When I asked her for a reference, her reaction blew me away

When I asked her for a reference, her reaction blew me awayWhen I asked her for a reference, her reaction blew me awayHeres an easy way to turn dreaded employment networking into deadly effective bondingWhen youre networking, ask for a reference, not a job. Whether youre doing catch-up drinks or grabbing lunch to reconnect, your primary need is to get an ally, not a tally of job listings. Recruiting a helping kralle to your search is your goal.So dont ask your college friend if she knows of any jobs for people like you. How would she?And dont ask your boss from two jobs ago if she has the names of any people who are currently looking to hire somebody like you. It puts her on the spot. Uncomfortably.No, instead, ask for a reference. Mention that youre going to be moving on, or youre already looking, or that youre actively out on the street. Let them know the type of positions you are and are not suited for, and what youre hoping to achieve in your next opportunity.And then ask them if when it gets to that happy place in your search if it would be OK to use them as a reference.By not putting them on the spot about specific job openings, you reduce the awkwardness inherent in the networking conversation.And by letting them know that you hold them in high enough esteem to potentially use them as a reference, youre actually paying them a compliment.Youre also making it easier for them to say yes, and to feel good about themselves for being a good friend and helping you out with a little favor.All of which means that you have a new buddy in your search one whos going to be thinking about keeping an eye out for new opportunities and an ear open for fresh possibilities for their reference-able friend you.Its wins and grins all around.Now, this doesnt work for just any old partie you meet on the street. Theres probably a pretty good match between people youd take to lunch and those you could ask to be a reference. So my advice would be to stick to asking those you kn ow well enough.Being realistic, the widely offered and deeply wrong advice from the past decade that you should try to extract favors, concessions, names, jobs, and career assistance from people youve only met over the phone is not only useless, it can be counterproductive to your aims by antagonizing your broader network.By making your networking about compliments, youll find it pays dividends.Good luck in the search this week

Programmers You Should Follow on Twitter

Programmers You Should Follow on TwitterProgrammers You Should Follow on TwitterRegardless of what platforms you work with or which programming language you use, Twitter can be a useful resource for finding experts in your field who share tricks of the trade, job openings, and the latest news and trends. If you are new to Twitter and hoping to use it to make contacts or find a programming job, check out our article on Using Twitter to Advance Your IT Career. Otherwise, check out the 18 programmers below that you should follow on Twitter. Bryan OSullivan Bryan (bos31337) is the author of Real World Haskell and co-author of Mercurial The Definitive Guide, both published by OReilly. He also co-authored The Jini Specification. He is Engineering Director at Facebook where he manages the Developer Efficiency team, and he lectures at Stanford University. Jeff Atwood Jeff (codinghorror) is Co-founder of stackoverflow.com and stackexchange.com. While his profile includes the disclaime r that he has no idea what hes talking about, 82,000 followers might disagree. His blog post on The Future of Markdown urges better standardization and lists needed tweaks for the Markdown language. Vanessa Hurst Vanessa (DBNess) describes herself as a coder and lifetime Girl Scout She aims to empower coders everywhere through CodeMontageand she co-founded Girl Develop It, which aims to provide web and software development training to women from diverse backgrounds. Mina Markham Mina (MinaMarkham) is a self-confessed STEMinist and front-end developer. She was a front-end engineer for Hillary Clintons 2016 presidential campaign. Minas big into public speaking and presents at conferences like Sass Summit, Front-End Design Conference, and Midwest.io. K. Scott Allen Allen (OdeToCode) has over 25 years commercial software development experience in C, ASP.NET, ASP.NET MVC and SQL. He authored What Every JavaScript Developer Should Know About ECMAScript 2015 and What Every Web Developer Should Know About HTTP. Alex Payne Alex (al3x) is a programmer, writer, and self-described secular humanist. He is the co-author of Programming Scala published by OReilly and is an expert on emerging programming languages and technologies. Payne was formerly the CTO of Simple and before that helped build Twitters developer platform as one of their first employees in 2007. Amber Conville Amber (crebma) calls herself a codeasaurus rex and is a developer at Test Double. Amber is the organizer of Self.conference, a Detroit-based gathering full of hot tech presentations and insightful talks. Jason Fried Jason (jasonfried) co-authored the New York Times bestseller Rework with David Heinemeier Hansson. Together they founded 37Signals.com, which built simple but powerful collaboration tools like Basecamp, Highrise, Ta-da List, and Writeboard. Facebook and Twitter arent the real problems in the office, Fried says in a perceptive TED talk, The real problems are what I li ke to call the MMs, the Managers and the Meetings. Chris Smith Chris (aChrisSmith) is an engineer working on next-generation developer tools at Google. Before Google, he worked at Microsoft on the F team. He is the author of Programming F, a guide to writing simple code to solve complex problems, published by OReilly. Jennifer Dewalt Jennifer (JenniferDewalt) taught herself to code by building 180 websites in 180 days. She founded multiple startups, the latest one being Zube. Kevin Pilch-Bisson Kevin (Pilchie) is a software design engineer at Microsoft, where he is the development lead for C and Visual Basic IntelliSence for the Roslyn project. He writes about C and Visual Studio on his blog for the Microsoft Development Network. Kirill Osenkov Kirill (KirillOsenkov) is a quality assurance tester on the Roslyn Services team at Microsoft who also designs their internal test and frameworks. He writes about C and Visual Basic services on his blog on the MSDN website. Linda Liukas Author of the childrens book Hello Ruby, Linda (lindaliukas) received the title Digital Champion of Finland by the European Commission. She co-founded Rails Girls, a workshop teaching girls how to build on the web. Mike Hay Mike (Hay) is the Director of Software Development at Black Pixel. Before that, he built apps for Apple and Adobe- apps you probably use every day. At present, hes Director of Engineering at Ticketmaster Mobile Studio. Pam Selle Pam (pamasaur) is a software engineer with Comcast. She authored Choosing a JavaScript Framework and speaks at conferences on HTML5, CSS, Sass, and JavaScript. Pam organizes Philadelphia JavaScript Developers, a JavaScript developers group numbering around 1000 in Philadelphia. Una Kravets Una (Una) is a front-end developer and calls herself a design nerd. She is a technical writer, and she hosts the toolsday podcast. She speaks at conferences on open source, Sass, and integrating art with code. Federico Carg nelutti A regular blogger about PHP and software architecture, Federico (fedecarg) is passionate about mobile and web technologies. He tweets tech news, insights, and tutorials and is Senior Software Engineer at the BBC. John Carmack This may not be a name you know- unless youre familiar with games like Wolfenstein, Quake, Rage, or Doom. John (ID_AA_Carmack) was lead programmer for those titles through id Software, the company he founded in 1991. He left the company to take the position of CTO at Oculus VR in 2013.

Legal and Law Enforcement Career Basics

Legal and Law Enforcement Career BasicsLegal and Law Enforcement Career Basics

Performance reviews arent just once a year anymore

Performance reviews arent just once a year anymorePerformance reviews arent just once a year anymoreThe dreaded, looming, once-a-year performance review is becoming a thing of the past. Now performance reviews are an everyday thing.An articlein TheWall Street Journal calls it The Never-Ending Performance Review. Businesses, it seems, are shaking up the evaluation process by checking in more - at different times and byusing technology.As peoples responsibilities shift at work, the way managersprovidefeedback is also changing.Evaluating employeesnon-traditionallyAt some companies, people feel that the way workers are assessed isnt quite on-target.NPR reported in 2016 that according to corporate research and advisory firmCEB, 83% of HR managers reportedly think the employee evaluation systems need an overhaul, compared to 4% who think the method is effective at measuring performance.So its no surprise that the practice is evolving.The Wall Street Journal article profiles a host of busi nesses approaching this differently, including software company Revinate Inc. Rani Croshal, a manager at the company,used to formally review herbei employees performance once a year, but now the number of yearly smaller-scale assessmentsin the dozens.That includes quarterly discussions about goals, semiannual evaluations in which managers, peers and direct reports give feedback, and multiple check-ins to ensure her nine employees are hitting long-term goals. And then theres the annual compensation review process,the article says.Although some companies are doing this more frequently, it seems like they dont allnecessarily have to do as many check-insto shake things up.Nancy Harris, Founder and CEO at Restart Consulting, told Fast Company about other methods businesses are adopting. Some companies now use multi-rater feedback, which considers the input of managers, peers and clientsOther systems, like the one now used at United Airlines, decoupled performance ratings from compensatio n - the necessity to rate people in order to give a raise or bonus no longer exists, Harris told Fast Company.Incorporating technologyWeight management company Retrofit is an example of how the employee evaluation processcontinues to evolve.Catalina Andrade, employee happiness director at the company, told the Chicago Tribune in 2016 that traditional performance reviewsare old-fashioned and unrealistic. Instead, she wasreportedly switching Retrofit from reviews twice per year to the TINYpulse Perform app.The Chicago Tribune article outlined how itworks Employees define their goals on the app with their managers, and when it is time to rate how they did, they swipe right if they met expectations, up if they exceeded and down if they fell short. There is a section to enter brief comments and the option to drop in emails theyve received praising their work. A dashboard helps employees and their managers track trends, the article said.But technology hasnt completely taken over just yet - bosses should still have to come face-to-face with the peoplethey manage.Retrofit managers reportedly have weekly one-on-one meetings with their employees, and the company is coaxing them to bring up performance twice every month during those discussions.Why companies are nixingthe standard approachThere are reasons why some companies are doing away with more traditional, formal, and infrequent employee evaluation processes.A 2016 Harvard Business Review article states that in 2011, Kelly Services was the first big professional services firm to drop appraisals,and outlines three business reasons why some companies are leaving them in the dust.The first is the the return of people development, the idea that some firms are putting more of an emphasis on employee development, at times leaving workers in charge of their own growth, even though managers should give informal responses often.The second is the need for agility, the idea that since businesses dont necessarily want employe es to repeat the same tasks, theres no need to use an evaluation format thats built mainly to assess and hold people accountable for past or current practices.The Harvard Business reviews third reason is the centrality of teamwork, which should be easier to maintain after moving away from forced ranking and from appraisals focus on individual accountability.Employees responsibilities at work are changing - the ways they are evaluated are, too.

Using What Do You Put on a Resume

Using What Do You Put on a Resume For different folks, however, its generally superior to put short-term jobs on your resume so that you dont need to explain missing moment. Taking the opportunity to work on your resume is vital. Everything on your resume have to be true, but you dont need to list everything thats true on your resume. Though there are lots of folks in it, show business is a little community and people know people. The letter should supply a summary of your qualifications that fulfill the goal the resume specifies. Include an objective when youre pursuing a parteicular job goal and when you know the precise title of the position youre applying for. Keep your focus there, and you need to be OK. Needless to say, it is going to be more complicated to earn a strong case if you were fired because of performance difficulties. Who Else Wants to Learn About What Do You Put on a Resume? Written Communication Writing well is an important part of your professional pr esentation. There are a couple general guidelines for showcasing your experience and techniques on just a couple of pages of text. There are four forms of references. When you submit an application for jobs, youre going to be asked for references. Key Pieces of What Do You Put on a Resume Even should a possible employer doesnt specify whether it requires a cover letter, it is a very good concept to include one. When writing a resume, it isnt appropriate to include things like an on-line contact address that doesnt sound professional. It is possible to mention the range of credits you earned, alongside the major you pursued. Remember a prospective employer can request a duplicate of your transcripts, thus it is necessary to be up front and truthful about your GPA. What Do You Put on a Resume the Ultimate Convenience Employers need numbers in order to completely assess the range of your bandwidth, states Nicolai. They verify work history, and if you put incorrect information on your resume, itll be discovered. They need to know what youve done to contribute to the growth of your department, team, and company to determine whether your strengths align with the needs and responsibilities of their company and the job opening, Nicolai says. They need to know what youve done to contribute to the growth of your department, team, and company in order to determine if your strengths align with the needs and responsibilities of their company and the job opening, Nicolai explains. The Unexpected Truth About What Do You Put on a Resume So take some time to think about that, if your email address sounded funny and a little risque once you set this up at high school, theres an excellent chance you dont wish to use it for applying for new jobs. There has to be a reason why you feel you can perform this job. A successful candidate for a work opening takes the opportunity to learn the names of the important individuals in the organization where theyre applying. Y ou only receive a very brief quantity of time to produce an impression and a well written resume summary can make a big difference. So How About What Do You Put on a Resume? Find approaches to demonstrate how previous jobs turn you into a desirable krpermassage therapy employee. Including your GPA on your resume, whether its your cumulative GPA or your main GPA, is dependent on several elements. You should tailor your resume to each work application so that it responds to the particular necessities of the job that youre applying for. If youre targeting work within the defense business, dont hesitate to use military jargon. If you are in need of a quick kick-start on developing a template first, have a look at a resume builder before choosing a professional. As you dont need to duplicate all the data in your resume, you should restate your key qualifications. Youve got to personalize the restart and cover letter based on your requirements. Before you even start your cover let ter, gather information regarding the employer and the business that youre applying to. The easy-to-use on-line tool makes it quick and hassle-free to create your very own personalized perfect resume. Resumes are rather predictable in features and data, but some choices must be made. The Number One Question You Must Ask for What Do You Put on a Resume Before youre tempted to earn an inadequate move with intuition, and after that blow your potential at the process. A testimonial is another excellent way to demonstrate your skill and experience is what the employer is searching for. Your resume can help you to get your foot in the door, even if do not have any prior massage therapy job experience. Ultimately, write your capability to travel for work and the simple fact you have a valid passport. Youll also fruchtwein probably be asked about the dates during a work interview, so be well prepared to answer accurately. An executive summary is a brief statement at the very top of your resume that quickly summarizes what makes you the proper candidate for the job. Youre able to use a resume while interviewing for employment. Its rather easy to edit the resumes. The Basics of What Do You Put on a Resume Youre also ready to get a blackandwhite photocopy. Youve worked hard to set up a distinguished career. Finding a testimonial is often as simple as asking a colleague, teacher or previous employer to compose some sentences about you. If you prefer your resume to get read and, more to the point, youre searching for an interview, you ought to make koranvers it stands out from the rest and steers clearly away from empty cliches and meaningless jargon. Instead, zone in on a few of the most significant facts and stories one good story can occasionally suffice. Its much better to tell a small story that is more colorful than simply a normal cliche. What Do You Put on a Resume - the Conspiracy Resume reference pages might be used at any stage in the inte rview approach. Its possible to set your contact details in the footer of your resume, but should you do, you must be sure theyre also in the principal body of the document. Well it is all dependent on whether the job posting instructions specify a specific format. Some PDF programs enable you to combine numerous documents. New Questions About What Do You Put on a Resume However tempting it may be to stretch the truth, lying on your resume is always a poor idea. You dont need to go on for 10 minutes speaking about yourself. Capturing an individu attention and making an amazing first impression in just is no simple feat. Capturing an individu attention and making a terrific first impression in only six seconds is no simple feat.

The Inexplicable Mystery Into Hotel Management Resume Writing Discovered

The Inexplicable Mystery Into bed and breakfast Management Resume Writing Discovered There are specific skill requirements linked to the job of a hotel manager. The hotel and hospitality industry demands unique abilities, abilities, and individual characteristics. If you would like the very best hospitality jobs, you require the best resume. Read on to find out more about the length of time your hotel desk hospitality resume should be along with the correct vocabulary to use to make certain your application materials become leidiced by the hiring manager. Do not include your high school diploma unless its the sole education designation youve got. Its not compulsory to have a whole degree. There are a lot of skills that have to be incorporated in your resume. Based on the particular position youre applying for, a hotel manager job might or might not need a specific amount of education. Facts, Fiction and Hotel Management Resume Writing Make certain that you write appropria te address. Nows the ideal time to supercharge your resume In the majority of situations, the very best length for your resume is one particular page. Normally, in the majority of situations, the perfect length for your resume is 1 page. Get the Scoop on Hotel Management Resume Writing Before Youre Too Late Begin with a confident statement of why youre an outstanding fit for the position in the very first paragraph, and keep in that strong manner throughout the resume as you outline your relevant expertise together with add additional partal abilities and abilities which may be relevant. After all, there arent any limits to resumes. A strong resume objective is able to help you get a position for a trainee since it will set you apart from other aspiring applicants. Also remember to list your skills in an easy-to-read method. Hotel Management Resume Format writers are prepared to provide all form of resume and are prepared to take the customized Oder. There are a lot more b enefits that are readily available to you once you get services for Hotel Management Resume Format translation. It might not be immediately obvious to you how the website is organized and what other articles are readily available. You must also incorporate your achievements in your previous customer service positions. Maintaining a 95% rating is a superb boon for virtually any hospitality resume. Each privacy and safety is offered by fencing together with enhancement of residence. Because customer service is a fundamental portion of the position, you will have to demonstrate your capacity to react to customer wants and complaints. A banquet manager has to address various people. Or maybe you pick up your phone and do the telephone screening to double verify whether the candidate is actually a fake candidate. The War Against Hotel Management Resume Writing Thus, follow the aforementioned strategies and make an impressive hotel manager resume. A hotel manager is person wh os skilled in serving facilities to their clients. If you would like to offer gym facilities in the hotel, make sure there are high-quality equipment and machines for your visitors. A night auditor at a little hotel may only want to move as much as a larger company and needs an excellent hotel and hospitality cover letter to obtain the correct attention.

Who Should Use an Employment Agency

Who Should Use an Employment AgencyWho Should Use an Employment AgencyIf youve ever been in need of a job STAT youve probably used or looked into using the services of an employment agency. These companies provide a valuable interface between employers looking for immediate, typically temporary work and skilled labor who are in between positions or otherwise unable to find permanent, long term positions. Employment agencies accept a payment or premium, typically from employers, in return for finding the perfect candidate to step in and step up to immediate work.As a kompetenz employment candidate, you may be wondering whether using an employment agency is right for your employment goals. If this sounds like a familiar query, youre in luck. We break down the pros, minuses and whether your particular circumstances fit with the employment agency model.Do You Have Skills that are in High Demand?If youre a candidate with a skill set that many employers are searching for, you may benefit f rom consistent work and high pay offered by the broker services of an employment agency. Many smaller companies are in need of highly skilled professionals with niche job titles, but many not always have the consistent need dictated by hiring someone full time. This leads to an incredible supply and demand opportunity that could see you earning big returns with an agency that can place you in the right role.Get Help Testing Out the Job MarketFor candidates that are inexperienced in hunting down potential positions, employment agencies can provide expert assistance in matching your skills with just the right position. This can be a highly valuable service for those transitioning career paths or that may be facing outsourced or changing roles due to shifts in the employment market. Employment agencies can also offer help to candidates without a great absprache of interviewing or job searching experience taking the uncertainty out of locating or applying for a job in the first place.A Chance to Get Your Foot in the DoorWhile typically an opportunity for temporary work, some larger companies are increasingly using employment agencies to hire for both short and long term staffing. If you locate your dream company, check to see if they hire mainly or even exclusively through a given staffing agency. If thats the case, you may want to take a short term agency position to get your proverbial and physical foot in the door. Once you have the position, itll be your job to impress and convince the company to keep you for the long term.Fill Out The Experience Portion of Your ResumeEmployment agency positions are an especially excellent resource for those in need of adding experience to their resume. Weve covered in the past how the job market is increasingly competitive meaning that employers are expecting relevant skills and experience for even entry level positions. Employment agencies can place candidates that may have practical abilities but lack past positions. Agency roles have no less of value on a resume than a traditional job role meaning that otherwise qualified candidates can benefit greatly from adding substance to their CVs.Networking is (Career) LifeTemporary positions that you may accept through an employment agency provide the same kind of networking opportunities as do traditional job placements. Even if you dont end up scoring a long term position with your employer, job seekers can use the chance to network with other professionals in their field. These contact can become valuable references, resources and more as you progress along your career path or transition into a search for long-term, permanent work.Employment Agencies Arent for EveryoneWhile there are numerous benefits to using an employment agency to snag temporary, short-term work, there are inevitably going to be job-seekers that should steer away from these types of job placement operation. Employment agencies are usually poor options for those seeking long term work. I f youre an experienced candidate with prospects for traditional interviews, employment agencies may offer less total income in the long run as well. Additionally, when you accept a position with an agency you limit the time you have for searching for permanent work. Finally, candidates should be aware that some companies have policies in place that prohibit hiring agency workers for available long term work which could undermine your ability to get in with that company of your dreams.Overall, employment agencies provide a valuable resource for candidates in need of work on the go. While some individuals may benefit more than others, those in need of work on an ASAP basis cant go wrong utilizing the services of a respectable placement firm. If youre looking for work and fall into one of the categories above, give an agency a try and see how you can build career success on a short term basis.

13 Social Media Changes Thatll Boost Your Career - The Muse

13 Social Media Changes Thatll Boost Your Career - The Muse13 Social Media Changes Thatll Boost Your CareerYou use social media right? I bet youre on it now, scrolling between this article and your Facebook feed while simultaneously tilting your screen away from your boss eyesight. (I see you there.)Well, while youre on it, why bedrngnis make some moves in the right direction? Yes, theres such a thing as using social media to boost your career- and I have 13 things you can do today thatll make you a better candidate, employee, and manager.1. Follow Publications in Your IndustryThis is the easiest way to bring industry news, trends, and updates right to you- just like their pages and watch your newsfeed fill with articles, videos, and discussions. Then you can use that knowledge to impress your boss, co-workers, or an interviewer.2. Follow Influencers in Your IndustryGet some daily doses of advice and guidance (and even expand your professional network) by following big guys in your f ield.Or, check out these important peeps on Twitter and LinkedIn for some general career tips.3. Then Share Their StuffWhen you share, comment, or like something, people see it. Which means you can abflug to build your personal brand and become a thought leader in your space with the click of a button. Find articles or posts that inspire you, express your thoughts (better than you can), or make you ask questions. Share them, comment with your thoughts, or tag people who might also like them. The mora good stuff you attach to your name, the more reputable youll look.4. Get a Professional PhotoIs your LinkedIn photo a blurry zoom-in of your face in a crowd of people? Trade it out with a clear image of you in front a simple background. Does your Facebook profile pic feature one too many drinks? Swap it out with something more daytime appropriate. Does your Twitter lack a photo of you? Add one- it means all the difference when hiring managers see your face.5. Go All OutJust because you have to professionalize your profiles doesnt mean they have to be bland. Add a fun yet polished background photo to both Twitter and LinkedIn. 6. Write a Personal BioYes, this is super important to putting on a good online face. Luckily, we have plenty of useful templates for LinkedIn and Twitter so you dont have to spend hours crafting the perfect one.7. Like Other Peoples StuffDid your colleague write an article on Pulse? Share it and tag him or her. Did your boss just get married? Comment with a Congrats, Im so excited for you two Impressed by a co-worker? Throw some endorsements their way on LinkedIn.These little things keep your network warm, get your name out there, and encourage people to do the same. Speaking of8. Ask for Likes in ReturnCompleted a project you want to spread the word on? Share it and then add a comment asking followers to share if it inspires them or add their own opinions and thoughts. Another idea to enhance your LinkedIn profile is to get a recommendation . How do you make the ask? Heres a quick step-by-step guide.As long as youre not begging, people will most likely be willing to go that extra mile to help you out (because, you guessed it, it makes them look good, too).9. Join a GroupThere are tons of awesome groups on Facebook and LinkedIn where you can participate in interesting conversations, get advice on just about any work situation, or even network your way to a job. All you have to do is find one you like and join in10. Connect With Your Extended NetworkThis sounds super obvious, but Id bet there are plenty of people you know who youre not actually connected with on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, or Twitter. Find alumni in your desired field, friends from high school, or past co-workers and send them a short, personalized message asking to connect. You never know what they can offer you.11. StalkAdmit it, you do this already. Im just suggesting you do it for more work-related reasons. Say, stalking a companys Instagram so yo u have something to talk about in an interview. Or, going through an influencers Twitter feed to get a feel for how they manage their office (and how you can, too). Or, checking out someones Pinterest so you have an anecdote to include in your cold email. Its not creepy- its research.12. EditMaybe you made your professional bio months ago and dont want to rewrite it. Fine- but how about editing it? Cut out unnecessary buzzwords, cliches, or jargon, as well as long-winded stories about your love for hiking and fresh air. Add bullet points to your most important previous experiences, or remove old and irrelevant ones.Not sure if your contents 100% HR-approved, but not willing to change it? Well then consider changing your privacy settings.13. Google YourselfOK, so this isnt something you do on social media, but its very much related. Hiring managers Google you. They just do. So type in your name and see what comes up. Is it a really old profile you forgot making on some outdated, forg otten platform? Get rid of it.Then, figure out how you can make the good things more visible (and the bad things less). Hint This guide might help.We always think boosting our careers requires us to put everything down and start from scratch. The thing is, all the stuff you do now on social media is just as key to succeeding in the job search or moving up in your company. You just need to rethink how you use it. And if youre still worried youre not making the best impression online, these six rules of social media should get you on the right path.Photo of person on phone courtesy of Hero Images/Getty Images.

What can I do to create a better work-life balance

What can I do to create a better work-life balanceWhat can I do to create a better work-life balanceHow do I balance work and family?You dont At least not if you want to have a truly successful career/business and a budding family life.Let me explain.When people talk about work/life balance they are suggesting that somehow work, hobbies, family life, and social life are all weighted and created equal.But they arent.Theres no world where it makes sense to spend 8 hours of your day sleeping, 8 hours on work, and another 8 with your family.You have other responsibilities too.You have your physical health, need for personal time, self-education, travel, commuting, and a myriad of other tasks that fill your day.There are simply too many other things that need to be done to balance work and family.So what should you do instead?Simple Cycle them.Let me explain 1. Life as a spinning plateHave you ever seen someone at a circus (or more likely on YouTube) spinning a plate?If so, then you proba bly noticed that the hardest part of spinning a plate isnt balancing it Its getting it spinning fast enough that its easy to balance.Your life is the same way.When it comes to your work and family life, getting the plate spinning is the hardest part.Once you have a cash flow positive business that more or less runs itself, its easy to keep that going.Once your career has taken off and you have systems in place and people to help you succeed, its not that difficult to keep it going.Once you have cultivated deep intimacy with your wife or a close bond with your children, its easier to maintain that even during times of higher work responsibilities.So your job is to pick the ONE area of your life that needs the fruchtwein improvement and focus on that until its spinning.For example, if you have a great relationship with your wife and kids but are only making $50,000 a year and struggling financially, then sit down with your family and explain that youre going to take the next 6 months to build a side hustle that will give you AND your family more freedom and options.Then, spend those 6 months building a $3,000/month side hustle and then let it run itself while you refocus on family.Or maybe youre already making 6 or multiple 6-figures but you havent spent any time with your children and cant remember the last time you went on a date night.If this is the case, then take your foot off the pedal at work for a little bit and focus all of your attention on rekindling that spark with your wife and that connection with your kids.Focus on the area that needs the most work.Bring it up to speed, then refocus, and shift gears.2. Focus on the big rocksWhile the spinning plate analogy is helpful for you to understand why the traditional idea of work/life balance doesnt work, equally as important is understanding that NO MATTER what youre focusing on, you cant put ALL of your attention into one area of life without serious repercussions.So no matter which plate youre trying to spin you need to make sure that you always take care of the BIG rocks each week.Specifically, no matter what your 1 priority is right now you shouldCommit to one weekly date night with your partner NO MATTER WHATSpend the first 3 hours of your workday focused on DEEP work every dayExercise for at least 3 hours a weekSpend at least 60 minutes of quality time with your kids every dayBy making sure that you have your big rocks taken care of each week, youll ensure that no one area starts to regress while you attempt to make progredienz in another.Every area of your life should be moving forward at all times.Some areas will move faster than others, but they should all be moving.3. Create clear separation between work and family timeOne of the biggest reasons that people struggle to balance work and family life is that they have no boundaries between them.They talk to their wife while theyre at the office. They check work email while playing with their kids. They plan family vacations w hile trying to write a memo for work. They take calls from clients while theyre out to dinner with their spouses.If you want to create more balance in your life, start by setting better boundaries between your work and family life.Leave your computer at the office and turn your phone off when you leave.Tell your family that you cant be interrupted while working.Set clear delineations between work time and family time and both of them will improve.Hope this helps.Stay Grounded,AndrewThis post first appeared on Quora.