CAREER DEVELOPMENT, GOALS, SUCCESS UNIVERSITY: Career Tips... Archives

Time Management: A Great Tool for Career Planning

One key problem in self-improvement is managing your time so that you are able to accomplish your goals. This is vital for career planning so that you are not bogged down by procrastination.

Many people are known to procrastinate to some extent but some people become chronic procrastinators. This hinders them from accomplishing their goals and becomes disruptive to their careers.

To combat the destructive habit of procrastination, you must become aware of the instances in your daily life when you begin procrastinating. Then you have to understand why you procrastinate, whether just sometimes or chronically, then undertake effective time management methods so you can guide your career accordingly.

People procrastinate when they do not do what they have to do right away, usually putting it off because they want to do something that is more comfortable or enjoyable. Procrastinators may work just as long as a non-procrastinator on a certain task but it may be the wrong task. To combat this trend, try to make a list differentiating between an urgent task and an important task – important tasks take precedence.

Procrastinators may also put off a task because they feel overwhelmed by it, thinking that the job is too big for them or they lack the necessary skills or resources to complete it. This leads procrastinators to simply do easier tasks, without realizing that they are wasting time not tackling the larger task right away.

Procrastinators could also be perfectionists, have poor organizational skills or find their decision making skills to be retarded, maintain a fear of failure or success, or simply be waiting…and waiting…and waiting for the right mood to hit them before they undertake the task.

But regardless of the cause of your procrastination, you should be aware of it and be ready to deal with it right away. Otherwise you risk losing your career.

The first step is to be honest with yourself so you will recognize when you are procrastinating.

The next step is to keep a To Do List that will help you guide your daily activities. Many people neglect this obvious step because they think they already know what to do.

Then, you have to explain to yourself why you are procrastinating. The reasons for this may fluctuate between your behavior and the task itself.

Afterwards, you should find a way to motivate yourself to tackle the job you have set aside. This may be harder than just telling yourself STOP PROCRASTINATING! You can opt to reward yourself after undertaking the task. Or get peer pressure to work for you by asking a co-worker to check up on your progress after some time. If you still cannot work, it may be time to tell yourself what are the negative effects of leaving the task unfinished – this includes being booted out of the job, sad to say.

For those who find themselves overwhelmed by the task, they can break it down into a series of smaller and more manageable components that make up a larger Action Plan. You will be surprised how far you will go just taking each step as it comes.

- Leon Edward

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Leon Edward helps people improve in Leadership Development, Goal Setting, Success, Motivation, Self-Improvement, Happiness, Memory Improvement, Stress Reduction and more through his articles, blogs, reports and self-help success roladex-on-line. Visit his Success-Leadership Library, Articles at http://www.AwesomeSuccess.org

Leon Edward also helps people improve IQ, focus, memory, concentration, creativity, speed reading, public speaking , time management and reducing stress.
Download his IQ Mind Brain Memory Self-Help library at his website http://www.IQMindBrainLibrary.com

Posted by Leon Edward at 07:10 AM | Permalink

CLIMBING THE CAREER LADDER: Dealing with Mistakes

Everything was running smoothly at work. The managers all think you’ve got ways to go in your career. Until one day, you stumbled and made ‘the mistake’. Not enough to get you fired on the spot but serious enough to get a reprimand – verbal or otherwise. It could be something as crucial as entering a wrong amount in a spreadsheet making the bottom line in a report wrong; or something as simple as misplacing a much-needed letter. And that’s it. You suddenly get the cold shoulder treatment. You’re in career limbo. All the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put your career back together again.

But hold it! Contrary to what you may be feeling right now, the world did not end. All you have to do is deal with your mistake.

First, after apologizing for it, shut up. Re-hashing it and blabbing about the what-ifs and should-haves will only keep you down. Finger-pointing is also not good at this point. It happened and you can’t go back in time to prevent it. Think instead of ways to earn good points again. Face it; you might have to re-start three rungs back in the career ladder again.

Next is to try and gain back lost ground. Volunteer for work – even the simplest task like filing, phone calls, etc – would lighten up somebody’s workload. Pretty soon, you’ll get trusted with the more serious matters again. Coming in early and less absences will also count a lot. Offer to help out a co-worker not only with their own work, but even outside of work-related errands. See if there are trainings or seminars being offered that you can attend to add to your skill and eventually use for the company.

Lastly, treat the mistake as a stepping stone and not a stumbling block. Remember it as a learning experience and use it to your advantage. If the mistake started because of a lost letter, do better filing from now on. If it was due to a wrongly encoded number, triple check figures before giving it out. Better yet, find someone who can give you additional information or data to counter-check your amounts. Keep on practicing these measures and you’ll find that it will become second nature to you.

Keep your chin up. Success, they say, comes to those who stand up after they fall. You just have to add a little more to that adage – after getting up, start walking again. Eventually, you’ll get there.

Posted by Leon Edward at 09:05 PM | Permalink

How to Maintain Enthusiasm for Your Job

Many people are unhappy with their current jobs.

There are many reasons why people become unhappy with their jobs and go home every night with so much stress. Stress leads to bad mood swings and eventually to a degradation of one’s relationships with his family members.

Employment opportunities are harder to find than ever. This is one reason why people stick with a job that they do not like. The reality is, hunger and depravation is a much scarier reality to deal with than giving up a job.

Some people are unhappy with their jobs because impatience and restlessness had caught up with them. They become bored with the lack of movement and mobility in their workplaces.

However, there are solutions. There are several things that you can do to maintain enthusiasm for your job. Here are some tips:

1. Always look at the positive side of things.

People tend to look at the negative side of things most of the time. Take a time out, or better yet, a vacation, can help you reflect on the things that relate to your job. You can perhaps reflect on your attitudes towards the job. Some times, stress will disable your ability to clearly dissect certain issues regarding your work.

Having a positive attitude towards things will lighten up your life as sunlight would lighten up the mountains. Always look forward.

2. Openly communicate with your officemates

Often times, when a person does not relate to his officemates well, they add up to the reasons why he is losing enthusiasm for his job. People tend to act too stiff in the office because they adhere strictly to professionalism, but professionalism does not entail them to become a loner.

One of the main reasons why people stick to a certain job for a very long period of time is- people. You maintain enthusiasm for your job as long as you maintain good working relationships with your office mates.

3. Talk to your superiors

Enthusiasm goes downhill when you are bypassed for promotion. If you would like to clarify certain policies of an institution, you should maintain open communication with your superiors and let them hear your views. Letting it all out is a good way to catalyze change and bring about development.

4. What would have happened otherwise?

A good question to ask oneself when losing enthusiasm in his work is "what will I be doing if I’m not working here?" People tend to think that they would rather do another type of job but in reality, they just like to think about it, and not actually do it.

5. Be active in other activities in the office

Volunteer for special events in your office. Volunteering to organize a party or a fundraiser can be a good idea in order to acquire another dimension to the job.

6. Beautify your workplace

Put some plants, pictures, trinkets on your desk. This will definitely help in bringing back one’s enthusiasm for your job. Pictures of family members are reminders that you are working not only for yourself but for their sake as well.

Happiness is relative to your views and perceptions. Enthusiasm towards your work depends solely on your attitude towards work.

Posted by Leon Edward at 08:09 PM | Permalink

Successful Communication for Employers

What does communication mean? It simply means conveying one’s message to another person by means of a channel. The message may either be written or verbal.

Channels would include one’s voice, hand gestures, written mail or note, posters, television, books, radio, phone, internet and a lot more. As long as the message is connected and transmitted to another person, it can be considered a channel.

Ethically, communication must be conveyed properly. It is expected that an enjoyable relationship come with a good communication.

Why is Good Communication Important?

It is a very important aspect in life such that, without communication, the world will live in a mess. People won’t be able to understand each other. Everyone will be rivals of each other. How would you imagine a world without it?

In the business sector it is also ever so important. A successful organization is said to be very competent when the people revolving around it are good communicators.

Imagine a boss conveying certain strategies for a particular project to his subordinate? In the process, the employee does not understand him well. The employee might be confused. What would be the result? Perhaps, the said project will go wrong.

Another scenario: how would you expect your worker to submit an organized and detailed technical report if he or she does not know how to do so.

If you are an employer, and you want your organization to succeed, you must equip your workers to develop excellent communication skills. This is so by giving them high-quality training.

Moreover, such trainings are not only for employees, as an employer, you should also obtain one. As a boss, you are anticipated to also have that kind of communication.

You are not exempted from being a learner. This is so because your subordinates greatly depend on you. As a leader, it is expected of you to have a better and higher education, better skills since you are viewed to be an expert.

Many companies, nowadays, apply communication training for further improvement of employees as well as bosses. Proven and tested, it has made a significant difference compared to those who have not yet undergone such endeavor.

How to Have a Good Communication

Normally, before you qualify for a job, you will be asked of your educational background. More often than not, your communication background is also required. This is so maybe because employers expect that if you are good at communicating, both of you will have a good working relationship.

Furthermore, he will think that if you have the skills, you can be left alone with minimal supervision. You can work by yourself. However, this is not the end of the story, for you to be able to communicate more effectively, you have to enhance your skills.

The same thing applies with people who would like to put up a business. Having that excellent skill would be your stepping-stone. You can be rest assured that your business will work out right.

Communication skills can be acquired by studying, by getting a degree. It also can be obtained on a part-time basis. Such programs must encompass a practical and applied experience in order to develop intelligent and sensible communicators. Once skills are acquired and adapted, you’ll realize that you are in the verge of success.

Trainings can incorporate a variety of both written and verbal communication. They can also hold multimedia workshops as well as advertising and social relations. Decisions on what to take and not to take depend on your capabilities and talents. You have the right to choose.

Posted by Leon Edward at 05:37 PM | Permalink

Watch Your Body Language!

Picture this scenario.
You are applying for a job in the corporate world. You passed the required examinations and now you scheduled for an interview. You offer a limp handshake and mumble a few words greeting your interviewer. She asks you about your previous employment and you cannot look straight into her eyes. After a few minutes, the interview was over. She advised you to just wait for her call.
Did you know that non-verbal language sends a stronger message than what you actually say?
Observe the people in the corporate world. Many convey the message that they are defensive instead of being frank, direct, and defensive. On the other hand, people from the suburbs display gentleness and kindness. Other types of people display calmness and serenity as if they have achieved completeness and are at peace with the world.
Most of these behaviors are readily recognized by the other people. However, not all forms of non-verbal communication can easily be recognized and comprehended. Other forms of communication need certain levels of acceptance in order to learn the real message behind them.
These neglected forms of communication can affect one’s social standing and even one’s career or future.
Some people use non-verbal forms of communication to detect and assess the behavior of another individual. They use body language in determining a person’s personality and total wellbeing.

Body Language and Your Future Career

Body language is a non-verbal form of communication. This means that the individual tries to communicate his feelings or ideas through gestures or body movements rather than use words or other types of communication.
Corporate people have learned to consider this form of communication as one way of assessing a person especially when applying for a job. They silently evaluate the applicant and decipher whether what he or she is expressing verbally is consistent with his or her actions or gestures.
Body language can be voluntary or involuntary. Their meanings may vary. In the social context, psychologists and sociologists have learned to decipher the meaning of certain body language. This enables a person to gain an understanding of the message being communicated by the other person.
For this reason, experts advice job interviewees and applicants to be aware of their gestures or hand and eye movements as these has great impact on how they come across during an interview.
Applicants should remember that during interviews, employers are very observant and meticulous about the way an individual reacts to the situation, the way he answers the challenging questions, and how he projects himself. This provides the employer a gauge if a person can handle the job better than the other applicants.

Facial Expression

Facial expressions can suggest or express an individual’s emotions or feelings.
In essence, facial expressions are controlled forms of body language. These involve feelings or sentiments. Most often than not, these are spontaneous and instinctive.
Then again, during the interview, it is best to control most of the facial expressions and project an aura of efficiency and confidence. Interviewers or employers would like to see an individual who is eager to get the job done and has a pleasant personality who can work with a team.
An employer can easily sense the applicant’s confidence with himself. An insecure or unconfident person would most likely be fidgety. Even if he will not admit it, his actions will speak for themselves.

Eye Contact

Eye contact is a strong way to convey emotions or feelings towards another person. In fact, experts say that eye contact can have a great impact on social manners. It can directly express one’s confidence and personality.
Eye contact can also build trust. The interviewer can easily evaluate if the applicant is confident of what he is saying. Once trust is established, it would be easy for the applicant to express and highlight his or her skills and accomplishments and eventually get the job.
Avoiding the other person’s eye send signals that may end one’s future career. It could mean that the other person is guilty of something or is trying to avoid the truth.

Gestures

Gestures can also have a large influence during the interview. In most interviews, employers watch how an applicant reacts to certain situation through his facial expressions or “body and facial gestures.”
For instance, if an applicant did not like the idea stated by the interviewer, rolling the eyes could indicate a negative emotion. This simple gesture could mean frustration, annoyance, or arrogance.
All of these things are important during the interview. It is best to be aware of them to avoid negative results. People should use body language to their advantage during interviews. Use it to convey professionalism and confidence. As they say, actions speak louder than words.

Posted by Leon Edward at 05:24 PM | Permalink

CAREER DEVELOPMENT, GOALS, SUCCESS UNIVERSITY

April 22, 2007