Author: Abbey

It’s something that gets asked by almost every hiring manager at the tail end of almost any job interview: “Do you have any questions for me?” Shrug it off or shake your head, and you risk looking like you haven’t done your homework or you’re not interested in the position, says Vicki Salemi, career expert and author of Big Career in the Big City. But what you ask is just as important as the fact that you piped up. “I encourage people to write down their questions ahead of time, because you’re going to be talking to a lot of people with a million things running through your mind,” she says. “Being able to look at a list helps you stay calm without scrambling to ask something impressive.” She suggests one of these:

1. WHY DO YOU LIKE WORKING HERE—ASIDE FROM THE PEOPLE?

That second part is important, says Salemi, because “the first reaction everyone has it so say people, but that doesn’t really tell you much.” When you take away their ability to default to great coworkers, you get more insightful responses. “Benefits” might signal that the pay is great, but the work is boring. “Flexibility” might tell you that micromanagement won’t be a major problem. And if someone really struggles to think of something, well, that might be a red flag all its own.

2. IF I WANT TO BE RATED EXCELLENT ON MY PERFORMANCE REVIEW AT YEAR END, WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO GET THERE?

“This is my all-time favorite question, because it shows them that you’re ambitious and you strive for excellence,” says Salemi. But the question can also give you great insight into what it takes to excel in the job—not just land the job offer. “I always remind candidates that you’re interviewing them as much as they’re interviewing you,” she says. Do they have a clearly articulated vision of what this role entails? Do the expectations seem reasonable enough? Challenging enough? Does the picture of an ace worker actually jibe with your skill set and interests?

3. HOW WILL I BE TRAINED?

Here’s another question that makes it easy to sniff out how disorganized or chaotic things are behind the scenes. Can the hiring manager describe a carefully mapped out training program? Are there mentors? Or does he default to “on-the-ground learning” and leave it at that? “You want to know the boss has put some thought into what happens after you get the new job,” says Salemi. “Even at an executive level, you might not get explicit training, but there’s going to be some structure in place to get ramped up on the inner workings of the organization.”

4. HOW DO YOU SEE THIS DEPARTMENT EVOLVING OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS?

Here’s a sneaky way to ask about advancement opportunities without asking how quickly you’ll get promoted. Maybe the company’s in a period of rapid expansion, maybe there’s a big technology project on the horizon that will upend how things are structured, or maybe the department has been totally steady for as long as they can remember. All of that is great intel that you won’t get if you stay mum. “The biggest red flag is if they don’t seem to have any vision for the future,” says Salemi. That might be because they’re too busy scrambling to stay afloat in the near term to think big picture—rarely a sign of good career opportunities.

It can be tough to devote time to a full yoga class or rejuvenating barre session any time of year—but especially during the chaos of the holidays and the rush into the new year. The good news is, you really don’t have to spend an hour unwinding on a mat to calm and center yourself. A few minutes is all you need to clear your mind and banish stress. Use these tips from zen-loving yoga and barre instructors to get a little R&R and stay focused when your nerves feel frayed.

1. JUST BREATHE.

“I ground and center myself with a meditation practice to start my day, particularly during the stress of the busy holiday season! Yoga and meditation can be done any time, anywhere, even if you can’t fit in a studio class or are traveling for the holidays. I use the stress release blend [essential oil] from Saje Natural Wellness and do four-by-four breathing: Inhale four counts, hold four counts, exhale four counts, hold four counts. It moves you from your sympathetic to parasympathetic nervous system to calm yourself on your mat or in the middle of a stressful situation.”
—Ashley Turner, MA, MFTI, founder of Yoga. Psyche. Soul.: Advanced Yoga Psychology Training

2. REACH FOR CALMING SCENTS.

“My routine yoga practice is the key to de-stressing because it moves the body and allows for deeper breathing. However, when times get really rough, I like to add grounding essential oils—like lavender and earthy scents such as vetiver and patchouli—to my wrists during practice or right before bed.
—Chelsea Jasin, senior instructor at CorePower Yoga, Denver

3. STICK TO THE PLAN.

“Consistency during the holiday rush is your best friend. I stick religiously to my workout schedule because it grounds me. It’s easy to waste an hour doing something useless, so I commit to a barre class instead. That rush of endorphins gives me the energy to mail all the holiday cards, conquer the gift list, and gear up for travel.”
—Kiesha Ramey-Presner, VP of teacher development and master instructor at The Bar Method

4. KEEP A CURFEW.

“Set a jingle belling alarm for bedtime! With so much to do this time of year, it’s easy to allow the hours to slip away at night—and then all of a sudden, it’s 1 a.m. For full power, sleep is a necessity.”
—Bethany Lyons, founder of Lyons Den Power Yoga in New York City

5. STRIKE A POSE—ANYWHERE.

“I do one minute of deep breathing along with a mantra. For example, on the inhale you can say ‘open heart’ and then say ‘open mind’ on the exhale. From there I do a practice with one to three sun salutations and three flowing cobras or locusts—to keep an open heart and open mind and get out of the problem thinking and into creative-solution mode. Then I end with one to three minutes lying with my legs up the wall (or office chair).”
—Heather Peterson, Chief Yoga Officer at CorePower Yoga, Orange County, California

6. LISTEN TO WHAT YOUR BODY NEEDS.

“While it’s tempting to want to rest in child’s pose all day, when I’m really stressed out, I know what my body most needs are heart-opening poses, poses that will get me out of my head and in tune with my body. Cobras, camels, and wheels are perfect for this. That said, my advice in general would be to listen to your own body and figure out what you specifically crave. At the end of the day, there’s never any judgment around going straight for savasana!”
—Amanda Murdock, director of content and trainer for the app Aaptiv

You’ve got a hunch that you’re on the outs with your boss—it could be because of that deadline you missed, or simply because you dared to speak to him before he finished his morning coffee. Either way, things are tense, and it could spell trouble for your career. Use these pro tips to get back into his or her good graces.

1. SCHEDULE A TIME TO MEET.

The best way to work through your issues with your boss is to talk things over face-to-face. But don’t spring this meeting on him, because he may take this as an ambush, says Art Glover, director of Human Resources at the Douglas County Libraries. During the talk, approach things tactfully and deferentially. “Talk openly, and say things like, ‘I’m feeling like things aren’t working too well, and I want to make sure I’m meeting your needs,'” Glover suggests. Or, “I want to hear what you’d like from me.” It sounds simple, but this is an incredibly difficult conversation for some people to have. You may want to practice first.

2. MATCH THEIR COMMUNICATION STYLE.

Your boss could be having a hard time working with you because he likes to skip the details and the chatter and get right to the point, but you’ve been filling his inbox with stories rather than quick one-liners. Or maybe the reverse is true. “Instead of making assumptions about the person, act like a detective as you study their behavior,” says Christen Bavero, coach at the brand management and executive coaching company ThinkHuman.

“Once you study their behavior, match their communication style,” Bavero says. Do they send just two-to-three sentences in an email? Or does each email include five paragraphs explaining each process? Do they like to have animated face-to-face meetings that involve conversations about family, or is a quick instant message chat more their style?

3. GET TIPS FROM A TRUSTED CO-WORKER.

Surely your boss gets along with someone. Ask that person what she’s done to get along with the boss, says Susan Heathfield, a management and organization development consultant who specializes in human resources issues. Heathfield also recommends asking that person what she thinks you should be doing differently. Maybe the boss confided in her about you—or maybe she knows that your boss just doesn’t like people who bring tuna fish to work because it stinks up the break room. Really, it could be anything, and your co-worker could know the secret.

4. DON’T ENGAGE.

In moments of real conflict with your boss you need to make sure you don’t say something you’ll regret. The best way to do this? “Breathe,” says Jody Michael, CEO and founder of Jody Michael Associates, an executive and career coaching company with offices in Chicago and Atlanta. “Deep diaphragmatic breathing is one of the easiest and most effective ways to regain your composure. The last thing you want to do is to engage in the frenzy that your boss might be creating, and to say or do something you later regret.” Also, she says, remember that your boss is human, which makes him or her vulnerable to pressure and stress. While you may not like him, try to understand his perspective and the factors that might be driving his behaviors.

5. MAKE A CHANGE.

Sorry to break it to you, but your boss might have a good reason for disliking you. Maybe you botched a project or are always late to work. If you are determined to change, then you should apologize for your behavior. If you’re sincere, your boss will eventually come around, Glover says. “Generally, we human beings, once we’ve been given negative info, take a little while to see that you’re going to turn that around,” he says. “Actions speak louder than words.” If your actions are consistently positive, and your boss is a reasonable person, then you should be able to mend the relationship.

If the holiday season makes visions of sugar plums dance in your head, the caloric austerity plan you have in mind for the new year will feel like a rude awakening. Between snacks, drinks, and the main meal, the average American consumes over 4500 calories on Thanksgiving Day alone, and with a calendar full of holiday parties, this over-indulgent lifestyle usually persists until January 1.

For anyone who’s planning to pursue a fitness- and health-related New Year’s resolution, it’s important to start preparing before the clock strikes midnight on December 31—it’s nearly impossible to make a drastic lifestyle change at the drop of a hat. Use these expert tips to get a head-start on your fitness goals in order to maximize your success.

1. DON’T UNDERESTIMATE THE DEDICATION NEEDED TO MAKE A CHANGE.

It takes a lot of patience and persistence to follow through on your fitness goals. “The problem that most people run into is that they don’t think through what they’re getting into,” says Dean Gavindane, a certified personal trainer and CEO of SuperMe Performance.

Gavindane says that underestimating the level of commitment needed to stick to a new fitness routine is common because people see their fitness goals “as a sprint instead of a marathon.” Understanding that your new diet and workout routine won’t achieve results overnight is the first step to shedding pounds and toning up.

2. START COUNTING YOUR CALORIES.

Losing weight is a simple math problem: Eat fewer calories than you burn each day. In order to count calories effectively, you therefore need to know how many you are taking in through your food as well as how many you are expelling when you exercise. Use a fitness tracker and a calorie-counting app to help you make smart snacking choices during the holidays.

3. KEEP A FOOD DIARY.

Jen Hazzard, cross country coach and adjunct chemistry and physics professor at Fulton-Montgomery Community College, has her clients keep a food diary where they record what they eat on a daily basis, using each day as a benchmark for the next. She says the diary is a way to be honest with yourself and to change the way you think about your nutrition changes. “I avoid the term diet,” says Hazzard. “It suggests giving up things you love for things you don’t like. You should never make fitness about denial, but about finding a middle ground. A good start to finding that middle ground is treating certain meals like rewards.”

Hazzard also says that by cutting out processed and junk foods, you’d be surprised at the quantity of healthy food you can consume without gaining weight. There’s no shame in filling up the pages of your food diary as long as they’re healthy foods.

4. STICK IT OUT FOR 66 DAYS.

Hazzard has also worked as a consultant for a wellness program called Commit to 66, which is based on a 2009 study that showed the average length of time it took participants to form a new habit was 66 days [PDF]. It’s important to remember that 66 days was the study’s average, so it may take you more or less time. What’s important is setting a long-term goal to help you curb your impulses as well as keep from getting discouraged.

5. DON’T BE AFRAID TO EXPERIMENT WITH FITNESS.

It’s easy to get in a rut at the gym (do you head to the elliptical every time you’re there?), but keeping an open mind about your physicality and trying new things is an important part of shedding weight. “Simple yet effective exercises and workouts can be done in several different ways depending upon the time allowed and equipment provided,” says Tiffany Tatlock, a certified personal trainer, meal planner, and competitive bodybuilder.

6. INCORPORATE BODYWEIGHT WORKOUTS INTO YOUR ROUTINE AT HOME.

If a gym isn’t available for you (or if it feels sub-Arctic outside and you can’t bear to leave the warmth of your home) it’s still possible to get in a great workout, no equipment required. Here are some body-weight circuits that Tatlock has suggested that can be performed at home and aren’t very time-consuming.

Set 1:
Floor Touch Squats (10 reps)
Wide-Grip Push-Ups (10 reps)
Squat Jumps (10 reps)
Full Tuck Crunch (10 reps)
Rest (60 seconds)

Set 2:
Forward and Backward Lunge (10 reps each leg)
Tricep Dips (10 reps)
High Knee Skips (10 reps each leg)
Bicycle Crunch (30 seconds)
Rest (60 seconds)

Set 3:
Flutter Kicks (30 seconds)
Swimming Plank (10 reps each side)
Diagonal Squat Thrust (5 reps each side)
Toe Touch Beetle Crunch (10 reps)
Rest (60 seconds)

Set 4:
Lateral Lunges (10 reps each leg)
Close-Grip Push-Ups (10 reps)
Single-Leg Skater Squat (10 reps each leg)
Vertical Leg Lift (10 reps)
Rest (60 seconds)

Set 5:
Plank (30 seconds)
Skydiver (30 seconds)
Tick-Tock Squats (10 reps each leg)
Spinal Rock-Up (10 reps)
Rest (60 seconds)

Completing sets one through five marks one round, and Tatlock advises performing up to five rounds in your workout session. “Effective and great workouts are all about giving it your all,” says Tatlock. “Typically, three to four of these sessions per week can be effective when the gym isn’t achievable.”