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Why Career Change Starts Now
Tweet Share on Facebook June 19, 2008 Comment (1)One of the biggest lies people who are unhappy with their careers tell themselves is, "I want to change careers, but I can't." It's a great excuse to sit and wallow in misery without actually having to do anything about it.
It's also a flawed perspective.
Ninety-nine percent of the time, what they really mean is, "I want to change careers, but I can't right now." And because they can't right now, they project that to mean, "I can't ever." Of course, if they take that view of things, they're absolutely right.
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Boost Your Career With a Hobby
Tweet Share on Facebook June 18, 2008 Comment (1)By definition, hobbies are activities that yield pleasure or relaxation outside of your occupation. A great hobby can make you forget about the fires at work that may require attention when you return to the office. At first thought, hobbies might not seem appropriate in the workplace. However, the right hobby can be integrated into your career, causing greater job satisfaction. The benefits for you are easy to recognize—you get paid to do something you usually enjoy doing on your own time. You may also gain a positive reputation for being good at your hobby and successfully meshing it with your career.
I integrated my love of photography into my daily job in marketing communications. I love taking pictures—and everyone knows it. I am the go-to person for photography and imagery in my department. Not only am I using my skill, which makes me personally happy; I am saving money for the company by using my own professional camera to take pictures for presentations, for stock photos, and for our intranet. I am building a portfolio of professional imagery and getting to develop myself as a photographer while having fresh imagery for my own presentations and assignments.
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The One-Sentence Motivator
Tweet Share on Facebook June 17, 2008 Comment (6)"Be the man you dreamed you could be when you were a little boy."
I am not sure who said it originally, but I first heard it at a speech given by Mike Vance, the former head of creativity at Walt Disney World. Speaking of whom, how is this for a reference? "Mike Vance is one of the most creative guys I have met in a long time," said Walt Disney (HIMSELF). When Mike talks about creativity, people listen.
That one sentence has stuck with me for, what...cough, 33, cough, years. I have said it numerous times, but mostly I have internalized it and tried to live my life by it.
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7 Workplace Fears
Tweet Share on Facebook June 16, 2008 Comment (5)It's not just horror movies that give folks the willies. From natural disasters to a floundering economy, there's no shortage of workplace fears. Since going to the office is such an integral part of our lives, and an anxiety-provoking one at that, I think it would be interesting to discuss common work terrors.
Here are a few common ones that have hit the Jobacle inbox over the years. Check them out and please tell the U.S. News community what freaks you out in the comments section below.
GETTING FIRED: The economic downturn has certainly added fuel to the fire. How will you break the news to your family? Pay the mortgage? Find another job? This is the powder keg of panic, potentially leading to a bevy of unpleasant, catastrophic thoughts.
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How to Follow Up After an Interview
Tweet Share on Facebook June 16, 2008 Comment (22)One of the most common questions I get asked is whether, when, and how to follow up after a job interview. Following up in some way is nearly essential. Yes, you can get a job without it, but if you're in competition with other top candidates, following up to reiterate your interest when the other candidate doesn't can sometimes clinch the deal for you. Here's how to follow up well:
Send a thank-you note immediately. E-mail is fine for this and has the advantage of arriving faster, but handwritten notes are still appreciated (and are increasingly unusual so will stand out). And if there are multiple interviews, send a thank-you note each time.
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What Would You Tell Tom?
Tweet Share on Facebook June 13, 2008 Comment (1)Consider two employees: Maria and Tom.
Tom is more creative than Maria. He can come up with 12 different ways to handle a project, while Maria may find four or five. His insight can be stunning. During his time with the organization, Tom has attracted a sizable group of admirers, along with an equally large group of enemies, possibly because Tom is utterly convinced of the correctness of his positions. He loves to have the last word.
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Management School With Miss Arti, Preschool Teacher
Tweet Share on Facebook June 12, 2008 Comment (1)I had the opportunity to attend a fabulous management training seminar last week. OK, it was really a field trip with my daughter's preschool class. But I'm thinking that her teacher could make huge bucks on the side doing management training.
Here's what I learned from Miss Arti's School of Management.
1. Before the trip, she paired up the children. Each 3-year-old was paired with a 5-year-old. What do we call this? Mentoring! Instead of having the teacher hold hands with all the younger children, she assigned each a mentor—someone who has done the field trip thing before. Someone who can explain about how much fun the bus ride will be.
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Why You Must Choose Change Over Inertia
Tweet Share on Facebook June 12, 2008 CommentHave you ever wondered why so many people who are unhappy with their work are so resistant to actually changing it?
One reason is that change is often fraught with uncertainty, which can make it seem scary and potentially painful. As wired as humans are to minimize pain, they choose the dull ache of their current situation over the pain potential of change.
Imagine you're unhappy with your work and you're fantasizing about a new career. You put your two options on a scale to weigh them against each other. On the one hand, you can stay with the familiar discomfort of a job you don't like. On the other hand, you can choose the potential pain and fear of making a significant change.
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How to Use Your Vacation Time
Tweet Share on Facebook June 11, 2008 Comment (1)While most articles for young professionals provide tips for work, an all-too-often ignored aspect of work is not working at all. After graduating from college, working 40 to 60 hours a week is tough! When I graduated, I had two weeks to move before starting my job, and I'm sure I'm not the only one in a similar situation. It's only when you've worked for a few months that you realize how much free time you had in college. For most newly corporate types, two weeks a year and holidays are all the time we have to free ourselves from our cubedoms. We've all heard that Americans don't take as much vacation as the rest of the world; in fact, surveys report 35 percent of Americans don't even use all of their meager allotment!
As an American corporate worker, I was pretty used to my two weeks of paid vacation and eagerly awaited receiving more. After relocating to London, suddenly vacation took on new meaning with five weeks to use up. The fact that my U.S.-based manager has been working 15 years longer than me but still has less vacation makes me think a little more tactfully about how, when, and where I take time off. I've come up with a few tips that I think you can apply to your vacation scheduling to benefit yourself and your company.
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42 Rules For Your First Week
Tweet Share on Facebook June 10, 2008 Comment (5)1. Show up on time.
2. Wear clean clothes.
3. Don't ask about the vacation policy.
4. Keep your opinions to yourself.
5. Don't surf the net.
6. Don't complain.
7. Assume goodwill in others.
8. Be mindful of the hierarchy.
9. Learn the company's history.
10. Remember coworkers' names.
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