I’m just about done reading this through again and am ready to drop it in the mail to anyone who wins this week’s giveaway. You know the rules… just answer the question in the comments on the blog (not on Facebook).
My biggest issue with this book is that it talks too much about social marketing… Gary built a huge business using social tools and so that’s what he talks about (I think he talks about it too much in this book). When I think about what type of book this is, I think it’s a social marketing book. I expected some other stuff…
Having said that, I see people talking about it all the time, and many people are saying “I’m reading it again.” Gary knows how to touch people. Stripping out all of the social marketing stuff, the thing I get the most from this book is the excitement and permission to achieve a ton of stuff – to be successful – to conquer – to CRUSH IT!
Here’s the question:
WHY don’t you Crush It? Are you afraid of failure, or afraid of success? Do you not have enough smarts, looks or money? Is the economy not good enough? What is in YOUR way of crushing it?
Answer on the blog post. Winner will be notified next week. To see past Monday Giveaway prizes, questions and answers, click here.
You know how I feel about “job security”… there is none. Even those who do “everything right” in their career can get canned for one of a million reasons.
Even so, here’s a fun list from Rob Frankel… he created it for his employees to help them know what they could do to become more valuable, or as Rob says, to save their butts. The full list is here… here are the first four:
When it doubt, don’t try to fake it. Tell the client you’ll check on it and call back. “Better to keep the mouth shut and be thought a fool, than to open it and remove all doubt”.
Make a copy of everything and then file it. That way, you can always prove what you were doing, when you did it and why you were doing it.
Tag everything with a job number. Suppliers need to tag their jobs with a number, too. The more you tag, the fewer headaches we have when clients or suppliers call us about particular costs.
Send clients back-ups. Whenever we bill a client, send a copy of the estimate showing that he approved the job he’s being billed for.
What do you do when your unemployment benefits end? Unless the U.S. Senate’s proposals to extend benefits come to fruition within the next few days, millions of people will need to know the answer to this question.
The About.com Guide to Job Search, Alison Doyle, has put together a list of resources to help you survive if your unemployment checks stop. These resources will also be useful to those who find that their benefits don’t cover their expenses, as is often the case. Included are government assistance and non-profit and social services agencies. See What to Do When Unemployment Runs Out
A licensed practical nurse (LPN), working under the direction of registered nurses and doctors, cares for patients who are sick, injured, convalescing or disabled. To work as an LPN, sometimes called a licensed vocational nurse or LVN, one must complete a one-year formal training program. These programs are usually offered by vocational and technical schools or community colleges (Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition).
If you are thinking about becoming a licensed practical nurse, you should learn more about it. Read Licensed Practical Nurse: Career Information to get some basic details about this occupation, including earnings, job outlook and advancement opportunities. If, after reading this, you are still interested in a future career as an LPN, you should gather even more information. Interview people who work as LPNs. Then take the Should You Become an LPN ? quiz. It can help you determine if this career choice is for you.
I received an email this morning from someone who had read my article Top Six Topics to Avoid Discussing at Work. The second topic on the list of topic in that article is "Politics". The person who sent me the email complained about a higher up at his company who frequently sent politically-charged emails to the company’s employees. He went on to say: "I think about two-thirds of the recipients probably agree with him but not all of us do. I just don’t know what I can do about it. I want to respond to all but I’m afraid I will get fired."
I agree that these emails do not belong in the workplace and I also agree that speaking up in this situation could be dangerous. I advised the email writer to set up a filter to delete the offensive messages. That way he doesn’t have to read them, but he won’t be doing anything to jeopardize his job. What do you think? Please share your thoughts by commenting on this post.
There are many factors to consider when choosing a career, aside from how much money you can make. Money, actually, doesn’t play as big a role in job satisfaction as you might think. Of course we all have to make a living, but if you don’t like your job, it doesn’t matter much how much you get paid. What does matter a lot is how well a career choice matches up with your values — those things that are important to you. Let’s say you find the following values very important: variety, collaboration and creativity. Imagine how you would feel if your job involved working alone, following strict guidelines and doing the same thing everyday. Would it matter how much money you were making? Sure, maybe you can handle a job that didn’t match your values for a short time, but could you do it for several years?
Animal trainers generally work with dogs, horses or marine animals. They train them for riding, security, performance, obedience or assisting people with disabilities. Animal trainers, in addition to earning a high school diploma or general equivalency diploma, also need some additional training. Some of this training may be hands-on, but dog trainers, for example, often receive training through workshops at vocational schools or community colleges. Marine mammal trainers are usually required to earn a bachelor’s degree in marine biology, biology, animal science, psychology, or a related field. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition).
If you are thinking about becoming an animal trainer, you should learn more about it. Read Animal Trainer: Career Information to get some basic details about this occupation, including earnings, job outlook and advancement opportunities. If you are still interested in a future career as an animal trainer, it is time to gather even more information. Interview people who work as animal trainers. Then take the Should You Become an Animal Trainer? quiz. It can help you determine if this career choice is for you.
Many people have a great deal of anxiety over making just one career change. Imagine changing your career 126 times? Barbie is about to take on her 125 and 126 careers in 2010, when Mattel will introduce Computer Engineer Barbie and News Anchor Barbie (Barbie’s 125th and 126th Careers. BarbieMedia.com). The career change part isn’t really such a big deal since Barbie is just a doll. What is a big deal though is that Barbie, in many ways, has set an example for young girls who learned, through play, that they could aspire to be whatever they desired.
With women working in all sorts of jobs in the 21 century, her foray in 2010 into these two careers isn’t earth shattering. However, do you think it was a big deal when Astronaut Barbie was introduced in 1964? I imagine it was. This doll has had a wide range of careers since her inception in 1959, when she was a teenage fashion model. Only a year later she became a fashion editor. Barbie became a surgeon in 1973 and ran for President of the United States in 1990 (Careers. BarbieMedia.com). This is one ambitious doll.
When we got hit by a big snowstorm earlier this week, I felt very fortunate that I work from home. I didn’t have to worry about traveling on treacherous roads to get to my job or having to take a vacation or personal day because I decided to stay home. My life went on as usual, although I was a little more distracted since both my daughter and husband had snow days. Until I read Eve Tahmincioglu’s post on CareerDiva, I didn’t think there was a downside to working from home. Ms. Tahmincioglu wrote: "A snow day is just like any other day for we weary telecommuters,", as she lamented that she would no longer miss a day of work because of the weather. Even many people who normally don’t telecommute, or don’t do it regularly, were able to work from home during the storm.
So, now I’m wondering if telecommuting is not as great a situation as I thought it was. Let’s see. I don’t have to leave my house in bad weather. I don’t have to spend time commuting before I can even begin my work day .. or end it. I don’t have to take a day off if my daughter is sick or has school recess. I can run errands during the day when other people are at work (I only have to make up the time later). I understand that other telecommuters don’t have as much flexibility as I do, but still, not having to travel to work is, by itself, a big plus. I do agree with Ms. Tahmincioglu on one point she made — as virtual workers "we work and work and work" in spite of the weather or sickness. One of the downsides of working from home is that I am almost never away from my job. My computer remains turned on until I go to bed. I sometimes work on weekends. I can’t take a vacation that does not involve going away as I did before I started telecommuting. I would feel compelled to do at least a little bit of work everyday. All in all, though, I wouldn’t trade my situation for any other.
Urban planners, also called regional or city planners, help communities decide how to best use their land and resources. They usually work for local governments, making recommendations for roads, schools and other infrastructure in order to help them solve social, economic and environmental problems. Those who want to work as urban or regional planners must first earn a master’s degree in regional or urban planning. Some employers may accept a master’s degree in a related field such as urban design or geography in lieu of that (Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition).
If you are thinking about becoming an urban or regional planner, you should learn more about it. Read Urban and Regional Planner: Career Information to get some basic details about this occupation, including earnings, job outlook and advancement opportunities. To learn more about this field, interview people who work in it. Finally, if you are considering pursuing this career further, take the Should You Become an Urban or Regional Planner? quiz. It can help you determine if this career choice is for you.
I’m just about done reading this through again and am ready to drop it in the mail to anyone who wins this week’s giveaway. You know the rules… just answer the question in the comments on the blog (not on Facebook).
Recent Comments