My Campus Chronicles
Our college blog dedicated to helping students prepare for life outside of college.
Q: Dear Seymour, 2009 was a difficult year. How can I begin 2010 on a more positive note?
- Submitted by Callie Simms, Tucson, Arizona
A: Dear Callie,
2009 was a tough year in a lot of ways for a lot of people. The economy was turbulent, job status was uncertain for nearly everyone and morale was low across the board. However, a new year can be a great way towards a new beginning and new attitude. If the calendar year can change, why can't you?
Clean up, clean out.
Space and environments are very important factors in attitude and personal morale. Look around your work space and evaluate it. What's there, and why is it there? Does everything have a purpose? If something doesn't work for you, purge it. Do the things in your space promote functional working, positive attitude and a healthy sense of well being? Get rid of trash, clutter, and depressing, unnecessary objects and only add things that are functional, inspirational, or positive.
Try a Feng Shui attack.
Many people have a goal to learn something new in the New Year. A great place to start is by picking up some principles of Feng Shui, a Chinese practice designed to harmonize your space with the way you want to live, work and play. There are tons of resources on Feng Shui, but a great starting reference for work spaces is Office Feng Shui by Darrin Zeer, which gives interesting, brief overviews of concepts and how to apply them. It's even available in a full version for free on GoogleBooks!
Evaluate yourself.
In the same way you examine your office, examine yourself. Are there personal qualities you want to change or modify? Are there issues you are better off purging instead of dwelling on? Take some time to think about whom you are and then take even more time to determine who you want to be or what you want to do. Knowing your goals is the first step to reaching them.
Write it down.
Document your thoughts and goals to stay organized and hold yourself accountable. Consider keeping a journal, however brief or long, with entries that help you track your progress. This will help you notice patterns as well as progress. You may not always feel like you're making progress, but the journal will probably tell you otherwise and encourage you to keep going.
The New Year is a good time to examine your life and decide what you want. If you want to be more educated, then figure out how to do it and get started. If you want a new career, go for it. If you want to be different, then decide to be different and act accordingly. You can do it.
Seymour
Q: Dear Seymour, I am tired of job searching and I deserve a break. Is it worth it to keep looking during the holidays?
- Submitted by Bryce Collins, Conyers, Georgia
A: Dear Bryce,
It is certainly tempting to just forget about job searching during the holidays. You've been working hard all year--why not take a few weeks off with everyone else and forget about it for a little while? In fact, many job seekers believe the holidays are scant with open job requisitions. However, it may just be your time to stand out while others are sipping on eggnog.
Everyone else is taking time off, so it's time to search extra hard.
If you feel like taking time off, so does everyone else! That's why it's a great idea to search now more than ever. Find what no one else is looking for and apply while there are fewer people on the hunt. While everyone else is napping the winter away, be the early bird who is ready with a polished resume and cover letter and available at a moment's notice for a networking meeting or interview.
Take advantage of a more relaxed business environment.
Many businesses slow down during the holidays, which means, hiring managers are likely to have more time to meet with you and network. They're also more likely in a festive, giving spirit as meetings slow down and the pace of things becomes more manageable. Touch base with your networking contacts and set up meetings and interviews.
Celebrate (and network).
Celebrations abound during this time and you have more networking events to attend than ever. You can even host some yourself. Remember that every person you know and meet is a potential networking contact. Even volunteering your time to charitable organizations is a great way to meet people and find out about new opportunities.
December often means movement.
Many people decided to switch jobs or retire around the end of the year. This means lots of new openings become available that most companies want to fill before the New Year when budgets are set and everyone is expected to hit the New Year running.
You should take some time for yourself to enjoy the holidays, but don't give up your job search. This is an excellent time to look and you don't want a perfect opportunity to pass you by.
Seymour
Rumors and the grapevine are a common part of the workplace. But they can be a very negative part of the workplace too.
Not only are rumors and gossip a distraction to worker productivity, but they can also be hurtful to person or persons who are the target of stories and rumors. As one article points out, rumors in the workplace are on the rise due to uncertainty about jobs and the financial health of companies.
Although some, and I do emphasize "some", gossip can be healthy and an outlet for venting, constant gossip can be detrimental to your credibility as an employee. Some severe cases can include dismissal because of a no tolerance policy about gossip in the workplace.
With layoffs and job losses at an all time high, the office rumor mill can churn out innuendoes and tall tales based on fear and anxiety. Some rumors may be true, but others could just be fear and uncertainty talking.
Office gossip can be quite enticing to listen to and even participate in spreading around to close friends and colleagues. But it isn't advisable to be a part of the rumor mill and gossip circle. If you become known as a gossip monger, you could lose credibility among your managers and co-workers - especially if the rumors turn out to be false.
It would probably be worth it to stay "in the know", but you have to learn how to filter out what is and isn't true, and don't let it interfere with your work productivity or quality.
Many employees are terrified of making mistakes. Either their managers make them feel afraid of making a mistake, or workers put pressure on themselves not to make mistakes for fear that they could get fired or be looked over for raises and promotions.
It's true that some mistakes at work can be detrimental to your career, but sometimes even the biggest regrets don't have to spell doom for your career. Take it from some of the hottest rising stars in business. This article shows that even the most successful professionals can recover from making mistakes at work.
Often times, the smartest person in the room is one who has made mistakes. It may not seem that way at the time, but "screw ups" are the best ways to learn lessons, and trust me, those are lessons that you will never forget.
There will be times that workplace mess ups will result in loss of trust from colleagues or managers. However, if you establish your reputation as someone who is typically making the right decisions and solid in their work ethic, your mistake recovery time will probably be shorter than those who are error prone.
Blunders that are grounds for dismissal could include losing your temper and using profane language, making errors that result in the loss of a client or major account, saying something inappropriate to co-workers or lying to your boss, just to name a few.
The bottom line is that if you take your job seriously and are conscientious about your work product, you can make a mistake and have time to make up for it and save your reputation. If you do make an error, own up to it and take responsibility for correcting it.
A new survey recently released has some good news about the job market - more companies are planning to hire in the near future. So job seekers, get ready for the job hunt to possibly pick up the pace!
If you have decided to give up the hunt, like so many job seekers, due to an unsuccessful few months of looking, now is the time to make a to do list and get back in the game. Here's where to start:
- Start with your cover letter - even if you have not been working, you may want to let the cover letter explain what you have been doing i.e. volunteering in the community, mentoring students, taking training courses, etc.
- Update your resume - if you have been working elsewhere and it is pertinent to your career, add information about your recent experience.
- Practice your skills - take some time to refresh your interview skills and practice your interview presence.
- Sharpen your network - knowing that companies may be ramping up to hire again, now is the time to start networking with professionals who can set you on the right path to finding a job
- Prepare your networking and interviewing suit - make sure you have your interview suit pressed and ready at a moment's notice.
If in fact more companies are preparing to hire, competition for job openings will be tight because so many job seekers are in the talent pool. So take each of the tips above very seriously, and do your homework. Read all you can about jobs searching techniques, and how to stand out from other job seekers.
Q: Dear Seymour, How Can I Tell Which Online Job Opportunities are Real and Not Scams?
- Submitted by Lynn Boone, Boise, Idaho
A: Dear Lynn,
In today's tough economy, online job opportunities seem to be increasing - streaming into inboxes and found in classified ads faster than ever before. Believe it or not, real online jobs do exist, but identifying them has become quite a challenge with so many of the jobs being scams. Learning how to identify online job scams is a skill that must be mastered if a legitimate job is to be found. There are several 'red lights' to watch out for when applying for an online job.
Take a close look at the ad or recruitment email for spelling and grammar errors. As a sign of professionalism, legitimate companies tend to have little or no spelling or grammatical mistakes. If an ad has numerous mistakes or run-on sentences, it most likely is not a credible company.
If the website or ad asks for any kind of billing information, beware of a scam. A "sign-up" fee is also a tell-tale sign that the job you are applying for is a scam. The purpose of a job is to get paid by a company, not pay them.
Real employers ask for a resume, not money. They provide an address, email address or fax number, and never list their phone number to get the resume. If a phone number is provided, call it. If a computer answers, it's probably a scam. If a person answers ask them direct questions about where they are located and details about the actual work. Scammers will avoid such questions. If emailing the company, see if the response answers your specific question, not a generic one. Most importantly, research the company online for any complaints.
The bottom line is that real employers are looking for skilled, knowledgeable and experienced applicants. They never say "No Experience Necessary" - instead they use the term "entry level" when describing a position. They also typically don't list job salaries.
It's important to know that legitimate online jobs are obtained the same way as traditional jobs. Apply for a job you are qualified for, fill out an application and submit your resume to obtain an interview for employment. Anything less is questionable.
Seymour
The new norm for many workers is looking for jobs where they can transfer skills, or having to retrain to learn new skills and earn new certifications to land a job in a different line of work.
Beware of this strategy - not because learning new skills is a bad idea, but because you have new qualifications, doesn't mean that you will find a job in a different field right away, as one article points out. The key is to stay patient, and not become discouraged.
Check out a few other stories of workers' experiences with retraining programs. How about some of our readers? Do any of you have retraining stories to tell? Was it a positive or negative experience? Did retraining help you find a new job?
Have you ever been in a team brainstorming meeting, and another co-worker has used your idea to present to the manager?
As frustrating as this can be, it is an unfortunate team dynamic that happens. One article that I read illustrates how you can turn a situation like this around to you advantage.
If this does happen to you, try not to get angry. Approach the perpetrator in a manner that does not accuse them specifically. Say something like, "Let's talk after the meeting about the details, I have plenty of ideas to compliment this one since we previously discussed this matter brainstorming."
Be subtle about how you approach a colleague, but let them know that you remember the idea they gave was yours. These days, workers are concerned about showing value to their employer, and are willing to do anything to show it.
Try not to think about it as stealing ideas. Some experts believe that ideas are meant to be shared for the brain trust of the team to explore and expand upon. This is for the betterment of the team and ultimately the bottom line of the company.
If it truly bothers you to have someone stealing your ideas and using them as their own, then hold back some of the big details to share with the team when the manager is around. That way, you can share your idea, and provide some of the "wow" details.
Now is the time to stand out in the job market. With thousands out of work and companies flooded with resumes, it is important to make sure that your resume does not end up in the trash.
As one article explains, prospective job seekers should stick with the basics of resume writing and not be too ornate or "creative" about developing a resume. Unnecessary gimmicks or too many block letters and boxed information, could get your resume thrown into the trash.
With more workers looking for employment, recruiters and hiring managers are spending more time sifting through resumes and applications to try and find the qualified talent they are seeking. If resume set ups are too distracting, they may lose their patience and move on to the next.
Furthermore, companies are not hiring en masse right now. Chances are they are only looking for a handful, or fewer, candidates at a time. With fewer jobs and more candidates, workers can ill-afford to have their resumes tossed to the side, or thrown away without even having a chance at an interview.
Several previous Big Time posts have discussed green jobs as possible options for those looking for a new industry or new job to pursue. Part of President Obama's economic stimulus package included funding for environmentally focused jobs and industries.
Although some reports may say that the number of green jobs available is disappointing, these jobs are still options for passive and actively seeking job candidates. Check out the following article about finding a green job.
Not only does this article offer advice about what one might need to do to find a green job, such as relocating and staying focused on particular industries, but it also lists a number of web sites that can keep you up to date on the news and information about green businesses and industry.
