Europe, and indeed all the major industrialized nations, is currently going through a recession. This obviously has serious implications for companies and personnel who find themselves victims of the downturn. As Britain apparently eases out of recession, there are also potentially equally serious implications for the companies who survive, associated with the employment and recruitment market in general.

During a recession, voluntary staff turnover is bound to fall sharply. Staff who have been with a company for some years will clearly not want to risk losing their accumulated redundancy rights. Furthermore, they will be unwilling to go to a new organization where they may well be joining on a “last in, first out” basis. Consequently, even if there is little or no job satisfaction in their current post, they are most likely to remain where they are, quietly sitting it out and waiting for things to improve. In Britain, this situation has been aggravated by the length and nature of the recession—as may also prove to be the case in the rest of Europe and beyond.

In the past, companies used to take on staff at the lower levels and reward loyal employees with internal promotions. This opportunity for a lifetime career with one company is no longer available, owing to “downsizing” of companies, structural reorganizations and redundancy programs, all of which have affected middle management as much as the lower levels. This reduced promotion prospects within most companies. Whereas ambitious personnel had become used to regular promotion, they now find their progress is blocked.

This situation is compounded by yet another factor. When staff at any level are taken on, it is usually from outside and promotion is increasingly through career moves between companies. Recession has created a new breed of bright young graduates, much more self-interested and cynical than in the past. They tend to be more wary, skeptical of what is on offer and consequently much tougher negotiators. Those who joined companies directly from education feel the effects most strongly and now feel uncertain and insecure in mid-life.

In many cases, this has resulted in staff dissatisfaction. Moreover, management itself has contributed to this general ill-feeling and frustration. The caring image of the recent past has gone and the fear of redundancy is often used as the prime motivator.

As a result of all these factors, when the recession eases and people find more confidence, there will be an explosion of employees seeking new opportunities to escape their current jobs. This will be led by younger, less-experienced employees and the hard-headed young graduates. “Headhunters” confirm that older staff are still cautious, having seen so many good companies “go to the wall”, and are reluctant to jeopardize their redundancy entitlements. Past experience, however, suggests that, once triggered, the expansion in recruitment will be very rapid.

[A] feel uncertain and insecure.

[B] are more skeptical and less trusting.

[C] has affected different levels of personnel.

[D] use fear as means of motivation.

[E] has often contributed to staff dissatisfaction.

[F] are more skeptical and more trusting.

[G] increasingly have to look elsewhere for promotion.

[A] Suggest a pre-interview

[B] How do you know your contact

[C] Leave enough time to your referrer

[D] Understand your contact’s position in the company

[E] Put your request in writing

[F] Is your contact willing to provide a referral

[G] Say “thank you”

Whether you’re unemployed or supported by a regular paycheck, job hunting and blindly sending out resumes can be a tiring and frustrating experience. So when the career gods smile in your direction and provide your dream position at a company where you know an employee, it can feel as though your professional traffic jam just opened onto the six-lane new-job freeway. But before you fire off that “Will you refer me?” email, consider some of these important factors that can make or break your chances at an interview.

【R1】________

If your intended referrer is your best college pal or Aunt Winnie, proceed with caution. While it’s great to have friends or family who can vouch for you on a personal level, many hiring managers are more interested in your professional abilities. And getting a referral from someone who can’t even repeat what you do for a living may come across as a weak attempt at getting your foot in the door, not a strong recommendation. The best contact is one who knows your career progression and accomplishments.

【R2】________

Your dream job resides in sales and marketing, but your contact at the company works in tech support. At small companies, this link may be sufficient enough to secure you an interview, but you can’t always count on it. The best referral will come from someone who is knowledgeable about the open position and the kind of requirements and experience it entails.

【R3】________

If you decide that your contact is a strong one, then make your request in writing. Your potential referrer can then take the time to thoughtfully consider whether or not she is comfortable making an introduction before responding to you with her answer. And you give her a chance to quickly research any pertinent information regarding the hiring manager and job qualifications.

【R4】________

When making your referral request, ask your contact whether she is comfortable providing a referral. While you might be eager to cut to the chase by asking directly for an endorsement, a wishy-washy or noncommittal referral can be worse than no referral at all, so don’t take it personally if she refuses. But hopefully you’ve carefully considered your relationship with this person so that the answer is a confident “Yes!”

【R5】________

Even if your contact agrees to put you in touch with the hiring manager, offer to take her to lunch so you can provide her with the information she needs to deliver a strong referral. Describe your major professional accomplishments, and relate them to why you think you would be an ideal candidate for the listed position. By offering up the information she needs, you not only increase your chances of obtaining an interview, but you also make her look good to her coworkers by contributing an informed recommendation.

Before you even know if you’ve obtained the interview, send your referrer a thank-you note. You’ll let her know that regardless of the outcome, you appreciate her time and effort. And even if this position doesn’t pan out for you, your graciousness will keep you top-of-mind if similar positions arise in the future!

[A] Breaking all constraints

[B] Timeline to execution

[C] The purpose of the decision

[D] Known unknowns and unknown unknowns

[E] Wrong is never permanent

[F] Resource accessibility

[G] Playing to self-interest

Leadership in any capacity requires a laser-like focus, complete awareness of the problem set, and a willingness to “move the needle” when faced with uncertainty. Leaders must, at any point, be willing to make a split-second decision with potentially long-lasting and profound impacts.

Here are five criteria to consider when making your next big decision:

【R1】________

In the military, there was (and still is) a pecking order of priority upon which decisions are based. The mission always came first, followed by what would serve the team, and finally, what would serve the individual. The individual always comes last because he or she was always the smallest link in the organizational chain. Playing to self-interest serves little purpose, and that’s not what a team or an organization is about.

【R2】________

Well, “never” is a strong word, but you get the idea. I’ve said before that failure is only determined by where you choose to stop, and it also depends on how that particular problem is perceived. The higher one ascends within an organization. For example, the same problem that appears tricky at one level may not necessarily be the right one to solve for at another. Seek as many viewpoints as you can to enhance your understanding of the situation.

【R3】________

There are internal and external influences that shape the feasibility of execution along a given timeline. Internal influences refer to the competency of you and your team to execute the decision in the given time, whereas external influences signify the driving forces that impact the deadline that you have no control over, such as weather, the economy or market demand.

You want to ask yourself two questions. First, “Is now the right time to decide?” If the answer is yes, then your next question is, “Am I capable of executing the decision?” If the answer is no then ask “why?”

【R4】________

These are the constraints surrounding the execution of your decisions.

A known unknown is when you realize a specific intangible exists but can’t quantify how much, such as traffic. For instance, you’re aware that rush hour in Los Angeles never really has an end point, so it could take you from 20 minutes to two hours to travel from A to B. The point is, you know that uncertainty exists but don’t know how much. Unknown unknowns are when Murphy likes to throw another wrench in the mix that you simply can’t plan for, such as a vehicle accident or engine breakdown.

Try to identify all constraints as best you can so you know how to align them towards the purpose of your decision.

【R5】________

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. The result of any effort will depend in part on the resources used to execute it, so be sure to identify not only the primary resources available but also secondary ones, too. Every decision should have a contingency plan for when those unknown unknowns arise and deem your primary course of action obsolete.

Decision-making can paralyze you if you’re not prepared. Tackle your next major dilemma using the aforementioned considerations and feel better about the decisions you come to.

[A] Learn How to Recognize Your Soul Mate

[B] Take Religion Seriously

[C] Consider Marrying Young

[D] Learn to Read Regularly

[E] Watch “Groundhog Day” Repeatedly

[F] Eventually Stop Fretting about Fame and Fortune

[G] Cultivate the Habit of Watching Movies

A few years ago, I took it upon myself to start writing tips for the young staff where I work about how to avoid doing things that would make their supervisors write them off. At that point, I had to deal with a reality: When it comes to a life filled with deep and lasting satisfactions, most of the cliches are true. How could I make them sound fresh to a new generation? Here’s how I tried.

【R1】________

The age of marriage for college graduates has been increasing for decades, and this cultural shift has been a good thing. But should you assume that marriage is still out of the question when you’re 25? I’m not suggesting that you decide ahead of time that you will get married in your 20s. I’m just pointing out that you shouldn’t exclude the possibility. If you get married in your 20s, it is likely to be a start-up.

What are the advantages of a start-up marriage? For one thing, you will both have memories of your life together when it was all still up in the air. You’ll have fun remembering the years when you went from being scared newcomers to the point at which you realized you were going to make it.

【R2】________

Marry someone with similar tastes and preferences. Which tastes and preferences? The ones that will affect life almost every day.

It is absolutely crucial that you really, really like your spouse. You hear it all the time from people who are in great marriages: “I’m married to my best friend.” They are being literal. A good working definition of “soul mate” is “your closest friend, to whom you are also sexually attracted.”

【R3】________

One of my assumptions about you is that you are ambitious—meaning that you hope to become famous, rich or both, and intend to devote intense energy over the next few decades to pursuing those dreams. That is as it should be.

But suppose you arrive at age 40, and you enjoy your work, have found your soul mate, are raising a couple of terrific kids—and recognize that you will probably never become either rich or famous. At that point, it is important to know fame and wealth do accomplish something: They cure ambition anxiety. But that’s all. It isn’t much.

【R4】________

Start by jarring yourself out of unreflective atheism or agnosticism. A good way to do that is to read about contemporary cosmology. That reading won’t lead you to religion, but it may stop you from being unreflective.

Start reading religious literature. The past hundred years have produced excellent and accessible work, much of it written by people who came to adulthood as uninvolved in religion as you are.

【R5】________

Without the slightest bit of preaching, The movie “Groundhog Day” shows the bumpy, unplanned evolution of his protagonist from a jerk to a fully realized human being—a person who has learned to experience deep, lasting and justified satisfaction with life even though he has only one day to work with.

You could learn the same truths by studying Aristotle’s “Ethics” carefully, but watching “Groundhog Day” repeatedly is a lot more fun.

[A] Pick up the local paper

[B] Save from the first place

[C] Use a guidebook—your own

[D] Pick up the phone

[E] Choose cheap countries

[F] Download magazines from web

[G] Splurge when it matters

You’ve mastered the art of modern-travel savings: Your airfare alerts are set up on Kayak; you flit around Europe on cheap carriers like EasyJet. You stay in apartments rented through Airbnb. You could probably shave a few more cents off travel costs by downloading five new apps and bookmarking 10 new sites. But real savings will come to those who go retro by stepping away from the screen, or using it differently, to find old-fashioned tactics that can save you big. Here are some old-school tips for getting the most out of your travel buck.

【R1】________

We think we can get everything done online these days, but sometimes a simple phone call is your best bet for saving money. Speak with an innkeeper and learn of potential discounts on extended stays or information on how to get there from the airport by public transit. Contact the specific location where you’ll pick up your rental car and reserve a compact to avoid getting “upgraded” to a bigger vehicle that will increase (sometimes even double) your gas costs. Call travel agencies that strike special deals with airlines to get your prices below anything you’ll find online.

【R2】________

Goodbye Norway, hello Bolivia. Or as a blogger put it, “Cheapest dorm bed in Zurich=nice room in Bangkok.” Extrapolate that to tour guides, museum entries, food and more, and the savings start to add up. Of course, keep in mind how much it will cost you to get there in the first place. Luckily, a lot of the cheaper countries are also cheap to fly to; another blogger put together a list of 10 “Cheap Places to Travel on the U.S. Dollar,” which includes Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Peru, Hungary and Romania.

【R3】________

Most travelers will never be across-the-board cheapskates. Street food, nosebleed-theater seats and bunk beds are not for everyone. But you don’t have to be a purist. For each trip, decide on a themed “waste” or two—transportation, food, arts, lodging—and save on the rest.

【R4】________

No listings are more up-to-the-minute than Friday arts supplements, alternative weeklies or the local editions of Time Out magazine. Get them on actual paper while they last. You’ll not only find the nontouristy scene laid out for you in one handy package, but often come across coupons or specials you certainly won’t find on Yelp.

【R5】________

I still carry a travel guide around when I travel—as backup, if nothing else. But those books are pricey, and there’s so much free information online that, with a little copying and pasting (and printing out), you can come pretty close to matching them with your own bespoke travel guide. So, in a retro twist, no Wi-Fi needed.

[A] Practice time management.

[B] Try to eliminate distractions.

[C] Treat it like a “real” course.

[D] Figure out how you learn best.

[E] Hold yourself accountable.

[F] Create a regular study space.

[G] Leverage your network.

If you’re considering taking online college courses (or you’re already enrolled in a program) the tips and advice below can help you address their unique challenges to get the most value out of your online program.

【R1】________

One of the easiest ways to ensure follow through is to remember that you are paying to take this online course, just as you would for a traditional, in-person class. You must “show up” if you’re going to get real value out of your class. Treat your online classes the same way you would a face-to-face class—or, better yet, a job—and you’ll be off to the right start.

【R2】________

Set goals at the beginning of the semester, and check in with yourself weekly. In a traditional classroom setting, you’ll often receive verbal or visual reminders of an assignment’s upcoming due date. But without a professor actively reminding you, it’s up to you to make sure you’ve allotted enough time to complete the work so you’re not starting an assignment the day before it’s due. If you’re having trouble holding yourself responsible, pair up with a fellow classmate, or enlist the help of a spouse or friend to check in as an accountability partner. By being organized, proactive, and self-aware, you can get the most from your online class even when life outside of school becomes chaotic.

【R3】________

The flexibility to create your own schedule is often one of the biggest appeals of taking online classes. But that freedom can also be detrimental if you do not have solid time management skills. Without them, you might easily to find yourself cramming before classes or handing in subpar assignments. Look at the syllabus at the start of the semester and make note of major assignments. Mark them on a calendar you check regularly so you know what workload is coming in the weeks ahead. Don’t forget to factor in prior commitments that may interfere with your regular study schedule, such as weddings or vacations, so you can give yourself enough extra time to complete assignments.

【R4】________

Set up a dedicated learning environment for studying. By completing your work there repeatedly, you’ll begin to establish a routine. Whether your workspace is your kitchen table, a library, or the corner booth in a local coffee shop, it’s important to determine what type of environment will work best for you. Experiment to discover which type of setting boosts your productivity. Wherever you choose, make sure there’s high-speed internet access so you’re not trying to take an online course over a lagging connection. Setting up a regular workspace or office will also help you to stay organized.

【R5】________

From Netflix to social media to dishes piling up in the sink, you’ll be faced with many distractions that can easily derail your studies. The best online students know how to lessen these distractions and set aside time to focus. Exactly how much of a challenge these distractions will prove to be will depend on your own unique personality and situation. Some might find that they can tune out a noisy home by listening to music. Others might choose to work from a local coffee shop or library to eliminate their urge to multitask at home.