Q&A with Vara.ai

5 tips to get more out of your working day

5 tips to get more out of your working day   Do you ever get the feeling that there are simply not enough hours in a day to get everything done? That feeling when you make your morning coffee, barely manage to get your admin under control, and somehow its 3pm already.  Worry no more – we are here to help! Here are 5 tips to help you become a little bit more productive, work smarter (without longer hours) to get more value out of your working day... Step 1. Prioritise Each morning, take a few minutes to go through the list of tasks set for the day, then try and evaluate their priority. These should be based on the urgency of the said task, time they might take, but also on how challenging or complex they may be. Start with the toughest, most time consuming first. Step 2. Time block Make sure you set yourself time for each task and try and stick to it. I’m not going to lie, this does require some discipline, but trust me – it pays off.   When setting time blocks be realistic and don’t overcommit - If you think a particular task will take minimum of an hour to complete, don’t block less than that, as you end up putting yourself under unnecessary pressure and by rushing, you run the risk of making mistakes.   Oh, and I almost forgot, make sure to block some time for a little ‘’you time’           Step 3. is just as important: Breathe and take a break It is important to remember that breaks play a vital part in the building of an efficient working mind set.   Walk away from your computer, grab some fresh air, socialise with your colleagues, or do anything else that you enjoy, that does not involve checking your email every 3 minutes or eating your sandwich by your desk. Recharge your batteries, so that when you return to working you are near a full tank and you have all the energy and brain space needed to finish the day with consistent momentum.   Step 4. Complete what you started This ties in quite well with blocking your time and is just as important. If you start something, make sure to finish it before moving on to the next task. Focus on one thing at a time. Break down bigger projects into time blocks, especially if its ongoing or overwhelming at the start.   Step 5. Remove distractions Some tasks require laser focus, so turn off your email, shut down your Teams, turn your phone on Airplane mode, and let your co-workers know that you will be unavailable. According to a study by Microsoft researchers, it takes the brain 15 minutes to re-focus after switching our attention to something else. So if you’re constantly being interrupted, it’s going to take you a long time to get your work done.   What tips would you recommend to get more value out of your working day?

Why you should talk to a Recruiter

I’m happy and not looking for a new job right now. Why should I connect with a recruiter? Another InMail in your inbox… beginning to feel a little fed up? You’re not actively searching for a new opportunity so why should you spend your time answering recruiters and connecting on a call with them? Read on to find out why it might be more beneficial to connect than you think… *N.B. Before we get started, it’s important to clarify that I don’t recommend being in touch with every recruiter that contacts you, especially if their message isn’t personal to you or job offers irrelevant, and certainly not if their outreach includes ‘send me a CV’. I’m talking about connecting with the good ones who try to make a deeper connection, focus on you as an individual, and work in your specialist area.     Thinking ahead. Sure, you’re not looking for the next opportunity right now. You have a project that you worked so hard on, and you just cannot imagine leaving before it’s finalised. But what about 6 months, or a year down the line? Situations can and do change and wouldn’t it be great if you had already connected with someone who had asked you those all-important questions and knew about your interests, wants and, not only that, your personal requirements, the locations that fit best and the flexibility you need to fit around your family life. It’s never a bad idea for someone to know these things and have you in mind for when a great opportunity comes up. What’s even better? When the time comes to consider a new opportunity, which it likely will someday, you might not even have to search at all if someone with all this knowledge is doing so already.   Give yourself visibility. Some individuals believe that there is little point in connecting with a recruiter; in their mind they think, “if I want to find a job, I can simply look online for job advertisements!” - but did you know that a huge number of job opportunities are not even advertised? Many companies rely on recruiters to support them as it saves a lot of time having to filter through huge pools of candidates who may not be the right fit for the position. This means that your dream job could be waiting for you to be discovered but you would never even know.   Clarity. Even if you are not actively looking, speaking to a recruiter about your career, sharing more on the aspects of your career that you love and the elements that perhaps aren’t so satisfactory can really help to you to clarify things and realise what you want. A good recruiter doesn’t have the sole aim to just place you at a company and move on, a good recruiter wants to build long-term relationships and will take time to understand your goals and help you get closer to achieving them – they are passionate about driving your career forward. Take time to connect with a trusted recruiter and you will reap the benefits. It’s a common feedback after an initial conversation that voicing things really helped a candidate to visualise what could be next for them in their career pathway.     Support. If you do decide to explore an opportunity through a recruiter, you’ll have a support system throughout the entire process. Someone on your side with “insider knowledge” about the company, who can prep you before any interaction, tell you all about the personalities of the hiring managers and share information with you about the interview structure and questions that will likely be asked - use it to your advantage! This takes away so much pressure and the “fear of the unknown” that you usually have before that first meeting with an interviewer, allowing you to focus on having those interesting conversations and making new contacts in the industry!   Hiring for your own team. Perhaps you really are not considering a new opportunity but are in a leading role at your current company. By connecting with a recruiter, you can see the approach they take to working with candidates and decide if this is someone you want to have onboard to represent the growth of your department. Did they motivate you, show real interest, have industry contacts, and add value to your career even from a first call? Work with this recruiter to meet your company and professional goals! Especially if you are often recruiting in a limited candidate pool, building these contacts and a list of excellent recruitment partners will help speed up the process when you come to hire, since you’ll already know who to trust to get the job done and give candidates an excellent hiring experience.   There really is nothing to lose. The bottom line is, there is nothing to lose from connecting with a specialist recruiter in your industry. Avoid buying into the thought process that you should only talk to recruiters if you are actively looking - this is simply not the case (it’s almost better to connect when you’re not in a rush to find a new job). There is no need to feel pressured, as a recruiter will simply be there to ensure that you are informed and have visibility of great opportunities within your industry.    

Signs it's time to look for a new job

Write something here... How do you know when it’s time to look for a new job?   If you’ve clicked on this article, that might be the first sign… maybe your subconscious is trying to tell you something? It’s understandable, everyone has bad days, weeks, even months at work and we all sometimes face burnout, but when you can’t remember the last time you felt happy or fulfilled at work, it might just be time to change that!       You often think about a new job It might sound obvious, but many people overlook having these thoughts, even when it’s on a regular basis. If the prospect of a new job feels exciting to you or even brings a wave of relief, perhaps it’s time to stop ignoring that and trust your gut. Do you find yourself scrolling through job adverts on the weekend or stopping to check what a recruiter has shared? It might be time to take action to at least know what’s out there. Your work-life is eating into your personal life Have you started to realise that even when you’re at home, all you can think about is work? Perhaps you’re always irritable and have even taken out work-related stress on a friend or family member? Or you just can’t remember when you had the time or energy to enjoy life outside of the office? Maybe you need to start considering an opportunity that offers more flexibility and a better work/life balance – believe it or not, they’re out there! Lack of development and resources Do you struggle to remember the last time your company invested in training and development initiatives? You’ve even tried to voice your concerns, and nothing has changed? Situations like these can make it hard to see a future at a company and impossible to envision achieving growth in your career. Perhaps it’s time to start polishing that CV! There’s surely a company out there who will offer you the well-deserved support and growth opportunities that you’re missing now. Got the Monday blues? Of course, no-one really wants the weekend to end but if you find yourself spending the majority of Sunday dreading the thought of Monday morning, that’s a clear sign that you’re not happy and a red flag that you need to look out for your well-being too! Lack of motivation Can’t remember that passion and enthusiasm that you had when you first started? If you’re struggling to find motivation, and even feeling like you’ve lost your sense of purpose at work, it might be sign that you’re not feeling challenged enough and you need something more mentally stimulating to keep things interesting! You’re underpaid Many different factors come into play when it comes to salary and it’s not a clear-cut conversation, but if you’re an asset to your company, clearly delivering your objectives (even surpassing them) and you never see any indications of progression in terms of salary, it’s not surprising that this can lead to feeling undervalued and demotivated.  Toxic workplace relationships People are different, so it’s expected that we cannot be best friends with everyone in the workplace. However, when you notice problematic relationships at work are having an impact on you, you’re likely not in the best environment to excel, both professionally and personally. If you find yourself feeling lost in a new workplace culture (and you can’t make it better), it might be time to consider a fresh opportunity.       Are some of these points sounding all too familiar? No need to panic! Now is the time to start the process of making a change for the better, and although it can seem daunting it should be exciting too! Maybe you could start by updating your CV or connecting with a trusted head-hunter in your industry who could support you on your way to the next step in your career. “Our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers.” — M. Scott Peck