5 Ways to Advance Your Career

At times our career or job feels stagnant and we find ourselves lacking enthusiasm for our work. It is during these times that we think about a job change or fantasize about being our own boss.

However, there are usually some things we can do to advance our career even when we're feeling bored or unchallenged.

1. Volunteer. When your boss or supervisor presents an opportunity to take on a new task or coordinate a new project be the first to volunteer to take it on. Often this change can provide the spark you need. It also demonstrates leadership and can provide an opportunity to learn something new.

2. Shadow. Spend a day job-shadowing someone else in your company to get a better sense of the business, learn a new skill, or to expand your network.

3. Train someone. If you have interns in your company or someone new has recently joined your team taking the time to train them in some aspect of your job can provide a new appreciation for your work, stimulate some new ideas to do your job better, and expand your skills.

4. Seek out training. If your workplace offers training classes take advantage of them to recharge your batteries and gain new knowledge and skills.

5. Interview. Don't hesitate to apply for other jobs in your company. It provides good interviewing practice and enables you to meet other hiring managers and learn about other areas in the company.

What other things do you do to work at advancing in your career?

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: Changing Habits

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 the video below, Mark Divine of SealFit provides some useful tools for changing habits and instilling good habits into your life. Learn more by watching the video.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 8 Habits of Curious People

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

© Bellemedia | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos

• 4 Ways to Create Your Next Career Opportunity: "Notice colleagues' complaints to see if they are things that could be fixed with a new job. Keep a log of your ideas, and review them to decide which one would be best to pursue."


• Getting Unstuck and Thinking Creatively: "The goal is to help you see the difference between facts and beliefs, to reframe the impossible as the possible, and to see problems as opportunities."


• 8 Habits of Curious People: "Curious people welcome surprise in their lives. They try new foods, talk to a stranger, or ask a question they've never asked before."


• 7 Excuses that Prevent Success: "So many people in life get hung up on excuses -- feeling they can't go out for the better job, start their own business, or take whatever risk because of... whatever it might be."


• What Positive People Know: "Positive people instinctively know that adversity is necessary in order for them to grow. We are here on Earth to experience, learn, grow and become the person we are meant to become."

3 Ways to Get the Most from an Internship

Internships are a great way to develop skills for a future career and get a better sense of the day-to-
day reality of a particular job. However some interns seems to view the internship as simply a way to get a college credit or gain some experience to throw on a resume.

An internship can be a valuable learning experience and many successful careers have started as internships.

Here are three ways to benefit the most from an internship:

1. Ask questions. Do not be shy. You are not expected to know everything so ask away and be curious about all areas of the company.

2. Do not eat alone. Take the opportunity to meet new people. You do not need to confine your interactions to your direct supervisor and the other interns. Start up conversations around the coffee machine, after meetings, or when walking into the office. Try to meet people from different areas of the company. Ask your supervisor for introductions. You never know when one of these relationships will develop into a future working partnership.

3. Offer suggestions. Yes, you are not expected to know everything about the company you're interning at or the job you are doing but that doesn't mean you don't have some great ideas. Likely you do. Use your unique and fresh perspective of the company and its work processes to suggest some improvements to your supervisor. Not only will this demonstrate your ability to take initiative but you just might be given responsibility for overseeing the implementation of your idea, providing you with valuable leadership and project planning experience.

What advice do you have to make the most of an internship?

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: Wake up Smarter for a More Productive Day

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 the Fast Company video below learn how your morning routine can better prepare you for the work day ahead.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: Leave Your Job and Start Your Career!

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

© Bellemedia | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos

• Leave Your Job and Start Your Career: "View taking time to work on your career development as an actual gift to yourself. When else do you get to reflect on what you really want, why you really want it and how to strategize to make it happen?"


• 3 Generous Perks that Keep Employees Happy: "Unlimited vacation....A 2014 Glassdoor survey found that more than half of U.S. workers don’t use all their current paid vacation as it is."


• Social Media Job Hunting Tips: "Do you really want to lose sight of your dream job just because of a risqué, off-the-cuff remark to one of your friends on Facebook or Twitter?"


• Divorce and Your Career: "If you've gone through a divorce, it’s hard to imagine being at work and thinking about taking a risk and being terrified of the consequences. How bad could it possibly be?."


• 3 Ways to Eliminate Stress: "While a small bit of stress is OK, there are many small things that can contribute to your level of anxiety that you may not have considered."

3 Financial Tips for the Under- or Unemployed

If you are currently out of work or working part-time and struggling to make ends meet while looking for full-time work it can be difficult to take the time for yourself to develop a financial plan.

Of course, it is critical to make good financial decisions when funds are tight.

Here are 3 tips to make your money stretch further during a time of un- or under-employment:

1. Look around your place for extra money. No, I don't mean check under your couch cushions, though feel free to do so! You likely have some things that you no longer need or want that might be of interest to others. Have a yard sale or offer items up on craigslist or ebay. If you have cds or dvds to sell use a service such as decluttr to make a little extra money. There are also many places to sell your used books online. 

2. Evaluate your bills and monthly expenses. Do you need that smart phone or can you

get by with a simpler phone for calls and texting? What about cable and internet service? Perhaps you can use the internet at your local library for a few months. Check out MyRatePlan to compare services and rates for everything from home internet to insurance.

3. Make your meals and drive less. Two of the biggest expenses individuals and families incur relate to eating out at restaurants, grabbing expensive coffees, and driving. You can reduce your expenses by making more of your own meals, brewing your own cup of coffee, taking public transit, or walking & biking when and where possible.

Implement these 3 tips and you just might find that you appreciate owning fewer things, can manage without the cable TV, and enjoy walking or biking more, even when you do get that new job.  

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: 3 Things to Do to Be Your Best Self

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 the video below, Anna Runyan at Classy Career Girl identifies 3 things you can do to be your best self.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 12 Things Confident People Do

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

© Bellemedia | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos

• Taking Your Career to the Next Level: "Only work with inspirational people that you can learn and grow with."


• 12 Things Confident People Do Differently: "People who brim with confidence derive their sense of pleasure and satisfaction from their own accomplishments, as opposed to what other people think of their accomplishments. They know that no matter what anyone says, you’re never as good or bad as people say you are."


• 5 Signs it's Time for a New Job: "If you are stagnated, cruising in autopilot, and could do your job while asleep, then you’re almost certainly underperforming. Sooner or later, this will harm your resume and employability."


• 5 Ways to Spring Clean Your Career: "If you currently have a mentor, how can you tweak this relationship for your biggest advantage? Perhaps meet more often, or meet face to face once a quarter instead of only via the phone or email chats."


• Too Much Mindfulness at Work?: "[His] biggest concern with mindfulness is that it can lead to avoidance in thinking through overwhelming situations and having difficult conversations. Instead of pushing through internal barriers to change thoughts and behavioral patterns, people accept them."

3 Steps to Build Your Personal Brand

You have the ability to be your own best marketer and promoter by building your personal brand. Your personal brand is what sets you apart: your skills, talents, and values.

It is your unique set of skills, abilities, knowledge, and values that distinguishes you from others and makes clear to potential employers or partners what value you could bring to a position or role within a company.

Here are 3 steps to begin building your personal brand:

1. Get on social media and build a consistent message. If you're not on twitter or Instagram consider opening an account. Create or share content of value to others in your fields of interest. Be sure to share appropriate and professional content on facebook and linkedIn.

2. Start a blog. You can become known and knowledgeable in your field by writing interesting posts about areas of importance to others with similar interests. For help in starting a blog check out this post over at the Minimalists site.

3. Attend conferences and participate in panel discussions. Not only will you meet some great people at conferences and develop important business contacts and make new friends, but by participating in panel discussions you begin to brand yourself as an expert in your field.

How are you building your brand?

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: Career Wisdom from Successful Women

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 the video below, four successful women share some of the best advice they received related to work and career.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 5 Ways to Use Twitter to Land a Job

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

© Bellemedia | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos

• 5 Ways to use Twitter to Land a Job: "Make a point of following recruiters who specialize in your industry and job type, as well as target companies where you would like to work."


• How to Cope with a Bad Job: "Consider ways to tolerate your situation better: improvements you can make within whatever limitations are imposed on you to make your everyday experience of work more enjoyable, no matter how small."


• How Blogging Can Change Your Professional Life: "When like-minded people read my posts, they organically network with me—through comments, retweets, my contact form. And I've connected and built relationships with so many incredible people over the years who originally found me through my blog."


• What to do if Your Boss is a Bully: "Remember that there may be other people experiencing this problem who are too afraid to speak out. By taking a stand you are not behaving unprofessionally: you are simply taking steps to tackle an issue that is no doubt affecting others too."


• Find the Right Career Coach for You: "Almost every coach will have a 'paper trail' allowing you to see for yourself the kinds of issues they’re writing and thinking about, how they approach the situation, and their personal style."

4 Things to do Following a Job Loss

Change happens frequently in business today and that means one day you might be the one getting notice that your services are no longer needed.

Getting laid off from a job is not fun or easy but there are some things you can do to make this time more productive for you and ease your transition into a new job or career.

1. Give yourself a break. Following a layoff you might feel a lot of different emotions: shock, sadness, relief, anxiety, anger. These are all normal feelings and you should allow yourself to feel what you feel without any guilt. Take the time you need to work through your emotions and avoid making decisions when feeling angry or anxious. 

2. Evaluate. Take some time to think about your last job. What did you like about it? What did you dislike? Was it a good fit for your skills and interests? Is there something else you're passionate about doing with your career? Now is a good time to consider making the career move you've been dreaming about.

3. Get organized. When your life is organized you tend to have more energy and initiative to get

things done. So take some time to organize your home and your office. You can even take time to organize your work and career life by updating your resume and linkedIn profile.

4. Reach out. As appropriate, stay in touch with former employers and request recommendations on linkedIn. Ask your former manager to be a reference as you look for new employment. Also reach out to your network of family and friends and get the emotional support you need, while also requesting any leads on work that might be of interest to you.

Losing a job is difficult and confusing but focusing on the four things above can make the transition to satisfying new work easier.