Networking: The Payoff Of Persistence

Whether you’re looking for employment or successfully employed, you’ve undoubtedly heard and know the value of networking. That being said, it is surprising that many people don’t do it well themselves; often not truly networking with others until necessity demands it. Like many things, necessity might  at that point force you to do it, but without the practice, you’re unlikely to be at your best.

So what exactly is networking and how do you both get started and do it well? Networking is having conversations with people where information is exchanged and relationships established and nurtured. It is often associated with advancing one’s own career but this latter part need not be part of some formal definition. Many people network for the purpose of solely learning more about the best practices in their field, or mentoring others without thinking to spin these into self promotions and advancement.

Today I’ve got a meeting set up for noon with one of my LinkedIn connections. This is a face-to-face meeting which could be a one-time only event. It has come about because she initiated contact, indicated she was relatively new to the area and has not had the success she’d hoped for in finding employment so far. Her request for either a meeting or a suggestion of someone else to contact in her field that might assist her is how she started. She’s taken initiative, reached out, and only time will tell if she’s satisfied or not with the outcome. It is however how networking begins.

Networking however has its payoffs. It can be so much more than a conversation. Last night I met with another person who reached out also via LinkedIn initially. This was our second face-to-face meeting. This time we talked about progress she was making, where she was in terms of her career thought process, looked at ways to strengthen her resume when applying and she shared a little of what transpired with others she was meeting with. During this second conversation, I also got some valuable feedback on some ideas I’m considering for the future and she took a real interest in my journey too. It was the best of networking; each person getting and giving for the benefit of both of us.

What is transpiring in the meeting above is a mutual investment in this relationship, rather than a one-way, “it’s all about me because I’m the one without a job” mentality. When both people feel they are benefitting from a conversation, each is invested to a higher degree.

Now the payoff of networking. This time I share with you the success story of a woman with whom I had the distinct pleasure of assisting in her search for meaningful employment. She initiated a dialogue back in January of this year with a gentleman she’s known for almost 15 years, but this time she reached out specifically with employment in mind. That initial networking conversation led to multiple conversations, even an invitation to attend a networking event together as his guest. Just yesterday she got in contact with me to say he himself has hired her on to work with him in his own business.

The experiences of these three women all demonstrate the value of taking the initiative to reach out and network. While much has changed in how we go about finding employment over the years, who you know is still a major key factor in being successful. How do you get to know people if you fail to reach out to anyone you don’t currently know?

Social media platforms such as LinkedIn are great for developing connections, but it still amazes me how many people decline invitations to connect with people they don’t know. Sure there are people who are just clicking away connecting with people for the sole purpose of increasing their numbers. That’s not networking however; that’s a popularity exercise. Connecting with famous people is also not truly networking. You’re unlikely to have an actual conversation with them, but you’ll get their thoughts in a one-way broadcast and you’ll get their name among your contacts if that holds meaning for you.

Here’s some ideas for you to consider acting upon; and let me make it clear that ‘acting upon’ should be your goal. For starters, initiate connection requests to the following people: those who work where you might like to also work or those who work in the same line of work you’re pursuing. You may come across people with profiles that peak your interest and spark some genuine curiosity or affinity with whom you’d like to know better. What might they share with you that would help you find passion yourself in what you do? What might they tell you that would help you get where they are or give you insights into the company or field you’re wanting to join?

Once connected with these people, do more than just count them as a connection. Reach out with an email or message and thank them for agreeing to be a connection. Tell them what attracted them to you and ask if there is the possibility of either meeting face-to-face, having a phone conversation or an online chat.

Be prepared for those that will say yes and those who will decline. Have some questions ready and be prepared to give as well as get. Make it worthwhile for both you and them.

Work your network.

Experience Alone Won’t Get The Job

Are you looking for work and counting on your extensive experience to tip the scales in your favour over other applicants who have formal education but less experience? Do you think it’s unfair that you’re being rejected time and time again because you haven’t got a Certificate, Diploma or Degree? There are good reasons behind those decisions organizations are making to go with other candidates and best you should not only understand them but accept them. Better still though is turn your frustration, resentment or bitterness into action and go get the training to complement your experience.

How long has it been anyhow? You know, since you’ve been applying unsuccessfully for jobs and getting passed over because you don’t have the required academic requirements. What’s kept you from heading back to a classroom and coming out the other end with that document? Pride? Financial investment? Fear? Stubbornness? A lack of appreciation for the training or the process? Whatever the reason, it says much about your attitude and apparently you’re spinning your wheels and going nowhere without it. How does it possibly make sense to keep trying to get a job you really want when you don’t meet the key educational requirement and are doing nothing to change the situation?

If experience alone was enough to qualify people to excel in their professions of choice then consider this: every Addictions Counsellor would be a former addict, all Divorce Lawyers would have failed marriages, every person Prison Guard would be a former inmate. Does this seem logical or even preferable? Certainly not to me.

Experience is a tremendous asset and I acknowledge that unreservedly. However experience alone I’m happy to say doesn’t qualify you and that’s a good thing. Many people with experience are poor communicators for example, and so just because they’ve  got extensive first-hand experience, (such as a victim of abuse), there’s no guarantee that’s going to translate into making them a brilliant personal Counsellor or Speaker.

In fact, in many cases a person having experienced trauma first-hand is a poor choice as an employee. Without any training in place, they themselves could be incapacitated and unable to help others if in the course of their work they find working with other victims triggers their own memories. They could also think it helpful to share their own stories instead of validating the individual experience of the person there for the help who wants and needs to be heard telling their own.

Oh yes, there’s tremendous value in getting back into a classroom and learning techniques, theories, best practices, communication styles, giving value to differing perspectives and emerging with an altered and improved appreciation for higher learning. I can think of quite a few people over the years I’ve personally known who adamantly refused to see any real value in returning to a classroom until they actually did. Those same people only later admitted that they were glad they did because once there, they understood what I and others had been saying. In short, they came to value the EXPERIENCE of formal education in their field. How’s that for irony?

Still there are many who place their own experience high and above anything they could ever learn by graduating with a Certificate, Diploma or Degree. They don’t have a full appreciation for time spent there; certainly not at any rate when weighed against life experience. Here’s something though; your experience as real and valid as it is, without education could cost a company a lot of money, their reputation and possibly destroy them utterly.

Suppose for example a childcare centre hired all their front-line providers who had babysitting experience alone; no Early Childhood Education Diploma’s, no membership in organizations that ensure standardized practices and adherence to legislation and pertinent acts. Now let’s further suppose that this centre was YOUR centre, where YOUR child attends and something tragic goes wrong because their extensive babysitting experience didn’t prepare them. Are you likely to sue the organization for hiring incompetent staff? Are you going to hold the Board responsible as well as the Director who hired that employee? You sure are. Yes, you’re suddenly going to want to ensure that every employee there has both experience AND formal training with something as precious as the care for your child in the discussion.

Same thing goes with the people who build the houses or apartments and condo’s we live in. We hope and trust that not only do they have experience but, we also trust they’ve been taught a thing or two, that they have safety certificates, that the tradespeople have their tickets qualifying them to do the work. We don’t want to find out later on that the Gas Fitter has zero education but has been, ‘doing it’ for years.  Oh well then, that’s okay then when you come home to find an explosion has leveled your abode because they didn’t do the work properly.

Look, if you have extensive experience I think that should be recognized, and it is by employers. However, you’d be well-advised to admit – even if grudgingly – that there is also value in formal education. One isn’t better than the other but together they improve your chances of being a successful job applicant. You will gain an understanding and appreciation for your field of choice and most importantly learn more than you’d expect.

Education; something perhaps to reconsider.

 

 

Job Search Paralysis

If you’ve ever been in a situation where more than one job or career holds appeal for you; where you struggle to make a definitive choice on what direction to go in, then you will understand job search paralysis more than others.

A lot has changed about how we go about job searching over the years, especially with respect to the impact of technology. Whereas in the past you might have had to send in an application by mail and meet face-to-face for an interview, today you can email and have a Skype interview from anywhere on the planet the internet reaches. Yes much has changed.

At the same time, very little has changed with respect to wanting a job or career you’d find enjoyable. Since the turn of the century, a whole host of new job titles have emerged; some obvious and others so convoluted and quirky you’d have a hard time guessing what work is involved based on the title alone when hearing it for the first time. However as I’ve said, ideally you’d like a job that brings you happiness and satisfaction.

So what then if you have the good fortune to not only discover one job you’d like to perform but rather three or four? That’s a nice predicament to be in is what you might think if you’ve yet to find just one job that would ignite some energy and passion. While it’s a different kind of stress for sure, it’s stressful nonetheless. After all, what if you choose wrong?

If you’re in this situation, grab a sheet of paper and a pen. In the centre of the paper draw a circle and label it, “Me”.  Next put a circle near the corners; 1 for each job you’re considering as an option moving forward. You can have 2, 3 or 4 goals therefore. If you only put a job in one corner, there’s no debate; you know what you want. Got it? Great.

Now from that center circle, draw a straight arrow out to each of the jobs you’ve got in the corners. As you’ll want to be moving toward a job or career this is why the arrow points outward. Now put the pen down and look at that diagram; it becomes clear that each job or career you have up for consideration has its own path. What could be the source of your stress is this; as you move outward towards any 1 of the goals you’ve identified, you are simultaneously moving away from one of your other jobs or careers you’ve identified as having the potential to make you happy. That realization could cause you to retreat back to the center where you are equidistant from all your goals; here it’s safe, secure, and voila, you’re paralyzed with trepidation about making the wrong move.

That paralysis has a cost. Soon you’ll find the longer you stay in that circle you’ll experience a loss of confidence to choose, lower self-esteem as you remain without the identity associated with a job or career, anxiety will grow and you’re in danger of full-blown depression. You’ll eventually say things like, “What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I move forward?”

Here’s the thing to assure yourself of; you put down jobs and/or careers that you’d find bring you satisfaction and happiness didn’t you? Whatever you opt to do will bring you a sense of fulfillment. So let’s add something to each of those arrows leading out from the middle. Starting with 1 of your possible destinations only, put a line at right angles to the arrow for each step you imagine you’d have to take to reach your goal. These could include doing research into the job requirements, applying for school to upgrade your education, applying for funding to do so, actually attending school (possibly a 1- 4 year step alone), targeting your resume, making a phone call, networking with others in the jobs already, having an interview(s) etc. until you are hired.

Do this same process with the other(s) which you put on the paper in the other corner(s). Maybe on those lines you need to acquire or renew a licence, get insurance, take a test etc. Each job will have its own steps you’d need to take. Okay, now do you see any single step along the way which you are unable or unwilling to take? If for example you aren’t willing to go to school for 3 years to get the degree you’d need or don’t want to take on the debt school requires, that end goal will never be reached. As painful as it might be to realize, it’s also liberating in a way and makes things clearer when I tell you to put an, “X” across that circle with the job title in it.

Now do the same with the other circle(s) you came up with. Do you see a shorter path or one with no single barrier you aren’t willing or able to move past? It could be that for now at least, this path is easier and more obtainable. Remember you aren’t settling for second best; all the jobs/careers you identified in the first place will bring you happiness. Rather than worrying about letting go of some dream, re-frame your view as locking on and finding focus on what you DO want; you’ve made a decision!

With movement along that path, your anxiety shrinks, self-esteem rises and with each step you’re closer to your goal.

Develop The Habits Employers Want

Ever been in a job interview and been asked a question about a gap in your resume? They may have asked, “So what have you been doing since you last worked?”, or “What did you do to prepare for this interview?” All three of these questions give you the opportunity to demonstrate to the employer one key thing and that is what you’ve been doing – or not – when you’ve been in full control of the time you’ve had.

They are interested to see if you’ve taken some initiative, been proactive, made the most of this period, learned anything new, taken some training, upgraded your skills, addressed a weakness, improved your health, expanded your knowledge, etc. They are also checking to see if you’ve been complacent, dormant, passive, let your skills slide, removed yourself from the field you’re saying your interested in now. In short, have you been developing and keeping up your good habits or haven’t you?

Developing and maintaining good habits; the kind of actions and behaviours that employers desire the most, are not only a good idea, they could be the difference between getting a job or not. It’s one thing to say you’re invested in the work that you’ll be doing for a company and quite another to demonstrate that you’re invested.

Now suppose for example you’re out of work altogether and you are applying for an administrative position. You can foresee that some of the people you are going to be competing with are currently employed elsewhere in those positions which gives them a distinct advantage. You may not be employed, but you can still employ the skills that would be used on a daily basis by someone in that position. So for example you can practice your keyboarding skills, make a daily ‘to-do’ list, organize your personal or family paperwork. Buy some file folders and organize all the bills, receipts, various warranties for household items you own under categories like: Insurance, Autos, Mortgage, Vacation, Renovations, Taxes, Identification, Investments, etc.

If the above seems onerous, too challenging, beyond what you want to put energy into, then I’d suggest you might not be ready for the job you are actually saying you want to do. After all, if you can’t be bothered using these same skills for yourself, why should an employer feel you’re the right person to get things in order for them?

One thing you have 100% control over is your personal schedule. With no employer to record your attendance, check on your productivity, evaluate your adherence to a dress code, measure your attitude, do you or don’t you have the self-discipline to monitor yourself? You may disagree as is your prerogative, but getting up, showered and dressed on a set schedule even when you are not working is a key part of maintaining good personal behaviours that are consistent with what employers expect. Many people who go months without work and then get a job do not respond well when suddenly they get hired and have to be sitting at a desk at 8:30 a.m. dressed professionally, wide awake and ready to go at top speed.

Look into free or low-cost training opportunities in your community and then sign up to hone your skills, update your resume afterwards and keep your mind sharp. Small rather simple things like adhering to a 15 minute break in those workshops and training programs is what employers will demand you do when on the job. If you take your 15 minute break and come back only to then go about making your coffee you’re not demonstrating a respect for what the 15 minute break is for.

Another key thing to keep up is your personal communication skills; both written and verbal. You can’t do either if you sequester yourself away behind the curtains of your living room and cut yourself off from all contact. Talk with people, engage in conversations with store clerks, the paper boy, mail carriers, people you meet on walks around the neighbourhood, cashiers; all the people you meet. Your people skills need to stay sharp as does your comfort initiating conversations.

Like so many things in life, what you do with your time while you are between jobs really says a lot about you and your values. You are free to do what you wish with your time and are accountable in the end to only yourself. That’s a double-edged precious gift however. There are consequences – and don’t fool yourself into thinking there aren’t – both good and bad for whether that time is productive or wasted.

Most of the people I counsel who are out of work know they should be making good use of their time. They sound remorseful and want to rediscover that drive and personal motivation they had when they were working. They bank on igniting that energy and ‘turning it on’ when they get a job. However, many also find that when they do get hired, they lose those jobs quickly. They tell me that they couldn’t work as fast as the employer wanted them to, they just didn’t fit in, they were so exhausted after three days on the job they were late on the 4th day and were told not to return. In short, they hadn’t keep up good habits when unemployed and couldn’t work at the high level expected.

Good habits are something you control. Ignore developing good habits and you’ll develop bad ones by default.

 

Job Searching: Jean And Sarah’s Journey

Today I’d like to share the stories of two women I’ve been working with of late, both of whom have been looking for employment. While it may appear to the casual observer that both are job searching in a similar fashion, in reality they are taking very different ways to obtain work which will bring them happiness and security. While I’m telling you their stories, I’ve taking the liberty of changing up their names to respect and safeguard their confidentiality.

Interestingly I met both women for the first time when they accepted an invitation to participate in an intensive job search program I run. They’d both been searching unsuccessfully prior to our meeting and both seemed eager to find work. During the two weeks we spent together on a daily basis, both revamped their resumes, strengthened their cover letters and interviewing skills and both were encouraged to target their applications to specific employers rather than send out generalized applications. In other words, both got the same message and advice on how to ultimately land the jobs they were after.

Jean is pretty clear about her ultimate employment goal as she’s after a position in a Human Resources role. She’s got recent education, a positive outlook and while she has experience, it’s rather limited to her placements through school. Of course she has other work history to draw on, just not in her field of choice. Hey, everybody has to start somewhere right?

Sarah by contrast isn’t committed to any one employment goal. She’s got a wealth of experience in Office Administration but finds the routine familiarity of the job wears on her and she needs more stimulation and variety. She’s got great interpersonal skills, a positive friendly attitude and is also open to retail sales and working in a call centre, but if she had her way she’d love to make a living as a Singer. She’s got talent I will say, but whether it’s enough to pay the bills and earn a livelihood? That’s debatable.

As the two went about their job search, I noticed that both women got on well together and shared enthusiasm for the work involved which is always a good sign. They were both applying for jobs they felt they had qualifications for, and both got several interviews and job offers. Only one of the two however actually accepted a job while the other turned down opportunities and is still looking. Why you ask? Let’s look at that.

Jean is the lady who accepted a job. Remember she was the one looking for an HR job and she had little experience in this role beyond what she learned in school coupled with a co-op placement. Jean realized that she was competing for jobs not only with others like her who have recently graduated with little experience but also with the many other people out there who have the experience she lacks and are working in other roles just waiting for HR job postings. That as it turns out is a lot of people.

While she kept applying to jobs which popped up for HR positions, she turned her attention away from just scouring the internet for these jobs alone. She realized that all companies have people performing HR roles, so she started looking for a large organization that is well-respected, stable and in her community. She shifted her thinking from finding an HR job to finding employment with a company of choice in any capacity to get inside. Once hired, she could then learn about internal postings and have an edge over those on the outside which would reduce the competition and at the same time provide her with an income.

Sarah on the other hand, for all her skills, remained torn between the Office Administration jobs she had the skills and experience for but didn’t love, the retail sales jobs she finds a lack of satisfaction in, and the call center jobs she can do but doesn’t get to use her creativity in. Of course there’s a music career that would bring the creativity and passion but is less stable and takes a lot to launch.

In a recent conversation Sarah said she had 7 interviews of late and 3 job offers but she turned them down. Why? Well one job was going to be 12 hour shifts which she felt too long. I pointed out that the 4 days she’d be working those shifts would give her 1 weekday to do whatever she was truly passionate about but it didn’t appeal.

While both Jean and Sarah applied for different kinds of jobs, to date it is Jean who is employed. She works for a large big box home improvement employer in their lighting department. She’s working to get past probation and ultimately has her eye on an HR job down the road working off the sales floor. She’s happy and still focused on her long-term goal which makes her sales job more than bearable.

Sarah’s main issue is not having yet decided what she ultimately wants. This  has left her conflicted, for when she moves towards something she likes, part of her realizes she’s moving away from something else she also likes and she gets nervous. So what happens? She retreats back to the middle for fear of making the wrong move and is paralyzed.

My advice? Settle on what you want and stay focused.

 

Social Supports Work

If you never need to make use of the services provided in your community for financial assistance, mental health counselling, employment coaching, childcare, subsidized housing etc. congratulations. You’ve been fortunate enough to have your needs met both as a child and into your teens, and once in a position to make decisions about your own destiny, apparently you continue to make good ones.

For many however, the circumstances they were born into differed and the supports they had growing up which shaped their thinking and ability to make knowledgeable, positive decisions just wasn’t in place. When you sit down and listen to people tell their tales and hear first-hand their life stories, you come to appreciate the ongoing struggle that they face on not only a daily basis, but on an hourly basis.

Sometimes I admit that I sit and wonder why someone I’m listening to can’t see the situation as I do. If they’d only do what I’d do in the same situation the problem would soon be resolved; a barrier removed. Yet the choice they decide on is one which I can predict with a high degree of accuracy is not going to resolve the problem whatsoever and may even escalate things, compounding the initial challenge with additional issues. Oh if only everyone were as clever as me!

Of course I’ve become wiser over the years listening to people and taking what they say, massaging the information I receive and returning it back to them to make their own decisions and perhaps build on resolving this one issue so they can work on others. What I’m giving is perspective, an objective opinion, options, talking about foreseeable consequences and resisting the urge to tell people what to do. It’s tempting of course! Better however to ask people in the end what they plan on doing; after all, if they make a good decision it’s theirs to feel good about and if they make a decision that turns out bad, it’s their learning opportunity.

Let’s face it, sometimes, “Life” happens. You know, the things that happen to us all that we couldn’t have predicted but have to respond to in some way. Make no mistake, these things do happen to us all. So why is it then that when unexpected and unpleasant things happen, not all of us respond in healthy, productive ways? In other words, why do some people make better decisions than others when faced with the same events?

It goes back to the 2nd paragraph; right from the time we were born and well into our teens, some of us didn’t get the good parenting, mentoring, leadership, guidance, support, direction, teaching and support that is so crucial to developing the skills needed later in life when we have to make our own decisions. You might think that having such a setback might excuse someone’s poor choices as a youngster but as they move into adulthood the lack of good building blocks early in life can’t be used as excuses any longer.

The reality is that the circumstances in which many adults are in now are directly proportional to the circumstances of their upbringing. A family living in poverty – and I take the liberty of painting with a very broad brush here – has economic restrictions. A lack of financial resources limits opportunities for their children to participate in activities where children can socialize at the same level with other children from affluent or middle-class environments. They fall behind. They get less support in learning basic life skills; money management, goal setting, they find out less about education and employment opportunities which hinge on higher learning.

Now as adults, I admire the sheer resilience many of those receiving social supports have. Somehow through it all there remains for most a desire to improve not only themselves but the lives of their children. They still have hope. They may not use cover letters, those resumes might have spelling and grammatical errors, but they don’t give up or give in. They keep trying. They will only stop trying as it turns out if they keep getting told they can’t, they never will, it’s hopeless, they are a failure. Hear it often enough and they’ll believe it. So why can’t the opposite be equally true?

Hang on second…is that it? Is that a simple starting place? Is the key to surround a person who’s had nothing but poor mentoring and a lack of supports with positive, helpful, inspired and empowering people? How long would it take to see results? Months? Years? Never? I don’t believe it would be never, but it might take a long time. Then again, not everyone has the same problems, the same degree of difficulty nor the same number of issues.

Granted there will be those who despite all efforts will always need social supports and financial aid. While they need supports in place, unfortunately there is an extremely small chance of them becoming self-sufficient. There are also those at the other end who will pull themselves up with or without needing much help as they have the skills. However, in the middle are the vast majority of folks receiving some kind of support and if they get it they progress, and if they don’t they regress.

Want to make a difference? Become a mentor and/or helper or back those who are.

It’s Time For A New Job When…

These days the likelihood that you’re going to get a job at 19 and retire in that same job at 67 are almost nil. So it stands to reason that in your lifetime you’ll be transitioning from one job to another, or from one career to another. When’s the best time to go? How do you know when it’s time to go? Here’s a list of some indicators that your expiry date is almost up.

The first thing you do at work when you fire up the computer is to search internal job postings. If you’ve got into the routine of looking at what else you could be doing, it’s fair to assume you like the organization you’re in but have an interest in seeing what other opportunities there are. Sure you could just be checking out what’s opening up out of casual interest, but EVERY DAY? Don’t kid yourself; recognize the lustre has worn off what you’re currently doing.

Your boss suggests moves rather than promotions. Oh oh… If you had the skills your organization needs for those at the next level you’d be sitting down with the boss and they’d be encouraging you to put your name forward for upcoming openings at their level. However, if the boss is suggesting you look elsewhere so you can grow in other ways, that could be a sign you’ve reached a plateau. Are you a bad worker? No, not necessarily. In fact, they might just have your own best interests at heart when they suggest you look elsewhere for opportunities. Maybe they see potential in you in fact but know there aren’t going to be those kind of openings where you work now for years. The boss isn’t always bad y’know.

You wake up, realize it’s a, ‘go to work day’ and start thinking of reasons you could call in and skip out on showing up. Oh sure I suppose everybody does this once in a blue moon; especially on a sunny warm day when you’d rather be out in the sunshine. But if you’re finding these kind of thoughts are among the first to enter your consciousness on a regular basis,  you’d be smart to pay heed and address why you’re automatically looking to get out of going in to work instead of looking forward to the day.

You look around at work and see conspirators, not co-workers. While it’s true your co-workers need not be your friends, you do spend a lot of time with the folks you work with and so it’s reasonable to expect you’d at least communicate and support one another in your common organizational targets and goals. That being said, if you feel your co-workers are plotting against you, setting you up as the fall guy for projects that fail and you’re left holding the bag for things you feel you aren’t solely responsible for, ask yourself why no one has your back. Is it worth it to stay in what is being a toxic environment?

You’re counting down the days to retirement. First off let me acknowledge that if you’ve got less than a year to go, I can see the reasoning and the behaviour, so I’m not talking about you. However, I once worked with a person who had 7 years to go and kept checking off the days on their calendar on a daily basis. There focus was pinned on getting out as if they were serving a life sentence and had weekend visitations with their family. Is that any way to live? It certainly isn’t living in the present but rather pinning all ones thoughts and hopes on what will be in 7 years. Think of what you’re missing.

Anxiety, Stress and Uncertainty are your new best friends. If you find yourself anxious on a regular basis, you’re not sure why and can’t put your finger on it but you seem to have lost your focus that could be more than concerning it could be downright lethal. Exaggeration? Not if you work around heavy equipment, power tools or at heights etc. When you’re not thinking straight you put yourself and those around you in danger.

Anonymous hands put job postings on your desk; external job postings. When someone or worse yet, some people put external job postings on your desk it might signal you’re no longer tight with the in-crowd. While it might not matter to you at all, being excluded from simple things like joining others for a walk at break time or drinks at the pub after work could work against you and grow feelings of social isolation. If this is something you value, being excluded and essentially having it suggested to you that you should resign and move on could really sting.

The thrill is gone. What a great line from that oldies classic. But there is a reason that line endures over time; everybody who has ever lost the fire and passion gets it. If your job has become a chore and nothing more; if you find yourself watching the minutes drag by until quitting time….

Stay or go of course, it’s your choice. If you opt to stay at least make some kind of an adjustment in your thinking, looking at what you could do to make it better. If you opt to go, you could be giving yourself a tremendous gift. And who deserves it more than you?

Recognition At Work

Recognition; having your peers, Supervisor and/or end users acknowledge your effort, good work habits, results achieved and attitude. In short, are you getting enough?

In some workplaces, employees report only getting positive recognition at their yearly performance appraisals. That means they go 364 days between hearing words of appreciation and having what they do on behalf of an organization recognized. I don’t know about you but that kind of working environment is one I’d rather not work with. No, I want to work in a climate where I hear words of encouragement and gratitude on a regular basis. Tell me I’m appreciated and that the work I’m doing is of a consistent high quality and I’m far more likely to invest myself in what I do and strive to do even better. Ah but that’s just me.

Now to be clear, I’m not advocating that employers have recognition ceremonies and awards dinners on a weekly basis where everyone is the employee of the month. That would get expensive, lose it’s meaning rather quickly and certainly would come across as less than authentic. Nonetheless, good employers; the best of the best mind – find ways to recognize the good works of their people on a regular basis. The interesting thing is that it need not involve what most people would assume would be the number one reward; money.

Suppose you were working away in your job today and one of your colleagues sticks their head in the door and says, “Hey you got a sec? I just wanted to thank you for your help yesterday. I really mean it, that was very kind of you.” Or your boss comes down to the area you’re working away in and in front of your co-workers casually remarks, “Thought I’d let you know that the idea you brought forward a couple of weeks ago is being strongly considered as a pilot project. Keep up the good work.”

Now neither of the above has added a single cent to your financial wealth. There’s no new certificate hanging on your wall, no champagne uncorked or free tickets to a sporting event in your mail slot. Yep, it didn’t cost anyone anything to pass on words of recognition except perhaps the effort it took to physically approach you and say thanks. Nonetheless, I’m guessing you’d feel a surge of gratefulness, your disposition would improve, you’d feel positive about yourself and most importantly you’d feel thankful for that recognition.

Further imagine that this kind of behaviour was duplicated with a fair degree of regularity. Perhaps it’s you acknowledging the good work of a colleague, that your boss high-fives one of your teammates on the assembly line for going another week without any quality issues or the Receptionist sends you a brief email telling you how highly one of the customers you just helped out thinks of you. Wouldn’t that be the kind of workplace where the overall mood of the employees was elevated? Think how positive the culture would be, where people felt those who worked there really cared about not just the end results but the people they worked alongside.

In reality, the kind of culture I’m describing does exist. It isn’t however exclusively up to Management with a capital, “M” to initiate it and officially sanction such behaviour. To achieve this kind of supportive workplace where people are recognized as well as the good works they do is a collective effort. Sure it could start with some organization-wide announcement and training. However, it could also start at any level in the organization with any single employee; it could even start with…dare I say it…you.

It’s true isn’t it? Sure it is. You could make the effort to watch out for people around you who work with a solid work ethic and comment on that. You could tell someone how much you admire their excellent attendance, let them know how you value their experience and helpful attitude etc. As long as it’s genuine and authentic, why couldn’t you make it a regular practice to verbalize what you recognize and admire in the people you work with 7 or more hours a day? Yes it certainly could start with you; and then, what if it started to spread?

Too often I think we expect such things to start as a Management initiative; top down. We figure that they make the most money and therefore they are the ones who should be recognizing our good work, our efforts, our positive outlook, our safety record or excellent results. Why can’t it work the other way round? I imagine your boss or another Supervisor you work alongside in your workplace would also feel good about themselves were you to pass on a word of recognition to them. “Hey boss, I really appreciated your flexibility when I needed to leave an hour earlier yesterday. I know it was short notice and it was one less thing to worry about when I had to get to the hospital and see my dad. That meant a lot to me.”

One constant in all organizations is the involvement of other people. Even if you work remotely from home, you’ve undoubtedly got others you interact with online or via the phone. A small word of recognition goes a long way.

Remember too the customer and end-user; a genuine, “Thanks so much for your business, it’s appreciated” goes a long way.

 

Mature, Older, Experienced; Unemployed

As an Employment Counsellor, I sit down with a wide spectrum of individuals who are either out of work entirely or underemployed and looking to find a better position. So I meet with people young and old and one of the first things I like to ask is the individuals best guesses as to what stands in their way. Almost without fail, those in their late 40’s or older cite their age as the first thing that comes to mind.

Now this could be for a couple of reasons; either the person has been actually told they are too old by an employer or they feel too old to do whatever work is required in the job(s) they hold as their first choice. In other words the issue of age is external or internal. It’s also possible that both are present simultaneously; you’ve been told you’re too old and you feel it.

If and when the time comes when you hear you’re too old to do the job you’ve got the same power you’ve always had in one key respect which is how you react. In some lines of work, the physical toil on the body, the aches and pains become more acute and require more recovery time. Just as the Coach on a sports team wants the fittest athletes in the game, it’s easy to understand why an employer wants the fittest workers on their payroll when the job demands it.

Okay that’s not hard to understand if we look at things objectively. The Construction industry for example is one field where the physical demands of the job have a lot of people in their early 50’s citing back and knee pain. The folks I’m listening to admit their bodies can’t take the requirements of the job day in and day out like they did in years past, but at the same time they have lots of expertise and experience to contribute and still want / need to keep employed. So the problem shifts from trying to compete with younger, stronger and overall healthier labourers who cost less money per hour to finding a way to leverage their skills and experience in some different role then they’ve had.

And here my readers you’ve come to the crux of the real problem or challenge; the fear of changing one’s role or career; the question of what to do. This is THE question that needs answering. “What can I do at my age when this is all I’ve ever done? This is what I know.”

This problem isn’t limited to the Construction Worker. I’ve met Car Detailers who have lost their jobs or had to quit because the work became too physically demanding. Or rather, the work didn’t change at all but the body of the person doing the job has. I’ve met athletes who, unable to perform at the high levels they once did are now out of work looking for the first time for a job or career outside of sport and the question they ask is identical: “What can I do because this is all I’ve ever done?”

Sometimes the solution is to stay within the industry or field where one’s expertise is valued and just change your role. Become the Trainer, the Consultant, the Health and Safety Ambassador, the Coach. However, there’s the issue of yes knowing how to do the work but now needing training on how to actually impart all you know to those you’d be charged with teaching. Just because you were a fantastic worker or star athlete does not mean you are qualified to share what you know to others. That job, to give it it’s due, requires some investment of your time to fully respect those who teach and mentor.

On the other hand, there comes a point for many when you’ve got to leave the employer you worked for or move outside the field altogether. Without the comfort of the surroundings you’re used to, it can be a scary proposition wondering what else to do with the time you’ve got left when you want to be productive and contribute.

One of the best things you can do is to take stock of your assets. Just as a Mechanic or a Carpenter knows his or her inventory of tools, you’d do well to sit down and list all the strengths and assets you have. For many this is a hard exercise because you can walk into a shop and take in all the physical tools you see, but taking stock of your personal skills and experience and properly labelling those assets is challenging.

Start with your own point of view and then ask others for their opinions. Be honest, objective and drop the inclination to get defensive. ‘Know thyself’ could never be truer. Okay so you’ve got a list going and that’s great. Now you need to do the same with your liabilities. A Mechanic or Carpenter knows when their tools need sharpening and upgrading. You’d do well to acknowledge what you need to improve on and then like them, go about upgrading your own tools.  This could mean anything from taking a course to complete your grade 12 to heading back to school to get your degree.

Everyone is unique; so too is your situation. Feel like packing it in and giving up? As an older worker you’re never done unless you act done.

 

 

Job Searching And Moving Back In With Mom And Dad

Just a generation ago, young people grew up in their parents homes, then around their early 20’s left for University, College or jobs and never looked back. They stayed in dorms, frat houses and then rented apartments; maybe shared that rent with someone, then were into the housing market themselves and only returned to their parents places for the holidays and infrequent visits. They had of course their own homes that needed maintaining.

Now where these young adults lived often defined the geographic boundaries in which they could feasibly work. If they chose the big cities with transit options they didn’t need the luxury or the expense of owning a vehicle. If they lived in suburban or rural communities, a car was a necessity and how reliable and cost-efficient it was or wasn’t to operate defined the distance they could go to and from work from home.

Now however in this generation, home ownership is less and less an option for many young people. Whereas in the past the young person moving back in with their parents was in some cases viewed as, ‘a poor thing’ or somehow weak, today such a move has become more understandable and as a result acceptable. Living with mom and dad has its pros and cons like anything else, but hopefully the one pro going for anyone returning home is the ability to save more in rental charges than the general housing market would demand.

Buying your first home in large cities is getting harder and harder to do. In Toronto the typical price of a home is now $720,000.00 and new rules that went into effect recently mean a buyer has to have more of a substantial down payment than previously; the two factors combining are keeping many unable to get that first starter home. There’s an impact on mom and dad too in such scenarios as with adult children in the home, they themselves might not be able to put their own homes on the market and downsize.

So what’s this got to do with jobs? For starters, mom and dad might be living in an area that makes sense for them but not so much for the children they now have back living with them. That house in the country or smaller neighbouring town might work for them but not for the person living inside whose work demands they get into the downtown core. Suddenly living at home to save up the money to use as a down payment is going in part to a transit pass and the trip alone is 3 hours round trip. You can imagine how that commute and living with ones parents is impacting on one’s frame of mind.

Looking for work is a rollercoaster of ups and downs, high stress brought on by hopeful expectations and lack of success, then opportunities arising yet again. Although they mean well, you’ve got parents constantly asking how things are progressing, and if they don’t ask, they wonder all the same and you wonder why they aren’t taking an interest and asking – even though you’ve got little positives to share. Sound familiar?

Of course there are perks. There’s the family car you might have access to, more meals prepared or laundry done perhaps. There’s less isolation and you’re less likely to have to foot all the same bills you would if you were out on your own. So you save on utilities such as cable, hydro and water, presumably lower rent, ma and pa might even spring for dinner out and in return you’re expected to be socking whatever money you can away – if you’re working.

If you’re out of work, where’s the money coming from that you’re supposedly saving? That is a problem. So you’re expected to be out on the prowl looking for work, but how mom and dad job searched all those years ago has changed. They might see you cloistered away in the basement on that computer of yours and wonder why you’re not out pounding the pavement and knocking on doors, but that’s not how today’s job market works is it? It’s now about applying on-line, using social media and specifically targeting each and every resume instead of that one-size-fits-all one that was so well-used in the 1980’s.

Oh and if mom or dad are retired or work out of the house? Oh then they’re there all day long and you feel their gaze constantly on you as you stand in your jammies at 10:30 a.m. looking for something in the fridge for 3 minutes ultimately unsuccessful there too. They’re not really watching you like a hawk, but you feel that pressure just the same.

Now some adults living at home get out of the house when job searching just to – well – get out of the house! Maybe a library, maybe a resource centre for the unemployed, maybe even a coffee shop with wi-fi where for a couple of coffees one can sit undisturbed with strangers who could care less what you’re doing on your laptop for a few hours.

Of course it’s tough on parents too, wanting their adult children to be successful not only in finding a job but in being out on their own – which they equate with them finding their happiness. Ultimately that’s what all involved want isn’t it? Happiness. Job searching and living at home with ma and pa; for many folks it’s now the norm.