High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: Make Work Fun Again

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!

• Make Work Fun Again: "Gamification takes mundane tasks and adds play elements, like point scoring. For me, crossing off to-do list items gives me a hit of the 'doing' hormone dopamine that’s as strong as a triple shot of espresso."

• To Be Happier at Work, Invest in Relationships: "People whose work is mundane or demanding are just as likely to feel satisfied and fulfilled as those with fun or inspiring jobs if they proactively invest in relationships that nourish them and create a sense of purpose."

• How to Deal With the Pitfalls of Remote Work: "It’s one thing if a remote team member is working late because they took advantage of their job flexibility to take care of something else in the afternoon. But there might be a problem if it happens regularly."

• 36 Insanely Useful Productivity Hacks: "When it comes to getting off to a productive start each day, 57 percent of the (extremely productive) have a morning routine to make this happen."
• 5 Reasons Personal Finance Should Be Taught in School:"People’s attitudes around money can be instrumental in shaping their character, plus promotes the desire to give back."

5 Ways to Take Responsibility for Your Career Development

Career development is often talked about in companies as they seek out ways to increase employee engagement and prepare current staff for greater responsibilities and promotions. Often this is thought of as training or mentoring opportunities and is considered the responsibility of the employer.

However, employees should take responsibility for their own development and find ways to add value to their career.

Here are five alternative and creative ways to take responsibility for your own career development.

Learn as much as possible about your company. You don’t need a formal mentor relationship or job-shadowing program to seek out information about your company. Set up your own meetings with people from various departments to expand your knowledge. Read company press releases and industry magazines and news reports. Be an active participant in company-wide meetings or cross-department discussions. Take part in a task force. The more you know about your company (and industry) the better prepared you are for taking on a new role or developing your leadership skills.

Take risks and accept failure. Success requires failure and so if you want to become successful in life you must learn to become comfortable taking risks and experiencing failure and rejection. Put yourself in position to try new things, such as learning to play an instrument, expanding your foreign language skills, or planning to give a presentation to your colleagues. These opportunities will stretch you to grow.

Attend conferences and meet people. Find an industry conference or two and register. You might also seek out a conference or workshop focused on some aspect of personal growth, such as weekend meditation retreat. These experiences will not only expand your knowledge and recharge your batteries, but they will provide an opportunity for you to expand your network by meeting new people and deepening relationships with those you already know.

Travel, read widely, and be curious. Cultivate a spirit of curiosity and inquisitiveness by traveling, exploring new regions and cultures, and reading widely on subjects that may be new to you. Consider checking out a foreign film from your library or seeing one at an independent theater you’ve never been to before.

Apply for other jobs. Even if you have no intention of leaving your current job you can sharpen your interviewing skills and gain valuable industry knowledge by applying for other positions, and interviewing at other companies. These experiences can strengthen knowledge of your field and increase your awareness of future opportunities.  

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: How to Tell if Someone is a Great Leader

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 Inc. discusses Google's technique for identifying good leaders. Check out the video to learn more.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: Why Are We Bad at Choosing the Right 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!

• Why Are We So Bad at Choosing the Right Job?: "When it comes to jobs and careers, it is really a case of 'better the devil you know.' You can put people in meaningless roles and under bad managers, and they will still be reluctant to try something else."

• How a Classroom Mindset Can Help You Achieve Lasting Change: "If you want to experience significant, lasting change in your life, try mapping out your goal as if you were going back to school to achieve it."

• 9 Ways to Handle Job-Related Stress: "It didn't take long before people realized that simultaneously looking through their desk drawer, speaking on the phone and answering email caused their speed and accuracy (not to mention sanity) to plummet."

• 8 Tips for Developing Collaborative Leadership at Work: "This is leadership that not only gradually dissolves into something more sociable and harmonious, but also more efficient, creative and ready for whatever comes next."
• 9 Phrases to Avoid in Conversation:"While you may be indifferent to the question, your opinion is important to the person asking (or else he wouldn’t have asked you in the first place)."

How to Deal With Rejection During a Job Search

The job search process can be lonely and full of rejection. And rejection can be difficult to take on a continued basis, regardless of how far you get in the interview process.

Yet, rejection comes with the territory of looking for a new job and many times job seekers do not even get an opportunity for an interview.

So, how do we deal with all this rejection? Here are five ways to deal with rejection during the job search.

Understand what it means that you didn’t get the job and what it doesn’t mean. There are many reasons an applicant might not get a call for an interview or might not get the job after the interview. The company could have been looking for someone with a specific skill or experience managing a particular kind of team. Just because you didn’t have the desired skill set for one position does not mean you were not a good candidate for the job, despite how discouraging the rejection can be. It’s important to avoid reading too much into things when you do not get that job offer.

Build a network of support. Surround yourself with people who encourage you and believe in your skills and strengths. This is not the time to deal with negative people. Find your team of supporters and consult with them during your job search.

Use the experience to build resilience. This is primarily about your mindset. Of course, many times in life we have to face rejection and hardship and we can use difficult times to develop the skills and resources necessary to build resilience in our lives.

Focus on what you can control. Consider the aspects of your job search that you can control: the jobs you apply to, the presentation of your resume, your cover letter, and improving your interviewing skills. Let go of the things you have no control of, such as if the company chooses to interview you for the job or offers you the position.

Keep at it (and perhaps take a risk). Don’t give up. Stay after it and the right fit between your skills and what the company needs will come along. Or perhaps this is the time to take a risk and start your own company. Maybe the boss you need to offer you a job is you!

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: 5 Daily Habits all Successful People Have

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 TopThink discusses five daily habits all successful people have, starting with creative record keeping. Check out the video to learn more.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 14 Ways to Commit to Lifelong Learning

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!

• 14 Ways to Commit to Lifelong Learning: "There is no better way to grasp new ideas and educate yourself than to be in new places, meeting new people and experiencing new cultures. Traveling may not give you book smarts, but it will give you an education you can’t get in a classroom ."

• 10 Tips for Consistent Personal Growth: "Know that the success of the people around you is vital to the team’s success, and their success is largely dependent on you. Make it a personal goal to read at least one leadership book per quarter."

• How to Stay Focused on Your Goals: "By seeking out people who practice self-discipline, you’ll likely be surrounding yourself with people who are more successful than you."

• A System to Achieve Inbox Zero Every Day: "Clearing out my inbox at set times isn’t enough. I needed to automate a portion of the volume and know at a glance what needs my attention."
• A Guide to Taking a Gap Year or Gap Time in Midlife:"A handful of academic programs can serve as gap-year transitions, moving from one career to a new challenge."

You Didn’t Get the Job. Now What?

Seeking out a job can be stressful and sometimes you make it to the interview stage, perhaps you’re even a finalist for a job, but you don’t get it. What do you do then?

This can be a discouraging time and you might be tempted to give in to despair but allow yourself to experience your emotions before taking the next steps. Here are some ways to deal with the disappointment of learning you did not get the job.

Take some time to process. You might be surprised to learn you didn’t get a job you felt well-qualified and prepared for, and subsequently feel sad or discouraged. There is no right way to experience the feelings around being turned down for a job that you wanted. Allow yourself some time to feel what you feel and experience what you experience without judgment.

It’s not personal. The sooner you understand that the decision is not personal, the better. There are many factors that companies and businesses take into account when they hire someone, and often a company has to turn down multiple highly qualified candidates for a job. You didn’t get the job but it’s not a reflection on who you are as a person and the value you bring. It wasn’t the right fit. Another position and employer might be a better fit.

Seek out feedback. Though you should not take it personally that you did not get the job offer, there still might be some issues for you to work out. Seek out feedback from the interviewer, if possible, to learn why they chose another candidate and to receive a critique of your interviewing skills. Use this as an opportunity to gain some insight as you move forward.

Reevaluate. This can be a great time to reconsider your strengths and interests, and to reevaluate your professional goals. It might also be the time to think about entrepreneurship and starting your own business.

Move forward. Once you’ve taken the time to process the disappointment about the job, and you’ve reevaluated your goals and career objectives, take even small steps to move you in the direction you want to go: revise your resume, apply for another job, take a class, apply for a business loan. Moving forward will help you remain optimistic and prevent you from getting discouraged.

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: 3 Resume Mistakes to Avoid

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 Fast Company highlights three resume mistakes to avoid, including using the same resume for multiple jobs. Check out the video to learn more.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: How to Ruin Your Chance of Succeeding in Your Interview

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!

• 22 Ways to Ruin Your Chance of Succeeding in Your Interview: "While it may sound like I am exaggerating with these gaffes to humor you and make a point, you would be surprised to know that these are all real-life instances that I’ve encountered as an executive recruiter and hiring manager ."

• 7 Ways to Get from Burnout to Balance: "Balance looks different for everyone. Balance isn’t even the same for one person over time. Right now, balance might mean putting 90 percent of your energy into your career. Ten years from now, that number might be 50 percent. It all depends upon what you value at any given time, what you want to achieve, and when you want to achieve it."

• Working Parents and Calendar Apps: "The best way to get a handle on this is to transform your calendar into your timekeeper. A calendar tool can be helpful, because it doesn’t just help you remember meetings or deadlines; it spotlights how you spend your time."

• Dealing with the Death of a Coworker: "Those emotions can be wildly varied and aren’t often ones someone wants to have in a work environment. Anger, guilt, and tears can bubble to the surface."
• One Simple Trick to Be Happier:"if you want to be happier, think of it like ordering tapas—go for small, satisfying bites rather than hinging everything on one main course."

How to Manage Anxiety Before a Job Interview

You’ve been sending out resumes left and right, applying for jobs in your sleep, and now you finally got the call and have a job interview set up. After lining up the interview, you might discover that you have a lot of emotions, including anxiety. Perhaps you’ve been looking for a job for a while and have started to feel a little desperate to return to the workforce.

Of course, you know that to perform your best in the interview you’ll want to manage your emotions.

Here are a few ways to manage your anxiety before the interview.

Recognize how you feel. Don’t bother denying how you’re feeling about the interview. Your emotions are not right or wrong. If you’re feeling anxious, nervous, or worried it’s necessary to acknowledge how you’re feeling so you can implement some strategies to better manage your anxiety.

   

Discuss how you feel with a friend. Take some time to share your feelings with a friend, spouse, or partner. It can help to manage your feelings simply by acknowledging them to another person. When we hold our emotions in or try to bury them, they can feel more oppressive and difficult to handle.

Get some good sleep. Of course, you want to get good sleep before your interview. Don’t stay up late watching television, perhaps take a hot shower or bath, and read for awhile to help you relax.

Avoid alcohol. Do not drink the night before your interview. You might think it will help you relax and fall asleep, but alcohol actually impairs your ability to fall into a deep sleep. And it should go without saying that you don’t want to drink in the hours before your interview.

Meditate and self-talk. Take a few minutes to meditate the day of your interview and develop some phrases for positive self-talk, such as “I have the skills necessary to do this job well” or “I will perform well in this interview.”

Breathe. When we’re feeling anxious, we can sometimes neglect to breathe properly, and this can increase our feelings of anxiety. So, take some time and breathe deeply, while repeating your positive self-talk phrases and you’ll do just fine in your interview.

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: How to Deal With Adversity

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 Success magazine, Todd Burgess shares three tips on facing adversity. Check out the video to learn more.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: Coping in a Toxic Work Environment

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!

• Coping in a Toxic Work Environment: "As difficult as a toxic work environment may be, never allow yourself to become less than who you are meant to be out of anger or spite for your current employer.  Always conduct yourself with integrity and always put in your very best effort toward the job you were hired to do."

• What Not to Do After a Job Interview: "Your interview could have gone spectacularly overall, but focusing on one or two things you could have done better will cause you to feel like the whole thing was a failure."

• 5 Smart Ways for Busy People to Stay Healthy: "Even little changes, like upping your daily step count by taking the stairs or parking further away from the entrance to your building, can improve your general health. The mentality that a workout has to be intense to matter is dangerous. Focus instead on fitting small, active bursts into your day."

• 5 Reasons Older Founders Are Generally More Successful: "the experimentally creative do not reach peak inventiveness until their mid-50s and have more than just that one eureka moment."
• Simple Ways Anyone Can Be More Creative:"No matter if you’re just starting out or you’re a seasoned pro, sometimes the best source of creative inspiration comes from others. Creatives often look to the best within their industry—the experts—to learn new techniques and come up with new ideas for their own work."