How to Answer Where Do You See Yourself in 5 Years

How to Answer Wzu siche Do You See Yourself in 5 YearsWhen youre sitting in an interview, theres a good chance that most of your mental real estate lately has been going toward this day. So when the interviewer asks you where you see yourself in five years, it can be a bit of a jolt to suddenly think about the long term. Knowing the reasoning behind it and doing some prep ahead of time, you can be ready to handle this one like a pro on interview day. googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) 1. DO understand why youre being asked.Five years is a long time away from now. Well have a different president, and maybe hoverboards will finally be a reality. (A gal can hope, right?) The interviewer isnt asking you to predict fashion trends or whatever social media scene will replace Instagramming your food. Rather, he or she is trying to do two things 1) gauge your commitment to this job and/or 2) see what kind of ambitions you hold dear to your heart. So while thinking about societys future might be fun, focus your thoughts on your professional development.2. DONT exaggerate, even to yourself.Running this place is not an answer that will get you in the door. Think about where you realistically see yourself. Are you mid-management now, and see yourself higher up that ladder? Are you just starting out, but youd like to be managing others in five years? Those are realistic goals. Assuming youll be the next CEO is, well, not. (Unless youre interviewing right now to be the CEO, in which case this is a totally valid response.) Well before interview day, think about what you want out of this job, and what it would mean for your future.3. DO emphasize the experience angle over the job title.In my experience, job titles are too much of a moving target, even within a company. Positions are created, changed, and reimagined all the time. Rather than strain to figure out what your business cards will say, talk about what you hope to have achiev ed in the meantime. I see myself as having deep expertise in this field, and this position is the way to do that. Or I would like to be taking the lead on projects, and become a great manager like the ones Ive had along the way.4. DONT be brutally candid.If youre interviewing for a receptionist position with a financial company when youre really hoping to become an assistant at a music company, this is not the time to come clean and advertise that fact. The interviewer is spending a lot of time and energy on this hiring process, and him or her knowing that youre only doing this as a Plan B is not going to get you any bonus points. So while you should never lie to answer this question, and say that all youve ever wanted is to be answering phones at BankCorp in five years, you can talk around that. Emphasize the skills youd like to gain in this position, and talk about how youre looking forward to growing roots and developing as a professional.5. DO emphasize your commitment for the l ong haul.Again, the interviewer is looking to confirm that youre not a flight risk or someone who will give half-hearted effort to this job. While you talk about your goals for the next five years, make sure you emphasize how this position and this company will help you achieve thatand perhaps mora importantly, emphasize what you bring that will help the company move forward in that time as well.You dont need a crystal ball to answer this questionjust some forward-looking talking points that show youre the right person for this company, for the right reasons.

Top Resume Volunteer Work Choices

Top Resume Volunteer Work Choices A History of Resume Volunteer Work Refuted Volunteering can be a fantastic way to learn new abilities and enhance existing abilities which are directly linked to your job. Besides the skills needed for that specific job profile, volunteer experience brings highly desired qualities. Your skills-based volunteer experience ought to help you round out your resume and tell a recruiter that youve got the abilities and experience required for it, along with a passion for the geschftsleben. Relevant volunteer work may be only the thing to capture that employers interest. Volunteering your time to an excellent cause is a good method that will help you fill unemployment gaps on your resume. People do volunteer work for numerous explanations. If done right, obtaining a volunteer resume section may help you stick out in a crowded area of job applicants. It is a personal decision to include your volunteer work, and your decision may change depending on w hat you would like to highlight about yourself and where youre applying, says Sidon. There are many explanations as to why volunteer experience can boost your resume. Volunteers perform plenty of distinct activities, based on the kind of organization for which theyre volunteering. Volunteer work is about helping people. It can be very rewarding. Volunteer managers basically are accountable for high-level or executive pursuits and spend the majority of their time planning, analyzing, and making decisions by themselves. A volunteer is a person who has made a decision that theyll do the job for a business or an organization without expecting a payment. Most recruiters only devote a couple of seconds scanning a resume before choosing whether to read on in more detail.

Employee Benefits Whats In and Whats Out - Spark Hire

Employee Benefits Whats In and Whats Out - Spark HireAs the economy has improved over the last few years, the war for talent has only gotten hotter. Now that the unemployment rate is reaching near-record lows, its mora and more difficult for businesses to find quality talent to fill important roles. One of the best ways for a company to differentiate itself from the pack is, of course, offering great employee benefits. For some workers, its no longer enough to receive just a competitive salary and health insurance and understandably so. But benefits that appealed to workers in the past may not fly for the job candidates of today. Our concepts of work and work-life balance have changed, and benefits packages must change to reflect that. Heres an employee benefits list covering many of the fruchtwein popular benefits on offer todayas well as a few that have lost their luster and dont impress like they used to 6 employee benefits you should offerFlexibility in all its formsAllowing for flexibility in how people approach their workwhether that means variable work hours, remote work/teleworking, the freedom to take time off as neededis becoming more than a perk. Its increasingly an expected part of company culture for many businesses. According to the LinkedIn 2019 Global Talent Trends report, over the last four years theres been a 24% increase in the number of people who say flexible work arrangements is a very important factor when considering a new job. Flexibility is a broad term, but you should incorporate it into your workplace as much as you can. Worry less about whether people are sitting at their desks at certain hours, and more about whether they get results. Not only will this appeal to candidates, but it can be good for the bottom line The LinkedIn report says letting people work from home boosts productivity and prevents turnover. Career development and continuing educationCandidates want to know that their befhigung employer has their best interests a t heart. Offering to help that candidate become a more well-rounded professionalby helping develop their soft skills (such as communication and leadership) and hard skills (role-specific knowledge and abilities) is a win-win in that regard. Using online learning, workplace-hosted events, workshops, organizational membership, and learning stipends that can be applied across a wide-range of continuing education opportunities at local schools, companies can dangle an attractive carrot Come work for us, and well make you even more attractive as a candidate in the future. (The best part? Career development ends up improving retention, not encouraging employees to jump ship.) Paid family leaveIn many ways, the United States lags behind other industrialized nations regarding family and even just maternity leave. The U.S. joins Liberia, Papua New Guinea, and a few other nations that dont mandate paid maternity leave. If you want to get ahead, offer not just paid maternity leave, but parenta l leave, which includes new adoptive parents and same-sex couples. This is an increasingly common benefit, and its not only a more humane, empathetic approach, but its a good way to appeal to candidates without raising wages. Mental health supportAs a society, we are becoming more aware of the importance of mental health, as well as removing the stigma from it. Allotting a certain number of mental health days in addition to regular paid time off encourages people to be forthcoming about when they need self-care. Additionally, offering confidential counseling services is an excellent benefitlook into contracting an employee assistance program (EAP), which helps employees and organizations deal with both personal and work-related issues. Volunteer daysEmployees want to feel that theyre making a difference, not just making a profit. Millennials in particular (now the largest generation in the workforce) want to work for a company that gives to charity over one that doesnt. Create the o ccasional volunteer dayperhaps a quarterly or bi-annual eventwhere the entire company takes off and volunteers together for a local charity, organization, or cause. Swap holidaysThis concept goes hand-in-hand with workplace flexibility, though you could offer it while keeping more traditional workplace hours. Not every national holiday or religious holiday carries the same meaning to every employee. Tell candidates youd happily let them work certain holidays (assuming that they can get work done on that daysome holidays, like Christmas Day, most businesses are closed anyway) and give them off other days in return. This could allow someone to build out a long weekend or extended holiday without sacrificing their regular time off. 3 employee benefits you can live withoutUnlimited vacationThe concept of unlimited vacation is relatively new but its already gaining some detractors. On the surface, telling people they can take off whenever they want, for as long as they want, as often as they want appears to be the ultimate perk. But some research shows that employees with unlimited vacation end up taking off less time than they did when their PTO welches defined. This can lead to burnout, dissatisfaction over mismatched expectations, and uncertainty. Instead, increase your PTOand encourage people to take it. Wellness programsAnother concept that sounds better in practice than it is in reality, wellness programs have their heart in the right place Encourage and help employees be healthier, in order to reduce sick days, burnout, and overall stress. Research by professors at Wharton, however, found that most generalized corporate wellness programs fail to make a dent in peoples behaviors. In addition, some programs make people feel uncomfortable from the standpoint that they require submitting to health monitoring by their employer. Consider subsidizing employees gym memberships, offering healthier snacks and meals at the office, and other small steps that show you ca re about employee health. Employee discountsOffering workers a smattering of deals and discounts that may or may not align with what they want or need isnt much of a perk. Prospective employees can ask about what deals are in place, and if they are valuable discounts to them, great. But many people recognize that the deals on offer are rarely good deals for them and are mostly window dressing. Wrap-UpDeciding what employee benefits to invest in is a tough decision for any company. Small and medium-sized businesses in particular must choose carefully when competing with larger, more well-known companies like Netflix and Spotify, in order to entice without overspending. A good place to start is this thought look into investing in whats been resonating with people, and move away from those that dont move the needle.About the AuthorEric Goldschein is an editor and writer at Fundera, a marketplace for small business financial solutions such as business loans. He covers HR, marketing, ent repreneurship and small business trends. Connect with Eric on LinkedIn, where you can also follow Fundera, or reach out to them on twitter.

How Is Term Finance Defined

How Is Term Finance DefinedHow Is Term Finance DefinedAt its most fundamental level, finance is the business discipline concerned with managing money efficiently. It often is rightly categorized as a branch of applied economics. Accordingly, people who are well-versed in the principles of economics typically grasp financial concepts quite readily, if not intuitively. Some of the essential topics in finance include BudgetingBorrowingLendingSavingInvesting In the application of financial principles and methods, there tend to be specialized considerations based on the type of entity in question. As a result, finance often is described as comprising four main categories Individual finance or household finance or consumer financeBusiness finance or corporate financeNonprofit financeGovernment finance or public finance Financial Services and Financial Management Another distinction must be drawn betweenthe financial services industry and the financial management function. Follow the li nk for details. In short, the financial services industry plays these key roles

Media Terms and Glossary

Media Terms and GlossaryMedia Terms and Glossary

4 Communications Skills to Highlight on Your Résumé

4 Communications Skills to Highlight on Your Rsum4 Communications Skills to Highlight on Your RsumHeres somethingrsumreaders see all the timeExcellent Communications Skills. And heres something job seekers never see in a position descriptionMediocre Communications Skills Required. Its hard to imagine any job that doesnt require you to communicate well Yet, it is far better to utilizersumspace by demonstrating your communications capacities rather than simplyclaiming to have them. Of course, communications take many different forms oral or written, public presentations and confidential memos. Depending on the situation, it may require a simple text message or a nuanced argument. You might need to provide a status update with a dynamic spreadsheet or deal with an irate customer on the phone. Bosses need to tell their subordinates what to do and how to do it. Moreover, they need to motivate them by conveying a sense of urgency, purpose, potential rewards or consequences, or a broade r vision. People on a team need to coordinate their efforts. They also need to keep their superiors updated on whats been completed, roadblocks or complications along the way, next steps and so on. The list of whats communicated and how its done is virtually endless, which is why when you say excellent communications skills on arsum,you dont further your cause by much. The Muse offers a list of 185 Powerful Verbs That Will Make YourRsumAwesome. This list can be helpful in prompting you to think about what you have actually done and how yourcommunications skills have contributed to your success. Then you can demonstrate the excellence of our communications rather than simplistically claiming to possess these skills. Here are some examples based on words found in The Muses list1. Writing. What have you written who is your audience and what is the impact of your composition? What happened because you wrote what you wrote? Here are two samplersumpointsComposed talking points for re gional sales people to address X issue our potential customers confront and how our product represents the ideal solution. Campaign improved sales of our product by $X in Y period of time.Composed PowerPoint presentation for a nonprofit hauptplatine of directors and walked them through alternative methods of developing donors and building relationships with them. Guided the discussion to focus on major donors rather than depend on expensive events-based fundraising that consumes greater staffing hours.2. Mentoring. Perhaps youve employed your listening skills to understand how you can use your knowledge and experience to improve the performance of others on your team still trying to learn the ropes.You might be able to use a bullet point like this on yourrsumProvided one-on-one coaching for X employees based on individual needs. Listened to their stories, determined aspirations and conveyed positive feedback to enrich productivity levels. Result Mediocre performers were transformed into the departments star employees.3. Standardizing. This refers to solid business performance uniformity in multiple departments, locations or functions. Things need to be measured, and processes must conform to a single standard in order to be understood by customers, employees and executives alike.Getting everyone to conform requires solid communications skills and can result in quantifiable,rsum-worthy results, such asStandardized locations of key products on store end-caps, resulting in X percent sales increase of seasonal, high-profit items. Conveyed information to all store managers and followed up to ascertain that directions were being followed to ensure store-to-store uniformity.Standardized reporting of sales and costs from multiple departments to present a clearer financial analysis of business to CFO and the executive team.4. Negotiating. geschftlicher umgang is all about negotiating everything from how much one party will pay another, to delivery times and hundreds o f other things. Clearly, excellent negotiating outcomes are dependent on ones ability to persuade a key communication skill. For exampleLeveraged ability to move quickly to gain a competitive advantage, thereby obtained a favorable price on X, resulting in an increased profit margin of $X for Y.Gained a favorable employment contract with X union by providing nonmonetary benefits of value to employees rather than increasing payroll costs for Y period of time. Presented proposal to union leaders and demonstrated why this outcome was of superior value to other proposals that were on the table for discussion. The list goes on and on. You can demonstrate your communications skills when you speak of facilitating meetings, problem solving, marketing and a host of other common workplace activities. The point is simple Show your skills rather than simply claiming them. When you do, you will prove that indeed you are an excellent communicator. Happy hunting

Were our ancestors happier than we are today

Were ur ancestors happier than we are todayWere ur ancestors happier than we are todayPicture this Its the year 10,000 B.C. The sun is just rising.You wake up to the sounds of rustling nearby. A few people sharpen their spears as they discuss the upcoming hunt. After downing a few gulps of water and some dried meat, you collect your supplies in a bag for the day.You go out hiking with a few close relatives and friends to a berry patch. As you pick the ripest berries and place them in your basket, you overhear a funny story that your cousin shares about a conversation that morning. Laughter erupts.The day carries on, dragging the sun along the sky. Beads of sweat accumulate on your forehead while your basket grows heavier. Finally, you hear a call from a fellow forager. Its time to head back.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moraWhen you arrive at the cave, you see a fire has been tisc hset up. As the winds pick up and the sun rests on the horizon, you huddle close by the fire. While the evening meal is prepared, you listen and share stories on the latest hunt.A dinner of roasted mammoth, berries, and leeks is served. Surrounded by your family and friends, you talk about the upcoming journey south as winter approaches and share survival strategies.Eventually, night closes in. The fire gives way to glowing embers. After another tiring yet satisfying day, you curl up in your corner in the cave and drift asleep.At what point would the concept of happiness enter your head? Were we happier a few millennia ago than we are in the present day?We Should Be Happier Today, But Were NotBy contrast, we should be happier today. We have TVs, metal devices that transport us from one place to another and access to clean water and food from all over the world. When we learn about diseases and medical treatments from the past, we cringe at the thought of plagues, bloodletting, and l eeches, thankful that we have things so much better today.But if things are so much better now, are we much happier than we were then?The other day, I was involved in a discussion on what it means to be happy. There were a variety of responses on the topic. People said things such asIf I could get whatever I wanted, I would be happy.Happiness is about having a balance of work, family, friends, and health.Mindset is the key to happiness.All of these explanations make sense on the surface. It seems that happiness is centered on getting what we want, having a positive mental state, or both. And yet, while all these ideas sound great in theory, the reality is starkly different.For instanceThere are some people with great jobs that should be happy, but arent.If the recipe to happiness is having a great balance of work, family, and health, why do people with all this feel bored and dissatisfied?Mindset is important, to be sure. But if happiness is simply a choice, like an on/off switch in the room, why cant people make themselves happy?The concept of happiness involves more than simply thinking your way towards it. And as society continues to evolve, things only get more complicated. Happiness, in the midst of all this, seems to move farther away.Why is that? Why is it that, despite the fact we have more conveniences, technology, and options than ever before, so many of us are unhappy or even depressed?Enter the Hedonic TreadmillTheres a concept called the hedonic treadmill. It states that humans have a tendency to revert to a baseline level of happiness despite the positive or negative events that occur in their lives.Lets look at this concept on a large scale. In society, advancements are made as time progresses. Electronic devices get smaller, machines become more productive, and we become more efficient as we discover new techniques and enhanced methodologies. Yet, when it comes to happiness, those improvements are also a double-edged sword.After a while, we get used to those levels of technology, healthcare, and productivity. We adapt. When conditions go up, so do our expectations. Unfortunately, those increased expectations leave us dissatisfied and wanting more.In our personal lives, we also run a hedonic treadmill to nowhere. We want things, and when we get them, we experience a small spike in excitement. But before long, we return to our baseline happiness level. Like a hamster turning a wheel, were perpetually fixed in a never-ending cycle.Astudywas performed that looked at the happiness levels of two very different groups of people recent lottery winners and accident victims that were left paraplegic. They were also compared to a control group consisting of an ordinary sample of people. While we might expect the lottery winners to be incredibly happy and the victims to be devastated, the results showed something else.Lottery winners rated the pleasure of everyday activities, such as hearing a joke, eating breakfast, or reading a mag azine, as no higher than the control group. Accident victims, on the other hand, werent as unhappy as one might expect. If anything, they rated slightly higher than lottery winners in the pleasure they felt from mundane activities.Although the lottery winners rated higher in present happiness than accident victims, the victims happiness levels were still higher than the midpoint of the happiness scale. The study also predicted that the effects of any significant event, whether positive or negative, would wear off with time. If anything, winning the lottery created a contrast effect in which nothing could ever measure up, making everything else from then on less enjoyable.In what is known asaffective forecasting, we like to predict how well feel about something in the future. Unfortunately, our predictions are wildly wrong. Were generally terrible at predicting what will make us happy.We believe attaining something will give us lasting happiness, when others who get what we wanted ar e no happier in the long run. Or, we think we want one thing if put in a certain situation, but when were actually there, we want something completely different.When you combine our inability to recognize what we really want and tendency to adapt, its no surprise were never quite satisfied.Seeking Happiness No Matter the ConditionsHappiness is more than simply the circumstances were in. No matter our conditions, we tend to acclimatize to just about anything if given enough time.On one hand, getting used to our circumstances can be a positive. Something unfortunate happens, were temporarily devastated, but then we gradually revert back to life as usual. On the other hand, that same tendency can leave us dissatisfied. While we might feel on top of the world after reaching a milestone, our initial excitement wanes and were left wanting more.So how can we reach happiness, regardless of our current state and situation? Here are three ways1. Redefine happinessHappiness is associated with broad smiles, arms raised in celebration, and a general feeling of euphoria. When a positive outcome occurs, such as winning a competition or finally getting that promotion, you think, Im really happy. After a while, its back to the grind. Your happiness disappears.This is the modern state of happiness. If this sounds familiar, its time to change your perception. The problem with thinking about happiness as an emotion is that its a temporary state. It doesnt last. Instead, think of happiness as a way of life, away of living.For example, happiness isnt about painting a masterpiece. Happiness is about painting in the first place. Happiness isnt about receiving recognition for good deeds. Happiness is about helping others in the first place.When you shift the way you see happiness, you also shift your perception of everyday life. Happiness isnt about reaching the end goal because happiness is the end goal.2. Seek new experiencesThey say money can buy happiness. Well, sort of.Research h as shown that when given a choice, youre better offbuying experiences rather than objects. Objects provide that rush of excitement for only a brief period. Then we adapt. The object, no matter how unique, how shiny, how lavish, eventually loses its luster.Experiences, however, are temporary by nature. So, you soak up those moments and make the fruchtwein of it because you know it wont last (leaving only fond memories behind). Also, experiences are difficult to quantify in terms of which is better. You cant definitively say that a trip to Brazil was superior to a weekend camping outdoors.Each experience is different and novel, providing greater satisfaction in the long run than adding another decorative item to your home.3. Connect with peopleThe great irony with todays communication devices is that in some aspects, its become more difficult to connect with people. While we savor the convenience of being able to send an email or a text, we forgo that face-to-face interaction that wou ld have been necessary in the past.Sometimes, it even feels preferable to hide behind a screen rather than talk to a real, live person. Weve come to accept our lives of solitude, isolated from others. But tribes have their strength.Back in our ancestors days, people worked together, ate together, and lived together. While staying in groups was necessary for survival, there was also a sense of assurance in knowing we could rely on others for help and that they were facing the same joys, trials, and tribulations.Today, we still rely on networks to survive. We communicate with others to exchange ideas, share knowledge, and support one another in achieving goals.Joining a community or calling up a friend might be just what you need to set yourself on a new path. Signing up for a new experience can lead you to meet interesting people. When you invite serendipity into your life, you increase the chance for opportunities to emerge.Its Not That ur Ancestors Were Happier, Its That Expectatio ns Have ChangedThink about it. If people truly were much happier in prehistoric times, then there wouldnt be an urge to keep progressing. Things would have stayed put, just the way they always have been. If people were happy with how things were, why would change be needed?Just as our long-ago ancestors grumbled when the water source was further away than at the last camping spot, we grumble today when the internet is down or even a little slower than usual. These are two very different situations, but they also parallel one another. After all, the problem is one and the same were not quite satisfied with the current situation, so sooner or later we have to do something to ignite change.While changes usually bring improvements, a host of new problems rise up as well. Sure, things may be objectively better, but our expectations go up too. In the end, we dont feel much better. Were forever on the treadmill.If thats the case, then its up to us to change the way we approach our circumst ances. Are you embracing the present (as opposed to reliving the past or daydreaming about the future)? Are you creating experiences for yourself? Do you put your electronic device down long enough to interact with the world around you?When you start taking responsibility for your actions, you start taking responsibility for your happiness.This article first appeared on Jump Start Your Dream Life.