Are you ready for a stretch job? Stretch jobs are opportunities that require more qualifications than you possess, but they're a great way to accelerate a career. "If current or former colleagues, managers, mentors or friends who know you well believe that you can do the job and encourage you to apply, despite your own self-doubts, they may very well be correct that you are capable of doing the job," writes executive coach Rebecca Zucker. Harvard Business Review online (tiered subscription model) (1/27)Don't get discouraged if you don't get the promotion As a female executive, Cathy Skula has been passed over for a promotion more than once, but she never let it stop her rise at Rent-A-Center. Her advice to others experiencing this is to seek out self-improvement, ask your supervisors questions, do some self-promotion, and help other women attain leadership positions. Forbes (1/24)What to highlight on your resume It is important to highlight certain factors on your resume, especially your ability to consistently meet deadlines and how well you work in a chaotic environment. "Employees who can survive and even thrive in cultures where priorities shift, variables change and goals are sometimes moving targets are in greater demand than those looking for stable and fixed roles," writes career counselor Robin Reshwan. U.S. News & World Report (1/27)
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In an effort to have few people drive to work, Google is offering employees cash for alternative modes of transportation. Google also encourages people to pedal to work and offers onsite bike security and maintenance as well as a map wall where employees can add favorite routes to share. The Business Journals (tiered subscription model)/Seattle (1/27) Extra-small businesses could define the decade Firms with fewer than 20 employees make up 99.9% of American businesses, according to the Small Business Administration. These extra-small businesses will become more important in the coming decade because they provide a reliable way to get wealthy; the next generation of workers are more entrepreneurial; and small businesses can use software to automate many tasks that once required additional workers, writes Allison Baum of Trinity Ventures. Quartz (tiered subscription model) (1/27)
Connecting to nature can reduce anxiety, calm the nerves and reset your mind, writes Dr. Srini Pillay, CEO of NeuroBusiness Group, but it can be difficult to do while working in an office. Bring in a plant or aquarium, position your desk so you can look out a window, and take short breaks outside to get the creative juices flowing, he suggests. Fast Company online (1/28)
The Water Cooler
Florida fellas make a game out of the long wait at a red light If you want a scientific way to measure how bad traffic is in parts of Florida, you could find statistics by a credible research group. If you'd rather measure it anecdotally, look no further than Cape Coral, where a group of friends were at a red light long enough to set up a table in the middle of the road and finish a game of Uno. United Press International (1/27)
Fall forward. Every failed experiment is one step closer to success.
