By : Michael Kinsman
If you’re like most people, you probably “happened” into your first job. Very few of us actually choose our initial employment wisely. And, there’s nothing wrong with that, as long as you realized why you were working at that job and what you could get out of it.
The trouble comes when we stay too long in that job, or get promoted in an industry that might not be our first choice. You can be seduced into a situation that isn’t in your best interests and, in a matter of months, what seemed like a good idea at the time can head south.
Plotting a Course
That means that no matter what job or what career you start out in, you have to have some sort of game plan if you are going to wind up doing the work you want in the employment situation that will most satisfy you. It’s rare that someone lets himself be swept along by events in his life and finds meaningful work.
It’s a message that Robert J. McGovern wants to share with the rest of the world. McGovern, the founder of CareerBuilder.com and author of Bring Your ‘A’ Game, believes the first ten years of your career are very important for determining how successful you will be in your profession and how high up the corporate ladder you will climb.
Stumbling blocks can occur early in our careers, and McGovern says we’ve got to be aware of them.
“In most organizations, there are far more people getting passed over than getting ahead,” he notes. “They come to work every day and they pour their hearts into their work, but others are receiving the promotions, bonuses and accolades.”
Most promotions usually come down to one of two leading contenders, even though there may be 30 or 40 people doing the same job.
McGovern compares the in-house promotion to shopping for a used car: This one has lousy paint, this one looks like it’s been driven hard, this one is dented and noisy. Ah, this one is in mint condition and ready for a promotion.
The others get left behind.
The real tragedy in this is that your manager might not have enough patience, concern or courage to tell you why you failed to get the promotion. Most supervisors fail to address the flaws we have, so we have little chance of fixing them.
If you are consistently losing out on promotions, McGovern suggests you take stock of your current situation. If your current position is starting to feel like a career job, you probably are at that threshold that will require a jump-start.
When important meetings take place and you’re left out, it’s probably a sign that your career is stalled. Or, if you’ve lost one or more jobs and don’t understand why, it’s probably a sign that you need a nudge.
Candid Criticism
“One of the challenges we have is that we don’t have the ability to see ourselves as we go through life,” McGovern believes. “The view out our eyes is different from the one seen by others.”
For that reason, he suggests each of us look for someone who can give us a candid assessment of our skills and what things are standing in the way of winning that promotion when it comes up.
Ideally, that would come from a supervisor or co-worker who is most in tune with how we approach our jobs. Or, it could come from an outside consultant who understands workplace dynamics.
But we need to discover those things in some manner, or we’ll find ourselves locked out of the best assignments, best jobs and best career opportunities.
If you never realize this, you will undermine your chances for career success. Just consider it a basic duty of self-awareness.
Job Vacancy , Indonesia Job , Job Indonesia
If you’re like most people, you probably “happened” into your first job. Very few of us actually choose our initial employment wisely. And, there’s nothing wrong with that, as long as you realized why you were working at that job and what you could get out of it.
The trouble comes when we stay too long in that job, or get promoted in an industry that might not be our first choice. You can be seduced into a situation that isn’t in your best interests and, in a matter of months, what seemed like a good idea at the time can head south.
Plotting a Course
That means that no matter what job or what career you start out in, you have to have some sort of game plan if you are going to wind up doing the work you want in the employment situation that will most satisfy you. It’s rare that someone lets himself be swept along by events in his life and finds meaningful work.
It’s a message that Robert J. McGovern wants to share with the rest of the world. McGovern, the founder of CareerBuilder.com and author of Bring Your ‘A’ Game, believes the first ten years of your career are very important for determining how successful you will be in your profession and how high up the corporate ladder you will climb.
Stumbling blocks can occur early in our careers, and McGovern says we’ve got to be aware of them.
“In most organizations, there are far more people getting passed over than getting ahead,” he notes. “They come to work every day and they pour their hearts into their work, but others are receiving the promotions, bonuses and accolades.”
Most promotions usually come down to one of two leading contenders, even though there may be 30 or 40 people doing the same job.
McGovern compares the in-house promotion to shopping for a used car: This one has lousy paint, this one looks like it’s been driven hard, this one is dented and noisy. Ah, this one is in mint condition and ready for a promotion.
The others get left behind.
The real tragedy in this is that your manager might not have enough patience, concern or courage to tell you why you failed to get the promotion. Most supervisors fail to address the flaws we have, so we have little chance of fixing them.
If you are consistently losing out on promotions, McGovern suggests you take stock of your current situation. If your current position is starting to feel like a career job, you probably are at that threshold that will require a jump-start.
When important meetings take place and you’re left out, it’s probably a sign that your career is stalled. Or, if you’ve lost one or more jobs and don’t understand why, it’s probably a sign that you need a nudge.
Candid Criticism
“One of the challenges we have is that we don’t have the ability to see ourselves as we go through life,” McGovern believes. “The view out our eyes is different from the one seen by others.”
For that reason, he suggests each of us look for someone who can give us a candid assessment of our skills and what things are standing in the way of winning that promotion when it comes up.
Ideally, that would come from a supervisor or co-worker who is most in tune with how we approach our jobs. Or, it could come from an outside consultant who understands workplace dynamics.
But we need to discover those things in some manner, or we’ll find ourselves locked out of the best assignments, best jobs and best career opportunities.
If you never realize this, you will undermine your chances for career success. Just consider it a basic duty of self-awareness.
Job Vacancy , Indonesia Job , Job Indonesia
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