Ask for a raise of about 10% above your current pay rate, but first make sure that amount is justifiable based on the market rate and your performance at the company, Kathryn Vasel writes. "Be aware of your unique skill set," executive coach Joel Garfinkle advises. CNNMoney (8/15) Being popular at the office isn't always a good thing People who are popular in the office are often overconfident, experts say. Employees who are popular because of their likability are far more valuable to a company than those who are popular because of status, says University of North Carolina professor Mitch Prinstein. The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (8/15)
LinkedIn Groups, which was pulled from LinkedIn's main app earlier this year, will be available again later this month. The latest iteration of Groups will include the ability to edit posts and share video. TechCrunch (8/15)
Your Next Challenge
Get the job before the opening is posted Make a list of 30 to 40 companies you'd like to work for, and reach out to connections at those companies through LinkedIn or Twitter, career coach Dave Denaro advises. Try to get meetings with those people and mention your interest in the company during conversation. NBC News (8/15)Your next interview might be with a chatbot Companies are more often using chatbots as substitutes for recruiters in initial screening conversations, experts say. If you have to talk to a chatbot, keep your answers concise and make sure to follow up with a human contact at the company. Fast Company online (8/15)
Balancing Yourself
US lags other countries on paid time off Americans receive far less paid time off compared to other advanced economies, and the US is the only industrialized country that doesn't guarantee paid vacation days. "It's a national embarrassment that 28 million Americans don't get any paid vacation or paid holidays," writes John Schmitt, senior economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research. CNBC (8/15)
The Water Cooler
Vt. governor's office sought by 14-year-old boy Fourteen-year-old Ethan Sonneborn was on the ballot as one of four candidates seeking the Democratic Party's nomination for governor of Vermont due to the state's constitution, which only requires a candidate -- no age limit -- to have lived in Vermont for four years. While he ultimately lost to former energy executive Christine Hallquist, the first transgender woman to win a major party's nomination for governor, Sonneborn still earned 8.2% of the vote. NBC News/The Associated Press (8/13),Newsweek (8/15)
If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it.
