How To Stop Smoking To Enhance Your Career

The Dr Phil television show last Wednesday (January 22, 2008) featured a man who had a heart attack but checked out of the hospital so he could smoke a cigarette! Job-searchers, who can't stop smoking for the sake of their health, can be motivated to stop for the sake of their careers.

It's nobody's business if you smoke, unless you're a candidate for a senior-level position. Then you better think about "what happens after I quit smoking," or your career plans could go up in smoke.

It's no secret that corporations do lots of checking before offering positions to higher-level job hunters. Potential employers check you out carefully because a company's life and disability insurance premiums skyrocket for smokers. The cost of key person insurance can be up to 100% more for the executive who smokes. That's why candidates for senior positions are often required to reveal how much they smoke and drink. It's no wonder you're still puffing away despite a New Year's resolution to quit smoking. Experts say nicotine is a stronger addiction than alcohol. So it's tougher to stop smoking than it is to stop drinking. Alcoholics in recovery stop drinking "one day at a time." Many former smokers have used the same method to quit. So when it comes to tips on how to stop smoking, stop telling yourself you'll quit forever but will not smoke just for today.

So when your New Year's resolution to stop smoking hasn't kicked in yet, change your attitude from stopping cold turkey to postponing your next smoke for ten minutes. Then go without a cigarette for 20 minutes the next time, working up to longer periods between smoking. That's how I practice quitting many years ago when I wasn't ready to stop for a full day. Before I knew it, I had stopped smoking one day at a time.

When you're a job candidate who is not ready to quit and is still puffing away, avoid lighting up before interviewing or you'll smell like a cigarette. Your last smoke can be an hour beforehand. Then chew gum or pop a mint ten minutes before you meet and greet.

Now you can reflect upon the question, "what happens when I quit smoking?" The answer for job hunters and senior level employees is clear. You're chances of climbing up the corporate ladder is a heck of a lot easier when you stop smoking. You can fall off if you don't.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/944079