6 People Who Will Do Amazing Things for Your Career

6 People Who Will Do Amazing Things for Your Career6 People Who Will Do Amazing Things for Your CareerWe all know how important networking is for our careers. Building and maintaining strong relationships is critical to your professional success, whether youre measuring salary growth, promotions, or job satisfaction over time. But before you rattle off how many friends you have on your favorite social media site du jour, know that leid all contact lists are alike. You want to assemble a diverse group of talent, dubbed social capital by the researchers who study this sort of thing, in order for your network of friends to really have an impact on your success. As with friendships, its the quality bedrngnis the quantity that counts. So, whos essential to your contact list? Here are the six most important kinds of people you need to know.1. The Finance GuruBefriend those who are wiser financially than you. Its well established that what our friends say and do affects what we say and do- and even what we think, says Lynda Wallace certified positive psychology coach and author of A Short Course in Happiness. Having a financially savvy friend can have a positive impact on our own finances. If our friends tend to throw their money away, it makes it a little more tempting for us to do the same. But a friend who is clear about her financial goals and consistently pursues them can inspire us pay more attention to our own financial well-being. 2. The ConnectorThink you can leave behind The Person Who Knows Everyone now that youre all grown-up? Think again. I would say that we dont need a connector, but many, says Sharon Good, life coach and owner of Good Life Coaching. Its best to know a few people who thrive on socializing and making introductions in your network.These days, its all about relationships. Think about LinkedIn For each connection you have, you also connect to their connections, and their connections connections, making it much easier than doing it one at a t ime, she explains. Plus, when you need information or are looking for a new job, Connectors keep those tangential connections warm so you dont have to start out cold when you want to reach out to someone a connector knows.3. The MentorTake time to have coffee or an email exchange now and then with a mentor, the person who you can say has inspired your career direction from the beginning, says Christine Hassler, life coach and counselor and author of The 20 Something Manifesto. Its important to choose a mentor who is living a life you respect and want to model- not just someone who has a job or career path you would want, she advises. A good mentor will offer a balance between being a cheerleader and a coach enthusiastically acknowledging us for our accomplishments while also calling us forward and not allowing us to settle. Sounds like a tall order for just one person? Hassler recommends not stopping at one guru in your contact list. Having several mentors is ideal4. The InnovatorMa ybe this person is that entrepreneur in your contact list or the name that keeps you up-to-date in your industry. Bottom line You want to maintain that relationship with the person who is always on the cutting-edge of your industrys innovations. An innovator in your circle of friends will remind you to not grow stagnant- just watching them tackle new challenges can inspire you to try new things yourself, says Julie Melillo, certified geschftlicher umgang and life coach. Entrepreneurs are also great at solving problems creatively, which can be a great help to you.5. The LeaderFor those tough career questions, look no further than your former bosses or other leaders in your industry who youve met and exchanged business cards with at professional events. Mind you, theyre not the same as the warm, fuzzy mentors in your address book who you may have a fuller, more personal relationship with. Leaders are the folks who you look up to purely from a professional point of view. Success breeds success. Being around successful people rubs off. All goals are reached in the mind first. So when we see someone we admire obtain success, we believe we can obtain it, too, says certified career coach Deborah Brown-Volkman, owner of Surpass Your Dreams and author of Coach Yourself to a New Career. Save these contacts for those rare, more serious work issues, but keep them in your contact list just the same.6. Even the FrenemyYes, you read that right. Dont snub the colleague who shares a similar work trajectory with you just because you sometimes feel like youre in competition. This is a good dynamic, according to Brown-Volkman. Frenemies are good because they push us to be our best. Competition forces us to rise to the occasion and go after what we want in our career, she says. When we look at others, and what they have, it motivates us to go after what we want. It also gives us confidence that we can reach our career goals because people we know have already done it, adds Brown-V olkman. Its the 21st-century spin on a time-honored adage Keep your friends close and your (fre)enemies closer. More From DailyWorthCould You Be in the Wrong Career?Whats More Important Than Your Job? Your NetworkDont Let Your Co-Workers Bring You DownPhoto of connections courtesy of Shutterstock.

New findings add twist to screen time limit debate

New findings add twist to screen time limit debateNew findings add twist to screen time limit debateMany parents want to know how much time their kids should be spending in front of screens, whether its their smartphones, tablets or TV.For years, the American Academy of Pediatrics had suggested a limit of two hours a day of TV for children and teens.But after screen time started to include phones and tablets, ansicht guidelines needed an update. So last year, the American Academy of Pediatrics changed its recommendations No mora than one hour of screen time for children ages 2 to 5 for older children and teens, they caution against too much screen time, but theres no specific time limit.This may give the impression that preschoolers are the only ones who need specific limits on screen time, with monitoring less important for older children and teens. Then a study came out last year suggesting that the imperative to monitor screen time for preschoolers may be overblown.However new res earch conducted by me and my co-author Keith Campbell challenges the idea that vague directives and loose guidelines are the best approach.Not only does this study suggest that specific time limits on screen time are justified for preschoolers, it also makes the case for screen time limits for school-age children and teens.In fact, unterstellung older kids and teens may be even more vulnerable to excessive screen time.A study muddies the watersSeveral studies have found that children and teens who spend more time with screens are less happy, more depressed, and more likely to be overweight.But a study released last year muddied the waters. Using a a large national survey conducted from 2011 to 2012, it found little association between screen time and well-being among preschoolers.This led some to conclude that screen time limits werent important.Maybe youre being too strict with your kids screen time, suggested one headline.However, this analysis examined just four items measuring w ell-being how often the child was affectionate, smiled or laughed, showed curiosity and showed resilience characteristics that might describe the vast majority of preschool children. This study also didnt include school-age children or teens.Diving into a more detailed data setFortunately, a version of that large survey conducted in 2016 by the U.S. Census Bureau included 19 different measures of well-being for children up to age 17, giving researchers a more comprehensive view of well-being across a range of age groups.In our newly released paper using this expanded survey, we found that children and teens who spent more time on screens scored lower in well-being across 18 of these 19 indicators.After one hour a day of use, children and teens who spent more time on screens were lower in psychological well-being They were less curious and more easily distracted, and had a more difficult time making friends, managing their anger and finishing tasks.Teens who spent an excessive amoun t of time on screens were twice as likely to have been diagnosed with anxiety or depression.Thats a problem, because this generation of teens, whom I call iGen, spends an extraordinary amount of time on screens up to nine hours a day on average and are also more likely to suffer from depression.In fact, we found that excessive screen time had stronger links to lower well-being for teens than it did for younger kids.That might be because children spend more of their screen time watching TV shows and videos. This kind of screen use is notlage as strongly linked to low well-being as the social media, electronic games and smartphones used more often by teens.These results suggest that it is teens not young children who may be most in need of screen time limits.The case for clear guidelinesThis research is correlational. In other words, it isnt clear whether more screen time leads to depression and anxiety, or that someone whos depressed or anxious is more likely to spend more time i n front of screens.Either way, excessive screen time is a potential red flag for anxiety, depression and attention issues among children and teens.If we even suspect that more screen time is linked to depression and lower well-being as several longitudinal studies find it makes sense to talk about limits.Right now, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that the screen time of older kids and teens shouldnt come at the expense of sleep, extracurricular activities and schoolwork. Parents should add up the amount of time teens spend on these other activities, they say, and whatevers left could be spent in front of screens.This suggestion is problematic for several reasons.First, how can a parent be expected, each day, to calculate how many hours their kid spends on these activities? What about shifting schedules and weekends?Second, it places few limits on teens who dont spend much time on homework or activities, and could even motivate kids to drop activities if they figure i t could mean more allotted time for, say, playing video games.Even if sleep isnt affected and homework is done, its probably safe to say that playing Fortnite for eight hours a day or scrolling through social media feeds during every free moment probably isnt healthy.Parents need clear advice, and specific screen time limits are the most straightforward way to provide it.The research on well-being, including this new study, points to a limit of about two hours a day of leisure screen time, not counting time spent on schoolwork.In my view, The American Academy of Pediatrics should expand its recommendation of screen time limits to school-age children and teens, making it clear that two hours a day is a guideline with flexibility for special circumstances. Some parents may want to set a limit of one hour, but two hours seems more realistic as an overall guideline given teens current use.Two hours a day also allows for many of the benefits of screen time for kids and teens making plan s with friends, watching educational videos and keeping in touch with family without displacing time for other activities that provide a boost to well-being, like sleep, face-to-face social interaction and exercise.Technology is here to stay. But parents dont have to let it dominate their kids lives.Jean Twenge, Professor of Psychology, San Diego State UniversityThis article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

5 Simple Changes to Update Your Resume

5 Simple Changes to Update Your Resume5 Simple Changes to Update Your ResumeSpring is almost here and you still havent updated your resume If youre still contemplating what needs to be changed, here are five simple things that will get your resume ready for your next job search or for that promotionUpdate contact information Did you move recently, change your email address, get a new phone number? This seems like a no-brainer but there are so many job candidates that forget this vital step. They submit an old resume without realizing the contact information in the heading is no longer valid. One simple mistake like this can cause you to lose out on landing a good job.Summary revision A summary statement at the top of your resume represents who you are, what you do, and what youre seeking. Since our goals and accomplishments change from year to year, a summary you wrote in 2011 doesnt paint an accurate picture of you anymore. Although you can make a few tweaks, sometimes its best to j ust delete it and start from scratch, especially if your belastung job search was over three years ago. Youve grown and your resume should reflect this.Change the layout Resumes, just like furniture and fashion change with the times. You need to update your dcor, so to speak, to visually bring your document into the current century. Play around with new fonts (but dont go crazy) and change your headings.Update work history Some revisions on your work history section will be necessary, especially at the top and bottom of your resume. Add recent positions, include relevant accomplishments and any special contributions, add new skills and accomplishments from your current or most recent job and finally, drop any position that you left before 2011. Make sure you shine the spotlight on your current career instead of past accomplishments.Add new skills and remove the old Since your last job search, youve learned new skills. Now its time to make sure potential employers take notice Where t o start?First, read over the skills you have listed on your resume.Next, ask yourself if youve used each skill recently. If you cant remember the last time you used it, its probably time to delete it.Go over your list again and think about the job you most want, then delete the skills that wont help you land the position you desire.Now its time to add your most recently acquired skillsRemember, you should always keep your resume tight, clear and in-line with your current goals and plans. If youre evolving, so should your resume For more guidance, explore the tools and tips on our blog and website.