Anything worth succeeding at takes some strategy. Take dating for example. When I set my eyes on my husband, I recall thinking "He has the kindest eyes." And I promptly began finding out what I could about him, to determine his eligibility. I asked about his marital status (single); about his stability (same job for 24 years); about his family (a sister and niece).

With the way cleared, I began "strategizing" running into him! Yes, I was shameless. Ten years later we are happily married, still hold hands, and are devoted to one another's happiness. Bliss.

Career management also demands strategy ... so what does it take to succeed at work, to position yourself for a promotion? Aside from a certain set of skills gained through education and experience, it takes strategy.

Communication

People often start out in entry level positions, in reception for example, and twenty years later progress to manage a large corporation. When questioned on career progression, one manager shared, “Every time I was getting bored and ready to move on I communicated that to everyone I could make listen!” Others, very intent on landing a promotion, and fully qualified to move on, don't share their goals only to find themselves trumped when a colleague, who had communicated his interest in moving into management, is appointed to an acting position upon a manager’s unexpected departure. If you don’t tell anyone, no one can promote your interests.

Visibility
Well ahead of the point at which you find yourself thoroughly bored, disgruntled, and no longer motivated, join committees, volunteer to lead a research assignment, apply for secondments or interim positions; in short, get yourself noticed! Also, keep a brag file in which you document project details, the ideas you contributed, roles you played, and each project’s successful outcomes. Remind your supervisor of what you have accomplished — when appropriate of course. Try not to point out your achievements in a general staff meeting as you would be perceived as boastful, but absolutely share your achievements during an annual performance review.

Development

Enrol in company training, in on-line or on-site college courses, conduct self-study — few amongst us continue to be effective without adding to our knowledge base. And surprisingly few people actually take this step. Completing a relevant course and putting your newly acquired skills to good corporate use is a career-enhancing move.

Work Ethic

There is no substitute for hard work. It happens that people land management roles only to be shown the door after their work ethic or productivity proves to be below expectations. Hard work doesn’t necessarily mean long hours and weekends spent at the workplace. Work smart! Along with upgrading your skills, tackle your long-standing, production-inhibiting flaws of procrastination, easily diverted attention, or disorganized paperwork. Ask for performance reviews to find out where, specifically, you could improve.

Here’s the thing: your career is yours to manage. And manage it, nurture it, you must—if you are serious about getting ahead. Put down roots in education, effort, and tracked results, communicate your interests, and your career will reach pinnacles you didn’t dare dream of. Just like my marriage!

- contributed by Stephanie Clark, owner of Award-winning NewLeafResumes.ca.

Nurtition and Resumes: You don't know what you don't know

Once upon a time I suffered from aches and pains in my joints, had trouble losing weight, (and dare I admit it?) suffered from gas. I ate low cal foods, snacked on those 100 calorie cookies, avoided red meats, limited how many eggs I ate, and on and on. Most of my friends, certainly those of a similar age, were experiencing similar problems, some even worse. And so I figured, "That's the way it is once you hit middle age."

Today, I eat read meat whenever I want, enjoy bacon and butter (instead of pretend bacon and margarine), my aches and pains have diminished to the point that I now live in a 2-story home, and I am a very respectable 128 or so pounds ... and I am in my mid-50s!

So what happened? I am following the advice of a nutritionist who has taught me how the body functions and the folly of trying to nourish a body with calorie-counting, nutrient-empty "foods." Valuable lessons. But before I learned these things, I simply didn't know.

The same thing is true of resumes. If you don't know that your resume is lousy, you don't know that it can be improved. You keep sending the same one out over and over, never hear anything, and think "Well, none of my friends have any better luck."

Ignorance is not bliss. Rouse yourself from a place of acceptance and fight! Fight for your health, and fight for the right to a decent job!

Resume standards have changed and yet most people use a resume styled after an example from the 1980s. Today's resumes have to sell not tell. They must relate how you have met workplace challenges, how you solved problems, saved money, earned money, improved processes, streamlined procedures, and otherwise provided your boss with a positive return on your salary. It's all about profits--business banks on it! Profits through performance and productivity.

Don't know a resume writer? There are lots of us around with varying qualifications and niches. Some work locally (check your yellow pages) and some virtually (internet search), and some, like me, serve clients both local and global. Check out http://www.newleafresumes.ca/ for samples and information.

And check out that nutritionist too (http://www.katiecher.com/). If you don't have your health, your resume won't matter.

On Authenticity

On Authenticity

As a small business owner, marketing advice abounds. Particularly plentiful these days is advice on internet marketing. Have you seen this type of sales pitch? Typically a long scrolling page, building a case for how much you need a product. Periodically a link to “order now” and then more strong content telling you how the product will fix your outlook on life, lead you to a remarkable love life, show you the sure-fire way to lose weight, and yes, even guarantee you instant interviews and job offers.

My “watch-out” meter goes wild with these pitches, and yet, guess what, I have purchased a few. Afterwards I realize that it isn’t the magic bullet, fix-it and cure-all that the author has claimed. More often than not it is pretty standard fare; sometimes even a rip-off. Every once in a while though, the product is excellent. Although never a cure-all, some information is worth paying for.

Too bad it’s so hard to tell which is the snake-charmer/liar, and which is a truthful, caring business, actually wanting to improve your life, your work, your health…

I think it’s the ones that promise the impossible that you have to beware of; those that promise perfect health, lots of job offers, instant weight loss. And the ones that have good information to share are the ones offering answers to particular questions, as opposed to a one-stop, cure-all, for all.

For me, authenticity is important. I must live with my decisions, and be accountable to myself, my family, my clients. As a business owner I guarantee that I will do my very best for each client. I continue to add to my knowledge with additional professional training. I stand behind my product, and I support my clients’ efforts. Every client who returns with questions, unmet expectations or comments is listened to, and answered, supported, helped. Many return for updates as time passes and their career-itch returns! That is my reward for authentically supporting my clients’ career needs.

Indecision

My eldest daughter, Katie, recently published her first newsletter. (subscribe at katie.cher.com) She is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, who keeps her family, and others, healthy, and she is also a Certified Lifestyle Coach. In her newsletter, she asks, "Is failure not reaching a goal, or is not attempting it in the first place?" Good question.As a resume writer, I often have clients who are toying with the idea of changing careers. Far too often they don't even try. I've decided, now that I'm on the other side of that great divide, i.e. 50 years of age, that life is quite simply too short to "not try."

I finally figured out "what I want to be when I grow up" when I hit 45. Somehow I'd always known that I was destined to be a late bloomer. But once the writing bug had me, it had me good. Truth is, I always dreamed of writing so it wasn't perhaps a total surprise. My eldest daughter also says that people's daydreams about writing, the interest in real estate, the bookshelf full of interior design, or the massive collection of old movies - these may indeed be an indication of our "calling." They may be a nudge from our Maker, the whisper in our ear of where our strengths will be put to use, of how our interests will spur our impact or success (I hesitate to use the word "success" as too often it is associated with monetary success and I do not intent that meaning here), of the best place for our innate abilities to be of use ... from where our fountain of energy (if not youth, alas!) will overflow.

What's the worst that can happen if you try - you fail...and along the way you undoubtedly learn, meet new folks, realize something about yourself; not all bad things. And the best? You will soar like a hawk upon the updrafts - enjoying life with wild abandon, experiencing success, reveling in your abilities, finally feeling fulfilled and useful.Indecision is nothing more than failure to act. Without action there will be no failure - and no success. The choice is yours.

Cover Letters Are Not Just for Dummies!

Resumes, although not easy to prepare without some idea of what gives them vigor, do have a certain formulaic approach. And if you have good research skills, and writing skills, you can certainly pull off a decent and effective resume. But cover letters are quite another matter.

Last summer I submitted several letters to Joyce Lain Kennedy, for submission into one of her upcoming books. Imagine my surprise when, on vacation on Lake Huron’s shores, I received a call from Ms. Kennedy herself. Now, in case you aren’t familiar with Joyce, she has been a Syndicated Careers Columnist for some 40 years in the U.S. , and author of eight books on career management. Her article, Careers Now appears in over 100 newspapers and websites! Check her out at www.sunfeatures.com.

It seems that Joyce was impressed with my submissions! In fact she wrote me the following in a subsequent email:
“Stephanie, you are a bright new star on the North American resume writing scene! Several people have been given a peek at the sample letters in my manuscript of Cover Letters For Dummies, 3rd Edition and every single one picked out your work as a top favorite (of 57 writers). Your work is state of the art!”

Cover letters are formulaic only in that they have the standard letter features: salutation, introduction, body and call to action. It is how you develop the content that makes or breaks your cover letter’s effectiveness, and that is difficult to pick up through research alone.

Give your job search a boost of energy with a truly “WOW” cover letter. Why not pick up a copy of Joyce’s latest book? The contents cover how to create compelling communications, a sample of the best job letters, how to pen online messages, and more! It’s worth the effort or investment.