by sean@higheredcareercoach.com | Mar 8, 2011 | Career Skills, Job Search, Tuesday Time-Out
There’s a simple truth that many job-seekers ignore when it comes to the job search: You can only be so ready.
If you are currently searching for a new job, you’ve likely spent quite a bit of time writing your resume, getting feedback about your interview style, researching jobs, planning your interview wardrobe, and honing your networking skills. These are all practical steps, and should lead to a greater sense of confidence in your career skills, and in the likelihood of being hired for a new position. But for some people, the job search seems extremely nerve-racking, gut-wrenching, depressing, and soul-less.
Putting yourself out there into the job market can certainly produce a great deal of anxiety. Preparing, practicing, and getting feedback can somewhat reduce your anxiety. But let’s get real: many of your job search anxieties may be self-made and self-reinforcing. If you are applying for jobs that you are qualified for, and you have spent an appropriate amount of time researching different positions, and exploring what factors are most important to you in a position or employer, then you are ready.
In some circumstances, it is indeed very much possible to be over-prepared, overconfident and basically “overdone.” So do yourself a favor: get ready, get comfortable, and go with the flow.
One of the best ways to reduce anxiety during a job search is simple, in theory, but difficult and complex in practice, and it’s this: quit wanting a particular outcome, and let yourself enjoy the search. In higher education, we are often called upon to plan our programs and services around anticipated outcomes. In a job search, the obvious outcome seems clear enough: getting a job at the end of the process.
While this is certainly an understandable and completely logical concept, it ignores a simple truth: wanting the wrong things will only cause you pain and suffering. If you approach your job search with an open mind, and an open heart, you are more likely to find satisfaction and a new sense of direction, which are worthy outcomes, in and of themselves.
Some tips:
- Start from where you are. Before you go looking for a new position, ask yourself what you want from the search, and how you will define success.
- List for yourself all the parts of your current job and your current life that bring you joy, challenge you, and give you peace.
- List for yourself those things in your current job and your current life that bringing misery, anxiety indifference, and pain.
- Take a few moments to imagine the possibility that there is a position out there that would be an incredible match for your skills and your experiences, while also giving you joy, challenge, and peace.
- Take another few moments to decide what your “deal-breakers” are. These are the things that you know you cannot do, for risk of destroying your sense of joy, your need to be challenged, and your peace of mind.
- When presented with any opportunity, match it first to those things which bring you joy.
- Hold all the major aspects of the position “up into the light” and look for the deal-breakers.
- When you see a deal-breaker, walk away. Go with a glad heart, and the optimism and that the right thing will come along, and that by passing by an opportunity that would bring you misery, create anxiety and destroy your peace of mind, you have left yourself open to the great possibility that there is something out there in the universe that you are not only capable of doing, but indeed meant to do.
- As you close the door on any opportunity (or have it closed on you), accept for yourself that the opportunity was not meant to be (either now, or possibly ever)
- Lather, rinse, repeat.
This approach reinforces one simple thing: it is always okay to just be yourself, and see what follows. In fact, it is all you can do in your life and career, if you are to find happiness, challenge, and genuine peace of mind.
Fill out the form below to join my mailing list and get free job-seeker resources, starting with an “Are You Ready?” worksheet.
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by sean@higheredcareercoach.com | Aug 25, 2010 | Monday Morning Quarterback, Tuesday Time-Out
DJ Coffman, the comic artist who sketched this logo, just released his first e-book.
I guess if you’re reading this far, you must have some interest in finding out why I decided to take a break from our usual topic and what on earth I could be writing about. So thanks for checking out the post anyway. Please read along.
If you read this site regularly, you’ve seen some of the awesome spot art by D.J. Coffman. He’s the guy who did the “Monday Morning Quarterback” and “Tuesday TimeOut” logos, and hopefully we’ll have some more of his stuff featured here soon. D.J. is a talented and friendly guy I met through the Third Tribe membership site (aff. link) and a respected comic artist.
His work has been published in newspapers and publications around the globe and seen on HBO, MTV, Vh1, Late Night With Conan O’ Brien and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. In 2006, he won the first annual Comic Book Challenge with his project Hero By Night which is now in development as a live action TV show.
On Third Tribe, he’s one of those people who I enjoy connecting with the most, because he’s just a real guy, doing what he loves and has always loved, trying to balance his passions with time for his family. And he’s clearly the kind of person who likes connecting with people, helping them out and learning from them. I joined Third Tribe for an opportunity to learn from people like Chris Brogan. I stay because of people like D.J. Coffman. (No offense to Chris, though, he’s the real deal, too. But then again, everyone who knows social media and marketing already kinda knows that already.)
So this break from the usual topic comes to you with the simple goal of telling you about someone who pursuing a purposeful life, and some of the amazing things he’s doing. And indirectly, to give you a glimpse of who I am and the things I care about, like doing, etc. To let the cat out of the bag, I have always loved comic books, and I have a nice collection. I spent more time in high school with comic books than with girls. I used to incessantly draw superheroes everywhere, all the time. And I would give my left arm (hey, I draw with my right) to have the chops this guy has.
Yes, I am a certified geek. And I have always done my best to support others who are, especially if they are putting themselves out there in ways that help others. D.J.’s new e-book does just that. It’s called “Cash for Cartoonists” and it’s a guide to making money as a comic artist. I know that is kind of off the beaten path, and that you probably didn’t expect to read a post on this blog about something like this.
But look at it this way… in higher ed, we talk a lot about trying to “challenge and support” our students. The biggest challenge people face in life is to be their true selves. And support (whether it be from friends, colleagues, mentors, faculty or staff) is hugely important.
I like D.J., and I want to support his art and his business. So when he announced the launch of this product, I signed up to be an affiliate right away. I don’t know how many of my higher ed colleagues out there aspire to illustrate web comics for a living, but I bet a lot of you know people who might. And if you don’t, at least you know something interesting about the spot art on this site, and the guy who does it.
We now return to our regular topic. Thanks for reading!
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by sean@higheredcareercoach.com | Aug 9, 2010 | Career Skills, Monday Morning Quarterback, Podcast, Tuesday Time-Out
As the academic year begins this August, approximately 2 million new students will flood campuses in the United States (according to the National Center for Education Statistics), representing about 68% of the nation’s recent high school graduates.
When you work in higher ed, you spend the summer getting ready for this great mass of humanity, their parents, and all their stuff. Each year, the next most-connected generation in history descends upon campus, ready for the mythical wonderland called college…full of challenging classes, enlightened professors, new friends, great parties, and steeped in fine traditions, pomp, circumstance, and loads of fun. The newest, most exciting “best days of their lives.” And they come with almost romanticized visions of college, so we spend our time and efforts on being ready, smoothing out the edges, and making that move-in and arrival period as painless as possible. We concentrate next on getting our student staff trained (whether they’re resident assistants and orientation leaders in brightly colored move-in shirts, or dining hall crew members, desk staff, or teaching assistants, etc.)
It’s easy during busy times like this to forget how important it is to make sure our new professional staff members make the adjustment to campus successfully, as well. We hope for it, and plan for it, but sometimes drop the ball in our planning, because of all the other priorities we’re juggling. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 124,600 postsecondary administrators in the country in 2008.Of course, most of these are not new staff. As experienced professionals, they know the drill, have the routine down pat, and motor along the path of same-old, same-old. Sometimes, right over the new staff, who are still looking for the bathrooms in the building, don’t know the code to the copier, and haven’t received a computer password, not to mention a paycheck yet. It can be a rough adjustment for these new staff, and retention of good staff is always an issue. Sometimes, we burn them out with training and teambuilding before the first student moves in, or the first class bell rings.
This month, we’ll spend some time on the topic of transitions, and to invite some guest bloggers to contribute their thoughts on how we prepare our new staff.
Some possible formats include:
- Philosophical pieces (like “how to think about your job,” “what you need to think about,” and “what you need to understand about our organization, field, specialty, etc.”)
- Practical Pieces: (give an example of a favorite training activity, a checklist for getting started in a new position, or steps toward creating a positive routine, etc.
- Creative pieces (art, video, publications, poetry, readings, etc. What do you share and why do you share it?)
- Some combination of the above
If you are interested, please contact me at sean@higheredcareercoach.com and let me know which of the following opportunities interests you, and join the conversation. Guest posters will also be invited to appear on the Higher Ed Life and Careers podcast on BlogTalkRadio.
- Monday Morning Quarterback: Guest posts in this category will be “thought” pieces, leaning toward the idea of having a “gameplan” for your training and transition efforts. So I would love to have some philosophical or creative pieces here, but don’t be afraid to be practical.
- Tuesday Time-Out: Like the title says, I’d like these to be brief, welcome breaks from the action. This would be a good place to share your ideas on how to welcome staff to the team, build rapport, inspire, and support them through the busy transitional period. This could also be a great place to share your favorite training activities, including icebreakers, teambuilders, or even outlines for your expectation-setting activities and first meetings with new employees.
So, whether you are a higher ed professional, or from some other category entirely, you’re invited to share your thoughts as a guest blogger. Please e-mail me at sean@higheredcareercoach.com this week if you are interested, and check back next week for our first guest column.
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by sean@higheredcareercoach.com | Aug 3, 2010 | Tuesday Time-Out, Who-Dos
The Results are in…
Thanks to everyone who gave their input on who should be recognized as the Higher Ed “Who-Do?” of the month for July. After considering suggestions, I posted a poll last week with four nominees: Ed Cabellon, Eric Stoller, Rey Junco and Women in Housing. 41 people participated in the poll. The results are included below.
All the nominees were extremely worthy, and have made great contributions to higher ed, so Ed Cabellon, our “Who-Do” of the month for July 2010, was in great company. Ed will receive a lovely certificate (suitable for framing) and will receive consideration for this year’s “Who-Do Highsman” award, which will be announced in late May or early June 2011. The other nominees are still eligible for future consideration, so please send along your suggestions to me at sean@higheredcareercoach.com or @hiedcareercoach on Twitter.
Congratulations, Ed! You are doing great things to introduce new people and ideas to the higher ed community through your blog, twitter, and your live screencast interviews. Thanks for all you do, “Who-Do!”
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by sean@higheredcareercoach.com | Jul 27, 2010 | Tuesday Time-Out, Who-Dos
As mentioned in earlier posts, toward the end of each month, we’ll take suggestions for people who are putting their purpose to work in higher education, by doing good things to help the field move forward in some way, to recognize as a “Who-Do.”
Who-Dos are knowledgeable, and highly regarded for their work, but they put that knowledge into action, and actively move conversations along, not just by talking about ideas (they certainly do that, as well) but by teaching others how to do what they know how to do. Unlike self-proclaimed “Gurus,” they are meeting us as equal partners in conversations about the future of higher education, the programs and services we provide, and how we prepare the next generation of professionals to meet the challenges that come with change.
All four of this month’s nominees are moving these conversations along through successful use of new media, especially blogs and Twitter. Please take a few moments to consider who has had an impact on you and the field this month, and cast an advisory vote for one of the nominees (or nominate someone else you think is deserving.) Add some thoughts in the comments section. And look out for a post after the poll closes.
- Ed Cabellon, Director of the Campus Center at Bridgewater State College, has compiled one of the most comprehensive Twitter Lists of Student Affairs Professionals, published tutorials on how to use Twitter, and hosted uStream conversations with some higher ed luminaries through his blog.
- Rey Junco, a professor at Lock Haven University, co-wrote Connecting to the Net.Generation: What Higher Education Professionals Need to Know about Today’s Students and Using Emerging Technologies to Enhance Student Engagement. He was recently featured in a video interview with Ed Cabellon and on the BreakDrink.Com/Campus Tech Connection podcast (along with Cabellon).
- Eric Stoller is an academic advisor, technology consultant and social justice advocate. He recently joined the ranks of InsideHigherEd’s technology bloggers, with his new regular blog, Challenge and Tech Support.
- Women in Housing is a hashtag chat on Twitter (#wihsg) where women working in housing can share perspectives on issues, connect with other women who work in housing, and highlight the voices of women in the field.
All of these people are deserving of recognition, as are many more. I’ve chosen 4 nominees who have been mentioned to me several times this month for their recent accomplishments or interactions. Now I’d like your input. Please take a few moments to participate in the TWTPOLL and help decide who will be recognized this month. Please be sure to add your comments, as well.
At the end of the academic year, there will be a process for choosing someone to recognize as a “Who-Do” of the year.
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by sean@higheredcareercoach.com | Jul 13, 2010 | Tuesday Time-Out
This is my son, Brendan, at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. We were eating dinner and he managed somehow to get ahold of what was left of someone’s soda.
Brendan is 4 1/2 and really loves doing “experiments.” He mixes soft soap with toothpaste and hand sanitizer and pretends it’s a potion of some sort. He puts sticks and pine needles in water and tries to get them to grow. In this case, he took all sorts of random things and added them to the leftover soda…leaves, milk, maybe some dirt and rocks, a corn-dog stick, and I think at least one cast-off bone from my ribs.
Then he went around offering it to everyone, saying, “Would you like some soda pop? It’s really good!” and grinning from ear to ear. He repeated this joke in true 4-year-old fashion, about fifty times. Nobody took him up on his offer, and by attempt number 51, he was spent.
Every day, we’re assaulted by marketing messages. Thousands of them. So much so that we can repeat back slogans, taglines and all sorts of other nonsense that corporations tell us about their products, or politicians tell you about their platforms (or better yet, why you should hate the other guy’s platform), or that news sites tell you about things that are only marginally considered “news.”
Sometimes, even, this allows us to justify to ourselves those things that we consume, or pine for incessantly. But it doesn’t change the fact that some of these things are garbage. And we may not care, if the person pitching us is charismatic, or convincing, or even if he just wears us down with a constant barrage of nonsense.
There are certain things I don’t mind about with marketing, but in general, I find excessive marketing to be annoying. As a businessman, I am doing my best to learn ways not to be annoying, and to earn your trust. One way I am pursuing this goal is active membership in communities that talk about this issue, like Third Tribe Marketing (aff. link). I’m getting great advice and perspectives from some of the top minds in social media, marketing and business, like Chris Brogan, Brian Clark, Sonia Simone, and Darren Rowse. The monthly membership fee is less than I charge for one hour of my time, and I got my money’s worth for the whole year before the end of the first week. I am a solid convert.
Even though I didn’t gulp down that dirt-water-and-soda concoction, I can’t say that I don’t give in to marketing at times. If I trust the messenger, this is even more true. And I generally trust this guy, but there are times I take a look at that grin, and I know something’s up.
How am I doing with this whole marketing thing? How can I earn your trust?
What about you? How do you deal with constant marketing, repetitive claims and nonsense? What are you doing to sell yourself? Are you actively seeking natural ways to get your messages across? What are you doing to earn the trust of people you serve?
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