Here are this week’s Life Pro Tips.
1. If you send someone you work with, a message asking if you can speak to them, always let them know the reason, particularly if you are their manager.
2. When negotiating a salary during a job interview, ask for more than you think you should upfront.
Ask for way too much. Then negotiate down.
3. There is no “ergonomic” chair that will save your back. It’s ok to be comfortable, but don’t kid yourself into thinking any chair is good to sit in for hours a day.
4. If you have a genuinely good manager/supervisor, tell them you notice/appreciate what they do.
If you have a manager/supervisor that stands up for and supports you, recognizes good work, tries to protect their team from stupid corporate policies, is not afraid to do “menial” tasks if needed, or is encouraging or a good teacher, let them know.
It doesn’t have to be anything big, just a simple “I appreciate you standing up for people on the team” or “I noticed you hopped on a register with the other cashiers when we were slammed; thank you, because most managers don’t do that”, etc.
(Disclaimer: please use good judgement; if a manager permits their team to ignore a stupid mandate from corporate, don’t send them an email saying “thanks for not making us do ____!”, because that can get the manager in trouble and ruin it for everyone.)
While it’s true that many managers, supervisors, and leaders are clueless, micromanaging, and/or on a power trip, there are also those who genuinely try to help and support those under them; if you’re lucky enough to have such a person, please let them know that you notice, because it can make a huge difference.
5. You can move the location of captions on the YouTube web player. Just click and drag.
If you frequently watch YouTube videos on the website with captions on, sometimes they interfere with infographics or manual captions on the video. Just left click and drag to move the captions to any other anchor point on the screen.
