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How to play at work without damaging your career! - Can't y. How to keep a career log. Edit Article Edited by Teresa, Dvortygirl, Krystle, Eric and 7 others A career journal, diary, or log is a great way of keeping track of what you do each day or have done in the past at your job(s). Small, forgettable details, when added together, can add up to a significant pat on the back from a superior or even a raise!

If used right, a jourrnal can help you get the most out of your career and life experiences. It can also be helpful when updating your resume. Ad Steps 1Dedicate a notebook or journal to this purpose only. 8Connect the dots. Tips Consult your former resumes, status reports, and any work notes, documents, or email you still have access to.Things like meaningful work and job satisfaction can't be counted, but that doesn't mean they don't count. Warnings Keep your career log private, especially if it contains salary information, gripes about your job, or comments about your colleagues.Be cognizant of what your company prefers to keep private, too.

How to win at office politics (Hint: it’s like basketball) I’ve been fortunate to work at many different types of companies: a mom-and-pop business, a start-up, a mid-size company, a Fortune 500 company, and also my own small business. Regardless of where I worked, one constant remained the same—you must play office politics to succeed. Office politics is such a dirty term you say? You may think no way not for me, I’m above that tomfoolery stuff.

The reality is you’ll have to start playing at some point because everyone is playing this game whether they know it or not. And if you think about it long enough, playing office politics is just like any other game. Matter of fact, it’s sort of like basketball. There is a general manager (your boss’ boss), a coach (your boss), players (you and your co-workers), and even bench warmers (those who think they are above the game and don’t get to play because they suck). And with that, let’s go over some of the fundamentals of office politics. Get to know your teammates. Crash the boards. Be a floor general. How to become the “Go-to Guy” at work. Do you feel like your career is in a rut? When was the last time you got a promotion or a raise? That long, huh? The best way you can get your career moving on the right track is to become the “go-to guy” at work.

What is a go-to guy? There’s no secret to becoming the go-to guy at work. Become the Man at Work Volunteer for extra assignments. Sure, it will be more work, but if you really want to rocket your career, you’re going to have to make the sacrifice. Talk with as many colleagues as you can everyday. Start a blog on your industry. Setting up a blog is a breeze. Join committees. Just do it, damn it. Image from foundphotoslj Tagged as: advice, career, job promotion, work. How to play dumb to deter unwanted tasks. How to steer clear of office politics. Going to work in the morning can sometimes feel like walking on to the set of a soap opera, with intrigues, rivalries – it can be a nightmare to navigate through it all and actually get some work done!

However these tips can considerably smooth your path and make the office environment a much more pleasant place to be in. 1. Avoid office gossip. Participation in gossip is usually the fastest entry point into office politics – usually the person who is letting you in on the latest news is consciously or subconsciously trying to align you with their point of view, or negatively dispose you towards their ‘enemies’. Gossip is very often a two-edged sword: ‘whoever gossips to you will someday gossip about you’, so the Spanish proverb goes. Gossip can also unfairly poison your opinions of your colleagues and influence your judgement if you have to take decisions which affect them. 2. Whatever happens, don’t let a situation build up past the point of no return. 3. 4. Office politics is about being nice.

Here is a message for people who say office politics don’t matter: You will die a slow, painful career death. This is because there’s no getting around office politics, and mastering them is essential to being able to steer your own career. Don’t take that as bad news, though, because mastering office politics is good for your soul. Really. Office politics is inescapable because it’s about dealing with the people. Let’s say you pack up your bags and go work in a national park, with trees and rivers and no cubicles. Politics is part of society. Most people who hate politics think they have to change who they are to succeed. So get to know yourself. Office chatter with the vapid goal of getting power over other people is, frankly, a little offensive. Maybe you are convinced, but you are feeling at a loss to get started. 1. 2. 3. 4. Maybe you’re still thinking of being the person at the office who abstains from office politics. The act of making yourself likeable is office politicking.

How to save time at the office. Not enough hours in your day? Author Stuart Levine says that people can take back their time by focusing more effectively. Here's an excerpt from his new book "Cut to the Chase—and 99 Other Rules to Liberate Yourself and Gain Back the Gift of Time. " 1. Cut to the ChaseThe only rule I have repeated from my previous book, The Six Fundamentals of Success, is Cut to the Chase.

Why the need to say more here? And why an entire book on the subject? Because I realized that my prior advice only scratched the surface of what cutting to the chase is all about. We give our time away all day long, to emotions that gain us no advantages, to people who do not value our time, to inefficient habits. 1. 2. 3. Cutting to the chase means approaching everything from your next phone call to the next five years of your career with clarity and focus. Cutting to the chase involves a commitment to thinking differently. 2. The longer you delay starting something, the more shadows you see. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.