Taking Charge Of Your Career

The workplace has changed dramatically in the 21st century. Surprised? Of course not. You’ve been hearing terms like empowerment, cross-training, entrepreneurship, reengineering, and downsizing, and so on for quite some time. Like most people who have spent even a minimum amount of time in the workplace, you’ve probably experienced and lived through one or more of the actions listed above.

But who is deciding how such actions affect you or your business? Believe it or not, most employees, managers, and business owners are still content to merely react to changes that impact them without really thinking about the long-term consequences. They are under the mistaken impression that the company, government, or someone else, will look out for them and their careers or business.

But the workplace has changed dramatically: unless you become proactive and self-reliant in your career or business, you will at some point get a surprise, and it probably won’t be a pleasant one.

Think back on the last few years of your work history. What have been the greatest changes and challenges? What has impacted your business or career the most? Have you received the raises, promotions, or profits you deserve? It is important to answer and take action on these questions to gain control of your destiny in the workplace.

Begin by taking a hard look at where you began in your career and where you intended to go from that point. To perform an effective self-assessment, you must be honest with yourself and ask yourself some tough questions.

Are you continuing to progress in your career? If you are a business owner, have you consistently met your projections? Are you serving clients and customers as well as you intended to when you began your business? Is your company growing and vital, or is it beginning to fall behind the competition? If you haven’t attained the position, salary, net profits, or status you had once hoped for, why not? What are the factors or influences holding you back? And perhaps the toughest question of all: Are you really doing the type of work that you want to do? Are you in the right field or industry? If not, it is time to begin evaluating what it would take to shift to an area that you really want to be in.

Once you know what your strengths or motivated skills are, that knowledge sticks with you. It gives you greater freedom to choose the activities you are willing to undertake. It also increases your ability to cope with things you have to do but don’t enjoy.

This type of self-evaluation is not easy to do, but it is vital in assessing where you are and where you want to be with regard to your career or business. It will give you a taste of so many different things that are available to you. By performing a rigorous self-assessment of what you can do and match those things with what you want to do, your options will increase dramatically and will be more attainable.

Once you have performed a career check up, you will have a clearer picture of where you currently are and you’ll have some ideas on where you want to go in your business career. The next stage in taking control of your career is renewing your personal quest toward what it is you really want to do.

Easier said than done, right? But it’s not as difficult as you might think. It comes back to simple goal setting techniques. Are your career or business goals, clear, realistic, and attainable? This isn’t the time to sabotage yourself with far-out ideas and impractical strategies. This is the planning stage where you can regain lost ground or continue to progress in your chosen direction.

Studies show that the minority of people who are sure of what they want to do, succeed at it. But the problem is that the majority of people, don’t know what they want to do in regard to their career or business endeavors. Most people entered fields they are currently in through a vague expectation of where it would lead them. Many people continue to get into fields or start businesses as a result of someone else’s suggestions, rather than basing such decisions on solid research and information of what to expect. The key in this stage of taking control of your career is to begin to take action on your own behalf.

Decide where you want to go within the company you work for or how you want your business to grow. Begin today to strategically plan for where and what you want to be tomorrow. Put together written plans for one, five, and ten years that are realistic, flexible, and attainable. For most people, it’s deciding what you want that is the hard part.

Simply performing a career check up and renewing your career quest is not enough to ensure that your business will prosper or that you will stay employed. Increasing competitiveness at the national and global levels makes it an employer’s, rather than an employee’s market. The Law of supply and demand suggests that there are many more qualified workers than there are attractive positions available. Therefore, employers are able to pick and choose which employees they will hire.

The same is true for business owners. As more new businesses enter the marketplace, competition for products and services increases in direct proportion. In other words, the business owner is faced with a buyer’s market for the products or services he or she is selling, which makes it that much more important to know where his or her business fits.

To remain marketable and competitive it is critical that employees and entrepreneurs maintain top-notch skills. This often means you must continue learning about every facet of your profession or business. Adopting a "learning how to learn" and "lifelong learning" mindset related to your career area or your business market is crucial in being able to take control of your career.

The dynamic nature of the workplace also encourages industry to hire employees who exhibit not only specific job-related abilities but also process "transitional" and "transferable skills". These are skills and abilities that a person can transfer from one job or activity to another. Whether you are an employee of a company or the owner of a company that hires employees, it is important to know what these transferable skills are and how they apply to your career or business area.

Interpersonal skills are important for you to possess. You must be able to work on teams, teach others, serve customers, lead, negotiate, and work well with people from culturally diverse backgrounds. You must have a good working knowledge of technology. We are living in the Information Age, so you must be able to work with computers, use different software, and be able to use the Internet.

Some other important skills that are transferable that you must possess are the basic skills of reading, writing, speaking, and listening. You must also possess higher level thinking skills, such as the ability to critically learn, to reason, to think creatively, to make decisions, and to define and solve complex problems. Lastly, whether you are an employee, manager, or business owner; you won’t get very far in the workplace today without the personal qualities of individual responsibility, self-esteem, self-management, and integrity.

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Six Steps to Avoid Becoming Obsolete (or Worse) on the Job

The Client: It only seemed natural that James was angry. Wouldn’t you be angry if you were being passed over for a promotion? And this wasn’t the first time. Last month, there was a really big project being drafted by the Leadership Team that was loaded with more authority, more responsibility and, of course, more money. James was sure he was a sure-fit for the position. But to his dismay, it was offered to a younger, less tenured employee. Now a much juicer promotion was on the table and that promised even more than the other position. A company car, high visibility among the company’s Board of Trustees, overseeing a huge division and more prestige than he ever imagined (but so sorely desired). But it was not offered to him. As a matter of fact, not only was it not offered but he was never even considered for the promotion. To make matters even more distasteful, it was offered to an employee whom James used to supervise less than two years ago.

Anger, frustration, resentment and fear combined with a huge dose of denial quickly became intimate and frequent visitors to James’ psyche. How could he be treated so unfair especially in view of all his years of experience and skills? Didn’t that mean anything? Wasn’t he entitled to being recognized for all that he’d given to the company. All those early morning arrivals before anyone got to the office and he was always the last one to leave. Several years ago he launched and completed a very successful project and was congratulated by the President of the company himself. Didn’t that mean anything? How could they treat him so callously. A man of his stature.

The Problem: James’ situation is more common to the workplace than not. In this day of career-minded, not-ready-to-retire Baby Boomers and as-yet-to-be-career-fulfilled Generation Xers (remember them?), the workforce is literally an “Employers Market”. Yet, many of these workers find themselves struggling either to find employment after having been downsized or to feel valued. It is the latter situation that this article is intended to address.

James’ problem was not related to his technical performance, ie., his ability to perform the duties required of his position for which he was hired. He has a long history of receiving stellar performance evaluations by his supervisors. Rather, James’s problem was related to his inability to understand the “new” rules of the workplace and to incorporate them into a regular practice. You see, James started his career believing that if you go to work early, stay late, come in on weekends and always be ready to “take one for the team” then your efforts would be recognized and you would be justly rewarded. Hey, that’s how it worked for his dad, right? Well, yes, but that’s not how the workplace of the 21st century operates any longer. At one time it was, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” That’s now been rewritten to, “It’s not what you know or who you know. It’s who knows you!”. Loyalty to the employer as well as loyalty to the company used to be the heard on the old job airwaves. Now, the station has a new frequency on station, “WII- FM” or more commonly known as “What’s In It For Me?” The rules have changed and poor James needed help to figure it out. That’s where I came in!

The Solution: James was wounded and needed, even more than a promotion or higher salary, a boost in his self-confidence. Like many others, James’ identity and self-esteem were tightly wound into his job to the point where it was hard to separate the two. Helping James to renew his self-image was job #1. For the purpose of this article, I will condense the timeframe, but since James was motivated to work, he was able to do some remarkable things in a very brief timeframe.

The Outcome: We examined some of his beliefs about himself and looked at the things he values. It wasn’t long before James was able to redefine and separate “who” he is and the core of his essence from his career and vocational Self. James could now see that his worth was more than a paycheck or a promotion or anything external to himself. We then focused on developing strategies to help him improve his chances to getting on-the-job recognition (yes, that is still important to him, but now the degree to which he weighs its importance has been shifted to a more tolerable level).

Here are some highlights of the strategies James and I co-created:

Job Vacancy Indonesia People are hired because they are liked and fired because they’re not! It’s not often that people are hired or promoted solely because of their technical skills. Sometimes the best technical skills a candidate has that makes them a good hire is their ability to drop twenty foot putts with a fair degree of frequency or they can play “like Mike!” More often than not, people are hired because the company feels they “fit” into the existing culture. Find out what your supervisor likes in his/her employees and what he/she values in themselves. Find out why you were hired and make sure you keep those skills and qualities in constant view.

It really is about “who knows you”. Equally important is who knows you. Make it a point to find out who the movers-and-shakers are in the organization and find out why. Informational interviews are effective. Also, asking others why they consider someone to be a leader within the organization is another way to gather helpful information. Once you have the information you need, develop a strategy that ensures they get to know who you are and your value to the company.

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Career Advancement: Are You Ready To Be Promoted?

Promotion is one of those things almost everyone wants after a successful job search. But no one is bold enough to ask for it.

If you’re determined to get ahead after a successful job search and are willing to follow some simple steps, you can move the odds of a promotion significantly in your favor.

Job Vacancy Indonesia 1. Under NO circumstances do you ever ask for a promotion!

2. Get yourself a mentor. Someone a level or two above you that you feel comfortable with . . . with whom you can talk and get advice.

3. Determine the factors that go into promotions where you work. For example, does your boss select people he/she feels comfortable with -- that they hangs out with? Or do they base decisions based solely on performance? You need to develop that skills that match up with your boss’ expectations.

3. Let your boss know you have more to offer. For example during a performance review you can ask, "What more can I do for the organization." Or "What more can I do to make myself more valuable?"

4. Write down a list of your accomplishments. Be very precise and use quantifiable results. Then give the list to your boss for review in advance of your performance review.

5. Tell your boss you’re looking for further training, e.g. a computer course or specialty seminar. Send an unspoken message that you’re interested in moving up the ladder.

6. Get involved in civic or philanthropic activities supported by those at the top of your organization.

7. Show your initiative by recommending new ideas or projects. Send a message to your boss that you have something more of value to offer.

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How NOT to Write a Resume

You can learn a lot about how to do something right by first learning what NOT to do.

Take resumes, for example.

I review about 200-300 a month, and most have at least 2-3 mistakes. Yet, all those hundreds of mistakes can be grouped into just a handful of categories, which you would do well to avoid.

Before sending your resume to employers, send it to at least 2-3 friends whose judgment you trust. Ask them to read it for grammar and punctuation, but also for unintended meanings. Revise as needed.

Job Vacancy Indonesia Mistake #4: Jumbles of Jargon

Some resumes pile on the buzzwords in a vain effort to impress. Like this:

"New-media pioneer working with technical and business professionals to create new ways of presenting content and impactful tools for producing content and organizing workflow."

We'll pass on "impactful" for now -- what does a "new-media pioneer" do, exactly? I've got a picture in my head of covered wagons and HD-TV, but I don't think that's right ....

Again, you can nip most crud in the bud by reading your resume out loud and then sending it to a friend for honest input. Because friends don't let friends embarrass themselves.

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One Cover Letter Secret You Can't Afford To Miss

Suppose you were the hiring manager, your desk piled high with cover letters and resumes to sort through. Which of the following cover letter greetings would grab your attention?

Example #1:

Dear Sirs: Dear Sir/Madam: Dear Gentlemen: To whom it may concern:

Example #2:

Dear Manager: Dear HR Director: Dear Human Resources:

Example #3:

Job Vacancy Indonesia Dear Mrs. Thomas: Dear Mr. Friedman: Dear Sally Williams:

Clearly Example #3 is the best of the bunch because the job-seeker has taken time to find out your name and to spell it correctly.

Consider how you'd feel if you received a cover letter that said Dear Sir or Madam, or worse yet, 'To whom it may concern.' No one will be concerned if you address your cover letter to no one in particular!

Remember, there is nothing as sweet to the ear as the sound of ones name.

Exercise this simple secret and your cover letter will rise to the top of the pile!

"But I don't know who to address my cover letter to!"

If you don't have this information, take time to get it. Call the company. For jobs posted online this may be a challenge. But still, go the extra mile. Then at the very least address your letter to the appropriate entity. Example: Hiring manager; HR Director; etc.

Secret Tip For Emergency Situations

If the name is unavailable, use one of the greetings in Example #2 and add this personal note.

Please Note: I'm sorry for this impersonal greeting on my cover letter. I was unable to get your name online. However, I look forward to the opportunity to meet you in person so I can address you by name and discuss this job opening. I am highly interested in working for {company name}.

This one-two punch would surely grab someone's attention. You are showing your respect and more important, that you care.

This secret tip alone quickly turns a potential negative into a positive that could make the difference between acceptance and rejection.

The bottom line: When you target your cover letter to a specific person by name, you greatly increase your chances of landing the interview, and ultimately the job you desire.

So before you write your next cover letter, ask yourself this essential question: Who, specifically, will be concerned about what I have to say in this cover letter? That person has a name and it sure isn't, "To whom it may concern!"

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The Rule on Resume Length

Ami, one of my newsletter subscribers, recently emailed me and said that she'd been told by her brother that her 2-page resume was too long. "It can't be longer than one page," her bro stated. Wise woman that she was, instead of blindly following his advice, Ami sought a second opinion. Here's what I told her about that so-called resume "rule."

Job Vacancy Indonesia The "old rule" about resume length was to limit it to one page. The logic everyone spouted was that hiring managers (or HR folks) were just too busy to read more than that. But things have changed. Here's why:

(1) With more people applying for jobs, employers need as much information as possible to help them pick out the best candidates;

(2) People change jobs a lot more often now than they used to, so there's more to list on their resumes; 

(3) Modern technology allows computerized resumes to be scanned quickly for keywords, so even lengthy ones can be reviewed quickly by most large companies.

Now the "rule" is to simply make your resume as long (or short) as necessary to include all the pertinent information. So someone who's only had one job and is looking for an entry-level position could certainly fit their resume onto one page, while an experienced professional who's had 6 jobs in the last 10 years may need 2 (or even 3) pages. 

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Standing Out From the Crowd

Standing out from the other job seekers must begin with your resume, cover letter and the tactics you use. The better job seekers have two-to-five resumes that they selectively send to employers, depending on the type of job they are applying for. Instead of only having one resume, as the average job seeker does, I strongly encourage you to have a base resume for each type of position you apply to. The way to stand out is to make slight changes to both the cover letter and resume to target each job you apply for. 

Changes made are mostly wording, however it might include adding truthful information about you that is not typically needed for some jobs, or removing items that are not needed for other jobs.

Getting to this point requires research on the company, its goals and philosophies, and then determining how you can help the company maintain and exceed those goals. 

Steps:

1. Take your generic resume for the type of position you are interested in applying for and compare it to the job ad or description.

2. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Are you showing in a concise manner all or as many of the relevant requirements that you possess?
• Every job ad has specific key words. What key words from the job ad are you using to start your bullets with?

3. Research the company, taking time to investigate their hiring processes (when possible), the company goals, and their competitors. By doing this, you can learn much about the company and you can demonstrate your research in the cover letter, as well as the resume. This can be done as follows:

• Read the company website, specifically the press releases (or news) and any profiles of senior management (however, do not limit your search to this).
• Also try search engines such as google.com, and look at the links about the company.
• Visit free financial sites such as at hoovers.com and yahoo.com's financials section. These sites show you how well the company is doing, who thei r competition is, and also provide news links and website links.

4. After doing the research, ask yourself this question: “Does my resume and/or cover letter show how beneficial I would be to this particular company and its specific goals?” If the answer is no, then you need to include additional items that will help you stand out among the other applicants and close the deal.

The biggest decisions are those made at the start of your job search, as it then becomes an upward or downward spiral. If you are struggling to match your skills and qualifications to the job ad, then perhaps you need to examine your process of finding a position that is right for you.

Failure to do so, even if you somehow land the job, can result in starting over again in a year or less.

Being confident with matching your cover letter and resume to the position and company will bring the much-needed confidence when you are granted the interview!

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