Enjoying Your Job

"Desire! That’s the one secret of every man’s career. Not education. Not being born with hidden talents. Desire."
 – Bobby Unser

I have previously written about a concept in which your life is a wheel with six spokes. There spokes essentially six areas of our lives we must focus on in order to first get our life in order, second to get our life moving in a positive direction and lastly to achieve our greatest potential in life.

One of these is referred to as the Financial and Career spoke of life. The career aspect of our life has a large influence upon our finances and other areas of life. It may seem like an obvious statement to make, but many people simply don't get it.

I have been blessed for nearly 30 years with a job I both enjoy and have been successful in. It is a job I enjoy getting up early in the morning for and one in which I'm happy enough to put in long hours for. The people, the work and the pay make it a very rewarding experience.

It was not that way in the beginning.

My career began at a small family owned office equipment dealer in Lincoln, Nebraska. To say I am thankful to them for giving me the opportunity is a grand understatement. When I was young and needed work, they took a risk and hired me. I learned quite a bit regarding both my trade and work ethics.

But I never liked the job and for six years my dissatisfaction grew.

So there it was, I did not like the job, the pay was low and all I could do was complain about my situation. One thing I had going for me was a great mentor. An older co-worker named Paul Meyer was a shining example of a mentor who encouraged me to change. He kept telling me that to sit and complain was probably the most unproductive thing a person could do.

Doing nothing meant the issue apparently wasn't very important.

Change is what needed to occur and I began a journey which would lead me to opportunity. I began learning about the computer industry. Remember this happened before the internet took hold so it required research in the library. And do not forget that libraries still exist today. So even if you do not have the internet, a library is open to all and has much of the same information.

Information is a powerful thing in your life.

I also talked with people about the industry and what was needed to get into it. I watched and observed people in the industry. How they dressed, how they conducted themselves and what they did on a daily basis.

I started to position myself for change.

It did not come easy. I sent twenty-five resumes to large companies and received twenty-five "thank you for your interest" responses. Discouragement nearly took hold, but you keep after it and keep telling yourself it will happen. As my wife Laura says, "an awful lot of 'self-talk' with encouraging statements is something everyone needs to learn more of."

Then one day, out of the blue I received a phone call from a large computer company looking to hire. They asked "would you be interested?" Of course I was interested and ultimately there were decisions which had to be made regarding acceptance of a job.

But I had positioned myself to be ready when opportunity crossed my path.

If you are not happy in your job, the chances of succeeding financially in it are slim. Even if the money is great but you are miserable, all other aspects of your life are diminished. To not enjoy your work and complain about it daily hurts you and those around you.

If so, then it is time to get your career life spoke back in balance.

There are many sources of information to get you started. There are various articles available at Publications.US.Gov which give pointers on doing just that. Even many of the job search engines on the internet will provide helpful advice. Again, information is key to successfully transitioning to a new job and if considering a career change.

For those who enjoy your jobs, you already have one of the keys to a better life.

My advice is to enjoy what you do for a living as it will consume nearly 40 years of your life. Perform your job well and enjoy it. It was Martin Luther King Jr. who wrote, “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.”

Even the street sweeper will have a great life if he enjoys that which he does.

Enjoy your work and strive to do it well.

Your life will be better for it.

Stay inspired my friends!

What Are You Worth

“Be undeniably good. No marketing effort or social media buzzword can be a substitute for that.” — Anthony Volodkin, Hype Machine founder

The grand folks at Despair.Com always provide an ironic twist to motivational posters. Such as the poster above regarding your 'worth' in a job.

It is easy to think we are irreplaceable when it comes to our job. If we believe in the idea that what we do is singularly necessary for the survival of a business, then life lays an easy trap for us to fall into.

"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." - Albert Einstein

What happens is you start focusing on why you should be kept around. When you do this, the trap has been set and self importance enters in. You allow yourself to become bigger then the job itself.

This is where you should stop and reassess the way you are performing your job. Your focus should be on doing those things which rise above what is expected of you; above that which is common place.

"Sometimes something worth doing is worth overdoing." - David Letterman

In the bigger picture of your job place, you really have no absolute control over what happens unless you own the business. And sometimes even that is not enough. Many times you are simply caught up in the whirlwind of circumstances of the business world.

What you do have control of is the ability to perform your job the best you can. Go beyond what is expected. Those who out perform, those who serve to those in authority will normally be the ones who remain and advance.

Be a person of complaint and chances of job loss increase.

Be a person who goes beyond and your potential increases.

Stay inspired my friends!

Three Questions That Matter

“One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation.” – Arthur Ashe

There are various articles which attempt to describe, understand or reason why people change jobs or careers. You may have read some of those "quoted" statistics indicating people will change jobs five or up to seven times in their lifetime.

For most, the reasons vary widely on why.

You may find you are not a good fit for the job, not enjoying it. Maybe you are feel you are not advancing quickly enough or earning enough to meet your needs. The company itself may have decided to go in a different direction or any other number of terms that are used. It could be for a variety of reason under or out of your control.

Bottom line is you need to find a new job.

This means creating a decent resume that is short, two pages at most. To the point highlighting your skills and easy for the person hiring to read and absorb quickly. It also means making the resume look like you actually know how to use Microsoft Word or other text editors. If you are not good at actually putting a resume together, ask a friend, find an organization, online, or pay to have it done.

You get noticed, next comes the interview.

The interview process can be twist your nerves into a knot. While there are those "tough guy" interviewers that appear to get joy out of making an interview miserable, most are not. In fact, you were selected out of quite a few resumes and applications.

It is about having a conversation and getting to know you better.

The process is simply meant to find out why should we hire you? ...what can you do for us that other candidates cannot? ...what are your key strengths and weaknesses? Again, it is a conversation and you can not predict what questions you are going to get asked.

Preparing can be difficult, but knowing who you are, what this company does and how you can benefit that company are basic to any interview. In fact, you could say there are really only 3 questions.

1. Have you got the skills, expertise and experience to perform the job?
2. Are you enthusiastic and interested in the job and the company?
3. Will you fit into the team, culture and company?

These three questions are at the root of nearly every question you will get asked in an interview. Have the confidence to know you are prepared by answering any question with these three things in mind. Doing so will improve your possibility of getting hired. The rest is out of your control, so feel proud that you did your best.

Although chances are you did get the job.

Stay inspired my friends!

Waves of Change

“The storms come and go, the waves crash overhead, the big fish eat the little fish, and I keep on paddling.” ― George R.R. Martin

The new day comes and your thoughts are to the work which lay ahead.

A job in which there is not enough time or manpower.

You think of what is on the "to-do" list. Not only are there new tasks to complete today, but there are items left over from your previous work day. A never ending stream of work that seems impossible to complete. Such is the ever increasing demands that many employers place upon the modern day employee.

Management by human cost reduction and pressure to do more upon remaining employees to produce more.

- There will be fewer employees to complete the work.
-- "no money in the budget, we must reduce cost to remain competitive."
- There will be fewer opportunities for overtime to complete the work.
-- "no money in the budget, we must reduce cost to remain competitive."
- There will be fewer raises for the increased workload each takes on.
-- "no money in the budget, we must reduce cost to remain competitive."

More work, faster and more more efficient is the mantra in order to keep your job these days. Quality will suffer although you will hear many companies exhort that "quality is their number one concern."

So what can you do?

Many jobs have become that of a child digging a hole on the beach. The faster the child digs, the quicker it fills in with sea water and more sand. An endless fight against the ocean and sand that seems never to be won. But we keep digging, performing the job we are asked to do. Just realize in your mind that change is inevitable.

The tide will go out and allow the hole to be dug until the next tide or cycle of business comes around. Management will come to grips with the situation and change will happen. For many it feels miserable to work so hard and not feel that any head way has been made.

Keep plugging along, keep doing the work that you do so well.

A time will come when you may feel the need to move onto something else. I can not say if you should stay or leave. You will have to make that decision. It will be a decision based upon many factors in your life. But don't over think it. Many times that first gut feeling is the right one.

Whether it be digging a hole in the sand waiting for the tide to go out or building a sand castle, enjoy what you do as best you can. Change will happen just as the ocean moves with the tide and the softness of a breeze.

Stay inspired my friends.

How Do I Look

“Never wear a backward baseball cap to an interview unless applying for the job of umpire” -Dan Zevin

ATTIRE = ADVANCEMENT

93% of 150 Senior Executives from the 1000 largest corporations in the U.S. said that a person's style of dress at work influences their chances of getting a promotion.

It may not seem fair, but it is one of the realities of our work life. How you adjust and fit in to these realities can determine the level of your success. You may surprise yourself and actually get that raise or promotion.

BUT I'M LOOKING FOR WORK

There was a survey conducted by Robert Half International regarding the hiring process. It found that hiring managers will form either a positive or negative opinion of a job candidate within roughly 10 minutes. It is very possible that "Your behavior may be under scrutiny from the moment you arrive for the interview," according to Brandi Britton, senior regional vice president with RHI.

It may not seem fair to "judge a book by its cover" in your mind. But don't forget there are probably ten or more other people that need to be interviewed. You may have gotten into the final cut, lucky enough to get an interview. As unfair as it might seem, appearances make all the difference.

The same survey provided 10 tips from different job-search gurus to make sure you wow them from the minute you walk in the room.

"A firm, nonsweaty handshake, eye contact and a nice smile make you seem likeable. Likeable people are hired most often."
-- David Lewis, an executive with Express Employment Professionals and an expert on career development

"Prepare to engage in small talk, which helps to break the ice and puts both parties at ease and also demonstrates your ability to make conversation with potential clients, coworkers and executives."
-- Brandi Britton, Robert Half International

"Be prepared with everything you can possibly know about the company and the person who is doing the interview."
-- Executive coach Beth Ross

"Don't take the head of a table or sit down until you are invited to do so to demonstrate how you'll behave in professional situations."
-- Patty DeDominic, cofounder of DeDominic & Associates, a professional coaching and business services firm

"Open with penetrating questions that prove beyond a doubt that you've done your homework on the company, the position, the department, the industry and/or the competition."
-- Ford Myers, author of Get the Job You Want Even When No One's Hiring

"Practice your answers to commonly asked interview questions so that you come across as a well-prepared candidate."
-- Certified executive career coach Cheryl Palmer, Calltocareer.com

"If asked to talk about yourself, always answer from a professional sense. Telling people about your family and what you do on the weekends is definitely the wrong approach. You want to solely focus on the areas of your work in which you are most effective and productive."
-- Careers and resume expert Lauren Milligan, Resumayday.com

"Become an object of interest by the questions you ask. Leave them wanting more with the quality of content you add to the conversation (versus noise)."
-- David Nour, consultant and author of Relationship Economics

"Mirror the body language of the interviewer. If they are leaning forward, you should be doing the same. This builds rapport on a subconscious level, giving the feeling of a deeper connection."
-- Job market expert Jabez LaBret, ThawingtheJobMarket.com

"Your interview strategy must include proof that you have successfully completed job-relevant tasks. A good strategy is to marry a strength and a specific example to prove that you are accomplished at what you do. Quantify accomplishments using numbers, percentages and dollars whenever possible."
-- Barbara Safani, president, CareerSolvers.com

Make yourself the entire package and get the job you want. And stay inspired my friends!

Job Loss - Now What

Your year is breezing along with expectation of more great things to come. You wake up feeling extra happy with the way things are going. The goodness of the day just seems to be spilling over as you enter your workplace. A cup of coffee in hand and focus on the tasks which lay before you.

Shortly after fully engaging in the work, the boss needs to meet with you. You know there is much to get done as you head off. This will most certainly put you behind, but you can make it up in the afternoon you tell yourself.

As you enter the room, your inner sense tells you something is wrong. Your outer shell puts up all defenses in anticipation. The company has decided to "Go in a new direction. Thank you for your services." Wait, did you just hear that correctly? The company you have given your heart and soul to is 'going a new direction!'

U.S. employers cut 2.6 million jobs in 2008, the most since 1945, pushing the unemployment rate up to 7.2 percent in December of 2008. As of the end of January 2009, the rate will most certainly be higher with recently reported job cuts. It is quite likely that double-digit unemployment rates are nearing.

The 'macro' environment of this economy is out of any one person's control. You can only concentrate on those things that you can effect. With sudden job loss, some people get generous severance packages, which are few and far between these days. Others may get a month while there are many that receive nothing.

And what is it exactly you can do when this happens to you? First, take a few hours to self-pity, cry, worry and maybe vent about the condition. Then you have to pick your self up and get on with the business of survival. Nothing will be achieved by holding onto the pain and frustration. It changes nothing, it doesn't make the former employer regret, it doesn't stop the bills and it only serves to keep you down.

Now take time to assess what your current financial state is. What are the bills that need to be paid monthly. Don't worry about the overall debt, focus at this point on the bill payments. Prioritize them according to survival; home, utilities, vehicle, food. Remember, if you are going to work, you need a place to live and a way to get to that job.

Look at ways to cut out all other spending. The Internet you may say is vital to job search but public libraries offer free Internet access all over this country. Cell phone, find ways to cut the bill to minimal service and lose the home phone. There are many other ways to cut your spending if you look hard enough.

A few words on cutting personal spending; economists and leaders say that is the worst thing you can do for this economy. If everyone cuts their personal spending, it worsens the problem. The thing is, it isn't your job to save the economy at this point. Bill collectors are not going to forgive easily non-payment of bills because you are doing your part to 'save the economy.' It becomes a point of personal survival. The greater economy will sort itself out eventually.

Now chart out a 6-month, 1-year and 5-year goal. Set out simple tangible goals for the 6-month goal; working in a stable job, salary enough to cover my reduced expenses. The 1-year goals should contain items such as how to start reducing your debt load, ways to start you on a course for the long term goals. The 5-year goals are the vision of where you want to be; new home, more reliable vehicle, new love, job advancement, etc.

The locations are laid out in front of you with these goals although no roads exist showing you how to get there. But each is a definable item and all of them look overwhelming. Reduce your focus now back to the immediate; job searching. This is your most crucial goal. The rest such as paying bills are irrelevant if you have no money, so your energy, some call it 'worry', should be on finding a job.

There are many good resources on the Internet, simply walking into businesses and applying in person and keep networking with people as much as you can. Pride should not be an obstacle at this point. Everyone has a piece of fear in them regarding job loss. So most will do what they can to help you in little and sometimes big ways.

In ending, I do not pretend to believe any of this is simple. In fact it is hard and will test your emotions and resolve. My word to everyone is 'faith', have faith in yourself, have faith in others and more importantly, have faith in God's ability to help guide you. I normally stay away from religion in my articles, but there is something to be said for trusting your faith.

A job or change in your life can be traumatic, whether it be job loss, divorce, a death of someone close, but it doesn't need to spell the end of things. It spells the beginning of something new. Trust in your abilities, have faith that you were given those abilities to succeed and you will.

Through this dark and stormy night
Faith beholds a feeble light
Up the blackness streaking;
Knowing God's own time is best,
In a patient hope I rest
For the full day-breaking!
- John Greenleaf Whittier
_

Keeping A Dream

“Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained.” - Marie Curie

A couple of good friends of mine here in the Atlanta area are guys that inspire me with their level of perseverance. Guys that I look up to as examples of not letting life beat you down. To continue on despite the difficulty.

Both were hit by the down swing in the job market a couple of years ago. The experts say the job market has rebounded but its certainly a different market. Many that were let go were older employees with higher paying salaries. When the various industries started hiring again, they were looking for young people and much lower salary costs.

In trying to get rehired, each of these individuals has continued to look, to try and reinsert themselves into their fields of experience. Both were very good and the circumstances each faced were beyond their control. So they keep doing what it takes to survive, not only for themselves but mainly for their families.

It can be painful to watch their struggle to regain what was lost. Yet I would never suggest that pain is even close to what they are going through. And every time I see these individuals, they are positive and continuing living each day. My wish is for each of them to find their way back into what it is they each do so well.

For each of us, they are great examples of perseverance in the wake of adverse conditions. Life has an odd and non-discriminatory way of placing burden upon people. Keep after your dream each day.