Take that Leap: Jumping from One Industry to Another

 



Turning 25 in a few days brought me sudden thoughts about family, life, career, amongst a bunch of other things. Oh well—this must be quarter life crisis, and I really am getting older!

Putting drama aside, I have realized that one of my major reflection points is how I managed to job-hop like a kangaroo in the past 4 years. And I am not speaking about mere transfers from one company to another, but rather big leaps from entirely different industries.

Of course I had to make risks, gamble, put security on the line for promises of growth, burn a few bridges in exchange for a bigger network, and forget all theories learned in college to make room for awesome real learnings.



SOURCE: www.lukedockery.com

How did I manage to survive? Simple – I took what I should and left what I shouldn’t.

Using corporate world lingo, I meant focusing on transferable skills. Yes, there are such. Working as a trainer in an insurance company can make you equally useful as an account manager in a hotel. Serving as a flight attendant won’t limit you to that path as you can be in sales or marketing later on. And even the oddest switches like becoming a beauty consultant from being a police officer is indeed possible.

Transferable skills are not definite and may vary from one individual to another, but let me give you three that helped with my own survival.

·       Customer Service

In every organization under whatever industry, providing excellent customer service is key. Those who are working in the backend are not excused as you still have internal clients to cater to. The basic rule? Respond as soon as possible to answer certain queries or requests – or to acknowledge at the least. And always put yourself on the position of the customer you are attending to. Always listen, refrain from assuming, and keep communication open.

·       Account Ownership

Every role is an account management of some sort. You will be assigned with a specific group of clients, or be given a specific set of tasks. In any way, be sure to take ownership and be accountable on how you can maintain or further improve the work processes or standards of the “account” given to you. There is nothing wrong in thinking out of the box and sharing ideas on how the steady now can even be better.

·       Research

Technical knowledge is not exactly something that you need to take from one industry to the next. Except probably for specialists (like IT experts) who may be taking the industry leap but will remain doing the same function. Nonetheless, it is important to keep research skills intact as every move translates to endless learning. You will always have new computer systems to work on, protocols to memorize, people or vendors to connect to, and client cultures to familiarize with. Inability to do research is like constantly working in a passive way where you just chew whatever is given.

So who said industry leaps are always a bad thing? At the end of the day, you always take charge of your own wheel and you can survive any new environment with a solid will.

Summit Circle Cebu: Simply Satisfying

Blogger Guia Trinidad at Summit Circle Cebu

It was my first overnight business trip in Cebu and I was too worried about being in a horrible hotel that will ruin the whole experience. My main points of concern? Comfort, convenience, cost, and ghosts!

Luckily, among all the accredited hotels of the company I work for, I ended up in one which I can describe as simply satisfying.

Summit Circle Cebu, or formerly known as Midtown Cebu Hotel, is located at the Fuente Osmena Center. And as described in their official website, this structure is at the heart of everything that is bright and delightful. Though I must admit that it is not the most attractive building I have seen from afar. To my surprise, inside is a decent hotel with services and facilities that are comparable—if not even better—than other business hotels I have been into.

The rooms are clean and spacious with good enough air conditioning units. Plus, there are hot and cold showers with temperature that I easily managed for the first time! Although the comfort room, in general, can and should still be improved, I think. Major boo-boos are the toiletries provided! Nonetheless, there is a convenience store located at the hotel lobby which can always save the guests for their basic needs.

Another winning factor of Summit Circle Cebu is their buffet breakfast menu. But don’t get me wrong as their dishes are not the most exquisite in the city, but they provide a lot of choices from appetizers down to breads and cereals. Above all that, their meals give a sense of warmth that I believe makes their guests feel comfortable—as if they are just at home.

That warm and welcoming ambience is present in every corner of the hotel and in every smile of the attendants. That is truly Cebu quality, real Filipino hospitality.

Summit Circle Cebu. From Instagram: @geeyahj

The Beat Karaoke: Nothing Out of the Ordinary

A long-delayed blogpost about my encounter with the Beat Karaoke Bar at Burgos Circle, Bonifacio Global City. Bow.

This was supposed to be an upbeat write-up, but as the hype of that night died down, I realized that there was really nothing special that the place has to offer.

Yes, they have an awesome interior that most yupees would adore, but they do not have any other room variations that could cater more people of different tastes and ages. The venue’s a bit secluded, too, which can be a plus point to others who want to enjoy their videoke experience in some sense of privacy; however, it’s not the most ideal setup for a business which ought to encourage more visitors.

Rates are also not the most pop in the metro—with each room worth about 700 pesos per hour and barkada packages that can go around 5,000 pesos for 12 people. Affordable enough for a night-out in BGC, but the minimal food serving seems to reduce the value for money.

Their Pinoy-na-Pinoy menu is good though; especially that they offer the same dishes to their foreign customers. The Beat also has a wide array of songs that songsters can choose from, and they seem to make it a point to keep their collection updated the latest hits.

On the surface, the Beat Karaoke’s really nothing out of the ordinary. But with superb company like the ones I had when I hit this place last month, the Beat can be a pretty enjoyable hang-out hide-out.

EWC 2013 hits the Beat.

Powerbabies Reunite! :)

Best buddies: Suzanne Uang, Ej Tuazon, Guia Trinidad, Mae Veluz, Rej Regencia, Ivan Anyayahan, Kat Cosme, Kath Galang

ENCORE: Pru Life UK Year-End Party

Guia Trinidad with Anne Gutierrez and Andrea Ramirez

with Cams

Grand Ballroom, Intercontinental Hotel, Makati

Charice's Battle Called 'KZ'

Source: http://bidakapamilya.blogspot.com/

The X-Factor Philippines recently named their first grand winner, KZ Tandingan--a 20-year-old band vocalist from Davao City. Her raspy voice and unique singing style made a significant impact to the audience which allowed her to be an early favorite in the competition and easily distinguished her from the other contenders. 

However, it was not only KZ's pure talent that made her reach the top. A huge part of her journey was played by her X-Factor mentor--Charice Pempengco. 

KZ stunned the viewers week after week with her one-of-a-kind renditions of songs like Linkin Park's "In the End," Fugee's "Killing Me Softly," and Amy Whinehouse's "Rehab."But no single person in the audience looked at KZ with the same amusement that her mentor gave. In many of Charice's interviews, she was quoted saying that she feels proud of KZ because she is not only an ordinary singer; "she is a smart performer."

When KZ was named the first X-Factor grand winner, her mentor noticeably shared the same pride and enthusiasm. In fact, Charice intuitively exclaimed something like "for the first time, parang nanalo din ako."

Personally, it was a touching moment. Charice was vocal as to how she had lost into many amateur singing contests and how others tried to content her always as second best. With the way I see it, I think KZ Tandingan's journey is also Charice's way to achieve another victory. 

It was not her trophy. It was not her prize money. But Charice was genuinely happy to see KZ win her battle against all singing contest conformity. Truly, there is a place on top for singing geniuses who excel without becoming "biriteros and biriteras."  

Source: http://www.starmometer.com/

Demystifying Burot Island

By REMIGIA TRINIDAD

June 13, 2012, 5:16pm

Guia Trinidad

Most people would say that words are not enough to describe an awesome experience. But for me, the single word “lucky” would already suffice. I must admit that the term is quite odd. It may not sound right to express the adventure I had as merely a stroke of luck. Probably, others can understand where I’m coming from once they get to see and experience the magnificent island of Burot in Calatagan, Batangas.

This beautiful place in the heart of Calatagan is said to be one hidden treasure among the strings of paradise in the province of Batangas. The shore is carpeted with rich white sand and ornamented with tiny pieces of sea shells. Although the sand is not as white as the one that you find in Boracay, I still consider myself fortunate for experiencing the rare charms of the island.

Another exceptional element of Burot is its calm and shallow water. Some must have found it as a major disappointment, especially to those who are into water adventure. However, I personally enjoyed the placid waves and shallow seawater. I bet that those who do not know how to swim would agree with me, plus the many moms and dads who want to relax under the heat of the sun without worrying about keeping their kids close to the shore.

My luck continued as low tide occurred in the afternoon. I was able to walk and reach the middle of the sea since the water went down to knee-level. The scenario was almost perfect, minus the grassy ground with sea urchins and jelly fish swimming around.

Low tide revealed another magic for me as the whiter and clearer sand of a nearby isle gradually became exposed. To the truest sense of the word, that was the moment when I felt that Burot Island was demystified. It is, indeed, an almost untouched paradise that people can visit to enjoy the view and the warm sun while simply submerging in the clear and shallow water.

On top of all the magnificent features of Burot, tourists can easily find their way around the island. Visitors may choose to spend the night in Burot, in tents, in the sand, and under the stars.

Burot is a five-hour drive from Manila. Visitors are charged a P120 entrance fee.

Guia Trinidad. 
Thanks to Rie Lardizabal and Anne Buerano for this photo