5 Career-Building Things to do While Doing Your Job

HERE is an interesting article on Forbes by Judith Humphrey:

“Career-building in today’s world can be overwhelming. Once upon a time, all you needed was a job offer from an established company and you’d basically be set up for life.

But today job-hopping is the norm for people of all ages—and across all industries. A LinkedIn study showed that millennials are likely to jump jobs four times in the decade following their graduation from college. Another report indicates that the average person will make a career change five to seven times in their life.

These twists and turns can make any person stressed out. The secret to staying grounded is to keep these five fundamentals in mind: "

Her 5 fundamentals are below and are expanded in the article. The comments under each of her points are mine.

1.       DON’T TRY TO MASTER A GRAND PLAN

What replaces a “grand plan?” Having great jobs come to you. That really works – much better than the “career advice” I got in high school. And how to you get jobs to come to you? Build your power network as your Grand Plan! Get lots of scripts for your networking HERE.

2.       COMMIT FULLY TO THE PRESENT

True but remember not to focus on your current job to the exclusion of your career. Continue to do great work; of course. Just be sure to also lay the foundation for your next job. See above ??

3.       DON’T BURN BRIDGES

Sometimes you can burn bridges and not even smell the smoke. Treat everyone professionally regardless of how you feel personally. Never throw anyone or any company under the bus. What if the person you are talking to is best friends with the person you’re talking about? Or an investor in the company you are spilling the beans about. This is especially important when answering the interview question about why you left.

4.       BE YOUR OWN BEST ADVOCATE

This one is so important and so difficult for most of us. First we don’t want to appear to be bragging. Second we don’t know what to say! I’ve been helping job seekers discover their brand for nearly 10 years. It’s nearly impossible to do by yourself. If you want to talk about how you can become your own best advocate, please schedule a call  HERE

5. MOVE ON WHEN YOU HIT A WALL

It’s hard to think about moving on even when it is clearly time. We often take that as a failure. But if the company isn’t taking your advice, it’s time to find a place that will value what you bring. Someday I’m going to create a tee shirt line and this one will be:

This salmon isn’t spawning this year! I’m not going to keep throwing myself on the rocks hoping the company will eventually see I’m worth listening to.

Start to explore what else might be out there. You can find a place with space for your passion! 

Check out the article HERE: