Careers

Guest post by Daniela Baker - On average, a person born between 1957 and 1964 works in at least eleven different jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. While career and job changes used to be rare and infrequent, those who are in midlife today are taking more risks than ever. If you want to be among the many who completely changes directions – going from a job in engineering to one in catering, perhaps, or from a career in education to one in web design, maybe – then you need to make sure you consider your options carefully.

A midlife career change is a big deal. While it can work out to the advantage of many people, those who are most successful have though through the process very carefully before making the leap. Here are a few things to consider before making a midlife career change:

It feels like networking is one of the preferred buzz words these days. If you are used to reading blogs in this niche, there’s not a chance that you haven’t bumped into a “networking” post: network to get a job, network to increase exposure, network to move up the social ladder, network blah…

Truth is that this term is being used in an utilitarist way. It’s always the means to get something out of someone for your own benefit.

Don’t get me wrong, I got nothing against getting benefits for myself, but let me point out why networking done this way is pointless, shallow and can only lead to short term benefits, if any.

For decades, there was no argument: if you have a job interview, you must wear a suit. Things change and the dress code is no exception to this natural rule. A few weeks ago, I promised James -one of our most active patrons- I would do some research and get ...

Guest post by  Jacelyn Thomas - Staying motivated to get up and go to work every morning at 9 am (or, god forbid, earlier) can be a real challenge. Even the most motivated of individuals have those days where they just don’t want to work. However, it is essential in today’s competitive job market that we stay active, alert, and motivated with our work. Employees who put in their full effort all the time are the ones that move on to bigger and brighter futures. We can likely all admit it—there are days that we are under motivated and fairly in active at work. Rather than waste your employers’ and your own time, find ways to stay motivated throughout your work day and before you go in.

Guest post by Sasha Gibbs - Humans are gifted with an innate ability to produce innovative ideas. The only thing that makes a difference is the way of perceiving things.

Basically, there are two kinds of people. The first kind possesses what is called the “drawing room psychology”, which is another way of saying that their ideas are lost or forgotten as soon as they leave the room. The second type of people are generally successful in their lives and keep ideas in their mind, breed them and later when time comes, transform those ideas into reality.

In our daily lives, we think a lot and come up with some great ideas but unfortunately though, we hardly ever find the time or the guts to implement those ideas.

No wonder why Southwest Airlines is so well rated in customer service (link to airlinequality.com).

Some jobs are so regulated and uptight that anything resembling normal human behavior tends to get forbidden.

I was surprised to find that something so boring, dull and repetitive as a pre-flight safety briefing could be turned into an enjoyable experience, as demonstrated by the flight attendant below.

Sometimes you don’t need to put extra hours, suck up to your boss or be a swiss watch at your job to get recognized and praised.

Sometimes, being yourself, is more than enough.

Cheers to this guy: [video after the jump]

You know what pisses me? People that label themselves as CEO.

Dictionary.com doesn’t say much: CEO: chief executive officer. Although, I found a more complete definition at BusinessDictionary.com and some funny definitions at urbandictionary.com -if you are in for a quick laugh-.

I also did a quick search on Linkedin to get some grounds to rest my case and these are some of the results I got:

Guest post by Angelita Williams - Years ago when I first graduated from college, I had a difficult time finding my dream job. Too clumsy to wait tables and no patience for retail, I decided to look in the classifieds for a quiet office job to fill the void.

All of the postings seemed boring—until I ran across one that caught my eye: “First Impressions Officer for Hire, Bachelor’s Degree Preferred But Not Mandatory.” I remember immediately thinking, “I have a bachelor’s degree! And this sounds fun and important.” A phone and in-person interview later, I finally realized that First Impressions Officer was just a fancy way of saying receptionist, but I took that job and proudly presented myself as a First Impressions Officer to family and friends.

Alright, if you are at work, stop for a second and take a look around your cubicle. Does it look so bad that It could actually qualify as art? Is a video of that piece of art worth an exchange for a brand new office space? And you think… who could possibly want to reward my messy-ness?