The Young and Inexperience

It's tough breaking into the job market when you are young and have little or no experience. (What a gem of wisdom!)

Since you will be applying for entry-level jobs, your competitors are also entry-level candidates. So all the my advice still applies. You are trying to put across the best image you can. Your opponents will not have the advantage of this advice. Follow it. Have you a better plan? No? I thought so. But if you do, please tell me.

Your task is to prepare for as many problems and opportunities in the job hunt as possible in the best possible manner. Given that your competitors have little job-hunting skills, proper preparation can give you a significant advantage.

Understand this: The advantage is achieved only through hard work. Do your best to take control.

Sometimes you are not really sure what the company does. At this point you really do not care what it does. You simply want a job. Yet you had better find out what it does. The more you
know, the better you can phrase your resume. At interview time you want to ask intelligent questions so you had better find out.

Few understand the whys and how's a business operates. If you do not understand the basics then how are you to do your best?

The young (and not so young) sometimes have little understanding of what business is all about. Negative feeling about business are rampant in the media. What are the young to do? You need to make a living. That means working for a business. To be happy, the conflicts between the need to earn a living and the negative feeling about business must be resolved.

Somehow business is viewed as "dirty." How can the young who have those feelings reconcile working for business? Pollution, over packaging, plant closing, all unpleasant subjects that make you wonder.

Let me tell you my experience: The vast majorities of businesses are run honorably, use the highest of ethics and are good corporate citizens. That does not mean they do not make mistakes or do stupid things. We too are prone to mistakes. But at least they try to do the right thing.

Yes, you hear and read a lot about the big bad business. But consider the thousands upon thousands of companies being good corporate citizens. Keep your eye on the bad ones but also keep a proper perspective on the subject.

Just how does a business work?

No matter if the business provides a service or a product, the successful ones operate on a very simple basis.

The simplest to explain and one that applies to all is a concept called Zero Defect Manufacturing. If you are seeking employment in a service industry etc. then consider it Zero Defect Servicing. Follow along and you will get an interesting insight and an appreciation for what you should be doing on the Job. Apply yourself to Zero Defect Manufacturing and you will be successful no matter what operating strategy the company follows.

Successful Zero Defect Manufacturing (or service provider) is based on three simple concepts:

• Every item performs as the customer expected it to.
• The price is fair.
• The product (or service) is delivered on time.

The advantages of following this concept as an individual or as a company are outstanding. I will cover the companies’ role. For simplicity when I say product it also refers to a service organization.

Every company make rejects/mistakes. But let’s assume if it only shipped products where every item performs as the customer expected, consider the results:

• No product returns.
• No customer complaints
• No Repair Department.
• No Complaints Department
  
  It has been my experience  that salesmen spend one-third of their time correcting mistakes made by themselves and others. They spent the time filling out Return Material Authorization forms, apologizing etc. The list goes on. A huge part of the company is dedicated to correcting mistakes.

What if every product performed satisfactorily, the price was fair and delivered on time? You end up with either one-third more sales staff to further increase sales or with one-third less sales staff results in fantastic savings.

Product works as expected.
No product failures, returns etc.

The price was fair.
Since the product works as expected the demands for a cost reduction diminish.

Delivered on Time.
No customer frustration here.

The combination of all three goals attracts customers. People want to buy from you as it is cost effective for them to do so.

So it is a simple formula for business success. All can understand it. It is not a complicated endeavor to understand the rules of success. Unfortunately it is very hard to do. The successful companies try very hard to achieve the ultimate goal.

Hmmm. Let’s see if the rules can be rephrased for the employee:

• Every work assignment is performed satisfactorily.
• A fair day’s work for a fair day’s pay.
• Never late, never absent.
  
  Are these not the same as the company rules rephrased for the individual?

The three rules can be applied to your private life:

• Do what is expected of you to the best of your ability.
• Treat others fairly with love and respect.
• Do not let others down. You know what is right. Do it.
  
  It took me a long time to realize this is a basic and fundamental rule that guides me through life.

Love Yourself

It is a blessing to be mentally healthy. Mentally healthy people have a deep need to be worthwhile. Unfortunately few are taught a simple method of how to feel worthwhile. We all want and need to be worthwhile. It is very depressing when your attempts are met with failure only because all your energies were ill focused and brought few rewards.

Angry about your frustrations and failures? Welcome to the human race: frustrations and failures are part of life. Move on and try again.

Do you have a low opinion of yourself? If you do, you are mistaken. Consider this: God does not make junk. Oh, we humans make lots of junk, garbage, and waste. Name one thing God made that is junk. I can name a lot of things He made that I do not understand why He made it. Flies for example. They really annoy me. But they are a work of marvel and are not
junk. God does not make junk. God made you. Therefore you are not junk. Know, like, and love yourself as special and act accordingly.

Be at peace with yourself.

Forgiveness does not change the past.
Forgiveness changes the future.