Are You Guilty of These Career Killers?

As we’ve mentioned and you have no doubt seen before, there is so much career advice available to job seekers these days; some of it beneficial and some of it not so much. What works for some may not work for your career situation, and vice versa. The key is figuring out how to navigate the sea of career advice and figure out what best applies to your own life and career.

In order to do this, it is important to separate the good from the bad and avoid making certain behaviors. These “career killers” may derail your career, even though they have every intention of helping you along your journey. Believe it or not, not everything you hear about career success will work for everyone. If you truly want to advance your career and are seeking advice, learning where NOT to look can help you find what will work.

Here are a few “career killers” you should avoid:

Multitasking

While many people view multitasking as one of their strongest and most transferrable skills, doing so may actually be hindering your productivity. Studies have shown that dividing your attention among many tasks instead of focusing on one can actually reduce productivity by up to 40 percent. Not only will your productivity dwindle, but your efficiency and quality of work will follow suit.

To counter these affects, slow down. It sounds crazy, especially in today’s society, but slowing down and focusing on the task at hand will do wonders for your productivity and effectivity.

Work More

Early career professionals are especially guilty of this. Common advice says that in order to catch the eye of your supervisor and prove your worth, you should work longer. After all, working longer means working harder, right? Wrong.

Studies show that the most effective and productive managers actually work fewer hours than their counterparts. Not only can these long hours have a brutal effect on your mental health (see: burnout) but it can also be detrimental to your physical health. According to British researchers, working more than 11 hours a day puts you at a 67 percent higher risk of having a cardiac event (heart attack) than those who work fewer hours.

Instead of burning yourself out, follow the common advice “work smarter, not harder.” You can still work hard, but figuring out ways to be more productive will help you in the long run both mentally and physically.

Fear Failure

Most people are so afraid of failing that when they inevitably do so, they beat themselves up over it and lose confidence. The only way to learn is to experience failure, so fearing it actually leads to fearing success.

If you go through your day to day afraid to make a mistake, you are more likely to do so, hindering any chances at ever experiencing success. When you begin to accept that failing is part of a growth mindset you will realize that the temporary feeling of failure will lead to success. Instead of fearing it, welcome it.

Wrap Up

There is so much advice out there that it can become difficult to realize what is good and what is bad. When you learn what advice can actually hinder your career development, that is when you can truly experience career growth. To read the rest of these “career killers,” click here.

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Struggling For Inspiration At Work?

Over the course of your career, there are times you may stop and wonder if what you’re doing is meaningful or beneficial for the company and even your own career. Once you start having negative thoughts about your work, your productivity is likely to follow suit and plummet. Whether this leads to falling into a funk or beginning the search for a new job, figuring out how to regain that inspiration can make all the difference.

LeadershipIQ conducted a study of 13,771 employees and “asked whether their bosses have explained how their work fits into the department or organization’s strategy or goals.” The results proved that if you have felt these feelings of being lost, you are certainly not alone. Only 21 percent of bosses were “always” connecting their employees’ work to a larger, long-term strategy or goal. Of that 21 percent, these people are nearly five times more likely to be inspired in their roles.

If you’re in that 79 percent struggling to find some inspiration or lacking direction, all hope is not lost. According to Forbes Contributor and LeadershipIQ founder, Mark Murphy, you can find some clarity in this situation by having a discussion with your boss. Although this may be awkward, there are four steps you can take to figure out how your work contributes to an overall strategy or goal of the department or company.

Find the Right Time

You don’t want to just pop into your bosses office and take him or her by surprise with this conversation. Reach out in advance and make him or her somewhat aware of the topic. For example, Murphy mentions that you can ask “Would you be willing to have a conversation with me about this new assignment? I find it really interesting and I’d love to learn more.” This is disarming and shows your interest in the work you’re doing.

Ask About Strategy

Now that you’ve initiated the conversation, you can ask where it came from and what the goal is.  Murphy mentions the importance of reinforcing your interest and curiosity in the project first and foremost. Once you’ve done this, you can connect the dots. It is important to not skip this step, unless your relationship with your boss is well established.

“How Will This Be Used?”

You don’t want to come out and just ask why you’re working on this project. Instead ask for more information and how it will be used towards the department or company’s overall goal. It is beneficial to ask this because by giving your boss the option to divulge more information, he or she may actually feel more inclined given your interest.

Ask About the Future

Is this a one-off project, or part of something bigger down the line? The only way you will know the answer to these questions is to ask. One way to figure out the direction and strategy of your company is by figuring out how things you’re working on play into the grand scheme of things. Asking these questions is a great start and look into that strategy.

Wrap Up

Not every day at work will be the most exciting. That is just the unfortunate truth of our careers. However, it is important for the good days to outnumber the boring or bad days. When you know that the work you’re doing is meaningful you will be more inspired to contribute. If your inspiration is lacking, take these four steps and have that conversation with your boss.

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Are You Overqualified?

Even though it is easier than ever to find open jobs around the world, it still remains difficult to find one for your next career move. Today’s unemployment rate is hovering around 3.7 percent, which means more people are currently employed than ever before. That said, new jobs are created every month thanks to the need for top talent and even technological advancements. Last month, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately 164,000 jobs were created in various industries.

While it is great for our country that unemployment is so low, it may not be so great for your career trajectory. Finding your next career opportunity may be more difficult and you might find yourself underqualified for some opportunities, but overqualified for others. Being underqualified is one thing; the answer to meeting qualifications is more experience or education. When you’re overqualified, you might find yourself in a difficult situation.

You would think that the more experience you have, the better chance you have at getting a job, especially one with high pay. However, having too much experience may actually hinder your job search. On the employer side, potential employers might hesitate to extend an offer because they worry you will demand a higher salary or even be bored in the role and move on quickly.

Have you found yourself in this situation? If so, there are some things you can do to show an employer that you are still the ideal candidate, even if you have more experience than the rest of the competition.

Do A Self-Assessment Before Applying

If you’re considering applying to a role, you must ask yourself if the position is one that you would really want. Are you applying for the sake of doing so, or are would you actually accept the position if offered? If you can answer “yes” to the latter, you should apply.

Pitch Yourself

Most job applications still require both a resume and cover letter for consideration. While it is usually optional, you should use the cover letter as the opportunity to pitch yourself as the best candidate for the job. If the position you’re applying to has a lesser title than your previous role, your cover letter should explain why you want the role. According to Kelly Donovan of Kelly Donovan & Associates, you could say “Although I’m proud of my work managing a marketing department, I’d like to be able to focus once again on my favorite aspect of this field – executing digital marketing campaigns.”

Don’t Oversell Your Resume

This may be counterintuitive to all other career advice you have heard, but if you’re overqualified for a job, you have to tailor your resume accordingly. To do this, highlight the roles you have done that align the best with the new opportunity. Your resume must absolutely be an accurate representation of your career, but you can sort of pick and choose what to emphasize.

“Why Do You Want This Job?”

An interviewer will most likely ask you why you are applying to the role, especially if it is lesser in title than your lost job. If you know that you are overqualified for the role, you can expect to be asked this question at some point in the interview process. According to Laura MacLeod, HR expert and consultant:

“This is the first question the employer will ask…[the] worker needs to be prepared with a strong and credible answer. Consider the employer’s concerns: You are only taking the job until you find something better; you’ll be difficult to manage because you’ll feel superior to team members and maybe even your supervisor; your attitude will be poor…and you’ll eventually become lazy – dragging others down with you.”

Once you address the fact that you know you are overqualified, you can then show why hiring you will benefit the company.

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Elements of a Thank You Letter

There is a reason you have heard about the importance of sending a timely follow-up; it can make or break your chances at getting hired. In today’s digital age, there is really no excuse to not send a timely thank you note after an interview.

A follow up is your last chance to sell yourself to the employer. In order to best do so, there are some things you should include in your thank you letter to stand out among the crowd. Or, at least among those who decided to take this step. The first thing you need to do is determine whether or not you want to send a paper version, email or both.

Given today’s digital job search, turning towards email may be the easiest route to take. However, to really stand out you can utilize the lost art of the handwritten letter. The best way to determine whether you’ll opt for an email or handwritten thank you letter is to base the decision on the company you’re interviewing at. For example, if you’re applying to tech-savvy, digitally oriented company, chances are an email will be better. If the company is more old-fashioned and traditional, opting for a handwritten note is a better route.

Now that you’ve decided how to send a thank you, there are some things you should make sure to do or include in the note.

Send One to Each Person You Spoke To

These days, most interviews include conversations with many different people within the organization. You will usually speak with a HR representative, your potential supervisor and maybe someone else in the department. More often than not, these people will provide their business card at some point. This provides the opportunity to reach out after the interview as you now have their information.

Each letter you write should be specific to the conversation you had. If you spoke to everybody at the same time, take a component from each and include it in your note for a personal touch. According to a Yale career expert, “Putting the time and effort into personalizing your notes shows that you were paying close attention to the information conveyed by each interviewer. This will benefit you when the interviewers compare notes – which they will do.”

Include the Basics

If you’re struggling to figure out what to include in your thank you letter, start with the basics: reiterate your interest, express your appreciation for the interviewer’s time, emphasize what makes you the ideal candidate, highlight a previous experience that prepared you for the role and mention something specific from the interview that you found particularly appealing about the role.

Be Concise

You do not need to write a novel in your thank you; a few sentences will be more than enough, if you include the right things. If you opt for the email thank you, you can go a little longer, but try to keep the copy within one scroll of the mouse. For the handwritten route, invest in some card stock that you can use after each interview instead of plain white paper. Not only will this show you are serious, but it shows professionalism.

Proofread

Your thank you note is the last impression you will make on the company before moving forward in the interview process. While you usually want it to help plead your case as the best candidate for the job, one riddled with errors may do the exact opposite. Having spelling and grammatical errors is one thing, but you need to check the names of the individuals and have the right company and position title. These simple things seem like no brainers, but far too often it is the simple things that we forget about.

Wrap Up

A well-crafted, timely follow up note or email is your last chance at making a good impression on the company you interviewed with. If you’re struggling with  writing your thank you, the aforementioned elements are important to remember.

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What Makes Employees Happy?

A recent article in The Economist analyzes the link between employee happiness and business success; something that has long been considered in evaluating your current work situation. It got me thinking, “what makes employees happy?”

While the saying, “Money can’t buy happiness,” is true, having a high paying job can certainly help, it isn’t the only factor influencing happiness at work. As a matter of fact, according to Glassdoor, compensation is one of the least important factors in regards to workplace happiness.

If you are evaluating your happiness at work and trying to determine whether or not you need to make a career move, consider these factors from our friends at TopResume that can keep you satisfied at work, but may be taking for granted.

Company Culture

An underappreciated factor that has a huge influence on potential workplace satisfaction is the company culture. A positive work environment is one that supports and empowers you to perform at your best, but may also be one of the most overlooked components of your job satisfaction. We all need the occasional change of scenery, but it is important to remember that the grass is not always greener on the other side, especially when it comes to company culture.

You need to figure out what you value in company culture and pursue opportunities that align with these values. If you have experienced a few different cultures, you can probably determine what work environment you prefer and work best in. However, if you’re an early career professional and unsure of what environment you would thrive in, you can take a personality assessment such as the DiSC Profile.

Making an Impact

Millennials get a lot of flack for wanting to do impactful work, but why is that a bad thing? We all have slow days at work, regardless of your job, but if you are bored day in and day out you likely aren’t satisfied at work and will become unhappy. Being engaged at work will lead to job satisfaction and if that engagement is meaningful, that is the ideal situation.

When you have opportunities to make meaningful contributions to the company, regardless of company size, you will be motivated and thrive in the role.

Relationship with your Manager

Different people operate best under different management styles, so similar to company culture, figuring out how you work best is important. Since you will be working with your manager on a daily basis, having a good relationship with him or her is very important, not only for workplace happiness but your career development.

A manager that cares about your career development is something that is not replicated at every job opportunity. If you have a good relationship with your manager, it will be easier to achieve workplace happiness. If your relationship isn’t the best, but cordial enough for the workplace, chances are your growth opportunities will be limited and so too will your happiness.

Relationship with Coworkers

It is no secret that we spend the majority of our lives at work, so enjoying the people around you is important. Similar to life outside of the office, you aren’t going to get along with everyone, but maintaining a professional relationship with them will make coming to the office each day a little easier.

The best-case scenario is obviously if you at least enjoy and have a good relationship with the people around you at the office. Your work friends don’t need to be your best friends, but having a sense of camaraderie at the office will do wonders for your psyche.

Learning and Development

Albert Einstein said, “Once you stop learning, you start dying,” and the same holds true for your happiness at work. When you’re bored and unfulfilled at your job you may fall into a funk, which will lead to unhappiness both at work and in your personal life. As Melanie Haniph states, “one of the keys to long-term career success is continuous learning and development.” When you’re constantly learning new things at work, you become more marketable to your supervisors which could lead to advanced career opportunities. Being able to continuously learn and develop will greatly impact your job satisfaction.

Wrap Up

If you’re starting to feel unhappy at work, it may be time to take a step back and try to find the source of your unhappiness. Is it with your pay or another factor? Once you identify what is causing these feelings you can change your approach in order to regain that happiness at work.

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