Work, success, and meaning at every stage of your career
Most job search advice books are serious, well-meaning and bland. I read so many that when I find one that’s funny and profane, in equal parts, I can’t help but share the advice with you. Michael Laskoff is the author of a “survival guide for the recently unemployed” called Landing on the Right Side of Your A**. (Title redacted; this is a family friendly blog, after all.)
Remember that writing is not just for writers. Writing is a way of capturing positive thoughts in a tangible format that makes them more real. Write a positive vision of your future and go back to it when you’re feeling discouraged. It’s the same technique as visualization, except that you come out with an actual document that serves as a blueprint for success.
I follow author Time Ferris (it’s a wild ride) and this post was inspired by one of his. I happen to agree with him that you can tell a lot about people by how they do the small things.
Mastery, innovation and creativity are the keys to breakthrough performance in any field. How can you apply the principles to your own career? Colvin suggests these guidelines.
Deliberate practice means that you take one skill you don’t have and work on it over and over and over and over. And then work on it some more. You work until you’re exhausted. And then some more.
You may not have the time or patience to do this kind of practice, but you may be able to get better results by applying yourself in a more deliberate way. Here are some tips for setting up a more deliberate practice, whatever you do.
75 percent of recruiters are required by their companies to do online research of candidates. And 70 percent of recruiters in the United States report that they have rejected candidates because of information online.
CBS Moneywatch recently released a list of the college majors with the highest unemployment rates. Five of the list of 25 majors are related to psychology. “Ironically,” the accompanying article goes on to say, “Psychology is the fifth most popular college degree.” Those numbers are probably related, of course; I try to convince jobseekers that they should consider professions where competition is less fierce. In college, that usually means where the classes are much more demanding. There are always a few seats left empty in advanced Physics classes.
This was the first generation that could choose to get married or choose almost any other lifestyle: cohabitation, staying single without stigma, and a hundred variations in between. We could choose when or whether to have children. Women could choose to have a demanding career and raise a family; it used to be an either / or decision. All this choice gave us a feeling of unlimited possibilities when we were young. But we’re no longer young (on the outside, at least.) We’re in our fifties and sixties, and feeling that the world has changed dramatically.
Introverts tend to gain strength, energy and confidence through spending time alone, unlike extroverts who tend to recharge their batteries in social settings. Introverts can be intelligent, calm, thoughtful, and creative. They just don’t find social contact as energizing as extroverts do. But even though introversion can support a highly successful personal and professional life, … Continue reading Guest Post: Job Search Tips for Introverts
If you’re in a job search, you’re being evaluated on your looks all the time. Sorry – it’s just a fact of life. Your grooming, your clothes, your sense of style – they’re all part of the package you present to potential employers for their scrutiny. Here are some easy – and inexpensive – ways to look better, courtesy of Noreen Young. She’s a makeup artist, esthetician, author and well-known speaker on beauty. She owns a studio in the Lakewood / San Jose area of Jacksonville, and she’s helped thousands of people find their best look.
Here’s what Noreen suggests to look better on a budget.
Your Work, Your Way 