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Career Transitions

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Got Hope?

As you might expect, it is a busy time to be a career counselor. I cannot recall ever being this busy in July. During the summer, people are typically off enjoying the outdoors and they put off making any big career decisions until the fall. This year, it seems that nothing is as it used to be.

In early March, as the pandemic was beginning to take hold of the country, fear became a dominant emotion. Health concerns and financial worries left me wondering how I would be able to bring hope to my clients. I did a deep dive into the topic of hope and came out of the experience feeling a renewed sense of peace.

I am a positive person by nature. I tend to see the possibilities in challenging times and typically enjoy figuring my way around the obstacles that pop up. For me, life is a lot like crossing a creek. Which rock looks stable?  Should we go this way or that?  What if I fall?  Wow, this water is running fast. Maybe I need to rethink this path entirely and look for another trail.

I rarely let myself become immobilized by fear. I am willing to take a risk and see what happens. I like to take action. It is so much easier to push a moving train onto a new track. Imagine trying to move a train that is parked at a standstill. Much harder. So, I keep plugging along, skipping from rock to rock, switching courses as needed even when the going gets tough.

When the pandemic became the obstacle, I found myself at a standstill. I felt like a parked train. Heavy and stuck.  If I was unsure how to move forward, how could I coach my clients through this uncharted territory? It is well researched that hope is key to making a successful career transition. If I was feeling hopeless, how on earth could I help others find a sense of confidence and optimism?

During the deep dive, I discovered something. Hope is so much more than donning a pair of rose-colored glasses and forging ahead. Hope is definitely not a sense of blind optimism. Real hope comes from understanding the seriousness of a situation and reckoning with it.

My clients are facing lay-offs, furloughs and company closings in the midst of a pandemic. Unemployment is at an all-time high. These are serious challenges. Hope has come from being willing to look at the challenges they are facing head on without flinching away.  As I have held space for my clients to explore what is happening to them personally in context of world events, they have begun to see glimmers of hope.

Some found hope that they could finally pursue a career that suited them. Others have discovered they absolutely loved working from home and want to find new ways to do this.  Clients are exploring all new industries in which to transfer their talents.  One hopeful client recently purchased a restaurant and is launching a reopening for 2021. The new and the next is beckoning.

I held space. I looked into darkness along with my clients. I gently asked, “What is your biggest fear right now?” Then we looked at their fears without flinching away. We analyzed the situation and did some calculations. It is better to go this way or that? It was in this process of reckoning that even the biggest fears started to appear just a little less daunting.

If I had been handing out false hope, I think many of my clients would still be stuck. Being realistic about the situation allowed for planning to take place. Forward motion began to happen, and so many of my clients are well on their way to creating new chapters.

Sometimes I provided hopeful ideas and suggestions. I am good at brainstorming and pathfinding. However, the truth is that the clients themselves who are showing me the way across the rocky stream. They are the ones doing the brave work of figuring their way forward.  I have the honor and privilege of observing the resiliency of the human spirit. For every bit of hope I have provided, it has been returned to me a hundred times over during the past few months.

You may be facing a fork in the road in your life or in your career right now. Taking the road less traveled may seem like a foolhardy way to go.  These are dire times, don’t ya know?  However, if not now, when?  When will you find the courage to explore new ways of living and working?  The courage to forge a new path will not come from blindly stumbling your way forward.  It will come from taking a good hard look at the perils that lie ahead, making a plan and going for it.  Hope happens when face our fears not when we pretend that they do not exist.

 

 

 

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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.

 

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Recovering from Unexpected Job Loss or a Lay Off

While many of us are happily anticipating the promise of a new year, many others are grappling with the weight of unexpected job loss. After all, ‘tis the season for pink slips, layoffs, and workforce restructuring. Let’s face it, January can feel especially cold and gloomy for job searchers.

When we find ourselves suddenly unemployed, our first instinct is to rush to the computer to polish up our resumés and LinkedIn profiles. This feels proactive and productive. Once these tasks are done, we are left with the raw emotions of our recent experience.

How do we deal with the emotional aspects of being laid off or terminated? We are all unique and situations vary. Therefore, the process of healing is different for everyone. For some clients, the experience is quickly viewed as a “blessing in disguise.” For others, the wounds are deeper, and it takes longer to recover.

Regardless of where you are on this continuum, it is wise to take steps to process the experience in a way that leaves you feeling whole and strong. It is tough to execute an effective search when you are weighed down by emotional baggage. You don’t want to unconsciously carry negative emotions into a networking event or job interview.

Take time to grieve.

Unwanted or unexpected change almost always includes a sense of loss. Even if you were unhappy in your job and considering making a change, you will mourn the loss of the relationships and routines that work provided. You might feel a loss of identity and self-esteem. There is almost always a loss of financial security.

The impact of job loss can be similar to divorce or even the death of a loved one. When we think of it this way, it makes sense to mourn before we jump into a job search. This includes identifying your emotions and processing the experience.

Acknowledge your emotions.

Denial is a common coping mechanism. Avoid the inclination to dismiss or minimize your feelings. Are you hurt, angry, ashamed, scared, sad, vengeful, or confused? All of that and more? Give yourself permission to feel whatever is coming up for you.

The sooner you acknowledge the breadth and depth of your emotions, the sooner you will be ready and able to move forward. Name your emotions. Take time to reflect and journal about your experience.

Many people avoid looking too deeply within for fear of being overcome by their emotions. Research shows that avoiding dealing with feelings can cause more stressors. The negative energy builds up and keeps you stuck.

 Talk about your experience.

Internal processing is a good start, but full recovery includes telling your story – out loud, to the right person, and in a safe setting. It is healing to share your experience with a supportive person who can listen without judgment and without rescuing.

After a termination or lay off, there is often a lingering sense of shame. We wonder what we did wrong or we worry that we might face similar issues in the next job. Some layoffs are completely random. In other cases, we might need to own some of the responsibility.

In either case, you can recover and even grow from the experience. Talking is curative. By sharing your narrative, you begin to tease out the truth. You release unhealthy feelings of shame and replace them with self-compassion and an honest appraisal of yourself and the situation. This lays the groundwork for creating your next chapter.

We live in a “dust off your pants and move on” culture. Getting right back on the horse after a fall is seen as a strength. However, a strength overused can become a weakness. If you are recovering from job loss, take time to grieve. Then you can hop back in the saddle and ride off in the direction of your dreams with confidence and clarity.

 

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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?

 

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Attitude Adjustments and Job Satisfaction

Are you ready for some good news? Job satisfaction is the highest it has been in over a decade!

Earlier this year, the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) reported that a whopping 88% of employees are satisfied at work. While overall job satisfaction spiked, employees also reported a slight increase in engagement.

SHRM’s extensive research measures 43 aspects of job satisfaction and 37 factors associated with employee engagement. The key issues related to satisfaction in the 2016 survey included respectful treatment of employees at all levels of the organization, compensation, benefits, and security.

You can read the full report here. https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/trends-and-forecasting/research-and-surveys/pages/job-satisfaction-and-engagement-report-revitalizing-changing-workforce.aspx)

For years, surveys have reported dismal levels of job satisfaction in the workforce. So, what has changed? And, why bother sharing the good news? SHRM’s 2016 survey is noteworthy and the information it provides can help organizations as well as employees increase satisfaction and engagement.

In terms of what has changed, there are subtle and powerful shifts happening in how people think about work and life. We are gradually moving away from the belief that we need to find one true passion in order to be happy and fulfilled. Despite well-meaning advice from talk show hosts and self-help gurus over the past two decades, finding one’s passion isn’t all that easy!

And, the pressure to do so often causes stress and anxiety. Letting go of the need to find a singular purpose for being on the planet and linking that to a specific career path allows us to reconsider what it means to be satisfied and fulfilled. Rather than feeling like failures for not having found a passion, many of my clients feel a sense of relief to learn they could be equally happy working in a variety of positions or industries.

The quest to find one’s passion has been replaced with a more realistic goal of exploring different ways to put our key skills to use. We have known for years that job satisfaction increases when people use their strengths or unique super powers for 70 to 80 percent of the work day. Most people are satisfied to be paid a competitive wage to do work that they enjoy. That is meaningful and fulfilling in and of itself.

Another shift I see occurring is that people are no longer expecting any job to fulfil all of their needs. Work is an important part of who we are but it is not everything. Employees who are most happy and fulfilled at work are also committed to taking care of their personal needs and desires. This can include volunteering in your child’s classroom, pursuing creative hobbies, unplugging from email after hours or getting to the gym five days a week.

One reason people are making more conscious decisions about work/life integration is because the job market is less tight. Rather than feeling stuck, people feel empowered to seek out opportunities that are a better fit not only in terms of the skills they want to use but also in terms of value alignment and culture.

Let’s give credit to the organizations that are committed to creating positive work environments in an effort to retain talent. It is also important to recognize that job satisfaction is closely related to how content we are in other parts of our lives. Career is just one slice of a much bigger pie. No matter how you cut it, the goal is for work and all the rest of your life to be equally delicious.

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