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How to Convince Your Employer to Pay for School
Tweet Share on Facebook February 28, 2011 Comment (4)Many employers are willing to pay to advance your education. Taking classes while working full time can be a tall order, but the best companies want their workers to thrive, grow, and feel challenged.
Just because your company handbook makes no mention of tuition reimbursement doesn’t mean your boss won’t pay to send you back to school.
Increase the odds of attending a (virtual) graduation ceremony on the company’s dime by being able to answer these seven questions:
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Managing and Matching Expectations at Work
Tweet Share on Facebook February 25, 2011 Comment (3)You’re likely to get ridiculed at work if your wardrobe is consistently mismatched. But while the clash of checks and stripes may hinder your career, other mismatches can be much more damaging.
For example, you may have expectations about your job responsibility, performance, career aspirations, or values and principles, and when those are mismatched with your peers or bosses, they can be potentially fatal to your career.
Here are some ways to make sure your career insights and goals are aligned, even if your socks are not:
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How Positive Thinking Can Help Your Career
Tweet Share on Facebook February 24, 2011 Comment (1)Want to expand the possibilities in your career? Start between your ears. The outer limits of your career potential are defined by the stories that bump around in your head. Negative, limiting assumptions and beliefs contract that potential. Positive, affirming stories help it grow.
Before I go any further, let me stress that I’m not subscribing to some fluffy bunny theory of positive thinking here. It’s just plain common sense. Nothing more than simple logic. Expansive stories open doors. Limiting stories close them.
Let’s say you have 10 opportunities to take a dream step in your career and, because you see the world through the lens of your positive stories, you decide to give each of them a shot. And let’s say, just for the sake of this example, that 80 percent of the steps you take fail. Unpleasant as the unsuccessful steps might be, that still leaves two steps that succeeded.
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How to Start Looking for a Job
Tweet Share on Facebook February 24, 2011 Comment (5)When faced with a job search, you might not know where to begin, especially if you didn’t expect to become unemployed. To stay focused on the main goal—finding the right fit for you—it’s vital to be organized.
Whether you’re unemployed or still have a job and think it's time to make a change, here are a few tips on how to gain momentum in your search:
1. Talk to your friends, ex-colleagues, and previous bosses. Most job opportunities will come through your extended network of colleagues. That’s why it’s so important to nurture your networks all the time, not just when you need it.
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7 Things Your Interviewer Wants You to Know
Tweet Share on Facebook February 23, 2011 Comment (9)Job seekers spend a lot of time and energy applying for positions, but when invited for an interview (often on short notice), many are caught like a deer in the headlights—unprepared and trying to cram for the interview they worked so hard to win.
Don’t be that candidate! If you are job-hunting full time, spend a fraction of each week thinking about and actively getting ready to interview so you aren’t caught ill-equipped when the time comes.
Here are seven things your interviewer wants you to know and action steps to help you successfully navigate the interview process:
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Save Your Career with Walking Meditation
Tweet Share on Facebook February 22, 2011 Comment (5)As my colleague Rusty wrote last week, you shouldn't get mad at work. But sometimes it just happens. One minute you're typing up a memo, and the next, you realize it's been a good minute since you took a breath. Anger has a devilish way of sneaking up on us—especially at work.
But here’s a cure: walking meditation.
At the onset of anger, the best thing you can do for yourself and your career is get up from your desk and walk away. Implement these steps for a successful walking meditation session, and your quality of life at work will dramatically improve.
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6 Career Decisions You’ll Have to Make
Tweet Share on Facebook February 22, 2011 Comment (3)Are you starting a new career? If so, get ready for a constant flow of opportunities to come your way. And with opportunities come some big decisions.
How will you decide along the way?
While it’s true your career and life build behind you, decisions on what to do come one at a time. Your choices will influence the depth at which you succeed, as well as how others see your judgment.
Here are some decisions you’ll need to think through:
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When a Contact Invites You to Send a Resume
Tweet Share on Facebook February 21, 2011 Comment (6)What do you do when someone specifically asks you to send in their resume because they might have a job that would be a good fit? Or they want to keep you in mind in case they hear of an open position?
Maybe it’s someone you met at a party, or a friend of a friend, or the guy who just moved in down the street. You’re talking, you mention what you do, and the next thing you know, you’ve been invited to send the person your resume.
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How To Create Your Own Career Think Tank
Tweet Share on Facebook February 18, 2011 CommentA think tank is a collection of people who advise, counsel, and think strategically about a problem, issue, or cause. Governments and political leaders have them. Industries and CEOs have them. Institutes are built on the idea of them.
So why not have your own career think tank? Imagine the power of having amazing thinkers who could guide you on where to take your career and what your next move should be.
Start now by tapping these five people:
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Why You Should Own YourName.com
Tweet Share on Facebook February 16, 2011 Comment (4)When was the last time you searched for your own name online? Did you like what you saw?
You may be surprised to learn your only Internet claim-to-fame is the track trophy you won in college or a mention of your participation in a charity golf tournament—three years ago. If you have a LinkedIn account and an uncommon name, your LinkedIn profile may show up in a search. But if you have many doppelgangers (people who share your name), it’s more difficult to distinguish yourself online.
Why should job seekers worry about how they appear online? Nearly 80 percent of recruiters, human resources professionals, and hiring managers who responded to a Microsoft survey said they search for candidates’ information online and may use it to disqualify applicants. And what if they disqualify you based on incorrect information? Maybe it’s not really you they found online, but someone with the same name and a similar profile. What if you share your name with an unsavory character or someone with a questionable reputation?
