Career Chaos

LIFE AFTER LAYOFF: HERE WE GO AGAIN

Seems like only yesterday that I wrote the article, "Life After Layoff: Three Keys for Speeding Up Reemployment." Actually, it was 2002 when it was first published - and now, unfortunately, it is in vogue again.

This morning, major layoffs are in the news, e.g., General Motors. Workers begin to wonder - am I next?

If you find yourself facing a layoff, your mindset will become the biggest factor in how quickly you get reemployed. As you shift into job search mode, take care of yourself - exercise, eat healthy, get plenty of sleep - and look at career management as your new temporary full time job.

Today I was interviewed on Kansas City's Fox 4 TV morning news about how to survive a layoff. Watch this interview, read my article, and if you are currently employed, take immediate steps to safeguard your job security.

In other words, don't take your job for granted. Now is the time to touch base with your network of contacts, dust off and update your resume, and become alert to what's happening in the marketplace. You never know when your time may come, when you need to make your next career move. It's a lot easier to change jobs by choice, not by default.

YOUR CAREER VALUES VS. YOUR WORKPLACE

Are your values in alignment with your workplace? Or do you cringe sometimes because your values don't just quite fit in where you work?

Over the years of coaching many people about their careers, I've seen the values piece come up over and over again. I've learned that when you feel out of sync with your employer, you tend to feel out of place in your workplace. This will contribute to your discontent with your job and can become a primary reason for starting a job search.

Take the Workplace Values Exercise to see where your own "disconnects" are.

JOB SEARCH TIPS

Wouldn't it be nice if job search was easy? Unfortunately, it isn't. It's hard work that takes a long time to see its rewards. Here are a few tips to make it a bit more manageable:

Job Search Is a Numbers Game

Throughout your job search, ponder this - You must collect your share of "No's" before you get your "Yes." And it only takes one "Yes" to get a job!

Ready My Lips

Interviewing is not just a question and answer session with a potential employer. Body language plays an important role, too. Shake hands with the interviewer, sit up straight, look the interviewer in the eye and SMILE! Smiling relaxes your facial muscles making you appear at ease and receptive to what the job interviewer is saying.

Grab more job search tips on the Abilities Enhanced resource page.

EMPLOYED? WHY YOU STILL NEED A RESUME

People are changing jobs at a rate many times faster today than they did only a few years ago. Your updated resume ensures your readiness when the right career opportunity arises. The worst time to try to write a resume is right after you find out that you are being terminated or laid off. Most people cannot emotionally handle the resume writing task at this time.

Companies continue to change and grow. When your time comes for review and promotion, your current resume becomes a documented record of your accomplishments, not to mention actual job responsibilities. (Have you ever had a boos ask you to write your own job description since he hadn't a complete understanding of what you actually do during the normal course of a workday?)

In your present position, your current resume could be requested for a variety of reasons unrelated to job search activity:

1. Perhaps a civic organization is seeking information about you for consideration to a special board appointment.
2. Maybe you are preparing to expand you business and need an up-to-date biography as part of your loan application.
3. Is it time to begin work on your post graduate degree? Schools might request a resume as part of the application process for admission.
4. Public speakers often must present a biography before scheduling an engagement.
5. Have you ever volunteered your time to a non-profit organization? A resume is helpful in presenting your qualifications and special interests.

So, get that resume written! Keep it on your home computer, not just at work! Be ready for any eventuality that pops up. Be ready when someone asks, "Do you have a resume I could look over?"

Take a look at some resume samples at Abilities Enhanced to get you started.

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.

WANT TO CHANGE JOBS IN 2007?

It's that time of year again. You know, goal-setting and New Year's resolutions with all the best of intentions. If you are one of the many wanting to change jobs in 2007, here are a few basic tips:

1. Know what you want in a new job.

Make sure you're moving toward a better job and not just running away from one you don't like. What are your values and how do they align with a new company's culture? What will make this new job better than the old one? (Money may not be the most important reason to change jobs.) A coach can help you work through the confusion.

2. Create a professional resume.

Your resume acts as your introduction to a company. It makes your first impression for you. Find books with resume samples to guide you or hire a professional resume writer who is trained, experienced and certified in this field. Make sure your resume reflects your work achievements. Don't forget to send cover letters and interview thank you letters to show you understand business etiquette.

3. Evaluate your network of contacts.

The job search process is a lot like dating - prospects usually don't come knocking on your door! You have to get out and meet people. More people get new jobs through networking than any other activity - up to 80% according to several surveys. Look at the business relationships you already have and what you do to cultivate them. What professional, civic and social groups do you belong to? Where do the people hang out that can introduce you to the right opportunities.

4. Practice your interviewing skills.

Most hiring authorities use "behavioral or situational" interviewing methods. Prepare for interviews with storytelling techniques. Write down examples from your work experience of specific challenges or situation, the actions you took to resolve those challenges, and the positive results of outcomes of your actions. Be ready to discuss these stories in any interview to demonstrate the value you have to offer an employer.

5. Test for business reality before saying, "yes."

Find out the salary, benefits, overtime expectations, relocation/travel requirements - you don't want any surprises after you start a new job. Some executives even negotiate exit agreements before signing acceptance letters - kind of like pre-nuptial agreements!

6. Revisit old opportunities.

If the job you really want doesn't choose you, check in with the employer 6-8 weeks later to see how their new hire is working out. Sometimes - not always - you can head off your competition and get a foot in the door before a second job vacancy notice is issued.

TRAVELING WITH YOUR BOSS

Some of my manager-level clients have asked me lately what's the proper behavior and etiquette for traveling with the boss. Good question... I posed it to the executive ExecuNet members on their forum and got some interesting replies.

View from the bosses:

"I was a CEO and was surprised when people who were normally attentive and very respectful would get into an 'outside' environment and act as if they were with their best friends on weekends. People should be attentive to what is going on. Be considerate and have an understanding that their behavior with other members of the party and 'outsiders' is still very important. Also be punctual, it always helps."

AND this view:

"Some negative things I have seen:
* Poor table manners
* Lack of punctuality for travel
* Pursuit of the opposite sex while still in business company

"In some organizations you are expected to spend a couple hours per evening with your colleagues at and after dinner discussing business, and those who retreat to their room or to exercise are viewed negatively. In other situations, the after-hours are not scripted and you are free to do as you please. It is important to know the difference."

From the manager's perspective:

"I've traveled with a wide variety of bosses over the course of my career. Knowing your boss' habits BEFORE the trip will make your life much easier.

"I tend to over-prepare, which means I am rarely caught off-guard on the professional side of the trip. Also, it is usually 'my' territory, so I know my way around and can make the trip much easier for the boss or anyone else.

"I hope some bosses will also take heed of any tips - I have traveled with at least one who expected everyone else to dance attendance - meet for a leisurely breakfast at 8, when we should have been on the way to the client location before then. I hate being late; my clients know that I am punctual - it's uncomfortable when the boss creates an awkward situation."

It looks like there are two sides to this issue as there are with most issues. An interesting article on this topic is "How to Travel with Your Boss: 7 Tips."

What experience can you share? Please send me your comments.

PHONE ETIQUETTE - PLEASE!

It happened again. I had only a few minutes between appointments to grab my phone messages. Someone interested in coaching services had decided to leave a 3-minute drawling summary of his career situation and then zipped off his phone number as if I were a stenographer typing 150 miles a minute! No way could I write down his rapidly fired number without listening to it 3 times! That meant I had to replay the drawling summary 3 times, too. What a waste of my time!

Please... When you are in a job search - or whenever you use the phone - consider the person who listens to your phone message. Make it brief leaving only the simplest facts to convey your reason for calling. But more than that, s l o w l y speak your phone number, then repeat it so the listener does not have to re-listen to your message. This will not only make a good impression on the listener, but will enhance your chances of having your call returned.

Read other Job Search Tips to help get your career in gear!

SMART NETWORKING VIA THE INTERNET

Everyone's talking about LinkedIn. What's that all about? After ignoring several invitations to join this online networking group, I finally did. And am I glad! All I can say is WOW!

Seventy-five of my closest colleagues and clients accepted my invitation to join me which now gives me the opportunity to obtain introductions to over 13,000 people - that's just from direct connections. If expanded to 3rd and 4th connections, the number skyrockets into the six figures!

LinkedIn provides me several ways to search for new industry contacts, old friends, job opportunities (if I was looking), and more.

The job search piece I find very interesting for any of the 75% of the USA's employees out there planning to jump ship this year. In fact, LinkedIn announced a new relationship recently that they forged with the Association of Executive Search Consultants - the global professional organization for retained executive search firms, representing over 4,000 search professionals in more than 70 countries. Anyone want a recruiter?

CAREER CHANGE TIPS FROM A PRO

As I board a plane to Southern California for a coach training workshop, I find it very appropriate to share this Career Corner from NewJersey.com. Laura Berman Fortgang, career coach and author of "Now What: 90 Days to a New Life Direction," shares pointers about changing careers. Laura is conducting my workshop where I'll be trained to administer her Life Blueprint program.