Tag: self-improvement | Page 19

3 Interview Tips for Better Listening

Thursday, September 27th, 2012|

Most of the time we feel like job interviews are about talking. “Tell me about yourself,” the hiring manager asks, and outcomes that perfect pitch we prepared and practiced. “Tell me about a challenge you overcame at your last job” gives us an opening for that amazing story of learning and success.

Now, don’t think we are going against our own interview advice to prepare and have stories to tell. But talking is really only half of an interview. The other half is sorely neglected by both hiring managers and candidates: listening.

In an article on Inc. last week, they wrote about the value of “listening slowly” for interviewers. One person interviewed had received advice to wait 5 seconds after a candidate finishes answering before saying anything. 5 seconds. Imagine it, I’ll wait.

Didn’t that seem like an endless silence?

The idea is that a candidate will jump to fill that silence and give a hiring manager more insight into their personality and temperament than they would otherwise get. They are probably right. They do warn, however, that waiting after an open-ended answer can work; waiting after a factual answer is just odd and we agree!

What about candidates?

Most commonly, a candidate will listen to a question with some of his attention and then start planning his answer, but this may not be the best technique. The interviewer is giving you information in and with her question, with her choice of words, her body language, and even with her tone. If you jump to a conclusion right away about what the real point of the question is, you might miss a nuance that you could use to your advantage or hints about corporate culture and fit that you could use to adapt your answer.

Practice Active Listening:

Give the speaker your complete attention. Watch for body language, don’t get distracted, and don’t prepare your answer. You did that at home.
Use your body language to show that you are listening attentively by nodding, reacting with a facial expression, or saying “mm-hm” or other confirmation sounds.
Wait. As hard as it is, when the question is finished is the right time to gather your thoughts if you were listening properly. And when you’re finished with your answer, let there be silence. You don’t need to jump in with more if your answer was complete and well-prepared.

If the people on both sides of the hiring process really listen to each other, an interview is more like a conversation than an interrogation and that serves everyone well.

Wendy Stackhouse, for Artisan Creative.

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What’s Your EQ?

Tuesday, September 11th, 2012|

One of the most interesting topics I studied in my Career Development program was Emotional Intelligence or EQ. It still makes me think.

What is Emotional Intelligence?

Emotional Intelligence is defined as “the ability to identify, use, understand, and manage emotions in positive ways.” The way my instructor put it was understanding and using emotions to achieve your goals at work and in life. This was a bit of a surprise to me, as I thought it was probably best to be able to put emotions aside and think analytically, at least at work.

Why is EQ important in recruiting?

On the Undercover Recruiter blog, they emphasize the intangibles that can be the most important factors in a job interview. When we are thinking about a candidate’s energy, their “vibe,” their sincerity and their manner, we are evaluating their EQ and using our own to make those same evaluations.

Why is EQ important in job search?

When you are looking for a new role, it is essential to know what your emotional as well as your salary and benefit needs are. What is important to you in a company culture, what makes you happy, these are the things that should help you decide whether to accept or reject an offer should it come your way. Your EQ is also a tool in your interview process, helping you to determine what kind of an interviewer you are faced with and what your best strategy might be.

Can you raise your EQ?

You can absolutely make a concerted effort to become more aware of your emotions and of the emotions of others. Try to listen actively and pay attention to what others are telling you with their tone and their body as well as their words. When you have strong feelings, think them through and see if you can find a way to use them to reach your goals, rather than suppressing them. Use the nonverbal information you receive in your work interactions and job interviews to help you think and plan strategically.

As a creative, I am fascinated by the process of becoming more aware and able to utilize the ideas that come from greater awareness. It’s awfully fun to be on a team of people who all understand each other, even if some information is never verbalized.

Wendy Stackhouse, for Artisan Creative

On this 11th Anniversary of September 11, 2001, our thoughts are with those who lost their lives and those they left behind.

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The Elements of Happiness

Tuesday, September 4th, 2012|

What makes us happy at work? Money? Stability? Lack of stress? Not really, it turns out, but these are elements that we might think of if we were asked.

A recent article in Forbes talked about the elements of our employment that really impact our happiness and the author was surprised. Are you?

Autonomy–Having control over what you’re doing and when you are doing it is a huge boost to happiness at work. Whether you are most comfortable having a predictable routine and knowing when you are finished for the day or whether you like to have an individual plan for each day and vary the pattern, having a choice is empowering. And that empowerment affects your productivity and your work product.
Mastery–When you start a new job, it is such a relief when you finally feel like you have your feet under you. It takes about 90 days. Before that time, there is no reason to be concerned about not quite having it all together. But after that, when you’re trained and acclimated, what makes us happy is continuing to learn, to improve our skills, to bring more innovation to our work. If your employer doesn’t offer “continuing education” opportunities, seek them out yourself. It will increase your value–and your happiness–to keep learning.
Purpose–We need to feel that we are contributing to something larger than ourselves. This is where we can all benefit from thinking like an entrepreneur. Even if you work for a large corporation, if you think of yourself as your own business, everything you do is contributing to a bigger goal. You really aren’t just a cog in a machine, you are a living, breathing, growing business. If your employer is committed to giving back, even better. Get involved in community service projects and you will have a higher level of commitment to your job as well.

Your job can be stressful, it can be uncertain, it can even pay less than an ideal salary. But if you have control over your life, can be actively learning, and see a purpose in your work, stress feels more like excitement, uncertainty like spontaneity, and even money is less important than making a difference.

Wendy Stackhouse, for Artisan Creative

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Winning

Tuesday, August 14th, 2012|

Watching the Olympics the last couple of weeks has had us all experiencing–if vicariously–the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Will you ever forget Usain Bolt’s gold medal sprint? Or Oscar Pistorius’ finish in the Semifinal of the 400 meters? You have to admit that was thrilling! The Semifinal!

We read a lot about the need to fail and what to learn from failure, but what can we learn from success?

Think about what you did right–It’s easy to obsess about mistakes and imperfections, but there is a lot of value in making sure you know what you did well and what you would do again. Reinforce the correct choices you made so you will remember to repeat them.

Don’t put it all down to luck–A little luck is a great thing, but very few real wins come just from being lucky. Most success comes from preparation and hard work. You did that preparation and you did the work necessary to create your success. Enjoy that feeling and give yourself the credit for what you accomplished.

Be positive–The day after a big win, you could start worrying about your next chance to fail. Better than worry is making a proactive choice to move forward confidently, knowing that you are able to succeed. Don’t throw away the confidence you gained from your victory!

We all need to make mistakes–and we do–but not all the time. Sometimes we win the Gold, sometimes a victory is just being there in the stadium to hear the Spice Girls, but don’t let your wins get away from you. Embrace your success and understand it.

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

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You Need a Hobby

Thursday, August 9th, 2012|

Remember when I gave you some advice about how to ask for a raise? Well, I took my own advice and it worked!

And so, because of the way my life is structured, soon I will have a little more time to spend on my hobbies. You say, why aren’t you spending all that extra time on work? Guess what—I am!

Creatives, like you and me, need to spend some time on creative activities just for themselves to replenish their energy and keep them on the cutting edge.

A hobby is a wonderful way of jumpstarting your creativity for your work, as well as offering personal rewards. But once you have carved out some time to “play,” it can be hard to decide what exactly you should do. Here is where a hobby comes in.

Whatever you do for fun outside of work is a hobby; be it collecting, visual or performing arts, craft activities, athletics, or cooking, they all require creativity for success. Some of the skills you use in your hobby can enhance your skills in your work, too, like small motor control or doing research.

The other important element a hobby brings to work, though, is the energy we gain from taking a break and doing something that we are passionate about. We’ve talked on the Artisan Blog before about how to be at your most productive all day and taking breaks is essential to that productivity. What we do with those breaks, though, determines how valuable they are. If I take a break from writing a blog to read on my computer, well, that’s not much of a break, is it? Doesn’t rev me back up to finish the post. But twenty minutes of one of my hobbies will help me think of the conclusion, wake me up if I’m in a slump, and get my afternoon’s work done more efficiently every time.

A Twitter Follower was having trouble getting down to work the other day and asked the Twitterverse, “What can I do to be more productive today?” My answer: “Counterintuitive, but take a break with a definite end.” If I had more characters, I would have added “and do something you love for a little while.”

What is your hobby? We would love to hear about and how your avocation it helps you do better in your vocation! And if you don’t have one, go get one! Hey, I’ll teach anyone to knit!

Wendy Stackhouse, for Artisan Creative

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What We Learned from Our Olympians

Tuesday, August 7th, 2012|

There are still 6 days left of Olympic events and plenty more to watch. Right now we are watching the US Women’s Volleyball Team in their Quarterfinal match against the Dominican Republic and it is very exciting!

However, our very favorite sport, Fencing, has finished all of its events and so the Artisan Blog is going to soon go back to our regular topics: entrepreneurship, freelancing, job search, and how to find the perfect talent. We learned a lot about fencing–and about determination–watching the events and we would like to share that with you.

Our Fencing team did not do as well as they wanted, certainly, but they did accomplish a lot, especially against teams which have had successful training programs for decades longer than the US team.

But there were some incredible moments!

The Women’s Epee Team won the Bronze Medal! Go, ladies!

In Men’s Individual Epee, Seth Kelsey defeated the #1 seed in his Round of 16 and finished 4th overall, congratulations on a heroic effort, Seth!

We are very proud and happy to have sponsored US Epee Fencer Soren Thompson in this Olympic Games and salute his achievement, his commitment and the inspiration he brings to all of us to work hard, be prepared, and do our very best!

I came across this video asking the US Olympic Fencing Team for the best advice they ever gave or got and their answers apply to anything challenging that any of us might attempt. Please take a few minutes to learn from these amazing athletes!

Set a high bar and believe in yourself
Take it one touch at a time
Keep your head down and keep working hard
Strive for success and have fun
Learn to take a loss and find a way to make it into a positive
Trust yourself and take responsibility for what you need to do
Work on the process
Enjoy it or you won’t be as creative
When you are at a low point, there is always a high point coming

These pieces of advice are good for any endeavor, whether starting a business, learning a skill or fulfilling your role with a company.

Congratulations to all Olympic Athletes from around the world! See you in Rio!

And we just won volleyball!! Congratulations, Team USA!

Wendy Stackhouse, for Artisan Creative

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Reflections: Meditation and Time Management

Thursday, July 19th, 2012|

If you’re at all like me, you’ve got a lot going on every day, all day long. You’re switching tasks, maybe even switching clients and projects from hour to hour if you’re lucky, or even more often. Those kinds of days can be very productive, especially if you make a schedule and stick to it, but a recent study found that there was another way to make your busy days go more smoothly: meditation.

Professor David Levy at the Information School at the University of Washington, who has many years of experience using meditation in his own life, wanted to find out whether meditation had any value to the workplace. Three groups of subjects were used: one group was trained in meditation techniques for eight weeks; another group was given eight weeks of body relaxation training; the control group was not trained at the beginning of the eight weeks, but received the same training as the other groups at the end of the time.

Each group was given a difficult multitasking test before and after the experimental period.

The group trained in meditation not only were able to focus longer without being distracted, they reported lower stress levels as well. The other two groups reported no reduction in stress until that third group received their meditation training. Then their stress levels were reduced.

Today’s economy has made a stressful, multitasking day a common experience for ever more workers, and companies are beginning to realize that their talent will work more efficiently, be less likely to burn out, and be more creative if they are feeling less stressed and some are even offering training in mindful meditation already.

Let’s do an experiment.

Stop. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.

Feel better?

Wendy Stackhouse for Artisan Creative

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Artisan Desk Pilates: Move #2

Thursday, June 28th, 2012|

Need a little creative inspriation today – but no time to get away from your desk for a break? Try our next Pilates Move from Artisan Talent Manager and certified Pilates instructor Maggie Grant. These exercises – all of which you can do right at your desk – will help strengthen your core and improve your circulation.

Did you miss Move #1? Give it a try and see if you can’t incorporate both of these moves into your daily routine.

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Sleep and Creativity

Tuesday, June 5th, 2012|

I’m sure you’ve heard that not getting enough sleep is dangerous to your health, your relationships, your weight, everything.

I mean, if I could get more sleep, I would – but the demands of life only allow us so many hours.

Fortunately, there is one good thing about being tired: We are at our most creative when we are sleepy!

A study done recently on 428 college students tested their creative thinking abilities at night and in the morning and made a very interesting discovery: night owls are most creative in the morning and morning people are most creative at night.

The researchers ended up recommending that the students schedule art and creative writing classes during their non-optimal waking hours.

Why do I like this study? Well, I often find myself having to tackle a project at what I would certainly call a “non-optimal” time. As a freelancer, I get a lot of flexibility about when I do things, but equally the time slots available to accomplish my projects are at the mercy of family obligations and other activities that have to be worked around.

But my favorite thing about the findings in this study is that I don thave to feel like I’m not doing my best work, even if I’m sleepy. I might not feel great when I’m doing it, but the project will not suffer from my tiredness, it might even benefit.

So at times when I’m working and would rather be taking a nap, I’m going to try to remember that I’m at my most creative before I have that extra cup of coffee.

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

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Your First Year in a New Job

Tuesday, May 29th, 2012|

You’ve landed your dream job, congratulations!

The first year of a new job is not unlike the first year of a marriage, except in the obvious ways, of course. You know you love the job, the company is a good fit, and your skills fit the job responsibilities. You are compatible. But you’ve never spent every day together or figured out your routine together.

The First 90 Days

You started three weeks ago and you still don’t really know what you’re doing exactly. You still have trainings and meetings a lot, your workspace is still being set up and you’re slowly getting to know you, co-workers. You’re working at the easy stuff or the stuff you already knew how to do before you started. You’re still a newbie.

It’s okay. Take your time.

The first 90 days are an opportunity for you to build a solid foundation for your time at the company, learn everything you need to learn, and get comfortable. It’s okay if after 30 days you wonder if it will ever happen and if at 60 days you’re still a little unsure. Really.

The Second 90 Days

You’re comfortable now and know what you’re doing to fulfill your responsibilities. The second 90 days at your new job are a time to evaluate your actual job, compared to what you thought it would be. What do you like doing best and what would you love if someone else took over? It’s too early to change anything, but start developing a plan to make your dream job even dreamier.

The Third 90 Days

This is the time when you put your plan into action. Approach your manager about your willingness to take on more of what you love. Be proactive about trying to tweak your job into exactly what you want, what will keep you there, what will keep you fulfilled. Your managers know what you’re capable of and, if you’ve been successful, they will want you to stay.

If it works, great!

If not…

The Fourth 90 Days

Not every job is going to be perfect, and you can’t expect them all to be. However, at this point, you have a pretty good idea of how “not-perfect” the role is and will be in the coming year(s). This is when you can think about the long term. There are lots of reasons to stay in a job, especially in today’s economy. And if the pros for staying far outweigh the cons – you’re in for a great finish to your first year.

But there could very well be another company out there that is a better fit for you and your experience. Get your resume out and add your current job, with your accomplishments so far. Think about your motivations for leaving and focus on positions that will improve upon them so you have a better experience next time around.

You never know what’s going to happen or what a place is really like until you’ve lived there for a while. Let the relationship develop, settle down, become comfortable. Don’t worry about the time it takes…just make sure it is the right place before you put down roots.

Wendy Stackhouse, for Artisan Creative

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