If you’ve ever experienced stage fright before a job interview, you’ll see the parallels between performing and interviewing for a new job. Unless you’re someone who loves being the center of attention, however, you might not think of that as a positive thing. In this week’s roundup, we look at why one expert takes job interview inspiration from Beyonce; plus, some insight into the “9-to-5” workday in 2015, and a love song to the to-do list.
(Photo Credit: Nat Ch Villa/Wikimedia Commons)
Emmelie De La Cruz at The Branding Muse: What Dancing (+Beyonce) Taught Me About Interviewing
De La Cruz writes:
Everything I know about being a performer and an entertainer I learned from Beyonce (and The Beyonce Experience DVD to be exact).
So why the heck do I tell you that? Last week, I did a webinar on effective job searching strategies. I focused on tactics that made my students the center of attention (in a good way). During the Q+A session, we spent a lot of time talking about interviewing, and that’s when I realized that my favorite part of the job search process was what people dreaded most. Was I some weird narcissist because I love the adrenaline of thinking on my feet and talking about myself in front of others? I damn sure hope not. After thinking it over, it dawned on me: interviewing was just like performing.
Her tips will get you looking at the interview process in a whole new way, even if you’re more likely to get a visit from the Beygency than an invitation to join the Beyhive.
Alison Green at Ask a Manager: Is 8 to 6 the New 9 to 5?
A reader writes in to ask:
Colloquially, “the 9 to 5” has been a phrase to discribe full-time jobs conducted during normal business hours. Obviously all individual offices will vary, but based on my own experience and the experiences of people I know, it seems like “the 8 to 6” would now be a better descriptor. I have held multiple positions over the past 10 years where I was expected to be in the office at 8 and not leave until 6. These hours didn’t account for unpaid lunch time, either. I almost always ate lunch at my desk while working on something or during a “working lunch” meeting (which is different from a “lunch and learn”; these were mandatory weekly meetings where normal business was conducted).
From talking to friends and family, I am far from alone in this experience. Is the 10-hour workday and 50-hour work week the new normal?
Green’s response will come as good news to those of you who have come to fear that working in a professional job means never getting to go home.
Danielle Rosvally at Daniprose: Love the List
To-do lists: love ’em or hate ’em? Rosvally loves them, and she might be able to talk you into feeling the same way. Her list of reasons to love the list includes helping you stay organized, keeping you from forgetting things, and helping you relax, among others.
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