This is why it is okay to skip the office happy hour

This is why it is okay to skip the office happy hour This is why it is okay to skip the office happy hour In any office, there are certain cultural dos and don’ts that help keep the figurative ship  sailing smoothly. Unloading the dishwasher when it is full of clean dishes, engaging in small talk in the kitchen, volunteering to lead a presentation, signing up for corporate event or clubs - as corny as it may seem, all of these social obligations are necessary and can help you grow professionally and help  maintain  a pleasant environment at the office.But what happens when an office “do” riddles you with anxiety? Should you figure out a way to push through? Or just avoid it altogether? No, I’m not talking about meetings - those are little hard to opt out of. But something like office happy hour or an outing with coworkers can sometimes complicate relationships or put pressure on people to socialize in an environment where they don’t feel comfortable.Follow Ladders on Flipboard!Follow Ladders’ magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neurosc ience, and more!On one hand, the intrinsic value of socializing with coworkers at happy hour is obvious and holds just as much social  significance  as kitchen small talk. It also creates an opportunity for coworkers to bond in a casual setting and make connections.  That being said, there is also a case to be made about those of us that just aren’t at our best in a happy hour setting in which case, it is OK to pass up the office happy hour to do something else with  the evening? And how do you politely navigate the dynamics of pushy coworkers who don’t understand your reasons for opting out?Walking this line can be tricky, but it is definitely doable, and at times, is a move that is both necessary for your professional development and your self-care.…when your heart just isn’t in it.It’s OK to bow out of the office happy hour simply because you’re not feeling it. Sometimes, it can be difficult for people who enjoy socializing to understand why someone might want to be a lone after a long day at work. But if your heart isn’t in the event, the spot everyone has chosen is out of your way, or you just want to get home as soon as possible to go grocery shopping - all of this is OK. When your heart isn’t in it, people can tell, and it might hinder your ability to put your best, most social foot forward if you’re burning the candle on both ends and are preoccupied with thoughts of what you would rather be doing.  â€¦when you have other plans.Obviously, if family or an emergency prevents you from making it to an after work event with coworkers, no one is going to twist your arm or make you feel bad about not joining in. But if there’s something on your agenda that isn’t  that  time sensitive or important for your professional growth, turning down happy hour with coworkers can feel conflicting.The truth is, no matter how small the activity may be, if it’s important to you or is something you’ve been looking forward to for weeks, you have to s tick to that plan and honor yourself. There is always a time and place for letting loose and it’s entirely up to you how and when you choose to do that.…when you want to  make a genuine connection.We all strive to stand out in some way, and when you’re brand new at an office or just getting to know your coworkers, going to happy hour  seems  like the obvious move for getting to know everyone. But sometimes getting to know coworkers in that setting can backfire - especially when some people go harder than others when it comes to drinking. Building relationships with coworkers on more neutral ground might be a good way to learn what makes them tick - and vice versa.…when you’re setting boundaries.It can feel particularly awkward to turn down an invite to happy hour or a long lunch when you’re new to a job and an office. But, there is a power and a strategy to the dissent because it allows you to establish boundaries and discern which coworkers will respect your decisions and make an effort to get to know you in a way that is more comfortable to you. This isn’t about keeping people at arm’s length and it isn’t about saying no for the sake of saying no, it’s about getting to know the people you work with on your terms. That will help create more genuine connections with your coworkers, and in the end give people a chance to know the real you within the bounds you’ve created.…when you want to take care of yourself.Going to the gym instead of happy hour  is perhaps one of the hardest excuses with which to escape ridicule-free. If the gym, the yoga studio, or the crossfit box is your happy place, people tend to look at you like you have three heads. Couple that reaction with the celebratory mood of a Friday happy hour  and that kind of differentiation in values can leave you feeling like your priorities are out of whack. But self-care and wellness are not one-size-fits-all phenomena. What might look like self-care to some is not self-care fo r all. So if going to the gym is your version of unwinding after a long day, don’t substitute that guaranteed satisfaction for a social situation that might have an adverse effect on your energy. It’s OK to speak up for yourself even if that means enduring a couple of eyes rolls.This article originally appeared on The Everygirl.You might also enjoy… New neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happy Strangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds 10 lessons from Benjamin Franklin’s daily schedule that will double your productivity The worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs 10 habits of mentally strong people

How to Effectively Use a Facebook Job Search

How to Effectively Use a Facebook Job Search How to Effectively Use a Facebook Job Search How Facebook's Job-Search Feature Can Help You Land Your Next Job Facebook, not LinkedIn, may be the key to finding your next job. Facebook has always been a great place to connect with family and friends about all things social. Now, it's also an effective way to connect with your next potential employer. In February 2017, Facebook opened up its new job board feature, where employers can post jobs directly to their company page or a specific jobs page and job seekers can apply to them immediately through Facebook. If you're wondering whether this is viable, consider this: Business Insider states there are 65 million businesses are currently using Facebook pages, and a recent study by Jobvite found Facebook to be the second most popular social network for recruiters. Currently, posting is free for employers and there's no set limit of posts per page, making the site even more enticing for businesses with many jobs to fill. Here's how to begin using Facebook as a key part of your job-search process. Review your Facebook page settings Facebook stresses that employers will only be able to see your public information. Yet, that still begs the question: What would you want a recruiter or hiring manager to see? Unless you alter them, your privacy settings aren't affected when you search for a job. Be sure there's nothing that would hurt a potential employer's first impression of you. Doing this on the front end will ensure that your profile is always accurate and will prevent you having to change it each time you apply for a job. Also, make sure your Facebook resume puts you in the best possible light as a candidate who wants to work for a specific organization. For example, since Facebook limits the skills you can list, be sure to show your most relevant abilities and be as specific as possible. Use the projects tool to showcase key contributions and accomplishments from past jobs and to list out any quantifiable career achievements. Create a list of companies to explore Have you ever been caught in the Facebook void? You start out looking for one specific thing and then 30 minutes later, you realize you've been pulled way off topic. To avoid this when job searching, create a list of companies you want to work for based on your research and then visit each company site to see if they're hiring. It makes the process more efficient. Some things to look for in your target companies include culture, work-life balance, number of employees, distance from your home, and whether you can relate to the organization's values. Consider checking with former colleagues about their current companies, or using your LinkedIn network to see if you have connections at the companies you listed. Another idea is to use Google News Alerts. By setting this up, you can keep up to speed on what's happening in a particular company and in the industry as a whole. This includes keeping tabs on who is hiring and who isn't. Related:How to Find the Right Company for Your Next Career Move Locate jobs and start applying Facebook job postings can be found in two places: on a specific company's Facebook page under the Jobs tab and on a separate jobs page that you can use to search all job listings by location, industry, skill, and job type. If you're on the mobile app, go to the Jobs tab under More. Then, start looking for open positions and keep these points in mind: When you find a job that interests you, click the Apply Now button which takes you to a page that's pre-populated with your name, education, and any other information that's public on your site. If needed, you can make changes before you submit your data, but doing it once on the front end will save time and avoid potential mistakes. You can't upload a resume at this time, but there's a 1,000-character text box to create a cover letter or add detailed information about why you're the best person for the job. Hit send to get your information over to the company via a Facebook message. The company will then communicate with you through Messenger unless stated otherwise. Be sure to like and follow any companies that interest you. By doing this, any new job postings the company creates will show up immediately in your news feed. You can also hit the Subscribe button for the same result. Watch for more from Facebook Various experts believe that this initial version of Facebook job searches is just a hint of what's to come and that a more robust version is in the works especially as it positions itself to rival LinkedIn. Facebook announced plans to expand its job-search feature to an additional 40 countries. Stay tuned for more to come! Click on the following link for more tips on how to leverage social media for your job search. Upgrade your resume before you check out Facebook's jobs. Request a free resume critique today! Recommended Reading: Is This Company Right for You? Run a Social Media Check to Find Out 5 Social Media Mistakes That Undermine Your Job Search Why You Should Google Yourself to Monitor Your Online Personal Brand

Left-handed CEOs share their best career advice

Left-handed CEOs share their best career advice Left-handed CEOs share their best career advice Any Google search about lefties and you’ll be confronted with lots of studies about Southpaws: They’re more creative. They use both sides of their brain more fluidly. They tend to be better at multitasking. The list goes on - and science has plenty to conclude about lefties.   Though your dominant hand likely has little to do with your performance reviews (and hey, chances are slim your boss even knows if you’re right or left-handed), this estimated 10% of the population approaches work differently. Or rather, because of how they’ve adjusted to life in a world designed for righties, they’ve learned different strategies for success.Regardless if your hand gets smudged when you write on a whiteboard or not, these smart nuggets of wisdom from left-handed CEOs are beneficial to any career:“Embrace your challenges”If you ask the CEO of Thursday Boots, Nolan Walsh, growing up left-handed wasn’t a negative experience, but rather, an advantage. He never felt insecure or burd ened by his South Paw preference, but rather, he saw the benefits. He could effectively play basketball, baseball, tennis, and soccer as a leftie.He also studied differently than his classmates explaining, “While right-handed people can see the words they write as they move across a page, when you write left-handed, your vision of the previous words you write is obstructed by your hand. I think this taught me to be more thoughtful and precise is my writing,” he shared.All of these experiences presented “challenges” if you look at them that way, but for Walsh, embracing his differences and seeing the perks of being unique made him into a stronger worker.Get comfortable with the uncomfortableThough the CEO and co-founder of Babyation, Sam Rudolph writes and eats left-handed, he does everything else with the opposite side.“I swing a bat right-handed. I cut right-handed. I use right-handed scissors, and I kick with my right foot. I’m pretty sure that’s because growing up, my teachers and parents couldn’t figure out how to do things ‘backwards!’,” he explains.Though it might have been an uphill battle at the time, he thinks of it as early training in adaptability and being pushed out of my comfort zone - a skill that’s carried him through his life and career.“To this day, I’m most comfortable when I’m uncomfortable. I didn’t realize it at the time, but it was perfect training for running a startup,” he adds.“Worry less about what people think”When the CEO of Sheree Cosmetics, Tiffany Herrmann was in elementary school, she was sometimes viewed as different since she needed the corner desk to avoid bumping anyone’s elbow when she wrote with her left hand. As she got older, others found her left-handedness intriguing. But as the daughter of a leftie, she worked to accept and foster her unique skill, instead of fighting it. The process was one that taught her to embrace who she is - regardless of what others think.“I learned a little more creative than the others growing up, and I’m not sure if it’s because of the left-hand/right brain, but it taught me to not worry about what others thought of me and to just be me,” she shares.Be open to critical feedbackAdjusting - often in real time - to right-handed everything requires a nimble approach to life. And perhaps, the ability to be open-minded when others critique your performance or give you feedback. For Walsh, being open to opinion - positive or negative - is an important pillar of success. On the last Saturday of every month, he sits down to read all of the bad reviews, all in an effort to improve his business strategy and customer satisfaction.“While it can be painful at times, this openness to criticism has lead to exponential improvements and has allowed us to form strong relationships to supporters who were formerly some of our strongest critics,” he says.Look at the entire landscape of your careerWhen you’re a lefty, you view the world differently. Often times, lefties are able to process information quicker since they use both sides of their noggin’, and they tend to focus on the overall, long-term vision instead of the small details of the here-and-now. Rudolph recommends this approach to the tenure of your career, too.“Instead of climbing in a linear progression, evaluate new roles based on an opportunity to learn something completely different and develop a new side of your professional self. The more knowledge you have, the better you can put the pieces together and see the big picture,” he explains.Always believe in yourself and keep your eyes on the targetNo matter how successful someone is, how much money they earn each year or how often they are recognized by their industry or peer groups, everyone has those no-good, terrible days. Your dominant hand doesn’t determine this - but rather, is a fact that threads of all together. Herrmann says it’s important to always keep your eyes on the ta rget and to be your own number one fan.“Don’t feel sorry for yourself, because it’s normal to hit walls - just keep moving forward,” she says. “A lot of entrepreneurs and professionals tend to fail around the ‘downs’ because they give up and walk away. If you have a goal in your career or a promotion that you are going for, and you don’t get it the first time - it’s ok. Work on yourself. Get back up and try again.”Treat people rightThough Walsh wasn’t personally teased for being a lefty, some South Paws are. This might motivate them to write with their right hand, even if it isn’t comfortable. Or in the case of Herrmann, she figured out how to use a marker on a whiteboard with her submissive hand, just so she wasn’t embarrassed when her sleeve wiped away her scribbles in front of her friends.No matter the circumstance or human - from your employee to your client and beyond - Walsh stresses the importance of treating people right. For many, it’s a no-b rainer way to conduct daily interactions, whether professional or personal, but it’s often forgotten in the heat of the moment or during stressful periods.“The easiest way to get your team and customers to care about you is to show you care about them. They’ll notice,” he adds.

The Top 10 Highest-Paying College Majors

The Top 10 Highest-Paying College Majors The Top 10 Highest-Paying College Majors Securing a good first salary is tough - in addition to the intimidation that can come with negotiating for the first time, a lot of times you might feel like you’re in the dark with little to no expectations about what you should be earning. After all, college courses often focus on mastering the subject matter at hand, not thinking ahead about possible career options and expected salary ranges. But our team has taken a deep dive into thousands of resumes to match up the majors that people study with their current earnings - and from there, they got a great look at median base pay within the first five years of graduating. Whether you’re still trying to figure out what you should study or want to use this information as a bargaining chip for salary negotiations , the data below will help you make a more informed decision. Whether your major made the list or not, we’re here to help ensure that you’re able to maximize your earnings potential - our Know Your Worthâ„¢ personalized salary estimator takes into account things like your job title, location, years of experience, and more to give you a concrete data point to bring  to the negotiation table. And our blog has no shortage of how-to articles and interviews with experts to help you navigate and master salary negotiation. So what are you waiting for? Get out there and take the working world by storm!

Promote Your Personal Growth and Motivation

Promote Your Personal Growth and Motivation Promote Your Personal Growth and Motivation Are you feeling blah about your work and life? Are you experiencing a level of boredom which is making you unmotivated and unexcited? Are you having a mid-life crisis? You can promote your own personal growth, motivation, and career development to overcome this inertia. There are several methods you can use to  explore personal growth, set new goals, choose motivation and get your life and work back on a course that excites, motivates, and fills your life with joy. You can use this moment to  create the life you want with a mid-career crisis. The stereotypical mid-life crisis turns a conservative businessman and family man into a gold-chain-sporting, long-haired, red-Corvette-driving hedonist. It doesnt have to be this way. Mid-life crises- whether you are 30, 50 or 65 years old- can be a time of awakening, self-actualization, and new direction. Guided Thinking Exercises Take some time to do these exercises. The time invested will enable you to focus on the positive and the possible for your life.   List Everything You’d Like to Do in Your Lifetime These lists can run several hundred items and are often called Bucket Lists. Your chosen lifestyle must allow for the accomplishment of these dreams. Write Down Your 10 Favorite Activities But only the ones without which your life would feel bereft.  No life choice is suitable unless you get to do your favorite activities at least weekly, preferably daily. Think of a Time When You Felt More Positively About Your Life What has changed between then and now? List everything that is different. Perhaps you will gain insight into what is causing your current dissatisfaction and this insight could enable you to change the circumstances causing your unhappiness. Schedule Quiet, Thinking Time for Yourself Every Single Day If you are like many people, you rarely take time to be alone with yourself. Plenty of  people avoid this time and prefer to fill every minute of the day with activity.  Make it a priority to spend time alone with yourself doing nothing. Some people practice meditation and others practice yoga. The key is to spend time in your head gently  going wherever your thoughts take you. If those thoughts turn negative or self-deprecating, simply change the subject. Take Action Exercises Do these daily as you explore what makes you happy. Make time for your dreams and the activities that bring you joy.  You have listed your favorite activities and the hundreds of items you’d like to do in your lifetime. Begin. Add one each day to your schedule. Do all 10 activities you love at least once per week.Do something that is completely new to you once each week.  Get out of your comfort zone and engage with new people, places, and activities.Write a journal that tracks your thoughts, the new ideas you are generating and the additional  life activities you schedule every day. Spend time with a friend at least twice a month  for conversation and to maintain the supportive and caring relationship.Make your physical well-being a priority. Eat a balanced diet, get daily exercise- even if only for 10  minutes- and get enough sleep on a regular schedule. Here are more ways to explore your personal growth, development, and motivation needs to create a life that excites you. Personal Growth and Understanding Instruments and Surveys In the midst of your new thoughts and activities, you should supplement your thinking with tests and quizzes that provide information about yourself. Take personality, leadership, and career: tests, surveys, profiles, and quizzes to add to your understanding of yourself. Read Books About Personal Growth and Motivation Personal growth and self-motivation books fill an entire section of your local bookstore and will add to your understanding about yourself. Books which have been authored or co-authored by Barbara Sher are a good starting point. You should also consider reading Hanson’s Passion and Purpose: How to Identify and Leverage the Powerful Patterns That Shape Your Work/Life. Take a Class Your local college or university will likely have several courses about personal growth and motivation. In completing the earlier recommended exercises, you may have targeted additional topics you want to study. A structured course would be a good way to do that. Take the time to explore your mid-life crisis to identify your needs for personal growth and motivation. Maybe it’s just the job that’s depressing you. Perhaps you have not focused on adding your favorite activities to your daily life. In the daily busyness of life, you may have forgotten to think about your own need for solitude, thoughtfulness, and exploration. If you spend time exploring these recommended activities, you will find your answers, refresh your life view and put the joy and energy you deserve back into your life.

How to Get Through Work When Youre in a Bad Mood - The Muse

How to Get Through Work When Youre in a Bad Mood - The Muse How to Get Through Work When Youre in a Bad Mood Your alarm doesn’t go off because you had it set to PM instead of AM. When you open the fridge to grab milk for your coffee, a bottle of hot sauce goes flying and within seconds, your kitchen floor’s splattered with Cholula. You manage to clean it up with barely enough time to spare without being seriously late. On your way into the office, you look down at your hip and realize your leftovers are leaking onto your jeans. So now you smell like garlic chicken. To top it off, you’re still reeling from the argument you had with your sister last night about, of all things, what kind of party to throw for your parents’ 40th anniversary. You’d just as soon like to crawl into a dark hole- or, better yet, your bed- than put on a chipper face and strike up small talk with your co-workers, none of whom seem to be wearing any part of their afternoon meal on their outfit. It’s difficult to think of the work you’ve got to do today for eight or more hours. Ugh, and that meeting with the legal team at 5 PM? Who cares that Jeanine is going around with homemade zucchini bread? Or that the engineering team finally fixed that bug? Your sister hasn’t responded to your last three texts, and you didn’t have time to work out this morning due to said alarm issue. Oh, boy. It’s going to be a long day if you don’t snap out of it- as if snapping out of it is something you can just magically do when your insides are burning, and you’re, in a way, feeding off of your wretched mood. While it may feel good to temporarily bask in the seething glow that is currently you, you could really come to regret it. No need to damage your professional reputation because you let your foul mood seep into everything you say and do. Unlike your BFF or your partner, your team might not be so understanding if you take it out on them and then try to explain and apologize once you’re feeling better. You, my friend, must learn to manage your bad mood. You don’t have to accept your colleague’s invitation to grab coffee, and you don’t need to be imminently present in every group chat conversation. Don’t feel like talking to Greg about last night’s baseball game like you guys usually do? So don’t. The key to keeping your unpleasant mood in check during the workday is to say as little as possible. By staying quiet, you avoid the risk of opening your mouth and saying the first snarky thing that comes to mind. By remaining mostly mum (where you can get away with it) you forgo offending someone with your sarcasm, which feels like the only language you know today. Muse Career Coach Kristina Leonardi suggests using the bad mood as “an exercise in the discipline of being in the present and concentrating on the task at hand.” This might actually get you out of the bad mood, or “even just make you feel temporarily better since you're not ruminating on it,” explains Leonardi. So zero in on your work and zone everything else out. You’re obviously going to have to respond if you’re being called upon for a workday matter, but you’d be surprised at how much you can keep to yourself without anyone really noticing. Even if you’re generally very gregarious, it’s unlikely that anyone but your closest friend at work is going to call you out on it much less notice. Everyone around you likely has enough of their own stuff to deal with. You laying low for a day and never taking off your headphones isn’t going to have much of an impact, if any. Trust me: Shooting your mouth off because the toxic attitude is seeping and spreading is going to have a far bigger negative impact than temporarily withdrawing. No one is exempt from being in a bad mood, but the sooner you can learn to manage it, the better off you’ll be. Photo of man having a bad day courtesy of Zero Creatives/Getty Images.

6 tips from HR pros on what candidates can do to stand out in an interview

6 tips from HR pros on what candidates can do to stand out in an interview 6 tips from HR pros on what candidates can do to stand out in an interview There are hundreds of people applying for the same position. Dozens of people are selected for the interview. How do you stand out from the rest of the applicants? These HR professionals explain what candidates have done to ace the process.The candidate did the work before the interview“We were hiring someone to do PR and outreach for us. His interview went really well, and he asked us some thought-provoking questions that illustrated he was interested in us as a company and not just as a job. We asked him why we should hire him over anyone else, and he opened his laptop and showed us five high-quality PR releases and links he built to our website, stating that his actions backed up his words. We hired him on the spot.”â€" Tom Buckland, HR and marketing Ops.Follow Ladders on Flipboard!Follow Ladders’ magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and more!The candidate inquired about we could offer her“We always find the questions tha t candidates ask at the end can often make or break them: usually, they’re veered toward the break category, such as when they ask about breaks, holidays and salary. However, once we had a woman turn the interview on us. She asked at the end, ‘So tell me why I should work for you over the other companies I have spoken with?’ This took us aback at first, but it was a great question, and it showed us that she was interested in what our company had to offer. It also gave us introspective on why we are good employers. The talent pool is competitive, and we need to stay current, fresh and attractive to recruit top talent.”â€" Ramya Menon, HR for Bayut.The candidate asked good questions“I always find it impressive when a candidate proactively flips the process around and starts interviewing the company. What’s our long-term business strategy? Are there any incentives for them to put in extra work? How long do employees stay with the company? What are some areas we want to deve lop? What’s our biggest weakness? It demonstrates that the candidate is serious about their applications, and is not afraid to take the initiative. Obviously, this should be done in a polite way; disrespectful overconfidence won’t get you far in any job interview.”â€"  Balazs Hajde, content manager with Authority Hacker.The candidate understands the company“Make sure to research the company prior to interviewing, and be clear about why you want to work for that organization. It is very likely that during your interview, you will be asked why you want to be there. You will do well if you can give a thoughtful answer that also references something you learned about the company â€" and/or its people â€" while researching it. I am often disappointed when candidates have no clue what we do because they didn’t take 5-10 minutes to look at our Web site. To me, this says a lot about their initiative and effort. Candidates who show they know something about the company will invaria bly stand out.”â€" Elena Gallud, director of HR with Phonexa in Glendale, California.The candidate explains his or her value“Candidates who impress me are those who take a step back and think more strategically about why the company would be mistaken not to hire them. Knowing your specific value-add to an organization demonstrates that you not only understand the role, but that you are confident in your skills and ability to succeed in it. Depending on the nature of the role, being as specific as possible to how you will add immediate value in the first few quarters proves helpful in making a strong case for why a company should hire you.”â€" Alexandra Clarke, director of recruiting for ForceBrands in New York.The candidate understands the job“Applicants who have impressed us the most were the ones who came across as if they were meant to be hired for the role. We were impressed with a recent college graduate who gave the best answers â€" above seasoned professionals we inte rviewed for the job. They did this by expressing a solid understanding to meet the objective needs of the job; how this role impacts the company’s bottom line; and offered a fresh, creative perspective. The candidate discovered our pain and came up with great solutions. In comparison, other candidates were going through the motions of the interview, showing little excitement and low creativity in their answers. Overall, it’s not always that more experience will win: at times, it’s the understanding of the role and perspective of the candidate that can make a difference in landing the job.”â€" Sandra Arrighi, a corporate HR manager for eBacon in Phoenix, Arizona.