Sunday February 14, 2010
As Olympians Go for the Gold in Vancouver, You Can Go for the Gold in Your Health Career
If you've been watching the Olympics at all over the past few days, you may see many examples of performance and success that could be applied to your health career, or job search. Whether you need strength and inspiration to get through med school or to secure that perfect job, here are a few things we can learn from the Olympians and apply to our daily professional lives and goals.
Preparation and discipline: Many Olympians train for 20-40 hours per week. They practice their skill and their sport in a variety of conditions. In addition to practicing their sport, they also participate in other drills, strength training, and mental preparation. In your career or job search, you should be constantly reading, learning, and doing whatever it takes to improve your knowledge and skill set. Instead of watching your favorite TV show or going out with friends, you need to research the company where you are interviewing tomorrow, or study for that upcoming test. It takes discipline and good decision-making skills to be the best.
Coaching: A coach helps the athlete determine his or her strengths and weaknesses. A great coach can help you step up your performance and results by overseeing the preparation, conditioning, and goal setting mentioned here. You may or may not want to hire someone to be a career coach, but at least you need a capable, experienced mentor who is experienced at navigating the educational, political, or administrative processes you'll need to manage to get to your goal, whether your goal is an MD degree, an RN, or a new job in healthcare.
Support: Even the best Olympians experience failure, injuries, or other obstacles that may temporarily prevent them from reaching their ultimate goal. This is when the athlete may need to rely on a support system, which may include a coach, but also teammates, family, and friends, who will be there for the athlete and help him or her get through the rough patch. You will experience trying times as well, and this is where your family, friends, coworkers, or mentor can really be an excellent source of support and motivation for you. Also, these are the same people who will celebrate with you and enjoy the victory when you do get that degree, or that new job.
Tenacity: One thing you'll see in every winter sport - falls, crashes, and spills. And nine times out of ten, if it is physically possible, the athlete gets back up on the skis, the sled, or the skates, and does whatever it takes to get across the finish line, one way or another. In your career or job search you will certainly face rejection, failure, and obstacles in many forms. It may be an application that is denied to your dream school, or the job you don't get offered, or the patient who slips away despite your efforts. No matter what the obstacle may be, you must be able to pick yourself up, get back on track, and keep going.
Conditioning & Proper Gear: In addition to practicing their sports, Olympians must also keep their bodies in top health and condition through diet, healthy habits, and strength training such as weight lifting or other drills to help them keep their bodies in shape. That is because the athlete's most important piece of equipment that will get them to their goal is their body. Yes, as a professional or job seeker, you need to be healthy to complete your goals, but you also need to keep your other career and job search tools and resources in top shape. This includes keeping your resume' in top form, your internet presence clean, your references in order, your grades up, and your interviewing skills sharp. These are all skills and "equipment" that you need to maintain, to be as successful as you can be in all aspects of your career.
Performance under pressure: All jobs, and many career searches involve performing under pressure. Not many jobs are as high-pressure as the health care field can be. You need to be able to make life or death decisions, think quickly on your feet, assess a situation and act accordingly under strenuous circumstances that could include trauma, impending death, or a multitude of other critical situations. Therefore, all of the preparation, knowledge and practice you've accrued over the months and years will culminate at those defining moments when you need to make those do-or-die decisions. For career-seekers, your defining moment could be a challenging question at an interview, or some other less traumatic, but still key, moment. If you have not completed all of the necessary aspects of preparation, you will not be able to perform at your highest peak level in these defining moments of your career.
Goal-setting: Olympians are highly motivated and driven to achieve their goals. Their passion is their sport. Your passion must be in medicine; otherwise a health career may not be the right place for you to experience the highest level of success. Olympians must set a goal and have the passion to push towards it and achieve it. Setting clearly defined goals is an important aspect of any career, or job search. Whether your goal is a promotion, raise, new job, or an advanced degree, setting goals that are achievable and have a time limit will help you to maintain your focus on the objective at hand.
As you can see, job searching and career advancement have a great deal in common with the Olympic competitions. Especially in today's market, you must have the competitive edge and drive to win over your competitors. How are you going to edge out your competition? Every fraction of a second counts in an Olympic event, and every detail of your career advancement strategy or job search could be the one that makes the difference between success or failure.7 Career Tips From Winter OlympiansSource: www.about.com
View this post on my blog: http://travelnursesuccess.com/7-career-tips-from-winter-olympians
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