Career Hub

Then Life Got in the Way

Last week I attended a celebration of life service for a very special man. It was a sad, sad occasion. Even though it was stated by a family member that the service was to be a celebration of life, I didn't see anyone celebrating. I saw (and felt) sadness, grief, pain and loss. Even though I didn’t know the person well, I knew what a gifted individual he was. Listening to his friend share a tribute, a story unfolded of a remarkable individual who had been given a truly extraordinary gift…the sort of gift some compared to a renowned virtuoso.  The speaker continued his tribute by saying “then life got in the way.”

As I drove back to my office, I noticed I had written “life got in the way” on the celebration of life leaflet. The words made me think of the countless number of clients I’ve met through nearly three decades in private practice – clients whose otherwise stellar careers were humming along until one day, life showed up and

…alcohol got in the way.

 

…bankruptcy got in the way.

 

…gambling got in the way.

 

…drugs got in the way.

 

…getting picked up one too many times for drunk driving got in the way.

 

…going to prison got in the way.

 

...getting kicked out of college got in the way.

 

…telling the boss to go "bleep yourself" got in the way.

 

…watching porn at work got in the way.

 

…performing unethical business practices got in the way.

 

…surrendering a professional license got in the way.

 

…falsifying credentials got in the way.

 

…embezzling got in the way.

 

..._________________ (fill-in-the-blank) got in the way.

 

As the New Year approaches, perhaps there’s no better time than now to consider what, if anything, I am allowing to get in the way of being my best self in 2015.

 

What, if anything, is getting in your way in pursuit of excellence?

Career Transition: If You Can Take It, You Can Make It!

Let’s say you are going through a nasty divorce and your lawyer (and/or soon-to-be ex) advise you that you need to “get a job” – a “real one.”  Let’s say that you have been a stay-at-home Mom for 30 years, a wife for 30+ years and that your job has been to run the household while your husband “the big bread winner who always calls the shots” and “makes all the money” wants to get “this transition thing wrapped up as soon as possible.” (The words in quotes represent language clients have used to describe their particular situation). So, where do you begin the process of getting a job given that you have been the stay-at-home professional for three decades? Here are a few thoughts for you to consider:

1. Do not whip up a résumé first – do a résumé last, once you have undergone an assessment of your KSAs. Once you have determined your target job goals, then you are in a better position to build a customized résumé to showcase your story.
2. Know your KSAs before you go to market and promote yourself and your skillset. K stands for knowledge; S stands for skills and A stands for abilities. At any time during the process of looking for a job, someone, somewhere may ask you to describe your KSAs. Know them. Name them. Own them. Articulate them to the hiring manager. Be well prepared to discuss your credentials with your network, recruiter or hiring manager.
3. Get familiar with O*net Online – the coolest resource ever! Let’s say you have always thought about being a paralegal, though you have no clue what a paralegal does. Voilà – O*net Online to the rescue! Dwell there for a while. Get familiar with the language of your occupation of interest. To do otherwise is to do yourself a disservice.
4. Take a few career assessments. There are assessments that are “free” and assessments for a “fee.” Once you have taken a few, make notes of what you have learned and discovered.
5. Consider your confidence. If you say you have zero confidence, ask yourself what task might you do to enhance your confidence level? For starters, practice talking about yourself. If you have no human available to help you practice, practice on your own. Stand before a mirror and practice your lines. Learn your lines. Know your script. Fake it till you make it. Act the part. Do whatever it takes to get comfortable speaking about the product you. Do not interview in a state of ill-preparedness. Know your stuff!
6. Do not wilt and melt when rejection hits you in the face (or greets you in an email). Thank you for applying to our company; please know that you have not been selected to move forward in the process. Wishing you continued success.” Brands attract and brands repel; find someone who thinks your brand is awesome and is willing to pay a fair rate for it! Some employers will love you and others – not so
   much!
7. Do not tell yourself there are no jobs. Do not listen to people who tell you there are no jobs. Somebody, somewhere is getting hired and it might as well be YOU!
8. Do not speak negatively of yourself. Speak well of yourself; respect yourself and your brand. Use positive words to describe yourself.  If you don’t, who will?
9. “If you can take it; you can make it.” Watching a movie trailer about Angelina Jolie’s new movie, I scribbled that line from the movie on a piece of paper. Translated, if you can take all the junk and debris that come with transition (of any variety), you will be fine – which according to The Italian Job, fine = freaked out, insecure, neurotic, and emotional! Just keep telling yourself that you are fine!
10. Do not be intimidated by anyone or everyone. Remember, the person who is interviewing you is a real person – a real human who has “stuff” going on in his or her life as well. Present the very best of you when you get a chance to shine. Do not speak about your personal situation; keep the conversation professional! Stand up for yourself. Be an advocate for yourself. If you don’t, who will?

cross-posted billiesucherblog

A Thanks + Giving 2014 Story

Flying home from Charleston last evening, the stranger next to me asked me what I did for a living. I told her and we talked about our careers for a bit. The conversation moved from occupations to Thanksgiving. I told the stranger the following story as it was fresh in my head and in my heart.

 

Once upon a time last Saturday, a handful of people – mostly Millennials except for me, the lone Baby Boomer, traveled to a house in rural South Carolina. A house that was falling apart. A house that had a screened in front porch minus the screens. A house with broken windows and doors. A house that some would have condemned long ago. A dilapidated house that was home to seven people…six children I’m guessing between the ages of five and 13, their loving grandmother and one pit bull. A house with holes in the walls from being kicked out or punched out for one reason or another. A house that was filled with debris, dog feces, dirty clothing, cockroaches, stench, filth, laughter and love. The grandmother was in a robe – it was about 10:00 A.M. when we arrived. The care project was divided into work that needed done immediately.

Clean the pantry shelves, remove debris and put new boards on the shelving.

Fix the holes in the walls and closets by installing new drywall.

Paint walls.

Fix roof.

Install new screens on the front porch.

Hang new blinds in all the windows of the house.

Clean – everything and everywhere.

Throw out junk and debris.

The task I was initially assigned was to help clean the pantry area and get it into a condition where the family would know what food they had – or didn’t – and provide some semblance of organization. Once that task was completed, I was then asked to go into the grandmother’s room to clear a path so the new blinds could be installed.

I enlisted the help of one of the boys – for the sake of this post, I’ll call him Sport – he told me he liked sports and rattled off his favorite teams. I asked him if he had ever heard of the state of Iowa or The University of Iowa Hawkeyes – nope, he had not. I thanked him for his honesty and for not confusing Iowa with Ohio or Idaho. Our work together continued. He picked up garbage about two feet deep along side of the bed and tossed it into the large black sack I was holding, then we traded tasks.  I would sweep, scoop and dump as he held the sack.  We found a pretty bracelet, a one dollar bill, Winnie the Pooh and assorted children’s books, among other things.

As we worked together, we chatted. Sport and I hauled the first of many sacks of garbage out through the yard. I told him I was afraid of the pit bull and he told me not to be. I asked him to walk with me and be my protector – and he did. I held onto Sport’s arm while we passed by the pit bull. As we walked back to the porch to continue our project, I said, “Sport, let’s assess – let’s assess our work so far – yes, let’s make an assessment.” He asked me what assess and assessment meant. I said, “you know at school, Sport, when you take a test. Well, that is an assessment of what you have learned – a review of what you have learned I guess you could say.”

Sport laughed – he thought it was cool to say assess and assessment.  “Let’s make an assessment” he stated. And we did. We assessed that we had completed the task of clearing the debris by the bed and that we were ready to do something else of the cleaning variety.

Early afternoon, it was time to go.  Sport wanted to know if I would be coming back. I told him I was heading home to Iowa soon and would not be back. As I walked towards the car, I turned to see Sport as he tossed his football in the air. He was smiling. I waved goodbye and my eyes filled with tears. Assess. Assess. Assess – no crying!

This Thanksgiving, I am keeping Grandma in the Red Robe, Sport and his brothers and sisters in my thoughts. I am thankful for them. And I think of them. I wonder what Sport is doing now?

I went to Charleston to hang out with family, to see the sites, to shop, to dine and to do the town. While that was fun and fine, what I left with is a story about what matters. A story about giving + thanks. A story about thanks + giving. A story about a little boy named Sport – a story that will stick with me much longer than the Carolina Moon soap, bean soup or Beadah Licken Brownies that I bought at Boone Hall Farms Market. What I came home with is an even deeper sense of gratitude for family, friendships and things that truly matter in life. What I came home with is a story about a little boy with a football, a dust pan and a broom who taught me a thing or three about what’s important and what’s not.

Assess.

Keep smiling.

Find someone’s arm to hold onto when you are scared.

Happy Thanksgiving 2014.

cross-posted billiesucherblog

Mayor Menino's Little House: Musings on Money and Career

Mayor Menino in front of his home in Hyde Park section of Boston

Boston and Masschusetts were honoring the life of Mayor Tom Menino last week. It is said that he had met 60% of Boston's residents and had had a hand in every building project in the city over his 20-year tenure and 5 terms. He was much loved - a man of the people - who loved his city and its people. His accomplishments were many.

One item struck me as the remembrances rolled in on the radio and - though slightly off-topic from what I usually write about here - I wanted to put it out there. It was that he continued to live in his modest house in the city neighborhood he started out in. We are used to seeing big names and their big homes. What does it mean that Mayor Menino did it differently?

These are musings on money and career - on money and values - on money and freedom - on money and retirement. In no particular order, these are thoughts that are prompted, in part, from having worked with so many people over the years at different stages in their careers experiencing those twin concerns of almost everybody: how to make enough money (whatever "enough" means for the individual) and how to be happy.

1. Why is it surprising that a prominant public figure like Tom Menino never felt the need to upgrade his house to match his increasing levels of influence, power, and compensation? Is it necessary to spend and own in keeping with one's level of career advancement? What does it mean when someone steps out of this lock-step advance?

2. What can we infer about Mayor Menino's value system? We can guess that he valued his feeling of home and neighborhood and that he didn't care about house pride and wealth demonstrations.

3. What kind of freedom does owning less in terms of possessions confer upon a person or a family? Is it worth giving up the possible benefits of more comfort, beauty, space, and status in one's property for the ability to live on less and then be able to choose a lower-paying job, if it provides more life satisfaction?

4. When we see celebrities like Mayor Menino and Warrren Buffett - both top practitioners in their respective fields - decline to purchase showy properties, what does it make us feel? It makes me feel that their work is something they do because they were born to do it - they love it and it allows them to be perfectly who they are. And it is not necessary linked to a need for impressive property ownership.

5. As so many baby boomers approach or select retirement, what do the issues of spending and lifestyle during the working years have to do with retirement lifestyle? I expect we will see many creative solutions where, because financial constraints will be the norm, people will develop innovative solutions for housing as well as for how to make those years fun and meaningful. Feeling free to step out of the realm of competition in housing/possessions will become key to retirement "success" for many I would guess.

6. Here is a common pattern I see in my increasingly wealthy town, understanding that this scenario is only avalable to the top few percent. People trade up houses 2 or 3 times to get bigger. more beautiful, or high-status homes. Why did Mayor Menino do it differently?

7. A final thought: since we leave this world with nothing, what part, then, do we want things and money to play in our careers and lifesyles during our brief span of life?

Best wishes for prosperity on your terms. I'd love to hear your thoughts. And thanks, Tom Menino, for your amazing contributions and for prompting these musings!

 

 

Great Question From A Job Seeker

Are you….

an internationally renowned E X P E R T?

a nationally-recognized expert?

a world-leading expert?

a world-famous expert?

a world-class expert?

the world’s most influential expert?

a thought-leadership expert?

a self-styled expert?

a leading-edge expert?

a subject-matter expert?

a global expert?

In the olden days (a year or so ago), perhaps there were not as many experts as there are today?

What do you think?

If you write some blog posts and proclaim expert status, does that make you one?

If you create a website, voilà, are you an expert?

If you make some tweets and hashtag yourself #expert, are you an expert?

If you post articles on LinkedIn, are you an expert?

If you gain a particular professional certification or qualification, are you an expert?

If you write a book on this or that topic, does that make you an expert?

If you are a guest speaker / lecturer, are you an expert? 

I looked up the word “expert” and found this definition:

…a person who has a comprehensive and authoritative knowledge of or skill in a particular area…

My client asked me a thought-provoking question last week which I haven’t stopped thinking about:  

What is a higher classification than expert?

I offered her my very best “expert” answer:

”I don’t know – I’ll see what I can find out.”

The reason she asked, she reported, is that “everyone claims to be an expert today” and it is really confusing to a job seeker to know who is and who is not an “expert.”

When I googled “job search experts” I found 265,000,000 results in .48 seconds.

While I am not an expert on knowing which one single word represents a higher rank than expert, I appreciated my client’s question. Here are some words I plan to share with her with this week. Which one strikes your fancy to represent a category greater than “expert?”

ace

accomplished

adroit

advisor

aficionado

arbiter

artiste

au fait

authority

big league

brainy

brilliant

champion

conqueror

consummate

critic

dexterous

doyen

doyenne

facile

genius

gifted

guru

ingenious

learned

masterful

mastery

practiced

pro

proficient

sage

savant

sensei

shark

specialist

veteran

virtuoso

whiz

whiz-bang

wizard

cross-posted billiesucherblog

I Know, It’s Only Rock ’n Roll But I Like It

Watching a segment on 60 Minutes with Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters prompted me to write this blog post. As I watched the story, I heard myself shouting “yes, yes, yes!” when he was talking about doing something you love. And he happens to love music and that’s exactly what he does. He did music before he became a rock star and he still does music now that he is one.

I recall struggling years ago with what to do next in my career. I had a really good job, was making decent money and some thought I was one lucky duck. It wasn’t so much that I disliked my job; I simply did not want to do that job any more.  Though others thought it was the perfect job for me, I did not.

The perfect job is one you like – not what someone else likes for you.

The perfect job is one that suits you best.

The perfect job is one that fits you well today – not yesterday.

The perfect job is one you think about with eagerness, optimism and enthusiasm, not dread, disdain and disenchantment.

The perfect job is one you can’t wait to get to on a daily basis.

I recall going to a recruiter when I was struggling with what was next for me in the world of work. I like recruiters. When I was looking for a job, I always had good luck with them. One day, the recruiter I was visiting asked me to come to work for him. I told him that while I appreciated his confidence in me, my heart was set on graduate school and starting my own business.  It was also the preposition that made me pause…”I want you to come to work FOR me.” What I didn’t hear was “I want you to come to work WITH me.” For and with – two very different words with two very different outcomes.

And to this day, I still remember what he said next.

“Starting your own business is a very bad idea – you will fall flat on your face and then you will wish you would have gone to work for me.”

Right then and there as I left his office, I knew that no matter how long it took, how hard it was or the many challenges ahead, I knew with certainty what I was going to do.

If you are thinking about starting a business because that’s what is in your head and in your heart and you simply can’t stop thinking about it – pay attention.

You don’t need to wait for someone to give you permission to start a business. You give yourself permission. That’s it; that’s all. You do not need to latch on to someone else’s negativity – the someone who tells you what you can’t do. (I am not talking about all of the legal/accounting/compliance matters requisite to going into business – I am talking about finding the courage to go and do your own thing.)

And when and if you decide that being in business is not for you, so be it.

There’ll always be something else for you to do – have skills, will travel.

“You weren’t born with a job title imprinted on your forehead.”

cross-posted billiesucherblog

My Friends All Drive Porsches, I Must Make Amends

Someone who knows me well recently gave me a super-special gift. And no, it wasn’t flowers, it wasn’t a box of chocolates, it wasn’t a top-selling career book or a fine pen or fancy paper – nothing of the sort. It was a perfect gift for me: a sheet of Janis Joplin stamps from the United States Postal Service. Now some might say what a silly, ridiculous gift. To me, it means everything, though, because it speaks to how well the person giving the gift knows me.

I love my Janis Joplin stamps! I thank the USPS for making them! And most of all, I have always loved Janis Joplin and her music. As I looked at the stamps, I paused a moment to think about the Kozmic Blues legend. Wonder how she would counsel a job seeker of today? Wonder if she would speak about…

 

…her passion; her raw emotion

 

…how she just put it out there, unvarnished and all

 

…how she performed her craft with such conviction

 

…how she was her own unique, distinct brand

 

…how her music can evoke tears

 

…her amazing ability, gifts, talents

 

…how she kept it real

 

…uninhibited

 

…a pioneer, a trailblazer, a powerhouse+

 

…legendary

 

…soulful

 

…icon

 

…her extraordinary gifts

 

…the mark she made

 

…pain, sadness, sorrow

 

…how to try, just a little bit harder

 

…one-of-a-kind

 

…brilliance; genius

 

…standing out

 

…owning who you are?

 “Don’t compromise yourself. You are all you’ve got.”

~ Janis Joplin

cross-posted billiesucherblog  

Is Your Job Search As Cool As a Caterpillar?

After work last week, I went outside to do some Fall cleanup.  In the garage, I noticed a caterpillar which I named HimHer. HimHer was bookin’ it – definitely on cruise.

I wondered “Where are you going so fast, HimHer Caterpillar?"

“I am looking for a job” HimHer exclaimed.

“Can’t you tell?

I will not stop moving until I reach my target goal.

I’ve got my gear in overdrive!”

Whoa, what’s happening, people?

I relocated HimHer with my little garden shovel.

Plop.

Outside.

No more garage cruising for you.

HimHer immediately went into protective mode – turning into a little round furry, puffy ball.

I waited.

And waited.

Pretty soon HimHer was on the move.

Bookin’ it once again.

Off the green plants and onto the concrete.

Our bird dog was running around and nearly stepped on HimHer.

Disaster averted. Whew!

Once again, I scooped up the ball of fluff and placed HimHer on a geranium leaf.

Off HimHer went and immediately crawled out of the geranium leaves onto the wooden bench.

From there, HimHer dropped onto the concrete and off, once again on a mission.

HimHer was not deterred by obstacles. Nothing got in HimHer’s way.

He had one direction: forward! 

As a job seeker, what, if any, obstacles are in your way?

As a job seeker, what, if anything, can you do to expedite your search?

As a job seeker, what, if anything, can you do to protect yourself from those who might try to step on you?

As a job seeker, what tips, tricks and tactics are you using to get from point A to point B as fast as possible?

As a job seeker, is your search in high gear?

As a job seeker, are you moving forward? 

cross-posted billiesucherblog

A Saying That Doesn't Make Much Sense for Today's Job Seeker

Surely you have heard the old saying “what you don’t know won’t hurt you.”

 

Surely, you don’t believe that if you are looking for a job, or do you?

 

Some things you might not know as it pertains to career transition:

 

That a stranger will glance at your résumé for less than 10 seconds and then, make a decision about your candidacy: yes, no, maybe.

 

That your résumé will need to be customized for each specific position.

 

That a one-size-fits-all résumé is a thing of the past. Think: ATS.

 

That a wing-it approach to interviewing (or job search) can impede your success.

 

That you are a brand – a product for sale in a highly competitive market.

 

That a hiring manager expects you to be conversant about your KSAs.

 

That a résumé is written once you, the job seeker, have clearly defined career options.

 

That you will be expected by employers to cite a credible answer to “why should I hire you?” – to say that you have education and experience no longer suffices.

 

That the job market is not for the naïve, uninformed job seeker.

 

That it will take every ounce of energy, effort and organizational skill that you own to facilitate a successful search strategy.

 

That reaching out to others for help, guidance and support is a basic survival tactic, especially when you are in job search mode.

 

That asking for help is one of the first things to do as your career transition/job search gets underway.

 

That you are the project driver, manager and leader – if your search is a success, you get full credit; if your search is a flop, you get full credit.

 

That your job search may be one of the toughest, most grueling, hardest, and frustrating activities you have ever embarked upon in your entire work life.

 

That a career transition will manage you – or you will manage it!

 

That job search is a never-ending process throughout your career given the ever-changing nature of today’s workplace.

 

That some people you thought would help you, won’t.

 

That some people you thought didn’t care a thing about you, do.

 

That you will be in a constant state of surprise and disappointment as you progress through the job search journey.

 

That staying stuck will hinder you more than help you.

 

That beating yourself up mentally for what might have been, could have been or should have been is a waste of your time, effort and energy.

 

That moving forward after job loss with an attitude of positivity will yield more productive results than an outlook of negativity.  

 

That whatever you say negatively can and will be used against you at a job interview. 

 

That rejection can propel you forward or halt your job search progress; only you can decide.

 

That brands attract and brands repel – some employers will love you; some employers, not so much – keep rolling, no matter what.

 

That social media is a tool and a resource for you to use to your fullest advantage in the job search process.

 

That what you don’t know will not only hurt you – it can sabotage you, derail you and keep you from moving on with confidence, knowledge and efficiency.

 

You and your job search / career transition deserve better than "what you don't know won't hurt you." 

cross-posted billiesucherblog

Wonder What the Hiring Manager Looks Like?

Do you have an interview coming up in the next few days? Have you been invited to meet the Hiring Manager for breakfast, lunch or dinner? Did HR arrange the meeting and you have no clue what the person who will be interviewing you looks like?

In a recent interview practice session with a client, I invited her to share something about her upcoming interview. She advised that she would be meeting the president of the company for lunch and had no inkling what he looked like – how will I know it’s him?  In three seconds via a Google search, voilà, we found a photo of the executive and she now knows what he looks like; no more wondering.

Here are three specific ways to discover a person’s appearance before your face-to-face interview, whether you are meeting off-site for coffee, lunch or dinner or at the employer’s on-site location.

1.       Investigate to see if the person is a LinkedIn member. If so, and there is a photo, you will have your answer. (Not all photos used in social media are current, so use your imagination and keep an open mind). Do not say, “Oh, your picture doesn’t look like you” or “Wow, I hardly recognize you” -- definitely not your best icebreaker strategy.

2.       Visit the company's website. Often, photos of the leadership team will be displayed on their corporate site. 

3.       Conduct a Google images search to see what, if anything, you may find of value in determining a person’s appearance.

Just as you have spent time checking out your “corporate date” (interviewer) most likely he or she is doing the same thing. Can you be found online in fewer than five seconds? 

cross-posted billiesucherblog