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It’s always tough to give advice on career success factors because there isn’t really a set of formula you can follow that can guarantee career success. A combination of various factors in the right context and with the right character will give your career a boost.

For senior executives, these 5 career success factors will probably work more as a reminder. For career newbies,especially if you are in your first year of work – these factors will be your guide to a career boost. Like all career advice I give, do not expect instant results. Practiced often and you will see the results.

1. NOW! Do things NOW! Do not procrastinate. Nothing irks a manager more than a newbie at work that is already showing signs of lazing or taking short cuts. Attack your work immediately. Have a plan of attack to the work that is assigned to you.

Without procrastinating you can finish your work much earlier. This allows you to be assigned more work. As the trust with your supervisor increases, he/she will assign you more and more important work. Make a decision now to put in place a plan for this career success factor.

2. Next Steps Never leave a meeting without clear next steps that you are required to complete. A date of when the work is expected to be completed by you is part of this next step. This also applies to your discussion with your supervisor. Always seek to clarify what’s needed from your end before you leave the discussion.

If you are lucky enough to be chairing any meetings or are a project leader, remember that listing the set of next steps or action plan is your responsibility. When you have clear next steps; who and when the task should be completed, you become productive. You get a career boost when you are productive. It is one of the easiest career success factors to practice.

3. Notice No, I do not mean giving notice. Notice here means being a keen observer of things around you and people. Now, it does not mean being nosy and to start gossiping. Every office has their dynamics. Do not be pulled into the politics that can hurt your career at an early stage. Notice here means to observe and to take note of things. When you notice things you become more careful. You also become better at knowing how things work in the office. You will blend in better. Notice and learn what are the norms of the industry, the ethics and the legalities. Notice the corporate culture and who is in charge. Sometimes those truly in power are those who can influence the bosses.

4. Nice Amongst all the career success factors, this is probably one that is the easiest to do. Being nice does not mean you go around volunteering to make coffee for your colleagues. It can mean very simple and sincere greetings of “Good Morning.” It can also be a pleasant smile.

You need to be mindful to do this in order to transfer it to your colleagues. Ever noticed some people smile and greet for the sake of doing it? You can’t really feel that they mean it? All else being equal, being genuinely sincere and nice can give you a career boost.

One sub point I would add to this is to be neat. This means being organized, clean and orderly. As a freshie with these efficient behaviors, you become nice to work with, as you are productive.

5. Network Sure, you are new to the industry. There are very few people you know. But that should not stop you from finding out where people hang out and when. Start with your colleagues first. Where do they go for lunch?

To network at a smaller scale is to get your face recognized. Then you can work on getting your name known. There is a caveat to this, while networking is one of the important career success factors – make sure you deliver good work. All the networking cannot give you a career boost if you do not deliver good work.

These career success factors work well for career newbies and can give you a career boost. But remember to seek to do great work first before thinking about how you can boost your career.

By: Long Yun Siang

About the Author:

Now, it’s up to you to conduct a winning face-to-face interviews with those persons who will make the final hiring decision. It’s time to sell the total package that is you and the benefits you can deliver. In other words, it’s time to close the deal. Will you make the sale? It’s not likely if you commit one or more of the most flagrant errors of omission or commission. Here are 14 such bombs that can sabotage your interview, along with advice on how to avoid them.

1. Be over confident. Assume the interviews are just a formality on your way to a job offer.

2. Fail to gather information about the potential employer before the interview such as mission of the organization; type of business; where the job you are interviewing for fits in the hierarchy and culture of the organization.

Having this information in hand enables you to demonstrate your interest and to tailor your presentation to fit the requirements of the position.

3. Fail to lay out a map for the case you want to communicate; include the points you mean to make and the questions you will ask.

Know the impression you want to leave with the interviewers. Identify at least three points you mean to communicate as well as a brief summary. Rehearse, rehearse, preferably with some one who can and will critique your presentation.

4. Be late for the interview.

There is no surer way to show a lack of respect and interest than to arrive late for an interview.

5. Fail to pay attention to your physical presentation from the moment you enter the premises of the potential employer until you are well away from all contact.

Remember, you are selling a total package.

Strive to make a favorable impression on everyone you meet from receptionist to the final interviewer. Adhere to the code of dress. Unless you know for certain that the environment is casual dress in business attire. In any case, be well groomed.) Walk briskly, heads up, shoulders back. Don’t slouch when seated. Avoid the dead-fish handshake. Speak distinctly. Keep in mind that everyone you encounter is important to your mission. Be courteous to one and all.

6. Fail to concentrate on the interviewer and the give and take of the discussion.

Maintain eye contact; avoid gazing out the window or admiring the artwork on the wall. Unless forced by the interviewer, avoid chitchatting about the weather and the score of last night’s big game.

7. Ask about work hours, time off and other benefits before an offer is in hand.

8. Fail to treat the interview as a two-way communication process. Sit out the interview like a knot on a log. Let the interview become a monologue conducted by the interviewer.

Asking well-informed questions demonstrates you are interested in the opportunity and shows off your qualifications, as well as personality. In addition, they develop information you need to evaluate how the opportunity serves your career goals.

9. Waste valuable time bad criticizing your former employer (s) and people you have worked with.

10. Lie about your qualifications.

11. Let your guard down when it appears the interview is over.

A canny interviewer may act as if the interview has ended, then blindside you with questions in order to see how you react to the unexpected. What appears to be an off-the-cuff comment or question could be among the most vital parts of the interview.

If you are invited to a meal, keep in mind that you are still being interviewed. Mind your manners. Avoid alcohol. If the interviewer insists, limit yourself to one glass of wine. Don’t order food that can be difficult to eat without making a mess.

12. Overstay your welcome.

Once the interviewer has signaled that it is time for you to go–even though you are anxious to keeping selling–wrap up the discussion and leave in short order.

13. Fail to make it absolutely clear that you want the job.

14. Fail to express appreciation for the opportunity to interview; thank everyone with whom you had contact during the interviewing process.

Here’s the core message to this career advice: To conduct a successful interview present yourself as a product to be sold. Mind your total packaging (i.e. dress). Identify the benefits you can deliver.

To get more advice on how to protect and advance your career during tough times, sign up at http://www.CommonSenseAtWork.com for a free subscription to Ramon Greenwood’s widely read e-newsletter and participate in his blog. He coaches from a successful career as Senior VP at American Express, author of career-related books, and a senior executive/consultant in Fortune 500 companies. www.commonsenseatwork.com

You have finally calmed down from the helter skelter of your graduation and the party afterwards. Your relatives are asking you what you are going to do now that you have graduated and you are still waiting to hear back from a couple of job interviews.

Although you are not totally sure that you have given an employer the best impression you are confident that you will have the job of your dreams. Your friends and relatives want to give you career advice but much of it seems unrealistic.

Now is not the time to worry that something is wrong or that you have done something wrong. When you begin your first career search it can be a bit daunting and a little scary but this is because you are acquiring a new skill that you didn’t know you had.

To get you started on that job search here are a few tips:

Tip 1: You don’t have to do this alone. When you are looking for your first job it is a good idea to talk to as many people as you can about the jobs they have open and how your skills meet their openings. Do some job interviews but also do information interviews where you are just looking for information. This can gain you more career advice than you ever imagined.

Tip 2: Dress like you already have the job. Students who dress for success and wear the clothes for the job they want will always come out on top. You want to dress in the way you imagine the top level job you want will require. Present yourself in the best light by dressing professionally no matter what the job you are interviewing for and someone will notice.

Tip 3: Get experience if you don’t get your job right away. If you don’t find the job the first time, look for ways to get experience. Hopefully you found a career that you liked in college and you are leaving with some experience. If this is not the truth, then now is the time to get the experience you need for the job that you want. Take a part-time job in the field or do some volunteer work.

Tip 4: Check with your recruiting office for career advice. Most colleges have recruiting offices and they help their students get jobs. Check out the job boards because these will be jobs that are friendly to new graduates. Ask your recruiting office about opportunities for paid internships because these can be a way to get started in your chosen profession quickly.

Tip 5: Be flexible – This is probably the best career advice we can give you because first jobs are usually made for those people who will step into a lesser job in order to get to the job they want. Don’t be afraid to do this and keep your eyes and ears open for more opportunity. The final career advice we have for you is to be as relaxed as possible when you go in for the interview.

Sharon Alexander – Career Consultant
For more information on how to manage your career successfully, and to get a free job hunting report, visit Claim That Job at http://www.claimthatjob.com.