A Baker's Dozen Career Boosters
Former colleague and long-time friend Tim Conway is a consumate mentor who advises scores of college graduates about their careers. Over the years, he has developed 13 proven techniques to enhance work/life results.
Here are Tim's career-boosting tips:
1. Head-To-Toe: people notice details so take extra care to always look professional. Examples: comb hair; shave; use mouthwash; iron clothes; shine shoes; don't wear flip-flops; limit cleavage/jewelry/cologne.
2. Take The Road Less Traveled: try a different bus/train; or ride a bike. Be observant for oddities such as new advertising billboards touting a competitor. By changing commuting habits, you can alter your "world view" to spur fresh thinking.
3. Wear Your Game Face: when you arrive at office, be ready to deliver peak performance; so be punctual, say "hello" to everyone; check-in with colleagues to ensure that you're focused on team priorities.
4. Be a Daily Reader: allocate 20-minutes to skim breaking news; go to bookstore/library to scan mix of publications (e.g., academic journals, consumer magazines); discover specialty blogs/e-zines. Clip articles that relate to client's business; then send with "For Your Information" note.
5. Play Your Strengths: identify your top talents. Are you good with words, numbers, visuals, analyzing data, organizing information or leading staff? Reflect on behaviors that you were complimented on by supervisor, teacher, coach and relative. Tell peers about those abilities with objective to deploy them on projects.
6. Asks Lots-of-Questions: if you're unsure about direction for an assignment, probe early with co-workers to clarify role/responsibility.
7. Adjust Your Attitude: if you're a natural skeptic, push yourself to be positive. If you're an optimist, share your bliss with others. If you dislike ambiguity, get used to constant change. Then be accountable for your mood.
8. Discover Your Zone: what activities are you doing when time flies? Research confirms that "flow" moments occur when applying natural talents to challenging tasks. To increase on-the-job contentment, try to replicate those functions.
9. Don't Accept Mediocrity: before a prospect pitch, make sure group spends extra time to prepare. Brainstorm ideal method to tell your firm's "story" (e.g., props, storyboard, product samples); generate brief Agenda; determine attendee names/titles; thoroughly rehearse presentation; conduct post-session to critique outcomes.
10. Exercise Often: studies confirm that humans are innovative when chemicals in the brain are firing; so when you feel sluggish, start moving (e.g., walk up stairs, stroll outside, jog at lunchtime).
11. Send Thank You Notes: sincere hand-written notes are effective to surprise others (e.g., reporters, vendors). So stock-up on novel cards; mail when appropriate.
12. Achieve Little Victories: advance your career by setting short-term goals, such as: During January-March, I will review five trade magazines/blogs. I will go to 10 networking seminars/conferences during 2010. Write Top Three priorities on back of your business card; then track regular progress.
13. Keep a Hero File: accumulate tangible show-n-tell items that you're proud of (e.g., complimentary e-mails); display top pieces in digital portfolio for use during performance reviews.
By adopting proactive habits, your career trajectory will surely take off.
Tim Conway is a part-time university instructor along with serving as mentor to college graduates. For details: http://www.igniteyoungadults.com/
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