Career Panic: How Do I Know If This Job Is The Right Job?

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keyboard-114439_1920My first career-panic moment occurred at the beginning of ninth grade.

I was only thirteen at the time when the guidance counselor asked, “What do you plan to major in when you get to college?”

The blank stare on my face must not have registered my answer for her as she persisted by asking, “Well, what do you want to be when you grow up?”

Honestly, I didn’t have a clue. Not one.

At that point my career plans consisted of trying out for cheerleader for the current year, with a backup plan to continue with dance and orchestra.  Looking ahead to high school I was leaning more towards drill team vs. cheerleading but I figured I had another nine months before tryouts to think about it.

The panic that took over as I thought about a life-long career option was almost too much to bear.  I went home in tears, convinced that I would be a failure in life because I had not chosen a career path at age thirteen.

My parents just smiled and said, “Don’t worry; you’ll figure it out. One step at a time.”

Easy for them to say! My life was falling apart before my eyes and they’re telling me to remain calm?

Looking back, I know that mom and dad were right.  I only wish they would have explained things a bit more.

I see a similar type of panic with some of my younger clients when they are interviewing for a job or an internship. Despite having years of college and/or degrees on their resume, many have yet to truly determine what they want to be when they “grow up”.

They ask me, “How do I know if this job is the right job? Or even the right company?”  “What if it isn’t ‘The One’”?

The answer is: You don’t know.  None of us has a crystal ball.

You don’t know if it’s the right job, the right company, if you’ll enjoy the work, or if you’ll like the people.

The only thing we can do is take it one step at a time.

Personally, I look at several criteria when evaluating a job offer:

  • How does this job fit into my overall career strategy, both long-term and short-term?
  • Will the job add something new to my resume? Skills, title, responsibility, industry?
  • Is this job satisfying a personal need and/or desire? Example, transitioning from one career to another. Could be considered part of your career strategy.
  • What’s my gut telling me?  Do I have a good feeling about the work I’ll be doing, the people, the company?
  • Conversely, have any warnings gone off in my head that won’t go away?  Sometimes that means ignoring a monetary offer so good it’s hard to pass up.

It can help to write down the answers to such questions or even perform a SWOT analysis if that makes you feel better.

But don’t over-analyze; there is no perfect answer.

Accept the job offer that feels right based on your criteria and give it your all.  Learn what you like – and don’t like – about the work and the industry.  Apply those learnings when you decide to move on to the next opportunity in a few years.

Sometimes we’ll hit a home-run the first time at bat.  But don’t panic if you strike out. More than likely, it will take a few swings before we find our true calling. 

We learn from every job experience, even those we are not crazy about.

Remember: One step at a time. One job at a time.

Career Lessons Learned From My Refridgerator

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FridgeOur refrigerator turned in its resignation last night.

Without even giving a two week notice, it suddenly decided it had had enough of working for us and decided to quit.  No resignation letter, no nothing. He simply stopped working.

By the time we discovered the fridge had decided to terminate his employment, we had water everywhere since he also failed to notify the ice-maker to stop going through the motions. His team was engaged, even though the fridge had mentally and physically checked out.

Clearly this was not the way to leave a job. He served us well for almost sixteen years; still, we may have reservations about recommending him or his brand to a friend.

As an employer, I wonder how I missed the distress signals.

Occasionally I heard some squeaks and grinds coming from the refrigerator; I thought he was simply doing his job. Yesterday I seem to remember a loud noise emanating from the kitchen, one that scared the dog. Yet I brushed it off; considering it was garbage day with trucks going down the alley, or maybe it was the crews working on the house next door.

In hindsight Hubby or I should have taken time with the refrigerator, to see what was going on in his world, checking the temperature to see if the ice was, indeed, icy.

I might have been able to predict that things were not as rosy as I thought they were, and maybe would have been better prepared for this seemingly sudden turn of events.

Instead, I’m left cleaning out the refrigerator, trying to salvage what I can of the lukewarm food.

As an employee, don’t be like our refrigerator.  When you are ready to leave your job – for whatever reason – it’s always best to do so on good terms.

  • Give notice; two weeks if possible.
  • Maintain a positive attitude.
  • Help your team and boss with a plan to transition work.

As an employer, it’s important to be in tune with your employees rather than assume they are happy.

  • Talk to them regularly and really listen to what they are saying.
  • Don’t wait until they resign to start paying attention.
  • You may not be able to solve all of the problems – nor should you, necessarily – but what you hear will speak volumes about what is going on among the staff.

Bosses should be prepared for, not be surprised by, resignations. And employees should do their best to make a smooth transition for those left behind.

It’s in everyone’s best interest.

And the Award Goes To: What To Do When You Don’t Win At Work

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DMN column praise

The awards were all sitting in front of me. A large screen flashed accolades, written by readers of the newspaper and submitted anonymously, praising the work of the columnists sitting in the room with me. We all watched anxiously for comments about our work.

I’m not gonna lie; I counted the number of times my name appeared on the screen, even taking photos of each comment with my phone.

To say I’m competitive is an understatement. I’ve always strived to be the best at everything I do. Whether I succeed or not is beside the point; I have an inherent desire to do my best.

Who am I kidding? It’s all about winning! I want an award and all the recognition that comes with it, including bragging rights and the photo for social media.

But today I was not a winner.

Thank goodness I learned a hard lesson when I was younger: not everyone gets a trophy just for participating.

When I was a child, we learned the value of winning but more importantly we learned the value of losing, and losing with grace. It didn’t matter if it was softball or dance or debate or any number of competitive activities. There could only be one winner; possibly a second and third place. But that was it. We didn’t receive a trophy simply for participating, a practice common today.

We learned to accept defeat graciously, and we learned to separate the loss of the event from ourselves. Just because we did not receive an award for our hard work did not mean that we, personally, were losers. It simply meant that someone else had performed better than we did at that given moment.

I believe we became more resilient. If we wanted to succeed next time, we evaluated the winning entry or the winning team’s strategy. We took notes. We practiced more. We set a goal, developed a plan to achieve that goal, and went to work.

My biggest lesson in defeat and winning came in high school. A life-long dancer, when drill team tryouts came I thought it would be no problem to make the team. I practiced and had the routine down pat. Piece of cake, I thought.

What I didn’t count on was the strong desire of others to secure one of the limited spots on the team. They may not have had the same years in the dance studio as I did, but they made up for it in determination.

Defeat hit me hard. I was devastated.

After twenty-four hours of solid tears, I held my head up, walked past the smiling girls who made the team and met with the director to ask for constructive feedback for next years’ tryouts.

Once I understood my areas for improvement, I developed a plan to master those skills by the next years’ try-outs. I was determined to win.

Was it hard to sit on the sidelines for a year? Yes. Was it difficult to practice alone while waiting for my next chance at redemption? Absolutely.

What will happen to kids today when they grow out of the “everyone gets a trophy” phase and experience true defeat? Will they know how to separate the loss based on skills without thinking, “I’m a loser”? And will they have the determination to develop a plan to win next time?

My losing experience taught me no matter how good I am at something, there’s always going to be someone better. I learned how to develop a plan to get from point A to point B.

Second time out, I made the team. Got the award, the bragging rights and the photo.

As for today’s events, I’m proud of my fellow columnists who received recognition for their work. It’s an honor to work with such skilled writers.

And the graduation gift we all received was lovely; a leather writing journal to capture our thoughts, which I know I’ll put to good use.

But I still want to win.

Successful People Have This Characteristic

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What makes some people successful and others not so much? Luck? Intelligence? Money?

I’m guessing successful people have this characteristic: they are driven.

I like to think that I have a special relationship with all of my nieces and nephews. This is especially true of my sister’s kids, simply because I was single when they were born and had lots of free time to spend with them during formative years.

That last statement speaks volumes about my dating life during that time. But I digress.

Now they are young adults and I’m in awe of their smarts and capabilities. Each has different interests and is driven to succeed in different ways. There is no doubt in my mind that all will be successful.

My oldest niece is particularly driven. From the time she was a little girl, she’s wanted to be a veterinarian. The time is now; this fall she will enter vet school to fulfill that dream.

I’d love to say this has been an easy road: go to college, get degree, apply to vet school, get accepted, and off you go.

Anyone with any knowledge of vet school knows that it’s easier to get into medical school than vet school. Barely into her bachelor’s program, professors told my niece as much; not-so-politely suggesting that she give up her dream and head over to the med school.

Many of her classmates gave up quickly, letting one or two people’s opinions shatter their dream.

Not my niece. She pushed and worked and kept staring them down when they’d tell her “no”.

She completed a rigorous masters’ program, graduating summa cum laude while working at the veterinary hospital on campus to prove herself, even managing the large-animal ICU as a tech after graduation.

Still, no acceptance from her dream school.

Determined – DRIVEN – to succeed, she applied to multiple schools, received several offers and accepted one from an outstanding program where she will begin this fall.

This young lady is intelligent, mature and knows what she wants. She has worked her butt off to get to her dream; now it’s happening.

I am so proud of her. For having a strategic plan to get from point A to point B. For staying positive and gaining experience wherever she could. For NOT GIVING UP.

How many of us would more easily give up when searching for a job?

I speak with job seekers frequently about their dreams, their searches and what they are doing to achieve those dreams. Even if the dream is simply to find employment.

  • When I suggest developing a strategic plan, many say “I don’t need that; it’s just a job search”.
  • When I forward a job opening for them to consider, I’m met with, “I’m probably over-qualified”.
  • When I suggest that perhaps they take a lower-paying job or a volunteer position in their field that will keep them working and cover gaps on their resume, they say, “I’m better than that” or “That’s a lot of work for little reward”.

Wow. So many times I’m met with such negativity that it’s hard even for me to maintain a positive attitude.

And then my niece reminds me that sometimes dreams are worth fighting for, no matter what it takes or how many lower-level jobs you have to endure while you wait.

Makes me think that successful people are more driven than others. Or at least they don’t give up as easily.

What Kind of Boss Are You Going to Be?

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Today’s post, “Everything I Know About Business, Started With My Dad”,  is from a friend and former colleague, Kathy Meyer.  This first ran in “Nokia People”, Nokia’s Internal Employee Magazine in August of 2001, Volume 52, Page 34.  It  was her first published article.

Things you should know about Kathy:

  • She has an incredibly dry wit and great sense of humor.
  • She is extremely intelligent.
  • She is one of the hardest workers I know and expects the best not only of herself but of those in her charge.
  • She is a teacher as well as a leader; a rare combination in the business world these days.

I hope you enjoy the lesson she is sharing. It’s given me something to think about.

Tami

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“Everything I Know About Business, Started With My Dad”

When I was recently promoted, my Dad asked me, “What kind of boss are you going to be?”

He went on to say that you have two choices: you can be “exploitive” or “developmental”.

Exploitive bosses take credit for your work, find ways to get themselves promoted, and are just looking out for themselves. Then there are the rare “developmental” bosses that come along once in a lifetime if you are lucky.

My father spent a career in various companies striving to be a “developmental” boss. He chose to help his employees achieve professional goals. He cared about his employees.

I have worked for more jerks than I have fingers. “Exploitive” is a nice word for them.

I didn’t know the difference until I had a “developmental” boss, Forrest, at Verizon. I spent three years working for this boss and tried to learn everything he had to teach me. He encouraged me, taught me about business, finance, politics, how to negotiate, and made me more valuable to myself and to the company.

Outside of work, he helped me build a new house, get married, and was gracious while I grieved through the loss of my Grandma Horton. He encouraged me to pursue my MBA to get to the next position. This self confidence power boost I brought home and shared with my husband, David. We both have our MBA’s today and we owe it to Forrest for giving us the courage to begin.

I know the difference between “exploitive” boss and a “developmental” boss. I know what actions have made a difference in my world.

Today it’s not fashionable for managers to invest time and effort in their employees, and that’s a tragedy for all of us in the corporate world.

I have a much higher standard for future bosses since the bar was set so high early in my career.

I am looking for a “developmental” boss. Aren’t we all?

Lesson from Rachel Dolezal

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rachel dolezal

Sometimes career-related lessons can be learned from watching the news.

Today’s lesson is from Rachel Dolezal, and it’s a big one: Don’t Lie.  The truth has a way of coming to the surface and when it does, you’ll wish you had been truthful from the beginning.

Ms. Dolezal recently resigned her position with the Spokane chapter of the NAACP. For some reason, she felt the need to portray herself as African-American, going to great lengths to do so.

Yet she’s a white woman who lied on at least one job application, as well as to the hiring manager, her boss, friends, and colleagues.  One report stated that she even had her kids lie about her true identity.

She’s been living this lie for years.  And I’m not sure any of us really comprehend why.

It’s my understanding that before this lie was uncovered, she was known for being passionate about racial and social justice.  Under her leadership the NAACP chapter had grown and was accomplishing great things.   It’s a shame that her lie may cause people to forget about her passion and good work, instead remembering her deception and perhaps wondering if she lied about anything else.

And it may harm the reputation of the Spokane chapter, doing more harm than she could have imagined. An organization’s reputation is represented by those who work there. We’ll have to see how this plays out.

While I don’t know Ms. Dolezal, I’m sure she didn’t need to lie to get a job with the NAACP.  It’s a great organization, full of wonderful people who do great work; I’m pretty sure they would have welcomed Ms. Dolezal no matter what her race.  In fact, some of the founding members of the NAACP happened to have been white.

Just in case you need them, here are 4 reasons why you should tell the truth during your job search:

  • Your reputation – your personal brand – is at stake.  One slip sooner or later, everyone finds out you’ve been lying, and you’re toast. All your hard work is forgotten. The only thing people remember is that you lied and can no longer be trusted.
  • The corporate brand is at stake; the company that hired you.  This is especially true if you are in management or in a public-facing position.  When the truth is uncovered, the company now suffers.
  • Your co-workers may be in an awkward position to cover for you, particularly if they know or suspect that you are not being 100% truthful.  Would you want to be treated in the same manner?
  • Lying is hard work.  It’s hard to keep up with all the stories, and once you’ve started the lie it snowballs, growing larger until it gets out of control.

Lies. They catch up with you.  Actually it’s the truth that catches up with you, in all its glory.  It’s just much easier to tell the truth from the beginning.

A Phone Call Changes Everything

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The past week has been tough; it always is when a loved one is in the hospital.  The post below is a rerun from 2013 and it’s similar to what I’m going through now.  This is a great reminder of what’s really important, even when work is swirling out of control or we’ve had a bad day at the office.

Phone

 

It’s usually not a good thing when the phone rings before 8:00 am.  Mom sounded nervous, telling me she didn’t feel well.  Hubby and I raced her to the doctor, and then to the ER.  Losing feeling and movement in any part of your body is not good.

Tests were started in the ER and when it was determined her condition was stable, we transferred to a room and waited while they took more tests.  And waited, and waited….

The waiting seemed so long.  My only solace was texting Hubby who had gone to work, or watching TV, scrolling through Facebook or playing solitaire.  I had rushed out of the house that morning with just my handbag and phone; thank goodness I had a charger with me.

The good news is that her hand showed improvement within hours.  Bad news is that this happened on a Friday and weekends are definitely not a good time to be in a hospital – ask anyone who’s been there.  Skeleton staff makes it almost impossible to get tests done and read.   Not sure why they don’t have a full team that works weekends too.  Illness doesn’t take a holiday.

More good news; mom is improving and is now at our house.  Her hand, while not 100%, continues to show signs of improvement.  Tests revealed no major issues.  This was clearly a fluke, and she was lucky.

I had lots of time to think during those days in the hospital.  Too much time, in fact.  Thinking about mom, wondering how I’m going to help her without taking independence away; how am I going to “not worry” about her?  It’s sobering to realize that her life – my life – changed with one phone call.

What I didn’t think about during this time was work.  Funny how that happens.  I had worked late for three nights leading up to this, completely stressed-out about things. While I was sitting in the hospital, I honestly couldn’t tell you what I had been working on that week or why it had seemed so important.

A phone call, that’s all it took to get perspective.  Suddenly I would have given anything to simply be stressed out from work.  That would be easy.  Sitting in a hospital with your loved one is not.

There’s not even any hospital drama or shenanigans like you see on Grey’s Anatomy.  At least that would have been a distraction!  Where’s a hot doctor when you need one? And the Grey’s Anatomy hospital seems to be fully staffed every day and at all hours.  Hardly real-life.

So what’s my point?  I guess I don’t really have a fun business story today.  Except to say that wherever you are in your career – happy with work, not happy, laid off and looking – remember to keep work in perspective.  It’s important, but other things are more important.

One phone call is all it takes to change your life in an instant.  And trust me, you won’t care anymore about work, the stress, the pay, the coworkers, the clients – anything.

Advance Your Career By Working For Free

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Work for free.  That’s almost an oxymoron, isn’t it?

After all, isn’t the whole point of going to work, toiling away for forty-plus hours a week, to earn money?

Luckily for me, aside from a slight misstep with my first career, work has never been “toil”.  I’ve enjoyed my chosen field and am grateful to never feel like I’m working.

That said, I still enjoy getting paid.

There are times, however, when you can boost your career by working for free.

Sounds like crazy-talk, I know. Many will simply quit reading right now.  Go ahead; that leaves more opportunity for the rest of us.

Take myself, for example.  As a writer I like to get paid for my work. Duh.  Yet websites and other publications like to get free content.  The battle wages between getting paid vs. getting noticed.

When writers are first starting out, it’s more important to get noticed.  The goal is to build a following; to become the “go-to” person that people seek out on a specific topic.

Then the tables start to turn.  The websites and publications need you.  In addition, if you have strategically aligned yourself with publications that attract a large following, your byline can tie back to your own website where you can market yourself, maybe develop an email list of visitors.

Now you have people to market to; potential paying customers. It’s business in the making. See how that works?

Retailers have known for eons that the best way to attract paying customers is to get people to sample their products first.  Get them hooked.

Same thing for those selling something less-tangible, such as a service.  Give your target audience a sample; a taste of your work so they can try it before they buy it. Once they know your capabilities and feel comfortable with you, they will be more willing to spend money for a long term agreement.

Consider the fact that most jobs are obtained through networking. Why? Because the people in your network know you; they know you’re work and are confident in recommending or hiring you.

Some Ideas

  • If you are a consultant or small business person, consider trading work with someone to help build word-of-mouth marketing.  If you’re a marketer, offer to develop a Marcomm plan for an IT consultant in exchange for his help with your computer issues.

 

  • Perhaps an internship is the way to show you are willing to do what it takes to start a new career.  Many internships pay a nominal salary too.  And no, you’re not too old to do an internship.

 

  • Volunteering is another great way to gain experience and spread the word about your fabulous work skills.  Non profits do have paying jobs; they may just be hard to find.  Get your foot in the door by volunteering your business skills for a project.  Get to know the executives and board members. When the project is over, ask them for a recommendation that you can use on LinkedIn, and let them know that you would be interested in working for them when a job opening comes along.

Work for free, or work for less.  Either of these is super important for anyone who is starting out, wants to gain exposure or wishes to change careers into something totally different.

Give it some thought. You may just advance your career by working for free.

Why I Would Never Hire Kanye

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Grammys

Watching award shows are like watching movies you’ve never heard of before.  Sometimes they are great; sometimes they are snoozers; and sometimes there are surprises.

Sunday’s Grammy Awards showcased a lot of great talent. Artists both new and old were in attendance, performing and supporting each other, singing and dancing to the beat.  It was like watching mini concerts by some of our favorites.

Everything was great until one decided he didn’t agree with who should receive an award and decided to take matters into his own hands.

Was this really about Beck winning Album of the Year instead of Queen Bey?  Or was it Kanye trying to grab attention for himself?

Who knows?  And it doesn’t really matter.  Either way, Mr. K looked foolish.

Let’s assume for a minute that Beyonce did deserve to win, was this really the right forum?  It was disrespectful to the winner (who deserved to win too), it was embarrassing to all involved and ultimately it was not going to change the outcome.

Clearly “Ye”, as he called himself in an after-Grammy interview rant, didn’t think this through.  This is why I would never hire Kanye.

Companies need people who can keep their cool under pressure.  People who can use critical thinking skills in the heat of the moment to refrain from making rash decisions that, even if the intention is good, may make everyone look bad.

There are times at work when all of us want to jump up on the table to defend an idea or make a statement by walking out of a meeting.  I beg you not to.

Believe me; I’m all for pushing to get an idea heard.  It’s just that there is a right way – and a wrong way – to do so.  Rushing the stage and ranting are usually not good.

Don’t be like Kanye, rushing onstage or ranting about the fact that your idea wasn’t the winner. It’s a foolish idea.  Instead of remembering your good idea, others will remember the poor execution of your presumably well-intentioned message.

 

 

Five Things to Remember from College

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Two Yorkshire Pigs

I love being on a college campus!

There’s an energy that permeates just about every building and walkway.  It’s fun to watch the students coming and going, stopping to study or engaged in conversations.  They are eager to learn and are busy outlining goals for their careers.

I remember feeling that way.

Just wish that type of interest/excitement/whatever-you-want-to-call-it would continue throughout our careers.

Something happens to us work veterans after years on the job. We tend to get bogged down in the details, becoming frustrated and sometimes disillusioned to the point of wanting to throw in the towel and open a pig farm to get away from it all.

Pigs?

I’m just brainstorming here. How hard could it be? Just feed them and shelter them; they seem to be happier dirty so no need to bathe them.   Downside is the natural odor that comes with a pig as well as litter-box issues.

You know I’m kidding, but I think you get my point.  We all have moments where we lack that college enthusiasm we once had.

If you find yourself frustrated and bogged down at work or lacking that level of excitement we once had, here are five things to remember from college that may help get you back on course:

  • Continue to learn. Just because we’ve left campus doesn’t mean we should stop learning. It’s good for our brains and brings a sense of accomplishment when we’re through.  Not to mention it’s great for the resume.
  • Work with intention.  I remember being so intent on doing well for my classes that I developed almost laser-like focus to achieve a good grade.  We should do the same at work; think of how much we would accomplish!  Maybe we’ll even get a raise, if not a gold star on our Power Point presentation.  At least we can go home knowing we did our best.
  • Focus on what’s important. In school, we all had dreams and aspirations that helped us focus on the prize – getting an A, receiving a diploma and getting a job.  While we won’t get a diploma from work, by setting work-related goals we can focus on what’s truly important for us at our jobs.
  • Make new friends (network).  This was easy at school since we met other students all the time.  It’s a bit more difficult out in the work force but equally as important. Whether it’s networking, making new friends or even keeping up with old friends, make time to reach out and touch someone.
  • Look toward the future with optimism.  With our careers wide open and out in front of us, in school we were excited to jump into the future.  As our careers progress, we sometimes get so overwhelmed with the here and now that we forget that each day is building on our future.  No matter where you are in your career, try to maintain some of that fresh-out-of-school optimism. It’s amazing how good you’ll feel at work.

I’m going to continue to visit a college campus periodically to feel energized to learn and optimistic about the future – my future.

Without pigs.