Urdaneta City Jobs and Careers

Too Much Skin: 10 Taboos for Office Attire

2007-02-10T20:18:00.001-08:00

Too Much Skin: 10 Taboos for Office Attire

By Kate Lorenz, CareerBuilder.com Editor

Skin. Everyone has it. And one glance at TV, movies and magazines reveals how much people love to flash it.

It's true that showing some skin on TV may help the ratings, but baring too much in the office says, "I'm inexperienced, unprofessional and hoping people will not notice I have no real skills for this job."

Once you get the reputation as a sultry dresser, it may be difficult to shake that image and ever be taken seriously by your colleagues.

If you don't want to put your image or career on the line, avoid these office attire don'ts:

Plunging Necklines. Some of the lawyers on TV can't seem to get through a case without them. Your office, however, is not trying to garner audience ratings. So button up or wear a tank or camisole under that shirt to conceal the cleavage.

Low-rise Pants. Outside the office, you probably can't be seen without them. But at work, it's best to cover your behind.

Mini and Micro-Mini Skirts. This cutesy little item may be a staple in a Britney Spears video, but at ABC Accounting, Inc., it may go too far in illustrating your bottom line.

Belly Shirts. Everyone is glad you use your ab-cruncher religiously, but the office is not the place to put all your hard work on display. Leave it for the gym, beach or nightclub.

Men's Chest Hair. Exposing excess chest hair went out of style with leisure suits. Men, you may want to button your shirt an extra button before your clients begin expecting you to ask them what their sign is.

See-Through Shirts. If you want people to pay attention to what they can learn from your presentation instead of what they see through your shirt, wear a suit coat, t-shirt or camisole underneath sheerer fabrics.

Shorts. Shorts are rarely appropriate in the workplace. It's true, some styles of women's suits have included a longer short. But as a rule, shorts don't cut it in a professional setting.

Open-Back Tops and Dresses. These may work in the ballroom, but not in the conference room. Slip on a sweater or jacket and go from overexposed to professionally composed.

Flip-flops. These are appropriate for vacations and lounging, not daily office tasks. If you have problems with your feet, try clogs or even open-toed shoes.

Skimpy, Strappy Camisole Tops. Yes, you can wear these barely-there pieces... with the help of a blouse, sweater or jacket worn over them. See "Plunging Necklines."

Job Goals for Every Age

2007-02-10T20:15:00.000-08:00

Job Goals for Every Age

By CareerBuilder.com

Each decade of life brings a set new of challenges as working professionals move into different phases of both their careers and personal lives. Entering a new decade of life can be a perfect time to take stock of one's situation, reevaluate priorities and set career goals for the years ahead.

Setting goals makes people "feel more in control of their destiny, which in turn makes for positive feelings and a sense of purpose," says Laura Berman Fortgang, a pioneer in the life coaching field and the author of several bestselling books, including "Take Yourself to the Top." Nevertheless, Fortgang cautions that people should remain flexible in their goals: "Being tethered to one specific outcome can jeopardize one's ability to recognize other opportunities when they become available."

In Your 20s: Establish a positive work record
Relax -- you don't need to know exactly what you're going to do with your life just yet. It makes sense to explore your options at this early stage of your working life, as long as you build skills and make contacts along the way.

"Deciding what to do long-term is more organic than most people think," Fortgang says, adding that what is essential during this decade is to establish a good work record. "The people you work with ... in your early years could become life-long supporters, mentors and references for years to come. So building a good reputation is important even if you don't see yourself sticking in your current job for long."

In Your 30s: Focus on becoming a leader
People often enter their first management positions in their 30s, and the "switch from being a worker-bee to a leader-in-training ... [requires] a change in mind-set," Fortgang asserts.

"The goal here," Fortang says, "is to get recognized for all you have done, and parlay that into a more focused path." Document your accomplishments so that when it comes time for annual reviews, you have proof of your hard work and leadership experience (or potential).

In Your 40s: Re-examine your definition of success
In this decade, people get very serious about their earning power and [set their sights on] top roles that could potentially be theirs now or in the next decade, Fortang reveals.

"This is also the time of midlife crises," Fortgang warns, which often result in people questioning their careers. This decade is a good time to take stock of the direction your career path is headed and to evaluate your work-life balance. What will make you feel successful? Occupying a high-level position within your company or field? Reaching your full earning potential? Having the flexibility to spend more time with your family? Retiring early? Re-examine your definition of success and adjust your career path accordingly.

In Your 50s: Envision your future
"People are usually well established now and peeking over the horizon to retirement," Fortgang says. "Even if [retirement] is not immediately eminent, they are setting themselves up now for what they want in the future."

Set a tentative timetable for the working years ahead. No matter what you see in your future -- whether it's retirement, a second career or more years on your current career path -- it's important to be aware of your financial savings and investments. Understand your vision of the future and be sure you've planned for as many unforeseeable twists as possible.

In Your 60s (and beyond): Reap what you've sown
You've worked hard, and perhaps you have no plans to slow down now. Whatever the future of your career path looks like at this point, your goal should be to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

"This is a time when many people seek some final educational goals that they might have missed out on," Fortgang reveals. "Or they plan to take advantage of all that their employer can offer them in terms of opportunity -- education, travel, maximum financial benefits, a final promotion -- whatever the case may be. It's the 'reap what you've sown' time."

Keeping the hope (even if you have no job)

2007-02-02T09:20:00.000-08:00

Keeping the hope (even if you have no job)
By Loree Cruz-Mante and Marivic R. Gustilo
Philippine Daily Inquirer

WHY DO WE WELCOME New Year with a bang and not a whimper? Why do we make merry instead of grieve? Or why do we try to rejoice even when we may not have too many reasons to do so?

The answer is simple: Hope.

Those who find themselves without a job as the new year comes are probably in a more challenged position than those who simply move on with their careers. This is because they must look for a job in the incoming year. They must join the ranks of jobseekers like themselves, whether retrenched, fired, resigned, just graduated from school, returning entrants to the workforce or retirees seeking new careers. Those who have to look for jobs in the new year must compete in a highly competitive marketplace and hold their own against countless others claiming their stake in the world of work just like themselves.

Optimism
A key component of hope is optimism, the ability to view things in a positive light and to see the good in all things. Optimism makes it possible to bounce back after being derailed by setbacks and obstacles. To the optimists, problems are not considered hindrances but opportunities for learning and growing. In that sense, obstacles are welcomed rather than avoided.

In his book "Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life," Martin Seligman notes three components which differentiate optimists from pessimists in the way they understand adversity and failure.

Permanence
Optimists see adversity as impermanent, temporary, fleeting. Pessimists, however, see failure as a forever thing. Pessimists will say: "I will never find a job" while optimists will say, "I didn't get this job. I have four more leads to pursue."

Pervasiveness
This component describes the extent to which people allow failure to affect them. "All companies are looking for younger people" is a sweeping pessimistic view of the entire employment scenario. On the other hand, optimists will say: "This particular company wants younger people but there are others who want more mature and experienced workers like me." This statement rightly limits the specific failure to its proper scope and reach.

Personalization
Pessimists consider failure to be negative and internal. They believe that there is something wrong with them as persons, making them unacceptable to employers. "I am not marketable," pessimists will say. Optimists, on the other hand, view failure as positive and welcome. "I have competencies other companies need which this particular company which has rejected me does not."

Optimism in the job search
Optimistic jobseekers stand a better chance of viewing the job-hunting process as life-giving and worthwhile. They can take rejections at face value, never allowing failure to diminish their innate goodness, capabilities and worth as persons and workers. They allow themselves to feel upset and to mourn their loss, then use their setback to be the launch pad from which they leap forward and take control of their future. They keep things in perspective and confine the effects of adversity to their appropriate space and time.

Jobseekers who nurture their optimism and use it to propel them through the difficult and trying challenges of looking for a new job in the new year will survive and thrive. They will grow with every experience and be grateful for what they learn from each one.

And because they have the ability to convert the most dismal to the brightest of experiences, they will also be those workers that companies would love to have among their ranks. It may be a matter of time before they are "discovered" but it will come.

Starting with hope
The New Year is probably the best time of year to start anew. A new optimism, a new hope and a new year go well together. And so does the tug at the heartstring that tells us that even in times when all is well, it is best for us to fail and to rise again and again and again because it is there where real success has its definition and meaning.

(Loree Cruz-Mante is a freelance HR and OD practitioner, published writer, editor, trainor, and career/life counselor.)