Career 02 (Apr 10 - Apr 12)

[kennynah]

i know MS Word... as a clerk, such skills are transferable... it is important...

having transferable skills is not sufficient, it is only potent if the skillsets is relatively rarer.... a CCIE certified network engineer will always be one notch above CCNP certified engineers...

[winston]

having transferable skills is not sufficient, it is only potent if the skillsets is relatively rarer.... a CCIE certified network engineer will always be one notch above CCNP certified engineers...

Skillsets that are rare are only useful for that certain industry. It's not really useful outside of that industry ...

[kanglc]

PLP skill is also transferable, and the extend of the P is sometimes quite rare.
But *sigh* they are often in demand.

[kennynah]

having transferable skills is not sufficient, it is only potent if the skillsets is relatively rarer.... a CCIE certified network engineer will always be one notch above CCNP certified engineers...

Skillsets that are rare are only useful for that certain industry. It's not really useful outside of that industry ...

i agree...and i'm quite sure so do surgeons, architects, lawyers, structural engineers, car/fashion designers, etc....but i dont think anyone is complaining...


on the other hand, those with generic skills, like driving, typing, personnel management skills, sales, low level network/systems engineering, marketing/promotions/advertising skills, general accounting, general HR, general planning skills, and these sort of commonly available skillsets, should be worried even though these skills are transferable....

there's only ONE CEO position in any company...and that can be filled by a generalist....

there are potentially more senior technical and specialized work in an organization...and can only be filled by appropriately skilled personnel...

my advice to young people.... don't be a generalist, if you can be a specialist....

[winston]

my advice to young people.... don't be a generalist, if you can be a specialist....

Hmm... we probably have to disagree. I was a Specialist and wished that I was more of a Generalist...

[millionairemind]

there are potentially more senior technical and specialized work in an organization...and can only be filled by appropriately skilled personnel...

my advice to young people.... don't be a generalist, if you can be a specialist....

I think it depends on career aspirations...

If you want to get into the management fast track, a generalist route is more appropriate. If you want to be, say Director of Engineering, a specialist route might be more appropriate.

[millionairemind]

From the books that I have read thus far, the BIGGEST clash in the work place is between the different ideologies of what constitutes work for the Baby boomers, Gen-X and Gen-Y.

Aug 26, 2010
Implementing work-life balance
Involving middle managers in the process is the key to success, says Hawazi Daipi
By Cassandra Chew
MIDDLE managers are key to the success of work-life balance strategies in the workplace but are often left out of the process when it comes to implementing such measures.

The involvement of line-managers and supervisors, in addition to that of bosses, makes a critical difference to the effectiveness of work-life strategies, Senior Parliamentary Secretary (Health and Manpower) Hawazi Daipi said on Thursday.

'An effectively implemented work-life strategy helps employees better meet their work demands and personal needs, which will, in turn, benefit the employer,' he added.

'From the employee's perspective, better work-life harmony means less tension between work and personal lives, and a better quality of life overall, resulting in improved ability to perform at their best at work.'

Credit Suisse buys into this philosophy. Recognising that not all middle managers were comfortable facilitating such changes at work, it helps them ease into the role in ways such as mentoring, and interaction with workers at networking events.

'Baby boomers may not necessarily know how to manage younger workers of today. But if we expose them to different ways of leadership, they will be much more open,' said Ms Niki Kesoglou, a regional director at the international bank.

[winston]

"Is it an employment "opportunity" or bondage?

Because what you really want is freedom, many of you equate working for other people as bondage, but if you would realize that the corporation, as an entity, is not so different from the individual, it might be easier to understand the employer's decisions.

Long before the buildings or the workers, the visionary of the corporation had an idea for something that began summoning Energy. So years later maybe you are hired as a part of that team, and without realizing it you are now the beneficiary of that continuing flowing Energy.

When you step into one of those employment positions, Life Force is summoned through you because of the vision of the founder--unless you're bucking the current.

Most get into that fast moving stream and paddle against the current--and then complain about it being a hard ride--where they could get into their canoe and easily paddle with the fast moving current.

You can soar and thrive in any environment as long as you are not seeing things that you are using as your reason to paddle against the current. And so, it doesn't really matter what others are deciding.

The questions is: "As I am choosing to stand here, it's a way for dollars to flow through me in exchange for the effort I am offering. Am I predominantly letting the Energy flow through me, or not? Am I letting it in?"

--- Abraham

Excerpted from the workshop in Albuquerque, NM on Tuesday, August 1st, 2000 #553


Source: abraham-hicks.com

[winston]

The Worst Mistake You Can Make On Your Resume

Fact: Job hunters obsess about resumes. Who wouldn't? There's so much to get right--functional versus chronological, objective statements (pro and con), key words, templates, references, font size, white space, action verbs, employment gaps, placement and style of bullets, typos, and whether to include hobbies (probably a "no" on that last one).

So much, in fact, that we often forget the most important ingredient of a really great, interview-obtaining, new-job-snagging resume: It needs to be written specifically for the job you're after.

Does that mean you have to do a new resume for every single position you apply for? Yes, that's exactly what it means.

[See 21 Secrets to Getting the Job.]

Fear not, this is not as laborious as it sounds. You don't have to start from scratch each time. All you need to do is edit--or refocus--your "master" resume to sync with the job in question. How?

--First, read and reread the job description. Study it. Ponder it. Identify the words and phrases the employer uses to describe the position.

--Next, take a look your work accomplishments, certifications, education, and experience. You should be keeping lists of all this stuff. This is the raw data you draw on to craft your resumes and cover letters, too.

--Then ask yourself which of your credentials can honestly be described using the same words and phrases the employer uses in the job description.

--Finally, take those words and phrases and use them to describe yourself in your resume. From this point, all you have to do is plug in info from your master resume.

See, it's not a total rewrite. In fact, most of your resume will stay the same. You'll find that customizing your resume gets easier each time you do it.

[See more job advice at U.S. News Careers.]

A few more thoughts to consider:

--If you use a career objective at the top of the page, it should include the exact job title of the position you're seeking.

--Remove experience/qualifications that have nothing to do with the job in question. You want to make it easy for employers to see the credentials they most care about.

--Try to figure out what credentials are of highest importance to the employer and put those first. Pretend you are in the employer's shoes and ask yourself, "What's my biggest need? What's most important to me about this job?" Talk to your mentor and contacts in the field. Try to find people who are already doing the job you want and ask them, "What is the most important part of your job?"

--If your past job titles are ambiguous, overly jargony, or don't obviously relate to the job you're applying for, rephrase them in laymen's terms--in a way that shows how those past jobs qualify you for this new job.

So, what's the worst mistake you can make on your resume? Failing to customize. It's a new employment market out there. A cookie-cutter resume just doesn't cut it anymore. You need to show your potential employer that you're applying for this job, not just any job.

http://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/The-Wo ... 7.html?x=0

[kennynah]

A resume is nothing more than an articulation of relevant skillets n work experiences vis-a-vis the job requirements in written words

It must be written concisely to convey the reasons for hiring company to become interested..

If there are gaps between employment, it's best to briefly explain them.

However how well crafted a CV is, jobhoers are usually viewed with suspicions. It's more acceptable for one to have some staying power in each organization