Sunday, October 3, 2010

Five Principles For Any Employee

Getting a job after several years of schooling gives some anxious moments to everyone!

It is a time when you are on your own and want to lead your life your own way without any strings attached.......

There are three major aspects in life :

1. Childhood
2. Adult life
3. Old age

There are however some transition periods like there is teenage between childhood and adult life in which period you develop your strengths - physical and mental. You play games and study for a job or a career. Depending on the profession you choose or plan you choose the area of education. Nehru said, " Education is what one forgets what one has learnt at school". It does not mean you immediately wipe out what you learnt. One has to develop one's own learning.

Learning Curve

A learning curve is 'S'-shaped. There is a lag phase, a growth phase, a stationary phase and a decay phase. In the lag phase you take your time to grasp, understand and apply the rudiments of knowledge imparted or learnt. The time period of lag phase varies from person to person. The growth phase is the period where you learn faster than before that is there is acceleration. In the stationary phase, you reach stagnancy since you are saturated either due to educational limitations or you are an expert by that time. Decay phase may overtake you either due to old age or due to out-dated knowledge.

You enjoy your life if you are lucky in the pre-adulthood phase of life when your mother takes care of you showering love and affection and father takes care of your educational needs and career planning. There those who have to struggle ( and there are plenty of them) to overcome emotional and economic problems to achieve their aims and objectives.

On getting a job

One day you get a job! You are thrilled. You do not have to ask your dad for money, you can buy what you want, you can have fun as you wish. There is a lurking suspicion somewhere. Whether I will be able to work to the satisfaction of the boss, what kind of work will be there, and actually what will I be supposed to do ?

What is an organisation?

First of all, one has to have an idea of an organisation or a company or a firm. The very word organisation implies a 'structure'. There is a hierarchy or a pyramid of people. There is a base, a mid- section and a pointed top. If one starts at the base, he is at the lowest level where all low-level jobs have to be carried out. If one joins at the mid-section, he has a base at the bottom and a top above him. The top-level or senior management plans, reviews and controls the over-all objectives of a company. The mid-section or middle management has to get the objectives planned by the top-management through the involvement of the base-level employees or their supervisors. The middle management has to clearly understand the plans and perceptions of the top management and the problems and limitations of the base-level to achieve success. Alongside one must also know whether one is in line management or staff management.

Line Manager

A line manager is directly in the line of command whereas a staff manager is one branch of line management. A line manager has better chance of promotion since he can go to the next higher level by virtue of a promotion in a vacancy. A staff manager has fewer chances of rising up the ladder. A line manager grows more by virtue of his years of experience though he may be doing the same job again and again, year after year!

Staff Manager

A staff manager can grow only by aquiring up to date knowledge and skills and by looking for better paying jobs. One should identify on joining a job whether he is a line manager or a staff manager. In a big organisation, even staff management can have its own line management but limited up to the main line where it is an off-shoot.

Career Visions

In the course of a job, one must realise quickly enough whether one is just doing a job for livelihood or for a career. When three bricklayers were asked what they were doing, each replied differently. One said he was earning his livelihood, the other said he was perfecting the art of bricklaying whereas the third fellow said he was building a castle. They are respectively the ordinary worker, the skilled worker and the manager, says Peter Drucker. Thus a profession can be looked at in one's own perception. Fundamentally, one who enjoys his job can achieve greater heights. If you want to be a successful manager, each and every nuance of work should be done with full focus and with dedication.

Emotional Quotient

In the beginning, very few job-seekers or fresh recruits realise that employee life is worse than student life. One has to have a high emotional quotient to tolerate the behaviour of colleagues at the workplace. There are those who are planning to out-wit you without your knowledge, there are those who are otherwise good but ineffective, there are those who at your very sight curse you under their breath, there are those who paint a dismal picture of the organisation on your very first day of joining and so on. Yet there are some good people too. There are those who want your help and company.

Five Golden Principles In Any Job

The first principle :

" Study the environment and the people for a reasonable time."

The second principle :

" Do not get tempted to comment or make statements."

The third principle :

" Do not be in a hurry to please your boss ."

The fourth principle :

" Do not enter into political discussions ."

The fifth principle :

" Study your boss carefully remembering the golden adage - the boss is always right!"

Ethics and Morality

In the long run, one should try to maintain ethical standards in a job. Ultimately, everything boils down to one's character. One has to be true, sincere, honest, hard-working, dedicated, principled and caring if one wants to be a successful manager. Remember, in an organisation you are what you are perceived to be! You cannot believe in something and appear to be somebody else - certainly, not in the long run. Be sure. Gandhian principles merit consideration in every walk of life.

Then you must plan for your finances. Work out a plan - when you want to get married, when you want to raise a family ( and what size!), where you want to be locationally and career-wise, standard of life you plan to maintain, assets you wish to build - fixed and current, your responsibilities, disaster management plan, savings for the future etc.

Above All

Above all, one should never land oneself in unnecessary problems. It is always better to maintain integrity. Do not be greedy or get misled by quick-money ventures. Take your time to study, analyse and discuss any investment and its associated risks. Do not fall into traps just because your friend has taken up something. Be safe and sure. Live by truth and self-control. Never be avengeful or nurture evil thoughts. Whenever you get angry or upset with someone, adopt "silence with a smile". If you wish you can tell politely but be ready to hear similarly!

In the long run, try to make up as best as and as fast as you can. Nobody has come to live permanently on this planet....

Earn A Degree Online To Become An Travel Agent

If you are a person who likes to travel and get to know the world, a career in traveling industries will combine your interest with a rewarding and challenging career. A degree that specialized for travel agent provides the required skills and knowledge that will enable you to move your career in this field. Did you know you can get a degree to become a travel agent from your comfort home through online education?

Most travel agents' positions required a minimum of high school diploma or an equivalent certification as the education qualification for the jobs. These certifications will enable you to hold a position such as a reservation and transportation ticket agent or travel clerk. If you have a related degree especially majoring in travel/tourism specialization, you will have a greater advantage to compete for a higher position with more rewarding income. When you have earned your degree and become a travel/tourism specialist, there are plenty of career options for you to choose for; you can choose to work for an airline, cruise line, resort hotel, be a tour guide or start your own travel agency.

There are many online degree programs that can prepare you for career in traveling field. One of the popular online schools that offers travel agent's degree program is The School of Penn Foster. With Penn Foster distance learning program, you will learn how to become a travel/tourism specialist, from your comfort home and at your own pace. The courses covered in this degree program are focused on the systems used in travel agency such as computerized reservation systems and various tour/vacation packages that include the key tourist destinations throughout the world. All these are the knowledge and skills required for your future career as a travel agent.

The key advantages of earning the degree online are flexibility that allows you plan your own learning schedule and convenient because you can logon to the online classes from anywhere you like. Online education can be a better option if you are a working individual who does not have a fixed working schedule or unable to go home on time, or need to travel frequently for job assignments; wherever you are, you still can logon to the school's online system to attend classes, download learning materials or upload completed assignments.

We know that having a related working experience and education qualification are the two important factors to achieve our career goal. By earning your degree online, you can choose to work at the traveling firm to gain your experience in this field while pursuing the travel agent's degree online. Working experience, required skills and knowledge can be obtained at the same time; these are among the benefits by getting your degree online.

!b>Summary

With online education, you can earn a degree that specialized for travel agents from your comfort home and at your own pace. An online travel agent degree will enables you to earn the required career credential for better career future and more rewarding earnings.

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Finding the Drive to Reach Your Dreams

Reaching your dreams takes plenty of hard work, and it can be difficult to find the energy to keep working toward them when things start to go wrong. Adversity and time can both take their toll on you, making you doubt whether your goals and dreams can actually be reached at all. There is a power inside of you, however, that you can unlock to give you the drive that you need to get past the rough spots; once you realize how to access this personal powerhouse of yours, you'll wonder why you ever had problems keeping your motivation and drive before.

Realizing What You Can Do
Before you can reach your dreams, you need to understand that there are limits to what you can do at one time. This doesn't mean that you should limit yourself, of course; it actually means the opposite, as once you know your limitations then you can learn how to overcome them. Consider the skills and talents that you have and which you have practiced and honed over the years. Even those skills which seem so commonplace to you… there are others in the world who have a need for those skills, and by providing them you may be able to start working your way from something so commonplace to other things that are much more specific (and much more in line with your dreams.)

Never Expecting More than You Can Do
Another important part of realizing what your limitations are is knowing when you would be crossing them so that you can avoid that situation. If you know in advance that you're not going to be able to handle a specific job or task, don't be afraid to try and get assistance as you need it. Many people don't like to admit their limitations or that they need help, but if you did the same then all that you would do is end up hurting yourself or hindering your dreams in the long run. It may require that you swallow your pride at first, but as you get used to working with others or getting additional assistance as you need it you'll realize that the "weakness" you thought you would display is actually a strength since now you can get the job done the right way.

Watching the Big Picture
One of the keys of being able to reach your dreams is to always be able to keep the big picture in mind. Never lose sight of your dreams or your major goals… that way you always know the end result that you're working towards. You will also know what milestones you need to reach to advance those goals and dreams, and from there you can begin looking at what it will take to reach those milestones. Even with your eyes on the final outcome, you can break it down easily in order to determine exactly what it is that you need to accomplish to advance your next goal, and over time these smaller goals will all work to advance the larger ones which are the stepping stones to your dreams themselves.

Reaching Deep Down Inside
There are times, however, when it seems that you've given everything that you have and that you're still going to fall short of the goals that you've set for yourself. That's when you should start reviewing all of the skills and talents that you've noted at various points, and begin really stopping to think about all that you've accomplished in working toward your dreams. Don't be afraid to get help if you need it, and don't try to take on more than you can handle… just keep working toward small goals, and when you start to see how it all ties together in the big picture you'll find the energy that you need. Your personal powerhouse will jump into action and you will begin to find the solutions that you need to reach those next milestones.

Let Your Dreams Lead You to a New Career

Everyone has dreams, but all too often they let these dreams fall to the wayside and end up wondering years later whatever happed to all of the dreams that they had when they were younger. This doesn't have to be the case, however; it's possible to not only hold on to your dreams but also to make them come true by letting them influence your life and your career choices. Instead of simply saying that they're nothing more than dreams, you can make a conscious decision to embrace those dreams and see them through to the end. Not only will you get to see your dreams become real, but you will find that by letting them influence the work that you do and the direction that your life takes you will be much more satisfied with your life's work in general.

Recognizing Your Dreams
In order to live your dreams and let them lead you to your dream career, you will first need to realize exactly what your dreams are. Take some time to consider the things that you want and what you would like to see come to pass in your life; these aren't the fanciful obsessions that you might get from time to time that will pass in a matter of days or weeks, but are instead the lifelong ambitions that you've held on to ever since you were introduced to the concept. Look into your heart, see what's really important to you and what you would like most of all to see happen in your life, and that is where you will find your dreams.

Relating Your Dreams to Your Work
When you start seriously thinking about your dreams and comparing them to your life as it is right now, you might wonder how you're ever going to be able to reach your dreams from the place that you are in life. Look at your job and the things that you do, and try and imagine what it would take in order to reach your dreams from this starting point. For some people this might be easy, and you might have been living out portions of your dreams without even realizing it for quite some time. You may notice that your volunteer work is what you love.

For others this could be a rather difficult task, however, since they may have taken the job that was needed at the time and then never really got a chance to start working toward their dreams again. Consider where in your career you are, and whether it's possible to get where you want to be within that same career path. If it's not, then you should start researching different career options until you find the one that will take you to your dreams and help you make them come true.

Using Your Work to Follow Your Dreams
When you can see yourself reaching your dreams from the career that you have, then it's time to start putting your energy into following your career path to the point where you can reach your dreams. Set goals for yourself and for your career, and keep trying after every setback until those goals are reached. It might not always be easy, but once you have the career that's right for you making it to your dreams will seem to be a natural progression.

Recognizing Your Skills and Abilities

Going out into the job market can be a frightening prospect, especially if you are trying to branch out in a different direction than the type of work you are used to doing. It can seem as though employers are only interested in those individuals who have experience with certain techniques or who have performed similar types of work previously; with a bit of research, however, you will quickly find that there are a number of opportunities available to you so long as you are able to present the skills necessary to do the job.

Unfortunately, many people sell themselves short when trying to list or describe the skills that they possess. If you can't be confident in your skill set and understand the skills that are transferable into new markets, then you'll have a much harder time convincing a potential employer that you're the right person for the job they're offering. This is where being able to identify your own skills and interests can help you to bridge the gap and show that you are more than qualified for the positions that you seek.

Identifying Your Developed Skills
The first thing that you need to do is start thinking about the different jobs that you've had in the past and the various skills that you've developed over the years. Even fairly menial jobs can pass on a variety of skills, including those skills which are highly sought after in the corporate world such as time and project management and even customer relations. The skills that you have were developed with time and hard work, so don't be quick to discount them. List the various skills that you've developed through work and other activities, making notes of any areas that you are particularly strong in. Managing a household or home business requires skills. If this is you, identify what skills you possess.

Finding Your Natural Talents and Abilities
Some things just come easier to certain people, and being able to identify your natural talents can help you to get ahead when trying to get the job of your dreams. Examine exactly what talents and natural abilities you have, and how long you've known that they just come easily to you; many employers are interested in having people with talent and who can do the work that they offer them without struggling to get it completed. Don't worry that it will sound like you're bragging to mention these talents and abilities… that's what interviews and applications are for, to enable employers to evaluate potential employees and determine which ones will be the best for the job. Having natural talent in certain areas and showing documented proof will help to qualify you as being one of the best.

Following Your Interests
When you begin looking for a job, make sure that you try and find potential employers who fall within some of your areas of interest even if you've never had employment in that area before. Often times employers will ask job candidates during an interview exactly why it is that they want to work for the company they've applied at; being able to say that you're genuinely interested in the work that they do and having enough knowledge about the field to back that statement up will help to show them that you'll likely be a diligent worker and that you won't become bored with the work and go off seeking another job. If you have developed skills or possess natural talents which support that area of interest, that's even more of a mark in your favor since you will not only be interested in the work but will also have at least some of the skills and abilities needed to do it. These are qualities that employers are always looking for, and they can help you to land the job even when you thought that you wouldn't be qualified enough.

9 Strategies to Create Personal Power for Unlimited Success

Creating genuine personal power can lead you to a level of success and adventure you may never have thought possible.

When faced with a challenging event, you want to be able to quickly tap into your inner strength. Rather than being put off course, you want to break through the iceberg - not let it sink you. Even after meeting a challenge, you still need to find a strategy that works for rebuilding or redirecting your personal power. Here are 9 strategies for creating personal power for unlimited success:

Exercise Your Power Muscles - Building the power within is no different from building larger, stronger biceps. It takes concentration, focus, dedication and discipline. If you stop going to the gym, your muscles atrophy. If you stop building your power muscles, you lose your sense of internal toughness. Each day do something that challenges you whether it's calling a new prospect, developing your marketing plan or writing a comprehensive report. Just like in anything, what seems hard at first becomes easy when you just do it.

Take Care of Yourself - Don't neglect any aspect of your being. Consciously choose to engage in activities that support your health and growth in all these areas: social, physical, emotional, spiritual and mental. We always find time for the things we really want to do. Now find time to do what you need to do. Think of the things you don't really want to do and keep putting off - like exercise. Just do it and then reward yourself with a massage, a glass of wine or a good book - or better yet, all three.

Acknowledge Your Successes - Remember the challenges you've already handled successfully. Acknowledging that you've faced and surmounted crises, disappointments and uninvited adventures will give you the confidence to meet the next new challenge. Take the time daily to acknowledge the power that you already have within.

Set Yourself Up for Success - Do small things that allow you to succeed. Each step you take, no matter how small, prepares you for the next bigger step. For example, make your sales pitch to a small business before you call on the bigger prospects.

Connect with Supportive Role Models - Seek out successful people who will support you in your journey. Model your behavior after their successful behavior. Detach from anyone who does not support you. If you can't detach physically, at least detach emotionally - don't give negative, unsupportive people the ability to undermine you.

Take Full Responsibility for Yourself - Acknowledge that you and you alone are the source of your success. Likewise, no one else is to blame when something goes wrong. Be accountable, learn from your mistakes and move on. This is one of the most profound and compelling rebuilding strategies you can do to bolster your inner strength. Look in the mirror and see a person who is strong - one responsible for her own destiny.

Live with Integrity and Honor - Being true to yourself and your highest values is vital to achieving a sense of personal power. Ask yourself these questions: Do I keep my word? Do I follow through on commitments I make? Are my actions based on honesty or deception and manipulation? Your goal is to stand before a mirror, look yourself in the eye and be proud of who you see.

Control Your Thoughts - Your thoughts do control your life. They affect your internal fortitude. As your most intimate companions on your journey, your thoughts can help you move ahead or they can hold you back. Pay attention to what you are thinking. Maybe it's time to change your mind-set - today is a great day to start!

Set Bold Goals - Put your goals in writing and assess your progress regularly. Above all, believe in your own innermost strength. Have faith in your journey. Remember that no matter where you are on the journey, the challenges are many, but the rewards are great.

Practice these 9 techniques regularly as you pursue your own journey to discover and build your own inner strength. Remember, it's like the song goes, "I've got the power!"

Do You Need an MBA Degree to Success in Your Career?

In part, an MBA definitely never guarantee for a successful career, but it may become the key contributor to achieve your career goal. You may choose to achieve your career success without thinking of an MBA, but if you want to grab the most opportunities that may open to you along your career path, then you might want to consider getting an MBA degree.

Many young professionals who have started their career with their undergraduate degree tend to shun pursuing a graduate degree or higher education beyond a bachelor degree. They think they have spent 4 to 5 years at college, and it's time to earn their way through their career, and going back to study for a graduate degree is a waste of time and money. Although it's true that a strong education background is only one of many contributing factors in a success career, it may become your key determination factor to successfully secure a career opportunity that you meet along your career path. Owning an MBA degree would prove to be an advantage especially if you are vying for high level position.

As job market becomes more and more competitive, any job opportunity opens out for suitable candidate, you will find many others are competing with you to grab the opportunity. What are your advantages over the others if you want to secure the job? For example, if an HR manager is interviewing a group of candidates to fill a vacancy for an executive position. If there are 2 candidates who are meeting the job requirements and one of them holds an MBA degree, who do you think the manager will short list one out these two? I believe 99% of the time, the hiring manger will prefer the one with an MBA degree.

If you hold an MBA degree, you have advantages to be promoted to a leadership or managerial position than other candidates. The MBA degree itself is your strongest prove that you are capable for the job position. The MBA is well known to have stiffer requirements and the students who successfully complete the MBA program are proven for their capability to be well-informed business decision makers while capable of taking calculated risks in their decision making. They will also be viewed as a forward-looking professional who are serious about their career growth.

Hence, you probably don't need an MBA degree to make a success career, but with an MBA, you are putting yourself at the best position to secure any career opportunity that comes to you. It may helps to achieve your career goal in the shortest path than those who have the same goal but without an MBA degree. In term of earning differences for a person with and without an MBA, a recent survey shows that CFOs who have MBA earned 50% more than those without the degree. The return on investment for an MBA certainly seems worthwhile.
 
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