Pink Sky Career Counseling HomepagePink Sky Career Counseling

Career Counseling

by

Nurture Your Creative Thoughts

I recently walked through the Storm King Art Center, a 500-acre outdoor sculpture museum in New York’s Hudson Valley. It took my breath away. Imagine extremely large sculptures carefully placed among vast meadows and forests. It was a magical blend of nature and art that beckoned me forward to discover what lay beyond the next vista.

Whenever I am awestruck, I like to remember that what I am experiencing began as a single thought or idea. Like a seed, it grew into something big and amazing.  Note: “Big and amazing” do not do this place justice. The magnitude and magic of Storm King is hard to describe.

As a career counselor, my mission is to help people listen to their thoughts, tune into the whisperings of their hearts and minds, and nurture their creative seeds of inspiration. Whenever I see a client grappling with whether or not to follow their dreams and bring an idea to fruition, I am energized. I feel a deep yearning to see the dream come alive – for the client but also for the countless other lives that will shift as a result.

I fervently believe that every one of us has a special gift to offer. Not all clients are ready – emotionally or financially – to take creative risks. Some are simply overwhelmed and don’t know where to begin. Yesterday, a client shared a dream of becoming a documentary filmmaker. I know deep inside my belly that this client needs to make films – not just to fulfill his own dream but to inspire real change. And, lucky me, I get to help tend and nurture this little seed of creative hope. Yep, I have the BEST job in the world!

Books like “Bursts of Brilliance” by Teresa Funke, “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron and “Big Magic” by Elizabeth Gilbert provide tools and inspiration for people who need help tending their creativity. I find each of these authors compelling!  They keep me hopeful and provide tools as I support the creative souls that find their way to my career counseling practice. You can also check out the book I helped co-author with the talented Carol Eikleberry:  The Career Guide for Creative and Unconventional People.

In “Bursts of Brilliance” Teresa Funke offers tactical advice and emotional support to inspire creative living and working. It is clear she has faced all sorts of fire breathing dragons along her own creative journey. She has dealt with inner demons and external forces intent on snuffing out her creative spark. I picture Teresa Funke in a superhero cape handily keeping the dragons at bay so she can put her heart and soul into the next project.

So, what is YOUR next project? What little whisperings do you need to listen to today?  What seeds of inspiration could use some nurturing? Just like Storm King, your brilliant offering will begin with a single thought. Tune into these thoughts and then be ready to take tiny baby steps to bring your unique dream to life.  The whole world will be brighter and better if you do.

 

by

LinkedIn – Get Found and Stand Out

Having a strong LinkedIn profile used to be good idea….now it is a MUST.  Of course, not all industries utilize the platform to the same extent. For example, police officers, lawyers, medical professionals, and teachers tend to prefer to keep lower profiles. However, most professionals find LinkedIn to be a necessary part of their professional identity and presence.

It is easy to understand why when you consider that over 90 percent of recruiters supposedly utilize LinkedIn to search for qualified candidates. I recently landed a nice little contract gig after being found on LinkedIn. Sweet! LinkedIn is also a great way to build and maintain a rich professional network.  Finally, LinkedIn helps us stay on top of industry news and trends.

Lose the mindset that LinkedIn is a job search tool.  Consider your profile a personal website that allows you to track your professional experience, education, accomplishments, publications, recommendations, key skills, certifications, industry activity, target company list, and your network of connections.

Most recruiters admit that they will pull up your profile before giving you a call.  If your online profile is not clear and consistent with your resume, you may find yourself in the B pile.  If you have zero recommendations or your profile is way out date, the recruiter will likely move on to a candidate who takes more pride in their online presence.

The Top 10 Profile Elements

The following are necessary in order to stand out and get found:

  • A nice headshot…not one with your dog – unless you are a veterinarian.
  • Headline….120 characters of searchable job titles….not your current job.
  • A well written 2000 character, keyword rich, summary.
    • Personalize this and don’t sound like a resume robot!
  • Current and previous work experience with bulleted details.
  • Personalize your LinkedIn URL.
  • Complete your Skill Section with at least 30 relevant skills listed in proper order.
  • 50 plus connections (Better yet, aim for 500)
  • Education and Training
  • 3-5 Recommendations
  • Join 20 plus groups and follow 50 plus companies.

The 10 Minute a Day Approach

Keeping your profile up to date and fresh AND spend time on LinkedIn each day going through your newsfeed.  Liking, commenting and sharing posts help develop your personal brand.  Actually publishing an article is another way to boost your presence and become a thought leader in your industry.

Spend 10 minutes a day making connections, commenting on interesting articles, and following new companies. This helps LinkedIn understand you. If and when you are in job search mode, LinkedIn will be a much better resource in terms of positions it recommends and how well you show up in recruiter searches.

Be 10 times more Brave

LinkedIn has actually proven to be a really powerful tool for me and for many of my clients.  Actual relationships are formed and developed from LinkedIn. Different careers are explored and new positions are landed – all as a result of reaching out to people.  Not everyone will respond to you in the way you wish but some people will!

Respond quickly to any requests that come your way and take any lack of response in stride. Make your outreach personal and avoid sending off generic connection requests.  Add a short note.  Take time to read someone’s profile and highlight what you have in common when you request a connection. Be courageous as you reach out. No one gets far alone.  We need each other and LinkedIn is platform that allows us to find support and give support.

Social media is here to stay and LinkedIn remains the go-to professional networking platform.  Make your profile sparkle and find ways to connect that feel genuine and authentic.  While social media is not a replacement for face to face relationships, LinkedIn can help us connect in real ways to people we might not otherwise be able to meet.

 

by

Are You Suffering from Burnout?

Burnout is generally defined as emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. A tell-tale sign of burnout is what I refer to as the “Sunday Evening Blues” – a feeling of dread that hits you when you realize that you need to go to work the next day.

If you well up in tears and begin to cry when you talk about your work, you are likely grappling with more than a mild case of job dissatisfaction. Burnout doesn’t just happen overnight – it evolves over time.

Burnout begins with feelings of apathy, cynicism, and disillusionment. If unaddressed, these feelings can morph into more serious issues such as fatigue, depression, anxiety, insomnia, and substance abuse. Really severe cases can lead to complete breakdowns that require hospitalization.

It is much easier to treat mild burnout, so it is important to recognize and address early warning signs. The following questions can help determine if you are experiencing burnout.

  • Do you struggle to focus on tasks and priorities?
  • Is your performance suffering?
  • Have you lost a sense of accomplishment or satisfaction in your work?
  • Are you inpatient or irritable with customers or colleagues?
  • Do you feel anger and resentment about the way decisions are made?
  • Have you mentally “checked out” and sit silently in meetings or planning sessions?
  • Are you using food, alcohol, or drugs to numb out?
  • Do you suffer from insomnia, headaches, stomach pains, or other physical ailments?
  • Have family and friends commented that you just don’t seem like yourself?
  • Have you stopped doing hobbies or activities that previously brought you joy?

These are some of the ways that burnout manifests but what causes burnout? Causes run the gamut from poor job fit, dysfunctional work cultures, work-life imbalance, mis-matched organizational values, lack of control, chronic stress, and social isolation at work. In my experience, it is rarely a single issue but a combination of factors that lead to burnout.

Studies show that people in “helping professions” such as teachers, counselors, and nurses can be especially prone to burnout. Other factors often associated with burnout include monotonous work, rigid schedules, and jobs that offer little freedom or autonomy. Burnout can simply be the result of working too hard and playing too little.

It is imperative to explore the underlying causes of one’s burnout before making drastic changes. Since the causes can vary, there is no single prescription. For many people, a whole new career will make sense. For others, a job change to a better fit culture might do the trick. Sometimes, a commitment to improved self-care and professional counseling are most helpful.

Once you recognize that you are experiencing burnout, the following steps can help you on your journey to recovery:

  • Identify the root causes of your burnout.
  • See your medical doctor to rule out physical health problems.
  • Consult a counseling professional to address emotional issues.
  • Consider options and take steps to improve your current situation.
  • Address any related time management or organizational skills.
  • Adjust work habits to include short breaks and resist the urge to take work home.
  • Commit to improved self-care including diet, exercise, and sleep hygiene.
  • Socialize more and connect to people outside of work.
  • Explore new career options that align with your interests, skills, and core values.

Regarding those tears I mentioned earlier, they signify distress and sadness. Some people seem to accept burnout as an unavoidable or normal part of working. Don’t give up hope! It is possible to recover from burnout and regain a sense of purpose.

Rather than dismissing your pain, tune in and listen to what you want and need. Through self-exploration, you can then begin to create ways of living and working that are more satisfying and sustainable. If we take our suffering seriously, burnout can become a powerful catalyst for rediscovering our true desires and making meaningful change.

by

The Hero’s Career Journey

We are all familiar with the hero’s journey. In a nutshell, a hero’s journey is about conquering our fears and overcoming incredible obstacles to go in search of something rare and wonderful. It is the archetype of most movies because we never tire of watching ordinary people do the extra-ordinary.

As a career counselor, I accompany clients on the journey to finding greater purpose and pleasure in their work and in their lives. Each person’s story is unique yet some elements of the hero’s journey play out time and again.

Being called.

We all know stalwart employees who show up at the same job for decades without ever considering doing anything else. More power to them! Then there are those who feel called to a new path. The call could come in the form of an inner yearning, a chance encounter, or a significant life event such as a car accident, lay-off or the passing of a loved one.

I have a client who recently left a secure job in city government to heed a call to build sustainable housing for indigenous and fragile populations. Another is feeling called to leave a high paying healthcare technology gig to coordinate medical mission trips in faraway lands. A third is developing a non-profit that will focus on mentoring at-risk boys.

The hero’s journey begins the moment we decide to answer the call.

Cue the fire breathing dragons.

Heroes have no clue what lies ahead and they go forward anyway. Be forewarned. You will suffer and you will be tested. It is inevitable.

You will face inner demons such as self-doubt, fear of failure or lack of hope. And, you will encounter obstacles and meet up with real world adversaries who seem hell bent on stopping you from reaching your goals. Your job is to overcome each challenge as it arises.

This is the point at which we question ourselves. We wonder if the call was real and we come up with all kinds of logical reasons to scurry back to our hum drum jobs and lives. This is a completely normal plot twist.

In the end, the hero remains committed to the journey. No. Matter. What.

Seek guidance.

Luke Skywalker has Yoda. Dorothy has Glinda the Good Witch. Who will help you along the way? It could be a life coach, a trusted friend, or a colleague that will provide the support you need.

Sometimes all we need is a dose of self-confidence but more often we require practical skills and training to make it to the next stage of the journey. Don’t sit around waiting for a wise mentor to show up out of nowhere. Despite the many similarities, your life is not a movie!

Seek out the help you need to keep moving forward.

Embrace the journey.

Make no mistake, searching for a new career is a hero’s journey. It is a worthy endeavor and requires tenacity, grit, humility and hope. Once we you have embarked on your journey, your life will never be the same.

Even if you don’t quite end up where you intended, you can still choose to feel good about what you accomplished. True heroes celebrate lessons learned and honor the skills they gained along the way. The journey itself is more important than the destination.

For better or worse, the hero’s journey is one worth taking. Why? Because nothing else will bring you closer to self-actualization than staring down your deepest fears to make a dream come true. The greatness inside you is listening. This is your call. Will you answer?

 

by

2017 – The Year to Give Back!

Mountain Landscape in Colorado Rocky Mountains, Colorado, United States.

One of the best things we can do for ourselves, and our careers, is to share our time and talents to do some good in the world. Volunteering enhances our professional resiliency and increases our personal life satisfaction. Here are 5 reasons to make ‘giving back’ a priority in the coming year.

Expand Your Network

Serving on boards, volunteering for a non-profit, and supporting fundraising events connects us to new people who share similar interests. In time, these acquaintances can turn into professional alliances. When we volunteer, we have a chance to put our talents to use and show our skills in action. This leads to high-trust relationships with people who can then speak to our qualifications or refer us to new opportunities with real conviction.

Build the Resume

Volunteering helps us look good on paper. We can minimize gaps in our work history by showing that we have remained active and involved during transitions or layoffs. We brand ourselves when we include volunteer experience on our resumes. We also differentiate ourselves from other candidates who have similar skill sets but lack community involvement.

Skill Development

Think about what you have to offer and what you hope to gain in terms of skill development when you consider a volunteer opportunity. Sometimes we volunteer because we want to be considered for full time, paid positions within the organization. In other cases, we plan to take the skills we gain from volunteering and put them to use in our regular jobs. Yes, we give back for the sake of giving back but we can also be strategic in terms of what we want to develop in ourselves.

Career Exploration

If you are considering a career change, volunteering is the perfect way to test the waters before jumping in with both feet. You get first-hand experience and valuable insights into what it takes to be successful in a new industry. This can help you avoid a costly career mistake. If you do find a match in your new field, you will have developed great experience and connections to help you make a successful transition.

Good Vibrations

Volunteering often leads to feeling a sense of purpose and belonging in the world. If we are a bit stale in our careers, volunteering can reignite a sense of passion. It feels good to give back yet we all need support from time to time. When we are in a career transition, it can be psychologically easier to reach out for help if we have made it a priority to be of service. In giving to others, we can create good karma for ourselves.

Keep in mind that finding the right volunteer opportunity can be challenging. Start by considering what issues call to you. What are you curious about? Do you want to work locally? Or, do you yearn to support national or international issues? What talents do you have to share and what new skills do you hope to gain?  How much time can you devote given your other commitments?

Use this online resource:  https://www.livecareer.com/quintessential/volunteering to learn about possible areas of interest. Your local library also offers resources to help you research non-profits, foundations, and giving organizations such as Rotary International.

The new year is a perfect time to envision a brighter future for yourself and for the world. It is a time to set goals and seek out rewarding experiences. One thing I know for sure is that as you serve the world, you will also be doing yourself a whole bunch of good. Happy New Year!

Copyright © 2019. Pink Sky Career Counseling. All rights reserved.