High Five Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: How to Collaborate Your Way to the Top

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!

• How to Collaborate Your Way to the Top: "Some people think business success is primarily about crushing the competition. But leaders who rise to the top actually do it by building up others."

• How to Keep Employees Happy and Motivated: "As a leader, get comfortable with the idea of allowing your staff to make mistakes to ensure they have the opportunity to learn from those mistakes."

• How to Find Fulfilling Work: "Find a job or build a business based on whatever you like to do when you aren’t working. If you don’t know what you like, try different things. Test out everything from operations to sales."

• Everything You Need to Know to Improve Your Life: "A big share of life is spent getting ready, getting prepared, and part of it is the development of skills that make for success in the marketplace. It starts with personal development, self-improvement and making measurable progress."
• The 10 Hottest Jobs Right Now:"in areas such as construction and retail, workers’ disposable income is responsible for more jobs such as wealth managers, personal shoppers, and food service workers."

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: How to Network Your Way to a Job Promotion

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

• How to Network Your Way to a Job Promotion: "Your goal should be to get your boss to endorse your career advancement plan and actively help you find the next level role."


• 6 Techniques to Connect With Influential People: "Be good to everyone and when you need a connection, you might be surprised who will come to your aid."


• 11 Steps to Happiness at Work: "A key to being happy at work is to let go of grudges."


• The Surprising Truth About Passion, Purpose, and Fulfillment: "Start being in service to yourself by taking care of yourself and start serving others with your talents."


• Avoiding Six Common Job Interview Mistakes: "Your answers should be like concise mini-essays with a clear beginning, middle and end. Too short and it looks like you have little to say, too lengthy and you’ve probably babbled and missed the point."

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: How to Find Fulfilling Work

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 following video, the School of Life suggests several keys to help one find meaningful and fulfilling work. The first step if to realize that anxiety and confusion about career choices is perfectly normal. Enjoy the video below and start on the path to a more fulfilling career.

Four Groups to Thank to Enhance your Success

Creating an attitude of gratitude isn't hokey, contrived nonsense. Research into appreciation has shown it to help improve one's sleep and positively influence behavior. Since the season of giving thanks is upon us, consider reaching out with gratitude and appreciation to these groups to make a positive impact on your career.

Mentors: No one succeeds by themselves, and you are no exception. Think about those who have helped propel you to where you are today-whether it was a college professor, former supervisor, or a friend-and send them a note or an email or a gift to thank them for the help that they have given you.

Interviewers: It's expected that you would send a thank you note to an interviewer after an interview, but what about after a job rejection? Though you are most likely experiencing disappointment and frustration, change your outlook by sending another note to thank the interviewer for the opportunity and wishing the selected candidate success in the future. Doing so will highlight your graciousness as a candidate and could lead to future opportunities with that organization.

Your network: When looking for a position you should obviously attend networking events. Send a quick email to thank those who you chatted with for their time, offering any assistance that they may need or-if none is needed-let them know that you are interested in staying in touch.

Your community: There are many ways that you can give thanks to your community. First, you can volunteer at an organization that is in need of assistance and could best utilize your skills. Another way would be to teach a class through your local community education. The interactions you will have and the good-will you create will be a much-needed boost for you while serving those other than yourself.

Make the choice to give thanks to others this season and help yourself in the process.

Find Your Way to What Fulfills You

By night I am a career coach and blog writer, but by day I work at a renowned medical institution. It's a massive place-spanning several city blocks-and, as you are wont to see at a place of this size, there are patients everywhere. And not a day goes by that I don't see the all-to-familiar look of confusion/nervousness/uncertainty on the faces of patients as timidly step up to one of many campus maps we have posted on the walls of our buildings.

Then I swoop in. "Can I help you find your way?"

Relief washes over them as they tell me the building where their appointment is located, and we engage in small talk as I escort them there. Once we arrive, the thank you I receive is so heartfelt and genuine...true appreciation for aiding someone in need.

I don't do it for the thank you. I do it because I like helping people; specifically, helping people find their way. Pondering this feeling and the professional life that I aspire to create, it's not hard to see the connection between the two. Yet, for months, I didn't...and dwelling on this feeling brought me to a question: what if you were living your ideal career without even knowing it?

This week I have a challenge for you: listen for the "thank yous," the "you shouldn't haves," and other instances of sincere appreciation shown by those you interact with. Pay attention to the times when you feel a part of a bigger purpose than your day-to-day activities but are truly serving others. Finally, note where the source of this comes from: inside or outside a professional setting, with a specific population of people, in your daily work responsibilities or outside them.

This week, don't spend your time simply doing but also noticing. Comment on what you have learned about yourself below.