By admin, on July 31st, 2011 Guest Author: CareerAlley
Website: http://CareerAlley.com
 “To those of you who received honors, awards and distinctions, I say well done. And to the C students, I say you too may one day be president of the United States.” – George W. Bush
It happens to most of us. Grade school, High School and College. We spend 4 years (except for those on the “5 year plan”) learning (and partying) and then the “big day” is here – Graduation! And then, as if overnight, we are faced with the hard, ugly facts of life (therefore the ugly bird picture today) – we now have to find a job. Those days of living off of our parents’ dime are over. We need to fend for ourselves. There is a word for that – UGH. Okay, not to worry. This is the beginning of an adventure. Hold on, because here we go.
- The 20 Essential TED Talks for New Grads – This is the perfect article for the new college grad. A bunch of great links. From links about what motivates you to work hard to links about what you want to do with your life, these links are definitely worth a review. While you are on the page, take a look at the related links on the left hand side of the page. Also take a look at the frequently asked questions on the right hand side of the page.
Continue reading I Graduated from College, Now What? »
By admin, on June 11th, 2011  Choose your professional battles wisely In Part 1, we talked about the importance of asking questions and sticking to the facts when it comes to assessing workplace conflicts. Today, we’re wondering, how do conflicts arise?
Common sources of conflict
It can be helpful to ask yourself some simple questions to assess the source of the conflict:
- Is someone doing something they are NOT supposed to do?
- Is someone NOT doing something they are supposed to be doing?
These types of problems are a bit more obvious because they are slightly more “objective.” For example, if you were supposed to receive a particular set of data in order to complete a report and you didn’t get the data, it’s clear where the problem lies. In this sort of situation, being direct and factual is usually the best approach.
- Is there a procedure, system, or approach that is not functioning optimally?
- Is there an organizational or departmental policy with which you disagree?
- Is there a colleague’s behavior that is disruptive?
These situations can be more challenging to address so we’ll take a closer look at each of them in future posts.
Weighing the costs
I guess another way of saying “weigh the costs” would be “choose your battles.” Perhaps in an ideal world, all conflicts and disagreements would be resolved immediately without any ill will or negative ramifications. Unfortunately, this rarely happens, and you may need to weigh which conflicts are worth addressing. For example, perhaps a client shows up five minutes late for every appointment. Depending on the situation and organizational policies, this may not warrant any action or it may require confrontation. Weigh each situation carefully.
What about you?
Is there a common source of disagreement where you work? What types of conflicts would you just walk away from and which absolutely require a confrontation?
The Professional You series offers tips and suggestions for college students transitioning to their first professional position, whether an internship or full time job.
By admin, on June 10th, 2011 Guest Author: CareerAlley
Website: http://CareerAlley.com
 “A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds.” – Francis Bacon
There’s nothing like great advice, especially if it is free. Of course, that is what the Internet is all about. In the “old days” (like when I went to college), the only way to get to your college career center was to visit it on campus. Now, most (if not all) career centers at colleges and universities have an online site. So, this not only gives you access to your college career center but potentially, to every college career center. Why, you may ask, do you care? Let’s face it. The only reason people go to college is to enable them to enter the field of their choice. If college did not help you get into the field of your choice, no one would go. College career centers are designed to help you enter the workforce (or change jobs). Not convinced? Maybe today’s post will change your mind on the value of college career centers.
Continue reading Leverage College Career Centers in Your Job Search »
By admin, on June 9th, 2011  I’ll be honest, as I began writing this post, I really struggled! It became evident that a single post was not going to suffice, so I’ll be breaking it into a few parts. Why so much to write? There are so many factors to weigh when it comes to dealing with workplace conflict. Also, conflict, whether it’s with a co-worker, a supervisor, or a customer, is inevitable. Dealing with conflicts, or potential conflicts, can be very challenging. Further, there are differing degrees of severity – some situations might be better described as disagreements or even annoyances, while others can become full-blown battles. I do believe, however, that many workplace conflicts can be dealt with in a manner that avoids escalation.
Ask questions
If you’ve read any of my previous articles, you are probably sensing a theme – asking questions is generally a good rule of thumb! When you are new to a position, it’s wise to familiarize yourself with your company’s or department’s policies for dealing with disputes, conflicts, disagreements, etc. These can differ from place to place, and can depend on the parties involved. For example, policies for how to deal with customer complaints will likely differ from how to deal with a disagreement with a co-worker. So, be sure you are well versed with your whatever policies may be in place. If no policy exists, speak with your supervisor before any conflicts arise to find out how she prefers to deal with them.
Continue reading Professional You – Dealing with workplace conflict, Part 1 »
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“To those of you who received honors, awards and distinctions, I say well done. And to the C students, I say you too may one day be president of the United States.” – George W. Bush
