Spring Forward in Your Career

With the arrival of spring and new growth all around us, it seems a good time to reflect on ways we can grow and spring forward in the workplace. Here are some quick tips to help you climb the corporate ladder:

• Clearly define your career ambitions.
• Ask yourself if you are ready and willing to accept the responsibilities that go with the position you hope to attain.
• Learn all you can about what it takes to advance in your company.
• Emulate the people in the position you would like to attain.
• Find a mentor in the type of position you desire.
• Develop a plan of action that will lead you to the position you desire.
• Know the criteria your supervisor uses to evaluate your performance.
• Master the tasks you are given and look for ways to do them more efficiently.
• Follow through on all tasks and keep your word.
• Keep a record of your accomplishments.
• Learn something new each week.
• Practice excellent time management, organization, and customer relations skills.
• Dress and act like a professional.

Balance Your Personal and Professional Life

Take time this Easter to enjoy family and friends and to renew yourself spiritually. Living a balanced personal and professional life is crucial to your successful well-being. Too much attention to your professional life to the exclusion of your personal life will cause you to miss out on important "self" time. Too much attention to your personal life and not enough on your professional life will cause career stagnation. Develop a routine that personally fits your life plans and make corrections when it is out of balance.

• Take steps to maintain a healthy physical and mental balance.
• Practice good time and stress management.
• Get and stay organized.
• Maintain a positive attitude.

When you think of balance, consider all areas of your life, including work, family, friends, health, finance, spiritual, hobbies, and everything else that fits into your life. Balance in all areas of life is a key to contentment

Thinking Positively in a Negative Economy

How is your work attitude? Being out of work or stuck in a dead-end job is not the way most of us envision our work life; but in a poor economy, every employee must work hard to maintain a job or to land a new one. Unemployment or underemployment, however, can be devastating to self-esteem. That means each person in these situations will also have to work harder at maintaining a positive attitude. There is no other choice if you hope to be successful at work.

• Do not berate yourself if you have no job or a low-level position; rather, remind yourself that most people go through several jobs and careers.
• Do not tie your self-worth solely to your work; consider the sum of your talents, skills, and unique experiences.
• Believe in yourself and your competency; upgrade your skills if needed.
• Develop positive work habits.
• Strategize ways to find more meaning in your work or more meaningful work.
• Tell yourself you can conduct a successful job search.
• Display enthusiasm during an interview and while you are working.
• Set goals and persist in achieving them.
• Be grateful.
• Surround yourself with upbeat, positive people.
• Call on your network when you are feeling down or when you need help with a job search.
• Be positive; a positive attitude will help you move forward; replace negative thoughts with positive ones.
• Become a problem solver.
• Do something to improve your situation.
• Make friends on LinkedIn and other professional networking sites.
• Focus on what you have control over; forget about what you cannot control.

Time to Assess Your Career

The last month of the year is here—a good time to reflect on how our careers have progressed throughout the year. Through evaluations your boss and your company will hold you accountable for your workplace behavior and accomplishments. Be proactive and access your own behavior and accomplishments. Ask yourself if you have:

• Performed your tasks to the best of your ability, completing them efficiently and in a timely manner
• Done your fair share or more
• Maintained a positive attitude daily
• Encouraged and mentored coworkers
• Adhered to a strict code of positive personal behavior
• Kept skills up to date and learned new ones to increase personal performance
• Become an expert in your field
• Used good judgment
• Spoken kindly and tactfully

Assessing your career and taking personal responsibility for your actions and words will preserve your value to the boss and company.

Crafting an Eye-Catching Resume

Looking for a new job or wanting to change jobs? Here are some tips for preparing a resume that will get you noticed:

1. Use a heading that includes your name (typed in bold and capitals), address, phone number (where you can be reached easily), and a professional-sounding email address
2. Use a current style--check one of the many resume books or find a sample online.
3. Tailor your resume to the position for which you are applying. Rewrite it each time so your relevant qualifications for a specific position stand out. For instance, use the keywords in the job description.
4. Use a qualifications summary to highlight your strengths. Point out specific knowledge and skills.
5. Turn your job duties into specific accomplishments. Focus on three to five major points. Use specific examples.
6. Where possible, quantify these accomplishments with measurable results. For example, state that you increased sales by 40% or that you worked with a $1.25 million budget.
7. Use action verbs and keep sentences short and relevant to the position for which you are applying.
8. List your career history in chronological order from most recent backwards. Limit the number of jobs and limit them to the past 25 years.
9. Keep the resume to one or two pages.
10. If you are uploading a resume to a company’s website, be sure to eliminate bullets, underlining, italics, and unusual formatting.

Find a Mentor to Ensure Career Success

Finding the right person to be your mentor can significantly increase your chances of career success. If possible, find a mentor who is willing to teach you what you need to know to attain your goal(s). This mentor should be someone who has the character traits you admire and who is in a position you aspire to hold or is doing what you hope to do. He or she should give you straightforward information and honest, positive critiques. You don’t want someone who says, “Yes, you are wonderful,” without providing proper guidance and criticism that will mold you into the person you hope to be.

How do you find a mentor?

·        Network, network, network. You have to put yourself out there and ask for help. Most people are willing to help others.

·        Join groups and seek successful members.

·        Observe others in the workplace. Who would be the best person from which to learn?

·        Take a class, get a tutor, or hire a coach.

Your mentor should be an expert in the area in which you want to learn. In addition, he/she should be able to teach; that is, get information across in an easy-to-understand way. Some people are experts in their fields, but they cannot convey information to others clearly.

Modeling successful people who have achieved what you want provides a readymade road map to reach your goals.

Career Advancement

To advance in your career, demonstrate your value to your employer and those around you. Be highly visible and take charge of situations when warranted. Continuously challenge yourself and members of your team. Act like management material by following these guidelines:

• Take advantage of every available opportunity to learn and grow.
• Establish behaviors that stand out positively in the minds of supervisors.
• Develop excellent critical thinking skills.
• Be a self-directed worker who performs duties with proficiency.
• Act professional at all times and display integrity and ethical behavior.
• Take on extra responsibilities and help others.
• Become an expert in your field.
• Participate in lifelong learning to keep your expertise up to date.

Take a long, hard look at your personal qualities and adjust your strategies to align yourself closer to the way management level people behave. With an inner drive and a determination to achieve, you can position yourself to rise to a higher level.