What's Your Larger Career Story?

One of the keys to interviewing well is to be able to tell your story. Almost any question I get about how to answer a specific interview question comes back to looking at the larger story.

For example, last week, one client asked about how to explain that he had left one of his positions for "philisophical differences". If this is the best we could come up with, then he would have to go with that. But is that the story he wants to create and share? The simplest answer is "Better Oppoortunity." If more detail is requested, then he could say "After twenty years of a very positive work experience, I located a better opportunity that allowed me to continue to grow and use my skills with _________________. Those are the same skills I understand you need from someone in this position. That's why I'm glad to get the opportunity to talk with you today."

"But why did you leave?" The interviewer could ask. They are asking for the larger story. When I probed a little further, it turned out that he had been with the company from the outset and helped them to be very successful. He enjoyed the work that they did and they were very pleased with him. After twenty years, a new management team wanted to go some new directions,as new managers often do. He located a better opportunity where he felt he could continue to grow. When he gave his four week notice, they asked him to stay, but he really felt it was time to move on.

Isn't this a more positive story than "philisophical differences"? Still, even this story only needs to be told if the interviewer probes for it. But be ready with the larger story. Each question doesn't come in isolation. It's the larger story that you are creating. Does my client go through his career having "philisophical differences"? Or does he do a great job, encounter workplace changes occasionally, and find the right place where he is a good fit and then continue to make positive contributions wherever he is? It's up to him.

Your story is up to you. What's your story?

Do I Really Have To Get LinkedIn?

Every week, I have an opportunity to talk with an individual or a group about social media, such as LinkedIn and Twitter. Last week we taught a workshop on the topic. Most people in the group were eager to get more tips on making better use of these tools. A couple of people shook their heads "No," they said, "I'm not doing that." Still others said, "Do we really have to?"

I could argue that it is effective. And it can be. I can argue that it's better and quicker than calling everyone in your Rolodex (do you still have one on your desk, too? If so, you should take this fun quiz to test your how old your really are by evaluating your social media skills But the more important thing...is that it is how things work now. It just is. I don't doubt that after the wheel was invented, there were late adopters, critics, and naysayers. But today, I can't think of a single group of people that doesn't use them.

We all realized somewhere between five and ten years ago that we had to use e-mail and do on-line applications. We have no choice. Not because it's a fad. It is what is.

Personally, I like a mortar and pestle, not a food processor. I like bicycles more than cars. I hesitated to use any cell phone, let alone a smart one. A year ago, I found myself asking other team members to take and send photos of our events. Then I realized, I need to do it myself too. I got a Droid. Now I take pictures and text. I realized that I have more than two decades more to work. I can't fall behind now! So, while I'm not the most current. I know I need to embrace technology.

I love to communicate in writing, and friends have been telling me for the past few years that I need to get a blog. I couldn't muster my fortitude to do it. I went to a Social Media Workshop last month where we were instructed to set up a blog as part of the class, and what you are reading is the result. Prior to the workshop, I had questioned whether I had missed the boat on blogs, or if I should save myself for books. Then, I realized that people will always be communicating with words. Blogs are one of the ways we do it now. It is what is. I don't need to question it anymore.

I have a team member that just reached what she deems the "Social Security age". Six months ago, she wasn't interested in a smart phone. "Too much money," she said. For some reason to got one anyway by September, and was eager to visit with her brothers and sisters,and be "the one who knows everything." She would tell how to get to the restaurant by using her google maps, and look up the answers to all the questions about which actress starred in that movie. Unfortunately, a hurricane cancelled the trip. She was disappointed to lose out on the opportunity to be the one with the phone. She will get her chance. Her plan is to stay current, because you never know how you will have to communicate with the utility company five years from now. Or five months. It changes fast. But it is just communication. That's all it is. And we've been doing that since our first year. I think most of us can manage it. It is what is.

So set up that LinkedIn account, follow that company you like on Twitter. Get yourself a blog and send me the link! Do you have any tweet successes to share? I'd love to hear them!

How to Promote Yourself in This Economy

You once had a great job, or at least one that paid well, and despite your best efforts, you still find yourself out of work. You have been attending every event you can, getting together with people for cappacinos, you pass out your business cards, you get Linkedin. You are promoting yourself just the way your Career Advisor suggested.  But you aren't getting any interviews.

Here's one more thing to try. A little humility. What does that have to do with getting a job? Sometimes everything. I'm not saying this because I have done such a great job of it, and you should learn from me. I'm just telling you what I have seen. I get to learn from my clients every day.

I have a client who has always owned her own business, continues to have her primary paid work in spurts, but not fast enough to meet all of her financial needs. She has a TYPE A ++++ personality, so I was quite surprised when a few weeks ago she said she would be willing to do a $10-12/hour job including call centers. We immediately stripped her resume of nearly every accomplishment, which was easy for her to accept, given her high level of self esteem. She immediately went about applying for entry level jobs. I got an email from her last week asking if she should wear an apron to her interview for a cashier position she found in the food court at the mall. After discussing, she settled on khakis and a white shirt (like what they wear) and a cardigan (to make it a little different). She was offered the job as a supervisor...at $9 an hour. I asked her if she was accepting, pretty sure she would have encountered a heavy dose of second thoughts.

"Are you kidding me?" she replied. "I have a heater to replace this winter. I'm taking it. They are going to try to get me $10." Here is a woman with self esteem, ability to read and adapt to culture, who can take of herself. A woman I have greater respect for who is more likely to come at top of mind when I see appropriate job openings.

What does humility have to do with getting a job. Maybe everything. What does it have to do with being a better person? Definitely everything.

"Humility is at the equilibrium of ego. When we're at the center, we manage our ego rather than it managing us."- Steve Smith

"Pride is concerned with who is right. Humility is concerned with what is right." - Ezra Taft Benson

I am fortunate enough to be working. Besides that giving me the opportunity to share this woman's story for the benefit of others, I also need to ask myself...

How do I get in my own way? Where do I need to show more respect for others? Where do I need to forget about who is right?

I hope you ask yourself these questions too.

This isn't all going to change the high rate of unemployment instantly. But it will make this a better time to live.

What is one place where you could show more humility in your life?

See One, Do One, Teach One

Last night,  I ran into a former client at the library. He was three years older than the last time I saw him, but his skin was brighter as he beamed and introduced me to his new wife. When I last saw him, he was recently divorced, had been laid off from a very good job,and was in a tough financial position as a result of both. He was uncertain about nearly everything. And he seemed somewhat alone. He came to the networking meetings and trainings we offered,as well as scheduling career advising sessions with me. Despite his frustrations, he was open to the feedback with the extensive mock interview we provided. He was successful in landing a job. But was that the most important thing that he got from us? And would that have been enough?

My client turned to his wife and said, "These are the people who helped me when I needed it. They taught me the tools that I'm teaching you." Was landing the job the most important part?

Over 20 years ago, when I started in my field, my focus was the world of work...its fulfillment for both the worker and the employer. As I have gotten older, it has expanded to include the larger scope of one's life...its fulfillment...doing it well. Not perfectly, but fully.

When I started out to work on work, over 20 years ago, I did so because the way I saw it, you are given a unique set of gifts.  It is your responsibility and your privilege to use them well. You work so many hours per week. You owe it to yourself and society to spend them well. Now, I think you have been given one life. Use it well. The work we do gives our lives focus. The life we have gives our work focus. It is a balance.

My mission is to help individuals and the community to be whole and to be well utilized. What is the workforce development professional supposed to do? Is it enough to help a job seeker to get a position? If that person gets a job, then someone else does not. My role then is to reduce unemployment.
If I can find the gaps where employers have a hard time filling positions and make sure people are getting trained to meet those needs, then we may have done something. If we can help people to use their gifts even while unemployed, then I believe we have done something. When we help them to get  closer to financial stability, then that is something more. Getting resources, food, clothing, shelter, job leads, training, health, helpful connections, that is something. So they can get on with their lives. Making sure they get the job is not completely within our control. Most people right now aren't trying to get ahead, they are just trying to keep their head above water. They need a raft. That was the case with this guy. I couldn't make sure that he got interviews or offers, but I could make sure that despite periods of discouragement, he would not fall out of the raft. That is the one thing we can always do for each other.

Just as I was about to part with my client, I remembered a model he taught me that they use in the medical world. "See one, do one, teach one". It's a bridge to take to get to other side of learning many things. I let him know that I have called upon this model many times. He looked pleased.

His wife is recently unemployed herself. He learned how to make it to the other side of it. We brought him a raft, he is bringing her one.

While I am thrilled that he got a job and he is still working, I'm even happier that it put him in the frame of mind and the position to be happily married and sharing what we taught him. He is living fully. It doesn't get much better than that.