Tag: Research

First, gather your knowledge

If you are going to change jobs or careers, there is a lot of research you’ll have to do. You want to know what is available, what is doable, and what is suitable for you. To do this, you will have to sit down and understand many things about yourself.

It sounds easy when you know exactly what you want and where the jobs are. Yet, many people do not know what they want from their work life or even what is possible. And yes, many things are out there, but you cannot show up and say I’ll take any job. Employers purposely don’t have a job or need to call any job. Mainly because they know anybody who took an any-job would soon leave. Employers have specific tasks that need to be done, and people who best fit into those same tasks, do them, and be happy about it. That is why you need to study what you want and which companies need those positions. Doing so will help you, and the people who hire you will be happier.

Suppose you’re unsure what you really want to do. In that case, there is a free test you can take online that is written by the Department of Education for the Department of Labor. It is 65 questions long and only takes about 15 minutes to do. It is called my next move(www.mynextmove.org). If you take this free assessment, it will show you opportunities that match up with what you have indicated you like to do.

The My Next Move assessment is on www.onetonline.org. And the site holds information on every job category, right down to the pay for people in your area.

If you have any problems or need some coaching after or before taking the assessment, you can go to your local Workforce center, and they can help you. Your local workforce center can also help you find who is hiring for the job you want. Once again, the services are free.

Who Joins Whom

When you get hired somewhere, are you joining that company, store, business, or whatever it is? Or, are they joining you?

It sounds like a ‘so-what’ question, yet the answer will predict the odds of getting picked for your desired position.

You face one of the most important decisions you have to understand before ever looking for a job. To put this in the proper perspective, you must remember that you are not the only person applying for the position, and you have no power to change management’s needs. If you do not fulfill their requirements, they will leave you.

When you get hired, you’re joining an organization that already has its ground rules, what works best for them, and equilibrium amongst their workers and management, making the company successful. They will teach you all of this information and then some. You want to remember that you are joining them, and you will work by their rules.

I don’t want this to sound too rough. In my years of teaching people, I have had more than one person show up for a practice interview adorned with a full head of spikes; piercings, nose rings, tongue studs, and other paraphernalia, including earrings to practice an interview for a conservative company.

Most companies are not going to worry about what you do on your own time. These same companies want you in proper dress code when dealing with their conservative customers.

What choice does the company have? On average, there will be 252 resumes for each position a company advertises. Most people will have looked at the company website, read the company values, and probably the dress code. The majority of the 252 people applying for the job will be hungry and ready to do what it takes to gain that job.

Do you want the job? Play by the company rules.

We All Believe

If you believe that something is correct, you own that belief. Anyone can have a belief. The question is what you do with that belief.

Owning a belief is work. The belief is not true just because you believe it. Because you believe it, you need to go out and do your due diligence to ensure that that belief is true. Your research should tell you of cases that support your theory of what you believe happened and it might show other causes which are not helping your belief.

This brings us to the first dilemma which we must figure out. Do you want to find the truth, or do you just want to be right? If you wish to be right bad enough, the probability is that no amount of researched facts will make you happy. You’re just not paying attention to the overall knowledge, and are only cherry-picking the facts that back you. This is not real research.

Real research gathers the facts, and in so doing, gives you a pool of knowledge with which you can weigh the pros and cons of a belief. We all are tempted to go to extremes, especially when the idea strikes emotions. Before we know it, we are using phrases like all or none, always and never, truth and lies. The problem with extreme phraseology is that it is almost always never true. Did I just go to extremes?

To do your research, you have to be willing to accept your findings. In some instances, the findings may be wrong, but you have to have other results that prove why. And sometimes especially if you are a little ahead of your time, you can be absolutely correct, and yet few will really believe you.

Just because you believe something does not mean you have the right to interfere with others and their beliefs in a violent or antisocial way. Violence is a great disruptor. Unfortunately, people who use violence to promote their truth only give others a reason to dismiss and not believe them. The one good thing about a belief is that a true belief holds good for everyone. And even if someone were the only one to hold a belief, it does not give them permission to disrupt others who are on their journey through life.

So what does this mean to us? If we think something is correct, go out and research it. Research can be done on your computer, on your phone, in a library, and even sitting on a corner bus stop and observing. Talk to people and learn their stories. Remember that it’s hard to hear their stories if you’re pushing your own agenda. Just open up and absorb what they are saying. Then research what they tell you.

Please remember that everyone is on their own journey through life. The beliefs and truths will vary by person, for within the whole of people, we are each an individual, researching and finding our own way.

Thank you for being with me today. I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

Your Turn

Go forth and do. It is a statement that is echoed time and again throughout the centuries. It means don’t just talk about it, make it happen. These statements remind us that talk is often an endless loop. We are also reminded that actions are much rarer and harder to accomplish.

Win, lose or draw, those who have set out in action to accomplish something are people of the same mettle. That is because these are the people who have moved from talk to action. Also, these are the people who work to move us forward as a people.

It is not the easy-going person that accepts life as it is who positively changes the world. It is the person who sets out to do something, and when everyone is asking why, he or she is asking why not. And his or her question will stay that way until the problem is solved or the person cannot find the answer and yields to fate.

Does this mean you should wake up one morning, decide that the sky should be green rather than blue, and immediately go tilting at windmills? No. Every journey starts with the first step. I believe that each step should be researched.

I belong to the Delta Mu Delta Business Honor Society. We believe through knowledge you can find power.  Researching gives you the knowledge to go forth and change things for the better.  This not only helps you, but it also helps all those who will use and benefit from your innovations.

If you feel you need information, get your information from credible sources. If you aren’t sure what constitutes credible sources, look at the research. The first thing you want to see in the study is who paid for it. Was the analysis performed in the intent of pure research? Or, was research on the consumption of a product paid by those who make or own the product? Research is a great tool. Just don’t accept analysis developed for or by the person who’s trying to sell you the product.

Remember to talk a lot with the customers of whatever you are making or changing.  If it is needed and wanted, you might do well.  If you cannot find customers and clients interested in whatever you want to build, you may want to consider if it is the best use of your time.  You are going to need customers for sure and most probably backers.

You can do whatever you are willing to put enough time and work into.  If it is something that people want, you may go far.  I have to tell you though, no matter what anyone says, there are no guarantees in life.  Work-wise.

Thank you for being with me today.  I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stick A Toe in First

I’ve talked to you this week about many things that are good for most people and help them. Some things in life are right for you, and some things in life are bad for you. And, only you know what is good or bad for you. And, you cannot understand that unless you try something that is meant to be good and verifying the results.

There is an 80/20 rule in life, where good things are good for the majority of people, and yet there’s a small portion of the population, for one reason or another that may have an opposite effect. I have friends and family who gets sick every time they take a flu shot. So they do not take those shots. I know some people who have aversions to other things, so they just don’t do them, and that is good for them. 

It is essential to know what works for you and what does not. Then you have to work with those things that work well for you. The thing to remember is that if you’re not sure if something will work for you or not, you have to try it. You don’t do this by diving in head first. You start by sticking in a toe. If whatever your testing feels good and seems to work for you, try a little more. If the thing that you tried gives you adverse effects, then you may want to back away from it. Either way is all right as long as it is your way.

There are many ways to do most things. If one way does not work well for you, you may want to look at alternatives and try another approach. Most importantly do not give up on who you want to be and where you want to go. With everything that is out in the marketplace today, and the ability to reach just about anywhere through the Internet, there are far more ways to get something done than we can imagine.

The biggest thing you should do for yourself is to hone your abilities to research. If you know how to find information, you can find whatever you want or need. Not only that, you will probably find whatever you want or need from multiple resources: multiple sellers, on numerous sites. When you research for things, do not stop at the first item, research what would be best for you.

If you ever need a tip on researching or help trying to find what you’re looking for, please send me a line. You can always get me through the comments section.

Thanks for being with me today. I hope to be with you again soon.

Know Thyself

It is essential that we actually find out what we need to do in life, and to do this we need to research. We need to research not only what is out there that we could do. We need to research ourselves. Sound a little strange? You would be surprised.

When my oldest son was younger, he wanted to be a lawyer. He wanted to study at Harvard Law. And, he was very gifted intellectually and more than able to do so. Up until about his junior year, he was set to be a solicitor as they would say in England. Then something very unexpected happened. Taking the SAT for the first time, he did very well in English, very well. And, surprisingly he almost aced the math portion.

He was so surprised at how easy math was for him that he decided he would retake the SAT again next year and just ace it. And he did. He is now a tenured professor at a prestigious school on the West Coast teaching the various forms of mathematics and calculus and doing pure research.

The change in mindset would not have happened if he had not by chance done well on an SAT and decided to explore those possibilities. Until then, it was a hidden talent. My question to you today is, what hidden skills do you have?

You may have talents you know nothing about. That’s why they call them hidden. How do you find out about them? You have to do a little research on you. You need to take a few assessments, try new things, and maybe try a few lessons online or at your local community college.

Do not over-invest or spend money you do not have to start with. Yet try things. If you’re really interested in something, ask if you can shadow someone doing it for a day. If you’re curious about something, find somebody who does that job, can take that person out for some coffee and talk to them for 20 min. Do not look at just the things that are fun for you about the job, also explore those things that may not be so fun for you. It is crucial that you know all the facets that go into any gem of a job.

Thanks for being with me and hopefully will meet again tomorrow.

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