Much has been said about the power and benefits of habit and routines, including lower stress and more productivity. Yet, habit and routine can also have a dark side. They encourage us to become stagnate in jobs or situations that we don’t love or that don’t empower us. Trying something new means abandoning our routines for a while or developing new ones.

Let’s look at three larger benefits.

Boosts Your Creativity

As great as routine and familiarity are at making sure we pick up the kids and make lunch for work, they can also start wearing down our creativity. It turns out that creativity depends a lot on fresh experiences. Trying something new gives your brain fresh material to play with and can lead to new bursts of creativity.

Reduce Fear

The prospect of trying something new often brings with it the vague but persistent fear of some failure. Fear has a way of growing and infecting your view of other things, even the familiar. When you try something new, you decide you won’t be afraid of that potential failure. You start teaching yourself to be less afraid of everything else. You can even pick something where failure means nothing, like taking up abstract painting. Also, if you get it “wrong,” no one will know.

You Improve Product You

In a sense, you are the product you sell to an employer. You bring skills, experience, and knowledge to the table. When you try new things, you expand your skills and broaden your experience. You improve the product that is you, which can make it easier to secure a raise or a better job. Of course, that means you must pick new things that have some relevance to your job or desired career path.

Trying new things has other benefits, such as making you a better-rounded person or simply improving your self-knowledge. Still, it’s a solid first step in boosting your creativity. It can help you master your fear. Learning new things can also make you a better catch for potential employers.

Here’s Why December Is The Best Time Of Year To Apply To Jobs

The end of the year is a time of family obligations, shopping, and traveling. Your kids may need new clothes, or you need to find your spouse that vintage thing they love. It’s easy to assume that everyone involved in the hiring for businesses is doing the same things. Yet, it turns out that December may be the best time of year to apply.

Let’s look at a few of the reasons why.

Fewer Competitors

In 2018, around a third of all Americans traveled for the Christmas holiday. Thanksgiving often sees mass travel, as well. Traveling, even if only in your own state, takes planning and time. While people do that planning and then visit their families, they often aren’t actively pursuing new jobs. Yet, many companies still need to fill empty positions, especially in retail, shipping, and always in tech.

Seasonal Work Spikes

Seasonal work may not be exactly what you’re looking for, but it sure beats unemployment around the holidays. Gifts for all your friends and family won’t pay for themselves. Plus, seasonal positions spike around the holidays. Target and UPS alone are looking to hire on around 225,000 seasonal workers this year. Plus, as with all temp positions, there’s always a possibility you’ll be asked to stay on if you impress your boss.

Extra Money in the Budget

Many companies employ a use-it-or-lose-it budget approach. That means that anyone in the business that still has money in their budget must find something to spend it on or risk a small budget the following year. For any department that’s been running understaffed, the manager will want to fill empty positions if it’s even remotely possible. It also means that applicants with fewer qualifications have a better chance of getting into the room with the hiring manager.

While traditional folklore might hold that no one hires during December, that’s not true anymore. Many big companies increase their hiring during the holidays. Plus, managers often have extra money in their budget they must spend or risk losing the next year. You also face less intense competition from others, as people back off their job hunt in favor of planning and attending family events. In other words, December is a great time to apply for a job.

Even the calmest and more experienced person can get a case of the nerves before an interview. It’s often worse for people early in their careers or who want to change careers. It feels like the person or people on the other side of those desks hold your future in their hands. This nervousness can undercut your interview performance. So, we’re going to take a look at 5 products that can help you overcome your nervousness ahead of time.

Portfolio

In this day and age, you can get a stylish portfolio or padfolio at a very reasonable price. Of course, the real advantage of the padfolio is that it helps you get organized by getting all of your papers into one spot. Takeaway: Knowing you’ve got copies of your resume, licenses, or other paperwork can relieve stress going into an interview.

Meditation Apps

There are numerous meditation apps out there designed solely to help you calm your mind. You can load one onto your phone and take it with you to the interview. Take five minutes before you go in for the interview and use the app to help reduce your nervousness.

Noise Machine

Many people struggle to sleep the night before a big interview. That lack of sleep can make you irritable or anxious. A noise machine can help you tune out distractions in your home or environment and get better sleep. Takeaway: Better sleep isn’t just good for keeping nerves under control before an interview; it’s crucial for your overall health.

Fidget Toy

Keep a small fidget toy in your car or pocket. It gives you something to focus on other than being nervous right before your interview. Just make sure you put it away before you get called in for the interview.

Navigational System Device or Map System

 If you’ve never used your phone’s map system before or a navigational device, now is the time to start. Most phones use navigation, and many even offer alternative routes based on real-time traffic data. It helps ensure you get there on time.
Takeaway: You should test the map function the day before to make sure it works right and gets you where you need to go.

Feeling nervous before an interview is normal and happens to almost everyone. The key is to find products or routines that help you keep that nervousness at a reasonable level. A little nervousness can make you look high energy. Too much nervousness makes you look anxious. Aim for the former.

If you feel less than engaged at work recently, like you’re just putting in the time, than you’re not alone. Around 7 in 10 workers in the US feel some level of disengagement from work. If that’s not the kind of employee you want to be, keep reading for some quotes that will help you stay motivated at work.

“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.” ~Robert Collier
“A year from now, you may wish you had started today.” ~ Karen Lamb Takeaway: The only way you can finish something important is to start. If you keep putting off the start, you’ll never finish.

“Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.” ~Earl Nightingale
“Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” ~Will Rogers
“A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work.” ~Colin Powell
“Almost every successful person begins with two beliefs: the future can be better than the present, and I have the power to make it so.” ~ David Brooks Takeaway: In many ways, motivation is the belief that you can make the future better. Even if you only make it better for yourself and your family, it’s still better.

“Be humble. Be hungry. Always be the hardest worker in the room.” ~Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
“Don’t watch the clock. Do what it does. Keep going.” ~Sam Levenson
“Believe you can, and you’re halfway there.” ~Theodore Roosevelt
“Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.” ~ Dale Carnegie
Takeaway: Failure tells you that you took a wrong turn somewhere. Figure out where you took that wrong turn and don’t do it again.

“Happiness does not come from doing easy work but from the afterglow of satisfaction that comes after the achievement of a difficult task that demanded our best.” ~Theodore Isaac Rubin

Staying motivated at work can be difficult, especially if you feel disengaged. Just remember that many people feel disengaged at work from time to time. You can choose to be motivated. If you need a little help with that motivation, check out the list of quotes above. Success stems from consistent hard work, not occasional flashes of effort.

Have you been trying and failing to stay motivated at work? Can’t seem to find any inspiration? It might be time for a change. Let Gallman Consulting help you find a more motivating workplace for you.

Despite the unemployment rate holding at around 3.7%, it’s not all roses and champagne corks for those seeking employment. Job growth is notorious for regional differences and often centers in certain industries. If you happen to excel in information technology, things look great. If not, the job search can prove less friendly. If you’re stuck in the middle of an endless job search, how can you survive the experience without losing it? Don’t Take It Too Personally It’s true that you have some influence over your job search success in terms of proper preparation and connecting the dots between your experience and the position. The reality, however, is that getting the job isn’t just about you. You must compete not only with other external candidates but potential internal candidates. You may also face unexpressed expectations about personality or culture fit that you can’t ever prepare for. Those things have nothing to do with you or your performance, and you shouldn’t beat yourself up for not landing every job. Takeaway: Your interview happens inside a bigger picture of needs and expectations. You can only influence some of them. Look For Help Working in isolation taxes you mentally and emotionally. It can also give you a level of tunnel vision. After all, how many times have you looked at that resume? Do you think you’ll spot a typo in it after draft number 75? Getting some input from a third-party can give you fresh ideas and also help you spot lingering problems on your resume. Money starting to worry you? Consider connecting with a staffing agency for some temporary work to stabilize your finances. Takeaway: Don’t think you must do it all alone. Friends, family, and even staffing agencies can help you weather the process. Stay Socially Engaged As the job search wears you down mentally, it’s tempting to withdraw from your social network. Unless you’ve managed to land a job, no one wants to face questions about how their job search is going. Yet, you should make an active effort to socialize with your friends and family. Socializing can give your mental health a much-needed boost and support your physical well-being as well. Takeaway: Don’t withdraw. The momentary pain of fielding job search questions will be more than offset by your better mental health. Don’t Give Up On Your Job Search Just because the unemployment rate is low, it doesn’t mean everyone finds it easy to land a job. If you’re in the middle of an endless job search, don’t take it personally. Look for help from friends and family. Stay socially engaged with your social network. These things will make the process more bearable and potentially more successful.

Active dislike or severe disengagement from your job is normal. Around 66% of people fall into this category. Of course, disliking or simply not caring about your job is a hard way to live, given that you’ll spend the majority of your waking hours there. So, what can you do to get back on track when you don’t like your job? Give It Time If you recently moved to another company, don’t make a hasty judgment about the role. You need to give yourself an adjustment period for any new job or company. The expectations are different, as is the culture of the company. Many people discover that what they don’t like is the adjustment, rather than the new job. Change taxes a person mentally and emotionally. Once you find a balance with the new situation, the dislike often evaporates. Takeaway: Don’t assume you don’t like your job until you give it a fair shake. Don’t Measure Yourself Against Others Success isn’t a one-size-fits-all outfit. While your wealthy, lawyer of a sister might make you feel like a failure, that’s an unfair comparison. You must decide for yourself whether your accomplishments matter to you. Comparing yourself to others creates a me-against-the-world mindset that never leaves you satisfied. Ask yourself if it’s really your job you hate or that it doesn’t seem to measure up to what others do. Takeaway: Figure out what success means to you and then pursue the career that fulfills that definition. Find a New Job Sometimes, you’ll discover that you really do just dislike your current job. Poor management or a toxic work culture can make even a seemingly dream job into a nightmare. Just as importantly, no amount of money can make up for those failures in your workplace. You might also discover that you dislike your position because it saddled you with more responsibilities than you expected going in. In these scenarios, the best solution is looking for employment elsewhere. Takeaway: If you genuinely dislike your job, a new job is almost always the best solution. Dislike or disengagement from a job is comparatively common, but it’s not necessarily a death blow for your career. If it’s a new job, give yourself time to adjust. Don’t measure your job or success against someone else’s success. It’ll leave you permanently unhappy with your job. If you do dislike your job because of the job, culture, or some other job-specific situation, it’s time for a new position.

Lying on resumes and CVs has become so commonplace that around 85% of companies report catching applicants lying on their resume. While some lies might only rise to the level of obscuring the exact dates worked at a company, others wholly misrepresent a person’s skills or credentials. So, how do you spot a lie when you see one? Look for Incongruities One of the simplest ways to spot a lie on a CV or resume is to keep an eye open for incongruities. For example, they list accomplishments that don’t line up with their job title. Someone working in HR won’t realistically have anything to do with sales or production numbers. A massive jump in job title from one company to the next can also serve as a red flag for dishonesty. Takeaway: Incongruity doesn’t always mean dishonesty, but it should prompt some serious questions for the candidate. Universal Proficiency It’s the very rare candidate indeed who brings proficiency in every skill listed in the job description. Someone who works with spreadsheets might have seen a pivot table, but it doesn’t mean they’re experts at making them. By the same token, someone might have played around with HTML a few times, but it doesn’t mean they can write the code for your new website. Make sure you dig into these proficiency claims with some technical questions that can expose exaggeration. Get a Background Check If you think that someone is misrepresenting their education or credentials, the simplest way to vet the CV is with a background check. These checks can verify not only educational history but work history and even prior earnings. Background checks come at different levels of scrutiny, and more extensive checks cost more. You’ll need to decide how deep you want the background checks to go. Takeaway: A background check will prove much cheaper than going through the entire hiring process a second time when you discover the lie. Use Backdoor Reference Checks No one provides references who will torpedo them with a potential employer. That means that sometimes, you need to go with a backdoor reference check of someone who worked with a candidate but isn’t on their reference list. You can use a resource like LinkedIn to find former managers or coworkers. Takeaway: These backdoor reference checks often reveal a much more accurate picture of someone’s skills and accomplishments. With lying some common on CVs these days, you must remain wary for the lies. Keep an eye open for incongruities and claims of universal proficiency. Shell out for a background check on all serious applicants. Dig into their background with backdoor reference checks. It’s always better to avoid hiring a lying applicant than needing to replace them later.

Getting into the interview phase is often such a struggle that you may feel like you need to take any job offer that comes your way. In practice, though, a bad job can prove even more disastrous than waiting a little longer for another option.

Keep reading to learn some red flags to watch for when interviewing.

Your Duties Are Vague

You need clear information about a job and the expectations attached to it before you can make a good decision. If the interviewer can’t give you a clear set of duties, it means they haven’t thought the job through. It may also mean they haven’t thought through how you’ll be evaluated in the job. That’s a recipe for an unhappy work life.

Terrible Reviews

No employer will get stellar reviews from every former employee. That being said, most ex-employees won’t take the time and effort involved to craft a negative employer review unless their experience was truly awful. Multiple negative employer reviews are a clear sign of a toxic workplace. Steer clear.

They Dodge Your Questions

Every candidate should have at least two or three questions to ask during the interview. If nothing else, ask about where you’ll be working specifically or who you report to day to day. These kinds of basic questions should get answered immediately. If not, it could be a sign of trouble.

Expect You to Take the Job on the Spot

Unless you’re interviewing with a dream company for a dream position and a dream salary, no employer should expect you to take a job on the spot. This is especially true if the job includes relocating. An employer should be willing to give you a little time to think it over and discuss things with your spouse or partner.

They Actively Lie

It’s one thing for a hiring manager to overlook telling you something. It happens. It’s almost always an innocent mistake. It’s something else entirely if they tell you something that proves false.

You Might Not Want That Job

Getting an interview is a big step, but it’s not the only thing you should consider. You can run into situations where getting a job offer isn’t a good thing. Keep your eyes open for the red flags listed above. You could save yourself some serious frustration and a bad work situation.

Businesses and recruiters don’t just use social media as a way to find applicants. Around 43% also use it as a screening tool to weed out candidates. That begs the question: What are the social media red flags I should avoid? Keep reading and we’ll give some of the biggest red flags to avoid.

Illicit Drugs

While pictures of you drinking a beer with friends won’t kill your interview chances anymore, almost anything related to illicit drugs will hurt you a lot. Like or not, your after-work behaviors can impact your company’s brand image. No business wants an association with illicit drugs. That goes for liking posts about drugs as well.
Takeaway: You can like or support whatever you want, privately, but public announcements on social media make it fair game to disqualify you.

Complaining About Work

The occasional post about having a bad day at work probably won’t raise any eyebrows. If you posted complaints about your old job or employer on a regular basis, though, it can make potential employers nervous. Constant negative posts can make other potential candidates not apply for jobs at a company.

Charged Political Posts

As a general rule, most companies avoid associating themselves with any political position or party. Businesses can’t and won’t tell employees not to be involved in politics. That being said, they don’t want employees creating a hostile work environment with any brand of political speech.
Takeaway: Confine political posts to general comments, such as encouraging others to vote. Avoid bashing any specific politician or even bashing a political party.

Vulgarity

Off-color jokes and cursing might be fine at the local bar, but it doesn’t belong on your social media profiles. Recruiters view the overall tone of your posts as a sign of what to expect once you’re on the job site. Most employers and staffing agencies aren’t interested in hiring someone who curses constantly or uses crude humor.

Misspellings and Bad Grammar

It might seem trivial, but it’s not. Lots of typos and bad grammar send a clear message to businesses, staffing agencies and recruiters that you don’t value clear communication. Good communication skills are one of the top soft skills every employer looks for in a candidate. It’s a particularly avoidable problem, given that most computers and phones come with spellcheck features.
Takeaway: If spelling and grammar aren’t your strong suit, use spellcheck and look for a free grammar checker like Grammarly that will help you clean up those posts.

Make Sure You Use Social Media Correctly

Social media is a powerful tool that can help you land a job if you use it the right way. Avoid common mistakes like drug references and charged political speech. Instead, focus on subjects like training programs, volunteer efforts or your kids’ sporting events.

Your hard skills play a role in getting you the interview, but they won’t get you the job by themselves. These days, employers look for candidates who already have good soft skills. Why? Soft skills make people more effective on the job, for one. They’re also very hard to teach and all but impossible to teach quickly. So, which soft skills are most likely to get you hired?

Teamwork

Businesses don’t really employ individuals. They employ teams. Businesses expect the people on these teams to work together to achieve their goals. People who routinely show up late, for example, don’t make good team players. Showing up late inconveniences everyone on their team. People who make useful suggestions often make excellent team players.
Takeaway: Think of examples of times when you were a good team player that you can discuss in interviews.

Communication

Good communication doesn’t mean tossing out $10 words all the time or talking at length. Most people have worked with someone who talked a lot but never made a clear point. Good communication means you can explain your thoughts or the steps in a process clearly. Businesses place a premium on good communication skills because they make the work run smoother.

Problem Solving

No matter how well-run a business is, problems still happen. Equipment breaks down or people call out at the last second. All too often, work slows or even stops in these situations. If you can think your way around these kinds of issues, businesses want you.
Takeaway: Not confident about your problem-solving skills? Take up a hobby like playing an instrument or learning a second language to boost those skills.

Accepting Feedback

Getting feedback can prove a trying experience for you and your supervisor. Poorly delivered feedback can feel like open criticism and put people on the defensive. Even when poorly delivered, the whole point of feedback is improvement. Businesses want employees who can take feedback in the spirit of improving performance. Learn that skill and you move right up the list of preferred candidates.

Conflict Management

You can’t avoid workplace conflict. If you’re aiming for a supervisory or leadership role, however, start honing your conflict management skills. Businesses shell out more than $350 billion a year dealing with conflict in the workplace. If you can help reduce those costs even a little by preventing problems from escalating, you become an invaluable resource.
Takeaway: If you don’t already know conflict management techniques, start learning and practicing them.

Practice Your Soft Skills

Businesses know they probably can’t teach you soft skills fast enough to make a real difference. That means you must work on them yourself ahead of time. Look for hobbies or volunteering opportunities that let you practice soft skills in a low-stakes situation.