Why the Career Hacks podcast series will boost your career

Work smarter, not harder with our new four-part Career Hacks series on the INTHEBLACK podcast. Stand out and get noticed by growing these workplace skills:

1. Difficult conversations

The first step in a difficult conversation usually happens individually, says emotional intelligence expert Amy Jacobson.

“We build this ‘ammunition pack’ of stats, reports and examples of why we’re right,” she notes, which means “we’re completely in our own head and are likely to send the other person into defence mode”.

Instead, Jacobson suggests that leaders go into such a meeting curious, using the conversational structure “Ask, ask, tell” to guide these interactions. This pattern encourages others to own their part in the situation, she explains, and engages their emotional intelligence.

2. Delegation

Daniel Murray, speaker and author of The Empathy Gap, believes that delegation is a key challenge leaders face as they have reached a certain level due to the exceptional work they’ve done. They think, “I have this pride in the work and now I have to delegate it, and I’m worried that it won’t go so well. I’m worried they won’t do as good a job as I did.”

 

"If we can shift that pride from the work to the people, that’s really at the heart of good leadership."

 

The solution, Murray proposes, is a shift in focus.

“If we can shift that pride from the work to the people, that’s really at the heart of good leadership.”

3. Résumé writing

When it comes to résumé writing, Jasmine Ee, a senior consultant at recruitment firm Hays, warns against generic applications — especially those that are solely AI-generated.

“You can tell that they are just crafted a little bit too formally and without any human input,” she says.

Ee emphasises the importance of keywords in job applications.

“Some applicant tracking systems are pre-programmed to filter out or catch certain words or phrases,” she says. It is therefore important that applicants “really pay attention to the job ad or the position description, and make sure that your CV is very reflective of it”.

4. Happiness

Declan Edwards, founder of BU Happiness College, questions the link between success and happiness. “Don’t think of happiness as the outcome of success,” he says. “Think of success as a more likely outcome of happiness.”

Edwards shares what he believes are the top five skills that increase happiness: expand your emotional intelligence, learn to look inwards, train your brain to see the good in yourself and others, know your values and direct your life intentionally.

“If you do those five things, you’re already going to be many, many steps ahead when it comes to living a happy and fulfilling life.”