Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: Slingshot Your Career

Each week we present our Daily Leap Career Video of the Week. The video we share presents news or advice related to career development, searching for a job, the economy and employment, and other career-related topics.

In this Harvard Business Review video Carrie Householder suggests that what might seem like a step backward in your career can work like a slingshot and propel you forward faster than you expected.

Learn more by watching the video here.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: Happiness at Work and Your Health

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share these every weekend so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

© Bellemedia | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos

• A Menu of Very Small Changes to Boost Your Happiness at Work: "Go outside at least once a day, and if possible, take a walk. The sunlight and activity is good for your focus, mood, and retention of information."

• 5 Career-Boosting Summer Activities: "Summer is the perfect time to invest in yourself. If you can make the case for it, your company just might be able to foot the bill. Taking adult education courses will also help enhance and grow your network. You never know who you'll be sitting next to."                                                      
• 4 Ways to Re-Energize Your Work Engagement: "Make small changes in your daily work routine to incorporate healthy habits, and work up to bigger, more influential changes. For example, start taking the stairs, or bring a healthy lunch from home."


• How Criticism Creates Innovative Teams: "Our findings show that debate and criticism do not inhibit ideas but, rather, stimulate them relative to every other condition."


• Experienced Workers Face More Challenges Finding a Job: "An employer is looking for someone who can help them get something done. Tell them or convince them that you have the talent, experience and, probably most important, the interest or passion to help them get it done." 

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: Finding a Mentor

Each week we present our Daily Leap Career Video of the Week. The video we share presents news or advice related to career development, searching for a job, the economy and employment, and other career-related topics.

In this video author and speaker Jack Canfield provides useful advice for seeking out a mentor.

Learn more in the video below

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High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: Happiness, Dream Boards, and Sustainable Careers

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share these every weekend so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

© Bellemedia | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos

• 5 Ways to Form Authentic Connections at Work: "Make sure you’re constantly striving to be a servant leader – a team’s success isn’t your glory moment, but is instead that of the people directly involved."

• How to Be Happy at Work: "We all want a few universal things. We want to make an impact on the world. We want to master what we do and strive for excellence. However, that’s really hard if we’re not on the right path and our job doesn’t bring us to life."                                                      
• Why You Need a Dream Board: "With dreams, you've got to think big. And just when you think you've thought big enough, it may be time to think even bigger. The point isn't to come up with realistic things -- it's to come with big, crazy, huge dreams that you can hope for."


• Craft a Sustainable Career: "Embrace the fact that you are the pilot of your career. No one else has direct access to your ambitions, interests, and values, and no one is going to take you by the hand and help you create a fulfilling career. The more you practice career crafting, the better you get at it."


• 4 Reasons Even Employed People Need to Network: "Continuing to build new relationships and nurture existing contacts after you're employed can be hugely beneficial to you as members of your network grow into the next phases of their career." 

Career Transition After 50

A career transition in midlife can be a fantastic way to reevaluate your life and seek out a true passion. But with younger workers willing to work for less and an age bias that is present across many industries, a midlife transition can also be a challenge.

• Reconsider your values after age 50. Disregard outdated expectations and open your mind to new ideas and job options.
• Seek support from a few key friends and colleagues you know and trust. Meet regularly and brainstorm ideas and strategies to help you in your search.
• >LinkedIn is a must. It will help recruiters find you and it’s a great way to network with others.
• Join all the groups and accept all the invitations that come your way. You never know who you will meet or where a critical lead will be generated.
• Convey a high energy level in all networking situations and interviews.
• Make sure your computer skills are sharp and up-to-date. Take a refresher course or hire a tutor if needed
• Consider updating your style with a few key clothing items or a new haircut.
• Volunteer or offer to do a pro bono project for the company you’re interested in. Giving a prospective employer a chance to see you in action can eliminate that pesky age bias.

A fashion model or NBA player might not be in the cards at this point, but your post-50 years can be most rewarding when you know what you want in life and embrace it.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: Work-Life Balance, Networking, and Leadership

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share these every weekend so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

© Bellemedia | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos

• R.I.P. Work-Life Balance: "Although plenty is still being written and theorized about work-life balance, the conversation is beginning to shift toward concepts such as energy management, resiliency and flexibility."

• How to Adjust to a New Job: "In most jobs, it takes anywhere from three to six months to feel like you know what you're doing, and in some especially complicated jobs, even longer."                                                      
• Developing a Knack for Networking: "When you reach out to a professional to help you, make it a two-way street and give as much to the relationship as you take from it. Think about what you can offer."


• How and Why to Be a Leader (Not a Wannabe): "It's often said that leaders 'inspire'. But that's only half the story. Leaders inspire us because they bring out the best in us. They evoke in us our fuller, better, truer, nobler selves."


• My Two Very Simple Rules for Networking: "These likely won’t find you a new job or get you a big deal next week.... But over time, these two very simple rules are small seeds that you plant, any one of which can one day provide a strong return." 

The Career Change Resume

Preparing a resume as part of a career change can be a challenge. Slight content changes and simple reformatting can help retool your resume, giving it a better shot at grabbing the attention of an employer in a brand new field.

Without prior experience in the industry you’re targeting, consider hobbies, school, clubs, or other non-work situations where you were able to gain pertinent skills. Skills can be much more valuable than prior positions, so it’s important to cite specific examples. To give you an idea read the following:

• Works well under pressure. Supervised a volunteer group through a series of “get out the vote” initiatives in the final days of the 2012 election. Increased new voter turnout by 20% in the district.
• Thrives in a team setting. Led three committees at Forgotten Harvest, resulting in record-breaking donations and recruiting in 2011.

Remember to use key words from the new job description in your resume and cover letter. When describing prior employment, consider what your prospective new employer will be looking for. Here are a few examples:

• Attorney transitioning to sales: Managed a client-focused law firm; successfully negotiated hundreds of agreements.
• Banker transitioning to a non-profit: Implemented fundraising effort for local shelter, resulting in $30,000 for new equipment.
• Secretary transitioning to sales: Responsible for distributing department sales quotas and tracking sales activity.

Change is good in this job environment, so try and get that across on your resume. Show that you’re passionate about your new endeavor. After all, the purpose of the resume remains the same—to get the interview!