Career Chaos

FIND YOUR "JOY BUDDY" FOR JOB SEARCH MOTIVATION

Do you struggle with finding your creativity when exploring new career possibilities? Some of my career coaching clients do. They let the overwhelm of money worries, coupled with the facts and fears brought on by high unemployment rates, get in their way of productive introspection and career clarification.

As a dog lover living with three rescued canines (I only get rescued dogs - but that's for another post), I regularly watch Cesar Milan's "Dog Whisperer" TV show. One of his frequent lessons is to explain that dogs live in the present, not the past or the future. We can all benefit from living in the present. Instead of dwelling on the past (why was I laid off?) or fearing the future (I'll be living on the street with a tin cup in a year), job seekers can help themselves more by focusing on the present.

"Present" questions to ask yourself:

• What are my core values and why are they important to my career?
• What makes me want to get up in the morning and go to work?
• What job skills am I good at AND love to use?

If you let your emotions, or fears of the past or future, cripple your creativity, you will freeze your ability to act. And you have to act to change your job situation for the better!

I found an inspirational article that I recommend to anyone trapped by their worries: "How to squash worry and grab more happiness out of life in tough times". Please read it and discover things you can do today to get your job search back on track once you make room for creativity to flourish again. And while you're at it, find a "joy buddy" - dogs make great "joy buddies," by the way.

FINDING YOUR "MOJO" AFTER A LAYOFF

NOTE: Job Action Day was initiated by Quintessential Careers. Look for other career-related blogs that display the above logo. Hope you enjoy my contribution.

Wonder where your MOJO went?

It seems like every day I pick up my phone to hear a job seeker cry, “Help! I feel so lost. The layoff crushed my self-esteem and I can’t find the energy to start looking for a new job. What can I do?” My first response is “Breathe!” Then, “Please tell me your story.”

Usually the layoff was not your fault. However, knowing that fact may not provide comfort if your identity is tied up in your career. Please try to remember that the layoff wasn’t personal – chances are you were doing a good job. The company just needed to cut back. To conduct an empowered job search, begin by accumulating baby-step wins to enhance your self-esteem. Don’t try to recover your “mojo” in one giant leap.

With unemployment hovering around 10%, we tend to forget that 90% of the country is still employed. Furthermore, the “10%” includes all occupations in all industries. Experienced workers with college degrees enjoy a lower unemployment rate. Many of us are looking at the glass as 10% empty instead of 90-95% full!

Panic and self-doubt can dominate a job search when fed by the media. So tune out and turn off the news! Beware of all the advice you get from well-meaning friends and family. Don’t let yourself be influenced by matters beyond your control. Yes, I said, “control.” There are still ways to control your job search and career.

Begin by taking inventory of your skills, talents, knowledge, interests, experience – and toss in a healthy dose of values, those things that are must-haves in your life. Do online and off line research to find the fields that ARE hiring. Determine how your “best stuff” can be a match for open job opportunities. Sounds easy, doesn’t it? Actually, it’s a lot of work – which is why you need to make looking for a job a full time job in itself. Scheduling job search tasks in a daily planner can help you stay on track – make appointments with yourself and keep them.

Surprisingly, the most difficult task is the research. (You thought I was going to say networking, didn’t you? Gotcha!) Research is where many job seekers get stuck. They try to stay with what they are familiar with instead of branching out. For example, if you’ve been part of the corporate scene all of your life, have you even considered exploring federal government work? Take a spin around www.usajobs.gov and see if anything there catches your eye. At last glance, this site had over 32,000 government jobs posted on it. Don’t let the government application process discourage you. It’s somewhat different from the process you’re familiar with, but it is doable.

As part of your research, try to find someone to talk to who is actually doing (or has done) what interests you. It helps to get the scoop first hand. LinkedIn, where you should already have a robust profile, is a good place to make these connections. (Did you know that this web site is where recruiters go first when looking for candidates?) LinkedIn is also best web site for online networking. (Yes, networking IS a critical part of the job search success equation.)

Finding “anything, just anything” isn’t the best solution to getting reemployed. While you may need to take on a temporary position for a little while, hold out for the permanent job that will challenge your mind and feed your soul. Yes, it’s a jungle out there, but it’s still possible to land on your feet when you trust your instincts and know you deserve the best.

Now, go get your MOJO back!

SPECIAL NOTE: I am honored to be a member of the Career Collective, a group of career experts who will each month share their advice and tips to enhance the management of your career. Please link to their blog posts below. And follow our hashtag #careercollective on Twitter:

Debra Wheatman: Plan B from outer space; or what do you have in case your first plan doesn't work out

Heather Mundell: Green Jobs - What They Are and How to Find Them

Erin Kennedy: Cutting Edge Job Search Blueprint

Gayle Howard: The Enlightened Jobseeker

Grace Kutney, Securing Your Career While Navigating the Winds of Change

Hannah Morgan: Career Sherpa Why Our Job Search Advice is the Same but Different

Heather R. Huhman: Take Action: 10 Steps for Landing an Entry-Level Job

Laurie Berenson: Making lemonade out of lemons: Turn unemployment into entrepreneurship

Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter: You Can Thrive In, Not Just Survive, an Economic Slogging

Rosalind Joffe: Preparedness: It's Not Just for Boyscouts

Rosa E. Vargas: Are You Evolving Into The In-Demand Professional of Tomorrow?

Dawn Bugni: Your network IS your net worth

Miriam Salpeter: Optimize your job hunt for today's economy

Barbara Safani: Where the Jobs Are: 2009 and Beyond

GL Hoffman: The Life of An Entrepreneur: Is It for You?

Katharine Hansen: Job Action Day 09: His Resume Savvy Helped New Career Rise from Layoff Ashes

Martin Buckland: Job Search: The Key to Securing Your Future Career

 

Chandlee Bryan: Where the Green Jobs Are

CAREER EVOLUTION, NOT CAREER REINVENTION

We hear a lot these days about the need to re-tool, re-train or re-invent ourselves into a new career to survive the workplace jungle. My suggestion is that we look at this process differently. Think of it as a "career evolution" that you're experiencing.

From global warming to global business, change is occurring rapidly. Many occupations have disappeared forever. But your skills and knowledge have not been lost. Your challenge is to determine how to transfer what you know into new occupations and new fields.

Look at your career as a small business - you are the CEO. Now, manage it! Create your career plan as a CEO creates his business plan. Look to the future; study the trends. Make your plan fluid and flexible. Relying solely on the past is not the ticket to future career success.

EMPLOYER REQUIRED SMART PHONES - YEA OR NAY?

Last week a reporter interviewed me for an article he's writing on how employer-supplied "smart phones" affect employees’ work-life balance. My first reaction was that work-life balance is a concept I haven’t heard much about lately. During the recession workers have been more focused on hanging onto their jobs at all costs – even cutting back to part time and reducing their salaries. But work-life balance? I haven’t seen people come out from under their desks and ask for that. Sure, there’s grumbling about long hours, work-related stress, and just-wait-until-this-recession-is-over-when-I’ll-look-for-another-job - but “balance” appears to be a dream right now for the distant future.

That being said, the issue of how smart phones affect work-life balance is an interesting one. When you accept or are assigned a PDA or Blackberry from your boss, how much of your life are you surrendering to your career? I can appreciate that fast-trackers like the idea of being on-call 24/7. An excellent example of how that works can be found in the movie, “The Devil Wears Prada,” where a career ladder-climbing fashion assistant always puts her personal life after the demands of her boss. But what about real life? What happens when you live your life on-call?

What does “on-call” can mean to you? If you categorize yourself as a 24/7 smart phone carrier, work issues will interrupt your movie, vacation, or son’s soccer game. Is this annoying, or do you just accept it as the way it is?

What does your business smart phone mean to those around you? What does your husband say when you leave the table at the restaurant during your anniversary dinner? Or how about your kids – do they “get it” that your work comes before them? Really?

The human mind is complicated. When it’s filled with only one thing (e.g., work), your creativity around that one thing will become stifled. Your brain needs to breathe! Only when you take a break and forget about work for awhile will you become more productive at your work. Really!

So when you interview for your next position, be sure to ask what is expected of you in the after-hours. Will you be assigned a smart phone? Then decide if this is the way you want to live your life before accepting a job offer.

JOB SEARCH FOR FEDERAL POSITIONS

Job seekers say they want more information on finding federal jobs, but don't know how to find it. The web site, Where the Jobs Are, has been updated for 2009. It's well worth the time to check this out - for both job seekers and career coaches.

The site is keyword searchable. It also offers tons of information on how to find U.S. government jobs for the next three years, job trends to be aware of, and resources you really want to have. I've bookmarked this web site and advise you to do the same.

"JULIE & JULIA": A SCRIPT FOR CAREER TRANSITION

"Julie & Julia" appealed to me on many different levels: I love to cook, I love Julia Child's personality, but as a Career Coach, I most love the process of career transition demonstrated in the movie. Seeking a purpose to her life as she felt stuck in a mundane job, modern day Julie set a goal to cook her way through Julia's French cookbook in a year - and blogging about it every step of the way. Her blog took on a life of its own (as blogs can do) and propelled her to job offers from media and publishers. Voila! No more mundane job - hello new career!

Responding to the question every Career Coach asks a hopeful career changer, "What do you really like to do?", Julie Child tells her husband, "Eat!" In a parallel universe we watch Julia Child engineer her own career transition from stay-at-home wife of a diplomat to a professional French chef student that leads to teaching and then to writing her renowned cookbook - half a century ago. With determination and commitment to the process, she keeps pursuing her cookbook dream despite publishers' rejections. She networks (as does Julie) with people who can help her.

The first ingredient required to start any career change process is self-motivation. Julie and Julia did not quit, despite the many obstacles thrown into their way: spouse relocation, unsuccessful cooking attempts, negative comments from others. Instead, they stay focused on their goals, fearlessly trying new things and thriving with the support of those who truly cared.

What really grabbed my attention in the movie was how powerful the blog became as a vehicle for skyrocketing Julie's career transition. Many times a week I discuss blogging with my career coaching clients. Want to get a new job? Start a new career? Then get known on the Internet! That's the first place hiring managers and recruiters look today to learn more about you before scheduling any job interview.

If you don't have a presence on the Internet, you are at a disadvantage - almost as much as if you have a negative presence on the Web. Blogs get indexed quickly so Internet surfers can find them soon after you post. Blog about your career passions spotlighting your knowledge. But if blogging just isn't for you, at least create a professional profile on LinkedIn, the most popular online hot spot for career changers and employers alike.

"Julie & Julia" is a movie everyone who desires a career change must see. Besides its obvious appeal that showcases Meryl Streep's character acting, this movie provides a blueprint for orchestrating your own career change. Watch, listen and enjoy. And take away all its tips to help YOU find the career you really can enjoy.

Bon appetit! (Change your career with confidence!)

CAREER COACHES: DIFFERENT OPINIONS ON VALUE OF THE PROFESSION

Sometimes you just have to speak your mind. And that I did in response to the article, "Your Career: Pros and Cons of Coaches" that appeared on the MSNBC website. I felt the article was presented as fact when opinion was more appropriate. I also felt it was written as advice not founded on fact.

Here is my commentary as it appears on Newsvine along with the article that prompted my response:

"So sad to see an author's opinions being presented as fact based on the experience of publishing a book or two. I wonder how many job seekers has this author actually helped? How many testimonials can she offer to her readers?

"There is NO comparison between self-study through books and regular human interaction with a trained/certified/experienced career coach. What book offers discourse on choices or empathy on personal situations endured?

"There ARE credentialing bodies for career coaches, most notably the International Coach Federation and the Institute of Career Certification International. There are even some colleges and universities now offering coursework in coaching.

"As a Career Management Fellow through ICC International, a Master Certified Career Coach through Career Coach Institute, and an Officer of the Board of the Association of Career Professionals International, I can attest to the fact that most career coaches are true professionals. Career coaches help people discover career options and make tough career choices; clarify/organize their thought processes; enhance their workplace communications; and support/guide them in solving their most challenging career-related problems. And NEVER do true career coaches find jobs for their clients!

"In this very trying recession when layoffs happen at the drop of a hat, career coaches help layoff victims work through the shock and anger of job loss so they can find the courage to risk rejection as they submit resumes into a great abyss and compete for new jobs among hundreds of candidates for each position.

"Active on both Twitter and LinkedIn, I have many times referred followers to MSNBC's career column. Too bad I won't be doing that anymore.

"Oh, BTW, I'm celebrating 10 years as a career coach this year after working as a recruiter, job developer, and employment specialist since 1986."