How to Handle a Hostile Work Environment

How to Handle a Hostile Work EnvironmentHow to Handle a Hostile Work EnvironmentEmployees should be able to come into a positive, healthy work environment each day. Unfortunately, many people struggle with hostile work environments. Its important to understand what exactly a hostile work environment is and how to deal with the situation. What Is a Hostile Work Environment? A hostile work environment is a workplace in which unwelcome comments or conduct based on gender, race, nationality, religion, disability, sexual orientation, age, or other legally protected characteristics unreasonably interfere with an employees work performance or create an intimidating or offensive work environment for the employee who is being harassed. This conduct can severely diminish an employees productivity and self-esteem both in and out of the workplace. A hostile work environment is created when anyone in a workplace commitsthis type of harassment, including a co-worker, a supervisor or manager, a contractor, client, vendor, or visitor. In plus-rechnen to the person who is directly harassed, other employees who are impacted by the harassment (by hearing or viewing it) are also considered victims. They too might find the work environment intimidating or hostile, and it might affect their work performance. In this way, bullies and harassers can affect many more people than just the targeted employee. Examples of a Hostile Work Environment Harassment in the workplace can take on many different facades. Harassers may make offensive jokes, call victims names, threaten fellow employees physically or verbally, ridicule others, display offensive photographs, or impede on another persons work throughout the day. Harassment might be based on race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, gender, nationality, age, physicalor mental disability, or genetic information. While people are often most familiar with the concept of sexual harassment in the workplace, there are many other types of w orkplace harassment. Hostile Work Environments and the Law Law related to a hostile work environment is enforced by theEqual Employment Opportunity Commission(EEOC). Harassment becomes unlawful when either the conduct becomes a requirement to continued employment (or if it affects an employees salary or status), or the conduct is considered hostile, abusive, or intimidating. Any individual who believes that his or her employment rights have been violated may filea charge of discriminationwith theEEOC. Charges are filed in three ways by mail, in person, and by telephone. You have to file your complaint within 180 days of the incident. There are some opportunities for extension, but its good to file as soon as possible. It is important to inform yourself about the definition of unlawful harassment in the workplace before filing your claim with the EEOC. The organizations website has an online assessment tool that can help to determine if they will be able to help the situation at hand. If the EEOC is unable to solve your problem within six months, or if you feel as if your case is not being handled properly, you can contact a lawyer to discuss other possibilities. Employers are usually held liable for harassment caused by a supervisor or co-worker unless they can prove that they tried to prevent it or that the victim refused the help provided to them. Other Steps to Take If you do not want to file a claim or contact a lawyer, but you find the work environment unbearable, you might consider other options. One is to solve the issue you are having with the person or persons making the work environment hostile. You might speak to your companys human resources office for advice on setting up a meeting or mediated conversation between you and the other party. If staying at your workplace is unbearable, you might also consider resigning from your job. However, even if you are extremely unhappy at work, it is important to resign gracefully and professionally. Yo u never know when you will need a recommendation or a letter of reference from your boss, and a graceful exit will help you get a positive review. Hostility and the Job Interview Occasionally, a job bewerbungsinterview can be a hostile environment. For example, an employer might ask you inappropriate or illegal interview questions. Before an interview, know what questions employers are and are not allowed to ask you. The information contained in this article is not legal advice and is not a substitute for such advice. State and federal laws change frequently, and the information in this article may not reflect your own states laws or the most recent changes to the law.

Mistakes That Hurt You at Work - The Muse

Mistakes That Hurt You at Work - The MuseMistakes That Hurt You at Work Its been a few years, and youve been exceptionally diligent. Ever since you realized it was a possibility, that promotion has been your goal, and youve been gunning for it with everything youve got. But, wait. Before you keep charging blindly ahead, make sure your grand plans arent derailed by any of these easy-to-make mistakes. 1. Winning Over Your Boss But leid Your Co-workersYour direct supervisor will have a big say in whether or elend you get to move up, so it makes perfect sense to curry his or her favor. But before you keep nodding yes to everything your manager says, consider the impression youre making on your colleagues. It might be completely obvious to everyone but you that youre running for office and ready to sacrifice anyone standing in your way.To prevent any resentment from building up, youll want to be a bit more mindful of the way your actions to please your boss make you look in front of your co-workers. After all, its not like these people just go away when you get promoted. In fact, you will totenstill have to work with them- and possibly even manage them. 2. Focusing on New Responsibilities But Neglecting Your Current OnesIts great to be eager, but obsessing over your next career move instead of focusing on your present role isnt going to get you anywhere. Its easy to get carried away with newer, possibly more exciting responsibilities, but neglecting your core duties will get you in trouble. You wont make a very compelling case for yourself to take on a greater role in the team if you cant even manage your current assignments. In other words, before you get too preoccupied with revamping the internship training schedule or planning the regional conference, make sure your main responsibilities are completed in a timely and consistent manner. 3. Going Above and Beyond But Not Letting Anyone KnowSo, youre knocking out old and new responsibilities, helping out colleagues , and mentoring interns. If anyone is paying attention, that promotion should be yours. Problem is, you cant rely on other people to pay attention. If youre not fully promoting yourself and your achievements, it almost doesnt matter that youre killing it at your job. So, how does one actually do this? Its all about setting aside time to talk about and celebrate team successes with your manager. Check out this handy guide on how to brag at work (without sounding like a jerk) for a more step-by-step guide. 4. Not Creating a Plan for When You Actually Do Get PromotedThis one might be the least obvious one. What is your team or company going to do if youre not longer in your current role? If you dont have a plan in place, that can be a serious deterrent for promoting you. Plan for your succession, or if youre in a more entry-level role, document processes you oversee, training youve completed, and your general responsibilities so that itll be easy to train someone to take your place. It might feel a bit presumptuous to be getting ready to move on to a new role that you may or may not get, but when it does happen, youll look completely prepared and ready to take on that promotion.The stimmung of this story is that getting promoted shouldnt just be about you. If youre able to make it about whats best for the team or the company, youll be not only be making a better impression on everyone involved, youll also be more likely to get that coveted promotion. Good luckPhoto of man with ladder courtesy of Shutterstock.

Exercising for just 10 minutes a day could help prevent disability later

Exercising for just 10 minutes a day could help prevent disability laterExercising for just 10 minutes a day could help prevent disability laterA new study conducted by researchers at Northwestern Medicine published Monday in the American Journal For Preventive Medicine advances a theory that champions one hour a week of brisk to vigorous physical activity is linked to a significant risk decrease for disability later in life.Even though its well known physical activity can help prevent disability, for many people, theyre just inactive, and its daunting to get started, Dorothy Dunlop, the lead author of the study, told USA Today.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moraJust 10 minutes a dayThe study began with more than 1,500 participants between the ages of 49 and 83 from the multi-site study on knee osteoarthritis, known as the Osteoarthritis Initiative. The individuals utilized in the study all experienced pain in their lower-extremity joints such as their hips, knees, and ankles.The researchers required the participants to wear accelerators so that they could measure their physical activity. These individuals were then followed up over the course of four years. The results yielded a 86% risk decrease for those that committed to just 56 minutes of intense to mild exercise a week, which amounts to a little more than 10 minutes a day.The study states, Minimal thresholds of 56 and 55 moderate-vigorous minutes/week best predicted disability-free status over four years from mobility and activities of daily living disabilities, respectively, across the candidate measures. Thresholds were consistent across sex, BMI, age, and knee osteoarthritis presence.Now the more active you are the more subtotal the benefits, but Dunlop believes starting a 10 minutes a day of moderate exercise can help individuals with predictors for disability hold on to their faculties and independ ence for much longer than they would have otherwise.For healthy adults that exhibit osteoarthritis symptoms or express pain in their lower extremity joints, the CDC recommends getting 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

Rethinking Blue Collar Work in America

Rethinking Blue Collar Work in AmericaRethinking Blue Collar Work in AmericaIt is a well known fact that not all college graduates are able to find work in the field they studied. Many industries within todays job market, such as finance and marketing, are overwhelmed with job seekers, with not enough positions to employ them all. Some college graduates end up taking trade jobs in other fields apart from that which they studied, but many take low-wage, part time jobs in order to earn an income while they continue to search for work in their field.In a 2014 report for the New York Federal Reserve Bank titled, Are Recent College Graduates Finding Good Jobs? authors Jaison R. Abel, Richard Deitz, and Yaqin Su explore the rate of underemployment among college graduates.To examine this sample group of people, the authors write, we construct two groups of non-college jobs what we refer to as good non-college jobs and low-wage jobs. Good non-college jobs consist of those occupations- for ex ample, electrician, dental hygienist, or mechanic- that paid an average wage of around $45,000 per year in 2012. While these jobs do not require a bachelors degree, they tend to be career oriented, relatively skilled, and fairly well compensated. At the other end of the spectrum, low-wage jobs paid an average wage below $25,000 per year in 2012, and include occupations such as bartender, food server, and cashier. Since 2000, the number of college graduates in the good non-college jobs category has abstrzen sharply, while the number of college graduates working in the low-wage part time jobs category has increased significantly. This is problematic because more than likely, these graduates are facing staggering student debtin the wake of their studies, and part time, non-career oriented, low-wage work will not be substantial enough to begin paying off those loans.Yet, a lack of these good non-college jobs examined in the study by the N.Y. Federal Reserve Bank is not the reason why co llege graduates take on low-wage jobs instead. In fact, there are vast numbers of these well-paid blue collar jobs that are hiring, its just that the positions are going unfilled. The Bureau of Labor Statistics defines Blue Collar and Service Occupations as those jobs that include, precision production, craft, and repair occupations machine operators and inspectors transportation and moving occupations handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers and tafelgeschirr occupations.In other words, blue collar workers can be considered as a class of laborers who earn wages and perform tasks usually associated with skilled trades and manual labor. While a certification or training course may be a necessity for many blue collar trades, an expensive 4-year liberal arts degree is not.Last month on Marketdistribution policy, Kai Ryssdal interviewed Prashant Gopal on high-paying blue collar job positions that are going unfilled. Amidst a discussion on six-figure construction jobs at the c ompany 84 Lumber, Ryssdal and Gopal touched on an important aspect of shifting social attitudes regarding blue collar jobs. Gopal says, Everybodys kind of pushing high school kids to go to college. I mean, the whole system used to be more of a track system until the early 80s where you could work in what was called shop. You should learn about how to fix a car, or to be a plumber, or all those sorts of things, and that vanished. I mean, you have classes here or there, but its not really a program. So people come out of high school, most try college, half of them drop out. And theyre left with nothing to show for it but debt.Gopal articulates a valid reason as to why these good non-college or blue collar jobs are going unfilled. In general, the focus on early education in trade skills (high school courses like woodworking, home repairs/improvement, and shop) has tapered off. While many factors may attribute to the decline in shop classes and education in skilled trades, perhaps the o ne that is driving skilled labor education into extinction is that it is not a requirement to be admitted into college. For example, in The Death Of Shop Class And Americas Skilled Workforce,writer Tara Brown examines the dwindling number of shop classes in California. She points out that, Shop classes are being eliminated from California schools due to the University of California/California State a-g requirements. These are essentially college prerequisites that high school students must complete before entering college, so that they can participate fully and have a shared curricular foundation with their classmates. While History/Social Science, English, Math, Laboratory Science, Foreign Language, and Visual and Performing Arts are among the California a-g requirements, Shop is not. Brown wrote, in 2012, that, Los AngelesUnified School District (LAUSD) with 660,000 students in K-12 has already eliminated 90% of shop classes. While Browns focus was on one district in California, s chools across the United States are also in the midst of eliminating their shop programs in order to place more emphasis on areas that are required for acceptance to college.This trend in college preparation is a response to a shift in higher educational values. American academic institutions change their core focuses to mirror the structure and demands of the government, in order to churn out college graduates who are ready for work in todays market.In an article for New Labor Forum, Sheila Slaughter and Gary Rhoades write that, U.S. public higher education assigns markets central social value. Public colleges and universities emphasize that they support corporate competitiveness through their major role in the global, knowledge-based economy. They stress their role in training advanced students for professional positions close to the technoscience core of knowledge economies, in fostering research that creates high-tech products and processes for corporations, and in preparing und ergraduate and community college students to be malleable workers who will fit into (and be retrained for) new information-based jobs and workplaces. U.S. academic institutions are moving to formalize education in all areas that could be considered college majors. Students can get a degree in anything ranging from the traditional majors like Finance, Math, or Literature, but they can also pursue formal study of more abstract topics ranging from fine arts to human rights to Keepin it Real or Happiness Studies.Yet the government structure and university system are not entirely to blame for the avalanche of emphasis that is being placed on formal academic studies for college acceptance and the formalization of of areas that were not previously considered to be academic fields. Parents encourage their children to pursue college degrees and achieve higher levels of education, so that they can, theoretically, obtain higher-paying jobs. But the myth that a students level of education is al ways correlated to their income is deceiving. There are simply not enough positions in the job market to catch up with the exponentially increasing numbers of highly educated college graduates that complete their studies each year. Even with an expensive liberal arts degree in English Literature or Communications, there are very few options for a solid career that a student can build upon after they graduate. The temporary jobs that are available, such as a job as an independent contractor at a literary agency or an internship at an art gallery or nonprofit, will not be enough to pay off student debt or begin saving money for later in life. While these students may have once been able to turn to a career path involving trade skills they were exposed to in high school, a student who was never exposed to a shop, home improvement, or woodworking program may just find themselves stuck.Both parents and early education institutions must rethink their hesitance to teach skilled trades to y outh in America. The decline in the number of high school shop programs is troubling because it signals that there will be a lack of skilled workers to execute the jobs that make up the fabric of society. The number of unfilled jobs in skilled trades teaches us that we should never undervalue the importance of learning how things work and how to fix things from a young age. Blue collar jobs are essential to the nations industries, and there is a lot of money to be made in pursuing a career in one of the skilled trades. Its time to stop thinking of blue collar labor as underemployment for college graduates, or as lesser employment for non-college graduates.

The Start of Headline Resume

The Start of Headline Resume A well-defined resume headline is what you want to appear smart, if you are interested in work. If you have little job experience or youre just going into the work market for the very first time, the headline will provide you with an opportunity to split the qualities which will help you grow your career. Making the headline particular to the job description indicates that you are interested in getting the work enough to customize your resume. Its significant that a resume headline also needs to be in a position to introduce the persons resume profile, which is mostly utilised to introduce an individuals set of skills and experience. The aim of a resume headline is to sum up your abilities and experience into a quick motto that will stick out and show the possible employer exactly what youve got to offer you. Located on top of your resume below your name and contact info, a headline permits a recruiter to see quickly and concisely what makes you th e correct person for the job. Make certain you go with experience related headline if you get a fantastic expertise in your related career. Creating an effective resume can greatly enhance your odds of landing that dream job, and that means you need to put your very best foot forward with the space youve got and the situations you wish to say. Without a suitable headline, there isnt any other way for communicating your experiences and techniques earned by means of your career. If youre a fresher and youre attempting to find an entry-level job in a trusted organisation then youve got to decide on skills related resume tag lines. For some of them you will require help, while others youll be able to write by yourself. It is possible to also search and view resumes of different candidates who have the kind of job that youre searching for to obtain insight into the experience and skills employers value. Hiring managers arent interested in knowing your interests, they simply need a go od idea of the job youve done, and that accounts for a resume headline. Outside of experience in the field, it may be looking for bright candidates with at least a high school diploma or even some type of business degree. Try to remember that hiring managers and recruiters spend a limited period of time on each resume as few as six seconds, according to a single study. Find out whether you are eligible for practically any unemployment benefits. Without it there is not any life. Do a comprehensive verification to make certain that the info you have passes employment verification. Lets look at some decent headlines for experienced applicants in a couple of diverse industries. You dont need to do whatever might jeopardize a great reference youve received. If you would like your resume to get read and, more to the point, youre searching for an interview, you should make aya it stands out from the rest and steers clearly away from empty cliches and meaningless jargon. To begin w ith, a strong resume headline assists in clearly communicating your worth for a candidate. To get a better chance of being accepted in the desired company you prefer to apply, youll need to be creative and make a unique resume headline to actually catch your readers interest. Summaries are excellent, but they are sometimes a detriment to your resume if theyre done incorrectly. Well for that a summary of the movie is called for. Resume headlines or a resume summary are frequently used as a guide to assist interviewers know a particular persons information in the sort of a summary. Resume headlines follow the very same rules for different titles. They are meant to be accurate, right Pick 3-5 of the highest comments.

How Video Interviews can Make Your Hiring More Efficient - Spark Hire

How Video Interviews can Make Your Hiring More Efficient - Spark HireVideo bewerbungsgesprchs are a brilliant addition to your hiring process. Not only do they save you time and money, they also widen your talent pool and provide an effective way to screen candidates.If youre considering incorporating video bewerbungsinterviews into your hiring process, read on to find out how they can make your recruitment strategy mora efficient. Save time for both parties Were all busy people and it can be hard to find a time that suits both you and your candidate for a face-to-face interview. This is more difficult when considering candidates have to allow extra time to travel to your company and may be trying to work the interview around their existing job.Video interviews can be completed anytime, anywhere meaning no one has to travel, so it reduces the time you need to set aside for the interview. This also makes it more feasible to ask a candidate for a quick 20-30 minute chat, to get a feel for their skills and personality. Widen your talent poolThanks to video technology, candidates who live further away can easily be interviewed at the click of a button. This means they wont have to spend a long time traveling to your business, especially if they turn out to be an unsuitable fit. Traveling across cities or states for an initial interview might put some candidates off, and costs your team money in flight and hotel costs. You can prevent these problems by meeting virtually. Whats more, this enables you to interview remote candidates and those who might be willing to relocate. It also means you can interview those in different countries and time zones. As a result, youll open yourself up to a much wider talent pool outside of your local area.Get personal with candidatesVideo interviews are a more personal approach than conducting a phone interview, enabling you to actually see the candidate. As such, youll be able to look at their body language, make eye contact with th em, and better judge their communication skills. For instance, if the candidate is slouching, not making eye contact or seems distracted, it might suggest that theyre not that interested in the position.Furthermore, videos interviews make it easier for both parties to build rapport, as youll have the opportunity to connect and look at each others facial expressions. Candidates will be able to put a friendly face to your name and capture your attention, and youll be able to get a better feel of their interest in the role. Gain a better idea of a candidates potentialFace-to-face interviews can be nerve-wracking for candidates as theyre coming into a new environment and have to sell themselves under pressure. If your candidate can do the interview from the comfort of their own home, it should help them to feel more relaxed and confident.This means theyll be able to think more clearly and youll be able to get a better idea of what they can do and whether theyre a good fit for the role. Screen candidates effectivelyIf youve received a huge number of applications, video interviews are great for screening applicants and narrowing them down to a shortlist. Youll be able to get an initial understanding of their skills and suitability and decide if you want to meet them face-to-face. Therefore, you wont have to waste your time (or the candidates time) arranging meetings with those who arent right for the position. Another bonus of video interviews is that they can be recorded, meaning you can re-watch clips to help you decide the best individuals to bring in to meet face-to-face. You can also share these with other team members or managers for a second opinion. Making your hiring more efficient with video interviewsConducting video interviews is a great way to make your hiring process easier. Whether you want to use them to recruit remote employees or screen candidates, there are loads of options available. So if you havent yet incorporated this into your hiring process , nows the time to start. Or if you want to find talented candidates to interview, check out Resume-Librarys resume search tool. About the AuthorAlice is a PR and Communications Assistant at Resume-Library. As a recent literature graduate, she loves anything that involves reading or writing, which is good berichterstattung because her job involves a lot of this. She also is a chocoholic at heart which means lots of post-work trips to the gym

How Advertising Has Saved Lives

How Advertising Has Saved LivesHow Advertising Has Saved LivesWhen you think of advertising, you usually think of a bunch of high-powered executives in flashy offices, coupled with hipsters leaning back in their chairs. Its all about making money, and rampant consumerism. Thats all down to TV and movies. But there is another side to advertising, and its one that rarely gets talked about. How Advertising Can Be Used to Save Lives Over the years (well, decades really), there have been thousands of ads that have not promoted the purchasing of goods and services. Instead, they have pushed information information that is for the public good, and can prevent injuries and deaths. Some of those ads you will no doubt remember well. One of the most impactful campaigns if the last 10 years has been Truth (www.thetruth.com). Using a series of powerful events, and publicity stunts, the campaign for Truth has revealed some shocking and surprising facts about smoking. From what goes into a ciga rette, to the number of people who die every year from smoking, including passive smoking, Truth has hit home hard. And it has stopped many people from either taking up smoking or continuing to smoke themselves to what would probably be a painful death. AIDS Awareness Advertising In the 1980s, perhaps the biggest life-saving campaign to hit screens around the world welches AIDS awareness. At the time, there was little known about the disease, and it was a death sentence. Powerful ads from some of the best creative ad shops in the world hammered home the horrendous truths about AIDS, and how it was transmitted. Later, when the fear twisted the truth, more advertising was created to let people know that AIDS cannot be transmitted outside of sex and intravenous use. But thats only the tip of a very large iceberg. Think about how often you have been told something that has later saved lives either yours or someone you know Without creative advertising for certain cancers, and in pa rticular breast and testicular cancer, many people would not have caught the spread of the disease in time.Without creative and powerful advertising warning against the dangers of meth use, or other hard drugs, many people would have gone down a road from which it was impossible to come back.Without hard-hitting advertising for road safety, including seat belt use, tailgating, crash helmets, and drunk driving, there would have been thousands of casualties on the roads over the last forty years. The Impact of Charity Advertising Its easy to vilify advertising, because most of it is done for capitalist reasons. Advertising, marketing, and PR are the tools of large corporations, and they use this power to drive profits and make wealthy people even wealthier. But there are always two sides to every story, and although the charitable side of advertising is dwarfed by its other side, its still important to note that advertising has done a great deal of good over the years. Its also w orth noting that when a client comes into an agency that wants to do something that saves lives, everyone working on that account gets very excited. Well, perhaps excited is the wrong word. They are driven to do something that will have a huge impact and hit home. From the creative department to production and account service, working on a project that gives something back to the community is a huge boost to all those working on it. IN a very real sense, advertising that saves lives can also save the psyches of people who have grown weary of working the on car, alcohol, and fast food accounts. Advertising can save lives. It does save lives. And it plays an important role in the service of the community. If you work in advertising, and someone tells you its the work of the devil, just remind them of the great deal of good it has done as well.

First Jobs and Life Lessons (Pt. 2)

First Jobs and Life Lessons (Pt. 2) First Jobs and Life Lessons (Pt. 2) The first four lessons included1. A bad first job can focus your career goals.2. Start working early.3. Low pay is better than no pay.4. No job is too menial.As I read the Forbes article, I realized that I also learned similar lessons to those of older generations. Yet, some of my views differed, which led me to wander if this is because I am from the millennial generation (and we have different ways of thinking) or because our workforce has evolved so much that some of these first-job lessons simply dont apply today.Below are the final four lessons and my take on their relevancy to todays workforce5. Dress appropriately.While the article stressed that several Next Avenue readers said it was important to follow the dress code at work, I believe this lesson has changed with the times. Nowadays, workplaces dont have a strict dress code. Ive met many people who still go into an office and their work attire is jean s and a t-shirt. Appropriate dress in todays working environment depends on the culture of that organization.6. Work is what you make of it.The article says that first jobs are often the ones no one else wants. In my case of pushing carts in extreme heat and cold, this was true. And I think this lesson not only applies to first jobs, but to every position you have. Its like the saying, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. You can choose to make the most out of your job and have a positive attitude while working. You can also find ways to make it enjoyable (or not). A lot of it is up to you.7. Dont date the boss (or if you do, find another job).The article explains how one woman, who was a typist in an ad agency, began dating the agencys president. And she believes people wont take you seriously if youre dating the boss.This lesson is timeless and applies to every generation. Work relationships can already be tricky, but once you add romance into the mix, 9 times out of 10 your e bound for disaster. Although I dont know anyone who had to learn this at their first job, the lesson is relevant in any job situation. Just dont do it.8. Do what you love.For this belastung lesson, the article references a man named Harold Sharlin, 89, of Washington, D.C., who it says has worked longer than most. He shows us that you have time to get it right, and if you dont like what you are doing at first, try something else.While I believe this is a good work lesson in general, like point number one, I dont think it necessarily has to come from a first job. Again, most people dont go into their first job (which is normally in their teenage years) thinking that this is what they love and will be doing the rest of their lives. People normally have the perspective that their first job is a temporary way to make money.Yet, as you continue to work and gain experience (especially after college) I believe then we grasp the concept that one should do what he or she loves because our e xperiences reinforce this notion.Not everyone learns the same things from their first jobs some people have similar takeaways while others are unique to their roles. Do you remember your first job? What were some of the biggest lessons it taught you?

How to Speed-Prep for a Meeting When Youre Crunched for Time

How to Speed-Prep for a Meeting When Youre Crunched for TimeHow to Speed-Prep for a Meeting When Youre Crunched for TimeMaybe you headed to a friends impromptu birthday dinner last night instead of brushing up on points for the morning meeting. You promised yourself, before hitting the pillow, that youd wake up early and outline your talking points, but- spoiler alert- that didnt happen.Or maybe you really didnt get that meeting invite until the last minute (well blame Gmail).In any case, here you are at your desk at 9 AM with a venti latte, a 30-minute countdown, and the angelic Tim Gunn sitting on your shoulder, whispering, Make it work. And, make it work, you must. Heres how.Forget PerfectThrow that triple-checking, OCD, type-A mentality into the recycling bin (because you can use it later, just not right now). Its time to use those finals-week cramming skills you got so good at in college.Utilize the little time you have to do as much as possible, focusing on the main points of t he meeting and nothing else. Youre not preparing for a championship episode of Jeopardy here- youre just trying not to embarrass yourself by knowing the client or new project no better than the clueless couples on The Newlywed Game do. If were talking in terms of game-show goals, you want to know the gist of the most popular Survey Says answers on Family Feud.Know Your Ws (and Outline the H)Whip out your notebook and fill out the following like a worksheet Who, What, When, Where and Why. Also, jot down the strongest three points you want to make in How youre planning to accomplish the goal that is the reason for the meeting. (Three is proven to be an easy and effective number of points to remember- check out this Forbes article onthe Rule of 3.) Drill yourself on said details.Then, make a list of the questions you need answered from the key players in the meeting before everyone leaves. With your remaining time, educate yourself on the questions you believe those players will be ask ing, and a brief answer (even if that answer is Im researching that right now, and Ill report on that at our next meeting).A Funny Thing HappenedAll right, this might seem a little counterintuitive, but take 60 seconds to skim the days interesting news headlines and come up with an anecdote, joke, or just a prompt to kick off the meeting. The casual chatter it will spark will thermisch the room, which will in turn help you think clearer about the points you only just reviewed a few minutes ago, improving your delivery. Plus, knowing that you have a conversation topic in your back pocket will calm your nerves and make you feel more confident when you walk through those conference room doors.Repeat After MeIm not going to ask you to look at yourself in your compact mirror (or worse- the office bathroom) to repeat positive affirmations to yourself. But, I will request that you replay past situations in which you totally B.S.-ed your way to success- like that time your creative writing professor put you on the spot to share the thesis you didnt prepare. You didnt sweat, you just made up a plot on the spot, mirroring Ratatouille and inserting hipster language to camouflage the truth, saying things like with a new wave feel.Remembering how well youve done with short-notice before will boost your confidence. You should also remind yourself that most meetings and presentations that make you nervous are actually phenomenal, well-deserved, and potentially career-changing opportunities to shine in front of influential people in your career. Once you see the meeting as something positive and exciting, those nerves will turn into adrenaline, amping you up to blow everyone away.So go get em. Meeting and presentation prep doesnt always have to call for a script and practice- just trust your experience and power to rise to the impromptu occasion. And just think After you get through this corporate rendezvous, youll be home, snuggling in bed, where this will all be a dream.Pho to of woman running meeting courtesy of Shutterstock.