Do Administrative Assistants Need to Network?

By : Danielle Gibbings

What matters most to you typically comes from your values. This is true in your personal life as well as your work. People who value relationships, for instance, often have lots of friends and choose to work in socially-connected environments or as part of a team. Others who value autonomy and adventure generally prefer to work alone, in remote areas or in niche professions where they call the shots.

Knowing what matters to you and what you need in your work, such as time with others or time alone, goes a long way to helping you choose what type of work and working conditions make you happiest, and best able to bring your talents and skills to the task at hand.

The challenge for many of us, however, is this: we are in careers, jobs or professions that don't feel like a choice - we simply ended up here. A friend who gets us an interview where they work; an entry-level job evolves into something we don't particularly enjoy but the money is good; we get comfortable doing something for years and lose our self-confidence, believing we are unable to do anything else. All of this spells one thing: boredom, dissatisfaction or burn out. We need a change... A new job, or better yet, a new career... but where to start?

Typically, many people start looking for new opportunities by perusing the classifieds, looking to find positions that could fit with a particular set of experiences, skills or competencies they have collected over the years. Resumes are updated and sent out, sometimes we are called for interviews and maybe we land the new job, which may or may not be better than the last one. If we are lucky, we're happy. If not, the cycle starts again.

Another strategy is to network: get to know people in your field, make sure they have your business card or phone number and stay in touch with them, lest an opportunity come across their desks that fits with what you do. This strategy has potential as you have developed another source of job opportunities - jobs that are not advertised in any of the usual places. This still involves sending out resumes, and going through the recruitment cycle and again, may get you the dream job, or may not.

In my experience as a Career Transition Coach, the best strategy is to start with the end in mind. If you want to be happy in your work, then start with knowing what makes you happy. Your values will tell you this. Take the time to really understand your values; ask yourself what is really important to you, what makes you feel alive and engaged? Is it work-life balance, so you have time with your family? Is it a strong feeling to make a difference in the lives of other people? Is it about learning and trying new things? Is it about being creative, bringing new ideas to life?

When you begin with your values, you have a head start on everyone else scanning the job ads. First of all, you start with self-awareness, and in really knowing yourself, you set yourself up to make choices that align with who you are. Secondly, with your values clearly articulated, you now have a set of criteria to use in vetting potential job or career opportunities - and you have something to tell your network so they will know which opportunities to send (and not send) your way. Finally, you are looking for work based on who you are as well as what you do. This alone will help you find and keep the kind of work that brings out your best qualities.

Many people say life is short. Yes, it is... but it is also deep. Getting to that depth starts with delving into what is most important to you and using your gifts, talents and capabilities to make a contribution to the world based on your unique set of attributes. Start your job search or career transition with an exploration of your values and you will likely find your life - at work and everywhere else - more satisfying than you imagined possible.

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Career Transition - What to Do Before You Even Think About Updating Your Resume

By : Lisa Schmidt Winsor

What matters most to you typically comes from your values. This is true in your personal life as well as your work. People who value relationships, for instance, often have lots of friends and choose to work in socially-connected environments or as part of a team. Others who value autonomy and adventure generally prefer to work alone, in remote areas or in niche professions where they call the shots.

Knowing what matters to you and what you need in your work, such as time with others or time alone, goes a long way to helping you choose what type of work and working conditions make you happiest, and best able to bring your talents and skills to the task at hand.

The challenge for many of us, however, is this: we are in careers, jobs or professions that don't feel like a choice - we simply ended up here. A friend who gets us an interview where they work; an entry-level job evolves into something we don't particularly enjoy but the money is good; we get comfortable doing something for years and lose our self-confidence, believing we are unable to do anything else. All of this spells one thing: boredom, dissatisfaction or burn out. We need a change... A new job, or better yet, a new career... but where to start?

Typically, many people start looking for new opportunities by perusing the classifieds, looking to find positions that could fit with a particular set of experiences, skills or competencies they have collected over the years. Resumes are updated and sent out, sometimes we are called for interviews and maybe we land the new job, which may or may not be better than the last one. If we are lucky, we're happy. If not, the cycle starts again.

Another strategy is to network: get to know people in your field, make sure they have your business card or phone number and stay in touch with them, lest an opportunity come across their desks that fits with what you do. This strategy has potential as you have developed another source of job opportunities - jobs that are not advertised in any of the usual places. This still involves sending out resumes, and going through the recruitment cycle and again, may get you the dream job, or may not.

In my experience as a Career Transition Coach, the best strategy is to start with the end in mind. If you want to be happy in your work, then start with knowing what makes you happy. Your values will tell you this. Take the time to really understand your values; ask yourself what is really important to you, what makes you feel alive and engaged? Is it work-life balance, so you have time with your family? Is it a strong feeling to make a difference in the lives of other people? Is it about learning and trying new things? Is it about being creative, bringing new ideas to life?

When you begin with your values, you have a head start on everyone else scanning the job ads. First of all, you start with self-awareness, and in really knowing yourself, you set yourself up to make choices that align with who you are. Secondly, with your values clearly articulated, you now have a set of criteria to use in vetting potential job or career opportunities - and you have something to tell your network so they will know which opportunities to send (and not send) your way. Finally, you are looking for work based on who you are as well as what you do. This alone will help you find and keep the kind of work that brings out your best qualities.

Many people say life is short. Yes, it is... but it is also deep. Getting to that depth starts with delving into what is most important to you and using your gifts, talents and capabilities to make a contribution to the world based on your unique set of attributes. Start your job search or career transition with an exploration of your values and you will likely find your life - at work and everywhere else - more satisfying than you imagined possible.

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Project Management Certification - Programs That Work

By : Rafael Tassini

In order to successfully succeed in project management, you must be thoroughly trained. Project management is not the type of skill that is to be taken lightly. Project managers handle an important part of any business that can cost the company a lot of money if they aren't done properly. This means that specifications must be adhered to, deadlines must be met, and communication must be fluid at all times. As manager you must make sure the project team works together in order to make this happen. This certification will get you started so that you can be successful along this career path.

How can you find a project management certification program that works? When looking for the right program for you, it is always best to consider the educator's reputation. Would you really train with a school that is reported to have more complaints than successes on record? Are the alumni of the school satisfied? Are they proud to have graduated from the school? Did the experience and education make their lives richer? Schools usually have testimonials from their students. Look them over carefully to get a good idea of what kind of experience you'll have while attending classes.

Perhaps you find yourself too busy to take your certification classes in a traditional school. Does the school you want to attend have long distance learning for your program? This doesn't necessarily mean that you have to do your classes online either. While this is popular, especially among project management certification programs, there are other ways to do distance learning. Perhaps your school can send you books you need or lectures you'll need to hear on DVD or some other format. The more flexible your learning experience is, the better your program will work for you.

There are other things to consider as well. Who are your instructors? Are they experienced in project management? What are their credentials? Learning from someone more experienced than you in your field is the only way to truly learn your trade. You'll not only learn what to expect, but what is expected of you as well. A good project management certification program won't just teach you the basics. It will go in depth, teaching you terminology, practices, and project management standards. You'll become familiar with your responsibilities, and how to handle them. A good certification program will give you all the knowledge you'll need to succeed in the business world.

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Tips For Finding Your Best Business Success Mentor

By : Jeffrey T Clark

Many people go into business using only gut-feel to make their way through the intricacies of running a commercial venture. While this has worked in the past and has even produced some winners and successes, it's not always a guarantee. More factors come into play, such as the viability of the business, the quality of the product, pricing, marketing strategy and business direction. To improve their chances of enjoying business success, many people turn to a mentor for guidance. Do you need one? Here are tips you can use to help you in finding the best mentor for your success:

Determine your business goals

Think carefully about what your business is and what you want it to become in the future. Be detailed if you can and don't just throw in generalizations such as, 'I want a successful business' or 'I want my business to make money'. Know what you truly want to achieve and what your short-term and long-term goals are.

Consider the strong and weak points of your business. If you see these clearly, it will be easier to find the best mentor to guide the growth of your business.

Look for someone who has the expertise in the field or industry you want to excel in

This will increase your chances of learning the right kind of skills and knowledge to help you thrive in your chosen business. If your business is in IT or Internet marketing, you might not maximize your learning with someone who is heavily into the retail or construction industry. Their experience and knowledge may be irrelevant or insufficient to be of any use to you.

Have a good idea about what you wish to achieve from a mentoring relationship

Identify your purpose/s and desired results. The best mentor for you fully understands your needs vis-à-vis your capability and willingness. If it's clear to him what you hope to achieve, you can eliminate the possibility of confusion regarding your expectations and his role as your guide.

Identify the most probable sources of your mentor

It's possible that the best mentor for your business is one that is already familiar with your business. Try to identify possible advisers from members of your business association, management team or even business acquaintances whose success and experience in their own ventures you admire. You may also consider a business owner with an excellent track record in the same industry.

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How Do You Handle Your Boss Who is Acting As a Bully?

By : Dr. Joseline Edward

Recently on a social blog, a female IT professional mentioned her boss' behavior. She mentioned that her boss was snooping and spying his direct reports also he forced her to work for long hours every day without remuneration under threat of dismissal. Besides she was threatened in front of others. I was really shocked to see the manager behavior.

At some point of time in our career, most us have faced or may face these kinds of bosses. A study by the Employment Law Alliance was reported in CIO magazine reveals that almost half of all employees have been targeted by a bullying boss at some point of time in their career. The detailed result shows that 81 percent of bullies are managers; among, 50 percent of bullies are women managers and 50 percent are men managers; 84 percent of targets are women; 82 percent of targets ultimately lost their job; 95 percent of bullying is witnessed. They cause high turnover rates, reduced productivity and increased employee absences which are bad for an organization.

In general most of us would like to have a good working relationship with our superiors, but what if our bosses are impossible to work with? I would like to suggest three-step-process to handle such situations.

Step 1: In general we can classify bullying managers into two categories. The first category managers do not bully intentionally, they do it by mistake. On the other hand, the second category managers do this intentionally. The managers who come under the first category can be educated to correct their behavior. The victim can have a one-to-one session with the bullying manager to explain how his or her actions hurt the individual both personally and professionally, this would help to change their behavior. A boss who was bullying his subordinates without intentions would most likely understand the situation and would correct his behavior.

Step2: Your boss is continued to behave as he or she was. In this situation, you can approach your Human Resource (HR) department for assistance. You need to keep all evidence to answer questions from HR. Most likely the HR team would help you. Besides, you can try to find a job within a company with some other departments if you really like the company and wanted to stick with the company to develop your career.

Step 3: Now, let us assume that the HR department was not able to help you, your boss continues to behave as he or she was. Besides, you are not able to find a suitable position within the company. What is the best approach for you now? I would suggest you to need find a good job and quit the company. If the company was not able to retain good employees like you, let them bear the burden. It is not a loss for you, Instead, a loss for the company.

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Demonstrating Your Return on Investment in Training

By : Vincent Stevenson

What do we have to do to convince our boss that further training will be a real enhancement to the business?

For those of us who have been in training for a long time, there is a simple formula which when delivered to the boss, makes it difficult for him or her to resist.

It's called Kirkpatrick's evaluation model for training. Donald L Kirkpatrick was a professor at University Of Wisconsin when he published his series of articles in the Journal of American Society of Training Directors in 1959. A training phenomena was born.

Kirkpatrick's training evaluation model uses four levels which are:

Level 1: the reaction of student - how they enjoyed the training experience and felt about it afterward.

Level 2: learning - the measurable hightening of core skills and business flexibility.

Level 3: behaviour - extent of behaviour and capability improvement and implementation/application.

Level 4: results - the effects on the business or environment resulting from the trainee's performance.

All these measures are recommended for full and meaningful evaluation of learning in organizations, although their application broadly increases in complexity, and usually cost, through the levels from level 1-4.

Think back to your last course? Examine Kirkpatrick's four levels and then look for evidence which is demonstrable to your boss, this evidence must persuade him that more spending on your training will have proven benefits.

Your manager needs to know that your recent training courses have had an impact on you as an individual, as well as demonstrating a significant return on investment to the department. So, it's our job to remind him of your phenomenal learning skills.

Remind him of how the last course went: 'It was a brilliant course; the trainer was fantastic, the facilities first class and all of the support staff were really switched on. It was a great experience.

Now move on to level 2: I learnt how to do spreadsheets, calculations, and functions and I became so much more productive as a team member. I am preparing myself to produce even more advanced work.

It's going well - now move on to level 3: My previous training has really made a difference to the team. I am more skilled and productive and now I'm working to develop the skills of less experienced staff when they have a problem. When I wake up in the morning, I jump out of bed because I'm so excited about the work and the professional progress that I'm making.

And now level 4 - what are the distinguishing results of the training? Well at my last appraisal I was told that my productivity has risen by 30% and my error rate has significantly been reduced. I am currently utilising my professional skills in helping less experienced colleagues and I intend to run a voluntary training session in the coming months.

If it's possible to persuade the boss that every cent of expenditure on your continuous professional development will return an amazing return on investment, you are surprisingly closer to that confirmatory signature.

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Hotel Management - Is Hotel Management a New Line of Business?

By : Owais Siddiqui

The hotel management business is getting really popular nowadays. When a hotel has good and organized staff, it makes a good impression on the customers. The time has changed greatly now and the chain of hotels keep on expanding. So there are ample job opportunities available for people who have done hotel management courses. They can either do full time jobs or part time. In part time jobs the salary given is comparatively lower than the full time jobs.

If you have good managerial skills, have great interest in this field and can communicate with people easily; then hotel management would be the most suitable job for you. Generally the tasks assigned to the hotel managers include receiving customers at the reception with diligence, carefully handling the reservations, housekeeping, planning and organizing events at the hotel and also handling the operations on food and beverages. Apart from being so much organized hotel managers are also supposed to be creative and analytic so that they work to maximize the profits, understanding the problems deeply and finding solutions quickly. This way they will get promotions and good salary. It you desire to have all these qualities then you should definitely study hotel management courses.

When you become a manager in a hotel, there are lot things which become dependent on you and you have to handle your responsibilities very cautiously. Of course you will make some mistakes in the beginning of your career but it would be really appreciable that you learn from those mistakes and be extra careful. Like you have to take care of your clients and see if they are satisfied with the arrangements, food and availability of different resources. Besides other responsibilities a manager in a hotel should also keep a watch on the security level of the hotels to maximize the safety of the people inside the hotel. Your main task is to attract more and more customers. If your performance is good you will also get bonuses added with your salary.

These tasks may sound too difficult to handle, but in reality they will make your life better. These are the steps which should be taken by everyone to improve their lives but they are so reluctant to do so and then face a lot of problems. So all in all, hotel management will also teach you to become more organized and it will be very helpful to lead a good life.

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