It’s a DO OR DIE Situation. It’s not just competition. A far better word(s) have replaced “competition”. It is termed as “EARLY SUCCESS”. Competition is everywhere and everyday. What’s important is you succeed, sooner and rise above hurdles more rapidly to steal the show like hell no one does. That’s the true winner and “SUCCESSFUL”. People spend their entire life fighting competition but yet they don’t succeed. They just try to play a safe game. Being safe can earn you bread but not the luxury. One meets his destiny often on the road he takes to avoid it. You need to stay in the game, take risks and make your destiny spotless bright. At the same time, you should always win with a great character and example that others feel proud of. Be a human and not a brute in the race to the top is the ONLY aspect that many give little priority.
Following are a list of Preliminaries to a Successful Survival in any Profession which won’t let you leave behind most important priority and achieve highest.
Important guidelines for sure shot success in your Career.
- Find a 'career mentor’ to help you excel or make a career transition.
- Dress to suit your profession and to create positive vibes in your workplace. Don’t tag with bright colors or strong perfumes. Be decent and sober looking with charming face.
- Do not speak ill of your colleagues or anyone else. BAD MANNERS! (Though always grab the opportunity to prove your worth)
- Avoid political & religious comments at work, especially when in a group. Why do you burn your emotions on irrelevant subjects? Make use of free time to improve relations rather gossiping.
- While talking at work, your voice & tone must be audible & soothing. Don’t flaunt your English with use of urban dictionary but work on technical words that place you next to top executives.
- Reciprocate to breed communication, example: say THANKS when you get information. Even THANK one’s you dislike. When you are on the job never let personal dislikes/enmity come in between.
- Greet peers, subordinates & boss once you enter the office.
- Be ready to solve problems proactively & create win-win situations.
- SHARPEN your SKILLS. Open up to networking, volunteering, socializing. Join specialized groups; be active in business or professional forums. Most importantly, remember that others can see your friends on your social network, so be selective about who you accept as friends. Connections are everything these days-join online career networking.
- Never abruptly change the topic of conversation. Acknowledge first. Patience is the key.
- Communicate with expression. What would be more effective- a flat "Hi" or a jubilant one?
- Sign of a good listener: Smiling, saying words like 'yes', 'okay'. A good listener... Repeats what he has understood, in case of doubt. You nod in agreement when one's talking.
- Be a 'can-do' employee: Never let 'I don't have time' slip your lips.
- Every one makes mistakes & you are no exception. Be forthcoming about it. Don’t loose confidence in matter of seconds during failures. Remember there is a life to recover.
- Be humble: Ego can end up alienating those around you at work. At the same time, don’t bargain at the cost of your self-respect.
- Be willing to ask for help. It's OK to say, "I don't know."
- Must-have as you grow in your career: Maintaining self-esteem of others!
- Develop your own brand- Start a blog /site. Write about your expertise and share with others to discover more.
- For every important task, decide if e-mail, phone or face-to-face communication is best.
- MATCH THE MEDIUM TO THE MESSAGE. Don't always hide behind the e-mail.
- At a business event, seminars, orientation or get-togethers, introduce your self to people, find common grounds. Don’t get nervous or shy. Speak!
- Self-help is best Help - Be assertive at work- it's about being open, honest, & direct.
- Learn to work stern, not just harder.
- Get noticed, Give reports, copy relevant people on emails about work progress
- You've to educate your stakeholders- Bring your work to notice.
- At work: Practice smiling, nodding or making eye contact more often.
- Be confident: Consider you are well prepared. This does not mean conveying a "know-it-all" attitude.
- Practice "I can", "I will", "I am able", "I am ready" when you are stressed about a particular project.
- Increase your value and Volunteer. Ask your boss for more responsibilities.
- Articulate your strengths with examples that are recent.
- Resume/CV - Important points:
- Your Interests highlight your personality, not hobbies. 'Your interests' should give pointers to your behavioral traits.
- Your strengths should answer "Why the company should hire you?”
- Grammatical errors show that you don't have an eye for detail.
- Use strong words, example, 'Secured top position in college' rather than 'Topped the college'
- CVs are mostly passed on to the next level by HR Dept. So, limit abbreviations.
- Keep your CV in a chronologically descending order- latest at the top.
- A CV is a formal document. Use a formal font on a plain paper.
- Let your CV help, find the information a company is looking for, in a single glance.
- Don't get your CV trashed by mentioning past failures or health problems.
- Don't mention current /expected CTC in your CV. Discuss it later.
- Google Resume/CV related help guides to read on other important aspects
- INTERVIEW – Important points:
- Every candidate is nervous, but you can still smile! Sit up, make eye contact & focus on the interviewer.
- Remember, enthusiasm is what an interviewer wants to see first.
- Express why you will be an asset to company (your USPs).
- When asked about education background, highlight important aspects.
- Never say: 'I hated my last boss.' Express why the organization wasn't right for you.
- Never say in an interview: "I don't know anything about the company"
- You may ask about the typical career path for the position.
- Never say: 'No, I don't have any Questions for you'. Interact.
- Never say: 'Another thing I hate...'- May show a bad attitude.
- Attempt to make your overall interaction reflect optimism.
- Avoid initiating the salary topic. Let the company do it.
- Questions to Avoid: Can u tell me something about your company? Do your homework!
- Google Interview related help guides to read on other important aspects
- Irrespective of the mood of the job market, add competency each year to survive.
- TIP In slowdown/recession, cross-functioning becomes your differentiating edge.
- Maintain important details of your professional contacts & use them. Wish your ex-boss on his birthday!
- Build a contact list at work- helps grow your professional network.
- Never be the sole focus always. It should be about 'everyone & me'.
- Get noticed-Take on a corporate initiative, apart from your set role.
- As you grow, take on initiatives which impact larger amount of people
- Understand 'Personal PR'- it's about selling your skills at work.
- Have a voice that melts hearts & sells products.
- Stay Creative with an eye for aesthetics.
- Take out a few minutes from your work routine to pamper your passions.
- Remember - Individually, we're one drop. Together, we're an ocean.
- Angry? Take time-out. Be out of the situation & assess if its worth. Keep your anger in check- learn the art of communicating cohesively. Angry about non-performance? Learn to upswing & downswing your expectations.
- As a manager, ingrain a "We can do" attitude from "I will do" attitude.
- Hold a higher rank? Throw challenges & help your team achieve them.
- Build positivity: Acknowledge any good work immediately.
- On the day of a business lunch/meeting, land up early & choose a suitable table. See that the server doesn't take the bill to your guest! Find out about your guest's business & interests. Always ask your guest about his choices & make suggestions from menu. Don't let business be the only thing you talk about. Choose a restaurant close to the guest's office. Don't waste your boss's time. Come prepared to meetings.
- Make Important Days memorable at your workplace. Sing the anthem together, celebrate!
- Don't ever promise a raise or an important project, for the sake of it.
- Improve your Social Life. Do more interesting things outside of work. Start dating, Shopping or anything that’s COOL.
- Inject fun into your workplace- eg. a pastry treat on Friday evening! People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing. Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.
- Not enough mental stimulation at work? Go for a work-related course.
- ON THE JOB Find ways in which you could make your role more interesting
- Show yourself as a go-to person for your boss. Welcome your tasks.
- Become visible. Don't just wait for your work to speak for yourself.
- Get out of your shell. Develop a sense of what's going on in the company.
- Communicate with peers & especially seniors in different expertise areas.
- Anticipate your boss's need. This builds credibility & reputation.
- Use cues (eg. phone ringing) as a buzz to take a deep breath.
- KNOW YOUR WORK INTEREST. Ask yourself what are the things you would love to do every day.
- If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal. Not to people or things.
- Action is the real measure of intelligence
- Do the hard jobs first. The easy jobs will take care of themselves.
- The more goals you set- the more goals you get.
- First step in developing career goals is to assess your personal characteristics.
- Remember important things: ) Ask ) Listen & ) Learn.
- No man can succeed in a line of Endeavor which he does not like.
- Build network as much as possible to enhance communication skills.
- Don't crib about your Health problems. Enhance your capability instead.
- Never reveal your weaknesses to people you wish to command respect from.
- What not to reveal at work are your extremist views- be open-minded!
- When you think its good enough, improve it.
- Choose a busy person to get things done. The other kind has no time.
- Make a point without making an enemy. That's known as tact!
- You would achieve more, if you don't mind who gets the credit.
- Pick battles big enough to matter, small enough to win.
- Know that success & happiness depend on you, not on what's given to you.
- Never say bye to learning! Learn a radically new skill (or two!). It's a sure-fire way to raise your value on the job
- Spend good time with family & friends. Have a life outside work too.
- Have regular conversations with each of your customers and clients.
- Before you quit: Judge whether a change of job will mean moving up in life too. Learn the most you can out of your present job before you QUIT.
- Be INDIAN - Intellectual, New, Different, Important and Active.
- Give Priority to “Character of People” and don’t get attracted to beauty or status.
- Lastly, Economies change & so do people. So, re-evaluate your career periodically.
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