10 Ways To Stay Employed

1. Stay current with the happenings in your industry:

Keeping informed of your industry standards and practices should be commonplace but not everyone does. Give yourself a leg-up by knowing what the current and upcoming industry trends are. Stay up to date with certifications and licensures too.

2. Remain discreet with company information:

If you wish to be viewed as trustworthy then be trustworthy. Client lists, meetings, salaries, and the like are not common knowledge within most organizations. If you are privy to this level of information, keep it to yourself.

3. Know where to draw the “social” line:

It’s a fact that we spend the majority of our waking hours with our coworkers, naturally when spending an enormous amount of time with the same people on a daily basis you’re going to form some level of a personal relationship. Although it’s important not to alienate those you work with, it is just as important to realize that you were hired to do a job and that needs to come first.

4. Don’t make things personal:

If your boss or a coworker is having a bad day, or you have a gossipy coworker, do not make these situations personal. Again, you were hired to do a job and doing your job in the most professional manner possible will reflect favorably upon you.

5. Understand criticism:

There will inevitably be times when you encounter coworkers or bosses that are critical for the sake of being critical. But more often than not you will receive critique. Understanding the differences between criticism and critique will only benefit you.

6. Be competent:

Competence is not only the ability to complete tasks and assignments it is also the ability to speak up when you do not understand a given task. A truly competent employee is one that completes assignments correctly; so do not be afraid to ask questions.

7. Be accountable:

If you were given a responsibility and failed to follow through, be accountable for it. You will find that your boss is going to appreciate honesty far more then a random excuse.

8. Be willing to bend and “pitch-in.”:

If a contract or project requires some overtime and possibly taking on tasks that are not a normal part of your job, rest assured you will not make any points by sitting back. Pitching in during a deadline or on a project will be remembered.

9. Cross-train:

It has become standard practice to cross-train employees but not every company does this with every employee. Do not be afraid to learn someone else’s responsibilities. That is not to say that you should attempt to “steal” a coworker’s job, it is more about learning the various responsibilities of your coworkers to become a well-rounded employee.

10. Drop the attitude:

You are the employee, hired by an employer. No matter how well you do your job, the length of time that you have been at a company, or how loyal you are, you are in fact replaceable.

©2010 Cultivating Careers

Conflict Resolution

Conflict within an office or group-type setting is inevitable and usually occurs when an individual is not obtaining what they want and are seeking to fulfill their own self-interest. Although inevitable, conflict can be minimized, diverted and/or resolved. Keeping these thoughts in mind is the first step towards conflict management and resolution.

It’s important to recognize the signs that are the beginnings of conflict: A few of which are, reduced communication, disagreements (regardless of issue), stealthily seeking power, subtle public statements, airing disagreements through media or public venues, increasing lack of respect, lack of discretion with sensitive organizational issues.

Searching for the causes of conflict is essential to be successful in resolving the conflict. Possible causes of conflict include conflict with self needs or wants that are not being met, personal values are being tested, perceptions are being questioned, assumptions are being made, knowledge is minimal, expectations are too high/too low, personality, race, or gender differences are present.

Obviously conflict is destructive when it takes attention away from other important activities. Conflict is harmful when it begins to undermine morale or self-concept, polarizes people and groups, leads to reduced cooperation or increases and sharpens differences. Conflict can occasionally lead to irresponsible or harmful behaviors such as attempts of defamation towards other’s character or qualifications.

Not all conflict is negative, however. Conflict is constructive when it results in clarification of important problems and issues, involves people in resolving issues that are important to them, brings about authentic communication, or helps release emotion, anxiety, and stress. Conflict can build cooperation among people through learning more about each other. When a group or team joins together in resolving the conflict it helps individuals develop understanding of their environment as a whole.

It is best to meet conflict head on. Be honest about concerns and agree to disagree. Understand that a healthy disagreement will build better decisions. Get rid of individual ego and let your team create - people will support what they help create. Discuss differences in values openly by communicating honestly - avoid playing "gotcha" type games. Groups often collaborate closely in order to reach consensus or agreement. The ability to use collaboration requires the recognition of and respect for everyone's ideas, opinions, and suggestions. Attempt to follow a few guidelines for reaching consensus such as avoid arguing over individual ranking or position. Present a position as logically as possible. Avoid "win-lose" statements. Discard the notion that someone must lose in order for all to win.

©2009-2010 Cultivating Careers

Your Good Name?

Heads up!

Your reputation is the best asset you have!

An excellent reputation is not something that is achieved overnight. It is the product of consistently good behavior, over time, and it is earned. Whether you realize it or not, you started to lay the groundwork for your professional reputation the day you began your very first job. You began to build that reputation through your actions. A good reputation is important no matter what kind of career you have or are working toward. What people think about you is frequently based on what they have heard even before they have met you.

Opportunities can come as a result of establishing and maintaining a good reputation. Your good reputation can help you to receive a recommendation for a job you want or an introduction to those who can help advance your career. The bottom line is that most people want to help and be associated with those who have good reputations.

However, one major mistake can significantly damage your reputation, leading to missed opportunities and making it difficult to restore other people’s confidence in you. Why am I writing about something that seems so obvious? Because I have seen how basically decent people can suffer after making some poor, often uncharacteristic, decisions. These mistakes are damaging. It takes a significant amount of time to rebuild relationships and repair a damaged reputation. Being cognizant of the potential mistakes and attempting to avoid them is well worth the effort, versus wasted time on damage control.

Each and every person that you interact with, online or IRL, is an opportunity to enhance your professional reputation. Insure that your interactions with people, online and IRL, are professional and responsible. You will be remembered based upon those interactions. The connections you make now, if they are positive, can last throughout your career.

To avoid reputation-damaging actions, here are a few pitfalls to pay attention to:

Be Conscientious About Your Online Activities

You need to be diligent about maintaining your Internet profiles and online presence. We all have diverse backgrounds. Opinions and actions will differ, misunderstandings will happen, and debates will occur. I have seen discussions, particularly those in online forums, that go awry when people are passionate about a topic. I’ve also seen actions online that would insure that I would never associate with certain people. Your best bet is to steer clear of those situations. You never know who is lurking online. Even though they may never post a message, important contacts could be forming impressions about you as a result of your actions and posts.

Do your online profiles and actions convey what you want employers to know about you? Search your name on the Internet to find out what is out there. Search for information about yourself on Google. Take a look at what is posted and ask yourself, “Would I want an employer to see this?” Remember that every piece of information that you post or that someone else posts about you, on the Internet, can last in cyber-space forever and employers are checking up on you online! Invest in setting your social networking profiles to private!

Honor Your Obligations And Balance Them

Over-promising, overextending, overestimating and overdoing do not allow you to show your best to others. Live a balanced life, take care of yourself, and develop a positive professional identity. Carefully selecting your activities and opportunities is one of the most important skills to master. Saying “no” and respectfully declining enticing opportunities will serve you much better than taking on a project only to end up quitting and letting people down once you are involved.

Be Genuine, Trustworthy and Loyal

Genuine people are credible. Credibility breeds trust and trustworthy people are loyal. A credible person is an expert due to his or her experience, qualifications, intelligence and skill set. Someone who is trustworthy is honest, fair, unselfish and caring. Loyal people are valued because they are faithful to a cause, ideal, custom or institution. The possession of these characteristics will enhance your reputation, while exclusions of the same are observed and damaging.

Give Credit Where Credit Is Due

Allowing others to shine when they’ve given you a helping-hand enhances your integrity. After all, nobody is successful without the assistance of others. It is important to acknowledge those who have had a part in your development and achievements. Reputable professionals understand that they never lose credit when they share the fame of their accomplishments with those who have helped them along the way.

In the end, a solid reputation cannot save you from your worst mistakes, but it can buy you understanding and time to respond properly so that others know that your mistake was out of the ordinary.

© 2009 YP Mazzulo