Making a career pivot to a new industry can be daunting, especially if you have limited experience in certain areas, but job searchers can make the case for their candidacy by assessing relevant experience, even if it took place long ago or on a volunteer basis, writes career coach Rebecca Fraser-Thill. It's also critical to be honest about where your experience is limited and provide concrete evidence that you are a fast learner, Fraser-Thill writes.

Some competition within teams can be healthy, writes Ed Batista, who encourages leaders to be "referees" judging whether behavior crosses a line, and if it does, that team member can be penalized in some way, taken out of the "game" for a time or cut from the team. "Just as a ref in a sporting contest must ensure that competitive behavior doesn't impede fair play, a leader in this situation must assess the costs and benefits of internal competition and determine how to respond when conflicts occur," Batista notes.

Angela Kirykowicz did all the right things and started her post-doctoral job search with high hopes, but hope gave way to crushing disappointment and panic as the rejection pile mounted. So Kirykowicz reconsidered her career goals and landed two offers. "It is how you cope with setbacks that determines your route to success," she writes.

One often overlooked sector in the workforce that faces unique challenges is military spouses, 92% of whom are women and typically move every two to four years. This article offers several tips for recruiting and retaining these employees, including being strategic with job postings, rethinking how you review resumes, and offering flexible schedules and remote work.

Germany is exploring tax breaks and welfare reforms that could spur employees to work more as it seeks to reverse a drop in working hours. Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition is reportedly set to present a growth plan as early as next month which could make working longer hours more rewarding, with options for tax cuts on overtime and a benefits overhaul.

Tiffany Anderson, Topeka, Kan.'s first Black female superintendent, continues Linda Brown's legacy by expanding educational opportunities in Topeka Public Schools, including pre-kindergarten access, dual language programs and robust mental health support. Anderson is prudent when it comes to navigating difficult situations, such as book bans and Critical Race Theory. "So, rather than labeling something with perhaps branded language that might have a negative connotation, we just invite people to learn about literature and to see literature that represents the communities that we serve, and [literature] that communities, that young people, are going to see globally. That's just different language…If we can remove the fear by providing knowledge and building capacity, you can go farther than you ever thought and remove barriers in ways you never thought you could," Anderson says.

Why I included this: Colleague Diane Benson Harrington wrote this story for our education briefs, and it speaks to how to foster a great career as well as lean into diversity issues. "Her list of accomplishments is astounding," Diane told me.

When "The Phantom Menace" first came out in 1999, it was heavily panned, with many critics suggesting the movie emphasized technology over storytelling. One of the biggest gripes people had was with Jar Jar Binks, a character many deemed to be obnoxious and overly reliant on slapstick and stereotypes. In some cases, the humor bordered on being offensive. However, with the movie set to turn 25 and make its return to theaters, it's given Ahmed Best, the actor who says his career "began and ended" with Jar Jar, an opportunity to reclaim the narrative around his career and his debut character. In today's era of cancel culture, Jar Jar is proof that there is life after being a social pariah.