It can be easy to get trapped in your head and stuck on what you imagine is holding you back - for career growth, and most everything else. That echo chamber can be especially loud right now when we're more isolated than usual (ever?), so it seems like a perfect time for the new article Marianne Hayes wrote for Recruiter.com. We talked about some of the challenges people face when making career planning decisions - and practical steps for getting past them.

Alternate blog post titles:
Don't Believe These 5 Career Planning Myths!
You'll Never Believe These Career Planning Myths!
Man Finds Abandoned House In Forest & You Won't Believe The Career Planning Myths Inside!
Doctor Warns Never Eat These 5 Career Planning Myths!

It is a tough time for many people to consider whether they're being underpaid, what with so many people not being paid at all, and so much instability in the job market and in the world at large. And for many people who feel the sword of Damocles hovering just above whatever sense of security they have, it truly may not be the best time to try to shake things up. 

There are some asterisks, to throw in this mix, though. If you are one of those truly non-fungible workers, you still may be in a strong position to make demands of your employer. And also, there's a scope-creep-thing that happens when corporate belts get tightened, or when there's some sudden spike in attrition, but there is still much work that needs to be done - slack that needs to be "picked up" by whoever is still working and scared of losing their job - and if you are going to be assuming greater responsibilities it would be wise to reconsider compensation and expectations. If you have lost your job (or feel you are about to) you may already be thinking about what will make the next role more rewarding.

There's no hard rule for whether this moment is the best time for you to even think about if you're underpaid - it will depend, of course, on your unique situation and mix of circumstances. But if you are in the position to take a step back and look at whether you're being compensated appropriately, this could be a good time to review some of the tips I recently contributed to an article on StudentLoanHero to help you determine if you're being underpaid and what you can do about it.

This definitely falls into the The-Onion-is-the-real-news category, but in a funny way. 

Happy New Year! (You can say that for a couple of weeks, right?)

2019 was good! 2020 still sounds like "the future" to me, but I'm really happy it's here and I'm here for it. 

There's a lot I'm looking forward to in this year, including new projects I hope to share soon.

I recently contributed to a couple of pieces about interview questions Lynne Goldman wrote for Dice.com - on the jobseeker side, "3 Worst Interview Questions… and How to Answer Them" covers - well, that; on the employer side the article "Questions You Should Never Ask In A Job Interview" goes over some interview questions that might not be illegal but can put applicants in an uncomfortable position that has nothing to do with their ability to do the job.

Here's to the best year yet!
Cheers,
​Rita

Just when I was thinking I've listened to every episode of every podcast in my feed, rock star psychotherapist Esther Perel has come out with "How's Work?" 

Each episode of the Gimlet Media podcast (available through Spotify) showcases a one-time therapy session focused on work-related relationships and issues. 

(And I'm shamelessly excited for an excuse to post a photo I got to take when I met her at the Pennsylvania Conference for Women in 2017.)