Author: Fairygodboss

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The 1 Thing That’s Better For Your Career Than Passion, According to Harvard

AnnaMarie Houlis via Fairygodboss You know what they say. “Love what you do, and you’ll never work a day in your life!” “Follow your passions!” “You only live once, so you might as well do what you love!” It’s ingrained in us from the time we’re kids. When we grow up, we...

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I Just Found Out My Coworkers Have More PTO Than Me — What Do I Do?

AnnaMarie Houlis via Fairygodboss We all know how valuable that coveted paid time off is — it helps you recharge by giving you time to relax, spend some days with your friends and family, travel, focus on your mental or physical health and take care of all the things that have been...

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7 Creative Ways to Get a Hiring Manager’s Attention, From People Who’ve Used Them

AnnaMarie Houlis via Fairygodboss Sometimes, you have to be willing to go the extra mile to get the attention you want from top companies. The unfortunate truth is that you’re not the only viable candidate in their pool and, if you want to get noticed, you may have to put yourself out...

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9 Phrases You Should Be Saying at Work More Often

AnnaMarie Houlis via Fairygodboss You probably know what you shouldn’t be saying at work in front of your colleagues and managers. You know — the PG-13 and R-rated conversations you should really leave for outside of the office, as they’re just not appropriate. But do you know what you should be saying...

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5 Ways Job Searching Is Harder For Black Women

Tiffany Lashai Curtis via Fairygodboss It’s been three years since I graduated college, with a bachelor’s degree in English and Communications. In 2015, I applied for about 30 jobs or so over the course of two months and landed my first “real” job as an academic library assistant, where I was both...

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7 Better End-of-Interview Questions That`ll Help You Stand Out

AnnaMarie Houlis via Fairygodboss It’s important to remember that interviews are two-way streets. This means that you can (and should!) ask questions of the hiring manager, too. After all, just as much as they’re deciding on you as a potential new hire, you need to decide on them as a potential employer....

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The Better Way to Word These 7 Common Cover Letter Phrases

AnnaMarie Houlis via Fairygodboss Cover letters should grasp and hold the attention of hiring managers. But hiring managers need to read through countless cover letters all the time. So how do you make sure that yours is one that they actually want to finish reading? Make your cover letter stand out better...

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95% of Job Applications Are Never Read — Here’s How to Make Sure Yours Is

AnnaMarie Houlis via Fairygodboss Sometimes, applying for jobs can feel futile. You fill out and submit countless applications and send innumerable emails. But where does it all go? When you don’t hear back from virtually anyone — sometimes not even to get a rejection — how can you even be sure anyone...

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Finding Your First Job Out of School Is Hard — Here’s How 10 People Found Theirs

AnnaMarie Houlis via Fairygodboss Finding a first job out of school might feel like an impossible feat. After all, you need experience to get experience — it’s a Catch 22. So how do you do it? Despite how difficult it can be to land your first job, it’ll happen with time and...

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7 Ways to Make a New Job Come to You (Instead of the Other Way Around)

AnnaMarie Houlis via Fairygodboss Job hunting can be exhausting. After all, it takes a lot of effort on your part to get out there to find the opportunities in the first place, and then convince hiring managers to choose you. But what if you didn’t have to? What if hiring managers just...

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7 Classic Pieces of Interview Advice We Should Ignore Today

AnnaMarie Houlis via Fairygodboss Interviews can be intimidating — you’re there to prove yourself to an employer, which can put a lot of weight on your shoulders. But interviews grow increasingly stressful when you receive conflicting advice about what to wear and how to behave, too. The truth is that all interviews...

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7 Phrases That Signal a Lack of Confidence at Work (and What to Say Instead)

Kayla Heisler via Fairygodboss Being seen as a leader requires going beyond doing your job well—it also involves your ability to project confidence. The way you present yourself and how you speak to others has a major impact on how they perceive you. Here are 7 insecure-sounding phrases to eliminate from your...

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8 Ways High Achievers See the World Differently

AnnaMarie Houlis via Fairygodboss High achievers have a different way of handling life than average achievers — that’s no secret. But what exactly are they doing differently in life to get to where they are? Here are eight ways high-achievers perceive the world differently. 1. They’re strategic in the things they assume...

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5 Ways to Improve Your LinkedIn Profile in 10 Minutes or Less

Alyson Garrido via Fairygodboss LinkedIn is an impactful way to build your professional brand and expand your network. While it may seem like people spend hours on end using the platform, there is a lot you can do in 10 minutes or less to improve your profile or to stay active on...

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Gratitude Is Proven to Counter Burnout — 5 Ways to Work It Into Your Life This Season

Mardi Humphreys via Fairygodboss According to leadership coach Randy Gravitt: “When a workplace prioritizes gratitude, it has been shown to reduce employee illness and stress, and make your business 12 times more likely to surpass competitors!” If your company doesn’t promote gratitude as a way to prevent employee burnout, you can lead...

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8 Things Managers Should Never Say During a Performance Review

AnnaMarie Houlis via Fairygodboss Performance reviews are notoriously wracked by sexism, and that’s why it’s incredibly important that managers are careful about what feedback they give and how they deliver that feedback. The truth is that, on top of being too infrequent (usually only once a year) and often rushed through, annual...

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8 Worrisome Signs That People Don’t Like Working With You

Taylor Tobin via Fairygodboss It should go without saying that workplace “popularity contests” are immature and ultimately not relevant to a productive and efficient office environment. However, because we’re all human beings, we’re likely to run into challenges and difficulties if we work alongside colleagues who don’t enjoy our company (either professionally...

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7 Signs You’re Being Breadcrumbed at Work (and How to Deal)

AnnaMarie Houlis via Fairygodboss Breadcrumbing — it’s the act of leaving small crumb trails to string you along. You may have heard the term breadcrumbing in respect to relationships, when one partner leads on the other partner. But breadcrumbing happens in the workplace, too. If you find yourself stuck in what too...

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10 Things to Do Before 10 A.M. For Your Most Productive Day Possible

Kayla Heisler via Fairygodboss The best way to get the most out of your day isn’t to perform a complete overhaul on your life but to incrementally make small adjustments that will better set you up for success. After all, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Looking for suggestions on how to...

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Science Just Found a Way to Get Rid of Your Imposter Syndrome

Una Dabiero via Fairygodboss Just in case you somehow forgot how important STEM is, a new scientific study has determined the best way to cure imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome — the worry that you don’t deserve your success and will be discovered as an imposter — reportedly affects 70% of the population....

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The 7 Inarguable Signs Your Job Security Is at Risk

Kayla Heisler via Fairygodboss At first, you assure yourself you’re being paranoid, but eventually, the clues start to add up. There are many reasons why you may find your job security at risk, and not all of them have to do with you being a “bad” employee. Sometimes moves are being made...

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8 Cringeworthy Phrases That Are Ruining Your Resume

Una Dabiero via Fairygodboss Writing a resume is arguably the most stress-inducing part of the job application process. You only have one page (or less, if you’re using a fancy format) to prove to a hiring manager why they should hire you. As a result, every single word and properly placed comma...

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Making This 1 Change to My To-Do List Changed My Life

Una Dabiero via Fairygodboss I’ve been obsessed with being organized  — or at least the idea of being organized — for as long as I can remember. Literally, I was the type of elementary schooler who obsessed over paper protectors and color-coded spiral notebooks. While keeping everything in line as a student...

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Hiring Managers Share the Worst Interview Mistakes They’ve Seen Candidates Make

AnnaMarie Houlis via Fairygodboss Interviews can be intimidating — you likely spend the whole day before preparing your answers to the most common interview questions, studying up on the company and your interviewer and hyping yourself up in the mirror. And even after all of that, you’re still stressed out about making...

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4 Subtle Behaviors That Make You Appear Powerful at Work

Deborah Sweeney via Fairygodboss By now, most professionals probably know certain behaviors allow them to be viewed in a positive light in the workplace. A few basic tactics include keeping their desk tidy, dressing nicely and coming in to work on time. But what if you want to go above and beyond...

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‘I Can’t Make Friends at Work’: 7 Simple Ways to Feel Less Lonely

Taylor Tobin via Fairygodboss It’s easy to say that work lives and social lives should be separate entities. In reality, though, many people find their closest friends while on the job. However, if you work in a highly social environment but don’t feel like an active participant in the evolving friendship dynamics,...

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7 Signs You Are 100% in the Right Industry

Masooma Memon via Fairygodboss Did you know that 51% of employees are not engaged at work and 17% are actively disengaged? That’s a lot, considering the average American spends nine to 10 hours at work daily. So, how does it feel when more than half of the employees at your workplace are disengaged?...

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1 in 3 Workers Who’ve Experienced Ageism at Work Say It Happened Before Age 45, Study Finds

Liv McConnell via Fairygodboss The number of aging workers in today’s workforce is on the rise. Data from AARP indicates that in 2018, workers over the age of 55 filled nearly half of new jobs, with many planning to continue their careers past the traditional age of retirement. In fact, as AARP...

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Is it Fair to Expect a Senior Role After Taking an Early Career Break? Women Weigh In

AnnaMarie Houlis via Fairygodboss Coming back from a career break is no easy feat. It can be difficult to adjust to the workplace again, explain the reason behind your resume gap and find a job at the right seniority level — especially when perspectives on what level is appropriate can differ. To...

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7 Science-Backed Ways to Make Going on Vacation Way Less Stressful

Taylor Tobin via Fairygodboss There’s nothing like a serene, rejuvenating vacation. In today’s hectic work world, vacations can provide harried employees with much-needed time to relax and recharge their proverbial batteries, ultimately reaping benefits for both the employees themselves and for their companies. However, if your job involves significant responsibility, the idea...

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7 Subtle Signs You’ve Become a Micromanager, According to Harvard

AnnaMarie Houlis via Fairygodboss No one likes a micromanager on their back all the time. But what if you’re the micromanager? “Let’s face it, paying attention to details and making sure the work is getting done are important — so it’s easy to chalk all of the above up to a necessary...

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We Asked Moms the 9 Biggest Misconceptions About Working Motherhood and Wow, They’re Relatable

Lori Mihalich-Levin via Fairygodboss If you’re a working mom, you’re bound to have had folks make some assumptions about you. Nothing malicious, necessarily. Our human brains just take shortcuts based on our experiences and what little data we might have. We’re wired that way. And our biases come through. Education and new...

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5 Things Successful People Do at Work Each Week Before the End of Tuesday

AnnaMarie Houlis via Fairygodboss Ever wonder how successful people kick off the beginning of their weeks? Mondays are inevitably full of clearing out the inbox — digging themselves out of last week’s leftovers in order to get going on the week ahead. And that’s why Tuesdays are a truer start to the...

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The 6 Personality Types That Never Get Promoted

Taylor Tobin via Fairygodboss In an ideal world, our promotion potential would have less to do with our personalities and more to do with our objective work performances. However, human nature makes that a somewhat unrealistic goal. Certain personality types tend to receive better work opportunities than others…and these six frequently find themselves...

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4 Signs You’re Not Ready to Become a Manager (And How to Change That)

Taylor Tobin via Fairygodboss The upward trajectory for many (or even the majority of) jobs culminates in a supervisory role, in which you oversee the work performance of a team of reports. Management positions often come with higher paychecks, more autonomy, and the ability to offer input on the company’s future growth....

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The Problem With Managers Who See Themselves As ‘Inspiring,’ According to Harvard

Taylor Tobin via Fairygodboss In an iconic moment on an iconic show (“The Office”, of course), regional manager Michael Scott offers the following reflection: “Would I rather be feared or loved? Easy. Both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me.” In his desperate desire to be considered...

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10 Signs the Company You’re Interviewing With Values Women

AnnaMarie Houlis via Fairygodboss Congratulations on landing a job interview! We’ve prepped you before on how to prepare for it — you’ve got common interview questions to practice answering in the mirror, interview outfit rules by which to abide (or break, you do you!), and real women’s tips on how to stand...

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10 Ways to Lead a More Inclusive Meeting

Mita Mallick via Fairygodboss “You can come to the meeting. Just sit in the back of the room. And don’t say anything.” This was the invitation I received from a former boss several years ago. He was doing me a favor by inviting me to the meeting. As long as no one...

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The 8 Verbs Leaders Need on Their Resume

Deborah Sweeney via Fairygodboss It can be tougher than it looks to sum up your leadership expertise in a resume. What’s the best way to describe your leadership style without sounding as though you’re bragging? Are certain verbs more effective than others? Which words do human resources professionals want to see on...

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This 4-Step Formula Will Help You Nail the Toughest Interview Question

Jeni Lambertson via Fairygodboss As the founder of the constellations, a female-first recruitment agency, I spend a good portion of my time working with candidates to prepare them for interviews. One of the most important things we work on is creating a narrative that weaves her professional and personal experience together without...

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8 Signs You’re the Highly Sensitive Person at Your Office (And Why That’s a Good Thing)

Kayla Heisler via Fairygodboss If you identify as a highly sensitive person (HSP), navigating the professional world may present some challenges. For instance, HSPs are more likely to take things personally and experience discomfort in crowds than non-HSPs. However, being an HSP can also carry with it some hidden advantages, as well....

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The 4 Kinds of Networking Events You Should Actually Pay For

Kelly Poulson via Fairygodboss Very few words strike fear in the hearts of others as much as the term networking does. I’ve heard variations on “I hate networking” from people of all walks of life and at all points of their careers. Truth be told, networking gets a bad rap. The reality...

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I Went 5 Years Without a Vacation — Here’s What I Learned About Work-Life Balance

Kaitlyn Duling via Fairygodboss I’ll never forget the moment I realized exactly what I’d been missing out on. I was curled up in a chair on the tiny patio outside our Airbnb — a small backyard house in Portland, Oregon. It was early spring, and I felt like I had arrived to...

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The 3 Scary Conversations Every Manager Needs to Have With Their Direct Reports

Kelly Poulson via Fairygodboss Being a manager isn’t an easy gig. Often, people land in management roles simply because they had skills in their day job and it was assumed that they’d do well leading a team. It’s rare that these folks receive much support from their organization on how to evolve...

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5 Ways to Support a Friend Who’s Returning to Work After Maternity Leave

Julie Finn via Fairygodboss Returning to work after maternity leave is an exciting time for some, but a stressful and sad time for others. I remember my first day back to work after maternity leave. I took my son to the sitter’s house, got into my car and bawled like a baby....

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3 Ways to Deal When You’re Intimidated By Your New Team Member

Deborah Sweeney, MyCorporation.com CEO, via Fairygodboss Not everyone is excited when new hires join the workplace. It’s actually much easier to feel more negative emotions than positive ones. Are you worried this new person will replace you in your department? Does their extensive work history make you a bit green with envy?...

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4 Ways to Tell Lying Has Become the Norm at Your Company

Kayla Heisler via Fairygodboss Working in an environment where lying is the norm is toxic, and deception becoming a customary practice could signal larger unseen issues taking place at multiple levels of a company. If employees at your company have developed a culture of frequently fibbing, the cause is likely to be...

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Here’s How Feedback Is Actually Hurting Your Team

Kayla Heisler via Fairygodboss The belief that those in leadership positions should point out weaknesses to employees to improve their performance is a fallacy that has long pervaded business culture. But recently, the drawbacks of providing employees with critical feedback has been proven to outweigh the benefits. Believing in the power of feedback requires...

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I’m a CEO and I Don’t Wear Makeup to Work — Here’s Why

Georgene Huang, via Fairygodboss Women face many obstacles in the workforce. Research reports and powerful anecdotal stories illustrate how we often struggle to get paid equally, are less likely to ask for raises and to ascend the leadership ranks, and are more likely to do unpaid volunteer work around the office, like...

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5 Ways to Combat Your Need for Constant Validation at Work

Mardi Humphreys via Fairygodboss If at work you: … Are easily offended by constructive criticism, Take someone disagreeing with you personally, Change your mind because someone’s opinion conflicts with yours, Are over-committed, Don’t stand up for yourself, Gossip, Are afraid to ask questions, Act like you agree with someone, but really don’t,...

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6 Alarming Equality Stats We Should All Be Talking About This Women’s History Month

AnnaMarie Houlis via Fairygodboss Women have made serious strides leading up to 2019. Thanks to the “Year of the Woman,” when more women than ever ran for political office in 2018, 2019 is set up for more successes. But, despite the promising progress that’s been made thus far, there’s still significant work...

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4 Reasons Q2 Is the Best Time to Find a New Job

Kayla Heisler via Fairygodboss Searching for a job is a major undertaking, but knowing when to look can make the process play out more smoothly. While the adage that the best time to look for a job is while you already have one still rings true, the next best time is Q2....

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4 Surprising Ways to Stand Out in Your Job Search, According to a CEO

Tiffany Couch via Fairygodboss Last year, my firm was looking for an Executive Assistant. In a small (but busy) office, this is a critical job function. Not only is this person client-facing with prospective and existing clients, they must also manage me — a busy professional with far too many balls in...

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5 Phrases That Will Immediately Disqualify You In a Job Interview

Taylor Tobin via Fairygodboss When prepping for an exciting job interview, you can easily deploy a Google search and pull up any number of tips and suggestions for questions to ask and ways to phrase your accomplishments and your interest. However, in many cases, it’s equally important to know what not to...

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8 Bad Things That Happen to Your Body When You Hate Your Job

Leah Thomas via Fairygodboss Not loving your job (or simply hating it) can cause more than just unhappiness in the workplace. It can begin to bring on additional physical and mental symptoms that affect your life in other ways. It can affect your well-being, as well as your relationships in and out...

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The 1 Goal I Set That Changed My Entire Life

Natasha Nurse, Innovation Coach & Media Personality, via Fairygodboss My name is Natasha Nurse and the goal that changed my life was choosing to be happy. This seems like an obvious goal that everyone should have, but sadly, it is not the case. So many people are unhappy in the United States...

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3 Instantly Recognizable Signs Your Boss Is Emotionally Manipulating You

Taylor Tobin via Fairygodboss “Nightmare boss” stories run rampant on the internet and in urban legends told among groups of professionals. But these tales tend to focus on outwardly-aggressive supervisors who yell, rage and make ridiculous demands of their employees, while making few mentions of bosses who take a low-key approach to...

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6 Red Flags in Job Descriptions That Should Have You Running for the Hills

Kayla Heisler via Fairygodboss Applying for jobs can feel like a job. But as with your actual career, a little extra effort can go a really long way. Though it’s super tempting to skim and scan job descriptions in the hopes that the perfect fit will just leap out, this tactic can...

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7 Not-So-Obvious Hacks to Save Time During Your Job Search

Kayla Heisler via Fairygodboss As with many things in life, the key to saving time while on the job hunt is to work smarter, not harder. Sending resumes, reading profiles, filling out applications and interviewing can be daunting. But don’t fear: you can streamline the process by using these seven not-so-obvious hacks...

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6 Signs Everyone Is Impressed With Your Work Performance (Even if You Aren’t)

Masooma Memon via Fairygodboss It is ugly. It slips through the cracks and tries to take permanent root in your mind. Cut off its head, and two more shall take its place. What is it called? It’s not a mythical creature for sure, but a close relative: imposter syndrome. It’s possible that...

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Before Buying Your Coworkers Holiday Gifts, Read What 9 Women Really Think About Them

Mardi Humphreys via Fairygodboss It’s the most wonderful time of the year again: You have to decide whether or not to buy your coworkers holiday gifts. I asked nine women of varied professions and ages what they thought about giving and getting gifts in the office. Here’s what they said: 1. It’s...

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10 Email Rules You Can’t Ignore, According to a CEO

Tiffany Couch via Fairygodboss Some days, I hate my inbox.  I am sure you can sympathize. Like you, I (and every other business woman) receive an average 124.5 emails a day. Yet, despite the fact that we are all glued to our screen, our email etiquette seems to have slowly disintegrated. I’ve...

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6 Awkward Emails You Shouldn’t Be Sending

You should always seriously consider what you’re writing, why, when and to whom you’re addressing your emails. It’s part of your responsibility as a professional to be, well, professional — and that requires some degree of self-monitoring. AnnaMarie Houlis, via Fairygodboss Regardless of to whom your writing, however, there are just some things...

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6 Secrets to Feeling Less Busy

It’s easy to feel like your to-do list is never-ending. As women, we tend to overbook ourselves because we want to please people or we simply don’t want to turn an opportunity down. It’s OK to be overachieving, if you are handling your busy-ness in the right way. Leah Thomas via Fairygodboss...

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3 Smart Career Moves From ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ You Should Copy — And 1 You Shouldn’t

A consistent ratings smash since its debut in 2005, medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy” just premiered its 15th (!) season on ABC. Viewers continue to tune in for the show’s high-stakes storylines, the characters’ dramatic relationships, and the inner strength of the doctors at Seattle Grace, particularly the women. Taylor Tobin via Fairygodboss...

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These Are the 10 Most Powerful Women in Biz in 2018, According to Analysts

Each year, Fortune names the most powerful women in business based on “the size and importance of the woman’s business in the global economy, the health and direction of the business, the arc of the woman’s career (résumé and runway ahead), and social and cultural influence.” Una Dabiero via Fairygodboss Making the...

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3 Ways to Describe Your Schedule That Are Way Better Than ‘Busy’

As professional women trying to navigate our work lives and our personal lives in a balanced fashion, we can become prone to the typical catch-all response to questions like “How are you doing?” Taylor Tobin via Fairygodboss The default answer? “I’m really busy.” While this seems like an accurate way to describe our...

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6 Phrases Your Boss Is Dying to Hear

Have you ever wished you could read your boss’s mind and know what they really want from you? While it’s kind of a good thing this superpower doesn’t exist (you might be totally crushed by what you find inside their brain), you can still be your boss’s hero. Deborah Sweeney via Fairygodboss...

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The ‘Delusional’ Belief Most Likely to Hold Your Career Back, According to Harvard

While it’s no secret that choosing a career is a tough decision, science says that many job seekers are wrongly considering one major factor: room for growth. While it’s ideal to work for a company that promises and, more importantly, demonstrates advancement opportunities, job seekers today should understand that climbing the career ladder...

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7 Things That Are Destroying Your Credibility in Meetings

Ah, meetings! The one work function everyone agrees is inefficient and unproductive and yet no one is quite willing to eliminate. Carrie Maldonado via Fairygodboss Since they’re a given, let’s talk about how you can use the meeting platform to launch your career and your standing with your boss and peers, or,...

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5 Negotiation Tricks for ‘Way Too Nice’ People

If you’re extra nice by nature, the thought of entering a negotiation can feel like a major undertaking. As someone who considers themselves to be extremely conflict averse, I was prone to asking my mom to handle difficult phone conversations into my twenties. Then, I finally realized that being nice doesn’t have to...

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4 Things Successful People Do in the Last 15 Minutes of Their Workday

For many of us, the last 15 minutes of the workday are difficult. Written by Alex Haslam for Fairygodboss After a long, busy day, it can be tempting to take it easy during the final countdown. But the most successful people recognize that those last few minutes are crucial to finishing tasks,...

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New, Younger Boss? Here Are 6 Ways to Make It Work

So, you just found out your new boss is significantly younger than you. A new boss usually means changes to the work environment, expectations, and different communication styles. But a significant age difference can make these changes even more pronounced. It can be an odd dynamic, especially if you weren’t expecting it. What can you...

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Why You’re Sabotaging Your Success at Work If You Skip Your Lunch Break

Breakfast gets all the credit, but for 9-to-5ers, lunch is a pretty important meal, too. There’s only one problem — lots of employees fail to take their lunch break. Instead, they sit at their desks and eat as they continue to work. Originally written by Sarah Landrum via Fairygodboss Although it seems like a time-conscious...

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3 Ways Companies Encourage Millennials to Act “Entitled”

The stereotype of “entitled millennials” shows up constantly in pop culture, think pieces, and the frustrated grumblings of our parents. Frankly, it’s a reductive and lazy way to dismiss a whole generation, but it’s a concept that won’t be disappearing any time soon. And according to Forbes, many workplaces unintentionally encourage this attitude...

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8 Faux Pas You’re Making in Work Emails Without Realizing It

In the modern workplace, knowing the ins and outs of email etiquette is crucial. Are you making any of these mistakes? Originally written by Kayla Heisler for Fairygodboss In today’s digital age, it’s not uncommon to spend more time interacting with colleagues via email than communicating face to face or even over the phone. Because...

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Is Your Manager Unfair? It May Be Because They’re Overworked, Study Finds

Is your boss “too busy to be fair”? A new study shows that an overworked manager is more likely to mistreat their employees. Originally written by Leah Thomas for Fairygodboss An overworked manager may be the real cause of unfair treatment of employees at work, according to a recent paper published in the Academy of Management Journal....

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5 Daily Habits That Will Increase Your Odds of a Promotion

Gunning for a promotion? Embracing these five habits will help you land that long-sought-after seat in the corner office. Originally written by Alyson Garrido for Fairygodboss. If you have your eye on a promotion, chances are you’re thinking about the big moves that can get you there. You’re planning how you can save...

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Going Gray: Will Gray Hair Hurt Or Help Your Career?

Does gray hair on a woman symbolize professional experience, an antiquated skill set, both or neither? Whatever gray hair means for professional women, like it or not, it certainly has an impact on perception in the office. Originally written by Michele Weldon for Fairygodboss Helen Mirren, Christine Lagarde, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Jamie Lee...

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8 Ways to Make Your Resume Competitive As A Late-Career Job Seeker

Originally written by VALERIE MARTINELLI, MPA for Fairygodboss Age may not always work to your advantage when searching for a job. Hiring managers with ageist biases may see older job seekers as having a tough time keeping up with younger job seekers when it comes to technology and new advancements. Employers may also...

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Women Are Outnumbered By Men Named John in These Leadership Roles

Johns represent 3.3 percent of the population, while women represent 50.8 percent. Nonetheless, it can be as easy to find a man named John as it is to find a woman in some of America’s top leadership roles — and sometimes even easier. Originally written by Annamarie Houlis for Fairygodboss Fewer Republican senators are women than men...

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The Real Reason Women Save Less For Retirement Than Men Is Too Typical

Some women save less than men for retirement, and a new study has looked at why that it is. Researchers explored the attitudes of women and men toward saving for retirement and found that more men identify saving as a top priority. But women don’t necessarily save less because they don’t think...

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Here’s How Helpful LinkedIn Recommendations Are, According to 16 Hiring Managers

Originally written by Annamarie Houlis for Fairygodboss We live in an evermore hyperconnected world in which many people are getting jobs already based on word-of-mouth recommendations and connections — someone always knows someone who knows someone with whom a job seeker could connect via some form of social media. So do hiring managers even read the...

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5 Phrases to Avoid Like The Plague In An Interview

Originally written by Elana Konstant for Fairygodboss Even for the most talkative and outgoing among us, interviews can feel like a special kind of torture. As a career coach, I help clients prepare and practice for interviews all day long. It still amazes me how powerful, accomplished women struggle to tout their own achievements...

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4 Ways Clever People Use Meetings to Increase Their Visibility

Originally written by Ellie Nieves for Fairygodboss In the workplace, meetings come in all shapes and sizes: there’s the in-person meeting, the conference call, the video conference and the informal pop-up meeting at the coffee bar during break time. As pervasive as meetings are – they often get a bad rap in the...

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If Elon Musk Doesn’t Care If You Have a College Degree, Should You?

Originally written by Melody Godfred for Fairygodboss When one of the world’s most successful business people says he doesn’t think you need a degree to get hired, it’s worth listening to the points he has to make. In a 2014 interview with Autobid, Musk was asked which colleges he likes to hire from. His response? “There’s no need...

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7 Paternity Leave Perks You Wouldn’t Expect, According to Dads Who Took It

Originally written by Annamarie Houlis for Fairygodboss Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg took two months of paternity leave after the birth of his child in 2015, and it kickstarted the conversation about parental leave policies and gender inequality, in general, across the country. Since then, companies have been reconsidering their parental benefits (which traditionally just include maternity leave) and, as a growing body of research reiterates...

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30 Bosses Explain How to Be Late

Originally written by AnnaMarie Houlis for Fairygodboss. Your alarm clock never went off. Your bus broke down. Your train got delayed. You were helping an elderly person cross the road and it took longer than you’d anticipated. You got stuck in a parade and there was no street crossing. Your goldfish died two...

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How to Survive a Hostile Interview

Originally written by Alyson Garrido for Fairygodboss. If an interviewer wants to learn about a candidate’s emotional intelligence, she could ask you a series of questions about past behavior, or she could spend a significant portion of the interview acting like a total jerk and let your actions speak for themselves. The...

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Why Coworkers With Wildly Different Opinions Can Actually Make You a Better Human

Originally written by Annamarie Houlis for Fairygodboss In her TED Talk, Margaret Heffernan, author and former CEO of five businesses, asks, “Do we get good at conflict?” She says that becoming good at conflict allows us to become creative and to solve problems. And now a new study says that just being around disagreements makes us better people all...

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The Right Way to Talk to Your Boss About Your Work-Related Stress

Originally written by Kelly Poulson for Fairygodboss Let’s face it: work can be stressful sometimes. Or a lot of times. And when you’re feeling overwhelmed, it impacts you, whether or not you notice. Often you’re not in control of how and when this happens — but how you choose to handle those times can...

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More Than 50% Of Us Had An Office Romance — So What Counts As Sexual Harassment?

Originally written by Annamarie Houlis for Fairygodboss   When Jessica Kay met her then-coworker and now-husband of eight months, the pair had to consult their company’s employee manual to figure out if they were allowed to pursue their interest in each other.   Kay and her husband met in the office six years...

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Here’s How We’ll Get Paid Family Leave in America, According to Mompreneurs

Originally published on Fairygodboss “I don’t think there’s going to be anyone who disagrees with the fact that leave is super important,” Lindsay-Rae McIntyre, IBM’s Leadership Succession Planning and Chief Diversity Officer, said to a packed room at Fairygodboss’ inaugural Galvanize summit. “The fact that we are pushing so hard on leave in this country...

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Alarming New Study Shows Women May Not Get Hired If They Aren’t Thin And White

Originally written by Georgene Huang for Fairygodboss It may be 2017, but it seems like we’re still confronted with new stories about workplace prejudices on the daily. Leadership blogs are full of articles about how Baby Boomers and millennials are at odds. Big-name companies face accusations of gender bias and sexual harassment. On top...

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This CEO Perfectly Sums Up Why Parents Should Work From Home

Originally written by Annamarie Houlis for Fairygodboss In a recent podcast episode of CNN’s “Boss Files with Poppy Harlow,” Virgin’s Richard Branson encouraged more parents to work from home. “I’m a great believer in people working from home,” he said. “I encourage our staff if they want to work from home.” Branson explained that working from home...

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Unexpected Consequences: How #MeToo Might Actually Hurt Women

Originally written by Annamarie Houlis for Fairygodboss An unsettling surge of sexual harassment scandals is shaking up big business — following high-profile cases at Fox News and Uber, in venture capital and across military academies and, most recently, accusations against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, workplaces are rightfully tensing up. And with the recent #MeToo movement on social media, sexual...

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The 8-Hour Workday Has No Place in Modern Society — Here’s Why

Originally written by Chiara U. Mesiona for Fairygodboss The thought of clocking in and out of the workplace can make us feel like robots. When we clock in at 9 a.m. and clock out at 5 p.m. (or 6 p.m. or even 8 p.m.), it feels like we have lost the passion that fuels us. As an adult,...

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Would You Dye Your Hair to Get More Respect at Work, Like This Silicon Valley CEO?

Originally written by Alex Wilson for Fairygodboss Would you dye your hair if it made you successful at work? That’s the dilemma Eileen Carey, CEO of Glassbreakers, was faced with early in her career. A natural blonde working in Silicon Valley’s tech industry, Carey got advice about dying her hair from a female venture capitalist she had been...

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Not Enough Experience For the Job You Want? Here’s How to Get Around It

Originally written by Alex Wilson for Fairygodboss If you’re a college student or recent grad, you no doubt met someone who, during your undergrad experience, tried to impress the importance of an internship upon you.  Once you completed it, it felt important. You now had actual “real world experience,” more so than a lot of your peers, and...

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The 3 Tricks I Used to Turn Instagram Likes Into Major Cash

Originally written by Alex Wilson, Fairygodboss Social media is an important tool for entrepreneurs. Not only does it get your message and product “out there,” but it gives you the opportunity to reach new audiences on a daily basis. But what if that audience could grow by more than 800 percent in...

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5 Business Lessons We Can Learn From ‘Game of Thrones’

Originally written by Alex Wilson for Fairygodboss You may not be the Mother of Dragons, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t have the confidence of one when you’re at work. Daenerys Targaryen, one of the breakout characters from HBO’s Game of Thrones, is best known for her quest to conquer the Seven Kingdoms in the...

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What Successful 30-Year-Olds Do With Their Money

Originally written by THE FEMINIST FINANCIER for Fairygodboss You’ve reached your 30s — congratulations! If your 20s are all about change (graduating college, starting a career, exploring new relationships and living on your own), your 30s are about taking your life to the next level: accelerating your career, exploring the world and making...

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7 Reasons Why Traveling Makes You a Better Employee

Originally written by AnnaMarie Houlis for Fairygodboss The United States is the only developed country that does not legally require paid vacation days or holidays off. By law, every single country in the European Union, for example, has at least four weeks of paid time off, while a quarter of Americans aren’t afforded a single day. That...

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Oprah, Sheryl Sandberg and Lena Dunham Show Us Why We All Need a Mentor

Originally written by Natalia M. Marulanda for Fairygodboss We hear a lot about the importance of having a mentor. And for good reason. A mentor will act as a sounding board, provide you with advice, and help you to build relationships. This is true no matter what line of work you’re in. In fact, even...

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How to Bow Out of Meetings That Are a Total Time Suck

Originally written by Wanda Sealy for Fairygodboss Time is the most valuable asset you have, and you have a limited amount of it! Attending meetings that don’t contribute to achieving your goals isn’t the best use of your time or talent. Use these tips to determine when you should avoid a meeting and how to...

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How to Make Working + Mothering Feel Less Like a Circus

Originally published on Fairygodboss Reva Busby, a senior manager at West Monroe Partners, has some killer advice for working moms: “If you don’t tell people what your ambitions are, they won’t be able to help you achieve them.” She’s a mother of three who’s always prioritized her career — and while she’s been fortunate...

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Here’s What Maternity Leave Is Like Outside of the US

Originally published on Fairygodboss If you’re a working mom in America, you’ve probably learned that maternity leave in this country largely sucks. There’s no federal law requiring employers to offer new parents paid time off, which means many employees have to sacrifice a paycheck in order to spend a substantial amount of...

The Single Best Thing Women Can Do to Shatter Their Personal Glass Ceiling

Photo courtesy of mualphachi/Flickr Census data show that women earn 78 cents for every dollar earned by our male counterparts. You’d think we’d be livid. But in fact, while many of us are angry about this inequity in a general sense, several studies have shown that women are not all that upset...