Career 01 (Sep 08 - Mar 10)

[winston]

In Times Like These, Resist the Urge to Gripe By Michael Masterson

A business owner friend of mine was telling me about his plans to lay off some of his employees. He said he had prolonged the decision as long as he could, because he found the task so unpleasant.

I asked him how he was going to make the cuts. He said a few of the layoffs were easy -- he was going to outsource an operation he had been doing internally. But the others were going to be difficult, because all of his employees, he felt, did good work.

He had hemmed and hawed over it, and finally decided to get rid of the "sourpusses and whiners."

"Some of them are very good at what they do," he said, "but they are negative. They make comments. They make faces. They let everyone know that they don't like what they're doing. I used to tolerate it. But I can't anymore. I need a completely positive working group if I'm going to be able to get through the year and build the business back up."

When it comes to making a business succeed in tough times, a positive-minded team of hardworking people is the key. Your boss knows that -- and you want to make sure he sees you as being an indispensable member of that team. So if you're a complainer, stop -- and resist the temptation to associate with those who are.

Source: ETR

[kennynah]

you want to make sure he (the boss) sees you as being an indispensable member of that team

let me share with you a small secret.... no one is indispensable...if you think you are an indispensable employee.... then i think you are kidding yourself and living in the Land of Oz

[millionairemind]

Published December 14, 2009

Avoid getting that pink slip

In a tough economy, it can be difficult to hang on to your job. But it's equally important to take advantage of every opportunity to boost your employability, says N RAVINDRAN

MOST countries are going through a tough patch economically. Simple economics says that when people don't have as much money available to them, or are just not willing to spend it, they don't buy as much. And when they don't buy as much, companies can't sell as much. When companies can't sell as much, they don't have a lot of money to grow - or worse, they may have to shrink. One of the first places they shrink is in payroll or jobs. No job is safe - whether you are laid off usually depends on what your role brings in terms of contribution to the bottom line of the firm.

This logical progression causes many to worry when markets face a downturn. But there are some concrete things you can consider to boost your employability.

At the very least, the following three actions can help you recognise your own accomplishments and feel better about your work. They might even help you get a promotion, or fend off retrenchment.

# Take charge of your job performance evaluations. Be proactive.

# Find out what your employer needs done and learn the skills to do it.

# Follow the standard rules about work behaviour. Check yourself on these.

Performance evaluations

Your employer would have a formal system of annual job reviews. Make that system work for you. If there is no formal system in place, schedule annual or quarterly meetings with your supervisor to go over what you've accomplished.

Set a limited number of major goals for the year and ensure these are attainable. Agree with your supervisor about how you will show your success. Take time to record notes about what you're accomplishing. Keep these easily filed for reference.

It's easy to keep some sort of evidence for every result you achieve. One way is to save compliments, praise and appreciation you receive from others. File appreciative e-mails. Ask satisfied colleagues and customers to write a formal note about your work.

At your performance review, organise your notes to show how you've accomplished annual goals. Elaborate about other goals added during the year. Use your review to display your skills and accomplishments. Tie in your achievements to your department's or organisation's highest priorities.

Ensure that your supervisor looks back over the whole year instead of just on recent situations or problems. Demonstrate your interest in your work and your desire to do or learn more. If something needs improving, be the first to mention it. Sketch out a plan to correct any problems. List what new skills you will learn next.

No matter what kind of work you do, it is very important to keep your skills up to date. Be aware of your employer's priorities and what might be needed to stay ahead. Sometimes, it is obvious what you need to do. For example, your employer may be getting new equipment or implementing new procedures. Make sure you take the necessary training and learn the skills needed to operate the new equipment or carry out the new procedures.

In some instances, it may be harder to figure out how to stay ahead. Talk with your supervisor. Pay attention to company newsletters and reports. Take advantage of any training offered by your employer.

Brush up your skills

Benefit from employer-provided training when it is available. Find low-cost national programmes to fill in the gaps. The idea is to look for chances to increase your knowledge in three areas:

# Skills directly related to the content of your work;

# Skills related to how your work is done, such as new computer systems;

# Skills related to the people side of work, such as communication or diversity training.

Make sure your supervisor knows what skill training programmes you take. Show your willingness to take on new tasks or to update how you accomplish your work. It's best to invest your time in learning skills that will help you solve problems or help deal with customers. You have the normal channels of learning - classes and books, but you can also learn a great deal from others.

It is vital, especially when you're faced with a possible job loss, to network. You should seek out as many people as you can who have some knowledge that you need. Then, offer to help them in some way - with something you know or something you can do. In all cases, target your knowledge. Don't waste time learning something you won't use to keep your job - at least not right now.

Every organisation has customers. The life blood of the organisation, if it is to survive, is to service these customers. The most important thing to everyone in the company should be the customer. You should work very hard to find out where you fit into that structure, and leverage on that as much as you can.

If finding out what the organisation needs and implementing them is important to your bosses, finding out how to help the customer is important to the top levels of the organisation. When the time comes to cut heads, you would probably be the last to go if the customers love you.

So your job is to find out how you can interact with and satisfy the customers. Use blogs, forums, and user groups to put in an extra effort in those areas to know how best to serve your customers well. It's best if the customers appreciate and mention your efforts to your bosses, but if they don't, you should.

Watch your behaviour

Be a valuable team player. Avoid gossip as much as you possibly can. Learn what to say to deflect it. Stop complaining and recognise the good work of co-workers. Be aware of others' work patterns. Try not to waste their time.

Look at the big picture when something irritating happens. Pick out every other reason but a personal one whenever you can. Be known as the positive person who wants to solve problems cooperatively.

You should consider your position. If you were suddenly put in charge of the company and told to turn it around within a year, would you consider your position indispensable? If, for instance, you're a systems analyst and the answer is 'no', then take some action.

You need to start helping out in other areas. For example, if you expand your skills set and learn to troubleshoot computers as well as just PC systems, maybe you won't be the one laid off. After all, the other systems analysts may not be as capable.

Consider your contribution. If your position is indispensable and there are others who hold similar roles, evaluate your contribution against theirs. Be brutal with yourself. Ask yourself if you are doing everything you can or if you are working as hard as you could and contributing a lot. If the answer is 'no', change that.

The bottom line is to add more value. No matter what type of position you have, talk to your manager about how you can help him or her. You may feel resentful or angry at management and that's understandable, but these are tough times for them too.

Most managers will agonise over having to make layoff decisions and over the stress of the resulting additional workload. They are being asked to do more with fewer people and they are probably going to lose sleep over it. Talk to your manager about how you can take on extra work to help ease the burden. Being proactive reduces your chances of getting a pink slip.

So what if you do all this work, help the company, work with the customers, do your job well, and you get laid off anyway? You need to do two things: Start looking, and keep working.

Hopefully you've built up a network of friends in your field or profession, and now is the time to talk with them. Send e-mails using your personal e-mail address stating what has happened, and what you're good at and the position you prefer. Include things that are both general and job-specific. Attend as many professional gatherings that you can, and make sure you have cards with your information on it so that you can be contacted. It's a numbers game at this point.

You should also keep working. You've lost your job, but you should find a volunteer organisation or somewhere else that you can help. It looks good on a resume, it can lead to more contacts, and it keeps you sharp at what you do.

[millionairemind]

Out of work & loving it
Some laid-off Wall St workers find it liberating to get out of the rat race

NEW YORK: -Twelve months without a job. Fourteen months. Eighteen.

It has been a long, dry spell for many of the suit-clad Wall Street community who were handed their pink slips before hardly anyone was talking recovery.

But sit down with a handful of ex-finance industry workers volunteering to work for free as interns in a city-sponsored retraining programme, and they seem almost... happy.

In the current economy, it is an uncommon reaction to the loss of a job. But for some finance workers, many of whom spent years working insane hours at high-pressure jobs - often at the expense of more personal passions - the sudden stop has offered a time to reflect and reconsider.

Thrust out of the rat race, some are thinking hard about whether they want to get back in it. 'It's really easy when you take that first job and you start building some work experience, to get stuck in a pattern,' said Mr Matt Gatto, a former Lehman Brothers investment manager.

Mr Gatto, 35, called the 14 months he has been jobless 'exciting' and 'liberating'. After years of doing little more than work, the one-time philosophy major has taken over much of the child care for his two-year-old son. -- ASSOCIATED PRESS

[winston]

This "Best Job" thing was supposed to create some visibility for Hamilton Island. So would you know go to the place knowing that there are dangerous jelly fish around ?

===================================================

Australia's 'Best Job' winner stung by jellyfish

The winner of Australia's "Best Job in the World" contest has survived a sting from a potentially deadly jellyfish just days before the end of his dream stint on the Great Barrier Reef.

British charity worker Ben Southall said he needed emergency medical treatment after being stung by the highly venomous irukandji jellyfish while jetskiing off Hamilton Island.

"I was feeling pretty hot and sweaty, had a headache and felt pretty sick too, together with pain in my lower back and a tightness in the chest and a really high blood pressure," he wrote on his blog.

Southall, 34, had injections before falling into a deep sleep and was not aware of what had happened until the next day.

"I'd had a minor brush with what can be a very serious jellyfish and has led to people being hospitalised for a number of days," he said.

"My slight knock was enough to tell me that it's not something to be messed around with and I really should have been wearing a full stinger suit."

At least two swimmers have been hospitalised by the tiny, fingernail-sized irukandji this year, including one man who was airlifted from the picturesque Whitsunday Islands on Monday.

Southall beat out 34,000 competitors to land the six-month "caretaker" stint on Hamilton Island, during which he was paid to explore the idyllic region and blog about his experiences. His term expires at the end of the year.

Source: AFP Global Edition

[kennynah]

these are very tiny creatures...the size no bigger than a match stick...

irukandji jellyfish

[winston]

Is It Time to Rethink Your Career? By Brian Tracy

A great number of people spend their lives doing something they don't enjoy during the week, always looking forward to the weekend. They refer to Monday as "Blue Monday" and to Wednesday as "Hump Day." At the end of the week, they say "Thank God It's Friday!"

These are men and women with very little in the way of a future. They look upon their jobs as a form of drudgery, a penance they have to pay in order to enjoy their free time. And because of this attitude, they have trouble making progress.

They stay pretty much where they are, always wondering why other people seem to be living the good life while they feel like they are living a life of quiet desperation.

At my seminars, people frequently ask me what they can do to be more successful. In almost every case, they are working at a job they don't like, for a boss they don't particularly respect, producing or selling products or services for customers they don't care about. And many of them think that if they just hang in there long enough, the clouds will part and everything will get better for them.

But in order to advance -- in order to move up to more difficult, more interesting, and higher-paid positions -- you must become extremely good at what you are doing right now. If you don't have the desire to be very good at your job, that means you are probably in the wrong one.

Too many people do their work in a mediocre way, with the idea that, when the right job comes along, then they will really work hard. But the right job never comes along. They are always passed over for promotions. They are always the last ones hired and the first ones laid off.

What about you? Are you in the right job?

Be honest with yourself. Ask yourself what you would like to do if you only had six months left to live. What would you choose to do if you won a million dollars in the lottery tomorrow? What sort of work would you do if you were absolutely guaranteed of success in your field? If there were no limits on your abilities and opportunities -- if you had no debts, no problems, no commitments -- what would be your ideal career?

Research shows that the things people liked to do between the ages of 7 and 14 were a very good indicator of what they would be most successful at as adults.

A man at one of my seminars told me that when he was 7 he loved to build model airplanes. As he got older, he built more and more complicated planes. By the time he was 14, he was building them with engines and flying them in contests.

Today, he is 35 years old. He has a degree in aeronautical engineering. He designs small aircraft. In addition, he owns an aircraft maintenance company and an air charter firm. He is a multi-millionaire, and he feels like he has never worked a day in his life. He has always done what he loved to do from the time he was a boy.

If you're not sure of your true calling, ask the people closest to you. Ask them, "What do you think would be the very best thing for me to do with my life?" It is amazing how the people around you -- your spouse, your best friends, your parents -- can clearly see what you should be doing when you cannot see it yourself.

Project yourself forward five years, and imagine that your entire life is perfect in every respect. Imagine that you are doing exactly the right job for you, in exactly the right place, with exactly the right people, and earning exactly the amount you want to earn.

What would that look like? Where would you be, and what would you be doing? Who would you be with, and how would you have changed?

When you have that picture in your head, think about the steps you would have to take to get from where you are today to where you want to be in five years. What skills would you have to develop? What information would you have to acquire? What obstacles would you have to overcome?

Success comes from being excellent at what you do. The market pays excellent rewards only for excellent performance. It pays average rewards for average performance, and below-average rewards for below-average performance.

All really successful and happy people know in their hearts that they are very good at what they do. And if you are doing what you really love and enjoy, if you are following your true calling, you will know it too.

Source: ETR

[millionairemind]

Jan 11, 2010
Longest working hours
They top international poll of 13 economies; MOM's figure is 45.9 hours a week for 2008
By Dickson Li

SINGAPORE'S workers continue to lead the pack when it comes to the number of hours they put in at work, according to a report by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

The report puts them at the top of 13 economies in the group's Global Wages Report for 2008-09, surpassing even the notoriously hardworking Japanese and Taiwanese.

The report showed data for 2007 and compared it with that of 2008 and the first quarter of last year, when the global recession was at its worst.

The ILO report did not specify the exact numbers but a check with the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) put working hours here at 45.9 hours a week for 2008 and the first quarter of last year. In 2007, the figure was 46.3 hours.

Under the Employment Act, the limit on working hours is 44 hours a week or eight hours a day. Beyond this, workers are entitled to 1.5 times their hourly rate of pay.

The working hours do not include a tea break or lunchtime. This applies only to workmen earning less than $4,500, or other employees drawing less than $2,000 a month.

[Aspellian]

In the first 6 years of my career, I used to work from 9am to 12pm (3hrs), lunch then 130pm to 7pm(5.5hrs), Dinner, then 8pm to 11pm (3 hrs)

Total = 11.5 hrs per day (not including meal times) * 5 days = 57.5 hrs on weekdays. prob round down to 55 hours (as sometimes i knock off before 11pm)

Ocassionally have to work on weekends.

does anyone also work long hours out there? or still working such hours???

[winston]

I'm in the forum about 12 hours a day but not get paid