CAREERS: Four reasons you might be bummed if you aren’t working.

 

What do the following people have in common?

• Retired engineer
  
• Laid off project manager
  
• Stay at home parent
  
• Newly graduated student
  
• Trailing spouse to a military soldier
  
• Injured and recovered worker
  
• Out of work actor
  

These people have much more in common than you probably realize. The commonality is what they are missing. All of these people are missing the many benefits we get from working. Of course, we all know that they are missing the paycheck, but there are other aspects to work that most of us take for granted, until we no longer have them. When you are in the work trenches it's kind of hard to think you would miss anything. You probably think the idea of not working sounds like a dream, and it can be, but not without recognizing what things you are missing and taking action to replace them.

When you look at the stories of these various people, you will often find a theme of depression, feeling down, deflated and being adrift. These people may also share their commonality with retired individuals, who have one of the highest rates of depression than any other demographic. The key reason: They have failed to replace those important aspects, the good things they got from working, also known as "workplace assets".

Let's look at these four workplace assets and what you can do if any of them are missing in your life.

• Structure – Our work effectively manages our time and drives our decisions about our daily priorities. We know what time we have to get up. We know when we'll perform various work tasks throughout the day. We probably have our non-work activities scheduled, too. This is a form of tension and accountability that motivates us. Without the structure that work provides, we are left kind of rambling around day to day with only the occasional appointment to interrupt the vast feeling of having nothing important to do. I often hear people talk about "filling their day". We are easily bored, so when left to our own devises, we will fill our day, but often with mundane tasks that are not very fulfilling.
  

  Solution: Create a schedule for yourself and stick to it. Take the must-have activities, things you know you need to do each day or week, and determine exactly when you will perform them. If an item is on your calendar, you are more likely to keep that appointment. If you've been meaning to work out and just haven't started, consider adding those kinds of activities for your calendar.
  

  
   

• Social Contact – For most of us, work provides the main part of our social fabric. We become attached to people we work with for a variety of reasons. We have a shared set of circumstances with these people. We also see them daily (or frequently) and, therefore, get to know them well enough to form relationships. Even if you aren't fond of most of the people you work with, the fact that you are interacting with others is an important nurturing act. We need other people. It's that simple. When you aren't working you lose a big (and for some people all) part of the social aspect of your life.
  

  Solution: Maintain relationships with past co-workers, beef up your existing relationships or make new friends. Sometimes when we lose the commonality of a shared work place, it can be hard to keep relationships going. It's important that you recognize that many people simply can't put in additional time and energy to see people outside of work. It's not a reflection on your adequacy as a friend. You also need a bit of a variety to your roster of friends. Rarely will one person fulfill all your needs, so you may want to find settings where you share common interests with others with whom you may form new friendships.
  

  
   

• Purpose – Bottom line, your work gives you purpose. You have somewhere to be and something to do. You are contributing at some level and that gives you purpose. Perhaps you may feel that your life purpose is to serve at a different level, but you are still contributing yourself in a specific way. Your contribution gives you a sense of personal self worth and identity. When those things are gone, there is a sense of loss and lack of purpose.
  

  Solution: Try volunteering. If you are unemployed, you can seek volunteer work that will give you experience, thereby enhancing your resume for getting the job you really want. Also, non-profit organizations always have more need than money, so they will welcome you with open arms. If your situation doesn't support a volunteer situation, then find your purpose by helping someone in some way. When you give of yourself, you add a great deal of meaning to your life.
  

  
   

• Money – It's obvious, but worth mentioning. When you encounter a loss of income, some serious budgeting may be needed. If you are able to plan for your situation, it allows you to save money to cover your needs. If your situation hasn't allowed you to plan, you may be reacting legitimately to a lack of funds.
  

  Solution: If there is any possibility that you may lose your job, consider paying off some bills now and cutting back on expenses. If you don't already have a savings account with enough funds to cover 3 months of living expenses, then start one now. If you are already in an income loss situation, research all of your income producing options, including unemployment benefits, community program benefits (like food banks), or even a part time job to help make ends meet. If you are lucky enough to have your financial situation covered, good for you. You can focus on the other three assets.
  

  
   

Of the four work assets, the lack of money is probably the one we understand the most. We know that it can put serious stress on us which can truly create depression. The other three work assets are less obvious, but the loss of any one of them can contribute to making your life a less than positive experience. The idea of not working is great until you're facing these losses. We are, by nature, social and creative creatures that function best when we have structure to keep us focused, people to be around, and activities to give us purpose.

Career Development – When is it time to go? 5 make-or-break factors

If you're sitting in your office bored, ticked off or feeling down you may be thinking it's time to go. BUT, you're not sure. You are rationalizing staying because there is one more great thing you can contribute or you feel obligated in some way. We all go through this kind of mental tug-of-war at one time or another. Knowing when it's the right time to give yourself permission to move on is one of those big life changers and with it comes anxiety.

There are some indicators of satisfaction that you can examine that will help you make that decision. Let's review some of them to help you move that decision making along.

1. Salary – I'm almost embarrassed to mention money. Not because "it shouldn't matter", it's because I know it isn't one of the top 3 issues. I mention it first because everyone does and I want to get it out of the way. What you are paid as it turns out are not the top 3-5 satisfiers for your career. It is something, however. If it is out of line or doesn't pay the bills it is a big DISsatisfier and you do need to move on. If your pay is appropriate for the job you do, area you live in and meets most of your need, then you're probably doing fine and this isn't a big enough deal to make you leave.

2. Boss – This one is the big one. The person that you immediately report to is the number one top item that will make work life great or bad. You don't have to love this person or even be buddies but you do need to respect this person and feel that it's mutual. Also, you need to be realistic about this person. Bosses will never be perfect. They are like the rest of us; they have bad hair days and also have their own quirks. The question you need to ask yourself is: "Can I be successful doing work with this person in the picture?"

3. Job Content – This is all about the kind of work you perform. You need to feel like you have the skills, talents and background to perform the job. At the same time you should feel like you can make a contribution and grow. Job growth is not necessarily about being promoted. It is learning new tasks, taking on new responsibilities and making new contributions. The content of your job should be something that continuously stimulates and interests you. If you have reached a point where everything is pretty much the same, you need to move on before it impacts your self esteem.

4. Work environment – This is both the physical space you do the work in and what is in the environment such as people, building and location. You can have a great job, great boss but have to commute 2 hours each way. Your life is potentially impacted too significantly. You may like the job but the environment you are in is too toxic because of interoffice relations. The people you work with could be your source of dissatisfaction and you may not even realize it. We form friendships and alliances with the people we spend so much time working with. At the same time they may feel freedom in complaining and pointing out all the things that are bad. This will have a negative impact on you. You need to examine this situation and determine what you can control and what you can't. At the same time, you need to determine if you were to design the perfect work environment, would it be like this?

5. Something else – If all the stars are aligned and the items listed above are all working well enough for you, you may be tugged by "something else". The something else could be a lifelong dream of being a nurse or something completely different than what you're doing today. The something else could be a deep desire to move and live somewhere other than where you are today. It's ok to give yourself permission to move toward something as opposed to away from your current career. This category of "something else" may turn out to be your calling

Life is too short to spend too much time working at a job situation you don't love and doesn't nurture your soul. Your career should feel shamefully fun and more like an avocation. Making a decision like this can be tough but it is not a sign that you're doing the wrong thing. It's tough because it is a big part of how you spend your life. It's tough because you want to make sure you enjoy the next thing. It's tough because it's a change.

Dorothy Tannahill-Moran is a Career Coach and expert on helping her clients. Want to discover specific career change strategies that gets results? Discover how to by claiming your FREE gift, Career Makeover Toolkit at: http://CareerMakeoverToolKitShouldIStayorShouldIGo.com/

Career Makeover Club starting soon

 

CAREER MAKEOVER CLUB

I'm starting a virtual Career Makeover Club beginning the last week of January. I am keeping two possible days and times open right now, pending input on the most workable times for those interested. I am offering the club beginning January 26 either at 5:30 pm pst or January 28 at 10am pst.

Who should be a member?

• If you are unemployed and uninspired about your job prospects
  
• If you are looking for a job but don't know where to start
  
• Hate looking for a job
  
• Feel like you're all alone
  
• Need help to get you going and keep you going
  
• Can't afford to hire a career coach or counselor
  

What is the Career Makeover Club?

• This is a group of people organized and coordinated by Dorothy Tannahill-Moran, Your Career Change Agent
  
• The CMC is designed to provide a support structure, job search education, resource sharing, inspiration and momentum for your job search. You don't have to "go-it-alone".
  
• CMC will meet weekly for 8 weeks, over the phone. Each session has a specific agenda for education and discussion. In addition, a private online forum is available exclusively for this group to provide group updates, progress reports, wins and timely resources sharing
  

What is the cost?

• The club cost is a fraction of what it would be if you hired a career coach. The cost is $25 per meeting either paid in advance or a payment schedule of 2 payments with the first half paid prior to the first club meeting and the second installment by week 4.
  

What if I'm interested?

• You need to let me know now! I am limiting membership to ensure adequate coaching coverage. Contact me: dorothy@nextchapternewlife.com
  

Career Change: Feeling queasy about changing? 5 ways to confirm you’ve made the right decision

You made a decision to change careers but you're feeling REALLY uneasy. You can't tell if you're coming down with the flu or if that sinking feeling is your decision. Big decisions are always kind of gut wrenching but there are some things you can do to test your situation.

1. Did you make this decision for the right reasons? Making a career decision is a big life changer and it requires some quality think time from you. If you have made this decision quickly because you had a fight with the boss or got a bad assignment, you do want to slow things down and think through the situation. We all have work we don't always love to do every day. We all have days that you can't stand the boss. Of course you don't want to do something you hate or work with bad people but the question(s) is: How long is this situation apt to continue? Can you work on your relationships? What can you do to make this better? If you have made the decision in haste put the actions on hold. Pick a point out in the future to revisit the decision. Allow time to present the potential of improvement. If it doesn't, then move on.
   
2. Transitions always have a level of anxiety. Even when we have wonderful things like marriage, there is still transition that goes with it. Like it or not in those quiet moments with ourselves we all question our decisions. It's not unusual to feel some concern about your career decision. The way to sort through this is to use some cold, cool logic. Sit down with your concerns and list them out. Examine them for reality. Do you have "what if" issues? Fine, build a solution for your various "what-ifs". Once you have listed your issues you will need to problem solve and possibly do some research. Go find the answers to your issues. My observation is that sometimes we do have true concerns but don't do anything to address them. We tend to just pile the issues up like fire wood.
   
3. Circumstances have forced a career change. If you have become unemployed and are using this time to change careers, I say: Go for it! It doesn't mean you are off the hook for doing your due diligence for researching your options. You always have to do your research work when making a career change. You can't go to a catalogue and point to a new career; it requires self examination and work. If you're unemployed, it's an opportunity.
   
4. You might not be done with your previous career. I believe every career has a cycle:
   
   1. First cycle: you are in growth mode
      
   2. Second cycle: you hit a career high point
      
   3. Third cycle: you are in decline
      

   If you're in stage two, you probably need to continue in that career until you have hit stage three. If this is your situation you have a good reason to push back on the decision. The work still holds some juice for you and you have more contributions to make. To leave it prematurely will be leaving something undone in your life.
   

5. What if I hate the work? I'm giving this "what if" question its own focus. I think one of the biggest concerns people have with changing careers is the unknown. The biggest unknown is the work itself. All the other unknowns might be: - not knowing if you will like the boss, the environment and a list of many new things you will face. There are two ways to answer this question. 1: If you have done your homework on your career selection you should have knowledge about the nature of the work and its appeal to your values. If you have done that work and are solid about that aspect then 2: get over yourself. You're starting to sound like a kid whose parents are about to move. Of course there are unknowns. Everything will be different and you will adjust. Attitude is the most important quality you can have when making a big career change.
   

The bottom-line to this situation is that if you have done your work to make this decision, then most likely you are facing some natural transition reactions. If they are transition reactions then they will pass. You can sort through them to help the process along and while doing that look at what you're doing as an adventure.

Goals for 2010? Make them SMART goals.

This time of year cause many of us to think about making resolutions or goals for the coming year. I do hear some people being very cynical about resolutions or goals because "they don't do them". How sad. I don't know what my life would be like if I didn't have a couple of goals to work toward. They help get me up in the morning. I know that there is the occasional goal that doesn't get done for a variety of reasons but for the most part my goals are met. Let me share a goal secret with you.

If you haven't heard of SMART goals, I'd like to introduce them to you. Having SMART goals is the first step toward really getting things accomplished in both your personal and business life. SMART is an acronym for:

S = Specific. In order to have a goal that you can achieve you have to be specific about what you want to get done. I have found that no matter if you are looking for a job or fitness changes if you can't be specific; you probably won't get anything done. Let me give you an example of specific: EX #1: I want to lose weight. EX #2: I want to lose 10 pounds. Big difference don't you think?

M = Measurable. If you can't actually measure your progress and know what you will accomplish, again, you probably won't. The example up above is very measureable. You may have goals that you think can't be measured. You have to be thinking of the outcome. Let's say your goal was to reduce your stress. To measure the reduction, you might give yourself a scale of 1 to 10. Your goal is to reduce your stress for month end close from a 10 to a 5. Since it is your scale, you can define it because it is relevant to what's important to your experience.

A = Achievable. Sometimes people identify goals that are unrealistic and unachievable for a variety of reasons. You have to do a sanity check and if you think you can't objectively figure this out, ask someone. If you have identified a goal that isn't realistic you are setting yourself up for goal failure. Examples that come to mind are those silly goals you often hear at beauty pageants like: "Solve world peace". Are you kidding me?

R = Resonant. Your goal has got to be something that gets you excited and interested. One goal I took for a few years was to learn to play golf. I kept doing nothing and rolling it forward to the next year. After doing that a few times, I sat back and examined what was going on. I really didn't want to learn to play golf. I wanted to do it to have something to do with my husband. I scratched it off my list. It wasn't resonant. It was a good idea but it held no juice for me. I found other things we could both enjoy.

T = Timed. A timed goal is one that has a date for the goal to be accomplished. As a coach, I'm constantly asking my clients "when will that be done?" A great way you can stay accountable is to know when to be to your goal. If your goal can be finished at any time, there is no motivation to start. If you don't start you never finish. It's just that simple.

None of the elements of a SMART goal are difficult to include when setting goals. The final step for making and achieving goals is to write them down. If you write them down you not only have something to remind you but it builds in a level of commitment to yourself. One other step toward success with your goals is to tell people about them. Like writing down your goals when you share your goals with others it affirms your commitment. If you are a resolution or goal cynic, try SMART goals and make this year a great year for getting all kinds of things accomplished.

Career Change – Step 1 isn’t updating your resume’

I can't count the number of times I've heard people talk about "updating their resume" when thinking about making a career change. If you are one of those people out there putting the polish on your resume' as you are about to launch a job search for a new career- STOP. Your resume' is not the place where you start your work on a career change. If you are simply looking for the same or similar position in another company, go ahead. There is a big difference between looking for a job and making a career change. Sure, at some point the process is the same and you will need to have a spiffy resume' but it's not the place to get started in making a career shift.

When contemplating a career shift, you are in need of something that looks like a research project. You need to do the work to help point you in a different direction. Picking a career is as hard to do at 40 as it is at 18. The world is your oyster which is a great thing but how do you find the one with the pearl? The good news is: if you are older than 18 you have more work and life experience that will give you important insight into the process and decision making.

So, where do you start? There are multiple actions you can take initially and they primarily involve self examination. Among the first steps:

• Tests or assessments – These are good to give you more information about yourself. These assessments will give you insight on things like interests, strengths and work orientation. If you pursue these, you have to know up front that they alone will not give you the "One Big Answer" about your future career. In fact, they may in many ways tell you things you already know about yourself. So why take them? Because it will give you a starting place, it will help distill down information about you that you need to have as you embark on making a decision about a career. With any research project, you collect data from numerous sources to help create the conclusion. Among but not limited on assessments: Meyers-Briggs, Strength Finder, VISTA cards, Color Q and Holland. Many of these are in books and online.
  

  
   

• Self assessment – This is where you really self examine. What kinds of things do you like to do? Where do you currently excel? What do you gravitate to outside of your current job? What did you dream of doing when you were younger? Are there people you know who have fun sounding jobs? Are there causes you believe in?
  

  
   

  
   

• More self assessment – Start looking for feedback. When your performance has been assessed, what strengths and weakness to you exhibit? If you were to ask a circle of friends and relatives, what kind of work do they think you would be good at? You'd be surprised at how insightful this exercise can be. They aren't encumbered with your history yet they know you and often have some great suggestions based on what they know about you.
  

  
   

• Job search – many libraries and websites have all kinds of job titles. Some titles will make almost no sense but most of them will. Start looking these over to see what might jump out at you as something interesting. You can also go to job search websites and get vast amount of job titles and job content to help in this step. What is it about the ones you selected that sound worthwhile?
  

  
   

  
   

• Compile and research – with your mounting list of insights you can now start synthesizing into some logical groupings. These groupings are becoming what will ultimately be your new career because the baseline is from things in your research that have attracted you in some way. Don't worry about "real" titles, but put logical elements together. You want to avoid putting basketball and surgery together, it makes no sense. You could put problem solving, math skills and detail orientation together. An important action in this step is to eliminate things. If you naturally are interested in specific job titles or elements, then focus on those. Your goal in this step is to create groupings or jobs that will become your future career.
  

  
   

• Network and research – With your newly minted jobs (mind you that you may still not have official job titles), you now need to talk to people and do more research to finalize on what you are looking for. In this last and final step before working on your resume', you need to understand where this work is, titles it might be called, and any further qualifications you might need to land a job. You will know when this step is completed when you have a clear picture on what career you want to pursue. The other great thing about this step is it has just given you great input on where to start your job search, once you are ready to get started.
  

Hopefully, you see that when making a career change, you need to do some heavy lifting to move you toward something meaningful. It is way more than simply updating your resume'. Many people don't know what steps to take and muddle their way through life not happy with their career/job. The actions aren't hard or difficult and the outcome is well worth the effort.

A career change can be an exciting and fun step to take. Most people have more than 2 or 3 careers in their lifetime. Since you spend so much time in your life working, it's worth the time and effort to find something you will love.

Yes, I am from Kansas. Confessions of Dorothy

For some of you reading this blog, you already know that fact but for others of you, this may be news. As I grew up, there was the acknowledgement that there was Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz and she was from Kansas. That was about it. No big deal. Then I left Kansas. (Oh Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore!)

For the first several years after I moved to Oregon, I had countless reactions when people found out about this factoid. I was gifted with t-shirts with Oz related graphics along with countless paraphernalia. My personal favorite was the day I was in the neighboring engineering group at work. They had what amounted to a Burma Shave series of signs: 1- Oh Toto! I don't think I'm in Kansas anymore! 2- If Dorothy isn't in Kansas, where is she? 3- Alive and well in marketing, one aisle over. I even had a group give me a "Witch-be-gone" kit which consisted of a spray water bottle, ruby slippers and instructions for knocking off a witch. I can soundly say that when many people make this connection, they have found countless minutes (which has turned into years) of joy and laughter. It pleases me to be the source of fun, even if I didn't invent it myself.

So, you may wonder, how did I end up with that name? Many people speculated that I was named after Judy Garland's character in the movie. That is not the case. My sister named me. When my mother went to the hospital to hatch me, my sister Jane stayed with my aunt and uncle. This would be: Aunt Dorothy and Uncle Gene. Ahhh, you're starting to get it. My mother had picked out the name Jean but couldn't figure out a second one to go with it. When Jane showed up at the hospital to check me out, my mother asked her what name she thought would go well with "Jean". Instant answer (as only a 5 year old does) "Dorothy-Gene". This was her affectionate moniker for the seamless team that was my aunt and uncle. Rolls right off the tongue, don't you think? I am named after my aunt AND my uncle. The Wizard of Oz simply wasn't given a thought.

Despite the origins of my name, I finally figured out how to get people to remember me. It only took 50+ years. Now when I introduce myself, I follow it up at some point with: And Yes, I was born and raised in Kansas. Yes, I have ruby slippers and Yes, my husband thinks he's Toto.

I love the association because I have found many lessons in the story. The lessons: - Have a path and a goal – Love your friends – Love your family – Strive to continuously improve yourself – Be hopeful – Sing and skip – Know you are capable of doing more than you realize – When you've been through a tornado, braid your hair. I am Dorothy from Kansas and I continously live in the land of Ahhhhssss.

PS: I don't think it would have gone quite as well if I had been named Scarlet O'Hara, do you?