griebcw1, Author at Building Careers

Hate Networking? Try This!

Leave a Comment / Ask An Expert, Blog, Job Search, Set Yourself Up For Success

Before you say it, I know. You hate networking. Networking really can suck sometimes. Even the most extroverted and outgoing among us feel a pang of anxiety, distaste, or resistance when it comes to the idea of milling around an event, seeking the important connections, and grasping for business cards or, even worse, trolling the internet (LinkedIn) for strangers who can help you and then trying to quickly ingratiate yourself so as to elicit a favor in your job search.

Hating Networking is a Mistake

It’s a mistake not because it is critically important to the rest of your career. It is critically important to the rest of your career, by the way. The more senior or entrepreneurial you get, the more your opportunities will depend on who you know and who knows you than on your resume or accomplishments. Having a robust cadre of friends and associates who like and want to help you is key.

But if you are anything like me, knowing that something is good for you makes no difference.

I know that hitting the snooze button on my alarm 5 times every morning makes me groggier and less enthused to start my day when I eventually do grudgingly put my feet on the floor.

But, oh! The heaven of just 10 more minutes in that sweet cocoon of blankets; I can just shortcut my shower. I can just take out the trash tonight after work instead. I can drink the crap coffee in the break room instead of stopping for a latte. I always find new and creative ways to hit that button.

And so do you sometimes! Because we do what we want in any given moment, not necessarily what we think is good for us. This is why there is so much attention to creating positive habits in the recent self-development literature. Because the only way to make sure you do something regularly is to turn it into the thing you want in those moments. We are genius at getting what we want!

So the reason not to hate networking isn’t because it’s good for you. The reason not to hate networking is because you have misunderstood what it is in the first place and you are throwing out the baby with the bath water. Let me explain.

Hate Networking? Here’s Why:

Standing around possibly trying to balance a plate of appetizers and a glass of wine while still keeping a hand free for shaking and business card collecting, wondering if you look stupid or if there is spinach from the mini-quiche in your teeth.
Trying to strike up conversations with strangers – some of whom could potentially make or break your career – without having any obvious common ground.
Asking for someone’s business card knowing that it will either end up in a useless pile in the corner of your desk or that you will soon be reaching out as a supplicant for a huge favor because you want them to help you get your next job.
Following up with those important people and then trying to worm your way to that favor: “I’d love for you to refer me for this job!” Or “Could you please help me get an interview?” knowing full well it is too soon to ask a relative stranger for something like this.
Or if you didn’t meet someone at a live event, cold reaching out to them via LinkedIn or email with the extraordinary burden of trying to prove your value AND convince them to help you in the 150 words or fewer recommended word count for such emails.

Hate Networking? Try This! Read More »

The Fear of Making a Career Change and How To Get Over It

How To: Present Leadership Skills on Your Resume

Leave a Comment / Blog, Job Search, Resume Ideas, Set Yourself Up For Success

Leadership is an essential function of successful management that helps to maximize work efficiency and to achieve organizational goals. Regardless of the type of the job you’re looking for or a company’s size, leadership skills are paramount. They belong to the group of the most sought-after soft skills that employers look for in candidates.

Your first contact with a hiring company or organization is through the job application and resume, so how can you demonstrate leadership skills without speaking with an employer or recruiter? It all comes down to the way you write the resume. Here are some top tips on how to optimize your resume with enhanced leadership skills.

Supply Examples of Leadership Skills

An average employer or recruiter gets hundreds of resumes for any given job position. The chances of getting an interview increase for those who stand out. The most important thing you can do when showing off leadership skills on a resume is to provide specific examples. It’s common for applicants to state they have great leadership skills without providing evidence. To stand out, mention some leadership-related accomplishments from a previous job. Ask yourself two questions: what did I do and how did I do it.

Here are a few examples:

Coached my team and to adopt a new business strategy (mention details about the strategy)
Successfully organized seminars, meetings, team-building activities, and collaborations with other companies
Had to quickly adapt to changes (include specific example) and prepare for unforeseen circumstances

Quantifiable Results

Qualities of a good leader don’t stop with the ability to motivate and lead others, they also extend to work efficiency and specific, measurable results. When writing about achievements from previous jobs, always quantify your results with statistics and hard numbers. In fact, avoid vague descriptions entirely. Employers appreciate concise writing and resumes that get straight to the point.

How To: Present Leadership Skills on Your Resume Read More »

Managing Up: 5 Tips to Impress Your New Boss

Leave a Comment / Blog, Set Yourself Up For Success

Whether you’ve just begun a new job or are planning a transition in the near future, it’s crucial to impress your boss. In order to thrive in your new position, you’ll need to understand how your supervisor ticks, and what you can do to complement that workstyle. Your career may depend on it.

Managing Up

There’s a new buzzword circling in the CRE and other circles: managing up. Essentially, it means to synchronize with your boss to ensure a mutually beneficial workflow. And it is absolutely key to thriving in your new role and maximizing this career opportunity.

To manage up means to bring out the best in your supervisor and yourself as an employee through proper communication, timeline management, proactive intent, etc. If you and your boss can get on the same page, your relationship will benefit from it – and so will your career.

When done right, managing up will make your boss’s job easier. But it doesn’t mean babysitting him or her. Your goal is to simply learn your boss’s preferred communication styles and methods, expectations, and other considerations. Your thoughtfulness and attentiveness to fostering a healthy work relationship in turn generates higher productivity and a more fulfilling career experience.

If you’re planning to upgrade your CRE career in the near future, or if you’ve recently been hired into a new role, here are five great ways to properly manage up and impress your boss.

Impress Your New Boss

1. Do Get to Know Your Boss

Take proactive steps to learn about your boss. What is he or she trying to accomplish in this organization? What brought them to CRE? What role do you play in his or her mission? Don’t pry, but make time to chat and learn about your new boss. Information is power, and the more you know in this situation, the more effective and helpful you will be.

2. Don’t Get Political

While you want to become a helpful asset and trusted colleague for your supervisor, the goal isn’t to choose sides in office politics. No favoritism. Remember, you are a professional. And maintaining respectful relationships with management is only part of your job. You should nurture equally respectful management with other colleagues.

3. Get Detailed

Good communication is essential in the workplace. Whenever you are assigned a new responsibility or task, immediately establish the details – what, how, when? If you aren’t given a timeline on a project, for example, offer to have a draft or outline ready by a certain time. This will open the conversation and show initiative.

4. Be Helpful

In many ways, your job is to help make your boss’s job easier. So ask! When you notice your supervisor is distracted or a little absent minded, stop and ask, “Is there anything I can do to make your job a little easier?” Show care and concern, and check in from time to time to support the team mission.

5. Bring Recommendations

Next time you ask for input or help, impress your boss by providing a few suggested options for him or her to choose from. Management has a lot to think about. The less you put on their plate, the better. Showing the forethought to make your situation a multiple-choice scenario will endear your boss to you and demonstrate your value.

Managing Up: 5 Tips to Impress Your New Boss Read More »

Workplace Burnout: Are You Experiencing Symptoms?

Leave a Comment / Blog, Employers, Set Yourself Up For Success

People who are struggling to cope with workplace stress may place themselves at high risk of burnout. Workplace burnout can leave people feeling exhausted, empty, and unable to cope with the demands of life.

Burnout may be accompanied by a variety of mental and physical health symptoms as well. If left unaddressed, burnout can make it difficult for an individual to function well in their daily life.

What Is Burnout?

The term “burnout” is a relatively new term, first coined in 1974 by Herbert Freudenberger, in his book, Burnout: The High Cost of High Achievement. He originally defined burnout as, “the extinction of motivation or incentive, especially where one’s devotion to a cause or relationship fails to produce the desired results.”

Burnout is a reaction to prolonged or chronic job stress and is characterized by three main dimensions: exhaustion, cynicism (less identification with the job), and feelings of reduced professional ability.

More simply put, if you feel exhausted, start to hate your job, and begin to feel less capable at work, you are showing signs of burnout.

The stress that contributes to burnout can come mainly from your job, but stress from your overall lifestyle can add to this stress. Personality traits and thought patterns, such as perfectionism and pessimism, can contribute as well.

Most people spend the majority of their waking hours working. And if you hate your job, dread going to work, and don’t gain any satisfaction out of what you’re doing, it can take a serious toll on your life.

Signs and Symptoms of Workplace Burnout

While workplace burnout isn’t a diagnosable psychological disorder, that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be taken seriously. Here are some of the most common signs of burnout:

Alienation from work-related activities: Individuals experiencing burnout view their jobs as increasingly stressful and frustrating. They may grow cynical about their working conditions and the people they work with. They may also emotionally distance themselves and begin to feel numb about their work.
Physical symptoms: Chronic stress may lead to physical symptoms, like headaches and stomachaches or intestinal issues.
Emotional exhaustion: Burnout causes people to feel drained, unable to cope, and tired. They often lack the energy to get their work done.
Reduced performance: Burnout mainly affects everyday tasks at work—or in the home when someone’s main job involves caring for family members. Individuals with burnout feel negative about tasks. They have difficulty concentrating and often lack creativity.

Workplace Burnout: Are You Experiencing Symptoms? Read More »

Need a More Flexible Work Schedule? Here’s How to Negotiate for One!

Leave a Comment / Ask An Expert, Blog, Job Search

One of the toughest issues to deal with when it comes to employment is scheduling. In today’s world it is more or less assumed, unless stated otherwise, that you are willing and want to work a standard 40-hour workweek, from 9 to 5 (or similar) each day. It is also assumed you want to work Monday through Friday.

Let’s face it. Life doesn’t always fit into convenient 9-to-5 boxes, and a lot of us have lives outside of work. Whether you have health issues, a family to raise, other projects to work on, or simply want a different kind of life, you may not be keen on the 40-hour full time workweek. How do you secure a job with a flexible work schedule?

The very best thing you can do is look for a job which already is offering hours you find acceptable. Look for part time or season jobs or jobs which specifically say “telecommute” or “flexible hours” on the postings. There are not a lot of these out there, though, so that can make it challenging to find what you need. If you cannot, you will have to find another way to negotiate hours.

If you are applying for a job that lists a range of possible hours, you may have some options when it comes to negotiating the terms of employment. Do not ask about flexible work schedule during the job interview if you can avoid it. If it comes up, then you can address it directly, but otherwise, steer clear. Questions about hours often make you appear lazy. It is also easier to persuade someone to do something for you if they already want you onboard. Otherwise you just look like a high management employee who will be difficult to deal with.

The best time to talk about a flexible work schedule is after the job offer has been extended and after salary negotiations successfully conclude. Be warned that this is a dangerous business, and there is a good chance that the discussion will be a deal breaker—either for you or for the potential employer. Some workers will also wait until they are already working at the company fulfilling normal work hours to bring up flexibility in scheduling. The danger here is in getting sucked into a job you really cannot or do not want.

Need a More Flexible Work Schedule? Here’s How to Negotiate for One! Read More »

Common Interview Mistakes and How to Recuperate

Leave a Comment / Blog, Interview Tips, Set Yourself Up For Success

Whether you stumbled on a tough question, shared way too much (or too little) information or slipped too far out of your professional persona, you’re certain that you’ve just blown any chance of landing your dream job. There are common interview mistakes that make many people feel like this.

Before you start doing your best to erase the entire experience from your mind and move on, consider the possibility that you might still be able to salvage your chances. Some of these corrections can be made mid-interview, while others can be applied after the fact.

UnAble To Think Of A Response

We’ve all been there: That well-rehearsed answer you delivered so confidently in the shower disappears from your mind when you’re seated across from an intimidating CEO.

If you find yourself facing one of these “brain freezes” common interview mistakes, all is not lost. Try this strategy to get your thoughts—and words—rolling again.

Ask the interviewer to clarify the question. This will give you some precious time to regroup.

Ask for time to think. There’s nothing wrong with requesting a few seconds to consider the question and formulate an answer. In fact, a good employer will respect that you’re taking the interview seriously and thinking before you speak.

Say something. Delivering a partial answer is better than nothing. And if you’re still drawing a blank, be honest and ask if you can come back to the question later.

Of course, a bit of extra preparation and practice will go a long way toward reducing your odds of going blank when it really counts.

Not Directly Answering A Question That Was Asked

This is often a result of the first common interview mistake we mentioned. When your mind goes blank, you might either evade a question completely or ramble on without providing a specific, relevant response.

If you realize the gaffe mid-interview, try to recover by steering the conversation back to the tricky question (see a strategy from the first mistake above).

If you cringe at the memory after you’ve already left, you can send a follow-up email with a more thorough answer.

Saying The Wrong Name of the Interviewer or Company

If you’re interviewing with multiple firms and people from various departments, this is an understandable flub. While it may seem mortifying at first, all may not be lost. Recover quickly by apologizing for the error, chalking it up to nervousness and excitement about the opportunity, and then moving on.

Common Interview Mistakes and How to Recuperate Read More »

Don’t Throw Mud! 5 Rules to Avoid Career Slander

It’s All About Networking

In the CRE recruiting space, we have a saying: “It’s all about networking.” We’re always asking, “Who do you know?” Because a professional network is vital to getting what you want in your career. You help others, and they in turn help you. Maintaining a vibrant network is key in landing your dream job.

But if you’ve bad-mouthed your previous employer or publicly or virtually engaged in a protracted argument with a former client, guess what? You are introducing negativity into your network and spoiling your professional brand.

We tend to think of our interactions as only between us and those we are engaging. But others take note. And yes, you may be totally in the right! But is it worth your career to air the dirty laundry of the company you just left? The mud you sling really can and does splatter back on you.

Avoiding career slander is a two-way street. If you slander others, you will be slandered. But if you rise above the fracas, you project professionalism and ethics that others will notice and value.

Understand Career Slander to Protect from It

Pretending you are immune from stigma or repercussions just because you may be in the right in a given situation is naïve. If you want to maintain a fresh and clean professional aura above the petty squabbles and gossip, play it smart. Here are five rules to remember and live by.

1. If it’s online, it’s forever.

If you say it online, it really is part of your permanent record. Think twice about that snarky comment you want to type to an unreasonable client on social media. Be careful about anything you post on social – employers are checking your accounts.

2. Don’t badmouth an employer.

You never know who that hiring manager is friends with. Not only are you risking offending a hiring manager when you discuss your bad experience with a former employer, but you’re also projecting negativity. No one likes a gossip. If you can, avoid naming names or dwelling on the negative things that happened in your previous position. Focus on lessons learned and circumstances overcome.

3. Anyone could be listening.

It’s important to realize in avoiding career slander, that anyone and everyone can be your accountability buddy. Because you never know who’s listening. Even a waitress or secretary could be somehow connected to the person or entity you are discussing. It might seem like a harmless comment to someone you share an elevator with, but it can get around.

4. Gossip hurts you, too.

If you gossip about one client to another, chances are, that client is now wondering what you say about them behind their back. By getting off your chest something you don’t like about someone who’ve worked for, you literally diminish future opportunities.

5. Career slander is the wrong foot to start on.

If you’re beginning a new career search or positioning yourself for a better position, slinging mud is absolutely unhelpful. Rather than focusing on what went wrong or how underappreciated you are, reflect on what unique skill set and attitudes you bring to the table. If the topic comes up in an interview, we always encourage interviewees to describe the differences between the two positions and why the company you are currently interviewing with would be a better match and a more appealing one to work for. So, avoid long-lasting career slander in your future job search by thinking in terms of opportunity and skills matching

We’ve all been on short end of the stick. We’ve all been wronged or rubbed the wrong way by someone. As tempting as it may be to discuss this in a job interview or casual exchange with a colleague, don’t. If you never sling mud, your chances are much higher of coming out clean in the end.

Don’t Throw Mud! 5 Rules to Avoid Career Slander Read More »

8 Do’s and Don’ts for Graduate Job Seekers

Life Sciences Needs More Deal-Makers

Leave a Comment / Blog, Industry Insights

Breakneck expansion and new spending have put life sciences — and the developers and brokers who build and sell lab space and specialized offices — in an enviable position. But the sector is missing one key ingredient.

“Today we have immense amounts of capital, lots of focus and a big market,” Cushman & Wakefield Director of Business Intelligence Brendan Carroll said. “What’s lagging is the skill.”

The maturity of the life sciences market has lowered the perceived risk of investment, inviting new ventures and new capital. According to S&P Global Market Intelligence, biotech alone raised $20B in private equity and venture capital, and UBS found healthcare represented 14% of all deal activity in private equity last year. With President Joe Biden requesting billions of dollars of new spending for the nation’s top health organizations, it’s possible that even more investment may flood the industry.

It’s created a rush for space, and a big gap in the number of real estate professionals with the specialized knowledge to talk and execute ground-up research centers or converting traditional commercial spaces to labs. Newmark’s 2020 year-end analysis on the sector found two can’t-miss symbols of a continued boom in deal-making, amid so many signals of growth: extremely low vacancy, especially for wet lab space, and sprawling construction plans. The top 14 life sciences markets have 36M SF under construction right now.

With the coronavirus pandemic acting as a catalyst for the booming life sciences development market, Carroll wasn’t surprised 2020 was a monster year. Deal volume rose 93%. But what makes that figure even more intriguing is that Carroll could have told you that was going to happen back in late 2019.

“What’s actually more interesting is that the increase had nothing to do with the circumstances of last year,” he said. “Larger deals were already in progress.”

Carly Glova, president of Building Careers, a commercial real estate talent firm based in San Diego, one of the nation’s life sciences hubs, said life sciences roles, especially on the development and project management side, have been her clients’ biggest need. Life sciences development and acquisition roles are in high demand, and often earn increased compensation; equity or other incentives average 30% of their total compensation, up to 100%, Glova said.

“That talent pool is comparatively small and folks with that experience can command high comp packages,” she said.

Life Sciences Needs More Deal-Makers Read More »