Career Management

Starting a New Job

Congratulations. You've secured the job of your dreams. Your task now is to deliver on all that you promised during the Interview and all that is implicitly expected of you. Prolinks has identified some key pointers to ease you through the transition period and get you off to a flying start.

Be Prepared

One of our favourite mottos here at Prolinks. Before you start the job, review all the research you did on the company prior to the Interview in addition to any readings that may have been suggested during the Interview. It's a good idea to call the company and ask for any readings that can help you make an early contribution. If you know your team try asking them for materials on the latest deals/ transactions to get you up to speed and ready to partcipate. If you know your job description and your initial responsibilities, start planning ahead. Its always a good idea to take some time to review your past performance, confront your key areas of weakness in the past and determine how to improve your performance in the future and how not to repeat your mistakes. Set targets for yourself to address past weaknesses and hone specific skills. Finally, visualize yourself succeeding at this next job by accomplishing the goals you set out for yourself, developing new skills and not repeating past mistakes.

Know What You're In For

In order to deliver, you must first identify exactly what it is that is expected of you. Too many jobs are taken where the title is fuzzy and the job description vague. Your first task is to make sure you have an adequate job description if one was not provided during the Interview stage. Identify your key responsibilities, daily requirements, areas of direct accountability, clarify your reporting line and the support structure you will work with, and finally, get to know your team. Find out the hours expected, your role in different projects and what you can do to make your boss's life easier. You can learn a lot from asking about what your predecessor (if there was one) did right and wrong. Also take this time to understand the performance evaluation system that will be used to judge you so you can plan to deliver on exactly those criteria. Ask a lot of questions at this stage. Being perceived as nosy and obnoxious at this stage is far better than being perceived as slow, unenthusiastic and clueless later on. Your first weeks are the time to ask every question that comes to mind without fear. You can always calm down and retreat into your own personal territory once you are comfortable all your questions have been answered.

Plan, plan, plan

It is critical to plan for success. Your first few weeks on the job are the best time to start constructing your roadmap to success. This roadmap should include milestones with deadlines. Milestones may be specific projects, personal skills, courses and other areas of self-development. Plan on a macro level and on a micro level. Keep a list of all the little goals you set for yourself on a daily basis and check them as you accomplish them. Also have on your list the longer-term projects and personal development milestones and make sure these are broken down into micro tasks and accomplished at the right time.

Detailed planning keeps you in touch with and working towards the big picture while you concentrate on achieving your immediate goals and deadlines. Your plans should also include priorities. Assign a priority to each task which takes into account its importance, the deadline and your accountability for the task. Determine beforehand the amount of time you should be allocating to each task. Include in your plan a couple of projects/ tasks/ improvements that will really make a difference to the company, however small.

Respect the Culture

In today's workplace diversity abounds - in workstyle, dresscode, background and modes of self-expression. No-one is asked to adhere to a specific mould. Still, you will flatter those around you and show respect by understanding the culture and respecting it. That means respecting the dress codes of others around you, their mode of conduct and the general 'culture'. It has traditionally been recommended that you do not dress more expensively than your boss, that you keep hours at least as long as your boss unless the latter keeps absolutely ridiculous hours and that you try to emulate the stars. You will flatter the latter and who better to learn from after all!

Listen and Watch

Your first few weeks are about learning. You will do so by asking a lot of questions and also by listening and watching those around you. Remember that you are the new kid on the block and drop the attitude if you have one. Constantly alluding to the way you did things in your last job, or your old team, or your old boss will alienate you from your new peers and highlight your differences. Avoid doing so. Instead, try to blend in, be as helpful as you can, ask what you can do to make everyone else's life easier while you learn, and keep a long-term perspective to tide you through the initial shock. Modesty is an excellent virtue for new (and old) employees so stay humble and let your work speak for you.

Try to Make an Immediate Contribution

Try to get your hands 'dirty' from day one. Ask how you can get involved and be helpful and take on whatever projects or portions of projects you can from the outset, to show your boss that you are willing and enthusiastic and determined. Your boss hired you as a long-term investment but he/she will be very pleased to see you making a contribution so soon.

Underpromise, overdeliver

There is nothing worse than promising the world and then failing to deliver. Aim instead to promise to 'do your best' and then shine. Humility - not the sickening false kind - followed by a star performance are the way to plan to go about building a reputation for yourself. Remember, you are always learning and there are many obstacles in any project so don't boast about it until you are ready to deliver. In other words, always aim to include the 'bonus' factor in the work you do. Aim to deliver more, faster and better than expected for that surprise element of value-added that will make your boss or customer's day.

Do Not Stray from Professional Values

A pleasant demeanour, common courtesy, good manners and a generally helpful attitude are those intangibles that make the difference between an employee people want to have around and one they avoid. Of course some people (your author is one) are too nice around the office and get walked all over. If you are one of those, we highly recommend you take a course in leadership and assertiveness in between jobs to avoid repeating past mistakes.

Most companies operate on a meritocratic basis where your professional skills are paramount. Still, given two people with similar skill sets, say two fresh college graduates, the difference between the stars and those that get bypassed for promotions is often a political one and one that reflects their interpersonal skills as much as their professional skills. Emotional smarts and that ability to gauge your peers and clients and boss and learn how to work with them and be a pleasant, helpful, unobtrusive addition to the team, play a crucial role in differentiating the plodders from the stars. We do not recommend trying to outshine everyone and making a big show of it. Nor do we recommend being different by being secretive and underhanded. A much better policy is to aim to be accepted by the team and to integrate in a manner that makes you a pleasant and indispensable component in the overall equation. Your work will speak for itself.

Other rules of thumb to adhere to include never badmouthing peers or boss, past or present; being truthful and always being accountable for work that falls under your responsibility. Also, learning to admit mistakes and apologize for them if necessary is critical to the success of your internal and external client relationships. Contrary to what many believe, it does not reflect badly on you; to the contrary it highlights your professionalism, builds a level of trust and also helps you to move on. Above all, be tactful, respect your colleagues and aim for diplomacy without sacrificing your integrity.

Mid-Career Transition

It is never too late to start again. Many an investment banker has turned internet guru mid-career, lawyers turn businessmen, businessmen turn real estate developers, engineers turn architects and the list is endless. If you are feeling completely unfulfilled with your career and know that changing jobs, companies or locations won't change that, or if you have taken time off to pursue other interests and are ready to start a new role, don't fret. It is never too late to start afresh, providing you plan ahead and follow a few basic rules.

Here are Prolinks's tips to ease you through your career transition:

Identify What You've Always Wanted to Do

Fifteen years in construction engineering left you with dust in your eyes and a dull, grey outlook on life. You're ready to get some emotional fulfillment from your next job and exercise your creative flair. You're just not sure what to do!

For some, the decision to switch careers is based on some life-long desire to do a particular job, say jewelery design or fabric painting. For others, old jobs have become tedious and unfulfilling but the future course is unclear.

Take this time to examine your priorities, your values, interests and goals in life. Ask how important the financial element is versus the geographic or creative or intellectual or interpersonal element. If you don't know what you want to do next, narrowing down your parameters of interest helps you focus. Research different areas, read business journals, travel, scout business fairs and read college brochures to identify an area of business/ study that will enthrall you and meet your life objectives. Consider franchise opportunities and setting up a small business of your own if you don't want to be employed again. You will be surprised at how many interesting opportunities are out there just waiting to be explored!

Utilize and Package Old Skills

You've found that job you want but don't know how to get it. It doesn't help that you were a civil engineer and the job you now want is in new media advertising. Don't be discouraged. Take your CV and start dissecting your skills and past experience to find all those elements that would apply to your new role. You will be surprised at how many skills are interchangeable and constant across careers and disciplines. Highlight those common denominator skills and attributes. These include general computer skills, languages, organizational skills, leadership skills, quantitative, qualitative and problem-solving skills, relationship and interpersonal skills and creativity. Also highlight your general 'aptitude' for learning. Indicate how you learnt certain aspects of your past job in the minimal amount of time, got promoted early or assigned special projects or received praise for accomplishments etc. There are bound to be very many skills and attributes from your past job that will translate very well in your new role. Your task is to find them and highlight them.

Retrain

This may be the time to go back to college or vocational school to get that degree/ training you've always wanted. I have a friend who went back to college as a freshman at age 29, and 7 months pregnant, to study to be a doctor because she had done languages the first time round and had found her calling later in life. Take this opportunity to study whatever it is that you've always been interested in.

If you have taken time off work to have children, travel, get married or other reasons, going back to school is a great way to beef up your CV, bring your skills up-to-date and enter the job market again on a competitive footing. That new course/ degree will make all the difference when it comes to competing with people already in the job market. Either continue in whatever direction you had previously taken, for instance get a master's or doctorate degree in your undergrad specialization; or go for something completely different. For your second career you may well want to so something more artistic such as interior design, or academic, say opthamology, or involving children in which case maybe you can study child psychology or teaching. Whatever it is you want to do, going back to school will polish up your skills, make you competitive in the job market and allow you to meet others in the particular field and challenge yourself.

Leverage Clients and Connections

Network, network, network. Talk to everyone you know about the jobs they do as you look for a suitable direction to take. Contact the alumni association at your college to get in touch with alumni in the fields that interest you and attend career fairs to get in touch with what's out there. Get a feel for different areas and industries. Ask about pros, cons, pay, hours and career satisfaction. Get as much advice as you can from people already doing the work.

Once you have identified your future career direction, leverage your contacts to get your CV in the best shape possible and to get the interviews you want. Your connections will come in very useful in helping you secure the future job of your dreams. If you can find a mentor in the field you want to pursue, that would be ideal. Find out from these mentors how to best go about educating yourself for your future role; what courses to take, what seminars to attend, what books and journals to read and how to approach your job search.

Perfect Your Marketing Kit

Your CV and cover letter should be geared to your new role. Emphasize past experience and skills that are adaptable to your desired position and future career. Elaborate on the relevant items and focus less on technical jargon and skills that are completely irrelevant in your new role. Run the CV and cover letter by friends/ acquaintances in the new field to make sure they are in the best possible shape.

Build a Roadmap for Success

Plan for success in your future role right down to the nitty gritty details. By now you should have a very good idea of what is needed for success in your new role. Set goals for yourself and milestones to achieve these goals. For instance, if you are leaving a marketing career to enter an investment brokerage environment, your plan of action may include reading the Financial Times every morning, watching the financial news channels, taking a crash course in Finance before starting and several evening courses after, fine-tuning your computer skills, building relationships in the industry with people/ institutions you have pre-selected, joining industry groups etc. Visualize yourself already successful in this new endeavor then work backwards to see how you got there.

Don't Look Back

A radical career change often means completely different working hours, responsibilities, work environment and peer culture. To adapt to this new life, you must slowly shed all vestiges of your old cardiologist or Leonardo de Vinci self. Your old self-image of yourself painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel must be slowly altered to suit your new role as dental hygienist or maths professor. Acquire the tools of the new trade, the lingo, the look, the culture, the education and don't look back. Emulate those that have succeeded in this new role and visualize yourself succeeding just as much by learning from them and from every other resource available.

May you excel in your new role!!!

Recharge Your Career

1. Set goals

On a routine basis, you need to sit back and take stock of your career to make sure you are on the right track and have not been veered off-course. If you do not have a career roadmap, now may be the time to start thinking about your career aspirations and ambitions and formulate a game plan. Do you know where you want to be at the end of the year, in 5 years and in 10 years? It is far easier to pursue and measure your personal success if you have a vision of that success and a clearly defined path for getting there. As you plan your career development, take the time to get to know yourself and assess your skills, strengths, weaknesses and preferences. Ask yourself whether you like what you do and what it is you like and dislike about your job and career. Sometimes, a complete career change may be in order if your likes, dislikes, competencies and aspirations push you in a different direction. In any event, clearly defining your career goals and setting milestones for your success will help you in achieving minor successes along the way.

2. Work on your Communications Skills

Learn to give and listen to feedback better. Give positive feedback and express appreciation for a job well done whenever it is warranted and you can do so sincerely; people will remember you for it. Learn to listen to feedback from others with an open mind and incorporate constructive criticism into your work habits. You can learn a lot from what others have to say about your work and by asking how others think the job should be done. Learn not to take negative criticism defensively and if you believe the criticism is unfair, unconstructive or undeserved, state your position calmly and professionally without turning the situation into a personal confrontation. Good communication skills include listening to directions as well as feedback and asking the right questions at the right time rather than trying to second-guess your boss and peers.

3. Improve your Relationships with Others

Work on improving your people skills and aim to build strong relationships within your firm and within your industry. Become a 'person to be known' in your field. Interpersonal skills are often what make the difference between those that get promoted and those that never get ahead. Take a good honest look at your professional relationships and ask yourself what areas need work. It may be that you are too confrontational or too meek or too defensive. Make a conscious effort to acquire conflict-resolution, assertiveness and negotiation skills and to always respect the dignity and integrity of your peers and target a 'win-win' solution to peer conflicts. Be proactive in extending a hand to others in your firm and your industry and avoid acquiring a reputation as the one who only approaches others in moments of need, even if you are quite shy in nature. In the long run, your relationships are as important as your skills so nurture your contacts, cultivate them and extend a helping hand and a listening ear whenever you can.

4. Learn a New Skill or Develop an Old One

You should constantly be on the lookout for opportunities to reeducate yourself, sharpen your skill set and broaden your knowledge base. At the very least, you should aim to stay on top of industry trends and be well-versed with the latest in industry journals and publications. Stay abreast of the conferences and seminars in your field and aim to attend the ones that will keep you at the cutting edge of your industry. You might also want to consider picking up a new skill or learning a trade you have always wanted to learn. Cross-training is becoming increasingly popular as different industries intermarry and technology becomes an indispensable part of our lives.

5. Go the Extra Mile in Your Job

That extra hurdle past the finishing line is the stuff that makes a reputation. Do you take the time to look back at your work and make sure it is of the highest quality and cannot possibly be improved on further? Do you always aim to exceed your boss's expectations and stretch your own limits? There are people who are happy to meet goals and others who look back at their work with great pride and accomplishment knowing they have set new standards and have given their company far more than would have been simply 'satisfactory'. Take ownership of your work and always ask how you can deliver the best possible product or service and help others on your team do the same. Be aware of what the competition is up to and aim to present something superior.

6. Help your Manager Do His Job Better

How you approach your manager is often a large predictor of your success. Approach him/her as an adversary or as a ceiling and you are creating for yourself an unnecessary encumbrance. Approach him/her as an ally and role model and work to nurture a collaborative partnership and you are well on your way to making great music as a team. Remember, your boss is a valuable resource and you should treat him as such. Ask yourself what type of person you would like reporting to you and what you would expect from this person, then aim to deliver the same to your boss. Always put yourself in your boss's shoes and try to make his life easier by anticipating his needs and having the solution ready. Work hard to help your boss soar and he will take you with him.

Motherhood to Workforce

Many women interrupt their careers to have children but then find themselves wishing they could do more. If you are a mom who left a highflying job to spend time with Junior after one too many guilty nights, or if you never made it to the workforce and are now desperate to get involved but finding it difficult as a full-time mummy, Prolinks has identified 10 ways to ease into work without shocking your mummy system disproportionately. Here are just some ideas of jobs you may be able to do from the confines of your home which require very little overhead and labour and need not be overly stressful.

Translation

Most of us in the Middle East are at least bilingual and many are fluent in 3 languages and more. If you are very comfortable at a professional level with more than one language, why not sign up with a translation company/ office and do some freelance translation work in your free time. Talk to corporations that you think may need translaters, publishing houses and translation companies directly.

Home Tutoring

Are you a college graduate? What subject were you best at? Why not consider tutoring children in languages or music or math - whatever you are qualified in, from the privacy of your own home. Of course you need to be extremely comfortable at a professional level with whatever subject you end up teaching. But there is a lot of demand for help with Math homework, English, Economics etc. after school especially before exams.

Catering

You need not be Martha Stewart yourself. You need a basic interest and skill in the area and can hire talented professionals with a creative flair to help you. Be different - there is always a market for highly original party/ cocktail food served with style. Keep in mind that the Mid-East market is a very discerning market when it comes to eating out given the plethora of excellent restaurants so aim for originality in textures, flavours and presentation. You may want to specialize in just one thing you do brilliantly eg chewy chocolate chip cookies served in delectable baskets, or you may be the caterer of choice for haute-cuisine Indian, Thai etc. Maybe its children's parties you do best, or office cocktails. Could even be those delicious pastries you do so well that you could churn out by the hundreds. One lady in New York made a home business - you won't believe this - decorating sugar cubes. She used a special kind of icing to draw absolutely delectable miniature works of art on little sugar cubes which were then sold individually in specialty shops. They look absolutely fantastic on a silver plate in a fancy tea party. How's that for an idea here in the Middle East? The important thing is to find your niche, be as ambitious as you want and can, market well and stay professional.

Children's Art Club

Very popular in the UK - not as common here. Our children are not as aesthetically challenged as they could be. If you are a budding, talented, or better yet, trained artist, set up a bowl of fruits on your dining table, buy a dozen aisles and train the neighbourhood hooligans in the fine art of the still life. That's just one way of doing it. How about an art and crafts club where they can get their hands dirty making toys, pictures and all manner of interesting and fun objects. This is an ideal activity given the indoor lifestyle in the Middle East, but if you have a garden, the kids will love setting up outside on the grass when the weather is good. A great way to see a lot of children having fun while 'working' yourself. Again, if you are not qualified artistically, advertise for the right staff to handle the artistic side while you take care of the business/ marketing side.

Other Kids Clubs: Language/ Maths/ Music/ Sewing Clubs

Children love to learn in groups. French clubs are a great way to immerse children in the language. They learn through songs, flashcards, stories and activities from fluent teachers. For the children, it's a fun way to spend the afternoon and the language learning comes with the territory. Maths clubs make the subject fun as well as interesting; a great way to take the phobia out of the numbers. Research existing math clubs in the UK and USA before you start one and make sure you are qualified. Finally, music clubs are a lark for all. Kids sing, dance and play with different kinds of instruments; a great way to exercise the vocal chords and make friends. All these clubs can be set up at home. Remember to set them up as a little business with professional planning, good organization, a keen eye on quality and professionalism and the best support staff.

Freelance Writing

Are you a closet writer? Have you always dreamed of writing a novel or a children's book? Why not start by freelancing. That way you can earn some money while you get your name out and develop a reputation and experience. Thanks to the internet, there is a tremendous amount of work out there for the freelancer. Check out freelance sites as well as regular job sites for freelance writing jobs. Prolinks.com often advertises freelance writing jobs. Also approach directly magazines, newspapers and journals you like with articles you have written that you think would be of interest to them. That way they see your writing style and maybe you can work together in the future on titles/ topics of mutual interest.

Party Favours/ Corporate Gift Baskets

This type of business was set up very successfully in the UK by a friend of mine with two children after leaving a highly paid marketing position with a multinational. She started off with weddings, then branched out to baby showers, corporate gifts and now has her own site on the internet. Purely by word of mouth referral, she has become one of the vendors of choice for wedding party favours for Indian society weddings in the UK. She had no artistic experience but a creative flair and a keen appreciation for quality and for 'beautiful' objects. Her favour 'boxes' and 'objects' are sourced from Italy mostly and the chocolates, other delicacies, papers and fabrics required she finds in the UK. She now employs 4 women to help her and is extremely busy and satisfied with the work. Do you have ideas for corporate gifts, or gift baskets, or original and well-presented gift baskets using materials sourced from the Middle East perhaps?

Interior Design

Is this something you always wanted to do? Do you have the talent and the eye? Why not start practicing - first on your home and then using that as a showcase, on other people's homes. If you are interested but not comfortable, why not take this time to take a course in Interior Design. Many excellent ones are offered long distance from the UK or US. Some of the best interior designers never studied the subject in an institution but have a talent for putting colours, textures and proportions together in original and aesthetically pleasing combinations. If you are confident you have the talent, build a portfolio showing your work and start developing a reputation working on your friends' homes.

Art Appreciation Lectures

Many ladies in the Middle East have taken courses in and are keen to learn more about art. Why not set up an art appreciation seminar series in your home? Invite either local lecturers from the colleges or to be more ambitious, fly in famous specialists in different eras, artists and types of art for a series of weekly seminars. Target an era, style, subject or artist. You may opt for a sweeping course such as 'British Art through the Centuries' or 'Italian Art: Botticcelli to Today'. Or a very specific course such as Italian Renaissance Furniture or Picasso's Women or Caravaggio. Whatever you choose, consult the experts first and approach it in a very professional manner. Set up a room with a slide projector, a stand for the lecturer and a professional seating arrangement and make sure you prepare all the reading materials before-hand and plan a social cocktail session prior to the talks. Try to attend some of the lectures offered by Christies or Sotheby's in London for some ideas.

Art Gallery

Are you an art lover? Do you travel a lot to places with great local artists who are not well represented in your country? Do you have friends/ acquaintances who are art lovers? Why not buy or lease or borrow a stock of paintings from that wonderful budding Tunisian artist next time you are in Tunis, display them in your house and try to sell them. Try to arrange a private showing for up-and-coming young artists you discover in Lebanon, Tunisia, Turkey, Russia and other parts of Asia in your travels. This only works if you are confident you can secure a good-sized audience for the collection. Much of the artwork in the Middle East is purchased through exactly this type of private showing. Make a little brochure with photographs for the different paintings and their prices and market the events to reach the widest targeted audience you can handle.

Stress and the Workplace

Job Stressbusters

Six Steps to Getting Ahead in Your Career

1. Find a Mentor

A good mentor is that special someone who will take the trouble to see things from your point of view, take your side and guide you in the right direction. The best professional mentors are people with experience in your own industry who can give sound professional advice, help you brainstorm and solve problems, put matters in perspective and sometimes open doors for you. Mentors however need not be from your own industry. An old college professor, an entrepreneur friend of the family, a family banker with a good overall business sense or even someone in a completely unrelated field whose integrity, judgement and intuition you trust, can all serve as allies and sounding boards as you progress up the career ladder. Try to find that someone you can learn from and who can help you through the uncertain patches in your job and overall career.

2. Effective Time Management

Effective time management boils down to setting specific goals and meeting them. Plan ahead both in macro terms and micro terms. Set deadlines for projects and then break the projects up into individual milestones with separate deadlines which you can tick off as you accomplish them. Delegate along the way. Dina in graphics for example may be better equipped to draw those Excel charts and make them visually appealing than you, so allocate that particular microtask to her. Make your deadlines reasonable and aim to overdeliver rather than overpromise. It is always better to have some slack time at the end of a project to check for detail and presentation rather than have to rush the next item on your agenda.

You will find that this kind of planning is so attractive that it will spill over into your personal life. Little Johnny's life will be so much fuller when you see how many activities you can schedule for him on paper and when you can allocate that half hour between your lunch break and that meeting to paying him a surprise icecream visit at school. You will also find yourself scheduling more 'fun' and 'relaxing' activities for yourself when you take control of your time by planning ahead.

3. Manage Your Boss

Bosses have lives, career roadblocks, deadlines and worries of their own and a smart employee will learn how to ingratiate themselves to their boss amidst all the noise and create an ongoing professional dialogue that achieves both parties' objectives. Proactivity is the key to a successful employee/ employer relationship. Take control of your career and communicate your goals, aspirations, ideas and concerns to your boss on an ongoing basis rather than hoping he will make plans that suit you and notice all the work you get done. Effective communication in the right tone at the right time is a very important component of this relationship as is full transparency, making it easier for your boss to see and appreciate your work and efforts and promote you.

4. Negotiate for What You're Worth

There's nothing like feeling underpaid and undervalued to put a damper on your career aspirations and stifle your motivation and productivity. Take control of the situation and try to negotiate a compensation package that is more in line with what you feel you're worth.

Remember, there are specific rules to successful negotiation. First of all, make sure what you are about to negotiate for is realistic. Arm yourself with some knowledge of what your peers in the industry and in the company are making and a sound judgement regarding how much you feel your boss really values you.

Secondly, target a win-win scenario. Aim to show your job how much better off he will be having a better paid employee who will then exert more effort, take more initiative and live up to the yet untapped potential everyone knows she has. The message essentially is "employee is unhappy, unhappy employee is unmotivated, employee sees no fairness in situation, let's make company more profitable and boss look much better by paying employee to be more motivated and produce more and better work."

Thirdly, make sure the tone is right and that you are flexible so you can win in a number of different scenarios. Listen carefully to your boss's point of view and anticipate his concerns. Be prepared to offer different means for him to meet your justified aspirations. For instance, if after a respectful and well argued dialogue, your boss is unable to meet your demands for a cash raise, ask for a guaranteed bonus, or a raise 3 or 6 months down the road providing you meet specific milestones, or non-cash compensation hikes such as medical insurance, children's schooling or stock options. It may be that you will be happy just with a new title which will more adequately reflect your position and responsibilities. Plan several ways you can proceed towards the compensation package you find satisfactory and aim to leave the meeting having advanced in one of these directions.

5. Delegate

This is not about passing the buck. It's about freeing yourself to do what you do best and achieving maximum efficiency all around. It's not entirely optimal for a consultant with a PHD in Stochastics to spend 3 hours perfecting the pastel shades on his powerpoint presentation when he could have used that time to execute strategy for another client. Effective delegation can spread the workload amongst people so that each is challenged in their own domain and so that others can learn new skills and improve old ones. The whole outfit benefits when everyone is doing what they do best.

6. Take Ownership

Whether it's that filing cabinet you're responsible for keeping in chronological order and safe from natural disasters and epidemics, or a team of 6 bankers that you are in charge of, taking ownership of your work is the first step toward personal and professional satisfaction. If you think of yourself as 'owning' your little domain - sometimes as part of a team - you will take special pride in your output and results. That feeling of 'ownership' will boost your creativity as you look for new ways to indulge and improve your professional terrain and the attitude will almost always communicate itself to your boss and peers. Think of every professional task, no matter how small, as a project worthy of your signature and make sure the quality of the work you produce lives up to your name!

How to Optimize Your Relationship with Your Boss

Your relationship with your boss can be a wellspring of growth possibilities if nurtured properly or a career minefield if left to go sour. Maintaining a good professional relationship with your manager can make all the difference in the type and quality of projects that get sent your way, in your career advancement, in your relationship with others in the firm and in your overall reputation in the industry even after you leave the firm. Take the time to work on this relationship and follow this simple checklist to keep you on the right track.

1. Perfect Your Role

Your relationship with your manager will to a very large extent be determined by your overall professional skills, attributes and success at the job you are doing. A manager will take far more pride in the employee who constantly produces quality work, meets deadlines and is pleasant to work with. Perfect your job by knowing exactly what your manager's objectives for the position are and then exceeding his expectations. Always aim to go the extra mile to show that you are truly dedicated to the position and that you take your career very seriously. This can include volunteering to help others when you have time, taking on additional projects when you can afford to, cultivating unique skills and coming up with new ideas to improve performance, win clients or cut costs. Building a reputation for yourself as someone who does the job extremely well, is professional, pleasant and always goes the extra mile will reflect just as positively on your boss.

2. Communication

The importance of building an open dialogue with your manager cannot be overemphasized. Maintaining an open channel of communication with your boss is one of the key ingredients of a successful long-term relationship. The goal of these communications is to build a professional rapport, gain visibility and ensure an unhampered flow of information about the firm, the unit, your own performance and any problems, concerns, issues, accomplishments on either side.

Invest in building an open channel of communication early on. Get your boss accustomed to your wandering into his office for a chat or scheduling a meeting for yourself in his diary on a periodic basis. Do not wait for him to schedule these meetings! Do them often and as casually as you can so that your meetings with him become a routine part of his day, week or month. This will ensure you do not end up piling up grievances, complaints and unanswered questions simply because you don't have the guts to face your boss or have never taken the time to build an open dialogue. Always go to these meetings prepared. Try to include the casual and comical occasionally in these meetings to break the ice. Your boss will appreciate it if, in addition to your professional issues, you keep him casually informed of what is going on in the firm at your level, eg. the marketing unit ae going away on a brainstorming weekend, the new temp appears to be running a business of her own from her desk, the traders downstairs smashed a phone at the coffee machine the day before etc. AVOID gossip; the goal of these meetings is not trivialties, it is to build a comfort level and flow of career-related information that promotes your PROFESSIONAL growth.

Learn to listen to your boss. Listening to your boss means understanding the tone as well as the content. Make sure you really understand both your manager's directions and where he is coming from. Ask questions if you don't. Your boss will generally set the objectives and vision for the unit and you will only understand his philosophy and general business style if you really listen.

Learn to cope with constructive criticism. Some bosses are psychological bullies and criticism from such manager types is far more difficult to take. However, most managers dole out criticism with the territory and you should be prepared to handle the criticism in a professional manner and learn from it. Constructive criticism should be used as a means to steer your professional development and should help you avoid career pitfalls.

3. Manage His Expectations

Once you have a good grip on the job requirements and have a solid relationship with your boss in place that is built on trust and mutual respect, you can begin to manage your boss's expectations regarding the quality and quantity of your work. This is an essential damage-control tactic if you are to avoid many of the pitfalls that are essentially the result of poor assertiveness skills. Learn to tell your manager that you are overburdened (only when you are of course). Use words like 'we need an additional resource', 'I have to prioritize', 'I have a more urgent deadline', ' I don't want to compromise the quality of the project' to communicate your own time schedule and your existing workload. Always have a list ready of projects you are engaged in and their priority so your manager can more easily plan the projects he sends your way. You should focus on being 'productive' rather than merely 'busy' so your manager learns to respect your prioritization skills and general work aptitude.

4. Reverse Feedback

Your boss has a boss and deadlines too, so learn to make his life a bit easier by sending some reverse positive feedback his way when you can. Avoid the false superficial kind of schmoozing but DO compliment or thank your boss whenever you can - on something he taught you, a course he sent you to, a project he sent your way, a project he didn't send your way, a tip he gave you or some other form of constructive criticism he made, a resource he assigned you, a deal he landed, a client he made happy, a new idea, a presentation he made etc. He will appreciate the flattery if it is genuine and delivered professionally. He will also be more inclined to help you in the future if you are appreciative of the steps he takes to guide and promote you.

Promotion to Management

You have just been promoted to a management slot and suddenly you are responsible for the welfare and productivity of a whole unit. Your success is suddenly dependent on variables outside of your own personal domain and a new set of eyes is turning to you for guidance and support.

Successful management requires skills entirely separate from the job skills that got you promoted. In all likelihood, you have demonstrated these skills during the course of your career in order to secure the promotion in the first place. However, it helps to pinpoint exactly what it is that will be required of you in this new role and to armour yourself with all the skills you will need in order to succeed as a manager.

Prolinks has identified some tips to help you with this transition into a management slot and guide you through the first few months as you assume your new responsibilities.

1. Formulate a Game Plan

This is best done well before you assume your new role. Arriving on the first day gameplan intact allows you to firmly and solidly start making your mark without appearing hesitant and indecisive to the team.

Take time off in between roles to brainstorm and plan ahead with a clear mind. Start by researching the new role in detail. If the promotion involves a move to a new company, get all the information you can on the company, the industry and the people you will work with. Learn about the company's reputation in its industry and its competitive positioning. Has the company/ unit been losing ground to its competitors? If so, why? Are others in the industry diminishing your market share through innovations, cost advantages or pricing strategies? How effective does the company's marketing strategy appear to be? You will also want to know how your own unit is faring both within the organization and in relation to competitors outside of the organization.

Once you have a good feel for the terrain, you can start formulating a rough gameplan for the first few months. Does your research indicate that your unit needs change? What changes do you anticipate making and in what time frame? Your gameplan should incorporate goals defined for you by your own manager as discussed during the interview stage as well as enhancements you yourself anticipate making. Plan for the near term as well as for the intermediate and long term. This plan will be revised a multitude of times as you assume your role and learn more about the company and unit, but it helps tremendously to have a rough framework to build on. The more you can learn about the product/service, company, industry and team at this stage, the more you can anticipate your role and plan ahead.

2. Plan an Early Success

Start as you mean to carry on. It is ideal if your gameplan can include guidelines for a successful project that your team can start implementing immediately. An early success will boost the team's morale and establish you as a successful leader early on. Choose this first project carefully and plan for it to involve the whole team. Make sure the project is one that carries a very low risk of failure while having high visibility and a clear value-added to the rest of the company. It can be a new mandate or client you are quite confident of winning, improved customer service, increased sales or the implementation of a new system you are already familiar with. Whatever you choose make sure the success milestone is quite achievable. Also ensure that you yourself will play a role and exhibit effective leadership skills throughout the course of the project. Upon completion however, give the whole team credit and play down your own involvement to maximize their sense of accomplishment and their pride in their success. Emphasize the difficulty and importance of the project so that the team will feel a heightened sense of achievement and will have more confidence in your leadership.

3. Know Your Team

Your first few weeks on the job should be about getting to know your team and the role of your unit within the organization. Meet your team members in one-to-one meetings and get to know what each person does, what their personal goals and ambitions are, what their skills are, how challenged they are in their role, what problems they have had in the past, what they would like to see done differently and what they expect from their manager. These meetings should give you a general grasp of each person's competence and attitude, both crucial variables in deciding who you want to keep and who needs special attention. As you assess the skills of each of your team members, ask yourself how you can build and capitalize on these strengths to help the unit and challenge the team. These meetings are also crucial in getting you in the habit of listening to your people. In any organization, the people are the most important asset and a good manager will maintain a constant unhampered dialogue with his people that wins their trust and loyalty and ensures they are inspired to work at their optimal level of productivity.

4. Define Your Team's Mission and Value System

A team with a well defined set of objectives and a clear sense of the unit's value system works better than a team engaged in an endless array of daily tasks. Defining your team's 'mission' successfully should include both a set of solid, quantitative objectives as well as a less easily defined framework of shared 'values'.

The solid objectives may include goals such as increasing sales by 10% per annum, creating a new product or service, or providing a low cost solution to a client/company problem. However these solid goals are not enough to sustain growth momentum in the long run. To ensure maximum resilience in the long run, successful organizations invest just as much in establishing a value structure for their organization. What are the set of beliefs or what is the 'spirit' that will appeal to your team and that will ensure their maximum loyalty, flexibility and productivity? What unified sense of purpose or 'philosophy' can you build into the overall framework to boost morale and lift the team's spirit? True long-term success will be achieved if beyond communicating clear quantitative performance targets, you can unify your team behind a common philosophy and give them a sense of true pride and accomplishment as they work towards some common purpose. Your unit's mission and value structure should be defined such that at the end of the day, everyone takes a special pride in their work and feels like a winner.

5. Act Like a Leader

The best leaders lead by example. Confidence, integrity, fairness and a strong work ethic of your own are critical to your winning the respect and loyalty of your team. You will then need a clear vision, solid administrative skills, open communications channels, flexibility and a good understanding of all the different personalities that work for you in order to ensure that the team is challenged and working towards some common goal. Remember that the team is always looking for the precedent set by yourself and exhibit the skills, attitude and work ethic you would like to foster in them. A good manager will, by example, motivate and inspire his team to be the best that they can be and will give them the opportunity to showcase their skills and contribute to the welfare of the overall organization. Flexibility is key in bringing out the initiative of each individual team member; by allowing them to step outside the narrow confines of their daily routines you nurture their creativity and independence and increase their productivity. The best leaders are capable, through their own example, and through guidance, positive reinforcement and inspiration rather than domination, of bringing out the dormant talents and latent capabilities of their team members and thereby improving the productivity of the organization.

Maximize Your Marketability

The job search should be viewed as a lifelong process that does not end with interviewing for and securing a new position. Successful career management involves treating your career as a continuum of opportunities for growth and advancement and constructing a framework for creating, exploring and exploiting these opportunities. Plan for a stellar long-term career by following these simple guidelines for staying 'marketable':

1. Maintain a long-term vision and take control.

Always plan ahead and make sure it is you at the steering wheel of your career. Do not let a job in Marketing dwindle to a position in graphics for example, because of missed opportunities, poor assertiveness skills and lack of direction. Take on projects and assignments that lead you further along your chosen route and try to veer away from others that do not promote your growth and advancement whenever it is possible. Your career should be a learning path and you should always steer towards the track that involves new learning and growth opportunities.

2. Build relationships both in and outside of your firm.

Get to know people in your chosen profession and make networking both within and outside of your firm part of your job description. The more connected you are with others in the profession, the easier it will be to secure a new position. Follow up with the people you meet on a regular basis and exchange information on your respective businesses as well as on your professional development eg, projects you are involved in, courses you have taken, deals you have landed etc. A close network of friends and/or professional associates is an invaluable career management resource.

3. Research your industry thoroughly.

Learn about competitors and new areas, products and innovations in the industry. Know who the players are and keep abreast of what direction the industry and the different players are moving in. The more you know about your domain, the more valuable you are to your present employer and the easier it is for you to market yourself to a different company.

4. Update your skills and develop new unique skills.

Some skills are always in more demand than others and successful research will identify what areas to focus on to make you most marketable in your chosen field. Whether it be taking a course in computer programming or soft skills training, aim to continuously enhance your skills and further your education. Plan on taking evening courses, attending seminars and maybe even getting a further degree part-time to stay ahead of the game.

5. Join professional associations.

These look great on your CV and are a great way to network with others, gain visibility and keep abreast of the changes in your industry. Your boss will be very pleased if you are aware of developments in your industry and if you are making a reputation for yourself that reflects positively on the firm. Try to speak at these meetings if you can.

6. Read the trade journals and industry literature.

There is no substitute for reading the trade literature to stay abreast of new developments and remain competitive. Always communicate the relevant material to your manager so he is aware of your efforts to keep ahead of the curve and also so that you can incorporate them into your unit's game plan.

How can I avoid making the most common interviewing mistakes?

Following are several ways to avoid making common interviewing mistakes:

1. Prepare in advance for your interviews:
   
   
   1. Have an in-depth understanding of, and practice presenting, your skills, talents and accomplishments.
      
   2. Conduct research on the company, e.g., products and services, markets, corporate culture, size and locations.
      
   3. Understand the interviewing strategies used by employers, including competency-based behavioral interviews, to respond appropriately to each employer's style of interviewing.
      
   4. Prepare your questions in advance.
      
      
2. Dress appropriately.
   
3. Arrive ten minutes early for your interview.
   
4. Show a sincere interest in the company and position.
   
5. Express yourself clearly and with confidence, however, without conceit.
   
6. Convey enthusiasm, and a sense of pride and dedication in your work.
   
7. Convey tolerance and team work.
   
8. Be sure to look at your interviewer while talking.
   
9. Focus on what you can contribute to the organization rather than what the employer can do for you. Don't ask about salary or benefits until the employer brings up this topic. Your initiation of this subject shifts the emphasis from what you can do for the company to what the company can do for you, therefore, it is usually better to wait until the employer initiates the subject, or until the second interview or subsequent interviews. It is appropriate to ask about salary ranges and benefits, and/or initiate a salary negotiation when the timing is right.
   
10. Don't place blame on or be negative about past employers.
    
11. Consider how you answer; don't rush to have an answer without understanding the question, or display defensiveness when a tough question has you stumped.
    
12. Don't volunteer more information than is needed.
    
13. Close the interview on an assumptive note: indicate the job looks like a good fit and you feel you can make a contribution to the organization; end by asking about the next step.
    
14. Keep a positive attitude at all times — most offers are not extended on the spot.
    
15. Follow up appropriately (strategic follow-up is best) after each interview.

How important is it to follow up after an interview?

Follow-up can significantly affect whether or not an offer is extended.

Following up after an interview addresses a key employer concern: your interest level in the position. In addition, you are demonstrating, by the very act of following up, personal and professional qualities that are typically sought by an employer: dedication, tenacity, attention to detail, and the ability to follow through. In some instances, employers may even use the lack of follow-up as a screening device: a way to narrow down the number of candidates to a short list; those who do follow up become finalists.

More often, however, there are usually several top candidates, each with various tradeoffs regarding strengths and liabilities. The employer is often faced with a difficult decision, and follow-up, when handled correctly, offers a strategic means of tipping the scales in your favor.

Besides demonstrating your interest level and the desired qualities employers seek, follow-up offers the opportunity to reassure the employer regarding any concerns they might have about you being the best choice for the position. This can mean the difference between an offer being extended to you rather than another candidate. Even if not extended to you at this particular time, it helps you to stand out — and could lead to another position in the future.

What if I want to improve career satisfaction without making an entire career change?

• For online personality testing to become more effective in your professional and personal roles, it is important to understand your natural self, unique traits, key strengths, team, work, learning, and leadership styles..
  
  
• For online testing to choose the right work environment and corporate culture for optimum success, you would add values and skill inventories to personality testing. .

  Most job search campaigns should consist of more than one strategy. It is wise to cover your bases rather than putting all your eggs in one basket by focusing on a single major strategy.

  Time management:

  An efficient and successful job search campaign is one where you develop a plan with a schedule for each of the strategies and steps you will take. Map out which activities you will do each day and stick with your plan. Your job search should be treated as a new job and it is far easier to manage when you give it a structure and have a routine. Treat your job search as:

  • A full-time job, if unemployed
  • A part-time job, if currently employed, with as much time as you can spend relative to the urgency with which you need to make a change; for example, this could be a couple of hours in the evening, a few lunch hours during the week and a Saturday.

  Current job dissatisfaction:

  If you are currently employed and unhappy in your present position, then it is best to do something about it right away. If you don't, your attitude will typically continue to deteriorate and often begin to affect your work performance — which may put your employment in jeopardy. It is more difficult mentally to conduct a job search in the later stages of this process, especially if you are let go as a result. Sometimes there are issues that can be worked out with your present employer; however, you often need to explore alternatives.

  If you are unemployed:

  If you are currently unemployed, you will have more time to devote to a full-time job search campaign. Of course, you will need to work out a budget for essentials: food, shelter, transportation and job search expense. The actual amount of job-finding time varies greatly depending upon your occupation, experience and training, job market demand, and the strategies and resources you utilize.

  If your immediate financial situation is urgent, you need to think in terms of a short-term goal to generate income and a longer-term career goal.
  
  You need to do several things right away:

  • Determine your immediate minimum monthly income requirements. Look over your expenses for the past 6 months to one year. Determine what you can do without and what you absolutely need. It is important to plan for job search expenses, e.g., résumé development, postage, phone and fax, travel expense, etc.
    
    
  • Assess your current skills and determine where you have the quickest potential for immediate income in addition to considering occupational options that are most rewarding.
    
    
  • Use local temporary employment services for immediate income from temporary assignments; these may not use all of your skills, however temporary assignments can help with cash flow and provide the flexibility you need to conduct a job search. (Also, check with online temporary employment services; visit Find Recruiters.)
    
    
  • Develop and implement an overall Job-Finding strategy.
    
    
  • Explore options for both immediate income and rewarding career options
    
    
  • If you are deeply in debt, you can see a free, nonprofit consumer credit counseling service in your area; they can take the stress off by helping you with a repayment plan and they will also contact creditors on your behalf.

  In summary:

  Regardless of your circumstances, conducting a job search is a challenging, demanding, and often a trying process. We often infer personal value from our occupational roles — not that we should, we just often do. It is important to maintain a positive attitude and one important means of doing so is to have a support system. Besides family and friends, professional and peer support is valuable.

Employee Career Development

CareerPerfect provides comprehensive and cost-effective virtual Web-based outplacement programs for successful career transitions.

Utilizing virtual outplacement programs greatly reduces the cost of delivery while increasing efficiency, including providing 24-hour availability. If desired, you can augment virtual outplacement with live delivery of outplacement services.

Highlights include:

• Private label product: Your company name and logo on each content page. Use our tools and materials, customize our materials, and/or integrate with your own materials.
  
  

• Career transition tools include: online career planning, testing and decision making programs; interactive interviewing program; résumé writing, résumé examples, tutorials, and résumé distribution to top databases; and job search tools and resources.
  
  

• Easily create customized packages of services for specific populations or groups of employees.
  
  

• Programs run over the Internet or a corporate intranet; users can access assessments and resources from a corporate workstation or home PC.

   

  The Right Job™ Details

  The Right Job™ is an online career planning software program to help you match your personality, skills, and values to the right work environment and corporate culture for optimum success and job satisfaction. This program guides you through a suite of three (3) career tests/assessment inventories, and decision-making tools that are designed to work together in one easy-to-use program. Results from all inventories are processed immediately — no waiting for e-mail, fax, or postal mail results!

  The Right Job™ includes the following tests/inventories and decision-making tools:

  1. Personality Inventories
  2. Values Inventory
  3. Skills Inventory
  4. Decision-Making Tools

  I. Personality Inventories:
  
  
  
  Your results are processed online and available immediately, providing you with a confidential nine-to-twelve page report that includes:

  • A Snapshot of You: a profile of your natural self including your unique behavioral traits, key strengths, communication style, likes and dislikes, energy and satisfaction level, and potential challenges.
  • Comparison Report: how you adapt to demands in your work setting (how you respond to work pressures) and any resulting stress or energy drain.
  • Work Style Report: use this report to help you get the most out of your work environment, so your talents find an outlet and you can shine at work.
  • Learning Styles Report: use this report to plan learning experiences that meet your needs, and where you have the most chance of success.
  • Team Styles Report: this report can provide important insights on how to share your talents in professional and social settings, and why you may have problems with particular groups.
  • Management & Leadership Styles Report: assess positions that will be conducive to your ultimate success. Use this information to either develop new behavioral strengths, or look for leadership opportunities that tap your existing talents.

  II. Values Inventory:
  
  Your results are generated immediately, providing you with a confidential summary that includes:

  • 64 work-related Values and Characteristics grouped into 10 categories
  • Clarification and prioritization of your career-related values
  • A better understanding of your values and priorities for improved employment decision making
    

  III. Skills Inventory:
  
  Your results are generated immediately, providing you with a confidential summary that includes:

  • Identification of your marketable and transferable skills (Vocational, Academic, Military, Volunteer, Avocational, or Life Experience skills) in order to transfer relevant skills from one environment, application, level of responsibility, or field to another
  • Prioritization of your transferable skills
    
  • Clarification of your accomplishments
    

  IV. Decision-Making Tools:
  
  Tools to help you bring it all together:

  • Step-by-step guidelines for you to evaluate job options
  • Online access to the latest occupational information:
    • Job Descriptions
    • Working Environment and Conditions
    • Training, Other Qualifications, and Advancement Opportunities
    • Employment Trends
    • Future Job Outlook
    • Compensation
    • Related Occupations with instructions and links
  • Questions for quality decision making
  • The Career Decision Helper™