The average person changes jobs 10 to 15 times over the course of their career, and spends less than five years at each job. Harder to figure out: how many times they change careers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn’t track it, and many changes are pretty subtle anyway, as career paths naturally evolve over time. Sometimes, however, you have to make a leap. In this week’s roundup, we look at what to do when you need to make a big career change, plus resume rules you should stop breaking, and ways to beat burnout.
(Photo Credit: Alan Cleaver/Flickr)
Jessica Sweet at LinkedIn: Do You Feel Trapped in Your Career?
“Everywhere you look, you’ll see the advice ‘Do what you love,'” Sweet writes. “It’s not bad advice. In fact, I’m a proponent of it myself. …But it’s one thing to say ‘do what you love,’ and believe that it’s the right course of action, and quite another to be able to implement that advice in your own life – you know, the one with a cranky boss, and a lifestyle that’s grown accustomed to your salary.”
Sweet’s outline of how to get from where you are to where you want to be focuses on the broad strokes, but if you’re feeling stuck, it’ll help you to see the process, step by step.
Richard Moy at The Muse: 4 Resume Rules You Keep Breaking for No Good Reason
Rule No. 1? Keep your resume simple.
“OK, so I know this makes me sound like I’m no fun,” Moy writes. “And sure, there are plenty of times when a little bit of creativity didn’t hurt. But a while back, someone asked me to take a look at her resume and give her feedback. I said, ‘Sure, I’d be happy to copyedit for you.’ And what I got was a really complicated PDF with a handful of colors, ‘quirky’ descriptions of previous jobs, and ultimately a document that made my head hurt. Don’t be this person. Even if you’re in a creative trade, try reeling in your inner artist when drafting a resume. And if you’re applying for a corporate position, keep it even simpler.”
So skip the snazzy formatting and let your experience speak for itself. More tips, here.
Emmelie De La Cruz at The Branding Muse: The Pressure of Purpose: 5 Ways to Overcome Burnout
“…we often think that working into the wee hours of the morning means that we are hustling and grinding,” De La Cruz writes. “We wear our dark circles and under-eye bags with pride like they are badges of honor. We can’t wait to humblebrag about how tired we are from passionately pursuing our dreams and building our brands. Oh please. Spare me with the #TeamNoSleep Instagram and Twitter posts. You’re tired, and because you’re tired, you are less productive, less creative, and less focused.”
Of course, it’s not easy to find the line between working hard and overworking. These days, very few of us work 9 to 5, and getting to a career we love often requires even more investment; classes and interviews and personal branding efforts all take time. De La Cruz offers tips for restructuring your time so that you can be truly productive, engaged, and most importantly, happy.
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