ACS career tips Dealing With Deadlines TRIM OR MISS? If you know you won’t be able to meet your deadline, should you trim part of the project and submit 80% on time, or should you continue working on the en-
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WE EACH HANDLE deadlines in our own way—some of us prefer to work well in advance, and others might gravitate toward the “just in time” mode. Still others create milestones, or minideadlines, to keep themselves on track. How you handle deadlines can make or break your professional reputation because your ability to meet deadlines greatly affects how your coworkers think of you. Making sure that you are both responsible and responsive to your projects’ deadlines can go a long way toward advancing your career and helping your team function more smoothly.
DETERMINE THE DEADLINE. Every task or project you are responsible for comes with at least Deadlines can an implicit deadline. Make sure tire project and turn in a complete be intimidating result that’s late? As soon as you you know exactly what is expected but can serve of you and when it is expected. If anticipate a problem meeting your as a useful the deadline appears unrealistic, organizational deadline, you need to start thinking make sure you understand the about contingency plans. The eartool. true scope of the assignment. lier you discuss contingencies, the In some cases, you may need to more efficiently you can focus your renegotiate the resources (time, materials, efforts. As a result, your coworkers will have and personnel) assigned to the task in order time to adjust their expectations. to make the deadline reasonable. BALANCE COMPETING DEADLINES. EVALUATE THE LATITUDE. In some cases, Because you will rarely be working on only the deadline request “By close of business one project, with only one deadline, make today,” really means “On my desk when I arsure each project is moving forward in a rive tomorrow morning.” In other cases, the timely manner. Even if you are working on request might mean, “Must be completed only one project, you may want to break it and entered by 4:45 PM today.” It might down into smaller pieces, each with its own even mean, “I’d like to see it sometime this deadline. week.” Different companies, managers, Deadlines can be useful tools to help and even projects have different cultures, prioritize work and keep your project movso make sure you know what the deadline ing forward. Tracking and meeting your really is. deadlines will enhance your professional reputation as someone who is reliable and CRITICAL PATH. You need to understand dependable, and that will position you for how your task is tied to other tasks on the new career opportunities when they arise. same project. Are there other people with projects that cannot move forward until Get Involved In The Discussion. The ACS your tasks have been completed? Or are Career Tips column is published the first you working in parallel so that if something week of every month in C&EN. Post your holds up your piece, the overall project can comments, follow the discussion, and sugstill proceed in a timely fashion? Clearly, gest topics for future columns in the Career if others are waiting on you, meeting the Development section of the ACS Network.— deadline is critical. Brought to you by ACS Careers WWW.CEN-ONLIN E .ORG
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