#Leadership : #ProductivePeople -These are the 4 Ways that I Cope with #Anxiety in the #Workplace .

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I had my first panic attack in math class when I was 15. It was an otherwise ordinary day.

Panic is a difficult thing to articulate to someone who has never experienced it. I can’t explain why I began hyperventilating in class that afternoon, or why just yesterday, I broke into a sweat during a regular company meeting. I knew that these situations didn’t pose any danger to me, yet my fight or flight instinct kicked in and took over.

After I experienced my first brush with severe anxiety, I shut myself away from all the pressures in my life. I dropped my rigorous course load at school, and I remained on the sidelines during soccer games. But eventually, I had to learn to cope. A brilliant and compassionate therapist taught me how to talk myself off a ledge. I also took up distance running to keep my nerves in check–a pastime that continues to be a lifeline for me today.

I wasn’t able to keep my anxiety entirely at bay, but for a long time, I felt in control. That all changed when I entered the workforce. After all, the modern workplace demands composure and reliability from employees. It’s also filled with twists and turns–whether it be layoffs, company restructuring, or a change in strategy. It’s a recipe for anxietyfor anyone susceptible to it.

I haven’t found a simple fix to anxiety, but I have found a few techniques that have mitigated it. Here are the four practices that have helped me cope with anxiety in the workplace.

1. I SPEAK UP

In every place I’ve worked, I’ve found a confidante. I let this person know about my anxiety, and update them if anything is happening in my personal life that may cause increased stress. Over time, I’ve also gotten more comfortable delivering feedback to my managers about conditions or interactions around the office that make me uncomfortable. Just having someone around who knows what I’m going through is helpful, but an honest dialogue also gives me a feeling of control.

This is extremely powerful. Anxiety is grounded in the feeling of loss of control, so it’s been valuable to have an antidote to that.

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2. I GO FOR A WALK

When my body tells me to escape, I comply. Fortunately, I live in New York City, so it’s easy to take a little walk and mask it as a coffee break. If I didn’t live in a walkable area, I imagine a short drive would have the same effect. These few minutes away from the office gives me some time to collect my thoughts and identify what may be at the root of my anxiety. I am then able to acknowledge and move past whatever triggered my anxiety.

3. I WORK FROM HOME WHEN I NEED TO

If I wake up with a sense of dread and I don’t need to be in the office, I stay home. I can do a lot at home that I can’t at work (like pet my cats or sing along to my favorite Taylor Swift songs, the two best medicines for me). In previous roles, when working from home wasn’t an option, I occasionally took a sick day to recuperate, just as I would with any other illness. In both scenarios, having a confidante makes me more comfortable staying at home. I know there is someone I trust at work who knows that I’m not merely slacking off.

4. I PROTECT MY PERSONAL TIME

Long hours pose a threat to the things that keep me mentally healthy, like therapy, sleep, and exercise. It isn’t easy, but I set boundaries wherever I can to ensure work doesn’t become my whole life. That doesn’t mean I leave the office by 6 p.m. every evening–I don’t. What it does mean, however, is being aware of work creeping into my personal time. When that starts to happen, I resist the urge to say yes to everything, and I am upfront about asking for help.

I’m not saying that any of these practices are easy. In our work-first culture, it can be a constant battle with the voice in your head that says, What if you lose your job? What if your boss views you as a complainer? What if you make your colleagues uncomfortable?

The thing is, there will always be a million what-ifs. But we’re not going to end the mental health stigma with staying silent. We need to be vocal, and employers have to be willing to listen.

A healthy, encouraging work culture is essential to anyone who faces anxiety, depression, or any other mental illness. So many businesses are waking up to the business case for mental wellness and inviting their employees and recruits to be open and honest about their needs. If your employer isn’t one of them or doesn’t follow through on promises of an inclusive culture, take your talents elsewhere. It’s not worth your mental health.

Author: Kayleigh Taylor is a senior content strategist at Hot Paper Lantern.

 

FastCompany.com | May 23, 2019

#CareerAdvice : #InterviewingQuestions – How To Respond To Failure Questions In An #Interview .

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A scene from the NBC comedy series, The Office, parodies an interview question and answer perfectly.

America’s favorite clueless manager, Michael Scott, is interviewing for a corporate promotion with his CFO and is asked about his great strengths.

“Why don’t I tell you what my greatest weaknesses are? I work too hard, I care too much and sometimes, I can be too invested in my job.”

Puzzled by the answer, the CFO probes with, “OK. And your strengths?”

“Well, my weaknesses are actually my strengths.” Michael grins as if he just nailed the question while his CFO grimaces as if he just fell for a bad joke.

Doing the opposite of what Michael Scott does on this show is typically excellent career advice.  Any interviewer who has listened to a clever answer like this cringed when watching that scene.

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Bad Advice Is Now Common Practice

Stop me if you’ve heard this before. When asked about your failures or weaknesses in an interview, use it as an opportunity to humble brag about a real strength.

This advice is terrible and comes across as painfully transparent to any experienced interviewer. Hoping to show off their work ethic or passion, candidates dodge, duck, dip and dive to avoid answering a question they fear.

In a survey of 570 early-career professionals, WayUp found that questions about weaknesses and failure were the second most feared query in interviews. Young professionals assume this is a trick question meant to weed out the weakest candidates.

This misunderstanding stems from the false view that those who dare to fail are weak. The opposite is more likely the truth. Those who rarely fail spend their careers playing it safe.

What Is The Interviewer Looking For?

Your interviewer got to their position by taking a risk. They took chances to move up in their organization and often failed along the way. They understand that real growth occurs when someone experiences a setback and changes behavior as a result.

Interviewers are looking for several hints in your answer:

1. Are you confident enough to share defeats? Top performers see failure as a necessary step along the path to greater success. Achievers can drown out their misfires with many more successes and are not intimidated to talk openly about foundering.

2. Are you humble enough to honestly assess your setbacks? Ego can be a limiting factor in one’s career, as you can’t grow if you can’t admit to your role in defeat. A study in the Journal of Behavioral Decision Making found that people spent 25% more time working on a solution after focusing on their emotional response to an initial failure.

3. Do you grow from failure? Everyone gets knocked down, but the response is more important than the fall. Knowing that you will suffer setbacks if you accept the role, your interviewer is keenly interested in how much resilience you have.

Focus Your Answer On The Right Type Of Failures

Remember that you are not the only person who fails. The more success your interviewer has enjoyed, the longer the list of failures they have overcome. When asked this question, embrace it with some humor. I like to say something like, “How much time do we have?” This shows your interviewer that you embrace failure as a path to personal growth.

One failure that will hurt your chances is that which involves a lack of effort. This is one of the few variables we can control in life and is a transferable behavior in any function. If you failed on a project because you chose not to put in the time, your interviewer has no choice but to envision the same effort from you in the future. We have all come up short where effort was the culprit. These instances are not the ones to share in an interview.

There are several types of situation that best share what type of person you are.

1. The Knowledge Gap Failure: You took a run at a project that you are unequipped to handle and fell on your face. Perhaps, you accepted a sales role after working in operations. Your early months were humbling as hard work didn’t translate into results. You responded by studying top performers in the office, reading sales books, and listening to sales podcasts. After a challenging first year, you came back to finish in the top ten the following year.

2. The Poor Fit Failure: You always wanted to play for the varsity basketball team but just didn’t have the athletic ability. After being cut the first three years, you finally made the team your senior year. Though you didn’t play often, you were voted team captain by your teammates. You could find a similar setback in a business setting where you initially failed in a position that didn’t highlight your strengths and flourished when you changed positions.

3. The Approach Failure: You worked hard with poor results until a manager or mentor offered some direct feedback about your approach. Taking that feedback personally, you made sweeping changes and saw your results take off. This shows your future employer that you respond well to constructive criticism, a trait admired by any manager.

Before your interview, think through several examples. Many interviewers will probe for multiple answers to this simple question. Embrace your failure with confident, honest answers. Let the other candidates roll out the nauseating Michael Scott boilerplate response.

Author: Ian Mathews  Contributor : Connect with Ian on LinkedIn and visit 5on4 Group.

 

Forbes.com | May 21, 2019

 

 

#CareerAdvice : #JobOpenings -Highest Paying Work From Home Jobs.

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A growing number of professions are becoming increasingly flexible to remote workers. Medicine, for example, a field that traditionally required long visits to the doctor’s office and in-person checkups, is being revolutionized by the advent of telemedicine, which allows doctors and patients to communicate remotely. The global market for telemedicine is projected to climb 19 percent from 2018 to 2025, making for massive job openings for healthcare professionals to work remotely.

While it’s great news that remote work opportunities are growing across a variety of sectors, the even better news is that remote positions don’t require you to take a pay cut. In fact, work from home positions can help you save money by reducing transportation costs, or cutting the cost of having to live close to your workplace. Some positions even pay more for remote workers — one study on web developers, for example, found that developers who work remotely earn an average of 40 percent more than their counterparts who work in offices.

What kind of work from home job is right for you?

Work from home positions are available across a variety of industries, from tech to finance. While positions like software engineering have traditionally been more remote-friendly, companies are realizing that positions from client services to project management can also be opened up to remote workers. Use the Glassdoor job search tool with the location filter “Remote (Work From Home)” to see if the type of positions you’re interested in are currently available for remote work.

Which work from home jobs pay the most money?

Senior Software Engineer

Glassdoor Salary Range: $94,000 – $166,000

Software engineers work to develop, implement and refine applications software and computer systems software. Software engineers must have substantial knowledge of a number of programming languages, in addition to knowledge about software development and computer operating systems. While some software engineers are self-taught, many gain bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees or even Ph.D.s in computer science.

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Project Manager

Glassdoor Salary Range: $51,000 – $111,000

Project managers coordinate the team of people working on specific projects within a company or organization. This involves ensuring the timely completion of projects, helping solve roadblocks specific team members are facing, correctly budgeting for a project, documenting the steps of a project and overseeing the timeline of a project.

Physician

Glassdoor Salary Range: $119,000 – $303,000

With the advent of telemedicine, the options for physicians to work from home are now wider than ever. Becoming a physician is one of the most education-intensive career paths, requiring a bachelor’s degree, at least four years of medical school and between three and seven years of residency training.

Client Services Director

Glassdoor Salary Range: $76,000 – $160,000

The role of a client services director is very similar to an account manager, although sometimes less sales-focused. Client services directors are employed across businesses and organizations to maintain long-term relationships with clients and find solutions to client issues if they arise.

Business Development Manager

Glassdoor Salary Range: $49,000 – $118,000

A business development manager finds new opportunities for a company to sell its products or services. This includes identifying and fostering strategic partners, tracking new markets and emerging trends, creating sales opportunities with existing and new clients, and developing new business strategies for a company to increase sales.

Accountant

Glassdoor Salary Range: $40,000 – $77,000

Accountants collect, analyze, organize and make use of the financial records of their clients. They help file taxes, create budgets, analyze past and future financial performance of an organization, and keep accounting records. Becoming an accountant typically requires a bachelor’s degree, and sometimes a master’s degree, in accounting, as well as gaining licensure as a certified public accountant (CPA). Accountants work with the paper and digital records of their clients, so it is easy for them to work for the computer and conduct phone meetings with clients when needed.

Account Manager

Glassdoor Salary Range: $39,000 – $90,000

Account managers handle the relationships and sales with clients of a particular company. Wherever a company is making a sale or providing a service to a client, you’ll often find that account managers have a role there. Account managers are employed across many industries, from aerospace to beauty. The responsibilities of an account manager may vary across the industry they are employed in, but typically their responsibilities include managing and solving client issues, reaching company sales targets with clients and maintaining a smooth relationship between the client and the company.

UX Designer

Glassdoor Salary Range: $62,000 – $130,000

A UX designer, short for “user experience designer,” guides the design process of both digital and physical products in a way that ensures an ideal experience and interface for users. This includes designing and testing user friendliness, branding of products and ensuring an enjoyable and useful experience for users of a product.

Full Stack Web Developer

Glassdoor Salary Range: $50,000 – $117,000

A full stack web developer is a jack of all trades in the area of web development — they can develop the front end and back end portions of a mobile application, website or native application. Full stack developers must be proficient in multiple computer languages, as well as being able to work with databases, servers and systems engineering.

Graphic Designer  

Glassdoor Salary Range: $34,000 – $69,000

Graphic designers imagine and create digital images and art for all types of clients, ranging from a business that needs updated graphics on their website to a band that wants posters for their upcoming tour. Since many clients require designs on a temporary basis, a high proportion of graphic designers work freelance and work from home.

Work From Home Career Paths

Work from home positions can be found across many industries at many different skill and education levels. If you are currently in a job that is not remote, but has the potential to be, consider speaking to your boss about working from home once or twice a week to try out the arrangement. If you are looking for a new job, consider tailoring your search to work-from-home options. You can easily filter for remote-only results using Glassdoor’s job search tool, and setting the location filter to “Remote (Work From Home)”.

 

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#CareerAdvice : #OlderWorkers – How to Plan for Two or Three (or Seven) Different #Careers in your Lifetime.

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When Qadirah Bridgeman was 22-years-old, retirement was the furthest thing from her mind. A dance major when she earned her undergraduate degree, Bridgeman was transitioning pretty dramatically into the real world. “I had just changed my religion, got married, and was pregnant,” she says, “so it was hard to say where my career would go, but I knew I wanted it to go somewhere.”

So Bridgeman taught for a while but switched to customer service as her family grew to include four more children. As she got older, she knew retirement was an option but understood that working as long as possible was best for her mentally, physically, and financially. “My father worked until he was 81, and I believe it is what kept him going for so long,” she says.

What she hadn’t planned for either was landing a job at T-Mobile at the age of 45, 14 years ago. “I had done customer service roles for other companies, so I was familiar with the work,” she says. “But it was definitely a different experience going through onboarding and training as one of the oldest of the bunch.” Bridgeman didn’t even own a mobile phone at the time. “From a tech perspective, there was a learning curve,” she recalls. But the company’s training process was inclusive, putting everyone into teams right away.

Despite a tough transition, Bridgeman maintains her age was a huge benefit. Not only was she seen as a natural leader, but her experience also gave her the stick-to-itiveness required to get through the training. “When everyone would pull out their fancy tech, which was great for them, I used my trusty pen and paper to my advantage, because I knew it was what worked for me,” she says.

Now at age 59, Bridgeman is a T-Mobile customer care senior-level expert based in Nashville, TN., who recently completed her master’s and has no plans to retire for at least another 30 years.

Bridgeman is not alone. The traditional arc of a career that lasts 25 to 30 years–usually with the same company–has become exceedingly rare. This translates to most workers having two, three, or more phases of their career during their lifetime. This can involve switching industries, gig work, or even entrepreneurship. The conventional strategy of mapping out a single career path needs a radical rethink.

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AN AGING LABOR FORCE

The number of people who 65 and older in the workforce is the highest it’s been in 55 years. And that’s not going to change soon. The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that 36% of 65-to-69-year-olds will be part of the labor force by 2024. Part of this is due to financial considerations. Lisa Marsh Ryerson, president of AARP Foundation, says that as many as 42 million adults who are 50 or older struggle with some aspect of their financial lives. “There’s a misconception that most people older than 50 are comfortably heading toward retirement by putting money away in savings and paying down their debts,” she says. “Today, that path to retirement has been replaced with far more complex scenarios and, for many, delayed retirement.” Longer life expectancy, stagnant wages, and the shift from pension plans to 401(k)s are impacting how long many people stay in the game. “From research, focus groups, and conversations with individuals, we know these challenges force older adults to make difficult decisions, including career changes,” she says.

As Marsh Ryerson points out, older adults need to have tools and resources to make informed financial decisions–from determining if the gig economy is an option to identifying and learning new skills to compete in today’s job market–to achieve the financial freedom required to find a job that provides intellectual and creative stimulation, to pursue their passions, or to quit working altogether.

FOLLOW YOUR PASSION, NO MATTER WHERE IT TAKES YOU

Take McAfee’s current chief consumer security evangelist, Gary Davis, who switched careers and industries to pursue his passion–all while staying relevant working with current technologies.

The self-professed “farm boy” launched out of a high school graduating class of 32 students into the U.S. Navy, where he landed his first job as an avionics technician. During his service, Davis completed both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

His thesis for the master’s was based on a comparison study of the voting habits for two different military bases in Hawaii. “It was during that work that my passion surrounding the importance and effect of influencing people by informing and educating them came into strong focus for me,” says Davis.

From there, Davis held a variety of roles in marketing before moving into security at McAfee in 2009. “The work on my thesis taught me the value of implementing compelling programs intended to educate and inform a target audience and measuring the efficacy of those programs,” says Davis, who never thought he’d end up in the tech industry. But it was the best fit for his personal passion.

STAY CURIOUS

For those who do remain in one industry, it can be challenging to stay relevant as they age. Sheila Talton, the CEO of Gray Matter Analytics and a 30-plus year veteran of tech companies like Cisco, puts it this way: “If you are in this industry, change is inevitable.” Talton watched colleagues who didn’t like change and often professed nostalgia for “the good old days” inevitably get passed over and phased out. “You have to be keeping your skills updated,” says Talton, who is an avid reader and researcher, as well as a keen observer of trends.

“Most of my staff are much younger,” says Talton, “I learn a lot from them.” One thing she says stymies older workers from progressing is that they mistake their age and experience for knowledge. This can come across as being obstinate or resistant to change–and can paint the older executive into a corner of being hard to deal with.

Experience has taught Talton to recognize patterns in situations, and she credits her time working internationally for helping her learn to work with all different types of people. “When you’re the only [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”][African-American woman] in the room, you have the ability to learn and listen,” she explains. Talton says this taught her the importance of gaining trust. “You can be successful in gaining trust by showing your human side, exposing where you made mistakes.” As she’s advanced in her career, Talton says that this ability to be humble combined with being intellectually curious has served to keep her career advancing, with no end in sight.

IF YOU HAVE A GOOD GIG, STICK WITH IT–BUT KEEP EDUCATING YOURSELF

Being willing to learn is a vital ingredient for navigating the vicissitudes of an episodic career. “I am most definitely a student for life,” says Vince Digneo, who has been Adobe’s sustainability strategist since 2013. Digneo says he still takes classes on topics related to his role or that simply pique his interest. “Adobe has been very supportive of continuous learning,” he notes.

Digneo’s career shaped up unconventionally, after earning an MBA at Berkeley while in graduate school in biophysics at Stanford. From there, he followed a series of opportunities including at HP Labs on their biosciences team (what is now Agilent Technologies). He initially thought that he might eventually launch his own biotech startup. “I did end up working for a number of startups and along the way transitioned from a biotech business professional to a corporate tech sustainability lead,” he explains.

Entrepreneurship is not for everyone, and Digneo was no exception. “I realized a few years ago that I was not going to be a retired startup billionaire, and I’m good with that,” he states. “I really believe that I continue to contribute and to do good for Adobe, the environment, and the communities where we work and live,” he says, “My role is a happy reality.” And one that he’s not planning to quit any time soon.

STUDY A COMPANY’S CULTURE

Whether it’s continuing to take the opportunities that present themselves, sticking with a passion, or doing the work necessary to put food on the table, Bridgeman–who’s looking to put her newly earned master’s degree to good use as she climbs T-Mobile’s customer care ranks– says it’s important to look at a company’s culture before deciding to take a job there as an older adult.

“Look for a company that has a proven track record for diversity and inclusion,” she says, clarifying that it needs to be one that’s open about age diversity. “It is one thing to say you are accepting of all ages, it is another to specifically seek out older generations as part of your hiring process and give all ages the tools to advance their careers,” she says.

KNOW YOUR STRENGTHS

Bridgeman, like Talton, urges older workers to lean into their strengths. “Our leg up is knowing exactly what those [strengths] are, whether that is working with people, or helping innovate behind the scenes,” says Bridgeman. “Find a role that will highlight these strengths, so that you can succeed in a competitive workforce.” Chip Conley is a great example of this. At 52, the veteran of the hospitality industry found himself being scouted by Brian Chesky, the cofounder and CEO of the nascent Airbnb. “We were able to combine Brian’s impressive design skills and visionary leadership with my know-how and know-who of the hotel industry to turn home sharing from a peripheral to a mainstream part of the hospitality sector,” he writes.

Just don’t forget your personality along the way, says Talton. Intellectual curiosity and intellectual capability are key she says, but “a lot of it is your spirit.”

 

FastCompany.com | May 9, 2019 | BY LYDIA DISHMAN 7 MINUTE READ

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#CareerAdvice : #JobSearch -How to Search for a Job. A Must Read!!

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Whether you’ve never searched for a job before — perhaps you’re a new college graduate — or it’s been so long since you’ve applied to a position that you don’t know where to begin, have no fear, dear job seeker. This guide will take you through every step you need to take to snag your dream job, from how to prepare to the best days to search. Read on for more.

GUIDE OVERVIEW

  1. How to Prepare
  2. What Days You Should Search
  3. What Sites You Should Use
  4. How You Can Use Apps in Your Job Search
  5. How to Organize Your Job Listings
  6. Learn More

How to Prepare

As they say, sometimes the most difficult thing to do is to simply start. When you’re looking for a new job, this statement is true: with thousands of job listings to consider, and what seems like a million items on your job-search to-do list, it can be tough to force yourself to sit down at your computer and get to work. But the good news is, with preparation, you can make your job search so much easier. How can you prepare? Here are a few simple steps.

Ramp up your resume: You’ll want to tweak your resume for each job you apply to, but it is still a good idea to make sure it’s up-to-date and in tip-top shape. Reconnect with yourreferences to make sure they’re still willing to vouch for you, and proofread for errors. Review your resume and ensure all dates, positions and descriptions are accurate.

Practice for an interview: While you can’t prepare for every single interview question you will be asked, you can still brush up on your interviewing skills by practicing your answers to the mostcommon questions asked by recruiters and managers alike. Knowing how you will respond in advance will keep you cool, calm and collected during any future interviews.

Network: Mark industry events on your calendar that you can attend, where you can meet recruiters or industry insiders who can give you the scoop on open positions. Alternatively,join a club or organization you’re passionate about. You never know who you could meet there — or the ways you could help your resume pop — by giving your time to a good cause.

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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What Days You Should Search

You may think that any day is a good day to search for a job. And while that’s mostly true, data shows that there are better days to apply than others. In fact, Tuesday seems to be the best day of the week to send in your resume. (And the same research shows that you could find more success in your job search in the months of February, March, May and June.)

Another important element when it comes to the timing of your job search is tomake sure it doesn’t consume all your time. (If it does, you’ll go crazy —trust us.) So stick to a 72-hour schedule, if possible: prepare on Monday, apply on Tuesday and follow-up on Wednesday.

What Sites You Should Use

Of course, we think Glassdoor is the best place to search for a new job. (The stats don’t lie: Glassdoor helps 67 million people per month in their job search.) But that doesn’t mean Glassdoor is the only site you can use in your job search.

If you’re looking for a flexible work schedule—or even the chance to work from the comfort of your couch five days a week—consider signing up on FlexJobs, a site that only posts job listings for positions that offer flexible or remote work options. (FYI: it’s a paid service.)

Another website you could use in your job search is LinkedIn. After all, it’s not just a place to post your resume; LinkedIn also posts job listings tailored to your field and interests. So, make sure your LinkedIn profile is up-to-date and robust, with projects, videos, or blogs.

Other sites that post job listings include: Indeed, Monster, CareerBuilder and US Jobs.

How You Can Use Apps in Your Job Search

Your phone could be your new best job-search friend: with apps, you can ramp-up your job search, get prepared for an interview, get reminders for follow-ups and so much more.

Did you know Glassdoor has an app? It does! And it’s a great one to use to find jobs. The app pairs millions of open job listings with important information like company reviews, salary estimates, interview questions and more to help prep you for the job hunt.

You’ve got dozens of jobs to apply to, and that’s a lot to organize. We’ll get to the nitty-gritty of organizing your job search soon, but in the meantime, downloadWorkflow, an app that will help you organize your job content and create shortcuts that will save you major time.

Once you’ve scheduled an interview, it’s time to practice your interview skills. If you’re the kind of person who clams up, consider using Orai as a speaking coach. The app will “coach you to add fewer filler words, speak clearly, and at a good pace,” according to its website.

Lastly, don’t forget the value of social media apps in your job search. You shoulduse social media to build a personal brand, which will make you more attractive to a hiring manager. (For example, you can post pictures or summaries of projects you’ve worked on, include a short bio about your skills, or share articles that show you know a lot about the industry.)

How to Organize Your Job Listings

You’re applying to more than one job, and that’s a lot of information to keep organized.

But getting job listings organized is easy-peasy if you follow the advice in these simple tips.

Create a spreadsheet: with a few minutes spent in Excel, you’ll have a way to track all the jobs to which you’re interested in applying. Open a new document, then add cells for:

  • Company Name
  • Contact Details: include the name, email, and phone number of your contact at the company. In most cases, this will be a recruiter or hiring manager.
  • Date Applied
  • Deadlines and Interviews: deadlines for upcoming information the company asks for and scheduled interviews.
  • Date Followed Up: date you followed up after an application submission or interview.
  • Status of Application: whether you’ve been rejected, are waiting to hear back or have an interview scheduled.

Tip: Upload your spreadsheet to Google sheets, and download the coordinating Google app to your phone. This way, you can update your listings on the go, not just when you’re home.

Learn More

 

GlassDoor.com | May 21, 2019 

#CareerAdvice : #Presentations -5 Common #CommunicationMistakes (and how to fix them).. A Great REad for All!

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We have all unnecessarily suffered through disengaging, ineffective presentations and meetings. But most of us make the same mistakes, again and again. By applying these straightforward fixes, we can make our communication experiences more effective and productive.

Below are five fixes for more effective communication.

1. STARTING

The most precious commodity in today’s world is not gold or cryptocurrency, but attention. We are inundated with a tremendous amount of information vying for our focus. Why then would so many people squander away an opportunity to gain attention by starting presentations or meetings with: “Hi, my name is . . . and today I am going to talk about . . . ” This is a lackluster, banal, disengaging way to begin. Not only does it lack originality, it is downright silly since most speakers start this way while standing in front of a slide displaying their name along with the title of their talk.

Rather than commence with a boring and routine start, kick off your presentation like a James Bond movie–with action: You can tell a story, take a poll, ask a provocative question, show a video clip. Starting in this manner captures your audience’s focus and pulls them away from other attention-grabbing ideas, people, or devices. This action-oriented approach works for meetings, too. On your agenda, have the first item be one or two questions to be answered when you start. In this way, participants get engaged from the moment the meeting begins.

 

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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2. ENDING

Research in psychology teaches us that we tend to remember best what we hear first and last rather than what comes in the middle–aka primacy and recency effects. You would expect then that speakers would dedicate more time to how they conclude their talks and meetings. Unfortunately, this just doesn’t happen. The most common concluding lines I hear go something like, “I guess we’re out of time and someone needs our conference room.” This type of ending is a missed opportunity! Take time to plan out and practice how your presentation and meeting will end. Be concise and clear because you don’t have a lot of time. Once you signal you are wrapping up (e.g., “In conclusion”), your audience disengages and begins to focus on what comes next.

A great way to end is to first express gratitude: “Thank you for your time,” or, “I appreciate your attention to this.” And next, simply speak out your communication goal, which should be a concise statement of what you want your audience to know, feel, and do as a result of your content.

3. TRANSITIONING

In college, I was trained for a full academic quarter to be a tour guide of my campus. During my very regimented training, they impressed upon me that above all else good tour guides never lose their tour groups. The very same standard exists for presenters and meeting facilitators. Never lose your audience because if you do, they will likely go to their phones or their friends or to sleep. The weakest link of any tour or presentation comes when moving from one place/portion to the next. It is in transition that your audience is most likely to get lost, distracted, or confused. Thus, you must spend time planning and practicing robust transitions that go beyond “next” and “so.”

In any typical business communication, there are several potential transition points that must be bridged successfully:

  • Moving between points in your talk or meeting
  • Entering and exiting slides
  • Going from presentation into Q&A
  • Switching from one presenter to another

A successful transition includes a concrete wrap-up or takeaway of the immediately prior topic/slide/person and then bridges to the next topic/slide/person. These transitions can be statements (e.g., “With a clear understanding of the current problem, we can now address one way to solve it”) or questions (e.g., “With a problem as substantial as this, how can we best solve it?”).

4. HEDGING

Too many leaders today negatively impact their credibility through their word choice, such as, “I think we should kind of sort of enter this new market.” Hedges are these phrases that litter much of our communication. Repeated use of hedging language reduces perceptions of your competence because it softens your assertiveness, reduces your clarity, and makes you seem wishy-washy and unsure of what you are saying.

The best way to address hedging is via substitution. Find stronger, more powerful words to replace these less assertive ones. For example, “I think” becomes “I believe” or “I know.” “Kind of” and “sort of” can be replaced with “one way.” Finding more assertive substitutions affords you a way to make your point more clearly and definitively. However, before you can substitute, you must first become aware of your hedging language. Thankfully, apps such as Orai, LikeSo, Ummo, Ambit, and VoiceVibes can provide useful, personalized feedback on your language use, along with pacing, pauses, variation, and tone.

5. MEMORIZING

We all fear standing in front of a group in the middle of a high-stakes presentation and forgetting what to say next. Many people try to address this ubiquitous fear by memorizing their content. Unfortunately, memorizing often increases the likelihood of blanking out. How do you escape this fate? Simply put: Avoid memorizing.

Here’s why: If you commit your script to memory, you create the “right” way to speak your content. This approach only increases the pressure you feel because you want to say things exactly the way you previously memorized. This pressure increases the likelihood that you will make a mistake due to the increase in cognitive load. Further, this added mental demand reduces the bandwidth you have to adjust and adapt to your audience. Thus, speaking to your audience “through” your script causes you to be less connected and engaging.

But if you aren’t supposed to memorize your presentation, how can you be sure your content won’t be forgotten or come out as a rambling, unorganized mess? The key to not blanking out and remaining connected and engaging is to create a comprehensive outline that is based on a clearly structured presentation. A structure provides a map for both you and your audience. With a map in hand, it’s hard to get lost. First, take the time to thoughtfully apply an audience-centric structure. Second, document it in an outline format. At least three types of outlines can help you:

  • Traditional outline: Leverage an indented, hierarchical listing of your points. Provide key phrases or words.
  • Question-based outline: List questions that spark specific answers in the order you intend to cover your content.
  • Illustrated/picture-based outline: Graphically map out your ideas using icons, pictures, and words.

Finally, practice your presentation from your outline and allow yourself permission to vary how you speak your content; your wording need not be exactly the same each time. Outlines afford you the opportunity to adjust and adapt your content based on how you feel and how the audience responds. This flexibility reduces the likelihood of blanking out when compared to the more rigid memorizing approach.

 

FastCompany.com | BY MATT ABRAHAMS  5 MINUTE READ

 

#BestofFSCBlog : #InterviewingQuestions -How to Answer: What Are Your Strengths and Weaknesses? Bonus: Complete List of Other Questions Asked! A Must Read!

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Job interviews can get surprisingly intimate. You’ve only met the interviewer 10 minutes ago, and all of a sudden they’re hitting you with a very deep set of questions: What are your greatest strengths? What are your weaknesses? These questions can take enormous powers of self-reflection to give an honest answer to. Rather than making your interviewer sit silently while you parse out what your greatest weakness is and how it’s impacted your career, it’s better to think of answers to these types of questions beforehand.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to identify your strengths and weaknesses, how to frame them in a clear, compelling narrative and what common pitfalls to avoid. You may even learn some new things about yourself along the way!

GUIDE OVERVIEW

  1. What Is the “Strengths and Weaknesses” Question?
  2. Determining Your Strengths
  3. Determining Your Weaknesses
  4. How to Weave a Story
  5. What to Avoid
  6. Learn More!

What Is the “Strengths and Weaknesses” Question?

You’ll almost always hear these questions in one form or another during a job interview.

Employers want to hear in your own words why you’re a good fit for the job and for the company. They might want to assess what potential issues there could be, too. It’s a chance for them to assess your capacity to be self-reflective.

Whether the question you’re asked is “what attributes will make you shine in this role?” or “what areas of your approach to work are you looking to improve?”, taking a hard look at your strengths and weaknesses — and learning how to communicate them effectively in a professional setting — will be invaluable for your next interview.

 

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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Determining Your Strengths

Generally, you’ll focus on your soft skills as strengths — there are other ways for interviewers and recruiters to glean hard skills, whether it’s through take-home assignments, a coding interview or examples of your past work. But with soft skills, you have to tell them the story.

“Don’t feel that your response needs to match what you said your manager and colleagues think of you,” said Sharlyn Lauby, president of consulting firm ITM Group Inc and founder of HR Bartender, to Glassdoor. “It’s perfectly natural to say, ‘One skill I haven’t been able to use much in my current role is [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”][insert skill]. I hope to use it more in the role we’re discussing.’”

Here are some examples of strengths. Which ones do you identify with? Can you think of more that have helped you shine in your career?

  • Good communicator
  • Team player
  • Time management abilities
  • Conflict resolution
  • Ability to perform under pressure

Depending on the job, you might also choose to include hard skills in your strengths, citing your ability to code in a variety of languages, your knowledge of a foreign language or your experience as a copy editor as examples of why you would be a strong candidate for the job.

Determining Your Weaknesses

Determining our strengths is generally easier; it’s fun to reflect on and celebrate our successes. But what about the areas where we struggle? Do you ever set aside the time to take a look in the mirror to see where you are letting others — and yourself — down, and how you can improve?

“Employers expect candidates to have weaknesses… so you are better served by answering the question frankly.  A candid answer will show your prospective employer your growth-mindset and will demonstrate a sense of self-awareness and honesty,” writes Jeevan Balani, Founder and CEO of Rocket Interview and frequent Glassdoor contributor.

Here are some examples of common career weaknesses. Can you identify with any of them? If so, what have you done to improve these weaknesses?

  • Wanting to control too many aspects of a situation
  • Procrastination
  • Inability to self-regulate, leading to burnout
  • Disorganized
  • Impatient

Again, you might choose to highlight some hard skills that are a weakness for you too, for example not being good with math, not being versed in a particular type of software or having trouble spelling — but only if it’s non-essential to the role.

How to Weave a Story

Now that you’ve got a solid list of your strengths and weaknesses, is it enough just to list them out when you’re asked during a job interview? Absolutely not! Backing up each strength or weakness with a relevant anecdote is critical to giving the interviewer the full picture of why you excel in one area, or what areas you’re working to get better in.

As an exercise to prepare, for every strength on your list, write down a story that showcases how you effectively used that strength to accomplish something in your career. For every weakness, write down a story about how that weakness had (or could have had) a negative repercussion in your career — then write what you learned from it, and what you’re actively doing to improve it.

Especially when answering about your weaknesses, framing is critical. You don’t want to make it seem like your flaws are immutable, or worse, incriminate yourself. You also don’t want to turn your weakness into a humblebrag, like “it’s hard for others to keep up with me because I think so fast.” So striking a reflective tone is key, which you can do by highlighting what you have learned about your weakness, and what you are doing to improve it.

On a more general note, try to match your strengths to the job description. It’s great if you’re a pro at skill X, but the job requires skills A, B and C, then your expertise in skill X might not be relevant. Similarly, keep the job description in mind when you share your weaknesses. If you’re applying for a job in copy editing, it’s probably not a good idea to say that your weakness is spelling.

Also, research on the company’s culture can help you decide which strengths and weaknesses to highlight, and how. If the company is known to be fast-paced and dynamic, you might want to highlight your strength in juggling many projects at once or your ability to pivot quickly to new tasks. But also be honest — if you find during your research that the company culture doesn’t seem like a good fit for you, then you might want to take a step back and reconsider, rather than trying to squeeze yourself into a mold that doesn’t quite fit.

Here are some example anecdotes for the strengths and weakness we defined above:

Strengths

  • I work well in teams. When my division reorganized and I was put on a team with people from different backgrounds and experience levels without a clear hierarchy, there was a lot of friction. I organized regular bonding sessions for our team that helped break down some boundaries in the office. I also took it upon myself to take some of the more cumbersome tasks that others didn’t want to do. When I left, a number of people on the team thanked me for the diplomacy and harmony I fostered in our work environment.
  • I’m good at time management. When I worked as a marketing manager, I had to schedule the release of promotional materials, get materials ready for a launch date and time when to stoke interest in my company’s products before their release. I would make detailed calendars with every step of a campaign before embarking, which included estimating time and making due dates for even the smallest of tasks. It was this ability that led to the success of the XYZ product launch, the most intensive project I worked on while at the company.
  • I perform well under pressure. When I worked as a consultant, I often had to give presentations to high-level executives at the company we were consulting at a day’s notice or less. I had to quickly learn how to speak confidently and fluently about material I had only drawn up the day before. Sometimes I would be interrupted and challenged, and I had to stand my ground, explain myself clearly and keep my cool. I believe that skill will make me a good fit in this role as a spokesperson.

Weaknesses

  • I have a tendency to procrastinate. This really came to a head when I was working on a big project, and overestimated the amount of work I could do at the last second. I ended up narrowly making the deadline, but it caused my team and my manager a lot of stress. After that, I started learning more about time management from my mentors at work, and I’ve started making detailed schedules weeks — and even months — ahead. I’m still working to create accurate timelines that I can easily follow, but I am heartened because I’ve found that it actually puts me at ease to work with a schedule.
  • I can be impatient, and this has caused me to sometimes micromanage my employees. I used to hound employees in advances of deadlines, because I was afraid if I didn’t, they wouldn’t turn in the work on time. I now see it cause a lot of stress for my employees, and I’m working to trust that they will get things in on time. So far, not a single deadline has been missed!
  • I have had a tendency to work until I reach burnout. After a while, I started noticing a pattern in my career that I would work very hard on projects, staying up all night to finish them in advance of deadlines, and making it a goal for myself to be the first one in the office every morning and the last one to leave. Ultimately, this was unsustainable, and after a big project I would often crash, and either become sick and have to miss work, or be lethargic while I was there. I’m now learning how to impose healthy limits on myself and to stick to a doable schedule so that I don’t risk burning out like that again.

What to Avoid

Told right, your answer to this question can inspire the interviewer and give them an intimate picture into how you work. It can help them assess whether your strengths and weakness will make you the right fit for your job, if your disposition will be a good fit with the team you’re working on and if you’ll fit into the company culture as a whole. But there’s a few things you need to keep in mind when delivering your answer, so that it doesn’t come off as bragging, overly humble or other common pitfalls.

  • Don’t brag.
  • Don’t minimize yourself by dwelling on your weaknesses
  • Don’t give examples that are too unrelated to work
  • Don’t ramble
  • Don’t give an example that will set off a red flag in the interviewer’s mind

“HR pros see through the, ‘I’m a perfectionist,’ response,” Lauby says. It’s still possible to keep it positive, though. For example, an answer Lauby gave: “I recently attended a customer service training program and I was reminded of some problem-solving skills that I need to start using again,” will certainly get the job done.

This interview question can be tricky, but don’t stress too much — with proper preparation, you’ve got it in the bag!

Learn More

How to Master the Art of Bragging Like a Pro

How to Answer “What Is Your Greatest Weakness?”

8 Words or Phrases to Avoid When You’re Trying to Project Confidence

How to Answer “Tell Me About Yourself”

The Dos and Don’ts of Showing Passion in an Interview

The Surprising Reason You’re Not Hearing Back After Job Interview

How to Answer the 50 Most Common Interview Questions

Learn More!

 

GlassDoor.com | May 21, 2019 

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#CareerAdvice : #OlderWorkers – #Ageism is Thriving, So what are Companies Doing About It? Welcome your Comments.

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“It’s always difficult to identify reasons why you do or don’t get a job,” says Florence Navarro, the chief empowerment officer of Kichocheo who works with executive teams to attract talented teams. It could be that you’re not as qualified as other candidates, or your enthusiasm didn’t translate during the interview, the employer decided to promote from within, or, says Navarro, you just weren’t a fit for the culture for a number of reasons.

[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”]

Overall, 31% of job seekers aged 55 and older report they have been looking for work for 27 weeks or longer.

One of the jobs Navarro applied for–that she felt uniquely qualified for, given her extensive experience with the UN–she lost out to another younger, male candidate. “I had a series of interviews, and an assessment, I had a good interaction with the team,” she recalls, noting again that it’s hard to know what the reasoning was behind the final decision, but she suspects it was because of her age.

In the social impact sector, she explains, there are a lot of young people who are willing to accept lower levels of pay which ups the competition. And in organizations with very flat structures it can be tough for people at her level to land positions. “It is true for several people I have spoken with,” she says, once they passed the middle and higher level of their careers.

Nearly two out of three workers over the age of 45 have seen or experienced age discrimination on the job, according to the results of a wide-ranging AARP survey done in 2018. Among the 61% of respondents who reported age bias, the vast majority (91%) believe this discrimination is common. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) had similar findings. Their most recent study of age discrimination in hiring analyzed over 40,000 applications for over 13,000 jobs in 12 cities across 11 states in 2015. Age discrimination happens for both men and women, particularly between 64 to 66 years old. They were more frequently denied job interviews than middle-age applicants age 49 to 51. Women in both those age groups were subjected to more age discrimination than older men.

 

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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HOW AGEISM IS HIDDEN

The same could be said for the tech sector, which tends to skew towards a younger workforce. A woman who used to work for one of the largest, most recognizable tech firms spoke to Fast Company on the condition of anonymity. “Reality is there are probably many who don’t know they are victims [/fusion_builder_column][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”][of ageism] because they aren’t even making it to the first interview,” she says.

The other issue is that while age is one of the easiest demographics for companies to track, it’s rarely shared in diversity reports, according to Paradigm’s Midwest managing director Erin Thomas. Paradigm is a diversity and inclusion strategy firm that partners with leading technology startups and Fortune 500 companies.

Thomas points out that age gets overlooked because most companies possess fixed mindsets about the skills and roles of older vs. younger workers. “Generational diversity is rarely reported because the underlying inference is that age data are reflected in the job level data that are often reported (individual contributors, managers, VPs+, C-suite, etc.),” Thomas says.

While many mature organizations possess a “pay your dues” mentality with timed career progressions where it can be nearly impossible for younger employees to accelerate, she says young companies–like many in tech–have a major bias when it comes to older workers.

ANOTHER WAY TO THINK ABOUT INCLUSIVE CULTURE

“Boomers are 60% less likely and gen Xers are 33% less likely to be hired compared to their representation in the workforce,” says Thomas. In turn, she says, “this generational blindspot has become reinforced and grown because older workers haven’t been given opportunities to defy negative assumptions about what they’re able to do.”

Tech companies with older workers usually have them in more senior management roles. Among those who are reporting the age of their workforce are Indiegogo and Hubspot. Neither company has many older workers in individual contributor roles.

The average age of Indiegogo‘s whole company is 32, for instance. However, a company spokesperson says that team leaders on average are 43.5 and the average age of the executive team is 46. She says that there are some not at those higher levels. “We’re pleased to have three employees over the age of 40 in non-management roles and continuing to hire a more diverse workplace is a top priority for us.”

Julia Kanouse, the CEO of the Illinois Technology Association says that inclusion is key to making older workers feel like they belong at lower level jobs in tech companies. She knows of a company who is a member of ITA has a workforce that is 80% millennials. Kanouse says a recent hire–a woman in her late-forties with children, felt extremely unwelcome at the organization. “Although she may not be who you think of as an “older” worker, she felt out of place and had trouble connecting with the company culture,” says Kanouse. She was ashamed to talk about her kids and was uncomfortable putting pictures of them up in her workspace. The social events, the language used in the office, the informal water cooler talk all contributed to her sense of not belonging, and she left the organization within six months, Kanouse says.

“A company’s culture needs to be welcoming to people of all ages and stages of life, regardless of the company’s demographics,” says Kanouse. “Whether old for your culture is 45 or 75, the key benefit of integrating an older worker is the life experience they bring.” She says that companies looking to hire older workers need to be prepared to adjust how they think about getting work done. “Whether they have children at home, aging parents or just can no longer put in a 14-hour day,” she says, “and provide the kinds of benefits that are going to attract and, in the long run, retain your target workforce.”

Aubrey Blanche, global head of diversity and belonging at Atlassian says that in addition to fostering a culture that makes it safe to talk about the impact of ageism, they emphasize growth journeys and not just career paths. “This means the focus is less on advancing up the ladder (although that’s an option) and more about what skills and experiences you’re gaining from your role,” she says. Blanche contends that this creates much more flexibility for people in all age groups, but can be especially helpful in combating the idea that you have to be older or more experienced than someone working at a higher level. “This has ultimately allowed us to improve the representation of teammates over 40 from 12% to 18.7% over the last three years,” she points out.

At Hubspot, 21% of the staff are between the ages of 16-25 and the majority 64% are between 26-35. Only 3% are over age 46 yet they hold 50% of top executive roles. One percent of those over 46 are individual contributors. According to Katie Burke, HubSpot’s chief people officer, the company launched a Returners Program in Dublin over the past 18 months, “specifically to welcome experienced professionals back to the workforce after a break for child or elder care.” Burke says they also significantly increased the paid family leave policy globally.

Burke says Hubspot doesn’t disclose the ages of the people in the Returners program, but the average time out of the workforce ranged from 2 to 12 years. “Our goal this year is to have 10-12 total participants,” she says, and they are exploring similar options in both North America and the Asia Pacific region.

Carin Taylor, chief diversity officer at Workday, says the company also implemented a returnship program in September 2018. “During this four-month paid program, we saw experienced professionals get the training, support, and mentorship needed to relaunch their careers,” she says, adding that the cohort was made up of people who had been out of the corporate workforce from 2 to 16 years.

Although she acknowledges that it can be intimidating for older workers to jump back in, Taylor believes they can bring a lot to Workday. “The skills they’ve garnered during their time away include everything from complex problem-solving to the ability to adapt quickly, to strong interpersonal and communication skills,” she says. Returnship participants can have a higher level of engagement and loyalty to their employers. “Our first cohort of participants resulted in a 90% conversion to full-time hires.”

The EEOC report finds that most workers today are expected to have 11 different jobs in the modern, dynamic economy. That’s why Taylor emphasizes the need for age not to be a factor in hiring. “Assuming that everyone needs to have a traditional career path are days of the past,” she says, “and employers are beginning to realize that skills are acquired in many different ways.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lydia Dishman is a reporter writing about the intersection of tech, leadership, and innovation. She is a regular contributor to Fast Company and has written for CBS Moneywatch, Fortune, The Guardian, Popular Science, and the New York Times, among others.

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FastCompany.com | April 3, 2019

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#Leadership : #ProductivePeople -The 25 Best New #ProductivityApps for 2019…Great/Fun REad!

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You might think that by now, people would have productivity software all figured out. Yet every year, dozens of enterprising software makers–both large and small–find more clever ways to get things done, either with entirely new apps or major improvements to the classics.

Here are some of the most essential productivity apps we’ve found lately for phones, tablets, computers, and even your smartwatch.

Noto puts notes where you’re sure to see them—in your inbox.

TIME SAVERS

Email yourself. Sometimes there’s no better reminder system than your inbox. With Noto, you can quickly email yourself by jotting down a note and swiping, or by using iOS’s share sheet to send notes from third-party apps. It’s great for sending links, tweets, map locations, or anything else you might need to recall later. [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”][iOS]

Schedule faster. No one really likes the typical back-and-forth email ritual for scheduling calendar events. Woven can help you break the cycle by letting you suggest times that invitees can then choose from through a web link. It’s even better when all involved parties use Woven, as it can suggest times that work for everyone. And unlike some other scheduling tools, Woven has dedicated apps. [iOS, Mac, Windows, web]

With Google Keep for Apple Watch, the work of two tech giants combines into a sweet note-taking solution.

Notes from your wrist. Google Keep remains one of the simplest and best note-taking apps around. The recently launched Google Keep for Apple Watch takes the app’s efficiency a step further. Just Force Touch on your notes list to quickly add a note by voice or handwriting. [Apple Watch]

Communicate quicker. Speaking of the Apple Watch, using Apple’s Walkie Talkie app can be a great alternative to phone calls and text messages when you need to talk with a teammate. Just add contacts to your Walkie Talkie list through the app and make sure they approve the request, and you’ll be able to communicate with one tap. [Apple Watch]

Your phone, on your PC. For Windows users, Microsoft’s Your Phoneapp is a simple way to read or respond to text messages or grab photos from an Android phone. Later this year, you’ll be able to run Android apps from select phones within Windows as well. [Windows]

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EMAIL ENHANCERS

Add chats to your emails. Readdle’s email app Spark has been around for years, but recently added a neat chat feature that helps teams collaborate on their emails. The app also added some new features such as templates, Siri Shortcuts, and dark mode. An Android version just arriving as well. [iOS, Mac]

Turn your emails into chats. If you need some motivation to answer your emails, Spike (not to be confused with Spark) can help by mimicking the breezy feel of a messaging app. Individual emails take on the look of chat bubbles, and you can easily add emoji and even include read receipts. Best of all, its Windows app feels lightweight compared to Gmail. [iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, web]

Leave Me Alone helps you reclaim your inbox from marketing spam.

No more junk. Although it’s not the first service that promises to unsubscribe you from junk emails, Leave Me Alone doesn’t sell your email data to marketers as some other unsubscribe services do. Instead, it scans the past three days of emails for possible spam at no charge, and can scan back further for a one-time fee. Once it’s identified the junk, you can remove yourself from each mailing list with one click. [web]

Press pause on new emails. We all aspire to be that person who only checks email at certain times of the day. Boomerang can force that behavior with its Inbox Pause feature that keeps email out of your inbox for a block of time, while also allowing exceptions for certain senders, domains, or keywords. It’s one of many recently added features for the long-running email management service, which may explain why one of Boomerang’s earlier creations, The Email Game, had to die this year. [iOS, web]

With CircleUp, it’s easier to make sure that meetings turn into action.

Follow-ups for the scatterbrained. If you schedule lots of meetings but aren’t so good at follow-up, CircleUp can help you keep on top of them. The $5 per month service (not to be confused with the financial tech startup of the same name) scans your calendar for external meetings, then emails you afterward with a reminder. You can then send a canned or personal “thank-you” note with a couple clicks. [web]

If your Android phone is pelting you with too many notifications, you need Daywise.

CONCENTRATION BOOSTERS

A traffic cop for notifications. Too tempted to look at your phone’s notifications? Daywise, an Android app backed by Duke University, can bundle them up and deliver them at scheduled times so you won’t be bothered at work, during dinner, or before bed. You can also let certain apps and contacts through the filter, but choose wisely. [Android]

Limit your screen time. While Apple released a set of tools for managing screen time and limiting app use in iOS 12, Android’s comparable Digital Wellbeing feature remains in beta and is for Pixel phones only. For everyone else, there’s Action Dash, which provides a similar insights for a much broader range of Android devices. [Android]

MultiTimer offers a bevy of ways to keep track of time, including the Pomodoro Method (try it!).

Pomodoro Plus. For those who like to work against the clock, MultiTimer lets you set up a series of deeply customizable timers on a single screen. You can add timers that count up, timers that count down, Pomodoro Method timers with customizable break times, timers with counters, and more. A $6 Pro version adds even more features, such as multiple boards for different activities and custom commands that control multiple timers at once. [iOS]

IMAGE IMPROVERS

No trace but the face. You needn’t be a Photoshop whiz to remove the background from photos. Instead, you can use Remove.bg, which uses machine learning techniques to extract the foreground image automatically. It’s free for images with resolutions up to a quarter-megapixel–good enough for your Twitter or Facebook profile–and offers various pricing plans for high-definition edits. [Web]

Make big photos small. Google’s fancy image compression algorithms are now available to anyone, thanks to its free Squooshweb app. Select an image from your computer, then use the quality slider to decide how compressed you want to get. Squoosh tells you how much space the smaller image will save, and provides a helpful side-by-side comparison with the original. [web]

No more photo clutter. For iPhone users whose photo libraries are littered with near-duplicates, Gemini Photos can clean them up. The app identifies batches of similar photos, then suggests the best of the bunch so you can quickly eliminate the rest. It’s free to try for three days, and costs $3 per month, $12 per year, or $15 for life after that. If only Google Photos had something similar. [iOS]

Darkroom offers power tools for iOS photo mavens.

Don’t call it Lightroom. Speaking of iOS photos, Darkroom goes much deeper than Apple’s built-in image editor, with features like batch editing, custom filters, and frames that automatically match your images’ colors. Version 4.0 added iPad support (with keyboard shortcuts), new gestures (such as two-finger tap to undo), and integration with Moment, a popular pro camera app. [iOS]

Draw with confidence. Need to create some slick imagery from scratch? Sketches provides a variety of realistic brushes–with support for Apple’s Pencil–along with ruler tools for drawing lines, circles, arcs, and other shapes. The iOS app has been around for years, but version 20 adds a “zen mode” that removes UI elements so you can concentrate on drawing, plus several new drawing tools. The basic app is free, and the $6 Pro upgrade adds extra brushes and layer support. [iOS]

AUDIOVISUAL UPGRADES

Easier editing. For time-strapped podcasters, Descript transcribes speech to text, then lets you trim down the audio by deleting words and sentences. Version 2.0 added support for video editing, so YouTubers can get on board as well. [Mac, Windows]

No more noise. Screaming baby interrupting your work-from-home conference call? Krisp can remove the whines–and other types of background noise–in more than 150 calling apps, including Skype for Business, Zoom, WebEx, and Slack. Noise cancelling happens on your computer, rather than on some faraway server, and can apply to either the caller or the recipient. [Mac, Windows coming soon]

Skype’s new background blur lets you dial into video conferences without revealing that your home office is a pigpen.

Office mess begone. If you haven’t used Skype lately, the recent addition of background blur could make it worth picking for your next video call. Just click the camera button, then toggle “Blur my background” to obscure the messy office behind you. The feature is currently available for Skype’s desktop software. [Windows, Mac]

EXTRA MOTIVATION

Learn to write. More than just a writing app, Blurt is a Swiss army knife of tools for more efficient and effective writing. The app includes timers and target word counts to get you on track, and can even blur what you’ve already written so you can focus on getting more thoughts on the page. Afterwards, Blurt provides a prose editor that calls out cliches, excess adverbs, and run-on sentences. It’s currently $5 per month with a 15-day trial. [web]

Paper planner replacement. Daily to-do apps abound in the iOS App Store, but Capsicum stands out as an intriguing throwback to physical planners. A compact agenda page lets you glance at calendar events and to-do list items, while also leaving space for your own freeform notes. There’s also a “loose leaf” section for tracking more ambitious goals. It’s free to try for 14 days, and costs $2 per month or $20 per year after that. [iOS]

Build some momentum. The venerable habit tracking app Streakshas added some significant new features in version 4.0, including an iPad version and support for Siri shortcuts. The latter means logging your daily work, fitness, and self-improvement goals is just a voice command away. [iOS]

Pressure by percentages. When other productivity tools won’t cut it, Progress Bar OSX lets you see what percentage of your current day, month, year, and (presumably estimated) life remains, all from your Mac’s menu bar. Because nothing motivates quite like a reminder of your finite time on earth. [Mac]

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jared Newman covers apps and technology for Fast Company from his remote outpost in Cincinnati. He also writes for PCWorld and TechHive, and previously wrote for Time.com

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FastCompany.com | April 2, 2019

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#BestofFSCBlog : #JobSearch -Salary Negotiation Scripts For Any Job. Recruiter: What’s your Current Salary? Be Careful How you Answer.

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Ask any job seeker or employee about salary negotiations and one of the most popular responses is, “I would negotiate but I don’t know what to say.” Having the right words to say, or write, during a salary negotiation is vital. Communication can make or break discussions and impact your confidence to get paid fairly.

Always remember, your talent is precious, and you deserve to be compensated for it. Learning to foster conversations about compensation is a vital skill that yields rewards.

First things first, determine your current worth in the job market. Use Know Your Worth to receive a custom salary estimate based on your title, company, location and experience.  Once you have the information, it’s time to advocate for yourself.

Josh Doody, author of Fearless Salary Negotiation,  knows how challenging it can be to learn to financially advocate for oneself. He  took his first job without negotiating his salary.  Once he got hip to the dance, he doubled that salary.

We teamed with Doody to equip job seekers and employees with exactly how to tackle tricky salary negotiation conversations.

Situation #1: Prying During the Prescreen

How should you respond when you’re asked about salary right off the bat? You want to demonstrate that you’re enthusiastic and cooperative, but you don’t want to tip your hand. Doody explains: “It’s a salary negotiation tactic disguised as a gatekeeper-type interview question.”   

Suggested Script:

Recruiter: What’s your current salary?

You: “I’m not really comfortable sharing that information. I would prefer to focus on the value I can add to this company and not what I’m paid at my current job.”

If the interview team doesn’t know your salary, they can’t use it as their starting point. Doody writes, “that’s probably going to mean a higher initial offer for you.”

Recruiter: What’s your expected salary?

You: “I want this move to be a big step forward for me in terms of both responsibility and compensation.”

Doody points out, “sharing your current salary or your expected salary is not in your best interest. . . They’re interviewing you because you’re a qualified candidate, and they need a qualified candidate. . . They would also like to get a good deal. . They’re not going to stop interviewing you just because you don’t make it easier for them to get a good deal on you.”

If they pass because you won’t acquiesce, that’s a red flag. Doody says, “then they’re extremely motivated to get a bargain…That’s bad news for you even if you get the job.”

One last thing, resist the temptation to tell a white lie when asked for your salary during the prescreening process. If you underestimate what they’re willing to pay, you’re leaving money on the table. If the real answer is that they would compensate someone like you up to $75,000 dollars, and you guess they would pay a salary of only $65,000, you very literally may have just cost yourself $10,000.

If you overestimate and tell them your salary expectation is $85,000, you may set off red flags that cause them to rethink the interview process altogether. This is pretty rare, but you could disqualify yourself by being “too expensive” for them. If your expected salary is well above their budgeted pay range, they may just move on to other candidates with lower salary expectations.

The bottom line is you probably aren’t going to guess what their salary structure looks like, and if you try to guess you may cost yourself a lot of money.

How to Negotiate Your Salary

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Situation #2: Savvy Counter Offering

After you’ve secured an offer, Doody recommends using this formula:

“The counter offer calculator accounts for four factors—the base salary of your job offer, your minimum acceptable salary (“walk away” number), how badly the company needs you to accept the job offer, and how badly you need the job.”

Use “firm and neutral” language like this:

Suggested Script:

“Tom offered $50,000 and I would be more comfortable if we could settle on $56,000. I feel that amount reflects the importance and expectations of the position for ACME Corp’s business, and my qualifications and experience as they relate to this particular position.”

Or, if you had a competing offer:

“Thank you so much for the offer. As I mentioned during my interview process, I am speaking with a couple of other companies. If you’re able to move the pay to [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”][insert your number], I’d be eager to accept.”

Doody explains that email is the perfect medium for this message. This way, the hiring manager can share it in a format that clearly makes your case to each person with whom it’s shared. Your case won’t get the same treatment if it’s restated recollections of a conversation.   

The hiring manager will likely come back with a figure between your base salary and your counteroffer. For Doody, the distance between these figures represents your “salary negotiation window.” He recommends compartmentalizing this window into increments. In the example above, the window is $6,000, so he recommends devising a response for each possible offer.

If, for example, the offer is $55,000 or above, Doody says it’s a taker.  

“If the company comes back with $53,000, then you say ‘If you can do $54,000, I’m on board!’ If they stick with $53,000, then you would say, ‘I understand the best you can do is $53,000 and you can’t come up to $54,000. If you can do $53,000 and offer an extra week of paid vacation each year, then I’m on board.’”

Decide which benefits, like vacation time or flexible working hours, are most important so that you can apply them to bolster the deal. Rank those benefits in your mind and use those in your bargaining. 

  1. Extra vacation time
  2. Work from home
  3. Signing bonus

If they do not accept your second-priority benefit, you move on to your third-priority benefit. Regardless of whether they accept your final response, then you’re finished; don’t get nit-picky or greedy. You have maximized your base salary and maximized your benefits as well.

QUIZ: Is Now The Right Time To Re-Negotiate Your Salary?

Situation #3: Raises & Promotions

Doody explains: “Your primary reason for requesting a raise is that the salary you’re being paid doesn’t reflect your current value to the company. That salary was set some time in the past, so your argument is that you are more valuable now than you were. . . ” You have a fair justification. Now you need the right plan.

Start by mentioning, via email, to your manager that you’d like to discuss compensation in your next private meeting. After that conversation, Doodly advises preparing a strategically constructed, easily sharable salary increase letter.

Suggested Email Script:

“As we discussed, it has been [amount of time] since [“my last significant salary adjustment” OR “since I was hired”], and I would like to revisit my salary now that I’m contributing much more to the company. I’ve been researching salaries for [job title] in [industry] industry, and it looks like the mid-point is around [mid-point from your research]. So I would like to request a raise to [target salary].”

The letter should also highlight your accomplishments and accolades. Doody notes that if your proposal isn’t accepted on the first try, you can work with your manager to create an action plan.

“I would love to work with you to put together a clear action plan and timeline so we can continue this discussion and monitor my progress as I work toward my goal.”

Always remember, your talent is precious, and you deserve to be compensated for it. Learning to foster conversations about compensation is a vital skill that yields rewards.  

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