| |
| |
|
Careers & Employment Information |
|
|
|
Dont Get Caught In The Security Trap
The day you begin to think of your job in terms of the security versus the opportunities it provides is the day you start to put the brakes on building your career. Time was when a young person entering the workforce could reasonably assume he was signing a lifetime security covenant with his employer. If he worked hard and kept its nose clean he could expect to be taken care of with a job for as long as he could show up for work. Promotions would come along as openings occurred. There'd be a pension at retirement. It was a womb to tomb deal. Loyalty was a two- way street. The Rules Have Changed Today's headlines make it clear that's no longer the case, says Ramon Greenwood, senior career counselor at Common Sense At Work. Sears Roebuck, known for 119 years as a company that kept its employees' loyalty with compensation and benefits has recently announced the firing of 500 employees at its headquarters. Another 1,000 are expected to get pink slips within a few months. Workers who hang on can expect reduced levels of compensation and benefits, the company says. Going forward, employment will be tied closely to performance and company profits. Changing the very nature of its business, IBM, a name synonymous with lifetime security, has dismissed thousands of employees. Stalwarts such as GM, United Airlines and Delta Airlines make news regularly with announcements of reductions or outright eliminations of jobs and pensions. And there are Enron and WorldCom where employees have seen their employee stock plans and pensions go in the trashcan when their employers' violated the terms of their relationship. Employers Cannot Provide Security! "The only one source of real, lasting security is when you have the know-what-to- do and how-to-get-it-done abilities that employers will buy. It's in your mind and heart," Greenwood declares. When you begin to crave security and search for it from outside sources is the time you restrict your range of options to take your skills and training to their limits in search of personal satisfaction. Your security is your responsibility. If you succumb to its lure, security will eventually prove to be a debilitating, habit- forming drug. It will rob you of the will and the ability to act in your own self- interest. This is when you begin to make career decisions based on security rather than opportunity to grow. The organization offers you an opportunity to move to another location to become manager of a new facility. You decline because you are afraid you might fail in the new responsibilities, and besides, you like the security of staying put and playing it safe until you are vested in your pension. You come up with an idea that will improve the output of your department. Your boss doesn't think it is workable. You drop the idea because you are afraid if you push it, the boss might penalize you. Besides you are comfortable with things the way they are. Why rock the boat? You have a good record as a salesman. You are offered a promotion to regional sales manager. You decline because you don't want to take on the responsibility and the increased travel. A Frog In Hot Water When you begin to get comfortable remember the frog. Put him in a pot of cool water over a flame. The frog will frolic about happy in the security of the environment even as the water goes from cool to warm. How good it feels. He will continue to adapt, swimming about contentedly, even as the water reaches a slow boil. It is not until the water reaches the boiling point that the frog recognizes he is in serious trouble and tries to get out. By that time, his strength has been sapped and it is too late. A Lesson From Ancient Rome In explaining the fall of the ancient city of Rome, the historian Edward Gibbon wrote: "In the end, more than they wanted freedom, they wanted security. They wanted a comfortable life. And in their quest for it all-security, comfort and freedom-they lost it all." It's Your Choice Seizing every opportunity to be all you can be and security are mutually exclusive. If you want security more than opportunity that's fine, but remember there's a price to pay. Ramon Greenwood is former senior vice president of American Express; a professional director for various businesses; a consultant; a published author of career related books and a syndicated column. Senior career counselor for http://www.CommonSenseAtWork.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Employment - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Surviving Office Politics It's your first month in a new position and it's rougher going than you'd anticipated. You feel like an outsider and you're miserable. The Background on Background Checks In one of my past lives I held a Top Secret clearance as a Civil Service employee working for the Air Force. So I am familiar with background checks. Leaders Meet Challenge Heads-UP With Confidence -- Maybe "buck" is better referred to as the Boss' Challenge. Business owners are faced with making lots of decisions - some quickly made - others take more time with greater consequences. Dazzle Interviewers With Your Achievements Attention Job Seekers: Tasks and Responsibilities are BoooringHo hum. The interviewer sits there drumming her fingers on the desk trying to look interested while you drone on about your duties and responsibilities at your last position. Surviving The Technical Interview Ah, the technical interview. Nothing like it. How To Get That Promotion If you're looking for that promotion or pay rise then you'll need to be noticed by your employer, so here's a few tips to stand out from the crowd:Have a Friendly & Positive attitude towards Everyone you come into contactProvide Service and treat Everyone as your customerBe Professional at all timesAlways look for extra work, especially when others are ducking for cover to avoid itWatch what your colleagues are doing, copy from the ones who are receiving praise for their efforts but learn to do it better than them, while avoiding doing what your "lazier or negative" colleagues are doingBe a Thinker and offer suggestion on how to do things better and more efficientlyPlan and follow your planDon't Procrastinate, do what needs to be done NOW!!Think ahead, when ask to do A & B, do C as wellAnticipate the next question and provide the answer before you're askedDress and Act as if you were already in the position you want to reachGo to lunch with successful people and learn from themDon't be afraid to ask questions and ask for helpAvoid Office PoliticsBe an Individual while being a team playerLearn everything about your company and productsFollow these tips and you won't need to ask for a promotion or extra money, it will happen automatically.Garry Munro is a successful consultant, speaker & coach. To All Managers: How Does ADD Affect Your Workplace? Tent caterpillars create a cocoon for an entire colony. Within one colony there are two types of caterpillar. Don't Discount the Temporary Position Interview If you think, 'it's just an interview for a temp job -- no big deal,' that's where you're mistaken. Some wonderful opportunities, networking connections and careers have resulted from temporary positions. Confidence Is Critical to YOUR Success.... Make EYE contact when you look at another person. Look at them!! Don't look down at your shoes or away from the other person. Useless Resume Objectives What's wrong with an objective on a resume? The problem with objectives on resumes is that a typical objective is self-centered and self-serving; therefore, it is useless. Instead of an objective, use a power statement. Mastering The Lunch Interview Interviews can be nerve-racking, brain-draining, headache-inducing experiences. These days, recruiters have found a way to make the interview even more difficult by combining the experience with a meal. Culture Shock Today we hear much talk of the 'global village'. People are have more opportunities to travel and live abroad than ever before. Fun At Work Leads to More Success Common sense at work: Such qualities as loyalty, energy, intelligence and hard work are certain to be in any consensus of what it takes to build a successful career."However, there's another essential ingredient that is too often overlooked," says Ramon Greenwood, senior career counselor at www. Success at Work: Techniques: Computer Literacy It's hard to believe that there are people in today's workforce who don't know how to use a computer. In today's society, being computer illiterate is equivalent to being functionally illiterate. Writing Powerful Resumes - 10 Golden Rules Your resume is your sales letter. It may not get you the job. 7 Steps To A Job-Winning Resume A new resume can jump-start your career. Your network contacts may ask for a resume and some industries absolutely, positively demand a resume as the price of admission. The Telecommuting Tightrope For many of us, telecommuting seems like the ideal situation. You wake up, shuffle over to your home office, work at your own pace. Are You Eking Out a Living, and Cant Get What You Want from a Job? Many people are working at jobs they don't want and they hate to go there every day. Are you one of them?Let's start by examining how you got into this kind of "pickle" to begin with. 5 Proven Steps To Easily Master The Art Of The Interview And Get The Bartending Job Of Your Dreams! Your mouth is dry, your palms are sweaty, your heart is beating so fast it feels like it is going to pop out of your chest!Sound familiar?For most people, interviews are uncomfortable. The mere thought of them causes anxiety and nervousness. Bartending School Online- Earn Your Bartender Training From Home Many young adults flock to bars, lounges and clubs on a weekly basis. They spend hundreds sometimes thousands of dollars on entertaining themselves and their friends.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
