5 Reasons to Be Thankful for Your Thankless Job

5 Reasons to Be Thankful for Your Thankless Job5 Reasons to Be Thankful for Your Thankless JobThat job you despise may be a blessing in disguise.If youre having trouble finding the silver lining in your work these days, nows the perfect time to look a little closer. Whether your job is plagued by boring tasks, low pay, long hours or a tyrant of a boss, there is always a reason to be thankful for your role. Below are five reasons to be grateful this year.Its a paycheck.It may not be enough, but the fact of the matter is that you have a source of income, while 7.3% of Americans do not. While you search for that perfect position, make sure youre being properly compensated for your current job. Use sources like Salary.com to research the fair market value for your position, and then negotiate your worth.It helps to clarify goals.While the 93 dream job 94 may still be elusive, each job you hold helps eliminate career options. Make a list of your past positions and write down what youve li ked and disliked about each of these roles in detail. Then take a step back and look for themes. If youre unsure of a particular career path, take a look at what the person two rungs up the ladder is doing. If you find the job your managers boss performs to be appealing, then youre on the right track.It allows you to assess your skills.Consider every job opportunity to be a means for evaluating your skill set. For instance, you may find that while you are a great salesperson, you still have room for improvement when it comes to forecasting. Or perhaps you excel at multitasking but struggle with the delegation of assignments. Take into account feedback youve received from management, your peers or your clients use this information to identify skill gaps that could hold you back from landing your target position.It provides networking opportunities.Networking is a key component to career growth, whether youre looking for a promotion or wanting to change companies. Leverage your curren t position to build your network. Get to know your coworkers, supervisors, and any regular customers 96 theres no telling who these people know or how they can help you with your job search in the short or long term.It can spark a change.Sometimes it takes a really bad job situation to prompt us to take action. As organizations are striving to produce more with less resources its no surprise that many professionals are reevaluating their situations and considering a career change. If you dread going to work every day, then its time to do something about it. Continue to be a model employee, but departure formulating your job-search strategy.

Want to Go Further in Your Career You May Need a #8216;Mindshift#8217;

Want to Go Further in Your Career You May Need a 8216Mindshift8217 Want to Go Further in Your Career You May Need a 8216Mindshift8217 Barbara Oakley, Ph.D., runs the most popular massive open online course (MOOC) of all time. Roughly two million people have enrolled in it, which is about equal to the enrollment in all of Harvards MOOCs combined. Oakley developed this wildly successful course in her basement. It cost less than $5000.Thesubject? Learning How to Learn.When you think about it, it makes a lot of sense that the most popular MOOC ever would be one about learning itself. What could be more universal?I think the MOOCs success is a tribute to the fact that, if you really move into the new medium and think abouthow people can learn effectively instead of trying to transpose the old-fashioned ways of people just standing in front of a chalkboard and teaching, people love it, Oakley says.Recently, Oakley developed a second course. Mindshift Break Through Obstacles to Learning a nd Discover Your Hidden Potential, which serves as accompaniment to her new book of the same name.Last month, I had the pleasure of speaking with Oakley via phone aboutMindshift,MOOCs, and why following your passion isnt all its cracked up to be. Checkout a transcript of our conversation below, minimally edited for style and clarityRecruiter.comId love to start with the title of the bookMindshift.Can you explain what exactly a mindshift is and why its relevant to job seekers and professionals?Barbara Oakley A mindshift is a change in your own mind that occurs through learning.One of the easy examples for me to give is, when I welches young, I hated math and science. I kind of flunked my way through elementary and high school math and science. Then, when I was 26, I was getting out of the Army, and I realized I had no marketable skills. So I decided to see if I could learn to do math and now Im a professor of engineering. It clearly worked.I think its clear that we are all capable o f doing far, far more than we ever imagined we could do. This book is meant to give people examples of people who have made small and large changes in their lives because of what they learned, but also to give insight into what science has told us about how we learn, change, and grow leid only when were young, but even well into maturity.RCRelated to this concept of a mindshift, the book also talks about the importance of broadening your passion. Theres a quote in the book I found parteicularly interesting Have you ever unnecessarily limited yourself by heeding advice to follow your passion? Thats pretty common advice, but you suggest its not all its cracked up to be. Could you say a little more about this?BOWere told to follow our passion, but the problem is that passions develop aroundwhat were good at. Maybe you think that isnt a problem, but the challenge arises because some things take longer to get good at. We tend to just throw those things out the window and say, Im not good at this, its not my passion, I have no innate talent. The reality is that, with a little more time, those passions and that talent can actually develop.RCThis reminds me of another important concept in the book broadening your learning toolkit. Whyis this something the book stresses to readers?BO Knowing a little bit about how your brain works can do a lot to help you in your life of learning. For example, you often first encounter something and you look at it and say, Well, I cant figure it out. I must not be good at this.If you know about how your brain works, you know that when you first look at something, youre using one set of neural networks. When you get stuck, you need to back away and let a second neural network work away in the background. Then, when you return to it, you can actually solve the problem. So, its actually perfectly normal not to understand something the first time you see it, and people dont realize this.Another thing is that many peoples biggest challenge in regard to learning something new is simply procrastination. We procrastinate in part because when you even just think about something you dont like, it activates a portion of the brain that experiences pain, so the brain naturally skitters away from that thought, and thats when you procrastinate. A few simple tools, like the Pomodoro Technique, can allow you to skip past that procrastination before it even activates the pain and get you going with what you need to be doing in order to learn and change.RC Mindshiftalso touches on taking an active role inchanging your brain. I think that, normally, a lot of us arent even aware that its possible to actively change your brain. Can you give an example of what it looks like to change ones brain?BOA lot of times, we passively watch something, but we dont try it ourselves. What happens is, if we actually actively do something ourselves instead of just passively watching it, thats when it begins rewiring things in our brain, enhancing, bu ilding, and growing new circuits.There is even a case of a gold-medal-winning javelin thrower who simply watched videos online because he couldnt afford to go train with an expensive coach. Then, he actively practiced based on what he was watching. Thats what made the changes in his brain.Another example I had a student who came up to me once after flunking a test. He held the test up and said, I dont understand how I could do so badly on this test. I understood it when you said it in class And thats part of the challenge We unfortunately have given learners the idea that all you have to do is understand something and click it will magically stay with you for the rest of your life. The reality is that understanding isnt enough. You need to actively do the problems yourself. You need to work, understand, and practice with material in order for those neural circuits to actually grow.RCYou yourself teach MOOCs, and in the book, you talk about how important they are, so I was hoping y ou could elaborate on that, too. Why are MOOCs and online learning so important for todays job seekers?BOMOOCs are life-changers The reality is most people particularly people in the 25-50-years-old range cant afford to just quit their jobs, go back to school, and take three or fouryears to get a degree. It just doesnt work that way for people who have really busy lives. But these people want to learn more about what theyve already studied, or they want to make changes.What MOOCs do is provide a way for you to get a top-notch, world-class university training. For example, Coursera has 150 of the worlds leading educational institutions offering MOOCs on its platform. You can find whatever interest it is you want to pursue. Whether its coding, data analysis, business marketing, or medieval manuscripts, they have great courses for that.

Succeed in an Open Job Interview

Succeed in an Open Job InterviewSucceed in an Open Job InterviewWhat is an open job bewerbungsinterview and why do companies use them? An open job interview is an interview for employment where companies accept job applications during a range of times when all applicants who are interested in applying can attend. The company conducts on-the-spot interviews rather than scheduling individual interview appointments with candidates. How Do Open Job Interviews Work? How does an open job interview work? It is one of the types of job interviews that can be the most challenging to participate in. All the applicants show up at once, and youre going to be among a group of people who may be competing for the same job you are. On the plus side, employers often hold open interviews when they have multiple openings to fill so you still should have a good chance of getting hired even if there are a lot of other candidates. Interviews may be held on a one-on-one basis in an interview or meeting room. Otherwise, there may be tables set up for recruiters to chat informally with applicants. The interviews will be brief. Applicants may be asked to stay to discuss a job further with a recruiter or asecond interviewat a later date may be arranged. Interviews During a Block of TimeOpen interviews are typically held during a block of time and are held on a first-come, first-served basis. These interviews are often held for seasonal employment or by companies looking to fill many positions at once. Interviews at Job Fairs or Other Hiring EventsSometimes, open interviews are used during job fairs or when a company is in the area for a short time specifically to hire. They are held to maximize the number of people screened before the next step of the interview process. Examples of Open Interviews For example, a company may post a newspaper or online ad announcing that open interviews will be held from 9 am-noon and 1 pm - 4 pm on a certain date.Some stores may have signs in the w indow stating that applications will be accepted on a specific day and time. For example, open interviews may be held every Tuesday between 5 pm and 9 pm. What to Wear Most open interviews are for retail or seasonal jobs rather than for formal corporate positions. Wearing business casual attire will help you make a good impression. For summer jobs, casual attire is fine but be sure that you are dressed neatly and tidily. Review these tips for what to wear to a casual job interview, so youre dressed appropriately. What to Bring With You Applicants will usually be asked to complete a job application prior to a meeting with an interviewer. Bring a list of all the information you need to complete a job application. Bring a few extra copies of your resume and a list of references, as well. A pad and pen are handy for taking notes and completing forms. When to Arrive Try to arrive a few minutes before the start time or as early as possible. The earlier you get there, the soone r youll be able to meet with an interviewer. For competitive jobs, there may be a line of applicants waiting to meet with hiring managers. Be Prepared to Answer Questions When you attend an open interview, be prepared to answer interview questions about your employment history and education, including questions about why you want to work for the company and why you are qualified for the job. If the company is hiring for a variety of jobs, know which one(s) you want to apply for. You will be asked what positions youre interested in as part of the application process. Be Prepared to Wait Besides having to be considered for a job with a group of other people, waiting can be a painful part of the process. During the latter part of open interviews, there may be a wait to meet with a recruiter or the recruiter may not have enough time to meet with all the applicants. If the hiring manager runs out of time, you may be asked to come back on another day or be contacted by phone or sc hmelzglas to continue the process. How to Follow Up After an Open Interview Whats the best way to follow up with the employer? Its important to take the time to do so because you may have only met briefly with a recruiter or hiring manager. It can be hard for them to remember all the people they met with, and reminding them of your application is always a good idea. Try to get a business card from the people you meet with at the interview. That will give you an email address and phone number you can use to connect afterward.