INPUT ARTICLE: Article: One way to have more fun at work is to set tangible goals for yourself whenever you head into the office. Though metrics — believing you can write X amount of reports or talk to Y amount of clients in one week — can be a short-term motivator, having more meaningful goals, such as developing your communication skills or writing the most comprehensive report you’ve ever written on a certain subject can help you think of your job in terms of a big picture. Having long term goals that feel meaningful instead of just like you’re crunching numbers can definitely help make your workplace more fun for you.  Write down your weekly work goals before you get to work on Monday, and work on setting monthly or even yearly goals. The more you have to strive toward, the more motivated you will feel. Believe it or not, setting goals and meeting them actually will make your work week much more fun! If you want your workplace to be more fun, then you have to work on being more positive. Sure, everyone loves to complain about work, but if you get into the habit of constantly complaining about work with all of your co-workers, then you’ll be heading in a downward spiral. Though it can help to vent about the things that bother you, try talking about a new innovation or co-worker you like at work for a change, and see how much this improves your level of happiness and your overall mood.  Work on genuinely complimenting at least one of your coworkers each day. This can help set a positive tone to your day. If you catch yourself making a negative comment, try to compensate with at least two positive comments. When your coworkers complain about work, you don’t have to tell them to stop, but you can try to naturally change the subject to something more positive. If you want to have fun at work, then you have to stop thinking that being professional means being serious all the time. If you take a moment to laugh at the funny things that happen at the office, to occasionally share a funny story with a coworker, or just to read a funny comic someone put on the fridge, you’ll begin to see how much more fun you’re capable of having in the workplace. If you stop seeing work as a “no fun” zone, then you’ll open yourself to endless possibilities.  If your office environment is pretty fun and open, you can even play harmless pranks on your co-workers, like placing a rubber spider on their desks, once in a while. Just make sure you know them well enough for this to not send the wrong message. Learn to laugh at yourself, too. If you take yourself less seriously, you’ll be able to relax and have more fun. Being motivated to succeed can really help you have fun in the workplace. In order to be motivated, you have to not only set personal goals but to really believe in the good that your company does. (Of course, it can be a little trickier if you can’t find the good — then you may need a new strategy!) Focus on the fact that you’re helping people and producing something meaningful, and you’ll feel more motivated to work hard while having fun in the process.  Being motivated may be easier than staying motivated. One way to stay motivated is to write a to-do list at the beginning of your work day or work week and to take satisfaction in crossing each item off the list. Talk to your coworkers about projects you’re really excited about. This will help you be motivated and to get excited about your work. You can even share your results with your coworkers, which will also make your job more fun. Generating a sense of purpose isn’t always easy. If you feel like you’re just doing the same thing day after day or just crunching numbers, then it can be difficult to have fun with what you’re doing. To have a sense of purpose, you have to think that no one can do your job as well as you can and that the work you do is meaningful and that you should get it done as well as you can. If you walk into the office counting down the moments until you leave instead of focusing on having a sense of meaning from the work you do, then you won’t be able to have fun at the office.  Your job should help you make the most of your skills and interests. If you feel like you’re not using your interests or your best talents in the workplace, then it may be harder to have fun at work. Your sense of purpose can lie in helping people. Whether you’re a lifestyle blogger or a grief counsellor, you can have a sense of purpose in the fact that you’re making a person’s life better and that this couldn’t happen without you. Though it’s important to have fun at work, some studies show that if you try too hard to have fun, you’ll actually be making yourself miserable. One study in Australia found that workers in an environment where they felt pressured to smile, look happy all the time, and participate in “fun” events actually felt stifled and stressed out by having to look happy all the time. That is to say, you should try to have more fun, but not so much that you feel like you’re putting too much pressure on yourself.  If you’re having a really bad day and just want to be left alone, then don’t force yourself to plaster a fake grin on your face. Be kind but quiet to your co-workers and do your own thing until you feel better. Forcing it too much can actually make you feel worse. Also, you shouldn’t try too hard to make everyone in the office have fun. Not everyone in the office will get wrapped up in the spirit of having fun, and you have to respect that, too.

SUMMARY: Set real goals for yourself, not just metrics to follow. Generate positive energy. Have a sense of humor. Be motivated to do your job. Have a sense of purpose. Don’t try too hard to have fun.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: When sending business correspondence, use a professional, clear email address. Avoid nicknames or unnecessary symbols and numbers. A variation of your name can work well. For example: Smit.smith@company.com would be fine. If your current email address is connected with a social media profile that contains any unprofessional content, create and use a different address. Also, adjust your privacy settings on social media. Before you ask for an internship, research the company at which you would like to work. Visit their website. Read any news articles about them. If the company has an accessible product, like social media, use the product for a week to test it. Use your insights to craft your letter. Prospective employers appreciate candidates who know something about the company and can demonstrate this knowledge coherently. It is beneficial to have a connection at a company. Use social networks like LinkedIn and Facebook to conduct keyword searches for the company. If contacts come up, check their positions. Politely request a phone or in-person interview. Ask for tips regarding your internship application.  With LinkedIn you can see which of your contacts’ contacts work at a firm. Do not hesitate to ask your contact to connect you with one of their contacts. Do be tactful, though, and do not ask the same person for assistance repeatedly. Many universities provide online alumni databases. You can search for people with certain jobs or workplaces through these sites. Alumni who provide their contact information often are open to receiving emails or phone calls from students.  When discussing the company with your contact, mention that you are interested in an internship. Ask about the company’s organizational structure, work environment, goals, etc. Does the internship posting include the name of the contact person? If so, use that person's name and email address. If there is not a listed contact person, call the company to ask who is in charge of internship recruitment. If no one is in charge, address your email to a senior person in human resources at the company. If you speak to any person at the firm, you can mention this in the beginning of your email. When you cannot find the name of any employee, address your email to "Dear Sir or Madam." You want your email to be noticed in a high-volume inbox. For example, you could write, “Company X Internship Application: Joanna Smith.” If applicable, use the specific subject line requested by the employer.

SUMMARY:
Create a professional email address. Research the company. Find a mutual contact. Determine the recipient. Be specific with your subject line.