Successful Blog

Engineer a Better Career Approach Moving Forward

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How to Get Ahead words on a board game advance your career
How to Get Ahead words on a board game advance your careerWhat is your career approach?

Whether you want to be an engineer or a CEO, a nurse or a big data scientist, the right approach to your career will give you a valuable boost.

What are some things you can do to keep a positive attitude and make sure you have the best approach to your career?

Make Your Career Your Business

It is all too easy to drift along, even in a career you’re successful at. That’s why you need to make your career your business.

Make time for a career review; ask yourself where you would like to be in five or 10 years. What would you like to achieve before you retire? Once you know where you want to be, map out a plan of how to get there, and regularly review where you are.

Think about your talents, motivations and likes.

If your career is the right one for you, how can you use your skills to make it even more rewarding? If it’s not, ask yourself what you would like to do instead, and how you can use your existing skills in a new way.

Keep Learning

One of the keys to engineering a better career for yourself, is learning. Keep abreast of what’s hot in your industry from new technology to new ideas.

Be willing to invest in your education (sometimes employers will be able to help you with this). Continuous learning will keep your skills up to date, making you more valuable to an employer, and helping you get more satisfaction from what you do.

If you want to move in a different direction, learn as much as you can about your intended career so you can figure out if it’s right for you.

Make the Most of Mornings

Making the most of mornings can help you advance your career.

The morning provides prime quiet time, before the rush of work, family commitments and deadlines. As the article “Boost Your Engineering Career” says, you can use that time for making plans, motivating yourself, and starting your day with a goal in mind.

Time spent in the morning planning your day is a good career booster.

Start every morning with a clear plan of what you want to achieve, and which tasks are most important to that end. You’ll be taking charge of every day and making sure you use your time in the best way possible.

Look For Opportunities

If you want to forge the best career path for you, keep your eye out for opportunities. Having a positive attitude and being willing to seize opportunity will help you move forward.

Be proactive in looking for chances to boost your career.

That might mean taking a new course, attending an event, or simply connecting with the right person. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, make suggestions and start conversations. You never know what might come of it.

If you want to go in a new direction, look for chances to learn and grow on your new path.

Don’t wait for the perfect training course, for example. Read books, talk to other people in your desired industry, or even look for ways you can volunteer to find out what it’s all about.

Being in a career that you love is fulfilling and rewarding.

Make sure that’s the case for you with a positive attitude, great time management, and a nose for opportunities.

Photo credit: BigStockPhoto.com

About the Author: Tristan Anwyn writes on a variety of topics including social media, how to build customer relationships, content marketing and how to move forward in your career.

Buzzworthy customer service begins with eye contact

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The other evening I caught myself with four (FOUR) active screens arrayed in front of me.

I was “watching” TV.

I had my iPad on the nightstand because I had started to play a game.

Thought of a work item I needed to finish, and popped open my laptop.

Of course my phone was next to me on the bed in case I got a text (alerting me to nuclear war or possibly a school delay).

And then…one of my children came in to tell me something.

First instinct was…”I’m busy!”

…waitforitwaitforit….

Seeing the look of befuddlement cross my child’s face, I snapped out of my mania and started shutting down screens.

In every moment, you tell the world what’s important based on what’s in your immediate field of vision.

Have you ever been buying something in a shop when the phone rings? And the clerk makes you wait while he answers the customer on the phone?

Why are we putting the living, breathing humans around us at arms length in order to stare into a screen?

Why do we feel comfortable sending a LinkedIn request to a stranger, but too shy to approach people at a business networking event?

It’s time to get back to eyeballing each other.

Some ideas for practicing eye contact:

  • Take one of your customers out to lunch or coffee. Ask them how they are. (Not how satisfied they are with your customer service.) Then truly listen to their answer.
  • Add a conference or two to your calendar. Get outside your office and meet people.
  • If a living, breathing person is talking to you, close your laptop and stash your phone. Listen actively.
  • Start scheduling video calls instead of emails or phone calls. Body language is a crucial signal.
  • Use your real name and photo in your customer support communications.
  • Turn off notifications when you’re interacting with people (e.g., at lunch, in a meeting, listening to a pitch, serving a customer).
  • Let people know that you noticed them, by offering a specific (and authentic) compliment, referring back to something they said earlier, or remembering details about them the next time you meet.

How many screens do you have open right now?

Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for Social Strata — makers of the Hoop.la community platform. Check out the Social Strata blog. You can find Rosemary on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee

 

Featured image via Flickr CC: Kevin Dooley

4 Networking Ideas for Introverts

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By Sarah Williams

By now, you’ve probably been to a couple of ‘networking events’, often held after work, and intended for those people who want to broaden their  professional connections. What might sound like an enjoyable evening of rubbing shoulders with the right people is, for many of us, intensely anxious and challenging; some would rather do almost anything than attend something so terrifying.

Well, the good news is that, if you feel this way, you’re not alone. There are easy methods for changing how you think about networking, and for making it a useful experience for your professional growth. Who knows, it might even be fun.

1. Reassess Your Attitudes to Networking

You might see networking as an irritating chore, but in reality, it’s a fantastic, low-cost way to bring in new business. Although it’s less direct than a cold-calling campaign, its indirectness is its virtue; at networking events, we get to treat each other like people, and not just as a set of walking business opportunities. Face-to-face gatherings, though scary for many of us, are inherently human, with all of us in the same boat, dealing with the same anxieties and trying to achieve the same thing. Once you view networking in this way, with yourself as one of the many who just want to get the best out of the event, then it might not seem so daunting.

2. Let Go Of Your Fears

Psychologists often quote from a list of ‘Cognitive Distortions’. A common example is the assumption that we’re not nearly as smart or capable as others assume we are, and that we’ve been pulling the wool over their eyes all these years: “I’m just a fraud, and I don’t deserve to be here”. This is merely an emotional and unbalanced form of reasoning; you’re letting your irrational fear dictate how you feel, and therefore how you act.

If you think that way about yourself, it’s time to let that distortion go, and see if for what it really is: an unreal, artificial superimposition of needless and crushing self-doubt. You’re exactly as capable as anyone else, and at networking events, you’ll see this in action. The secret is that everyone else feels the same way, to a greater or lesser extent.

The other classic worries, all of them equally groundless, are:

– I’ll be alone, I won’t know anyone, and they’ll all ignore me.

– I’m an outsider, and I won’t conform to their expectations. I’ll remain an outcast.

– I’ll be silently staring at my wine glass, unable to think of anything interesting to say.

– If I do say something, I’ll get nervous, start rambling, and just embarrass myself.

These fears might seem reasonable, but take a closer look: they’re predictions, based only on a glass-half-empty view of how things will be. Besides, in general, people aren’t knowingly vindictive or hurtful; they actually want each other to succeed. Humans aren’t nearly as competitive and ruthless as we see in the movies. Being new, for example, is a type of advantage, as you’ll be a novelty and the others will be curious about you.

3. Do Your Homework

Prepare for the event by finding out who’s coming, and then make a list of perhaps four of five people you’d like to talk to. Bring business cards and aim to actually hand them out. Practice the necessary skills by speaking and meeting with strangers whenever you can in your private life. This doesn’t need to be a long conversation; just toss in an ice-breaker about the weather or sports, or think of a question to ask about what they’re wearing, driving or shopping for.

Consider recording yourself speaking, however weird this may feel, to judge your speed and clarity. Write down some introductory sentences, such as:

– Hi, I’m Marlene from Integrated Systems. I really enjoyed your presentation on…

– I’d just like to introduce myself. I’m Carl from OrbComm, and I wonder if I could ask your advice on…

– Congratulations on the award from the Better Business Bureau. I’m Sanjay from MicroTech. I wonder if you have a moment to talk about…

Read the local, national and international news so that you’ll be up-to-date on current events. Keep rotating around the room, and resist the temptation to spend time with people you already know; it’s comfortable, but it’s not why you’re there. Don’t fold your arms, but keep good eye contact. Be thinking about what you might ask next, in contrast to most of the others, who will be pondering what they might say; this sets you apart as a thoughtful and genuine person who isn’t driven purely by self-interest.

Above all, have something ready to say when the classic question arrives: So, what are you doing at the moment?

4. Follow Up and Stay In Touch

On the back of each business card, note down how you met the person, and what they’re working on, then follow up with an email or phone call within the next few days. Building contacts relies on this kind of careful administration of data; eventually, you’ll have a large set of contacts who are prepared to help you drum up business, make introductions, or provide advice.

Networking need not be the gut-wrenching challenge it once was. You’re an accomplished person with plenty to say, and absolutely no need to be shy of those you think are more capable than yourself; everyone starts at the bottom, and we’re all the same on the inside. Relax, breathe, meditate every day if you can, and remember that we’re all working in the same direction, fighting the same battles, and quietly wishing each other success.

Sarah Williams is an entrepreneur and avid lifestyle blogger, passionate about self-development. You can check out her blog and get access to her life and dating resources at Wingman Magazine.

Take Your Resume on the Road

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Airplane At The Terminal Gate Ready For Takeoff - Modern InternaDon’t automatically turn down the idea of taking a gap year in between college and your first professional job.

If you spend that time traveling, you could be looking at better job opportunities on the horizon than if you go straight from college dorm to cubicle norm.

Here are some great reasons to fill your backpack and roam if you want to:

You Can Demonstrate Your Independence

Many employers complain that kids go from living at home to living on campus and then starting their first professional job without ever having to be independent. They then end up with young employees who don’t know how to manage their time at work, and can’t manage project tasks without asking everyone within sight for help.

When you do some traveling either solo or with a buddy, you can prove to interviewers that you know how to take matters into your own hands and take care of yourself without your parents’ help.

That says a lot for a 20-something, and it will help distinguish you from other job candidates.

Your Resume Will Grow

If your only jobs prior to college graduation were part time gigs like pizza delivery guy or dog walker, your resume is probably full of a whole bunch of white space. You need to find some way to bulk up your resume so it looks like you’ve actually done something worthwhile.

As the following article looks at, here is how travel enhances your resume.

You can add all the places you traveled to, new skills that you learned along the way, and include some references of places you stayed, such as bed and breakfasts, hostels, etc. If you picked up a new language during your travels, add that to your resume, too.

More to Discuss During the Interview

Interviews can get downright terrifying, especially when your interviewer asks you something, you answer with a couple brief words, and they say nothing more. It’s like they’re waiting for you to fill the empty air, but all you can hear are crickets.

As someone with some traveling under your heels, you won’t be short of stories to tell of your adventures.

You’ll find some way to integrate your travel tales with the job requirements your boss is looking for. Is he looking for a problem solver? Tell him or her about the time your taxi driver didn’t show up, but you made it to the airport anyway.

Is he or she looking for an arbitrator? Tell them all about your haggling skills in the open markets in Morocco.

You’ll Become More Worldly

There’s nothing more boring than a person who’s never been away from their hometown.

If a person doesn’t travel, they have little to no way to truly understand people or world events. There’s just no context in life unless you actually venture outside your front door.

A worldly person can make conversation with just about anyone on some topic or another.

As a job candidate – even one only recently out of college – you’ll exude more confidence and worldly experience if you take some time to travel before you settle in to a professional job.

Don’t let others dissuade you from traveling when you’re young and out of college. There’s no better time to see the world.

This is a time of life when you have no ties, no commitments, and no timeframe when you have to get back.

Roam around the world and come back a better person.

Photo credit: BigStockPhoto.com

About the Author: Kate Supino is an experienced traveler and recommends it to anyone who is the least bit curious about the world.

Do Your Workers Need More Education?

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If you are reviewing your employee benefits package, you may want to consider continuing education.

While not one of the traditional components of benefits packages for employees, it is an attractive addition.

People like the idea of getting education for free to help their careers and income potential to grow.

Benefits for Employers

Offering continuing education doesn’t just benefit the employee; it provides advantages the employer as well.

The most obvious advantage is the fact that you can promote from within when a higher position opens up. Instead of hiring strangers to take a supervisory position, you can place someone you already know and trust in that job.

It also helps reduce the cost of turnover because employees are more likely to stay with an employer if they feel they can continue to grow and advance.

They also know that they will make more money if they can promote up through the department or even move into a new department within the same company.

Happy Customers

The better trained your staff is, the better satisfied your customers will be.

This translates into more revenue for you. Even small businesses can benefit from helping their employees get more education.

For example, say you own a beauty salon.

As the following article looks at, by offering your staff the opportunity to take cosmetology online classes, they can learn new techniques or expand their knowledge while continuing to work. They can sell their new skills to customers in the form of additional services.

This concept works for just about any small business, so explore how it can help your company.

Are There Any Downsides?

Even if you can see all of the advantages to offering employees continuing education, you may wonder about the downside. The first is the cost.

Of course, you can limit the cost by offering to pay only for tuition or for a portion of the tuition.

To prevent your employees from getting the training and then leaving immediately, you can also include a requirement of service for a reasonable period of time.

For instance, an employee may need to be employed for at least a year and plan to stay at least a year after completion of education.

The other big disadvantage to employers is that employees have gained new skills that they can take elsewhere. However, this is not as big of a problem as you might think.

By offering educational help as part of the employee benefits, you show that your business cares about the people who work there. It inspires loyalty in the staff and the employees are less likely to leave.

People who make a decent salary and have the opportunities to grow and face new challenges in their jobs are less likely to look elsewhere for jobs.

Instead, they will turn their focus inward when they are ready to make changes.

By offering continuing education to employees, you equip them to become even more valuable to your organization and encourage them to stay and share their new skills with your company.

Photo credits: Images courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net and Got Credit

 

About the Author: Joyce Morse is an author who writes on a variety of topics, including business and education.

Don’t Work Yourself Into a Financial Hole

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In a recent study done by the National Institute of Health, it was reported that more Americans are considering working past their official retirement date.

More than half of those working past the age of 65 are choosing part-time versus full-time employment.

Is a part-time job something you’re considering for your retirement years?

There are some considerations to make before entering the workforce as a senior.

Does your pension cover your expenses?

If you have a good pension to take care of your living expenses, working in retirement may not be a smart option. Consider your quality of life, and the amount of time you have left.

Working automatically introduces a level of stress into your life that you don’t need if you already make enough money to live on from your pension. If it’s an activity you’re looking for, consider something other than work.

A social hobby or something that gets you outdoors and exercising will be better for you than stressing over getting up early and making it to work on time.

Is your health declining?

If you have health problems, a job – even if it’s just part-time – could exacerbate the problem.

If your doctor has prescribed rest for you, or if you have difficulty walking or standing for long periods of time, a job may not be the smartest choice.

Instead, choose an activity where you can exercise, but sit whenever you feel the need.

Even a desk job isn’t idea for someone with poor health, because you do need some amount of movement in order to get to optimal health.

Will taxes become an issue?

Before accepting any offer of employment, consider the effect the income will have on your taxes.

You may be eligible for certain deductions based on your income level. Those deductions may make the difference between paying an exorbitant tax bill or paying no taxes at all.

Speak to your accountant before getting a part-time job, so you can avoid any unpleasant surprises come April 15.

As the following article looks at, these are 3 big mistakes to avoid when working past retirement age.

What’s best for you as an individual will be up to your personal circumstances.

But don’t assume that what was automatically a good decision when you were younger will be a good decision for you now that you’re a senior.

There are alternatives to working yourself into a financial hole.

If you still have a strong desire to be useful in your community, here are some attractive options:

  • Volunteer at a local charity
  • Man the snack shack for your region’s Little League
  • Help to sell Christmas trees in season
  • Offer to assist another senior who has trouble getting around town
  • Teach your skills (piano, crochet, gardening, etc.) for free to youngsters and adults

Not working for pay is no excuse to become inactive or anti-social.

It simply means you’ll need to be more creative with your new freedom.

About the Author: Kate Supino is widely published on matters relating to finances and practical planning.