Youre interviewing, but already have a big vacation planned. Now what

Youre interviewing, but already have a big vacation planned. Now whatYoure interviewing, but already have a big vacation planned. Now whatInterviewing for dream job when a major vacation is already on the books can beboth awkward and challenging. While theres no way to guarantee that the new potential employer wont need you to work during that time, here are a few things to consider the next time this situation sneaks up on you.Heres what you should think aboutJohn Lees, a UK-based career strategist and author, writes in the Harvard Business Review about what to keep in mindWhen the time comes to disclose your plans, think hard about what this really means, both for you and the employer. Even if you dont have a vacation already booked, its sensible to want to take some time off between jobs, since this could be one of the few times in your work history when youre not checking emails on the beach. But listen hard to the employers problem list. If its vital to get boots on the ground, you may have to think about losing deposits and canceling flights.Heres what to ask aboutMonster career expert Vicki Salemi writes that you should clarify the vacation policy. She mentions that when she was a recruiter, she never saw a hiring manager balk when an applicant told them theyd be going on vacation right after beginning the job, or witness them having second thoughts about giving an applicant the job because they had already booked time off.In companies wherein vacation days are accrued over the course of the year, hiring managers will often allow candidates to borrow from the future you should make sure to ask if this will be an option (else youll have to take the time unpaid). Alternately, Ive seen hiring managers suggest pushing a candidates start date back until after the trip or time off was concluded so that theres no interruption in pay.Heres what to sayAlison Green, the author of the Ask a Manager blog, answered a question on her site about when to discuss during a job interview the fact that youve previously booked a vacation.Dont bring it up in the interview stage it would be premature then. The time to raise it is once a company makes you an offer. At that point, its very, very muster to say something like, I have a trip scheduled from April 15-27. Im willing to take the time unpaid since I assume I wont have accrued enough vacation time by then, but I want to make sure up-front that thats okay. Its a lot better to mention this as part of the offer discussion, so that they dont feel like youre springing it on them later.This happens all the time, and its totally normal to say this. It may, however, be an issue if you dont bother to mention it until after you start. So make very sure that you mention it during the offer conversations.

How to Job Search Using Your Personality Type

How to Job Search Using Your Personality TypeHow to Job Search Using Your Personality TypeFrom the people you hang out with to the kinds of activities you enjoy in your spare time, your personality type influences much of what you do in life. It only makes sense, then, to utilize what comes naturally when taking on an important task such as a job search.Lessen the stress and increase the success of your hunt by playing to the strengths of your personality through the following strategies.Here are four tips to use your personality type to job search1. Utilize your best time of day.Some people wake up ready to take on the world, and others need an hour or two until their morning coffee jolt kicks in. Many do not reach their stride until after lunch, while night owls find their mojo when half the world is sleeping. Perform job search activities during your peak periods whenever possible to maximize results.2. Evaluate your rhythm.Are you a turtle or a hare? asks Aricia Shaffer, MSE, ofW oman In the Moon Productions and author of Unlocking the Secrets of the Successful Career Seeker.Do you like to take things at a slow and steady pace, working for several hours meticulously? Or do you prefer to race through things quickly? There is no right answer, but use your tendencies in your job search as well.In either case, a prioritized to-do list can be your best friend. Plow through tasks in one block, if that suits your style, or use the sheet to quickly pick up where you left off if you prefer shorter bursts of productivity.3. Recognize your networking style.Do you thrive at large events such as job fairs and professional gatherings? Do you find yourself tongue-tied in groups but quite chatty online? While job seekers in general must network, no law dictates how it must be done. Figuring out which methods jive with your personality will make you more comfortable, leading to networking more often and with better results.If youre introverted, you might prefer to connect ov er email or ease into social interaction- speaking with one or two people at a time, Shaffer says. If youre extroverted, you might do great jumping into a crowd. That will impact your job search. One person may want to go into the office, shop, etc. and speak with the owner one to one another might prefer finding a job through a leads group or networking party.4. Seek positions that fit.Lastly, remember that one of the greatest things you can do to energize your job search is seek work that truly captures your interest. Reflect on each position to analyze how it might mesh with your personality.As Shaffer notes, People need to work with WHO THEY ARE rather than try to force themselves to fit into the job. Its rather like buying clothes in the wrong size and trying to change yourself to fit into them. No one would do that. Dont do that with your job search either.Readers, how do you use your personality type in your job search? Share your tips and stories with us below

Im not 54 years old. Im 22 with 32 years experience

I'm not 54 years old. I'm 22 with 32 years experience I'm not 54 years old. I'm 22 with 32 years experience This is not a rant.This is not about how we did things back in our day.This is about a real concernAn age concern.Let’s put things into perspective here. With the recent and very welcome push for sexual equality, the time is also right to address the inequality of blatant ageism in design and advertising.If you’re 18 to 30 years old, you may want to look away now.  Ideas and creativity are not exclusive to the twenty somethings. Yes, you read that right.You forget, we’ve been there and done that. In fact, don’t look at the wisps of grey hair and think we’re not still doing it. We are.This is not a top trump competition between UX and Grant enlargers.The key argument for the defence? Simply put: experienced creatives are still passionate but with pragmatism and discipline. More importantly, that experience brings a much bigger picture view to a brief.Finding the balance between young and senior talentThere is definitely a right balance between hiring young and senior talent. That’s where senior talent is essential â€" guiding, mentoring, coaching, bloody well inspiring.Peter Saville, Neville Brody, Paula Scher, Trevor Beattie, Stefan Sagmeister, Dave Trott, George Lois â€" amazing creatives that the whole industry, including the “kids”, look up to and yet the youngest one there is a young 55.The past couple of years or so, I have witnessed this inequality first hand both in an agency role and when applying for other perm or freelance roles. I won’t name and shame just yet. I’m saving that for my memoirs when I truly become old and cantankerous.And it’s not just me. I hear this every day from my many contemporaries. One very experienced freelance copywriter I know, looked after a luxury brand for several months with huge success only to be suddenly replaced by a junior team who pretty quickly realised they were out of their depth. If it ain’t broke…So my message to creative industry is relook at creatives who are over 40, even older, and think about what they can bring to the table beyond Werther’s Originals.You will get proven people who can bring experienced understanding and behavioural knowledge to your new technology â€" surely the perfect complement.Well, I’m off to finish a design for a mobile AI chatbot. Seriously!Louis Loizou is a Freelance Creative Director.  This column was originally published on LinkedIn

How to follow up to build relationships

How to follow up to build relationships How to follow up to build relationships A #careerconundrum recently came into the  podcast  hotline from a listener named Emily, who wants to know how to take her networking to the next level and really develop meaningful  relationships  after meeting with people.Some of the most sought-after content I’ve created in the past is all about mastering the networking game, from  how to get on a busy person’s calendar, to  mastering the art the of the 1-on-1 meeting.  But Emily’s question belies an important truth: none of that matters without on-point follow-up.So don’t be like the folks I spoke about on last Thursday’s episode, who totally  ghost people after meeting with them,  and follow these best practices instead.Follow Ladders on Flipboard!Follow Ladders’ magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and more!  Send a recap emailImmediately following your initial networking meeting, send a follow-up email that recaps any action items that came out of your initial con versation.Did they say they’d connect you with their friend in HR? Remind them! And send along a little blurb about you that that they can use to introduce you via email.Make sure to get them anything else you owe them that they’ll need to help you further (your portfolio, a link to your website, your resume, etc.).Keep your email recap short and simple, and use bullet points when possible to keep action items clear. The goal: make it as easy as possible for them to follow through on whatever it is they agreed to in your  one-on-one meeting.Express thanksWhile you’re at it, make sure to express your thanks in whatever way feels most appropriate to you. Thank them via email. Send a handwritten note.Or if you really want to show your gratitude,  send a gift!  I’ve shared before how big a fan I am of sending a token of appreciation â€" probably because gift-giving is my love language â€" and also because they make such a big impact!When some one is really doing you a solid, mak e sure to follow up with gratitude first.ReciprocateNext, consider how you can return the favor, too. Saying thanks is nice and all, but what can you  do  for them? Can you connect them to folks you know who’d be interested in supporting their work? Can give a public shout-out to amplify what they’re doing? Can you hook them up in any way, shape or form?An  effective networking meeting  should leave you both with a sense of each others’ primary goals  and  current pain points, so do something about them!I know it’s sometimes intimidating to dare to give advice or even see yourself as being in a position to help when you’re meeting with some one you consider to be a mentor. But remember: building meaningful relationships is a two-way street. Adopting a peer mentality â€" and really seeing yourself as in the same boat as the person you’re networking with â€" can help. Don’t be afraid to offer support and encouragement.Keep in touchTo really turn a one-time networking mee ting into a blossoming relationship, you’ve got to keep in touch. This is  especially  true if you’ve been networking as a part of a job search. It’s easy to get bogged down in a  long job hunt, but you better close the loop when you land your next gig! Circle back to tell the folks you’ve met with that you’re off the market and to thank them again for their support â€" especially if they played a role in landing your new opportunity.From there, keep them updated on what’s happening with you. How are you settling in to the new role? Ask them how they’re doing and if there’s ever a way you can support them in return. A friendly email once a quarter goes a long way. You might even get in the habit of sharing articles or books that come across your radar and remind you of their interests.And if you really want cultivate a relationship, it’s important to spend quality time together. So schedule a catch-up coffee or meal together every few months to keep the conversatio n going.Remember, friendships are a two-way streetSo don’t put too much pressure on yourself if you’re feeling like the relationship isn’t reciprocal. If you keep reaching out and they’re not receptive to your regular communication or invites to meet up, don’t take it personally if a deeper friendship just isn’t in the cards.This article originally appeared on Bossed Up.  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

Learn How to Turn Volunteer Opportunities into a Job

Learn How to Turn Volunteer Opportunities into a Job Learn How to Turn Volunteer Opportunities into a Job Volunteering is a great way to give back to your community, make new friends, and pursue a cause about which you are passionate. However, volunteering can also be a way to enhance your job search. In fact, with a little patience, passion, and hard work, you may even be able to turn a volunteer position into salaried employment. Volunteering offers you the chance to network with people in your industry, demonstrate your skills, and learn the ins and outs of an organization. These opportunities could set you up perfectly for a job offer. Whether you are volunteering full time  or part time, for a short-term project or a long-term commitment, here are tips on how to work your way from volunteer to employee. How  Volunteering Can Help Your Career There are a number of ways that volunteer work can enhance your career. Firstly, you can find a volunteer position that will help you develop new skills. Interested in becoming a strong public speaker? Volunteer as a community outreach volunteer for an organization you support, doing presentations and speaking to people about the organization. This is a great way to develop a new skill to put on your resume. Secondly, you can find a volunteer position that will help you polish skills you already have. If want to improve your ability to speak a foreign language, for example, volunteer for a job that requires you to speak with people in that language. This real-world experience will quickly improve your language skills. Volunteering is also a low-stakes way to explore a new  career path. Interested in public relations? Volunteer to help publicize an organization about which you are passionate. This is a great way to experience a field in which you are interested, without the long-term commitment. If you are currently unemployed, volunteering is also a great way to  fill a gap in your resume. You can continue to gain valuable work experience while still job searching. Volunteering is a great place for professional networking. You will meet people with similar professional interests, who may be able to help you with your career. Volunteering is also a great way to get your foot in the door at an organization for which you would like to work. Some volunteer positions can turn into full-time jobs, so do your best work and get to know as many people in the organization as possible. Finally, volunteering is simply a great way to give back to your community. Volunteer for an organization whose cause you support, and you can’t go wrong. Where to Volunteer When deciding where you want to volunteer, first think of what organizations or general causes you are passionate about. Picking an organization that you are interested in will ensure that you enjoy your volunteer work and that you will do your best work. If there is a nonprofit for which you would like to work, consider volunteering there first. Then, think of what skills you would like to develop or improve, the particular knowledge you want to gain, or new careers you want to explore. This will help you decide what type of volunteer work you are interested in. Reach out to your organization of interest, expressing your desire to volunteer, and the type of work you are interested in  doing for them. Even if the organization does not openly advertise volunteer positions, they will likely still welcome a passionate volunteer. How to Turn a Volunteer Position into a Job Be Up Front.  There is no reason to hide your interest in a salaried position. If you love the organization for which you are volunteering, and would like to work there someday, let your volunteer manager know right away. If he or she knows of your passion and interest this early on, hopefully, the manager will keep this in mind when there are openings within the company. Similarly, if you see a job opening at the company, and you decide to apply for the position, be sure to tell your boss or other connections at the organization.? Be Humble.  While you should alert your manager to your interest in a job, do not grumble about your volunteer position. If you complain about the lack of pay or about the tasks you are asked to perform, you will come across as ungrateful or even egotistical. As a volunteer, you are there to learn about the company, and to learn from others. People will notice your passion and commitment but will be turned off if you act like you are superior to your volunteer position.Be Patient.  Chances are that, even if you are ultimately offered a job, it will take a long time. Nonprofits have limited budgets, and it often takes a while for a position to open up. Stay focused on making connections and working hard at your volunteer position, and be patient. Be Passionate.  Since you may have to wait months or, more likely, years, for a job to open up, make sure you pick an organization and volunteer position about which you are passionate. The organization’s higher-ups will likely notice your passion and support for their company’s mission, and it may make them more likely to offer you a job.Be Professional.  Treat your volunteer position like a job. Take your job seriously â€" show up on time, and be consistent with the high quality of your work. Putting effort and passion into every task is the only way you will get noticed by the organization’s employers. Take on Responsibility.  Look for ways to increase your value in the organization. When someone needs help with a task, offer your assistance, especially if the task is in a field or department in which you would like to work. Look for opportunities to fill leadership roles â€" spearhead new projects, offer to lead smaller volunteer teams, and get involved in projects that will let you work more closely with the organization’s managers. If you make yourself indispensable to the company, you will increase your likelihood of being considered for a job. Build Relationships.  Get to know as many people at the company as possible. While you will obviously have plenty of opportunities to get to know those with whom you are volunteering, you can expand your network even more widely. If you are not volunteering in a particular department, but are interested in a job in that field, ask the manager if you can take him or her out to coffee to learn more about the department.Learn the Culture.  For hiring managers, the benefit of hiring a volunteer is that there is no learning curve: volunteers already know the ins and outs of a company.  As you volunteer, get to learn as much about the company as possible â€" the culture, the strengths and vulnerabilities of the company, etc.. This will give you a definite leg up, should you have an interview for a job. Stay Connected.  Even when you finish your volunteer work, stay connected with your contacts at the organization. Send holiday cards or occasional emails asking how the company is doing. Feel free to (briefly) mention your job search, or ask to meet with a contact for an informational interview. By remaining connected, the employers will remember you, and may even consider you for a job after you have left.

6 Common Unwritten Rules of the Workplace - The Muse

6 Common Unwritten Rules of the Workplace - The Muse 6 Common Unwritten Rules of the Workplace When you begin a role at a new organization, you may feel a warm, welcoming vibe as you’re introduced to your colleagues via a company-wide email and taken out to lunch by your boss. In these early days, you’ll get info on how to file your expense report, order your customer print job, or book your business travel. You’ll learn what the official rules of the workplace are, what policies must be complied with, and what is expected of you in the role you were hired for. Along with an explanation of the company’s values, goals, and mission, your orientation may include info on cool company perks such as being able to bring your dog to work. There’s another category of new workplace rules though that’s not written down anywhere. Not only do they govern the way things actually get done, regardless of anything else you may have heard, but they also define the culture of the organization. “They pick up,” writes Frances Frei and Anne Morris in Harvard Business Review “where the employee handbook leaves off.” “Culture,” Frei and Morris explain, “Tells us what to do when the CEO isn’t in the room, which is, of course, most of the time.” Though they aren’t documented, they are certainly observable in the workplace. And in the immortal words of Yogi Berra, “You can observe a lot just by watching.” Here are six things you should observe about the rules you won’t find in your employee handbook. 1. What Flex Time Really Means You love the idea of flex time, and why shouldn’t you? You took the job, in part, because you liked the idea of calling the shots about when you log on and what time you get to the office. Perfect, you thought, as you signed on the dotted line: No more fretting that your boss is timing how long your dentist appointment has you away from your desk. But, take note. Does your workplace really embrace the flexible arrangement it boasts? Or does it seem like most of your colleagues are at their desks by 8 AM and rarely out the door before 6 PM? Does anyone ever leave midday for a bank run, to go to the pharmacy, or even to squeeze in a haircut- or are those suspiciously comfy office chairs occupied all day long? Understanding the reality of the workday and what’s expected of you- no matter what the hiring manager told you in the interview- will keep you from tripping up and help you schedule your extracurricular activities accordingly. 2. When the Work Day Actually Ends Charlotte, a woman I worked with, started her second post-college job with huge enthusiasm, a pay raise, and a sparkling brand on her resume. Then she quickly realized she had a problem that was totally going to cramp her happy hour style: No one left the office until the boss did. And the boss didn’t leave until 8 PM. Being the first to depart in a situation like that can be stressful. If you came in early, it’s likely that no one saw you arrive. If you leave early, everybody knows it. Regardless of how productive your day was, if you regularly jet hours before the majority of your co-workers, you may get inaccurately labeled as lazy or lacking drive. The most important thing, of course, is that you get your work done, and that your boss knows you got it done. If the pressure to stay late never lets up, or if your performance is deemed lacking as a result, this might not be the right culture for you. 3. The Open Door Policy You may find a gem of a company that will tell you the CEO’s door is always open! Come and share your best ideas! We want to hear from you! The reality may be quite different. You see, it turns out that your manager does not love the idea of you marching into the executive suite and spilling all your brilliance. Moreover, as lovely as an open door idea is, it may not always be practical. The CEO may never be around, or may rarely have a minute of time to spend with you, or any employee for that matter. If your company says it has this policy, watch to see if anyone actually uses it (and what happens when they do). Best to be informed before you invite yourself in to share your big ideas with the head honcho. 4. When You’re Expected to Respond to Email Your manager loves to fire off detailed project emails late at night. No need to respond she says, she just needs to get it off of her mind. But the next day, when you notice that your colleagues are talking about the email exchange that happened while you were fast asleep, you feel out of the loop and uninformed. Knowing when, and how, you’re expected to participate is important. So take a cue from your colleagues. Even if you’re not inclined to change your bedtime just so you can respond within minutes of your supervisor’s message, you can take a look in the morning and get yourself up to speed with anything you may have missed overnight. 5. How to Dress You wore your finest interview attire when you were called in to meet with the hiring manager and your future team members, but do you need to replicate that look on a daily basis? As you walk through your new workplace, note whether your co-workers are dressed in jeans and flip-flops or business-casual attire. Depending on your role, you may be able to rock the T-shirt and sneakers- or you might not. But no matter what, remember that your attire plays a role in how confident, creative, and competent you feel. And it certainly plays a part in how you’re perceived by the group as a whole, so dress accordingly. Oh, and be sure to check out how the team handles tattoos and piercings. Some organizations or managers will be more open to these accessories than others. Observe what your department is doing, and follow suit. 6. When to Take Vacation It’s been well documented that Millennials don’t want to be chained to the workplace. But every company defines the concept of work-life balance a bit differently. The stated vacation policy will tell you how much time you get to take off. The culture will tell you whether or not people actually pay attention to that policy. Are you seeing lots of vacation days scheduled and taken by others? Or are the office absences few and far between? Even in companies that offer unlimited vacation time, employees may be reluctant to take much time off. Observing the behavior in your organization will give you a sense of what that vacation policy really looks like, and how much freedom you’ll have for all the adventure travel you’ve been saving up for. The bottom line is that no matter what you receive in your orientation materials, so much of what you need to know in your new job isn’t going to be found on paper. By utilizing the powers of observation, you can get up to speed quickly. And so that you don’t commit any office faux pas- or worse, put your work ethic in question- you’d do well to figure out the unwritten rules as soon as you’ve memorized where the coffee cups are kept. Photo of man working at a startup courtesy of Shutterstock.

Men under 35 are so confident that they suspect discrimination when they dont get the job

Men under 35 are so confident that they suspect discrimination when they don't get the job Men under 35 are so confident that they suspect discrimination when they don't get the job Confidence in yourself can help you when you’re down, but if you let it blow up into hubris, it can blind you to reality.That’s what researchers found in studies on confidence in the workplace: men are more confident - almost unquestioning- in their abilities and more confident that when things go wrong at work, it’s their gender that’s to blame.Men would would rather work with menPerhaps this confidence stems with knowing you’re the favorite in the office. A new MSN poll for Business Insider found that the majority of men and women still prefer the company of men. One in five men and women said they would rather work with a male colleague.Perhaps this male confidence also stems from believing that your success is solely based on merit. Most men in the MSN poll believed that the gender gap is an issue of the past. 40% of men surveyed said that women are treated “very fairly” in the workplace while only 17% of women believed the same. This reinforces a separate study th at found  58% of U.S. men in the workforce believed that “all obstacles to gender equality are gone.”Millennial men believe men make better leadersMultiples studies got the same result: men are very confident in their abilities- so confident that they suspect discrimination when they don’t get the job. Out of the  8,000 millennials aged between 18-34 that Qualtrics and Accel surveyed, 33% of millennial men believed that they had faced frequent gender discrimination at work, compared with the 21% of millennial women who felt the same way.Moreover, millennial men were 50% more likely to believe that their gender was “affecting their career opportunities,” although Qualtrics didn’t say whether the men believed the effect was positive or negative, meaning whether the men believed they received better or worse opportunities because of their gender.Meanwhile, women were more likely to believe in gender equality at work, with 41% believing that men and women are “judged by th e same criteria in the workplace.”The Qualtrics study also showed vastly different views between young men and women on what makes a good boss or leader.For instance, millennial men are more likely than their female counterparts to believe that men are more effective leaders, with 38% of young men saying that compared to 14% of young women.And, while millennial men and women both mostly had no preference for their boss’s gender, they tend to favor strictly gender-limited workplaces:  Two-thirds of millennial women and 72% of men prefer to work with people of their own gender, Qualtrics found.Confident that they’re rightResearchers have found that the reason that men feel that gender discrimination may keep them from jobs is that that they’re more openly confident about their abilities. In other words, men are more likely to believe that if they didn’t get the job, something was wrong with the process rather than a flaw in their own abilities.One study found that in self-as sessments on individual  competence, men graded themselves higher than women. In fact, they’re so confident in themselves that a 2016 study found that men were more likely to be their own top  expert on any subject. Looking into two decades of data on academic citations, researchers found that men self-cited themselves 70% more than women. Men are, in fact, their own consultants.These beliefs in fairness and confidence are particularly interesting because they don’t hold up to reality as measured by a plethora of studies that show women are more likely than men to be discriminated against for their gender in the workplace.The Financial Times surveyed 50 of the world’s largest banks and found that women in  these positions were  less likely to be promoted than men. Only 25.5% of senior bank roles in 2016 were held by women.The workplace isn’t a fair battleground for men and women when it comes to wages either. Four studies found that when women negotiated for higher pay, they were  more likely to be penalized for it from both men and women. The people on the other side of the negotiation said they would be less inclined to work with a women who negotiated, more likely to call her a “bad fit” to the company.The main takeaway from these studies, which show self-image that’s contrary to reality, may be that more workplaces should train employees on how to fight their own subconscious biases on men and women in the workplace.