4 Tips to Start Strong in Your New Job

4 Tips to Start Strong in Your New Job4 Tips to Start Strong in Your New JobStarting a new job in the New Year is always exciting, but a bit nerve-wracking as well. You want to be certain you start off on the right foot and position yourself well for opportunities down the road but over-confidence could come across as arrogance.Career coach Marcelle Yeager shared with U.S. News World Report her four best tips for anyone who wants to start strong at a new job in the New YearLearn as much as you can about your anfhrer No, not her favorite foods or where he likes to go on vacation. Use your first few meetings with your boss to determine how he prefers to communicate or make work assignments by email, phone or face-to-face and the more you can pick up about her goals and challenges, the easier it will be to prioritize your work and find ways to help reach those goals.Balance relationships and results You want to get to know your teammates so you can work well together, but performanc e is key, so dont spend too much time socializing. The first six months are critical to establishing yourself as a reliable team player who delivers results. Early on, offer to help others when and if you have the time, and they will likely reciprocate when you need it.Leave your baggage at the door If you often refer back to your last job and how you did things, it will get old fast at the new job. Make a smoother transition by listening and learning from your new boss and colleagues and absorbing the new company culture.Make recommendations gradually Sometimes when you enter a new job, you recognize issues quickly. But people get defensive, so dont rub your boss and/or teammates the wrong way by making too many suggestions too quickly. Begin by making a small suggestion during a meeting to see how your idea is received. That will give you a sense of whether the time is right or if the culture dictates you need to be there longer before giving them too big a nudge.

You dont need to read another book. You need bigger goals.

You dont need to read abedrngnislageher book. You need bigger goals.You dont need to read another book. You need bigger goals.Reasons come first, answers second. It seems that life has a mysterious quirk of camouflaging the answers in such a way that they become apparent only to those who are inspired enough to look for them - who have reasons to look for them. - Jim RohnInformation consumption is on the rise. Rather than learning for the sake of doing something, people now learn because they think it will automatically make them successful.Correlation doesnt equal causation.Reading lots of books wont make you successful.Reading lots of books will definitely help you become successful, if you already have a compelling reason to gain that learning. Without that reason and without a target, your learning will be distractive and directionless.It is for this reason that Jim Rohn said, Reasons come first, answers second.Which begs the question What are you actually pursuing?Are you purs uing something compelling enough to clarify what you need to learn and become?Or, like most people, are you caught in the web of information-addiction? Of ever learning but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.In the book, Skin in the Game, Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Things designed by people without skin in the game tend to grow in complication (before their final collapse).Taleb also said True intellect should not appear to be intellectual.You could learn more about yourself in five minutes embracing your fears than you could potentially learn reading 500 books.Yet, we live in a world that prizes head-knowledge over courage and purpose. True learning doesnt come from acquiring information, but in being forced to handle situations that reshape how and why you live.According to systems scientist and MIT professor, Peter SengeIt is tempting to think that just because one understands certain principles one has learned about the discipline. This is the familiar trap of confusin g intellectual understanding with learning. Learning always involves new understandings and new behaviors, thinking and doing. Similarly, Dr. Stephen Covey said, To learn and not to do is really not to learn. To know and not to do is really not to know.- - - Information and wisdom arent the sameWhere is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information? - T.S. EliotWisdom means you know what to pursue and why. It requires you actually live what you understand. You must be continually disrupting your own worldview by taking on bigger challenges in the real world - where the value of your thinking is put to the test.Wisdom requires what Cal Newport calls, Deep Work. According to Newport, most things people pursue are shallow, rather than deep.Shallow activities are easy to replicate. Almost anyone can do them. They require almost no bar of entry.Reading books has become shallow work, because it is so easy to replicate. Anyone can plektrum up a book and read.Few people, however, can pick up the right book at the right time and immediately test what theyve learned for a specific purpose. Hence, Newport has, Clarity about what matters provides clarity about what does not.Gathering information and learning for the sake of learning is a clear reflection that you do not have clarity about what truly matters to you.- - - Imagination is more important than knowledgeImagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution. - Albert EinsteinTheres a great show on Netflix called Amazing Interiors that I love watching with my three kids. The show is about houses that look completely normal on the outside, but once you get on the inside, these houses are ridiculousWhats fascinating to me about this show is how much creativity and focus a person can put toward something if they know what they want. Ingenuity is easy when y ou have a reason.Theres no shortage of philanthropisch ability or resources. There is a shortage of imagination to actually do something with your life.It doesnt matter how much knowledge you have if you lack imagination to do something.What do you actually want to do with your life?What COULD you do?What would be important or powerful to do?In a recent interview, Kobe Bryant explained that the reason he was able to reach his level of success was because he was curious and imaginative.You dont become one of the best basketball players in history without imagination. Kobe himself admitted that when he first started, he wasnt good. His first season playing basketball, he didnt score a single point.But his father instilled in him curiosity for what was possible. He helped Kobe develop an imagination that transcended what most people would tell him he could do.According to Gold Medalist sprinter, Leroy Dixon, Amateurs are the people who will tell you what you cant do.If someone is telli ng you the limits of what you can pursue or strive for - they are projecting upon you their own limitations. They are amateurs and spectators.Dont listen to someone who doesnt instill in you imagination for what is possible.- - - True learning is emotional, not intellectualIm attacking anything that Im scared of. - Will SmithIts easy to read books and look and sound smart. But what are you actually doing with your life?What action are you actually taking?What is the freaking point?In reality, true learning is not even intellectual, but emotional. In order for an idea to actually mean something to you, it must strike at your deepest sides. It has to trigger an emotional response and replace your old perspectives of the world.Your memory is your operating system to the world - its the lens through which you see and experience everything. All memory is tied to emotions. Core memories are based on deeply emotional experiences that then became your reason for believing and acting th e way you do.In order to shift your memories, you need to have deeply emotional experiences.Recently, Will Smith bungee-jumped out of a helicopter over the Grand Canyon for his 50th birthday. Now, that may sound like a really bad idea. But to Smith, it reflects something much deeper.When Smith was young, he learned about the complete rejection of fear when his father faced down a gang member who was parked outside their house with a gun on his dashboard, planning to shoot Will.Hence, when Will Smith fears something, he doesnt let it plague him. Instead, he confronts it boldly.According to Seth Godin, were all mixed-up about what we should fear. fruchtwein people fear things that arent actually dangerous, but instead, are simply outside of our comfort zones.The only way to truly learn something is by going beyond your comfort zone. Otherwise, there is no risk. Theres no putting your ideas or beliefs to the test.Its easy to believe something while sitting in your armchair. Its a lot h arder to believe something when the stakes are high. When youre in public. When you could fail and that failure means more than that you didnt get a few likes on your Facebook post.- - - Do you have skin in the game?Are you actually confronting your fears?Are you stepping outside of your story?Are you pursuing something big enough that it terrifies you?Are you pursuing something big enough that youre required to learn and become something far more than you currently are?- - - How steep is your learning curve?I think the ability of the average man could be doubled if it were demanded if the situation demanded. - Will DurantAccording to learning expert and chess prodigy, Josh Waitzkin, a persons potential is not based on their intrinsic abilities. But rather, a persons potential is based on how steep their learning curve is.Put simply, how steep is the mountain youre currently climbing?Are you confronting fears and challenges beyond your current skill-level daily because of what youre pursuing?Is your situation demanding far more of you than youve ever attempted before?Are you regularly dealing with uncertainty? According to Tony Robbins, The quality of your life is in direct proportion to the amount of uncertainty you can comfortably deal with.You can say whatever you want about Tony Robbins - but in this case, what he is saying is based completely upon scientific fact. In psychology, the concept known as Tolerance For Ambiguity has been shown to predict how successful a person will become.When you have a high tolerance for ambiguity, you are fine dealing with the unknowns of trying something new. You have developed a tolerance for being outside of your comfort zone.Youre fine being embarrassed for not knowing the answers.You welcome imposter syndrome - knowing that if youre feeling this thing, that youre trying something big or new or challenging.You seek awkward conversations that could lead to HUGE opportunities. As Tim Ferriss said, A persons success in life can usually be measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations he or she is willing to have.The greatest of all menschengerecht fears is uncertainty. We really really like to be able to predict how things will turn out.Uncertainty is the foundation of all fears. Its what keeps people stuck. Navigating uncertainty is where true learning happens - not by sitting comfortably in your chair with a book.Dont get me wrong, books are great Gaining head-knowledge is important for creativity and dealing with the mechanics of problems. But without emotional-intelligence and purpose, it doesnt matter how much knowledge you have.According to the Greeks, true knowledge is what they called Gnosis, which implies a type of knowledge that is derived from experience, and encompasses the whole of a person. That is, it is genuine knowledge of the truth. According to this definition of knowledge - reality and truth do not fit neatly into a concept, dogma, or theory. In order to have genu ine Gnosis, knowledge and understanding are things that one must experience.The steepness of your learning curve is entirely reflected in your current situation in life.What type of goals are your currently pursuing?What challenges are you facing on a daily basis that youve never had to face before?How much are you actually learning - through human experience, not just staring at a screen or a page?How much has your life actually changed in the past 12 months? According to the British philosopher, Alain de Botton, Anyone who isnt embarrassed of who they were brde year probably isnt learning enough.If your life isnt radically different from where it was 12 months ago, you dont have a steep learning curve.You may be acquiring a lot of information, but youre certainly not doing anything with it. Youre probably playing life more like an academic than a true practitioner and learner.If youre still the same person you were last year, then youre not being put into the fire of experience. Youre not being required to show up and perform and solve problems and youre not creating through imagination.The reason most people stop succeeding at a certain point is that they start creating out of knowledge rather than imagination.- - - Conclusion You need something bigger to work towardReasons come first, answers second. It seems that life has a mysterious quirk of camouflaging the answers in such a way that they become apparent only to those who are inspired enough to look for them - who have reasons to look for them. - Jim RohnWhen you have a compelling reason, then you can start looking for the answers.When you have HUGE goals that youre pursuing, you become highly selective about what you learn. You only learn those things you can actually use and apply. You arent simply an armchair philosopher. Youre actually in the world trying to solve real problems.You have skin in the game.Youre TESTING your knowledge in the real world, not just in your head or in conversation.Yo ure actually building something.When was the last time you took MASSIVE action?When was the last time you shocked your emotional system through exposing your fears, limitations, and weaknesses?When was the last time you did something that might not work?When was the last time you confronted some of the biggest fears that are currently holding you back?At some point, you have to leave the theory behind and step outside of your comfort zone where you dont know what will happen.When was the last time you did that, even in a small way?What would happen if you started facing your greatest fears in a big way?What if you developed a tolerance for uncertainty?What if you stopped worrying about what other people thought of you?What if you stopped trying to look intelligent and instead tried to do something important?What if you got extremely curious about what was possible?What if you allowed your imagination and massive action to transform you into something far beyond what reason or logic would suggest?- - - Ready to upgrade?Ive created a cheat sheet for putting yourself into a PEAK-STATE, immediately. You follow this daily, your life will change quickly.Get the cheat sheet hereThisarticlefirst appeared on Medium.

FlexJobs Contest What questions do YOU ask at job interviews

FlexJobs Contest What questions do YOU ask at job interviews Contest What questions do YOU ask at job interviewsWhen you go on a job interview, being able to answer the employers questions well is vitally important. At the same time, you need to bring your own questions so that you can learn more about the job and show your thoughtfulness and interest in learning about the company. This week, we want to know what sorts of questions you ask at job interviews. When the employer says, So, do you have any questions for us? what do you ask?The What questions do YOU ask at job interviews? contest has ended but check out our latest contest hereTO ENTER OUR CONTESTIn the comments below, answer this question What questions do YOU ask at job interviews?Comments are approved by a real, live, human moderator, so please be patient. You wont see your comment right away, but we know its there and well approve it quick as can be.DEADLINE TO ENTERFriday, May 11th at 1pm ESTTHE PRIZEA free one-month subscription to with access to over 9,700 pre-screened telecommuting flexible jobs from 3,336 companiesREQUIRED TO ENTERYour first name, at leastYour e-mail-nachricht address (this will be kept private)A respectful answer to this weeks question (if your answer is off-topic, it wont be approved)A maximum of one entry per personHOW WE PICK A WINNERWinner is chosen by random drawing and announced onFacebookon Friday after 1pm ESTYoull be notified by email if you win (so make sure you leave a valid email address in the comments below)GOOD LUCK AND THANKS FOR ENTERING