We can all shy away from solving complex problems because they require effort and time. What's more, is they can often lead to feelings of failure and rejection if our solutions don't go well. Having said that, it's worth considering the upsides of complex problem solving and how it can progress our careers
How do you convey the value of your work and how your efforts are having a positive impact on your company/organisation?
Here are a couple of useful ways to understand what you have achieved and what you have contributed. They should primarily be used for acknowledging your own efforts, but could also be used for having respectful and professional conversations with your manager.
They should not be used in a moment of conflict or as any form of threat. That would be counterproductive - at least in my opinion.
Read MoreShould you do an MBA? Well that depends on what you’re hoping to get out of it. In this video, I’ll discuss 5 of the main reasons people decide to undertake such a big commitment and some points on how to figure out if it’s the right next step for you.
The ultimate question is: will this help you achieve your end goal? (a new job, more knowledge etc.?)
Here is the Article I mention in the video:
4 Things That Set Successful CEOs Apart: https://hbr.org/2017/05/what-sets-successful-ceos-apart#:~:text=to%20high%20performance.-,The%20Findings,proactively%2C%20and%20they%20deliver%20reliably.
Read MoreWhat type of jobs are you looking for? And where are the best places to search for them? I can tell you that most people find searching for jobs online to be a confusing and time-consuming process. So here are a few tips to get you started on the right foot.
Read MoreWhat’s your plan for 2020? Have you got a clear vision in your head? For me, that’s always the first part. If I don’t know what I’m trying to achieve, it’s impossible for me to make a plan around that. So the first thing to do is review the various goals you’d like to achieve (e.g. career, relationship, financial, health, adventure, contribution) and create a vision board
Read MoreJob hunting can be frustrating. You might not get any good responses, you might not get any good feedback, and it might take longer than you’d hoped. So it's important to have a systematic approach to the job hunt. The template below will allow you to keep track of the applications you send and allow you to follow up in a professional manner.
Read MoreThank you for taking the time to review my application for this role. I know these decisions are often tricky and the most likely reason I didn't get an interview is that there were other candidates who were more suitable, which I completely understand.
Also, I really appreciate you following up to let me know I haven't been successful, even though I'm sure you're busy - so thanks for that.
'Lincoln told a story to an audience of generals and admirals about a man who had approached him for a high-ranking government appointment. First, the man asked if he might be made a foreign minister. Upon being turned down, the man asked for a more modest position. Upon being turned down again, he asked for a job as a low-level customs officer. Finding he could not get even that, he finally just asked for an old pair of trousers. Ah, Lincoln laughed as he concluded the story, "it is well to be humble”. '
From The Daily Stoic, by Ryan Holiday
Not being good enough. There, I said it.
It also comes in many iterations as well, e.g. not smart/educated enough; not fast enough; not successful enough; not rich enough, or poor enough (depending on your group) etc.
I've been pondering on this one for a while now as it concerns a huge amount of people that I meet (and of course myself!) - I'm human after all. 'What's the answer? What's the solution?'
I don't know. But here are some thoughts on it:
“Trust the process“ is another way of thinking about patience and persistence. For me, it’s not so much a new idea, but a great mantra to be repeated when we’re not feeling like anything is making a difference.
Read More“You need to sell yourself more“ is a phrase you’ve probably heard one hundred times or more. But the chances are that you don’t like the idea of selling yourself at all. Something about it seems awful, or disingenuous. But, never the less, we need to be able to do it - especially if we’re competing against others who are selling themselves really well. Below are some points you can use to sell yourself well and to talk about yourself in interviews. The idea is that you don’t sell yourself as more than you are, but not less than you are, just exactly as you are, and honestly. That way, you’ll have no trouble backing up what you’ve said and it will give you more confidence when describing your career.
Read MoreI had the opportunity to work with a great team which allowed me to...
My role involves taking responsibility for...
I've really worked hard over the past few years to develop my skills in...
I've been fortunate enough to work with clients/stakeholders and deliver..., which resulted in an increase/improvement
Luckily, after some trial and error, I figured out that..., which was key because it meant that...
The benefit of the (qualifications/experience/manager/mentor) that I've had, ensured that...
The (challenge) that I've had in my previous role has facilitated and empowered my personal/professional development in terms of...
Sending lots of applications to job postings, companies, professional contacts can be confusing. Below I’ve attached a spreadsheet that should help you organise the various applications, along with when you should follow up with them.
I would normally give a company two weeks to respond to an application (maybe longer if it’s the public sector), and then follow up with an email. If there’s no response to that, it's worth calling them a week later to check on the progress of the application.
Read MoreFirstly, you have to consider your financial stability and employment options - you need to be financially stable to leave your job, and ideally you should have another job to go to.
You should leave your job if you are extremely unhappy in it and you’ve been unhappy in it for a while. I think it’s important to acknowledge that we all have parts of our jobs that we don’t like, but we should aim for about 80% or more satisfaction - I think that’s reasonable.
You should leave your job if the environment is toxic and you’ve tried to make it better.
You should leave you job if you get offered a better opportunity with good conditions in the contract.
Sometimes quitting is a job difficult. We worry about the consequences for our career, the rebuttal from our manager or even just an awkward conversation. Lots of different thoughts can go through your mind: “what if they ask me to stay?”, “what if they offer me a position in a different department that I don’t want?“, “what if they guilt me into staying for another few months or promise me there will be changes, when I know in reality that nothing will change?“. And so on…
Read MoreWhat are your targets for this year? It’s the same question if you’re a business owner or an employee.
One of the big issues I see people having in this area is the lack of clarity around what the actual goals are. They might know generally speaking what they have to do - but they don’t know how to do it and when to have it done by. That’s why I created a handy template that you can use to identify and track your goals. Please click the button below to open the document.
Read More
