8/6/09: 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 grit, how to avoid becoming a ghost, enriching your career, tips for older(!) job seekers, and how not to look old.
From the Boston Globe: The truth about grit
“Modern science builds the case for an old-fashioned virtue – and uncovers new secrets to success.”
Wally’s Comment: Staying with it is hard when the work is difficult and the goal is over the horizon, but that’s what “grit” is. It’s the ability to keep going when there’s a setback or a rough spot in the road. The term is quaint, but the concept is powerful and important.
From Management Excellence: 18 Ideas to Avoid Becoming a Ghost While Between Jobs
“I had a chance to chat with a number of recent and not so recent additions to the ranks of unemployed professionals, and to a person, they reported experiencing a range of emotions, most particularly, an uncomfortable feeling of helplessness, and in one case, an increasing sense of futility. The individuals also agreed that the fight for economic and mental survival is a two-front war….taming the internal demons and turning what one described as creeping lethargy into action. We discussed coping strategies, and here’s the list of very compelling suggestions offered up for anyone uncomfortably thrust into the role of formerly employed. If you or someone you know is dealing with this challenge, you might want to pass the ideas along.”
Wally’s Comment: One place you need grit is if you’re unemployed for a while. Art Petty shares some ideas about how to keep from becoming a shade of your former self.
From Modite: How to innovate your career
“When careers were based more on hierarchy, and work was more about getting a paycheck than knowledge, it didn’t really matter what you did. But today’s worker no longer desires swanky salaries or titles (although those don’t hurt, certainly), but instead searches for work experiences that can contribute to their lives.”
Wally’s Comment: I disagree with this post in one way. I don’t think that seeking learning in a work experience is a generational thing. But I do think that in a knowledge economy where what you know makes up a huge chunk of your qualifications, that learning everything you can on every job you have is a necessary habit to acquire.
From Karen Burns at US News and World Report: 20 Job-Hunting Tips for the ‘Older’ Worker
“Let’s face it, when 50-something workers get laid off, it is harder for them to find new jobs. If this is you, it may be time to consider these tips.”
Wally’s Comment: From the perspective of 63, it’s a tad disconcerting to see 50 deemed “older,” even though I know that’s true in the workplace. I also know two other things. Those over 50 or so (maybe 45) have different challenges than their younger colleagues when looking for work. And I know that Karen Burns is great at shining light in dark corners.
From Working the New Economy: Are your work habits making you look old?
“A new book, “How Not to Act Old,” by Pamela Redmond Satran is climbing the ranks of the Amazon humor section. I’ve read it and like most humor, there’s a lot of truth behind its snarky advice and tips for middle aged folks who are starting to feel like they “just don’t get those young people.” Satran dissects and contrasts the habits of the old (basically, anyone over 40) with those of their children (or those young enough to be their children) decoding everything from the way different groups use technology (old people leave voicemails; young people assume people will see a missed call and return it), to the way they use language (old people smoke pot; young people call it weed); and even attitudes towards bikini waxing (fodder for a whole mini chapter). As someone who has been working long enough to remember wearing pantyhose to my first two jobs as a lawyer (yes, I’m that old) and who now wonders whether I can get away with wearing leggings to a professional event, I appreciated Satran’s take on how not to act old at work. I asked her for some customized tips for readers who want to appear a little younger in their use of technology in their careers. Here’s what she had to say:”
Wally’s Comment: If I was disconcerted by 50 being called “older,” I was intrigued by this post. Honestly I can’t decide if it’s powerfully insightful or neatly stacked, brightly painted rubbish. But I think it’s worth a read, and not just if you’re old. Read it as a way to look at the other age group from the one you’re in. Then communicate in ways comfortable for the other person.