Usually in this space, I offer my insights as a career coach and someone who has participated in the Fulbright Program. Hopefully through my writing, I have provided some helpful views and suggestions that might help you in pursuing a career or other professional interests.
I thought this month, I’d let others “do the talking” so to speak. I regularly read articles that I receive through online publications and listservs that I subscribe to. Some of these pieces offer valuable recommendations or sometimes just good ideas to ponder! So here are a few I’ve read recently that I feel are worth passing on.
Flexjobs posted a noteworthy piece written by Adrianne Bibby on 10/12/20 about “How Fresh Air Can Help with Your Job Search.” Get out and take in the fresh air!
Are you using the right “sign-off” in your emails? Jacob Took writes in Ladders, “20 Email Sign-Offs So Compelling They’ll Have to Write Back,” (9/2/20) that a better sign-off can motivate the receiver to answer back.
Sociologist Tracy Brower in Fast Company offers some basic advice on “How to Use Your Network to Survive a Bad Job Market,” (7/31/20).
I’m really tired at the end of day. How about you? Could it be Zoom fatigue? Read “Zoom Fatigue is Real – Here’s Why Video Calls Are So Draining,” by Libby Sander (5/19/20) in Ideas.Ted.Com.
Does your resume beat the Bots? This piece by Amanda Augustine in TopResume (N.D.) provides some good advice. Read “What Is an ATS? How to Write a Resume to Beat the Bots.”
Networking is not so easy today. This piece by Kristi Faulkner in Forbes provides some good advice: “How to Network Gracefully in the Time of Social Distancing,” (5/27/20).
My colleague and friend (and Fulbright ETA alum!) Sarah McLewin writes in PCDN.Global about onboarding in the virtual world: “You Landed a Social Impact Job in a Pandemic…Now What?: How to Make the Most of Remote Onboarding in “These Uncertain Times,” (10/7/20).
And are you thinking about a great idea now? You must be! Read this piece by Laura Vanderkam in Forge to consider where to take it next: “The Perfect Conditions for a Great Idea,” (7/16/20).
And the last piece of advice (my advice here!) is that if you participated in a U.S. Fulbright program (or any other State Department sponsored program or the Peace Corps) as a U.S. citizen and are between 18-35, you should join the Career Connections Program. Career Connections brings together U.S. alumni of U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs with expert career coaches, professionals from diverse fields, and international leaders. Whether you’re changing careers, looking to advance, or just starting out, these seminars provide invaluable opportunities to network. The starting point in joining is visiting the International Exchange Alumni site (alumni.state.gov) and making sure you are a member, then going to the U.S. Alumni page. Career Connections events are all online right now!
—David J. Smith
David J. Smith (Fulbright Scholar, Estonia 2003-2004) is a career coach and the author of Peace Jobs: A Student’s Guide to Starting a Career Working for Peace (Information Age Publishing 2016). He is on the career advisory board of the Peace and Collaborative Development Network. David writes regularly on career issues at davidjsmithconsulting.com. He can reached at davidjsmith@davidjsmithconsulting.com.
