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23 incredible photos from 2016 that prove it wasn't a total dumpster fire.

2016 may have technically been 366 days long, but for some, it felt like an eternity.

There have been countless political struggles, protests, and conflicts that have left an indelible mark on our collective psyche. From the U.S. presidential election to the Dakota Access Pipeline protests to the many unfortunate deaths, this year has certainly left a permanent mark in history.

Despite these events, there have been many overlooked moments of humanity, empathy, and love.

These 23 incredible photos capture moments from this year that prove it wasn't a complete dumpster fire.

1. We celebrated love...

Photo by Mark Bugnaski/Kalamazoo Gazette /AP.

Ed and Betty Hartman renew their vows after 65 years of marriage Oct. 8 on Western Michigan University's Heritage Hall Grand Lawn to break the Guinness World Record for most vow renewals in one place. The Hartmans met at Western Michigan — Ed graduated in 1949, and Betty in 1951. A record 1,201 couples renewed their wedding vows at the ceremony.

2. ...in every way possible.

Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images.

Marjorie Enya (right) and rugby player Isadora Cerullo of Brazil kiss during their marriage proposal after the Women's Gold Medal Rugby Sevens match between Australia and New Zealand at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games on Aug. 8.

3. We celebrated life...  

Photo by Shula Kopershtouk/AFP/Getty Images.

Yisrael Kristal in his Haifa, Israel, home on Jan. 21. Yisrael, a Holocaust survivor, may be the world's oldest man at 112, Guinness World Records said, providing he can find the documents to prove it. His family says he was born in Poland on Sept. 15, 1903, three months before the Wright brothers took the first airplane flight.

4. ...and its small triumphs.

Photo by Carsten Koall/Getty Images.

A refugee from Syria holds his daughter at a shelter for migrants and refugees run by the Berliner Stadtmission charity on Jan. 9 in Berlin. Fast Retailing Co., the parent company of Uniqlo, donated about 50,000 articles of clothing to help refugees in Germany stay warm through the winter. Germany took in about 1.1 million migrants and refugees in 2015 and expected about 300,000 more in 2016.  

5. We mourned those we lost.

Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images.

Jiffy Lube employee Ralph Nieves shows support for the Orlando, Florida, community following the shootings at the Pulse nightclub on June 16. This small but significant gesture helped the Orlando area and the country to heal from one of the worst mass shootings in American history. It showed that with all our progress, we still have much to achieve for future generations.

6. We tried to find ways to work through our differences...

Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images.

In a year full of tension over civil rights, this brief moment of calm during a protest between police officers and protesters in the early hours of Sept. 21 in Charlotte, North Carolina, showed that our right to assemble is as important as ever. The protests began the night before after a police officer fatally shot Keith Lamont Scott near UNC Charlotte.

7. ...and take a moment to reflect on our losses.

Photo by Mary Turner/Getty Images.

The Brexit vote was one of the most nerve-wracking examples of democracy in 2016. This moment of protesters awaiting the results of the vote in London on June 24 shows how important reflection can be before our expectations are subverted.

8. But we helped each other get back up again.

Photo by Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters.

Nikki Hamblin of New Zealand helps fellow competitor Abbey D'Agostino of the United States after she suffered a cramp on Aug. 16 during a women's 5,000-meter race at the Rio Olympics. This kind act proved that friendship and empathy are what the Olympics are really about.

9. We stood strong together...

Photo by Hatem Moussa/AP.

Four Palestinian friends who were injured during conflicts walk by the sea at Gaza's small fishing harbor on Oct. 24. Fighting has left thousands of people with disabilities or missing limbs in this Palestinian enclave. The heart-wrenching scars of conflict are a reminder that war is still present in our world but that we can stand tall together in its face.

10. ...for our heritage and our future.

Photo by Tom Stromme/The Bismarck Tribune/AP.

This powerful image of Kat Eng holding 2-year-old Wiconi Suta Win Hopkins while painting a banner at the Seven Councils Camp on Aug. 18 during protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline shows that our environment and our heritage still need to be fought for.

11. We went on new adventures...

Photo by Aaron Sheldon, used with permission.

Photographer Aaron Sheldon was at the doctor's office with his son when he stumbled onto the perfect metaphor for childhood. "[Harrison] was scared to sit on the exam table because it's a little high up for a 3-year-old," Aaron recalled. "So I'm talking with him about being brave, and what types of people are brave and have to sit on exam tables. And we're talking about policemen and firemen and he said, 'Hey, how about astronauts? Are they brave?'" When Harrison had to go back for another checkup a few months later, Aaron brought his camera. And a space suit.

12. ...even if they may seem a little silly.

Photo by Michael Dwyer/AP.

Thomas Thwaites accepts the Ig Nobel prize in biology from economics Nobel laureate Eric Maskin at Harvard University on Sept. 22. Thwaites, of the United Kingdom, won for creating prosthetic extensions of his limbs that allowed him to move like a goat.

13. We'll get there any way we can...

Photo by Richard Vogel/AP.

Ivory McCloud maneuvers his horse, Diamond, down a street in Compton, California, on Aug. 7. Although best known as the birthplace of gangsta rap and the hometown of tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams, Compton has a long and vibrant equestrian history.

14. ...and cherish the moments we have together.

Photo by John Moore/Getty Images.

A family embraces at the U.S.-Mexico border fence during an "Opening the Door of Hope" event on April 30 in San Diego. Five families, with some members living in Mexico and others in the United States, were permitted to meet and embrace for three minutes each at a door in the fence, which the U.S. Border Patrol opened to celebrate Mexican Children's Day. It was only the third time the fence, which separates San Diego from Tijuana, had been opened for families to briefly reunite. The event was planned by the immigrant advocacy group Border Angels.

15. We vowed to always stand up for our rights...

Photo by Olivier Morin/AFP/Getty Images.

Ethiopia's Feyisa Lilesa protests the Ethiopian government's crackdown on political dissent by crossing his arms over his head at the finish line of the men's marathon at the Rio Olympics on Aug. 21.

16. ...no matter what obstacles are in our way...

Photo by Mohammed Elshamy/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images.

"My family and friends have continuously pushed me to face adversities and succeed despite them. I am not afraid of failure and push myself to try to be the best at everything," Nagla Bedir, who is Muslim and works as a social studies teacher, told the Andalou Agency during an interview about hate speech and Islamophobia ahead of the U.S. presidential election on Oct. 29. These issues were major dividing lines during the election, and Bedir was one of many who spoke out about the real struggles they dealt with every day this year.

17. ...to put our best foot forward...

Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images.

These models walking the runway during New York Fashion Week on Sept. 12 were the first to wear hijab at the event. This moment showcased the importance of respecting each others' beliefs and traditions. The designer, Anniesa Hasibuan, received a standing ovation at the event for her stunning work.

18. ...soak in those triumphs...

Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images.

Ibtihaj Muhammad of the United States celebrates during the women's saber team semifinal against Russia on Aug. 13 at the Rio Olympics. She was the first American Olympic athlete to wear the hijab during competition, and despite being knocked out during the competition, her performance left a powerful mark.

19. ...but always be mindful of the progress that's yet to be made.

Photo by Patrick Baz/AFP/Getty Images.

Activists from Abaad (Dimensions), a resource center for gender equality, dress as brides and wear injury patches during a protest in Beirut on Dec. 6 against a law that shields rapists from prosecution on the condition that they marry their victim.

20. We try to hang with our pals...

Photo by Mike Groll/AP.

Jim Kowalczik plays with Jimbo, a 1,500-pound Kodiak bear, at the Orphaned Wildlife Center in Otisville, New York, on Sept. 7. Our complicated relationship with the natural world had many ups and downs this year. This quiet moment between two friends shows the importance of compassion between us and the animal world.

21. ...stretch our legs...

Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images.

Maja, a 40-year-old elephant, checks out a bakery on July 1 in Berlin. Maja performs daily at Circus Busch, and circus workers take her on walks among the nearby apartment buildings to vacant lots, where she likes to eat the grass. City authorities sanction the outings and federal regulations reportedly encourage activities for elephants to stimulate the animals' cognitive awareness.

22. ...and our arms too.

Photo by Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images.

A Sumatran orangutan plays at the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme's rehabilitation center in Kuta Mbelin, North Sumatra, Indonesia on Nov. 11. The orangutans in Indonesia are on the verge of extinction as a result of deforestation and poaching.

23. Together, we can hope for a better new year.

Photo by Kena Betancur/AFP/Getty Images.

A woman adds a sticky note to the art piece "Subway Therapy" at the Union Square station in New York on Nov. 17. This powerful display of compassion and empathy helped a city to heal after a divisive presidential election. It offered New Yorkers a collective outlet to reflect and move forward together in the new year.

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American orders Olive Garden-style chicken parm in Italy and the waiter's response is perfect

He looks so confused.

via Drburtoni/Flickr and Boxer_Bob/Flickr

A waiter talking with his hands.

One of the great things about America is that we have a relatively young culture, so many of the foods that we eat were brought over from other countries. That makes America a great place to try out all the different types of food from around the world.

However, we also like to put our own stamp on staples from around the globe that give the American version its own unique flair. Some foods that we claim originated overseas were actually first made right here in the U.S. of A. For example, chimichangas, which can be found in many Mexican restaurants, actually originated in the state of Arizona. Crab Rangoon, a popular “Chinese” dish, was actually invented in San Francisco, and spaghetti and meatballs were never a thing in Italy.

TikTok creator Gabby Donahue posted a video that’s the perfect example of how some ethnic foods get remixed once they become popular in the States. In a video with over 7 million views, her father shows a waiter in Italy a photo of chicken parmesan from Olive Garden so he can order it at the restaurant. The waiter's reaction is an excellent example of someone trying to be polite while he cannot believe what he is seeing.

“My Boston Irish father trying to order a Google image of the Olive Garden chicken parm in Italy,” Donahue wrote in the text overlay.

@gabbydonahuee

@Olive Garden ‘s biggest fan 😭😭😭😭 #italy #cultureshock #chickenparm #olivegarden


When the father showed the picture to the waiter, he seemed a bit confused about the image. “Only in the States,” he said. “It doesn’t exist in Italy.” The father couldn’t believe what he was hearing: “It doesn’t exist in Italy?”

“I don’t know what it is…on the pasta?” the waiter said, trying to make sense of the chicken breast smothered in cheese and sauce. The waiter gave his final verdict while holding his chin: “No. That’s horrible.”

“Horrible? Wow. Look at that. That doesn’t,” the father laughed. “That looks good… but,” the waiter shrugged off the father. “It does look good,” the father continued. “It tastes good. I’ll tell you what, I’m gonna mail you some. I’ll send it to you.”

“Okay? Olive Garden chicken, I’m gonna search,” the waiter said, walking away from the table.


The commenters had a field day analyzing the waiter’s body language. “‘No, that looks good’ while looking completely disgusted was the most Italian reaction ever,” one commenter wrote. “Bro remembered halfway through his disgust that he’s at work,” another added.

It’s not crazy that an American would think that chicken parmesan is an Italian dish; after all, it’s served in most Italian-American restaurants. However, according to Paesana, it was created in America by the Italian diaspora.

“In the Old World, that’s Italy prior to the Italian diaspora—the large-scale emigration of Italians from Italy to America—proteins like chicken were not widely available," according to an article on the site. "As such, the prototypical chicken parmigiana was actually made with breaded, fried slices of eggplant in place of chicken for a dish called melanzane alla Parmigiana."


Even though chicken parmesan didn’t originate in the old country, Pasquale Sciarappa, a popular Italian-born food influencer living in America, has no problem cooking the dish.

"'That’s not Italian!’ I hear this every time I share a dish like Chicken Parmigiana. And you know what? They’re right — it’s not something you’d traditionally find in Italy. But you know what else is true? It’s Italian-American. It was born in immigrant kitchens — from people who left Italy, landed in the U.S., and made do with what they had. They took inspiration from dishes like melanzane alla parmigiana and recreated comfort from memory using what was available,” he wrote.

It’s understandable that an American could go to Italy without knowing that something he’d had in Italian restaurants wasn’t actually from Italy. It’s understandable for an Italian server to balk at a photo of a dish served in an American restaurant that you’d find in a shopping mall.

But we should all agree that one of the wonderful things about American culture is that it's an amalgamation of different cultures stirred around in the same pot, and if that means we get a fresh variation on the burrito, a new way to eat Chinese crab, or a tasty piece of chicken where eggplant used to be, the more the better.

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Stop struggling with small talk by using the easy 'COST method'

This simple acronym will make your next social gathering a lot more enjoyable.

via Canva/Photos

A man and woman chatting at a dinner party.

There are several reasons why people are hesitant to engage in small talk at a party or around the water cooler at work. Some people simply avoid it because they don’t find chatting about the weather, sports, or what they saw on television the night before very interesting.

Others are afraid that they may run out of things to say or that there will be an awkward pause that makes them want to hide their head in the sand, like an ostrich. Mary, a friendship educator with a degree in interpersonal communication, has a solution for those of us who want to be friendly and meet people but abhor small talk; she calls it the COST method.

What is the COST method for making small talk?

According to Mary, who goes by @better.social.skills on TikTok, COST stands for Compliment, Observation, Story, and Tip. These are four options you can turn to when you're in need of a conversation topic.

@better.social.skills

Remember the acronym C.O.S.T. and you’ll always have something to talk about at parties or events. C stands for compliment. Tell somebody you like their shirt or shoes, for example, and see where the conversation leads. O stands for observation. Remark on something happening around you, like if you enjoy the music or feel a certain way about the weather. A stands for story, in which you share a little anecdote about yourself. For example, maybe you were late to the party for some reason, or you’re excited to get home and watch a show you’re loving. T stands for tip, in which you give a small recommendation to someone. For example, where the shortest bathroom lines are, which food is particular particularly delicious, or point out an interesting person they might want to talk to. What do you think? Would you use these? #creatorsearchinsights #conversationstarters

1. Compliment

“Tell somebody you like their shirt or shoes, for example, and see where the conversation leads,” Mary says.

“Oh, I like your shoes.”

“I like your shirt.”

“You have such a soothing voice.”

2. Observation

“Remark on something happening around you,” Mary says.

“This song is amazing.”

“I really love how Jeanie decorated this room.”

“There’s a lot more people here than last night.”

3. Story

“Share a little anecdote about yourself. For example, maybe you were late to the party for some reason, or you’re excited to get home and watch a show you’re loving,” she said.

4. Tip

“Give a small recommendation to someone. For example, where the shortest bathroom lines are, which food is particularly delicious, or point out an interesting person they might want to talk to,” Mary said.

“I don’t know if you’ve tried the new Mexican place on South Street yet…”

“I’d have one of Jeanie’s margaritas now, before they are all gone.”

“Be careful if you talk to Brian. He can get a bit long-winded.”

chatting before movie, popcorn, movie theater, snacks, small talk Three people chatitng before a movie.via Canva/Photos

The great thing, if you’re a little shy about making small talk, is that studies show that you definitely don’t need to do all the heavy lifting in the conversation. In fact, a Gong.io study found that the best way to make a connection with someone is to speak 43% of the time and let your new friend talk for the other 57% of the conversation.

Further proof that the best way to make a great first impression is a study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. It found that when meeting someone for the first time, ask them a question and then be sure to ask two additional follow-ups before discussing yourself. This has been found to dramatically increase your likability.

“We identify a robust and consistent relationship between question-asking and liking,” the authors of the study write. “People who ask more questions, particularly follow-up questions, are better liked by their conversation partners.”

For those of you who have always felt that you're bad at making small talk. while others seemed to do it naturally, realize that people aren’t born great communicators; it’s a skill that can be learned just like anything else. With a few tips from the experts, you can go from dreading small talk to enjoying striking up a conversation with just about anyone.

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Happiness researcher explains how making a 'reverse bucket list' can change your life

Counterintuitive in our culture, but effective.

Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons

Harvard researcher Arthur C. Brooks studies what leads to human happiness.

We live in a society that prizes ambition, celebrating goal-setting, and hustle culture as praiseworthy vehicles on the road to success. We also live in a society that associates successfully getting whatever our hearts desire with happiness. The formula we internalize from an early age is that desire + ambition + goal-setting + doing what it takes = a successful, happy life.

But as Harvard University happiness researcher Arthur C. Brooks has found, in his studies as well as his own experience, that happiness doesn't follow that formula. "It took me too long to figure this one out," Brooks told podcast host Tim Ferris, explaining why he uses a "reverse bucket list" to live a happier life.

bucket list, wants, desires, goals, detachment Many people make bucket lists of things they want in life. Giphy

Brooks shared that on his birthday, he would always make a list of his desires, ambitions, and things he wanted to accomplish—a bucket list. But when he was 50, he found his bucket list from when he was 40 and had an epiphany: "I looked at that list from when I was 40, and I'd checked everything off that list. And I was less happy at 50 than I was at 40."

As a social scientist, he recognized that he was doing something wrong and analyzed it.

"This is a neurophysiological problem and a psychological problem all rolled into one handy package," he said. "I was making the mistake of thinking that my satisfaction would come from having more. And the truth of the matter is that lasting and stable satisfaction, which doesn't wear off in a minute, comes when you understand that your satisfaction is your haves divided by your wants…You can increase your satisfaction temporarily and inefficiently by having more, or permanently and securely by wanting less."

Brooks concluded that he needed a "reverse bucket list" that would help him "consciously detach" from his worldly wants and desires by simply writing them down and crossing them off.

"I know that these things are going to occur to me as natural goals," Brooks said, citing human evolutionary psychology. "But I do not want to be owned by them. I want to manage them." He discussed moving those desires from the instinctual limbic system to the conscious pre-frontal cortex by examining each one and saying, "Maybe I get it, maybe I don't," but crossing them off as attachments. "And I'm free…it works," he said.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

"When I write them down, I acknowledge that I have the desire," he explained on X. "When I cross them out, I acknowledge that I will not be attached to this goal."

The idea that attachment itself causes unhappiness is a concept found in many spiritual traditions, but it is most closely associated with Buddhism. Mike Brooks, PhD, explains that humans need healthy attachments, such as an attachment to staying alive and attachments to loved ones, to avoid suffering. But many things to which we are attached are not necessarily healthy, either by degree (over-attachment) or by nature (being attached to things that are impermanent).

"We should strive for flexibility in our attachments because the objects of our attachment are inherently in flux," Brooks writes in Psychology Today. "In this way, we suffer unnecessarily when we don't accept their impermanent nature."

What Arthur C. Brooks suggests that we strive to detach ourselves from our wants and desires because the simplest way to solve the 'haves/wants = happiness' formula is to reduce the denominator. The reverse bucket list, in which you cross off desires before you fulfill them, can help free you from attachment and lead to a happier overall existence.

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History (Education)

Ancient Roman men plucked their armpit hair ​and other fun historical grooming facts

Wait until you see what they brushed their teeth with.

Photo credit: Canva

Did Julius Caesar have his armpits plucked? Probably.

Modern life may have us shaving, waxing, microblading, laser treating, Botoxing, and altering our natural appearance in all manner of ways in the name of beauty, but the idea of grooming to specific societal standards is nothing new. In cultures all around the world and throughout history, humans have found countless creative ways to make ourselves (ostensibly) look better.

Of course, what looks better is subjective and always has been. Take, for example, the ancient Romans. If you wanted to be seen as a studly man 2,000 years ago in the Roman Empire, you'd remove as much of your body hair as possible. That meant tweezing—or being tweezed by someone else, most likely an enslaved person.

armpit hair, grooming, hair removal, hairless, beauty standard Armpit hair wasn't cook in ancient Rome. Giphy

The Romans, in general, weren't big on body hair for men or women.

"You had to have the look,” Cameron Moffett, English Heritage’s curator at the Wroxeter Roman City museum in Shropshire, U.K., told The Times. “And the look was hairlessness, particularly the underarms.” A collection of 50 tweezers on display at the museum, recovered from the archeological site that was once the Roman city of Viriconium, speaks to Roman tweezing habits, but that's not the only evidence we have.

Stoic philosopher Seneca once wrote in a letter lamenting how the noise from the Roman baths was disrupting his work: "Besides those who just have loud voices, imagine the skinny armpit-hair plucker whose cries are shrill to draw people's attention and never stop except when he's doing his job and making someone else shriek for him."

When we picture the ancient Romans, "skinny armpit-hair plucker" may not be the image that comes to mind, yet here we are.


teeth brushing, toothbrush, oral hygiene, toothpaste, dental hygiene They brushed with what now? Giphy

While we fret over fluoride, the Romans brushed their teeth with pee and mouse brains.

Toothpastes of the past were made with all kinds of things—herbs, spices, salts, crushed bone, and more. For the ancient Romans, that "more" included mouse brains and human urine, according to Decisions in Dentistry. Mouse brains were believed to enhance the effectiveness of toothpaste, and urine, imported in large quantities from Portugal, was utilized for its ammonia content and whitening properties. A standard Roman toothpaste would be a mixture of herbs, mouse brains, urine, and a binder such as honey. Oddly enough, it appeared to be somewhat effective, with archeological findings showing a relatively low number of cavities and tooth decay.

@charissekenion

Sailorr has everyone talking about her sound - and her teeth. Here’s my super short history lesson on the practice of ohaguro #ohaguro #geisha #japanese #japantok #aapi #history #japan #historytok #sailorr #japanesebeauty

Meanwhile, in ancient Japan, women tried to blacken their teeth

Teeth whitening is all the rage in modern times, but in the distant past in parts of Asia, making your teeth black was considered beautiful. The practice known as ohaguro was a traditional Japanese practice that, ironically, was intended to prevent tooth decay.

According to a letter in the British Dental Journal, women in ancient Japan would paint a solution of ferric acetate (from iron filings), vinegar, and tannin from tea or vegetables. It was called kanemizuonto and made the teeth appear black. The practice has made a comeback among some rural areas of Southeast Asia, and the Vietnamese-American singer Sailorr has made waves with her blackened teeth as well.

ear picker, history, artifact, grooming, beauty An ornate ear picker.The Swedish History Museum, Stockholm/Wikimedia Commons

Ear pickers were much prettier than Q-tips. In fact, they were an accessory.

The old saying, "Don't put anything in your ear except your elbow," may not be as old as it seems, as people have been inserting objects into their ears to remove wax for a long time.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, it was common to see beautiful, ornate "ear pickers"—small metal tools with a small scoop at the end for cleaning ears as well as teeth and fingernails. According to Jamestown Rediscovery, it was fashionable to wear gold and silver toiletry tools, such as ear pickers or toothpicks, as accessories. It's hard to imagine wearing Q-tips and toothpicks around. Also, ew. But if you look up "ear pickers," you'll find ornate examples from various parts of the world.

At the very least, it's nice to know that modern humans are not the first ones to go to great—and sometimes interesting—lengths to meet an arbitrary social standard of beauty. (And three cheers for modern toothpaste. Seriously.)

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Marketing professor says there's one key secret to landing jobs you apply for

Scott Galloway says it's all about being social.

Image via Canva/fizkes

The key to landing a job through networking, according to a marketing professor.

Finding a new job is a nightmare scenario these days. With most people blindly applying for jobs online and submitting them into the ether, there is no guarantee of hearing a "yes" or "no" answer—and even less probability of actually landing the ones applied for.

But according to Scott Galloway, a marketing professor at New York University's Stern School of Business, there is one key thing that has been proven to help people obtain employment.

"Google puts out a job opening, they get 200 CVs within like eight minutes," Galloway said during an interview on Shane Smith’s Vice News podcast. "They limit it down to the 20 most qualified. Seventy percent of the time, the person they pick is someone who has an internal advocate."

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Galloway explains that it comes down to networking and making connections with people (i.e. being social in and outside the workplace) that ultimately can help you land a job.

"The way you [achieve professional success] as a young person is you go out, you make friends, you drink, and at every possible opportunity, you help that person out," he said. "You want to be placed in rooms of opportunities when you’re not physically there."

Although it may not lead to instant payoff, maintaining strong social connections and continuing to foster relationships before, during, and after your job search can ultimately pay off. Galloway also explained why it works with an example from high school days.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

"The most successful people in high school aren’t the best looking [or] the best athletes, they’re the ones that like other people the most," he said. "The kid who says, 'Hey, you know, great game, Brett,' or 'Wow, way to go on the basketball team, Lisa.' The person who shows the most goodwill and like toward other people is the most popular, successful person in high school.”

Ultimately, being referred to a job by a current employee is a more successful strategy than applying to a role without any connection. Nearly 40 percent of hires actually come from employee referrals, despite only 7 percent of applicants coming from referrals, a study from Jobvite found.

And according to data from Pinpoint ATS (applicant tracking software), candidates that are referred are seven times more likely to be hired than ones applying via job boards.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

How to make connections while job hunting

Galloway has three tips to help you connect with people during your job search:

Tip #1: Be as social as possible

"When you're hunting for a job in general, is to be as social as possible," he said. "Go out. Meet as many people as possible. Have fun. Make as many contacts as possible and let people know that you're looking. Most hiring managers have figured out, interviews are f***ing useless. So it's about reference hiring. To a certain extent, networking and looking for a job is a popularity contest. And how do you become most popular and put yourself in a room of opportunities even when you're not physically in it? You like as many other people as possible, you're as social as possible."

Tip #2: Don't be afraid to ask for help

Galloway also adds that it's important to not let your ego get in the way of asking for help. Reaching out will only help you, and is not a sign of weakness.

Tip #3: Be proactive and disciplined

"Make a list of what you're going to do," he said. "Make a list of this many emails, go on LinkedIn, contact this many people. Success in anything is a small series of disciplined efforts everyday."

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