#soft skills

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

"You can always tell when a person has worked in a restaurant. There's an empathy that can only be cultivated by those who've stood between a hungry mouth and a $28 pork chop, a special understanding of the way a bunch of motley misfits can be a family. Service industry work develops the "soft skills" recruiters talk about on LinkedIn — discipline, promptness, the ability to absorb criticism, and most important, how to read people like a book. The work is thankless and fun and messy, and the world would be a kinder place if more people tried it. With all due respect to my former professors, I've long believed I gained more knowledge in kitchens, bars, and dining rooms than any college could even hold."

- Anthony Bourdain

[thesophistiicate]

essential soft skills for personal excellence

+ emotional intelligence: the ability to understand emotions (yours + others) with empathy and how they impact behaviour. without it you are liable to be defensive, self-centred, and experience a feeling of disconnection (from self + others).

+ resilience: how well you react when something bad happens. do you fall apart or can you navigate challenges without setting yourself back?

+ critical thinking: the ability to slow down and approach ideas with rational intelligence so that you can make thoughtful, considered decisions instead of impulsive, reactive ones.

+ adaptability: remaining flexible to the circumstances and cultivating the ability to deal with change (see also: resilience). can be more difficult if neurodivergent; they key is to be gentle + forgiving with yourself.

+ (healthy) self-discipline: doing what you need to do regardless of whether you 'feel like it' (see also: emotional intelligence, so that you're not ruled by your emotional state). remember that you can cultivate healthy discipline with gentle nurture that builds confidence over time, rather than toxic discipline that uses shame, fear, and punishment.

+ self worth: continuously building the foundational idea that you are worthy of the good life. without self worth, most attempts at self-improvement start with grandiose ideas of huge change and result in broken promises, difficulty sticking to goals, and a spiralling shame cycle.

[utopicwork]

Working with ADHD basically guarantees a reputation as unreliable. This article has a few tips on managing that in a tech context.

[leximicham]

Friendship as a Force Multiplier

I wrote a preface (read: rant) about this but I want the methods below to stand on their own. Feel free to read it. Or not. I'm not a cop.

The below terms are meant to be ways that you can help others or ask for help from others with increasing productivity. These are execution skills as in they allow you to execute on tasks and get shit done. Skills; not crutches, not cheats or hacks, and not anything else which you might feel ashamed of. People want to help you and you probably want to help people get more done so let's build these skills together.

Task Activation

Sitting down with someone for 5-10 minutes to help one of you focus on a task long enough to build momentum or "flow state". Go to a designated workspace together, clear and otherwise prepare said workspace, pull out/open the tool of choice for this task, talk about the goals of the current big thing, start working for 5 minutes. Task Activation complete! The helper can go back to whatever they were doing. The tasker can either continue working if the activation has put them in flow state or they can go back to the drawing board because there may be unforeseen roadblocks or this may just have been the wrong day to do work or the wrong task to work on. Cost of this Task Activation? 5-10 minutes from 2 people and hanging out with a cool person. Cost of trying again if the first activation failed? The exact same.

Rubber Ducking

An intimate (/s) roleplay experience where one person plays the role of an expert trying to suss out a path through a complicated problem and the other person roleplays an inanimate object. Maybe the first player drops the mask and steps away to search for something on the internet because they need more expertise than they're ready to act out. Maybe the second player breaks character by asking helpful questions to set the first player back on track through their musings. Or maybe the forget that rubber ducks can't play Pokemon on their Switch while someone is talking at them. This is a safe space, there are no judgements if everyone's having a good time.

Body Doubling

Very similar to Rubber Ducking but with structure and tomato shaped egg timers. And less talking. Read up on the Pomodoro Technique if you're not familiar. One person (at least) gathers one other person (at least) to sit in a room with a timer and strict expectations about how long productivity periods and break periods last. I like 25 minutes of working and 10 minutes of break. Don't let productivity spill into breaks. Don't forget to keep planning your tasks and future working cycles. Don't shame anyone for playing Pokemon on their Switch during productivity cycles - rest can be productive, too. Avoid disturbing other people during productivity periods except with time checks, cries of victory, or reminders to not beat heads against walls or keyboards. Task Activation can lead into Body Doubling. Body Doubling can be paused for Rubber Ducking. All bodies involved should be breathing.

Paired Productivity

This is just Pair Programming but with a conjugation and more generalized activity term change. Two people enter (a prepared and organized workspace), they have a task or two which they've both agreed to work on, one has the tools to perform the task, the other has a device which can search the internet, they do work, two people leave. Tomato shaped egg timers are encouraged. Rubber Ducking may occur. One person attempts to do the task while discussing the steps, actions, and open questions with the other. The other person checks work, researches particularly difficult questions, and does not touch the tool for this task. Trading roles at predetermined times is fine. I recommend that the more experienced person give the less experienced person more time working with the tool. Take breaks if either the task or other person wears you out.

Task Dump

Giving someone a pen and paper and making them write out every worry, chore, deliverable, past due library book, and passion project idea they have until they start remembering missed homework assignments from the last school they graduated from. Alternatively: be the person who has a pen and paper thrust upon them. Getting Things Done (this is a book and paid coaching program but the link gives a good synopsis) teaches that the worst place to store information and to-dos is your brain. We forget things and we worry about forgetting things. We feel pressure when tasks are a cloud of associations and worries about missed deadline repercussions or would've, could've, should'ves for how our life might have been if we'd done this important task yesterday instead of playing Pokemon on our Switch. We must always forgive our past selves, accept our present selves, and be kind to our future selves. Once a task is on that list it's a future item and past us is off the hook. Having everything listed in front of us helps us figure out and accept the current state of the world. Determining next steps gives our future self the best chance of being proud of themself for accomplishing cool and important stuff. It's hard to say what to do with the big list of tasks from your brain once you have it. This isn't a planning or project management guide and I haven't written one (yet). It's up to you what you do with the list but I guarantee that you'll be in a healthier place when you can see everything on paper instead of listening to the tasks and worries buzz angrily around your head. Here's some suggestions to get you started:

Separate the hastily scrawled list into several lists based on themes:

work

hobbies

errands

passion projects

gifts for the wonderful friend helping you with this

Stack rank things based on a combination of urgency and importance:

Capture the bug which just landed on the corner of your desk?

High urgency (it's gonna fly away!)

Low importance (unless you eat bugs?)

Figuring out where to send humanity in the cosmos when our sun inevitably expands?

Very high importance (we need to live somewhere not inside the sun)

Very low urgency (we hope...)

Figuring out what you're going to eat for your next meal?

Medium-high importance (don't forget to eat!)

Medium-high urgency (you've forgotten to eat while reading this post, haven't you?)

Do this one!

My main suggestion is just to learn to do this Task Dump regularly. This is a tool which you can use in response to "oh no, my head is full of things to do and I don't like it!" You can cross things off the old list or add them to another system but at the end of the day writing things down helps. Keep your old lists around and rewrite them but skip things which are done or that you've decided you don't need to worry about anymore. Add new things. Observing and measuring your task load like this will eventually get you taking on more manageable loads and prioritizing things (with your Task Dump buddy) and feeling really accomplished.

Kind Interrupt

This is not a planned event. If you see someone you care about is hyper fixating on something but making no progress because they're just spinning their wheels and banging their head against a wall then there's actions you can take to help. Breaks are important so you want them to step away at least for a little bit. It's important to be careful not to force someone away from something that they're stuck on, though. You also want to avoid guilting them; they probably already know if they're running late or not making a lot of progress. Try replacements and simple choices: "Would you like to go for a walk or would you rather get a snack and something to drink with me?" Don't shy away from sharing your needs, though. If you need this person to do something else for you then don't shy away from that. Focus on the help, "Can you help me get ready to go?" or "Can I get your help with this task?" Helping people is stimulating and you shouldn't underestimate how much people in your life want to help you.

This list was originally 5 skills until my "15 minute blogpost" became 3 hours and my wives had to rescue me to work on other things.

That's it for now. Read this with someone who you want to unblock or who you know is willing to help unblock you. Become force multipliers together. Keep this in your back pocket for a bad executive function day. Steal it for your own blogpost or website but please give credit to the trans and ungovernable catgirl, Lexi Micham. Have a nice day!

[asaraviapt]

[EN] How to Follow Folks On LinkedIn Who Don’t Repeat “Rejection is Redirection.”

Lord give me patience–if I hear one more person telling me that “rejection is redirection” I’m blocking them before Twitter takes away the feature. 

… Okay, that may be extreme–but I want to start off this post by asking folks to refrain from that advice. I don’t have to remind other game developers how messed up the job market is, but I can say this much: I know a thing or two about job hunting. 

It takes time. Patience–a lot of it. Some studios ghost their applicants, others spend four months debating on who to grant that first interview–without guaranteeing a second or third round. Having been both a recruiter (and currently searching for a writing role) I picked up a few bits of trivia that I wish to share with others. 

First: Remote Networking Events:

Discord is going to be your best friend, along with other tools. It’s accessible, and offers a more casual environment than LinkedIn. Before naming a few networking events, here’s a few things to bear in mind:

Always have either a Sticky Note or WordPad that includes your preferred name, pronouns, a brief two to three sentence introduction on who you are and what sets you apart, along with your social media links and portfolio for potential recruiters to reach out to you. 

Take a deep breath. I know it can be daunting to put yourself out there, but in a job market full of so much competition, it’s the best way to gain an upper hand. 

Set up reminders and be efficient. 

Remember that everyone is human. This may sound like a weird one, but you’d be surprised at how often folks place game developers on a pedestal either because of the studio they work in, the awards they have won, etcetera etcetera. The best conversations and connections emerge from just relaxing and having a fun time with folks! 

Eventbrite.com Go on www.eventbrite.com and include the “remote” filters and free admission. Add key words such as “game developer meeting” or “game developer networking” for example. If you wish to get more specific, add the title you wish to have and see if you can meet folks who specialize in your field who can offer advice on how to break into the field. 

PowerToFly. Here, you can upload your resume and state where in the tech industry you would want to specialize in.

THIS WEEK they will have an event featuring to assist folx with visible and invisible disabilities from August 23, 2023 until August 24, 2023. You can sign up here: https://powertofly.com/events/virtual-job-fair/?utm_campaign=Sunday%20B2C%20Newsletter&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=270953365&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_HrFZZIbObYArT2rnkBkTW0QMv-gHNY9LDc0LIp0pfCuFHnk01A0sqaz1W7KeYORbvHtSVX7R0gO4XKS_MfGeRqYdpog&utm_content=270926294&utm_source=hs_email

Similarly, there are events hosted by PowerToFly for members of the LGTBQIA+ community, the BIPOC community--all of which are free, the calendar with the dates is on their website.

LinkedIn Audio Events. These are great events to not only meet recruiters and employers from various studios, but also greet other fellow job hunters. The best part about this industry is the camaraderie and support–find someone who could give you a job, or find someone who could give you tips on improving your resume. 

List of LinkedIn Creators with Events: 

Aida Figuerola (https://www.linkedin.com/in/afiguerola/) 

Upcoming Event on August 22, 2023: https://www.linkedin.com/events/gamingbackstage-de-iwithjasmina7097554161021415424/

Justin Williams 

Previous Event: (Remember you can rewatch it, and take note of the advice provided by recruiters in AAA studios!) https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinalanwilliams/recent-activity/all/ 

Amir Satvat (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirsatvat/)   

Amir has the Amir Awards, and often features creators helping the video game industry–additionally, he has an organized spreadsheet with video game job openings AND mentorship opportunities. 

Here is a link to the job directory from August 13, 2023. You’ll notice how often he updates it. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/amirsatvat_friends-i-am-pleased-to-present-the-august-activity-7096622772239388672-dCRh?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

If you are job hunting, you can submit your most recent/updated resume–there are recruiters and employers that observe Amir’s database to find candidates. .

Last but not least, there is a network of mentors willing to help with specialized fields, giving industry advice, resume writing assistance and more–all of the details are on Amir’s page and posts. 

Arin Goldsmith (https://www.linkedin.com/in/arin-goldsmith/)

Previous Event: (https://www.linkedin.com/events/7090354190849323009/comments)/

A unique component in the gaming industry is how professionals are encouraged to have their own brands–and Arin provides excellent advice. When searching for a job, it helps having a platform so that whenever someone is looking for a game developer, they know they have to reach you because only you can do a certain thing–and that’s what should be on your portfolio, brand, etc. 

Though not a recruiter, Arin also provides excellent advice to folks who have 0 experience in the gaming industry but wish to use their transferable skills in the development of video games. 

List of Creators on Twitter With Great Advice: 

A brief sidenote: hashtags will be your friend when looking for jobs. Every social media platform has an algorithm that detects what content you interact with the most, so if you constantly like posts from recruiters, or posts that have keywords like your dream job title, department, field of study–those posts will be pushed to your feed more often than others. 

Some platforms allow you to follow hashtags and set up alarms–so, follow the hashtags involving your field of study and see a few freelancing opportunities come up!

Okay, now about creators:

Javiera Cordero: An amazing producer, Javiera created a Notion template that has saved my life–and job opportunities. 

The link is: https://javieracordero.notion.site/Job-Application-Manager-fce5406854f0475aa21d5fcd9fa5e668

It has several categories including “preparing”, “applied”, and “interviewing.”

Additionally, there are:

Cover Letter samples.

Dozens of job sites.

Websites for marginalized communities.

Possible Interview Questions

And more! (gracias Javiera <3)

Should I post “that”?

“My journey with X has ended.” “Unfortunately, I have been affected by layoffs.” “I’ve been trying to keep it together for the past few months, but I need help…”

Posts of this nature have increased exponentially. I’ve had to write some–and I encourage everyone to do the same, and I know it is not easy.

It’s not easy to be vulnerable, especially in front of many professionals.

But some of them may be your future coworkers–if you need help, tell your network. Not to mention, that if you have not come across a job for a while this lets recruiters know why there is a gap on your resume. It was not due to a gap year, it was due to a recession and a million other things. 

How do I reach out?

Reach out to folks who are in a role similar to what you are striving towards. As a narrative designer, I often try to connect with other narrative designers–mainly because they have the best dad jokes and D&D campaigns, but I digress. 

Apply to as many studios as you can, then head to LinkedIn. Look up the studio, and see if there are any of the following:

Alumni from your alma mater. 

Folks in your specialized field.* 

Mutual Connections. 

First, reach out to mutual connections. See if they are willing to introduce you to someone in the studio you just applied. Or, try and meet up with someone who you went to school with–share stories and inside jokes from the institution, and if the subject of employment comes up, use that as a segue to explain your situation. 

Do not cold call people with messages like, “Do you have a job for me?” It’s not a good look–and, again, people are human. They will know when they are being contacted because of their job title–so avoid that. 

*Yes, there is a lot of support in the gaming community. But it does not always happen–sometimes, if someone has little to no social media presence, no profile picture it may be for a reason. Understand that there are times where game developers are, unfortunately, treated poorly by gamers and decide to limit what messages they can accept. It’s all about getting a hint, basically–but digitally.

Anyways, be nice! Don’t weird any game developers out and get that job. 

[absolute-chaotician]

Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence consists of five basic emotional and social competencies:

SELF-AWARENESS. Recognizing moods, emotions, and drives. Using emotions to guide decision-making. Realistically assessing abilities and confidence levels.

SELF-REGULATION. Handling emotions to facilitate task performance. Delaying gratification and redirecting impulses to achieve goals. Being conscientious. Recovering from emotional distress.

MOTIVATION. Taking initiative. Striving to improve. Persevering through setbacks. Understanding preferences to move toward goals.

EMPATHY. Sensing other peoples' feelings. Understanding others' perspectives. Establishing rapport with people.

SOCIAL SKILLS. Accurately reading social situations. Interacting smoothly with other people. Handling emotions in relationships. Using social skills to persuade, lead, negotiate, and resolve conflict.

[digitalteacherhydposts]

Benefits of Learning: Digital Classes for 9th & 10th Math and Science

We all know that 9th and 10th class math and science could be difficult. It is generally the first important year of examinations for students, which can be difficult. Parents frequently believe that taking their children to extra classes would help them perform better. While this may be true, it might be difficult for students.

That’s the reason why online courses come in useful. They work similarly to smart classrooms, allowing students to view and engage with the material they are studying. Instead of simply remembering information, people may observe how things function. Learning becomes as simple as installing an app!

[digitallab001]

Digital Teacher English Digital Language Lab not only enhances vocabulary, but also focuses on the finer shades of language like grammar, pronunciation, intonation, modulation, phonetics, MTI and syllabic division. Learners learn without any fear or embarrassment which helps to build their confidence and proficiency in the language.

[ranawriters]

Soft skills, vital for career success, encompass communication, adaptability, and teamwork.

Online courses revolutionize learning, offering accessibility and customization to diverse learners.

Education, be it traditional or online, empowers growth, shaping adept and adaptable individuals.

[estefaniaaaaaaaaaaarr]

Las 48 leyes del poder de Robert Greene

Hola Hola hay una nueva entrada en el blog, será corta pero es acerca de las 48 leyes del poder de Robert Greene su libro enseña a tener el control del destino y conseguir y mantener el poder. Se desglosa en 48 leyes o guías que se deberían considerar a la hora de actuar por medio de estrategias, aciertos y desaciertos de personajes de la historia.

Las 48 leyes del poder

Ley nº 1.- Nunca le hagas sombra a tu amo.

Ley nº 2.- Nunca confíes demasiado en tus amigos; aprende a utilizar a tus enemigos.

Ley nº 3.- Disimula tus intenciones.

Ley nº 4.- Di siempre menos de lo necesario.

Ley nº 5.- Casi todo depende de tu prestigio; defiéndelo a muerte.

Ley nº 6.- Busca llamar la atención a cualquier precio.

Ley nº 7.- Logra que otros trabajen por ti, pero no dejes nunca de llevarte los laureles.

Ley nº 8.- Haz que la gente vaya hacia ti y, de ser necesario, utiliza la carnada más adecuada para lograrlo.

Ley nº 9.- Gana a través de tus acciones, nunca por medio de argumentos.

Ley nº 10.- Peligro de contagio: evita a los perdedores y los desdichados.

Ley nº 11.- Haz que la gente dependa de ti.

Ley nº 12.- Para desarmar a tu víctima, utiliza la franqueza y la generosidad en forma selectiva.

Ley nº 13.- Cuando pidas ayuda, no apeles a la compasión o a la gratitud de la gente, sino a su egoísmo.

Ley nº 14.- Muéstrate como un amigo pero actúa como un espía.

Ley nº 15.- Aplasta por completo a tu enemigo.

Ley nº 16.- Utiliza la ausencia para incrementar el respeto y el honor.

Ley nº 17.- Mantén el suspenso. Maneja el arte de lo impredecible.

Ley nº 18.- No construyas fortalezas para protegerte: el aislamiento es peligroso.

Ley nº 19.- Averigua con quién estás tratando: no ofendas a la persona equivocada.

Ley nº 20.- No te comprometas con nadie.

Ley nº 21.- Finge candidez para atrapar a los cándidos: muéstrate más tonto que tu víctima.

Ley nº 22.- Utiliza la táctica de la capitulación. Transforma la debilidad en poder.

Ley nº 23.- Concentra tus fuerzas.

Ley nº 24.- Desempeña el papel de cortesano perfecto.

Ley nº 25.- Procura recrearte permanentemente.

Ley nº 26.- Mantén tus manos limpias.

Ley nº 27.- Juega con la necesidad de la gente de tener fe en algo, para conseguir seguidores incondicionales.

Ley nº 28.- Sé eficaz al entrar en acción.

Ley nº 29.- Planifica tus acciones de principio a fin.

Ley nº 30.- Haz que tus logros parezcan no requerir esfuerzos.

Ley nº 31.- Controla las opciones: haz que otros jueguen con las cartas que repartes.

Ley nº 32.- Juega con las fantasías de la gente.

Ley nº 33.- Descubre el talón de Aquiles de los demás.

Ley nº 34.- Actúa como un rey para ser tratado como tal.

Ley nº 35.- Domina el arte de la oportunidad.

Ley nº 36.- Menosprecia las cosas que no puedes obtener: ignorarlas es la mejor de las venganzas.

Ley nº 37.- Arma espectáculos imponentes.

Ley nº 38.- Piensa como quieras, pero compórtate como los demás.

Ley nº 39.- Revuelve las aguas para asegurarte una buena pesca.

Ley nº 40.- Menosprecia lo que es gratuito.

Ley nº 41.- Evita imitar a los grandes hombres.

Ley nº 42.- Muerto el perro, muerta la rabia.

Ley nº 43.- Trabaja sobre el corazón y la mente de los demás.

Ley nº 44.- Desarma y enfurece con el efecto espejo.

Ley nº 45.- Predica la necesidad de introducir cambios, pero nunca modifiques demasiado a la vez.

Ley nº 46.- Nunca te muestres demasiado perfecto.

Ley nº 47.- No vayas más allá de tu objetivo; al triunfar, aprende cuándo detenerte: lo puedes perder todo.

Ley nº 48.-Sé cambiante en tu forma.

Aquí el link del libro por si te animas a echarle un ojo! :)

#telocuentoen1minuto la ley 48 y mi reflexión

#Sé cambiante en tu forma.

IG

https://www.instagram.com/bitacoraporcontar/

[thesophistiicate]

something that's always stuck with me is from a study on popularity i once read. it concluded that the most popular people (students in a school in this case) were not the most beautiful, wealthy, intelligent etc. they were simply the people who liked the most other people. as in, those who reported a high level of fondness for others were the most well-liked by everyone else. it seems obvious but it wasn't to me at the time. this is why i think it's so important to overcome arrogance, judgement, snobbishness etc and learn how to connect with kindness. it is so much more powerful than negativity.

[mylartheloon]

For those applying for jobs, add soft & hard skills to your resumes!

[englishlanguagelab]

English Lab

English Lab laboratory will more emphasize on above mentioned skills giving completeness to the English learning course. English Language labs can solve this problem and make English learning process highly effective, interesting and intrinsic for both teachers and students, alike.

https://www.englishlab.co.in/blog/tag/english-lab/

[leximicham]

Preface to Friendship as a Force Multiplier

I was watching a video with my wives about important lessons for being a professional in our industry and I found myself getting really frustrated when the topic of skills came up. I find myself getting frustrated a lot when people talk about important skills in jobs, hobbies, families, content creation, etc. So often people seem to focus on technical skills, they'll then add something about the importance of organization and/or project management skills, maybe make a mention of people/communication/marketing skills, but people seem to shy away from one of the most important set of skills in my opinion: Intra-personal skills.

How am I supposed to get any cool and important things done if I don't know how I do things or if I don't know how to take care of myself to ensure that I'm healthy and available enough to do said things? Where's health as a skill in these talks? Where's boundary setting, time management, flow awareness, pressure response, reasonable accommodations, and nurturing self-talk in these discussions about what's important in our lives and work? So often people shy away from talking about our struggles or thinking about the struggles other people may be facing and we call them "personal problems". It's like there's this base assumption that you're not ready to listen to the talks which "tell you everything you need to know about being an x professional/creator/expert" if you don't know how to show up everyday and just churn out work. As someone with disorders which impair my executive functions I feel like these talks must be for robots. Someone without any sort of executive dysfunction might call me lazy. Neither of those labels is particularly useful.

I realized that, in spite of all of my complaining, I do actually have a bunch of knowledge in this space. I've done a lot of research, I've had great mentors, and I have people who love, support, and encourage me to organize and share my experiences and learnings. If you were following along with my rant and want to know what I've translated from the "robots" (lovely neurotypical people) and high functioning neurodivergents in my life then I hope my linked post will help you. Friendship as a Force Multiplier is about how we can help others achieve their goals and is a language that we can use to ask for help when we're struggling with our execution ability (getting shit done). I hope one day that I can tackle some of the other problems I mentioned above.

I initially wanted this post to be both a rant and the main post but the rant got too long and I won't do the recipe blogger thing. There's no good reason for me to make you read an entire story every time that you want to remember how to bake my gluten and dairy free cheesecake. I mean: share with your loved ones how they can help you get shit done.