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 planning for down time, personality testing, rude prospective employer behavior, the worst interview question of all, and planning your unique career.

From Entrepreneur: Rush Hour

“Don’t let downtime turn into lost time. Learn how to make the most of it.”

Wally’s Comment: This is a helpful post about the different ways you manage fast days and slow days.

From Toddi Gutner at the Wall Street Journal: Applicants’ Personalities Put to the Test

“Many companies are using personality and ability assessments as pre-employment or orientation tools in an effort to help a company hire a specific type of person for a job that might require certain traits — or conversely, to rule out traits that are likely to lead to job failure.”

Wally’s Comment: Of course this sort of testing only works if the test can actually measure things that actually matter in the particular job they think you’re applying for.

From Liz Ryan at Business Week: Six Reasons to Run From a Job Interview

“When a prospective employer makes unreasonable demands on you before things start to get serious, it’s a strong signal to hit the road.

Wally’s Comment: Years ago I worked with a man who never greeted you when he called you. He launched right into whatever he had to say. When the conversation was done he simply hung up. There was no chit-chat or even a good-bye. He saw that as being efficient. I thought it was just rude.

Today there are lots of ways that companies do rude things in the name of efficiency. Liz Ryan nailed a few in her post. Since you’ve also read the WSJ post above, you’ll love Liz’s number three: “You’re sent a questionnaire (not a job application) or online test to complete before you’ve had any human contact with the employer, including a phone call.”

From Karen Burns at US News: The Worst Interview Question of Them All

“No, it’s not “If you were a breakfast cereal, which kind would you be?” Although that’s close. It’s this: “What is your salary history?” You will want to say, “It’s really none of your business.” But it’s hard to pull that off without sounding snarky. So here are four sample answers. Take your pick.

Wally’s Comment: If there are job interviews in your immediate future, read this post.

From Steve Roesler at All Things Workplace: The Intersection That’s Uniquely You

“When it comes to a career that has meaning, you are really looking for something that captures that which is uniquely you. Work satisfaction rests on a foundation that joins together the best of who you are with the best of what you can accomplish. Outstanding accountants, teachers, lawyers, welders, and musicians somewhere made a choice that turned into a “best fit” career. You want to do the same thing. That’s why it’s important to know the elements that go into a meaningful career.”

Wally’s Comment: This is a post you’ll want to read when you’ve got some time to ponder. And if All Things Workplace is up to its usual standard, there will be lots of good comments for you to look at, in addition to the post itself.

I grew up in a time when people were expected to have career plans. As I recall, mine had a goals that was something like: “Be the President of a major multi-national corporation by age 40.”

Heck, I was young. I not only didn’t recognize limits, I didn’t recognize that there were limits.

On the first day of high school at the venerated Bronx High School of Science, many of us shared our plans with each other. I only know of one person who actually lived out the plan he had then. The rest of us wound up doing it differently.

One fellow tried two or three careers, doing graduate work for each one. Then he stumbled onto real estate law because he had an apartment house to manage. People who planned to be scientists discovered that they loved teaching and made a career of that.

It wasn’t that we aimed for things that were unreasonable or unachievable, even though that was true in some cases, like my own. A little time in a corporation convinced me that while I was smart, talented, and a hard worker, I simply didn’t have the temperament for corporate life.

For most of the other people I knew, it wasn’t that they changed career goals because they couldn’t achieve the ones that they set. Most of them changed because they found something they were good at and liked better.

Some successful people didn’t write out a detailed plan. They had what I call a “non-plan.” They knew generally what they wanted to do, set about doing it, and then followed the path where it led them. One woman I dated said she wanted to be a writer, and so she is today for one of America’s most respected publications.

In the beginning, the problem is often that we simply don’t know enough about ourselves and the world to make wise choices. We don’t know what some of the choices are.

And we don’t understand that some career patterns don’t lend themselves to careful mapping. Check out the material on this site about four different Career Paths to see what some of the options are.

Plan as much as you need to, but keep yourself open to the opportunities that will come knocking. Sometimes they’ll come knocking with the sense that you’re bored or unhappy where you are. That will probably happen several times in your career.

Determine what Career Path is right for you. Identify your strengths. Then a mix of a little planning and some scanning for opportunity is the way to go.

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 whether children will make you happier, resume sins, talking about salary, job sharing, and what to do while you’re waiting to hear.

From Results vs. Activities: Will Kids Really Make Angelina Jolie Happier?

“So, does having children make you psychologically healthier, happier and less prone to depression? Or, does it make more sense just to be the best aunts and uncles you can and remain childless throughout life?”

Wally’s Comment: This probably won’t make any difference in how you live your life, but it may help you understand things better and it’s definitely good reading.

From Fortify Your Oasis: The Top 7 CV Sins - and how to fix them

Wally’s Comment: If you have a resume, you should read this artful piece.

From Newly Corporate: Interview Tip: Leave the salary out of it.

“Let’s discuss an uncomfortable issue that most right out of college don’t know how to deal with. We at Newlycorporate received several questions “When do you bring up salary in an interview?” The question has a simple answer. You don’t. You don’t ask in the first interview and you don’t ask in the second interview, or even the third.”

Wally’s Comment: Talking about salary in the job seeking process is one of those uncomfortable issues. Here’s some good advice that may help you do better and may also make things easier.

From Where Great Workplaces Start: Learning How To (Job) Share

“Where Great Workplaces Start recently sat down with Kelly Keefe, Manager of Training & Events at ERC to talk about job-sharing. Kelly discusses her situation at ERC, the benefits of job-sharing, and provides excellent advice for employees or employers considering job-sharing.”

Wally’s Comment: I’ve often wondered why job sharing isn’t a more popular way for companies to make it easy for talented people to work for them and for talented people to make wise choices about how they’re living life.

From Career Hub: Waiting to Hear about a Job? Five Strategies for Maximizing Down-time

“If you are in “wait-and-see” mode, here are five strategies to power your career through the doldrums of summer.”

Wally’s Comment: Things slow down in the summer. Hiring managers take vacations. Companies put things off until “everyone’s back from vacation.” But that’s no reason for you to sit and wait and worry. Here are some positive things you can do.

The short answer is: “No.” Now let’s move on to the long answer.

When I was in my twenties, fresh out of the Marines and finishing up my degree, I thought I could have it all. People in their twenties are likely to think that because they haven’t tried it yet.

Now that I’m in my sixties, I participate in what Tom Peters calls “old guy” conversations. Almost always, someone will grumble about the younger people who think they can have it all, mistaking the certainty of youth for a generational characteristic.

The reason that you can’t have it all is that life involves tradeoffs. Sure you can use some of your money to buy time. But you can’t be in Pocatello for a business meeting and Providence for a dance recital at the same time. You can use technology to see and hear what happens, but you can’t get or give a hug over a high speed connection.

So the first part of the long answer is this: You may be able to have it all but you almost certainly will not get to have it all, all at once.

Here’s something else to remember. That other generation, older or younger, is just as smart as you and just as committed to doing the right thing.

The problem is that we see “the right thing” differently based on where we’ve come from. If you want a long explanation of that, read Strauss and Howe’s excellent book, Generations.

The quality and texture of your life will depend on thousands of choices you make. They will be choices about how you will spend your time today and how you will spend your money and who you will huddle with when the winds of adversity blow.

You may not be able to have it all, but you can definitely have a lot of it, if you make some wise choices and if you get just a little lucky. Remember that those choices won’t be big, important-looking choices. They’ll be mostly small ones, the ones you make every day.

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 career magic, the importance of staying power, helping headhunters find you, the power of networking, and how to find a job in a down economy.

From Michael Wade at US News and World Report: The One Move That Makes for Career Magic

“Seasoned climbers, of course, won’t rule out moving laterally in order to move up. They don’t waste time or energy on a route that is not promising, and they scoff at any reliance on magic. There is another factor, however, that can kick in when it comes to careers that is, in a way, almost magical: Take some time off several times a week for an activity that is seemingly unrelated to career advancement. Exercise is probably the best choice since its benefits include reduced stress and increased confidence. Volunteer work can also take you away from career obsessions while providing needed perspective and meaning.”

Wally’s Comment: This is one of those things that don’t make it into the run-of-the-mill how to have a swell career books. But it works.

From 45 Things: Got Grit?

“You can be the sharpest knife in the drawer, the most well-educated person in your workplace, ambitious, quick-witted and charming — and a failure.”

Wally’s Comment: Intelligence is no guarantor of success in a job. In fact years ago there was study that concluded the Nobel Laureates were not necessarily smarter than other scientists. But they were better finishers. Maybe you could say that they had grit.

From Karen Burns at US News and World Report: How to Lead a Headhunter to Your Head

“Need a job? A headhunter may be your answer. But how do you get your head hunted? It’s simple but not easy: The way to find a good headhunter is to put yourself in places where headhunters will find you.”

Wally’s Comment: Another stellar post from Karen Burns. Good advice wrapped in entertaining prose.

From Scott Bradley at Networking Effectively: “If you don’t have something nice to say…”

“Because of the six degrees of separation we are all connected together in some way. Based on the amount of “direct” contacts we have, the smaller our networking circle becomes. ”

Wally’s Comment: My mother told me not to say bad things about others. Now Scott Bradley tells all of us why that advice is even more potent in today’s networked world.

From Jim Stroud at the Recruiter’s Lounge: How to find a job when the economy sucks

“I recently gave a webinar on job hunting for Recruiters that were unemployed, under-employed or unhappily-employed. It seems to me that there is a need for this type of information, especially in these “interesting” times. That being the case, I have decided to post the slides and notes from my webinar here for all to use. Please pass on these notes to other recruiters, HR personnel, or anyone looking for a new opportunity.”

Wally’s Comment: This really three posts about how to find a job, no matter what.

Most people don’t see the romance in Tim’s career. He designs and runs sewage plants.

I was talking about that to him this last weekend. “You think of it as sewage,” Tim said, “but I think of it as an engineering problem. And I like solving engineering problems.”

Joe is in the kitchen cabinet business. It’s exciting for him because he’s turned it into a game that he can play, like the pro athlete he once was.

Every time he serves a customer, he has the opportunity to score. The more he scores, the better the business does. After twenty plus years, it’s doing very well indeed.

Years ago, a wise person suggested to me that the secret of a happy and successful career is to make enough money doing something you love. Tim and Joe remind us that you don’t have to love the things other people think are romantic.

For years I’ve been speaking to audiences at industry conventions. I’ve worked with people in glamorous fields like investment banking and space exploration. And I’ve worked with people in industries that most people don’t think of as glamorous, like running truck stops or selling pedorthic footwear.

Take any industry you choose. There will be people who are passionate about it and who’ll tell you how much it “gets in your blood.” There will be people making enough money doing something they love.

That’s part of your challenge if you’re starting out. Unless you’re dead sure what career path you want, you may be best off if you remain open to the possibilities for a while.

Tim never planned on sewage plants. Joe never planned on kitchen cabinets. But because they were willing to explore the possibilities they wound up with very successful careers.

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 bad career advice, keeping track of your accomplishments, desperation, loving what you do, and the costs and cures of depression.

From Alison Green at US News: 5 Pieces of Bad Career Advice

“I’m sometimes unnerved by some of the career advice that gets repeated over and over in job-hunting guides and career columns. Here are five particularly bad pieces of advice that I cringe every time I see.”

Wally’s Comment: There’s a lot of career “advice” out there that makes me yell at my screen. Alison Green feels the same way but she wrote about it first and better. Read this post as a vaccination against common, but bad advice.

From Career News: Note your Achievements - Advance Your Career

“As you network and cultivate relationships with peers, supervisors, mentors and employer prospects on your path to career growth, it’s important to tactfully highlight your achievements.”

Wally’s Comment: You can’t expect people to know your accomplishments unless you remind them. You can’t remind people of your accomplishments if you don’t remember them yourself.

From Deb Owen at 8 Hours and a Lunch: looking for a job? desperation is still a turn-off

“you may have heard recently about the guy in new york who stood on the street in his suit handing out resumes to anyone who would walk by. but that’s not all he did. he also wore a sandwich sign asking people to hire him. now, while i applaud his creativity, there is a problem there. see? the sandwich sign hearkens back to images of the depression. it sends a signal of….you said it….desperation. ”

Wally’s Comment: If the search has been long and fruitless, read this post. Remember the gambler’s adage: “desperate money never wins.”

From Lindsey Pollak: Why I do what I do: a post about Dave Brubeck

“People often ask me why I write career advice, why I want to help people — especially young people — find happiness in their careers. This weekend I found the best way to explain it.”

Wally’s Comment: Passion and loving what you do are career power. What better example than Dave Brubeck? I suspect that if you asked Dave when he intended to retire, he’d respond, “Retire from what?”

From Ken Nowack at Results vs. Activities: Down on Being Down

“Emotions do indeed play a role in productivity, morale and customer service. Any guess what medical condition or health risk is the most costly to employers? If you guessed stress, smoking, obesity, inactivity or diabetes you are way off the mark. In fact, the most costly is depression and can affect 20% of any of us during our lifetime1.

Wally’s Comment: Here’s some hard data on depression. Ken’s post also includes the good news that depression is a treatable condition. There’s info on how to spot it in yourself, a loved one or a co-worker and advice on what works.

You’ve heard the saying: “Life is a journey.” I used to think that meant one journey. Now I know better.

The journey I used to think of was a pretty straightforward one. It was like a journey from New York City to San Francisco. You drove to the George Washington Bridge, turned left, and stopped when you got to the Pacific Ocean.

I’m 62 now, and when I look back on my life, it’s not a journey at all. Instead it’s been a lot of them.

The journeys took me to different places. When I got there, the place was different from where I was before and often different from what I expected, so it took some getting used to.

Sometimes, like on a real trip to Mumbai, for example, I didn’t know the language and the customs. Sometimes I stayed a long while. Sometimes not.

If you’re coming of age today, your life is probably going to be a lot like mine. You won’t have just one career. You’ll probably have several. And you’ll have more work situations than that.

Take moment to click over and read about “21st Century Career Patterns.” In our time there’s not just one career, but several. There’s not just one journey. There’s several.

To get ready for a life with many different careers, you need to prepare yourself by analyzing your strengths and preferences, by learning to size up opportunities and by learning to find resources when you need them. It won’t be as easy as a one-journey life, but it’s likely to be more fun and satisfying.