When You’re Lost And You’re Broken

Sure I’ve said before that having a job gives you a sense of identity; you see yourself as an employee of a company. When introduced to others you’ll often say as part of your answer what you do and who you work for, and conversely when you are out of work you’ve lost this part of your identity.

That being said, when you’re lost, trying to figure out what direction to go in life; when you’re feeling broken and what isn’t broken feels fragile, you may be wise to put your job search on hold. Now, sure an immediate job would indeed restore – if only shortly – that sense of who you are and give your flailing sense of confidence a boost. However, what a job gives you may be outweighed by what a job demands of you, and I’m just saying you might not be in the best frame of mind or have what it physically takes to keep it and be successful.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed at this time with many areas of your life seemingly in chaos and confusion, you may find it comforting to know that what you’re experiencing is indeed quite normal. That doesn’t make it any easier perhaps, as it’s personal and it’s happening to you of course, but knowing that other people – and many of them – are or have experienced the same feelings you are can give a person a sense of hope.

So what I mean is that it isn’t just the lack of a job that’s likely got you worried. If only it was just that! No, it’s probable that you at also dealing with a growing lack of confidence and self-esteem. Could be you’re wondering more and more, “What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I just have a normal life?” Without employment, you’re no doubt cutting back on buying healthy foods and buying them in the same numbers you used to. Maybe you’ve got growing anxiety as you feel left behind more and more and it’s leading to depression. You’re sleeping patterns are totally off, you can’t sleep when you do go to bed and you’re zapped of physical energy when you feel you should be up and going.

On top of all this you’re more irritable, negative thoughts seem to last longer and longer; drugs and alcohol to self-medicate give some short-term relief but the thoughts return and then you add guilt for having used them. Financial worries, accumulating debt, calls from creditors, losing time on your phone…when will it end?

So does this sound like the right time to be putting yourself out there as an attractive option for an employer? Likely not. More likely is the fact that you’ll try with little success to get a job and after having been turned down again and again, you’ll add to your growing frustration and just feel like giving up. Possibly worse, you may not even be aware that what you believe you’re doing a good job of concealing is on full display and a lot of other people can see the changes in you and know you’ve got issues going on.

Think I’m laying it on rather thick? That it couldn’t possibly be this bad? Well, sadly, I’m not illustrating the life of a handful of people here but actually sharing the experience of a rather large segment of the population. It’s sad yes, but for many of these people its debilitating. So it’s not helpful to say to everyone who lacks a job to just pick themselves up, dust themselves off and get out there and get a job. Don’t you think that given the choice they’d love to be working and feeling productive?

Thing is these are people with what appears to be invisible disabilities. There’s no cast on an arm, label on a forehead, crutch supporting their walk or warning sign they carry. Without these easy to read indicators, it can be difficult to then see what might explain erratic or self-destructive behaviours. Hence, the broken and fragile might not get the empathy they could use; the understanding and support that would be a start. As a result they may withdraw further and increase their isolation, loneliness, and ironically retreat to the places depression feeds and grows.

It’s hard to know where to start when so many things seem wrong and need attention; in fact it can be overwhelming. Reaching out for help does take effort, and yes it might take a few tries to find the right people who can counsel and offer the aid you want and need to help you on your way back. No one knows your personal struggles like you; you’re the expert when it comes to what you see as wrong, or needing attention.

A good doctor who listens and will make a referral is a good place to start. Seeing a Mental Health Counsellor (look them up online in your community or if you haven’t got a computer with internet access, visit a social services agency where you live.)

Rather than work on and fix all the areas where things are wrong, start with one. Just one thing to improve. Don’t give yourself the pressure of a deadline to ‘fix’ it either. Give yourself credit and give yourself permission to try perhaps with some room for setbacks too. May your efforts move you forward to a healthier and happier you.

LinkedIn: How To Get Started

I see a lot of people who started a LinkedIn profile and after spending what looks like 5 minutes on it, apparently gave up. Of those I’ve actually asked about their undeveloped or underdeveloped profiles, the most common response I get is that they joined because somebody said they should, but they didn’t really know why so they never went any further.

Fair enough. To these people; (you perhaps?) I say that if and when you turn up in someone’s search, they will see this poor reflection of you and that then becomes their first impression. If they are an employer, recruiter or potential business partner, they may just believe that if this is you putting in your best effort, maybe you’re actually not worth theirs. After all, if you can’t be bothered to put in the bit of work to present yourself professionally on what is a professional networking platform, you’re hardly likely to put in the effort on the things that are of most importance to them; namely working with them in some capacity.

So here’s a few LinkedIn profile thoughts to get you going. First, add your picture and make it a clear head shot; preferably with a smile on your face and without any distracting background. How do you want to come across to a potential employer? You’re looking to create an image; an emotional connection with whomever looks at it.

Write a summary that tells people who you are, what motivates you, what you’re passionate about or believe. Unlike a résumé, yes go ahead and use the word, “I”, and use first-person language not 3rd person. After all, you want people to believe you wrote this, it wasn’t made by someone else.

When you move into the Employment History or Experience area, don’t just cut and paste your résumé. Whereas your résumé may have bullet points under each job, write in sentences. Consider sharing in each position what you learned, how you improved, what accomplishments you achieved and were proud of. If you’re one of those people who sees this as tooting your own horn, put down what others have said you do exceptionally well.

Start connecting! Begin with those you know such as past or present co-workers, supervisors, friends, customers, associates, peers etc. Now expand your network by searching for others who do similar work to what you do – even if you’ve never actually met. After all, you don’t want to limit yourself to only those you already know. You can learn a lot from reading and thinking about what others in your profession have to say.

As for people who work outside your profession, you may get invites to connect and I’d urge you to do so more often than not. If you limit yourself to only people you know and only people in your profession, you’ll develop a very narrow stream of contacts and by way of those contacts, a limited view of things. Who knows where your future opportunities exist?

Now when you add the endorsements to your profile, consider carefully what you’d like others to endorse you for. The things you choose should be consistent with the skills that are desired in your line of work. You may be good at using Microsoft Word, but is that something that will push your chances of working with others forward? Is that something unique that will impress others? In my case, I’m an Employment Counsellor, so I’ve elected to be endorsed primarily for traits associated with the profession. Helping others with “Job Search” skills is a key thing I do, so that’s what I’ve elected to have on my profile and it syncs with what I do.

Now, think about recommendations. Remember those letters of recommendation from years past that you might have received? They meant something once upon a time, and you’d show up at an interview with them as part of a portfolio; a testament to your abilities. The impact of these is still valuable, so you’d like to get some; I know I value them highly! So it stands to reason others value them too.

Okay, now add your education. Where did you go to school and what courses did you take? Add anything you may have authored or awards and certificates you hold. You’re building up your credentials.

Write a recommendation for a colleague who is on LinkedIn; someone you admire for their skills, support or positive impact on you. How did or do they help you? Taking the time to recommend someone is always appreciated, and they will likely thank you, perhaps even by writing you a recommendation in kind!

Now expand your connections by searching for people who may now work in the organizations you’d like to work at yourself one day. Communicate with them every so often and develop a professional relationship. Don’t connect and 2 minutes later ask for a job. Show some genuine interest in them, ask about what they do, how they got started, trends, insights etc.

This is just a thumbnail sketch of how to get going without delving into the many other features of LinkedIn. Still, if you have a weak profile, using the suggestions here will at the very least get you headed in the right direction. Another tip? Sure. Check out the profiles of others in your line of work and learn from the good ones. You’ll know the difference between the good and the poor ones – believe me.

Control What You Can; Namely Yourself

I suspect that you have had times in your work life where things were going on around you that you had very little if any control over. Perhaps the company you worked for was experiencing a hostile takeover, some new software program was being rolled out that you didn’t see the need for or your job itself was being made redundant and you were being reassigned to another department. Things as I say you had no input into or could not stop from happening.

Now while the above represent some pretty strong changes, your own experience might be something such as being told your shifting from one desk to another; from that spot with a window to the outside world to a cubicle in the middle of the floor where no natural light penetrates.

Whenever these kind of situations present themselves, many people have an immediate urge to push back, resist the change and fight it with all the energy they have.  Like an animal being backed into a corner, this is when some people are at their most dangerous. Employees who quietly go about doing their jobs suddenly become vocal opponents, charged with energy and committed utterly to maintaining things as they are.

What’s at the heart of things for many people is the perception that the changes around them are being done to them.  They haven’t been in on the discussions that went on in the background and so when the announcement is made announcing changes, it comes as a shock. So much so that their shock is manifested through questions like, “Why weren’t we consulted?” “Is there anything I can do – we can do – to fight this change?”

Most of the time, the energy put into resisting change would be better applied to getting on board with the change. In fact, the faster you accept the news – whatever it is – and adapt to the changes big or small, the healthier it will be for your mental state of being. I admit though, for many its a hard thing to do. I mean it’s one thing to know on an intellectual basis that change is inevitable and quite another thing to experience it on an emotional level and react calmly and be accepting of change right away. For some people it takes a great deal of time to accept and adjust to new changes, especially if they are sweeping.

It may be that people who have experienced a lot of change in their personal and professional lives adjust to new changes faster and better than others. So yes, perhaps if your family moved many times growing up, you find it easier to adjust to changes in being moved from one desk to another or one department to another than say, a co-worker who has a long history of staying in one place. Likely too, if you find the new place has a positive in it, such as being closer to the lunchroom or further away from someone you don’t work that well with personally, you can find reasons to ease the transition.

The one thing you and I always have complete control over when it comes to dealing with changes is our reaction to those changes. Make no mistake, it’s control and the clear loss of it that most often causes the emotional disruption. “Don’t I have a say in things?” Doesn’t my view have any importance?” These are the kind of expressed feelings that display a lack of control; no one consulted us and asked us about the pending impact the changes would have on us.

The best time to think about how we will react to any news of sweeping changes is when changes are not occurring; when things are fairly normal. This is when we can rationally think about how we’d respond, how we’d react in some hypothetical situation. Like planning for some disaster at work and putting into place our emergency response procedures on a dry run, it’s all about preparing for shocking news and knowing how to best gain a measure of control in what might be otherwise a debilitating situation. Control what we can and gain some traction.

One of the most immediate things we can do is consciously let new information sink in when we hear it without reacting. Make sure what we think we hear is what was actually said. Hearing the news – whether it’s covering for a workers unexpected absence for the day or relocating to the other side of the office permanently, making sure we received the news accurately is essential.

Secondly, we have to decide if the news is huge or small, and be aware of not over reacting. We’re being pulled for the day and covering someone’s workload, it wasn’t expected when we walked into work first thing but in the grand scheme of things, it’s a small disruption. The faster we accept the change and put energy into complying, the better for all concerned.

Big news and big changes understandably cause more disruption. However, the same principle applies. The sooner we accept the news and keep or regain our composure and control the better; we’ll be better equipped to respond appropriately and get on with things.

If you want to learn to adapt better for your own mental health, start with a conscious pause when you hear news affecting your work.

So What Is Work?

Work: Do you do it because you have to, because you want to or because you need to? And lest you think having to and needing to are the same thing, I’d argue there’s a difference.

I suppose the question of work, and how you choose to answer it depends entirely on your personal definition of what it means to work. Work to some means doing something that requires effort as in, “she’s had to work for everything she’s got in life”. To others it means something negative, as in, “He worked his fingers to the bone”. Unlike other articles I’ve penned where I sought to lay out a common working understanding of a word or concept for discussion, this time I choose to leave it up to you the reader about what work is to you.

There’s the distinct possibility that your view of work changes over time. You may see work at one point in your life as something enjoyable, something that gives you purpose. Then it may become a necessary activity to generate money that is then used to build a desired lifestyle. Later it may become a burden; something that must be endured until retirement releases one to enjoy life without the need or compulsion to work. For some, a return to work – full-time or part-time after retirement isn’t about needing the income but needing the inclusion, the mental stimulation, the social connections or the enjoyment of working on one’s terms.

‘Work is work’ others argue; if you’re enjoying what you’re doing you’re not working at all. This is where that saying, “find a job you love and you’ll never work a day in your life” comes from. But to believe this, you must also believe that work necessitates doing things you don’t love; rather things you must do and wouldn’t choose to do otherwise. You’re welcome to hold this view if that’s what it means to you of course.

Yet there are many without work who feel badly. Without work they feel low self-esteem, being dependent on others for the roof over their head, the food on the table, the clothes on their back. I know many who feel this way, and they don’t like the dependence for income, nor do they like what they see as the endless hours spent doing little productive.

On the flip side, I know some who have grown to find the lack of work in their life appealing. They have no qualms about relying on the generosity of others; in fact they count on it. They live simply and are content to have their basic needs in daily living supplied by others via shelters, food banks, charity kitchens, clothing give-a-ways, religious groups, donations and hand outs. Their ‘work’ is defined by exerting the mental energy to find out where to get access to goods and services and their physical energy takes them to these places. They do not seek traditional work as others understand it, only choosing employment if it suits, choosing to quit when it strikes them or when they’ve earned enough for what they want.

There are all kinds of people, with all kinds of views on what it means to work. We run the risk of painting any one group of people as all feeling the same about work don’t we? The capitalists feel this way, the socialists feel that way, those marginalized feel such and such, the ‘working family’ feels this way.’ There is no unified single response for any group that captures the impression of each person in it; and yet we categorize groups of people’s views as similar.

Some work because they need to; not for groceries and the mortgage but because they are driven to work. Work provides purpose, with things to do that give back to the communities that they’ve benefitted from being a part of. While extended time off from traditional work can hold its appeal, often in retirement you’ll hear of or see someone first-hand who has returned to some kind of work to feel useful.

Work then isn’t bad; to be avoided if one can, to be seen as a drudgery or a chore. While it can be extremely physical and straining, it can be rewarding and fulfilling too. And it’s funny how we perceive the work others do as legitimate or not based on our own definition and what our own work entails. One person might look at another and say, “Well, that’s not REAL work. Try doing my job and you’ll see what work means!” To which someone might say, “My work is valid on its own and need not be compared to yours – they’re just varying kinds of work.”

What is work to you? Is it physical labour, mental stimulating, something done out of necessity? Is it a 40 year sentence? Does it define you perhaps? Has it brought you discipline, made you better, consumed your best years, kept you apart from the one you loved or helped you find them?

Work may be your place of escape. That place for 7 hours a day when you feel normal, included, valued and appreciated. It can mean so many things to so many people which is why I ask.

How you see work and how you define it goes a long way to shaping your view. So with it being Monday as I write, time to stop and get to work!

Job Interview First Impressions

In my experience as an Employment Counsellor, I’ve come to note that those who make good, positive first impressions don’t mind for a minute accepting that other people form opinions of them spanning the first 30 seconds to a minute when they meet. Equally, those who tend to make poor first impressions feel that its entirely unfair that others judge them in such a short time. Well, honestly, whether you like or dislike it when others form first impressions in such short timelines, the reality is, that’s…well…reality.

It’s not just employers and interviewers that form these quick first impressions, and quite frankly, as a species, humans have done it for centuries. It’s survival 101 you know; this innate ability we have to quickly take in whatever sensory information that’s available to us and then in mere seconds, assimilate all that data and form an immediate impression that then guides if or how we interact with others.

Walking on a sidewalk we look ahead and see a stranger approaching us. Based on extremely limited information, we might continue on with a smile and nod as we pass, or we might see a swagger in their walk, a scowl on their face, see their eyes set on us and with all this we choose to duck into a store or cross the street. We judged the situation to be uncomfortable at best, dangerous at worse, and best to be safe and not sorry. Were our actions justified?

Similarly in a subway if every time we look up we notice a person looking at us with a smile and fleeting eyes that look away and we see them bite their lips, we might interpret this as a shy, embarrassed, “you caught me looking at you, and I’d like to meet you but I’m too shy to start a conversation” look. Maybe we’re right and maybe we’re not; maybe we introduce ourselves on the off-chance they are interested in us, or maybe we bury our heads in a book because we might be wrong.

It’s in these everyday interactions with others that we form impressions of others while they of course are doing the same thing with respect to us. The data we take in might include someone’s choice of clothing, it’s cleanliness, their grooming, body odour or fragrance/cologne, their height, weight, shape, health of their teeth, colour of their eyes, posture etc. All in mere seconds mind you – our brains process all this data and we form opinions from which we judge them to be safe to approach, intimidating and to be avoided, etc.

In a job interview situation, take heart! For starters, always remember that this first meeting you’re about to have with some company representative is one you know is going to happen. In fact, you’ve got the time and place as two knowns, so it’s not going to catch you off guard. If you ask the right questions when offered the interview, you also know how many will be interviewing you, their names and their titles. This information can be of comfort, especially if you use social media to look them up and get a visual on their appearance and read their bios in advance of meeting them face-to-face.

You have the further advantage of choosing your outfit for this first encounter, deciding which clothing will be likely to make the best impression on them; be it formal, business casual, etc. The things in your control continue as you can make sure your hair is clean and brushed, your deodorant working, your teeth brushed and a swig of mouthwash will ensure any lingering offensive smells are absent. You can shine your shoes, choose your accessories with care as well.

In addition, when you arrive is in your control. Sure you might run into unexpected delays – that’s why their called unexpected! – but, you can almost guarantee your arrival time will be appreciated by leaving early and planning your route. A dry run on another day will likely give you a good measure of the time you’ll need.

Whether you bow, shake hands or not, smile or not, maintain eye contact or not when actually meeting during the first 2 seconds; again in your control. Even the way you sit or pace back and forth in reception, your posture as you wait and then your body language as you get up to introduce yourself to the interviewer(s); all this within your control and therefore up to you to choose how you wish to act.

These first few seconds are critical as those you meet form first impressions of you just as you are of them. The thing is though that you might be feeling so much pressure on yourself to do well and get a job offer that in the moment you aren’t thinking a great deal about them – being so worried about yourself and what you’re communicating.

Positive or negative, that first impression is the initial point from which all further interaction either reinforces or works to change one’s first impression. The more you put some effort into ensuring the first two minutes shows you as you’d like, the more you can feel confident done your best to get off on a good note. A poor start and you’ll feel the pressure to alter their view of you.

First impressions; vitally important and worth paying attention to. Oh and on the subway? Just go up and introduce yourself!

A Simple Act Of Gratitude

Yesterday I was in the middle of facilitating a résumé workshop when I heard the Receptionist over the intercom say, “Kelly Mitchell if you’re in the building would you contact Reception.” Fortunately for me, I was in view of a co-worker who, seeing me look at him and throw up my hands in a helpless gesture, picked up his phone and told them I was not available. I continued on.

It was only a few moments later that I saw standing off to my left the smiling face of a man I’d worked with a couple of month’s back. He’d been one of 12 people who’d accepted an invitation to work with me on an intensive basis over 10 days in the hopes of landing interviews that would lead to employment. He’d been successful too; getting and accepting an invitation to work despite a couple of employment barriers that had previously turned off employers from giving him the chance.

So there he was, a respectable 10 feet outside the area I was in, grinning like a little child, intent on seeing me. There I was too, obviously in the middle of a presentation and fully aware that he wasn’t going without a brief word. Hmm…

Well, I acknowledged him by first apologizing to the group and waved hello, telling him I was just in the middle of a presentation. To me he said, “I know, I just stopped by to thank you again for your help.” “Things are going well then?” I asked. At this point he said that things were going great and that the resume and job search tips had paid off. It was at this point that I realized there was a real win-win-win situation here to take advantage of.

Yes, you guessed it. I waved him in for a moment and now in full view of the people in the workshop, I asked him to repeat what he’d just said. Well it was a real endorsement of my skills and the information I was sharing with the participants that I couldn’t have planned any better had I tried. With his grin and kind words, he told us assembled that not only was the job going well, he had since accepting that first job, a total of 6 companies contact him for job interviews, and he was very close to getting an extremely good job; one that he’d been hoping for as a long-term goal I’d previously known of. “The résumé works! I change it for the jobs I’m going for and it’s really made a difference.” Then with a handshake and some last good wishes, he was gone.

If you believe I’m sharing this with you for the purpose of saying how great I am, you’re missing the point; completely and utterly. His generous act of gratitude and thanks says more of him than it does for me. That same information you see that I shared with him, I’d shared with others, and continue to share. I am so happy for him but also so proud of him, for not only his success but in how he’s going about things now. Dropping in for the sole purpose of expressing his gratitude, feeling that he wanted to say thanks in person and knowing the impact it would have on me.

Of course, I brought him in largely to show to the group that the ideas I was sharing really do work. I mean, here before them was a bona-fide success story that they could replicate for themselves if they applied the same ideas and concepts in their own situations. Oh and believe me, the room lit up, the energy shot up in the room and everyone was smiling. When I said after he left that I hoped they didn’t mind the interruption, that it was so good to see him so happy, they simultaneously and to a person indicated it was more than okay.

In attendance I also had a co-worker who was sitting in to improve her own confidence helping people with their resumes. A long-time Employment Consultant, she wanted to both see and hear my presentation and from there use the same resources I made to help others. So you can imagine how wonderful it was for me to have this unexpected visit and expression of both gratitude and success in front of her.

So I felt great, the participants and my co-worker had proof before them the ideas work, and the gentleman himself left feeling good in having accomplished what he wanted to do; see me and extend a heartfelt thank you.

No matter how hard we work, how many successes we have, how many people we see, we all need those moments when others acknowledge what we do and express their appreciation. His act of kindness and the impact on me will last some time.

I urge you to do likewise when the opportunities present themselves. Genuine gratitude is always welcomed and could come exactly when needed most for some people. We all like to think we make a difference in this field of social work, that we’re having a real positive impact on the lives of others. Sincere acts of gratitude like I’ve described here reinforce that belief and give us encouragement to do more, give more and strive for more. He couldn’t have given me a more precious gift than his thanks.

No Job Interviews? Here’s Your Problem

So the assumption here is that you’re applying for jobs and you’re not getting anywhere; no interviews. Without being invited to the job interview, you’re not getting offers, and so you feel increasingly frustrated and discouraged. It would seem to make no sense at all to just keep on plugging away doing the same thing and expecting different results. To see a change in things – the result being you land interviews and do well enough to get offered a job – you’re going to need a change in how you go about things.

If you don’t like the idea of doing things differently from what you’re doing now, stop reading. So we’re clear here, a change in things means putting in the work to get the outcome you’re after. Hence, if you’re not ready to put in that effort, again, stop reading here.

To begin with, you need an independent and objective look at how you’re going about applying for jobs. If you’re mass producing a single resume and submitting it to all the jobs you apply to, the good news is we’ve quickly discovered one major thing you need to change. That was how you applied for jobs back in the 90’s when there were more jobs and fewer people to compete with for them. Today you need a résumé that differs each and every time you submit it. No more photocopying; no more mass printings.

As I’ve said time and time again, employers are generous enough to give away most if not all the job requirements in the job postings you’ll find these days. Any résumé they receive and check must therefore clearly communicate that the applicant has the qualifications, experience and soft skills they are looking for. It’s no mystery; a targeted resume (one that is made specifically for the single job you are applying to and never duplicated for another) will advance your chances.

Now are you writing a cover letter? This is something you’ll get differing perspectives on from Employment Coaches, Recruiters, Company Executives and Employment Counsellors. Some will say you should include them while others say the cover letter is dead. Unless the employer specifically asks you NOT to include one, my vote goes with including one. Why? The cover letter sets up the résumé, shows your ability to communicate effectively, tells the reader both why you are interested in the job with the organization, what you’ll bring, how enthusiastic you are about the opportunity and why you’re uniquely qualified.

Whether or not you go with the cover letter, please make sure you get your résumé and / or cover letter proofread by someone who has the skills to pick out improper spelling and poor grammar. Also, even if the grammar and spelling are correct, it might not be communicating what you really want to say. Unfortunately then, it could be doing you more harm than good; especially when applying for employment in positions where you’d be creating correspondence yourself, such as an Office Administrative professional.

Once you have applied for employment, what else – if anything – are you doing to stand out from the other applicants you’re up against? If your answer is nothing; that you wait by the phone for them to call if they are interested in you, well then you’ve just identified another area you need to up your game. Following through with employers indicates a sincere personal motivation to land that interview. After the interview, further follow-up is advised to again separate yourself from those who do nothing. In other words, how bad do you want it?

Recently, someone I know applied for a job and then took the steps of actually job shadowing someone in the role with a different organization so they could gain first-hand experience themselves. While this is a great idea, they failed to communicate this to the employer they were actually hoping to work for. So this initiative went unknown, as did their sincere interest in landing the job. In short, they just looked like every other applicant; applying and then sitting at home waiting.

Look, there are a lot of people who will claim to be resume experts, cover letter writers extraordinaire and so it’s difficult for the average person to know the real professionals from the pretenders. Just because someone works with a reputable organization doesn’t make them immediately credible. Some pros charge for their investment of time working on your behalf while others offer their services free of charge as their paid via the organizations they work for. You don’t always get what you pay for as I’ve seen some $500 resumes that had spelling errors and layout issues that won’t pass software designed to edit them out of the process.

Do your homework. More important than anyone you might enlist to help you out is the effort you yourself are ready to invest. If you’re happy to pay someone to do your résumé and you don’t have an interest in sitting down with them to give advice yourself and learn from the process, don’t be surprised if you still don’t get the results you want. Should you actually get an interview, with no time invested in learning how to best interview, you’ll likely fall short of actually getting the offer.

Applying for employment today takes time and effort, but the payoff is the job you want. Make the effort; put in the work.

Thinking Career Change?

Are you considering a major change in the kind of work you do? That’s a good thing, whether you end up continuing to do what you’ve done for some time or yes, you do indeed choose to venture off in a new direction. The process of evaluating where you are and where you’d like to be, what you’d like to do is healthy.

Resist the urge to put down your feelings and musings about a new line of work or career change as a sign something is wrong. Acknowledging these feelings and doing some exploring of what you’re feeling and where these feelings are coming from can be quite illuminating.

Typically, thoughts about a career move go through stages where we become aware of our feelings, then we might share these with a significant person or partner and then move to share with the rest of our immediate and extended family, friends, co-workers and employer that we’re moving on. That is of course if we make that decision to move on at all. If after some time of reflection we choose to continue in what we’re doing, then it’s possible that we share our musings with no one whatsoever. The key here is to realize that mulling over a big career move can be a very private experience; we have full control over who knows what’s going on in our thoughts.

There are a many reasons we might consider a drastic career move. Boredom, needing a new challenge, health concerns, being burned out, declining performance, aging, taking early retirement, a company buyout, relocating to another area, a lifestyle change are just some reasons that could prompt these thoughts.

“What could I do that would make use of my skills and that I’d enjoy doing?” Some version of this question is what you may be thinking yourself. Given where you live and where you are in your life, you might also entertain the notion of a return to school to stimulate your brain, acquire some new knowledge or hands-on skills which could take you in a completely different line of work. You may not even mind starting in an entry-level job in a new line of work and be quite content to do so, having no interest in moving up to greater responsibilities; something you might have felt you needed to do 20 or 25 years ago.

So the clock is ticking, days and month’s are rolling past and you’re looking ahead at Life with a capital ‘L’. What do I want to do with the remaining time I’ve got with respect to my work life? We’re not talking your time beyond complete retirement. We live with the assumption and belief we’ll have some time of an undetermined length beyond the day we retire. So we’re looking at the time between where you are now and say, 65 or 68 perhaps as a ballpark figure. How many years is this in your case?

Depending on the number you have after answering that question, you might have a few or many years. You might only have time for one career move or have several years meaning you could have a few career moves left to ponder.

Sometimes what’s needed isn’t a change in career at all, but rather, a change in employer. A fresh start bringing your accumulated skills, experience and education to a new employer. The attraction might be a start-up, where you’re highly valued and your leadership and expertise is drawn on for guidance in some early period where the company is set on just establishing a reputation. Or conversely, a big organization is undergoing a thorough clear-cut; moving in a whole new direction, and the attraction to get on board is exciting. Another scenario is a big organization provides some stability and job security which appeals to you over the stress you feel in the fledgling organization you’re with now. There are so many possible scenarios!

Your financial security – or lack of it – also plays a big part in what you can afford to do or not do. We should also acknowledge some people are risk-takers and gamblers and others less so, hence it’s vital you have a clear and accurate picture of your financial status and know the risks you may be entertaining in making a move. Then again, what might you risk with your mental health by sticking with the status quo?

Some questions to ponder then…

Am I doing work that I find meaning in and is this important to me or not?

Am I secure in exploring other options, including reinventing myself?

Who other than myself, might my final decision to change careers impact?

What is the status of my financial health?

How comfortable am I dealing with uncertainty? For a move seldom if ever comes with guarantees of success.

Do I need to take time off my current job to explore these thoughts or am I able to give them their due while continuing in my present line of work?

What are my commitments ie. mortgage, children, spouse, credit repayments, loans etc. and what weight do I give these things in arriving at some decision?

Of course there are other questions to pose and you’re welcome to throw in some of your own to the comment section below. If you’ve been through or are going through this process now, I urge you to share some of your thoughts.

Right Now

When are you finally going to get around to it? You know; that THING you’ve put off. It’s not that you’re a bad person, weak of mind or have poor intentions. It’s just that, well, you’ve been procrastinating so long at getting started I’m starting to wonder if you’ll still be hoping to get going soon years from now. So yeah, I suppose the question is when will there ever be a better time than right now?

You’ve been waiting for that perfect moment haven’t you? I mean, something always seems to be in your way or more important at the moment. I admit some of those things have been pretty significant and just had to have your full attention. But if we’re to be honest here; if you’re to be honest I should say, there have been moments when you actually looked around trying to find some reason not to get started until you found one. Sorry but it’s true and you know it my friend. Unless things change, you’re likely to repeat this pattern of behaviour too; looking to find some reason the moment isn’t right to get going on what really needs your attention and energy.

Are you afraid? If you are fearful, what is it that your afraid of and more importantly, do you want to go on living in that fear? You might be afraid the answer to that important question will be no. “No” as is we won’t hire you, I don’t want to marry you, I’m just not interested in you, no you’re not qualified. There are other kinds of rejections of course; but you know what you’re afraid of so no need for me to offer further examples until I hit it. It’s right there in your mind in all too real precise focus; that thing you’ve put off doing.

Consider a couple of things: 1) Just because you put off doing it doesn’t make the thought go away. In fact, it’s ever-present in your day-to-day thoughts 2) An answer one way or the other is necessary before you can move on…it’s like you’re at some crossroads and going straight isn’t an option. With only a left or right turn, you’re holding up moving forward with your life; and making no decision until you knew for sure which was the correct choice with a guarantee has always seemed best. Until now.

Look while you sit in neutral and put off that decision, your life is still moving forward. Time is passing, and with it things change around you. If we’re talking a job, your skills are getting out of date, references you had are weakening in value, and more people are graduating to compete with you. If it’s a relationship you’d like to have, you might be content to wait but maybe they aren’t. Maybe someone else will beat you to it and the object of your desire will never know how you really felt because you never got around to telling them.

Right now is the right time. Not tomorrow, not in a few days, not when just one or two more things fall into place. Things may not be just perfect, but believe me the perfect time is right now. What’s more my friend, you know it too. If you continue to wait any longer from this moment right now, well, you’re no longer procrastinating, you’re making a decision. The decision you’re making is to reject what you want – what you’ve wanted so long, and you remove any possibility that the answer might have been a yes.

Is this what you want? Okay just for a moment, worse scenario time. You do what needs doing and you get rejected by him or her, the school you wanted entry into denied you or the organization you applied to didn’t hire you. The mortgage you applied for was approved but interest rates rise a day after you signed up for that variable mortgage. Life as they say however goes on. Instead of picturing how life will be in this worse case scenario, what about picturing what will happen if you… get a yes from him or her, the school accepts your admission, you get hired and/or the interest rates continue to level out or even drop. Euphoria!

Isn’t what you could win worth the effort involved in finding out? You don’t really want to go on wondering eternally, “What if I’d only….” Ah, but you’re present course of behaviour and inaction is setting you up exactly for this scenario. This is what you might want to really be afraid of; not rejection but not ever having done what you needed to do to find out.

If you’re looking for me to suggest you talk to somebody about it I’m not going there this time around. Nope; the time for talking is done. That’s the one thing you’re particularly good at and you’ve done it far too long. Talk isn’t what you need right now; what you need is action. Oh am I telling you something you don’t already know yourself? No. You know it better than anybody.

Get going. Do it! This is YOUR day; THE day! No more planning, no more watching the stars to see if they’re aligned. No more procrastination, waiting, wondering, hoping, fantasizing and dreaming. The time for decision-making is here.

Get it done.

Right.

Now.

Leaving Your Mark In The Workplace

Eventually we all leave the employer we’re working with now, be it retiring, quitting outright, taking a leave of absence that turns into moving on, getting laid off or yes, even terminated. What if anything, will you leave behind that would mark your contribution?

I suppose one key question is whether or not leaving behind anything of a lasting nature is even important to you. It’s kind of like when you and I – all of us – pass away in life really. Well it is isn’t it? I mean, do we want to leave behind some sign of our passing? The big difference here is that we’re not actually dead and so yes, we can look around us while we’re still in our workplace and point to things we’ve had a hand in creating. Conversely, we can just walk away, never look back and not give it a moment’s thought.

Consider though the number of hours, days, weeks, months and years you give to an organization. When it all adds up, you’ve invested a great deal of your life sitting at that desk, standing on that line, traveling in that vehicle etc. You’ll have a lot of mixed memories no doubt when you move on, perhaps all the way from great ones to ones you’d rather forget. Those memories are important not just now but in the years to come because they mark the time you put in and they’ve had a hand in shaping who you are.

Not unlike the impact the experiences have in shaping you, your time in an organization contributes to it. Maybe you’ve affected a policy or procedural change. Perhaps you mentored some others who in turn went about their business differently because of your influence. Perchance there are things you’ve created like manuals, filing systems, software designs, physical spaces, programs etc.

Here’s something to think about. If you were to go back now and visit the places where you put in time in your past, what would you find? Depending on how large the organizations are that you worked for and how long ago we’re talking, they may or may not even remember you. Maybe your co-workers and the management of the day have all moved on themselves. No one even recalls your name. It’s different I suppose if your name adorns some oil painting in a hall of founders.

So how would it make you feel to go back and discover its as if all your years working for an organization never even occurred? That no one remembers you? If you couldn’t point to a single thing you’ve done that had any lasting impact, would you care? I’m not suggesting you should of course, but it’s an interesting thing to contemplate. Again, you may or may not be concerned one way or the other; comfortable in the knowledge that you contributed while there and the only lasting memories you want could be the day you walked out the door.

Still, you were there for a chunk of time weren’t you? Yes when you add up the time you worked for this place and that place and oh yes, that place too, you’ve put in a significant amount of energy. Hopefully those places appreciated your contributions. Then again perhaps the organizations themselves have ceased to even exist; they went under, relocated, disbanded or dissolved. No wondering then if you’re remembered!

Maybe – just perhaps – the real key then for some of us is not to put much energy and time into making a mark on an organization; the physical bricks and mortar. Maybe the real key for at least some of us is to make our mark on the people we worked with. While they too will eventually pass and move on, if we influence others by the way we work, the things we say, the actions we take, the training and advice we pass on, maybe what happens is they are shaped by us in part no matter where they go. So it’s not a physical building, a policy manual or a plaque on a wall that we seek to leave behind to mark our time, but rather the interaction we had with those we worked with.

So, can you look around where you work now and honestly see any influence you’ve had on others? What of yourself? Can you see how what you do  is because someone in your past or present passed on something to you? Maybe you work smarter, act kinder, put in more effort, smile more etc. because somebody you admire passed on something that affected you.

Here’s the thing reader. Unlike when we die, you’re still alive and have the time if you choose, to make your mark. Whether you use the time you’ve got to positively or negatively impact on others, your workplace itself or not, you’ve got the luxury of having the choice. You can therefore choose to consciously contribute to your workplace in such a way that you do make your mark, or you can opt just to do the minimum, take your pay and move on.

Where you work now, I bet you can think of at least a few people who have retired or moved on in some other way. Do you recall their faces and names as well as their legacy or do you struggle to even recall what’s-his-name?

Either way, it’s a life.