Ioana Lazarov is a Careers Blogger for Express and Star, and a contributor to a number of other sites. She is a graduate of University of Wolverhampton School of Applied Sciences with a Bachelor of Science with Honors in Psychology, and additionally holds a Life Coaching Diploma. Her career pursuits and passions include Psychology and Mental Health Rehabilitation, Automotive Electric Systems Manufacturing and Engineering and Retail. When she’s not tweeting, facebook-ing and blogging, she enjoys the finer things in life: friends, food, traveling and sports.
Iolazarov has written 21 awesome articles for us at FT Careers Blog
With the increase of time we spend at work it is no wonder some of us would find the idea of dating someone from the office appealing.
Although statistically it is more likely to meet a suitable partner in such an environment, giving in to the temptation of mixing personal and ...
{ 2 comments }
By Ioana Lazarov - It is not uncommon in our organisational settings to encounter the species called: the atrocious office slacker.
And while this fragment of your work life gets your blood boiling to the point you actually contemplate resignation, just for the sake of your sanity, you attempt to convey(yet again!) your opinion on work values, ethics and performance.
No, no, no, no!
Your enthusiastic speech is met by a blank stare, as if those words were never introduced to the slacker’s vocabulary.
His/her brain processes turn your grammatically correct, coherent information exchange into a distorted (close to a nightmare) image, ready to be discarded in the out-of-memory bin.
Yup, you’ve done your homework and after calculating all the possible outcomes, you are still surprised the atrocious office slacker passed the interview stage and into your life.
And you get to terms with the fact that maybe, just maybe, s/he will quit their job so you no longer need anger management.
{ 4 comments }
Guest Post by Ioana Lazarov – The workplace is a platform where characters and strengths are built, new friendships are formed and achievement potential is uncovered. But for those who see ourselves in a less favourable light, assuming achievement is a result of “some mysterious fluke or luck or great effort” (Clance, 1985, p. 9), the deep and destructive internalized conviction can lead to the most debilitating effects.
Often times, starting a new career can present us with some physical and psychological difficulties and overwhelming feelings of anxiety can dominate our every thought.
The occupational emphasis on performance added to a role that may represent a personal and professional challenge often requires a speedy adjustment to the new team, work schedule and the new area or location. This can push us to feel on shaky grounds and unfamiliar territories.
Most companies and organisations have a set regular performance review agenda with detailed feedback on your progress from both superiors and peers. However, when impostor feelings persistently make their presence, the sapped anticipatory enthusiasm becomes spirit-deadening, turning every positive comment into self-doubting your intellectual ability or suitability for the new role.
This often leads to misinterpret any constructive criticism, the pervasive fear of being discovered as a fraud exacerbates, translating into taxing behaviours such as over-preparation or procrastination.
A term first coined in 1978 by clinical psychologists Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes, the Impostor Phenomenon has been in the interest of many scientist and researchers. This fructuous labour has provided insight into the triggers of the impostor feelings and aided the development of coping strategies.
Additionally to extensive article publications surrounding the Impostor Phenomenon, here are some self-reflective techniques that might be useful:
{ 8 comments }
Guest Post by Ioana Lazarov – The notion of happiness as a personality trait or predisposition is not a relatively new term but one that is often linked to increased job-satisfaction.
However, when it comes to the outward expression of happiness one predominant side-effect is increased social interaction.
Consequently, would your boss be pleased to have diminished productivity as a result?
A major factor of concern for current employers is the amount of time their employees spend on what seem trivial occurrences during the working day.
Coffee breaks, a quick chatter by the water coolant to catch up with the office gossip, surfing the net or social networking sites, reading every non-work related email that comes through (including junk mail, you know you’ve done it) or the occasional day-dreaming leaving companies to pay a high price for employee’s feel good habits.
{ 5 comments }
