Top 10 Tips for Career Advancement
Here's a list of the top 10 tips you can use to advance your career: 1. Don't be afraid to say "I don't know." If you don't know something, say so; don't try to fake it. 2. Take responsibility for your actions. If you're at fault, admit it and take the blame. If you're wrong, apologize. 3. Never gossip. Gossip can hurt the careers of two people: the person being talked about, and the person doing the talking. 4. Never say "That's not my job." Don't think you are above anything. Pitch in and set a good example, especially if the job is one that nobody else wants to do. Your willingness to do so will be noticed and appreciated! 5. Share the credit. People who share credit with others make a much better impression than those who take all the credit themselves. 6. Ask for help when you need it. Don't let a difficult task get out of hand. When you need help, ask for it -- before things get worse. 7. Keep your dislike to yourself. If you don't like someone, don't let it show. Never burn bridges or offend others as you move ahead in your career. 8. Don't hold grudges. Life isn't always fair. If you were passed over for promotion, didn't get the project you wanted, etc., let it go. Be gracious and diplomatic, focus on the future and move on. Harboring grudges won't advance your career. 9. Be humble. When you're right, don't gloat about it. Never say "I told you so!" 10. Make others feel important. Compliment others, emphasize their strengths and contributions, and help them whenever you can. They will enthusiasitcally help you in return.       Bonnie Lowe is author of the popular Job Interview Success System and free information-packed ezine, "Career-Life Times." Find those and other powerful career-building resources and tips at her website: http://www.best-interview-strategies.com. | | | | RELATED ARTICLES The Chicken or the Egg? Even before I checked my calendar on Monday morning, I knew the appointment would be there. Passed over for promotion again, Ralph wanted specifics on why I hadn't chosen him for the position. This was not a new conversation. I thought of Ralph as my chicken and egg dilemma. Ralph was the chicken. He believed he would make a great Team Leader, and when I promoted him, he would step up and show me how well he could lead. My position was that of egg. Prove to me you have leadership skills by demonstrating leadership in the job you have now, and I'll consider giving you the next position. Here's the question: is it better to do the work, knowing you will ultimately be rewarded for having done it, or should you wait until the reward is there before you do the work? Like the proverbial question of which came first, the chicken or the egg, people differ widely on the answer and run their careers accordingly. Here's the way I see it - one has more to lose by taking the position of the chicken and waiting for someone else to anoint them, than by being the egg and anointing oneself. 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