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Your #Career : #CareerAdvice – Here’s When it’s Worth Taking a Big Risk in your Career…Sometimes, Playing it “Safe” Can be Detrimental in the Long Run.

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In most situations, it makes sense to play it safe. Don’t cross the street without looking both ways, and never drive a car without wearing a seat belt. Both of those things make sense because there’s no upside to making the dangerous choice.

When it comes to your career, though, sometimes it does make sense to take risks. You shouldn’t be (small-f) foolish or take risks just for the sake of it, but there are situations when the safe choice limits your upside.

If you take a risk and fail, you can always get another job. The prospect may seem scary, but if you take enough smart, well-considered risks, then hopefully some will work out for you.

WHEN YOUR INTEGRITY IS ON THE LINE

There are plenty of times when the best thing to do at work is “keep your head down” and focus on the work. Whether it’s avoiding office politics (or discussing real politics), gossip, or correcting your boss when it would only cause you to catch their ire, these can be “high-risk, low return” situations that are best avoided. And there are other times it may go either way, if there’s real risk you could do permanent damage to your reputation if you have a plan or idea that fails.

However, there should be a red line when it comes to your integrity. This is because, in my experience, an employer or coworker who asks you to start letting “little” things slide will eventually expect you to start ignoring–or possibly even hiding–bigger things. And sometimes these can mean breaking the law and becoming an accomplice to a crime. Of course, it’s important to consider context here, but in general, it should be pretty obvious when you’re starting down a dangerous path.

But if you always make a point to be honest in your dealings with your employer, peers, and clients, you can avoid a slippery slope that can ruin careers and lives. The bottom line is, no job is more important than your integrity. If you have to break rules or lie or commit crimes to stay employed, you’re risking a lot more by trying to stay with that company.–Jason Hall

Related: Why you should probably take that risk you’ve been weighing up 

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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WHEN YOU’VE SAVED FOR IT

I’m the first person to encourage others to pursue their dream careers, because having done so myself, I know how rewarding it can be. I worked at a hedge fund for almost five years after college, all the while wanting to move over to something more creative. When I finally took the leap, I knew it would involve a major pay cut, and I was okay with that. The reason? I had savings to back myself up.

We spend so much time at work that we deserve to be doing things we love. At the same time, we can’t neglect our bills. If you know you want to switch careers, or take a similar risk that might result in a drop in income, go for it–but save some money first. When I went from collecting a steady paycheck to freelancing, I knew it would take time to build up a client base, and so I saved enough to ensure that even if I didn’t earn a dime during my first six months of independent work, I’d be okay.

It’s brave to take a career risk, but it’s unwise to compromise your near-term and long-term financial security in the process. So don’t. Save money to buy yourself the option to take that risk. This way, you can approach your new venture head on without having the stress of getting evicted or running up credit card debt holding you back.–Maurie Backman

Related: The surprising habits of the biggest risk takers 

WHEN YOU’RE STUCK IN A DEAD-END POSITION

A few years ago, I was working as the editor of two small–some would say dying–local newspapers. My boss was a nice enough guy but we had differing philosophies on local news. I believed in cramming as many local stories in the paper as possible. He believed in spending as little money as he could.

It wasn’t a bad job, but it was dead end. If I stayed I was never going to get a meaningful raise, a promotion (there was nothing to promote me to), and it was unlikely my boss would come around to my thinking as to how we could get back to growth.

I wanted to leave and could have left for better newspaper jobs. That, however, would have likely been trading the headache I knew for a different one. Instead, I joined a friend of mine and started a business.

At the time we started, we pooled the income I was making in my early days freelancing for Motley Fool and the money he was making building small-scale websites. It was barely enough to cover rent on a small office and pay each of us fairly meager salaries (less than I had been making).

It took a while, but I started bringing in more as a writer, and we landed a contract to manage a company’s digital portfolio. It was a grinding slow build, but we went from struggling to successful, and slowly the imminent danger we had been in through our early days faded.

That risk led to my current career as a full-time, work-from-home writer. Many people I worked with at that newspaper still work there or hold similar jobs elsewhere. Most of them wish they had taken risks, and now with time having passed, it’s harder and scarier for them to do so.

I might have failed, and if I had, I would have found a job. Perhaps that position would not have been as good as the one I had left, but ultimately I would have reset myself and gotten back in position to take the next risk.–Daniel B. Kline

 

FastCompany.com | June 29, 2018 | BY THE MOTLEY FOOL 5 MINUTE READ

Your #Career : This Half-Hour Exercise Can Get you Out of Your #CareerRut …You Can’t Always take a Weeklong Vacation to Reflect & Reset, but If you Can get Away from your Office for an Hour, this Technique Can Put Things into Fresh Perspective.

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Summer is finally here, and you’re thinking about your dream vacation. You conjure up images of sitting by the pool, drinking an icy cold beverage, and not thinking about your stress-filled life. Then reality hits, and you realize where you are. You’re sitting in your cubicle, uninspired and in a rut.

You know that slaving away in an office day in and day out isn’t doing you any favors. But you’re afraid to take time off, because you hate the post-vacation stress and extra work that awaits.

You might not always have control over your workload, but you can design your break so that you come back refreshed, more creative, and better equipped to tackle thorny problems. Here’s how.

SET ASIDE TIME FOR STRUCTURED REFLECTION

Even if you can’t take a long, restful vacation this summer, you can probably squeeze in one or two “disconnected days” to take a day off work and unplug. During that time, leave your regular environment. Take a day trip someplace nice, or even just drive at least 30 minutes away from where you work and live to get some physical as well as mental distance. The key is to get out of your day-to-day routine.

Once you’re there, take 30 minutes to do something that lifts up your mood–whether it’s reading or listening to inspiring content, calling up a close friend or family member, or even meditating or praying. Then grab a notebook or journal and just start writing and reflecting when you’re in that elevated state. Begin with gratitude, then move on to consider parts of your life where you know you’re not showing up the way you’d like to.

Related: Six ways to pull yourself out of a work slump

Willpower Doesn’t Work: Discover the Hidden Keys to Success by Benjamin Hardy

Then examine your notes–don’t worry whether they’re jumbled–and commit to making specific changes. Write down the key adjustments you need to make to achieve your dreams and goals. Don’t just jot down the things you need to change, though; write openly about the frustrations and difficulties that have led you to where you are, including why you’ve struggled to make these changes in the past.

Finally, don’t forget about your big-picture dreams. A key component of structured reflection is to reconnect you with your “why.” It’s easy to lose sight of that underlying purpose while you’re in the midst of your daily routines. There’s also a huge difference between “means” goals and “ends” goals. “Ends” goals are the things that truly matter to you. For example, getting a college degree so you can get a great job is a means goal. But what is the end of getting a great job?

Related: 3 brain hacks to boost your motivation when you need it most

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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SCHEDULE A WEEKLY MINI REFLECTION AND PLANNING SESSION

After you come back from your break, follow up with a condensed version of this journaling session around once a week for the next few weeks. This can help reinforce the goals and changes you committed to in your initial, out-of-office structured reflection. Here are a few things to focus your thoughts on:

  • How your previous week went (the good, the bad, etc.)
  • What you did well (your “wins”)
  • What didn’t go well (what you didn’t do, who you didn’t reach out to, where you fell short)
  • Any significant events (great moments with a friend or family member, or a breakthrough in your work)
  • Your plans for the following week
  • How you intend to take what you learned from your previous week and do better next week
  • Your bigger-picture goals (in a short bullet-point list as a reminder of your “why” and “end” goals)
  • Your proximal goals (things you’re immediately working toward over the next one to six months)
  • Specific to-dos you need to finish the following week (your morning routine, learning, relationships, work, fitness, etc.)

Here, too, you need to prepare your mind before starting this planning session. The goal is likewise to elevate your thinking, then make powerful plans and decisions from that positive frame of mind. So before you crank out the pen, do whatever you need to assume the best mental outlook, whether it’s meditating or exercising outside.

The truth is, your best ideas won’t happen while you’re sitting at your desk working. Your brain operates best in a rested and relaxed state. Just like your body, you can’t push your mind past its point of exhaustion without it shutting down. So schedule time away from work the next time you feel stuck in a rut or close to burning out.

Making time for structured reflection can help you come back with ideas you’d never have thought of otherwise. Now that’s a productive vacation–even if you don’t physically take one.

FastCompany.com | June 6, 2018 | BY BENJAMIN HARDY 4 MINUTE READ

 

Your #Career : Experiencing These 5 Things? You Might Be in the Wrong Profession…Sometimes a #Job or Career is just not meant to be. If Any of These Scenarios Sound Familiar, you Might Want to Think about Making a Change.

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While “picking the wrong career is not an uncommon thing,” according to Karen Elizaga, career coach and author of Find Your Sweet Spot, it’s not always easy to tell the difference between a bad position and a bad career. If you’re unhappy and you know it–but you’re not sure whether you need a new job or a new career path–then read on to find out what the wrong career looks like, and what you can do if you realize you need to make a change.

First, according to two career experts, here are five signs that you’re in the wrong career.

1. YOU WORK HARD, BUT YOUR RESULTS ARE UNSATISFACTORY

“You absolutely love the area that you’re in, and you are unceasingly diligent about completing your work,” Elizaga describes, “but you don’t get the results you want or that you see your peers getting.” If this sounds all too familiar, “it’s entirely possible that you don’t have the skill or talent that it takes to succeed.”

2. YOU COMPLAIN ABOUT YOUR WORK A LOT

On the flip side, if you spend a significant amount of time whining about work, you may have chosen the wrong career, warns career coach Hallie Crawford. Another sign you need to make a change? “You spend most of your time at home and at work feeding negative thoughts and expressing them,” Crawford describes.

Related: How to figure out if you’re in the wrong job 

 

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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3. THE INDUSTRY IS ANTITHETICAL TO YOUR BELIEFS

According to Elizaga, “There might be a job function that you enjoy, or something–like the salary, location, or company prestige–may draw you to make a move in your career.” But, despite those obvious plusses, “ultimately you strongly disagree with the moral or political values of this career,” Elizaga describes.

4. THE CAREER DOESN’T MAKE USE OF YOUR STRENGTHS

You want a career that plays to your strengths and avoids your weaknesses. So, “when you don’t utilize any of your strengths, your career isn’t rewarding or fulfilling,” Crawford says, and it may not be the one for you.

Related: Should you quit your job? When to leave and when to stick it out

5. YOU FANTASIZE ABOUT QUITTING

What’s more, you’d even be happy if you were let go or fired. “This is a sure sign that your career choice is not a fit for you,” according to Crawford.

If one or more of these signs points to the fact that you’re in the wrong career, take heart: You don’t have to stay in it, and you don’t have to go back to school to get out of it, Elizaga says.

“First of all, take a deep breath and take an inventory,” she suggests. Ask yourself, “Who are you at your core? What are your skills? What drives you? What actually makes you happy? This is a step that so many people skip because they are focused on what the available jobs or seemingly worthy careers may be, rather than looking at their own intrinsic motivation.”

Next, assess your strengths and the skills you have that are transferable to any career, says Elizaga. “You might be surprised at how adaptable you can be to a new career,” she says.

Related: Your career happiness might hinge on how you define this word 

Once you narrow down a few fields you might like to explore, it’s time to reach out to some people in those industries. “Consider conducting informational interviews,” says Crawford. “Gather information about those possible new directions and find out from people in the field what it takes to transition into the field. Are there certain skills or a specific type of experience required? Do you need to take some classes, or volunteer outside of work to gain additional experience in a certain area? This will help you make a more informed decision about if and how much schooling or money that might be required. You may find that you only need to take a course or two instead of having to fully go back to school.”

Lastly, to gain experience in a new field, volunteer before you apply for a position, suggests Elizaga. “If there is an industry you want to move into, but you recognize that you need to learn new skills, carve out some hours during the week or weekend to volunteer, or intern for another company,” Elizaga says. That way, “You will slowly build up your arsenal of tools and ultimately be able to point to your experience in transitioning to a new career.”

 

FastCompany.com | May 23, 2018 | BY JILLIAN KRAMER—GLASSDOOR 3 MINUTE READ

Your #Career : #CareerAdvice – 5 Signs You’re in the Wrong Career—And How to Make a Change… Picking the Wrong Career is Not an Uncommon Thing, but it’s Not Always Easy to Tell the Difference Between a Bad Position and a Bad Career.

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While “picking the wrong career is not an uncommon thing,” according to Karen Elizaga, career coach and author of Find Your Sweet Spot, it’s not always easy to tell the difference between a bad position and a bad career.

If you’re unhappy and you know it—but you’re not sure whether you need a new job or a new career path—then read on to find out what the wrong career looks like, and what you can do if you realize you need to make a change.

First, according to two career experts, here are five signs that you’re in the wrong career.

1. You work hard, but your results are unsatisfactory. “You absolutely love the area that you’re in, and you are unceasingly diligent about completing your work,” Elizaga describes, “but you don’t get the results you want or that you see your peers getting.” If this sounds all too familiar, “it’s entirely possible that don’t have the skill or talent that it takes to succeed.”

2. You complain about your work a lot. On the flip side, if you spend a significant amount of time whining about work, you may have chosen the wrong career, warns career coach Hallie Crawford. Another sign you need to make a change? “You spend most of your time at home and at work feeding negative thoughts and expressing them,” Crawford describes.

9 Tips from People Who Made Dramatic Career Changes

3. The industry is antithetical to your beliefs. According to Elizaga, “there might be a job function that you enjoy, or something—like the salary, location, or company prestige—may draw you to make a move in your career.” But, despite those obvious plusses, “ultimately you strongly disagree with the moral or political values of this career,” Elizaga describes.

Like this Article ?  Share It !    You now can easily enjoy/follow/share Today our Award Winning Articles/Blogs with Now Over 2.5 Million Growing  Participates Worldwide in our various Social Media formats below:

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Question: Want the ‘the best/current articles/blogs on the web’ on Job Search, Resume, Advancing/Changing your Career, or simply Managing People?

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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4. The career doesn’t make use of your strengths. You want a career that plays to your strengths and avoids your weaknesses. So, “when you don’t utilize any of your strengths, your career isn’t rewarding or fulfilling,” Crawford says, and it may not be the one for you.  

5. You fantasize about quitting. What’s more, you’d even be happy if you were let go or fired. “This is a sure sign that your career choice is not a fit for you,” according to Crawford.

If one or more of these signs points to fact that you’re in the wrong career, take heart: you don’t have to stay in it, and you don’t have to go back to school to get out of it, Elizaga says.

4 Beliefs to Drop When Changing Careers

“First of all, take a deep breath and take an inventory,” she suggests. Ask yourself, “Who are you at your core? What are your skills? What drives you? What actually makes you happy? This is a step that so many people skip because they are focused on what the available jobs or seemingly worthy careers may be, rather than looking at their own intrinsic motivation.”

Next, assess your strengths and the skills you have that are transferable to any career, says Elizaga. “You might be surprised at how adaptable you can be to a new career,” she says.

Once you narrow down a few fields you might like to explore, it’s time to reach out to some people in those industries. “Consider conducting informational interviews,” says Crawford. “Gather information about those possible new directions and find out from people in the field what it takes to transition into the field. Are there certain skills or a specific type of experience required? Do you need to take some classes, or volunteer outside of work to gain additional experience in a certain area? This will help you make a more informed decision about if and how much schooling or money that might be required. You may find that you only need to take a course or two instead of having to fully go back to school.”

Lastly, to gain experience in a new field, volunteer before you apply for a position, suggests Elizaga. “If there is an industry you want to move into, but you recognize that you need to learn new skills, carve out some hours during the week or weekend to volunteer or intern for another company,” Elizaga says. That way, “you will slowly build up your arsenal of tools and ultimately be able to point to your experience in transitioning to a new career.”

 

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Your #Career : Three Ways You’re Self-Sabotaging Your Next Career Move And How to Stop…Be Honest with Yourself, you Know you’re Ready for a #CareerChange, so Why Haven’t you Taken the Next Step? What’s Stopping you From Moving Forward?

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You can have clarity. You can have a 5-year plan plastered to your mirror. You can know exactly what you want to do and when. You can have a Rolodex of contacts and know the best people in your industry.

But, if you’re holding onto your fear of fill-in-the-blank, you’re probably self-sabotaging your career more than you realize.

Be honest with yourself, you know you’re ready for a career change, so why haven’t you taken the next step? What’s stopping you from moving forward?

It’s not that your resume isn’t as perfect as you’d like it to be, nor is it that you don’t know how to market yourself for your next position. Though those are plausible burdens, it’s much deeper than that.

Here are three subtle fears that are causing you to sabotage your next career move.

You Fear Getting Rejected

You might be struggling with this, if the question, “Why would they hire me?” has stopped you from applying for job openings that excites you, or if the thought of not getting a response back has stopped you from setting up informational interviews with people you’d love to meet.

Granted you might not want to shoot your shot at a position that requires 10 years of experience if you’re barely on the cusp of year two. But, the fear that you might not be good enough is normal. And, plaguing yourself with what I call the “Out of My League Syndrome,” simply because something is different or new, isn’t the most effective way to land the job of your dreams.

In a perfect world, we would ask whoever we want for whatever we want, and we would receive a, “Yes, absolutely,” every time. But, in our imperfect world, no one is free from rejection. It happens to all of us. It’s inevitable, so embrace it. Understand that it’s a necessary evil to achieve success and learn to see rejection as redirection, rather than a setback.

Rejection always leaves you with two options: you either let rejection defeat you or you regroup and keep going. But, don’t count yourself out before you try.

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Question: Want the ‘the best/current articles/blogs on the web’ on Job Search, Resume, Advancing/Changing your Career, or simply Managing People?

Answer: Simply go to our FSC Career Blog below & type(#career, #leadership, #life) in Blog Search:  https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/

What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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You Fear Treading in Uncharted Waters

If you have a job that looks good on paper or if you’ve outgrown your current position but feel pretty comfortable in your career, the fear of uncertainty probably has kicked in more than you’ve noticed in your job hunt. Deep down, you don’t completely like the idea that you’re moving from familiar ground into unknown territory.

If you’ve had thoughts like, “What if I get a job and I don’t like it as much, or what if I don’t get paid as much?” Then, you’re a member of this club. When it comes to landing a new job, you’ve probably put in less effort than you’re willing to admit to yourself. Rather than dedicate intentional time to discovering the next best career move, you might coast through your job search, soothing yourself with excuses like, “I just don’t have enough time.”

Unfortunately for you, your lack of consistency and momentum is holding you back from making the career change you so desire. Your first step is to acknowledge that you feel this way. Then, accept that all you can do is put your best foot forward, and repeat, one step at a time. Do your research and talk to as many people as you can before jumping into your next position to ensure it’s the right fit for you.

If that’s not enough and if you want to get as much guidance as possible to safeguard you from making a wrong turn, get a career coach. Career coaching helps you fill the gap between where you are and where you want to be in your career, with a concrete step by step system to help get you there. Find a career coach that understands your needs and who can steer you in the best direction.

You Fear Failing

This is one I used to struggle with, and you can blame growing up in a Nigerian household for this one. Growing up, I was told failure is not an option and success is not a choice. Success is a requirement. So, as you can imagine, that created an insurmountable amount of pressure.

If you’ve ever felt like, “What if I do all this work to get a new job and I fail? What if it doesn’t work out?” Welcome to the party. That fear of failure, probably has you applying to 30 jobs a week, sending off your resume to all who cares to listen just so you can end up somewhere and deem yourself successful. But that isn’t the best approach. It’s impossible to show that you’re the best candidate for every position you desire when you aimlessly apply to that many jobs at once.

Be selective in your approach, and take your time. Don’t let the fear of failure rush you into something that won’t ultimately make you happy.

More importantly, don’t let the fear of failure keep you stagnant either. Failure, like rejection, is inevitable. At some point, you will fail. But, the faster you fail, the closer you get to success.

So, whenever you start to feel these subtle fears creep up your shoulder, ask yourself two questions: First, “Do I honestly like where I’m at now?” And, secondly, “What is the worst that can happen if I move forward in this direction?” If the worst that can happen is better than where you are right now, get out of your comfort zone and take the risk.

Adunola Adeshola coaches young professionals to get unstuck in their careers and land jobs they’ll love. She’s also the founder of employeeREDEFINED.com, a career site for millennials who secretly feel stuck in their careers.

 

Forbes.com | February 15, 2018 | Adunola Adeshola ,  WOMEN@FORBES

Your #Career : I Used A “Career Map” To Get My #DreamJob –Here’s How…Sometimes All it Takes is some Good Planning & Patience to Pull yourself Out of a Serious Job Slump.

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Due to an unfortunate coffee mishap, I spent the holidays setting up a new computer and frantically trying to extract documents from my old, caffeine-soaked laptop. While in the middle of my rescue mission, I stumbled upon a career map that I’d created four years ago.

Making a career map wasn’t my brilliant idea, but it helped me get out of a serious job slump. At that time, I was working as an account executive at an ad agency and hated it. I’d only taken the job for two reasons: I was turning 26 and couldn’t stay on my dad’s health insurance, and I wanted to be a copywriter, so being in close proximity to some would magically transform me into one–right?

Not so much.

My brother recommended working in the industry I wanted firstand worry about getting a writer position once I had more experience–hence, the advertising job. But things were moving a little too slowly for my liking. I’d been at the agency for nine months and wasn’t any closer to becoming a writer. Deflated, I shared my woes with a coworker. She suggested making a “career map,” an outline of steps to take me to the next level.

Related: I Used Design Thinking To Reinvent My Career–Here’s Why It Worked 

She explained further: You write down where you want to be in your career three to six months from now, one year from now and five or more years from now. Then, for each timeframe, you identify the steps to achieving the next milestone. So, for example, If your career goal is to take the Iron Throne and rule the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, you might write “Acquire fleet of ships” as an action step. Here’s what mine looked like:

THREE TO SIX MONTHS

1. Ask HR to consider me for a copywriting position.

Action steps:

  • Create portfolio of three to five pieces
  • Schedule meeting with HR

2. Network and research.

Action steps:

  • Talk to at least three professional writers to get insight into the profession
    • Name 1
    • Name 2
    • Name 3
  • List of questions to ask:
    • How did they get their start?
    • How would they recommend getting started today?
    • Are they happy with their career, compensation, work/life balance?
    • What’s a reasonable starting salary to ask for?
    • Do they know any other writers who would be willing to connect?

 

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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ONE YEAR

3. Take at least one course in copywriting/writing/building a portfolio.

Action steps:

  • Research what class to take, estimated tuition
  • Start setting money aside for tuition

4. Get copywriting job at another agency or company if I don’t get offered a position at current company.

Related: A 6-Step Plan To Figure Out Your Next Move 

THREE TO FIVE YEARS

5. Work at a major agency or company in New York City.

6. Gain freelance experience.

Writing all this down provided me with much-needed clarity and actionable steps to follow. Best of all, it worked! When I stumbled across my old career map, I realized that I had accomplished every goal, even those as far out as five years. So I set out to write one for the next five years–and this time around, my goals don’t feel as daunting.

If you want to create your own career map, here are a few things I learned along the way that could help make the process easier.

Get as granular as you want. Back when I was complaining to my coworker, her first piece of advice to me was: Ask for the job you want. Groundbreaking, I know. But it had never occurred to me to simply ask HR to consider me for a different role. That became my first milestone.

Related:My Quarter-Life Career Crisis Didn’t Kill Me, It Taught Me How To Pivot 

Prioritize what’s important to you. For example, I value a good work/life balance, so I included that on my career map as something to inquire about while doing research. I love writing, but I love a lot of other stuff, too. What gets you excited about a job can differ from person to person, so tailor your map to fit what matters most.

Don’t let fear of rejection stop you. I got turned down for the account executive role the first time I interviewed. I was devastated–I really wanted to get my foot in the door. So I emailed my contact at the agency to ask why I didn’t get the job, and for advice on how to kill it in future interviews. Turns out, the main reason they didn’t offer me the position was because they thought I wasn’t interested! But my contact was impressed that I asked for feedback–he called me back in, and I was hired shortly afterward.

That story just serves as a reminder not to assume that what you want is too lofty. Sure, you may need to account for a detour or two on your map, and you often learn more from the things you did wrong than right. But your dreams are your own to pursue–you just need to break down the steps it’ll take to achieve them.

FastCompany.com | January 23, 2018 | BY RITA BRODFUEHRER—LEARNVEST 4 MINUTE READ