June 27, 2006

Si, se Puede!

Billie Sucher tells a funny and inspiring tale of taking up a new hobby over on Career Hub. I particularly love her description of the helpful sales clerk.

Asked the associate what tools and resources one would need if one wanted to start painting and one had zero, zilch experience in this skill area. She gave me a near-nasty look and said "Why are you gonna' paint if you don't know nothin' about it?" I offered a lame "why not?" response, only to wonder later why I hadn't quipped the confident "because I can" line.

The Paint Associate (TPA) suggested that I start with "on sale" and "clearance items" so "you won't be out too much when you quit." Hmm. Quit? Clearly, she was ahead of me in the transition process.

As an ex-pat Brit, I am following England's progress in the World Cup. Most Americans don't care about football (or soccer as it's called here) but in other countries, it's practically a religion.

England football fans are a long-suffering bunch. Often touted as favorites for the final, we never actually do very well and it doesn't seem to matter how many superstars we have on the field, they always play like, well, England. So, despite the fact that the team has now advanced to the quarter finals, none of my friends back home are very enthusiastic preferring not to get their hopes up. Each win is greeted with responses along the lines of "well, they won, but they didn't play very well. It's only a matter of time."

By contrast, I recently found out that the entire country of Ecuador took national holidays to watch their games and all joined in with the chant "si se puede" which means "yes we can." When the team lost to England, Ecuadorians poured out onto the streets to celebrate how far their team had advanced before losing.

We England fans remind me of Billie's Paint Associate. I much prefer the Ecuadorian outlook. If only I knew how to adopt it!

Posted by Louise at 03:09 PM | Permalink

January 28, 2006

Well-meant, but Ill-advised

Today I received an email that truly surprised me. A potential client, almost ready to sign up for a new resume, had one question: At 55, was he too old for an executive position within a corporation?

He said he had been advised that no one would hire him for a senior role because of his age, and he should look to make a career change.

Huh?

Now I do not dispute that age discrimination exists. There are certainly people out there who will not consider this gentleman on the basis of his age. But he has an excellent background and a track record of real accomplishment. There are many companies looking for mature leadership and many people stay energetic and fit into their 60s. Why on earth would someone advise him to throw away all his knowledge and experience before he has even tested the waters?

Probably for the same reason some people insist that you must have a one-page resume, or advise you always to wear a suit to interviews even when you know the company culture is very casual. The people giving this advice are well-meaning, but they are projecting their beliefs and prejudices onto the world in general.

I wrote back and told my potential client that I thought the advice he had received was nonsense. If he really wants to make a career change, he should. But only if that's what he really wants to do. Not because some well-meaning person gave him terrible advice.

Posted by Louise at 02:20 PM | Permalink

April 18, 2005

Worthwhile Magazine

Thanks to Curt Rosengren's blog, I just discovered Worthwhile magazine. In their own words:

The editorial mission of WORTHWHILE is to put purpose and passion on the same plane as profit. WORTHWHILE offers a roadmap for business success that is more personally fulfilling and socially responsible. We live by the motto that it is impossible to have a meaningful life without meaningful work.

They have a nice blog and ran a great piece on a recent New York Times article about a guy who REALLY loves his job! Check out the blog and the magazine - both are excellent.

Posted by Louise at 09:13 AM | Permalink

March 26, 2005

Is it Time for a Change?

Just came across this Washington Post column about people who are unhappy in their jobs and it coincided with something I’ve been thinking about over the last few weeks.... a few years ago I worked in a job that made me unhappy (I ran HR for a company with more than a few problems). Although I was unhappy a lot of the time, I liked the people I worked with and I had a great team of employees. One of them, Jean, ran HR for our Texas facility.

Ultimately a string of bad decisions drove the company out of business, but it was a slow death and, before the end arrived, they laid off lots of people, including me.

Because I was so disillusioned with corporate life, I took the plunge and started Blue Sky Resumes with my husband. It was a huge risk, but I knew I had to do it. As I was building my business, my former employer finally closed its doors and among the last employees to leave who was my former Texas HR Director.

Like me, Jean decided she had had enough of corporate life. Like me, she started her own company. She is now the co-founder and proud owner of Exclaim Recruiting Agency. She also shares her job search knowledge and interviewing savvy as a Job Search Coach for Blue Sky Resumes.

We’re both very happy in our new lives, but I doubt if either of us would have made the jump had we not been pushed.

Reading this article just reminded me how awful it felt to hate my job. If you're not happy at work, don't make the mistake I did. DON’T WAIT! Find something else now! I don't mean to sound flip, but it really is up to you.

Posted by Louise at 01:34 PM | Permalink

March 13, 2005

Why Not?

In an excellent post, Curt Rosengren summarizes why so many of us prevent ourselves from getting the career success we deserve.

I was like this for years - I would look at other people who worked for themselves, or those who worked from home, or those who seemed to really love what they were doing for a living, and I would make a list of reasons why I'd never be able to do that.

But then I spent four unhappy years with a struggling company where employees were mistreated and unappreciated, and I got so burnt out that - when I finally got laid off - I just couldn't face doing it again in another company. Worn out and disillusioned with life as a corporate executive, I finally had the motivation necessary to find another way forward.

Now, I work for myself, from home, doing something I really love to do. I enjoy every day and I'm living proof that Curt is right. Read his post and then ask yourself what obstacles you're putting in your own way.

Posted by Louise at 05:26 PM | Permalink

March 02, 2005

Love Your Job!

Last night I went to see a taping of my favorite TV show, the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. (This really does have something to do with careers, I promise!).

What a fun experience! We waited six months for our tickets, but it was worth it. After we were seated, a DJ played great music, then a warm-up comedian came out and made everyone scream with laughter by bantering with various audience members. When he was done, Jon Stewart came out and chatted with the audience - again very funny and engaging. All this before the show had even started.

Last night I went to see a taping of my favorite TV show, the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. (This really does have something to do with careers, I promise!).

What a fun experience! We waited six months for our tickets, but it was worth it. After we were seated, a DJ played great music, then a warm-up comedian came out and made everyone scream with laughter by bantering with various audience members. When he was done, Jon Stewart came out and chatted with the audience - again very funny and engaging. All this before the show had even started.

While Stewart was chatting with the audience, one young man caught my eye. He was standing in the wings holding a clipboard and wearing a headset. Every now and then he spoke to someone over the small mike at his chin. Why did he catch my eye? I have seldom seen anyone so obviously unhappy in his job. Everything about this guy - the way he slumped, the frown etched across his forehead, the way he lumbered instead of walking - all conveyed resentment and deep, deep unhappiness.

When I was a child, I dreamed of a job "in television" - I still think it would be interesting to be around such talented people every day.  But not for my young man. A job that might make someone else feel happy and fulfilled, made this guy feel miserable. Which made me think again how important it is that we do a job that uses our true talents. Who knows what lights clipboard guy's fire, but it's definitely not his current job.

If you feel the same way, please start to figure out what will make you happy. Life is way too short to spend it skulking in the wings, watching those who have found their true calling take real joy in using their talents.

Posted by Louise at 01:55 PM | Permalink

The Importance of Confidence

Today I spent an hour on the phone with a resume client - senior executive with lots of work experience and a ton of accomplishments. Everything this guy touched had turned to gold ... and yet he was stymied. He had created many different versions of his resume, all attempting to play down what he considered to be weaknesses.

What were the weaknesses? No MBA, lots of varied positions (CFO, COO, CEO) and experience across many industries (no consistency). This guy had tied himself in knots trying to overcome what he saw as these weaknesses.

When he engaged me to write his resume, he sent me three different versions - all completely different, and none of them worthy of his amazing background.

In every position he held, my client had quickly zeroed in on the company's core problem. It didn't matter what position he held.  It didn't matter what industry he was working in - he consistently proved himself capable of finding the solution.... no matter what the problem. And the results spoke for themselves - dramatic turnarounds - Multi-million sales increases - companies saved from bankruptcy ..... the results were consistent and impressive.

Which made me think ... how many of us are too harsh on ourselves? And how many more are too harsh when in the middle of a job search?  We look at our backgrounds and we see all the negatives and none of the positives. If you're in the middle of a job search and feeling that way - consider this:

If Bill Gates had to write his resume, would he worry that he doesn't have a degree? And that he's only ever run his own company - never worked for anyone else? And that his whole experience has been in software development?

We ALL have weaknesses. We all have things that don't fit into the perfect, orderly plan we had for our lives. None of us are perfect  (even me and I try really, really hard ...)

When you embark on a job search, DO NOT worry about what you don't have, didn't do, haven't experienced .. eliminate negative thoughts and focus on the positive aspects of the same information. Never worked for anyone else? Then you've never had to be told what to do. Held positions in many different industries? That means you're capable of success in any field. Don't have an MBA? Well - look what you've accomplished without one!

I don't mean to sound like  a Pollyanna - but the more I work with clients on their job search, the more I realize that it success really is all about attitude. Stop beating yourself up about what's wrong and start acknowledging what's right. Companies want to hire winners and they're just waiting for you to show them why you are the winner they've been looking for.

Posted by Louise at 01:31 PM | Permalink