From Training Your Brain To Giving Up Meat: May’s Top Leadership Stories

This month, we learned how to harness our brain’s capacity to delete old information, why going meatless might make you more productive, and which interview mistakes job candidates are still making.

These are the stories you loved in Leadership in May 2016:

1. Your Brain Has A “Delete” Button—Here’s How To Use It

You may already know about your brain’s ability to generate new neural pathways. But that isn’t all there is to it. In order to learn new things, your brain also needs make room for it—by eliminating information. This month two brain scientists explained how “neural pruning” works and how to tap into it.

2. The LinkedIn For Women Who Have Taken A Career Break

The workplace is often unfair to professional women who’ve left the job market, whether for parenthood or any other reason, and later return to their careers. It’s that bias that a newly launched marketplace called “Après” is designed to combat. Fast Company talked to its cofounders to learn more.

3. 10 Habits Of Well-Liked Bosses

The phrase “good boss” can mean vastly different things to different people, which can be a real problem, considering that up to 70% of the employee-engagement puzzle has been found to come down to bosses. These are the 10 habits that define the most well-liked supervisors out there.

4. How To Know Which Skills To Develop At Each Stage Of Your Career

According to one Silicon Valley veteran, the skills that get you hired aren’t the same ones that get you promoted. Ximena Vengoechea, who’s worked at Twitter and Pinterest, explains why at higher job levels, your people skills matter more than what you know—and offers up some illustrations to bring that idea home.

5. Here’s How The New Overtime Law Will Affect You

The U.S. Department of Labor recently announced a new rule requiring employers to offer paid overtime to many more workers than have previously been entitled to it under federal law. Fast Company‘s Cale Weissman breaks down the implications for employees and businesses alike.

6. Seven Reasons Why Emotional Intelligence Is One Of The Fastest-Growing Job Skills

It’s no secret that emotional intelligence is in hot demand as more recruiters and employers put it at the top of their lists in the search for talent. This month an expert in the field explained the key features of highly emotionally intelligent candidates that are giving them the edge.

7. How Giving Up Meat For A Month Improved My Productivity

Taking a cue from experts who say that diets heavy in unprocessed, plant-based foods are both healthier and more sustainable, writer Liz Segran switched up her eating habits for a month. She was surprised to find how much it helped simplify her daily routine, leading to an unexpected productivity boost.

8. How To Find Job Opportunities You Didn’t Know Existed

It isn’t rocket science, it’s research—you just have to know how to do it. This month The Career Code coauthors Hillary Kerr and Katherine Power explained how to take what you already know about your own interests and the brands you like, and use that to hunt down prospective employers and job openings.

9. Five Interview Mistakes You’re Still Making In 2016

Some of the old rules of the interview process are changing. For instance, gents in most industries can probably ditch the suit and tie. But in our haste to modernize the ritual, we sometimes forget some of the essentials. Here’s a look at five of the not-so-obvious errors that candidates keep making.

10. These Are The Biggest Skills That New Graduates Lack

While commencement speakers this graduation season are busy extolling the acumen, qualifications, and accomplishments of the class of 2016, hiring managers are staying more circumspect. New PayScale research shows companies aren’t as convinced as new grads are that they’re prepared for the workforce.