High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: Why You Should Have (at Least) Two 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 them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• Why You Should Have (at Least) Two Careers: "working many jobs makes me happier and leaves me more fulfilled. It also helps me perform better at each job. Here’s how."

• How to Attract Amazing People Into Your Life: "Talking to new people makes your life exciting because it makes it unpredictable. Every single conversation you have with a new person is potentially life-changing."

• 5 Conversations You Absolutely Need to Have With Your Boss: "You have to stop and ask yourself not just what you need to learn, but what you need to unlearn and what is really going to take you to the place you need to go in this new organization."

• 11 Habits of Mentally Strong People: "The ability to break the mold and take a bold new direction requires that extra grit, daring and spunk that only the mentally strongest people have."
• How to Gain Strength from Your Darkest Moments: "When people go through tragedy they often become determined to make some good out of it. They want to do something worthwhile with the time that they have or to honor the legacy of the person they loved and lost."

Five Qualities to Demonstrate at Your Next Job Interview

Making the right hire is a tricky business and some managers are better at it than others. It can seem that too often hiring becomes a popularity contest or is all about who you know, rather than about what you, the candidate, have to offer.

Here are five qualities that are irresistible to employers and will have you in demand if you can effectively demonstrate that you possess them. And if you're a hiring manager keep this qualities front of mind when making hiring decisions and you'll find more success at making the right hires.

Initiative. Be prepared to provide examples of situations in your career when you identified a problem and went about devising a solution without being told to do this by someone else. Great employees identify needs in companies and find ways to meet those needs. They don't wait for someone to assign a task to them. If you can demonstrate a track record of taking initiative you'll have one foot in the door.

Curiosity. Every good business owner or manager wants employees and staff who take an interest in the company and its processes. Are you someone who gets to know colleagues in other areas of the company and regularly seeks out opportunities to learn more about the business? In addition, show how your curiosity about the field you're in leads you to stay on top of news in your industry, related industries, and with competitors.

Communication skills. In your interview you want to demonstrate how to effectively communicate with everyone you meet. This starts with the first person who greets you at the door and continues after your interview with effective follow-up, including a gracious "thank you" note to your interviewer. Your communication skills should be on display in every interaction, whether verbally or in writing with your resume, cover letter, or follow-up emails.

Project management. Your next manger or supervisor will want to know that when you are assigned a simple task or a complex project that you can effectively manage it and complete it on time and according to any specifications you've been provided. Be prepared with clear examples of how you successfully manage projects of varying complexity, and utilize some of the skills and qualities mentioned above.

Stress management. You might be great at completing tasks and projects but you drive everyone crazy with the amount of stress and anxiety you place on yourself and others. Provide some examples of how you manage self-care, work-life balance, and deal with the everyday stresses and anxieties that come with work in a fast-paced environment.

Be prepared to show how you demonstrate these five qualities at your next job interview and you'll be closer to landing that new job.

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: How to Find 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 and life development, searching for a job, the economy and employment, and other career-related topics.

In the video below from Forbes, company founders talk about the best ways to go about finding and approaching a potential mentor.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: Nine Strategies to Find Your Next Role

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!

• 9 Strategies to Find Your Next Role: "Hunting and applying for jobs online is frequently frustrating and fruitless. The best way to search for jobs online is to become "the hunted" by developing a strong online personal brand."

• 11 Ways to Stay Productive When You're Tired: "consider switching up your environment at work to keep you energized and inspired. Try doing a couple of hours with your laptop in a nearby café or library, or at least moving closer to a window where the fresh air and daylight can improve your performance."

• 4 Little-Known Secrets to Better Networking: "One of the most fascinating things about the business world is that valuable connections can form just about anywhere. It’s only a matter of getting out there."

• What Sets Successful CEOs Apart?: "High-performing CEOs understand that a wrong decision is often better than no decision at all."
• 10 Habits of the Most Confident People: "The only person you need to compare yourself with is the version of yourself that you want to become. That's it."

Five Tips for Building Mental Strength in Your Career and in Life

It is inevitable that we experience setbacks in our lives and our careers. Success requires failure, and it necessitates failing many times and trying again after each disappointment or difficulty.

A Japanese proverb encourages us to "fall seven times, stand up eight."

We must develop mental strength in order deal with the failures and setbacks we experience in our personal and professional lives if we want to see those failures lead to success and positive outcomes. Too many of us retreat from failure, allowing it to define us, or allow difficulties to make us feel trapped, unworthy, and unable to move forward and reach our goals.

Instead we need to continually work to develop our mental strength and the following five practices will help do just that.

Let go. Put the past behind you and move on from your previous failures and disappointments. Learn what you need from them but don't be held back or defined by setbacks. This might require you to focus on changing your thoughts when you are troubled by the failures of the past. Telling yourself something simple like "that is behind me and today is a new and successful day" can be a effective technique to change your focus from the past to the present.

Practice meditation. Take some time each day, preferably just after you wake up, to set your day with some mindful meditation. Focus on breathing deeply and use this time for prayer or to repeat a short mantra that inspires you. This practice will help calm you, give you greater clarity of purpose, and will put your thoughts in a positive place to start the day.

Surround yourself with like-minded people. It's very important to have friends and colleagues around who encourage and inspire you. Be around people who understand the importance of taking risks and failing, who applaud you for taking action and trying something new. It is equally important to avoid time with people who frequently complain, are negative, discourage you from going after your dreams, or seem to take some pleasure in pointing out your weaknesses and failings.

Watch what you take in. We are what we eat and we are what we consume through the books we read, the movies we watch, the podcasts or radio programs we listen to, or the music we enjoy. Eating healthy food and surrounding ourselves with positive and encouraging media can be a tremendous source of strength, similar to being around a wise mentor or a great friend.

Act and fail and act and succeed, and be grateful for it all. The process of taking some action, of failing and getting back up, and trying again, and achieving some success builds our mental strength and enables us to continue to act, fail, and succeed. Pay attention to the process, and work at enjoying all of it, while expressing gratitude for what you're building and the strong and resilient person you're becoming.

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: How to Accomplish More by Doing Less

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

In the video below from Inc., David Pham, CTO/CPO at Mogul, a publishing platform for women, explains his counter-intuitive technique for boosting productivity.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 5 Career Tips Every New Graduate Should Know But May Never Be Told

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!

• 5 Career Tips Every New Graduate Should Know But May Never Be Told: "I think advocates are more valuable than mentors. With respect to your career, advocates have skin in the game. They will go out of their way to help you advance."

• 6 Tips to Rule the Art of Conversation: "With a little practice and more confidence, you should have no problem starting a conversation with anybody, anywhere."

• Improve Your Productivity With Inbox Zero: "The goal is to condition yourself to stop worrying about emails all day long. You should be controlling your inbox, not the other way around."

• When You're Leaving Your Job Because of Your Kids: "Here are seven tactics any working parent should use when transitioning out of a job."
• Steps to Take Right Now to Avoid Answering Work Emails Tonight: "take a minute to review your team’s email policy. If it doesn’t require you to set up your work account on your phone, be bold and remove it yourself."

How to Stay Focused and Organized When Working at Home

Many companies and businesses offer their employees an opportunity to work at home regularly. This can be a great benefit for employees looking for more flexibility.

However, as more employees take advantage of these opportunities, many find that working at home can pose some unexpected challenges.

Here are some tips for staying focused and organized while working from home:

Avoid social media. The temptation can be even greater to check out Facebook or Twitter while you're in the privacy of your own home. Do yourself a favor and don't even open your social media channels in your browser or look at the apps on your phone. You can give yourself some time to take a look during lunch but be sure to log off your social media accounts after your break.

Keep the TV off. You might want a little noise in the background to keep you company but avoid getting that background noise from your TV. The added stimulation of the image can be particularly distracting and cause you to become engage in a show, rather than staying focused on your work.

Use a timer to sustain your focus. Work in short bursts of 45-50 and then take a break. Setting a timer will help you stay on task for a dedicated period of time. This short time of focus will enable you to be single-minded and get a lot done. Take a short break and then repeat.

Give yourself a break. Take a brief break after each 45-50 minute work session. A good way to utilize this break is by taking a quick 5-7 minute walk, preferably outdoors. You'll find yourself refreshed and energized to take on that next task. But it would not be a good idea to take a break by laying down. You just might find yourself taking a long nap and missing the afternoon!

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: 6 Actions You Can Take Every Day to Build Your Self-Confidence

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

The video below from Entrepreneur, suggests six actions to take in order to build your self-confidence, including being prepared.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 10 Verbal Skills of the Most Likable 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!

• 10 Verbal Skills of the Most Likable People: "There isn't a more universal, effective mantra for building real relationships and powerful networks than treating others as you'd like to be treated."

• 5 Career Tips from High-Flying Women: "Remember that perseverance is vital when it comes to success. Don’t be afraid to fail while trying to reach your goal."

• 9 Tips to Start Living: "
  Everything can become so intense and distorted when you're in the middle of it. Sometimes you need to step away and give yourself room to breathe, to think, to get a fresh perspective."

• 10 Powerful Ways to Stand Up For Yourself in Any Situation: "Your beliefs, emotions, thoughts and ideas belong to you, and no one else can tell you what you feel or invalidate your opinions."
• 4 Ways to Reinvent Yourself After Hitting Rock Bottom: "if you don’t let yourself be real and vulnerable when you’re struggling, you will actually hold yourself back from progressing through the tough time."

4 Reasons You Should Join a Professional Organization

If you haven't yet joined a professional organization relevant to your field you're missing out on a great opportunity to strengthen your career.

There are a number of advantages to joining a professional organization and we'll consider four reasons you should join one today.

Great networking opportunities. Professional organizations often host regular events that provide the chance to meet new people, talk to leaders in your field, and learn from others in your area. These events, including annual conferences, provide an excellent resource to expand your network.

A way to showcase your skills. Organizations are always looking for qualified people to provide training, speak at events and conferences, or host a webinar. By showcasing your knowledge and skills you set yourself up as an expert in the field and make it more likely other opportunities, including possible job offers, will come your way.

Increase your knowledge. The conferences, webinars, and publications sponsored by professional organizations all offer you the chance to stay on top of the latest in your field, increasing knowledge of your career, and making it more likely that you'll continue to have a variety of offers come your way. These learning opportunities are often available at more reasonable costs for members, too, so you can save money on your personal and professional development.

Gain official certifications. Some professional organizations offer their members a chance to take classes or training to earn specific certifications in their field, such as becoming certified in substance abuse treatment, product management, or medical billing, and these certifications can be a path to a better job or increased pay.

These are just some of the advantages to joining a professional organization. If you're unfamiliar with an organization in your field do a quick search online. You'll likely find one or two relevant groups that can offer the advantages described above, along with many other benefits.

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: Clean Up Your Career With The KonMari Method

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

In the video below from Forbes, Emily Drewry speaks with KonMari Method creator Marie Kondo about how to quickly organize your office space and clean up your career.