To increase your opportunities to experience Career Bests it is vital that you understand what drives you at work. One model that explains the range of career drivers has been developed by C. Brooklyn Derr. He identified five major definitions of career success;

1. Advancement. This is the traditional definition of career success for many Europeans. These people are looking to become directors, vice-presidents, senior partners, general managers and CEO's. What drives them is upward
   Making the Switch to a Pharmaceutical Sales Career
   The pharmaceutical industry is one of the most lucrative business sectors as evidenced by its $550 billion global industry revenue in 2004. As such, many careers have been developed to cater to the varying needs of the industry. One good example of such a career option is pharmaceutical sales, which is believed to be one of the most sought-after careers in the job market today.The reason behind this trend is that pharmaceutical sales offers extraordinary salary potential, which may go as high as six-figures annually. Other amazing perks are special bonuses, a company car, trainings in exotic locations, flexible work hours, as well as unlimited opportunities for career growth.Needles
   Executives, professionals and managers are faced with ever greater demands; greater demands from internal and external clients for delivery, greater demands from their leaders for performance and greater demands on their time from their non-work interests and commitments. And all in a climate where they are expected to take responsibility for their own career management and development.

   How can the majority of us build successful careers in this environment? Smart professionals know that the key to long-term success is founded more in maintaining sharp skills than in demonstrating loyalty to the firm. People and their employers do have a shared interest in their long-term growth. But the key is skills growth, not loyalty.

   Career Bests

   Research into what makes for a satisfying work life indicates that the most personally satisfying times in a person's career are usually also highly productive in meeting their employer's goals. These ‘Career Bests' also provide significant development opportunities. Rising to the challenge benefits employees by building increased capability and satisfaction. And increased individual capability in turn increases the firm's ability to perform.

   Career Bests happen when individuals are doing something that they enjoy, that uses and develops their talents and that falls within the domain of strategic business needs. When these three overlap great things happen. The fact that Career Bests happen when individual and corporate interests overlap has important implications for personal development;

   • Only the individual knows where their interests lie. A career plan developed by someone else won't help.
   • The best career plans do not centre on the next job or on suggested training courses. While new job opportunities can provide growth experiences and while training courses can augment on-the-job learning, most development happens as a result of engaging in interesting, challenging work.
   • Organisations must be clear about what they need from their staff. If leaders share information about the organisations direction and can translate that direction into individual expectations, then they give their staff the framework in which to establish how they can best support the firm in achieving its goals.
   • Self-directed career development requires more self-awareness and insight than corporate-driven career management. Individuals must take more of the initiative and accept responsibility for understanding and articulating their own needs, priorities and their ability to contribute. For some people this may well be a painful process, whilst others find it immensely liberating.
   What are my values and priorities when it comes to work?

   To increase your opportunities to experience Career Bests it is vital that you understand what drives you at work. One model that explains the range of career drivers has been developed by C. Brooklyn Derr. He identified five major definitions of career success;

   1. Advancement. This is the traditional definition of career success for many Europeans. These people are looking to become directors, vice-presidents, senior partners, general managers and CEO's. What drives them is upward
      Writing a Resume - How To Fix A Bad Resume
      If your resume is prepared but there are one or more major blemishes on your document, it can seem like a panic situation. Maybe there's a hole in your work history, or maybe one of your previous jobs ended on bitter terms with your former employer. A bad spot in your resume isn't the end of the world, and it won't reduce your chances of getting the job you want to apply for. You just have to put a little spin on the blemish, meaning that you need to find a way to make the mistake seem less important, and thus less damning, or even turn the problem into seeming like a positive thing.Large, hard-to-explain gaps in your work history from periods in your life where you were unemployed can be
      in their long-term growth. But the key is skills growth, not loyalty.

      Career Bests

      Research into what makes for a satisfying work life indicates that the most personally satisfying times in a person's career are usually also highly productive in meeting their employer's goals. These ‘Career Bests' also provide significant development opportunities. Rising to the challenge benefits employees by building increased capability and satisfaction. And increased individual capability in turn increases the firm's ability to perform.

      Career Bests happen when individuals are doing something that they enjoy, that uses and develops their talents and that falls within the domain of strategic business needs. When these three overlap great things happen. The fact that Career Bests happen when individual and corporate interests overlap has important implications for personal development;

      • Only the individual knows where their interests lie. A career plan developed by someone else won't help.
      • The best career plans do not centre on the next job or on suggested training courses. While new job opportunities can provide growth experiences and while training courses can augment on-the-job learning, most development happens as a result of engaging in interesting, challenging work.
      • Organisations must be clear about what they need from their staff. If leaders share information about the organisations direction and can translate that direction into individual expectations, then they give their staff the framework in which to establish how they can best support the firm in achieving its goals.
      • Self-directed career development requires more self-awareness and insight than corporate-driven career management. Individuals must take more of the initiative and accept responsibility for understanding and articulating their own needs, priorities and their ability to contribute. For some people this may well be a painful process, whilst others find it immensely liberating.
      What are my values and priorities when it comes to work?

      To increase your opportunities to experience Career Bests it is vital that you understand what drives you at work. One model that explains the range of career drivers has been developed by C. Brooklyn Derr. He identified five major definitions of career success;

      1. Advancement. This is the traditional definition of career success for many Europeans. These people are looking to become directors, vice-presidents, senior partners, general managers and CEO's. What drives them is upward
         Are Your Customers Keeping Score? You'd Better Believe It!
         I had traveled last week and wanted to share one of my experiences with you. I had completed a series of seminars on Business Writing and finished in Oakland, Ca. That happens to be near where my brother lives and I took the opportunity to visit him over the weekend.We went to dinner on Saturday evening at a restaurant that was right down the street from his house. Here is where the story becomes about Customer Service. Since it was very near his house, my brother is a regular. You can always tell you are a regular if the owner greets you by name and gives you a hug.We signed on the waiting list, (it was very busy) and proceeded to ogle the other patrons dishes. I do believe this i
         talents and that falls within the domain of strategic business needs. When these three overlap great things happen. The fact that Career Bests happen when individual and corporate interests overlap has important implications for personal development;
         • Only the individual knows where their interests lie. A career plan developed by someone else won't help.
         • The best career plans do not centre on the next job or on suggested training courses. While new job opportunities can provide growth experiences and while training courses can augment on-the-job learning, most development happens as a result of engaging in interesting, challenging work.
         • Organisations must be clear about what they need from their staff. If leaders share information about the organisations direction and can translate that direction into individual expectations, then they give their staff the framework in which to establish how they can best support the firm in achieving its goals.
         • Self-directed career development requires more self-awareness and insight than corporate-driven career management. Individuals must take more of the initiative and accept responsibility for understanding and articulating their own needs, priorities and their ability to contribute. For some people this may well be a painful process, whilst others find it immensely liberating.
         What are my values and priorities when it comes to work?

         To increase your opportunities to experience Career Bests it is vital that you understand what drives you at work. One model that explains the range of career drivers has been developed by C. Brooklyn Derr. He identified five major definitions of career success;

         1. Advancement. This is the traditional definition of career success for many Europeans. These people are looking to become directors, vice-presidents, senior partners, general managers and CEO's. What drives them is upward
            Successful Tendering - There Are Many Solutions
            There are many solutions for a great tender submission.One of the great mysteries of the “open” competitive tendering process is that each of us has experienced defeat. What mystifies us is that there must have been a mistake – we had the best solution. Of course we did. So did the other three unsuccessful tenderers as did, we hope, the successful one!So, consider this hypothetical tender, which simply asks for a proposal to “make the following equation true by only adding one line to it”:I X = V ISimple enough. Prepare your team to consider what is being asked. Review all the documentation to ensure that nothing has been overlooked. And prepare your t
            i>
         2. Organisations must be clear about what they need from their staff. If leaders share information about the organisations direction and can translate that direction into individual expectations, then they give their staff the framework in which to establish how they can best support the firm in achieving its goals.
         3. Self-directed career development requires more self-awareness and insight than corporate-driven career management. Individuals must take more of the initiative and accept responsibility for understanding and articulating their own needs, priorities and their ability to contribute. For some people this may well be a painful process, whilst others find it immensely liberating.
         What are my values and priorities when it comes to work?

         To increase your opportunities to experience Career Bests it is vital that you understand what drives you at work. One model that explains the range of career drivers has been developed by C. Brooklyn Derr. He identified five major definitions of career success;

         1. Advancement. This is the traditional definition of career success for many Europeans. These people are looking to become directors, vice-presidents, senior partners, general managers and CEO's. What drives them is upward
            Novel Idea - Novelty Pens
            Trade show swag usually includes a few pads of Post-Its, maybe a coffee mug and a hundred pens. When you choose novelty plastic pens for your promotions, you can stand out in the sea of pens and pencils. If you choose properly, the trade show attendees will be using your pen long after they’ve culled the plain stick pens and used up the computer-shaped sticky notes.Carabiner Pens Moms and involved dads will tell you that looking for a pen to write down directions or phone numbers on the road or at the park can be a hassle - because finding a pen in the diaper bag or picnic sack can be next to impossible. Carabiner plastic pens offer a fat writing stick at one end and a convenient cara
            t others find it immensely liberating.
         What are my values and priorities when it comes to work?

         To increase your opportunities to experience Career Bests it is vital that you understand what drives you at work. One model that explains the range of career drivers has been developed by C. Brooklyn Derr. He identified five major definitions of career success;

         1. Advancement. This is the traditional definition of career success for many Europeans. These people are looking to become directors, vice-presidents, senior partners, general managers and CEO's. What drives them is upward movement. Success means more money, more power and steady promotions.
         2. Security. These people, an under-appreciated and often unacknowledged but significant segment of the workforce in most organisations have a psychological contract with the firm. In exchange for hard work and loyalty, they expect to get life-long employment, respect, steady advancement and eventually a high-level role where their talents and used and appreciated.
         3. Freedom. These people value personal autonomy and ‘space' at all costs. They don't mind being held to deadlines, budgets and standards but they do want to solve the problem in their own way.
         4. Challenge. These individuals thrive on excitement, challenge and the technical nature and content of their work. They'll work for anybody who offers exciting opportunities.
         5. Balance. These people give equal time and attention to careers, relationships and self-development. They will work around the clock in emergencies but they don't live their lives emergency style. They will usually pull back from getting overly absorbed in their work but are competent enough to do well. They become unhappy if their work isn't meaningful enough to balance their personal lives.
         Effective career development allows people to live by their personal values whilst at the same time making an effective contribution at work. Since different people define their goals differently it stands to reason that if they cannot match them to the organisations needs, then frustration and low performance will result.

         This is yet another argument in favour of self-directed career development. No one will be more aware of their own career drivers and values than the individual concerned. When they use that insight to make decisions about their future, they take personal responsibility and are likely to be far more committed to achieving the outcome, than they would be if the decision was imposed on them.

         So far we've focused on personal drivers and values. In Part Two we'll consider the other key requirement to effective career development - your organisation's needs.