If you are not where you would like to be and are really serious about that corner office you have to put some meat into your efforts.

Here are some bare outline no nonsense tips.

Clear Vision

Dream big and chalk out your plans towards achieving it.Keep in sight your mission goals and tailor your plans accordingly. Never leave it out of sight and like a compass pointing always to the north orient your progress towards achieving your career goals.

Passion

If you do not have passion all your plans will go waste. Believe in what you are doing and build in the necessary flexibility and maturity towards your passion.

Reputation

Build a strong track record of achievements and look for ways to promote yourself professionally.
Reputation depends on others so being a good team player helps.

Network

You need not be a Harvard alumni but joining professional organisations, keeping in touch with your peers, participation in industry seminars and making use of the social sites on the internet can build a strong professional network will help you on your way to the corner office.

That Extra Edge

Go out of your way to achieve results, be willing to do more than you are asked to do, differentiate yourself from your competitors. Display initiative, innovate and constantly seek to upgrade your skills and keep yourself in the loop by acquiring knowledge.

” I love deadlines. I love the whooshing sound they make as they fly by” is a quote from Douglas Adam’s Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy a famous science fiction novel.

Deadlines are dreaded the more as they approach us. But deadlines are a part of our life and more so in the work atmosphere. Deadlines suck the energy out of the workplace and normal routine tasks are the casualties and the end result may not be satisfactory for everybody.It need not be so.

Some tips to avoid distractions and to meet deadlines when on a time crunch which is all the time.

Break the large job into smaller ones and create to do lists, detailing the tasks.

Never ever be shy of demanding resources. It is bad enough you are short of time, but there is no need to fall short of the resources you need to complete the job. If the boss is serious enough then there should be no problem in getting the resources you need especially financial, logistics, technical or manpower.

Make mini deadlines of the smaller tasks and completing them will give you a sense of satisfaction that you are on the right track and it makes the task more manageable.

If you have delegated some tasks, supervise them occasionally and be in the loop so there are no nasty surprises.

Control the inevitable meetings which are a big time and resource leecher and communicate so that misunderstandings and errors can be smoothened out in time.

Keep a small reserve of time at the end to go over the tasks and for any revisions or any other surprises.

If you can keep your cool, this could be very well the opportunity to showcase your talents and professionalism and announce your candidature for a higher position.

Simple planning and staying organised might be a well worn cliche but it might save you a lot of blushes and give you that extra winning edge over your peers.

Some tips for planning and getting organised at work

Time control:

One can never over emphasize the importance of proper time planning and management.
Avoid known time wasters like browsing, checking email, forum trawling until you finish your essential jobs first. Not only will you not have a guilty feeling but the sense of accomplishment of having your job completed will give you a high !

Prioritise your on job tasks and tackle the difficult ones early. Write it on a board with colored markers and tick them off as you finish them off.

Clear the worktable of papers

Sort out your worktable and clear the unwanted, unnecessary clutter off your table. Degunking your table will work wonders for your morale and will help project you as a serious player.

Work plan

Plan your work on a daily basis like writing your pending tasks on a planner or diary. Use to do lists in your mobile or pda or laptop to remind you of important deadlines, tasks, appointments etc., You will feel happier and more efficient when you have a good perspective of your job broken up into manageable tasks.

Attending/controlling meetings

This can be a separate book unto itself but the main point here is do not go off the tangent in meetings. It wastes your as well as everybody’s time. Stick to the agenda, make it crisp and maintain professionalism during the meeting. People will thank you for it.

Effective work habits are like the proverbial elephant in the room but usually everybody miss seeing it. Used properly it can increase productivity and project yourself as a professional and a serious contender for the top management.

When you join a company for the first time or if you are new to the job, there is no harm in being cautious and careful.

Take care of these easy to avoid blunders and your first job need not be a nightmare.

Never ever talk ill of the company.

It will be a strong temptation to badmouth the company and you might find yourself saying that you have got a better job offer and only personal or (substitute your favorite excuse here) prevents you from having a better life instead of being stuck up with this job. It is a bad mistake. You have yet to know the company’s culture and the person you are confiding to might be a staunch supporter of the company and may even be influential. Don’t get off on the wrong foot. Keep your opinions to yourself.

Avoid talk about personal problems.

Personal problems are just that- personal keep it that way.

Dont blow your own horn; Not yet.

Let your work speak about your skills and abilities. No use flaunting your degree certificate in the face of a twenty year veteran who obviously know more about the working of the company than any college can teach you. Watch and learn.

No politics please.

There will always be office politics and groupism. Never make the rookie mistake of aligning with a particular group thinking that it might be your passport to the corner office. Politics fortunes wax and wane and you wouldn’t want to make enemies too early. Listen to all points of view and dont take sides. Be diplomatic.

Isolation is not a virtue.

If you are thinking being an introvert can convey a feeling of superiority you are wrong. Nobody likes a stuck up snob and you will give that impression if you are not moving freely among your colleagues.

Do not be late.

A no brainer here. Being punctual conveys a good impression and also showcases your concerns about other people’s time and is a easy impression maker for beginners.

Remember being new at your job or a first timer gives you certain advantages. You can get away with asking questions which you cannot do at a more experienced level. This is the best time to learn about the different aspects of a company and you will not have the baggage of a veteran.
You are not tagged yet and can make a favorable impression to the top management provided you play your cards right.

The blow came, as is usual in these matters swift and unexpected. A cushy job moments earlier, now a pink slip at the desk and two empty cartons placed thoughtfully placed beside the chair. You wonder about the bills that are due,the regular monthly expenses and the depressing prospects of searching again for a job in a tight job market.

Losing a job is one of the major emotional upheavals a person can undergo and nobody is immune to the the negative feelings that accompany it, but dealing with the damage can help you get in control of your life.

Do not panic and fall into the “victim mentality”. Develop an action plan quickly while you still have the finances and the resources of your network, either your friends or professional colleagues.

This is not the time to be shy and isolate yourself. Do not hesitate to ask for advice,referrals or support.

Take stock of your financial position and avoid taking out your nest egg or breaking up your investment plans. Try to stretch your savings, severance pay as far as possible.Collect everything that is due to you. Remember job loss is temporary and manageable but breaking up your long term savings or investment schemes can affect your future economic position.

Try to speak to your bank manager/credit card company for a flexible payment schedule.There is no harm in asking and if you have got a good credit record your bank manager might be flexible enough to give you a breather.

Approach your competitors or cold call for job openings. Devote most of your time for job search. Dig out your consultants contacts and shoot them your latest updated resume. Remind them after a decent interval. Get in touch with your friends and other people who are in different organisations.
That folder of visiting cards you have collected at your latest convention or seminar might come in handy.

Prospective employers might strike a hard bargain in a tight job market and you may need to be accomodating and put some career goals in the backburner until you are able to tackle the current position.

Above all do not let go of your positive attitude and who knows it may create a favorable impression with employers who would love to recruit someone with a level head and displays optimism in tough times.

Happy job seems to be an oxymoron as most of us are stuck in jobs in which we are not happy at all.
Are jobs supposed to make us happy?

We spend more hours at work and a right job fit is essential to create a positive attitude and satisfaction. Money is not everything as most corporates would assert in their quest for employee satisfaction.

Evaluate your level of job fitness and seek the type of job that influences your personal happiness as well.

Some pointers.

Are your personal comfort levels compatible with those of the firm? Cultural imbalance can lead to job frustration and the feeling of being shackled or exposed as the case may be. Variance with company values can be a real job breaker.

Are you comfortable with your co-workers? Some firms foster a particular mindset among their employees. Do you feel out of place with the work culture and the style of work in that firm. Evaluate and decide if you can adapt.

Do the management style resonates with your own? Management have different styles of working ranging from aggressive to free going and family run company’s management styles are different from corporate run ones. No point in working at a company where there are daily conflicts with the management, performance is bound to suffer and the fallout can have serious repercussions upon your health and family life.

Does your work suit you? Will it make use of your talents and skills or do you feel under utilised or feel exploited ? Chose a job that is compatible with your temperament,personality and skills and your work performance is bound to be noticed by the powers that be.

Choosing a job with the right fit can make all the difference in personal satisfaction and well being.

The obvious story. You have worked hard and to the best of your abilities. Promotion time has come and gone and you are left stranded in the timeless space of the also rans.

After you have indulged yourself in a good wallow of self pity take some proactive steps to get that raise, after all promotions are never handed over on a silver platter.

Some pointers on how to tailor your career to get yourselves promoted.

Yeah, volunteer for the dirty jobs and for difficult projects, e,g, a quality audit is to be done and the company is looking for volunteers to do this in addition to their regular workload. Going the extra mile will give you an extra advantage over others. Contributing some articles to the company newsletters or blog is a good way for the top brass to notice your name.

Highlight your achievements and your successful projects subtly. Blow your trumpet but do it softly and effectively.

Try to volunteer for positions outside your job sphere, so that when the time comes you will be seen as a person with all round experience.

Learn from the people who have already been promoted or got that coveted raise. Learn what they did, what projects or assignments they have completed, their work methods and behavior.

It is strange but true, if you do not ask for it you will not get it. The higher powers are sometimes unaware that you might be looking for a raise or a promotion. No harm in going out on a limb and asking for that. Showcase your skills, attitude and tell them you are serious about your career advancement.

Talk calmly and offer solid reasons why you are worthy for that promotion. The worst thing is you will get a no for an answer, in that case ask your boss where you are falling short and work on it.

Who knows you might get that promotion the next time round when you least expect it !