GovernmentExecutive.com

ktroutman@govexec.com

Happy New Year, everyone!

This year, let's talk about you. What are your plans for your career, life and happiness for 2000? Are you just going to read my columns, or are you going to make some changes for yourself?

My year 2000 Federal Career Corner is going to be focused on motivating you to do something about your job, salary, supervisor, commute, health, quality of life, enjoyment at work and any other element of your life that can help you be happy, productive and healthy. I'm going to write about topics that will encourage and help you change your job, get a raise, request and get training, become a mentor or coach, rewrite/write your federal resume, get on a Resumix database, understand and cope with KSAs, and deal with the SES application.

Another part of my column will be success stories about real people in government, with their photos, names, titles and agencies.

Last year the following federal managers were highlighted: Lee Salmon (EPA) who has founded a successful Coaching & Mentoring program; Faith Williamson for her successful fee-for-service entrepreneurial career training programs at HHS; John Marshall (Navy) for being a great IT manager (he also got an $8,000 raise with a new resume); Susan Persons (NIH) who got her new job because of her clever research into the agency's strategic plan; and Philip Diehl for his incredible turnaround of the U.S. Mint.

I'm also going to write about a new concept in government for job change and personal development: marketing, sales and public relations. Hopefully you will pick up a few tips about marketing yourself in ways other than applying for jobs through the routine vacancy announcement. New opportunities might appear without an announcement since government is changing so fast.

This year, like last year, I'm going to invite respected senior human resource managers and private industry recruiters to contribute insights and tips about areas that I think are important to your career success.

Executive Recruiter Dick Irish contributed excellent thoughts on interview tips, the Likeability Factor (in resumes and interviews), and counting down for a job search. Ned Lynch wrote a series on Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) and Senior Executive Service applications. John Wines gave us a welcome explanation of the Defense Finance and Accounting System's Resumix system.

Last year I had wonderful e-mails from federal managers like you. I published many e-mails with your permission. The dialogues on ditching the SF-171 and the Resumix resume columns were excellent. Every side was covered. Let's do it again this year.

Write to me if you have ideas for a column or a career tip. Let me know if I can use your name, title and agency (e-mail also, if you want).

Beginning next week, I will post career tips in every column. I have a large collection of tips contributed from you already. Stay tuned!

Kathryn Kraemer Troutman is the author of four books on resume writing, she is a popular and highly-motivating trainer in government and civilian military organizations, and is an avid Web site producer and communicator. Kathryn's main site, www.resume-place.com, was first published in 1995. Kathryn has been an entrepreneur for 28 years and has 3 college-age children. The Career Corner column is dedicated to encouraging readers to take control of their careers and their future.

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