Blog - Page 58 of 77 - Soft Skills

Time to Relax and Celebrate

by Lei Han

It’s the season to be thankful. Whatever kind of year you may have had, it’s time to take a breather. I hope you are finding time to relax and celebrate the year with family and friends.

Job seekers: Xmas is usually the slowest season for recruiting as many hiring managers are taking vacations and budget for hiring are not set until January. So give yourself permission to enjoy the holidays and start your effort anew in the new year. The only thing you can work on is your resume during the holiday. If you want help, start with this free resume template. ... read more

How to Say No at Work

by Lei Han

It may be hard to think about saying no at work, but sometimes it’s necessary to do so to protect your reputation as well as manage your stress level. This 20 minutes podcast is a live coaching discussion with me regarding why, when, and how to say no at work. There are definitely legitimate reasons and appropriate times to say no. As you will learn, it is beneficial to you and the company to practice how to say no at work. ... read more

How to Find Your Passion – Answer 3 Questions

by Lei Han

How to find your passion is a great question to ask throughout your career. If you are anything like me and about 90% of the work force, then finding your passion is not an easy journey.

When I was a senior in college, I asked myself this question and couldn’t come up with an answer. So I applied to 5 different type of jobs and chose the one that gave me the most skills to do whatever I want afterwards – a McKinsey Analyst. I have since asked myself this question every 2 years and only now, 15 years later, do I have a clearer picture of one of my passion – helping people with work smart and live more through this website. ... read more

Can Facebook Help Your Job Search?

by Lei Han

Can Facebook and other social media sites like Linkedin and Twitter help your job search? Absolutely! See the Infographic below on how Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin are helping people’s job search efforts today. Key statistics from the infographics include

1 in 6 workers use social media to get hired
9 in 10 job seekers has at least one profile on a social media site and 54% of job seekers use Facebook, Twitter, or Linkedin to find jobs
over 18 million Americans say their got their current job using Facebook
50% of job seekers last year says they use Facebook to do job search and 15% says they used Facebook to get a job referral
The more social you are the more likely to find a job on a social media site. “Super social” is defined as having more than 150 contacts on a social media site. 1 in 4 “super social” job seekers find their job using social media (Facebook being the most popular)

3 Tips from the infographics – how to do better job search using social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin

On Facebook – post “notes”: notes stay longer in friends’ feeds. Use them to describe your situation and job interest
On Twitter- follow company and job feeds: follow companies you would like to work for as well as their employees. Contact them directly to inquire about jobs
On Linkedin – add a profile picture – use the same one that you use on multiple sites. This will help you be consistent and memorable.

Here is the infographics from OnlineMBA.com ... read more

Happiness at Work – 10 Tips from Professor Rao

by Lei Han

A friend shared a great book with me by Professor Rao – Happiness at Work. I completely agree with the 10 tips Prof. Rao proposes in his book on how to achieve happiness at work. Let’s face it – there is no perfect job out there. So the key to happiness at work is NOT external circumstance or outcomes in a job. Instead it’s about realizing that in any job, we need to know that we have the power to create our own experience no matter what happens at work. ... read more

Ignore Your “If Only” Thoughts

by Lei Han

Have you ever noticed that we all have “if only” thoughts that keep us from pursuing our dreams? For example:

If only I had more time …
If only I had more money …
If only I had technical skills ….
If only I got my MBA …

I started noticing this thought pattern in my head when I joined NextSpace, a co-working rental work space, six months ago. I decided to rent space outside of my house, since working from home sucked. Since joining, I started meeting all kinds of entrepreneurs. I met one entrepreneur, Nick, who is developing iPhone games for kids. I thought – “How cool is that! He must be an engineer, or knows how to code. If only I could code myself, I could start a tech company, too.” You may be nodding at this point, thinking the same thing. As it turns out, Nick’s background is actually similar to mine: MBA, consulting experience, then corporate experience in Marketing. After we got to talking, I found out that he outsources the coding aspect to a team in the Philippines, and does the design and marketing research himself. Immediately, I thought: “If only I knew how to find good coding resources offshore, I could do the same thing.” There’s a pattern here — for some reason, instead of thinking of what I want to do, I come up with “if only’s” about why I can’t do x y and z. “If only’s” can be endless, since there is always something we don’t know how to do. I started to realize that I hide behind “if only” statements, and if I keep doing that, all I am doing is playing the victim of circumstance in my career and in life. So I ask you – do you ever find yourself saying “if only xyz, I would be able to do abc?” If so, perhaps you can join me in changing the situation, and become the driver instead of the victim. Say this instead: “I want to do abc. Now let me figure how I can get there. Maybe there are some skills I can learn myself, and others I can learn how to outsource.” This new statement assumes an underlying confidence that if I truly want to do something, I can figure out how to get it done. Do you believe this to be true? This new perspective can be powerful for a job search, on the job success, or any challenging life situations.

Job Search Example – You may find yourself in a defeated thought pattern: “If only I had a better education…If only I knew how to write a better resume…” These are all negative thoughts about things you don’t have. It gives us an excuse not to get a job, because we focus so much on our deficiencies. How can companies see the best side of you if you keep focusing on what you aren’t good at? If you’re thinking this way, it’s time to change your perspective: “I am good at x y and z. How can I get the best job possible with the skills I have already? What job search skills can I learn now to get better opportunities in the market?”
On the Job Success Example – You didn’t get the promotion that you were hoping for. You can either choose to blame yourself or others for this: “If only I spoke up more at meetings, like Steve…If only I knew how to play office politics…” Again, negative thought patterns! Focus on what it may take to get promoted next year — learn skills to build your reputation; learn skills to communicate better; learn how to play politics fairly. All of this is possible if you are in action mode.

I guess my point is our inner thoughts can be powerful in motivating or de-motivating us. “If only” is a phrase that often demotivates. It is important to cherish our strength, have confidence in our ability to learn and persevere, and have a positive mindset if we want to accomplish anything. I think these two quotes I found on Twitter best summarize what I want to say in this post:

“Limitations live only in our minds. But if we use our imaginations, our possibilities become limitless.” Jamie Paolinetti
“Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you will start having positive results.” Willie Nelson

I hope this post inspires you to have positive thoughts that lead to positive results in your career and life.

Like this article? then check out our Soft Skills Gym, a 24/7, members only learning community for soft skills development and career advancement. Also, help me out by sharing this post on Linkedin, Email, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, etc. ... read more