life@work

Unemployed? Use Your Time to Learn Essential Skills

2009-11-03T16:44:08-08:00

If you're looking for work, you've probably been told to turn job seeking into a full-time job itself.

This message has its heart in the right place (i.e., get off the couch and turn off the TV), but in reality, I know few job seekers who literally spend 40+ hours per week in their job search efforts.

Unless you've got small children at home, chances are you've got a bit of extra time that you could spend in any number of ways - surfing the Net, buying groceries, planting bulbs, going to the gym.

But this time is your opportunity to learn essential skills that regularly you don't have time for that you've "always been meaning to get around to".

Online Degree Programs recently posted "100 Skills You Should Learn (for Free), While You're Unemployed" and I must say, there are some really good ones on this list.

A few of my personal faves:

Expand your network
Understand your emotional intelligence
Cook
Meditate
Beat procrastination
Overcome fear of failure
Use Facebook productively
Hack Google
Prioritize
Write better emails
Handle rejection
Use Twitter effectively
Consider things from different points of view
Negotiate

Admittedly, some of these skills take a lifetime of practice, and what better time to start on those than now?

I'd love to hear: What essential skills are you working on developing right now?

Photo by HTB, Creative Commons license

Green Jobs - What They Are and How to Find Them

2009-10-29T09:44:08-07:00

The Career Collective is participating in Job Action Day! Members have written posts that provide workers and job seekers information, ideas and concrete steps to secure their futures in a changed economy.

Follow our hashtag #careercollective on Twitter!

Is there anything cooler than green these days?

According to a new study by Clean Edge, a green-industry research firm, "clean tech" jobs are on the rise:

"We are just at the beginning of the 'clean tech' job creation era" and that renewable energy, environmentally-friendly building and manufacturing, and all aspects of energy efficiency will offer "the greatest opportunity for wealth and job creation since the advent of computers and the Internet."

What is a green-collar job? According to Van Jones, founder of Green for All, "A green-collar job is a blue-collar job, upgraded to better respect the environment.

The American Solar Energy Society reports that 8.5 million Americans currently hold "green collar" jobs in renewable energy or energy efficient industries; however, that number could grow to up to 40 million by 2030 due to increased demand in alternative energy sources.

Also expected to rise are the number of white-collar jobs in green industries.

The great news is that the jobs are not region-specific, but are disbursed throughout the U.S. Here's a list of the top 15 metropolitan areas with significant clean-tech job activity.

What are some examples of cool green jobs? Yahoo Hot Jobs lists these top five earth-friendly fields:

Wind/Turbine Technician
Auto Retrofitter
Sustainable Architect
Energy Systems Manager
Environmental Engineer

There are many useful sources for the green job seeker out there. Here are two to check out:

Green Collar blog offers an excellent post on the hidden green job market, including how to research companies that employ people in green jobs.

Download the full Clean Tech Job Trends Report here and see the list of green LinkedIn Groups and twenty green job boards near the end of it.

Here are more Job Action Day posts from members of the Career Collective:

Meg Montford: Job Action Day: Finding Your “MOJO” After Layoff http://coachmeg.typepad.com/career_chaos/2009/10/job-action-day-finding-your-mojo-after-layoff.html

Debra Wheatman: Plan B from outer space; or what do you have in case your first plan doesn’t work out? http://resumesdonewrite.blogspot.com/2009/10/plan-b-from-outer-space-or-what-do-you.html

Erin Kennedy: Cutting Edge Job Search Blueprint http://exclusive-executive-resumes.com/resumes/job-search-blueprint/

Grace Kutney: Securing Your Career While Navigating the Winds of Change http://sweetcareers.blogspot.com/2009/10/securing-your-career-while-navigating.html

Hannah Morgan: Career Sherpa– Why Our Job Search Advice is the Same but Different http://hannahmorgan.typepad.com/hannah_morgan/2009/10/why-our-job-search-advice-is-the-same-but-different.html

Gayle Howard: The Enlightened Jobseeker http://www.theexecutivebrand.com/?p=500

Laurie Berenson: Making lemonade out of lemons: Turn unemployment into entrepreneurship http://blog.sterlingcareerconcepts.com/2009/10/30/making-lemonade-out-of-lemons-turn-unemployment-into-entrepreneurship.aspx

Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter: You Can Thrive In, Not Just Survive, an Economic Slogging http://careertrend.wordpress.com/2009/10/30/you-can-thrive-not-just-survive-an-economic-slogging/

Rosalind Joffe: Preparedness: It’s Not Just for Boyscouts http://workingwithchronicillness.com/2009/10/preparedness-its-not-just-for-boy-scouts/

Rosa E. Vargas: Are You Evolving Into The In-Demand Professional of Tomorrow? http://resume-writing.typepad.com/resume_writing_and_job_se/2009/10/furture-careers.html

Dawn Bugni: Your network IS your net worth http://thewritesolution.wordpress.com/2009/10/30/your-network-is-your-net-worth/

Miriam Salpeter: Optimize your job hunt for today’s economy http://www.keppiecareers.com/2009/10/30/optimize-your-job-hunt-for-todays-ecomony/

GL Hoffman: The Life of An Entrepreneur: Is It for You? http://blogs.jobdig.com/wwds/2009/10/30/the-life-of-an-entrepreneur-is-it-for-you/

Katharine Hansen: Job Action Day 09: His Resume Savvy Helped New Career Rise from Layoff Ashes http://resumesandcoverletters.com/tips_blog/2009/11/job-action-day-09-his-resume-s.html

Martin Buckland: Job Search–The Key to Securing Your Future Career. http://aneliteresume.com/job-search/the-key-to-securing-your-future-career/

Chandlee Bryan: Where the Green Jobs Are: http://emergingprofessional.typepad.com/the_emerging_professional/2009/11/where-the-green-jobs-are.html

Heather R. Huhman, Take Action: 10 Steps for Landing an Entry-Level Job, http://www.heatherhuhman.com/2009/10/take-action/

Barbara Safani: Where the Jobs Are 2009 and Beyond: http://www.careersolvers.com/blog/2009/10/31/where-the-jobs-are-2009-and-beyond/

How Not to Be a Cookie-Cutter Job Seeker

2009-10-07T09:55:02-07:00

As a member of a new community of career coaches and resume writers called the Career Collective, this post is one of many responses to the question, “Are you a cookie cutter job seeker?” I encourage you to visit other members’ responses, which will be linked at the end of this post by the afternoon of October 9. Please follow our hashtag on Twitter: #careercollective.

There's only one you, and if you're a job seeker, now's a good time to emphasize that.

You know the bleak statistics about how many job seekers there are for every opening right now (it's six, in case you've been avoiding reading the news).

This is the time to find every edge you can to land the job you're after. When there's a shortage of jobs and a surplus of qualified applicants, differentiating yourself from the pack becomes your highest priority.

How do you differentiate yourself?

Become known to the hiring managers you're targeting.

Everyone prefers to hire a known quantity. Join (or start) a networking leads group representing different industries and share resources. Get introduced, contribute however you can and get known.

Have talents and skills that are in demand and sell them well.

It's not enough to have really great skills - you also have to know that what you can do is in demand right now.

If you're in IT, are your technical skills up-to-the-minute? If you're multi-lingual, a skill that is unusual, are you targeting jobs that value that skill? Are you a particularly effective manager?If so, do you know how to articulate that on your resume and in an interview?

Have a stand-out resume that highlights your amazing achievements.

Many resumes are poorly written and do not do a good job of selling candidates. Know your unique talents and experience and make sure they are clear on your resume. Hire a professional resume writer for the most effective results.

Apply for jobs that are a close match to your career history.

Career change, a process that I help people to do every day, is not easy or fast. You increase your chances of getting hired soon if you target jobs that are similar to what you've been doing, because hiring managers don't have to take risks right now on inexperienced people.

If what you've done in the past no longer exists, choose a job target that is a stone's throw away, and clearly articulate your transferable skills on your resume.

Persevere.

You absolutely do not want to be a pest, but don't be afraid to keep checking in with contacts and follow up with companies you have applied to or interviewed with. Remind people you're out there.

In order to persevere, you need to take really, really good care of yourself. Exercise, see friends, and make time for your family or hobbies. You need to nourish yourself to stay strong in a tough job economy.

Although hiring is at a low point, it hasn't disappeared altogether. Somebody's going to get that job you saw posted the other day. To ensure it's you, think creatively about what you can do to stand out.

Other members of Career Collective blogging on this topic:

Megan Fitzgerald, Career by Choice: Ongoing Career Management Is No Longer Optional for the Expat in Today's New World of Work

Top Margin: Gayle's Blog Sabotaging Your Prospects: Cookie-cutter Style

CAREEREALISM: Cookie Cutters are for Baking...Not Job Searching!

The Emerging Professional: On the "Cookie Cutter" Approach to Job Search: Do You Need a Recipe?
http://emergingprofessional.typepad.com/the_emerging_professional/2009/10/cookie_cutter.html

Sterling Career Concepts: Job seekers: Break out of the mold!

Dawn Bugni The Write Solution: Dawn's Blog Is your job search "cookie-cutter" or "hand-dropped"?

Rosa Vargas, Creating Prints Resume-Writing Blog: Being a Cookie-Cutter Job Seeker is a Misfortune

Sweet Careers:Passive Job Seeker=Cookie Cutter Job Seeker

Barbara Safani Career Solvers Blog Cookie Cutter Resumes Can Leave a Bad Taste in the Hiring Manager's Mouth

Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter, Career Trend Blog: Eating Bananas Doesn't Make You an Ape

Miriam Salpeter, Keppie Careers: How Can a Job Seeker Stand Out?

Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters Tips Blog:Avoiding Being a Cookie-Cutter Job-seeker In Your Resume and Throughout Your Job Search

Heather R. Huhman, HeatherHuhman.com: Break the Mold: Don't Be a Cookie Cutter

Working Less Actually Works

2009-09-25T11:28:14-07:00

Hurrah! In my desperate online search for anything that could be construed as positive news related to employment issues, I found Sue Shellenbarger's article, "If You Need to Work Better, Maybe Try Working Less".

For the last year we've been hearing only about how people are either working all of the time, or not working at all.

Now a four-year Harvard Business Review study that will be published in October reveals what many of us already know - taking breaks yields numerous on-the-job benefits.

Working all of the time has become a habit that is unsustainable for most people over a 40-year working career. Sure you can do it for a while, but over your entire career? I don't think so.

If you never learn how to take a Saturday off or leave before 9:00 pm, and if you never allow your staff to learn that they can live without you for a couple of days, you train yourself and everyone around you to expect nothing short of your constant attention and focus on your job. After a while, your performance, enthusiasm, relationships, and health will all suffer for it.

In her article, Shellenbarger shares how it's been for her to not do any work one weekend day each week. Although she says it was stressful at first, "my little test was forcing me to improve the way I work".

If you are working all of the time, what are your reasons? Is it an expectation woven into the culture of your workplace? Are you doing the jobs of three people? Is it something you believe a "star performer" does? Do you have nothing else going on in your life?

Could you do well at your job without working all of the time?

For everyone out there who works constantly, what small space can you create for something different in your life?

photo by extranoise

Price Hike Coming...Act Now!

2009-09-17T15:35:09-07:00

I've been busy here at Dream Big Coaching behind the scenes, coming up with new ideas to help me offer the best value possible to my career coaching clients.

I've also been musing on the fact that I have not raised my rates in three years.

So beginning October 1, I'll be offering new clients a choice of several new coaching packages that are designed to give them the results they are seeking - at a new (and higher) price.

Current clients as of October 1 will be "grandfathered" at the current, lower price they now enjoy.

So if you've been thinking about hiring a coach because, for instance, you're:

Unhappy at your job and want to make some kind of decision about it
Considering a career change but aren't sure how to go about it
Wishing you could feel less stressed about how to blend your work and family lives
Wanting to develop certain key skills (such as delegating effectively, reading the political landscape well, successfully managing your time at work, and/or communicating effectively with people with diverse styles and personalities),

now could be a good time to check out my website, learn more about me, and call me for a free consultation.

Photo by Tal Bright

Variety vs. Security - How Much of Each Do You Want in Your Career?

2009-08-25T15:12:39-07:00

5 years is the maximum amount of time I want to spend doing the same thing at the same place.

This insight comes to me as I look back on my life, and it’s an idea that, looking ahead, gives me a feeling of curiosity and relief.

Outside of my career life I am remarkably consistent and enjoy sameness. I’ve been living in the same city for 20 years, have been with the same man for 21 years, have had some of the same friends for over 25 years, and of course there’s no changing being a mother to the same two people, something that's been true for 11 and 8 years.

I generally order one of two ice cream flavors, always get my favorite dish when I go to my favorite restaurant, and could visit Cannon Beach, Oregon every year from here on out.

But ever since the 6^th grade, I have changed what I do or where I do it at least every five years. Well, almost. I've been a life and career coach for the past six years. Gulp.

Many people are like me and want to move on to something different fairly frequently. Others want to stick with the same thing or the same place their entire career. Still others end up sticking with the same thing but aren’t quite sure why they did or how they could have chosen differently.

When it comes to career happiness, the elements of variety and security are essential to understand. When you know your demands and tolerance for these two elements you can better design a satisfying career plan.

For instance, my five year rule is the formula that blends my desire for both variety and security. I don’t want to job hop, but I don’t want to feel stale and bored.

Your formula for happiness might mean staying with the same company for 20 years but changing jobs within it every four or so. Your desire for security (financial, job, emotional – there are so many different kinds) might be much stronger than your need for variety. Or you may find ways to create variety in small ways that don’t threaten your requirement to stay in the same position for many years.

Different careers offer different opportunities to blend security with variety. A freelance management consultant is going to experience more variety and less security than a tenured university professor, for example.

Take a look at your situation and how it fits with your needs for variety and security. If it falls short, are there small tweaks you can make to strengthen your position?

If you think about this every once in a while, instead of only when you become desperately unhappy in your job, you can head off a whole lot of angst at the pass.

I'd love to know - are you satisfied with the mix of variety and security you experience in your career right now?

Setting Goals with 43 Things

2009-08-19T11:02:11-07:00

Most of the time I view goal setting as a necessary yet tedious task. 43 Things is an online tool that can help you inject a bit more enthusiasm and even whimsy into the process.

I learned in Goals 101 class that when you want to get something done, you need to write it down and you need support from others, just for starters. Typically the most useful support comes in the form of some kind of accountability, as in "cattle prod", "feet to the fire", or "kick in the butt".

43 Things is a way you can "discover what's important, make it happen and share your progress", online. It takes away the isolation and boredom of trying to change a habit or do something new.

"What do you want to do with your life?" is the heady question that greets you in bold when you log in to 43 Things. If you don't have any idea, scroll through some of the thousands of things that other people are doing for inspiration.

Are you looking for a new job? As I write this, 1069 people on 43 Things are too. 184 people want to change careers. 1243 people want to get a better job.

One person wants to become a giraffe. Did I mention this can be a whimsical process?

Many people have generously written about how they accomplished their goals - check out their stories as you embark on fulfilling your goals. The ability to send and receive comments and "cheers" adds to the community feel of the site.

And all of this good stuff is free! Gotta love that.

Check out 43 People and 43 Places for more sharing about, you guessed it, people and places you know, want to go to, or have something to say about.

I'd love to know: Have you had success reaching your goals using an online tool such as 43 Things?

How to Manage Your Fear and Stress During a Career Transition

2009-07-21T09:31:20-07:00

None of my career coaching clients tell me they hired me to help them manage their fear and stress. It doesn't occur to some of them that I can help in this area, and others don't realize that their fear and stress have become major obstacles.

For many people either considering or forced into making a career transition, fear and stress increase exponentially. Symptoms vary, and commonly include:

Frequent headaches
Increased irritability
Loss of perspective
Feelings of anxiousness
Increased worry and rumination
Difficulty sleeping
Loss of appetite
Increased alcohol consumption
Inability to make a decision
Perfectionism

We all know why fear and stress increase during career transitions. Suffice it to say that we feel threatened, vulnerable and uncomfortable.

So what can we do to manage fear and feelings of stress so that we can push forward with our job search or career exploration and not be paralyzed?

First notice how you know you are feeling fear or stress. Do you feel something specific in your body? Are you listening too much to the inner critic? Take action to relieve the pain where it exists.

If your breathing is shallow, focus on breathing deeply.
If you're thinking about being a bag lady, interrupt those thoughts and visualize your success.
If you're paying attention to the words of the inner critic who is telling you that you'll never get the job, dispute the arguments with facts and as much optimism as you can muster.

Another approach comes from the NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) world. Richard Bandler, co-founder of NLP, gets people to imagine playing a movie of their experiences and feelings backward until it changes the feelings about the experience. (From Conversations with Richard Bandler, by Richard Bandler and Owen Fitzpatrick.)

Here are some additional ideas for how to manage stress and fear during your career transition. One size does not fit all, so pick a couple of strategies that appeal to you and try them out.

Practice mindfulness, an unbeatable strategy for achieving peace and managing stress and fear.
Identify your supporters and enlist their help (friends to listen, a professional resume writer, a career coach.)
Get regular exercise to help burn off stress hormones and neurochemicals.
Create as much structure and routine in your life as you can. This helps you stay moving and stay focused.
Adjust your standards to reduce perfectionism. Many times done is better than perfect. If you've spent 20 hours tweaking your resume for the 3rd time this month, it's time to give it a rest.
Focus on the positive. Trite but true. We tend to over focus on doom and gloom and discount what is going well.
Don't try to control the uncontrollable. You can control what's on your resume, but not how hiring managers will perceive it. Recognize when something is out of your hands.
Write down your worries and look at them only ten minutes per day (Richard Bandler and Owen Fitzpatrick).
Change the tone of your inner negative voice and make it ridiculous, so that it doesn't sound stressed (Richard Bandler and Owen Fitzpatrick).
Share your feelings. If you give them a voice and an audience they won't have as much power over you.
Do something you enjoy every day. Laugh as much as possible.
Identify the very next small action to take and do it. Repeat.

I'd love to know - how do you manage your fear and stress during a career transition?

What It Takes To Change Careers In Midlife

2009-07-01T15:25:18-07:00

I get a number of calls every month from people in their late 30’s, 40's or 50's who want to know what kind of process I go through with clients to help them change careers. They’re all revved up about possibility and change. Some of them sign up for the adventure while others, sighing as they hang up the phone, do not.

Changing careers after 10 or more years is an incredibly daunting task. It’s a complex process that takes a whole lot of energy, creativity, persistence and work. And chances are you are already engaged in a life that requires a whole lot of energy, creativity, persistence and work.

I was interested to read this useful piece that sums up the process of changing careers in mid-life. If you’re thinking about it, I recommend you check it out.

Here is an overview of the steps, with my editorial comments:

Assess yourself (There are 468 ways to do this, including written exercises and various tests.)
Know what’s important to you. (Pay, hours, tasks, challenge, industry, people contact, etc.)
Find out what’s out there (Research online and/or use a career counselor or coach.)
Narrow down career options. (Between two and four options is manageable and not overly limiting.)
Talk to people in the field (informational interviews, attend professional association meetings).
Volunteer, work as a temp, or moonlight to try something out first while minimizing risk.
Engage your existing network of people to assist you. (This is one of your biggest advantages over younger career-changers, so use it!)

You've heard about all of these steps before - none are difficult to comprehend. A big challenge for most people is deciding exactly how and exactly when and exactly with whom they are going to accomplish the steps.

But perhaps the most daunting challenge is keeping up the interest, momentum and sheer stamina it takes to change careers, while at the same time navigating the ever-changing currents of the river called My Life Right Now.

Just because you're in the midst of engineering a career change doesn't mean you can't go through a re-org at work, or the dog won't die, or your teenager won't test your limits, or your spouse's mother won't need to move into assisted living, and so on and so forth.

It can be tempting in the face of such distractions to give up on your career change plan altogether. But with a little patience, and a caring person in your life to nudge you, you can do it.

I'd love to hear: What made it possible for you to change careers?

What Season of Transition Are You In?

2009-06-24T11:36:38-07:00

A transition is "the process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another".

Transitional times are challenging times. There are highs and lows, factors in and out of our control, and it can take a long time to go through a transition completely. Some would argue that all of us are in some kind of transition most of the time.

It's worth knowing whether you're in a transition and where you are in its cycle. When you understand what you're experiencing, you can develop new perspectives, learn how to be a little kinder to yourself and prepare for what's coming next in your transition.

Some of the most insightful ideas I've read on transition are from Carol McClelland, PhD, author of The Seasons of Change. She uses a metaphor of the seasons as a way to describe our personal transitions.

Fall is about preparing for what's to come. You get news of change, you feel your feelings, you wait and you worry.

Winter has three parts. Early - when you retreat and reflect. You feel tired, and you don't know anything. Solstice - when you catch sparks of hope in the darkness. This is the turning point in the transition journey. Late - when you define your vision. You catch new insights, are open to new insights and see glimmers of spring.

Spring is about bursting with energy. You experience some storms and struggle with reentry.

Summer is about celebrating the harvest. You feel confident, have clarity and feel that life is abundant.

Here's an example of how the seasons metaphor applies to a career situation:

Summer: Work is easy because you know what you're doing and you like it.
Fall: Rumors start flying about a reorganization. Within a couple of weeks your work group is disbanded and your job duties are changing. You're worried you'll need to make changes soon.
Winter: You're confused and obsessed about whether you should stay or go. There's no one left to talk with. Then you realize that you want to find a situation more in line with your interests and values. You start to look at options and get ideas on how to proceed.
Spring: You make connections, leads come in, and you land a great job. Because you spent time during Winter identifying your talents, you negotiate a package that is right for you. You're excited about the potential of this new job.

One reason I appreciate using a metaphor from the natural world to describe change is that before our world was industrialized human beings had a strong connection with nature and its cycles. (Some of us still do but many of us do not.) There is much wisdom in nature. When we were connected to nature we knew that change takes time and is gradual, that it might come in the form of growth or decay, and that we were not in control of it.

Now many of us feel pressured to master change quickly and live in a state of perpetual growth. We believe we should be able to follow a formula and enjoy instantaneous results. When we realize that despite all of our scientific understanding and all of our technology we are still subject to Earth's laws of nature, we are better equipped to navigate our transitions.

The seasons metaphor also brings reminders of tales of the "hero's journey", when heroes or heroines embark on journeys and return home with new wisdom and strength. According to Joseph Campbell, the hero's journey is undertaken by people of all cultures and across many periods of history.

How can all this help you with your transition? When you know what season you are in, transition-wise, you can know what is normal to expect and what are helpful steps to take (read Carol's book for more detailed information!)

For example, most everyone I coach goes through some kind of winter period while we work together. Winter is not a place our society wants us to spend much time in - to be in eternal spring and summer are the expectations. But there is valuable and essential work to be done during winter! Winter is the key to unlocking the future. However, you can't do that work if you are denying that you are winter or trying to skip ahead too early to spring.

Transitions can be exciting, and they can be difficult. When you're aware of your own transition journey and work with it rather than fight it, you are on your way to creating a successful future.

I'd love to hear: What Season of transition are you in right now?