Tuesday, July 29, 2008
The job interview is the step to a new position. It provides you with the opportunity to present your credentials or qualifications for employment. It’s a stressful time that you need to prepare for. You don’t just walk in and chit chats. You need to research the company and know as much as possible about its history and future. An annual report or articles from the internet would be helpful. Maybe you can talk to someone inside the company that can give you information that would help. From this information you can draw upon your experience and how you can best fit the position. Make sure you get a good nights rest. You need to be alert and sharp. Have a good breakfast or meal before the interview. Come with a good attitude, don’t let outside problems distract you from your goal of getting the job. Plan what clothes you’ll wear. You want to fit in, so you have to decide carefully on your appearance. It used to be suit and tie or dress and heals. Today it’s not so easy. Whatever you decide make sure you’re neat and clean. At the interview present yourself with confidence and a solid handshake. Sit up and straight. Be relaxed and comfortable. Your mannerisms are important and will be a part of your evaluation. Talk clearly and make sure you’re understood. Ask questions when the opportunity arises. There may be one or more interviewers and make sure you make eye contact when speaking or responding to questions. You want to maintain a friendly conversation where you answer the questions, but also sell your credentials and abilities. Always be positive, never negative. Don’t criticize your past employers or bad experiences. It’s not that you want to hide anything but that you need to explain certain things in a positive manner. Some times you need to deliberate before you speak to avoid a bad impression. You want to be honest and show good character. You want to display yourself as a person they can trust and depend on. The interviewer(s) may have certain questions prepared to ask and evaluate you. Be honest and thoughtful in your responses. If the question is not clear ask for clarification. The questions should pertain to your work experience and qualifications to do the job. Be careful in handling any personal questions. You are not obligated to answer questions on politics, sexual orientation or other personal matters. Try to keep the interview on the job, company, your experience and qualifications. Some interviewers may be very good while others lack interview skills. Just as you present an impression the interviewer gives you an impression of the company. You want to answer the interviewer questions while you want responses to your questions. You must not present an image were you are only interested in benefits and you offer little in return. Some interviews go very well while others are bummers. You may know or the interviewer knows this won’t work and the interview is short and quick. Hopefully this is not he case and you become a serious candidate for the job. The problem is that you do not know who is your competition is and how they compare to you. It is hoped that the interviewer will tell you if you will be considered or they may give you the old “we’ll let you know in a few days” answer. Always end the interview on a positive note, thanking the interviewer for the opportunity and that you would very much like to be considered for employment. Most of the time it’s difficult to assume how good or bad the interview went. You may be disappointed or very surprised by the outcome. You have to wait and see. Follow up the interview with a thank you note.Some interviews may be a pretext to justify a hiring of someone that is already known or working in the organization. This is an unfair practice and may waste your time. Whatever happens, especially if you like the organization and their policies, try to create an impression that you would like to work for the organization when positions arise. You may want to keep in touch for future opportunities. Whatever happens you need to be sure this is the company that you want to work for. Are you sure you will fit in.You may hit it off or resent the interviewer, while the reality of working with its staff may be contrary to this evaluation. The fit is very important to your success or failure once inside the company. You want to be sure this is the place you will be happy. You don’t want to make a mistake and have to be looking for another job in a short period of time. If you get a job offer or don’t get an offer this is a very important decision for you to make.If the company is professional and has good policies you should hear from them within a short period of time, they will notify you if you are being considered, if you will be given an offer or you have been rejected. The process may require you to return for more interviews, testing or evaluation to insure you meet the companies’ needs and requirements. If accepted for employment you must negotiate or accept the terms for employment: salary, hours, benefits, and other working conditions. Negotiation will depend on the level of your employment, the higher the position the more room for negotiation. The lower the position there will be less room for negotiation. Take it or leave it. You have to make the decision. Most of the time we accept instead of rejecting an offer. Maybe we need to be more careful and sure that this is the right decision. Better to right than sorry.
Posted by FROM THE FRONT PORCH at 10:28 AM
Saturday, August 2, 2008
THE JOB SEARCH
Saturday, June 21, 2008
The job search is real work. Once you decide what type of work or career you want, you go after it. You must have a plan of action: How, What, Where, Who.Let’s first discuss the HOW. The first thing you need is a resume. The resume is a summary about you. It‘s purpose is to gain the prospective employer’s interest in your abilities and background.. It should contain PERSONAL information such as name, address, phone and possibly an embedded photo. You should present information that is pertinent, not distracting; age and marital status are not necessary and will come out at the interview. The objective is to get the interview. EDUCATIONAL background should come next, depending on your search. If you’re just out of school it’s your major selling point, but if you’ve been working, EXPERIENCE would be your major selling point and. EXPERIENCE would follow. Under EDUCATION you want to start with the highest level of education. And list your degrees and courses that may be pertinent to the position. You want information that is important and relates to the position. You can approach Experience in different ways. You can go from the last employer to your first employer. If you’ve had numerous jobs it’s advisable to list only those positions that apply to the job that you are seeking. You can list the company and dates or the industry or function and time worked, such as years. The standard is company and dates. You must provide a short synopsis of the job title or what you did. Most times the job title does not reflect the true value of the position and you must present it in such a way as to make it important. You want to state your accomplishments: saved the company so many $, sold so many widgets, improved procedures, saved time and cost by adopting new equipment or systems. Past Salary is not required unless specified as a requirement for the position. Those are the three major categories in the resume: Personal, Education and Experience. If you have other points that are important you should list them: hobbies, awards, professional organizations, important activities, military experience (if not previously listed), publications, other schooling and references. Remember the resume is a picture of you and a reflection of your potential to the reader. Your objective is to gain attention and create a desire for the reader to continue to be interested in you and your abilities. It opens the door to the interview.You can prepare your own resume or go to a professional who will work with you to prepare the resume... If you hire someone, be careful to check their credentials. You want to pay a fair price to an organization with a proven track record of opening doors and getting interviews... You want references. You want a resume that stands out: the paper, format, action words, reads well, and sells. Sometimes being fancy or artistic won’t cut it and will place your resume at the bottom of the pile, it depends on the job. Remember you’re competing with numerous people in the job market. The ones with the best resume and selling points will get the interview. Companies may have selective criteria that they use as weights: education, year’s experience, outside actives etc. They must insure a fair and equitable approach to granting interviews and hiring procedures.Along with the resume you want a short introductory cover letter. A letter that sells and states why you are the best person for that position and company. For each position, you should have an original cover letter addressed to the person you are petitioning for the job; CEO, VP, Department Head, Human Resources etc. You may want to send carbon copies to different individuals within a company. The real test is to contact the right person. Test your resume by reviewing it with friends and associates. Always keep a current resume available.The second part of the plan is What. What are your job objectives? What is the job or position you seek? If a first time job seeker your strategy will be different from a person that has been working or has had a number of jobs. Much of this analysis was covered in our previous discussion on WORK.Third How. You can read and answer want ads, network through friends, direct contact with organizations, use professional search firms, consult with government agencies in the public sector, check the web and newspapers regarding company changes that provide information on company structure or locations, job fairs, schools that provide job search assistance, check the web, Monster .Com and any outlet that provides information for finding that job. If you’re just starting out, you may consider starting in a low level position to get your foot in the door and hope that you can work your way up. This is an approach many people have used to rise through the ranks, from mail room to CEO. For those of you who have been out there awhile, and have family obligations, you may not have that luxury, but never rule it out, especially when the market is bad and you need a job. Sometimes a step back and a change can lead to good things...Fourth What. Know as much about the position or job title as possible, you should research the salary and the different levels for different areas. If possible, talk to someone holding that type of position and get their perspective on the good and bad aspects of the position. Learn as much as possible about the organizations that use this position or title. What is the turnover and why? Find out about people who have been successful and what led to their success. Does the position meet the criteria that you outlined in the previous discussions?Fifth Where. Is this the type of position you can find locally or one that requires relocation? This is a very personal issue and only you can answer. The bigger the market the better the opportunities for finding the position.Sixth Who. What company or organizations are you going to seek out? Make sure you know as much about the company as possible: profits/losses, reputation,locations,salaries, products, longevity, names of executives and backgrounds, turnover, organizational chart, opportunities for promotion, travel, education, benefits and more. You don’t want to go into a bad situation; you want a solid organization that has a future that you can grow with.Searching for that right job is WORK. It requires that you not only know yourself and your wants and needs but as much about the position and companies as possible. It requires confidence and the ability to sell yourself. Learn from your mistakes. Keep improving your resume and techniques that you use in the job search. This can be a long drawn out process. It takes patience. Never give up.Next time we’ll discuss the Job Interview.Your Friend and Neighbor.Sasiad
Posted by FROM THE FRONT PORCH at 8:03 AM
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The job search is real work. Once you decide what type of work or career you want, you go after it. You must have a plan of action: How, What, Where, Who.Let’s first discuss the HOW. The first thing you need is a resume. The resume is a summary about you. It‘s purpose is to gain the prospective employer’s interest in your abilities and background.. It should contain PERSONAL information such as name, address, phone and possibly an embedded photo. You should present information that is pertinent, not distracting; age and marital status are not necessary and will come out at the interview. The objective is to get the interview. EDUCATIONAL background should come next, depending on your search. If you’re just out of school it’s your major selling point, but if you’ve been working, EXPERIENCE would be your major selling point and. EXPERIENCE would follow. Under EDUCATION you want to start with the highest level of education. And list your degrees and courses that may be pertinent to the position. You want information that is important and relates to the position. You can approach Experience in different ways. You can go from the last employer to your first employer. If you’ve had numerous jobs it’s advisable to list only those positions that apply to the job that you are seeking. You can list the company and dates or the industry or function and time worked, such as years. The standard is company and dates. You must provide a short synopsis of the job title or what you did. Most times the job title does not reflect the true value of the position and you must present it in such a way as to make it important. You want to state your accomplishments: saved the company so many $, sold so many widgets, improved procedures, saved time and cost by adopting new equipment or systems. Past Salary is not required unless specified as a requirement for the position. Those are the three major categories in the resume: Personal, Education and Experience. If you have other points that are important you should list them: hobbies, awards, professional organizations, important activities, military experience (if not previously listed), publications, other schooling and references. Remember the resume is a picture of you and a reflection of your potential to the reader. Your objective is to gain attention and create a desire for the reader to continue to be interested in you and your abilities. It opens the door to the interview.You can prepare your own resume or go to a professional who will work with you to prepare the resume... If you hire someone, be careful to check their credentials. You want to pay a fair price to an organization with a proven track record of opening doors and getting interviews... You want references. You want a resume that stands out: the paper, format, action words, reads well, and sells. Sometimes being fancy or artistic won’t cut it and will place your resume at the bottom of the pile, it depends on the job. Remember you’re competing with numerous people in the job market. The ones with the best resume and selling points will get the interview. Companies may have selective criteria that they use as weights: education, year’s experience, outside actives etc. They must insure a fair and equitable approach to granting interviews and hiring procedures.Along with the resume you want a short introductory cover letter. A letter that sells and states why you are the best person for that position and company. For each position, you should have an original cover letter addressed to the person you are petitioning for the job; CEO, VP, Department Head, Human Resources etc. You may want to send carbon copies to different individuals within a company. The real test is to contact the right person. Test your resume by reviewing it with friends and associates. Always keep a current resume available.The second part of the plan is What. What are your job objectives? What is the job or position you seek? If a first time job seeker your strategy will be different from a person that has been working or has had a number of jobs. Much of this analysis was covered in our previous discussion on WORK.Third How. You can read and answer want ads, network through friends, direct contact with organizations, use professional search firms, consult with government agencies in the public sector, check the web and newspapers regarding company changes that provide information on company structure or locations, job fairs, schools that provide job search assistance, check the web, Monster .Com and any outlet that provides information for finding that job. If you’re just starting out, you may consider starting in a low level position to get your foot in the door and hope that you can work your way up. This is an approach many people have used to rise through the ranks, from mail room to CEO. For those of you who have been out there awhile, and have family obligations, you may not have that luxury, but never rule it out, especially when the market is bad and you need a job. Sometimes a step back and a change can lead to good things...Fourth What. Know as much about the position or job title as possible, you should research the salary and the different levels for different areas. If possible, talk to someone holding that type of position and get their perspective on the good and bad aspects of the position. Learn as much as possible about the organizations that use this position or title. What is the turnover and why? Find out about people who have been successful and what led to their success. Does the position meet the criteria that you outlined in the previous discussions?Fifth Where. Is this the type of position you can find locally or one that requires relocation? This is a very personal issue and only you can answer. The bigger the market the better the opportunities for finding the position.Sixth Who. What company or organizations are you going to seek out? Make sure you know as much about the company as possible: profits/losses, reputation,locations,salaries, products, longevity, names of executives and backgrounds, turnover, organizational chart, opportunities for promotion, travel, education, benefits and more. You don’t want to go into a bad situation; you want a solid organization that has a future that you can grow with.Searching for that right job is WORK. It requires that you not only know yourself and your wants and needs but as much about the position and companies as possible. It requires confidence and the ability to sell yourself. Learn from your mistakes. Keep improving your resume and techniques that you use in the job search. This can be a long drawn out process. It takes patience. Never give up.Next time we’ll discuss the Job Interview.Your Friend and Neighbor.Sasiad
Posted by FROM THE FRONT PORCH at 8:03 AM
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UNDERSTANDING YOURSELF AND WORK
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Years back most people had the same job until they retired. They would find a job at age 16 or 18 and stay until age 65. There was job stability. If you did your job you were secure. Companies were independent and normally run by family members: Motorola, Crane, Wrigley etc. That is not the case today. Companies are now owned and run by large conglomerates and sometimes foreign investment. The loyalty and job security that existed is gone. When entering or moving in today’s job market one has to have options and be flexible. You can no longer feel safe that your skills, industry or line of work will be there tomorrow.To fit into today’s job market a person has to analyze and evaluate him or herself. What are your likes, dislikes, skills, needs, interests, education, personality and other personal traits. It’s very hard to take an honest look at oneself and decide where I will best fit into the job market. You have to build your own personal profile to judge your qualifications and personality. Once you identify the job or type of position you feel comfortable with; than it’s important to seek an organizational environment that is conducive to your personality. Sometimes you can have the perfect job, but you wind up with people issues or you become unhappy with management policies or other problems.Let’s talk little about your likes.. When you were young, you probably had or maybe still have dreams of what you want to be. Maybe you had a hero or person that you admired and wanted to imitate. Most boys have a baseball or sports hero. Girls admired a movie star. You have to be realistic in determining what you can and can’t do. We’re all different so it’s hard to make a blanket statement or to pick an approach to select a career. You can search the want ads to see what type of jobs are available, attend career conferences, follow in the footsteps of relatives, enter a family business, read career books, talk to friends about their experiences, ask yourself what were your favorite subjects in school: music, history, art, math, English etc. If you go to college you have to select a major that prepares you for a certain line of work or career. Maybe you want to be a chef, electrician, plumber and your approach to success is a trade school. You need to define the elements that meet your criteria, this is very difficult, and it may take periods of time to understand and adjust to meet career goals.What are your dislikes? Maybe you don’t like working indoors or with people. You don’t like responsibility, handling money, making decisions. You don’t like driving long distances. You don’t want long hours or overtime. You don’t want a job with changing conditions or one that requires continuing education. You must decide how important are your dislikes and too what extent are you willing to accept, what you consider, unfavorable working conditions.What are your skills? Technical, computer, mechanical, speak foreign languages, strong written skills, verbal, athletic, medical, and financial, math, social, or any skills that make you stand out from others. Some positions offer you the opportunity to develop or expand skills such as trades or on the job training.What are your needs? Do you need to make a certain amount of money or are you willing to start for less and work up. Past experience and education can determine your salary. Maybe you’re interested in benefits: education, on the job training, opportunities for advancement, career path, health care, investment plans, vacation time. What perks do you feel are important?Does the position interest me? Will I be bored? Will it lead to better opportunities, more money, create incentives to produce quality work, make me confident and more secure in my abilities, will you gain new and diverse skills. Does it fit your personality? Will you be comfortable in the environment? Will I use my education and previous training to improve and grow?There are so many questions to ask in seeking or finding the right job. You need to sit down, with a piece of paper, and document the things you know about yourself and the job or career you seek. If you’re seeking your first job your circumstances will be different from someone who has been in the job market. Above all try to understand yourself and have a good idea of what you want to do. The only true test is by working. Some of us learn by mistakes. Some are fortunate to land the perfect job, in the perfect environment. Don’t under estimate the effort that goes into finding a job. Next time let’s discuss some of the ways to find a job or the job search.For alittle humor check out, LOAFING.wmv (4.9MB.Your neighbor, Sasiad.
Posted by FROM THE FRONT PORCH at 10:01 AM
Years back most people had the same job until they retired. They would find a job at age 16 or 18 and stay until age 65. There was job stability. If you did your job you were secure. Companies were independent and normally run by family members: Motorola, Crane, Wrigley etc. That is not the case today. Companies are now owned and run by large conglomerates and sometimes foreign investment. The loyalty and job security that existed is gone. When entering or moving in today’s job market one has to have options and be flexible. You can no longer feel safe that your skills, industry or line of work will be there tomorrow.To fit into today’s job market a person has to analyze and evaluate him or herself. What are your likes, dislikes, skills, needs, interests, education, personality and other personal traits. It’s very hard to take an honest look at oneself and decide where I will best fit into the job market. You have to build your own personal profile to judge your qualifications and personality. Once you identify the job or type of position you feel comfortable with; than it’s important to seek an organizational environment that is conducive to your personality. Sometimes you can have the perfect job, but you wind up with people issues or you become unhappy with management policies or other problems.Let’s talk little about your likes.. When you were young, you probably had or maybe still have dreams of what you want to be. Maybe you had a hero or person that you admired and wanted to imitate. Most boys have a baseball or sports hero. Girls admired a movie star. You have to be realistic in determining what you can and can’t do. We’re all different so it’s hard to make a blanket statement or to pick an approach to select a career. You can search the want ads to see what type of jobs are available, attend career conferences, follow in the footsteps of relatives, enter a family business, read career books, talk to friends about their experiences, ask yourself what were your favorite subjects in school: music, history, art, math, English etc. If you go to college you have to select a major that prepares you for a certain line of work or career. Maybe you want to be a chef, electrician, plumber and your approach to success is a trade school. You need to define the elements that meet your criteria, this is very difficult, and it may take periods of time to understand and adjust to meet career goals.What are your dislikes? Maybe you don’t like working indoors or with people. You don’t like responsibility, handling money, making decisions. You don’t like driving long distances. You don’t want long hours or overtime. You don’t want a job with changing conditions or one that requires continuing education. You must decide how important are your dislikes and too what extent are you willing to accept, what you consider, unfavorable working conditions.What are your skills? Technical, computer, mechanical, speak foreign languages, strong written skills, verbal, athletic, medical, and financial, math, social, or any skills that make you stand out from others. Some positions offer you the opportunity to develop or expand skills such as trades or on the job training.What are your needs? Do you need to make a certain amount of money or are you willing to start for less and work up. Past experience and education can determine your salary. Maybe you’re interested in benefits: education, on the job training, opportunities for advancement, career path, health care, investment plans, vacation time. What perks do you feel are important?Does the position interest me? Will I be bored? Will it lead to better opportunities, more money, create incentives to produce quality work, make me confident and more secure in my abilities, will you gain new and diverse skills. Does it fit your personality? Will you be comfortable in the environment? Will I use my education and previous training to improve and grow?There are so many questions to ask in seeking or finding the right job. You need to sit down, with a piece of paper, and document the things you know about yourself and the job or career you seek. If you’re seeking your first job your circumstances will be different from someone who has been in the job market. Above all try to understand yourself and have a good idea of what you want to do. The only true test is by working. Some of us learn by mistakes. Some are fortunate to land the perfect job, in the perfect environment. Don’t under estimate the effort that goes into finding a job. Next time let’s discuss some of the ways to find a job or the job search.For alittle humor check out, LOAFING.wmv (4.9MB.Your neighbor, Sasiad.
Posted by FROM THE FRONT PORCH at 10:01 AM
WORK
Monday, May 19, 2008
A PERSPECTIVE OF WORK
Welcome To My Front Porch. Today I invite you to join me in a series of discussions on work. Work is a major part of life. In one way or another we are always working. For some, getting up in the morning is work, cleaning house, gardening, washing the car, doing dishes, watching the kids are all forms of work... Whenever you’re expending energy, its work. In our discussion, I would like to concentrate on work for compensation. You can call it a job, profession, or just something you get paid to do.Work has taken many forms over the centuries. Agriculture was the earliest form of work. It was a necessity, you need food to survive. Man was always looking for ways to make work easy. So they learned to develop and invent tools to do more and work less. The wheel was the most important invention to change how man works. It created a means to move things. We now look at a wheel and take it for granted, but just imagine the role it plays in everything we do. Originally man had to do everything by himself: hunt, fish, make tools, utensils, cut down trees, and build his home, plant crops, raise livestock and much more. Eventually man began to specialize and sell his services. He opened stores selling food, seeds, clothes, tools. This saved time, and man had more time to raise crops and tend to livestock. Water at one time was the fastest and easiest way to move goods .Overland transportation opened new avenues to ship and receive goods. This opened new markets and the wants and needs of people changed. They were no longer self dependent. As demand for items increased man found he needed to produce more and faster. This led to the industrial revolution and mass production. The assembly line was started and workers came from the farms and foreign lands to fill the labor demands of new and emerging factories. This marked the change in how we work. It was a steady progression to improve work and what and how we do things...Over the years we have seen the change from agriculture, to the industrial revolution, to automation and technical change. Automation was to replace man with machines. It changed the assembly line and meant new skills were needed to control and produce goods. It was no longer manual labor and repetitive skills, but decision skills were added to run and operate machines. Technology has transformed work to the point that little or no manual labor is needed today. We have progressed from the earliest forms of computers to the smallest hand held devices. We have gone from rooms of unit record cards and computer tapes to unbelievable amounts of data being stored on devices no bigger than a pin head. We once needed large numbers of worker to collect and process data, today we have transitioned to fewer and more skilled workers to replace the unnecessary repetition of work. Technology has eliminated repetition and steps in the work process. We have been transformed into a service based society. We no longer concentrate on producing goods but managing and operating the machines and systems that once required large numbers of workers. Through inventions, innovations and modern transportation we are no longer isolated from the world. We have become a global society with global markets. Much of the work once performed in the United States is now performed overseas. This has created a need to look at work in a different perspective.The variety of work and how it is performed has changed. Factories and offices have become automated, machinery to harvest crops is bigger and faster, our homes are equipped with all kinds of gadgets requiring maintenance and repair, health care provides elaborate testing and procedures to keep us healthy, the military uses high tech equipment to protect and keep us safe, modern technology and engineering has put men on the moon. We’ve come along way from the horse and buggy days. The advances in the past 100 years have outstripped the advances of centuries of inventions and work. We’ve built on the past and into a whirlwind change to our culture and society. We now live longer, look younger, are more mobile, better educated and informed.The question becomes; how do we fit into this new and changing world? Years back it was clear, you worked on the farm or factory. Today the opportunities and options are unlimited. Next week let’s take a look at these opportunities and options to determine how we can best fit into this new world of work.Your Neighbor on the Front PorchSasiad
Posted by FROM THE FRONT PORCH at 11:53 AM
1 comments:
A PERSPECTIVE OF WORK
Welcome To My Front Porch. Today I invite you to join me in a series of discussions on work. Work is a major part of life. In one way or another we are always working. For some, getting up in the morning is work, cleaning house, gardening, washing the car, doing dishes, watching the kids are all forms of work... Whenever you’re expending energy, its work. In our discussion, I would like to concentrate on work for compensation. You can call it a job, profession, or just something you get paid to do.Work has taken many forms over the centuries. Agriculture was the earliest form of work. It was a necessity, you need food to survive. Man was always looking for ways to make work easy. So they learned to develop and invent tools to do more and work less. The wheel was the most important invention to change how man works. It created a means to move things. We now look at a wheel and take it for granted, but just imagine the role it plays in everything we do. Originally man had to do everything by himself: hunt, fish, make tools, utensils, cut down trees, and build his home, plant crops, raise livestock and much more. Eventually man began to specialize and sell his services. He opened stores selling food, seeds, clothes, tools. This saved time, and man had more time to raise crops and tend to livestock. Water at one time was the fastest and easiest way to move goods .Overland transportation opened new avenues to ship and receive goods. This opened new markets and the wants and needs of people changed. They were no longer self dependent. As demand for items increased man found he needed to produce more and faster. This led to the industrial revolution and mass production. The assembly line was started and workers came from the farms and foreign lands to fill the labor demands of new and emerging factories. This marked the change in how we work. It was a steady progression to improve work and what and how we do things...Over the years we have seen the change from agriculture, to the industrial revolution, to automation and technical change. Automation was to replace man with machines. It changed the assembly line and meant new skills were needed to control and produce goods. It was no longer manual labor and repetitive skills, but decision skills were added to run and operate machines. Technology has transformed work to the point that little or no manual labor is needed today. We have progressed from the earliest forms of computers to the smallest hand held devices. We have gone from rooms of unit record cards and computer tapes to unbelievable amounts of data being stored on devices no bigger than a pin head. We once needed large numbers of worker to collect and process data, today we have transitioned to fewer and more skilled workers to replace the unnecessary repetition of work. Technology has eliminated repetition and steps in the work process. We have been transformed into a service based society. We no longer concentrate on producing goods but managing and operating the machines and systems that once required large numbers of workers. Through inventions, innovations and modern transportation we are no longer isolated from the world. We have become a global society with global markets. Much of the work once performed in the United States is now performed overseas. This has created a need to look at work in a different perspective.The variety of work and how it is performed has changed. Factories and offices have become automated, machinery to harvest crops is bigger and faster, our homes are equipped with all kinds of gadgets requiring maintenance and repair, health care provides elaborate testing and procedures to keep us healthy, the military uses high tech equipment to protect and keep us safe, modern technology and engineering has put men on the moon. We’ve come along way from the horse and buggy days. The advances in the past 100 years have outstripped the advances of centuries of inventions and work. We’ve built on the past and into a whirlwind change to our culture and society. We now live longer, look younger, are more mobile, better educated and informed.The question becomes; how do we fit into this new and changing world? Years back it was clear, you worked on the farm or factory. Today the opportunities and options are unlimited. Next week let’s take a look at these opportunities and options to determine how we can best fit into this new world of work.Your Neighbor on the Front PorchSasiad
Posted by FROM THE FRONT PORCH at 11:53 AM
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