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Archive for February, 2009

Responding to a Less than Glowing Review

Tuesday, February 24th, 2009

For some people, just the word performance review is enough to send them into a fit of anxiety. For other people it is a pleasant opportunity to sit and chat with their boss about their stellar performance and the inevitable raise coming their way. If you are in the former category and know that your performance review will not be perfect or you are not sure what it will bring, you need to follow these tips.

• Do not get defensive about the criticism you receive.
• Try to understand the culture of the company. If everyone has something negative on his or her performance review, then it is the norm and you must live with it. If performance reviews are always perfect and yours is not, you should take it as an indicator that your job is in jeopardy.
• If you feel that anything on your performance review is unfair or inaccurate, write a letter explaining it to your boss and copying the HR department on it. Carefully choose what you will say and remain calm and professional.
• If you truly deserve the negative comments, then take them with dignity. Acknowledge that you have not met your boss’s expectations and apologize. State the steps you plan to take to rectify the problems with your performance.

The appropriate response to a bad review can potentially save your job. If you become angry, overly upset or overreact, you are putting your job further at risk. Use common sense and always act like a professional.

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Choosing A New Career

Friday, February 20th, 2009

Most everyone has to select a career at some point in life. Some people just seem to stumble into a great career by accident but for many people, it is a conscious decision. In fact you may need to choose a career more than once in your lifetime for any of a number of reasons. Choosing the right career for you can make a huge difference in how happy you are in life, so choose wisely.

Take a close look at your hobbies and what you enjoy doing most. If you love every minute of the time you spend with children, you may want to work with kids. If your passion is fixing things, then technical work may be right up your alley. If you enjoy computers, then that may be a logical career direction. Do some serious introspection and learn what truly makes you happy and the right career path will be easy to find.

Look for a career that fits the kind of lifestyle you want to have. If you want to live in a rural area where you have always lived, career choices may be much more limited. City living also doesn’t fit well with those who want to work in agriculture or with other outdoor careers. If you have children or plan to have children and want to be available to them as much as possible, you may want to look at careers that can be done on flexible schedules, from home or with the same breaks as children who are in school. Choosing a career that is flexible enough to withstand a break of several years is also a good idea for many women.

By carefully evaluating the choices available, your lifestyle and knowing your own skills and interests well, you can choose a career that fits you perfectly. Going to work can actually be a joy, when you have the right career.

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Posted in Career, Job Search | 1 Comment »

Top 3 Suggestions for Taking Your Career to the Next Level

Thursday, February 12th, 2009

Many people seem to get stuck in a career rut, holding the same position for longer than other people with similar qualifications. Others go into a position with their eyes on the next step on the career ladder. But how do you go about taking your career to the next level?

1. Get as many certifications and skills under your belt as possible. Many employers will even pay for you to broaden your knowledge, so take advantage of it and take classes that you have strategically chosen. Start with any certifications and skills that will possibly help with your present position and then move on to ones that would be required for a higher position.

2. Make yourself indispensable to your boss. Exceed expectations by working hard to finish your own tasks and then offer your assistance to your boss in his work.

3. Dress the part. If you are striving for a management position but you are dressing like a janitor, you may want to rethink your career wardrobe. Even if you never have contact with customers or don’t need to dress up, make the effort to dress like those in the position you are striving for. It will help to make you stand out as the logical choice for promotion.

Taking your career to the next level is all about doing the things you can now, and having the inside track on what to do makes all the difference.

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3 Ways to Make Sure You’re Not Next on the Chopping Block

Monday, February 2nd, 2009

In an unstable job market, making yourself stand out may be the way to save your job and even get a promotion, instead of being a victim of all the cuts that are happening in almost every industry.

1. Do more than what is expected of you. Have work turned in ahead of deadlines. Take initiative and seek out things to do that normally don’t get done when you have extra time. If they are things that will definitely get noticed, all the better. Learn a new skill that will serve you well in the workplace. Show your versatility. This will let the decision-makers know that you can adapt well to doing other tasks if kept on staff.

2. Ensure that your employer gets the full worth of his time investment in you. Arrive at least a little early and leave a little late. Don’t take long lunches. Take care of personal business outside of work hours. Don’t spend time chatting with other coworkers. Your boss and his boss should know that you are a diligent worker and well worth keeping.

3. Stay out of work dramas. Those who are often at the center of conflicts or are constantly vocal about perceived injustices, are putting their own career on the line. When the time comes for cuts, troublemakers get short-listed first.

Put these tips to work for you and reduce the chances of losing your job. Even if there is no escaping it and you end up without a job, at least you will have made a great impression on your employers, therefore earning a glowing recommendation to help in your job search.

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