The blog for all things Apochromatik.
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Avoid Mistakes During Stress | VOTW 080619
Have you ever walked out of a job interview, contentious meeting, or other stressful situation and realized you’d made a big mistake?
In this week’s Video of the Week, neuroscientist Daniel Levitin shares how his “pre-mortem” technique can help you to avoid making critical mistakes in stressful situations.
How to Excel at an Initial Interview: 5 Tips Learned Eavesdropping at Starbucks
“It’s just a conversation at Starbucks to make sure they want to call me back.”
“It’s a pretty low bar. As long as I come across as normal, I’ll advance to the next phase.”
“It’s at Starbucks. It’s just an initial interview.”
Do any of these sound familiar? Recently I’ve observed several initial interviews in various coffee shops where it seemed clear that the job candidates had those thoughts before the interviews. And afterwards, based on their performances, I am confident they each regretted that approach.
Job Interviews | VOTW 072919
For the next two weeks, we’re focusing on job interviews. If you have an interview on the horizon, you may be asked some variation of “what motivates you?” or “what makes you happy at work?” And even if you aren’t asked one of those questions directly, you should still think about — and be able to convey — what makes you feel good about your work. Beyond doing well in your interview, knowing what makes you feel good about your work can help guide your job search.
Apochromatik Book Bundle 2: Leadership
Today we continue our discussion on leadership. We’ve been talking about leadership skills and how you can improve yours. Looking for a beach read? This week we’re featuring 3 of the books we’ve recently read on leadership.
Developing Your Leadership Skills as a New Professional | VOTW 072319
Are you a new professional? Do you supervise new professionals?
Developing leadership skills can seem presumptuous as a new professional, but if you don't make the effort early, you can find yourself behind the curve when you are considered for positions that utilize or require leadership skills to be successful. The best time to work on these skills is before you need them.
Executive Presence: A key element of leadership
When you think of leadership skills, executive presence may not be the first thing that comes to mind.
Enhancing Leadership Skills | VOTW 071619
For the next two weeks, we’re addressing leadership skills and how you can enhance yours.
This week’s Video of the Week focuses on empathy, an important part of the emotional intelligence leaders need. Dr. Brené Brown explains the difference between sympathy and empathy and how to respond when someone else is struggling. This three minute RSA Short will stay with you long after the week is over.
Stop Giving 110%
Stop Giving 110%.
Picture it: 1993. Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” is the song that proms are made of, and I’m interviewing for a college scholarship in my best dress from the pages of Seventeenmagazine with my hair freshly permed at Great Clips. My high school guidance counselor is one of the interviewers.
He asks, “What is your best quality?”
I proudly respond, “I give everything 110%.”
Perfection! | VOTW 070919
This week on the Apochromatik blog, we’re focusing on why perfection is not necessarily a good goal. For the Video of the Week, psychologist Thomas Curran explains why aiming for perfection can backfire and actually be dangerous. Check it out, and come back Thursday for a new blog post on why giving 110% is almost never the best approach to succeed at work and at life.
Happy 4th of July | VOTW 070219
This week marks the halfway point of the year, so it’s a great time to relax and recharge. Next week we’ll be back with our usual career- and goal-focused Videos of the Week. But for this week, enjoy this compilation of fireworks. Happy 4th!
3 Actionable Tactics To Save 2019
Do you have plans to grill or enjoy the sun during the long July 4th weekend?
I’m going to be entertaining guests from out of town…
Is your instant gratification monkey getting in your way in 2019? | VOTW 062519
In today's Video of the Week, Tim Urban discusses the difference between procrastinators and non-procrastinators. Thursday on the Blog we will look at goal achievement at the half way point of 2019. Until then, think about your 2019 goals and how much progress you have made. Q3 is just around the corner.
Summer Starts Tomorrow
Summer officially starts tomorrow, and the second half of 2019 starts in just a few days!
True, at least in Chicago, summer hasn’t quite completely taken hold yet as it is 55 degrees out today. But the end of the quarter is a great time to take stock of where your year is going and to consider the balance between your vocation and avocation and personal and professional lives.
The Un-Video Video of the Week | VOTW 061819
This week the Video of the Week is . . .not a video! Instead, we’re featuring a recent episode of the Becker Group Women’s Leadership 15 Minute Podcast. Amy M. Gardner is the guest, and they covered Amy’s path from Luther College to the University of Chicago Law School, and from law firm partner to dean of students to coaching and consulting for lawyers and their employers; goal setting; staying motivated; starting your own business; and more. Please check it out, and be sure to subscribe.
Imagine Your Future Self
Have you ever wondered why it can be so difficult to stop procrastinating? We’ve offered tips before on how to stop procrastinating, and you could procrastinate all day by reading the science behind it. (Ask me how I know – from the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience to a fascinating working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research on college students’ procrastination and present bias, I may have read it all.)
Why We’re Bad at Predicting the Future | VOTW 061119
In today's Video of the Week, Harvard psychologist Dan Gilbert explains in his TED2014 Talk why “the ease of remembering versus the difficulty of imagining” means it can be hard to predict what you will value or prefer in the future, which has huge implications for our decision making today. In Thursday’s blog post, we’ll address why improving your ability to consider your future self will aid your career growth and goal achievement.
Ability Over Experience | VOTW 060419
Today in the Video of the Week we look at emphasizing our abilities over our experiences in both our own job searches as well as our hiring processes.
12 Ways to invest a Quiet Day in the Office
If your office is quieter this week, check out our 12 tips to make the most of a quiet day in the office. (And if it isn't, bookmark this post for later in the summer.)
Enjoying Summer | VOTW 052819
Right now, with summer stretching out before us, is a great time to plan how you want to make the most of it. Go beyond thinking about a vacation and think about how you want to enjoy sunny Saturdays and longer hours of sunshine. This week’s Video of the Week features Laura Vanderkam explaining how to gain control of your free time. (For a free Apochromatik time tracker tool, email keith@apochromatik.com.)
Making the summer associate experience a win-win
The summer experience has big stakes for both the law firm and the summer associate.
Most firms hire summer associates as a talent pipeline for their full-time associate ranks. The summer is an important evaluation period and recruiting period. The firm wants summers to be excited about full-time employment. This process, done annually, fosters a firm’s growth and evolution.
The summer program is equally important to the summer associate. The summer wants a full-time job; it’s harder to find a permanent spot as a rising 3L without an offer in hand. The summer also wants to create a positive reputation at the firm, because that reputation lays the foundation for long-term success at the firm.