Following Your Passion

I recently read an article from "Brazen Careerist" about following one's career passion. In the past, career coaches and counselors always advised their clients to follow their passions. The article pointed out, and justifiably so, that today, that is not enough. It is not about you...it is about your customers. Can you convince your customers that your passion should become theirs? If you can, go for it...but you still need to realize that 1) it is not about you and 2) you need to differentiate yourself from everyone else in order for that "customer" or interviewer or hiring manager to go with you rather than someone else. That means getting a firm handle on your personal brand that is...just what you have to sell, and then being able to communicate it. If you found this post useful and interesting, please consider sharing via the buttons below.

MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses)

Have you taken a MOOC? MOOC's are offered by accredited universities at little to no money and are open to anyone. Most are credit-less; however, some offer professional recognition. Such courses can grow or solidify your skills set and for that reason alone they are something to consider. Here are a few of the many online options available: www.coursera.org; mooc-list.com; online-Stanford.edu. If you found this post useful and interesting, please consider sharing via the buttons below.

Blogging!

Today, a potential client told me he has actually read  my blog. I have been hearing from other clients about this too. I am so happy to hear that this blog is actually in service to people, and it seems that they like what I say.

I will continue to talk about what I consider pertinent subjects in career development. I will continue to harp on the need for every working adult to take a "career checkup" every year, just as we take an annual medical exam. I will continue to encourage attention to your network. Thinking that you can just snatch a network out of the air when looking for a new job or career is delusional. I will continue to encourage every one of us to be open to all opportunities, further education, whatever it may take to add to a skills base.

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This is Not About You Today: It is About the Employer

The modern job search is not all about you, and that it still hard to believe especially for those living in parts of the US where the economy has been relatively strong during the economic downturn. The modern job search is about the employer and the skills that he/she needs. If you have those skills, you will be hired. If you do not, you will not be hired.

What are the skills that a modern worker needs? Remember that there are hard and soft skills and employers want both. If you are lacking in some, you will not be hired, because employers today can always find someone who has the total package. Therefore, you as the job searcher must find out what hard and soft skills are needed and get them. Period. It will mean research first, perhaps working with a career coach, perhaps going back to school in some way.

Your career voyage will not yet be done. Prepare to become a lifetime learner. Constantly researching and acquiring new skills will be the ticket into the future.

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Once again, I am seeing a round of clients determined to change careers rather than changing jobs within the same industry, and these folks are coming from all walks of life. So many say the same thing; a feeling of disenchantment, no encouragement on the part of management of teamwork, and certainly no acknowledgement of a job well done.

I probe my clients even before we plan to work together. Do they really want to change careers? Do they understand the sacrifices of time, money, etc that goes into a career change? Many do not, because they waited too long to even make the inquiry.

If you truly begin to feel that what you do professionally is not the answer anymore, do not delay. Seek out the services of someone like me. Do not wait until you are so unhappy that an instant fix is all you will be able to tolerate. There is no instant fix in any world, and especially when changing careers. Start to consider your next career when you begin your present one; look for your next job the day you start one.
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How is your momentum? Are you keeping at your career/job search? Allowing yourself distractions does not help. I recently began working with a client who has been out of the job market for many years due to child raising. Unfortunately, during that time, she allowed her marketable skills to atrophy. Distractions from her goal, that is finding a good, enjoyable, permanent job, continue to pull at her, even now when her children are almost grown and do not require the kind of attention that they once did. Time can slip by very quickly.

Do not allow yourself to be distracted! This is about you and the rest of your life. Make appointments with your career coach. Follow up and follow up again.

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Staying Home With Children

Recently, I have seen a rash of adults who left their careers and stayed home to raise children for several years. Now they are ready to return to the job market and are at a loss as to how to proceed.

Certainly, transferable skills awareness is the way to go. To become very aware of what transferable skills you had before the children were born is important, especially if not much time has passed. Hopefully, there were new transferable skills developed during the way based on volunteerism or perhaps even paid part time work while being an at home mom or dad.

If you find yourself in this situation, be as open as possible to a thorough review of transferable skills, to returning to school to acquire new, more marketable skills, and to paying attention to the networking opportunities that you have developed so far. It may take some time to find the career that you want and that will fit with your lifestyle. Nothing worthwhile happens quickly, and that is true in career development as it is in everything else.

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The Era of the Temporary Worker is Beginning!

I remember the days that temporary workers existed only as support staff, or in Engineering fields. Either a "temp" was a secretary or a "job-shopper". Frequently, people made livings this way, usually in bad times. All that is now changing, and no where will it be more apparent than in Washington DC.

As federal government spending tightens. we begin to see government contractors shedding people. The response is that most of these people now want federal jobs essentially for the security. Be aware that nothing today is secure. More and more people will have to earn their livings "temping"...ie working on contracts for government contracting organizations, while being aware that there is no guarantee that the contract will renew or even complete its original schedule! The era of Temping is here! Are you ready for it?

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Getting More Play?

A long time client just reported that after several years of intense networking, suddenly he is getting some "play", that is interest in his skills and abilities from prospective employers which he has not seen before, including from industries that he never thought would produce any connection. He admits that he has spent so much time intensely networking that he has not paid any attention to other aspects of his life...he need to consider his physical space, in case a new position means a move elsewhere; he also needs to pay attention to his financial situation.

Might a new position, if everything else were "in place" mean starting at a lower salary? It just might....therefore, it is very important to be aware of where you stand financially. A new position might mean a lateral or even a step back but such a position might expose you to a new and better skills set which would ultimately lead you to an even better and more prosperous future.

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