Strategies for keeping your job

Talk about these questions.

STRATEGIES FOR KEEPING YOUR JOB

Find the job that’s right for you!

Nearly 50% of all workers have jobs they aren’t happy with. Don’t let this happen to you! If you want to find the right job, don’t rush to look through the ads in the newspaper. Instead, sit down and think about yourself. What kind of person are you? What makes you happy?

According to the psychologist John Holland, there are six types of personalities. Nobody is just one type, but most people are mainly one type. For each type, there are certain jobs that might be right and others that are probably wrong.

1. The Realistic type is practical and likes working with machines and tools.

2. The Investigative type is curious and likes to learn, analyze situations, and solve problems.

3. The Artistic type is imaginative and likes to express himself/herself by creating art.

4. The Social type is friendly and likes helping or training other people.

5. The Enterprising type is outgoing and likes to persuade or lead other people.

6. The Conventional type is careful and likes to follow routines and keep track of details.

If you think about who you are, you can make the right job decision. Liz is a good example. Liz knew she wanted to do something for children. She thought she could help children as a school counselor or a lawyer. She took counseling and law courses – and hated them. After talking to a career counselor, she realized the problem was that she’s an Artistic type. Liz studied film, and she now produces children’s TV shows – and loves it.

Based on the information in the article, check the job you feel would not be a good choice for each personality type.

1. Artistic: actor, computer programmer, photographer, songwriter.

2. Conventional: accountant, bookkeeper, inventor, secretary.

3. Enterprising: painter, manager, politician, salesperson.

4. Investigative: detective, model, psychologist, researcher.

5. Realistic: carpenter, factory worker, mechanic, reporter.

6. Social: doctor, nurse, writer, teacher.

1. Which personality type are you most similar to? What kinds of jobs do you think would fit your personality?

2. Can you think of someone who has the wrong jobs for his or her personality? Explain why?

After six years with the company, Bob Congers lost his job. Bob hadn’t done anything wrong. On the contrary, he was a good worker, but his company was cutting its workforce. Workforce cutbacks were a common occurrence in the early 1990s. In response, career experts developed strategies for holding on to a job:

Make sure everyone knows you. Being a good worker is sometimes less important than making sure that people know you’re a good worker. Volunteer for new responsibilities, push your ideas, and generally make yourself visible.

Learn everything that could help you do your job better. If the company buys new computers, learn how to use them. If learning more about marketing could help you, take a short course in marketing.

Make sure you know everything about the company. And use this knowledge. If you find out that sales is becoming the most important department, try making a move to sales.

Be positive. People who find things to complain about are a lot less popular than people who find things to praise.

Improve your speaking and writing skills. Having good ideas isn’t enough. You need to be able to communicate your ideas.

Impress your boss. You can often impress your boss by arriving early and working late and by dressing in a businesslike way even if others dress casually.

In the end, it all comes down to one basic strategy: make yourself so valuable that the company won’t want to lose you.

According to the article, which employee fits each description? Check the correct name. What information helped you determine this?

1. The employee whose job is least likely to be cut:

a) Alice, who is always bringing problems in her department to her boss’s attention.

b) Betty, who is always finding something good to say about her department.

c) Carol, who always keeps her opinions about the department to herself.

2. The employee whose job is most likely to be cut:

b) Albert, who puts his extra time into doing his job well.

c) Bill, who puts his extra time into training in new areas.

d) Carl, who puts his extra time into taking on different responsibilities.

Дата добавления: 2014-12-27