Study reveals the reason people quit while they are ahead

Study reveals the reason people quit while they are aheadStudy reveals the reason people quit while they are aheadNow that the Olympics have ended, many gold medalists from the 2018 Winter Games may be taking a long, sometimes permanent, break from the sports they spent years working to be the best at. According to science, this can be a normal side effect of achieving your best.Study After reaching your personal best, motivation is likely to go downOnce youve reached the top of your game, its normal to lose motivation, according to a new studypublished inProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Looking at mora than 100 million online chess games played over 16 years, researchers found that working towards your past peak performance, or personal best, is an effective motivator. They found that chess players went the extra mile and boosted their win rate when they were close to surpassing a personal best score. When you set an attainable yet difficult goal for yourself, it abr ollcontainer-transportsystem like a beacon at the end of a long tunnel, inducing effort when current performance would otherwise fall short, the study found.But after reaching that personal best, that concentration and focus can go away, and players can become 20% more likely to quit. Achieving a personal best precipitates not only a higher rate of quitting but also longer quitting spells, the study concluded.Why do people stop when theyre ahead? The researchers found that your personal best acts as a reference point that can provoke an aversion to losses. You want to end on a high note. You dont want to be remembered for a failure after working so hard to win.When people reach this goal - which is actually a very difficult goal to reach, because by definition youve only hit this level once before - theyre so excited and they dont want to drop down again, so they stop playing,Ashton Anderson, the co-author of the study, said.How to use a personal best to your advantageThe solution ultimately is to use the time after beating a personal best for reflection. Recalibrate what a personal best means to you. The best players play a game and then dissect it they step away and think about whats happened, instead of trying to play another one right away. Its the thinking about it that makes you better,Etan Green, the studys other author, suggested.Luckily for many Olympians, reflective time is built into the international sporting fest since its cyclical. Take the case study of Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, two of the most decorated ice dancers of all time, who have won five medals over 20 years at the Olympics. After earning a gold in 2010 and two silvers in 2014, the pair walked away from the sport for a few years. Virtue went to school and Moir spent more time with his family. That reflection time was needed to once more stoke the competitive fires and mount a comeback in 2016. We were quite surprised by how much that competitive fire was still burning, Virtue told Peopleabout why the duo decided to compete again. The more we were talking about that, the more tangible it felt, and the more real it felt.This led to Virtue and Moir competing in the 2018 Winter Games, where they scored a new world-record that pushed them past their French rivals for another gold.The lesson? Athletes, like all professionals after a big achievement, can use the time after a win to think about what went right and what went wrong, so that you can get back up and do it again.

Federal Job Search By the Numbers

Federal Job Search By the NumbersFederal Job Search By the NumbersFederal Job Search By the NumbersThis week I have been teaching Federal Job Search By the Numbers to hundreds of current and former military personnel who are about to be separated or retired and would like to land the best government jobs in America.My book and curriculum, Ten Steps to a Federal Jobis a favorite because of the 10 steps campaign process for this highly complex job search method. The curriculum is utilized in hundreds of military bases worldwide because it is easy to teach, learn, and follow.I created the Numbers Federal Job Search Strategy curriculum when my daughter, Emily, and I were teaching senior NASA Engineers how to write Senior Executive Service applications. We had two days to get two ECQs written. We examined the numbers 5 ECQs, 28 Leadership Competencies, 10 pages, 2 pages, and set time-lines for each and every writing step. In two days, the engineers had written at least two ECQs and were actually having a great time with their production and ideas.Which numbers are your favorites? I have underlined my typical training numbers.FEDERAL JOB SEARCH PROCESS10 number of Steps to a Federal Job, developed by Kathryn TroutmanUSAJOBS RESUME BUILDER5 number of resumes in the USAJOBS builderWORK EXPERIENCE IN USAJOBS5 average number of pages for a mid-career federal resume3,000 characters for the USAJOBS Work Experience job gruppe2,000 characters for duties (recommended for Job 1)1,000 characters for accomplishments (recommended for Job 1)7 maximum number of jobs (recommended, but not a limit)10 years to write details about your work history20 years to write fewer details about (write less about the second 10 years of your work history)30 years to write even fewer details about (try not to include dates back to 30 years)KSA ACCOMPLISHMENTS340 characters for a good KSA accomplishment length in a federal resumeCLOSING DATES FOR JOB ANNOUNCEMENTS1159 pm ET typical closi ng date time for most USAJOBS job announcementsAPPLICATION SCORES BY FEDERAL HUMAN RESOURCES SPECIALISTS110 top score for a veteran with a disability105 top score for a veteran with veterans preference90 minimum score for Best Qualified80 minimum score for Qualified70 minimum score to be referred for any federal jobSELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRES3 possible ways to receive an E, the highest level in the ApplicationManager.gov QuestionnaireINTERVIEWS2.5 minutes for the average length of an answer to a question in a Behavior-Based bewerberinterview30 minutes for the average length of a Behavior-Based Interview5 the best possible score for an answer in an exam format Behavior-Based InterviewFEDERAL JOB SEARCH APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT TIME3 hours to find your documents5 hours to write your first federal resume3 months to find a federal job10 hours per week to search for job announcements and apply for jobs30 applications to submit before getting an interview (maybe)SENIOR EXE CUTIVE SERVICE APPLICATIONS5 Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) for a Senior Executive Service (SES) application28 Leadership Competencies for the ECQs for an SES applicationKATHRYN TROUTMAN9 authored books on federal resume writing1996 wrote first book on Federal Resumes Federal Resume Guidebook1996 created the first website for federal resume writing, www.resume-place.com

Study Its much better to apply for a job before 10 a.m.

Study Its much better to apply for a job before 10 a.m.Study Its much better to apply for a job before 10 a.m.Turns out that applying to a job is only half the battle - the moment at which you hit submit can be the difference between getting called in for an interview and muttering to yourself, better luck next time.Recent research from TalentWorks foundthat applicants are nearly five times more likely to score an interviewif they send an electronic application in between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. than they would be if they did so after work. In short You should submit an zugnglich job application within this four-hour window - in the companys time zone.Here are some other things job seekers might want to know from the research.A magic application formula, of sortsThe researchers took a look at a subsample of 1,610 job applications submitted randomly. TalentWorks referencedearlier findings showing that you should apply to a position within the first few days of its posting, and coupled it with their recommendation about applying before the clocks strikes 10 a.m., reporting,in combination, just these two optimizations can (scientifically) increase your odds of getting a job by nearly 40x.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreTalentWorks alsofound that when shooting off an application into the great unknownafter 6 a.m.-10 a.m., your chances dip by 10% every time 30 minutes go by, though theres a brief reprieve during lunchtime, when your odds climb back up to 11% at around 1230 p.m. but then start falling again.The post also referencedacademic researchon timing, which showed that among judges, mood during the day - particularly related to break and meal times - can mean worse outcomes for parole seekers when judges are tired and hungry.Now you know the best time to send in an app - but what day of the week is best?Its at the beginning of the work week, but bedrngnis immediately after the weekend.2015 research from SmartRecruiters found that Tuesday is the day when fruchtwein employers post jobs online, when most applicants hit submit, and when the most employment offers are extended.SmartRecruitersblog post also detailed what both applicants and recruiters should do so theyre ready for when Tuesday comes around.As a job candidate, take the weekend to get your ducks in a row, update your resume, get your references lined up and watch the job boards for new postings during the beginning of the week, specifically on Tuesdays. Then youll be ready to apply as soon as a new posting goes live. For recruiters, use the end of your week to refine your job description and generally make sure the post is ready to engage top talent. Be prepared to post your job at the beginning of the week when most of the candidates will be searching for application opportunities, it says.Always wait for the morningIts also worth noting that SmartRecruiters found thatmost job listings go up at 11 a.m., but that most job seekers apply around 2 p.m. (they suggest doing so in the late morning) - so your best bet seems to be sending your application in earlier rather than later in the day, no matter what.TalentWorks cautionedthat you shouldnt apply once 4 p.m. has passed - reporting thathitting submit at 730 p.m. leaves you with less than a 3% chance of getting an interview.Even if youre working against the number of days a listing has been online, it should wait until the morning.This article was originally published on October 24, 2017.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 that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong peopleStudy Its much better to apply for a job before 10 a.m.Turns out that applyi ng to a job is only half the battle - the moment at which you hit submit can be the difference between getting called in for an interview and muttering to yourself, better luck next time.Recent research from TalentWorks foundthat applicants are nearly five times more likely to score an interviewif they send an electronic application in between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. than they would be if they did so after work. In short You should submit an online job application within this four-hour window - in the companys time zone.Here are some other things job seekers might want to know from the research.A magic application formula, of sortsThe researchers took a look at a subsample of 1,610 job applications submitted randomly. TalentWorks referencedearlier findings showing that you should apply to a position within the first few days of its posting, and coupled it with their recommendation about applying before the clocks strikes 10 a.m., reporting,in combination, just these two optimizations c an (scientifically) increase your odds of getting a job by nearly 40x.Ladders is now on SmartNewsDownload the SmartNews app and add the Ladders channel to read the latest career berichterstattung and advice wherever you go.TalentWorks alsofound that when shooting off an application into the great unknownafter 6 a.m.-10 a.m., your chances dip by 10% every time 30 minutes go by, though theres a brief reprieve during lunchtime, when your odds climb back up to 11% at around 1230pm but then start falling again.The post also referencedacademic researchon timing, which showed that among judges, mood during the day - particularly related to break and meal times - can mean worse outcomes for parole seekers when judges are tired and hungry.Now you know the best time to send in an app - but what day of the week is best?Its at the beginning of the work week, but not immediately after the weekend.2015 research from SmartRecruiters found that Tuesday is the day when the most employers post job s online, when most applicants hit submit, and when the most employment offers are extended.SmartRecruitersblog post also detailed what both applicants and recruiters should do so theyre ready for when Tuesday comes around.As a job candidate, take the weekend to get your ducks in a row, update your resume, get your references lined up and watch the job boards for new postings during the beginning of the week, specifically on Tuesdays. Then youll be ready to apply as soon as a new posting goes live. For recruiters, use the end of your week to refine your job description and generally make sure the post is ready to engage top talent. Be prepared to post your job at the beginning of the week when most of the candidates will be searching for application opportunities, it says.Always wait for morningIts also worth noting that SmartRecruiters found thatmost job listings go up at 11 a.m., but that most job seekers apply around 2 p.m. (they suggest doing so in the late morning) - so your b est bet seems to be sending your application in earlier rather than later in the day, no matter what.TalentWorks cautionedthat you shouldnt apply once 4 p.m. has passed - reporting thathitting submit at 730 p.m. leaves you with less than a 3% chance of getting an interview.Even if youre working against the number of days a listing has been online, it should wait until the morning.