Stop Hating Mondays Podcast

 Today's question is about passion. Simply Eric asks, "how do I find my passion?"

Tips for how to make your next video job interview more effective, including advice to use the S.T.A.R. behavioral interview format when answering questions.

Q. I don't have a question as much as a very short rant. My boss keeps calling our team a family, and I hate it!

Q. My annual performance review and raise is coming up and I've just been asked to do my self review. I am horrible at every part of this process. What tips do you have?

Q. I get so much more done at home, but my employer acts like not putting in enough hours is like stealing from company. Would they prefer I work more but be less productive?

Q. My company went fully remote during the pandemic. I love the flexibility, the pay is solid, and was able to move closer to family. Now my employer is demanding that everyone return to the office 3 days a week and I’m screwed. I live 1,000 miles away now. Plus, I’m way happier and more productive than when I was in the office. What’s your advice for people who are being forced back into the office?

Q. As someone who was recently laid off and is now seeking a new position after 15 years, I want to approach the job offer process with a positive mindset. Could you please provide some key factors or considerations I should keep in mind when I inevitably get a job offer?

Q. You recently talked about how more people than ever consider well-being to be a better measure of wealth than money. I feel the same way, but I also feel like well-being is hard to measure. Maybe I’m the only one who doesn’t get it, but how do you define and measure “well-being?”

Q. I see a lot being written about how bad it is to find meaning in your work. I like and feel gratified by what I do for a living, but I’m actually feeling that is somehow a bad thing now. What do you think?

For years, we've been told that goal setting is fundamental to success and fulfillment. 

Recently, however, there's been a lot of chatter about the negative aspects of goal setting. For most people, the whole topic of goals are bad is either a complete shock or at least completely confusing, so let's get into it.

On this episode of the Stop Hating Monday's podcast, we're discussing the negative aspects of goals and a better way to move things forward. 

Most of us live in a culture that is obsessed with more. For example, here in the US, the self storage industry is a $40 billion dollar business. That’s $40 billion dollars people spend every year to store stuff they don’t have space for or don’t need but are unwilling to get rid off.

And that’s just the physical stuff.

Just as common are the people who are unwilling to let go of old mindsets, beliefs, and habits that no longer serve them – and there is no option to offload those to a temperature controlled storage unit down the street.

On this episode of the Stop Hating Mondays Podcast, we’re talking about how important space is to personal development.

Our long-term listeners know that we talk a lot about how you have many roles, but there is only one you and that positive growth in one of your roles can have a positive impact on all of your roles. But in this episode of the Stop Hating Mondays Podcast, we're flipping the script and talking about how challenging it can be to try to make progress in one role while there are aspects of your life that are uncared for.

In the last episode of the Stop Hating Mondays Podcast, we touched on something that struck a chord with several listeners – the idea that not everyone intuitively understands why self-knowledge is important.

We get it.

This is one of those topics that is often covered as if everyone just naturally gets why it matters. And the truth is, that's just not the case. So on this episode of the Stop Hating Mondays Podcast, we're continuing to talk about some of the more practical aspects of self-knowledge.

In the spirit of the New Year, we're making this season of the Stop Hating Monday's podcast an extension of the last season's focus on personal development. And we're kicking it off with a conversation about values: what they are, why they matter, and how knowing your values can be even more transformational than knowing your strengths.

Have you ever felt like you might be a lot more successful if you were less caring? Maybe if you were more Gordon Gecko and less Mr. Rogers, you’d earn more? You’d get that promotion? You’d demand more respect from your higher ups?

Maybe you would. But you’d also be a sociopath.

From Wall Street to Succession, we’re inundated with messages that tell us being less humanistic – less caring – is the secret to success. And many corporate profit models would seem to support that. But it’s not entirely true. On this episode of the Stop Hating Mondays Podcast, we’re tackling a big question: does being compassionate and humanistic make you less successful.

In the Stop Hating Mondays book that sparked this podcast, we talk about the hope / disappointment cycle. Olivia starts a new position only to find soon after that she’s unfulfilled and needs a change. So she starts something new and once again finds that she’s in the wrong role.

This hope / disappointment cycle is extremely common, and there is only one effective way to break it.

On this episode of the Stop Hating Mondays Podcast, we’re talking about the importance and power of personal development.

Something you think is objectively frustrating happened at work, and you're upset about it. Your coworker agrees that what happened is frustrating, but just isn't that bothered by it? How can that be? You both experienced the same thing, right?

On this episode of the Stop Hating Mondays Podcast were discussing how people can experience the same thing – workplace disruptions, assertive bosses, a problematic corporate culture – but have dramatically different responses.

Passions. Hobbies. Interests.

These are terms that get thrown around a lot, and they are often used interchangeably. So it's no wonder that many people misunderstand the difference between them. And that misunderstanding can make the desire to find your passion even more challenging than it already is.

On this episode of the Stop Hating Monday's Podcast, we're getting into passion and hobbies, the difference between them, and why it matters.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

If that question made you break out in a cold sweat, you're not alone. But don't worry, we're not interested in your five year plan. What we are interested in is your personal growth – the kind of growth that is fundamental to achieving any meaningful goal.

On this episode of the Stop Hating Mondays Podcast, we've got some tips for how to effectively set and achieve personal development goals.

It's no secret that large organizations, especially big businesses and corporations in the West, favor extroverts. Corporate culture tends to reward people who are highly sociable, talkative, and assertive – qualities that come more naturally to extroverts. In fact, studies show that extroverts are more likely to land high paying jobs.

Well, that's great news for extroverts, but what if you're an introvert?

On this episode of the Stop Hating Mondays podcast, Kent and I are discussing extroversion and introversion. Specifically, we're talking about how an introvert can thrive in a culture that is biased toward extroverts.

Career FOMO is real. The great resignation – or, more correctly, great reshuffling – is creating a lot of movement in the world of work. And it’s making people who are otherwise satisfied with their jobs feel like they are missing out.

On this episode of the Stop Hating Mondays Podcast, we’re talking about how to stay grounded during this period of upheaval and what the great resignation means for happy employees.

Almost everybody has an interview horror story. It’s an unfortunate reality of the entire job search process – bad interviews happen to everyone – but that doesn’t mean they aren’t cringy, frustrating, and upsetting.

So what can you do to minimize the potential that your next job interview will go sideways?

On this episode of the Stop Hating Mondays Podcast, we’re talking about ways to set yourself up for success and handle interviews that don’t go as planned.

So you got a job offer, but that moment of relief you feel – the feeling that all your hard work has paid off – fades fast once you realize that you now have to negotiate. So what do you do?

On this episode of the Stop Hating Mondays Podcast, we’ve got some important tips for what to do when you get a job offer and some information that should make the process a little less nerve-wracking.

The reality is that almost every manager plays favorites. It’s extremely common and, frankly, as a leader it takes a lot of work and effort not to. But just because it’s common, doesn’t mean it isn’t frustrating, especially if you’re not the favorite. So what can you do?

That’s what we’re getting into on this episode of the Stop Hating Mondays Podcast – how to move forward in your career and stay sane when your boss plays favorites.

As employee advocates, we can be hard on companies. It’s okay, they can take it. But the reality is – in the face of the great resignation and this still hot employee market – a lot of companies are taking very positive steps to retain talent. And that’s a good thing for everyone.

On this episode of the Stop Hating Mondays Podcast, we’re talking about some of the specific things companies are doing to retain talent and what it means for both existing employees and job seekers.

You want to focus less on work, but you’re ambitious and you enjoy being successful. So you feel stuck because those seem like competing priorities.

If that sounds familiar, you’re going to love this episode of the Stop Hating Mondays Podcast. We’re talking about this common misunderstanding and how de-centering the role work plays in your life (and the role you play at work) can make you more successful and professionally fulfilled.

We talk a lot about corporate culture on this podcast. In fact, we did an episode earlier in the season about culture as a benefit, and we just did an episode about employee experiences, which was essentially about corporate culture.

But let's take it up to 30,000 feet and talk about why a healthy corporate culture is so critical to a company's long-term success.

On this episode of the Stop Hating Mondays Podcast, we're discussing corporate culture. You know, that often forgotten thing that affects every person who works.

As HR professionals and employee advocates, we are quick to remind our corporate clients that – regardless of the market they serve or the solutions they provide – their greatest asset is their people. And as such, we are always influencing our clients to thoughtfully consider and take meaningful steps to improve employee experiences.

Today on the Stop Hating Mondays Podcast we're discussing employee experiences – some of the ways that organizations miss the mark and some ideas for how business leaders can create better employee experiences.

It's nearly impossible to read the news or scroll through Twitter without seeing something about the great resignation, but the breathless coverage and constant corporate bellyaching doesn't seem to be doing a good job of explaining what it actually is and why it's happening.

So on this episode of the Stop Hating Mondays Podcast, we're tackling the great resignation.

There's an admittedly tired metaphor that Steve Jobs referenced: skate to where the puck is going to be. Well, very few organizations were prepared for the pandemic and even fewer had systems in place to deal with the constraints and disruptions that it created. There just weren't a lot of business leaders who thought the puck might end up in the “complete global shutdown” part of the ice. But that's where we are now. And it has a lot of employers not just continuing to cope with the fallout of the pandemic, but also looking to get ahead of what might be next.

So, on this episode of the Stop Hating Mondays Podcast, we're talking about some interesting ways companies can future proof their people operations.

The “Great Resignation” – a term that we think is a pretty lazy way of speaking to the current phenomenon of increased job mobility – has smart employers evaluating and re-inventing key aspects of the organization in order to secure and retain people. One of the first lines of attack (or defense, if we’re talking about retention) is to tweak compensation in order to stay competitive. It an easy way to attract talent, and it can be a great way to keep people from leaving.

But a lot of companies aren’t ready, comfortable, or willing to go deeper when considering benefits. And that’s what we’re talking about today on the Stop Hating Mondays Podcast – the less obvious ways to think about benefits and, ultimately, make sure you aren’t hemorrhaging people the moment – like now – that they have some room to move.

Relatively speaking, it was not long ago when it was standard practice to recruit and hire employees based on very specific set of skills required to perform a job.

As the world of work has shifted away from skills based to knowledge-based things have gotten a little squishier.

Now, in order for companies to stay competitive in an operating environment that is marked by constant change and technical evolution, it's increasingly important to hire for qualities and attitude.

So on this episode of the Stop Hating Mondays Podcast, we're discussing a familiar topic round here – interviewing. But this season we're turning the tables and approaching these topics from the employer’s perspective.

Cover letters are often derided.

That's probably because so many are terrible, boilerplate statements that no one wants to write and no one wants to read.

But that doesn't mean that cover letters don't have value and, when executed well, don't play a key part in the recruiting and hiring process.

On this episode of the Stop Hating Mondays Podcast, we're answering a few questions about cover letters and hopefully helping people better understand their value.

We’ve shared recently our thoughts on the power of a one-page resume. And, while the resume remains as critical as ever, we’ve also shared that LinkedIn is now doing a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to the recruiting / hiring process. That brings up the question we’re answering on this episode of The Stop Hating Mondays Podcast: “How much is too much information on LinkedIn?”

Knowing your strengths is a critical and major step on the path to professional and personal fulfillment. But knowing your strengths doesn’t immediately translate into the feeling that you are USING those strengths.

So, on this episode of The Stop Hating Mondays Podcast, we’re talking about how to make sure that – once you know your strengths – you are actually putting those strengths to work.

What can you do if you if you want to take your skills and career to the next level, but you’re in a position and/or organization that doesn’t provide a clear path for career development and professional growth? And if you’re a manager, or your career development leads you to be a manager, what can you do to better support the growth and professional development of your team?

Well, that’s what we’re getting into on this episode of the Stop Hating Mondays Podcast.

Love 'em or hate 'em, applicant tracking systems and resume screening technologies are a reality of the modern job search process and the trend toward automation means resume screening systems are not going anywhere soon.

Given this, we get a lot of questions related to automated resume screening systems. Many of those questions contain fundamental misunderstandings of these systems and, more importantly, the larger talent acquisition process. So on this episode of the Stop Hating Mondays Podcast, we’re going to do our best to demystify the automated resume screening process.

Something that is often missing from the discussion about passion and fulfillment is the very real need for professional stability, predictable income, and the safety that those things provide. It’s not just a mental barrier to Change that keeps people from choosing more fulfilling work, many people simply feel like they don’t have that choice to make.

So how can one move closer to their passion despite valid concerns about the instability that forward movement could lead to?

Well, we've got thoughts and ideas, and we're sharing them in this episode of the Stop Hating Mondays Podcast.

As companies fight to secure talent in this hot job market, we're seeing a lot of interesting incentives – hiring bonuses, bolstered benefits packages, etc. – which is really great for job seekers.

But that doesn't mean that every benefit – even those that sound exceptional, like “Unlimited Benefits” – being presented is great. In fact, some of them aren’t even beneficial.

One of the biggest roadblocks to finding a new job – whether you’re re-entering the workforce or making a career shift – is to know where to start.

The question “How do I know where I fit?” gets right to one of the core concerns people have early in the job search process, so that's what we’re discussing in this episode of the Stop Hating Mondays podcast.

In this season of the Stop Hating Mondays Podcast, we're taking some direct listener questions about the employee market we’re experiencing.

I talked about the need for top notch job search documents in last week’s episode, so this felt like a perfect follow-up: “What does a winning resume look like in 2021? Also, with LinkedIn, do you even still need a resume?”

We’ve been getting a lot of great questions from listeners – many of whom are recognizing the rare “employee market” that were experiencing and want tips on how to navigate this new landscape and seize the moment.

So, we’ve switched things up so that we can directly respond to these great questions. And we're starting with something that's on a lot of people's minds these days, “What are some things I can do to be successful in the hot job market?”

We live in a society that is obsessed with quick outcomes. The idea that every action must have a clear and rapidly attainable return on investment has permeated almost every aspect of our lives. Even things that are meant to help us step outside of this immediacy mindset have been corrupted by this ROI mindset.

We all know this quick fix mindset isn't effective, but it's very, very hard to let go of.

So in this episode of the Stop Hating Mondays Podcast, we're talking about how to let go of this passion-blocking mindset and instead live your life with vision.

A lot of people think that once they find their passion, they'll be so overjoyed that they will cease to have doubts – they will be transformed from someone who hates Mondays to a person who bolts out of bed, overjoyed about the idea of getting to work.

That's an entirely unrealistic view of passion, but it's very common. And it makes staying the course really difficult.

In this episode of the Stop Hating Monday Podcast, we're getting real about one of the hardest parts about the journey to passion, purpose, fulfillment – staying on track once you've identified something you're passionate about.

It's payoff time!

In this episode of the Stop Hating Mondays Podcast, we talk about how to take everything you've learned – all of the tips and tools we've outlined in previous episodes of the "Find Your Passion" series – and apply it in a way that will help you begin to find passion in your life.

Figuring out your strengths and values is foundational to finding passion. But there's more to the story.

Strengths are meaningless if they aren't applied. You need to know how to put your strengths to work for you to have an impact. And knowing your values doesn't make any difference if you aren't uncovering the areas of your life where you are honoring or dishonoring your values.

In this episode of the Stop Hating Mondays Podcast, we're talking about one the most important steps you can take on your path to finding your passion: figuring out your life.

On this episode of the Stop Hating Mondays podcast, we’re getting into how to figure out your strengths and values because, without them, it's almost impossible to find your passion and break the dreaded cycle of unfulfillment.