2/18/10: Top Career Posts this Week
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 asking the right question, the length of your resume, motherhood and the CV gap, the indirect approach, and great (seriously) career advice.
From Jason Seiden: Practical Inspiration: Burst Your Own Bubble
“To guard against walling yourself off from change when it comes knocking on your door, start reaching outside your industry or profession. Now. Today. Talk to others about what you do every day and ask them how they would handle it.”
Wally’s Comment: Even if you’re not facing change in your company or industry, bursting your own bubble is a smart move. Best practices come from inside the bubble, but breakthrough ideas come from outside.
From Career Rocketeer: Too Long or Too Short?
“One discussion that arises often is regarding an appropriate length of a resume… always one page? Two pages? Are 3, 5, or more pages ever appropriate? I believe there’s a definitive answer to that question: “It depends!””
Wally’s Comment: No there is no magic length for a resume. But there is good advice about how long your resume should be.
From Dorothy Dalton: Motherhood and the CV Gap
“One of the most frequently asked questions that I am ever asked, both as a recruiter and as a career coach, is about handling gaps in a CV caused by taking time out to raise a family. ”
Wally’s Comment: Even with men taking paternity leave, women face a career challenge that few if any men will ever face. This one of those situations where there are no easy answers, only intelligent choices. Dorothy Dalton lays them out for you in what is the very best post I have ever seen on this topic.
From the Harvard Business Review: Four Ways to Attack the Castle — and Get a Job, Get Ahead, Make Change
“A wise mentor once explained his strategy for getting things done when faced with an impregnable organizational fortress. He likened it to a medieval castle that doesn’t want you inside and doesn’t want change.”
Wally’s Comment: Rosabeth Moss Kanter struggles with the castle analogy at the beginning, so if that bothers you, just keep reading. There’s plenty of good stuff here. And the principle she refers to, forgoing the frontal assault for a more indirect approach is the most common finding of the “secrets” of successful battlefield commanders.
From Great Leadership: Career Advice Part 5: The Best Career Advice Ever You Will Ever Get
“This is the final part of a 5 part career advice series. The others were: 1. Don’t Settle; 2. Never Stop Learning; 3. Lateral Moves; 4. You Have to Ask. Throughout this series, I’ve tried to incorporate advice that I’ve received and used from a variety of sources including former managers and mentors, with a little best practice research sprinkled in.”
Wally’s Comment: It doesn’t get better than this. I’m pointing you to the fifth of Dan McCarthy’s five-part series. This post includes links to all the others. Read them. Bookmark them. Read them again.