How to ask for a job referral, and the template you should use

How to ask for a job referral, and the template you should useHow to ask for a job referral, and the template you should useThere are a million ways to mess up when you ask someone for a referral for a job or for someone else - especially if you dont know how well the two people know each other. Heres what to keep in mind.Be sure to hold their attentionHannah Morgan, an author, speaker and founder of Career Sherpa, writes in U.S. News World Report about reaching out cold via email.As a last-ditch effort to try and make contact with someone who works inside a company, you may resolve to sending a katechese to someone you dont know at all. If you are lucky enough to find their email, use that, otherwise, youll have to send a message through LinkedIn. Its important that your message hits the strangers radar so be sure to use an attention-grabbing subject line and engaging first sentence. Also make sure you reference something you both have in common such as college, LinkedIn groups or outside interests.Do the heavy lifting for themThis could make things easier.Anum Hussain, cofounder of personal news assistantAcciyo, a former growth marketer at HubSpot and co-author of Twitter for Dummies, wrote about asking for a referral on HubSpots website.She mentions that she wanted to get in touch with someone, and upon seeing on LinkedIn that the person went to the same school as one of her colleagues, she asked that connection for a referral.Hussain goes on to mention that the issue is peoples lack of time, but that the solution is to write the introduction yourself.As mentioned, most people dont want to welcheste any of their already precious time. So when I asked Andy for the referral, I was sure to write the bare bones of the introduction myself. That way, Andy could customize it without having to start from scratch, she writes, before providing an example.Give them an outAlison Doyle, a career expert, author and founder and CEO of CareerToolBelt.com, writes about thi s in The Balance.The problem can be what they are going say. Rather, ask Do you feel you know my work well enough to refer me for a job at your company? or Do you feel you could give me a referral? That way, your referrer has an out if they are not comfortable providing a referral for you and you can be assured that those who say yes will be enthusiastic about your performance and will write a positive letter or give you a strong endorsement,Heres a sample script to use for your next referral requestFeel free to follow this template, which is roughly based on the tips aboveHello person youre contacting,Hope youre doing well at X company.I appreciate your time, so Ill keep it short. Im looking to get in contact with X at X company.I just saw that you have X in common with them, and was wondering if you would be interested in connecting the two of us for X reason, if you know them well enough.To make things easier for you, Ive already written out a basic sample script, just in case yo ure on board- but if not, I understand.Looking forward to hearing from you,Your name here

Bad bosses usually think theyre awesome

Bad bosses usually think theyre awesomeBad bosses usually think theyre awesomeWhen you enter the meeting, your palms are sweaty. Your nerves have really got the best of you this time- what if you give your presentation, and as soon as he hears about your vision for this project, everything goes up in flames as he rips your confidence into shreds?You almost feel like theres no point in bringing up the fact that his treatment isnt fair, because as everyone knows, his yep is law. You think,Who am I to communicate to the person who hired me that theyve crossed the line.Take comfort yes, you do have a terrible boss. But your boss doesnt know hes terrible. He (or she) thinks he is absolutely awesome.Dont believe it? Well, its science.Terrible leaders get that way by being paid too muchIts all about self-perception. Overconfident leaders tend to think highly of their own leadership, which is why they demand large pay packages and have trouble believing that things may not be working out.Ah ighly-paid CEO may actually hurt a business, according to 2013 researchby researchers from the University of Cambridge and Purdue University.High pay, in other words, does not guarantee that a leader will turn in strong performance, as measured by a companys stock price. In fact, its quite the opposite the higher paid a leader, the mora likely the company will suffer under his leadership.Firms that pay their CEOs in the top ten percent of excess pay earn negative abnormal returns over the next three years, the researchers found.Why? Because higher pay tends to make people believe theyre right. If they were always wrong, the thinking goes, they wouldnt be paid so much, right? So the leaders tend to splash out on big, expensive plans that eventually lose money.The findings seemed to be driven by high-pay induced CEO overconfidence that leads to shareholder wealth losses from activities such as overinvestment and value-destroying mergers and acquisitions, the article said.Overconfidenc e hurts leaders and the companies they runTheStanford Graduate School of Businessand the Wharton School looked at overconfidence in leaders, as measured by their investment decisions.Overconfident leaders invariably think that companies will 100% improve under their leadership. How do we know that? Because as soon as they take over a company, they gather more and more stock and have trouble letting it go.CEOs who are overly convinced about their own leadership capabilities are not actively trying to get rich at shareholders expense theyre just misperceiving the situation, saidUlrike Malmendier, an assistant professor of finance at Stanford Graduate School of Business and a co-author on the study.Using data on the CEOs of 477 Fortune 500 companies from 1980-1994, the researchers tracked CEO overconfidence by studying the tendency of a CEO to overly invest in his or her own company by habitually buying its stock or by holding-gesellschaft on to stock options long beyond the point when they should be exercised, according to the Stanford Graduate School of Business.The study found that a typical CEO will invest 19% of available marginal cash flow in investment projectsbut an overconfident one will invest 36%, according to the Stanford Graduate School of Business.Malmendiertold the institutionthat overconfidence can sometimes be good for leaders to have.The role of narcissismStill, arrogance in management is rarely benign. It couldput a company in danger.A 2012 study on CEO narcissism and fraud found that narcissistic CEOs behave unethically to obtain their goals and satisfy their constant need for praise and admiration. Highly narcissistic CEOs may achieve greatness for their companies. However if left uncontrolled, too much narcissism may result in unethical behavior and jeopardize the interests of their companies.The bottom line you may think its obvious that your boss is terrible, but he or she has no idea thats the case.How to handle a schwimmbad bossThere are some good ways to handle bad bosses, whatever their failings. Daily Worth has a nice roundup.Heres some advice we like, too.Dont handle a really bad boss at all. If your boss is bad enough - abusive, disrespectful, disparaging - then get a transfer or a new job. The more time you spend in an abusive work situation, the more likely you will burn out and hurt your career progression for years. Abusive bosses are bad for your physical health.Learn how to manage up. Its rare to have a perfect boss, so everyone needs strategies for managing bosses. We like this grouping of advice, which includes everything from talking it out to learning how to rise above the drama.Try to figure out whether the terrible behavior is temporary or a personality feature. Bosses are humans too and go through rough times. If you feel your boss isnt being effective, try to figure out whether its a brief blip that will pass or something that seems more permanent. If its the latter, its worth flagging it to th e boss himself.Learn how to get information in a non-confrontational way. No one likes hearing that theyre screwing up. Instead of freaking out and demanding answers, or lobbing accusations, think more diplomatically. There may be factors you dont know in your bosss decisions. Questions are effective ways to present ideas while getting more information and context I saw the latest initiative and I have a question about it. Do you have five minutes to clarify the impact on future operations?Collect lessons for the future. Many excellent managers became that way by learning what not to do from their own bad bosses. Observe what is ineffective about the leaders around you and think about how you can improve on that style in the future.

9 simple ways to make your mornings less painful

9 simple ways to make your mornings less painful9 simple ways to make your mornings less painfulWhen youre a working mom, a busy college student, or a young professional, mornings can be jam-packed with racing around as you handle endless to-dos. For anyone looking to make over their morning routine, there are a plethora ofproducts geared toward getting bright-eyedif youre a night owl,healthy breakfaststo give anyone an energizing boost, andrecommended morning habitsto jump-start your day, but the sheer volume of suggestions can seem overwhelming. Laura Vanderkam - time management expert and author ofOff the Clock- is stepping in to share some proven simple ways to turn your hassled mornings into more manageable and productive parts of the week.1. List out your priorities.Vanderkam suggests making a list of your current top priorities. Time management is, fundamentally, about spending more time on things that matter to you and less on things that dont. Getting clear on priorities g ives you a framework for deciding what belongs in your schedule and what doesnt (or should be minimized if it cant be avoided). Write down what you want to accomplish with your mornings - whether its exercise, spending more time with your kids, or working on a passion project.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and more2. Use mornings to pay yourself first.Once youve figured out the top priority your morning should advance, focus on it when youre the freshest. Exercise is often a great way to start the day, since it can give you a natural boost of energy. If family dinners are tough to wrangle, family breakfasts together would be a wonderful time to connect. If you maintain a full-time job while working on a side hustle (like writing a novel, starting a business, or painting), mornings might be a window of time to dedicate energy for it. For college students, Vanderkam shares, If your cla ssmates sleep in until 10, getting up at 830am - not exactly the crack of dawn - can open up what feels like extra time.3. Knock out your toughest tasks before the rest.In her book, Vanderkam writes, Planning your toughest task for when you have the most energy means you can cut that task from two hours to one. When starting your days work - whether youre a freelancer or full-time employee - figure out which project will take the most discipline, then tackle it early. Reserve routine tasks for later in the day when most peoples energy is lower. Leaving an important task to a time of day when youre likely to get distracted means it will take longer, reminds Vanderkam.4. Simplify routines.InOff the Clock, Vanderkam suggests a number of ways to free up more time by streamlining common tasks You might designate a specific spot for car keys in the morning, or you could create a FAQ document to copy and paste when someone wants to spielblttchen your brain. For mornings specifically, V anderkam recommends either winnowing down your wardrobe to what works best for you on a daily basis (making it easier to choose your OOTD) or preselecting your clothes for the next day before you sleep (so youre ready to dress as soon as youre up).5. Cut down on distractions.Our biggest time suck in the morning is digging into emails or social media as part of getting ready before heading to the office or plunging into the days routine. While it may seem like looking at your phone is productive, Vanderkam says that avoiding being buried in your phone first thing in the morning can free up time to exercise, meditate, and connect with loved ones.6. Find reflection time.Remembering what youre grateful for through journaling, meditating, or writing down gratitude lists is a way to make your day feel more spacious and inviting. A busy morning can make a lot of people feel like they have zero time to reflect, but Vanderkam points out that there are often hidden opportunities we can uncove r. Think of the shower as reflective time. You probably find time to shower, so as youre in there, think about your day, what you like about your life, and what youre grateful for.7. Wake up 10 minutes early.Using your mornings well doesnt mean you have to get up at 5am. Setting your clock even just 10 minutes before you need to start your day can be an excellent way to squeeze in your priorities or new goals. Waking up a little bit early means you can use this time for something thats important to you that life has a way of crowding out, encourages Vanderkam. You could write in a journal for five minutes, do some push-ups and sit-ups, and have a great morning routine.8. Swap unproductive evening hours for productive morning routines.If youregenuinelydoing your best work at night, then youre a night owl. But for most people who say theyre not morning people, says Vanderkam, what it really means is just that theyre still tired when they wake up. Evaluate how you spend your evenings. If you could cut back on something thats not a priority to go to bed a bit earlier, you could start the morning more refreshed and ready to make the most of it - or even wake up a little sooner.9. Design your morning.To make over your mornings, Vanderkam says, Think about what you could reliably do at least a few times a week, even when things go wrong. You dont have to move mountains in one shove. You just have to do a little bit at a time and just keep going. She gives some examples If you write 250 words every morning, you could finish a draft of a novel in a year. Lifting weights three mornings a week would make you stronger in six months. Craft a morning routine that you like rather than trudging through what you dislike (which slows you down).This article originally appeared on Brit + Co.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people