Set Yourself Up For Success

We have all been in interview situations where we feel a little bit uncomfortable, whether it be on the interviewer or interviewee side. Both parties are trying to decide if it is the right fit.

Previously, in my roles as a finance superstar, I took the stance that a candidate’s resume spoke for itself as far as his or her skill set. After all, how could so-and-so have worked at Company XYZ for that long unless they knew what they were doing? I approached those interviews with the sole purpose of making sure that I would click with this person. My interview style was more of a conversation to answer this burning question: “Is this someone that I would want to sit next to on an airplane for a cross country flight?”

My current position as an executive recruiter requires much more tact and specific questions targeted to the industry, their previous positions, and what they are looking to do. I really try to understand what is important to each person I speak with and what motivates them. The interview question that Becca Brown suggests in the article below is one that I will definitely add to my interview question repertoire.

Originally published in Business Insider by Jacquelyn Smith on September 3, 2015

Read the full article here: A former Goldman Sachs employee who launched a startup shares her favorite interview question

The Wall Street Journal published an interesting article on how to stop procrastinating and how to start taking steps towards what is important to you. Procrastinating causes stress, which can effect every aspect of your life from your job to your relationships to your finances. Dealing with daunting situations and decisions in bite-size pieces can provide an avenue to getting things done and reducing stress.

To Procrastinate Less, Start by Doing This

Tips from research led by Timothy Pychyl, Piers Steel and Alexander Rozental.

• Break a long-term project down into specific sub-goals. State the exact start time and how long (not just “tomorrow”) you plan to work on the task.
• Just get started. It isn’t necessary to write a long list of tasks, or each intermediate step.
• Remind yourself that finishing the task now helps you in the future. Putting off the task won’t make it more enjoyable.
• Implement “microcosts,” or mini-delays, that require you to make a small effort to procrastinate, such as having to log on to a separate computer account for games.
• Reward yourself not only for completing the entire project but also the sub-goals.

Read the full article here: http://on.wsj.com/1N5MR2H

Originally published in the Wall Street Journal by Shirley Wang on August 31, 2015

Since the whole point of this article is to help you make the most of your time and career, I won’t waste words here. All three of these techniques work well, but you should pick the one that best fits your personality and personal situation:

1. The Repeat Test

2. Take 10 at the Hour

3. Go Slower”

See the full article here: 3 Powerful Ways to Stop Wasting Your Time

Originally published on August 2, 2015 by Bruce Kasanoff on LinkedIn

Time wasting is a trap that all of us have fall into at one point or another. The funny thing is that wasting time doesn’t just consist of checking Facebook or browsing Pinterest for what kind of pillows you should buy for your new couch. You could be wasting time on tasks that are part of your job, but aren’t being done as effectively or efficiently as they could be. From Bruce’s article the suggestion to go slower really hit home with me. Owning my own business means that I am going 50 miles per hour all day every day. When I look back on my day, I know there are some things that I could have been more clear on in a meeting to avoid a litany of emails back and forth over the next few days. My suggestion for all of those time wasters out there is to focus on value-add tasks during regular business hours and look to outsource or tackle administrative/back-office tasks after hours.