High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: How to Be More Assertive 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!

• How to Be More Assertive at Work: "Learning to be assertive takes effort and initiative. For that reason, it's critical to find a source of motivation within yourself for making the change."

• How to Ask for the Job Title You Deserve: "The second step involves identifying a specific title that accurately reflects your expertise, responsibilities, and status within the organization."

• 9 Easy Ways to Naturally Increase Your Energy: "The more water, the better. Staying hydrated keeps your organs functioning properly, which in turn keeps your energy levels in tip-top shape."

• How to Be a Servant Leader: "A servant leader works tirelessly to develop his or her people and is focused on what they can do for others."
• 25 Habits of Successful and Extremely Happy People: "Meditation is one of the most effective ways to embark on a path of stillness and mindfulness, which, in turn, gives your mind a much needed break from all those worries and anxieties occupying it."

4 Reasons to Avoid Taking that Promotion Now

You have an opportunity for a promotion and so, of course, you should take it, right? Well, not so fast. There might be several reasons why it's not best to take that promotion at this time.

Let's consider 4 reasons why it's best to avoid taking a promotion now.

1. Stress. That job might sound great on paper and you might like the new title and salary but are you prepared for the additional stress and demands that it will make? If not, you might consider staying out.

2. New colleagues/boss. Let's face it, some teams and areas in a company have a better reputation
than others. Some teams are social and everyone gets along and hangs out together after work. If that's you and you move to a new position with colleagues who barely speak to one another are you going to feel comfortable? Or maybe the new team or supervisor is known for negativity. That might not be a situation you want to put yourself in.

3. Travel. In many companies a move up the ladder requires more significant work travel. Now if you're someone who likes to get away than this might be ideal. But what if you have young children at home or simply prefer to stay around town? The added travel just might bring unwanted stress and anxiety that is not offset by the exciting new career possibilities.

4. New title and increased salary. If the only appeal of the promotion is the opportunity for more income or a more significant title than this might not be the promotion for you.

Before accepting a promotion consider the factors described above to help make a decision that is the best for your career now and into the future.

Previous Job Titles May Be a Road Block

Are your previous jobs titles posing a road block in your current job search? Job titles that don’t convey the actual scope of your experience and responsibilities or don’t translate clearly to another industry may be limiting your job opportunities.

Assuming you’re applying to jobs you’re qualified for, there’s a chance your job title isn’t a match or isn’t similar enough to the job title which the hiring company is seeking. Some hiring companies use resume scanning technology to match keywords or keyword phrases. Others rely on the hiring manager to manually sort through piles of resumes by skimming for keywords. Either way, you may be getting overlooked as a result of job titles that aren’t accurately representing your work experience.

The good news is that hiring managers are looking to fill jobs with the best candidate based on work experience, skills, and education—not job titles. Therefore, you should consider implementing the following tips to clarify misleading job titles and put the focus on your experience and skills:

Use a functional resume format: A functional resume format may be a good choice since it organizes experience by skill clusters not chronological order. This resume layout places emphasis on experience and skills.
Include a resume summary: A resume summary is placed at the beginning of your resume, after name and contact information, and briefly summarizes your qualifications and key selling points in a short paragraph. It’s a great way for a hiring manager or recruiter to quickly see what you’re capable of and where your strengths lie.
Highlight achievements in stories and outcomes: The best way to highlight your achievements on a resume, in a cover letter, or at an interview is to provide concrete examples of positive outcomes supported by specific numbers. For example, you could highlight revenue generated (“…increased sales an additional $100k in a 30-day period”); money or time saved (“…implemented a new process that decreased restocking time by 20 hours per week”); or highlight the number of people/amount of a budget you managed.
Address job titles in cover letters and/or interviews: You can briefly address misleading job titles in a cover letter or interview. Mention that your job title doesn’t encompass the actual scope of the job. Associate your actual roles and responsibilities to a role or job title used by the hiring company or by that industry. When you reference this role or job title, state that it’s comparable to the job title you held, so as to clear up any confusion and ambiguity.