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.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
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.
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.
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