We are excited to announce Hope L Hurley has now become an Associate Certified Business Executive Coach earned at Brown University, under the renowned and highly respected International Coaching Federation (ICF). ICF is the gold standard for coaching senior executives at many Fortune 500 and 1000 companies on helping individual executives maximize their bench strength and that of their organization, boost team leadership, improve employee performance and increase employee engagement. Congratulations Hope!
Entry Level
January 16, 2024 By
Entry level generally refers to any job position in which you’re an “apprentice” or learning about your profession and specific role in the organization. You’re usually somewhat dependent on others to help you learn and execute the responsibilities of your job. In this stage, you need to master the foundation skills required to do the job and understand the organization’s structure and culture before you can advance.
What you should strive to attain
- An understanding of the organization’s structure, function, and culture
- Basic technical skills
- Some degree of creativity and initiative; growing independence
- Building personal and professional relationships
- Expanding scope and depth of knowledge
How can you achieve these goals
- You’ll most likely receive some kind of orientation training during the first weeks and months of your job.
- You can also seek a ”mentor” relationship with a senior professional, or participate in a company program that offers this type of arrangement.
- You should also create a plan for follow-up training and support that may be available from your employer.
- There are many opportunities to build peer relationships, depending on your organization, and you’ll want to take advantage of any opportunities to lend assistance to build trust and confidence in your capabilities.
- Career counseling can also help you map out your plan and close any gaps or weaknesses.
Are You Ready for a Career Change?
January 13, 2024 By
A friend of mine once told me that she knew it was time for radical change in her career when she found herself envying the bicycle couriers that frequented her office building. They bounded into the elevator, package in hand, intent on delivering that package. They looked so…CHEERFUL. Not stressed and overweight. Not worrying about long hours, promotions, projects.
Have you calculated how much time you average over a year on your job? Is it 60 percent…70? Or 80 percent? Think about it: if you’re not really enjoying your job, you’re spending most of your life doing something you don’t want to do. And you’re probably not performing as well as you could.
Ask yourself these questions:
- Do you think often about changing jobs or career?
- Does your current job offer recognition, appreciation, and satisfaction?
- Are you fearful that a layoff or other company action will take your job?
- Has it been a long time since you had a promotion? Are you doing the same work? Or more?
If you feel stalled in your job and are not sure what to do next, you might consider talking to a career counselor. He or she can help you decide not only what to do, but how to do it successfully.
What’s holding you back? Start thinking about changing your career before the decision is made for you … by others.
Five Tips for the Brand New Employee
December 12, 2023 By
Here’s an excellent post by Bob Bessette, a software engineer, that summarizes nicely some of the pitfalls that entry-level professionals should avoid. In brief, he advises (1) don’t be aggressive; (2) remember names; (3) learn the landscape; (4) be helpful, and (5) offer to help new co-workers.
Tough Job Interview Questions You Should Prepare For
November 13, 2023 By
Here are some of the toughest questions you may have to answer. The challenges are (1) to be succinct; (2) to sound positive and confident, yet modest; (3) to put your history and accomplishments in the best light, and (40 stay focused on convincing the interviewer you’re the perfect fit for the job being discussed.
- Why are you leaving/did you leave your job?
- How long have you been looking for a job?
- Tell me about an accomplishment in your past job.
- Tell me about something you did wrong.
- Tell me about a problem and how you solved it.
- Tell me about yourself.
- What are your salary expectations?
- Where do you plan to be in XX years?
- What do you know about us?
- Why should we hire you? Why do you want to work for us?
There are so many aspects to the interview that require consideration – appearance, demeanor, articulateness, preparation, and followup. Even if you’ve had lots of experience with interviews, you may need some extra polish in today’s challenging and competitive job market.
Email Ballineen Consulting for help in putting your best foot forward.
Maintenance and Credibility
March 2, 2023 By
At this stage, you’re increasingly interdependent with others, balancing your own continued growth and development with taking on new responsibilities for developing others. You may be in a supervisory or managerial role, and seek to develop new areas of expertise and leadership, such as chairing a committee or leadership role in professional associations. You’re learning how to get work done through others. You may be involved in strategic planning and exercising influence in a variety of ways.
What you should strive to attain
- Deeper, broader knowledge and expertise
- Leadership roles
- Working with/through others
- Organizational development and problems
- Networking
- Coaching and mentoring
How you can achieve these goals
- Look for opportunities to lead committees, mentor, train, or otherwise show your capabilities in making decisions and solving problems.
- Take time to renew your own skills and obtain additional training
- Look for complex and challenging assignments that allow you to take on increased responsibility
- Participate in strategic planning
- Find opportunities to represent the organization to internal and external groups
- Use career counseling to refine your professional growth plan
Building Momentum
February 26, 2023 By
This stage is a time for professional growth and autonomy. You should focus on deepening your knowledge, gaining expertise and taking on more responsibility for solving problems and executing projects, programs and special assignments. You may pursue further formal training in your profession.
What you should strive to attain
- Expertise in one area or more
- Gaining depth and breadth of knowledge; sharing same
- Contributing to problem solving
- Developing a professional identity
- Growing in effectiveness and efficiency
- Using your creativity for innovation
How you can achieve these goals
- Seek opportunities to develop your special skills, whether it be in your job assignments, or informal education (such as company or regional workshops) or formal education (such as an advance degree).
- Become involved in committee or community work that builds your knowledge and expertise in real-world applications of your skills.
- Likewise, participate in professional associations and serve in some capacity if your job allows.
- Find opportunities to share your knowledge through publishing, volunteer writing for newsletters, journals, and other publications.
- Obtain creer counseling if you wish to identify specific opportunities, set goals, and receive constructive feedback on your efforts.
Transition and Reinvention
February 6, 2023 By
At some point in your career, you may want or need to change your career path due to personal or economic reasons. You may be experiencing “burn out” or perhaps you’re bored at your current position. Your job is too stressful, or you would like to earn more money. Perhaps the job market has changed, and your skills need updating. Or you may have moved to a different job market and must find a new way to earn a living.
The process of transitioning to or finding a new career is stressful and daunting. You must be able to gather information quickly on the options available to you. Ballineen Consulting can help you evaluate market trends, identify and develop the skills you need to pursue a new career, rebound from a job loss, re-enter the workplace, or improve your chances to advance in your current career path.
