I’ve been enjoying a wonderful new book called The Career Clinic: 8 Simple Rules for Finding Work You Love, by Maureen Anderson. Maureen, the developer and facilitator of daily (!) and weekly radio shows on all aspect of career exploration and job hunting, has provided a few teasers from her book. Here’s an excerpt:
Ask for directions when you get lost.
If you want to be happy, hang around someone who is–and take notes. The more successful people are, in my experience anyway, the more they love to tell you how they became that way. Sure, you can hire a career counselor–I know a lot of good ones!–or go to a workshop or retreat. But a lot of great advice is yours, simply for the asking. Don’t be shy. Do be a good listener–it’s the best gift, and a sweet way to make someone glad they’re investing time in you.
I think this excerpt sounds a bit frivolous on first reading. Come on – the economy is in the most uncertain mode most of us have ever experienced. Employment figures are headed in the wrong direction. It’s a very difficult time to look for a job. And Maureen wants us to be happy? About this?
Think about it. What if we substitute successful for happy? Maureen has managed to make that transition in the above paragraph. Happy doesn’t have to mean the person wearing a silly grin. It might apply to the person who is enthusiastic about his/her work responsibility, seeks to upgrade skills, and has plenty of wisdom to share with you.
If you have been in a car with someone who refuses to ask directions when (to your thinking) it is obvious that you are lost, you know what a waste of time it can be. Could it be the same with your career?
Refusing to ask for help, refusing to consult a career professional, refusing to follow up an interesting conversation that got interrupted, refusing to go to an exploratory meeting of something that interests you – all these are equally a waste of your work life.
Engage! Consult! Question someone!
If you would like to speak with a career counselor, but have been putting it off because it just might work out on its own, please visit my website at www.anneheadley.com for contact information.
And by the way, if you would like to read something inspiring and original, you can purchase a copy of Maureen Anderson’s new book from me. I bet I could even arrange an autograph for you!
