#Leadership : 14 Habits Of The Most Productive Remote Workers… From Hardware to Soft Skills, Here’s What it Takes to Master the Art of Working Remotely.

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Working from home sounds like an idyllic situation, in theory: You can roll out of bed each morning (or afternoon, even) and get started on your day without having to dress up, brave traffic, or engage in mindless chit-chat around the communal coffee machine.

Free- Coffee with Laptop

 

However, not going into an office every day presents its own set of challenges, like determining how to separate your home life from your work life, and making sure you’re feeling connected to your colleagues and clients, among other things.

To help ensure that you’re on the right track while working remotely, we consulted seasoned work-from-home veterans who shared their top tips for staying productive—and thriving—in their careers.

OUTFITTING YOUR OFFICE

Whether you have a whole room dedicated to a home office or prefer working from the couch in your living room, having the right setup can keep you productive while on the clock.

1. They make sure they have the equipment they need.

It’s important to invest in the quality of your workspace by getting equipment that helps you do the best work you can. When I transitioned to an at-home employee, I went out and bought a similar version of the computer I was used to working on so that my productivity levels wouldn’t suffer from an inferior, slower setup.

—Brit Casady, 24, Lehi, UT, graphic designer

 

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2. They invest in ways to stay active at home.

My favorite part of working from home is the fact that I can work on my treadmill desk. I can kill two birds with one stone by exercising while I work. I’ve found that being able to walk helps keep me focused and because of that, I’m able to succumb less to the distractions that come from working at home. On the days I work on the treadmill, I typically spend two to four hours on it—that adds up to about 10 to 15 hours per week. I pretty much do any kind of work on my treadmill, from writing posts to sending emails to creating social media content and so on. At a two mile-per-hour pace, it’s not so fast that certain tasks are difficult to do because I’m walking.

—Brent Hale, 30, Sparks, NV, online entrepreneur and owner of IncomeAddon.com

MANAGING DISTRACTIONS

Let’s face it—distractions run rampant wherever you work, whether it’s in an office with coworkers or in your own kitchen. Keep productivity zappers at bay with these strategies.

3. They get organized with the “three-minute rule.”

I allow three minutes to tend to anything I feel I need to respond to immediately that is not on my to-do list. Give yourself three minutes every hour of your official ‘work hours’ to scan and respond to important emails, put shoes that accumulate around the doorway in the closet, etc.—if it takes no more than three minutes. It puts your mind at ease and reduces at-home work distractions without derailing your day. It also helps you spend less time cleaning the house and dealing with administrative tasks when the workday ends.

—Stephanie Taylor Christensen, 38, Columbus, OH, freelance writer, yoga instructor, and mother to a 6-year-old

4. They don’t let socializing get in the way of working.

Notify friends that you do have work hours, even if you are at home. For the longest time, I had friends popping over at all times of the day whenever they were free! Make sure you are assertive and tell them what your hours of work are and that you stick to a no-visit schedule during these times.

—Laura Fredrick, 28, Marlton, NJ, public relations professional and owner of Laur PR

5. They let their kids visit their home offices occasionally.

With a home office and three kids, it’s not easy. My advice? Get a white board. When the door is closed, do not disturb. But if it’s open—and leave it open as much as possible—my kids can come in and draw on it and leave me little notes. It’s magnetic, so they can put stuff on there for me to display. Everyone is happy.

—Gregory Pavliv, 38, Bloomfield, NJ, music teacher and owner of Music Teaching Guru

6. They minimize online distractions.

One of my favorite productivity hacks comes with the help of an app called StayFocusd. When working from home, Facebook and Twitter can be a major distraction. StayFocusd helps you avoid these distractions by restricting the amount of time you can spend on them. The Google Chrome extension lets you set specific time restrictions on certain websites with a 10-minute default option. Once your time has been used up, the sites you have selected to block can’t be accessed for the remainder of the day.

—Lori Cheek, 43, New York City, founder and CEO of Cheekd.com, an online dating app

7. They time-delay their email responses in order to manage expectations.

I time-delay every single email I send. I have gotten people out of the habit of thinking that they control my workday and that they will get an immediate response. I time-delay up to a full day if I feel it’s necessary. Inbox by Gmail has been critical in helping me maintain my inbox. I love it because I can simply save messages for later, create my own bundles (like per project or sender) and remind myself to do things. It has been tremendously helpful as far as keeping my mailbox from getting out of hand.

—Ashley Sharie, 27, Washington, DC, CEO and founder or Aspire Business, a business consulting firm

[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”][Related: Distraction Overload: 7 Ways To Get Back On Track At Work]

CONNECTING WITH CLIENTS

Checking in with colleagues and customers can be challenging when you don’t see them every day. This is why it’s important to put your best foot forward in all of the interactions you do have.

8. They build in prep time for client meetings.

When you work from home, your schedule can be all over the place—workout classes whenever, meetings at different places and different times. Plus, I don’t know about you, but if I don’t need to get dressed in professional clothes, I won’t. My calendar helps me in that regard. Each time I schedule a meeting with someone outside of my home, I set my alert for 30 minutes or an hour before, depending on how long it will take me to get there. Then I set another alert for two hours before. This is my “Go take a shower and make yourself presentable” alarm. Without it, I would show up to many of my meetings looking and feeling frazzled.

—Alden Wicker, 29, New York City, freelance writer and founder of EcoCult.com

9. They err on the side of over-communication (sometimes).

We’ve found that most workplace tension is caused by inadequate communication—particularly when you are unable to speak with colleagues in person due to remote work situations. When you are unable to speak to clients or colleagues in person, make sure they know you are on the case by always being crystal clear. Frequent communication with your supervisor and co-workers can help reinforce bonds of friendship and trust, making collaboration easier throughout your time at a company.

But when it comes to email, remember that less is more: Try to communicate your message using as few words as possible to save time for your reader. When crafting a written message, it’s easy to get lost in long blocks of text and drift off on tangents—particularly when you need to explain a complicated concept to a coworker. To keep yourself focused and on-message, consider using bulleted lists to help structure and explain your thinking. The natural segmentation of bullets and ability to indent can help you keep your thoughts logical, organized, and succinct.

—Sam McIntire, 26, San Francisco, founder of Deskbright, an online learning platform designed to help people thrive at work

[Related: Power Hack—Send Emails Your Coworkers Will Want To Read]

10. They speak up during conference calls.

In a remote environment, it’s often easier to sit quietly during conference calls. But it’s really important to go into a conference call with at least a few specific talking points to discuss. It not only shows that you’re prepared, but it also helps to move the conversation forward in a productive way, rather than hemming and hawing while you think of something to talk about.

Also, challenge yourself to ask two questions during a meeting. This really forces you to pay attention to what’s being discussed. Even if a topic of discussion isn’t directly related to your job, it’s a nice idea to ask questions, both to learn more about the company and your coworkers and to show that you’re paying attention and engaged.

—Brie Weiler Reynolds, 34, Dallas, director of online content at FlexJobs

STAYING ON A SUCCESS TRACK

It’s easy to get stuck in a rut managing your daily to-dos, but periodically taking a step back to evaluate your overall performance can help make your work-from-home experience a success.

11. They give themselves yearly reviews.

In December or January, I conduct a yearly review. This is partially to reconcile my numbers and partially to see which of the services I offer pay the most on both an hourly and total-dollars basis. In my year-end review I note items such as gross annual income, average hourly rate, average rate per word, average days from invoice to payment, total hours worked (plus average hours per week), total number of words edited or written (this is more for personal curiosity than anything), most lucrative service by total dollars and finally, most lucrative service by hourly rate.

—Anitra Budd, 37, Minneapolis, freelance writer and editor

12. They block off time for professional development.

Leave open space [in your schedule] for planning and networking meetings, as well as time to reflect on what is working and what is not working. Perhaps Friday afternoons or Monday mornings where you block off time in your calendar to set up your week and revisit your goals.

—Cara Maksimow, 43, Chatham, NJ, clinical therapist and owner of Maximize Wellness Counseling and Coaching

13. They keep their schedules flexible.

Know your schedule—your actual schedule, not a clone of the in-office working model. If you know your home or parenting responsibilities will make working in the morning tough but you’ll be uninterrupted at night, you’ll be more productive by planning your day that way rather than attempting to mix home and work. Be realistic about it so you can build boundaries based on efficiency. The end result is an enormous increase in both your productivity and your sanity!

—Monica Reccoppa, 42, Totowa, NJ, financial manager at Cardwell Beach, a creative marketing agency

14. They write a goal list.

I have my personal and professional goals written down and posted at my desk. This allows me to see them every day—it’s easy to get caught up in task-mode and only focus on checking off items from your to-do list. Having written goals displayed openly forces you to remember the larger reason why you are performing these tasks and take a step back to examine whether you’re on track to meeting the goals you set for yourself.

—Casey Bond, 29, Manhattan Beach, CA, editor of StudentLoanHero.com

FastCompany.com|  June 8, 2016 | NATASHA BURTON

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Your #Career : 5 Mistakes People Make Straight Out of College…The Years after Graduating College Should be Exciting, & You can Learn a Lot & Advance Professionally & Financially If you Avoid Financial & Career Mistakes.

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Finishing college is a big accomplishment, and for many people, a big relief. College can be a lot of fun, but some people are just ready to start their careers and start the next phase of their lives. Whether you’re ready or not, you will need to move forward after college. If you are still attending, then you need to be sure to stay on budget while you are in school. Once you graduate though, making wise choices in your job search and at your first job, and smart financial decisions, will help set you up for a successful life and career.

College Graduate

On the other hand, spending money like you will never run out, or failing to appreciate your first job and learn as much as possible, can set you down a bad path that can be hard to come back from. Here are five mistakes you want to avoid.

1. Failing to take your job search seriously

Ideally, you will have a job set up before you graduate. If you don’t, you will want to make finding one your top priority. According to USA Today, you can get a job coach, and also network and reach out to people at a company that you want to work for. Don’t make the mistake of assuming a job will simply fall into your lap; you need to get out there and apply.

Also, be careful of taking just any job. While you have to pay your bills, you will be in a much better place career-wise if you can find a job in your field. This is another reason why you should start searching early.

 

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2. Coasting at your first job

Landing a job is a big deal, but don’t assume that just because you get a job, you will keep it. It’s important to work hard and prove that you deserve to be at the company. Particularly when you are working at your first job, you want to establish yourself as an asset to the company. Being lazy or doing the bare minimum will only hurt you later.

Even if your first job isn’t ideal, you can still make the most of it: learn as much as you can, grow professionally, and network. You never know how your hard work will pay off. Even if your first job isn’t as interesting as you want, or isn’t at the level that you want, working hard and showing that you are a loyal and innovative team member may lead to just the job you do want.

3. Spending money impulsively

Once you have a job, it can be exciting to spend the money you make. Having a lot of money for the first time can be exhilarating and it can be very dangerous as well. As tempting as it is to go out and buy a new car, new furniture, and splurge on many dinners out, try to limit your extravagant spending. You probably have some time before you need to start saving for retirement, but spending wildly just because you have a job won’t pay off in the long run.

According to U.S. News & World Report, you should consider the benefits your employer offers and take advantage of them; also, think about your fixed costs and about your future savings.

4. Ignoring debt

If you took out student loans, you probably have a grace period before you need to start repaying them. If you have other debt you need to pay off, then it’s reasonable to wait to pay off your student loans, especially if you have other debt with higher interest rates. However, it’s a good idea to pay off as much debt as you can now. You don’t need to pay the minimum due for your student loans, and if you have credit card debt, the same is true. The more you can pay off now, the more available funds you will have to save for traveling, a house, or retirement.

When you graduate college, you will most likely have as few responsibilities as you ever will. Now is the time to pay your debt if you can.

5.Forgetting about your health

Yes, you’re young, and it can be tempting to spend money on the things you want instead of investing in health insurance. However, if you are no longer on your parents’ plan (which you usually can be until you are 26 ifdependents are covered), you do need to think about coverage. Even if you are still on your parents’ plan, you won’t be forever and you need to look at what plans your company offers and the cost of those plans. Also, it’s important to consider how many years you have before you need to pay for the insurance, or how it will affect your budget.

If your parents can’t cover you, then be sure that you do sign up for coverage. Without health insurance, you risk a serious financial hardship if an expensive health surprise comes your way (this is also a good reason to have an emergency fund).

Also, when you are working full-time, it can be easy to neglect other aspects of your health, such as exercise or diet. Maintaining a healthy diet, and finding time for exercise, will help you save money on expensive health carecosts later.

The years after graduating college should be exciting, and you can learn a lot and advance professionally and financially if you avoid financial and career mistakes.

 

CheatSheet.com | June 12, 2016 | 

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#Leadership : How Giving Up TV For A Month Changed My Brain & My Life…Watching a Couple Hours of TV a Day can have Major Effects on your Brain. So What would Happen if you Quit Cold Turkey?

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“Television mesmerizes people and turns them into intellectual spectators. It feeds passivity and makes you less engaged.”

I’ve never seen Game of Thrones, I don’t know what the Scandal is, and I couldn’t name a single “real” housewife. I thought I didn’t watch much television and that taking a 30-day break would be a piece of cake. I was wrong.

Free- Man at Desktop at Night

The average adult watches 2.8 hours per day of television, according to the American Time Use survey from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Another studyputs this number higher, at four hours and 15 minutes each day. I added up all of the viewing at my house, and we were definitely on the high side.

  • A one-hour standing date with Judge Judy, marking the official end of my workday
  • An hour of news
  • Thirty minutes of Jeopardy (because it’s educational)
  • And an hour-plus of mindless shows before bed

Nielsen, we have a problem.

THE DANGERS OF TV

A lot of research has been done around TV viewing and children, and Adam Lipson, a neurosurgeon with IGEA Brain & Spine, says one of the best studies is from Tohoku University in Japan. “They noted thickening of the frontopolar cortex, which is related to verbal reasoning ability, and also correlated with a drop in IQ in proportion to the number of hours of television watching,” he says. “In addition, they noted thickening in the visual cortex in the occipital lobe, and in the hypothalamus, which may correlate with aggression.”

 

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Studies involving adults have tied television watching to Type 2 diabetes, depression, and even crime, adds Lipson. “Many of the studies report adverse effects with television watching greater than one hour per day,” he says. “There have been EEG studies that demonstrate that television watching converts the brain from beta wave activity to alpha waves, which are associated with a daydreaming state, and a reduced use of critical thinking skills.”

Eric Braverman, founder and president of Path Foundation NY, a nonprofit research organization devoted to brain health, is a little more blunt: “The boob tube turns you into a boob,” he says. “Television mesmerizes people and turns them into intellectual spectators. It feeds passivity and makes you less engaged.”

Ouch. But he’s right. Once the blue glow fills a room, I often find it hard to break away. Television watching is a habit my husband and I started as kids; we both grew up spending “family time” around programs like Love Boat and Fantasy Island. He agreed to take the challenge with me. No TV. No Netflix. No live streaming anything. “How hard could it be?” we thought.

 

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WHAT HAPPENED

During the first few days we were at a loss for what to do. It had been our routine to watch whatever is on TV after dinner, and suddenly we were both dumbstruck for ideas. So we went to sleep at 8:30 p.m. Then a new routine kicked in. We started cooking together, took the dogs on longer walks, completed tasks around the house that had been on the to-do list for too long, and had great conversations over a glass of wine. On Friday and Saturday nights when we didn’t have plans with friends, we listened to CBS Radio Mystery Theater on YouTube, a radio program we had both loved as kids.

While week one was filled with fighting the urge to turn on the TV and brainstorming other activities, weeks two and three were when things started to change for me physically and mentally. Most notably, I felt less stressed. A lot of the programs we used to watch, like Dateline or 48 Hours Mystery, had elements of suspense, drama, and violence. Had this stuff been rubbing off on me?

“TV increasingly traffics in violent programming to keep the viewer in a state of constant fear,” says Wheeler Winston Dixon, Ryan professor of film studies at the University of Nebraska. “TV also acts as a pacifier, a sort of virtual escape, but it is one that never satisfies, and only leaves the viewer wanting more of the same emptiness.”

Another side effect was that I felt less rushed when we were out. There was no reason to run home to catch a show. Whether I was in line at the grocery store or shopping for a suit with my son, I didn’t worry about time. And I seemed to have more patience.

By the end of the TV-free month, I finished the stacks of magazines that were sitting on my nightstand and end table, cleaned out my closet, started the capsule wardrobe I always wanted to have, donated 10 bags of household items we no longer needed, went to a viewing of a documentary about minimalism, and took my son to New York with me when I attended a writer’s conference, spending time with him being a tourist.

 I’ve never seen Game of Thrones, I don’t know what the Scandal is, and I couldn’t name a single “real” housewife. I thought I didn’t watch much television and that taking a 30-day break would be a piece of cake. I was wrong.

The average adult watches 2.8 hours per day of television, according to the American Time Use survey from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Another studyputs this number higher, at four hours and 15 minutes each day. I added up all of the viewing at my house, and we were definitely on the high side.

  • A one-hour standing date with Judge Judy, marking the official end of my workday
  • An hour of news
  • Thirty minutes of Jeopardy (because it’s educational)
  • And an hour-plus of mindless shows before bed

Nielsen, we have a problem.

THE DANGERS OF TV

A lot of research has been done around TV viewing and children, and Adam Lipson, a neurosurgeon with IGEA Brain & Spine, says one of the best studies is from Tohoku University in Japan. “They noted thickening of the frontopolar cortex, which is related to verbal reasoning ability, and also correlated with a drop in IQ in proportion to the number of hours of television watching,” he says. “In addition, they noted thickening in the visual cortex in the occipital lobe, and in the hypothalamus, which may correlate with aggression.”

Studies involving adults have tied television watching to Type 2 diabetes, depression, and even crime, adds Lipson. “Many of the studies report adverse effects with television watching greater than one hour per day,” he says. “There have been EEG studies that demonstrate that television watching converts the brain from beta wave activity to alpha waves, which are associated with a daydreaming state, and a reduced use of critical thinking skills.”

Eric Braverman, founder and president of Path Foundation NY, a nonprofit research organization devoted to brain health, is a little more blunt: “The boob tube turns you into a boob,” he says. “Television mesmerizes people and turns them into intellectual spectators. It feeds passivity and makes you less engaged.”

Ouch. But he’s right. Once the blue glow fills a room, I often find it hard to break away. Television watching is a habit my husband and I started as kids; we both grew up spending “family time” around programs like Love Boat and Fantasy Island. He agreed to take the challenge with me. No TV. No Netflix. No live streaming anything. “How hard could it be?” we thought.

“Happiness comes from the interaction between inspiration and perspiration,” says Braverman. “Anything that stops humans from perspiring to achieve something inspiring gives a false fantasy and an endless distraction from reaching your full potential.”

WHAT HAPPENED

During the first few days we were at a loss for what to do. It had been our routine to watch whatever is on TV after dinner, and suddenly we were both dumbstruck for ideas. So we went to sleep at 8:30 p.m. Then a new routine kicked in. We started cooking together, took the dogs on longer walks, completed tasks around the house that had been on the to-do list for too long, and had great conversations over a glass of wine. On Friday and Saturday nights when we didn’t have plans with friends, we listened to CBS Radio Mystery Theater on YouTube, a radio program we had both loved as kids.

While week one was filled with fighting the urge to turn on the TV and brainstorming other activities, weeks two and three were when things started to change for me physically and mentally. Most notably, I felt less stressed. A lot of the programs we used to watch, like Dateline or 48 Hours Mystery, had elements of suspense, drama, and violence. Had this stuff been rubbing off on me?

“TV increasingly traffics in violent programming to keep the viewer in a state of constant fear,” says Wheeler Winston Dixon, Ryan professor of film studies at the University of Nebraska. “TV also acts as a pacifier, a sort of virtual escape, but it is one that never satisfies, and only leaves the viewer wanting more of the same emptiness.”

Another side effect was that I felt less rushed when we were out. There was no reason to run home to catch a show. Whether I was in line at the grocery store or shopping for a suit with my son, I didn’t worry about time. And I seemed to have more patience.

By the end of the TV-free month, I finished the stacks of magazines that were sitting on my nightstand and end table, cleaned out my closet, started the capsule wardrobe I always wanted to have, donated 10 bags of household items we no longer needed, went to a viewing of a documentary about minimalism, and took my son to New York with me when I attended a writer’s conference, spending time with him being a tourist.

I also read three books and enjoyed one so much I’m reading it again. Reading is a much better substitute for your brain and creativity, says Braverman. “The greatest thing is reading fiction and nonfiction, it stimulates both sides of the brain,” he says.

EVERYTHING IN MODERATION

Yet, TV isn’t all bad, says Braverman. “There are tons of programs that challenge brain, such as shows about history,” he says. “Life is not about learning every second. TV is a tremendous potential source if properly handled. The problem is that it’s a difficult instrument to control. Some things have more destructive qualities, and TV is one of them. Just like sugar is a deceitful food, TV is a deceitful presentation of life.”

Braverman has a formula for how much is okay: “Everybody needs an hour of aerobic exercise every day,” he says. “If you work out for an hour, you can watch TV for an hour. Work out for two hours, and you can watch for two hours. Never watch more television than the amount of time you exercise.”

DID WE TURN THE TV ON?

I didn’t. (My husband has gone back to watching the Golf Channel at night.) As I write this, it’s day 33, and I have not watched a single television show. Not even the final episode of The Good Wife, which I recorded and was so sad to miss. That’s because the best result of this experiment was the sense of calm that has seemed to set in, and the waves of contentment that come out of nowhere. Sounds crazy, but it’s true. I don’t want to go back. At least not yet.

“Happiness comes from the interaction between inspiration and perspiration,” says Braverman. “Anything that stops humans from perspiring to achieve something inspiring gives a false fantasy and an endless distraction from reaching your full potential.”

 

FastCompany.com | June 6, 2016 | STEPHANIE VOZZA

Your #Career : 6 Tips to Successfully Transition From Your Day Job to Your Own Business…Many of you Reading this Right Now are Working for Someone Else — Helping Someone else Build their Dream. But you Probably have a Dream of your Own that Thrills & Excites You.

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If you’re like most people, you have two main worries holding you back from making the leap: 

“How will I replace my day job income?”

 

business woman with her staff, people group in background at modern bright office indoors

“I have an idea for a business, but no idea where to start!” 

You are not alone, and you don’t have to hold yourself back anymore. Here are six tips to help you get your dream in motion:

1) Don’t ask what the market needs.

Instead, ask, “What can I provide that I love doing?”  

And don’t get discouraged by the idea that there are already lots of people doing what you want to do. That would be like saying, “Oh, Michael Jackson’s already done pop. No one ever needs to write a pop song again.” Write your pop song.

Related: How Much Time Should You Devote to Starting Your Business?

 

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2) Clearly identify the gap you’re filling.

Different products and services resonate with different types of people. Similar products and services presented in a different way or to a different audience will also resonate with different types of people. Maybe you’re a financial advisor. What makes your approach, experience or process different?

One thing that already makes you different is you! Shine your values, purpose and lived experience in your marketing. If you aren’t certain of your values and purpose, my free ebook will help you uncover them.

3) Create a big picture vision of what you want.

Have a clear vision of:

  • The number of clients of you will attract;
  • Type of clients;
  • What your life looks like having a full time business doing what you love;
  • How you feel;
  • How much money you are making;
  • How you connect with your clients;
  • What you do in your spare time.

Focus on this vision as you move forward.

Related: A Simple 6-Step Process to Starting a Small Business

4) Make decisions for where you want to be.

Refer to your big picture vision. Imagine yourself there. Feel the energy of that ideal life and business. Ask yourself, “What would the me of my envisioned future decide?”

When you make decisions from a mindset of success and fulfillment, you inevitably attract and create success and fulfillment.

5) Hire someone to guide you, step by step.

Look for someone who has already achieved a life and business similar to what you see in your big picture vision. They can help you determine your short and long term goals, and plan practical steps to achieve them.

Make sure the person you hire truly resonates with you. There can be many different ways to achieve what you want. Just because a particular path worked for one person, doesn’t mean it will be right for you. Listen to your inner voice. Trust your instincts.

Related: 50 Signs You Need to Start Your Own Business

6) Build your dream at a pace that feels right.

When you feel you have enough clients on the side, and a financial cushion your are comfortable with for emergencies, you’ll know you’re ready to take that final leap out of your day job and into your orgasmically joyful life and business.

The only “right time” to do it is the time that feels right to you.

I know, first hand, how scary it is to take the leap out of your day job to create your own business. I also know how incredibly joyful and fulfilling it is to spend each day doing something you love. If you truly want to change your life, you can. And I promise you, it is worth it!

 

entrepreneur.com | June 11, 2016 |  Melissa Dawn

 

#Leadership : 10 Ways to Become Luckier in Business…Fact is, Luck is Really about Chance: The Chance of Something Good Happening. If you Make yourself Available to New People & New Opportunities — You’ll be Rewarded for It. It’s Really Pretty Straightforward, Actually.

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Do you believe in luck? I don’t, not really. Not in the conventional sense anyway. I believe it’s entirely possible to create your own luck. You can become luckier, absolutely. Because fact is, luck is really about chance: The chance of something good happening. If you make yourself available to new people and new opportunities — you’ll be rewarded for it. It’s really pretty straightforward, actually.

conceptual picture of a signpost with past, present and future isolated on white background (all signs cleaned on grey)

Here are my strategies for creating all the luck you need to become a successful entrepreneur.

1. Be the last guy standing.
If you pursue your dreams long enough, opportunities will come your way. So be persistent. Don’t give up. Do what it takes to stay in the game. No one becomes successful overnight. As Bob Parsons, founder of GoDaddy, advises: Hang in there.

Related: Forget Four-Leaf Clovers. Successful Entrepreneurs Make Their Own Luck.

2. Be ready.
When opportunities do come your way, you need to be able to leap into action. The only way to become ready is to train. Practice makes perfect. If you do something over and over again, you’ll get better at it. (The fact that insanity is similarly defined is not coincidental. You need to be a little insane to become an entrepreneur.) By “ready,” I mean both mentally and physically. So invest in yourself. Education is the best way I’ve found how.

3. Dump haters.
Surround yourself with people who share your goals and aspirations, support you, and are unafraid of your success. You’ll change. They will too. Friends you can grow with are priceless.

 

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4. Be stable.
If you’re financially strapped, there’s a good chance you’ll make decisions too hastily. Desperation is never an asset. Because like I said, time is on your side. It’s one of your greatest allies. Taking a job just to pay your bills doesn’t define you. Don’t get down on yourself. If it’s enabling you to pursue your dreams, it’s part of your plan.

Related: How and Why You Need to Make Your Own Luck

5. Be discerning.
When an opportunity presents itself, think long and hard about how it fits into your long-term plan. Sometimes walking away from an opportunity is the very best action you can take.

6. Always do the math.
What’s the opportunity? What are the risks? What’s it going to cost you? What’s the revenue potential? Basically, is it financially sound? These are basic questions you need to answer. It’s okay to take risks. You’ll need to. But fundamentally any business model you engage with must be sound and the only way to determine that is through your own analysis and evaluation.

7. Have faith in yourself.
You can’t do without it. Because at the end of the day, the only thing you can truly count on is your belief in your ability to handle any problems that come your way.

8. Stay curious.
Read as much as you can. Make new friends. Successful people are students of the world at large. You can’t stick your head in the sand and focus so intently on your goals you effectively have blinders on. Always be asking questions.

9. Network relentlessly.
Everywhere you do business, every person you meet, and everywhere you go… be present and open. You never know. Opportunities emerge from the unlikeliest of places. Let people surprise you.

10. Help others.
If you give of yourself, people will give back to you. So make the effort. Along the way you will build an invaluable team of professional supporters. People will remember your generosity. And in turn they will bring opportunities your way.

A lot of what creating your own luck boils down to is seeing the big picture for what it is. Being patient. Being kind. There will be many obstacles along the way. But as one of my favorite authors Ryan Holiday says, those obstacles are really actually opportunities. Your attitude is everything.

 

Entrepreneur.com |  June 10, 2016  |  Stephen Key

Your #Career : 7 Reasons Why Your Salaried Job Is Like Crack Cocaine…Are You Ready to Start Conquering Your Dangerous Addiction to Comfort?

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Remember, though, that the first step to recovery is to admit you have a problem. If you are seriously interested in becoming a business owner, maybe these words will help: Start each morning with the following mantra — I am a salary addict. From there, you will eventually gain strength and, maybe one day, kick the habit.

young green plant in soil for agriculture, business growth or environment concepts (isolated on white background)

From time to time I work with individuals who are perfectly positioned to become business owners. They have lots of money, no debt, great skill sets, likable personalities and a true desire to break out of the employee mentality.

Related: Are You Ready to Start Conquering Your Dangerous Addiction to Comfort?

However, at the end of the coaching process, some still decide to return to their jobs. And, of course, for anyone who is a business owner, this is exceptionally hard to understand. Why would anyone spend his or her life preparing for freedom, yet once that opportunity arose, return to a salaried job?

There is only one reason that I can think of: Salaried jobs are like crack cocaine. Okay, I may sound like I’m a bit off my rocker, but stay with me. What is it like to be addicted to a drug like crack cocaine? Recently, when I read about drug addiction and discussed it with a drug-counselor friend, I learned a few things. And here’s my bottom line: You will be amazed at the similarities between a salaried job and drug addiction.

1. Each time you do drugs, you get high.

This is also true of getting paid. Science has proven that the same part of your brain, the reward center, is stimulated by both drugs and money. So, every time you get paid, you are essentially feeling a similar satisfaction to that of a drug fix.

2. To feed your reward center, you need the drug on a regular, predictable basis.

Not knowing where your next drug high is coming from is nerve-racking; the same can be said of a salary. If you have ever been laid off, fired or unemployed for some other reason, you know well what I am talking about —  that intense feeling of worry and uncertainty over when you might receive your next paycheck.

It’s for this same reason that people feel scared to leave their jobs, of their own choosing. The fear of losing that regular paycheck overshadows the desire to break free.

Related: 4 Steps to Deal with an Employee’s Substance Abuse Problem

 

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3. You set up your life around the drug.

Addicts allow their addiction to control their life. It affects how they spend their day, every single day. In some cases, the drug even takes priority over family. Sound familiar?

Can you think of any times in your life when you let something control you that much? For many people, this sounds exactly like their job. Salaried work often takes priority over everything else in life, even family time. And it all goes back to the feeling that you need that regular, predictable salary.

4. If the drug is suddenly removed, you go into withdrawal.

You miss it — both physically and mentally. You often feel depressed and lethargic, as though you can’t live without it. This is much the same as what happens when a salary is suddenly taken from someone.

No, you won’t become physically ill, with headaches, nausea and other symptoms of drug withdrawal, but you will feel helpless and anxious, as though you can no longer provide for yourself. You want the salary back, just as you would the drug.

5. It is hard to build wealth as a drug addict.

When you’re addicted, you have hard, fixed expenses built around your drug habit. You know how much you can afford and set up your lifestyle around the supply of drugs. Generally, you spend what you make. Doesn’t this sound a lot like someone with a salary?

With a salary, you probably have weekly, monthly and yearly budgets based on what you make. It’s hard to accrue wealth beyond these amounts because so much of your time and effort are spent making, and then surviving on, the amount of money that your salary allots you each year.

6. If you don’t have the drug for a while, you may begin to relapse.

Your addiction may cause you to panic and become desperate for another hit. And sometimes you’ll find it quickly. But, other times, you’ll suffer, not having that fix to depend on. If a stranger offers you drugs, even for a little while, the reward center in your brain will scream at you, and inevitably you’ll say yes

The same is true of a job offer after you’ve gone a long time without a salary. You’ll be incredibly tempted to accept, giving up your freedom for that promise of another paycheck.

7. As a drug addict, your drug habit controls your life.

You know you shouldn’t use drugs, but when you’re addicted, you can’t help yourself. Likewise, someone with a dream of business ownership may know he or she should pursue that dream, but cannot help but return to the “security” of a salaried job.

This is how many people end up at retirement with too many “what ifs” instead of the joy and freedom that come from knowing you have lived your best life, free from the control of a salary.

Over the years, I have seen thousands of people try to kick the habit of salaried employment and become masters of their own destiny. Some manage it; others don’t.

Related: The 6 Signs You’re Tech Addicted and What You Can Do About It

Remember, though, that the first step to recovery is to admit you have a problem. If you are seriously interested in becoming a business owner, maybe these words will help: Start each morning with the following mantra — I am a salary addict. From there, you will eventually gain strength and, maybe one day, kick the habit.

 

Entrepreneur.com |  June 9, 2016  |  Rick Bisio 

Your #Career : 5 Things You Should Never Say in a Job Performance Review…How you Respond to Criticism & Praise will Make a Difference in your Career Path. Let’s Take a Look at 5 Things you Should Never Say in a Performance Review.

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A performance review is like a report card for adults. It tells workers how they’re performing on the job, or at least how their bosses think they are performing. Except, job performance reviews are prone to more subjectivity. You don’t simply receive a letter grade or a “satisfactory” based on right or wrong homework answers, you receive feedback on how you’re viewed around the office. Furthermore, what you say in your performance review can make or break your career.

Male hands holding pen in working environment

Are annual performance reviews a waste of time? They certainly can be. According to a recent survey fromDeloitte, only 8% of companies report their performance management process drives high levels of value, while 58% of companies say it’s not an effective use of time. In fact, about half of HR executives believe their performance process is weak at driving business value. Deloitte found it was spending around 2 million hours a year on performance reviews, including filling out forms and holding meetings.

Several companies see annual performance reviews as an outdated measuring stick — a tool for when titans of industry like General Electric needed to know how many railroad ties workers installed. Today, employers need to measure everything from productivity and customer service to teamwork and attitude. As a result, more employers are replacing the annual performance review in favor of ongoing feedback and coaching methods.

Whether you work for an employer stuck in the past or one adapting to the 21st century, you need to be able to communicate effectively in your performance reviews. How you respond to criticism and praise will make a difference in your career path. Let’s take a look at five things you should never say in a performance review.

1. “That’s not in my job description”

Nothing says you need improvement on your office etiquette like blurting out a task that you’re expected to do isn’t in your job description. Remember, job descriptions are not 100% inclusive of your workplace duties, and job descriptions often evolve as business conditions fluctuate. It’s no secret that employers love flexible employees who know how to handle multiple tasks with a good attitude. At the same time though, you shouldn’t be afraid to push back a little if you find yourself overwhelmed with requests.

The key to saying, “that’s not in my job description” without uttering those exact words is to explain yourself, carefully. You could say something to this effect: “My priorities with set deadlines this past year (or substitute the timeframe of the performance review) prevented me from taking on this additional task.” You could also try to deflect a task by explaining that you’re not typically the person who handles that, and point your manager to someone better suited for the task if possible.

 

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2. “You expect too much from me”

Yes, your boss expects a lot from you. You likely even feel underpaid for what you have to do and put up with on a daily basis. Sometimes it may actually be too much for you to handle, but being over-defensive is probably not the best way to approach the situation. You need to remember to keep your emotions in check.

“It’s important to be honest, but you don’t want to be really defensive,” explains Lisa Chui, vice president of finance and human resources at Ubiquity Retirement + Savings, in an interview with The Cheat Sheet. “Depending on the level of criticism an employee reviews in a performance review, they can be very defensive. It’s always a good idea to be calm and collected, even if on the inside you are just screaming and want to run out of the room crying. It’s never a good idea to let your emotions get the best of you at that moment. If you’re receiving feedback that is driving an emotional response, process the feedback and continue the conversation.”

If declining a task isn’t an option during your performance review, ask your manager how they would like you to prioritize the task. This shows that you’re willing to be flexible, but provides you with some room to juggle otherjob responsibilities.

 

3. “I can’t”

I’m reminded of a famous Henry Ford quote: “Whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right.”

Saying “can’t” is limiting. You limit what you think you can do, and you also limit what other people (like your boss) think you’re capable of doing. Saying “can’t” in your performance review is equivalent to telling your boss that you don’t have the skills to complete a task. And, if you are short with your reply, you may also convey that you are unwilling to make an attempt to learn, which will further hurt your reputation.

“Instead of saying can’t, you may want to try saying ‘How about we try this’ and you can rephrase the work your boss if asking you to do into something more manageable for yourself,” explains Chui. “Or, there’s always the deferral. You could say ‘Hey that’s a great suggestion, let me get back to you on ways this can be accomplished’ versus just saying yes or no. In a performance review, sometimes if you’re just saying yes, then your boss is going to think you’re going to do exactly what he just told you to do. While you’re thinking you can’t commit to this. If you at least defer it, it puts the ball back in your court to then come up with a plan that suits you.”

 

4. “Thank you for finally noticing”

Winning and losing is a part of life. You need to learn how to do both gracefully. Receiving a compliment or praise during your performance review is a nice little victory on your career path, but you can completely spoil that win if you don’t handle it well. Saying something to the effect of “thank you for finally noticing” fills the air with bitterness and will leave your boss wondering if they is more trouble brewing below the surface. It may also make your boss less likely to provide future compliments in order to avoid your snark.

On the positive side, there is a simple solution. When receiving a compliment, keep your reply short and sweet. A simple “thank you” is typically enough. If you feel it’s necessary to let your boss know how long you’ve been accomplishing something, you could provide a little more detail by saying something like: “Thank you. I initiated this change last year to improve our productivity after evaluating our current methods. I did X, Y, and Z to generate these results.”

 

5. “It’s not that I’m lazy. It’s that I just don’t care.”

Movies provide a great deal of comic relief. Certain movies like Office Space do an incredible job highlighting the mundane aspects of our own jobs. However, that doesn’t mean you should necessarily try to lighten the mood with your favorite quotes. If your boss doesn’t recognize the quote, the situation could become uncomfortable, especially if the blank stare on his face leaves you squirming to figure out how to explain the quote without making yourself look like a disgruntled employee.

“The trend these days is to give constant feedback to employees,” says Chui. “I think we’re moving away from the traditional once-a-year review when you have to think back about everything you’ve accomplished over the year — that’s almost impossible to do. Having ongoing feedback sets the stage to not have that stuffy conversation and make anything awkward. But, if the performance review is starting to get uncomfortable, you can steer the conversation in a different direction. If you’re starting to get a lot of negative feedback or your starting to talk about things you’re unsure about, it’s OK to ask questions and steer the conversation back in a more positive direction.”

Follow Eric on Facebook and Twitter

 

 CheatSheet.com | June 10, 2016 | 

 

Your #Career : The Future Of Jobs- 5 Options Everyone Must Consider…There’s a Robotic Apocalypse Coming – Everyone Seems quite Certain about This. The Real & Present Danger Appears to Be about Jobs.

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“The replacement of full-time jobs has happened very slowly, in most cases,” he tells me. “For example – before the invention of the ATM, there were around half a million bank tellers in the US. Today, we have about half a million bank tellers.

Free- Thinking Plasma Ball

There’s a Robotic Apocalypse coming – everyone seems quite certain about this. I’m not talking about a Matrix or Terminator scenario where the human race is enslaved by AI, although some very smart people are concerned that this could happen. The real and present danger appears to be about jobs.

At first it seemed that it was mainly manual jobs which were under threat, when production lines workers were expected to be replaced wholesale with robots and machines. But in recent years huge advances in fields such as machine learning and automation have made it apparent that white collar and professional workers are equally under threat.

 

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So how should someone go about ensuring their own career prospects are not exterminated by this incoming robot army? Well, two people whose opinions I respect very much have a few suggestions. Tom Davenport and Julia Kirby’s ‘Only Humans Need Apply – Winners and Losers in the Age of Smart Machines’ outlines a survival strategy based on aligning one’s skills within the new workforce paradigms that big data, artificial intelligence(AI) and smart machines are likely to create.

The book suggests five strategies – stepping up, stepping aside, stepping in, stepping narrowly, and stepping forward. These, suggest Davenport and Kirby, are the different ways a candidate can ensure they remain competitive against AI and smart machines in the job market.

“These are the five key roles or classes of roles that people can play, with regards to smart machines,” Davenport tells me, “and two of them – stepping aside and stepping narrowly – don’t even really involve working that closely with smart machines.”

Stepping Aside is fairly self-explanatory – it simply means leaving the machines to do what they do best, and picking a career requiring mainly skills such as creativity or empathy.

Stepping Narrowly involves developing a speciality, in a field where there is little demand or no business case for implementing automation (a local tour guide, or a wine expert specializing in a particular region, being possibilities here).

Stepping Up means taking oversight of and responsibility for the work carried out by computers and AI – essentially becoming their boss, and considering the big picture strategy of implementing technology across an organization.

Stepping In means to become involved with the work being carried out by machines, to fine-tune and provide human oversight in areas where it is still needed. Real world examples here could be an accountant trained to spot errors caused by an automated system, or an ad buyer who can spot when a brand could be damaged by a particular placement, for reasons a robot might not comprehend.

Lastly, Stepping Forward is to work on developing the next generation of robotic and AI-driven technology. Robots can solve problems for us, but we still need to tell them what problems need solving. It still takes a human to understand that automation will be of benefit to a particular area of business, and a human to put together a strategy for automating that section.

Davenport is happy to admit that he and his co-author’s take on the robopocalypse is, if not more optimistic, then slightly less pessimistic, than many fellow commentators.

“The replacement of full-time jobs has happened very slowly, in most cases,” he tells me. “For example – before the invention of the ATM, there were around half a million bank tellers in the US. Today, we have about half a million bank tellers.

“So people are pretty good about finding other things to do when key tasks like dispensing cash and so on get taken over by machines. So my argument is that there will be some job losses but they will be marginal rather than dramatic, and the people who are good at working with machines will probably do fairly well at least for a while.”

And this ability to work in partnership with emerging smart technology is absolutely key to the book’s message. The robots may not be here to take your job and leave you destitute, but you’d better be sure you take notice of them.

Co-author, senior editor at Harvard University Press Julia Kirby, tells me “We’re largely looking at this from the standpoint of the worker as we feel that they should be preparing for a changed workplace.

“They are going to have all of these machines working side by side with them, and it isn’t necessarily going to be done for them … we’re saying, look, you need to make some decisions and take some action at an individual level, rather than just leaving it to your employer or, God forbid, society, to sort all this out.”

Ultimately the book’s message is a hopeful one. By pursuing augmentation over automation, industry will free up human power to do what we are best at – innovate and create – while leaving robots and smart machines to crunch numbers and keep everything ticking along behind the scenes.

Kirby also envisages something of a “two tier” system of services emerging, where a low end, mundane level of service will be provided by computers, with human endeavor reserved for higher profile assignments. An example would be media coverage of a tennis tournament, where the early rounds would be covered by an automatic report generating system, with a human journalist assigned to covering the finals and semi finals.

It is a refreshing take on the much discussed topic of what the long term social consequences of widespread integration of AI and automation into our workplace will be. Most importantly, it is highly refreshing to see someone tackling the issue through the medium of a practical guide, rather than simple doom-mongering. Yes, some people will find themselves unemployed in the near future because their employers will work out it is cheaper and more effective to use a smart machine than to pay their salary, pension and healthcare. If you want to minimize the risk of being one of them, it could be a good idea to take a look at the book.

Bernard Marr is a best-selling author & keynote speaker. His new book: ‘Big Data in Practice: How 45 Successful Companies Used Big Data Analytics to Deliver Extraordinary Results‘

 

Forbes.com | June 9, 2016 | Bernard Marr

#Leadership : The Bottom Line On Why You Can’t Fill Jobs…Here’s What I Hear from Employers: We can’t Find Talent. We can’t Keep Talent. We can’t Keep Talent Engaged.

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From my perspective, there certainly is a disconnect. Here are the facts. Unemployment in the U.S. is 4.7 percent, which is down from last month’s figure of 5.0 percent and the new Job Openings and Labor Turnover (JOLT) report for April has just been released. There are now over 5.7 million job openings, which equals last July’s peak on records going back to 2001. This problem isn’t going away anytime soon.

Free- One Dandilion Full & another Empty

As I travel around the country, here’s what I hear from employers:

  • We can’t find talent.
  • We can’t keep talent.
  • We can’t keep talent engaged.

Here’s what I hear from those who are seeking employment: 

  • I can’t get past the Applicant Tracking Systems.
  • I apply for jobs and never hear back.
  • I’m perfectly qualified. I suspect my age is the problem.

Here’s why you can’t fill jobs and what you can do to change this.

You don’t know where you are going. I always tell my clients that we first have to establish where we are going before we can figure out how to get there. I use the example of someone in Detroit who is planning a trip. Is the goal to visit Canada, which is a stone’s throw away or is it to go to South America? Canada is an easy jaunt, that doesn’t even require packing a lunch. South America is quite a different story.

Decide where you are going in terms of your talent strategy, before mapping out your entire plan to get there. By doing so, you’ll be able to find a direct route that will get you to your destination in a timely and cost efficient manner.

You’re too tentative. Have you ever been in a situation where someone really wanted you, more than anyone else? They may have wanted you for a particular role in their company or you may have been their first choice to take to the prom. In both cases, you were most likely pursued.

Hiring managers need to pursue talent the same way they would go after a ticket to a sold out Bruce Springsteen show–with gusto! Do whatever is required to get the attention of the person you’ve identified as “the one” for your team. Don’t stop until you get a yes!

 

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You’re focusing on the wrong things. I get how you want your applicant tracking system to completely integrate with your Human Resource Information System and you are investing heavily to make this so. However, given today’s unemployment and JOLT numbers, you’ve got bigger fish to fry.

Processes are not going to get your job filled. To do so, you need people whoknow how to attract and retain talent. This requires transforming your hiring managers into talent magnets. Doing so, will help you dramatically reduce the time it’s taking you to fill your current job openings.

Your applicant experience is dreadful. We always tell job candidates they only have one chance to make a great impression. Well, the same holds true for employers. I hear tons of horror stories from candidates regarding their experience with a company’s interviewing process. Many are relieved when they never hear back from the employer, as they can only imagine how awful it might be to work in this type of environment day in and day out.

Treat your applicants as well as you treat your customers and you’ll be golden.

Your hiring managers don’t know how to hire. Where is it written that upon promotion to management, you automatically acquire the assessing candidates gene that seems to be missing from many hiring managers? Most hiring managers have no idea how to hire. I can say this as I’ve taught thousands of hiring managers how to select for success. One such hiring manager comes to mind. She said the following to me after attending a course I facilitated on Selecting for Success.  “I’ve been interviewing for years and now I finally know why I’ve been asking these questions!”

Now that I’ve exposed the real truth about hiring managers, it’s up to you to help these people dramatically improve their ability to select new hires. Believe me when I tell you that most will be eternally grateful that you are finally giving them support.

Stop eliminating candidates based on salary. Many companies toss out anyone who is asking for more money than we are willing to pay. This usually results in a huge chunk of the talent pool–those over the age of 40–being tossed out as well.

Take a few moments to have a conversation with a candidate before discarding them because of money. By doing so, you may find that many candidates are more flexible on salary than you had originally thought.

Roberta Matuson is the author of Talent Magnetism, Suddenly in Charge and the forthcoming, The Magnetic Leader. Subscribe to her e-newsletter here.

 

Forbes.com | June 8, 2016 | 

Roberta Matuson

CONTRIBUTOR

Your #Career : Layoffs! 7 Types of Jobs That Are Making Cuts in 2016…Jobs are Lost All the Time, for One Reason or Another. The Best you Can Do to Protect Yourself is Be Aware of What’s Happening In & Around your Industry.

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Your job is consistently threatened whether you give it much thought or not. While many people do enjoy a good level of job security, the truth is, anything can happen at any time that renders you redundant — robots can take our jobs, a new CEO may decide that layoffs are necessary, or a fire or natural disaster can hit. While that’s all relatively unlikely, it’s important to keep in mind that jobs are not permanent.

Sad businessman sitting at workplace and trying to find solution of problem

For many people receiving layoff notices this year, the writing has been on the wall for some time. Big economic changes have pushed many into joblessness over the past few months, and those cycles and mechanisms will continue to churn well into the future. Oil workers are being fired due to falling prices, for example. Tech companies are scrapping certain projects, sending others to the unemployment line.

Lost jobs in 2016

Jobs are lost all the time, for one reason or another. The best you can do to protect yourself is be aware of what’s happening in and around your industry. Sometimes, there’s nothing you can do to save your job. Other times, you can make some serious efforts to insulate yourself.

But as for layoffs this year? They’ve been coming in droves. Here are seven specific jobs and industries that have been plagued by layoffs, and will likely continue to be for the near future.

1. Oil workers

Following huge growth in the energy sector thanks to fracking and natural gas exploration in parts of the Midwest, we’re now seeing the downturn. An influx of supply has caused market prices for energy to drop dramatically, pushing many companies out of business. As a result, many oil and gas workers have been laid off from the oil fields of the Dakotas, and parts of Texas. Tens, if not hundreds of thousand of jobs have been lost.

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2. Coal miners

The energy sector has seen downturns in other areas, notably coal, over the past several years. The number of coal mining jobs are dropping as newer, cheaper, and cleaner energy sources are developed, and the government starts taking action to curb climate change fears. Coal, though, has likely taken its biggest hit due to the growth of fracking and increased natural gas production.

 

3. Manufacturing

Manufacturing has been on the ropes for decades now, as globalization has led to the transfer of many of thesejobs overseas. But even those jobs are now being lost to robots and artificial intelligence, which is leading to job losses for hundreds of thousands worldwide. Just recently, 60,000 Foxconn workers were replaced with automation. Adidas made a similar move.

 

4. Tech

The tech sector is brimming with opportunity and well-paying jobs, but it’s also rife with uncertainty. Tech workers from across the spectrum have been let go this year, with one of the more recent large layoffs occuring within Microsoft, who fired more than 1,800 people from its Nokia division. Intel announced plans to lay off 12,000. And many other, smaller firms, are cutting jobs as well.

 

5. Education

Huge cuts to education spending across the country mean that there is less money for teachers and administrators. That requires job cuts, and that’s what we’re seeing. There haven’t been any single, large-scale cuts to speak of, but instead, districts and university systems across the country have been firing a dozen or so people here and there. It’s happening at the local level all across the country.

 

6. Government

While education employees typically fall under the “government” category, there are other government jobs being lost in addition to those in the education world. State and federal employee have lost their jobs as budget shortfalls have forced governments to tighten their belts, though it’s nothing compared to what we’re seeing internationally. For example, China announced the firing of six million workers just recently.

 

7. Telecommunications

Though we may rejoice to hear that telecommunications companies are getting more efficient — in theory, anyway — don’t expect Comcast to improve their customer service any time soon. As previously mentioned, Nokia is being hit hard by Microsoft’s firings, and other companies, including Verizon, are planning on making cuts as well.

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CheatSheet.com | June 6, 2016 | Sam Becker