Across numerous career conversations and coaching engagements, we have watched professionals struggle with delivering difficult feedback, often due to a lack of emotional intelligence. This deficiency can lead to ineffective communication, damaged relationships, and stunted growth. However, when professionals possess high emotional intelligence, they can navigate complex social dynamics and provide constructive feedback that fosters development and growth.
Pattern 1: Avoiding Hurt Feelings vs. Being Honest and Empathetic
What we keep seeing is that professionals often prioritize avoiding hurt feelings over being honest, which can lead to vague or sugarcoated feedback. However, this approach can be counterproductive, as it may confuse the recipient or fail to address the issue at hand. High performers, on the other hand, understand that delivering difficult feedback is not about avoiding hurt feelings, but about being honest and empathetic at the same time.
Tip 1: Practice the Empathy-Clarity Loop, where you acknowledge the recipient’s emotions and needs while maintaining clarity and honesty in your feedback.
Pattern 2: Lack of Self-Awareness
7 Strategies for Delivering Difficult Feedback with Emotional Intelligence
We observe that many professionals lack self-awareness, which is a critical component of emotional intelligence. Without self-awareness, individuals may not recognize their own emotions, biases, and triggers, leading to ineffective and potentially hurtful feedback.
Tip 2: Develop your self-awareness by recognizing your emotions, values, and motivations, and how they impact your interactions with others.
Pattern 3: Ineffective Feedback Culture
What we see is that many organizations struggle to create a culture of feedback, where team members feel comfortable receiving and acting on constructive criticism. This can be due to a lack of emotional intelligence among leaders, who may not prioritize feedback or create a safe and supportive environment for it.
Tip 3: Foster a culture of feedback by leading by example, encouraging open communication, and providing regular, constructive feedback that is specific, timely, and actionable.
Pattern 4: Insufficient Emotional Regulation
7 Strategies for Delivering Difficult Feedback with Emotional Intelligence
We notice that professionals often struggle with regulating their emotions, particularly in high-stakes or confrontational situations. This can lead to defensiveness, aggression, or avoidance, which can derail the feedback process.
Tip 4: Practice emotional regulation techniques, such as deep breathing, mindfulness, or self-reflection, to manage your emotions and respond thoughtfully, rather than react impulsively.
Pattern 5: Limited Perspective Taking
What we observe is that professionals may not consider the recipient’s perspective, needs, and emotions when delivering feedback. This can lead to feedback that is perceived as insensitive, dismissive, or unhelpful.
Tip 5: Engage in perspective-taking by actively listening to the recipient, asking open-ended questions, and seeking to understand their thoughts, feelings, and motivations.
Pattern 6: Inadequate Feedback Skills
We see that many professionals lack the skills and strategies necessary to deliver effective feedback, such as setting clear goals, providing specific examples, and offering actionable recommendations.
Tip 6: Develop your feedback skills by learning about the principles of effective feedback, which include providing clear, concise, and actionable feedback that is tailored to the recipient’s needs and goals.
Pattern 7: Failure to Follow Up
What we keep seeing is that professionals often fail to follow up after delivering feedback, which can lead to a lack of accountability, follow-through, and sustained change.
Tip 7: Schedule regular check-ins to review progress, provide ongoing support, and celebrate successes, ensuring that the feedback is translated into tangible actions and outcomes.
In conclusion, delivering difficult feedback with emotional intelligence is a critical skill for professionals who want to drive growth, build strong relationships, and achieve business results. By practicing the Empathy-Clarity Loop, developing self-awareness, fostering a culture of feedback, regulating emotions, taking perspectives, developing feedback skills, and following up, professionals can become more effective and empathetic communicators. The gap between professionals who can deliver difficult feedback with emotional intelligence and those who cannot is what we term the “Empathy Divide.” Bridging this divide requires a commitment to developing emotional intelligence, which can be a key differentiator in achieving career success and driving organizational effectiveness.
The traditional approach to scheduling, where tasks are assigned to specific time slots without consideration for focus or priority, is no longer effective in today’s fast-paced work environment. A more intentional and flexible approach is required, one that prioritizes deep work over shallow tasks and allows for greater autonomy and creativity. This is where time blocking comes in – a strategy that involves dedicating specific blocks of time to focused work, eliminating multitasking, and scheduling breaks to maintain productivity.
Understanding the Concept of Time Blocking
Time blocking is not just a scheduling technique, but a mindset shift that requires discipline and commitment. It involves identifying the most important tasks and allocating specific time slots for their completion, while also leaving space for breaks and unexpected interruptions. By doing so, individuals can minimize distractions, stay focused, and make significant progress on their goals. For instance, dedicating a specific block of time to a task can help individuals avoid distractions and maintain momentum.
Implementing Time Blocking Strategies
7 Strategies for Effective Time Blocking to Meet Deadlines
One of the most effective time blocking strategies is to dedicate specific blocks of time to focused work, eliminating multitasking, and scheduling breaks to maintain productivity. This can be achieved by using the “Focus Framework,” which involves identifying the most important tasks, allocating specific time slots for their completion, and minimizing distractions during that time. Additionally, advanced time blocking techniques, such as the “80/20 rule” and “time boxing,” can help individuals prioritize tasks and manage their time more efficiently. The “80/20 rule” suggests that 80% of results come from 20% of efforts, and by identifying the most critical tasks, individuals can allocate their time and energy accordingly. On the other hand, “time boxing” involves allocating a fixed time slot for a task, and working on it without any interruptions or distractions during that time.
Customizing Time Blocking to Individual Needs
Time blocking can be tailored to individual work styles and preferences, and can be used in conjunction with other productivity tools and techniques to achieve peak performance. For example, some individuals may prefer to use a calendar-based approach, while others may prefer to use a task list or a project management tool. By experimenting with different approaches and finding what works best for them, individuals can create a time blocking system that is tailored to their unique needs and goals. Moreover, by incorporating time blocking into their daily routine, professionals can achieve a better work-life balance, reduce stress, and increase their overall sense of accomplishment.
Overcoming Common Challenges
7 Strategies for Effective Time Blocking to Meet Deadlines
Despite its benefits, time blocking can be challenging to implement, especially for those who are used to a more flexible or spontaneous approach to work. One common challenge is the tendency to overcommit and overschedule, leading to burnout and exhaustion. To overcome this, individuals can use the “Time Mastery Matrix,” which involves categorizing tasks into four quadrants based on their urgency and importance, and allocating time slots accordingly. This can help individuals prioritize their tasks, manage their time more efficiently, and avoid overcommitting.
Advanced Time Blocking Techniques
Advanced time blocking techniques, such as “batching” and “theming,” can help individuals take their productivity to the next level. “Batching” involves grouping similar tasks together and completing them in one session, while “theming” involves dedicating specific days or weeks to specific themes or projects. For example, an individual may dedicate Mondays to meetings and Tuesdays to focused work, or allocate specific weeks to specific projects. By using these techniques, individuals can streamline their workflow, reduce distractions, and increase their productivity.
Integrating Time Blocking with Other Productivity Tools
Time blocking can be used in conjunction with other productivity tools and techniques to achieve peak performance. For example, individuals can use time blocking in combination with the “Pomodoro Technique,” which involves working in focused 25-minute increments, followed by a five-minute break. Alternatively, they can use time blocking in combination with project management tools, such as Trello or Asana, to manage their tasks and projects more efficiently. By integrating time blocking with other productivity tools and techniques, individuals can create a comprehensive system for managing their time and achieving their goals.
Conclusion
In conclusion, time blocking is a powerful strategy for increasing productivity and achieving deadlines. By dedicating specific blocks of time to focused work, eliminating multitasking, and scheduling breaks to maintain productivity, individuals can minimize distractions, stay focused, and make significant progress on their goals. By incorporating time blocking into their daily routine, professionals can achieve a better work-life balance, reduce stress, and increase their overall sense of accomplishment. With the right mindset and approach, time blocking can be a game-changer for anyone looking to boost their productivity and achieve their goals.
The standard view holds that legal AI funding has exploded, that most routine work will soon be automated, and that the market already offers every needed tool.
We think this is wrong, and here is why. Capital pours into plaintiff‑oriented products while defense‑side solutions languish, leaving a massive, untapped revenue stream and a strategic blind spot for firms that rely on litigation defense.
Plaintiff‑centric hype blinds investors
Investors chase the headline that a significant portion of legal work could eventually be automated. That figure fuels a frenzy of startup pitches promising document review speed.
Yet a substantial majority of disclosed legal AI capital already sits in plaintiff‑focused platforms. The money ignores the distinct data ecosystems and risk calculations that defense teams need.
“This topic is really one of the critical topics that we are focusing on right now … the pace of change is relentless: new regulations, new risks, new products,” — Joseph Landau, Dean, Fordham Law
Defense work demands strategic intelligence, not just efficiency
Defense Legal AI Opportunity Unfolds for Investors Photo: pexels
Defense lawyers juggle settlement strategy, evidentiary risk, and reputation management. They need AI that can surface counter‑arguments, model jury perception, and forecast regulatory outcomes.
General‑purpose tools, used by a significant majority of legal professionals, deliver speed but not the strategic foresight that matters in a defense context.
Standardization gap stalls defense AI
Plaintiff‑side vendors thrive on standardized claim data and public filings. Defense teams, by contrast, guard privileged communications and rely on bespoke discovery sets.
The lack of industry‑wide data schemas prevents developers from training models that respect confidentiality while delivering actionable insights.
Interdisciplinary sprint can capture untapped value
Defense Legal AI Opportunity Unfolds for Investors Photo: unsplash
We see a clear path: bring together litigation strategists, data scientists, and secure‑cloud engineers to build defense‑centric pipelines.
Early pilots that combine secure data enclaves with predictive analytics can demonstrate ROI within a single case cycle, convincing firms to allocate budget away from generic tools.
Our analysis shows that firms that adopt a defense‑first AI stack can reduce case‑prep costs, but the exact percentage is unclear. The upside dwarfs the modest efficiency gains touted by plaintiff‑only solutions.
The consensus gets the automation potential right: AI will handle a sizable slice of routine legal work. The cost of believing it, however, is a blind spot that leaves defense teams vulnerable, investors missing a multibillion‑dollar market, and the justice system skewed toward the side that already enjoys better tech.
The missed opportunity erodes competitive advantage for firms that ignore defense AI, and it entrenches a technology gap that could widen the access‑to‑justice divide.
Small firms are turning digital marketplaces into talent pipelines, turning the global skills gap into a growth engine. By pairing local know‑how with remote expertise, hybrid entrepreneurs unlock new revenue streams while expanding economic mobility for workers worldwide.
The convergence of post‑pandemic digital adoption, platform‑driven commerce, and persistent talent shortages creates a structural inflection point for micro‑enterprises. As the World Economic Forum notes that small and medium‑sized enterprises generate roughly two‑thirds of global employment, their ability to tap worldwide skill pools now determines competitive advantage. This analysis dissects how platform ecosystems rewire entrepreneurial capital, the systemic ripple effects on labor markets, and the emerging trajectory that will shape the next wave of economic mobility.
Digital platforms redefine the small‑business operating environment
Digital platforms have redefined the small‑business operating environment by expanding market reach and talent access. The International Council for Small Business lists hybrid entrepreneurship among its top ten 2026 trends, underscoring the rapid diffusion of platform‑based models. Pandemic‑induced digital acceleration has lifted e‑commerce marketplace participation from a marginal share to a measurable majority of MSMEs, according to industry estimates. According to Career Ahead’s analysis of platform adoption rates, firms that integrate at least two digital channels report higher revenue growth than peers relying solely on brick‑and‑mortar sales. This structural shift dissolves geographic constraints, allowing a boutique manufacturer in Nairobi to source a UI/UX designer from Manila while selling directly to European consumers through a unified storefront.
Hybrid entrepreneurship leverages platform ecosystems to close skill shortages
Hybrid entrepreneurship enables small firms to source specialized talent globally, compressing the traditional skills gap. The model also creates new revenue streams: platform‑enabled service extensions, subscription‑based offerings, and cross‑border collaborations that were previously infeasible for resource‑constrained owners.
Systemic implications extend beyond firm performance to labor market fluidity
The diffusion of hybrid entrepreneurship reshapes labor market fluidity, altering traditional employment structures. Combining World Economic Forum data on SME employment share with platform growth trends suggests that a measurable share of the global workforce will transition from permanent contracts to gig‑oriented engagements within five years. This reallocation amplifies economic mobility, as workers can accrue experience across multiple firms without relocating. Compared with the early 2000s dot‑com boom, which hinged on venture capital inflows, the current wave is capital‑light, relying on platform‑mediated cash flow and revenue sharing. Consequently, productivity gains emerge from both operational efficiencies and the upskilling of a dispersed talent pool, reinforcing the asymmetric advantage of digitally integrated SMEs.
Human capital outcomes favor adaptable workers and re‑skilled entrepreneurs
Three‑year trajectory points to platform‑centric core for most SMEs
Within three years, platform‑centric operations will become the norm for a majority of SMEs. Industry forecasts project that at least a non‑trivial fraction of small firms will rely on a minimum of two digital platforms for sales, marketing, and talent acquisition. Career Ahead’s read of the trajectory suggests that this consolidation will prompt regulatory scrutiny over data sovereignty and labor protections, prompting a new layer of institutional oversight. Firms that proactively embed platform governance into their strategic planning are poised to capture higher margins, while laggards risk marginalization in an increasingly networked economy.
The forward‑looking outlook underscores that the hybrid entrepreneurship model will continue to reconfigure how small firms generate value, reinforcing the imperative for policymakers and investors to align support mechanisms with this platform‑driven reality.
Key Structural Insights
[Insight 1]: Digital platforms have become the primary conduit for SMEs to access global talent, compressing traditional hiring cycles from months to weeks.
[Insight 2]: Hybrid entrepreneurship reduces the effective skills gap by matching niche expertise to project‑based needs, fostering economic mobility across borders.
[Insight 3]: Within three years, platform‑centric operations are projected to become standard for a measurable share of small firms, reshaping institutional oversight and labor market dynamics.
Global talent pool expansion: By leveraging digital platforms, small businesses can tap into a vast global talent pool, accessing skills and expertise that were previously inaccessible, leading to increased innovation and competitiveness.
Digital skills democratization: Hybrid entrepreneurship enables small businesses to democratize access to digital skills, bridging the gap between developed and developing economies, and empowering underrepresented groups to participate in the global economy.
The standard view is that AI‑enabled homes are the inevitable next step in domestic life: devices that learn preferences, predict needs, and orchestrate comfort with flawless precision. Proponents point to growing sensor networks, rising consumer enthusiasm, and a narrative that the home will become a proactive partner rather than a passive shelter.
We think this optimism is misplaced, and here is why. The rush to label every connected appliance as “intelligent” obscures deep asymmetries in data control, entrenches vendor lock‑in, and reshapes urban form in ways that privilege convenience over resilience. The supposed transformation is less a seamless evolution than a structural gamble whose costs are already materializing.
The Illusion of Seamless Personalization
The most pervasive claim is that AI can deliver a home experience so attuned to its occupants that manual adjustment becomes obsolete. This narrative rests on two unexamined premises: first, that more data automatically yields better outcomes; second, that the algorithms governing those outcomes are neutral.
In practice, personalization hinges on continuous streams of behavioral data harvested from an expanding ecosystem of sensors. By 2030, the world will host a large number of connected devices, each a potential conduit for granular habit tracking. The data pipeline is owned by platform providers who monetize insights, repurpose signals for advertising, or sell aggregated profiles to third parties. The “personalized” thermostat that lowers temperature when you leave the house is a modest front for a broader surveillance architecture that can infer work schedules, health status, and even emotional states.
Moreover, algorithmic bias is baked into the training sets that drive predictive routines. Early‑stage AI models were trained on affluent, single‑occupant households—an archetype that still represents a significant portion of U.S. homes. When those models are deployed in multigenerational or low‑income settings, they misinterpret occupancy patterns, leading to inefficient energy use or, worse, security missteps. The promise of a home that “thinks” therefore masks a systemic mismatch between the data used to teach the system and the lived realities of many residents.
“The smart home revolution has moved far beyond its early days as a novelty.” — Manu Sharma, Managing Director of Dreame Technology, India
Our analysis suggests that the allure of frictionless living is a veneer for a power shift: from homeowners to data custodians. The cost of this shift is not merely privacy erosion but also the erosion of agency, as occupants become passive recipients of algorithmic decisions they cannot audit or contest.
Interoperability Myths and Market Fragmentation
How AI‑Powered Living Spaces Are Redefining the Meaning of Home Photo: pexels
A second pillar of the consensus is that standards will soon harmonize the myriad devices, delivering a truly integrated ecosystem. The narrative assumes that industry players will converge on open protocols, allowing any sensor to communicate with any controller.
The reality is a market deliberately fragmented by proprietary ecosystems. Major vendors embed unique APIs that lock consumers into a single brand’s suite of products. The “smart home maturity model” that industry analysts tout is less a roadmap than a sales funnel, rewarding early adopters with premium features while marginalizing competitors. Interoperability, when it exists, is typically mediated by cloud services that re‑centralize data, reintroducing the same control points the open‑standard argument seeks to eliminate.
Urban planners and architects who design new residential blocks on the premise of seamless AI integration now face a paradox. Buildings are equipped with conduit pathways for a future that may never materialize uniformly, inflating construction costs without delivering the promised functional cohesion. The result is a built environment that is technically prepared for integration but practically constrained by a patchwork of incompatible silos.
The Hidden Urban Cost of Adaptive Homes
The third consensus claim is that AI‑driven homes will free up human time, thereby enhancing quality of life and supporting sustainable urban growth. This view treats the home as an isolated node, ignoring the systemic ripple effects on neighborhoods, utilities, and public policy.
Adaptive homes demand high‑bandwidth connectivity, edge‑computing infrastructure, and continuous firmware updates. Municipalities must invest in fiber rollout, edge servers, and cybersecurity frameworks at a scale that strains public budgets. In cities where the elderly population will soon outnumber children, this investment competes with essential services such as healthcare and accessible transport.
Furthermore, the focus on individualized optimization undermines collective efficiency. Energy grids benefit from coordinated demand response, yet AI homes operating on isolated predictive models may create unanticipated peaks, destabilizing supply. The promise of “smart” energy savings thus becomes a fragmented patchwork, delivering marginal gains to affluent early adopters while exposing the broader system to volatility.
Our view is that the narrative of AI homes as a universal uplift overlooks the asymmetrical distribution of benefits and the externalities imposed on public infrastructure. The cost of believing in a seamless, universally beneficial AI home is a hidden fiscal burden on municipalities and a widening gap between technologically equipped households and those left behind.
The consensus correctly identifies that AI and IoT are reshaping domestic environments; the technology is undeniably altering how lights turn on and thermostats adjust. However, the prevailing optimism fails to account for the data asymmetries, market lock‑ins, and urban externalities that accompany this shift. Accepting the hype without scrutinizing these dimensions risks entrenching a new form of domestic inequality and imposing unforeseen costs on the public sphere.
“Homes don’t just react—they think.” — AI & IoT Are Transforming Smart Homes
In a few hours of game play, you can get a glimpse of financial matters like mortgages, diversification, property ownership, and cash flow. It’s pretty crazy but Monopoly teaches players money management and the impact of financial and investment choices and situations.
NCERT has decided to rationalize syllabus and lighten school textbooks of all classes for the session 2022-23. The new textbooks based on the NCF 2022 are expected to be out by the academic session 2023-24.
National Council of educationalresearch & Training, NCERT has decided to lighten school textbooks of all classes for the academic session 2022-23. The decision on council has come due to the disruption of the learning process due to COVID 19 pandemic in the country. The cases have increased in the past few days leading to the closure of schools and the continuation of online classes.
The NCERT has decided to reduce the syllabus and textbooks for the next year for all the classes as the new National Curriculum Framework, NCF may take time to come out. On December 15, 2021, the NCERT director in charge, Sridhar Srivastava, ordered the heads of departments to carry out a review by involving internal and external experts.
The heads of the departments have been asked to submit the report latest by December 28, 2021. As per reports, the director has also been instructed to send the textbooks for publication with revised proposed changes for the academic session 2022-23.
The decision to “lighten” school textbooks for the 2022-23 session has been taken considering the struggle faced by the students in learning through online and other modes. The other reasons for consideration are the Parliamentary Standing Committee and the National education Policy 2020.
This Netflix series has taken the world by storm, and it is not only Netflix viewers who are infatuated with this series. It is fast becoming a marketing juggernaut.
Let’s assume we’re the VIPs inside the squid games. Consuming the performance of life and death as a spectacle. What do we bet on? Let’s figure out the strategy and intentions that went to work.
The immense popularity of this non-English language dystopian show has taught us one thing – you can never play by the rulebook or rely on one strategy alone, there are no certain rules. This Netflix series has taken the world by storm, and it is not only Netflix viewers who are infatuated with this series.
It is fast becoming a marketing juggernaut. Since its September 17 premiere, the show’s magenta guard costumes, minimalist business cards, and life-or-death Dalgona game have become ingrained in pop culture.
Following the popularity of Squid Game, companies rushed to incorporate the show into ad campaigns, weaving brand logos into Dalgona treats and the game’s symbols, brands hopped on the bandwagon of show’s success to get free exposure, by making their brands the part of a conversation that is so pervasive that the algorithms can’t suppress it. With no promotion whatsoever in other countries and the US, this show still topped the chart in 23 countries and it all happened due to various factors combined, which we will be discovered below.
1. The Game of STORYTELLING
‘Know your audience’ is the first rule of marketing, and it has proven to be a key reason for the incredible success of Squid Game. The show has all the ingredients of a successful recipe. A high-quality show, an unbeatable story that appeals to a wide audience. A unique eye-catching premise with a deep focus on character development. Suppose you’ve just signed up and have no idea what’s coming next. It leaves us pondering what strategies even we, the audience, the consumers can come up with. It gives us space to think about what we want and then gives us what we want the very next second. It touches on a lot of topical themes such as social and economic inequality. High watch time and good engagement become the foundation for any show to take off.
This goes to prove that we can’t always follow conventional norms and depend on historic data to tell us what’s next – innovative businesses should always consider taking calculated risks with their marketing strategy. Squid Game redefined the boundaries of a TV show, revolutionized the way we view and interact with content. Regular content can give your business mediocre attention, but a strong concept that is intriguing and fresh can make you go viral, resulting in a lot of free marketing.
2. The Game of Relatability – BASIC HUMAN EMOTIONS
This show is gripping. Right from the start, we’re invited to lurk in the misery of the desperate, poor people, as they’re asked to compete in a children’s themed game that is given a deathly twist. Even if you’re not familiar with the culture you simply cannot ignore the dark universal themes of suffering, need, desire, pain, and desperation. The easy-to-understand rules in the visually enriched universe of Squid Game and the flickering friendship move us as we start rooting for the characters and start wanting more, right along with them. The series catches the viewers on a basic human emotional level so that everyone can relate to the characters’ dilemmas and build a connection with them. And when that’s the case, cultural discrepancies don’t matter. So, brands are not selling products, they are selling emotions you relate with the product, and human emotions are generic, unaffected by ethnic backgrounds.
3. THE GATEKEEPERS
For any show, there are some early audiences, who have been rooting for it. In this case, it was Korean drama and K-pop fans, along with fans of dark thrillers, etc.; the people who’ve already been swept by the Hallyu wave. They become the show’s initial cheerleaders, the gatekeepers. They got the ball rolling as the show’s popularity snowballed then hit number 1. Netflix’s extremely powerful platform with more than 209 million users acted as a catalyst by giving it homepage placement and visibility.
4. The Game of Conformity: WORD OF MOUTH
A movie series accompanied by trends and memes results in one thing for certain: you’re almost forced to watch it so that you can relate to the community around you, understand the sub-cultural jokes being told, and enjoy the memes being created and shared.
WOM is very hard to predict or synthetically create for marketers, as a combination of luck and perfect timing needs to come along with it. Word of mouth is a classic marketing strategy, a minimal, organic yet powerful factor, it has stayed with us from the beginning. Squid Game proved it can be a major marketing strategy in advertising. Social media is now so accessible to brands and businesses that it can trigger a wave of buzz to get things going.
Suppose you aren’t interested in the show at all. You hear how good the series was from your friend. You register the name. There are a lot of people discussing it as well. Now it’s not something you can ignore. Suddenly social media is flooded with memes and trends based on the show and you feel left out, at the same time it provokes your curiosity. A movie series accompanied by trends and memes results in one thing for certain: you’re almost forced to watch it so that you can relate to the community around you, understand the sub-cultural jokes being told, and enjoy the memes being created and shared. The violence and the gore of the show in a colorful setting get the buzz going and give us the pleasure of being the conversation starter.
5. DESIGN MATTERS
Familiarity is a powerful way to appeal to audiences. It creates a sense of comfort and belonging, which are key to building trust and boosting affinity.
One of the impressive aspects of the series is its visual design, which pops out and sticks with you as an indelible part of the show’s character and identity. The show creators incorporated many elements that reference familiar art, like the Escherian stairwell and the red suits from Money Heist. This is important to note because familiarity is a powerful way to appeal to audiences. It creates a sense of comfort and belonging, which are key to building trust and boosting affinity. The series uses colors smartly, as if from a set palette. The backgrounds are pastels, which effectively counteract with the vivid red of the staff uniforms and the players’ green. The colors reinforce the underlying sense of the story – innocent childlike settings in light pastel tones, nasty devil colors for the staff, and the hope and renewal of green for the players whose lives we are rooting for! Marketers know that color drives different emotions and the use of different colors can have a huge impact on a campaign. Squid Game just makes it all the more clear.
When it comes to creating brand logos, simplicity is essential. It provides the viewer with a somewhat blank slate on which to project their feelings and perceptions, which is a large part of building a relationship with a brand.
Another element of design that deserves a mention is the simple, clean symbols representing the games and those on the masks of the guards. When it comes to creating brand logos, simplicity is essential. It provides the viewer with a somewhat blank slate on which to project their feelings and perceptions, which is a large part of building a relationship with a brand. Plus, it’s a good lesson to remind marketers to simplify their message, making it easier for customers to assimilate.
6. The Game of MEMES – Viral Fever of Trends
TikTok not only reinvented the way brands reach their audiences, but it also set a new standard for how companies should approach their consumers.
Going viral is not necessarily something you can plan for or predict. But the Squid Game references have jumped from community to community. For example, a Squid Game meme can be contextualized into a finance meme or a tech meme which allows to spread it to new audiences who might not have heard of it otherwise from their direct social circles. Even if you have no interest in it, the sheer volume of discussion and buzz will bring you into its vicinity and drive you to probably check it out. Even Netflix may have been taken by surprise with the viral success of Squid Game. As one senior strategy analyst in the streaming industry put it, “I’m assuming that the [Netflix] executives knew because of the talent they used, because of the region they released it in, that this was going to be a hit in South Korea. I would put good money that the executives had no idea this was going to be a global hit.”
Make your campaign so unique and specific that you turn your audiences into advocates for the story.
Squid Game has proven to be the quintessential example of contemporary ‘virality’. The iconic scenes and props continue to have a ripple effect on pop culture. It’s now a familiar reference and mainstay in popular culture. Since the show’s release, there has been a tsunami of TikTokers posting videos of themselves playing the games. And new challenges around it are being formed and catered to. Memes are erupting and proliferating in new ways every day. Mentions of Squid Game have exploded on social media networks and feeds such as Google Discover. Check out the steady and continual increase in YouTube views of the show’s trailer: TikTok not only reinvented the way brands reach their audiences, but it also set a new standard for how companies should approach their consumers.
Squid Game is almost forming an army of viewers that advocate and share the inside jokes. The great advantage for Squid Game is that the only way to understand the jokes going viral is to watch the show because of how specific they are. This is great for a marketing strategy. Make your campaign so unique and specific that you turn your audiences into advocates for the story.
7. The Game of Inspiring – MOMENT MARKETING
With all things that go viral, it’s always hard to point out exactly what makes things tick and grow. But we do know that Squid Game’s success story is an uncommon one and, deservingly, demands our attention.
Unlike mainstream TV, Netflix doesn’t offer brands the opportunity to run commercials, so marketers must look elsewhere and get creative to tap into the show’s hit status. Brands and independent creators alike have been having fun with Squid Game memes that utilize some of the show’s most iconic scenes. Today, it’s acceptable for a large brand to comment on a post without having to be professional; in fact, serious brands that take an informal approach on the platform get a lot more praise and attention, resulting in higher free impressions. The dating app Tinder, for example, gets a ton of impressions by simply commenting funny phrases on any content related to relationships.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and in marketing, if you’re ‘copied’, then you know you’ve succeeded. The success of Squid Game has spawned a host of marketing campaigns, inspired by the popularity of the series (this blog post included!). Brands rushed to engage their target audiences with social media posts, ads, and images that draw on themes and visuals from the show. The key element here is timing: brands had to move fast to join the Squid Game bandwagon while it was at its peak. Luckily, the show’s symbols and visuals are so distinctive and simple, many brands could easily put together a quick-win campaign at low cost, designed to attract instant attention from audiences with notoriously low attention spans. Some brands decided to go heavier than just social media posts. RHB, the fourth largest financial services group in Malaysia, even issued a limited-edition visa card featuring the Squid Game design.
With all things that go viral, it’s always hard to point out exactly what makes things tick and grow. But we do know that Squid Game’s success story is an uncommon one and, deservingly, demands our attention.
Gen Z is different. We create our own narratives sitting in our bedroom. It’s an interconnected world of login and logout where we turn to technology for almost everything. Gone are the days when you were deemed a misfit for thinking out of the box. Gen Z is quickly discarding traditional jobs and coming up with ways to stand out. We were born in a time when connections can be easily made, reaching across is easier, and the internet has become a miracle that can change your entire perspective and lead you through unexpected doors. We’re growing up tech savvy, we’re our own marketing experts, and we’ve all been developing a personal brand on social media. We are living and driving rapid change while picking and choosing our own terms in the buffet of careers flowing in a stream of opportunities. Gen Z can pursue their ambitions from anywhere at any time, without any physical restrictions.
Gen Z is quickly discarding traditional jobs and coming up with ways to stand out.
In the spirit of all this, here’s a list of 7 offbeat careers Gen Z must explore:
1. Ethical Hacker
“To beat a hacker, you have to think like one” – Ethical Hacking Council
Computer experts are often hired by companies to hack into their system to find vulnerabilities and weak endpoints so that they can be fixed. People who hack into a system with permission, without any malicious intent, are known as ethical hackers and the process is known as ethical hacking. An ethical hacker’s primary purpose is to view security from the adversary’s perspective in an effort to find vulnerabilities that could be exploited by someone from the outside. This provides defensive teams the opportunity to mitigate the problem by devising a patch before a real attack can occur, they also look more broadly for weaknesses that can be exploited deep within a network or application, such as data exfiltration vulnerabilities.
To become an ethical hacker a candidate must understand networks, both wired and wireless. They must be proficient with operating systems, especially Windows and Linux. They need to understand firewalls and file systems. They must know how file permissions work and be familiar with servers, workstations, and computer science generally. The two certifications that are specific to ethical hacking are Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) and Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP). A bachelor’s degree in a computer-related field is a good place to start your career. Computer science or network engineering education provides a recommended foundation for work in the security field. When considering a bachelor’s program in the field of cybersecurity, give priority to programs with a strong interdisciplinary focus.
2. Pet Groomer
Pets needs as much care as infants do. It’s a responsibility that needs to be taken seriously. Modern day life brings busy schedules that leave us with little time for much else. Here is where pet groomers can offer a helping hand. Skilled pet groomers know the grooming standards for all breeds of dogs, understand small-animal anatomy and know how to spot changes in a pet’s hygiene that might indicate a health concern.
There is no specific educational requirement for becoming a pet groomer, although training programs are available through online courses and some vocational schools. Experience, more than formal training, is often considered the most important factor when customers are choosing a pet groomer. Pet groomers who wish to run their own salons may benefit from some training in the basics of business management.
The demand for professional dog grooming services is projected to increase by 11% from 2014 to 2024 – faster than the average for all occupations. This represents one of the largest growth opportunities available as the pet care industry continues to expand, giving you many possibilities to start a pet grooming career or pursue other animal-related careers.
3. Game Designer
A game designer is the creative driver responsible for bringing a game to life. They are generally a cross between a writer, artist, and programmer. A game designer conceptualizes game plots and storylines, levels and environments, character interactions, and other creative aspects. It’s their job to work with other specialists – such as developers, artists, and others – to communicate ideas and then project manage those ideas through to game production.
An understanding of programming languages and software programs such as 3D Max and Maya is equally important. Game development requires clarity in presentation of ideas, both verbally and on paper, for which you need basic visual design and drawing skills.
Depending on the situation, game designers can specialize in a particular game element, and can work among a team of others for a commercial or independent game development company. They can even work on their own – conceiving, creating, programming, and publishing their own titles.
4. Social Media Influencer
Influencers are individuals who have essentially established personal credibility in a specific area or industry. To be successful they need to have access to an audience, preferably a large audience; which is the source of their ‘influence’. Today, this form of marketing has become the most favored tool among brands to promote their products and services online. Earlier, social media was known as a platform to connect socially, but now, it has become a mode of income for many. Almost every major industry has seen a tremendous rise in influencers, and brands are leaning towards influencers now more than ever.
Degrees don’t matter in this line of work as much as credibility and relatability. Increasingly, influencers are driving brand awareness, brand affinity, and growth as reflected in metrics such as social and web traffic, content, and sales.
The very first step to developing a career as a social media influencer is to select your niche and start posting relevant, high-quality posts, videos, stories, and carousels on your social media page. This will ensure a timely and impactful message that resonates with your audience and followers.
5. Professional Gamer
A professional gamer is a full-time competitive player who is ultimately paid to play video games to a high level of standard. Most professional players are paid by sponsors and their teams to play in the biggest eSports tournaments on a global scale. There are additional incentives for everyone, such as large prize pay-outs. Large monetary payouts are a normal occurrence for big eSports events or other gaming events.
The overall aim for a professional gamer looking to fully achieve pro status is to win tournaments and achieve a big sponsorship deal. This is where the branding and big money is within pro gaming.
The job takes the same amount of daily practice and dedication that is required of a professional athlete. If you’re a natural at games, spend hours repeating the same level until you’ve mastered it, and have wicked-fast reflexes, then a professional gaming sponsorship may be calling your name.
6. Travel Blogger
A travel blogger has become the new-age journalist who takes us places. Travel blogging is a gig that unlocks freedom, flexibility, and the opportunity to travel the world and make money by providing travel tips to readers. A travel blogger travels to a destination country in order to obtain exciting, informative experiences which they will then share on their blog site. They will also usually be required to upload good quality photography to illustrate their pieces.
Although the actual process of travelling and blogging does not result in any form of salary, revenues can be obtained from a variety of methods such as advertising or sponsorships. Often, a hotel may contact a blogger and offer them a free stay in exchange for a positive feature about their property. Other companies may offer the blogger free travel equipment, or simply purchase banner advertising on the site. Additionally, completed features hosted on the blog can be offered to print media who will publish travel stories in exchange for cash.
There are no academic requirements for travel blogging, just experience. In fact, many people choose this option because they lack sufficient qualifications, often travelling during university breaks, or to gather experience working in different territories, thereby adding to the experience on their CV.
7. Food Taster
A food taster is a professional whose main task is to taste food that was prepared by someone else with the purpose of testing for safety or specific characteristics. They do this by taking a small bite out of a certain food and focusing on its key components. They usually avoid swallowing the food and use water to clean their palates between samples.
Whether you’re going the professional route or that of a part-time amateur, you must have sensory acuity – a superior sense of taste and extensive knowledge of foods and ingredients. If you’re interested in becoming a professional food taster, you’ll most likely need a degree in food science or the culinary arts. A nutrition degree can also be helpful, as well as a work experience in product development at a food or beverage company. This means you can identify, for instance, the sugar, salt, or acid levels in various products, and articulate this information to others. One can improve their odds of being successful in the role by undertaking palate training courses.
“An interviewer decides on whether to hire a candidate depending on how much trust that person can garner”
I was once assigned to hunt talent for a critical regional role to manage a substantial part of our business. I sought out a few candidates and sent them across to the hiring manager for a video interview round to take a final call. I was optimistic about a candidate and almost sure that person would make it to the final. Sadly, he failed.
I was surprised to hear the reason. I got a straight answer from the interviewer, the candidate never looked him directly in the eyes! Simply put, looking away raises doubts that the person is not confident and might shroud facts. This incident brought home the fact that one may miss the opportunity to crack an interview only because their straying eyes failed to garner the trust of the interviewer.
An interviewer decides on whether to hire a candidate depending on how much trust that person can garner. Interviews are like watching a movie trailer, which are intended to intensify your craving to watch the entire movie.
The selection process goes through multiple validations before the best candidate is chosen. Sometimes the choice is not easy, especially when contenders put up a neck-to-neck fight. Here, trust plays a pivotal role. That is the deciding factor in the final decision. Years of research could not determine how trust is built. Many psychologists and NLP experts have conducted trials to map strategies to earn trust. The most recent book named ‘Trust Game’ somewhat deciphered the anatomy of trust.
They involved two sets of players. One set was given $10 each and asked to invest whatever they feel best to the other set of individuals, who played the role of businessmen. Here the promise of maximum return on capital and the ability of the businessman to raise confidence was the key. The borrower happened to convince the lender in an almost similar manner as how interviews take place. Imagine you are the businessman, and the interviewer is deciding whether to invest in you! The key is how you will ensure the interviewer is convinced of your ability to deliver on the job, to do justice to their investment in you.
I will share five strategic interventions that one needs to deal with consciously to build a level of trust. I have tried these with my community while practicing mock interviews and have seen the results. Here I will discuss everything from the perspective of virtual interview rounds.
1. Welcoming Facial Expression
Your first look, beheld for the initial 6 seconds, decides the impression you create on the interviewer. Many people maintain an emotionally neutral face or put up a fake smile. You must have met people who you connect instantaneously with a welcoming gesture. Keep your camera on at the start of the meeting and begin with a welcoming smile. Thank the interviewer for inviting you and finding you worthy of a discussion. Wearing your smile all through helps to instill familiarity.
2. Positive Eye Contact
You must have understood the importance of maintaining eye contact. There is an obvious video-conferencing faux pas – the tendency of looking down is natural and no amount of strategic laptop positioning can resolve this. We are prone to look at people on the screen rather than focus on the webcam, thereby missing that all-important opportunity to make eye contact! You may achieve this by fixing the camera at eye level by raising the base of the laptop. If you connect via phone, use a tripod. Practice looking at the lens and not at the screen, this will help you maintain the right eye contact.
“You have one opportunity to strike a chord with the interviewer while being one of the many contenders that appear before them”
3. Confident Hand Gestures
You must have felt clumsy with your hands in crucial meetings. There are many views about how aptly our hands could be used and rested. Hand gestures certainly build impact while you try to make a point. Using hands effectively in a face-to-face interaction is easier, but making it work for a video round seems difficult. People usually see up to your bust while your hands remain out of the frame. One needs to practice using hand gestures within the frame effectively. It makes the conversation more engaging, helps stress upon your views, and builds trust as people find you expressing genuinely.
4. Convincing Answering Strategy
This trick is effective even when you have the answer, pause before you respond. Decipher the connotation of the interviewer’s question well to coin the apt reply. Remember sometimes interview questions come like multiheaded spears! You need to decode the real purpose behind the question. Make sure you satisfy the query of the interviewer. Your poise, aplomb, and rational mind must reflect in every response you give. You have one opportunity to create an impression and to move towards building the trust of the interviewer.
5 Curating a Professional Ambiance
While preparing for a virtual interview, there are a few mandatory practical hacks that may play spoilsports if ignored. Start with what you wear. Imagine how you would have dressed if you were going for an in-person interview. Wear a look that you carry well.
A professional background goes a long way in creating a professional look for yourself. The best backgrounds are either single colored or an office interior. You may simply choose a background from free stock photos. There are hundreds of images available for you to use. If you are in haste, remember to blur the background before you start the meeting! Never ignore the lighting and efficiency of your internet connection. These two may cause you enough embarrassment if not dealt with beforehand. Building trust does not depend only on how you deal with an array of questions, the ambiance you create as well as your conduct play critical roles.
You have one opportunity to strike a chord with the interviewer while being one of the many contenders that appear before them. If you consider with these five strategies consciously and ensure you play it right, I am confident you will be in control of the conversation and successfully build the trust of the interviewer. Trust is the only element that steers the apex decision when the interview scores of top candidates are close. Interviews are like performing in a stage show – you cannot repeat your performance. Prepare well to make it a pleasant experience at first go and score your best!
