Here it comes: year-end when a dearth in 2016 financials start showing up in 2017 budgets as lower head counts. Is that likely to be you?
Layoffs at Christmas make no sense emotionally, but financially they do for the people planning next year’s expenses. If you’re worried your position may be on the chopping block, don’t waste any emotional energy hoping that compassion wins the day. It might, but you can’t count on it. Use the possibility of being let go as fuel to get excited about taking the next big step in your career. If you’re lucky, you’ll get a little parting severance gift to urge you on to the next thing in greater comfort.
Easier said than done? Read on.
Getting laid off, or even knowing it’s a possibility, can be a real energy drain. The worries that can crop up—about money, reputation, self-worth, rejection, yadda yadda, can come on you like a tidal wave if you let them. So don’t let them. Understand that all of those feelings that feel so uncontrollable are just old emotional triggers that you can let go of. And if you may be facing a career transition, now is the time to let them go!
If you’re triggered by the worries that come up when you think you may be about to lose your job, then whether you do or not, now is the right time to let the emotional triggers go—reducing your stress by a boatload. And, even more importantly, once you can see past your triggers, you’ll see that a potential lay off is a fantastic opportunity to think about what’s most important in your work-life reality and set about getting a job that’s an even better fit for where your life is right now (instead of where it was when you got the job you have now.)
Face it, when you took this job things were different. You and your life have progressed, you’ve moved on, you’re in a different place. So what kind of job does your life need now? When you have the answer to that question, you’ll feel much more excited about looking for a new job, or talking to your current employer about ways your job can evolve if you make the cut.
And you need to be in this place of excitement! Connecting to your enthusiasm not only gives you energy to get out there, network and interview well, it makes you more confident while you do.
But then what? Dreaming about a better future can be fun and easy, but what about looking for a job? I recently did some outplacement coaching for a company’s employees, many of whom haven’t been on the job market in over a decade and here’s what I told them: things have changed! And yet they haven’t.
What’s changed (and what hasn’t) in job hunting?
These days it’s deceptively easy to find job openings to apply for online. There are so many sites that are begging for your resume that it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking you’ll find your dream job just by sending out 5 resumes every night between ten and eleven pm. But beware… the vast majority of those job postings are just trolling to fill resume databases that reduce you to a collection of keywords. Many of the jobs advertised aren’t even real. As a result, less than 5% of hires are actually made from online submissions, and those aren’t good odds.
Use job sites to help you research your dream job, employers and salary ranges. Use them to stimulate your job search, not become the basis of it.
Even with all our cool technology, most people are still hired these days through personal referral. What this means is that you’re going to get closer to your dream job faster by networking. LinkedIn is a great tool for networking these days, and so is picking up the phone or talking to people at social events. No matter how you do it, you must network to increase your chances of getting the best job for you.
Also, when it comes to interviewing and negotiating your employment package, things haven’t changed much either. Sure, you need a LinkedIn profile in addition to a resume, but interviewing face to face is still talking to another human being face-to-face. Video interview? Face-to-face rules apply, plus you’ll also want to be sure to minimize distractions in your background, have good lighting and look at the camera instead of the bottom of your screen.
So, basically, your job hunting strategy doesn’t need to change, but a few of the tactics have.
Bottom line advice if you’re not sure a layoff is coming
It comes down to this. If you’re not sure, plan for the worst case scenario and you’ll be farther ahead no matter what. At a minimum, do the following:
Find your emotional triggers and let them go so they don’t sap your positive energy
Take the time to create a career vision and identify your dream job
Network to find people who can help you find your dream job (use holiday parties wisely!)
Spiff up your LinkedIn profile and get a base resume ready
Even if you keep your job, you’ll be more focused on what you want and you can be more specific in talking to your current employer about how you can get it. And… if the pink slip does land on your desk, you’re ready to go.
Yes, easier said than done, but that’s why we’ve created the InPower Coaching Community and Career Tools to help you along the way. Don’t wait. Start now.
Hopefully the biggest monsters you find on this Oct. 31st will be knocking on your door looking for candy, but sometimes a bad boss happens. When you find yourself working for someone who is insecure or over his or her own head it can make your job even harder. We like Dana’s advice for thinking about these situations. As she says, “detrigger early and often!” – InPower Editors
I love Halloween. The little kids are so cute and their enthusiasm for candy is infectious (I always buy enough for all of us!)
Unfortunately, not all the monsters we encounter in our careers are so cute and there’s nothing more horrifying or terrorizing than a bad boss – especially early in our career. There are many things that make a boss bad: incompetence, insecurity, immaturity are top on the list. It’s important to remember, however that these monsters are also people. Sometimes they are also overwhelmed, under-supported and over their heads.
Whatever your situation, if you find yourself being managed by a bad boss, the most important thing for you to do is to remember that both you and s/he are contributing to the negative relationship. Take responsibility for your half of the problem and don’t allow yourself to feel guilty about their half – at all. (more…)
For months I’ve been contemplating this big blog post about the importance on setting intentions for guiding your career development and life (without having to rely on coaches and other expensive experts.) After all, I wandered in the wilderness for decades before I got a clue, continually saying to myself “I don’t know what I want….” But the topic of “Career Planning” seems so big, that the blog post just eluded me. Then I watched a TV show.
I was watching The Good Wife* and one of the characters, Will Gardner, was having one of those moments of cluelessness I’d experienced many times. He was lost in his own thoughts trying to think about what to think when Alicia asked if he was ok. He turned to her and said:
When I know what I want, I’m great. When I don’t know what I want, I suck” – Will Gardner, The Good Wife
OMG. That’s it! That’s exactly how I’d felt all those years. I was achieving great things in some areas, but in others felt completely lost. I had achieved all the family success I could dream of but when it came to my career, I wasn’t networking very effectively inside or outside my companies. Even though I had a huge network, I “sucked” at networking for career advancement because I wasn’t able to explain to others what I thought my own career success looked like. (This wasn’t Will’s problem, by the way. Quite the opposite.)
Young women often hear “get a mentor to get ahead!” Wondering what that advice is all about? Read on! – InPower Editors
By: Joyce Akiko
Are you a strong, ambitious young woman who wants more out of her life and career? A woman who knows she’s capable of making a huge impact, a big difference for her company and the lives of others?
Then if you don’t have a mentor already, it’s time to get one.
A mentor can help you max out your potential, reach your full creative capacity, and feel more engaged in your job. If you’re a woman, finding a woman you trust to mentor you can be invaluable. Mentors can:
Provide incredible depth and value to your professional life by offering an objective ear and sound advice based on personal and professional experience
Help you identify areas where you can broaden your skill set to take on new challenges and responsibilities
Propel your career advancement– one study showed that women who had mentors were 56% more likely to land positions in the mid-management level or above
I personally had the benefit of 3 strong mentorships in my career. The impact has been enormous: my job-related happiness skyrocketed, along with my responsibilities, job titles, and income. Today I am in an executive role doing work that I truly enjoy, before the age of 30. I was able to do this largely because of mentors I found at each stage of my career.
The following article details the tactical steps I took to land strong mentors who helped me catapult my career.
Find a Mentor
Finding a mentor isn’t as easy as just asking the most accessible and conveniently located female leader to mentor you. The process is actually quite similar to the one you underwent when interviewing for your job: you need to identify what you’re looking for (the job description), locate and assess your top prospects (the interview), and see if they’re a match before making an offer.
STEP 1: What are you looking for?
To start, identify what specific qualities you’re looking for in a mentor. These qualities may include an open communication style, a desire to help others succeed, and a willingness to offer advice.
Likewise, identify what you have to offer in return. Your mentor will be spending a lot of time and mental energy to help you succeed, so you want to make sure you can repay by taking action on her advice. Are you someone with integrity and drive, who can truly follow through and show results? Are you open to coaching and new ideas? Do you enjoy going outside your comfort zone for the sake of personal growth? Do you practice gratitude by sharing what you learn with others? These are the types of qualities that a mentor will appreciate in return for time and expertise.
STEP 2: Who are you looking for?
Next, locate your top prospects. Look inside your organization for women who inspire you, who lead in a way that resonates with you. Look specifically for the qualities you identified. Note that you don’t have to limit yourself to finding a mentor within your company; sometimes the best advice can come from someone who doesn’t interact with the same people, business, and challenges you do every day!
Check networking websites like Levo.com (a wonderful resource for young professional women) and message potential mentors. You can also utilize LinkedIn to find prospects – search specifically for profiles that include leadership, mentoring, and service to others such as volunteering. If possible, find women with whom you have at least one connection in common. This connection may be able to provide a warm introduction to your mentor of choice!
Know that just finding someone who is willing to mentor you is only part of the equation. If you want a mentor who can help you move up the career ladder, you want to find a mentor who has sponsorship qualities (someone who can champion you for promotions or new roles).
As you identify potential mentors, be sure to explore their contributions in-depth. Look them up online, read any books or articles that they authored, any webinars or classes they hosted. Discover what drives these women, what they’ve done differently to achieve their life results. Ask yourself: do you feel a sense of admiration? Awe? Inspiration? Maybe even intimidation? If your answer is “yes! Yes! More yes!”, then it’s time to ask to be mentored.
STEP 3: Ask to Be Mentored!
When it’s time to reach out to your mentor of choice, remember that gratitude and authenticity are key, as well as brevity. Send a brief email about how you found her, why you appreciate her specifically, and ask if you can buy her coffee (or grab 20 minutes of her time for a call, if she isn’t local). Give a brief overview of yourself and your intentions, but don’t focus too much on you. This email is really about her and acknowledging the work she has done.
Look up a few articles that you think she may enjoy based on your earlier research, and mention those in the email as potential topics to discuss during your meeting or call! This will help guide the conversation, and also give her a sense of your tenacity.
During your meeting, be sure to spend time getting to know one another. Spend more time asking questions than talking about yourself. Focus on topics such as how she got where she is today, who was crucial to her career growth, and whether she has experience in mentoring and sponsoring. Learn as much as you can; after all, as someone seeking a mentor, you are ready to sponge up as much information as possible!
When you feel ready, pitch yourself. Describe what you are seeking (someone to bounce ideas off of from time to time? Someone to help you accelerate your career?) and what you can offer in return. Express yourself as authentically as possible and be grateful of her time (regardless of whether she says yes or no)!
After your meeting, send a follow up email to thank her for her time. Bonus points if you include an action that you took based on your conversation!
STEP 4: Share Your Results
Did you follow the steps above to get in front of your mentor of choice? Did you already have a mentor, but found the above article useful anyway?
Share what worked for you, what didn’t, and let others learn from your experience!
Joyce Akiko helps 20- and 30-somethings in unfulfilling 9-5 jobs get new, exciting careers doing what they really love, despite having no related degree of experience on their resume. Get her free guide “How To Get A Job Doing What You Really Want To Do” to learn how to overcome fears, figure out what you really want to do with your life, and get from the job you have now to the job you really want.
Someone recently asked me for my secret to making a good hire and attracting talented employees. I had to admit that I’ve never considered myself particularly skilled at hiring, even though I’ve made some stellar hires – if I do say so myself – so I had to dig deep for some executive coaching advice. But it came pretty quickly.
If you want to hire very talented people, BE talented. If you want to hire go-getters and innovators, BE go-getting and innovative. If you want people to think outside the box, don’t sit in your box.
Career planning advice should always start with, “You should always be doing career planning!” We all need this reminder because too often, you’ll get your dream job and think you’ve achieved your final goal. Then you’ll sit back, relax, and enjoy what you achieved and believe that now is the time for you to finally do what you always wanted.
Then 2 years pass and you’re suddenly restless for a change. What happened?
Career Planning Advice: The dream job was a pit-stop. It wasn’t your destination
I thought I got my dream job when I went to work at KPMG. I always wanted to be a consultant and for me, it was my next step before having my own consulting firm. I had so much to learn before owning my own business:
How to win and manage a large gig (3+ months and thousands of dollars)
How to work with Fortune 500 clients
How to manage a large team (50+) of highly qualified professionals
I was living in New York and San Francisco. I felt like Eloise of the Plaza – living in hotels with an expense account. It was exciting! Until suddenly it wasn’t.
What happened?
I stopped thinking about my next step and refused to consider other opportunities.
I was thinking about doing great at my current job but stopped dreaming about where else I could go and what else I could be doing. I heard that I could be a partner in 5 years and decided that was my next goal – become a partner before starting my own company. I placed all of my bets on a single path to reach my vision – maneuvering myself in the KPMG system to achieve a promotion. That perspective caused a number of problems in my life – including being laid off and unemployed for 3 years.
What should I have done differently?
Career Planning Advice: Keep walking
Accept that exploring opportunities is part of the journey
Opportunities will always emerge in your life with the purpose of helping you determine what exactly is that next step. Not all opportunities are meant for you to pursue; some are a great fit for a next step, but some aren’t.
Think of job opportunities like shirts in a store – you try them on for size and see which suits your style. Some will look horrible on you. Some will fit well, but not represent you. Job opportunities and the activities associated with them – interviews, research and networking – help you explore who you are. You find out what you like, what you don’t like, and adjust your journey accordingly.
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Coaching Tips: How to Avoid the Most Common Career Mistakes
Don’t commit to any opportunity until everything is signed, discussed and resolved
Even if you think you found your dream job – don’t commit until you feel comfortable about everything in the agreements and you sign the dotted line. Dream jobs, if not negotiated well, can be huge mistakes in disguise. There may be issues with management, the team, how the company operates. The culture and team may have sounded fantastic during the interview process, but the negotiation process may have been a nightmare. Or something comes up that you don’t like, such as no flexibility to work from home or set your own hours.
Make sure that you have all the facts before you take that next step, and you have all the paperwork resolved. A seemingly small nit about intellectual property could mean the difference between showing up to the new office, or your current job, next Monday.
Be grateful for the opportunities that you do have
Remember: not all of us have opportunities to consider. Even a horrible opportunity has a silver lining – it is a way for you to learn about what you like and what you don’t like about a job, work environment, and more. You get to take a step on your journey and make some decisions. No opportunity is a waste. They are all learning experiences.
Remember, your career is a journey and your dream job is one step, a pit-stop, to get you to yet another dream job, and another…. There is no final destination. As soon as you get the job, start reflecting on what’s next. It may sound ungrateful, but it’s not. You don’t have to determine where you go next right away, but be open to possibilities and opportunities. Let yourself be led on a journey to achieve your full potential.
Not sure what your next step looks like? Start by exploring some simple career planning advice and then move on to figure out what your dream job looks like!
Have you ever had the “AH HA” moment when you finally get it?
Well, I am here to tell you that your “AH HA” moment may be just around the corner. For a few years I had been looking for my dream job. Something that took me to the next career level and challenged my skills. I repeatedly reviewed open positions on all popular job posting sites, social media platforms, and I even reached out to a few recruiting firms. Even with being a very active and social person I never really saw my personal or professional peers as a means of networking to get to that next level.
I will never forget the day when I received a call from a friend (we will call her Sally) telling me that she wanted to introduce me to (let’s call her) Liz. She and Liz had connected for dinner out of town in Boston. They happened to be traveling in the same area and thought it would be nice to have dinner together rather than eating alone as they often do while on the road for work. After the normal chit chat, Sally was intrigued to find out what Liz did that had her in Boston for the evening. Liz shared some of the attributes of her position at Kronos such as traveling and working remote as well as her enjoyment of the company culture and atmosphere. Knowing what Sally knew about me she inquired, on my behalf, about openings at Kronos. Liz shared that they are always looking for talented employees and welcomed a connection with me.
So after the dinner, Sally virtually introduced Liz and me through social media. I was very intrigued about what I had heard from Sally and was looking forward to meeting Liz for coffee that Sunday. When I walked into the coffee shop we both had a good laugh since it turns out that we knew each other casually through other social groups but never put 2-and-2 together. Liz told me all about the job and in return I told her about my background and experiences.
This is where the start of my “AH HA” moment begins. (more…)
The U.S. is traditionally the hotbed of global innovation and I believe it’s likely to continue to be well into the future. This is good because innovation changes the world by definition.
However, many of my clients have struggled with leading innovation – and from perusing the leadership and business literature, most other organizations do too. I have to ask myself – why is that? Why can’t a country that practically invented innovation as a lifestyle and workstyle in places like Silicon Valley institutionalize this important capability?
After much pondering I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s because innovation so often happens in the unplanned places. This is something of a conundrum for many leaders whose manufacturing B-School heritage tells them that everything should be planned out, documented and accounted for.
Innovation – like its sister creativity – cannot be planned, budgeted, shoved into a “retreat” or predicted. It happens in the shower and in the in-between spaces of life and work.
Leading innovation is difficult because you have to risk looking like a fool.
Fear of shame is one of the biggest inhibitors every leader faces and many succumb to. Leading innovation is a perfect example of the kind of risk great leaders take on and fearful leaders eschew. To “invest in innovation” is to put good, hard resources out against what is guaranteed to be largely a basket of failures… except for that one “big one” that comes along every so often. On its face this looks crazy. Put out good money with no guarantee of return? Take such a high-risk bet knowingly? But when the great leader looks under the basket, they often discover that in those failures are seeds of success. Sometimes it’s a specific idea that results, sometimes it’s just reenergized employees, which can pay back in employee creativity, retention and improved customer service.
Companies who invest in their employee’s creativity often see rewards. This is what Google does. They allocate some space for that creativity to happen and it always does because that’s how people are wired. Read Daniel Pink’s Drive for highly readable research into human motivation and how it relates to your staff.
Leading innovation takes courage and in our business culture, telling everyone to put “pencils down” and chill out in the playroom (whatever that looks like for your company) still feels like an unnatural act. But then again, leadership isn’t about doing the easy thing, is it?
Innovation is a personal skill too
Creating space for creativity and innovation is not just something organizations do; it’s something people do too. We have the power to create the space in our lives for innovation to occur by simply – creating space in our lives.
Yes, it seems counter-intuitive to “do nothing” so that “something” will result – until you do it and experience that font of creativity and energy that wells up when all the other stimulus keeping your brain busy subsides. Then it makes all the sense in the world. In the silence and boredom (that doesn’t last very long) ideas are born and passions are found.
These personal innovations can enrich your life, set you on a life-changing journey or simply frustrate you until you learn to give them more space. But one thing is true, once you’ve let the space for innovation into your life, your life and your work will never be the same.
3 things you can do to create space for innovation into your life
Turn off the TV.
Give yourself permission not to answer every email.
Take an hour a week to yourself to do whatever you want. Then two. Three. Until you have to stop. What comes up for you? Pay attention.
What happens for you when you create the space for innovation? Can you apply this in your work? With your team? Have you asked your team what making space looks like for them? What would they do in that space? How can you give them more space for innovation? How can you reward them for the seeds of successes they plan there? What happens when you do?
Thanks to Sagestone Partners for putting together this awesome video, inspired by The Girl Effect (also an awesome video). And thanks to Mike Henry and the LeadChange group for sharing this so widely.
Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love, shared in a speech that no matter how charmed her life looks, every day she falls short of what she had hoped to accomplish. Then she has to consciously stop her brain from beating herself up for her shortcomings.
She ended by telling us to “Let go of the knife you are holding at your throat, the knife of shame, blame, fear and remorse.”
There was a long, deathly silence as her words hit home.
“Be kind to yourself,” she implored, “especially now. You must give yourself unconditional self-friendship.”
The room burst with applause. Gilbert had shared a simple truth we need to hear over and over again.
How much time do you spend comparing yourself to others, to the successes in your past, and to the dreams that never came true? Is there a way you can stop? (more…)
