Do you need a check up for your career health?

Have you ever completed a self assessment, other than what you might be asked to do for your work-related annual performance review? This timely article cites a study out of Oxford University and tells a tale of machines replacing humans at a high rate of speed. If you are feeling vulnerable or uncertain now would be a good time to do some self reflection and some research on future career paths you could excel in and enjoy.
Have you taken the time to evaluate your marketability in today's competitive environment?
Can you answer the following questions:
How are you perceived by co-workers, vendors, supervisors?
What versatility can you bring to an organization? specialties? skills?
Are you well read in your industry? Can you speak to trends? is the future bright for your profession, i.e., job growth?
Where are the gaps in your skill set that might hold you back?
Do you have a mentor and are you using this relationship to improve your promotability?
There are lots of tools and resources out there for you to conduct a self assessment. Or if you prefer, let us help you get started. 
We hope you are working well today and positive about your future career health!

Adding value - it makes the world go round

Are you finding happiness elusive or in short supply in your circles? Do you think that is why we have hit songs and runaway best sellers rising up the charts? When you think of people you know who do seem happy, optimistic and successful, do you think... they seem to have it all? I think about this frequently as it relates to satisfaction and success in the workplace. 

We can learn alot from the teachings of Alfred Adler, Psychotherapist who's research tells us  "the concept of social usefulness and the general well-being of humanity" is expressed in a sense of belonging, usefulness and contribution." 

So how can you improve your happiness quotient, expecially in the work/career context and maybe even find a new talent or skill that will position you for the next job or future career path? Follow these easy steps:

1. Volunteer in a community group, professional associations or take on additional assignments. Be intentional and selective where you can gain exposure with the right mentor/sponsor . Acquiring new credentials to add to your resume and Linked In profile shows commitment and proactivity. The more you upgrade/update your profile, the more vibrancy and visibility you gain. Oh, and feeling productive and accomplished - a win in the happiness column.

2. Take a course or gain a new certification/license, especially if your Company is offering it. The world is changing and your ability to adapt to those changes means the difference between falling behind your peers or getting ahead of them. A few examples that might appeal to students, techies or those who need a stronger understanding of marketing from the data analytics or SEO perspective might look into Hubspot Academy or Google Analytics Academy. There are similar options for other industries and disciplines as well.

3.Chair a Committee or Sit on a Board, and this applies to all ages. There are great clubs and associations for students and corporate, community, alumni groups for established professionals. For my local readers The North Shore United Way has created a hub for volunteer and board opportunities. Other resources with a national and global emphasis like Bridgespan and Americorps can open up new possibilities to improve yourself and the world in the process.

4. Network and Attend Events - Getting out of your "space" from time to time is a great boost of energy and idea generation, not to mention an opportunity to grow your network. I use eventbrite whether I am building an event or searching for one. Make a game out of it. Remember to bring and collect business cards while you are there. Follow up with interesting new contacts after the event.

If you need to step through these ideas - reach out to me for more ideas, best approach, etc. In the meantime, I hope you are working well today!

On Connecting

It is so exciting when you find people who want to help and who take an interest in your goals and desires. And who are willing to share their expertise and even open their networks for you. This isn't easy. It takes a plan and a clear sense of what you want from the meeting or interaction.It also requires curiosity, assertiveness and persistence. Being able to find a commonality or an interesting data point from the person's background can help to break the ice. Recently a student of mine was preparing for a conversation with a NY investment banker and in doing his research discovered that this person was instrumental in helping the company rebuild after losing 60% of its workforce in the twin towers on September 11th (not something that was obvious on the guys linked in profile or the company website). This student had to dig a little deeper to find this. If the student wasn't nervous enough to be speaking with a senior IB executive, he found this human story from the gentleman's background to be so compelling, but also even more intimidating. Should he bring this up? I told him to see how the conversation goes. If he found a point in the discussion that seemed appropriate, he could ask something about greatest challenge he encountered rebuilding after losing so many colleagues? While it wasn't necessarily relevant to the role of an investment banker, it gave the student a chance to acknowledge something human and personal from the gentleman's background and at the same time, demonstrate that he did his homework. Of course the gentleman was impressed and more importantly, eager to share the story. This is another point I should emphasize, people love to talk about themselves, their background and their experiences. 

When making connections, seeking informational interviews and networking it is important to carefully construct your outreach message and script. You should always be prepared for the question "tell me about yourself?" "what are you looking for?" This is often referred to as a 30 second commercial or elevator speech.This should be part of your toolkit along with a resume, linked in profile and other branding/marketing materials. I find this is the area where candidates needs the most help. Contact me if you know someone who needs assistance with this.

I tell my students to start with their alumni networks to identify individuals with some commonality who they can approach seeking information, feedback and advice about their career field. My go to sources for research on people within alumni networks is LINKED IN. There are some definite strategies/tricks using advanced search techniques and Linked In premium membership services. For Corporate contacts or Company info I suggest both company website>about us>leadership and Zoominfo. Students should also check with their career center  and alumni office to see if there is an alumni database that can be accessed and what is the protocol/best practice for students contacting alumni. Once the connection is made, there are some easy icebreaker questions and techniques for getting the most out of informational interviews and networking meetings. More on this in future posts. I hope you are working well today.

Connecting the Dots

As someone who is fortunate to love what I do, I am venturing out to the blogosphere to share ideas, information and tools for career satisfaction and effortless employability. A bit of background, my day job as an Assistant Professor of Experiential Learning is working with undergraduate students to explore, learn and test the waters through internships. When I am working with a candidate, I get all fired up about pulling to the surface and helping them identify unique employability factors and personal attributes so they can confidently go after the right job, career or Company. Still too often I see a very linear, last generation approach to "finding a job." The ineffective game of applying online and responding to postings typically produces poor results and frustration for the candidate and recruiter. People get stuck here. I help candidates get unstuck. I challenge my candidates through an exercise of what do you know? who do you know? I help them to connect the dots. I focus on encouraging them to open up their networks and activate their connections to more directly approach opportunities. Hidden gems are found every day when you take the extra steps to research, customize approaches and make personal connections to the audience or person you are trying to reach. We can talk more about selling yourself,building a portfolio and establishing a track record to become a compelling candidate in the marketplace in future postings. Here's some fun reading in the meantime...How to Never Eat Alone. I hope you are working well today.