The Confident Career

How to Know It Is Time to Take the Next Step in Your Career?

Ever felt dread in the pit of your stomach on Sunday night at the very thought of going to work the next day? Perhaps you’ve walked into work on Monday already ready for Friday. These could be indicators that it is time to take the next step in your career. An entirely new job or career may not be the solution but ignoring the signs could leave you both unhappy and unmotivated at work. Here are four signs letting you know it is time to take the next step in your career:

3 Major Considerations When Changing Careers

It’s perfectly normal to want to change career paths later in life. Not all plans can be followed through to the end ⁠— especially when one has a strong desire to change their career trajectory. In fact, a survey on career changes notes that 49% of people make a dramatic career shift eventually in their lives, making the jump from one industry to another.

How a Gap Year Can Increase Your Employability

Some time off can be a valuable thing.

It often feels like the job market is geared to benefit people who have been on a certain, rigid track for the duration of their educational and then professional lives. We dive into qualifications, project history, and extracurricular groups because we feel vulnerable if we aren’t ascertaining value to every activity, we’ve ever participated in. One could argue that this is a result of our culture internalizing the lessons of a generation of parents who structured their children’s entire upbringing around activities that could make them economically and culturally competitive, a certainly well-intentioned archetype that yielded arguably mixed results. In this context, taking a gap year can sometimes feel like a luxury that may come back to bite young people later on when they’re having to explain a non-productive blank space in an otherwise immaculate resume. When you’re putting on a suit and tie to go talk about how the Nasdaq closed high this week, it can feel awkward to know you’ll likely also end up explaining the year you spent surfing or working on a dairy farm in Ireland. I am here to give you one little piece of advice on that front: DON’T BE NERVOUS.

8 Ways to Build Meaningful Networking Relationships

Connecting with peers in your industry is such a fantastic way to build professional networks and meet the people you’ll be working and socializing with throughout your professional life. Sometimes that means saying hello to someone at an industry event you’re attending, and sometimes it means asking your supervisor if you can join them for lunch or coffee. But whether it’s a quick hello or a bold step, here are a few ways to help you build lasting, meaningful networking relationships.

5 Tips to Maximize Your Job Interview Success

Job interviews can be stressful. Candidates are most often nervous and unsure of themselves, understandably so. Add in the awkwardness of social distancing protocols like no handshakes or virtual interviews, and you have a recipe for a less than stellar performance.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Follow these five proven strategies to increase your confidence and maximize your interview success.

What is a Stretch Job and Should You Consider It?

When job searching, a lot of people will try to find a job that they’re most qualified for because it’s within their comfort zone. It’s easier to land a job this way because you’re a low risk for employers. Less time and resources are put forth by the employer if you already have most of the knowledge you need to start working. But, it’s also easy to get bored of a job or position if it never challenges you. Now, you find yourself wanting more and you’re on the hunt again to find a job that’s more inspiring. This job is called a stretch job.

3 Ways to Avoid Burnout During the Job Search

Job searching can be a job itself, and not necessarily a good one. There’s no pay, benefits, stability, or work life balance. It’s also thankless. There will be no one to offer assurances that your work is appreciated, or even noticed. No bonuses, catered lunches, or cold brew on tap. However, it'll be the most important job you’ll ever have while you’re looking for actual employment. It’s easy to become bitter, disheartened, or just plain exhausted over the course of your job hunt. Here are three ways to avoid burnout during your job search.

Who is Hiring at the Moment

We are all familiar with the job numbers, the projections, and the overall state of an economy that feels like it has been hobbled by the Covid-19 pandemic. In fact, it might feel like the prospects for work are few and far between but, there are plenty of businesses and even entire industries that are hiring right now, and in the lead up to the holiday season, there are plenty of employment opportunities for people who are looking for all types of work.

10 Job Interview Questions That Are Meant to Trick You

Can you outsmart an interviewer? Hiring teams ask challenging questions that sound riddled with tricks. While these questions aren’t meant to deceive you, companies ask them to gain better insight into your candidacy. Here are ten interview questions demystified and un-riddled.

What Are Hybrid Roles and How to Get One?

The rise of hybrid roles in today’s job market is accelerating quickly without any sign of slowing down. Today’s top companies are looking for resumes that offer more to their roles than the traditional candidates.

Hybrid roles are positions that require multiple skills for the job, such as technology and people skills. Employers are no longer impressed with candidates who have college degrees alone - they are asking for more. According to a 2016 Bentley University report, hybrid jobs are among the fastest-growing and best careers—more than 250,000 positions were open in 2015 alone, and the numbers have grown since.