Interpersonal Communication Skills – 5 Tips

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I went to the dentist (Dr Sood) today and it was a great experience.  You may ask “what does this has to do with interpersonal communication skills or my career?”  Well, you will see after I tell this story.  As you may remember, I wrote about interpersonal skills examples last July after my last visit to the same dental office.  That time, my experience was terrible.  A different dentist (Dr. Vo) saw me at the same office.  Dr Vo probably graduated from the top of her class and everything she told me was probably true.  However, it was the way she  interacted with me that made it such a bad experience.  As such, Dr. Vo lost my business forever. ...  read more

Giving Notice at Work – 5 Tips

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At first glance, you may say “what’s the big deal?  Isn’t giving notice at work as simple as telling your boss you quit?” Well, while it does accomplish the task, I recommend a lot more finesse when you give notice at work.  It is in your interest to quit your job gracefully and not burn any bridges.  You just never know who you will work for in the future and whether that person used to be your boss at a different company or knows any of your previous bosses or ex-colleagues.  It’s a small world and in the interest of your own career success, it’s always smarter to leave a job on good terms. ...  read more

How to Sell Your Skills Into a New Industry or Role

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In any job search, it is your job to sell your skills and convince prospective employers that you are the best fit for a job opening.   Being able to sell you skills in any job search situation is important.  It is even more critical to master this skills if you are trying to do a career change – move into a new industry or functional role. ...  read more

Multimedia Resumes – 4 Options that Work

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If you are a qualified candidate and are regularly overlooked, it may be for the simplest reason.  You didn’t plug the right combo of buzzwords into you resume as many companies use software to screen resume before even a recruiter reads them.  While companies and the recruiting industry are realizing the pitfall of this process, you should also consider taking things into your own hands – try creating a multimedia resume to captivate recruiters and prove your qualifications and fit. ...  read more

How to Get Promoted – 6 Tips

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Job promotion is one key way to demonstrate continuing career success.  How to get promoted therefore should be a question you ask at every new company you join.  Why?  Because the key steps needed to getting promoted may not be the same at each company depending on the culture, leadership team, and how they evaluate candidates for promotion.  You should never assume that as long as you do good work, you will get promoted because unfortunately hard work alone cannot guarantee success. ...  read more

Toughest Job in the World

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What do you think is the toughest job in the world?  I am sure there are many including the one in this picture.  All joking aside, for me, I can think of the toughest job that is often overlooked.  Here are some clues as to what this job is.  Can you guess?

  1. You don’t discover how tough this job is until you are on the job.
  2. Your boss is pretty demanding but does not communicate well.  You have to often guess what he/she wants you to do and whether he or she is happy with your work.
  3. Your boss requires you to be on call almost 24/7 in the first few months on the job.
  4. Many people are qualified to do this job but to be really good at it requires a lot of dedication and personal sacrifice.
  5. You are usually thrown into the job without much formal training. No matter how many books you read about it, you will be still scrambling from time to time, especially during the first year.
  6. While you most likely work in a team with at least one other person on this job, nobody else can help you do some parts of this job.
  7. This job usually requires a long term commitment.
  8. While job security is high, you can be fired from this job if you are really bad at it.
  9. You can make a profound difference in someone else’s life in this job.
  10. This job is often under paid and under appreciated by many.  Some people may even look down upon you if you have been at this job full time for awhile.
  11. If you let it, this job can also be one of the most rewarding job you will have .

Your comment: Is it obvious what this job is?  Share your guess and comments below. ...  read more