Five Areas to Be Grateful for in Your Career

As we approach Thanksgiving Day it’s good to think about our career and the parts of our work lives that we’re grateful for. We’d also recommend a daily gratitude practice but that is a story for another time.

There are many aspects of our career that we might be thankful for but for now let’s focus on the following five areas.

The opportunity to do work that benefits your community and the world, while utilizing your strengths, talents, skills, and interests. It’s fulfilling to find work that interests you and enables you to use your strengths and skills to make the world a better place through your company’s products or services.

Working with good people. You’re fortunate when you work with a competent and dedicated team that you enjoy working with toward a common goal. You earn bonus points when there is one or two co-workers you consider a friend or enjoy socializing with outside of work.

Flexible work arrangements. Be grateful for opportunities you to work from home, leave work early to attend to family matters, or benefit from a four-day work-week.

A mentor. We should always be thankful for those people who have taught, guided, and mentored us along the way in our lives, education, and in our jobs. A good mentor should not be taken for granted, and he or she likely played an important role in where you are now in your life and career.

The occasion to advance in your career and to develop your skills. A great workplace enables you to gain new knowledge, enhance your skills, and provides opportunities for advancement. Be grateful for these opportunities at work.

These five areas can offer you the chance to reflect on your current job, be thankful for the positive aspects of your work, and can help you consider whether a change in scenery might be better for your career.

High Five Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: What Employees Really Want at Work

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!

• What Employees Really Want at Work: "It’s clear that the strict nine-to-five workday is outdated – and it won’t help employers attract or maintain today’s top talent.... No matter the industry, flexibility is incredibly important to employees and job seekers across the nation."

• 10 Ways to Beat Creative Burnout: "I schedule out hours to work. I know that if I’m working during those hours, then I can have that night to myself to exercise or watch a TV show or read a book or whatever."

• Be Tough on Yourself: "Being a hard person doesn’t mean you are constantly upset or an unhappy person. It means you are developing into someone better and you are committed."

• 7 Tips to Keep Yourself Motivated: "If you're not motivated, or are lacking energy, set yourself a small goal. Tell yourself you'll do one more email, five more Excel rows, or one more call to a customer. Chances are that every small goal you complete will keep you motivated to do more and more."
• 9 Small Steps That Will Make You Happier: "practicing acts of kindness gives people a happiness boost. In addition, the recipient becomes happier and this even extends to people who merely observe the act."

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 5 Tips for Networking Your Way to a Job on LinkedIn

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!

• 5 Ways to Instantly Connect with Everyone You Meet: "It doesn't matter your title or experience, if you want to connect with someone or influence them, you must make them feel valued."
• 4 Rules for Making a Flexible Schedule Work: "Most of us have trouble sitting still and working for eight hours at a stretch without taking some kind of break. That holds true, even if you’re working from your couch."
• How to Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking: "Nothing helps you feel more confident than thoroughly preparing for your presentation. When you know the subject matter well, you'll feel more comfortable and confident."
• 9 Tips for Creating a Stress-Free Work Environment: "If your workspace stresses you out, it might help to add personal items to your desk, cubicle or office that have some special meaning to you."
• 5 Tips for Networking Your Way to a Job on LinkedIn : "Start connecting with classmates, alumni and professors, plus former bosses, supervisors and colleagues. Then branch out to less obvious potential connections, like your neighbors."

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for What You Want

Whether you’re trying to move up the ladder or pursuing a great job offer, don’t be afraid to ask for what you want. 

Climbing the ladder

Whatever your career, you should take time to identify and map out your short- and long-term goals. Once you’ve determined the logical progression for your career path, you can identify what technical, management, and/or professional skills you need to achieve your goals.

Talk with someone who is in a similar career in a position you one day hope to achieve.  Ask this person about the type of experience he/she has and the training it took to attain that position.

Asking up front

Long-term career goals are important, but knowing what you want out of an initial job offer can be equally crucial. 

According to job.com, there are many more facets of compensation than just base pay and health benefits. If items such as paid vacation, car allowance, bonus potential, and tuition reimbursement are important to you, be prepared to discuss these up front as part of the entire compensation package and job offer.

Likewise, if schedule flexibility and working from home are things you’re interested in, be ready to cite examples of how you have made this work successfully in past jobs. If you don’t have first-hand experience working in a flexible work arrangement, propose a plan that convinces the employer you can make it a win-win situation for both parties.

In either situation—climbing the ladder or pursuing a job offer—set goals, know your worth, have a plan, and act on it. If you’re confident with your road map, your travels should be smooth and successful.

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. Top 5 Reasons You're Miserable at Work and How to Change It
"True career bliss might be a high bar to achieve, but career satisfaction isn't. It's up to you to create a career that you love, and you deserve to love your work."

2. Hard Work Alone is Not Enough
"Focused attention is imperative to your career success. It forces you to concentrate your time and energy on a limited set of targets."

3. Find a Job Using Disruptive Innovation
"Applying the skills disruptive innovators use to your job search can help you unearth more, and better, opportunities."

4. What Not to Wear to Your Next Job Interview 
"Most interviewers won't be this candid, but it's undeniable that your wardrobe is a key factor in your first impression -- especially in a hyper-competitive job market."

5. 10 Tips for Landing a Flexible Job
"A 2011 national study ... found that 42 percent of working adults are willing to forfeit some percent of their salary in exchange for more flexible work options."