CareerMysteries

Photo courtesy of Canardwifi.com

You know what’s really scary? It’s when you walk into a room and realize that you forgot what you came into the room for in the first place. Or, when you see a very familiar person whose name you should know immediately and you say hi, pretending to remember her, hoping she will say her name or something to jog your memory faux pas.

Boo! Yes, you are starting to lose “it”. That ability to practice the activites of daily living are taking a major tumble down your hill of dreams. If you could only remember which hill you were on in the first place, you are sure everything would be just fine. (And then you hope half-heartedly that you are not heading to the store for a box of Depends or something really frightening like that).

Have you ever been driving down the road and forgot where you were and why you were there? Oh, no, not me. Just asking for the fun of it. Boo! Did I scare ya?

Now what was it I was supposed to be writing my blog about today?? Oh yeah, Happy Halloween! Remember, career mysteries are solved by Ms. Therese.
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A great view of Morris, CT

While it is a very hard thing to say goodbye to people you work with and share your life with every day, sometimes it’s the best decision for you and your career to move onward and upward.

How do you know when that time has come? If you are spending more time amusing yourself on the internet and finding creative ways to goof off instead of working, you are bored and could be disruptive to others on the job.

It may be the right time to talk to you supervisor and ask for a new project, a job change or better still, a promotion. If that is not possible and you are no longer learning and able to challenge yourself on the job, think about making a job change.

You owe it to yourself to do your best. Your sense of worth and self-respect depend on you feeling like you are giving 100% on the job. If you find yourself not doing that or not caring enough to do it, it is time to go.

Remember, career mysteries are solved by Ms. Therese.

Yesterday we did Part I on how to survive a lay off. It’s a tough sell, but it happens to the best of us. Continuing on:

Say thank you if someone gives you a good lead or helps you land a job. Tell them and show some appreciation, just like you would send a note to everyone you meet for a job interview.

Follow up even if a company doesn’t have any openings. Make it a point to check back with them periodically and get to know the HR folks by name. They will be more apt to give you a call when a job does open up.

Joblessness is a full time job. Spend at least eight hours a day on your job search activities, just like it is your full time job. The more time you spend working at it, the sooner you will get that new job offer and will be back on your feet in a job that’s even better than the one you left. Don’t waste your time or resentment or regrets.

Do something fun for yourself now and then. Go out to dinner (or lunch if you want to save your cash), take in a matinee and hone your guitar playing skills while you have the time. Keep your head in the game by rewarding your efforts.

You will get through this and will look back later and be proud of your flexibility and tenacity. Good luck in your new position.

While it is scary to lose your job, there are things you can do to make your situation better. Before you know it, you will be back to work in a better job and will have learned from the experience.

Get over it quickly. Yes, getting laid off or terminated is stressful, but don’t beat yourself up. It happens all the time and is due to circumstances beyond your control. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get moving.

Get busy now. You need to start your new job search the next day. Start by organizing a work area with a computer notepad and telephone. The sooner you get moving, the better you will feel and the sooner you will be back to work.

Network with everyone you know. So often it’s through a friend of a friend or your cousin’s step daughter or the local know-it-all that you hear about a hot job. Talk to everyone you come in contact with and keep your printed resume handy. Attend after hours events and bring your business cards. Networking is the best use of your time.

Manage your time better. Keep track of how much time you are spending scrolling through internet job boards. Spend no more than 50% of your time on this and the rest out and about, or on the phone. The more time you spend on the phone, the more comfortable you will get with cold calling people.

Working the internet and get your resume out there, but be selective. Don’t just post it on Monster or you will get calls to sell insurance or other products. More next time.

I really hate to say goodbye to the month of October again. Doesn’t it seem like it just started the day before yesterday? We had a wind storm over the weekend and lost about half of the foliage that was still clinging to the October branches.

The funny thing is, I think I saw a late hummingbird outside the family room picture window. It was moving slow for a bird and may actually have been a dragonfly of some kind. The bees are still here, as one just landed on my sunny study window as I write these very Monday-ish mundane words.

Summer is long gone and winter looms outside tomorrow’s door. As October pulls up the covers over my face and popsicle toes, a small piece of me goes to sleep until next spring.

I have recently started publishing business articles on Triond as well as ehow. See my new one, The Assertive Manager at the address below. Thanks for reading.

“Whether you have recently been promoted or have been in management for a while, here are some ideas on how you can come across as assertive as opposed to dictatorial or aggressive. When it comes to effectiveness, the assertive manager always wins the day.

To be an assertive manager, you need to learn how to deal with emotions. If you are promoted from within and are now supervising people who were co-workers, meet with each one about how they feel about supporting you. Be sincere and follow through on any promises you make, such as supporting tuition assistance applications or providing training.”

Read the whole thing at http://www.bizcovering.com/Management/The-Assertive-Manager.313061

Have a great day.

pix courtesy of The Luminous Landscape

I went to let the dog out this morning and discovered that my lounge chair cushions were covered in a mysterious glittery substance. It looked vaguely familiar. Yes indeed, it was that five letter word we all dread - frost.

I saw my son heading out to work, trying to remember how to scrape the windows, as he donned his Red Sox scull cap and some old gloves he probably found in the garage. He looked disconcerted.

Walking outside to get the newspaper, I discovered that my black lab, Andy, found out that he could fit one of my small pumpkins inside his big mouth and was parading around on the frosty lawn with his orange prize, as I chastised him with phrases like “down for nappies, you bad boy” and such, to no apparent avail.

Yes, winter is almost upon us, like a kitten climbing onto the bed, waiting to suck the air out of our lungs as we sleep. Winter is back, and about a month too soon.

I guess I will break out the craft projects and half-crocheted blankets, build a nice fire and get ready for the first snowfall, which will likely occur any day now. One good thing to keep in mind, it’s Saturday! Have a great weekend.

pix of sunset in Winthrop, Maine by Jess Haberman
Based on our scenario, you have approached your boss because you feel you are underpaid and he says, sorry, nothing can be done. Your first instinct is perhaps to jump up and down on your chair, screaming and name calling, begging him to reconsider because they are about to foreclose. I say, don’t go there…

Granting a pay increase is justified for different reasons, but one of them is not because you spent too much money. Make the justification business related. You can argue you just earned your graduate degree and are now in a higher pay bracket. You can talk about exemplary performance (if this is true) and how you succeeded in increasing revenues by 10% or reducing waste by 14%, etc.

This is not a personal issue, it is a business decision. Give him business reasons for helping you get that raise. This could include the salary data you scraped up, the record of great performance and the ever so slight hint that you may have other offers lurking in the distance. If they want you to stay, things just might go your way.

Many people feel underappreciated and underpaid in their jobs. Fortunately for me, I was never in that situation, and felt that I have always been paid appropriately for my work, though do confess to feeling overpaid at some weak moments.

If you seriously believe you are underpaid in your job, you can research the salary information by profession either on the internet or at the library. Much detail is available through Department of Labor statistics, where huge rooms full of analysts sit and compile this kind of data at the taxpayer’s expense.

If you discover that you are very low in compensation based on your research findings, you can address the issue with your boss and the HR representative. Be prepared for a potential unsatisfying response. You will be told that all kinds of factors go into determining pay and equity. You may also be advised that your company is not among the higher paying firms and prefers to put income back into improving the products and services they offer, blah and blah and more blah.

More on this saga as we continue tomorrow….

Here is the River Rose steam boat that runs cruises along the Hudson River out of Newburgh, NY. Try it sometimes, very enjoyable and the view of West Point and surrounds is breathtaking.

We’ve been talking about job searches. What if you are working in a job and you hate your boss or the pay is lousy or some other factor is sucking the joy out of your life? In a tough economy, buyer’s job market, should you make a move? My response is yes.

Have you ever thought about he possibility of winning the lottery or gaining a large sum of money which would allow you to do whatever you want in life? Have you taken that thought to its final conclusion, after all the travel and such, what would you really want to do with your life and your time on earth?

Whatever that answer turns out to be, that’s what you should do. I know it’s not easy to just pick up and leave a job and finances are always going to get in the way of your ultimate freedom, but this is what you were meant to do, so go and do it. More on this next time we meet. And thanks for reading my blog.