As the slightly mangled saying goes, “Pobody’s nerfect!” (Translation: “Nobody’s perfect!”) Many of you have probably experienced speed bumps in your career path over the years. If it was because you misread a cue you think you should have spotted, take a deep breath and cut yourself some slack. I believe that perfection is an unattainable goal, and I’m not alone in that belief. Chances are pretty good that excellence will...

When you think about conducting a job search, fun is probably not the first word that springs to mind. On the other hand, summer tends to be viewed by many people as a time for fun. How can you possibly bring those two views together?Job Search and FUNIf you take each letter of the word “fun” and look at what it might stand for, here’s one result you could come up with:?F = Freedom to choose?U = Unlimited potential?N = Nega...

The concept of work-life balance has been around for a long time, but there’s one aspect of it that really got my attention within the last week. I want to share it with you in case you ever have a similar situation. No regrets–that’s my theme.I lost a dear friend a few days ago. I knew she’d been having some fairly significant health issues, but I was hoping for a better outcome for her. What struck me was, after I accepte...

Rewards are what make you feel that a major effort was worthwhile. A rewarding career happens when you make a determined effort to achieve the result you want and see it come to pass, in spite of whatever challenges you might have encountered along the way.The question is, Can you have what you would consider a rewarding career and, if so, what would you need to do to achieve it?No Rewards Without RiskThe odds are great tha...

So the year is half gone, which means it’s time to take stock of your career progress. Where did you start from at the beginning of the year, and where are you now? If you’re not happy with the answer to that question, you might need to take a new approach.Your Goal: Professional GrowthNo one progresses by standing still. You probably started the year with a goal to grow as a professional and maybe advance to a higher posit...

If you can’t get your car in the garage because the space is filled with “stuff” or if you don’t dare open the guestroom door because things might fall on you, you know what clutter is! You have space you can’t use because you’ve filled it with things you never or almost never use. Now translate that image into job searching.Okay, so I know that could be a bit of a mental stretch, but bear with me a little longer.Job Search...

Thoughts of career advancement might have flickered in your brain at the start of the year (when you were considering possible new year’s resolutions), but life happens. Have you given any thought recently to where you stand in regard to your career advancement prospects? First let me back up a bit and ask, “What does career advancement mean to you?” If you haven’t figured that out yet, this would be a good time to think...

If you encounter the specter of unrealistic expectations in your work environment–from your boss or others–you might wonder how it’s possible to take a lighthearted look at that potentially serious situation. However, I believe a little levity isn’t out of line and could help you navigate such a situation if (or when) you do encounter it.I’m happy to share a few that have occurred to me; feel free to add yours to the list b...

“If you hedge your bets, you don’t risk everything on one opportunity, but try more than one thing” (www.usingenglish.com). That’s not a bad approach to adopt if you want to pursue long-term career success, as well as shorter-term job satisfaction.The future is necessarily at least somewhat uncertain, unpredictable. Your overall career success could hinge a lot on recognizing this fact and taking preemptive action to increa...

Do your work-days seem increasingly stressful? Are you finding it harder to see a light at the end of the tunnel?Maybe you need to find a way to beat stress before it beats you–and turns into burnout!Job Stress: Why It HappensOf course, job stress doesn’t necessarily happen in a vacuum (that is, at work). Taking work home with you at night could be a contributing factor to stress in areas outside the work environment.That s...