GET SPECIFIC

The most low-risk way to think about your next career step is something you can even do at your desk: make a list. What is it about your job that you like? What aspects give you a sense of accomplishment? Which leave you feeling depleted? Are the hours great but the work soulless? Do you feel like you’re helping people but the pay barely covers your expenses? Like your co-workers but find you have to work individually more than you’d like? Get specific about where there’s room for improvement, so that when you see the qualities you’re looking for in the next position you’ll recognize them.

BUILD YOUR SKILL SET

Often employers will pay for or subsidize classes that will allow their employees to bring top-notch design, copy-editing or computer skills to the office. Think about certifications that might make you a more attractive candidate or certain skills you need to brush up on or areas where you could use some improvement (spreadsheets, anyone?). You’ll meet people in related fields, gain some extra confidence, and have a concrete skill set to add to your resume.

Looking for work? Check out Monster’s diversity job listings on BlackPlanet.com here!

Read the rest of the story here on Shine.com.

Start Gallery

So what’s the impetus for our unrealistic expectations and subsequent career dissatisfaction? My work in talent recruitment has taught me that yes, sheer naiveté is one minor causes—but more heavily it is the lack of guided self-reflection that has many of us considering a misaligned career. In the same way that one shouldn’t force their size eight foot into a size six, many of us are trying to force our way into jobs outside of our true interests and skill set, creating overall work displeasure and thus, burn out.

In this tough economy, it’s hard to resist applying to any and every job, but landing an ill-fitting job has inevitable negative side effects.  It is far more important for any career to narrow your job hunt based on some serious self-reflection.

Before you continue your job search think deeply about the following:

1.    Reflect on your passions: For many this alone can seem like an overwhelming task. It doesn’t have to be. Think about it this way: When do you experience the most joy? As you reflect on your current or most recent job consider the parts of your day you enjoy the most and the least. What aspects of your work do you find motivating? What are the things you do outside of work that keep you balanced?  Identifying these things will often lead us closer to understanding our passions and extrinsic and intrinsic motivations.  Finding a job that aligns with these things is a win!

2.    Take inventory of your skills: What ‘tangible’ skills have you acquired through your career?  Are you a skilled communicator? Do you have management skills? Are you a strong project manager etc? An important distinction should be made between attributes and skills, as they’re quite different. Being an expert in PowerPoint is different than noting that you’re a patient person. As you seek your next job opportunity, make sure it aligns with the skills you enjoy using.

3. Where do you want to professionally develop? This question should not only incite reflection around self-identified weaknesses, but also other areas of development that may have been untapped given the nature of your previous work experience. Are you looking for an opportunity to manage adults, or for projects to push your skills in Excel? Look for opportunities that will strengthen your skill set and further you down the path to your long-term goals.  Neglecting this focus could lead to job dissatisfaction.

Thinking through the above tips is only a start. As we consider our various career paths, we must look beyond the idea of a fulfilling job, and more towards an opportunity that allows us to walk within our purpose.  The more aware we are of our gifts and passions, the closer we are to walking towards that which is innate to our success.

Jovian Zayne is a writer, photographer and occasional radio co-host in New York City.  Read more from Jovian on her personal blog Word Up Haay!. Join her on twitter via @jovizi for laughs, encouragement and your daily dose of quick wit.

More “Women In The Workplace”

Why Having A Mentor Is Necessary For Success

Playing to Win: How To Position Yourself As The MVP Of Your Workplace

5 Ways To Resolve Work Drama Without Losing Your Cool

(Not So) Small Talk: 5 Topics You Should Avoid Talking About At Work

1. Manage expectations: Most work conflict often stems from a lack of clear communication which leads to assumptions and misunderstandings. Manage up to your boss or down to your team with clear expectations about what you will and will not do, or what you can and cannot do given your capacity. As you begin to work on a new project, be sure to dig deeply into your specific responsibilities and the responsibilities of your teammates. Doing this on the front end allows you to avoid a serious misunderstanding down the line.  Most importantly, don’t be afraid to tell your team when you’re struggling. If you need help on an assignment, or instructions clarified once again, ask for help! Some of us find ourselves in unnecessary stress because we want to wear the superwoman “S” on our chest instead of seeking support.  Forget the superwoman cap and be real about your human limitations.

2. Appeal to our collective humanity. Your boss is human. Yes, believe it or not, he or she often feels stressed, overwhelmed and anxiety about performing on the job.  The people you work with are human and they laugh, cry, and have feelings just like you. Make time to truly get to know one other. Perhaps you could start each meeting with a personal catch up time. What are their plans for the weekend? How’s their family? You never know the outside stress someone’s bringing into the workplace. Finding time to share these stories creates a deeper sense of partnership, camaraderie and collaboration.  It will also help you avoid an argument that at its inception had nothing to do with you.  Ever got in an argument with a co-worker who just got dumped? Yeah, it’s not pretty.

3. People are less inclined to be antagonistic to those who generally give off a good vibe.  As author David Brook’s cites in “Social Animals,” ninety percent of emotional communication is nonverbal.  Gestures not only help us express our feelings but further constitute them. If you don’t want to be known as the wise cracking “b&*ch” then why are you always rolling your eyes and sucking your teeth? No one wants to work with someone who’s always contrary and carries an attitude like it’s her purse.  Find your joy and bring it to work!

4. Think before you speak: Sounds so simple right? Well, it’s not. In the heat of the moment it’s easy to pop back with a quick retort, or throw up your hands in exasperation.  Next time you’re frustrated, politely excuse yourself, take some deep breaths and reflect on your role in the conflict. Accept your blame and instantly begin thinking of solutions. Staying in the center of conflict is like quicksand and you will get no where.  Instead of moping in the mess, reflect and get ready to resolve like a team player.
Want some help putting these tips into action? Consider the below.

Tips in practice:

• Start team meetings with a “High & Lows” section where team members share one good, and one bad thing happening in their life.
• When you begin working with a new team/boss create a separate meeting to describe your working styles. (Do you communicate better via email or phone? Do you work better in the morning or evening? Etc )
• Establish a monthly happy hour/team outing. Rotate venues to provide an inclusive atmosphere to account for the diversity of thought and perspective in your team.
• Identify a ‘safe’ space in your office.  Pick a secret corner, bathroom stall, elevator etc that you can retreat in moments of heavy conflict. Use this space to help you cool off.

GET SPECIFIC

The most low-risk way to think about your next career step is something you can even do at your desk: make a list. What is it about your job that you like? What aspects give you a sense of accomplishment? Which leave you feeling depleted? Are the hours great but the work soulless? Do you feel like you’re helping people but the pay barely covers your expenses? Like your co-workers but find you have to work individually more than you’d like? Get specific about where there’s room for improvement, so that when you see the qualities you’re looking for in the next position you’ll recognize them.

BUILD YOUR SKILL SET

Often employers will pay for or subsidize classes that will allow their employees to bring top-notch design, copy-editing or computer skills to the office. Think about certifications that might make you a more attractive candidate or certain skills you need to brush up on or areas where you could use some improvement (spreadsheets, anyone?). You’ll meet people in related fields, gain some extra confidence, and have a concrete skill set to add to your resume.

Looking for work? Check out Monster’s diversity job listings on BlackPlanet.com here!

Read the rest of the story here on Shine.com.

Start Gallery

Here are some tips on how to find part-time work even if you’re still employed:

Before you start searching for a part-time job, there are a few things to consider, especially if you already have a job and you’ll be layering part-time work on top of that.

1. If you have a full-time job, try to find something that is compatible with your full-time job. So, if you have a job that requires you to be functioning early in the morning hours, bartending into the wee hours would probably not be a wise choice. Also try to find work that doesn’t create conflicts of interests with your main job — so if you’re a patent reviewer for the federal government, I wouldn’t recommend consulting for inventors coming before the U.S. Patent Office.

2. Can you find a position that will take you in a direction you want to go? Say you were laid off from a position as an accountant and you still want to work in that field. Take a look at growing fields — like healthcare and clean energy and see if any firms in those sectors are looking for accounting help.

3. Can you find a job that has some synergies with your current work? For example, if you work in a vet’s office by day, you’re obviously knowledgeable and comfortable around animals. Why not start a side business doing pet-sitting or training?

Looking for work? Check out Monster’s diversity job listings on BlackPlanet.com here!

Click here to read more on Shine.com.

Start Gallery

If you don’t think you’re being judged at work, then think again. Your manager, your co-workers, and even visiting clients have their own impressions of you and your workplace behavior. Admit it, wouldn’t you like to get into the mind of your co-workers and see what they think of you?Most employees don’t get enough feedback to understand what they need to do to succeed at work. In the internet age, people don’t just judge you based solely on their interactions with you at work. They are searching for your name online, through a variety of search engines and social networks. Co-workers are curious to learn more about you, and your personal life, whether you like it or not.

Here are five ways you might be judged at work, without even realizing it:

1. The bad dresser

You know the type of workers that come to work with two different socks on or those that aren’t dressing to fit the corporate corporate. They wear suits in a casual work environment or jeans on Tuesday’s in a more uptight environment. The bad dresser tends to not fit in socially, and therefore is perceived as an outsider to the group. What you wear says a lot about you. You might want to think before you post a photo of your ripped pants online, or before you wear that stained dress shirt to work. The little things matter!

5 Reasons Why Eye Contact Is Important

2. The social networker

Workers are addicted to social networking. Don’t get caught on Facebook by your co-workers or management, or they will perceive you as both unproductive, and not taking work seriously. Social network use in the workplace has risen from 19% to 24%, states a new study by Trend Micro. It’s easy to catch a “social networker” goofing around online because everyone is connected through the web, from Facebook to Twitter. The problem is that when you catch your co-worker updating their Facebook status, you’re just as guilty as them because you’re using it too.

READ THE REST HERE

Shorts That Work For The Workplace

The Hottest Celeb Pics

Start Gallery

The inspiration for this post came from another site. The site is called You Know You Dead Azz Wrong. You may or may not know it, but today, as I scrolled down my Facebook feed I noticed an atrocity that immediately made me stop in my tracks. The owner of the site had the above picture posted along with a caption: This is the reason why people don’t take Black women seriously. After spending a few seconds analyzing the picture and determining that each nail represented an accessory to breakfast cereal. I couldn’t argue with the comment. Obviously we are not to blame completely, but we are partly to blame for the demise of own image.

I have said this before and I am going to say it again. I think that black women are some of the baddest, most beautiful, flyest, chicks on the planet hands down. However, we can simultaneously be our own worst enemy by behaving, and dressing like fools and becoming upset when people treat us accordingly.

The picture posted above is a prime example of what I speak of. Where is this woman going to work at with those nails? An employer would take one look at her and those nails and know from that moment that she is not someone that he should respect or take seriously in any way. She limits her own growth and possibly her potential overall by even placing something like that on her body.

3 Ways To Stand Out In The Workplace

Stop and think sistas. These are the little things that we as Black women, do not always consider. It is not so much as trying to conform to what society says we should be or attempting to look like the “other”. It is more so knowing that there is a time and a place for everything. Also, realizing that in this world we live in, we will be judged. Part of our judgment will include how …..To read the rest go to YeahSheSaidIt

Is Being Older Really Wiser In The Workplace?

The Hottest Celeb Pics

Start Gallery

How many of us have wanted to say Take This Job and Shove It? I’m sure you’ve all heard about the Jet Blue flight attendant who did just that.  The 38-year-old flight attendant allegedly cursed out an entire aircraft, grabbed a beer and then exited the plane by deploying the emergency slide. Dramatic or what???

Here are 8 of the most memorable moments the movies have given us of saying, “I quit!”

1. The “Mad as Hell” method

‘Network’ (1976)

Even if you’ve never seen this cynical ’70s flick, you definitely know this famous rant: “I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!” It’s actually not a scene in which anchorman Howard Beale (Peter Finch) quits his job, but it is one where he completely loses it and urges everyone watching at home to do the same thing. He orders the audience, “I want you to get up right now, open it, stick your head out the window and yell, ‘I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore!’” and sure enough, people everywhere are just as mad as he is.

The “Don’t get mad, get even” method

‘Working Girl’ (1988)

When your boss sets you up with someone who offers you inappropriate come-ons instead of the job you were expecting, here’s what you do: Spray champagne all over the horndog, then march back to the office and broadcast the message that your backstabbing boss is a “sleazoid pimp.” Then walk out, head held high.

See the rest at popeater.com

Start Gallery

Related Links:

Is Being Older Really Wiser In The Workplace?

5 Ways You’re Judged At Work

The release of last month’s employment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that black teen unemployment was at 38 per cent of the participating labor force of this demographic. This is particularly concerning as we enter the summer months where teens are easily distracted by external influences and a lack of school responsibilities. So what can you do to keep your teen out of trouble? This is what we think:

1. Send him/her to Grandma’s

If she’s still with you, there may be no more reassuring way to get your kid into line than sending him or her over to Grandma’s house.

Unemployment Drops For Black Women By 10%

You’ll be rest assured that G will be dissing out some of the same strong-handed treatment she gave you as a child. Your teen is bound to learn all about respect, responsibility and cleaning in between the tiles of the bathroom.

2. Get him/her voluntary work at your place of employment

Once again, it may not be possible to pursue this course of action but you could at least try.

5 Charities To Help A Girl Out In Today’s Economy

To have your kid delivering the mail in your office, or washing up at your work’s kitchen, could be a great way to keep him or her out of trouble. They might even get a few bucks out of it in the process.

3. Find out about any summer school possibilities to keep his/her brain active

Some schools, churches and community groups offer summer programs to further teens’ learning experience or to keep them occupied during the long summer months. These can make for a great transition into the following school year and may even have your teen ahead of his or her pupils. Contact your local school, church or any teen-related community group to see what they have on offer.

Start Gallery

Firstly, there are some parts of the country that are less favorable for black job seekers. On June 8, the Economic Policy Institute – a research organization based in Washington D.C. – revealed that black unemployment in Detroit and Minneapolis was at a rate of over 20 percent. St. Louis, Las Vegas and Memphis were not far behind.

The South in general can also be particularly difficult for black female workers. Because there is a concentration of black communities in the South, much seasonal and agricultural work means employment levels fluctuate for black workers.

The financial crisis was also still problematic for black women. The secondary labor market that support many black women in employment was severely hit by high rates of bankruptcy and job losses.

There is good news for black women though. Improvements to organizational structures have allowed for an increase in the amount of black women in positions of higher employment.

A few years ago Essence Magazine’s Jayme S. Gayney profiled America’s top 25 Greatest Companies for Black Women. Some standouts included Coca Cola, Colgate, Citigroup and Comcast at various locations across the country.

Companies surveyed were reviewed on their treatment of diversity through policy implementation and general treatment of all workers. These policies were tested in practice by research from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Looking for work? Check out Monster’s diversity job listings on BlackPlanet.com here!

It’s our time to shine this month with the release of the official unemployment data of May, which suggest that black women made the biggest improvements in unemployment.

Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows a 10 per cent decrease in unemployment for black women from 13.7 per in April to 12.4 in May.

REPORT: Median Wealth For Single Black Women Is $5

As a demographic, black women were the highest achievers this month.

Unemployment for white women remained steady at 7.4 per cent. However the gap between women from both racial groups remains alarmingly high at around 65 per cent.

3 Ways To Save Your Job

Keep an eye out for some upcoming features on Hello Beautiful about niche labor opportunities for black women.

But in the meantime, what factors in modern America do you attribute to the difficulties facing black women in the employment market?

Start Gallery

RadarOnline.com has obtained court papers that states despite having a pre-nup agreement, Tyrese Gibson has “already paid $75,000 worth of Norma’s professional fees and costs for a marriage which lasted less than 10 months. Prior to this 10 month marriage, respondent and I entered into a prenutpial agreement which resolved all issues between us, other than those pertaining to our minor child.”

Click here to see the court papers

Tyrese’s attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan requested that Norma take a vocational exam! “Ms. Gibson can and should seek employment and is lawfully employable in the United States at this time.”

Tyrese admits he messed up his marriage

Tyrese states he spends about $4000 a month on clothes, $2200 on dining out and $1900 in groceries. He also says that he has no movies lined up to film in 2009.

I’m not mad at Tyrese for this one!!!

Are Tyrese and Sanaa Lathan dating?

BP Member sadgyrlhush6

BP member sadgyrlhush6 open the discussion in the forum titled Workers in the S-ex Industry Deserves the Same Rights… with the statement “Can you imagine?” Weigh in with your opinion here.