CAREER MOTIVATION: A season or a lifetime?

Another great quote was shared with me recently.

People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. When you figure out which one it is, you will know what to do for each person.  - Author unknown

These days there are few people who remain with the same company for their entire careers. In fact, with corporate restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, many times an employee will outlast their employer in the marketplace. So how do you get the most out of your career choices...

Early on in your professional career, you may still be finding your passion. It's likely that you will spend a significant amount of time discovering industries and different types of roles that really get you energized. It is important to recognize that when you make a decision to take a job or turn it down, it does not have to be a lifelong career choice.

Many people, myself included, get decision paralysis when considering a job opportunity. Sometimes it is a simpler decision than you are making it out to be. If it is solely an opportunity to explore a new industry, or even a new city, that's okay. Each job is meant to be an experience. You can build skills within a role while providing value to your employer. For both parties it doesn't have to be a long term relationship. It may be an internship for a summer, a job for a few years and maybe down the road, it could be a decade long career relationship. The great news is that you don't need to define the relationship with an employer right away. It will continue to evolve and I promise that there is a purpose for it all, even if that purpose if not visible to you at that time.

CAREER COUNSELING: When you fall in love...

"The person you fall in love with is usually not the same person you divorce"

My friend Megan mentioned this statement during lunch the other day and I thought was a very insightful statement. Now I have never been married and would not presume to give marriage advice (leave that to the professionals). BUT...The idea forced me to reflect on other commitment decisions, for example, when you make a decision to leave or "divorce" your job.

Think about that initial meeting or interview you had. Like a first date, you may be excited about it, really enjoyed the conversation, big smile on your face as you are leaving. Where does this excitement come from? There may have been a few key people on your interview panel that with whom you really connected.  Or they may have shared some exciting project that stuck with you when you made the decision to commit to this job. Whatever it was that you feel in love with sometimes isn't enough to keep the relationship together down the road.

If you have had this experience, you may be thinking to yourself..."How in the world did I think accepting this job was a good idea???"  Don't beat yourself up too much. Just like a relationship with a person, job environments change. The project that you loved may have been short lived, or the person on the interview panel that you connected with may have moved onto a different role. Whatever the circumstances, it's okay to decide to move onto something else if the environment is no longer a fit for you. The best thing you can do is learn from this experience and move forward. The next time you make this decision, make sure you understand what the potential might be for different roles, projects and managers. Get a good look at the whole picture and what the future might look like. Hindsight is 20/20, so you cannot expect to predict everything, just make the best decision you can with the information you have at that time and if doesn't work out, then change it.

Bottom Line:  Don't be afraid to fall in love again, there is another great job out there for you and you deserve to be happy.

Free Samples

Keeping along the lines of my retail experiences lately, I wanted to share another thought with you. I just got a shipment in the mail from one of my favorite product lines (supersalve.com - seriously amazing stuff). I am usually pretty consistent with what I order from them, but the part I really enjoy is the free sample they include with every shipment. Just a little taste of something new they thought I would enjoy. Great marketing, simple approach, and of course, keeps me coming back for more.

The same idea of sampling can be used for marketing yourself. I certainly cannot take credit for this idea, but hopefully you can benefit from my sharing. Your resume is never going to be the perfect demonstration of everything you have to give to a career/position.  Sometimes, to get your foot in the door, you need a little bit more than a resume.

Consider sharing a sample of your work product or a "White Paper." Remembering a few keys things along the way....

• Make sure it is relevant to the career/job your are seeking and think about the audience - supersalve doesn't ever send me men's shave cream, because I have never ordered men's products from them before. Likely not something I would be interested in. 
• Make it interesting and innovative - Don't repeat information that is readily available. Offer insights that might be a bit outside of the box and explain how you came up with these ideas. 
• Make is short and sweet - similar to your resume, the reader needs to be able to get to the point quickly. A strong intro page will get their attention and perhaps they will make time to read more. 
• Make sure the information is available to share - you may have some great work that you are proud of from a previous job. Before you go sharing it with a potential competitor, make sure you are not breaking any rules, you can get yourself in trouble.  

Beyond that, have fun with it! If you are truly passionate about an industry, doing the research should be a fun activity for you.....let that excitement shine through in your product. 

Advertising yourself....honestly

As usual, there is a bit of inspiration from my daily activities that I draw upon for my thoughts here.

The other day I was out with my friend Megan and we stopped into a store because I read about this product in my latest girly magazine and wanted to try it out. When we got in there, we learned that not only did they not have any in stock, but also, they weren't going to have any available for about 10 days....the salesperson tried to find a sample, but they were out of those as well.  Bummer right? Megan, in her wisdom and previous experience in PR, whispered to me on the way out the door...."from a PR standpoint, they really shouldn't be advertising something they are not prepared to sell." Really good point.

The same rule applies when advertising yourself as a job seeker. With the common knowledge that a recruiter only spends 30-45 seconds reviewing your resume, some folks can be tempted to including some impressive activities to garner attention. The important thing to remember is that you have to be able to back up those claims.

That same resume that the recruiter spent 30 seconds on is also the same one a potential hiring manager could spend 30 minutes on in preparation for an interview with you. Remember that they have a job to fill and specific skills needed for that position. If you come in with an exaggerated description of your skills and you cannot back those up, you could jeopardize your chances at a dream job. All the passion in the world and ability to learn every aspect of the job won't get you beyond the bad impression you left for the hiring manager when they learned that you lied on your resume.

Remember that the right job is out there for you. Be yourself and be proud of your accomplishments... that passion will go farther than you think.

A new direction....where you are going and what you are leaving behind

I just got back from 2 weeks of travel. Part of my travels included visiting a masters program that would entail a 2 year full time commitment and a move cross country, ending most likely, with another move upon graduation. Without a doubt a big step...and my biggest question thus far has been: is this step in the right direction?

I have spent so much time researching this option and with more dedication than any other decision I can recall. When I went to visit this program, I expected to have what my career coach calls an "ah-ha moment." It didn't happen. So now what?

My research on the program tells me that there is nothing wrong with this step in my career. It is an area of study I am interested in. The program is custom and small and allows me to adapt my studies based on my own experiences and interests. The college town is quaint and friendly and I have good, long time friends nearby. Where is the hesitation coming from?

Upon my return home, I was catching up on correspondence and read an article posted by a friend on FB. The post, entitled "What happens with you live abroad" offered a perspective I had not considered about decisions moving forward. The post explained (among other insights) that sometimes when people make a move, its not always a concern about where they are going, but rather what they could potentially be leaving behind.

I was so focused on where this program would take me that when I had that vision sorted it, I couldn't understand why the decision was still difficult. I finally recognized that my struggles were around leaving behind the comforts and familiar environment that I have now.

If you are struggling with a decision to move in a new direction, I encourage you to evaluate where your fears are coming from. It takes time and lots of Q&A within yourself. Remember that there will always be something that you give up when committing to something else. Whatever decision you make...if you embrace it, enjoy it and make it a part of your story, then it will never be a mistake.

A 15-20pt lead - The Sweet Spot

If you are like much of the US sports fan population, you have likely been following March Madness over the past week or so. As a loyal fan of my Arizona Wildcats (Bear Down!), I have been watching the games leading up to the Sweet Sixteen. Many sports fans, myself included, have superstitions, theories and traditions that they follow in support of their teams. I was sharing my theory about team moral with some fellow fans on Saturday and realized that the idea worked not just for the basketball teams, but for individuals as well. Let me explain....

At the start of the game, all the players are full of energy and in general the points go back and forth with regularity and the score is usually even for the first few minutes of the game. From there, a team (hopefully AZ) will begin to take the lead. As that team scores points, a certain momentum is established and shared between the players. This excitement is a great part of the game and is contagious to the fans in the arena (and the bar as well). As the spread grows between the teams' scores, attitude and this 'energy' changes as well. At 10 points ahead, there is still room for a quick change with just a few small mistakes, at 15 points ahead, it is a lot harder to turn the game around, but still possible and at a 20 point lead, players may start feeling really comfortable with the lead.

My theory is that when the winning team is within a lead of 15-20 points, this is their "sweet spot." A level of confidence where they play their best. As a game continues and the winning team works within this 15-20 point lead, they play like a team with stamina working for a win AND with the confidence on a strong foundation behind them. When they drop below 15 points, they may struggle because they feel like they are losing their lead and they make more hasty decisions. Above 20 points, they become a bit less focused as they believe the game is in the bag. I am not claiming that players do not play with heart all the way through, they simply have a different level of confidence based on the point spread.

If you take this lesson of the sweet spot into your own goals and games, it works the same way.  Going into an interview, image that you are already in the lead and you just need to keep working hard and show your passion to make the win. If you come in believing you are not qualified, your insecurity will show and a hiring manager may question their decision. Worse yet, in my opinion, if you come in thinking you are overqualified and the postion is already yours, that arrogance will show and might cost you the job.

Play your job search game in the sweet spot; with the confidence of a strong team and the passion to work for the win. There will always be a group of fans supporting you along the way!

Is this the right role? Considerations....

I had an interesting conversation this morning. I was asked to provide some insights on product enhancements for a service I utilized in my former role as a recruiter.  Just as we were finishing up the conversation, the person I was speaking with made a comment about my previous role; asking if I was sure I wanted to leave that career path. It forced me to think a bit more about this idea...

One of the hard truths of the corporate world is that jobs and the duties and responsibilities associated with these positions are set up to benefit the company. Seems simple enough, but yet we overlook this idea so often when we become frustrated in our roles. Incentives and rewards at a company are set up to motivate the behavior they want from their employees.

Say you own a bakery and you are hiring a baker. Your business goal is to be a quick service bakery marketing to commuters coming through your location. Thinking along these lines, you want your staff to work towards speed and volume, so you would reward behavior such as the number of bagels the baker could produce for the morning rush rather than how pretty they looked on display. It's not to say that presentation quality is not important, but think about your customers. Your target consumers are likely not going to spend a lot of time admiring the presentation of the bagel, so you shouldn't be asking your staff to spend much time on that aspect either.

The reason I provide this example is to help you understand or recognize that just because a specific role at a specific company wasn't the right fit for you, doesn't mean that you were ill fit for the role itself. It could be that the aspects of the role that were most important for the company were not in line with the ones you perform best. Coming back to the bakery example, if you are a baker that is a visual perfectionist and you like to ensure that every bagel has the proper proportion of sesame seeds, perhaps a bakery that is most concerned with display and presentation would be a better fit for your skills than a bakery that is focused on volume and speed.

It took me some time to work this idea out. There are certainly aspects of recruiting that I really enjoyed, but the aspects that were more important to my employer were not the ones I was most passionate about. This ill fit was profound enough for me that I thought my only choice was to leave recruiting altogether. I have finally begun to recognize that I just need to find a company/position whose goals and priorities are in line with mine. I encourage you to do the same.

Job descriptions and titles can differ vastly across companies and industries. Take the time to understand the goals of the organizations and ask the tough questions. Remember a good fit benefits both sides of the employment decision. If you are already motivated and excited about a job and its the behavior that benefits the company, its a win for both sides.