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 how to choose a job that uses your strengths, figuring out what your weaknesses are, getting a job if you’re over 50, creative job search ideas, and how to write that dreaded document: your own evaluation.

From Steve Roesler at All Things Workplace: Where’s The Best Place to Use Your Strengths?

“There are a lot of places where you can work. What you want to know is: Which ones will allow me to use my talents for peak performance and satisfaction?”

Wally’s Comment: Steve’s right. The best place for you to work is one where you use and build on your strengths. Here’s his in-depth look at how to pick a place to work where you can be productive and happy.

From Ask a Manager: no, you really do have weaknesses

“Apparently there is a new superhuman breed walking among us, utterly free of weaknesses.”

Wally’s Comment: If you don’t know what your weaknesses are, you won’t be able to convincingly answer that interview question. More important, you won’t be able to make those weaknesses irrelevant. It’s the career companion to building on your strengths.

From Sarah Needleman at the Wall Street Journal: Finding a New Position As a Mature Job Hunter

“Searching for a job when you’re 50 or older requires a different approach than a typical search. You’re likely to seek opportunities higher up on the corporate ladder and may face perceived age bias. To succeed, you need to plan ahead, asserts Lynne A. Sarikas, director of the M.B.A. career center at Northeastern University in Boston. Consider this advice to secure a new position.”

Wally’s Comment: Most of the “how to find a job” advice is for people at the lower end of the age spectrum. Once you’ve hit mid-career, the game changes.

From Kevin Donlin writing at George’s Employmentblawg: How to Choose and Hit Job Search Targets Creatively

“Ever want to slap your forehead and say, “Why didn’t I think of that?” You might, after you discover how one New York man found the right job, largely as a result of blind luck … or was it creative smarts? Read on to judge for yourself and, more importantly, to find the two lessons that can get you hired, too.”

Wally’s Comment: This post simply drips with good ideas.

How to Write a Self Evaluation

“How do you write a self-evaluation without sounding either pompous or self-effacing? And one that will still benefit you in your career? Be strategically honest. Use select facts to build the correct impression without saying anything untrue. This article will outline a systematic approach to showing how valuable you are as an employee. ”

Wally’s Comment: I saved the best for last. Not only is this a funny post, but it might actually help you write a self-evaluation.

Thanks to Frank Roche at the KnowHR Blog for spotting this one.

This entry was posted on Friday, September 5th, 2008 at 6:59 am and is filed under Tools and Strategies for Success. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.