This study explains why so many of your emails go unanswered

This study explains why so many of your emails go unansweredThis study explains why so many of your emails go unansweredA new workplace study by Bahareh Sarrafzadeh of the University of Waterloo, Canada, and Ahmed Hassan Awadallah, Christopher H. Lin, Chia-Jung Lee, Milad Shokouhi, and Susan T. Dumais of Microsoft, reveals some interesting data regarding the psychology of email deferrals.To conduct the study the team interviewed workers from various positions on the professional food chain, including product managers, researchers, software developers, and interns-all employed by Microsoft.From being too wordy topassive unclear language to following up too frequently, Ladders unpacks the recent workplace study to determine the headspace of the professionals that chose to put our emails on the pay no mind list.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreWhy do so many emails go unanswered?Acc ording to the survey, people delay responding to 37% of emails that require an answer. The process of going through unhandled email and deciding what to do with it, is what the researchers define as email triage. Email triage often promotes response procrastination.When we receive an email, a series of questions immediately occupy our brain. If we do bedrngnis have a sufficient amount of time to address these inquiries we are likely not to respond at all. Some of these questions includeDo I know the answer?Does this email require a task to be done?What is the complexity level involved?Does it require context shifting?Can I handle it independently?The study adds by saying that emails that require careful reading often go unresponded to as well, a point observed in an independent study recently reported on by Ladders. In that particular analysis, the author determined that emails that are brief, to the point and additionally intimate a quasi-familiar rapport garner better response rat es.In general, professional emails should avoid dense language and overly technical jargon. However, this new study suggests that adding a clear deadline to the body ofyour email can motion the right kind of urgency.Email recipients that put off responding to emails due to anxiety will probably be annoyed by too many follow up emails, so try and make your first shot as concise as possible. Occasionally employers ignore emails simply because they assume someone else will get to them. I dont imaginemuch can be done in these instances.Understanding email deferral could have implications on understanding how people interact with their email and designing email clients and mit niveau agents to help people with managing and organizing their messages, conclude the authors of the study.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 t hat will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

Career Advice I Wish I Got as a New Grad

Career Advice I Wish I Got as a New GradCareer Advice I Wish I Got as a New GradTo the roughly 1.6 millionsoon to be graduates in the United States congratulations and good luck to you. The real world can be scary I know the fear all too well. In fact, this June marks my second year of entering the workforce. I graduated with not much of plan just to get a reputable job and make a living. I took risks, made mistakes, and learned from them ultimately, I ended up with a job I truly enjoy. However, behauptung last two years also taught me a thing or two about setting the foundations of a career. You probably have heard the basics make a good impression at work, leverage your network, etc. but, there are a still a number of things I learned in the last two years that I found to extremely valuable as a newly graduated member of the workforce. Here are some of those insightsBe decisiveThe most important decision I made right out of college is which industry to pursue. I was a Bioinforma tics major deciding between pursuing biology or technology. I began to realize that I needed to spend time in one field to gain valuable skills in that field. What that means is the longer you spend in one industry, the more industry-specific skills you gain. This comes at the opportunity cost of spending time gaining skills in another industry. As such, changing industries demands a switching cost, which is directly proportional to how much time you have invested in the industry.That said, it is true that as a new graduate, you can change industries relatively easily. So feel free to experiment with fr sichships and volunteer activities. However, manage your career changes carefully. Every time you change, you start over in specialized experience and skills. So, choose an industry that engages you, that you can envision a lasting career in and that you are comfortable committing to.Make a 5-year planHaving a 5-year plan helps inform your local decisions, and gets you thinking in te rms of your career as opposed to your job. I was fortunate enough to have the coveted problem of evaluating multiple job offers. My decision was made easy because I knew what my career goals were and I chose the opportunity that was most in line with those.Even if youve not yet started your job search, do yourself a favor and think through your plan. Be honest with yourself assess your strengths, weaknesses, passions and qualifications. Think about your life plans and income goals. Given your needs, brainstorm on paths to achieve your goals, leveraging your talents and qualifications. Be as specific as possible- what are your six-month, one-year, two-year, three-year and year milestones? Its a good idea to have a plan or direction in mind for your career.Take action on your planUltimately, you can plan all you want, but actions help you discover what you want to do. If your 5-year goal is to become the a researcher at a renowned lab, then intern for a few months at a research lab, m ake connections and learn as much as you can. Do not pass up opportunities just because they dont pay as much as you would like. Evaluate opportunities as they come- do they align with the goals you have listed in your plan? Take opportunities that offer a chance to get your foot in the door, learn as much as you can, network as much as possible and increase your value in connections and knowledge.Take measured risksYou have probably heard the saying, Big Risks = Big Rewards. To a certain degree, this saying also applies to career growth. Do not dismiss a career path because of perceived risk. More often than not, the path isnt as hard as people think it is. Its up to you to analyze the reward and risk to decide if it is a risk worth taking. Think about what the worst-case scenario would be to pursue the path. If this scenario has temporary consequences such as getting fired, losing a small amount of money or experiencing discomfort it is a risk you should be comfortable with. If th e scenario involves long-term consequences such as permanently damaging your reputation, losing of all your money or ruining your career, it is not worth the risk.Be niceNever underestimate people skills. Other people control resources, information and opportunities. You could be an extremely adept junior consultant, but you will get passed over for that coveted promotion if people dont like working with you. Its just as important to be friendly, kind and agreeable as it is to be smart and capable. To build a successful career, take it a step further and be helpful. Dont be afraid to explicitly ask a coworker what you can do for them. They will remember your help, they will genuinely like you and they will be ready to help you when you need it.

A Marathon Strategy Pays Off for Plant Manager

A Marathon Strategy Pays Off for Plant ManagerA Marathon Strategy Pays Off for Plant ManagerOpsLadder member Crista Stamper used her hobby as a runner to set the pace for her job search.For Crista Stamper, finding a new position after being laid off became a marathon rather than a sprint. Thats why she turned to her long-time running hobby as inspiration. Like many job seekers her age, 50-year-old Stamper, a former chief quality officer for Birmingham, Ala.-based Heil Environmental, which manufactures refuse- and recycling-collection vehicles, had very little experience searching for employment.Id never really looked for a job, and my job-hunting experiences were fairly limited, she said. Stamper, a Michigan native, went to work for General Motors after college, and luck seemed to prevail each time she was ready to consider changing employers.There were a few positions Id held after GM, one of which I got because I happened to pick up the Detroit Free Press and answer a want ad, Stam per said. In another case, a recruiter shed used to vet potential employees contacted her and offered her a position.Setting the paceThis economy, however, presented new challenges for Stamper, and it wasnt as easy to land even an interview, much less a job. First, Stamper said she reached out to former colleagues and recruiters but quickly realized that many of those recruiters didnt have jobs to recommend. It was then she knew shed have to take a different approach.This market is so treacherous. Id never really been in the job market before, so I never had to develop any job-hunting skills she said. So Stamper, who has been an avid runner for 25 years, decided to fall back on her favorite activity for inspiration, and set a marathon strategy. Each day, she followed a set job-search routine with the ultimate goal being two solid employment offers after two months.I was laid off in January, and I told myself, Im going to job search methodically every day. Before I run every morning, Ill apply for three jobs, and then my run will be my reward, she said.Hitting her strideOpsLadder allowed Stamper to focus on operations jobs in plant management and afforded her the tools she needed to accurately track and follow up on the jobs shed researched and applied for.Stamper also signed up for Ladders mail alert service, which sent her fresh job leads that matched her criteria as they were posted on the site. She even participated in the complimentary resume-critique service.The home stretchStamper reached her goal, garnering two solid job offers by the end of March 2009. She began her new position as plant manager for P H Mining Equipment, a manufacturer of excavating and drilling machines headquartered in Milwaukee, on April 20. Even in a tumultuous economy, Stamper said the position is a step up from previous jobs, and it will allow her to further refine her management skills.In the manufacturing industries, Stamper said, there are still plenty of opportunities for j ob seekers, even as the domestic automobile, food-processing and medical-supply manufacturing segments shrink.As high-volume automotive downsizes, theres going to be a flood of folks with general skill sets available, Stamper said. From her perspective, these workers just have to invest a little more energy into educating themselves on the nuances of specialty manufacturing industries to mine opportunities there.Specialty, low-volume but highly customized manufacturing is where the jobs are right now, and people need to sharpen and focus their skill-sets so they dont get locked into one general area of manufacturing, she advises.She adds that even for job seekers with a generalized manufacturing background, even gaining a few specialized certifications can do wonders for people looking to develop skills in niche industries.Crossing the finish lineIn addition, Stamper said perseverance and a positive attitude are also crucial to a successful job search.I really think because I was so diligent and persistent that it made a huge difference, she said. You cant be alive today and not know someone whos been laid off, so you have to keep yourself positive in any interview, and make that a great first impression, she said.