10 Career Intentions for 2010

As I always do, I posts topic here on my blog about valuable tips that will make a positive impact in my life and to others. Here is a topic about boosting your confidence on finding job and setting a goal for this year 2010. It was written by Susan Whitcomb, a well known career advisor and the author of the best-selling "Magic Series" published by JIST, including Job Search Magic, Interview Magic, and Resume Magic, now in its 4th edition.

1. Be Intentional: That’s right. #1 on the list requires that you focus on being intentional. It all starts with awareness. What do you need to do to stay focused on your goals and not let the busyness and distractions of life take you off course? 2. Make Space for Career Management: Like exercise, it won’t happen unless you make space for it. Set aside time, at a minimum once a month, to evaluate where you are with your career plans and what adjustments you might need to make. 3. Find Out What Your Boss (or Boss To Be) Wants: It’s impossible to experience career success without intersecting your desires with what your employer needs. When is the last time you asked your boss “How can I help you be wildly successful?” 4. Share with Your Boss What You Want: Frame it in the context of company goals. For example, “Mr. Boss, I’m committed to helping XYZ Company continue on its course of success. Down the road, I see myself _____ [fill in the blank – for example, “contributing in a director role and coordinating new product launches that will allow us to be first-to-market in Web-based widget solutions.”] Then ask, “What would it take to make that happen?” 5. Leverage & Collaborate with Your Career Community: These days, it takes the cooperation and collaboration of teams to make real progress. Who are the key members of your career community—the people who can help you get where you want in your career? Who needs to be added to that community? How can you reach out to them, learn what they need, and deepen connections? 6. Know Your Value: Can you identify how you deliver a return-on-investment to your employer? If not, start thinking about how you can make them more money, save them money, solve important problems. This will allow you to become the “hunted” and not a “hunter” of new opportunities. 7. Know Your Values: Are you honoring your values in your current work? Do you know what your values are? Whether it be the ability to make a significant contribution, work with integrity, take risks, etc., knowing your values and living by them is the one thing you can always control during the day. 8. Don’t Give Away Your Power: If you’re in a difficult situation, don’t resign yourself to thinking, “I’m stuck. There are no options. This is the way it’s always going to be.” Instead, remember the saying “If it’s going to be, it’s up to me.” There are always options you can take action on, even if it’s only reframing your perspective. 9.FAIL Forward: A wise soul once said that FAIL stands for “From All I Learn.” Make 2010 a year of learning, even in those places of unmet expectations and disappointments. Ask yourself, “What do I want to learn in this situation that will benefit my career long-term?” Likewise, identify what new skills, competencies, or credentials you want to add to your toolbelt in 2010. 10. Be an S.O.S. Worker: S.O.S. stands for Serve Others Selflessly. I’m not advocating being a doormat or a candidate for abuse. I am advocating that you “find the need and fill it,” without an agenda or expectation of a payback. Trust that it will come to you. Those who persevere, prosper.

Work with Passion

I saw these article on Yahoo, which is about having a job that you are passionate and love. I find it very interesting and inspiring at the same time. I truly believe that if you love and passionate about one thing either be your hobbies, job or talent, you will be more than happy to work harder for it. There's even a saying "If you love your Job, you work no more, you go to work because of sheer enjoyment you get while your working". Hope you will also be inspire on these article.

It's natural to focus on your education and job experiences when searching for a job. But experts suggest also factoring your hobbies and personal interests into the employment opportunities you're pursuing. That's because whether it's a love of the outdoors, animals, or ice cream, the things you're passionate about just might lead to a rewarding career (and a big paycheck, too)! Rashelle LeCaptain, 31, president of Connecting Cultures, Inc. in Little Chute, Wisconsin, knows firsthand how passion can yield great rewards. After spending a year in Mendoza, Argentina, LeCaptain set her sights on finding a job that highlighted her passion for Latin culture. "I fell in love with speaking Spanish," she says. So while working toward a degree in health care administration in college, LeCaptain pursued a job as a translator. "At 22, I formed a company that provides diversity and cross-cultural training that now has more than 30 full-time employees and $1 million in sales." LeCaptain says her success is directly tied to her passion. "I'm driven by my affinity for the language, and that's helped me to create my business." Experts agree that LeCaptain's approach is one of merit. "I wouldn't want to hire someone who is coming to work just to get a paycheck, especially when there are lots of candidates who will be excited to come to work every day," says Lee E. Miller, former head of human resources for Fortune 1000 companies like TV Guide and USA Networks, and author of "Get More Money on Your Next Job? in Any Economy." Passion Pays Off Miller says employees who are excited and committed are also wildly successful. "Passion will get you hired and promoted. It will also give you leverage to negotiate a better salary and perks because your drive will get you noticed by bosses and managers," he says. Enthusiasm about your job will manifest in areas beyond your paycheck, too. In fact, a comprehensive review of several studies found that happiness is the determinant of success in virtually all life domains. The idea is that happiness precedes success, not the other way around, explains psychiatrist Gabriela Cora, president of the Miami-based Executive Health & Wealth Institute, Inc. "Even if you have a very busy job, being passionate about what you do makes it easier to enjoy sports, exercising, having fun and spending quality time with your partner, spouse, children, family and friends," she adds. Pinpointing Your Passion To find a job you're sure to be wild about, Miller suggests looking no further than your personal life. "Assess what you do on the weekends, what causes interest you, and your favorite hobbies," he says. To uncover passions worth pursuing as possible careers, make a list of the things in your life that bring you the most joy. "Then factor in your education and work experience to see how the three can mesh together," says Miller. For example, if you love to read and have experience dealing with the public, consider working at a library. Wild about animals, but not office politics? Check out nonprofit organizations that benefit animals. And if you've got the gift of gab and great "people skills," look for social media jobs where you can be paid to post on Twitter and Facebook -- yes, those jobs really do exist! Miller says no matter what your passion, put it to work for you. "You'll reap the rewards in your paycheck and your personal life, too."

My Work Experience in Call Center

It's been seven months since I resigned from my Call Center Job. My experience was a bitter sweet, I say that because the time I spent from my previous job was quite a culture shock and at the same time a liberating moment of my life. I'm a person who is shy by nature, I don't usually go outside of our house not unless if there some important family gatherings that I need to attend too or if some of my closest friend ask to go out and it's their treat(lol). From the time I worked in a call center, I realized that shyness is no good in this type of job. From the interview process up until the training you will be talking to different people from all walks of life. And not just that, you will be talking to your clients all day or should I say all night and of course you need to be sounding confident on the phone to get the trust of your customer. Anyway, it's an experience that I'm thankful for, because I gain friends, I become more adaptive to different people, and I learned to become more patient (patience is a virtue).

The job was a no joke, there you would experience a lot of stress and pressure. Some call center has a metrics that an agent need to attain so that the agent can still continue his employment with the company. Others have good benefits and friendly environment while some have toxic account and people, as if you were like inside a burning cabin that the people was so tight and insensitive up to a point that you want to puke already because you can't able to breathe.

Right now I'm bothered if I will be able to find a different job since my work experience is in a call center industry. The current recession was no big help for me to find a job that suits me. I can try other job but I will sacrifice the high compensation that the call center is offering. So for you will you go for a job that you don't like but gives good compensation or a job that has low compensation but it's something that you enjoy doing? my one cent!