Professional Development

To stay ahead of the pack professionally, you need to learn how to adapt and adjust to the changing workplace landscape. That means that you should make it a priority today to prepare for the workplace of tomorrow. Otherwise, you may be left behind.

If you tend to get stuck in your ways or are reluctant to embrace new work processes, you will have a hard time keeping up with an ever-changing work environment. You must be flexible and open to new work approaches.

Graduation season is upon us and with it words of wisdom from those who have already set out in the “real” world. Truth be told, we could all use a little pep talk from time to time, so here are some thoughts from actual commencement speeches:

“Develop your own compass, and trust it. Take risks, dare to fail, remember the first person through the wall always gets hurt.” – Aaron Sorkin, screenwriter and producer (Syracuse University, 2012)

Are you striving for professional success? And how exactly do you define “success,” anyway? Depending on where you are and where you want to be—and what your priorities are, both personally and professionally—there will be different specific tactics that can help you get there.

As mentioned yesterday, 86 percent of respondents in a recent Salary.com survey said they have a desire to learn how to negotiate more effectively. While some people are lucky enough to be able to hone this skill with the help of a mentor, co-worker, friend, or family member, the majority of people say they’ve never received help.

Excel proficiency no longer means just the ability to enter data into a spreadsheet and produce a nicely formatted report. Today’s administrative professional needs a full arsenal of Excel skills in order to compete effectively in this talent-rich candidate pool. Here are the two most important:

Formulas

A candidate’s educational background is becoming increasingly important to many employers.

Many of us just assume we should always be striving to move ahead (and upwards) on our career. And other people often assume that should be our goal. But do you ever stop and think about what a move up the ladder would be like—and if we really want it? Sure, the boost in income and other perks might be nice, but there are lots of other things to consider.

There are lots of routes to success, and lots of skills, traits and characteristics that can get us there. In fact, if you read enough career articles and books, the wide variety of different (and sometimes conflicting) advice can make your head spin.

I often hear people say they panic at the thought of taking meeting minutes and trying to transcribe everything being said and recording everything taking place. You don’t have to panic. Just follow these three tips: