Leadership Habits To Develop For Career Growth

If you’re looking to get far in your career, you’ll need to invest in your leadership skills. Even if you aren’t currently in a leadership position, finding ways to hone and show off leadership-related traits is vital to moving up the career ladder.

Soft skills are the key to showing your employer that you’re ready to take on a bigger role in the workplace. The experts at FlexJobs covered nine leadership habits to develop for career growth. We look at some of our favorites and add our own insights.

Support your team

The best leaders are those that elevate their team members to new heights by celebrating their accomplishments and putting them in the best position to succeed. Leaders that make people actually want to follow them are the most successful.

You don’t have to actually be a manager or project leader in order to hone or show off this skill. FlexJobs’ Kimberli Lowe-MacAuley suggests offering to train or mentor new team members along with creating opportunities to make sure every team member is heard.

“Visibly exude caring, compassion, and concern for employees. Thoughtfully administer rewards and recognition (tailoring to employee preferences for how they like to be rewarded), ensure employees have robust personal growth and development plans, and unswervingly show respect.” –Scott Mautz, keynote speaker

Another step is to share credit and accept blame when necessary. You’ll build goodwill with your team by celebrating their accomplishments and taking responsibility for your own shortcomings rather than shifting blame.

Focus on the big picture

Adjusting your focus is a great way to change your mindset and think like a leader. Learn to see the forest for the trees and start thinking about the big picture.

Kimberli says to offer solutions that have a greater effect than just the needs of your team. Leaders have to think of what is good for their entire organization, and pitching an idea that doesn’t directly benefit you shows thinking from the top and a willingness to make sacrifices.

Forbes’ Erin Urban also writes that sometimes this means focusing on relationships over immediate results. This connects with the above point of supporting your team. Taking the blame for an issue might make you look bad in the immediate future, but your team will respect your efforts to fight for them.

Be a self-starter

It can be hard to show leadership skills if you aren’t leading a team or even a part of one. But one of the strongest ways to show you have leadership potential is to always be proactive and find ways to contribute.

Kimberli writes that being someone always willing to suggest new ideas and taking initiative is a great way to get noticed by the bosses. If you aren’t afraid to step up and float an idea, this shows creativity and a willingness to do the extra work.

Walden University suggests you can go even further by learning to anticipate organizational needs. This shows a strong understanding of the organization, a focus on the big picture, and the proactive approach needed in a leadership role.

Look for growth opportunities

Another sign of a great leader is the ability to keep growing and learning. A strong leader needs to be able to adapt and make decisions, and by constantly learning new skills, you’ll be ready to make those decisions.

Kimberli says to find training courses and workshops, even if they aren’t required for your role. You can also take advantage of any tuition reimbursement opportunities and take courses to keep learning and upskilling. Do some research to find out what your organization can offer and take advantage!

“Individuals that develop a growth mindset believe they are capable of learning and their talents, abilities and intelligence is not static. They believe in their ability to “figure things out.” They trust that their hard work and persistence will help them develop the skill set to meet a particular challenge or need.” –Jackie Capers-Brown, LinkedIn

Forbes’ Ashira Prossack also suggests finding a mentor to learn from. An experienced leader in your organization will have insights that can’t be found in an article or in a course, and this person will directly see you making efforts to learn and better yourself. They might be able to recommend you for a promotion down the road.

Wrap up

You don’t have to already be a leader in the workplace to show off your skills. By simply being a collaborative team member, focusing on the big picture, and taking initiative and finding ways to grow, you’ll show your employer you have the skills to take the next step and earn that coveted promotion!

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How To Utilize AI Tools In Your Job Search

AI technology is no longer just a science fiction staple. With tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, anyone can experiment with artificial intelligence.

This technology is still being refined and can’t replace the creativity or contextual mind of a human, but it can be a great device to enhance all sorts of efforts—including aiding in your job search! From helping to build your resume and cover letter, to optimizing your LinkedIn profile, to interview prep, to simply being a wonderful research assistant, learn how to utilize AI technology to give your job search a boost.

Treat prompts like a conversation

ChatGPT works by typing in a prompt and it will answer as best as it can based on the set perimeters. But the bot isn’t all-powerful or all-knowing. To get the result you want, you’ll need to treat the chat box like a conversation and refine ideas or comes up with follow-up questions.

“As we often need to do when talking with a human, you may have to ask follow-up questions to get a more precise answer. Consider your prompt as the beginning of your conversation. (This is different logic than you use when searching Google.)” –Hannah Morgan

Career Sherpa’s Hannah Morgan writes to keep your prompts specific and descriptive. Set the perimeters you’d like covered, and don’t be afraid to start over as needed. The more information you provide, the better the bot can do its job!

Use it to spice up writing

Once you’ve gotten the hang of working with the AI, one of the best ways to use it is to spice up your writing. This wide-ranging feature can help you writes resume bullets, cover letters, LinkedIn bios, and more!

“If you are already a great writer, AI can make you an even better writer,” –Oliver Yarbrough

The tool can help fill out content for your resume, saving a great deal of time, or it can find the best way to phrase something, writes Klara Cervenanska. Specific resume-building AIs are becoming more common. Resumes and cover letters can take a lot of time, especially if you’re tailoring them for each position. Just remember that you’ll still need to proofread and make it your own. It’s often easy to tell if something was written by an AI, as it can’t compete with a human’s contextual ability and you want your unique voice to take the stage.

Use it as an assistant

AI can also be used as a reliable research assistant if you know how to ask the right questions.

Hannah Morgan says that you can use ChatGPT to find alternate job titles, find similar jobs in your industry, and create a list of target companies. The tool can also create thoughtful interview questions for you to ask or provide examples of questions you may be asked. Jaime Dubois highlights numerous programs that can help with interview preparation, which you can find here.

Resume writer Ruth Sternberg highlights AI’s abilities to translate your resume into another language, find industry-specific keywords, and flag suspicious claims for further research as a few highlights. While you still need to be cautious blindly trusting what the bot finds, it can be a great fact-checker if prompted correctly.

Create a job search plan

If you want to take AI’s role as a virtual assistant even further, you can use it to help you create a sustainable job search plan!

iHire suggests that ChatGPT can be used to create a job search schedule specific to your needs as well as provide insight into your industry’s trends.

“Type something like “create a personalized job search plan for a java developer tailored to their skills, experience, and goals” into ChatGPT, and it will give you an outline of lists that may be helpful during your search.” –iHire

Remember that it doesn’t replace your work

AI can be a wonderful tool to enhance your job search, but remember that the goal is to enhance the journey—not replace it!

These tools are still fairly new and always learning. The results you get may not always be exactly what you need, and there are plenty of programs that can tell if something was written by AI. The AI doesn’t possess the nuance or contextual information to replace human effort.

Teal’s Lia Zneimer writes that while ChatGPT tries to decline harmful results, occasionally they might provide harmful instructions or factually incorrect answers. Always fact-check when using these programs.

Wrap up

This just barely scratches the surface of how to use AI technology and what you can use it for. Learning the basics will help you pivot toward more specialized uses in the future. Whatever your needs are, remember that the AI can’t do everything for you. You need to learn to guide it yourself and enhance the results with your own human experience!

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Finding Online Support For Your Job Search

A job search is a full-time job in its own right, and it’s easy to get bogged down. The sheer amount of resources available to aid your search are both extremely helpful and overwhelming. Thankfully, technology makes it easy to find friends and allies to assist.

Networking is a job seeker’s best friend and comes in many forms. Not every contact can get you a job, but there are thousands of people that can offer insight, new strategies and information, an extra set of eyes, or simply encouragement. If you’re looking for some extra support in your search, we cover how to find the right resource or group for you.

Know what you’re looking for

Just as it’s important to narrow down your job search to specific roles and industries, it’s important to have a clear picture of what type of support you need. Are you looking for an in-depth look at your resume or just need a friendly look over it? Do you have questions targeted toward a specific industry or are you looking for general advice? The clearer your needs are, the easier it will be to find the right resource.

It’s worth taking the time to email a group or community beforehand to get a better idea of what they can help with, writes Briefcase Coach’s Sarah Johnston. Some groups are all-purpose while many are geared toward a particular niche. A little research can help you find the right group for you.

Utilize community resources

Even if you plan to do most of your searching online, there still may be resources in your local area that can assist your search. Look into the resources you have available near you and start there.

Indeed suggests community centers and libraries are vital local organizations. The exact resources available will depend on your area, but you may be able to find local job boards, career services, or coaching available. Libraries are particularly valuable because they often have career coaching as well as reliable access to computers with internet access.

FlexJobs’ Rachel Pelta also suggests utilizing an alumni association. These groups will help any graduate no matter how long ago they graduated. Not only will they have resources to help you, but they can point you to other organizations or support groups.

“Alumni organizations help people stay connected with others they met at high school or college. Similarly, this is an excellent channel for job opportunities and networking.” –Indeed

Try something new

Once you’ve looked into local and familiar options, don’t be afraid to branch out and try something new! Part of networking is growing your network, and you’ll have to leave your comfort zone to do so.

Rachel Pelta mentions state job banks and job fairs as potential avenues worth exploring. A job bank is more than an online job board and can offer ways to learn or advance your skills or find resources specific to your needs. Meanwhile, job fairs have always been a valuable way to make connections, but now can be done virtually. A virtual fair means you can cut some of the stress associated with going to a big event and focus on the job opportunities and networking opportunities.

Join a group

If you want something more ongoing than the above options, consider joining a job search group online. Just as having good coworkers can make work better, having allies in your job search can make the process more positive.

Both in-person and online job search groups are available, with many more virtual groups forming after the pandemic. Career coach Bob McIntosh said that the switch to virtual job groups has vastly increased attendance thanks to ease of access and allows job seekers to share their screens with one another.

Make sure you can find the right group for your needs. McIntosh says there is a difference between networking groups and job search groups. Sarah Johnston says to make sure your group is well-organized and goal-focused.

You can find many of these groups on LinkedIn. FlexJobs’ Jennifer Parris compiled an excellent list of some of the best job search groups on LinkedIn, which you can find here.

Wrap up

Whether you need a few questions answered or you’re looking to develop new relationships, there are plenty of online resources available to help your job search. Joining a job search group can be particularly rewarding, and you might make lifelong friends along the way. Whatever your needs are, there is support out there, and you don’t need to tackle your job search alone!

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Career Lessons From The 2023 Masters Tournament

The beginning of spring not only means warm weather is finally arriving but also one of the most exciting events in professional sports—the Masters Tournament.

One of the four major events in professional golf, the Masters is an iconic tournament where legends are made at the iconic Augusta National Golf Club. Each individual storyline at the Masters is fascinating in its own way, and we can take many lessons from the pros for our own life. If you’re looking to advance your career, take these cues from golf’s most iconic event!

Consistency is key

Masters’ Sunday gets most of the hype since it’s the culmination of the event, but all four days matter. A consistent approach all four days is key to winning the tournament, and we need to be consistent in our own lives.

Victor Hovland made the news on Masters’ Thursday thanks to his dominant start and eye-popping shirt, but Hovland wasn’t able to keep the lead. Each day, he played a little worse, ultimately finishing at -6 and tied for seventh overall.

While it’s important to start strong, you need to put in the same work day after day in your career. Find out what works and doesn’t work early on and find a sustainable method to success. With practice and effort, you’ll outlast the competition.

Never count yourself out

At some point in your career, you’ll apply for a job with strict requirements, accept a challenging project, or add a new skill set to your repertoire. This may be intimidating, and you might think you can’t handle it. But give yourself a shot, and you may be surprised by the results.

Sam Bennett, a college amateur, shocked the patrons at Augusta. It’s hard enough to earn the right to play at the Masters, but it’s even more impressive to make the tournament as an amateur and keep climbing up the leaderboard. Bennett finished tied for sixth on Day 1 of the tournament, tying with 2022 winner Scottie Scheffler. Bennett went on to finish tied for 16th through the weekend, a phenomenal finish for an amateur. Bennett had an incredible first showing and shows that even a newcomer can keep up with legends.

We all have to start somewhere. It’s easy to get discouraged by new challenges in our careers. But never count yourself out. You too could end up impressing your bosses early on.

Perseverance pays off

Even if you’re a career veteran, you may face setbacks in your career. We all face different challenges and have different strengths and weaknesses. Stay resilient and believe in your capabilities even when things look grim.

“Look, I’ve been around the game long enough to know what to do in these situations. So it’s just kind of take the rough with the smooth and just go out there and do as best you can when you are out there.” -Shane Lowry

Jon Rahm, a favorite to win the tournament, had a disastrous first hole on Thursday. Rahm had a six on the first Par 4, including four put attempts. Yet Rahm stayed true to himself and recovered, finishing tied for second on the second day. Rahm had a short memory after that first step back and gained ground and never looked back. Rahm continued to persevere, and on Sunday, he emerged as the tournament champion, winning his first Masters.

Like Rahm, we can’t get hung up on small failures. The best athletes have a short memory after a setback. Learn from them and attack the next obstacle with tenacity, and you too can take strides in your career.

Be prepared for anything

Augusta National is a beautiful course. The broadcast will show the beautiful flora and the start of spring offers new beginnings.

But the weather wasn’t kind through the weekend. Both Friday and Saturday were delayed due to inclement weather. On Friday, trees fell due to the strong winds.

Yet the tournament had to go on, and those running that tournament were prepared. They made the correct design to postpone the rounds and organized new start times and pairings each day. This made for a long Saturday and Sunday, but the tournament finished strong.

Things will inevitably go wrong in your career, whether it’s not getting a job you want, a project failing, or some other setback. Be prepared for anything by doing your research, creating contingency plans, and learning how to pivot. By being prepared, you can weather any storm, literal or metaphorical.

​​”If there’s a word any golfer has to be, it’s adaptable.” –Jon Rahm

Wrap up

This year’s tournament was an exciting one as we saw old winners succeed, new players starting a strong career, a first-time champion earning the coveted green jacket, and the tournament runners keeping things moving in the face of bad weather. Our own careers might be vastly different, but we can learn valuable lessons from our favorite players. Embrace these winning mindsets and attack any obstacle in your way like a pro!

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Self-Promoting Without Being A Burden

Whether you’re looking for a new job, highlighting your latest project, or sharing your noteworthy deeds, chances are you’ll want to promote your accomplishments online. Self-promoting is great, but if you go about it the wrong way, you’ll earn animosity!

“In today’s business world, self-promotion is indispensable. It is the key to landing a new job, securing a client or running a business altogether.” –Nancy Marshall, Forbes

Promoting yourself is crucial, but going about it the wrong way will come across as obnoxious, annoying, or bragging. If you want to make sure your accomplishments are being noticed, and noticed in a good way, stay true to these vital thoughts as you craft your posts.

Don’t spam

While this first tip may seem obvious, sometimes, you get excited and want to shout your accomplishments to the world. But resist the urge and make sure to choose your moments wisely.

Mike Ghaffary, general partner at Canvas Ventures, recommends reading more than you post, the online version of “listen more than you speak.” You’ll gain a broader view of how others post about their accomplishments and you can learn to mirror the well-forged posts.

Find the right channel

More than just not screaming your legend into the void, you need to find the right channel to promote yourself. Make sure to truly understand the tools at your disposal and use them correctly. Take advantage of tools like company newsletters and choose the right, appropriate time during a meeting,

Author Meredith Fineman suggests three primary online spots to list your accomplishments: your LinkedIn biography, your website and social media profiles, and your email signature. These are places where your accomplishments would be expected to be found and come across as organic. Your LinkedIn “About Me” in particular is one of the best marketing tools at your disposal. Make sure to use it wisely!

But coach Kim Neeson warns about overly selling yourself on social media. Try to use those profiles to add to a conversation rather than to solely advertise.

Focus on results

Now that you know when and where to promote, what should the content look like?

Fast Company’s Dina Smith says to stay focused on the facts. By focusing on the tangible outcomes and how they relate to important adjectives, you’ll not only show that you’re credible, but your accomplishments will seem factual and honest. You aren’t bragging when you’re stating indisputable facts.

“Like how you might write a résumé’s bullet points, briefly state what you accomplished, or contributed, and the impact or results of your efforts.” -Dina Smith

The Muse’s Anne Libby says that good self-promotion isn’t just about you. When you focus on these facts, you’re making the entire organization—and your bosses—look good.

Build credibility

The more you accomplish, naturally, you’ll be viewed as an expert in your field of choice. But that doesn’t just mean bragging about your accomplishments.

TopResume’s Tyler Omoth suggests becoming an industry expert by engaging with others on social media and commenting and sharing their posts. By joining the dialogue, and not just pushing your points, you can add your own credibility and value to posts. Soon, others may turn to you for your expertise and find your accomplishments organically.

“Beyond the virtual world, you can promote yourself as an expert by writing or speaking about your area of expertise. Industry publications and websites often need contributors—check out the guidelines for the ones in your field, and propose a topic or submit an article.” –Anne Libby

Intoo’s Caroline Vernon adds not to actually call yourself an expert, though. Calling yourself an expert makes it appear that you believe you have nothing more to learn and becomes braggy again. Show, don’t tell. Find ways to add value and help share your knowledge rather than announce it.

Share the credit

The best way to promote your accomplishments and gain positive notice is to make sure to elevate everyone on your team that helped. If you’re taking credit for the work of others or hogging the spotlight, you’ll turn your audience off.

“By offering support after completing your work, you demonstrate your proficiency at accomplishing important job tasks, and you can also have the opportunity to assist coworkers with your unique knowledge and skills.” –Indeed

Dina Smith says that by elevating others you appear authentic while also showing appreciation and generosity. These are the kinds of traits you want to be noticed for. Not only will your accomplishments be noted, but you’ll appear as a great team member people want to work with—providing more opportunities for great accomplishments.

Wrap up

If you’ve followed the above strategies, you’ll position yourself in a positive light without going overboard. By choosing the right time and place, showing that you can provide value without bragging, and using your space to elevate others, you’ll be noticed in a positive light!

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