What to Do When You Dislike Your Job

Let’s face it, we’re not always going to be in our dream job, and at times, we might even dislike the job we’re in or the company we work for. Rather than view your job experience as a waste of time, or hate every minute you’re at work, there are ways to make it more tolerable and even beneficial for you and your career.

If you find yourself disliking your job, here are five things to focus on to improve your work experience.

Aspects of the job you enjoy. Rather than think about how much you dislike your job, focus your attention on the parts of the job that you appreciate. There are many things in our work that we cannot control but we can shape the way we think about our work and focus on the positives.

Building good relationships. Developing effective working relationships is a skill that transfers well to other jobs. Use your unpleasant experience to leaner to work with a variety of people with a variety of skill sets. This experience will serve you well wherever you end up in your career.

Expanding your skills. Your job, even if you hate it, can provide opportunities to develop and expand your skill set, either through on-the-job training, courses or classes, or by moving to another department. Take advantage of these opportunities to grow in your knowledge of the industry and to develop new skills that can be useful in another job.

The challenge of staying positive. It can be difficult to stay positive in a job you dislike and, yet, a positive approach to you job and career is critical to future success. Being in a job that challenges your ability to be positive will help you in future jobs, and help you develop the strategies necessary to maintaining a positive approach to whatever your job (or life) throws at you.

Building character. Like the challenge of staying positive, is the opportunity a job you dislike provides for building character by getting up daily and heading off to do great work and build positive relationships despite how you feel about your job. Take this as a challenge to deepen your character and you’ll become a better person and a better employee.  

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: How to Stay Positive in the Midst of a Company Crisis

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 Stay Positive in the Midst of a Company Crisis: "People with high optimism generally have better overall health, and people with an aptitude for emotional resilience are better protected from overwhelm and suffering."

• 13 Hacks for When You Need a Boost of Creativity: "Studies have shown that walking increases creativity rapidly. Every time I catch myself in a slump, I take a 20-30 minute walk near the office without trying to force anything to happen. You’ll slowly ponder on whatever problem you’re trying to solve and are likely to come up with a unique angle."

• What to Say When Your Employee Makes a Mistake: "Emotional courage is the willingness to tolerate all feelings. It’s entirely developable, and developing it increases your ability to lead effectively, get business results, communicate in a way that inspires others, and make the impact you’re trying to make."

• A Small Change to Your Morning Routine to Increase Productivity: "Taking time to reattach to work helps our work goals to become more salient, which energizes us to focus. When we consider how to achieve our goals, we become more aware of our autonomy to accomplish them, as well as the resources and people we have supporting us."
• How to Host an Excellent Event:"In a world where we connect via technology in an instant, relationships are still best built in person... Hosting events, for work and for pleasure, has huge benefits, that last a lifetime."

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: Tips to Overcome Age Discrimination

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!

• 6 Tips to Overcome Age Discrimination at Work: "If you’re embarrassed by your age, others will sense that. People are attracted to candidates with confidence."

• 10 Tips to Go For Your Side Hustle Dream: "Success is all about falling down and getting back up. Here’s a writing prompt that can build your confidence: How have you overcome a near miss in your past to produce future gains?"

• Doing Creative Work When You Can't Stop Looking at Your Phone: "They key, I discovered, is to accept and even embrace the desire to check notifications, read various media, or even watch videos — but to teach myself patience in doing so."

• 5 Apps to Help You Master the Art of Small Talk: "So why not embrace small talk and, dare I say, get good at it? Here are some tools to help you become a more engaging conversationalist."
• How to Have a Positive Mindset at Work:"gratitude is linked to happiness and helps people think and feel more positively. When you’re actively going over the aspects of your life or your day that make you feel thankful, it changes your perspective from negative to positive."

5 Ways to Think About Your Upcoming Job Interview

For many people the time spent in preparation for a job interview is one filled with incredible anxiety. There might be pressure to get a job due to unemployment or recent graduation from school. However, approaching a job interview with intense anxiety and concern will make it difficult to have a successful interview.

The following five ways to think about, and approach, an upcoming interview can help reduce anxiety and allow you to better demonstrate the talent and skills you have to offer the company.

The interview is all about the interviewer. You likely want the job you are interviewing for, but the interviewer is seeking out someone who will make their job easier. If you can demonstrate to the interviewer what you can do for them, and how you can meet the needs of the company, you are in a better position to land the job.

And it’s about determining if the job/employer is a good fit for you. Sure, the job might sound great on paper, but the interview process might reveal that you’d be working for a jerk or at a company that does not respect an employee’s personal life and obligations. The interview is a great opportunity for you to ensure that this job would be a good fit for you.

Practice makes better. Like anything, the more we do something the better we can become at it. Think of your job interview as practice. You might not get this job, but you’ve practiced interviewing and are now better prepared for the next interview that comes your way. Evaluate your performance and identify areas for you to improve upon in your next interview.

This is an opportunity to expand your network. You’ll be meeting other people throughout the interviewing process, from the person who greets you when you arrive, to the manager or human resource representative who interviews you. This provides you with introductions to new people who can expand your network, and who you might work with in the future. Be kind and remember those you might.

You’ll learn something about your field. The interview, if you approach it correctly, can also serve as a learning opportunity. You can deepen your knowledge of your chosen field by asking pertinent questions and gain an understanding of how other companies in the industry operate.

Adjust your thoughts and approach to your upcoming job interview and you can reduce stress and enjoy the process more.

How to Experience More Joy at Work

It is possible to enjoy our work lives more than we do and it often requires just a few basic shifts in our thinking to provide us with a greater sense of purpose at work.

Unfortunately, sometimes we’re under great stress or we’ve been in a job for so long that we have difficulty seeing the beneficial aspects of our work or understanding ways to make it work better for us.

 Here are five ways to go about experiencing more joy in the work place.

Focus on the meaning you derive from your work. A key aspect to finding joy in your work is to recognize and celebrate the good that results from your job, the ways your products or services make life better for your customers and clients, and the difference your company makes in the world. If you cannot identify this important part of your job, then you might need to consider a job move. 

Cultivate positive relationships with your colleagues. It’s difficult to enjoy our work place if we don’t enjoy those we work with. Of course, you cannot control the behavior of others at work, but you can make every effort to develop good working relationships with your co-workers and manager. It will help if you seek to recognize the strengths in others rather than focus on their failures and shortcomings.

Recognize how your job makes you change and grow. If you’ve been in a job or at a company for several years you have changed during that time. You have developed new skills and grown in ways that it’s important to recognize. Take some time to appreciate this growth and it will help you to experience greater satisfaction in your job.

Use your job to strengthen your weaknesses. You can look at your job as a laboratory and a place to make improvements. Be clear about the areas you need to work on, whether related to job skills or character traits, such as patience, and seek to measure your development. Paying attention to self-improvement on your job can add a level of enjoyment to your work experience.  

Pay attention to your attitude. There are a lot of things we can’t control at work, but we always have the ability to take control of our attitude and the ways we respond to the events on the job. Greater enjoyment at work is more likely when we approach our job and our relationships with our colleagues with curiosity, and a positive and helpful attitude.

4 Ways to Become Essential at Work

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, people stay in their job an average of 4.5 years, with the number of years on a job lower for younger workers. These stats suggest you are likely to move on or be forced out of a company several times in your career. Change is unavoidable as companies look to improve processes and save money.

If you want to remain at a company for the longer term, your career strategy should always involve a plan to make yourself essential. 

Of course, there’s no way to ensure that you don’t experience a layoff, but you can take some steps to mitigate the likelihood while helping you land on your feet if a layoff does come.

Here are four ways to become essential at your workplace:

Be curious and learn new skills. Change is a constant in the workplace today and to thrive you need to cultivate your curiosity. Strive to understand your market, the company you work in, and how new ideas and technologies are changing the way people utilize your products or services. Develop the skills necessary to stay ahead and understand how best to apply them to your work.

Become an expert. Use your curiosity and the new skills you’re learning to do your job better than anyone. Become known as the person to seek out for knowledge and training about your position and demonstrate leaderships skills by offering to lead training sessions or mentoring others in your workplace.

Have a good attitude. No one wants to work with a person who complains every day and is difficult to work with. A positive attitude at work will make others want to be around you and collaborate with you, increasing the chances you’ll be asked to be part of new projects that come along. Use your positive attitude to encourage and inspire others.

Be involved. Volunteer to join workplace committees or get involved in other efforts to improve company processes or the overall culture of your workplace. Volunteer to chair the committee or take an active leadership role.

One thing you can be sure of in the work force: things change quickly. So take some time to develop a specific plan to get more involved at work, ensuring that your valuable contributions are noticed and essential to the success of the company.

4 Attitude Adjustments to Make About Your Job & Career

Did you find it difficult to get up this morning with enthusiasm for your job? If so, you’re not alone. Depending on what you read, most people are dissatisfied with their work situation.

If you are unhappy with your work, there are ways to make your job work for you until you move into a more satisfying position. But it will take some work and some changes to your attitude.

Make the effort to make some adjustments to how you view and approach your job and you can see your satisfaction levels increase.

View your job as an opportunity for growth. No matter what position you’re in the job provides opportunities for growth. You might have to look hard for these opportunities and the truth is, they might not be directly related to your job, but they exist. For example, if your current position does not seem to offer a way to move up or receive a promotion you can view this as a chance to develop patience. You might be an impatient person and this situation with your job allows you a chance to grow in this area of your life. Sure, it’s not why you took the job in the first place but don’t let that stop you from growing as a person.

View your job as an opportunity to serve. Wherever you work and whatever the nature of your job, your efforts impact others, regardless of whether you work as part of a team or are a lone freelancer. Someone else depends upon your efforts. You have an opportunity to serve those “customers” by making their work experience more pleasant and easier by doing excellent work with a view to support and serve others.

View your job as an opportunity to fulfill your purpose. As noted above, if most people feel dissatisfied at work, it’s likely they do not feel their job offers an opportunity to fulfill their purpose. To remedy this in your situation first requires you to become clear about your purpose. If you’ve done this work, then you are ready to think creatively about how your current job allows you to fulfill that purpose. You might find this to be a stretch, but you can likely come up with some basic ways your work supports the fulfillment of your purpose through your strengths and skills. 

View your job as a step to meeting your goals. You are not stuck, and this is not your final job (or resting place). There will be other opportunities that come along. View your current position as one step toward meeting your bigger goals and keep those goals clear, perhaps by writing them down and posting them on your desk in from of you. Take advantage of the opportunities that you have in your current position to develop the skills, learn the processes, gain the experience, and meet the people required to move to the next level in your career and meet your goals.

By adjusting your attitude to your job and career in these four ways, you can experience a greater sense of fulfillment, purpose, and energy at work.  

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 7 Tips to Achieve What You Want in Life

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!

• 7 Tips to Achieve What You Really Want in Life: "Answering the question, 'Why are you here?', is the solution to your life. Unfortunately, only you can find the answer. Fortunately, when you do, everything else falls into place."

• 7 Practical Tips to Achieve a Positive Mindset: "Almost invariably, you’re going to encounter obstacles throughout the day—there’s no such thing as a perfect day. When you encounter such a challenge, focus on the benefits, no matter how slight or unimportant they seem"

• 3 Ways for Women to Rethink Office Politics & Wield More Influence: "I have made it my mission to show up with confidence and to be my true self. I have found that influence and authenticity are inextricably linked. Only by being truly self-confident can we influence others to follow us."

• How to Deal with Anxiety & Depression on the Job: "The cover up is worse than the crime. All of the things we do to try to prove to the world that we're fine is what causes all of these problems, and it feeds on itself."
• Toxic Corporate Culture: 10 Warning Signs to Watch For: "Employees reporting anxiety, lack of motivation and dissatisfaction at work across the organization are likely influenced by the environment created at work."

5 Personal Habits to Support Your Career

Some people try to separate their work lives and their personal lives, avoiding outside friendships with co-workers, and striving to leave work at work, without spending their evening and nights attached to their laptops.

This approach certainly has its benefits and it’s unhealthy to spend all our time chained to the demands of email and sales spreadsheets.

Of course, we know this separation is rarely clear and our personal lives and habits can have a tremendous impact on our success at work.

Here, then, are five personal habits to cultivate that can benefit your career and lead to greater success:

Get sufficient sleep. Of the habits to focus on here, this is perhaps the most important. If you’re not getting enough sleep you will have difficulty implementing the additional habits, you will struggle focusing on the job, and may be more irritable with your colleagues and customers. Most people need between 7 and 8 hours of sleep each night so make that your goal.

Avoid alcohol on work nights. Contrary to popular belief, drinking alcohol does not help you sleep. It might help you fall asleep easier but alcohol makes it more difficult for you to get into deeper levels of sleep, preventing your body and your brain from getting the rest the need. You might, of course, experience a hangover the next day at work depending upon how much you drank the night before. Perhaps it’s better to leave that trip to the local brewery or glass of wine after dinner for the weekend.

Get up early. One habit that highly successful individuals often advocate is getting up earlier. This affords you an opportunity to get focused on the important goals of the day, spend some time in meditation or prayer, and get in some exercise and a healthy breakfast.

Be attentive to the good. It’s impossible to overestimate the importance of paying attention to the good in your life, avoiding the steady stream of negative news and complaining co-workers, and keeping your focus on the positive.

Make time for physical activity. Think creatively about your physical activity and do things you enjoy. Your exercise doesn’t have to be at the gym. Maybe you prefer to go for a swim, or perhaps your routine involves an evening walk with the dog. If you can bike to work that’s great. But the important thing is just to ensure that you’re able to get in some fairly strenuous physical activity three-to-five times a week. You’ll notice that staying active will make it easier for you to get good sleep and avoid unhealthy habits.

There are many other personal habits that can benefit your career but starting with these five is a great place to start.

How to Become a Better Leader at Work

Even if you don’t supervise or manage staff in your current job you likely would benefit from increasing your leadership skills. Becoming a better leader can help you move forward in your career, be a more effective parent, or help you manage your life better.

In addition to taking leadership courses, there are some basic steps you can take in your life to become a more effective leader. 

Consider taking the following steps.

Change a small habit. Leaders walk the walk, rather than simply talking a good game and expecting others to “do as I say, not as I do.” Good leaders practice good habits; the kind of habits that make them more effective in their lives. For example, a good leader recognizes the importance of sleep to their success and ensures they get seven to eight hours each night. If you’re not getting enough sleep work at changing your routine and starting a new habit. Or perhaps you need to eat healthier foods that promote energy and focus. Start small and start one new habit and then move forward.

Take an interest in those around you and allow yourself to be mentored by them. You have much to learn from your colleagues and others you interact with daily. A good leader has the humility to recognize this and gain insights wherever possible. In addition, practice the art of good listening. This will enable you to humbly listen to, and learn from, as many diverse voices as possible.

You can also gain a great deal of insight from books. Many great leaders are also writers and they can mentor you through their works. Leaders are often voracious readers so check out your local library and become a frequent visitor.

Learn to see the good. No one enjoys being around negative or cynical people and the best leaders express gratitude, are optimistic, and help others see the challenges before them in a positive way. See the good in your life and work situation by changing your attitude and daily noting in your journal the things you are grateful for.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: Ask These Two Questions to Build Resilience

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!

• To Build Resilience, Ask Yourself Two Simple Questions: "Anxiety can lead to exaggerated worry, irrational fear, and obsessive thoughts. So how do you maintain your calm when the roof is falling on you?"

• 6 Questions to Help You Handle Criticism: "It is important to learn how to take criticism seriously but not personally."

• 9 Toxic Behaviors and How to Avoid Them: "What you probably haven’t heard much about, however, is self-destructive behavior that all-too-often claims the careers of aspiring executives and business leaders."

• 4 Ways to Maintain Momentum: "Here are four strategies that you can use to sustain momentum, avoid having to feel activation energy again, and keep moving in the direction of your dreams."
• 2 Things You Need to Remember When You're Burned on the Job Search: "Part of staying positive throughout your search is managing your expectations."

4 Ways to Take Your Career from Good to Great

It can be easy to coast in a job or feel stuck in our careers but if we want to take our career from good to great it will require action.

However, it might be easier than you think to move your career toward greatness. Implement the following four simple tips and your job and career prospects will be soaring above average.

Get organized. Put the power of technology to work for you to organize your email and other electronic files you use. Develop a system to handle any paper and hard copy documents that pass through your hands, and utilize any effective strategies to reduce waste or eliminate attention spent on time-sucking and energy-draining activities. The more organized you are the more effective you'll be in your work and the more you'll enjoy it, too.

Get positive. Your attitude goes a long way toward determining your success in life and in your career. And the good news? You can largely control your attitude and response to life's curve balls. A positive attitude also increases your energy level and makes you more attractive to your boss and other potential employers. One way to be more positive is to start your day with some exercise and meditation. Even a brief practice of 20-30 minutes can be highly beneficial.

Get a mentor. You can't do this alone and succeed without the support of others. Seek out a supportive mentor who can provide honest feedback and guidance. And meet regularly with your mentor in order to move forward in your life and career, and avoid settling into mediocrity.

Get curious and learn as much as you can. People who attain greatness want to know as much as they can and never stop trying to better themselves. They continually learn new things and seek out unique experiences. A curiosity about the world, other people, and new technology will help you get out of a rut, avoid average, and move your life and career from good to great.

4 Things to Bring to Your Next Job Interview to Set You Apart

You've been called in for that job interview you've been hoping for and have spent hours preparing for it. You've considered the questions you might be asked, identified your strengths, and role-played the interview with a friend.

Well, what else can you do to prepare and stand out?

Bring the following 5 things with you to your next job interview and you'll be sure to shine, even if you don't get the job.

1. A positive attitude. When you head out for the interview be optimistic and friendly. Greet everyone you meet at the company with a smile and a warm "hello". Meditate before the interview and repeat a positive mantra to yourself on your way to the interview, while you wait, and even during pauses in the interview. Simply repeating something simple like "I've got this" can boost your mood and help relax you for an effective interview.

2. Confidence. If you've spent some time preparing for the interview and you've brought a positive attitude then you should feel confident. Sit straight while waiting for the interview and don't fidget. Avoid staring at your phone or playing with a ring or other piece of jewelry. When in the interview room lean slightly forward to show interest in your interviewer and be sure to look them in the eye.

3. A compliment. Be prepared to share something you like about the company you're interviewing with. Demonstrate your knowledge of their work by complimenting a recent innovation, product launch, policy, or practice. But be sure to make it specific, accurate, and heart-felt.

4. Curiosity. Use this opportunity to learn everything you can about this possible employer. Pay attention to the place from the moment you arrive, observing the parking lot and landscaping. What does that tell you about the company? If they have a lobby, is there art work there or is it boring and sterile. Observe how the people dress and interact. You can learn a lot about a company by simply observing its employees converse and the design of the work place. Of course. bring your curiosity into the interview and ask relevant questions of the interviewer.

5 Things to Do When You're Unemployed

There can be nothing more discouraging and disheartening than long periods of unemployment and it can be easy to sink into a malaise and do very little. Before you know it, months have passed and you've made little progress toward obtaining a new job.

Below are five things you can do to make the time during your unemployment more profitable for you in the long run.

1. Get clear about your strengths. Develop a focused understanding about what your strengths and skills are. Be able to concisely state what it is you would bring to an employer. If you're not sure, speak with an employment counselor or read some work by Marcus Buckingham to help you assess your strengths.

2. Stay social. It can be tempting to withdraw and isolate from others during a time of prolonged unemployment but be sure to maintain your friendships and attend social gatherings. Your friends can help you stay motivated, and can even provide leads to job opportunities.

3. Learn something new. You might not be able to afford to take a class while you're unemployed but there are many free classes available online, or through your local library. Speaking of libraries, reading a book can be a great way to acquire some new knowledge or understanding.

4. Set a schedule. Live as if you were working. Don't allow yourself to simply sleep in and watch TV throughout the day. Set an alarm and get up at a reasonable time, get in some movement or exercise, and plan some time for job searching or career development every day.

5. Stay positive. Finally, work at remaining positive. You can do this through a daily meditation practice and by surrounding yourself with uplifting media, messages, and friends throughout the day. An optimistic attitude will help you negotiate the difficulties of an extended period of unemployment.

Five Characteristics of Successful People

When you take a look at the lives of people who are successful in their careers and personal lives you can see some common characteristics, whether your talking about world-class athletes or billionaire entrepreneurs.

Let's take a look at a few of these traits and consider how to implement them into our lives in order to experience more success and improve the quality of our lives.

1. Curiosity. To be successful one must have a curiosity about the world, about people, about experiences, and about how things work. A successful person will consider the traditional knowledge of a subject and turn it on its head, looking at things from different perspectives and coming up with new and unique solutions.

2. Resilience. Failures, mistakes, and slip-ups will come and the most successful will understand this and find ways to get back up and move forward.

3. Positive attitude. You cannot control your circumstances, how others will respond to you, or what you experience in life and the workplace, but you can control how you respond to these things. Individuals who maintain a positive attitude and response to things outside of their control are more likely to be at peace with themselves regardless of events and circumstances.

4. Desire to serve. Life is not about taking and the most successful people understand that to be at their best they need to serve others. They consider the needs of their audience, their teams, their companies, or their clients and figure out the best way to be of service to them.

5. Clear purpose. By clear purpose we mean a clear purpose and vision to live a life that brings value to others, rather than simply living in order to maximize personal profit and fame. The most successful people have a clear vision for how they their lives and work can be of service to others.

5 Tips to Kickstart a New Job (or give a boost to an old one)

Starting a new job is an exciting time, filled with anxiety and the thrill of moving on to something better in your career.

However, unless you start the job right and instill some good habits, you can easily come to feel dissatisfied about that shiny new position.

In order to prevent that try implementing these tips to get the new job off to a great start. Or they work just as well to make an old job feel new.

1. Arrive 5 minutes early. This allows you to take a few moments to prepare for the day, get focused, and bring your best to the day.

2. Bring a positive attitude. You can control your mood and the attitude you bring to your work. When you bring a positive attitude to the job others will want to work with you, be more inclined to your ideas, and you will enjoy your day more.

3. Be willing to learn. In any job there are new things to learn. Be proactive and learn as much as you can about the position and about the work your new company does. If you've been in a job for awhile learning something new can help reinvigorate you and help increase your enjoyment of your work.

4. Make friends. Developing positive and friendly relationships with your colleagues increasing your well-being and satisfaction on the job. You'll be more likely to enjoy your work if you enjoy the people you work with.

5. Serve with excellence. Changing your perspective on your work and viewing everything you do as an opportunity for service and a chance to do something with excellence will also impact your attitude, appreciation, and enjoyment of your work.

Practicing these five tips can give you a kickstart no matter how long you've been in a job.

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: 5 Tips to Become More Positive

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.

It's been shown that having a better outlook on life can lead to more success and in the video below from Entrepreneur you'll discover 5 tips to become more positive.

4 Practices to Implement When Starting a New Job

Starting a new job is an exciting and anxious time, and it provides a great opportunity...

The opportunity to start over and to start fresh.

These new starts in our lives allow us to makes changes to our routines, habits, and attitudes, and to move past any failures or struggles in our previous job.

So, when starting a new position consider implementing the following four practices in order to get your new job off to a great start.

1. Start with gratitude. When you get up every morning and when you arrive at work express gratitude for the job and for the opportunities and benefits it provides for you. This will help you approach your work with a positive and optimistic attitude and help you avoid cynicism and dissatisfaction with your job. You don't have to say anything profound. You can just start your day with a simple statement: I'm grateful for another day and I'm grateful for this job and I look forward to doing my best today.

2. Be social. Meet people throughout the company, don't eat lunch alone, and take a few minutes for a brief conversation around the coffee machine. You'll feel more comfortable in the job and enjoy work more when you come to enjoy those you work with and develop a team of support around you. But be sure to stick with colleagues who are positive and enthusiastic about the work.

3. Learn everything. No one expects you to know everything so be humble and ask a lot of questions. You want to learn as much as you can when you first arrive at a company (and continue that curious desire to learn throughout your career) and no one looks down on you for not knowing something. After all, you are the "new guy". In addition, like the point above, the quicker you learn about the job and the company, the more comfortable you'll feel in your work.

4. Volunteer and be helpful. A great way to meet new people and to learn as much as you can is to volunteer for anything and everything, from special committees and task forces to new projects. Others will view you positively and you'll gain knowledge and confidence in your work.  

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 6 Happiness Tips to Boost Your Health and Performance

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!

• 6 Happiness Tips to Boost Your Health and Performance: "A key habit we developed in daily meetings was to have each team member say what someone else had done to help them that day. Expressing gratitude helped to bring the team together and make everyone happier and healthier."
• 17 Simple Habits That Make You Look More Professional: "Taking risks, and going against the grain is part of growing. Being willing to challenge yourself shows others that you are serious about growth."
• 17 Ways to Get Along, Especially When Negotiating: "Look to their positive intent, especially when they appear to have none, and you are more likely to eventually bring out their more positive side."
• How to Stand Up For Yourself: "Learning to assert yourself starts by understanding that you are not trying to control what other people do, but rather you’re controlling your own actions."
• 5 Smart Things to Do When You're Unemployed: "Volunteering for a charity or local community organization can be a great way to keep your skills up to date or help you learn new ones, expose you to new fields and give you something to put on your resume for this time period."