Rules in Resigning

If you have wanted to switch jobs but still haven’t done so, you need not only to submit a resignation letter. It takes much more than that to leave a company. First, you have to talk with your employer. Second, you need to make sure everything is in the right order when you step out of the door. So before you resign, make sure you’re properly prepared. Here are some tips.

• Honor your contract. Check the number of days you have to render before you leave. Some companies require only two weeks, while some ask for a full month. When you resign, try to make sure that your employment in your new company will not start until you finish your required number of days in your current employer. This will not only save you from financial and legal consequences, but it will also ensure that you don’t leave the company with a tainted reputation. Even though you are transferring from a sales job to amarketing job, your reputation in your previous employer is still as valuable as when you are taking a move within your current industry.

• Do not give more than a month’s notice. Don’t let your boss know that you are leaving way before it happens. This may be detrimental to your productivity, your relationships in the company, and your relationship with your boss. You don’t want everybody to be anxious about your departure. Also, some bosses facilitate transition only on the last week of the employee, and prior to that dump a lot of work on them.

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How to Improve Office Communications

As in any relationship, communication is vital. It improves the work flow; it helps the whole team to have a more unified process of handling things. And as a result, the office is a happier and more productive place. What’s great about the office today is that communications is much easier to facilitate today because of technology. Before, a large office is limited by its physical phones and the employees’ ability to spend time in meetings. But today, nobody has any excuse anymore. Those who are in executive jobs carry the task of ensuring that communications is at best at all times, within the team most especially. Here are some ideas you can use to improve communications in the office:

Meetings

Hold regular meetings that will encourage employee outputs. Make sure that each one presents his or her idea. Require your team to come with a fresh idea every month or so, and ask for updates on the ideas that you have decided to undertake or implement. This helps create an atmosphere of openness, and it effectively sends the message that everybody’s opinion matters. It doesn’t matter whether all of you have accountant jobs or you’re in the more creative side of the spectrum. Communication through meetings is always healthy.

Accessibility

You are busy; your employees are busy. Most of the time, what would help ease their workload is a question or a conversation with you. That said, it is important that as an executive, you keep an open line of communication with every employee. If your office room has a door, allot a certain hour or more during the day when employees can come in and have a consultation with you.

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Productive Time Killers

Time is what you make of it. And even though executives in Singapore jobs seldom find extra time in the office, they come once in a while. If you feel uncomfortable about spending one hour doing nothing on your desk, congratulations. You are a true professional. Here then are some ideas on how you can maximize your office time.

• Read. Place a book on your desk, and grab it whenever you have extra time.Learners are readers, and spending time with a book is one of the best ways you can stretch your brain muscles. Who knows? The next best idea for your company might come from reading a Jane Austen novel.
• Read some more. Another idea is to compile magazine articles in a folder. Take out one article at an idle time until you run out of things to read. If your readings are mostly on the Internet or the computer, bookmark them or create a folder so you can access them easily. If you have a gadget that is equipped with a reader, you can even read during your travel time.
• Make calls. If you need to call clients or business contacts but you can never find time to do it during the day, don’t worry. Wait for an idle time and tick off one contact at a time. It’s no guarantee that you will have zero pending calls, but at least you will have less calls and more pleased contacts. You might even find a great break by making a single call without having to conduct a full-blown job search in Singapore.
• Arrange your files. Perhaps the more relevant advice is to arrange your digital files. Hardly anyone ever keeps hard documents, except for signed contracts and the like. You owe it to yourself to have a computer storage system that makes it easy for you to find documents and pieces of information. Zen out by arranging your files.

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The Path of Consultancy

Anyone can be an entrepreneur. It does not have to mean that you need to leave your manager job or register a business name and do all the works. It can mean being a consultant, which means doing freelance work. A consultant carries his own name, creates his own brand, and only has himself to blame if anything goes wrong. The up side of that is that when you do something great, the credit also goes all to you.

A lot of executives, even those with director job positions, are a bit skeptic about consulting. They feel that doing it fulltime is risky, and so they forget doing it altogether. However, consultancy does not have to be a fulltime commitment. Here are the different paths you can take when doing consultancy projects:

Full-time

Being a consultant has a lot of benefits, as much as it has a lot of challenges. First and foremost, you have to be confident on yourself if you want to make consultancy your bread and butter. Second, you need enough connections so you can sustain the number of projects you can get. Third, but not the last among the many other must-haves you need to have so you can go full-time into consultancy, you need discipline. Imagine you are your own boss. When you obey when you tell yourself to focus on your work and skip watching a movie? As elementary as it may seem, it is still often a hurdle many consultants need to face.

Part-time

Thanks to the powers of the Internet and communications in general, a lot of opportunities are now available for executives who want to do extra work. This is ideal for professionals who are not so keen on jumping off the cliff and committing to a brand that is only his or her name. When you choose to accept consultancy gigs on the side, both your day job and your projects will serve as your safety nets. If one of them falls apart, the other can provide temporary financial relief. Moreover, both will assure that your career will continue to grow even though one ceases to exist.

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Are You Ready to Level Up?

Everybody wants to get promoted. The reasons are obvious – more money, higher position, ego-booster. It basically means that at least a couple of people appreciate and recognize your efforts in the company and they trust that you can do more. But can you really?

Promotion is not only about changing your title. It is also about pushing your abilities as a professional by taking on new (and most likely harder) responsibilities. Moreover, you are expected to do more than what you’re tasked to do. Can you move away from your sales job for a leadership position?

This means that you have to really think about a promotion. Before you wish for it, evaluate if you are up for the challenge of going for it, and when you get the promotion, if you can sustain it. Understand your current job position vis-à-vis the requirements of the position you’re after. Can you do things beyond your current load to prove that you can handle more? If you can, then it’s an indication that you can indeed go to the next level.

Your company

Do you understand the nature of your company? If you are in the IT jobs industry, do you see the company advancing along with the others? Are you willing to go with it, or to bring it, to where it aims to be? If your career goals are not aligned with your company’s, you might find it difficult to accept more jobs, let alone be considered for a higher job. Observe your boss and see if you can handle the kind of schedule and challenges that he or she faces every day.

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Corporate and Creative

Most people have a creative side. Perhaps, if we live in an ideal world, everybody would choose a craft, master it, and live doing it. Creativity is always more fun than routine and set processes. And in the corporate world, it seems that the creativity area of the brain is put to rest most of the time. It can be one of the reasons why most professionals don’t like coming to the office. Their creativity and uniqueness is suppressed because of the need to conform to rules.

However, that is only one big misconception about the corporate world. Just because we come to work wearing neutral-colored matching outfits does not mean that we are not entitled to creativity. In fact, even with what you wear, you can express yourself; you can be unique. More offices are giving easy to flexibility and freedom of expression, and one aspect of it is the dress code. It can be safe to say that a company that allows employees to dress how they want to are most likely companies that will allow you to grow in your creativity. If the one holding thedirector job is in khakis and loafers, you can assume that that company will give you more room for expression and in turn, for creativity.

But why the need? The non-creative may pose that question, and the creative may suspect. Creativity breeds new ideas, and has a lot of other advantages for both the employees and the company. If an employee is freer to contribute to the team or to the office with his own formulated ideas, he would have more room for growth. And a growing employee is an asset to any company. After all, a firm can only go as far as how its employees can take it.

So how can you promote creativity? More importantly, how can you be creative yourself? Tweak some things in the office and take these advice pieces to be creative in the corporate world:

• First, accept the corporate mindset. This is especially true with large corporations which have strict rules and stringent compliance to branding, design and procedures. Only when you are fully aware of unchangeable things can you maximize yourself to touch base on areas that can be changed.

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Building Professional Relationships

The whole world thrives on relationships. This is reflective on most everybody’s life, including their career. From clients to bosses, professionals are building and maintaining relationships. From these relationships, you can earn referrals, get advice and develop your professional skills.

You have to know, however, that building professional relationships is not about marketing yourself. If that is your only goal in talking to the next person you encounter in a trade fair or a conference, you will only end up tiring yourself. People can easily differentiate those who aim to build genuine relationships from those who are only after something for themselves.

Perhaps you should come from a viewpoint that sees relationships as something healthy and contributive to your growth, not something through which you can earn. From this vantage point, you can have a healthier approach to building relationships. It will soon come naturally to you and will not require you to think of things to say to somebody you just met.

That said, the most important thing to remember in building professional relationships is to be yourself. You will only fool yourself if, as a banking consultant, all you talk about are banking jobs and finance jobs available today. You will more likely have a fluid conversation if you show who you really are and just talk about anything that you feel may interest you and somebody you want to build a relationship with.

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How to Behave at a Company Party

Company parties are interesting avenues for everybody to let loose and get to know each other better. The lights, the more relaxed atmosphere, and the non-requirement of blazers and suits put everybody in a different mood. As killjoy as it may sound, a company party can make or break you as an employee, especially if you are holding one of the executive jobs in the company. That said, you can either use a company party to improve your reputation, or you can let it be the highway to career hell. Here are some tips you should remember the next time a company party is set.

The Do’s

• Act in an orderly manner. Even though you’re all wearing shirts and jeans, it does not mean that you can behave rudely or act silly. You will see your officemates the next day, and anything you do that you might regret the following day will turn your weekdays into awkward days.
• Watch your words. Imagine that you are still in the office, but with drinks and no need to check on reports. This will help you make sure that you always use the right words and avoid letting out steam about the company or the boss.
• Enjoy! Your company spends large sums of money to show you that you are loved and that they value your enjoyment. Maximize it and have fun.
• Keep your drink on your left hand and keep your right hand free. This is so that you can give dry handshakes anytime.

The Don’ts

• Don’t decline the invitation to the company party. Even though you feel that it will only be a waste of your time, that you’d rather be at home spending time with your family or your TV, a company party is still a significant event that you should not miss. It is your chance to mingle and build professional relationships with your colleagues, or even level with leaders and top executives.

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Reasons to Work

You spend eight hours, sometimes more, in the office. Every morning, you choose to leave your lovely family to brave the traffic and sit in your desk all day, spending it with people who may not even like you. Why do that?

For top executives who have already gone from bottom to the highly coveted high positions, the reasons may be composed of high salary and high position. But beyond that, what really is your reason? If your salary will get lower, will you still hold your position? And why does the position matter to you? By digging into the reasons and motivations a person has for work, he can figure out how he can improve on his career and have it translated to the other areas of his life.

The need for money

Let’s face it. Everybody needs money for food. We only have different levels of need, wants and abilities to purchase food, and other necessities in life. Perhaps a lot of executives are mainly driven by their salary, that’s why they drag themselves to work every morning. To some, it’s perfectly fine, especially if the workplace is not stressful. But for others, going to the office every single day is torture.

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What to Do During Promotion Season

Wait it out. Seriously, all you need to do during promotion season is to wait for your boss to give you the news that you were promoted. If you did well in the previous months (or years), you can be confident about a promotion. But if not, you’ll know better. So instead of feeling sad during promotion season, prepare well for it by being an excellent and consistent executive. Remember that expectations are higher on those at the higher positions, so make your mark to seal that promotion.

Learning

Observe your workplace and see which areas you can improve on. Be sensitive to how you move around the office, from how you communicate to how you accomplish a task. Executive jobs tend to be more noticed than others, so target all areas when you evaluate yourself and how you fare with others. Ask for honest evaluations from your teammates – from the people on the same level as you are to those who are down the line. Based on their observations, you can capitalize on your good traits and demonstrate them more. As with your negative traits, improve on them on a daily basis, and ask your colleagues for a review again after some time.

Next, discover the things that you can learn to improve your performance. Showing discontent on your current performance by looking for new ways to be more efficient and more productive will surely be noticed. Be creative in doing this, and make it an exciting phase of your work. Commit an hour or so during the day just learning a new skill that you can leverage for your team and your company. You’ll be surprised at how many things can be done with supposedly boring accountant jobs.

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Managing Difficult People

Do you still remember the last time you had to manage a difficult person? Were you satisfied with how you acted on it? Did the situation turn out to benefit the team or the company, or did it result to resentment and reduced productivity? Learn how to handle difficult staff today, because no matter where you go and in all Singapore jobs, there will be a couple of them tough cookies.

• Immediately forgive. Be aware of the inner good in yourself and choose to forgive instead of acting on the issue out of anger and frustration. Angry people have clouded judgments, just like drunk people. So if you want to preserve your reputation as an executive, it’s best to simply forgive. Remember that you are not in the losing end when you back away from conflict.
• But wait for a time to settle the situation. It is not enough to just let the situation be forgotten through time. However, before you go and send an emotional email, wait it out a while. Assess yourself and wait for the perfect time to settle the situation.
• Evaluate your goals in settling the issue. Remember that as the boss, you should be on the understanding side, acting maturely on all situations even if you are the one who received the offense. That said, you should carefully think of your purpose of settling the issue. Is it to simply make the point that you are right? To start with, you don’t have to be right. You won’t gain anything other than a bloated ego and a shrunken reputation.

• Hold your horses. If the person in conflict with you initiates a fight or an argument, don’t react in anger. When you react, they will get what they want from you, and that is a kind of reaction that will backfire. Cease the negativity as soon as possible.

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Chill Out at Work

Oftentimes we chance upon articles that talk about tips and tricks on how you can have a workout that tears your muscles and give you a healthier body. In fact, a lot of professionals are into working out that they want to spend at least an hour in the gym just to keep their body in shape.

But how many times do you, as an executive, pay attention to your disposition and emotional state? You may feel physically okay, but your mind and heart may be stressed out. And sooner or later, how you feel will reflect on your health. Here are chill-out steps you can take at the office that can help you preserve your energy in the best way possible.

• Leave. Leave for a few minutes to just take a walk outside. Leave your work and read your favorite book for five minutes. Leave the office on time to spend quality time with family.
• Listen. To music that will help you work in a more positive disposition. When you were a student, to what kind of music did you respond positively? Play them on loop and see yourself achieving more without stressing out. Beware of songs that are too good though. You may love Broadway songs but you may get distracted, singing your heart out to every track that you play. Go for those that would boost your energy for work and not for performing.

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From Employee to Entrepreneur

For most executives, their job is heir safety net. In a sense, it is a security source in many areas – financial, emotional, self-confidence, life as a whole. It comes as no surprise therefore that more people would rather choose to report to work at a set schedule and stay there for eight hours of horrible bosses and even more horrible coffee.

However, there is an elite group of individuals who have what it takes to venture out on their own in the hopes of finding success that is outside of the idea of career ladders and salary grades. These people start off their own businesses and have only themselves to report to. It is a big risk, but it can also be the most liberating thing you can do in your life.

There are a lot of motivational articles, and even people, who would encourage you to go ahead and become the professional diver or photographer that you have always dreamed to be. However, it is easier said (and dreamed about) than done. Reality sneaks up in people’s minds and lets them know that they have bills to pay and mouths to feed.

That said, it is important to note that entrepreneurship is not for everybody. If you are seriously considering it, then you should conduct a thorough evaluation of what you want to venture into. On the other hand, it might be just the boredom in the office that’s prompting you to ditch the necktie and put on the apron to start your own restaurant. Or, it might be your senior, such as the people in high positions such as a manager job or a director job, that is driving you nuts and making you wish you’re the boss of yourself

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Travelling for Business 101

One of the perks of being an executive is the travelling. You get to see many places and experience different work and life cultures, all expenses paid. However, it is common to see professionals who have been chosen as company representatives or ambassadors to feel burnt out and tired of travelling.

Young professionals who are at the bottom of the career ladder would most likely feel excited about travel opportunities. But the ones in executive jobs would normally prefer to be in the office and handle their tasks from their comfortable desk. There are valid reasons, but there are also solutions to cope with the hassles of travelling. Let’s take a look at some of them:

Problem: You spend so much time travelling. You don’t have work-life balance anymore; you spend more time in the plane than on your own bed. You miss out on a lot of tasks because of travelling.

Solution: Demand for a limit. Some companies mandate travelling to only be limited to three nights and four days. The fifth day should be spent in the main office, and two days should be allotted for weekends. Some companies that do not have as much flexibility give employees a week of travel and another week on the main office. Still others allow employees to use the excess hours as replacement for work hours that they can use as leaves.

Problem: You end up swamped with work and other tasks. You do not have time for any other things. You even miss family time.

Solution: Planning. Keep a calendar (an updated and active one at that) and make sure that you stick to it. Your weekends should be systematically planned. If you are leaving on Monday, you should have some time on Sunday for packing. Allot one or two hours for it. If possible, delegate some tasks to other people, say ask your teammate to create the team schedule for the week, or ask your wife to settle the bills. A lot of companies also offer concierge services for their employees, giving you a few less things to worry about, such as dry cleaning and picking up stuff.

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Email Etiquette

Email is a significant of an executive’s day to day comings and goings. We receive tons of email, some of which are work-related, while many are either spam or personal mails. With the familiarity that we have on email, we may miss the importance of it and the implications of the things we say or do through emails. Here are some email practices that would help ensure you’re clear from any email trouble:

• Use the high priority button on really (REALLY) important emails. Do not overuse it, as a sign of respect to your co-workers. The high priority button is somewhat a sacred thing. If you receive an email marked as high priority, wouldn’t you really prioritize it? You don’t want to be like the girl who cried wolf. People who receive your high priority email may do the opposite – push it back to their to-deal-with list.

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Commit to Improve Communications

Any relationship that has worked through the years have different so-called secrets – understanding, compromise, love. But all of those factors would be for naught if they were not communicated properly. That said, communications is highly important for any relationship, be it personal or corporate. It is the backbone of any organization or community; it helps people understand each other better and arrive at better results, and it also helps them maintain a healthy relationship with clients. Constant and clear communications should always be your goals as a company. You need to commit to it, therefore. Take a look at some ways which you can adapt to improve the way you understand each other and your customers:

§  Conduct regular meetings. Gauge the level of communication and collaboration that occurs within your team and within the company. Banking jobs have different communication needs from people who work in marketing. If there is enough time for everybody and every team to integrate with one another, then once a month or quarterly meetings may be fine. However, if you run an office that is always up and about, with everybody missing on what the rest of the company is up to, then you need to conduct meetings more often. 

There are a lot of advantages to this, such as:

§  You can keep everybody at the same page.

§  You strengthen your team.

§  You increase the opportunities for collaboration and exchange of ideas.

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