Back to Work: Transition Tips for After the Holidays

Is anyone else in a holiday rut? Going back to work after having some time off for the holidays is not always easy. We are here to give you some tips on how to get back into the swing of things!

Ease into it: Don’t rush into all of your intimidating tasks at once. Let yourself slowly become acclimated to your long workdays again. Make a to-do list and prioritize what needs to be done first. The most important and time-consuming tasks should be done tackled first. Creating a to-do list will ensure that you are focused and productive.

Reevaluate your routine: The holidays can be a time of relaxation, but often all of the resting leads to us forgetting our daily routines! When you return to work, try to reestablish your daily routine and hold yourself accountable. Jot down a timeline of your day, along with a to-do list. This will help you feel more prepared and less overwhelmed. This may also be a great time to reevaluate your routine and change things up. Find what works best for you, and use your time wisely.

List your goals: As we return to work after the new year, it’s a perfect opportunity to list your goals for 2020. Take some time and write down a few goals- professional or personal, that you are eager to accomplish in 2020. After writing your new goals, review past goals as well. Look back on what you accomplished in 2019 or what you are still working on.

A break from stressful and long workdays can be a great refresher for our minds and help us return stronger than ever. Follow these three tips and your transition back to work should feel seamless!

Happy New Year from Esquire Recruiting! Stay tuned for more blogs this year from our intern, Devin.

Read more about catching up after a break here!

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

Keeping Your Clients

Especially as a recruiting firm, Esquire understands and values the importance of maintaining relationships with clients. During the holiday season, and in the midst of reflecting on our personal and professional gratitude, we’re here today to offer a few ways to remind your clients that you value their business. Doing so will not only help you to maintain business, but might even inadvertently allow your network to expand by recommendations, referrals, and word of mouth.

Maintaining Clientele Through Appreciation…

  • Say Thank You! There is no limit on the thanks you offer to your clients. Whether you sent out an annual or semi-annual note to your customer base, saying thanks every so often and keeping up to date with your client’s success proves crucial to your own. This may mean a short email every so often, but even the smallest efforts have large rewards.
  • Send out a Holiday Card: Another quick and relatively easy way to remind your clients that you’re thinking of them and wishing them a happy holiday season is by sending out a company holiday card. In the age of technology, crafting a holiday card is easier than ever! Conducting a quick web search will allow your firm to get those well-wishes sent in a matter of minutes.
  • Visit a Client’s Office: While we understand that with the holidays come a plethora of obligations and are endlessly busy, we encourage you to stop by a partner or client’s office if you can find the time. There is something to be said and respected about face-to-face interactions. After all, you never know which small action may land you your next deal or preserve your partnerships!
  • Flowers or Chocolates: You can never go wrong with flowers or chocolates! Although the most traditional and common means of sharing gratitude in the business industry, sending out a small holiday gift goes a long way. Flowers and chocolates equally prove as fantastic pick-me-ups throughout the day.

While it is not expected that your company sends a gift or thank you during the holiday season, going that extra mile is a fantastic, and essential way to keep your clients around and preserve the business you’ve worked hard to accumulate. Remember, the best way to reach a client and show your genuine gratitude is by taking a personal effort to remember their successes, achievements, and how they’ve helped you.

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

Happy New Year!

Esquire’s 2019 Highlights!

Welcome back! Today, we’re hoping to share some of our company’s year-long highlights with you all. We encourage you to take a moment to reflect on your year, remember all of the highs and lows, and begin setting some goals as we move into the next decade! Keep reading to find out what our employees and CEO have been up to and what we’ve loved most about 2019…

Esquire’s CEO: Scott Fischer

  • LinkedIn nationally acknowledged the Esquire Recruiting team as a top user of their LinkedIn Recruiter product!
  • Esquire LLC has been nominated to the Inc. 5000 list for the most successful, fastest-growing privately-held small US companies.
  • I enjoyed more quality time with family and friends!

Esquire’s Chief Talent Office: Laura McDermott

  • I traveled, with my husband and our best friends, to Portugal and Europe.
  • I conquered my first black diamond in Snowbasin (Utah)!
  • I was recognized as being in the “Top 1%” of LinkedIn’s 2019 recruiters!

Esquire’s Senior Director 0f Legal Recruitment: Amy Altman

  • I had my second child, a baby girl in April!
  • We bought a house and moved from the city to the suburbs.
  • In May, I celebrated 3 years with Esquire and am looking forward to number 4!

We’ve loved sharing our highlights of the year with each of you and cannot wait to hear about your own! Absolutely contact [email protected] with your updates, highlights, and hopes for 2020. Especially here at Esquire, we are ready, waiting, and excited to help you each achieve your professional potential, personal goals, and ultimately nail your next job opportunity. Don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions about our current positions, each of our company roles and responsibilities, or with any subsequent career advice.

Speaking of… searching for a new position? Check out our open jobs list!

Click here to find out why we value the importance of relaxation during the holidays!

Hannah’s Next Steps…

Hi all! As we approach the new year (and decade!) I thought it might be a good time to let our readers know that, as of January 1st, I will be traveling to Barcelona, Spain for all of second semester! I will be attending Barcelona’s CIEE Business and Culture program spanning from January through April, while hopefully taking some time to travel along the way. So, what have I been doing and what are my plans heading into 2020? Keep reading to find out!

Fall Semester Included…

  • Vice President of Member Development: At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, my extracurricular involvement is mainly encompassed by my membership to our Women in Business Organization. This club, which hosts ~100 members, offers a variety of professional and personal development opportunities to women of all majors, with a high focus on business. As VP Member Development, I was responsible for coordinating and overseeing all of our Professional Development events and Community Involvement service opportunities; these events summed up to about 10 total throughout our 15 week semester. Some of the partnerships I helped develop included: Kimberly Clark, Northwestern Mutual, and the Ronald McDonald House of Madison.
  • Academics: This semester, I was fortunate enough to expand my education and further progress towards achieving my degree by completing the following courses:
    • Marketing Research
    • Management of an Insurance Enterprise
    • Brand Management
    • Gender and Women’s Studies: Global Women’s Heath

Spring Semester Hopes…

  • Spanish! Primarily, I cannot wait to further my global understanding of business through a variety of classes. I hope to continue improving my ability to both speak and read Spanish and will be taking a Spanish course in addition to 4 other degree-fulfilling classes.
  • Travel: Having never before seen Europe, I cannot wait to travel throughout Spain and the rest of the continent! Some of the locations I’m most excited to visit include:
    • Amsterdam, Netherlands
    • London, England
    • Paris, France
    • Florence, Italy

I would love to hear about the hopes and plans of all of our readers! Feel free to keep us updated by contacting my email at [email protected]! We will continue posting blogs twice weekly throughout the rest of the year and into the next, so keep looking out for some fantastic content in 2020. Just think… what better addition to your routine than a quick lesson every Monday and Thursday?

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

Click here to learn how to execute an end-of-year vacation!

End of Year Vacationing?

Especially for those of you located in the colder regions of the US (like my home, Chicago!), I would predict this time of year brings hopes and dreams of relocating and relaxing on a nice, warm beach. For that reason, many employees opt to taking end of year vacations. However, is this the best move for your job? Find out what we think here…

Vacationing at the End of the Year:

  • Coordination: The most important aspect of leaving your office for a significant period of time (anything more than one week!) is keeping everyone up to date with your plans and setting expectations. Make sure to coordinate your workload deligations far in advance so as to make sure your team, managers, mentors, and all employees are made well aware of your departure before it happens. We recommend that you schedule your vacation onto your work calendar at least one month in advance so as to execute your travel plans most smoothly.
  • Planning Ahead: On the same note as above, we highly encourage you to travel only when you know that you are not going to be overwhelmed with a particularly high workload, specifically in your “offseason”. Whether tax season, end of year, beginning of year, or any other seasonal overload, it is best to avoid leaving the office when the rest of your team and workforce is pushing over time. With the less work left at home, the greater the amount of time you will be able to spend relaxing and unplugging from electronics!
  • Avoiding an Overload: On a separate note, we highly encourage you to make sure to take enough vacation to maintain motivation while at work. If you run yourself too thin across many responsibilities, you may end up resenting the office, your teammates, or your role. Remember, you are afforded PTO for a reason… use it!
  • Considering Time Spent in Your Current Role: One last thing, always make sure to evaluate the time you’ve spent in your current position and at the specific company before taking time off. We encourage you to collect upwards of 6 months of time before leaving so as to showcase your dedication to your current position. After cultivating the respect from your teammates and proving that you’re loyal, you should reward yourself!

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

Find out how you should internally network here!

Spicing Up a Resume: Font Edition!

While it’s easy to direct the greatest amount of focus on your resume towards content, we’re here to introduce you to an aspect that may become overlooked: your font choice. While your font choice most likely will not prove the ultimate factor in whether you secure an interview for a new position, it is a great way to set yourself aside or stand out!

Acceptable Resume Fonts…

  • Arial: Arial and Times New Roman have existed as, and continue to receive recognition for their traditional look and appearance, as well as their universal acceptance. If you’re nervous about stepping out of the norm, stick to one of these to maintain a sleek, polished and classic look!
  • Times New Roman: As we mentioned above, Times New Roman is consistently a reliable font! However, in terms of standing out or making an impact, this choice may not be your best.
  • Helvetica: Helvetica is another timeless font! Although differentiated from Arial and Times New Roman, Helvetica is a tasteful, fantastic option for someone looking to maintain a classic look while still branching out.
  • Calibri: As the new default typeface in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, Calibri is making waves and growing immensely in popularity! We recommend considering this font as it is clearly a current preference of employers and technological engineers alike. Calibri is modern, cool, and becoming a quick favorite!
  • Georgia: Georgia is another font that proves classic but cool! With a little spin and curvature around the edges, Georgia is a great font for showing personality while maintaining an attractive and professional vibe on your resume.
  • Extra Options: Cambria, Gill Sans, Gill Sans Light, Garamond, Didot, Book Antiqua, Trebuchet MS, or Verdana!

If you take one thing away from this article, it should be that fonts are not everything and are not the end-all-be-all answer to perfecting a resume. However, in a pool among hundreds of other applicants, we continue to encourage you to take any appropriate actions as a means of standing out!

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

Click here to find out why you should always ask questions at work!

Internal Networking

As business professionals, we are constantly reminded of how important it is to always network! However, once you’re situated within an organization, it is easy to forget about this crucial component of your career. For that reason, we’re here to teach you how to go about internal networking! Keep reading to find out our best tips and tricks…

Building Your Network Within a Company…

It is SO important to have an internal network! Knowing people throughout different areas and teams will provide you with a plethora of resources you may not have even known you needed! As an intern this past summer, I was tasked with generating a complex excel formula to be utilized on our Risk and Mitigation excel sheet. Because I was friendly with a few analytics interns, I had people I could immediately reach out to for help! While I hadn’t previously predicted

I would interact with analytics, I was super thankful that I had an internal network that day.

  • Ask a Coworker to Coffee: As we recently discussed, coffee chats are today’s driving fuel of coworker relationships. We encourage you to set a goal for these conversations (one per month or biweekly?) and put yourself out there by initiating relationships with employees of all different titles. Remember, people love to talk about themselves and what they do! Scheduling a quick 30-minute chat every so often with an employee who upholds a completely different skill set than your own will allow you to expand your knowledge and network.
  • Join an Employee Resource Group: There is no better way to meet and develop personal relationships with coworkers than by uniting under a shared belief or attribute! Even a group as simple as young professionals will provide you with a plethora of resources in the form of other employees who already share interests with you. We encourage you not only to join groups that align with your identity but to become involved in areas you might not know anything about. Having a comprehensive understanding and relationship with all of the different identities in your office will help you cultivate into a well-rounded, dependable, and well-liked coworker.
  • Listen! Although this one may sound obvious, always make sure to actively listen and learn about all of the different employees you interact with. You never know which tidbit of information you might pick up. Whether that be children, hobbies, sports interests, exercise patterns, personality traits, general beliefs, etc., genuinely listening and engaging in conversations with others will provide you with bits of knowledge and connections to build relationships on.
  • Attend Events: Our final tip to you is to attend all events that are organized for your benefit! Whether this be an employee lunch, team outing, happy hour, etc., participating in these events, especially outside of office hours, will place you in a casual and enjoyable environment to meet and network with others.

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

Click here to learn all about coffee chats!

Most Important Parts of a Routine

With the new year quickly approaching, it’s time to start brainstorming resolutions and hopes for the future. If settling into a more productive, healthy routine is on your forecast, keeping reading to find out the most crucial aspects to incorporate into your schedule!

Healthy Routines Include…

  1. Exercise: Bottom line: keeping your body in shape is the most important factor in leading a healthy lifestyle. Not only will a healthy lifestyle motivate you to begin your day, but it will help you in falling asleep and staying asleep throughout the night! Make sure to thank your body for all that it provides you each day by maintaining a healthy physique and following the guidelines we’ve learned our entire lives: exercise for 20-30 minutes 3-4 x weekly!
  2. Eating Habits: Scheduling meals into your routine will allow you to stick to healthy alternatives, instead of resorting back to carry out or last-minute delivery. Loosely planning out weekly meals will help you to map out grocery store visits, as well as hold yourself accountable to adequate portion sizes to avoid over-eating. Especially in times of stress and busy end-of-year schedules, make sure to stay on top of your diet to avoid relying on food for comfort.
  3. Time for YOU! It is too easy to fall into a schedule spread too thin amongst millions of obligations that are all too difficult to uphold. For that reason, actually schedule time for you into each day. Whether this means relaxing, meditating, listening to music or a podcast, trying out a new hobby, painting, sleeping, etc., always leave space for at least one activity each day solely dedicated to your own fulfillment and joy. Having just 30 minutes of something to look forward to each day will help you to persist and stay motivated throughout overwhelming weeks.
  4. Drink Water: Although we all know that drinking a sufficient amount of water is essential to our health and well-being, this concept is easily overlooked when compared to other daily obligations. For that reason, we encourage you to set reminders or alarms on your phone or device to encourage frequent water consumption throughout the day. Implementing this into a routine will increase your overall health, energy, and well-being.
    • Extra tip: Purchasing a reusable water bottle could be a great “self-gift” during the upcoming holidays!

A combination of these efforts will allow you to transform your daily routine and schedule immediately. While large change may be hard to swallow, each of the activities stated above won’t cause for an entire shift in your day-to-day life, and are more or less just healthy alternatives to get you going! So, choose a few and get started today!

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

Click here to find out how to catch up after a holiday break!

Tackling Final Exams

It’s the topic we all know and love (well, somewhat?)… final exams! Yes, that’s right, with winter break right around the corner it is likely that most of our college readers are coming up on their finals in the next few weeks. So, the question begs, how on earth are we supposed to start studying and managing our time? Keep reading here to find out our best tips and tricks for tackling the final stretch…

Exam Prep Starts… Now!

  • Prioritizing: It is crucial to be able to prioritize your most important obligations before beginning your study day; otherwise, you will find yourself spread too thin across multiple projects and a headspace full of endless ideas! For that reason, space your exam study schedules out across days, instead of cramming one by one for hours on end in the days leading up. By prioritizing obligations, as well as due dates, you will find yourself on a healthy track towards success.
  • Start Early!
    We know this one is especially easier said than done; however, in order to truly get on top of several different exams, you must hit the books sooner than later. By dedicating a half-hour or some set amount of time each day to each exam or subject matter, you’ll be able to slowly and more effectively absorb large sums of information.
  • Stay in Routine: Most frequently, once courses end and study time periods begin, it is easy to fall out of your regular routine. In order to stay on track with all exams, we encourage you to set a routine for the remainder of your semester so as to hold yourself accountable to measurable goals.
  • Building off of that… Set Measurable Goals: Arguably the greatest, most important takeaway from this article is the value of setting smart, measurable, attainable, relevant, timely goals (SMART acronym)! This way, you will be able to actually track your progress and spread out obligations over a time period instead of cramming at the last moment.

By following the steps outlined above, you are set to avoid the biggest mistake among college students: cramming! Remember, you’ve learned months worth of material, so it will take much more than 24 hours to master information. By setting goals, holding yourself accountable, starting early, and maintaining the same healthy lifestyle as the rest of the semester, you are set for success!

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

Check out what we’re thankful for here!

Catching Up After Break

It is easy to push off responsibilities over holidays and breaks from work. After all, this might have been your first time home and scheduled relaxation in month! If you are beginning to feel stressed about falling behind on schoolwork or professional work, don’t worry! Today, we’re here to teach you about some strategies to get back on track…

Let’s Play Catch-Up!

  • Set a Routine: The reason why many of us feel that we’ve fallen off track after long breaks is because we are situated outside of a regular routine, leaving ample time for a lot of blank space and downtime. For that reason, make sure to sit down on the Sunday prior to your return to work or school and set a weekly routine so as to implement specific time periods for catch-up and worktime. Routines and schedules are also a fantastic measure of holding yourself accountable for your responsibilities!
  • Early Wake-Ups: We know this isn’t ideal, and many of us dread that 7:00 AM wakeup call. However, in the week or so (usually a time period equivalent to your break) following Thanksgiving, Christmas, the Fourth of July, etc., it will prove immensely valuable to your schedule to take back an hour of the day that you may regularly use for sleep. You’ll be surprised at your body’s ability to work hard and function even on a lower quantity of sleep over temporary time periods; this could be an especially great resource for catching up.
  • Try Out a New Atmosphere: Just as it is easy to fall out of routine when you return home or to a place outside of your regular environment, it is just as easy to get all too comfortable in a place over time. Whether this be a coffee shop, your room, a specific library or classroom, or any study space that you’ve found, it’s almost subconscious that we start to become less focused and more comfortable in a repetitive space. For that reason, we encourage you to at least try out a new space one-time post-break and test your productivity. Sometimes all it takes is a new atmosphere to stimulate work and motivation!
  • Forgive Yourself: One last tip… always make sure to be easy on yourself after a break! There is no reason to ever regret the time you spent with loved ones or the extra sleep you caught upon. It was deserved and it was enjoyable! Allow yourself breaks and make sure to get enough sleep still so as to maintain productivity.

By allowing yourself ample time to catch up, reorganizing your routine temporarily, and supporting yourself both physically and mentally, you will be sure to catch-up on any missed work in no time!

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

Find out how to increase your question confidence here!

Should You Work During the Holiday?

With laptops and smartphones providing constant connection to coworkers, managers, bosses, and clients at the same time… it is almost unavoidable to encounter the guilty thought of… “should I be working during Thanksgiving?!” Today, we’re here to explain to you why we believe in taking adequate time to relax so that you can rejuvenate in time to head back into work at the busiest time of year!

Relaxing… For Real!

  • Finish Work Beforehand: If you already anticipate that a large project, piece of work, or some other type of  deliverable will be waiting for you upon your return, pre-holidays is a great time to have a discussion with your boss to make sure that you can get ahead in order to take the time at home to truly be home. Make sure to maintain communication with teammates, managers, mentors, etc., so as to make sure that you are on track with each of your obligations. Even if this means staying an extra hour in the few days leading up to your vacation, leaving with a clear mind and to-do list will set you up for success.
  • Unplug: It is all too easy to stay connected to work without physically being in the office. However, in order to capitalize on time spent in-person with friends and family, we encourage you to set a schedule or times throughout the day to unplug from electronics! Leave them at home, in a room, or somewhere where you will not be tempted to pull out a phone or device and become disconnected from the rest of the conversation.
  • Set Expectations: Remember, your boss is human! We guarantee that nearly every person in your office is as excited to go home and get some much-needed rest as you are. For that reason, initiate a conversation with the appropriate people in your workplace (teammates, coworkers, managers, VPs, whoever!), to lay out a set of expectations regarding communication over the holiday. If you provide certain hours or days in which you will be available or on your phone if there is an urgent need, then you will be able to alleviate feelings of guilt or obligation to keep your devices by your side “just in case.”

Holidays are called holidays for a reason! They are a reward, a time to relax, and a reminder of those who mean the most to you. For that reason, we always encourage both our employees, followers, and anyone else reading this article to take advantage of these meaningful and fleeting moments with those you love!

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

A list of things we are thankful for and a great reminder of special aspects of life: here!

Things to Be Thankful For

With Thanksgiving coming up in the next few days, we predict that many of you are returning to your respective homes, friends, and family, and finally getting some time to relax! During this next week, we hope to provide you with some aspects of life to always remember to be thankful for.

Saying Thanks…

  • Having Food on the Table: It’s easy to forget how incredibly fortunate we all are to return to cozy homes filled with the scents of food emanating throughout the kitchen. Make sure to thank your cooks, always! And especially to remember to say a little thanks to the world for being blessed enough to live where you live, eat what you eat, and drink what you drink.
  • Sunlight: Another aspect of many of our days that can be easily overlooked if you’re cooped up in an office… the sun! It is equally important to give thank you to the beautiful world you live in… and if you’re feeling up to it.. maybe take some action and recycle your thanksgiving materials, leftovers, or objects that would have otherwise ended up wrongfully being tossed.
  • Your Job! Yes, work can be tiring. However, it is always important to remember that, after all, you achieved a career, salary, and a set of responsibilities that an entire team of management believed you could handle. It’s super-valuable to maintain an awareness, and gratitude, for your technical skills, soft skills, attributes, personality, abilities, successes, and everything that you’ve worked to achieve as a professional.
  • People in Your Life: This week is the perfect moment to remember to thank those around you for all that they do for you. Remember that time you erupted on your mom, brother, sister, spouse, or even your boss? Remember the way that your mentor allowed you to vent for hours? Remember that one time your co-worker surprised you with a cup of coffee when you were having a tough week? Well if you do, remind them of your gratitude today.
  • Extras: Pets, furniture, heating, air-conditioning, exercise, health, yoga, music, podcasts, cars, travel, transportation, weather, vacations, tastes, coffee shops, concerts, hikes, scenery, bike rides, movies, books, and many many many more!
  • Today: We don’t mean to get too sappy with this last note, but we’d like to remind you to be thankful that you are here today, that tomorrow is never guaranteed, and that you should take advantage of every moment spent with friends, family, coworkers, spouses, pets, and all other relationships in your life that you love and cherish. 

We hope that these ideas ignited your gratitude and that you can take these messages with you throughout the week, month, and entire holiday season! Wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration!

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

So what are “Coffee Chats”?

At my summer internship, coffee chats appeared to be the fuel that drove so many relationships in our corporate headquarters! Whether these chats were coordinated with managers, coworkers, mentors, or employees of completely other departments, the knowledge I gained from my chats proved to be some of the most valuable of the entire summer. Keep reading to find out how to extract the greatest value from these interactions…

What is a “Coffee Chat”?

Coffee chats are typically 30-minute conversations scheduled between 2 employees of an organization. Especially at large corporate offices, these “chats” may mean a quick run to an on-site coffee shop or sitting area, walk around the perimeter of the office or even a meeting at a desk. Do these chats always involve coffee? Nope! Likely, both employees will bring the coffee they’ve already purchased earlier that day; the title just sets the tone for a casual, friendly atmosphere. During these conversations, employees may get to know each other, gain introductory information about their jobs, ask for feedback, or learn about completely different areas and positions within the organization!

Capitalizing on Coffee Chats:

  • Preparation and Purpose: In order to gain a meaningful amount of knowledge from your conversations, make sure that you are setting up chats with employees that you have a true interest in (whether that be their role, background, accomplishments, etc.). When entering into this conversation, you should have previously conducted a quick search on their background, and a light gauge of their current work so as to avoid taking a large portion of time dedicated solely to introductions.
  • Generosity: Even though you may not be purchasing any coffee, always make sure to ask and offer!
  • 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 an employee. 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 to 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.
  • 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, email update of your recent accomplishments, or quick link to a relevant article, make sure to keep consistent contact and follow-up after your thank you note!

Employees are incredibly fortunate to be afforded the opportunity to network with one another and dedicate work-time to meet and chat! Take advantage of these opportunities and capitalize on your time through prior research, preparation, and purpose.

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

Find out how to advocate for yourself here!

Changing Your Career: Where to Start

Last week, we showed you why going back to school might be the next best step after a layoff. However, what if that layoff ended up feeling more like a relief than anything else… could it be time for a career change? And, where would you even start? Find out here!

Starting Fresh…

  • Self-Assesment: Before you make a decision as large as this, it is crucial to run a thorough self-assessment about how you truly feel. After (always) implementing the 24-hour rule, you will be ready to clearly analyze how you felt in your previous position, about your career path and responsibilities, and even about your opportunity for lateral and vertical advancements. If you are struggling to identify aspects of your role and industry that helped you to feel truly fulfilled, happy, satisfied, or content, then this is a great indicator that you may be ready for a career 180.
  • Acceptance: It is so easy to fall into a trap of feeling as if you should have every aspect of your life figured out at an early age; we’re here to tell you that this is not the truth! You will likely undergo identity, career, relationship, environment, and several other types of adjustments at multiple times throughout your life, and that is absolutely ok. The next step towards initiating this change is accepting your decision and supporting yourself.
  • Strengths and Weaknesses Assessment: Moving forward, a great way to begin gauging potential new opportunities is through gaining an understanding of your own strengths and weaknesses. By channeling these aspects of your personality and skills, you will be able to start envisioning certain jobs that would appeal to your interests and abilities.
  • Consider Environment: Can you envision yourself in a completely new city or environment? Are you ready for a new climate or a complete restart? Transitioning into a new role is a perfect time to explore a new location.
    • Extra tip: We encourage you to begin comparing the price of living across various communities, cities, and states to be able to assess how you would be able to sustain a comfortable routine in a new space (staying within your budget is your best bet!).
  • Utilize Your Network: Once you have started to visualize a new place, role, position, responsibility, trait, skill, or some aspect of your new endeavor, then you can begin nailing down other people’s perspectives both of your decision and of their experience in a similar position. Always utilize your network, alumni, friends, and family to gauge new opportunities before diving in headfirst! Consulting mentors and all connections you’ve worked to cultivate will allow you to gain an in-depth understanding of your next transition and what you can expect on a daily basis.
  • Apply! Especially at Esquire, we understand and encourage you to get your foot in the door in whatever manner you can! Whether this means throwing an application out on Indeed or LinkedIn, passing along your information to a connection, or setting up an information interview/coffee chat, you never know when your next best opportunity may fall into your lap. Remember to be confident both in yourself and in your capabilities; you’ll land the position in no time!

With these strategies, you are bound to redefine your career in no time. So, get to those chats and phone calls today!

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

Find out why heading back to school might be your best option here!

Heading Back to School After a Layoff

After experiencing a layoff, you are bound to feel a whirlwind of emotions. One of those emotions may inevitably be “lost.” However, today we’re here to provide with at least one concrete route to take after experiencing a job loss… and that is… returning to school! Whether you do so to further your education or completely shift industries, each provide their own set of awesome advantages and outcomes.

Furthering Education…

  • Advancing your Degree: Especially in the business industry, it is easy to fall into the feeling of being stagnant in your career. Often, you can advance a decent amount right out of college! However, those who are seeking true executive titles often feel the push to further their degree in order to achieve these roles. If you are someone identifying with that career “plateau,” now may be the perfect time for you to increase your skills and qualifications through an advanced degree.
  • Picking up New Skills: New skills, both in the form of soft and technical, are unmatched assets in setting you aside as a qualified, capable employee. Even if this means just taking one new introductory class on a topic you have no prior experience with, adding new skills or certificates to a resume is a key to achieving new and subsequent successes!
  • Refresher: 10, 20 years out of college… where has the time gone?! If you are far enough removed from college to begin forgetting professors, course titles, or the components of your degree then this is a perfect time to enroll in a few refresher courses! Not only will this make you a stronger employee, but it will allow you to stay up to date with how courses are taught and the key topics and skills required to stay ahead of your industry.

Changing Your Career…

There are few times in your life when you will be truly placed with a turning point, fork in the road opportunity to assess your career. However, if you’ve just endured a layoff, this is your time. Take a step back and truly evaluate how satisfied and fulfilled you feel when completing your current work, finishing projects, and working on the teams you are a part of. If you dread heading into the office, live “5 days for 2” (the weekend), or don’t feel challenged, this may be a great time to initiate a complete career 180! If hearing this excites you, but you aren’t quite sure how to even begin a career transition, make sure to tune into our next article where we will map out starting steps to get you right on track!

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Handling Conflict: Boss Edition

With the number of bosses that you will have throughout your entire career, it is more likely than not that you will run into a few that you just can’t seem to jive with. So, what do you do to keep your job and maintain a collaborative environment? Keep reading the exact tips and tricks you need to reach an effective compromise!

Handling Conflicting Views:

  • Implement the 24-hour Rule: Especially for those unavoidable days when nothing seems to be going your way, remember the value of the 24-hour rule. Although you might feel agitated or frustrated in the moment, by allowing yourself a day to cool down, you will be able to asses any given situation with a greater understanding of someone else’s perspective and with a clearer mindset. After 24-hours pass, you are in a much better position to take the action you believe is appropriate. This may mean confrontation, an assessment of what went right or wrong, the initiation of a discussion with your coworkers before management, etc… it’s all better than yelling out of initial anger!
  • Taking Stock of Your Strengths and Weaknesses: In order to get to the bottom of the conflict between yourself and your boss, circle back to your own strengths and weaknesses to find the root of your emotion. Are you being tasked with projects that take advantage of your strengths or weaknesses? Is your boss providing you with responsibilities because they see your true value and potential? Have you expressed areas of improvement with your manager? Tackling the root of your feelings by identifying why a given situation is making you upset will allow you to see the bigger picture of why you were given the work in the first place.
  • Preparation is Key: Before you initiate a discussion with your boss to tackle the conflict, make sure to do some prior research. Having the ability to enter a conversation with concrete examples of the gaps you’ve seen, or what has been causing your disagreement will make for a far more productive conversation. This is also a great way to prove to your boss than you’ve done your homework, have a basis of belief and key points to target for potential change.

In addition to these tips, make sure to always be cautious of your tone (avoid being accusatory!), facial expressions, body language, and pace (take a breath and slow down!). Conflict, as we know it, is a part of life that we cannot avoid! So, learning the strategies to handle it appropriately is your key to success.

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Click here to learn the body language to avoid at work!

Exploring the US!

As a college student, I have felt a desire to explore different areas of the United States on numerous occasions. After all, internship experience is now treated as a near necessity of achieving a job post-graduation, so what better time to step out of your comfort zone than during a temporary summer period? Keep reading to find out some of the benefits of stepping outside of your regular environment here…

Traveling for the Summer…

  • Temporary Commitment: As we noted above, the benefit of knowing that your “new life” has an expiration date can be, at times upsetting, but often a great relief and motive to explore. Most internships span 10 or 12 weeks, a time period long enough to allow you to gauge what it would be like to live permanently in a new city or state, but short enough to be able to cope with an environment that may have been different than you’d hoped. There are few other times in your life where you will have the ability to escape your regular life for a short time frame, so make sure to keep this opportunity in mind when navigating different roles!
  • Developing Independence: While college is undoubtedly a phenomenal resource which allows student to experience independence for the first time, living on your own in a different city will provide even more opportunities for maturity and growth. Likely, you will be placing yourself in an environment without the cushion of dozens of friends, familiar professors and buildings, and even restaurants and coffee shops! For that reason, you may find yourself with new, unexpected responsibilities and opportunities: navigating grocery shopping, finding outlets of relaxation, new exercise routes or studios, seeking new friendships or mentors, etc. This is an amazing time to put your skills to the test!
  • Dream Company: At least in my experience, I’ve found that some of my “dream” companies are located solely in California, New York, Austin, etc. So, if leaving your hometown for one summer may allow you to pursue your absolute dream role, this is the time to do so! Not only will working for a company that you’re passionate about make the summer more enjoyable and fun, but it may allow you to explore an area of the U.S. that you hadn’t even previously considered!

We hope that after reading this you are more confident in each opportunity you are presented with. After all, each summer is only a temporary time commitment! So, the pros absolutely outweigh the cons in this situation. Good luck and happy recruiting!

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Find out the best places to start a career here!

Should You Accept a “Random” Internship?

In several business industries: finance, marketing, real estate, risk management, and insurance, just to name a few, recruitment season starts off heavy in early September and wraps up right around this time. So, if you are a student who had your mind set on a certain position but has an offer in a completely different area of business, this article is for you! Should you accept the offer even though it came as a “random,” unexpected opportunity? Find out why we think you should here!

Benefits of an Unexpected Internship…

  • Any Experience Helps: In the future, you will undoubtedly find yourself in this similar job search. Whether this internship offer relates to the summer after your sophomore year, spring semester, summer after junior year, or even as a senior, the experience you gain from any office or corporate setting will provide you with concrete skills to utilize in your next career exploration. Especially in regards to technological skills, it is invaluable to become immersed in any company’s operations and see how universal programs such as Excel, SPSS, SQL, etc. are utilized on a day-to-day basis.
    • Extra Note: With additional experience comes, even if subconsicous, a newfound level of confidence when advocating for yourself in informational or professional future interviews.
  • Recognizing New Interests: In the same way that you will find yourself developing unexpected new technological and soft skills, an internship outside of your academic or career “norm” may help you to identify new areas of interest! Whether this means a new software-focused role, consumer packaged good, industry, culture, workload, creative skill or any function of a business operation, exploring areas outside of your major and experience proves an extremely useful asset! It is crucial not to become stuck in one role throughout your life, so keep an open mind to all positions even if they seem far “out-of-the-box.”
  • Networking!! Once again, at Esquire and in the entire business world, we encourage you to always, always network! Connections are the driving force of this industry and it is essential to continue working to grow them. You never know when that one random connection from seven years ago may become your foot-in-the-door at your dream company. So remember, working in an office in a role you did not expect may lead you to achieving your dream role down the line by utilizing the network you worked to cultivate!

Regardless of your decision, we hope that you now have a few new ideas to keep in mind when making your final decision. Good luck, and happy recruiting!

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Click here to find out why you should always ask your questions at work!

Being Someone Else’s Advocate

In our last blog, we taught you about the importance of being able to advocate for yourself in a professional environment. Today, we’re here to showcase some of the key reasons why you should also work to be a fantastic advocate of others. Keep reading to find out how and why you should do so!

How to Advocate for Others…

  • Provide with Concrete Evidence: When you are advocating for someone else, remember that you are also putting yourself on the line by showcasing your opinion and the strength of your beliefs. For that reason, make sure to be able to identify and layout specific reasons as to why this person is qualified for a new role, project, promotion, etc. By doing so, you are providing concrete evidence and solid reasons to allow your audience to envision this person in a new position or role.
  • Speak Clearly and Without Bias: In relation to our point above, being able to provide concrete evidence and pinpoint specific traits of others will allow you to appear completely unbiased and clear in your opinion. Especially if you are advocating for a close friend, family member, or mentee, it is essential to helping the person that you can speak to their qualities as a professional instead of someone you have a close relationship with.
  • Always Mean It! We hope that this goes without saying, but always remember that your opinion is highly valuable and should be used in cases when you are most strongly opinionated! Advocate for others when you are sure of both your opinion and their qualifications. Do not feel pressured to speak for someone when you feel that they may need more practice, time, or skill development before advancing to a new position or workload. Always speak up when you mean it and when it matters.

Why You Should Advocate…

  • Reciprocation! Undoubtedly, you will encounter numerous advocates for yourself throughout your life. One of the greatest reasons for supporting others is in returning the favors that are done for you! Remember that people stepped up and often out of their comfort zone because they believed in your capabilities. When you feel the same for someone else, make your opinion heard.
  • Opportunities: You never know when you may find yourself working on a team either with or for someone you’ve supported in the past. Even more so, you never know when this same person may advocate for your promotion to or on their team as well. Keep in mind the opportunities associated with networking, and as a result, often advocating and supporting others.

It is crucial to your own fulfillment to be able to support others and contribute to their happiness as well as your own! Keep in mind throughout your career these people you feel passionate about supporting and confident in their qualities.

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

Click here to learn how to advocate for yourself!

How to Advocate for Yourself

By choosing to pursue a business career, you are undoubtedly throwing yourself into one of the most competitive industries! However, these positions and career paths draw certain personality types, so we are confident that you already possess the strengths to help become your own self-advocate. Keep reading here to find out about specific mechanisms that will allow you to become your best cheerleader.

Being Your Own Advocate:

  • Confidence in Your Knowledge: The first step towards becoming a self-advocate is strengthening your knowledge. Now, what do we mean by this? You should be well aware of your rights as an employee and as a person, as well as your benefits package, your resources, your managers, and even your own mentors. Entering conversations with a level of confidence stemming from prior research, an understanding of your position and the company, and preparation will automatically increase your ability to address your opinions and offer your own perspective.
  • Clarity: One of the main benefits of preparing for conversations, presentations, offerings, or any other interaction is that it allows you to cut out filler words and statements and instead be able to get right to the point! Always make sure to be mindful of the other person’s time, and get straight to it. Clarity will not only showcase your “mental map and organization,” but your appreciation of the time of the person your speaking to. Not only will saving someone a few minutes put them in a better mood… but that may bleed into the success you attain from the discussion!
  • Tone: Once you’re prepared to assess each point of your conversation, whether that be things you’ve accomplished, traits that qualify you for the given raise/promotion/project, or any other positive attribute, think about your tone! In combination with your facial expressions, body language, and emotions, your tone will be one of the key factors of how you are perceived by a given audience. We encourage you to adopt a confident, certain, but kind and open-minded tone so as to obtain the greatest response from the room.
  • Support System: Crafting a support system is essential to feeling the confidence necessary to advocate for yourself! You may find support in places that are unexpected, but keep an eye out for family, friends, mentors, managers, coworkers, exercise partners, significant others, and people that you gravitate towards spending the majority of your time around.
  • Self-Worth: Above all… know your worth! You were hired by a company because they trust and believe in your capabilities, so don’t let your nerves or worries get ahead of you. Every person on this planet deserves to be their own self-advocate because every person on this planet upholds a set of traits and strengths that is unique and unparalleled!

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Click here to learn about increasing your question-confidence!