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Social media in professional development is a controversial topic. It can be highly distracting and prevent you from achieving success in your professional life. But, how can you profit from social media as an individual in a professional environment? The answer is: yes, but only under certain conditions. In this article, we list five rules which will help you benefit from social media to the maximum while at the same time avoiding the pitfalls associated with using social media.

Once you are prepared for applying for a particular position and build a know-how about the employer, you can get down to writing your motivational letter. Currently, LinkedIn and other platforms for job seekers try to rule out the necessity to write a letter. However, motivational letters are the key part of the job application process. Even if you don’t need a letter, it is a wonderful preparation for the job interview.

Many people get tattoos these days as a form of self-expression. However, despite the growing popularity of tattoos, exhibiting tattoos in the workplace in visible spots on the body is still not welcome in multiple professions. Therefore, if you are considering getting a visible tattoo, it's essential to research and ensure that it won't limit your job prospects. In this article, we review the main branches of the job market in which you can get yourself into trouble by proudly wearing a tattoo and list the reasons why this is so.

Many professionals wonder: “Am I good enough for this job? Perhaps, I am just not competitive enough… I am too young, too old, too inexperienced, too experienced, I have too few jobs on my resume, I have too many jobs on my resume…” They blame themselves for every rejection they get in the recruitment process. Well, surprise surprise: more often than not, this is not the case! The vast majority of such cases boil down to the wrong pitch. The recruitment process is a game with quite simple rules when you think about it.

The tips we usually list on this blog, help in finding and landing good jobs. But, they won’t let you maneuver between your current and future employers with class — without hurting anyone’s feelings and leaving everyone involved in the process with warm thoughts about you. So, how to make sure that you know the rules of savoir-vivre in the job application process and that you won’t ruffle any feathers in the process of looking for a new job?

Today, you can connect with other professionals via LinkedIn, look for jobs, find top professionals of all sorts, exchange resumes, and learn new skills to enhance your repertoire of professional competencies. Companies search for talent on LinkedIn. Startup founders search for business partners, from co-founders to private investors. Since LinkedIn has become the to-go-to place for professionals, presenting yourself in a good light on the platform is crucial to your professional development. With this tutorial, you will build your professional profile on LinkedIn like a pro!

We are clearly on the edge of recession. Small businesses will probably get hit by this recession even more than large companies. Small entrepreneurs will need to go through harder times than most employees. Do you have a friend or a family member with a small business? Would you like to help them — but without spending your own funds or investing too much of your own time?

In the times of the COVID-19, we all had to quickly become remote work ninjas. But how to quickly improve your productivity when working from home, especially as an extroverted person? How to self-motivate yourself and keep pace when all you hear is a dead, resounding silence?

Are you an office, white-collar employee who tends to feel exhausted, overwhelmed, or unproductive at work? Well, it might be nothing else than a form of impostor syndrome. Perhaps you are much more capable and productive than you think! Anyway, it can always get even better! So, how to quickly improve your productivity when working in the office? In this article, we introduce 11 REAL tricks for how to boost your productivity when working in the office – right here, right now. Some of them are backed by science, and some are backed by common sense only!

Officially, Community Manager means “the liaison between a brand and its followers on social media.” No wonder the trend for hiring a person who is assigned specifically to communicate with the clients and followers on the team, was born in the early days of social media — in the 2000s when Facebook, YouTube, and other leading social media platforms kicked off. The startup culture naturally adopted community management as part of the game. After all, every startup needs a proper hustler. So, what are the responsibilities of a Community Manager? What are the common features of top community managers? How to land this job, and what perks and pitfalls can you expect?

Are you an introvert looking for a way to make a living in a cosy and friendly community? You are not the only one! According to the study by Myers-Briggs, 8 different types of introverts make up for about 50% of the whole population. In this article, we are listing the 23 top positions that best suit the nature and natural abilities of introverts, and that you can choose as an introvert without disturbing your mental health.

How come some people always pass the recruitment process ...and they don’t even have a Hollywood smile? Some people seem to have developed a secret formula for getting hired — they always land jobs with incredible ease! Is there any common secret to this phenomenon? Well, these people just know the sentiment and understand what employers’ needs are and what they want to hear. There is a number of secret phrases which can single-handedly convince the Hiring Manager that you are the person they were looking for. They all might sound innocent at first but are really powerful when you give them a thought.

In the professional world, it can be hard to find the time to absorb quality information on the philosophy, lifestyle, and history that help us improve the way we live. In this article, we would like to briefly introduce the central concepts in Confucianism and explain how it can be relevant for building career development strategies in the job market of today.

Do you encounter this dilemma over and over again: shall I use emoticons in my workplace? Am I too old-school when I don’t plug in emojis here and there in our team Slack chat? And what the hell is the difference between 20 different types of smiling faces? Well, if so, then this article is for you!

Have you ever felt like going insane at the workplace because somebody insisted that the two of you had engaged in a debate that you did not recall having? Did you previously state that you would finish a job despite you had demanded to leave by 4 PM to make it to your child's sports competition? Perhaps, it was gaslighting. In this article, we introduce the problem of gaslighting at work, describe the symptoms, and give practical advice for how you can effectively tackle the problem by yourself.

Most professionals start networking only in need. Namely, whenever they need to find a new job or change a profession, they invest a bit of time on the side to reach out to people. In other words, they treat other professionals in an instrument way and only reach out if there is something to ask. In this article, we will talk about why it is already too late, and why you should rather treat networking as a mindset – and do it every day.

In this article, we'd like to introduce a befriended company also operating from the Netherlands, Hyphen Projects.

New branches of IT industry, from blockchain, through cyber security, to cloud computing, are booming. Now more than at any time in the past, top-notch talent with highly specialized skills is sought after in IT industry. In this articles, we review the top 7 hot and in-demand jobs in the IT industry of today.

Have you ever thought of launching a consultancy business on a side? The good news is that you can develop a side-kick business right here, right now! This side-activity can broaden your horizons and let you earn extra bucks at high hourly rates without taking too much commitment. And, you can achieve this goal in 5 simple steps! In this article, we will explain precisely how to get the first deals and negotiate your conditions to gain a good experience as a consultant.

In the technological wonderland that is today’s modern world, there are many languages and codes that machines, programs, hardware, software, or any other electronics, use to operate and function correctly. Programming skills guarantee good professional future, as programmers are in high demand. But which programming language is the most useful to learn in the today's job market?

Job search is the very first step in landing your dream job. The more effort you put into it, the more you will stand out to potential employees, and the better your chances of being called back. Luckily, there are many free tools to assist you in your career. From productivity apps to job hunting software, there is always an app that’ll make your job search easier. In this article, we are going over the best free software to assist you in your professional career and how each of them will benefit you in your quest to find the job you've been waiting for.

Did you know that Google picks and chooses what it does and doesn't show you? Google uses AI to build a specific profile on you built over time. The AI then uses that information to push you toward buying products they advertise, or to influence your political and other opinions. In this article, we explain how to navigate online to make sure that you stay as objective and unbiased as possible.

Have you ever talked to a friend about something, like books, for example, only to see an advertisement about books minutes later while browsing the web? Your safety online affects your professional development. Without properly protecting your data, you can be almost certain that sooner or later, you will get a message with a request to pay the hackers for not revealing your personal, sensitive information, including private pictures found on your email account or hacked through other media.

Research strongly suggests that employers still prefer hiring employees without gaps in their resumes. However, are candidates with a gap in their CV indeed less productive than others? Perhaps, it is a good idea to appreciate the honesty at the job interview and give such a candidate a chance?

Over the course of their PhD programs, PhD candidates develop a broad range of specialistic professional skills, from laboratory work, through statistics and programming, to a broad range of general research skills. When applying for jobs, they use to put these skills on top of their resume. However, one important yet underrated aspect of the PhD journey is the PhD creed that you develop in the process - which you might not even realize! And, it can actually become the game changer for your career.

“Integrity” – a keyword used extensively by leaders, employers, recruiters. We are all conscious that integrity at the workplace is expected of us. But, what does integrity mean in practice? Is it an empty phrase, a high-level concept, or perhaps, a virtue that can be quantified and measured?

Although the possibility to work remotely brought lots of personal freedom to white-collar professionals, it also generated a brand new difficulty. Namely, it increased both physical and mental distances between people. In this new situation, a new trend started slowly emerging. Namely, professionals of the new wave search not only for peacefulness, nature, and harmony but also for the community. After over a hundred years of industrialization, globalization, and the growth of metropolises, the opposite trend of moving towards small, village-like communities that live and prosper together, has emerged. In this article, we describe the story and inner workings behind one of such communities, the eco-village Grzybów, located 90 kilometers toward West-North from Warsaw, Poland.

Whenever we see a fresh sole proprietor sweating around their little infant business, we use to cheer and support them — even when they make mistakes and shame themselves by poor planning and customer service, they apologize for the lack of experience in business and operations, and we rush to say, “No problem, brother. Keep on going!” But when it comes to growing a business, namely hiring first employees, increasing the revenue, and building the structure inside the company, we start looking at the same person in a much more demanding and critical way. Once they slowly increase their revenue and become tycoons, they are no longer perceived as humans. All of a sudden, we lose all the trust and sympathy in the very person whom we use to cheer so dearly just a few years before.

In the past few months, the concept of Metaverse came to the spotlight as the next stage of the evolution of the world wide web. But, what is Metaverse? Is what Russell Brand once called “the colonization of consciousness” even good for humanity? How can it affect the economy and the job market of the future? Is this a game changer, or perhaps, is it yet another buzzword that will result in a wave of speculative projects resembling the dot-com bubble from two decades ago?

Career change after PhD is not easy. You keep on asking yourself, "Shall I keep on going, or is this high time to look for a new career?" So, when is the best time to change career path towards industry and how to prepare for this major step in your career?

The job market of today is hard to navigate for women: many jobs that were traditionally occupied by women, are getting automatized. How to self-navigate and place yourself on the map in these conditions to thrive n your professional life?

Have you ever felt that you underperform at work? …That you are never fully rested, and even after taking a proper vacation time, you still feel dizzy at the office? Well, it might so be that your work is not aligned with your natural circadian clock — time to learn about chronotypes.

In today's world, we tend to worry more and more. The fast-changing job market, the coronavirus, the inflation, the rental estate prices, ... Meanwhile, the beautiful philosophy and lifestyle of taoism might give you a different perspective on life and help you stop worrying.

The Barnum's Effect, also known as the Forer's effect, can be your silent enemy when it comes to applying for jobs. It can distort your perception of job applications and make the job search way harder for you. In this article, you can learn what this means and how you can prevent yourself from its detrimental consequences on your career.

Is capitalism an evil system? As it turns out, the famous "Monopoly" game was created to showcase how unstable capitalism is as a system. Does it work as intended by the author? And, what skills useful in professional life can we learn from the "Monopoly" game?

What are non-fungible tokens, and what do they tell us about the condition of the today's job market? Although NFTs have existed for the past few years, they came to the spotlight earlier this year. What does "NFT" even mean and why it won the attention of (young) audiences around the globe?

Empathy is a two-sided sword. It could be a problem once you find yourself in the wrong environment - or, it could be your biggest asset that helps you thrive in the job market. It all depends on whether you know how to use your empathy to your advantage.

Many believe that a high salary is the key to success in terms of building wealth. Although it obviously correlates with wealth, it is not the key factor that leads to accumulating wealth by individuals. In this article, we will debunk this myth and discuss the difference between salary and wealth.

You might have noticed that we recently changed our name - twice! Why is that? Well, to answer this question, we need to get into the details of the international Intellectual Property Law.

Have you ever thought to yourself: “Why do I have such a broad network and so many contacts, yet, for some reason I still cannot find a job? Asking around for opportunities, and no one gets back to me with proposals? Does no one open doors for me and create new career options for me? What did go wrong here? Do I have contacts in all the wrong places? Why did my friend — who is introverted and closed for people — get the next job, and I didn’t?

No doubt that mental health has become issue number one in today’s job market, especially after the breakout of the corona crisis. The percentage of adults reporting symptoms of anxiety disorder and or depressive disorder jumped from 11% in the first half of 2019 to 41.1% in January 2021. Recruiters follow the trends and obviously, they are conscious about the fact that as much as half of the job candidates can have mental health issues. However, does this mean that it is ok to mention that you suffer from mental health issues during the job interview?

Perfect Resume and Why It Is NOT Perfect For You: Marissa Mayer’s Resume and Personal Story. September 14th 2021 Source: enhancv.com. …

Perfect Resume and Why It Is NOT Perfect For You: Marissa Mayer’s Resume and Personal Story Read More »

Today, in the vast majority of white-collar jobs we need to write. Essays, reports, educational materials, instructions, emails, you name it. The need to create content in a written form is especially pronounced when it comes to content creators — authors, bloggers, essayists — but in fact, all of us need to write to a smaller or larger extent. However, some of us have a natural blockade from creative writing. How to overcome this barrier?

The job market changes all the time. How did the recruiters changed the attitude to hiring employees this year? How to better self-navigate and land a dream job in the job market of today?

A gap in your CV - it usually draws the recruiter's attention at the job interview. However, this question can make or break your interview! How to respond to stand out and amaze the recruiter?

In the past few months, the phrase “You will own nothing. You will be happy” that appeared in the video ad of the World Economic Forum made the headlines and has electrified global opinion. But what does this phrase even mean? Has Orwell's vision of a totalitarian society come to life?

In this blog post, the author of the Ontology of Value Test, Natalia, comments on her own experience with the test, and the results. What surprised her the most? Which of the results does she agree with? Which points doesn’t she agree with? What did she learn about herself from this experience, and is she now more bullish about her own test, or rather, the opposite?

Today, the workflow in all companies and organizations in all industries is project-based. Therefore, the experience with popular practices in project management and project management tools is no longer just an extracurricular point on your resume. All industry professionals - from an executive to a specialist - are expected to be fluent with implementing at least some of these project management tools and switching from one workflow to another. Therefore, basic project management skills are compulsory to get hired at the leading companies in virtually any industry today!

Do the principles of fundamental analysis as described by Benjamin Graham in his famous book, "The Intelligent Investor" still hold in the XXIst century?

While applying for jobs, we typically focus on our objectives: how do we determine which position is suitable for us and suits our long-term career plans, and how do we land the job? One important aspect of your job interview preparation is to become aware of the cognitive biases that might appear in the process - both on your side and on the side of the hiring manager. We are only humans after all!

Is there still enough room to build a carer in data science from scratch now in 2021? Yes. But now, after the pandemic, the rules of the game have changed. Today, to become successful in data science, you need to step up your game. This article lists five steps to take at the start to guarantee long-term success in this field for yourself!

There are, in fact, two currencies floating in the job market: value and money. The job market is a complex ecosystem in which value flows through society like water across the globe. To find the sweet spot in the job market where you will best develop yourself, you need to figure out where and how you can produce the most value.

There are, in fact, two currencies floating in the job market: value and money. The job market is a complex ecosystem in which value flows through society like water across the globe. To find the sweet spot in the job market where you will best develop yourself, you need to figure out where and how you can produce the most value.

It is beneficial to get familiar with the concept of VAT and learn the basic mechanisms behind it. This awareness might become useful at multiple stages of your career! You will also score a few points in your professional environment if you know how the public tax system works.

In the pandemic, businesses had to rapidly move almost all their operations online. It increased the influence of online means of communication and sales. This also resulted in an increased the amount of white collar jobs in Digital Marketing, and an increased interest in choosing this career path. Yet due to several myths and stereotypes, this profession is still rarely considered as a career of choice by most university graduates.

And you probably recall this situation very well: there is an exciting new opening in a company that has always been high in your private ranking of dream employers. The scope of duties sounds exciting, and the geographical location is just perfect. There is only one problem: the list of job requirements is long, detailed, and exceeds what can be found in your resume. But wait! Have you ever wondered how the recruiters treat applicants who don’t fit all the criteria yet still, decide to apply? Perhaps, they occasionally take a punt? And, they give a chance to a person who doesn’t hit all the marks listed in the official job offer?

We know how hard it can be to decide (and define) a career path once you get your PhD. In this post, Natalia Bielczyk explains the importance of channeling our efforts into finding the right people and the right environment to develop our potential(s) and thrive.

Leaving academia after PhD is a hard decision. Shall be proud of myself, or rather, am I a failure? Well, there are good reasons to be proud! After all, every single publication you've published, is like winning a medal in a race, and should stay in your memory as a personal achievement for the rest of your life.

While most Millenials and Z-generation are obsessed with building influencial projects that change people's lives, thousands of people out there become wealthy steadily and silently - by providing simple online services that solve little everyday problems.

We like to think that “there are no mistakes, just lessons.” Yet still, there are certain aspects of career development that people often wish they did differently when there was time for it, whether they openly admit it or not. And as a matter of fact, intelligent people often have more regrets than others. It is a simple consequence of the fact that they notice more options. Next to the natural course of events, they imagine alternative scenarios that might have happened if only they took different decisions in their lives. We've put together the list of the most common and painful regrets that professionals develop once they reach retirement. It is food for thought and an opportunity to prevent some of these regrets in your own professional life!

Are you afraid of aptitude tests at the job interviews? Perhaps, there is nothing to be afraid of! It's all about preparation and getting the right mindset.

Almost every recruitment process for a large company these days, requires going through aptitude tests. IQ tests, emotional intelligence tests, personality tests, social skill tests. But there is one very crucial yet chronically overlooked factor of productivity which is typically not tested: the attention span.

The job market is a complex ecosystem where we all have a role to play. However, regardless of our role, we tend to wonder: what will the job market look like in the future?

In this classic scheme, two or more people come together, work out a new business idea, share the responsibilities, seek funding from angel investors in the seed phase, before going for round A, round B… This is the typical development trajectory followed by virtually every successful startup. But, what if we thought out of the box?

I remember how once upon a time, I was impressed when someone was introducing themselves to me as a “serial entrepreneur.” Well, it’s not the case anymore — and let me tell you why.

Can a raise in salary infuriate an employee? Yes, it can. Especially if that employee is an ambitious person with a PhD. And it’s all about the timing.

The space of online resources for PhDs thinking of transitioning to industry is massive! This blog post lists courses, blogs, podcasts, YouTube channels, content platforms, and online communities dedicated to helping PhDs in the job market.

In general, this world is not just. Some people are born more wealthy than others. Some people are born prettier than others. Some people naturally have more energy than others. Some people learn faster than others. But, there is one thing just for all.

Living a double life torn between entrepreneurship and academic research is not easy. This blog post reviews the reasons why this is so, and ideas for how you might nevertheless succeed in balancing on the edge of the two worlds.

This blog post is dedicated to Master students who are at the end of their Master’s programs, and consider going to grad school. What are the pros and cons of going for the academic career, as compared to starting an industry job?

In this blog post, Natalia Bielczyk and Elisenda Bonet-Carne discuss the similarities and differences between different post-PhD career tracks. There is a whole landscape of possibilities!

When working with academics planning their first post-PhD jobs in the industry, one pattern keeps coming back: the more accomplished the person is in academic terms, the more difficult time they have with finding their first jobs outside academia.

It’s not a secret that both the Millennials and the Z-generation are vision- or mission-oriented. Young people are no longer looking for a paycheck in their jobs, but also a broader purpose (or, from Japanese, ikigai). This can have really interesting long-term consequences for the job market.

Interviewing people with interesting (and difficult!) career paths and rare professions, yields interesting conclusions. Namely, these people they tend to share one interesting characteristic: from a very early age, they know what role towards other people they would prefer to play.

The corona crisis stirred the job market and changed the workflow in companies around the world. In these circumstances, business is moving online, and as professionals, we need to adapt and become efficient remote workers. This blog post lists some strategies for achieving good results at working from home.