Career Chaos

NEW AMERICAN WORKPLACE

Gotta get the book, The New American Workplace, by James O'Toole and Edward Lawler. The authors presented a webinar today based on their book (sponsored by the American Management Association) where they analyzed the changes, consequences and choices of today's organizations. They also traced the evolving history of work in America. Their book is based on serious research.

Some items of interest from the webinar:

1) Every individual has to manage his own career as companies won't accept that responsibility anymore.

2) Companies are less willing to make long term investments in their employees' professional development.

3) Although there are several companies out there that encourage participative work environments, many large companies resist this mode as it would limit executive pay checks.

What can an employee do?

SIGNS YOU'RE DUE FOR A CAREER CHANGE

Remember when you first started your job? Everyone and everything was new, different and full of promise and hope. You were excited about all the possibilities and eager to get started solving the problems of your company.

Today, perhaps only a few years later, everything's changed. You may have a new boss, or new team members, at the very least. Systems have changed, perhaps company direction has changed, and you're beginning to wonder what you ever saw in this position anyway.

If any of this rings true for you, you may be ready for a career change. Want to find out if it's time for you to move on? Get my free report, "The Top 17 Signs You're Due for a Career Change and What You Can Do About It!"

BUILDING AN ONLINE NETWORK

Whether you're looking for a new job or just trying to manage the career you already have, it is common knowledge that networking is the key to success. But if you're like most people, networking takes a lot of time and energy - commodities usually in short supply.

Linked In provides an online solution for strategic networking. The popularity of online networking is growing in leaps and bounds. Now's the time to get involved. Check out my Linked In button under my picture on this blog. See what a difference a few connections can make to your being found online.

HOW TO FIND A JOB

In December, I posted my top tips for finding a job in 2007. Well, I was interviewed on local TV about just that topic on December 20, 2006! View my Kansas City Live apearance here. It's only 5 minutes long...

HOW DO YOU GET PROMOTED?

I attended an interesting seminar yesterday, delivered by a business professor. She presented the topic, "Myths on Moving Up the Ladder." A lot of good stuff here, but one thing in particular really resonated:

You won't get promoted at work as a reward for how well you do your job, but rather only for how your promotion will play in to the company's overall succession planning process. It's all about the company's needs - not yours.

Interesting - is this really true?

JOB SEARCH SITE FOR OVER 40

Challenged at finding job opportunities if you are over 40? Check out this new job search site. It offers a lot possibilities: Jobs 4.0. I'm interested in your feedback.

CAREER MEGA SITE

Need a place for some career self-help? Check out Quintessential Careers for lots of resources and advice. Enjoy!

CAREER CHAOS ISN'T EASY, BUT IT'S WORTH IT!

Making changes under pressure usually results in the wrong decisions. Who can think clearly if you've just lost your job? However, if you have the financial resources and peace of mind, then, by all means, take the time following layoff or termination to carefully explore the changes you want to make in your next career move.

"Change Isn't As Easy As It Sounds" (Kansas City Star, 12-31-06) addresses the dilemma of how much change one should undertake in finding a new job after layoff or termination. It makes for an interesting read, but fails to tell the stories of those who did make radical career changes successfully.

As a career coach, my files are filled with those success stories. It is possible to make radical career changes that result in your increased happiness and overall job satisfaction. It's up to you to decide when you are ready to change instead of just looking for a job that pays you for doing the same old thing.