Archive for 2005

Are You Tracking the Details?

Thursday, December 22nd, 2005

Whether you are in the middle of a job search or about to begin one, staying on top of the details of your process is important to a successful ending.

This may be easier said than done, especially at Holiday time when there are so many things to track. If staying organized and tying up loose ends is a chronic issue in your life, you might want to follow “http://business.mainetoday.com/virtuallyorganized/” Celia’s blog for tips on getting organized and perhaps enlist her services as a professional organizer.

In any case, there are several things you can do to make sure the important details of your transition from one job to the next do not fall through the cracks. Here are tips that can help:

Create a list, chart, Excel sheet or some other way of tracking your job search process.

State the action step and timeframe associated with it, along with a way to indicate when the step has been completed. Highlight with an asterisk, or color, the steps that have a specific date for completion.

Refer to your list every day, even if you are “taking the day off” from the search process. Better to be safe than sorry so you won’t inadvertently miss an action that might be due.

With your list at the ready, what should be on it? Include the names of contacts with a word or two about the nature or purpose of the contact (to jog your memory), the status of each contact, outcome of the meeting and your follow up thank you communiqué.

By the way, if you are wondering what I’m talking about because your job search amounts to spending hours in front of your computer reviewing job postings, consider expanding your strategy to include networking and a process for tracking your progress. Not only will you benefit from contact with people who may have job leads, you may also feel more positive as you take control or your job search process in a way that marks and tracks your accomplishments.

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How Would Your Co-Workers Describe You?

Friday, December 16th, 2005

When you’re looking for a job or contemplating a career change, you need to articulate the skills, talents and personality traits that make you an impressive candidate. While this may sound easy enough to do, it is not for many people.

One of the reasons is due to our cultural conditioning to downplay our talents, ostensibly to keep us from being arrogant or self-centered. I’m not sure how many people are saved from inflated egos as a result of damping down how they view themelves, but I do know that the idea of keeping a lid on our best traits can backfire when it comes to the job search.

Looking for a job requires anyone to put their best foot forward in a confident and believable way. Being uncomfortable with communicating your strengths is likely to cost you the job.

So, how can you reverse a case of “modesty” when preparing for prospective interviews? If you have difficulty addressing the questions: “What are your relevant strengths?” or “What skills have you developed in which you are very confident?”, you might imagine what other people, like co-workers and good friends, might say on your behalf. Write out what “their” answers, then literally ask some of them and compare the responses.

Another way to identify what you do well is to create a chronology of your work experience—much like you’d do for a traditional resume. Then, in detail, using past tense verbs, describe the tasks you executed in each job. This website gives many examples of verbs to consider. When you are through, notice the trends—skills that you have used in multiple and/or different positions. This exercise should help you name your strengths as well as build your self-confidence.

Know that there are times when it is not only appropriate to speak well and confidently about yourself. Shift the notion that this is bragging and replace it with the idea that you’re telling the truth and helping someone select the best applicant for the job.

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Do You Have Too Much To Do?

Tuesday, December 13th, 2005

Well, you are not alone. I overheard a woman at a restaurant yesterday say to her colleague: “There could be two of me and I would still work everyday!” She was obviously frustrated by her workload that was not diminishing in spite of her consistent efforts.

Never feeling caught up can be the employee’s problem if they do not know how to prioritize or allocate their time appropriately. Or perhaps they do not focus on the task at hand, and end up doing bits and pieces of projects, never to wrap anything up.

But more often than not, an employee’s feeling overloaded is really an organizational issue. There is no question that employers today are asking more of workers than ever before, and with fewer resources to assist. It is not always the case that an employer wants to overwork their staff by assigning too much to accomplish. If the employees are diligent and committed and act as though they can get the job done in a reasonable amount of time, employers may get the impression that the workloads are appropriate. Thinking that the work is getting done and all is fine, a manager might believe there is room to push a limit and add more responsibilities to a person’s already full plate.

Many employees don’t speak up and let their bosses know they have too much to do for fear that they will lose their jobs. I know that some managers play on people’s fears in order to get the work done. Unfortunately, phrases like “There are plenty of people to fill your shoes” and “You are free to leave if you don’t like what you are asked to do” are not uncommon in today’s work environment. Pressure to do more with less can bring out the worst in people, including managers who think threats are the only way to motivate. In fact, threats do motivate, but in a negative way. “http://www.esmalloffice.com/SBR_template.cfm?docNumber=PL12_2500.htm” \l “process” Research shows that motivation by intimidation has only short-term results and fosters high turnover. In the long run, companies with these types of managers loose out because of increased training costs and resulting from people coming and going and a narrow, outdated perspective on how to get people to feel invested in their work.

If you feel overworked, take a look at why. Have you done all you can to be as efficient as possible, including asking for help from colleagues or your manager? If so, then you may be like the woman in the restaurant—someone in a job that can’t be done by one person working reasonable hours. If you’ve been covering up an organizational issue by overworking, you are enabling the situation to continue. Consider your options to talk with your manager, begin to pull back your time at work so you can have better life/work balance, or look for another job that has a work environment more conducive to healthy productivity.

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Health and Your Job

Thursday, December 8th, 2005

Whenever I see a new client, I ask them to complete a short, one-page form with information I think will be useful in my work with them. One of the questions asks about their current state of health and the health status of people close to them.

Recently a client remarked that at first she thought it curious to be asked that by a career counselor, but after reflection, she realized that a health crisis in her own family had indeed impacted on how she was approaching her work transition.

Most often, it is the health of the client that gives me the most pertinent information. For example, are there stress-related disorders such as high blood pressure, headaches or insomnia that may be related to their work? Significant physical or emotional symptoms can be indicators of a severely stressful work situation that might require referrals to a therapist or physician. Often, their therapist or doctor who recognizes the link between their patient’s physical ailments and their work refers their patient to me.

Physical symptoms and health complaints can shed light symbolically on what is really going on for the individual. For example, a person who experienced a mysterious hoarseness that left her with little voice was, at the same time, upset with the lack of communication with her supervisor. She needed to tell him about her dissatisfaction, but was not able to because of his lack of availability. One could say that her physical condition of hoarseness was illustrating her work-related predicament of not being able to talk to her supervisor.

Most people agree that our health and well-being are among the most important priorities in life. I think everyone would be wise to periodically ask themselves how their physical and emotional health are literally or figuratively related to work. This might become evident in the way a person talks about their work and its impact on their life. The clichéd phrase, “My job is killing me” should take on new meaning and importance as people make more a connection between their work and their health.

Posted in Emotions At Work | No Comments »

Finding a Job During the Holiday Season

Thursday, December 1st, 2005

Do you put your job search on hold until the New Year, as conventional wisdom would have it, or keep up your momentum through December?

I’d suggest the latter idea and here’s why and how you could make the most of this particular time of year to further your job search.

First, you can enjoy reduced competition in the marketplace, as many applicants assume not much is happening on the job front and opt to wrap presents and sip eggnog instead of pursue job leads.

The six weeks between Thanksgiving and New Years can be a particularly effective time to network. With many executives curtailing work travel schedules to make themselves available for end-of-the-year planning and office events, you may have easier access to decision makers at this time. Because this window of opportunity is small, you’d be best served to initiate your contacts in person, by phone or email and avoid possible delays by sending letters through the mail.

Take advantage of holiday gatherings to connect with people you don’t see very much during the year – former work colleagues, neighbors, distant relatives, old friends. They can all be helpful in your job search if you briefly inform them of your job search and let them know you’ll follow up in a few days for help with contacts or leads.

While some organizations have exhausted budgets by year-end, this is not always the case. Be open to the possibility that you might help people spend their budgets and assist hiring managers get a jump start on goals for the coming year.

With an attitude of “anything is possible”, and a challenge to your assumptions about this time of year, you may find yourself in a prime position of opportunity and a new job to celebrate the season.

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How Do You Find Satisfaction In Your Work?

Monday, November 28th, 2005

Full and balanced life: flexibility and health work hours
Calls on skills that the person enjoys using and is proficient in
Work and the organization’s mission is in alignment with values
Work itself is interesting and appropriately challenging
Overall workplace is safe, cordial and supportive

If you’ve pondered this question, you are not alone. In fact, it may be asked more in New England than anyplace else in America. A study showed that we have the lowest rate of job satisfaction in the country. Perhaps with some exploration, we could change that statistic in our favor.

Clients sometimes ask me if job satisfaction is even possible. They wonder if I have ever encountered people who like their jobs and are happy with their work situation. Being truthful as well as reassuring, I respond affirmatively. But their inquiry begs the question, “What does it take to be satisfied and happy at work?”

In my opinion, there are five essential factors to sustained job satisfaction. The first, and often much underemphasized in our culture of busyness, is that the job allows for a full and balanced life. This means that the work hours are flexible enough to accommodate important family obligations and commitments, as well as appointments that support an individual’s health and wellness. It also includes a work environment that encourages vacations and discourages and monitors regular, unhealthy patterns of overwork.

In American workplaces that continue to demand more and more time from its workers, this concept may be considered counter-culture. But, there are signs of hope emerging. A recent edition of …. Indicated that ….

The second essential factor is that the job contributes to a sense of purpose and connection to a greater effort. If the job requires skills that a person enjoys using and in which they feel adequately proficient, then the job is more likely to add to their sense of contribution and purpose. However, too often I see people who are rewarded and promoted for a particular skill or talent that leaves them indifferent at best. In these cases, it is difficult for the person to understand and accept their dissatisfaction since for all intents and purposes; it appears that they have it made: doing something well and recognized for it.

The third factor is an alignment between a person’s values and both the mission of the organization and the job itself. More and more, people want to have a sense of meaning in what they do for work. If they are disconnected to or disapprove of their employer’s mission or if they cannot find personal meaning in the contribution they make in their job, they are not likely to feel satisfied, no matter how much their employer might recognize their efforts.

The fourth factor involves interests. Recently I asked a client if he could imagine reading one of his professional trade journals purely for pleasure. He looked at me as though it was an absurd question. Not only was he not interested in the emerging information in his field, but he rarely opened the journal covers to find out what was pertinent to his job.

There is another component of this factor that extends beyond the area of interest, and that is appropriate compatibility between the job and the person’s capabilities. Being underemployed is stressful just as is being in over one’s head. If people find themselves in a job that is interesting, but where the tasks required are far below their potential, they will quickly become disenchanted and unhappy.

The last factor involves the workplace setting itself. Even if the four factors I described are all in place, when the environment seems physically or emotionally unsafe to the extent that a person feels ill at ease, or if co-workers or bosses are not supportive, a person will not be satisfied.

Posted in Skills, Interests & Values | No Comments »

Not Sure What To Do? Wait.

Monday, November 28th, 2005

A friend recently asked my opinion about what he should do regarding a possible career transition. He had built a case for both of his two options: remaining in his job of three months that was not working out as he had hoped, or beginning in earnest to network and apply for a new job that better suited his skills and expertise.

My opinion about what he might do did not hinge on his list of pros and cons, but rather on the way he viewed his options and communicated them to me. It was clear to me that he was on the fence and stated that he could live with either option–although remaining long-term in his current situation was not at all appealing to him. He was having a difficult time evaluating a known situation (his current job) against an unknown (a new job he’d yet to identify or secure).

My friend’s position was different from someone who intuitively knows what they need to do, but is afraid to act on it. In that case, a person may put off a decision to avoid stepping into the unknown. Avoidance rarely leads to clarity, since a person who puts something off out of fear is often focused on a negative outcome—a behavior that can further immobilize them.

When I asked my friend to frame his dilemma in the form of a question, his response was quick: Where would I best utilize my talents and expertise?

Given his question, it seemed that he would be better served by time, rather than immediate action. But, waiting is not a behavior that is well tolerated in our fast-paced culture that pushes for closure on most things. Luckily, my friend’s situation did allow for more time, since there was no imminent job offer to accept or decline.

I suggested that he might “be” with his question for a couple of months and not force himself into a decision he was not ready to make. During this time, he would be open to appropriate leads, but not proactively seek them out. When I posed the idea of pondering the question and not rushing to action, he seemed relieved. I took that as a good sign.

To support this idea, I shared with him an excerpt from a poem by the German poet, Rilke about valuing the question:

…Live the questions now.
. Perhaps you will gradually,
without noticing it,
Live along some distant day,
into the answers.

Posted in Intentions & Goals | No Comments »

What If The Problem Isn’t Your Job?

Friday, November 25th, 2005

Since most of us devote considerable time and some of our best resources to our jobs, it’s only natural that we would want them to be satisfying and provide an acceptable return on our investment. However, even though work can satisfy many of our needs, it cannot be all things to all people.

With the extraordinary hours Americans spend at work, there is often little time left for other life pursuits. Yet, our needs for affiliation and community, exercise, creative outlets, spirituality, travel, and life-long learning (just to name a few), are not cancelled out because our lives are too narrowly focused on work

When a person’s life is out of balance and important needs are unfulfilled, they may become disenchanted and search for the source of their unhappiness. Given the prominence of their job, is it becomes an obvious target.

Take for example, a former client I’ll call Doris, who came to see me for help in identifying new employment options. While I understood that Doris was unhappy, I was not certain her unhappiness stemmed from her job. In fact, her values, needs, skills and interests seemed to match up well with the work she was doing. She enjoyed her colleagues and was aligned with the mission of her organization. Yet, she felt a desire for change and thought shifting her job was the answer.

Since my orientation to career counseling is to view work within the context of a person’s whole life, I was curious about the needs that were not fulfilled through Doris’ work. After focused questions, she began to describe a long-held desire to travel and live abroad. She had never been able to figure out how to make this happen, so she kept ignoring the pull to distant lands.

It is typical for people to try to figure out “how” they will manage a transition or desire well before the details of “what” are fleshed out. This premature emphasis on “how” always derails the creative process. Developing the “what” of an idea or dream is critical to its realization.

Doris and I explored many variations on the travel theme until one seemed to emerge as the right option. Getting to a “yes” place was not an easy process for Doris as it involved pushing beyond what she thought was possible.

After requesting a leave of absence from her employer, she spent almost a year traveling and volunteering with several international organizations. Now, several years later, Doris is back at work in her same position and content with her life.

In the course of my work, I have encountered many people who fit this scenario. While the specifics varied greatly, there was at least one common aspect: the source of the “problem” was not in the job, and the solution involved an activity that addressed unfulfilled needs or longings.

Such activities ranged from joining a community chorus, rekindling old friendships and experimenting with watercolors or drawing, to committing to a yoga practice.

Getting to the heart of the dissatisfaction can shift our perspective on what really needs attention. Acting on it can circumvent an unnecessary and unproductive job change.

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Are You Burned Out?

Wednesday, November 23rd, 2005

People are overdoing it at work and in life and they are burning out. If you are asking yourself “Does she mean me?” “Could I be suffering from burnout?” here’s a “http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTCS_08.htm“self test to help you see if you are among the many Americans who are exhibiting “http://www.assessment.com/mappmembera/avoidingburnout.asp?Accnum=06-5210-010.00“signs of burnout or how to avoid it before you become one of the afflicted.

The fact is, there are many reasons people overwork or stay in a state of perpetual busyness. Most are based in a fear of losing something important—jobs, financial security, respect of co-workers, the next raise or promotion or even the affection of a parent or loved one. Making choices out of fear usually takes people in a direction that is counter-productive. Yet for many, acting out of fear is a quick response of self-protection, made without thinking rationally about it. Over-doing it can become a habit, but one that can be unlearned with the first step of awareness.

Then next time you find yourself overworking but wishing you could enjoy more of life, think about what is driving you. If it is fear of something that has not yet happened, bring yourself back to today and consider your options in real time.

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When the New Job is Not What You Wanted

Friday, November 18th, 2005

Have you ever found yourself in a new job that sounded perfect during the interview process only to discover it was not what you expected? If you answered yes, many factors may have contributed to your situation. Here are a few scenarios I’ve heard from clients over the years:

1. The employer was not clear about the responsibilities or expectations and you did not ask for a job description before accepting the position. (Next time: Always ask enough questions so you are clear about day to day tasks as well as on which criteria you will be evaluated. Never accept a job without first reviewing a job description.)

2. The person who hired you and to whom you were to report leaves soon after you begin the new job. You don’t like their management style and quit. (Next time: Give the new boss a chance, but know that it is sometimes difficult to work for someone who had no say in your hiring. If you do decide to leave, ask H.R. if there might be any severance offered to you due to the change in circumstances after you were hired.)

3. Several months into the job, you discover what’s most important is missing in the job. It’s not necessarily that your judgment was off in accepting the new job. Sometimes it is the absence of a specific responsibility, opportunity to use a certain skill, or a particular focus of the work that is more important than we realized. In this case, it is only the experience of the loss of it that allows an individual to clarify how important this factor is in his/her work.

(Suggestion: Perhaps sooner than later, you’ll need to move on to another position that more accurately meets your desires and needs. But this time, you’ll know what to look for.)

4. Your co-worker is not cooperative or even friendly, for that matter. Coming into a new work environment can be a challenge, especially if other people have worked together for some time. Sad to say, but not everyone has a welcoming attitude to newcomers and that can make things miserable for them. (Suggestion: Try and take the high road on this one and see if some extra effort on your part can improve things. It may help to make specific overtures to this person, like take them out to lunch, even if you’d rather not. Know your limits and that there may come a time when you’ve done enough and you begin to explore other options within the company.

5. Once inside, you find out that your new company is in financial straits and your coworkers are concerned about losing their jobs and fear permeates the company.When the culture of an organization is taken over by fear, work does not get accomplished in the same way and the spirit and attitudes of employees takes a downward turn. (Suggestion: Begin to look at your options before you get too caught up in the negativity that can be contagious. Next time: Consider the financials of an organization before saying yes to an offer. Speak to the CFO and ask questions about the financial health of the company. Watch his/her body language as they respond. In addition, speak to someone who has recently left for more of the “inside scoop”.)

Posted in Workplace Issues | No Comments »