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How to Perform at Your Best and Stay Employed

Written by: Roger Ingbretsen

Article Overview: Unemployment is growing at this time; however, there are many actions you can take to help you stay employed, enjoy your work and become a more valuable asset to your organization. You can accomplish this by learning to play off the best attributes you bring, or could learn to bring, to the job.

How to Perform at Your Best and Stay Employed

Unemployment is growing at this time; however, there are many actions you can take to help you stay employed, enjoy your work and become a more valuable asset to your organization. You can accomplish this by learning to play off the best attributes you bring, or could learn to bring, to the job. It's often difficult to recover from a career worst; but, it can be very energizing and a tremendous boost to your career, to play off the strength and self-assurance of your career best. You can increase the frequency of your career bests by understanding the factors and feelings you need to experience so you can continue to grow and perform at your best. Consider the where you are and how you can enhance your career by focusing on the following points.

• To experience the best of your career life means “seizing opportunities” that best fit your strengths and talents as they arise. Look for opportunities to volunteer where you can perform at your best and pick your projects wisely.

• Be aware that job security is dead, that jobs are volatile and updating your skills and gaining new experience is what will keep you both energized and marketable.

• Cultivate and maintain a winning attitude. Winners maintain an optimistic and realistic outlook as they move toward their career goals. The key to understanding personal career motivation is in knowing what energizes you… what kinds of activities, people, and situations are personally stimulating and fulfilling to you on the job?

• Live by positive values. To succeed over the long term, you must know what’s right and wrong, and you must use these standards of behavior every day to keep your career on track.

• No pain, no gain. Winners face career obstacles directly and turn the pain of “hard and smart” work into the gain realized in a successful career.

• Don’t forget the networking. Networking inside your organization can go a long way toward keeping you informed. Information will form your career. Are you aware that only a small percentage of the available jobs are actually advertised? It is critical to maintain your own network, so that you can hear about these unadvertised opportunities.

• Take stock of your strengths and the types of tasks you like to do and can do well. Look for important, visible ways to use and build on your strengths within the organization and that will get you recognized for a job well done. Know what profits and the benefits your roles generate for your organization and make sure the organization knows the value of your contributions.

• People who get ahead in their careers don't sit back waiting for the boss to think of ideas. You've got to take a risk and initiate new and innovative ideas. Not taking a risk to be innovative is also a risk. To stay employed, take smart risks and create value.

• Look for opportunities where you can leverage what you do well. It's a great way to increase your job knowledge, satisfaction and responsibility, and your job security can actually increase when you embrace change as it occurs. Organizations are always looking for people to step up to the challenge and take on new things.

• Look at your performance through your supervisor's eyes. If I were my boss, ask yourself, would I keep me? Your boss most likely wants self-reliant individuals who take charge of their careers and are continually updating their skills and experiences, are, engaged, resilient, future-focused, self-aware, driven by values, flexible and dedicated to lifelong learning. Are you that person?

Bottom line… if you want to stay employed and be at your career best, you must learn from mistakes, overcome challenges, mitigate your weaknesses, and play off your innate strengths, talents and skills. You must stay closely in tune to your career performance and objectives… know what’s going on in your organization and have a job you feel is worthwhile doing. You must stay informed, engaged, open to change, and determined to make a positive impact on those around you. A very important point: You must work every day to earn the right to keep your job… Never take your job or career for granted!

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Article Tags: attitude, attributes, career bests, career goals, career life, career motivation, career obstacles, feelings, job security, jobs, networking, new experience, perce, personal career, realistic outlook, self assurance, smart work, talents, unemployment



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