Andy Parkinson’s World

Every week I check dozens of “career” blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about HR secrets, productivity, figuring out what to do with your life, staying hired, and relationships.

From the Evil HR Lady: Super Secret HR Stuff
“I’ve gotten a few questions lately that ask about “secret” HR stuff. So, I’ve decided to spill the secret HR beans and blab about all our secret handshakes and stuff. Except if there are any, no one has given them to me. I suppose this is because I don’t belong to SHRM. Why? My employer won’t pay for it and I’m too cheap to join myself. So, there’s a secret for you!”

Wally’s Comment: The Evil HR Lady shares HR secrets that will make your toes curl. Or maybe not. But they will provide you with some good reading. 

From Slow Leadership: Is Productivity Personal?
“It seems to me that productivity is essentially subjective; only part of it is about getting things done more easily or doing more in less time. The main element lies in gaining a sense of accomplishment: the feeling that you have done what needed to be done, done it well and done it as effectively as you could, given the time and resources available. Unfortunately most personal productivity tools use quantitative approaches based on measuring time or resources or both, taking no account of the qualitative and emotional elements.”

Wally’s Comment: Carmine Coyote always has thoughtful posts. This one is about the emotional side of productivity.

From Penelope Trunk: How to figure out what you should be doing with your life
“There is no other way to figure out where you belong than to make time to do it and give yourself space to fail, give yourself time to be lost. If you think you have to get it right the first time, you won’t have the space really to investigate, and you’ll convince yourself that something is right when it’s not. And then you’ll have a quarterlife crisis when you realize that you lied to yourself so you could feel stable instead of investigating. Here’s how to avoid that outcome.”

Wally’s Comment: Penelope Trunk is indeed a Brazen Careerist. She also makes sense. In this post she advocates doing your basic career planning right the first time. There are no guarantees that will result in success, but it sure will increase your odds.

From What Would Dad Say: Don’t Fire Yourself
“Companies are laying people off for any number of economic reasons. Laying off, firing, reduction in work force they sound different but the result is: you don’t have a job. Here are some easy ways to avoid firing yourself.”

Wally’s Comment: Sometimes not getting fired is a matter of avoiding the stupid and the self-destructive.

From Personal Branding: Your Personal Brand Has a Half-life
“Relationships are only as strong as the value placed on the relationship by the least interested party. In other words – reciprocity defines the value of a relationship.”

Wally’s Comment: Relationships are the stuff you build your life on. Keeping them vibrant and healthy is important. And it’s simple. It’s just not easy.