Chapter 3: Maintain Your Career
You’ve launched your career. Now get busy and
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Build your reputation.
Increase your network.
Use your experience to help others.
Chart your course for the long run.
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Chapter 3 Objectives
Define your morals and values.
Build and maintain your professional
network.
Explain why working in a team can be
rewarding.
Define what a mentor is and does.
Extend your goals into the future.
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3.1 Creating a Professional
Reputation
 Your value to your company depends on the
name you make for yourself.
 Create a good name for yourself through your
actions and your deeds.
 Your actions mirror your values
(the beliefs that prompt your
behavior) and morals
(standards upon which you
judge what is good or bad,
right or wrong).
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What Do You Value?
 Knowing your values & morals helps you
plan your career and make tough
decisions at work and at home.
 Do you value:
authority? independence? security?
creativity? spirituality? risk-taking?
power? money? prestige? comfort?
helping others? working with others?
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What Makes You Valuable to Your
Company?
 Your reputation is built on a combination
of your:
- ethical treatment of others,
- skills in leadership, problem-solving,
team spirit, communication,
- credentials (your education and
professional knowledge—degrees and
certificates),
- experience from past jobs.
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Wanted: Professionals Qualities
- Respect for self and others.
- Trust. Self-esteem. Confidence.
- Initiative. Accountability.
- Team spirit. - Customer focus.
- Leadership skills.
- Problem-solving skills.
- Communication skills.
- Knowledge and experience.
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Know the Codes
 Ethics are rules of conduct followed by a
group or culture.
 A code of ethics is a set of written rules of
conduct for the members of a group or
organization to follow.
 Read your company’s code of ethics that
protects them from legal problems and spells
out its stand on issues such as second jobs
and trade secrets.
 Know your group’s ethics; don’t violate them.
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Practice the Golden Rule
 Do unto all others as you would
have done unto you.
- The receptionist today may be your
boss next year.
- People treated with respect and dignity
become strong allies who can help and
back you.
- Keep others’ respect by giving back.
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10 Ways to Build Your Reputation
1. Always do your best work, even if you
think no one will see it. You never
know!
2. Keep any promises you make.
3. Meet your deadlines.
4. Take responsibility for mistakes.
5. Share credit with others who’ve helped.
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6. Go the extra mile.
7. Work to make a good impression on
everyone, not just your superiors.
8. Accept challenges; try new things.
9. Focus on the positive.
10. Act with integrity and style in all you
do. Don’t compromise your values—or
yourself.
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3.2 Building & Maintaining a
Professional Network
 A professional network is made up of business
people outside your office.
 Build it when you meet people:
- Join professional associations in your career
field.
- Attend seminars and
conferences.
- Volunteer for public
service work.
- Take classes.
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 You’ll build it if you:
- introduce yourself to others
- give your business card
- exchange information
- volunteer for a committee or to be a speaker
or a tutor
- join a study group or campus activity
Birds of a feather…. Choose to network only with
those who share your values and morals.
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Know Your Network
 Get others’ business cards; write key
words from your conversation.
 Keep a professional network journal that
includes both personal & professional
details of the other person.
 Put your journal on a PDA or
 Use a database system (a computer
program that stores similar information
in the same place) for business contacts.
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Mother Was Right
“If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say
anything at all.”
 Backstabbing and bad-mouthing your coworkers and network contacts, even with a
“trusted” other, will damage your reputation &
destroy your network.
- People will avoid you or watch you
cautiously.
- You’ll lose respect and trust.
- You’ll be passed up for
promotion.
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when you leave a company or
team also damages your network, reputation,
and promotion chances.
Instead,
Making a lateral move?
- Leave an organized workspace;
- Train your replacement;
- Thank former co-workers to keep your bonds
with that department strong.
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Your Mission, If You Choose to
Accept It…
 Read the company’s mission
statement that defines its
business, purpose, & values.
 Make your company’s mission
your mission.
 Loyal professionals committed to their
work and team reach their goals by
helping their company reach its goals.
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3.3 Taking and Giving Credit and
Recognition
 Successful professionals know
the importance of visibility—of
doing good work & letting
people, especially their
managers, know about it.
 People who promote themselves without
bragging rise to the top faster.
 Team members will remember your
willingness to share the credit.
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There is No “I” in TEAM
 A good team can produce more, more
efficiently while benefiting its members.
 Collaboration (working together) makes use of
each member’s strengths.
 Motivation (the will to act) comes from
enjoying working together and knowing the
team needs you.
 Use “we,” not “I,” when speaking of
the team’s good work; give credit
to everyone on your team.
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Ways to Promote Yourself
Graciously
 E-mail network people, asking what they’re
doing and sharing the news of your good
projects.
 Put your profile on your company or alumni
website or professional organizations’
websites.
 Tell your personal network;
no
one will hold your family’s
shameless praise against you.
 Don’t be shy at interviews.
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 Pass messages of praise from customers
or clients on to your supervisor.
 Ask for letters of recommendation for
your file when you leave a job or
department.
 Volunteer to speak about your work,
company, or projects to groups
outside your company.
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 Mentor new employees whose good
impressions will reflect on you.
 Be sincere about what you care for and
take pride in.
 Be humble. Promote your team or the
people who have helped you.
 Be memorable. Look your best, enjoy
yourself, and make people feel good
when they’re around you.
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 Because you have consciously created your
professional profile, people will know
- who you are
- what you’ve done
- what you might do
 Your positive professionalism will make
reaching your career goals that much easier.
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3.4 Using Your Experience
 You are reaching your benchmarks.
 Now it’s time for you to help others get started.
How?
- Be a mentor, giving advice to others &
helping them to learn & grow to their fullest
potential.
- Be a tutor.
- Be a good manager.
- Serve your community.
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Mentoring
 You’ll need experience & knowledge in your
field, patience, and excellent communication
skills.
 You’ll be a role model.
 You won’t be a psychologist. Refer mentorees
with emotional problems to HR or a
professional counselor.
 You may mentor at work to reduce employee
training costs.
 You can also mentor in your community.
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Be a Good Boss
 Being a good boss is like being
a mentor.
 To be a good boss:
- lead by example.
- communicate well and often.
- keep your emotions under control.
- give your employees the tools needed to do the job.
- help them set individual goals.
- have an open mind; there’s no one right way to do
anything.
- coach employees to solve their own problems.
- don’t assume; do ask to avoid misunderstandings.
- refrain from unethical behavior.
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Serve Your Community
 Doing charity work & community service to
make someone’s life better enriches your life
and your good name.
 Your company can “adopt” a school to provide
volunteer help & materials.
 You can also mentor:
- new members in your
professional organizations.
- troubled or disabled children.
- college students in your field.
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What’s Next?
You’re a good mentor and manager.
You’ve reached your career goals.
Now what?
Stay fresh by learning new things.
You could be an entrepreneur and start
your own business or change careers.
 Whatever you choose, make a new goal,
and go for it!
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3.5 Planning for the Long Run
 Plan now for your future and your
family’s, including plans for your
children’s education.
 Learn about your company’s health and
retirement benefits.
 Make your retirement plan like you made
your career plan.
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Retirement
 Don’t rely only on Social Security or company
pension funds.
 When planning for retirement, ask:
- When do I want to retire?
- What are my retirement goals?
- How much money will I need?
- What kind of investor am I? Aggressive or
conservative?
- How much money must I save?
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Retirement Planning Options
 Your company may have a defined
contribution plan that pays benefits
based on the amount in your account
plus any investment earnings.
 If your company has a SEP (Simplified
Employee Pension), it decides what
percentage it will contribute to your
investment account.
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 A 401(k) plan lets you take money from your
pay and invest it through the company.
- Most companies match all or part of your
contribution.
- You don’t pay taxes on it until you retire,
when your taxes should be at a lower rate.
- You choose among offered investments.
- If you change jobs, you take your money with
you to your next company.
- You can borrow against the money in certain
situations like buying your first home.
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Sock It Away
 Be happy if you receive a percentage of
the company’s profits in a profit-sharing
plan.
 Some companies let you buy shares of
their stock in an ESOP (Employee Stock
Ownership Plan).
 Remember when you get your pay to
always PAY YOURSELF FIRST.
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Healthcare Benefits
 Healthcare is a standard benefit to fulltime employees in most companies.
 It includes maternity and sick leave.
 The two most popular medical insurance
plans are:
1. POS (point of service plans)
2. HMO (health maintenance
organizations).
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Point of Service Plans
 You choose your primary care physician.
 You choose any specialist and hospital
on your network list.
 You can also choose any doctor outside
your network, but you’ll have
to pay more.
 Preventive care like annual
check-ups is usually covered.
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HMOs
 You choose a primary care physician.
 You cannot see a specialist until your
primary care doctor refers you to one.
 You must use the doctors & hospitals
in your network, or you’ll pay all the
costs.
 Preventive care procedures are fully
covered.
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Dental & Vision
 If you have dental coverage, it may be a DMO
plan that covers 100% of preventive services &
has reduced rates for other services by
network dentists or
 Your dental coverage may let you choose your
dentist, but you’ll have to pay more.
 Vision care plans cover exams & lenses at
100% & have reduced rates for frames &
contacts with network doctors.
 Out-of-network dentists and eye doctors will
cost you more.
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Doing Drugs
 Prescription drugs, that is.
 These drugs are usually included in your
medical coverage.
 You’ll get a card to present to the pharmacist.
 You’ll get a discount or have to make a small
co-pay payment (a set amount you pay for
healthcare or prescriptions, with the insurance
company paying the rest) as you do at doctors’
and dentists’ offices.
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College Savings Plans
 Some employers provide educational benefits
for you, but
 Employers do not provide college savings
plans for your children, so
 Consider the tax-free 529 plan soon available
in all 50 states and D.C. Make small payments
monthly in either:
- the pre-paid tuition plan based on today’s
tuition costs or
- the savings plan that does not guarantee it
will keep up with tuition increases.
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Make Your Retirement Plan
 Making informed decisions and having a plan
for retirement can make your retirement a
success too.
 Before making your plan, ask yourself:
- Do I want to retire or start another career?
- Where do I want to live?
- What lifestyle do I want?
- What about long-term
nursing care?
- Funeral expenses?
- What does my family or
spouse want?
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Chapter 3 Recap
IF you:
 Guard your good name through ethical
conduct,
 Make a professional network; avoid burning
bridges and bad office politics,
 “Sell” yourself and your team; acknowledge
the help of others,
 Are a mentor and a good role model,
 Understand your company’s benefits and plan
for your retirement,
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Then you’ll be a successful professional
 in charge of your career and
 in charge of your life.
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