How Will You Start 2012?

I recognize that time is flying by for most folks and this time of year some of you may barely have time to take a deep breath, let alone think about what you will do in the new year. But I encourage you to take a few minutes during these busy days to think about what you would like to accomplish. What do you hope and plan to do, at least in 2012 and possibly beyond. Sometimes we must come up with ways of doing things differently if we want to get different results from our plans. So if you have gone the route of New Year's Resolutions that were not fulfilled before, then think of what you might do differently this time around.


Before we get too far along with developing plans, we need to be clear on what our goals are. Those may be goals related to your personal life or your work life, or your spiritual life, or other aspects of who you are, but you need to be clear on what you are hoping to do. Once you have clarified your goals, you can begin to develop plans. If it is a goal that is similar to one you have had before but did not meet, then you need some different plans to reach that goal. If it is a new goal, then you have the opportunity to think about what would be achievable that would move you closer to your identified goal.


It seems that for many people, they do not achieve their goals because they spend too much of their time and energy working at things that are not directly related to what they want in life, that is, related to their purpose or mission in life. The more stray activities and miscellaneous clutter you can remove from your life, the more opportunity you will have to achieve what you set out to do without jumping over various obstacles. That is not to say that there may be no obstacles, but you are more likely to be able to see ways around or through an obstacle when you are focused on what you are trying to achieve. So take the time up front to clear your thoughts and your calendar for things that have meaning or importance in your life.


Once you are clear on your goals, it should become more evident what you need to do to achieve them. The more details you can include in your goals, the more likely you will succeed at each step along the way. Include time frames and/or checkpoints to help monitor your progression and increase your chances of success.


Happy New Year.



Mary Ann Davis is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including a career or job change, planning for retirement or non-retirement, coping with a job loss, preparing for return to work or to school, and other life changes. Mary Ann has been working with adults in transition for over 20 years and assists individuals to develop solutions to their life planning issues. She is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). For more information on her services, please visit her web site at http://www.yourcareerplan.com/. To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential voice message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.

What Does Winter Solstice Mean For Your Career Plans?

This year the Winter Solstice occurs on Thursday, December 22. This day is the shortest day and longest dark/night of the year. It is also thought of as a time of rebirth or reversals.


So what does that mean in terms of your career plans? My last post encouraged readers not to put their job search on hold during the holidays. But this post includes folks who are not in the midst of a search as well as those expecting to start a job search in the near future. Perhaps you are one of those people, similarl to many I have seen in my practice, who are not at all happy with their work and/or their employer, but have no idea what they would do differently or where. These folks are beyond being undecided they are saying essentially that they are clueless.


For those folks, you might use this coming time of rebirth to think about what you would rather be doing - and that may be work or it could be volunteer activities or other community involvement that would bring satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment to you. Some people start by writing down things they are currently doing, or have done in the past, that they were good at and enjoyed. That's a good place to start. I also encourage you to make a list of things you have actually done that either you were no good at or you really didn't like doing. In that way, you are less likely to have very much of that latter group of things in something you undertake now, if you keep those items somewhere in your head or on a notepad.


If you already have career plans, this could be a good time for a check up - see if you are still on tract - or to dust off those plans and remember what you said you would do for your career. As life gets busier, and right now our days really are a bit shorter, it is fairly easy to get off track or to stray from good intentions. Take this opportunity, before the end of another year, to decide or to recall what you will do for you and your career.



Mary Ann Davis is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for adults in transition; including a career or job change, planning to return to work or to school, coping with a job loss, preparing for retirement, and other life changes. She meets with individuals in person and via telephone to assist them in identifying solutions to life planning issues. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). For more information on her services, please visit her web site at http://www.yourcareerplan.com/. To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.

Don't Put Your Job Search On Hold

If you are currently in the midst of an active job search, you may be tempted to put those activities on hold during the holidays. I would encourage you not to do that. You may need to cut back a bit, just so you have the opportunity to enjoy some time with family and friends, but if you put it away entirely, it may be hard to pick back up after the holidays. Besides, we do not know what will open up with the beginning of a new year.

So, if you are searching, you might use some of your time to catch up on your reading. You should have done some research on potential employers and the industry in which you want to work. If you have not done so, I would encourage you to take some time for reading. You can find information on the Internet in a variety of sources, but I would probably start with a search by industry type or company name. If you have not checked for a website hosted by your potential employer, you should do so. If you can not find that, then look for information based on the particular industry type - you are looking for trends or other hints that may indicate the industry is anticipating growth or at least not preparing for a decline. There may even be names of individuals mentioned that you can link to through your LinkedIn account or other networking activities. Your reading can provide some topics for you to use in your outreach efforts.

It is also a good idea to check for a professional association affiliated with the occupation you are pursuing to see if there is a link to their organization on Twitter. If not the actual occupation, then maybe you can find people who are part of the association who are active on Twitter. You may be able to find a thought leader you can follow and submit some responses to items they post. This can help to expand your visibility. If nothing else, you can search through Twitter just to see who is out there and try to identify someone you want to follow.

If you have been searching for a job for a while, this may be a good time to review your marketing materials. It may be that there are some ways in which you could tweak your resume or basic cover letter to make it more enticing to potential employers. Consider how you are doing in interviews. Do you need to improve the questions you have been asking or the answers you have been giving?

It may be that everything is in order and in tip top shape and you don't feel you need to improve in those areas, then you might just spend some of your regular search time during the holiday season looking for or trying to think of other people you might connect with. This can also be a good time to update your references, etc. on how your search is going and thank them for their support.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't think it is a good idea to take "off" the month of December from your job search. Think of some things you could do that would be beneficial so that you will be ready to gear up after the beginning of the year.

Happy Holidays.

Mary Ann Davis, M.A. is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including a career or job change, planning for retirement, coping with a job loss, preparing to return to school or to work, or other life changes. She meets with individuals in person and via telephone to assist them to find solutions to life transition issues. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). For more information on her services, please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com. To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential voice message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.

BE GRATEFUL

Next week we will celebrate Thanksgiving. A time when we should think about and appreciate the many things for which we are grateful - or should be grateful. Sometimes it may be hard to think of what that might be, but if you can read this, then that is one thing for which you can be grateful - there are many people who are not capable of reading or who do not have access to a computer on a regular basis or who do not have sight or the instruments to allow them to "read" from the screen.

From there, you can think about what you have to be grateful for - it may be that you have a job that at least pays the bills or that provides health insurance for you and your family and allows you to put food on the table. Even though the job may not be what you want and even though the job may be "making you crazy", there are those who would suggest that in this day and time, you should be grateful you have it. I do know a number of people who are out of work and have been for more than 10 or 12 months. And many of them can still name the things for which they are grateful. So being grateful is actually a state of mind. We can choose to gripe and moan about our situation, whatever it may be. Or we can be grateful - even if for the little things in life. That does not mean that you do not want things to be different, but for now, appreciate what you do have and those things for which you could and, probably should, be grateful.

I am grateful that I have the ability to string together several sentences that seem to make sense. I am grateful for the capacity to communicate via this medium. I am grateful that my mind is still functioning and I can think of things to write about. There are so many more things for which I am grateful and, particularly at this time of year, I like to remember the big and the small things that I appreciate in life and express my gratitude. You may want to think about doing the same thing.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Mary Ann Davis is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and coaching for life's transitions; including a career or job change, planning to return to work or to school, preparing for retirement, coping with a job loss, and other changes. She meets with individuals in person and via telephone to assist them through a change guidance system. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). To learn more about her services, please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com. To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.

Are You a Worker Who Is Concerned?

In today's world of work, there are a number of workers who are concerned - about where their organization is headed and/or how they fit into that future picture. Perhaps there are rumors of a merger or buy out or possibly shutting down an office. Maybe you have heard that there will be a new office opened, in the near future, that will handle the same kinds of tasks done at your location. There could be a number of different concerns. If you are one who is concerned, I encourage you to think about the basis for your concern and determine if you need to develop a plan for working on it.

Start by writing down the facts that you know. If you have no facts, then write down your beliefs or what has caused you to be concerned. You may need to spend some time thinking about little signs that you have noticed over the past several months, perhaps. Maybe you heard the tail end of a discussion between two managers that caused you to wonder what was up. Perhaps you have noticed a change in the form or frequency of communications from management. Whatever indications you have that something is not right - write those down.

Then you must decide how you can get more information to clarify the realities of the situation. Do you have a co-worker who is a confidante? Are you comfortable discussing a variety of issues with your supervisor? Is there someone in Human Resources that you can talk to who will give you some answers? Try to determine where and how you can get some real data. You may just decide to add up what you were able to write down initially and determine that you would be better off taking an active approach to make a change yourself.

It may be that there would be something else within your organization that would be more stable and would suit you. It may be that the potential coming change will not impact you or your work and you are OK where you are. It certainly may be just odd circumstances that caused you to be concerned and there really is nothing out of the ordinary to be concerned about. Or it may be that you want to begin thinking about where else you could look for work. Sometimes although people may see the "handwriting on the wall", they choose to ignore it until they receive confirmation of the change that is now underway.

As a professional career counselor, I can talk with you about your concerns and help you evaluate what may be real. We could also discuss possible options for you to consider. If you are concerned, I encourage you at least to identify why you have those feelings or thoughts. From there you can decide what direction you want to take.

Mary Ann Davis is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including career or job change, loss of job, retirement planning, planning to return to work or to school, and other life planning issues. She meets with individuals in person and via telephone to assist them through her change guidance system. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). For more information on her services, please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com. To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential voice message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.

What Would You Rather Be Doing?

If you often sit around and think, "I would rather be doing _______" I wonder why you aren't doing _______. In the case of work, I wonder why you are still doing the work you are doing instead of the work you would rather be doing. Often the answer to that is that you don't actually know what you would rather be doing, you just know that you no longer (or maybe never) enjoy your current work.

If that is your situation, I encourage you to think about what you would rather be doing. Would that alternative involve working more with people, or possibly less people involvement? Would it involve working more with your hands - doing something with some particular tools - or less with your hands? Or maybe you would like to work more with numbers or if you are fed up with counting things, you might want less work with numbers or data. Those provide some good starting points. Most jobs include some of working with people, some working with things (using your hands), and some working with data or numbers. In most cases, those activities are not divided equally in a job, but more of one than the other two kinds of involvement.

Once you have figured out which kind of activity (people, things, or data) you would like more of in your job, you can then begin to look at jobs for which you are already qualified that would involve that. Or if you are prepared to continue your education or obtain more training, what could you qualify for that would be a better fit? You should also consider the kinds of skills you would like to use, what would be a good fit for your personality, and which kinds of work would not conflict with your major work values. But those pieces can be sorted through as you identify potential jobs. Those might be jobs with your current employer or with another employer, if you are ready to leave.

I encourage you to start this process by thinking of what you would rather be doing. From there you can develop a description of the kind of work that you would like to pursue - if not now, in the not-too-distant future.

Mary Ann Davis is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including a career or job change, preparing for non-retirement, planning to continue your education or return to work. She works with individuals in person and via telephone to assist them in finding solutions to life planning issues. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). For more information on her services, please visit her web site at http://www.yourcareerplan.com/. To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential voice message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.

The World of Work

In today's world of work, many things and practices are different than they were 25 years ago. In some cases, they are different than they were just 8 years ago. The other day my grandson asked me how old my son was when he got his first cell phone. I told him an age I thought was appropriate - but it was older than 20! So my grandson was not expecting that answer. As it turns out, he thought he was old enough to have one.

At any rate, the onset of things such as cell phones is one instance where things have changed dramatically in the last 10 years. I'm thinking the world of work is another one of those things. It was not so long ago that a job seeker could look through the Sunday paper, find some ads they could respond to, send in a resume - or go to the employer's location to submit an application - to be considered for employment.

In today's world, you should still look through the newspaper to see what kinds of jobs are advertised, but if it has been a while since you looked there, you may be surprised by what you find. In addition to looking at ads in the paper, you should certainly look online. Not only are there some sites that you may want to post your resume to, and some you want to check regularly for notices, you should also launch a plan to include some informal searching for possible job opportunities through networking.

I encourage my clients to use a multi-pronged approach to the job search. I don't believe you can depend on just one method to uncover possible job opportunities. Additionally, you should divide your search time proportionately based on which sources are likely to provide more leads. So, although you should look through the paper, that should not take the majority of your search time. The same applies to looking for online opportunities. Since networking is more likely to provide some actual leads, that is where you should spend the majority of your search time. Also, if you have the opportunity to do so, make sure you add some lead time to complete your search. These days a job search may easily take more than 12 months. Develop a good plan and keep at it.


Mary Ann Davis is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including a career or job change, coping with a job loss, preparing to return to work or to school, planning for non-retirement, and other life planning issues. She meets with clients in person and via telephone to assist in finding solutions to their issues regarding such transitions. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). Please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com for more information on her services. To contact Mary Ann, please call (513_ 665-4444 x3 or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.

So What Do You Do When Your Plan Fails?

What do you do when your plans do not work out? Maybe it hasn't happened to you, but I know there have been a number of times in my life when my plans didn't work out the way I wanted. If you have not had that experience, congratulations. If you have, then you know that can be a frustrating experience. Or perhaps you have some other way to describe it - infuriating, problematic, or just plain troublesome, etc.

How you cope with that situation says a lot about you. If you begin to take your frustrations out on others, that would be one way to handle it. Or you could sit in the corner and mope. Or you could take it in your stride. There is some saying about "The best laid plans..." and I think it ends with, "often go astray" or maybe that is just how it ends for me.

The other day I was in a shop and saw a little plaque that talked about how you cope with Plan B. So many times when our original plans don't work out, we don't know what to do or what to think. But if you start by creating a Plan A and a Plan B, at least to some extent, you may not be so thrown off base if Plan A doesn't work out. Of course, planning may not be your strong suit to begin with, so the thought of developing two plans may really make you cringe. But if you are going to develop a plan, I think it is good to think about an alternate, just in case you don't initially get what you had planned. Your Plan B would not have to be quite as detailed as your Plan A, but even having a rough draft would mean that you could just dust it off and fill in some blanks to get started on it. And that advice applies to many aspects of today's life - including finding a job.


Mary Ann Davis is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including a career or job change, planning for retirement, coping with a job loss, planning to return to work or school, or other life changes. She meets with individuals in person and via telephone to assist them in developing solutions to their life planning issues. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). For more information on her services, please visit her web site at http://www.yourcareerplan.com/.

To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.

Tracking Your Search

If you are currently looking for a job, I encourage you to track your search so that you can increase your chances for a successful landing. You will need to identify organizations that are potential employers for someone with your background and interests. It is important to do some research on those organizations. There are many websites available for you to do some reading about various organizations. You also want to talk to some people who know something about the field of work you are pursuing and/or the organizations on your list.


Keep track of the people you contact and the method and dates of contact. Be sure to make note of when you said you would follow-up so that you can do so in a timely manner. You may want to create some type of worksheet or database to keep track of each person's full name, title, employer, mailing address, phone number, email address, and their preferred means of contact. You also want to make note of dates and method of each contact. As you network and get referrals to other individuals, you also want to make note of who made the referral.


You should also keep track of potential employers you contact and/or submit applications or resumes. Obviously you want to be sure to follow up with them as appropriate and should not depend on your memory to keep track of all those details. You would want to keep the same types of information on potential employers as you did for your networking and other contacts. In addition to preparing your resume, basic letters, and yourself for the job search process, it is best to also set up a system to keep track of all these search activities.




Mary Ann Davis, M.A., is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including a career or job change, planning to return to work or to school, coping with job loss, preparing for non-retirement, and other life planning issues. She meets with individuals in person and via telephone to assist in finding solutions to life transition issues. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). For more information on her services, please visit her web site at http://www.yourcareerplan.com/.


To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential voice message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.

Your Job Search Toolkit (part 7)

For several weeks we have talked about parts of your job search toolkit and how you should pack it. You can see that conducting a job search today is different than it was, even 10 years ago. As always, you should select individuals who will serve as references for you. It is important that you select your professional references from those individuals who will not only speak well of you, but who should be able to relate to the folks who may be inquiring about you. Be sure that you confirm their willingness to serve as a reference, don't just assume that they will. When you contact them regarding your need for a reference source, you should also verify that you have their correct contact information and current title. I think it is a good idea for all of your references to have a copy of your current resume, so they know what you are looking for and what you're saying about yourself. You should have a list of your professional references prepared so you can finalize it to share when asked by an employer. Adding a statement on your reference list about how each person knows your work can add to your overall worth.

A networking script is also needed for your search. It probably should include your Position Statement, and possibly your Departure Statement, depending on how well the contact knows you. If you were referred to that contact by someone else in your network, you should include who the referral came from when you make the contact. I think your script should also include asking if this person knows anyone else you should contact and whether you can use their name when you do. I encourage my clients to make a list of everyone they know before they begin networking and include their phone number and email address, at least. It may also be helpful to include some notation about how you know each person.

With all this information, you will need some kind of system to keep track of your search related activities. It is good to have a method of tracking your networking activities so you don't contact a person too frequently or too seldom and your means of contact. You will want to have a system for keeping track of contact you make with potential employers so you can follow-up when you said you would and with whom you said, etc. These days a job search could be a full-time job. If you are not currently working at all, you will need to step up your search activities. No matter what your other circumstances, you will probably need to add some patience to your toolkit because a search can be quite draining.

Mary Ann Davis, M.A., is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including a career or job change, preparing for return to work or to school, coping with job loss, planning for non-retirement, and other life planning issues. She meets with individuals in person and via telephone assisting them in finding solutions to life planning issues. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). For more information on her services, please visit www.YourCareerPlan.com.

To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential voice message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.

Your Job Search Toolkit (part 6)

Although we have talked about several pieces for your Job Search Toolkit, your plans for a job search are not yet complete. Additionally, I encourage you to prepare a professional bio, identify your target companies/organizations, select professional references, develop a networking script and list of contacts, and create/purchase a record keeping system.


The professional bio should be prepared to highlight achievements related to your current career direction. It should be brief, typically no more than one page, and should be written in third person. This document could be used in some networking meetings and possibly in contacting potential employers. Instead of peddling your resume everywhere, a professional bio can be used when you talk with people about what you are looking for, as it will give them concrete examples of your experiences. If you are approaching a potential employer about how your background may be beneficial to them, a professional bio can be a good representation of you. You may also wish to share a copy with people who will be serving as professional references for you and others who may be able to put in a good word for you with people they know.


A professional biography (bio) is a brief (one typed page) description of your work history. Obviously, you would not necessarily include every job you have held, only those that are most relevant to the kind of work you are currently seeking. The points on your bio should be linked to your accomplishment stories. You should also include some tangible results from the accomplishments you include. It is good to include any quantifiable data that relates to your accomplishments, as well. Find appropriate action words to use in describing what you have done.


Once you have clarified the kind of work you are looking for, you should put together a list of preferred potential employers who could benefit from your skills and talents. Those would be the organizations that you should research fairly well to learn about them as you try to find a niche you could fill for them. You will want to find out not only their location and primary contact information, but also names of key people related to your desired position. You would also want to research potential needs they may have or problems you could help them address. We will address the remaining pieces for the toolkit in the last blog post for this series.




Mary Ann Davis, M.A., is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including a job or career change, coping with an empty nest, planning to return to work or school, non-retirement planning, coping with loss of job, and other life planning issues. She meets with individuals in-person and on-line to assist them to find solutions to their life transition issues. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). Please visit her web site at http://www.yourcareerplan.com/ for more information on her services.


To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.

Your Job Search Toolkit (part 5)

In preparation for job interviews, you should also prepare, or at least think about, experiences and activities from your past that would demonstrate your skills and strengths to share with an employer. It is a good idea to write out some stories of your accomplishments. You should be able to come with at least 5 or 6 stories from your background that would be appropriate to share. These accomplishments can be from previous work experiences, volunteer or community activities, but should be relevant to the kinds of work you are currently pursuing. Obviously, if you are considering different types of work for your next move, you may need some different stories to suit the different industries or work environments you are seeking.


In addition to preparing your accomplishment stories, in this job market, it is to your advantage to have an online presence. You should have an email address (not through your employer) through which you could be contacted. The email address should be a decent name, not some "cute" nickname, etc. These days it is also a good idea to have a Professional Profile on LinkedIn. You should use it only for professional information and networking. If you have a profile on Facebook or other network, I encourage you to check to see what information is there and remove anything you would not want a potential employer to see. Employers are actually checking the online presence of candidates - sometimes even before they invite them in for an interview. As far as that goes, it is a good idea to Google yourself so you can see what else is out there about you.


LinkedIn can be very beneficial in your networking activities but you should be willing to share information, as well. Find some groups you would like to belong to and follow their posts, offering a reply or comment, as appropriate. Maintaining your contacts through LinkedIn can also be advantageous even after you start a new job.

Although I encourage you to find job posting sites that are appropriate for you to follow in your search, I also encourage you to monitor the amount of time you spend on line. It is very easy to get involved in browsing and reading, but it is not necessarily a productive use of your time.




Mary Ann Davis, M.A., is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including a career or job change, planning for non-retirement, coping with a job loss, preparing to return to school or to work, and other life planning issues. She meets with individuals in person and on-line to assist them to find solutions to life transition issues. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). Please visit her web site at http://www.yourcareerplan.com/ for more information on her services.

To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.

Your Job Search Toolkit (part 4)

These days a job search requires the individual to be prepared for a variety of interview situations. Employers or their representatives are probably conducting more phone screening interviews than they used to do. Those are often designed to "weed out" candidates who are not the type of employee the employer is seeking. It may involve clarifying parts of your background or more of a personality screening. At any rate, no matter what the format, an interview should be prepared for in advance. You may be invited to meet with a search committee and/or someone from Human Resources and that will likely happen before you actually get to meet with someone from the actual hiring department and before you meet your potential boss.

It is OK to ask what type of interview or format you will be involved in. This allows you to get your mind ready for what you may face. It is always a good idea to think about what kinds of questions you may get. There are a variety of sources online that offer typical interview questions, if you'd like to review those. In addition to the typical questions, you should think about what you would want to know, if you were in the position of employer, and how you would answer those questions. You should also prepare some questions you can ask. They should be designed to demonstrate that you know something about the organization and its products/services.


As part of your preparation, you should think about what you consider to be your individual attractive factors - those things about you that make you a strong candidate and hopefully make you more qualified than others who apply. What skills/experiences do you possess that other applicants may not? Are there particular traits you possess that may make you more attractive to a potential employer? Why would they want to hire you, instead of one of the other hundreds of candidates who likely applied for the job? Those are questions you will want to answer in preparing for your interviews. Hopefully in your research on the organization, you were able to identify a need they have that you could help them address. All of these pieces could be part of your individual attractive factors.




Mary Ann Davis, M.A., is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including career or job change, coping with a job loss, preparing to return to school or to work, planning for retirement, and other life planning concerns. She works with individuals in persona and via telephone to assist them in finding solutions to their life transition issues. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). Please visit her web site at http://www.yourcareerplan.com/ for more information on her services.


To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.

Your Job Search Toolkit (part 3)

We have reviewed the three main formats for resumes for your job search toolkit. Today, we will talk about your Position and Departure Statements. Although I suggest you prepare these statements in advance, ideally they will be something you can repeat without having it sound like a memorized speech. So I do encourage you to practice your statements, once you have written them.

When I talk about a Departure Statement, I'm referring to a brief statement that explains why you left/or are planning to leave your previous position - your departure. This could be particularly beneficial when your reason(s) are not within your control, but when well written, could also help explain situations where you were "at fault".

Your Departure Statement should be brief - about 30 to 40 seconds - and should be positive in tone. It should include why and how you left your previous employer or why you are seeking a new position. It should reflect that you have a clear idea of where you are headed professionally, and that you are prepared to do what you need to do to get there. It could be used when you are networking or looking for leads to potential employment opportunities and may be appropriate to share in an interview when asked why you are looking or why you are available.

A Position Statement is also known by other names, including an Introductory Statement or an elevator speech. This statement should also be brief - about 30 seconds - and be positive in nature. It should address your individual attractive factors (to be covered in a later post on toolkits), your professional reputation, and the kind of industry and position you are looking for.

The Position Statement is also very valuable when networking and can be crafted as a response to the frequently asked interview question, "Tell me about yourself." It could also be used when you unexpectedly meet someone in a professional situation you would like to introduce yourself to. This statement should also reflect your knowledge of who you are, professionally, and what you are looking for, which should be a reasonable goal, based on your background.

Obviously, if you are currently looking for more than one type of job, you would need to adjust your statements accordingly, so they are appropriate for what you will share otherwise about your background.


Mary Ann Davis, M.A., is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including a career or job change, planning for retirement, coping with a job loss, preparing to return to work or school, coping with an empty nest, and other life planning concerns. She meets with individuals in person and via telephone to assist them with finding solutions to their life planning issues. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). For more information on her services, please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com.
To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.

Create Your Job Search Toolkit (part 2)

In the last post we talked about a basic chronological resume for your job search toolkit. Today, we'll talk about the other resume formats - functional and combination (sometimes referred to as chrono-functional). If you choose to design a functional or combination resume, their formats are fairly similar. Instead of listing your work experiences in reverse chronological order, like you would for a chronological resume, you identify 3 to 5 broad skill areas which you have used and would like to focus on in your next position.

Of course, you would still begin with appropriate contact information about you, no matter which format you choose. Your resume could still have a Summary or Professional Profile section that could be written as a sort of paragraph or just a bulleted list. The idea for the summary is to give the reader a few highlights from your background that will entice her/him to read further. This should also include action words that are directly related to the kind of work you hope to do next.

For your work experience, you would create 3 to 5 headings that represent your experiences (your functional skills), whether paid or volunteer. So a person in business might use headings of Marketing and Communications, Inventory Control, and Management and Supervision, for example. Then under each of those headings you would have brief statements that represent experiences you have using that skill. The statements could be work from a combination of job titles and/or companies or from volunteer or other professional activities. So the skills and experiences that you want to showcase that are related to marketing and communications, for example, would be listed under that category.

The primary difference between a functional and a combination resume is the amount of information provided for each of your employers. In a truly functional resume, you would simply list the name of each employer, dates of employment, location of the job, and your job title. In a combination resume, in addition to that information, you would also provide a brief statement (or statements about your responsibilities in each job. In either format, if the name of the employer may not easily be recognized, it is a good idea to include a brief statement regarding the nature of the company - it's primary focus.

You will need an education section no matter which format you choose. If you have volunteer experiences, you may wish to include a section to list those organizations or companies, as well. Additionally, you may wish to include a section on professional activities or organizations in which you are actively involved.

It is generally believed that a combination or functional resume provides more flexibility, and perhaps visibility, particularly for individuals who are making a career change and not staying in the same field in which they are currently or were most recently working. These formats are also preferred by many individuals who have a gap in their work history. On the whole, I believe most employers still prefer the chronological resume format, but if your background would be represented by one of the other formats, you may wish to try that and see what responses you get. Because, no matter which resume format you choose, if it does not result in positive responses, you want to make some adjustments to it and try again. In the next post we will discuss other items for your job search toolkit.

Mary Ann Davis, M.A., is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice, providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including a career change or job search, preparing for retirement, returning to work or to school, coping with a loss of job. She meets with individuals in person and via telephone assisting them to find solutions to their life transition issues. She is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). Please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com for more information on her services.
To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential voice message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.

Create Your Job Search Toolkit

In today's job market, the job seeker must be prepared to use multiple approaches to landing a new position. It is no longer sufficient to create a standard resume, peruse the want ads in the local paper and send your resume in response to an ad. These days a search is much more demanding and, in most cases, more difficult for the job seeker.

Don't get me wrong, I believe you should still look through the local paper for want ads. One thing you will find, if you haven't looked at that section lately, is that, in general, there are not as many ads as you may be used to seeing. Additionally, many of the ads are looking for general workers or job seekers with very specialized abilities. Because most jobs that are filled are never advertised anywhere, it is important not to spend a disproportionate amount of time on a method that is not likely to produce many results.

Your job search toolkit should include a number of things, but today we are going to start with a resume. Although most people suggest you revise your resume, even if only slightly, for each position for which you apply, you need to come up with your basic resume template. These days there are still three basic formats for resumes: chronological, functional, and combination. The chronological is still the preferred format for many employers, and that is the design that requires you to list your positions in reverse chronological order.

No matter what format you choose for your resume, it would generally begin with your name and your contact information. You name should be typed so that it stands out from the rest of the information. Depending on how you will deliver the resume, you may choose not to include your home address on it, but you should include your cell and/or home phone number, and your email address. Again, be sure that the outgoing message on your phones is a professional sounding one and that anyone who might answer the number given can take a message and handle the call in a professional manner. If you list two phone numbers, you should indicate which is which. Also, be sure that the email address is one that is basic or professional sounding.

In a chronological resume format, whatever position or title you hold now, or your most recent position, would be listed at the beginning of your experience section. Before you jump into listing your experiences, I would suggest that you insert a summary of sorts for the section after your contact information. Your summary may be just a listing of areas of expertise, technical skills, or could be some significant highlights from your work history. It should not be too long, but provide sufficient information to get the attention of someone reading it.

Generally your experience section would come next. The exception may be for individuals who are just graduating - in that case, you may wish to list your education next. That is particularly helpful for those who do not have work experience related to the position they are seeking. Your current or most recent position should contain statements about the skills you demonstrated and tasks for which you were responsible. To the extent possible, all your statements in your experience section should begin with an action verb. Any figures that you can include which help to document your accomplishments is a good idea. You may use sentences or just bulleted statements for your experiences. Each position should include the title you held, the name of your employer, and dates of employment. In some cases, you may wish to include the city where you worked and/or a brief statement about the nature of the employer you worked for/the industry it is in.

You would repeat this same process for every position you have held - going back about 15 to 18 years. You would only consider including a position from further back than that if it is directly related to the position you are currently seeking. Generally 15 or so years of work history is sufficient.

Education is often the next section on a chronological resume. You generally list your most recent education first. The exception might be if you have completed some type of certificate program more recently than you received your degree. Unless the certificate is directly related to the work you are now seeking, you may need to list it after your degree. For each degree you have completed, list the name of the degree, your major area of study, the name of the institution, and generally the date you received the degree. (If you graduated long ago, you may wish to leave that date off.) If you were recognized for your grades/honors, you generally want to include that as well. If you provide your grade point average (gpa), you should include the scale on which it is based; so if you have a 3.8 on a 4.0 scale, you would indicate both numbers. You would also include that same basic information on the previous degrees/programs completed. The exception is that you do not need to include high school, unless you do not have a college education.

You may wish to include a section on professional activities or organizations to which you belong and/or a section for your volunteer activities. These can be particularly beneficial if they are related to the kind of work you hope to do or the kind of industry in which you hope to do that work. It is not appropriate to include information about your personal status and you no longer need to include the statement, "References available upon request." We will talk about the other resume formats in the next post.


Mary Ann Davis, M.A., is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including a career change or job search, planning for retirement, coping with an empty nest, or planning to return to work or to school. She meets with individuals in person and via telephone to assist in developing plans to cope with the individual's transition. She is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). Please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com for more information on her services.

To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential voice message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.

How Current Are You?

In today's world, job seekers must be current - in attire, approach to the job search, and in their use of technology. For some who have been in the world of work for a number of years, that may be easier said than done, but it is important to get up to speed.

The basics refresher - The clothes you wear, not only for interviewing, but networking also, should be clean and fairly conservative. Of course some professions who require creativity provide a little more flexibility in what is appropriate. But in general, men or women should dress as you would for work when you go to networking meetings and a little better than you would for work when you go in for a job interview. For women, it is appropriate to wear no more than one pair of earrings and no other visible piercings. A little color in your attire is generally good, but something on the conservative side would be good.
Although some of today's fashions are a bit much for some older job seekers, women or men should also not wear something that was appropriate in the 80s. So men's jackets and slacks or suits should also be current. Shoes should be polished and comfortable to walk in - and that applies to both genders. I suggest you carry a briefcase that is not too bulky or just a portfolio. Women who carry a briefcase should not also carry a purse.

In today's job market, the large majority of jobs that are filled are never advertised anywhere, so it is important to spend the majority of your search time networking. Some time should be devoted to print ads and/or online sources, but monitor your time appropriately. You also need to be able to apply for jobs online, whether it means uploading or posting your electronic version of your resume or filling out an online application. Along those same lines, you should include your cell phone number and/or email address on your resume and in your cover letter. These items indicate that you are at least fairly current with technology. Of course, for the job search purposes (including networking), you need to make sure your email address is not some goofy or cutesy sounding address. You also need to make sure that your outgoing message, whether on your home phone or cell phone, is something that is professional sounding. Additionally, if it is possible that someone else will answer calls placed to your home, make sure they will be able to speak in a professional manner and take a complete and accurate message. If that is not the case, you may wish to include only your cell phone number. In either case, label which number is which when you include them on your resume or correspondence.

It is also recommended that you have a profile on LinkedIn. It is true that many employers are checking online persona even before they invite candidates in for an interview, let alone before they make a job offer. Having a profile on LinkedIn is another way to indicate that you are at least somewhat comfortable with technology. Although Facebook is not considered as professional a site as LinkedIn, it is possible that a potential employer will check for a Facebook page for a candidate. So be careful about what is posted out there if you have a Facebook page. As an additional thought, sometimes you can introduce yourself to people because of LinkedIn connections.

So, if you are in, or about to conduct a job search, make sure your resume, wardrobe and knowledge of technology are current. That puts you in a better position to compete for the opportunities that are/or will soon be available.


Mary Ann Davis (M.A.) is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including a career change or job search, planning for retirement or non-retirement, coping with an empty nest or loss of job, and returning to work or school. She meets with individuals in person and via telephone assisting them to find solutions to their life planning issues. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). Please visit her web site at http://www.yourcareerplan.com/ for more information on her services.


To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential voice message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.

Use Your Resume to Think about Your Life (part 3)

After you have written about where you are headed and were able to create a mental picture of that scenario, if that picture is not appealing to you, or you get a cold feeling when you envision it, then you want to work at creating a different picture. I suggest you begin by looking over your historical resume to find things you did, time you spent, that was enjoyable or satisfying. Some people need to go back fairly far into their past to find some things to consider. Go back as far as needed. If, unfortunately, you do not really remember a time when you were involved in activities (job or otherwise) that brought satisfaction, enjoyment, or stimulation, then you may need to work from a different approach.

For those who do remember something, from whenever in their past, follow the suggestions from the second part on this topic. Write as much as you can about what brought you satisfaction or enjoyment or made you excited about what you were doing. Would those things still create the same feelings? If so, is there a way to get back to those days?


If not, then you probably start at the same point as the folks who weren't really able to come up with anything from their past that fits with what they want now. That is, review your historical resume, again. Look for pieces of projects or activities that brought enjoyment or satisfaction. Look for signs that indicate what you would rather have been doing - again, whether in your job or in your outside activities. After you have reviewed it, you may want to spend some time just day dreaming about what your new situation could be and what could be included. Think about the kinds of people you would like to work or interact with, the kinds of things you would like to use in your new situation, and the kinds of data/information you would like to work with and how you picture yourself using it.

Once you are able to create your new picture, write it out as a goal statement. Then work on filling in the details - the objectives you will need to achieve to get you to your goal. In developing your plans, it is good to include as many details as needed to help you be clear on where you are headed. It is also good to include time frames or target dates for completion of each objective. If you will need to continue your education to achieve your new goal, figure out where and how you will manage that. If you need to develop some additional skills, also be creative in figuring out how to make that happen. The more details you can include in your plans, the more likely you will be able to bring them into reality. It is always a good idea to have a Plan B. It does not necessarily need to be as detailed as your Plan A, but should contain enough information that if you do need to resort to it, it will be fairly easy to dust it off, fill in some holes, and proceed.

Mary Ann Davis, M.A., is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including career change or job search, planning for retirement or non-retirement, coping with an empty nest or loss of job, or preparing to return to school or to work. She meets with individuals in person and via telephone to assist them in finding solutions to their life planning issues. She is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). For more information on her services, please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com.

To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential voice message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.

Use Your Resume to Think About Your Life (part 2)

Once you have written about your current situation, you would begin work on your previous situation or your previous job and start the writing process again. Be sure to consider if there were other work-related or outside activities that you were involved in and write about those too. Continue that remembering and writing process, going back as far as you can - hopefully to your first job and early activities. Be sure to include your educational and learning activities.


Once you have the basics written down for your historical resume you should set it aside again, to see if other memories surface. Add those thoughts to what you have written, then begin to put your notes into a readable form. Although they do not have to be complete sentences, there should be enough written so that you can remember what you were involved in and whether or not you enjoyed it or found it satisfying.


Then you can begin to focus on where you are headed. Based on the current direction in which you are moving, what's next? Is there a job you were preparing for, or planning for, that would be a natural progression from where you are? Is there something else you hope to do in your outside activities? Again, write down thoughts about the next step, or next turn, or next path. Include as many details as possible. Try to remember what you had anticipated or hoped for at each turning point on the path so far.


Then you can review what you have written about where you are headed. Is that where you really still want to go? Can you create a clear picture - on paper or in your mind - of what that will look and feel like for you? If you have a clear picture, how does that feel? Does that give you a warm, content, or hot/exciting feeling or is it more of a cold reaction?

If you feel warm or hot, that is good. Write down as many details as you can about that picture. The more you can write, the more likely you will be able to bring it into reality. If you recalled what future you were working towards, are there things you have been able to check off on your earlier plan? Are there new things you need to add to help create that plan. If you have not already done so, it is a good idea to add some time frames to when you should reach each step in your plan. In the next post, we will talk about having a cold or neutral feeling about the picture you have created.




Mary Ann Davis (M.A.) is a Licensed Professional Counselor in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including a career change or job search, planning for retirement or non-retirement, coping with an empty nest or loss of job, planning to return to work or school, and other life planning issues. She meets with individuals in person and via telephone to assist in finding solutions for issues related to life transitions. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). Please visit her web site at http://www.yourcareerplan.com/ for more information on her services.


To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.

Use Your Resume to Think About Your Life

Sometimes I meet with a person who says they are not happy with their life, but are not sure what they want/need to do differently. In many instances, I suggest they review their resume to think about their life - where they have been, where they are headed, and where they want to go. Many of us don't really think about those questions unless we feel our job is not secure or have decided we want a different job or line of work. I encourage my clients to review their resume every year or so, even if they don't anticipate conducting a job search. I also encourage them to create a historical resume.

When I talk about a historical resume, it is one document that includes every job you have ever had in life and at least a little information about what tasks you did and skills you used and preferably what values it met. It would also include volunteer work and other outside activities you really enjoyed or found satisfying. Most people I have worked with don't already have a historical resume, so they start one. For some folks that is a more difficult task because they have been working many, many years with changing responsibilities, or have had many different jobs over their working lives. Please keep in mind, a historical resume is for your reference only and is not shared with potential employers or recruiters.

It usually helps to start with where you are right now. If you are working, write down your job title or primary focus, the name of your employer, and a few statements about the work you are doing. Try to use as many action words/skill statements as you can in describing your job activities. Additionally, write down any outside activities that you are involved in. Also use skill statements in describing those activities and include values that are met in doing those activities. If you are not working right now, you should still write about any other activities you are involved in. This could be volunteer activities, things you do just for fun or socializing and things with the family. It can include hobbies, learning activities, physical activities, spiritual activities, travel, etc.

Generally it helps to write down what you can - without trying to form complete sentences. You may want to work on this over a few days - setting it aside from time to time to allow other thoughts/memories to come to mind. We'll address adding to your historical resume in the next post.

Mary Ann Davis, M.A., is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including a career change or job search, preparing for a return to work or school, planning for retirement or non-retirement, coping with an empty nest or loss of job, and other life planning issues. She meets with individuals in person and via telephone helping to find solutions to problems related to life transitions. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association; a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association; and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). Please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com for more information on her services.

To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential voice message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.

How Well Balanced Is Your Life Wheel (part 5)

The last several posts have addressed the various aspects of your life wheel - the occupational, physical, social, spiritual, emotional, and intellectual spokes. A related topic has to do with play and relaxation. No matter what age you are, I think you should still make time for play and relaxation in your life. I'm not suggesting that you take up a new sport or game, but find ways to have fun.

It may be that you enjoy dancing, well do it - even if its just in your own living room - or take a dance class. Maybe you used to love to bowl or shoot pool - get with some friends and get back to it - even it if means using a lighter ball or cue. When was the last time you went to a matinee to see a comedy or an animated feature? Think of things you enjoy doing and make time for them.

Laughing truly is one of the best medicines for your overall health. Particularly at those times when you're feeling down and out, you should seek out family/friends who have a positive outlook on life to spend some time with. It is too easy when you are already feeling low to sink even lower if you are around negative people. Listen to some upbeat music or watch a funny movie. Look for ways and people to help brighten your day.

When was the last time you went on a picnic or a nature walk or visited the zoo? When was the last time you sat and gazed at the stars or strolled through a garden? Appreciating nature can also be a good way to relax.

I also think it is important to take time to appreciate the good things you do have in your life. Sometimes we get so caught up in what is wrong with our lives, that we don't recognize what is right. Taking the time to be grateful for what you have in life, including good people, can help you recognize that perhaps even despite the current situation, there is some good for which you should be grateful.

Mary Ann Davis (MA) is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including a career change or job search, planning for retirement, loss of job, coping with an empty nest, preparing to return to work or school, and other life planning issues. She meets with individuals in person and via telephone helping to find solutions to problems related to life transitions. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). Please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com for more information on her services.
To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential voice message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.

How Well Balanced Is Your Life Wheel? (part 4)

The last several posts have discussed your life wheel and this is a continuation of that theme. The remaining spokes on your life wheel are the emotional and intellectual - your heart and your head, so to speak. Your heart certainly needs tending to on a regular basis - it can be a very fragile part of our existence. The emotional spoke on the life wheel helps us to keep in tune with how we are really "feeling", but only if we pay attention to the signals. Our emotions are simply that, signals regarding what you are experiencing. Sometimes it is very easy, even obvious, to know what we are feeling, other times the true emotions may be hidden. I encourage you to pay particular attention to your emotions during times of transition or high stress.

It may be beneficial to practice relaxation techniques or meditation to help keep the emotional spoke on your wheel in balance, but particularly so if you are experiencing a great deal of stress. Writing in a journal can also be helpful as a coping mechanism. Other activities that can aid the emotional spoke on your life wheel include developing plans, talking things out, physical activity, spiritual activity, and/or social activity.

As far as the head is concerned, or the intellectual spoke on the life wheel, you need activities that help to keep your mind active and clear. Besides stimulating work, hobbies, doing crossword or jigsaw puzzles, researching, writing and reading are all activities that can help to keep your mind active. Of course, learning something new or engaging in stimulating conversations/discussions are always good ways to keep your mind working.

Writing in a journal can help not only the intellectual and the emotional spokes, but could also benefit the spiritual spoke on your life wheel. Some people realize their new career direction through writing in their journal. Another activity that can be beneficial to your heart and your head is researching and writing about your family's history. Whatever you choose, finding creative outlets can certainly benefit the emotional and intellectual spokes on your life wheel.

Mary Ann Davis is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including career change or job search, planning for retirement, loss of job, coping with an empty nest, preparing to return to work or school, and other life planning issues. She meets with individuals in person and via telephone helping to find solutions to problems related to life transitions. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). Please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com for more information on her services.

To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.

How Well Balanced Is Your Life Wheel (part 3)

In the last post, we discussed some of the concerns people have had regarding the occupational spoke on their life wheel. But not all problems and not all the joys in life are because of work. Today's post will discuss the physical, social and spiritual aspects of the life wheel.

For the physical aspect of your life wheel, you want to include some physical activity, at least on a weekly basis, although more frequently would be better. The physical activity you choose should be appropriate for you and something you enjoy enough to keep at it. So, although I would love to ride a bike, it has been so long since I rode, that at this stage in life, I might do more harm than good for my body. In addition to keeping physically active, you should be sure to eat healthy and get a sufficient amount of sound sleep. Some people find that if anything is off/out-of-balance in any aspect of their life that their sleep is immediately effected. So they may have a fairly immediate signal that all is not well - although they still may have to figure out what is wrong.

The social spoke on your wheel encompasses the social - not-work related contacts - that you maintain. You may have some acquaintances that are just that and others who are truly friends. On those days when you're feeling down and don't really feel like 'faking it', your true friends will understand and will offer to help or, at least, to listen. If you are between jobs, resist the temptation to hide out - you need to continue to have social contacts. The same applies to those who are in retirement. Retirement should be from work, not from life. You really need to maintain some relationships through retirement in order to maintain the social aspect of your life wheel.

The spiritual spoke on your life wheel could include spending time appreciating nature, meditating, reading, or other spiritual activities. This allows you to tap into your beliefs/your source of strength. Even when things are going well in your life, you should still devote some time to the spiritual aspects of life. So often, it is when things are not going well that we draw on our spirituality, which can certainly be a source of inspiration and consolation, but I would encourage you not to reserve that just for the difficult times in life.


Mary Ann Davis is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including career change or job search, planning for retirement, loss of job, coping with an empty nest, preparing to return to work or school, and other life planning issues. She meets with individuals in person and via telephone helping to find solutions to problems related to life transitions. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). Please visit her web site at http://www.yourcareerplan.com/ for more information on her services.

To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.

How Well Balanced Is Your Life Wheel (part 2)

In the previous post we posed this question and discussed some of the issues related to your current work situation and your life goals, as part of the Occupational spoke on your life wheel. In addition to looking at the work you are doing, or have been doing, you want to consider whether or not you are using the skills that you most enjoy using. Certainly, many jobs have changed over the last several years, along with the multiple changes in technology. If your job no longer requires the skills you really enjoy using, you may need to determine if there are other situations in which those same skills would still be needed, or if those skills would be used in other occupations. In some instances, the skills may not be much in demand - or at least not in the kinds of jobs in which you could make a decent living. Again, are there ways in which you could still apply those skills, or is it time to read the writing on the wall that those skills are now outdated?

Also, it may be a matter of personality clashes or personal conflicts with your co-worker(s) or supervisor(s) that cause you to be unhappy with your current work situation. If that is your situation, again, I encourage you to consider whether the situation is manageable or whether you need to start preparing for a change. You also need to consider whether your current career goals fit with your life and your plans. If you have not done so, you should visualize some aspects of your work future and determine if your current path will contribute to your achieving your career goals and life plans.

I believe it is important to look at the source(s) of your frustration/unhappiness with the occupational spoke on your life wheel, if that is the case. The topic of your life wheel will be continued in the next post. You also want to be sure that during your working years that you make time for other spokes on your life wheel. Individuals who don't do that tend to have a much more difficult time coping with retirement. For many, that is because without their work, they feel as though there is nothing left in their lives.


Mary Ann Davis is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including a career change or job search, planning for retirement, loss of job, coping with an empty nest, preparing to return to work or school, and other life planning issues. She meets with individuals in person and via telephone helping to solve problems related to life transitions. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). Please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com for more information on her services.

To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.

How Well Balanced is Your Life Wheel?

If you are feeling frustrated or out of sorts, but aren't quite sure why, you may want to consider how well balanced your life wheel is. A life wheel covers the various aspects of one's life - the occupational, physical, spiritual, social, emotional, and intellectual pieces that fill your days, weeks, and years. For many of my clients, it is the occupational spoke on their life wheel that is out of whack - or that throws all the other pieces out of alignment. They are no longer (or maybe never were) satisfied with aspects of their work or they have grown to dislike something(s) about their work situation. So we try to identify a change that would address those concerns.

For one thing, you want to be sure that your work fits in somehow with your career goals and life plans. Think about what you want to accomplish during your life and what you would like to contribute to the world. At least in some small way, what you are doing should be helping to get you where you want to go or add to making this the kind of world in which you want to live. If this is not obvious in your work situation, then you should look for ways to add that to some other aspect of your life.

Certainly if there is no longer a good fit between you and your work, that can make you miserable, or at least more tired than you need/want to be. If that is your situation, I encourage you to spend some time and energy breaking down the situation, to see where the problem(s) lies. It could be that your day-to-day tasks have changed and no longer involve enough of the things you enjoy doing or find stimulating or challenging. In that case, I encourage you to consider if there are ways you could return some of that joy or replace some current tasks with others that would be more satisfying.

In reviewing your current work situation, it could be that the organization/your employer has switched gears and it's values are no longer in line with yours. If that is the case, I encourage you to consider if enough of your work values are being addressed to make you feel needed and comfortable. If not, then you may wish to prepare to launch a new job search or to discover a new career direction or find other ways to satisfy some of the values that are most important to you. In my experience, it is often the values piece that causes individuals to search for something different in their work lives. I will continue with the occupational spoke of the life wheel in the next post.


Mary Ann Davis is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including a career change or job search, planning for retirement, loss of job, coping with an empty nest, preparing to return to work or school, and other life planning issues. She meets with individuals in person and via telephone. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). For more information on her services, please visit her web site at http://www.yourcareerplan.com/.

To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.

Are You Always 'On Call'?

I have noticed more people driving or walking around with one of those headsets or actual cell phones up to their ear. Putting the legal issues aside, that is probably not sensible. Granted, some of those calls or messages really are emergencies and some may be pertinent to where the receiving person is headed, but I can't believe they all are.


We seem to have become a nation of people - many of whom are always 'on call'. If they are not making or receiving phone calls, they are sending or reading text messages or email. With the advances in technology, you don't even have to be at home or on a computer to do that these days. I am not trying to suggest that technology is a bad thing, but that some people might want to consider cutting back on their frequency of use.


Unless your job absolutely requires you to be tuned in all the time, I encourage you to ease back on your connectivity. You do not have to be always 'On Call'. I get the feeling that some people think because they can be in constant contact, that they should be. That is not my approach to life, or what I call 'living'. All the technological gadgets are nice, but they should have a place in your life that is something less than 24/7. If you have to check email while your coffee is brewing and before you eat breakfast, that probably not good. If you can't drive from home to work without making or receiving a phone call, that is probably not good. If you can't/don't carry on an actual conversation with a person - in person, that is not good. If all those contacts are work related, then you need to think about what kind of pay you get for all of the hours you spend at work and/or doing work-related activities, including checking your messages, etc. when you are not actually 'at work'. In many cases, the pay does not come close to being appropriate for the amount of time devoted to the tasks that fall in your work-related realm.


Think about the amount of time you spend connected to those gadgets and compare that to the amount of time you spend actually connecting with people - not just communicating, but actually making a connection in person or via actual telephone conversation. Do you like the ratio that you came up with, or is it very lopsided? If you don't like the numbers you came up with, resolve to do things differently. Make this the year when you stop being constantly 'on call'.





Mary Ann Davis is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice, providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including career change, job search, planning for retirement, returning to work or school, non-retirement planning, and other life planning issues. She is certified as a Master Career Counselor by the National Career Development Association; a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). Ms. Davis meets with individuals in person and via telephone. Please visit her web site at http://www.yourcareerplan.com/ for more information on her services.


To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.

Volunteering

I have referred to volunteering in previous posts, but wanted to make a point of addressing it today. This week, April 10 through 16, 2011, has been designated as National Volunteer Week in the US. That gives us an opportunity to express gratitude to all of those individuals throughout the country who volunteer in one way or another. If you are among them, please accept my thanks, as well. But as a career counselor and coach, I can also tell you, and from personal experience that volunteering can also be an excellent way to fulfill some of your own dreams or objectives. I was talking with a friend several years ago and mentioned a major I had in college (one of several) and that I was discouraged from pursuing it. She suggested a way that I could still do something related to that interest, if I wanted to, and she suggested an organization I might work with who could use someone with my abilities and interests. I thought about it, researched it, and volunteered. Now, five years later, I am still volunteering and I can honestly say, I still love the work I do as a volunteer. I do enjoy it enough that I do it without financial gain (pay)! I have encouraged clients to consider doing volunteer work in order to gain some experience in a particular type of industry or to hone their skills for a certain kind of work they would like to pursue. Also a volunteer, you generally have opportunities to sort of try things out to see how it fits for you. Whether it is working in a different industry or doing a different set of tasks, if you can try it out as a volunteer, there is generally less risk or less at stake than trying it out as an employee - particularly if it does not work out very well. Many of the clients I have worked with are looking for ways to bring some additional fulfillment to their lives and I encourage them to consider volunteering. Not only can volunteering be a good way to develop some skills and current experience in a particular area in preparation for a job change, it can also supplement your life/work on an ongoing basis. Sometimes a person doesn't feel like they can make a job or career change, at least not in the immediate future, but would like to be able to apply some of the skills they don't currently use in their work. Or a person whose interests are not being satisfied in their work situation might find a volunteer job that fulfills at least some of those desires. A person who has values that are not being met in their work may find an opportunity to volunteer that allows them to feel they are doing something to address some of the things that are 'close to their heart'. Volunteering doesn't usually have to be a full time job; the parameters vary depending on the circumstances. Many factors will vary depending on the type and extent of assistance you can provide and what the organization/agency/family/individual needs. If something is missing from your life, it may be that there is an opportunity to volunteer to help fill that space. Mary Ann Davis is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including career change, job search, retirement planning, returning to work or to school, coping with an empty nest, and other life planning issues. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). She meets with individuals in person and via telephone. Please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com for more information on her services. To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com. To contact

Coping with the Job Search Roller Coaster (part 2)

In the last post, I talked about some issues related to conducting a job search in today's job market. We know that for most people, conducting a job search in a tight labor market is not an easy or fast process. Don't assume that everyone else has landed a new job in 2 or 3 months. These days, it could easily take 9 to 12 months, or longer to land in a new situation. If you have trouble coming up with leads or organizations to look into, you might try networking. To prepare for networking, start by making a list of everyone you know. Include not only the obvious family members and friends, but include others like your doctor, dentist, or instructor at the gym, other parents at your kid's soccer games, the person you chat with at the store or post office, etc. It may help to write a statement to help you in your networking efforts. Something like, "I want to do _____but I am having trouble because _________." Fill in those blanks as they relate to your situation. Then begin sharing your statement with people from your list and ask if they have any thoughts regarding it or suggestions for you. We know that most jobs that are filled are never advertised anywhere. So you should not spend all day looking through want ads or web sites. Since it is estimated that only 15 to 20% of job openings are advertised, you should not spend more than 15 to 20% of your job search time looking through ads. You should plan your time so that you do some networking or job search activities every day. Whether it is meeting with contacts or calling someone from your list, drafting letters, sending thank you notes, etc. For many people, it helps to create a daily schedule and set aside time to work on job search activities. Keep in mind that persistence is necessary when your search gets stalled - don't become a victim of discouragement. If you find you need help keeping motivated, identify at least three people you can call upon to help you refocus and get re-energized. If you feel your goal is too overwhelming and you can't seem to get started - identify three things you can focus on first - even if they are small things. It is important to keep all aspects of your life in perspective. Some people refer to this as 'counting your blessings'. So think of the things in life that you do have that you should be thankful for. Also, make sure you keep your life wheel as balanced as possible. Reward yourself for your efforts, for your abilities and your strengths. Mary Ann Davis is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including a job search or career change, retirement planning, coping with an empty nest, coping with loss of job, preparing to return to work or to college, non-retirement planning, and other life planning issues. She meets with individuals in person and via telephone. She is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor (L/WC) by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor. Please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com for more information on her services. To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.

Coping with the Job Search Roller Coaster

A job search requires you to get 'psyched up' to update/write a positive resume and cover letter and to continue to pump yourself up as you prepare for networking and interviews. If things don't work out as you hoped, there is somewhat of a let down. But you can't afford to spend time feeling down because you must continue on with your search. Even in good economic times, a job search can be an emotional roller coaster because of the uncertainties. You get excited about the possibilities and at least somewhat disappointed or disheartened if it does not work out. In these times, that cycle may be repeated several times. Rather than letting that frustrate you over and over again, it is best to find ways to cope with that job search roller coaster. One of the difficulties some people face have to do with their situation and coping strategies they apply to it. No matter the reason you are conducting a job search, you should develop strategies to help you cope with that change. Dr. Nancy Schlossberg, author of Overwhelmed: Coping with Life's Ups and Downs, discusses coping with change and suggests you consider whether or not there is anything you can do to change the actual situation. Can you brainstorm a plan to help you make a change? Can you negotiate - perhaps when the change will happen, for example? Is there positive action you could take before the change actually takes place? This may have potential, even if you would be leaving your job involuntarily. Secondly, is there anything you can do to change how you view the situation or change? Instead of thinking of it as 'the end of the world' could you view it as providing you with an opportunity to do something different? Even if you can't view it as a positive, if you can think of the change as a neutral event in your life, that will help you to cope with it. Also, you are encouraged to find ways to take stress in your stride. Find ways to release some of those emotions, apply relaxation techniques, play, find some creative or physical outlets for your stress, etc. Although I have identified this post as related to a job search, the same suggestions apply to other transitions in life. We will address more on this emotional roller coaster in a later post. Mary Ann Davis is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice, providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including career change and job search, as well as loss of job, retirement planning, coping with an empty nest, non-retirement planning, and other life planning issues. She meets with individuals in person or at a distance via telephone. Ms. Davis is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor (L/WC) by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor. Please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com for more information on her services. To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.