Let’s Chat… Lending a Helping Hand!

Welcome back to the first true work week of November! With Thanksgiving on the horizon, we are excited to continue to offer different ways to express gratitude in your personal or professional lives throughout this month. Today, we’ll take a spin on the idea of gratitude as it relates to coworkers. Have you ever joined a new company? Made a career shift? Or taken on an internal promotion/new role? The answer is likely yes, and with that comes stepping into a new space and the unknown. As we’re all bound to undergo change throughout our careers, it’s crucial to exude a helpful attitude to all new and current coworkers and teammates experiencing role transitions. Read below to learn about all of the ways that you can help others at work by lending a helping hand in training and daily task development.  

Helping Others at Work

  • Create Standard Work: Where applicable, I highly recommend creating step-by-step guides on how to complete tasks that your entire team is responsible for knowing on a consistent basis. Whether this is an access request, workflow with a cross-functional team, submission in a commonly used software/platform, etc., it will not only help them but also YOU to have a reference guide! Often, the more “mundane” tasks that you’ve become used to are those that are most ambiguous to a new employee, so make sure to be mindful of all inputs that you execute daily.
    • Extra Tip: We all know that joining a new position or organization feels like ‘drinking from a fire hose’. Sometimes, it feels impossible to differentiate high-priority items from longer-term learnings. For that reason, we encourage you to include a goal tracker in the standard work you produce. Think about it this way, how long should it take to become proficient at each task? To understand a software platform? To lead meetings? To achieve general team milestones and understand the department? Embedding timelines into work resources will greatly help assist your new teammate in mentally prioritizing the most important tasks.
  • Create Best Practices: On the same note, create best practices or include them within standard work resources! Whether this means a certain way of titling projects or inputting descriptions, communicating to teams, engaging in a meeting cadence for weekly team connects, fonts/formats/layouts utilized in presentations or documents, and more, there is likely a quicker avenue to the finish line that’s guided by knowing your best work! Especially as it relates to the preferences of the cross-functional teams you work with, assisting someone new on the ins and outs of how you work is key to their successful team integration.
  • Create Tracker of In-flight Projects: If you’re leaving a team at any point in your career for a promotion or new company, it is also super important to have written documentation of projects or tasks that are incomplete upon your departure. Documenting the resources (like employees across the org.), who the tasks are being assigned to, the status, and any relevant documentation will ease your team’s ability to take over where you left off.
  • Free Up Some Space! Free up your calendar when and where you can. Simply stating to the new teammate to “find some time on your cal” will not suffice in being welcoming and engaging. Make sure to suggest optimal times to chat live or via video, and meet in person when able! This is also helpful to your own ability to set boundaries; while it’s crucial to lend a helping hand where you can, it’s also important to not sacrifice your daily productivity to another teammate or role. So, creating expectations around training (i.e.: daily, weekly, or even monthly) will help set your new coworker and yourself up for long-term longevity and success!

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

Let’s Chat… Retaining Clients!

Welcome back, everyone, and Happy Friday! Another week down, Halloween behind us, and eyes on the prize that is Thanksgiving. As we’re gearing up to enter the busiest time of year and holiday season, retaining and strengthening client relationships is more crucial than ever. In the corporate world, and especially in client-facing roles, it’s invaluable to the longevity of business relationships that you express gratitude and treat your clients to thankful activities! If you’re in the market for some ideas to ramp up holiday events, gratitude opportunities, and general relationship management, keep reading here to find out our top strategies…

Retaining Clients through Gratitude…

  • Expressing ‘Thank You!’ There is no limit on the ‘thanks’ you can offer to clients. Whether you send 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 sending out a short email every so often, but even the smallest efforts have large rewards. For example, are you in the market of recruiting like we are? Did your client (ex: a law firm) reach a new milestone, achieve a new ranking, acquire a new company, experience a merger, or otherwise evolve in a public way? If so, make sure to send a personal note acknowledging and celebrating their success as if it were your own; reaching out and staying top of mind throughout your relationship lifecycle showcases your dedication to maintaining relationships as well as the fact that you are consistently keeping up with their endeavors.
  • Holiday Cards: If reading the first note made you think ‘Hm, I haven’t sent out an email to a client in a while’, have no fret as another quick and easy way to remind your clients that you’re thinking of them is by wishing them a happy holiday season! Sending company holiday cards not only reaffirms branding and remaining in mind (and even better, with a physical reminder in the form of a true card) but is a personal acknowledgment of another year in the books together. Conducting a quick online search will allow your firm to collect a huge some of addresses to send out well-wishes in a matter of minutes.
  • Visiting 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! Even if you find yourself too busy to engage in in-person interaction over the holiday season, remember that you can do so all year! It might make even more sense for your organization to schedule client visits during ‘off months’ when business dies down a bit and there is greater capacity to dedicate to relationship management. If this sounds like a more tangible plan for your team, we encourage you to schedule visits on a quarterly basis and in advance so that you can ensure ‘life doesn’t get in the way.’
  • Events and In-person Gatherings! For industries where this is appropriate and even comes as expected, we encourage you to schedule events where you will have the opportunity to showcase gratitude to clients by treating them to dinner, a sporting event, happy hour, lunch, game night, wine or whiskey tasting, charcuterie board making, observing a parade or city-wide event, attending a festival like the Christkindlmarket, or any other group activity that brings people together. Now that we’ve made it through the last few years that were largely virtual, most corporate employees have warmed back up to the idea of being together in person. Make sure to send out some feelers, and when a client responds with interest, follow up!

Going the extra mile with clients is a sustainable and essential way to maintain relationships 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 making 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!

Let’s Chat… Starting Your Job Search

Welcome back, everyone! As we head into the holiday season, and if your role is anything like mine, year-end deals are starting to ramp up and our workflow is getting more and more busy with each day! We know that the end of the year is a pretty significant time for one’s work, regardless of industry, and is therefore a potential starting ground for pondering a job search. Do you find yourself itching for a new opportunity? Are you fulfilled and/or satisfied with your work? Are you interested in a different skill set? If so, we encourage you to read the below to internalize the most crucial aspects of your future job search.

Job Search Strategy and Mindset:

  • Perseverance: This can be a tricky quality to uphold while scanning online for jobs for what feels like an eternity; it’s completely normal and expected to find yourself feeling burnt out or depleted after a few months of rejection and no luck. There are many long and hard stages of the job search process, but perseverance will keep you going. Not only will doing so help you stay positive and aware that the ‘search’ phase is only temporary, but will help you feel all the more rewarded in the end.
    • Best practice: Set metrics to hold yourself accountable to! Whether this means 5, 10, or even 50 applications submitted to new roles per week, creating a goal to set and meet on a specific cadence is key to feeling accomplished. Setting an application cap is also a great way to create boundaries with yourself to avoid burnout.
  • Timing: As we’ve all heard in the past… timing is everything! If you find a perfect-looking role, with a perfect location, compensation, benefit package, and more, but you think the time isn’t right, this is where you could become your own blocker. Many jobs are only open for a few days due to the vast saturation of applicants on online platforms; so make sure to create expectations for which roles you will apply to no matter what. Do you have a salary goal? City in mind? Industry or company type that you’ve always dreamt of working for? If any role ticks a ‘dream box’, we encourage you to jump on it right away. Remember that, just because you accept a new job in an industry or city, you won’t be held to your decision, or that position, for the rest of your career! Things change at a moment’s notice, so allow yourself flexibility and openness to diving outside of your comfort zone.
  • Skills: Your skills are your greatest asset; use downtime to improve on current skills or learn new ones that apply to a dream role that you’re chasing. Online certifications (through platforms like LinkedIn, Google, or Amazon) are a great resource through which to improve and update your skill set with tangible deliverables to prove you’re up to snuff.
    • Best Practice: Ensure that your skills are updated on platforms like LinkedIn and documented on your resume. Obtaining ‘endorsements‘ from colleagues and leaders is a phenomenal strategy through which to bulk up your resume and perception from recruiters. Don’t be afraid to ask for these types of endorsements throughout your career; especially if you recently completed a project or reached a milestone, requesting these types of ‘rewards’ from coworkers is absolutely normal and reasonable.
    • Extra Tip: There are many personality and strength tests you can take for FREE online! Take advantage of these tests to examine your skill set and be able to offer concrete examples as to why your strong areas support your potential next role.
  • Customization: Take time to tailor your resume to each job you are applying for! While this may seem tedious, it will undoubtedly prove valuable when it comes to your next employer (and the recruiter evaluating your profile!). This might look like adjusting the format, descriptions, coloration, or even experiences per application, but is key to showcasing your experience relevance and care about any given role.

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

Let’s Chat… Your Resume through Student Involvement

Welcome back, everyone! Hoping you’re gearing up for a fun Halloween weekend and many treats along the way. Today, we wanted to focus on the importance of school (mainly undergraduate college) involvement and how it builds a toolkit through which you can nail interviews. How can you get involved at college? How do you ensure that these activities translate in an interview setting? How can you merge career aspirations with extracurriculars? Find out everything you need to know below!

Building Involvement Aligned with Your Future Carrer

Student Organizations

Above all, it should come as no shock that joining a student organization is the easiest, most convenient, and quickest way to increase your involvement outside of coursework. Whether your membership requires an application, or joining without prior requisites, student organizations offer a variety of different activities, skill builders, and friendship opportunities. Most universities host campus-wide organization fairs and virtual events to facilitate students’ ability to learn about opportunities to join new groups and recruit throughout the academic year! So, reach out to an advisor, friend, or even professor to identify your next and closest resource. Especially for those of you pursuing student orgs. in hopes of ‘beefing up’ your resume, make sure to ask about their corporate involvement and how they create relationships with employers. As a participant in ‘Women in Business’ in college, we were encouraged to attend speaker events during which corporate employers would explain their product and employment offerings, how to get involved, and what a career would look like at their company. By attending under the guise of your student org. identity, you’re not only benefitting from the chance to actually meet employers but also by the association with a prestigious and recognized student group that employers are actively recruiting from!

Volunteering

Another great way to increase your extracurricular involvement and achieve a holistic candidate profile (including community involvement!) is by volunteering. Not only through student organizations but also by self-search, you can easily identify a vast array of volunteering opportunities specifically geared toward causes that mean the most to you. We encourage you to seek out student volunteering platforms, identify volunteer-based organizations, and ask around to find a group that will join you in your efforts to give back! It is also super crucial to your longevity with an organization that you identify a cause that resonates with you and that you believe in. Recruiters absolutely consider longevity from candidates, so committing to a volunteering opportunity long-term is a great way to simultaneously showcase loyalty to an organization.

Greek Life or Business Fraternities

Like the above, a large component of Greek life includes philanthropic efforts! Many organizations “COB” in the spring to provide an additional opportunity to rush their organization, get to know members, and potentially join permanently. If you are more interested in the professional or academic side of fraternity life, then joining a business “frat” may serve as an even better opportunity to fit your preferences! Within these organizations, it’s crucial to pursue a leadership position to increase involvement and showcase an uphill trajectory throughout your college ‘career’. Are you interested in member development? Philanthropic leadership? Recruiting? Financial management? Marketing promotions? Well good news, you can seek increased involvement by pursuing any one of those key pillars of a successful org.! So, make sure that, before joining a sorority or fraternity of any kind, you inquire about long-term leadership potential.

T.A. or R.A. Positions

Finally, if you’re looking for academic credit, potential scholarship, or paid opportunities, applying to be a teacher’s assistant in a course that you have experience in, or living in a dorm/residence hall and working in a “management” position as an R.A. is a fantastic option. Make sure to look into these opportunities as early on as possible to solidify your placement in the position! Not only will doing so provide credit or a paycheck, but also an amazing leadership opportunity through which to craft your resume experiences.

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

Let’s Chat… Staying Aware of your Social Presence

Welcome back, everyone! We hope you had a relaxing weekend that brought rejuvenation for the upcoming week. As we near Halloween, we are gearing up for our own costumes and collecting candy and treats throughout this week!

Today, we wanted to chat about a topic that is ever-growing in the digital age and becoming more and more intertwined with our professional experiences: social media. It is almost guaranteed that social media will integrate into your career – whether this means by following and connecting with coworkers online, applying to jobs and having your social profiles scanned, or even identifying opportunities on channels like LinkedIn… social media is all around us. So, to ensure that your social profile will leave a positive impression on an employer and never hinder your success, keep reading below…

‘Clean’ Social Media Profiles 101:

  • Google: It’s easy to forget about the tool right in front of us and that many of us use every day… Google! Our most popular online search engine is a fantastic place to start (even for those of you who are confident that your socials are all clean already!). Engaging in an online self-search is a perfect way to confirm that your online profile is not displaying images or information that you’re not aware of and that all information is up-to-date and reflective of who you are. For example, when I went to college and began engaging in a full-time job search, I remembered that I had an old Twitter account from high school; with the knowledge that I’d likely never return to the platform, I made sure to remove my tweets and deactivate my account as it no longer aligned with my professional profile and online presence.
  • Archiving Photos: For those of you who manage social media accounts that you are no longer as active on but wish to keep online, temporarily “deleting” or archiving photos is a great strategy to ensure the pictures you have posted stay aligned with the way you wish to be digitally perceived. Especially for those of us who have profiles dating back decades at this point, it’s reasonable to assume that we don’t look like or feel like the same person that we were in 2010! So, keeping a clean profile by maintaining up-to-date information and pictures is important to feel confident in the way your socials are perceived by employers.
  • Err on the Side of Less: While we encourage you to stay true to yourself online and embrace the digital age by participating in social media, we also want to make note that sometimes, less is better! While it’s exciting to share media in the forms of ‘stories’, pictures, videos, and more, it’s also crucial to maintain awareness that what you post lives online forever. So, steering clear of heavily opinionated content, political perspectives, and other ‘non-dinner table or interview topics’ is a great rule for keeping a clean online presence. However, we also recognize that these opinions are components of some of your careers, so toeing the line and establishing expectations in the workplace is a helpful strategy to ensure you’re ‘staying in line’. Also, remember, people cannot hear your tone, see your facial expressions, or ask you questions about the way you mean for words to come across online when evaluating your social content so be cautious of the way you word your posts so as to mitigate anything being misconstrued!
  • Set Expectations: When in doubt, talk it out! As we briefly mentioned above, if you are unclear on your company’s expectations of online presence, create an open line of communication. If your name is posted all over company content, if you’re client-facing, or if you work on professional platforms like LinkedIn, your profile becomes associated with your company’s reputation. So, ask your manager, HR team, or dig into a company policy to stay informed about how you’re expected to behave online and where to create boundaries between your professional and personal presence.

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

Let’s Chat… Listening with Intention

Welcome back, everyone! No matter who you are, where you live, or what your work looks like (or if you don’t work at all!), this article is for you. Every single person is tasked every day with listening: Are you listening to a friend? Family member? Colleague? Manager? The news? Scrolling your phone and hearing influencers speak on social media? YouTube vlogs? The sounds of nature on a walk? Plugging into a podcast or music? Listening is all around us, every day, and crucial to the communication that threads our lives together. So, being an active listener and listening with intention is key to setting you up for professional and personal success. Keep reading to find out HOW to do so here!

Listening with Intention

  • Remove Distractions! Even if you have a habit of multitasking in meetings or during activities, becoming a great listener requires full focus on whatever is in front of you. We often spend the majority of our day thinking about what we are going to do next and it distracts us from tasks at hand; whether this means at work or in personal conversations, it’s crucial to direct your full attention to the person speaking. Not only will doing so help you engage and retain information, but will immediately help you display yourself as interested in the conversation and provide the other person with confidence and comfort. Especially in corporate settings, before you join a meeting (whether in person or virtual!), make sure to silence your phone or computer notifications to minimize easy distractions.
  • Body Language: Body language is also crucial to how you come across to the person you’re speaking with, and this counts for online meetings too. Simply making sure you are facing the person with your full body will queue body language that you are engaged and invested in a conversation; make sure to sit up straight, adjust your shoulders back, and uncross your arms or legs if you lean into one of those positions naturally (and sometimes when nervous). Think about conversations you’ve had throughout your life where someone is playing with their hair, tapping a foot, stretching mid-conversation, or otherwise wandering off across the room with the way their body is turning… how did it make you feel? Probably that they were uninterested, which consequentially results in your speaking falling flat.
  • Eye Contact: I know eye contact can sometimes feel awkward or uncomfortable, especially for the up-and-coming digital generations who grew up staring at their phones and screens. However, eye contact is essential to productive conversations and displaying interest. Remember that your mind will follow the patterns of your eyes – if you’re staring around the room of any environment, you’re already setting yourself up to wander into thoughts outside of the conversation at hand! Suppose eye contact is something that you struggle with. In that case, there is a plethora of information online to help you train this type of skill, as well as developmental classes to improve on strategies for sustaining eye contact in any conversation.
  • Be Present and Ask Questions: While the above strategies are largely things you can physically control, the true differentiation between meaningful and lacking listeners is intangible – be present! You can do so by asking questions throughout a conversation or by jotting down notes (especially in corporate settings) and following up after someone is done sharing. Ensuring that your questions are specific and on par with the course of the conversation will differentiate the way that you display your ability to comprehend, retain, and respond to information. Especially in interview settings, the questions that candidates ask are a key factor in differentiating themselves from the rest of an applicant pool!
    • Extra Tip: It’s okay to follow up too! Especially when you’ve engaged in a new topic, learned a new skill, or otherwise were introduced to new information, circling back to the conversation is a great way to create longevity and meaningful relationships. For example, if you discussed a podcast or two with a friend, sending a follow up text to acknowledge that you’ve listened (including a specific tidbit from what you heard) or asking to learn more about the speaker is a perfect display of listening and acting on information shared with you.

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

Let’s Chat…Grounding in Stressful Times

Welcome back, everyone – we hope this weekend brought you the opportunity to unplug, spend time with friends and family, and recenter yourself after an unimaginably tough week for the world. There’s no doubt that there is stress felt everywhere right now as we navigate uncertainty and fear, but it is crucial to take each day one at a time. In doing so, we thought it an appropriate and valuable time to refresh ourselves, and each of you, on key stress relief strategies for you to use as soon as today. Keep reading below to ground yourself and relieve feelings of stress.

Grounding Yourself

  • Crafts: Let’s start with arts and crafts. We’ve encouraged you many times in the past but are here to nail this idea into your minds one more time… crafting is a key to relaxation! This may look like coloring, hands-on pottery, drawing, sketching, or even digital/online graphic design… it’s a personal and creative outlet that looks different for every participant. No matter how this manifests for you, we encourage you to explore this unique activity to trigger an often unused area of your brain. Even more so, engaging in physical activity forces you to unplug from your phone and doom scroll for hours on end. It’s super important to stay informed about world events but also to create boundaries for yourself to ensure you’re sustaining a healthy mind and separation from being glued to your phone the entire day.
  • Artistic Outlets: On that same note, engaging in artistic or musically-focused activities is a wonderful way to explore new hobbies and develop previously “unexercised” skills. This may mean music (like drumming, playing piano, or attempting guitar lessons), singing, acting, or engaging in performing arts. However, pushing yourself into new environments and out of your comfort zone is a great way to create a sense of ‘new’ in your life, in addition to distracting yourself in the form of a new hobby.
  • Get Outside: If you can take just a moment to watch the sunrise, step out for a cup of coffee, follow the sunset, or take a breath of fresh air, the scientific benefits of activating Vitamin D are unmatched! This does not have to look like a full-blown activity and may just be opening a window, but we are confident that it will be worthwhile no matter your geographical location. Always remember to take a deep breath throughout the day and look up from your screen. Fresh air is super beneficial to our mental health and a significant outlet for stress relief. 
  • Exercise: Finally, we will continue to point out the positive effects of walking that have been proven to decrease stress and increase one’s ability to manage emotions. So, clear your mind, throw on your favorite podcast or music, and get moving! Even better, exercising through a walk (indoor or outdoor) is also a great way to incorporate some casual socialization into your day. Grab a friend, a partner, a colleague, or even a family member, and spend some time walking together, you’ll be amazed at the quality time you’ll achieve.
  • Check-in on Sleep Habits: It might sound obvious, but it is crucial to your stress levels that you maintain enough sleep each night. If you’re struggling to fall or stay asleep, try turning off screens earlier in your day, create a setting that allows for relaxation (think lighting, sounds, and scents!), and unplug from your daily responsibilities to ensure you’re allowing wind-down time before simply expecting to fall right asleep. Reading before bedtime is a phenomenal way to wind down and focus on something outside of your day-to-day tasks, thoughts, or feelings.
  • Journal, Gratitude, Meditation, and Mindfulness: One of our favorite ways to stay grounded is by practicing any of these strategies to engage with a form of mindfulness and gratitude. Dedicating just a few minutes a day to journaling, saying things in your head or out loud that you’re grateful for, or researching meditation/mindfulness exercises is an amazing way to bring yourself back to key priorities and the aspects of your life that mean the most to you.

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

A Message on the Middle East

As an enterprise committed to the values of integrity and inclusion, Esquire Recruiting, LLC stands firmly against the horrific atrocities occurring in the Middle East. We mourn those who have lost their lives, and our thoughts remain with their families and those who have been seriously injured or displaced from their homes. 

Supporting Each Other

While we don’t have employees or operations in the directly affected area, we do have employees with deep connections, including family and friends. We recognize that many of you have been profoundly impacted and concerned by these events. There are many online resources for support.

Relief Efforts

We know that many of you feel strongly about providing support and for Esquire to do the same. 

A few organizations you may wish to consider include: 

We recognize that these are very trying and emotional times. Thank you for the understanding and compassion you continue to show each other throughout our global community. 

Sincerely

Scott Fischer, CEO

Esquire Recruiting, LLC

Let’s Chat… Catch-up after PTO

Welcome back, everyone! We hope you had a relaxing weekend and, if you’re like me, indulged in PTO at the tail-end of last week. As I am in the mindset of catching up on Friday’s tasks, I thought it would be a perfect time to engage you all in the strategies that I follow when work piles up. Even for those of you who logged on to view a surprising influx of tasks and to-do items that came in over the weekend, the below will help you tackle the day item by item. Keep reading to find out how to best catch up on work while still maintaining balance and boundaries!

Getting Back on Track:

  • Routines: Above anything else, setting a routine that you can rely on to play catch-up will help you stay organized, timely, and productive. Whether this means eating breakfast, exercising, time-blocking your schedule, or scheduling touch-base meetings, any organizational tactic will prove to benefit you in the long run. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the ambiguous concept of ‘becoming organized’, take the following tip for example: what types of emails do you receive? Do you have a mental prioritization strategy? If there are urgent items that require attention, either ‘flag’ them for review or create an ‘urgent’ folder to differentiate what can wait and what can not. If you’d prefer for your priority items to remain front and center, think about creating an email folder for ‘follow-ups’, ‘non-urgent tasks’, or even ‘Tuesday items’ if you don’t think you can get to every task in one day! Differentiating the mass of emails that fill your inbox is guaranteed to help you create priorities and organize your to-do list instead of letting it pile up and become overwhelming in one place.
  • Early Wake-Ups: We know this isn’t everyone’s ideal plan, and many of us dread that 7:00 AM wake-up call. However, during the week following time off or a holiday, affording yourself an extra few hours of the day will prove immensely valuable to your schedule. You’ll be surprised at your body’s ability to work hard and function on a slightly lower quantity of sleep; this could be an especially great resource for catching up. We encourage you to maintain the recommended 7-hour minimum of sleep but to also consider getting up, achieving morning movement or mindfulness, replenishing your body with breakfast (and/or coffee) ahead of logging on, and otherwise gaining momentum ahead of the start of the work day. Doing so will help you plug in mentally and physically, and sustain that level of energy throughout the entire day.
  • New Atmosphere: Sometimes all it takes is a new atmosphere to stimulate work and motivation! We all know the feeling of dread when our workflow becomes too repetitive: our alarms start to slack back several minutes, we lug ourselves out of bed only to log onto a computer and sit at a work desk a few feet away, and the environment feels stale. If this sounds like you, consider both your home and your community! Do you have a nearby cafe, coffee shop, lounge, library, classroom, or other type of resource that replicates an office setting? Is there a different room in your home you can relocate to? Finding new spots, new lighting, new smells, and a sense of refreshment is a fantastic way to stimulate productivity this week.
  • Go Easy on Yourself: One last tip… always be easy on yourself after a break! After all, we work to live – not the other way around! Your PTO is well-deserved and should be thoroughly enjoyed in order to sustain a work-life balance and fulfilled lifestyle. Ensure that you find pockets of breaks for your mental health throughout the day, and maintain your work boundaries. Especially for those of you not compensated for overtime, logging off at an appropriate hour in order to recharge after work and obtain enough sleep to tackle the next day is crucial to long-term sustainability and success.

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

LinkedIn Profile: Part 2!

Welcome back to Part 2 of evaluating your LinkedIn profile. Let’s keep reading below to wrap up this crucial topic that impacts candidates at all phases of their career lifecycle. Whether actively seeking a new role, accelerating at one company throughout several years, or simply building a profile from scratch, your LinkedIn page serves as your personal, online introduction to the world of recruiting. So, how can you make sure that you won’t be passed by amongst a growing pool of candidates and a never-ending list of ‘open jobs’ at your fingertips?! Find out below…

LinkedIn Profiles: Part 2!

  1. Education: Brief but impactful! Your education section will display the University you attended/graduated from, completed major(s), as well as student organizations you participated in. While these factors on their own may not determine a future job, they will link you to an expansive network of people with similar experiences! Not only can you view which alumni work for certain companies, but sharing a like-minded value (for example membership in Women in Business), will help establish a commonality ahead of networking conversations.
    • Important Tip: Make sure to expand on the societies and student organizations you participated in in the ‘Organizations‘ section! The education blurb is simply to state the title of a student org., not the description.
  2. Volunteering: Below the education section, you’ll find a volunteering space designated separately on your profile. Make sure to document any volunteering experiences you’ve had; this is also a great way to communicate your values. Make sure to keep up with volunteering efforts when and where you can, as more recent experiences undoubtedly hold more value (as opposed to a high school fundraiser you participated in for a single day). We also encourage you to dip deep and better understand your own values. Especially after graduation, it’s super special and impressive to recruiters when candidates have established a relationship with a certain charity or volunteering opportunity over the course of several years. Not only does this showcase your loyalty, but displays true work and a strong moral compass.
  3. Skills: You can easily draw on skills from your resume! Do you have a section at the bottom of your resume to define skills and accomplishments? If not, now is a great time to start and track the competencies you’ve picked up along your career. Think of specific platforms like Excel and Microsoft Office or ‘non-tangible’ skills like interpersonal communication, presentation confidence, and even elements that may have only manifested in hobbies like ‘creative writing’ or ‘storytelling’ will help shape who you are and what you will bring to a future organization!
    • Important Tip! Skills can be endorsed by your professional connections, so make sure they are relevant to previous experiences and accomplishments if you’re seeking an extra boost for validity.
  4. Honors and Awards: In the same way that skills reflect the final portion of your resume, honors and awards do the same. Make sure to ‘humbly brag’ about your most prized accomplishments in this section. Not sure what’s appropriate? Think of memberships to honor societies, scholarships, Dean’s list achievements, ‘President’s Awards’ at companies, or other distinguishments you may have obtained during your academic or professional career that will give weight to your performance as a candidate.
  5. Languages: Pretty self-explanatory, we encourage you to only note your language competency if it is up-to-date, and you are confident enough to speak, write, or read another language in a corporate setting. If you’re simply able to navigate a city and engage in light conversation in another language, it may be best to leave that off of your profile and instead discuss it in an interview if it becomes relevant.
  6. Interests: You’ve made it to the bottom of your profile, congratulations if you’re still reading this article! Finally, we encourage you to scroll and navigate through LinkedIn as you are building your profile so that you can “like and/or follow” companies, topics, people, brands, news outlets, and anything else that interests you. etc. Your interests serve as yet another way to find common ground with someone as you reach out to connect and initiate informational interviews or networking conversations!

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

Let’s Chat… Your LinkedIn Profile!

Welcome back, everyone! Hoping you had a great weekend and, if you’re located in the Midwest, are embracing the warmth that is still lasting through the beginning of our fall season. Keep reading below to engage with the importance of LinkedIn, its profile attributes, and what information recruiters look for as they scan applicants!

LinkedIn Profile Attributes…

  1. Profile picture: Likely the first piece of content addressed when someone views your profile. LinkedIn headshots anchor the professionalism of your page, so most recruiters expect to view a picture that looks: formal, displays professional dress, and is centered against a plain background (a dorm room wall is often a good place!). Make sure you’re smiling, and crop from the chest/shoulder area up so that your face is still clear to see from that little circle!
  2. Header Image: An area of your profile that you could make fun! Since the header is simply the top of your profile and not necessarily linked to candidate information, we encourage you to display a photo that relates to your identity, hobbies, or professional goals. For example, throughout college, I chose a header image of Lake Mendota (on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus); not only did my header relate to one of my favorite places, but it helped easily lead to an overview of my college experience and activities on campus.
  3. General profile below picture: Make sure your occupation is documented in your profile headline (i.e.: student, full-time, part-time, actively seeking a new job, etc.)! Include as much information as you feel comfortable with: first name, last name, pronouns, home location, or any other characteristic that might help someone viewing your profile to mentally map out your full candidate identity.
  4. About Section:  This space is dedicated to personal attributes about yourself! Remember, recruiters view so many profiles, so keep it concise (6-8 sentences). Communicate your year in school (if applicable), University, major(s), career interests, and anything personal (in my free time, I love to…../you can find me/…. something like that!). Remember that any recruiter can glance through your experiences, but they won’t know the non-related pieces of your lifestyle that contribute to a job search. So, take advantage of this section to add color to who you are and what you’re looking for in your next role (i.e.: what motivates you?).
  5. Experience: Your experiences should essentially match your resume, in addition to providing more detail since you are not limited to a single printer paper page. If you have valued experiences that didn’t make it onto your resume due to relevancy or space, this is a great space to elaborate on prior work you’ve done that may contribute to future roles. Make sure to keep this space up to date with your current role and any bullet points about the work you do.
    • Extra Tip: If experiences start to feel too dated to be valuable to your profile and identity, it’s expected that they will be removed over time!

Check back in later this week for a full run-down of the additional attributes in Part 2!

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

Let’s Chat… Our Annual Fall Note!

Welcome back, everyone! Today, we’re so excited to share our annual fall note with you – how has it already been a year since the last fall season?! If you’re as excited as we are to dive into cozy months, pack on sweaters and fuzzy socks, and cuddle up by a fire, this annual note is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. So, how should YOU embrace the upcoming season and the changes that come with it? Find out everything you need to know below!

Frolick into Fall!

  • Get Outside: There’s no doubt that the summer months are spent beneath the sun, but don’t let the end of summer mean the end of venturing outside – especially during the last few weeks of September and early October, make sure to value pockets of time that you can spend outdoors! Not only is doing so a great source of Vitamin D to stimulate overall health and productivity, but it will allow you to appreciate the warm weather while it’s still here.
    • Extra Tips: Find a picnic spot, listen to a podcast on a walk, take a lunch break on a patio or at an outdoor cafe, or go see a “movie in the park” and participate in an outdoor community activity.
  • Make a Bucket List: A bucket list is a perfect way to track all of the things you’re most excited about in the coming season. Ready to leave summer behind? The heat, bugs, and lack of routine might have you craving pumpkin spice lattes and a Halloween movie marathon. If this sounds like you, make a bucket list of things you are looking forward to. Even if you LOVE summer, to get excited about October and the new things to come, a list is just the tool you need. Setting goals and creating bucket lists help focus our attention, articulate what we want to explore, and turn those ideas into a reality.
    • Extra Tip: Here are some ideas to boost your excitement and creativity! Try apple picking, visit a new pumpkin patch or corn maze, take a trip to a Halloween store or haunted house, play around in the fall leaves and watch them change, visit a new holiday-themed cafe or taste a pumpkin spice drink, treat yourself to a pumpkin-themed treat or pastry, and embrace the key pillars of the season!
    • Extra extra Tip: As we enter Q4, this is also a great time to check in with the goals you’ve set for this year! Are you on track personally? Professionally? How can you make these last few months count?
  • Personal Reflection: Whether this is through journaling, meditation, or simply thinking, we encourage you to set aside some time to reflect on the year thus far and how you’re feeling. If you don’t know where or how to get started, try exploring these ideas!
    • What was your favorite thing about this year so far?
    • What was the best thing that you experienced this summer or this year? Did you cultivate any new hobbies or interests?
    • If you could go back and do a season, quarter, or event over from this year, what would you change?
    • What did you learn about yourself this year? Are you on track with resolutions or professional goals?
    • How was this summer different from past summers?
    • What lessons or takeaways would you like to carry with you into the fall? What activities, events, or locations are you excited to explore?
  • Create a routine: Creating a new routine might be the perfect fresh start you need to kickstart the new season. Get organized and prioritize what needs to be done over the next few days, weeks, or even months. You can almost think of September as the new January! Cleaning out your closet, workspace, or other environments is a perfect way to create a refreshed and re-ignited sense of motivation to close out the year.

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

Let’s Chat… Quality Time with Family and Friends

Good morning and Happy Monday! To those who celebrate, we wish you an easy fast, and beautiful evening spent with loved ones. With the holiday in the air and the cozy nights on the horizon, we thought today would be a perfect time to remind everyone of the importance of quality time – non-distracted, unplugged, truly meaningful memories created around the people most important to us. So, how can you schedule some quality time today or this week? Keep reading to find out!

Creating Quality Time

  • Unplug and Tune In: You may be sick of hearing us say this by now, but we truly believe that in order to be fully engaged with family and friends, it’s time to shut down the phone. By directing half of your attention (or more!) toward a screen, you’ll miss out on key moments that happen in real life and in person. Remember, it’s also super important to create boundaries at work so that you aren’t viewed as someone who is accessible at all hours of the day, but instead, someone who ‘works to live’, and when you’re offline, you’re truly offline. If you get antsy at the thought of being unable to access your work apps this week, then try setting yourself up for success by instead implementing goals around increments of time dedicated to checking. For example, can you allot 15 minutes each night to a quick email scan instead of having your phone by your side or in your pocket for the entire night? Minimizing temptation and distraction is a key component of unplugging!
  • Planning Ahead and Activities: We all know the all-too-familiar feeling of attending events with friends or family when there isn’t much to do besides sit around and talk. In these moments, it’s also easy for us to fall into the comfort of our screens, pulling out our phones and becoming removed from the conversations out of habit. So, if you’re hosting family time, a holiday party, or otherwise gathering a group of friends, be mindful of creating activities and guiding the vibe of the event! Is there a new trivia game you can try? Do you have a tradition of carving pumpkins, decorating table settings, or otherwise crafting together? Is there a nearby apple orchard, zoo, or even a schoolyard/field in which you could arrange a sporting event? Getting together through a shared activity is not only a great way to bond but also a great way to ‘force’ unplugging from screens by focusing on the activity at hand.
  • Include Everyone in Prep: On the same note as the above, we encourage you to bring friends and family members into your ‘preparation process’ wherever possible. Take Thanksgiving for example, you may be so swept up in cooking that you forget about the rest of the household – did everyone sneak back into their bedrooms to ‘doom scroll’ as a result? Is everyone separated by their own activities and scattered around your home? Rally everyone together by inviting children, spouses, siblings, friends, partners, and anyone else into the kitchen with you! Can you offload the potato mashing to someone else? Is there an opportunity to assign ‘ingredient’ collecting to someone else while you assemble your dish? Thinking of small tasks that require partnership is another great way to begin sharing traditions with younger family members and ensuring they know that they’re valued, included participants.

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

Let’s Chat… When it’s Time to Re-Brand!

Welcome back to the blog, everyone, and Happy Friday! Today, we’ll be chatting about a super important concept relating to brand sustainability and growth: rebranding. What is a rebrand? Are you in need of one… and how do you know when? Find out everything you need to know about rebranding and our experience at Esquire below.

Rebranding…How and Why!

  • Mission and Vision: Almost all companies undergo fluid re-evaluations of their mission and vision as they grow and evolve. Especially for entrepreneurs and employees working at start-ups, it’s almost a guarantee that your initial direction will veer into new courses time and time again as you work out the flow of your business. If your company has evolved away from its initial identity, functionality, purpose, and especially in what it provides to consumers, right now is a key moment to assess the need for a rebrand. Think about it like this, you’re not changing the intent of your brand, but instead re-aligning in a way that makes sense to its current identity.
    • Extra Tip: Another ‘alarm bell’ that should sound the idea of a rebrand occurs if your intended consumer demographic changes! Are your products geared toward a different age group than originally focused on? New geographical area? Are there seasonality elements to consider? Think about the way your products are perceived and the look/feel of your overall brand, as well as the way your consumer demographic perceives and engages with brands.
  • Audience Appeal: Let’s bring it back to our own brand at Esquire! As you each have evolved through your career and as candidates, so has Esquire; in order to stay connected in an authentic way with our audience, it’s necessary that our growth is continuously reflected in our logo and brand design. When we experienced a color and logo update in 2020, it resulted in our audience being better connected to our brand “vibe,” appearance, and message. We also hoped that in doing so, we would continue to differentiate from competitors; brand differentiation is especially crucial to success as we live in the ‘digital age’ and during a time where saturation of companies and accessibility is more prevalent than ever! When consumers are afforded the luxury of assessing brands and choosing where to invest their money and engagement, you must cater to their preferences, expectations, and needs.
  • Design: After the hypothetical re-brand is complete and the vision is clear, it’s time to assess the need to redesign your logo! This may require a partnership with a creative firm, which will introduce your team to a variety of color and font choices, as well as applications of each as they appear on websites, business cards, or other components of our brand. Designing the logo is so much fun! Make sure to make this a team-wide effort, and engage as many employees as you can so that they can feel a part of the process and end result! Remember, a variety of perspectives is key to success and to reach a variety of consumers as well, so take all employee opinions and identities into account when determining your redesign!
  • Launch! Rebranding is undoubtedly a TON of work, so make sure to create a meaningful and exciting announcement to unveil your new look and feel. Does your company have a presence on social media? If so, blast it across all platforms! Doing so will not only create momentum and excitement, but will ensure that your consumers and customers view the change and are aware that your brand remains the same, but elevated!

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

Let’s Chat… Feedback Meetings!

Happy Monday, everyone! After a rejuvenating and relaxing weekend, we’re ready to hop back into the swing of the week. Were you able to follow along with our consistent advice to unplug this weekend and spend quality time with loved ones? Did you fully engage in creating meaning outside of your job? We hope that you feel equally fulfilled and motivated to get back into a productive flow over the next few days. And, there’s no better way to guarantee you’re being a productive and valued employee than by asking for feedback! Not sure how to guide and engage in these types of meetings? Follow along to learn everything you need to know below!

Requesting Feedback…

  • Mindfulness of Tone and Presence: The most meaningful effect often isn’t even constructive feedback, but the way you receive and reply to it. Be mindful of smiling, maintaining eye contact, and avoiding any demonstration of irritation. This means… don’t eye roll, slouch in your seat, look around the room, or otherwise display signs of disengagement. Receiving feedback is all about interest in growing, embracing criticism, and actively listening. Make sure to start these conversations by expressing gratitude for the fact that your leader took time to shape feedback about your performance, and approach the conversation with the same tone, smile, and body language as you would any networking conversation! Remember, your manager might be ‘evaluating’ your performance during this meeting too – and those employees who are open to growth and self-aware of their areas of opportunity are those who will generate long-term success in any corporate setting.
  • Active Listening! While it is crucial to allow your manager to speak without interruption, it is appropriate (and often expected!) that you reply with questions that show you’re engaged and interested in growth. Whether this means asking for specific examples, creating measurable goals to improve on mentioned skills, or requesting regular meetings for the feedback discussed, showing that you’re actively listening will set you up for a successful conversation. If asking for feedback on general skills feels too ambiguous (for example, “How can I improve my presentation skills?”), make note of specific examples that you can share and point the conversation toward. Have you presented at a recent team meeting? Do you have a deliverable you just completed? Have you sent out a mass email to your department? Pointing out specific documents and meetings to guide feedback will help you derive the most value out of these conversations and their relevance to your individual performance.
  • Thankful Attitude: It’s essential to thank your manager for feedback and not express any animosity about 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. Especially when feedback may not have aligned with your expectations, make sure that you and your manager are on the same page before finalizing goals in any type of HR platform. Make sure that your goals are SMART (measurable!), align with your interests and role, and are reviewed by the same management/leadership that will evaluate them. Creating an open channel of communication so that your goals are interactive is key to success.
  • Provide Your Feedback: Take advantage of the opportunity to discuss your perception of your manager’s work and communication style as well. Provide constructive feedback about areas in which you need more support, their strengths, and general opportunities for the team’s workflow. In the same way that you expect to be given feedback in a kind manner and with respect, exemplify the same awareness of creating a positive conversation – whenever able, always end on a positive note!

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

Let’s Chat… Minimizing Distractions and Maintaining Focus!

Happy Friday to our Esquire follower family! Today, we’re here to recenter on a topic that will consistently bring value to your career: staying focused. In the digital age, and whilst being surrounded by media and technology at all hours of the day, it’s far too easy to become distracted or fall into a multi-tasking rhythm at work. While we’re huge proponents of taking breaks throughout the day, we encourage you to read below so that you can ensure you’re tuned in while working, and differentiating time to mindlessly scroll.

Staying Focused and Minimizing Distractions!

  • Ditch Your Phone: First things first, your phone will almost always be your main point of distraction. Whether this is from personal calls, texts, or social platforms, our phones keep our eyes glued to screens. Whenever possible, instead utilize online work chat platforms like Microsoft Teams or Jabber, and ditch your phone! The best way to completely mitigate distraction is not to create the opportunity for it at all. If this feels drastic for you, we recommend scheduling ‘phone breaks’ throughout the day instead of keeping it next to your desk: explore 10-minute breaks every few hours or a gap for lunch as our top strategy!
  • Stay Hydrated and Nutritious: Another key component of staying energized and motivated is hydrating your body and eating a nutritious breakfast! Meal prepping the night before to ease the effort required to create a hearty meal is a great way to minimize your to-do list for the next morning. And, we highly encourage you to purchase a reusable water bottle (maybe even one specifically for your work desk!) so that you can continuously refill and have easy access to water throughout your work day. Keeping a clear and healthy mind, and stomach, will place you on a fast track toward staying focused.
  • Create Schedules: Another way to stay accountable is by creating daily schedules highlighting goals, tasks, deadlines, and other priorities of your work, week, or even month! Doing so will help you stay in line with an organized list and also keep you from getting lost among a variety of tasks and ideas. Even better, use sticky notes or other physical forms of paper and paste them onto your screen or a spot in your constant view to serve as a consistent reminder.
  • Be On… and Off! When you’re on… be on. And when it’s time to be off,… be off! There is nothing more important than making time spent in and outside of your job meaningful. Trying to spread yourself across both responsibilities at once will leave your productivity and outcomes at half the value that you can truly reach! Always remember, you’re not expected to work around the clock for a reason, so put in effort when appropriate, and know when it’s time to unplug.
  • Time blocking! A key phrase that’s been gaining serious traction over the last few years is “time blocking.” So, what does it mean and how do you achieve this strategy of time management and optimization? We encourage you to batch out certain obligations or facets of your role across different points of the day. Maybe this means you dedicate your morning hours to necessary meetings, your afternoon to online training courses, or your lunch hour to a walk away from your screen. This will take time and practice, but entering a workday and having that sense of organization will allow you to optimize your time and focus on certain tasks without having intrusive thoughts about what you “could be doing” in addition!

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

Let’s Chat… Achieving Promotions!

Welcome back from the weekend, everyone! Today, we’ve got an exciting blog that will relate to every single one of our careers. No matter where you’re at in your professional life, what industry you’re working in, or what your role looks like today… the truth of the matter is that we will all be ‘up for promotions’ at certain points throughout our careers. So, in the event that this occurs, how do you ensure you’re ready for a promotion? How do you become your best advocate? And how do you achieve a promotion in general? Find out EVERYTHING you need to know below!

Securing Promotions in Your Career…

  1. Be Proactive: Take a moment and think about your ‘go-to’ teammate. Who do others view as the person who can get things done? Who proactively addresses challenges instead of staying reactive in their role? If there’s a person who comes to mind immediately, then they are likely a model employee and someone who you should aspire to become. Leadership will undoubtedly evaluate this trait as they consider promoting future leaders and appointing management.
  2. Find Solutions: On the same note as the above, when you identify problems or challenges in your processes, make sure to find solutions and a ‘fix’. Simply calling attention to a break won’t create long-term efficiency or change, so continuously reflect on how you solve problems on your team. If you feel stuck on a team that tends to ‘open a bunch of cans of worms’ without digging to the root of an issue, we encourage you to create the change required to progress. Whether it looks like calling a team meeting, proposing a weekly problem-solving session, creating a ‘brainstorm’ virtual board where all teammates can contribute ideas, or any other method of collaboration, guiding the improvement is a phenomenal way to expose your leadership and growth to management.
  3. Seek Leadership Opportunities: While engaging in the above exercise, and leading ‘problem solving’ opportunities is a great way to get in front of and display promotional-readiness to leadership, seek out other opportunities to transform into a leader! Does your company offer employee resource groups (ERGs) for employees to connect together? Are there opportunities to engage in mentorship as a mentor to another employee or intern? Finding ways to cultivate new skills both in and outside of your role within an organization is an amazing method for solidifying your reputation as a capable leader at any company!
  4. Address and Discuss Goals, Often: Seeking input and advice from your management is another key strategy in ensuring you’re aware of how you and your work are perceived. So, schedule frequent and consistent check-ins with the people who will one day contribute to your promotion conversations. Don’t be afraid to ask what you could be doing better and ways to improve so that you can advance to the next level and take on more work in your role!
    • Extra Tip: Make your desire to advance known! Stay mindful of the wording and way that you frame your hope of advancing your career on the ‘hierarchy’, but staying complacent and assuming that management will ‘just know’ that you hope to achieve a promotion is not going to help you accelerate. Talk to your manager about the title you’re chasing… what skills are required? What does leadership look for in ‘X’ employees? How can you take on projects over the next year to intentionally cultivate the skills needed for the next step?

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

Let’s Chat… Activities While Commuting

Welcome back, bloggers! Today, we’re going to dive into a topic that is near and dear to my heart – commuting to work! If you’re like me, and driving to work takes anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, this article is for you! Even if you take the train, ride a bus, or are on foot… finding ways to fill a commute with little hobbies can help you bring joy to an otherwise (and sometimes unenjoyable) mindless activity. So, keep reading below to find out some of my favorite forms of media to fill the time!

Filling your Commute with Fun!

  • Podcasts: Potentially the most glaring of all… podcasts! Not only can podcasts be mindless, but they can also be full of fun new topics and motivation. Whether you’re looking for a comedy focus, self-help, documentary, news, or other form of content… we guarantee you that you can find what you’re looking for on the podcast apps! We highly recommend tuning into a podcast anytime your music is feeling bland or ‘stale’ and instead learning about a new concept or topic that you haven’t heard before. Especially relating to your role, keeping up with industry trends by tuning into a few stories in the morning is a fantastic way to differentiate yourself as a super-strong employee!
  • New Music and Playlists: When you’re itching back to Apple Music or Spotify, we also encourage you to try out a new type of music or playlist you haven’t heard before. Especially while commuting on the same path each day, it’s all too easy to fall into a pattern of the same playlist, same routes, and same routine.. which can undoubtedly get stale! However, there are endless playlists, artists, and songs at your fingertips to dive into. If you’re not sure where to start, check out a top 100 songs or ‘current hits’ playlist in a new category.
  • Reading a Book (if you’re NOT driving!): There’s no better time to dive into a new book than during your morning commute (if you’re not behind the wheel!). For our bus and train riders, we nudge you to explore reading as a new hobby and activity to look forward to on your commute. That way, you won’t simply think of each new day bringing a morning ride to work, but instead a new opportunity to get further into a new read.
  • Listening to an Audio Book: For those of us who aren’t ‘handless’ commuters, that’s what audiobooks are for! Especially on the same tune as podcasts, this is a perfect (and consistent) time of day during which you can learn about new topics and expand your skill set. However, if you’re like me, and love a thriller or fantasy novel, this is also a perfect time to fit in a few chapters ahead of sitting down at your desk for the day.
  • Scheduling a Morning or Nighttime Chat with a Friend: While some of us don’t feel our energy peak until closer to lunchtime, many are morning people! If that’s the case, spending time in a vehicle en route to an office might be the perfect time to schedule a catch-up call with a long-distance friend, partner, or family member. It’s all too easy to fall into work routines and let relationships slip as a result. So, make sure to be mindful of and aware of your free pockets of time during each day… and put them to use in a meaningful way!
  • Morning Mindfulness and Meditation! Finally, we couldn’t pass up an opportunity to once again remind you of an optimized activity for your commute. While this would likely fit best for those of us commuting in private (and not on public transportation), mindfulness and meditation practices can be seamlessly baked into a morning routine. As we’ve said in the past, meditation can be as short as a few moments of breath work and mindfulness could look as simple as listing a few things you’re grateful for in the morning. Whatever it looks like for you, we are confident that engaging in this activity will put you on a fast track toward success, by getting your day started in a positive and intentional manner.

We hope that after reading this, you’re all geared up to try at least one new activity during your commute next week!

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

Let’s Chat… Dressing for Success!

Welcome back, everyone! We hope you had a LONG, relaxing weekend and are entering into your new-to-September work week with a refreshed sense of motivation. With kids heading back to elementary schools, and other students heading off to colleges, there is a sense of refresh and newness in the air this month. And with that… job searches! For anyone entering into interviews, starting a new job, or navigating a work culture and its ‘ambiguous’ dress code, this article is for YOU! Keep reading to find out how to dress for success in any professional work environment…

Dressing for Professional Success

  • Research: You have to research the company beforehand when kicking off an application or interview, so you should definitely compile a bit of research about the company culture. In doing so, try to figure out how they dress by checking out their social media, pictures on the website, or capture any information in an employee or company resource guide. Types of dress include business professional, business casual, and generally casual – we recommend dressing in a way that will allow you to fit into the company preference. If the way they dress is uncomfortable to you, make sure you evaluate this component of a role well ahead of the interview process to understand your fit best!
    • Extra Tip: If you’re teetering between two levels of formality, we encourage you to err on the side of formal when it comes to first impressions and interviews – you’d rather be overdressed than underdressed! Keep reading to understand why.
  • Confidence and Comfort: Let’s say that you’ve already done your research and discovered that the company is business casual, but you really wanted to wear your pencil skirt or suit. Guess what? It’s okay to overdress for the interview! Dressing for success is proven to boost our confidence in situations like interviews. Additionally, paying attention to what YOU feel comfortable in is a guaranteed way to settle some nerves when prepping in the last few moments before entering the interview room. Extra effort is always okay for an interview outfit – just make sure that you are comfortable with envisioning how you will fit into the long-term dress expectations.
  • Keep it Simple: When you think of your outfit, try not to go overboard on jewelry, accessories, brand names or labels, layers, colors, patterns, etc. Generally, make sure that you don’t distract from the most important part of the interview… you! Try to incorporate simple pieces that are elegant and conservative.
    • Extra tip: Simplicity also applies to colors! Sticking to blacks, browns, greys, dark blues, or other dark shades of colors will ensure you appear professional and aligned with any possible company culture or dress code.
    • Extra, extra tip: If you are someone who may sweat under pressure, we recommend layering your outfit so that you have an opportunity to cool off when you arrive at the office. This may look like a cardigan, blazer, jacket, etc., whatever it may be, doing so will help you to not feel trapped or suffocated by your nerves!
    • Final Tip: Arriving early affords you a crucial moment way to use the bathroom, cool off, reorganize, and feel fully prepared when you are ultimately called into the meeting!

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

Let’s Chat… Rounding out the Summer with Labor Day Weekend!

Welcome back, everyone! As we step into a long, holiday weekend, we wanted to remind you all to UNPLUG and enjoy the day(s) off. Especially as we round out warm weather, our ability to be outside, and extra time with friends and family, it’s especially important that you set boundaries with work and ensure a balance so that you can soak up the joy of the weekend. If you need some reminders or strategies to help you do so, keep reading below…

Let’s Chat: Unplugging over a Holiday!

  • 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 limiting to checking your work apps only during certain hours, or a # of times throughout the day, set a restriction for yourself to follow! Implementing these goals will provide you with a sense of achievement and a “rule” to stay accountable.
    • Extra Tip: Many of us also have an early release today, so make sure to TAKE IT! There is no reason to ‘be a hero’ by staying on after everyone else has logged off. In fact, to contribute to work-life balance and your company culture, you should embrace these ‘little gifts’ from management and fully engage. If you’re being told to take an early start on the weekend, it’s for a reason, and it’s not a trick. So… log off!
  • Make Plans! If you feel the same way as I do, that creeping feeling that settles in that you should be doing “more” occurs when lying in bed and unoccupied. For that reason, try to occupy yourself over the weekend by creating a schedule or set of plans to take action. Try out a picnic, in-home date night, movie night, art project, workout class, or other do-it-yourself activities to stay engaged outside of technology! If you aren’t near home, or close to friends or family, try out a new workout class, art class, comedy show, or other form of entertainment to take space in your ‘me time’! Feeling productive and accomplished can take several forms outside of work obligations, so remember to seek fulfillment outside of your job in order to truly balance your work-life routine.
  • Maintain Open Communication With Your Team: If you’re ever feeling a sense of guilt, 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 will relieve your sense of uncertainty, and therefore the ‘need’ to stay available at all times.
  • Set Your Phone Down… Physically! For many of us, checking our phones has become so natural that we might not even realize we’re doing it. If that sounds like you, then you are highly recommended to physically put your phone down in order to remove any chance of plugging into your email or work apps. Make sure to be present during the important, meaningful times spent with friends and family…. and remember, work will always wait for you until you’re back!

Enjoy the Holiday Weekend, everyone!

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