November 10, 2017: Friday News Roundup

This week’s roundup has advice for successful mentorships and picking an employer. And a bit of opera.

What Mentors Wish Their Mentees Knew
If you’re fortunate enough to have a caring, involved, and well-connected mentor, don’t squander that relationship! Your role isn’t to sit back and let them help you; you need to be equally engaged. Read on for more ways you can be a standout mentee and, hopefully, you’ll get to return the favor down the line when you’re in a position to mentor others.

Big Brother Isn’t Just Watching: Workplace Surveillance Can Track Your Every Move
We’re seeing more stories like this one, which suggests this trend is only going to spread. Here, we learn of a surveillance product that snaps photos of workers every 10 minutes using the webcam on their computers. What say you: would this boost your productivity or your paranoia?

Are You Suited for a Start-Up?
If you’re sending out resumes or weighing job offers (lucky you!), you face a choice between established companies or young startups. For many, startups appear to offer greater opportunity to try many different things, grow quickly, and drink from the proverbial firehose, but it’s wise to do an honest self-assessment first to determine if you’re suited to startup life.

Obama’s Four Rules For Persuading People And Effecting Real Change
It doesn’t matter where you fall on the political spectrum; Barack Obama’s advice for how to get along with other people is solid. His stated aim is to “elevate civic culture,” but you’d be wise to heed his four rules if you want to build constructive relationships at work and in your personal life.

At the Met Opera, a Note So High, It’s Never Been Sung Before
You know what we don’t include enough in the roundup? Opera. This might not seem like an obvious fit with our usual themes here, but we are always excited about humankind’s ability to continue growing, improving, and hitting new milestones. So, yes, you should read about this operatic feat, the result of “a combination of genetic gifts, rigorous training and psychological discipline.” And doesn’t that apply to a lot of the goals we strive to achieve in life?