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You Are Lucky in Your Career!You Are Lucky in Being Satisfied in Your Career Just for fun let's you and I, reader, considerthat you are satisifed with your current career. It's good to find out why. You have a goodboss, good hours, good benefits and have agreat chance of being promoted soon. You are lucky and fortunate. What are you doingfor yourself that this good fate will continue?Are you preparing yourself for that promotion?How? One thing you might consider is to informallypoll your co-workers about your performance.No, this does not mean that you set up aquestionnaire about "how you're doing" orset up an artificial meeting or conversationabout yourself. An informal way of measuringyourself can be: Are you informed about thelatest personal gossip? Do your co-workerscome to you with questions about procedures?Do they invite you to lunch, include you innon-work activities? Are they comfortablewith you? What about your superior's? The same typeof informal "interview" can be done with them. What do you do with this subjective information?You can relish it for the trust that you get fromyour companions and superiors. Great to feelrewarded by others. you can move this momentum forward by using this good will for your promotion. An example would be to suggest new ideas toyour "team" and check on their reactions. Ifthe new procedure is adapted warmly, then youwill know that you can proceed with an introcductoryplan to your superiors. If the idea or procedure isnot well thought of, you can introduce it in anotherform to check on its acceptance. If, after at leastthree attempts to gain favorable approval for youridea, it is best to scrap it. Each time you get an adequate result to yourideas, be sure to incorporate them into the biggerplan you will present for a promotion. This way, your plan will almost be "pre-approved" and moredifficult for your superiors to say no. c, 2004-05Marilyn J. Tellez, M.A.Certified Job & Career Transition CoachEmail: doitnow@nwinfo.netWeb: http://www.doitnowcareers.info |  | | | RELATED ARTICLES Job or no Job: The Certainty of Uncertainty Headline from AP via Yahoo News! January 11, 2005: "Chrysler Expects No Job Cuts in 2005, 2006." Seven Myths You Must Challenge Now To Begin Your Second Career Today * Has it been awhile since you explored career options? Defining Success Your Way! In my career advising practice, I often find that my clients are not clear about what success means for them. Our society defines success primarily around three elements: power, money and fame. Many of you reading this may be saying, "wait a minute ?those elements are not the most important things to me." Success is often intangible. It's certainly unique to each person.  Have you considered how you will know when you are successful? Shades of Grey A paperweight sits on my desk, etched in silver the message: Life isn't always black and white. It serves as a reminder there are few absolutes at work (or in life). Yet, it would be easier if there were; if good ideas from bad, trustworthy people from non-trustworthy, and right paths from the wrong ones could easily be discerned. I've learned in twenty years in management that increasing one's perspective increases the grey, as words like always and never become obsolete for describing most situations and most people. But early in my career, I was convinced there were right ways and wrong ways to do things at work. Of course, my way being right and someone else's wrong. Dug-in positions that at the time seemed immensely important strike me now as limited in knowledge, understanding or perspective. Now, I'm as convinced there are often many ways to accomplish the same goal and many right answers to the same problem. Certainly some approaches may be better than others, but whose interpretation defines better? It is a subjective workplace and a matter of judgment if an idea is a good one, a performance rating accurate, or a decision correct. Sometimes that interpretation is based on quarterly profits, employee morale, company goals, personal filters, necessity, or a passionate champion embracing a challenge. But here's the thing. That subjective element often frustrates us. We think there should be a play book we understand or a standard method to judge an outcome so we can agree whether it's good or bad. Yet we have differing vantage points, information and criteria depending on our roles. There may be big picture, long-term, short-term, temporary, personal, best, best of the worst, and a long list of considerations. I learned this concept as I debated my boss over a decision he was about to implement. As a Human Resources Director, I was concerned the decision would impact morale. HR was the filter by which I judged the world at the time. He gently closed the discussion agreeing with my view point, "Yes, it's true employees will be unhappy. But they'll be unhappier if there are layoffs next year. My job is to make sure everyone has a job." Absolute thinking limits perspective, causes mistakes in judgment, misunderstandings, disappoints, conflicts, and frustration in the workplace. Most work issues are not black or white, right or wrong, win or lose. They are varying shades of grey. If you want to be winning at working, you need to adjust your eyes to see more grey and adjust your beliefs to understand, for the most part, people are doing what they believe to be right, for reasons they believe are right. If we could stand behind them and see what they see, we might even come to the same conclusion. (c) 2004 Nan S. Russell. All rights reserved.  The Network Within When you hear the word "networking", what comes to your mind first? Home Healthcare Careers One of the fastest growing sectors of the medical industry is that of home health. There are many reasons for this growth, but most important are: What To Do When You Get Caught Surfing By The Boss! It has been a long morning and you need a mental break. You start thinking of your weekend plans and jump on your messaging program to make plans with a friend. You have the movie times and a chat box up on your screen and what happens, your supervisor walks up behind you! You think to yourself Murphy's law is in full effect. What do you do when you get busted surfing or chatting at work? The situation all depends on how you react and handle yourself. Here are some helpful techniques/excuses you may be able to use: Self-Preservation Techniques For The Unemployed Looking for work can be difficult, frustrating, anxiety-provoking, and demeaning. Are Online Degrees Valid to Prospective Employers? Online distance learning has gained rapid popularity with the advent of the internet, which has proven to offer great supporting facilities and convenience for online education. However, just like everything else with pros and cons, the internet has also opened doors for the widespread sale of bogus online degrees. According a report by USA Today, there were already 400 diploma mills in the year 2003 and the numbers are rising. In fact, many of these unscrupulous operations are run by organizations in an industry that is worth $500 million a year. Job Hunting Tips: Assessing Personal Value A week out of work is a vacation. You can sleep late in the morning, revel in your newly found free time, shop when the stores are empty, and get around to those chores you have been putting off for too long. How to Access Employers through Proposal Marketing Use Proposal Marketing and you'll be your own hot spot, opening gateways previously inaccessible. Hook up with those who have the power to hire you. Present a history or even an achievement-driven resume and your coverage is limited. Send a proposal to employer prospects and you'll gain more scalability to customize a solution to their business challenges. Sync with decision makers' needs and high-speed your career campaign. Match, Meet, and Mesmerize at a Job Fair Are you considering another trip through the career maze? Attending a job fair can make you feel like you are playing a losing game unless you have a clear understanding of the rules. Here are a few suggestions for making the most of any job fair, and gaining a competitive edge. Targeting Your Resume is So Important For Your Career Targeting your portfolio, (resume and cover letter) can get you any job you desire! The purpose of targeting is so you can find your perfect match, your dream job! What To Do Ever had that perfect life when everything seems perfect yet you wanna die. I am in the situation where I have the perfect imperfect world. I have a daughter which might not be mine after 6 years of believing she is, I have a girlfriend who is so imperfect she is perfect for me. A son well he is only 8 months old and he seems to be the only perfect balance at the moment. Success at Work : People Skills : Networking Getting along with your co-workers is critical to yourhappiness and success at work. You may find yourselfspending more time with your co-workers than with yourspouse and family. Each individual in an organization isjust a small cog in a big wheel. Without the assistance ofco-workers, you will find your assignments much moredifficult. Overwhelmed and Overworked: The Myth of American Productivity Employment finally seemed back on track during the first few months of 2004. Politicians crowed that "Our tax cuts are working." Then, without warning, job growth slowed to a crawl, resulting in a deficit of more than 2 million jobs from that confidently predicted only a year ago. To counteract that dismal performance, public emphasis turned to another indicator, productivity. The reported increases in American productivity are quite genuine. Individual worker output collectively rose, from 2000 to 2003, by a full 12 percent. Definitely a bonus for Wall Street - but what about Main Street? Turning Their Loss Into Your Job Gain It isn't the end of the world, even if it seems like it. Losing your job can be a heart-breaking experience. After all, your security in life and your abilities is now in question. You can feel disillusioned and there is the ever-nagging question of: What do I do now? Theres No Need to Pad Your Resume It seems like a good idea, harmless in fact. Your friends assure you that everybody does it and that employers rarely check resume facts. Going on blind faith and convinced the truth hasn't been helpful so far, you seriously consider fabricating information on your resume. You adapt the school of thought that a little white lie never hurt anyone and lying on a resume is just that, a little white lie. Why Do Interviews Die: That Sinking Feeling and How to Prevent it! Interviews die because a mistake occurred. Sometimes, you've made a mistake; sometimes they die because someone who screened a resume did. Career Change: Success Tips Successful career change is based on first making an honest assessment of your skills and experiences. Then you match them against the current market conditions. Finally you set realistic goals. Here are five strategies to keep in mind when changing careers: Plan for a longer job search. Changing industries requires research, which requires time. Assess your financial situation and make realistic decisions. You may have to consider an interim position or part-time work or even volunteering to bridge to your new career and gain valuable experience. |
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