Image Source: Brand Strategy Inisder
…And 2012 was a year filled with stories.
Breathtaking innovations like what Jeff Bezos did with Amazon.com and a couple other innovations happened in their numbers and lots. We even had an eye-opening research like the Jobberman 2012 salary survey released; you can bet that changed people’s viewpoint about their jobs and careers. No doubt, there’s a lot to anticipate in the coming year. We all want 2013 to rock awesome and it sure calls for the need to prepare for it, or at least try. I have a few posts that might make all the difference. You just need to look long and hard at them, reflect, absorb as much as you can and watch yourself rise up the career ladder.
It’s a day after Boxing Day, I got no gifts; I guess Santa missed my address but just before nightfall yesterday, I walked my bored self down memory lane. I thought about this year and how it changed so many things; from how Marissa Mayer shook Yahoo to its root since she became CEO, to how social media has affected recruitment in most industries. If you think boring jobs like coding html – or programming if you like- have no need for people with soft skills, check again. Soft skills are selling like never before and this will be on the rise in 2013 alongside other things you probably didn’t know about recruiting today. Building relationships and making friends now matter more in the workplace than just working with a team of robots.
The USA elections was something that found its way into the most boring TV and radio stations on earth, as with the popular Asian guy Psy, who had everybody dancing gangnam style. But there are a few things worth remembering about the elections and learning from; something like how you should campaign for your career like you are trying to win recruiters’ vote. It’s a seemingly tall order, it probably sounds like big English too but it’s a very realistic goal you can set for yourself; and just like any other goal, you need to take a few key steps. Whether it’s to find a job or to run a company, you really need these simple steps.
Work can be grueling, time-consuming, and more fast-paced than you thought while you included that cliché in your résumé. It can be everything but fun. But perhaps there are other things that can keep you going asides the pay-slip, something much more than the kinds of people you work with, something from within that we all call passion.
Yuck! You loathe the name already – we live in an economy that barely appreciates passion for work. True, very true. Most people just pay lip service to it.
I have passion for tons of things, things that I’d remain wrecked and broke if I chose a career in but you can channel whatever passion you have for the kind of work you do, no matter how boring or mind-numbing it might be.
With a background in sociology, I like to have a say in everything because that’s what sociologists are expected to do, to know a little about everything. The flip-side of this is that people like me subtly start careers not knowing exactly what we want because we want to give an impression of being well-rounded people. You look at our résumés and you’ll see certifications in operations management, branding and advertising, ballet, with skills in project management and things you can find in five different résumés combined into one. Very bad.
Specialization has ever been an important part of successful people, you look at successful entrepreneurs and you’ll discover they are known to be experts at one or a few things. Richard Branson, Chairman Virgin Group, seems to be everywhere but you can tell he’s all about making people have fun; whether they are on a plane to Madagascar, or preparing an album with his record label, and clearly, Richard is really good at it. Specialization is very important because it breeds professionalism – which according to a survey in 2012 is among the top five personality traits employers hire most. If you walk into a room now, what would be the one thing people can describe you as – a farmer? Copyeditor? Programmer? Of course, you can have wide experience in a bazillion other things but you’ll be more attractive if you are known for just a few.
You are out having dinner with a stranger you are hoping to know by the end of the evening, but you have your fists clenched to your jaw with your elbow resting on the table as though you were listening to your grandma read you a bedtime story. Talk about the wrong posture for a first impression and that picture of you slouching while you responded to interviewers will stick long enough to rob your chances of getting a job and a second date with your new crush. Needless to say, you should avoid those shockingly terrible body languages in interviews if you badly want that dream job.
Wave your magic wand all you want but if you don’t have what employers want, you won’t get that dream job; if you seriously want a lucky job, go back to bed because in this world of ours where we are forced to wear the shades of reality, there is no such thing as a lucky Job. You may have a lucky friend, or a lucky dog or a lucky pen but not a lucky job. Sorry.
If we are really looking and waiting for 2013, then we are all probably thinking of a New Year resolution. If you don’t have one yet, here’s one; try to answer the question – who are you? it’s certainly not that 6 word liner response of “I am a happily married man”, it’s something that could take you years of your career to discover and you should because that’s when you can really make a difference.
I am looking forward to a great 2013, just as you are too, I have gone through my to-do list and to-achieve list, the beauty about getting these things done is not waiting until 01/01/13 to start working on them; if you already have a few things you want to see happen in 2013, then start working on them right away but as you move on, as you strive to succeed, do not ignore these 3 things if you want true success.
Most importantly, there’s a better way to give. There’s a better way to surpass expectations. There’s a better way to love; and really, it’s one way to remain relevant at all times.
Have a wonderful 2013 ahead.
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