Tired at work Try out this new nap pod lounge

Tired at work Try out this new nap pod loungeTired at work Try out this new nap pod loungeAs the afternoon drags on, you may want to disappear from the world a little while and take a nap to recharge and refresh yourself. When you work in an office that may be an impossibility. Enter the rise of the nap pod service for employees seeking a relaxing break from office drudgery.For $25 you can nap for 45 minutes in New York CityCasper, the company that brought you a mattress in a box, has just opened a nap destination spot in New York City on Wednesday called The Dreamerythat promises to give you a distribution policy to rest and recharge.For $25, customers can book a 45-minute nap where they can sleep on a Casper mattress in a room that has sound absorption and ventilation for air flow. Pajamas, a toothbrush and toothpaste, and complimentary beverages are also provided to help customers get into sleep mode.What makes a good nap?This is not the only service offering a place to nap for a price. At Nap York, you can book a nap pod at any time - day or night - in midtown Manhattan to nap in for $10. There, the minimum nap time is 30 minutes.Deciding how long you want to nap depends on what you want to get out of it. A 20-minute snooze is enough to boost alertness and concentration, and improve your mood. But if you want to improve your memory recall, try and take a longer nap. One study found that an hourlong afternoon siesta after lunch improved 3,000 elderly peoples ability to recall tasks.Whatever your nap needs, recognize that naps are a remediation effort to living in a tired world. Sometimes, working towards not needing to nap all the time during work hours is the better long-term goal. If your employees were not exhausted, they would not need to take a nap, organizational behavior hochschulprofessor Jeffrey Pfeffer has said.

10 research-proven tricks that make you look smarter than you are

10 research-proven tricks that make you look smarter than you are10 research-proven tricks that make you look smarter than you areIts great to be smart, but intelligence is a hard thing to pin down. In many cases, how smart peoplethinkyou are is just as important as how smart you actually are.I not only use all the brains that I have, but all that I can borrow. -Woodrow WilsonAs it turns out, intelligence only explains about 20% of how you do in life much of the other 80% comes down to emotional intelligence (EQ). EQ is a skill thats so important that 90% of top performers in the workplace have high EQs and people with high EQs make $28,000 mora annually than those with low EQs.The hallmark of emotional intelligence is self-awareness, which involves not just knowing how you are but also how other people perceive you. People with high emotional intelligence are masters of influence- theyre skilled at altering their behavior to make the most of a given situation.You might not be able t o alter your genetics, but there are some proven strategies that can help you appear to be smarter. Some of these strategies binnenseem arbitrary, but research shows they make a massive difference. That makes this good information to have, especially when you need to sway someone to your way of thinking.Use a middle initialJohn F. Kennedy. Franklin D. Roosevelt. It turns out there might be a reason that so many people who hold a prominent place in history used a middle initial. Not only does using a middle initial enhance your perceived social status, it also boosts expectations of intelligence capacity and performance. In one study, participants were asked to read and rate Einsteins essay on the theory of relativity, with authorship being attributed to either David Clark, David F. Clark, David F. P. Clark, or David F. P. R. Clark. Not only did David F. Clark get higher ratings than David Clark, David F. P. R. Clark outdid them all. In another study, participants were asked to choos e team members. For academic competitions, people who used middle initials were selected more frequently than those who didnt. (It was quite a different story for athletic competitions.) So, if you want a quick perceived IQ boost, start using that middle initial.Make graphsResearch conducted at Cornell suggests that people are more likely to trust a source if it contains graphs. In one of the Cornell studies, participants read a document on the effectiveness of a new cold medication. One report contained a graph the other didnt. Other than that, they were exactly the saatkorn. Still, 96% of the participants who read the report with a graph believed the claims, while only 67% percent of those who read the document without a graph thought the same. So, next time you create a document, stick in a graph. It doesnt have to be complex it just has to be accurate.Skip that drinkAnd thats not just because people tend to do stupid things when theyve been drinking. A joint study conducted by t he University of Michigan and the University of Pennsylvania revealed that merely seeing someone hold a drink is enough to make them seem less mit niveau. Its not that we assume less intelligent people are more likely to drink its that the perceived correlation between drinking and cognitive impairment is so strong that we assume impairment even if there isnt any. For example, although job candidates frequently think that ordering a glass of wine over a dinner interview will make them appear intelligent and worldly, it actually makes them come across as less intelligent and less hirable. Theres even a name for it the imbibing idiot bias.Believe in yourselfNothing projects intelligence quite like confidence. When you believe in yourself, it shows, and research shows that believing in yourself improves your performance on cognitive tasks. Self-doubt, on the other hand, impairs your performance. Whats worse is that other people plattl up on this doubt, which makes you appear less intel ligent to them. If you want people to believe in you, you have to believe in yourself.Write simplyIf youre really smart, you shouldnt have to use big words to broadcast it. True intelligence speaks for itself, so you dont have to show off your impressive vocabulary. In addition, you always run the chance of being wrong. Using a big word incorrectly makes you look, well, not so smart. So, if you want to appear more intelligent, stop studying the dictionary and just focus on communicating effectively.Speak expressivelyCommunication expert Leonard Mlodinow makes the case that even if two people say exactly the same thing, the one who says it most expressively will be perceived as being smarter. If two speakers utter exactly the same words, but one speaks a little faster and louder and with fewer pauses and greater variation in volume, that speaker will be judged to be more energetic, knowledgeable, and intelligent, Mlodinow said. If you want to come across as more intelligent, modulate your speech by varying your pitch, volume, speed, and energy level.Look em in the eyeWe know were supposed to do this anyway- its good manners, right? Thats true, but it also makes you look smarter. In a study conducted at Loyola University, participants who intentionally managed their eye contact scored significantly higher on perceived intelligence.Wear nerd glassesDid your mom ever tell you to be nice to the nerds, because youll probably be working for them someday? As usual, mom was onto something. Research shows that people wearing glasses- especially thick, full-framed ones- are perceived as being more intelligent. So, if you want to seem smarter (when youre giving a presentation, perhaps?), leave the contacts at home and wear your glasses.Keep pace with the crowdI mean this one literally. I know it may sound silly, but research conducted at Boston University shows that its true. Its called the timescale bias, and it refers to our tendency to attribute greater intelligence- b ased on mental attributes like consciousness, awareness, and intention- to people who do things at about the same speed as everyone else. If you want to look smarter, you need to stop dawdling, but you also need to stop scurrying around like some crazed robot.Dress for successThis one should be no surprise. Extensive research shows that how you dress affects how people see you. Dressing well makes you seem more intelligent, and showing skin makes you seem less intelligent, as it directs peoples attention to your body rather than to your mind. But did you know that how you dress also affects your performance? A recent study by Northwestern University found that making people wear lab coats improved their performance in tasks that required intelligence and concentration.Bringing it all togetherIntelligence (IQ) is fixed at an early age. You might not be able to change your IQ, but you can definitely alter the way people perceive you. When it comes to succeeding in the real world, perc eption is half the battle.Travis Bradberryis the co-author ofEmotional Intelligence 2.0and the cofounder ofTalentSmart. This article first appeared on LinkedIn.

Online Networking to Build Hope in a Slowly Recovering Job Market

Online Networking to Build Hope in a Slowly Recovering Job MarketOnline Networking to Build Hope in a Slowly Recovering Job MarketTodays post comes from Megan Totka. Megan is the Chief Editor for ChamberofCommerce.com which is thelargest business directory on the web. ChamberofCommerce.com connects local businesses to their localChamber of Commerce.It has been said that looking for a job is a full time job in itself. This is especially true if you are unemployed or facing a layoff situation, you need to make finding a job the focus of your daily routine. Despite all the dreary news we are hearing about fiscal cliffs and the poor economy, there is hope in the job market just asthere was hope in 2009 during the height of the economic crisis.How does online networking help your job search?Expanding on that article of hope, lets look at online networking as way to keep hope alive in your job search. It is easy to become discouraged and frustrated when seeking employment, but with some go od networking that search can be greatly reduced.First it is important to understand what online networking is. This is not networking with your friends about who won the Monday night game last week. This is professional level networking targeted to one purpose landing a job. You must remain professional at all times and keep everything you do online to a professional level. LinkedIn is probably one of the greatest online networking sites for professionals. With a LinkedIn profile you can send messages and requests for information to people you have never met. When using any networking service, follow the guideline below to help you enjoy a more successful search.Dont get too wordy.Keep your cold call introductions quick, simple, and professional. Dont ask too many questions and dont expound on your great accomplishments in this first message. This first message is just an introduction, a hook if you will to get their attention. Once you have their attention and their response is po sitive, you can then take the next step and delve into more detailed questions.Dont however, just abflug firing questions on the second email. Use this as an opportunity to request an informational interview via telephone or email. Taking these small steps displays your interest in the company but it also shows your respect for the person you are contacting. It shows that you recognize they are busy professionals and that you understand their need to concentrate on their duties and tasks.Use your exiting contacts.LinkedIn has a feature that allows your existing connections to introduce you to their connections. This is good when one of your existing connections is connected to someone you want to meet. You can then ask that existing connection to introduce you. This is usually received in a much more positive light than cold calling or introducing yourself which can lead tothat awkward moment of silence.This works because the person you want to meet already knows the person introdu cing you. If they have them listed as a connection it generally means they enjoy an amicable relationship either in the real world or online. There is a risk here that the person introducing you has in some way offended the person you are being introduced too. There is nothing you can do about this except trust that existing connection to be honest with you.Reach out smartly.The reality of the business world is that politics do enter into the picture and there is generally a clear pecking reservierung of who talks to whom. If you are a mid-level professional and you are only reaching out to CEO and executive level professionals, you are hurting your chances of employment. Reach out to the professionals at the same career level as you or maybe one step higher. In this way you will get yourself known in an organization by people who can influence hiring decisions. A great way to meet these professionals that can help you in your job search is by joining aprofessional organization in y our area related to your industry.Slow down.Hi this is Bob and I would like a job is not the best way to introduce yourself to someone. Networking takes time and requires a relationship to develop. Jumping in with both feet and asking for a job will only hurt your chances of getting a job. As you build your relationship discuss more and more aspects of your career. As the person gets to know you then they may even point you in the direction of a job.Be original.Resume and profile templates are great for speed and efficiency. Do you really want it to appear that you have done your job search in a hurry? bedrngnis really. Avoid using templates as much as possible. Overuse of templates for resumes, cover letters, or profiles can tend to make employers believe you have little creativity and imagination. In a worst case scenario it can make them feel like you dont think applying to their company is worth the time and effort to do something unique.Networking is about building relationship s overtime. You should never wait until you are unemployed to start your networking efforts. Networking is something you should concentrate on throughout your career. The saying dont burn your bridges is just as valid today as when it was first coined. Take the time tonetwork properly and you will see better results in your efforts.Readers, what are your tips for online networking? Let us know in the comments section below