How to Negotiate Better Work Hours

How to Negotiate Better Work HoursHow to Negotiate Better Work HoursHow to Negotiate Better Work HoursHigh gas prices, family responsibilities, nightmare commute. Whatever the reason, many people are longing for mora convenient work hours. And most employers will at least try to be flexible in hopes of retaining good, happy workers. So before you accept a job offer or even after youve settled in with a company, you can try to negotiate a change in work hours. The trick is to emphasize how your employer will benefit from the change, not how your life will be better.For instance, when I started my first full-time, professional job, I welches commuting 30 minutes each way. That was a walk in the park for me. Then I decided to up and move to a neighboring state, increasing my commute by an extra 30+ minutes each way. Add traffic and construction and I was looking at an hour-and-a-half commute each way.That company also adhered to strict work hours, so when traffic began delaying my morni ng arrival, I expressed my concerns about tardiness and managed to shift my 830 to 530 work hours to 730 to 430, in hopes of avoiding rush hour problems. My boss was happy to oblige.NEGOTIATION MOTIVATIONThe key to successfully negotiating a change in work hours, I discovered, was to provide my boss with a list of ways the time shift would be good (or at least not bad) for the companys bottom line.Here are the three main reasons why you would seek more convenient work hours, and how you can pitch any one of them to your bossGas PricesThis is a reason almost any employer can understand today. Your goal here is to eliminate a days commute, which will automatically cut your gas bill by one-fifth.Scheduling OptionsWork four 10-hour days instead of five 8-hour daysTelecommute one or more days a weekAlso, part of the reason employers agree to these gas-saving perks is to keep their best and brightest workers from seeking positions closer to home (claims Challenger, Gray Christmas, Inc.). Nightmare CommuteIn my case, I was more concerned about arriving at work on time and decreasing traffic stress than I was about gas prices (this was over a year ago, when gas prices were only $3-something a gallon). The goal for this motivator is to eliminate the need to fight rush-hour traffic.Scheduling OptionsStarting earlier and finishing earlierStarting later and finishing laterFamily ResponsibilitiesFor some people its young children. For others, its aging parents. For many, its both. The time and money commitments of family care leave many workers stressed. If this is your primary motivator, your goal is to have more time to spend with family, and perhaps cut down on their paid care, as well.Scheduling OptionsWork late some days so you can leave early other daysCut back to part-time hours (if you can handle the financial loss)Compress your work week (four 10-hour days)Telecommute at least some of the time (e.g., the first few hours eachmorning)And here are some ideas for pitc hing these ideas to your boss so that the business benefits outshine your personal motives. Offer a detailed work schedule to track your commitments Identify what projects could benefit from a compressed work week Stress your availability by phone, chat, or email at home Emphasize that you will maintainproductivity andkeep distractions to a minimumBut keep in mind that working from home is not a substitute for child care. You still need to do your job and do it well (or youll be back to regular office hours in no time).INITIATE A TRIAL PERIODWhatever motive you have or approach you take, offer a trial period with your pitch. Try out the new schedule for about a month and meet with your boss afterward to see if its working out well - for both sides. As long as your boss has the freedom to reinstate normal hours if the alternative isnt working out, he or she should be more inclined to grant your wishes.I cant promise itll work on an uptight, micro-managing boss though. Youre on your o wn there.

Tips for Discussing Your Job Search with Friends

Tips for Discussing Your Job Search with FriendsTips for Discussing Your Job Search with Friends1Maintaining a good support system can be vital to keeping your spirits up when tackling the job market. But while you want to share this important chapter of your life with friends- and good ones like to stay posted on developments- watch out for potential pitfalls.Here are several factors to consider when discussing your job search with friendsThink before you speak.Letting everyone possible know that youre searching for a position oftentimes opens up unexpected doors. Your book club buddys brother might be in your industry, or your running partner may have read in the newspaper about a new neighborhood business thats hiring.Be cautious, though, about job hunt talk around your work friends. While you may assume theyll stay tight-lipped, even secret topics have a way of making the rounds- and coming to the bosss attention. Even if management doesnt get wind that you have one foot out the door, the office can become uncomfortable if colleagues become distant or jealous, dismiss your input because youll be gone soon, or jockey for your position or office.Watch out for overuse.Whether you need someone to play the role of hiring manager for a mock interview or would love an introduction to your BFFs college roommate who works at a company you admire, asking for assistance is common when seeking a job. Luckily, friends generally are delighted to help out.Problems can arise, however, when requests become too numerous or arent appreciated. Nobody wants to feel used for their connections or their ability to spot grammatical errors on a resume.A heart-felt thank you goes a long way. Treat someone who has gone above and beyond to coffee or your stellar homemade brownies. And make the phrase let me know what I can do to return the favor a staple.Avoid monopolizing conversation when discussing your job search.Caring friends understand that you have a great deal on your mind. Th eyll allow you to vent, worry, provide regular updates, and dissect every interview- to a point. If you notice that others are taking longer than modell to return your calls or they begin fidgeting when you bring up your latest cover letter revision, it might be time to rein things in a bit.Luckily, remedying is simple. Ask about whats going on in your friends life. Actively bring up subjects besides the job hunt. Pick a fun activity that you can enjoy together the break may be just what you need to return to your search refreshed.Stay away from Negative Nelly.Finally, got an opinionated friend who questions your every move or always sees the glass as half empty? Consider limiting your job search talk around her or waiting to get together until after you have good news to share. Stick with companions who boost your confidence and morale during this stressful timeKnow someone looking for a job? Refer a friend to with this link- youll get a month free service and theyll get 30% off

How to cover for a work colleague the right way

How to cover for a work colleague the right wayHow to cover for a work colleague the right wayWhen your colleague asks if you can cover for them while they are out of the office, think carefully before saying yes. In a recent OnePollsurvey of 2,000 Americans for Nugg, more than half of participants said that covering for a coworker was a significantly stressful event.Why do we do it at all then? Sometimes, out of the goodness of our hearts, but more likely, because we see the favor as transactional. We hope that the favor will be returned one day when we find ourselves scrambling for coverage. Covering for someones work does not need to be a nightmare, though. There is a happy medium that can be achieved once you recognize that coverage does not mean doing two peoples full jobs at maximum productivity. Heres how to take on someone elses workload without losing your mindKnow your limitsForty percent of the survey respondents admitted that when they covered for a colleague, they phoned in their work and did not care if the job was done well. Poorly done work reflects poorly on you, and looks bad for the team. If you know the work is going to be done badly, you should be respectful of your colleague and ask them to pick someone else. But if you think you can handle the extra work, do it while accepting the reality of your situation. You are one employee with human limitations. Acknowledging that it is okay to not get deadlines done at the same level as two people working on it can is part of what will make the experience less stressful for you.Get clarity from your colleague about expectationsIs your colleagues away message directing clients your way? Do you know where important documents needed for projects are located? You need to know what your colleague is telling other people by asking them about what responsibilities they want you to take on. How do they produce and organize work? Your workflow may look entirely different than your coworkers.Before the colle ague becomes unreachable out of the office, sit down with them and have a frank conversation about priorities. Your colleagues are usually not monsters who want to ruin your day. They know that you are doing them a favor. mora than half - 56 percent of respondents - said they felt guilty that workloads had to fall on a coworker when they were out of office. In other words, your colleague is likely to be on your side about making the transition smooth and less cumbersome for you.PrioritizeWhen you are covering for a colleague, you are in survival mode. You do not want to be in the office too late every night. You need to be practical about what you will be able to accomplish in a day. To avoid resentment and burnout, talk to your colleague about the critical tasks that must get done while they are gone.Ask a Managers Alison Green advisesemployees to figure out what must get done over what would be nice if it got done Find out what the top things thatmustbe kept moving while theyre away are, such as responding to urgent queries from clients or finishing a report.Also, make sure that they leave behind important contact info, walk you through any processes that youre not familiar with, and fill you in on the context for things that you might need to deal with while theyre away.Dont be afraid to ask for more helpIf the temporary absence turns into an unexpectedly long one, you may need to call in reinforcements. You do not want to burn yourself out doing two jobs at once indefinitely.If you feel overwhelmed, talk to your higher-ups about getting help. As time management coach Elizabeth Grace Saunders advises, See if a boss can cover a few responsibilities, if a coworker can take notes for you at meetings so that you dont need to attend, if direct reports can take on more of the day-to-day tasks, or if you can get some contract or temp help.Sit down with your boss if you notice your work is suffering. Ask another colleague if they can take on some of the higher pr iorities too. Covering for a colleague means letting other people know about your increased workload so that they know when your limit is being reached.

Actuary and Actuarial Science Careers

Actuary and Actuarial Science CareersActuary and Actuarial Science CareersAn actuary is a highly trained statistician with expertise in evaluating various types of risks. Roughly 60% of actuaries are employed by insurance companies, and play a key role in setting the terms and conditions of insurance policies, including premium rates. An actuary also has career opportunities in pension fund management, forecasting future payouts and determining current contributions and investment policies in light of them. Additionally, actuaries (either in-house or consultants) help companies in all industries entwurf and implement policies and procedures to mitigate risks in various aspects of their operations. Find Job Openings Use this tool to search for current job openings in this field. Education An actuary is expected to have at least a bachelors degree. There is prescribed coursework in statistics or actuarial science (a branch of applied statistics), plus business, finance, and eco nomics. A high degree of computer literacy is increasingly important, especially with regards to software packages commonly used for database and statistical analysis. An MBA can be a useful credential, depending on the firm. Certification The Society of Actuaries (SOA) certifies actuaries in life insurance, retirement plans, and investments. The Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS) certifies actuaries in property, casualty and liability insurance. Reaching the highest level of certification is a lengthy process, requiring coursework and the passing of nine separate exams normally over the course of six to nine years. Three of the first four exams are common to both the SOA and the CAS tracks, allowing the prospective actuary some time to decide on his or her specialty. Duties and Responsibilities The job of actuary involves detailed analysis of data to quantify risks. It also requires expertise with advanced modeling techniques to forecast future probabilities of various outcom es, such as losses or claims and their expected magnitudes. While technical expertise and quantitative skills are a must, advancement is dependent, to a great degree, on the ability to communicate effectively with managers who lack this background. Do not confuse an actuary with an insurance underwriter, who evaluates applications for insurance, and makes decisions on whether to accept or reject them. An actuary works at a more macro level, setting the high-level parameters that guide insurance underwriters. Typical Schedule The typical actuary works close to a standard 40 hour week, normally from a fixed office location. A consulting actuary tends to have significant travel, and thus may work considerably longer hours. Whats to Like An actuary is a highly respected professional who is an important influencer of company policy, if not a final decision maker. It is a well-compensated field that has a vital, visible impact. Whats notlage to Like For those with ambitions to rise in general management, the opportunities may be limited in some companies, which might view an actuary as a narrow specialist. Also, depending on the company and the position, the work of an actuary may become somewhat repetitive and lacking in variety. Salary Range Per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, median annual compensation was $93,680 as of May 2012, with 90% earning between $55,780 and $175,330.

Certifications on Resume Explained

Certifications on Resume Explained The Debate Over Certifications on Resume Before you purchase a share or shares from a business, make sure you are sure that the business is doing well in its profitability, and you need to secure your purchase by means of a share certificate. With the growth of rechnerwolke computing and virtualization, there is currently a huge demand for IT professionals that are skilled in virtualization. Even if the aforementioned certifications dont appear to apply to your precise position, companies will typically appreciate that youve gone out of your way to learn new abilities and expand your platzdeckchen of abilities. A certification from this course can maximize your odds of getting hired by means of a startup or other business due to how it offers quick and efficient training on the most popular advertising and marketing strategies, including conversion analysis, SEO, blogging, and other means of building a business deliver success. What the In- Crowd Wont Tell You About Certifications on Resume A certification proves that you possess the abilities and know-how to do a particular endeavor and your knowledge was proven with an exam or practical test. It indicates you have a diversity of experience. If youre able to list several of these category-level abilities, they may be utilized on the resume in a different section. Read more on the topic of achievement-oriented language here. Certifications are indications that you have certain knowledge and techniques that were verified by means of an authority on the topic or region of expertise. ITIL certifications are broken up into modules, so an IT professional is absolutely free to pick from the different modules that focus on various regions of the IT tafelgeschirr management life cycle. Credible certifications could be the something that separates you from the selection of different candidates, so in the event you dont have any certifications yet, time to find some, and s hould you do, do everything that you can to describe them in your resume and get you noticed Some can have additional secondary certifications which are not really pertinent to the position. Choosing Good Certifications on Resume Third, show the way your trucking skills can provide help. Make your basic resume which you are able to edit whenever you want. For instance, a food service certification wouldnt be necessary to landing a job for a mechanic. Including certifications on a resume is a superb means to catch the interest of a hiring manager. Relevant certifications from dependable sources are some of the the very best tactics to boost the credibility of your resume and maximize your odds of landing the job. That way its going to be noticed by the employer. Simply take a peek at job listings to find out what employers are seeking. The employer is going to have the impression of you as someone who seeks to maximize their degree of skill and follows new trends within the f ield of activity. If you would like to discover a brand-new job, the internet is an incredible reference. Themes are available on the net and theyre freely downloadable. When you learn to utilize LinkedIn properly, you will not ever leave. Our resume builder provides you with tips and examples on how best to compose your resume summary. Its quite helpful in making your professional profile. The Ultimate Approach for Certifications on Resume The very first region of your resume affected by means of a certification may be your name. All you need to do is make certain the certification program is not just a class and that its coming from the appropriate authority. In that situation, you are going to want to set your certifications at the peak of your resume near your name. Lets say that your latest certification isnt impressive. Yes, its more complicated than the question of the way to list certifications on a resume. Do this only in the event that youve got a couple of cert ifications to list, if youve got over two certifications consider listing them in another section on your resume. A few of these certifications are incredibly rigorous and, although likely worth it in the future, will place a strain on your time. Even in the event you dont mean to work in IT, these are well-known certifications that are rather simple to get and additionally quite well-known.

The Fundamentals of The First Step in Finding a Job Is Writing a Well-organized Rsum. Revealed

The Fundamentals of The First Step in Finding a Job Is Writing a Well-organized Rsum. Revealed What Does the First Step in Finding a Job Is Writing a Well-organized Rsum. Mean? Youre busy, with a finite period of time to look for jobs. There are a few things that dont belong on a resume for work. If you would like to receive a nice job, you require a good resume. The Fundamentals of the First Step in Finding a Job Is Writing a Well-organized Rsum. Revealed Find more information about the differences between a resume and a cover letter to make sure that you get started writing your cover letter with the right strategy. The increasing number of essay writing services is totally overwhelming. Instead, write an intriguing essay, write an essay you believe is fascinating. Explain that youre asking for work and want to handle your cover letter to the right individual. The First Step in Finding a Job Is Writing a Well-organized Rsum. and the First Step in Finding a Job Is Writin g a Well-organized Rsum. - The Perfect Combination There youve got it the perfect mindset for freelance-writing success. The very first step is to locate a vacancy thats appropriate for your background and your knowledge. The simple truth is, education is an opportunity many members of the world dont have accessibility to. Superior news is, you may have a shining online professional persona in a couple of easy steps The Number One Question You Must Ask for the First Step in Finding a Job Is Writing a Well-organized Rsum. When writers instruct their readers, they give a collection of steps to accomplish a particular job. When writing a resume, the greatest aim is to find the job. If youre studying-studying-studying the concept of freelance writing, but you arent writing anythingstop kidding yourself. Writing is important to everything we do. What Everybody Dislikes About the First Step in Finding a Job Is Writing a Well-organized Rsum. and Why Well it is all dependent on w hether the job posting instructions specify a specific format. Reread the work description to determine if its listed there or check the business site. Even in case you craft the ideal emaille to send a resume, its still true that you require a killer cover letter. Your resume email needs to be short and sweet. Since you might not have lots of experience, its important to include information thats pertinent to your intended job like coursework, projects, extracurricular activities, or volunteer work. Before going into an interview, write down a list of all you should know to be able to make a determination about work. When youre asking for a job which has been posted by a business thats hiring, you will use the application letter style. Nevertheless, when you havent searched for work in the past few years, you can encounter some surprises. the First Step in Finding a Job Is Writing a Well-organized Rsum. Fundamentals Explained Wikipedia isnt merely one of the top five webs ites in the Earth, it is sometimes a good tool for research. Position yourself now so that youll be in the proper place later. Tracking your progress will be able to help you avoid applying to duplicate jobs.

Tips for Following-Up After a Job Interview

Tips for Following-Up After a Job InterviewTips for Following-Up After a Job InterviewRegardless of whether or notlage your job interview welches successful, it is always important to immediately follow-up with your interviewer through email.When your resume and interview accomplish your mission of selling yourself to a target company by highlighting your skill set, experience and interest in a particular position, a follow-up email reiterates your interest in the job, builds on the success of your interview and resume, and keeps your name front and center on the minds of those involved in the hiring process. When you suffer a misstep in an interview, a follow-up letter allows you an opportunity to fix those mistakes you have made.The basic follow-up letter should immediately show your appreciation for even allowing you to interview for the position. Remember, they didnt have to interview you, no matter how qualified you think you are for the position. So, thank them for the opportun ity and then do the followingDemonstrate just how important you are to the company. A company like Accenture is not hiring someone just to fill an empty seat. They have a need to fill. What is the company looking for in this job opening and how can you help fill that need. Tell them exactly what you bring to the table.Expand on the interview. They asked you a question about a aufgabe you faced that you solved and how you solved it. You answered it, but maybe that problem didnt exactly match the issues a company like Lazard is facing. However, when you get home, you remember another problem you solved that would make you the perfect candidate for the job opening. Touch on that and let them know that you were continuing to think about their questions even after the interview was complete. It shows your interest.Show your knowledge of the issues the company faces. Random House has books that sell themselves, but some titles just dont have that power. They ask you how you would promote those titles. You are not as familiar with them, so you provide some generic ideas in the interview. However, when you get home, you research these titles and similar books and come up with a number of ideas that are more specific. Address them in your cover letter. It shows that even when youre not familiar with a topic, youre a quick learner and have the ability to figure things out without guidance.Correct some mistakes you made in the interview. They asked you a questionyou did not answer it fully. Rather than leave things incomplete, acknowledge that you didnt fully answer the question and felt that you should elaborate on what you said earlier. Then add to your answer. Make the answer something that will satisfy the hiring managers. Dont over-share. Dont end up putting your foot in your mouth. The best thing about a follow-up letter is that you can look at it before you send it. So, make sure you go over your response before hitting the send button.Change their minds. A compan y openly expressed their disbelief that you are willing to relocate for a job. This does not bode well for your chances. Make sure they are convinced you are ready. If you have to, include information on your plan of action for what you will do to make a smooth transition from your old home to your new digs in another state. This goes for any other objections they may have. Give it some thought and then address the concerns they have.You should always end a follow-up email making sure the interviewer is fully aware of your interest in the position and your desire to work for the company.With all that said and done, try to keep your follow-up email quick and to the point. There might be some reasons your email will have to be longer than most, but keep it tight make it easy to read and make it a letter that will be memorable for all the right reasons. Dont do all this in a handwritten letter. Emails are the best way to go, because they are immediate. If you want, a second follow-up n ote, sent via snail mail, is ok just to thank them for meeting you. Thats always a nice touch, too.Jon Minners, Vault.com

Why playfulness is now more important than ever

Why playfulness is now more important than everWhy playfulness is now more important than everAfter the death of Isaac Newton - a mythic figure even in his own lifetime - the poet Alexander Pope wrote the following epitaph for himNature and natures laws lay hid in nightGod said Let Newton be and all was light.When you read something like this about a figure of history, it becomes hard to imagine them as mortal. Most of us dont invent calculus or redefine optics in ur 20s. We certainly dont walk around laying down new foundations for the study of nature.But mortal they were. And as fascinating as it is to deify them, its perhaps just as interesting to imagine what they may have been like in person.We know that Newton was both humble and arrogant. When facing the laws of nature, he approached his work with reserved caution. When dealing with his rivals, however, he could be petty and vindictive - not exactly the stoic image of perfection that first comes to mind.We know that in spit e of his great fame, he lived a mostly solitary life, not too focused on developing his interpersonal relationships, perhaps even dying a virgin. It makes you wonder how different the world may have been had he been more tempted by those very normal menschenfreundlich interests.The most telling thing about him, however, I think, comes from a reflection he supposedly shared with a friend about his life right before he diedI do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.I like this because it shows you the child in him, the one we can recognize in our own reflection if we pay attention. But more so, I like it because, from this human image, we can take out something for ourselves, something that I think is becoming more relevant today.The Evolutionary Pur pose of PlayOn one end, the idea that Newton lived such a solitary life brings about a slight sadness that I cant immediately shake. But then, when I read his own description of how it looked from the inside, it fades away.The activity of play is universal among all human cultures that have been studied. We can define it in various ways. When the idea is brought up, each of us imagines something slightly different, but at a core level, its clear that we are all mucksmuschenstill talking about roughly the same thing.Its an activity we do just to do it, at least on the surface. Its fun and exciting, and the fact that it doesnt feel like its stressful because were associating it with some future reward seems to make it more free, more honest.Scientists, of course, disagree a fair bit about both how to define play and what the evolutionary purpose of it is, but without getting bogged down by the details, our simple definition isnt too far detached from any truth, and in terms of purpose , it seems to be agreed that it serves to either train us physically, socially, or cognitively.In this sense, play is an act of learning. More specifically, its a low-cost way to explore the world in order to obtain high-value advantages. To push it even further, its a search for the truth of the reality that we want to effectively inhabit as we live and as we age over time.When you are born into a particular cultural environment, you dont yet have all the tools to make sense of it. You have to do the work to figure out where the boundaries are, what norms are accepted, and the different skills that will be required from you as you become a member of society.Like Newton, as a child, you walk around picking up different pebbles and shells, studying them, identifying their relationships to the surrounding world and to other people, and then based on that, you start to store information that is consistent with your experience as to guide future experiences.The key thing to note about p lay is that because it isnt entirely purposeful, the boundaries are blurred, which then allows you to redefine them so you can see something new, something that provides value in a way you may not have realized by acting out of duty.Mixing Exploration and ExploitationThe most obvious thing about this kind of fun is that its more common in children than it is in adults. And it makes sense By the time you are an adult, you have mostly done the work required to figure out your surroundings.Based on this relationship to play, we can roughly divide life into two realms of existence a period dominated by exploration and a period dominated by ausbeutung. You spend the first part of your life exploring, seeing, and understanding, but once some of it has sunk to a satisfactory level, you start to exploit the fruits growing on the foundation you have laid.By Newtons analogy, after a certain period, you have picked up all the pebbles and shells you are likely to play with, and you walk away fr om the ocean content to just continue rolling those same ones over in your hands.For the physical lessons born out of play, this makes sense. After a certain point, you have learned how to use your body and you dont need to test it in different ways throughout your life. You know how to run, and you know how to play a sport you love, and it makes sense to just keep doing those things over time, with nothing lost.There is, however, a problem when pursuing this same explore-exploit pattern in the social and the cognitive aspects of our life. Today, the social and cognitive aspects are far more complex than before. Our culture is evolving at a rate which means that if you dont keep up with it, then you no longer understand the truth of that reality as you live in it.In a world that doesnt change too fast, a brief childhood of exploration would give you all the information you would need to deal with the various norms around you and with the decision-making patterns that are likely to a rise. But in a culture that is increasingly networked, doubling the amount of information produced every few years, there can no longer be a difference between the exploration and the exploitation phase.Newtons search for truth moved him from pebble to shell throughout his whole life, but it didnt mean that he left the old ones behind for the new ones. He gave exploitation his due attention, while also playfully keeping an eye out for the hidden truths in the peripheries.Not making room for play in modern adult life is a strategic disadvantage. Exploration and exploitation are no longer distinct. They are continually co-evolving as the world quickly unfolds around us.Dealing With a Larger TerrainToday, culture is more complex, information is more abundant, and our collective environment covers a greater terrain of reality.Play is how we map out this terrain. Traditionally, it was enough to simply spend our childhood and some early parts of our youth having our fun, without following the usual rules, without being too constrained by duty and routine, to make sense of everything.This is no longer the case. Our environments are no longer static. Theyre dynamic in a way that means that if you dont keep up, youre essentially not living in the same social and cognitive reality as those around you.While in the past exploration was a distinct phase from exploitation, today, they have merged. You can no longer get away with spending the first few decades of your life playing and then dedicating the last few to work. Play and work have to occupy the same range.To many of us, the idea of play in this way is so foreign that even if all of this makes sense, the question remains What does play look like when you are, say, 30 or 40 or 50? And the answer is that it looks like a space of time, simply left to be dictated by curiosity beyond what you do out of habit - that could mean anything from taking an improv class to simply reading more.The pebbles and the shells Newton p icked up gave us the elementary laws of nature that we have since built our understanding of reality on. They lumineszenzdiode us to uncover the knowledge in front of us so that we could better master our surrounding environment.In the 21st-century, playfulness wont just remain a cute memory of childhood. It will be the foundation that we use to construct and validate the truths of our ever-changing reality.Want to think and live smarter? Zat Rana publishes a free weekly newsletter for 30,000+ readers atDesign Luck.Thisarticlewas originally published onDesign Luck.

What to Wear to Your Legal Job Interview

What to Wear to Your Legal Job InterviewWhat to Wear to Your Legal Job InterviewYou have a legal job interview and are wondering how best to prepare for it. Regarding your appearance, dress conservatively. With few exceptions, you should wear a suit to a law job interview. Its typically better to be overdressed than underdressed on such an occasion. There are, however, a couple of exceptions. If youre interviewing at a very informal non-profit, you may not want to wear a suit. Try to investigate in advance, or ask the part setting up the interview about the dress code, if that seems appropriate. Similarly, if youre interviewing at a tech startup, you may not want to be a suit. Theres a known bias in Silicon Valley against dressing up, so plan accordingly. How to Dress for the Legal Job Interview Assuming yourenotin one of those rare situations, you should wear a formal suit to a law job interview. Here are some tips. Make Sure Everything Fits Properly Get the basics right. Ma ke sure your clothing is not too tight or too loose, or too long or too short. For women, if you are wearing a skirt, check skirt length carefully, and ensure theres no excessive button eu-agrarpolitik on button-down shirts. If you clothing needs alterations, enlist a tailor or ask for assistance in a store. These people are trained to make your clothes fit. Pay Attention to Local Customs Interview style varies throughout the country. If youre a law student from Alabama interviewing in New York City, its worth enlisting some allies to help you figure out how styles differ in the Big Apple. In some areas, only a skirt suit is considered typical, while in others, pants are fine.Theres no one right answer, but you need to know whats customary. Get Rid of Clothing Wrinkles You can have the nicest interview outfit in the world, but its going to look sloppy if its full of wrinkles. Especially if youre traveling to interviews, consider how youre going to keep everything clean and p ressed. Is there a hotel iron or a dry cleaning service? With some thought and preparation, you can have cleanly pressed clothes the morning of that important interview. Buy Decent Shoes Shoes are an important part of your interview outfit. At a minimum, shoes should match your outfit and be just as conservative. Shoes made of leather or faux leather is a good choice. What to Bring to a Legal Job Interview Once youre appropriately attired, its time to think about what to bring. A nice portfolio is useful for carrying copies of all application documents, such as a resume, writing samples, and any notable past and present work. Remember to bring copies of these documents, as your interviewer may want to keep them. Also bring any personal care items you might need, such as mints, a toothbrush, extra hosiery, and makeup. Dont forget directions, including parking locations, if youre driving.Also be sure to turn off your phone before the interview. Being prepared is the first step to mastering a legal job interview. Dress professionally, bring the proper documentation, and arrive on time.