Every week I check dozens of “career” blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about helping your boss de-stress, keeping promises, your appearance, being coachable, and career lessons.

From Anita Bruzzese guest blogging at Cube Rules: How to support your stressed-out manager
“While many employees are losing sleep these days worrying about their jobs, it’s a bit doubtful that they also are losing z’s fretting over how the boss is faring in these tough times. Still, it may be time workers started giving some consideration to what a manager is going through.  Because as everyone knows, when a manager is stressed, that stress can often roll downhill and land directly on employees.”

Wally’s Comment: A friend of mine used to say, “When it rains on the boss, we all get wet.” When the boss is stressed it’s not good for anyone. Here are some things you can do to help.

From the Wall Street Journal: Appearances Matter
“When you’re reinventing yourself in a new career, first impressions are even more important because everyone secretly doubts that you have what it takes to be successful. Without waiting for you to explain why you’re qualified, people will make a snap judgment based on your appearance and demeanor. Do you look and sound like someone who does this job?”

Wally’s Comment: Perhaps, in theory, only your qualifications should matter. But in reality, “fit” matters. That’s why you should pay attention to how you look.

From Andy Robinson: The Magic of Keeping Your Promises and Commitments
“How effective are you at keeping the promises and commitments you make - those commitments you make to others and those commitments you make to yourself? The cost you pay for not keeping your promises may not seem like much at the time, but the true cost is a cumulative cost, a cost that, over time, will significantly erode (1) the trust others place in you, (2) your personal integrity, (3) your self-esteem, (4) your self-confidence and (5) your self-respect.  A high cost indeed.”

Wally’s Comment: There is almost nothing more important than keeping your promises.

From Dharma Consulting: Why Should You Be Coachable?
“When I was learning to ride a bike, my father would run along side of me holding the back of the seat to stabilize my balance. At a certain point, he would let go – and I’d be riding on my own. For a few seconds. Then my balance would wobble and he’d take hold to stabilize me again. All learning is like that.”

Wally’s Comment: Careers lead you from one learning experience to the next. At each step, you’ll have to learn new skills that weren’t important before. Coaching is often the best way. But you have to be coachable.

From Pick the Brain: 8 Powerful Career Lessons They should’ve Handed out on Graduation Day
“It has been 7 years since my graduation day and I still remember the excitement; I was relieved that the ”exam phase” of my life was over; I looked with enthusiasm towards my first job. Little did I know that the “working world” would require an extraordinary effort and loads of other skills! My journey on the career ladder would have been smoother, had I known a few important lessons. While there are many “on the job” lessons, some things in life must be experienced, to be truly understood. What follows are 8 such career lessons, I wish they’d handed out to me along with my diploma.”

Wally’s Comment: Don’t you wish you could tell the world what you wish you’d learned before you hit the workforce? If you had a blog you could. But then you’d find it hard to top this post. It’s worth reading despite the typos and spelling errors. One additional lesson for the author might be to get an editor or at least a spell checker.

I just read Sangeeth Varghese’s column in Forbes that was titled “Embrace Routine.” It got me thinking about how many of the people I coach see any routine as the enemy. They think that they’ll be more productive and more creative if they’re free from all restraints.

That’s not how it works. A pinch of routine, like a pinch of salt in a dish, actually makes things better.

The basic rule is that routine things should be done routinely. When programmed reminders, checklists and habits make sure the routine things get done, you can put your limited power of concentration on important things. You’re freed up to be creative.

A daily routine helps. If you do the same basic things at the same times and in the same way every day, they become habits. And you don’t spend valuable concentration on habits. They’re automatic.

Figure out what happens over and over. I call those recurring events. On Monday night I have to put out the trash and recycling. On Tuesday’s I write this blog post. What happens to you every day or week or month or quarter? What key anniversaries and birthdays do you need to remember?

Write things down on your To Do list and your calendar. Remember the Chinese proverb that the palest ink is stronger than the strongest memory. Besides, looking at your calendar for a reminder takes less energy than trying to remember.

Use checklists. I have simple lists for morning and evening of each day and for the beginning and end of each week. There’s a packing checklist for trips. Checklists work for me and for pilots. They’ll work for you.

Take time to review. Nobody gets everything done that they’re supposed to. Plan a few minutes every evening and every week to review and tie up loose ends.

You don’t need a lot of regimentation, just enough routine to let you use valuable concentration on the most important things. A little salt makes your dishes better. A little routine makes your life better.

Every week I check dozens of “career” blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about building credibility at work, social media etiquette, what it takes to make it in a flexible work assignment, career traps for solopreneurs, and a selection of hot jobs.

From Alison Green at US News and World Report: How to Build Credibility at Work
“One of the most important types of capital you can build at work is a reputation for being highly credible. It takes time to build it, and you can significantly undermine it through even a single bad move. Here’s how to build unshakable credibility.”

Wally’s Comment: You may check this out and think, “That’s just common sense.” You’d be right, but that doesn’t mean it will hurt you to review it.

From Media Daily News: Is there such a thing as social media etiquette?
“For job hunting and personal branding, social media is a free and easy way to network and communicate, but as more and more sites are bombarded with business banter, it’s essential not to cross the line between strategic networking and shameless self-promotion.

Wally’s Comment: This is the first post on social media etiquette that I’ve selected for Top Career Posts. That’s because it’s the first one I’ve come across that’s both clear and practical and also written for people with a reasonable IQ.

From Workstyle Design: 10 Characteristics of a Successful Flexible Worker
“Wondering if a flexible work arrangement is right for you? Whether you’re interested in flexible hours, telecommuting, working from a satellite office, coworking, or participating in a ROWE, flexible work isn’t a good fit for everyone. Here are 10 characteristics you must have—or develop—to thrive in a flexible work environment.”

Wally’s Comment: As they strive for cost-saving greenness, many organizations are looking at a variety of alternative working arrangements. Before you accept a flexible arrangement of any kind, talk to some people doing it and read this post.

From All Things Workplace: Real Freedom in the Free Agent Workplace
“Coaches, Consultants, Writers, Speakers, Trainers . . . each of you has, as part of your dream, the desire to be “free” from certain constraints. But you may be boxing yourself in more than you realize.”

Wally’s Comment: If you read Steve Roesler’s post and take his advice you will not be sitting around at the end of your career looking puzzled about where the money went and you won’t be sitting in some airport having a breakdown and wondering how you’re going to get it all done and still survive.

From the NY Times: Despite Recession, High Demand for Skilled Labor
“The unemployment rate has risen precipitously to 9.4 percent, the highest level in nearly 30 years, and most of the jobs that do come open are quickly filled from the legions of seekers. But unnoticed in the government’s standard employment data, employers are begging for qualified applicants for certain occupations, even in hard times. Most of the jobs involve skills that take years to attain.”

Wally’s Comment: There are some high paying secure jobs going begging these days because there aren’t enough trained people to fill them. That’s the good news. The bad news is that they all require years of preparation. It reminds me of the old Chinese saying. When is the best time to plant a tree? Twenty years ago. When is the second best time? Today.

The Wall Street Journal just ran a great article titled: “A Wandering Mind Heads Straight Toward Insight.” Here’s the lead.

“It happened to Archimedes in the bath. To Descartes it took place in bed while watching flies on his ceiling. And to Newton it occurred in an orchard, when he saw an apple fall. Each had a moment of insight. To Archimedes came a way to calculate density and volume; to Descartes, the idea of coordinate geometry; and to Newton, the law of universal gravity. In our fables of science and discovery, the crucial role of insight is a cherished theme. To these epiphanies, we owe the concept of alternating electrical current, the discovery of penicillin, and on a less lofty note, the invention of Post-its, ice-cream cones, and Velcro.”

OK, so perhaps you aren’t on a quest for a giant insight that will change the world. It could be that all you want is to do things better or figure out how to do something different that will improve your job search.

There are insights in the Journal article, but we know a lot about creativity without mastering the intricacies of neuroscience or purchasing expensive equipment. If you want to get more good ideas, here are some things you should do.

Feed your brain. Give it lots of information and opinion from different sources.

Let your brain work on its own. You can direct the logical functions of your brain, but you need to let your brain work by itself, too. Do that by giving problem-solving a rest. Do something else.

Let your brain play. The best ideas come at two specific times.

Good ideas some when you’re in a state that the psychologists call “reverie.” It happens most often when you’re either falling asleep or waking up.

Good ideas come when you’re doing something where your body is on autopilot and your brain can roam free. Taking a shower, driving, exercising, walking, doing the dishes, and gardening are just a few examples.

Let your brain work in a familiar way. If you’ve gotten most of your good ideas while walking, you’ll probably get more in the same situation. Want and idea, take a walk, or whatever activity works for you.

Don’t let those ideas get away. Make it a habit to capture the good ideas you get. A small digital voice recorder, index cards, or a pocket notebook are great.

Take the time to make it work. No matter what you’ve heard, one eureka moment is never enough to solve a problem. That takes more work, combining ideas, and modifying ideas.

Getting ideas is the easy part. But now you know how to do it.

Every week I check dozens of “career” blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about finding a job when you’ve just graduated, lists of job search resources, and what to do if you’ve gotten a job after a long layoff.

From Escape from Cubicle Nation: Open letter to recent college graduates
“Here is my advice to you, based on thirteen years working in and studying career development, learning, human behavior and performance inside and outside of corporations.”

Wally’s Comment: Great stuff. Pam Slim offers good advice for right now and most of your career.

From Forbes: How To Behave At Your First Job
“You’ve landed your first job out of college. That wasn’t easy, in this tough time. Now you’ve got to make sure you keep it and succeed at it.”

Wally’s Comment: OK, you got that first job. How do you act? What do you do? What do you avoid? That’s what this article sets out to answer.

From Career Rocketeer: Top 20 LinkedIn Groups ALL Job Seekers MUST Join
“LinkedIn is the leading professional network on the web, so if you don’t have an account already, get one today! If you have one already, you’re off to a great start. LinkedIn is an invaluable asset to all you job seekers out there, providing you many unique features, including your own professional online resume, its own job board, a comprehensive company directory and more. One feature you job seekers may not know about or have fully explored is LinkedIn Groups.”

Wally’s Comment: Joining a LinkedIn group isn’t THE answer to your job search. Nothing is. There are no “musts,” just intelligent choices. But this list will help you become familiar with LinkedIn groups and make some decisions about whether and how to make them part of your career strategy.

From Devans Cosmos: Helpful Twitter Job Search Links
“If you are looking for web application or software development project management work like me or any job really, here are a few sites to help you look for work on the Twitter platform.”

Wally’s Comment: Twitter is the hot new social medium of the moment. And there are lots of recruiters camped out there looking for the right people. Is that you? Here’s how to use Twitter to increase your chances of finding the job you want.

From the Wall Street Journal: Making an Easy Re-Entry Into the Work Force
“If you’ve been unemployed for months and have finally found a job, you’re likely thrilled at first. But anxiety often follows that excitement. Starting any new job is hard, and coming back to work after a long layoff can be even harder. You have to re-establish a routine, refresh your skills and rebuild your confidence. Here’s how to make a successful re-entry.”

Wally’s Comment: When you’ve been out of work for a while you change your daily routines and some of your “work habits” fall away. Here’s a review what you should be thinking about when you go back to work.

A famous Winston Churchill quote advises us to “Never, Never, Never give up.”

There are times when pressing on regardless is the right thing. If you’re in sales, you have to keep making calls. If you’re looking for a job you have to keep looking. But that doesn’t mean you should keep doing things the same way.

Last week the Wall Street Journal ran an article headlined: “Rethinking Their Ambitions.” The idea was that, perhaps, MBA grads came into the marketplace with unrealistic expectations.

The Journal also ran an article headlined: “Raising Kids Who Can Thrive Amid Chaos in Their Careers.” Here’s a quote from the article: “A tidy, linear path to a secure career is increasingly hard to find.”

Reality check. For most of history finding a “tidy, linear path to a secure career” has been impossible. Recent history is the exception, not the rule. What lies in front of you is not likely to be tidy, nor linear, nor lead anywhere secure.

So what should you do? Start by looking at the context of that Churchill quote. Right before he wrote that “Never” part quoted above, Churchill wrote this: “never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.”

I’ll leave the honor part to you. Let’s talk about good sense.

There’s a definition of insanity as: “doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” So here’s a suggestion if you don’t want to be thought insane.

Don’t stop trying. Try differently.

Step back for a minute. Assess where you are. Consider your options.

Look for work in a different way. Consider different places and different methods.

Consider taking a first job that isn’t on your hoped-for career path. Lots of us have done that.

Don’t just do this in your head. Ask for advice and input from people you respect.

Remember, you shouldn’t give up. But you shouldn’t keep doing things that don’t work, either.

Every week I check dozens of “career” blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about myths about climbing the ladder, getting the right career advice, what to do if you don’t have experience, becoming more productive, and storytelling.

From The Corner Office: Ten Myths About Climbing the Corporate Ladder
“For everything worth obtaining in life, people invent reasons why they can’t have it or look for an easy way to get it. First, nothing worth having is easy to obtain. Second, the only thing stopping you is you. To help you on your way, I’m going to bust Ten Myths About Climbing the Corporate Ladder:”

Wally’s Comment: Solid, realistic debunking of some of the more common success myths and excuses.

From the Wall street Journal: Avoiding Generic Career Advice
“Have you ever purchased a piece of clothing that was one size fits all? Sure, almost anyone could wear such a garment, but, depending on the person, the look is very different. It doesn’t take an M.B.A. to understand that specific sizes best meet people’s individual needs.”

Wally’s Comment: The advice that will help you the most is the advice that’s specific. Here’s some specific advice on avoiding generic advice

From Forbes: When They Require Experience And You Have None
“It’s a refrain new college graduates hear from prospective employers all the time: “You don’t have enough experience.” But how do you get experience if you don’t have any?”

Wally’s Comment: This post starts with the idea that you should actually assess how much and what sort of experience you have before throwing up your hands in despair. Plus there’s advice on what to do next.

From PlugInID: Five Ideas I’ve Implemented to Get More Done
“A little over two weeks ago now, I set myself a self-discipline challenge that produced some great results. I am honestly still amazed that something as simple as cutting out time wasters in my life, over a very short time-frame, has had such a positive impact on me. Since finishing the challenge, I’ve really “upped my game” and my productivity is still through the roof. Due to the success I have experienced in this area, I’ve streamlined my operations and brought together all my positive, productive ideas, for maximum results.”

Wally’s Comment: Everybody seems to think that everyone else is more efficient, effective, and productive. Well here are some tips from a fellow who’s tried a few things. They may not all be for you, but I’ll be you try at least one.

From What Would Dad Say: How To Tell a Story About Your Career, Your Products, Whatever
“Again this morning I got into a conversation with someone about how important story telling is in our daily lives. Your ability to tell a good story, an anecodote, will help you far more than almost any single thing you can do, professionally. This is not joke telling ability, this is an ability to take almost any subject and figure out how to illustrate your points via a compelling story. If you are jobseeker, it is about your 3-minute elevator pitch, if you are sales rep, it’s about the thing you are selling.”

Wally’s Comment: Stories are a great way to pack a lot of information into a small space. They’re the way human beings have preferred to communicate since we began communicating. Dad points you to a wonderful discussion of storytelling by NPR’s Ira Glass, who is one of the best.

This last week I talked to three different people who are in jobs they want to leave. All three have tested the job market waters and decided to stay put for now.

That’s a common position these days. Here’s some advice for you or someone you care about who is hanging on while waiting for the job market to improve.

You’re still employed at your current job. That means you owe your current employer your best efforts. It’s easy to forget that when you’re thinking of leaving, but it will make things a lot more pleasant in the future. And who knows, the job you’re in could lead to something better with your current employer.

Look for interesting things to do. Interesting work will help keep you engaged and performing.

If there’s no work that interests you, find ways to make what you do interesting. Track your output. Compete with others or with your own best performance.

Look for opportunities to create credentials. Take on projects and assignments that help you build your knowledge and your resume. This is also a time to try assignments that help you learn about yourself.

If you think that the Managerial Career Path might be for you, this is a good time to try out a leadership role. Seek out a temporary assignment leading a project team or task force.

If there’s an area of the business that you want to learn more about, see if you can arrange to help out there as part of your work. Your employer will probably welcome your interest and you’ll learn about the area and yourself.

Look for friends you can make or relationships you can enrich. At the end of the day it’s all about people. Build your personal network by helping others succeed.

Even if you do move on soon, the job you have now offers you opportunities to grow and develop. It’s up to you whether to seize those opportunities or not.

Every week I check dozens of “career” blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about telephone interviews, learning to let go (a little), how to quit, tips on interviewing, and how to be happy at work.

From the Wall Street Journal: The New Trouble on the Line
“Job seekers, beware the telephone. For years, the phone interview was a preliminary step that allowed an employer to give a candidate the once-over and schedule an in-person interview. But these days, many recruiters are using the phone interview to pose the kinds of in-depth questions previously reserved for finalists. What’s more, job hunters say the bar for getting to the next level has been raised much higher, catching many of them off-guard.”

Wally’s Comment: The times they are a’changin’ and one place is the role of the phone interview in the hiring process. Learn how not to go down in flames before you even realize what’s happening.

From Recession Wire: The Zen of Job Hunting
“Yes, it’s a tough job market. Yes, it’s important to be looking after your career. But that doesn’t mean obsessing over your resume, growing pale and wan because you spend hours each day scouring the internet for openings.”

Wally’s Comment: Sometimes we just get way too intense about the job hunt. Sometimes the best thing to do is to step back, take a deep breath and let the game come to you.

From Harvard Business: How to Quit Your Job with Style
“Quitting is obviously not for everyone in this tough economic climate. But if you do decide to quit, what’s the best way to go about it? The simple answer is with style — but without the flair. Here’s how.”

Wally’s Comment: As the man says, if you’re going to quit, here’s how.

From Microsoft Jobsblog: Tips and Advice vs. Giving Away the Farm
“I feel it’s time to introduce my top six pieces of Kenji® branded recruiter advice. Handle with care!”

Wally’s Comment: Great tips about things which ought to be common sense, but aren’t.

From the Happiness Project: Sixteen Tips for Feeling Happier at Work
“Being happy at work is, of course, quite related to how much you like your job, but there are small steps you can take to boost your mood. Maintaining the comfort of your body, sprinkling a few small pleasures throughout your day, using your time wisely – a little thought can mean a lot more happiness at work.”

Wally’s Comment: These tips will work for you even if your job is finding a job.

It was a little more than a decade ago that I heard the term “personal branding” for the first time. Tom Peters used it in an article titled “The Brand Called You” that appeared in Fast Company magazine in 1997. I didn’t think much about it at the time.

A few years Peter Montoya interviewed me for the first edition of his book, The Brand Called You. Even then, the concept was only the faintest of blips on my issue radar.

Things are different today. Several articles are published every month on personal branding. Google comes up with over 100,000 blog posts and almost a million web pages when you hunt for the term.

When a term is being thrown about that much, you know there is bound to be lots of conflicting advice. Here’s my take on what you need to know about personal branding and pointers to some solidly helpful resources.

Your personal brand is what people think of when they hear your name. It is also the impression those people will have if they try to find out all about you, the way a prospective employer will.

You have a personal brand. You have no choice in this. Your only choice is about what to do to influence what people think about you.

The web, especially social media, make it easy for people to find out lots of things about you. Not all of that may be accurate. Some of it may be unfair. But that’s life.

So, what can you do to make your personal brand exactly what you want it to be? Here are two great resources.

Dan Schawbel is today’s most visible guru on personal branding. He’s just added a post to his blog that’s titled: “Personal Branding for Dummies.” It’s a good place to start.

Wendy Mason at the Wise Wolf Talking blog also has a great post titled: “Your Personal Brand - A Checklist - 8 Questions to Ask.”

Start with either one of those, and remember to come back here to Momentor for good advice on all things career.