Master Career Counselor

Job Clubs: The Job Search Power Strip Device

2012-01-23T12:35:00.001-05:00

Finding employment after losing a job can be isolating, discouraging and downright terrifying for many people. Being down-sized and tossed into the sea of joblessness can be daunting and overwhelming.

But, there is GREAT news for those who don't want to go it alone.

There is a power strip of job search success you can plug into.

The surge of energy and connection meet to empower you when you attend a job club.

A job club is a supportive group and environment that helps overcome the challenges of fierce competition by providing feedback as you prepare to search, interview and land a job.

The Job Club Power Surge

Read this recent article about Eastern Kentucky Job Clubs. It is a proven fact that jobseekers find employment faster with a supportive group. Here is a job club video piece from Kentucky (you have to tolerate a short commercial).

Typical job clubs are held weekly and bring together jobseekers to share leads, network and provide feedback to one another.

Job clubs are the job attainment power strip with relational sockets that attach you to employers, community resources and vital encouragement. The power of job clubs is when multiple jobseekers receive energy from a single source of support: themselves. It is an incredible help to know that you are not alone in your search.

If you're looking for employment, first find a job club near you to hasten the process and make a daunting challenge much more manageable. In my home state of Kentucky, The Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program does it right.

If you want your job search to surge with success, then find a job club now. It is the convergence of energy and connection.

The Influential Power of a Teacher

2011-12-20T16:03:00.001-05:00

Maybe it is the season of my life. Maybe it is the recent reckoning I've had with life's fragility. Life altering events of beloved friends placing them at death's door have provoked me to ponder how I spend energy and what really matters.

People are the most sacred gift we will ever receive. Ones who come and go. Ones who stay. Ones you wish would stay longer but don't. Ones you wish would move right along.

In short, the depth and contrast of each event depends on the relationships we have or don't have.

Each relationship we encounter, no matter how brief or enduring, forms a piece of the tapestry of life's amalgamation of joy, sadness, success and failure.

One of the most powerful relationships long overlooked is between a teacher and student. For better or worse, teachers are the branding iron of a child's perception of their future. If a teacher takes the iron and burns words into a child's psyche such as "dumb", "trouble" "stupid", "no good"... such words are seared forever in a negative

cesspool of cynicism and self-doubt.

Teachers have the privilege and honor of influencing the developing compass of a student's natural ability to navigate a complex world.

Teachers are undervalued in our society. I've no idea how many teachers teach because they want summers off or think it is an easy gig. IT IS NOT. Those who do it for the wrong reasons give those who do it right a very bad rap. Many new teachers leave the profession in their first five year cycle. This is an alarming trend. Is it because they thought it was easy and not so stressful?

I hate to say it, but many teachers inhibit effective learning because they don't know how to make real world connections to concepts taught in class. In essence, a teacher is the midwife helping to give life or death to a child's dream of who they can be.

What incredible influence.

If you are a teacher, burned out and unhappy reading this post, PLEASE consider making a change for yourself and for the sake of your students. It is not a career for the fainthearted.

If you're a top earner in a successful business making so much money it becomes the golden handcuff preventing you from entering the classroom....it is never too late. Professionals transitioning to a classroom naturally mentor success and students need you now more than ever.

I'm thankful for teachers who have passion for what they do and see it as a calling, not a job. These teachers leave their mark forever. Sure, there is incredible politics and bureaucracy that mires and bogs down the learning process.

No school is perfect. But at the end of the day, students always know which teachers truly care.

I recently had lunch with the most influential teacher of my life. Mrs. Oatley, a music teacher, entered the profession 40 years ago when I was in fourth grade. She went on to become an elementary school principal and has made a huge contribution in the educational field. Now a consultant, she thrives in a life of great faith and love.

For me, she has always been a steady influence as I entered high school, then college and then into the complicated life of adulthood. I taught alongside her for five years as a colleague in my early teaching career.

She hasn't been in my life on a daily basis, but the lessons I learned from her are with me everyday.

Music is a sacred gift that reaches the soul when nothing else can
Faith is the central tenet of living because anything is possible
Love what you do and do it to the best of your ability
If you make a difference in one person's life then you lived well

For those who had Mrs. Oatley as a teacher, surely you remember her beauty and charm. She walked into the classroom with a smile everyday.
Today, she is just as beautiful and her smile resonates as it did so many years ago. One of my business colleagues stopped by our table and took this picture:

Teachers like Mrs. Oatley take the burning iron of education and brand these words in the hearts of students:

YOUR GOD GIVEN TALENT WILL TAKE YOU AS FAR AS YOU'RE WILLING TO GO. DON'T SHRINK BACK. FULLY GRASP THE POTENTIAL YOU HAVE. I PROMISE NOT TO STAND IN YOUR WAY.

Make sure to join our national Twitter chat called #Schools2Life with me and Edward Colozzi. It takes place on the 2nd and 4th Thursday evenings of each month at 8:00pm EST.

http://tweetchat.com/room/schools2life

What if?

2011-12-08T13:56:00.000-05:00

I wonder what life would be like if I had the raw and determined courage to overcome what I fear most.
When used correctly, fear is my best friend in an unanticipated moment like walking in a dark and eery parking lot alone. It quickens my senses to be on guard. However, when fear is the default setting in my mind to anything or anyone pushing me outside the boundaries of comfort, fear becomes a downright bully.
Life is a classroom and the most demanding teacher is time. Professor chronology waits on no one and if the bully of fear sits at the desk with my name on it; the classroom goes silent and every teaching opportunity is paused. That is, everything but the clock on the wall. It ticks right on.
Our own mortality is the principal of the school called "life". We all have a meeting someday in that office. In complete honesty, I'm more afraid of the principal than the bully.
I know someday and in one moment, my summons to exit the premises will occur. Class time will be over and my teacher will retire. I don't know the exact moment the intercom will blare my name but it is inevitable.
I will exit never to return.
Lately, I've been more aware of other people exiting life's classroom much too early. I also have a favorite classmate, my 93 year old grandmother who is restless at her desk not wanting to leave but not wanting to stay either.
So here are the questions on the powerpoint slide of my classroom:
1. Will I meet my principal with a diploma in my hand? It isn't based on grades, achievements or advanced placement courses. It is the syllabus containing all the course objectives of my life that I embraced or ignored.
2. Will I graduate with honors? The honors are relationships I've been entrusted to nurture, develop and enrich. The irony is what I'm entrusted to nurture is the very thing that causes me to grow.
3. Will I meet my principal as a petrified drop-out, illiterate in perseverance and hope?
4. Did I excuse myself from fields trips because I couldn't muster signing the permission slip?
5. Did I take advantage of periodic recesses or have lunch at the table of community?
6. Did I participate in the endless opportunities for extra curricular activities that expanded my skills or connected me to people I wouldn't have met?

How about you? Do you wonder what your career or life would be like if you had the raw courage to punch the face of fear? Living life can be summed up in three major points.

Death is as much a part of life as living is.

I dedicate this blog post to Chris Edmonds, an amazing voice for effective leadership. As I sit next to him in the Twitter classroom #LeadFromWithin he has become a great blessing in my life.

Part Three: The Resume Law of Flaming Attraction

2011-11-08T11:38:00.015-05:00

Quick review!

1. Most if not all companies have one of three types of culture you need to know as your resume is developed. Your formation style speaks the language of a culture by the words you use.
Read that post here.

2. The hallmark indicators of each culture is critical to understand in today's job market. Read explanation here.

Yes, these three cultures of heritage, contemporary and progressive may seem broad.

However, company preferences can be divulged in their job description and relished when reading your resume.

READ THAT LAST SENTENCE AGAIN.

My premise:

Understanding the link between company culture and resume formation is the first step in igniting the chemical reaction that results in an interview.

This post reveals the effective strategies you can implement to attract the employer you desire or repel the one you don't.

The Heritage Employer

1. The resume is used by this employer to weed you out. It is a rake to pull you away. Many look for why not to interview you. They instantly find your gaps and inconsistencies. So if your resume is functional, you don't have a prayer. Only a chronological resume is considered on white or cream-colored paper. They may prefer that you fax it or send a hard copy through postal delivery.

2. High value on key words emphasizing depth and length:

Dedicated
Devoted
Adheres to rules
Knows policy and procedures
Respects authority
Loyal
Long work history
Qualifications
Strong work ethic

3. They prefer headings such as:

Career Objective
Summary of Qualifications
Work History
Employment
Relevant Experience
Work History
Education
References

Most often used job description words:

Duties
Responsibilities
As assigned

They want to know what you have and haven't done in the past.

The Contemporary Employer

1. Typically, the resume is reviewed for less than 15 seconds to place your document in one of two piles. Many contemporary employers use software to screen the multitude of resumes they receive on a daily basis. They search for a match to their need. They instantly look how you fill their gap with your consistent results.

So if your resume shows an impressive array of direct results and impact, you have a prayer. An electronic version that is copied and pasted in the body of your email along with an attachment is preferred.

2. High value on key words emphasizing specialization, team and adaptability:

Certified

Determined

Implemented

Created

Managed

Collaborated

Productive

Results driven

Customer service oriented

Skill-set

Competencies

3. They prefer headings such as:

Goal
Skill-Set Highlights

Professional Expertise

Awards

Accomplishments

Certifications

Educational Achievement

Technology Capabilities

Professional Development

Professional Affiliations

Community Involvement

Favorite job description words:

Results

Optimization

Ability

Agile

Manage change

Outcomes

Accomplish

Professional

Team environment

Technology

They want to know what you can do right now this very moment.

The Progressive Employer

1. The cream of the progressive employer may want to see your QR code.

So, here is mine:

2. High value on key words emphasizing social media expertise, innovation and team culture:

Focused
Social enterprise
Contribution

Created
Synthesized

Produced
Published
Partnerships

Reciprocity
Energy

3. They prefer headings such as:

Goal
Business Expertise
Knowledge
Aptitude
Industry Recognition

Awards

Technology Capabilities

Favorite job description words (If you can find one):

Fast paced
Social
Innovative
Active
Enterprise
Concerned
Adaptable
Paperless

Agile

Manage stress

Delivery

Driven
Exceptional

Technology

They want to know what you will do tomorrow and in the future because you're a constant learner and you believe in their mission.

Here's a picture that illustrates my point:

All three cultures are similar to a match igniting the fire of business products and services. Some have served their purpose as their business model now flickers (think post offices). Others are ready for new combustion when your tangible contribution strikes a need of customers. Skills in demand are like the side of a company's matchbox.

The challenge for any jobseeker is to find the matching employer that values your flame. And to add the right pressure that strikes the fire.

Part Two: Three Types of Employer Culture

2011-10-26T22:08:00.001-04:00

In the previous post, the importance of matching your resume to the company culture of your potential employer was heavily emphasized. In today's post, we will identify the three types of employer cultures most often encountered by jobseekers through resume selection and interviewing.

These are broad classifications and each employer may have pieces and parts of all three. However, an awareness of the predominant company culture is very important when forming your resume and preparing for the interview.

1. The heritage employer

This employer has been around a long time. Stability, durability, and tradition are the hallmarks of this culture. The heritage company will likely:

Use obsolete words in a job description if they have one
Be manager-driven in organizational goals
Appear organized and hierarchical
All about time and clocking in/out
Doesn't evaluate regularly and rarely promotes
Policy and procedure rule workplace behavior
Disconnected from wider industry network
Look for general skills that seem vague and "duty" oriented
Ask illegal interview questions because they don't know better
Value worker loyalty and longevity above all else
Not appreciate diverse and young employees
Resist technology at every turn
Avoid conflict at all costs
May not have savvy company website or utilize social media
Have leadership directives by older executives that don't embrace change

Examples: Federal, local or state government, education, coal or energy companies, law enforcement, military, non-profit organizations, religious entities, some banking and financial institutions and factories

2. The contemporary employer

This employer has succeeded in several business cycles. Customer service, profitability, and stakeholders are the critical focus of this culture. The contemporary company will likely:

Use specific words linked to tangible outcomes in a job description approved by HR
Be leader-driven in organizational goals
Silos exist but team collaboration is emphasized
Evaluates annually and places emphasis on remediating weaknesses
Professional development and cross-training rule the workplace
All about time and productivity
Encourages industry network, partnering opportunities and expertise for the good of the company
Look for specialized skills related to the result of a job and how it affects the bottom line
Ask behavioral interview questions because they know past behavior predicts future behavior
Value worker productivity and goal achievement above all else
Appreciate diverse and young employees but doesn't intentionally recruit them
Consider the benefits of technology and shift slowly with painstaking buy-in from everyone
Addresses conflict only when it rears its ugly head
Have official company website but is unaware of the power and potential of social media
Have leadership directives that must be approved by everyone in the chain

Examples include the vast majority of Fortune 500 companies

3. The progressive employer

This newly successful employer is trying to transition out of the incubator stage at a high rate of speed. Employee satisfaction, flexibility, social influence and the company mission are the critical focus of this culture. The progressive company will likely:

Use a job description as a platform to harness talented workers and constantly adjusts to the worker's strengths
All about energy and high productivity
Employee driven
Very flat organizational structure
Gives timely feedback and constructive ways for improvement every few months
Emphasize family priorities and work/life fit promoted with open spaces, pets and flexibility
Telework, at home offices and job sharing are workplace options
Strongly encourage industry network, opportunity and expertise that is good for the individual
Look for ways to increase employee skills based on adaptation and evolution of technology
Ask interview questions that appear on the surface to be random and peculiar (but are not)
Value worker engagement above all else while also making a contribution to society
Appreciation of diverse and young employees while actively pursuing them through employee connections
Harness technology as the driver of business
Train employees to recognize conflict as normal progression of team development
Have innovative company website, iphone or ipad apps along with brand identity through social media
Have leadership directives that are informal. quick and at times, not effectively communicated

Examples include tech start-ups, Tom shoes, Starbucks, and Google.

My estimate is today :

60% of companies are heritage
35% of companies are contemporary
5% of companies are progressive

Result: HUGE impact on entrepreneurial spirit of individual workers that must be reversed.

In the next decade:

60% of companies need to be progressive and entreprenuer based
35% of companies will move to contemporary cultural styles
5% of companies will be heritage only because they swallowed competition

Viability, technology and a global economy have redefined organizations. New job growth must connect to versatile and adaptive workplaces that inspire innovation.

The question for you is:

How will you let an employer's culture define you?

Next post: Resume words attracting each culture and how that affects you.

A Marriage Made In Heaven? Your Resume and the Employer's Culture

2011-10-18T19:50:00.001-04:00

The next series of blog posts will focus on the critical bond between a successful resume and the company culture of your potential employer. Many if not all jobseekers fail to consider this important influence in resume writing, interview preparation or accepting a job offer. What I'm about to tell you can alter the course of how you job search and save a lot of energy and valuable time.

Let's start with a macro approach to understanding the symbiotic relationship of your resume style and the company culture of your potential employer.

RESUME FORMATION + COMPANY CULTURE= SUCCESSFUL JOB SEARCH

Today's workplace has three basic categories of employer culture. The descriptions I'm going to share with you aren't based on size (small, medium, large) or sector  but upon acceptable norms, leadership and behaviors within the company's culture. The key to a successful resume, interview and job search is to identify a company with a culture you admire, value and attract. In the end, this will help you sustain employment and acclimate to workplace expectations. Your resume becomes the match-maker.

Right this moment, your resume may fit one type of employer but not the employer you want to attract. The culture doesn't match you. The values aren't congruent.  You're frustrated and unhappy with your search efforts. In fact, you've almost given up because there doesn't seem to be anyone hiring.

The reality is your resume may not be tailored in the ideal or exact format that will marry your talent to the right employer who needs your skills and a company culture that values your contribution.

Let me illustrate what I mean.

Imagine you're fishing. You have an expensive rod and reel with the strongest line, sinker and hook available. You spared no expense and did all your research to determine the perfect rod. Does that guarantee you will catch a fish? Of course not. You can know without proper bait and the availability of fish;  no rod, reel and hook will ever succeed regardless of how much money you spent.

The job market is the same. You've worked hard. You've been a great success. You have much to bring to the table. But, no one is biting.

Your resume is the bait to attract the best employer for you. Your critical tasks:

1. Identify the right species that will want and eat your bait.
2. Locate the body of water they live in.
3. Determine their feeding times.

The result could be amazing. Your resume if written to match the company culture, will weed out employers you don't want to work for. After all, you are interviewing too.  This method works like a moth is drawn to a flame because it resonates with an employer and speaks identical language. If it doesn't then you're not fishing in the right pond and you'll be foreign to the environment. One more piece of advice:

NEVER use artificial bait.

Next post: What are the three types of employers and the resume formation that matches each one?

Stay tuned.

Are the Unemployed Unemployable?

2011-10-14T15:58:00.000-04:00

An NPR article http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2011/09/01/140122883/when-the-unemployed-become-effectively-unemployable has me pondering the world of work universe with one HUGE question:

Can an unemployed person be truly unemployable?

We all agree the global economy and technology have definitely been game-changers. They forced outdated, slow or inefficient processes to become obsolete. Does that mean a person who is an expert at those processes also becomes a dinosaur?

Of course not.

The reality of this complex, turbulent job market is quite simple: The worker who is unwilling to be re-trained can become unemployable because they refuse to adapt and learn new ways of working.

The employable workers share common sustainable traits:

positive attitude
willingness to learn
problem-solver
strong determination

Perhaps the strongest ability needed today is an enthusiastic attitude to let go of the old and embrace the unknown.

Imagine for a moment, you are the employer. Would you hire an experienced worker with no enthusiasm or an inexperienced worker with enthusiasm? The angst of change has robbed many unemployed workers of the energy and enthusiasm to be re-trained.

A possible solution

Unemployed workers who receive benefits longer than six months must be retrained. Their former job is likely not coming back. That doesn't make them unemployable. It makes them choose whether or not they're adaptable and willing not to become fossilized.

The Career Lexicon's Two Missing Words

2011-09-30T12:38:00.001-04:00

This current contracting job market has forced two words to be removed from our career lexicon: security and stability.

These phrases sound ideal:

From an employer: "Your job is secure, no worries!"

From self-talk: "Thank goodness my job is stable."

Technology has ended the world of work we once knew.

Long term security and stability are nonexistent. A global economy has formed new rules as technology shifts business processes. A successful company today erases inefficient and outdated systems of yesterday while developing quick, easy and inexpensive products or services tomorrow.

These processes have required workforce reduction. This shift will likely not change in the future. As the industrial age fades and the information age matures, today's worker must embrace the very reason they became obsolete: technology.

WHAT TO DO

First, add two new words to your career lexicon: adaptable and teachable.

The information age connects you to unparalleled access to resources. In essence you must become a data miner extracting opportunities and knowledge you would otherwise never see. To successfully accomplish this you can:

Learn the basics of Internet navigation by using Google
Develop a professional identity through Linkedin and Twitter
Consider how you can work from home as the Internet has made this viable
Study the influence of social media and how it impacts business and career opportunities
Take computer classes to learn new applications or software at your local library

HOW TO DO IT

The most crucial task is to be open and adaptable to new information. Consider these important strategies:

View any learning opportunity as professional development
Attend online webinars available in your industry or profession
Join organizations that promote innovative ideas and approaches
Connect to professional colleagues through web portals, blogs and sites such as You Tube and Live Stream
If you have an iTunes app on your phone, delve into the endless podcasts available in your professional field.

Embracing technology and using it as a tool for success certainly adds two words never erased from your lexicon:

CAREER SAVVY

The Job Market Puzzle: Where Do You Fit?

2011-09-16T20:53:00.001-04:00

Today's job market is similar to thousands of puzzle pieces that don't seem to fit together and are scattered randomly across a kitchen table.

Whenever you're frustrated with the consuming and meticulous work of putting a puzzle together, pieces don't naturally fall into place. You have to work at finding the linkage. To expedite the process, you can do one of the following:

1. Complete the border first and work from the outside in.
2. Match the color patterns together especially if they are stark.
3. Default to examining the picture on the box.

Isn't that what we do with a job search or a career choice when the future is unclear?

Of course, we are more than a piece of a puzzle but the metaphor resonates with today's job market.

Think about the following similarities between you and a puzzle piece:

Each of us have boundaries and can only go so far

Each of us have a specific role to play in an organization with our unique fit

We must be highly interconnected as we need one another

We are unique in our nature, shape, size and color

Like a puzzle, we can be fragile and breakable if pulled too hard

The whole of the puzzle is greater than the sum of its parts just as we can accomplish more together than individually.

There are natural groupings of a puzzle based on color, size, shape and border. We tend to migrate toward others like us.

The puzzle completion needs someone with an overall vision, the one looking at the cover of a puzzle box.

Where do you fit in this complex job market puzzle? Where is the job matching your talent?

Take lessons from the putting a puzzle together:

1. Appreciate being interconnected.

2. Migrate to professionals like you.

3. Validate the diversity you bring to the table.

4. Be willing to play whatever role is needed in an organization.

5. Hold onto the vision of your career when it seems like nothing is falling into place.

Do you have a lesson to add to my list? There are employers needing your unique contribution. The key is how you intentionally connect and convince how your skills fit.

Is it Really a Hidden Job Market?

2011-08-30T15:18:00.002-04:00

The constant buzz of job search strategies is built upon two primary beliefs:

1. It isn't what you know, it's who you know that will get you the job.

2. Network, network, network and network to tap into the "hidden" job market.

As a career counselor, I want to clarify these assumptions.

Many employers today are not using job boards as a source for hiring. Using them for one opening may result in hundreds of applicants. How do you winnow the field?

Today, their openings are usually spread by word of mouth via current employees who refer candidates to the hiring manager.

This method will result in:

Increased retention because the employee knows whether or not the potential candidate fits the work culture
Decreased costs of not having to market the opening
Trust in an employee to refer a competent worker rather than interviewing a candidate not known inside the company
Efficiency that saves time finding the right person

So yes, networking as defined by job search experts is essential. But the jobs are not hidden. They are protected.

"Hidden" denotes something that is concealed or buried away. Employers have openings to fill but are not using the standard approaches of hiring by blasting them on job boards or newspaper ads.

"Protected" implies being selective and even picky about who they share with and how they do it. They shield themselves from an avalanche of resumes and not having staff to find the right fit. Thus, internal referrals save time and money.

Overall, this "protected" job market is most common in small businesses that account for at least 70% of employers in the United States.

Connecting to the community is vital to career success. Meeting people, sharing ideas and brainstorming with colleagues across your industry is imperative.

Finally, if you are wondering how to connect to the community as you have become very isolated in your search, take heart. Start today by reaching out to volunteer at a local charity or school to begin a process that will be very rewarding.

The Power of Twitter and Social Media

2011-05-14T20:40:00.002-04:00

Hello. My name is Carla and I'm a twitter-holic.

My first gulp of it was not all that great. Micro-blogging initially appeared a waste of time and energy. What could I possibly say of value in 140 characters? Twitter seemed irrelevant. I was sorely deceived.

After having an inactive Twitter account for several years, I committed to learning its value as my new year's resolution. I had tweeted 25 times in three years and had 99 followers. I began by searching for people like me and watching my preferred news feeds.

The hook occurred on January 8th when I watched my twitter news feed relay tweets of Rep. Giffords' shooting. In angst, I ran to the TV to watch and no news station reported it at the time Twitter did. The power of this tool became obvious.

Through trial and error, I discovered the power of a hash tag (#) and the multitude of experts that tiny character unveiled.  #Hash tags led me to people, ideas and knowledge that I care about and want to learn.

Here are lessons I learned that engaged me most with Twitter:

1. Be real, engaging and consistent. This means putting a thoughtful bio and picture on your account. I spend at least an hour a day with it in spurts and realize that I get what I put into it.

2. Use a Twitter directory to discover people that share your interests. Place yourself in the directory for people to find you.

I use Twellow:

http://www.twellow.com/

3. Build your Twitter from the moment you open your account with at least two tweets a day. People are on Twitter all day and night so don't worry about the timing. Just tweet.

Tweet quotes that are meaningful to you.

Tweet news articles you find interesting.

Tweet blog posts you enjoy.

One of my favorite Twitter users is Lolly Daskal. She's an author and expert on leadership. I don't just follow her. I listen to her. Reading her tweets is inspiring. I also participate in a chat she facilitates on Tuesday nights. For one hour, I watch my twitter feed explode with great insight and opinions on leadership.  It is worth your time to find a chat that interests you. Here is a link:

http://www.tweetchat.com/#leadfromwithin

4. When you follow someone, they'll have the opportunity to follow you back. I read every follower's bio and stream of tweets to decide if I will follow them. If they don't tweet, I don't follow. If they don't spam I will listen until they turn me off with a constant barrage of selling or marketing. Everyone has a chance to engage me until they start to annoy.

5. Don't get caught up on the number of people who follow you. This is a BIG deal. Twitter has engaged me by WHO to follow and who follows me. I enjoy connecting to career experts, moms, coaches, entreprenuers, social media professionals and yes, my daughter Annie.   What matters on Twitter is that you listen and are listened to by people who value what you have to say.

The first kiss: My re-tweets

There is something about putting a tweet in the twitterverse and having it re-tweeted.  A re-tweet affirms that you're saying something others want to pass along. When the re-tweeting started happening to me, it was like a first kiss that sealed my attention and effort.

Finally, the best thing about Twitter is that I have NO IDEA where it is going. I can't speculate about the potential it has for me or my company because it can't be estimated. What is certain is that I can't underestimate its importance. The beauty of Twitter's power is how it harnesses one short blurb that can topple a government or change the way I think. It is @awesome.

The Best Employer Frequency To Find a Job

2011-05-02T14:46:00.001-04:00

Today as the competition is fierce and only getting fiercer with a tight job market, I have an illustration for you to consider.

Imagine you are driving in the car and listening to your favorite radio station. It plays the music genre you prefer and it is the only station you listen to on a drive. But, is it the only station out there?

People treat seeking employment the same way. They tune in to their most preferred genre of finding and applying for jobs in one of the following ways:

Job boards

Newpaper ads

Trade journal openings

Online web crawlers like Indeed or Simply Hired.

The stark reality is that employers have veered away from most (but not all) of the above and are on another frequency. You can tell this by job seeker frustration:

"I've applied online to 99 jobs this week alone and haven't heard back from one."

"I keep seeing the same job posted every week in a recycled fashion. Why are they not interviewing me?"

As a jobseeker, you have to crank it up a notch and migrate to the station where employers advertise their openings.

Their station is simple: their current employees are the frequency used to refer potential candidates for the position which likely lessens the risks involved in a new hire.

In discussing this strategy with someone who does it, I understand their reasoning and logic:

1. Our new hire is referred by someone we value and know.

2. By seeking the candidate from an internal search, we minimize the public response to an opening which could be overwhelming (think hundreds of responses to one opening).

3. We are likely to retain the person because they were referred by someone who knows our culture.

4. We have more success this way since jobseekers have become adept at interviewing but poor at the actual job.

Re-read #4. That is the major reason employers are emphasizing new hires from current staff. A decision-maker of one organization told me that this strategy has reduced turnover and saved money.

If you respond to an opening you see on the Internet or anywhere else it is a REACTIVE mode. That means you are in a battle for attention with many others. Your struggle becomes one of how to differentiate yourself from the pack.
If you hear of an opening from a contact, friend, colleague, etc. that works for the company you have an intentional opportunity to get an interview. The likelihood of your success is much, much higher.

All of this to say you must consider the following strategies for a successful job hunt:

1. Get out of your house and mingle every single day with people through lunches, coffee, networking events and opportunities for interaction. Don't let one day go by without seeing other people in some way.

2. Limit the time you spend to only 15% of your day on the computer. The rest of it should be spent with others in some capacity. Think creatively on ways to interact and be seen.

3. Volunteer your time to your community. Build a house with Habitat, tutor a child at school, walk the dogs at the animal shelter and help in any way possible.

4. Always follow up. It is one of the most critical tasks you will do in the search. It shows you are serious.

Tune in to where the employers are or you will have a very long search in front of you. As long as it is their market, they have dibs on being tight with their choices. The difference for you will be what steps you take to land on their radar. The best and most effective way is for their employee to recommend you for an interview. The other alternative plays music you might not want to hear.

Your Career Word Cloud

2011-04-01T14:30:00.000-04:00

Today's google search of you is now your resume for an employer. Your identity, pictures, words, ideas and expression can be accessed online with a simple click of the button. Employers are certain to google you when considering an interview. Through Facebook, You Tube, Twitter and any other social media tools, your web presence is their quick access to your character, activities and friends.
As technology progresses, all of us will be quickly identified by our online "word cloud". This is critical for you to understand.

A word cloud is a constellation of descriptors gleaned from your presence on the web through social media.
My word cloud contains these hash tags: #career #interviews #job #resume #workforcedevelopment #counselor #life #careercounselor #coach #blogger #entreprenuer #trainer #author.

What's in yours?

Finding the word cloud of your resume

Using wordle as an integral part of your word cloud identity is a key to your success. To begin, copy and paste the text of your most current resume into wordle and let it give you a word cloud of your skills. What words appear? What words are missing? This tool can harness your talent and help you articulate what you bring to an employer. Hash tags (descriptive words that start with #) are going to only increase in defining your online presence.

Social media and the power of it is here to stay. Make certain you know how to use it wisely. The absolute worse than you can do is ignore it.

The over-hyped bachelor

2011-03-28T15:05:00.000-04:00

Economists and politicians have myriad diagnoses regarding the job market’s chronic anemia. The forecast appears dismal with no apparent cure. This is the great American quackery.

Sure, the unemployment statistics hover around 9% reflecting a significant contraction in jobs becoming obsolete. But what about the stable careers planted deep in American soil not being shipped to India? Such jobs are under the national radar because of a covert operation to hide them from our younger workforce. There is a dark side to the cause of unemployment better known as “parental aversion”.

It is a stealthy systemic infection plaguing our job market. Symptoms include college graduates washing dishes at the local diner. Harvard’s recent report, Pathways to Prosperity addresses the 21st century demand for every worker needing a high school diploma but not all jobs require a four year bachelor degree. This is an understatement.

Most parents, educators and guidance counselors have tainted the career selection pool. Typically, the smart, affluent and successful have a navigational GPS destined for careers requiring a bachelor’s degree while job titles needing a vocational certificate are for the dumb, lazy and unmotivated student or worse, the drop-out.

Vocational education has become the “wayward child” alternative that a typical parent would thumb their nose at. This unspoken vow not to let children consider it as optional is a root cause of our perceived debilitated job market. Think about it. Where are the current openings? They’re in occupations parents refuse to allow their children to consider. Yes, parents may not consider manual labor as a job that pays the bills, but ask your local utility company how desperate they are to find workers. Call up a plumber and ask how business is. You’ll quickly discover the critical lack of skilled employees especially for the future. In addition, the Harvard article also admits startling facts about how much money can be made without a college degree.

Universities have over-marketed the bachelor degree. Parents have bought a bill of goods that saddle their children with debt promising to be the next financial crisis. As a result, the job market languishes while a skeletal crew keeps the lights on as smart, affluent and successfully unemployed college graduates move back home.

We parents must confess that a bachelor degree has become a safety net for our children. The reality is students who get the degree are likely to land a menial job than a dream career because of woeful job preparation. After all, competition is ferocious. The new graduate with a four year degree vies for a job representing no more than 20% of the market. The rest of work opportunities belong to the plumber, electrician, HVAC repairer and the mechanic.

To complicate matters is the overall inept national high school guidance model that exacerbates the crisis. The title “guidance counselor” is a total misnomer. Monitoring student progress and completing necessary forms is not career development. Our children need direction and decision-making skills for a lifetime of hard choices. Guidance counselors who do spend time with students may be inclined to assist the ones likely to receive the bachelor badge. This coupled with parental snubbing has caused an oversupply of college educated job seekers who can’t find work. Meanwhile, the significant chasm between older workers in vocationally certified jobs and younger workers to replace them continues to widen.

So what’s the cure?

Let’s start with a wake up call not to educators or politicians, but to parents. Vocational education must be considered a viable option for our children’s career choice. Stop branding it as the alternative school for the dumb kids. A vocational education provides the foundation for a sustainable wage that can outpace the worker with a four year degree.

Next, America must demand for high schools to equip guidance counselors with the critical career development competencies necessary to facilitate a life long pursuit of making sound occupational choices. To not equip our children with fundamental career counsel is a travesty.

Finally, if your children sense the gravitational pull to work with their hands and get dirty, what’s the risk of letting them sweat? We need a serious injection of reality to stimulate our energy for adapting to the needs of the workforce.

After all, ask the Wall Street broker when his electricity goes out who he calls or the politician who she will dial when discovering the air conditioner doesn’t work. It may just be your child.

We parents must embrace the career path our children choose to marry. Let’s no longer allow universities to be the match-maker and end the quackery of our misguided career perception.

A Job Interview: the adult version of the science fair competition

2011-03-22T15:30:00.000-04:00

The most anxiety provoking stimulus on the planet is preparing for a job interview.  The trepidation causes physical symptoms ranging from cold hands and heart palpitations to severe migraine headaches. The reason?  Our human nature fears rejection. We don't want to make a fool of ourselves and fail to ace an interview that leads to a job we really want.

So much seems to be at stake for such a short window of sitting at the table with strangers.

Thus, many jobseekers feel powerless when preparing for an interview and that lack of confidence can sabotage their chances.

What can you do to increase the probability of success?

Know the rule of controlled variables.

Remember the day you completed your science fair exhibit for school? The entire experiment was based on your ability to hypothesize, conduct procedures and draw conclusions from the results. The key to success was in comparing the trials with variables you controlled with the one variable you couldn't.
Interviewing is exactly the same process.

It is the adult version of a science fair project and the employer is your judge.

1. The variables you cannot control

Here is a list of the variables you can't sway or change that may affect your interview:

1. The interviewer had a bad morning before coming to work and sits at the table in a closed posture and horrible mood. You think he just doesn't like you.
2. The employer interviewing you is in a conflict with his boss and displaces aggression in terse questions that take you off guard. You had no idea this was going on.
3. There is an internal candidate privy to being hired and you know nothing about it.
4. The interviewing panel has poorly prepared for discovering your talent and if you're a match for the position. The interview ends abruptly and you don't know why.
5. The interviewers ask questions you haven't prepared for including illegal ones and it leaves you with a bad taste in your mouth.

I could go on and on, but catch my drift: there are some things you can't change that may impact your interview success.

BUT! There are variables that you can control, so take the reins and make sure you minimize a potentially negative perception.

2. The constant variables you control

Here is a list of the most important variables that you have the power to regulate:

1. Your attire- Make certain you dress professionally to the interview with no exception. Employers are now seeing young adults coming to an interview in pajama bottoms. Seriously!
2. Your smell- Make certain you don't wear strong perfume or cologne. Allergies, scent of a former spouse can adversely affect your interview. Smell clean and fresh with plenty of deodorant.
3. Your body- Have a strong handshake, confident eye contact and warmth in your smile. Don't wear excessive jewelry (especially on the face) and show your prized tattoos. It is a variable that could be negative. Do you want to risk it? Maybe you do.  If you choose to show body art and piercing it will certainly weed out an employer if they decline to offer you a job because of your body art.
4. Your mannerism and language- Be friendly, open and honest in your answers. This calls for serious preparation and mock interviews with friends to get comfortable hearing yourself discuss the finer points of your talent.
5. Your answers- Study the company, the job description, interview professionals in that position at other companies and practice your responses.
6. Your cell phone, friend or parent- Leave it or them at home. End of explanation.

It all comes down to convincing the interviewing team that you possess the skill-set, attitude, work ethic and temperament that fits the company culture. The judges will decide if you're the right fit. Yet, in the end, your preparation, skills and attitude make you the true winner.

The workforce opportunity project results published

2011-03-18T09:47:00.001-04:00

The workforce opportunity project is an empirically based research project that randomly selected 100 Eastern Kentucky employers. We asked a rigorous set of questions that included skills, training and character traits needed for future workers.

Visit the official website for a full report and the project highlights:

http://www.workforceopportunityproject.com/

Here is also a recent article about the project published in the Floyd County Times.

http://http//floydcountytimes.com/bookmark/12129419

Common Courtesy: The Heart of Career Success

2011-02-28T14:59:00.001-05:00

This is my "elephant" in the room blog moment. It is an obvious but woefully neglected topic for any person desiring to increase career success: display common courtesy because it impacts you and others in only two ways, positive or negative.

There is no gray area in between the two extremes.

1. The rule of life and career: Treat others as you want to be treated.

I don't know if its the time, age or cultural shift of our society but we neglect the art of displaying common courtesy. This can sting you in a career, maybe not immediately but eventually. The consequence can be a fatal blow in a job offer, personal connection or advancement opportunity.

Examples of lacking courtesy:

1. Not taking a few moments to call if I'm running late to a meeting assuring others I will be there.
2. Not showing up at all with no call, no warning and simply ignoring the meeting altogether.
3. Not returning phone calls within 24 business hours.
4. Not returning email messages within 48 business hours.
5. Not saying thank you to a colleague for something they have done, no matter how big or small.

This all seems so elementary, but it's not. We seem to be a people in a hurry, rush or in an environment that diverts attention, simply forgetting the basic course called "Be Nice 101".

2. In the end, whatever you sow you'll reap.

This wisdom rings true more than we realize. Whatever kindness, generosity or manners we display will be given back in some degree over time. Its the law of the universe. Its as imperative and true as the law of gravity. And, lots of things fall on your head rather than in your lap when you don't use it.

So what can you do to improve your courteous spirit and business etiquette?

Five simple strategies will get you moving in the courteous direction.

A. Remember people are more important than time, money and even sleep. They drive your business or job. Without them, you have no work. Be nice even when you don't feel like it.
B. Return their phone calls in 24 hours. No wiggle room on this one.
C. Email them promptly. The deadline is 48 hours. Sooner is better.
D. Never leave another person, business or organization stranded when they expect to meet you. Pure rudeness will bite you in the a*#.
E. Say thank you more. In words, in action, in a moment, just say thank you more.

The result will be a happier you and everyone else around you. Common courtesy is the lifeblood of career and life success. You probably have heard that common mantra "Don't burn bridges in your career" a thousand times.

Today a new one emerges that sounds like this, "Take time to build a bridge with common decency and kindness." Can't burn a bridge that was never built.

Courtesy will go a long way.

Recalibration: The job market's bully

2011-02-24T13:49:00.002-05:00

Economists are not career counselors. It seems to me they're being sought after to explain the job market's woes while using potentially outdated methods to surmise our current condition.

Economists can explain the parameters about the job market but are not actively working inside it to give us an accurate bird's eye view. To say they live in an ivory castle is the extreme but I'm not far off when it comes to providing us with substantial relevance to our present condition. They appear sometimes as detached from the real world.
It is equivalent to me stopping by a funeral visitation of a friend. I enter the room, walk over to him and pay my respect. Gently, I begin to speak.
"So sorry for the loss of your mother. I know just how you feel."
I then proceed to the exit, grab my cell phone and call my mother.

What I offered was hollow sympathy without a speck of authentic understanding for the crisis my friend is experiencing.

Economists have sympathy for our job market woes. But do they really know the impact of the power of their words and how that affects the trenches? They seem to focus on the hole when we need them to look at the doughnut.

The hole they see: Loss of obsolete jobs. Low consumer confidence. Bleak outlook. The sky is falling.

The doughnut they need to talk about: New job creation not on the radar as independent contractors emerge and vocationally certified occupations need new workers to provide infrastructure for the new economy from electricians to hydrologists.

The bully who made it all happen

The reality is some types of jobs are lost everyday and this will never end. The likes of media giants in particular are beginning to fossilize in print media form such as newspapers. Some business chains are suffering HUGE consequences for not adapting their stone age models to an ever fluid audience.
Technology has outdated yesterday's golden digital child. It is a tornado of epic proportions that is hard to predict and few can stay ahead of its volatile forces.

Many businesses during the economic recession (not my word for it) did not peek ahead to an ever changing paradigm of customer need and fickleness that will hurt them as the economy rebounds. Businesses who stick to hard and fast rules are losing breath or are already dead. Still have a pager? Once you did, but now you don't. Why? Because something else made it obsolete. This is the nature of our economy that is beautiful in one way and ugly in another (especially when you lose a job).

We have created a beast. I call it the bully of constant recalibration.

The world of work is in the midst of unprecedented evolution. A recalibration that may not shake out for several more years. One major reason is because so many jobseekers right this moment are searching for jobs that don't exist. They are never coming back. So what do you do in this job market climate?

RECALIBRATE YOURSELF

The economy is recalibrating for a new era of workers who stop looking for big companies to hire them. Rather, they gear up to do business as unusual. In other words, they develop a type or brand that offers a specialization that makes life easier for customers who don't have that particular expertise or product. This could include occupations such as graphic artists, writers, editors, project managers, consultants and trainers just to name a few. Our emerging economy will be quick and nimble unless it has federal government letterhead. There will be many who contract their services and answer to the feds on a 1099.

In just a few years, we will have a generation of tornadic new spenders in the market numbering over 75 million. When they get ready to spend, their primary business targets will be who they know, trust and believe will make life simpler, cheaper and quicker to navigate. How will you position yourself to be on their radar?

Every worker has to develop a business acumen independently and as a part of a community of experts within an industry. Keep reading blogs on emerging technologies and business practices. Keep having coffee and lunches with your colleagues. Stop focusing on the decline(symptom) as the economist seem to be doing and start paying attention to the recalibration (cause) that took effect when computers first began to hum. I think we need to face up to being the new business owners we were always afraid to be.

This is not an easy transitional decade. Yet, we as a nation can't continue to spend money in reviving what can't be brought back to life. We don't want to go back to pagers, do we?

After all, the global market is calling. The ones who pick up the phone to answer will see recalibration not as the bully who forced job elimination and wreaked havoc on family and friends. But the new kid on the block who wants to be a friend. What do you think economists will say about that?

The career trifecta: perseverance, focus and humor

2011-02-21T10:57:00.000-05:00

Since the word career derives from the french meaning "racetrack", we should make one sure bet on the top three characteristics of career success.

Here is my personal trifecta:

1st Place: PERSEVERANCE
2nd Place: FOCUS
3rd Place: HUMOR

Without perseverance in the lead we're all in serious trouble. How many times have you had a great idea until a bump or roadblock sidelined your creativity? Just like that, your perseverance vanished. Without Thomas Edison's first place finish we'd still be reading by candle light. Develop this characteristic by increasing your capacity for disappointment. Sulk only for a moment. Then, be tenacious and try again.

In second place by a nose is focus. This is the long shot who darts out in the front of the pack. Focus is the key to getting work accomplished and goals achieved. Focus gives impetus to finish strong when so many things are vying for our attention in the midst of multiple distractions. Focus is harnessing your energy for a certain task until it is complete.

Rounding out the winning wager is humor. This spry attitude of looking at life through a positive lens is critical to our mental and physical wellbeing. When is the last time you laughed out loud from the gut?
In spite of an often grueling pace, laughter is the essential component that eases tension and stress.

No matter how we place our talents at the starting gate, the human quest for a meaningful career is a hard race to run. It asks for both speed and endurance simultaneously. The question is, how much are we willing to wager in finding a career worthwhile?

Of course, we missed out on the announcer declaring the last place finisher. It crossed the line but no one in the crowd saw it complete the race.

Apathy. It came in all alone.

The Emerging New Work Ethic

2011-02-15T16:14:00.007-05:00

I've interviewed employers and asked them face-to-face, what skills do you want in your future workforce?

They're indicating a need for a plethora of critical skills to meet their business demands. Just a few of the most important include:

1. The ability to self-manage and work independently without excessive feedback.
2. The ability to utilize critical thinking skills when confronted with a complex problem.
3. Exerting professionalism at all times.
4. A basic willingness to learn new skills as technology constantly shifts the business model.
5. Display a strong work ethic at work.

What exactly are these skills and how does one learn them?

My previous post was about the skill of self-management. This post centers on a strong work ethic.

A strong work ethic in metamorphosis

First, let's define it and then explain the phenomena of its apparent shift.

The definition of a "strong work ethic" is subjective at best due to personal influences such as age, life experience and one's family of origin. What is determined to be a strong work ethic by one individual or family may be considered as "lazy" to another because everyone's ideology is different. It is therefore safe to generalize the sustainability skill of "strong work ethic" by pointing to indicators that likely represent it.

The positive behaviors reflecting a strong work ethic include:

1. Coming to work everyday.
2. Being punctual everyday.
3. Not letting personal life interfere with professional responsibilities.
4. Doing the work with excellent quality.

Based on these four behaviors we can now define a strong work ethic as a worker's intent to take work seriously when actively engaged in it.
Why are employers asking for employees that possess a strong work ethic and what is the reason for its necessity today as compared to previous years? Is there a generational difference in how a person's work ethic is defined? Or is it simply an issue of pervasive indifference, laziness and lack of motivation in workers?

Could it be that an employee's strong work ethic is no longer linked to time spent clocking in, blind loyalty and total dedication to an employer? Are employers asking for what is no longer available in the workforce especially given the reductions, lay-offs and down-sizing experienced over the last decade? Are workers more savvy in determining not to let work become an all consuming bent? Is it possible many younger workers have seen tangible results of family break-down and unhealthy lifestyles of parents who were let go in spite of a "strong work ethic"?

Is the price tag for a "strong work ethic" too high for the up and coming generation of workers to pay? Many not only want but demand flexibility as life outside the walls of work is critical to a sense of meaning while accomplishment at work is not completely entwined with a sense of self and identity.

Thus, a new work ethic is emerging from the dead skin of out-dated modes of employment:

My employer can have my sweat but not blood.

The worker's blood belongs to family, community and life outside work. This includes going to a child's soccer game or school musical rather than brainstorming in a boardroom. Today's work ethic must be founded on productivity and the deliverables of a person's skill-set.

I'm not advocating for the lazy, apathetic and withdrawn individuals that are currently disengaged from the world of work drawing a check not because of a verified disability or illness. I'm advocating for the worker who wants to work but not at the cost of one's health, life, relationships and basic wellness.

I'm asking today's employer a simple question worthy of consideration:

How are you going to meet your employees in the middle?

For many employees, a strong work ethic is about productive results. Not about the ticking of a clock.
And the best reward? The smiles of their children when they come home for dinner.

Self-management: the new deal-breaker skill

2011-02-02T15:14:00.003-05:00

I'm fascinated by the myriad of skills today's worker must possess and utilize on a daily basis.
There are the employability skills defined as the skills, trade, or credential learned and earned in order to do a particular profession. There are also the sustainability skills defined as the way a person accomplishes work through character traits, personality preferences or a code of conduct required to do business. Employability is the "what" of a job. Sustainability is the "how" one does the job.
For example, if I'm an accountant with a CPA designation (employability skill) but lack ethical character traits of honesty and fairness (sustainability skills) it will likely result in being unemployable (unless matched to a company that cheats).

We can deduce the critical employability skills a company demands based on occupational requirements for the job. However, what becomes difficult to quantify is the sustainability skills that help a person stay employed. Ever heard an employer say, "If we can find the right person that fits our culture and team, we can always train for the job"? Translation: Employability skills really matter to us but sustainability skills are even more important.

So, what are the top sustainability skills most needed in today's job market? The answer may surprise you depending on your age...seriously. It is a demographic shift in behavior that is obvious in the workplace.

Employers (especially if the hiring manager is over fifty) would indicate certain skills are blatantly lacking in the younger workforce...but are they?

Let's take a look at the one skill many employers indicate is missing:

The skill of self-management

The simplest definition of this skill is the ability to accomplish a task, outcome or goal without excess feedback from others. It is the proficiency to accomplish something without a boss or colleague holding one's hand. In addition, there is another stealth element at work. Underneath the surface the worker who lacks self-management tends to have an excessive need for praise when a task, outcome or goal is accomplished. The intense need for kudos from a boss or constant interaction to make sure one's work is stellar is annoying and time consuming.

Employers tell me that a lack of self-management is the basis for why people have been fired. The employer spent so much time trying to pacify one high maintenance individual to the detriment of everyone else resulting in toxic levels of apathy and disengagement.

Self management skills are reflected in the following positive behaviors:

1. The ability to follow instructions carefully.
2. The confidence to solve a problem using creative solutions instead of defaulting to a whining mode.
3. The ability to make a decision and execute with follow through and completion.
4. The assured attitude of doing a task without the need for outside or external reward when finished.

Here is a quick self-management checklist for you:

Minimal supervision needed from my boss
I seek internal reward and intrinsic value of accomplishing work
I refrain from complaining in the workplace
I can work as an independent contributor and team-player
I listen more than I speak
Don't bring personal life issues into the workplace

Typically (though not always) the younger the worker, the higher the level of needing to improve self-management. Conversely, the typical mature worker may have the opposite issue of not asking for feedback or seeking input from others enough.

If you're starting out in the world of work, developing self-management attributes will be critical to your success. Don't get in the habit of seeking praise and recognition for a job well done. Find the reward in yourself. You'll learn quickly employers don't have a treasure chest of treats, stickers and a pat on the back. It's nice when it occurs, but do your work, make a contribution and then go to the next assignment.
In essence, what I'm describing is a professional with an innate ability to work without a lot of drama and fanfare. That is the skill of self-management.

In the next post, we'll look at another top skill employers are looking for: strong work ethic. That upcoming post promises to be a generational lightning rod.

Heritage or contemporary: which employee are you?

2011-01-31T16:26:00.000-05:00

I think it's safe to say no one is safe in a job.

The unemployment numbers are high and it will take a minimum of three to five years for a return of early 2008 employment levels. Even with the economic metamorphosis taking place, the job market's cocoon is a force to be reckoned with as it awakens everyone to the tenuous reality that job security is dead.

However, there are several strategies you can incorporate that may increase your likelihood of remaining employed. These strategies may also assist you if you were to lose a job through no fault of your own. As I share these strategies in the weeks ahead, start by answering this simple question:

What type of employee am I?

There are two basic camps of thought to this question. Let's take a look at both and see which one you identify with most.

THE HERITAGE EMPLOYEE: The stalwart, loyal and devoted worker

The heritage employee went to the school of hard knocks that open its doors post depression era. The curriculum was based on the following tenets:

1. Loyalty to an employer is the primary focus of one's career.
2. While employed, looking at other career opportunities is equivalent to adultery.
3. Considering a career change is nothing short of crazy behavior.
4. Typical mindset: so what if work is miserable? Its just a job.
5. It's all about building a retirement fund to enjoy life AFTER work is finished.

Typical activities heritage employees strongly dislike:

Anything to do with technology
Working in a team that collaborates and debates
Conflict resolution (nothing short of the plague)
Setting goals and rewards that are performance based
Seeing skills as a work in progress

Heritage employees work best in government agencies, thick bureaucracies (where they get lost), most but not all scholastic institutions (although they do encourage technology) and in an ancient company no one can figure out why it still exists.

Does anything you read resonate with you? Keep reading for the second camp of thought.

THE CONTEMPORARY EMPLOYEE: The adaptable, flexible and transparent worker

The contemporary employee is perpetually enrolled in the school of constant learning that opened its doors post technology era. The curriculum is based and updated on the following tenets:

1. Productive satisfaction and personal accomplishment is the primary motivator of career success.
2. Professional development is central to a continuous learning mindset that adapts to a changing workplace and customer.
3. Looking for and openness to other opportunities is a mandate for progress and sanity.
4. Dedication to enhacing, developing and branding a professional identity that focuses on meaningful outcomes in work is central to satisfaction.
5. Living a flexible life in the moment placing family and community at the top and living life outside the company walls is imperative.

Typical work activities contemporary employees strongly dislike:

Anything to do with office gossip and politics
Working in a silo disconnected to the company mission
Clocking in the hours rather than being evaluated upon end results or deliverables
Having a boss that is threatened by new ideas and solutions

Contemporary employees work best in start up firms, owning a business and beginning an entreprenurial endeavor. Any company that promotes a culture of diversity and openness is a match.

Are you a heritage employee that needs to adapt to your new contemporary environment?
Are you a match to your current company culture?

Heritage employees are becoming the dinosaurs of today's workplace.

The job market today and tomorrow will demand a contemporary employee that appreciates, adapts and is open to change in the workplace. After all, isn't change the most consistent factor in life?

More than likely you are striving to become contemporary or you wouldn't be reading this blog.

Let's discuss in the next post, a strategy that most contemporary employers believe is non-negotiable.

Dismantled career ladder and a beautiful emerging trellis

2011-01-28T16:01:00.000-05:00

In a previous post, I explained the importance of putting our current conceptual framework of "networking" to rest. It needs a new life, a new branding and certainly a new identity. Most people are uncomfortable with networking's unspoken rules of "small talk" and the seemingly wasted time and energy it requires.

Thus, the formation of interpersonal routing, the concept of purposeful connection to and with important information, people and places. Interpersonal routing is the axis of healthy colleagial relationships that give and take in an interdependent manner of trust, respect and reciprocity. It is not a one way relationship with each party thinking "what can I take from this encounter?"
Rather it is an exchange of "what can I help you accomplish?" promoting the principle of mutual benefit. Networking in its current form feels like you are being robbed or worse, are robbing people of important currency: their time.

If this concept of mutual exchange continues to progress and the bureaucracy of corporate America continues to flatten, the proverbial career ladder may also be dismantling. In the wake of flat companies there may be increased options of flexibility, decision-making and the collaborative exchange of information (interpersonal routing).

What would be a likely result?

Imagine a trellis of intricate relationships cultivated over time that harness your energy and talent. The exchange of ideas and collaboration weave you to otherwise unknown options to consider: a new job, updated training, an engaging colleague or an organization that increases your skills and equips you for success.

A trellis requires co-mingling and over time it provides mutual opportunity for small shoots to become very big plants growing in parallel directions that incorporate a new idea or innovative solution.

A ladder provides you with one way up and when swiped from underneath, it can cause a devastating fall.

Today's job market contraction may ease within the next five years, but will continue to demand that we inventory our career development tools. Do we stay on the ladder or do we invest our time in developing the beauty of a trellis?

In the end, a trellis gives you more flexibility, freedom and choice. A ladder may appear to be the more encompassing metaphor of how to get from one job to another but my clients are saying very loudly,

"Who moved my ladder?"

They're left hanging in uncertainty, fear and joblessness because the career ladder they were on wasn't suppose to fall apart. And it did.

Dear Mr. President

2011-01-26T14:30:00.000-05:00

In your SOTU speech, I appreciate your enthusiasm for science fair winners like no other parent! I believe in the importance of the scientific method and getting our children's hands dirty and full of respect for mother nature and her ample sources of energy yet to be harnessed.

Yet, you really didn't address the fundamental issue that plagues us: the parents of those science fair winners who may be out of a job since last week, or month or year. These parents are my clients and they have brought me to one very stark conclusion: not even a college degree will ensure us with a stable or viable future. Degrees are meaningless without substance that is relevant to the changing demands of a global economy and a serious problem with our job market infrastructure. For some reason I can't explain, economists seem to be blind to it.

The greatest need and demand we have today is finding workers who want to get their hands dirty. If only you had emphasized the critical demands of our workforce for people who can fix an air conditioner, unstop a toilet, repair a broken down car or connect power lines to each other. Wall Street only notices this crisis in a meeting of brokers when the office air conditioner stops working. What MBA will fix it?

As a nation, we have undermined and even revoked the importance of vocational education for our children who just may want to do it. Parents seem to think now that without a college degree their children will not succeed in life. Until we face this reality, I hypothesize that our economy will continue to remain stagnate.

Today's consequences: College educated kids have moved home, can't find a "job" and have debt that could have purchased a starter home. Their parents aren't much help because they too recognize their current skill-set is becoming quickly fossilized or even worse, they lost jobs with a college education.

So yes, I'm with you applauding science fair winners. Please also remember that college education is not our only hope for the future. The kids who didn't win but learned all about electrical currents or how an engine works may be our key to a brighter future.

Working with our hands is a lost art in the world of work. If only parents could understand how important it is to using your brain.

Interpersonal routing: The new branding and image of networking

2011-01-21T17:09:00.001-05:00

I vote we lay the concept of networking to rest. Let's bury a negatively perceived word and replace an outdated concept with a new way of connecting to people. The reasons for such an idea include:

1. Networking is a word rooted in the pyramid schemes of the 1970's that translated to: "Get as much out of people as you can without giving anything in return." It was all about taking without any regard to giving.

2. Many today see networking as a fake, "schmoozing" type of ineffective means of connecting to others that feels totally awkward at best and humiliating at worse because there is no direction or point to the "small talk". It is embarassing to those who aren't proficient in establishing quick rapport.

3. Networking is viewed by many career experts as the key to success but those who need it most completely balk at doing it.

4. It is an overused, undervalued term that needs rebranding. It needs a new identity and buy in from 99% of the American population. Networking makes people break out in hives.

So, are you ready for the new concept that must replace it?

Interpersonal routing

This new career term and way of life is vital for your success both professionally and personally. When approached in a healthy manner it is painless, carefree and very powerful.

Let's take a look at where the words originate:

Routing is a word derived from technology and the computer age involving the process of moving information from one place (the source) to another (the destination). Routing is usually performed by a device called a router. Routing is absolutely essential to the Internet because it provides the means necessary for messages to pass from one computer to another and eventually reach an intended target. Each individual computer routes data by passing along the message to the next computer. The goal of routing is to determine the best path of how information travels and reaching a destination. Now, take what I've written about the router to your daily life and how you take in and give out information and energy. We are routers for one another.

Isn't that how it is suppose to be with humans? Shouldn't we be intentional about connecting to one another and exchange information?

Thus we get the word interpersonal. This word indicates a connection to another based upon several key components:

mutual respect built over time
kindness extended
positive regard shared with others
the opportunity to help another when possible

Interpersonal relationships are vital to our wellbeing. When we combine the words "interpersonal" and "routing" we've coined a new approach to the importance of developing relationships with people that involve the exchange of information leading everyone to a destination or path that is best for the whole rather than only an individual. This is the central tenet of interpersonal routing.

In my next post, I will give specifics on how to integrate interpersonal routing in your life. For now, let go of the overused and misunderstood word, networking. It is time to put it out of its misery and bury all the negative feelings it leaves behind.

Independent Contractor: That is you!

2011-01-18T15:26:00.000-05:00

In the future, we will work. But, not necessarily have a job.

What in the world of work does this mean?
Well, it's complicated! Basically, this statement is influenced by the following:

1. Work is changing so rapidly that employers are trying to do more with less and that means contracting work out rather than in house employees. Thus, opportunity is available but not the way we used to think.
2. Each worker in the future will have a core skill-set that several employers contract to complete projects rather than fulfill job descriptions. It is so much cheaper. Independent contractors have perks with this relationship considered imperative such as flexibility and more autonomy to focus on life beyond work.
3. Depending on what happens with health care (if employers continue to pay more), the employee numbers will shrink and people will have to become self-employed 1099 workers forming the independent contractor mode of survival. They will have no certain collar color. Blue, white, green, whatever! Actually, maybe even pajamas.
4. The 21st century workplace will require this mindset because it is a global marketplace. China and Japan on your neighbors.

This work place model of the future demands that everyone be a continuous learner and adaptable to change. There hasn't been this much drama in the workplace in years. The industrial revolution is dead and technology has replaced the former paradigm. It will be all about how you can complete the deliverables list for a company in a timely and efficient way.

So what does this mean for you?

Don't get comfortable in your job ever.
Don't think your career field won't be affected by this new revolution.

Do learn new skills and update your business portfolio.
Do stay awake and alert to what is happening. So many people are sleeping right through the window of opportunity to learn.
Do be ready at a moment's notice to acclimate to the ever changing demands of the world of work. It is the chameleon of today and your future viability depends on how well you know it. Right now, it is shaping up to be an independent contractor's paradise.

The classroom today looks different

2011-01-13T07:56:00.000-05:00

My grandparents and parents would say that all that mattered was being loyal to an employer. "Give them all you got!!!"

That is history. The class of job security has been cancelled.

Today, it is a whole new world.

Now, everyone with a job and those who would give anything to have one are in the classroom of economics. Trying to follow the syllabus of scarcity, demand and even game theory has made the world of work very complicated. No one can get by with only loyalty.

Ask a career question and I will answer it

2011-01-11T10:51:00.000-05:00

If you visit the blog and have a career related question, please take a moment to ask by emailing me: careerspan@gmail.com or by leaving the question in the comment section.

As a career counselor, I know there are many questions out there regarding resumes, interviewing and job search strategies. So, feel free to ask at any time and I will do my best to answer.

Thought for the day: Since the word "career" originates from the French word meaning "racetrack", just what race am I in?

Me, Myself and I: The Independent Contractor

2011-01-08T11:39:00.000-05:00

In the last few posts, we have focused on several career realities:

1. The job market is seriously contracting. This is primarily due to technology and its HUGE effect on the way we do business (just ask any newspaper company).
2. We can no longer depend upon an employer for work! This sounds really odd, but is completely true. Each of us must develop a set of core skills that individuals, companies and organizations find indispensable. Those skills are contracted on a weekly, monthly or annual basis. In essence, you may be working for several companies at once. What I am writing about today, will be the primary means of employment in the future workforce. Definitely within the next 15 to 20 years. Possibly, a lot sooner.
3. We cannot be passive about our career development. No employer is going to tell you what to do to enhance your skills. You are in charge of keeping on the forefront of your industry and field of expertise.

With those main points in mind, here is a list of important questions for you to consider:

Do I see myself as an independent contractor?
If asked today, what would I say are my top ten skills?
What have I done in the past month or year to develop interdependent relationships with colleagues?
What classes can I be taking to improve, enhance and develop new skills necessary for a global economy?
What goals can I determine to reach that will engage my brain to take me to the next level of my expertise?

Most people are way too stressed out by the job market to be asking the questions I just posed. The irony is that they should be focused solely on answering those questions because of it.

We will look back in a few years and say, "Oh, my! Those years between 2005-2020 were the most agonizing years for job seekers, the unemployed and underemployed of all time." Yet, they are also the most exciting because a new worker emerged in the rubble of change, redirection and new industries:
The independent contractor.

What exactly does it take to become one? What are their hallmarks?
That will be my next post. And, we will also look at what I meant by "interdependent relationships with colleagues." Every independent contractor has them.

Career mastery is in your hands, not the employer's

2010-12-10T14:22:00.002-05:00

As a career counselor that works everyday with clients who have lost their job, are seeking to change careers or want to confirm their current path, all have one common denominator:
they are the ones in control of their future even though at times it doesn't appear that way.

Over the past three years, the job market has given everyone a chilling and sometimes brutal wake up call: job security is the greatest mirage in the world of work.

Many jobs once called "hot" are now cold. Many companies who once were teeming with employees are now hollow with very few people remaining. We have become a lean job market machine and the excess fat has been thrown out the door. But hey, wait! Isn't there a good use for what an employer may deem unnecessary or no longer a viable contribution?

The answer is yes. The questions that matters most are these:

Are you tired of not knowing what will happen to your job today?
What about tomorrow?
Next week?

The critical response to these questions is what are you doing to stay relevant, timely and indispensable to your employer?
Or better yet, what would it look like if you were your employer? What if your destiny hinged on you alone not some corporate stock price?

The world is now at your finger tips. The canvas is blank with hope and promise. The key to your successful worklife has always been in your hand. Isn't it time to unlock a new door of opportunity?

The quest is for the true meaning of becoming an entreprenuer and owning your career outcomes. You don't have to buy a franchise or develop some ingenious new contraption.

What you do need is a level of discomfort in the status quo and waking up every morning wishing you could change your small corner of the world for better.

In the next post, I will share what that might look like. It isn't a mirage after all.

Job contraction and the big balloon effect

2010-11-08T07:25:00.008-05:00

The overall unemployment rate in the United States is sitting at around 9.6 percent.

This statistic is almost double the unemployment rate for years. What is really going on? Economists are trying to gain a grasp on all the complexity of the market, when really it is quite simple:

Technology just blew up a HUGE balloon, tied the knot and now is sqeezing the workforce.

Let me explain.

The huge balloon of technology

Technology has ended the industrial age as we know it. We are now in a knowledge economy where information is instant and available to the masses. This access to knowledge is like someone has taken an empty balloon, filled it with air and gave a new dimension to what has previously been lifeless.

The explosion of the computer, technological resources and the Internet has flourished for the most part. The dot-com bust caused the big balloon to be tied with a knot.

Now, the balloon is being tightly squeezed in one particular section. Imagine taking a balloon, blowing it up, tying a knot and then squeezing it. Would the inside air leave the balloon? Of course not. It would be moving in another direction. This is how I see the American economy at work. We are being squeezed but not popped as reported so negatively by the media.

How?

Well, when you sqeeze one section and it contracts, another section of the balloon is forced to expand. It is the nature of pressure.

Our "recession" is a contraction in the market. The key to our dismay is that NO ONE is pointing to the expansion and movement in another part of this balloon. When one part contracts, another expands. This isn't rocket science!!!!!

So what has contracted in the market? The jobs that are no longer viable because technology has made them faster, easier and cheap. What is expanding? The businesses that make it faster, easier and cheaper for the employer using technology as the catalyst for change. It is a simple equation that has had devastating results because we have been largely unprepared for the intensity of the squeeze.

In the end, if our nation recognized and prepared for the contraction, this unemployment rate would have been minimized. Economists can only predict. However, it would be a beneficial resource to have a career counselor as an advisor to the President. That expert would have focused on when the market's balloon was being naturally squeezed and to not react so negatively to a brilliant shift in our economy. The balloon hasn't popped!

It has just been squeezed. My next post will focus on our major resource to take us to the height of this new economy with a mastery yet to be defined.

The job market continues to get a BAD rap

2010-10-07T16:01:00.007-04:00

Found in a recent article:

For every one posting, there were at least 5 to 6 workers that were applying and needed the job.

In essence, according to grim views of the job market, there are more job seekers than there are jobs at a 1 to 5 or 6 ratio. Most of the research data is based on the number of online job postings.

Here's something to consider:

First and foremost, NOT ALL JOBS ARE POSTED!!!!!!!

When a job seeker learns this imperative rule, he or she is on the road to job recovery. I would estimate that at least 70% of all job openings (if not more) are never posted online or in some type of print advertisement.

Job titles are constantly evolving and altering nearly daily due to technology, the global economy and the shifting labor force with diverse and broad needs. Thus, a company may have an opening with a certain job title but within weeks or months, such a title has become obsolete.

Employers are not posting openings online because they are looking for a worker that goes beyond a static job posting or description. They want TALENT, VISION, COMPETENCE and ENERGY. What they are looking for is not found online or posted in bright lights at multiple search engine job boards. Yes, people do find jobs online. It is a tool but not the ONLY tool. It doesn't have the best rate of success.

What does? It is called "getting out and connecting to the world around you more than searching online".

I want to know who is counting the number of people that find jobs that were never posted online? What about the job seekers who got of their behinds and got out of the house and met people? What about the ones who were very intentional in going for a company they wanted to work for even when no opening was officially posted? After all, that is the majority of the authentic pool of employers and those who seek employment.

Yes it may be true that there is one job online for every five to six job seekers. But that is not the full picture.

The more important story is that there are employers who never post such openings and are hiring that never get accounted for in data that makes the job market seem abysmal.

That is a very sad illusion that has disconnected and depressed people from even trying to find a job. Never forget...when one part of the market contracts, there is another part expanding.

The key is whether or not the job seeker knows how to navigate the course to locating that expansion.

Career Success Has No Shortcuts

2010-09-07T15:13:00.000-04:00

Career Success is a culmination of individual experiences and lessons learned that are quilted together.

There are those who never connect the patches of development, making intentional choices and overcoming their fear to grasp the reality of success. Rather, they see a random and purely chaotic scene of reacting to job offers, jumping on new opportunities and never stepping back to assess the critical factors of career happiness. Success never lands on you without reason or fortitude. It can be grueling, difficult and time consuming to put your development as a professional as one of your top priorities. The pay off can be HUGE.

Consider the following strategies to harness your career potential:

1. PACE yourself. Take a new class, find an online course and learn something new daily.
2. Recognize the value of colleagues and spend quality time having lunch, a cup of coffee, a round of golf or Skype. Be available.
3. Learn to use technology to your advantage.
4. Study the resources your community offers and take advantage of them when possible.

Enjoy the journey of developing your career by recognizing there may not be a shortcut to arriving at success but take advantage of all the scenic beauty.

Career Contractions and Birth Pangs

2010-07-06T15:57:00.003-04:00

No woman who has experienced the birth of a child can truly forget the pain of contractions. They HURT!!!!!!!!!!!!! The contractions prepare the body for a baby's imminent arrival through the birth canal. Contractions in essence are giving notice to the uterus that it is soon to be finished with its work of nourishing the baby.

The labor market is doing much of the same. It is giving life to new opportunities while making former occupations obsolete. The birth of a new economy based on knowledge, continual learning, flexibility and results will be born regardless of our objections to this change.

The key? Are you prepared for the arrival of a new, bouncing and healthy market that will demand much time and focus as you retool and begin this next step in your career journey.

It is worth everything. The reason? Like children, everything you expend on your career is not an expense but rather an investment.

Start that investment today.

NEVER too late...

2010-04-28T15:18:00.004-04:00

So many clients ask the same question:

"Is it too late for me to change careers?"

The short answer is...it is complicated. But, not impossible.

Complicated because AGE is not the primary barrier. One's attitude and lack of confidence will override chronology any day. The issue is not time, but rather energy.

The more applicable question may likely look like this:

"Do you have the energy, focus, drive, support and resources available to you to make the transition work successfully?"

Career change is becoming an oxymoron. Careers change faster than lightbulbs. It is the way of the workplace and it isn't going to slow down soon.

So, how motivated are you?

How much do you want it?

Are you ready to focus and give what it takes to transition?

In the end, it is much better for you to make the decision than for your employer to make it for you. Especially if it comes when you least expect it.

Don't put off until tomorrow, what may not be there tomorrow.

Identity Theft in a Job Title

2010-04-22T22:13:00.003-04:00

Where is your identity?

Has your job title stolen it from you.

The reality of work can be brutal when one loses a job especially when it is completely unexpected. The pink slip for a teacher or the trip to the Human Resources office for the shocked professional who gave everything to the company only to find a hollow sense of worth and value. Emotional rage, sustained bouts of anger and depression are hallmark indicators of a person who lost even their soul in exchange for a job title and description of daily responsibilities.
What if your job isn't there tomorrow? What if you lost it yesterday? Does that loss define who you are?
It is a complex issue with no easy answer to what the balance is or how far you go in a career that defines you.

Don't get me wrong. I am all about putting in a full day's work and loving what you do. But can there be a point where a person merges their sense of self too far into an office at work? Life is always lives on a continuum that must be refined and measured over time. The older we get, the more we realize success is not measured by a bank statement. Actually, we can have a lot of money, kudos and accomplishments and still be bankrupt and utterly lost.

If your sense of value and worth better known as an identity is found ONLY in the work you do, you're missing the essence of life. The roles only you can fill are the key factors to a life well lived. Only you can fill a certain role such as sibling, parent, community activist, neighbor, friend, spouse, etc. that no one else can fill as only you do. A job title is replaceable and work can steal it. A relationship can be lost by neglect. Life's greatest meaning is found not solely in your work, but in who you spend your time with learning, loving and developing each day. Identity is validated in relationship to others as they reflect the qualities you possess or even greater, provoke you to reach a deeper level of knowledge and wisdom.

Your reflection will always be seen in a mirror as you walk by and glance at it. Your identity is captured in the roles you fill in relation to others. Remember who you are is found in what and who you love. No one can steal that from you.

Intimacy is the wrap around timing and synchronicity

2010-03-25T17:29:00.001-04:00

As we have been focusing on the importance of networking and how to do it, we come to the most difficult question of all: Who do I dance with?

Networking is after all, closely related to dancing. It takes timing, effort, focus and most of all another person to join in.

With this process comes true diligence and even tenacity. People are busy, full of demanding schedules with barely enough time to breathe. How does on find the right persons to network with and develop an intimacy that connects one human to another?

First, if you want to network, you have to know how to listen. Listening is not thinking about what you are going to say when another is talking. Listening is attentive posturing and intentional caring about what others are saying. It involves energy that is never ever wasted.

So, have you practiced listening? The best way to do this is to give feedback to others when they share with you. Let them know what you are hearing and if you are accurate. Clarifying is the key to listening.

Second, increase your awareness to the body language you are disclosing. At least eighty-five per cent of communication is without a single word. We say a lot when we say nothing but our body language betrays us.

Finally, give people a chance. They are worth your effort to develop nurture and care for. This is the secret to longer life, healthier bodies and more satisfying careers. When we network, when we connect and when we listen, we are tuly living life and not merely existing.

Timing is EVERYTHING

2010-02-13T12:45:00.000-05:00

Networking is like the composition of a beautiful melody. You can feel the underpinning of the beat and rhythm being played to perfection. If one note is out of place or one instrument playing when it should be silent, a tension is created with an awareness that something or someone is misplaced. It is an incongruency called dissonance.

Networking dissonance or a lack of right timing causes a serious misperception. When timing is off this is what happens:

1. An eager jobseeker really wants to work as an administrative assistant. She calls back to check on the status of the job daily. Eagerness is perceived as annoying.

2. A successful professional recently laid off starts to attend monthly meetings of a young professional association even though he completely dismissed it while employed. No one takes the time to introduce himself or herself to the professional and he leaves disgruntled and isolated with feelings of resentment of time wasted and a growing dread of trying to find work.

3. A worker recently down-sized starts to connect with every imaginable friend, associate or colleague he has ever known. He gets the word out that he has been let go from his company but is terribly disappointed that no one responds to him except his retired neighbor who wished him luck.

All of these examples rest on the vitality of effective networking not being utilized due to poor timing.

Let's go back and look at these three examples if networking timing happened to be in perfect correlation with the contextual scenarios.

1. The eager job seeker follows up concurrent to the same degree follow up is neccesary in the position she is seeking. A car salesman position would demand a daily follow up to show persistence. What about a professional position? Once every 5 to 7 business days at most. Perception: Engaged, persistent but not a pestering presence. Timing is critical.

2. Timing in this scenario is simple. Be active and intentional in networking long before you need it to work for you. The time given is the response you will likely receive.

3. People are busy, schedules are full and an emergency on your part is not likely to receive triage from everyone else. Unless, you have been in an emergency mode for them. We reap what we sow. How did you respond when your neighbor lost his job five years ago? Did you return his calls? Did you introduce him to potential job leads?

Timing is everything when desiring to network because every moment counts. If you're not connected to a community of neighbors, colleagues and friendships, take the first step. Make the initial contact and overcome your fear. Otherwise, your fear will someday overcome you. When you do it right, beautiful music is your reward.

Synchronicity is a BEAUTIFUL thing

2010-02-08T22:12:00.003-05:00

Having synchronicity while networking is akin to pushing the pedal to the metal at a green light and slamming the break when it turns red. There are rules of networking that make synchronicity with others possible so no one gets hurt.

Here they are for you to consider:

Be nice and respectful. This may seem to be obvious but it isn't a done deal. People for the most part have forgotten to be respectful and courteous. Without these two essential skills, networking will never evolve into a productive use of your time or anyone else's.

Be genuine and get rid of the fake. This is critically important to simply be yourself and not someone who can't be real. People know the difference and no one wants to connect to a wax figure. You know the one who has life-like features but isn't natural.

Focus more of your energy and attention on others. You can't be in synchronicity with anyone unless you take your eyes of yourself. Stop thinking about what you can take and start thinking about what you have to give.

The irony? People warm up to someone who wants to focus on mutual trust, kindness and rapport. When you show respect, you form the underpinning for solid synchronicity. As I always pound into the brains of my children:

"This world isn't all about you. Until respect is the axis of your actions, you're not going to go anywhere. With it, the world rotates upon your respect and rewards you with what you have given."

With these simple basic reminders, the synchronicity of kindness gives you the green light to proceed to the next important component of networking: timing. It is the sister of synchronicity.

The Networking Dance

2010-01-24T20:46:00.003-05:00

Our definition for networking must be the frame for this post:

It is the ability to become a small yet important part of a larger interconnected system of people from across one's community, industry or professional sphere to be a resource for others and access resources from others when needed based on mutual benefit and agreement.

In essence networking is a dance. It involves three important components:

1. Synchronicity
2. Timing
3. Intimacy

Without each of these three actions properly functioning at once, adjectives begin to emerge:

Networking is so awkward!
It is so uncomfortable.
It makes me feel so clumsy and ill at ease.

Imagine for a moment, the world of work is very much like the ancient rite of proper passage: attending and participating in a coutillion. First, you must RSVP properly. Next, you dress up for the occasion. Finally, you attend only to dance with partners you don't know. When my daughter attended this event in her eighth grade year, I picked her up a little early (on purpose). I walked in to a ballroom crowded with teenagers trying to find comfort in dancing with strangers. Yes, it was organized and supervised by adults who rotated the participants alphabetically so no one would be left out. However, when you slow dance with a stranger it is plain awkward. I saw this happen to my child.
When I found her in the crowd she was tolerating the last dance. It was a slow one where she had to dance close to someone she didn't know. It was interesting to watch as they tried to dance in synchronicity. They drew close for the dance but their heads were completely turned away from each other. How can you look into the eyes of complete stranger? Their uncomfortable stance was obvious body language of complete awkwardness.
Networking can be the same as a coutillion dance. Unless you've developed a fundamental relationship with the other person, it will always feel difficult to ask for what you need or to help another person when you haven't developed the relationship. Thus, we will continue to look at three imperative networking factors: synchronocity, timing and intimacy in future posts. Get ready to dance and look others in the eyes.

The "N" word...

2010-01-13T15:32:00.001-05:00

So many career professionals hate the "N" word. You know that ten letter word that makes one cringe at just the thought of it: networking.

The sanitary version of its definition is:

The act of working a room full of people to promote yourself or business that makes one feel like a type of car salesperson.

The gross version of its definition is:

The art of making small talk for no apparent reason with people you don't know or really care to know resulting in an awkward feeling of "what the heck am I doing here?" or "This is a complete waste of my time". I feel completely stupid doing it.

The reality version of its definition is:

Being a small yet important part of a larger interconnected system of people from across one's community, industry or professional sphere to be a resource for others and access resources from others when needed based on mutual benefit and agreement.

Having a network and being able to network are two different beasts. So first things first. What is your network? Who is a part of your network? What do you have to offer your network? Answering these three questions will prepare you for the next post. It is about the network dance. This is the movement necessary to enter into a relationship of synchronicity and collaboration with others. Do your homework, answer those questions and visit again soon.

Career Loss Can Be Your Gain

2009-12-04T16:28:00.006-05:00

Never before have I seen so much angst in my clients. It is the hardest time in the history of career development to be a private practicioner. People are losing jobs like crazy and express to me their feelings of fear, hurt and rejection. It appears that life is crumbling right before them. Losing a job can be one of the BIGGEST pills to swallow. Personally, I vote you spit it out.

Here is my advice to the many who are using kleenex a lot, feeling their souls have been ripped apart by a pink slip and don't know where to turn or what to do. This blog posting is for you.

1. DON'T PANIC. The worse possible strategy is to give up before you start. Yes it is a tight market. Yes, the outlook seems bleak. Yet, reality invites you to remember that jobs are out there but they will not come to your door. I have seen clients get new offers within a few weeks. Why? Because they had the guts and determination to do what they had to do. Offering yourself back to a market that seemingly just fired you is not an easy path. The longer you wait, the longer it takes.

2. UNDERSTAND YOUR LIMITS. The biggest limit on the current typical job-seeker is a bruised ego. I can't tell you how many people are successful in getting an interview but question their confidence and allow self-doubt to creep in. The absolute greatest devastation faced by most people is the loss of worth and value resulting in a tainted perception of their skills. This is the greatest poison of all.

3. UNDERSTAND YOUR POTENTIAL. If you will get past the anger, hurt and self-doubt I can tell you the statistical probability that you will be re-hired is greater than if you wallow in pity and depression. I think you should give your emotional responses (all normal) a deadline. Then, move on and face a new challenge. Two realities exist: 1. An employer out there needs you but doesn't know you exist or 2. You have a company inside you waiting to be born. Why not now?

4. BUILD A GREAT RESUME. This is the greatest tool for initial contact that results in a critical first impression. If you email me at careerspan@gmail.com between today, December 4 and Christmas, I will send you a template at no cost. The one used most often by my clients works extremely well because employers helped create it.

Finally, recognize what matters most in life isn't what an employer can take away.

As I always preach...employers can have your sweat, but never your blood. That belongs to people in your life that matter most. In the end, that is what counts.

Obama Calls for Job Summit At White House on December 3rd

2009-11-24T21:18:00.000-05:00

Remarks made by President Obama on November 12, 2009:
"Over the past 10 months, we’ve taken a number of bold steps to break the back of this recession. We’ve worked to stabilize the financial system, revive lending to small businesses and families, and prevent responsible homeowners from losing their homes. And through the Recovery Act, we’ve cut taxes for middle class families, extended and increased unemployment insurance, and created and saved more than a million jobs.

As a result, the economy is now growing again for the first time in more than a year -- and faster than at any time in the past two years. But even though we’ve slowed the loss of jobs -- and today’s report on the continued decline in unemployment claims is a hopeful sign -- the economic growth that we’ve seen has not yet led to the job growth that we desperately need. As I’ve said from the start of this crisis, hiring often takes time to catch up to economic growth. And given the magnitude of the economic turmoil that we’ve experienced, employers are reluctant to hire.

Small businesses and large firms are demanding more of their employees, their increasing their hours, and adding temporary workers -- but these companies have not yet been willing to take the steps necessary to hire again. Meanwhile, millions of Americans -- our friends, our neighbors, our family members -- are desperately searching for jobs. This is one of the great challenges that remains in our economy -- a challenge that my administration is absolutely determined to meet.

We all know that there are limits to what government can and should do, even during such difficult times. But we have an obligation to consider every additional, responsible step that we can [take] to encourage and accelerate job creation in this country. And that’s why, in December, we’ll be holding a forum at the White House on jobs and economic growth. We’ll gather CEOs and small business owners, economists and financial experts, as well as representatives from labor unions and nonprofit groups, to talk about how we can work together to create jobs and get this economy moving again."

Since I'm not one of the small business owners invited to attend, here is my advice as a career counselor:

1. We are in such a dramatic technology revolution that has forever changed the way our world does business. This may likely result in a permanent loss of certain jobs (telephone operator,drafting technician,etc)that will not have significant growth again while paving the way for brand new ones (web designers, systems analysts,researchers etc). The steps needed for employers to start rehiring may likely NOT be their sole responsibility. The potential workforce may need a serious retool. All you have to do is ask a newspaper publisher if I'm right.
2. Re-tooling may mean reinventing America's idea of "career". Job security is not only dead but now fossilized. It may not be unheard of for most of the future workforce to be independent contractors that piece meal small jobs from a plethora of different opportunity sources.
3. The green collared workforce is not yet prepared for the potential of indefinite avenues of growth in biotechnology, food sciences (especially with animals) and the environmental push to reduce carbon footprints. We have barely scratched the surface of such a HUGE well of potential that demands a new type of worker that LOVES knowledge but is also completely comfortable working with gadgets and tools.
4. As a nation, we must re-brand, re-invent and reconsider our attitude of "vo-tech" jobs. Being a plumber, electrician, HVAC technician, or a mechanic have seriously been viewed as an educational safety net and option for the "less than smart" student. In reality, those jobs and workers who do them are the bread and butter of our economy. Ask any utility company about the future worker who will replace their older, aging linemen and they will scratch their heads in complete frustration and anxiety. The reason? Maybe we have overmarketed the college four year degree that is needed in only 15% of our economy. I am not discounting a college education. I am saying the associate degree, the vocational certificate and training needs equal footing in importance. Who is going to repair your broken air conditioner? Who will fix the power line downed by a winter storm?

I could go on, but that is all for now. Best wishes to all the experts converging in Washington. I hope that you remember a knowledge worker can use a wrench and hammer to ratchet our economy in a new direction of growth and opportunity.

It may be time to reframe the word "Career"

2009-11-11T16:11:00.003-05:00

The word, career has its root in the french word meaning "racetrack".
Makes perfect sense to me.

After all, sometimes our career feels like a race. Each morning, we start out of the gate with a sprint and reach our turns by mid-afternoon. We watch the clock and keep on track for when the day is done. Then, our race for the day is finished.

However, the word career implies so much more. It implies a race but a very long one. It implies speed, excellence and duration over time. We start a career when we begin to get paid for work. We end it when we die. The finish line comes only at the very last leg of the race.

So, how is your race going? Are you out of shape? On the wrong track? Left out in the barn? Are you sprinting with no end in sight? Are you pacing ready to crank it up to full throttle?

Career is really a word that means movement toward a destination around the bend. We can't predict exactly what is beyond it but we can prepare for it. Simple steps include:
1. Have your resume updated at least monthly.
2. Learn a new skill at least weekly (preferably related to technology).
3. Find a mentor in your field of expertise.
4. Take a colleague to lunch and brainstorm about what is likely to happen to your industry next.
5. Get plenty of rest. Every horse has a stall to take a breather and relax.

No better time than now to prepare for the future. After all, it starts tomorrow morning.

Lethal Stress and the Workplace

2009-11-06T08:10:00.002-05:00

Serious questions are being asked today in the wake of the Ft. Hood shooting spree in which a gunman killed 12 and injured many. One of the zillions of questions to be asked and answered will be, "What event, circumstance or trigger would set-off such vile anger to carry out such a horrific act of unfathomable proportions?" This was an violent act against the very "family" he not only worked alongside but had sworn an oath to protect, guard and help. We will be grappling with this for months as the victims' families try to cope for decades. Violence, hostility and anger have dire consequences in any workplace if certain warning signs are not noticed, ignored when noticed or minimized for the sake of convenience, fear or retribution. As the events of Ft. Hood continue to unfold, it is not unlikely that some will indicate noticing subtle behavioral changes while others observed the same types of routinized actions of a man known to be typically kind and quiet. It is a reminder for everyone that workplace stress magnifies stress to enormous proportions. A military base would be at the height of such stress during a war with multiple deployments. In a sour economy that has increased stress no one is immune to stress even on a good day. Be aware and keep watch for behavioral changes in co-workers and colleagues that can't be overlooked or denied. My strong advice to you is to seek resources available to you should you notice it in co-workers or in yourself. Warning signs are a first line of protection that can't be ignored.

Three Career Time Zones for the Careerlancer

2009-10-30T15:34:00.004-04:00

As a career counselor I always make sure clients understand the three time zones of career success. We actually live in all simultaneously:
1. The past.

This one creates the most toxic of outcomes if you're not careful. The past can be the greatest obstacle to achieving goals because it grabs us by the foot and holds us in a mire if we have made mistakes and experienced failure. This time zone demands that all of us implement a new frame when looking at what we perceive as failure. New definition for optimal growth: Failure is when I experience something and learn absolutely nothing from it. Regret and sorrow have to stay behind you.

2. The present.

This time zone taps into several of our essential motivators to work, live and love. It is the NOW of life never to be lived again. This zone demands energy, focus and a sense of purpose to help you overcome the past and to not be stalled in fear of the future. Optimal growth occurs when you play hard, laugh loud from the belly and think of yourself as part of a community. No matter how isolated you may feel at times, you are a part of something much greater than yourself. Go find it.

3. The future.

This time zone requires that you not be faint-hearted. It runs at full capacity when you do two things: A. Ask a lot of questions such as, "Where do I want to be in a year? How do I get there? What can bring meaning into my work? What leisure activity do I need to try? B. Get over or through or around the fear of where this zone might take you.

Life at full throttle means our sorrow for mistakes is in the past, our will to love and live is in the present and our brain power is engaged to think, "what do I intentionally want to do? in the future.

Apathy is not welcome in all three zones.

A Lifetime Careerlancer

2009-10-11T22:33:00.005-04:00

In the last post, the main idea was this:

In the future of the American workforce you may work but not have a typical "job".
It may be that you're contracted by the job with a set deadline and a goal to achieve. You can have tons of flexiblity, but it such availability can lead to serious hours of work especially at night when everyone else is asleep. But in the end, is it worth it?

As a mom of three with a vital need to have flexible hours to put them first, the answer is yes. I do much of my work on a contract basis only. I see clients hourly and limit my private practice hours. I do trainings, workshops and a variety of tasks that are on deadline. It is an awesome career to allow freedom to be an academic coach at my daughter's school, take a break whenever I choose and to walk the dogs at a moment's notice. To be a careerlancer (career professional + freelancer)means that I have opportunities to cook dinner in the middle of 40 emails, run to the post office before or after lunch and to eat lunch at 2:30pm if I wish. The challenge isn't finishing or accomplishing the goal, but rather how to blend it all into a meaningful and rewarding life with no regrets.

Professionals today run a marathon as though it were a sprint and very few know how to pace the demands into the synchronicity of life's precious and fleeting moments. Thus, I said no to daycare and yes to raising my children. I said no to working in a job that asked for "40" a week when the unwritten rule was really "50" or more. I said no to a sense (albeit a false one) of security with a job title, and a knowledge that I would have a job. There are no promises for that anymore.

Rather, I have said yes to being the driver rather than passenger of my career. The car may be in warp speed at times, but its me who puts it in gear.

Yes, it is scary but so is staying in a cubicle from 9 to 5 with no flexibility for a life calling to be lived once. I am writing into a blogosphere of almost nothingness trying to tell someone that needs to hear, "It is worth it to take a chance on making work fit your schedule rather than being a slave to it.
The answer?
Becoming a careerlancer for life. The how to guide will continue in these posts.

Are you ready to be redefined by job title loss?

2009-10-08T16:21:00.007-04:00

The American work world is in a frenzied and ferocious state of redefinement. Yes, in just a few years, we could all have work, but not necessarily "jobs". In the future, what will fill the need of employers is the professional who considers their identity in three facets:
1. contracted work
2. short term relationships of synergy
3. stepping into roles in a seamless fashion.

1. Contracted work- This new model will mean that most American workers will be contracted on a job basis only. This may mean doing the work, meeting the goal and getting paid for it. Yet, it is a limited and on call basis only. Call it career freelancer. This person is adaptable to fast paced environments that outpace the dinosaur bureacracies it leaves in its wake. The Pro--- FLEXIBILITY. You can work from home in your pajamas and take a break whenever you want. It is about the end result (product) not the time spent (clocking in). The Con---can be risky for the faint-hearted. Not knowing where your next project will come or when, can be stressful. Is it worth it?
2. Short term relationships of synergy- The new American worker will need to know how to cultivate quick relationships and adapt to a myraid of personalities and demands. You might be working on three projects at a time with three different "bosses"...it can get a little crazy. But is it worth it?
3. Stepping into roles in a seamless fashion.

Creating garments without seams is incredibly difficult but worth the work. What a spectacular display of craftsmanship. Similarly, working as a free agent or careerlancer requires a professional who adapts, flexes assertiveness and initiates projects from the ground up. It means a blur of time spent working. This may mean working at midnight but at least in your pajamas. You may be a project leader and take a break to tuck your kids into bed or let the dogs out every 2 hours. Is it worth it?

You bet. In my next post, I will tell you how I did it.

Bad boss quiz results

2009-08-03T20:01:00.002-04:00

Bad Boss Quiz Results

Based on the last post and quiz of bad bosses, here are the directions and results.

1. For each of the 25 questions give the following points to your reponse:

A. Blue answers get one point.
B. Green answers get two points.
C. Purple answers get three points.
D. Red answers get four points.
E. If no answer applies, then zero points are given.

2. Tabulate your score by adding up all the points.

3. Below is the feedback given for the type of boss you have.

Score 90 to 100 LETHALLY POISONED ENVIRONMENT OF DESTRUCTION

Results Feedback: Your boss is rabid. Get the heck out of there! RUN!!!!!!! Leave as soon as humanly possible. You’re in a dungeon of venom yet no one has handcuffed you to the wall. Your blood pressure, headaches and depression are signals you can’t ignore. Life is too short! Find another place to work. Hurry! Do not delay. Your boss is as poisonous as carbon monoxide. No work, no project, no paycheck is worth what you are enduring.

Score 80 to 89 TOXIC CENTER OF REEKING GRAVITY

Results Feedback: Your boss is horrible. Leaving your current position must be a definite priority in the very near future. Your boss is verging on a lethal level of unhealthy behavior and attitude. The inability to know day to day how your boss will act or respond is not conducive to professional development. In addition, your lack of trust in what actions are being carried out is a warning not to wait it out and hope things will improve. Don’t tolerate this harmful behavior any longer. Leave!

Score 50 to 79 CONTAMINATION ZONE OF NEGATIVE VIBES

Results Feedback: Your boss is one of indifference, intolerance and resistance to change. Your type of boss will always want things the way they’ve always been and will not address the need to accept new ways of doing business. Rather, they prefer to play it safe resulting in a depressing work environment of monotony, resistance and inefficiency. “We can’t do it! No! Sorry! Maybe next year! Not enough resources,” are common responses from the pessimistic boss who refuses to embrace the inevitable and will avoid conflict at all costs. Do you really want to stay? Is it worth it to be in a lackluster environment that will not harness your talent?

Score 26 to 49 FUNCTIONAL FUMES OF STATUS QUO

Results Feedback: Your boss is likely putting out flames and taking on emergency situations around the office. Always responding in a reactive mode of operation, your boss may not be one to give specified attention to your professional growth and development. Be assertive in scheduling quarterly meetings with your boss to receive feedback on how to improve, develop and learn new ways to do business. If you don’t, a lack of motivation, energy and focus may swallow you up in a vacuum of numbness.

Score 25 or below AROMATIC POSITIVE BLISS

Results Feedback: You’re enjoying the best boss around. One who likely is supportive, communicative and flexible. No boss is perfect, but yours sure does come close. Send a note to her/him and express how much you appreciate their leadership and let their actions become a role model for you. After all, when one of your employees finds this quiz on the Internet, what do you want your score to be?

Take the bad boss quiz

2009-05-19T15:54:00.010-04:00

As a continuation of the last post dealing with a bad boss, let's first set the parameters for what defines and measures a bad boss by taking the following quiz. Each statement reflect an indicator that merits our attention and focus on what constitutes a bad boss.

Important directions:

A. Place a check on the line of each question if your answer is yes.

B. If you placed a check by the statement indicating yes, then your next step is to circle or highlight the colored frequency of how often the behavior occurs. Scoring the quiz will depend not only on bad behavior but also how often it occurs. Scoring the quiz will come in the next post.

For now, when you read each statement answer it immediately. Don't chew the sentence and spit out an answer three hours later. Go with your instinct and past experience.

Are you ready? Okay, let's begin.

1. ___ My boss produces a toxic environment of distrust by actions that seem to make no sense at all to me or anyone else.

Only occasionally weekly daily constantly

2. ___My boss gossips about others behind their back without regard to confidentiality, respect or integrity.

Only occasionally weekly daily constantly

3. ___My boss lacks social awareness skills such as constantly interrupting, saying rude or obnoxious comments in meetings or to my face. I feel so uncomfortable when I am with my boss.

Only occasionally weekly daily constantly

4. ___My boss appears oblivious to the harm caused by an unmanaged emotional outburst in a meeting or to the staff who feel embarrassed or humiliated when hearing it.

Only occasionally weekly daily constantly

5. ___ My boss can exhibit impulsive behavior toward making decisions that affect office policy and procedures and will usually enact rules without notice.

Only occasionally weekly daily constantly

6. ___ My boss will ask for feedback but when it is given, dismisses it as nonsense or makes whoever spoke up feel stupid.

Only occasionally weekly daily constantly

7. ___My boss makes unreasonable demands on me or staff usually as a result of poor planning and ineffective leadership in meeting deadlines or goals.

Only occasionally weekly daily constantly

8. ___My boss has impossible expectations. No matter what happens, NOTHING is ever enough.

Only occasionally weekly daily constantly

9. ___My boss seems to feel threatened by other's success and accomplishments.

Only occasionally weekly daily constantly

10.___My boss would not recommend a top performer on our staff to other departments or managers to keep that person from moving up.

Only occasionally weekly daily constantly

11. ___My boss doesn't want to change the way it has always been done and is resistant to changing the status quo.

Only occasionally weekly daily constantly

12.___My boss plays favorites with staff and makes it obvious to the ones not chosen.

Only occasionally weekly daily constantly

13.___ My boss completely ignores conflict and avoids trying to solve problems with staff and peers.

Only occasionally weekly daily constantly

14.___ My boss seems to have no life outside the office and is consumed by work.

Only occasionally weekly daily constantly

15.___My boss appears to have a hidden agenda or an underlying motive that I can't quite put my finger on.

Only occasionally weekly daily constantly

16.___My boss can be cruel and ruthless in treatment of others including peers on the same level.
Only occasionally weekly daily constantly

17.___ My boss is inflexible with work schedules and the occasional need for family flexibility.

Only occasionally weekly daily constantly

18.___My boss has a leadership style that is all about control.

Only occasionally weekly daily constantly

19. ___ I would leave my job in a heartbeat because of my boss, although I love the work I do.

Occasional thought weekly thought daily thought constant thought

20. ___ The culture in my workplace is poisoned by the negative attitude and actions of my boss.

Only occasionally weekly daily constantly

21. ___ What is valued most by my boss is keeping my mouth shut and doing whatever I'm told.

Only occasionally weekly daily constantly

22.___ My boss doesn't annually evaluate me in a review giving positive feedback and challenging me to do my best work.

It happened five years ago Talks about it but never does Refuses to make it a priority When hell freezes over

23. ___ Depending on mood, everyone stays clear of my boss if it is bad.

Only occasionally weekly daily constantly

24. ___ I breathe a sigh of relief when my boss isn't in the office or away in meetings.

Only occasionally weekly daily constantly

25.___ Since I started taking this quiz, I feel nauseated and my head hurts.

Only a little I'm quite queazy I feel sick I just threw up

You have completed the quiz. Ready to score it?

Results will be tabulated in the next post.

Stay tuned.

What to do when you have a really bad boss

2009-05-04T15:15:00.001-04:00

Today’s entry is a spin-off from my last one. Sometimes, no matter how much you and co-workers may have similar patterns of migration to interests, activities and values that bring meaning and fulfillment to the workplace; there are bosses who make life miserable for everyone. Before we begin to define a bad boss and what to do when you have one, let’s ask ourselves one question, “Is my boss incompetent and therefore bad or is my boss challenging and therefore stretching my boundaries of comfort?”

A bad boss is defined as one who is incompetent in leadership skills (what they do) and sustainability (who they are) in the workplace. A competent boss may actually challenge us to step out of comfort and go beyond the status quo. Thus, we may describe them as “bad” because they don’t fit our concept of doing things the way it has always been done.

Does that make them bad? The word “bad” is so subjective!

If you have stated the following to your boss in the past six weeks, your boss may not be so bad after all and you may need to redefine your expectations. Have you said:

“But, we’ve always done it this way. Why change it now?”

“Will I get paid for this extra work?”

“That is not in my job description!”

“I can’t do it. I don’t know how.”

“Do I have to do that?”

“I will get back to you in the next few days.”

“I really don’t like all this change.”

If you’ve answered any of those questions with a resounding yes, then let’s re-word the negativity. If your boss is leading at a pace you’re uncomfortable with or does it different than how it has always been done, it is likely you have the greater challenge.

A boss is not there to make your work life comfortable. A boss is there to make you competent and harness your very best talent.

In the next post, let’s get to the heart of what the definition is of a really bad boss.

Where are the birds like me?

2009-04-28T16:22:00.004-04:00

So much of the joy, reward and meaning of work is not solely found in what we do. It is also discovered quickly in whom we do it with. I have seen many clients over the years in a desperate migratory journey trying to find happiness at work when in fact it wasn't the work itself. Rather, a co-worker, colleague or boss seemed to make life on the job completely intolerable.

Take Jane for example. She chose occupational therapy in college because her dad commented that it is a 21st century hot career. She excelled academically in the sciences, but upon the clinical phase of her work, discovered a huge disconnect with her colleagues and patients. "No one seems to like me or even speak to me. My co-workers act like a high school clique and my patients are rude and condescending. They won't follow my directions even though I am matter of fact and concise. This work makes me feel incompetent. "

Take David as another example. He chose to be an attorney because of its seeming prestige in the community. He breezed through law school but could never develop a successful private practice upon graduation. His first hints of disppointment were in law school when he didn't seem to fit with classmates. He preferred being alone and likely appeared aloof. He hated working at the firm and despised what he perceived as office politics. He never once joined in for after hours get togethers, parties or social events seeing them all as a waste of time. He couldn't understand how he could excel academically, but fail misearably on the job. " I can't understand why this career is so horrible. I have constant anxiety and a recurring ulcer. I don't fit in with everyone else. No one in the firm seems to be like me."

What do Jane and David have in common?

Here are some lessons they've learned the hard way:

1. Career satisfaction is a broad spectrum of variables you cannot control such as the people who work alongside you. An awesome career can be ruined by a horrible boss or co-worker.
2. A third of life is spent at work. Why spend it in misery at a place or point in your life where you don't fit now or perhaps never fit at all? Academic success doesn't predict a sustainable, enjoyable and meaningful career.
3. A person can excel at the employability skills taught by professors or academic courses but not have similar interest patterns and values of colleagues that increase or decrease satisfaction in the workplace.

How is satisfaction attainable in the workplace you ask?

Well, let's just lay it on the line. It is all about our feathers, beak and migratory habits.

We ALL have a need and even longing to belong to something bigger than ourselves. Sometimes that plays out for some of us in a group. For some, it means being left alone with uninterrupted time and concentration. We need meaning and a sense of value. The more time spent with colleagues sharing similar beliefs and ideals the more we sense inside ourselves that we "fit" within the ranks of a profession.

For me, this collaboration and sense of identity corresponds to a goose flying in a "V" formation. Sometimes, I want to lead the charge for a new and updated theory or scope of practice that pushes the limit of tested knowledge. I will honk and quack until everyone is on the same page. Then there are moments when my wings are tired and I fall back in a set formation following the wind gusts and air lifts until energy is restored.

After all, geese are all about belonging to a flock. They're group oriented and even roost together in lifetime pairs.

All of this to say that as an identifiable goose, I know not to waste energy trying to eat out of a hummingbird feeder. I'm a bird with wings and a beak but I don't flit very well. I am not fast and speedy. I appreciate landing on a supportive device for long periods of time. I'm also not typically territorial and won't fight for the food unless irrationally provoked.

There are stark differences in people just as there are among the avian species. What species of bird best represents you? Are you a hawk? An eagle? A robin? A cardinal?

Whatever variety, the critical issue is to receive the validation of other birds like you and to appreciate the differences in those who aren't. Do you know at this moment, where birds like you are flying? Where have they set up the roost and you are missing the action?

Starting Over, Where Do You Begin?

2009-04-08T07:41:00.003-04:00

As a career counselor specializing in helping job seekers for over 16 years, this particular down turn with massive company restructuring that seriosly looks like a triage room at a hospital ER, I must tell you the following. Please know there are strategies you can implement if the storm hits your desk and leaves you in the debris. Do you want to know what the secret is of those who rebound faster, heathier and even better than they were BEFORE they lost their job??? Keep reading.
1. Fear will do one of two things. A. It will be a wall that paralyzes your energy and strength. B. It will serve as a springboard to stop wasting time and energy focusing on what could have been, but isn't. So, choose fear wisely. Is it a prohibitor or a catalyst? Those are simply your only two choices.
2. People will be your greatest resource for encouragement, focus and strength. The more time you spend alone and isolated from people, the longer it takes to find a job. GET OUT OF THE HOUSE! Visit the library, volunteer, give time at a soup kitchen, mow the lawn of your neighbor, take someone to a cheap lunch. Do whatever, whenever but don't do it alone.
3. Grief and anger are powerful forces to be reckoned with so give yourself persmission to feel the brunt of it. The very best definition of depression is: anger turned inward.
You may have lost your job and hardly anything is more daunting, embarassing and humiliating than facing a walk out of the building for the last time. Yet, if anger and grief are allowed to overwhelm your sense of identity, talent and purpose, you'll sink into a quagmire of reeking self pity. That will get you absolutely no where. So what to do?
4. Grieve, get mad, work out, run 25 miles, vent in appropriate ways, talk a lot, and cry like a baby. But! Give yourself a deadline. Declare the end of your grief and sadness. Give no more than seven days for this funeral from the moment you were let go. Then, it is over. Bury what happened and never, I mean never look back.
5. CHOOSE to move forward. If you don't the consequences of being mad, angry, depressed and afraid hurt no one but you. You have to believe there is an employer who needs your skill and talents. Use what has happened to you to change the course of your life for the better. Let me end with one of my favorite sayings:
"Stop looking at the hole by starting to look at the doughnut."
Krispy Kreme, anyone???

Where Will the Job Market Grow?

2009-03-29T14:42:00.002-04:00

As our information age re-tools the job market from its transition from industrialization to technology, here is a list of markets to pay attention to in the next few years:

1. Go green! The market will expand, even explode due to demands for ways to utilize and harness natural sources of energy including solar, water and wind power. Our society’s increasing emphasis of decreasing carbon footprints may increase new opportunities. Also, the increased production of soy, corn, grapes and new fuel sources for biotechnology will increase demand for specialized occupations.
2. The wave on the horizon, social enterprise! Social enterprises are for profit companies that have a non for profit cause embedded in their business model. Likely to catch the attention and support of consumers, social enterprise models provide a cause for improving the world with clean water, food or resources that go way beyond a purchased product. A leading force to be reckoned with is Ethos water. Visit them on the web: www.ethoswater.com
3. Federally funded opportunities- The stimulus array of opportunities in conjunction with the projected demand of population growth while increase the federally funded jobs on a national scale. Visit: http://www.usajobs.gov/
4. Products for a new generation of spenders- Anything that is fast, furious and fun will increase demand from a younger and larger population that exceeds the baby boomers. This will include savvy electronic toys, speedy motorcycles and retailers that market to especially 20 to 35 year olds.
5. Technical trades- Occupations such as electrician, plumber and mechanic will maintain demand as 85% of the national job market requires technical trade certification.
Bi-lingual – The increased Hispanic population will drive the demand higher for professionals who speak Spanish in every industry.

So look for increased demand in mechanics, truck drivers, electricians, systems analysts, social enterprise project managers, technicians, correction officers, engineers and even the sales representatives of fast and furious Suzuki motorcycles. And if you happen to speak fluent Spanish, you’ll be in high demand with your skill-set.

The Angst of the Job Market Ride

2009-03-19T14:24:00.003-04:00

So many clients are in a very high state of of uncertainty and stress. The job market feels like it is on a turbulent journey to an unknown destination. I'm not a flight attendant, but here would be my career counseling instructions:
1. Unfasten your seat belt. Don't sit like a knot on a log thinking this wild ride will not affect you. It may so get up and meet people who are active and involved in your profession.
2. Breathe in some oxygen. Even in the midst of such stressful times, don't forget to take a walk, play and enjoy your life in the now. We are never promised tomorrow. It is the simple things that can center us on what is most important.
3. Recognize you're not alone. So many people feel isolated in their journey to rediscover their passion, find employment and enjoy meaning. In order to do this, it is most likely accomplished through community involvement and reaching out to others. Volunteer!
4. Do your part and act now. Get your resume fine tuned. Practice your interviewing skills. Research markets that are growing and expanding even as the current economy is contracting.
In the next post, I will give you a list of where the jobs are expanding. For now, expect the best to happen and enjoy the view. It's all about the journey, right?

A Business Portfolio: How Important Is It?

2009-03-10T16:02:00.005-04:00

A signicant tool to bring to the interview table is a business portfolio. It is an objective tangible display of your skill-set and the results you've accomplished over the span of your profession. I strongly encourage clients to invest the money, time and energy into a business portfolio that harnesses the strength and talent discussed during the interview now shown in a full documented report. Truly, almost any profession can benefit from this display of credentials and accomplishments.

Here are the secrets I tell clients:

Go to Office Max or Staples and purchase a black leather three ring binder ($25 to $30). Nest, purchase clear sheets to place in the binder as well as 20 pound cotton linen paper to make copies of your resume or presentations. Off white or gray is best.

Your portfolio needs to contain the following documents:

1. Table of contents (organize and lay-out the presentation of your work)

2. Resume

3. Letters of recommendation

4. Diplomas

5. Credentials

6. Certificates of completion (trainings, professional development, etc.)

7. Professional feedback ( emails or thank you notes from colleagues, customers, etc.)

8. Samples of your work (brochures, power point presentation, etc.)

9. Achievements and Awards

Take the portfolio with you to the interview. Tell the interviewer to keep the portfolio and you will pick it up in three business days. This way, you also have an opportunity to follow up in person and this feedback session can be a positive catalyst for the next phase.

Once you've developed a business portfolio, keep it current and active. Contents should be removed if dated beyond five years (diplomas and credentials are an exception). If you have a certificate that shows you completed a customer service training in 1999, it needs to be tossed. Customer service today is not like it was then. Show you're in the know with the latest training opportunities.

Make professional copies of your original diplomas, credentials and certifications and insert them in the portfolio for professional posterity.

The benefits? HUGE!

A tangible, hands-on product that proves your contribution and professionalism

A written tool to reinforce the skills you presented verbally in the interview

A confidence booster that can refresh and invigorate your job search

An objective reflection of your talent via educational and career accomplishments

Make the effort to accomplish this important task of compilation that speaks volumes of the organization, energy and success you bring to the table.
After all, a business portfolio can be your best reference.

Boomer Spending Effect on Economic Downturn

2009-03-03T10:37:00.002-05:00

Have you thought about the likely ill effects of the boomers aging? Right now, the average boomer is 53 years old with a median income of $72K. Not bad! Researh has indicated that boomer spending habits change at fifty years old. How you ask? Well, they stop spending. Think about it. By the time one is fifty, the kids are out of the nest and the house has about all it needs and more. The "stuff" of life has been purchased.
If I could guess, I would say that is exactly why Circuit City closed its doors. The boomers were the best customer. They were loyal and spent a lot until the had the 50th birhday dinner. Meanwhile, Best Buy built a new fan base. They may not have the best customer service (Circuit City made you feel like you had a professional stalker following you), but they have bright colors, easy to navigate shopping and quick dispense aisles of the latest products. Circuit City meanwhile sealed their fate by not readying themselves for a new generation of spenders that like it easy, fast, fun and cool.
Finally, have you wondered why the big three car makers are in a world of trouble? Their boomer spenders have put away their wad of cash and are no longer buying. They don't need anything right now. Especially in this contracting marketing that is reeling from their 50th birthday parties.
What the new generation spender (the majority being women) wants is to purchase the fast, fun and easy. If only Ford would get rid of that blue Ford logo (more on this in a later post) and reinvent their definition of cool. Wake up, you boomer driven companies! Your loyal spenders have stopped spending. The next casualties?

I predict companies like JC Penney's, Sear's and even Harley Davidson will shut their doors if they don't pay attention to the new spenders with the debit card. Just watch.

Important Interview Questions to Ask

2009-02-26T14:00:00.006-05:00

Many job seekers don't recognize the importance of asking pertinent questions at the end of the interview.

Typically, the interviewer will initiate an open door for the job seeker to make a lasting impression by well thought out questions. Here are the ones NEVER to ask:
1. Can you tell me the salary and benefits of this job?
2. Can I leave early on some days?
3. What is your company policy on sick leave and days off?
4. What is a typical day like?

The vital key to successful interviewing is ALL in employer perception of you.

How do you want to be viewed? Here is how they will see you if you asked those questions:

#1. You just want to know how much money you will make. You really don't want the position. This would be a wasted hire.
#2. Potentially lazy, diffused attitude without much energy. Indifferent to the contribution they need to make.
#3. Poor judgment on when to ask appropriate questions. We haven't even offered the job yet!
#4. You should already know this through research and the interview process. Obvious clue that you don't take advantage of resources already available.

So, how do you want to be seen in the interviewer's perception of you as a potential contributor to the organization?
Consider these questions instead:

1. Describe for me the top reasons you enjoy working for ABC, Inc.

2. How would you describe the culture of your organization?

3. What is the greatest reward for you in working for ABC, Inc.?

These questions will likely provoke a positive response from your interviewers. In the best scenario they will talk openly and among themselves as they contribute to the answer. If they don't, maybe the organization isn't a place you want to be. Every question provides an opportunity for them to see you as open, personable, adaptable and invested in the interview process.
The reality is yes, we need our jobs to provide money to live. Yet, an employer would want you to think working for them is more than just a source of income. The more vested you are in thoughtful interview questions, the more likely you are to give it your best shot when you're hired. Otherwise you may be seen as a potential liability.
Finally, you are intentionally asking questions to invite the interviewer to talk about themselves and the company. After you leave the interview and they begin to discuss it, chances are someone will say "Wow. He was a great listener and very personable." Actually, you just simply let them discuss what they love.
Remember, it is all about perception. More about this in following posts. For now, think about how you want to be perceived and if what you say in an interview is an accurate reflection of your professionalism.

Resume Objective Revitalized!

2009-02-24T14:25:00.000-05:00

Hi, all!
Think about your resume as a strategy to get the interview. That is the goal. Today, an objective must be targeted and very specific.
Typically, the worst type will look like this:

Career Objective: A position where my skills can be used and advancement desired

That header plain stinks. First, there are no "career" objective guarantees. Did you know the average professional changes jobs or careers at least eight times? An objective is to state your resume's purpose. What is that? To get an interview. My career equation for a successful resume looks like this:

Great cover letter + targeted resume = Interview (Note that I didn't say job. That is the sum of an excellent interview.)

With your strategy to get an interview in mind, I encourage a bold initiative. Get rid of the old objective and get straight to the point:

Goal→ Interview with ABC, Inc. for Administrative Assistant

That's right. State at the beginning your aim is to get an interview for the position you specified. Let the rest of the resume support your goal. Maybe this new strategy will hit the mark and you'll receive what you asked for. Are you ready for what you want?

Resume Headings: What's In and Out

2009-02-22T20:42:00.000-05:00

Resume headings are critical these days. They show one of two things:

1. You're savvy and in the know.

2. You're outdated and need a revamp.

So, take a look and tell me what you think...

Old- Summary of qualifications

New- Business Skill-set highlights

Old- Work history

New- Professional Expertise

Old- Interests/Hobbies/Personal Information (Take them all out!)

New- Community Involvement, Technology Capabilities, Professional Organizations

I highly suggest you may want to consider a radical departure from the norm. A resume is not a dry work history. Rather, it is a dynamic marketing tool of what you bring to the table. My next post will share a secret that I have been using for the last few weeks that employers really like.

Stay tuned.

Master Career Counselor Blog Online Today

2009-02-20T10:51:00.000-05:00

As a master career counselor (MCC), I have purchase more kleenex for my clients in the past six months than the past six years. They ask me, "Will I be able to get a job?" "How long will it take?", "What can I do in this turbulent time?". These are tough questions, that call for expertise and knowledge. I have chosen today to place that expertise on a blog to help my clients and you if you happen to drop by. Visit the National Career Development Web site to find out what a master career counselor is and if there is one near you. www.ncda.org