Checking email constantly is making bosses bad at being the boss

Checking schmelzglas constantly is making bosses bad at being the bossChecking email constantly is making bosses bad at being the bossNo ones saying you have to check your email right now, even if you are the boss.Engaging with the constant minutiae of email isnt only slowing managers down its preventing them from doing their more important work as a leader and the major parts of their job. Instead, many find themselves babysitting their inboxes.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreResearchers from the University of Michigan showed that the high volume of email that managers receive places a heavy load on their mission and prevent them from achieving higher goals. Their findings were published in the Journal of Applied Psychology.Leave it aloneAccording to the research, employees spend 90 minutes each day about seven and a half hours per week recovering from interruptions from ema il. Its the same with managers, only the stakes are higher.Like most tools, email is useful but it can become disruptive and even damaging if used excessively or inappropriately, study leader professor Russell Johnson said, in a release. When managers are the ones trying to recover from email interruption, they fail to meet their goals, they neglect manager-responsibilities and their subordinates dont have the leadership behavior they need to thrive.For the study, the researchers surveyed 48 managers twice a day for two weeks. Managers reported the frequency of their emails and what they demanded, how often they engaged in leader behavior, and their perceived progress on their main job duties.We found that on days when managers reported high email demands, they report lower perceived work progress as a result, and in turn engage in fewer effective leader behaviors, said Johnson.This, in turn, affects their employees performance, productivity, and work satisfaction.The moral of the s tory is that managers need to set aside specific times to check email, Johnson said. This puts the manager in control rather than reacting whenever a new message appears, which wrests control away It takes time and effort for employees to transition between email and work tasks, so minimizing the number of times they have to make that transition is to their benefit.Luckily, there are a slew of productivity techniques that work just as well for managers as they do for employees. We hear the Pomodoro Technique is good.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from nestkken Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

How to Use Your Alumni Network in a Job Search

How to Use Your Alumni Network in a Job SearchHow to Use Your Alumni Network in a Job SearchAsk a career expert about the most effective job search strategy and you will universally hear the response networking. Perhaps the most valuable networking resource for college grads is the alumni body from their school. Here are some of the best ways to connect with alumni and take advantage of this powerful resource. What Is a College Alumni Network? A college alumni network offers a way for college graduates to stay connected. Alumni networks serve as an association of former students from a university, fraternity/sorority, club, or region. Often maintained by the colleges career services or alumni affairs office, the alumni network contains information on each graduates career, residence, and contact information. Alumni can access the network to ask for career information or job search advice from other alumni. College alumni networks are an excellent way to make contacts in ones fiel d or to get help starting on a new career path. A colleges career services or alumni affairs office may also hold events for members of the network so graduates can network in person. They organize socials, send out newsletters, conduct fundraising, and create a window of opportunity for networking and geschftsleben relationships. Conversely, college alumni networks are also available as a mentoring directory for current students. Many schools allow undergraduates or those looking for advice from a professional can contact alumni through a portal in order to gain insight into deutsche post dhlgraduate life or career advice. How to Tap College Alumni Connections Contact the career services and/or alumni affairs office for your college and inquire about any database of alumni volunteers. Mention that you are looking to contact them for information and advice about your career or job search. Normally, you can search for contacts by geographic area and career field. More Ways to Engage With Alumni Attend College Events Another great way to connect with alumni is through events sponsored by the career office, alumni office, or regional alumni clubs for your college. Some events will have an obvious career related theme like speed networking or career panels. Other programs like gallery or museum visits, lectures, or social gatherings will also provide a comfortable opportunity to meet alumni while pursuing a common interest. Events will be offered on campus as well as in various cities with significant alumni populations. Check the websites for the career office, alumni office, and local alumni clubs for ideas. Get Questions Ready Prepare questions so you are ready to engage alumni at events. Devise a brief introduction which will give alumni a summary of some of your key assets, interests,and aspirations. Bring a resume to career-focused events and a business card with reference to your LinkedIn address or a website with your background information for oth er types of events.Schedule Informational Meetings Try to schedule some informational consultations with alumni at their job site as a follow-up to your interactions at events. You can either do this at the program or afterward via email if you have secured business cards. Your email would contain language like I really enjoyed meeting you at the gallery reception. Your work in marketing sounded quite exciting. Might it be possible for us to meet for an informational consultation so I can gain a more complete understanding of what it takes to build a career in the field? Use LinkedIn Make sure that you join any LinkedIn groups for your college. Compose messages emphasizing that you are fellow alum with a keen interest in their field. Make sure your profile is fully developed and then reach out to alumni in target fields and try to schedule some informational meetings or phone consultations.Use Social Media Social media provides excellent opportunities to connect with alumni. You pro bably have some Facebook friends from your college who are working in a field of interest or who know someone who might be of value to you. Review your roster of friends and message anyone who might be a good prospect or post a status update like Im exploring career options in technology consulting and would love to speak with you if you have any insight into the field. I would also welcome introductions to any of your contacts working in the field for an informational consultation. If you follow some of these suggestions, you will find that alumni networking can be a vital component of your overall job search campaign. Hopefully, when you are in a position to help, you will return the favor and assist other members of your college community.

8 Tips To Create the Perfect LinkedIn Profile

8 Tips To Create the Perfect LinkedIn Profile8 Tips To Create the Perfect LinkedIn ProfileYour professional history is the basis of your LinkedIn profile. You can create an overview of your past experience, job duties, projects, and volunteer work. Your colleagues can write you recommendations and vouch for your skill platzdeckchen. You can list skills that would be an asset to a potential employer. LinkedIn has a robust Jobs section but benefits job seekers in other ways. Its a virtual one-stop shop for professionals looking to advance their careers.With that in mind, LinkedIn is also a pretty competitive place. Your professional profile needs to stand out in the right ways to attract the attention of recruiters.In this article, well share a list of things you can do to create the perfect LinkedIn profile.1. Professional photoIts a big no-no in the US geschftliches miteinander world to include your photo on your resume, but the opposite is true on LinkedIn. Your photo should reflect your professional presence and not necessarily the one you would present to friends and family on Facebook or Twitter.Consider having a photographer help you with headshots. Dress appropriately and steer clear of busy backgrounds. Avoid using any photos with other people in them. Avoid shots of yourself doing anything you wouldnt do at the office- say, holding a red Solo cup while wearing a lampshade on your head.2. Join LinkedIn groupsLinkedIn Groups are a great way to meet professionals in your field. They are also a way for you to demonstrate that you have a passion for your industry. You can choose which of your group memberships are visible on your LinkedIn profile.Participating in groups can lead you to opportunities later in your career. Post insightful comments in group discussions and you just might catch a hiring managers eye. You never know where your next big lead will come from or whether youll meet someone influential. Networking in your industry, even online, is a gr eat way to set yourself up for success.3. Write a great LinkedIn profile summaryYour LinkedIn summary is your opportunity to quickly introduce yourself to someone your elevator pitch. Lead off your LinkedIn profile by giving some insight into who you are as a person. Consider writing your summary in the first person and giving it some personality. A summary on LinkedIn can be somewhat less formal than a typical resume summary. Good LinkedIn profile summaries range between 250-300 words and take advantage of the generous 2000 character limit.Keep in mind that LinkedIn is essentially a giant search engine, and your summary can play a big role in where you fall in the results. Its crucial to find out which keywords best reflect your industry, area of expertise, and passions and include them in your summary.With JobscanLinkedIn Optimization, you can scan your profile to find out exactly what keywords you should include for the jobs you want. Receive your profile score and actionable tip s to boost your profiles searchability, professionalism, and over impact.4. ExperienceYour work experience makes up the largest part of your profile. While it might seem like a duplicate of the work experience section of your resume, you can optimize it for LinkedIn.For example, keywords are important. Do some research on your industry and learn which keywords recruiters and hiring managers are targeting.Listing the specific software and hardware that you use in your work can be helpful. Relevant keywords can also include techniques, credentials, industry-specific terms, and more. Having the right keywords in your LinkedIn profile can bolster your credibility and boost your visibility.5. Skills and endorsementsYour skill set is a list of assets you bring to the table as an employee, and your contacts on LinkedIn have the opportunity to endorse these skills.These skills include things such as video editing, digital media, and technical writing. If youre a developer, for example, it i ncludes specific languages that you are experienced with.Endorsing other peoples skills can encourage them to endorse your skills in return. Typically, youll find that specific skills you are best known for rise to the top of the list as endorsements come in.One thing to keep in mind here Blindly endorsing someone you dont know well can backfire. Remember, endorsements are not anonymous and you are putting your name behind someones ability to do something, helping to shape their professional profile.6. RecommendationsRecommendations are a big part of LinkedIn. People you have worked with can write a short recommendation based on their experience with you.A lot of hiring managers will look specifically at this part of your LinkedIn profile as it offers them insight into how well you work with others and what type of impression you left at previous jobs.Getting recommendations can be tricky, especially if you dont want to just come out and ask for them. Instead, consider first recomme nding people youve worked with. Its a subtle way of inspiring people to write recommendations for you, without actually asking.Plus, after youve written a recommendation, you get the warm and fuzzy feeling that comes with doing something nice for someone.7. PostsPosts are a great way to gain attention on LinkedIn and establish yourself as an expert in your field. Why is it worth doing? Because it elevates your position as a professional by showing that you care enough to share insight, initiate conversation, and raise the collective understanding of your industry.The quality of your posts is important, and so is the fact that your LinkedIn posts have a greater chance of being seen by a recruiter than your posts on other social networks.8. Edit your public profile URLThe default URL that comes with your LinkedIn account is difficult to share with people. Who will remember a string of random numbers? Instead, customize your URL from LinkedIns Public Profile Settings page. Create a cus tom URL that includes your name separated by dashes, such aslinkedin.com/in/john-doe linkedin.com/in/john-doe-chicagolinkedin.com/in/john-doe-project-managerA customized URL is easier to remember and tell to people, and it looks good on a business card or resume. There are also SEO (search engine optimization) benefits. The perfect LinkedIn profile, after all, is one thats inherently easy to find.Originally published onDec 1, 2015. Content updated for 2017.