High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup

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

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• The Top 10 Things Every College Senior Needs to Do Right Now: "Attend or join professional associations or groups. Investigate the professional groups associated with your desired job or industry."


• The 8 Networking Rules You Should Never Break: "Never come unprepared to a networking event, a conference, or even a phone call with a potential connection. The more information you have about a person, the better you’ll be able to relate to him or her."


• How to Be a Super-Achiever: The Ten Qualities That Matter: "Star performers know they can’t achieve success on their own. Instead, they must galvanize a group of people around their idea or goal. Teamwork, or having an ecosystem of supporters, turns out to be critically vital for success."


• 10 Life Lessons Guaranteed to Advance Your Career: "Don't brag about yourself; brag about others. Don't try to show how smart or good you are. Usually, it's wise to prioritize making others feel good about themselves."


• How to Tame the Time-Management Beast: "Stop wasting your valuable time. Life is too short. You will be amazed at how much more content your soul is and how much better of a human being, colleague, and employee you become." 

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup

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


1. 4 Tips for Older Job Seekers Facing Discrimination
"As an older worker, you can't eliminate age discrimination. But you can learn what lies behind it and take steps to differentiate yourself from stereotypes."


2. Why Schools Should Help Students Find Their Passion 
"(I)f you can't find passion and purpose in your work, you're disconnected from who you really are and you'll never truly excel at what you do."

© Bellemedia | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos

3. Ten Reasons Winners Keep Winning, Aside from Skill
"(W)inners gain ten important advantages as a result of victory ... smart leaders can cultivate and build on these advantages to make the next success possible."

4. How to Stop Procrastinating at Work
"Try doing your least preferred activities at the start of each day and at the beginning of each week."


5. Having a Family Can Be Good For Your Career  
"(B)y sacrificing our families -- and by extension, ourselves -- on the altar of our careers, we are in danger of cutting ourselves off from our own wisdom and perspective."

How to Lose Your First Job in Four Easy Steps!

Welcome to the Career Sabotage De-Success Center! I’ll be your guide to show you how you can land that first, great job out of college and then blow it completely.

Dress for De-Success: Sure, many companies have dress codes or standard dress expectations, but with all of the hard work you’re going to be putting in there’s no need for you to pay attention to their uptight standards! Come in wearing whatever you want: an Ed Hardy t-shirt, ripped up jeans, and flip-flops. Oh, and don’t pay any attention to personal hygiene since how foul you smell directly correlates with how hard you’re working!

Initiative is for Imbeciles: What is all of this about showing “initiative” in your new job? What are they looking for you to ‘initiate’? Listen, if you weren’t great you wouldn’t have been hired in the first place, so don’t worry about doing things before you are asked or anticipating issues; let the suckers take those on.

Know Your Role: You’re hired to do a job, right? Why would you stray outside of the lovely confines of your position description? Stay in the train tracks that are your position and don’t stray from them. It will keep you from getting in trouble with the boss by overstepping your boundaries.

Stay Connected!: Sure, you have job duties to perform, but the world is such a big, wonderful place! Don’t forget to stay connected to friends and strangers alike by spending a lot of time on Facebook, Twitter, and all of your other favorite social media outlets!

Follow this advice and you’ll be flipping burgers in no time!

Or…if you don’t want to lose your job…

Waitress! I’ll Order the Student Organization Involvement (with a Side of Career Development)

College students love to stay busy, and student organizations allow them to indulge their interests with other like-minded peers. Some organizations are more traditional, from fraternities and sororities to student government. Some are more…shall we say…unique, including a group at Carleton College that reveres moustaches to a University of Minnesota group that covets people watching.

Whereas some students treat their student group involvement as leisure time away from their academics, others see how their participation can benefit their careers. Below I have dished up some ideas and thoughts to help you get the most out of your student organization experience.

Direct professional experience: Some organizations are specifically designed for intellectual development and professional advancement in a certain field/discipline, including business, engineering, education, communications, foreign languages, and many others. Groups that cater to one (or sometimes more) of these areas put on programs to advance that field and the development of its members. Suffice to say that involvement in these groups can provide a gateway to gaining field-related skills and making connections with professionals in the field that will be beneficial to those on that particular career track, from the advertising major in the advertising club to the budding taxidermist in the taxidermy society.

Skill development: However, you do not need to be in a field-specific student group to gain skills that are important in the workplace. For example, a student in the moustache club referenced above could be involved simply for the kitschy novelty of the group, or he could assume a leadership role and develop skills by putting on events such as a “moustache conference” complete with speakers and break-out sessions. It may seem odd, but putting one’s passion behind something and taking action shows initiative and drive as well as organizational, planning, and leadership skills. As college students look to stand out in the job market, the skills developed even in a “leisure” organization can be the key to landing a position.

Networking: Finally, involvement in a student organization provides numerous networking opportunities with group members, professionals in the field, or even college faculty or administrators who advise student organizations. The possibilities and opportunities are numerous, and going into the experience with the goal of getting to know others can lead to connections that will benefit your future career, from a mentor in your field who can help guide you development to a reference that you can leverage when applying for a job.

Student organizations are a fun way to get involved during college and, with the right perspective, can help you develop critical workplace skills and make strong connections that will help you long after you graduate. Put in your order now before you end up with useless leftovers.

Beat The Post Grad Relationship Blues

During college, whether you live on campus or commute, there are many ways to make new friends. You talk to new people every day whether it is in class, in a club, at a party, the library, through other friends, and the list goes on. Yet, when you become a post grad, loneliness can set in. Whether your college is far away from your hometown or a few minutes away, you are now away from the social circle that was your world. For me, I went to college in my hometown and commuted. I lived in an apartment even closer to campus for two semesters. Then I graduated and moved back home, earlier than 95% of my friends. Currently, my boyfriend and most of my friends still go to college, some at Oakland University and some at other colleges in the state.

This also really affected me in the job search and it will continue to do so for the time being. I’ve decided to stay in Michigan since my support group of my parents, family, boyfriend, and friends are here. Some people might be okay with moving half-way across the country for a job where they don't know anyone, but I think many people are like me and need that support, especially so soon after graduating. Many post grads simply don't have the money to move to another state and start over, even if they are okay with being somewhere different alone.

Also, I mentioned my internships in my last post and you might say, "Well you should make new friends at those!" Unfortunately I mostly work from home or at someone's home. I love this, but it doesn't really help my social life much. So I've compiled a list of ways to keep close the friends who are busy with school while you work at being a post grad and making new friends when you're simply job hunting or freelancing.

1. Make use of social media. In my last post, I talked all about using social media to your benefit when job hunting. Use it to your benefit when staying in touch too! Remember that your friends are busy juggling classes, fraternities and sororities, clubs and activities, and their own social life at school. It is easy for them to forget about their friend who just graduated, unfortunately. So for the time being, make the extra effort if you have the time.

2. If you're a blogger, connect with other bloggers. I've found many times that people are going through the same things as I am and like to write about it also. Search for blogs on being a post grad and you'll automatically make new friends with someone who is dealing with post graduation highs and lows, just like you. This can also be a great way to network with people you might not meet otherwise!

3. If you don't have the opportunity to meet new people at a new job or internship just yet, connect with new people other ways. Head to your local library, pottery shop, or cake shop to take a class on a new (or beloved) hobby. You'll meet people that share at least one similar interest and chances are you'll have a lot more in common!

4. Take a part-time job. I met some of the best people working at a retail store throughout high school and college. This is a chance to make some extra money while you look for a career you love and a way to meet new people. Sure, you'll probably encounter some difficult personalities, but chalk it up to experience. I guarantee you will make at least one new friend as you make some extra dough!

So whether you're dealing with after college decisions based on your relationships or just looking for ways to keep in touch or make new friends as you job hunt, just be patient. There will be times of loneliness and that is normal! Know that you have a support group no matter what job you end up with or how long it takes you to get there.

Three Reasons to Work During College

Remember the days when college was a mini vacation, a place for the well off to send their children to cavort with their friends before the “stresses” of real-world responsibilities became theirs? If not, you probably weren’t a college student in the early 20th century. With increased access and state support to higher education, college and university life has been redefined. However, new obligations-particularly financial ones-materialized in the wake of this social movement. A recent American Council on Education report estimates that 76% of undergraduates worked either part-time or full-time during college; here are some reasons why you might consider being a part of that percentage.

More money, less problems: A part-time position during college can bring in much-needed financial support to help offset the cost of books, student fees, rent, or any other college-related expenses. Of course these expenses can be covered by student loans, but ask any of your friends taking an introduction to finance class about compound interest and you will understand quickly that paying for these expenses now will provide you higher earning power in the future.

It’s all about the GPA, baby: Research has shown a positive correlation between working part-time during college and a higher GPA. Correlation isn’t causation, but evidence has show that students who work during college tend to manage their time better and are more engaged with their learning (especially if the money they earn directly funds education), leading to higher marks in the classroom.

Are you experienced?: In my opinion one of the most compelling reasons to work during college is to establish a work history early. Skills obtained in a part-time position while going to school can be marketed to companies on a résumé and those who you work for-provided you do your job well-could be invaluable references to help you land that internship or post-graduation position.

As author Thomas Payne said “what we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly.” Committing to a part-time job can help your bank account, your GPA, and your future job prospects.

Internship Intervention: Five Strategies to Get the Most out of Your Internship

If you are considering an internship, about to begin an internship, or are in an internship, consider these five tips to make the most of your internship experience. Many believe that they know what an internship is, but all too often internships are not utilized to their fullest potential. So it’s time for an intervention: a sit around the circle, heart-to-heart exchange to keep you from making terrible mistakes that will negatively impact your professional future. Let the healing begin.

Be appreciative: Many interns do not appreciate the time and expense that goes into their position. According to the US Department of Labor, an internship is essentially for the benefit of intern, not the employer, and internships are to be designed with the expectation that work operations are more than likely to be hindered. If you owned your own business, would you create a position exclusively to lose money and make things slower? I, personally, believe in the altruistic nature of people, so it’s entirely likely that you would. However, I hope this makes you more appreciative of the time and energy that employers put into their internship programs.

Be a sponge: From the minute your internship begins, start absorbing everything you can about your place of work. What is its mission and primary purpose for existing? What do you know about its industry and its place in that industry? Who are its competitors and what does it do to differentiate itself from them? How does the work culture support the values of the organization? What does your department or area do to contribute to the bottom-line? Since an internship is designed to be an educational experience for you, you’ll get more out of it if you treat it like an anthropological study, making keen observations and studying the operations, dynamics, and relationships therein.

Take initiative: After you have begun your internship and are feeling comfortable in your role, ask you supervisor if there is anything else you can do to help, whether it be some kind of outside project, assignment, or something else entirely. The fact that you are asking indicates that you are interested in doing more than what is expected of you and that you are open to new experiences and challenges. Even if there is nothing available at the time, a question like this and being open to future opportunities will make a huge positive impression. Another way to show your initiative is to schedule a performance evaluation yourself. Ask your supervisor for an appointment to discuss your performance to date, going over your position expectations and how well you have fulfilled them. Think this will leave a strong, positive impression on how your supervisor views your professionalism and dedication to your position? I would!

Mine for feedback: But don't just obtain information from your supervisor: ask those that you report to and work with for genuine feedback on your work. Make your questions specific areas that are important to the company, which could include attention to detail, teamwork, timeliness, critical thinking, or others.

Be résumé mindful: Finally, keep track of everything that you are doing, from the day-to-day tasks to the skills you are picking up, for it is all fodder for your résumé.

Your internship can be a box that you check off on a list of undergraduate “to dos” or it can be a transformational opportunity that accelerates your career. It’s all in the approach and the choices that you make.