The Game of Chutes and Ladders in the Workforce

Climbing the rungs of the workforce ladder can be an extremely difficult action. Other employees are always trying to throw you off the ladder or beat you to a top spot. Ensuring yourself safety on a rung is a daily task to make sure you don’t go plummeting down a chute anytime soon. So how can you move up the ladder and get ahead in your job? I’ve compiled some ideas on how you can be a constant winner in this daily game.

1. Volunteer! I know you don’t want to work on weekends or stay late at work, but if your employer needs someone to complete a last minute assignment why not be the first to raise your hand. Going the extra mile shows that you’re dedicated to the employer’s goals and that you value the company.
2. Be a team player. You can do every assignment yourself, but if you don’t work well with others you are never going to get ahead. You need to work together and cooperate to see the business and yourself grow.
3. This is my favorite idea – learn on the job. If you want a higher position watch those people higher on the ladder and learn what they do. My friend was a sales assistant at a local television station and she spent all her downtime and breaks watching the producers at the station. Lo and behold, two years later she was hired as a producer. Learn from others at your company!
4. Let your boss or supervisor know when you are ready to move on. Tell them your goals and explain how you want to stay with the company but you are ready to contribute more at work. If there aren’t any positions available keep checking back with them so they keep you at the top of their list when a job position is available.
5. Make yourself a vital part of the company. Try to learn everything from working the fax machine to making coffee in the break room. Take the time to listen to coworkers if they are having problems or just want to talk about their weekend. Work hard and play well with others. People will recognize you as the go-to person when they need advice, have paper jammed in the copier, or just need to vent.

Following these steps can help you climb to the top of the ladder at your job. Work hard, get your face seen around the office, make friends and have your boss know you are vying for a top spot. Have those chutes be a faint memory!

The Next Great Protégé

A mentor can be a vital person to have in your life. Whether a coach, tutor, coworker or listener, a mentor can offer wisdom, advice, contacts and their experience to you. A mentor is there to tell you what to need to hear, not what you want to hear. The right mentor can take you far in your career path if you are able to listen and absorb the insight from an experienced source. Aristotle mentored Alexander the Great and he became one of the most successful military commanders in history. Have you found your Aristotle in the workplace? Do you understand the value other people hold in helping you shape and assess your career? Here are some reasons why mentors can boost your success at work.

Hands down, mentors are great at listening and giving advice. If you can find someone in your field that has either been where you are or is at the top of their industry then it is crucial that you confide in them and use them as a mentor. If you choose a mentor who has values that you respect then it is easier to form a relationship and take their guidance. They will be able to help you focus on other parts of the job that are more important then power and money. Having a mentor who appreciates the importance of living by strongly held values can help you develop good habits in making job choices and conquering the fear and anxiety of the workplace. Furthermore, mentors are neutral listeners who can help you weigh your pros and cons. They can walk you through different scenarios or give you personal examples of how they thrived in their industry. So take the time to listen!

Most importantly, a mentor can help you network and gain connections within your industry. Becoming close with others in your field is a great way to learn more about your industry and get your face shown to people that matter. The person who agrees to mentor you is most likely successful in their industry and has had numerous experiences that led him or her to the top. Take advantage of your connection with them and use that to launch your career. Don’t name drop like crazy but learn to network to the best of your ability.

With the help of a mentor you will be able to gain confidence in your field, grow to where you want to be, assess your goals and listen to experienced advice. Find someone you connect with and become the next Alexander the Great of your trade.

Pre-Interview Blues

You’re in the car in your pressed suit and jacket. You’ve got a copy of your resume, your portfolio, a coffee to fight the fatigue and a shaking steering wheel due to shaking hands. Your nerves are shot, you might regurgitate all the coffee you downed and you’re so nervous you can’t even think straight. Welcome to the pre-interview blues.

The fact that you’re this nervous makes you even more nervous. So, what can you do? Firstly, take a deep breath—no one wants to interview a corpse. Secondly, and this really works, think about all the positives in your life. Everything that’s going really great for you right now. This will at least bring a smile to your face, if nothing else. But really think about the things that make you happy.

Next, focus on what you’re really good at. Think about the characteristics that make you you, and the ones that make you good at what you do. For example, are you a great listener which gives you the ability to read between the lines and start on a project before it’s even handed to you? Do you have to best memory ever and therefore able to handle attention to detail diligently? Try to think of anything, small or large, that you’re good at.

Conjuring up all the positive things in your life will calm you down, and you’ll exude self-confidence. Psyching yourself up for the interview will not only put you in a better mood but will also serve as a last minute practice opportunity to remind yourself of how awesome you are.

Turn Unemployment into Dream Catching

Lately, the job market has been down. Jobs are not being created and thousands of people are getting laid-off. It’s not a good situation for anyone looking for work. And, in times like these, I would normally give advice about how to go about finding some. But it’s really all about timing and dumb luck. If you’re in the right place at the right time or if you know someone who knows someone, then maybe you’ll find something worthwhile.

So I’m going to try a different approach. Instead of telling you to use this time to go back to school or refresh your résumé, I want you to instead, start dreaming. Picture how you always wanted your life to be. Now that you have that in your head, go out and get it. Since you’re unemployed at the moment anyway, why not use this time to try and live your dream? You can guilt-freely try to start your own business or make it in Hollywood. It’s not like you’re losing valuable work hours…

Please be realistic when doing so. If you can’t afford to pay your bills, then by all means score a part time job to at least supplement your income. But instead of spending your time sitting on the couch, waiting for an interview, take this time to work toward the goals you set for yourself when you were five. It may be unrealistic, but what else are you doing?

Then, years from now, you can look back on your life and feel good in the fact that you went after your dreams. And who knows, maybe it will become a booming success. Then you’ll never have to work again; or worry about not working.

Make A Recruitment Agency Work for You

You may have tried to use an employment recruiter in the past with little to no luck. You registered, and filled out the forms, and may have even interviewed with a recruiter, but then you didn’t hear anything back.

You’d been told all about the “tons” of opportunities they’d be able to connect you with, only to be seemingly forgotten about as days, then weeks, then months went past.

Don’t worry, it’s nothing you did. It’s just how some recruitment agencies operate.

There are lots of different ways to find jobs. Most people go for the “more is better” approach and wallpaper job boards, recruiters, and the like with their resumes, hoping upon hope that just one person somewhere will want litlle ol’ them.

Other people, the people who get the best results, mind you, will research the recruiter industry, call around, ask some friends, and find the best agency to suit their needs before starting the recruitment process with a carefully chosen agency.

These people have the right idea!

Just like any industry, there are the goodies and the baddies. The goodies will give you personalized service. They have specialists at every step of the recruitment process to help match you to the best job for your skills and experience. The baddies seem to just be resume collectors on auto-pilot, only matching the easy jobs to the easiest candidates, never hiring for more than the most remedial of jobs.

To play or not to play…

Office politics is a fixture in any work environment. You cannot change it out like you can the pens in your desk drawer. You must decide if you want to play and how you want to play. And, just so we’re clear, “not” playing is still playing, just not as conspicuous.

With that said, it’s all in how you play the game. Now in ordinary situations, my motto is if you’re going to do something, then really do it. But when it comes to games like this, you have to be extremely careful. There are lines you have to be careful in crossing— very thin ones. The friends you have in your social circle at work are nice, yes, but remember that they are also vying against you for any kind of advancement that might come your-all’s way.

And you never know who is playing or how they’re playing. It’s called office politics for a reason. People can be sneaky, cunning and play downright dirtily sometimes. It’s almost like getting voted off the island, except that you’re not getting voted off of anything. But similarly, you never know what is going to work in your favor or against you.

One minute, a co-worker might appreciate the constructive criticism and the next, be thinking of a way to take over your position. If they are chums with the boss, then look out! But should you risk the quality of your departments work just because you’re afraid of a scandal mongrel? It’s dangerous territory either way but a decision that you definitely need to make. You need to decide how you want to play, because like I said, whether or not you want to play, you’re still in the game.

Are You Wearing the Required Amount of Flair?

If you’ve ever seen the movie Office Space then you know about the “pieces of flair” that employees at the Bennigan’s-esque restaurant must wear. The manager is always coming down on Joanna for not wearing enough flair and for only showcasing the minimum amount. For those of you flair-ignorant people, flair refers to tacky buttons that the employees wear on their ties. The manager always asks, “Well, don’t you want to express yourself?” So this leads me to wonder if we as employees are bringing enough flair to the workplace. Are we expressing ourselves to the best of our ability?

I know that sometimes we all get bogged down in our work and taking the time to socialize or “express ourselves” to other employees is even more work. Having the required flair is a full time job on top of the full time job we already have. Ugh. But you know what? The amount of flair you have matters!

Your attitude, how much you participate, the smile you flash other employees in the hallway and taking the time to make friends with your coworkers are all very important to your career. Sure it is easy to spend the whole day cooped up in your cubicle not socializing or even joining other employees for lunch, but how far will that really get you? Involving yourself in socialization and group activities around the office shows that you care about those you work with and that the company is important to you. Showing off your personality is what will win people over when it is time for a promotion or pay raise. Coworkers and bosses will take notice of those employees who always have a smile on their face and who take the time to involve themselves with all aspects of the company.

Maybe you need to evaluate yourself in the workplace and see how much of a team player you really are. Are you expressing yourself to the fullest or are you only wearing the minimum amount of flair?

How to be a Job Fair Sensation

In order to tackle job fairs you need to understand the 3 stages: before, during, and after the job fair. You can’t just walk in, talk to some companies, and peace out. It doesn’t work that way. Let’s break this down.

Before you get there
Find a list of participating employers who will be at the job fair. Usually you can find this online or in a newspaper. Find the ones you are interested in and research those companies. By targeting 10 specific companies you want to talk to, you save time and energy at the job fair. Can you imagine walking around to hundreds of booths? What a waste of time! Narrow your search, do your research, and practice what you will say to the employers. Approaching employers can be intimidating. Try and think of a few conversation starters and practice talking about your skills and qualifications. Finally, make copies of your resume. Keep your resume to one page, print a bunch of copies, and put them in a folder where they won’t get wrinkled or torn.

Once you are there
Talk to employers and recruiters but be mindful of their time. They probably talk to hundreds of people a day and their time is precious. Don’t monopolize it. Sense when you have overstayed your welcome and when it is time to move on. Secondly, network with other job seekers. Be friendly with the zoo-like crowd that encircles you. You never know what kind of networking you can do with what you perceive to be the average Joe Schmo.

When you get home
Take the time to write thank you notes to the employers that you were the most interested in or gave you the most time. Even if you have their contact information and you just shoot them a quick e-mail, it really makes a great impression. Doing this little act of kindness will put you miles ahead of your competition in the long run. If you ran out of time and missed a few booths send your resume to some of those employers. It never hurts to attach a little note about how you are interested in their company and really wanted to meet with a recruiter at the fair.

Just remember to stay in touch with everyone you met and network like crazy!