How to ask for (and land) a promotion

For many people the entire job interview process can feel like blind dating: Do you like them? Do they like you? Is there a future? And just like with dating, even if that first meeting went well, it's totally possible to screw it up if you follow up in the wrong way. With job interviews there's a well-known way to make a good impression: send a thank you note, and a sure-fire way to sour a good thing: annoy the hiring manager by checking in too frequently or too aggressively. But there is still a lot in the process that can be confusing: What exactly should your thank you note say? How long should you wait before checking in? What if you get another job offer?

(Presented by Citrix) When Nicole Wolfe, director of partnerships at ClassPass, first started her career, wellness was defined by numbers. There were weight loss goals, daily step counts, weekly activity goals. But wellness has undergone a sea change in the last decade, with both people and firms understanding that health goes way beyond counting calories and building up a sweat. On this episode of Productivity Confidential, we talk with Wolfe about the transforming wellness landscape, and how companies are beginning to understand that healthy, happy teams are productive teams.

On this episode of Secrets of the Most Productive People, co-hosts Kate and Anisa help listeners figure out exactly what to say (and what to avoid) in sticky situations. How do you answer some tricky questions such as “What are you weaknesses?” “What questions do you ask at the end of an interview?” Here are three ways to make a good impression at a job interview.1.  Build rapport and relationships with everyone you meet during the interview process. That includes the receptionist, the team member who spoke to you while you were waiting, and of course, your interviewer. Remember that everyone you interact is forming their first impression of you, even when your interview hasn't officially started.2. Have anecdotes and statistics ready. If you listened to our previous episode, you know that the more you can quantify, the better. Make sure can articulate these in your interviews as well. The interviewer might have glanced at your resume, but an interview is your opportunity to remind them why your experience and achievements makes you a perfect candidate for this role.3. Ask smart questions. It's a red flag when a candidate doesn't have any questions at the end of an interview, because it can give off the impression that they're not interested in their role. When you ask specific questions, that tells the hiring manager that you've put a lot of time and effort into learning more about the company, which is a characteristic that any manager would want to see in an employee.We’re answering your questions: What’s the career question that Google can’t help you out with? In the next few episodes we’ll be tackling how to answer the most common interview questions, how to negotiate your starting salary, and more. Leave a voice mail with your question at ‪(201) 371-3278, and your question might be featured on an upcoming episode.

(Presented by Citrix) For decades, the image of the American office was a grim one. Endless rows of cubicles; harsh, humming, fluorescent lighting; stiff task chairs that make your back ache just looking at them. Recently, though, there’s been a shift, with employers injecting best practices from the wellness industry into the workplace and seeing productivity skyrocket. Rachel Gutter, president of the International WELL Building Institute, has made it her mission to make wellness a central component of any office. Think of IWBI as a LEED rating for wellness, with buildings and offices awarded designations based on how they integrate employee wellness into the workplace. On this episode of Productivity Confidential, we sat down with Gutter to talk about why focusing on wellness can be the key to unlocking a company’s potential.

Not so long ago, most people didn’t have to worry about their online presence or personal brand. Unless you were a celebrity, politician, or prominent CEO or entrepreneur in a public-facing company, doing well in your career involved doing good work and making in-person connections. Applying for a job meant mailing (or physically dropping) off your résumé and cover letter. Social media changed all that. As we’ve discovered in this week’s episode of Secrets of the Most Productive People podcast, marketing strategist and Duke University professor Dorie Clark recounted a story of when a client almost didn’t hire someone because they couldn’t find any information about the candidate online. At minimum, employers expect an updated LinkedIn profile. The more content you can create (such as a blog post), the better. Here are three things you should consider when you’re auditing your online presence: 1. Keep everything as up-to-date as possible. This includes LinkedIn, Twitter, and your personal website if you have one. You never know when people might need your expertise, or when your dream company wants to hire someone with your skills and qualifications. 2. Make yourself accessible. You want to have some way for people to contact you, whether it’s by email, Twitter direct messages, or messages on your personal website. There’s no point showcasing the value that you can bring, only for people to struggle to get in touch with you. 3. Stay true to yourself. It’s easy in the social media age to feel like you need to present a certain image, but in a world of curated filters, anything that doesn’t come across as genuine is going to be obvious. Just be strategic about what you share. And new this season, we’re answering your questions: What’s the career question that Google can’t help you out with? In the next few episodes we’ll be tackling how to answer the most common interview questions, how to negotiate your starting salary, and more. Leave a voice mail with your question at ‪(201) 371-3278, and your question might be featured on an upcoming episode.

No one likes writing them, and recruiters just skim them. Is it finally time for cover letters to die? Not so fast. On this episode, cohosts Kate and Anisa share why this tool is still crucial in a job search. They talk to Jamie Hichens, a senior talent acquisition programs manager at Glassdoor. She reviews hundreds of cover letters a month, so she knows all the best practices and mistakes to avoid. If you don't know where to start, here are three tips to write a compelling cover letter: 1. Address it to the right person. 2. Give the hiring manager a reason to keep reading. 3. Includes specific examples. And new this season, the cohosts are answering your questions: What's the career question that Google can't help you out with? In the next few episodes we'll be tackling how to answer the most common interview questions, how to negotiate your starting salary, and more. Leave a voicemail with your question at (201) 371-3278, and your question might be featured on an upcoming episode. If this episode was helpful to your job search, please let us know. Leave us a review wherever you listen.

(Presented by Citrix) Whether we see it as a threat or a practical productivity booster, artificial intelligence is shifting the way we work. Embracing AI at work and harnessing its power to find efficiencies can open up a new realm of possibilities. AI allows people to focus more on distinctly human tasks like creativity, empathy and intuition by freeing workers from repetitive tasks and managing high volumes of data.On this episode of Productivity Confidential, we sat down with Chris Heilmann from Microsoft, to discuss what AI means for the workforce, productivity and its effect on the job market.

This season of Secrets of the Most Productive People dives deep into all things career-related, starting with the most basic tool to get your foot in the door: your resume. What are some resume mistakes you should stay away from? Are there common advice you’ve unknowingly follow that hiring managers and recruiters actually hate? The cohosts answer listener questions about resumes and Kate challenges her boss to debate common resume advice.

(Presented by Citrix) If you check emails by phone on-the-go or work from home occasionally, you’re part of the remote workforce. Cutting-edge technology and a new generation of entrepreneurs and managers are transforming the concept of the 9 to 5. In today’s always-on work culture, employees who want flexibility in their schedule, location, and commute are finding more ways to work how, when and where they want than ever before. On this episode of the Productivity Confidential podcast, we sat down with Sara Sutton, CEO and founder of FlexJobs, to talk about the challenges and opportunities of building a remote-first office, why she's a telecommuting evangelist, and how to get your office to embrace the future of work.

New Episodes of Secrets of the Most Productive People start June 12. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

There’s a reason why so many successful people are intentional about how they start their day. On the final episode of season 2 of Secrets of the Most Productive People, the cohosts talk to Benjamin Spall–coauthor of My Morning Routine: How Successful People Start Every Day Inspired–about what successful people have in common when it comes to how they spend their mornings. What is ideal for one person might not work for another, but the one thing that sets many successful people apart is that they use that time to take control of their day, rather than letting the day control them.