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Your #Career : This Is How To #ChangeCareer Without Spiraling Into The Unknown…Visionary Designer Albert Lee has a Method he calls “Flooring the Downside” to help him Navigate the Uncertainty of making Big Changes.

January 4, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Our careers have a momentum to them that is self-perpetuating. But what happens when we take dramatically different paths? How do you do it without risking it all or starting from zero?

The ability to make these dramatic nonlinear moves is a defining characteristic of many careers of Fast Company‘s Most Creative People In Business, from Genevieve Bell (Most Creative 2009), an anthropologist in a room full of technologists, to Albert Lee (Most Creative 2014), an architect and designer in a room full of investors.

The career paths of these individuals can seem out of reach to most of us because when we read about them, we don’t hear the practical not-talked-about ways people deal with the fears of failing, losing security, and spiraling into the unknown when making nonlinear moves–until now.

Lee is a soft-spoken individual who has become a trusted behind-the-scenes adviser for some of the fastest growing startups in Silicon Valley. His nonlinear career has taken him from summers working at Alice Waters’s restaurant Chez Panisse to apprenticing as an architect at Frank Gehry’s Studio. Early in his career, a mentor told him to “always do the other thing in the room,” and he has taken that to heart.

When Lee reached a moment of stasis, he would shift. He left the architecture world to become an art director at a design agency, and from there, to business school, where he was the sole designer in a room full of executives. Lee’s actions seem to have a sense of gravity, but he wasn’t always like this. To feel comfortable going against the grain, he uses a technique he calls “flooring his downside.”

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“Flooring the downside” means writing a story that explains failing and returning to what you were doing before you even consider making the transition. These stories prevent you from imagining the bottomless failure that awaits if the transition doesn’t go smoothly.

There are three specific types of stories that you can craft that will not only put a “floor underneath your risk,” but will help propel you forward in your career, even if you return from a nonlinear transition within the first few months.

FIGURE OUT WHAT QUESTION YOU NEED TO ANSWER

Before you take a new path, ask yourself, What question you are trying to answer by taking this new path? In your story, explain how you were able to answer that question as a result of your nonlinear experience. How are those new answers going to help you do your old job in a better way? Answering and pursuing a question expresses a directionality to your career trajectory that people respect, envy, and see as a marker of success, regardless of now nonlinear it may be.

IMAGINE YOURSELF IN THE FUTURE LOOKING BACK

The learning story grounds your career in a continual pursuit instead of a series of endpoints that can be compared to each other. Imagine yourself in the future looking back on your experience—what has changed? What have you learned? People spend tens of thousands of dollars on formal educational opportunities and thus understand the value of being paid to learn will be easy to understand. Regrounding your story in terms of learning gives you more power when coming back to renegotiate in your old industry in the same way a person who gets a graduate degree returns to a promotion.

EMBRACE BEING THE OTHER

It takes a certain level of mastery in both fields to confidently embrace being the Other. If your nonlinear stint was too short, don’t fake it; instead, concentrate on telling the other types of stories above. As the Other in the room, you have the opportunity to either be a translator or a synthesizer of ideas.

A translator is responsible for sharing perspectives and views that are a given in one world in a way that is accessible to another, while a synthesizer’s primary goal is to combine perspectives in fresh ways informed by different bodies of knowledge. Being aware of which way of thinking is needed will help you find a unique voice you can confidently own.

Dev Aujla is the creator of 50waystogetajob.com and author of the upcoming book 50 Ways to Get a Job: An Unconventional Guide to Finding Work on Your Terms due out in April. He is the director of talent for Juxtapose, an early-stage venture fund based in New York City.

FastCompany.com | January 4, 2018 | Dev Aujla

Your #Career : Exactly How To Decide Which Skills To Put On Your #Resume …Don’t just List every Software Program you’ve Ever worked With. Take these Four Steps instead.

January 4, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

You know what your goal is when you’re writing your resume: You’ve got to capture recruiters’ and hiring managers’ interest in a way that separates you from everyone else in the stack.

But while you’re hopefully savvy enough to avoid listing “Microsoft Office” in your skills section, you may be missing your chance to show off what you’re really skilled at–by bragging about skills that aren’t as valuable as you might think. Here’s why, and how to fix it.

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Our national obsession with STEM education (science, technology, engineering, and math) skews job seekers’ thinking about what counts as a resume-worthy skill. Even for semi-technical and non-technical roles, many proudly tout the programming languages they know, their experience with design programs, and their work with particular databases. They hope the accretion of these skills makes them seem like modern “digital natives” (a term often burdened with ageist assumptions) worthy of landing an interview.

It’s no doubt that technical skills are crucial for jobs across many industries. Indeed, some reckon that even tech candidates tend to lack the hard skills employers require; if your coding job requires a lot of Java-based programming, you’d better know your Java. But a lot of what separates the good employees from the great is not their technical expertise–it’s their ability to work together with their colleagues. People skills, also known as “soft skills,” matter a lot. So one of your main goals in writing your resume should be to show off how great your people skills are.

Consider the familiar rap against liberal arts majors. How many college students majoring in history, philosophy, or literature get harangued at family gatherings by well-meaning relatives who think they’re pursuing a worthless degree? Because who needs a historian, philosopher, or literary critic at a business meeting? Actually, lots of companies do.

I run a program at the University of Texas called the Human Dimensions of Organizations. At the undergraduate level, we work with students to understand the soft skills underlying courses in the liberal arts. A class about the history of the Camp David Accords also teaches strategies for mediating disputes. A course exploring the philosophy of belief also teaches about the ways people’s knowledge can be affected by arguments. A semester exploring 19th-century English literature creates opportunities for empathy and for recognizing the roots of modern industrial practice.

The point here isn’t to argue for the value of a humanities education. It’s that every job seeker needs human-based skills to land a job offer. People’s collected workplace (and classroom) experience leads them to develop skills beyond the technical abilities mentioned in a job listing’s “requirements” section. Which means your resume needs to demonstrate that you’ve done exactly that.

SO WHAT ARE MY SKILLS, EXACTLY?

Figuring out which of those skills you should highlight comes down to these four steps:

Identify one or two of the biggest projects you’ve worked on since taking your current job.
Reflect on the biggest challenges to success in those projects.
Ask yourself what you had to do (get specific–which specific steps did you have to take?) to overcome those obstacles. Those skills are the ones that you need to highlight on your resume. Some of them may be interpersonal, and others might be more technical, but chances are, none of them are “Excel.”
Find the clearest, most concise way to describe those skills in terms that show off your abilities with regard to what the job listing calls for.

For instance: Did the team disagree about how to pursue a project? Did you play a role in helping your coworkers arrive at a common vision? If so, you’ve developed skills in mediating disputes and building a collaborative environment. Or did you have to take a poorly defined problem and turn it into a series of discrete challenges that you could tackle with individual projects? If so, you’ve honed your skills in project design and implementation, not to mention your team communication skills.

One benefit to going through this process is that it helps you understand your skills in practice. They won’t be these diffuse, abstract things you’ll struggle to talk about on job interviews. Instead, you’ll be able to discuss exactly what role you took in the project that inspired that line on your resume–and why, thanks to your amazing skill set, you’ll be able to meet similar challenges on your new team.

A final word of warning, though: Don’t oversell your abilities. If you’re generally not that good at resolving disputes, don’t put yourself in a position where you may be forced to do that on a regular basis. Yes, highlighting your soft skills is key to actually getting noticed. But you (and the people you work with) won’t be happy in a position that doesn’t match what you’re actually best at.

FastCompany.com | January 4, 2018 | BY ART MARKMAN 4 MINUTE READ

Your #Career : Look Out For These Warning Signs Before You Take That #NewJob…As Much as you Want to Make a Change Right Now, Take the Time to Make Sure it’s the Right One.

January 3, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Think about it: Have you ever landed a coveted job only to feel miserable mere weeks later, lamenting at your cubicle that if only you had listened to your gut–to have seen your boss’s disheveled desk for the warning sign it was–you could have saved yourself a lot of trouble?

In other words, you ignored a red flag. “A work-related red flag is basically a warning sign, either overt or even a gut feeling you have, that the job won’t be a good fit for you,” explains career coach Hallie Crawford. “It can also be a possible issue you sense with the company, why the job is available, your prospective boss, or a team member you’d be working with.”

A work-related red flag can be something you witness during the interview, read about in a company review, or hear about through the industry grapevine. But no matter the source, listen to your reaction to the news. “Trust yourself,” Crawford encourages. “If you sense something might be off, listen to that gut instinct and ask about it during the interview.”

1. YOUR INTERVIEWER (OR HIS SPACE) LOOKS A MESS

Picture a disheveled desk, stacks of folders strewn about, a trash can overflowing with crumpled paper—in other words, an office or a person that screams anything but I’ve got it together. This is a red flag you can’t chalk up to a bad day or a sense of disorganization, warns millennial career expert Jill Jacinto. “How we choose to visually express ourselves is part of the interview process. That is why we wear a suit, blow out our hair, or get our shoes shined. We want to show that we have it together.” And trust us: You want your future employer to put in the same kind of effort. “A few loose papers is one thing,” Jacinto concedes, “but a desk covered in papers or garbage is another.”

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2. YOU GET OFFERED THE JOB DURING THE INTERVIEW

It may seem like a very good thing if you if get offered the job before you even leave your first interview–but in reality, “this could be a red flag because there could be underlying issues,” warns Crawford. Think about it: Why is the company so desperate to fill this role? “Perhaps they aren’t able to keep someone in this position for very long, or maybe they fire employees regularly,” Crawford says. Instead of saying yes in this situation, “ask them why the position is available, and listen carefully to their answer. Ask to meet your manager and ask him what his ideal employee would be. This will give you insight into their management style and anything that may be going on.”

3. THE JOB DESCRIPTION IS NOT CLEARLY DEFINED

Leaving a job description loose-ended is a recipe for work disaster. Why? Because, as Crawford points out, if an employer can’t clearly define exactly what they want you to do, they may be keeping it vague so they can ask “employees to handle a variety of tasks for little pay” after they’re hired, says Crawford. Or, “They may be just trolling for possible employees to test the market versus actually really intending to hire someone.” If you’re still interested in the job, don’t leave the interview–and certainly don’t accept the position–until you “let the manager know you would like a clarification of the job description,” she says. If they can’t do it when asked, Crawford says, “beware.”

4. THE HIRING MANAGER SAYS HE WORKS 24/7–AND SO DOES THE STAFF

Recalls Jacinto, “I was advising a woman a few years ago who said she regrets not picking up on her current boss’s eccentric behavior. He had said during the interview that if he could, he would sleep at the office and spends all his time there. She agreed to come in on weekends for training–but the ‘training’ never stopped. She–and the rest of the staff–were expected to march into work over the weekend to have team meetings and catch-ups. Needless to say, she found a better job.” If you see similar red flags during the interview process, “run,” Jacinto warns. “If a boss all but sleeps at the office, he’ll expect you and your team to bunk down, too.”

5. THE COMPANY LOWBALLS ITS OFFER

You know what you’re worth–and you know what others make who work in that same job–because you’ve used tools such as Glassdoor’s company salaries search tool to find out. And “if you are offered less than the salary listed in the posting or lower than what they said their range was, this could be a red flag,” says Crawford. If you find yourself faced with this red flag, “Ask about benefits, but if they aren’t offering benefits or can’t define them, they [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][may just be] trying to take advantage of you.”

FastCompany.com | January 3, 2018 | BY JILLIAN KRAMER—GLASSDOOR 4 MINUTE READ

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Your #Career : These Eight Phrases Are Killing Your Chance for a Promotion… Sorry, But I Honestly just Think you Should Read This.

January 3, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Words matter more than you might think, especially if you are one of the 43% of employees who works remotely. If coworkers or your manager can’t see your body language, they have to rely solely on conversations you have over email or the phone, and certain phrases could cost you a promotion, says Crystal Barnett, senior human resource specialist for Insperity, an HR service provider for small to medium-sized organizations.

“While most of us manage to avoid making comments that result in a punishable offense, some common phrases can hurt your chances for advancement in the long run,” she says. “You have to choose words carefully to get your point across without being negative or self serving.”

Here are eight words and phrases that can derail your career if they’re uttered at the wrong place or time:

1. “HONESTLY …”

Starting a sentence with the word “honestly” when speaking about others can come off as an attack, and it’s one of the easiest ways to damage your career, says Barnett. “Telling a trusted boss how one truly feels is expected and encouraged at many companies,” she says. “However, in some organizations, giving an unvarnished assessment can be dangerous if done without careful consideration beforehand.”

Using the word “honestly” before offering a critique of another team member’s work in a public setting, for example, can damage your relationship. It can also create the impression that you’re willing to promote yourself by attacking others.

“Only use ‘honestly’ when it applies to you,” says Barnett.

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2. “I THINK”

When you use the phrase “I think,” you immediately lose credibility, says Barnett. “‘I know’ or ‘Based on my experience my recommendation would be’ are much stronger,” she says. “In our world if you don’t know you lose credibility. It can demonstrate your weakness in certain environments.”

3. “I”

Taking credit for your work can be like walking a fine line of what’s appropriate. Instead, always defer to the team when sharing your success, says Barnett.

“It’s better to see ‘I’ in context of we,” she says. “For example, ‘I was part of a team that accomplished this.’ You can use ‘I’ and give yourself credit for being part of team, but touting yourself alone comes across as being arrogant and most companies don’t find that appealing.”

4. “YEAH, BUT…”

If you’re given an instruction or request from a supervisor or manager that leaves you with questions or concerns, starting your response with “Yeah, but” could come off as being combative.

“Asking clarifying questions or proactively identifying issues is not a bad thing,” says Barnett. “However, doing so in a negative-sounding way suggests an unwillingness to follow instruction or, worse yet, a challenge to a leader’s authority.”

Avoid the phrase altogether. If you need to revise the request, start by saying, “I understand your point of view. Let me provide you with another perspective of what we can accomplish,” suggests Barnett.

“This shows that you’re open to listening and you want to following instructions,” she says. “Offering different perspective is a much better way to get that out.”

5. “JUST”

“Just” can be a loaded word in some contexts, says Barnett. “For example, if a manager says to an employee ‘I just want you to finish those reports before the end of the week,’ the comment sounds highly negative on the receiving end,” she says. “It’s a filler word that diminishes your confidence and the importance of the message.”

A better approach might be to say “Be sure to get me those reports by the end of the week,” which is clear and direct.

6. “YES”

Saying “yes” to a request from your supervisor is usually looked at as being a good thing, but it could cause you to stretch yourself too thin, says Barnett. “You can’t produce quality work if you’re saying ‘yes’ all of the time,” she says. “The danger of burnout should always be considered before you answer.”

Instead of saying “no,” answer with “We can do this. Let’s make a list of priorities and see where it can go.” “This way you share responsibility of where the task goes in order of completion so you don’t feel like everything is a burning priority,” says Barnett.

7. “SORRY”

Transparency goes a long way, but simply saying “sorry” isn’t enough, says Barnett. This is particularly important when speaking with someone who has authority.

“You need to follow ‘sorry’ with an offer of a solution,” she says. “For example, ‘I dropped the ball, but here’s what I’ll do to fix it’ is much better than just saying, ‘I dropped the ball.’”

8. “THAT’S NOT MY JOB”

Passing the buck in today’s work environment can be extremely toxic, especially if you’re working with customers or clients. If you receive a request that’s outside your scope, wheelhouse, or expertise, connect the person with someone who can help.

“Say, ‘I have a colleague who knows about this. I’ll get in touch with them,’” suggests Barnett. “It shows that you have confidence,” she says. “You’ve let them know you don’t have an immediate answer, but you’re not leaving them hanging.”

FastCompany.com | January 3, 2018 | Stephanie Vozza

#Leadership : The Three Biggest Leadership Mistakes I Made In 2017, And How I’ll Fix Them In 2018… Mistake #2: I Allowed my Stress and Anxiety to Set the Tone for the Organization

January 3, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

For years, I’ve preached the value of self-awareness to anyone who will listen. Whether in your personal or professional life, the ability to confront your strengths and weaknesses head-on is essential for personal growth.

Now that we’re starting a new year, it’s a perfect time to take a moment and reflect on the mistakes we’ve made in the past and how we can fix them going forward.

For me, 2017 was a wild year, full of the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. It was, perhaps, the most transformational year in my company’s history.

Over the past 365 days, we have closed down old product lines, merged with another company, shifted industries, divested business lines, hired and fired people, recapitalized the business, and launched all new products.

Throughout all of this, I’ve seen my role as CEO evolve from a technology startup founder to the leader of a complex, multi-channel business.

With so many things happening in such a short period, it’s easy to get lost in the hustle and lose perspective.

That’s why I’ve spent the last couple of weeks reflecting on my performance over the year. I want to call out the mistakes I’ve made, share them with the world, and explore how I’ll fix them in 2018.

Mistake #1: In trying to empower my team, I adopted a hands-off management style.

I was just 24 years old when my co-founder and I started BodeTree, and the only thing that exceeded my lack of knowledge was my arrogance.

I had found a fair bit of success in my career up to that point and as a result felt that I knew everything I needed to know about leadership.

In reality, I knew hardly anything about true leadership. In fact, I was a bull in a china shop when it came to managing people. I forced my opinion on others, closed myself off from criticism, and dictated plans from upon high.

It didn’t work.

I owe a lot to my co-founder and mentor who finally pulled me aside and helped me to understand the error of my ways. From that time on, I took measures to listen to others, let them take the lead, and adopt a much more gentle leadership style.

Like everything in life, however, problems arise when the pendulum swings too far in any one direction.

Throughout this past year of change, I wanted to do everything I could to ensure a smooth transition and integration. The best way to do that, I reasoned, was to adopt a gentle, hands-off leadership style with the hopes of empowering my team’s leaders.

The problem was that this hands-off style doesn’t equate to empowerment.

Empowerment is about giving people the guidelines, accountability, and resources to achieve the team’s goals. Sitting back and letting people run in their direction doesn’t do them any favors. In fact, it causes organizations to diverge in an ever-accelerating cycle of frustration.

My goal for 2018 is to bring my leadership style into balance. This entails taking a more hands-on approach to empowerment, serving as a coach and coordinator for the leaders on my team.

There’s nothing hands-off about it; I’ll be involved in every step, supporting, encouraging, and holding people accountable.

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Mistake #2: I allowed my stress and anxiety to set the tone for the organization

Change and stress go hand-in-hand, and in 2017 our organization experienced its fair share of change. To say that it was a stressful year would be an understatement.

Leaders set the tone for the organization. As I’m writing this, I have a list on my desk with two columns. The first column is the list of positive and exciting opportunities we have in front of us. The second column is the list of things that terrify me.

As the leader of my organization, I get to choose which column we focus on. Last year, I allowed the stress and anxiety I was facing to leak into the company at large.

I wore my emotions on my sleeve, and as a result, unconsciously chose to focus on the negative aspects of our situation – the risks, fears, and uncertainty – rather than the tremendous opportunity in front of us.

Since I was fearful and stressed, the rest of the team followed suit. This caused a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Since we focused on the negative, it seemed as though negative things happened.

Fortunately, the opposite also holds true. When we focused on positive things, miraculously it seemed as though positive things happened.

Morale has a certain momentum to it inside of organizations. You fall in the direction you lean, so it’s important always to be aware of how you’re leaning.

In 2018, I’m personally committing to controlling my emotions better and focusing on the positive things in front of us. I know that if I lean toward the light, my team will as well.

Mistake #3: I focused on long-term strategy and neglected near-term tactics

I come from a background in finance and strategy, and as a result, I tend to focus on the “big picture.”

My co-founder and I share this trait. We jump to the conclusion quickly, but often fail to pay attention to the tactical steps that are needed to reach said conclusion.

This past year, I focused on the potential that our newly-combined business had to bring about massive change to the franchising industry. However, I underestimated just what it would take for us to achieve this ambitious goal.

Strategy is great, but it is worthless without tactics. The devil is in the details, and it’s important to focus on the day-to-day operational tactics if there is to be any hope of bringing strategy to bear.

Going forward into 2018, I’m going to spend my time focusing on the tactical aspects of executing against our strategy, while my co-founder will keep an eye toward the future.

The path forward

2017 was a difficult year in many respects, but the adversity and uncertainty we faced transformed me into a more mature leader.

I’m finally finding the balance I’ve sought after for so long. BodeTree is no longer the scrappy tech startup; instead, it’s a complex, deep, and multi-faceted business that requires a more mature leadership style.

Honestly reflecting on the mistakes I’ve made is the first step toward becoming the leader that my organization needs.

I don’t know what 2018 has in store for us, but I know one thing for sure; I won’t be repeating the mistakes of the past.

Author:Chris Myers is the Cofounder and CEO of BodeTree and the author of Enlightened Entrepreneurship.

Forbes.com | January 1, 2018

Your #Career : What You Should Know Before Asking For A #Raise In 2018…Keep the Following Things in Mind in Order to Raise the Odds of Increasing your #Salary .

January 2, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

In an ideal world, you’d get offered the salary you want right off the bat. But if you’ve been working or job hunting for a while, you probably know that very few people receive their perfect offer right out of the gate. Most of the time, you have to ask for what you want, make your case, and hope that the company you’re negotiating with has the bandwidth to give you what you’re looking for.

Whether you’re negotiating for more money or perks at your current company or trying to secure the right offer somewhere new, here’s the best advice we heard this year for getting what you deserve in 2018.

1. BE SURE YOUR PERFORMANCE MERITS A RAISE BEFORE YOU ASK FOR ONE

If you’re going to try to negotiate for a bump in your current salary, be sure you can show that it’s warranted. One of the biggest mistakes that can ruin a salary negotiation is not having proof that you’re indispensable to your organization. “The biggest mistake I’ve seen from employees over the years is asking for a raise when their performance is average or sub-par,” says Joanna Buickians, vice president of operations for JBA. “For example, I’ve had sales people asking for raises when they are in the red and not able to close–or worse, people who take frequent vacations, use all their sick days . . . who have a general sense of entitlement and an attitude of, ‘I deserve a raise because I’m just awesome.’ If these employees had shown they’re really worth their salt, by showing up to work on time and working as hard as they could, I would have given a them a raise.”

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2. TREAT IT AS A COLLABORATION, NOT A FIGHT

By approaching a negotiation as a way to work with with your hiring manager or HR department rather than against them, you’re more likely to be successful. “Never engage in negotiation as an ultimatum–an either/or–but rather as a collaborative process and a unique opportunity to create a compensation package that makes sense for both you and for them,” advises career coach Roy Cohen. “Establish priorities as to what is most important to you and what items you are willing to trade off.” Then, make your case and say that you’re looking forward to “working together” on this–one of the best phrases to use in a salary negotiation if you want to succeed. “Unless you know for sure that you are indispensable, and few of us ever are, successful negotiation should never become adversarial. That is a bad sign that the process has broken down or will,” Cohen continues.

3. DON’T FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE TO SHARE YOUR CURRENT SALARY

It’s super common for recruiters to ask what you’re making at the moment and what you’re looking for in terms of compensation in your next job. You do not have to answer this directly, and it’s actually one of the things you should never say during a salary negotiation, according to Josh Doody, author of Fearless Salary Negotiation. “I call this The Dreaded Salary Question, and it’s tricky because it usually comes up early in the interview process, and most candidates don’t think of it as part of a salary negotiation, even though it is,” he says. “Answering this question by disclosing numbers can make it very difficult to negotiate effectively later on, because it can box the candidate in. Once they disclose current or desired salary, the offers they get are very likely to be tied to those numbers. That can be very expensive if the company might have offered them a much higher salary than they disclosed.”

4. WAIT AS LONG AS YOU CAN BEFORE DISCUSSING SALARY

This one is especially true if you’re trying to score a great salary at your first job, but it’s applicable to all job seekers. In addition to avoiding naming a number that you’re looking for in terms of salary, “you also want to defer the salary conversation as long as possible, because the longer you can defer that discussion, the more time you have to impress them in your interviews and convince them that you should be paid at the higher end of the range they have budgeted for the role,” Doody says. By leaving the money talk until the end of the job application process, you’re more likely to nab a higher paycheck.

5. THINK BEYOND DOLLARS AND CENTS

It can be tempting to focus on the dollar amount you’ll be taking home each month or year, but if your prospective employer isn’t open to changing how much money they’re offering you, don’t forget about benefits negotiation, which can actually be one of the most important parts of figuring out your salary. Consider what might be worth bartering for, whether it’s extra vacation days, better medical or dental benefits, a gym membership reimbursement, or even commissions.

6. LET THEM KNOW YOU WANT TO ACCEPT THE JOB

In the final stages of negotiation, another helpful phrase is something along the lines of, “If you can do x, I’m ready to accept your offer.” This lets them know you want to accept the job, but you need a little something more first. “When you get to this phase of the negotiation, you want to make it clear to the recruiter or hiring manager that saying ‘Yes’ will end the negotiation so they’re more comfortable acquiescing,” Doody says. For example, you may want to say, “I understand you can’t come all the way up to $60,000. It would be great to add an additional week of paid vacation along with the $55,000 you suggested. If you can do that, I’m on board,” he suggests.

7. DON’T USE YOUR PERSONAL CIRCUMSTANCES AS A NEGOTIATION TOOL

While it might feel logical to explain your personal financial situation as your reasoning for needing to earn more money, experts say this can also ruin your salary negotiation. “One of my employees requested a meeting to negotiate their salary,” says Lori Bizzoco, cofounder of NV Media, Inc. “They came into the meeting and right off the bat started to discuss their personal financial situation at home: She was getting married and the wedding was costing more than she and her fiancé had anticipated. She used the wedding as a bargaining tool to ask for a raise. At the risk of sounding less compassionate than I really am, I must express the importance of leaving personal issues out of the conversation when asking for a raise. As much as I empathize with financial struggles, an employee can create a more compelling argument for a raise by providing evidence of his or her hard work.”

8. KNOW YOUR WORTH

One of the simplest and most effective tools you can use in a salary negotiation is information about what others in your position make. That’s why our Know Your Worth tool is so useful when you’re looking for a new job or trying to up your pay at an existing job. By inputting some basic a information about yourself and your job history, you can get a better understanding of your market worth. Armed with this knowledge, you can negotiate confidently.

9. USE YOUR NETWORK FOR RESEARCH

Another tool you can add to your research arsenal is your business contacts. Journalist Jillian Kramer did exactly that when recovering from a lowball salary offer at a magazine: “I spoke with contacts and coworkers until I found a connection between one of them and a former employee at the magazine. And after a quick introduction, that former employee was happy to dish on what he’d earned when he’d worked in the exact position I was going to fill.” With this in mind, Kramer was able to make a more informed counter offer to the hiring manager, and ended up with a salary that she was much happier with.

10. NEVER APOLOGIZE

According to Doody, “sorry” is another thing you should never say in a salary negotiation. Why? “Negotiating is uncomfortable, and our natural tendency is to try to smooth the edges on a difficult conversation. Saying sorry could signal to the recruiter or hiring manager that you might be willing to back down, and that could be expensive. Don’t apologize for negotiating.”

FastCompany.com | January 2, 2018 | BY JULIA MALACOFF—GLASSDOOR 7 MINUTE READ

Your #Career : How You’ll Look For A Job In 2018…Here are Three(3) Things to Pay Careful Attention to If you’re Among those Who Plan to Look for Work in 2018.

January 2, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Plenty of New Year’s resolutions include searching for a new job. And people don’t just add it to their lists because they hate their current job. Overall, ZipRecruiter found that nearly half (49%) of Americans who are actively looking for a new job said they love, or at least like, their current job. But 68% of employed job seekers believe that the types of jobs available today are better than what was available before.

For those looking at greener pastures, there’s good news. The ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey found that 21% of the over 11,000 employers across all industries in the U.S. they surveyed are planning to hire in the coming quarter. And no need to fear that AI or automation is eliminating jobs. Deloitte’s Global Human Capital Trends report of more than 10,000 HR and business leaders found that 77% said they will either retrain people to use new technology, or will redesign jobs to better take advantage of human skills.

So if you’re actively looking for a new position or planning to hunt in 2018, here are some things to keep in mind that will impact the way you search and land that new job.

TOP SKILLS AND HOW TO SHOWCASE THEM

Dan Shapero, vice president of careers, talent solutions, and learning at LinkedIn says, “The skills employers are looking for are changing rapidly, so it’s important for professionals to constantly learn the emerging skills in their field as well as new skills that open up entirely new career options.” LinkedIn recently added a feature that notifies members what skills are trending among people with the same job title. But Shapero suggests, “By switching their thinking from “what is my title” to “what are my skills,” professionals can broaden their job options.”

Joachim Horn, CEO of SAM Labs, says current job seekers can better position themselves for 2018 career opportunities by making it a personal goal to become more proficient in STEM. “Whether it’s taking on a specific subject like computer programming or psychology, learning how to analyze data more effectively, instructing others to use technology,” he says, “signing up for a course like statistics or basic fundamentals of coding, watching an online tutorial on argumentation, or even working on an independent project at home like a DIY kit, are all great examples of ways to build STEM abilities.”

SurveyMonkey CEO Zander Lurie contends that the soft skill that will get more play in the coming year is curiosity, especially as AI gets smarter. But it’s still flying under most people’s radar, given that only 5% of more than 13,000 workers polled by SurveyMonkey and INSEAD say curiosity “should be in the top two most rewarded employee characteristics to help your company change and adapt for the future.” Communication (36%), self-motivation (29%), commitment (28%), and professionalism (27%) were the top three soft skills listed by workers. Yet, as Lurie points out, “You know who’s really good at commitment and professionalism? Freakin’ robots.”

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WORKING WITH AI

Get really prepared to work through artificially intelligent means of searching for jobs. The 2018 Entelo Recruiting Trends Report that surveyed 1,143 talent acquisition professionals found that 62% of companies plan to spend on AI-powered recruiting software. Of those, 86% plan to spend on intelligent sourcing software.

That starts with Google. Susan Vitale, the CMO of iCIMS, notes that earlier this year, Google announced Google for Jobs. As part of that program, recruitment software providers such as iCIMS have partnered with Google to improve the job search experience through machine learning capabilities. “What this means for job seekers is that it will be much easier to quickly search and apply for a job with a simple Google search,” she says. Google’s partnership with Paysa means that it’s also easier to search for a salary range for those open positions.

But it also means there are a plethora of platforms designed to match you with jobs that you might never have considered otherwise. For example, with Leap.ai, you have to do a self-assessment that focuses on sussing out your strengths (i.e., collaboration, leadership), skills (UX design, sales, marketing), and personal values, as well as job preferences (working in teams, independent, remote). TalentWorks also uses AI to optimize your resume and application and also provides human coaching (for a fee), while Talify’s college student users take personality assessments, and SquarePeg’s users take psychometric testsdesigned to make better matches to jobs where you’d actually perform your best.

ADAPTING TO DIFFERENT KINDS OF INTERVIEWS

Elaine Varelas, managing partner of Keystone Partners, insists that video interview expertise will be a must. “Every level of candidate will participate in AI video-screening interviews,” she states. “And they will need to be skilled at answering questions with no visual cues, feedback, or encouragement.”

Lindsay Grenawalt, head of People for Cockroach Labs, says that exercise-based interviews are becoming more common for non-technical workers. “Rather than guess if a candidate can do the job based on their answers to behavioral questions,” she says, “exercise-based interviews ask for candidates to show [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][what they can do].”

That means job-based simulations in the form of case studies, individual exercises, and presentations. “Since each interview focuses on different areas, collectively, says Grenawalt, the interviews are mini snapshots of the candidate’s capabilities.

“Candidates get a clear understanding of what it would be like to work at the company and in that role on a day-to-day basis,” she says. Fear not, she says. Because they require a high degree of engagement, they are more collaborative and a better experience overall than traditional interviews in which candidates have to sweat through a series of stress-inducing questions. Grenawalt recommends taking advantage of all of the information companies are making available on their hiring and interview process to shine in this kind of interview.

Matt Glotzbach, CEO of Quizlet, says it will be important for candidates to be able to articulate and emphasize skills that allow them to work side by side with new technologies. “Showing to future employers not only that you understand the technologies of today, but also that you’re actively learning new skills, topics, and subjects will be key,” says Glotzbach. Be prepared to discuss microcredentials, boot camps, self-driven learning projects, or side hustles, he says. “Learning doesn’t stop when you receive a diploma.”

FastCompany.com | January 1, 2018

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Your #Career : How To Become Indispensable At Work This Year…You can Gain some Job Security and Maybe even a Promotion by Taking these Actions.

January 2, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Virtually every office has one: that employee who is the go-to contact and seems to knows everything and everyone. The office can’t run without her. No one wants to think about what would happen if he ever left.

Being such a critical part of the team has a number of benefits, including a measure of job security. But those indispensable team members don’t get just that way through arbitrary means. If you want to join their ranks, here are seven ways to get there.

CHANNEL ELITE ATHLETES

Elite athletes are constantly trying to improve their performance. They fine-tune the details that allow them to compete at the highest level—and that practice holds some valuable lessons for people who are trying to become exceptional at their jobs, says Porter Braswell, cofounder and CEO of Jopwell, a technology platform that helps black, Latino, and Native American students and professionals unlock opportunities for career advancement.

“What I mean by that is not the ability to run fast, jump high, and all the other physical attributes that come with being an athlete. But more of the tactical, being a good teammate, communicating well, knowing how to work hard, being disciplined, being able to multitask—all the things that come with that athletic mind-set. Competing: That’s the mind-set one has to be in before I believe they can perform well,” Braswell says.

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DO YOUR OWN REVIEW

You may get regular feedback and a performance review from your supervisor, but it’s also important to do your own regular review to ensure you’re on track with your own goals and expectations, says Carolyn Birsky, founder of Compass Maven, a Cambridge, Massachusetts, coaching firm. Keep track of your accomplishments, training, feedback, projects, and overall numbers related to your job. We often think we’ll remember all of these things, but it’s easy to forget pieces here and there, she says.

Then, periodically and honestly review your progress, set new goals, and look at what it’s going to take to get to your next milestone, she says. These self-checks can help you ensure you’re keeping on track with your own career development and shore up areas that may need improvement. This practice will also keep you ready for the next time you’re up for a promotion.

“One of the mistakes employees often make is forgetting to hold those all together in some sort of file. That can be some of your best leverage to put your case forward and say, ‘This is why I think should be promoted. This is what makes me really good at what I do,’” she says.

TRACK YOUR METRICS

As you set your new goals, look at the metrics that are going to matter and include them as part of your plan, Birsky says. Whether it’s bumping up a sales quota or improving efficiency or cost controls in your business unit by a certain margin, be sure to look for positive measures to which you can contribute and how you can be most productive in contributing to them. Companies value employees who are focused on finding ways to raise the performance bar.

DO AN ALIGNMENT CHECK

It’s also a good idea to ensure that the areas you’re prioritizing in your career and development are consistent with what the company values, says licensed therapist and career coach Jessica Sweet. You may have a sense of what’s important to the company, but it’s essential to actually be clear that your efforts are moving initiatives forward that the company cares about, she says.

“I would be looking at what the company’s goals are for 2018, and be looking at how my skills and experience align with those goals, and how I can set myself up on any projects that are going on, to add the most value to those upcoming projects,” she says.

SPEAK UP

When employees are afraid to show that they’re imperfect or they don’t know something, it gets in the way of their performance, Birsky says. Learning how to effectively communicate with your boss and team, including asking questions and ensuring that you fully understand assignment instructions and ask questions when you don’t is essential to ensuring you’re performing in the best possible way for your company.

Beyond that, ask for opportunities to get better. “Be vocal to your boss about the fact that you are open to learning. Ask for opportunities to collaborate with another team, or be vocal about your ideas, or you might see a training [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][you need to get better]. Make your case for it,” she says.

ACT LIKE YOU OWN THE PLACE

Ownership is essential to being invaluable, says Andy Chan, founder of Seattle-based career coaching center Prime Opt. Take ownership of your work—whether it’s a project assignment or even a simple spreadsheet. Think about it in terms of the bigger picture of the company and what its goals are. When you take full responsibility and apply strategic thinking to your work, you’re immediately supporting your supervisor and team in a new and more valuable way. “Every time, when it comes to you learning new skills, it actually opens up a conversation for you to ask for a raise or a promotion,” he says. So, think about what you can take ownership of in your work environment, and treat your work as if you own the company and are acting in its best interest.

MAKE YOUR BOSS LOOK GREAT

One of the most important things you can do to be indispensable to your boss is to help them excel, Braswell says. People value those who help them do their jobs better.

“Really get in the mind-set of the person you’re working for or alongside and really figure out, ‘What are they trying to achieve?’” he says. “Through having an understanding of what they’re trying to achieve and having the context, you can then say to them, ‘What can I be doing to help you achieve that goal?’” Once you know where you fit in and exactly the metrics on which you should be focused, you can rank or prioritize your efforts on those tasks and initiatives, he says.

FastCompany.com | January 2, 2018

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#BestofFSCBlog : 4 Things Every Manager/Entrepreneur Needs to Do the First Week of the New Year.

December 31, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Now that the holidays are over and the new year is in full swing, it’s time to head back to the lab to formulate fresh, smart, and effective ideas that will grow your organization.

Whatever the size of your firm, whether you’re B2B or B2C, and regardless of the industry in which you operate, here are four must do’s that you need to launch if you’re aiming to increase profits and market share over the next 365 days:

1. 100-Day Plan.

Since the 1930’s when Franklin Roosevelt pioneered it as a means of gauging his effectiveness in the Oval Office, the 100-day plan has become a tradition for newly elected American Presidents. The plan consists of achievable short term goals that adhere to a President’s long term vision for the country. Entrepreneurs should write their own 100 day plans as blueprints for advancing their organization’s productivity and profitability. Such a plan establishes 100 tasks, and requires managers/business owners to consider the specific steps and resources that are needed to bring them to fruition.

While there’s a time and place for visionary long term planning, the 100-day plan allows managers/entrepreneurs to craft and pursue attainable objectives and start the year off with a burst of energy. When the 100-day finish line is reached mid-April, entrepreneurs will know if they should be celebrating or if they need to recalibrate their efforts.

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2. Declutter

Whether you want to improve the feng shui of your office or just make it easier to find and store your stuff, a comprehensive tidy up of your company’s work space is a laborious yet necessary task. To make it happen, set aside a Saturday when your team can come in, rent a dumpster and high capacity paper shredder, and destroy unnecessary documents, presentations and files, and toss out old equipment, brochures, books, product samples, and other unproductive items.

Once your space has been tightened and tidied, implement a cloud-based backup system that allows for fast and convenient recovery of your organization’s electronic files. The decluttering will not only allow your team to operate more efficiently, it will also help your office to look more streamlined and professional.

3. Fire the person you know you have to fire.

Maybe you’ve tried to intervene to help turn things around, or you’ve ignored the problem in hopes that it would eventually take care of itself. But however you’ve handled the challenge of having weak members on your team, you know that they’re there and that they’re dangerous the to the health of your company.

If you didn’t have the heart to do any purging during the holiday season, delay no longer. The costs to your firm in reduced productivity, low employee morale, additional supervision, damaged client relationships, and lost revenue that are caused by substandard employees can be as high as $190,000 per year, so make a decision now to either remedy a situation that’s fixable — or to clean house.

4. Get high or higher.

While 26 states and the District of Columbia have laws legalizing marijuana, the suggestion here isn’t that entrepreneurs should light up more. Instead, the first week of the new year is a perfect time to review and possibly raise the prices of your products or services. Too many small business owners try to compete by lowering their prices, and that’s often a mistake.

Instead, devise a plan by studying your competitive landscape; looking at your firm’s pricing history; reviewing the calendar to determine the best time to bump up your rate, fees, or prices; and thinking about how you can enhance the value of your offerings in order to justify price revisions. If you detect some white space that would allow for small yet profitable increases, you should absolutely seize it.

After the joy and frenzy of the holidays, it’s understandable if it takes a minute for business owners to snap back to attention and keep their ships moving forward, but the upside to getting started is significant. Entrepreneurs who have the discipline to leverage these four steps as an annual early January organizational “reboot” will help to energize their teams, inspire exciting ideas, and generate new opportunities for innovation and growth.

Entrepreneur.com | December 29, 2016 | Lyneir Richardson

#Leadership : 7 Steps for Maintaining Your Composure in Times of Chaos…During Times of Uncertainty and Adversity you Must Avoid Making your People feel Unsafe and Insecure. Here are Seven Ways to Maintain Leadership Composure During the Most Pressure-Packed Moments.

December 29, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Let’s face it: Uncertainty is the new normal and growing tensions between leaders and their employees are creating challenges like never before. This requires those leaders to act and face change fearlessly and authentically. They must have the wisdom and courage to step back, be a little vulnerable and then influence the outcome – all while keeping the people they answer to calm.

As a result, leaders need to show more composure than ever before in the workplace. With the change management requirements, increased marketplace demands and intensifying competitive factors that surround us, leaders must have greater poise, agility, and patience to minimize the impact of uncertainty. How leaders respond to these and other growing pressures is an indicator of their leadership preparedness, maturity, and acumen that encourages an optimistic, glass-half-full environment where employees are free to share their ideas and ideals.

The composure of a leader is reflected in their attitude, body language, and overall presence. In today’s evolving business environment, it is clear that leadership is not only about elevating the performance, aptitude, and development of people but more so about the ability to make people feel safe and secure.

Employees have grown tired of working in survival mode and thus want to be part of a workplace culture where they can get back to doing their best work without the fear of losing their jobs. In fact, the 21st-century leader sees adversity through the lens of opportunity.

When leading – especially during times of uncertainty and adversity, crisis and change – you must avoid making your people feel unsafe and insecure. Here are seven ways to maintain leadership composure during the most pressure-packed moments:

1. Stay Passionate but Don’t Allow Your Emotions to Get in the Way

Seasoned leaders know that passion is everything and burying their emotions is futile. But that doesn’t mean we can wear our emotions on our sleeves, especially when cooler heads must prevail. Don’t yell or get overly animated when times get tough. Keep positive body language. Without these things, employees interpret you as not being in control and too passionate about the situation at hand. Strong-willed leaders can maintain their composure and connection, expressing concern and care, without their emotions becoming a distraction.

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2. Don’t Take Things Personally

I know this seems ridiculous to say in light of how our Donald Trump uses Twitter but there are exceptions to every rule, even this one: Leaders shouldn’t take things personally when things don’t go their way – eventually it backfires. Business decisions and circumstances don’t always play out logically because office politics and other dynamics factor into the process. Don’t get defensive or think that you always must justify your thinking and actions when they do. When you take things personally, it’s difficult to maintain your composure and make those around you believe that you have things under control. In fact, when leaders take issues too close to heart, they allow the noise to suffocate their thinking and decision-making capabilities.

3. Keep a Positive Mental Attitude

Employees are always watching their leader’s actions, behavior, relationships and overall demeanor. During the most difficult of times, leaders must maintain a positive mental attitude and manage a narrative that keeps their employees inspired and hopeful. This is where your leadership experience and resolve can really shine – by staying strong, smiling often and authentically exhibiting a sense of compassion. Leaders set the tone for the organization they serve. A positive attitude can neutralize chaos and allow a leader to course correct through any negativity.

4. Remain Courageous

During uncertain times, leaders must remain fearless. I’ve been through ups and downs in my career and have learned that when you begin to fear adverse circumstances, you not only put yourself in a position of vulnerability, but it becomes extremely difficult to act rationally and focus. When you panic, you mentally freeze. If you begin to get fearful, ask yourself: What is the worst possible thing that can happen? When you have the will and confidence to face that, you will realize that the situation is manageable and can be resolved.

5. Respond Decisively

Donny Deutsch said it best in the title of one of his books: Often Wrong, Never in Doubt. Leaders who maintain their composure will never show any signs of doubt. They speak with conviction, confidence, and authority – whether they know the answer or not! Because they believe it and instill that belief in others – even in the darkest times.

6. Take Accountability

Leaders should be most composed during times of crisis and change and be fully committed to resolving the issue at hand. When they are accountable, this means that they have made the decision to assume responsibility and take the required steps to problem solve before the situation gets out of hand. When leaders assume accountability, they begin to neutralize the problem and place the environment from which it sprung on pause.

7. Be Willing to Listen and Remain Vulnerable

Great leaders know that one of the most effective ways to maintain composure during difficult times is to act like you have been there before. Leaders that make others feel they have been through the problem-solving process numerous times before are those with who approach the matter at hand with a sense of elegance and grace. They are patient and active listeners, and they will genuinely take a compassionate approach to ease the hardships that anyone else is experiencing. They give you hope that the problems will soon be solved – and they are affected as deeply as you are.

It’s easy to lose composure during times of crisis and change if you let concern turn into worry and worry turn into fear. By maintaining composure, the best leaders remain calm, cool and in control – enabling them to step back, critically evaluate the cards that they have been dealt and face problems head-on. A show of composure also puts those you lead at ease and creates a safe and secure workplace culture where no one needs to panic in the face of adversity.

Entrepreneur.com | December 28, 2016 | GLENN LLOPIS