5 - Professional Mindset 41-50

8/8/2019 5 - Professional Mindset 41-50

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/5-professional-mindset-41-50 1/10© 2011 Caliornia Community Colleges Chancellor’s Ofce

Professoal Mindset

1. You are always sel-employed.

Security is over-rated. Did you know that the average American only stays in one

particular job or about our years? And when you get out o college you can

expect to have ve careers—not just jobs—fve careers? The days o working or

one organization or your whole lie are generally over, which means you need to

be in charge o your career.

And — some experts say that in about ten years, 50% o current college students

(that’s you!) will be working in jobs that don’t exist today. This gives you the

opportunity to re-invent yoursel and your career as you go along, learning new

skills and acquiring new knowledge you can apply to your next job or career.

To be prepared or uture changes, you need to be aware o the skills you possess

that you can use on any job and in any career.

List the top ve skills or traits you have which you could use at any job.

How will you explain their value and relevance to an employer

during an interview?



Professoal Mindset

Did you know that optimists naturally do better in sales-type activities, like

nding jobs? At one time we thought that people were just “born optimistic” but

psychologists have now discovered that optimism and positive thinking are traits

that can be learned. Some characteristics o optimists are:

n They keep going—even when the going gets tough.

n They are exible and they nd ways to work around programs.

n They nd a new goal when an old goal disappears.

2. Cultivate a positive mindset and optimistic attitude.

Go to your library or buy a copy o the book, Learned Optimism, by Dr.

Martin Seligman or go to this website:http://www.stanford.edu/class/

msande271/onlinetools/LearnedOpt.html.

Take the optimism quiz that will help you identiy your optimistic styleand learn specic steps you can take to become more positive and

change your approach to lie.



Professoal Mindset

3. Cultivate an action orientation

It’s easy to get stuck in thinking and planning, but in today’s working environment

you need to quickly process and synthesize inormation, and turn it into action.

While it’s important to spend some time developing, writing, and rewriting your

goals or ideas, at some point you have to do something.

So how do you move orward? Try this: ocus on the goal, let it oat around in your

mind, and then take action.

Identiy what you’d like to move orward on—maybe it’s a paper to

write, a chapter to read, or a career plan to gure out.

n Sit and think about what you want.

n Imagine yoursel doing it.

n See yoursel succeeding at it.

n Ask yoursel what you could do to start making this vision a reality.

n Whatever answer you come up with, do it.



Professoal Mindset

4. Develop persistence.

How do you deal with obstacles?

It never ails: when you develop your plan and start to ollow it, obstacles arise.

Sometimes they’re external: the internship that was cancelled, the course that was

closed. But sometimes the toughest obstacles to overcomes are the internal ones:

the thoughts, eelings, and behaviors which prevent us rom achieving our desires.

Know that it won’t be easy—whether it’s a challenging class or the job hunt. Most

people quit because they want things to be easy and then they’re surprised.

Make sure you’ve estimated your time properly- it’s easy to underestimate the time

it will take to do something, so be prepared to stick it out or the long haul—most

careers and education are long-distance marathons not short sprints.

Know why you’re doing what you’re doing. You have to have a purpose—and that

can be a challenge when you’re in a class you don’t want to be in. Can you think o

a bigger purpose that will help you cope with the temporary challenge?

When you start to eel deeated by obstacles, get support. Identiy

someone who can help you and contact them today.



Professoal Mindset

Low rustration tolerance (LFT) comes rom irrational belies that are grossly

exaggerated. When you are in the grip o LFT, you say things like, “I can’t stand it”,

“This is too hard”, or “This is so unair.” LFT comes rom your demands that world not

be the way it is. You believe that you must get what you want immediately or you

will not be able to bear it. Needless to say, this approach to the job search will not

serve you well, i only because parts o the job search do involve hard work, and not

everything will turn out the way you would like. LFT intereres with your ability to

take eective action and keeps you rom reacting to a situation in a healthy manner.

High rustration tolerance acknowledges that you would like things to be a certain

way, but that you can handle it when they are not. A person with high rustration

tolerance in the job search might say, “I want to get a job soon, but I can handle it i

I don’t hear rom that employer today.” Another statement might be “It’s hard to get

another rejection letter, but I guess that’s part o the process unortunately.” Note

that the person with high rustration tolerance doesn’t like what happens—but

they can handle it, and they know that lie goes on.

How are you reacting emotionally to the job search? Have you caught

yoursel eeling particularly angry, helpless or upset? Stop a moment

and see i perhaps you have been telling yoursel some o the LFT-type

statements. Try re-wording the way you talk to yoursel when you’re

under stress.

5. Eliminate Low Frustration Tolerance.



Professoal Mindset

6. Learn to cope with rejection.

I you’re in the job market, rejection comes with the territory. You will likely get

turned down by several employers—in act, until you accept a job oer and get out

o the search, you will likely be turned down many times.

While no one enjoys being turned down, particularly when it’s or a job you really

wanted, you can get past it and keep moving orward. Sometimes it helps to view

the process rom the employer’s side.

The employer probably had at least 50 candidates or each open position. They can’t

interview everyone, and they don’t know a majority o the candidates personally. So

all they can do is review the résumés and cover letters and try to pick the people who

seem to t the position the best. It can be something o a guessing game.

I you make it to the interview process, congratulations! But keep in mind that an

interview is like an audition and there can be a million reasons why you weren’t

selected. Bottom line: the rejection is seldom personal It’s a business decision.

Start by learning what you can from the rejection.

n

Does your résumé need to be reviewed again?n Did you cover letter have any typographical or grammatical errors?

n I you made it to the interview are there questions you could have

answered better?

Focus also on what you did well and want to repeat the nest time. And

always remember that there will be a next time.



Professoal Mindset

7. Eliminate mental roadblocks: perectionism

Most people know that perectionism is not a helpul characteristic generally, and it

can wreak havoc on your job search. Paying attention to details and striving to do

your best in the job search are admirable traits, but perectionists take this too ar

and develop unrealistic expectations about themselves and the job search. They

insist that they must nd the “right” job, oten are too hard on themselves in the

process, tend to be judgmental o themselves and others, and oten eel like they

aren’t qualied and are an “imposter” in the process.

Since perectionism is a mindset, the main cure also rests in the mind. Perectionists

need to orgive themselves or any perceived mistakes, and accept that their “ideal”

job is just a guideline or a goal to be worked toward, not necessarily something they

will be able to achieve 100%. They need to monitor their goals to make sure they

aren’t being unrealistic and putting too much pressure on themselves and the job

search process. They need to ocus more on accepting things as they are rather than

trying to constantly improve themselves. Sel-improvement is a great goal, but or

the perectionist, it is oten used as a measure or which they nd themselves lacking

I you tend to be a perectionist, practice the thought-stopping technique.

When you nd yoursel putting yoursel down or something you said or

did, stop the thought and ask, “Am I being too critical? Would I say the same

thing to a riend who behaved this way?” I the answer is that you wouldn’t

talk to a riend that way, then you’re probably being too critical.



Professoal Mindset

8. Eliminate mental roadblocks: procrastination

Procrastinators! You know who you are.

n You wait until the last minute so everything is an emergency.

n You underestimate the amount o time it will take to do something.

n You nd lots o activities to distract yoursel rom the mission at hand.

And—think about this- you always have an excuse or not turning in your best

work. Ater all, i you had more time you would have done a better job.

That may work while you’re in school, but procrastination is a bad habit to take

into the job search. In the job search there are no excuses. You need to turn in the

best possible résumé, write the best possible cover letter and answer interviewquestions brilliantly. You can’t do that i you have procrastinated and waited until

the last minute to prepare or the job search.

Do you tend to be sel-motivated or do you need someone else to

motivate you? Know what works better or you—i you need help, ask a riend who’s also job-seeking to work with you on the process. I you

meet to work on your résumés together, or example, you’re more likely

to complete your goal.



Professoal Mindset

9. Develop a helping mindset.

Did you know that a helping mindset can actually improve your chances o

succeeding in the job search and on the job? That’s because another term or a

helping mindset can be an entrepreneurial mindset. Most entrepreneurs got their

start by thinking about how they could invent a product or provide a service that

would help others.

The helping mindset could also be called the winner’s mindset, because ultimately

helpers usually win in the job market. It’s easy to get caught up in the “what’s

in it or me” mindset and ocus on your needs exclusively. The helping mindset

encourages you to ask, “how can I help you?” Someone who approaches

networking with a helping attitude, or example, will be equally interested in

helping the other person rather than trying to get something rom them. By

helping someone else, you increase the chances that the person will want to

help you in the uture. Helping someone can be a strong basis or building a

relationship that may ultimately benet you.

Focus on giving someone valuable inormation or nothing in

return. For instance, i a classmate is seeking a job and you hear o an

opportunity, tell them. I a proessor mentions research they are doing,

ask i you could assist them in any way. Don’t expect anything in return

other than the good eeling you helped someone.


http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/5-professional-mindset-41-50 10/10

Professoal Mindset

10. Keep it simple and don’t overwhelm yoursel.

It’s been said that the biggest idea-killer is the next idea.

Do you sometimes overwhelm yoursel with too many ideas, too many plans, and

too many career possibilities?

Maybe you nd everything interesting—or maybe nothing?

As you think about possible career paths:

n Remember that making a choice doesn’t mean you have to completely orget

about your other choices. I you choose or the moment to seek a career in

advertising, it doesn’t mean that you can’t later investigate teaching or consulting.

n You might want to try thinking about your decision as, “For my rst career, I’d like to_____________. ” This keeps the door open to other opportunities.

n You will continue to learn throughout lie, not only in the workplace, but through

educational pursuits, hobbies, volunteer activities, etc. I you truly love something

you will nd a way to keep it in your lie even i it’s not your chosen vocation.

Keep reminding yoursel that as you choose a direction and start to move orward,

you can change your mind at any time.

Where are you eeling overwhelmed? Identiy one action you could

take that would ease that pressure. Do it.

5 - Professional Mindset 41-50

Documents