker and chewier, or add some new and exciting toppings, there are many things you can try to make your next pizza experience even better.

Trying these hacks will allow you to try something new, and the perfect time to do so is when you are enjoying a wonderful slice of pizza.

So, there you have it! Three easy pizza hacks that will take your pizza experience to the next level. It doesn’t matter if you’re a fan of pepperoni and sausage or if you prefer something a little more exotic, these hacks are sure to please.

Be sure to give them a try the next time you fire up the oven for a pizza party! We’d love to hear your experiences.

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