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Career Success in 2010!!!And some FREE Resources inside this article...
Career Success in 2010! Are you ready to make a difference with your career this year? I mean think about it for a second, are you REALLY READY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE with your career this year??? Listen, if you don't ever read a single newsletter or article I publish for the rest of the year, do yourself a favor and get through this one Trust me, I've been in the workforce for decades and I've made plenty of mistakes working my way to career success Please take the next 3 minutes of your life and read this in order to avoid some major common mistakes and help guide yourself to Career Success in 2010!
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First of all, if you're ready to make a difference with your career this year, I want you to notice a very important word I'm using here: CAREER Yep, I did not say job or employment or work, etc... You see, if you think anything but career, you will more than likely have anything but a career. A career is far different than a job because a career is something you really invest time, education, and sometimes even a little money into in order to move up the professional ladder. A career is the "BIG PICTURE" thinking rather than the "Oh man, I gotta go to work today" thinking. A career is something we often love and look forward to. Any other way of thinking about whatever you're doing to produce an income is just that, a way to produce an income. For me personally, I'm a surgical professional, I SEE MYSELF as a surgical professional, and I owe a HUGE portion of my professional success to the foundation I built from my surgical tech education, knowledge, & experience. That's why I feel saddened for those individuals who write to me telling me how there is no "big money" in this field or its a dead end job. Yep, it's people who think that way that get exactly what they are thinking about! Actually, to be quite honest, most jobs are often perceived as dead end, because they are looked upon as a J.O.B. instead of being invested into as a C.A.R.E.E.R! AND, I must say, I LOVE my career as a professional educator in the world of surgery. Not only do I get to educate surgical techs, but I get to educate & train surgical professionals on all levels including surgeons, nurse's, sales reps, and other surgical pro's. Please note too that I'm not bragging, rather I just want you to know that you are only limited by how you think about or perceive your professional status. If I can do it, you can do it too! It's great to have a job, but in my opinion a career that you can develop and really enjoy is the ultimate professional reward.
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Now, all of that being said, I would like to give you some Highly Recommended as well as some great FREE Resources and a few pointers that I'd put at the top of your game plan in order to move your career forward this year.
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Update and/or build a Professional Resume! A professional resume, updated, well written, formatted, and ready for distribution is essential! Even if you have to update your resume every single time you submit one, keep it current, updated, & accurate. Submit your resume online, to job boards, professional recruiters, etc. Use a resume builder for that professional touch. You will find a highly recommended resume builder here: Resume Builder
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Business Cards I had a surgeon tell me one time that without a business card in the professional world, you don't exist. Business cards are inexpensive, can be made from home, and are another necessity! Even if you're a student, make a "contact business card" with your name, number, & email address. This way if you're doing your clinicals in a facility or working with a surgeon who really likes your work and would like to keep you in mind for a possible position after you graduate, a little business card is a great reminder for them to stick in their pocket. You will find a FREE business card builder here: FREE BUSINESS CARD MAKER
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A PROFESSIONAL eMail Address!!! LISTEN to me loud and clear here, PLEASE!!! We all know that email correspondence is one of the number one methods of communication today. AND if you don't have a PROFESSIONAL email address, well, lets just say that people are going to wonder where your mind is when corresponding on a professional level. Sometimes I wonder what people are thinking when I see emails from addresses with phrases that should be reserved for personal email correspondence. Think about this scenario for a second. You're looking for a new employee to fill a recently vacated position & you need someone NOW! Well, you look through some resumes on a job board or you post a position. Suddenly you get a resume that has EVERYTHING you're looking for in an employee, the perfect qualifications, experience, education, etc. So you decide to shoot them an email for an immediate interview and you find an email like any of the following:
Now, I'm not judging anyone here, RATHER, I am telling you that (when corresponding on a professional level) you should really think about using a professional email address with one of the free email services all over the net. Why not use your name in some form. There are plenty of ways to create a professional email address using your name with a hyphen - or a dot . in between an initial or first or last name. But hey, if you want to have some fun with an email address, GREAT! Just keep the fun email addresses for personal use. WOW, I really harped on that email thing... and I could go on and on and on about some of the personal/crazy email addresses I see out there but I think you get my point here. I just want you to know that if you want to be taken as a serious professional do not use the iLoveBeerOnFri@...com when corresponding with potential employers. Here is great FREE eMail service by Google: Google Gmail By the way, the examples I mentioned are not actual email addresses I've received. IF, by pure chance, it is yours, it is completely coincidental & unintentional. I would NEVER publish your address on any public information. ALL email addresses I receive are CONFIDENTIAL!!!
____________________ References Organize and keep an updated list of references. Make a list of professional references from whom will give you a good reference. While a co-worker is a great professional reference, make sure to use a charge person, or director, or supervisor, or surgeon at the top of the reference list. Employers seem to give more attention to references with some form of "official title".
____________________ Social Media Maybe you've heard about the social media buzz being used to look up info on potential employees and maybe you haven't. It's a fact that some employers are now turning to FaceBook, Twitter, MySpace, etc to look up the name of a potential employee and see what type of "stuff" they chat about. Whether or not this is legal, or whether or not it will definitely happen, I do not know, but it is being done. So if you have some, um, lets say indiscriminate quotes, language, or photos, you might just want to take them down or think about another way to block people from getting into your social media accounts.
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EDUCATION THIS IS HUGE!!! Advancing your education is a sure-fire way to move up the career ladder! If you've been telling yourself "Next Year" I'm going back to school or getting into that FA program or RN program or whatever program it is.... NOW it's already next year. Stop procrastinating and get it done! There are plenty of on-line and affordable opportunities to advance your career with a little hard work getting that extra educational advantage. As many of you know, I strongly believe becoming a First Assistant is a GREAT way to move forward. First Assistant Training.
Check it out here: First Assistant Training
Listen, whether its FA training or some other avenue you're thinking about, just do it. Take the step forward and get your butt moving.
You will find other Medical & Healthcare Career Training here: Medical & Healthcare Career Training
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Finally, utilize the FREE Job Tools & Employment Listings on this site! If you really want to make a difference with your career and move to the next professional level, you can if you think you can & if you're ready to commit to putting in the time & effort required to move forward. Plenty of people will continue to do the same old thing expecting different results. Why not take a little time out of your life now to move your career forward and inspire someone in or around your life to do the same. As I always say, this life is not a practice run! Do what you can with what you have, today! Until next time~ Your friend, Robert
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