Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Sunday, February 23, 2014
A Very Strange Interview Process
The Folks at Heineken wanted to put job candidates
through a different kind of interview process.....this is what they did...
enjoy it and remember, it could be you.
The Heineken Internship
through a different kind of interview process.....this is what they did...
enjoy it and remember, it could be you.
The Heineken Internship
The Company with no Managers!
Ryan Carson was presenting his company’s latest numbers to investors when he broke the big news. In the middle of the presentation, one investor stopped and asked, “Wait, who reports to who?”
“My co-founder [Alan Johnson] and I just kind of looked at each other and laughed,” says Carson. Then they fessed up. “We said ‘No one reports to anyone.’”
Treehouse’s investors are used to workplace experiments like this. The online education platform that teaches its students a variety of programming languages is no stranger to the non-traditional work environment. The company is largely remote, and offers employees four-day workweeks, among other perks. More recently, however, the company opted for a completely flat org chart with all middle management removed.
Instead of advancing the company using top-down directives from leadership, the company organizes around projects proposed by employees using collaboration software. Employees propose the projects they want to see completed and, if enough coworkers join, they can get started.
It sounds crazy, but it’s a growing trend in business. A similar structure was adopted by Zappos earlier this year and has long been in place at Github, Valve, and other companies.
Since switching to the no-manager structure, Treehouse co-founder Ryan Carson says he gets less than 20 emails a day and believes worker morale has skyrocketed. We talked to him about how it all works:
—
Why do this?
My main tenant as an owner is to treat other people like I want to be treated. We look at our employees as adults. The basic premise is we all should be able to make adult decisions and take care of ourselves. Everything comes from there pretty easily.What have you learned now that it is seven months in?
“My co-founder [Alan Johnson] and I just kind of looked at each other and laughed,” says Carson. Then they fessed up. “We said ‘No one reports to anyone.’”
Treehouse’s investors are used to workplace experiments like this. The online education platform that teaches its students a variety of programming languages is no stranger to the non-traditional work environment. The company is largely remote, and offers employees four-day workweeks, among other perks. More recently, however, the company opted for a completely flat org chart with all middle management removed.
Instead of advancing the company using top-down directives from leadership, the company organizes around projects proposed by employees using collaboration software. Employees propose the projects they want to see completed and, if enough coworkers join, they can get started.
It sounds crazy, but it’s a growing trend in business. A similar structure was adopted by Zappos earlier this year and has long been in place at Github, Valve, and other companies.
Since switching to the no-manager structure, Treehouse co-founder Ryan Carson says he gets less than 20 emails a day and believes worker morale has skyrocketed. We talked to him about how it all works:
—
Why do this?
My main tenant as an owner is to treat other people like I want to be treated. We look at our employees as adults. The basic premise is we all should be able to make adult decisions and take care of ourselves. Everything comes from there pretty easily.What have you learned now that it is seven months in?
You have to have a communication tool like Flow and Convoy which are the two internal tools we built. Because you cannot do email. It just won’t work if you try to operate as normal with email.
Why not?
Email by nature is private, and the only way to run a no-manager company is very publicly. Data cannot be silo-ed anywhere. The second thing I’ve learned is that sometimes it is hard to reach consensus. What is starting to happen is that people will end up not making a decision when they disagree on something. because no one has the authority to make that decision above anybody else.
My cofounder and I do not want to get pulled into and settle all the fights. Someone can say, “Guys, there are a lot of good arguments going on but there are no conclusions.” Someone has to be brave and say, “Okay, I think this is the consensus. I am going to tell the whole company of the decision.”
Email by nature is private, and the only way to run a no-manager company is very publicly.
How does this jive with the traditional leadership ethos that concentrating all effort behind a very few amount of projects is the best way to move the ball the farthest?
The best description of a no-manager company, is that it is an ant colony. It looks really chaotic and it is sometimes hard to understand what is happening, but then a crazy structure gets built. Often. even as the CEO, I do not understand exactly what is happening on any one day. Entrepreneurs and CEOs are not saviors. They are not perfect. People look at the Steve Jobs brand and think that there is something magical going on, but I believe that is not true. It is not really in the best interest of Treehouse or any company for the CEOs to truly control its direction, because he is just one guy or girl.
We have 65 people at Treehouse, and it is better to have 65 individuals who are capable of making decisions and thinking and seeing things than one. So, we are less decisive, less coordinated than a traditional organization structure, but we are still crazy enough to get stuff done and everyone is extremely motivated. I think if you are going to pick one or the other, I would always go for more chaos, way higher motivation, and more innovation than more control.
I would always go for more chaos, way higher motivation, and more innovation than more control.
Do you think that is because Treehouse’s business model is pretty well established at this point? You guys know what you need to hit for revenue. It is not as if you are a bootstrapped startup still trying to figure out kind of your market fit at this point.
That’s probably fair but you know at the same time, we are still very much trying to figure out our business. Yes we have revenue, but our primary revenue is probably going to come from stuff that we do not even do yet. I think it will be pretty hard for a company who does not know what its business is to operate this way.
You took VC funding in 2013. Typically this comes with a large amount of pressure to scale very quickly for a potential exit event. Is this chaotic no-manager approach appeasing your investors? Are they okay with this?
Our investors love it. We actually didn’t tell them until after it was done. After we explained it they said, “Oh gosh, of course that’s better. Everybody in the whole world believes their managers don’t actually do work and they pretty much despise them.”
Usually people use a management org tree as a way to advance their career. Is that possible here? I imagine your response to that is, “No, but you can then do much more cool stuff because no one’s standing in your way and that will advance you career more so than anything.”
And I love that. It kind of reduces all the political bullshit. I used to spend probably 50 percent of my time working on the org chart. Now basically it’s up to everyone to make themselves happy and make sure that they are enjoying their job. And if they don’t, then they can leave.
It’s up to everyone to make themselves happy and make sure that they are enjoying their job. And if they don’t, then they can leave.
Has anyone left since you have been doing this?
When we made the change we let three people go and that was because we felt like they did not want to fit in with the structure. Since then, we have actually let two people go because they were not performing.
So how do you keep everyone accountable?
The way it works is, every quarter, you do an anonymous review with the people that you worked with. If you get negative reviews, it’s just a “one strike and you’re out” policy. You get one meeting and then after that you get let go. Unfortunately, we’ve let two people go this way. They were issued warnings and when they got another one, we had to let them go. The other good thing about no managers is there is nowhere to hide. If you don’t perform, everybody knows that and you can’t blame anybody.
Not only did you remove any managerial “cover” but everything is probably very exposed.
Yeah and when we enacted it, the managers immediately went back in the frontline work. It was as if we hired six people.
Are you familiar with the concept of “Dunbar’s Number?” It’s the amount of people supposedly we can keep a relationship with. People theorize it is anywhere between 120-150. If and when Treehouse grows past that, does that make the no-manager rule unsustainable?
It will be weird. I am definitely worried about that. W. L. Gore and Associates [creators of GoreTex] does it, with 9,000 or 10,000 employees and there have been no managers since 1958. The way they used to do it was by creating physical campuses. It’s going to be a challenge, but I guess I’d rather worry about that than all the political B.S. you know will be part of being big.
Is there any other thing you’re thinking about implementing that is non-traditional when it comes to company structure?
We’re thinking about exposing everyone’s salary, but that’s only because it will help everybody make a decision. For instance, if you want to set up a project and you add a bunch of people to it, you should have some sort of idea as to the cost of that. If you don’t understand that a developer is paid twice what a support person makes, you can’t make the decision unless you have all those facts.
Many startups have “perks” like food or games around. How does that compare to what you’re doing?
We figure, hey, if you can create a company exactly how you wish it would be, then why not do it that way? We find that not all the traditional cheesy stuff like ping-pong table and a cafeteria matters, really – worker satisfaction is more related to doing something important.
—
How about you?
Would you work for a company with no managers?
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Emotional Self - Awareness - A Guide
14 questions to achieve greater self-awareness
This article is based on the eBook “Emotional Intelligence Secrets”
How are you supposed to tell if you need more self-awareness if you don’t have self-awareness? It’s a puzzle, isn’t it? Not sure if you need more self-awareness? Look at these big clues that let you know:
1) Whether your results in your personal and professional life are worthy of your potential or not
2) Whether you carry stress-induced physical tension in your body
3) What feedback others would give you and how well adjectives such as: angry, unsure of yourself, unapproachable, impatient serve you.
Pay attention to how you respond to each of these clues. What goes through your mind when you consider if your results are worthy of your potential? For many people, this point poses many problems. They feel uncomfortable by it. Which, as you may have guessed, is a sure sign that the answer is no, and that they probably need more self-awareness.
In the following lines you will find some useful tips on how to increase your self-awareness.
Three questions to ask yourself to get on track quickly
Answer these questions when you have time to ponder the deeper answers:
“Who am I?”
“What do I want?”
“What does it take to get it?”
You need to know fundamentally who you are if you want to quickly raise your emotional intelligence and self-awareness. Let’s cover an important point about answering this question for yourself. Begin with your foundation. And this, of course, would be your values.
Keep your values clear and in the front of your mind so that you will be guided to profound success while staying true to what’s most important to you.
How do others respond to you?
Just about everything of any real value in this world involves your relationships with others. Are you coming across in the way you intend? Are you likable?
Countless research proves that people would much rather work with people they like than people they find unapproachable, even if those unapproachable people are smarter than average. Save yourself from career derailment by noticing how people respond to you. Do they include you in meetings, ask your opinion, and invite you to lunch? The more people like you, the further you will go.
How would you feel?
Let’s say that you have a meeting this afternoon. Your boss is leading the meeting, and your entire department will be present. Naturally, you review the agenda, and note that you won’t need to make a presentation at this meeting.
However, once you’re in the meeting, the boss turns to you and asks you a question. You really dislike being called out like that when you haven’t had a chance to think about the question. The boss interrupts you three times as you try to respond, because apparently, you aren’t getting your thoughts across as quickly as he would like you to.
How do you feel?
Angry? Embarrassed? Disrespected?
One of the key factors in self-awareness is your ability to recognize your feelings, to know what actions influenced your responses, and to be able to understand the ways your emotions are impacting those around you. This is called emotional literacy which is your ability to identify and articulate your emotions.
What you don’t know can hurt you
Because your emotions can be so powerful and lead you to virtually instant results, not always to your benefit, you’ll be well served to cultivate two powerful insights into your behaviors.
First: What are your trigger points, pet peeves, and annoyances?
Rest assured, it’s not a character flaw that there are things you just don’t like. What you do need to know is that some emotions and responses work so quickly, that if you aren’t prepared even before they arise, you’re already too late to stop them.
If you perceive a threat to your ego, you will experience the so called fight or flight syndrome. You benefit by acknowledging your trigger points because this preparation will help you recognize challenging situations in the future so you can plan a more calm and level-headed response that’s consistent with your values.
The second insight to be aware of is this: “How do your emotions impact others?”
Your emotions influence others whether you intend to or not. Here’s the problem: too often, people fail to notice how their moods impact others around them. Your emotions are showing and telling people volumes about who you are. Are you coming across intentionally and in a way that’s congruent with your values?
Steps for raising your self-awareness
1. Write down the emotions you experience on a regular basis, for example: anger, joy, disappointment, sadness, contentment, anxiety.
2. Note what circumstances precede these emotions, for example: are you with a certain person or people? Are you in a particular situation, such as a meeting, or a combination of these?
3. Observe strong physical responses: such as tense shoulders, grinding jaw, clenched fists. It could be that you aren’t even aware you’re carrying a negative emotion until you notice the symptoms of stress.
4. Self-talk, be aware of what you tell yourself about what you’re observing. The stories you tell will impact your behavior.
Remember that being aware of your emotions is the first step towards managing them
This article is based on the eBook “Emotional Intelligence Secrets”
How are you supposed to tell if you need more self-awareness if you don’t have self-awareness? It’s a puzzle, isn’t it? Not sure if you need more self-awareness? Look at these big clues that let you know:
1) Whether your results in your personal and professional life are worthy of your potential or not
2) Whether you carry stress-induced physical tension in your body
3) What feedback others would give you and how well adjectives such as: angry, unsure of yourself, unapproachable, impatient serve you.
Pay attention to how you respond to each of these clues. What goes through your mind when you consider if your results are worthy of your potential? For many people, this point poses many problems. They feel uncomfortable by it. Which, as you may have guessed, is a sure sign that the answer is no, and that they probably need more self-awareness.
In the following lines you will find some useful tips on how to increase your self-awareness.
Three questions to ask yourself to get on track quickly
Answer these questions when you have time to ponder the deeper answers:
“Who am I?”
“What do I want?”
“What does it take to get it?”
You need to know fundamentally who you are if you want to quickly raise your emotional intelligence and self-awareness. Let’s cover an important point about answering this question for yourself. Begin with your foundation. And this, of course, would be your values.
Keep your values clear and in the front of your mind so that you will be guided to profound success while staying true to what’s most important to you.
How do others respond to you?
Just about everything of any real value in this world involves your relationships with others. Are you coming across in the way you intend? Are you likable?
Countless research proves that people would much rather work with people they like than people they find unapproachable, even if those unapproachable people are smarter than average. Save yourself from career derailment by noticing how people respond to you. Do they include you in meetings, ask your opinion, and invite you to lunch? The more people like you, the further you will go.
How would you feel?
Let’s say that you have a meeting this afternoon. Your boss is leading the meeting, and your entire department will be present. Naturally, you review the agenda, and note that you won’t need to make a presentation at this meeting.
However, once you’re in the meeting, the boss turns to you and asks you a question. You really dislike being called out like that when you haven’t had a chance to think about the question. The boss interrupts you three times as you try to respond, because apparently, you aren’t getting your thoughts across as quickly as he would like you to.
How do you feel?
Angry? Embarrassed? Disrespected?
One of the key factors in self-awareness is your ability to recognize your feelings, to know what actions influenced your responses, and to be able to understand the ways your emotions are impacting those around you. This is called emotional literacy which is your ability to identify and articulate your emotions.
What you don’t know can hurt you
Because your emotions can be so powerful and lead you to virtually instant results, not always to your benefit, you’ll be well served to cultivate two powerful insights into your behaviors.
First: What are your trigger points, pet peeves, and annoyances?
Rest assured, it’s not a character flaw that there are things you just don’t like. What you do need to know is that some emotions and responses work so quickly, that if you aren’t prepared even before they arise, you’re already too late to stop them.
If you perceive a threat to your ego, you will experience the so called fight or flight syndrome. You benefit by acknowledging your trigger points because this preparation will help you recognize challenging situations in the future so you can plan a more calm and level-headed response that’s consistent with your values.
The second insight to be aware of is this: “How do your emotions impact others?”
Your emotions influence others whether you intend to or not. Here’s the problem: too often, people fail to notice how their moods impact others around them. Your emotions are showing and telling people volumes about who you are. Are you coming across intentionally and in a way that’s congruent with your values?
Steps for raising your self-awareness
1. Write down the emotions you experience on a regular basis, for example: anger, joy, disappointment, sadness, contentment, anxiety.
2. Note what circumstances precede these emotions, for example: are you with a certain person or people? Are you in a particular situation, such as a meeting, or a combination of these?
3. Observe strong physical responses: such as tense shoulders, grinding jaw, clenched fists. It could be that you aren’t even aware you’re carrying a negative emotion until you notice the symptoms of stress.
4. Self-talk, be aware of what you tell yourself about what you’re observing. The stories you tell will impact your behavior.
Remember that being aware of your emotions is the first step towards managing them
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Free Career Manuals
The folks at Bookboon provide free manuals written by industry experts.
They are available to download.
We find that they cover the basics very well and are certainly worth a browse.
FREE CAREER MANUALS
They are available to download.
We find that they cover the basics very well and are certainly worth a browse.
FREE CAREER MANUALS
Sunday, February 16, 2014
The Pursuit of Happiness
The folks at 99u are a very grounded bunch of people and I generally like their attitude that making the world a better place is a lot of hard work and not just great ideas. Here is an article by Raymond Ciotti on happiness.....see what you think.
While happiness is defined by the individual, I've always felt it foolish to declare that nothing can be learned from observing the happiness of others.
In our day-to-day lives it is easy to miss the forest for the trees and look over some of the smaller, simpler things that can disproportionately affect our happiness levels. Luckily, we can go off more than just our intuition; there are lots of studies that aim for finding the right behavior that leads to a happier life. Below, we take a look at some of the more actionable advice.
1. Be Busy, But Not Rushed
Research shows that being “rushed” puts you on the fast track to being miserable. On the other hand, many studies suggest that having nothing to do can also take its toll, bad news for those who subscribe to the Office Space dream of doing nothing.
The porridge is just right when you’re living a productive life at a comfortable pace. Meaning: you should be expanding your comfort zone often, but not so much that you feel overwhelmed. Easier said than done, but certainly an ideal to strive towards.
Feeling like you’re doing busywork is often the result of saying “Yes” to things you are not absolutely excited about. Be sure to say “No” to things that don’t make you say, “Hell yeah!” We all have obligations, but a comfortable pace can only be found by a person willing to say no to most things, and who’s able to say “Yes” to the right things.
You should be expanding your comfort zone often, but not so much that you feel overwhelmed.
2. Have 5 Close Relationships
Having a few close relationships keeps people happier when they’re young, and has even been shown to help us live longer, with a higher quality of life. True friends really are worth their weight in gold. But why five relationships? This seemed to be an acceptable average from a variety of studies. Take this excerpt from the book Finding Flow:
National surveys find that when someone claims to have 5 or more friends with whom they can discuss important problems, they are 60 percent more likely to say that they are ‘very happy’.
The number isn’t the important aspect here, it is the effort you put into your relationships that matters. Studies show that even the best relationships dissolve over time; a closeness with someone is something you need to continually earn, never treat it as a given. Every time you connect with those close to you, you further strengthen those bonds and give yourself a little boost of happiness at the same time. The data show that checking in around every two weeks is the sweet spot for very close friends.
3. Don’t Tie Your Happiness to External Events
Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less. —C.S. Lewis
Self-esteem is a tricky beast. It’s certainly good for confidence, but a variety of research suggests that self-esteem that is bound to external success can be quite fickle. For example, certain students who tied their self-esteem to their grades experienced small boosts when they received a grad school acceptance letter, but harsh drops in self-esteem when they were rejected.
Tying your happiness to external events can also lead to behavior which avoids failure as a defensive measure. Think of all the times you tell yourself, “It doesn't matter that I failed, because I wasn't even trying.” The key may be, as C.S. Lewis suggests, to instead think of yourself less, thus avoiding the trap of tying your self-worth to external signals.
4. Exercise
Yup, no verbose headline here, because there is no getting around it: no matter how much you hate exercise, it will make you feel better if you stick with it. Body image improves when you exercise (even if results don’t right away). And eventually, you should start seeing that “exercise high” once you’re able to pass the initial hump: The release of endorphins has an addictive effect, and more exercise is needed to achieve the same level of euphoria over time.
So make it one of your regular habits. It does not matter which activity you choose, there’s bound to be at least one physical activity you can stomach.
5. Embrace Discomfort for Mastery
Happy people generally have something known as a “signature strength” — At least one thing they’ve become proficient at, even if the learning process made them uncomfortable.
Research has suggested that mastering a skill may be just as stressful as you might think. Researchers found that although the process of becoming proficient at something took its toll on people in the form of stress, participants reported that these same activities made them feel happy and satisfied when they looked back on their day as a whole.
As the cartoon Adventure Time famously said, “Suckin’ at something is the first step to being sorta good at something,” and it’s true, struggle is the evidence of progress. The rewards of becoming great at something far outweigh the short-term discomfort that is caused earning your stripes.
Struggle is the evidence of progress.
6. Spend More Money on Experiences
Truly happy people are very proficient with what they spend on physical things, opting instead to spend much of their money on experiences. “Experiential purchases” tend to make us happier, at least according to the research. In fact, a variety of research shows that most people are far happier when buying experiences vs. buying material goods.
Here are some reasons why this might be, according to the literature:
Experiences improve over time. Aging like a fine wine, great experiences trump physical items, which often wear off quickly (“Ugh, my phone is so old!”). Experiences can be relieved for years
People revisit experiences more often. Research shows that experiences are recalled more often than material purchases. You are more likely to remember your first hiking trip over your first pair of hiking boots (although you do need to make that purchase, or you’ll have some sore feet!)
Experiences are more unique. Most people try to deny, but we humans are constantly comparing ourselves to one another. Comparisons can often make us unhappy, but experiences are often immune to this as they are unique to us. Nobody in the world will have the exact experience you had with your wife on that trip to Italy.
We adapt slowly to experiences. Consumer research shows that experiences take longer to “get used to.” Have you ever felt really energized, refreshed, or just different after coming back from a great show/dinner/vacation? It is harder to replicate that feeling with material purchases.
Experiences are social. Human beings are social animals. Did you know that true solitary confinement is often classified as “cruel and usual” punishment due to the detrimental effects it can have on the mind? Experiences get us out of our comfort zone, out of our house, and perhaps involved in those close relationships we need to be happy.
7. Don’t Ignore Your Itches
This one is more anecdotal than scientific, but perhaps most important.
When the Guardian asked a hospice nurse for the Top 5 Regrets of the Dying, one of the most common answers was that people regretted not being true to their dreams:
This was the most common regret of all. When people realize that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people had not honoured even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made. Health brings a freedom very few realise, until they no longer have it.
As they say, there are seven days in the week, and “someday” isn’t one of them.
While happiness is defined by the individual, I've always felt it foolish to declare that nothing can be learned from observing the happiness of others.
In our day-to-day lives it is easy to miss the forest for the trees and look over some of the smaller, simpler things that can disproportionately affect our happiness levels. Luckily, we can go off more than just our intuition; there are lots of studies that aim for finding the right behavior that leads to a happier life. Below, we take a look at some of the more actionable advice.
1. Be Busy, But Not Rushed
Research shows that being “rushed” puts you on the fast track to being miserable. On the other hand, many studies suggest that having nothing to do can also take its toll, bad news for those who subscribe to the Office Space dream of doing nothing.
The porridge is just right when you’re living a productive life at a comfortable pace. Meaning: you should be expanding your comfort zone often, but not so much that you feel overwhelmed. Easier said than done, but certainly an ideal to strive towards.
Feeling like you’re doing busywork is often the result of saying “Yes” to things you are not absolutely excited about. Be sure to say “No” to things that don’t make you say, “Hell yeah!” We all have obligations, but a comfortable pace can only be found by a person willing to say no to most things, and who’s able to say “Yes” to the right things.
You should be expanding your comfort zone often, but not so much that you feel overwhelmed.
2. Have 5 Close Relationships
Having a few close relationships keeps people happier when they’re young, and has even been shown to help us live longer, with a higher quality of life. True friends really are worth their weight in gold. But why five relationships? This seemed to be an acceptable average from a variety of studies. Take this excerpt from the book Finding Flow:
National surveys find that when someone claims to have 5 or more friends with whom they can discuss important problems, they are 60 percent more likely to say that they are ‘very happy’.
The number isn’t the important aspect here, it is the effort you put into your relationships that matters. Studies show that even the best relationships dissolve over time; a closeness with someone is something you need to continually earn, never treat it as a given. Every time you connect with those close to you, you further strengthen those bonds and give yourself a little boost of happiness at the same time. The data show that checking in around every two weeks is the sweet spot for very close friends.
3. Don’t Tie Your Happiness to External Events
Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less. —C.S. Lewis
Self-esteem is a tricky beast. It’s certainly good for confidence, but a variety of research suggests that self-esteem that is bound to external success can be quite fickle. For example, certain students who tied their self-esteem to their grades experienced small boosts when they received a grad school acceptance letter, but harsh drops in self-esteem when they were rejected.
Tying your happiness to external events can also lead to behavior which avoids failure as a defensive measure. Think of all the times you tell yourself, “It doesn't matter that I failed, because I wasn't even trying.” The key may be, as C.S. Lewis suggests, to instead think of yourself less, thus avoiding the trap of tying your self-worth to external signals.
4. Exercise
Yup, no verbose headline here, because there is no getting around it: no matter how much you hate exercise, it will make you feel better if you stick with it. Body image improves when you exercise (even if results don’t right away). And eventually, you should start seeing that “exercise high” once you’re able to pass the initial hump: The release of endorphins has an addictive effect, and more exercise is needed to achieve the same level of euphoria over time.
So make it one of your regular habits. It does not matter which activity you choose, there’s bound to be at least one physical activity you can stomach.
5. Embrace Discomfort for Mastery
Happy people generally have something known as a “signature strength” — At least one thing they’ve become proficient at, even if the learning process made them uncomfortable.
Research has suggested that mastering a skill may be just as stressful as you might think. Researchers found that although the process of becoming proficient at something took its toll on people in the form of stress, participants reported that these same activities made them feel happy and satisfied when they looked back on their day as a whole.
As the cartoon Adventure Time famously said, “Suckin’ at something is the first step to being sorta good at something,” and it’s true, struggle is the evidence of progress. The rewards of becoming great at something far outweigh the short-term discomfort that is caused earning your stripes.
Struggle is the evidence of progress.
6. Spend More Money on Experiences
Truly happy people are very proficient with what they spend on physical things, opting instead to spend much of their money on experiences. “Experiential purchases” tend to make us happier, at least according to the research. In fact, a variety of research shows that most people are far happier when buying experiences vs. buying material goods.
Here are some reasons why this might be, according to the literature:
Experiences improve over time. Aging like a fine wine, great experiences trump physical items, which often wear off quickly (“Ugh, my phone is so old!”). Experiences can be relieved for years
People revisit experiences more often. Research shows that experiences are recalled more often than material purchases. You are more likely to remember your first hiking trip over your first pair of hiking boots (although you do need to make that purchase, or you’ll have some sore feet!)
Experiences are more unique. Most people try to deny, but we humans are constantly comparing ourselves to one another. Comparisons can often make us unhappy, but experiences are often immune to this as they are unique to us. Nobody in the world will have the exact experience you had with your wife on that trip to Italy.
We adapt slowly to experiences. Consumer research shows that experiences take longer to “get used to.” Have you ever felt really energized, refreshed, or just different after coming back from a great show/dinner/vacation? It is harder to replicate that feeling with material purchases.
Experiences are social. Human beings are social animals. Did you know that true solitary confinement is often classified as “cruel and usual” punishment due to the detrimental effects it can have on the mind? Experiences get us out of our comfort zone, out of our house, and perhaps involved in those close relationships we need to be happy.
7. Don’t Ignore Your Itches
This one is more anecdotal than scientific, but perhaps most important.
When the Guardian asked a hospice nurse for the Top 5 Regrets of the Dying, one of the most common answers was that people regretted not being true to their dreams:
This was the most common regret of all. When people realize that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people had not honoured even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made. Health brings a freedom very few realise, until they no longer have it.
As they say, there are seven days in the week, and “someday” isn’t one of them.
7 Golden Rules for Executive Job Search
An article written by Josh Waldeman at Careerealism which contains a few nuggets of good advice.
Would you agree with all seven key pieces of advice?
Some may wonder why an executive resume should be a little different from the others. Well, executive positions are just a few and the applicants are many. That is why the executive resume writing should be done in a way to win that dreamed position. How can you do that?
An effective way to ensure that is by checking your resume, which is your key for an interview, and make sure that it is not missing important things as the seven must-haves that we will share with you. They are the following:
Metrics
Recommendations
Job Titles
ROI Leadership
Achievements using Challenge, Action, and Result.
A selling profile
Strategic keywords
Must-Haves Of An Executive Resume In 2014
Why are these seven must-haves so important? To find out the answer, let us consider one by one.
1. Metrics
Numbers have proven to be an effective way to impress. You might say that you have been a good leader, or you could say that you have improved the production to a specific number. Which one do you think will work the most? For sure, the metrics you share will do the talking.
2. Recommendations
Being praised by other people is always a good way to get a job. In a company they want to hire the best person available, and they do not want to take surprises after you have signed the contract. Good recommendations will help them to trust in you.
3. Job Titles
Make sure to add some nice titles of your past positions. This will reassure them that you are a leader.
4. ROI Leadership
Show them what you are made of. This part of the resume will help them realize what a good leader you are. If you have increased the numbers of a company, that will be very impressive to them.
5. Achievements using Challenge, Action, and Result
Demonstrate your your achievements. Show them what you have accomplished and how valuable you can be for a company.
6. A Selling Profile
Your profile should be able to catch your reader’s attention. The profile should be the perfect bait to drag them to the rest of your resume.
7. Strategic keywords
Make sure you add keywords for certain skills or fields. This will make it easier for you to get selected among a pile of resumes.
Focus on these must-haves at the time of writing your resume. An executive resume writing is not something you can take lightly. It takes a lot of effort to put the right words in a resume for an executive position. Many people have the right skills, and are perfect for the job, but because they were not able to create a good resume they end up being left out by recruiters in the selection process.
Get the right executive resume help that you need. Being a leader does not mean doing all things by yourself. It means being in charge of reaching goals and hitting targets with the help of others.
Be determined to get the job you want, and become an executive with the help of a great executive resume!
Would you agree with all seven key pieces of advice?
Some may wonder why an executive resume should be a little different from the others. Well, executive positions are just a few and the applicants are many. That is why the executive resume writing should be done in a way to win that dreamed position. How can you do that?
An effective way to ensure that is by checking your resume, which is your key for an interview, and make sure that it is not missing important things as the seven must-haves that we will share with you. They are the following:
Metrics
Recommendations
Job Titles
ROI Leadership
Achievements using Challenge, Action, and Result.
A selling profile
Strategic keywords
Must-Haves Of An Executive Resume In 2014
Why are these seven must-haves so important? To find out the answer, let us consider one by one.
1. Metrics
Numbers have proven to be an effective way to impress. You might say that you have been a good leader, or you could say that you have improved the production to a specific number. Which one do you think will work the most? For sure, the metrics you share will do the talking.
2. Recommendations
Being praised by other people is always a good way to get a job. In a company they want to hire the best person available, and they do not want to take surprises after you have signed the contract. Good recommendations will help them to trust in you.
3. Job Titles
Make sure to add some nice titles of your past positions. This will reassure them that you are a leader.
4. ROI Leadership
Show them what you are made of. This part of the resume will help them realize what a good leader you are. If you have increased the numbers of a company, that will be very impressive to them.
5. Achievements using Challenge, Action, and Result
Demonstrate your your achievements. Show them what you have accomplished and how valuable you can be for a company.
6. A Selling Profile
Your profile should be able to catch your reader’s attention. The profile should be the perfect bait to drag them to the rest of your resume.
7. Strategic keywords
Make sure you add keywords for certain skills or fields. This will make it easier for you to get selected among a pile of resumes.
Focus on these must-haves at the time of writing your resume. An executive resume writing is not something you can take lightly. It takes a lot of effort to put the right words in a resume for an executive position. Many people have the right skills, and are perfect for the job, but because they were not able to create a good resume they end up being left out by recruiters in the selection process.
Get the right executive resume help that you need. Being a leader does not mean doing all things by yourself. It means being in charge of reaching goals and hitting targets with the help of others.
Be determined to get the job you want, and become an executive with the help of a great executive resume!
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Graduate Jobs Ireland - Latest sample
CPL UK - Dublin
o BA/BS degree, ideally 1 year of relevant business experience (internships). o Solid knowledge of grammar, spelling, punctuation, and related language and...
Top Language Jobs - 13:57
CPL UK - Dublin
o BA/BS degree, ideally 1 year of relevant business experience (internships). o Solid knowledge of grammar, spelling, punctuation, and related language and...
Top Language Jobs - 13:56
Lex Consultancy - Dublin
Assist the Director of Finance in the day to day accounting function. Study leave to be negotiated if needed....
Lex Consultancy - 20:33
Aspire Programme - Dundalk, County Louth
Independent travel to other locations will also be required occasionally as the job dictates. Successful candidates will be notified when interviews are...
gradireland.com - 20:30
I.T. Alliance - Dublin
Technical skills (in order of priority):. Hyper-V). 1.Strong Windows 2003/2008 and 2012 Server Administration knowledge & Networking, (TCP/IP in both a Local...
I.T. Alliance - 9:03
Due to the nature of fraud it’s a constantly changing area, meaning you will have plenty of opportunities to work on developing new fraud tools and procedures,...
Ezetop - 16:55
Perriam and Everett - Dublin
Solid experience of managing a team of recruitment consultants. Proven track record of successfulprofessional recruitment....
Perriam and Everett - 8:11
Develop, review and update precedents and to promote current awareness of legal developments including new and proposed EU & Irish legislation and case law...
Robert Walters - 16:56
A Business/Finance Degree would be preferable. A progressive, confident individual with a high level of initiative and enthusiasm....
Robert Walters - 10:56
Jones Engineering Group - Dublin
No experience necessary as full training will be provided. We currently have vacancies for Graduate Electrical Engineers for projects nationwide....
Engineers Ireland - 17:24
Norbrook Labs Ltd - Ulster
The successful candidates will be required to sign a training agreement in order to partake in the full training programme which will ultimately include HPLC,...
NIjobs - 19:50
CPLJobs - Dublin
o BA/BS degree, ideally 1 year of relevant business experience (internships). o Solid knowledge of grammar, spelling, punctuation, and related language and...
CPLJobs - 11:25
Kilbeg Dairy Delights Ltd. - Kells, County Meath
Day to day management of the HACCP and quality control procedures to ensure product safety and quality. Daily product quality and positive release checks....
Best Jobs Ireland - 13-Feb
Coca-Cola International Services - Drogheda, County Louth
Anyone interested in this position should submit a letter of application plus a CV to Clare Ruddy, HR Generalist, Coca-Cola International Services, Drogheda,...
gradireland.com - 14:29
Temmler Ireland - Cill Orglan, County Kerry
A degree in a relevant discipline with experience in Supply Chain, logistics or Business Administration. Proficient in all Microsoft Office applications, with...
gradireland.com - 14:29
Davy - Galway
Who is a business graduate (or possesses a related discipline);. Who demonstrates an interest and understanding of investments....
gradireland.com - 14:29
Sigmar Recruitment - Dublin North, County Dublin
A well established construction company is seeking a Graduate Building Services Engineer on a permanent basis....
Sigmar Recruitment - 20:07
Gilligan Black Recruitment - South Dublin, County Dublin
Researching, investigating and qualifying potential business opportunities and poassing this information onto sales manager....
Gilligan Black Recruitment - 17:20
Computer Futures - Dublin
Dynamics CRM or Dynamics AX Professionals. They are seeking to hire several Dynamics CRM and several Dynamics AX Professionals as soon as possible....
Computer Futures - 12:53
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Why career passion does not work!
Some great pragmatic management thinking grounded in "grit and hard work get results" thinking from Cal Newport. A very important and timely book on career management that steers away from the passion dogma. Here is a video from the folks at 99U, a great organisation founded in exploring how people make ideas work.
SO GOOD,THEY CANNOT IGNORE YOU!
SO GOOD,THEY CANNOT IGNORE YOU!
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Graduate Jobs London - A Sample
A sample of the latest graduate level jobs appearing on the London market
Check out Joe & Tom's video blog 1 month into their roles after completing the RMS Graduate programme:. In this role, the Graduate Analyst will support the...
RMS - 29-Jan
APCO Worldwide - London
Eligible to work in the EU. Drafting, editing and refining written documents including press releases to efficiently support our diverse multinational client...
APCO Worldwide - 31-Jan
A strong track record of academic research, including securing independent grant funding, and publication of data,....
GlaxoSmithKline - 29-Jan
The programme is made up of 4 placements covering a total of 24 months in both corporate (head office) and division (on site) environments.... £22,001 - £24,500 a year
Prospects.ac.uk - 31-Jan
equimedia - Swindon
We take on one Graduate three times a year – March, June and October. Love learning something new every day....
Institute of Practitioners in Advertising - 30-Jan
You will gain practical experience and insight into our everyday sales processes. Specific tasks will be based the team's key priorities but will involve rate...
InterContinental Hotels Group - 29-Jan
Full Driving licence would be preferred. Any relevant placement experience would be an advantageous. Supporting and assisting the HR team to ensure deadlines...
Amey plc - 30-Jan
TalentSpa - Cannon Street Station
Manage the customer relationship throughout the provisioning process in line with processes to achieve 100% satisfaction.... £20,000 a year
Jobsite UK - 28-Jan
Graduate Recruitment Bureau - Milton Keynes
We're looking for motivated, innovative, creative and commercially aware graduates. We're looking for passionate, customer-centric and ambitious top talent to... £24,000 a year
Graduate Recruitment Bureau - 26-Jan
Hamilton Bradshaw via GradQuiz - London
Wanting to be part of a team that is tangibly making a difference on the future growth of all of the businesses within the portfolio, you will be a well-rounded...
Hamilton Bradshaw via GradQuiz - 31-Jan
This is an opportunity to be involved in an exciting new programme aimed at delivering outstanding social workers.... £25,013 a year
Jobs.ac.uk - 29-Jan
Hornbuckle Mitchell - Leicester
Coordination, control and management of all matters relating specifically to risk management. Accurately analysing both internal MI and industry statistics to...
Easily apply to this job
Hornbuckle Mitchell - 27-Jan
If you're an aspiring leader with a natural ability to inspire people, then we can offer you a wide range of exciting opportunities to nurture and develop your... £25,500 a year
Nationwide Building Society - 31-Jan
Aimia - London
£28,000 + £2,000 sign on bonus. Can you help shape decisions with an inquisitive analytical approach and distinctive thinking?.... £28,000 a year
Aimia - 27-Jan
Local Office Induction (with the Resource Manager / Senior Scheduler for the Group). Attend 3 sessions for each induction....
Deloitte - 28-Jan
SarSar Limited - London
Keen legal mind and interest in cross-practice experience. Keen attention to detail, excellent grammar, spelling, and communication skills....
Easily apply to this job
Indeed - 28-Jan
Yieldify - London
Building new client relationships and maintaining them in the short term. Pitching to clients about our solution. Attend conferences and industry events.... £17,000 - £22,000 a year
Yieldify - 30-Jan
MTRM - London
Most importantly, we need excellent communication skills (spoken and written). Then, you need to be career focused, ambitious and resilient to succeed in a... £17,500 - £22,000 a year
Guardian Jobs - 29-Jan
Milkround.com - London
These are some of the other things that set our graduate program apart:. As well as a tailored training program and on-the-job learning, our graduate program...
Timesonline - 26-Jan
Together with the team you will undertake global research projects for clients across a diverse range of industries including Professional Services, Telecoms,...
Millward Brown - 29-Jan
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