Month: November 2012

Agent 007’s Secrets Help with Office Success

I saw the new James Bond movie Skyfall this weekend. It was just what I needed following a busy, but not as productive a work week as I would have liked. Bond reminded me what I need to do next week at the office.

James Bond’s tricks of the trade may just come in handy at the office.

If the plan goes wrong or isn’t working, improvise. I’ve been trying to advance several projects but roadblocks keep appearing. Sometimes they thwart me. After seeing Bond in action, I realized I need to change course and quickly.

True, I’m not dealing with imminent threat of death if my plan doesn’t work, but I don’t see any point in dragging out my efforts either. This coming week, if my plan doesn’t work, I’ll immediately change tactics.

Have the right tools. At the office, having the right tools usually means a working computer and a business or PR plan. Sometimes, we forget to create the plan, which introduces chaos. Sometimes, the computer doesn’t work. My computer has a glitch that sometimes prevents the audio from working. That’s a problem when I’m trying to place a Skype call. I need the right tools, even if they aren’t cool ones like Bond has.

Have a hobby. We all need to create work-life balance. A hobby helps. Bond may need to work on his a bit because when asked by the villain what his hobby was, he replied, “Resurrection.”

A good soundtrack helps. Sometimes when the day is frustrating listening to music with a strong beat can push you past your afternoon slump or help you finish the report that is due in an hour. Headphones are actually a cool tool to have at the office for listening to the right music. The new James Bond song performed by Adele might just carry you to the finish line.

The movie grossed a record $30.8 million when it opened Friday. Obviously, Bond still has what it takes.

Social Campaign Plays Out in Election

Today I may become more active on Facebook and Twitter. For the past few weeks, I have not been active on either because I was tired of the political posts and the ads. No place was safe. Several friends posted requests urging other friends to stop sharing their political rants.

How social was the election this year? According to ABC News, in 2008 there were 3 million people on Twitter. For this election there were 70 million people on Twitter who tweeted 358 million times about the election!

Words that gained attention included Big Bird and binders. Word clouds were dominated by hope, pride and relief.

Social media allowed candidates to spread their messages to larger audiences and reach a younger demographic. The platforms also encouraged voters to get out and vote and to “stay in line” during yesterday’s long lines throughout the country.

I had tried to vote in the morning but the wait was an hour, and I had meetings to attend. By mid-afternoon I had received tweets and a text message telling me the line was short. I headed out to vote.

Throughout the evening, I watched the coverage until it was time for my volleyball matches. In between games, I checked the results online.

Thanks to social media – and the campaign issues — this was an election that engaged a nation.

5 Tips to Manage Your Career

Recently I was speaking with a young woman whom I met as she was finishing her undergraduate college degree. She’s getting ready to move and is deciding what she wants to do.

She asked me about my career and how I chose where to work. As I considered my current position, as well as those I held previously, some themes emerged. I think this advice works whether you’re seeking your first position or your next one.

1. Know what you don’t want to do. That’s a good way to eliminate jobs. If you prefer writing, then a job as an event planner is probably not for you even if it sounds like fun because you will miss writing.

2. Find jobs that allow you to contribute to the organization and also to stretch. Obviously, you have to bring something to the position or you won’t get hired. You also don’t want to become bored with the job so seek opportunities to grow your skills. When you’re first starting out, it may simply be learning how the business world works.

I was fortunate in my newspaper career to also spend some time in the photo-graphics department so I learned about pre-press and printing, which helped influence what I would and could do as I was designing pages.

3. Take advantage of opportunities outside of the office. I joined a professional group called National Federation of Press Women and the state affiliate Virginia Press Women. Because of those organizations I developed my skills as a public speaker, event planner and newsletter editor. I also learned about diplomacy and working with volunteers. More importantly, I developed an extensive list of contacts so if I am stumped, I can always find a member to give me pointers or suggest a consultant.

4. Find mentors. You may not be ready for your next dream job. Speaking with someone, though, who has a similar job is a great way to learn what you will need to get the job. Don’t hesitate to reach out. Most people want to help.

5. Volunteer. I serve on some boards and work with my local library where I created a writers’ series. I aspire to publish a novel and this volunteer work is a great way for me to connect with published authors and learn about the craft.

What advice would you give to some just beginning their career or who is looking to transition?