Career and Life Transition Counseling

Career and Life Transition Counseling is now closed. Lin Phillips has retired and is no longer seeing clients. I am leaving this page up in case anyone wants to access old information articles for their job search. Thanks for being a follower for the past several years. Lin

In my inbox today was a terrific article that is worth sharing with you in its entirety and is a good reminder to those of you who are in the active workforce. The title of the article is 13 WAYS YOU CAN BE HAPPIER AT WORK, ACCORDING TO CAREER EXPERTS, written by Natalia Lusinski, Dec. 3, 2018,
To optimize your career, you want to make sure the hours you spend at work are more happy than not. Even though it may not seem like it, there are ways to be happier at work, including making sure you carve out time to take breaks. Here, 13 career experts share tips on how to be happier at work.
If you work 40 hours out of a 168-hour week, that's nearly a quarter of your week spent at work. Of course, you probably want to make sure those hours are more enjoyable than not. But not everyone is happy at work.
In fact, Teem— a software and workplace analytics company that WeWork recently acquired— did some research on the subject. According to the 2017 Teem Employee Happiness Survey of over 1,300 US workers, 48% of those surveyed reported being unhappy or "somewhat happy" at work, which was up 8% from their 2016 report.
Among the factors contributing to this were poor work-life balance (48%), workers feeling underappreciated in their positions (46%), and people feeling obligated to respond to colleagues at all times, due to communication apps (49%).

"Work can be stressful, but that doesn't mean happiness can't be achieved," Zach Holmquist, cofounder and chief of workplace experience at Teem, told Business Insider in an email. "While it may seem difficult to attain, it's crucial for both employees and employers. To avoid burnout and ultimately maximize creativity and productivity, ensure you are truly working in an environment where you can thrive."
Here, Holmquist and 12 other career experts share their advice on how to be happier at work. (Responses have been condensed and edited for clarity.)

1. Put your professional development first
Like many experiences in life, being happy at work all starts with how you mentally view your job and the people you work with. Put your professional development first — happiness at work is knowing you can grow and learn in your company. Professional development can be anything from taking classes to knowing how to become a good manager. — Jillian Seijo, HR manager at Develop Intelligence
2. Figure out what truly motivates you
Many individuals are unhappy at work because they haven't tapped into what fundamentally motivates them — they lack a sense of meaningfulness in their job or connectedness with their team.
So, think deeply about how you define enjoyment, success, and fulfillment, and see how that relates to what you do at work. Perhaps there's a disconnect between what really motivates you and how you relate to either the projects you engage in or the teams you're involved with. — Kira Nurieli, founder and director of Harmony Strategies Group
3. Conduct an energy audit and make changes accordingly
For the next three days, write down all your tasks at work and beyond, and note whether each one drains you or fills your cup. Include both intentional activities and unintentional diversions (i.e., procrastination or getting caught up in emails).
After three days, review your balance sheet. Ask yourself if there are any changes you can make to do less of what drains you and more of what enlivens you. — Sarah Greenberg, licensed psychotherapist and lead coach at BetterUp
4. Take 10-to-15-minute breaks
Take 10-15 minutes for yourself — whether it's meditation, taking a walk, stretching, listening to music, or tuning into Brain FM. Allowing yourself more "you" time can help you feel more grounded and excited about work, as well as less stressed. — Penelope Brackett, practice development manager at RiseSmart, a career services and transition management company
5. Keep a 'smile file'
Stop comparing yourself to strangers on the Internet and keep a running list of your accomplishments, compliments, and thank-yous from real people. — Lauren McGoodwin, CEO and founder of Career Contessa and creator of The Salary Project
6. Remind yourself of why you like working there
Remind yourself of why you looked forward to working at your job in the first place. Most of the time, we are super excited to get started at a new job, but over time, as stress piles up, we lose sight of what was exciting about it in the first place. — Esther Gonzalez Freeman, board-certified career coach and founder of E Powered Media
7. Be disciplined about rest and balance
We cannot pour from an empty cup. To stay high-energy, productive, engaged, and happier at work, it is important to prioritize balance and time-outs. Taking care of ourselves and prioritizing sleep, hydration, nutrition, and exercise are important parts of being able to be happy at work. — Shefali Raina, a NYC-based executive coach
8. Don't be 'on' 24/7
Unless it's an emergency or some sort of unique circumstance, employees should never be — or feel forced to be — plugged in 24/7. Organizations don't need to, and quite frankly, shouldn't implement an environment that encourages an "always-on" team. What they do need is a happy workforce. —Zach Holmquist, cofounder and chief of workplace experience at Teem, a WeWork company
9. Build your network
Some of the deepest relationships in our lives are formed at work. We need friends, mentors, advisors, and advocates to bounce ideas off of, to ask for expert advice, to brainstorm, to cheer us up, help us find solutions, and to vent and/or celebrate with at the end of the week.
By building your network, I mean develop meaningful relationships with people you admire and respect, who support you in your career growth and care about your happiness, and who you will support equally in return. — Deena Baikowitz, chief networking officer and cofounder of Fireball Network
10. Connect your work to your intrinsic values
To be happier at work, it helps to connect your work to your intrinsic values — even if your job does not have a grand purpose, you can live your values. These may include treating others well, teaching others, doing your job with positive intention, doing your best, working hard, and doing well to be a model for your children or provide for your family. Keeping these ideals in mind adds up and gives meaning to your work. — Diane Rosen, attorney and cofounder of Compass Consultants, a practice that helps organizations better motivate and mobilize their employees
11. Limit time with negative coworkers
Some people will complain about work and gossip at the office, but never leave. So, limit time with negative coworkers. Spend time with the people who are positive and moving up. Those are the relationships to cultivate, because they will benefit you in the future. — Rebecca Gebhardt, founder and consultant at Rise Up Consulting
12. Talk to your boss more often
The best way to be happier at work is to talk to your boss more regularly. While it can be uncomfortable at first, speaking to your boss will help you discover opportunities to have a more positive impact — find out what they care about, what they wish was possible, and what you can do to help them.
Taking a more collaborative approach to your work will increase the visibility of your achievements and give you a deeper sense of purpose in your everyday work. — Dave Lane, CEO of Inventiv
13. Discard the idea of 'right' versus 'wrong'
Your opinions and emotions are valid, and, therefore, the same is true of your opponent. Let go of your ego — civility means showing patience and respect towards people who think differently from you.
Breathe and take time to think before you speak. Then, try to be thoughtful instead of trying to prove you own the whole truth (because no one really does). —Steven Dinkin, president of the National Conflict Resolution Center

Never Say Never

Never say "Never!" A recent client called me with the tone of incredulity in her voice. She had applied for a position she really wanted. Later she received the "blow off" letter, and was told the position had been filled. Now, 6 weeks later, she got the call to come in for an interview for that very position. So what happened? The jury is still out on the results of her interview, but our fingers are crossed.

Here is probably what happened to cause this situation.
Given the pending talent shortage and the rapid voluntary turnover of new hires on the rise across all industries, Society for Human Resource Management reports the following interesting numbers:

• 31% of new hires quit within the first 6 months of starting a new position.
• Another 16% of all employees who left of their own choosing did so within 12 months.
• 4% leave their new jobs after a deplorable first day.
• 50% of those hired in leadership positions exit in three years or less.

These numbers are bad news for the employers, but they are encouraging news for the job seekers who "came in second" in the choice process. A couple of lessons can be derived from these numbers

1) As a job seeker, you need to do a good job of vetting the potential company and potential supervisor for compatibility. Look carefully for indications and contraindications of an appropriate fit of your skills, your interests, and your values with the company and supervisor. At the first sign that the potential situation might not be a good fit, pull back and question it further, or pull out. A bad fit job just isn't worth it in either the short term or the long term.

2) It is absolutely critical that if you truly want this job, you must cross all your "t's" and dot all your "i's" in following up with the employer, expressing your keen interest in the job and the employer, and your disappointment of not being chosen. This is best done in your follow-up thank you letter. You need to make sure you leave a sweet taste in the mouth of the hiring manager and those that interviewed you. You might also ask what you need to do to be a stronger candidate the next time around. This is best done by phone or person-to-person.

Bottom line: Never say, "Never." Just because someone said "No," in an interview doesn't mean that you can never hold out hope of getting the job there in the future. No doesn't mean never. Go get 'em with a positive attitude. You have nothing to lose.

The Next Right Thing

As crazy as it sounds, the months of November and December are actually the very best months to be job seeking. It is at this time of year that employers now know where they stand with their profit and loss for the year, and they know they can afford to hire that extra position. They also tend to be a little more benevolent in getting that job filled. The holiday season is also the best time to be networking. People tend to be in a pretty good mood and open to meeting others. The "heavy lifting" of the year is pretty much over, and time frees up a little for the hiring manager.

When I reflect on my own job history and the job history of my husband, we both have scored most of our new jobs and significant promotions in December with a start date in early January....New Year, new job! So, don't let your guard down, and for Pete's sake, don't stop your job search for the holidays!

As we get to this time of year, it is pretty normal to take a look at the year in review and size up our progress on the goals we set for ourselves last January. Life has kept us busy, and a lot of good intentions have collided head-on with other more pressing issues. Despite that, it's not too late to salvage some progress. After all, we still have a little over a month to notch a goal or two. As Dr. Bill Dorman, author of Billion-Dollar Smile and celebrity dentist featured on Extreme Makeover, once said, "We need to focus on the WIN." WIN is an acronym for What is Important Now.

When we are faced with multiple priorities and pressing issues, it is important to remember that we have everything we need right now. By hanging on to that concept, we free ourselves to shift away from the fight-flight-freeze focus to one of empowerment. The question we need to ask ourselves now is, "What's important next?"
Susan Whitcomb, one of my favorite inspirational writers and owner of Career Coach Academy, lays out a five-step process:

• First, breathe. Our brains need oxygen to function. Sit down comfortably. With your hand lightly on your heart, take 3 or 4 deep breaths, 3-4 secondsin,3-4 seconds out. You should feel better already.
• Second, revisit your priorities, whether they be for the day, the week, the month, the year or your lifetime.
• Third, quiet your mind and ask yourself, "What's important next?" Perhaps whisper a prayer "Show me what to do net." Invariably an answer comes to mind.
• Fourth, do it. If the task at-hand is big, consider breaking the task into smaller steps.
• Fifth, Rinse and repeat.

Do the next right thing, even if it a small step. You'll be surprised at the progress you can make.

THE ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE

To those of you who are Veterans or active Military, I hope you were properly recognized on Veterans Day this year. We thank you for your service. To those of you who ran for office in this past election cycle or who serve in an elected capacity, again, I express gratitude for your service. To those of you who have faithfully followed my writings over the past several years, I am grateful for the comments you have sent to me and your loyalty in hanging in there with me.

This is the season of Thanksgiving, a time to remember and thank those who have and are making a difference in our lives and in our communities. Numerous researchers in the field of positive psychology have learned that gratitude impacts many areas of our lives. According to Susan Whitcomb, The Academies, Inc., in her April 2017 email newsletter:
• Happy people's income is roughly 7% higher.
• Grateful people on average give 20% more in time and dollars.
• Grateful people will have 10% fewer stress-related illnesses, be more physically fit, have blood pressure that is lower by 12%.
• Grateful people are 20% more likely to get "A" grades.

I wish I could find statistics on the effect of how gratitude impacts job seekers' success rates, but I am confident that the attitude of gratitude does make it easier and faster to find new positions, and negotiate bigger salaries. As you can see above, happy people earn approximately 7% more!

How does it work? Gratitude allows for the concept of provision. "It causes us to look at the world through the lens of possibility instead of problem, to believe 'I have everything I need...right now.' It helps overcome the negative emotions of fear, anxiety and worry which are based on the anticipation of not having enough...not having enough control, certainty, time, money, energy, health, protection, resources, wellbeing, wisdom, appreciation, acceptance, trust, ease."

If you are "down" because your job search isn't going well, acknowledge the pain and frustration you are experiencing, then without denying those feelings, ask yourself what you hope this situation opens up for you or makes possible for you. Look at the possibilities and count your assets with gratitude.

Time for a Fall Cleaning of Your Resume

It's time to give that resume of yours a good fall cleaning. Resumes need to present short "sound bites" of information, allowing for the reader to quickly scan the document for essential information. To get the reader's attention, you need to shorten paragraphs and "zip up" bullet points so they are more eye-catching. Eye-tracking research has indicated that if you can write tight and use formatting to draw the eye, you can score up to 60% higher on the resume raters' scale.

Here are a few tips to help you write tighter copy:

1) Cut generic phrases. Make sure you lead with an action verb and get specific with numbers. "Developed 7 managers promoted to director."

2) Cut modifiers and adjectives. "Successfully", "very," "significantly" are a waste of space. If it wasn't successful, why would you put it in your resume? Instead, give the metrics that defined this success.

3) Use the "Paramedic Method." Replace and "is" verb with an action verb, and cut out the "wind ups" and redundancies.

4) Use active language. Instead of saying "profits rose 20%," start with an action verb: "Increased profits by 20%." Examples of Passive verbs that you need to clean out include the words are , is, was, were, or became.
5) Boil job descriptions down. Keep introductory job descriptions to 2 lines.

Lauaren Hamer, wrote an article in The Muse, 1/7/2017, "3 Super Basic" Resume Skills You Should Think Twice Before Including." You need to check your document to make sure you eliminate these potential pitfalls.

1) If Microsoft Office is listed as one of the basic requirements for the job, you do not necessarily need to list it out in your resume. By listing this qualification, the employer is stating that you need to be a wiz at MS Office, that you can expertly perform the advanced skills of the software such as mail merge docs, build formulas in Excel, create time-saving productivity-enhancing "rules" in Outlook, and other complicated maneuvers that you may not have even heard. By your including this in your resume, you implicitly tell the employer you can perform these advanced processes. (If you need to tune up your MS Office skills, check out Udemy's freePowerPoint training tutorial or its Excel "From 0 to Working Professional in 1 Hour" and see how quickly you can learn the systems.)

2) Social Media Proficient. To the employer this means that you can manage several social media accounts, build brand voices for each one, read and analyze data, and run paid marketing campaigns. Social media management is respected as its own career field, so it shouldn't be listed on your resume unless you have real work experience using it.

3) Languages. By listing foreign languages on your resume you are telling the employer that you are fluent and literate in the language. It goes well beyond the conversational basics. It means that you can carry on an entire conversation in your second language, and you could write a report and email in that language as well.

The Importance of Building Your Network

We are moving into the holiday celebration season, starting with Halloween next week. Holiday parties and events are great times to do build up your network of contacts. Remember, networking doesn't happen just for job seekers, it is also essential for those that are presently working.

Contacts Count News listed out three ways to kickstart your networks (1/24/2017). The list items are theirs, the content is mine.

1) Reach out. Think outside the box. Who are the people around you? Look at fellow club/organization members, folks in your religious community, people who make your life easier or provide services to you. Review your memberships and determine if this is still the right organization for you and that will help you meet your goals, or do you need to change things up a bit.

2) Reach up. Start with your own boss if you are presently working. Review your goals and progress for the year. Ask for new responsibilities. Get permission to run for office in your professional association. Request your boss's advice. Ask who of his peers you should talk with to get a perspective or to take the next step.

3) Reach back. This is a perfect time to reconnect with former colleagues and suggest a catch-up breakfast or after-work drink. Studies have shown that former contacts provide more NEW information than your current contacts because they are in touch with different information streams. You will be amazed by how quickly you can reestablish trust with those dormant contacts as you update each other.

So why do I push so hard on building and using a network and on networking skills? According to Harvard Business Publishing's report, leaders leverage networks. They leverage these networks not only for their own career growth, but also to benefit their organizations. They view it as a way to collaborate with customers, suppliers, strategic partners and competitors. It is key to collaboration.

Another Harvard study, a 10-year look at 2700 business executives conducted by Navalent, finds that the ability to form deep, trusting relationships is the MOST "make-it-or-break-it" attribute of successful CEO's. Not building a strong network may be sabotaging your career!

Tom Friedman, "Thanks for Being Late", reports that when people trust each other, they
• are much more adaptable and open to all forms of pluralism.
• think long term.
• feel inclined to collaborate and to experiment.
• Open themselves up to others, to new ideas, to novel approaches and to extending The Golden Rule.

GOALS.

This is the beginning of the 4th quarter of the year. How are you coming on your goals for 2018? What goals will you be setting for yourself for 2019?

I came across an article written by Rachel Grima, The Academies, at the beginning of 2017 addressing this topic. I like the acronym she developed for GOALS, so I'm going to share it with you with a few slight modifications in both the words supporting the acronym and the content ideas behind them.

G: Gain, Grow, Get More Of. In what ways do you want to gain, grow, or get more of in your career, your personal finances, your business, your knowledge base? Make sure you also consider the areas of Character, Relationships, Reputation and Perspective as well.

O: Overcome, Oust, Omit. What do you want less of this year? What situations, bad habits, negative thinking, or toxic relationships do you want to improve or overcome? What can you stop doing that will make your life better?

A: Allow Life to Lead, Abide, Accept. How will you allow life to unfold in the coming months or coming year without striving , worrying, or working too hard? How will you open yourself to new experiences? How will you learn to accept those things you cannot change rather than fret for fight futilely?

L: Lead, Love, Limelight. In what areas do you want to be in the forefront? What are the concepts you want to develop and pursue? How can you become more proactive in your job search? What are the major projects you want to keep in the spotlight for the coming year?

S: Service. How can you be of service to others? What are your talents and gifts that you can share to make your corner of the world a little bit better? How and when will you do this?

As you close out this year and begin thinking about 2019, I wish for you significant success.

The Five L's

Have you ever felt like the victim in the job search process when you have trouble landing the job you want? Instead of taking the defeatist attitude, change your direction of thinking, and use empowered thinking instead. Rachel Grima, The Academies, Inc. (12/20/2016), suggested that you engage in the 5 "L's": Lead, Love, Learn, Leverage, Look. I like her approach, so I'm going to use her 5 L's, but I'm going to change the meanings and the order of them. So, the 5 L's are hers, but the content is mine.

Lead: You can either be reactive in a job search, or you can be proactive. Reactive is when you (and 2000 other people sit at the computer and punch "send" to openings posted on the various job boards.... I would encourage you to be proactive instead. Lead the way in your own job search by identifying the employers with whom you would most like to work. Set up informational interviews with the hiring manager whether or not they have a job opening.
Learn all you can about the company, and build and maintain a relationship with the hiring manager. Employers hire people known to them because it reduces their risk in hiring. You'll be the first one they think of, rather than one of 2000 applicants.

Love: Learn to love the job search process. It is a matter of outlasting the naysayers. One of my favorite job search cartoons showed a job seeker's head surrounded by a hundred talk balloons. 99 of those talk balloons had the word "No" in them. One had the word "Yes!" Learn to love those "no's" so you can get them out of the way and be able to say I'm one no closer to the "yes" for the job that you want.

Learn: Learn everything you can about the job opening, your future boss, and the company you would like to work for so you can do the best possible job in describing how your attributes meet the needs of the employer and offer even more. But, even more than that, do this careful research to make sure that the values and culture of the organization to which you apply are in sync and a good fit with your personal values and your style.

Leverage: Leverage your strengths in your job search. What do you do well? Where have you had success? What are your accomplishments? How do these match up with your potential employer's needs? You need clearly identify the priority of the needs of the hiring employer, then match your strengths, skills and accomplishments to them in that same order to leverage your strengths.

Look: Look into the future and get excited about all that you can offer the potential employer. This excitement will telegraph to the potential employer in your written and face-to-face communications with her/him, and help you be a stronger, more self-assured candidate.

What NOT to Say While You Network

Have you ever heard someone say something that makes you want to cringe? Contacts Count (6/21/2016) offered three fast tips on avoiding "oopsies" in networking.

1. Saying, "I'd like to pick your brains....." Ouch! That sounds like it might hurt! Instead say, "I wonder if I could get your thoughts about ....."

2. Failing to immediately include someone who walks up to the group of people with whom you're talking. Instead, make room and give a welcoming smile. When there's a pause say "Jim was just telling us about his new project." or say, "Hello. Welcome, Susan (looking at her nametag), I'm Emily, and this is George and Amanda."

3. Making a request before you've earned the trust that gives you the right. Instead, spend time and energy getting to know the person, showing your character and competence, and looking for ways to be helpful. Then, and only then, say, "Wonder if you'd be willing to...."

I want to take a personal moment to let you know that I will be closing my career counseling office and retiring effective the 19th of December, 2018. At that time, I will also give up writing this JobSeekers Network newsletter. Meanwhile, until then, I will still be seeing my existing and recent clients (but not taking any new clients), and I will write a few more JobSeekers Network newsletter. If you have a topic you would like me to address before 12/19, please let me know and I will do my best to include it.

www.iowacareercounselor.com

Check your attitude and your language!

It is a lot easier to hire positive people than it is to hire negative candidates. If you are struggling to get past the interview and land the job, you might need to do an attitude check. Are you projecting a "can do" positive persona?
Susan Whitcomb of The Academies, Inc posted a couple of articles in late 2017 and early 2018 that offer some thoughts about showing positive attitude. She suggests that you "Put on your H.A.T."

"H - Hope: It's easy to set goals, get excited about them, and then a few days or weeks later, lose hope that they are possible to achieve. Hope is essential for survival. We can survive the loss of anything, except hope. At its core, hope means that we want something . We want tomorrow to come and for it to bring good things....something better, something more, something different.. What do you hope for?

"A - Act: Take the next right step. Then take the next right step and then again. As joe Girard quipped: 'The elevator to success is out of order. You must take the stairs, one at a time.' Act strategically. Do it right. Do everything humanly possible." One of Susan's coaches, James Manichak, was asked how he continues to fill his Big Money Speaker seminars with 700+ people several times a year. He'll tell you he doesn't know one way to get 700 people in a room, but he knows 70 ways to get 10 people there. What's the next right step for you?

"T - Trust: The first two steps make sense, don't they? Hope involves visioning. Act involves responsible action. But trust? Doesn't that sound a little irresponsible? Yes--if you haven't done steps one (hope) and two (action). But if you have done your hopin' (visioning) and you're actin' (responsibly, thoroughly, repeatedly), it's time to rest. Trust that things will turn out. I cannot control the final outcomes, nor can you. I can control what I hope for and what I take action on. I hope you will too.

The words we choose to use in response to what is going on around us can color how others react to us as well. When we operate out of the prefrontal cortex region of our brains (our editor and decision maker part of the brain), it is natural to see possibilities and positivity. On the other hand, when we are operating out of amygdala region of our brain (the "lizard" part of our brain) we are in a place of fight/flight/freeze, and fear comes naturally.

Take a look at these word/phrase pairs and see what you think. See what you can change in your interactive language to be more positive and get a better response to your job search: try saying the following:

Challenges and opportunities instead of issues and problems.
What and how instead of why.
When you do this instead of If you can do this.
May I share some thoughts instead of let me help you.
Do and commit instead of try to or maybe do.
Yes, and.... rather than yes, but...
What thoughts do you have about what's getting in the way... instead of How come you haven't or why aren't you...
Learning instead of Failure.
Opportunity to see new possibilities instead of it's not possible.

Give it a go and see what happens! You might be surprised!