When people invest in you and you invest in yourself, you’re far more likely to live a happy, successful and meaningful professional and personal life. Seems logical, right? This week’s ICYMI (In case you missed it) includes a collection of research and advice circling the internet this week focused on how to find a great job, do a great job and be a leader.
Support and experiential learning linked to life preparedness
This just in! A recent Gallup-Purdue survey found that the type of college institutions matter less than experiences students have during their undergrad. Public or private, big or small, ivy-league or community college – doesn’t always matter when it comes to workplace engagement and overall well-being post-college. In fact, graduates with professors who were invested in their development and made them excited about learning are more than two times more likely to be engaged at work. What have we learned? Ongoing mentoring and learning goes a long way when it comes to professional development, career advancement and business growth.
Get the full survey results and insights from the Gallup article, “’Big Six’ College Experiences Linked to Life Preparedness.”
How to stand out at work without looking like an overzealous jerk
Being great at your job isn’t good enough, you also have to be likeable. At least, that’s what recent studies claim. In a Forbes article titled, “7 ways to get noticed at work,” career coach and Forbes contributor, Ashley Stahl states, “The truth is that the people who get promoted are doing more than just getting the work done. Studies show that how we value an employee’s competence changes according to how much we like or dislike that person.” Stahl dives into 7 achievable steps to help you stand out and get in the fast lane for your career advancement.
The steps include:
1. Take initiative
2. Build rapport, everywhere
3. Participate in the office’s extracurricular activities
4. Do business development
5. Be a team player
6. Never talk smack
7. Speak up
Read the full article on Forbes for deeper insights on each step!
Career shift: How to build new expertise at work
It’s true, it’s never too late to change gears and pursue a different field of work. It’s also true that it’s a daunting and scary transition. It takes years to develop the knowledge, expertise, experience and respect in one line of work. To just suddenly change to a new position is big and it takes thorough planning and execution. Dorothy Leonard from Harvard Business Review, offers some sage advice on how to transition into a new career path in a recent article titled, “How to Build Expertise in a New Field.” In the article, Leonard highlights eight steps to developing expertise in a new field. They include:
1. Identify the best exemplars
2. Access the gap between you and them
3. Study on your own
4. Persuade experts to share
5. Learn to pull knowledge
6. Observe experts in action
7. Seek mini-experiences
8. Add visible value as soon as possible
Read the full article on HBR to get some actionable insights!
It’s clear that school isn’t just for learning and work isn’t just for demonstrating skills. People need a diverse blend of ongoing learning, development and mentoring activities throughout their lives, otherwise they’ll stop caring, stop engaging and stop producing.
What do you think?