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TRYING, TRANSITIONAL TIMES OF GROWING UP

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NOODLE OVER THIS

NOODLE OVER THIS

work&money

PRODUCTIVITYPRIMER

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Time for a career pivot? Start here

Whether it’s a necessity (your position is being eliminated) or a choice (you’re bored), switching job paths is a serious stressor. Career-development expert and author Jenny Blake offers five smart strategies to setyourself up for success.

1

Learn from the last gig, but don’t obsess about what went wrong. “People tend to blame themselves if an employment situation doesn’t work out,” says Blake, “but the reality is, the work world has evolved, and morefrequent job change is the new normal.” So don’t becomestressedout over the idea that this shift will be a blotch on your résumé. Focus on the strengths and skills you’re walking away with; examine exactly what you liked and didn’t like about the role. Jot down some constructive notes. Then move on.

Written by

Sara Morrow

Illustrations by

Robert Samuel Hanson

2

Interview yourself about where and how you do your best work. If you feel silly playing career coach/shrink on your own, sit with a friend who’s willing to participate (then switch roles and help her find her mojo). Ask yourself or each other macro and micro questions: What tasks make time fly? What attributes set you apart? How do you prefer to spend your free time? Which types of office environments do you thrive in, and which stress you out? Dip back into the past: What childhood activities did you gravitate toward? Zoom forward: What would you love your work life to look like a year from now? Although there are no guarantees that you’ll find a job that checks all the boxes, solidifying your preferences will help you evaluate different options as they arise.

3

Divide the search phase of your plan into three components:people, skills, and opportunities. When you focus on these elements separately, it gives shape to your action plan. Start with a big brainstorming session where you amass ideas in all three categories. Then, every time you sit down to work on your career, tackle one from each column. For people, say, set up coffee with peers you can learn from and keep an eye out for ways to connect with folks whose work you admire. Skills: Could you take an online course or volunteer somewhere that allows you to flex (or build) new professional muscles?Opportunities: This is the standard stuff— looking at job listings, sending in résumés, and reaching out to HR people and recruiters.

4

Stretch your brain with new possibilities. Blake recommends the books StrengthsFinder 2.0, by Tom Rath, and StandOut, by Marcus Buckingham, to help assess how your background might have applications that have never occurred to you. Then “incrementally experiment and pilot,” seeking out specific low-risk opportunities for experimentation. Maybe there’s an exciting new team your company is creating—can you offer your services? If you’re hoping to start your own business, consider whether there’s a way to launch a small (perhaps low-risk) slice of it to test the waters— a blog, say, if you’re hoping to write a book, or an Etsy shop if your idea is in retail. Blake offers a reminder: “It’s a pivot, not a leap.”

5

Remember that your career is always in play. So once you successfully pivot, don’t turn off this new way of thinking. Most of us assume that to commit wholly to a new gig, we must block out the job market and hunker down for the long haul. But keeping an eye out for opportunities and viewing each step as a small part of a larger plan isn’t treason—it’s just smart. (And you know what? Your boss is probably doing the same.) Notes Blake: “You could face the same questions again in a year, through no fault of your own, so we should be continually examining what’s working best in our careers and exploring how we can do more of it. If change is the only constant, then let’s get better at it.”

FOR MORE FROM THIS EXPERT, GO TO JENNYBLAKE.ME.

MONEYWISE

The new rules of car shopping

A little advancework can make a big difference: These insider tips onwhat to do beforeyouvisit a dealership—from MikeAustin, editor-in-chief ofAutoblog—will getyou revved to hunt, haggle, and drive off into the sunset.

work&money

WILL ELECTRIC CARS EVER BE AFFORDABLE?

We all want to do right by the planet, but most of us assume that electric cars are financially out of reach. Teslas, it’s true, are priced like real estate. But Nissan offers an electric model called the Leaf that starts below $30,000. You can also get a good deal on used electric cars these days, as electric devotees trade up for models with the latest technology. So you have options, as well as incentives. There’s a federal tax credit worth up to $7,500 for buyers of electric cars, plus some state-specific rebates. Check the U.S. Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center, afdc.energy.gov, for possible rebates where you live. Look up the wholesale price. The actual cost dealers pay for the cars in their showrooms (insiders call it the “factory invoice price”) used to be unattainable information. Now you can—and should—Google this stat, so you’re armed when a dealer cries, “I’m losing money on this deal!”

Get dealers bidding for your business. Whether you’re shopping for a new or used car, go to TrueCar.com and find the model you’re thinking about. The site gets a bidding war going among local participating dealers (the dealers pay to be part of this service; it’s free for consumers) and sends you up to three offers. Even if you’d rather shop in person, having an offer in your back pocket will give you a sense of how far you can go in negotiations.

Make a stop at the bank. A dealership is just one place to look for a car loan; get rates from your credit union or bank before you shop. Coming into the showroom with financing offers is, in a sense, like walking in with cash. That should give you negotiating power—and at the very least will give you a comparison point for the dealer’s financing offer.

Smarten up about your trade-in. Consult more than one source to make sure you have a solid sense what your soon-to-be-former car is worth. Edmunds. com, a trusted resource for auto info (the company has been around for 50 years) andthe Kelley Blue Book (kbb.com) let youeasily see the approximate value. For amore specific number, visit a CarMax near you (there are 150 nationwide). At no cost, this used-car retailer will check out the vehicle and give you a hard offer on a trade-in. Then you’ll be ready to get tough if a dealer lowballs you on the worth of your car. While you’re doing trade-in research, investigate cash-back offers on the vehicle you’re planning to purchase. At edmunds.com you can input the precise make, model, and details of the new car and learn what rebates are available.

Shop where everything is cheaper. While the Kelley Blue Book is the standard source of used-car prices, Austin says local listings may be more relevant. Whether you’re planning to purchase from an individual or a dealer, cast your shopping net a bit wider than the immediate area—especially if you live in a large city or a particularly desirable spot. Just a day trip away, you might be able to get what feels like a steal.

Written by Adam Baer

Illustration by

Robert Samuel Hanson

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Thisis real

03.2016

DANIELALLAN(LONDON, 2014)

HOT PINK

Vibrantshades— think fuchsia and orange— dazzleondark skintones. Thesecretto wearing them withoutlooking clownish? Take a light-handed approach, build slowly,and keeptherestof yourmakeup minimal.

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CORAL

This page: Complement yellow undertones with this shade, whichwill warmupyour complexion withoutlooking too stripy. Define cheekbones(whether yours are prominentor not)byapplyingblush in a check-mark shape—first downward, under your apples,thenup, blending into yourhairline.

PETAL

Opposite: Theromantic, understated pink isjustthe right (light)touchfor fairskintones. Toslimaround face,dabthe coloralong your cheekbones, thenblend downward.

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