5 Big Reasons Why Self-Evaluation Should Be Part of Your Year-End Planning

5 Big Reasons Why Self-Evaluation Should Be Part of Your Year-End Planning5 Big Reasons Why Self-Evaluation Should Be Part of Your Year-End PlanningWhen you think about year-end planning, you might be concentrating on taxes, payroll, or closing the books. But theres another part of your year in review thats equally as important self-evaluation.Now is the perfect time to assess where you are, audit where youve been, and prepare for where youre going next. No matter where you are in your career, taking stock of your accomplishments to date will benefit you in many ways.1. Boost your own morale.Reflecting on what youve done to improve yourself and the quality of your work does wonders to further strengthen your motivation and self-esteem. Make a list of networking and professional development events you attended, self-help books you read, and other efforts you made to get healthy, stay organized or reduce stress.2. Brag a little bit.Outlining your specific accomplishments this year, fro m boosting the bottom line to completing projects and initiating new ideas, will help you build confidence so youre better prepared to articulate your strengths or even re-negotiate your compensation.3. Build your skills.Somewhere along the way, you may have missed a beat. By examining the areas where you struggled with challenges, you can identify opportunities to refine your tactics or learn new techniques to enhance your expertise.4. Bring your resume up to date.Job security can be fleeting, so a thoughtful self-evaluation will give you all the particulars you need to revise your qualifications and ensure your resume and online profiles are always at the ready just in case.5. Be all that you can be.No matter how successful youve been this year with exceeding goals and tackling task lists, you might still be feeling unfulfilled. Dont forget to evaluate what was really exciting about your year and what brought you the most personal reward. Where might you see untapped potential or a new passion to explore?Dont rush your self-evaluation this part of year-end planning doesnt have a hard deadline. Take plenty of time to enjoy the exercise and you might learn something new about yourself. If you wrestled with remembering what you did all year, make that a goal for next year to keep more detailed records and make progress notes for yourself each month.

You need these people in your life

You need these people in yur lifeYou need these people in your lifeIllustrations by John P. Weiss.The flight was turbulent, and I was fairly new to air travel. With each bump and strain of the jet engines, my heart lurched and I felt a sense of dread.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moraI was flying to a convention of editorial cartoonists in Minnesota. Excited as I was to piste out with other cartoonists, the rough flight put me in a state of high anxiety.There was a calm looking fellow across from me, who could tell I was a white knuckle flier.Dont fly much? he asked with a smile.No, this is my third flight, ever. I dont like heights, and I hate turbulence I gripped the armrests on my seat tightly.If you like, I might be able to help a little, he said. Give me your right hand.Happy for any distraction, I complied.Im a massage therapist and specialize in pulling out negative energy, he said as he began kneading his thumbs into the palm of my hand. Just try to relax, breathe, and feel the stress work out.Being a fairly pragmatic guy, I was skeptical of anyone claiming mystical abilities, but I went along with it anyway.The guy started to work on my fingers. As he reached each fingertip, he let go and then shook his hand, as if releasing the negative energy he pulled out from each finger.It was strangely relaxing. He finished and then asked for my other hand, repeating the same process.People store so much stress inside themselves, and they dont know how to get rid of it, he said. You have to learn how to breathe better, clear your mind, calm yourself and let the stress work itself out.I think a lot of the stress will disappear when we land, I said with a smile.No, youve got other stress in your hands. I can feel it. You need to work on that, too.When he said that, I thought about some of the relationships and work-related challenges I was working on. Still not traktament on the mystical stuff, I was amazed how much he helped me calm down. And he was right about the other stress in my life.After he finished the hand massage, we talked for a bit about travel and our work. Before I knew it, we were preparing to land, and I thanked him for helping me out.Put on our happyfaceIn this day and age of digital distractions, we tend to disappear into our smartphone screens rather than talk to strangers.Walk into any coffee shop and look around you. Most people waiting in line are busy scrolling on their phones. Some customers may be engaged in conversation, but many are glued to their laptops and tablets.People tend to avoid having conversations with strangers, whether in a coffee shop or commuting on public transportation.Many fear that theyll say something dumb, or worry that the other person will talk their ear off. In reality, there are many benefits in striking up a conversation with a stranger.When we talk with loved ones and friends, we often use a sort of shorthand. Our conversations can be more superficial.Talking with a stranger is different. We tend to behave our best. As anarticlein the New York Times notesThe great thing about strangers is that we tend to put on our happy face when we meet them, reserving our crankier side for the people we know and love. When one of us, Liz, was in graduate school, she noticed that her boyfriend, Benjamin, felt free to act grumpy around her. But if he was forced to interact with a stranger or acquaintance, he would perk right up. Then his own pleasant behavior would often erase his bad moodTalking with strangers can change our perspectives. Meeting people who are not like us is a great way to broaden our views, and shatter some of our biases. And best of all, it enhances our mood.The ethics of strangersAs the world seems to feel more and more insular and hostile, Ive found increasing hope and pleasure in talking to strangers. Ive discovered that people really arent that different from one another.When I visit the grocery store, I always make a point to chat with the cashier. Even the smallest of conversations seem to make both myself, and the cashier, feel a little better.Looks like you guys are pretty busy today, Ill offer.Yeah, it gets like this before the weekend, the cashier replies.Bet it makes the shift go by faster, though.Yeah, it really does, the cashier says with a smile.Well thanks very much, Ill catch you next time, Ill say.What I find is that, on subsequent visits, the cashier and I will remember one another, and often jump right into a new conversation. Theres a sense of familiarity and friendliness, which improves both our moods.My wife once told me about something she called Greyhound therapy. When I looked at her quizzically, she explainedYou know, when youre on a bus and you strike up a conversation with a total stranger. And before long you find yourself sharing feelings and thoughts that you maybe never even shared with your closest frie nds.The beauty of strangers is that they dont know us. Were free from all pretensions and can engage in a more honest, direct conversation. Sometimes its just easier to talk with a stranger, who is not invested in a relationship with you. Also, the feedback you get is likely to be more honest....sometimes one feels freer speaking to a stranger than to people one knows. Why is that?Probably because a stranger sees us the way we are, not as he wishes to think we are.? Carlos Ruiz Zafn, The Shadow of theWindWhen we express simple pleasantries with strangers like hello or how are you we are not really asking for an answer. The purpose of the salutation is to acknowledge their presence and humanity. It builds goodwill and a sense of peace and community.Beautiful interruptionsWe are brought up to be careful, even fearful around strangers. While it is true that we cannot know the intentions of every stranger, most people we meet are not out to harm us.The trick is to read the behavior of o thers more than the categories in our heads. We use categories to simplify how we perceive the world. A guy in a uniform is a cop. The stooped over, wrinkled fellow with a cane is an old man.The problem with these categories is that they can become a pathway to bias. Without talking to these strangers, we dont know what they are really like. And we might just miss out on their wisdom, charm or unique personality.The cop on the corner might be into jazz music as much as you are. That old man with the cane might have some advice for you on how to absprache with loneliness, or losing your spouse.Author Kio Stark gave a helpfulTed talkabout why you should talk to strangers. As she notesWhen you talk to strangers, youre making beautiful interruptions into the expected narrative of your daily life?- ?and theirs. -KioStarkA whole newworldWhen my son was young, he was riding his bike home from school. Somehow, he lost control of his bike and flew over the handlebars.As he lay on the sidewal k, a few strangers came running to his aid. They helped him up, asked if he was okay, and checked to see if his bike was damaged. Luckily, only my sons pride was hurt.I remember, when he told me about the incident, the sense of pride I felt in my community and the good-hearted people who came to help my son.As a police officer, I often came to the aid of accident victims. I could always see it in their eyes, even when they were too scared or injured to speak. The look of gratitude. The relief that someone cared. The renewed sense of hope, that perfect strangers look out for one another.We need strangers in our lives more than we think, but we tend to ignore them. Fear of crime, embarrassment or the unknown keeps us avoiding eye contact. We reach for the distractions of our phone screens.What if we tried a little harder to interact with strangers? What if we struck up a few more friendly conversations? At the market, coffee shop or bus stop?Doing so just might open up a whole new wor ld. Every human being you meet is a walking historian of their lives and experiences. You never know what you might learn, or how your own story might inspire them.Researchindicates that interacting with strangers can uplift your mood and improve your day. So the next time youre at the market or in a line at Starbucks, strike up a conversation with someone you dont know. You might be pleasantly surprised by how good it will make you feel.Before yougoImJohn P. Weiss.I draw cartoons, paint landscapes and write about life. Thanks for readingThis 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

Which Phone Number Should I Put on My Resume

Which Phone Number Should I Put on My ResumeWhich Phone Number Should I Put on My Resume?Which Phone Number Should I Put on My ResumeThe first phone call you receive from a potential employer will likely be a phone screen or a brief phone interview. The point of contact you provide them will dictate how prepared you are to answer their calls and talk to them on the spot.I could say that it doesnt matter which phone number you provide as long as youre available to answer, check messages, and return calls the same day. But its not quite that simple. Heres how to decide which phone number is best for you to put on your resumeWork PhonePros NoneCons Besides being a poor representation of your work ethic (would you use company resources to conduct a job search at your new company, too?), colleagues could overhear your private job search conversations. If word gets around that youre looking, you could find yourself dismissed from your current job before youre prepared to move on to the nex t.Home PhoneProsA solid, uninterrupted connection, free of static and dropped calls that are so prevalent with cell phones.You take the call on your time, in your own comfortable environment.ConsIf anyone else has access to the phone, theres no telling what that person might say. When employers call, they expect to talk to you and only you. (This also applies to children or babies answering the phone, which gives away details of your personal life that should be saved until after you abflug the new job).You can only answer calls and review messages when youre home.Your cute/quirky/sarcastic answering machine message catches the employer off guard and makes an unprofessional impression before they get to talk with you for the first time. Tip If you use your home phone, change your answering machine message to play just your name and number for the duration of your job search.Cell PhoneProsYou can answer, return, and screen calls from wherever you are.You control who answers your phon e.Depending on where you are, you can make time to talk to an employer by stepping outside or into a quiet hallway. You could also hop in your (parked) car to conduct a midday phone interview.If you miss the call, you can call the employer back quickly versus missing the call on a home phone and waiting until the next day to return it.Cons Bad service spots, dropped calls, static, and the dreaded constant interruption. Example You think the person has stopped talking, so you begin to respond and they start talking over you at the same time. Result Repeated awkward moments of Im sorry? I missed that or What was that? You go first.Overall, your decision should be based on what youre most comfortable with and how professional you want to appear. But whatever you do, do NOT use your work phone number