Teena Rose:
12-Year Executive Resume Writer & Job-Search Strategist
* Credentialed
* Personable
* Skilled
* Professional

 

Mid-Life Crisis: Changing Careers Mid-Stream

Career Planning Starts with Self Assessment

Marketing Yourself with Internal and External Promotions

Be a Team Player
Part of workplace success has to do with your ability to cooperate with co-workers. Cooperation among employees on the job increases the company’s productivity. If part A is done, but you’re still waiting for part B from another department, the project is stalled until part B finally makes it to your desk. Work together and cooperate to make the business successful.

Be Diplomatic
During the course of a busy work day, there are bound to be disagreements between people sharing the same space and tasks. If a problem arises with a co-worker, calm yourself before discussing the problem. Give your praise generously and publicly. Criticize privately and quietly.

Learn On The Job
If you’ve got your eye on a middle-management job, learn all you can about the job and its responsibilities. Learn the procedures, the resources, the deadlines and delivery dates. But don’t stop there.

Learn about every job in your workplace to get a ‘big picture’ view. Learn by watching. When you discover how all of the pieces fit together, you’ll be able to do your job better today and transition
into that middle-management job when it opens up.

Go Back to School
You can’t beat it. The more you learn, the more you earn. Talk to your supervisor, or the people in human resources, about what courses would most benefit the company. Many businesses will even contribute money to defray some of those education and training costs.

Review Your Reviews
It’s hard not to take criticism personally, but remember criticism at work can be used to your advantage. An annual review by company management provides a much clearer picture of your professional strengths and weaknesses. It also provides a veritable checklist of employer expectations. Think of reviews as your guidebook to success – and don’t take it personally.

Let Them Know You’re Ready
There’s nothing wrong with talking to your supervisor or the people in HR about your goals. Let them know that you want to stay with the company, that you want to contribute more and that you want to move up. Ask to be informed of new job postings. It shows initiative and drive.

Make Yourself Indispensable
If you’re the only one who can fill out a Form 1072/DAS rev.11/05, the department needs you. If you’re the go-to source in the company, management wants to keep you around.

Learn everything – from how to make the coffee in the morning to how to open the one file drawer that always locks. It won’t be long before you’re the recognized expert – the one the business just can’t do without.

You already know what you need to know to be a success at work. You learned it years ago. Play nice with the other kids. Work hard. Pay attention. Accept criticism and be a good friend (as well as a co-worker) to the guy two cubicles down.

In fact, it’s not all that different from third grade. So, earn a gold star on the job and start your way up the ladder. You already know the way.

Read more articles from Teena Rose: free career articles for reprint. Keep the bio intact, including all active links to our main page and books.