By CAREEREALISM Founder, J.T. O'Donnell
Last week, a reader of our Twitter Advice Project asked if it was appropriate to send a holiday card to a potential employer. You can see the TAP question and discussion amongst the experts here.
However, it got me wondering what employees think in general about giving a boss a gift. Then, as if they read my mind, CBSMoneyWatch.com send me this HILARIOUS post by a comedian, Andy Borowitz, on what to give a boss for the holidays to avoid getting laid-off. His, 'give the gift of guilt' option had me rolling with laughter.
All that said, my question is simple readers...
June 29, 2022: How To Answer Interview Questions Correctly
Are you landing job interviews but struggling to make it to the next round? Your interview answers could be to blame! Attend this live event to learn how to answer interview questions correctly.
What You'll Learn:
Understand what you’re being assessed on during the interview process
Determine the different types of interview questions and answer these effectively
Stand out among other candidates by demonstrating your unique value
Join us for Networking Masters (think Toastmasters but for networking)! During this interactive group session, you'll exercise your networking and presenting skills so you can be a more confident connector!
July 13, 2022: How To Navigate LinkedIn Effectively
LinkedIn is not the easiest social media platform to navigate. If you wish you could make better use of this essential career tool, sign up for this event today!
What You'll Learn:
The background and importance of LinkedIn
How to get started with LinkedIn
How to navigate the different areas of the platform
Join us for Networking Masters (think Toastmasters but for networking)! During this interactive group session, you'll exercise your networking and presenting skills so you can be a more confident connector!
July 20, 2022: How To Get A Promotion (And A Raise)
It can be tough getting that promotion at work, especially when you're not sure how to show you deserve one. If you want to get a promotion (and a raise!), attend this live event and learn how to make the case for a higher job title and salary.
What You'll Learn:
Indicate that you’re ready to take your career to the next level
Tips on how to position yourself for a promotion or raise
Demonstrate your unique value and advice on how to have this conversation with your manager
Join us for Networking Masters (think Toastmasters but for networking)! During this interactive group session, you'll exercise your networking and presenting skills so you can be a more confident connector!
Not sure if it's time to change careers, or how to make a career change when you ARE ready? Sign up for this live event to learn exactly how to determine a career change.
What You'll Learn:
Determine if a career change is the right move for you
Identify a career path that aligns with your passions
Develop an effective job search strategy that serves you
Join us for Networking Masters (think Toastmasters but for networking)! During this interactive group session, you'll exercise your networking and presenting skills so you can be a more confident connector!
In order to have a productive discussion about career growth with your boss, it is important for you to prepare and think through some key items ahead of time. You want to be in full control of your career path and the best way to do that is to approach your manager with confidence and conviction around your career growth goals.
To prepare for the discussion, start by answering some basic questions about yourself and your career:
This response should focus on what you hope to achieve in your career.
What are your values?
This response should include your top five values in life. The importance of answering this question is to be sure your career goals match your current values. For example, if you value innovation, that influences your career choice and objectives.
What are your motivators?
This response includes examples of what motivates you. Is it fast-paced work with short deadlines? Is it structured work or flexible work? As with your values, you want to be sure your career objectives align with your motivators.
Deeper Career Questions To Ask Yourself
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What is your short-term career objective?
This response should be about where you see yourself in the next 12 months. If you want to be in a new assignment, then you should state that, as well as what that assignment could be. If you want to remain in your current role but perhaps take on additional duties, then include that information in this question response.
What is your long-term career objective?
This response highlights your ultimate career growth objective. Some people do not know what this is, but if you do, it is important to share it with your manager. This helps your career plan to be tailored toward reaching your ultimate career goals.
Questions For Planning Career Growth
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What are your strengths?
This response focuses on your current strengths that you can leverage as you grow in your career.
What are your developmental areas?
This is about the areas where you need to grow so you can reach your career objective.
What are you willing to do in the next 12 months to reach your career objective(s)?
This response should focus on some specific, tactical items (SMART goals) that you can work on over the next 12 months. Consider this your action plan to reach your objective.
After Preparing For A Career Discussion With Your Boss
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After you have these questions answered and feel comfortable with your responses, it is time to share this information with your manager. Ask your boss for input on your career growth objectives and whether they feel these are reasonable and achievable.
Ask them for input on your strengths and development areas and also request their support of your action plan. This will aid in your ability to be successful in reaching your objectives.
By taking the time to answer these questions and prepare for your career discussion, it will be much more productive and, hopefully, a more engaging discussion for both you and your manager.
Not sure how to grow your career? We can help!
We'd love it if you joined our FREE community. It’s a private, online platform where workers, just like you, are coming together to learn and grow into powerful Workplace Renegades.
It's time to find work that makes you feel happy, satisfied, and fulfilled. Join our FREE community today to finally become an empowered business-of-one!
This article was originally published at an earlier date.
A lot of people tell you to follow your passion, follow your dreams, or do what makes you happy. But how many people are really doing it?
Survey after survey indicates that the majority of employees are unhappy in their professions or wished they had pursued other passions earlier. So, why do they stay?
In reality, it may be a case of not really understanding what they want to do. Finding your work passion is tough when you have no idea where to start. However, the alternative of not figuring it out can leave you even more unhappy, bitter, and unproductive.
When you realize you want to do something else but have no idea where to begin, follow these steps to get started:
Evaluate What Drives You Each Day
In order to find your work passion, you have to evaluate what drives you. What makes you tick? What issues do you feel particularly excited about? What cause or stance would make you drop everything to make life better?
Answering these questions can help you to assess your interests and decide where you can place them in your professional life. They can also help you create an interview bucket list, which is vital to a strategic job search.
Connect Those Strengths To A Career
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Not every interest translates into a career. For example, just because you love soccer doesn't mean you can make a career out of it. Instead, focus on the strengths that you have and connect these strengths to a career path. So, for the person who's interested in soccer, perhaps you also have a real interest in how the sport is marketed. You may want to look into sports marketing positions, which can fulfill both interests.
(P.S. If you want to know which careers you'd thrive in based on your workplace persona, check out ourfree quiz!)
Ask Yourself If It's Realistic
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You may be a great public speaker. However, that doesn't mean you should be the president.
Setting realistic expectations can help you to navigate these strengths into a suitable career. While not everyone can be the president, you can pursue public speaking opportunities elsewhere. To help you, try making a list of all of the jobs you would like to have and narrow them down to jobs you have the most chance of actually landing.
Network And Gain Connections
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Networking and gaining the right connections can have dual benefits. First, networking can help you meet people with similar dreams and work passions. These connections can then let you know how they got to where they are, share pros and cons about your passion, and provide some real insight into what you can expect.
Next, networking and gaining the right connections can help you break into an industry. Think of it as that golden ticket to finding and then landing those jobs you would do anything for. This is particularly vital to those who haven't worked in the given space, even if they love it.
Be Bold
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Being bold can get you far in life. It's how so many innovators and leaders reached that level of greatness.
While your work passion may be out there, it's necessary to pursue it if it's important enough to you. Sure, it's probably going to take a lot of hours and late nights. However, being bold means taking the good with the bad and moving forward with the notion that it's all worth it. And if it's not worth it, then you can move on to something that is.
Finding your work passion and relevant jobs when you have no idea where to start can be very frustrating. However, once you understand what your passion is, you can get busy getting your life started, and be happier because of it.
If you could use more help figuring out what you're passionate about, we're here for you!
We'd love it if you joined our FREE community. It’s a private, online platform where workers, just like you, are coming together to learn and grow into powerful Workplace Renegades.
It's time to find work that makes you feel happy, satisfied, and fulfilled. Join our FREE community today to finally become an empowered business-of-one!
This article was originally published at an earlier date.
By CAREEREALISM Founder, J.T. O'Donnell
Last week, a reader of our Twitter Advice Project asked if it was appropriate to send a holiday card to a potential employer. You can see the TAP question and discussion amongst the experts here.
However, it got me wondering what employees think in general about giving a boss a gift. Then, as if they read my mind, CBSMoneyWatch.com send me this HILARIOUS post by a comedian, Andy Borowitz, on what to give a boss for the holidays to avoid getting laid-off. His, 'give the gift of guilt' option had me rolling with laughter.
All that said, my question is simple readers...
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