You’ve landed your first job out of college. That wasn’t easy, in this tough time. Now you’ve got to make sure you keep it and succeed at it.

How? You can start even before you arrive at work. Set up a Web news-alert account that emails you news stories relevant to your new employer, says Danielle Leyland, a recruiter in the information technology department at Sherwin-Williams, the paint company. That will help prepare you to engage your coworkers when you get there, especially if there’s big news–and it’s also a way to find out about potential opportunities. Even if it’s bad news–a round of layoffs or company downsizing, for example–it will affect the entire company and will be important to know about.  Read more... (772 words, estimated 3:05 mins reading time)

What do you need to do to find the kind of enjoyment or progress you want in your career? Joel Garfinkle, founder of Dream Job Coaching, a consulting firm specializing in personal fulfillment and professional transformation based in Oakland, California, offers these suggestions.

Determine Which Aspects of Your Job You Like

Then find a way to do more of whatever that is. When you are engrossed in a project you like, your workday will be energizing rather than draining. You may also find that the tasks you enjoy are the same ones a coworker or boss dislikes. Find out if you can work out a win-win situation.  Read more... (524 words, estimated 2:06 mins reading time)

Leadership often involves negotiating very tough deals, or handling strong objections, or getting a reluctant team to agree to some difficult course of action. To accomplish such things, we employ all the verbal means at our disposal. We argue, we reason, we cajole, we promise, we wheedle, we make deals. A lot of verbal heavy lifting.

Originally posted 2010-08-14 18:56:29. Republished by Blog Post Promoter  Read more... (579 words, estimated 2:19 mins reading time)

Many career experts agree that the best time to look for a new job is while you are still comfortably in your old one. If you’re starting to feel unchallenged in your present position, you may be ready for a promotion to the next level. If there aren’t many career advancement opportunities where you work, the best next job may be waiting for you elsewhere.

Originally posted 2011-01-29 21:20:13. Republished by Blog Post Promoter  Read more... (572 words, estimated 2:17 mins reading time)