Successful People Who Love Their Work: 4 Career Moves They Avoid

by Kathy Caprino

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Photo Courtesy: iStock

Being a researcher at heart, I love to explore key trends that reflect the deepest challenges professionals face. And if I can, I like to distill down to the bare essentials the vital lessons that successful professionals and career changers have gleaned from their respective journeys. People who have built amazing careers and work-lives of significance that they love, and who find their livelihoods immensely rewarding both emotionally and financially — have a lot to teach us.

Those lessons include how to avoid the four most limiting actions that so often lead to unfulfilling or even disastrous job and career moves. Successful professionals avoid these four moves: Read more…

 

6 reasons 20-somethings don’t get promoted

Caroline Beaton Aug. 29, 2016

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According to a recent millennial leadership survey from The Hartford, 80% of millennials see themselves as leaders today.

Yet only 12% of Gen Y held management roles in 2013; and less than a third of The Hartford’s sample reported that they’re currently business leaders.

Maybe we’re entitled and delusional. Or maybe, explained millennial expert and author of “Becoming the Boss,” Lindsey Pollak, we have a progressive understanding of what it means to be a leader. “Millennials believe they can lead from whatever position they’re in,” she said. We know we don’t need an official title to impact our organization.

But if millennials really are leading from behind, why aren’t we getting promoted?

If you’re ambitious but stuck on Level 1, below are six possible reasons. (Warning, tough love ahead.) Read more…

Résumés: What You Must—and Must Not—Include

Dennis McCafferty  |  Posted 2016-08-04
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Job seekers in the digital age face good news/bad news prospects when it comes to résumés. The good news? It’s easier than ever to send a résumé, as nine out of 10 are now posted online or sent via email, up from 22 percent in 2000. The bad news? Hirers now spend an average of only five to seven seconds looking at these documents. The upshot: You need to make a good impression quickly, while avoiding résumé traps that immediately turn off potential employers. To provide insight into best practices, Glassdoor has come up with a list of résumé must haves, which we’ve adapted here, that cover everything from awards to IT certifications to your Facebook page. Essentially, Glassdoor’s tips encourage job candidates to go beyond a listing of schools attended and positions held to drive toward clear, vivid summaries about your ability to make an impact. In addition to the must haves, Glassdoor also compiled a list of words you should never use in a résumé—including clichés and other well-worn buzz phrases—and we’ve included some of those here. – See more at: http://www.baselinemag.com/careers/slideshows/resume-tips-what-you-mustand-must-notinclude.html?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=EWK_NL_ECSM_20160809_STR2L1&dni=347701603&rni=22602104#sthash.f95R2nWI.dpuf

Want The Job? Bring A 100-Day Action Plan To The Interview

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More and more final candidates for senior roles are being asked to present their 100-day action plans as part of the interview process. The question is an obvious test that has a hidden trick in it. Shame on you if you walk into a late round interview without a plan for what you are going to do leading up to and through your first 100 days. And shame on you if your plan is all about you.

In a world in which 40% of new leaders fail in their first 18 months, hiring organizations are realizing that it’s no longer good enough to hire the right leader. They have to help with executive onboarding. This is all about helping new leaders prepare in advance, manage their message and build their teams. It all starts with a plan.

Lincoln knew it wasn’t enough to win the war. We had to “finish the work” and secure “a just, and a lasting peace.” Read more…

How To Make ‘I Just Got Fired’ Sound Better When You Interview

July 26, 2016

Jérôme Cukier, Quora contributor

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(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

How do I explain being fired to a potential employer? originally appeared on Quora: the knowledge sharing network where compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights.

Answer by Jérôme Cukier, software engineer, on Quora:

Your answer should:

    1. Be true.
    2. Help you advance in the interview process (or at least not stop you).

It’s very important to keep both of these things in mind. You should answer in a truthful way because it’s the right thing to do, but also because if your potential employer catches you lying before you even work for them it’s very unlikely you’d get the job. Yet, the goal of your answer is not to put you down, it’s the opposite. You want to leave a positive impression.

Another thing to keep in mind, even if less important than the two above, is to be concise. You really don’t want to spend your interview time talking about this. There is still a lot of latitude and what you should say depends on the circumstances and the employer. Perhaps nobody will ask you why you left your previous employer (just kidding, everyone will ask!). Read more…