10 Career Blogs and Websites to Follow Next Year

As we head toward the start of a new year (and a new decade) you’ll want the resources to become more successful in your life and career.

One way to do that is to add some of the following websites and blogs to your regular reading schedule.

Harvard Business Review: Provides articles and essays on work life and management with a focus on improving the practice of management in a changing world.

Classy Career Girl:  Anna Runyan provides tips on how to find work you love or create a business you love.

Fast Company: Publishes stories on innovation in technology, leadership, world changing ideas, creativity, and design. Written for and about the most progressive business leaders.

Brendon Burchard: “No matter how small you start, start something that matters.”

Success: brings readers the thought leaders and success experts, both past and present, and reveals their key ideas and strategies to help you excel in every area of your personal and professional life.

The Muse: helps workers win at work, from professional advancement and skills-building to finding a job.

Penelope Trunk: Writing and providing advice at the intersection of work and life.

Glassdoor: covering everything related to career advice along with the latest company headlines.

Forbes: Providing news and advice on leadership, careers, and business.

Entrepreneur: News on starting your own business, leadership, work life, and franchising.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: Protecting Time at Work by Setting Boundaries

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!

• Protect Your Time at Work by Setting Better Boundaries: "As a time management coach, I’ve seen a variety of ways in which people have successfully set boundaries with their colleagues.... here are some examples of boundaries you can set and strategies for communicating them to others."

• How Hiring Has Changed in the Last Decade: "Love it or hate it, Glassdoor has fundamentally changed the job search process by providing a platform for employees, candidates, and companies to share their thoughts and views on a company."

• 50 Best US Cities for Starting a Business in 2020: "In the following dispatches, you'll find a road map for turning forgotten ZIP codes into boomtowns--or simply for answering the age-old question: Where should you go next?."

• 4 Ways You Benefit from Serving Others: "You’ll see more money in your pocket and create a thriving business if you serve others, but what’s the point of wealth if you’re not happy? Good news: Science confirms that serving others makes you feel great."
• 7 Quick Reads to Keep You Motivated:"Whether you’re coming back from a relaxing getaway or just craving some new motivation, you’ll get a little brain food to fuel the next phase of your career."

How to Identify a Toxic Workplace Before You End Up in One

There are few things that make a job more unbearable than working in a toxic workplace, a place you dread to go to every day, that brings out anxiety every Sunday evening, and that leaves you feeling drained and run down rather than energized and enthused.

Of course, once we’re in a toxic workplace we usually recognize it right away, and if we have some savings built up or a new job offer, we can move on.

However, the best way to avoid working in a toxic workplace is to avoid taking the job in the first place. Here are a few ways to determine if the company you’re thinking of applying to, or accepting a job at, is, in fact, toxic.

Negative reviews. Research the company to see what people are saying about it. Use Google and search Twitter feeds to learn more about the company and how customers experience it and what employees and former employees have to say. Glassdoor is a good resource to get a sense for the reputation of a company among its workers.

Recent layoffs or high turnover. Search the news to learn about recent layoffs at the company and to see if there is a pattern of downsizing. Companies that go through frequent restructuring patterns often have employees with low morale because they fear they could be the next to go.

Negative comments about others. Does the company publicly make negative comments about other brands or businesses? Or have you seen the leadership from the company use social media to attack others? If so, these can be clues to stay away. The company might be led by individuals who think bullying is the way to achieve their goals. When you have an interview at a company pay close attention to the way the hiring manager or HR staff person speaks about current or former employees. This will provide some important information about the health of the company you are considering.

Unclear job description. If the company cannot provide you with a clear and specific job description you might want to steer clear. This can be an indication of a company that is not clear about its goals and does not provide the necessary directives and training for you to succeed at your job.

Trust your gut. In the end, trust your instincts. If your gut is saying no and telling you this is not the right opportunity, then you should strongly consider trusting your intuition. You might be unemployed a few weeks longer, but you’ll appreciate it when you find yourself enjoying your job and the company you work for rather than wishing you could flee after a week or two on the job.

5 Things to Do While You Await a Job Offer

After you have a job interview or two the time between the interview and hearing back from the company on a decision can feel excruciatingly long. It can be easy to fall into despair or to be tempted to seek out updates on your application.

Instead of using this time to worry or think about all the things you wish you’d said differently in the interview, focus on the following things to manage the time while you await word back from the interviewer.

Be patient. This can be difficult but resist attempts to contact the interviewer or employer about your application status. Many companies will disregard your application or remove you from consideration if they feel they are being rushed in their decision. Cultivate gratitude for the opportunity to interview for the position and identify some things you might have learned from the process about the company or supervisor that can help you in future interviews or deepen your knowledge of the position should you be offered the job.

Take care of yourself. Don’t sit around the house waiting for the phone to ring. Be active. Take that run or get on your bike. Walk the dog. Eat well, get enough sleep, and avoid excessive alcohol. Meditate or pray. Meet up with a good friend for lunch. See a movie. Do things you enjoy and that are healthy for you and avoid the temptation to become discouraged while you await that phone call or email.

Take a class or sign up for an online course. Continue to develop your knowledge and gain more skills in an area of interest, or simply add a new hobby by signing up for a class or taking an online course. Strive to be a continuous learner and you will find more opportunities available to you. You might even meet someone in a class who is looking to hire someone like you. 

Polish up your resume. Revisit your resume and make any necessary tweaks to highlight your strengths and areas of success. Add information about that class or course you’re taking. Ask for feedback on it from a friend, colleague, or career coach.

Actively seek out other job opportunities. Continue to seek out other opportunities by keeping your eye on job boards and listings such as those on LinkedIn, Glassdoor, or Indeed. You never know when the right opportunity will come along so plan to regularly seek out jobs of interest and attend events where you can expand your network and learn about opportunities.

Incorporating these strategies will enable you to manage the time while you await a job offer more appropriately and productively.

5 Ways to Prepare for Your Job Search

You’ve recently been laid off or left that a job that wasn’t working out and you’ve begun to gear up for an intensive job search. However, before you get to the point of applying for jobs there are a few things you’ll want to get done in order to be better prepared for the process.

Here are five ways to prepare for your job search.

Identify resources for job openings. Create a list of the job search sites that you intend to follow and review regularly and are most closely related to the type of position you are applying for. You might add LinkedIn, Indeed, and Glassdoor to this list, along with sites that offer freelance opportunities such as Upwork. In addition, identify a group of companies you’d love to work at and plan to check out their job postings on a regular basis.

Contact friends and colleagues. We’re not talking about a general Facebook status post or a tweet (though that approach could be helpful) but think strategically about your network and identify those who might have some connections to companies, employers, or jobs of interest, and send them a personal note or give them a phone call letting me know about your needs and what you are looking for.  

Get your references arranged. Identify a few individuals you will ask to be your references and create a document with their contact information, email and phone number, to have readily available when completing applications online or in person.

Prepare info about previous work experiences. In addition to your references, you will want to create a document that lists your previous employers, including address, phone number, and the name of your supervisor. You’ll want to note at least your last three employers, and perhaps more if you’ve changed jobs frequently over the last five to ten years.

Create cover letters in advance. You’ll save time in the application process if you create a cover letter template that you can tweak and revise, as necessary, for each specific job you apply for. Your cover letter should be different for each application and address some of the specific needs identified by the prospective employer as mentioned in their job posting.

Finally, be prepared for silence. It might take some time for the right job to come along and, until then, you will likely face some rejection from prospective employers. Remember that every “no” is leading to the “yes” that will be the best opportunity for you.