Putting your skills to work

Now that you’ve developed a list of some of your skills, let’s put that to work for you.  Looking over your worksheet from Thursday, list at least five skills that you consider your best or favorites to use. Write at least one example of a time you used each skill in a work or volunteer…

Your skills checklist

Even though I’m not a fan of making career decisions based only on skills, it is still important to be able to name your skills, especially when you are changing jobs or careers.  Here’s a starter list of skills to rank from 1-5, with 5 being most important.  Then add a + if you enjoy…

Don’t hit on people in LinkedIn.

You would think this goes without saying, but, alas, I have been hit on twice online, and both times were on LI.  (I ignore or delete these messages, but frankly it feels quite creepy.)  LinkedIn is very much a place of work, and if these 2 dudes were my clients, I would have firmly (but…

Finding a diverse workplace

Sometimes, what we really need is to find a workplace that really celebrates diversity, rather than one that just gives lip service.  How can you know in advance?   Well, of course, there’s no real guarantee, but there are some good resources online.  The Social Talent website has a list of companies that rank high…

Who Do Like?

Liking your coworkers is so important to liking your job.  In my last job, I really struggled because there were a lot of challenging people there.  Briefly, there was a fellow who called himself “Mr. Diversity” and complimented a Vietnamese American student on “good Asian work ethic.”  There was the person who cleared his throat…

What do you really like to do?

What are you doing with your holiday?  If you get one, that is, and if it’s different from your current state of employment.   I ask because often what we do in our leisure time can give us a sense of what we really enjoy doing.  Things are different these days, of course, so maybe…

Saying no, part 3

  How can you say no when your boss wants you to do something more?   I’ve been talking about saying no this week, and I know this particular issue is a big challenge for a lot of us.  It’s certainly something I’ve struggled with in previous jobs.   In terms of approaching this issue,…

Saying no, part 2

The first real job offer I turned down was terrifying.   I was fresh back from Japan, and had realized through my time there that I didn’t want to teach—the thing I’ d clung to as a possible career all through college and my 3 years on the Japan Exchange & Teaching Program.  So in…