Welcome back, everyone! We hope that you spread the St. Patrick’s Day cheer this weekend and enjoyed all types of celebrations. For us, we made our way down to the Chicago River to bask in its green glory and spent the afternoon with friends! No matter how your weekend looked, there’s no doubt that with daylight savings comes a renewed desire to take advantage of your ‘5-9’ schedule post-work hours. So, are you looking to engage in personal activities and FUN now that your days are filled with extra hours of sunlight? Keep reading below to find out everything you need to know here!

Taking Advantage of Daylight Savings Sunlight:

  • Sports! No matter where you live, you’re likely within a few dozen (or fewer!) miles from your city’s sports arena. This might look like hockey, football, basketball, baseball, soccer, or more, but regardless of which sport you prefer, finding a friend and attending a professional sports game is a great treat. You can often find tickets as soon as a few minutes before and at a discounted price (using apps like Gametime!)! So, if you’re looking to hype up your week and get your energy levels flowing, this is a perfect activity to get you started.
    • Extra Tip: Looking to gather a large group? Finding bleacher or group seating ticket bundles for professional sports games is a perfect way to account for groups greater than ~8 people under a shared interest!
  • Cooking Class: In the interest of expanding skill sets and increasing our talent repertoire, we encourage you to locate your nearest cooking class, or even a free YouTube video to learn a new recipe tonight. As simple as a soup and as complex as a steak dinner, there are millions of resources across social media platforms like TikTok, Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook, sitting at your fingertips to help train you on new cooking methods and skills. And if you’re looking to indulge even more, find a cooking class near you and learn live, in person from a true expert.
  • Painting Class: If you’re interested in getting in tune with your creative side, a painting class is a great way to kick off another new hobby in the new year – so what’s stopping you in 2023? Grab a friend, coworker, mentor, partner, or roommate, or connect with someone you haven’t seen in a while over painting/crafting so as to get involved in an activity while spending quality time with someone you enjoy.
  • Concert, Open Mike Night, Comedy Show: These three activities are highly similar in the way that they provide entertainment, help introduce you to new music or comedy, and are a great venue to bring a whole bunch of friends. Many comedy shows are relatively inexpensive, and it’s easier than you’d think to track down a smaller concert venue (sometimes even within a regular bar!), especially on weeknights to find new music to love and follow. So, try out something new that you might not normally attend by locating a neighborhood theater and seeing a show this week.
  • Walks! Walking opportunities are endless in any city. Whether you now have the ability to walk home from the office with the extra sunshine, find your way to a nearby outdoor path or lake, or find a new friend to get to know over a leisure exercise, this is an invaluable activity to increase positive mental health, physical health, and a great way to pack in socialization to the work day.
  • Picnic Dinner: Maybe a bit early in anticipation of the Spring, but if you’re reading this from somewhere warm, one of our favorite activities is as simple as grabbing a blanket and finding your nearest park, lake shore, field, or outdoor spot to hunker down for a casual dinner. Packing something to bring would make this activity essentially free, but grabbing or trying a new spot on the way is also a fun way to try something new this week.
  • Intramural Leagues: Ultimately, with more daylight comes increased safety and joy of being outside. So, as we gear up for some warmer months coming near, we encourage you to look into your local intramural leagues. Chicago Sport & Social Club promotes many sports leagues for you to get involved in as soon as TODAY! Check out pickleball, volleyball, basketball, bowling, kickball, softball, and MORE! This is one of our favorite ways to connect a wide variety of people in any city and work together toward a shared goal. You can even do this solo and ensure that the organization places you with a surprise-partner and potential new friend!

Searching for a new position? Check out our open jobs list here!

Welcome back to another blog, everyone! This week, I took advantage of the warm outdoor weather and asked a colleague to get coffee from a partnering, external organization. Doing so not only helped us build a professional friendship but was all the more meaningful in person. This got me thinking… as the Spring weather warms up, now is a perfect time to regroup on the importance of networking through professional coffee chats! For those of us who work at large corporations, this can feel like a super attainable activity. However, we encourage you to think beyond the walls of your company and consider external partnerships and professional key players that impact your role. How can YOU put yourself out there to establish these connections for your professional network? Find out everything you need to know below!

Networking through Professional ‘Coffee Chats’

  • Preparation and Purpose: Before engaging in informational chats, it’s crucial to conduct a quick search on the person’s background, and a light gauge of their current work to avoid taking a large portion of time dedicated solely to introductions. Make sure to prepare specific questions relating to their career trajectory, project success, company experiences, etc. If you could ask your prepared questions to anyone, that’s a sign that they are not meaningful enough for the person you’re speaking with.
  • Ask Specific Questions: As it relates to our point above, you should not be asking questions like, “How’d you get here?” or “So, what do you do?” If you’ve initiated a chat, it is likely for a specific purpose to learn more about a role. For example, if you’re speaking to someone on the public relations side of the business, focus questions around, “How have you handled our company’s relationship with X topic/company/etc.? How much of your time do you spend avoiding negative PR vs creating positive PR?” Always make the employee feel valued! After all, they dedicated a portion of their day specifically to you.
    • Extra Tip: If you’re meeting with a professional whose role impacts yours by PROVIDING a tangible output (for example: you are an insurance broker meeting with an insurance carrier who procures insurance ‘quotes’, or deals, for you) think about questions you can ask that relate to their workflow. How can you better partner with this person? What information can you provide to them upfront when submitting a request to ease their tasks? How can you provide additional value so that you can both succeed?
  • Thank Them for their Time! Always always always make sure to express gratitude to the person for taking up a part of their day to speak with you. Thank the person for discussing their role, opening up about a certain topic, offering advice or direction, etc. We also encourage you to follow up with a thank you note or email to wrap up the chat in a kind way.
    • Extra Tip: If you feel that the chat was particularly successful, the end of the call is a fantastic time to ask if the person you’re speaking to has other colleagues, business partners, teammates, mentors, and employees at a company that they recommend you speak with. This is a great way to continue getting your foot in the door and to increase your reach at a potential dream role/job. So, make sure to gauge the level of connection between yourself and the person you’re speaking to, and capitalize on the moment at hand!
  • Maintain the Relationship: A coffee chat might be a periodic occurrence, but communication should not be. Make sure to maintain the relationships that you’ve worked to schedule and cultivate! Whether this means a weekly check-in, an email update of your accomplishments quarterly, or a quick link to a relevant article, make sure to keep in contact and follow up after your thank you note!

Searching for a new position? Check out our open jobs list!

Welcome back to the blog, friends! We are welcoming in the pre-St Patrick’s Day celebration weekend, week, and we are entering it with a smile and a sense of motivation. So, how can you replicate our feelings by diving into your own week with a sense of productivity and stride? Keep reading below to incorporate our favorite productivity hacks into your work and personal days!

Productivity Hacks 101:

  • Create a Pre-Work Morning Routine: While it may be easy to roll your eyes at this one, we can guarantee that by affording yourself some time ahead of logging on to work, you’re sure to engage in a more productive week. Try waking up just 15 or 30 minutes earlier this morning and allowing yourself to indulge in a homemade breakfast, get dressed as you would for the office, take a new workout class, step into a walk around the block, or ‘wake up your brain’ before hopping into your computer screen.
  • Plan Ahead: What are your top priorities? What meals will you cook this week? Are there any appointments that need to be scheduled? Take some time on Sunday or Monday ahead of the work week to identify what you need to get a handle on this week in order to shape your inside and outside of work priorities. There are MANY ways to organize this and we’ve covered several in previous organizational series – check out our posts on time batching, creating schedules, A/B work strategies, and more.
  • Schedule Relaxation Time: Instead of binge-watching your favorite TV show, or falling into the all-too-addicting ‘doom scrolling’, try and schedule some time for a bit of non-screen related relaxation each week. If you struggle to carve out specific time, layer ‘fun’ into your to-do list. For example, while you clean your room or fold laundry, throw on some of your favorite music or a podcast to help you stay focused and continue powering through the week.
  • Dress for Work No Matter Where! While many employees often start the work week from home on a Monday, we encourage you to treat your outfit as you would if it were a day in the office. Putting on a pair of jeans or casual business attire is a great way to differentiate your space from feeling simply like time for bed! So, dress for success by tossing on some work clothes to present yourself with during virtual meetings.
  • Hydrate, Hydrate…Hydrate! Find your favorite water bottle and make sure to schedule drinking water into your day. Whether this means purchasing a water bottle with timestamps as reminders or setting alarms on your phone, ensuring hydration is a great way to sustain the energy for a productive day both during and after work.
    • Extra Tip: Pay attention to nutrients! Balancing the indulgence that often comes during the weekends by ‘getting back on track’ by preparing nutritious meals is a great way to boost your energy any day, any time. Following helpful ‘food-fluencers’, looking up online recipes, and even meal prepping is a great way to ensure you’ll stay on track with healthy habits this week.
  • Get Moving: Whenever you can carve out even just 10 minutes, we highly encourage you to take a step outside for some fresh air and movement! Especially during the summer, many of us are living in cities with walking paths, parks, lakefronts, and various opportunities to get outside. Even just a quick walk will help you clear your mind, keep up positive energy, and regroup to dive into work obligations after a much-needed break.

Searching for a new position? Check out our open jobs list!

Welcome back, everyone! We hope that your week brought satisfaction, fulfillment, and progress toward personal or professional goals alike! If you’ve had an ‘off week’, don’t fret as the weekend is a perfect time to unplug from the woes of work and allow yourself to resettle and regroup into a new mindset for another week.

Today, we wanted to share with you a few key points that will likely impact your career as soon as this year; are you searching for an open job? Open to new roles? Even looking at an internal transition? Well, the reality is that if your role changes at any point over the course of your career, you’re going to need to prepare an exit strategy and plan so as to leave your team in a beneficial position. Keep reading here to find out how to do so!

Smooth Exit Planning with the Below Strategies!

  • Give Ample Notice (Minimum 2 Weeks)! Ultimately, managers and leaders are aware that there will naturally be turnover in their company. However, ensuring that you don’t leave your teammates or direct reports scrambling to complete tasks by providing ample notice of your departure is key to leaving on a positive note. Take stock of your current capacity – are you in busy season? Are you about to wrap up projects at quarter-end? What does your workload look like over the next few months? The more you can plan ahead, the more you can phase your work out toward other teammates in a timely manner.
    • Extra Tip: If your company expects that you provide a letter of resignation, make sure to put thought into it and meaningfully craft your reason for leaving. Express gratitude for the opportunity, your departure date, the reasoning behind your decision, and any related information that can help craft the story of your exit plan.
  • Participate in Exit Interviews: Think about it like this, although you are exiting the company, there are still ways that you can provide value as you make your way out. One super attainable way of doing so is participating in the exit interview process – during this time, you’ll likely connect with an HR representative to discuss feedback you have on the culture, management, your role, etc., as well as your reason for leaving your position. Thinking through valuable feedback to share, layered with personal examples and anecdotes, is a fabulous way of ensuring that your opinions are heard and ideas are shared to shape the company’s policy and culture.
  • Wrap-Up Work and Assist (with Transitions)! As we mentioned above, assisting in the process of transitioning your work off of your plate is a great way to make your exit more seamless. Think about what standard work you can create to document your personal processes. How can you share the knowledge? How can you best create resources to help teammates take over your projects? Setting up time with others who will help contribute to taking over your workload is a great way to solidify professional relationships that will last and a reputation for being a team player!
  • Express Gratitude: As your final date nears, be extra mindful of expressing gratitude to your team and management. Thank anyone who has contributed to your growth and experience at the given company – this might look like a lateral teammate, leadership-level employee, executive, mentor, peer, etc. In the digital age, it is super easy to maintain professional relationships with just about anyone that you’ve ever worked with through platforms like LinkedIn, so ensure that these connections are strong, based on positive perception, and can be elongated throughout the remainder of your career. Like we always say, networking and connections are often the bridge between you and your dream role… so keep up with your professional relationships!

Searching for a new position? Check out our open jobs list!

Good morning, everyone! As we head quickly toward Q2, we are sure that many of you are gearing up to engage in first-quarter check-ins, reviews, goal-setting meetings, and more. If you have a manager invested in these conversations then we encourage you to take advantage of their investment in YOUR growth! This is a fabulous indication from the organization you’re working for that they are truly invested in developing their talent at all levels.

So, how do you extract the most value out of quarterly check-ins? Keep reading below to find out!

Quarterly Check-in Best Practices:

  • Stay Aligned with Goals: If you work for a corporation, you’ve likely engaged in the goal-setting process. What this often looks like is employees utilizing online platforms to input different types of goals (professional, cultural, behavioral, etc.) to create a measure of accountability on a quarterly, bi-annual, or annual basis. So, before engaging in the conversation with your manager, review the goals you set for the year so that you can evaluate how you measure up to where you should be tracking!
  • Create a Comfortable Atmosphere: Remember, you will get out of the conversation precisely what you give! Put meaningful effort into evaluating how you’ve met goals, made progress towards goals, turned in unanticipated directions, adapted goals, or even fallen short. It’s okay to learn and to grow! Goals are fluid and not fixed, so they can change to adapt to how your role ebbs and flows throughout the year. On that same note, we encourage you to jot down a few notes and document your ideas of how to adapt those goals in your internal HR system so that they are reflective of the rest of your year! Showcasing your own preparation will not only provide your manager with the tools to conduct a meaningful conversation but will benefit you long-term too.
  • Call out Your Own Constructive Criticism: Before entering into the conversation, identify areas that you could personally see a need for growth or that you anticipate a person in leadership may call out. That way, you’ll avoid ever coming across as arrogant or unaware of yourself and areas of opportunity. I specifically measured the metrics in my goals against my performance (ex: aim for 5 meetings with various company leaders – did you have 3? 6? How are you measuring up?), and in doing so, was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to seek out my own areas of improvement.
  • Say Thank You: While you should always thank someone else for taking the time to engage with you no matter what the topic, it’s especially important to thank your manager for feedback and not express any animosity depending on the result. Getting constructive criticism is a part of life, and a vital skill to success is being able to channel those types of messages with action and appreciation.

Searching for a new position? Check out our open jobs list!

Welcome back everyone and Happy Friday! Today, we wanted to hone in on a topic we’ve spoken about before, but one that is forever relevant and valuable to our business model. As you may realize from scanning our open job boards, most of our positions focus on law firms and different roles within their organizations; so, how do you become qualified candidates for OUR open roles? Find out everything you need to know below!

And remember… we’re always here to help! If you have specific questions relating to roles or would like to connect for a chat with any of our teammates, simply make sure to email [email protected]. to get started.

Becoming Qualified Candidates for Our Open Roles:

  1. Understanding the Role: Before embarking on your quest to find a business development and marketing position in a global law firm, it’s crucial to gain a comprehensive understanding of the role. This multifaceted position typically involves developing strategic initiatives, identifying new business opportunities, managing client relationships, and creating and implementing marketing campaigns. Familiarize yourself with the specific skills, knowledge, and experiences sought after by law firms to tailor your approach accordingly.
  2. Leveraging Legal Background: Having a legal background can be a valuable asset when seeking business development and marketing roles in law firms. Your legal knowledge enables you to comprehend the intricacies of legal services, understand the target audience, and effectively communicate with attorneys and clients. Highlight your legal education and experience, as it demonstrates your ability to bridge the gap between legal expertise and business development/marketing strategies.
  3. Building a Strong Professional Network: Networking plays a pivotal role in landing a position in a global law firm. Attend legal industry conferences, seminars, and networking events to connect with professionals in the field. Join legal and marketing associations to gain insights and access to job opportunities. Engage with individuals working in business development and marketing roles in law firms to learn about their experiences and seek guidance. Cultivating a strong network can help you tap into the hidden job market and gain valuable referrals.
  4. Showcasing Professionals Skills and Expertise: Demonstrate your proficiency in areas relevant to business development and marketing in law firms. Highlight your ability to create compelling marketing content, develop strategic plans, conduct market research, and manage client relationships. Emphasize your understanding of legal ethics, regulations, and the unique challenges faced by the legal industry. Use your resume, cover letter, and online platforms like LinkedIn to showcase your skills and expertise effectively.
  5. Showing Your Research (of Global Law Firms!): Thoroughly research global law firms that align with your career goals and values. Explore their websites, social media platforms, and press releases to gain insights into their business development and marketing initiatives. Identify the specific areas of focus, industries served, and geographic regions the firm operates in. Tailor your application materials to demonstrate your knowledge of the firm’s brand and how you can contribute to its growth and success.
  6. Displaying Relevant Experience: Securing relevant experience can significantly enhance your chances of landing a business development and marketing position in a global law firm. Seek internships, part-time roles, or projects within legal organizations or marketing departments to gain practical exposure. Consider volunteering your services to legal nonprofits or pro bono initiatives, as this demonstrates your commitment to the legal profession and community. Building a strong track record of accomplishments will make you a more attractive candidate.
  7. Showcasing Your Personal Brand: In today’s digital age, building a personal brand can set you apart from the competition. Establish an online presence by creating a professional website, maintaining an active and professional social media presence, and sharing industry insights through blogging or contributing to legal publications. Curate your online presence to reflect your expertise and passion for business development and marketing in the legal field.

Securing a business development and marketing position in a global law firm requires a strategic approach, perseverance, and a unique blend of legal and marketing skills. By understanding the role, leveraging your legal background, networking effectively, showcasing your skills, conducting thorough research, gaining relevant experience, and developing a personal brand, you can position yourself as a strong candidate in this exciting field.

Embrace the journey, stay proactive, and embrace opportunities that come your way as you embark on this rewarding career path. Good luck! And if you’re ready to get started… check out our open jobs list!

Welcome back, everyone! As Chicago has seemingly entered a faux-Spring (with yesterday topping off at 70 degrees!), we are surely feeling a renewed sense of energy and motivation this week. Today, we wanted to share with you a few of the most important, best practices through which to incorporate into your work travel days.

Click HERE if you are participating in any work travel, have plans to step into a role that requires travel, or are interested in these types of positions and what it may look like for YOU!

Let’s Chat… Work Travel “Prep”

Night Before

The night before the flight is undoubtedly your time to shine. What do we mean by that? Capitalize on your home Wi-Fi, download movies, shows, podcasts, music, and more,… and take advantage of this time to have everything you need for the actual plane ride intact! Follow along with the checklist we created to assemble your carry-on.

  • Chargers – for all tablets, laptops, cellphones, headphones, and more!
  • Downloads – Podcasts, Movies, TV, Music, and more!
  • Any snacks to get you through the day (granola bars, bagged snacks, etc.)
  • An empty water bottle to bring with you on vacation – make sure that there are no liquids left in its content so as to avoid problems at security!
  • Any books or beach essentials to start on the plane…
  • Hand wipes, sanitizer, face masks, and other resources to allow you to reach optimal comfort on the flight. 
  • Neck pillows, blankets, or other seat compliments. 
  • Work essentials, briefcase/bag, computer, notepad, pens, pencils, glasses, ID card, and anything to assist you in your professional endeavors and meetings for the upcoming day.

Morning Of

We encourage you to use the morning of to secure all of your vacation essentials. At this point, it would be most beneficial for your carry-on and flight belongings to be prepared and ready to grab on the way out the door. But… ensure to check if you packed:

  • Professional clothing… and options! After all, you won’t be absolutely sure of the correct attire until you arrive, so be sure to prepare yourself with suits, button-downs, tops, blouses, pants, skirts, and alternatives so that you can ensure you are optimally comfortable once you arrive.
  • Pajamas.
  • Exercise or activity clothing/gear.
  • Night-time outfits for a fancier “vibe” – always remember to bring extra layers or jackets in case your location cools off or endures a breeze!
  • All appropriate shoes: for work meetings, professional events, exercise, lounging, nights out, and walks around town.
  • “Hang out” clothing like tees, shorts, sweats, and other comfort essentials for personal time. 
  • If you’re going someplace warm (and you have downtime)… bathing suits, sunscreen, hats, flip flops, ponytails, scrunchies, cover-ups, and all of your pool go-to’s!

We hope that this list provides MORE than enough of a start for you to be secure as you step onto your flight. Safe travels and we hope you enjoy your trip!

If you’re looking for a new position… check out our open jobs list!

Welcome back, everyone! We hope you’re enjoying the feeling of a short week and that the weekend is on the horizon. As Chicago seems to have temporarily surpassed the winter cold (shoutout to Punxsutawney Phil!), we are certainly enjoying days filled with sun, warmth, and opportunities to gain fresh air on walks or outdoor runs. For any of you who love to rollerblade, walk, bike, skate, rollerskate, run, or play outdoor sports, this is a perfect weekend to capitalize on a rare winter chance to fully embrace the feelings of Spring.

However, we also know that with warm weather comes feelings of angst being trapped indoors at an office all day. So, we’re here to offer you a few of our key strategies below to help YOU lighten up the work day by integrating pieces of your home routine and ‘home favorites’ into your office space and work atmosphere. Keep reading below to learn HOW to do so as soon as TODAY!

Lighten Up Your Desk and Office Environment!

  • Coffee Routine: While caffeinated drinks certainly don’t jive with everyone, curating my perfect cup of coffee is admittedly my morning highlight. I encourage you to find a reason to get excited every morning; maybe your cup of coffee takes the form of a bagel, bowl of yogurt, cup of fruit, smoothie, matcha, tea, or simply water… whatever it is, make it uniquely yours. I specifically enjoy K-cups, with Trader Joe’s chocolate oat milk and a tablespoon of cinnamon (sometimes with a spoonful of collagen when I’m feeling extra motivated). Spending an extra few moments to feel like a barista makes coffee an activity to look forward to instead of another task to complete, it’s all about framing it in your mind. Especially if you’re returning to work, having a ‘sweet treat’ to bring on the go as your commute is a fantastic way to jump-start your day with positivity and delight.
  • Pictures! Smiling at a picture of my puppies is always a pleasant and shining moment in my day. Think about printing or collecting a bunch of pictures of your favorite things (activities, restaurants, vacation spots, memories, family, and friends) to serve as a visual reminder of why we work…. to live (and certainly not the other way around)! Printing photos at places like Walgreens or UPS is a super cost-effective way to DIY a collage that can hang at your desk, sit within a frame, and provide you joy throughout the work day.
  • Candles and Scents: Another way that I make my space as pleasant as can be is by lighting a candle each morning when I sit down. Crafting a perfect scent to blanket the room and my space makes my day feel curated, custom, and exactly what fits my preferences. This could look like incense, candles, wall plug-ins, flowers, or whatever else you need to feel your best in your space – be mindful of how physically close your desk is to others in the office for this one. But, if you can find an isolated space or set an agreement about scents with your teammates, you can curate an ‘office scent’ that mimics home as soon as today!
  • Colorful Pens and Sticky Notes: This may sound pretty niche, but I find unexpected pleasure in writing in colorful pens, crafting notes on colored stickies, and making my space colorful. Whether these details impact your mood and productivity is, of course, a personal preference, but I would definitely recommend it! It is also crucial that you identify the most productive way that you can retain information – whether this is on your computer, physically on a sticky, or even in a notebook, make sure to collect the materials that will allow you to accomplish your best work.
  • Cords, Plug-ins, and Technical Equipment: To wrap things up, in order to set yourself up for a smooth transition into an in-person office desk space, you must ensure that you have all the necessary materials handy to complete daily tasks. Whether this looks like your HDMI cord to link your laptop to a monitor, headphones that plug into your computer, or other equipment to ready your space, gather it all or request it from your company prior to your first physical day-in.

Searching for a new position? Check out our open jobs list!

Happy President’s Day, everyone! For those of you who are working today, we hope that your week is off to a great start and that even though you may feel glued to your desk, the sunlight is brightening your day (at least for us Chicagoans)! However, many of us are off today and that brings us back to a topic we love to touch base on every so often… managing your workflow and catching up on work after a long weekend.

Especially as you jump into a short week, and potentially condensed timelines to submissions and due dates, we’re here to get you back on track. Keep reading HERE to learn how to best manage your inbox and catch up on overload from a long weekend below…

Let’s…Catch up after the Holiday (or a Long Weekend)!

  • Hydrate: One of the best ways to stay awake and help your body get back into the swing of a healthy week is to keep yourself hydrated. Keep a water bottle by your desk and try to drink the entire thing multiple times throughout the day; and if you’re worried about forgetting, set reminders on your calendar or mobile phone to do so! There are also a variety of water bottles available everywhere that track time stamps on the side to remind you to keep up through the day.
    • Extra TipIn order to encourage yourself, try forcing yourself to finish a glass of water prior to a morning juice, matcha, or caffeine! That way, your drink of choice will serve as a reward instead of as a starting point for your day.
  • Nutrients! As enticing as it may feel to snack on chips, morning sweets, or any junk food, try to jump-start your week with nutrients instead. Starting off the week with healthy meals will rejuvenate your body and ensure that you are feeling energized and prepared for all obligations. On the same note, we also offer you the tip to bring workout clothes to work, as it may be your key to stepping back into the gym (and will also save the time of having to stop back home).
    • Extra TipIf you feel limited in your ability to dedicate time to meal prepping or creating nutrient-dense meals, check out one of the endless meal kit programs offered online! Not only are these friendly toward a variety of diet focuses and preferences, but are often even more affordable than independently grocery shopping. Planning ahead with a week’s worth of meals is a perfect strategy to ‘set yourself up for success’ and minimize an item on your daily to-do list.
  • Stay Organized: Making a to-do list, filling out a daily planner or calendar, or even using a sticky note and writing down what you need to complete is proven to help individuals accomplish their daily tasks and goals. This will also keep you organized and decrease your chance of forgetting a meeting or assignment. Make sure to check out the multiple articles we’ve written in the past to learn about certain scheduling strategies that could assist your organization… we recommend starting with ‘time-blocking’!
  • Check-In: With your inbox! Try out a “priority” folder to move all of your most important emails from the weekend into a different space, as we all know how crowded an inbox may become even after a single day off. Make sure to keep your team in the know about where your projects or outstanding requests are on their way to completion – while you’re not expected to finish all of your obligations momentarily, you are expected to inform those who rely on your work when they can expect it!
  • Let Yourself Breathe: Finally,… schedule breaks into your day as you would any other obligation! Letting yourself have time to relax is equally as important as completing your work to your mental clarity and ability to maintain motivation.

Searching for a new role? Check out our open jobs list!

Welcome back to Part 2, everyone! Today, let’s chat about the benefits of rotation programs for post-graduate students and why you should consider these types of opportunities during your job search.

Benefits of Post-Grad Rotation Programs

  • City Exploration: With many companies still offering full-time remote opportunities or pushing for a return to in-office work, a rotation program in a new city is a great way (or excuse) to push you to explore a different location for a limited amount of time! Especially for those students who don’t yet have a full-time position secured upon graduation, moving away and knowing that there is essentially an “expiration” date for you to reevaluate your goals should provide a huge sense of comfort and is the epitome of… why not?! So, we encourage you to take a deep breath even if you have no plan for your career, and shift your mindset into evaluating a rotation program as a lever toward exploring a variety of interests in roles or locations throughout the U.S…. and beyond!
  • Career Exploration: In a similar way to how a rotation program may encourage you to try out a completely new environment, this job format may also provide you a chance to explore multiple career paths and try something that you may have never previously considered! Why not go for that accounting, marketing, graphic design, fashion, product development, supply chain, real estate, finance, or any other role that taps into a newfound skill set that you haven’t ever been able to develop in the past?! If you’re itching with discomfort about knowing what you ‘want to do’ forever, don’t fret! That is a completely normal feeling that you can easily tackle while becoming even more experienced. Consider taking a few LinkedIn courses with the downtime you have over school breaks or the summer to preview a variety of fields and skill sets to identify those that leave you feeling inspired.
  • Networking: Additionally, as rotation programs inherently provide opportunities for participants to rotate throughout companies and organizations, you’ll be immediately set up for networking success! Simply by working on a variety of teams, you’ll be afforded the chance to connect with a variety of different employees, to further evaluate where you are best suited in terms of team culture, skills, and more. If you do pursue this type of program, always take advantage of networking events, coffee chats, ‘speed dating’ events, employee resource groups, and other avenues through which to connect with others and leave the most impactful footprint on a company as you can. Whether you stay at an organization after the program or venture toward a new opportunity, creating a network of support may very well provide the bridge toward returning to a company one day and maintaining positive sentiment.
  • Friends! It’s easy to overlook one of the most crucial components of job satisfaction… work friends! These are the people that you will end up spending the vast majority of your days with, so it is important that you find a culture fit and develop professional relationships that help embed fun into your daily tasks. Engaging in a rotation program is a great way to create friendships within your ‘rotation class’ and those above and below you. As I’ve found, rotation participants are notably linked throughout the company by their shared experience (no matter the age or seniority!). Especially if you’re considering a new city, this is a top benefit to aid your social life and connection to others.

Searching for a new position? Read through our open jobs!

Welcome back everyone and hoping you’re recovering from a wonderful Super Bowl Sunday! No matter who you were rooting for, we had a blast joining with family and friends and celebrating what feels like a truly significant American Holiday.

While our bellies are still full of wings, pizza, and dips galore, our brains are ready to tune into another work week and re-engage with productivity. If you’re coming up on college graduation, sifting your way through the job market, or otherwise curious as to what a rotation program is… this article is for you!

Keep reading to learn about what a rotation program can offer and why you may consider it as an entry-level opportunity!

All About Rotation Programs:

  • Duration: First and foremost, the duration of a role rotation will fluctuate depending on which company you are working for. Even within an internal rotation program, durations may shift anywhere between 6-month, 9-month, and 1-year depending on the needs of the business! The rotation program I engaged in post-grad followed 2, 1-year-long rotations throughout different areas of the enterprise. Engaging in this long of a rotation allowed me to feel fully immersed in a team, valuable in projects I accomplished, and even ready for a new endeavor and transition! However, participants may also advocate for shorter length of role experiences so as to become exposed to additional areas of a business prior to pursuing a position long-term.
  • Role Selection and Placement: Another variable of rotation programs is your ability to contribute to the role that you are placed in. Some companies may completely decide your rotation placement for you and have consistent rotation positions that remain the same and “rotate” through employees, whereas others might change every cycle! It is key to discuss with your hiring manager what this will look like as you are applying and also once you are involved in the program so that you know what to expect. If per se, you will be able to have a voice in the way you rotate through the company, it’s even more beneficial to get ahead and start networking ASAP to build connections and be able to gauge which areas of the organization might need future help (in the form of a rotation) soon!
  • Rotation Transitions, Best Practices: What do I mean by this? You likely won’t have an exact rotation date where 100% of your work shifts to another employee as you rotate onto a new team. If you’ve worked in a corporate setting, you know how easily lines get blurred as timelines shift and responsibilities are adjusted when employees move into new internal roles. So, make sure to discuss your transition plan with your manager; do they expect a 50:50 ratio shift when you change positions for the first few weeks? 75:25, 80:20? These are crucial questions to ask so that you can shape your transition plan and set expectations with your new manager.
    • Extra Tip: Plan ahead and begin crafting your exit resources approximately 60 days before you depart from the team. Whether this looks like creating standard work to follow within software programs, project submissions, communications, etc., or other resource guides, use your final weeks to get ahead of these deliverables! Doing so will not only help the person who back-fills your role but will alleviate the potential of you having to complete more work after you leave as a result of a lack of knowledge on a certain process.

Why should you consider rotation program opportunities? Find out on Friday!

Searching for a new position? Read through our open jobs!

Welcome back, everyone! Hope you had a great week and are chugging toward the Spring with every next day. With the sun setting later, and daylight savings on the horizon, there is a renewed sense of hope in the air and refreshment around us! On that positive note, we’re excited to regroup on a topic that is everlasting in important in the workplace and corporate world…. soft skills! We often remind you of the resources to tap into online to take on new certificates, courses, licensing, or other valued attributes of your job. However, how do candidates differentiate themselves off of paper, during interviews, and distinguish across several hundred others? Keep reading to find out below!

What are Soft Skills?

Soft skills won’t look like something technical, for example, having proficiency working in Excel. However, your ability to network, advocate in interviews, communicate across all role levels, manage your time, empathize with coworkers, actively listen, and contribute to meetings, and the intangible assets you bring to the table are those that will define your soft skill competencies. These skills are heavily valued by recruiters, employers, and managers as they make up the, sometimes unmeasurable, aspects of employees who become distinguishably successful in organizations.

Another key attribute of soft skills is the way that they will impact any transition into a higher role (like going from individual contributor to manager), shifting into a new space (like going from Marketing to Operations), or meeting and onboarding teammates. Soft skills, not narrowly linked to a software platform or output, are those that can transfer into multiple areas. Take it this way… can you think of any corporate role that doesn’t include meeting invites and expectations to participate in group settings? Well, having strong communication, collaboration, and teamwork skills will integrate into success in any team setting!

Extra Tip: Especially as you phase college, volunteer, and other experiences out of your resume due to relevancy, make sure to always include a section for soft corporate skills! These will likely be the bridge that separates you from the next candidate and is super important to your overall profile and perception.

How do you grow your Soft Skills?

In reality, soft skills are less measurable and executable than ‘hard’ – you can’t take a test to measure your ability to empathize, or ask impactful questions in meetings. However, many corporate companies, as well as online platforms like LinkedIn, offer courses that employees can enroll in to improve upon these skills. Make sure to check in with your management to get a sense of the corporate buzz around your reputation, and identify certain skills where you have room for improvement. This way, you can be intentional when drafting a timeline and goal-setting for specific skills, as well as narrowing down online enrollment in courses to those most relevant to your development. Also, make sure to frequently check in with leadership about skills that are highly valued in future positions you may pursue, across your organization, or in other areas that you could transition into.

Check out the top 15 soft skills as defined by Workable…HERE!

Searching for a new role? Check out our open jobs list!

Welcome back, everyone! Since we last spoke, Punxsutawney Phil graced us with the optimism of an Early Spring, and Chicago experienced its (seemingly) first sunny and relatively warm day since the beginning of this winter. If you’re like us, then we hope you enjoyed some extra time spent outdoors, relishing in the warmth of the sun and taking advantage of fresh air. However, we know that this season often comes with extra downtime spent indoors and feeling a bit limited regarding access to activities. So, how can you capitalize on the winter season and take advantage of extra time at home? Keep reading HERE to find out!

Capitalizing on Downtime

Professional Maintenance

Ultimately, we are laser-focused on helping each of you optimize your professional presence to grow into strong candidates in your field. Especially at the beginning of the year, it’s more likely than not that you set out on a few professional goals; whether this is intentionally guided by your HR department or manager, or an independent, organic activity, the New Year undoubtedly brings optimization to front of mind. If you’re aiming toward developing a new professional skill, embarking on a certification or role-focused course, or otherwise investigating a new career path, the winter is a perfect time to get started. We recommend you conduct a quick Google Search to scan pricing, availability, and access to a certification or course you have in mind. From there, identify whether this is an asynchronous or scheduled type of activity, and start to map out how it will look in your daily or weekly schedule. For example, can you dedicate 10 minutes per day to an online module? 30 minutes? Or maybe 2 hours every week? Creating accountability by integrating a new activity into your schedule is a great way to transition dreams into reality and begin the journey toward achieving your next goal.

  • Extra Tip: ‘Down-time’ provides a perfect chance for you to re-engage with your online profiles, review your resume, and ‘upkeep’ your professional toolbox. Even if you’ve spent the past several years at one company, or do not have a current intent to leave, it is still crucial to be constantly treating your resume as an evolving product of your success and work. While it may feel easy to push this off to the side, tracking accomplishments and making updates in real time is the best strategy for ensuring you don’t forget about the little wins you’ve had along the way to your career growth.

Check-in on Your Personal Goals

On a separate note, downtime also provides an ample opportunity to check in on your personal goals developed in the New Year. Have you kept up with your new exercise routine? Have you practiced that new skill you were pining for in January? Have you maintained the healthy lifestyle, diet, or activity you embraced at the start of the year? If not, don’t get too down on yourself, and take advantage of a free night and its ability to help you reset into productive habits. For example, if you were aiming to become a better cook in the new year and embrace new recipes, engaging in a meal-prepping kit or service is a great way to map out your and ‘force’ yourself into a helpful habit. On the other hand, if you have fallen off of a New Year workout routine, this week is a great time to re-engage with an online video from the comfort of your home! However big or small the activity, showing yourself that you can stick to your personal goals is one of the key responses to developing confidence in all areas of your life.

Try Something… New! Building skills and Exploring new Hobbies

Finally, for those of us who embraced the New Year without a lengthy list of resolutions, then there is no better time to develop a new interest or hobby than today! Remember that not all activities need to become lifestyles, and diving into a new skill may be just the thing to get you through the day or week. But if you have ever been interested in learning a new language, practicing an instrument, developing a crafting or art technique, embracing a craft like knitting or embroidering, cooking, baking, journaling, meditating, or anything else… winter is the perfect time to do so! Take advantage of a day off of work (like a Sunday) to take a trip to the store and gather the materials you’ll need for your new activity, and transform a night of downtime into an exciting new experience.

Searching for a new position? Check out our open jobs list!

Welcome back to part 2… Keep reading to wrap up our latest, new jobs we’ve posted since the new year has arrived!

…. And remember, for more details on any of these open opportunities, please send your resume and position of interest to: [email protected]. We are so excited to meet all of you!

Check out Our Open Jobs:

  1. Billing Specialist
    • Target Salary: Highly competitive salary, benefits package, and bonus.
    • Attributes: Work with our global AM LAW 50 law firm client in their Chicago office!
  2. Senior Billing Specialist
    • Target Salary: Highly competitive salary, benefits package, and bonus.
    • Attributes: Work with our global AM LAW 50 law firm client in their Washington DC office!
  3. Billing Specialist
    • Target Salary: Highly competitive salary, benefits package, and bonus.
    • Attributes: Work with our global AM LAW 50 law firm client in their Washinton DC office!
  4. Accounting Project Manager
    • Target Salary: Highly competitive salary, benefits package, and bonus.
    • Attributes: Work with our global AM LAW 50 law client firm in their Chicago office!
  5. Conflicts Staff Attorney
    • Target Salary: Highly competitive salary, benefits package, and bonus.
    • Attributes: Work with our global AM LAW 50 law firm client firm in their Chicago office!
  6. Business Development and Marketing Manager (Global Arbitration)
    • Target Salary: Highly competitive salary, benefits package, and bonus.
    • Attributes: Work with our global AM LAW 50 law firm client firm in their Washington DC office!
  7. Conference Center Manager
    • Target Salary: Highly competitive salary, benefits package, and bonus.
    • Attributes: Work with our global AM LAW 50 law firm client firm in their Chicago office!
  8. Senior Business Development and Marketing Manager (Regulatory and Enforcement)
    • Target Salary: Highly competitive salary, benefits package, and bonus.
    • Attributes: Work with our global AM LAW 50 law firm client firm in their Washington DC office!
  9. Business Development and Marketing Manager (Regulatory and Enforcement)
    • Target Salary: Highly competitive salary, benefits package, and bonus.
    • Attributes: Work with our global AM LAW 50 law firm client firm in their Washington DC office!

Looking for the full list of our current open jobs? Click HERE!

Welcome back, everyone! With Chicago experiencing a brief relief from the cold, we hope that our Midwest followers can escape into the outdoors and catch up on some fresh air this week. We are also super excited to share some of the new jobs we’ve posted since the new year has arrived; keep reading below to learn about SEVERAL exciting new job opportunities with our client firms.

…. And remember, for more details on any of these open opportunities, please send your resume and position of interest to: [email protected]. We are so excited to meet all of you!

Check out Our Open Jobs:

  1. Litigation Legal Assistant
    • Target Salary: Range of $70,000 to $90,000.
    • Attributes: Chicago-based mid-size law firm client, great benefits (hybrid).
  2. Insurance Coverage Associate Attorney
    • Target Salary: Range of $110,000 to $160,000 plus benefits and bonus.
    • Attributes: Work for our prominent Chicago-based boutique firm client.
  3. Legal Billing Assistant (part-time 3 days per week)
    • Target Salary: Highly competitive hourly wage.
    • Attributes: Contract role with a prestigious Chicago-based boutique law firm.
  4. Communications Specialist
    • Target Salary: To $85,000.
    • Attributes: Work for our global law firm client. Position can sit in the client firms Chicago, Dallas, or Houston office.  Excellent benefits and firm culture!
  5. DEI Director
    • Target Salary: Highly competitive salary, benefits package, and bonus.
    • Attributes: Work for our global AM LAW 50 firm client. Position can sit in their LA, Century City, or Palo Alto offices.
  6. Pricing Manager
    • Target Salary: Highly competitive salary, benefits package, and bonus.
    • Attributes: Work with our global AM LAW 50 firm client in their Chicago office.
  7. Business Development and Marketing Coordinator
    • Target Salary: Highly competitive salary, benefits package, and bonus.
    • Attributes: Work with our global AM LAW 50 law firm client in their Chicago office.
  8. Partner Recruiting Assistant
    • Target Salary: Highly competitive salary, benefits package, and bonus.
    • Attributes: Work with our global AM LAW 50 law firm client in their Chicago office.
  9. Billing Assistant
    • Target Salary: Highly competitive salary, benefits package, and bonus.
    • Attributes: Work with our global AM LAW 50 law firm client in their Chicago office.

Looking for the full list of our current open jobs? Click HERE!

Welcome back to a blog that’ll ensure you wrap up your week with a smile! As we spoke about on Tuesday, the way that employees perceive company values and align with their mission should be at the top of every employer’s mind. Especially as it relates to younger generations, employees feel empowered to seek new opportunities for reasons based on fulfillment and job satisfaction more than any other working demographic. So, how can you keep up and ensure you meet your retention goals as a manager, executive board member, or overall organization?

Keep reading HERE to learn all about how employers can ‘treat’ and support their employees across any industry and for any role.

Creating Fulfillment and Job Satisfaction as an Employer:

  • Referral, End-of-Year, or Quarterly Bonuses: While the compensation-focused employee incentives are certainly the most obvious, they do not go unnoticed! Whether an impromptu quarterly bonus after a well-performing period, a scheduled merit increase on an annual basis (even of a few %!), or referral bonuses for word of mouth, all bonuses are regarded with gratitude and appreciation. Especially in our current economy, a few extra dollars per paycheck may amount to greater comfort in purchasing gas, groceries, or other necessities throughout the year.
  • Wellness Days: While your employee base always welcomes general PTO, additional incentives in the form of wellness days (typically on a quarterly basis) are a great way to stimulate motivation and gratitude. Some companies even provide stipends to employees aimed at their engagement with wellness (that are factored into compensation)! Whatever it looks like for your company, implementing this type of award showcases an employer’s belief in the value of mental wellness and commitment to ensuring it is met by their employees.
  • Office Amenities
    • Free Coffee and Breakfast Treats: An easy (and often expected) part of the day… is employers providing coffee! This is a great way of saying an informal thank you to your employees who may commute from all different types of neighborhoods or cities to get to your office. Not only is starting the day with a cup of coffee and a sweet treat a great way to increase positive sentiment in the office, but stimulates productivity too.
    • Casual Dress Day: If you have a strict dress policy in your office, think about ways to ‘offset’ the professional requirement, where possible, to allow employees to dress down and wear casual clothing every month, or maybe even more frequently (like on Fridays!).
    • Treat Everyone to Lunch or Dinner: Especially for employers in industries like Accounting, layered with busy seasons, saying thank you in the form of treating your employees to lunch or dinner not only offsets the commuting cost of getting to the office, but provides an unexpected treat as well. These small acts will likely not impact your overall budget or net profit, but go a long way in the form of showing employees you care about their office attendance and strive to incentivize their desire to continue coming in.
    • Gyms, Fitness Classes, Health-Related Discounts: Think of ways that you can afford your employees even MORE opportunities to come into work beyond the scope of their desks. Especially for employers renting out or moving into new spaces, think about aspects of the building’s amenities like a gym, fitness classes, generalized health discounts for online or in-person programs, etc.
    • Ergonomic Office Chairs: Finally, and sometimes the most important, is ensuring that your office is a COMFORTABLE space… physically! We encourage you to splurge on seating and other equipment that contributes to the ease of working in-person, technical efficiencies, and general comfort. Replacing old chairs, keeping up with modern themes, and announcing these investments is an easy way to both satisfy employee expectations while ‘tooting your own horn’ for continuously investing in top-of-the-line materials!
  • Consistent Recognition Programs: Do you announce employee achievements? Do you host quarterly or consistent meetings to spotlight those employees who went above and beyond? Make sure that your company has programs in place that recognize employees for positive performance, innovations, and contributions to the overall culture. Doing so will create fulfillment, celebrate achievement, and incentivize other employees to aspire to greatness!

Remember, Investing in Employees is an Investment in Yourself as an Overall Company or Individual Employer!

If you’re reading this and thinking about how it may apply to you… remember that investing in your employees is an investment in yourself! Not only will doing so lower your turnover and therefore the cost of retaining and training new employees, but will also increase company-wide motivation and productivity. Elevating your culture through in-office presence now requires additional investment by employers to create space employees WANT to come to each day… so use the above tools to begin evaluating how your office matches up to corporate expectations in 2024!

Searching for a new position? Check out our open jobs list!

Welcome back to another week, everyone! We hope you had a great weekend.

Today, we’d like to discuss a topic that is forever on the mind of corporate employees: “How often should I be in office?” The concept of ‘flexibility’ in the corporate space has undoubtedly taken on a mind of its own since the COVID-era of employment. We are now faced with a variety of approaches to in-office expectations and employee flexibility, so finding what works for you may look completely different than the next person! However, what is the current sentiment around in-office work? Where do employees WANT to be on a daily basis? Find out through some interesting Chicago Tribune insights below!

Thoughts from the Chicago Tribune…

“In the uneasy tug of war between bosses and workers about how much time should be spent in the office, new evidence reveals that many employees think they should come in more often than they do.

Office workers recently surveyed by an international architecture firm reported that they typically come into the office about half the time, but said they ideally needed to be there two-thirds of a typical workweek for their best productivity. The workers’ attitudes mark a change from the early months after the pandemic when most said they got more work done at home.

“That has been a surprising evolution,” said Elizabeth Brink, a workplace expert at architecture firm Gensler. “People find they are more productive at the office.” While some find it easier to focus working at home, others find themselves more easily diverted there. Pets beckon. Children demand attention. Roommates are too loud. “Then there’s all the laundry,” Brink said….

Younger workers also commonly want the office to be more than just rows of desks, Brink said, preferring to have options that may include spaces with library-like quiet for individual work and spots that may feel more like a hotel lobby where people can gather to collaborate and bounce ideas around. Many younger workers also want spaces their older peers wouldn’t have thought to ask for in years past, such as cafes that feel like public coffee bars, fitness centers, and meditation or napping areas….

Older generations “wouldn’t have thought to ask for” workspaces such as meditation areas that may seem indulgent by previous standards,…. “These next generations are not quiet generations,” she said, but their desired work environments may make offices more desirable to their elders too. With the goal of getting more people back in the office more often, making it a more appealing place to spend time is a key attraction in the carrot-and-stick approach some employers are taking with their workers. Ideally, the upgrades also make people more productive….

People roll into the office an average of 2.8 days a week, CBRE found, but bosses desire to have them show up an average of 3.4 days of a week. Efforts to boost attendance since the pandemic eased haven’t always succeeded, even with the old five-days-in-the-office workweek completely off the table at most companies. “So now the question that companies are asking is, ‘After three or four years into this, what the heck can I do?’ ” to persuade people to show up in person more often.

In recent years, many bosses thought the solution was to clearly spell out their expectations for office attendance, but it wasn’t enough to substantially change behavior. “There was a brief uptick in visitations in some companies that has kind of fallen back out because what was missing from just communicating the expectation is a key piece of the equation — communicating the why.”

Even the best offices will not be utilized anymore than is convenient for people’s schedules if they don’t see why it will be of benefit to them. Those benefits must then be delivered, but many companies are falling short on that front…. Offices that support teamwork, collaboration, and other performance objectives are an added boost, she said. “You’re going to have that perfect scenario where your culture, your workplace, and your employee experience are all in sync.”

Our Thoughts On the Above…

There are undoubtedly very interesting insights documented above, thanks to the Chicago Tribune! Not only does generation impact the desire to work in-office, but so does the physical office itself! We encourage our employers to continuously evaluate whether or not their office provides a positive atmosphere, is modern and well-kept, and is a place that creates motivation and stimulates productivity. While some office investments are large, treating employees to lunch, providing coffee, and layering ‘incentives’ into the experience of working in person will prove valuable to your long-term employee retention.

Above all, we encourage you to avoid force when and wherever possible; now that employees feel empowered to change roles often and as a result of lacking job fulfillment, it’s crucial to your success that you stay on top of company morale, preferences, and expectations. Have you taken a recent ‘pulse check’, deployed an employee satisfaction survey, or otherwise shown interest in your employee’s well-being? If the answer to any of the above is no, then Q1 of 2024 is the perfect time for you to implement a company revamp that puts employee needs at the top of your business objective and goals list.

And, if you’re interested in hearing more about how to prioritize your employee’s needs, tune in Friday to learn all about the ways in which employers can ‘treat’ and support their employees across any industry and for any role.

Searching for a new position? Check out our open jobs list!

Welcome back, everyone! Today, we’re here to send you into the weekend full of delight. That’s right, by following the below, you’ll be sure to unplug from work obligations, clear your mind, and capitalize on the free time afforded by the weekend.

Weekend Delight through These Strategies:

  • Set Boundaries in Advance: In order to truly achieve the goal of unplugging, it’s crucial to set yourself up for success by creating boundaries in advance. Whether this means a time of day, a specific day in the week, or a limited number of times checked, set a restriction for yourself to follow regarding your work and technology. Implementing these subtle goals will provide you with a sense of achievement and a “rule” to stay accountable to. There are also many ways that you can hold yourself accountable within your own mobile device, set screen time limits and reminders on social apps so that you can truly understand the amount of time you’re spending scrolling.
  • Capitalize on Open Space and Time: If you feel the same way as I do, then you know that creeping feeling that settles in that you should be doing “more” when lying in bed or sitting unoccupied. For that reason, try to occupy yourself over the weekend by creating a schedule or set of plans to take action. If it’s nice outside, make sure to get outdoors for a walk, a picnic, a trip to the dog park, a barbeque, a drink outside, or even a workout class. This is also a great way to keep up with friends in a socially casual setting doing something that you enjoy! Especially if you’re looking to broaden your friendships, we encourage you to reach out to someone new and ask if they’d like to get together this weekend to connect.
  • Be the Initiator! On the same note as the above, we all know the all-too-easy feeling of allowing others to initiate plans and maintain friendships. However, we challenge YOU to call up a friend for a coffee date, schedule a walk, coordinate a restaurant reservation or night out to the movies, and otherwise get the group together! After all, creating plans with others is a clear bet to pay off for you in the end too; so, look up fun activities in your city this afternoon and call up a friend you haven’t connected with in some time to connect over quality time this weekend.
    • Extra Tip: Today marks the start of Chicago’s restaurant week; is there a new restaurant you’ve been itching to try recently? The next few weeks are a perfect excuse to explore the city and find your new favorite spot to eat.
  • Maintain Open Communication With Your Team: If a sense of guilt is taking over your mind, it may be a result of a difference between operating standards within your team or organization. Remember, just because your coworker or manager may stay online through all hours of the night does not mean that you must! Having an open communication plan where you let your manager know when you will and will not be reachable by mail or whatever it may be will relieve your sense of uncertainty and therefore need to stay in contact at all times. Something that I do that I find super helpful is muting any notifications from ‘work apps’ on my phone throughout the weekend – this way, even if someone is emailing on a Sunday, I won’t be reminded of it until Monday morning.
  • Treat Yourself to Something FUN! Whether this is a few dollars spent on a new coffee from your local shop, a trip to the spa, an outing to dinner, a sports game, a concert, a new piece of jewelry, an hour of meditation, a daily journaling session, or anything else that brings you joy … treat yourself this weekend! It is all too often that days pass us by without even a moment of acknowledgment of doing something solely for YOU. So, regardless of spend, find an activity or treat that will bring you joy this weekend and indulge.. after all, we work to live!

Searching for a new position? Check out our open jobs list!

Welcome back, everyone! We’re jumping back into work after an important holiday weekend, commemorating the ever-influential Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We hope that you were able to take part in even the smallest bit of service during the Nationally recognized day of service, give back to your community, or pass on generosity in his honor!

Keep reading below for a fun topic that is especially relevant to our Midwest following,… how to take advantage of winter weather and extra time spent indoors!

Capitalizing on Winter Weather and Staying Indoors

Enroll in a LinkedIn course or Elevated Learning Opportunity

As we often speak about, the world is truly a candidate’s oyster year-round as it relates to elevating professional expertise and skills. Whether on LinkedIn, Google, Amazon, Adobe, or entirely separate from social platforms, the internet hosts an endless number of resources through which to enroll in learning opportunities. If you are even beginning to ponder the idea of a promotion, job shift, or industry change, then this is the perfect time to engage and create goals!

We encourage you to begin your learning journey by simply surfing the web to identify the naming conventions of skills that appeal to you, scan through job postings to gauge the skills listed, or even take a course for fun! The idea of practicing learning is one that will provide value throughout the rest of your entire life, and ‘exercising’ the muscle that is your brain, outside of daily repetitive tasks, is a perfect way to stay sharp and ahead of the curve in 2024.

Creating a Reading Goal or Trying out a New Genre

Similarly to the idea of ‘learning’, taking up reading as a hobby in the winter is a key point in the year through which to create tangible change. Whether this looks like taking advantage of online platforms like ‘Good Reads‘ to create annual goals, or writing down a few books that you’re interested in this season, reading is a perfect pathway to help you unplug from the drain of a workday and escape through any genre of your choice. If you’re seeking a challenge, we encourage you to frame goals around new genres, ‘self-help’ or industry-focused books, or otherwise poke into a subject you have no prior knowledge of.

Cleaning Out Your Spaces One-by-One

Finally, we encourage you to embrace the ‘refresh’ that comes with a New Year. It’s never too late to get started, either on January 1st, tomorrow or throughout the year, refreshing your space by keeping it clean and intentionally decluttering is a key strategy for sustaining work-from-home energy and motivation. While approaching an entire apartment or home may feel daunting, splitting cleaning up into ‘phases’ through dividing out rooms, areas of a room (ex: your closet, dresser, cabinets, drawers, etc.), or sections of your home will compartmentalize a task into approachable steps. In doing so, it is also optimal to create accountability through consistency: Can you dedicate 10 minutes each day to de-cluttering? One hour each week? One afternoon per month? Whichever cadence most seamlessly fits into your routine will undoubtedly prove most sustainable long-term.

  • Extra Tip: When and where able, reward yourself! Creating incentives through ‘chores’ turned into activities is a simple strategy to transform dread or procrastination into excitement. For example, if you declutter your closet, you can create a reward by purchasing new closet organizers to optimize the space. If you, similarly declutter a makeup drawer, maybe it’s time to take a trip to your nearest Sephora and replenish some items! Creating small ‘wins’ is a helpful strategy to make ‘fun’ out of seemingly ‘mundane’ tasks.

Searching for a new position? Check out our open jobs list!

Welcome back to Part 2 of our 2-part series surrounding job offer declines and more positively, acceptances! Keep reading along to tune into all of the ways to seamlessly move through a job acceptance process, while also ensuring that your needs are met and expectations set for long-term job satisfaction!

Elements of Job Acceptance

Express Appreciation

Immediately after your interview concludes, and regardless of the outcome of your journey, we encourage you to continue showing gratitude to all employees who assisted you in the interview process (whether internal or external). Writing a follow-up email, handwritten letter, and saying ‘thank you for your time’ before your interview concludes is a fantastic way to set yourself up for success! Even better, if you’re interviewing for an internal role, take advantage of any opportunity to express gratitude in person instead of through a screen; expressing appreciation and excitement will set the tone off the right way for the rest of your interview experience, especially if your next step is negotiating.

Time Length

Maintain awareness of important timelines regarding your offer acceptance. Once you receive a formal offer letter (either through email or sent to your permanent address), take a meaningful amount of time to review the terms, conditions, benefits, compensation, and all aspects of what your role will include. Doing so may take a few days, and that’s okay! Make sure to continue communicating with the hiring manager, maintain transparency, and proceed when you’re comfortable and ready. Establishing the window of acceptance during the interview process is a great way to set expectations; make sure to ask the right questions during your interview to understand when to expect to hear back, when your answer should be submitted, and if/when a negotiation period will begin.

That Brings us to our Next Point… Negotiate!

After reviewing an offer letter, we highly encourage you to negotiate details of benefits, or compensation in the form of salary, PTO, benefits, etc. Whether you value a 401K plan, health insurance coverage, or a few extra days off each year will be a completely personal and unique assessment of your career and future mindset. Remember, there’s no better time to achieve the exact offer that you want than right before you accept, so make sure to take advantage of the moment while it’s there! Negotiating offers is also crucial to the way your employer perceives you – make sure to stay calm, kind, and polite in all environments!

  • Extra Tip: Conduct market research before entering negotiations to understand the going rate of your role across the industry and at a variety of companies, general benefits that contribute to offer letters, education expectations, or other certificates that may result in higher compensation, etc. Providing validation and evidence to justify your negotiation is a phenomenal way to showcase that, not only did you take meaningful time to craft a proposal, but your expectations are validated by your industry at large.

Accepting the Offer

Finally, accept the job offer! Write an acceptance letter; if you correspond via email, you can also email your letter. Ensure that you express gratitude again and thank the company for the opportunity. Make sure to include verbiage stating that you accept the company’s offer (“I formally accept…”) and state the title of the role, salary, and benefits that you agreed on. Recapping the salary and benefits will help ensure there isn’t any confusion on either side and that there is a written trail of expectations. Lastly, include the date you expect to start!

Ready, set, …. accept!!

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