 Andrea Piacquadio/ Pexels Your career isn’t the most important part of your life. That honour belongs to your family, friends, community, and passions. Yet it would simply be a lie to say that the professional aspect of your life isn’t important at all. It patently is. After all, we spend a significant portion of our lives working, so you’d need to be some sort of robot for it to have no impact whatsoever.
The best-case scenario is that you love your job. At the bare minimum, it should benefit your life. Alas, many people don’t always reach their full professional potential, and that’s all because they make the same old career mistakes as everyone else. We’re here to put that right. Below, we’ll run through some often-seen career mistakes, as well as offer advice on how to put them right. Always Staying With the Same Company It’s good to feel comfortable at work, but it’s best to avoid feeling too comfortable. And that’s especially true if you work for a company that cannot offer you a pathway to superior positions. Studies have shown that people who switch jobs are paid more highly than those who stay with a company. If you’ve been with your company for more years than you remember and can’t imagine things changing, then consider looking for a new job. Finding New Roles On Your Own Don’t get us wrong: it is possible to find a great job on your own. The only thing is, it’s much more difficult. You’ll be much more likely to find a job that pushes your career forward if you work with experts who have a better understanding of the job market, and who already have connections with leading companies. By speaking to recruitment experts, you’ll be making your career advancement journey much more straightforward. These types of companies also offer training sessions that can make you better equipped to match the demands of the modern working world. Not Figuring Out Your Weaknesses You’ll have a good sense of the attributes that you could bring to a business. But what about your weak points? Working to improve your weaknesses can have a big impact on your professional potential since it’ll help to remove some of the obstacles that are holding you back. If you’re not sure what your weaknesses are, then speak to one of your superiors and ask them where you can improve. Once you’ve made those improvements, you’ll be a better all-around employee — and that might just open up new possibilities for advancement. Assuming The World Will Stay The Same You’re not just looking to be successful in today’s working world. You also want to be successful in tomorrow’s working world, too. It’s recommended to look to the future and see if you can determine what skills and attributes will be required in your industry several years down the line. If you can understand what’s needed tomorrow, you can take action today, and be ready to take advantage of the new working climate when it rolls around.
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 Andrea Piacquadio/ Pexels It always helps to learn how to better use your skills. Careers and promotions will open up to you when you can address what works well and what doesn’t. It is tricky to master. But from asking for feedback to knowing your strengths and weaknesses, here are some suggestions.
Find a Mentor to Help We all learn from someone else. Fortunately, we live in a world where access to educational materials is just a click away. Mentoring comes in all shapes and sizes, and your employer might even offer mentorship programs. Mentor services are also available. You can find a career coach to help bring out the best of your skills and competencies so you can use them to advance your professional life. Services like Elevate Her are a perfect example for women. Ask for Feedback How can you know what you do well and where you need to improve if you can’t identify them? Most people don’t consider asking for feedback, but it is a vital part of personal development. Feedback lets you know what you can do better. This is why major companies go out of their way to ask customers to complete surveys. More and more employers are offering feedback sessions these days. But there is no reason you can’t ask your manager for some feedback. Better Use Your Skills One at a Time It is a common misconception that women are better at multitasking than men. The truth is that men and women are both poor at it. Studies have found that multitasking can actually be bad for work performance, as it is best to focus on one task at a time. This allows you to dedicate all your resources to doing it well. Working too much is also a huge red flag. The WHO has recently found that overworking is actually killing over 745,000 people per year all over the world. Understand Strengths and Weaknesses One of the hardest things to do when it comes to personal development is identifying strengths and weaknesses. Of course, there is usually something you know you can do well. But there is also so much more you can offer. Hard skills, such as something you have trained for, are usually the most obvious. However, soft skills such as speaking to people well aren’t usually considered. Work on improving skills you have and overcoming skills you may consider weak. Progress Education and Training Ongoing education and training are two of the most potent ways to improve your skills and learn new ones. Many sectors require ongoing training, and it is also mandated in some. Examples include law and medicine. Yet sectors such as IT are also evolving all the time, and keeping up with changes is vital. For instance, it is no longer enough to be an IT technician. You will also be expected to understand social media, networking, and even digital marketing and SEO. Summary Your career prospects open up when you better use your skills to advance. Finding a mentor is an excellent way to bring out what you have inside. It also helps to focus on one skill at a time, one task at a time. And further education and training opens up more career prospects for you. 
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Are you a creative person looking for inspiration on what career path to take? It can be hard to work out what you want to do - even if you know that you don’t really want to get into the corporate world. So, it’s always a good idea to know your options so that you can figure things out. In this blog post, we’re going to help you to do exactly that. Let’s take a look.
Writing Writing is a career that requires creativity, passion, and exceptional grammar skills. If you’re a wordsmith with a passion for writing, you can consider career options such as content marketing, copywriting, journalism or even creating content for social media platforms. As a writer, your options are vast, and you can work in any industry from publishing to advertising to tech. Design Next up we have design. Design is an essential aspect of any business, and if you're creative and have a strong eye for design, then there is a vast range of career options that you can explore. This field can range from graphic design to interior design. As a designer, you can choose to work for companies, agencies, or even start your own design business. Theatre Theatre may not be a conventional choice, but if you have a passion for acting, directing, writing plays, or even theatre and stage controls, then a career in theatre might be the right choice for you. You can work in various roles such as actors, stage managers, directors, designers, or even writers. The theatre industry is exciting, and you’ll get to work with talented individuals and create memorable productions. Art If you're a visual artist, then the options are endless. You can consider careers such as painting, animation, illustration, or even curating a gallery. As an artist, you can work independently, or you can work for companies in various fields such as advertising or gaming. This field offers endless opportunities to showcase your creativity, and you can create works of art that inspire and evoke emotions in people. Entrepreneurship And finally, don’t forget that starting your own business and working for yourself can be a great way to channel your creativity if you're someone who wants to make an impact in the world. As an entrepreneur, you can launch your start-up, freelance, or even consult for various clients. Entrepreneurship provides you with the freedom to create anything you want and take your passion to the next level. Choosing the Right Creative Career Path for You As a creative person, you definitely have a range of career options to pick from, even if it doesn’t seem like it at first. The key to finding the perfect career is to follow your passions and see where they take you. You can explore as many options as possible until you discover what works best for you. Just remember that the journey to finding the perfect career may take time, but it will always be worth it. 
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Experts are one of the most valuable and rare resources in the world today, but not all experts are created equal. Some experts stand out from their peers because they have actually invested time and effort into growing themselves as an expert. Here are some tips on how to do just that so that you can build your own expert career and stand out amongst the competition!
Become a niche industry expert If you are looking to build a successful career as an expert, invest in your training and build the skills that are in demand. Investing in yourself as an expert begins with aligning your skills with the market demand. It could be useful to look for additional training classes and even certifications. Experts are not a jack of all trades. They focus on mastering specific skill sets within their niches. The reason people come to you is because they can't find anyone else with the same level of understanding and same experience in your industry sector. In short, don't be afraid to specialize strategically. Become a go-to person It's important to have a website to establish yourself as an expert. You want people to be able to find you easily when they're looking for someone with your skill set, so make sure you have a strong online presence with an SEO-optimized website and social media profiles. Whether you're an architect trying to be more visible online or a business consultant seeking new clients, your website must appear for the relevant search terms. Your SEO strategy is the foundation of your expert presence. Of course, the website should include lots of helpful content, provide training about related topics (if applicable), and also offer products or services that might be of interest to your target audience. But without SEO, you're never going to become their go-to expert. Solve people's problems What are the most common issues that your audience is likely to experience? By creating targeted content to discuss these problems, you instantly show you understand their needs. More importantly, you can also use your content to help potential customers troubleshoot some easy problems. If your industry uses specific software tools, for example, you can create videos to guide people through the basic setup and functions of the tools. Helpful content will serve multiple purposes to establish your reputation as an expert:
Build strong relationships One of the most important things you can do for your professional success is building a strong network. It's not just about meeting people, but it is about knowing how they can help you (i.e., advice, mentorship, introductions) and what you can offer in return (i.e., help with their business). Networking can also help you reach new contacts and businesses through word of mouth when your existing contacts recommend you further. In many ways, a strong network can be more effective than a solid portfolio, as people are more likely to trust what others have to say about your services. Are you ready to bring your expert career to the next level? Building a career as a professional expert can be highly rewarding as it gives you the opportunity to work with a variety of different people and businesses.  Image credit: UHGO from Pexels Whether you are wanting to make a career change or you are about to take that step on the career ladder, knowing how to drive will enable you more variety and even allow your career to take you places.
Of course, you don’t need to learn to drive or even own a car in order to get a job. There are many different public transport links and many a person manages just fine with them. But, you may find yourself limited to the employment options available. Here is why: Mindful Of Commute Times Of course, you are going to be mindful of time spent commuting from your place of work and home. Everyone is striving to find that perfect balance between work and life. If you are reliant on public transport you are reliant on what transport options are available to your home and business location and the times they run. Even if you are willing to spend numerous hours commuting to reach your destination does their timetable support this? This is where driving opens doors. You are no longer limited with what jobs you can apply for based on their location or even their working hours. You have the ability to get yourself anywhere and at any time. This self-sufficiency also means that you can possibly look further afield. You Have More Options Some jobs and career choices have the requirement that you can drive. Some freelancers are reliant on driving in order to meet prospective clients. Other careers require you can to move products or manufacture goods. Even companies that allow you to hire a commercial van, will need their staff to be able to drive in order to move their vehicles. You Gain Confidence Learning to drive is a skill of its own merit. Embarking on the educational journey isn’t always easy and not everyone passes the first time. But you have taken the initiative firstly to learn to drive but you have then proven your ability to learn bypassing both the theory and physical test. The skills that you have learned from being taught how to drive are then transferable into all types of learning that you will face throughout life. As you enter the working world you will be required to learn new systems, processes and skills. By passing your driving test you will be able to walk into any job reassured that you have the ability to learn and succeed in this job. Networking To boost your career standpoint you need to be able to network get out there and meet people. Being able to drive allow this to be done a lot easier. Do you need to meet and network at the golf club? That is perfectly doable when you drive. As some networking events can be exclusive they aren’t always placed for prime public transport. Although you might get a taxi or be fortunate enough to get a lift, being able to drive allows you to be proactive in opening career doors for yourself.  Image credit: Cottonbro from Pexels Just about everyone has some kind of fantasy about being able to walk out of their job and start their own business. Whether you feel like you could do a better job than your boss, or you have a passion that you really want to pursue, the idea of being able to get out and take control of your life can be intoxicating. Of course, for the longest time, this fantasy was just that. Most people assume that there's no way for them to be able to really get out of the standard 9-to-5 trap that so many of us find ourselves in. However, that's not necessarily true. In fact, there's never been a better time to break out and finally take back control of your life. Here are just a few reasons why starting your own business is easier than ever.
You can make any business look professional One of the biggest challenges that people used to face when setting up a business is that it’s hard to compete with other, more established companies. A really wonderful thing about the fact that we are all now living in a virtual world is that the internet allows you to present your business in the most professional way possible no matter how small it might be. You no longer have to spend all of your time overshadowed by other, larger businesses. You can market your business for free Marketing has always been one of the most significant expenses for a lot of businesses. This is because large-scale marketing campaigns often require a great deal of coordination and planning. However, that kind of marketing is actually becoming less and less relevant in an age where what people really want is high-quality content. Instead, you can use things like a blog or social media to be able to create the kind of content that not only will people want to engage with but will also create an emotional connection that was previously impossible. And the best part? It's totally free! There's information available on just about everything There is always going to be a moment where you're in the position of not knowing what to do next with your business. Whether that's a lack of technical knowledge, or not really understanding the next step in any given process. Luckily, you have access to literally all of human knowledge at the touch of a button! Whatever you need to know, there's a pretty good chance that you're going to be able to find it without too much trouble. Of course, if you do decide to follow this path then you've got to be ready to face a lot of challenges. Even with all of the modern advances that have made the whole process of starting a business easier, that doesn't mean that you're not going to have to put in a great deal of hard work and effort. But if you're willing to do that, then your dream is right there, just waiting for you to reach out and take it.  Image credit: Billede from Pixabay More and more people are reassessing their chosen career paths in the wake of the global pandemic. And this is something that you might like to think about in the meantime as well. There are so many ideas that play a role in helping you to achieve success here, and this is something that you have to focus on right now.
Try to make sure you come up with some of the best ways of improving this process as much as possible moving forward. You have to work on some of the best ways of being able to choose a positive career path, and freelancing is a great way of being able to achieve this. So, these are some of the best ways of being able to kick start your freelancing career today! Be Bold Freelancing is a big step, and one that you need to try to get right as much as you possibly can. It can be pretty daunting and nerve-wracking when you are stepping out on your own. So, it is important to make sure you come up with ideas that are going to help you acclimate to this. And there will be a leap of faith involved. This is definitely a process that is about being bold as much as possible, and that can have a huge impact on the direction your new career takes. In order to overcome the worries and the difficulties involved, you should certainly look for ways of being bold and brave. Build a Client Base One of the most important elements of making sure you are successful as a freelancer is to make sure you build up a dedicated client base. There are so many amazing benefits to doing this, and you need to make sure you think about some of the key ways of being able to achieve this. Try to focus on doing as much as you can to improve upon this moving forward, and make sure you start off with one or two dependable clients, then look to expand as much as you can. Create a Working Environment Creating and developing the right working environment is so important. There are a lot of things that you need to try to make the most of right now. It is absolutely essential that this is something you sort out, and developing a home office is key. You should absolutely consider garden offices as a way of saving space and still getting the office you want. But the important thing is to make sure you create the right environment for you to focus on your freelancing. There are a lot of things that you need to try to make the most of when you are assessing the different factors that can help you succeed as a freelancer. This is one of the key things that you need to keep in mind when you are looking to make the right decisions, and this is something you need to keep in mind. Try to make sure you are focused on improving this process, and make sure you think about some of the best ways of being able to achieve this moving forward.
Is your career stuck in a rut? Are you struggling to fulfill the potential that you know you hold? Well, then you have come to the right place! Indeed, in the post below you can get some clever ideas on how to push your career to the next level. Keep reading to find out what they are.
Eat the frog First of all, the well-known business concept of eating the frog can help here. No, it's not about throwing your hand up in the air and heading to the nearest French eatery! Instead, in this scenario, eating the frog represents the thing that you don't want to do, the idea being that by getting this done first the rest of your day is all downhill from there. Indeed, there is some good evidence to show that the sense of achievement we feel by completing difficult tasks, is enough to propel us through the rest of the day with ease. Not to mention the fact that dealing with the hardest thing first obliterators procrastination, which is only good news for your career trajectory. Stay up to date with the news in your field There are many benefits to staying abreast of the trends in your industry, including being privy to cutting-edge information first, and ensuring that you gain expert status in the eyes of your customers and colleagues. Indeed, by regularly reading articles about the area in which you work you can gain all sorts of valuable information that may have a direct impact on the way you go about your day-to-day tasks and even the future of your career. With that in mind, favoriting industry experts on social media, and setting google alerts for specific key terms related to your field can be a very helpful way to boost your career prospects. Study for new qualifications It may seem like a no-brainer, but learning new skills and qualifications is one of the best things you can do to enhance your career. Of course, the education that you choose needs to be as relevant to your industry as possible to be most effective. For instance, if you are an IT professional looking to focus on creating a service management system, then taking a qualification such as the ITIL foundation exam, is a great way to begin. However, if you find yourself in a different type of industry such as HR, then choosing a foundation CIPD exam is a better choice. Email someone in your network All too often people expect their network of contacts to do all the heavy lifting in terms of their career, finding them suitable placements, and putting them in touch with the right people. However, what anyone hoping to progress in their career needs to understand is that networks function based on exchange. What this means is, if you want something from a network contact, you will need to have built up a certain amount of capital first. This capital can often be secured by offering to help them with something they need complete. Indeed, if you can identify the people you are most likely to need help from and focus on providing value to them, you will be all set when it comes time to call those favours back in.  Image credit: Gerd Altmann from Pixabay It is important to make sure you have career goals as much as possible, and there are a number of factors to consider when you are looking at a new career path this year. The coronavirus pandemic is something that has impacted all of us in so many ways, and there is a lot to keep in mind here. Try to make the most of this, and use the uncertainty in the world right now as a chance to take charge of your future and set career goals for 2021.
It might be time to consider a change of career this year, and there are a lot of options you can consider that will help you to make the most of this right now. Try to come up with ideas that will allow you to achieve the best possible career path this year, but it is also important to make sure you have realistic goals in order to make sure they’re easier to achieve. And these are some of the key factors that you need to consider when it comes to making the most of this. Think About Your Interests Thinking about what you are interested in is really important, and there are a lot of elements that play a role in helping you to develop a career path you can be proud of. Make sure you think about some of the best ways of achieving this right now, and there are so many factors that you should be making the most of right now. If you can pursue a career path that links or relates to things you are interested in, then this is one of the best options for you. So many people wish they could do a job they really love, and it makes it so much easier to get out of bed in the morning if you are going to a job you love. Improve Your Experience There are a lot of things that you should be looking to make the most of, and it is vital that you look at being able to focus on this as much as possible. Try to come up with ideas that will allow you to boost and improve your experience, and this is something that you should be looking to make the most of right now. There are plenty of online courses or qualifications you could be taking in order to improve and boost your experience and help you to be more qualified for the job at hand. Start Looking for the Right Kinds of Jobs You need to make sure you start looking for the right kinds of jobs that will help you to improve the way you look at being able to do things like this. There are a lot of ideas that will play a role in helping you here, and it depends on what sort of thing you’d like to do. For instance, there are so many opportunities if you are looking at getting a job in the public sector. These are some of the things you need to be considering when it comes to looking at some of the best ways of improving your career prospects. You have to make sure you focus on being able to improve your ideas when it comes to assessing this right now. Choosing the right career prospects and making the right kinds of changes is something you need to make the most of right now.  Image credit: Anna Shvets from Pexels If you’ve integrated remote working options that have been used since March or April of 2020, it’s amazing to think we may have been using those systems for almost a year now.
Of course, in some respects this might become the norm for your business from here on out, ensuring that you always have a possible approach to keeping flexible and always online if necessary. That said, some form of normality will return in the future, and that can mean in the long run, we are given the chance to consider what needs improving in our office, what workflow we should curate to make this daily process easier to handle, and what lessons we have learned. It would take many deep investigations and reports to figure out just what changes have been made and what effects have been felt thanks to this change in our working capacity, so we’re going to stick with the most pertinent advice, and show how it’s useful in order to inspire you to action: Integrating Communication Platforms It’s overwhelmingly likely that your business has been using a range of programs that are external to your business, in order to make sure your staff can communicate with one another. It could be that fully integrating better and more prominent services based on what you have used and what you haven’t could be important. For instance, it may be that upgrading to a VPN with unlimited plans and the means to log in securely with a security key can offset those that require you to keep updating staff with numbered logins that they forget and keep having to respect. Integrating a VOIP phone system can work wonders when returning to the office. In this context, we become better at helping our team collaborate with one another. The Format Of Your Office Now could be a great time to sell your office furniture and pick up newer, more health-conscious ergonomic models. Why is this? Well, many businesses are downsizing at the moment, or shutting up shop. That’s a very sad state of affairs, but it also points to the fact that we can make use of many of these sales, even if it’s just in the form of a large meeting desk, by scouring these sales and helping those businesses liquidate their stock. IT equipment, office furnishings, it can all make a difference when upgrading your utility and helping the office space seem new upon a return. Dedication To Your Values Remember that now is the time for visionary leaders to collaborate with their team, but also to inspire them. In this mindset, it can be important to remind your staff of your values and just what company history they are contributing to. Setting up training that helps you understand these measures once more can help you refocus and reorient your vision. It sounds unnecessary, but you’d be surprised how inclusion to this degree can inspire your staff to renewed effort, and can refocus your dedication to them. With this advice, we hope you can make the most of your business and level up, despite the inconsistent working expectations of the last year.  Image credit: Jonathan Borba on Unsplash Wouldn’t it be great if you knew exactly what questions a hiring manager would be asking you in your next job interview? We can’t read minds, unfortunately, but The Muse has the next best thing: a list of more than 40 of the most commonly asked interview questions, along with advice for answering them all.
 Image credit: NordWood Themes on Unsplash Being cooped up at home means a lot more sitting and scoffing! The Mirror has a guide of how you can stay healthy during the lockdown!
 Being more productive could be the real answer to a better work-life balance and give you more 'you' time! Fast Company has the details!
 Isn't life just hectic? Non-stop from the minute you climb out of your pit until you collapse into bed? BBC Worklife have a feature about 'how to reduce 'attention residue' in your life!
 You work hard don't you? What happens when you get to Friday or if you are one of those weekend warriors, your frame of mind isn't quite on it! Employees shouldn't have to apologise for having a life and if you're from the retail or service industry, this is huge! A feature on LinkedIN will tell you more!
 There is so much job search advice out there, literally everywhere! But sometimes you can miss the very basics! The Muse has some very basic tips to try out whilst on the hunt for that new gig!
You can also get 'The Ultimate List of Job Search Strategies To Land you Next Job' from Fancy Resumes' to give you that cutting edge plan to the next big gig of yours!  Fast Company have a list of 7 books that could help you become a leader in 2020. Click here to start building your library!
 A study by recruiter, Robert Half, said that the average worker has been planning to ask for a pay rise for the last four months. As its the new year, its most likely the requests will start to come on. The Mirror has the lowdown on how to bag that pay rise!
 Entrepreneurs are everywhere now, creating a bedroom business into a multi-million pound global giant can happen! The Mirror has a list of 8 ideas for businesses this year!
 Your CV on average can take just 34 seconds to be rejected! The Sun has some of the do's and don'ts for your CV check!
 Google spent years studying what makes an effective boss and now they teach new managers the six things they found! Inc.com has the lowdown on what Google think a new manager should know!
 New Years resolutions, so many out there being made that will no doubt be broken once you get back into your routine! The Muse has 15 work habits you should look to ditch this year!
  So Christmas is now done and over for another year and chances are that you've now got yourself back into work, but with the working environment continually changing, itself it time you had a look at how you can stay in the competitive market? LinkedIN has some ideas of how to go about creating the 'new you!'
 When you apply for a job, you actually have two CV's out there. You may well submit one CV but its also your social media that acts as the second one so knowing exactly what's on it really helps especially as recruiters will find it too! The Muse has 8 easy ways to have a clean up!
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