Work, success, and meaning at every stage of your career
We all spend an enormous amount of energy trying to figure out what’s coming next – trying to know what the outcome of a situation will be. It’s the impulse to read the last chapter of a novel when the suspense gets to be too much. Once you know how it ends, you can relax and enjoy the story. And possibly pick up on more clues along the way, noticing details you might have missed if you didn’t know the identity of the killer.
What are you afraid of? Chances are, whatever it is, it’s holding you back from your next career step. And it may be deeply held, a holdover from childhood. If so, maybe you can let it go now that you’re all grown up.
This post is written by Erica Moss. Erica is the social media outreach coordinator for the Master in Nursing degree program at Georgetown University, which has one of the nation’s leading nurse midwife programs. Erica knows firsthand what it’s like to relocate as she recently moved across country for a new job.
Relocating for a job is one of the most disruptive experiences you can face. It means saying goodbye to your friends, your home, and favorite restaurants. Some people enjoy the adventure of exploring a new place, while others dread the idea of starting over in unfamiliar surroundings. Here are some ways to prepare for relocation and adjusting after arriving.
“What salary are you looking for?” Everyone hates the question. Everyone. Talking about salary is awkward for most jobseekers, and for good reason. If you mention a figure that’s too low, you leave money on the table if you get the offer – and that’s the best case scenario.
I admit it; I can’t think when things around me are in disorder. And I have trouble believing people who claim that clutter doesn’t affect them at all. When things are a mess, your brain can’t make sense of the visual landscape – you literally have too much information in front of you. This visual static keeps your brain from working on problems efficiently. For some people, this produces a sort of numbness – they feel like their brain is wrapped in a thick blanket. For others, it’s an irritant- they feel constantly strung out and stressed without knowing exactly why. Either way, the clutter has got to go.
There’s something about fall and back to school season that makes all of us think about fresh starts. Summer is a lull in career and school activity; the rules don’t apply. We go to the beach, bask in the pool in the back yard, or travel on vacation. We stop wearing shoes (and as many clothes as possible) and generally relax. It’s not uncommon for jobseekers to take the summer off to spend time with family and relax. If you’ve done this, it’s time to get back to work on your job search.
Do What You Are is one of the books I always reach for when I work with jobseekers. On his website, Tieger says that career advice has traditionally been based on “a good match for the jobseeker’s values, interests and skills.” There’s only one problem with this approach, Tieger says: it doesn’t work.
If you’re still sending resumes that simply re-hash your job duties, it’s going to be hard to stand out in this economy. Your resume pages (usually one or two at the most) should be considered valuable real estate. Any words or phrases that don’t pull their weight should be eliminated so you can fill the space with accomplishments.
Of course you’re on LinkedIn. Every serious job seeking professional is. LinkedIn operates the world’s largest professional network on the Internet with more than 120 million members in over 200 countries and territories. According to the site’s founder, professionals are signing up to join LinkedIn at a rate that is faster than two new members per second. But if you’re like many users, you set up a profile a while ago and haven’t gone back in to update it. The site is adding new features all the time, and if you’ve not been paying attention, you’re missing out on some great opportunities.
Facebook is constantly changing its privacy settings and controls, so your Facebook page may be more visible than you think. Here are some of the bad ideas I’ve seen lately – bad, that is, if you’re in a job search and hoping someone is ready to hire you.
