SMART work


Don't let the weather bring you down at work! Keep these twelve steps in mind if the season is starting to affect your work ethic


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et’s face it: the months of February and March in the middle of Canada are tough times of the year. It’s dark when you get up and go to work, and it’s dark when you journey home. To top it off, the weather is so cold that you hate to go outside. All in all, some peo- ple’s moods begin to sour and before they know it, they’ve joined the chronic complainer club. However, too often I find


Good Work Barbara Bowes


these winter weather com- plaints soon move from blam- ing the climate to blaming the workplace. At this point, the lament becomes all about a boring job, a lack of resources, and/or a bad boss and lazy colleagues. Not once do these disgruntled employees take the time to understand how


they are shifting the blame from the weather to work. Not once do they stop to assess how they might be con- tributing to their own problem. Tis attitude is unfortunate because if their discon-


tent continues, they’ll soon generalize and begin to feel stuck in their careers. Tey’ll become envious of others who seem to get ahead and become frustrated with their own lack of success. Ten, if they carry their dissatisfaction further, they’ll soon quit their jobs and move on. However, I guarantee that once they realize the new job isn’t everything they thought it would be, they’ll soon regret their decision. A sad situation! Believe it or not, I encounter numerous individuals


who are dissatisfied with their life and their jobs at this time of year. Tey don’t really understand why and also feel powerless to do anything about it. Yet, I must reiter- ate, it is indeed your job to take charge of your career and make sure you are satisfied with where you work and what you do every day. However, I can also say that honing one’s technical


skills is only one part of the equation; the other key element of success is making sure you have a positive attitude, build effective relationships and make a valu- able contribution. In my view, nobody can afford to let the so-called


“winter blues” ruin what would normally be a good job and a good working environment. So, check out the following tips to help get you through this tough winter weather. 1. Set short-term goals. Set some short-term goals to get you through the


tough, dark days of winter. Sign up for a distance edu- cation course to learn a new skill or enhance what you currently have to offer. Check out potential opportuni- ties in the workplace to do something different and/or expand your expertise. If you are wallowing in despair,


It may not be easy when the north wind howls, but keeping a positive attitude is your best defense.


you’ll miss opportunities right in front of you. 2. Identify your motivators. Look at what you like to do and how you like to work.


Determine if your current job is still satisfying these motivators. Next, examine if your motivators have changed over time. Once you understand what is cur- rently driving you, then you can seek out roles that meetthese needs. 3. Display a strong work ethic. No matter how much of a personal slump you are ex-


periencing, concentrate on doing the best you possibly can. Make sure you are punctual for both arrival times and breaks. Become known for exceptional work ethic as well as quality work. Stay work-focused and then look for ways to release any stress when you get home. 4. Forge a positive attitude. Seeing things from a jaundiced eye only makes all


aspects of life look negative. Push negativity out of your mind and keep things in perspective. Focus your atten- tion on the good things and keep a positive attitude as this helps you to overcome daily challenges and turn them into opportunities and/or learning experiences. 5. Monitor your speech. Believe it or not, when you’re in a negative, damper


mood, your speech patterns will reinforce it. Listen to yourself, and pick out the negative vocabulary. Stop as soon as you utter a negative word, analyze what you


just said, and assess how it made you feel. Avoid what’s called a “psychological kick me” such as labeling your- self as “stupid.” 6. Take the initiative. When you’re feeling down, you’ll tend not to volunteer


for anything. Yet, engaging in new tasks can be invig- orating and can lift you out of those dark doldrums. At the same time, you’ll learn new things, broaden your expertise, and you’ll gain an opportunity to work with different and/or new people. 7. Avoid office politics. Avoiding gossip and office politics is even more im-


portant when you’re depressed and feeling negative. You don’t want to be labeled as responsible for creating low morale. Instead, write your negative thoughts in a private journal. Read those thoughts a few days later and assess your negativity. 8. Build self-confidence. Self-confidence means feeling good about yourself


and having a sense of personal power. Self-confidence creates a sense of security and it allows you to take risks and avoid the fear of failure. Learn to appreciate your special talents and focus your goals on achieving a job where you can best put these skills to use. 9. Develop a sense of resiliency. Learn to look at your challenges and setbacks from


multiple perspectives. Assess any negativity but then look at the potential for other valuable lessons that could be gained. Always focus on a balanced view and be confident in dealing with issues. 10. Be respectful. No one will respect you if you don’t respect others.


Avoid being self-centred and selfish and instead reach out and acknowledge the opinions of others. Ask others to share not only their ideas but their rationale. Avoid arguments by simply stating you respect their view but don’t agree. 11. Be professional. Being professional means dressing, acting and com-


municating in a manner that reflects positively on you as well as your employer. Focus on becoming a problem- solver by offering a number of potential solutions along with recommendations and a rationale. 12. Take a short break. You may not be able to afford a trip to the sunny south


but you could book into a hotel for the weekend and enjoy being pampered. Take advantage of the peace and quiet and read a good book! Being successful in today’s work world shouldn’t sim-


ply be about surviving; it should be all about thriving. And this means taking responsibility for times when you might feel down-and-out because of our long, dark winter weather. Barbara J. Bowes, FCHRP, CMC, CCP, M.Ed. is a career


coach, human resource professional, keynote speaker, newspaper columnist and radio host. She can be reached at barb@legacybowes.com.


call or email when it comes in from a re- cruiter, have their LinkedIn profiles up to date and maybe have an email alert. Active seekers, meanwhile, will have


Using social media to land a job A


s we all know, there are two types of job seekers: active and passive. Passive seekers will entertain a


ponder at one point or another: “Can I find a job via social media?” Te answer is yes. Job hunting is made easy through the


a much different attitude. Tey will be picking up the Saturday newspaper looking for careers, surf through web- site after website for jobs and make cold calls to recruiters. If you’re one of the latter surfers,


you’re also looking toward your online network for the answer to your career question. Tus begs the question that we all


major social platforms, and in saying that I do mean all three “big three” – Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Let’s break them down. LinkedIn


Te most obvious, of course, is the


business networking hub. As you well know by now, having a profile that outwardly states that you are seeking new professional opportunities is great for active seekers, while a passive in- dividual can drop allusions to seeking new employment.


But LinkedIn’s functionality goes


well beyond this. For one, LinkedIn offers an array of


premium services for its job-seeking us- ers. A pay-for service (though occasionally free trials are available) that is tiered, Job Seeker gives you perks such as being a Featured Appli- cant on a submitted list to the hiring agency/individual, access to exclusive webinars, salary data and the ability to InMail recruiters. Without paying for the ser-


vice, though, there are great mechanisms on LI, including applying using your pro- file (a feature which several companies are already using privately). Groups are also great spots to find open jobs in the market you want to apply to. But the absolute best way to find a job


cruiters. Agencies are very frequently going to be posting their jobs, poten- tially using hashtags like #winnipeg- jobs or something of that ilk. The other one to follow –


generally and for job info – is the @winnipeg_rt profile. This is a “robot” account which automatically retweets any post that has #winnipeg in it. Tis is another one that is often used by recruiters and companies that are hir- ing.


Facebook While Facebook attempted


Socially Smart Jon Waldman


to mimic LinkedIn’s success with the BranchOut app, the program doesn’t have the legs or network ability to get


you as far as you’d like, but that doesn’t mean you should flush the network out of your job searching plan. Instead, use your friend network


on LinkedIn? Connect with recruiters! Just about every recruiter is on Linked- In and, are not only happy to connect with you, but will often post their jobs in their status updates. Follow them, and you’re en route to your next job. Twitter


It may not seem like it at first glance,


but indeed Twitter can net you your next job. Here, just as it is with LinkedIn, the best way to find a job is to follow @re-


8 SMART TAB www.smartcareers.ca


– likely the largest you have – to job hunt. Broadcasting a message on your timeline may not be the most strategic – especially if you’re looking to change companies – but reviewing your con- tacts and sending them a private mes- sage is an easy step to take. Remember – every social media tool


you have can be used to your advan- tage, and we’ll talk about this more next month as we cover building your portfolio online.


March 2014


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