Daily Fuel Dont quit! Why first drafts are critical to success

Daily Fuel Dont quit Why first drafts are critical to successEvery creative person eventually finds themselves in a form of artistic purgatory. Youve started a project maybe a novel, maybe a business plan for a startup but youre so critical of yourself that you feel the urge to quit. Author and musician Josh Malerman has certainly been there, but he explains why quitting is the worst thing to do. On the contrary, rough drafts are the key to creating great work. Self-doubt is natural, but dont deprive the world the joy of seeing your completed idea. googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) Source Daily Fuel

Cultural Fit The Real Reason You Didnt Get the Job - Jobscan Blog

Cultural Fit The Real Reason You Didnt Get the Job - Jobscan BlogPosted on July 27, 2016November 12, 2018 by James Hu Culture clash between you and a company that could potentially hire you is a real concern.What is company cultural fit? At its most basic, cultural fit is the way a workplace functions and how employees behave. For example, a company culture can be laidback, strict, easygoing, or collaborative.When receiving a job rejection, you might wrack your brain as to why you werent selected. Perhaps you didnt have the ideal qualifications. Maybe you didnt have the right education. Or maybe you and the company werent a great cultural fit. The hiring manager might notlage have felt your personality and the company culture worked well together. But its also possible that you just didnt demonstrate how compatible you and the company could have been. Here well give you advice about how to pinpoint a companys culture, and use that information to your advantage through the hiring proc ess.First, research your dream companys culture.To learn about a companys values, find them on social media and set up news alerts. After that, follow company employees on social media and strike up virtual conversations with them. If you make a strong connection with someone online, set up an informational interview with them to learn more about the company. Youll be able to ask questions about culture more freely to a potential peer, rather than a boss.Brief your references on your ideal companys culture so they can speak to how you fit into that culture.Your references are your advocates. Brief them on the company culture where youre applying so they can speak to how youd be a good fit. If the company is looking for a self-motivated worker, you can tell your references to mention how task-oriented you were in completing a big project. If the company is looking for someone who is friendly, you can tell your reference to talk about the birthday parties you threw for fellow staff. O nce youve figured out the companys values, tailor specific interview answers to speak about those qualities.You know those off-the-wall questions you sometimes get in interviews? Those are designed for you to indirectly address your fit with company culture, so be prepared. A lot of hiring managers ask strange questions so youll speak about your creativity and innovative thinking. Others ask questions to ascertain your passion for working for their particular company. Questions about teamwork are looking for you to answer about how well you collaborative and/or how well you work alone. You should know what the company wants in all of these areas before you head into the interview. This way you can tailor your answers to demonstrate youll fit right into their company culture.Tailor your resume to include language that describes your personal branding.Skills and abilities arent always enough to demonstrate to a company youd be a good fit. Once youve figured out a companys culture, hig hlight qualities that are relevant to them in your resume. Use accomplishment statements to talk about team-building activities you spearheaded in your last company. Mention that youve worked as a mentor for children for years. If you tailor your resume to the exact language on the job description using Jobscans resume optimizer, youre that much more likely to be picked for an interview, not only because youve proven youd fit in well, but also because a tailored resume is more likely to make it through Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and into hiring managers hands.Facebook Commentswpdevar_comment_1 span,wpdevar_comment_1 iframewidth100% important

Wine + Networking with Women Sales Leaders in San Francisco

Wine + Networking with Women Sales Leaders in San Francisco PowerToFly capped off a busy July by gathering together women sales leaders in San Francisco for an evening of networking, presentations and wine.Held at Monroe (one of our favorite spots) and hosted by PowerToFlys Amanda Bender, the event featured presentations by two impressive companies (that are both hiring) Morning Consult, who are revolutionizing ways to collect, organize, and share survey, and Knotel, who are transforming the way we work through their Agile HQ Platform.This special evening was bookend with plenty of opportunities for our guests to network with leaders from Morning Consult and Knotel, as well as each other, over light bites and delicious wine. Visit our events page on PowerToFly to keep updated on all future live events. Morning Consult is revolutionizing ways to collect, organize, and share survey research data to transform how global leaders in business and government make decisions. They provide re search, news, and brand-tracking technology for over 200 of the worlds biggest companies and industry associations. Additionally, Morning Consult conducts regular surveys for major media organizations including POLITICO, The Hollywood Reporter, Bloomberg, and The New York Times.Knotel is transforming the way we work with its Agile HQ Platform. Featuring 200 locations in New York, San Francisco, London and beyond, Knotel is making long-term leases a thing of the past by designing, building and operating custom spaces for enterprises, so that business leaders can focus on building the future. Founded in 2016, Knotel has raised $160 million in funding, and was named a Business Insider Top 50 Startup and New Yorks Hottest New Workspace Model. Knotels member network includes companies like Starbucks, HotelTonight, and Omnicom. PowerToFlys Jamie Lipiner and Amanda Bender head to the event. Welcome to Monroe A great room of women sales leaders. Related Articles Around the Web Morning Consult Knotel, Inc. One of the biggest challenges in almost all industries today is achieving gender parity. Gender diversity provides huge benefits in the workplace. pWhile some industries have made significant advancements in gender diversity, some industries lag further behind... and the construction industry is well-known for being in the latter category. If someone says, construction workers, youll likely picture a group of men in yellow hard hats analyzing an architects plans or laying bricks on top of a scaffold. And men at work signs only help to reinforce this image.pThis stereotype is rooted in reality. When was the last time you actually spotted a woman on a construction site? Or hired a female plumber or carpenter? Your answer i s most likely never. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statisticsreports that only 3.4% of the total of 8.3 million construction employees are women.pBut the construction industry has a lot more to offer than steel-toed boots and hard hats, and it needs women to help advance the industry in this era of rapid change. Here are 5 reasons why women joining the workforce or looking to make a pivot should consider a career in construction.h21. Fuel Innovation/h2pNot only is diversity the socially and morally right thing to do, but it is also actually an excellent business strategy. pResearch presented in the Harvard Business Reviewshows that diverse teams develop more innovative ideas. This is further supported by a study conducted by Gallupon the wertmiger zuwachs of gender-diverse teams versus single-gender teams, which found that the difference in backgrounds and perspectives led to better business performance and problem-solving. h22. Capitalize on Demand/h2pThe construction industry is cu rrently experiencing a labor shortage. The industry itself is booming and projected to be one of the fastest-growing industries, with total spending projected to exceed $1.45 trillion in 2023/a. However, most construction companies are unable to meet the rising demand. pAccording to the Associated General Contractors of America/a, more than 80% of contractors are experiencing difficulties filling hourly craft positions that represent the bulk of the construction workforce.pAnd demand isnt limited to individual contributor roles. Given the industry boom, there are a number of open stable and high-paying roles (any project managers out there?) waiting for the right candidateh23. Leadership Opportunities/h2pAccording to the Bureau of Labor Statistics/a, women compose only 7.7% of the total 1 million managerial positions in construction.br/pBut given the highly collaborative nature of construction work, more women in leadership roles would help drive innovation and enhance productivity. Furthermore, as a woman in construction in a leadership position, youd have the unique opportunity to drive change for the industry and make it a more attractive option for other women.h24. High-Income Potential/h2pSalaries for many skilled positions in construction are on the rise, making a construction career a prime choice for women looking for a high-paying job,pThe 2018 Construction Craft Salary Surveyconducted by the National Center for Construction Education and Research revealed that salaries for many skilled craft areas are increasing. Project managers and project supervisors topped the list at $92,523 and $88,355, respectively. The next set of highest-paying jobs include those of combo welders ($71,067), instrumentation technicians ($70,080), pipe welders ($69,222), power line workers ($68,262) and industrial electricians ($67,269). Of the 32 categories of workers in the survey, 19 positions earned an average salary of $60,000 or higher.h25. Sense of accomplishment/h2p The construction industry can give employees a unique sense of achievement. Yes, the job is stressful and the work can be demanding, but nothing beats the feeling of being able to build something from the ground up. pHow many professionals in other industries can point at a school, a hospital, or a skyscraper and say I helped build that?pThe construction industry has a long way to go in combating gender bias and supporting women in the workforce, but given the current demand for workers, theres no better time to pick up a sledgehammer (figurative or literal) and smash the gender stereotypes plaguing the construction industry.

Things Not to Do While Cold Calling

Things Not to Do While Cold CallingThings Not to Do While Cold CallingWhile many prospecting methods exist nowadays including email, social media, and even snail mail cold calling via the telephone is still the primary method used by most salespeople. Thats because cold calling just works best. The other prospecting methods can be extremely effective, but they tend to take much longer to move someone from a lead to a customer. For the salesperson in a hurry, cold calling is the way to go. Yet some salespeople report a complete lack of successful cold calling. Whats going on here? Those salespeople are probably making one or mora of the below common cold calling mistakes. Not Enough Phone Time Some salespeople feel like theyre spending all their time prospecting, without results. But what those salespeople are actually doing is spending all their time PREPARING to cold call, without actually doing a lot of cold calling. They are collecting lead lists, researching leads, going ov er CRM data, talking to existing customers to get feedback, looking up leads on social media, and so on. Pre-call research definitely has its place, but if youre spending more time researching than you are spending actually on the phone with prospects, its time to cut back on the preparatory activities and invest that time on the phone. Failing to Qualify The only way to determine which leads are actual prospects is to qualify them. You can, of course, wait to qualify until you are actually in the sales appointment. However, if you dont do at least a little qualifying over the phone, you will end up wasting an astounding amount of time meeting with people who are not actual prospects. Given that time is a salespersons most precious resource, youre better off taking 30 seconds to ask a couple of basic questions during the cold call. Selling During the Call The point of a cold call is not to make a sale. The point is to get your prospect to agree to a meeting, at which you wil l have his full attention and can start actually selling to him. During the initial call, its very unlikely that your prospect will become interested enough to buy. If you try selling during the cold call, all you will do is give your prospects an excuse to say Im not interested and hang up. Neglecting WIIFM Your prospects dont care that you need to make a sale. Theyre thinking about their own problems, not yours. So if you fail to show WIIFM during the cold call, you may lose the prospect right then and there. Remember, the entire purpose of the cold call is to get the prospect interested. And the prospect is not going to be interested in your products features. A Weak Opener When you make a cold call, you have just a few seconds to catch the prospects interest. Because as soon as the prospect realizes that this is a cold call, he stops listening. You need to pique his interest in the first few seconds so that when he does realize youre a salesperson, hell still be intrigued enough to want to hear more. So before you even touch the phone, craft yourself a strong opening phrase. Not Closing the Call Most salespeople know that its important to close in order to commit a prospect to buying. But you may not realize that you also have to close the prospect on making an appointment. Even if your cold calling technique is effective and the prospect is interested, he probably wont volunteer to meet with you and hear more. After youve delivered your opener, answered a few questions, dropped a few interesting facts, and done a bit of qualifying, its time to ask for the appointment just as you would ask for the sale.

These are the cities with the most (and least) drinkersl

These are the cities with the most (and least) drinkerslThese are the cities with the most (and least) drinkerslThirty percent of the US population abstains from drinking. Although some experts expect this percentage to rise amongst young peoplein the coming years, (thanks in large part to social media oddly enough)global alcohol consumption is actually at an all-time high. It has increased by 70% in the last 30 years according to a study published this year in the Lancet.America does its fair share in surging these numbers, given 56% of its own population are habitual drinkers, and an additional 26.9% are confessed binge drinkers. A study conducted on more than34,000 adults released just last year found roughly 40% of Americans consume excessive amounts of alcohol, which is 10% more than the one in three heavy drinkers reported in Prevalence of Alcohol Dependence Among US Adult Drinkers, 20092011,which was from 2014.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard co vering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreAmericans love booze, that much is well-documented but which citiesin the US house the greatest numbers of the minority that chose to steer completely clear of the stuff? In order to find out, Alcohol.org pulled data on the percentage of non-drinkers in the 100 largest cities in America from city-data.com.Where are the non-drinkers?As a resident that witness at least 30 subway barf sessions a weekend, I was surprised to learn New York City has the highest number of non-drinkers in the country by a lot. There are 804, 420 non-partakers currently occupying the big apple, though its important to remember, New York City is a big place, with a massive population, so massive in fact, that even though they house the highest number of non-drinkers, they dont actually house the highest percentage of non-drinkers. A City Life Index Survey conducted last year found that 91% of New Yorkers enjoy hitting the sauce.The distin ction between the lowest percentage of non-drinkers goes to Honolulu, Hawaii. Twenty-one percent of HIs population opt notto imbibe alcoholic beverages, which makes it the number one percentage wise by a pretty wide margin. Fermont California comes in at number two, with 15.50% non-drinkers, Hialeah, Florida with 14.60%, San Francisco, California, with 14.10% and Detroit Michigan rounding out the top five non-drinkers with 13.40%.Half of the top 10 cities with the largest percentage of non-drinkers are in California. The authors of the new report also note how it is that a large portion of non-drinkers additionally lives near beaches and large bodies of water.Gilbert, Arizona has the lowest percentage of non-drinkers of all the US states observed in the study, with only 9% of its population reported. Two-thirds of the heaviest drinkers featured in the survey were located in the Southwest.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know yo ur social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin 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

Three Important New Years Resolutions for Your Federal Job Search!

Three Important New Years Resolutions for Your Federal Job SearchThree Important New Years Resolutions for Your Federal Job SearchThree Important New Years Resolutions for Your Federal Job SearchDo you know the top three new years resolutions for Americans in 2012?1 Lose Weight2 Reduce Stress3 Financial ManagementThe same three resolutions are also critical for success in your federal job search. Let me show you how1 Lose WeightMake Your Resume Lean AND MeanEvery day, we see federal resumes that are 10 pages or more in length and STILL do not clearly hit the important information critical to a successful resume. Trim your resume down by cutting out the irrelevant information. Then make your resume mean flex your best muscles by focusing your resume on what the hiring officials are actually seeking in a potential applicant your accomplishments and specialized experience. Your resume should be 5 to 7 pages in (printed) length and targeted for EACH vacancy announcement for which you are applying.2 Reduce StressKnowledge is power.Doing something over and over with little result is stressful, especially when it comes to job hunting and if you are not currently employed. Repeated application failure and financial pressure can easily wear down even the strongest person. Is all that stress really necessary? To reduce your job search stress, take the guesswork out and take real control of your federal job search. Make sure you have the right resume, the right strategy, and that you are applying for the right jobs. With todays stiff competition for the federal jobs, anything less will likely not be successful.3 Financial ManagementTime is money.Do you really to want to spend this upcoming year applying unsuccessfully for federal jobs? Doesnt that mean a potential huge loss of income, benefits, and retirement savings? Many people view the price of getting professional help with their resume as expensive, but we also think that NOT getting professional help with your resum e has some serious financial costs.Get Help With Your New Years ResolutionsTo get your 2012 federal career search off to the right start, weve added some important bonuses to our specially-priced resume packages. You will not only get a polished professional federal resume and cover letter, you will also be armed with critical information you need to navigate the process of getting your federal resume and cover letter submitted and noticed.This month, reservierung one of our popular packages, and you will receiveFREE BONUS 1 One of Our Hot Books We publish award-winning and best-selling titles on federal job search tailored to different federal jobseekers.When you are contacted by our office regarding your project, just let us know which one of these titles you would like us to ship to you Ten Steps to a Federal Job, 3rd Edition For applicants from private industry Federal Resume Guidebook, 5th Edition For current federal government employees looking to land their next position Mi litary to Federal Career Guide, 2nd Edition For military / veteran applicants The Students Federal Career Guide, 2nd Edition Ground-breaking guide for students and graduates The New SES ApplicationFor potential SES applicants. Get this book if you are thinking about applying for SES In the next five years. FREE BONUS 2 USAJOBS 3.0 Webinar Get the latest information about USAJOBS 3.0 from Kathryn Troutman, the federal resume guru, in the convenience of your own home or office When you are contacted by our office regarding your project, let us know which session you would like to attend, and we will send you a link to register for the session. Upcoming session January 26, 2012 (12 noon 1pm EST)Webinars are offered at least once a month, and additional dates will be posted soon.

Mental models and making decisions you dont regret

Mental models and making decisions you dont regretMental models and making decisions you dont regretWhat makes a good decision? When I ask people that question, I often get answers likeWhen the outcome is successful.Why is it that we, as a society, romanticize outcomes? Only things and people that succeed are celebrated. Just look at all the articles and books that idolize successful people. And to a degree, thats obvious.But its also misleading. We tend to overlook cases that didnotcome with a successful outcome. And when wedolook at failure, we are often quick to explain why things failed.In hindsight,we can all look at mistakes and say that it was imminent. But if preventing mistakes is that easy, why are we still make decisions that we regret?Take the case of the Titanic. Looking back, we all know that the luxury liner that traveled from Southampton to New York made many costly mistakes.For example, it is well known that the Titanic didnt carry enough lifeboats.What happens when all the lifeboats are used in case of an emergency? is something that someone surely said, right? We just dont know We werentthere.How about another interesting fact? The Titanic was tested for6 hoursand never with a full crew. After that, they loaded up the passengers and set sail towards New York.Shouldnt we try this thing out mora before we bring passengers on board? someone surely said. I guess not.But heres the thing. No onewantedthe Titanic disaster to happen. And no one predicted it Untilafterthe fact.A few decades before all those innocent people died, Fyodor Dostoevsky famously saidEverything seems stupid when it fails.Bad decisions and good decisionsIts easy to look at success and attribute it to good decision making. But heres the thing- that statement is also true the other way around.Failure is not always explained by bad decision making. However, thats what most historians do. But like Dostoevsky said,in hindsight failure is always obvious.The people who were responsi ble for the Titanic probably thought they were making the right decisions at the time. After the fact, they probably regretted many things.But I dont think good or bad decisions have anything to do with the outcome. Peter Bevelin, the author ofSeeking Wisdom, puts it wellGood decisions can lead to bad outcomes and vice versa.The truth is You cant predict the future. Sometimes even bad decisions can lead to good outcomes.So thats why I think its pointless when people pretend they can teach you how to make good decisions. Theres no such thing. Any person whos failed a lot in life will tell you that.Mental models Focus on the process, not the outcomeThe way you look at how something works in the real world is called amental model. Its your thinking framework aboutsomething.But when we make decisions, we often dont think about our framework and immediately jump to a discussion about potential outcomes.We ask, What will happen if we make this decision?Thats an incomprehensive method beca use youre not questioning your decision-making process. Youre only looking at the outcome.But have you considered what specific thinking frameworks (mental models) you can use for your decision?Too often, we skip the process and jump right to deciding. Maybe thats due to a lack of time, resources, or knowledge - it doesnt matter.Whatever your reason is, its never an excuse to skip the decision-making process altogether. Because thats the only way to become a bad decision maker - regardless of the outcome.So instead of focusing on how successful your choices are, focus on how comprehensive your decision-making process is.Look, you dont have to know everything about mental models - I certainly dont. Most pseudo-intellectuals spend more timetalkingabout what a mental model is instead of using them to achieve anything meaningful in life. They just like todefinemental models.But as you and I both know, knowledge without application is useless.Thats why I recommend reading only the fol lowing 3 books that focus on this topicSeeking Wisdom by Peter Bevelin - Discusses the mental models of Charlie Munger and Warren Buffett.Fooled By Randomness by Nassim Taleb - One of my favorite mental models. Helps with understanding how random events influence outcomes.Nudge by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein - Explains how our decisions are influenced by different factors.We can never predict the future, nor can we know all mental models that exist. But wecanmake decisions we dont regret.By simply focusing on the thinking process, we can always say we did the right thing. And thats the only sure way to avoid regret- no matter what the outcome is.Whats the right thing?Its clear we should never regret making mistakes. Every mistake is a lesson after all. However, theres another type of regret that literally kills people. Its the regret of inaction.Ive seen this up close with my grandmother. At the end of her life, she drowned in her own sorrow. And that sorrow was solely made up from regret about the things she never did.Look, no matter what you do, we all suffer in life. But theres a difference in suffering, as Jim Rohn once saidWe must all suffer one of two things the pain of discipline or the pain of regret or disappointment.Achieving your goals. Improving yourself and your relationships. Writing a book. Building a business. Its painful. It takes a lot of time, energy, and sacrifice to achieve things that are worthwhile in life.But you know whats also painful? The regret of inaction, disappointment, and laziness.Which type of suffering hurts more? Its up to you to decide.Thanks for readingI also wrote a book on this topic. Its called THINK STRAIGHT.Check it out if you want to learn more about controlling your thoughts.Thisarticlefirst appeared onDarius Foroux.