When I Grow Up I Want To Be…?

When you were five years old you wanted to be a ballerina or an astronaut (or maybe even a dinosaur but you quickly learned that wasn’t possible). Then you got to high school and you wanted to be a lawyer or doctor because that’s what your parents do. Now you are in college or recently graduated and you are so confused! Well don’t settle for that cashier position at your local Taco Bell just yet. Summer is here and it’s time to hone in on your career path!

Before you waste your time career jumping and running a big fat Sharpie through job choices, think about a summer job or internship in a field that interests you. By doing this you can have six weeks of learning and reflecting on a job that you thought would be perfect and might be a horrible match instead. I recently completed an internship at a television station on the production side and after a month I realized that it was not for me at all. I took that opportunity to talk to the production manager and ask him if I could shadow other departments at the station such as programming and promotion. Before jetting out of a place too fast make sure there is nothing else within the company that interests you.

A summer job or internship can give you guidance in your journey for the perfect career. Take this time to talk to professionals, network and shadow those who are experienced in their line of work. Searching for your lifetime profession is exhausting and is usually accomplished by trial and error. If your eyes glaze over working at a lawyer’s office then move on to something else. Don’t get stuck, don’t limit yourself, and don’t think you have to be confined to what you went to school for. Have an open mind and start exploring job possibilities.

Beat Procrastination Before It Beats You

We have all experienced the evil that is procrastination. The type of procrastination that makes you chat with co-workers for hours on end about anything but work (gossipy conversations about American Idol sound familiar?). Anything in order to avoid that looming work assignment. But how do we combat this evil? How do we motivate ourselves to rid the procrastination before it costs us our job? Well it’s like starting a new diet because you have bad eating habits. Bottom line is that you make the wrong choices. You have bad habits when it comes to making decisions and it may be affecting your performance in the workplace.

Try considering the buddy system. Yes, I am talking about having a buddy like you had in kindergarten for when you walked to the cafeteria. The point is that you shouldn’t try to conquer procrastination alone. See if you can do an assignment at work with someone or schedule specific times that you must work because you can’t reschedule. If you can find someone at work to constantly push you and work with you then you won’t feel so defeated by procrastination.

Reflect on your lifestyle and make sure nothing is a mistake. If you job or your home life is making you depressed then maybe you made a mistake with your choices. Maybe your procrastination at work is signaling you that you went down the wrong career path. If procrastination has always been a part of your nature then that’s fine, but seriously consider if you hate what you do. You could be faking your detestation for your job by heaping on the procrastination.

You have to realize that some things you love to do, some things you are good at doing, and some things should be left for your co-workers to do. Ask yourself if the assignment even needs to be done at all and then ask yourself if it needs to be done by you. See if you can delegate instead of procrastinate. If you can throw all of your passion and creativity into an assignment then the results will be brilliant. If you know that you are going to procrastinate and that you just aren’t a good fit for a certain task then ask to have someone else work on it instead.

Don’t try to hide procrastination in the workplace. You don’t need it to be the invisible elephant in the room when you can do something about it. Have a friend or co-worker help you, change your lifestyle, and delegate assignments. And don’t forget to reward yourself! If you finish something three days before its due instead of the night before then give yourself a pat on the back or eat that illicit chocolate chunk of cake. Make the necessary changes and don't let procrastination get the best of you!

Show and Tell

Recently, my company advertised an open position on one of the major job boards. This position was not one that required an exuberant amount of education or experience. A basic background in sales would have done the trick. Because of the broad requirements, we received a ridiculous amount of résumés; 400 to be exact.

How does one go about sorting through 400 résumés you ask? Well thankfully we have the ability to turn to our on-site staffing department. Many employers, however, don’t have the same resources and therefore must take time out of their day to do just that: find the perfect candidate out of a pool of hundreds.

You need to make the effort to have your résumé and cover letter stand out as much as possible. I know I am not the first one to let you in on this little secret. But it is a good point to reiterate: be creative, be unique and sell yourself.

Case in point: a good friend of mine is graphic designer. Many designers bring a short portfolio to their interviews. Portfolios are great interview tools but to make sure she was even scheduled an interview she created a virtual résumé website. She designed the entire page and attached a link to it in her résumé and cover letter. She showed them her work without even speaking to them and the best part? She not only got an interview, she got the job.

Of course if you don’t write code, creating a virtual résumé is a little bit more difficult. And for some positions, such as administrative or clerical, it is harder to demonstrate your skills. Here’s an idea that can work for any job you are applying for: create a chart that reflects and compares the abilities the employer is looking for with your own expertise. If you have performance reviews from your previous positions don’t be afraid to send clips of those as well.

Anything you can do to set yourself apart from the vast majority of job seekers is a plus. A good rule of thumb for job hunting? Don’t just tell ‘em, show ‘em!

The Ugly Side of Office Romances

Most work places have a strict policy about dating coworkers. There are numerous problems that can arise from having a relationship with someone you are supposed to be working with on a daily basis. Here are some things to consider before you jump into the cyclone that mixes work and dating.

First of all, it can interfere with your work. When you are dating a coworker you will be consumed by that person instead of your work. You will try to sneak off together or find time to meet in the break room. You will spend your time flirting instead of working. If you happen to break up with this person then you will spend your time avoiding him or her. The situation might jeopardize your work because you might have to be relocated in order to not work with that person or see them every day.

Secondly, can we say favoritism? If you are dating someone either a notch above or below you on the work ladder then favoritism will definitely arise. You could unfairly rise in the work ladder or be put on a special assignment that you don’t qualify for. Your coworkers will resent you if you or the person you are dating is unjustly receiving preferential treatment in the office.

The worst circumstance that could arise is sexual harassment. This is usually due to a breakup and harsh feelings towards the person you were dating. Your ex could cry sexual harassment just to be vindictive and this could ultimately threaten your job.

Just be careful with combining work and pleasure. Dating at work can be extremely uncomfortable when mixing your personal and professional life. Remember that coworkers will gossip and create animosity towards you if they think what you are doing is hindering your work. It is best to respect your company’s policy on dating and avoid any relationships other than friendship at work. Remember that this is your job, your career and your future. Take pride in what you do and try to find your soul mate in your off hours.

How baby boomers can work for you

There are 303,882,247 people in America. 76 million of them are baby boomers. Now, not all of them will retire. And not all of them will retire at the same time. But most of their jobs will be up for grabs. What does this mean for you? Fewer workers equals more job openings, which in turn, means more opportunities for you. And there are many things you can do to ensure yourself one of them.

The “skill gap” or “knowledge gap” will become a huge issue for every industry that currently employs baby boomers (which is all of them). A great idea is to learn as much as you can about the industry you’re interested in, how it works, tricks of the trade. Get a baby boomer mentor if you can. The skills and knowledge you retain will ultimately be to your advantage when the retirement frenzy begins.

When their top-level employees retire, companies will start to hire more from within than outside for replacements. Why? They are losing a good percentage of workers and they already know their current staff is capable. The talent pool is getting smaller and smaller, so if you can get a foot in the door of the industry you want to be in, that’s as good of an idea as any. Even if it’s just for a little while; it should pay off in the end.

If you do get an interview, something to bring up is the fact they will assuredly lose some percentage of their employees due to retirement. Mention that you are a quick learner and would love to train for the job while those employees are still there. This would counter the loss of productivity and add to the efficiency in which new hires can fully take over.

The baby boomers in America are reaching retirement age. This fact ultimately leads to the formerly high unemployment level starting to decline. So look up - better times are ahead for everyone.

The Positive Side of Office Romances

Not all office romances have to go sour. You just have to know how to maintain a good relationship with your significant other, coworkers and boss. It’s a juggling act that may be well worth it to you if you find that special person. Making your relationship work in an office of judgmental and chatty coworkers is a test to see if your career and personal life can coexist in the office.

The best thing you can do with an office romance is to conduct yourself in a formal, professional and efficient manner in the workplace. Make sure that when you are at work that you actually work. It is a professional environment and you need to save squabbles, drama, baby talk and flirting for your off hours. No one wants to see PDA when they are trying to finish an assignment.

Make sure you talk with your fellow coworker and significant other about how you are going to act towards each other at work. Agree to keep it strictly platonic at the office and save the kisses and hand holding for another time. As long as you are both on the same page then there should be no drama in the workplace.

For the sake of your relationship don’t bring work home! In order for your relationship to thrive you need to discuss other things besides work. Talking about a meeting from that day at work is no substitute for pillow talk. Learn to separate your personal life and your professional life. Talking about work all the time will lead to headaches and arguments.

Office romances can work as long as you take the time to set boundaries. Make sure everyone at work is comfortable with the situation and they can come to you if they have a problem. You can let Cupid enter the workplace as long as you understand that you are still there to get a job done.

“I haven’t had my coffee yet” and Other Excuses for Grogginess

Now let me set this up for you; I’m not a small-talker. I don’t like to make small talk to random strangers that I’ll presumably never see again. And even worse than small talk, I dislike silly little clichéd phrases, like “Well, the early bird gets the worm”. That said, can’t we all put cream and sugar into our coffee in silence? Apparently not, because those words actually came out of my mouth one day.

Over the condiments table, I had an early morning chit chat with this guy about how early it was. And that’s when I said it, the dreaded “Yeah, I haven’t had my coffee yet.” Dun Dun Dun…

So the point is, that coffee really does start to muddle your brain when you haven’t had it yet. And if you are one of those people that need their coffee, I might have a solution. In the morning, instead of sleeping in until the last possible second and trying to condense all of your morning activities, try getting up a half hour earlier. Yes, I said earlier.

Here’s why. Sometimes our bodies need to get a running start, especially in those first morning hours. This means that all of that groggy, slow time before we’ve had our coffee needs to happen at home, and you need the time to do that. By gaining this extra time, you can make a little something to eat and relax. You’ll be calm and ready for the day. It also means that you won’t be in a rush on your way to work.

When you finally do get in to the office you wouldn’t have felt pressured to have gotten there by nine, and you’ll be in a far better mood. Then, because you ate, you’ll jump right into the work for the day and you’ll be surprised at how much and how fast you get things done. Your productivity will soar. By the time you look up, it could be lunch time!