节目资讯
刊物:职场秘诀
日期:2009-12-15
难易度:Low
关键字:body art, community service, skill set, go-to, hone, worth, rev up,
daunting
Advanced Studio Classroom is on the air.
This is your Advanced class.
Thanks for joining us today.
We have some panelists who are going to discuss a very timely subject. So you
stay tuned and find out what it is.
Hot Tips For the New Year.
Job Tips.
That’s the subject today. That’s right.
And we’re glad to have all of you here as we discuss this in our Advanced class
with our panelists.
We have some of the people who were here yesterday. Let’s take a roll call.
Doug.
Martha.
Brandon.
And Doris. And then we have another panelist with us today.
I’m Rebekah.
Rebekah.
Glad to be here.
We’re glad to have you today. I think you’ve been on our program once before or
something... once or twice?
Two times.
But we’re glad to have you. And you’re from our business department.
And you know the reason we have you here today is because we are talking about
careers.
Do you know much about careers?
Yes, I have some experience in looking for jobs and enjoying my jobs, especially
my present one here at Studio Classroom.
Yeah, that’s good. Let’s give her a hand. Let’s good, you know.
And we did talk about aligning your individual goals with company goals
yesterday.
And I think that’s one thing that Rebekah thought about even before she came
here. What she wants to do is that what we’re doing. You had to do that, didn’t
you?
Yes. I think this is especially important when you’re looking for a new job. You
wanna make sure that the company you join, that your personal goals align with
the company goals.
This becomes very important for job seekers.
That’s why I thought it would be good to have her on here today.
We’ve got the old and the young, I’m the old and you’re the young, and in
between we’ve got a lot of other people.
But we have a great time in our Advanced panel.
And we’re talking about the article on our magazine on pages 28 and 29.
Today we’re going to do page 29, but we’re gonna do a very quick review.
We had several tips yesterday, didn’t we, Brandon?
We did. One of them, we talked about joining a company committee.
Maybe you have a committee at your job and you’re thinking of joining it.
Well, that could be helpful for you to meet other people and create an
atmosphere of team unity.
And Doug, what tip did you like that we talked about yesterday?
Meet your boss’s boss. Go one rung higher than your supervisor and make a...
make a relationship.
Hmm, then he liked that tip. Which one did you like, Martha?
Finding a mentor, someone that you see doing a good job and that you want to
learn from.
OK. And I’m glad that we do have Rebekah here because she’s worked in different
countries.
She’s worked over in Shanghai. You’ve worked in other places and all around the
world. Well, not all around the world, but Canada, maybe? Did you ever work in
Canada?
Just briefly.
Briefly.
More of my time was in Asia.
And in Asia... different places, so... Rebekah, as you look these over, we did
the first tips on the page 28.
Do you think most of those tips would be good for people in Asia or not?
I think most of these tips are good for anywhere. But I would... I would think
that ”Meet your boss’s boss,” you have to be a little more careful of here in
Asia,
because in Asia, our sense of hierarchy is a lot more entrenched.
So you want to make sure that when you go meet your boss’s boss, don’t make your
boss feel that you’re trying to step over his position.
That’s true. You know, we talked about that yesterday. What did we say about
that?
Well, we talked about taking a take-charge attitude but not a take-over
attitude.
Right. Take-charge and take-over are very different, and you don’t want people
thinking you’re trying to take-over.
So I think that’s a good point to remember in Asia, isn’t it?
Yes, it’s very important. Make sure that your boss is happy with you, not just
you’re boss’s boss.
That’s true. In fact, Martha gave us some good tips. If you meet some of these
people, it’s good to remember their name.
If you see them again, say ”It’s nice to see you again, Mr. Jones,” or whatever
it is, and to be polite to them. But don’t act like you’re trying to take over.
That’s different, isn’t it?
Yes.
So those are good terms.
And then we also try to think of ways that you could save money. There’s always
ways to save money, and I think any company appreciates that.
We have to spend a certain amount of money.
But if you could look for ways to reduce spending that’s not necessary, I think
your bosses will be very glad to have you around, don’t you think so?
Yes, of course.
OK. So today, we have one more of these tips on keeping your job.
And then, we’re going to go to something that’s very relevant to a lot of
people, finding a job.
But before we do that, we have to finish the keeping your job. So there’s one
more tip. Would you like to read that, Brandon, on page 29?
Sure. Become an expert on one facet of your field. It is important to be a
generalist,
but knowing more than anyone else on a specific issue or topic will help make
you the ”go-to” person for anyone in the company who has a question on that
area.
This specialized knowledge makes you extremely valuable and should be covered in
your resume.
Now, this is another one of those kind of things you have to be careful that you
don’t act like you’re an expert on everything.
So some people act like they know everything. And the know-it-all types, I don’t
think people like them, do they?
No. No, but you do look for people who have valuable knowledge you don’t have.
And to be that person is a... is a career builder.
That’s true. To be that kind of person, maybe not try to show it off or
anything.
But if you know... if somebody ask you a question, you say, ”I don’t know,” then
you try to find the answer, be a problem solver. I think that’s important.
Right. The key is to be knowledgeable about many issues but also to know your
specific job very well. And when you’re asked a question, you can help out then.
And then if you’re known for that, you’ll be called the ”go-to” person.
You have to become an expert on one part or one facet of your job. A facet is
just one little part, one part of the thing.
So if you... there’s certain things you don’t know much about.
For instance, I need to learn more about the web. So if I want to make our
Advanced website better, I have to study more about the web.
And so when people ask me: What about this on the web? I have to... I don’t know
anything about the web, I have to study it.
You have to take time to learn more about those things that will help, don’t
you?
I think that’s very important in your own field.
Now, some of us are generalists - that means we do a little bit of everything. I
think I must be a generalist because I have to do a little bit of everything.
But sometimes you need to be a specialist.
So how do you make that balance between generalists and specialists?
It’s not easy.
Study.
You study. That’s right.
You spoke to that, because you have to study to learn specific information about
a specific issue. And it is very important.
And you will feel better about the job that you’re doing. And it... it always
feels good to be able to help someone else get the right information, so it’s a
win-win situation.
Well, now... Now, Doug, you said that you’ve retired from your regular job that
you had, but now you’re still working hard.
And so, as you get older, do you think that a person has to say, ”Well, I
learned all I need to know now, and that’s it,” or do you keep learning?
No, that’s no fun in that.
No?
No. The fun is being... having freedom to become informed about an area of
knowledge in which you happen to know more than anybody else does about that
area so that you can be helpful for others who are more interested in it.
Doug and Martha have gone to many different countries to help out.
They’ve been to Mexico, and they’ve been to different countries.
Now, most people would say, ”Oh, I’m retired. I’m gonna just sit home and... see
my grandchildren and go shopping.” But they go all over the world and help out.
And when you get older, you can do that. And so people will go to them and say,
”What do you think about this situation?” because they’ve lived in other
countries.
So they’re ”go-to” people. And that makes you a lot more useful to society,
don’t you think?
I think so. And it also... it’s good for your health, it’s good for your brain,
it’s good for your relationships because you’re learning new things.
You’re meeting new people and learning new jobs.
This is your first radio job, isn’t it?
It is my very first.
See? So that’s good. You’re learning new things.
Yes.
And it’s a challenge, right?
And we can eat with chopsticks now.
That’s another good thing. So you’re becoming more specialized.
So... and these are just some tips that you can have. But I think we need to go
on to this finding a job. That’s also very important.
Did anybody have anything else to say about keeping your job before we go on?
Any other comments on this article so far?
Well, I think it’s important to be happy with your job. So these are practical
tips.
If you’re not happy with job... your job, make sure that your passions are align
with the passion of the company for which you work for. I think that’s key.
OK. And Rebekah, what do you think about this being an expert on a certain part
of your job?
Are you learning, you know, that the job you’re having now? You have to study
new things in order to bring more to the job?
Yeah, I think you have to constantly learn new things.
Like, for example, in my present job, I have to learn a lot about technology,
especially Internet and e-technology that I didn’t learn before.
So you have to constantly learn new things to be useful to your company.
Right. And it makes you a more ”go-to” type of person, and they can go to you
because you’ve studied upon that.
And we can always learn. Lifetime learning, that’s what we believe in.
Whether it’s the language, or the culture, or the skills, we’re all lifetime
learners, aren’t we?
Yes.
So, remember that in Advanced class. Let’s say it. Lifetime learners.
Lifetime learners.
Now, if you’re trying to find a job, it’s not easy. There are people out there
to help you, and there are some good ways and other ways I don’t know about.
Let’s look at this one here.
It says you could join places like Linkedln, MySpace and Facebook, etc. There
are so many.
I’ve tried all three of those.
Have you?
I haven’t tried... I’ve only tried Facebook so far.
OK. Well, don’t worry about the other two. They’re kind of... you know, they’re
not as popular as it used to be.
But, Linkedln was popular for a little while before MySpace came out. It’s more
of a business one that people try.
And the only reason you’d join those is somebody’ll say, ”Please join this
because you’re my friend.” You say, ”Oh, OK.”.
Then you say, ”Why did I join all those?” You get too many of them, you know.
So, let’s talk about those. Read that one for us, Brandon.
More companies are searching the Internet for more information about candidates,
so create a professional-looking page that tells them you are exceptional.
Sounds a little bit proud to me. ”I’m exceptional,” you know. What does it mean
by that?
Exceptional means very, very good. You’re very good at what you do.
And I think in Asian culture, we should... we should try to be better at
presenting ourselves as exceptional, because usually in Asian culture, people
are more shy about their achievements.
So they don’t talk so much about their achievements. Um... we’re much more
humble in general.
When filling out a resume, it is not a good time to be humble.
Yes, exactly.
You need to be honest. Honest but...
But sometimes people put too much on it. I’ve... I’ve read people’s resume and
thought, ”Boy, if I can do all that person...” you know. I think sometimes they
put too much on them, too.
Do you think so? I... I’ve seen resumes that look like they can do everything.
And then you look at that person, you say, ”Are you sure it’s the same person?”.
I’ve had that happen, too.
I’m sure you have, because you have offered jobs, or have been seeking people to
employ, much more than Doug and I have been, for example.
Um... a new place that I’m hearing about is... Is it called Twitter?
Mmhm.
Yeah, Twitter. Yeah.
Is... a place... And I think what this suggestion has to offer is if you learn
how to present yourself on one of those Internet areas, that...
that’s a place that companies are going to be looking at more and more.
Right. Well...
And so you need to be honest, but you also need to present yourself well.
Right. Well, some of those places like Twitter, they’re more like giving little
instant short news things.
But a lot of people use blogs. And if they have their own blog, they’ll go to
the blog and that’s where they can present themselves better on their blogs
probably.
Right.
So those are some ways you could think about. But still, they have... people
have to evaluate you.
But still, like you said, you don’t need to be too proud, but you have to be
accurate. I think that’s important. Don’t say something you can’t do.
Be confident.
Be confident. Yeah, right. So there’s a little in between here.
There is in between because sometimes... I’ve been filling out a resume or
making... creating a resume.
And you... you don’t want to make people think that, ”Oh, I can do all of these
things,” and make... feel very proud.
But at the same time, you have to help them know what you’re good at. That’s why
they’re looking at the resume.
Right. So that’s one thing we can talk about.
And then, this other one, I thought it’s... I wonder why we should even put this
in here.
But I find more and more people are doing this - they’re doing tattoos.
Now, we’ve had articles telling about the dangers of tattoos, and how hard it is
to get rid of them, and what they can do to your body.
So just from a physical viewpoint, I really don’t think they’re very good idea.
They’re not easy to get rid of, and it’s really something that’s kind of a fad.
But it says here you should remove them or cover them if you want a job. Would
you like to read that part for us?
While body art is becoming more common and more accepted in some offices, many
still find it unprofessional.
OK. They call it body art now, right?
What do you think about that paragraph? Do you think people covered with
tattoos, they would hire them for an ambassador’s job? They might, but...
No, I think that there are professions where it doesn’t matter, but you have to
think about whether that’s the profession you want to apply for.
But if you’re applying to become a banker, or a corporate lawyer, or
something... uh... that... where you don’t have body arts, then that would be a
discouragement for the personnel department hiring you.
OK. As a younger person, Rebekah, what do you think? Would that bother you if
people had dragons all over their arms when they came to a job or not?
Honestly, it would bother me, because a tattoo for me ... it feels like
something wild that they do.
So, no, I wouldn’t want to hire someone with a tattoo.
Brandon, what do you think about tatoo?
Well, I think it depends on the job that you’re... that the person is doing.
And also, maybe... Sometimes people make bad choices, right? Maybe when they’re
younger, they didn’t think about this. But it’s important to think about it.
But sometimes people do make mistakes.
So I think that it’s important to be forgiving.
But at the same time, I think if you do have a tattoo that you should cover it
up if you’re in a professional setting.
So if you’ve got one on your arm, wear long-sleeve shirts.
Sure.
Don’t show your big tattoos, you know. There are certain things that people do
that are fads come in and out.
Now, when I first came to Asia, and I saw a lot of the tribes people - they had
tattoos on their heads, and they were head hunters and things like that.
And then people wanted to get rid of those so they didn’t look like a tribes
people. And they had the tattoos taken off, and it was a big job.
And now people are putting tattoos on again. And then when they try to get rid
of them, it’s really a big thing.
So before you even get a tattoo, you have to say, ”If I want to get rid of this,
what do I have to go through?”.
It’s not only painful, it could actually be very detrimental to your health.
So you need to think more than just ”Oh, that’ll be kind of fun. Let’s do it.”.
It’s OK to put one on you can wash off the next day. But when you’re gonna
actually do something to your body, you have to think about it quite a bit.
So I think a lot of people would call that unprofessional.
And even a man coming wearing earrings or something, you know, some people might
be offended by that.
You have to go by what is the regular status for people in those professional
jobs, I think. Don’t you think so?
Yes.
So let’s remember that we need to look professional when we want a job.
What about getting involved in a community service gruop? Would you like to read
that onefo us?