Your Days are Numbered

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Your Days are Numbered

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics the number ofnew hires in the work force, as a percentage of all employees,swings between 3 and 4%. That means, at any one time, 3 or 4employees out of every 100 are taking new jobs. And, thesenumbers change only modestly, 3.3 to 4.8%, if you only look atprofessional and business jobs as opposed to all jobs. That is,if only 3 or 4 people in any 100 employees are changing jobs,the rest are staying put.

So, if most people are staying at their jobs, what are allthese loyal employees doing about career development? In 1995,Dean Spitzer wrote a book entitled Super Motivation, in which hepresented statistics about workplace motivation. Surprisingly,he says "50% of ...employees only put enough effort into theirwork to keep their job." In other words, half the people in ourwork force are only showing up to get a paycheck. They don'thave a career plan. In practical terms, that means you can riseabove half the people in the work force simply by paying amodest amount of attention to what you want out of your career.If you can muster a bit more focus, you should do even betterand get into the top 20%, which is where planned careerdevelopment begins to get results.

Here's where tools for understanding yourself and your careercome into play. It's been statistically proven that students'educational skills are improved by mentoring. A Procter & Gamblestudy showed that young people who were mentored by older peopleare statistically more likely to aspire to and achievehigher-than-average grades at school. The same is true in theworkplace; having a mentor is a career development advantage.So, if you don't have a mentor, what can you do?

Select a model.

The first step is to be as honest with yourself as you possiblycan about the people around you. Decide which of these peopleare succeeding and don't let your ego or resentments get in yourway.

Secondly, look at your own desires and motivations. Look forwhat you want out of your work experience and what you considerthe ideal job.

Thirdly, which of these successful people has a job similar tothe job you desire? That person can be your model even if youhave no contact with him. Pay attention to what he does. Studyhow he works and what he does that you don't do.

In time, you should be amazed at how much you learn by justobserving another person's successful methods. Sure, you'll havequestions about how he does certain things. And, unless you canapproach him directly, you won't get easy answers. But, byasking yourself questions about how this other person attainssuccess, you'll begin to find your own answers.

© by Todd Royer. All Rights Reserved.

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Todd Royer has been writing for the internet for 2 years. He hashelped hundreds of people with their professional growth. If youwould like a free subscription to Career Development Weekly,click below:http://visitor.constantcontact.com/optin.jsp?m=1101053082339

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A list of Career Development articles by Todd Royer areavailable for reprint at: http://www.toddroyerwriting.com