CareerMysteries

Cannot believe it is already time to dig out the holiday decorations, but I love this time of year.  It is a perfect time to reflect on all the accomplishments from the year and if you did not get to do all the stuff you wanted to do, time to make a plan for 2010.  As I take out the lovely angels and santas from my past, I can’t help but think of my parents.

 My Mom loved Christmas as much as any kid.  She loved to hear that the snow was coming and watched the weather reports each day for signs of winter.  My grandmother, Ma, always seemed to hear the very worst weather report in existence and her snow totals were always a few more inches than anyone else had heard.  Funny enough, she was often right on target with her predictions.  How I miss my Mom and Dad and Ma at this time of year.  We had so much joy spending the holidays together and really appreciated every minute of it. 

 God Bless my readers and their families.  May you appreciate what wonderful love you have for each other at this time of year and take nothing for granted.  Safety, health and prosperity are my wishes for you in the New Year.  Thanks for your friendship and love. 

Therese

 Ms. Therese wants to wish you and your family a very healthy and happy Thanksgiving.  Feel free to send along your career questions and thoughts to her for response on this blog.  With the state of the economy on the improving side, the jobs scenario for 2010 looks much more hopeful than it was in the current year. 

Jobs in the service sectors in particular will be strong and healthcare professionals will continue to be greatly in need.  Manufacturing continues to decline in the northeast and the midwest but is rebounding a bit in the southern states.  High tech and high tech skills will be sought after as the new year progresses and earning a new degree, even on a part time basis is the best stategy for long range income growth.

 As Black Friday looms, retail sales will be better than they were last year, but only moderately so.  So enjoy the shopping, the bustle of the holidays and watch the retail sales closely for the best prices.  Have a safe, happy, healthy and wealthy holiday season and new year.  Remember that all your career mysteries are solved by Ms. Therese.  Cheers!

Back by popular demand:

Here it is already, time to do another self-appraisal.  This time, do it right.  

Generally speaking, the self-appraisal is a way for the supervisor to pull together relevant data on work accomplishments for the prior year (saving him some time). Approaching this process with a constructive attitude is vital to an effective result. Here are some points to remember -

The primary purpose of the performance appraisal is to mold employee behavior. For most employees, this means a good deal of positive reinforcement of those things they are doing well on the job.

A good system will also provide honest feedback on at least one or two areas of potential development for the future, often in the form of goals.  The act of requesting the employee’s direct assistance by way of completing a self-appraisal has a twofold purpose. It allows the supervisor to gather the detailed information and documentation on annual accomplishments for each person. But more fundamentally, it allows the person being reviewed to feel at least some measure of personal influence over the review process itself.

This makes the job more personal and a significant part of your self-concept. 

 And have a terrific and inspired day.

You can do it.  You can break the chains that bind you to a desk and a job that you hate.  Now is the time to get your resume updated, brush up your wardrobe and find an interview practice buddy to give you some valuable feedback on how you come across in the interview setting.  Any suggestions you can get, don’t take them as a personal affront.  Take them in the right spirit.  Someone is trying to help you be better and get the job you were meant to have, not the one you are stuck with now. 

I have been in several careers over the course of time including marketing manager, HR director, sales person, fundraiser, store manager among several others.  I am now a writer and I love what I do.  I work any hour of the day or night, when I feel the creative urge, and think I am doing my best work ever. 

Do your best work ever with the right career choice.  Break the old patterns and those imaginary chains.  You can thank me later. 

Remember 

by Therese Haberman 

Sadness in the corner of your eye

 Saw phantoms of madmen

Airspace intruders

Diving druids of death.

Heroes prevail

Rebuilding the psyche

Of the new city

Wounds heal one vision at a time. 

Years whispering by

Rush hours and crosswords

September looms as

Souls rise from the darkness. 

Rebirth spreading the promise

Of a newborn beginning

Those who were lost

March on in the deeds

Of our collective goodwill. 

As long as we remember.

Everyone has a special talent or skill that is unique to their own personality.  Some people are great with using their hands and making beautiful handcrafted items.  Others are fantastic with math and can teach others how to learn to be more proficient in math skills.

Still others are creative artists, writers or performers.  You owe it to yourself to find out what your true niche is.  Yes, you may have more than one, but there is one that would be most suitable to your skills, intelligence and your interests because you get so much satisfaction from the work.

If you have not found your niche yet and you are an adult, you may benefit from working with a career coach or a guidance specialist who can give you some tests to help narrow down the possibilities.  Find the right fit for yourself and you will be much happier in work and in life.

 Making the hiring decisions for a company is a big responsibility.  Before embarking on this for the first time, you need to research the process, develop job specific criteria, a job description, salary range and a firm idea of what traits, knowledge and experience you are looking for.  From that information, you can develop a qualifications brief that includes the number of years of experience needed in a particular field or position, the educational background required and any certifications or technical expertise.

Some of the key things you want to remember is that you only want to inquire about job specific info.  That means you have no business talking about family, babysitting needs or the like.  If a candidate offers info that is not pertinent to the job, do not pursue a line of questioning in that direction.  Go back to your prepared list of questions and continue with the interview.

Ask the same questions of each applicant to be fair.  Though you will find that depending on the responses, the conversation may go in different directions during each interview.  That is fine.  Evaluate the candidates based on their qualifications, applicable traits, and interview impressions, as these pertain to the job.  Then, hire the best candidate for the job.

What is it with guys who seem to be oblivious to how to shake hands with a woman?  It is no different than shaking hands with a man.  In an interview, I once had a guy try to kiss my hand, unsuccessfully.  That was interesting.

Just reach out with a warm smile and a moderately firm grip and shake briefly,  then let go.  Don’t kiss anything or attempt to hug the person unless it is a purely social situation.  Then, you are on your own.

Whatever you do, don’t feebly inch forth with a limp, damp appendage and half-heartedly shake the end of the woman’s fingers.  That would not be a good start to a meeting or interview. She will remember you, but not the way you want her to remember you.

Is it time for you to make a career change?  Do you envy your friends for having found jobs that they love to do and people who enjoy waking up in the morning because they get to go to work?  Maybe it is time for you to consider a career change.  It really doesn’t make any difference how old you are or what your background might be now, you can always take the first few steps toward finding the career that you were meant to have in your life. 

At some point, you will know it is time to make a change, though this does not mean you must leave your current employer.  Consider other positions internally before you even start looking elsewhere. Talk to your HR department about the possibilities, but just inquire, don’t threaten to leave or put all your cards on the table until you are ready to do so.The saddest thing to me, as an HR executive, is to see someone wasting away mentally in a job they hate.  Often times, they feel locked in because they know they can’t make as much money anywhere else.  If this sounds like you, why not consider retraining or going back to school to try something better or more interesting?  Staying in a dead end job hurts you in every way.  The stress of this could cause you to develop diseases that might not have set in, under different circumstances.

So put yourself out there and change your career.  It really doesn’t matter if your 50, 75 or older.  Remember Ms. Therese’s favorite saying, “IT IS NEVER TOO LATE TO BECOME THE PERSON YOU MIGHT HAVE BEEN.”