Monday, September 15, 2008

Enhance Your Career: 3 Simple Strategic Tips For Improving Your Career Plan

So you want to enhance your career. You are on a look out for what you can do to greatly impact your career path. Are there simple strategies that you can implement that can immediately have a positive influence on your career? If there are, what are they?

The answer is – yes, there are simple strategies that you can do in order for you to enhance your career. This is a self-reflective strategy. I refer to it as simple because you alone can do this. For as long as you are truthful with yourself then this is as simple as it gets.

However, there is a word of caution. Nothing can enhance your career if you feel that there is not much you can improve on already. And while these strategies are simple, they can only be achieved IF you are willing to make that change.

1. Attitude
When it comes to attitude I have always championed that you can define your attitude as one of pride, passion and belief. In everything that you do, do it with pride, passion and belief. And remember to back these up with skills and knowledge, direction and action.

Let’s take these further. To enhance your career, hardworking, humility and honesty is essential. Hardworking is fairly straightforward. It just means nothing comes easy. There are no rewards in the working world that comes without hard work. In fact, there is nothing in life that comes without hard work.

Humility comes with maturity. When you know you do not know enough then you begin to be a student again. You will want to enhance your skills and knowledge, which will in turn enhance your career.

Do you conduct your work honestly? How do you deal with your colleagues? Is it with integrity? Do you admit to your mistakes and not blame anyone for it? Honesty isn’t just about dealing with others. It is also being honest with yourself. Can you face your own ghost? Are you afraid to face your weaknesses without being defensive? Are you afraid to confront your lack of strengths? Being honest with yourself leads to an awareness. Step one to enhance your career is to define your attitude.

2. Awareness
An awareness of your strengths and weaknesses is a necessary step if you want to enhance your career. This awareness is one that is self-reflective. One that makes you feel a sense of inadequacy. This sense of inadequacy creates an intrinsic need for improvement.

The energy generated from this awareness is a positive energy that propels you with the confidence to improve.

If you want to enhance your career, ask yourself - do you have this awareness? One that is clear about where you are, why are you there, where you can be and how do you get there? An awareness of the need to improve and an awareness of what you truly want is a simple strategy that can enhance your career. But how many of us can truly claim that we have this awareness? And how many can claim, with this awareness there is an action that works on it?

Many sit around all day lamenting why are they not progressing? They feel unappreciated.
Hard work is not being rewarded. Let me point out something. According to the Webster’s Universal College Dictionary - appreciate is to be fully conscious of; be aware of. If you want to be appreciated, start appreciating your strengths and weaknesses. Then only can you begin to talk about how to enhance your career.

3. Action
So, you have a positive attitude and a positive awareness of yourself. But do you act upon them? If you do act upon them, do you do it at a pace that is right for you? Knowing the pace that is right for you is all about self-awareness.

There are two parts to this action, one is patience and the other persistence. Patience is about proceeding calmly or moving slowly with zero anticipation. No plans to enhance your career can be successful without solid action from your end. And solid action from your end means hard work.

Which is the other part of action, one that is persistent. One that is doing incessantly or progresses with dogged determination.

As you can see these are truly 3 simple strategic tips you can implement immediately that can positively enhance your career. Each is inter-related to another and feeds upon each other. If you can get it smoothly into motion there is no telling how far you can go.

About the Author
Long as he is popularly known runs http://www.career-success-for-newbies.com with his wife Dorena as their way of paying it forward. Download these free eBooks - Career Success Recipe for Newbies and SHINE At Work: Your 30-Minute Guide at the website now.

Published At: www.Isnare.comPermanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=127360&ca=Career
Got a question about this article? Ask the community!

Career Advice: Five Career Advice Secrets For Being The Perfect Employee Everyone Wants On Their Team – Part 2

The following are five career advice secrets for being the perfect, motivated employee that everyone wants on their team, putting your career on the fast track, and creating great relationship with management:

1. Be EnthusiasticBe known as an employee who has a great attitude and is enthusiastic about his/her job and work. Enthusiasm is contagious and spreads quickly in the workplace. Just the opposite, constantly whining and complaining deplete valuable resources of energy in the workplace. Think of people you know at work and ask the following questions:

* Who energizes me at work? Who has a can do attitude?* Who drains the energy out of the day? Whom do I hate to see come through the door in the morning?* How do my co-workers and managers see me?

Positive and negative employees, when presented with the same situation, have two different ways of handling the situation. The positive employee looks for the positive solutions. The positive employee is a proactive person who looks at change and challenges as opportunities to grow and develop new skills. The negative person looks at the same situations as being taken advantage of and has the “why is this happening to me” attitude. The negative employee tends to gossip and participate in unhealthy competition. Obviously, management feels more confident with the positive, enthusiastic employee with the “can do” attitude. Be known as the positive employee who creates solutions.

2. Know ManagementYou will avoid career landmines and be favored by management by taking the time to “manage your manager.” Find out and understand your manager’s strengths and weaknesses, priorities and communication style, and how he/she manages people.

When I was rising up the corporate ranks, I worked for a vice president who was uncomfortable speaking in front of a group of people. Whenever he had a department meeting, you could always see he was nervous and tense, especially when he had to persuade us to accept a very challenging situation. There would always be a team member who would challenge this vice president in front of the group. To say the least, this did not go well for the employee who challenged him. However, I recognized the vice president’s weakness, never questioned him in public, and waited until the meeting was over and went to his office to discuss the challenging situations of the day. Behind our closed-door discussions, this same vice president was very open, conversational, and confident. We were able to create solutions for the company and when it came time for promotion to vice president, my name was at the top of the list.

Remember, to get what you want in your career, you must help your manager succeed. Focus on what is important to your manager and provide the solution. If customer service is important, speak with your manager in terms of creating customer solutions. If your manager is a numbers person, quantify all your results, etc.

3. Walk the TalkShow integrity in everything you do at work. Be the employee that management can depend on to get things done. When you prove you are an employee who consistently delivers on his/her promises, this will impress management and you will go to the top of the list for choice assignments and promotions. If you are someone who is known as undependable, you will lose the respect of management, and your opportunities for promotions will decrease.

Also, the employee with integrity owes up to his/her mistakes. The employee that doesn’t have the courage to own up to his or her mistakes and take responsibility is very frustrating for managers. If you make a mistake, do the following:

* Own it* Apologize for it* Explain what you learned from the mistake* Ask your manager for input* Tell what actions you will take in the future so the mistake won’t happen again
This benefits you because it shows you have integrity, you take ownership for your actions, you can learn from challenges and mistakes, and you are developing a relationship with your manager by asking for input and assistance.

Last, but not least, integrity is also not taking credit for someone else’s work. Take credit for your own work and acknowledge others for their accomplishments. Fellow employees have a long memory, and you may need these same people when it comes time for a promotion.

4. Take Risks and Grow RichThere are employees who do a good job everyday and do not advance in their careers. The employees who stretch themselves and their abilities are the ones who advance in their careers. Risk takers are comfortable with the challenges of taking the risk and know how to adapt to job situations when they arise. They also know that there may be some challenges that they may not accomplish the first time. However, they will take responsibility for the results, learn from these challenges, and prosper in future opportunities.

The following are some ways to take risks and grow rich:
* Volunteer for high exposure, high risk projects* Get agreement and an understanding as to the resources needed to succeed* Combine questions with solutions in meetings* Actively find work challenges and provide solutions

5. Be the Team PlayerManagers look for employees who are not only talented, but work to make the entire team better. Team players work well with other team members and support them emotionally. Team members are proactive about pitching in when and where needed.

They also understand what the team mission is and work with other team members to accomplish its goals and values. Because of this understanding, team players are competitive for the team not within the team.

When it comes to your career, talent helps but is not the sole factor for success. Take time to apply these five career advice secrets and you too will be the perfect employee everyone wants on their team.

About the Author
Ed Sykes is a professional speaker, author, and leading expert in the areas of leadership, motivation, stress management, customer service, and team building. You can e-mail him at mailto:esykes@thesykesgrp.com, or call him at (757) 427-7032. Go to his web site, http://www.thesykesgrp.com, and signup for the newsletter, OnPoint.

Published At: www.Isnare.comPermanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=72246&ca=Career
Got a question about this article? Ask the community!

Monday, August 25, 2008

Techniques Necessary To Be Successful In An Interview

1. Ensure that your Resume/CV is properly prepared and according to format.

2. Be Sure you have the qualifications for the chosen job.

3. Ensure you choose the right job of which you can prove capable if short listed.

4. Make sure the experience to back up your paper qualifications is there.

5. Apply for the job within the time frame or before deadline.

6. Supply current and working contact address, phone numbers, email address.

7. Check your inbox for telephone messages or mails.

8. Check your post office box or your Private Mail Box for letter of Interviews.

9. Check your email inbox for messages or mails.

10. If you are short listed consider the following and comply

a. Dress properly for the Interview
b. When you are invited by the Interviewers to the panel, do not sit down until you
are told to do so.
c. When you are asked questions do not be two quick to answer nor two slow to
reply the questions because the answers you give are the basis of your judgment.
d. When speaking mind your vocabularies and expressions. They all matter
e. Do not frown your face when you are asked questions you can not answer.

When you are asked "How much you are expecting" consider what is the best to keep you on the job and to make you happy to do your work . Remunerations or salaries these days are competitive depending on your power of bargain. Do not say, I did not tell you.

HOW TO BEHAVE WHEN YOU HAVE ACTUALLY SUCCEEDED IN THE INTERVIEW

When you are on the jobs try as much as possible to put in your best.

Be punctual to work.

Enroll in management courses and other self-developing courses to improve yourself and to bring out the potentials in you.

If possible in the office where you work try to learn other schedules of duties and master possibly every schedules available in the company. This will place you in a vantage possible than others.

Be cheerful always even in the face of trouble.

Be respectful and polite to all even to the junior staff.

Offer to help other as much as you possibly can. Remember, "A good turn deserves another". The help you render today may bring a wonder returns to you in the near future.

Do not be selfish and greedy.

But be content for what you are rightfully given.

Do not join bad groups to do even but keep away from the cheats.

Enroll for further studies to improve your paper qualifications in order to remain on top.

Watch out for next edition

Written By Nyong Udoh
For more information about available current jobs Click Here

Good Job Interview Questions

Good job interview questions are the most indispensable and significant component of any job interview. You need to remain focused on the questions you pose. In addition to this you must ensure that you obtain the desired answers from these questions. Initially, to achieve this you must build a good rapport with the aspirant. Remember that you are the questioner and you will obtain the answers according to the type of questions you pose. Also significant is how and at what point in the interview you ask different questions. The overall outcome of the interview depends on these factors. Always listen to an answer carefully before asking the next question.

The best job interview questions are posed in increasing order of importance.
At the beginning you should ask general informative questions such as,
"How would you describe yourself?",
"What are your long term and short term aspirations and objectives?",
"Where do you see yourself five years from now?",
"Have you made any plans for achieving your career goals?",
"What are your expectations regarding salary five years from now?" and so on.
Next, you may ask some of the tricky questions including, for example,
"Why did you choose this profession?",
"According to your colleagues,
what are your strengths and weaknesses?",
"What are the benefits you expect from your career?" and so on.

As you advance to the next level of the interview, your questions should be more specific and you must be such that they test the talent and expertise of the aspirant. Take your time in asking these questions. You must manipulate your questions according to the answers given by the aspirant.
Some excellent questions can give you what you are searching for immediately. Examples of these questions are as follows: "How would you assess your capability to deal with disputes",
"Why should I consider employing you?" and "What credentials do you have that will make you successful in this occupation?".
Then you could possibly ask "What do you think it would require to be successful in our organization?",
"Do you consider yourself as a leader?",
"Which in your opinion is more important:
creativeness or efficiency and why?", "What do you know about our competition?". You must ask whatever type of questions you consider necessary.
From these questions, you will be able to ascertain the aspirant's nature, skills and other capabilities.

At the conclusion of the interview, you should ask appropriate questions from which you can assess the person's ability to work successfully in your group or team. Some examples of these questions are as follows: "Have you ever been dismissed or asked to resign from a company?", "What would your previous supervisor have to say regarding your job performance?", "How well do you perform under pressure?".
It may be possible to ask questions about future work, for example, "How will you motivate your colleagues?", "How will you plan to obtain higher positions in this company?", "How you will relate your work experience with the work you are given in this company?" and so on. First-rate questions are a key factor to a successful interview. Along with these questions, you must be able to highlight the important points you obtain from the answers given by the aspirant. This will assist you in making the final decision when choosing the successful aspirant for your company.
Visit Job Interview find advice on every aspect of job interviews particularly the thank you letter job interview

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Zenith Bank PLC Architect job and Career Opportunity in Nigeria


Zenith Bank PLC of Nigeria seeks the services of a self motivated, seasoned and experienced personnel for the position of Senior Architect.

Job Summary:
The successful candidate will co-ordinate, supervise and provide management / architectural services on major building projects.

Requirements: A good university degree in Architecture Msc in Construction/Project Management would be an advantage Minimum of 10 years post NYSC experience. Membership of ARCON or similar professional body would be an advantage Proficient in AutoCAD, Microsoft projects and other standard Microsoft office applications Good knowledge of contract administration procedure Creative with good eye for detail

Suitably qualified candidates should forward their curriculum vitae not later than September 2, 2008 to: Plot 84, Ajose Adeogun Street, Victoria Island, LagosAll applications should be marked "ARC/ODS" at the top right corner of the Envelope. ZENITH BANK PLC

Zenith Bank Plc is one of the largest and most profitable banks (post consolidation) in Nigeria with total assets plus contingents of over N714.5 billion as at 30 June 2006.
Zenith Bank Plc recently declared a profit before tax of N50.28 billion for the financial year ended June 30, 2008, showing an impressive 96 per cent jump over the N25.67 billion recorded last year.
Closing Date: August 28, 2008.