Category: Professional Development

Building skills on the job

Guest Post: What your College Degree Means to an Employer

by candacemoody

There’s no denying the fact that college graduates face a tough job market today. That will discourage a lot of new graduates, but there’s a silver lining to their predicament. The college degree that they worked so hard to earn is probably the most important piece of paper in their job search – more important than any resume or cleverly written cover letter. Not enough college graduates understand that they’re part of a lucky demographic that gets first consideration when employers consider new hires. Despite what some critics claim, a college education is still the standard qualification for most entry level professional positions.

How to Decide

by candacemoody

Having a defined list of priorities is the key to confident decision making. Your list of priorities might be global (family, health, quality of life) or specific to a decision (no more than a 30-minute commute each day; requires no more than 25% overnight business travel.) Knowing what your values and priorities are helps you evaluate each option carefully and objectively.

To Be or Not to Be (Decisive)

by candacemoody

Dr. Rubin defines a “real” decision as one that is “a free, unconditional, total, and personal commitment to a choice or an option.” He writes that many people abdicate their right to make decisions, making themselves and those around them miserable. We’ve all met people who dither over even the smallest decisions, or choose what everyone else is doing – or the opposite, just to be different. In the matter of what to order for lunch, not a big deal, perhaps, but being unable to make a decision and stick with it can be crippling to a relationship or a career.

First Things First

by candacemoody

For many people, the hardest part of getting organized is deciding what’s most important. Procrastinators are sometimes paralyzed by the fact that they simply don’t know where to start on a project. It’s easier to get started on what you enjoy, or what’s in front of you, instead of working on what’s most important.

What You See May Not Be What You Get

by candacemoody

The term heuristic, which Wikipedia says comes from the Greek word for ‘find’ or ‘discover,’ “refers to experience-based techniques for problem solving, learning, and discovery. Where an exhaustive search is impractical, heuristic methods are used to speed up the process of finding a satisfactory solution.” We call heuristic approaches “intuition” and “guessing” as well. We all use this part of the brain – imagine how hard it would be to have to think about every choice we make, to reason through every decision. Our brains would be overloaded. So nature allows us to use heuristics for many common tasks.

Guest Post: 5 Websites for Finding Awesome Internship Opportunities

by candacemoody

Internships can provide entry into dream jobs, adding experience and references to an inexperienced person’s résumé, but finding them can be challenging – especially in a down economy. As with all job searches, the Internet is an invaluable resource for locating the best opportunities. Whether you’re a recent graduate, embarking on a new career, or a student required to take an internship for class credit, the web can lead you to an internship that will give you the experience you need. Here are five great websites for tracking down the best internship.

Are You Creative?

by candacemoody

If you think of your career goals as a problem to be solved, then creativity would be a wonderful asset to have. Indeed, being considered “creative” has a wonderful ring to it and beings up all kinds of positive associations. Yet only a small percentage of people would describe themselves as creative. Why?

How Andrew Luck Can Become Peyton Manning

by candacemoody

Just as Luck was promoted to Manning’s coveted spot, many professionals find themselves faced with the intimidating responsibility of filling the shoes of an all-star employee who moved up or out. This former employee was popular, respected, and (incidentally) great at his job. Although you may have been the king (or queen) of your old department, the fact remains that you are you, not the other guy who used to do the same job. Just not being him can be a liability, no matter how good you are.