Why I dont believe in Womens Day

Why I dont believe in Womens DayWhy I dont believe in Womens DayI dont believe in Womens Day.Before you get mad, please let me share a little of my own experience - Ill explain why.As an adolescent, I spent a lot of time with my father. He taught me to love the outdoors, gave me the talk, and played a full-time role as my golf coach. He drove across counties and states to fuel a dream which would ultimately never come true.Dad welches my first role model. I still want to be him when I grow up.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreThroughout school, I found camaraderie in boys only. Looking back, Im not sure I could have helped it. It made sense that being seated boy-girl-boy-girl was the worst punishment imaginable.Clearly, men ran things. In high school, ur all-male singing group ruled the choir. We were adored, even (especially) if we were terrible.The all-female group received pol ite applause at best, even if they were perfect.And they were often perfect.My first job was more of the same. If you were a man, you got to run the business. You got to rub elbows with the customers. You got to fit in.If you were a woman, you got to bring beer to the men.After leaving work once to hang with some friends, I once said 12 words which make me sick to my stomach todayAny man is pretty much better than any woman at anythingIt got a good laugh and some nods. We all kept on living, steadfast in our beliefs.Imagine my astonishment when I graduated from school and received, by some wicked stab of horrible luck, a string of female bosses.Martha- one of the best editors I have ever known. She spent hours coaching me in the ETSU newsroom, wiping out my idiotic mistakes and showing me a better way.Shanelle- who runs the best summer camp in Nashville, Tennessee. She placed me in an age group I hated at first, then grew to adore. Not many people can demand respect while eating ani mal crackers. Shanelle can.Marissa - led the six-year-olds at said camp. Halfway through one summer, her despicable spouse shattered their marriage. Guess what? Marissa kept doing her job. She showed me how to work like it matters. Because it matters.Tami - ran the Learning and Development team in my first real job. She is unstoppable energy. Most millennial spend a year at their first job. I stayed 5 out of love for her. She made me.Cathy - facilitates my current work life. Every time someone asks how I can be so creative, I point at Cathy. She sorts through dirt and drama and deadlines so I can make a living doing work I love.I could write a book about the other role models in my life, whether I worked for them or not. A few names are Cindy, Paige, Candy, Mary Alice, Alaina, Kayla, Anna, Holly, Kristin, Caitlin, Misty, Juliette, Jeanne, Aysha, Fernanda, Emily, and Lisa and honest to God I shouldnt have started this list because can keep typing for hours and I am very scared I w ill forget someoneOh, and my mother?My mother was there, always. I can give her no higher compliment.Mom was there when dad and I returned from our travel. Mom was there when I asked why girls didnt like me. Mom was there when I went through my first breakup. And when I sobbed in the corner of a funeral home after losing my grandmother, mom was there too.Your grandmother loved you somuch.She said this even though it was her own mother lying lifeless in a coffin six feet away.(By now you will have realized I faked you out with the headline. This felt important enough to pull a cheap internet marketing trick)The reason I dont believe in Womens Day is that there should be no need for such a thing. EVERY DAY should be Womens Day. Any other approach is a miserable injustice.This conclusion didnt happen because I am some evolved, progressive male. It happened because powerful, strong, competent women surgically removed my stubborn chauvinism piece by piece.None of them had to tell me wome n were better, they just WERE better.Do you know why you dont know this? Because women never talk about how good they are.When they do talk, we call them worse words than women.A final thought.I texted my wife Kate about this revelation. Kate is my rock, my light, and my best friend.Also, she tells the truth, which is why when I messaged her how I felt about Womens Day, she responded with thisI already know that shit. Tell theworld.Much love as always ?- Todd BThis article first appeared on Medium.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your 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

How to Become an Information Broker

How to Become an Information BrokerHow to Become an Information BrokerWant to appeal to hiring managers? Come to them with useful information, not an appeal for employment.Almost every week, I lead workshops for laid-off professionals. Their new job is to get a job, and I give them two performance benchmarks for success These job seekers should be having five to six job-search related conversations every day and speaking to two or three hiring managers every week.Job seekers generally understand the importance of that first task, but the second causes eyes to roll. Sure, Im going to have two to three interviews a week, in this economy. RightThats when I correct their interpretation. Did I say interviews? No. I said, Speak to two or three hiring managers every week. That simply means have a conversation with them.How can you get the attention of hiring managers who may be able to help you later? Offer them something of value, without demonstrating blatant expectations for a job. To ge t more participation and better results from hiring managers, become an information broker. Instead of coming to them with your need for a job, approach them for an exchange of information preferably, based on information that you can give them.Someone fixated on approaching a job search through the front door cant understand this approach. Why would a hiring manager speak to me unless its an interview? If the only reason youre speaking to the hiring manager is because you need a job, I agree It wont happen. But if you can find creative reasons to speak with hiring managers or anyone, for that matter for reasons other than your need for a job, you can and will have many conversations that will advance that goal.Nowadays, one surefire way to ensure that you wont have those productive conversations is to wear the fact that you need a job on your shirt sleeve. Crying about your employment situation is depressing, and it will drive away people who could help not because theyre unint erested but because they definitely dont want to come up short if they cant help you. Its easier just to avoid engaging with you.Here are some key points for positive information brokerage1) You can never have too much information. Have you ever had a job you wished youd understood better in advance? Odds are you have. But in your rush to get the job, you skipped some homework on the way. Lets change that. Beginning today, seek information from folks about the direction your job search is headed perhaps that means asking questions about an industry, a trend, a new field youre exploring or some other information that can help you become a better-educated candidate. Not only will you be able to give the people you approach the satisfaction of demonstrating their expertise, but youll gain the tools to make better decisions about your next job.2) You dont need to tell people you need a job. People arent stupid. If you come up with good enough research projects that touch on your areas o f interest and simply start conversing with people on those areas, theyll know that youre interested in pursuing opportunities in that direction. If you build and nurture those relationships over time, they will think of you when they hear about opportunities that might interest you. By seeking information and treating the person you approach like the only person on the face of the planet that can give it to you you will cultivate a bigger circle of influence than you will wearing a sandwich board saying, Out of Work3) Knowledge and information are power. Hiring managers rarely have time to follow everything going on at the cutting edge of their industries after all, theyre busy with their daily tasks. You, on the other hand, have plenty of time to research trends and industry news, and you can parlay that research into information that makes you a valuable information broker, connector and conversation partner. If people in your professional network especially hiring managers c an benefit from talking to you, they will. Increase frequency, and youve got yourself on the radar.What does an information broker look like?In his book What Color is Your Parachute, author Richard Bolles shows the concept of the information broker in action. He tells the story of a gentleman who wanted to get into the petrochemical industry a field he knew nothing about but was fascinated by. So, he set up meetings with companies in the business and used the informational interviews to conduct research on the industry.His initial meetings simply allowed him to learn the terms, issues and workings of the field. As he progresses, he exited each interview with a better understanding of the business. Before long he was able to hold meaningful discussions about the industry. During his fifth such interview, his hosts asked if he would like to view a video they had just compiled about the state of the industry and gave him a copy to take home.On his sixth and subsequent meetings with va rious petrochemical companies, the gentleman would bring the video with him and used it to launch a discussion of his research. By then, he was collecting and sharing information about an industry that he had known nothing about just a few weeks earlier. Hed become a thought leader, an information broker and, thus, someone worth hiring without ever asking.

6 red flags in job descriptions that should have you running for the hills

6 red flags in job descriptions that should have you running for the hills6 red flags in job descriptions that should have you running for the hillsApplying for jobs can feel like a job. But as with your actual career, a little extra effort can go a really long way. Though its super tempting to skim and scan job descriptions in the hopes that the perfect fit will just leap out, this tactic can cause you to waste precious time and energy filling out applications and heading out to interviews that arent right for you.Worse yet, failing to pay attention to job description red flags could cause you to end up working at a job thats a horrible fit. Here are a few red flags that should cause you to think twice about an opportunity.1. The description is missing specificsIf a job description gives scant details, take the lack of information as a warning sign that the company is unsure of what they want. If the company isnt capable of clearly describing what skills and level of experience they require, they likely wont be too great at guiding you into your new role with their company, either. Steering clear of vague descriptions or convoluted titles can save you a lot of frustration and wasted time down the road.2. The description lists too many requirementsAlternatively, excruciatingly specific descriptions can be a bad sign for a different set of reasons. If their post makes them seem like their expectations are too high, that may be a sign that no matter who gets the job, their expectations will continue to be over-the-top. They may also have a poor idea of what the role actually requires, which can lead them to overcompensate by adding more detail than is actually necessary.3. No benefits are mentionedThe employer and employee relationship should be reciprocal. If the description asks for a lot of qualifications, skills and experience without mentioning what the company will do for their employee, consider that to be a major warning sign. Companies who are hesitant t o sing their own praises should be viewed skeptically. After all, if theyre trying to attract the best candidates, shouldnt they be screaming about how great their benefits are? The bottom line if a geschftliches miteinander offers little to no information about the positives of working there, they likely have little to offer.4. Flexibility is mentioneda lotWhile on the surface having work flexibility definitely seems like a positive, a company who overemphasizes the perk may be twisting the words meaning (no pun intended). Choosing what days you come into the office each week and having the ability to decide what hours you work may sound like a dream job come true, but your potential employer could mean that they want you to work nights and weekends. Unless youre cool with answering phone calls after dinner time or spending your weekends submitting status reports instead of chilling at afternoon brunch, approach listings that emphasize schedule flexibility with extreme caution and make sure that before you walk out of an interview, your employer and you share the saatkorn definition of flexible schedule.5. The earning potential sortiment is wideWhen you see $100,000 listed in the space for salary, it can be so hypnotizing that you barely even glance at the first part of the range $30,000. A major disparity between the lowest and highest salary listed is a red flag for a few different reasons. First, if the phrase earning potential is used, that may be a sign that your salary will be based off of commission, which could be a negative- especially if you have little to no sales experience. Second, though you may want to give the place the benefit of the doubt and believe that even if youre not earning six figures, youll be earning something close to it, thats probably just what the employer wants you to think. Having an uncharacteristically high salary listing can attract a higher number of applicants who wont walk away after theyve spent enough time interviewin g and getting roped into working for less than they anticipated.6. The job posting is anonymousThere are a number of reasons why companies may choose to leave out their personenname on posting boards, and some of them are pretty shady. The company may have earned a bad reputation either for poor business practices, being caught in scandal, or being flagged on websites for being a bad employer. Just as companies have the ability to check on prospective employees behavior, so to do prospective applicants have the ability to check on the behavior of companies. Another reason why companies may choose to take the route of anonymity is to hide the fact that they are searching to fill a position that hasnt yet been officially vacated. If this is the case and someone is blindsided shortly before you fill in, this could lead to a major scene on your first day, and hostile coworkers (who may unfairly blame you for the persons recent termination). This could also be a sign that the company in question lets employees go on the spot, which suggests a lack of job security.A version of this post previously appeared onFairygodboss, the largest career community that helps women get the inside scoop on pay, corporate culture, benefits, and work flexibility. Founded in 2015, Fairygodboss offers company ratings, job listings, discussion boards, and career advice.6 red flags in job descriptions that should have you running for the hillsApplying for jobs can feel like a job. But as with your actual career, a little extra effort can go a really long way. Though its super tempting to skim and scan job descriptions in the hopes that the perfect fit will just leap out, this tactic can cause you to waste precious time and energy filling out applications and heading out to interviews that arent right for you.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreWorse yet, failing to pay attention to job description red flags could cause you to end up working at a job thats a horrible fit. Here are a few red flags that should cause you to think twice about an opportunity.1. The description is missing specificsIf a job description gives scant details, take the lack of information as a warning sign that the company is unsure of what they want. If the company isnt capable of clearly describing what skills and level of experience they require, they likely wont be too great at guiding you into your new role with their company, either. Steering clear of vague descriptions or convoluted titles can save you a lot of frustration and wasted time down the road.2. The description lists too many requirementsAlternatively, excruciatingly specific descriptions can be a bad sign for a different set of reasons. If their post makes them seem like their expectations are too high, that may be a sign that no matter who gets the job, their expectations will continue to be over-the-top. They may also have a poor idea of what the role actually requires, which can lead them to overcompensate by adding more detail than is actually necessary.3. No benefits are mentionedThe employer and employee relationship should be reciprocal. If the description asks for a lot of qualifications, skills and experience without mentioning what the company will do for their employee, consider that to be a major warning sign. Companies who are hesitant to sing their own praises should be viewed skeptically. After all, if theyre trying to attract the best candidates, shouldnt they be screaming about how great their benefits are? The bottom line if a business offers little to no information about the positives of working there, they likely have little to offer.4. Flexibility is mentioned a lotWhile on the surface having work flexibility definitely seems like a positive, a company who overemphasizes the perk may be twisting the words meaning (no pun intended). Choosing what days you come into the office each week and having the ability to decide what hours you work may sound like a dream job come true, but your potential employer could mean that they want you to work nights and weekends. Unless youre cool with answering phone calls after dinner time or spending your weekends submitting status reports instead of chilling at afternoon brunch, approach listings that emphasize schedule flexibility with extreme caution and make sure that before you walk out of an interview, your employer and you share the same definition of flexible schedule.5. The earning potential range is wideWhen you see $100,000 listed in the space for salary, it can be so hypnotizing that you barely even glance at the first part of the range $30,000. A major disparity between the lowest and highest salary listed is a red flag for a few different reasons. First, if the phrase earning potential is used, that may be a sign that your salary will be based off of commission, which could be a negative- especially if you have little to no sales experience. Second, though you may want to give the place the benefit of the doubt and believe that even if youre not earning six figures, youll be earning something close to it, thats probably just what the employer wants you to think. Having an uncharacteristically high salary listing can attract a higher number of applicants who wont walk away after theyve spent enough time interviewing and getting roped into working for less than they anticipated.6. The job posting is anonymousThere are a number of reasons why companies may choose to leave out their name on posting boards, and some of them are pretty shady. The company may have earned a bad reputation either for poor business practices, being caught in scandal, or being flagged on websites for being a bad employer. Just as companies have the ability to check on prospective employees behavior, so to do prospective applicants have the ability to check on the behavior of companies. Another reason why companies m ay choose to take the route of anonymity is to hide the fact that they are searching to fill a position that hasnt yet been officially vacated. If this is the case and someone is blindsided shortly before you fill in, this could lead to a major scene on your first day, and hostile coworkers (who may unfairly blame you for the persons recent termination). This could also be a sign that the company in question lets employees go on the spot, which suggests a lack of job security.A version of this post previously appeared onFairygodboss, the largest career community that helps women get the inside scoop on pay, corporate culture, benefits, and work flexibility. Founded in 2015, Fairygodboss offers company ratings, job listings, discussion boards, and career advice.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from kleinstes Franklins daily schedule that will double y our productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people