职场规划中必须避开的九大常见误区
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What I am going to discuss in this article is taking a macro look at some of the myths that many careerist might believe to be true. Hopefully all of us will then start to adopt a different approach to craft the ideal career. Myth 1: I only answer to my boss Fact: Just because you interact better with your bosses doesn't mean you are in for a glorious career. In fact, one of the most important hiring criteria for many companies is the individual’s ability to work as a team player—yet, so many of us have colleagues who don’t play well with others. Make teamwork a priority! Myth 2: There is one perfect occupation waiting for me somewhere Fact: Many occupations have the potential to satisfy your career goals. Once you clearly defined what you are looking for in a career, you will find that there are a number of occupations that matches these criteria. But seriously, don’t find a career you deem perfect, instead make the career you have now a perfect one. Myth 3: I should choose an occupation based on my strongest skills Fact: It is risky to consider only your skills for a career decision because skills are only one of the components of a full self-evaluation; interests and values are equally as important in the decision making process. Just because you are good at admin work does not mean you will be happy working in a law firm (if you do not enjoy dealing with subjects in this industry). Myth 4: The best place for me to start looking for an occupation is where employers are doing lots of hiring right now Fact: The job market fluctuates constantly. Employment opportunities can change dramatically. Although projections are available from information resources, this data should be used with caution. There is an inevitable lag time between the demands for certain occupations and the response to this demand. It is thus more important for us to equip ourselves with valuable generic skill-sets. Myth 5: Forget about work-life balance Fact: I used to tell my friends that work-life balance is achieved when work becomes your life. I was joking. Work-life balance is achieved when it is part of your life. I think being a family person and building a career have lots of similarities and can live in almost perfect harmony. Myth 6: I need to be a ‘YES’ man! Fact: Everyone loves YES man, right? Nope! While I agree that saying ‘no’ can sometimes hurt your career, we should also understand that by saying ‘no’ can mean that we did go through a detailed analysis of the possible job scope and realise there might be realistic limitations preventing the successful completion of the task. You should therefore include a detailed analytical explanation as to why you had to say ‘no’. Be responsible and realistic enough to say no! It will be worst if you can’t accomplish the additional load of work. Myth 7: I should always volunteer for tasks Fact: Work tasks that are not handled properly may back fire. It is as simple as that. If you need to, volunteer for stuff at which you have a reasonable chance of success, or it helps with your personal or professional development. Even if you mess up, you'll learn from your own mistakes. Myth 8: I must never miss a day of work Fact: We (Asians) believe that taking a sick day is a taboo. To me, if you are not feeling well, rest! That way you can get better faster and be more productive when back at work. As simple as that. Myth 9: I must be the longest serving employee Fact: Career planning is an ongoing process. You will probably re-strategise your career plans several times during your working life. At this time, the typical person entering the work force at age 25 will have as many as five or six different occupations (or ten jobs) by the time he or she retires. |
