With so many people getting laid off day after day, how do you increase your chances of career success at work in this economy? You can secure your position and even be promoted, no matter how difficult the job market.

Here are some tips to insure career success no matter what you do for a living:

• Focus on your best feature and promote that relentlessly. If you are organized, make sure you volunteer for anything that showcases your organizational talent and make sure your boss knows about it.
• Dress a notch above your rank. If you work in an office casual environment, wear a blazer or a skirt even though you don’t have to.
• Keep a list of your accomplishments. Review it with your supervisor at regular intervals. If you don’t already have regular performance reviews, request them.
• Include your immediate supervisor in your ambitions. Share where you want to go with your career and ask for that person’s advice and help. Supervisors rarely get asked for this kind of support and they usually want to provide it.
• Under-promise and over-deliver.  This is a very old strategy but it still works. Set goals you know you can reach and then exceed them.

Be aware of protocol and never go over your supervisor’s head. Be friendly and upbeat and keep shoptalk and complaining off limits. A positive attitude goes a long way in today’s workplace.

Make sure you have one, and then ride it all the way to career success!

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Getting that next job promotion requires a promotion strategy. Here are some key strategies. Are they necessary? Moves up the ladder seldom just happen. Unless you manage to have your company keep an eye on you. Here are your steps to making it happen and enjoy career success.

1) Create a Job Promotion Plan: Know where you want to go on the career ladder. Once you know, look at your situation from the top down. Examine all he steps you need to take to reach that upper level – training, education – from where you are. They you’ll have a road map to follow!

2) Express your goals: Tell your superior what your career hopes are. Tell him how you intend to reach that star, and ask him if he’ll guide and teach you. He’ll be flattered that your trust his judgment. If you don’t express where you want to go, no one will know!

3) Tell Human Resources: Also ask your superior if he would mind your expressing your hopes to the Human Resources chieftain. No one can express your hopes and dreams as well as you, with no details left out. The HR officer will then have the company overview re what your ambitions are, when promotion spots come up.

4) Learn to Manage: Management involves a different skill set compared to working for someone. You’ll l have more responsibility, but often less control. You have to be able to motivate and control people to do the job, get the results. Don’t wait until you get the management job, and then try to learn management skills too late, and fail!

5) Network to the top: Networking internally in your company necessitates getting to know the key players and having them think well of you. Attend all the semi-business social functions, offer to participate in every extra business effort you can comfortably handle. Based on what they see, you might find some these key figures want you in their department when the next job promotion opens up.

6) Create an accomplishment list: Constantly keep a brief list showing how you achieved your personal performance goals this year. Include accomplishments you were not asked to do and which your boss may not be aware of. Give your superior the list at your next performance review. Ask if he would mind sending a copy to Human Resources for your file. The more everyone knows about what you achieved, the better your chances of being considered for promotion.

7) Cultivate composure: Company’s usually promote people to higher positions who don’t lose their temper, are in control of themselves, and express themselves without ranting. Be yourself, laugh and enjoy. But Learn to keep yourself under control, through exercise to reduce stress, calm thinking, and meditation techniques if need be.

8)  Keep learning: In today’s tech society, current skills and knowledge are disappearing at a faster rate than anytime in the past century. You need to keep learning, and stay on top of the learning curve for your entire working career. You don’t want to be like the secretaries who a short time ago were valued if they could take shorthand, type quickly, and were efficient. Today they are unemployable if they can’t use computer software. Soon they might not be needed either as computers can now take voice dictation and transfer it into print.

9) Golf is not a game: Some top executives say they make more deals o n the golf course in a relaxed, open manner – even though it’s a business situation – then they do pounding out dictates in the board room. Even if you don’t play well, as least be involved.  Golf is part of the communication job promotion plan from America to Japan! Learning tennis is a good idea too! It’s exploding as a business sport.

10) Don’t end run: End runs are the kiss of death if you go around your superior to a higher power to ask his/her advice or complain. It’s breaking your loyalty oath to the person paying your paycheck. It usually leads to dismissal, as no boss will put up with a snake in his woodpile.

For more information on career management – Click here to download your copy of 50 Career Success Tactics.

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Smart goal setting in a corporation is straight forward. Your company must demand more profit. It sets the goals. Then it passes them down to your supervisor. Then a large chunk of the smart goals land on your desk. Your problem is to get these smart goals met.

Over 60,000 sites exist on the internet explaining how to use smart goal setting to achieve this. It can become confusing what the gurus are recommending. The happy answer is the certain themes run through all their advice. Below are most of the themes suggested;  when to use each is simplified. It can be a good smart goals checklist.

Planning: When starting your share of the smart goals plan, ask yourself these questions:

• Are my goals clear?
• Are they specific?
• Are my priorities clear?
• Are my goals measurable?
• Are my goals achievable?

If you run into” No” on any of these queries, pause, and discuss them with your supervisor before trying to deliver the impossible. He’ll probably appreciate your pointing out the defects, before both of you blindly run into a wall that could damage both or your careers. By working together, with other employees, or other company specialists, you might well discover how to reach the profit delivery the corporate smart goals plan calls for, in an entirely different way.

Organization: When putting the smart goals plan to bed, and ready to organize its implementation, the same questions the goal setting gurus propose come up, and some of them repeat the above:

• Are my priorities clear? At best, it’s best to put the top three at the top of your organizational chart. Pick the top three that have the best chance of delivering the corporations smart plans profit. Industrial psychologists state you mentally can have up to seven, but its best to deal with three. The more focused you are, gives you a better chance to achieve the goal. Put the other priorities behind them, where they will help drive you to achieve the top three.
• Are my priorities “timeable”? This is another smart plans question. Can dates be set to complete the priorities and their backup actions? It’s essential that they be “timeable”.

You can use these base goal setting questions at any stage of your smart goals strategy: Planning, Organization, Implementation, Managing, Controlling, Measuring, and Actions to correct situations if the Measurements are not meeting your goal setting activity.

Keep the above simplified “how to” list handy. It can trigger your mind into the right direction, even on your every day employee matters. It’s preferable to trying to read even 1% (600) of the 60,000 plus internet sites!

For more information on career management – Click here to download your copy of 50 Career Success Tactics.

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A wise employee welcomes his job performance review. It gives him (we’ll use “him” for easy explanation)  an opportunity to learn about how he performed against his supervisor’s goals, his  current stature in his  company’s eyes, and where he can improve. Accepted with the right attitude, the annual employee evaluation will guide him towards career success.  And more money!

• The supervisor’s role: Your superior owns a vested investment in making sure you succeed. His performance is based upon how well his employees achieve, whether he motivates employees to raise profit or cut costs, and whether or not he keeps talented staff. He wants you to succeed; and, needs you to hold his job. These performance reviews are his chance to put you in the right direction
• Your role: Your role in this job performance review is to come to jointly agreed upon performance goals you  will achieve in the next year, learn where your skill strengths are, and learn about any weaknesses you have that you can overcome. It also allows you a major chance to shine as the bright boy in his department. You can point out achievements you made that he might not be aware of.
• The ideal employee performance review: In progressive companies, you and the supervisor receive the same Performance Review form. Each of you completes it individually. When the two of you compare it, you will easily agree on certain points. But it also brings out into the open the points you disagree on. The resulting discussion can result in you correcting your supervisor’s misconception, or learning from him what extra training, education or changes you have to make to accelerate your career growth. Keep the conversation friendly. You might concede some minor points.
• The less ideal job performance review: Remember that your superior has to go by the company’s employee evaluation format. He might be faced with completing your performance review in isolation. If he is not in constant contact with you – selling in the field, seeing you implementing those new accounting procedures – he might have a false impression of your value. Now is the time to correct this, and strengthen your job position. Here’s how.
• Don’t remain silent: Prepare a list of the accomplishments you’ve made towards your personal department goals in the past year. Also create – throughout that year – a list of extra accomplishments you created without being asked. In this employee performance review is the time to give him facts and figures, in brief, of the new profit you made, new customers you brought in, and cost cuts you made that improved the company’s bottom line. This sheet should go in your file to your future credit when promotions are made.
• Express your career goals: Now, in this job performance review is the time to explain your career ambitions within his company. If you work in customer service but are taking – and paying for – courses in sales and marketing as that’s where you want to be in a year, it shows ambition, motivation, initiative and determination. These are traits successful employees have, and companies want – and want to keep in their work force. Your supervisor might even offer to guide you towards specific courses you should take to succeed. After all, one of his functions is to develop employees. His promotion depends on how well he coaches and manages his employees. People skills are also valued.
• Request quarterly reviews. Ask your supervisor if you can meet for a performance review every three months. Your motivation is to check if your progress towards this year’s goals are being met in his view, and if not, could he give your direction on how you can improve your actions! It’s a valid request, and one that will keep you closer in touch to avoid any misconceptions.

Your employee performance review can be one of the most rewarding meetings you’ll have all year. It’s all a question of attitude. By handling your employee evaluation properly, in a business like manner, with friendliness and maturity, you have eliminated misconceptions, learned which of your strengths are shining through and what weaknesses to overcome. Now you also know your personal company goals for the next year that, if you achieve, will put you one more step up the corporate ladder.

For more information on career management – Click here to download your copy of 50 Career Success Tactics.

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When you have embarked on the career of your choice, it is never too early to think about your career progression. In fact, experts suggest that you begin from your first job search.

Careers are made by the individuals who embark upon them and getting a handle on what you want from the beginning will help you form your goals easier. Those people who start their first career knowing where they want to be five or ten years from now will be in a position to move no matter what happens.

Here are some tips to plan your career progression from the start:

• Explore companies

There are hundreds of companies around and many will be in your local area. Start looking at them in terms of the salaries they offer and the skills that they need. Look at the way they handle advancement and other benefits they offer. This will give you a good idea of where your salary may start and end in five or ten years.

• List your options

What are the various options in the field of your choice? In any given field there are a variety of options that can include offshoots of the job where you begin. It is a good idea to list your options so that you have them in front of you as you move forward in your career progression.

• Experience and education

You will want to check on the experience and education that is needed for the positions you want to step into as you progress. Career progression is all about making the right choices and identifying the way to position you for the next level. If you have an idea of what experience ad education you will need to get your top profession, you can start acquiring some of it now.

• Mobility

Some positions may mean that you need to travel from one state to another. You will need to decide whether you are ready to do this and if so, you will need to decide how that will look, especially if you have a family. If your job takes you overseas you will have to understand when and how to make that move for your career progression.

• Global economy

Most companies are going overseas to do at least part of their business. It is a good idea to prepare for this type of work whether you physically move to another country or not. Japan and China are still good bets as to how companies are making their move forward with global economy. For better career progression make sure you at least understand this new area and have a feel for your skills to meet it.

• Look for opportunities

Always be on the look out for opportunities that will enhance your career progression. Talk to people and build networks that can help you move when the opportunity becomes available.

By making a career progression plan and tweaking as you go, you can be sure that your career is on the right track.

Download your free stress-free job hunting report – www.claimthatjob.com

Download the book that will help you to  change your career overnight and survive a lay off

- learn how to get the promotion you’ve always wanted

- find out how to be the peron that senior managers want and ned on their biggest projects

- in 1 day, you will have all the information needed to ensure that you stay employed through the recession and you will be in contol of your career

Download your copy now -www.50careersuccesstactics.com

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The recession and thousands of lay offs and job cuts happening daily around the world means that many people are having to rethink their career strategies and whether they should continue working in the same industry.

This is a good opportunity to start agoina and map out whether you were happy in the career you just left, or if you are working and worried about a job loss, begin thinking now about whether you ar ein the right career.

When planning a new career it is a good idea to write down what you want. Similar to a business plan a strong career plan can help create exactly what you want. It is something you can go back to, update and rearrange as necessary.

One of the first steps when you are looking for a new career plan is to sit down with a pad of paper and begin to take notes. Start brainstorming about what you think you might want to do. Make a list of your skills and then circle those that are the most interesting to you.

There are a variety of skills that people have but they do not like to use all of them. Because of this it makes good sense to know ahead of time what skills you want to emphasize and those you do not.

Once you make this list, here are some things to do with the list:

• Make a list of the things you like and dislike about your current career. When you are choosing a new career it is important to identify how you see the current career. Perhaps it was boring or you didn’t like some of the duties on the job. Make the list so you can look towards other things.

• Look for transferable skills. What skills do you have that you can use in other fields? As an example, most fields will need someone who is a great communicator, one who pays attention to detail and someone who has supervised people.

• If you have these, they are skills that are transferable to other jobs. Check job postings in different fields and look for the skills that you have now. Also, check into specific career fields and see what skills are required.

• Write down any training you need. If you find a really interesting field that you want to pursue for your new career check into the types of training you may need to acquire. Perhaps you have some of what you need and just need to do a little more.

• Get some experience in your new career field. There are a lot of ways to get experience in any field. You can volunteer or get a part-time job in the new field. This is a good way to make sure you want to change to a new career or it is a quick way to make another change.

• Find someone to mentor you. Perhaps there is someone who is already in your new career who would be able to mentor you to help you find out the steps you need to take to move into your new career. This could be a very helpful way to start building a network.

• Learn to be flexible. If you are working towards your new career you may find that you have to be more flexible than in your current field. Understand that when you are starting a new career it can be difficult in the beginning. However, with a little perseverance you can make a smooth transition.

Download your free stress-free job hunting report – www.claimthatjob.com

Download the book that will help you to  change your career overnight and survive a lay off

- learn how to get the promotion you’ve always wanted

- find out how to be the peron that senior managers want and ned on their biggest projects

- in 1 day, you will have all the information needed to ensure that you stay employed through the recession and you will be in contol of your career

Download your copy now -www.50careersuccesstactics.com

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First the housing market, then the banking industry, the auto industry and now the retail industry is being hit by the credit crunch. The recession is hitting too many industries, too quickly.

Are you prepared if it hits yours?

Find out how to recession proof your career in 7 Easy Steps

Visit www.claimthatjob.com for more information on how to take control of your career instead of letting the recession take control of you.

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Managing your career development isimportant because you actually must take action to do it. Many people get into a career where they stay and often they don’t know what to do next. Here are some ideas for your career management planning:

• Know what you want — when you first start a career you may not know what you want and it could take some time to figure this out. There comes a time though when you know whether you want to move up in a company or leave it. This is important to know.

• Keep track of your accomplishments — when you seek a new job or when you decide to stay in a company you need to have a list of your accomplishments. These will come in handy later as you craft a new resume or bid for a different position.

• Do professional development — keep up with your professional development. Keep up with new skills needed in your industry but also keep up computer skills, learn anything new that comes into the company and be the first one to sign up for any training that the company provides.

• Talk to your supervisor often — if you plan to move up in the company talk to your supervisor regularly. Have meetings that are less than an hour to talk about your accomplishments, where you see yourself going and look for any new projects that you may be a fit for. This shows initiative and you want your supervisor to think of you when new projects come up.

• Study the new position — if you are moving up in the company, talk to the person who holds the job you want now. Have them mentor you about how they got to where they are. This doesn’t work in every situation but it will work in many. Talk to them about their job, the skills they need and anything else you need for your own career management.

• Create a plan — most people have a plan in their head but you should have a plan written down on paper. This plan should include how you will market yourself and the things you will do for career management. Keep your plan updated in the same way that you would a marketing plan for a business.

To download your copy of Claim That Job and get a free job hunting report, visit www.claimthatjob.com.

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Even when you have the best intentions, there is always the possibility that your speech will not resonate with the audience or leave an impression. While you don’t have total control over how an audience reacts to a speech, there are mistakes that can be avoided so the chances of giving a bad speech are reduced.

A big public speaking mistake people can make when giving a speech is not spending enough time preparing. This includes deciding on a theme, creating a few drafts, and learning how to give the speech in a way that is authoritative, entertaining and memorable. Regardless of whether this is your first speech or your fifth speech, the amount of time you spend preparing will make a big difference in the overall quality of the speech.

The failure to choose a theme and learning when to pause during the speech are common mistakes people make.

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To carry out a self-assessment you need to take an in-depth look within in order to understand your job skills, discover and learn your personality type, and become aware of what is important to you. You will know of your values, aptitudes, strengths, weaknesses, abilities and interests. Once you understand all this, invest some time to consider what is vital for your happiness and success in your career and prioritise accordingly. Be objective and honest about your strengths and weaknesses, which will let you work effectively on them while viewing yourself as others see you. Always remember, how others perceive you is vital to your career success.

Visit Claim That Job.com to download a free stress free job hunting report.

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