Careerstone Group Insights Posts Tagged "Career Success"

Advice for Teleworking: Nine Tips for Workers and Managers

Teleworking, or working from home or a remote location, is growing by leaps and bounds. It’s the new normal. Currently, about half of the U.S. workforce has a job that is compatible with teleworking. Why is teleworking so popular? Several reasons. For business owners, teleworking can really save…  Read More

Take Stock of Your Career and Set New Goals: A Five-Step Strategy for Success

The New Year is a great time to take stock of your career—where you are, where you want to go, and how you are going to get there. Whether you want to make small changes, learn new skills, get a promotion, or even find a new career, it starts with a few simple steps. Here is a five-step strategy…  Read More

Resolutions That Work: Eleven Tips for a Fresh Start in the New Year

At the end of December every year, we all hear the siren call of the New Year’s resolution: Exercise more, eat less, save money, lose weight, call your mother. These resolutions make frequent appearances on everyone’s annual do-better list. But people often forget to make work-related resolutions,…  Read More

Stressed at Work? Four Tips for Simplify for Success

We are busier than ever. We have more technology to contend with, which means many more forms of communication and interaction to master and address. We have more work to do, as many companies are making do with fewer employees, piling the work of many onto the shoulders of few. Do you need to simplify…  Read More

Networking Tips: How to Meet, Greet, and Connect Your Way to Success

Technology may change, we may change, but the essence of networking remains the same: it’s about establishing relationships. Networking is a critical component of career and organizational success. Being well connected and having strong relationships both within and outside…  Read More

Hate Your Job? How to Change Careers

You hate your job. You hate your field. You hate your career. Maybe you’ve been furloughed and it’s given you a new perspective. Whatever the case, there is a right way and wrong way to go about changing careers. Here are the top questions to consider and some practical advice to get your…  Read More

Starting a New Job: Eight Tips to Cope with Anxiety, Expectations, and Everything Else

Starting a new job can cause anxiety. It means new co-workers, new office policies and procedures, a new environment, and new things to learn. Here are some practical tips to help smooth the transition: Lower your expectations. If you are leaving your current job, don’t expect a big send-off.…  Read More

Resume and Job Advice for College Grads: Six Tips for Success

Congratulations graduates! You are done with school and ready to join the working world. Here are six tips to help you get ready to find a job: Get your resume ready. Resumes should tell a story about who you are as a person and what your skills and talents are. Clearly, a 21-year old is not going…  Read More

Nine Tips to Make the Most of Your Internship

Internships are a great opportunity to experience working life for the first time or explore a new field, market, or industry. They are also good for networking and making contacts. Internships are great resume fodder, too. In fact, more and more organizations consider internships an integral part…  Read More

Five Tips for Creating a Positive Professional Image

A positive professional image is essential to a successful career, no matter your age or field. Whether you are looking for a job, starting a new job, or a seasoned workplace veteran, it’s a good idea to learn (or review) the basics of creating a positive professional persona. A professional persona…  Read More

What to Wear When the Weather is Weird

  Dressing appropriately for the office is a simple but powerful tool for career success, but it’s difficult to dress for success when the weather is so weird. Here are a few quick and simple rules to follow for what to wear when the weather can’t quite make up its mind: Dress to fit…  Read More

Resolve to Re-Try: Five Tips to Get Back on Track for Your Resolutions

By now, most New Year’s resolutions have been forgotten or abandoned. Maybe you still have that Post-it note on the fridge that says, “Eat more veggies,” or that notecard on your desk that says, “Take a Photoshop class,” or that sign on your door that says, “Exercise…  Read More

Why You Shouldn't Multitask and Seven Ways to Stop

These days, everyone is a multitasker. We talk while we drive, we answer text messages or e-mails during meetings, we return phone calls while surfing the Internet, we work on different docs in different applications all at once, and we cook dinner while talking on the phone.But instead of being a hallmark…  Read More

Ageism in the Workplace: Five Ways to Keep Pace and Keep Your Place

Ageism in the workplace is a very real problem. Older workers, who make more money and receive more benefits, are often the first to be let go, and older workers are not rehired at the rate of younger workers. Here are a few ideas to help you keep pace and keep your place in the working world:   1.…  Read More

The Dos and Don'ts of Helping Your Child Land a Job

Helping your child land his or her first interview or job is very important. But there are clear boundaries to the things you should and should not do to help. Employers are looking for motivated, responsible, mature, self-starters. If they see a parent’s hand in the young person’s employment…  Read More

Acing the Interview: 12 Tips to Sell Yourself and Land the Job

Acing an interview is a critical skill that every working person should master. You can have a great education, a great resume, great experience, and great recommendations, but if you can’t ace the interview, forget about it.   Employers are looking for certain skills, yes, but employers…  Read More

Adjusting to a New Job

Congratulations! You are starting a new job. This is exciting, and you should look on it as a new adventure in the book of life. However, for many people, starting a new job can cause anxiety. That’s perfectly understandable. After all, starting a new job means new co-workers, new office policies…  Read More

How to Work from Home: Six Steps to Success

Today, more and more people are opting to telework—to work from home. Whether you are an independent contractor with your own business, a freelancer, or a regular nine-to-five employee, the option to work from home is more prevalent than ever, and more and more people are taking advantage of this…  Read More

Is Your Network Wide Enough?

In any market, the most important thing you can do to advance your career and professional interests is to network. But now, as our economy shifts and changes, as new technologies arise and old ones are replaced, networking is more imperative than ever. By the same token, it is important to remember…  Read More

The Partner Paradox: How to Choose a Business Partner

Starting your own business is an enormous undertaking. The to-do list seems endless, as does the number of decisions you must make. One of the most critical, strategic decisions you will make is whether to take a partner. This is one of the earliest and most important decisions entrepreneurs face. This…  Read More

How to Simplify Your Work Life

Today’s workplace can feel like a constant assault on the senses. Think of all the tasks confronting you during a typical workday: emails, texts, phone calls, messages, answering questions from team members barging into your workspace, and so on. And that’s before you even begin to tackle…  Read More

Changing Jobs Within Your Organization

Do you feel like it’s time to move up or across the corporate ladder? Have you ever thought of advancing or changing careers within your company? What if you are a manager and you want to hire an employee from a different department? There is a right way and a wrong way to change jobs and hire…  Read More

Workplace Mentoring

Most successful adults can identify a person who had a significant and positive impact on them. Whether it was a teacher, a coach, a boss, a scoutmaster, or a parent, chances are that someone, somewhere along the line acted as a mentor to you.Today, more and more businesses are embracing the concept…  Read More

Performance Reviews: Why They Matter and How to Make the Most of Them

Love ‘em or hate ’em, whether giving one or getting one, a performance review is one of the most important tools managers and employees have to gauge and improve performance in the workplace. Employee reviews provide a record of employee performance vis-à-vis company expectations…  Read More

Difficult Conversations

Avoiding difficult conversations is a common practice both in our professional lives and our personal lives. Telling an employee that their performance is not up to snuff is an unpleasant task for most of us. Confronting a friend about an unpleasant situation promises to be about as fun as a root canal.…  Read More

New Graduates: How to Spend Your Summer and Transition to Working Life

Just graduated from college? Congratulations! While it’s tempting to take the summer off and enjoy your last months of “freedom”, this is the time to take the next steps to start your career. It’s okay to plan some travel or time with friends, but make sure to not miss out on…  Read More

Setting (and Achieving!) Your Professional Goals in the New Year

The New Year is officially here, and by now you’ve probably thought of a few changes you’d like to make in your personal and professional life. Everyone loves the allure of a fresh start and many of us hope to end next year with more successes than in years past. But, as we all know, good…  Read More

Suck Ups Need Not Apply

“Let’s be clear: Managing up is NOT about brown nosing, sucking up, or becoming a sycophant. Managing up is about consciously and intentionally developing effective relationships with supervisors, bosses, and other people above you in the food chain. It is a deliberate and strategic effort…  Read More

Recent Graduates: What You Need to Know Before Starting Your First "Real" Job

Congratulations, graduate! You survived the late nights studying for exams, completed all your required college courses, and not only graduated college, but also landed yourself a brand-new job! How exciting! After the exhausting process of finishing school, painstakingly crafting your resume, and applying…  Read More

Want to Make Your Presentations Less Scary? Practice these 3 Tips for Success

  “The human brain starts working the moment you are born and never stops until you stand up to speak in public.”  - George Jessel Giving presentations at work can be scary. In fact, more people report having phobias of public speaking than they do of any other fear—even…  Read More

Time Blocking: To-Do Lists 2.0

  The world of work can be all-encompassing.  Professional culture has transformed to such a degree that most professionals can work from anywhere, at any time.  Technology has advanced to the point where many teams have members who’ve never worked in the same physical space. …  Read More

Managers: Feedback is a Gift!

Employees of all ages expect some degree of feedback at work. Our latest survey revealed that younger employees might expect a higher degree of feedback from supervisors than their colleagues or supervisors of previous generations.   Of 18- to 34-year-olds living in the United States, only 16% of…  Read More

Proven Productivity Strategies to Keep Your Summer Fresh

“Summer’s here/And the time is right/For setting a new goal at work!” Ok, that’s not how that old favorite summer song goes, is it? Summer is upon us and with it, a whole host of outdoor activities to enjoy the longer days and pack in the fun at the pool, at a music…  Read More

Guest Blog Post: Stuck In A Career Rut? Here's How To Get Out!

By Bethany Seton   Stuck in a rut when it comes to your working life? It’s a common predicament. So many of us want to change our career path, but it can seem like a daunting, even insurmountable challenge.  Once you get stuck in a routine, and get used to your salary - especially one…  Read More

Welcome Generation Z to the Workforce

I know, it probably seems like we just wrapped up with introducing Millennials into the workforce. After years of focus, online pop-psychology articles, and angry Tweets, Millennials are no longer the young, bright-eyed, straight-out-of-college kids they used to be. Millennials have moved on. Now, 53%…  Read More

Fall Into Your Dream Job This Season

December Graduation is just around the corner, which means a fresh batch of job-hungry recent grads are in the midst of an overwhelming panic to find the perfect match. December graduation has become more common over the years, offering many benefits such as a head-start in joining the job market, as…  Read More

Happy New Year! It's Time to Take Stock of Your Career

January is the perfect time to take a look at your career and your professional goals to determine whether or not you’re on the right track to success. Maybe you’re thinking about changing jobs or switching companies or changing industries entirely. Or perhaps you just want to learn new skills…  Read More

7 Tips to Stay Engaged as a Remote Worker

Millions of American workers find themselves making the transition from a traditional office environment to a virtual—and often­–makeshift home office in light of the COVID-19 outbreak. Keeping morale and productivity high when you’re stuck working inside and away from coworkers…  Read More

Success Accelerators for Recent College Graduates

Congratulations, Class of 2020!  While the outlook for putting your hard-earned degree to work may look grim, we have a blueprint for brighter days ahead!  Careerstone Group’s Success Accelerators for Recent College Graduates is designed to help you navigate this unexpected transition.   Our…  Read More

It's Not Too Late to Take Time Off!

As we approach the end of summer, it’s not too late to plan a vacation to get out of the office (or home office)! The thought of taking time off work can be daunting for numerous reasons, such as fearing a boss’ reaction to a request for time off and worrying about falling behind with work.…  Read More

Don’t Ghost Your Boss: How to Manage Up in a Virtual World

Our bosses have enormous influence over our career trajectory, so the ability to work successfully with one’s boss is a critical element for achieving success in the workplace. This is called “managing up.” Those who successfully manage up, know how to intentionally cultivate a robust…  Read More

Guest Blog Post: Developing Leadership Skills as a Remote Worker

By Nathalie Ronan Despite the challenges that come with working remotely, studies have shown that workplace productivity has remained stable for most workers. Much of it has to do with the employers providing greater flexibility, a reliable infrastructure, and work policy adjustments around…  Read More

A Year of Living Remotely

We’ve rounded the corner to a strange anniversary:  one year of living, working, and hopefully surviving the restrictions, stresses, and uncertainties of a global pandemic. In short, a year of living remotely. After this year, many of us have enough experience and have logged enough hours…  Read More

Navigating the Next Normal

You made the transition from working from the office to working at home over a year ago. Now it’s time to make another shift – navigating a combination of remote, hybrid, and in-person work – or the “Next Normal.” No matter where you sit on the organizational chart, it’s important to learn…  Read More

Five Undervalued Leadership Traits

Leaders possess the ability to make or break an organization – the way leaders show up impacts company culture, employee engagement, and the success of the team as a whole. While there are many qualities that contribute to great leadership, we frequently hear the same ones over and over again: communication,…  Read More

Top Five Things to Look for in an Internship

By Genevieve Martin Genevieve Martin is Careerstone Group’s 2021 Summer Intern. She attends George Mason University as a Marketing Major. Finding an internship that’s right for you can be difficult. What an employer envisions as an internship opportunity may vary vastly from what a student may…  Read More

Making the Hybrid Workplace Work for You

The future of work is here, and it is hybrid. Now that we’ve all passed the great remote work experiment, companies are reimagining the world of work. In a recent Accenture Future of Work Study, researchers discovered that 83% of workers prefer a hybrid work model. The appeal of this model is that…  Read More

We Manage Up, Too! How the CSG Team Manages Up to Mary Abbajay

With Boss’ Day right around the corner, we’ve decided to focus on the importance of Managing Up. Not only did our talented boss, Mary Abbajay, write a whole book on the topic, we work hard to put her advice into action. Yes, that’s right, here at Careerstone Group, we don’t just teach Managing…  Read More

Meaningful Mentoring: Build a Partnership that Works!

This season of gratitude is the perfect time to reflect on those who’ve made a positive impact on your professional career:  Think of a time that someone invested in your career. What did they do? What was the impact?  How did it make you feel? Now, focus on where you are in your career…  Read More

Healthy (Work) Habits for the Holidays

Holiday season is here – bringing lots of bright lights, presents, and social commitments. This means juggling spending extra time with friends and family on top of the day-to-day responsibilities. Taking care of your personal health and well-being during this busy time is essential.  Usually…  Read More

New Year, New Personal Brand

With a new year and new goals ahead of us, it’s the perfect time to think about creating or refining your personal brand–especially as we find ourselves in the midst of a continuously evolving workplace. People are prioritizing better work-life balance, higher pay, and flexibility, which led us to…  Read More

Cubicle Confidential: Our Top 5 Most Popular Workplace and Career Advice Podcasts

Cubicle Confidential is thrilled to announce that SEASON TWO is now STREAMING LIVE! Are your co-workers driving you crazy? Does your boss suck? Mary Abbajay and Chris DeSantis are here to podcast you to workplace (and social) success. We call it “Cubicle Confidential: Weekly Advice for the Working…  Read More

Empathy in the Workplace: Engage with Intention

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, what better way to show your colleagues you care than by refreshing your empathic skills? At Careerstone Group, we’ve noticed a strong uptick in the number of requests for training and facilitation focusing on Emotional Intelligence, in which empathy plays…  Read More

Advance Your Career with an Internal Move

Are you bored at work? Have you outgrown your job? Do you crave a new challenge? It might be time for you to make a career move. But, before you decide to jump ship for a new company, take some time to consider making an internal move. All too often we (wrongly) think the only way to advance our career…  Read More

Hey, May I Give You Some Feedback?

Your boss asks you to stay on the Zoom call when the meeting ends, and asks, “May I give you some feedback about the presentation you just gave?” Quick! What are you feeling? Does your heart rate speed up? Do you get a little sweaty? Is your stomach doing back flips? If you’re, well . . . human,…  Read More

Considerations for the New Work World

Two and a half years ago, employees all over the country were sent home from work on what they anticipated to be a two-week work from home experiment. Most workplaces remain remote since that monumental day in March 2020. It’s clear that COVID-19 reshaped how and where we work – for the better in…  Read More

How to Be a Good Meeting Participant

By Samantha Weissgold Samantha Weissgold is Careerstone Group’s 2022 Summer Intern. She attends Bentley University as a Marketing Major. Most jobs come with plenty of meetings. No matter your career phase, you’ll find yourself attending meetings on a regular basis. Meetings provide an opportunity…  Read More

Facilitating Meetings That Don't Suck!

Whether hybrid, virtual, or on site, the secret to great meetings is the same: put the right people in the room, design for maximum engagement and collaboration, and get stuff done! Our work hours are consumed by meetings, which leaves fewer opportunities to do the work those meetings generate. Not only…  Read More

Facilitating Meetings That Don't Suck!

Whether hybrid, virtual, or on site, the secret to great meetings is the same: put the right people in the room, design for maximum engagement and collaboration, and get stuff done! Our work hours are consumed by meetings, which leaves fewer opportunities to do the work those meetings generate. Not only…  Read More

Write a Holiday Letter for Your Career

With the holiday season in full swing, your mailbox is probably filled with cards and letters from loved ones sharing the highlights of their year: the places they’ve traveled, their kids’ new hobbies, and the addition of new pets to the family. We typically use the end of the year to reflect on…  Read More

Ways for Women to Get Ahead: Interview with Randi Braun

We had the pleasure of catching up with Randi Braun, CEO of Something Major, in honor of Women’s History Month to get her insight into how women can overcome workplace challenges to achieve success. Read the interview below for her career management advice! 1. Tell us a little bit about yourself…  Read More

Powerful Workplace Peers

In the professional world, we often think of coaching as something for executives. The truth is, everyone can benefit from coaching and appropriate “coaches” may be sitting in the office right across the hall…or floating in a rectangle on your most recent video meeting. Teams and organizations…  Read More

Build a Happier and (Mentally) Healthier Workplace

Each morning that you walk through the office door or sit down in front of your computer to work from home, you bring part of your personal life with you. For one in five Americans, that means some form of mental illness pulls up a seat with them to work every single day. Unfortunately, no one can check…  Read More

Manage Up, Down, & Across For Career Success

As much as we would love to believe that the workplace is (or should be) a complete meritocracy, where just being great at our individual job is all that we need to succeed, reality tells a different story. The real (and inconvenient) truth is that the workplace is a social system—and in a social system,…  Read More

Reflect and Set Intentions to Own Your Career

When did you last set aside time to consider what you want out of your career? Last month? Last year? Never?  With the new year approaching, now is the time to take stock of your career. If you’re lucky enough to have a boss who’s invested in your success, maybe she will raise this topic with…  Read More