Okay. Let's get something straight. Career transition is NOT fun. It's NOT a spiritual quest.
Every time I read something--anything--that talks about a job search in terms like “journey of self-discovery” or some such drivel, it makes me feel ill. Aside from personal taste, I find this kind of commentary misleading.
If you’re in transition, you need to realize, up front, that it’s a part of life that compares in many negative ways to dating. You’re being judged, frequently in arbitrary ways, and sometimes the judgment is made after five minutes. There is rejection, bad behavior, immaturity, and random decision-making.
In dating, it’s tough to deal with. That’s why few will say they enjoy the overall experience. (Unless they see it as a spiritual quest.)
In career transition, it might even be worse. Add in that your livelihood is on the line, and somehow that provides an extra, toxic edge.
I won’t carry the metaphor further. There are so many other directions in which this can go.
One of the best-selling books, ever, on the subject of careers, is almost a religious tract. Not only is the book unreadable, I think it’s also destructive in some ways. After so many years of experience in corporations, outplacement firms, private practice, and universities, I have rarely seen anyone actually enjoy a transition. Sure, the payoff is sometimes terrific and exciting, sometimes anticlimactic, and even sometimes a letdown, but the process itself is, well . . . awful. Thinking it should be something other than that is simply not true for most.
I heard the author of the above-mentioned book speak at a professional conference several years ago, and he, indeed, ended up talking about religious precepts. I walked out, not only because he was shoving his religion in my face, but also because he was wasting my time--the topic was supposed to be career management. I wasn’t alone in leaving the room. The conference was not supposed to be about religion.
My main point here is it’s critical to understand that if you’re going into a transition there will be several aspects which will be discouraging, sometimes painfully so. Someone not returning a call. An organization saying you are the first choice to fill the position, and then never calling, despite your consistent follow-ups. Reading tea leaves is a big part of it, i.e., why didn’t they call? Why didn’t I get a response to that great email? Why am I not getting any traction?
Of course, there are good parts--when you have a terrific, encouraging meeting, maybe several in a row. But, then the great meetings may lead to nothing, not even a good contact. And so the roller coaster continues, until the serial “no’s” turn into “yes.”
I think understanding, up front, that this experience involves a great deal of rejection, and major ups and downs, will emotionally prepare you to handle it intellectually. This preparation, plus the necessary discipline and consistency you bring to your search, will make you more effective and will result in better and quicker outcomes.
Labor Day Thoughts - A Good Time to Restart
To most of the US, Labor Day is supposed to be a celebration of labor.
To those in career transition, it's something entirely different. It can involve several thoughts, including: "Uh oh, time to get re-booted on the search," or "I can't believe I fell into the trap of stopping my efforts for the summer” or "Now I can REALLY get serious, because it's September and that's when things get going again."
I don't want to spend space here admonishing those who fell into the trap of thinking summer or holiday times aren't good times to look for employment. It's quite the opposite, because those times are actually great networking times.
But enough of looking backward (although we will keep this in mind when the November/December holidays approach).
How to move forward? Statistics show that October/November/December (yes, December) are great hiring months.
For those who think they're going to go gangbusters into a post-Labor Day hiring frenzy, think again. Lots of people are returning from vacation; what are the odds they all would want to be approached immediately? I think September is a great time for researching, building networks, and preparing for a full-out campaign in the last quarter. (January is the same kind of month as September.)
Of course, these are all generalizations, and there are plenty of exceptions. But, my main recommendation is to take your time building those high-touch relationships in September, and don’t expect a flood of immediate positive results. This process is a slow-building one, and if you did indeed take off a lot of time in the summer, consider September as a gradual restart.
After that, don't let up, ever, for the holiday periods. Losing momentum is hard, and it's even harder to regain it. Discipline and consistency are key components for successful search.
To make your restart a little easier, the ebook edition of In Search of the Fun-Forever Job: Career Strategies that Work is on sale through September 2nd.
You can find it on Amazon, Smashwords, Apple*, Kobo*, Nook*, and Diesel*.
The paperback edition is also being offered at 25% off.
*If the sale price is not yet reflected on these channels, please purchase through Amazon orSmashwords.
Happy Labor Day!
And good luck with your search.
Can volunteering really lead to a job?
Last week the Corporation for National and Community Servicereleased a study on volunteering as a path to paid employment. (“Volunteering as a Pathway to Employment: Does Volunteering Increase Odds of Finding a Job for the Out of Work?”) Those who volunteered were 27% more likely to find work. Impressive, but not surprising. I’ve always thought of volunteer opportunities as one possible route to take in reaching your career goals.
While the study focused on lower-skilled job seekers, I think volunteering can be good for job seekers at any level.
For those who are more educated and skilled, I think finding the right volunteer situation is critical. By "right," I mean something that might add a skill you need for your targeted career goal, or might reinforce an existing one. If you're an events planner, for example, getting involved in fundraising activities for a non-profit would be a great idea. Or if you're in finance, why not offer services in the financial area? Even though the circumstances might be very different from what you're used to, it's something you can point to when going out on the job market.
And on a purely emotional basis, volunteering is a great idea for building structures into your day. That's always a big problem with people who are out of work all of a sudden - their regular structures, and people, disappear.
But. I don't encourage clients and students to seek full-time volunteer positions, though, because it would disrupt their regular search activities, and they’d risk losing their momentum. So I advise them to go for part-time. Three days a week tops. Otherwise you won’t have enough time for a reasonable job search.
Negotiate? For volunteer work?
Most people don’t realize that if you're going to offer your services for free, you can negotiate! Yup, negotiate. Obviously, not about salary, but about the position itself.
Here are a few items you might want to negotiate before you start:
- Ask if you can be called a consultant, rather than a volunteer. Looks better on the resume, and sounds better in networking and interviewing.
- Make sure your role is clearly defined so that you don’t run into a bait and switch situation. For example, you've been told you're going to help design a new system for membership, and then you find out after you start you're doing data entry. You don’t want to be stuck in a position that won’t help you further your overall goals.
- Ask if they'll provide excellent references for you (calling you a consultant, of course), assuming you do a terrific job.
- Also, if you're going to do that terrific job for them, ask if they would assist you by providing some help in building your new networks -- names of contacts, affiliated organizations.
- And . . . if things work out well on both ends, ask if it’s possible that any positions might become available (if you're interested, of course).
The report shows that volunteers get a boost in terms of increasing their social connections and professional contacts. They often increase their skills. Two years out, they’re more likely to have landed jobs. All good. But, based on years of professional experience, I’ve seen that the best way to get the most out of a volunteer experience is to combine it with a targeted job search. There’s no reason you have to trade one for the other, if both will help you find a job that fits.
You can find out more about volunteering and bridge jobs in In Search of the Fun-Forever Job: Career Strategies that Work