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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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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!

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Resumé Advice You Never Hear: Stop the Endless Targeting!

Imagine you are at a barbeque and a friend says, “We are hiring. Shoot me your résumé and I will pass it along to my manager.” Elation suddenly turns to panic. You spend the rest of the weekend pulling your hair out in order to get a résumé together by Monday.

Whether you are in active job search mode or more passively open to new opportunities, it is prudent to have a sparkly résumé ready to send off in a moment’s notice.

Job seekers are generally advised to target their résumés to each specific position. This sounds good in theory but it is not always possible. The aforementioned barbecue scenario is one case in point.

Another issue is that position descriptions vary widely. Some are overly detailed while others are short and skimpy. Rather than expressing any amount of passion and truth, job seekers parrot back what they think employers want to hear. The end result is a résumé that reads like the back of a can of paint.

There are certainly times when we should tailor a résumé to a specific position. However, there is a lot to be said for creating a personalized marketing piece that can be used more broadly. This allows us to be nimble and effective in responding to opportunities and it ensures we don’t lose ourselves in the job search process.

For the next few minutes forget everything you have heard about the importance of targeting your résumé. Rather than focusing on employer needs, look into your heart to identify what you want in your next position. Here are three steps to creating a powerful, all-purpose résumé:

Be Future Facing

Let this version of your résumé describe the job of your dreams. Rather than simply regurgitating what you have done in the past, highlight what you want to do more of going forward. Don’t list anything that you find draining.

Think beyond recent work experience and also emphasize skills gained through volunteering and personal interests or from positions held long ago. A résumé is a ticket to your happy future and it needs to be written with a clear vision in mind.

Be Compelling

Beyond listing skills and qualifications, develop a “career highlights” section in which you provide brief accomplishment statements to communicate the real value you can provide.

These accomplishment statements are like pencil drawings that support your goals and ambitions. When you land an interview, you can turn these pencil drawings into vivid word pictures and stories. For now, let your resume offer captivating snippets of who you are becoming professionally.

Be Yourself

When it comes to landing a good fit opportunity, your best bet is to present yourself honestly. Most résumés are sterile and lack personality. It seems the goal of so many job seekers is to avoid offending anyone – ever.

Speak your truth. Use conversational language and let your natural voice flow on to the page. Being forthright and creative in your presentation will cost you some jobs but staying true to yourself increases the likelihood of finding a position in which you can thrive and grow.

A future facing, compelling and personalized résumé allows you to be ready when random opportunities present themselves. When you do need to target your résumé for a specific position, you can modify this version while maintaining your personal brand. Putting more heart into your résumé is a good first step to attracting the attention you desire.

 

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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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Creativity is Career Rocket Fuel

Nurturing Creativity – A Worthy Endeavor

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 In an ever-changing business environment, what is the single most important factor to lasting success? A stellar résumé? High emotional intelligence? Top notch interviewing skills? Maybe it all comes down to “who you know?” These are all good things but they won’t get us far without another ingredient that matters even more.

 There is one element that acts like rocket fuel in terms of powering our careers forward: CREATIVITY. Think about it. It is not the obedient drone that makes an impact. It is the creative outlier with the crazy ideas who solves big problems and makes the world better.

The old model of working was about showing up, being loyal, keeping your head down, and not making waves. Today, that approach is pretty much career suicide. Creativity is the antidote that can keep us thriving both at work and at home.

In Linchpin, Seth Godin, makes a compelling argument for re-thinking the value of being an “obedient worker.” Godin stresses that creativity is what allows us to become indispensable in today’s marketplace. According to Godin, “This is the time to bring our creative spirits to market and we will be rewarded for doing so.”

Most of us feel an incredible pressure to innovate at work. We are expected to make significant contributions every single day. The typical workplace culture does not necessarily support us in fulfilling these expectations. Long hours, lean teams, pressing deadlines, and fear-based leadership styles get in the way of creative thinking.

It comes down to choice. We can choose to be mindless cogs waiting for permission and the support we desire in order to innovate. Or, we can make a conscious choice to show up every single day determined to make a creative difference. Should you choose the latter, here are seven ways to stoke your creative fire.

#1 – Write it Down

Most great ideas begin as flashes of inspiration. Keep an idea notebook handy and jot down random ideas as they come to you. My best ideas come to me when I am out walking the dog so I use the voice memo function on my phone to capture them. Put your ideas into words so they can begin to take shape before they slip away.

#2 – Get Moving

Many studies show that we do our best thinking when standing up and moving around as opposed to sitting still in front of a computer screen. Some companies have instituted “stand up meetings” to ensure discussions are productive and idea generating. I know you have heard this many times before and it deserves repeating: take regular breaks away from the desk.

A brisk walk on your lunch break or some good old-fashioned pacing around the office will get your creative juices flowing. Make a priority to hit the gym for a midday spin class or yoga session. Riding a bike to work is another way to fuel your creative spark. Get moving and then choose not to feel guilty for doing so!

# 3 – Create Space

Do some office cleaning, reorganizing and decorating to create a workspace that energizes and inspires you. Hang a white board and use it. Add some live plants or lay a colorful rug on the floor. Maybe water is your muse. A small table fountain can provide an inspiring soundscape.

#4 – Encourage Creativity In Others

Keep an open mind and show support when others offer creative ideas. Resist the urge to bat down suggestions that seem outlandish or to immediately add your reaction. Keep the conversation flowing by asking questions, showing genuine interest, and nodding to keep teammates talking.

#5 – Watch Your Mouth

The most creative people I know tend to use positive language and focus on possibilities rather than obstacles. Replace “but” with “and.” Rather than, “That won’t work,” try, “Hmm, I wonder if that is possible?” Positive language helps our minds stay open to new ways of thinking.

#6 – Take Creative Risks

Creativity is the exact opposite of playing it safe. It requires putting your heart on the line and risking failure. Hopefully, you work in an environment in which creative risk taking is rewarded and not punished! If not, maybe it is time to go in search of an organization that truly supports creativity as a path to excellence.

#7 – Do YOU!

Very simply, following our creative passions makes us happy! When you do things that bring you joy, it is bound to affect your attitude and job performance in a positive way.

In the past decade, there has been an emphasis on finding a career that brings us a sense of purpose. However, it is unrealistic to expect our work, even work we are really passionate about, to fulfill all our needs and desires. Sometimes the best thing we can do to increase our creativity at work is to do what brings us joy in our spare time.

Maybe that means picking up the guitar that is gathering dust in the corner. Or, committing to working on that children’s book that has been rattling around your head for years. Perhaps now is the time to sign up for that watercolor class you have always wanted to try. No more procrastination – do what you yearn to do!

Pursuing our creative hobbies and interests offers other benefits as well. Doing what we love helps us find our tribe and offers a conduit through which we can form deeper connections to others.

It all comes back to choice. Nurturing our creativity is not a self-indulgent distraction. It is a worthy endeavor. It may be the most important work we do in this lifetime. Hmm. I wonder if that is possible?

 

 

 

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