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.
E is for EXCEL. If you know you’re good at something, Glickman says, you should take every opportunity to offer your expertise to the team. This is especially true if you’re good at something people don’t like to do. Offering to proof a large and complex document or to organize an event is a way to make friends among your team members or develop a great reputation with people you don’t know well.
I recently received an email from a jobseeker who asked whether it was appropriate to pull out of the interview process on her own initiative. While her question was about unemployment claim eligibility, I was curious to know why anyone would decline an interview in this competitive job market.
What I’ve learned is this:
Everything you need is already inside of you.
Don’t be afraid of change; embrace it as an adventure.
Believe in the value of who you are and what you do.
Do whatever it takes to set yourself up to succeed today.
When you’re in a job search, especially if you’re in a smaller town, you are always “on.” Your appearance – clothes, grooming and general energy level – are all a part of how people perceive you at first glance.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about what it would be like if your job search were like a musician’s search for work. Here’s what you can learn from their approach.
The informational interview is a mature technique (that ‘s a nice way of saying “old;” everyone’s heard of it and used it.) Asher’s fresh technique was to call a meeting to become a “candidate in waiting.” Asher says that smart managers know that they must be ready to replace key talent at a moment’s notice. People move, have emergencies, and get promoted all the time. It’s good policy to have a network of candidates in waiting who you’ve met, vetted, and know are interested in your company.
In the Hidden Job Market, size of the company is one of the most important features you can consider in your search. According to Donald Asher, author of Cracking the Hidden Job Market, says that large corporations are easier to find, but small companies are the ones creating new jobs. It’s also a smart strategy to be looking for work in places others don’t bother.
As new graduates prepare for their first career positions after graduation, Katheryn Rivas, an English Major at the University of Texas, offers this advice to her fellow students on success.
Karyn from Fleming Island, Florida wrote to us with this question:
Q: “I took the WorkKeys assessment this week and I am wondering how this can be sent to a potential employer?”
