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Strategic tips for managing your career  – if you are – or seek to be – a paddler …

1. Don’t turn your career over to anyone else to run.

Your career may be your most significant asset.  Be cautious about allowing others to control and manage your assets. You can manage your own career and you can find others to help you.  We have all experienced coaching at some point. The coaching process can help you discover any number of blind spots you may have.

Who is managing your career?  You may be managing your career or you may be allowing others to manage your career to their advantage.  Bosses or human resources departments usually work in the company’s best interest. Sharing appropriate information with them about you may help advance your career and help you get where you want to go.  For these coaches to help you do need to know where you are going, your purpose and how you can help them with their goals along the way.

Having your own coach, someone who works for you can help you if you are still in the process of discovering your purpose, your vision, your goals, and how to communicate those to others.  You can also discover these things on your own over time or find others to help you with the process, just be sure those who help you put your interest before theirs.

I often refer to those who live their purpose and manage their careers as paddlers.  PADDLERS take charge of their direction, path, and speed. Paddlers are going somewhere – with a purpose.

Paddlers have a distinct mindset and make life happen.  They take time to understand what they want, why that is important to them.  Paddlers know a fulfilling life is not stagnate.  Paddlers know that they do control how they react and handle the life they have been given.

Paddlers have a purpose. They don’t look to others to define why they do something, their value, direction or career.  They assess where they are, what they want and then they form an understanding of their strengths and weaknesses, skills, of the currents, conditions, and environment.

Action Tip:

Write down what you want from your career, your next position, and in your life.  Ask yourself the tough questions below and jot down your answers.

What is my purpose?

Why do I work?

Why do I do what I do as a career?

Do you have a question about your search?  Look to the right and sign up for next Q & A session, join the session and ask your question.

To the paddler, career management—like the river—is serious business. It means taking control and focusing on “career” as a business, taking action in key areas, and selecting an effective coach as a guide when necessary.

If you are – or seek to be – a paddler, here are eight strategic tips for managing your career.

1. Don’t turn your career over to anyone else to run.
2. Define who you are and the unique value you bring to the marketplace.
3. Know your customer.
4. Understand your value-added qualities.
5. Quality and customer/employer satisfaction are principal to your success.
6. Know your industry and what’s happening within the industry.
7. Keep your skills current at all times.
8. Always be open and able to change direction.

Recently, a client who enjoys the rivers of New England shared this insight. For her, a river is much like life. She can choose to travel the river in many different ways . . . she can float on an inner tube or paddle in a kayak. Either choice will take her somewhere.

She chooses to paddle down the river — her river — because she has discovered that choice provides her with more enjoyment, fulfillment, and satisfaction. It allows her to take control of her journey and of the results she desires in her career.

Stay tuned, read and discuss these eight strategic tips.  I’ll share action items for managing your career and provide insights to help you execute these for your personal success.

Do you have a question about your search? Look to the right and sign up for next Q & A session, join the session and ask your question.

People often manage their career and their search for a new career or job like travelers on a river.  There are FLOATERS and PADDLERS.   Anyone who has spent time on a river knows the difference.

FLOATERS let the river take them and their flotation device wherever it chooses. They are content to watch the world go by at its own pace—with their progress and direction at the mercy of other forces. Floaters sometimes take an unexpected dip because they are not prepared for the currents. Floaters just let it happen.

There are floaters in the workplace, too. They allow bosses, department heads, and other forces to direct their careers. Unprepared for change, they can find themselves “in deep water”, trying to figure out what happened – wondering if that promotion will ever come and where their career is going. Floaters don’t take control of their careers; they don’t live their purpose.

PADDLERS, on the other hand, take charge of their direction, path, and speed. Paddlers are going somewhere – with a purpose. Paddlers make it happen.

Paddlers have a distinct mindset and a purpose. They think like the CEO of a business. They assess their strengths and weaknesses, develop their skills, and hone an understanding of the currents, conditions, and environment. Paddlers, such as kayakers, have a plan for the trip. If they take a spill, they have the ability, confidence, and self-understanding to right the craft quickly and continue their journey. What might have been a disaster becomes a minor detour.

Are you a floater or a paddler?

Post your comments below.

Does your past or present behavior impact your job search?  Is the hurt, anger, frustration you feel hurting your search?

Yes, I believe these things will impact your search.  I see and work with people all the time that are holding on to something that is impacting their job search.  That something might be anger about losing a job, how the end occurred, or sadness about how they did or did not handle something.

For many we are at least somewhat defined by where we work and live, the work we do, and our jobs.  When a job ends for whatever reason, there are emotions tied to that ending.  If you are happily moving on you will have different emotions than if the end was not in your control.

Some call the behavior that impacts you and your life karma, some call it fate, or luck, whatever the name you use for this, you need to look at and understand your thoughts control your behavior, habits and actions.  So if your thoughts and behavior are not aligned with what you want and where you want to go, you create push pull and in your energetic vibration.  This will impact your search.

For some it keeps you for getting clear on what you want or need to do, for others it shows up in a way that makes other not trust you.  If an employer doesn’t trust that there is upside to hiring you, the bottom line is the employer will not hire you.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about Joe and his blind spots.  Most of us know or have some awareness of our blind spots, our strengths, and our weaknesses, yet we often find it hard to sort this all out and move forward to do what we need to do.

Here is a tip to help you.  Set aside a day write down your feelings about your job lose and job search.  If you are mad write down why you are mad; if you are sad, why you are sad.  Write, write, and write.  At the end of the day think about what you where you are and what you want to do about where you are.  Think about where you are out of alignment or out of integrity with yourself.

Now decide what you want to do about these areas.  Decide what you want and create energetic alignment. If you want help, then offer help to others.  Letting go of the things you are holding on to that are impacting your search will change your behavior and the energy around your search and your transition.

Do you have a question about your search? Look to the right and sign up for next Q & A session, join the session and ask your question.

Post your suggestion to help others or your comments below.

This is an interesting question.  It came from someone who is really running a focused and productive search.  The question came as he prepares to travel to a family wedding followed by a family reunion.

Family events, holidays, etc. can be fun, uplifting and stressful all at once.  Or at least those with my family can be and that is really my only experience I have in this arena. Don’t get me wrong I love my family, but with five kids, spouses, grandchildren, great-grandchildren…you get the picture.

I suggest you set some boundaries, and focus on the event rather than your search.  You don’t want to ignore possible help or a great networking opportunity.  However the odds are you don’t need added stress, a drilling about being out of work, or loads of career advice.

Your family cares about you and they want to help.  So, be prepared to tell them specifically how they can help you.  It will help you avoid listening to extra advice, long sad stories and set a neat boundary around your job search.

Here is my suggestion.  Be well prepared to deliver a 30-second introduction, 100% focused on your ideal position, include your top three target companies and when you wrap up your 30-second comments explain how the person you are addressing or anyone else can help.

Imagine you are at the reunion, Uncle Ben walks up and begins to pick around the edges starting a conversation about your job search or point blank says “Grandma tells me you are still out of work, you could move back to town and work for your brother”.  How can you respond?

You can say,

“That’s a great suggestion however, my brother doesn’t have an opening or a need for <fill in the blank with your target job title & experience; then describe your ideal job in one sentence> and I am targeting <list your top companies>.  I am looking forward to joining one of these three organizations soon.  You could help me a great deal if you would share your contacts at <repeat your top three target companies>.  Would you do that for me?  (Add a brief pause, as you take a pen and paper out of your pocket)  Can I get the names of your contacts and their phone numbers at <repeat your top three target companies> now?   (Pause, look Uncle Ben in the eye and smile and add) Or feel free to call or email with your contact names and how to reach them by phone at a time that is best for you.  Thanks for your help.”

This technique allows you to set a respectful boundary around your job search.  You will have shared the critical information about your experience, the job you are seeking, and you will have provided a specific manner for someone to help you if they wish to do so.

The technique also allows for a graceful transition to another conversation in a manner that is good for you and honors your relationship.  It allows anyone wishing to help with contacts to do so in a specific way at that moment or when it is best for them without any pressure or requirement to do so.  You will have created a polite boundary and space for the conversation to flow to another topic.  And it takes less than a minute to do this!

You can modify this technique and use it in other situations too.  It is a powerful way to gather contacts and set boundaries.

Do you have a question about your search? Look to the right and sign up for next Q & A session, join the session and ask your question.

Post your suggestion to help others or your comments below.

Recruiters and those searching LinkedIn for candidates, tell me they are screening out more candidates than they contact.  Is this happening to you?

Did you upload or paste your résumé into your profile, then move on to create connections?

Have you been so busy joining groups and adding connections that you have neglected your profile?

If so it is time to take a look at your profile and discover if it is working for you.  Your LinkedIn profile is a 24-hour a day marketing site for your job search and beyond.  Here are key questions to ask yourself as you review your LinkedIn profile:

Is your profile optimized so you will be found in a search? Simple items such as your headline, your job titles, linking your profile to your past employer’s Company LinkedIn page (if they have one) will help your profile be found in a search.

Does your profile focus on benefits, not specifications?  You can use the skills and a specialties area to add keywords to your profile.  In your summary focus on the benefits you will deliver for your next employer and the problems you solve.

Does your profile focus on value, or the cost of your salary?  It is critical to focus on the value you offer.  If someone assumes by your profile you will command a high salary and that is not in the budget, your profile may be screen out.

Does your profile demonstrate your experience and value?  When you read your profile does it paint a picture of what you offer to someone seeking what you have to offer? If not, go to work to ensure it does.  To get an opportunity call via LinkedIn your profile needs to pop and paint a picture.

Does your profile have a personality, emotion and facts?  Humans are not just rational and logical in making decisions.  Humans select, contact and recommend the people represented by LinkedIn profiles based on emotions as well as facts.  Be sure your profile does not omit the emotions that play a part in a hiring decision.

Does your profile focus on your potential employer’s needs, in lieu of the ‘me’ factor?  Your future employer does not care about your goals, your career objectives, or your need for a job right now. The recruiter or hiring manager cares about his/her problem, not yours.   Read your profile, get honest feedback. Be sure your profile does not sound pushy or desperate neither messages are helpful in getting others to contact you and exploring doing business with you.

Make your marketing and your online profiles about the needs of your next employer.   Focus on your next employer’s needs to accelerate your search and improve your LinkedIn profile.

Do you have a question about your search?  Look to the right and sign up for next Q & A session, join the session and ask your question.

Memorial Day is just around the corner and for those of us in the US in marks both a holiday and the beginning of summer.  Your summer may be filled with travel, different activities or schedules or much of the same.

For me summer is a time of the year with great memories, a time to create new memories and a time to find at least a little down time. I will unplug over the upcoming weekend and hope you have a chance to do the same.

I must confess that for years I did not unplug often, in fact it was not until I read Napoleon Hill’s book ‘Think and Grow Rich’ for the second time, that I did try scheduling time to think.  The results were amazing.  So over time I came to have a new understanding of the value of down time, thinking time, and fun time.  I work to add all of these activities into my schedule and I hope you do too.

For years I have worked in a 24-7-365 world, as that world has also become more connected, just I am such your world is more connected than ever by devices, and demands on time.  I have found that being unplugged also delivers some amazing results.  Do you unplug from your job search?  I hope so.

Recently I watched the TEDx – Sydney presentation by Genevieve Bell on ‘The Value of Boredom.  The clip was recorded last year in May.  In her presentation Genevieve Bell speaks about bringing boredom back, the benefits of boredom and the value of boredom. Check it out and let me know what you think.

I found clip interesting, exciting and valuable.  Genevieve Bell is an Intel Fellow and Director of the Interaction and Experience Research Group within the Intel Labs.  Her points and engaging presentation sold me all over again on the power of unplugging.  If you are thinking maybe you should not unplug during the Memorial Day weekend at least watch the video clip before you decide.  Deal?

My wish for you during the upcoming weekend is ‘may your brain light up’, may you have down time, some boredom, and some time to just unplug. May you also enjoy some BBQ, whatever you elect to eat, do or take pleasure in this weekend!

In honor and with great respect this weekend I will not only unplug and have some down time, I will pay my respects to the men and women who have died in wars or in service of the United States of America, for me this is also time of personal remembrance, reflection and will be a time to show respect for those who have served and serve our Nation now in many ways both small and great.  I am grateful and thankful for all the members of the Armed Forces and their families, for Veterans and their families, and all those who serve or have served in a role of support to both of these important groups of people.  May you have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend!

What is your trade-off for doing what you love to do?  What is your trade-off for something you enjoy or want to have?

As I did the dishes, which I don’t like to do (but I do because I love to have a clean kitchen), I was thinking about a very intense conversation recently.  The conversation was with a friend who is irritated over her current job situation.    

My friend and fellow human resource professional, challenged me the other day, big time on my career advice.  We both have similar views on what it takes to be successful, drive, talent, willingness to work hard, persistence, continuous learning and mastery,  and doing the ‘right’ things, so what was the challenge?

For years, I have shared my career advice, “Do what you love, money follows.”  Her challenge was that my career advice did not hold true in this economy and I need to change or update my message. 

She said it is not longer possible to find a job you love, and make a living, therefore I should STOP giving out that advice.  She said businesses continue to have increased costs and many are still in the mode of changing to fit the talent that is available, or cutting hours to avoid letting jobs and people go to meet payroll, or struggling with new and more expensive compliance regulations. 

As we talked and discussed this I smiled, and her frustration explored with “Have you crawled under a rock?”  Finally I asked her if she thought in my advice I was suggesting that everyone would have a job that was 100% what they loved or enjoyed doing, she nodded “yes” and added you just can be paid enough today to do only what you love.

By then I was laughing and feeling a bit misunderstood.  I do believe my advice is sound in any economy and that if you “Do what you love, money follows.”

What I don’t believe for one minute is you get to do what you love 100% of the time or that you don’t have to also do things you might not like to do.  Employers and customers pay you for results. 

To get results there are some parts of all jobs that you may not “love” or “like” but doing those things are part of getting to do what you do love.  Many people have said it in many ways such as ‘work’ is a four letter word, or ‘that is why it is called work’.  One of my favorite messages on this topic is from Larry Winget, speaker and the “Pitbull of Personal Development®”.   Watch Larry’s video clip and his message for yourself.

Look you don’t get what you deserve, you get what you work for and what you ask for in the world of business.  You get paid for what you love because you are willing to do what it takes to get good at what you do and because you are will to do the things you don’t really like to do that go along with what you love to do.  It works that way in any economy.

When you do what you love, you enjoy it, you are good at it, you are likely to use your talent to be the best in that area and you don’t mind the trade-offs or just adjust to them as part of the deal.  If you don’t love living in a big city where the wages are higher, you love living in a small town and are willing to drive to the big city you can earn a higher wage. The commute is the trade-off.  Trade-offs come in many forms.

For years I was willing to work the graveyard shift to gain different experience and I earned more per hour.  Working the night shift was a trade-off to achieve my goals.

My advice is solid and it stands.  For those who need the rest of the message spelled out I will do so, but it will take more than 6 words.  In life, in work and in your career there are always trade-offs, “Do what you love, money follows” and may you be so blessed by doing what you love that all the trade-offs will be very inconsequential.

Do you have a question about your search?  Look to the right and sign up for next Q & A session, join the session and ask your question.

“Time = Life, Therefore, waste your time and waste of your life,                                                      or master your time and master your life.” ~ Alan Lakein

The quote above is an interesting one.  During a job search or any time for that matter, it is easy to find yourself wondering if you are wasting your time.  Or at least it is for me.

During the last two weeks many meetings and events have fallen on the same day and within in the same week.  In talking with clients, friends and others I am not the only person feeling very busy and with this challenge. 

I also found myself feeling overwhelmed and wondering if all of these activities were a good use of my time or if I was wasting my time (and therefore my life).  At one event, the sessions covered some great information including the new redesign of Google+ and how to use the features, the growing list of bells and whistles LinkedIn offers within its Talent Pipeline, and just how the interface between PayScale and LinkedIn will allow LinkedIn users to automatically see a salary report based on the current job title within their LinkedIn profile.   Don’t get me wrong all of the presenters were good, the information interesting and I could see how most of it might be helpful.  However as helpful as it could be, most of it I could not apply to the goals in front of me or the things I need to be doing to achieve my goals in the next 90 days. 

I find I need to master how I spend my time to help me achieve the goals most important to me and when I don’t do that I do feel as if I am wasting my time or at least using my time in an ineffective manner.  The result of this feeling for me is frustration and a concern about achieving my goals.  I often hear that frustrtation from my clients too.

So I discussed this with a mentor and one of my coaches.  I got some ideas and some advice that should help me over the next several busy weeks.  If you have ideas or advice I would love to hear from you too.

How do you avoid wasting your time?

Here are three tips I received: 

1. Create a solid plan to achieve your goals, then say ‘no’ to anything that does not move you forward toward your goal.
2. When attending a meeting or conference align all activities with the goal at hand.
3. Do 3 things each day that will move you closer to your goal.

Funny thing is – I know all of these tips.  The issue – I forgot to practice them.

Do you have a tip or a suggestion you use to avoid wasting your time?  Post it below.

How to use LinkedIn for your job search … yes follow companies … 

LinkedIn Continued …

Creating clarity, focus, and thinking about your intention is critical in a job search and in life for that matter.  LinkedIn now makes it easy to engage and attract favorable attention during your job search with employers and businesses. 

The data and information shared by LinkedIn with the company about who is engaged very valuable.  It is one easy way to be visible, to connect and to engage.  I have always recommended creating a short list of targeted companies very early in your search.

Having a short list helps you with research, as well as helping you find tune your short list of targeted companies and your search focus.  Using LinkedIn you can easily follow your top 10 target companies, and engage as you wish with each company. 

LinkedIn receives over 50% of its revenue from its hiring solutions and 30% from its marketing solutions.  They invest in ways to share information and create a positive engagement experience.  You can leverage this investment.

Who are you following?  What companies are on your short list?   What can you learn from following a company?

Are you active, engaged and seeking out new opportunities or sitting on the sidelines waiting for the phone to ring?  

How are you using LinkedIn?  Have a comment, tip or thought?  Post it below.

Do you have a question about your search?  Look to the right and sign up for next Q & A session, join the next session and ask your question.