Career advancement Archives – Page 2 of 3

Not Sure What You Want to Do? Let’s Figure It Out!

There’s a good chance at some point, you’ve been asked the following - “what do you want to be when you grow up?” This question may have been fun to think about as a child, but now that you’re an adult and the pressure is on, it can be stressful and confusing.

Whether you’re just entering (or re-entering) the workforce or you have been employed but are looking to take your career in a different direction, the first step to securing a job that you can thrive in is to determine your goals.

Even if you’re only planning for a minor career shift, or simply want to work at a different company, reevaluating your priorities and motivations can help you to go into your next job search with some clarity.

If defining your career goals seems intimidating, you are not alone. The stakes seem so incredibly high. How can you possibly take your interests, experiences, and dreams, and decide on one thing you are meant to do?

We’re here to help get you started on that reflection and make it a bit less intimidating. Keep reading for some very simple and fun exercises to help you realize your career goals.

Don’t worry about the “perfect fit”

The idea that your perfect career awaits you and you just need to find it, has been fed to many of us. The pressure to find the ”perfect fit” can lead to having expectations that are unhealthy and unrealistic.

Take some of the pressure off. Don’t worry about finding the perfect fit, and just focus on coming up with some options that are a good fit.

Also, remember that choosing what you want to do does not mean that you’ll be locked into that career path forever. It’s actually quite common for people to make career shifts. In fact, a recent poll found that over half of middle-income workers are considering changing jobs right now.

Drop the “shoulds” from your life

In life, there are so many things that you are told you should do, in order to live your best life. Some of these are well-supported by evidence, like getting enough sleep most nights. But others, like the idea that you must receive a certain level of education to have a fulfilling career or that your path will be clear and straightforward, are not true.

All of these “shoulds” can cloud your judgment, and make it hard to get in touch with your true values and goals.

Before you go through the following self-reflection exercise, take all of your “shoulds” out of the equation. This might be tricky at first because so many of these thoughts are automatic but stick to it. The “shoulds” are probably not serving you as well as you think they may be.

Career assessments and personality tests

While career assessments and personality tests are not the end-all-be-all for defining your career goals, they are a helpful starting point. Many personality and career tests are not based on scientific method and haven’t performed well on tests of reliability and validity. But this does not mean that they can’t still be useful tools for you to use.

They can help you learn about yourself, your interests, your strengths, and your weaknesses.

Regardless of how accurate you find your results, taking the tests and interpreting them will encourage further introspection. If you find some careers that look promising, it might be a good idea to research those positions. For example, results may reveal strengths that really resonate with you. It might then be helpful to investigate careers that will require you to harness and apply those skills.

Here we’ve listed just a few free and popular career and personality tests (but there are many more available online) :

Career Assessments

• The MAPP Career Test

The MAPP career test is comprised of about 70 questions in which you are asked to sort your likes and dislikes. It’s supposed to take about 22 minutes. It aims to help you discover careers that would suit your interests and fit with your motivations.

The MAPP test has held up to reliability and validity studies and has been used by many institutions and career counselors.

• The Work Importance Profiler

The Work Importance Profiler is aimed to assess what’s important to you, and then show you careers that are compatible with your values.

Personality tests

• The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is one of the most widely used personality tests available. It takes about 20 minutes, and then upon completion, you are given a personality profile.

There are 16 possible personality types, that are presented in the format of four letters. The personality types are determined by whether you’re:

Introverted or Extroverted (I vs E)
Intuitive or Sensory (N vs S)
Thinking or Feeling (T vs F)
Judging or Perceiving (J vs P).

The test will give you a brief description of your personality type, along with a list of strengths and weaknesses. It will also provide you with careers that others of your suggested type are excelling at.

• The Big-5

The Big Five personality test will give you a score on five personality traits: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism.

This test should help you understand some of your tendencies and skills. Providing you with important factors to keep in mind whilst in your career search.

Questions to ask yourself

These questions are all aimed to help you learn more about your specific skills and interests, and how you can match those with careers.

The more detailed and true you are with your answers, the more helpful these tools will be.

What criteria do you have for your life?

To define your career goals, a good place to start is to consider what criteria you have for your life, both in and outside of work. This can include positive and negative criteria: positive things that you would like more of in life, and negative things that you would prefer to avoid.

For example, a positive criterion could be that you want to work in an industry that allows for promotions and career advancement. Or maybe you want a lifestyle where you can spend frequent time with family.

Whilst, a negative criterion could be you don’t want to work in a highly stressful environment, or that you don’t want a role that requires you to work during your personal time.

What are your interests?

This seems like an easy question, one you’ve likely answered many times but this time you will need to dig deep. When you were younger, what did you enjoy learning about? What do you go out of your way to learn more about now? It’s helpful to understand what your interests are to gain insights into what you’d like to have in your life.

What are you passionate about?

The best and most fulfilling work often comes when you follow your passions. What is truly important to you? What are your values? Is there a topic that you could talk about for ages, or listen to others talk about without becoming bored?

What do you excel at?

Everyone has certain skills that just seem to come more naturally to them. This could be a specific technical skill such as coding, or it could be a soft skill, like empathy.

If you’re struggling to come up with answers to this one at first, it can be helpful to reach out to a close friend or someone who knows you well for insight. Taking the career and personality assessments will also give you a solid foundation to answer this question.

Who do you admire?

This question can really get you thinking about the qualities you value and can help you to direct your aspirations. You may think of people you admire for their job-related accomplishments, or simply for who they are as people.

Once you’ve determined the qualities you admire in others, you can begin to institute them in your own life.

How much additional effort are you able to put in to achieve your career goals?

There might be a certain job that you’re interested in, but it requires another degree or certificate. And maybe going back to school is just not practical for you at this point in your life. That’s perfectly understandable; going back to school is a huge commitment of time and money. It just means that you may need to get creative.

Depending on what it is you’d like to do, you may be able to find free courses that you can fit into your spare time. Self-directed learning has become more available and accepted.

Look for entry-level positions for the job you’d like. You may qualify for the position with the skills you have and then are able to gain skills and knowledge on the job.

There are many ways to get to where you’d like to be, they don’t all have to be conventional.

Find people on social media who are in your dream position and follow them. You will learn a ton about the industry, what it takes to make it, as well as potentially make valuable connections that can help you to achieve your goal.

If none of these are available to you, begin to pay attention to the aspects of your current position that you really enjoy. Focus on those. Does your current company have a position like the one you want? Seek cross-training opportunities to learn more and gain skills. After some time you will be able to apply those to the position that you are really interested in.

Ultimately, if you are not currently where you’d like to be, there are many roads you can take to get there. It’s most important that you just take the first step – regardless of how small that step may feel.

You are a wonderful collection of unique skills, experiences, and perceptions. And you are at your best when you are interested and invested in what you are doing. If you have it, take the time to truly get to know yourself. It will be the best thing you ever do. Future you will thank you!

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Soft Skills: The Testament to Your Personal Development

When building your resume, you may naturally place emphasis on your technical skills—those relating directly to tasks you’ll be performing on the job. Technical skills are undoubtedly important, as they can demonstrate your experience and capabilities. They show what you can do. However, it’s also important to include soft skills on your resume. Soft skills are attributes that enable you to interact effectively and harmoniously with others. They are crucial for workplace success.

Soft skills are often related to your attitude and intuitions. They are less about qualifications and more based on the status of your personal development. As technology advances and jobs become increasingly more automated, having interpersonal skills that computers can’t match becomes even more essential. In this article, we will discuss six of the most important soft skills. We'll talk about they can make you more successful not only in your workplace but within your life.

Organization

Organizational skills can include attention to detail, persistence, and time management. The ability to maintain organized and efficient operations is extremely important. If someone has great technical capabilities but is frequently disorganized, they will be unlikely to live up to their full potential at work. Strong organizational skills demonstrate a commitment to carrying out tasks and duties in a timely manner, with a focus on quality.

Problem-solving

Problem-solving skills involve using creativity in order to resolve issues or perform tasks more efficiently. This is much valued by employers. A workplace full of strong problem-solvers is likely to run smoothly and remain unharmed by any minor hiccups. Problem-solving also means being innovative, and new ideas are valuable to any workspace.

Teamwork

Most employees work as part of a team, and even those who work ‘alone’ need to collaborate with other employees at some point. Being able to engage in productive collaboration is extremely valuable. If you’ve ever worked on a team or group project where some of the members were clearly not eager to work together, you have seen how difficult it can be.

People who are skilled at working in a team appreciate the value of joining forces with others in order to accomplish shared goals. They know when to delegate, and how to allow each person to contribute in ways that play to their unique strengths. Strong teamwork skills will make your life, and the lives of your team members so much easier.

Communication

Whether verbal or written, good communication skills can help you in all aspects of your career. Being able to communicate well means being skilled at delivering your message to others in a wide range of situations. Sometimes, you may need to communicate ideas that are uncomfortable or unpleasant. Conveying these messages tactfully and without creating conflict is an extremely desirable attribute that employers value.

Also essential to strong communication is the ability to listen actively and attentively. Being a good listener is crucial because it will help you respond more appropriately and will also help your co-workers/employers/employees see that you value and appreciate their ideas.

Adaptability

Being adaptable means being able to adjust and perform well under a variety of different conditions. Flexible employees often refine processes and identify new ideas for a business to explore. In any job (but especially in technology-driven fields or startups), changes occur unexpectedly. Being able to work with these changes and adjust quickly is extremely desirable for employers.

Adaptability can even make up for a lack of technical skills in some situations. For example, if you have never worked with the computer system that your job uses, but you are adaptable, employers may disregard your lack of experience because they see that you are motivated to learn, and know that your technical skills will follow.

Empathy

Empathy is simply the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. With that insight, you become better adept to support others through challenging situations. Empathy is an essential human characteristic, and can also be very beneficial in the workplace, as it can enable you to resolve conflicts, build more productive and collaborative teams, and improve relationships with co-workers, clients, and customers.

If after reviewing this list, you are concerned that you may not be as strong in some of these skills as you could be, don’t worry. Even though soft skills are not taught formally in a course or class, they can be developed and fostered through self-reflection and the observation of others. Remaining proactive with your personal development will increase your emotional intelligence which will significantly impact all your relationships for the better, not only the ones at work but across all facets of your life.

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How To Job Search With a Busy Schedule

Searching for a job can feel like a full-time job. It requires quite a bit of time and energy, which can feel exhausting even when you have ample amounts of time to dedicate to it. When you may be already overwhelmed by the demands of your current job and other life-related tasks, carving out the time to hunt for a new job can feel almost impossible. But it does not have to be that way for you. Keep reading to learn how to effectively work a job search into your busy schedule, so that you can continue to grow and evolve.

Prioritize

When you are job hunting, it is important to remember that not everything is urgent, even if it may feel that way. While some tasks are time-sensitive, like meeting application deadlines or scheduling interviews, other tasks can be worked into your schedule however you can fit them in. Prioritizing your tasks and remaining organized will help you free your mind and keep your schedule under control.

Be Active

If you are quite serious about finding a new job, you must pursue it actively. Casually browsing jobs or merely entertaining the idea of applying for a new job is rarely fruitful. Passive job searching is not as productive or efficient as an active search. Your determination here will be a great indicator of how strongly you feel about finding a new job.

Taking a more active approach to your job search can benefit you in two ways. First, it will help you feel more in control of the process. And second, it will help you figure out how serious you are. If you find that your heart is not in it, maybe take a break from the search and work on determining some personal goals, instead. This will make it easier for you to figure out where your path goes from here, and how to start drawing that map. But by giving your job search structure, you can avoid feeling as if the work you are putting in is aimless or fruitless. Using a planner to make a timeline for yourself or creating to-do lists will help keep you on track and will also help you to observe your progress.

Take Breaks

It is imperative, regardless of what you are doing, to take breaks and time for yourself. Sure, you feel busier than you ever have, but you should never try to power through each day with minimal breaks. This will lead you to burnout and is not sustainable long-term. Although it might not seem like you have any room left in your schedule, finding time to take breaks is essential to your well-being. Build breaks into your schedule and spend them doing things that re-energize you, whether it is exercising, cooking, or talking to a loved one. No matter what you do, make sure that you are taking time for yourself. Doing so will drastically improve not only your job search stamina but your overall mental health.

Take the Pressure Off

You are only one human being. You only have a certain capacity, and a job search can take a great deal of it. Consider the work you are putting in at your current job; are you going above and beyond? If so, you may have room to dial it back a little. If you are serious about finding a new job, it is time to cut yourself some slack at your current job.

This is not to say that you should shirk your responsibilities and risk bad references or strained relationships with your colleagues and managers. But it is a suitable time to reconsider your boundaries at work, maybe don’t answer work emails after hours, or avoid taking on that extra project. Maintaining appropriate boundaries at work is important regardless of whether you are looking for a new job or not. Dedicate some of your valuable time to setting boundaries to protect your valuable time.

Use your PTO

If you are having trouble balancing your job search with your daily life/work schedule, and you have paid time off available, consider using it. Taking advantage of your PTO is a perfect way to gain the time you need to really focus on looking for a job. If you have longer application tasks, like interviews, taking a day off work will help you to clear your mind of work responsibilities, and really put all your energy into your application process.

Do Not Settle

A job search can feel exhausting, especially when you are also managing the demands of your current job and life, so when you receive an offer, it can be very tempting to take it. But it is crucial that the job you take is really the right choice for you and your life; otherwise, all your time and efforts have been for not. The job hunt takes time, and you will feel fatigued at points. Be kind to yourself and use those moments to check in with your commitment to this process – taking breaks when you need them. You are the decider and the only one who truly knows what is good for you. Do your best not to sell yourself short, the future “you” will thank you.

A job search feels incredibly daunting, but if you stick with it and are true to who you are, eventually, all your arduous work will pay off. You will find the company or path that is right for you – fostering your superpowers and discovering your people. Hang in there! And if you ever need help – we are standing by.

Five hands from different people holding thumbs up. Some sleeves are visible and show business clothes. Text: You Know You Are A Great Boss When

[Infographic] You Know You Are A Great Boss When…

Fir trees and empty bench covered in snow. Text: 5 Reasons to Job Search During the Holidays

[Infographic] 5 Reasons to Job Search During the Holidays

Employee Motivations – Why They Matter

Employee Motivations and Why They Matter

Reports show that only 35% of the US workforce feel engaged in their work. It is time to give some much-needed attention to employees' motivations. Unfortunately, this does not usually get the attention it requires until it is too late. Gallop has estimated the productivity lost from disengaged employees costs companies between $960 billion to $1.2 trillion per year. Unmotivated employees can have a debilitating effect on your bottom line.

Conversely, highly motivated teams increase business profitability by 23%. As such, it seems clear which type of team you would want to foster. Easier said than done. What motivates one person will not interest another, and vice versa. There is no universal answer to an employee's motivations; in fact, quite the opposite.

What Employee Motivation Looks Like

Motivated employees are incredibly involved, always up for a challenge, and take on projects. Their enthusiasm is infectious. They are excited about their work and offer ideas to improve processes and innovate. These employees drive the company forward, and are the lifeblood of a growing company.

Most people start out this way, with a new company or in a new position. They are excited for the possibilities the role offers and looking forward to the challenges, as well as, the for the future successes. This is especially true when they're part of a dedicated team that provides autonomy and support. In this environment, vested employees are encouraged to grow into new roles. And they are given the support and tools needed to develop professionally.

This is ideal. If these feelings of connection and purpose aren't fostered, and even more detrimentally, if the position lacks the autonomy needed or they see no path forward, their enthusiasm will begin to lessen - losing their motivation.

What It Doesn't

You should recognize if an employee's motivation has been lost. Unmotivated employees are psychologically unattached to the company and their work. They show up and do the work asked of them, but lack the energy and interest they once displayed. These employees will only perform the tasks that are requested, innovations or extra efforts are discarded as the job has become merely a means to an end. They have stopped offering suggestions, and seem to prefer being being told exactly what to do.

Although it may feel challenging to determine how to rectify this situation, in most cases approaching your unmotivated employee with sincere interest and compassion is enough to turn things around. If you miss the unmotivated stage, and things continue, you may find yourself with an actively disengaged employee. The actively disengaged employee has surpassed unhappiness and has turn resentful because they feel their needs are not met.

They are usually very vocal, not missing an opportunity to point out problems, or issues, but offer no solution. Their despair is obvious and can deeply affect other cohorts. Once this stage of unhappiness is reached, it would prove very challenging for management to correct this without a systemic and holistic approach.

People Crave Purpose

There have been some pretty significant changes in the workforce this year. 1 in 4 people have left their jobs, and there seems to be no sign of slowing. People are redefining their priorities regarding where they are spending most of their time and with whom. We've discussed in the past what matters most to employees in 2021, with autonomy, engagement with social issues, and an emphasis on wellbeing as the most important aspects of interest.

Ultimately, employees want to feel that their work is purposeful and that it has meaning. It must mean something to someone. This is what drives employee engagement, and when coupled with a manager who can coach an employee to their next step, the result is an invested employee.

Keep in mind that the manager alone accounts for 70% of the variance in team engagement. The one bad apple theory can absolutely be applied here. A manager incapable of fostering purpose or being unable to connect with the employees in a meaningful way can have a detrimental effect on the team.

It is a recipe for disaster when leadership fails to convey vision and inspiration to their team and instead leads with command and control. For the majority of employees (93%), it's essential to have trust in their direct boss to feel satisfied at work. So much so that more than half would decline a 10% raise to remain with a great boss because it is worth it – personally and professionally.

The Benefits of Motivated Employees

The benefits that result from having motivated employees are endless. But the most important ones to note are that motivated employees show up, are happy to be there, and stay. Absenteeism is decreased by 41% when employees are motivated, and 87% are less likely to resign.

Considering the cost of replacing an employee, which can equate to one-half to two-times the employee's salary, and the knowledge-base that is lost to the company, it could be argued the cost is immeasurable. Companies with motivated employees experience an increase of 38% in productivity, generating up to 27% higher revenues. The numbers speak for themselves. It will only benefit a company to invest in and foster their employee's motivations – leaving it to chance can have devastating results.

What Can You Do?

This can feel overwhelming, the responsibility for the contentment of others will always feel like an impossible task, but it doesn't have to be. The easiest way to determine an employee's actual motivational status is through watching and listening. Do you have a stellar employee who isn't quite as enthusiastic as they once were or has gone quiet? It would behoove you to check in to determine the cause and develop a plan to mitigate any damage.

If damage has been done, don't worry – it is not too late, 52% of employees giving their notice express their manager or company could have extended efforts which could have prevented them from leaving. You may not believe that just paying attention could have a significant effect, but consider that employees who feel heard are 4.6 times more likely to perform at their best.

Employees feel empowered when they can speak freely about their successes and struggles. It also helps to build the trust that was discussed earlier and proves infinitely essential. As within any other aspect of life, people crave to be seen and heard – the work sphere is no different. Empowering your employees with your trust will give them the confidence to do their jobs amazingly – and you will win their trust and respect in return.

Employee Motivations: Why They Matter - Infographic