The Benefits of Giving and Taking a Sabbatical - Your Career Intel

The Benefits of Giving and Taking a Sabbatical - Your Career IntelThis summer, Lucas Group gave me the opportunity of a lifetime a paid work sabbatical to follow my passion for exploring other cultures. For one amazing month, my husband, two teenage children, and I unplugged our phones, forgot about email, and immersed ourselves in the art, food and people of France and Italy.Wandering through the Louvre, Uffizi and other museums, my family bonded in a unique way. And I focused entirely on life not work-life balance, but life itself.Ive been working at Lucas Group since I turned 21, and for the first time as an adult, I truly focused on who I am apart from my job. Not surprisingly, I returned to work in July refreshed and refocused. Taking a break allowed my brain to rest and made me a better teammate, partner, wife, and person.The typical professional works 40 or mora years before retirement, and for many, the only real respite is a few weeks of vacation each year. Taking extend ed time away from the office to enrich your life, spend mora time with family, help others, learn a new skill, or follow your dreams is incredibly rewarding for employees. Sabbaticals also provide a great return on investment for the companies that offer them.Here are a few of the upsides of offering and taking extended time away from workIncreased Motivation and ProductivityStudies show that employees come back from a sabbatical ready to bring their renewed energy to the office. When I returned from Europe, I realized how much missed my clients, my candidates, and my work. I listen even more intently to peoples true needs now.In an article about a rigorous multinational study on sabbaticals, Forbes Magazine found that the positive changes often remained after people returned to work, suggesting that the sabbatees and their organizations both gained significantly from the leave itself. An author of the study stated, We discovered that a sabbatical affords the opportunity to acquire interpersonal and professional skills that you wouldnt have a chance to build otherwise.Job RetentionCompanies typically offer sabbaticals to employees who have worked for a certain period of time (five to seven years is common), andemployees may take multiple sabbaticalsas long as they work a minimum number of years in between. Its a great incentive for workers to remain at a company longer. Some companies, like Lucas Group, offer an additional incentive for longtime employees because I took a sabbatical after 25 years of service, the company also gave me a bonus to be used towards the cost of the trip.Another benefit of sabbaticals is that people arefar less likely to be lured awayfrom their companies by other organizations within the first few years after they take a break because their loyalty remains high.Better IdeasNo matter what a person does during a sabbatical, fruchtwein find that disconnecting from the daily work routine for a while gives them a fresh perspective on thei r business. This infusion of ideas after an employee returns can have many positive consequences for a company.I know that I bring more value to Lucas Group now, and Forbes found the same to be true in its coverage on an important sabbatical study Researchers found that the majority of leaders surveyed had greater confidence in their role upon return and felt that the sabbatical allowed them to think outside the box, generating new ideas for effecting change and raising funds for their organization. In addition, the majority found that they were better able to crystallize the existing vision for the organization and to create a new, more powerful one.Better TeamsI have a great team at Lucas Group, and when I headed for Europe, I knew I welches leaving the reins in very capable hands. They rose to the challenge which wouldnt be a surprise to some management experts. Fast Company reports that teams learn to function in new and better ways when they have to take on the responsibilitie s of the missing team member. Forbes echoes that sentiment Most intriguingly, the researchers found that, for the majority of leaders, the interim leaders who filled in for them during their leave were more effective and responsible when their boss returned. Many interim leaders even continued in a more collaborative role with the senior leaders post-sabbatical. The leave actually provided the opportunity for second-tier leaders to develop their skills and abilities.In ConclusionEmployers who offer sabbaticals give their employees a true gift of being able to unplug. Its a life-changing opportunity especially if you have a family to be truly present in your life.For anyone considering taking extended time off work, I recommend a few keys to make the most of your timeDetermine ahead of time what your passion is and make that the focus of your sabbatical. What do you want to get out of this break?Stay free from work distractions while you are away.Afterward, take time to digest what you learned so you can make positive changes.Sabbatical StatsWho offers sabbaticals? Many forward-thinking companies do, including 25 percent of Fortunes100 Best Companies to Work For.The majority of workplacesabbaticals are paid or partially paid.Lucas Group offers a month-long paid sabbatical every seven years to employees. At 25 years of service, Lucas Group also gives employees money to fund the getaway itself.

10 Common Behavioral Interview Questions and How to Answer Them - Jobscan Blog

10 Common Behavioral bewerbungsgesprch Questions and How to Answer Them - Jobscan BlogPosted on May 17, 2016February 21, 2019 by James Hu Hint It Starts Way Before You Get to the InterviewOne clich weve all heard is that past behavior predicts future behavior. That may or may elend be psychologically sound, but it is the theory behind behavioral interview questions. Many recruiters believe that the best way to gain insight into how youd handle certain situations is to ask you to tell a story about how you handled a similar situation in the past.No matter how experienced you are, it can be tough to come up with a detailed story in the middle of an interview, so its important to prepare ahead of time. With that in mind, here are 10 sample behavioral interview questions and suggestions for answering them successfully.Describe a situation where you disagreed with a supervisor.What theyre looking for Communication skills, ability to formulate an argument, ability to compromise, and willin gness to take direction.What to say Dont talk about an argument you had especially an ongoing argument. Instead, describe a situation where you presented your arguments calmly and carefully listened to your managers position. The specific entscheidung isnt as important as the process. If applicable, talk about how the disagreement ended up strengthening your relationship.Tell me about a time when you had a conflict at work.What theyre looking for Emotional intelligence and conflict-resolution skills.What to say Try to avoid personal conflicts. Instead, choose a situation that allows you to talk about a professional disagreement. Talk about how you communicated your position, how you listened to learn more about your colleagues position, how you resolved the problem, and, if appropriate, how the disagreement impacted the relationship. Be careful not to demonstrate bitterness or resentment, especially if the resolution didnt go your way.Tell me about a situation where you had to solv e a difficult problem.What theyre looking for Critical-thinking skills, creativity, persistence, and people skills.How to answer Choose an example that you remember clearly enough to describe your thought processes as well as the specific steps you took. Your interviewer doesnt just want to hear what you did he wants to hear why you did it.Describe a project or idea that was implemented primarily because of your efforts.What theyre looking for Accountability, persistence, thoroughness, and resourcefulness.How to answer If possible, choose a situation that you saw through from beginning to end. And youll probably get bonus points if you can include something about how you worked with other people to get it done.Tell me about a time when you worked well under pressure.What theyre looking for Mental and emotional toughness.How to answer This is one of the trickier questions. If you platzdeckchen the bar too low, the interviewer is likely to think, You call that pressure? On the other h and, its important to choose a situation you handled exceptionally well. Your best bet is to go with the most stressful example you have where you totenstill performed well.Tell me about a time when you had to delegate tasks during a project.What theyre looking for Emotional intelligence, critical thinking, management style, follow-up.How to answer Start by describing the situation and why/how you decided to delegate. Next, explain how you decided whom to delegate to and if they didnt report to you how you enlisted their help. But dont forget to include something about what happened after you delegated. How involved were you? How did you follow up? If things werent moving along as they should, how did you resolve that problem?Give me an example of a time when you motivated others. What theyre looking for Emotional intelligence, empathy, and adaptability.How to answer What you were trying to motivate people to do and exactly how you did it are less important than how you figured ou t what would motivate each person in the story. Focus on the process How did you change your style for each person you were working with?Give me an example of a time when you demonstrated initiative and took the lead.What theyre looking for Accountability and a sense of ownership.How to answer Think of a situation where the easy way would have been to just do what you were told and not worry about whether that was the right thing to do. Describe why you decided to take the initiative, how you went about it, and the outcome.Tell me about a time when you missed an obvious solution to a problem.What theyre looking for Critical thinking, willingness to admit error, ability to learn from mistakes.How to answer If possible, talk about a situation where you had a plausible excuse for missing an obvious solution. But dont phrase it as an excuse just include that little tidbit when you set the stage. Then talk about how you discovered your mistake, how you reacted, and what you did to resol ve the situation.Tell me about your proudest professional accomplishment.What theyre looking for Insight into your values.How to answer Dont make it all about yourself. Its best to talk about something that you accomplished by leading a team. And, while its important to include facts and figures when you talk about the results, its equally important to talk about any positive impact on the people involved.The key to acing a behavioral interview is to thoroughly understand what each question is really about and then prepare an answer that demonstrates those qualities. Its critical to choose your examples ahead of time, or youll inevitably leave something out or focus on the wrong thing. If possible, choose stories that could be used to answer multiple questions.More Interview PrepCommunications Coach 3 Things to Do Before an InterviewHow to Answer What Are Your Salary Expectations?How to Look and Sound Professional in a Phone or Video InterviewFacebook Commentswpdevar_comment_1 span, wpdevar_comment_1 iframewidth100% important