Is It Time to Rethink Your Career by Brian Tracy

A great number of people spend their lives doing something they

don't enjoy during the week, always looking forward to the

weekend. They refer to Monday as "Blue Monday" and to

Wednesday as "Hump Day." At the end of the week, they say

"Thank God It's Friday!"

These are men and women with very little in the way of a future.

They look upon their jobs as a form of drudgery, a penance they

have to pay in order to enjoy their free time. And because of this

attitude, they have trouble making progress.

They stay pretty much where they are, always wondering why
other people seem to be living the good life while they feel like

they are living a life of quiet desperation.

At my seminars, people frequently ask me what they can do to
be more successful. In almost every case, they are working at
a job they don't like, for a boss they don't particularly respect,

producing or selling products or services for customers they

don't care about. And many of them think that if they just hang

in there long enough, the clouds will part and everything will get

better for them.

But in order to advance -- in order to move up to more difficult,

more interesting, and higher-paid positions -- you must become

extremely good at what you are doing right now. If you don't have

the desire to be very good at your job, that means you are probably

in the wrong one.

Too many people do their work in a mediocre way, with the idea
that, when the right job comes along, then they will really work

hard. But the right job never comes along. They are always passed

over for promotions. They are always the last ones hired and the

first ones laid off.

What about you? Are you in the right job?

Be honest with yourself. Ask yourself what you would like to do if

you only had six months left to live. What would you choose to do

if you won a million dollars in the lottery tomorrow? What sort of

work would you do if you were absolutely guaranteed of success

in your field? If there were no limits on your abilities and

opportunities -- if you had no debts, no problems, no

commitments -- what would be your ideal career?

Research shows that the things people liked to do between the
ages of 7 and 14 were a very good indicator of what they would
be most successful at as adults.

A man at one of my seminars told me that when he was 7 he
loved to build model airplanes. As he got older, he built more
and more complicated planes. By the time he was 14, he was
building them with engines and flying them in contests.

Today, he is 35 years old. He has a degree in aeronautical
engineering. He designs small aircraft. In addition, he owns
an aircraft maintenance company and an air charter firm. He is
a multi-millionaire, and he feels like he has never worked a
day in his life. He has always done what he loved to do from
the time he was a boy.

If you're not sure of your true calling, ask the people closest to

you. Ask them, "What do you think would be the very best thing

for me to do with my life?" It is amazing how the people around

you -- your spouse, your best friends, your parents -- can clearly

see what you should be doing when you cannot see it yourself.

Project yourself forward five years, and imagine that your entire

life is perfect in every respect. Imagine that you are doing exactly

the right job for you, in exactly the right place, with exactly the

right people, and earning exactly the amount you want to earn.

What would that look like? Where would you be, and what would
you be doing? Who would you be with, and how would you have
changed?

When you have that picture in your head, think about the steps
you would have to take to get from where you are today to
where you want to be in five years. What skills would you have
to develop? What information would you have to acquire? What
obstacles would you have to overcome?

Success comes from being excellent at what you do. The market
pays excellent rewards only for excellent performance. It pays
average rewards for average performance, and below-average
rewards for below-average performance.

All really successful and happy people know in their hearts
that they are very good at what they do. And if you are doing
what you really love and enjoy, if you are following your true
calling, you will know it too.

Get Yourself Work-Ready by Kamal Kant

Leaving university with a good degree is an indisputable pre-requisite in the graduate employment market. But this alone is not enough to secure your first job.

Optimally, the skills, competencies and abilities you develop during your university years and the experiences you gain from industrial attachments and temporary jobs will help to give you an edge over the next candidate.

In a highly competitive employment landscape where fresh graduates are finding their job search challenging, employers are seeking candidates who can hit the ground running.

It is essential to not just bury your head in your books while you are in university, but to continue to develop your interests beyond the academic and acquire some work experience.

This will help to enrich your life and your resume. Many graduating students are so focused on academic results they often overlook enriching their life beyond lectures and assignments.

Employ ability skills are more important to some organisations and employers than the specific occupational, technical or academic knowledge and skills associated with the graduate’s degree. The desired skills for today’s fresh graduates fall into four broad areas: self-reliance, people, general employment and specialist skills.

1. Self-reliance skills

These skills include self-awareness and being proactive. Employers usually want to know how purposeful and focused the candidate is. They want to discover his beliefs as well as how realistic his career expectations and goals are.

Being proactive includes having resourcefulness, drive and self-reliance. Among the gamut of self-reliance skills, employers are also looking into the graduate’s ability to market themselves modestly in a positive but persistent manner. The ability to network and be an astute decision-maker is another quality that distinguishes good candidates.

2. People skills

In the people skills arena, employers want to know whether the candidate has worked in a shop, supermarket or restaurant, engaged in fund-raising activities for charity, or participated regularly in voluntary work.

These are front-line work areas where individuals are likely to develop people skills. Being a member of an orchestra, participating in a team sport or having a leadership role are also good indicators of people skills.

In essence, employers try to determine whether the candidate has engaged in activities that have helped to develop his interpersonal skills, effective communication competencies and leadership abilities. They are seeking candidates with customer-centric attitudes who demonstrate a friendly and caring attitude, and can handle difficult situations diplomatically. Employers also want candidates who are comfortable with diversity associated with globalisation and multi-ethnic workforces.

3. Other skills

Of course, general business skills like problem-solving, flexibility, business acumen, computer and numerate literacy, and commitment are desired personal skills. Candidates who are versatile, willing and multi-skilled definitely have an advantage. However, specific occupational skills and specialist relevant knowledge are equally important in certain occupations.

Many employers also prefer graduates who have gained practical work experience and have a better idea about what the world of work has in store for them. Employers are also looking for personal qualities in fresh graduates that include cultural intelligence and an ability to connect with colleagues and partners who are a generation older than them.

According to some employers, completing an internship, industrial attachment or a community project in an under-developed country remains the useful road to the improvement of workplace soft skills for graduates.

Your degree is no longer enough to land you a job. You will have to demonstrate that you are work-ready, willing to put in hard work and not fearful of challenging tasks.

Can you prove all this and more in an effective resume? Will you be able to demonstrate to and persuade a potential employer that you have what it takes to succeed in their business? Will you be able to live up to the promise of being a well-rounded employee in your first six months at work?

Consider these issues, then try and fill the gaps in your resume. Seek the help and advice of career counsellors or friends who have work experience. With some effort and a positive attitude, you will boost your ability to find the job you want.

Make A Smooth Transition by Sattar Bawany

In today’s workplace, employees are changing jobs and careers more than ever before, resulting in a transient workforce.

Today’s professional is likely to have six to eight different employers and potentially three direction changes throughout their career.

This means businesses need individuals who can fit into the role and perform from day one. While the skills that allow you to be immediately and effectively productive are highly sought after by employers, the good news is they aren’t that difficult to master.

Many people are accustomed to the challenges that come with starting a new job and are confident enough to hit the ground running. But what if it’s been a long time since you had a career change? For those who have been with a single employer for an extended period of time, a change of employer is often as daunting as it is exciting.

Here are some tips on how you can make the best transition:

1. Observe others

When embarking on a new role, the first rule to follow is to simply observe how people operate and interact with each other in your new work environment. Every organisation has its own unique culture. Aim to get a good understanding of the language, working styles and collaboration among team members.

Learn who the key players and decision-makers are and speak to them about how they like to do business. Get a feel for the methods, structure and hierarchy and whether collaboration and innovation are openly embraced, or achieved in small steps.

2. Be willing to adapt your working style

Every organisation does things slightly differently. Draw upon the skills and experience you built up with your previous employer, but don’t think that you can do things in exactly the same way. Even though you will deliver the same quality of work, you may need to change the way you go about it.

Remember also that you are not going to change the world in a day — it is unrealistic and unfair to expect otherwise.

The most effective workers and leaders do not “reinvent the wheel” but rather, copy good ideas and make them relevant to the environment they are in.

3. Ask for help

If you are finding the demands of your new role challenging, ask for help and, more importantly, ask for feedback. A steady, constructive, open approach and clear communication of what you are doing with your fellow workers will help you win the career performance race.

You should never be too proud to approach others for help, or consider it a sign of weakness. It’s perfectly normal to feel out of your comfort zone at times, but you can manage this by communicating with others.

Your organisation may even have a formal coaching programme in place to help you through the transition. Ask if this is something that is available to you and if it isn’t, let your seniors know this is something you are interested in pursuing.

4. Focus on your achievements

Even when you are feeling challenged, it is important to maintain an optimistic outlook and focus on your achievements rather than the mistakes that often come with a new role.

Don’t place unnecessary pressure on yourself by making ambitious predictions about what you are going to achieve in the first day with a new employer. Instead, develop small, measurable and achievable goals. When you feel more sure of yourself and comfortable in your new surroundings, stretch the next goal further.

5. Know what is expected of you

A critical part of being successful in a new organisation is to be clear about the goals and expectations of the organisation, and align your own personal goals to these.

By focusing on what matters and what is expected, you will ensure you are keeping your eye on the bigger picture. By taking things one step at a time, remaining open to change and asking for feedback along the way, you will build the foundations for your success.