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Entrepreneur
05-06-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Micro-Retirement? Quit Your Job Before You're a Millionaire
The trend is popular on social media among Gen Z and millennial workers who need a break. The average age of retirement in the U.S. is 63 for women and 65 for men, according to recent research from financial services company Empower — a milestone several decades off for Gen Z and young millennial professionals. What's more, for many people, saving enough money for a comfortable lifestyle in their golden years remains an elusive feat. More than 57% of working Americans think they're behind where they should be on their retirement savings, including 35% who feel significantly behind, per a 2024 Bankrate survey. Related: Americans in These 5 U.S. States Might Fare the Worst in Retirement. How Do Your Numbers Compare? That's perhaps not surprising given the lofty figure Americans consider the bare minimum for retirement: $1.46 million, according to a Northwestern Mutual study. An alternative to reaching such a far-off, financially cumbersome goal? The increasingly popular "micro-retirement." What is a micro-retirement? A "micro-retirement," also known as a "mini-retirement," refers to career breaks during which people can pursue personal interests and goals, and potentially reconsider their professional aspirations. "Micro-retirement is a great way for workers to balance their careers with their personal lives," Peter Duris, CEO and co-founder of AI career app Kickresume, says. "While some have ambitious career goals that see them climbing the ladder quickly, others have different priorities. Micro-retirement offers the freedom to explore those personal aspirations sooner rather than later." Duris also points out that micro-retirement doesn't necessarily mean leaving the workforce forever — most micro-retirees will return to their careers "feeling refreshed" and "ready to jump right into a new role." Related: How Much Money Do You Need to Retire Comfortably in Your State? Here's the Breakdown. Where did the term "micro-retirement" come from? The "micro-" or "mini-" retirement strategy is sweeping social media and gaining ground with Gen Z and young millennial professionals, but the concept of strategically-timed career breaks isn't a new one. In The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich, first published in 2007, American entrepreneur and investor Timothy Ferriss poses a question on the minds of many young workers today: "What if you could use a mini-retirement to sample your deferred-life plan reward before working 40 years for it?" Related: Early Retirement vs. Delayed Retirement: Which Is Right for You? Ferriss's mini-retirement strategy involves regular travel. "I currently take three or four mini-retirements per year and know dozens who do the same," he writes. "Sometimes these sojourns take me around the world; oftentimes they take me around the corner —Yosemite, Tahoe, Carmel — but to a different world psychologically, where meetings, e-mail and phone calls don't exist for a set period of time." In a recent survey from global outplacement and career development firm Careerminds, 26% of micro-retirees said their top goal would be travel and exploration, while 23% were motivated by health and wellness. How can you pull off your own micro-retirement? The best time to micro-retire is when you're ready to leave your current job and tackle a new experience, according to Duris — but adequate planning and preparation will go a long way. Employees embarking on micro-retirement should make sure they save enough money for their time away and post-hiatus job search, have a clear sense of what they'd like to do during micro-retirement and upon their return, and refresh their resumes with any skills gleaned from the break, Duris suggests. Related: Retiring at 27: Ambitious, Lazy or Crazy? "Although this way of working and living might sound stressful, it offers the chance to experience the best of both worlds," Duris says. "Putting your career on hold doesn't have to be a bad thing. It can give young people the chance to do things that grow their confidence and help them learn more about themselves."
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
How To Use These 4 Best AI Tools To Find Jobs
Time is money, especially when you're unemployed and without a paycheck. If only there were a way to accelerate the job search process and get hired quickly. Luckily, AI can help make that possible. Check Out: Try This: With the help of AI, you can stop manually applying for jobs and utilize tools for every step of the job-hunting process, from writing cover letters to landing interviews. If you're looking for a new job, check out these handy AI tools to help you get hired. You need an updated and polished resume before applying for jobs. If it's been a few years since you last applied for a job, you may need to build a resume from scratch. This is where Kickresume can help. Simply enter your name and job title, and the tool will generate a draft of your resume that you can edit and personalize with the assistance of AI. It even scores your resume based on design, structure, and content so you can track where it needs improvements. The site has free features but requires upgrading for a complete resume draft. Learn More: Drafting a cover letter for each job you apply for is tedious. In only a few simple steps, Grammarly's cover letter generator produces a professional cover letter for you, and it's free! All you need to do is upload your resume, a description or link to the job you're applying for, and the job responsibilities and requirements. Then, Grammarly can tailor the letter to the specific position you're applying for. If you don't like the first rendition of the cover letter, you can edit it on Grammarly's site and use their suggestions to ensure it is free of spelling errors and grammatically correct. With your resume and cover letter prepared, you're ready to start applying for jobs. While Teal offers tools for building a resume and cover letter, its job application tracker is a real time saver, and will help streamline your job hunt process. Teal's Chrome extension allows you to save jobs as you find them. When you have a few jobs saved, the tool will track and monitor them for you. Everything from bookmarking to job acceptance. On top of that, it also provides tailored suggestions for each job application and allows you to schedule follow-ups so you don't miss a beat during any step of the process. ChatGPT may not be a job application tool, but that doesn't mean you can't use it to your advantage when applying for jobs. Before you step into an interview, it's a good idea to practice responding to questions so you're as prepared as possible. Prompt ChatGPT to generate interview questions based on the job description of the role you're applying for. If you struggle to answer any of the questions or don't like how you respond, use the tool to rephrase your response to help you sound more polished and professional for the real thing. Don't waste time on your job search. Use these best AI tools to your advantage to get hired quickly. More From GOBankingRates Mark Cuban: Trump's Tariffs Will Affect This Class of People the Most 6 Popular SUVs That Aren't Worth the Cost -- and 6 Affordable Alternatives How To Get the Most Value From Your Costco Membership in 2025 10 Genius Things Warren Buffett Says To Do With Your Money This article originally appeared on How To Use These 4 Best AI Tools To Find Jobs
Forbes
06-04-2025
- Forbes
‘Ping Fatigue': 4 Tips To Tackle This Silent Culprit Of Burnout
That pinging sound from your multiple devices could be your new American Idol. It's amazing how many of us feel slaves to the high-pitched sound and how few of us do anything about. April is National Stress Awareness month, a perfect time to pay attention to how pinging can annoy you like gnats at a picnic. But the seemingly innocuous sound is more serious than you might think if you're not fully aware of the stress it imposes in your life. When unmanaged, the constant pinging could turn into chronic stress and lead to 'ping fatigue'--a silent contributor to burnout. 'Do you know that feeling of a complete onslaught of notifications during your busy workday?" asks Peter Duris, CEO and co-founder of AI career app Kickresume. 'That's ping fatigue,' Duris answers. 'Many workers nowadays are logged into multiple apps and platforms which can send you notifications throughout the day. It can be an automatic message to let you know that someone's editing your file, a meeting's about to start or that someone's trying to contact you.' 'Ping fatigue' refers to the state of mental exhaustion that leads to an 'always on' attitude when you receive an endless stream of digital notifications from platforms like Teams, Slack, email and Google Drive. It can leave you stressed, distracted and unable to maintain your focus. Duris is convinced that this growing issue exhausts the energy of office and tech workers in ways they're unaware of, adding, 'It's one of the things that silently contributes to burnout for office and tech workers.' Plus, he says these multiple distractions can make it more difficult to focus and get into a flow state where you feel able to tackle your work. 'There should always be a balance between getting on with your tasks and being available to your colleagues, especially if you work in a collaborative environment, according to Duris. 'I wouldn't advise anybody to feel like they are 'always on'—especially outside of work hours.' Duris offers four tips on how you can manage your devices and prevent "ping fatigue.' 1. 'Try setting aside specific times for checking your emails and other messages. If you need a period of deep work, you can always turn off your notifications for some time or just simply turn off the sound on your computer.' 2. 'If you use Slack or Teams, you can set your status to 'busy' to let everyone know ahead of time that you might respond slower.' 3. 'Take scheduled breaks away from the screen if you can, especially during your lunch break. There's nothing better than eating with a calm mind.' 4. 'Unsubscribing to the newsletters you don't read can help you cut down the incoming notifications.' 1. 'Avoid sending messages outside of work hours. Your team will be grateful to not feel like they have to be 'always on'. If you have a great idea that you think you might forget in minutes, just write the email and schedule it for the next morning.' 2. 'Send company updates in batches for conciseness. Friendly reminder: HR, senior leadership and employee committees may need to collaborate on this for an effective weekly communications.' 3. 'Try introducing a pre-planned 'quiet time'. Many IT companies swear by it nowadays. That's when no communication is allowed, and all team members work on their own projects uninterrupted.' Ironically, the very devices that reduce stress, save time and improve your life can exacerbate stress if not properly managed. Just because your device pings doesn't mean you have to answer it on cue, letting it become the boss of your mind. Allowing intrusive pinging to call the shots automatically puts you in a foot race that can leave you frazzled. It's time to end your love affair with pinging devices. Tackling 'ping fatigue' can bring you more peace of mind, improve your focus and engagement and boost your productivity in the long run. Duris concludes that cutting down on 'ping fatigue"can make you more productive and strengthen your focus. 'The less notifications throughout the day, the better. And of course, it can also make work less stressful, with fewer competing distractions.' He concludes that when you're relaxed, you're better able to problem-solve and deal with daily work challenges.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Four key AI skills anyone can learn
Whether we like it or not, artificial intelligence is changing the way we work. Having some proficiency in AI is becoming an essential tool for workers and job seekers alike – who are relying on the technology to generate ideas, automate tasks, analyse data, craft cover letters and more. Research shows that more of us are leaning on AI to help us at work. According to Zety's 2025 Future or Work Report, 95% of employees are actively participating in training or taking other steps to improve their AI skills, and 71% already use AI at work. Nearly one in four people wish their employers would make AI-powered tools readily available, a survey of more than 1,100 people by LiveCareer found. Read more: Does AI mean less pay for workers? For the technology-shy, the idea of embracing AI can be daunting. But learning to use it productively – and ethically – isn't as difficult as it can seem. Although the term 'AI skills' encompasses the computing skills needed to design and build AI tools, not all AI skills are so technical. AI literacy, understanding what AI can do and how to use AI systems, is an important competency that anyone can develop. When we talk about AI, we tend to think about tools like ChatGPT, Copilot or Gemini. These are examples of generative AI, models that use existing data to create new content like text, images, videos and music. The key to using these tools is being able to write good prompts – questions, information or sentences – which influence the quality of the outputs you receive. 'Workers in any industry can benefit from learning how to write a great prompt for chatbots like Gemini and ChatGPT,' says Martin Poduška, at Kickresume. 'We recently researched AI use at work and found that 78% of workers across many different industries use these tools in some way. Knowing what to include in the prompt in order to get the results you want is a skill that everyone would benefit from developing.' To write a good prompt, keep your instructions concise, straightforward and conversational. Outline the context of the prompt, for example, if you're asking an AI to write an email to a client, you may want to tell it to be professional. You can refine your prompt again by changing a word or phrase if you don't get the results you're looking for with your first attempt. AI tools are not foolproof, so it's important to verify any facts and figures provided in an output and double-check any references included. Often, AI outputs can be filled with vague 'filler' text and buzzwords. In a paper published in 2024, academics highlighted how large language models (LLM) are proliferating 'careless speech' online – AI-generated output that contains 'subtle inaccuracies, oversimplifications or biased responses' that are phrased confidently. 'Being able to critically evaluate text or images created by generative AI is a specific kind of digital literacy skill that will only become more important as AI becomes more frequently used,' says Poduška. 'Workers should always be on the lookout for errors or 'hallucinations' – incorrect or misleading outputs – in the text, and should develop their research skills to double check its accuracy.' Rose Luckin, a professor of learner-centred design at University College London and an expert in AI use in education, says strategic AI integration is key. Essentially, the goal is to use AI to complement and improve human work, not to fully automate it. 'This involves understanding how to effectively incorporate AI tools to enhance human capabilities, recognising opportunities where AI can augment decision-making, developing critical evaluation skills to assess AI outputs, and maintaining human oversight and judgement,' she says. Staying curious about ways to use AI to save time can be helpful, adds Poduška. 'One great example is using a chatbot to summarise long content like reports or emails, which can be really helpful if you're returning to a project after working on something else and need to refresh your memory,' he says. 'There are lots of AI tools that you can use very easily for tasks that don't require you to learn any coding, you just need to be open to trying something new. For instance, Grammarly checks spelling and grammar, and Canva helps you edit (and generate) images and presentations.' It's also essential to recognise the limitations of the technology. AI lacks human qualities like creativity, emotional intelligence, judgement and true contextual understanding. Read more: Is it ever worth revenge quitting your job? For example, AI may be able to write an email to a disgruntled customer, but it will likely lack the 'human touch' and may end up irritating them more. Likewise, an over-reliance on AI-driven hiring tools means taking human intuition out of the hiring process, which can lead to talented applicants being overlooked. Jasmine Escalera, a career expert at Zety, says the future of work will likely be a blend of human expertise and AI innovation. 'While HR managers are increasingly supportive of AI in job applications, the human element – trust, communication, and engagement – remains essential. Companies must navigate this intersection carefully to foster a work environment that values both technology and the people who power it.' You can teach yourself how to use a lot of AI tools and like any skill, practice is key. However, taking a course can be a good way to develop more technical skills. 'There are a number of online courses available that you can follow in your own time, from free overviews to more in-depth, paid options,' says Poduška. 'But these might still be accessible to lots of people as many are affordably priced, and employers are often happy to pay for their teams to have training. Read more: Why some leaders infantilise their workers 'If you're looking for online courses I'd recommend choosing ones that are fairly recent so the information is up to date,' he adds. 'You can see that these courses have a range of applications and are targeted towards different industries and sectors.' Ultimately, there is no denying that Al may be a threat to some workers and their roles. But for others, it may be possible to take advantage of the rise of the technology by learning new skills – especially job seekers. 'Being able to confidently use this technology to save time, automate tasks and generate new ideas looks great on an application and will come across well in an interview,' says Poduška. Read more: Working parents are missing out on networking, new research suggests How to spot if you're being love-bombed at work Monotasking: How to focus on one thing at a time
