5 Steps to Take After Your Performance Evaluation

Many companies and businesses implement a regular review process to evaluate employee performance. Employees often look upon these as a necessary evil to be dreaded and then moved past as quickly as possible.

But, like all aspects of our work experience, a small shift in the way we view and respond to the performance evaluation can bring significant value to our careers.

Here are five things to do after you’ve gone through the performance evaluation process.

Avoid defensiveness. This is a critical first step and it can help us take further action to improve our work performance. It is difficult to take criticism and often our first response is to disagree with the assessments of others, including our supervisor, or to make excuses for our failure to meet a goal. Instead, resolve to listen, avoid a defensive response, and take the time to really understand the feedback. You just might learn something valuable about yourself.

Get specific. While you seek to understand the areas you need to improve at work, get as specific as possible. It provides little in the way of insight to suggest that you need to improve your communication skills. What are we talking about here? Do you need to be clearer about what you need in your emails? Or is this about face-to-face meetings with clients? Or perhaps your manager believes you need improvement when speaking in front of large groups. Gain as much detail as possible to help you get specific about the areas you need to improve.

Take on new tasks. Once you’ve gotten specific volunteer to take on new tasks or responsibilities that will help you gain experience and improve your skills in the areas identified through the evaluation process. Be focused on those areas of the project that will help you gain new skills and strengthen your weaknesses.

Get additional training. In addition, seek out workshops, conferences, and other training opportunities to improve the skills you need to work on. Speak to your manager for recommendations, as well.

Set personal goals. Take some time to develop some personal goals as response to your performance review. These goals can be about anything from a promotion you’re seeking to some specific skills you want to acquire, or a degree or diploma that will help your career.

Taking these steps will help you gain the most from a formal performance review process at work.

Five Qualities to Demonstrate at Your Next Job Interview

Making the right hire is a tricky business and some managers are better at it than others. It can seem that too often hiring becomes a popularity contest or is all about who you know, rather than about what you, the candidate, have to offer.

Here are five qualities that are irresistible to employers and will have you in demand if you can effectively demonstrate that you possess them. And if you're a hiring manager keep this qualities front of mind when making hiring decisions and you'll find more success at making the right hires.

Initiative. Be prepared to provide examples of situations in your career when you identified a problem and went about devising a solution without being told to do this by someone else. Great employees identify needs in companies and find ways to meet those needs. They don't wait for someone to assign a task to them. If you can demonstrate a track record of taking initiative you'll have one foot in the door.

Curiosity. Every good business owner or manager wants employees and staff who take an interest in the company and its processes. Are you someone who gets to know colleagues in other areas of the company and regularly seeks out opportunities to learn more about the business? In addition, show how your curiosity about the field you're in leads you to stay on top of news in your industry, related industries, and with competitors.

Communication skills. In your interview you want to demonstrate how to effectively communicate with everyone you meet. This starts with the first person who greets you at the door and continues after your interview with effective follow-up, including a gracious "thank you" note to your interviewer. Your communication skills should be on display in every interaction, whether verbally or in writing with your resume, cover letter, or follow-up emails.

Project management. Your next manger or supervisor will want to know that when you are assigned a simple task or a complex project that you can effectively manage it and complete it on time and according to any specifications you've been provided. Be prepared with clear examples of how you successfully manage projects of varying complexity, and utilize some of the skills and qualities mentioned above.

Stress management. You might be great at completing tasks and projects but you drive everyone crazy with the amount of stress and anxiety you place on yourself and others. Provide some examples of how you manage self-care, work-life balance, and deal with the everyday stresses and anxieties that come with work in a fast-paced environment.

Be prepared to show how you demonstrate these five qualities at your next job interview and you'll be closer to landing that new job.

4 Soft Skills You Need to Develop for Your Career

In surveys employers and businesses often note that many applicants are lacking soft skills they deem necessary. Even many job postings will note the soft skills an employer is seeking, in addition to the technical skills and mastery required of the job.

Below are 4 soft skills to develop and highlight in a job interview, along with several tips to improve these skills.

1. Communication. It's important to write professional emails, speak appropriately on the phone, and look people in the eye and shake hands firmly when meeting and speaking in person. Watch others who are good communicators and model their behaviors. Ensure that your emails include a greeting a and a closing. You might also consider joining a local Toastmasters to develop your communication skills.

2. Initiative. An effective way to develop initiative is to volunteer for new opportunities as they come up at work. An even better way is to suggest new processes or projects and take the lead in testing them out.

3. Team work/collaboration. A great way to develop team work and collaboration skills is to

volunteer with a local nonprofit or church organization and participate in planning an event or fundraiser. The more opportunities you have to work in collaboration with others the more you'll be able to improve your skills in this area.

4. Creativity. Everyone is creative in some way. Creativity is not just for artists and designers. Creativity enables you to look at problems in a different way and come up with unique solutions. It may even mean that you come to understand that the problem really isn't a problem after all. You can continue to develop your creativity by being curious. Don't stop learning. Meet new people and travel to new places. And don't neglect your personal passions. They can co-exist with your job.

Consider finding a mentor to support you in developing these soft skills and you'll find yourself improving in ways you never imagined.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: Finding a Career Sponsor

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!

© Bellemedia | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos

• The Key Qualities Every Employer Looks For: "Ask the question and most people will tell you that they are a self starter, but it is actually quite tough to find people who have the right personal drive and can work under their own steam."

• 3 Strategies for Managing Life's Many Big (and Small) Transitions: "By naming that you are in a transition, you are likely to be kinder and gentler with yourself, be open to the fact that 'not knowing' what’s ahead is a natural part of this state, and also attract other people who are in transition or who have made a similar transition who can support you."                                                      
• The Right Way to Find a Career Sponsor: "When it comes to powering your career up the corporate heights, you need a sponsor.... sponsors may advise or steer you but their chief role is to develop you as a leader."


• The Interview Questions You Should Be Asking: "It’s important to not only find someone with the qualifications to do the job, but also someone who is uniquely driven to help make the company the absolute best it can be."


• 9 Tips to Get the Most Out of Your Next University Career Fair: "If you are interested in a company, take the time to review their history and current projects. Explore their website by looking for news reports and press releases to find topics of interest to you. These make great conversation starters with company representatives attending the event!"

Five Reasons to Plan a Professional Conference

I was recently named registration chair for a regional coaching conference to be held this summer, and I couldn't be more thrilled with this opportunity. See, I love attending conferences: networking with other professionals, engaging in informative education sessions, learning new skills, staying abreast with industry trends...they serve to "light my professional fire." But being on the planning team for a conference boosts this even further. Why should you consider helping to plan a professional conference?

In-depth networking: It's one thing to meet someone at a conference and have a series of nice conversations over lunch or during an educational program. But planning a conference enables you to get to know a set of professionals sooner, longer, and the quality of your interactions are more in-depth. They get a sense of you as a professional: your interests, your drive,  your passion, and your experience. The relationships you make can last you a lifetime, and those relationships can result in wonderful career opportunities for you and for them.

Solve new problems: In the workplace, the problems you solve can become too familiar after some time, with the same issues being tackled by the same individuals and groups. Planning a conference creates a "shock" to your system where the problems are newer, the environment fresh, and you are challenged in different ways.

Use different skills: Similar to the point above,  you become used to using a certain set of skills in your current occupation. When planning a conference, however, you employ new or different skills to tackle the new problems you are confronted with. In my role as registration chair, I see spreadsheets, technology-issues, and essential communication between myself and other conference attendees in my future. I look forward to doing something different and in a different context in service of my professional community.

Resume booster: Helping to plan a conference should most certainly go on your resume as a professional development activity. The initiative you conveyed, accomplishments you achieved, skills utilized, and problems solved help to show you in another professional lens, one that you want to profile to future employers.

Free or discounted registration: It isn't uncommon to receive free or discounted registration for a conference when on the planning committee. This is a nice perk, but don't let it be the primary driving factor of why you participate: you will be disappointed quickly because the time you put in to plan doesn't begin to cover the costs. Rather, see what you are doing in light of the first three points. You'll be happier for it, and the registration will simply be the cherry on top of the professional sundae you've created.

So what are you waiting for? Contact a professional organization in your field today, find out when their next conference is, and volunteer!

High Five 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. 8 Steps to Build Relationships after a Networking Event
"These eight steps should be started and worked through immediately. The timeliness of follow-up is critical. You will want to get back to people while you are both fresh in each other’s minds."

2. Step Up to Advance Your Career
"Go after those projects that are valued by company leaders where you can flex your muscles, showcase your strengths, and demonstrate that you’re the right person for the job."

3. 18 Proven Ways to Help Recruiters Find You on LinkedIn
"LinkedIn is an excellent resource for improving a job search by allowing job hunters to make new contacts with recruiters and companies that might not have found them otherwise."

4.  Beware the "Tell Me About Yourself" Job Interview Question  
" The 'tell me about yourself' question is certainly not a request for a brief personal biography! Your answer to the question definitely should be laser-focused on the specific task at hand."

5. In the Job Search, Your Comfort Zone is the Danger Zone!
"Trying to accomplish what needs to be done while only doing those things that are easy and comfortable for you is a recipe for mediocrity or failure!"


AND one Bonus for the week!


6. 10 High-Risk Sci-Fi/Fantasy Careers
"Explore the galaxy, meet interesting people, and capture them for cash money! There's never been a better time to get into bounty hunting."