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To celebrate National Career Development Week from 16-22 May 2011, you can get A Head Start for just $5 plus GST, P&P.
Their slogan, ”Get the life you love!” is what A Head Start is all about. You spend so much time at work that you have to enjoy it. No need to waste your life in a job you hate.
I drove home from work yesterday with my windows down, enjoying the new afternoon warmth that comes with daylight savings and listening to one of my favourite John Mayer songs on the radio. Even though I’ve heard the song many times over, I’d never really paid attention to one particular line: ‘Don’t believe me, don’t believe me when I say I’ve got it down.’ I didn’t believe him. It seemed to me that he must have most things in his life pretty much under control—at least in his career life. How else would he have become such a successful musician? But then again, when do we ever really have everything in our lives completely under our control?
It’s easy to look at another’s success and fall into the trap of believing they must have had a fool-proof plan right from the beginning, taken measured steps to get to where they are now and gained all the necessary knowledge, experience and confidence before they landed that amazing job or achieved that fantastic promotion. But, in reality, you might never quite reach that divine place where you have everything in your life held down in its right place. So you shouldn’t wait for it to happen before you taken action.
Those people who have succeeded in their careers are usually the ones who just dived in—without having everything perfect beforehand. Work hard to gain experience and knowledge, but don’t sit out of the career game because you don’t feel 100 per cent ready. After all, even John Mayer hasn’t got it down…and his career isn’t doing so bad.
© Jacqueline Batterham
Friends who are completing the same subjects with you at school or who sit with you in university lectures can be great motivators. You work closely with them because you’re on the same page—maybe you’re both great at maths, both completing an Education degree or have similar career interests and aspirations.
These friends pose an amazing and mutually beneficial opportunity to encourage and motivate as you bounce ideas off each other and challenge one another to improve in your areas of strength. Therefore, you should be careful who you choose to study and work with. Their work ethic will undoubtedly rub off on you: the importance they place on their study will affect how much you place on yours; the way they use their time will influence your time management skills and the excitement they have for their future career will give you additional confidence to pursue what you love.
These friends will also be the ones who you can turn to for moral support and constructive feedback because they will know and understand what is important in your field. They might also provide you with objective advice to help you find your way. Failed your science class but planning on going into a career in hospitality? Perhaps you are too close to the situation to see the benefits of dropping your three units of Chemistry to pick up a class that will equip you with vital and relevant skills for your chosen career path.
Sometimes you will need that other person to discuss ideas with, and at other times they will need to come to you. How amazing to be able to help a friend begin a career that they love! And nothing makes knowledge stick like teaching it to someone else.
© Jacqueline Batterham
Have you ever felt intimidated by co-workers who have been in the career game for years and seem to know all the workplace ins and outs? Well you better sit down, or at least grab the arm of a chair, because I have some news that will blow your socks off: those co-workers are just as intimidated by you. Why? Because you are Gen Y of course–the hot new thing in the office, full of fresh ideas and with an attitude of getting your own way while climbing the career ladder of success at a steady pace. Many of your co-workers are probably still trying to figure out if those of Gen Y origin are friend or foe.
As a Gen-Y-er myself, I have discovered a few simple rules which are sure to improve our generation’s somewhat tainted reputation and advance your career that little bit faster by keeping everyone on side, no matter their generation preference.
It seems simple, but a few nice words, a ‘thank you’ and a ‘please’ may save your Gen Y bottom from being shunned to the edge of the office social circle, where you may live forever without a pay-rise or promotion in sight.
I was once privy to the results of a staff work survey, where all staff members were asked multiple questions about their workplace expectations. One question in particular caused somewhat of an uproar: “How long do you expect to stay in this company?” The average time frame was about three years. I wasn’t overly surprised, but I had a distinct feeling that the growing Gen Y population in the workplace could have had something to do with the result.
It’s common that Gen Y staff will consider leaving after only a year, sit idle until something better comes along or set a used-by date on the time spent in one company. But don’t discard your loyalty completely. Keep an open mind about your position, work hard and don’t throw in the towel straight away. Of course it’s okay to leave, but make sure you leave knowing that you really did give it the best of your efforts while there.
This is a given. So you should get used to it early.
Don’t wait for someone to give you a goal or you’ll become bored and feel unchallenged. Setting your own goals is an important step to building your skills and getting yourself noticed in the company ahead of the person sitting next to you.
© Jacqueline Batterham
I tried not to turn and glare at the child standing behind me in the Woolworths express line. But it was hard. This child was asking question after question to a very patient mother who was having her handbag tugged in sync with the child’s high-pitched drone.
Questions like: “Why can’t we get ice-cream?”, “What are you doing?”, “When are we going home?”
Once people reach a certain age they stop asking questions about everything. Whether we think that we’re going to sound like an annoying child or we believe we already know the answers, somewhere along the line we just stop. And if we do hit a snag in life or in the workplace, we tend to try to figure it out by ourselves in case we look a bit stupid for not knowing the answer in the first place.
When starting a new job it is understood that you will not know everything on your first day or on your first week or even a month in. This is when the time is ripe for you to be like a child and ask questions about your workplace, your customers, your role, your responsibilities, expectations, processes, structures, hours … and on it goes.
While it’s important to avoid tugging the arm of a co-worker and using high-pitched monotone that is sure to get you fired from pure annoyance, it is more important to really get your head around your new job. So go on—ask.
© Jacqueline Batterham
I don’t know how many people were actually excited about the federal election – but I was one of them. Eager to know who would win and how it would happen, I was counting on knowing the result straight away. When things started to drag out, and Australia was no closer to electing its leader days after I’d voted, I felt a familiar impatience.
I mostly hate waiting. I prefer to be active: searching through countless job advertisements, updating my resume, spending time enquiring on the phone or sitting through interviews. Unfortunately, waiting is an integral part of looking for a job, particularly your first. There is a certain point when everything you can do has been done, and all you can do is tap your feet.
When you arrive in transit, and you’re searching for something to do, take out your laptop, look up this blog and remember these few things:
Don’t get your hopes up
It may sound negative, but it’s tough when you put your heart into a job application, only to hear you didn’t get it … again and again. Landing your first job may take time, and it’s unlikely that you will be offered every job you apply for. Be enthusiastic, but don’t move towns, buy the work uniform or purchase a parking space close to the office before you actually get the blissful acceptance call.
Wait actively
Show your interest and keep tabs on your application, but don’t put your life on hold while you wait to hear back from your potential employer. Keep applying for other positions, learn more about your craft and continue to perfect your résumé. This might be the job for you, or it might not. So stay prepared and alert for the next job opportunity that comes your way.
Don’t stress – enjoy this time of waiting
Rest in the knowledge that you have put your best foot forward. If you don’t get the job, you can learn from this experience. If you do get the job, your time may soon be sparse so enjoy it while you can!
© Jacqueline Batterham
If you’re struggling to navigate a path towards your chosen career goal, perhaps it’s worth consulting with those who have gone before and obtaining a nudge in the right direction.
Finding a mentor is a great way to discover pearls of wisdom, and words of warning and encouragement along your journey. A mentor can come in any mould that suits you―a friend, co-worker or teacher. However, it’s always important to think carefully about who you make contact with and how.
Here are several tips on building and maintaining a successful mentor relationship.
1. Choose carefully
Your mentor should ideally be someone who is working within your chosen career field, as well as an individual who you admire. It’s important to find someone neutral who can listen to your situation and provide unbiased feedback; this means your boss probably isn’t the best choice.
2. Avoid the term ‘mentor’
Try not to approach an individual with the question, ‘Will you be my mentor?’ This can be a loaded question, imposing responsibility and pressure on that person. Instead, ask for five minutes of their time to talk about their career, their experience and their advice for your own career journey. Use this time to build a genuine relationship based on two-way communication and avoid constructing master/apprentice power divisions.
3. Be independent of your mentor
A mentor should be the guide, not the decision maker. Becoming too dependent on your mentor will hinder your own personal and professional development. Use their knowledge and their mistakes as a sounding board; gain their opinion and use this to make your own informed decisions.
4. Express your gratitude
Your mentor is most likely juggling heavy workloads, pressing deadlines and many other work and personal responsibilities. Value the time they have invested into your career journey and honour that time by expressing your gratitude.
There are no rules around the concept of a mentor so make your own. Meet for coffee, chat online or over the phone as often or as little as you feel comfortable with. The experiences of a mentor are invaluable and will save you time and effort further down your career path.
© Jacqueline Batterham
It’s Friday afternoon, what a relief. Turning off your computer, you quickly gather your work and make your escape. Hurrying towards the lift, thoughts of lazy mornings and time with friends give your step an extra bounce.
But alas, as you jump in the lift you realise—one second too late and as the doors start to shut—you have inadvertently shut yourself in with your boss.
There are certain situations you hope never to find yourself in. Nevertheless, in such situations it is best to remain calm, smile confidently and avoid awkward chatter. This may be the worst situation you could hope to encounter on your way home, but it could also be a fantastic opportunity to build rapport.
What we know about other people, and the criteria by which we judge them, is determined by those brief encounters such as riding an elevator, bumping into each other at the printer or waiting in line for the coffee machine. These are the moments that you really need to pull out your best conversational skills, flash a bright smile and pretend to know exactly what you’re talking about.
So, to all my prospective co-workers, I offer a word of warning: prepare yourself for the day when you’re stuck in the lift with your boss. And if all else fails, talk about the weather.
© Jacqueline Batterham
When I start a new job I automatically begin to live on a day-to-day basis, surviving by keeping my head just above water.
Perhaps, like me, your week goes something like this:
This type of routine might be perfect for your first working week but any longer and you’ll start to wear out due to lack of variety. It’s not sustainable. Work should be a large part of your life while you’re trying to develop and improve, but it shouldn’t be life in its entirety.
Make time for other activities such as playing sport, reading, watching movies, spending time with friends and taking eight hours of beauty sleep. Regular time out doing activities that you enjoy will put in place a working lifestyle that you can maintain and enjoy.
From a career perspective, the happier you are, the more productive and creative you will be in your job.
© Jacqueline Batterham
I remember sitting at my school desk one Friday afternoon, watching the teacher walk the length of the classroom, stopping at each desk as she returned our major assessment. I felt quietly confident. I was familiar with the topic on which we were asked to write, and it hadn’t been a great effort to pull something together into a coherent piece of work. As the teacher reached me and the paper fluttered down to my desk I tried not to look too smug as I turned the page over. The number thirty-five was scrolled across the top. The paper had been graded from a total of 100. Which meant that I had failed, miserably.
We have all heard the lesson about learning from your mistakes. My mistake had left me feeling stupid and unprepared. It rocked the confidence I had in my own skills. At the time, I couldn’t see that this was an important learning experience for my career. I only saw that the red pen meant I had failed.
When you enter the workforce, as much as you try, you won’t know everything. You need to prepare yourself for the messy red pen that is going to be all over your work – in the form of a co-worker revising your work, a team mate fixing your mistake or your boss pulling you aside for an unflattering review. ‘Red pen’ is something that you need to get used to and begin to recognise as a tool to use to push forward rather than crumbling under feelings of failure. It can be the lesson and motivation to keep you improving and striving forward.
That assessment paper was the highlight of my education that year. I had pretended not to care when I told my friends about my mark, but inside I had felt shaken and disheartened. I went home and, after feeling sorry for myself for an appropriate amount of time, forced myself to look at the paper and find out where I had taken a wrong turn. The highlight of that experience was that I managed to take red-penned failure and learn from it. I went to my teacher and received feedback, something that I had never done before. I then went home and re-wrote the entire essay.
My experience was a vital lesson that developed my knowledge and skills more than I would ever have achieved while remaining complacent. It stretched me, humbled me and forced me to work hard to re-assert my skills. So don’t fear the red pen, use it to push forward.
© Jacqueline Batterham
