Career Choice: Keeping it Simple

A client who is seeking a new direction, away from the really boring work she’s doing now, recently received a fascinating piece of advice.  She said that the other day, her young son, overhearing her expressing frustration with her current situation, said, “Mommy, why don’t you just do something you like?”

I love this.  I should hire the kid as an assistant, right?  But wait, if everyone knew that choosing something you like is at the core of career counseling, my whole industry could fold up and go home.  Think about it:  what do you like to do?

• chat with people,
• make the money stretch,
• dress up and go out to lunch,
• solve a problem,
• persuade people to do it your way,
• correct others’ grammar and spelling,
• raise money,
• read something new,
• fix something that’s broken,
• give a speech,
• taste frosting mixes.

Okay, probably kidding about that last one.  It’s not that your whole paid job is doing something that you like, but it’s a great place to begin your self-assessment.

What do I like to do?  I actually love listening to people’s stories, focusing on how they got from there to here, and where they’ll be going next.  Their style of decision-making, their ability to roll with bad situations, their willingness to let friends help them, their courage in walking away from something that’s not working out — these are all considerations in helping people make their next career moves.  I consider it a privilege to be part of someone’s life for a little while.  That’s what career counseling means to me.

If you would like to talk with me about how you would like to adjust your career toward something that you like, please visit my website at www.anneheadley.com for contact information.  Remember, that’s what I love to do.

Good news in troubled times (2)

What does a career counselor consider good news from clients? Any of the following:

1. a new job that’s a better fit for the client,
2. a decision to leave a negative situation and move toward something better,
3. a decision to stay in place and re-arrange priorities,
4. a recognition that one needs to update skills and therefore seek more education or training.

Such a change is happening for Nicki. She has gifts that are barely tapped in her jobs, including a passion for the arts and a knack with foreign languages. In this multicultural society, there is plenty of work for her as a translator, but she has the sense of standing still, despite job changes.

After a bout of depression and after taking a good look at her situation, Nikki has made a decision (thus making me happy for reasons 2 and 4 above). She has decided to stop blaming others for being who they are, and work on changing herself. She is applying to graduate school to become more enmeshed in technological communication.

Slow economic times are good for colleges and universities. It’s a great time to acquire new skills and knowledge for use on the other side of this recession. Nikki will emerge from school with a Master’s Degree, enhanced  confidence, an effective network, and readiness to look for a job in a new career.

Well done, Nikki! You’re making a careful decision, planning your financial life responsibly, and investing in your future.

Commitment to further education is an excellent use of these slow times.

Online Resources for the Job Search

At the annual conference of the Maryland Career Development Association, held on January 23, 2009 in Columbia, MD, facilitators and participants contributed the following web resources in a discussion of contemporary ways of enhancing the traditional processes of career development. I am attaching the suggested resources in hopes that you will find information that is useful to you. The lists are organized according to a traditional approach to career assistance:

1. Know Yourself:

• www.google.com. Especially, establish a Google alert for yourself.
• www.online.onetcenter.org.

2. Do the Research:

• www.bls.gov,
• www.technorati.com,
• www.rileyguide.com
• www.online.onetcenter.org

3. Make a Decision

This is not the time for internet research. This belongs to you – you can think, pray, visualize, and in every way absorb the information from the previous stages. Then choose a direction!

4. Conduct the job search:

• www.usajobs.gov
• www/nedsjotw.com
• www.employon.com
• www.indeed.com
• www.washingtonpostjobs.com
• www.constantcontact.com
• www.ceoupdate.com
• www.ASAEnet.org
• www.theladders.com
• www.secretsofthejobhunt.com

5. Follow up

• www.facebook.com,
• www.myspace.com,
• www.linkedin.com.

I have not personally examined each of these sites, but a remarkably savvy group of people contributed to this list.

A few questions for you:

• What are your experiences with these sites?
• Are there sites that you think should be on this list?
• Are there blogs that we should know about?

My colleague, web analyst Ann Poritzky, MBA, and I wish to thank the contributors to this posting. We could not have done it without you and we look forward to hearing about your experiences in online research.

Kids’ Career Planning: start now!

From the time we give our children fire trucks, ballet shoes, nurse or doctor kits, camouflage back-packs, paint sets, challenging books, or superhero lunch boxes, we are giving them career messages. Play-acting is fun and a vital part of career development, and our society knows how to do this. But what do you do when real information is needed?

It seems to parents that career information for kids is lacking. With all the test pressures at school, it is not surprising that guidance departments do not have the time or resources to present career information in as much depth as they would like.
So, what is a parent/adviser/counselor/youth minister/scout leader/grandparent/neighbor to do to help the young people you care about?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics provides a wonderful resource with current information in an easily-accessible format. Go to www.bls.gov/k12/index.htm. Here you will find facts, suggestions for further research, and definitions for the budding architect, physicist, musician or nurse. From accountant to zookeeper, you can learn whether this is an area you would like to explore.
Information for each job is organized by the following sections:

• What is this job like?
• How do you get ready?
• How much does this job pay?
• How many jobs are there? | What about the future?
• Are there other jobs like this?
• Where can you find more information?

You will be able to teach your young person how to do basic career research on the internet. And you will wish someone had pointed out this resource to you years ago.
Want to talk to a career counselor? You might wish to be a 14-year-old again, ask some basic questions, start at the beginning to plan the rest of your career (or your retirement!). Or you may wish to have your young person speak to someone who can affirm his/her interests, administer a simple career interest inventory, and suggest opportunities for further exploration. Go to www.anneheadley.com to make an appointment with a career counselor.

The Job Search after a Crisis

Once again, the headlines are filled with a scandal and its personalities. The late night monologues have new material. Conversations all around the country ponder how intelligent, educated people get caught up in career-breaking activities. New York Governor Eliot Spitzer resigns and Ashley Dupre is no longer known simply as Kristen. How can these individuals move on?

As a career counselor, I find that such people may be motivated to act quickly and decisively, but not wisely. I hope that people surrounding the key players in this week’s story will caution them to slow down, heal from the shock, repair their personal relationships, and plant their feet firmly on the ground before making decisions about work.

Any significant life experience changes us. We are tested in new ways, forced to face truths we would prefer to hide, analyzed by strangers and friends alike, and shaped into new beings.

Eventually, today with all its pain becomes tomorrow with its promise. And it is then that one can become analytical, objective, and truly open to possibilities. One can look anew at one’s life, its high and low points, and identify skills which will point the way to the next steps.

Assessment can be useful at this point. Whether personality assessments (such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) or career interest tests (such as the Strong Interest Inventory or the Self-Directed Search), they can explain behavior and choices, identify new areas to explore, and highlight new areas of growth and change. If these assessments are rushed because the individual doesn’t want to be in limbo long enough to heal, the results will be disappointing and inaccurate. They need to be taken when a person is calm and able to think objectively.

A crisis is survivable. Many people say that life eventually improves after a bad situation. People can get in touch with their original goals and values. A once-successful attorney can remember what he wanted in the first place. An aspiring singer can get back on the challenging path she chose before being caught up in illegal behavior. They can survive humiliation, ridicule and rejection. They can become more truly themselves.

Have you survived a crisis? Even if you were not in the headlines world-wide, you may have been caught up in trouble in your own workplace. You may have been embarrassed, exposed, and pressured to leave a job. Have you made the most of your recovery/rebirth? Are you ready to analyze your situation and take the next steps? Would you like to talk about it with a career counselor? If so, please visit www.anneheadley.com to be in touch.