Industry Specific Help

Stay current on industry specific ways to manage your career
Whether you just entered your industry or are a tenured professional, keeping on top of industry specific information will make you a more valuable employee long term.  Workers who look for ways to be prepared to move into roles with more responsibility, or take on additional work in their current role will be more marketable to move within the industry during the course of their career.  Having the most current information about making the most of your career within an industry will give you tools to make accurate and informed career choices.

Constantly work on building your resume
An important part of longevity in a specific industry is the ability to be consistently building a resume that shows your past experience and how you will continue to learn new skills.  Depending on your field, additional educational, training, or workplace experience may be some of the ways you can continue professional development over the course of your career.  Review job opportunities for the next stage of your career to determine exactly what steps you may need to take to get there.

Be ready for a job interview at any time
If you plan to stay in your industry, being prepared for the next great position whenever it may come along is important.  Preparing for interview questions should be a constant activity.  When you update your resume, take time to write down some notes on how you can incorporate the most current information into a job interview.  Having a current resume and knowing how to express your accomplishments and skills effectively will make a last minute interview opportunity much less overwhelming.

Build your network now
There are several ways to use social media and industry professional affiliations to meet colleagues throughout your career.  You don’t necessarily need to be networking to find a job.  Making contacts and being actively involved in a group that supports your industry could provide a venue to discover new industry trends and training.  Whether you join a formal organization or one that is more socially directed, expanding your workplace contacts outside your current company is always a long term benefit to your career.

Have multiple plans
Even in highly technical fields that require certain levels of licensure, there is a benefit to identifying different ways you could use your skills within the same industry.  Someone in a more general field such as sales could translate selling and customer service skills into many different industries.  Understanding that the economy or the industry you are in may take a turn at some point, and you may need to consider a career change, will challenge you to build hard and soft skills that could support you no matter what industry you pursue.

More Information On This Topic:

• Five ways to make your restaurant manager like you

  

  There is the obvious – show up on time, do your job well, and make the customers want to come back to the restaurant.  What are some ways you can make your restaurant manager like you that people oftentimes overlook?  These are things that differentiate the people who are just ‘having a job’ versus those who are developing a career path.  You should know how you can provide value directly to your supervisor and build your career within the industry at the same time.

  Understand your customer

  Knowing your customer can mean different things depending on your role at the restaurant.  Sure, the person who walks in the door and orders is the ultimate customer, but how you interact with the customer may be different.  Working at a fast food restaurant at the registers requires understanding that your customers are there to get food fast.  A host at an upscale restaurant will need to know that the customers are there for business or pleasure but either way will have a certain expectation of service.  Your restaurant manager will appreciate you more when they see and hear that you are interacting with the people in a manner that increases their desire to come back again and again.

  The new person is not a threat

  Turnover in the restaurant industry is inevitable.  The people who are most valued will be those who are willing to take on formal or informal training of new hires.  Asking your manager for an opportunity to take some of the training burdens off his plate will definitely help your relationship with him.  Even if a new person could potentially take some hours that were yours, making them a good team member will be a positive move for you in building your career within the restaurant and in the industry.

              Show your manager why you do it well

  Showing up to work and doing your job is great, but are you taking advantage of opportunities to show your manager why he can count on your performance to make the restaurant better?  This doesn’t mean you should be a show off or take over other people’s jobs to show your manager how you can do any job in the place.  Think about what you currently do and how you may be able to be more efficient or productive.  Maybe there are ideas you have about increasing customers during a certain time of day.  Giving your manager ideas that can help the whole team will always be valuable.

              Ask how you can support the team in the future

  Because the restaurant industry is somewhat volatile, having conversations with your manager about how you want to learn other positions in the kitchen or on the floor is a smart move.  Making your manager like you includes being flexible to pinch hit for other team members when the restaurant is short staffed.  By offering to learn how to do multiple roles, your manager will see that you are not only committed to making his job easier, but also interested in expanding your skills.  Having a broader range of skills will help your career continue to move forward in your current restaurant and in the industry overall.

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• Five ways to make your office manager like you

  It really doesn’t matter whether you always show up on time and do your job.  Office managers in healthcare are going to look for people who go above and beyond and do the things that will help the providers and patients.  Even if you got a degree or certificate from a prestigious institution that got you the job, you will need to continue to show your value to your office manager once you have been hired.  Here are five ways you can make that happen in the first three months of your job:

  Know your job and do it well

  

  Wikipedia

  Externships are great ways to get your foot in the door and show all of the people in a private practice, clinic, or hospital the skills you have from your training and education.  In a fulltime position, you’ll need to continue showing your expertise in various areas of your job and understanding what is expected of you is the key.  If you work directly with the patients, using exceptional communication skills to be able to accurately assess and express the patients’ needs is valuable.  Working in an administrative function in the office will require organization and attention to detail.

  If you are a tenured member of a healthcare organization, you should know your job and what skills you have that will help the newer team members be successful.  Providing assistance to others in the office will lower stress and increase morale for the team.  Sharing your knowledge and experience with a new hire could go a long way and make your office manager like you faster.

  Look for ways to make the practice better

  Once you have been on the job for awhile, it may be easy to fall into a Groundhog Day mentality when you get to work.  One way to shake yourself out of it, and also to make your office manager like you, is to look for ways to make the practice better.  This could be in identifying a new process to improve the productivity of rooming patients, a more organized way to manage the samples closet, or even ways to collaborate with external partners that are critical to the practice, such as pharmaceutical reps.

              Don’t step into someone else’s sandbox

  While you are looking for ways to improve the business of the practice, be careful not to cross the line and upset a co-worker.  Heading over to Jim’s desk and explaining that if he only would organize the patient files in alphabetical order the rest of the team would be happier is not a way to make your office manager like you.  It’s a quick way to get Jim upset and potentially telling the rest of the people in the office how obnoxious you are.

              Use your strengths to support everyone

  There may be times that the office manager may need help in a certain area, but not know who could assist.  If there’s a holiday party for the practice, and he hates to throw parties, you may have skills that he could leverage.  This doesn’t mean you need to have years of experience in throwing galas.  If your office manager knows that you have great attention to detail, and would be interested in creative ways to support the office, he could get you involved.  Having an open dialogue about ways you may be able to support the team in the future is a great method for being sure your office manager will like you.

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• Five ways to make your interior design customer like you

  Interior design, and other creatively based fields, require a great deal of personal opinion, communication skills, and problem-solving abilities.  No matter what type of company you work for, the ways to make your interior design customer like you are going to be similar.  In a consultant role, you may have more flexibility than as part of a large organization but in both cases the end customer will be the one to determine how successful you are in your job.  Understanding how to meet the customer’s needs while making visual and aesthetic magic can lead to a long term relationship that will build your business.

  Set realistic expectations

  Some of the biggest challenges between interior designers and their customers can occur when there are not clear expectations of the different parts of the project.  The first way to make your interior design customer like you is to ask questions to determine what they believe will be achieved by your collaboration.  Even people who take a very ‘hands off’ approach to the project should share what the outcomes for the agreement will be.  Having a realistic and detailed perspective of what the customer will have at the end eliminates disappointment and frustration.

  Another important part of the expectations is establishing a controllable budget.  Sure, there will be situations where the customer decides they want the upgraded granite, higher quality wood floors, or special vases.  Without an initial controllable budget, both you and the customer could be shocked at the end when invoices are being generated.  Knowing what amounts are acceptable at the start will provide a framework for any discussions about upgrades and higher quality products.

  

  Photo Courtesy of MyTudut via Flickr

  Make a plan

  Any project should have clear timelines for when certain parts will be completed.  Unexpected delays may happen, but an initial plan will allow open discussions for you and the customer to make adjustments and get back on track.  The timeline should have as much detail as possible so there is no stress from the customer about when things will be moving along or in a pause mode.

              Communicate, communicate, communicate

  Customers will like you more if they feel informed.  Interior design is a creative art, and some artists like to keep their visions to themselves until they are fully actualized.  The problem with this strategy is that the customer may question ‘why are we doing X before Y?’  Even if you end up changing your direction on something once you see how it looks, keeping the customer informed will make any changes easier.

              Do well and ask for more

  Once a project is finished, the best way to evaluate if your customer was satisfied is to find out whether they were thrilled when showing their friends and family.  The design industry is built on referrals, word of mouth, and formal reviews and critiques.  The fifth way to make your interior design customer like you is to give them an opportunity to share your skills with others.  Being able to support friends and family with a great resource for their projects will make their lives easier and reinforce your customer’s satisfaction with your work.

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• Five ways to make your site manager like you
  

  Wikipedia

  Whether you currently care about your site manager liking you or not, there can be significant short and long term advantages to having them like you.  In deciding what ways to make your site manager like you, you first have to identify how your job fits into the overall site.  Thinking about what you do, how it affects others, and how it impacts the results on the job are all parts of the evaluation.  Once you know those factors, you can establish plans to increase your value to the company and your site manager.

  Do your job better

  This may seem silly or obvious, but it really may be the best way to make your site manager like you.  Do you show up to work and do your job without thinking about how you could do it a little better?  Maybe you can be more efficient in how you approach projects or assignments.  Perhaps there are methods or techniques to finish your part of the job that can improve the results.  Keeping your work area cleaner or more organized is another way you may be able to do your job better.

  Another way to improve your relationship with your site manager is to increase your overall productivity.  Depending on your job, you may need to identify what areas of your responsibilities have room for improvement.  If you need better equipment or training to be more productive, you will have to determine the best way to secure those.  Not every site manager is going to invest money in equipment unless there is a strong argument for how more than one individual on the site could benefit.

  Make yourself more valuable

  Being more valuable doesn’t mean taking over other people’s work.  Figure out what you currently do that is most valued by your site manager and the company.  Can you share those skills or experience with others on the site?  Have you mentored any new employees or offered to have an apprentice work with you?  Taking on formal or informal training will make you more valuable because you are assisting the management in having all the team be effective in getting the work done.

              Share ideas with your manager

  When did you last identify a way for the site to be more effective overall?  Yes, your site manager is the boss and they should be looking for opportunities to improve conditions and processes.  You can increase your value by giving input too.  If you find a better method for completing part of the project or finishing your work, schedule a time to speak with him privately and let him know.  He will appreciate your interest in helping the team and it will improve your ability to communicate with him

              Go the extra mile

  Showing up early to get ahead on your work is always a good way to get in good favor with your boss.  Offering to learn a new trade or get training to increase your skills in your current one is another great option.  Look for opportunities to assist your co-workers too.  Anytime you can lend a helping hand to make the overall site more efficient, productive, or a better place to work you will be on the road to make your site manager like you more.

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• Five ways to make your principal like you more

  Whether you are just starting out as a teacher, or have been in education for years, understanding ways to make your principal like you is an important skill.  This isn’t as simple as it may sound.  Keeping your head down, always being supportive of their decisions, and having no parent complaints won’t guarantee that your principal will have a positive view of your work.  Not making waves is great, and every school wants teachers who keep the parents happy, but what else can you be doing to really contribute and show your principal that you are committed to the team?

  Work smarter, not harder

  

  No matter what level or subject you teach, being a good multi-tasker and having exceptional organization skills is valuable.  Take the opportunity before this school year starts to clean out your cabinets and closets to find some new ways to teach your students.  Maybe you could use a new system for keeping the books and binders organized.  Visit your local office supply store and get some ideas on how you can be creative in the classroom to improve your own organization.  Once you have a new process or system tried out, share it with your principal – they can pass the best practice around to your colleagues.

  Have you volunteered for committees in the past and spent hours and hours in meetings without really contributing?  Signing up for participation without having substance to add will only frustrate you.  Check out what committees are needed for this upcoming year.   Ask which ones need more leadership and see if your skills would be a fit.  Showing your desire to add value will make you stand out to your principal.

  Be Sherlock Holmes

  Sherlock didn’t walk into a situation without immediately searching for answers.  There may be problems or obstacles at your school with the students, parents, administration, or all three.  Instead of being the Chicken Little – the sky is falling – person, take a proactive, problem-solving approach.  You may not be able to solve the problem or improve the situation single-handedly, but providing ideas on how to make a positive impact will be perceived as much more helpful by your principal.

              Lend a hand

  Unless this is your first year teaching, you have a valuable skill to share with all the new teachers.  This could be your ability to engage students, ways of making the curriculum come alive, or interacting with the parents.  It might be your computer skills and attention to detail in a certain subject.  Identify where your professional strengths lie and share them with a colleague.  Be sure to have a paper trail to share with your principal when you meet for your annual review.

              Communicate with your audience

  If you are in primary education, evaluate how you have communicated with parents in the past.  Do you do the minimum recording of notes and comments on homework and the online grading system?  How can you add content so the parents feel more engaged and encouraged to support your efforts in the classroom?  Finding ways for students to get support in and out of the classroom shows your principal that you really are teaching for the benefit of the kids.  Remember that your audience also includes your peers and the school administration – look for ways to improve your communication with them too.

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