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.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
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.
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.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
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.
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.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
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.
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.
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.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
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.
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.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
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.
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.
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