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 perfectionism, checking out prospective employers, using your strengths, crafting an individual development plan, and learning from tough times.

From the New York Times: The Upside of a Job Done Well Enough

“I have been an employee since the age of 22, and for the past 15 years or so I have also been a boss. As a psychologist, I have spent much of the last five years thinking about, exploring with my patients and writing about the unhappiness that accompanies perfectionistic tendencies. All employees, especially in uncertain times, want to make the boss happy. Which means that when given an assignment, you want to do your best. But at what cost? ”

Wally’s Comment: This is an intriguing look at how trying to do a perfect job can come back to bite you.

From the Wall Street Journal: Job Seekers Go Undercover to Check Out Employers

“More executives are transforming themselves into “mystery shoppers” to scrutinize potential employers during these uncertain times. Such senior managers pose as customers to visit stores, dealers, distribution centers or Web sites. Applicants say the visits help them gain uncensored looks at staff, service and product quality. Some corporate boards encourage the practice for prospective hires.”

Wally’s Comment: “Mystery shopping” prospective employers is nothing new in retail. But the Journal suggests that, more and more, people in other fields are carefully checking out the real, on-the-ground situation at a prospective employer. It’s kind of like doing “Management by Wandering Around” without the management.

From All Things Workplace: Doing What Comes Naturally

“We don’t pay much attention to what seems to come easily to us. We should.”

Wally’s Comment: Steve Roesler shares some observations about how many of us think that our strengths are nothing special and therefore miss opportunities for both success and happiness.

From Great Leadership: How to Write a Great Individual Development Plan (IDP)

“An individual development plan (IDP) is a tool that helps facilitate employee development. It’s a two-way commitment between an employee and their manager on what they are going to do to grow. IDPs are often used as a way to drive leadership development. Organizations like them because they are visible, tangible evidence that leadership development is taking place. They can be monitored and tracked as a measure of progress, used as a way to drive accountability for development, and most importantly, if they are well written and taken seriously, they really do work.”

Wally’s Comment: Dan McCarthy has a career’s-worth of good and specific advice to share. In this post he describes how to either write your own individual development plan or help someone else write one.

From 45 Things: When Was the Last Time You Made a Career Deposit?

“When I was a child, my mother often talked about living through the Depression. As the oldest child, she was sent to live with relatives when her family could no longer afford to feed all three children. Even though her time away from the family only lasted about a year, it greatly affected her life.”

Wally’s Comment: This is a delightful and helpful post about learning from troubled times. It’s especially appropriate for Thanksgiving week.