Career development plans, in the past, were outlined for an employee by the employer. Employees began employment in an entry-level position and, with increased seniority and additional training, worked their way up through the organization. Career development plans work differently today. Unfortunately, many organizations no longer outline it. Career development plans are up to each of us individually. So how can we create our own career development plan?

This question reminds me of a job I had in which I was required to travel across the nation setting up city-wide seminars. I drove a semi-truck to cities throughout the nation loaded with all of the equipment and materials for conducting the seminars. I set up for the seminars and became the Seminar Assistant Coordinator for the week. Headquarters sent out a staff of five employees who did this. We covered 35 states and averaged 3-10,000 people at each seminar.

It did not take long to notice there were holes in the communication between the "field" staff and headquarters. I was constantly missing information and materials needed. Because I knew the field process and had developed relationships with the staff, it was not difficult for my boss to say "yes" when I approached him about a new position for myself that would give support to the field staff in conducting these seminars. I had identified the problems and knew how to change and correct them because I had lived through the process. Those in the field easily backed my suggested new position because they needed the support and wanted the process to run more smoothly. They knew I could get the job done. This new position came about because I saw a need and had a solution.

I created a new department (Seminar Support Services) and grew the support staff for this Department to 8 employees. So where is the opportunity for career development in your position or at your organization? It lies with you and your creative resources and your observations of what needs to be done. What are your creative resources? The most important is what you enjoy doing!

Here are four career development plan perceptions that will help identify how to jump start your career:

Career Development Plan Perception #1 - Be a resourceful employee.

Find ways to create opportunities but at the same time solve a problem or create value to the organization. As you develop more challenging work for yourself and succeed, your worth to the organization increases. This gives you "the right to be heard" when performance and salary increases are discussed.

Career Development Plan Perception #2 - Know how the organization feels about you and your work.

Always be open to communication and initiate it. If needed, meet with your boss on a monthly basis and talk about your development. For example, ask if you are still on target in your development plan or what things need more work to keep your development plan on track. Stay in charge of your career development. Always ask what you are learning from the position, organization, and experience. If you do not feel you are moving forward, then you are probably losing ground.

Career Development Plan Perception #3 - Do not get too comfortable.

Even when a position is easy and comfortable for you, if it is not a good fit for your success patterns, you are settling for less. Do not settle for less than you can do or accomplish. I have a friend who says that if she is not in an uncomfortable situation, then she is not growing or learning. So she constantly puts herself in uncomfortable situations such as attending a networking event alone. If you get complacent about your work, the organization will do that too. Find a culture that energizes and challenges you.

Career Development Plan Perception #4 - You have been in the position so long now that you do not care about it, or about how you look when you show up for work.

In fact, winning the lottery is your way out of this dead end job. BEGIN TO TAKE AN ACTIVE ROLE IN YOUR CAREER AND LIFE! (Yes, I meant that to be in all caps!) If you are in this situation, start writing your exit plan and start exploring other ideas and opportunities.

Bottom line - do not settle for less in your career. Our work involves too much of our time and lives to settle for a complacent, boring or non-challenging position. Create a career development plan to move forward. Have more than one plan of action. If Plan A is to create your own position at the company, then go for it. If that plan goes belly up, try Plan B which might be to move into another area that can increase your experience for that next step up. Always have a plan and keep moving forward!

Ideally, the mutually-accepted final salary structure will be the outcome of a successful interview process. However, your expectations must be realistic. A little research on deciding upon the expected salary will be helpful.

A realistic assessment should be done to calculate your worth as an employee, which should be tested against the present market or industry standards. Several factors such as type of industry, kind of work, geographic location, supply and demand, or simply the growing need for a professional workforce in a specific industry play an important part in salary considerations.

After preparing yourself in these areas, it will be helpful to follow a three-point formula for the actual salary negotiations during the interview.

Never Be the First to Bring Up the Topic of Salary

Do not rush to bring up the matter of salary in your interview. First, let the employer decide whether you are suitable for the position. Eventually, the topic will come up in the interview - but avoid starting it if possible.

You will blow your credibility if you start the discussion by asking for a particular figure. This gives the impression that salary is your major consideration in applying for the job.

Just as in a card game, it is always best to hold your trump card until it’s time to play it. Announcing your anticipated salary early in an interview may very well eliminate your chances of getting the job, especially if the figure turns out to be too high. If you have set your limit low, it eliminates the opportunity of getting a higher figure if the employer is already thinking of one.

Therefore, it is best not to include salary expectations in your resume unless salary has been specified in the job-opening announcement.

Do Your Homework

Some research is needed before you go on the interview. Explore details such as average salary for that position in the job market, and evaluate your experience, expertise and educational qualifications. Other factors to take into account are the reputation of the company, the hierarchical status of the position offered, and the geographic location.

The perks that come with the salary, if any, should also be considered. Feedback from friends working in that company or colleagues working in the same industry is helpful in getting such details.

Don’t overlook websites that deal with employment and job opportunities.

Do Not Jump At the First Salary Offered

Don’t grab the first offer instantly. Take time, a couple of days perhaps, to consider the offer. Consider some hitches that might go unnoticed. Review the offer; consider all the possible aspects as well as your chances of getting ahead in the position before accepting it.

If you find it doesn’t meet your expectations, let the employer know the salary you anticipate and justify it by pointing out the requirements of the position and your experience and expertise for earning it.

This may not always result in getting you your asking salary; it’s entirely likely that you may need to negotiate and come down a bit. Even if that happens, you will come into the position with your own self-worth established.

Like marketing, successful closing is important in an interview. If you are marketing your worth in an interview, make sure to successfully close the deal and negotiate your salary.

When preparing for your next job interview, you’ll want to have top-notch answers to the 8 most common interview questions. These answers provide a guideline to follow, and the most important thing to do is be yourself when answering these common interview questions. The sincerity that will come through will do more to impress the interviewer than anything you have to say.

Given that, here are the 8 most common interview questions:

1. Tell me about yourself.

Perhaps this the most famous and common interview question of all interview questions. "Tell me about yourself" is the gateway to just about anything you wish to say. When asked the question, the interviewer doesn’t want to know where you were born or what color your hair is. This question prompts you to show the interviewer why you are qualified for this job. Your answer may reveal some of your greatest achievements or how your past experience might relate to the job you are applying for.

2. Why would I hire you?

For this common interview question, you need to realize that the better answer you give, the easier it is for the employer — It’s up to you to give the employer a reason to hire you. This is a great time to tell the interviewer about any past work experience that is relevant to the job you are applying for. You might say, "When I was working at my previous job, I did (fill in with specific duty or responsibility). I feel that this experience will allow me to excel at this position I am applying for." This helps the interviewer picture you in the position, and is a great answer to this common interview question.

3. What are you strengths?

The first thing you should do is figure out 2-3 things about yourself that you really like about yourself and elaborate. This should put you in good shape to answer this commonly asked interview question. Always support your strength with a real-life example. For example, you may say you are dedicated. You should back this up with the time at your last job where you had an important project due and worked extra hours to make sure it got done, for instance. Now the interviewer has better insight into your work ethic and how you conduct yourself in pressure situations.

4. What are your weaknesses?

When answering this common interview question, you always want to give an answer that isn’t really a weakness. You may say, "I don’t speak a second language," or "when I start a project, I can’t focus on anything else until I get it done." This shows that you are dedicated and hard working. You never want to truly bash yourself when answering this common interview question. That isn’t the point. Making a positive seem negative is the trick.

5. What is the most important thing to you in a job?

If there is something really important for you to have in a job, be honest and say it. Remember, a job interview is a tool to reveal the best fit for the company. If something is really important to you that the company doesn’t offer, it is best to reveal it now. Out of all the common interview questions, this is the one where you really need to follow your instincts.

6. What are you career goals?

Employers ask this interview question because they want to see what positions you might grow into if you were hired. The company may be looking for a candidate they can groom into their next Senior VP. However, if you are only looking for a job to cover you for the next couple of years, it might not be the best match.

7. Do you have any questions for me?

Do your research ahead of time and if you truly have a question, ask it. When you ask legitimate, relevant questions, you show the interviewer you put in time to research beforehand. However, don’t ever ask questions just to ask questions or to look good. The interviewer will sense your lack of authenticity right away and that may hurt your chances. Make the time to think of an intelligent question about the job before hand. You may ask, "what is a typical day like for this position?" You can also ask, "What opportunity for advancement does this position have?"

8. Why did you leave your last job?

Whatever the reason was, tell the story of why is was mutually beneficial for you to leave the company. Never blurt out, "I got fired," and end it at that. It makes you look bad and can even make the interviewer feel uncomfortable. Prepare an honest story with a logical reason that doesn’t reveal too much personal information or company gossip. If you did get fired, you can use this as an opportunity to discuss what you lessons you learned and what you would now do differently.

Now you have top-notch answers to the 8 most common interview questions. Keep practicing your answers and nail your next interview!

The reason why we discuss self-introduction solely is because of no matter what form of interviews, it is must needs a self-introduction at first, as well as your self-introduction in the interview should leave the first impression to the interviewer, first impressions are shown to be very hard to change, so it is obviously that self-introduction is an very important stage of interview.

The duration of self-introduction would roughly about 1 minute to 2 minutes. Because most job seeker would prepare for self-introduction in advance, and should oral presentation in recitation, interviewer often browse your resume within these several minutes, observe the way of your expression, and look at what of your achievements are you most proud of. Even so, you should keep your eyes on the interviewer most of the time in the presentation, other than endorsement with your head bowed.

Self-introduces is the first stage of interview, there are several strategies should be considered. We summing up the strategies as " URBAN "(Unique, Relevant, Bonding, Arousing and Neat) which could be used on the self-introduction of an interview:

Unique

The purpose of self-presentation is to make you stand out from the other candidates in the first minutes. So the introduction must be unique!, think about which of your distinctive strong suit or experience should be unique. For example: If you have been living in poverty-stricken area about two months, to help people in the area, try to understand their perspectives, This kind of experience is necessary to be introduced in a self-interview.

Relevant

You should know: the interviewer merely wanted to know your personal experience and personal characteristics, and thus judge whether you satisfy the requirement of applying positions, So you should remove such irrelevance information in self-introduction, For example: maybe there are some important events in history happened on the day you were born, but this has no relationship with your future work, so you should not mention it at all in self-introduction.

Bonding

Interviewers are ordinary people like everyone else, they are also will tend to hire people who are similar to them or someone they liked. It is more difficulty to refuse a friend than a stranger, who would be willing to hire someone they are unwilling to work together in the future?, So you should doing investigation and collecting some information of the company before you attend interview, find out what of your characteristics will suit with the culture of the company, but you should not to fictional characters and incidents cater for the interviewer just for the sake of bonding. If they find out you don’t have the characteristics what your have calmed later, they will suspicion of your credibility and integrity.

Arousing

Although most of the self-introduction prepared in advance and would be recited out, the represent methods of recitation are also very crucial. Let us think about it, the interviewer listening to a dozen or even several dozens of self-introduction all day, most of recitation pretty monotonous and extreme boring, suddenly they heard a very emotional, very rich passionate self-introduction, It is naturally that the candidates should left a deeply impression to the interviewer. Therefore, you should not only prepare for the content of self-introduction, but also pay attention to your emotion and your tone of voice, the auditory effects should also play an important role in the interview.

Neat

Because of the self-introduction would finished within 1 or 2 minutes, time is very preciously, therefore the contents and represent methods should be concise. It is not necessary for you to involve in too many details, you should speak point-blank but not fussily. If a candidate making a self-introduction hum and haw, the interviewer could not expect he would give an outstanding representation in the rest of the interview.

It is necessary for you to record the tape of your self-introduction after writing and reciting it well, and besides, you’d better ask some friends to listen to it and offer some suggestions; you will prepare it in advance, while the interviewers know that you will be prepared, thus you should try your best to act it perfect.

Do not act as on-the-spot play deliberately during the interview, you will overdo if you haven’t done it well enough; while if you have done it well, the interviewers may think that you are not professional enough and you don’t pay too much attention to the company as you haven’t prepared your self-introduction. So please remember that the interviewers know that your self-introduction is prepared in advance

Kisah di musim dingin (true story, seperti temuat dalam Xia Wen Pao, 2007) Siu Lan, seorang janda miskin memiliki seorang putri kecil berumur 7 tahun, Lie Mei. Kemiskinan memaksanya untuk membuat sendiri kue-kue dan menjajakannya di pasar untuk biaya hidup berdua. Hidup penuh kekurangan membuat Lie Mei tidak pernah bermanja-manja pada ibunya, seperti anak kecil lain.

Suatu ketika dimusim dingin, saat selesai membuat kue, Siu Lan melihat keranjang penjaja kuenya sudah rusak berat. Dia berpesan agar Lie Mei menunggu di rumah karena dia akan membeli keranjang kue yang baru. Pulang dari membeli keranjang kue, Siu Lan menemukan pintu rumah tidak terkunci dan Lie Mei tidak ada di rumah. Marahlah Siu Lan.Putrinya benar-benar tidak tahu diri, sudah hidup susah masih juga pergi bermain dengan teman-temannya. Lie Mei tidak menunggu rumah seperti pesannya.

Siu Lan menyusun kue kedalam keranjang, dan pergi keluar rumah untuk menjajakannya. Dinginnya salju yang memenuhi jalan tidak menyurutkan niatnya untuk menjual kue. Bagaimana lagi ? Mereka harus dapat uang untuk makan. Sebagai hukuman bagi Lie Mei, putrinya, pintu rumah dikunci Siu Lan dari luar agar Lie Mei tidak bisa pulang. Putri kecil itu harus diberi pelajaran, pikirnya geram. Lie Mei sudah berani kurang ajar.

Sepulang menjajakan kue, Siu Lan menemukan Lie Mei, gadis kecil itu tergeletak di depan pintu. Siu Lan berlari memeluk Lie Mei yang membeku dan sudah tidak bernyawa. Siu Lan berteriak membelah kebekuan salju dan menangis meraung-raung, tapi Lie Mei tetap tidak bergerak. Dengan segera, Siu Lan membopong Lie Mei masuk ke rumah.

Siu Lan menggoncang- goncangkan tubuh beku putri kecilnya sambil meneriakkan nama Lie Mei. Tiba-tiba jatuh sebuah bungkusan kecil dari tangan Lie Mei. Siu Lan mengambil bungkusan kecil itu, dia membukanya. Isinya sebungkus kecil biskuit yang dibungkus kertas usang. Siu Lan mengenali tulisan pada kertas usang itu adalah tulisan Lie Mei yang masih berantakan namun tetap terbaca *,"Hi..hi..hi. . mama pasti lupa. Ini hari istimewa buat mama. Aku membelikan biskuit kecil ini untuk hadiah. Uangku tidak cukup untuk membeli biskuit ukuran besar. Hi…hi…hi.. mama selamat ulang tahun."*

Ingatlah, jangan terlalu cepat menilai seseorang berdasarkan persepsi kita, karena persepsi kita belum tentu benar adanya.

Take time to THINK. It is the source of power

Take time to READ. It is the foundation of wisdom

Take time to be QUIET. It is the opportunity to seek God

Take time to DREAM. It is what the future is made of

Take time to PRAY. It is the greatest power on earth....... .

PENGUMUMAN
Nomor : 32/TU.210/A5/8/2008
PENERIMAAN THL TB PENYULUH PERTANIAN 2008

Dalam rangka revitalisasi penyuluhan pertanian untuk mewujudkan visi pertanian modern berbasis iptek , berkeadilan dan berkelanjutan, Departemen Pertanian akan merekrut tenaga-tenaga (SDM) yang mampu melaksanakan tugas-tugas penyuluhan pertanian di desa-desa di seluruh Indonesia, dengan status sebagai Tenaga Harian Lepas (THL) Penyuluh Pertanian yang akan ditempatkan di kecamatan/desa di seluruh Indonesia. Penempatan Tenaga Harian Lepas (THL) tersebut akan mempertimbangkan kedudukan/domisili calon THL Penyuluh yang bersangkutan .

Bagi yang berminat, dapat mengajukan lamaran dengan ketentuan sbb:

A.
Persyaratan:

1.
Warga Negara Indonesia, pria atau wanita;

2.
Usia maksimum 50 tahun per 31 Desember 2008;

3.
Sehat jasmani dan rohani;

4.
Berkelakuan baik;

5.
Berpendidikan:


a.
Tingkat pendidikan;



§
Lulus SMK bidang pertanian dalam arti luas, kecuali perikanan dan kehutanan (SPMA, SPP, SNAKMA, STM-Pertanian, SMK Pertanian dan sejenisnya diutamakan yang mempunyai jurusan peternakan & perkebunan );



§
Lulus Diploma (D-III, D-IV ) bidang pertanian dalam arti luas kecuali perikanan dan kehutanan;



§
Lulus S-I bidang pertanian dalam arti luas kecuali perikanan dan kehutanan.


b.
Dari sekolah/perguruan tinggi negeri atau swasta terakreditasi.


c.
Nilai Indeks Prestasi Kumulatif (IPK) menjadi pertimbangan dalam seleksi administratif.


d.
Diutamakan kepada pelamar yang telah memiliki pengalaman bekerja di bidang pertanian dalam arti luas kecuali perikanan dan kehutanan


B.

Penerimaan Tenaga Harian Lepas Tenaga Bantu Penyuluh Pertanian dibuka untuk pelamar dari Propinsi seluruh wilayah Indonesia kecuali Propinsi DKI Jakarta, dan yang berasal dari Kota seluruh Indonesia karena jumlah THL TB Penyuluh Pertaniannya dianggap sudah mencukupi (berdasarkan data penyuluh yang ada).


C.
Persyaratan lain:

1.
Memiliki motivasi kerja tinggi untuk membangun pertanian melalui kegiatan penyuluhan;

2.
Mampu bekerja keras dan dedikasi tinggi pada tugas-tugas penyuluhan pertanian;

3.
Bersedia bekerja/ditempatkan di desa-desa di seluruh wilayah Indonesia;

4.
Bersedia bekerja dengan status Pegawai Tidak Tetap dengan sistem kontrak dalam masa kerja tertentu maksimal (11 bulan dalam 1 tahun), dan dapat diperpanjang sesuai kebutuhan dan kemampuan dana yang tersedia dan maksimal dua kali masa perpanjangan kontrak ;

5.
Tidak menuntut untuk diprioritaskan diangkat menjadi Pegawai Negeri Sipil;

6.
Apabila terjadi pemutusan hubungan kerja, karena sesuatu hal, tidak akan menuntut pesangon atau ganti rugi di kemudian hari.

7.
Bersedia mengikuti pelatihan sebelum melaksanakan tugas.





D
Jumlah Tenaga Bantu PP yang dibutuhkan 10.000 penyuluh terdiri :

§
Lulusan SMK pertanian sebanyak 4.000 orang;

§
Lulusan Diploma (D-III, D-IV )sebanyak 1.000 orang;

§
Lulusan S-I sebanyak 5.000 orang.





F
Mekanisme Pelamaran:

1.
Surat lamaran ditujukan kepada:


Menteri Pertanian cq. Panitia Seleksi Tenaga Bantu Penyuluh Pertanian PO BOX 789 JKS 12001

2.
Surat lamaran paling lambat diterima oleh Panitia seleksi THL TB Penyuluh Departemen Pertanian tanggal 10 September 2008 (tanggal pengiriman/cap pos) .

3.
Setiap AMPLOP luar kanan atas wajib ditulis asal kabupaten dan propinsi pelamar
Surat lamaran ditulis tangan dengan , menggunakan tinta hitam dengan dibubuhi materai Rp 6.000 ’- dan dilampiri:


a.
Daftar Riwayat Hidup;


b.
Fotocopy Ijazah dan Transkrip Nilai yang dilegalisir oleh pejabat yang berwenang;


c.
Pas Photo hitam putih ukuran 3x4 cm sebanyak 4 buah;


d.
Surat Keterangan Dokter yang menyatakan sehat jasmani dan rohani;


e.
Surat Keterangan Berkelakuan Baik dari Kepolisian;


f.
Bersedia ditempatkan di desa-desa di seluruh wilayah Indonesia;


g.
Surat lamaran beserta lampiran dimasukkan kedalam stopmap folio sbb:



§
Warna Biru untuk pendidikan S1.



§
Warna Hijau untuk pendidikan D-IV.



§
Warna Kuning untuk pendidikan D-III.



§
Warna Merah untuk pendidikan SLTA.
G
Seleksi dan Penetapan Tenaga Bantu:

a.
Seluruh berkas lamaran akan diseleksi secara administratif;

b.
Pelamar yang lulus seleksi administratif, akan dipanggil melalui internet /Website Departemen Pertanian untuk mengikuti seleksi/tes pengetahuan teknis pertanian, dan pengetahuan umum (secara tertulis) dan seleksi wawancara ;

c.


d.
Pelamar yang lulus seleksi/tes sebagaimana dimaksud dalam butir b akan diusulkan kepada Menteri Pertanian untuk diangkat/ditetapkan sebagai THL Tenaga Bantu Penyuluh Pertanian ;
Bagi pelamar THL TB Penyuluh yang lolos seleksi akan tetapi mempunyai Ijazah diluar SMK pertanian dan S1 pertanian seperti yang dipersyaratkan maka yang bersangkutan akan dibatalkan diangkat sebagai THL TB Penyuluh Pertanian ;

e.
Pelamar yang lulus seleksi tertulis dan akan diangkat/ditetapkan sebagai Tenaga Bantu PP akan diumumkan melalui internet atau media massa paling lambat tanggal Minggu pertama bulan Nopember 2008;

f.
Pelamar yang diangkat/ditetapkan sebagai Tenaga Bantu PP sebagaimana dimaksud dalam butir c, segera menandatangani Surat Perjanjian Kerja yang disediakan oleh panitia,

g.
THL Tenaga Bantu Penyuluh Pertanian diharapkan dapat aktif bekerja mulai tanggal 1 Februari 2009.

h.
Hasil/Keputusan Panitia seleksi tidak dapat diganggu gugat.

i.
Apabila dalam penyelenggaraan seleksi ditemukan pelanggaran, agar segera dilaporkan disertai bukti-bukti otentik yang dapat dipertanggung jawabkan baik secara yuridis maupun administratif kepada Menteri Pertanian melalui Telp/Fax. 021-7804166


H
Lain-lain:

Informasi lebih lanjut mengenai rekrutmen Tenaga Bantu Penyuluh Pertanian akan disampaikan melalui website Departemen Pertanian,

”www.deptan.go.id”

”http://portalagribisnis.deptan.go.id/pegawai/thl/08/rekrut-thl-08.htm”

”http://gis.deptan.go.id/pegawai/thl/08/rekrut-thl-08.htm”














Jakarta, Agustus 2008




Panitia Seleksi THL Tenaga Bantu Penyuluh Departemen Petanian

ngambil dari email yg dikirim tmn gwe ke email gwe kekekekekek

Menjawab permintaan dari salah seorang pengunjung di shoutbox gue, kali ini gue mau sharing sedikit pengetahuan yang gue punya tentang proses negosiasi gaji. Tapi perlu dicatat; mengingat sekarang gue udah cukup lama meninggalkan dunia per-HRD-an, mungkin informasi yang gue sampaikan di sini udah nggak terlalu update lagi. Jadi, jangan telen mentah2 apa kata gue, cek dan ricek lagi dari sumber yang lain ya!

Kenapa sih kita harus menegosiasikan gaji?

Kenapa nggak langsung aja ditentuin oleh perusahaan?
Untuk menjawab ini, pertama-tama perlu gue jelasin dulu bahwa struktur gaji di sebuah perusahaan biasanya ditentukan dalam range (rentang), dan range-nya saling overlap satu dengan lainnya. Memang nggak semua perusahaan menetapkan struktur gaji dalam range seperti ini, tapi sebagian besar sih begitu.

Untuk jelaskan coba perhatiin tabel ilustrasi berikut: