Fast Company

It’s nice of you to help out, but you may not want to set a precedent. Here are three ways to draw some boundaries.

It’s nice of you to help out, but you may not want to set a precedent. Here are three ways to draw some boundaries.

You did it: You were a good friend, or coworker, or contact, and took time out of your day to read a resume, listen and advise over coffee, or provide notes on an upcoming project. In fact, you did such a good job that the other person has already followed up to ask if you can help again (and then again).

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Its latest operating system experiment throws out decades of software history in pursuit of smaller-scale devices.

Its latest operating system experiment throws out decades of software history in pursuit of smaller-scale devices.

Last week, a group of Googlers did something strange: They quietly revealed a new operating system that theoretically competes with Google’s own Android OS.

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The fixation on “culture fit” might be steering us wrong on both sides of the hiring table.

The fixation on “culture fit” might be steering us wrong on both sides of the hiring table.

Whether you’re an experienced job hunter or just striking out on your first round of interviews, you’re probably pretty focused on sussing out a prospective employer’s culture to see if you’d fit in. So heeding expert advice, we pay attention to interviewers’ personalities and picture ourselves sitting at a happy hour with our potential coworkers. We ask ourselves if that feels comfortable, what kind of personality a company seems to have, and whether ours squares with it.

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SRI wants to produce chatbots with deep knowledge of specific topics like banking and auto repair.

SRI wants to produce chatbots with deep knowledge of specific topics like banking and auto repair.

After birthing a virtual assistant that knows a little of everything, SRI International is working on ones that know a lot about just one thing.

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This week’s top stories may encourage you to apply for a job at Google and help you pick up on the bias in Rio Olympics coverage.

This week’s top stories may encourage you to apply for a job at Google and help you pick up on the bias in Rio Olympics coverage.

This week we learned how to artfully dodge a hiring manager’s inappropriate questions, how Patagonia makes on-site child care pay for itself, and why Google’s tech recruiters are shifting their approach to sourcing top talent.

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Leadership coach and author Jodi Womack explains why people lose momentum while pursuing their goals—and how to get it back.

Leadership coach and author Jodi Womack explains why people lose momentum while pursuing their goals—and how to get it back.

Making a strategic career change. Saving more of your paycheck. Paying off debt. Setting money or work goals like these is the easy part. Keeping up your momentum so they stick for the long term? That’s where the battle begins.

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“Tap into your alumni network” is good but vague advice, but a great way to put it into action is hidden in plain sight.

“Tap into your alumni network” is good but vague advice, but a great way to put it into action is hidden in plain sight.

How many times have you heard the saying, “It’s not what you know but who you know?” Hundreds, right? Whether or not that’s your go-to philosophy, tapping your network can help you land a job. (It’s a fact.)

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Here’s a quick primer on “physical,” “mental,” and “emotional” listening, and how to put them together.

Here’s a quick primer on “physical,” “mental,” and “emotional” listening, and how to put them together.

We associate listening with our ears. The Stoic philosopher Epictetus observed, “We have two ears and one mouth so we can listen twice as much as we speak.” But there’s lots more to listening than opening our ears and hearing what somebody says. It involves our full being—good listeners have a physical, mental, and emotional presence, and they know how to integrate all three. It’s not as difficult a balancing act as you may think, but it does take a little more deliberate thought than most of us bring to the activity. Here’s how to brush up.

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The consumer genetic testing company says it can barely keep up with demand from researchers, while patient advocates wonder if customers deserve a cut of the profits.

The consumer genetic testing company says it can barely keep up with demand from researchers, while patient advocates wonder if customers deserve a cut of the profits.

After decades of inconclusive results, researchers backed by Pfizer and Massachusetts General Hospital revealed that they had identified several genetic markers associated with depression earlier this month. It was the largest study of its kind, using data from more than 120,000 people.

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One marketing exec says the usual approach to parental leave made life tough when she had her second baby—so she revised it.

One marketing exec says the usual approach to parental leave made life tough when she had her second baby—so she revised it.

Two weeks before my second baby arrived, my company’s CEO, Marco, asked me how I was feeling. I answered him truthfully: I was petrified. Not about the baby—I already had one of those and was confident that part would be easy. (I was so wrong, but that’s another story.)

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