Why successful people leave work early

By Business Insider

So many professionals believe the more hours they put in and the later they stay at work, the more successful they'll be.

But a study published in the Psychological Review conducted by Dr. K. Anders Ericsson proves that when it comes to your time spent in the office, quality trumps quantity.

Ericsson and his team evaluated a group of musicians to find out what the "excellent" players were doing differently, and discovered that they were working harder in shorter bursts of time.

For instance, violinists who practiced more deliberately, say for four hours, accomplished more than others who slaved away for seven hours. The best performers set goals for their practice sessions and required themselves to take breaks.

Looking at the chart, you can see that the best violin students practiced with greater intensity just before the lunch hour and then took a break before starting up again at 4 p.m. — whereas the other students practiced more steadily throughout the entire day.

The researchers found that successful people in other professions had similar habits:

"While completing a novel, famous authors tend to write only for four hours during the morning, leaving the rest of the day for rest and recuperation. Hence successful authors, who can control their work habits and are motivated to optimize their productivity, limit their most important intellectual activity to a fixed daily amount when working on projects requiring long periods of time to complete."

Tim Ferriss gives similar advice in his New York Times bestseller, "The 4-Hour Workweek." He stresses the Pareto principle, or the 80/20 law, which is that 80% of outputs come from 20% of inputs. So stay focused, and you'll do more in less time.

This is an updated article originally written by Aimee Groth.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/why-successful-people-leave-work-early-2015-5#ixzz3Z1a7DRyX

The 10 best jobs for introverts

By Jacquelyn Smith 

About half the population is made up of introverts — those who get their energy from within. Yet, according to PayScale, our world is largely "designed for extroverts" — those who are energized by being around other people. 

"Crucial aspects of career advancement, from networking to public speaking, can feel like insurmountable hurdles for those of us who gather energy from time spent alone," PayScale says. "However, introverts excel in jobs that reward their unique abilities."

PayScale sifted through its database to find jobs that don't require a great deal of interaction with others.

10. Social media manager

Median annual pay: $45,000

PayScale says: "Introverts don't dislike people, they just get exhausted by constantly being around them. But since social media managers specialize in virtual interaction, their work is perfect for introverts. Social media managers interact with thousands of Twitter followers and Facebook fans without having too many people invade their bubble."

9. Small-engine mechanic

Median annual pay: $30,100

PayScale says: "It's hard to socialize when you have your head buried in an engine, so working as a small-engine mechanic deserves a spot on our list of best careers for introverts. This job requires very little interaction with others, but only pays about $30,000 a year, resulting in it coming in number nine on our list."

8. Forester

Median annual pay: $48,000

PayScale says: "Foresters spend their time communing with nature instead of communicating with crowds, making it the perfect job for an outdoorsy introvert. This job, which is overwhelmingly held by men (92% of foresters are male), involves plenty of time alone while maintaining and studying parks, forests, lakes, and other nature-rich areas."

7. Archivist, curator, or museum technician

Median annual pay: $38,300

PayScale says: "If you'd rather spend your evenings holed up in a museum or library than at a party, you might just be an introvert. You also might just be an ideal archivist, curator, or museum technician. This job comes in number seven on our list of the top 10 jobs for introverts despite a low median salary."

6. Web developer

Median annual pay: $56,700

PayScale says: "The internet is the introvert's dream — a virtual world where communication takes place via chat rather than in-person interaction. Is it any surprise then that web developers make our list of top jobs for introverts?"

5. Fine artist (painter, sculptor, illustrator)

Median annual pay: $42,100

PayScale says: "Some artists are loud and brash, and live for getting their art in front of a crowd. Others are quiet loners who would rather spend hours in the studio than with a large group of people. If you are the quiet creative type, a career in fine art may be ideal for you."

4. (tie) Video game artist

Median annual pay: $50,800

PayScale says: "Gamers spend more time interacting with virtual friends and foes than they do with real-life counterparts. Video game artists help create virtual worlds to make these experiences come alive, and they do it mostly without having to interact with people."

3. (tie) Private chef

Median annual pay: $60,800

PayScale says: "Private chefs provide a valuable service to their customers, and depending on the size of the meal they prepare, they can be feeding a very large audience. However, they spend most of their time with the food, not the people who eat it, making this a top job for introverts. It's also interesting that the majority of Private Chefs are female (62%), an anomaly for chefs, who are mostly male."

2. Statistician

Median annual pay: $71,400

PayScale says: "Statisticians let the numbers speak for themselves rather than rely on small talk. They spend their days immersed in spreadsheets and equations, which makes this a great job for introverts. They are also paid well for this work."

1. Petroleum geologist

Median annual pay: $124,500

PayScale says: "Petroleum geologists don't just make a healthy salary, but they earn it for doing work that soothes the introverted soul. They spend their days modeling large engineering projects and analyzing data."

What to say when the hiring manager asks, 'Can you tell me about a time you failed?'

We recently solicited readers to submit their most pressing career-related questions.

With help from Lynn Taylor, a national workplace expert and the author of "Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant: How to Manage Childish Boss Behavior and Thrive in Your Job," we've answered the following: "What should I say when a hiring manager asks me to talk about a time that I failed?"

This is a tricky question that can throw a wrench into an otherwise stellar job interview, Taylor says. "No one enjoys talking about work failures, and the interview is the last place you want to showcase your most memorable job blunder."

The question may be asked in a variety of ways, referring to your worst mistake or biggest challenge, she says. "But no matter the phraseology, the goal of this behavioral question is to gauge your ability to be self-reflective, acknowledge mistakes, take risks, and learn from a setback," Taylor explains. "Since it's a common interview inquiry, you should have a couple examples committed to memory — and remember to focus on the lesson learned."

Here are some tips on not failing the failure question:

Be direct.

It can be tempting to be evasive with a non-answer, such as, "I've been fortunate in that I've rarely made any major mistakes in my job."

"A response like that would in fact qualify as it's own misstep, because misjudgments are just part of the workplace landscape and humans have not yet been classified as infallible," says Taylor. "Your honesty would be in question. So be straightforward and genuine with your response, and make sure there's a silver lining."

Use specifics.

"In order to be believable, you need to explain the scenario, choices made, what failed and why, and the takeaway, in a substantive way," she explains. "By being too general or flip, you may appear disinterested or disrespectful."

Employers want to know that you're capable of taking smart risks and are not afraid of challenges. Showing that you boldly face any setbacks with tenacity to improve is a highly valued trait.

Don't go overboard.

You can be specific and also be concise. "This is not the time to capture the interviewer's attention with a disastrous oversight or soliloquy of self-hatred," Taylor says. "Rehearse your answer so that you get your points across quickly and clearly. Consider using the recording feature of your smart phone to evaluate not only content, but also the length of your response."

Be strategic.

Make sure your example illustrates a benefit to your career. Avoid talking about mistakes that never offered any redeeming value or lesson, or one that would open a can of worms.

"Also make sure that your response doesn't hit a hot button, such as the one time you missed a project deadline when meeting deadlines is a key hiring criteria," she says.

Focus on the lessons learned.

This is critical in acing this tough interview question, Taylor says. "Hiring managers want to know that you know how to face your mistakes, learn from them, and move ahead. They want be assured that given similar circumstances, you'd handle things differently."

This is a chance to show how you turned the proverbial lemons into lemonade.

Example: "The client became concerned that we weren't doing X and began getting competitive quotes. I realized that it's important to share real issues with a client early on rather than wait. Later, that helped me regain their trust and build other business as well."

"Despite the negative slant of this question, you have an opportunity to shine by illustrating your interest and ability to overcome challenges," Taylor concludes.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/when-a-hiring-manager-asks-about-a-time-you-failed-2015-4#ixzz3Z1Wn2QWT