How to make a long term career plan actually work

How to make a long term career plan actually workHow to make a long term career plan actually workWork for you, not your resumeDuring the epicHeros Journeythat is your life - unique to you and only you just like every individual on this planet - you tread across foreign lands in search of a hidden treasure across the world.The journey is as much of a challenge to your mind as it is to your body. There are ups and downs youre riding a never-ending rollercoaster. Sometimes terrain is a plateau and you feel like you cant go much higher and you wonder if other people experience this too. Surely, they do.There are steep hockey-stick shaped mountains that you must climb that once traversed provide a deeper satisfaction and hint that you are moving in the right direction. You crave difficulty and seek meaning along with billions of companions floating through space and time.One day along your magnificent life-journey, amidst treacherous dragons and unchartered territories, you reach into your pocket and pull out a piece of paper and a pen.Hmm, how will this look like on my resume?A resume is amedium of communicationIts a piece of paper and an indicator. You can mold it and form it to emphasize certain parts of your experience. Its highly malleable. Its fluid. It has no meaning by itself until you attach your goals behind it. Otherwise, its just company names and stuff you did.I dont doubt that resumes are useful. As a recruiter Ive seen, analyzed and helped write thousands of them.But when you focus too much on the resume you can get sidetracked. You can lose sight of where youre actually going to add a few extra skills under you belt or to work for a company with good brand recognition.The reason job seekers give weight to resumes is becauseemployersare giving weight to resumes. Through an asymmetrical employee-employer power dynamic people are all trying to look like Peacocks.The schwierigkeit is that the massive tail and beautiful feathers on a Peacock are an evo lutionary adaptation that impairs its speed and mobility, leaving it few options to move swiftly and thus open to get chomped up by predators.Its easy and often rewarded to be the peacock in society - sociable and sexy. It can also be dangerous. When we use attention-seeking and recognition and as metrics for our success, we can easily adapt new incentives and forget what we were doing in the first place.The reason I dont like the resume is because there are dozens, maybe hundreds of paths that you can take to get to your goal. When people try to build their resume or think a skill will look good on their resume, usually (not always, but most of the time) theyre using an external metric that society has made for them. On its own, it does no harm. But when we use the resume as the end, rather than a means to an end, 10 years down the line well be left with a nice-looking piece of paper asking ourselveswhere am I?You dont need a flashy tail to achieve your goalsYou can do what you wa nt and still be agile and on the move. Set your goal. Move towards it. Course-correct along the way. When you stop to ask yourself how it will look to other people then catch yourself. You are effectively thinking about resume. Smile and move on.While you may not think about it this way, you are a superman or superwoman in your own life. To those around you, friends, family, lovers and to your mission at hand. Your mission is too important to allow others to jeopardize it. So forget about your resume.Misha Yurchenko is a Japan-based Tech recruiter helping great companies find great people.This column welches originally published on Quora.

How an Informational Interview Can Boost Your Career

How an Informational Interview Can Boost Your CareerHow an Informational Interview Can Boost Your CareerSkillfully used, an informational interview is one of the most valuable sources of occupational information. While the conversation may cover some of the saatkorn ground information on a company website, it presents opportunities for a flexible inside view of a job field unmatched by otherbei sources. What Is an Informational Interview? This type of interview is conducted to collect information about a job, career field, industry, or company. It is not a job interview. Instead, its an opportunity to speak with a person working in a field youd like to know mora about. Through an informational interview, you can find out about a specific type of job, a persons career path, or details on an industry or company. Through the conversation, you can (hopefully) discover what a persons job is like, what they do, what responsibilities they have, and what its like to work in their job at their company. How to Find People to Speak With Your network can help. You can reach out to friends, family, and acquaintances to see if they know anyone in the industry youre interested in exploring, and can make a connection. If there is a specific company youd like to work at, consider cold-contracting someone through LinkedIn to request an informational interview. You can also follow up with people you met during networking events or job fairs. Here is more information on how to use networking in your job search. The Benefits of Informational Interviews The informational interview communicates the firsthand experiences and impressions of someone in the occupation and is directed by your questions. Interviewing Without the Stress An informational interview is less stressful for both you and the employer than a typical job interview.You are the one in control. You can discuss what is done on a day-to-day basis and relate it to your own interests and feelings. Beyond the ad vantages of gaining valuable career information, theinformational interviewprovides the opportunity to build self-confidence and to improve your ability to handlea job interview. Insider Information Because this conversation does not center around a job, it can be a bit more frank. Asking about topics that are typically taboo in a first formal interview (like salary, benefits, and hours) is acceptable. You may find that the person youre speaking with will share tough aspects of the industry, as well as positive ones. You may also get tips and advice that will help you strengthen your application. For instance, if the person youre speaking with keeps using a particular buzzword, you might want to include it in your cover letter. Building Relationships A big part of a successful job search is who you know. Your connections may know about jobs that arent posted yet or can make valuable introductions. Through this informational interview, you are expanding your network. How to Condu ct an Informational Interview You should regard each interview as a business appointment and conduct yourself in a professional manner. If you have made clear, in advance, the explicit purpose of your interview you will, in all probability, find your contact an interested and helpful person. Remember the appointment time and appear promptly for your interview. You should neither be too casually dressed nor overdressed. Regular business attire is appropriate. Be sure you know the name of the person you are meeting, the correct pronunciation of his/her name, and the title of his/her fleck. Do some research on the person and their company. Come with questions, and be prepared to steer the conversation. Be sure to be considerate of the persons time. Aim to keep the conversation brief (about 15 to 30 minutes) unless youve agreed on a different time frame beforehand. And, remember your contact might ask you questions as well. Be ready with an elevator pitch. Informational Interview Qu estions to Ask Because there are so manyquestions you can askin the informational interview, individuals sometimes take notes during the meeting. A limited amount of note-taking is justified provided that your contact is agreeable and that it doesnt interrupt communication between the two of you. During the interview, try to ask questions that go beyond what you could find out through a quick online search. You can ask the person about their journey to this position, for a description of their day-to-day responsibilities, and for tips they would offer you as someone interested in working in the field. After the interview, sketch out a brief outline of the topics covered and the information you discovered. This will require only a few minutes and will ensure that you remember the important points discussed.Later, working from your outline, you can construct a more detailed report of the interview. Occupational Questions to Ask What is the title of the person you are interviewing ?What are other commonly-used titles for the position?What are the duties performed during a typical day, week, month, year? Does she or he have a tischset routine? How much variety is there on a day-to-day basis? As the person describes the duties, ask what skills are needed.What educational program is recommended as preparation? Inquire about the distinction between courses which are desirable and those which are indispensable.What kinds of courses are most valuable in order to gain the skills necessary for success in this occupation?Inquire about the distinction between courses which are desirable and those which are indispensable. What degree or certificate do employers look for?What kind of work/internship experience would employers look for in a job applicant, and how does a person obtain this experience?Are any co-curricular activities recommended?What steps ( besides meeting educational and experiential requirements) are necessary to break into this occupation (e.g., exam, i nterview, union membership)?What are the important keywords or buzzwords to include in aresumeorcover letterwhen job hunting in the field?What are the opportunities for advancement, and to what position? Is an advanced degree needed, and if so, in what discipline? Which skills are most important to acquire (i.e., whichskills do employers look for)?What are the main, or most important, personal characteristics for success in the field?What are the different settings in which people in this occupation may work (i.e., educational institutions, businesses, non-profits)?What other kinds of workers frequently interact with this position?Is there evidence of differential treatment between male and female workers with respect to job duties, pay, and opportunities for advancement? What are the employment prospects in the advisors geographic area? Where are the best employment prospects? What are the employment prospects at the advisors company? Is mobility a necessary factor for success?What are some related occupations?What are the different salary ranges?Does the typical worker have a set schedule, or are the hours flexible?What are the demands and frustrations that typically accompany this type of work?Is there a typical chain of command in this field?How can you determine that you have the ability or profil to be successful in this specific occupation? Is this a rapidly growing field? Is it possible to predict future needs for workers in this field?What types of technology are used, and how are they used?Where are job listings found?What entry-level positions are there in this field that a liberal arts graduate might consider?What does the advisor know now that would have been helpful to know when she or he was in your shoes? Functional Questions to Ask How many hours does the advisor work?What sort of education does the advisor have?What was the advisors career path from college to present?What are the satisfying aspects of the advisors work?What are the great est pressures, strains, or anxieties in the work?What are the major job responsibilities?What are the toughest problems and decisions with which the advisor must cope?What is most dissatisfying about the work? Is this typical of the field?How would the advisor describe the atmosphere/culture of the workplace? Does the advisor think you left out any important questions that would be helpful to learn more about the job or occupation?Can the advisor suggest others who may be valuable sources for you? Follow Up With a Thank You Note Write athank you noteto the people you have interviewed. Report back to them if you have followed up on any suggestions. You can also connect with them on LinkedIn if you have not already. By building a strong rapport with career contacts, you enhance the likelihood that they will offer assistance with your job search when you are ready for the next step in the job search process.

Pokémon came for your exercise routine, now its coming for your sleep

Pokmon came for your exercise routine, now its coming for your sleepPokmon came for your exercise routine, now its coming for your sleepThe Pokmon company took the world by storm in summer 2016 with Pokmon Go, the augmented reality (AR) app that encourage kids and adults alike to get outside, get on their phones, and get to catching Pokmon. The viral video game tackled exercise, and now the Pokmon Company is moving onto the next health issue sleep. Venturing its way into the the dream world, the company announced Pokmon Sleep.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and morePokmon Sleep coming to a phone near youIn case you or your children are eager to wake up with Pokmon every morning, this will be possible in 2020.Pokmon GO turned the simple act of walking into entertainment, making the entire world into a game, Pokmon wrote on Twitter. Were about to do it again, Trainers- this time, for slee ping.Pokmon Sleep brings a gameplay experience to the simple act of sleeping by tracking your sleep data.The company assured that a few Snorlax were consulted on the new application, just in case you were wondering. Additionally, there will be special sleeping Snorlaxes available to catch on Pokmon GO, in case thats something youre interested in doing.What we know about howPokmon Sleep will workIn conjunction with the new app, Pokmon is developing a new device, Pokmon GO Plus +, a gadget that you can use as Pokmon GO Plus during the day and use at night to send your sleep information to your phone via Bluetooth. The device uses an embedded accelerometer to track your time sleeping, Pokmon wrote.Following the success of Pokmon GO, Pokmon decided to again teamed up with Nintendo and Niantic Labs to create these new products.We love exploring the world on foot, John Hanke, the CEO of game-maker Niantic, told The New York Times. And that cant happen unless we have the energy to embark o n these adventures.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