Are you the type that stays put even though you know in your heart of hearts it’s time to leave? While they may not be obvious to everyone, there are many reasons why you might dig in your heels instead of spread your wings when it comes to initiating a job change.
Even if the job itself is boring, the compensation mediocre, and the commute less than desirable, other factors can override these aspects of your situation.
Relationships with co-workers, the comfortable familiarity with your work environment and knowledge of what is expected of you, can keep you mired in a job that no longer offers you much satisfaction.
Eventually, the truth of the matter may catch up with you. When you choose not to act on an internal impulse or desire, you could find yourself in a reactive mode. Layoffs, early retirement incentives, terminations, and outsourcing are some of the external motivators that nudge people out of their complacency.
This could be seen as a way that some people get what they really need: a catalyst to make a change for the better.
However, this method is not without some fallout. The host of mixed feelings and threat to one’s self esteem that accompanies a forced change can set people back as they require time to heal and regroup.
While being proactive in your honest assessment and follow through of your work has its own risks (e.g. there are no guarantees that the grass is greener any place else), it can create a sense of increased control of your life. If you combine that feeling with sound research about the job market and what you offer, you’re likely to be happy that you took some action.
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Barbara is currently accepting applications for her ninth annual Women's Retreat in Provence. Click on the link for photos and more details!
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Barbara and Heart At Work associate, Amy Jaffe, will co-present a workshop:
"Averting Quarterlife and Midlife Crises in Your Workplace: 5 Key Retention Strategies" at the 2008 Annual Human Resources Convention in Rockport, Maine on May 8.
I've been taking a poll lately. I was curious to know how people found their way to their particular careers. So far, most people told me they "just fell into it", or that they were simply "in the right place at the right time."
After hearing the details of thousands of career stories, I'm convinced that the series of jobs that make up anyone's career path is not always random or based on luck.
Take Susan for example. As a child, she was very sociable and loved to be wherever people gathered. Susan was fascinated by people's behaviors and their different approaches to life. In college, she unwittingly majored in anthropology, which allowed her to extend her observation skills beyond her classmates to cultures and groups all over the world.
Strongly extroverted, Susan was consistently drawn to opportunities that were dynamic, vibrant and abuzz with people. While she did not have a particular career path in mind at graduation, it's not surprising that the field of advertising caught her attention.
Even though advertising was a great match for her personality, natural abilities and curiosity, Susan eventually became disenchanted with her work. After six years, in spite of consistent promotions, Susan often thought of quitting her job. Admittedly confused, Susan did not know if her discontent had more to do with her employer or her career field in general. Like most people, she believed that she had stumbled onto a career path and now wanted to make more deliberate choices for her future.
Having developed a marketable set of skills with which she had achieved success in the work world, Susan was increasingly aware of her desire to make a greater difference in the world. She realized that her values were becoming more important in the overall scheme of her work and were influencing her lack of satisfaction with her current job.
With that clarity, she began to think of ways to redirect her marketing and advertising expertise toward the emerging field of cause marketing that seeks to create collaborative ventures and branding between a for profit organization and a non profit cause.
With Susan's story in mind, what connections might you make between what seemed to be random and unplanned jobs and your personality, interests, natural abilities and values? These connections might help you understand your career path with more insight, as well as assist you in making more conscious choices in the future.
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Barbara is currently accepting applications for her ninth annual Women's Retreat in Provence. Click on the link for photos and more details!
_ _ _ _ _
Barbara and Heart At Work associate, Amy Jaffe, will co-present a workshop:
"Averting Quarterlife and Midlife Crises in Your Workplace: 5 Key Retention Strategies" at the 2008 Annual Human Resources Convention in Rockport, Maine on May 8.
Beyond any particular personality type, professional skills or business acumen, starting a business requires a connection to what matters most to you. Whether your business directly relates to a specific value you hold, or allows you to live your life in alignment with your priorities, it is likely to be a success if you are behind it with your heart and soul.
In the beginning, the process of imagining your business can be a fluid one. As you identify the name, create your brand, define your market, and complete a business plan, consider how you feel about each step. Notice which options energize you and which do not as you evaluate the ways you might present your service or product for the marketplace.
I often find myself telling clients who are planning a business to watch for the “green lights” as indicators that they are on the right path. These affirming signs can be anything from people offering unsolicited support, to ease in obtaining necessary financing or an appropriate workspace, to an unexpected opportunity that provides a financial bridge from employee to business owner.
Even with green lights at every turn, there is no getting around the fact that starting your own business requires a leap of faith. With no guarantee of success, you must be interested in the process as well as the desired outcome and have a realistic idea about what your new work-life will entail. Be certain that your pursuit is connected to facts and accurate information and not just an idealized notion of what you desire, and you'll be likely to persevere in good times and in bad.
In Maine, there are organizations that can assist you in your decision-making or planning process. SCORE, Maine Small Business Development Centers, UMaine's Cooperative Extension Home Based Business Programs, and Coastal Enterprises Inc., all offer free consultations on a wide array of topics to anyone in any stage of the process of business ownership. Uniquely for women, New Ventures, a well-established 60-hour program offered by Women, Work and Community instructs small groups of women in the essentials of business ownership from marketing to finances, culminating in a business plan. I have referred dozens of women to this program over the years with consistent rave reviews about its usefulness.
With an inner sense that this is the right direction at the right time, coupled with research and adequate counsel from seasoned advisors, you may be on your way to the independence and freedom that comes with being a business owner.
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Barbara is currently accepting applications for her ninth annual Women's Retreat in Provence. Click on the link for photos and more details!
_ _ _ _ _
Barbara and Heart At Work associate, Amy Jaffe, will co-present a workshop:
"Averting Quarterlife and Midlife Crises in Your Workplace: 5 Key Retention Strategies" at the 2008 Annual Human Resources Convention in Rockport, Maine on May 8.
Trying to find a job from a distance may not be easy, but if you incorporate these tips in your efforts, you're more likely to have success.
1. Know the type of job you want and the specific ways you are qualified.
- Don't limit your search to job titles. Rather, recognize the broader criteria you desire in a job. Doing this will increase your options in the marketplace.
- Be clear about your skills and abilities and how they relate to the positions you seek.
2. Review and update your professional documents.
- A current résumé is essential to your job search.
- Do job possibilities warrant a portfolio of documents to supplement your résumé? Appropriate for the interview stage of the job search, a portfolio is a collection of materials that might include: a résumé, letters of reference or recognition, writing samples, articles written or presentations delivered, or other representations of your work.
- Identify references and notify them of your job search and interest areas. You may need to coach them about the specific skill set you'd like them to emphasize. Once you are a candidate for a job that requires references, send your references a job description to prepare them.
- Create a list of skills you have consistently used during your work history. Keep in mind those skills you enjoy using and be ready to give concrete, brief examples of times when you have effectively demonstrated them.
3. Become familiar with your target location.
- Subscribe to the on-line edition of the local newspaper, especially the Sunday edition. Pay attention to articles on businesses, expansions, and notices of promotions and hew hires, as well as job postings.
- Plan exploratory trips whenever possible to conduct informational interviews and network with key professionals. The longer you can stay, familiarize yourself with the environment, and meet people, the more likely you will hear of job opportunities.
- Contact the Chamber of Commerce, Office of Tourism, and the Department of Labor to request a relocation packet. Access the Chamber’s on-line directory of members. The State of Maine, like all states, has specific on-line information for people who wish to relocate here.
- Identify employers that hire for your targeted positions. Visit their websites for job postings and info on new developments.
4. Check out key resources in your industry or career field.
- Research the professional associations affiliated with your target job/s in the Encyclopedia of Associations, available at most libraries. It's a great resource that gives association descriptions, officers' contact details and info on local meetings and national conferences.
- Connect with the career services office at your undergraduate and/or graduate
schools or register as an alum on line. Request a list of alumni/ae working in your field near or in your target location.
- Tell friends and family about your plans to relocate. Ask if they know anyone who lives and works in your target location and if they would be willing to send an e-mail introducing you.
- Most major cities have a "Craig's list" website. This on-line resource has become increasingly popular with people who are relocating. Check out the site to find anything from jobs and roommates to furniture and housing.
- You may choose to contact headhunters/recruiters/executive search firms. Search these firms by location or industry at I-Recruit.com.
- Be familiar with the salary ranges in the new locale for the position/s you are targeting. The informative and comprehensive site, The Riley Guide, has links to salary surveys.
- Once you have an interview, do as much research as you can on the company/organization. Be prepared to ask intelligent questions that show you've done your homework.
Finding a job from afar requires creative and varied approaches to your job search. Resist the temptation to limit your strategy to combing on-line job postings for hours on end.
Get out and meet people, especially those who can help you make connections in the state to which you want to move. These networking conversations will help you feel as though you are making progress and will increase your success.
Research consistently shows that talking to people remains the most effective way to get actual job leads.
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Barbara is currently accepting applications for her ninth annual Women's Retreat in Provence. Click on the link for photos and more details!
_ _ _ _ _
Barbara and Heart At Work associate, Amy Jaffe, will co-present a workshop:
"Averting Quarterlife and Midlife Crises in Your Workplace: 5 Key Retention Strategies" at the 2008 Annual Human Resources Convention in Rockport, Maine on May 8.
You don't have to be a candidate for President to know that putting your best foot forward is key to success in the current marketplace. Whether you're a business owner, an employee, or in the midst of a job search, it's good business sense to look for opportunities to promote your service, your product or yourself.
While you may easily imagine plugging a great idea or snazzy gizmo, you might break into a cold sweat to think of overruling those cultural messages that favor humility over tooting your own horn. Keep in mind that confident communication supported by concise examples of success is different from boasting or being cocky.
In the end, it will be your ability to recognize and communicate all of the ways you add value to a work situation that will justify a raise, secure your next promotion or land a new job.
So, in preparation for the inevitable challenge of your next performance appraisal or job interview, consider the following ways you can be ready to accurately portray your best self:
1. Complete a quarterly review and record of what you have completed, led, coordinated or accomplished.
2. Be prepared with specific examples of ways you have contributed to goals and successes.
3. Make note of anything you've done that is new, innovative, and not in your job description.
4. Practice (even role play with a friend or colleague) how you will convey this information in a way that feels authentic and true for you. (Notice that I did not say that "feels comfortable" because that's not likely, nor is it an essential criterion.)
5. Be aware of key opportunities to share this information and follow through on it.
6. Be ready to celebrate the outcome!
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Barbara is currently accepting applications for her ninth annual Women's Retreat in Provence. Click on the link for photos and more details!
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Barbara Babkirk and Heart At Work associate, Amy Jaffe, will co-present a workshop:
"Averting Quarterlife and Midlife Crises in Your Workplace: 5 Key Retention Strategies" at the 2008 Annual Human Resources Convention in Rockport, Maine on May 8.
"Find a job you enjoy, and you'll never work a day in your life." - Confucius
I've heard hundreds of people describe the type of job they'd love to go to each day. While each person has his or her own particular desires, most share something in common: their descriptions are quite reasonable and in line with the current marketplace.
Yet, for some reason, most people assume that the job they desire does not exist—at least not for them. Consequently, they quickly replace the true description of their heart's desire with a modified one that does not motivate them to look beyond their current circumstances.
These people busily create discouraging scenarios in their minds, without venturing out the door. While this negative mindset might be a way to ultimately protect them from the prospect of rejection, it does not allow any room for the possibility of success.
A series of short articles on FastCompany.com by people who love their work, highlights the idea that dream jobs evolve over time. For some, finding a great job is a process of trial and error.
I like to think that finding an ideal job is a process of discovery, much like the child's game of hiding an object, where the closer to the object the child is, she's told "You're getting warmer".
In order to discern how close you are to your ideal job, you need to be aware of what you're looking for at any given stage of your life. As your life changes so might your concept of what is ideal in a job.
Here are a few tips to keep you on track with your search for the job that fits you well:
1. Regularly assess your current job in terms of what's working well and what needs attention given your lifestyle and desires.
2. Make a list of the five most important criteria in your dream job.
3. Think about people whose jobs interest you. Consider interviewing them to determine if what they do is really something you'd like to do.
4. Create time and space in your life for investigating other options. Taking action is often all someone needs to feel more in control of their life and begin to think more positively about their situation. On the other hand, it could uncover a new possibility that's a much better fit.
5. Be aware of your assumptions and how they might limit your attempts to explore new options. Try to stay neutral until you determine the facts and match them with your desires.
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Barbara is currently accepting applications for her ninth annual Women's Retreat in Provence. Click on the link for photos and more details!
Even if you're not planning a career or job change in the near future, you'd be wise to give your résumé an annual review as the New Year begins. Highlighting your most recent accomplishments and documenting your skills can help you rethink your roles and responsibilities and assess how you've approached your work.
If you are not part of a well-executed performance review program, you can easily discount, forget or dismiss the important tasks you completed during the year. As a result, you might take for granted your contributions and end up doubting your marketable skills and demonstrated talents.
Refreshing your résumé not only can improve your awareness of your accomplishments, it can also increase the likelihood of your making a transition when you're ready.
Some people feel overwhelmed and discouraged about the idea of a job change before they've even begun to explore possibilities. Often, it's the task of refining their résumé that stalls their process.
Having a template that works for you is a first step. While you can find résumé wizards on most word processing programs, consider creating your own template to best present your background and relevant skills. My favorite résumé format is the functional resume, that allows you to outline your accomplishments in categories of skills.
Once you decide to take on the task of tweaking your résumé or revamping it entirely, set a timeframe for completion and stick to it. Keep in mind that most résumés have about 30 seconds to make an impression—so the more concise and clear the better.
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