Top 8 Business Networking Skills to Grow Your Professional Network
Looking to grow your professional network? Here are the top 8 business networking skills you need to succeed.
Looking to grow your professional network? Here are the top 8 business networking skills you need to succeed.
Finding a mentor can be challenging, but it’s essential for maximizing career success. Here’s what you need to know to source that perfect person.
Wondering how to have a successful salary negotiation? Here are the 16 expert tips you need.
Wondering how to go about accepting a job offer? Here’s everything you need to know to get it right.
Getting promoted requires intentionality from you, the employee. Here’s how to structure your actions to help ensure a promotion at work.
How can you add value as an employee and secure your job? Here’s everything you need to know, including 8 tips you can use today.
Burnout is a term we hear often, with 75% of employees experiencing it at some point. If you’re feeling exhausted, hopeless, and withdrawn, you may be burnt out, and this article will help. Dealing with burnout is possible.
Learn what burnout is and what you can do to regain control.
Dealing with burnout starts with understanding what it is, so let’s dive in.
Burnout is physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion caused by excessive, enduring stress. It’s defined by a loss of identity and reduced feelings of accomplishment. Burnout leaves you feeling resentful, hopeless, and without energy.
Unfortunately, although work can cause burnout, its effects will impact your personal life. It may affect your physical health and make you more vulnerable to colds and flu.
Burnout recently became an official medical diagnosis in the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases. So yes, it’s a real phenomenon, despite what some people may tell you.
Let’s talk about two things: pre-burnout signs and burnout symptoms.
Perhaps you aren’t burnt out yet. To help you better understand whether you’re dealing with burnout or are on your way there, let’s talk about some factors that may lead to burnout:
Battling these feelings for an extended time with no end indicates that you’re on your way to being burnt out. We’ll discuss later in this article how to combat burnout, which will also apply to stopping yourself from becoming burnt out.
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We all have stressful days where we feel exhausted or underappreciated. However, you may be burnt out if you feel this way all the time.
Burnout is a slow process you may not be aware of, so paying attention to the following red flags is essential. Ignoring them can lead to a full-on breakdown, which can be harder to recover from.
Here are some burnout symptoms:
Do a lot of these apply to you? If so, you may be dealing with burnout. We’ll discuss what to do about it, but first, let’s clarify the difference between depression and burnout.
Symptoms of burnout can look a lot like depression. Some major overlapping symptoms include:
The big difference between burnout and depression is two-fold: depression lasts longer (a few weeks or more) and severely affects your personal life.
If negative feelings haven’t gone away for a few weeks, you may be depressed. Similarly, if you’re feeling hopeless, withdrawn, aren’t enjoying activities you used to, or are experiencing any of the mentioned symptoms in your personal life, this may be depression.
Eating, showering, and picking up after yourself might seem impossible with depression but they shouldn’t with burnout.
Lastly, if mental health days or vacations don’t improve your mood, you’re likely dealing with something more serious than burnout.
If you think you’re experiencing depression, speak to a mental health professional. BetterHelp and Online-Therapy.com are two places to start. You can also contact your insurance for resources.
For immediate help, especially if you’re dealing with suicidal thoughts, call 800-273-8255 (TALK).
You can also text “HOME” to 741741 to receive support for any crisis; a counselor will respond immediately.
Dealing with burnout can seem overwhelming, but here are some simple tips to help you beat it.
One primary driver of burnout is sidelining self-care. Excessive working hours lead to deprioritization of self-care, which contributes to burnout.
Self-care can be quick. Just 10-15 minutes each day can help your mood substantially. You can meditate, go through your skincare routine, do yoga, or participate in any activity that suits you.
Prioritize exercise, sleep, and a healthy diet every day.
Let the people in your life know you’re experiencing burnout. This includes your boss and coworkers, as well as family and friends.
Ask for help with tasks at work and home to alleviate some of the strain you’re feeling. There’s no need to feel ashamed or embarrassed asking for help when needed!
Setting boundaries at work and home can help combat burnout.
When you’re done with work, stay offline. Similarly, set aside time and space if you need “you” time away from home responsibilities such as caregiving. You can make your own space in the house to relax, such as a spare bedroom or part of the backyard.
Even if it feels exhausting, staying in touch with friends is critical for dealing with burnout. If you don’t feel you have the time, make it! You’ll be happy you did.
Mindfulness and meditation help reduce burnout, stress, and even depression symptoms. Reducing stress through mindfulness can lead to a better mood, better sleep, and increased quality of life.
Mindfulness looks like this:
Try some of these out and see if they help.
If you’re dealing with burnout, reflecting on your experiences and what may have caused it is a good idea. Doing so will help you better identify early warning signs in the future and handle the situation.
Ask yourself:
Sometimes, no matter what steps you take when dealing with burnout, symptoms don’t improve because of where you work. Burnout can worsen if your boss doesn’t take your symptoms seriously and continues to push you.
Excessive burnout can lead to depression and is associated with poor physical health, including heart disease, high cholesterol, obesity, type-2 diabetes, and sleep disorders. You can’t live in a constant state of burnout.
If it’s time for a change, Jennings Executive specializes in matching the best talent with companies that respect their boundaries. Let us help you find an organization where you can thrive and leave burnout behind. Learn more.
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Over 80% of American college graduates want meaningful work, but fewer than 50% feel they’ve found it. This is a significant problem because meaningful work impacts your financial, physical, and social health.
Finding meaning at work means clearly understanding what it is (and is not) and why it’s so important. We’ll discuss all that and more in this article.
Before we go any further, let’s define meaningful work. Meaningful work fuels your passions while contributing to a greater purpose. It means connecting with others and helping them in a way that excites you.
Meaningful work doesn’t mean you’ll be stress-free all of the time. Often, important work comes with stress, struggle, and effort, but because it can be linked to meaning, it’s worthwhile.
The exact way in which work is meaningful depends on the individual. We’ll discuss what factors make up meaningful work and how you can find it later in this article.
The more meaning you find at work, the more engaged you’ll be. This benefits employees and employers alike.
Meaningful work – in practical terms – can be built on the following:
Ultimately, a company that supports meaningful work creates an environment that fosters collaborative, purpose-driven, and flexible work.
How can you, as an individual, find meaningful work? Here are 6 ways.
It’s challenging to find meaning if your work doesn’t excite you. While your job doesn’t have to be the most passionate part of your life, you want to feel enthusiasm towards the day-to-day.
Your work passions may shift as you go through your career, so be open.
Meaningful work is largely defined by helping others; leading with empathy helps accomplish this. Focusing on problem-solving and relationship-building are the keys to finding meaning at your job.
If your work adds value to people’s lives and improves the world, whether in a large or small way, you’re far more likely to derive meaning from it.
While driving a business’s bottom line is critical, think about adding as much value as possible for your customers.
Finding meaningful work is much easier if your values match your company’s. Finding meaning doesn’t mean curing cancer or inventing the next big thing. It can simply be finding work that aligns with what you find important, whether that be environmentalism, social justice, or enhancing technology.
Importantly, meaningful work and money can coexist. Work is not meant to be done for free, so seek fair compensation and don’t feel burdened by it.
Meaningful work is easier to find when your work allows you to grow. You can’t always do work that saves lives or changes society in its entirety, but you can always look to grow and become a better version of yourself.
Being the best version of yourself allows you to maximize your contributions at work, impacting your customers’ lives.
We tend to find meaning in significant milestones. In reality, you’ll spend most of your professional life taking small steps that add up.
Meaningful work is built out of these small actions, so don’t forget to celebrate and recognize their importance.
To sharpen your understanding of meaningful work, let’s examine some myths about it.
Psychologist Blake Allan and his colleagues found that meaningful work occurs when you find your work to be important, valuable, or worthwhile. Thus, its exact definition is largely driven by your set of beliefs.
Although traditional helping professions – such as counselors, caretakers, or firefighters – may make it easier to find the “why,” all occupations have it. Step back and think about the positive impact you have.
Many of us may think that finding meaningful work is a “nice-to-have,” but, in reality, most of us strongly depend on it.
A Gallup study found that financial stability, community, strong relationships, and physical health depend on finding meaning at work. While we may consider these aspects separate from meaning, research suggests the opposite.
There’s far more to meaning than bringing home a paycheck. People cashing in large paychecks but who aren’t serving others or are compromising their personal values may struggle to find meaning at work.
You can find meaningful work if you’re contributing to something larger than yourself, independent of the paycheck size.
One strong misconception about meaningful work is that it can only come from nonprofit work, which can be notoriously low-paying. In reality, as we’ve discussed, all jobs can derive meaning depending on the individual, including high-paying ones.
If you don’t find your work meaningful, you may think a career overhaul is necessary. In reality, changing your thoughts, tasks, and relationships with others at work can impact the degree of meaning you derive.
If you’re struggling to find meaning at work, zoom out and identify what greater purpose you serve. You can also shift your day-to-day tasks to things that align with personal values and fuel professional growth. Lastly, consider building stronger relationships with coworkers and addressing any disagreements as they arise.
We’ve said it before, and we’ll repeat it: any job can create meaning; it all depends on the individual.
Some ways people can derive meaning from various careers include:
Sometimes, it’s tough to find meaning at work due to the company culture where you are. If your personal values don’t align with your company’s values, deriving meaning is challenging.
If you’ve done all you can do to find meaning where you are, it may be time to look elsewhere if those efforts failed. Jennings Executive has over two decades of combined experience matching employers with talent. We’ll find you the perfect company where you can find meaningful work. Learn more today!
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Climbing the corporate ladder is a challenging task that many fail to accomplish. Use these 8 strategies to bolster your odds of success.
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DANIEL WILKINSON IS THE VICE PRESIDENT OF STRATEGIC INITIATIVES & CLIENT SUCCESS. HE BRINGS OVER TWO DECADES OF EXPERIENCE IN COMMERCIAL AND PRICING STRATEGY, HAVING HELD KEY LEADERSHIP ROLES AT DELTA AIR LINES AND DELTA VACATIONS. HIS CAREER IS MARKED BY A PROVEN TRACK RECORD IN DRIVING SIGNIFICANT BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION THROUGH INNOVATIVE DATA-DRIVEN STRATEGIES, CROSS-FUNCTIONAL TEAM LEADERSHIP, AND ENHANCED PROFITABILITY. DAN’S EXPERTISE IS IN HIS ABILITY TO INTEGRATE DATA ANALYTICS WITH STRATEGIC PLANNING, ENABLING ORGANIZATIONS TO OPTIMIZE THEIR REVENUE MANAGEMENT AND PRICING STRATEGIES IN DYNAMIC MARKET ENVIRONMENTS.
AT DELTA VACATIONS, DAN SERVED AS VICE PRESIDENT OF STRATEGIC BUSINESS/IT PLANNING & REVENUE MANAGEMENT, WHERE HE SUCCESSFULLY LED TEAMS IN DELIVERING SCALABLE TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS, DEFINING GO-TO-MARKET STRATEGIES AND DRIVING SIGNIFICANT INCREMENTAL REVENUE AND PROFIT.
DAN RECEIVED A BACHELOR OF SCIENCE FROM TAYLOR UNIVERSITY AND AN MBA WITH A FINANCE CONCENTRATION FROM EMORY UNIVERSITY’S GOIZUETA BUSINESS SCHOOL.
BRIAN BANISTER IS AN EXECUTIVE RECRUITER AT JENNINGS EXECUTIVE SEARCH. BRIAN HAS A BROAD RANGE OF EXPERIENCE, HAVING WORKED IN STRATEGY & CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT, FINANCIAL PLANNING & ANALYSIS, AND PUBLIC ACCOUNTING ROLES FOR LEADING COMPANIES AND CLIENTS IN THE HOSPITALITY, REAL ESTATE, MANAGEMENT CONSULTING, AND TECHNOLOGY, MEDIA, AND TELECOM (TMT) SECTORS. HE BEGAN HIS CAREER AT DELOITTE & TOUCHE, WORKING AS A LICENSED CPA. AFTER DELOITTE, BRIAN PIVOTED INTO CORPORATE FINANCE, WHERE HE HELD POSITIONS IN STRATEGY & CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT AT INTERCONTINENTAL HOTELS GROUP (IHG) AND COX COMMUNICATIONS, AS WELL AS AN FP&A ROLE AT BOSTON CONSULTING GROUP (BCG). THESE ROLES ALLOWED BRIAN TO GAIN VALUABLE EXPOSURE IN AREAS LIKE CLIENT SERVICES, STRATEGIC CONSULTING & PLANNING, FINANCIAL ANALYSIS, AND M&A AND INVESTMENT ACTIVITY.
BRIAN’S EDUCATION INCLUDES BOTH A MASTER OF ACCOUNTANCY DEGREE AND A BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION IN ACCOUNTING FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA.
DRIVING TRANSFORMATION THROUGH PEOPLE IS OUR MISSION AND LORI’S PASSION AS AN EXECUTIVE RECRUITER WITH JENNINGS EXECUTIVE SEARCH. SHE CONDUCTS THOROUGH RESEARCH ON EACH ROLE AND BUILDS STRONG RELATIONSHIPS WITH CANDIDATES TO HELP CONNECT PROFESSIONALS WITH THEIR NEXT GREAT OPPORTUNITY. LORI SPENT 22 YEARS AT A FORTUNE 500 INSURANCE COMPANY IN PRODUCT MANAGEMENT, SALES/BUSINESS CONSULTING, AND RECRUITING ROLES. SHE USES THIS EXPERIENCE AS SHE SEARCHES FOR THE BEST TALENT TO HELP DRIVE CLIENT SUCCESS FORWARD. SHE’S FOCUSED ON DELIVERING RESULTS AND GETS THERE THROUGH EFFICIENCY AND TENACITY WITH AN EMPATHETIC, COMPASSIONATE, FUN, GENUINE, AND POSITIVE APPROACH. SHE HAS BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN HELPING CLIENTS ACHIEVE BUSINESS OBJECTIVES THROUGH UNDERSTANDING NEEDS, CREATING INDIVIDUAL, DATA-DRIVEN SOLUTIONS, AND SOLVING PROBLEMS, AS WELL AS POSITIVE RELATIONSHIP BUILDING AND TEAMWORK.
LORI GRADUATED WITH A BACHELOR OF SCIENCE DEGREE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA.
JUSTIN GRAVES IS AN EXECUTIVE RECRUITER AT JENNINGS EXECUTIVE SEARCH.
JUSTIN HAS A VARIETY OF EXPERIENCES WORKING WITHIN PUBLIC AND INDUSTRY ACCOUNTING. HE BEGAN HIS CAREER WITH PATHSTONE FAMILY OFFICE PREPARING TAX RETURNS FOR HIGH NET WORTH INDIVIDUALS AND CORPORATIONS IN THE ATLANTA AREA. IN JANUARY 2015, HE JOINED COHNREZNICK, LLP, A TOP 10 PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM, IN AUDIT & ASSURANCE WORKING PRIMARILY IN THE COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE AND HOUSING MARKET. PRIOR TO JOINING JENNINGS EXECUTIVE SEARCH, JUSTIN WORKED AT A FAST GROWING TECHNOLOGY COMPANY, SS&C TECHNOLOGIES, WHERE HE WORKED IN THE REAL ASSETS DEPARTMENT DOING FUND ADMINISTRATION.
JUSTIN GRADUATED WITH A BACHELORS OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN ACCOUNTANCY FROM OGLETHORPE UNIVERSITY.
JUSTIN JENNINGS IS AN EXECUTIVE RECRUITER AT JENNINGS EXECUTIVE SEARCH. HE COMES FROM THE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY WITH 15 YEARS OF MEDICAL SALES EXPERIENCE. HE ATTRIBUTES HIS SUCCESS IN SALES TO LISTENING AND LEARNING FROM HIS CUSTOMERS AND ENJOYS THE PROCESS OF SOLVING PROBLEMS. HE IS SKILLED AT DEVELOPING THE RIGHT ACTION PLAN FOR EACH OF HIS CLIENT’S UNIQUE NEEDS AND COMMITTED TO HELPING THEM CHOOSE THE BEST SOLUTION. JUSTIN HAS TAKEN HIS SPIRIT AND PASSION FOR SELLING TO THE WORLD OF RECRUITING. HE HAS A GOAL OF SURPASSING HIS CLIENT’S EXPECTATIONS AND ASSISTING THEM WITH TALENT ACQUISITION.
JUSTIN GRADUATED WITH A BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN MANAGEMENT FROM GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY. WHEN NOT AT WORK, YOU CAN FIND HIM ON HIS MOUNTAIN BIKE, THE GOLF COURSE, OR SKIING OUT WEST IN THE WINTERS.
CHIP LOCKE IS THE TECHNOLOGY RECRUITING PRACTICE LEAD FOR JENNINGS EXECUTIVE SEARCH. CHIP BRINGS 15 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN TECHNOLOGY AND RECRUITING INCLUDING HANDS-ON WORK AS A SOFTWARE DEVELOPER AND BIG 4 SYSTEMS CONSULTANT. HE IS A TRUSTED CIO ADVISOR WITH EXPERIENCE ACROSS INDUSTRY VERTICALS AND A DEEP UNDERSTANDING OF TECHNOLOGY PLATFORMS AND THE FUNCTIONAL AREAS OF DELIVERY THAT ENABLE BUSINESS OPERATIONS. HIS EXPERIENCE INCLUDES RECRUITING EXECUTIVES AND COLLABORATING ON STRATEGIC PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF IT ORGANIZATIONS.
HIS CLIENT SUCCESS STORIES CAN BE FOUND AT COMPANIES RANGING IN SIZE FROM STARTUP TO FORTUNE 500 ACROSS AVIATION, ENERGY, FINANCE, HEALTHCARE, TECH, MANUFACTURING, RETAIL AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS. CHIP GRADUATED FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA WITH A BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION DEGREE IN MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS.
BRIAN GELFAND IS A PARTNER AT JENNINGS EXECUTIVE SEARCH. HE BEGAN HIS CAREER AT DELOITTE & TOUCHE IN AUDIT AND ENTERPRISE RISK SERVICES, WITH A FOCUS ON THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND REAL ESTATE INDUSTRIES. AT DELOITTE, BRIAN GAINED VALUABLE CORPORATE EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH A MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR PUBLIC MORTGAGE SERVICING CORPORATION, AND A NOT-FOR-PROFIT FOUNDATION WITH OVER $10 BILLION IN ASSETS. BRIAN PASSED THE CPA EXAM BUT ULTIMATELY DECIDED ASSISTING CLIENTS WITH THEIR PEOPLE STRATEGIES WAS HIS PASSION.
BRIAN’S EDUCATION INCLUDES A MASTER OF ACCOUNTANCY FROM KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSITY AND A BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION IN ACCOUNTING FROM GEORGIA COLLEGE & STATE UNIVERSITY
JON JENNINGS IS THE FOUNDER AND MANAGING PARTNER OF JENNINGS EXECUTIVE SEARCH. ESTABLISHED IN 2014, HIS VISION WAS TO SHAPE A FIRM ANCHORED IN TRANSPARENCY AND VALUE CREATION. OVER THE YEARS, JON HAS HAD THE DISTINCT OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE WITH AND LEARN FROM LEADING INDUSTRY EXECUTIVES, GLEANING INSIGHTS FROM THEIR EXPERIENCES AND COMBINING THIS KNOWLEDGE WITH THOROUGH RESEARCH. THIS HAS EQUIPPED HIM TO OFFER A DEEPER, MORE STRATEGIC PERSPECTIVE ON ORGANIZATIONAL DESIGN AND TALENT IDENTIFICATION. WITH AN INITIAL FOCUS IN FINANCE, THROUGH JON’S LEADERSHIP THE FIRM HAS PIVOTED INTO BROADER COMMERCIAL AND TECHNICAL STRATEGIES AS WELL AS PROFESSIONAL SERVICES.
TOGETHER WITH HIS EXPERIENCED TEAM OF EX-CONSULTANTS AND INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS, JON COLLABORATES WITH PREMIER CONSULTING FIRMS TO ENHANCE THEIR PRACTICES. SIMULTANEOUSLY, HE ASSISTS PRIVATE EQUITY GROUPS AND THEIR PORTFOLIO COMPANIES IN REFINING AND FORTIFYING THEIR COMMERCIAL AND FINANCIAL STRATEGIC OPERATIONS.
THE CULMINATION OF THESE EFFORTS IS A BOUTIQUE FIRM THAT INC.COM CELEBRATED AS ONE OF THE COUNTRY’S FASTEST-GROWING COMPANIES. BETWEEN 2019 AND 2022, THE COMPANY WITNESSED A STAGGERING GROWTH RATE OF NEARLY 600%.