This is Laura Lee Rose, a business and efficiency coach that specializes in professional development, time management, project management and work-life balance strategies. In my Professional Development Toolkit package , I go into professional development and real-world IT topics in detail. If you are interested in more training in these areas, get signed up
Whether working from home, out-of-state, or out-of-the-country, today’s workforce is dispersed. While this evolution is exciting, it incurs transitional changes that many organizations have not caught up with.
Steve Wynkoop (founder of SSWUG.org and Bits on the Wire) and I talk a lot about designing and managing our professional careers. Recently I was approached by a professional struggling with what her next career position should be. Her background was in project management, but she could go back to school and get her MBA. She should start something on her own, or she could stay exactly where she is and focus on her PMP certification. She could take her transferable skills and move into operational management for the executive level. She could do this or that or the other. She was continually flip-flopping among all these options that she was stalled.
So – what’s a quick way to narrow your choices in this example?
As with most professionals, the list of what we can do is often very large and diverse. When we start to make a list of everything that we ‘could’ do, we often get overwhelmed. Instead – focus on what you really want to do, and then align you skills to support the more specific ‘focus’. This tends to help narrow the field and eliminates the risk of moving into a position that you ‘could do’ but actually hate.
The general attributes I am specifically talking about are things like:
1) Do I want to work with people in a team environment – or work on my own as an individual contributor
2) Do I see myself working in a small-family owned company or a large corporation
3) Do I want to work for someone and get a consistent salary; or am I better suited for sales (base salary with potential for large commissions based on my performance)
4) Do I want be my own boss or rather work for someone else’s company
5) Do I enjoy administrative and organizational duties versus marketing and getting out in front of people?
6) Do I want to focus on customer service? Is customer satisfaction is a big passion of mine or would I rather work behind the scenes with no customer interaction?
7) Do I want to work in the Cloud and on next generation technology?
8) Do I want to be part of the delivery and deployment teams that actually go out to client sites to install the product and train the clients?
9) I enjoy designing, developing and rolling-out business and development process for the organization. So, do I want to work for a company that designs software development processing tools?
10) How would I actually describe my dream job in these general attributes?
As you can see, I have not mentioned a job title or skill set in the above list. I am just focusing first on designing the general work environment. Continue your wish list and start considering opportunities that encompass your designed attributes. In this way, regardless of the opportunities, you will always be satisfied with the doors that open up for you.
Click on the below video for this episode (or goto http://youtu.be/x5bJFYCHJjQ).
Christmas Bonus 
I have a few free online courses that helps you outline your 2014 career and professional success. One is called 10 Career Boosting Resolutions and is perfect for this time of year. Check them out.
10 Career Boosting Resolutions START HERE
Every year, many people explore New Year Resolutions. But I’m not here to talk about New Year Resolutions. I want to discuss changes that will boost your professional career to the next level. These career boosting tips will assure that you have a happy and prosperous career.
10 Hidden Time Wasters that you might be doing START HERE
Many of us have complained about the lack of time at one time or another. If you are consistently running out of time, there may be a few things that you are unknowing doing. Some of the top hidden time wasters are below. We often fall into their trap because we don’t readily recognize them.
10 Career and Time Management Tips for Telecommuters
The advantage of working from home can also be its downfall. Telecommuting allows for a more flexible schedule which often leads to career management issues. Here are some important tips to keep telecommuters and home-businesses on track.
Get That Well-Deserved Raise START HERE
You have been doing excellent work in everything that has been asked of you. You have been putting in long days and even weekends to make sure your team succeeds. You have great working relationships to your co-worker and team mates. Yet that raise and bonus has been elusive.
This course will outline the mistakes that limited your chance for a raise and how to avoid them.
Added Bonus: The Book of Answers: 105 Career Critical Situations (a $24.00 value on its own)
- Have that one project that you have been stalled on?
- Need objective eyes on your problem?
- Need just a different way to look at the solutions?
I have helped people on a per project basis. For example: mapping out the pros and cons of two job offers; revamping their resume to attract more corporate interest; managing their boss; and narrowing the direction of their next steps. I have reasonable rates for per project consulting. No long contracts and discounts for continued enrollment.
If you haven’t taken advantage of your introductory career and time management coaching session, please contact [email protected] You’ll be surprised how one conversation can change your life.
Try it and let me know what you think.
