One of my proudest moments came from my achievement of having a job offer before I graduated from college. That was a goal of mine from an early age, and it was fulfilling to see my hard work pay off. After graduating and starting my career as a manager-in-training, things were going smoothly. My daily tasks included learning how to schedule, obtaining customer satisfaction scores, and learning the facility.
After a couple of months, my team underwent a surprise visit from the audit team, and things quickly took a turn. Our instructions were for all the managers to communicate if we saw anyone from the audit team, and then promptly make sure that the area was up to standard before any assessment was made.
REACT-IVE: acting in response to something
I remember feeling rushed, pressured, and most importantly unprepared. Not because of the management team threatening me, but from observing everyone’s attitude and body language. The feelings were transferred from leadership down to management, and then we passed it to our employees. Of course, our audit results were not good, but it was truly a learning experience for me. At that point, I might not have known what good management looked like, but I did have a clear idea of how I don’t want to look, feel, or make any of my employees feel. My goal from that point forward was to be ahead of the game.
PRO-ACTIVE: Pro = before | Active = doing something
If someone is proactive, they make thing happens, instead of waiting on them to happen. Doing the little things every day in preparation will save you a lot of stress when situations arise. This way of thinking can be applied to all aspects of life.
If you are in that situation of finding employment or even just finding something better like another job, certification, or degree; being proactive can make things flow easier. Trying to figure out what career path to start or transition to can be stressful. One of the worst nightmares is going to school and taking out loans to obtain a degree that will be irrelevant in the next year. Can you imagine doing all that work and not being able to find a job anywhere? It’s more common than you think. One way you can be PROACTIVE in your job search or field of study is researching labor market information (LMI) in your region.
Workforce Solutions has access to High Skill High Growth Occupations Booklet which can be found online. The information can be used to help determine what growing jobs have openings, how much they pay, what education is required, and whether we provide scholarships to help you jumpstart your profession.
Whether you decide you want to develop your skills by entering the workforce directly, or if you decide you want to go back to some form of higher education or training, do not stress! Our career offices around the Houston-Galveston region have friendly staff members that are here to help you. In addition to assessing you to determine your interests, we are knowledgeable in assisting you with referrals through workintexas.com, resume assistance, interview preparation, and office equipment to jumpstart your career. So, be PROACTIVE about your future, and contact us Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. through 5 p.m.
Joshua Allmon is a Regional Facilitator for Workforce Solutions in the Houston – Galveston Region. Prior to joining the team, Joshua served as a resource specialist helping customers get back into the workforce by reviewing current labor market information, job-readiness skills, and community resources. Joshua’s continued driving force is to help customers get a job, keep a job, or get a better job by conducting job skills seminars throughout the 13 counties of the Gulf Coast region. He holds a B.A. in Marketing and a Minor Business Management from Grambling State University.
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