节目资讯
刊物:职场秘诀
日期:2009-12-14
难易度:Low
关键字:take-charge, go out of one’s way, bridge the gap, on board
Advanced Studio Classroom is on the air.
Welcome to Advanced, your window on the world.
And today, we’re going to talk about job tips for the new year, so stay tuned.
Thanks for joining us today.
It’s a busy season for many people, the middle of December.
And we’re here to discuss some interesting things that might have to do with
your life and your job.
So, this is your teacher (Chinese), Doris Brougham. And we have a lot of
panelists with us today.
Our new panelist that we introduced to you a couple weeks ago, Doug.
How are you doing, Doug?
Oh, I’m fine, Doris. I’m glad to be part of this discussion.
And you enjoyed being on Studio Classroom or Advanced before, didn’t you?
Of course.
Well, thanks for coming back today.
And you have a very lovely lady sitting right near you. Would you like to
introduce her?
This is my dear wife of 52 years, Martha.
Hello, how are you today?
Martha, it’s so good to have you here. I know you’ve worked in California with
our Studio Classroom office there.
Yes, I have. I have enjoyed it for nearly 10 years.
And you’ve helped train some of the teachers, and you’ve also gotten around and
had English classes in the Los Angeles area, haven’t you?
Yes, I have.
Well, we’re glad to have you with us for a couple months or so here. And we just
hope that your’re gonna enjoy the experience.
We’re looking forward to what God has for us and interesting new challenges.
There’s a lot of new people for you to meet, and some of them are listening in
right now. And they wanna know who Martha and Doug are.
And Martha and Doug Beyer, our new teachers. So thanks for being with us. Give
them a big hand.
Oh, thank you.
Thanks for joining us.
And Brandon, it’s nice to have you with us again today as one of our regular
panelists.
Would you like to explain what the lesson is about today?
Well, it is good to be here. And listeners, I hope that you’ll find some
interesting tips here today, maybe finding a new job.
Maybe you’re looking for a new job, and you’re wondering what should I do. Well,
today we are going to give you some practical tips.
Maybe you can use some of them, maybe not all of them, but hopefully you can
find something that is very helpful today.
There’s many books and many articles written on tips, tips on how to do many
different things.
What does it actually mean to get a job tip?
Well, that just means that you’re trying to get a little bit of help, a
suggestion for something.
Because you maybe don’t know exactly how to go about something, maybe you don’t
know what the best way is, so you go to experts to find out what they say.
And these experts say, here, that they’re going to give us some fresh ideas for
keeping your current job, the one you’re doing now, or finding a new one.
I’m not sure these are all fresh ideas, but at least they are ideas, and they
think they’re fresh.
I don’t know. What do you think about them, Doug? Are these all fresh ideas or
not?
I think that they are sound ideas.
Mmhm.
Actually they say more in just a page or two than any other page or two I have
seen on the subject.
I think that they are sound, practical suggestions.
Well, that’s good. That’s a good recommendation for the article, isn’t it?
That is a good recommendation. Also, I like how it’s broken up into different
sections. I think that will be helpful for our readers to understand these tips.
That’s true. And so, it’s on page 28.
I hope you all have the magazine - maybe you have an e-magazine or paper
magazine - and you can read along with us if you’re not driving your car.
If you are, just listen in.
We don’t want you to be reading while you’re driving.
It’s not a good idea.
But we hope that you are listening in.
And we’re talking about the time of year that it is right now, and we’re talking
about making New Year’s resolutions.
So, I think we’ll just take the very first column.
Why don’t you just read the first column yourself today?
Sure. We’ll start here. It says: It’s that time of year again when we all
resolve to lose five pounds, eat more leafy greens and keep a better budget.
If your resolution for 2010 is to find a new job or keep the one you have,
consulting firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas Inc., offers a few suggestions
for specific objectives to meet your goals, even in a difficult economy.
Well, that’s quite an introduction there, isn’t it?
It certainly is.
It really is.
And it says we all resolve to do certain things.
Can you tell us a little bit, Martha, about New Year’s resolutions? Does
everybody make those, do you think?
I think a lot of people do. It’s a new beginning, and easier, perhaps, to decide
what you want to do in this new year.
And so, a resolution is kind of a promise to yourself that you’re going to learn
something new, or you’re going to behave in a different way.
OK. You resolve to do something; you determine, ”I resolve to do this.” It’s a
strong determination to do something, isn’t it?
Right, you decide to do something. For example, you might want to exercise more
- that’s a resolution that I would like to make for this year.
I wanna exercise more to get...
Brandon, everybody says that. I always say that every year. But when it gets
around to it, it’s not easy. What do you think?
It’s very difficult. Mine is usually to lose weight.
I think everybody... you know, we say Americans are overweight, but I think the
whole world is getting that way sometimes.
But is it easy to lose five pounds?
No.
No, it is not.
I have lost five pounds many times and then gained it back again - lose the same
five pounds. Have you ever done that?
No.
Oh, no, you don’t need to. You don’t need to worry about that.
No, he does not have to worry about that.
He cannot be sympathetic about that.
Not at all.
Well, do you ever think you’re going to eat more vegetables, more leafy greens
like spinach and things?
Did you ever resolve that?
Yes.
OK.
I... well... I watch my diet and keep exercising.
That’s very good.
Well, what about keeping a better budget?
I think a lot of people need to do that now when money’s a bit tighter.
That is something that I’ve been thinking a lot about, thinking about saving
more money.
You never know when you’re going to need it, so it’s important to save money.
And in the second paragraph, it goes on to say if your resolution has to do with
getting a new job, because some people are out of jobs, or they’d like to change
jobs, maybe.
But sometimes you wanna just keep an eye on the one that you have; you wanna
keep the one that you have.
Have you ever heard of that company? I’ve never heard of a company called
Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. That’s a funny name, isn’t it?
Yes, I’ve never heard of it.
I don’t know how Christmas got in with that company, do you?
That seems a little incongruous.
It is very strange, isn’t it?
But anyway, that’s the name of the company.
But they’re offering some suggestions for what we call ”specific objectives.”.
An objective is what?
An objtective is a goal. You often set goals for yourself.
That’s just another way of saying: I want to set some goals or have some
objectives.
Well, here they say ”specific objectives to meet your goals,” so how does that
work out?
Specific objectives or ways to meet these resolutions. How are you gonna do
that?
I am a list maker.
So I’m particularly interested in this because they make a list of the ways to
improve yourself in your current job.
And so, that list is an objective.
It spells out what it is you want to do.
That’s very true.
And then you have to go through and check the list and see if you’re doing it or
not.
So lists are really very useful, aren’t they?
I think they are very useful, because if you don’t make a list, then you’re
probably not going to do a lot of the things that you want to do.
It’s good to write it down on paper and set a goal for yourself.
Well, some people are worried about keeping their job because now economy hasn’t
been as good as it was in some times past.
So people are worrying about getting fired or laid off.
And if you want to keep your job, what does it say we should do here in line 9?
Would you like to read that paragraph for us, Doug?
Seek more responsibility. Volunteer for challenging tasks, and exhibit a
take-charge attitude.
By assuming additional responsibilities, you demonstrate how you can increase
the value for the corporation.
OK. Now, what does that actually mean then?
Well, it’s talking about this take-charge attitude.
It means that you need to think in your mind of ways that you can be more
responsible at your job.
Maybe take on some challenges yourself instead of waiting to be asked to do
everything.
So it means that you do a little bit more than just what is expected of you. You
go an extra mile.
Yes, you want your boss to consider you a valuable person.
And taking responsibility above what you’re required to do makes you responsible
and more valuable.
That’s true. This take-charge attitude.
Now, you have to be careful that you don’t have a take-over attitude, you know.
Take-over and take-charge could be, you know, a little different there. What
about that?
That’s right.
Doris, I... since I was in first grade, until I retired just a few years ago, I
was always either a full-time student or a full-time worker.
I have never been without work in my life.
So I know a lot more about keeping the job than finding a job.
And so this... these suggestions here are very sound advice, I think, for those
who want to keep what they have.
So you are responsible to do something about it yourself.
Don’t just sit there and wait and see what happens, right?
Take charge of your life.
And be prepared to do some things. Don’t try to take over the whole company, but
on the other hand, you can show that you’re willing to do a little extra to help
the people in charge.
I think that’s a very good place to start, isn’t it?
It is a very good place.
And I’m glad you made that distinction between taking charge and taking over,
because if you do too much of the taking-charge, people may think you’re trying
to take over.
So there’s a fine line, listeners, so be careful there. But do show that you are
responsible.
And those are two good words to know, to take charge or to take over.
Sometimes those words come in very handy, so we want to learn words we can put
in our vocabulary.
Well, I don’t know about this first one here, about meeting your boss’s boss,
although that’s always possible.
Maybe Martha you could read that section about meet your boss’s boss.
At the next company event, go out of your way to meet those at least two rungs
higher on the corporate ladder.
They are the ones that can advance your career.
Hmm, I wonder about that. What do you think about that? To go out of your way,
of course, means to do something a little extra, a little extra effort.
And we talk about the corporate ladder and rungs on the ladder.
Would you like to explain that a bit more, Brandon?
Sure. This is just talking about oftentimes in a business, you have maybe a
supervisor that’s in charge of you, but there’s people over that supervisor.
So this is talking about when you meet up with them at maybe a party or some
function that you maybe talk to them and go out of your way to show that you are
very experienced and you’re very responsible.
In other words, it’s kind of just to build a rapport with them, to get to know
them.
I think if you can show that you’re loyal to the company and that you believe in
the company,
if you were one of the persons that’s higher up on the corporate ladder, if
you’re one of the supervisors or the big bosses, you might say,
”Oh, that young person is really cares about this company. I wonder if we
should, you know, help get them ready for future jobs.”.
What do you think about that?
Yes. I think that they are the ones that can advance your career.
They have the power, they have the authority to make a difference.
And I think you have to be careful when you do these things so that you don’t
try to do too much so people think, like you say, you’re trying to take over.
But you can at least show that you enjoy working for the company and you’re glad
to meet them.
It has to be done in a certain way, doesn’t it, Martha?
Yes, it does. Um... around the... at coffee break might be a time just to look
and see who’s in the room.
And sometimes you can meet one of those higher bosses in a very relaxed setting.
Right.
And then work to remember their name so that if you see them at the elevator
coming and going, you can say, ”Good morning, Mr. Jones. Nice to see you.”.
Or some very casual remark so that you’re not... you’re not using flattery to
get to know, but because you genuinely want to know that person and for them to
know you.
I don’t think Martha will ever be out of a job either, isn’t that right?
No.
She knows how to do that, doesn’t she?
Yeah.
Yeah, that’s important.
There was an occasion in the life of Jesus when... Peter, who was really the...
the head disciple, James and John went over their boss’s boss and spoke to Jesus
and said,
”When you come into your kingdom, make one of us on your right hand and the
other on your left.”.
They wanted to be top dog.
They wanted. They went to their boss’s boss.
Right. Well, sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn’t. You have to be careful
when you do that.
Yes, you do.
Well, like you said, don’t flatter people, but you just be nice and recognize
them, and ”It’s nice to see you again, Mr. Jones.”.
That’s a good way to do it, isn’t it?
That is very good tip, Martha,
because you don’t want to just make it a point to get to know them just for your
own benefit; you want to really get to know the person for a friend.
So keep that in mind, listeners, to really... just get to know people in
general, and have fun at what you’re doing and enjoy your job.
And remember that sometimes you’ll see a... a picture of a ladder, and the
ladder has those little bars that go across that you walk to go up higher and
higher on the ladder,
so those are the rungs of the ladder.
And you wnat to go higher, you want to get to the top. So that’s why they use
this illustration, don’t they?
That is true, and there’s a good point there, too, Doris.
Sometimes people would do anything to get to that top rungs, so we have to be
careful of what we do.
But I like the tips here that they’re giving. These are good, practical tips.
Just take them in the right way and use them sensibly.
Well, the next one talks about joining a company committee.
Now, some people love to be on all these different things; other people just
like to do their own job.
I think of people who work in the IT departments.
Well, they always think of them...
their eyes are glued to the computers, and they don’t seem to communicate very
well.
But the people out in sales, they’re talking to everybody.
It has something to do with your personality, too, doesn’t it?
It certainly does.
It certainly does.
But it is such a good way to get to know the people that you work with when you
work with them on a committee.
So if you’re the kind of person who’s doing the accounting and your eyes are
always on the book and the money,
you might want to join another committee that has to do with the sports, or the
health club of your company, or something else besides your regular job.
So, Brandon, read this nextparagraph.