Are you in your dream job? How do you know if you are or you aren’t? Our friend Megan Broussard from ProfessionGal, recently asked these five questions in her first article for the website Advice from a Twenty Something, and we think all of you should ask yourself the same five questions. These might just determine A) whether or not you’re in your dream job and B) what your dream job really is:

1. What was your first love as a child?

2. What do you find yourself interested in during your free time?

3. Do you want your manager’s job?

4. Are you proud to tell people what you do?

5. Does the thought of Monday morning leave your stomach in knots on Sunday night?

Read Megan’s entire article at Advice from a Twenty Something here.

The post Are You in Your Dream Job? 5 Questions to Find Out appeared first on Career Girl Network.

You’ve probably heard of the famed 10,000 hour rule, that is takes 10,000 hours to master any skill. Before you start doing the math, we’ll save you some time – that’s about 10 years worth of time. Think about it. If you graduate college with a degree in business, and spend the next 10 years in direct sales, chances are you’re a direct sales expert. If you’ve been playing an instrument or practice a hobby for the same amount of time, you’ve probably gotten as good as you’re going to get at that skill.

If you’re interested in changing careers or learning a new skill, that 10,000 hour rule may seem daunting. But our friends at Work Awesome are giving you a few ways you could cut those 10,000 hours in half or less with “5 Ways to Shortcut the 10,000 Hour Rule.“

Two Great Shortcuts from Work Awesome:

Shortcut #1: Deliberate PracticeDeliberate practice is another term coined by Ericsson, and in a nutshell it means that rather than just going through the motions to say you’ve done something that you are quite intentional in doing the work. You focus on it and you pay attention to the process and the outcome (and how can you change the process to improve the outcome). You are definitely not just “getting your reps in.”

In the case of our copywriting novice, she would be using templates, writing out 50 versions of the headline, and making sure she was getting regular constructive feedback.

Shortcut #4: Study the Masters

No matter what anyone tells you, there isn’t a whole lot that hasn’t already been done before. Sure, no one has put quite your spin on it, but learn from the best and don’t reinvent the wheel.

The foundational principles are the foundational principles – right now we’re just iterating off of what the greats did generations before us.

By reading about and studying the greats – both their successes and their failures – you can accelerate your learning curve by not having to go down a path they have already gone.

3 Other Ways to Circumvent the Rule:

1. Partner with someone who did the hard work. Now, we’re not recommending you ride the coattails of a more hardworking person in your field. We’re simply recommending getting a mentor and learning from his or her experience. That way, when you have questions, you can ask that individual rather than slogging through the “figure it out yourself” process those 10,000 hours utilize.
2. Take big risks. If you’re learning to cross stitch and you consistently practice with the packages labeled “easy,” you’re never going to become an expert. If you want to avoid the whole 10,000 hours, you’re going to have to take bigger risks earlier in your learning process. Try the “hard” labeled package, go for the big payoff, and you might just succeed. If you fail, at least you’ve learned a big lesson.
3. Focus. It takes 10,000 hours to learn something because you’re doing a lot of other things in between those 10,000 hours. If you can, take time out to focus entirely on the skill or task you want to learn for a month or two at a time. If you want to learn French, can you take the summer off to go to France (dreaming, right, but hey, it’s an idea)? If you want to change industries or careers, perhaps you’re going to need to leave your current job and try a certificate program or internship to get into the new field.

Whatever the case, 10,000 hours is a long time, but it can be worth it. Take these shortcuts not to avoid the 10,000 hours, but to make it more effective!

The post The 10,000 Hour Rule: How to Get Around It appeared first on Career Girl Network.

Goal-setting is something you must be doing now, and always. While goal-setting is particularly helpful in your career, it’s also a great tactic in most aspects of your life. How many times have you heard that dreaded, “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” But it’s amazing and motivating when you realize what you responded to that question 5 years ago, is exactly where you are now. Sometimes our goals or dreams change or evolve over those 5 years, and that’s normal. But sometimes we know just what it is we want, and the path we put into motion today will lead us directly to our desires.

Goal-setting techniques may be different for each of us, but crafting time-specific and detailed goals can help you work backwards in identifying what tasks you’ll need to complete to reach those goals. Maybe its to-do lists that really help you out; take the time each week or each day to write out your to-do list, and make sure your daily tasks are in line with your larger goals.

It’s okay if you’re not really sure what your goals are. As we age and grow we dig deeper into who we really are and what we really want. Ask yourself these questions:

• What do I love to do?
• What am I good at?
• How important is/Could I live without ____ (a career, family life, travel, etc.)?
• How do I want to spend my time?

Do some soul-searching to come up with the answers. Deciding how you want to spend your life and discovering what’s truly important to you will help you better shape your goals. If the only thing you discover from this exercise is that you’d rather pursue a career with travel benefits than settle down with a family right now, consider that a huge success.

If you find your life is on a path contradictory to what your larger goals are, don’t panic. Even seemingly arbitrary experiences will help shape you as a person and give you knowledge and perspective you may not have had prior. But defining your goals will help make sure this doesn’t happen; consider your goals a road map for your life, indicting where to stay on the path, and when to veer the course.

The post Goal-Setting When You Don’t Know What You Want appeared first on Career Girl Network.

I sat at a women’s networking luncheon this past week listening to each women as she introduced herself and her business. A young intern from a local newspaper interrupted the conversation to poll the table on this question: Have you read the Sheryl Sandberg’s recent book, Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead.

I was the only woman at my table to raise my hand. As a matter of fact, I’m fresh off my read of the book  and while I did not agree with everything Sandberg offered up, I believe she sparked a dialogue that we desperately need right now.

One of my table mates asked me what I liked about the book. 77¢ on the dollar is what I didn’t like I blurted out. (So much for the subtle approach.)

Admittedly, I’ve been under a rock and not plugged into the pathetic pay gap between men and women in the U.S. until Sandberg addressed it in her book. I mean I knew a pay gap still existed, but I felt it only existed for me because I hate negotiating salary so much. (Read how to improve your negotiation skills here. )

As we continued to discuss the issue, another woman announced she still owned the pin from the ‘70s she wore then, which said ’59¢’, as in 59¢ on the dollar.

Wow. 30+ years later we managed to climb 18¢. That’s approximately .5¢ a decade. Um…that sucks.

Further, Christina Hufffington writes,

The gap is even worse for African-American and Latina women — and according to a new study done by the National Partnership For Women And Families, the gender-based wage gap exists in every state and in the country’s 50 largest metropolitan areas.

If the gap was eliminated in Seattle, the metropolitan area with the worst wage discrepancy, the study showed, women would be able to afford 2.3 year’s more worth of food. In New York City, women could afford seven more months rent (for those of you who live in New York, you know how huge that is). In Austin, a woman could afford 2,369 additional gallons of gas.

The situation is especially dire for the more than 15.1 million families where the woman is the breadwinner. Thirty-one percent of these families fall below the poverty line.

On behalf of your sister, your niece, your daughter, and women everywhere, lets refocus our attention on this issue. Learn how by reading Dr. Martha Burk’s book, Your Voice, Your Vote: The Savvy Women’s Guide to Power, Politics, and the Change We Need.

The post 59¢ on the Dollar appeared first on Career Girl Network.

I decided this morning on my way to work that I’m moving to Hawaii. Not tomorrow, but before I turn 40. I walk to work, so I am acutely aware of the weather. And this morning the weather feels more like I should be shopping for Thanksgiving dinner instead of planning my Memorial Day picnic. My hair is a mess from the wind and mist, my umbrella useless. It’s the middle of May, for crying out loud. Why are my hands ice blocks? I’ve had it.

So I seriously started to think about where else I could live that would offer me career opportunities, decent weather year-round and a city that is conducive to walking and biking instead of driving everywhere. (That rules out Southern California and the entire state of Texas) Hawaii tops the short list of places that fit, and as I strive to keep myself open to all the possibilities in life, I have decided that instead of saying, “That’s silly, Hawaii is expensive and far away and you don’t know anyone there,” that I’m going to seriously look into it.

But first things first:

I have a lease that runs through August, 2014, so it will be at least 15 months before I can consider going anywhere without a significant financial hit to break that contract. As I consider whether I could really make this happen, that feels like a good timeline to explore the option.

First, I need to find out if Hawaii truly is somewhere that I’d want to live. Before I even start looking at job opportunities or rental rates for apartments, I need to physically check it out. In other words, I just set my first preliminary goal in possibly making a huge life change: visit Hawaii.

Here are the steps to plan any big trip or large purchase:

1. How much is this going to cost me? I need to research exactly where I want to visit/potentially live, and then price out flights, hotels, car rental, food and other costs. I can’t forget to include other incidental costs like transportation to and from the airport, baggage fees, hiring someone to care for my cats while I’m gone and any loss of income from taking time off.
2. How much do I need to save each month? Once I have the total cost of the trip, I need to figure out how much to save. I can approach this two ways: 1. By setting the date of the trip and dividing the cost of the trip by the number of months between now and then, or 2. By figuring out how much I can afford to save each month, then dividing that into the cost of the trip to tell me how many months it will take to get there.
3. How am I going to save that amount? This is the tricky part. Let’s say I figure out that I need to put away an extra $400 per month. I can’t just go pick it off the money tree, so I need to take a hard look at my current spending and decide where I am going to cut back.

You might get to the third step in your own goal-setting and bail – if I had an extra $400 per month, wouldn’t I already be saving it? Not so fast… when I categorize every dollar that goes out of my checking account each month, I find that I spend WAY more money than I would have guessed on dining out. In order to make Hawaii happen, I’m not going to stop eating out. But I am going to have to be more mindful of it and set some limits. I’ll probably also think twice about adding clothes to my wardrobe unless I have a specific purpose for which I have nothing in my closet already.

I’ll set up an automatic transfer to a savings account that I’ll establish specifically for this trip to take away the temptation to procrastinate any payments. Capital One 360 is great for this type of savings – you can open up multiple accounts for various savings goals.

The tough thing about setting and achieving any financial goal isn’t necessarily the planning and figuring out how (although that’s a big part of it), it’s addressing your money mindset to ensure that you engage in the behavior that is going to get you there. It’s hanging tough and not raiding your savings when something else comes up. It’s reminding yourself on that next windy, cold, miserable walk to work that you have a higher purpose, which is why you’re not going to flag a cab.

What big thing in your life can you make happen if you follow these steps and tell yourself you can do it?

The post 3 Steps to Achieving Any Savings Goal appeared first on Career Girl Network.

Goal setting is a popular topic lately—from career moves to weight loss, what’s the big deal? The idea is easy: you want to get somewhere, so you figure out where that is, and then you do it. What’s so hard about that?

A lot of things can cause you to not reach your goals, especially if you’re sabotaging yourself by not setting a goal you can achieve. As someone who is always working toward several goals, here are some tips that have worked for me.

1. Be specific. I may sound like a stuck record, but it’s not enough to say you want to do something “more” or “better.” That might be a way to start, but it will soon fizzle if you don’t have an idea of where you’re headed. A lot of Career Girls this time of year are thinking about the summer months and “getting in shape,” or other non-numerical health goals (like eat healthy). That works for some people, but most of us won’t reach “in shape” or “healthier” if we don’t even know what that means for us. Talk to someone who can help you set a number to your goal if you’re not sure. If it’s your salary, compare what your’s to what others in your area make. If it’s health-related, make an appointment with your doctor. When you have a clear and realistic idea of where you want to be and when, it’s easier to plan for the steps along the way and to measure your progress, or change your plan.

2. Get educated. Name a subject. Worm farming? Okay, that works. Say you want to be an expert worm farmer, how would you be able to learn more? The internet is a good place to start! You could look for local gardening groups, download some podcasts, or pick up a book on the subject. If you learn more and decide it’s not for you, that’s totally fine. At least you learned something. Getting an education on the subject and taking classes will help you reach your goal.

3. Find an expert. When I wanted to get into running and set a goal to run a race, I made it a point to find other runners. Many of them had run several races, made mistakes, tried new things, and had advice to pass on. Passionate people love talking about their areas of interest, and it was so motivating for me to be around people who had accomplished something I wanted to do so badly. Plus, I ended up making a lot of friends and getting some fun, consistent exercise to reach my goal. If you’re setting career goals, find someone in the field who is willing to talk about how they reached their position, give referrals to resources, and even get you some hands-on experience.

4. Tell your friends. It may sound shallow, but even the most motivated Career Girl can be susceptible to flaking on a goal if it’s not public knowledge. Your friends can help keep you accountable, and sometimes just knowing that your friend is going to ask you about how something went is enough motivation to make you do it if you were on the fence. Friends are great sounding boards, too. They give you different perspectives that can help you consider things you may never have thought about. If you tell your friends that you’re trying to accomplish something and can use their support, they’ll ask you how it’s going and can help you assess your progress.

5. Break it down. I have only once heard a runner friend say that they were not a runner, and then decided to do a marathon, and actually did it. I would never be able to go from literally zero to 26.2 miles. I had to pick smaller race goals and work up to the full distance. Even if you do have a big goal on the horizon, pick a few goals that you can meet along the way. It will help you stay motivated, keep moving, and celebrate the milestones.

6. Celebrate! I know so many Career Girls who have set lofty goals, worked hard to reach them, and then never took time to be proud. Your friends are proud of you, and you’re allowed to be proud of yourself! Graduating college, getting a promotion, buying a house—these are all things that are not easy and you deserve at least a little glory for them. Even victories that seem small deserve to be celebrated.

Don’t think of setting goals as a chore. It’s a way to improve yourself, but also a way to celebrate your own greatness. What do you want to accomplish?

The post 6 Ways to Go for the Goal appeared first on Career Girl Network.

Finding a Career

No matter who you are or where you come from, getting a job is an essential part of life. In fact, we place so much value on our career that one of the first questions we ask someone upon meeting them is, “What do you do?”  Finding a career is certainly different than having a job, and because we spend such an immense portion of our lives dedicated to our work, finding something we care about, enjoy, and can excel at is important.

We all fall in and out of sometimes arbitrary jobs until we find the one that’s best suited for us, whether it’s due to hours, salary, or skill level. A lot of my career success can be attributed to the process of elimination. You start out with a career goal, sure, but by the time you’ve made some progress you see yourself moving in an entirely different direction. Maybe not completely different, but certainly you might segue way into a new branch of expertise.

The truth is, we often find our passion or life’s work by “failure.” This so-called process of elimination helps you discern what you’re interested in and what you’d rather keep as just another line on your Resume (or not). That’s not to say I haven’t worked hard for each opportunity I’ve been given; I have spent countless hours job hunting to find each perfect position.

Finding a career shouldn’t be all about the hunt through online job sites, it’s not all about making ends meet (but important), and it’s probably not about finding something that requires minimal effort so you can rush home to your TV. Finding a job should not be “finding a job,” but rather finding a career; finding a lifestyle. While work is not play and should not be mistaken as such, we become much more effective at our jobs and much happier in our lives when doing work that interests and fulfills us.

Take some time today to think about what it is you truly want out of your career, and your life. Different paths afford us different luxuries and different difficulties, and just because you’re in need of a job doesn’t mean you should stop looking for a career. Having an end goal is important, but continually pushing ahead to what feels right is how you’ll find true success.

The post Finding a Career, Not a Job appeared first on Career Girl Network.

Indecisiveness can be debilitating both personally and professionally, and can certainly hold back your career. A new book, Decisive: How to Make Better Decisions in Life and Work, is giving you the tools you need to be more decisive in all areas of your life. The Washington Post’s Leadership Editor Lillian Cunningham is following the book’s advice and reporting about her own progress in becoming more decisive in “Decision Making for the Indecisive.“

What did Lillian learn?

We would never think today about buying a television without checking the reviews on a Web site. And yet many times we aren’t systematic enough in the job situation about collecting even three data points or four data points about what it’s like to be in that job and whether people enjoy it or not.

And has the program worked for her?

The closest thing to a decision-making magic trick that I’ve found is the question, “What would you advise your best friend to do if they were in your situation?” So often when I ask that question, people blurt out an answer and their eyes get wide. They’re shocked at how easy it is when you just imagine you’re advising someone else.

The post Decision Making for the Indecisive appeared first on Career Girl Network.

There’s a centuries old saying attributed to Confucius, “Do what you love, and never work a day in your life.” The problem with this quote in our society, though, is that we’re often raised not to do what we love, but instead what we’re good at. How many times have we heard parents say something like, “Oh, little Susie. She’s going to be a doctor. He’s so good at science.” or “That Bobby, he’s definitely going to be a teacher. He’s so good at explaining things to the other kids and being a good helper.” Suddenly, we’re telling children to do not what they love, but what they excel at. And whether we like it or not, these two things may not be one in the same.

When You’re Good at Something You Don’t Love

It’s addicting to be good at something. You’re praised often, you’re rewarded for your success, and you usually feel good about yourself after the fact for a job well done. But if you don’t love what you’re doing, you’re miserable in the process, and no amount of skill can change that.

• Find a piece of what you’re good at that you do love. Perhaps you’re great at finances, but you hate doing the books. Perhaps the right place for you is on the trading floor or as a consultant who can advise, but without being the one who actually runs the numbers. It could be that you’re simply not in the right niche of what you’re good at.
• Be willing to say, “I don’t like this,” and stand behind it. Your parents, your friends, and others will push you to keep moving with the thing you love, but you have to be true to yourself and be willing to leave when you know it’s not the right thing.
• Teach others! If you’re good at something, you should definitely do your best to bestow your knowledge on others in your industry. Become a speaker, an industry writer, or find another way to distill your skills to others. You may find a renewed sense of excitement this way in the work you’re doing.

When You Love Something You’re Not Good At

We see it every year on American Idol and shows like it – people who love singing with all their hearts, and unfortunately just can’t carry a tune. The good news is, most industries aren’t “you’ve got it or you don’t,” and you can learn the skills you need to do the thing you love full time. Consider these tips:

• Practice all the time. If you’re in finance, but you want to be in public relations, you might think you’re up a tree, but you’re not. Volunteer your time in PR for a nonprofit organization, offer a small business your services pro bono. Take all the time you can to develop your skill set outside a paying position to get the practice you need before you find a job.
• Find a mentor in the field you love. There are many ways to find a mentor (of course, you can use Career Girl’s Mentorship Connection program). This kind of guidance in a new industry can help you turn interest into advice into practical experience to make the move.
• Find out if you’re good at it. Eventually, you’re going to have to become good at the thing you love in order to succeed. So take the time to take courses, to learn the rules of the road in that industry, and to ask for feedback from industry connections and friends that will help you get better.

Ultimately, we all want to find what we love as much as we excel at. Take the time to seek it out, and perhaps Confucius is right, you’ll never work a day in your life!

The post Being Good at Something Doesn’t Mean You Should Do It appeared first on Career Girl Network.

LinkedIn blogger Jeff Selingo recently wrote about the key to happiness in life, and it resonated so strongly with me, I wanted to share it with all of you.

Ask three questions:

1. Are you happy with your job?
2. Are you happy where you live?
3. Are you happy who you’re with (depending on your circumstances that could mean friends, spouse, partner, etc).

If you answer Yes to at least two out of three, you found your spot for the moment. If not, you need to make a change to one of them.

I want to hear your answers, Career Girls! Where are you on the rule of thirds?

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