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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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Love It or Leave It?

Love It or Leave It? 5 Questions to Ask Before Giving Notice

Active job markets often get people thinking about new opportunities. When jobs are plentiful, we imagine ourselves in greener pastures with better pay and more perks. We begin asking ourselves, “Should I quit my job?”

There are definitely times when we need to move on from positions. It is prudent to polish up your résumé if the company you work for is financially shaky or your boss is verbally abusive. However, if you are just making change for change’s sake, it may be wise to consider what is driving the impulse.

The following five questions can help you discover if you truly do need to move on or if it is possible to rekindle your passion for the job you have.

  1. Are you stagnating?

Jobs change and morph over time. We can find ourselves doing work that is far different than what we were hired to do. Or, we may be bored from lack of variety or challenge.

Morale plummets when we don’t use the skills that make us feel strong and satisfied or when we are not given opportunities to learn and grow.

Before jumping ship, let your boss know that you want to be challenged in your current role or explore the possibility of a transfer or promotion. If nothing comes of this effort, you have a solid reason to consider moving on to a better opportunity.

  1. Do you respect leadership and do you feel valued at work?

Most people leave their jobs because of a negative relationship with their direct supervisor or due to an overall toxic leadership style. If you don’t currently feel seen, heard and appreciated by your boss, you probably never will. Before you cut ties, consider getting some coaching to ensure you don’t end up in a similar situation.

  1. Is recent organizational change fueling your desire to leave?

We can become stressed and discontent due to changes in company leadership or in the way business gets done. Some people handle change better than others but these are generally tough situations. Avoid jumping on the negative bandwagon and give yourself time to adjust. What if the changes turn out to be positive? It could happen!

  1. Are you happy outside of work?

When we feel dissatisfied with our lives, it is easy to blame our jobs. Sometimes the best way to feel happier at work is to take up a hobby, start an exercise program or deepen connections with friends and family. Enriching your life outside of work may lead you to feel better about your current position. It will also improve your mental outlook should you decide to begin a job search.

  1. Do you know what you want?

Make a list of what you really like about your current position and what you find intolerable. Next, list what you want to gain by making a change. This can include new skills, enlightened leadership, better pay or an increase in responsibility. The clearer you are about what it is you want and need, the more likely it is that you will find it.

Asking for what we want and need in order to be happy takes courage but so does giving notice! We can improve our current situations. Sometimes we need a fresh start. Keep in mind that those greener pastures are sure to be filled with manure. Your best bet may be learning to love the job you have.

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Ah, the stories we tell…

I have interviewed thousands of candidates during my career. Recruiting for years taught me a thing or two about what it takes to make an employer sit up and take notice.

These days, I teach interviewing skills in workshops.  I coach clients one on one.  I video them in mock interviews and together my clients and I look at how to improve their ability to connect with potential employers.  I have seen highly successful people fall to pieces just trying to figure out how to respond to, “Tell me a bit about yourself and your interest in this position.”  This simple little prompt can bring a person to tears.

Once you get past that “tell me about yourself” prompt, the best thing you can do is tell stories.  Your past experience are the best indicators of what you can do in the future. They show who you really are and what you really do under pressure, in a crisis as well as during times when things are flowing at work.

I encourage clients to take a highlighter and go through the job description or posting. Underline the key qualifications for the position.  Next, tap into your memory for examples from your past experiences that match what the employer is seeking.

Putting your stories into a quick outline is often enough to help ensure you will be able to recall the story during an interview.  Use the C.A.R. formula to ensure you get to the point and make an impact. C stands for the challenges you faced.  A is for the action you to took to overcome the challenge.  R is all about the results that were obtained.

It is also important to be able to focus your story on the question being asked. Stressing the parts of the story that most closely match what you are being asked is a powerful skill.  Another important skill is being able to come full circle back to the original question at the end of your story. This shows you are listening and relating to the interviewer not just repeating a memorized story.

For example, you may be asked to talk about a recent accomplishment.  Once you tell your story, come back to the question you were asked and say, “So, this is an example of what I will do here in this position.  I really pride myself on setting goals and working hard to achieve excellent results.” Come full circle back to what the interviewer has asked and relate your response to your future actions if you were hired in this new position.

It is really important to collect your stories and practice them before the interview.  However, you don’t want to sound over-rehearsed.  You want to remain conversational in your tone and natural in the delivery of your stories. And, you want to forge a connection with the interviewer.

Beyond the facts of your story and the end results, it is important to consider the emotions behind the stories you tell.  When gathering stories, consider telling about experiences that showcase not just your skills but also your PASSION. Share stories that reveal your core values and the qualities that will differentiate you from other people who do the same work you do.  What sets you apart?  What makes you stand out?

In the end, it is not the facts that will be memorable.  It will be the way you made the interviewer FEEL that matters.  Bring in some emotion and avoid just relaying dry facts.

Most of my clients say, “I don’t have any amazing stories to share.  I just show up and do my job.  There is nothing remarkable about me.”  Everyone has a story.  We all have unique ways of doing what we do. I often ask my clients some key questions to help them recall good story material.  Here are some prompts:

  • When were things in total crisis and chaos at work?
  • When were you totally in the flow and when did time fly by?
  • When did you help a company make money, save money, or minimize risk?
  • When did you improve a process or streamline a procedure?
  • When were you completely frustrated?
  • When were you joyful and satisfied?
  • When did you know you were doing great work even if no one else was noticing?

I generally advise clients to have at least 5 or 6 good stories prepared before an interview. You can tailor them to the specific needs of the employer who is interviewing you. So, your stories are about you but you are telling them in a way that makes them about “you and the potential employer.”  A great interview story should express what WE could do together if you were brought on board.

A good story is what will make you memorable.  A few good stories will be what compels you to receive an offer over another candidate with a similar skill set.  For every hour of interviewing that you do, expect to put in at least 5 or 10 hours of research and practice.  Don’t get robotic or repeat everything on your resume.  Tell a good story.  Put your heart into the stories you tell and be your authentic self.

This is interviewing magic!

 

 

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The Path to Success? Presence all the Way!

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The more I work with clients, the more I realize that success is not about the format of our resumés, the strength of our LinkedIn profiles, or even our past experience.  People with lousy resumés, weak profiles, and almost no relevant experience land great jobs all the time.  The key to finding good opportunities is presence – magnetic presence. And, authenticity. Magnetic presence can be somewhat difficult to capture in words but a few of the associated qualities or characteristics include:

  •  the ability to community your value in a way that resonates rather than repels.
  •  a healthy mix of confidence and coach-ability.
  •  keen, sincere interest in others.
  • positive energy.

More and more of my work with clients is about cultivating magnetic presence.  Sure, the resumé needs to be great too.  But, even a resumé that rocks cannot overcome a lack of personal presence.  In the end, it is all about how we make people FEEL when they are with us.

Do you feel me?

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