To do this and to educate myself, I skim four newspapers each day----two on line and two delivered to my home. I subscribe to e-newsletters,read business magazines and reports of research.It is very time-consuming and most of our clients are short on time, especially when they have families.
The best that I can do is to share what I am learning that will provide a context for their lives. Then I can guide them to focus on the WHAT,WHERE, and HOW of their career plans.They must know what skills they have, what ones they prefer to use, and where they can use them. This involves choosing a field of interest and then researching the trends in that field for interesting work. How to find those opportunities rests on both of us. I may have contacts, people resources, but clients also need to use their own networks.
None of this is easy, but I am enriched by being a partner in my clients' search. I am impressed with their talents and their serious goals and and consistent efforts I can support them in many ways but one of the best is to provide the big picture of our world
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One of the drawbacks of writing resumes or preparing for job interviews is the advice to consider weaknesses in work experience.My positive viewpoint is to look at the character-strenthening effect of having "hit the wall and bounced back"
Resilience is the quality of doing just that.
I am reminded of the many times that my goals have been overly ambitious, and I have had to change course. One very large project that I spent over a year planning and anticipating never happened. It was to set up a business offering consultant expertise to organizations. Several colleagues joined me in this effort and we held meetings, devised a business plan and made presentations--to no avail.We knew that we had skills to offer, but no one was nterested.
I learned that not only was our timing off, but the market was extremely competitive and to enter it was " to swim with the sharks"
My resilience in this matter was to bounce back and close a contract to provide career training to a small organization. The rewards were in the strong evaluations that I received from the trainees. This was proof to me that my work was good.
When you value yourself as a worthwhile person, staying with your strengths, the negative aspect of not achieving a goal is moving on, appreciating what you have learned from it Learn more from your mistakes and trust your resilience
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I have guided many clients who wanted to make a transition to a new career by "bridging" into it. This is a process that requires patience and gradual steps into a new career area, while keeping a day job. The day job provides stability and income for the client while self-assessment and research into the new career area continue after work hours. It may also be necessary for the client to get more training or education, especially if it is a different field.
A good example of this is Don, a successful financial advisor, who spent a major part of his work day counseling couples about their retirement plans. After doing a lot of self discovery, and with my counseling, he decided that, because he enjoyed what he had achieved with the couples, he would like to do marriage and family counseling. He was diligent in interviewing therapists and followed their advice about preparation. Keeping his day job, he enfolled in a university where he could take classes and get his training at night and on the week ends. He was willing to dedicate two years to achieve his goal of a Master's Degree, and was very enthused about his new career-to-be.
Your "bridging" experience may not need to take as long as this.
Here are several reasons why "bridging" works well.
1. Very few people have the income that would permit this kind of change without a day job.
2. Some benefits, such as health care, cannot be given up during the transition.
3. The time spent during the "bridging" gives the client more assurance that a new career is the right choice. Networking, information interviews and internet research can validate the career plan and avoid a career mistake.
4. The client can have a secret career plan, if he chooses, and it can make the day job bearable to have the anticipation of something new in life.
5. A new employer may be inpressed with the effort and foresight shown by this example.
Are you ready to try "bridging" into a new career area? Your first step should be a thorough clarification of who you are, your skills, interests and values. This needs to be done and can be guided by my counseling. It will take time, persistent effort and a positive attitude---but it can change your life!
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You have probably heard enough about making lemons---or seeing the glass half full, but what can you do?
Lots. Nobody has answers for you so you are free to figure this out on your own, which is always the best way. You don't have to fit into the boxes out there. By the way---the boxes are gone too. The career ladder has turned into the career lattice.
Did you love your job? Good,then you need to stay in touch with former co-workers. Keep tabs on the trends and network any way that you can. Keep listening, but don't listen to negative talk from anyone. Read the Business section of the newspaper and posts on line, but skip the jobless statistics. Refuse to be one. People in the entertainment field go on hiatus, or say that they are between engagements. That can be you.
Did you hate your job? My clients are often seeking a career change for that reason. The best advice is to take an new inventory of your skills.
especially the ones that you really ENJOY using. You can't lose your skills, but you need to know which ones are the most important to you.
Career counselors help with this, but you can do it online. Your strongest skill sets are the key to the best work place for you. Your survey of interests will help you to decide which is the right industry or profession. You don't need to seek a Master's degree if it is a new field.
Your local college and university offers a wide variety of training and it can take as little as six months to be certified in some of them.
Get on the Internet and check out the websites of all the companies or non-profits that interest you. Check with your Chamber of Commerce or business development office, if one operates in your area. Go to see them and ask questions about the leaders in your community.
Most importantly---stay active. Check ads, Craigslist, etc. Do everything!
It's better than watching Oprah or Days of Our Lives.
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