Tuesday, November 9, 2010

self assessment. career planning. attitude.

It started innocently enough, our obsession to the exercise of rambling... why we chose it to represent our form of humor. We needed something to preoccupy ourselves that time, because after all, since when did waiting for the bus become exciting? And so we went on to think about the past, from problems to fun stuff, if only because it was free and didn't require the use of any kind of tool. After what seemed like a whole day of discovering solutions and rediscovering good things from our pasts (really, any person who claims to fancy waiting for the bus to arrive must either be socially challenged or just plainly weird), we came to a realisation: stream of consciousness activities weren't so bad after all.

That's why we can't stop from using stories, both true and made up (we like making daring confessions like that), to open our write ups. What about the hating prompts we've been getting? Because this is our blog, we're free to share whatever we want as much as you're free to criticise us because of those. It's a laissez faire environment over here and we think, that makes up a large part of our charm.

So why are we explaining this odd blogging choice of ours yet again? We figure it's the best way to open another write up about career management. What we're set to talk about today is the newest formula we've come up with -- a career move that's about retrospection and careful consideration of options to consider and career resources to use. Our newest strategy for achieving career success consists of three things: knowing one's self through self assessment (the one we did in the intro), using the proper tools, and having the right attitude.

We might as well use the intro space to show to you our idea of proper self assessment. Did you get the idea? "The saying "frying pan into the fire" is real. If your goals and desires do not come from a secure place within yourself, you will find yourself paying undue attention to wet blankets", says Cathy Goodwin, a career expert, in her 10 Tips to Moving Towards Career Freedom article on Career Advice. So assess yourself. What do you want to achieve anyway? What's the best way to take for that goal? Once you've set everything straight, affirm it and mark your deadline. "It heightens your focus, motivation, and commitment to getting the work done now (as versus never)", says career coach, Kamal Kant in his Reach Out for the Stars contribution for Work Tips.


Career success is rarely achieved by chance, and so planning is an integral part of the process. Thing is, although the Singapore job market is considered to be tamer than others, the stiff competition here makes job applications and the whole process of finding employment complicated. For career professionals, it's the unpredictability factor that hinders top executives and senior managers from giving employee benefits, e.g. additional training opportunities and salary increase.

That's why planning is important. Reading the news will cue you when to do the move. Following expert advice, similarly, will show you the proper ways of managing. Along those ideas.

In case you haven't noticed yet, the job seeker tools that our parent website offers represent the four most important factors of career planning. We're pretty sure you're already familiar with Find Jobs and Career Advice, but have you used the other two? NewsWatch contains the latest updates from our partner organisations about the job market in general whilst Post Resumes is a free tool that you can use to introduce your resume to top employers and recruitment agencies. Match these tools with your self assessment and you're good to go.

Aside from employing the use of these tools, it's also advised to embrace certain values which would ensure your victory over the pitfalls of miscalculation. Christina Yap of Curriculum Vitae has listed these down as essential values to have during the career development process (Read here explanations for each at www.jobsdb.com.sg/SG/EN/Resources/JobSeekerArticle/Career%20Guide?ID=443):

  • patience. good things come to those who wait.
  • determination. to wait is to have motivation.
  • tactfulness. a must in today's tricky corporate world.
  • approachability. first impressions last...so you might as well.
  • resourcefulness. make proper use of every opportunity that comes.
  • practicality. don't waste energy or time. career success is all about giving everything that's good a go.

Another important value is open-mindedness. Anything can happen, so you must always be ready to deal with interesting situations. Interviewers might give you odd interview questions. Or perhaps, your boss might pull off something way beyond his humor capability. Know what to do at such situations. Make it a habit to read articles about the quirky side of career management. Here are some suggestions from Career Advice:

The Pending Promotion Game

10 Funniest Interview Questions

Questions That Determine Types of Behaviour

Burning the Suit: Fighting Back Against the Aftershock of Redundancy


Good luck with your career building and search for Singapore jobs! Always remember, we're on you back.

Questions? You beg to disagree? We at www.jobsdb.com.sg/Singapore are always open for your comments. Feel free to use the comments section below for inquiries or whatever purpose it may serve you..

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For career tips, we recommend Career Advice. From job hunting tips to career development guidelines, get advice from experts @ www.jobsdb.com.sg/SG/en/Resources/JobSeekerIndex.