On Careers
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Dare to Be Dreamy in Your Career Search
Continue reading… 2 CommentsWhen was the last time you sat down and took a blue-sky look at your future, unencumbered by the urge to be "realistic"? Have you let your dreams run free lately?
One of the biggest obstacles I see people encounter as they look for a career they love is an urge to be prematurely realistic. Don't get me wrong, reality has its place. Ultimately, it's the place where our dreams and visions have to unfold. But far too many people bring it into the process too early. They let their perceived "reality" define their dreams, restricting their vision to what seems reasonably within reach.
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5 Ways to Speed Through Bureaucracy at Work
Continue reading… 4 CommentsWe all have been through it at work. Some process or change you are driving requires a sign-off from what seems like every manager in your company. Even when your work is done, you have to chase people down (most often managers), process their feedback, and get them to click a button or sign on the line. Sometimes these processes just take time. People should talk things over and consider alternative options, but there are ways to speed upthe cycle. Here are five I use to ensure quick approval and feedback processing:
1. Use a repeatable approval process. Yeah, I know this is basic. If your company already has one, great! There is nothing more frustrating than getting to what you thought was the end of your approvals and realizing you need to go to another approver or add another document and go through the entire cycle again. Lay out the process before you start, notify those involved, and draw out the steps graphically without acronyms or abbreviations.
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Do I Have to Take Out the Office Trash?
Continue reading… 9 CommentsI work in a small company, but do I have to take out the trash?
Yes. Just pitch in and do it. Sheesh, Imelda, getting a bit big for your britches here?
I know it is not in your job description, and it's most certainly not what you expected to be doing when you took that fancy-schmancy "Social Media in the 21st Century" class. But, hey, this is what work is like, everyone doing a bit for everyone else.
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How to Feel Good About Your Work
Continue reading… 8 CommentsA popular topic of discussion on many career blogs is white-collar work vs. blue-collar work. Since the grass is always greener on the other side, collar-switching daydreams are common.
One major benefit to "blue" work is visual cues. Sure these guys and gals have to rely on Mother Nature more than they'd like to, but at the end of the day, blue-collar workers have more tangibles. They build things. Physical things. Things they can pass by and say, "Hey, that was all me."
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Why a Job Interview Is Like a Date
Continue reading… 10 CommentsI see too many job applicants who approach the interview as if their only goal is to win a job offer, losing sight of the fact that this can land them in the wrong job—a job they won't enjoy, a job they'll struggle in, or even a job they might get fired from.
Yes, it's nerve-wracking to feel scrutinized by an interviewer, and a natural response is to want to measure up. But the wiser goal is to focus on learning whether you're a mutual match—emphasis on mutual. Think of it like dating: If you approached every date determined to make your date fall for you, you'd miss important cues about whether or not you were right for each other.
