It does not take much to work out that the workplace and our careers have changed, from our skills to how we collaborate to the technologies we use. Recent news suggests that roughly half of Australian jobs will be potentially affected by automation and technology change in the near future. Here are five skills to start building now to future proof your career and maintain your employ-ability. Read more
Hiring managers who search for leaders look for a very simple signal to decide if they have found the right candidate or not. Read more
Are you looking to hire better staff? Do you see your business asa Smart Brand? Are you tired of Millennials and Hipsters? If you haven’t been living under a rock, you should know that Yuccies are now the most sought after employees and tonnes of smart companies and Start Ups are looking to hire them.
What’s a YUCCIE you may ask and how can you spot this new talent so you can hire a YUCCIE employee? Let me explain. Read more
Are you Fnishing up the year as a job hunter, or are you feeling ready to make a career change in the New Year? I know… it may seem a little early to think about it, but are you ready to say goodbye to 2015? Was it a good year for you? Don’t stress it. It will soon be a thing of the past. Why don’t you start early this time to set a plan for your personal growth in the New Year?
The first event is December 14 2015 in Sydney with 100 FREE seats for TJSC blog readers.
We all know one of those guys who is all talk, no action. Don’t be one of them. Anybody can start projects, but it’s your mission for 2016 to actually finish something.
You will be known as a finisher, the one who gets things done and makes things happen. A closer. A killer.
If you have a ‘to do list’ longer than 10 items, you’ll need to work late to get it all done, or become more realistic when you create your list. Learn to understand what the priorities are and focus on those. Decide what actions you can take and finish that will have the greatest short term impact, you should be able to count your must-do priorities on one hand.
Improve and master your job. Understand how your position can deliver great value to the business and to your boss. Don’t wait to be told how to do this.
Know the details, the costs, the ROI… No, forget ROI! Real workers deliver ROE = Return on Everything. Seriously! 2016 is your year, so know the results of your work.
Most of the time, your boss is your biggest asset, and maybe your biggest liability. But you can deal with both by focusing on the right attitude and behaviour for 2016. It is the one and only thing you can control, so bring your best to work every day.
Start the new year by understanding what your boss needs from your position. Why does your job exist? What does the business need from your position? The best time to get a casual chat in with your boss is now (try the Christmas party for starters).
If your boss doesn’t want to talk about it, then you need to figure this out for yourself. If you need to, ask your boss to explain to you why, fundamentally, your position exists. This is your baseline.
Start by truly delivering on what your boss needs from you. Chances are however that your boss is expecting more, but is too busy to talk to you in depth. He or she may be trying not to overwhelm you with too much.
That’s the ‘2016 Opportunity’ for you: don’t wait to be told what to do. Make the next year work for both of you.
You must know about some things that need to get done in your department, but that aren’t getting done. Just do it. If your boss doesn’t want you to do it, he or she will tell you. But if your boss would like it done and didn’t ask for it–well then you are on the road to being of great value in the new year!
Set achievable tasks and goals and regularly celebrate them. Toot your own horn! Most managers can’t keep track of everything you’re doing for the business. But 2016 is the year for you to make absolutely certain your boss knows what you’re accomplishing. (I am serious!)
Make a regular list of the noteworthy things you have completed and write this as a message or email to your boss (just in bullet points!). If you have a regular meeting time with your boss, ask for permission to start with your list.
Don’t wait for the question, “What are you working on?”… If that question pops in 2016, you, my friend, have a BIG problem. Make sure that your managers never wonder what you are doing.
You can fill your boss’s head with positive thinking if you set a goal every week or fortnight and tell your boss what it is. If he or she wants your focus elsewhere, then you have just advanced your understanding of his or her priorities.
This is my personal favourite, and it’s so often done wrong. Who do you ask, your co-workers? No, you ask your boss. If you spend too much time helping your co-workers, your boss is most likely going to ask you why you aren’t focused on your own work – unless of course, your department is full of duds.
It is your job to knock your boss out with great work. If you have lots of time to help co-workers, then you may not understand your job or you may need to ask yourself why your job isn’t keeping you busy (see points 2, 3 and 4).
There’s a good chance that your boss knows more than you do, at least about significant aspects of the business. I know it’s hard to accept for some, and it also sometimes seems like a stretch, but just accept that your boss has a lot to teach you.
If you have a good boss this won’t be a problem, as there will be lots that you can learn, and if he or she is not well-suited for the role, well, I still want you to accept them as your superior.
Suck it up – but be positive and bright! You see, if you have a weak boss, you have a great opportunity to help them. Become a genuine asset to them. Help them succeed.
You could gain a new friend, maybe discover something new about your Manager and if you’re good without being sneaky and narky, your boss’s superiors will notice. If they don’t, you should probably find a new place to work or learn how to toot your own horn a bit more (see point 5).
You don’t have to be overly creative to visualise your own success. It’s the sort of thing people do each time they buy a lotto ticket. But the difference is that you are in charge – it is not a ‘luck’ situation.
Sounds weird or a bit too flaky? I assure you, it’s a powerful action you can take to achieve your goals. Visualise it first – close your eyes and see your boss congratulating you on your great work. Hear your manager saying “Thank you.” Hear your peers saying “Congratulations!” Feel yourself shaking their hands or that clap on your shoulder or the toast to your health when you raise the glass to celebrate an achievement.
Why not visualise yourself at this time next year saying to a friend, “2016 was a great year!”
You do have written goals for your life, don’t you? Did you also write your top five ‘make a difference’ goals for your year at work? This is the age of contribution, value and ‘sharing’. I suggest that you consider doing something that truly makes a difference, and preferably a difference to someone else. Volunteering or Pro Bono work could be a start for that – you don’t have to do much, but I know from years of doing both that you will grow and improve your life.
I also know from personal experience, that you will improve your chances to celebrate, if you set small and achievable goals instead of big long term projects. You will enjoy the work more when you celebrate the small successes. People like to be around positive achievers, so in 2016 be patient, be positive and stay focused on the progress you’re making.
On that note, take a break! Enjoy the Festive Season and prepare yourself early for 2016 – whether you’re job hunting from scratch or thinking about a new career for a New Year. And, when you go out there remember to hunt wisely!
Uli
There are first interviews, second interviews, phone, Skype, Google hangout interviews, lunch interviews, and group panel interviews and informal interviews.But all of these sessions have a purposes and most even have some kind of “best practices.” Read more
The conundrum when giving job hunting or career advice is the fact that there is no one size fits all solution. But nearly every client we meet starts with the general “so … what should I do?” question. It could be advice for someone looking for a job, trying to get a promotion, changing careers or for someone who likes their job but who wants to move up. Here’s 17 job search tips that work for everyone Read more
When you see one of those cool Smart Cars, what comes to your mind? Most likely the carmakers cool design, but more often the catchy brand proposition: “Keep it Simple – Reduce to the Max.” Mercedes has changed the way we consume cars and made us think differently about cool concept driving. Do what they do – have a brand promise: a personal brand to get the next cool job. Read more
I recently attended a dinner with friends in Melbourne. Some of the guys at the dinner table were Start Up professionals. We started sharing our most recent experiences in the Start Up world and talked about ‘how to properly hire Start Up employees’, a topic that rekindled our dislike for recruiters and their general uselessness. Read more
Many Australian and New Zealand Startup’s search for “B” talent instead of “A” talent simply because the job market has been very tight for a number of years. The common view among Start Ups is they can’t realistically expect to fill their company with “A” talent, and so many Start Ups all over the world bring on the “B” talent and get to work. Read more
For any millennial, and the Gen Y’s just ahead of them, landing your very first job is a typical right of passage. Cue the casual weekend job down at the local supermarket stacking shelves, ripping tickets at a cinema, or selling jeans to your mates at the local shopping centre. Read more
