Career Counseling: alternative settings

The voice comes clearly through the phone, and it’s a surprise to me that the caller is from Australia. He  wants career help.

Lower international phone charges and the world wide web have made such conversations more likely than ever before, although it’s still not a daily occurrence for me.  He found my blog and my website and wants to work with me.  First, I’m complimented.  Second, I’m apprehensive about the challenges of career coaching via phone and email.

After negotiating time differences and payment options (bless you, Paypal), we set up a time for our first session.

I couldn’t have imagined this scenario when I took graduate courses in counseling and career development some years ago.  I expected to see people face to face.  I took for granted that I would see smiles or frowns, that I would determine when a question was in the air, even if unspoken, that I would have body language to interpret.

And now there are clients I will never meet, with whom I struggle to establish rapport, to understand, to provide career guidance.  Often, they tell me I am successful, and occasionally we stumble.  Someone may speak faster than I do.  Someone may need time to think.  My day may be beginning as someone else’s day is ending.

The phenomenon of long-distance career work still induces awe.  Someone wants to talk with me!  Someone values what I might be able to share.  Someone wants to share his or her story with me, a stranger.  I’m here, ready for the next contact.

Have you had experience with telephone coaching?  I’d love to hear your story;

• what worked?
• what didn’t work?
• what techniques did you use for successful communication?

The 2009 Holiday Gift Guide for the Unemployed

If you are home reading blogs, I congratulate you for not being out there buying toys, gadgets, acrylic throws, appliances, and cheese logs. Now we can consider carefully the needs of the person on your list who is unemployed.  You want to be helpful, you want to make a difference, you might want to reflect the spiritual reasons we celebrate in these short, dark days, so here are my top ten gift suggestions in no particular order:

1. A food basket that looks like a luxury, but contains essentials such as  fresh fruit, coffee or tea, and maybe a grocery store gift card  (especially for someone who is getting by on unemployment),
2. A great book with either an overview of the job search process or a focus on one particular aspect of it (arranged alphabetically by author, because they are all my favorites):

• Anderson, Maureen, The Career Clinic: 8 Simple Rules for Finding Work You Love,
• Bolles, Richard, What Color is your Parachute 2010?
• Baber, Anne and Waymon, Lynne, Make Your Contacts Count (2nd edition)
• Krumboltz, John and Levin, Al, Luck is no Accident
• Taylor, Karol, and Ruck, Janet, Guide to America’s Federal Jobs.

3. A coffee or lunch date with you and a friend who happens to work in a field that interests the job hunter,

4. A debriefing after the next job interview, including a pot of tea (insert beverage of choice here) and you as a great listener,

5. An appointment with:

• a very good hair stylist,
• a computer coach,
• a massage therapist,
• a career counselor/coach,

6. A pay-as-you-go cell phone and/or prepaid phone cards for those who are suffering financially. It’s important to keep that cell phone operating to keep the job search current,

7. A classy accessory, such as a watch, pen, business card holder or cell phone cover that reflects the position to which the recipient aspires (doesn’t have to be expensive, just look it),

8. An invitation to a play, concert, or movie designed to (1) get one’s mind off the current situation  and (2) provide an intelligent answer to an interview question about what you have been doing recently,

9. A gift certificate to try a new career for a day.  Splurge on one of the offerings of Vocation Vacations (www.vocationvacations.com).  This is a dazzling program that promises experience shadowing someone in a totally different career field.  Pricey and memorable.

10. A card or note reminding the job seeker that 2010 brings promise of an economic recovery and that this time next year, the world will seem very different. You can also use the card to list what you think are the person’s gifts that will be welcome in the  workforce.  It has been suggested that you could use a “Top Ten Reasons You Are A Gifted Employee” format.

Your gift of concern, support, and love will add a unique dash of sparkle to the season.

God bless us, everyone!

Thank you, clients

As I consider my work this year, I marvel at how difficult life has been in 2009 for so many people.  And some of you found your way to me.  You think I helped you, and I hope that’s so.  You think I know the answers, or maybe you have figured out that I only know a few of them.

What you don’t know is how much I have learned/been reminded of from you this year.  Here is a sampling:

• creative people can also be organized, and need help in explaining that to others,
• organized people yearn to express their creativity, which is also hard to explain,
• family leave is an excellent time to explore career changes,
• people can internalize trends in their own professions, which can be depressing indeed,
• fearful people can take enormous risks,
• spiritual struggles are hard for some people to express, easy and natural for others,
• keeping your day job can be okay if you are doing it with a purpose in mind,
• writers just keep on writing no matter what,
• new college graduates can get discouraged way too easily in this economy,
• the most confident-appearing people need positive feedback as much as anyone,
• career clients are almost all willing to do homework that is specific, not willing to do it if it is vague,
• career counselors can be struck dumb by their own ignorance sometimes, which may be a good thing.

Thank you for reaching out.  Thank you for keeping your appointments and for coming on time (our horrendous traffic notwithstanding).  Thank you for paying promptly. Thank you for sharing your work experience and your aspirations.  Thank you for showing me your portfolios. Thank you for letting me know how the interview went.  Thank you for recommending me to your friends. Thank you for your amazing understanding when I am forgetful. Thank you for reading my blog and making comments.

Thank you!

I note that my friend and colleague Maureen Anderson is doing a series of blog postings on saying thanks to key people in her life and career.  Great idea, Maureen!  (In fact, you can drop everything and read this at www.thecareerclinic.com.)  I’m going to lift that idea and share my thanks with those who have made 2009 a successful and stimulating year for me.

Today I want to thank my career colleagues, without whom I’d be operating in a vaccuum, going stale fast,  bored with the sound of my own voice.

Here’s to you:

• Karol Taylor, who as an expert in federal employment, colleague from college teaching days, and neighbor, has enlightened me through phone calls and all-too-rare personal visits.
• Nancy Abramson and Bruce Ritter, colleagues from my faith community, who with humor and expertise, have shared their considerable ideas and skills,
• Will Anderson, whose promptness and professional resumes have delighted my clients for several years,
• Lynne Waymon, networking specialist and consultant, who lives out her message by sharing information and resources before getting anything in return,
• Ann Poritzky, who offers her expertise in web analytics and design to enhance my career.  Although she’s not a career counselor, she has offered as much connection, introduction, and counsel as any of us.
• Maureen Anderson, who is dedicated to spreading information about all aspects of career development through her books and weekly radio show.
• Kim Collins, who specializes in career work with ADD/ADHD clients.  Her understanding of the unique needs of her population is truly amazing.  Check out her blog at  www.coachkim.blogspot.com.

Thank you.  You make my work life more stimulating, more enriched, more current, and more effective.  I am grateful to have such a network.

What Color is your Parachute 2010 – what’s new?

Does anything really have to be new to make this a great book? No, it’s still the classic go-to book for job hunters.  Written by Richard N. Bolles, for several decades, it has been the first/best/most comprehensive source of information and inspiration for the unemployed.  Most people would admit to have a copy of it in their collection, but too few turn to it when it’s needed.

I’m going to make a few observations about this newest edition in the next postings.  If you have a question or comment about the 2010 edition, be sure to add a comment now so I can address your point during the month of November.

Today’s observation jumps out from the cover:  this book is called the “Hard Times” edition.  And Bolles jumps right in.  Chapters 1 and 2 are specifically related to tough times.  If you are discouraged because of the barrage of bad news that is served up daily in the newspapers, online, and over the airwaves, this section is for you.  Yes, unemployment figures are high (and some say will go higher).  Yes, it will take you longer to get a new job.  Yes, there is increased competition out there for you.

Heard enough?  Time for a dash of Bollesian logic.  He takes you through the process of working through the numbers in a way that just might make you smile.  He quite possibly proves that it’s not hopeless, that there is a place for you, that you have done it before, that you will become gainfully employed once again.

Probably the most startling thing to me that he doesn’t back down from his long-held belief that one should begin one’s job search with an identification of one’s passion, something he calls one’s mission in life.

In tough times, it is so easy to forget that mission stuff, to just go for the nearest attainable job.  Whereas Bolles agrees that for now, you may well have to take that stop-gap job, he never suggests for a minute that you let go of what you are meant to do on this earth.  You just may have to get there via smaller steps.

Interested?  Stay tuned for a few more thoughts on Parachute 2010.  Meanwhile, get yourself a copy!

Thinking about a Gap Year?

Gap Year is defined as a period of a year (or so) between high school and college.  It can also mean a time between undergraduate and graduate work, and, occasionally, it can mean the time between jobs.  It’s on the minds of many families these days.

If you have a teen in your family who doesn’t have a clue, doesn’t seem to have focus, or lacks maturity to tackle college courses, then someone has probably suggested a gap year.  I hear about it quite often.

There’s an article available at the ever-helpful website of the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  You can find it at www.bls.gov.  There you will find a discussion of programs and things to look for in choosing one.

There are a few points that I would want to consider if I were in the market for a Gap Year program:

• Is there useful work to be done that is of interest to the young person?
• Is there ongoing guidance and discussion of goals for the year?
• Is there security and supervision in housing?
• Have you checked with a favorite college to see how they view/evaluate gap year programs?
• What about the cost?
• How does the high school student feel about the program?

The article cited above, published in the Occupational Outlook Quarterly (fall, 2009) is written by Elka Maria Torpey.  She has concisely identified pros and cons of gap years, provides timely advice (get accepted to college first if possible, then ask for a deferment), and lists resources for organized gap year programs.  This is well worth considering.

What an effective Gap Year is not is a chance to sleep late, hang around, or get more depressed about the future.  Each family should set goals, structure the time, and establish clear understanding of expectations.  If career counseling can help,  feel free to contact me through my website at www.anneheadley.com.

Note to adults in career transition: my next posting will discuss your own Gap Time and how to make the most of it.

Stopped in your Tracks? Learn from it!

One month ago today, I fell onto my own foot and broke three bones.  It appears that my pride has been shattered along with a couple of pieces of my foot.

While hobbling around, I have been hibernating, grateful for calls and visits from friends,  highly appreciative of the care of my husband and attentiveness of family far and near.

What are the implications of an accident or an illness on the job search process?  Well, speaking only from my own experience, I can see that:

• you feel self-conscious when hobbling around,
• pain really makes you feel old,
• you look at things differently – in terms of the physical challenges (stairs?  how many?  parking?  how close?),
• you want people to see you – not the cast, not the cane.

Those of you with more permanent challenges can rest assured that I’m closer to understanding you than I used to be.  Let’s see how I’m doing:  others want to know what happened, but are hesitant to ask.  They want to help, but don’t know whether to offer assistance.  If you are in pain, it’s hard to put forth your best appearance and conjure up enthusiasm for the job opportunity you are seeking.  And you’d like to explain that you aren’t always in pain.

I’ll get liberated from my situation in a few more weeks. Meanwhile, please hold that elevator door – I’m coming!

Gift Giving Guide – a call for help

I’m in the process of upgrading my 2009 top ten gifts for the job hunter and I’m seeking your help. Last year’s list elicited quite a positive response from readers, and was linked by other sites.  Now it’s time to reconsider the nicest, most comforting, most inspiring, most useful (and sometimes the most tactful) items that a job hunter could receive.

Is it the gift of time?  Something luxurious?  Something classic? Something basic?

You tell me.  If you are unemployed right now, what would you welcome into your life in December (besides a new job, we know!)?

I’ll be releasing my list on Black Friday, but until that time, I’m happy to have some suggestions.  Just add a comment to this posting and I promise to consider your suggestion carefully.

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.

The 24-Hour Job Search: who needs it?

Many job seekers suffer from guilt that they are not looking all day every day – and evenings, too.  Not to be reading, exploring, tweaking your resume, writing thank-you notes, shining your shoes for the next interview  - it feels decadent and self-indulgent.

Stop!  Let’s be reasonable about this.  I would like you to ask yourself when your most productive time of day/night occurs.  Your peak hours are those in which much can be accomplished.  It’s a wonderful piece of information to have about yourself.

When you were in school, there were peak times for you to attend class, take notes, participate, and learn without much effort.  Likewise, there were those times when attending was an effort, never mind being on time, when you struggled to take notes (which didn’t always make sense later).

Why not apply that knowledge to your job search activities?  If you’re not a morning person, then don’t do the most important stuff then.  Get the laundry done, do some cleaning, and slowly, as the fog lifts and mid-day approaches, get into your search.  Maybe you’re meeting someone for lunch.  Maybe you’re following up on email.  Maybe you’re hand-delivering a resume to a contact you met at a job fair.

Don’t struggle against yourself.  Go with your flow, working with your 24-hour cycle of peaks and valleys. This is especially important when setting up interviews.  You don’t have to explain your reason, but try hard to schedule that meeting during your best time.  You’ll need that sparkle in your eyes to make a great impression.

Do you have any experience relating to your peak/off hours?  Other readers would love to hear how you handle this.