Being a Cleveland resident it’s hard to avoid the shake-up news in the Browns Front office. Having one of the worst seasons in recent memory, as an end result of what many expected to be a real shot at the play-off’s, the termination of the franchise General Manager and just a day later the firing of the head coach had been expected by most Cleveland football fans. One thing that the head coach insisted on was an opportunity to “state his case” to the owner on the heels of the GM (his boss) term. His argument likely included why he shouldn’t be in this round of house cleaning. While failed in his efforts it does beg the question…When your boss gets their dance card pulled…how do you say: “I want that job” or ask: “am I next”?
Let’s tackle these in two parts:
“I want that Job”-If you have aspirations for your former bosses role and haven’t made these intentions clear by now, you may be a bit behind the power curve. While success in your current assignment is a surefire way to get to the next rung, if by chance, you haven’t had the opportunity to shine in the spotlight your first step will be to schedule a meeting with the decision maker. You may have to scramble a bit but the first thing you need to make the powers aware of is your willingness to assist with the transition. You must convince those folks that you understand the decision, you may even support it but keep these cards close to the vest, creepy comments about your former leader only creates a cloud of doubt around you. In addition to your willingness to assist with the change, you should be prepared to speak about your experience, your unique qualifications for the assignment, your readiness for the task, what you would do different (again, without being disparaging) and how you will impact the bottom-line positively. Things to avoid during the conversation are nasty comments about your previous boss or co-workers and compensation or benefits. In economic downturns most companies are trying to limit spending, if you can help your company prevent costly relocation or recruiting costs coupled with the opportunity to promote from within then you are a hero! Realistically, if you haven’t been tapped for the role yet, a great result for this meeting is for the “powers to be” to look at you as viable option for the assignment. Making your intentions known is the first step to moving up. But don’t be discouraged if you are not on the short list this time, assistance with the new person’s integration can also serve your goal of reaching the top, either in the current or another department…and sabotage will take you down quickly.
One final note, all too often people avoid talking to those let go from the company because it feels disloyal…either to the company or the person. That’s wrong! People in this situation need their support network and everyone is part of this network for someone. Put that feeling of “I don’t know what to say” aside and pick-up the phone. A quick call to show that you care or are thinking of the person can go a long way to helping them and yourself…remember; the other side to this event can be “am I next”?
For information on our career coaching services or for your free career mapping consultation contact us at www.career-forward.com
"Down-size Proof" your Job!
Last week I had the fortune of presenting at a local Chamber of Commerce on great people processes. As I went through the presentation, I reviewed some practices that great employers are using to attract and retain the best and brightest folks…in other words, some of the tools to become “an employer of choice”, it dawned on me that a message was hidden here for folks working through uncertain times. Even in a down economy, there is a shortage of great talent…while companies may pinch pennies on advertising or marketing spend, the one thing for certain is, to weather an economic storm you need dedicated, hard working, enthusiastic, jack-of-all trade employees.
The opportunity to shine in an environment that is struggling is still there, but it might be harder to find. Companies that are focused on making their quarterly projections look for ideas on how to save or generate sales/revenue. Your ability to stay positive and take on the company’s issues with ownership can help you maintain job security and contribute to the bottom-line therefore making yourself “down-sized proof”.
It takes commitment to staying positive in a downturn, but focus on what you can do to keep the ship moving in the right direction and you will make yourself invaluable to the Sr. Management and a resource that you cant do without.
To learn more on how to stay focused, stay committed and become invaluable in a down economy contact one of our career coaches today at www.career-forward.com.
The opportunity to shine in an environment that is struggling is still there, but it might be harder to find. Companies that are focused on making their quarterly projections look for ideas on how to save or generate sales/revenue. Your ability to stay positive and take on the company’s issues with ownership can help you maintain job security and contribute to the bottom-line therefore making yourself “down-sized proof”.
It takes commitment to staying positive in a downturn, but focus on what you can do to keep the ship moving in the right direction and you will make yourself invaluable to the Sr. Management and a resource that you cant do without.
To learn more on how to stay focused, stay committed and become invaluable in a down economy contact one of our career coaches today at www.career-forward.com.
Career Coaching for Free...Say It Aint So!!!
Doing your taxes can be one of the best or worst times of the year for most folks! The adage goes that "nothing is certain except for death and taxes" certainly is something that everyone that receives a paycheck has felt from time to time. But wait...help is on the way! The Government has for years allowed certain job search expenses to be deductible. While running these expenses by your accountant is always a smart idea, costs you incurred for a job search may meet the IRS guidelines for deductible expenses. IRS Publication 529 is pretty informative of the expenses that are deductible when searching for a job in your current field...even if you don't get the new job!
Some of the tools that may be Free include:
Resume Creation- One of the biggest challenges of changing jobs can be creating a resume. If you could hire a professional, for free it might not be as insurmountable as you initially think...Costs associated with preparing, printing, mailing your resume may be tax deductible!
Outplacement Agency Fees-While many employers these days pony up the costs associated with professional service providers trained to aid you in transitioning from your job into a new assignment, there are still cases where it is on you. If you decide to hire a career coach, your fee's paid to them may apply to a tax deduction!
Travel Expenses- Travel costs associated with a search in the same field may qualify, if the primary purpose is to search for a job in the same occupation. Keep in mind, that even if the primary purpose is not a job search, certain job search expenses that are incurred while on a trip may be applied so keep your receipts!
Phone Calls- Cellphone or land line expenses associated with searching for a new employer in the same job may be a write off!
In the end, you must consult your tax advisor to be certain which deductions apply but be sure of one thing, the investment into your job search is an investment in your future...and it may be less expenses than you think...better yet it could be FREE!!!!
Contact a career coach today at http://www.career-forward.com/ to see how we can help you in your job transition and career search, the first step to changing your future is there.
The Truth About Social Networking Sites
One of the “secret-ingredients” to any job search is knowing where to find the jobs/openings and knowing where to be found as a candidate! As a Human Resource Consultant that offers advice on “recruiting best practices” it is inevitable that my conversation with HR folks includes a map on how a great recruitment campaign must include social networking sites. LinkedIn is a great tool for business professionals and we have included a few articles on this blog dedicated to business professionals. But as a career coach it is sometimes difficult to get folks engaged with the ‘possibilities’ that these tools can bring to the active and passive candidates, they struggle with buy-in! Kevin Wheeler, President and Founder of Global Learning Resources, Inc. a recruiting expert to companies has written a great article on the usage of these sites as the boomers retire and open up the avenues for the Gen-Xers and Millennial to take the reigns: http://www.ere.net/articles/db/77CDC812823B4EB59203543E3723B814.asp While his viewpoint is strictly from a recruiter’s viewpoint, I encourage you to read it for insight into how the HR folks are finding candidates these days…what a change from just 5 years ago!
Kevin states that the power of social networking is amazing, he gave the example of adding someone to his network and within a few weeks he went from 450 to almost 2,000 direct connections or better yet, 8 million recruiting professionals throughout the world. It is no secret as a career coach and HR consultant I have supported the LinkedIn channel but as I mentioned before this is not the only avenue for your name, face, credentials and profile to be out there. While LinkedIn grew 700% in one year, Facebook increased by 77% and smaller boutique sites like Twitter, 4000% I myself have yet to launch a Facebook site but plan to do it in the next month, I hope to document the ease…or difficulty of this, hopefully to serve as a map of as much “what to do” as it is “what not to do”.
Kevin states that the power of social networking is amazing, he gave the example of adding someone to his network and within a few weeks he went from 450 to almost 2,000 direct connections or better yet, 8 million recruiting professionals throughout the world. It is no secret as a career coach and HR consultant I have supported the LinkedIn channel but as I mentioned before this is not the only avenue for your name, face, credentials and profile to be out there. While LinkedIn grew 700% in one year, Facebook increased by 77% and smaller boutique sites like Twitter, 4000% I myself have yet to launch a Facebook site but plan to do it in the next month, I hope to document the ease…or difficulty of this, hopefully to serve as a map of as much “what to do” as it is “what not to do”.
In the end, social networking is a key to any good job search and the recruiters are moving in droves to source folks from these sites. If you have not signed up for LinkedIn yet, do it! Send me an invitation to join your group based on reading this blog, it’s a great way to start getting connected to those folks that know about jobs…I have almost a half of million people 3 degrees away from me, eat your heart out Kevin Bacon!!! http://www.career-forward.com/ is an HR Consulting and Career Coaching firm focused on helping connect great talent with great companies, contact one of our career coaches today to assist in your plans to move up in tomorrow’s business world, we can help you map your future and find your destiny!
Find Your Dream Job
I had the fortune this past week of attending an industry conference for Human Resource Professionals…I say “I had the fortune” because normally these things are boring, mundane and at most you leave a couple of good leads or contacts and a bunch of free stuff. This conference was just a bit different…in addition to the conference, a few breakout workshops were offered. I attended a session by Chip Madera, the Leadership Lion, www.chipmadera.com, titled “How to take your career and life up a notch”. Wonderful speaker and coach, I recommend his presentation for yourself or a team looking to gain direction or a path in the road of confusion. From the word go, Chip offered some great advice on what to be passionate about. In fact, what Chip offered was some great insight into the psyche of most folks. Chip insisted (and had some great factual data to support his theory) that people who find their passion and capture it in a career are much more likely to be happy…and wealthy than those that simply find a job.His message resonated with what I see in clients and folks that I speak to as an HR consultant and career coach. Most people and I do mean most…have buried their dream for a desk and hope to find happiness outside of the office. This is rarely achieved and thus folks lose their inspiration.
The reality is that in order to truly have happiness, and thus success, you have to be passionate about what you do. Your passion is evident on your work, your morale and your face!!! A career coach has great tools to help map your passion, believe it or not most people cannot put their finger immediately on what brings them joy. If you have not found the brass ring in your career then now is the time for action, seek out the things that give you extreme satisfaction and get close to it. Assessing your talents and skills is one of the tools we utilize as career coaches to help you achieve greatness! Confidence comes with passion! Let us help you with your skill set inventory to map your career of tomorrow. Contact us at http://www.career-forward.com/ to find your destiny.
How to Prepare for an Interview...Isn't it Obvious
It’s amazing to me that while some things seem so obvious to most, there is always the exception to the rule. Take for instance this sign outside a local McDonald’s restaurant. I stopped for shamrock shakes with my 4-year old today (a guilty pleasure every St. Patrick’s season) and snapped this photo. I cannot think of one person I know that would have thought that it even needed to be said that “refills are for purchases that were made in the store” but…the truth is that things obvious or not sometimes need to be mentioned. As a Career Coach and HR consultant I have coached on the obvious many times. The obvious can be as simple as having done your research on a company before you apply for a position. Making sure your resume has been updated and presents your skills in the best possible light or being sure to arrive early and prepared for an interview…any of these are obvious to most but still need to be reminded to those changing careers…especially if you are not the experienced job changer. But, there are of course many things that are subtle or less obvious that a career coach is experienced to help you with them. For instance, when I say research of a company, what does that mean? Well it can include internet research, informational interviews and understanding the financials and performance metrics of a company. It should include understanding, before the interview, what the organizational structure is and how the role will fit into the company objective; it includes being prepared to answer questions about how your experience meets their need and finally why you…AND ONLY YOU…are the Best Person for the Job!
While most of this information is readily available with a few clicks or phone calls a career coach can help uncover the hidden information, preparing you for the task at hand! Since the obvious is…well, Obvious…contact one of our career coaches at www.career-forward.com today to learn about the not-so-obvious tools to help you with your career transition…and feel free to bring a cup for free refills!!!!
Four Tips for Power Networking
There has been a lot of discussion about social networking sites and how you can stay and remain connected using web based tools. As a Career Coach and HR Consultant trying to find the balance of what and where to spend my time is a struggle, I know as a person seeking to change career paths it is even more of a challenge. Should you stay or go? Shouldn’t you be looking to connect on-line vs. wasting your time at events where you know most folks already?
To say it bluntly, Networking Takes Commitment…a commitment of time, energy, involvement and interaction. A good friend of mine is what I consider a ‘power networker.’ He stays connected via the web of-course but he is always involved with events outside of the office. He is also family man with two little girls so you cant say he has too much time on his hands, but he is the person that is always networking to keep in touch. The payoff, besides a packed social calendar, he knows or knows someone that knows any person he wants to connect with in the city. He is one or two phone calls away from the decision maker and he is considered a “Mover and Shaker” in the business world. While the web and social sites are great tools to stay connected and keep close to friends and associates, nothing replaces the importance of those “in-person” events. An e-mail or a voice mail may be easy to blow off but the power of persuasion in-person is priceless. It is amazing how talking to someone on the phone or via e-mail can yield much different results than face-to-face. When networking for career opportunities keep in mind these four items:
1. There is no shame in asking folks if they know of opportunities, most people can relate very closely with what you are going through and want to help if they can. Give them the chance to think about what they know.
2. Even if they don’t initially know of any roles you may be suited for, they or someone they do know, does! The world we live in is very connected, your image will remain in their mind if you talk about what you are seeking and where you would like to go.
3. Follow-up after the event with an e-mail. Create a network of “career scouts” when you are searching for a change. Keeping as many folks engaged in your search is a great way to learn about the “hidden job market.” Once you have landed your role, update people on your change.
4. Remember where you came from. It is easy to slack once your need is satisfied but keep in mind, networking should stay constant. Return that call, respond to that e-mail and go to that event, returning the favor is how we accomplish so much as professionals. We are all part of a community whether we are active or not…staying active makes you powerful and connected…it also increases your chances of finding that internal balance most of us seek between professional and personal.
Contact one of our career coaches today at http://www.career-forward.com/ to see how you can
Network for a better tomorrow.
To say it bluntly, Networking Takes Commitment…a commitment of time, energy, involvement and interaction. A good friend of mine is what I consider a ‘power networker.’ He stays connected via the web of-course but he is always involved with events outside of the office. He is also family man with two little girls so you cant say he has too much time on his hands, but he is the person that is always networking to keep in touch. The payoff, besides a packed social calendar, he knows or knows someone that knows any person he wants to connect with in the city. He is one or two phone calls away from the decision maker and he is considered a “Mover and Shaker” in the business world. While the web and social sites are great tools to stay connected and keep close to friends and associates, nothing replaces the importance of those “in-person” events. An e-mail or a voice mail may be easy to blow off but the power of persuasion in-person is priceless. It is amazing how talking to someone on the phone or via e-mail can yield much different results than face-to-face. When networking for career opportunities keep in mind these four items:
1. There is no shame in asking folks if they know of opportunities, most people can relate very closely with what you are going through and want to help if they can. Give them the chance to think about what they know.
2. Even if they don’t initially know of any roles you may be suited for, they or someone they do know, does! The world we live in is very connected, your image will remain in their mind if you talk about what you are seeking and where you would like to go.
3. Follow-up after the event with an e-mail. Create a network of “career scouts” when you are searching for a change. Keeping as many folks engaged in your search is a great way to learn about the “hidden job market.” Once you have landed your role, update people on your change.
4. Remember where you came from. It is easy to slack once your need is satisfied but keep in mind, networking should stay constant. Return that call, respond to that e-mail and go to that event, returning the favor is how we accomplish so much as professionals. We are all part of a community whether we are active or not…staying active makes you powerful and connected…it also increases your chances of finding that internal balance most of us seek between professional and personal.
Contact one of our career coaches today at http://www.career-forward.com/ to see how you can
Network for a better tomorrow.
Stay Current on Changes in Your Industry
A challenge that a lot of professional face in their career is how to stay current on the latest trends and developments in the world and their field.For instance, as a Sales Manager, what is most important? Should you be learning about your customer’s changes, news sales techniques, management trends and styles, technology changes and how it impacts your business…the answer is…Yes to ALL OF THEM!
As a Career Coach and Human Resource Consultant, I face the same challenge that other business professionals do…To be on top of my game, what do I need to be current on?
In reality there is never enough time. Keeping up with current events and the ‘Whiz Bang” changes in the world are difficult. It is easy to see too much information and become overwhelmed because of information overload. Next thing you know, you’re being compared to the guy who wouldn’t use e-mail and are considered change resistant…a fast-track to career suicide!
Here are a few tips for staying on top of the world around you:
Latest Trends-You can easily set the home page on your computer to your preferences, Google, Yahoo, AOL and many of the other browsers have easy to use tools to manage your screen data. Additionally, many blogs and websites allow for direct feeds on changes to their news. Don’t believe me? subscribe the atom feed at the bottom of this blog!
Management Philosophy-Books on CD or Podcasts are good ways to use your windshield time/commute to be productive. Try putting the Cell phone down and listening to some of the info available in audio format, most podcasts are free and there is a plethora of subjects that offer summaries or easy to digest sound bites, the library is a great resource for the audio books and most will let you order and checkout on-line! Harvard Business Review offers a weekly Podcast and even has executive summaries in their magazine…what a wonderful way to start your download.
Current Events-Keep abreast of the world through, Headline News or CNN they offer around the clock half-hour updates that give a good snapshot of the world events…You remember news right? It’s kind of like Sports Center for everything else!
Cutting Edge-The final suggestion is use an hour a week and prioritize research into your schedule. Shut your phone off, and close your e-mail browser and just read/surf. Executive Summaries, blogs, web-news, all are useful tools that can help you stay abreast of what is going on in the world/industry/community.
If you are still struggling with what to stay current on…ask you boss what he/she takes an interest in…it never hurts to have some good dialogue on their interests, it creates a flow of ideas and shows you care about what they are concerned about!
Contact one of our career coaches today at www.career-forward.com to help you stay current on the job market and what your prospects of the future may yield. You owe it to yourself to know what is out there.
Networking and Staying Connected
Old Network…New Network…Just Network! It is amazing to me as a Career Coach and Human Resource professional the impact that social networking has had on our ability to stay connected or get re-connected.
Example-A few weeks ago, I heard of a friend that was transitioning from their current role. We had worked together many years back, initially staying in touch but lost contact after a couple of moves. The last contact info we each had for the other was old and outdated…thus our inability to get re-connected.
In the past, it would have been difficult to track down the person and may have been lost in the shuffle. Today…a different story! I looked at my LinkedIn network, recognized a couple of folks that may have been closer than me to the friend, and reached out for the contact info. In less than 24 hours I had an e-mail from my friend with updated contact info and we have since re-connected!!! Amazing how quick we can stay in touch today.
The message here is twofold:
First, be a better friend and professional than I was. Reach out every now and then to contacts and associates to stay in touch…it goes a long way and only takes a minute.
Second, don’t be afraid to reach out to those folks that you knew and just lost the connection with…chances are they are thinking the same thing and would love to hear from you!
As I mentioned before LinkedIn, Facebook, Friendster, My Space and Classmates are a few tools that you can leverage to stay in touch. Keep in mind, your network is a great tool when you are looking to change jobs but needs to be nurtured and maintained even when you are not on a search.
Contact one of our professional career consultants at http://www.career-forward.com/ today to see how you can leverage your network for opportunities or career change. We want to help you find your destiny!
Example-A few weeks ago, I heard of a friend that was transitioning from their current role. We had worked together many years back, initially staying in touch but lost contact after a couple of moves. The last contact info we each had for the other was old and outdated…thus our inability to get re-connected.
In the past, it would have been difficult to track down the person and may have been lost in the shuffle. Today…a different story! I looked at my LinkedIn network, recognized a couple of folks that may have been closer than me to the friend, and reached out for the contact info. In less than 24 hours I had an e-mail from my friend with updated contact info and we have since re-connected!!! Amazing how quick we can stay in touch today.
The message here is twofold:
First, be a better friend and professional than I was. Reach out every now and then to contacts and associates to stay in touch…it goes a long way and only takes a minute.
Second, don’t be afraid to reach out to those folks that you knew and just lost the connection with…chances are they are thinking the same thing and would love to hear from you!
As I mentioned before LinkedIn, Facebook, Friendster, My Space and Classmates are a few tools that you can leverage to stay in touch. Keep in mind, your network is a great tool when you are looking to change jobs but needs to be nurtured and maintained even when you are not on a search.
Contact one of our professional career consultants at http://www.career-forward.com/ today to see how you can leverage your network for opportunities or career change. We want to help you find your destiny!
Best Companies to Work...2008!
Every year the nominees impatiently wait the results of their efforts to be listed as one of the “100 Best Places to Work For”-Fortune Magazine. As a Career-Coach and Human Resources Consultant this annual issue of Fortune is the equivalent of the Auto Show for Detroit, it’s a great time to see if your efforts are recognized…or better yet copied! The 2008 results are in…for full details see the article http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/bestcompanies/2008. Personally, I have had the pleasure of working with some of the companies listed both today and in the past, great experiences! The criteria itself is rigorous, it not only includes benchmarking items such as pay, benefits, work environment, diversity, and growth but some off-the-wall things get extra credit like, nap rooms, paid gourmet meals, and bring your dog to work days, these items are setting the stage for tomorrows workplace! The great people processes these companies have and the honor of being listed is undeniably a mark of respect besides bragging rights, a great deal of effort is taken to stay on top of the list and move up if possible! Take this into account when looking at your next employer; it’s a testament to where the bar has been set at and what your expectations can and should be. Ohioans have a great opportunity with seven companies listed: Sherwin-Williams, J.M. Smucker, National Instruments, OhioHealth, General Mills, Southern Ohio Medical Center and Vision Service Plan. If you are thinking about a career change, contact one of our career coaches at www.career-forward.com for assistance in mapping your change, it’s your future and you are worth it!
Dont Limit Yourself, or Your Opportunities
As a Career Coach and Human Resources consultant I get the opportunity to talk to folks transitioning into new roles everyday. One of the factors that influence this decision ‘iFactors’ is where they want to work…or can work. At first glance most people prefer not to relocate, in fact, given the opportunity to stay or go most professionals find it difficult to pick up roots and move for a job. However, the more you limit your geographical preference the more you limit the opportunities.The above chart shows what might be behind door number two. A quick search on http://www.indeed.com/ for a “Regional Sales Manager” role shows that in Ohio alone there are over 150 positions that meet our search criteria, if you increase your range and include both Michigan and Ohio this increases the roles available to over 300 or +86%. Now if you take the exact search criteria and include Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois you have an increase of over 400% or 839 positions. These kind of increases prove that the bigger the range in where you will work, the bigger the possibilities.
While these decisions are difficult and many factors can influence your abilities to move, look at all the facts when creating your search criteria, including where you can move. It’s the sacrifice that keeps you moving up the ladder. Remember, taking that big promotion out-of-town and making enough money to visit your hometown, is sometimes better than living there!
Call one of our career consultants at www.career-forward.com today for assistance in your job search or career transition plans being your path to tomorrow…today.
Which Job Board should I use?
I was recently asked, “what is the best on-line site to use for a job search.” As a Career Coach and Human Resources Consultant I had to think of the best way to answer the question. My response; “If you want to do it right...ALL OF THEM.” Mark Twain popularized the quote, “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” The underlying message in this is, you can manipulate any data to your argument; it’s all in the debate. Take for instance the traffic patterns above for some of the most popular and well known jobsites. I say popular and well known because all have been listed on Google’s first page…the test of arrival in any on-line business and most had Super Bowl ads this year…the testament to a big fat marketing budget! While your initial instinct may be to search on Monster.com (since they seem to have the best traffic), I ask you to consider another option. Instead of using a stand-alone site that lists only jobs they have been paid to post, use a search mechanism that grabs openings from the big three (and many more) for your career search. Indeed.com, Simply Hired.com and Jobster.com are a few of the sites that pool the jobs listed on these sites, include other boutique job postings, and some finally have their own listings as well. They then take all of these listings and place them in easily searchable databases that are updated as the sites they pull from are updated. Of course these sites have something that distinguishes them from the others, such as the ability to narrow your search by hiding a company’s listed jobs that don’t interest you, or feeding you e-mails when new listings are created. But these tools are much more time effective than the stand alone job sites for the careerist.Don’t get me wrong, companies use sites like Monster or CareerBuilder to hype their positions. This generates traffic and creates a larger candidate pool. But as Flava Flav says, “Don’t believe the Hype.” You, the person seeking a job, need to look at it much differently. You want as many options as possible. A search tool that pulls from all the sites is a great way to narrow down your options…and can reduce your on-line search time dramatically! At Career-Forward our Career Coaches and HR Consultants have industry-leading experience that can assist you in your job search efforts. We help you develop a customized job search and career map designed to meet your specific goals and prepare you to win those roles. The competition is fierce and companies want the best…we help you in stand out in the crowd. Contact us today at http://www.career-forward.com/ to begin your path to tomorrow.
Misery…Loves Company!!!
As a Career Coach and Human Resource Consultant, I find it interesting how many people still listen to the negative influences in their lives for advice and allow thier energy to be drained. While we can all use some uplifting every now and then, thinking and remaining positive is a “choice”. Now this seems to be commonsense but the truth is that in business, it is easier to find a naysayer than an optimist. In fact, I actually believe there is a gravitational pull towards the negative, to be and remain positive takes a lot of hard work. This becomes even more important during a career change or transition. During change, you will find a lot of people who tell you why you cannot succeed on your own, why you shouldn’t look for the bigger job, why you shouldn’t leave the stability of this organization, or why the economy is sure to reign doom on your hopes and dreams; the reality is that if you stay focused and positive you will display confidence and great energy, this is evident to others and will be followed by opportunity. Don’t think it is true? Test the theory. Look at the folks you associate with in your career, for one entire have only meaningful conversations with people that are positive and full of life…you know the ones that stay energized and happy! Limit (as much as possible) the interaction with the doubting Thomas’…at the end of the day, test your energy level, I guarantee you will see the world a little better and half-full. In the end, you can make the decision to be “Happy”, it may require change but it is up to you. Negativity drains your energy and enthusiasm; surround yourself with positive things and positive things will happen to you!
Of course, if your boss is the “energy vampire” you probably need some extra help! Contact your career coach at http://www.career-forward.com/ for your transition map today and remember…Don’t let the bastards get you down!
Of course, if your boss is the “energy vampire” you probably need some extra help! Contact your career coach at http://www.career-forward.com/ for your transition map today and remember…Don’t let the bastards get you down!
The Best On-Line Networking Tool
As an HR consultant and career coach, I am often asked from jobseekers or clients in career transition how best to build a network of contacts. While the traditional rolodex of past and present associates will probably serve as the first calls you make when transitioning, one of the best avenues to stay connected that has recently exploded is LinkedIn®. The concept of social networking has been around for a while and is considered one of the cornerstones of the whole Web 2.0 movement. While Facebook®, Friendster® and Classmates® all serve as venues to stay in touch, LinkedIn® is dedicated to business professionals and networking from this aspect.Whether you are looking to change your job, your career, or just build your network, LinkedIn® is a great platform to find and connect with folks or groups of interest to you.
If you haven’t taken the opportunity to join, I encourage you to do so. Membership is free and only takes a few minutes to set up your profile; you can update it as things in your experience and life change but the first step is to get connected! http://www.linkedin.com/.
Career-Forward, a Cleveland, OH based Human Resources consulting and career coaching firm can assist you in the Human Resources strategy of your company, your recruitment needs and leadership development of your team. Our consultants are also positioned to offer career coaching assistance to you.
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