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Cosmic Coaching Centre
Corporate & Individual Career Solutions for Mid-Level Professionals & Executives
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The way that technology has
transformed the workplace
does not only place a
premium on the technical
skills of employees, but it also
puts to test their individual
interpersonal skills. In
contrast to what many
expect, these interpersonal
skills are more highlighted
and showcased as the
technology used in a company
becomes more advanced. The same is true for the
opposite – those people who lack the important
interpersonal skills become more subject to the
criticism of a bigger audience simply because the
modern technological tools being used in businesses
these days actually lead to more frequent exchange of
information. This just goes to show that both these
skills are essential considerations for an individual
who desires career advancement.
In the past, the requirements set by employers when
hiring personnel are mainly based on the educational
background and experience of jobapplicants. These
days, however, there have been so many changes in
the way a job seeker is assessed for qualification. As
mentioned earlier, technology is now an important
aspect of the success of many workplaces. Thus, it is
becoming more and more important for an employee
toacquire certain technical skills that would be
applied to the job being desired.
However, no matter how big a consideration is given
to the technical skills of an individual, the
interpersonal skills he or she has remain something
that cannot be taken for granted. As a matter of fact,
one research revealed more people lose their jobs for
the reason that they find it hard to get along with
others, and not just because they are not technical
savvy.
If you are just about to start submitting job
applications, please know that companies are still
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very likely to select new hires based on how they use
their writing to show who they are and what they do.
It is vital also that a job seeker properly presents
himself personally. Aside from these, employers also
judge job applicants based on how they analyze
various style of working, how they deal with
ambiguity and difficult questions and how they
approach different work scenarios.
In today’s workplace, everything is all about great
and effective communication. Furthermore,
administrative personnel typically serve as the
means of communications within the organization.
And most of these administrative professionals
prefer those who have strong communication skills
rather than those who only have great technical
skills. The bottom line here is that if you are looking
for career advancement, you will have to try harder
not just to improve your technical abilities, but also
to enhance your personal traits and interpersonal
skills.
Do you
occasionally get
that feeling of
being “stuck” in a
place where you
just don’t seem to
know what is
getting in your
way? This is
actually what many mid-level professionals are
experiencing in their careers and workplace. If the
same thing is happening to you, then you should
learn about these techniques and actions that can get
the gears of your career moving when they seem
hopelessly stuck in neutral:
1. Look within yourself. With total honesty,
analyze whether your own life-goals are still a
good match with the values and objectives of
your organization or company. There is no
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point in working for someone whose goals
and values are conflicting with yours.
2. Analyze Your Goals and Ideals. If your goals
and ideals are going in a very different
direction, ask yourself “If I were in another
organization, what would I be doing
differently? Is it possible to incorporate this
vision into my current job?” This way, you
will know to yourself that what you are doing
right now is still according to your own life
goals. If it is, then it would make sense for you
to stay right where you are. Otherwise, it may
be time for a change.
3. Monitor the Way You Spend Your Time.
Over 1-2 weeks, take something with you
(notebook or electronic device) to record
your major activities. Ask yourself “Ideally,
how would I structure my time to accomplish
my responsibilities, and stay in touch with my
“vision” for how I contribute to this
organization?”
4. Avoid Getting Overwhelmed. The next time
you are stressed out by how much you need
to do, make a list of all the things you need to
accomplish. You should then take 15 minutes
to do the simplest things on your list that do
not require much time to complete. Take the
next 35 minutes to focus on tougher tasks
without interruption. Remember to take 10minute breaks before you start the process
again.
5. Create a visual one-page performance plan.
To successfully run your team, it is important
that you make it clear to yourself and your
subordinates the purpose and goals of your
department and of the organization or
company. This will ensure that you are all on
the same page. Spend time with key
executives. Set a regular time every other
week to meet with your own managing
executive to review your team’s progress and
ask questions about future directions.
6. Touch base frequently with your team. Take
a few minutes to ask “How are you doing?;
how are things going?.” Hear them out and
not just listen to what they say.
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7. Conduct effective meetings or problemsolving sessions. Have an agenda. State a
time frame for the meeting and stick to it. Ask
that participants come prepared to discuss
the topics on the agenda and keep your team
focused to effectively use your time.
8. Become a “lifelong learner”. Personal and
Professional Development is a choice. You
may feel that you have no time to participate
in further development – but there are many
ways you can be better in what you do in less
time. You should take advantage of certain
materials, such as books, audio programs,
seminars, a class or a professional association
meeting. They can save you months of hard
work as you learn new and faster ways of
achieving your goals.
9. Cultivate a Total Plan that Moves You from
“Stuck” to “Thriving”. An effective way to
acquire a totally new perspective is to use a
few personal hours to visit an area where you
can do some volunteer work that is totally
different from your usual activities. What you
may discover can enliven your personal and
professional life in unpredictable ways.
Career pathways is a
valuable program that
is designed to help
students get ready for
a certain career that
they are interested in.
Through the use of
brochures, planners,
and presentations,
children are made to choose a specific career from
different career fields or clusters. They also go
through different levels to help them determine
which career path they should pursue.
As a working individual, there are benefits that you
may also gain from using a career pathway. As a
matter of fact, you need to have or design your own
pathway if you want to promote your own career
growth by making yourself qualified for several jobs
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within your pathway. Don’t get too overwhelmed by
this because through adequate planning, a lot of
initiative and some luck, you will surely be able to
control your career and the direction it may be
heading to.
where your potential can take you. As you
decide later on whether to stay or leave, you
will realize how important career pathways
can really be for any employee like you.
Here is what you should do:
1. Compare your own accomplishments, skills
and education with those people with jobs
similar to yours. Take down all your
educational credentials, work achievements,
and set of job skills. Through this information,
your may create a baseline for tracking your
career development.
2. Rate your skills, credentials and
achievements by again comparing yourself to
others in the same field. If it is clear to you
that your performance is way better than
those around you, this could mean you are
ready to apply for higher positions.
3. Once you have figured out what job you will
pursue, widen your options by identifying
other available positions based on your
qualifications. This will give you a better
chance to see what other opportunities are
out there that you may consider or try out.
4. Never stop exploring and discovering other
jobs that can be linked to your
accomplishments, skills and background. You
should always look at these jobs as a possible
stepping stone for your own career.
5. As you take note of all the other positions in
your career pathway, you should also note
down the additional education and
experience that you will have to acquire in
order to be qualified for the position. As you
identify all the necessary developments or
improvements that you have to make, you
will also have made a sort of checklist of all
the additional skills or competencies you
have acquired.
6. If you think your career will only end in the
company you are currently employed in, then
there is no reason for you to stick with it. You
may start seeking jobs with various
employers so that you may have an idea of
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