Tips & Career Guide

Technology is no substitute for spending time with people. Technology plays a critical role in today’s workplace, and recent graduates are generally comfortable using that technology. However, technology can never replace face-to-face interactions with others in the organization. Learn to be equally at ease speaking and contributing at meetings. Management makes judgments about your leadership potential based on how you present yourself when you are in their presence. Recent graduates tend to be very comfortable communicating via e-mail and instant messages but can be reticent in person. Career advancement requires personal contact and building relationships. Hiding behind your keyboard is a career-limiting strategy.

Take responsibility for your own career. Too often, young people find the first job they accepted isn’t exactly the job they thought it would be, so they leave and look for another job.This cycle can repeat itself until it ultimately begins to negatively affect an individual’s career. Rather than change jobs, a better response might be to seek out additional responsibilities in areas where you have an interest and can add value. In that way, you create the job you want.

Never stop learning. What you are doing today can quickly become obsolete. Employers are always looking for individuals who are adaptable, and they frequently hire and promote people not because they can do every aspect of a new job, but rather because they are convinced the individual can learn whatever he or she needs to learn in order to do the job. So, take advantage of any training opportunities your organization offers. Continuously seek out learning opportunities.

Develop interests and friends outside of work. In addition to building and nurturing a network within your organization, seek out and maintain a diverse set of friends outside of work. Too often, people trap themselves within their organization and their industry. This can cause you to miss out on career opportunities. You never know where the next great opportunity will present itself or what information will prove critical to your future success.

Many people seek out friendships strictly based on their perceived career utility. Because people recognize what you are doing, that is often counterproductive. Keep in touch with individuals because you are genuinely interested in them, not only when you need something. Help them even when there is nothing immediately in it for you. That way, they will be more likely to think of helping you anytime an appropriate opportunity arises without your even having to ask.

Volunteer for assignments where you will develop new skills. Take courses at local universities and online. Constantly seek to develop yourself. Keeping up with trends in your field and continuous learning not only will keep you marketable, but also will advance your career.

All advice is not equal. Be careful where you seek advice from. Everyone feels free to offer you career advice — your aunts, your uncles, your parents’ friends and even your friends who graduated just a few years ahead of you. Make sure the advice you take is not only from someone who is knowledgeable, but is applicable to your specific situation.

by Lee E. Miller

More Filipino workers here and overseas are facing retrenchment in the coming months, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reported yesterday.

Labor Secretary Marianito Roque said Japan’s Fujitsu Ltd. has announced plans to axe 1,750 jobs in its Laguna plant due to the global economic downturn.

“Information technology system firm Fujitsu already notified us of their plan and the layoff will be effective next month,” Roque said.

Roque said this brought the number of Filipinos who had lost their jobs since the financial crisis unfolded last year to about 45,000.

The government expects 800,000 people to lose jobs, mainly in the electronics and clothing sectors, before the downturn eases.

About nine million Filipinos, or 10 percent of the population, were without jobs or underemployed, the government announced on Tuesday.

“Workers have been offered early retirement packages to leave Fujitsu Computer Products Corp., which makes disk drives,” said Fujitsu manager Ernesto Espinosa.

“We launched a voluntary leaving program and the reason for this is because of the global recession,” Espinosa said.

Espinosa said Fujitsu failed to save the jobs despite earlier efforts to cut working hours and overtime pay, which drastically reduced employees’ salaries.

“Because of that we have no other choice but to offer voluntary separation,” he added.

About 2,900 other workers will remain with the company, based in Calamba town, south of Manila, he said.

1. Complaining about the parking or directions.
Don’t think it doesn’t happen! As cordial and happy-go-lucky as your interviewers may seem, they don’t want to hear a job-seeker complain that the place was hard to find or that the parking is inconvenient. The best (that is, the worst) example of this I ever experienced as an HR person came from the candidate who said, “Seven handicapped parking spaces next to the front door? What, are you having a wheelchair convention or something?” That was a short interview.

2. Bad-mouthing your previous job, manager, or company.
If you’ve been laid off or suffered some other unpleasant experience at your last job, it’s easy to launch into a litany of everything the old employer did wrong. Don’t do it! The interviewer is bound to wonder “Will this person be bashing me behind my back on some future interview, too?” Zip it.

3. Digging into details off the bat.
The typical selection process allows plenty of time for you to learn everything you need to know about the company’s dental plan, its tuition-reimbursement policy, and the size of your cubicle. Don’t ask about any of these items on a first interview, when you should be focusing the conversation on the role and the organization.

4. Groveling.
Employers want to hire people who can do the jobs and who are enthusiastic about the work. What’s not so appealing is the candidate whose every word and gesture conveys the message, “Hire me, I beg you!” Joblessness is no fun, but you don’t help your chances of getting the nod by presenting yourself as a candidate whose most notable attribute is desperation.

5. Answering a question before you understand it.
The absolute worst answer to any interview question is the response that shows you weren’t really listening. When an interviewer asks a question that requires thought, like, “Tell me about a time when you had to convince a team of people to change gears,” you don’t want to blurt out, “Oh, I’ve done that a million times!” Any “tell me about a time when” question is a question that the interviewer has chosen to elicit a specific problem/solution story from you. Take the time to think through the question and compose a thoughtful answer. A few minutes of silence in the room won’t kill anybody.

6. Spacing out.
Any interviewer worth her salt will be able tell when you’ve zoned out. If you’re wondering whether the 5:40 train will get you home in time to watch the playoff game, the interviewer will spot it in your eyes. If you’re really out of it, he may throw you a curve ball like, “So, who would you say was the most effective member of Teddy Roosevelt’s cabinet, and why?” Stay in the room, with your eyes either meeting the interviewer’s or looking thoughtfully at the ceiling. Or your shoes.

7. Slouching.
We’ll throw in tipping the chair back off its front legs, resting your head on your hand, and lacing your fingers together behind your head.

8. Cursing.
Interviewers love to put job candidates at ease. When you reach the state of ease that lets an “f-bomb” escape your lips, you’ve gone too far.

9. “Opening the kimono.”
It’s tempting to share with a sympathetic interviewer the news that this job search has been really hard, that you’re not getting callbacks, and that you’ve already sent out 150 resumes. Don’t do it. Smart job candidates put out a vibe that says, “I’m glad to be here with you and this job might be fun, but I’m a capable person who’s aware of his value on the job market.”

10. Doing anything disgusting.
The long list of personal gross factors includes picking one’s teeth or nose, spitting, and other unmentionables that are best left to the imagination. Any of these is a sure-fire interview-killer (and can we really blame the employer for that?). One candidate asked me for a cup of water, took a sip, swished it around in his mouth, and spat into a potted plant. Niiiiiice!

by: Liz Ryan