Showing posts with label work. Show all posts
Showing posts with label work. Show all posts
9.29.2014
Visualize Me
New toy... a visualization of my resume thanks to Visualize.me and kudos to my boss for letting me know about this neat little tool!
9.19.2013
Necessary Tools
I'm all about necessary career and work tools this week.
I signed up for a new online professional certificate program as I finish the third class (out of three) for another professional certificate.
I bought myself a collection of pens (Uni Ball Jetstream in black, colored ink, and red) and a new keyboard (Logitech K360, which is wireless and spill-proof, natch). These are the main tools that I depend on and use constantly in my work as a project coordinator and editor.
I would go so far as to say these tools are intimately connected to what I do. I'm not going to the extreme of saying that they're the oxygen that stokes the fire of my work. Nor will I use the old cliche that they're my bread and butter--though I could see them that way.
I am, however, going to say that I now understand why teachers go out of their way and spend a ton of money on classroom supplies every year, out of their limited salary, whenever they don't get the required tools to teach.
I signed up for a new online professional certificate program as I finish the third class (out of three) for another professional certificate.
I bought myself a collection of pens (Uni Ball Jetstream in black, colored ink, and red) and a new keyboard (Logitech K360, which is wireless and spill-proof, natch). These are the main tools that I depend on and use constantly in my work as a project coordinator and editor.
I would go so far as to say these tools are intimately connected to what I do. I'm not going to the extreme of saying that they're the oxygen that stokes the fire of my work. Nor will I use the old cliche that they're my bread and butter--though I could see them that way.
I am, however, going to say that I now understand why teachers go out of their way and spend a ton of money on classroom supplies every year, out of their limited salary, whenever they don't get the required tools to teach.
8.16.2013
Favorite Quote Today
"As long as you’re getting recognized for your work, who cares about the big ego in your office?"
From CareerBliss.com's How To Work With Big Egos
Key sentence here is "getting recognized" -- if you don't have anything to lose, you can probably get away with standing your ground and not letting someone treat you like a doormat (point #5) as long as the quality of work is at stake. If productivity towards the bottom line is kept in mind, with all activities, you should be fine.
Key sentence here is "getting recognized" -- if you don't have anything to lose, you can probably get away with standing your ground and not letting someone treat you like a doormat (point #5) as long as the quality of work is at stake. If productivity towards the bottom line is kept in mind, with all activities, you should be fine.
6.24.2013
Recognition Feels Good
I was floored today when I listened in to the video recording of the press conference I helped plan and which took place last week, when I found out the report author thanked me (minute 1:00 of the video).
It feels so amazingly wonderful to be recognized for one's efforts. Thank you Roz!
It feels so amazingly wonderful to be recognized for one's efforts. Thank you Roz!
5.31.2013
My Video Promo Project
I had a lot of anxious energy the other day and I created a photo montage promo video for my employer's annual conference.
I really like how it looks, it's supposed to be fast and dynamic. It's intended to be quick and to inspire a need to read more on the website listed at the end. Since it's on YouTube the viewer can replay it to catch anything missed on the first run.
I really like how it looks, it's supposed to be fast and dynamic. It's intended to be quick and to inspire a need to read more on the website listed at the end. Since it's on YouTube the viewer can replay it to catch anything missed on the first run.
4.05.2013
Referrals Versus Skills
I recently wrote a blog post on Diversity in the Workplace, and took a stance against the "old boys" mentality in favor of expansive workplace diversity. However, there's something to be said "for" the intense focus many hiring managers and HR professionals are placing on internal referrals. Here's a second post in the same vein, where I explore the benefits of referrals.
Some companies implement a reward program for successful internal referrals--when a current employee learns about an opening within the company and recommends a particular individual within their personal or professional network for the role.
The referral system is incredibly useful when it comes to matching new employees to the existing corporate culture and rigorous demands of the workload. Someone who already works in that department or elsewhere within the company can attest to the type of culture and workload a new employee will likely encounter in a new job there.
In these cases, the company acquires an experienced hire with the needed skill set and soft skills required to fit into the company and the position. The company, as a consequence, experiences much less time and resource investment to hit the ground running with the new hire. There is less pressure/need to provide the new employee intense orientation to the corporate culture and particular role they'll be playing.
Many instances exist where an employee understands the unwritten intricacies of a particular position and is able to recommend someone who is capable, even when the job description being used by the recruiter does not include these subtleties explicitly.
A very large portion of available positions are not externally advertised in job search engines or databases. These job openings are only known about by current employees and the hiring mangers. Sometimes, this is the first step in recruiting, then if no viable candidates emerge, then the position is advertised more broadly.
These benefits to internal referrals , and their relevance in today's job market, are what makes having a solid personal and professional network so important. Not only can happily employed individuals help their unemployed friends and colleagues, but those who are unemployed or unhappily employed can send out feelers and have that useful connection or "in" so they are made aware of good potential matches prior to the position being broadcast publicly.
Not only are skill sets required for positions, but soft skills and success in networking and establishing working relationships with a wide array of individuals express that higher level of understanding of how the marketplace and business world works.
Therefore, there is added value in establishing open, honest rapport with one's colleagues and connections. There must be trust, full disclosure, and periodic opportunities to network actively with one another. It's with this level of disclosure and openness that the right people can be matched with the right types of positions.
Getting into these sorts of networks is a task that's best accomplished a little at a time. Identify role models and mentors, and pursue and expand your connections from there. Make sure you establish a solid personal and professional relationship, not just a relationship of convenience.
Networking has been dimmed by disdain: some people employ casual networking techniques focused on self-interest. Professionals, especially on sites like LinkedIn, feel they're overly exposed to self-serving individuals who only reach out when they need something, or keep the channels of communication open when there is no real-time, in-person relationship building whatsoever. It leaves some professionals bitter with disappointment at the incessant marketing and interruptions. Therefore, it's very important to set boundaries where they are needed, while opening doors where possible.
See, there's always at least two sides to every coin ;o)
Some companies implement a reward program for successful internal referrals--when a current employee learns about an opening within the company and recommends a particular individual within their personal or professional network for the role.
The referral system is incredibly useful when it comes to matching new employees to the existing corporate culture and rigorous demands of the workload. Someone who already works in that department or elsewhere within the company can attest to the type of culture and workload a new employee will likely encounter in a new job there.
In these cases, the company acquires an experienced hire with the needed skill set and soft skills required to fit into the company and the position. The company, as a consequence, experiences much less time and resource investment to hit the ground running with the new hire. There is less pressure/need to provide the new employee intense orientation to the corporate culture and particular role they'll be playing.
Many instances exist where an employee understands the unwritten intricacies of a particular position and is able to recommend someone who is capable, even when the job description being used by the recruiter does not include these subtleties explicitly.
A very large portion of available positions are not externally advertised in job search engines or databases. These job openings are only known about by current employees and the hiring mangers. Sometimes, this is the first step in recruiting, then if no viable candidates emerge, then the position is advertised more broadly.
These benefits to internal referrals , and their relevance in today's job market, are what makes having a solid personal and professional network so important. Not only can happily employed individuals help their unemployed friends and colleagues, but those who are unemployed or unhappily employed can send out feelers and have that useful connection or "in" so they are made aware of good potential matches prior to the position being broadcast publicly.
Not only are skill sets required for positions, but soft skills and success in networking and establishing working relationships with a wide array of individuals express that higher level of understanding of how the marketplace and business world works.
Therefore, there is added value in establishing open, honest rapport with one's colleagues and connections. There must be trust, full disclosure, and periodic opportunities to network actively with one another. It's with this level of disclosure and openness that the right people can be matched with the right types of positions.
Getting into these sorts of networks is a task that's best accomplished a little at a time. Identify role models and mentors, and pursue and expand your connections from there. Make sure you establish a solid personal and professional relationship, not just a relationship of convenience.
Networking has been dimmed by disdain: some people employ casual networking techniques focused on self-interest. Professionals, especially on sites like LinkedIn, feel they're overly exposed to self-serving individuals who only reach out when they need something, or keep the channels of communication open when there is no real-time, in-person relationship building whatsoever. It leaves some professionals bitter with disappointment at the incessant marketing and interruptions. Therefore, it's very important to set boundaries where they are needed, while opening doors where possible.
See, there's always at least two sides to every coin ;o)
2.20.2013
Not Talented? Then Represent
You read that right!: Not Talented? Not Gifted? So Represent Those Who Are says Thomas J. Stanley. And I concur!
Doesn't that title make you think, almost straight away, of Tom Cruise screaming: Show Me The Money! to Cuba Gooding Jr.? I immediately thought about that scene, although I've never watched Jerry Maguire. In that scene, Tom C., was showing Cuba G., his sports star client, in a no-holds-barred-way just how passionate, how in his corner he really was in order to retain his business.
So, where am I going with this? Have you ever felt a strong passion towards a particular hobby, career, lifestyle, or vocation and known full well that there was just no way you could make it work? You have a strong interest, even a passion, but not the means to make it a reality. So what do you do then? You don't want to be left in the sidelines, so you represent or enable, somehow, those who successfully pursue that passion. That's a way to make a difference.
I've often joked to my mom that I'm not a great writer, I'm an amazing editor. Yet, if you ask me what a compound predicate is, I would look at you like a deer in the headlights. In my job as an editorial production staffer, at a professional association, I edit weekly many thousands of words. I certainly know when a word or comma is out of place, and how to format a paper so it matches our company's standards or style sheet. However, I have never worked for a publisher, nor have I attended trade conventions where editing and grammar are analyzed in detail and can be part of inside jokes.
I was never the grammar nazi/teacher's pet in English class--you know, the girl that everyone rolled their eyes at when she had her hand eagerly raised trying to be the first to answer that impossible compound adverb question the teacher threw out to the class. What I did develop, through many an English/grammar and translation class was a sense for what looks and is correct on a written page. There is a right way the author's tone, sense, and the content can be communicated.
I'm a passionate reader, and I enjoy reading millions upon millions of words a week. I enjoy reading for pleasure, for knowledge, and for my work. That's why typos and mis-spellings drive me crazy (especially when I'm writing) when I read material. I want to correct those typos immediately so to remove the "mark" on the page and on the author, that those small mistakes can cause. But reading for editing is like peeling an onion, there are so many layers. You could keep reading and keep finding things to fix.
I see many talented, highly-educated professionals and academics trying to put together their thoughts in inefficient ways, and, it makes me want to run to them with a pencil in hand to help correct that phrase that's just not coming out right. Help fix that paragraph, which is a five line run-on. Or tackle that white paper that has no organization or headings. Or uses footnotes instead of endnotes!
I want to help these folks, because they're really good at what they research, study, and communicate but they need just a little extra oomph to allow their words to be all that they can be. I want them to look good.
So, in my own way, I'm "representing" those talented researchers and subject matter experts, who struggle with their sentence structure, by helping them express their written voice to its full extent.
As an editor, especially at a small company, you're not likely to get fame and fortune, your name is not likely to be on the lips of all your co-workers and superiors, and you're not likely to get an employee of the month plaque/star/etc., but you are definitely the person who gets the odd phone call to ask how to best phrase something, what's the best word to use in a sentence, and what's a good word to mean so-and-so. Sometimes, I even get the calls to find out if the meaning of a phrase is clear and straight forward enough, in English, so that an English-as-a-second-language speaker can still understand it--bonus points if you know a different language.
The role I play is a behind-the-scenes role that hasn't gotten me much acknowledgement, professional prestige, or more dollar bills. But it's definitely the role that I wouldn't trade for anything. I enjoy reading a variety of written works and not having to specialize in a particular type of product (say, children's fiction magazines, or dessert cookbooks) and getting to meet and work with (sometimes only via email or over the phone) authors from across the globe. Sometimes, I get to meet these authors in person each year when I work at the annual conference. Those are neat, full-circle encounters.
Today, I discovered a great grammar website that helps me refresh some of the grammar rules and terminology I learned in school years ago. I like to be able to back my knowledge with more than a "it just reads right this way" and instead have facts, terminology, and rules that others before me created for consistency. I usually have a terrible mind for recalling all these technicalities, even though I follow them to the letter every day. Being able to succeed in this area helps me feel like I can really make a difference with every word I read and edit.
I like helping people and editing publications and written communications for a professional association helps me do just that, just on a little bit of my own terms. Kinda.
Doesn't that title make you think, almost straight away, of Tom Cruise screaming: Show Me The Money! to Cuba Gooding Jr.? I immediately thought about that scene, although I've never watched Jerry Maguire. In that scene, Tom C., was showing Cuba G., his sports star client, in a no-holds-barred-way just how passionate, how in his corner he really was in order to retain his business.
So, where am I going with this? Have you ever felt a strong passion towards a particular hobby, career, lifestyle, or vocation and known full well that there was just no way you could make it work? You have a strong interest, even a passion, but not the means to make it a reality. So what do you do then? You don't want to be left in the sidelines, so you represent or enable, somehow, those who successfully pursue that passion. That's a way to make a difference.
I've often joked to my mom that I'm not a great writer, I'm an amazing editor. Yet, if you ask me what a compound predicate is, I would look at you like a deer in the headlights. In my job as an editorial production staffer, at a professional association, I edit weekly many thousands of words. I certainly know when a word or comma is out of place, and how to format a paper so it matches our company's standards or style sheet. However, I have never worked for a publisher, nor have I attended trade conventions where editing and grammar are analyzed in detail and can be part of inside jokes.
I was never the grammar nazi/teacher's pet in English class--you know, the girl that everyone rolled their eyes at when she had her hand eagerly raised trying to be the first to answer that impossible compound adverb question the teacher threw out to the class. What I did develop, through many an English/grammar and translation class was a sense for what looks and is correct on a written page. There is a right way the author's tone, sense, and the content can be communicated.
I'm a passionate reader, and I enjoy reading millions upon millions of words a week. I enjoy reading for pleasure, for knowledge, and for my work. That's why typos and mis-spellings drive me crazy (especially when I'm writing) when I read material. I want to correct those typos immediately so to remove the "mark" on the page and on the author, that those small mistakes can cause. But reading for editing is like peeling an onion, there are so many layers. You could keep reading and keep finding things to fix.
I see many talented, highly-educated professionals and academics trying to put together their thoughts in inefficient ways, and, it makes me want to run to them with a pencil in hand to help correct that phrase that's just not coming out right. Help fix that paragraph, which is a five line run-on. Or tackle that white paper that has no organization or headings. Or uses footnotes instead of endnotes!
I want to help these folks, because they're really good at what they research, study, and communicate but they need just a little extra oomph to allow their words to be all that they can be. I want them to look good.
So, in my own way, I'm "representing" those talented researchers and subject matter experts, who struggle with their sentence structure, by helping them express their written voice to its full extent.
As an editor, especially at a small company, you're not likely to get fame and fortune, your name is not likely to be on the lips of all your co-workers and superiors, and you're not likely to get an employee of the month plaque/star/etc., but you are definitely the person who gets the odd phone call to ask how to best phrase something, what's the best word to use in a sentence, and what's a good word to mean so-and-so. Sometimes, I even get the calls to find out if the meaning of a phrase is clear and straight forward enough, in English, so that an English-as-a-second-language speaker can still understand it--bonus points if you know a different language.
The role I play is a behind-the-scenes role that hasn't gotten me much acknowledgement, professional prestige, or more dollar bills. But it's definitely the role that I wouldn't trade for anything. I enjoy reading a variety of written works and not having to specialize in a particular type of product (say, children's fiction magazines, or dessert cookbooks) and getting to meet and work with (sometimes only via email or over the phone) authors from across the globe. Sometimes, I get to meet these authors in person each year when I work at the annual conference. Those are neat, full-circle encounters.
Today, I discovered a great grammar website that helps me refresh some of the grammar rules and terminology I learned in school years ago. I like to be able to back my knowledge with more than a "it just reads right this way" and instead have facts, terminology, and rules that others before me created for consistency. I usually have a terrible mind for recalling all these technicalities, even though I follow them to the letter every day. Being able to succeed in this area helps me feel like I can really make a difference with every word I read and edit.
I like helping people and editing publications and written communications for a professional association helps me do just that, just on a little bit of my own terms. Kinda.
1.11.2013
In the Driver's Seat or Being Driven?
There's an article I just happened upon that raised my hackles: When You're Driven, It's Normal For People Not To Like You. Uhm. No.
"The harsh truth about being successful is that you are going to make people irrationally mad at you in the process. It’s inevitable. Part of the painful journey."
No again.
If you have the outcome in mind, have a plan, and are setting intentions and steps to achieve it people will want to tag along with you. You become a charistmatic leader. Your passion becomes their passion.
If you always try to find the angle, if you're self-centered in your exchanges with others, if you steamroll over other people's emotions, if you take credit for their projects then yes, you will be hated. Hated a lot.
No man is an island. Especially those trying to climb the social or career ladder. Like it or not, you will depend on others above you and others below you for a variety of reasons. By being hostile and aggressive against those around you, you are engaging in self-defeating behavior. You're consciously or unconsciously alienating and isolating others who will play an important role in your success.
Haven't you heard about an executive who comes in for an interview and treats the CEO's assistant terribly both in person and on the phone? Those people usually don't make it far. The boss who keeps working her staff to burnout only to claim the glory of successful projects for herself will end up on the curb one day--after folks who play along finally decide to leave her out in the cold.
By only looking at what you can get out of something, rather than looking at things with a long-term perspective you are engaging in unsustainable behavior. Playing to lose. Worse, your behavior is transparent to everyone, even those too polite to say something. As a consequence, it's likely that your projects will shrivel up and die eventually--but not soon enough according to those you've trampled to get where you are.
There's a reason career website and blogs keep discussing soft skills as the make or break skill in your career toolbox. According to Peggy Klaus of BetterSoftSkills.com: "One study found that among 358 randomly selected Johnson and Johnson managers, the best performing ones possessed significantly higher levels of self-awareness, self-management capability, social skills, and organizational savvy."
So the next time you encounter someone new at a company you work at or are visiting, smile honestly. Small talk is a great ice breaker. Thinking briefly from another person's shoes does wonders for your long-term planning abilities. Make your next move a success, but not just for your self (me, me, me!) but for your TEAM. And remember, the only I in TEAM is hidden in the A hole.
"The harsh truth about being successful is that you are going to make people irrationally mad at you in the process. It’s inevitable. Part of the painful journey."
No again.
If you have the outcome in mind, have a plan, and are setting intentions and steps to achieve it people will want to tag along with you. You become a charistmatic leader. Your passion becomes their passion.
If you always try to find the angle, if you're self-centered in your exchanges with others, if you steamroll over other people's emotions, if you take credit for their projects then yes, you will be hated. Hated a lot.
No man is an island. Especially those trying to climb the social or career ladder. Like it or not, you will depend on others above you and others below you for a variety of reasons. By being hostile and aggressive against those around you, you are engaging in self-defeating behavior. You're consciously or unconsciously alienating and isolating others who will play an important role in your success.
Haven't you heard about an executive who comes in for an interview and treats the CEO's assistant terribly both in person and on the phone? Those people usually don't make it far. The boss who keeps working her staff to burnout only to claim the glory of successful projects for herself will end up on the curb one day--after folks who play along finally decide to leave her out in the cold.
By only looking at what you can get out of something, rather than looking at things with a long-term perspective you are engaging in unsustainable behavior. Playing to lose. Worse, your behavior is transparent to everyone, even those too polite to say something. As a consequence, it's likely that your projects will shrivel up and die eventually--but not soon enough according to those you've trampled to get where you are.
There's a reason career website and blogs keep discussing soft skills as the make or break skill in your career toolbox. According to Peggy Klaus of BetterSoftSkills.com: "One study found that among 358 randomly selected Johnson and Johnson managers, the best performing ones possessed significantly higher levels of self-awareness, self-management capability, social skills, and organizational savvy."
So the next time you encounter someone new at a company you work at or are visiting, smile honestly. Small talk is a great ice breaker. Thinking briefly from another person's shoes does wonders for your long-term planning abilities. Make your next move a success, but not just for your self (me, me, me!) but for your TEAM. And remember, the only I in TEAM is hidden in the A hole.
12.07.2012
Blog Post Roundup
I haven't done a roundup in a while, so here we go. A list of recent posts on my other blogs:
Beauty Essentials Blog
Beauty Essentials Blog
- Caramel and Cream Workday
- Bath Time Favorites
- Camel and Blue
- Discontinued Products: Mascara
- Orange and Teal Casual Friday
- Favorite Autumn Products
- A Note on Honeys
- Mince Pie
- Bon Appetit Magazine Favorite Products
- Flying Dog Brewery
- Adult Hot Chocolate
- Advert Typo at The New York Times
- Quote of the Day by Susan Sontag
- Quote of the Day by Mortimer Adler
- Quote of the Day by Stanley Fish
- Writing Tips from David Ogilvy
Automotive Blog
- 2014 Nissan GT-R
- Recall: 2.77 million Toyotas Worldwide
- Suzuki Quits US Market
- Hyundai, Kia Retract Mileage Claims
- 2012 SEMA Show
11.15.2012
A Grapple a Day
 |
| my constant companion |
originally uploaded by jeda21.
This little guy has been my constant companion, as I have turned its pages for over 11 years now.
It may have belonged to the woman (Larissa Harris) whose job I took over. It may have been a leftover from one of my two coworkers or supervisor.
Whatever the reason this found a resting place on my cubicle that fateful Thursday morning, I am happy that it did.
It's been there when my coworkers played me against my supervisor, when my coworkers tried to make me seem incompetent, and when my coworkers have celebrated my birthday, wedding, and successes.
It's been there when I was depressed, when I missed my laid off work friends, when my coworkers excluded me, when my coworkers went the extra mile to make me feel included.
It's been an amazing and educational ride. And I still look forward to turning yet another page, on the morrow!
10.03.2012
The Fine Line: Excitement to Exhaustion
The build up to conference was palpable this year. We had incredible amounts of work ahead of us as we scheduled educational sessions, track chairs to lead them and speakers to speak in them. Not to mention networking events, meals, and meetings galore. Oh my! We got as many ducks as possible in a row, and after a last minute scramble, headed to Atlanta to work onsite.
There was a lot of walking to do, but it all worked out with a little patience and planning. Pre-arranged and printed schedules assured all coworkers were consistently where they needed to be. We were excited, helped each other, and coalesced during the few venting sessions.
How can we not be excited when there's 3,100 of our best friends and family walking around us from 7 am till 7 pm or later every day for four days?
Long hours of smiling, answering questions, walking, walking some more, and walking again led to weary souls, but a little rest and a little food helped to keep the steam going.
The Georgia World Congress is a very interesting convention center, because it is basically three long buildings next to each other. Our event was in building B, the middle building. Conference events took place anywhere within the two Omni towers adjacent to the CNN center to the five levels of the long Building B.
I love seeing old friends again after a long time. There are past research committee members from my early days or folks I've worked on projects with, that bring just such a joy in me to see them, give them a big smile, give them a quick hug, and catch up a little. Some other folks have had personality and temperament differences with me and therefore it's painful to see them and have to be customer service oriented when attending them during events and such, but still, quite doable with some ole professional elbow grease.
I went in not knowing what to expect, and came out elated and exhausted. The conference creates a contagious sense of excitement that's not really comparable to anything else. Especially fun committee dinners were we all relax and have a glass (or two) of an adult libation.
Gotta get some rest and plenty of water after all this excitement though, I'm completely worn out.
There was a lot of walking to do, but it all worked out with a little patience and planning. Pre-arranged and printed schedules assured all coworkers were consistently where they needed to be. We were excited, helped each other, and coalesced during the few venting sessions.
How can we not be excited when there's 3,100 of our best friends and family walking around us from 7 am till 7 pm or later every day for four days?
Long hours of smiling, answering questions, walking, walking some more, and walking again led to weary souls, but a little rest and a little food helped to keep the steam going.
The Georgia World Congress is a very interesting convention center, because it is basically three long buildings next to each other. Our event was in building B, the middle building. Conference events took place anywhere within the two Omni towers adjacent to the CNN center to the five levels of the long Building B.
I love seeing old friends again after a long time. There are past research committee members from my early days or folks I've worked on projects with, that bring just such a joy in me to see them, give them a big smile, give them a quick hug, and catch up a little. Some other folks have had personality and temperament differences with me and therefore it's painful to see them and have to be customer service oriented when attending them during events and such, but still, quite doable with some ole professional elbow grease.
I went in not knowing what to expect, and came out elated and exhausted. The conference creates a contagious sense of excitement that's not really comparable to anything else. Especially fun committee dinners were we all relax and have a glass (or two) of an adult libation.
Gotta get some rest and plenty of water after all this excitement though, I'm completely worn out.
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