Conversation is a skill. Heres how to be better at it

Conversation is a skill. Heres how to be better at itConversation is a skill. Heres how to be better at itCeleste Headlee is a journalist, public radio host, and professional opera singer whose TED Talk on conversations has been viewed over 10 million times. She sat down with Heleos Editorial Director, Panio Gianopoulos, to discuss what makes a conversation good, how to connect with friends and strangers alike, and other crucial insights from her new book, We Need to Talk.This conversation has been edited and condensed. To view the full version, click the video below.Panio Conversation is a skill, and one we are actually quite bad at.Celeste Yes, naturally. Knowing how to have a good conversation is notlage information that you can just memorize and then youre done. As a skill, you have to practice it. You dont go to the gym just once. Its the same thing with conversation.We as human beings are not particularly great at listening when were born. Babies come out of the womb knowing ho w to scream, not listen, and it takes quite a while for parents to teach their kids to listen, right? So if youre bad at conversation- and you probably are- at least take comfort in knowing that its okay. Everybody has this problem.Ladders is now on SmartNewsDownload the SmartNews app and add the Ladders channel to read the latest career news and advice wherever you go.Panio I experience it every day because I have eight-year-old twins. One will talk in this ear and one will talk in the other ear about totally unrelated topics, and they wont even pause for each other.One of the things that I thought welches really intriguing in We Need to Talk was conversational narcissism. Maybe I just did it by bringing up the anecdote about my kids, but its when someone talks about something, and your conversation partner immediately brings up something personal or relative to them.Celeste Conversational narcissism is a scary term for something that just happens constantly, and the way that the r esearchers talk about it is a shift response or a support response. Either I can shift the attention to myself, or I can support what it is that youre talking about.Panio What would a shift example be?Celeste If you were to say, I have eight-year-old twins and they talk in my ear all the time, and I would say, God, I know what you mean. My son talks to me - and we start talking about my kid. As opposed to, I have a kid, too. What is that like for you? Im bringing something up, but its in support of what youre saying.Panio Its a more of a back and forth.Celeste Exactly. A conversational narcissist is the one that keeps taking the ball from the game of catch and not ever passing it back.Just listening to somebody is an act of love.Panio Yeah. I had a fear while reading your book Am I doing ansicht things? Do I have these conversational bad habits, and Im just unaware of them? Whats a way that I could find out? Day-to-day, your friends dont give you feedback and say, You know, you ta lk way too much about yourself.Celeste Right. Or they do- when theyre ready to not be friends with you anymore.Theres this great exercise, and its inspired by Pat Wagner, an expert on conversation. Make a list of the five things that people do in a conversation that annoy you the fruchtwein. Maybe interrupt you all the time, maybe only give yes or no answers, whatever they are. Five things that are most annoying to you.Then go to the people closest to you. Do not tell them what the list is. Just say, Okay, how many of these things do I do when Im in conversation with you? You will usually discover that many of the things that annoy you the most when other people do them are things that you are doing.Thats partly because a conversation, at its worst, is a power struggle.Panio What do you mean by that? Someone is trying to dominate the other person?Celeste Exactly. Its part of that conversational narcissism. Its this pull of attention, this tug of war. If youre constantly trying to wi n that tug of war, and someone else is tugging back, thats irritating. But that means that theyre doing what youre doing, and thats probably the most annoying thing you can think of.Panio Youre also a host of a radio show. Did you find that what you learned in professional interviews helped your daily conversations?Celeste Yeah. I started this whole thing to learn how to be a better interviewer. Then I discovered that those exact same skills, the things that worked in the studio, worked just as well with my kid and my spouse and my boss and everybody else in my life. The essential components of what makes a good conversation are basically universal.Panio I dont know if you use this word, but it seems like the implication is authenticity. People can smell it if youre not being sincere. They just check out.Celeste Exactly. Kids know when youre BS-ing them. They arent subtle about it at all - theyll immediately point it out. As adults, we just get better at hiding that weve discovered someone is BS-ing us.Human beings have a BS detector. We know when somebody doesnt actually like us. We know when someones distracted and doesnt want to sit there and talk to us. Look, if you dont want to talk to somebody, just walk away. Excuse yourself and walk away.Panio I like having conversations, but as a pretty introverted guy, I certainly have those moments where Im fried and tired, and Im just like, I cant do this. How do you extricate yourself with tact? Is it enough to say, Im so sorry, Im just really tired. Do you mind if we talk later?Celeste Yeah, absolutely. I do it all the time. I have adult ADD, so Im constantly saying to people, My brain is in a million places. Im having trouble focusing. I want to hear what youre saying, and I cant right now. Give me a rain check, and Ill come back to you when my brain is functioning. I say some version of that pretty much all the time.Or my son will come and tell me about another new video game. Ill be like, Dude, I cant absorb anything youre telling me, but I will sit here and listen if thats what you need from me.Thats one of the things I try to get through in the book - just listening to somebody is an act of love. Thats a gift. We always feel like we need to prove how smart we are, or prove how much we know, and interject what we think and give advice to other people. Sometimes the best thing you can do for that person is just listen to them. You dont actually need to say anything at all. You can just listen.Panio I was really moved when you wrote about your friend. Her father passed away, and she was, of course, devastated. Then you weighed in about your experience losing your father. You thought you were empathizing and being a good friend, but she got really annoyed with you.Celeste She got angry, yeah. She said, You win. Fine.Panio Like, Your pain is worse.Celeste Exactly. For quite a while I kept thinking, Well, she didnt understand. I was just trying to be helpful. I was just trying to say, I kn ow how you feel.But she was right. I was interjecting my story of my own struggle, when it just needed to be about her. She needed me to bear witness to the kind of man her father was. Thats all she needed.If you dont know what to say, its an indication that you need to learn something.Panio I thought you had a really astute insight - you said you were uncomfortable by her feelings or what she was expressing. I think a lot of us are. If a friend comes to us, and theyre really hurt - Celeste You dont know what to say.Panio You dont want to say the wrong thing. You dont want to distract them, because that seems unfeeling. So everyone says, Ill share a moment of vulnerability for me. Ill tell them about when my parent passed away or when something hard happened to me.But if your parent just died and your friend jumps in like, Yeah, my dad died and it sucked, its like, Okay, but that doesnt do anything for me right now. Another persons pain doesnt achieve anything for your emotional st ate.Celeste Exactly, it does not help the other person at all. I felt uncomfortable and didnt know what to say, but she didnt need me to say anything. She just needed me to listen to her.Whats more, the way that our brains work is that sharing that story feels really good to us.Panio Right. When were talking about ourselves, we get a little dopamine kick.Celeste Exactly. Its activating the same pleasure center as sex and heroin and chocolate. We feel really good about it.That gives us an unreal perspective to what just actually happened. Just because we feel good about it doesnt mean the other person did.Panio Situations like those can make or break a friendship. The general advice is go talk to them and tell them how you feel, but should it be just listen or ask a few questions?Celeste Yeah. Theres a PBS documentary about this jazz musician Daryl Davis. In his off time, hes made it his hobby to talk guys into leaving the KKK. Hes a black man. Hes so successful that he almost single -handedly dismantled the KKK in Maryland. When people ask him, How on Earth do you do this? he says, I just listen to them. People just want to be heard. I dont go in there to lecture them. Im not going to tell them what they should or ought to be doing. I just listen to them.Think about that for a moment. There are all these people that we say we cant talk to, I cant talk to her, or whatever, but thats not true. Theres no such thing as somebody you cant talk to.The other thing is that conversation is almost less about what you say than about what you hear. You will not learn a single thing from anything that you say. You already know it. The only way youre going to learn is by listening to another person. In those moments of grief, if you dont know what to say, its because you dont fully understand how theyre feeling and what theyre going through, which means stop talking and listen. Ask questions if you need to. But if you dont know what to say, its an indication that you need to learn something.Panio Thats good. But how do you have conversations with people with which you aggressively disagree?This is a big topic these days, where I feel like the national discourse has almost collapsed. Everyone says you cant talk to anyone. Its all vilification and outrage. Some of it justified, I get it, but looking back, when I was a kid, you could still be friends and neighbors and have a civilized disagreement about some things. That seems to have just disappeared in one generation. Every study says we only get more and more polarized.Trending Introverts are Natural Disruptors- Heres WhyCeleste Youre totally right. Even during the Nixon administration, about a third of Americans said theyd be unhappy if someone from the other political party married into their family. Its now about 80%. By some measure, we are more polarized than we were since the Civil War.Heres the error in logic that I dont understand - what do you think youre giving somebody by listening to them? You say, This persons a racist, so I cant talk to them. What benefit do you think youre giving to them by having a conversation with them? Youre not helping them - its not like youre donating to their cause. But youre doing a lot for yourself because you can actually learn a great deal.We also know from studies of the brain that by hearing diverse opinions, youre helping yourself in ways you cant even notice. Thats what helps you grow and evolve. If you are in your ideological bubble, then youre not growing and evolving, youre just stagnating.We do get this sense from social media that we can tailor our interactions like we tailor our Twitter feed, right?Panio Right. I dont want that in my life, so Im just going to cut it out.I consider questions to be the most powerful tool you have at your disposal.Celeste Exactly. Thats a negative thing in my life, so Im not going to have anything to do with that.Well, youre not helping yourself. Youre not helping them by listening to them, your e not helping yourself by not listening to them. At this point, we have to stop only searching for comfort. Comfortable is not a productive state. Discomfort is the state in which you actually invent and create and innovate and strategize.Panio Right. Dissatisfaction and discomfort underpin all of human achievement.To your point about people being unwilling to talk, I think people often think that if theyre listening, thats a tacit approval. That if you listen, then thats a way of saying, Well, maybe theres some validity to what theyre saying, as opposed to listening itself just being a virtue, without approval built into it.Celeste I think thats one way of articulating it, but I dont think people put that much thought into it. I think they just dont want to do it.Panio I wanted to end with practical strategies that you can implement immediately. Can you give me a couple?Celeste Yeah. I consider questions to be the most powerful tool you have at your disposal. I was at the TED Summi t, and this nuclear scientist from Japan comes up to me and he says, Ive watched your TED Talk a bunch of times, and I still cant figure out how to start a conversation. I said, Well, where are you from in Japan? He goes, Im in Kyoto. I said, Ive never been to Kyoto. Is it crowded like Tokyo? He says, No. Its the place with all the cherry blossoms. I said, But do you have packed apartments, or do people have houses with yards? He starts describing it to me. Five or ten minutes on, I said, Thats how you start a conversation. You ask people questions that they know the answer to, about things they care about.If someone has a Yankees cap on, ask them questions about the Yankees. I dont know anything about the Yankees. Tell me whos great on the team. Or, Tell me why I should not hate the Yankees. Just ask them questions they know the answer to. Then it takes the pressure off of you.People love to talk about themselves. As long as youre asking them questions and allowing them the opportu nity to talk about something they care about, theyre going to feel great, and youre going to feel great because youre learning all kinds of stuff. Questions are magic.Thisarticlewas originally published onHeleo.com.

Building the Engineers Who Will Build the Future

Building the Engineers Who Will Build the Future Building the Engineers Who Will Build the Future Building the Engineers Who Will Build the FutureEducation that inspires. Careers that matter. Ideas that innovate. Advancing these values is the work of the ASME Foundation.As the philanthropic arm of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Foundation rckendeckungsprograms that inspire students of all ages and backgrounds to pursue engineering careers connect young engineers to career-development information and opportunities andadvance innovative solutions to critical global challenges from drawing board to marketplace.At the heart of the ASME Foundation is the simple truth that engineers build the future. Engineers will provide the innovative solutions to meet the worlds most pressing challengesthe bright ideas that make our communities cleaner, heathier, safer, more productive, and more sustainable.The ASME Foundation will soon launch a campaign that seeks to broaden the net work of supporters both within the engineering community and beyond it. Funds raised in connection with the campaign will drive ASMEs programs to inspire moreand more diverseyoung people to explore the wonders of engineering, support young engineers in pursuit of meaningful engineering careers, and nurture brilliant, innovative solutions that will improve quality of life in communities around the world.ASME E-FestsTM and ASME EFxTM Igniting Creativity Among College-Age StudentsASME engages students from kindergarten through college with relevant, exciting programs that inspire a lifelong passion for engineering. At the college level, ASME Engineering FestivalsTMorE-FestsTMand EFxTMevents invite students to discover engineering challenges and rewards first-hand.E-Fests are outreach events where college-age students participate in challenging design competitions, skill-building workshops, and networking opportunities with professional engineers and mentors. Students engage in a jam-pa cked, three-day interdisciplinary engineering experience where teams compete in categories like Human Powered Vehicles, Robotics, 3D Printing, and even Oral Presentation skills.Said one participant, The competitions enhance our skills and push us to put our knowledge to maximum utility. It is a great platform to meet new people with different mindsets. Its a room full of broad and bold ideas. It was an amazing experience to make new friends and build on teamwork.Many E-Fest participants find inspiration in the keynote speeches by professional engineers and the lightning talks by industry pioneers. When one executive described his companys aspiration to be the DHL for Moon Deliveries, E-Fest attendees were enthralledafter hearing that simple elevator pitch about a lunar delivery service, some are now considering careers in space-based robotics. E-Fests ignite the imagination.Throughout 2018-2019, more than 5,000 studentshave participated in an E-Fest, or one of the locally-produced E Fx versions of the program. ASME currently runs four E-Fests annually, two in the U.S., one in India, and one in South America, with ambitious plans to grow that number and the number of students who participate. And ASME continues to receive a flood of applications to host one of these events from universities in many different countries.In the accompanying photo, a student team celebrates its victory in the Human-Powered Vehicle Endurance Race at the recent E-Fest in India at Vellore Institute of Technology. The picture says it all E-Fests are emotional, exhilarating experiences for the students who participate. E-Fests encourage teamwork and engender learning on many levels, and the experience inspires young people to pursue engineering careers.ASMEs philanthropic programs are an important way for the Society to expand its reach, its impact, and its contribution to the world. Through these initiatives, ASME is nurturing and supporting the dream-makers of tomorrow.Donate now and h elp build the engineering workforce of the future.Learn more about ASME Engineering FestivalsTM and how to participate.

Free Professional Pest Control Resume Templates

Free Professional Pest Control Resume TemplatesFree Professional Pest Control Resume TemplatesOur professional resume makes things simple for everyone involved You get a tidy format and employers enjoy an easy-to-read resume. Spend some time to study the sample examples to see how you can implement these ideas on your own resume.Create ResumeProfessional Pest Control ResumeCustomize ResumeIndustry SnippetsWhich skills should you include? How about accomplishments? The professional pest control resume template will give you insight into making your own resume masterpiece. Creative Resume Pros and ConsThe style overall is made to meet the needs of applicants who seek to showcase their talents and achievements in a, simply put, professional way. See for yourself if this is the right style for you.Pros Organized, simple layout allows hiring managers to read your resume quicklyPros Timeless style allows you to save and add to it as your work experience buildsCons If you have gaps in your employment, they will be clear as day to your readersCons You miss an opportunity to demonstrate your creative sideResume TextROGERHALE123 Street,City, ST, 12345 H (123) 456-7890 C (123) 456-7890 emailisp.comProfessional SummarySeasoned Pest Control Technician with 15 years of experience and expertise in integrated pest management. Successful in eradicating and initiating pest control measures to eliminate and reduce pests infesting residential and commercial properties. Accomplished in fostering relationships with customers and clients to cooperatively achieve pest management goals while providing education on control techniques.Skill HighlightsIntegrated Pest ManagementPersonal Protective EquipmentSite Inspection and Pest IdentificationResidential and Commercial TreatmentCustomer ServiceBusiness DevelopmentProfessional ExperiencePest Control Technician7/1/2013 ? CurrentBugKillers, Inc. ? Hollywood, FLInspect residential and commercial sites to diagnose needs and determine pest co ntrol service needs.Apply pesticides to commercial structures according to schedules, safety procedures, regulations, and pesticide label instructions.Spray, fog, bait, and set traps to control pests and weeds in and around commercial buildings.Use personal protective gear during applications and educate customers and clients on safety protocols.Outside Service Technician3/1/2007 ? 6/1/2013Orkin ? Fort Lauderdale, FLProvided service to residential and commercial customers to ensure eradication of pests while delivering top-tier customer service.Performed onsite inspections and investigations to diagnose and correct pest problems gather information from service calls and customer interviews to assess service needs communicated initial scope of service and regularly update customers on service status.Sold and upsold services to new and existing customers to develop customer base.Pest Control Technician5/1/2000 ? 2/1/2007Katz Pest Solutions ? Kissimmee, FLAssessed customer properties t o identify pests and formulate plans to treat and eradicate pests recommended actions to prevent future pest control issues.Foster strong relationships with customers to build customer base and grow business.Maintained constant communication with district office, managed inventory, and completed requisiteur documentation.Complied with OSHA and material label policies and procedures.Education and TrainingIntegrated Pest Management TrainingPurdue University Distance LearningCoursework Introduction and Advanced Urban and Industrial IPM, Termites and Other Wood-Destroying Pests IPM, IPM in Public Buildings and Landscapes, Invasive Borers IPM, and Bugs Be Gone Pest Control in Homes and Other BuildingsLicensed Pest Control OperatorProfessional Affiliations Florida Pest Management Association

Summer Internships at Deloitte

Summer Internships at DeloitteSummer Internships at DeloitteAre you seeking a career that requires you to continually learn new knowledge andtechniques? Do you want a career that is constantly providing new challenges and varying roles? Then a career in the consulting industry, with a company like Deloitte, may be just the right opportunityfor you. Get started with a paid internship at Deloitte. About Deloitte Deloitte is one of the top consulting firms in the world. Deloitte consistently ranks at the top of Fortunes annual 100 Best Companies to Work For, Bloomberg BusinessWeeks Best Places to Launch a Career, and Consulting Magazines Best Firms to Work For.Deloitte also earned a spot among Vaults Top 10 Internships for Consulting for 2013 and 2014. Others in this category include McKinsey Company, Bain Company, the Boston Consulting Group, Booz Company, Pricewaterhouse Coopers, and Oliver Wyman. Deloitte employs more than 60,000 practitioners specialists worldwide and serves clients in over 100 countries with annual revenues of $10 billion. Deloitte also provided almost $10 million in pro bono services for more than 400 nicht gewinnorientiert organizations in 2012. Deloitte serves over 80% of Fortune 500 companies and is ranked 6 on Vaults Consulting list.Deloitte also employs more than 500 interns annually in offices across the United States. Some of the industry segments that they serve include Consumer Industrial Products, Life Sciences Health Care, Public Sector Technology, Energy and Resources, Financial Services, and Media Telecommunications. Summer Internships Summer AssociateInterns at Deloitte average $7,958 per month in income, with a range of $3,850 to $12,000. Internshipswith Deloitte can take several forms. Summer internships last from eight to ten weeks. During the school year, internships generally continue through the entire semester. As an intern, youll work as parte of a client service team in one of Deloittes businesses units, which include Deloitte Touche LLP(Audit and Enterprise Risk Services), Deloitte Consulting LLP, Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP, and Deloitte Tax LLP. Several factors are taken into consideration when determining which intern to accept from a pool of candidates down to the top 10 best. unterstellung criteria include mentorship availability, intern capacity for learning, career advancement opportunities, compensation, perks, industry clout and work culture. The interview cycle is basically a two-step process. The first step is a 30-minute case interview and the second is primarily a first interview with a senior member of the office. Benefits Advanced learning opportunitiesKey leadership rolesTalent development opportunitiesGenerous salary Internship Example Summer Associate, Strategy Operations, Manufacturing Operations, Consulting-ASU As a Summer Associate,Intern responsibilities include establishing analytical frameworks and conducting complex business analyses, conducting external research and data gathering, developing effective relationships with clients, working with clients to help them achieve the benefits of services, and adding to the service lines knowledge base from interns project experience. Interns work side by side with highly skilled consultants where they will learn and enhance their skills as a consulting professional. Interns are also encouraged to take as much responsibility as they are comfortable with, and are expected to deliver professional level results to their clients. As an interns skills grow, they are also expected to mentor people more junior to themselves as part of their professional development. Interns will receive periodic, intense formal training and professional counseling to complement their academic and project team-based learning. LocationsSan Francisco, CA Atlanta, GA Chicago, IL Boston, MA Detroit, MI, New York, NY Cleveland, OH Requirements Graduation from an MBA program specialized in Supply Chai n discipline(s)Between 2-4 years of supply chain consulting and/or relevant industry experienceExperience in one or more of the followingsupply chain strategy/planningsourcing procurementproduct developmentlogistics distributionAbility to work independently and manage multiple task assignmentsStrong oral and written communication skills, including presentation skills (MS Visio, MS PowerPoint)Strong problem solving and troubleshooting skills with the ability to exercise mature judgment Solid history of superior personal achievement in school and workDriven to achieve goals and objectivesStrong analytical skills (MS Excel and MS Access)Leadership and team-building abilitiesWillingness to travel frequently (required) How to Apply Set up an online account at the Deloitte site and submit a resume and cover letter letting Deloitte know why you feel you are the most qualified for this position. Check out Deloittes website for internship opportunities for undergraduates. Deloitte also offers career opportunities to somethose who wish to telecommute.

Heres how getting fit can help your career

Heres how getting fit can help your careerHeres how getting fit can help your careerIts 500 am and folks like Tim Cook, Jack Dorsey and Howard Schultz are up and at it. They are all either lifting weights, running, bike riding, or shooting hoops before they start their busy days.close fragegesprch Advertisementclose dialog/* effects for .bx-campaign-1012257 *//* custom css .bx-campaign-1012257 */.bx-custom.bx-campaign-1012257.bx-type-agilityzone .bx-close z-index 2-ms-keyframes bx-anim-1012257-spin from -ms-transform rotate(0deg) to -ms-transform rotate(360deg) -moz-keyframes bx-anim-1012257-spin from -moz-transform rotate(0deg) to -moz-transform rotate(360deg) -webkit-keyframes bx-anim-1012257-spin from -webkit-transform rotate(0deg) to -webkit-transform rotate(360deg) keyframes bx-anim-1012257-spin from tran sform rotate(0deg) to transform rotate(360deg) bx-close-inside-1012257 top 0 right 0 /* KD - Remove padding from video wrapper and set height to 100% */.bx-custom.bx-campaign-1012257 .bx-row-video .bx-video-wrapper padding-top 0important height 100%.bx-custombx-campaign-1012257 bx-creative-1012257 .bx-wrap height auto/* KD - Change positioning to static as that was not necesaary and here you can adjust the height of the video element */.bx-custom.bx-campaign-1012257 .bx-row-video .bx-video-wrapper video position static/* rendered styles .bx-campaign-1012257 */.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257.bx-active-step-1 .bx-creative *first-child width 100%.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257.bx-active-step-1 .bx-creative background-color transparentborder-style nonemax-width 900px.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257.bx-active-step-1 .bx-close stroke whitebackground-color blackborder-style solidborder-color whiteborder-width 1px.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257 .bx-group-1012257-A FvXBOB padding 10pxdisplay blockwidth auto.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257 .bx-element-1012257-J0EiS8Y width auto.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257 .bx-element-1012257-J0EiS8Y *first-child padding 2px 4pxfont-size 10pxcolor rgb(255, 255, 255)text-transform uppercasebackground-color rgb(0, 0, 0)background-color rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.34)You might have recognized some of those names but if you didnt, Ill fill you in. They are leaders of some of the fruchtwein prestigious brands in the world, like Apple, Twitter, and Starbucks. And what they all have in common outside of working out is having tremendous career success.Good advice for career success is typically under the umbrella of finding something youre passionate about, working for a great mentor, or focusing on adding value before money. Its all great career advice, and all of it is the cornerstone of excelling in any career.Before any of that though, before even thinking about what career to pursue, I started doing something mora powerful. When I turned 18, I started working out. And though I played sports, working out was the first time I had been able to structure some sort of discipline and consistency into my life. It was the first time I saw the powerful results of sticking with something.What is the relationship between working out and career success? Simple, your body is the vehicle that does it all.Getting to and from the office, delivering quality work for your clients and/or boss. Its ultimately what generates your income. You could (and should) invest in career coaches, finding a mentor, or getting good at something but it all starts out with how well you take care of yourself. If theres anything to invest in, first and foremost, its your body. Its the foundation that actually drives all the rest. And it doesnt cost a dime, its just dedication and effort. Investing in your body means investing in your health, which allows you to work longer hours tirelessly, be mora productive, and be more confident.If your career succes s is driven by taking care of your body, why wouldnt you want to be fit?How exercise increases productivity and focusHow do you become more productive?A very successful business man, one who had created over 300 companies, leads 50,000 employees and generated over $25 billion dollars in revenue, sat back and thought. Twenty people peered over, eagerly awaiting his response to perhaps one of the biggest questions in business.I work out.That successful business man is Richard Branson. He added that it gave him an additional 4 hours of productivity a day. Of course, you may have heard this story from Tim Ferrisss book, the 4-Hour Body.Though this advice is coming from one of the most successful businessmen on the planet, theres also science to support it.Wendy A. Suzuki, professor of neuroscience and psychology at New York University, writes that exercise helps to combat stress and elevate your focus. This in turn helps to make you more productive, and give you more energy.We all need it. Letss face it, the 9 to 5 is dead. We all work harder and longer hours than ever before. And if thats not enough to convince you, here are some hard numbers. The Journal of Labor Research released a study citing that employees who exercises on a frequent basis earned 5 to 10% more than their peers.How exercise increases confidence and your attractivenessAttractive people get paid more than unattractive people, according to labor economist Daniel Hamermesh. In his book, Beauty Pays Why Attractive People Are More Succesful, Hamermesh notes that attractive people get paid $230,000 more in earnings over the course of a lifetime.The good news is that that exercise provides a counter measure. Exercise can influence your body composition, which in turn makes you more attractive. You dont have to be Brad Pitt or Kate Winslet if you just hit the gym on a consistent basis.You know what else makes you more attractive?Confidence.One avenue to gaining more confidence is through exercise. The American Psychological Association released an article showing a high correlation between mood enhancement and exercise. On a more practical level, working out shows you what you can achieve through hard work and makes you look better too. All of the above add to increasing your self-esteem and overall confidence. It certainly did for me when I was first started working out at 18.How do I get fit and catapult my career?After seeing all the benefits of being fit its a question that you might be asking yourself. And there are a lot of things that you can do to get started today on getting fit and using that momentum to carry it into your career. Whether youre in a slump, just getting started, or know what youre doing but have fallen off the wagon a little bit.Burpees.Its a simple, effective exercise that you can do at anytime and anyplace. You can do as many as youd like in a certain time frame or shoot for a certain number of repetitions. You can do them before work, after work, or maybe at lunch (as long as you dont get too sweaty).If that isnt your cup of tea, go for a run. Walk, if anything.Its tough to get motivated to do exercise after a long day or get up a few minutes earlier to do it. I enjoy working out and its still tough. This thought might help though think about that 5 to 10% or $230k someone else might be getting if you dontclose dialogAdvertisement Time left in video 000 left out of / Play/Pause Video Mute/Unmute Video close dialog/* effects for .bx-campaign-1012255 *//* custom css .bx-campaign-1012255 */.bx-custom.bx-campaign-1012255.bx-type-agilityzone .bx-close z-index 2-ms-keyframes bx-anim-1012255-spin from -ms-transform rotate(0deg) to -ms-transform rotate(360deg) -moz-keyframes bx-anim-1012255-spin from -moz-transform rotate(0deg) to -moz-transform rotate(360deg) -webkit-keyframes bx-anim-1012255-spin from -webkit-transform rotate(0deg) to -webkit-transform rotate(360deg) keyframes bx-anim-1012255-spin from transform rotate(0deg) to transform rotate(360deg) bx-close-inside-1012255 top 0 right 0 /* KD - Remove padding from video wrapper and set height to 100% */.bx-custom.bx-campaign-1012255 .bx-row-video .bx-video-wrapper padding-top 0important height 100%.bx-custombx -campaign-1012255 bx-creative-1012255 .bx-wrap height auto/* KD - Change positioning to static as that was not necesaary and here you can adjust the height of the video element */.bx-custom.bx-campaign-1012255 .bx-row-video .bx-video-wrapper video position static/* rendered styles .bx-campaign-1012255 */.bxc.bx-campaign-1012255.bx-active-step-1 .bx-creative *first-child width 100%.bxc.bx-campaign-1012255.bx-active-step-1 .bx-creative background-color transparentborder-style nonemax-width 900px.bxc.bx-campaign-1012255.bx-active-step-1 .bx-close stroke whitebackground-color blackborder-style solidborder-color whiteborder-width 1px.bxc.bx-campaign-1012255 .bx-group-1012255-AFvXBOB padding 10pxdisplay blockwidth auto.bxc.bx-campaign-1012255 .bx-element-1012255-J0EiS8Y width auto.bxc.bx-campaign-1012255 .bx-element-1012255-J0EiS8Y *first-child padding 2px 4pxfont-size 10pxcolor rgb(255, 255, 255)text-transform uppercasebackground-color rgb(0, 0, 0)background-color rgba(0, 0, 0, 0 .34)

The Unusual Details Into Investment Banking Resume Template Most People are not Aware Of

The Unusual Details Into Investment Banking Resume schablone Most People are not Aware Of What You Should Do About Investment Banking Resume Template Starting in the Next 10 Minutes Again, odds are that a student will know about doing it. You will need to spell out why you would like to work for Deutsche Bank specifically without writing whatever denigrates its rivals. Youre going to compose a resume for one of the most competitive jobs on earth. The very first candidate not only knows precisely how to market themselves. The Debate Over Investment Banking Resume Template Investment banking cover letters have various heights of importance in comparison to other industries. Investment banks normally do not take deposits from customers and are involved with underwriting investments, like acquisitions and mergers. If you really need to get into investment banking, you want to begin early. Investment banking is frequently a challenging field to break into. Operations staff esse ntially offer support to the client-facing departments within the organization, like the corporate finance department. Learn as much as possible regarding the organization and the hiring manager. Businessmen and business directors Bring evidence of your position in the business and remuneration. Most importantly, your CV ought to be readable. If you cannot score a GMAT above 700, your application needs to be outstanding in order to have in. Below is some ideas for how to acquire readywith your application and a number of tips from top MBA graduates. Relevant interpersonal skills would be convenient. Unless youre applying to turn into a model. The right data in the proper format receives the work done. If youre making a change then you have to say why in your intro profile even if just 1 line to explain. For instance, you might say that youre highly motivated, energetic, enthusiastic, detail-oriented and so forth. The Basics of Investment Banking Resume Template That Yo u Will be Able to Learn From Beginning Immediately Quiet confidence in your abilities and experience is the thing to do. Additionally, its the go-to format if youd like to ensure your experience and achievements get the most suitable attention. Quantify your experiences whenever you may. Youve got actual experience to speak about now. What Investment Banking Resume Template Is - and What it Is Not Your letter needs to be formal and professional at all times and attempt to get around the desire to gratuitously litter it using IB jargon. The reader doesnt offer a damn. The Downside Risk of Investment Banking Resume Template Make certain you are aware of how to tackle a cover letter. It is difficult to write an ideal cover letter for investment banking. In the event you compose an investment banking internship cover letter, it needs to be really appealing. Keep it precise The very best investment banking cover letter dives right to the point. So in case you have JP Morgan Investment Banking Case Competition please put that at the very top of your Work Experience regardless of what the date was. Banks dont only want to employ automatons with good grades. They have no interest in the reasons why you didnt do well at university. They want to know that you have what it takes to work hard. Printing out your cover letter will probably display errors which you would have missed on screen. Frequently, essays resemble a list of achievements that arent well thoughtthrough or that look weird. Numbers are just the very best. Job seeking is among the most difficult events which every individual must take. So long as you stick to the appropriate format and refer to other cover letters on the net, it becomes a lot easier that you compose a very clear cover letter that will probably see you win that job which youve always desired. With just simple modifications, youll have your preferred cover letter. Same here Before you get started writing, you have to be certain your cover letter is correctly formatted like the last draft of a 10-K filing. Usually, such cover letters are absolutely formulaic. The very first paragraph is about explaining why youre writing. For formatting, you need to always stick to the typical format. In the work description section.

6 Reasons Gen Z Are Perfect Staffing Candidates - Spark Hire

6 Reasons in richtung Z Are Perfect Staffing Candidates - Spark HireDigital Natives, Gen Tech, Gen Wii, or Generation Z, however you refer to the group born between the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s, theyre entering the workforce in greater numbers every day. And the timing couldnt be better. A whopping 55 percent of staffing professionals in a new Bullhorn report stated they believe the talent shortage is worsening. This means its time to uncover even more new talent sources. Gen Z is uniquely suited to excel at and appreciate the staffing process. This group of young talent is known for being tech-savvy and ambitious. They take job prospects seriously. Meaning staffing pros need to pay attention to how they adjust their process to source this generation of workers. Here are a few reasons why you should focus on reaching Gen Z and how you can distributions-mix this unique group of talent in your clients open roles 1. Theyre applying where there are specific shortagesThey arent just tec h enthusiasts theyre experts. And theyre using their tech know-how to tackle the skills gap. According to Glassdoor, there are over 60,000 open jobs for software engineers a top position for Gen Z applicants. If your clients are looking to fill tech roles or just expanding open roles with a tech skill set/focus, analyze your clients career sites. Then offer specific tips to Gen Zs technically-focused applicants. If clients expect candidates to be vying for their open positions, they have to prepare to show their companies tech offerings are up to snuff. In fact, 90 percent of respondents in Dells report, The Gen Z Effect, stated technology would affect their job choice among similar offers.GenZ is a talented and growing pool of staffing candidates just hitting the workforce.Click To Tweet2. They dont mind working for big companiesUnlike the previous generation, Gen Z isnt shying away from large companies. In fact, the Glassdoor study found giant corporations were the most popular p lace to work by Gen Z. While your staffing clients may elend be Microsoft or Google, the merit and culture of well-known companies attracts this generation. During the staffing process, showcase your clients company culture and aspects that appeal to Gen Z, like benefits packages, time-off policies, and commitment to causes. This can be done by sharing their company culture videos or other employer branding channels, like social media groups. 3. Theyre serious about their careersGeneration Z takes their careers seriously. According to a study by Monster, 76 percent of Gen Z respondents described themselves as responsible for driving their career. As staffing candidates, this leads to high-productivity workers willing to go above and beyond. In the previously mentioned Monster study, 58 percent of Gen Z also shared their willingness to work nights and weekends. But they want their pay to reflect their commitment. Clients that frequently employ temp staff during periods of high-volume should be most interested in considering Gen Z candidates, as these candidates are willing and able to work more hours. Discuss with clients whether there is a clear promotion track or zugabe structure to encourage top Gen Z talent willing to go the extra mile.4. They want growth within their companyWhen it comes to seeking employment, Gen Z is in it for the long-haul. Commitment to their careers drives them to seek opportunities that ensure future professional (and personal) growth. Be prepared to address questions and insights about growth and development opportunities within your clients company. Dig deeper into specific internal training and professional development programs, standard and non-standard role evolvement within the company, and how employees easily move between departments. A basic knowledge of these factors is not enough for Gen Z. They want to know your client has a plan to match their growth potential.5. Theyre independent and self-sufficientGen Z is all about i ndependence and autonomy. This generation is highly experienced in finding a YouTube guide for any problem they face and figuring it out themselves. Its not exactly a skill youll find on a resume, but as a staffing candidate, this means Gen Z candidates are self-sufficient and competent with independent work. Keep their desire for independence in mind when filling clients empty roles. This applies to the work environment as well as the work process. Theyre not as likely to thrive in an open office environment as a Millennial. But are the perfect fit for roles with remote work and more travel. As a staffing candidate, Gen Z is self-sufficient and competent in working independently. staffingClick To Tweet6. They can expertly multitaskWhile critics may be quick to knock Gen Zs short attention spans, which averages just 8 seconds, this is perfect for multitasking. As digital natives, these candidates thrive in high-paced environments and navigate effectively and efficiently between proj ects.When screening Gen Z candidates, assess for how easily they handle multitasking. While they may not be as equipped for positions that require fixed concentration on one task, these candidates flourish in roles where they can use numerous skill sets. Companies that offer cross-training as part of their ongoing development programs would also appeal to this group of talent, so be sure to identify clients with this training structure.

3 things you should never do after you leave a job

3 things you should never do after you leave a job3 things you should never do after you leave a jobWhen you leave a job, your responsibility as a reliable employee doesnt completely end on your last day with that organization.What do we mean by that? Well, lets consider the qualities of respect and reputation for a moment and lets think about them from the POV of your next employer.Have you ever overheard a coworker gossiping about all the terrible things their last boss did wrong? Even if their stories are entirely true, did hearing them make you think, now THIS is a person I really want working for ME someday?Probably not. Instead, your red flag warnings went off. You started to see this person as a pessimist, a complainer, and someone who would likely have a corrosive effect on the culture of any company.Ironically, the people who tell these stories usually just think theyre forming new bonds and making new friends. They often dont realize theyre making a negative impression that could ruin their credibility and mark them as potential bad apples in the eyes of their colleagues and future bosses.The success of any organization is due in large parte to the culture it fosters. As a new employee, you can decide to either be a drag or a positive influence on that culture - and your choice can have long-term ripple effects, for you and for your colleagues.Dont let your desire to make friends and fit in with your new employer trigger bad behaviors that may burn the bridges that helped you get there in the first place.So, what kinds of habits should you avoid? Here are three must-NOT-dosDont be a stranger at your former companyYour previous bosses and coworkers invested themselves in your career advancement because they wanted to see you succeed. Even though youre no longer a daily part of their lives, they still want to know that youre doing well and that youre making them look good by association.If you left on good terms, always make an effort to stay in touch with your old coworkers and managers. You cant talk to them every day, but you should make an effort to reach out several times a year to catch up. Theyll enjoy seeing where your career leads you next, and theyll appreciate your gratitude for what you learned from them along the way. Maintaining a healthy network can help unlock future opportunities both for you and for them. Plus, you never know when youll have a chance to work together again.Dont bad-mouth your past associatesAt your new job, it can feel natural to make friends by complaining about your shared frustrations. But resist the temptation to gossip about your previous coworkers or your past company as a whole. You dont want your new colleagues to wonder what youll say about them at your next job.Instead, choose to be positive about what you learned at your last stop, and show your new friends how excited you are to be part of your new company. After all, you only get one chance to make a first impression. Wouldnt you pr efer your new colleagues to think of you as the upbeat, positive person instead of just another complainer?Dont violate an NDATheyre called nondisclosure agreements for a reason you cant share your old companys proprietary secrets or competitive advantages with anyone.Sure, it can be tempting to think that no one will ever find out if you mention something off-hand that was covered in an NDA. But even if no one finds out, you will still have damaged your credibility with your current company.If you dont show loyalty to a previous employer, why should your new employer think youd show it to them?

11 Steps Job Seekers Should Take Before Applying for a Job

11 Steps Job Seekers Should Take Before Applying for a Job11 Steps Job Seekers Should Take Before Applying for a JobYou spot aposting for a job youre interested in. It fits perfectly with your background, skills, and experience. You feel a rush of excitement and jump at the opportunity to start applying for a job. You quickly submit your resume and applicationand check your email and voicemail inboxes obsessively for the next few weeks.And you wait. And wait. And wait. Until you realize, youre elend going to get that call.You think to yourself, but I was so perfect for that job And maybe you were. But you moved too quickly and didnt take the necessary steps before submitting your application.To avoid ever finding yourself in this location (again), take these 11 steps before applying for a job1. Proofread your resume and cover letter (over and over again).Dont just read it on your computer once and send it off. Print it out and read it. Then read it again. Then ask a friend or family member to give it a look.Check spacing, grammar, punctuation, and layout. Ask yourself Does everything make sense? Do I use too many buzzwords? Did I only include relevant experience? Do I repeat too many phrases?If it reads well and looks clean, move on to step two.2. Tailor your resume and cover letter to the job at hand.Your resume might be perfect- but not necessarily perfect forthis job.A resume with nice formatting and no typos will only get you so far. If youre missing relevant experience or lack some crucial keywords from the job posting, your application might not make it through the companys resume tracking system.Tweak your resume and cover letter for every job you apply to3.Re-read the job posting multiple times.Assuming you read the job posting a few times before you started working on your resume, go back and read it again, and ask yourself Did Ireally provide the most relevant information in myapplication materials? What did Imiss or could Iadd?Re-reading the job desc ription before submitting that application can help fine-tune the final package with important pieces that could get you the interview.Focus on accomplishments that speak to the job description, says Bruce A. Hurwitz, Ph.D., an Executive Recruiter and Career Counselor with Hurwitz Strategic Staffing. You need to reassure the employer that you are not a risk by letting them know what you have done for other employers so that they will know what you can do for them.4. Spellcheck your LinkedIn profile, not just your resume.If I had a dollar for every spelling error I saw on a LinkedIn profile, I would be a rich woman, says Christy Hopkins, President of 4 Point Consulting, an HR consulting and recruiting firm. Everyone knows to spellcheck their resume, but for gosh sakes, do so on your LinkedIn profile. Employers will look it up.5. Audit your LinkedIn profile.Your LinkedIn profile is like a second resume. And its not limited by space, so prospective employers will usually read through y our LinkedIn profile after they have read your resume if there is a fitor interest. So, update your experience, professional qualifications, certifications, and any other related pieces. Add any images that can show those certifications or awards. LinkedIn is visual- employers scan it, so any documentation of success will stand out.6. Clean up yoursocial media profiles.Ideally, you have nothing to worry about on your Facebook, Twitter, or other social media pages. But to be sure, audit your profiles and make sureyou present yourself in the best way possible. Anything negative, unprofessional, or potentially illegal? Use your best judgment, or err on the side of caution and remove those posts or images. (Sure, once theyre on the internet they live there forever. But no need to display anything blatantly inappropriate right on your profile page)7. Print out a copy of the job posting.If the job posting is taken down, will you really remember everything about the opportunity? Doubtful. Then, when youre called to discuss your application you may not remember applying to the role or the details from the job advertisement, points out Tiffany Gibson, a talent acquisition specialist and creator of Get the Job app, a free app that helps job seekers prepare for practically every question or scenario presented before or during the job interview process.8. Check your network.Before applying for a job, research the company on LinkedIn and find out if you have any connections at the company, or if any of your connections are connected to current or former employees.This can help you get direct contact info for the hiring manager or more information about the position. If you have a friend or professional colleague at the company, even better- and check to see if the company has a referral program. Employers often welcome referrals and sometimes prioritize them when calling in candidates for interviews.9. Customize your email and subject line.If you have a direct contact at t he company or are applying via email, dont assume the rolle on the other end knows why you are emailing them. Make sure your email subject line includes the title of the job posting or a reference number that clearly shows you are applying for the job, says Sheila Musgrove, CEO and Founder of TAG Recruitment Group and Author of Hired How To Get The Zippy Gig. Insider Secrets From A Top Recruiter.A subject line like this would be appropriate Job application Job 12345 Sales Manager at XYZ Company. Without a subject line, I have no idea what role you might be applying for and further, I have no idea if you can even construct a sentence, says Musgrove. Applying via email should be treated as a formal piece of business communication.10. Submit all files exactly as requested.Read the application instructions very carefully.If the application asks for a resume in PDF format, dont send it in a word document. If it asks for a cover letter, dont just send a resume. Read every last detail and follow instructions closely. Dont get eliminated immediately after hitting submit because you didnt follow directions.11. Imagine yourself working at this job.Before you go through all the trouble of applying for a job, make sure its something you really, truly want.Ask yourselfWhat is the commute like?Is this a company I admire or would be proud to be parte of?Do I really want to work in the city where the job is located?Is the job a steppingstone or a temporary fix?Could I see myself working here, in this job?Think through every scenario. The job may be attractive, but if youre looking for a remote role, for instance, and it doesnt mentionanything about the option to telecommute, would you be okay with that?Be realistic and honest with yourself.If you decide it may not be the right fit, dont waste your time or theirs. Move on and put your energy elsewhere.Applying for a job takes time and effort. Dont waste all that time and effort by getting careless when submitting that applica tion. Follow these job search tips to stay on top, and stand out in a crowded field of applicants.Start Your Job Search

Call Center Interview Questions and Best Answers

Call Center Interview Questions and Best AnswersCall Center Interview Questions and Best AnswersOne of the best ways toprepare for a job bewerberinterviewis to review common questions you might be asked. By reviewingquestions and answersrelating to work at a call center, you will be ready to ace your interview. Try to personalize your answers with examples from your previous experience at work, school, and volunteer positions. Call Center Interview Questions and the Best Answers Here are some answers to the call center job interview question Do you have good people skills? Examples of the Best Answers I like working with people, and I have been told that I have good people skills. My previous manager rated my communication skills at a 9 out of 10 in my last performance review. I think I communicate effectively and in a pleasant way.I get along well with most people I meet, and people find me easy to talk to, so I think I have good people skills. When I was in college, I volunteer ed with the alumni association to make calls for donations. I got along well with the alums I talked to and was very effective at obtaining donations. Throughout my career, I have always worked in customer service, and been known as a people person. I enjoy working with others toward a common goal. In one of my first jobs, I learned how effective it could be to work as a team when I was in a group that was handling calls on a recalled item. We were able to share our strategies and improve customer satisfaction by 30% in a 3-month period.Good people skills include the ability to relate to others, and to problem-solve. I was able to use both of these skills effectively during my internship at XYZ Company. Part of my job was to greet clients upon arrival at our offices and determine which sales associate would be the best fit for their needs. Another frequently-asked question you may be posed is, How do you handle difficult or escalated customers? Examples of the Best Answers When cli ents have issues, I use a calm tone of voice to gently educate them about our companys services and policies. I also know not to take their grasplatz personally, even if they are verbally abusive. Instead, I sympathize with their position and assure them that well come up with an effective solution for them.I begin our discussion with an apology something like, Im sorry to hear about this issue. If you will please answer a few questions for me, Im sure that we can resolve it to your satisfaction. Nine times out of ten, this immediate apology serves to quickly defuse their temper so that we can work out a solution together. I use active listening strategies to gather as much information as I can from escalated customers, letting them have their say without interrupting them. Then I summarize and repeat back the details theyve told me so that theyll know Ive fully understood them and am eager to assist them.I let them know from the very beginning of our conversation that they have my full attention and I try very hard not to put them on hold, since this will only frustrate them more. If it turns out that Ill need to research their issue with another department, I ask their permission to put them on hold, telling them that I very much appreciate their patience while I work to resolve their issue. Finally, a general question that almost always comes up in any interview is, Why should we hire you? Try to emphasize your people skills when answering this question. Examples of the Best Answers My people skills have allowed me to excel in call center work. I can empathize with my callers, and I listen carefully and try to resolve issues as simply and effectively as possible. At my last position, I received recognition for my work with customers which made me even more excited about providing excellent customer service.Some people burn out quickly in call center customer service jobs, but Ive been doing this successfully for five years and wouldnt want to work in an y other field. Maybe its just because I really enjoy talking and listening to people, but I find that its personally rewarding, at the end of the day, to know that Ive actually helped people while providing a positive image of our company. You should hire me because Im a born problem-solver I love the intellectual challenge of figuring out how to fix issues. Part of this is being able to calmly communicate with clients to gather information about problems. Successfully resolving trouble tickets makes me as happy as when Ive finished a Sudoku puzzle in record time.One of the things that has helped me the most in customer service is that Im bilingual in English and Spanish. This allows me to serve a wider range of customers than call center representatives who are monolingual. Important Soft Skills for Call Center Representatives In addition to possessing strong people skills, rockstar call center representatives also need soft skills such as patience, organization, effective ti me management, a solid work ethic, and creative thinking. If you pride yourself on having these skills, your job outlook as a Call Center Representative is excellent the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that hiring in this field will grow by 5% by 2026.

How Do I Handle a Career Gap on a Resume

How Do I Handle a Career Gap on a Resume How Do I Handle a Career Gap on a Resume As a leading provider of career services, such as resume writing, cover letter help, interview prep, LinkedIn help, and career coaching, ResumeSpice and our team of career consultants are used to fielding a broad array of questions from job seekers. One of the most common questions we hear is some variation of ‘How do I overcome a career gap on my resume?’Let’s Start with WhyFirst, it’s important to understand why an unaddressed career gap can be a concern to potential employers. It typically can be distilled down to the reality that in the absence of information, employers will think the worst. Were you fired? Let go for performance or other issues? Did you walk off the job without notice? Simply put, did you lose your job through your own fault and am I going to regret hiring you?None of those things may be true, but if you don’t take the time to address them, an employer with hundreds or maybe thousands of other potential applicants, will simply move on. It’s a lot eas ier to look at the next resume than it is to guess and explore possible reasons for your career gap.The reasons for concern also change as the gap lengthens. At one or two months, the above concerns are most prevalent. After three or four months, the employer’s bigger concern is are your skills still up to date. That’s important to understand as you plan your strategy.Cover Letter / ResumeWe always suggest first addressing gaps within one’s cover letter, if your career gap is current. A cover letter not only grants you more space than your resume, but it also allows a bit more of a conversational (yet still professional) tone. That makes it the ideal place to address what led to your career gap.You may have experienced a medical issue or moved to another state to follow your spouses’ job. You have may have taken time off to raise your children. Whatever your situation is, hiring managers will want you to account for your time. If your gap is longer than two months, include i nformation about what have doing to stay productive and up to date. Have you done any freelance or consulting work or spent your time volunteering your skills to an organization? Have you taken classes? Received new certifications?What if “all” you’ve done is help raise your kids? That’s a lot! If you’ve been a “stay-at-home-dad” or “stay-at-home-mom” and that’s how you’ve kept busy, include it. While it isn’t a job that exists within the professional world, the skills required to run a household and care for small humans certainly are: budget maintenance, negotiation, time management, communication.If your career gap is current, we also recommend including it as a “job” in your resume. If it’s in the past, but in your most recent 1-2 jobs and three or more months long in duration, we typically recommend including it as a job in your resume in that case as well. What we’re trying to do is close the gap and remove any reason for concern. For example, i f you are currently employed, but you stayed home for nine months between your current job and your previous job, you may want to list your job in the gap as “Household Manager” and then list the duties for which you were responsible.It’s less about what you’ve been doing during the gap. It’s more about if you’ve been productive during that time, kept your skills up-to-date, and done something meaningful.If you need help addressing a career gap on your resume or you need help creating a resume, cover letter, or LinkedIn profile, contact ResumeSpice today. We have a team of career consultants who can help address your needs and concerns.

6 hacks to help you stay informed and get more done

6 hacks to help you stay informed and get more done 6 hacks to help you stay informed and get more done When you’re busy, the aphorism “worker smarter, not harder” really comes into play. You’re working as hard as you can, and yet, you have a sense you could be using your time more wisely. But how?While there’s no shortage of generic tips for boosting productivity (magically becoming a morning person is a popular one floating around the Internet), we prefer more concrete tips we can actually apply. So, we turned to six hard-working professionals who accomplish a shocking amount on a daily basis, in part because they’ve developed their own time-saving strategies. Here are a few of their hacks for conquering the daily grind.1. Take advantage of techCliff Worley, the digital engagement director at Kapor Center for Social Impact, uses tech to his advantage. After breakfast, he asks his Amazon Alexa for the morning news brief as he goes about his morning routine. That way, he can get ready and get the news at the same time.This sort of hack continues once he arrives at the offic e, “I start my day at my desk updating my to-do list on Trello, the project management software that helps me keep track of all of my projects and incoming requests,” he reports. Then, “I run through our social media accounts on Hootsuite (my go-to platform for scheduling social posts, engaging with our fans and followers, and reviewing social performance media metrics) … [and] I also log into Union Metrics, the software we use to track Twitter metrics, to make sure it’s configured to track everything online.” Leaning on technology for support can help you optimize processes, freeing up time and helping you make the most out of your day.2. Prioritize self-careIt may seem counterproductive, but blocking off time for self-care can actually help your productivity â€" just ask Josh Torres, formerly the social media marketer at Asana. “I wake up and enjoy some quiet reflection time while taking Wes, my Formosan mountain dog, for a walk. Next up: I meditate, grounding myself in what I’m grateful for and what I want to achieve. I’ve been practicing meditation for about five years now, and it has become a really important part of my routine,” he shares. These reflective moments provide fuel for the rest of your day. They also help you pause to identify your goals, instead of feverishly working to get somewhere you may not want to be.Later in the day, Torres makes time to take a quick walk after lunch and squeeze in an afternoon workout, prioritizing his health. And, he carves out “one night a week to not consume media,” instead using the time “to converse, read, and write. It’s a nice way to wind down.” After all, in the long run, if you’re not taking care of yourself, how productive can you really be?3. Become a “phantom user”Byron Adams, formerly the outreach director a Panorama Education, has a very busy schedule, so he takes a passive role when it comes to social media. He explains his strategy for Twitter-use: “I browse the a pp every day to laugh and keep up with news, but I never actually tweet (unless my flights are delayed and I need a place to vent).” Using social media platforms to consume news and find moments for respite can be rewarding even if you aren’t an active participant yourself. If you keep yourself from crafting personal posts on a daily basis, you’ll be amazed at how much time you actually add back to your day. Save your urge to post until you have some bonafide downtime.4. Develop a system for your inboxWhen your job requires managing multiple projects at once, it’s easy to occasionally lose track. But AdRoll operations specialist, Jessica Matos, is determined not to let that happen. “the minute I see a message hit my inbox, I color-code it, and, once I fully read and reply to it, I file it away in the correct folder. Anything I want to revisit remains starred for later,” she explains. This approach keeps you on task and prevents you from wasting time scrolling through old emails multiple times. Read more about Matos’ day at AdRoll5. Block off chunks of time in your calendarJaime Guzman, the director of local programs at My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, blocks off time in his calendar to focus on projects with multiple steps. Instead of haphazardly fitting in small tasks between calls and meetings, he designates a consecutive chunk of time to get things done. If you implement this strategy, everyone knows you’re unavailable and they’ll leave you alone (hopefully!). That way, you can dedicate your undivided attention to a multi-step process and complete tasks much more quickly.6. Make listsAs the communications manager at Bravo Oxygen, Imani Ellis spends her day putting out fires. She stays on track by writing everything down: “With so many moving parts, I live by lists,” she says. By delineating her day, she’s able to stay focused and prevent herself from losing track of her priorities. “I want to make sure anything that’s urgent is handled right away.” Mak ing a to-do list helps bring your day into focus. You know where to place your attention and strategically optimize your time. Plus, there’s no greater feeling than crossing things off once they’re completed, right?This article originally appeared on  The  Well,  Jopwell’s  digital magazine.  The  Well  is  the  digital magazine of Jopwell,  the  career advancement platform for Black, Latino/Hispanic and Native American professionals and students.  Subscribe  to receive weekly stories and advice in your inbox.

How to win a salary negotiation every single time

How to win a salary negotiation every single time How to win a salary negotiation every single time Negotiating your salary  can be a touchy subject, but when done right, you just might be able to up the chances of getting the money you feel you deserve, and hopefully, feel more appreciated by your employer in the process.Whether you’ve been in your position for five months, five years, or are weighing an offer and talking money, here are effective tactics  for negotiating your paycheck.Be fully aware of  what you bring to the tableMany job candidates go into interviews nervous and fully prepared with details about the company’s business.When it’s time to negotiate salary, study yourself first: be prepared to talk about your successes and accomplishments concisely. They already know your resumé, so this is the part where the important part is emphasis: put the focus on what’s different about you, your talents, and your personality.David Shen-Miller, PhD, an assistant professor of psychology at Tennessee State University, told the American Psychological Association about th e importance of being prepared and being able to talk about your experience. During the negotiation process, the employer “might come back to you and say, ‘Prove you deserve that salary,’…If you don’t really feel you deserve it, that could undermine your position,”  Shen-Miller  told the American Psychological Association.  He suggested practicing with a friend ahead of time.Don’t be afraid to laughWhen used wisely, a joke can go a long way. But it has to be the right kind: be ready to joke, or at least laugh, about money.An 2016 article by the Association for Psychological Science talks about how science supports the concept of “anchoring.”“Psychological science research on “anchoring” backs the idea that the first salary an employer sees during a negotiation can have a significant influence on the ultimate offer: Seeing a low number right off the bat can lead employers to make lower salary offers than they would have otherwise,” the article says.  But wha t does this have to do with joking around?The 2016 article referenced 2011 research on anchoring by psychological scientist Todd J. Thorsteinson of the University of Idaho.  The 2011 research featured a study where more than 200 college students were pretending to hire an administrative employee, and were negotiating the salary with a candidate.The 2016 article states that “in one set of conditions,” participants knew the candidate’s past salary - $29,000 a year - before they spoke, but in the other case, they initially asked the candidate to tell them a salary she desired. “Half of the time the job candidate jokingly responded with an implausibly high anchor (“I would like $100,000, but really I am just looking for something that is fair”) or a ridiculously low anchor (“I would work for $1, but really I am just looking for something that is fair”). The control condition only presented the relevant anchor, the candidate’s prior salary of $29,000 a year. Given tha t the candidate was a good fit for the job, participants were asked to type in a salary offer. As expected, a higher “anchor” resulted in a higher offer â€" even when that number was intended as a joke. When the bidding started off with the mention of $100,000, the employee received an average offer was $35,385 compared to an offer of $32,463 for the control group. “The high salary joke actually paid off with an extra $3,000 a year,” the 2016 article said.That same principle is one that advertising guru and entrepreneur Cindy Gallop uses as well. Her favorite piece of guidance for salary negotiations: “Ask for the highest number you can say without bursting out laughing,” she advises women who ask her what they should ask for.Name a precise numberWhen asking for higher pay, there is power in using specific numbers.There is power in using specific numbers in negotiation instead of “round” ones, according to a  2013 article  from Columbia University researchers in the Journal of Experimental Psychology. The researchers found that candidates who asked for strangely specific numbers, like $51,115 did better than those who asked for $5,000.“Here, we examine whether a first offer’s potency also depends on the precision with which it is expressed ($5115 or $4885 versus $5000). We argue that negotiators who use precise first offers more effectively anchor their counterparts because they seem more informed of the good’s true value than do negotiators who use round first offers,” the research said.The researchers found out that precise numbers- instead of round ones- could imply to the employer that you’re in the know. Chalk it up to human bias: there’s something about specific numbers that demonstrates expertise.“Precise numerical expressions imply a greater level of knowledge than round expressions and are therefore assumed by recipients to be more informative of the true value of the good being negotiated,” the research said.  Be pre pared for pushbackWith all those techniques in mind, know that an extreme asking price could derail the conversation.“In practice, if one’s negotiating partner opens with an offer that is too extreme, the most common response is to disengage from the negotiation,” Rachel Croson, an economics professor at the University of Texas at Dallas and director of the school’s Negotiations Center, told Fortune.That doesn’t mean the talk is over, however: salary negotiations should involve some back-and-forth. Some classic advice still works: never accept the first offer.So even if your first asking price gives the other side cold feet, consider coming up with a strategy to get the dialogue back on track.Know when to walk awayA key piece of advice for negotiations: the power lies with the person who’s willing to walk away.Declining an offer is probably the strongest tactic, but it can also backfire: unless the employer is really into you, there’s a good chance they’ll be offende d or take “no” for an answer. So only walk away if you’re really ready to walk away, not as a psychological technique. Be authentic - which doesn’t mean spilling your guts, but does mean honoring what you want and need out of a job.Danny Ertel, a founding partner at negotiation consulting firm Vantage Partners, LLC, told the Harvard Business Review about how to decline a job offer.“You’d like to walk away in such a way that if their needs change tomorrow, you can walk back in,” Ertel  told the Harvard Business Review.One of the major keys to any salary negotiation: you have power over your actions, and you can drive a better outcome. Think about what a  company’s salary or job offer could mean for your life, and move forward in your process with respect, knowledge of your worth, and assertiveness.

Survey 29% of Americans regret how they spent their PTO in 2018

Survey 29% of Americans regret how they spent their PTO in 2018 Survey 29% of Americans regret how they spent their PTO in 2018 Along with health insurance and 401(k) plans, paid time off is one of those benefits that job seekers consider closely before accepting a position. But a recent report found that many of us don’t feel we’re making the most of our vacation days.The survey, commissioned by Priceline and conducted by Morar HPI, found that 29% of more than 1,000 employed Americans regret how they used their 2018 paid time off, and 20% of full-time workers expect they won’t use all their PTO by the end of the year.So why so much regret and lack of action? Well, 24% say they can’t afford to use their vacation time. But even among those who can, they’re pretty salty about where they have to go.Do Americans hate love?The happiest day of someone’s life is supposedly their wedding day.   But that doesn’t mean everyone in attendance is pleased to be there.Of the 19% of Americans who used time off to attend wedding festivities, 41% said it was their top regret, in terms of how they spent their PTO. Maybe we don’t love love as much as we think.Bon appetit!While we may hate love, we do love food. 41% of Americans said “food will be their top influence when considering travel in 2019,” according to a release on the report.We’re also willing to pay big bucks for our food. Food and drink were among the top travel expenses for 2018, before accommodations and transportation. That’s one expensive dinner!HomebodiesTurns out most of us are pretty comfortable in the United States. Even when Americans were asked where they’d go if they could hypothetically visit anywhere on the globe this year, 37% wanted to travel stateside. A quarter of people chose to hypothetically go to Europe, and the numbers only declined from there.We’re also focusing more on hyperlocal destinations - Staycations were the most-taken trips in 2018 and proved even more popular than beach visits.Perhaps there really is no place like home.

Film Producer Job Skills List and Examples

Film Producer Job Skills List and Examples Television/Film Producer Job Skills List and Examples Television and film producers are the unsung heroes of any movie, TV program, commercial, etc. Some of the tasks producers may handle include managing schedules, coordinating locations, overseeing script rewrites, and arranging for financing. If theres a problem to solve or a question to answer, producers take the lead. As you can see, there are many different potential responsibilities that can be part of the producer role.   Here is a list of the five primary skillsets producers need to have, as well as attached lists of related skills used by successful producers.   How to Use Skills Lists You can use these skills lists throughout your career search process. The most important place to incorporate these  skill words is in your resume. Try to employ some of these keywords both in your initial  summary of qualifications  and in the work history section of your resume. You can also use these phrases in your  cover letter, mentioning one or two of these skills in the body of the letter. Be sure to provide specific examples of times when you demonstrated these skills at work, as well. If there are specific skills mentioned in the job posting, make a point of echoing and highlighting these in your letter. A third opportunity to mention these skill words is in your  job interviews. Make sure you have at least one example of a time you used each of the top five skillsets listed here to share with employers. Of course, each job will require different skills and experiences, so be sure to read the job description carefully, focus on the skills listed by the employer, and  tailor your resume and cover letter  accordingly. Top Producer Skills Organization /  Scheduling  Consider the number of people involved in a film-based project. From script doctors to storyboard artists to actors to craft services to editors - the staff required is huge. Producers are often responsible for hiring. Subsequently, producers need to keep both staffers and the project on track. They create schedules and share information so everyone knows where they need to be and what they need to do.  Organization is vital to this role. Come prepared to interviews with examples of times youve created schedules and kept projects on deadline. Analytical SkillsAssigning Tasks  DelegatingFlexibilityPlanningPrioritizingTime ManagementWorking in Fast-Paced Environment Budgeting  Once financing is arranged, producers need to ensure that the movie or TV show stays within its budget. Producers help set a budget for every department and then track spending as well. If youre applying for a job, mention the size of a budget youve managed, as well as describing how you successfully dealt with and resolved any budget-related problems. Critical ThinkingDecision MakingDetail OrientationEstimating CostsMaintaining Relationships with VendorsSecuring Financing   Problem Solving  Unexpected problems are common during filming (as well as during the planning stages and post-production). Maybe an actor gets injured, or a location turns out not to work. The script may need unexpected rewrites, or there could even be a transportation strike in the city during filming. Producers are responsible for removing roadblocks and coming up with new plans that get around problems. When people have questions or concerns, producers have answers. In interviews, provide clear examples of your  problem-solving abilities. Aesthetic Judgement  CreativityLeadershipMentoringResearchReviewing Modifications to ScreenplaysWorking Under Pressure Multitasking  Because producers wear so many hats and are responsible for many varied aspects of a production,  multitasking  is an essential skill. A producer may be working on the budget in the morning, then scheduling auditions in the afternoon. Being able to easily juggle many responsibilities, and switch from one task to another, is essential.   Appraising TalentClosing DealsEvaluating Screenplays or ScriptsGenerating Story IdeasManaging TeamsProject ManagementRecruiting TalentSecuring Rights to Intellectual PropertySelecting StoriesSupervisory SkillsTeamwork Communication  Producers need to have strong written and verbal  communication skills. In your job application, you should talk about your communication style. Share examples of how youve shared information and handled communication break-downs.   AssertivenessCoachingCollaborationEditingExplainingInterpersonal SkillsInterviewingListeningMotivating OthersNegotiatingNetworkingPitching Concepts to ProspectsPresentingSocial MediaVerbal CommunicationsWriting Job Outlook for Television / Film Producers   According to the  Bureau of Labor Statistics, 134,700 people were employed as producers and directors in 2016; their median annual wage in May 2017 was $71,620. Career opportunities in this field are anticipated to grow by 12 percent by 2026.

Can you ever be done with personal development

Can you ever be 'done' with personal development Can you ever be 'done' with personal development I often hear people saying stuff like, “You don’t need to read non-fiction books anymore!” They pretend they somehow “graduated” from the whole personal development movement.“I stopped listening to podcasts,” is another one of those statements. Every time I hear something like that, one word comes to mind: Arrogance.When people say they are done with learning, what are they really saying? They are saying they are too good for the knowledge that other people are sharing.They are saying, “I don’t need this. I know it better.” And that’s exactly the type of person I don’t relate to.Follow Ladders on Flipboard!Follow Ladders’ magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and more!  Following trends vs focusing on the fundamentalsI used to work at the front office of a gym during my college days. During that time, I noticed two types of people who signed up. You had people who signed up to participate in the latest fitne ss trend. And there have been many of those!Remember Tae Bo? What the hell was that about?Or how about the Atkins diet? And all the variations on spinning classes? There was the Zumba craze. The Yoga craze. I also remember when Crossfit became popular.These days, everybody is all about rock climbing. Yeah, yeah, I get it, you watched Free Solo and now you think you can do the same.There are always people who jump on those trends, simply because it’s popular. These folks followed the latest trends.They signed up, came to the gym for a few months, and you would never see them again.And then there were people who focused on the basics. These people didn’t care about trends. Instead, they were driven by inner goals- which could be anything from losing weight to building strength.They cared about  results. They asked:  What are proven strategies?  What has worked for decades? What are the fundamentals of a practice?Naturally, the latter group was very small. But the “fundamentalist s” were the ones who stuck around. In fact, it’s been more than 10 years ago that I worked at that gym. But I still run into some of those people at my current gym.Even the most experienced meditators still meditateWhat I’m trying to say is that when you decide to move into a certain direction in life, it becomes a  lifestyle. And people who are “done” with something never really started in the first place.They just hopped on a trend. It’s exactly the same thing with personal development. So when you read another one of those nonsense pieces about how you should stop reading and start living, shrug it off.If you’re in it for life, you keep repeating the basics.I just finished reading  Mindfulness In Plain English  by Bhante Gunaratana, a Buddhist monk. One of the things I learned from that book is that even the most experienced meditators still repeat the basics. They meditate like a beginner. And they are never “done” meditating.It’s a lifestyle. So why do most people quit something? Why did those people quit the gym? Why do some people quit reading  personal development books? A lack of patience. Gunaratana said it best:“Patience is the key. Patience. If you learn nothing else from meditation, you will learn patience. Patience is essential for any profound change.”Ask yourself:  Why am I trying to improve myself?  If we have the wrong intentions, like trying to impress others, or become rich, we quit if we don’t get quick results.But if you have an inner drive, you will automatically have more patience. When you no longer do something for external reasons, you will adopt a beginner’s mind.And that is the key to lasting success. When you adopt this mindset, you don’t even have the arrogance to say something like “I’m done with this practice.” You also don’t think you know it all after reading a few books.Repeat the fundamentalsEverything in life has fundamentals. From fitness to diet to philosophy to meditation.  Focus on those fundamentals and repeat them often.And never  forget  the fundamentals. That will keep you humble. But it will also make you better.The best basketball players in the world practice the free-throw thousands of times. Kobe Bryant famously made  100,000 practice shots  during the off-season. He didn’t forget about the fundamentals. Tim Duncan, another basketball great, was even called “The Big Fundamental” because he built a career on basic basketball moves. Some people called him boring. I call it  effective.So no, you can never be done with mastering the basics. Nor can you be ever done with improving yourself. It’s a process that ends when  life  ends.Until then, keep on improving yourself, my friend.This article originally appeared on Darius Foroux.  You might also enjoy… New neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happy Strangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds 10 lessons from Benjamin Franklin’s daily schedule that will double your productivity The worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs 10 habits of mentally strong people

This conversation stopper should be a starter

This conversation stopper should be a starter This conversation stopper should be a starter Nobody does it that way.This line stops a conversation before it begins.If no one does it that way, it means it can’t be done.If no one does it that way, it means we’ll get ostracized or rejected.If no one does it that way, it means we don’t know what results await us.If no one does it that way, it means we’re not going to do it that way.So we stick to what’s worked in the past. We launch the same marketing campaign and make the seventeenth sequel to the  Fast and Furious  series. We pay lip service to doing things differently, but our commitment to originality carries the same sincerity as a glib politician pledging campaign reform.When push comes to shove, we conform, rather than flout.Resisting conformity causes us emotional distress - literally. A  neurological study  showed that non-conformity activates the amygdala and produces what the authors describe as “a pain of independence.”To avoid this pain, we become the by-products of other people’s behaviors. In our personal lives, everything from our clothes, favorite movies, religious beliefs, and the books we choose to read are influenced by others. Businesses chase the latest fad or trend and do things simply because their competitors are doing them.In  one representative study, participants were quizzed about a documentary they watched: How many policemen were there when the woman got arrested? What was the color of her dress? A few days after they took the test, they returned to the lab to get re-tested. This time, they were shown the responses of other participants, some of which had been intentionally doctored to be false.Roughly seventy percent of the time, the participants changed their answers and went along with the wrong answers given by the rest of the group. Even after the experimenters told the participants that the group answers were wrong, the fake social proof was so powerful that half of the participants stuck with the wrong answers when they were re-tested.Imitation is eas y. It provides the path of least resistance. It can even deliver some results in the short term. But it’s a recipe for long-term disaster. As Warren Buffett put it, “The five most dangerous words in business are ‘Everybody else is doing it.’ ” Over time, imitation makes a trend obsolete. This “monkey see, monkey do” approach creates a race to the center. The companies who prevail are those that decide to buck the trend and explore the edges.Consider Patagonia’s 2011 advertising campaign.  The company asked,  Instead of doing what everyone does and asking people to buy from us, what if we asked them  not  to buy from us? The result of this thought experiment was  a full-page ad in the  New York Times  that ran on Black Friday. The ad featured a Patagonia jacket with the headline, “Don’t buy this jacket.” With this ad, Patagonia became “the only retailer in the country asking people to buy less on Black Friday.” The ad worked in part because it supported Pata gonia’s mission of reducing consumerism and lightening environmental impact. But it also ended up helping the company’s bottom line by attracting customers who shared the same mindset.Dick Fosbury used the same method to revolutionize the Olympic high jump. When Fosbury was training to be a high jumper, athletes would use a technique called the straddle method, where they would jump face down over the bar. But Fosbury, a 21-year-old from the middle of nowhere in Oregon, prided himself on doing things differently. He asked himself,  What if I did the opposite of what everyone else is doing?  Instead of jumping face down to the bar, what if I jumped backwards?His approach at first invited ridicule. A newspaper called him “The World’s Laziest High Jumper.” To his coaches, the Fosbury flopâ€"as it came to be knownâ€"was an outrageous and dangerous departure from well-established norms. They tried to convince Fosbury to drop it.Ignoring the naysayers, he kept gradually improvin g his technique and earned himself a spot on the 1968 Olympic team. The laughs eventually turned into cheers as Fosbury proved his critics wrong and took home the gold medal at the Olympics - by doing the exact opposite of the “best practice.”Fosbury knew a secret missed by many others: The low-hanging fruit has already been picked. You can’t beat a stronger competitor by copying them. But you  can  beat them by doing what they’re not doing.The next time you’re tempted to follow the herd, ask yourself, “What if I did what no one else is doing?” Even if you don’t follow through, the thought process involved in generating the answer will likely produce unexpected breakthroughs.Ozan Varol is a rocket scientist turned law professor and bestselling author.  Click here  to download a free copy of his e-book, The Contrarian Handbook: 8 Principles for Innovating Your Thinking. Along with your free e-book, you’ll get the Weekly Contrarian - a newsletter that challenges co nventional wisdom and changes the way we look at the world (plus access to exclusive content for subscribers only).This  article  first appeared on  OzanVarol.com.

Atypical, Career-Enhancing Dos in a Down Economy

Atypical, Career-Enhancing Do’s in a Down Economy Atypical, Career-Enhancing Do’s in a Down Economy Atypical, Career-Enhancing Do’s in a Down EconomyAs the economy takes a nose-dive, we’re seeing a flood of career advice on how to rework your resume, connect with executive recruiters and perform best during a job interview. If you’re looking for that kind of advice, this article is not for you. This article highlights areas you may not be considering that are critical to navigating the cold and turbulent waters of a challenging economic period. These might seem like unusual places to look to help strengthen your career position, but they are important to your ability to be confident, stay positive and endure whatever gets thrown at you. Shore up your core and support systems so that nothing can get in the way of your success.For 25 More Career-Enhancing Do’s, join Kirsten Dixson and me for an exclusive, complimentary TheLadders.com Webinar on Thursday, Nov. 20 from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Eastern time. Space is limited. Register now to get the details for connecting to the webinar. To get you started, here are five critical do’s:1. Fortify Your Foundation There are lots of external stimuli that can really bring you down when the economy is faltering. Bleak newspaper headlines and visible signs of strife can impact even the most positive among us. And it’s much harder to get up when everything around you is pulling you down. You need greater fortitude and drive to keep from drowning in a sea of negativity. That means being in your best physical shape. This is your brand foundation. The stronger the foundation, the easier it will be to endure the harsh realities of a challenging environment. Your brand foundation is made up of three elements: sleep, diet and exercise. Get Your Zs: According to the Washington Post, studies suggest that a sleep deficit may put the body into a state of high alert, increasing the production of stress hormones and driving up blood pressure. The last thing you want right now is more stress in your life. Make a plan to get quality sleep every night. Choose the Right Fuel: Garbage in, garbage out. You need to put the best fuel in your body so you can perform like the superstar you are. That means replacing downers with energy enhancers such as fresh fruit, water and whole grains. Sugar, simple carbohydrates and alcohol are all going to bring you down. Just ditch one downer each day and replace it with something healthful. Over time, you will really feel the difference. Move Your Body: If you’re one of those people who keeps gyms in the black by paying monthly dues but rarely going, now’s the time to get your money’s worth. If the gym isn’t your thing, just change what you are doing to add more activity to your routine. Park in the furthest space in the parking lot, get off the subway a stop or two away from your destination, take the stairs instead of the elevator, run with your dog, and take a walk every day at lunch time to refresh yourself. What action will you take this week to strengthen your brand foundation?For more ways to shore up your brand foundation, get complimentary “Health without the Health Club” tips here.2. Put Your Happy Face On Although it may be a challenge to see the glass as half full, it’s critical to keep a positive outlook throughout the job search process. That which you focus on expands, so if your mind is fixated on the fact that finding a job is hard, you’ll prove yourself right. It will be hard. Challenging. Frustrating. You will feel the impact of every rejected resume, every excruciating interview and every unreturned phone call. Instead, you must keep the future in your mind. Visualize yourself at your new job. Know what it looks like, feels like and smells like. Make it visceral; keeping the end in mind will help you navigate the job search with ease and fortitude and keep you from focusing on the small bumps you might encounter along the way. Also, surround yourself with supportive people and get involved with activities that make you feel that you are contributing or learning. Volunteer; join a job-search support group; or take (or even teach!) a class.What does it look like at your new office?To get some more ideas to help you keep smiling, listen to the recording of an interview with Gretchen Rubin of the Happiness Project.3. Understand Your BrandYour brand is your unique promise of value. It’s what makes you valuable and helps you stand out from the crowd. You shouldn’t be working on your career-marketing tools unless you’re clear about your unique promise of value. “Me-too” resumes don’t work, especially in a crowded market.Your brand â €" although based in your authenticity is held in the hearts and minds of those around you. So get as much input as you can about your strengths, weaknesses and skills from the people who know you. This will inform your career-marketing tools and help you perform the best in a job interview. Sometimes one insight from the outside can have a powerful impact on how you position yourself for your next big job.I was working with a very senior healthcare-industry executive to help her find a new role. In working to understand her personal brand, I asked her a lot of questions about her greatest strengths, her motivated skills, and so on. She gave me a great list to work with. I also got input from her former colleagues, managers and employees. Interestingly, the lists were really quite different.I have learned one thing in working with executives. The higher you move up the corporate ladder, the less you hear what people really think and the more you hear what they think you want to hear . That distorts your understanding of your brand in the marketplace. Now is the time for clarity. You need to be aware of your strengths and your weaknesses. It’s not the time to bury your head in the sand. Seek the feedback you need to succeed.What do people think about YOU?Get a password to access a new, complimentary version of 360Reach, the personal branding assessment, by emailing support@reachcc.com, with subject line ‘Special V4 Password.’Career Advice from Ladders Five Ways for Branding Yourself Online… Fast Intersection of the “Ilities Market Meltdown: Change Your Job Search Mindset Master the Art of Precision 4. Get Your Digital House in Order It’s a fact that you are going to be Googled during a job search. And for people who don’t know you, you are your Google results. So you need to ensure that what Google says about you reinforces your real-world brand. If you think your career-marketing tools are just your resume and cover letters, you’re missing an element that is becoming more and more important in a world that’s becoming more and more virtual. So get your digital house in order. That means having enough relevant Google results to convince hiring managers and executive recruiters that you have something to say and something valuable to contribute. It means using all the multimedia features the Web provides to demonstrate what makes you exceptional.Even if you aren’t ready for your own Web site, there are many ways to enhance your online ID. For example, commenting on blogs that focus on your area of thought leadership is an opportunity to express your expertise. And at the same time, it’s a great way to build community and expand your network by sharing ideas and opinions with like-minded professionals.How strong is your online ID? Use this complimentary calculator to measure your online identity and get tips on how to enhance it here.5. Build Career Karma If there were ever a time when your network takes on extra value, it’s during a tough period for workers. You want to reach out to members of your network, bolstering relationships with close members of your network and rebuilding relationships you may have let slip away.The best way to build a powerful network is to give to your network. And although you may feel more like you need help than have help to give, giving will actually help satisfy your search.Remember, most jobs are filled through some sort of network connection. That means you must make yourself visible and available to all the members of your network. The best way to gain that visibility is to give to your network â€" and there are countless ways to do so. Endorse colleagues and employees at LinkedIn, take a former manager out to lunch, and refer job opportunities that aren’t right for you to your contacts who may be perfect for the role. Challenge yourself to do one kind act for a member of your network each day, and watch your professional relationships flourish.What have you done for the members of your network lately?To receive complimentary Career Karma tips every day to help you enhance your career karma, sign up here.