High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: Reasons to Turn Down a Job Offer

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

• 6 Reasons to Turn Down a Job Offer: "If many team members are recent hires, be sure there is good business reason for the hiring spree, such as a new product or client or a round of funding. Otherwise, too much employee churn hints at a toxic boss or culture."


• What Prevents a Happier Life and Career?: "This one fear keeps people stuck for years, and sometimes for a lifetime. This “what if it doesn’t work out?” worry is crippling."


• How to be a Good Coach: "Choose encouragement over criticism; but when you must criticize, give feedback as soon after the event as possible. Be honest but compassionate, then move on."


• Don't Look for a Job, Look for a Life!: "You have to plant in your mind the idea that you will no longer tolerate less than happiness. You will need to challenge the negative self-talk that keeps you stuck in your current situation."


• 6 Essential Elements to a Good Life: "You won't be happy if you don't produce. The game of life is not rest. Yes, we must rest, but only long enough to gather strength to get back to productivity."

Tips for Using Social Media in Your Job Search

When looking for a job you need to consider a strategy that includes your social media network. Of course, spending time on social media can actually distract you from the task at hand so stay focused and consider the following tips for using social media in your job search.

1. On LinkedIn: Ask your LinkedIn connections for introductions to others working in jobs or places of interest to you. Be sure that you take a genuine interest when approaching these new connections rather than simply seeking them out to ask for work.

If you're not following companies of interest or your alumni association add that to your to-do list.

2. On Twitter: You can use twitter like any job search site and search on key words and job titles to find openings. As mentioned above, be sure to follow companies you're interested in because twitter is often the first place they'll post a new job opening.

3. On Facebook: Develop a plan to check in with some of your closest friends, colleagues, and mentors on a weekly basis. This doesn't have to be a large group. It only takes one person to know of the right job opening for you. When checking in with these friends feel free to provide a general update on your job situation and describe what it is you're looking for.

The best strategy for using social media in your job search is to cultivate genuine and lasting relationships with people in your network, offering up your skills and knowledge for the benefit of others rather than simply using social media as a way to get and take.

You might also check out 7 ways to use social media to land a job.

How do you use social media to benefit your career?

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: How You Sound When Asking for a Raise

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 Fast Company presents a humorous take on what it really sounds like when we ask for a raise. After watching you might consider adjusting your strategy!

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: Productivity and Insane Success

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 Get More Done in the Morning: "Hold off on opening your email until you’ve successfully completed your top three work-related tasks for the day, since email can affect your mood and derail you before you’ve accomplished anything."


• 4 Secrets of Insanely Successful People: "The leader has a clear idea of what he or she wants to do—professionally and personally—and the strength to persist in the face of setbacks, even failures."


• 9 Ways to Deal with Difficult People at Work: "The best way to deal with difficult people in a meeting is to engage them and not attempt to silence them or be dismissive."


• Be Open to New Ideas: "Remain open to ideas from anywhere.... When a leader demonstrates he is open to new ideas, he makes it known that he values others."


• Stop Hating Your Job and Love Your Life: "Your job is a place to learn from others, and also to teach them. What you learn and teach are more than merely job skills. You learn from others the value of shared humanity. And you teach them the gift of your unique perspective."

3 Signs it's Time to Look for a New Job

For most of us there comes a time in our working lives when we arrive at that fork in the road in our careers and we consider making a change. It can be difficult to make a change or even to know if a change is warranted.

So how can we tell if it is time to move on from our current place of employment and seek something new?

Below are 3 signs that it's time to look for a new job or career.

1. You need a challenge. At this point you no longer find the work you are doing interesting or challenging and there does not seem to be opportunities in your current job.

2. You need to develop your skills. To grow in any field takes constant growth and opportunities to gain new knowledge and new skills. If your current employer does not offer training or pay for you to seek out training on your own it might be time to move on.

3. You need a kick to get up in the morning. Ok, we're not talking here about a little Sunday

Is it time to search for a new job?

evening apprehension about starting a new week the next morning. No, we're talking about when, on a daily basis, you find yourself struggling to get up in the morning to get to work or you're feeling down just thinking about seeing your co-workers, customers, or boss.

If any or all three of these are true in your current job situation it might just be the right time to explore some other options.

For more, check out this post at Forbes on determining if you need a new job.

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: Tips for a Successful Work Day

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 Forbes presents tips for a successful work day. These simple yet effective tips will make your day much more organized, productive, and enjoyable.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: Courting a New Career and Pickup Lines for Job Seekers

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 Court a New Career: "Recruiters see hundreds of applications, so stand out from the crowd and show your best assets from the off. Relevant sector experience is crucial, but it doesn't hurt to show a little personality."


• Replace Your Bad Leadership Habits: "Instead of trying to keep all the interesting knowledge to yourself, leaders should start giving away as much as possible to their employees while seeking out new information."


• 5 Ways to Become More Self-Aware: "In the end, we all want self-awareness. Without it, one can never fully lead effectively. It’s only with self-awareness that one can journey closer to a state of 'self-congruence' — in which what we say, think, and feel are consistent."


• 5 Pickup Lines for job Seekers: "You can acknowledge a company’s reputation as a leader in its field, its corporate philanthropy, the well-known quality or performance of its marquee products, or anything else that is distinctive about the employer."


• What Hiring Managers Want to Know About You: "There is always some context that you're being hired into, and it's in the hiring manager's best interest to make sure you will be a good fit and can hit the ground running."

How and Why to Find a Mentor

An important (and often overlooked) way to increase knowledge, develop skills, and advance in your career is to find and regularly meet with a mentor.

Mentors can often provide an objective view and eye to your strengths, weaknesses, and can offer suggestions for improving your skills and knowledge, revising that resume, and getting a new job.

How to find a mentor?

Look around you. Often that person is someone you already interact with. It could be a boss, local

business owner, someone from your place of worship, a speaker from a conference you attended, or even someone you connected with online through LinkedIn or Facebook. You want to find someone who is successful and at a place in their life and career that you want to go.

Identify what you want. Are you planning to start your own business and need guidance on how to get started? Are you looking for a new job but don't feel you have the right contacts? When you identify what it is you need then you'll be better able to determine the qualities of the right mentor for you.

Ask. This is often the most difficult part but it really should be the easiest. Good mentors are usually very gracious with their time and eager to help others out. You'll likely find that he or she feels honored that you asked. So go ahead!

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: Train Yourself to Deal with Criticism

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.

The video below presents 8 ways to train yourself to deal with criticism, something we all need to learn to effectively receive and implement feedback from our bosses, co-workers, or family members.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: Interviewing Success

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

• The One Essential Element of Every Job Interview: "People appreciate honest, specific and personal stories that foster a connection and show some human vulnerability."


• 4 Ways to Use Facebook to Find a Job: "List not only your current but your past employers, your job title, a description of your role and the years you were with the organization. If you want to make yourself known to all of those recruiters who troll for job candidates on Facebook, take a few minutes to fill out this information."


• How to Build a Meaningful Career: "Invite four or five people to serve as your informal board of directors. You might tell them, 'I’m doing some exploring about what I want from work and I’d love to talk with you on occasion to get your feedback on my direction'."


• 5 Tips for Instant Interview Success: "The best interviews are a give and take. Come prepared to discuss the company, the role, your background, current trends in the industry, the reason for the opening and any recent business events that may impact the interviewer, role, company or industry."


• Social Media and the Job Search: "A key principle of marketing is to generate interest without giving away the whole story. Your resume and your LinkedIn profile are advertisements and their purpose is to pique someone's interest enough to get you a first interview."

3 Ways to Expand Your Local Network

Networking is often lauded by career experts as the way to help secure that next job. We hear about joining LinkedIn and attending networking events but it can be more helpful to build and enhance your network closer to home.

Here are three ways to expand your network in your community:

1. Join the board of a local nonprofit organization. You'll often meet a diverse group of people who are tuned in to what's happening in your community. And some of them will be business owners looking to fill positions. You can also gain valuable skills on a board as you volunteer to help the organization with event planning, promotions, or fund-raising.

2. Become a regular. Be seen regularly at a community meeting spot, such as the library or a local cafe or coffee shop. You can often meet new people, including area entrepreneurs on their laptops and the staff wherever you're hanging out, and get the inside scoop on local news (and job opportunities).

3. Take a class. Local colleges, nonprofit groups, and city governments often offer low-cost classes that can help you develop skills, learn something new, or simply get more physically active. In addition to the benefits of the class you can expand your network through the other students and instructors.

Also consider these 10 ways to build and maintain your professional network.

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: Develop Productivity Rituals

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, Tony Schwartz, founder of The Energy Project, discusses the productivity rituals that help him get more done.

What productivity rituals have you implemented in your life?