The Age of Relevance

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Hands and phones

When it comes to hiring, it seems like there’s still a lot of discussion about age.  Perception is that younger candidates are being chosen over older more experienced ones. This leaves the older candidates perplexed, without work, wondering what happened.

Theories I’ve read include the obvious age discrimination, and that older workers are not competitive because they don’t know about all the new technology like their younger counterparts.

I’m calling B.S. here.

That’s a pretty bold declaration given that I have no data to back up my claim, nor do I have any data to disprove the things I’ve read.

Don’t get me wrong; I agree that age discrimination exists.  What I think is B.S. is the part about older workers not having current skills and not being of value anymore. 

Take my little coffee shop “Focus Group” that meets each week.  I call it a “Meeting of the Minds”; Hubby calls it the “Brain Trust”.  A group of gentleman, all at least partially retired, many of them in an age group north of 70.  I think it’s safe to say most are senior citizens.

Discussions are lively and cover a wide range of topics including politics, business, the economy, personal finance and how to fix things.  Computers and technology are always part of the equation.

As the youngest person and only female participant in the group, I consider it a privilege to be included. They tell me I’m their “center of gravity” and that I’m “smart”.  Flattery will get them everywhere.

Honestly, it’s these guys with the white hair that are smart.  I’m in awe of their business knowledge. I try to listen and learn from them.  One thing is certain: all of them are relevant and current, both with today’s technology and social media.

During a recent meeting, everyone had their cell phones on the table in case a call came in.  Probably from their stockbrokers, I guessed, given they all seem to have way more money than I’ll ever have.

All of a sudden one of the men announced, “Say hi to Tom”.  He had initiated a Google Hangout with a former group member who moved to another city.  Talk about being relevant!  That he even had a smart phone should have made him relevant enough.   Add the Hangout and he is like a geriatric rock star.

The point is that all of these people are much older than the average person trying to find work today.  All of them are current with technology and social media. And the added bonus is they have years of business experience that would make them an asset to a company.

Just so we’re all clear, none of these gentlemen had careers in computers or technology.

In my opinion, employers need to focus on relevance and a willingness to learn rather than age when it comes to hiring.  Combine that with years of work experience and it’s a triple threat that is hard to beat. Something that you certainly won’t get from a younger candidate.

Older job candidates, listen up!  This means work on your part too. Understand and participate in social media.  Be sure your LinkedIn profile is up to date, that you have a FaceBook account and that you at least know enough about Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Tumblr, Google+, and other applications to carry on an intelligent conversation.

Staying relevant might mean taking a class to keep your work skills up to date.  In our area, the community college offers free or discounted classes to anyone over fifty.

Networking is a must.  Attend professional association meetings and read industry publications for current news – a great way to learn about new trends in your field.

Be relevant in both your attitude and appearance as well.  You’re as young as you feel, right?  Project that internal youthful energy in your voice and enthusiasm. It’s amazing how that will translate positively over the phone, in meetings and during interviews.

Will there still be age discrimination? Probably.  I can only control my behavior.  So I’m going to present the relevant, enthusiastic, younger person that I feel inside.  Even if I have to hire Ms. Clairol to cover my roots.

Always Carry A Business Card

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business card

“It’s tomorrow at 10:00; will you take me?” said the voice on the phone.  Ugh.  It’s not that I didn’t want to help Mom. It’s just that my schedule was already tight, with a big project deadline and a to-do list a mile long.  The last thing I wanted was to attend a funeral.

To add to the conundrum, I learned the service was for a former neighbor and the mother of a childhood friend. Didn’t matter that I had lost touch with my friend. I remember when Dad died, how good it made me feel to have people attend his service.  Now I felt guilty – that I had to attend.  I felt like I should go whether mom was involved or not.

Oh, that Catholic guilt!  And I’m not even Catholic.

So I worked like crazy, getting as much done as possible that would allow me to take a couple hours for the service.

Once at the service I knew I had done the right thing.  Not only for mom, but for myself as well.

I know you think I’m going to say something like, “It was a good reminder to slow down” or “The family appreciated my presence” or even, “It felt good to help mom”.

Yes, it was all of those things.  But actually – truthfully – it was a great reminder to always carry a business card.

You see, it turns out that a funeral is also a good networking opportunity.

I know, I know.  That sounds awful.  Part of me hates that I even typed that sentence.

This was not planned; it just happened, as networking so often does.  We were at the reception following the service, seated at a table with mom’s friends.  I struck up a conversation with a man at the next table, asking how he was related to the family.  We began talking and I discovered he’s a commercial photographer.  Wouldn’t you know, I was looking for a commercial photographer for a client project!

Small world, huh?  Turns out I couldn’t use him on this project since he’s based in another city a few hours away.  I asked for his business card for future projects.   He looked at me and his face fell.  “I didn’t bring any”.

That, my friends, was unfortunate.

I know it sounds harsh, given he was at his grandmother’s funeral.  My point is that it just goes to show that you never know when or where you are going to meet someone who might be a business contact.  Business cards should be just like a driver’s license: with you at all times.

Luckily for him I had business cards with me, so he’s got my information to connect on LinkedIn as well as my email address.

And the story gets better.  We continued talking and I mentioned a PR contact I had in his city that might be a good business contact for him.  Super small world: turns out he just finished a project for her!

Talk about six degrees of separation.

What did I learn from this day, aside from the fact that people really appreciate your attendance at life-changing events?

–          Always carry a business card

–          Pay it forward. I gave mom a ride; good karma gave me a business connection. Thanks mom, for not being confident enough to drive across town!

–          Funerals can be a good networking opportunity

Can I get an “Amen”?

Embracing Change

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Brrr! When I woke up this morning the temperature had dropped to twenty nine degrees.  Yesterday it was eighty and I was rockin’ flip-flops.  Today we will reach thirty-two if we’re lucky.  But just wait: according to the forecast, tomorrow’s high will be seventy-nine.

That’s Texas for you. If you don’t like the weather just wait a day because it will change.

One of the benefits of my first job out of grad school is that I learned to adapt to change.  We were expected to change jobs within the company every three years on average.  We would master one job, and move on to the next.  From the beginning we could see our career path laid out before us.  It was succession planning at its best.

You know what I learned from that?  Apparently I like change.  Sort of like the old saying, “A rolling stone gathers no moss”, I find myself itching for something new after a few years.

Hubby can rest easy. This does not apply to our relationship, although I will admit to wanting to infuse change into our home in the form of new furniture.  Talk about an expensive change!

For my career, change doesn’t have to involve leaving; it can mean a new position within the same company.  I would just like some advancement or newness – anything to keep from feeling like I’m in a rut.

As a consultant, change is part of my job. While I’m working for one client, I’m constantly in “new business development mode” scouting for work.  My friend calls it the “Fish while you eat” business model.  Even working on retainer for clients, at some point the agreement ends and I’m off to my next gig.

With consultant as my title, simply walking into a company can signal “change” for long-term employees.  Even though I’m only there to help, my presence can trigger fear.  And sometimes distrust. I want to scream, “I’m not like the Bob’s in the movie Office Space!”  (Great movie if you haven’t seen it; well worth the rental)

Yet change is inevitable and we all need to adapt to it.

I made an interesting observation between two clients.  One was well-established, with a mature employee base, probably in the upper forties.  The other was a start-up consisting of Gen Y-ers and Millenials, with the oldest person in their mid-thirties.

At the more established company, I sensed that some of the workers were skeptical of my presence, wondering what I was doing and why I was brought in to help.  Didn’t matter that it had nothing to do with them and that no jobs were in jeopardy.  Any comment I had or request that I made was “change”, and we all know that change is fear.

The younger, start-up company was all about change.  After all, they were plowing into uncharted territory. They were going to succeed or die trying. But fear, if was there any, was hiding.  There was an “all hands on deck” mentality, and I was immediately brought onto the team.  Change was welcomed.

I hope I never lose my ability to embrace change!

Fear of change starts to creep in as we mature.  Even though I like change, lately I’ve found that even I have to push myself to fight through any fear.

I talk a lot about career reinvention at speaking engagements.  Unfortunately I see this fear of change happen a lot, especially to those who have been laid-off or simply want to make a career change. They let fear take over. My guess is that it’s not that they doubt their capabilities, but movement of any kind – either forced through a layoff or on their own – means change.  Which is uncomfortable. And scary.

And that’s unfortunate.

These people are missing out on so much.  Learning, meeting new people, trying something new.  Living. Succeeding.

Yes, they could fail. But what if they succeed?

Let’s all try to embrace change; make it our friend. The more we get to know change the better we will like it.

And that’s a big step in the right direction.

 

Glory Days

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yearbook pic

In a fit of cleaning I came across my high school yearbook.  Of course I had to take a minute to flip through the pages, looking at the pictures and reading the comments written by friends.

“Stay cool!”, “I’ve enjoyed getting to know you”, “Looking forward to all the parties you are going to throw at college”.   Just reading the comments and seeing our crazy hair-do’s made me smile.

Those were good times; much easier than now when we have mortgages and kids and a million other responsibilities.

They say you can never go back.  In many ways that’s true.  Try as I might, I can’t turn back the hands of time.   Of course I technically can and do go back.  I live near my high school, and each year I make several trips to my college town for football games and board meetings.

But that’s not what I’m talking about.  I’m talking about living in the past, fixated on those moments that can most accurately be claimed as “glory days”. 

Lucky for me, the only reason I would want to go backwards is to revel in my ultra-skinny high school self or to truly appreciate my beautiful black hair, before I met Miss Clairol.  And to figure out why someone thought I was “cool” when I thought I was a semi-nerd.

Don’t get me wrong; I enjoyed high school, and college made a huge impact on my life. Thanks to social media I am connected with many of my friends from so long ago.  But I don’t live there anymore, and that’s good.  No regrets.

I know people who live back there, in the past, trying to relive the “glory days”.  Instead of focusing on what they can do now, they seem to go back to the days of football games, homecoming, proms and parties in an attempt to live at what they think was the pinnacle of life.

Maybe it was a great time.  Yet I don’t want to be so focused on the past that I miss the present.

Glory days happen in the business world too.  I had the opportunity to work at a great company full of smart, passionate, engaging people.  We worked hard and played hard.  Business could be tough, but we were a team, united to achieve our goal.

Times changed, business changed and layoffs happened.  Our team clung together as long as we could but in the end we found different employment and we have all moved on to new experiences.

Every once in a while I’ll read a comment on social media about the “good times” and I start reminiscing too much as the song “Glory Days” rocks in my head.   Even though I know I’m looking at the past through rose-colored glasses, I can feel myself wishing to be back there for just a few minutes.

Yes, those were great times that we had.  In some ways I wish we could get them back.  On the other hand, most of us have moved on and are doing well.  While I miss the people, I know I’m in a good place and am happy with the new opportunities that have come my way.

We can’t go back.  Even if we could, it wouldn’t be good for us.  But I sure wish I could fit into my high-school sized jeans.

Five Truths About Unemployment That Everyone Should Know

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computer job pic

The job market is getting a lot of attention again these days.  The unemployment rate is either up or down, depending on the day of the week it seems.  There are still layoffs – Macy’s just announced one.  Another report I read stated that companies, fearful of the economy, may be slow to hire despite the fact that business has picked up.

We hear all about the business side of unemployment, yet almost nothing about the less tangible effects.  Although these sometimes are more powerful than anything else, because they affect us on a personal level.  Yes, there is more to unemployment that losing a job.

Here are five truths about unemployment that everyone should know:

It’s boring.  That’s right; being unemployed is boring. I know you’re shocked to hear this, huh?  After all, who hasn’t stated at one point or another that being laid off would allow time to do all sorts of great things, from cleaning out the closets, to spending time at the gym, to writing the great American novel.

Truth be told, without the pressure of deadlines looming, we tend to procrastinate even more than we did when we were busy at work.  Besides, we didn’t really want to clean, or spend time at the gym.  And it turns out that for most people, writing the great American novel sounds like fun but after the first paragraph it’s a bit dull.

Shopping is out of the question as we try to conserve resources. With boredom setting in, we allow the TV and couch to draw us into their cocoon as we curl up to watch endless hours of Honey Boo-Boo.

It’s Socially Challenging. In more ways than one, I might add. First, we lose our identity when we lose our job.  I’ve talked about this before – we all say we’re not defined by our jobs, but just wait till that first encounter with a friend or former colleague who asks, “So where are you/what are you doing now?”

Take my advice: Develop your answer and practice saying it out loud before you leave the house, so it rolls off the tongue instead of causing you to mumble something like, “Uh, I, um..well, I used to… I mean…I…now I, uh, play computer solitaire.”

Our social network is suddenly diminished without our jobs.  The loss of daily interaction with others – even if they are only FAW’s (Friends at Work) – can be stifling.  Our friends aren’t available for us; they are busy working or raising a family or have other obligations.

Desperate for contact, we find ourselves reaching out to anyone who will listen, striking up conversations with random strangers in the grocery store and at the gym.  For me, the dog has become a source of companionship although I think she’s giving me a hint to stop talking when she wanders off to her crate while I’m in the middle of a story.

It’s Emotional.  This one is a bit surprising in that it’s not just one emotion but a series of emotions that happen over time. We try to put up a brave front with friends, telling them we are fine, we’ve got several “irons in the fire” and are “looking into some opportunities”, because we are never sure exactly which emotion is in control at that moment.

Similar to other life events, a job loss can trigger a flood of feelings including anger, embarrassment, sadness, bitterness, happiness, self pity, loss of confidence, and fear.   The emotions come in waves, and you have to ride each wave all the way.  True happiness eventually comes, although it takes some time.

Warning: Don’t be fooled by immediate feelings of happiness due to new-found free time. Happiness is fickle and will make you feel giddy one minute, then crash down around you the next.  Heaven forbid you are hormonal at the same time.

It’s Work.  And you thought your job was full of pressure?  Try full-time job searching and networking, not to mention keeping track of who you’ve spoken with and which companies you’ve applied to.  If you’re like me and add consulting or part time work to your schedule, it’s really busy!  The calendar of coffee dates alone is enough to drive you nuts. Of course that might just be the caffeine talking.  I’ve found it best to stick to decaf.

It’s Filled with Uncertainty.  Financial uncertainty for sure – duh, that should go without saying.  Then there’s the bigger question of “When will I find another job?” Because that, of course, plays into the financial uncertainty.

This is followed closely by a series of questions designed to keep you awake at night with your stomach in knots.   “What kind of job?” “At what point should I just take any job?” “How low do I have to go when it comes to salary?”  “Will I have to move to another city?”  Sometimes this uncertainty takes a nap during daylight, only to return when you are ready to sleep. It’s a vicious cycle.

One thing is certain: a job loss is life-changing.  Hopefully it changes you for the better. Just remember that there’s more to unemployment that losing a job.

Simplify: My Word For 2014

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Desk stack

Happy New Year!  I don’t know about you, but I am so ready to greet 2014 and to kick 2013 to the curb.  2013 wasn’t the worst year, but it certainly was challenging and I’m ready to move on.

How ready am I to move on?  So ready that I’m trying to purge anything that’s unwanted, unused and unnecessary.  In fact, I was just telling Hubby that my word for 2014 is “simplify”.  It seems like I have let things take control of my space and therefore me, and it’s time to regain control.

Nowhere is the need to simplify more apparent than in the home office, specifically my desk area.  While I desperately want to make things easier for myself, the decorating scheme for my desk can best be described as “professionally cluttered”.

Seriously, if you could see my desk and office right now, it’s awful.  Stacks of notes with ideas for new writing posts, all sorts of “to-dos”, half-started projects and papers stacked a foot high, things strewn across the floor, etc.  I’m thinking I might just purge everything and start over.

Honestly, if I haven’t looked at it in months – okay, at least a year – why am I hanging on to it?  Sentimentality?  Come on, it’s just paper!

Since I don’t make New Year’s resolutions (I tend to break them before I get started), perhaps applying the word simplify to everything I do will help.

Just simplify, I tell myself.

Good news is that every year around this time I get energized to do all sorts of organization projects. This “end-of-year/beginning-of-year organizing” spurt has already started and I’m ready to kick some serious butt in the home office in order to simplify my life.

Not sure if it’s due to the cold weather that forces me inside, or if it’s my way of trying to start the New Year off on a positive note.  Whatever it is, I have to take advantage of the energy while it’s here because all of a sudden it will turn off, just like a spigot, and the projects will languish until the following January.

All of this energy scares Hubby – he sees dollar signs; I see an organized sanctuary.  But I need his presence while I organize and simplify my desk; someone for me to lean on in case I get weak and try to save the stack of stuff instead of throwing it away.

Hubby agrees and also decides to adopt the mantra “simplify” for 2014.  Grabbing two containers for recycling and trash, we dig in.  We also set a timer that keeps ticking, so we know we are on the clock – no time for dilly-dallying.

Our work is like an archeological dig. “Just found our tax stuff from two years ago”, says Hubby.  Well that’s a keeper.  “Why do I have a Starbucks receipt from last year?” I ask.  Rapid fire, we sort through the stacks of papers, making great progress.

Then we come to the big stack on my desk.  The notes.  The ones I’d been saving; my inspiration for future writing.  All the witty ideas I was going to use at some point but so far had never touched.  My hands were on the stack, but I was frozen in place.

“Come on,” coaxed Hubby.  “You can do it, just like you said you wanted to – simplify things and throw it all away”.

I felt a tear roll down my cheek.  “What if I need something here? What if I have writer’s block and I need an idea?” I whispered.

“You’ll have plenty of ideas; you always do”, says Hubby.  “Remember the goal is to simplify. Be like Nike and Just Do It”.

While Hubby held the trash bag, I let out a little scream while I dumped the stack of paper.  My notes. And anything else that happened to be in the stack.

With that out of the way, we continued straightening and within a couple of hours the office and both of our desks looked better than they had in years.  We can actually see the tops of the desks.  It’s a Christmas miracle! 

Simplify – I already feel better, and just sitting at a clean desk makes me feel more productive.

I want to simplify my job search as well.  Sometimes it’s easy to complicate the process by failing to have a strategy and losing focus, making it more difficult that it should be. I’ve already started a written to-do list – in one notebook, not on hundreds of sticky notes – and I start my day by looking at the list.  I’ll admit that this attempt at hyper-organization will be challenging, but I’m trying to make it work.  Organization, while arguably not my strong suit, is the key to simplification.

Hello, 2014!  I think this is going to be my year.

Adventures In The Discomfort Zone

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Tami ebook cover Flat 12-14-13

It’s hard for most of us to leave our comfort zones – even if we’re the ones who initiate the change. Changing jobs or careers–either due to layoff or on our own–forces us to be uncomfortable. Yes, it’s painful and sometimes unpleasant. The good news is, it’s only temporary, and if we press through the “Discomfort Zone”, we will usually come out just fine on the other side.

I first touched on this theme in my debut book, Tales of the Terminated: A Humorous Look at Life After a Layoff. Since then, I wanted to talk in more depth about the discomfort and challenges of career relaunch and life changes. That’s why I put together a new ebook, available exclusively on Amazon.com entitled Adventures in the Discomfort Zone: Tales from One Woman’s Career Relaunch Experience.

In this ebook, I chronicle my experiences, observations and humor about career relaunch, my brush with life-threatening illness, mean ol’ mothers-in-law and even monogamous interviewing.

As my gift to you this holiday season, for a limited time this book is FREE on Amazon.com! Even if you don’t have a Kindle; you can get the free Kindle Reading app from Amazon and read it on virtually any device!

Merry Christmas, friends.  And join me for new adventures, a few tears, and more than a few laughs in the Discomfort Zone!

Goodbye, Blockbuster!

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There are times when the sun, moon and stars all align in perfect combination, a time when things go just right.  It could be a chance meeting with that special someone; the day on the golf course with the unbelievable hole-in-one; the too-good-to-be-true designer handbag bargain that makes you the envy of friends.

It’s kind of like having the much sought-after “it” factor on American Idol.  There’s really no preparation for this, and when someone asks about it you can’t explain it.

A few of us are fortunate enough to experience such celestial alignment during our career, and I count myself lucky to be one of those people.

As with most things, I didn’t realize how great it was until it was over.  I accepted the job because it was a good opportunity with a major brand.  We were a tight-knit group despite being a large corporation.  Lots of smart people who liked to have fun at work too.  Didn’t matter that we worked long hours; we enjoyed our jobs and working together.  It was awesome.

I’ve moved on to other things now and haven’t worked at the company in a few years, yet it’s hitting me hard to see the “Store Closing” signs on one of the few remaining locations.  I went inside for one last walk down memory lane.

A mix of emotions came flooding over me.  While the décor had a garage-sale vibe, in my mind I pictured walking through a beautifully decorated store with the executive team as we discussed our ideas for a new promotion.  I remembered that every Tuesday was exciting because new movies arrived.  Real excitement came with the midnight release parties when people would line up for hours to be the first to purchase a new movie or game.

Or when a star would come to the corporate office and we could have pictures taken.  I remember one such star arrived with a dog. The dog decided to explore the office on his own and wound up at my desk.  A bit smelly and slobbery, but it was a nice distraction.

Friends and industry leaders laughed at the company and our desire to work there.  The movie industry that we supported even poked fun – who can forget the film “Be Kind, Rewind”? Sometimes it was tough to hold our heads up, but we did.  They didn’t understand the “it” factor we all knew about.  

It was an unusual business in many ways.  When bad news or bad weather came, our business boomed.  Amazing that people who were unable to drive to work due to all kinds of weather could somehow make it to our stores for movies and popcorn.

I know what you’re thinking.  Who cares? It was just a job with an outdated business model.  Besides, everything is digital nowadays.

Things may be digital – which, by the way, the company offered – yet so much of the experience can’t be replicated through digital means.  And as a work place, we were family.

Was this the only good place to work?  Of course not! There are other great companies out there with awesome teams and cultures.  I just hope wherever you are, that you’ll take a moment to look around and be thankful for whatever it is your current company offers as an “it” factor.

Goodbye, Blockbuster!  Sad to see you go, old friend.

Waiting For The Perfect Job

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cool seat

We just returned from a week on the island of Oahu.  Hubby had a business trip and timing was perfect for me to take vacation.  Hawaii was everything I imagined it would be: sunshine, beautiful beaches, warm temperatures and scenery that could take your breath away.  And it was great to escape the early blast of cold, rainy weather at home. 

There’s an area along the north shore of Oahu called the Banzai Pipeline.  It’s where the biggest waves are; perfect for hard-core professional surfers.  So Hubby and I decided to check it out.

Timing is everything, and we were lucky. Waves were in the medium to high range by island standards.  The water was comfortable and the sun was shining.  There were a lot of surfers waiting to catch the big one. We had to fight for positioning, it was so crowded.

OK, so we were fighting for a position on the beach to watch the pros.  I hate to disappoint, but Hubby and I are professional surfboard watchers, not competitors.  Truth be told, we hate getting sand in our suits and the salt water burns our eyes, not to mention we are both afraid of sharks.  But if looking cool while watching from the comfort of a beach chair was part of the competition, then we would have national ranking.

We were mesmerized by the patience of the surfers.  Once out in the water, they all sat in a line on their boards, watching the water toward the horizon.  So much time passed I thought they were looking for Captain Jack Sparrow, or perhaps they had simply forgotten why they were there.

Every once in a while some – not all – of the surfers would turn their boards toward shore and start to paddle as a wave magically appeared just behind them.   A few of these would actually ride the wave in while the rest let it pass.   Apparently there’s some sort of pecking order when it comes to who gets to ride the wave, since not everyone rode at the same time.

And most simply sat; scanning the horizon and waiting.

Hubby and I wondered why the surfers weren’t taking the opportunity to ride the mediocre to good waves as they came.  It appeared they were waiting for the “perfect” wave; the one that would take them into the record books; the one they would talk about long after their surfing days were over.

That logic seemed flawed to us.  Shouldn’t they have tried to ride the waves that were coming, to get experience so they were ready for the “big one”?  Some of the surfers spent more time waiting than actually riding, which means they weren’t really surfing.  They were sitting, just like me and Hubby.

This “surfer logic” is similar to what I’ve seen when it comes to job searches.  Many of us are like surfers, waiting for the perfect job to come along before submitting our resume.  And this line of thinking is flawed.

First, we could wait for weeks or months or even longer before seeing a job that meets our “perfect” criteria.  Second, there will always be tons of other candidates waiting for that same opportunity, which means we may not get an interview.  Third, if we get an interview, we may not get an offer.

Even if we make it through the interview process and get an offer, there’s another thing to consider:  the job opportunity that we’ve been waiting for patiently, the one we’ve identified as the ”big one”, may turn out to be a huge disappointment.  Instead of the “big one” it may be the “dud”.

As much as I would love to sit and wait for the perfect job, it’s in my best interest to try for those that at least look promising.  Even if I don’t get an offer or if I decide to turn something down, I’ve gotten more experience under my belt so I’m ready when the right one comes along.

Note that I said “right one”, not “perfect one”.   There are good things about every job and the experience gained is invaluable.

The surfers we were watching were pros; they had perfected their skill to know exactly which wave to catch to get a winning score.  In the real world of desk jobs and cubicles, most of us are still working on our careers and sometimes need to take a less-than-perfect job to get additional experience.  Even those of us who are seasoned veterans know the importance of constantly adding new skills to our resume to stay marketable.

I’m sure the surfers we saw would tell job seekers to “Go for it, man” and “Hang loose”.   Translation: Submit your resume; what have you got to lose?

Career Do-Overs

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Success and Failure Road Sign with dramatic clouds and sky.

Recently I was a panel member for a discussion with graduate business students.  These discussions are always interesting – I’m just as interested in the answers from the other panel members as the students.

This discussion topic was something I had not talked about before with a group.  The question posed: “What has been your biggest career mistake?”

Wow! I asked the moderator how much time we had.  Speaking for myself, I knew that it could take a while to sort out all of the mistakes I’ve made throughout my career.

Luckily we had been given warning of the topic.  All four panel members, including myself, had a written list of career mistakes we wanted to share.

One by one, we told of our mistakes, our embarrassments, our failures.  We each had, at one time or another, wished for a career “do-over” – one of those things where you say, “If I had a chance to do it over, I would….”

Note that this was not a sad or depressing conversation.  We were all smiling and sometimes laughing.  It’s always easier to laugh at your own mistakes after the fact, when time has passed and we are wiser.

The most amazing thing to me is that all four of us had pretty much made the same mistakes, and we had the same messages for the students.

Learn to manage people.  This is not something that is taught in school, nor is there much training once you get into the real world.  Managing people is critical to your success at work.  Note that this includes managing your relationships with co-workers, as well as “managing up” – making sure you are communicating effectively with your boss.

Managing your boss means communicating on a regular basis to let him know what you are doing, what you need and to clarify what you believe his expectations are.  One panel member described a boss who was so poor at communicating his direction that she learned how to break it down for him and would list out exactly what she thought she heard.  He appreciated her efforts, and although it took a bit of effort on her part it helped her succeed.

Think long-term, not short-term, when it comes to job opportunities.  One panel member shared how he had a long-term goal for himself in terms of advancement.  His company offered him an opportunity that, in his mind, was a lower title and on the surface appeared to be a backward move.  He thought that accepting the opportunity would make it appear that he had been demoted, so he let his ego think for him and he declined the offer.  

Looking back, he now realizes that he missed an opportunity to learn a new part of the business and that accepting the “lower” job would have allowed him to achieve his career goal about five years sooner.   Lesson here: don’t be so focused on the short-term; step back and look at what the long-term implications might be.

The world is very small.  And guess what? It’s even smaller in your field of work. As we’ve advanced in our careers and built our professional networks, it’s become crystal clear that there are fewer than six degrees of separation between you and your next opportunity.

One panel member explained that in her field it’s not uncommon for people to leave or get laid-off, go to other jobs, and then a few years later come back to the same company.   At her new company she now is working with some of the same people she met years ago at a different company.  This is a classic example of “never burn bridges”.  You never know who you might end up working with again.

Make mistakes!  Know that you are going to make mistakes – we all do at some point.  The key to making mistakes at work and surviving is to learn from them and not to repeat them.  It’s also important to own your mistakes – accept responsibility and offer a solution to make it right.  When you make a mistake, alert the boss.  While this may sound counter-intuitive, it’s a critical part of “managing up”. Make your boss aware of the situation so he can be part of the solution.

These are all great tips and I thank my panelist-friends for sharing. But I haven’t told you about my mistake.   Here goes:  Early in my career I had a friend call with a lead on a job at a start-up firm.  I wasn’t making much money at the time but rationalized it away with the prestige my job offered.  Not to mention business trips overseas which, I argued at the time, could be considered part of my salary.

Instead of at least listening to what the new company had to offer, I didn’t even apply or try to talk to them.   Whether I would have accepted a job at the start-up is beside the point.  I turned them down before they even made me an offer.   The regret-filled “would-have”, “could-have” and “should-have” questions have followed me throughout my career.

Since that fateful mistake, I have made myself open to opportunities, even just talking and listening.  I don’t have to accept but at least I don’t turn a job down before they make me an offer.

What was this start-up that still has me thinking, “What if?”  Dell Computers.  It would have been a chance to get in on the ground floor, complete with stock options.

Now I think you can understand the impact of my mistake.  At least my retirement plan and bank account do.