5 Career Resolutions You Shouldn't Make

By : Robert Half International

It's the beginning of a new year, and, for many professionals, that means making career resolutions. Unfortunately, as earnest as some people may be when it comes to reaching goals they've set, their resolutions aren't as motivating as they were intended to be and are soon forgotten. If this has happened to you, it may be because you're making the wrong resolutions, thus setting yourself up for failure before you even get started. Following are a few examples of resolutions you'll want to avoid this year:

Bad Resolution No. 1: "I resolve to do better work."
Although this is a noble goal, the problem with this resolution is that it's much too vague. Doing better work can mean many different things, from enhancing your industry expertise to improving your time management skills to putting more energy into your assignments. This type of uncertainty can prevent you from making any real progress. That's why it's best to set measurable objectives. For instance, "I resolve to read one industry publication per week" or, "Before turning in my work, I will review it thoroughly so I don't let any errors slip through."

Bad Resolution No. 2: "I resolve to earn a raise."
This is a resolution many people can relate to; after all, most professionals have probably wished for higher pay at some point in their careers. Unfortunately, you don't always have control over the outcome of this objective. In addition, during a down economy, a raise may even be an unrealistic expectation, depending on how your company is doing financially. It's better to set goals you can control. For example, you might resolve to take a class in order to learn a software program that you plan to use more frequently at work. In this case, you are the only person who has a say in the final outcome, making it more likely that you'll reach your goal. Plus, the more training you complete to improve your skill set, the better the case you can make for earning more money.

Bad Resolution No. 3: "I resolve to do X and Y and Z and ..."
This is like visiting a buffet and filling your plate to the brim. You're hungry and think you'll be able to eat everything, at least initially. But it's more than likely you won't touch a good portion of the food you grabbed. By setting a lot of goals, you can spread yourself too thin and have trouble accomplishing all of your objectives. The key is to choose one or two resolutions and focus on those alone. With fewer ancillary targets to distract you, you'll have a better chance of accomplishing your objectives. Once you reach those goals, you can select new ones.

Bad Resolution No. 4: "I resolve to land the corner office."
Depending on what position you currently hold, you may be setting your sights too high. Yes, you want to make resolutions that challenge you to stretch your abilities, but you also want to pursue objectives that you can realistically accomplish. A more appropriate target is to work with your manager and establish a plan for your career progression. While you might not take over his or her job -- or even earn a promotion -- in the year ahead, you'll take steps to move your career forward.

Bad Resolution No. 5: "I resolve to bring my lunch to work to save money."
This is an excellent personal resolution, but career resolutions should focus on your job growth. Ideally, they should be goals that will allow you to eventually take on new assignments, tackle new challenges and improve your marketability.

Finally, once you decide on a resolution, it's important to set a deadline for accomplishing the goal. Having a specific time frame in mind will help you narrow your focus and give you additional motivation to achieve your objective. Whether your deadline is a week, month or a year away, maintain a "status report" so you can continually see how you're progressing and determine if you need to revise the target date or the goal itself. By making the right career resolutions and keeping them top of mind, you'll improve your chances of accomplishing them and moving forward professionally as a result.

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One Year to a New Career

By : Anthony Balderrama

You've counted down from 10 and watched the ball drop in Times Square. As happy as you are to usher in a new year, you can't help but remember a vow you made to yourself last Dec. 31. "By this time next year, I'll have a new career."

A year passed and not much changed.

When you're unhappy in your job, a year can seem like a long time. Twelve long months of wanting something bigger and better. Not anything outlandish, just a job that doesn't make you cry a little when you leave your home every morning. Yet, when you look back on the last year, didn't that time seem to speed by? Who had time to change careers when you had all that work to do?

We've put together a list of ways for you to make a career switch possible. Next year you can look back at Jan. 1, 2010, and realize you've finally done it.

Foreign language courses
The United States is a country filled with many languages. People who speak English as a second language or are still learning English need goods and services, and that's where bilingual professionals come in. If you studied a language in college but your tongue has grown a bit rusty since, this year is perfect for taking refresher courses. You'll be surprised by how much you know and you'll open a whole new set of doors for your career. You'll be as qualified and experienced as you already are -- only now you'll be able to reach a whole new group of potential customers.

Public speaking courses
Have you ever sat through a boring presentation? And by "sat through" I mean "scribbled on your notepad until you fell asleep sitting up." Not everyone is a good public speaker, and even more people never even try to improve. If you know you have it in you to successfully present to a crowd, you should get more training so that you're a standout. Companies need people who can wow a VP or entertain a crowd without mumbling and sweating through their shirts. When you can add excellent presentation skills to your résumé, you immediately gain access to positions you didn't know were available.

Professional certifications
If you don't hate the industry you're in, but you do hate the professional plateau you're on, a certification can give you a boost. Whether you have one degree or two, many times a new certification (such as one for a paralegal or legal assistant) can show employers you're serious about your job. You've just set yourself apart from most other candidates. Look into different professional organizations in your field and you'll be surprised how many certifications are available.

Associate degrees
Most associate degrees take two years, but many only take one, or they can be accomplished in one if you barrel through school. An associate degree is different from a certification because an associate degree can singlehandedly set you in a new direction. Where a certification might only enhance your standing in the current industry, an associate degree -- which you can get at specialized institutes, community colleges and universities -- is often enough to qualify you for certain jobs regardless of your previous experience.

Workshops
Sometimes what you need to move to a new level is just a refresher course or a way to reassess what you know. Many companies offer internal workshops and seminars to help their employees. The topics might range from a specialized task that's part of your job duty to a general issue, like time management or supervisory skills. Enrolling in one of these workshops, or an external one at a nearby institute, can show your boss that you're serious about advancement. You could even approach the boss to find out if there are certain areas he or she would like to see you improve upon (or you might know this from your performance review) and use that as a jumping-off point.


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5 Books That Will Help Your Career

By : Rachel Zupek


These days, many of you could use some good career advice. Whether you're unemployed, just out of college, looking to increase your paycheck or in need of résumé advice, the market is saturated with information. While we do our best to give you the most accurate information, we also know that there are other experts out there with some great advice.

Of course, we're big fans of the books we've written ourselves, "Cube Monkeys: A Handbook for Surviving the Office Jungle," and "Career Building: Your Total Handbook for Finding a Job and Making It Work," both from the editors here at CareerBuilder. But, if you want to add more literature to your professional library, here are five other books to check out:

1. "Knock 'Em Dead: The Ultimate Job Search Guide 2010," by Martin Yate, CPC
Topic: Job search
Why it helps: "Knock 'Em Dead" covers all of the job-search basics and then some, whether you're looking for your first job, you're returning to the work force or you've just been laid off. The book is a series of parts, from building and customizing your résumé to effective networking tools and negotiating the best salary and benefits.
The best part: This latest edition to the series offers a new section, "Where the Jobs Are," which shows you what industries are experiencing the most growth.

2. "101 Toughest Interview Questions ... And Answers That Win the Job!" by Daniel Porot and Frances Bolles Haynes
Topic: Interviewing
Why it helps: Interviewing is the most stressful part of the job search. Thinking about what to ask, how to answer, what questions mean and what hiring managers want to hear is enough to drive a person crazy. This book is the secret to every interview you have from here on out. It features the toughest and most commonly asked questions, featured in a flashcard-like format, as well as several possible responses to each, which you can tailor to your own experience.
The best part: It fits in your purse or bag, so you can freshen up on questions before the interview.

3. "Beyond Paycheck to Paycheck: A Conversation About Income, Wealth, and the Steps in Between," by Michael B. Rubin
Topic: Salary
Why it helps: With 61 percent of workers living paycheck to paycheck, according to a CareerBuilder survey, it's about time for everyone to learn a few monetary lessons. "Beyond Paycheck to Paycheck" is a comprehensive book that will help anyone struggling to make ends meet. It runs the gamut from simple saving strategies to taking advantage of your benefits to retirement planning.
The best part: It's easy to read and funny, neither of which are commonly used to describe a finance book.

4. "Am I the Only Sane One Working Here? 101 Solutions for Surviving Office Insanity," by Albert J. Bernstein, Ph.D.
Topic: Workplace culture
Why it helps: One paragraph in the introduction sums up this book perfectly: "Each day, you try your best to get some work done, but the woman in the next cube is screeching at her kids on the phone, and the guy behind you keeps popping his head up to tell you what he saw on TV last night. Another staff meeting starts in 10 minutes. Meanwhile, you have 736 unread e-mails in your inbox, 700 of which have nothing to do with you. You stare blankly at your screen and wonder, 'Am I the only sane one working here?'" This book offers 101 types of people and situations you likely have or will encounter at work, and best way to respond to each one.
The best part: Each scenario stands alone and offers clear, concise explanations about what is going on and what you should think, do and say to survive.

5. "Strategies for Successful Career Change," by Martha E. Mangelsdorf
Topic: Changing careers
Why it helps: Today's economy has an increasing number of workers changing careers, whether they want to or not. In "Strategies," Mangelsdorf features dozens of in-depth interviews with real people who have successfully changed careers. The book gives you helpful information about finding a new career path, testing out a new job, pitfalls to avoid and steps to take, and how to do it all financially.
The best part: The real-person interviews are inspiring and show you that even though it's hard work, finding the right career can improve your happiness.

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Are You Getting Bad Job Advice?

By : Anthony Balderrama

Your support network probably consists of your closest friends and maybe some trusted family members. You know these people will help you out in any way possible -- when you're at your happiest or feeling defeated. That's what friends are for, just like Dionne Warwick sang.

Unfortunately, these people aren't perfect. You know they want the best for you, and that's why you turn to them for help. But a new survey from The Creative Group finds that those closest to you might not always be the best advice givers, especially when you need professional advice.

Who's giving the worst advice?
Of surveyed advertising and marketing executives, 58 percent say co-workers gave them bad career advice. Bosses didn't fare much better, as 54 percent blame them for bad career advice. Parents and relatives are better career counselors, but 35 percent of surveyed executives received unsatisfactory guidance from them. Thirty percent of spouses and significant others are blamed for bad advice (and probably had to sleep on the couch at some point). Mentors have the best record for dispensing advice, as only 21 percent have the finger pointed at them.

As to why so many of our nearest and dearest make such unreliable advisers, you could just chalk it up to human nature. "Nobody's perfect" might be a cliché, but it's true, and your support network isn't likely to sabotage you on purpose.

Well, sometimes they might. Survey respondents admit that some of the bad advice they received did more for the giver than the receiver.

"My former boss discouraged me from going to work for a competitor, saying that I wouldn't last, but I did," says one surveyed executive. "I later found out that he had made a wager that I wouldn't join that firm, and that was why he discouraged me to work there."

Another respondent recalls, "A co-worker wanted me to take her job so she could take a new position. It wasn't a good idea. I wasn't ready to fill that job."

Considering that your career decisions affect your colleagues and boss directly, perhaps their tendency to give harmful advice isn't surprising after all. For that reason, Donna Farrugia, executive director of The Creative Group, cautions you to evaluate the motives of the advice giver.

The do's and don'ts of asking for advice
According to Farrugia, workers seeking help can take some steps to get the best advice. She recommends keeping these five tips in mind:

Do seek out experience
The best advice comes from someone who has been in your position. Even if the specifics are a little different, a similar experience will give the best insight.

"For example, if you're looking to transition into a particular niche, talk to someone who made a comparable change," Farrugia says. "If you're having trouble finding suitable contacts, use social networks like LinkedIn to expand your reach."

Do follow your own goals
Although friends and family may have your best interests in mind, they don't have your same professional and personal goals. Remember to listen to their advice without forgetting what you want for yourself.

Do explain yourself
No one can help you make the right decision if they don't know what you're looking to get out of your career.

Farrugia explains, "By describing your professional objectives and values to your acquaintances, you'll help them give better guidance."

Don't have a one-track mind
Your network is composed of people with different backgrounds and experiences, and even if they haven't been in your shoes, they've probably observed someone who was. Don't rely on a single person to get advice. Instead, talk to as many people as you can to hear their opinions and then decide what best aligns with your needs.

Don't forget your manners
"Thank everyone who takes the time to provide career guidance, and keep in touch with all helpful sources, returning the favor when you can," Farrugia says.Anthony Balderrama is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com and its job blog, The Work Buzz. He researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.

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Feeling Overlooked at Work? How to Get the Kudos You Deserve

By : Beth Braccio Hering

Congratulations! Despite daily news stories of layoffs and companies folding, you have managed to hang on to your job.

So why don't you exactly feel like celebrating?

While you may be grateful for employment, the fact is that corporate restructuring, budget cuts and a general air of uncertainty take a toll on all workers. What can you do if you are feeling underpaid, overworked, unrecognized or burned out?

Money matters
From waitresses expected to serve additional tables because of staff reductions to account executives putting in extra hours to land new clients, many employees are working longer and harder than ever before. Yet while demands on workers may be rising, their paychecks often are not.

Blame the employer? Joseph Grenny, co-author of the New York Times bestseller "Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High," cautions against doing that.

"You are responsible for your income -- not your employer," Grenny states. He thinks that if you believe you are underpaid for the amount of work you do, you've got three options:

· Persuade your employer
"Evaluate your contributions to the company and determine if the value you add to the company warrants a raise. If you think a raise is merited, make sure to adequately prepare for the crucial conversation with your employer, and be prepared to share specific examples of how you have benefited the company."

· Supplement your income
"If you do not think your company is in a position to give you a raise, consider supplementing your income with consulting in your area of expertise, a side business or another source of income."

· Shop around
"If you feel that you are underpaid and under-appreciated, it might be time to start looking for a new job."

Is "rocking the boat" dangerous in this economy? As Grenny sees it, "Employers these days realize that if today is a soft labor market, it will be tight again sometime in the future. Consequently, you can have more confidence than you might realize in approaching your boss. The key is to build mutual purpose -- to let the employer know you care about the needs of the company while wanting to be fairly compensated yourself."

Beyond a paycheck
Being happy in a job isn't solely about pay. Employees want to know that their talents and efforts are recognized and appreciated by those around them.

Janet Flewelling, director of human resources operations for Administaff in Houston, Tex., notes that in many cases when an employee feels he is being overlooked by management it has nothing to do with length of tenure or even job performance. "During a tough economy, when many companies have experienced layoffs, tensions are high and it is often the case that management is consumed with other concerns such as reducing operating costs or retaining clients."

Flewelling gives the following advice for workers looking to get noticed:

· Take a proactive stance
"Provide your supervisor with regular status updates of your work and candidly discuss projects and the milestones achieved before he or she requests the information. Taking the initiative to openly communicate with management will not only assist in keeping you top-of-mind, it demonstrates your drive to succeed, which is something no smart manager can overlook."

· Focus on career development
"Successful companies know retaining employees who want to constantly learn and develop their skills are the best investment they can make and therefore these employees are rarely overlooked."

· Support your company
"Employers look to employees to support leadership in an economic downturn. Employees should clearly communicate their support to management and let them know that they are ready and willing to pitch in and assist wherever necessary to help make management's vision a reality."

Getting out of the dumps
Irritability, headaches, stomach aches, fatigue and problems sleeping are some ways that job stress can manifest itself. When feeling burned out becomes the norm instead of the exception, it may be time for action.

Try a walk at lunch to clear your head. Skip hanging around the water cooler if office gossip is getting you down. Try a power nap after work instead of more coffee, and be sure you're eating something other than junk food from the vending machine.

Finally, consider utilizing services of employee assistance programs, which are typically available through insurance providers at no additional cost to the employee. "Oftentimes, workers do not take advantage of these programs because they do not know they are available or they worry the information will be made accessible to the employer," Flewelling states. "However, that is not the case. EAPs offer confidential counseling and referral services from trained professionals to help employees with problems at work or home, financial concerns, stress, depression and substance abuse, to name a few."

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Finding New Job Opportunities at Your Current Employer

By : Beth Braccio Hering


Thinking about changing jobs? Your best source of new employment might be your current employer.

The Wall Street Journal reports that internal transfers and promotions accounted for an average of 51 percent of all full-time positions filled in 2009. And with good reason -- current employees have first-hand knowledge about the company and a proven track record in that environment. Employers know what they're getting.

Take Stew Leonard's, a food retailer headquartered in Norwalk, Conn. Eighty-two percent of its managers have been promoted from within. "By the time a team member reaches the managerial level, he or she typically has gained experience in several departments," states Karen Mazako, vice president of human resources. "This diversity promotes cooperation because management has a deep understanding of the different aspects of Stew Leonard's. They have also earned the respect of the people they will be supervising."

Changing roles
Whether you're looking to advance in your current department or seeking to change to a new one, there are things you can do to increase the likelihood of reaching your goals.

Susan Shanklin, senior recruiter for the online marketing and sales company Red Ventures in Charlotte, N.C., offers these tips:

· Be a superstar in your current position. Management will be more likely to give you new responsibilities if you're successful at what you currently do.

· Have a clear and concise message about the positive impact you've made on the company and how those skills will translate to your proposed position or new job duties.

· Look beyond your job description. What additional responsibilities can you take on in your current role that will best position you to make a transition to your desired group?

· Be open to taking a step back either in compensation or responsibilities as you move into a new area. As you transition, you're in learning mode again. Remember that if you perform, you'll end up with more responsibilities and eventually a higher compensation, not to mention a job that you love.

Creating a position
Finding a new position often involves checking the company's Web site for openings and contacting human resources about interests. But what if you're interested in something totally different?

Just because your dream job doesn't exist at your current company doesn't mean it never will. Presenting the right people with a thought-out plan of how your skills could be used in a different capacity to fill a need can have mutually beneficial results.

Consider these success stories:

· AJ Ratani, a Web developer, noticed that his company needed a more analytical approach to optimizing its sales centers. After approaching the president of the business on how he would tackle this need, a new group (sales ops) was created -- with Ratani as sales operations director. This function now exists on all of Red Ventures businesses and has created millions of dollars in profit for the company.

· An employee at Stew Leonard's who was affectionately known as "the singing butcher" felt he could better use his special talents on a regular basis to support the store's unique entertainment-oriented atmosphere. After a conversation with the CEO, a new position called "Director of Wow" was created -- with duties such as singing birthday wishes to customers and using song to get across messages at training programs.

Relocating
Sometimes an employee likes his job but needs to move to a new location for personal reasons. While transferring may be easier when companies have multiple locations, don't assume you're immediately out of luck if your employer does not have a branch facility in your new town.

"It is not a foregone conclusion that the company would not consider allowing the employee to work from a different location or remotely, depending on the position and the value derived from the employee," states Stephen Bruce, vice president of human resources for Peopleclick Authoria in Waltham, Mass. "Also, if the company is large, there may be different subsidiaries and/or other business units that may have job opportunities available to the employee."

Even if there isn't an opportunity available within the company, talking to your boss, your human resources department or even your co-workers about relocation needs can be profitable. Somebody may know somebody where you are headed and help you get a foot in the door.

"Once the family has made a decision to relocate, if the firm has a good and loyal employee, it is in their best interest to help in the process," states Alexandra Nason-Aymerich, president of the executive search firm Nason & Nason in Coral Gables, Fla. "It is good politics in the long term as that person will always be an 'alumnus.'"

Bottom line: If you are a worker worth keeping, chances are your employer will do whatever he can to help your career dreams become reality.

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How to Translate Your Skills for Work in Today's Growing Industries

By : Joe Watson

There is no job fairy who's going to come and magically change the situation so everyone can get back to work in exactly the same jobs they used to have. In order to get back to work, with an eye toward lasting career stability, you have to go where the growth is. The key growth industries are: health care, biotechnology, green energy, education, security, information technology and government. The scary part for most people is how to make the first move towards an unknown growth industry.

The shift towards a new role in a new industry can be daunting. The first step is to determine whether you are looking to simply translate your existing skill set to a new industry or looking to learn a new skill set and then move into a new industry. Either choice will require that you acquire a significant understanding of your targeted growth industry.

What are my transferable skills?
It is easy to confuse the need to translate your existing skills with the need to learn new ones. It is in this confusion that many people abandon a logical move towards growth industries, thinking that they don't have the time to return to school for several months or years to learn a new skill. The ability to draw a distinction between the need to translate skills and the need to learn new skills can be the difference between moving quickly or slowly into a new growth industry career.

Translating your existing skills into a new industry is not as hard as it appears. There's no reason an accountant from Wall Street can't find another accounting position at a government agency or a health care establishment or a university. Will the compensation be as much as what the Wall Street firm paid? Maybe not, but the salary will still be good, the job will be secure, you'll get your benefits back, and you may even have a solid pension.

Here are some of the jobs that are performed almost the same way regardless of industry: administrative personnel, truck driver, Web design, auditor, shipping/receiving, customer service, payroll clerk, general maintenance, laborer, heavy equipment and human resources. Translating your existing skills to support the manufacture of wind turbines or medical equipment instead of hoping car companies will start opening plants again can be the difference between losing your home and keeping it.

Identifying the right industries
The key to successfully translating your existing skills is to become extremely well versed in your targeted growth industries. The goal is to look for the similarities between your old industry and the targeted growth industry and to begin seeing how your current skills would translate.

One great way to accomplish this is by finding people currently working in your targeted growth industry and asking them to help you make the translation. So if you are an accountant, interested in working for a hospital, it would be great to find someone who currently works for a hospital in finance and have them help you establish the commonalities. Keep in mind, however, that the way to make this dialogue productive is to have studied up on that industry first, so the conversation's focus can be on how your current skills translate, as opposed to what they do.

The good news is that the growth industry data you need can be readily found in books and online. Yes, it will take you time to learn about the green energy or pharmaceutical industries, but in order to speak intelligently and effectively translate how your accounting or administrative skills can add value to an employer in a new industry, you must understand what they do, how they make money and where you can add value. There are no shortcuts.

It's a whole new day out there, and in today's job market the old rules of job hunting and career management no longer apply. That means making big adjustments in order to get back to work.

You can't afford not to expend the effort required to translate your skills to a new growth industry. Besides, it's nowhere near as daunting as you might think. Certainly, not as daunting as the prospect of losing your home, watching your retirement funds evaporate and not being able to feed your family.

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