Your future career
A major challenge facing technical professionals is identifying ongoing opportunities for the development of their knowledge and skills and obtaining a recognised qualification. Most technical professionals currently learn ‘on the job’, being mentored by more experienced professionals and gaining experience over time. For example, related qualifications in engineering, planning, technology and the sciences are the…
Read MoreHow to write a professional bio
You are a professional if you are a member of a vocation or occupation that has specialised education, knowledge, skills or experience, usually with tertiary qualifications and industry experience. Your bio (or professional branding statement) should communicate the essence of who you are. Your brand reflects your professional reputation, i.e. what you are known for (or who…
Read More7 Habits that make a successful career
You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do. ~ Henry Ford What makes a successful career? The core philosophy that underpins a successful career, which dates back to Aristotle, is causality or the relationship between a set of factors (causes) and a phenomenon (effect). By modelling the causes and effects of what successful people…
Read MoreThe difference between a Professional and a Novice
It doesn’t matter what you are trying to do to improve your practice, if you only do the work when you’re motivated, then you’ll never be consistent enough to become a professional. The ability to stick to the task and do the work – especially when you don’t feel like it – is key. But…
Read MoreHow to write your future career script
Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life. ~ Confucius Skilled professionals are in high demand and short supply … you need to write your own future career script. To keep up with the rapid change in the workplace you need to take control of your…
Read MoreWhat does success mean for you?
Therefore it is important to stop for a while and think about what success means for us. What is success? the dictionary definitions include: The accomplishment of an aim or purpose. The achievement of something desired, planned or attempted. The attainment of wealth, position or eminence. There are no right or wrong answers, because it depends on…
Read MoreDo you focus on your strengths?
Let me ask you a question … as a professional are you focused on developing and expanding your strengths? The traditional approach, that we have all been told from a young age, is to work on and improve your weaknesses. Many people spend a huge amount of time trying to get better in lots of…
Read MoreThe 80/20 Principle
Would you like to learn how to get more done with less effort, eliminate wasteful activities?The 80/20 Principle, or Pareto Principle, or the Law of the Critical Few, has been described in all sorts of ways by many different people, but the central idea is the same: a few things are responsible for most of the results. This is…
Read MoreDelivering excellent projects requires freedom to innovate
Project management has come a long way in recent years, with the development of formal project management processes and skilling of project managers through formal training and on-the-job mentoring. Delivering a project, whether it be a policy or planning type project, an infrastructure project, or a service review or implementation, certainly requires a formalised process,…
Read MoreFive key problem solving skills for professionals
Problem solving is a key success skill for professionals. It is a skill that is invaluable to protect your future career, whether in the public or private sector, and your personal life. What are the five key skills that are needed to be a good problem solver? Analytical Ability – knowing how to gather data, articulate,…
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