Archive for 2009

Build an Online Presence

1. Ego Surfing – Search for your name to see what information comes up.

2. Social Networking – Begin building online profiles using some of the following sites.

3. Blogging – Consider starting a blog about your industry and how you participate in an innovative way.

4. Automated Research – Set your searches up to be delivered to your email inbox or set up an RSS reader for sites you frequently visit.

Job Search First Steps

guy making a checklistMost people don’t land a great job or create a wonderful career by being open to anything, not at all. Instead, it is done by checking in with themselves about what they really want and going for it a hundred percent. This focus makes them more attractive candidates, too. Think about it as if you were the one hiring. You have two people to choose from. One lady has done a job for several years and is keeping her options open. The other lady is committed to being the very best at the job she knows she wants. Who would you be more likely to make an offer to?

TLC for Your Career

istock_000004271439xsmallFor most of us, our career is the source of funds for all our other experiences. Money made through work enables us to have and do things, of course. So why don’t most of us spend more money taking care of our careers per year than taking care of our pets or our tickets to special events?

It is important to think of career coaching and lifelong learning as investments rather than only expenditures. Better yet, make career development a line item in your annual budget so that money spent on it is not just emergency spending but thoughtful, pre-planned spending instead which has a much better chance of long-term, positive impact.

Are you lucky?

cloverI recently heard about a study that was done where researchers asked people if they were lucky or not and then put them to a task.

Those that said they were lucky were much more likely to see the hint in the task that made the task simple and fast.

Those that said they were not lucky were more likely to painstakingly follow the directions of the task without seeing the shortcut.

Love Your Work, Count Your Blessings, Feel Rich

This is an interesting story where Danny Kofke talks briefly about his strategies for thriving on a teacher’s salary. He mentions too that he feels like a rich man because he enjoys his work and gets to live in a way that supports his personal value system. That is career development gold, my friends!

Inspiration for Happiness

heart_manIt is very important to maintain positive emotions and happy feelings as much as possible. To do that you must become more aware of how you are feeling and have ammo handy to lift yourself up when you are down.

Create habits of thinking where you catch yourself feeling unhappy then say to yourself, “Things are as they are and feeling down doesn’t help me. I am so happy I can catch myself feeling down and remind myself to pump it up!” Then proceed to talk yourself up to a happier feeling or visualize yourself up to a happier feeling. Most importantly, allow yourself to feel better knowing that goodness is coming your way and you are ready for it.

A “happiness collection” is helpful too. Consider it your scrapbook of happy things which may be an actual book or which can be virtual…whatever works for you. Gather your favorite music, poems, song lyrics, pictures, and videos. Write out or speak reminders of your happiest memories and visualizations of good things to come. If you notice you are feeling down, go to your “happiness collection” and pump yourself up a notch or two.

Do your best to change your thinking so that you can feel good to great most of the time. Use your imagination to visualize things that make you feel better. Flip though your happiness collection for reminders to be positive. Generate positive feelings and raise your vibration.

Not Just For Students

career_questionYou’ve noticed a potential mentor but suspect they are too busy to be a mentor? Or maybe you just don’t know how to break the ice with them. Try informational interviewing. Its not just for students or those choosing a career for the first time! Informational interviewing can help you transition to a new career field, further your network, or find a mentor.

Approach people who you suspect are too busy to be mentors and ask them for an informational interview. This is only one meeting of 30 minutes or so in duration but it has great potential for you to get excellent advice and information about the transition you are considering. It is also a way you can receive a little mentoring from several different people. Of course, be on the lookout for ways you can contribute to your interviewee’s efforts too, now or at a time in the future.

Here are the steps to make an info interview happen. Call your contact. Let them know you want to learn more about their career field and you were hoping they could help. Ask if you can schedule a time to speak with them for 30 minutes because you would like to ask them how they got into the field and about their recommendations for people considering entering the profession.

Following are some questions typically asked in an informational interview. Remember you most likely will not be able to ask them all since you want to keep the interview to only 30 minutes unless they encourage you to continue.

  • How did you get to this point in your career?
  • How did you find this job?
  • What would you do differently if you were starting over in this field?
  • Are there any professional associations you can recommend?
  • What do you read to stay up-to-date in the field?
  • What is happening in this industry?
  • What recommendations do you have for a person interested in this field?
  • Do you know others I should speak to about this career field?

Be sure to take a pen and paper for quick notes and recommendations and ask for their business card before you leave. Don’t forget to write and send a thank you note the following day.

How to Find a Mentor

mentor_big_pictureFind a mentor by being found in the environment where the kind of people who you would like to have as a mentor hang out. The way to find the environment where they hang out is to first follow your own interests. Continue to make better distinctions about yourself and where you want to go then follow your nose to the gathering places for people whose interests match yours. Locate and engage the experts in those places. Share your enthusiasm and demonstrate that you are there to learn and that you are very interested in contributing to the conversation.

I found my most recent mentors by first defining my career goals then participating in my career field. I went to conferences and meetings, volunteered on committees, and entered the dialog appropriately. I looked for ways to contribute (usually by volunteering to do or organize something for the group) and I formed relationships through those activities.

Remember too that mentoring doesn’t have to be a formal arrangement. Most of my mentors weren’t even aware that I considered them mentors at all. This is because very important mentoring often occurs in small doses. Not to knock a formal mentoring arrangement because if both parties are willing to commit to meeting and talking for a regularly for a month or six there are benefits to both the mentee AND the mentor.

Careerillionaire Lifestyle

Many people say they want to take part in the finer things in life but of course there are always trade-offs. Unless you hit the lottery you will have to give up something or many things to achieve a more exquisite lifestyle. You may also have to be very self-motivated to work and accomplish. Of course, knowing and serving your higher purpose can effortlessly fuel the required work effort if your career and purpose are intertwined well.

Another option for a satisfying and purpose filled lifestyle is to move towards a more simple and cost effective way of living. This lifestyle is gaining momentum in some parts of the country as some strive to get back to a more simple way of being. It is a choice rooted in the idea of  stepping away from the hustle and bustle to live a more authentic existence.

Change a Bad Reputation

Reputations are built after a stream of first impressions converge and people start communicating and comparing notes about their experiences then reveling in the common ground whether it be positive or negative. Its just human nature and an important survival skill.

It takes consistent change of behavior for an extended duration of time to change a bad reputation. It also takes willingness on the part of the one who made the judgment to let go of their ego and be open to changing their mind. No easy task to change a reputation to be sure.

Priority #1: Take on a marketing campaign emphasizing the change. Be earnest in admitting an understanding about why things needed to change and the resulting empowerment and enthusiasm since making the change.

Priority #2: Strive to make every future first impression positive to the extent possible. Release the anxiety when finding those who refuse to allow a reputation to change or who form a negative first impression due to reasons you can’t control.

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