The Career Encouragement Blog

What the Workforce Needs Now

Jubak's Journal is a great way to gain insights into the forces that are impacting the landscape of American workers.  His recent column Firing Workers isn't Fixing Problems addresses an issue that is of concern to many these days - workforce reductions and white collar layoffs.  He comments on the generous bonuses CEO's often stand to gain from these "turnaround" efforts even as they are disrupting the lives of countless workers and notes:

"For this kind of money, investors -- let alone the workers who are being fired -- deserve something a little more imaginative as a turnaround strategy. Cutting jobs has become a reflex, not because it works especially well at fixing the real problems at companies like these but because firings produce the kind of immediate earnings improvements that help CEOs keep their jobs."

And then he goes straight to the core of the issues facing our workforce and economy today and reveals what we need to do to turn the tide:

"None of this has anything to do with fixing the problem facing both two companies: a failure to innovate. Neither company has been able to figure out how to come up with a steady stream of new products -- despite spending big on research and development -- to replace aging big sellers facing crushing competition. You could even argue that firing 5% and 10% of your work force, as Motorola and Pfizer did, throws a company into turmoil just at the time when it needs everybody to pull together."

From my "in the trenches" perspective, I translate his comments as:

1. Masses of American workers are on the slippery slope of entitlement mentality.  We have taken for granted the innovative forces that got us to where we are, and we're resting on them rather than building on them.  Sure our glossy business magazines are full of photos and stories of innovative, entrepreneurial businesses, but the average white collar worker is moving widgets around.  It's time to wake up and start figuring out how we can actively contribute to the organic growth or our companies.                                                       
2. We need to release our individualistic approach toward work and think more broadly about the collective American workforce.  I regularly see workers who have worked their way into a particular position they are comfortable with refuse any attempts to expand their job duties.  They simply dig in their heels and hang on long after a position has demonstrated any usefulness to the company.  5 years later they wonder why their job is on the chopping block.  We can't afford to just think about our own work satisfaction - if we want to have thriving careers, we need to be helping to created an active, growing organization for our co-workers as well.  It's up to each one of us to constantly be asking ourselves, "How does my role make a difference at this company?"  and "How can I use my talents well to make a positive contribution here?" 

There is opportunity all around us, and there is no end to the amount of good we can do and the fun we can have in our work.  It's a daunting proposition to think that by changing your own mentality and approach to work you are actually elevating the entire workforce, but remember you don't have to do it all - you just have to do what you can.

How much salary do you need?

One of the things I was taught in a Career Theory class in my MA program, is that for most people, career satisfaction can be broken down into three primary areas:

1. The content of our work
2. The people we work with
3. The money we make

Research shows that people who are satisfied with all three of these areas tend to stay and thrive in their employment situation.  People who are satisfied with two out of the three will likely stay for up to 5 years, but will experience dissatisfaction.  And people who are satisfied with only 1 out of the three are probably actively looking for a job.

Recent concerns over America's Shrinking Middle Class have folks more worried than ever about #3.  I try to remind people of the total package of their employment situation when they complain to me - as many do at this time of year - that they want to make more money.  It's easy to have thoughts such as "I am not being paid enough to put up with this..." without really considering all the other features that make our jobs worthwhile to us.  It can be very disrupting to switch jobs just for more pay, especially when you like the people you work with and the content of your job.

For example, I have a client company that is a non-profit organization with a lofty mission.  Most of the folks who work there are very mission-driven and have sacrificed income in order to work there.  Many of them could make $20,000 or even more elsewhere, but they like what they do, and who they do it with.  Recently one of the Managers there was sharing his dissatisfaction with his salary.  When I began questioning him about his relationship with his co-workers and the work that he did, he acknowledged that although he has interviewed for jobs that pay more, he can't find a situation that he would like better.  So he has decided to be content with his income for now. 

If you find yourself wishing you could make more money in your current situation, and it's just not possible at this time, take a look at this inspiring example.

Are you currently living a lifestyle that is less than you expected because of the work you do?   Leave a comment and tell us how you are making it work!

More on politics at work...

Earlier today I posted about politics at work.  Turns out David Maister was thinking about the same thing and posted his thoughts here.  He concludes with the question:

"CAN you be a non-participant? I’d readily confess that some of my worst career events came from not being very attuned to (or skilled) at office politics. (I wish I picked up on unsaid things faster!) Tell me, please, is it it really this bad out there? Is office politics a key part of everyone’s life (not just the advisor’s)? If so, where do you go to get better at it? Is there a reading list?"

I responded to his posting by leaving a comment on his blog (bloggers LOVE when people leave comments!) Here is part of what I said:

"Too many people think politics is all about devious means, and conspiracies - but in reality, a big part of politics is just due process for getting things done.   In my experience the people who hate politics the most are the people who like to rush things, aren't interesting in paying attention to details and gathering as much good information and as many perspectives as possible before making decisions. 

Of course there are people who do bad evil things to others in the corporate world.  But that's not politics - that's just bad, evil people doing what bad, evil people do, and we've just got to trust that they will one day reap what they sow."

What do you think?

The Role of "Niceness" - Part 3

I've written about the The Role of Niceness in the Workplace a couple of times now, so I was pleased to see this posting from The Brazen Careerist on how Office Politics is about Being Nice.  Many times when I talk to people about the politics in their office, they immediately tell me, "Oh I don't do politics." As BC wisely points out: 

"Here is a message for people who say office politics don’t matter: You will die a slow, painful career death. This is because there’s no getting around office politics, and mastering them is essential to being able to steer your own career."

As I say in my About Me section:

"I've noticed that when it comes to career growth, most folks stand or fall on the basics."

So don't think of office politics as a cloak & dagger escapade, rather think of them as simply the reasonable dialogues and actions that need to occur in order to define goals, allocate resources, and move business forward.  And it all starts with conversation.  Think my approach towards office politics is too simplified (or naive)?  Check out Master Career Coach Billi Lee's 7 Savvy Tips for further explanation.   Then leave us a comment encouraging others with your story of how you have encountered, approached, and succeeded with office politics.

Job Search Rule #8 - Be Careful How Your Resume is Forwarded

In this age of technology, the internet makes it possible for us to quickly and efficiently search and apply for job opportunities.  However, experts still agree that the best way to find a job is to use your personal network.  This creates can create some interesting situations that you want to pay attention to if you are forwarding your resume to friends and colleagues electronically.

On the one hand, if you learn of a great job opening at ABC Company, and your good colleague Bill just happens to work there, you have an in.  In just a few minutes you can get your resume to Bill and he can forward it to the hiring manager.  You’ll probably still have to follow the company policy about applying through the on-line system, but now you have a good chance that your resume will get a more thorough review than the hundreds of  other candidates who come in through the internet.

On the other hand, the speed of technology and the ease of forwarding information make it possible for folks to forward your resume in a way that can be embarrassing, distracting, and sometimes downright damaging.   For example, the other day I received this poorly forwarded resume from one of our client companies (names and pertinent details have been changed to protect the innocent):

__________

To:  Peggy

From: Amy

Subject: Re:  FW: Resume

Attached is the resume for my good colleague Brenda Freeman.  She is an excellent candidate for your open Events Manager position.  I worked with her in my last position at Helpco and she was terrific.

Regards,

Amy

____________

To: Amy

From:  Brenda

Subject: Re: Resume

               

Here’s my latest resume.  Thanks for forwarding it – I really think I am a great fit for this job!  Are you going to Jim’s to watch the game on Saturday?  I heard Kyle is coming alone! J  Not sure what happened to him and Joanie.

B.

____________

To:  Brenda

From:  Amy

Subject: Re:  What’s up?

There’s an Event Manager position open at one of our vendor’s.  I know their HR person a little and can send her your resume if you want – they’ll pay attention since we just signed them on for another year.  Have you seen Kyle lately?  How serious are he and Joanie?

__________

To:  Amy

From:  Brenda

Subject: Re: What’s up?

I CANNOT believe I am temping as a secretary again.  I feel SO entry level.  I never should have quit without another job.  I just couldn’t take one more day of Bill looking over my shoulder and micromanaging me. But – gotta pay the bills so I’m kind of stuck.   If you hear of anything good PLEASE let me know!

B.

___________

To: Brenda

From: Amy

Subject: Re: What’s up?

Hey girlfriend – what’s up?  Do you miss Helpco?

In this example, Brenda actually had several things going for her:

-          Her friend Amy was willing to be a reference for her.

-          Amy knew of an opening and could get Brenda’s resume to the right person with a personal note

-          Because the open position was a vendor organization to Amy’s company, they were likely to pay attention to Amy’s recommendation.

I did in fact give due consideration to Amy’s e-mail and read Brenda’s information thoroughly.  Because Amy is with a client organization, I also decided to give Brenda an interview. But, I have to say I was predisposed not to like her from the start.  Why?  Because the information Amy sent to me, caused me to ask several questions:

-          Why did Brenda apparently walk out on her last employer?

-          Is Brenda this unprofessional in every situation?

-          Does Brenda even know anything about this position besides the title “Events Manager”?

-          Amy is clearly not doing Brenda any favors by sending her resume along like this.  Is she trying to send me a subtle signal that she doesn’t think too highly of Brenda but felt she needed to forward the resume anyway?  Hmmm….maybe Amy is just being nice to Brenda to get closer to Kyle?  Okay, I didn’t actually think that, but you can see how distracting all the other information was!

So what can you do if you want to take advantage of technology and your professional network in order to forward your resume directly to decision makers?

1.       If you learn of a great opportunity at a company where you have a colleague, pick up the phone and call her!  Learn all you can about the position.

2.       Look up the job description on-line, or get a copy from your friend.  Then customize a cover letter and resume just as you would for a position where you didn’t have an inside contact.

3.       Send your resume in new, clean e-mail to your colleague with a professional note referencing your conversation about the job, your attached cover letter and resume, and your thanks for their support.   Treat this communication very professionally and assume the hiring manager will see it.

4.       Do NOT include a chummy, personal exchange between you and your colleague.

Technology can be a great tool in your job search.  Just be sure to use it to present your best, most professional and most talented self!

            

What will happen in your career in 2007?

MSN's career page reports that the 7 Major Job Trends for 2007 include bigger paychecks, more promotions and more training.  Contrast that news with Jim Jubak's prediction that The Next Big Threat to Your Job is going to be a growing trend in layoffs due to an upswing in mergers & acquisitions activity, and it's hard to know what to believe anymore. 

How do we make sense of conflicting reports like this?  By not spending too much time focusing on them.  That's right - don't get worked up over the latest predictions about job growth or market decline.  Instead, focus on being flexible and getting recognized as a performer by using your talents well and accomplishing what you can.

Ultimately, if you follow the advice from Intelligent Career Management and consistently deliver results, you will do well in your career no matter what the market does!

Working from Home

So many of the articles about working from home present an unrealistic picture of what it is like to run a home-based business.  Ann Bares commented on this phenomenon for me a while back.  Liz Pulliam Weston recently had a great column on options for working at home.  She presents the legitimate opportunity available along with a healthy dose of realism and concludes:

"The folks I interviewed who are making decent money at home also made decent money in the regular workplace world. They tended to have good educations, strong business skills and a history of workplace success. If you're organized, focused, a self-starter and possessed of in-demand skills, you could do OK at home. If you're not, your options are likely to be more limited."

Do you currently work from your home?  Do you want to?  Please post a comment, share your story, and encourage others!

Is the "opt out" revolution real?

Lisa Belkin's NY Times article on The Opt-out Revolution about highly-educated women "choosing" to stay home with children was a sensation.  Overnight, the phrase "opting out" became synonymous with a down-to-earth, values-oriented, and simplified way of living - a noble an intelligent pursuit for rational beings.  It also invited scathing commentary from Linda Hirshman in her manifesto for women, Get to Work, in which she suggested (among other things) that the women who choose to "opt out" do so 1) at their husband's expense and 2) probably never had real success in their career anyway and so weren't opting out of much.    

A new study from Simmons School of Management in Boston suggests another perspective - that women are Opting In vs. Opting Out but that they are doing it on their own terms.  The researchers, Mary Shapiro and Cynthia Ingols, note that women's career patterns have always been seen as deviant in the corporate world because they are judged against a normative definition of full-time, non-stop career management.  After surveying 400 women they suggest that professional women today aren't opting out, they are simply rejecting a "work is primary" career model and are instead leading a paradigm shift to "career self-agency." 

Their findings include:

• Most professional women don't have the option to "opt out" as they provide a significant portion of their household income.
• Women are using Flexible Work Arrangements (FWA's) to stay in the workforce rather than to "opt out"
• In contrast to the financial impact of "opting out", over time FWA's have no statistically significant financial impact on women.

This is good news for women in the workforce, and for the increasing numbers of men who aren't interesting in "extreme" careers, but are seeking a more balanced lifestyle.

More on Happiness at Work

I recently posted about Happiness at Work.  Many thanks to Ann Bares for sending me a link to David Maister's terrific blog where he recently asked "Who's Happiest?"   He wonders whether variety is an important key to happiness.  Many of his commenters suggest that focus is equally important - there's a good discussion going that you may want to check out. 

Leave a comment and let me know what you think -  Variety or Focus?

Finding Meaning and Happiness in Your Work

In the past decade a spate of new-agers have hit the popular press with articles, magazines and coaching seminars urging you that life is too short to do work you don't love, and that it's time to "reinvent your life," "follow your bliss," and "find meaningful work" etc. etc.  As I've posted before, I personally think "meaning" is something we have to bring to our work. We do this when we actively seek to 1) use and grow our skills, and 2) make a contribution.   

The Brazen Careerist has some career encouragement for us in this regard - she says you don't need to love your job in order to be happy.  In her recent post The Connection Between a Good Job and Happiness is Overrated she reports on recent research from the field of Positive Psychology, noting that asking a job to solve our unhappiness problems is asking too much of a job.  instead, she says that the traits of work that make someone happy are that it:

1. stretches a person without defeating him
2. provides clear goals
3. provides unambiguous feedback
4. provides a sense of control

And she encourages you not to wait on a company or a boss to give you these 4 traits, but to go out there and create them yourself:

"But don’t panic if you can’t find a job like this, because when these traits do not exist in a job, people will often figure out how to add them back in and give the job meaning in their lives. For example, “hairdressers often see themselves as the confidants of clients they like, and they will fire clients they don’t…And there are janitors at a hospital who held patients’ hands, brightening their day as well as scrubbing their rooms.”"

In short, we can make our own happiness at work.  I think that's great news, don't you?!