High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: Getting Where You Want to Go

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

• Getting Where You Want to Go: "Failure is our greatest teacher. Yet the idea of failure paralyzes many us so we fail to take the risks that might spur growth.There’s no shame in failure. When you do fail, react quickly, learn from your mistakes, and move on."


• Influencing Others When You're Not the Expert: "If you’re a thoughtful curator of the best ideas in your field, even if you’re not developing them yourself, others will start turning to you for guidance."


• 7 Lessons from Working Moms: "I've found that it's really important to take time off, and I've found that sometimes you get really important insights by taking time off, too...I want people to realize that it really is ok, that you can have a family."


• 21 Things I Wish I Knew When I was 21: "It may not always be clear to you, but the people you meet can help you. Treat everyone like you’d like to be treated and be willing to make new friends. The world is smaller than you think. You’ll be amazed at who is connected to whom."


• Improve Your Online Visibility: "One way to help people understand what you're good at and what's important to you is to write about it. You can document your own stories as case studies, expand upon or add your opinions on thought-provoking articles others have written or highlight industry news."

5 Factors to Consider When Evaluating a New Job Offer

It can sometimes be difficult to know what to do when faced with a new job opportunity or a job offer. We can spend too much time trying to figure out the right course of action and be fearful of making the wrong decision.

If you have a new job or career opportunity consider these 5 factors when evaluating if it's the right move for you.

1. Managerial style. Do you know who you'll be reporting to? If so, you might already know something about this person's managerial style. Is s/he a micromanager or will you be left to make decisions on your own? The managerial style of the person you'll be working for can play a major role in your job satisfaction so be sure to consider this.

2. Salary increase? If the new position includes a salary increase you might think it's an easy decision.

However, sometime when we take a step back we realize that more money does not necessarily equate to more job satisfaction.

3. Work-life balance. Consider how the new position will impact your work-life balance. Will you be required to travel a lot, spending time away from family or do you have the flexibility to work at home if needed?

4. Career opportunities. Will this job lead to more opportunities for you to enhance your skills and develop your skills or will you feel trapped?

5. Location/environment. Are you moving out of state or just down the aisle? Is it a formal work environment or can you dress casually? You'll want to consider the location and work environment to ensure that you are comfortable in your new position.

Once you've taken the time to consider these factors (and others of importance to you) you can then feel confident you've made the correct decision for you and your career.

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: Tony Hawk on Using Twitter

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 video below, skateboard legend Tony Hawk talks about authenticity on social media and how he uses twitter.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: Bust out of Your Comfort Zone

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

• Bust out of Your Comfort Zone: "Exposing your mind and character to new people, places, and things is its own reward — it helps you become a more interesting (and interested) person. And it makes you more self-aware, which ultimately makes you more professionally effective."


• How to be Unforgettable: "When meeting for the first time, many people fill silences by talking about themselves; turn the conversation around and ask them about their interests. And once they’re talking, be engaged in what they have to say."


• 7 Ways to Succeed in a Video or Phone Interview: "Appearing on screen can feel awkward, so if you don’t regularly use Skype then have a few practice runs with friends to get used to it."


• Networking for Those Who Avoid Small-Talk and Strangers: "When you have a 'wingman' at your side to help highlight your accomplishments at networking events, it can give you the confidence you need to approach others and break into conversations."


• Developing Your Strengths at Work: "You can boost your levels of optimism and self-belief by imagining what might be possible in the year ahead if everything went as well as possible and you were using your strengths each day."

5 Tips to Leave Your Job on a Positive Note

Very few of us stay in one job during our entire working lives so we will likely go through the experience of changing jobs.

It can be important to your future career to ensure that you leave your current employer on good terms.

Here are 5 tips to leave your job on a positive note.

1. Give proper notice. Some companies require giving a two week notice when leaving a

job. Be sure to follow your company's requirement here and provide the appropriate notice when leaving your job. You don't want to quit suddenly and leave your employer in a difficult position. Your employer will be less likely to recommend you to a future employer.

2. Get a recommendation. While you are still employed ask your direct manager or someone else familiar with your performance to write a letter of recommendation for you. Do this while your skills and abilities are still clear in the mind of your manager.

3. Connect on LinkedIn. Make your LinkedIn connections with coworkers and managers before you leave the company.

4. Remove personal files. If you have a company provided laptop or computer be sure to remove any personal files on it. You don't want someone else reading about your personal life or seeing how many times you updated your resume while at work. The same goes for any paper copies of personal items.

5. Provide contact info. Be sure to let co-workers, managers, and customers know how they can reach you in the future.

Leaving a job positively can support future job opportunities and can pave the way for you to return to a company at a later time.

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: 3 Networking Tips

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 video below, Linda Spencer, the assistant director and coordinator of career advising at Harvard Extension School, provides important tips to build your network and advance your career.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: Pursue Your Dreams While Keeping the Day 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!

© Bellemedia | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos

• Pursue Your Dreams and Keep Your Day Job: "The people who build and actually achieve their biggest dreams aren't those that cut the cord rashly and irresponsibility. Instead, they're the ones you have the discipline and determination to use their current situations to support their ambitions."


• Networking at Large, Intimidating Events: "Your mission is to focus on making merely three solid contacts at this conference. You can make two of them by looking at the person to the right and the left of you once you sit down. Yes, it can really be that easy."


• Building a Mentally Strong Work Team: "Teach employees how to become mentally strong on an individual and team level.... Don’t be afraid to talk about issues like mental health, personal development and resilience in the workplace."


• How Attitudes about Work are Changing: "A third of workers worldwide agreed that it was okay to leave a job they weren't happy in within the first month, while two-thirds believed it would be better to stay for a year to avoid having a negative impact on their career."


• 6 Ways to Be Smarter in Your Job Search: "Not all companies will post opportunities to job boards, and aggregators don’t typically pick up the postings from company sites. It’s important to visit company career sites regularly to keep up with news and openings."