CAREER INSIGHTS: Transitioning with grace

I spent the last month in a transition phase. I am not talking about a simple change in route to work, but a full, life-changing transition. Uprooting myself and all of my routines to start something completely new and different.  Transition comes in many forms, from a new job within the same company to moving cross country to start a new career. While a lot of change is for the better, and I have gone through transitions before, it is still a challenging process. I thought it would be helpful to share some insights as most, if not all of you, will go through a transition at some point in your lives.

First, let’s face it, transitions are tough, don’t let anyone fool you into thinking it’s going to be easy.  In thinking about this, I realized that the reason transition and change is hard is because it takes you to a place or routine that is not familiar and that makes you uncomfortable. This may seem like a simple rationale that you could come up with on your own, but owning up to this uncomfortable feeling is the first step to getting through it.  Let me clear, there is no way around it. My goal is to share with you some things that helped me get through it.

The key is to take things one step at a time and find a few things that are familiar to you that will bring you comfort during the transition. People are told to de-personalize a home when they are trying to sell it.  The hope is that by removing personal items, potential buyers can better envision themselves, and their personal items, within a space. The same works in reverse.  If you are in a new place, (home, company, or even just moving to a different office within the same building), personalizing your space will bring you more comfort that you would expect.

When I moved, I packed my car with a few personal items and left the rest for the movers. As I entered this new place where I didn’t even know how to find the grocery store, let alone have a bed to sleep on, there were a few things that really helped me when things got tough.

1. Photos of family and friends. While the placement and surroundings of a photo might be different, the faces in the pictures are still the same. Having those familiar faces to look at when I thought I would never be able to make this place like home were invaluable.

2. My favorite coffee mug. Seems silly, but before the movers came, having my own coffee mug to drink coffee out of each morning started off the day in a familiar manner.

3. Sound. Never underestimate the power of music. Familiar songs generally bring back memories and those can be comforting as well. Plus, some upbeat music can help you attack a new set of tasks with a bit more enthusiasm.

Finally, remember to take things one step at a time. You are never going to be expected to figure everything out all at once. Ramping up in a new job, or unpacking and putting things away takes time. Take it one task and one box at a time. You’ll be out from under the cardboard in no time.

CAREER MOTIVATION: Be proud of your scars

“These bruises make for better conversation.....” is a line from a song by Train (feat. Ashley Monroe). Hearing it recently got me thinking about my prior work experiences, including some that went well and others that still make me cringe.

As we’re navigating career transitions out in the real world, it is assumed we focus on the good stuff and brush over the less than ideal work experiences. But let’s face it, not every job is perfect. Deep down, we all know that.

Here’s the thing: bruises and scars generally come with an interesting story tied to trying something new. For example, determining if you can actually jump that ditch with your dirt bike. I’d like to think you will not be penalized for having tried something new, even if it ended differently than you’d expected. As most professionals can appreciate, the real story is in understanding what you did with the information you learned from the not-so-stellar work experience.

How a person overcame a difficult situation and knew when a situation wasn’t going to work is the juiciest part. It really does make for better conversation. When an interviewer asks you about your greatest weakness, they are not looking for the generic, non informative “I am too detail oriented” or the “I work too hard...” replies. It’s okay to be honest here! Let them know that you are a human being. Everyone has flaws, including the person you are interviewing with. Identifying your strengths and weakness is part of this process. Before you share your story in an interview, I recommend you embrace the cuts and bruises you experienced throughout your career. Be able to discuss them as a learning experience. Think about them as the hardest teacher you ever had, but the one you remember and still hold respect for.

Bruises make for good stories....think about growing up. You get hit by a ball once, and the next time, you know to duck. When you make a mistake a work, you know how to handle it the next time around. Someone who can learn from their mistakes is a very valuable asset. Especially if the learning process was embraced.

CAREER COUNSELING: Tell me about yourself....(continued)

As promised, I wanted to continue the discussion from my previous post on Wednesday, 6/12/2013.

Need specifics? More about how this works with a career overview?

If I am describing myself, I usually start with letting my audience know that I am a creative problem solver with a strange fascination for numerical puzzles. During my job as a waitress a few years out of college, I also learned that I have a strong interest for and a perception of understanding people’s interaction with the physical environment. I further honed my intellect of human behavior with a few years in corporate HR, focusing my career on finding the right people for the right jobs. My skills of spatial perception and human interaction were enhanced with some budgetary experience during my time in event planning while in an HR role as well. Now I am eager to further apply this knowledge base to this business.

Do you have a picture of who I am?

Our verbiage or self statements won’t be identical, but our goals are the same. I am focusing my audience on things that I am proud of and that are important to me. The aspects of my career that have brought me to my next career move today. Tip: Help the interviewer understand what motivates you -- the skills you have developed throughout your career will give them a clearer picture of how you may fit within their organization.

Moving forward, keep in mind:

• DO be prepared to answer questions about anything you put on your resume
• DON’T describe every little detail during your personal summary
• DO focus on what you are proud of and what is important to you
• DO let the interviewer move on from there and dig in with questions that are important to them and the position in question
• DON’T stress! You know YOU better than anyone.

CAREER COUNSELING: Tell me about yourself...

For recruiters, “Tell me about yourself” is a phrase that is as common as “paper or plastic” from your local grocer.  You know the question is coming, and yet many interviewees are still befuddled as how to best answer. On one hand, it may feel like a deceptively easy way to kick off a conversation. Are you as prepared as you could be to answer? More importantly, are you taking full advantage of this open opportunity to sell yourself to the person across the table?

From an interviewer’s perspective, this statement is a generally a good way to assess how a person presents themselves. As an interviewer, I can read the background and work history from a resume, but I really want to know the WHYs and HOWs of the decisions you have made in your career. Tip: Remember that how you answer this question will help guide an interviewer’s questions throughout the remainder of the interview.

So, as a candidate, what do you want to communicate? Given the copious amount of times I have asked this question, I have unfortunately seen and heard many candidates run through the chronological history of their employment. Remember, that is already available on the resume. Candidates who are nervous also have a tendency to ramble a bit and lose the attention of the interviewer. Tip: When you communicate, think of it as a summary and focus on your passions and transferable skills. Essentially, guide the interviewer to the things you are proud of and relevant to the job you are interviewing for.

Next point! As the candidate, how do you communicate the key aspects of yourself that are appropriate for the job?

I suggest thinking about a favorite place, either your grandmother’s living room, the lobby of your favorite museum or that great little coffee shop where you have been spending your time applying to jobs. You generally don’t describe a place in chronological order, it wouldn’t make sense. When people talk about space or place, they generally summarize with a few key words and elaborate on the specific details that enhance the space, right? For example, you would describe an area as warm, sunny, with a comfortable feel that makes you want to relax in the corner of a big sofa for hours. From there, you can focus on more specific information, such as floor to ceiling windows and muted yellow walls that focus your attention on the hardwood floors original to the building. Is there a picture in your head yet? Good. Now think about your career the same way and come up with a picture of your work experience using that analogy.

Don’t worry, this discussion point is not over yet. More specifics to come in the next post.

CAREER INSIGHTS: Building your network

Networking Lesson #2: Reaching out to new contacts.

These days, reaching out to a potential new contact is a lot like online dating. Somewhat intimidating if you don’t do it very often, but with the right attitude, not a difficult process. After all, you are trying to connect with someone you don’t know and hoping that your first impression is a good fit, right? You need them to like you enough to want to help you, find you interesting enough to talk to, but not overwhelm them at the beginning of the relationship. It can be a delicate balance, but nothing a little confidence and practice can’t smooth over.

To start with, let’s consider an online dating profile. You are sharing your background and highlighting certain experiences, interests and what makes you stand out from other prospects. The goal of your dating profile is to attract the attention of people you want to spend time with and share experiences with.

Funny enough, when you are looking to make contacts within a new industry or a new company, the same rules apply.

Your LinkedIn profile should reflect the story that you want to share with potential colleagues and business contacts. It should contain information about your background, focusing on things that are important to you, and share a little bit about what makes you a unique candidate for future opportunities.

Focusing on your own story is important, however you can also use these profiles to understand someone else’s story as well.  Remember the time you take with your profile and show the same respect when reviewing the profile of a potential contact.

When crafting an introductory email, take the time to show you understand a person’s interests and background. Help the person understand the common interests between the two of you. A personalized introduction can make an amazing first impression on a contact. When reaching out, a standardized email will be received with the same amount of attention. Trust me when I tell you this, everyone knows what the standard email looks like. It’s bland and has a one-size-fits-all vibe. Even the most carefully written “format” email will still read like spam if you don’t take the time to personalize it.

Things to consider for a great first impression:

• Be unique: Don’t be afraid to share some special accomplishments
• Be considerate of your audience and their time: Help them understand how they can help (if they cannot figure out why you reached out, they are not going to spend a whole lot of time speculating)
• Be responsive! This is a big one. If you reach out to someone to make a connection and they respond back right away offering their assistance, you better jump on it. Also be sure to send follow up communication. Even if there is no “spark” in your relationship, the world is a small place. Leave that relationship on a good note and at the least send a thank you letter.

Remember, even though networking and dating can be intimidating at times, practice makes perfect!

CAREER MOTIVATION: Finding your frustrations

Today’s blog asks the question, “How do I know if I’m making the right decisions for my life?”

It’s a common question my clients in transition fret over. How do I know what choice is the best for my career? Do I even want to do this job? Will this job make me happy? Those pressing questions, coupled with our fast-paced world, forces us to adapt to an interesting variety of situations and circumstances (some more natural fits than others).

Let’s face it: sometimes it can be challenging to find your passions as you look to take a turn in your career. You think to yourself, “Well, yeah, I could do that job.” or “Sure, it sounds like it might be interesting.” But remember, this is your time to find a better path that suits your life. Don’t settle! Or get bogged down with the ifs, ands or buts.

A friend of mine who is job searching is currently plagued with a combination of what she believes is expected of her as a next step up the corporate ladder and what she thinks her background dictates her next career move should be. She struggles like so many of us to keep her head above that mess to see what options are available above the surface. The question is not, “What should I do?” or “What is expected of me?” But, “What do I want to do?” and “What am I interested in learning next?”

Frankly, it might take some time to adjust your thinking before the answers come. For me it took deep soul searching and some great people asking me the right questions.

Those who know me best can attest that inefficient environments, especially in the service industry, drive me nuts. I have also been known to get a slight case of road rage from time to time. Each time I encountered these situations, I just kept thinking to myself, “Why can’t they design a space that makes sense for the people using it?!” Crazy as it sounds, that was my starting point. The frustration I kept experiencing keyed me in to my passion for efficient design - a world away from my corporate HR background and certainly not a path my friends or family were expecting!

I am sure there are times when you get frustrated as well. Do you ever find yourself thinking, “I can do this better”? Write those things down. Keep a journal. Find a friend in a similar position and keep each other honest. Once you have a few of these markers identified, the common themes will begin to appear.

Let this be YOUR starting point. Stick around for more tips or comment below if you have suggestions that have proven successful as you’ve navigated this challenging time.

CAREER COUNSELING: The Open House Resume

Fact: we all have passions. But here’s a question: when is it appropriate to commingle personal activities with past experiences on a resume when job searching?

Genuine enthusiasm for personal interests is something that a candidate should never stifle during the interview process. But what about the resume? Is that the right place to draw attention to some of these activities?  

My answer: sometimes.

Before explaining further, just wanted to give you a heads up of my preference for analogies when explaining my theories. Some of my followers will recognize my affinity for using housing/construction analogies.... blame it on my shameless addiction to HGTV and the DIY network. So, with that disclaimer, let’s talk about presenting your resume like hosting an open house:

Realtors may ask that you remove some personal effects when showing your home to potential buyers so that nothing unnecessary distracts from the house’s framework. After all, as a seller, you’d essentially be decorating your home for the next owner, right? Taking personal effects out of eyesight allows potential buyers to more easily see themselves in that space without being distracted by sentimental items that have little to no meaning to them. Likewise, take that approach when preparing your resume. Present yourself in your resume according to who you’re interviewing with. Remove unnecessary clutter from your resume and allow potential employers to envision you as a hire without being distracted by too many personal traits that may have little relevance to their business needs.

Here are a few additional thoughts:

• Understand your buyer: knowing what a buyer is looking for will help you declutter more effectively. If an upgraded kitchen is important, don’t cover up the granite countertop. For your resume, look at the basic and preferred qualifications of the job description. This is a list of ‘must haves’ and ‘nice-to-haves’. Focus your resume the same way, if it’s at the bottom of the qualifications list, it should be at the bottom of the resume.
• Focus on your skills:  a three month volunteer trip to Costa Rica may make for a great story during an interview, but if you are dedicating half of a page to that in your resume, you are distracting your buyer from the skills they want to hire you for. Don’t let the 17 photos hanging in the hallway detract from the view through the bay window.

Remember, design your resume as you would your home for an open house. You will not always have everything a buyer or potential employer is looking for, but if you can draw attention to the key aspects that are important, they will be more willing to consider making a deal. After all, you can always put your personal photos up in your next office!