6 Work Opportunities that can Hurt Your Career

6 Work Opportunities that can Hurt Your Career A constant forward trajectory is an ideal path for your career. Unfortunately, career paths are rarely a straight line, often involving experiences that can end up being a step backward rather than forward. Even a salary increase or promotion, for example, could be considered a step back if it takes you away from your passions and talents. Maintaining a forward path is easier if you’re able to recognize opportunities that, despite some advantages, are ultimately a step backward in your career. Here are six examples. 1. Receiving a Promotion That Detaches You From Your Passion and Skills Its hard turning down a promotion. Many of us need a steady income to cover the bills, so turning down a promotion seems counterintuitive to living life. In an ideal situation, you’ll earn a promotion to a position that utilizes your skills and passions, though thats not always the case. A promotion that shifts you to a department or task that doesnt use your strengths can result in reduced work results down the line, transforming your position from secure to on the hot seat. Beyond that, an additional workload involving tasks you have no passion for can lead to increased workplace stress. 2. Accepting a Speaking Opportunity for an Unfamiliar Topic Public speaking presents an excellent opportunity for establishing new connections and leads. Showing your expertise via public speaking helps to build your brand and enhance your integrity. However, being tasked to speak about a topic you have no interest or experience with can do the opposite, devaluing your brand and potentially showing you as unprepared and not passionate. Theres nothing wrong with learning about a new topic to appear competent, though investing too much time and public attention on a subject beyond your specialty can detract from your actual goals and skills. If your brand exists in too many niches, others may be skeptical if you may spread yourself too thin. 3. Taking on a Workload That Presents No Time for Side Projects A promotion typically involves a heavier workload, though a job that removes any time whatsoever from your downtime is unhealthy. Side projects from some entrepreneurs, conducted away from or in the office, tend to evolve into successes. You can anticipate a heavier workload, though if its derailing a lucrative side project of yours, the workload may be doing more long-term harm than good. 4. Working in an Industry That Doesn’t Align With Your Long-Term Goals Receiving a better role at work is technically a step forward in that industry, though if you were previously considering switching industries due to passion and interest, it could be a step backward. Despite a higher salary and glowing new title, you may spend ample time deliberating what could have been if you followed your passions. Ask yourself about the potential of your current position, asking if being the CEO of your present company would satisfy you more than starting your endeavor with your passions and talents in mind. If not, the promotion may not be a positive thing, after all. 5. Staying in a Job That No Longer Presents Learning Opportunities Despite a higher salary and new title, your time spent at work can feel pointless if youre learning nothing at all. Every industry is continually evolving, so even the highly experienced and knowledgeable in a specific niche should be learning at work on a daily basis. However, if your new promotion puts you in a position where you do the same thing day after day or are monitoring those who are similarly disinterested, the promotion can be a step back. You could be spending your time on a creative venture with greater potential instead. 6. Having an Increased Role With More Travel If you love to travel and enjoy your job, then a promotion that involves ample travel can be a great thing. However, if traveling stresses you out, the new role may not be a good fit, even if you don’t mind the actual work. Traveling abroad has numerous psychological impacts involving fatigue and lack of focus for some. Having to travel, on top of a more significant workload, can present a recipe for disaster and inefficient work results. Have you experienced a career opportunity that at first glance was great, though ended up being a step backward? Share in the comments below and subscribe for more advice to help you get ahead in your career. Get everything you need to build a career you love by signing up for the newsletter.

Writing Resume When Switching Career Paths

Writing Resume When Switching Career PathsIn many situations, a person may be in the middle of a career change and may not even be sure that they are good at writing resumes. Here is what you need to know to get started with this important job application document. Remember, you will find that there are very few job openings out there for someone who is not really interested in the craft of resume writing, so don't just give up.When applying for a job, you need to have your actual job in mind. If you are currently in school, it will help you a lot if you have a current school or university degree. You don't want to send a resume to an employer who hasn't ever heard of you. If you have been employed at any company within the last few years, make sure that you list your position and any other relevant details on your resume.The actual job you are applying for will play a big role in what job is available. There are many companies out there that might not be hiring at the moment. This i s why it's important to read up on all of the different possibilities available to you before submitting your resume. It is always smart to check out the company to which you are applying as well.The more detail you can add on your resume, the better off you will be. Sometimes, employers will want extra information that will show your versatility. This is why it is good to write down everything you can remember about the job. Keep in mind that you should be trying to add your personality to the job description. If you are not interested in changing careers, it is always a good idea to add a few key words like 'inspiration', 'challenge'humor'.The resume should go with the overall style of the position. If you are going to be working for an organization where it is a traditional resume format, you will need to keep the same look. However, if you are applying for a business type of position, then you should make sure that you include the keywords in business, management, or business-ty pe. Keep the font size consistent. Some resume templates even let you customize it to fit in the text box. Don't forget to keep the title professional and clean.A resume can only really open up to you once you have had the opportunity to interview for the job. Many people do not realize that their resume will come across as unprofessional if it does not match the employer's expectations. Try to include some contact information if you are aware of a job opening in the area.So, don't wait too long to send out your resume. With a little time and a little effort, you will be a step ahead of the competition. Good luck!

Why Women Talk Less Than Men at Work

Why Women Talk Less Than Men at Work The manterruption is real. Just ask Elisabeth Bik, a microbiology researcher at Stanford. In a post on Twitter, Bik voiced her suspicion that her male colleagues spoke significantly more than her female coworkers in meetings. So she decided to put her theory to the test. The results will likely not surprise you. At one point, a male colleague noticed what Bik was doing and claimed the difference wasn’t because of gender but rather a function of personality. That may be true, Bik acknowledged, but she also noted the tendency of male “personalities” to interrupt (or manterrupt, if you will) the women when they did try to speak. What Bik is observing is depressing, but it’s also not out of the ordinary. Study after study has shown that women are interrupted (by both genders) more than men; that men speak significantly more in meetings than women do (one study found they account for 75% of conversation); that even when women speak less they are perceived to have spoken more; and that male execs who talk more than their peers are viewed to be more competent, while female execs are viewed as less competent. Still, scientist Bik raised an interesting question at the end of her thread: Did her group in fact attract personalities that are more prone to interrupting people, regardless of their gender? Deborah Tannen, a professor of linguistics at Georgetown and best-selling author, told the New York Times that “interruptions just reflect different conversational styles or cultural backgrounds.” For example, Tannen compared the conversational styles of New Yorkers with those of Californians and found that New Yorkers interrupted more. She also noted that the more intimately people know each other, the more comfortable they are interrupting each other. But women and men also tend to have different speaking styles overall: Women listen more and expect a certain intimacy, while men, by contrast, are more direct and speak in ways to “position themselves as one up,” according to the Harvard Business Review. Another linguist found that the higher up someone is within a company, male or female, the more likely that person is to interrupt everyone. “The results suggest that women don’t advance in their careers beyond a certain point without learning to interrupt, at least in this male-dominated tech setting,” writes Kiernan Snyder, who conducted the study at her workplace. “This is really striking, and starts to put directional data behind the stereotype whereby strong female leaders are often dismissed with the pejoratives bossy, unpleasant, and bitchy.” Which brings us back to Bik’s point: Women are more likely than men to face negative consequences for being perceived as pushy, aggressive, or assertive in the workplace (and in life in general), which means they may monitor their “personalities” at work so as not to face negative repercussions. We see this in things like salary negotiations, where women are told to smile more and be more genial than men when asking for more money, lest they appear too confident or domineering (a 2005 study found that “[e]valuators penalized female candidates more than male candidates for initiating negotiations” because “[p]erceptions of niceness and demandingness explained resistance to female negotiators.”) As a result, fewer women try to negotiate at all. The one place women actually talk more? In less structured, more cooperative environments. In other words, when there is less fear of being perceived as overbearing, women find their voice.