4 Warning Signs Youre Working for the Wrong Company

4 Warning Signs Youre Working for the Wrong Company4 Warning Signs Youre Working for the Wrong CompanyIf your hearts notlage in it, why should you be?If you are teetering on the proverbial fence about whether or not your current position is the right fit for you, here are four warning signs insinuating that it may be time to take the next step in your career search.You Lack of Passion/InterestA loss of passion or interest in your work could be the number one red flag indicating that it may be time to pursue an alternate career route.Do you feel differently about your career than how you felt the day you started? Is your workload getting monotonous? If youre finding ways to kill time, maybe your current role isnt a good fit for you anymore.Your Talents are not Being Utilized to their Full PotentialAre you a brilliant interior designer stuck pushing papers? Do you never have a chance to flaunt the programing skills you studied in college? Or do you just simply feel stuck in your curren t role with no hope for development? Take the hint its time to move on.There are very few things more frustrating than the feeling of being underutilized in the workplace, especially for ambitious individuals. Why work for a company that doesnt value your input? Insider tip you dont have to. If your boss doesnt see you as a vital asset, find one who does.You Dont Fit in With the CultureAs the saying goes you can plek your friends, but you cant pick your family. But what about your work family? Work environment is critical to your professional success. Chances are, youll never be happy with a company that doesnt share the same professional ideals and principles as yourself.Are you the poster child or antithesis of the brand youre representing? Do you work with like-minded individuals? Do you detest or anticipate coworker interactions? Not all social problems have solutions. If the issue of work is with the company itself rather than the tasks allotted, perhaps its time to throw in th e towel.You Get More Stressed Than its WorthDoes your career cause you an overwhelming amount of anxiety? Is it like pulling teeth just responding company emails? Is it getting harder hitting the snooze button in the morning? Call it quits.Stress should never be compensation for success. If your workplace is the leading source of unwarranted misery, it may be time to sever ties, in the right way of course. We have enough stress in our lives as is, and the workplace doesnt have to be one of them.***Job seeking is like dating finding a convenient one is easy.. Findingthe one, well, thats not always so simple.Dont let doubt rechnerwolke your ambition. You have a better chance of finding what you want if you remove yourself from what you dont want. If your ideal career is not your current position, have the courage to start all over again.

Career Books to Read

Career Books to ReadCareer Books to ReadThe start of a new year is the perfect time to review where you are at in your career and where you want to be. If youre looking for guidance on how to achieve the next level of your career, reading one of these highly-rated books is a great start. Whether youre looking to be more productive or if youre trying to find more balance, one of these new books will help you reach your career goals for 2016. The Productivity Project Accomplishing More by Managing Your Time, Attention, and EnergyBy Chris Bailey If one of your New Years resolutions is to be more productive, The Productivity Project was written for you. The author, Chris Bailey, spent one year conducting his own productivity experiments and shares his observations and findings in this 304-page book. Bailey shares over 25 insights he learned from his year-long study how to be more productive. Stretch How to Future-Proof Yourself for Tomorrows Workplace by Karie Willyerd and Barbara Mistic kNew technology is making many jobs obsolete, and the main concern of most people is how to stay competitive in an ever-changing job market. Stretch offers advice backed by global research on how to stay relevant in the workforce. From how to make career decisions that will secure your competitiveness in the future to how to stay driven during the twists and turns of your career, authors Karie Willyerd and Barbara Mistick cover everything you need to know to thrive now and in the future. Hiring Greatness How to Recruit Your Dream Team and Crush the Competition By David E. Perry, Mark J. Haluska If youre looking to build an amazing leadership team at your company, Hiring Greatness is the guide for you. Written by David E. Perry and Mark J. Haluska, professional executive recruiters, the book focuses on hiring the right executive. Perry and Haluska discuss strategies on how to attract brilliant talent, as well as retaining them. Deep Work Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted Worl d By Cal NewportIn the first chapter of Deep Work, Cal Newport predicts the schrift of people who will be successful in our new economy. He states, In this new economy, three will have a particular advantage those who can work well and creatively with intelligent machines, those who are the best at what they do, and those with access to capital. How can we become one of the people in these groups? The answer is deep work. Newport defines deep work as,professional activities performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that push your cognitive capabilities to the limit. In todays distracted society, performing deep work is hard to do Newport offers ways to recondition your brain and increase your concentration to allow you to remove all distractions and perform deep work. Wellth How I Learned to Build a Life, Not a Resume by Jason Wachob Written by Jason Wachob, the founder of mindbodygreen, Wellth guides readers to find their paths to health and success. Wachob uses his ow n personal anecdotes to advise his audience on ways they can be successful in all aspects of life. This is a great read if youre trying to find more work-life balance in the new year.

Stop worrying about your first impression

Stop worrying about your first impressionStop worrying about your first impressionYou never get a second chance to make a first impression.Ive always struggled with this truism.I know, people are judgmental - it takes only seven seconds to form an opinion about someone you just met. We all tend to judge books by their covers. First impressions are hard to change according to research. But thats just one side of the story (more on this later).Studies show that we make snap judgments about other people. 80% of first impressions are based on two subconscious questions Can I trust this rolle? Is this person capable?Both you and the other party are simultaneously assessing each other.However, theres something wrong with this self-help advice - it encourages us to seek others approval rather than self-acceptance. Also, its an invitation to play it safe - if you make a mistake, you are screwed up for life. Thats intrinsically bad.Lets challenge this truism together.Stop trying to be like dYou dont worry about being liked. You have to be yourself. - Vince VaughnThe problem with modern self-help is that it oversimplifies life. By offering shortcuts, we forget to follow our own path.Charles Chu wrote a brilliant post on bad self-help.Two things caught my attention about what he coined the myth of perfect perfectibility. Bad self-help tells you that its your fault when you fail miserably. Also, it creates fairy tales with random scientific evidence.The magical thinkers want you to follow their advice blindly.Self-help truisms create false expectation - we expect life to be perfect and stop appreciating who we are. As Chu explains We are more likely to sacrifice the present (which is imperfect, impermanent) for an ideal future that is unlikely to come.You dont need to create an impression.You shouldnt expect people to like you either. Looking for external approval is why most people censor their best-selves. That our society rewards predictability over originality doesn t mean you have to follow the same pattern.Dont live your life trying to please everyone. Youd most probably disappoint everyone including yourselfBilly Joel wrote Dont go changing to try and please me. You never let me down before. Dont go trying some new fashion. Dont change the color of your hair.Whats the point of acing a job bewerbungsgesprch at the expense of leaving your soul at home? Do you want to work for a company that expects you to betray your values? Do you want someone to fall in love with you because he/she believes you are someone you are leid?Some people believe that creating a first impression is an art. That you can follow 5-steps and will succeed - all you need is to display high self-confidence, they tell you.Self-esteem is a dangerous trap - by trying to please others, you end up deceiving yourself too. It invites you to seek for external appreciation rather than being authentic. It encourages you to measure yourself by your appearance instead of being hones t.You just need to be you.The above is not advice, but an invitation.Authenticity is the best thing you can bring to the world. Whether its a job interview, a date, or meeting someone on the street. Dont try to create a perfect image by becoming someone you are not.Your second impressionResults Why, man, I have gotten a lot of results I know several thousand things that wont work. - Thomas EdisonLife is anything but certain - theres no proven formula to how you should live yours. Life requires experimenting and doing things for the first time every day. You will fail, you will make mistakes, and feel sorry about it.The good news is that you can recover. Tomorrow is your second opportunity you can always try things again.Educators described Thomas Edison as addled. He spent a few months in a formal classroom before being taken out of school and educated by his mother.It took him many attempts to create a practical light bulb. Edison didnt care about the impression - thats why he k ept trying and trying.Treating every first opportunity as a life-or-death situation will do you no good - the first impression trap limits your potential. By trying to be right, you will censor your creativity and spontaneity - liberate your personal touch.You can let your first impression define you. Or you can choose to define yourself by the longer-lasting impact of your craft.Oprah Winfrey was fired early on in her career because she was unfit for television news. Walt Disney lost his job for not being creative enough. Jerry Seinfeld was fired from his first job after giving a wertmiger zuwachs the producers felt was uninspiring.A first, second impression can improve a not-so-good first impression. Life gives us second chances its up to you keep trying. Those who overcame initial failure was because they followed the authenticity route. Rather than trying to please others they kept bringing their best-self every day.Whats the point of pretending to be someone you are not? What s the purpose of hiding your true self just to land a new job?Most of the frustrations in the workplace are rooted in the lies told during the interview process. Both candidates and employers are so worried about making a good impression that they end up showing fake versions.If you fake it, people will soon realize it.When the truth hits the fan, everyone feels deceived. Either they need to continue faking or become honest about not being as perfect as they pretended to be during the interview process.Coaching teams, I have to deal with a lot of unbroken promises - kickstarting any relationship with honesty saves a lot of headaches down the road. I personally reject candidates that are too perfect - I prefer vulnerability and candor over people acting like robots.Im also very candid when interviewing someone to take on a tough challenge. I want to avoid future frustrations but also, to make sure Im hiring the right person to take on a grave situation.You dont need to fake it unti l you make it. Continue making what you are good at until others notice it. Thats the most important impression you should care about.- - - The world is suffering from a narcissistic epidemia. We dont need more fake people.Unless you are committed to pretending to be someone you are not forever - letting go of being authentic is a steep price just to conquer someone elses appreciation.If something goes wrong on your first date, you can always course correct. Apologize, ask for another chance, try with other people, but never give up. Making mistakes is how we learn and improve our act.Trying to look perfect to be accepted by others will only add more strain to your life. Bring your authentic self to every first encounter.If something goes wrong, you always have a first chance to make a second impression.Call to actionDownload my free ebook Stretch Your Mind, a compilation of exercises to grow beyond your comfort zone, one stretch at a time.Thisarticlefirst appeared on Medium.