Blog

By: Ranjita Rao

Change does not occur by doing nothing. Often, we believe that if they wait for change, it will eventually occur. As much as we want to believe that change can occur magically, oftentimes we need to actually be proactive in the changes we make. It may seem daunting, but if we break it down, it can become a lot more manageable. Look at areas in your life that you would like to improve, and set micro-goals for yourself. Little actions can not only change the way you feel day-to-day, but can gradually help make bigger changes in your life.
 
Be realistic about your goals. While micro- goals can help build toward bigger goals, it’s important that we be realistic about them. When setting goals, be sure to set goals that can actually be achieved. After you have a realistic goal for yourself, be sure to break it down into smaller more achievable goals to fit into your timeline. Not only will this feel less stressful for you, but will also create feelings of success every time you achieve your micro-goals, leading so more daily satisfaction.

By: Katrin Steinert

Most of us spend more than half of our lives working. There is a lot of pressure to find the right career path, to become successful and create our perfect working environment. With all these pressures can create a pressure cooker of balancing the perfect job with the perfect after work life. Here are three tips on how to reduce burn out when you are feeling overwhelmed at work.
 

1. Reflect on what is stressing you out most at work: When getting caught up in your work load, it can be hard to recognize what the actual stressors are. Review the stressors with your superiors to create a plan to make them more manageable. 
2. Stick to what is in your job description: It is easy to take on extra work when trying to establish yourself in your career. However, there is room to say no in order to maintain your sanity. By reviewing your workload, cut out any extra tasks that you are not responsible for. 
3. Boundaries: In today's world it is easy to bring work home with us. We all have access to our emails, calls and texts 24/7. By consciously creating boundaries between work and home will reduce burn out by giving you a breather. By not being connected at all times, it will create space to decompress. 
   

By: Eric Kruse

​Once you have fully utilized all the tools on the Holland Career Test site (https://www.truity.com/test/holland-code-career-test), and worked through your 16personalities results (https://www.16personalities.com/), it’s time to start researching the jobs that are of interest of you. This is where the real grind starts. 
Search Job Sites
Search the interest for the job you are interested in. For example, if you are interested in creative writing, search the for the term: “entry level jobs for creative writers in Los Angeles” (if you live in Los Angeles of course). Your search will probably take you to a job posting website. Here is a list of some sites:

• Indeed.com
• Careerbuilder.com
• Dice.com
• Glassdoor.com
• Linkedin.com

Read over the postings and examine all the information (overview, responsibilities, qualifications, etc.). Don’t allow yourself to feel intimated by the information. Remember that you are of value to a position that fits within your qualifications. Steve Jobs said, “Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you…”  This does not mean that you can apply for any job that you want. If one of the job requirements is a graduate degree or bachelor’s degree, and you don’t have one, then you probably won’t be able to get that job. What this quote conveys is that if you are ready to apply yourself to your passions, you are no less capable of succeeding than anyone else who applies themselves to their passions. It’s a state of mind that builds self-confidence and motivates people to pursue their interests. 
Go to a Company’s Career Section on their Website
Most companies have a career section on their website. It’s usually hidden somewhere towards the bottom. If you know of a company that you would like to work for, then go to their website and search the career section. Apply to entry level positions that fit with your qualifications. 
Writing a Resume + Cover Letter
Writing a resume and a cover letter can be overwhelming. My Perfect Resume(https://www.myperfectresume.com/) is a great resource for getting started. They generate professional sounding responsibilities and achievements statements for your resume based on your past job title. For example, let’s say your past employment was in retail, but you don’t know how to convey your retail responsibilities in a professional sounding manner for your resume.  My Perfect Resumewill generate statements for you, such as, “Resolved all customer complaints in a professional manner while prioritizing customer satisfaction.” You should rework and customize these statements to fit you personally. 
Your cover letter is your opportunity to get creative. This is where you get to write out why you are passionate about working at the company you are interested in. The key to writing a good cover letter is to write about what YOU can do FOR the company. Research the company and see if you can discover any public information about at a problem the company is currently having. Discuss that problem in the cover letter and your thoughts about how you can be helpful with solving that problem. 
Keep a Positive Mentality 
Remember, finding a job is a grind. You will get rejected a lot. Do not take it personally. Keep researching jobs, making cover letters and resumes, and applying to variety of different jobs. Eventually you will get a call back for an interview and your hard work will pay off. 

By: Eric Kruse

​Now that you have taken the 16personalities exam (based on Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) and the Holland Code Career Test (based on psychologist John Holland’s RAISEC model of career choice), its time to start organizing this data to gain insight into what type of employment you would find fulfilling. Let’s look at the Holland Career Test.
Holland Career Test
https://www.truity.com/test/holland-code-career-test
Your Holland Career test results will provide you with the following:

• Your Career Interests (broken down into six areas)
• Your Career Type (your primary interest area of the six)
  • Your top job tasks
  • Your core values
  • Key personality traits
• Exploring Careers (top careers that match your interest profile)

Interpreting the Results
For the purpose of providing an example of how to make sense of this information, I will use my results:
Career Interests:I scored a 100 on the Creating (Artistic) Scale, which means my career type is Creative. I scored an 88 on Persuading (Enterprising), which suggests that I also enjoy leading, motivating, and influencing others. 
My Top Job Tasksare Creating Art, Writing, Interpreting, Designing, and Expressing Ideas. My Core Valuesare Individuality, Creativity, Originality, Freedom, and Flexibility. My Key Personality Types are Independent, Intuitive, Sensitive, Imaginative, Spontaneous. 
Now, the first thing I do with this information is that I look for what applies to me and what does not apply. For example, I dislike writing, so I am not going to seek a creative writing job. However, I do like creating art, interpreting, and expressing ideas so I pocket those pieces of information. I am also sensitive, imaginative, and spontaneous so I take those pieces as well. 
Exploring Careers
Next, I move on to the exploring careers section. The top suggestion is advertising and promotions manager. That does not feel like it fits for me, so I click on the button that reads “career search tool,” which pulls up a new page where you can search jobs based on your career interests. I search for “Creative” and “Persuading” careers since that is where I scored the highest. I scroll down and I find “Announcer.” It says the following: “Announcers present music, news, and sports and may provide commentary or interview guests about these topics or other important events. Some act as masters of ceremonies (emcees) or disc jockeys (DJs) at weddings, parties, or clubs.”  “Announcing” is a hobby I enjoy in the past so this feels like it applies to me. However, I am not interested in monetizing that skill, so I look further. My 3rdhighest career interest was Thinking(scored a 55) so I start looking at Creative and Thinking jobs and I find mental health counselor/therapist, which is the line of work that I am in.
As a therapist, I get to study cognitive, emotional, and social processes and human behavior by observing and interpreting how people relate to one another and their environments. I get to utilize my creative side and implement my Personality Types (Independent, Intuitive, Sensitive, Imaginative, Spontaneous). I have a job that is in line with my Core Values(Individuality, Creativity, Originality, Freedom, and Flexibility), and I utilize my Top Job Tasks(Creating Art, Interpreting, Designing, and Expressing Ideas)
Your Results
Your results will obviously be different. I encourage you to get intimate with your results and spend time exploring all the tools and information on this website. Think about what applies to you and what does not apply to you. Utilize the Career Search Tool and start thinking about what jobs fit your career type, based on the RAISEC model.
Next Step
Discuss your results with a friend. Get passionate about the information. Find someone you know who is in the line of work that you find interesting and request and Informational Interview. Find out what credentials or qualifications you need for the job you are interested in.

By: Eric Kruse

Picking your career path can be an overwhelming. Many people have no idea what they want to do or how to start figuring it out. Fortunately, there are free assessments online that can help you organize your thoughts:
 
16Personalities (based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator)
https://www.16personalities.com/
16Personalities is a simplified version of the Myers-Briggs personality assessment. It measures personality traits across 4 spectrums: (1) Introverted/Extroverted; (2) Intuitive/Observant (aka Sensing); (3) Thinking/Feeling; and (4) Judging/Prospecting (aka Perceiving). Taking this free online assessment is a good place to get started thinking about what type of jobs would fit your personality type. It can also be helpful for understanding how you interact with others and the world around you. If you are an Extroverted, Intuitive, Thinking, Perceiving (ENTP) individual, then you may not be suited for positions that require observant, detail oriented, and organizational tasks. 16personalities does a great job at explaining the personality trait scales and how to interpret your results.
 
Holland Code Career Test (based on psychologist John Holland’s RIASEC model of career choice)
https://www.truity.com/test/holland-code-career-test
Psychologist John Holland’s RIASEC model of career choice assesses people’s interests so they can be matched with appropriate careers. The six areas are: (1) Realistic (Building); (2) Investigative (Thinking); (3) Artistic (Creating); (4) Social (Helping); (5) Enterprising (Persuading); (6) Conventional (Organizing). The Holland Code Career test online is a simplified version of Holland’s original assessment. Combining the result of this assessment with your 16personalities assessment is an adequate starting place for homing in on your career path.
 
More Assessments
If you are the type of person who likes more assessments, then the following link has 8 more awesome free career self-assessment tools on the internet:
https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/best-free-career-assessment-tools
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