UPGRADE YOURSELF!
7 THINGS TO HELP YOU GET AHEAD IN YOUR CAREER
by Lionel Zivan S. Valdellon

published in JOBSDB.com : 2000

You may have read somewhere that "the future is convergence." That sometime in our past we specialized too much and ended up with too many people doing minute, specific tasks and too few looking at the overall picture and doing general jobs that needed doing... and that now we are making up for that by vigorously giving job opportunities to people who know how to do more than one task.
___Believe it. It's not hype, it's the truth. In order to get ahead in your career, you have to know more than what you were hired for. Or at least, be willing to learn new things. If you remain stuck with what you know, you will stagnate.

Here then are several tips which have worked for me, which you may want to take a look at. Some are purely Cognitive, some are more about Schmoozing and "Playing the Game", but basically, it's all about the attitude of flexibility.

1. BE WILLING TO LEARN THE NEW
New software is especially handy. Find out from the more computer-handy people around you what software they use daily and learn your way around these programs. Ask questions about the systems in your office. Find out how things are run, and how work flows.
___ If there are opportunities to learn new skills, take them. It's a chance to show you are willing to adapt, it's a chance to expand your talents. At the very least you can add something new to your resume.

2. APPRENTICE YOURSELF TO A MASTER
If you're like me, and you're too lazy to learn these things alone, the best way is to befriend someone who can help teach you these new skills/software. Someone you can bug with a dozen questions and who won't mind. This system worked in the 18th century, and looks like it'll be effective well into the 25th.
___ Being in a purely editorial position at a magazine some years ago, I would sit next to our art director and ask him questions about PhotoShop and PageMaker as he laid out our magazine. The knowledge of the software became a big plus in my next job as a content producer at a web solutions company.

3. LISTEN TO WHAT IS SAID ABOUT YOU
Evaluation forms are meant to appraise the company about how you've been doing. But it's also a way to find out how your boss and co-workers view you. Comments about your behavior and performance will give you in black and white the areas in which you have to improve. Is it your attitude to punctuality that needs to be fine-tuned? Is it a disdain for formal structures? After you find out, make sure you act on it of course. Don't waste the opportunity to improve your performance.
___ Often you don't even have to wait for the evaluation form. Find out what is said about you when everyone else is having lunch. How? Ask a good friend to tell you if he/she hears anything about you. It's for your own improvement after all.

4. FIND OUT WHO ARE IN THE POWER POSITIONS and BEFRIEND THEM
There's nothing like having people on your side-- people who hold positions of influence and can help you when in a tight spot, or people who are willing to give you information that may be useful. In my limited experience, this includes the accountant (the one who gives out the paychecks) and the executive assistant to your boss (the one who takes his messages and can pull a few strings). Just make sure you know the difference between befriending and bootlicking.
___ Again in my past job as a magazine editor, it helped that I was friends with the executive assistant of our big boss. She would be the one to warn me what mood my boss was in, so I would always know when to approach her. She would also help me with the befuddling red tape tasks that are inescapable in large bureaucracies. And then there's the fact that these executive assistants ALWAYS knew the latest gossip. Whoops.
___ Of course, ALL your working relationships with the people around you should be pristine. Make no enemies. These are the people you will rely on, and you don't want them pissed at you. Conversely, you will more often than not need them to be inspired enough to keep the flag of excellence flying high in your department. And it'll never happen unless YOU can inspire them.

5. NETWORK YOURSELF
As a continuation of the above tip, know how to network. You can't get ahead without knowing people: the players, the decision-makers, your co-workers, the people in your industry. And you'll never get to know them if you're a wallflower at social gatherings. Find out what the people you work with like to eat for snacks. Pass your business card to people at industry gatherings and schmooze to find out the latest news. Networking helps you build relationships that will always come in handy in times of need. And those needs can be anything from outsourcing talent to finding a new job.

6. DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Know your industry. If you're a programmer, know the latest version of your imaging software. If you're a stockbroker, know who's merging with whom. If you're an account executive, know what new accounts your competitors have signed. Research about the nitty-gritty details of your business. There are books in stores, magazines in the discount bins, there is the 'Net.

7. BUILD UP THE BRAND NAME: "ME"
A good friend was complaining the other day about how she hated an officemate who was so obviously an ass-kisser. He would always report straight to their boss after client calls, would be everpresent when their boss would eat lunch or whatever. And then, when things would go wrong, the ass-kisser was never blamed... rather it was everyone else. She said it was so unfair. She always kept a low profile and would do her work quietly. And I told her, maybe that was why.... she was too quiet.
___ According to Fast Company magazine, "the Brand is You." And just like any brand manager knows, one of the secrets to success is recall. Your boss has to know what you are doing most of the time. Reporting to him after client calls is okay, as long as you know how to judge his mood. Sometimes, just personally telling him what problems you've solved for the day helps boost your image in your boss' eyes. It's advertising on the everyday level, minus taglines like "When it comes to problem-solving, Ms.X is the best!"
___ Report your accomplishments (advertising). Offer to solve problems (call to action). In short, make your presence known. Especially to your boss. Just remember when enough is enough. I mean: Don't brag.

In the end though, what it boils down to is a willingness to adapt. To change. To improve. Because no amount of information will help if you don't decide to act on it.

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