How to Get Better at Small Talk

How to Get Better at Small Talk You might be the greatest professional your industry is yet to discover. And you might even excel at talking about your business and selling your skills as you network. But there’s one aspect of the job interview that can elude the best of us: small talk. It may sound like, well, a little thing. But small talk can be a deal-breaker when you go for a job and your potential boss is only 99% sure you’re right for the gig â€" or they have you measured up against somebody with similar strengths and experience. In that case, what they’ll prioritize is something that all employers value: work with ability. How pleasant you are to have around. Your attitude to life and to other people. Unfortunately, you may have the rosiest of outlooks on life, you may be the most peopliest person of them all. But if you tend toward the introverted end of the sociability scale, conveying your good nature to a panel of strangers can be like forcing a square peg into a round hole. Some people are naturals at small talk. Lucky them. But lucky you, because boffins in behavioral science have observed these people and figured out what works. Small talk may be an instinct for some, but for the rest, it remains an attainable skill. So, how do you get it? Use your body Of course, you’ve already been told to make eye contact while being grilled on your professional attributes. But that eye contact should begin the moment you get in the door. Using the triangle trick â€" keeping your eyes fixed on a triangle between a person’s eyes and mouth â€" will help you to keep engaged while they’re talking, and to follow little cues as to the direction of the small talk. It will even make it feel, to the other person, like you’ve said more than you really have because they’ll go away with the impression of having connected with you. It also means that your interviewer will look up more at you, so they’ll see when you nod, smile, or otherwise non-verbally participate â€" which takes some of the stress off from having to come up with more to say. Keep your arms uncrossed and lean (non-invasively) towards the interviewer, and you will increase this sense of engagement. It will also help keep you alert so that you can respond meaningfully to what you’ve heard. The other factor in responding meaningfully is to listen. How to listen to small talk A lot of people worry about small talk because they don’t know what to say. But if your interviewers start the talking, they’ll do a lot of the hard work for you. That’s because you can listen to them, and bounce off the topics that they raise. It can be as simple as repeating back exactly what you’ve heard: “It takes me two hours to get to work every day.” “Wow â€" two hours?” You just added content and all you came up with was “wow.” Repeating back like this â€" including during the interview (but don’t overdo it) can also help you remember details. That means at the end of the interview you have material to go back over if one of the interviewers walks you back through the building to the exit: “You mentioned you used to work in retail. Where was that?” This approach can help you to concentrate on what the speaker is saying, instead of getting stuck in your own head trying to think of something original to say next. The more attentively you listen, the better clues you’ll have about where to take the conversation. Already sounds easier? This new visual guide to making small talk contains a wealth of ideas on how to up your chit-chat game. Because employers don’t just want professionals â€" they want human beings! About the author:  John Cole  writes on behalf of NeoMam Studios. A digital nomad specializing in leadership, digital media, and personal growth topics, his passions include world cinema and biscuits. A native Englishman, he is always on the move, but can most commonly be spotted in the UK, Norway, and the Balkans

How to Keep Up with Changing Resume Trends

How to Keep Up with Changing Resume Trends The old regular resume is a thing of the past. As we move forward into the future, we notice new trends in how resumes are put together and presented. This is because  competition for jobs increases and it becomes harder to make yourself stand out in a large crowd of people. This infographic by DAVITT  provides us with some insight into up and coming trends, gives  us with some expert advise and shows us how to make our  resumes stand out: The facts: The average time an employer will spend looking at a resume is 5-7 seconds. 89% of employers revealed they would watch a video resume if it were submitted to them. 52% of employers value a video resume due to the ability to assess a candidates personal presentation and demeanour. The top 5 upcoming trends: The social media resume:  93% of employers reported using social media for recruiting. Over 50% of LinkedIn user profiles are 100% complete. Video resumes rule the roost: A minute of video is the value of 1.8 million. Visualcv.com, careerbuilder.com and jobster.com are tools you can use to create a video resume. Shorter and tighter:  Bite-size written communication is becoming more mainstream. Keep your resume focused and relevant. Charts and graphs or the infographic resume: Make information easy to digest. Charts and graph make the information in your resume easier to understand. The multinational resume:  People are seeking work in other countries and in multinational firms. A multinational resume  has strong positioning, branding achievements and key word infusion. What the experts say: Be creative and keep it relevant. Show results in numbers. Use quotations. Ensure your video resume has the potential to go viral. RELATED:  5 Ways to Spruce Up Your Resume for 2015

Unemployment and Income Tax

Unemployment and Income Tax (Courtesy of the New York Times  Bucks blog) If you collected unemployment this year, the first $2,400 of any unemployment insurance collected is not subject to tax. You should receive whats known as a Form 1099-G, which will show what you were paid and any federal income tax you elected to have withheld. If you didnt withhold taxes, you may owe them now. Severance and pay for vacation time is also taxable. If youre one of the many Americans who couldnt find a job this year and you decided to strike out on your own, youll need to familiarize yourself with a new set of tax rules. While there are many more deductible expenses, there are also new taxes to take note of. Even if youre temporarily doing consulting work, you are considered self-employed. That means youre required to pay income tax, as well as self-employment taxes, including Social Security and Medicare. To learn more about how taxes will effect you this year, visit http://www.irs.gov.

Id Love Your Feedback ( Free Interview Ebook For You!)

Id Love Your Feedback ( Free Interview Ebook For You!) To celebrate my book coming out this summer, I am giving away something FREE each week until the book comes out! Make sure you check out previous giveaways: a  Free Networking Success Ebook with tips from 13 Successful Women,  a  Free Resume Makeover Webinar,  a Free Career Strategy Session with Anna Runyan  and a salary negotiation guide. Its Anna, writing you with a *time-sensitive* request, so please read on As a Career Coach, I want to continue tailoring all my products and services to meet YOUR needs. So, I’ve created a simple survey, to give you an opportunity to tell me what you think. Start survey here:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ccgsimplesurvey This should take less than 5 minutes to complete and the information will help me serve you even better. And as my way of saying “thank you” at the end of the survey I’m giving you Classy Career Girls Interview Coaching Workbook!! Thanks so much and I can’t wait to read your feedback. Anna Runyan P.S. I hope you opt to take the survey, because it helps me tailor my future products and services to your needs. Don’t be shy! To complete the survey, go here now: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ccgsimplesurvey  

Id Love Your Feedback ( Free Interview Ebook For You!)

Id Love Your Feedback ( Free Interview Ebook For You!) To celebrate my book coming out this summer, I am giving away something FREE each week until the book comes out! Make sure you check out previous giveaways: a  Free Networking Success Ebook with tips from 13 Successful Women,  a  Free Resume Makeover Webinar,  a Free Career Strategy Session with Anna Runyan  and a salary negotiation guide. Its Anna, writing you with a *time-sensitive* request, so please read on As a Career Coach, I want to continue tailoring all my products and services to meet YOUR needs. So, I’ve created a simple survey, to give you an opportunity to tell me what you think. Start survey here:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ccgsimplesurvey This should take less than 5 minutes to complete and the information will help me serve you even better. And as my way of saying “thank you” at the end of the survey I’m giving you Classy Career Girls Interview Coaching Workbook!! Thanks so much and I can’t wait to read your feedback. Anna Runyan P.S. I hope you opt to take the survey, because it helps me tailor my future products and services to your needs. Don’t be shy! To complete the survey, go here now: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ccgsimplesurvey  

A Writer and Writing Teacher Resume Sample is the Key to Success!

A Writer and Writing Teacher Resume Sample is the Key to Success!A writer and writing teacher resume sample is very important for you to know if you want to get a new job. They are simple in nature and it is the one which can provide your specific details on the jobs that you have had and what you have been doing in that job.Writer and writing teacher resume samples are available online. You need to spend some time to get the right one to ensure that you get the best and suitable one for your job. If you are busy in your work and can't find time to get online and look for the writer and writing teacher resume sample then do not worry, there are many companies who give you a sample of their sample resumes.They will send you a copy of their most recent one and a sample of an old resume of yours. This should be enough for you to get a feel of the writer and writing teacher resume sample and you can then choose the one that will suit you the best. It is important to go for the latest sam ples so that you do not end up giving out your most recent information.This is because there are a lot of people out there who will use your information with different patterns. Since they do not have the skill or knowledge for it, they will start at the latest and do whatever they can to get it. If you happen to get one from a few years back, then you are less likely to receive the same information.Once you get the job and your old resume are found, you will find that there is no gap left to enter into a new job. There will be only old information on it and a brand new one that needs to be filled. Now this writer and writing teacher resume sample is important and you should make sure that you keep it safe.You need to make sure that you use it in the same manner that it is used and you should use it the same way as it is done in the standard way. You need to make sure that you update it so that it gets you in a good position. If you cannot, then you need to be sure that you hire a c ompany who can update your information.They will get your information updated on a regular basis so that it does not come up in different times and you will get the best job. Make sure that you go for a reliable writer and writing teacher resume sample so that you get the right one. Do not waste your time and money on companies who are not trustworthy.There are so many online companies that are only out there to make money. The majority of them will only care about how much they can make from your information and will do anything to get the cheapest price. So do not let them get you.

Shared space - in traffic and at work - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Shared space - in traffic and at work - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Danish media have been kicking up a storm lately about all the anarchistic bicycle riders (primarily in Copenhagen) who ignore traffic rules. The debate has been founded on an interesting but unstated premise that traffic safety comes from always following the rules. As long as you go by the book, nothin bad can happen to you. Well, according to this NYTimes article, dutch traffic engineer Hans Monderman has a rather different approach: Throw away the book. He designed: a busy intersection in the center of town Not only was it virtually naked, stripped of all lights, signs and road markings, but there was no division between road and sidewalk. It was, basically, a bare brick square. But in spite of the apparently anarchical layout, the traffic, a steady stream of trucks, cars, buses, motorcycles, bicycles and pedestrians, moved along fluidly and easily, as if directed by an invisible conductor. When Mr. Monderman, a traffic engineer and the intersections proud designer, deliberately failed to check for oncoming traffic before crossing the street, the drivers slowed for him. No one honked or shouted rude words out of the window. The proponents of the rules as the basis of safety school of thought have a hard time explaining why this can work, but to Monderman the explanation is simple: To make communities safer and more appealing, Mr. Monderman argues, you should first remove the traditional paraphernalia of their roads the traffic lights and speed signs; the signs exhorting drivers to stop, slow down and merge; the center lines separating lanes from one another; even the speed bumps, speed-limit signs, bicycle lanes and pedestrian crossings. In his view, it is only when the road is made more dangerous, when drivers stop looking at signs and start looking at other people, that driving becomes safer. All those signs are saying to cars, This is your space, and we have organized your behavior so that as long as you behave this way, nothing can happen to you, Mr. Monderman said. That is the wrong story. So why am I discussing traffic? First of all, that this concept works is to traditional thinking counterintuitive, and I LOVE counteruntuitive. Secondly, I think the exact same thing applies to the business world also. What rules, traffic signs, regulations and other behaviour modifying artifacts could you remove from traditional business, only to find that things in fact flow even more smoothly? That suddenly workers become aware of whats going on, in stead of simply drivingworking by the book? How much simpler, easier and more fulfilling would work be in this way? I recently interviewed Peter Mikkelsen, the HR manager at Servicegruppen, a danish IT service company, who have a world class track record of creating employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction and excellent financial results. Their take on this is: Lets substitute dialogue for rules. Wed rather have people talk openly about good solututions, than simply following the rules. Excellent thinking! Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

HP and I team up to make the UK happy at work - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

HP and I team up to make the UK happy at work - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog I am proud to announce one of my most exciting projects ever: Im teaming up with HP to make small and medium sized companies in the UK happy at work. The project is officially launching today, and up till now Ive been under strict orders not to reveal anything. Finally, I can blog about it!! From the press release (pdf): As part of its ongoing ?Happy People? marketing campaign, HP will be providing free consultancy to UK businesses on how to improve ?happiness? within the office through the use of HP mobility technology. At the same time, HP has launched a nationwide competition for small to medium-sized businesses, giving them the chance to win a ?10,000 office makeover ? including HP products, ?happiness? workshops and free consultancy from an independent expert and an HP team of experts. ?We?re absolutely thrilled to be working with Alexander, one of the world?s leading experts on happiness in the workforce,? said David Wright, vice president and general manager of HP Personal Systems Group, UK Ireland. ?Over the coming months, HP will be addressing the areas where technology can help make some offices throughout the UK happier places to work. The idea is that HPs mobile products (laptops and mobile phones) allow us to work more flexibly and flexibility, ie. having more choice over when and where to work, makes us happier at work. The main elements of the campaign are: A campaign website with tips on how to make yourself and your workplace happy Appearances in UK media by yours truly A staff satisfaction survey A contest for small UK-based companies Im especially excited about the contest. UK-based companies with 100 employees or less can sign up and the grand prize is an office makeover by HP and a full-day happiness workshop with yours truly! Four other companies get the runner up prize: Full-day workshops with me. So if youre working in a small UK business and youd like a little more happiness at work, go to the campaign website and sign your workplace up. Right now! Im incredidbly happy to be a part of this project. First of all because it gels so well with my take on happiness at work; giving employees their freedom is a prerequisite for happiness at work, as I also wrote in my book. Secondly, my talks with HP have convinced me that they are genuinely committed to happiness at work. This is not just a PR exercise for them this is about creating more happiness and thus more success for HPs customers. And finally, this gives me a great opportunity to work with some UK companies for the first time. Its funny that Ive been hired by companies in America, Estonia, Croatia and India (just to mention a few of the places Ive gone recently) but none in the UK so far So all in all, a great project with the potential to create a lot of happiness at work. Full disclosure: HP are paying me to participate in media activities related to this project and to do the workshops for the winning companies. Related: Is flexibility at work good or bad? Best Buy introduces ROWE the Results Only Work Environment The worlds most flexible workplace: Semco where employees set their own work times and choose their own salary Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related