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Career Development
January 2006
Career Center: New Year’s Resolution—Time
to Make a Career Change?
By Peter Langlois, co-editor Weekly Restaurant Connections
 Honest
self-assessment is healthy, and so is ambition, provided its not blinding.
Sometimes when we’re passed over for a promotion we rationalize we just
didn’t get a fair shot, or that the person who did get the promotion we
wanted either developed a better relationship (maybe even sucked up?) or
got lucky. I suggest that often that person was more focused and worked a
self-development plan. Simply put, the harder somebody works, the luckier
he or she gets! We can’t control what others do, but we certainly can
control our own destiny if we take charge.
While we might think, for example, our performance speaks
for itself, nothing could be further from the truth. We must learn to be
our own best advocate by communicating throughout our network: Up, down,
sideways, you name it. The farther we go in management the more critical
communication skills become, in particular verbal communication. But don’t
under-estimate body language: Some of the best leaders know how to send a
message without uttering a word.
So how do I position myself to win the prize that lies in
front of me? As a headhunter, I found there was always one defining moment
in whether or not someone got a job offer: The job interview. While the
cover letter, resume, and initial phone screen get you in the door, it’s a
great interview that makes or breaks the deal. This is why I wrote:
“Interviewing to Advance Your Hospitality Career? Here’s a Road Map to
Success!” I wanted my candidates to be the best prepared and to be the
best candidate on the day of the job interview.
Notice I say best prepared on the day of the interview.
That’s because everyone who is interviewing for a position on a given day
has already been deemed qualified. Otherwise companies wouldn’t spend
money flying in candidates and possibly interviewers as well. As I have
told numerous candidates, you have to be the most compelling candidate on
that day. Everybody who has been invited to the interview is qualified!
I know of no better advice than that given by Ben
Franklin: “Plan your work, work your plan!” If you’re truly focused on
moving up within your organization, or looking to another company to
advance your career, I suggest you start on
www.RestaurantU.com “Tools of the
Trade for Business, for School, for Free!”
“The Interview Road Map” is a winning plan for
self-advancement, as it stresses learning how to become your own best
advocate. The prize very seldom comes to those who wait but rather to
those who prepare. You’ll be surprised at just how lucky you can be when
you display confidence and a winning attitude during an interview.
Could this be the year you have an opportunity to move up
or move out to another company? Don’t let 2007 be the year you’re looking
back at missed opportunities. This is the best day to get to work on
advancing your career. (ESL note: You’ll find a Spanish Language version
of “The Interview Road Map” in “Espanol Career Features”)
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Peter Langlois is founder of
www.RestaurantU.com: Tools of the Trade for Business, for School, for
Free!,co-editor of
Weekly Restaurant Connections (e-Newsletter), Culinary Instructor,
The Art Institute of Houston-Culinary, and Management, Marketing
and e-business Facilitator at The University of
Phoenix (Houston). Langlois is also a Malcolm
Baldrige 2005 Ambassador. He has a Political Science degree
from Michigan State University (Modern International Chinese Relations)
and an M.B.A from the University of Houston (Marketing and Business
Strategies). If you enjoyed this feature, you’ll probably enjoy his free
newsletter available on
www.RestaurantU.com.
Contact information: 832.860.5595 or
peter@restaurantu.com
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