Career Success

Animals operate best when they live in habitats for which they are suited. You wouldn’t expect a polar bear to fare well in the deserts of Arizona or a rattlesnake to try to adjust to the North Pole. Similarly, a worker thrives when put in a workplace that matches her personality, ability, and needs.

Some mismatched employees overlook the problem. They may reason that having a job at all is sufficient in this economy, or they may hope their feeling of being out-of-place will disappear over time. Living with the status quo is oftentimes easier than breaking it.

• Roles That Can Make You Happier at Work [LinkedIn]
• Twitter Has Become the New Job Board [WSJ.com]
• When Your Bad Boss and HR are Friends [CBS News]
• How to Choose the Right Career [Psychology Today]
• The Ultimate Guide to Informational Interviews [Glass Door]

Ever watch your kids (or your spouse) play video games and wonder how they can maintain interest for hours on end? One of the keys to becoming hooked is the idea of “small wins.” Each level completed, enemy defeated, or problem solved brings a sense of accomplishment that makes the player feel good and want to continue.

Most of us at one time or another will work for a “difficult” boss, so learning how to deal with one can be a vital career skill. “The more you learn to manage up, the more successful you will be wherever you are and whatever you're doing,” says professional behavioral analyst Beverly Flaxington, author of Make Your SHIFT: The Five Most Powerful Moves You Can Make to Get Where YOU Want to Go. Here, she offers seven tips for managing your boss (without the boss knowing you’re doing it):

We’ve all been there—stuck in a job we hate, when something finally pushes us to the breaking point and we can’t take it anymore. At that point, you may be tempted to do what they always do in movies—make a grand speech and leave in a dramatic and passionate fashion.

• Ways to Look Bad in a Job Interview [The Ladders]
• What to Do When You’re Overlooked for a Promotion [LinkedIn]
• When Your New Boss Has Fewer Qualifications Than You [CBS News]
• Stand Out from Other Applicants by Bringing Extra Materials to the Interview [Lifehacker]
• Who’s Winning the Mommy Wars? [US New
  

They say that the workplace is sometimes just the grown-up version of high school. Just as with those dreaded teenage years, you often must navigate a tricky landscape of challenging relationships and interactions. There may be some bumps in the road—and at times you may end up feeling like the popular crowd has left you behind.