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WHY DO YOU STAY? Three Questions To Understanding Your Job Rut

Posted by Pater Paskill on Oct 16, 2012 in Blog

Are you bored at work? Do you yearn for fulfillment and excitement, yet are afraid to leave or explore?

Well, you are not alone. The vast majority of unhappy workers are paralyzed by some fear which effectively keeps them showing up for work, dreading each day, but frozen by their fears. Here are a few examples for you to ponder, at the very least they may well ring true for you so you’ll know you are not alone with your fears.

Are you addicted to perks?

Paycheck; medical benefits; pension plan, etc. Who says that you can’t receive equal or greater perks working somewhere else?

Don’t fall into the trap of believing that just because you’ve worked at the same job for so many years that you’ll not be able to duplicate your perks if you leave. Don’t play “mind games” with yourself here. Go out and talk to people, do your research, you may well be very surprised at the perks available to you working somewhere else.

Are you addicted to security?

The very thought of losing the comfort of familiarity scares you to death. There is no such thing as long-term security. If we ever had it, it is now long gone. Very few of us really enjoys change, but it is far easier if change can occur on your terms, rather than someone else’s.

By taking your transferable skills and achievements seriously and continuously keep you eyes and ears open to your surroundings, you stand a much better chance of having some control over your own security by being pro-active, rather than waiting for something to happen,

Are you rationalizing?

There’s nothing our there for me ……. fill in the blank …..(at my age …. without an appropriate degree ….at the hours I want ….. at the pay I require). It’s all too easy for us to ask and answer the concerns in our minds, without the benefit of “outside” objectivity or perspective.

We really become our own worst enemy because we don’t go to other people and ask the question “How can I?” You are what you are and that’s wonderful.

Rationalize first that there are jobs available right now for who you are right now. So go ahead and stop rationalizing in your head and go out, research with people …anytime, anywhere, anyplace. I think that you will be pleasantly surprised about what you learn.

We Really Never Know

Posted by Pater Paskill on Oct 9, 2012 in Blog

Each of us makes decisions every day. In fact, we make hundreds, maybe thousands of decisions every day. Most of these decisions are made with the safe confines of knowledge, information, experience or belief. None of us wants to make a mistake, so we try and garner all the information in advance to be able to make the knowledgeable and correct decision. Well enough.

What we are challenged with finding or creating a new employment opportunity for ourselves is just the opposite …. too little of the right information and way too much of the wrong. More often than not, we believe that we will live or die by our resume, but in reality, people hire or create opportunities and possibilities for people they know and like. People really don’t hire resumes. Pretty radical!!

Job transition is all about living with the question mark. We have more questions than answers …. and that’s the way it is. But there is hope! Take yourself and your unique gifts seriously and start talking to people. Talk about your transferable skills and areas of interest – not generic areas, but specific ones such as boats, sewing, animals, travel or running. These are all areas that others get paid to work in, so why not you?

I doubt that any of us really knows where our next job is going to come from. That being the case, the more people you talk to about what you want, the higher the probability will be that you will find the information you need that informed and safer decision. Nothing beats asking folks “How can I?” Until you do that, you will never know. Happy exploring!!

Job Interviews: The Art of Self-Disclosure

Posted by Pater Paskill on Oct 2, 2012 in Blog

CareerMakers clients often say that learning to tell success stories in job interviews is one of the most practical and powerful skills they have learned at CareerMakers. These stories have contributed to their success in becoming known to the interviewer (self-disclosure) and boosted their confidence because they now know how to prepare for interviews in a targeted manner.

Telling success stories in a job interview means that you are responsive to an interviewing technique known as “behavioral interviewing.” Many companies use this technique, and many hiring managers have had this training.

You know you are in a behavioral interview when the interviewer asks repeatedly “Give me an example when you wrote a company newsletter.” This means that you must come up with an example from your past which illustrates your newsletter-writing skills. “Give me an example = success story.”

The interviewer wants specific names, dates, skills, and results. Why? Because if you’ve done it in the past, you can do it again. Events from your life (all of your life) will determine whether or not you have the skills to do the job.

Most of us think we are articulate when we use phrases like “I’m good with people,” or, “I’m a good researcher,” or, “I’m a hard worker.” Although these statements sound attractive when presented by the candidate, they do not provide concrete information that both illustrates the skill or trait and proves the claim. Why should the interviewers believe those abstract self-descriptions when they are not backed up with successes or achievements?

In order to become an articulate and masterful candidate, you must build a file of stories to illustrate your skills and traits. Then, when you have a job interview coming up, simply go to your file and select the stories you know will best disclose your skills and traits clearly, powerfully, and appropriately,

This is known as the Art of Self-Disclosure. At CareerMakers you get to write your stories and do practice interviews so that you will, without a doubt, knock the socks their socks off in interviewing or proposing situations.

Networking, the Gracious Art Of ……

Posted by Pater Paskill on Sep 27, 2012 in Blog

One of the most misunderstood concepts of the job search is “networking.” It has been my personal experience that what people believe they know about networking is just enough to make them dangerous. Most of us believe networking is all about finding a job (and yes, in the long run, that is the goal), but networking is actually a process of creating relationships and doing targeted research, allowing you to make informed decisions rather than one base on assumptions.

An effective networker begins with a high level of personal “ownership” on how unique and special they are. Next, they develop a very focused set of questions that will give them the information they need to make informed decisions on the issues important to them.

I call these How Can I? issues. How can I use my skills? How can I make money in my area of interest, and how much can I make? How can I work flex hours? How can I get paid for additional education? These are only examples. Now you will want to determine what’s important to you, not what other people feel is important.

Next, begin researching or exploring answers to your specific questions. Start with people who know you. Family and friends are often overlooked, but they can often provide meaningful information if only asked. Continue to build your personal network by asking for referrals, keeping in mind that it’s always more productive to be creating and using a warm or hot network rather than making cold calls. Just ask any salesperson,

Filter the information you receive, making sure that you are getting the information needed to make an informed decision. It’s a challenge because the world is full of all sorts of information, much of it negative, limiting, and just plain wrong for you. The good news is the right information is also out there, and you can it too if you ask the right questions.

Remember, networking is a gracious art. Treat people like you would like to be treated yourself. When all is said and done, it is people who hire people, not their resumes or applications. So the more time you spend talking with people, the sooner you will find or create your next fantastic job.

HAPPY NETWORKING