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

Taking Charge Of Your Career

Unless you’ve been living on a deserted island, you know that we are in an economic crises and the job market has been affected.

News Flash! The steps to taking charge of your career haven’t changed.

The first thing that you need to realize is that YOU are responsible for your career. It is all up to you to consider your objective, develop a plan and then follow through. In order to successfully reach your career goals, you have to take charge over them. Start to think of your career as your own private company and see yourself as the boss. As the boss, you make all of the decisions. On the route to building your “company” hopefully you will seek out the advice of people who have knowledge and experience. But, bottom-line, the decision and responsibility towards achieving your career goals is yours alone.

Right about now, you might be asking, “Where do I start?” (Unless my writing has bored you to sleep.) The answer is actually really simple. You start to begin creating a plan.

Take some time to think about your ultimate goal. At this stage, the most important thing that you need to realize is where you want to land. It may seem backwards but you can’t get to where you want to be until you know where that is. What do you want to achieve with your career? The answer to that question becomes your objective.

With your objective, you have now started your long-term plan. Take a pen to paper and write down your objective. Think about strategies towards achieving this goal. Do you need to overhaul your resume? Who do you know that is already established? Will you need to further your education? Incorporate those answers into your strategy. At this point you have your goal and direction towards it. Begin to set the priorities within your plan. As you move towards your goal, set time aside to review your plan. Review it regularly and prioritize your strategies.

Taking charge of your career is a job in itself. You have your plan to keep you on track but that alone isn’t going to get you to your objective. Remain informed of changes in your chosen career; maintain your professional self-presentation and network!

©2009 – 2010 Cultivating Careers

Something To Think About

“You are now at a crossroads. This is your opportunity to make the most important decision you will ever make. Forget your past. Who are you now? Who have you decided you really are now? Don't think about who you have been. Who are you now? Who have you decided to become? Make this decision consciously. Make it carefully. Make it powerfully.” ~Anthony Robbins

©2010 Cultivating Careers

Winning The Battle

“The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses - behind the lines - in the gym, out there on the road, and long before I dance under those lights.”
~ Muhammad Ali

This is one of my favorite quotes. Although I enjoy boxing, this is not the reason that I like this quote. Mr. Clay may be speaking specifically about boxing, but in reality preparation for any battle, that is expected to be won, begins far way from the battleground.

©2010 YP Mazzulo

Courage

“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, "I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.” You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” ~Eleanor Roosevelt

©2010 YP Mazzulo

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

Online Networking Basics

Online networking is similar to face-to-face networking. Both situations have the same objective. They are simply executed differently.

In both situations the objective is to identify and approach individuals with whom you can cultivate beneficial professional relationships. Verbal communication and physical presence are the missing components in online networking. However, you still have the capacity to present yourself professionally. Furthermore, your network is not limited to a singular group of people. The prospects for your network reach across the globe.

The first step, even before you even begin to engage others, is to think about how to present yourself in the best professional manner. Begin with your profile! Sites such as BrightFuse, LinkedIn and Facebook, have tips to improve your profile. Keep in mind the people that you are looking to network with want to see the same professionalism from you. Be consistent on each individual site and watch the content of your tweets.

At this point, you will have your profile fairly well finished and you can begin to seek out members to invite into your network. Online networking is not always easy to start because it makes us vulnerable to others and pulls us out of our comfort zone. It doesn’t matter whether you are naturally outgoing or extremely shy. Acceptance and or rejection are as much a part of networking as is job interviewing.

As a beginner, you have lots of people to choose from. Be patient and be prepared to spend time developing your network. Set goals that work for you. You must realize that although most people will accept your contact request, not everyone will. Remember that it’s better to reach out to a handful of people than nobody at all. It’s better to focus on the quality of your network versus quantity.

As you build your network, you also need to maintain it. Keep in contact with those in your network and do not be afraid to disconnect with a member that doesn’t fit in with your goal. This is not a social situation! It is business! You need to conduct yourself as you would in a real life professional environment.

Groups are an excellent place to network and gather information. Before you join a group, ask yourself a few questions. Does the group fit in line with my career objective? Am I going to gain knowledge from this group? Will sharing my experiences be beneficial to the group?

Get rid of the “all about me” mindset and realize that there is no magical formula for finding a job. No matter how many people are willing to advise you or give you “leads”, the work towards achieving your goal is your responsibility.

Happy networking!

©2009-2010 YP Mazzulo

Top 5 Job Search Mistakes

1. Limiting your job search to the Internet.

After all is said and done, it is people who hire people. In our current economic situation, you cannot afford to limit your efforts to any singular place. The newspaper still has a classified section and face-to-face networking allows you the opportunity to meet potential employers/clients.

2. Expecting someone else to do the work.

Okay, so you’ve signed up for every job site that you can find, signed with a recruiter, and registered at several temp agencies. You cannot expect that employers/clients will seek you out or that your recruiter will have you at the top of the list and neither will the temp agencies. You have to be 100% proactive each and everyday. Set a specific time each day to check the job sites, call your recruiter, and the temp agencies. Don’t forget to follow up on leads and send a thank you note after an interview.

3. Overlooking networking opportunities and not being prepared for them.

Wherever you go you, is a potential opportunity to network! Have you heard of the “elevator speech?” Don’t be shy about telling people that you are looking for work. You don’t have to be obnoxious or sound desperate. Work it into a conversation and convey it in a positive tone! If you mention the fact that you’re seeking employment and you get a response, have an “on the spot speech” ready. Be specific and say what it is you are looking for. Remember to always carry your résumé with you! If you don’t have a business card, make a “calling card.” If you have software like Microsoft Publisher, make a “calling card” that has your name, phone number and email address on it. If you don’t have publishing software, Vistaprint is an inexpensive way to get cards made. A “calling card” makes it very convenient to exchange your contact information.

4. Hitting the launch button on a massive scale.

Blindly sending out your résumé in hopes that someone, somewhere will see it and call you for an interview is to say least, illogical. Most job sites utilize ATS (applicant tracking software). Read here to find out how ATS works. The bottom line on this one is that your résumé will end up “pigeon holed.” Also, you cannot customize your résumé to a particular employer/client or job.

5. Sending the wrong message.

You’ve joined a networking site and made a profile. Congratulations! Your email address is hotbunny@xyz.com or migthymuscles@xyz.com, your bio reads that you’re a single parent, have a cat named Twinkie, you enjoy long walks on the beach… Try to remember that it is a professional networking site. Create an email account specifically for your job search and keep your personal information, personal!

©2010 YP Mazzulo

Interview Killers

In today’s job market if you’ve won an interview, no matter your credentials, it was probably a hard win. So why blow the interview by committing a thoughtless mistake? You may believe that you’re aware of the obvious mistakes but it never hurts to double check.

~ Inappropriately dressed and groomed.You would think that most people would have a common sense approach towards dressing for an interview but you would be amazed. No matter what level of position you’re interviewing for, attention to your attire and grooming speaks volumes about your attention to detail. The first thing that I look at is a person’s nails. It may sound crazy but well-groomed nails are an indication of detail. How many of you just looked at nails?

~ Having a “you need me attitude.”Confidence is good—a dose of reality is better. Like or not it is an employer’s market. There are at least 100 other people just as qualified as you. Balance confidence and humility.

~ Having a “I need this job attitude.”Stand in line. So does everyone else. Desperation is hardly likely to appeal to anyone’s sense of philanthropy. You probably will leave a lasting impression but not the one you were hoping for.

~ Crickets.No matter how much research you have done about a company, it is impossible to have zero questions. When you leave that interview you probably are going to be remembered…as the idiot with no questions.

~ Horrible body language.Anxiously sitting forward as if you’re about to lunge on the interviewer or lounging in the chair and making yourself appear “way too much at home.”

~ Spilling it.Guess what? The Interviewer doesn’t care about your personal problems. Of course, if you start to “trash talk” your former employer or colleagues and just happen to share sensitive company information, the Interviewer might be interested in that, for their own use, but you won’t be getting an offer.

From my own archives:

Interviewing for an Administrative Assistant:

One candidate arrived 20 minutes late, dressed in a filthy sweat suit.(Impressive) I scanned a candidate’s resume as I was interviewing them and I saw that the candidate was currently employed. It was 10 a.m. in the morning and I wondered why this person wasn’t at work. So I asked, “Why aren’t you at work today?” Their answer, “I needed a day to myself.”( Yeah, don’t we all??? )

Next candidate. The very first words out of this person’s mouth, “How much does this job pay?” And then they proceeded to tell me,” I have a baby and I’m fighting with the father. Is there anyway for you to pay me under the table?”(Yes, I took the 2-martini lunch after that one.)

A recent graduate from the local Secretarial school was recommended to me. They had no previous experience and that was okay. The candidate arrived on time, perfect resume, well dressed. The first words out of the candidate’s mouth were, “I can’t work for less than $18/ hour.”(I have to give myself credit for waiting until after the candidate left, before I broke into uncontrollable laughter. )

Interviewing for a driver:

Clearly stated criteria: Valid Driver’s License and clean driving record is a must. I asked this candidate for their driver’s license and their response, “Oh, I don’t have a driver’s license. It got suspended because of a DUI but I’ll be getting it back in a few months.”(It goes without say, this person wasn’t hired.)

You may wonder why I shared a few stories with you. The interviews took place over 4 years ago and I can still remember the candidate’s names.


©2009-2010 YP Mazzulo