Career Chaos

CAREER COACHES: DIFFERENT OPINIONS ON VALUE OF THE PROFESSION

Sometimes you just have to speak your mind. And that I did in response to the article, "Your Career: Pros and Cons of Coaches" that appeared on the MSNBC website. I felt the article was presented as fact when opinion was more appropriate. I also felt it was written as advice not founded on fact.

Here is my commentary as it appears on Newsvine along with the article that prompted my response:

"So sad to see an author's opinions being presented as fact based on the experience of publishing a book or two. I wonder how many job seekers has this author actually helped? How many testimonials can she offer to her readers?

"There is NO comparison between self-study through books and regular human interaction with a trained/certified/experienced career coach. What book offers discourse on choices or empathy on personal situations endured?

"There ARE credentialing bodies for career coaches, most notably the International Coach Federation and the Institute of Career Certification International. There are even some colleges and universities now offering coursework in coaching.

"As a Career Management Fellow through ICC International, a Master Certified Career Coach through Career Coach Institute, and an Officer of the Board of the Association of Career Professionals International, I can attest to the fact that most career coaches are true professionals. Career coaches help people discover career options and make tough career choices; clarify/organize their thought processes; enhance their workplace communications; and support/guide them in solving their most challenging career-related problems. And NEVER do true career coaches find jobs for their clients!

"In this very trying recession when layoffs happen at the drop of a hat, career coaches help layoff victims work through the shock and anger of job loss so they can find the courage to risk rejection as they submit resumes into a great abyss and compete for new jobs among hundreds of candidates for each position.

"Active on both Twitter and LinkedIn, I have many times referred followers to MSNBC's career column. Too bad I won't be doing that anymore.

"Oh, BTW, I'm celebrating 10 years as a career coach this year after working as a recruiter, job developer, and employment specialist since 1986."

CAREERS CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS

Last week I attended the Career Management Alliance annual conference in San Antonio, Texas. So much talent in one place was quite the experience. Not only were long-time professional career management members present, but also attendees from military transition career centers. The job of translating military experience into terms easily understood by corporations and private industry is a challenging task. I applaud those working in that field helping our separating and retiring armed forces personnel enter/re-enter the traditional workforce.

There were many good conference speakers and presentations, but the ones that stood out for me were the opening keynote by Peter Weddle, "Work Strong: Career Fitness" and breakout session by Carol McClelland, "Plug into the Green Economy: A Field of Opportunities for You and Your Clients."

A few of Weddle's presentation nuggets included (some paraphrased by me):

• Workplace is seeing downsizing of structure, not just downsizing of jobs.
• Just as individuals are responsible for their health, they are responsible for their careers.
• The career ladder has been replaced with a career jungle gym.
• To be "qualified" isn't enough - must be "best qualified."
• Slide: "The Greater & Unspoken Danger: The Perceptions People Work With" - e.g, do a good job, & you'll advance up the career ladder

A few of McClelland's presentation gems incuded (some paraphrased by me):

• Green economy: ever-evolving & advancing at different rates in different industries
• "Green jobs are jobs that provide products and services which use renewable energy sources, reduce pollution, conserve energy and natural resources, and reconstitute waste" (White House definition)
• Green collar jobs = trades jobs, e.g., installation, manufacturing, distribution
• Green professional jobs = technical - hard science (research, engineering, IT) and non-technical - managment, finance, marketing, human resources, operations
• Find green jobs by "following the money" - the federal government money being invested into a greener economy

Interested in learning more from this conference? You may find tweets from conference attendees by going to search.twitter.com and searching for #careers09. I have some tweets there, too. Look for them - my Twitter handle is @KCCareerCoach.

JOB SEARCH METHODS: BLENDING THE OLD WITH THE NEW

In this time of using cutting-edge, online social networking (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, etc.) for enhancing our job searches, we sometimes forget about tried and true tradtional tools. Here's my favorite list of four must-read books for anyone engaged in a serious job search with links to their authors' LinkedIn profiles:

• The Job-Loss Recovery Guide - by Lynn Joseph, Ph.D.
• Knock 'em Dead - series updated annually - by Martin Yate
• Winning Interviews for $100,000+ Jobs - by Wendy Enelow
• Negotiating Your Salary: How to Make $1000 a Minute - by Jack Chapman

FIGHTING THE "NO JOB" FEAR

Are you one of the hundreds of thousands of job seekers in a state of panic - not landing fast enough in your next job? Today's job seeker must come to terms with the possibility that work as they've known it may be gone forever. Kind of harsh, to be sure, but necessary to accept. A new job IS out there, but retrofitting your skills and interests to it may take some time.

Online Wikipedia defines retrofitting as "... the addition of new technology or features to older systems." Does that feel like what you're in the middle of doing?

The process of retrofitting takes place in a state I call Career Dissonance, a plateau where the old no longer works, but the change required to adapt to the new has not yet been accepted. Personal attributes required to get you through the Career Dissonance and over to the "change" side include curiosity, creativity, patience, and a healthy dose of self-motivation with perseverance.

Without the above personal attributes, you run the risk of deflating like a balloon, or worse, sinking into a hopeless pit. Panic and fear are your worst enemies. Keep them at bay by maintaining your social contacts, doing something productive everyday, and giving yourself permission to take periodic breaks from the grinding job search to do something fun. It's amazing how much better you can feel after a heartfelt belly-laugh - let the tears flow! Laugh until your side aches!

Everyone has to find their own way to manage the stress, but if you don't find a way, it will control your feelings and your actions.

Just remember that you will eventually come out on the other side of Career Dissonance. Make friends with change because right now it your strongest ally.

JOB SEARCH TIPS FROM A CAREER COACH

Times are tough! Not exactly a news flash, huh? Massive layoffs, stock market losses, slashed retirement funds, companies sprialing downward - where does all that leave you, the worker?

Hopefully, if you have been laid off, you were fortunate to have received outplacement services paid for by your employer. However, if your company is going through bankruptcy, it probably doesn't have any resources to support the job transitions of its laid off employees.

If you are still lucky to have your job, despite the skyrocketing unemployment rate, you may be hanging on to it for dear life, stressed out and fearful of IF or WHEN the pink slip will hit your office door.

What can you do today to make work more worthwhile? More secure? More within your control?

LOSE THE FEAR! Become proactive. Take charge of your own career! Here are ten tips to help you do that:

1. Get your resume and cover letter in order. Don't wait until you need them "yesterday."
2. Start researching your options to learn what's available "out there" that you could really enjoy doing.
3. Get involved! Join professional groups where you can meet people with the connections for you to get that "perfect" job.
4. If unemployed, it's not too late to start networking. Join local free job clubs. Get your profile on LinkedIn. Let everyone you know among your friends and acquaintances that you are looking for a job.
5. Take a class. It's amazing what you can do when your mind gets stimulated.
6. Consider starting your own business. Future trends predict more people working for themselves from homebased offices within the next five years.
7. Think positive. The Law of Attraction brings us what we focus on the most. Really! (Have you read "The Secret?")
8. Identify a mentor. Find someone who will support you in your career. It helps to have a role model who takes an interest in your welfare.
9. Stay informed. Read business publications, attend seminars and talk to those "in the know." The best time to find a job is before it is ever advertised.
10. Hire a career coach! Your return on investment could result in more than six times your cost. This has been proven true by many who have done just that!

WRITING RESUMES THAT GET RESULTS

Put yourself into the employer's shoes - why should they hire you? That is the question your resume must answer.

Realize that your resume is a snapshot of your career. It should reflect your achievements, plus represent your skills and abilities. It must be a positive expression of what you do and how well you do it. It needs to sell YOU!

So how do you write such a document? Start by identifying your strengths. Don't hesitate to sing your own praises - it's OK to promote yourself in a job search. In fact, it's expected.

Once you have a comprehensive list of strengths, prioritize it according to your accomplishments. The most important ones need to appear at the top of your resume. Did you know that your resume must catch the employer's eye within a few seconds, or it will get tossed?

Resumes are written according to a prescribed structure. There are self-help books you can buy to guide you. Better yet, hire a professional resume writer who is trained and credentialed to promote you at your best.

The final step is to proofread, proofread, proofread. Did I say proofread? Only candidates with flawless resumes get considered for interviews. And isn't interviewing the result you want from your resume?

RE-DEFINING JOB SECURITY

After 35 years of dedicated service to a job he could count on everyday, my father retired from his company in 1985 with a good pension. Today, that reality is gone for all but just a very few. Most of us will not see such a reward for the years we put into our careers. In fact, most of us won't spend our entire lives working for the same employer. It's no secret that the American dream of retiring from a company after working there for a lifetime no longer exists. Instead, thousands of workers who entered the workforce believing in retirement benefits have fallen victim to company downsizing, restructuring, outsourcing, and even bankruptcy.

How can we survive in a work world where there is no job security? Today's job security must come from within each of us. We must ensure it by becoming so competent and so self-confident in whatever we do that we can do it or transition it anywhere. We accomplish this by adopting an assertive learning style, by earning that college degree or finishing advanced training. We do it by attending professional training and development opportunities - on our own initiative. We network with colleagues. We become experts in our fields. We ask our companies for cross-training and we volunteer our services for special projects. We constantly seek out ways to update our skills, knowing that change is the only constant in the workplance. Acknowledging that no one is indispensable, we don't take our jobs for granted. Instead, we accept the fact that every day we must continue to earn the right to keep our jobs.

Build your job security by taking risks. Submit that application for a new and challenging position, even if you are comfortable and satisfied with your present job. Always be ready for the unexpected. Did you know that the best time to write your resume is immediately after starting a new job? That way you always have your resume up-to-date and ready to go on short notice.

Have you ever seen that perfect job opportunity, but didn't have the time to update your resume and submit it before the application deadline?

The worst time to write your resume is when you are hit with an unexpected layoff or termination. Emotions will take their toll when this happens making it next to impossible to organize your thoughts into a sharp, professional resume.

Become friends with the unknown. Embrace change as an opportunity for career growth. "Fortune favors the bold," observed Virgil, a wise poet of long ago. That holds true today. Are you bold enough to create your own job security? You will need to do just that to survive in this rapidly changing work world of the 21st century.

We will probably see more layoffs this year, maybe even next, before our economy begins to swing back. Don't wait for the layoff bug to bite you. Take charge of your own career so that you can design for yourself a happy, productive life.