4 Lies You Tell Yourself to Avoid Setting Up Informational Interviews

4 Lies You Tell Yourself to Avoid Setting Up Informational Interviews was originally published on The Muse, a great place to research companies and careers. Click here to search for great jobs and companies near you.

If you’re looking for a job, odds are you’ve heard you should set up some informational interviews. (Refresher: They’re the coffee meetings you go on with networking contacts to get an insider perspective on their industry or role.)

You know these conversations are a great way to get your foot in the door. They can lead to someone passing your name (or resume) on, and they’re also a place to hear about unadvertised positions.

But despite knowing they can be a game changer, you haven’t set any up. In fact, you’re avoiding them. Sound familiar? Here are four common things people overthink when it comes to informational interviews, plus how to get past each one:

1. “I’m Not Ready Yet”

You’ve heard that you should treat every professional meeting like an interview when you’re job hunting. And so, before you reach out to any of your contacts, you plan to be as prepared as you would be when meeting with a hiring manager.

However, if you connect with others simply to impress them after you’ve applied for a role, you’re missing out on the “informational” part of the process. This is your chance to hear firsthand about everything from company culture to what traits helped someone be successful.

By setting the meeting earlier in the process, you’ll get additional information on what to highlight in your application, and you could get much more. Your perspective on the position or company may shift. You may find that the other person offers to pass your resume along. And to boot, having genuine questions will lead to a more interesting conversation.

So, instead of delaying these meetings because you know everything, start seeing them as a chance to learn along the way.

2. “I’m Not Connected Enough”

Ironically, those who’d benefit most from informational interviews often feel like they don’t know anyone worth setting them up with. (I’m looking at you, new grads and career changers.)

You may think these meetings only make sense for people whose network already includes those in their dream role or industry. After all, they can shoot that person an email and ask them to meet for coffee. But if everyone you know is in your old sector, or you haven’t really started building out your list of contacts yet, who will you ask?

In fact, informational interviews are the perfect way to connect with these people for the first time. Look on LinkedIn for fellow alumni who have your dream job. See if you share any mutual contacts with someone in your new field of interest. Then ask if they can answer a couple of your questions. (Here’s a template to do that.)

Presto: You’ll be setting up meetings that’ll give you the insights you’ve been looking for, and growing your network at the same time.

…and stressful, and hard, and ugh. We make it easier.

Amazing jobs right this way

3. “I’m Not a Good at Networking”

A common fear people who dread networking have is that an informational interview will be too awkward to be worthwhile. They imagine lots of uncomfortable pauses and decide it’s better not reach out in the first place.

And I’ll be honest, if you’re uncomfortable talking with new people, the initial small talk may very well be a little strained.

But, here’s the thing: These aren’t “friend dates.” They’re conversations with a purpose. You asked a specific person to meet with you so you can ask them questions about their work.

So, don’t feel like you have to spend the whole time chatting. Yes, it’s always nice to start with “How are you?” or “How’s your day going?” but then you can jump into your (prepared!) list of questions. You can even say, “I want to be respectful of your time, so I’d love to dive right into a few questions I have about…”

By keeping the conversation focused, you’ll be able to combat nerves and get the information you’re seeking.

4. “I’m Going to Regret It”

Some people fear saying the wrong thing. But others fear hearing the wrong thing.

Maybe changing careers was a tough decision, but you’re really excited about this new step. Or maybe you had to give yourself multiple pep talks before applying to your dream company.

And you know that, as with anything else, people can get into a rut and complain about the topic at hand (in this case their work). So, you’ve put off setting up informational interviews, because you don’t want to be talked out of something you’re really hopeful about.

Keep this in mind: If someone really disliked their job, I doubt they’d say yes to meeting up and answering every question you had about it. While I can’t promise that nothing you hear will give you second thoughts (maybe they’ll sing the merits of a competitive environment, but that’s not what you’re looking for), I can say that most often people who make time to discuss their work find it energizing.

Looking for a new job takes courage. Setting up an informational interview isn’t going to be the first (or last) thing you feel nervous about. But, every time you work to overcome your fears, you’ll get that much closer to your dream job—and that’s worth it.

5 Habits That’ll Ensure You’ll End Every Day Feeling Successful

5 Habits That’ll Ensure You’ll End Every Day Feeling Successful was originally published on The Muse, a great place to research companies and careers. Click here to search for great jobs and companies near you.

You know those days when you leave work feeling amazing, pumped that you were highly productive? On the flipside, I’m sure you have days that are just the opposite. Ones that leave you feeling frustrated, wondering whether you got anything done. What if there was a way to end every day knowing that it was successful?

Unfortunately, there’s no bulletproof formula to guarantee this, but there are certain practices you can follow that’ll help.

Here are five habits that, if practiced daily, can boost your success at work:

1. Keep a Gratitude Journal

Gratitude journals have grown wildly popular and I can understand why. Earlier this year, I started a journal and committed to writing down one thing I’m grateful for every day. At 159 days in, I’m still going strong. I found that expressing gratitude every morning before work gets me in the right mindset and helps me prepare for the day’s challenges.

But don’t take my word for it. A study by UCLA found that people who regularly wrote down what they were grateful for were more optimistic and cheerful than those who didn’t. Interestingly, they also had fewer doctor visits and fewer work absences. Expressing gratitude daily is a simple, quick practice that has a massive impact, and there’s even an app for it in case you’re not a fan of physical journaling like I am.

2. Reduce Context Switching

Context switching is when you jump between various, unrelated tasks. You’re heads down on a project but get interrupted by an urgent message. A few minutes later, a conversation between co-workers distracts you, and, after you finally refocus, you remember an email you should have responded to earlier in the day. Does this sound like your day?

While rapid context switching may seem like the norm of the modern worker, Jessica Harris from Trello explains how it comes at a high cost:

We spend an average of just one minute and 15 seconds on a task before being interrupted.

It takes an average of 25 minutes to resume a task after being interrupted.

Heavily multitasking can temporarily lower your IQ by up to 15 points.

You probably can’t eliminate context switching altogether, but being mindful of the productivity damage it causes will allow you to create rules to avoid distraction (more on that in a second).

3. Create “If/When-Then” Plans

I learned about this habit from Robert Cialdini’s book, Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade. Here’s how it works. You pick a cue, then pick a desirable action that you can link to that cue. Here are a few “if/when-then” rules I follow:

If/when I need to work without interruption, then I leave my desk and find a drop-by room.
If/when it’s time to eat lunch, then I order a salad. Boring, I know.
If/when I get a calendar invite for Thursday (when my company has a no-meeting policy), then I move the meeting to a different day.

Research suggests that people who use “if/when-then” planning are between two and three times more likely to achieve their goals. This type of planning is effective because you’re proactively creating automatic responses. When situations arise that might prevent you from reaching your long-term goals, you’ve already decided how you’ll act.

4. Exercise—Even if Only for a Few Minutes

You know you should exercise—the benefits are significant. But knowing isn’t the tough part—it’s finding time in your busy schedule to make it happen.

Running, cycling, or going to the gym may be ideal, but all you really need is a few minutes. One option is the 7-Minute Workout. It’s an intense workout you can do almost anywhere and is proven to deliver results.

Taking a short break to go on a walk is a great way to reduce stress. A few years back I committed to going on one walk in the middle of the workday.

These quick strolls elevated my heart rate, for just a few minutes, and it enabled me to go back to my work with renewed focus. So, even if you don’t have time to hit the gym, exercising for only a few minutes each day is still worth it.

5. Have a Shutdown Ritual

Eric Barker, a best-selling author who wrote an entire book on success, teaches the importance of having a “shutdown ritual” in which you take the time to close out the day’s business and prepare for tomorrow. His research found that the simple act of writing down the things you need to take care of the next day can settle your brain and help you relax.

My shutdown ritual includes making a concise list (no more than three) of the most important things I need to do the next day. Since committing to this practice I’ve found that I think less about work when I’m out of the office. My ritual also includes cleaning my desk and shutting down my laptop, practices signaling that my work day has come to an end.

It turns out that implementing this has been found to relieve anxiety and help you enjoy your evening.

One final thought. While each of these five habits is intended to help you be more successful, it’s important to also pause and take a moment to define what success means to you.

These are guidelines, and, ultimately, you’ve got to create your own standard of excellence and measure progress accordingly. Because real, lasting success comes by aligning your actions with what’s most important to you.

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Running a Profitable Business Using QuickBooks 2016

By Chemeketa SBDC

A profitable business with improper cash flow can mean the death of a business. Join us to review important topics you need to know for cash flow management and analysis.

Each class is on a Thursday morning from 8:30 to 11:30 am in the Computer Lab at Chemeketa’s Small Business Development Center. Each sessions costs $149. Join us for a hands-on, practical class using QuickBooks 2016.

Thursday, April 20
QuickBooks – Understanding Cash Flow
Why am I profitable but have no cash? This session will cover:
 Understand Financial Statements
 Analyzing the Cash Flow Statement
 Choosing Profitable Tactics for Cash Flow

Thursday, April 27
QuickBooks – Estimating and Invoicing
How can estimating improve cash flow in your business? This session will cover:
 Estimating Job Revenue & Expenses
 Invoicing & Collecting for Work Done
 Tracking Jobs for Better Decisions

Thursday, May 11
QuickBooks – Receivables & Payables
How can I manage receivables and payables profitably? This session will cover:
 Setting Up Customer & Vendor Records
 Tracking Receivables & Payables Effectively
 Collecting Receivables

Thursday, May 25
QuickBooks – Tracking Time & Payroll
How do I pay employees and payroll taxes on time and legally? This session will cover:
 Setting Up Payroll & Employee Records
 Paying Employees & Payroll Taxes Accurately and on Time
 Tracking and Billing Time Worked

Thursday, June 8
QuickBooks – Inventory Management
How can I manage inventory and not let it manage me? This session will cover:
 Setting Up Items for Detailed Information
 Purchasing & Selling Items Effectively
 Tracking & Adjusting Inventory without Overwork

Thursday, June 15
QuickBooks – Reports
How can I get accurate and timely feedback on results? This session will cover:
 Using Standing Reports for Management, Investors, and Lenders
 Creating Customized Reports for Management

Thursday June 22
QuickBooks – Budgeting
How can I plan for the future and track my results? This session will cover:
 Using QuickBooks only
 Using Spreadsheets & QuickBooks
 Tracking Results Compared to Budget

Date: Thursdays, April 20 – June 22
Time: 8:30 to 11:30 am
Location: Chemeketa Center for Business & Industry, 626 High Street NE, Downtown Salem
Cost: $149 each session
Registration and Information: 503.399.5088

B.Ed. I semester – General English – Functions of language

Do visit the following site for a video lesson

https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-uses-of-language.html

Informative, expressive, and directive forms of communication are the primary uses of language.

Language Background

Written and spoken language is used for many different reasons. The primary uses of language are informative, expressive, and directive in nature. Language is used to reason, to express ideas, argue a point, provide directions, and much more. Let\’s learn about the three main uses of language and how they are represented in written and spoken language.

Five functions of language:

Actually, Geoffery Leech( 1974 ). Mentioned that language has five functions. They are:

1. Informational

2. Expressive

3. Directive

4. Aesthetic

5. Phatic

I am going to discuss every function. “Informational function which every one tends to assume is most important” Geoffery Leech( 1974 ). In fact, this function concentrates on the message. It is used to give new information. It depends on truth and value. Let us look at this example, the car is big, the bus is crowded.

The informative use of language applies to written and spoken language that can be determined as true or false. Informative language is often seen in analytical reports, descriptions, arguments, and everyday speech. Most informative uses of language are declarative statements. For example, a person uses informative language when they are making a statement that provides information or that adds emphasis onto known information.

A person who says, \’The sky is blue\’ is using language to inform others about a known fact.

On the other hand, a person would be emphasizing information if they said, \’Isn\’t it raining outside?\’ to a child who wants to play outside. This informative use of language is rhetorical because the person knows that it is raining, but is forming it as a question to remind the child that the weather is keeping them indoors.

” language can have an expressive function: that is, it can be used to express its originator’s feelings and attitudes – swear words and exclamations are the most obvious instance of this”. Geoffery Leech( 1974 ). The speaker or writer of this function tries to express his feelings. He or she reflexes his or her impression. This function could give a clear image for the personality of the speaker or writer. The best example of this kind is Poetry and literature . In fact, this function evoke certain feelings and express feelings. Examples of this kind are, I am very happy or I spent a wonderful vacation. We can see from the previous examples that they reflex the feelings of the speaker or the writer.

Language that is used to express a mood or feeling is considered an expressive use of language. Expressive language can reveal a person\’s happiness, sadness, anger, or other state of emotion.

Expressive language doesn\’t deliver information, but it is critical to human communication because humans thrive on the fostered social connection that language can create. Swearing, cheering, and sounds that represent emotions are examples of expressive language. Here are a few examples of expressive language:

Wow!
The blue bedroom is depressing.
Movies are boring.

“The third function of language is the directive function whereby we aim to influence the behavior or attitudes of others. The most straightforward instances of the directive function are commands and requests. This function of social control places emphasis on the receiver’s end, rather than the originator’s end of the message: but it resembles the expressive function in giving less importance, on the whole, to conceptual meaning than to other types of meaning, particularly affective and connotative meaning” Geoffery Leech( 1974 ).

Examples of this kind are, I want a cup of tea or close the door. It is clear hear that, we use the language in a direct way. We ask someone to do something. Some times we can use a sentence to express two functions. For example, I am thirsty. The previous example could be used to show the condition of the speaker or writer or to express the feeling. In a way that a person asks someone to give him water.

The fourth function is the aesthetic function, which is ” the use of language for the sake of the linguistic artifact itself, and for no purpose. This aesthetic function can have at least as much to do with conceptual as with affective meaning” Geoffery Leech( 1974 ). ” The function associated with the message-the vehicle-is the poetic or aesthetic function: the sign taken as an end in itself. All art understood as art is taken to embody this function, and any object valued for its beauty rather than for its ideological value or usefulness-whether a gorgeous car, an elegant teapot, or some acreage of untouched real estate-takes on this function. Although Jakobson, perhaps more precisely than anyone who preceded him, showed how the aesthetic function could hinge on structure, he argues that cultural norms ultimately determine the dominance of this function. As a striking demonstration, he notes that the aesthetic status that one generation accorded only to the poems of Karel MÃ¡cha, a subsequent generation accords only to his diaries. Jakobson, R. (1933)”.

According to Leech, the fifth function is the phatic function. ” the function of keeping communication lines open, and keeping social relationships in good repair ( in Britain culture, talking about the weather is a well-known example of this)”. Geoffery Leech( 1974 ). We can say about this function that it is used for normal talks. An example of this, when two people meet each other accidently in a place. They start talking about something unimportant for the sake of communication like, how are you? How is your children? And so on. We can say that it is a kind of daily talking. It is not meaning but is good.

The Best Employee Benefits and Perks

If you are an employer who is looking to attract the best talent, you need to be willing to offer a variety of benefits and perks. If you are not willing to do this, that talent is likely going to work for other employers who do. It is a well-known fact that the companies that offer the best employee benefits and perks tend to have the happiest and most productive employees. This is because those employees actually feel appreciated by their employers, and this encourages them to work to the best of their capabilities. Let’s take a look at some of the best employee benefits and perks you can offer.

Personal Time – Some companies offer unlimited personal time for their employees. There are always going to be emergencies that pop up from time to time, and they are going to need time to deal with these emergencies. Sometimes, they just need some time off to avoid burning themselves out. Personal time doesn’t need to be paid time off, but it is nice for employees to know that they can take time off without getting into any trouble for it.
Profit Sharing – One way that you can show your employees how much you appreciate them is to offer profit sharing. This can be in the form of a quarterly bonus, a year-end bonus, etc. When employees are directly sharing in the profits, it gives them more of an incentive to work even harder, because they know that the harder the work, the better the profits are going to be in the long run. You will start seeing even greater profits when you give your employees a cut.
Health Checks – On top of regular medical benefits, you may also want to consider offering health checks, including regular eye examinations and vision tests, hearing tests, etc. “The health of your employees is important, and the more you can do to help them stay in good health, the better off they are going to be, and the better off your company will be because your employees are healthy and happy. These services can be offered right at the workplace, so employees don’t have to go anywhere,” says Saba Khodadadian.
Gym Memberships – There are many reasons to offer gym memberships to your employees. For one thing, it is a freebie that they will really appreciate. Also, it is going to help to keep your employees healthy and in good physical condition, which is going to show in their performance on the job. Encourage the use of gym memberships, as well as employees working out together in order to create better bonds with each other.
Encourage Volunteering – Not only should volunteer work be encouraged, it should also be rewarded. If you have employees who volunteer, or you would like your employees to do more volunteer work, a good way to encourage it is to offer them paid time off for their volunteer work. Some employers also offer a cash bonus that employees can use to donate to the charities of their choice, or the employers will make donations on behalf of their employees.
Intern Housing – If you take on college students as interns, you might want to consider offering them free housing. Since internships are unpaid positions, your interns may not have a lot of money, and may not be able to easily afford accommodations, especially if they have to go out of town to work with you. They will really appreciate it when you are able to offer them a place to live during the internship, free of charge, and then they can concentrate on the job at hand, and not worry about how they are going to live.

How I Turned a Healthy Habit I Dreaded Into a Part of My Weekly Routine

How I Turned a Healthy Habit I Dreaded Into a Part of My Weekly Routine was originally published on The Muse, a great place to research companies and careers. Click here to search for great jobs and companies near you.

Setting goals is easy. Sticking to them is hard. I’m sure you can think of a half dozen off the top of your head that fell by the wayside in the past few months.

It’s for this very reason that my husband and I kicked off the new year with our #JanuaryJolt challenge (the social media friendly name for our annual self-imposed kick in the pants). I’ll be honest with you: I originally intended to publish this article at the end of January to tell you about my successful month (because it was successful!).

But the more interesting question to me was: What happens in February when everyone’s New Year’s resolution drive gets kicked down a notch?

And is it possible to not just develop a new habit, but incorporate it into your life so that it’s no longer a New Year’s Resolution and instead just a part of your routine? As you may’ve guessed based on the fact this article exists, the answer is yes. The concept of a month-long jolt can be applied to any month!

In past years, I’ve tackled eating healthier, going vegan, and unplugging more . And after a four-year success streak, I decided to take on one that I really wasn’t excited about: exercising.

Despite the fact my apartment building has a gym, I’ve never been “a gym person.” (You can also put me down as someone who hates exercising for the sake of exercising.) But I also sit all day and because of that, I knew I needed to be more active on a regular basis. So against many loud inner voices, my 2017 #JanuaryJolt was to go the the gym every single day. 31 days, no exceptions. The end goal being that I’d successfully worked “exercise” into my weekly routine.

I’ll start with the exciting part—the results: In one month I lost over 10 pounds and went from not being able to even try a plank, to holding it for well over a minute. I improved how long I could run (and how ridiculously I overheat and pant when attempting to do so).

And 28 days later, I’m still going strong. Now that January’s a month behind me, I’ve been able to recalibrate my goals. Now I only go to the gym only three times a week (bonus: “only three times a week” was not a phrase I thought I’d ever say). And as I was hoping, this daily kick in the pants taught me some valuable lessons that I incorporated into my routine.

But more than the (very satisfying) outcome, I also learned some key tricks about how to set tough goals for yourself that you aren’t necessarily excited about.

1. Know Your Limiting Factor

To actually make this goal a reality, you need to know what your limiting factor is. What will stop you from doing it? I realized that for me, the actual exercise wasn’t the hardest part, physically getting myself to the gym was the problem.

As a result, the biggest thing I needed to accomplish was removing the very real mental barrier of finding time to to fit in exercise with my crazy busy entrepreneur’s schedule, and then after I did that, physically leaving my apartment and going down to the gym. By choosing my goal and structuring my routine around that self-knowledge, I was able to turn an aspiration into a habit.

2. Pick Something That You Can Do for 31 Days (Not Want, Can)

Testing out a new routine twice a week isn’t sufficient, you need to feel the lifestyle change.

Every. Single. Day.

In the past I’d tried easing into working out—and that ended up with me regularly making excuses, convincing myself that tomorrow was the day I’d go to the gym. Removing the daily decision (and the option to procrastinate) makes doing it every day a no-brainer.

3. Be Clear With Yourself as to What Success Looks Like

This is key in making sure you don’t cheat or get discouraged. Be realistic and come up with daily mini-goals you can hit. Remember, you want to hold yourself accountable, while still keeping it achievable.

In this case, I asked myself: How long do I have to go to the gym for it to count? I decided to make the minimum threshold per day be 15 minutes on a machine with a timer, like an elliptical, stationary bike, or treadmill. I didn’t care how fast I went as long as I lasted for 15 minutes.

Home at 11 PM and exhausted? I can literally walk for 15 minutes while reading my book or watching TV—and it counts. Nothing stopped me from staying longer while I was there or adding in some crunches (ha) if I wanted to stay longer.

Feeling inspired? You should be—I never thought I’d be someone who exercised a few times a week! Whatever your goal is, or whatever the habit it is that you want to adopt, you should.

How to Prepare for a Hybrid Job with Hybrid Skills

Job markets don’t like to stand still for too long. They can’t because they’re subject to the same drivers of change that affect every single industry. Disruptive technologies like Big Data, the Internet of Things, and biotech are pushing the world in a completely new direction, and the industries and the jobs they provide have to follow. Of course, tech is not the only driver of change. The World Economic Forum also identifies different social and urbanization factors that play a role, even though they are mostly tied to emerging markets.

In the developed markets, tech is the main influence on the job market. Tech does more than that — it changes the way we apply to jobs, as well. Automation and AI have long been used in recruitment, for example, and now they’re propelling chatbots as one of the most significant improvements in recruitment. But for people looking to apply for a job, tech advancements have raised different concerns.

Challenges of the New Job Market

Automation is a double-edged sword when it comes to its effect on employment. On the one hand, it’s seen as a way for people to rise above doing repetitive jobs and move on to other, more creative, opportunities. On the other hand, however, it’s seen a disruptor that will leave many people jobless and in need to work very hard on their skills just to stay competitive.

Both are happening already. According to the Pew Research Center, employment is rising faster in occupations that require more education, experience, and training. The biggest wages increases are seen in the professions that require more social and analytical skills. While Americans are skeptical towards the ability of higher education to prepare them for the workplace, they understand that they need to undergo constant training to stay on top of the changes in the job market. And they know that it’s up to them.

Hybridization of Jobs

Acquiring the right skills is a necessity for job applicants. It doesn’t matter if its people looking to make a career move, or college grads looking for a job, they all have to think about one thing — their skills. And the skills that are needed to get a good job with competitive pay are drastically changing, too. There’s a hybridization of jobs underway, and it’s best illustrated by what’s going on with the profession of social media strategists.

According to a job market analysis commissioned by Bentley University, the number of job postings for social media strategist has declined by 64% between 2010 and 2015. At the same time, social media has proved to be an indispensable channel for marketing and customer communication. So how come the demand for people who specialize in social media strategizing has fallen? As it turns out, it hasn’t. It’s just that “social media strategy” has become an in-demand skill across many different professions, including human resources, sales, and marketing and PR.

This is the trend of job hybridization or expanding job roles to include skills that were previously considered unrelated. There’s also an ongoing process of skill hybridization, that sees some skills becoming increasingly in demand across significantly different job categories. And hybridization is a new reality graduate students need to be prepared for.

Preparing for the Hybrid Job Market

Skill acquisition and training should be the number one concern for anyone on the job market looking to stay competitive. However, with hybridization, there’s also a need to learn skills that are non-standard or not related to specific professions. These are the hybrid skills that anyone is looking for a job good use. Bentley University’s analysis also provided an answer to the question which skills should job-seekers, graduate students included, start developing. The skills they found are most in demand across two or more job categories include:

Sales;
SQL;
Oracle;
Business Development;
SAP;
Data Analysis;
Decision Making;
Mathematics;
Collaboration;
Mentoring;
Process Improvement;
Social Media.

Out of these skills, business development, Oracle, and mathematics are most in demand. And the one thing they all have in common is that they lead to a better paycheck. If you have a job in sales that require knowledge of SQL, and a job that’s completely the same but doesn’t require knowledge of SQL, the position with SQL requirements will pay more.

Leaning hybrid skills is growing to be the best way to stay ahead of the curve in the job market. It can help students and other job seekers to find employment more easily. It can also help them find work that offers better pay. Learning as many of the skills that can’t be automated as possible is becoming the new normal, and anyone who wants to be employed in ten years time should jump on the bandwagon.

3 Ways to Improve and Expand Your Network

Networking can lead to new opportunities for you and your career, help you branch out to new people and industries and more. However, if networking doesn’t come naturally to you, it can be challenging to figure out how, when and where to improve and expand your network. The following tips can help you strengthen your networking skills enabling you to increase your network for maximum benefit.

Work on your people skills

If you’re an extrovert, you may thrive off interaction with others and have no trouble with people skills. But if you’re an introvert, or an extrovert who could use some assistance, try strengthening your ability to listen, communicate with and relate to others. These abilities are key to networking.

The adage “practice makes perfect,” is a good mantra to adopt in this instance. Strike up conversations with people you encounter every day, whether it be the cashier at the grocery store or the mail carrier. This daily interaction can help you develop conversational skills necessary when networking.

Not sure how to get started? Check out Steinar. He decided he was spending too much time on his phone and made a resolution to meet a new person every day for one year.

His mission to meet someone new each day lead him to an investor for one of his startups. He also met hundreds of others with unique and interesting stories (like the guy who competes in Rubik cube competitions or the Vietnamese refugee who came to the U.S. when he was 6).

Lend a Hand

Are there community volunteer opportunities for individuals or businesses in your area? Take some time and get involved. Lending a hand can lead to some great connections.

These community opportunities can lead you to interact with city and community leaders as well as other community members. If that’s not enticing enough, check the added benefits of improved health here.

In addition to helping your community, be available to lend assistance to friends, family and acquaintances. Did someone send out a request via social media looking for a recommendation? Respond and give meaningful suggestions.

Do you know someone who is unemployed? Send along job opportunities if you know of any. The person will likely remember your assistance when you need a favor.

Strengthen Relationships

Once you’ve established relationships, strengthen them. Work on developing these relationships into friendships, partnerships and more.

Wondering how to do this? Start with people who have similar interests. If you’re an avid racquetball player, invite your acquaintance who enjoys playing to join you.

Photo by rawpixel.com on Unsplash

Another excellent way to keep in touch is to never eat alone. Invite a friend or co-worker to have lunch with you. Schedule several of these each month and you’ll have ample opportunities to strengthen your relationships.

Be sure to pass along invites to business related events as well. If your college, club or cohort is hosting something, make sure your network is invited. Or if you’re attending a conference, find out if other acquaintances will be there and arrange to meet.

The Takeaway

You don’t have to be an expert networker. Simply put the tips discussed into practice and watch your network grow.

B.Ed. I semester – Medium of understanding (Child’s own language)

How a country chooses the language for its education system is not an easy process. The decision is usually influenced by multiple factors: colonial history, origins of immigrants, legal recognition of minority languages, cultural diversity, political interests – to mention but a few. In some cases, instruction is provided in more than one language; in others the medium of instruction may vary between primary and secondary education.

Underneath this tangled and evolving web of policies and priorities, however, lies an undeniable truth: teaching and assessing children in a language they understand will result in better learning.

The Global Monitoring Report of “Education for All” (UNESCO) 2005 argued that there can be no discussions of quality in education without consideration of the language of instruction. It lays out some key recommendations to ensure that children are taught in a language they understand.

1. At least six years of mother tongue instruction is needed, if the gains from teaching in mother tongue in the early years are to be sustained.

2. Education policies should recognize the importance of mother tongue learning. A review of 40 countries’ education plans finds that only less than half of them recognize the importance of teaching children in their home language, particularly in early grades.

3. Teachers need to be trained to teach in two languages and to understand the needs of second-language learners. Teachers are rarely prepared for the reality of bilingual classrooms. In Senegal, only 8%, and in Mali, only 2% of trained teachers expressed confidence about teaching in local languages. The paper suggests hiring teachers from minority language communities as one policy solution to the problem.

4. Teachers need inclusive teaching materials and appropriate assessment strategies to help them identify weak learners and provide them with targeted support.

5. Provide culturally appropriate school-readiness programmes: Locally recruited bilingual teaching assistants can support ethnic minority children from isolated communities as they make the transition into primary school.

6. Second-chance accelerated learning programmes in local languages can help the disadvantaged to catch up.

In an education system riddled with inequities, language can also be an obstacle that comes in the way of learning. Educationists agree that it’s best to teach in the child’s mother tongue, but the issue is a complex and emotive one, given the diverse number of languages and dialects in the country and the attendant linguistic chauvinism that politicians are eager to exploit for their own gains. English, considered the passport to social mobility, is meanwhile becoming the preferred language of instruction among parents.

The three-language formula

The National Curriculum Framework 2005, which lays down broad guidelines for teaching and learning, sums up the views of experts when it says: “A renewed effort should be made to implement the three-language formula, emphasising recognition of children’s home language(s) or mother tongue(s) as the best medium of instruction. These include tribal languages.” The framework recommends that English should find a place with other Indian languages.

The National Policy on Education framed in 1968 and later in 1986 also recommends the three-language formula. Three Indian states, Mizoram, Manipur and Jammu and Kashmir, use English as a medium of instruction while all other states use the regional language as the medium, he explains. “English and Hindi are the second and third languages, with Hindi being the second language for children who are non-Hindi speaking,” says Jalaluddin. In Tamilnadu, however, Hindi is an optional language.

The three-language formula helps in fostering bilingualism and multilingualism, traits that improve “cognitive growth, social tolerance, divergent thinking and scholastic achievement”, according to the National Curriculum Framework.

The NCF report stresses that multilingualism should be made use of in the classroom. For instance, it says, “Language teaching needs to be bilingual not only in terms of number of languages offered to children but also in terms of evolving strategies that would use the multilingual classroom as a resource.”

The complexity of the issue is addressed by a paper on multilingual education brought out by UNESCO in 2003, which looks at the “contrasting and deeply felt positions” that the choice of language of instruction evokes in people. “Questions of identity, nationhood and power are closely linked to the use of specific languages in the classroom. Language itself, moreover, possesses its own dynamics and is constantly undergoing processes of both continuity and change, impacting upon the communication modes of different societies as it evolves,” says the introduction to the paper. The document says that political changes have led to new language policies in post-colonial countries; many languages have disappeared while others are endangered; the Internet has “dramatically affected” the way in which languages are used for communication and learning; and globalisation “increasingly challenges the continued existence of small, local identities frequently based on language”. The paper supports multilingual education, and points to a resolution adopted by UNESCO in 1999, which says that the “specific needs of particular, culturally and linguistically distinct communities can only be addressed by multilingual education”.

Udaya Narayana Singh, director of Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore, says that internationally, experiments by experts have pointed to the fact that one learns best through one’s mother tongue. “This is also the basis of UNESCO’s recommendations on multi-lingual education. My choice would be to educate the child through her mother tongue keeping a strong component of English side by side.” However, one should be cautioned that when English is the medium of instruction, many children could get “thrown out of the system” if they have not been exposed to the language in domains such as homes or playgrounds.

While state governments can decide the standard in which English should be introduced, many have chosen to start teaching English from class one itself. Ideally, the second and third languages should be introduced from class three and above, says educationist A K Jalaluddin. The idea is that by the time children complete their secondary education, they should know three languages.

Jalaluddin notes that if children learn in English, they are often not exposed to the literature in their mother tongue. “A major part of the linguistic experience comes from literature,” he emphasises. One way of tackling this problem is to teach English as a subject well.

The other side of the problem

Students learning in regional languages do not have the kind of resources they need, as English books [for instance, on Physics] are not translated into their mother tongue, says Kumar. “Knowledge is available only to those who understand English, and initiatives have not come from regional languages for translation,” he adds.

When a Cover Letter Is a Waste of Time

Applying for any kind of job position is stressful. What it mostly comes down to is a few minutes of the interviewer’s busy schedule that determines whether or not you are fit for the company.

While many young people go through the trouble of writing and editing both their resume and cover letter, sometimes even that’s not good enough. Some employers simply don’t have time or patience to go through cover letters that are essentially there to showcase your ambition and motivation.

Positions such as administrative assistants or data analysts have no need for a cover letter to be included but that’s not stated anywhere. So when is a cover letter a complete waste of time and when should you only focus on your resume instead?

Lack of experience

In some cases, a lack of experience can be addressed through your cover letter and explained to the employer. In most cases however, the employer simply won’t care. Today’s youth and graduates are encouraged to volunteer, go through internships and gather relevant experience before applying for a job.

While not everyone can afford this, it’s quite possible to fill out your resume with enough community work and a few internships and land a job with no problems whatsoever. What it comes down to is improvisation, and a lack of experience will rarely be covered through a cover letter.

Poor communication skills

Most graduates fail to comprehend the importance of written communication in their applications. Companies and their internal structure require people who are able to join a system and work just like everyone else. Grammar and formatting mistakes in official company documents are out of the question, meaning that candidates have to go through additional training and trail work.

Writing a cover letter without a proper grasp of what kind of information you want to communicate to your interviewer will result in getting a thank you note rather than an interview appointment. What it comes down to is writing a proper resume without going into narrative details of why you are applying and what your goals are for the future.

It’s certainly possible to take a look at the list of writing services and get professional help with writing your cover letter; this will only get you so far. List all of your experiences and skills, leaving communication as a topic for the interview where you can explain yourself face to face.

Experienced competition

Employers always take a look at the resumes before even glancing at the cover letters. This means that people with longer careers and more working experience will always have a head start. In some cases, that advantage is so predominant that writing a cover letter simply doesn’t make sense.

Try finding out how many other candidates applied for the job you are aiming and what their general profile looks like. Adjust your application so that you stand out from the crowd but don’t add any information that isn’t true. There’s nothing worse than landing a position that you don’t like or have no adequate skills for. If there are a lot of experienced candidates applying alongside you, adjust your expectations and don’t have high hopes abut that particular position.

Generic in large quantities

People tend to think that writing a cover letter will make you stand out among a large number of candidates. While it may be true, the same rule applies in reverse – too many cover letters can look generic and mundane in the eyes of the employer.

You are not the only person who came up with the idea of writing a cover letter – ten other people did the same, and five of them have the same motivation you do. Focusing on your resume and past experiences is sometimes a better idea than spending time on your cover letter. Employers don’t even read cover letters until the interview starts, and even then they glance through them or leave them on the table while you talk.

Predetermined forms

Many companies tend to give out formatted questionnaires that their candidates should fill out before coming to the interview. These questions are focused on the personalities and soft skills of the candidate, making sure that their candidates aren’t wasting their time. What this means is that your cover letter is a complete waste of time. It will not only be tossed aside but seen as a negative from your employer’s perspective.

The application procedure for many companies is strict and thorough – steering away from it just to stand out from the crowd is often not a good idea. Follow company procedure and make sure that there are no forms to fill about your personality before even thinking about writing a cover letter yourself.

Conclusion

Resumes and cover letters go hand in hand, but sometimes your particular company of choice won’t like that idea and wants to try something different.

Don’t waste any time writing papers that you don’t need for your specific position. Read every job application carefully and ask your friends or family for feedback about what you have prepared for the application. If you follow the rules and do as you are asked, the right employer will certainly hire you.

You’re Hired – Now What ?!?

The word Unemployed changed to read Employed

Congratulations—you landed a job or internship! Take a breather and enjoy the relaxing feeling of securing a position. But, don’t relax for too long! The hard work doesn’t stop now that you have a job. Now is the time that you should begin thinking about how to get the most out of the experience.

During the job or internship, you as the employee should have designated learning goals and should be able to self-reflect throughout the entire experience in terms of the knowledge you are gaining. Both you and the organization should benefit.

What should I get out of the experience?

Accomplish challenging, but realistic, responsibilities.
Develop professional competencies needed for your future job search and career success.
Utilize the knowledge of the professionals you will work with and find a professional mentor.

Learn more about your role!

What will be my day-to-day responsibilities?
Will I work on a team or individually?
What is the overall structure of the company and how does your department fit within that structure?
Why types of projects will I work on?
How would you describe the company’s management style and culture?

Finally, set goals:

Make specific and measurable goals—put these together with your supervisor.
Network with other departments and colleagues.
Demonstrate professionalism at all times: dress, communication and behavior.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions! Your employer would rather have you ask than to do something incorrectly.
Also don’t be afraid to ask for new projects—if you aren’t feeling challenged, ask how else you can help.

Update your resume as you move through the position, developing strong examples of things you complete and have an impact on as well as talk about measurable results.

Lastly, be flexible and have an open mind about the experience—you may have to do some things you don’t love, but that is part of figuring out what you are and aren’t passionate about! If you approach every responsibility, no matter what it is, with a positive attitude and great work ethic—that WILL get noticed.

Keep motivation for your business growing

By Chemeketa SBDC

Small business owners are required to wear many hats, often at the same time. It is not uncommon for the business to drain you of energy and motivation, regardless of how much you enjoy it. When that happens, remember these tips to help you remain motivated in your work and living.

Find your passion. As you reflect ask yourself, “Why did I start my business in the first place?” When you tap into the real motivation that’s driving you, you’ll become more eager to take action. Staying focused on this purpose will feed your imagination, and drive and enthusiasm.

Appreciate your customers. Customers are the reason you have a business. If you empathize with them, understand why they seek out your products and services, your customers will notice, patronize you, and bring you more customers.

Set honest goals. A critical step to remaining motivated setting reasonable and achievable goals for yourself and your business. Create a list of goals that are both longer and short term. Then prominently display your short term list, along with an inspirational quote, in a place you can see them, so that you are reminded to strive for them daily.

Schedule your days logically. There are certain times of the day that you are going to always be more productive than other times. Get to know your most successful work schedule and then plan your days carefully to make the best use of that time. Once you establish a daily rhythm, you will stay happily motivated by your work.

Limit distractions. Distractions are one of the most problematic things when it comes to staying motivated. Keep your work area clean and organized, check your email, Facebook and other distracting sites on a specific schedule, with designated times to keep these manageable.

Treat your team with respect. No business grows without a team and the business owner is the team leader. At its simplest, a wise truism emphasizes that if you keep doing what you’ve always done, then you will keep getting what you’ve always gotten. If you want your business to grow, then you need to motivate it.

Sustainable Cat Bed Design Contest

Tuft + Paw is looking for a new way to think about furniture that helps cats, humans, and the Earth. Got an idea? Show us your best, and you could win $1,500. Your winning design will be produced in the U.S. and promoted as one of Tuft + Paw’s new flagship products. It will also be donated to shelters across the country.

The winner will be decided before November 30th 2017. Submissions deadline is October 31st 2017.

The Details

Create an original design for cat furniture that meets the below criteria.

It’s sustainableAs part of Tuft + Paw’s commitment to environmentally responsible products, it must be made of ethically sourced and produced materials that don’t harm our planet.
It’s affordableWhen your piece goes into production, we want it to be inexpensive enough that any cat owner can have it in his or her home.
It’s beautifulDon’t skimp on style, we want to see something that adds a “wow” factor to modern homes and looks more like it belongs to an interior designer than a Tabby cat.
It’s easy to shipWe want your design to be our customers’ go-to choice when they donate an item to a shelter. This means it has to be lightweight and easy to ship. Bonus points for collapsible flat-pack shapes.
It’s practicalAlong with your physical prototype, give us technical drawings that specify exact dimensions and instructions for how it will be produced. Good luck!

How satisfied are tech company employees at work?

by Marcin Wichary via Flickr CC

Tech companies have developed something of a reputation in recent years for being inherently cool places to work. Many established and emerging tech firms successfully project an image of themselves as nurturing, individual-focussed and typically quite creative environments, underpinned by a relatively youthful outlook that blends a healthy dose of levity in with the hard graft. But how accurate is this picture in practice?

A reputation for building distinctly atypical office environments certainly contributes to the imaginative, casual and slightly unorthodox ethos we’ve come to associate with employers like Google, Facebook, and Apple. The idea that these sorts of offices are commonly filled with giant indoor slides and adult soft play areas has become much more an overblown caricature than a true reflection of most corporate tech environments, of course; in reality, very few are quite so self-consciously wacky as all that.

However, it’s fair to say that many do eschew the traditional cubicle-based office layout common to various other industries, opting instead for more open-plan, communal spaces that frequently include gadget-filled breakout zones and plenty of scope for personalization. But providing a reasonably colorful and creative workplace is just one of the ways in which some tech employers aim to attract and retain talent in a competitive, high staff turnover market.

Whether or not they’re succeeding in doing so was one of the key questions asked by online salary, benefits and compensation company PayScale in a recent employee survey, and the results made for interesting reading.

The study sampled a range of different employee demographics across 17 of the leading tech corporations, including responses from staff at such companies as Microsoft, Apple, IBM, Google, Amazon, Facebook, Tesla and more. PayScale’s research charted respondents’ perceptions of overall job satisfaction against a range of variables including median staff age, number of years at the company, total years of industry experience, and average early/mid-career pay levels. The results, compiled into a series of compiled into a series of infographics, reveal some striking trends.

Firstly, it will likely come as no surprise that – just like in most other industries – job satisfaction tended to correlate pretty directly with median pay rates. The companies whose staff reported lower levels of job satisfaction were almost always placed lower down the average salary scale than rivals whose staff appeared more satisfied overall. While this is precisely what you’d expect to see across most corporate landscapes, it’s worth noting that trendier offices clearly aren’t the most powerful tool when it comes to maintaining a content and loyal workforce.

In fact, the charts also indicate a fairly stark inverse correlation between median employee age and job satisfaction: on the whole, the higher a tech company’s average staff was, the less likely individuals were to report back as being strongly satisfied. Notably, only three businesses in the study had a median staff age of over 35 – namely IBM, Hewlett Packard and Oracle – and these same three brands’ workers were the ones who claimed to find their jobs among the least rewarding. (They’re also the employers with the longest-serving and most experienced workforces. While there are various conclusions one could draw from this, it seems highly unlikely to be coincidental.)

One theory it’s tempting to infer from the data is that the industry’s renowned youth-orientated outlook might eventually prove problematic for some of the longest-serving and most experienced staff. It appears that better average rates of pay might stave off any sense of itchy feet to a degree, but the charts also seem to show that for tech staff at most levels, there’s perhaps something of an industry ceiling. While it may be possible to climb the ladder faster at a younger age in tech than in many other sectors, the obvious inference is that it becomes increasingly difficult to continue that progression in later years.

Of course, this is very much conjecture based on a few apparent trends in what remains a relatively young industry populated by hundreds of new startup companies. For all but the most established brands, there’s also a lack of sufficient long-term data to draw more solid conclusions. And yes, it’s also true that tech company employees as a whole do tend to be reasonably young, reasonably well compensated and reasonably happy in their current positions. That’s presumably why so many of the industry’s familiar names can be found scoring high placements in all manner of global ‘top employer’ longlists, after all.

But, looking ahead, it will certainly be interesting to see how these workforces shift and develop as individuals’ careers (and ages) progress – and moreover, if many of those individual staff members go on to achieve tenures with any single tech company that compare favourably against average loyalty and retention rates in other industries.

Ready, Set, Start Your Business

By Chemeketa SBDC

Are you ready to start your business? Not sure if you have everything in order or you don’t know what you don’t know? Begin your business the right way.

This course covers the essentials needed to start a small business. Learn about:

business structure
business registration
licensing
taxes
miscellaneous rules and regulations

The information presented can help you eliminate mistakes before they happen. This fast-paced class is the perfect first step!

Time: 12:30 – 2 pm
Location: Chemeketa Center for Business & Industry, 626 High Street NE, Downtown Salem
Cost: $49
Registration and Information: 503.399.508

1. “I’m Not Ready Yet”

2. “I’m Not Connected Enough”

FINDING A NEW JOB CAN BE REALLY OVERWHELMING…

3. “I’m Not a Good at Networking”

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1. Keep a Gratitude Journal

2. Reduce Context Switching

3. Create “If/When-Then” Plans

4. Exercise—Even if Only for a Few Minutes

5. Have a Shutdown Ritual

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By Chemeketa SBDC

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1. Know Your Limiting Factor

2. Pick Something That You Can Do for 31 Days (Not Want, Can)

3. Be Clear With Yourself as to What Success Looks Like

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Challenges of the New Job Market

Hybridization of Jobs

Preparing for the Hybrid Job Market

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Work on your people skills

Lend a Hand

Strengthen Relationships

The Takeaway

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Lack of experience

Poor communication skills

Experienced competition

Generic in large quantities

Predetermined forms

Conclusion

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By Chemeketa SBDC

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The Details

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By Chemeketa SBDC

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