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My career has been a bit backwards. After college, I was accepted to join a much respected management training program for a large corporation. From there, I was hired into a lucrative management position in the same company and, for just about four years, I was on the fast track to big time career success.

And then I quit. It wasn’t an easy decision and there have been times over the last few years that I’ve deeply regretted it. But these kinds of things are lessons I guess.

It’s funny to look back on my career now that I’m an Executive Assistant. I never would have pictured myself in this life. If someone told me when I was a manager that in a few years I’d be an EA, I would have laughed. Why would I go from a position of leadership and authority to being a glorified secretary? That would be totally backwards!

But alas, such is life. Success and happiness rarely end up looking the way you think they will. And you rarely get to where you want to be by taking a straight and simple path. Sometimes, you have to move “backward” to go “forward”.   

Just for the record, I don’t consider myself a glorified secretary. And I don’t consider the management position that I left to be something at which I failed. We try many different things in life to see what makes us happy. Sometimes the things that really hit home are completely unexpected.

In our dreams and goals, we occasionally have to give up some things in order to achieve others. It’s a matter of weighing what’s important. The management position was great pay and it probably would have only gotten better. And sure, I liked being in a position of authority. It made me feel strong and powerful. But these things came at a cost: excessive hours at the office; an unhealthy amount of stress; an overwhelming sense that my life lacked meaning and was slipping away from me incredibly quickly. The depression I felt was more painful than anything I’ve experienced since.

There is not a doubt in my mind that the money and fast-track career (and everything that went along with it) were worth sacrificing for what I have now: a life. In the past, I was a career. Now, I am a person. I read, I write, I laugh with my boyfriend, I cuddle my kitties, I sleep in on the weekends, I leave work at the office, I take “mental health” days when needed, I care about my job but it doesn’t run my life.

Some people will inevitably look at my resume and be confused. They will see me as the girl who couldn’t take it. For the first time, I honestly believe I’m okay with that. As 2007 comes to a close, I finally feel that my step back has really landed me two steps forward.

With 2008 approaching quickly, I want to offer my support and encouragement to all of you who are considering a career change in the New Year. Whatever your reasons for doing it, the process will likely be difficult and, at times, downright scary. Career is a big part of what defines us. My advice - just be careful that it’s not the only thing that defines you.

And keep this in mind for 2008:

Don’t be afraid of taking that leap, even if you’re not sure what direction your headed. Some things require a little faith.

Some people just don’t seem like they belong in a business environment. I’m not talking appearances here; I’m talking behavior. They lack basic business etiquette. There are a lot of little things that can make anyone appear to be an experienced, highly qualified professional. Likewise, there are many things that can be done that simply scream, “I have no idea what I’m doing!!”

Take a look at these 5 items and see if you’re unintentionally doing something that exudes an unprofessional image. If you are, don’t worry! These are all pretty easy to fix with a little effort. The key is awareness!

1. Taking an Overly Familiar Tone

Be careful of how you address clients and business associates (existing or potential). Calling people by their first names when you don’t really know them can be offensive, especially if you are younger than they are. It’s always better to be err on the side of caution and be overly formal (addressing them as Mr. or Ms.) thus allowing them to give you permission to be more familiar.

It should also go without saying that you should never use terms of “endearment” such as honey, dude, or any other slang term no matter how familiar you are or how long you’ve been working together. No one appreciates this in a professional environment.  

2. An Interrupting Cell Phone or Blackberry

Interrupting a business meeting to take a call on your cell phone or check email on your blackberry is not only unprofessional, it’s just plain rude. It’s like hanging a big sign that says, “You’re not as important as whoever is on the other end of this” or “I don’t know how to properly manage my time so I have to interrupt our time together for this task”. Don’t do it. Put the cell phone on silent. Don’t bother with vibrate - that still makes noise and it can be distracting if you hear it.

3. Showing Up Late

When you don’t have the courtesy to arrive on time to a meeting, you’re really offering a horrible impression of who you are as a professional. It’s not only rude but it’s also a sign that you’re disorganized, overbooked, or just unable to properly manage your time. Be sure to schedule enough time to travel to and from meetings and always allow for a little “wiggle room” in case things run long. If you’re going to be late, always call and explain as soon as possible. Offer to reschedule if it is more convenient for the other person.

4. A Messy Office or Desk

Personally, there’s nothing that I find more distracting during a meeting than a messy office or desk. For one thing, I find myself looking around to see what’s more interesting than the conversation I’m having. That can be a real problem in, for example, an attorney’s office where information should be kept strictly confidential. In these crazy times of identity crisis, every office should be concerned with keeping information confidential. It seems like nothing is sacred. I don’t even want my hairstylist sharing the special number that identifies the hair dye I use. For another discussion on office appearance, check out this post entitled, “Office Appearance: From a Client’s Perspective.”

5. Basic Spelling or Grammatical Errors

Everyone should take their professional correspondence seriously. And that means double check your work. If you know you’re not a strong speller, have someone else look at it too. Don’t rely on the computer to fix your mistakes - even spell check gets it wrong (more often than you’d think). For a few more tips on professional writing, check out “5 Steps for More Professional Writing”.

Dear Readers,

Well, the holidays are pretty much officially here now. Over the next few days, many of you will be hitting the road, headed for the homes of friends and family members. You’ll meet up with loved ones, exchange gifts, share memories of the past, and enjoy comforting holiday treats. Whatever your plans, I want to wish you safety along the way and all the joy of the season.

In these hectic times, it seems the holidays are a perfect excuse to slow down and appreciate all that we have. Some years, the holiday season is the ONLY time we actually connect with our friends and family. Remember to use the time wisely - when it’s over, it will have gone too fast.

I’d like to just say once again, “thank you” for your wonderful support and loyalty. I look forward to continuing my work on this blog and making some exciting improvements in 2008. Keep an eye out for our new EA Community Forum, my first e-book entitled “The Effective Executive Assistant”, and several other new and fun developments coming in the first quarter of the New Year.

I have so much to be thankful for this holiday season; I hardly know where to start. I hope all of you find yourselves in a similar situation. As far as problems go, that’s a pretty good one to have.

To all of you, I wish you a happy, healthy holiday.

Well, readers - here it is. I’ve been working hard to create a list of (what I consider to be) the best and most informative sites to help you expand your career horizons. I wanted to include mostly “lesser known” sites - meaning, I specifically excluded things like Monster and Career Builder because they are huge and well known and, if my experience says anything about them, they’re too big to be truly valuable to people. Mostly, those huge sites are focused on job ads anyway, so while the career advice they offer may be good, it isn’t their primary focus. This list is for sites that dedicate their energy to teaching the reader how to develop their professional skills and thus, improve their career prospects.

Of course, some of these sites have a direct tilt towards administrative work (or general office support) but some are just good all-around sites that provide a wealth of information that will help support both your personal and professional development.

Enjoy! And of course, feel free to add to the list by including your favorite career oriented site in the comments section below.

• Adversity University

Stephen Hopson is the founder of this community which he established to help teach people how to overcome obstacles in their life. And Stephen is the one to learn from - as the world’s first deaf instrument rated pilot, he certainly knows a thing or two about the topic. This is a motivational and inspirational sanctuary in the wilderness that is the internet. With an active readership, Stephen knows how to get people engaged and excited about improving themselves.

• Pimp Your Work

Just as it sounds, this site is a lot of fun. It’s also got some pretty cool productivity information, complete with video demonstrations, like this (very basic) tutorial on excel.  I just love “high tech” educational tools like that. This site is full of useful tech info and it’s entertaining at the same time - a difficult combination to pull off. Let Pimp Your Work “put some shizzel into your work and make your workday better”. That has to be one of the best taglines ever.

• Ask the Career Counselor

Probably my personal favorite, the Career Counselor dispenses practical everyday advice to real people with real problems. What could be better? Every single post seems to deal with something I have either directly or indirectly seen or experienced in the workplace. This is a great resource that I urge everyone to check out on a regular basis and, what the heck, go ahead and Ask the Career Counselor a question of your own!

P.S. Quite a while ago, I did a guest post there called “Searching for a New Career? Give Admin a Try!” Check it out if you’re so inclined.

• Slow Leadership

I think this is one of the most well written blogs about management and career development that I’ve found. The consistent high quality of articles is really impressive.  Articles focus on the noble cause of “returning humanity to the workplace”. Topics vary from stress management to office politics but I always find them thought provoking and highly intelligent - an unusual and welcome change from most of the junk swimming out there in cyberspace.

• Brazen Careerist

Ok, I only just found the wonderful world of Penelope Trunk and all I can say is, Wow - this chick rocks. With a unique and refreshing perspective, she tells it like it is. She also writes for Yahoo! Finance and the Boston Globe, which makes her some kind of “expert” - or the closest thing to it these days. Her writing is witty and kind of “out there” but I find that refreshing in the “career development” arena, which can end up quite boring and serious if you aren’t careful.

• Desk Demon

This site is a bit different than the others mentioned because it is more of a “resource site”, meaning it provides a bunch of helpful stuff in one location. Here, you can find all kinds of tools to help improve your life at work - information on everything from travel, to writing, to the postal service. You’ll find tons of “how to” articles as well as forums to help you connect with other likeminded people in similar positions around the world.  Definitely a fun and informative site to spend some time roaming around.

• Training and Professional Development at Suite 101

For those of you who don’t know, Suite 101 is an awesome site that offers surface level “101″ type of advice on anything and everything. The idea is that you can get a lot of basic information in one place, which means that none of the articles are too in-depth - they just give you a broad overview of a topic. Personally, I like this because when I’m surfing online, I tend to have a short attention span anyway. I like short snippets of info. If something interests me, I can do further research when I’m in the mood.

The Training and Professional Development Department at Suite 101 is really top notch. There is a huge array of articles to explore and new ones are posted all the time.

Check out a few of my articles while you’re there: Balancing Work and Life and How to Set Limits at Work

• All Things Workplace

Steve Roesler, the man behind this blog knows a little something about business. Read his “About” page you’ll see that he’s the real deal. The advice he dispenses isn’t exactly what you’d expect from such a successful businessman - It’s surprisingly funny, compelling and honest. Most of the posts seem like you’re having a nice one-on-one conversation with the man.

• The Executive Assistant’s Toolbox 

Duh, I’m not leaving out MY PERSONAL FAVORITE SITE - The Executive Assistant’s Toolbox. Man, that gal really knows her stuff! (Ok, who didn’t see that one coming??)

The New Year is always a good time to make a commitment to improving your life situation. Career is a big part of that. There are definitely a few “tried and true” ways to go about getting yourself on track in the career department. Here are just a few ideas to get you headed in the right direction.

Learn a New Skill

Nothing helps improve your career prospects like expanding your abilities. Commit to learning something new in 2008. Take a class on advanced HTML, get your license to sell insurance, or just take a few courses on leadership or communication. Consider what skills you are lacking that would be helpful for your career now and in the future. Focus on something that will have a direct impact and preferably, something you think you’d enjoy. Remember to think beyond the “here and now”. Look at where you want to be in 5 or 10 years and make the right choices today to help you get there. If you want to be self-employed, start taking classes on small business bookkeeping. Don’t limit yourself - work on building the ideal skill set for the future you envision.  

If you don’t have time to take an actual class, you can utilize other resources. Read books (visit our Bookstore for some great suggestions) and investigate the massive amount of online learning tools. “iLearn” from “iVilliage” is a wonderful place to start. They offer free online courses about investing, building a web page, and starting a small business. You can also check out Dumb Little Man’s article “10 Ways to Become an Autodidact” for some more ideas on how to become a self-taught master.

Get a Mentor

Another way to build your abilities is to learn directly from someone you admire and who possesses the skills you’d like to learn. Finding a mentor can actually be quite easy. Consider the people you currently work with or those whom you know in your personal life.  Look for someone you respect and who embodies all the qualities you are trying to achieve in your life and career. You will probably realize that inspiring people are all around you.

When you find someone you would like to learn from, ask if they would be available to meet for coffee. Most people will be flattered to know that you admire them and are hoping to have the opportunity to “pick their brain” a bit. Be courteous and professional and don’t expect too much. People are busy and, even if they’d like to dedicate a lot of time to helping you, they probably don’t have the ability to do so. If they are able to meet for a quick coffee, be prepared. Consider the questions you have for them and what you’d like to learn. Start a conversation that allows them to share their experiences. (Most people love to talk about themselves) Make notes and ask for suggestions - books to read, classes to take, people to meet, etc. Be a human sponge. If they are interested in helping you succeed and would like to continue meeting with you in the future, set up a recurring time to talk, perhaps once a month. Be sure to show your appreciation to them for sharing their time and expertise and follow up with them in the future to share your success.

Break a Bad Habit

Sometimes, the only thing holding us back in our career is a bad habit. Whether it’s a negative attitude, persistent tardiness, or constant procrastination, a bad habit can truly be a roadblock on your career path. If you have one, dedicate yourself to breaking it in 2008. First, it helps to recognize how the habit is negatively impacting your career. Have you been passed up for a promotion because of it? Have you missed out on opportunities or failed to achieve goals because of it? Once you see how harmful it has been and how important it is to get rid of it, do whatever it takes to change that pattern of behavior.  Enlist the help of family, friends and co-workers to keep you motivated.

I highly recommend that you check out Scott H Young’s series on Habitual Mastery for assistance. Breaking a habit can be extremely difficult without the appropriate guidance. Scott is truly an inspiring individual. He provides techniques and concepts to help get your brain and body ready to make permanent changes without experiencing a ton of pain in the process. He also has an e-book available (which is $14.99) that I haven’t read but, judging by the content on his website, it’s probably a safe bet to say it is full of great, motivating insight.

There are certainly many more ways to kick start your career than just those I’ve mentioned above. I hope you’ll use this list to start thinking about what you can do to get your career on track for success in the New Year.

What motivates you? When you wake up in the morning, what makes you get out of bed and go to the office? Is it the paycheck? Is it the nagging voice inside your head that tells you it’s what you’re supposed to do? Or is it your passion for the job? Do you feel that every day at the office puts you one more step closer to fulfilling your dream? Or is every day at the office just one day closer to the weekend, when you can do something you actually enjoy?  

USA Today ran an interesting article this week that discussed the motivations for female entrepreneurs. The number one motivation was “work-life balance”. That is what motivated these women to start their own businesses. The other top reasons were “being your own boss”, “building a legacy”, and “fulfilling a dream”. At the top of the list, you did NOT find a reason like “to make a fortune” or “to make my husband happy”.  These inspiring women were more concerned with shaping their lives according to their own visions of happiness and fulfillment. It has little to do with money or other people’s expectations.

This article inspired me to consider my own motivations. When I ask myself, “Why do I get out of bed and go to work in the morning”, my first response is, “Because that’s the commitment I made when I took the job!”  Ok. But I can break commitments, right? People do it every day. Why do I continue to follow through on my commitment to the job? Because it’s satisfying and it provides me with a comfortable, supportive environment to expand my skills. I’ll be honest: ultimately, I don’t want to be doing this forever. I have big dreams and a lot of time ahead of me. But while I’m here, I owe it to myself to gain all the knowledge I can. I also enjoy my job and the people I work with - which makes it that much easier to head in to the office each morning. I consider each day at work an accomplishment.

Perhaps it’s not the most soul inspiring motivation, but it’s the truth. Sometimes life is what you make it. Are there things that I don’t like about work? Of course. But it’s a great job and it’s important to keep that in mind, especially on rough days. I’m lucky to have what a have.

I urge you all to consider your motivations. Be honest with yourself but don’t cut yourself short either. If you’re tempted to say, “I work because I need to pay the bills”, acknowledge this but try to go deeper. You can pay the bills doing a lot of things. Why is your current job the way you choose to do it?

I think the female entrepreneurs interviewed for that USA Today article had it right: true, lasting motivation comes from inside. It’s what you want for yourself, not what others expect of you.  Consider what’s important to you and ask yourself how your job fits into that. Does it support your vision for a happy life? If the answer is “no”, what changes can you make? What other job or career would provide stronger, more honest motivation? Ask yourself these questions and, if you’d like, share your insights in the comments below.

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