Career Advice

When I was fresh out of college I used to joke with family and friends that I was "too normal" to be successful. It seems everywhere we look, people who have achieved a high-level of success, have a story about overcoming odds to get there. The Adversity Paradox is a new book that helps you tap into different situations and use them to build a road towards business success.The Adversity Paradox: The phenomenon of building outstanding success upon the lessons learned in overcoming serious difficulty or misfortune.The basis of the book is built around Individual Human Capital. Basically these are skills that you possess, that with investment, can produce future positive outputs. The AP suggests you take an inventory of yourself and ask which of the following you are strong or weak in:IntrospectionValues BehaviorWork CharacterPurpose & PassionThirst for KnowledgeYou have control over how you feel and deal with adversity.A piece of unique advice in the book I had never thought off is … [Read more...] about The Adversity Paradox

Hello, Jobacle fans! It’s been a crazy week on the homefront for me. I just found out that I’m going to be taking a new job within the upcoming week or so, and I’m very excited. It looks like Jobacle is a sweet company to have on your resume, because Lauren recently landed her own new job. With this change, I have been thinking of an interesting question for everyone in the audience. We need your help, though! Jobacle wants to know what your dream benefits package would look like. Sure, we’ve all had the same old benefits brochure with medical, dental, vision, and boredom insurance (wouldn’t that be awesome?), but I’m talking about a benefits package that would make your jaw hit the floor. What would your dream benefits look like? Would it be a free new car? A great perk like free meals for breakfast or lunch? A week of paid vacation in Tahiti every summer with all expenses covered? Let us know. We’ve already heard some of Andrew’s list … [Read more...] about What is Your Dream Benefits Package?

You'll find them hovering over a shared printer, sauntering outside doorways and consistently lowering the volume on their computer speakers. We're talking about the Office Eavesdropper (O.E.), found in Every Office, USA.If knowledge is power, this control freak soaks up every drop. The O.E. has several potential motives:- Acquire knowledge to disseminate (gossip)- Hold onto info for a rainy day (power)- Listening for the sake of listening (loser)Surreptitiously listening to a private conversation is not only unethical but it is bad career karma. The O.E. comes in all shapes and sizes, making this animal difficult to find in the Cubicle Zoo. Several giveaways:- They become silent when people in their vicinity are talking- The O.E. spends an inordinate amount of time in 'common' areas- They share trivial information about other people with you. (If they do it to them, they'll do it to you!) They tip their hand by revealing how much useless knowledge they've accumulated.- You find them … [Read more...] about Listen Up! It's The Office Eavesdropper

Why is your personal brand important? What can you do to establish and maintain your own brand as a differentiator in the job search process? How can you become a career commander to further your personal goals? All of the above questions are addressed in the new personal branding book by Dan Schawbel. Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success covers a lot of material, and it's very detailed in some sections that I found quite intriguing. I thought this was going to be a job search book, but it’s more of a marketing book than anything else. Here are a few paraphrased passages from the book with my comments appended.   Gen Y workers are high-energy and aren’t willing to wait an excessive period of time for career advancement opportunities.   I agree. I have excelled in every job I’ve ever had, because I channel my energy and confidence into my work performance. As a side benefit of that work style, I hit career milestones earlier than others, … [Read more...] about Dan Schawbel, Personal Branding, and the Me 2.0 Book

You can't be scared of your boss if you want to be successful. I am convinced of this. Now whether the fear is a product of your boss's actions or a result of your own life experience, I don't know. But I do know that irrespective of the reason, you better cut the fear if you want to achieve career success(And it could be worse, you could work for one of these guys or a dictator)Here are a few ways to quell the anxiety that surrounds dealing with your boss:Initiate contact: Find ways to interact with the person in charge. This takes effort and might be uncomfortable, but it's worth it. The higher-ups are not always accessible, but it's up to you to find creative and professional ways to seek them out.Be prepared: When speaking with your boss you want to make sure you've thought things through from every possible angle. This could require practicing (as silly as it sounds, it works!) and envisioning the different paths a conversation could take.Read four more tactics over at US News … [Read more...] about Bossophobia: How to Overcome Fear of Your Boss

As if it isn’t tough enough out there for job seekers, the UK Financial Security Association is reporting that fake job ads are up 345% over the last three years. Those job seekers that use Craigslist probably aren’t shocked by this tidbit. But if you come from the day of job searching strictly with the classifieds, this may come as a bit of a shock to you. Why would someone post a fake job? •1. To obtain your email address and sell it to the highest bidder. •2. To obtain even more lucrative information such as a driver’s license number or social security number and sell it. •3. To lure you into a scam or pyramid scheme.   I’m not quite sure how these scammers sleep at night, but please don’t add to your list of troubles by falling prey to their devious schemes. Here are red flags to look for when applying to a less reputable company in a job post:   *Don’t ever give out your social security number unless you are filling out … [Read more...] about Uncovering Fake Job Posts

If you're more than six years old, then you've probably had a few questions regarding what job you'd like to do. When you're young, people ask what you want to be when you grow up. Some children would say that they aspire to be astronauts or firemen, while others might focus on a more creative position, striving for employment as a zombie assassin (as a teacher, my wife meets some interesting kids!). However, even those of us old enough to know that killing zombies isn't a viable career path may not know what we really want to do in a career. That's where The Career Key comes in. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because they were mentioned in the Zumeo Web 2.0 review article recently and the Working Podcast covered them back in 2007.   The good folks over at The Career Key site were kind enough to let us review one of their eBooks. “The 2009 What Job is Best for You?” book helps with the questions that all of us face. What am I good at? What should I do? Why am … [Read more...] about The Career Key: Unlock Your Dream Job

If you're reading Jobacle.com, there's a good chance you're like me: an individual who beats to his or her own drum. That means you might be interested in picking up a copy of The Fearless Fish Out of Water: How to Succeed When You're the Only One Like You.Rife with real-life stories of fearlessness, the book illustrates examples of people embracing - and leveraging - the traits that make them unique. It's these attributes that differentiate you from the pack and help you achieve career success.According to author Robin Fisher Roffer:"Anybody can be fearless when things are going great. It's in times like these that you have to search yourself and be brutally honest. One of the reasons we sometimes feel that we don't fit in with others is because we actually don't like ourselves."Ms. Roffer, the owner of Big Fish Marketing, certainly enjoys taking the road less traveled. Since 1992 her branding firm has worked with high-profile clients that include HBO, ABC and my alma mater, MTV … [Read more...] about How to Succeed When You're the Only One Like You

At some point or another, we all go back on something we've said. Does that makes us "bad" people? No. But it does make us hypocrites. A hypocrite, according to Webster's Dictionary, is a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings.I've always had a hard time with hypocrites. Perhaps it's because I hold myself to a ridiculously unachievable standard. Whatever the case, I know I'm not the only one gets ticked off when people go back on their word and step all over a previous sentiment. Just glance around the office and I'm sure you'll see plenty of offenders.Take Joan, for example. She always got along with her cubemate Tammy. But last month they started to experience a lot of tension. Joan ended up distancing herself a bit and started having lunch with Margaret. One random day, Joan and Tammy met up accidentally in the office cafeteria and exchanged a few laughs. At the time, Margaret happened to be strolling by.She was mad! After all of the smack Joan had … [Read more...] about How to Handle Hypocrites at Work

This is a guest post from Andy Robinson, CEO and Executive Coach at CRG Leadership Institute LLC.It’s Definitely Not “Business as Usual” in the Current Job Search Market. Today’s employment and job search market can easily strike fear in the heart of anyone who’s recently lost their job. Finding a job in this market IS a challenge .... No question. Jobs, however, ARE out there, firms and companies ARE hiring, key positions DO need to be filled .... The challenge is FINDING those jobs and SELLING YOURSELF.Common Mistakes Abound. So what are the things that most job seekers are doing that simply don’t work in this market? Consider these... * Failing to work within the framework of a structured and organized job search plan * Lack of clarity in definition of the position being sought * A poorly written resume that does not emphasize RESULTS and value you’ve added in previous positions * Failure to devote sufficient time to the job search process * … [Read more...] about "Out of the Box" Job Search Advice