Bitesize Career Advice

Balance is a word we hear a lot and many of us struggle with finding this “so-called” work/life balance. In this episode we talk about how to create sustainable balance. This means that we are not always directing an even amount of energy in the right direction daily, but we are making sure to devote some energy to those things that are important. We discuss identifying the important things in life and then finding ways to make sure those are not always receiving the least amount of time. This episode comes at a good time as we start to heading into the busy holiday season. Articles Referenced: https://lidradio.com/important-sustainable-work-life-balance/ https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10911359.2017.1327391 https://www.roche.com/careers/country/india/service/folder/20_tips_for_maintain.htm https://www.industryweek.com/leadership/12-key-strategies-achieving-work-life-balance https://worklifebalance.com/work-life-balance-defined/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/deborahlee/2014/10/20/6-tips-for-better-work-life-balance/#42bda50f29ff https://www.themuse.com/advice/37-tips-for-a-better-worklife-balance

We decided to change it up a bit and review a book.  “The Energy Bus” by Jon Gordon was a nice quick read providing some actions you can take to create better energy at work.  This is more than just being in a good mood at work, but how to infuse energy into teams. This energy will help create greater success for both the individual and your team long-term. Website & To Purchase the Book: http://jongordon.com/books/theenergybus/

Do you find Fridays to be the most unproductive day of the week? In this episode we give you some tips and tricks on how to make workday on Friday more productive. Now we are not looking to take away your happy hour or remove company dance breaks from Friday afternoons, but we want to make your Monday less crazy. We will do this by making Friday just a little more productive. In this episode we provide a couple easy tips to incorporate all the while keeping Friday still as Fri-yay. Contact Us: If you have questions you would like us to answer on a future episode contact us at: bitesizecareer@gmail.com Awesome Water Tracking App: https://www.waterlogged.com/ Calendar Product Referenced - Emergent Task Planner https://www.amazon.com/Emergent-Planner-3-Month-Notebook-5-8x8-5/dp/B00C7ZKELG/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=emergent+task+planner&qid=1565052907&s=gateway&sr=8-3 Articles we referenced in this episode - https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/mental-downtime/

Are you stuck in a rut at work? In this episode we discuss getting out of a rut at work. Getting out of a rut does not mean leaving your job, it could be just making small changes. Are the factors contributing to your rut external or internal? Are they within your control or not? We cover all this and more. Show Notes We reference an episode about the “lazy networker” and this was Episode 2: Finding a Job. If you have questions or ideas for topics reach out to Kendell and Shannon. Contact Us! bitesizecareer@gmail.com

Do you feel like you are working for a toxic boss? Are there aspect of your manager that can be hard to work with and you need to know how to handle that aspect of your boss. We go through some of the key types of toxic bosses and how to manage them so you don’t get frustrated. We provide some good tips to help you take some actions to work through reporting to a toxic boss. This is our final episode for 2018, but we have great plans for 2019. We hope everyone has a safe, happy and healthy holiday season! If you have questions or ideas for topics reach out to Kendell and Shannon just contact us at bitesizecareer@gmail.com Articles referenced in Episode Article: https://www.themuse.com/advice/10-brilliant-tips-for-dealing-with-a-difficult-boss https://www.inc.com/john-greathouse/its-not-me-its-you-5-ways-to-avoid-another-horrible-boss.html https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.inc.com%2Fjohn-greathouse%2Fits-not-me-its-you-5-ways-to-avoid-another-horrible-boss.html http://www.talentsmart.com/articles/How-Successful-People-Overcome-Toxic-Bosses-779784437-p-1.html

If you are not enjoying your job and struggling with the decision ,should I stay or go, this episode might be for you. Job are like relationships and sometimes it’s just time to go, but making that decision can be difficult. This episode focuses on how one man navigated the waters of a toxic boss working for a powerhouse company on product he believed in and then walked away. We travel with our guest Nate, as he arrived at the decision to leave a company he was at for nearly 12 years. Nate discovered how building community helped him to assimilate into a new role and company. What made this episode so engaging was Nate’s willingness to be so honest, open and authentic. He talks about his pitfalls and learning throughout this process that stretched over several years. NOTES Nate referenced a Leadership Coach, Christina. She was the guest of our most popular episode, “Beauty of the Mistake”, https://soundcloud.com/bitesizecareeradvice/episode-6-beauty-of-the-mistake-real-talk-with-blue-door-partners If you are interested in working with Christina as a coach you can connect with her at https://www.bluedoorpartners.com/ If you want to connect, ask a question or just give us an idea for a future episode reach out - bitesizecareer@gmail.com

We have another episode with Cassandra where we dig into more questions. This was a fun opportunity to have Cassandra provide some good professional perspective on questions we have received over the years. What I really like about her advice is she’s grounded, specific and provides very common sense advice. - The employee handbook, should you read it? - Am I eligible for a leave to care for a family member? - If I’m fired can I file for unemployment? - What is the WARN Act? - I offended someone at work and now they told HR things about me that are not true. If you have questions or ideas for topics reach out to Kendell and Shannon. Contact Us! bitesizecareer@gmail.com

Ever feel like Human Resources (HR) is like the equivalent to the Principal's office in school. You never want to get called there, they are supposed to be helpful and sometimes you’re not sure how they can help. One thing is for sure, they are never going to call your parents. In my conversation with Cassandra we peel back the HR curtain and discuss common questions employees ask HR. This episode plunges into career development. We talk “owning your career” and how developing your career doesn't always mean leaving your current company. Cassandra’s advise and tips comes from a 15 year career accumulated of HR Leadership, Adjunct Professor and many years of pro bono HR work. We were lucky to have Cassandra on our Podcast. If you have questions or ideas for topics reach out to Kendell and Shannon. Contact Us! bitesizecareer@gmail.com

In school there are deadlines for your classes, test, research papers, but there is no deadline for a job. There are steps you can take during your senior year to help ease the process of job searching. We continue our conversation with Chris and explore the multitude of tools your career center has available to assist in your job search and preparation. Chris provides advice in some key topics; - When do companies really begin to recruit to hire new graduates - How to have a “stress free” final semester in your senior year - A structure approach to job searching so it’s not overwhelming - Who should you use as your professional references We really enjoyed having Chris as a guest we hope you do too! If you have questions or ideas for topics reach out to Kendell and Shannon. Contact Us! bitesizecareer@gmail.com

Calling all college students.... Whether you are at the beginning of your college career or in your final year there are things you can do to prepare for life in the “real world”. In this episode Kendell and I chat with Chris, experienced both as a recruiter and has worked in a College Career Center. Chris shares some great insights to help students; •How to utilize the college career center and the cool technology it has available to students •Importance of a summer internships and how to land one •New social sites targeted for job seeking college students •The importance to attending both career fairs and company information sessions Chris shares his fun “secret tip” on making the most of a career fair. Chris was a wealth of knowledge and we hope you enjoy Part 1 of our two part episode. Contact Us - If you want to connect with Kendell or Shannon reach out bitesizecareer@gmail.com

Now that you have made it through the interview process do you accept the offer? In this episode we discuss some tips to help you make a good decision. - When considering an offer go with your gut, but back it up with facts. - How do you learn about the culture of a company? - Accepting an offer is just as much a fact based decision as it is an emotional one. - Understand the expectations of your potential new offer and the expectations of the role. If your decision is to not accept the offer we discuss doing this by being gracious, specific and forward thinking. Contact Us: If you have questions you would like us to answer on a future episode contact us at: bitesizecareer@gmail.com In addition to our own experience we pulled information from several articles. Below are the links to those articles if you want more in-depth information. https://hbr.org/2012/03/accept-the-job-offer-or-walk-a https://www.fastcompany.com/40585779/7-warning-signs-that-you-shouldnt-accept-a-job-offer https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-smart-way-to-figure-out-if-you-should-accept-that-job-offer https://hbr.org/2011/03/turning-down-a-job-offer https://www.themuse.com/advice/how-to-gracefully-turn-down-a-job-offer

Our conversation with Christina from Blue Door Partners is continued. She walked us through the five steps of change. We discuss being kind to yourself. We learn the power of the compliment and where the gift of the compliment lives. Christina provided action steps we can all take to begin working through changing our ability to be engaged in the conversation. We really enjoyed our time with Christina. If you are interested in working with Christina as a coach you can connect with her at https://www.bluedoorpartners.com/ Contact Us - If you want to connect with Kendell or Shannon reach out bitesizecareer@gmail.com

We are all leaders explains our friend and Leadership Coach Christina McFadden, CPCC, PCC from Blue Door Partners. She shares her insights on being authentic in the workplace. The power of the “what” question. We learn the beauty of seeing our mistakes and failures as the door to help you understand what you really want. Christina has moved through several career paths and was even a millionaire for a week. She is authentic, funny, insightful and we were thrilled to have this opportunity to have her as a guest. If you are interested in working with Christina McFadden as a coach you can connect with her at https://www.bluedoorpartners.com/ Contact Us - If you want to connect with Kendell or Shannon reach out bitesizecareer@gmail.com

You may want them to show you the money, but it's not just about the money. Getting a job offer is hard work, but it's even harder to make sure it's good offer. This episode covers some tips about how to negotiate an offer. 1. Offers are not just negotiated at the end. 2. If you can't negotiate the salary what else can be negotiated. 3. What is significant about 7%? 4. Know why your are making a request. 5. Can I negotiate a new salary in my current job? Articles 15 Rules for Negotiating a Job Offer https://hbr.org/2014/04/15-rules-for-negotiating-a-job-offer Ten Things You Can Negotiate In A Job Offer https://www.forbes.com/sites/lizryan/2018/01/25/ten-things-you-can-negotiate-in-a-job-offer/#7005c0377da4 Books (Study Mentioned) Women Don't Ask: The High Cost of Avoiding Negotiation--And Positive Strategies for Change by Linda Babcock If you have questions for us you want answered on a future episode please reach out. Contact Us: bitesizecareer@gmail.com

In episode 4 we continue our discussion with the dream team of recruiters. Sarah and Kristen provide key tips on not only how to answer interview questions, but how to anticipate what questions might be asked during the interview. Get yourself in a position to get that offer! If you have questions for us you want answered on a future episode please reach out. Contact Us: bitesizecareer@gmail.com

Do you ever wonder what is the point of a phone interview. How do you really prepare and what is the recruiter really seeking? With the help from two of our good friends and fellow recruiters, we will set you up to fly with ease through the phone interview. The phone interview is about being focused, engage and having good cell coverage. If you have question for us you want answered just reach out. Contact Us: bitesizecareer@gmail.com

Let’s face it job searching sucks! You apply to a bunch of jobs and after many weeks you finally hear something and then can’t remember which job you had applied to. In this episode Kendell and Shannon will walk you through, 1. Tips on searching for a job. 2. How to be a “lazy” networker that still garners results. 3. Using job boards to help make job searching easier…. letting technology work for you. 4. Tips on your LinkedIn profile Show Notes iTunes App: Shannon mentioned to make keeping track of your job search: Jobtreks. Article (LinkedIn): Top 3 Things I Learned During My Recent Job Transition by Joseph Valentine Dworak. For comments or questions: bitesizecareer@gmail.com

Welcome to Bitesize Career Advice a place where Kendell and Shannon will dig into the world of job searching, career development and handling tough work-life situations.  Our goal is to breakdown these areas and help you make the most out of the daily grind. In our own entertaining way we'll break it down into easy steps to write a solid resume.  Writing a resume does not have to feel daunting.  We can't guarantee it'll be fun, but we can help you make it good.  We cover some of the things we like and what to stay away from, providing specific tips to help your resume stand out. For comments or questions: bitesizecareer@gmail.com