Great Career Advice: "Not What I Expected"

Q. “Hi, Cathy. I just took a job that represents a big step up in my field. As part of the package, I was promised a 10% bonus after 6 months. But it’s been nine months, I haven’t seen a dime and my boss changes the subject when I bring it up.” A. Believe it or not, I hear these stories often. Clients raise concerns whenever they embark on relationships with employers, contractors, suppliers, partners or clients. Here are a few suggestions (and readers may contribute more). (1) Before accepting a position (especially if you have to relocate), you need to know three things. (a) What are industry practices regarding bonuses, assignments and other conditions? If your company deviates widely from current practices, you need to know why. (b) What is your company’s reputation as an employer or contractor? A history of broken relationships should raise a red flag. (c) Will you get what you need to be effective? Territories for sales reps, labs for scientists, staff for executives, and so on. Don’t let anyone sabotage your success before you start. (2) Ignore promises of bonuses unless they’re in writing. If missing a bonus would be a deal-breaker, hire your own attorney to review the contract before you sign. Make sure you understand any terms and conditions. (3) Once a written promise has been broken, raise questions immediately. Deal directly with whoever has power to act. “Fred,” an accounting student I met in graduate school, was scheduled to teach a course for a local university. A few weeks before classes began, he inadvertently learned that he had been displaced. Someone else had been hired (presumably cheaper). Fred bypassed the department head, who had no power. He called the Associate Dean, saying, “Ken, I’m really sorry to bother you with this. I know how busy you are. But I’m afraid we have a contract. How would you like to handle this?” Fred kept his questions polite, even diffident. He told me the Associate Dean muttered a few swear words, followed by a few phone calls. Fred was soon back on the schedule. (4) Decide ahead of time if you are prepared to escalate. If your polite questions are ignored, it’s time to go into a legal huddle. Make absolutely sure you understand what was promised. Was this bonus contingent on a condition? Your lawyer should be the one to advise you now – and no one else. You probably won’t need to consider lawsuits or courts. Most companies will settle. (5) Don’t ask your career consultant for legal advice and don’t ask your lawyer for career guidance. In my experience, many lawyers will not understand how their advice may impact your long-term career goals. My friend “Ruth” negotiated a settlement with a company following a major dispute. Her lawyer warned, “You won’t get a good reference.” “True,” Ruth explained patiently, “But that’s not important. In my field, my portfolio gets me jobs.” You probably need to start job-hunting as soon as you question a broken promise – but not always. And even if you remain quiet, you need to consider the hidden story. And your lawyer can’t be a sounding board as you express your frustration and ponder your next move. Bottom Line: Nearly all of us learn about broken promises from experience, at least once. I believe it’s better to lay the groundwork before beginning any business association. Inevitably you’ll forget to consider at least one important element of any deal. But over time you get better and often an hour of consultation can save months (or years) of misery later on. The career consultant helps you figure out what you need; the lawyer makes sure the contract delivers. I cover a lot more in my irreverent job hunting guide .

Organizing for Life Space

Last week I attended a talk by Laura Leist, author of Organizing Chaos (isn’t that a cool name for a company?). Three principles seem to make special sense for organizing self as well as space. (1) Learn to let go of what you don’t need. This one is hard! When moving to Seattle, I have to admit that I, the Moving Lady herself, packed way too much stuff. Somehow, I didn’t stop to think that Seattle might have libraries, bookstores, and even a drugstore or two. Once delivered and unpacked, every possession became harder to discard. But I’m working on it. As we organize time for the forthcoming fall system, we can ask ourselves, “What can we get rid of – now? Books? Clothes? Possessions? Even subscriptions for magazines we no longer have time to read?” We can also get rid of wet blankets, commitments that no longer make sense and activities that used to be fun a long time ago. I was attending meetings of a social group...until I realized I felt bored during the meetings and drained afterward. Still, it was hard to stop going. They were so nice. (2) Decide whose purpose you are serving (and whether it’s real or imaginary). During the Q&A of Laura’s talk, one mother asked, “My parents think I should keep all my children’s possessions...their drawings from school, crafts and toys. She kept all mine and I couldn’t care less! In fact, I don’t even like most of them.” Obviously we keep some space, possessions and activities in our lives because we are responsible citizens. But how many times do we keep doing things because “someone” might be disappointed? Often we find out that “someone” doesn’t even notice. Some of my career change clients can’t find time to investigate new directions because they’re enmeshed in someone else’s real or imagined agenda. They’re carrying out time-consuming efforts because their boss wanted them to...but that boss has now retired and the new boss doesn’t notice. Or they think the family wants to celebrate every holiday with an elaborate feast...and half the family has gone on diets and would just as soon dine on carrots and celery with ice water. As I get older and more ornery, of course, I hear fewer suggestions for what I “ought” to do. Or maybe I just don’t “hear” them because I’ve gotten better at tuning them out. (3) Get creative. Living in a small space? Think “up” and use the very top part of your walls. Visual person? Some people can’t handle file folders. They prefer an open basket where they can see their bills and “to do” items. I myself tend to live with organized clutter, especially in my office. I can find anything. When I clean up for visitors, I spend days looking for what I’ve tidily tucked away. You can also get creative with time. These days, I have a lot of things delivered: super-size bags of dog food, bottled water, anything heavy. I’m a great believer in finding ways to make one hour do the work of three. But some things can’t be delegated and after all, we organize our lives to get time and space for the fun stuff...like a beautiful afternoon in the dog park, a symphony concert or a basketball game. You can order Laura Leist’s book through my amazon account: Click here to order. And I recommend my own Time Management System: Start saving time today! My ebooks are listed at http://www.cathygoodwin.com/books.html

College for the kids?

A reader asked me to settle an argument with her spouse. "I want my kids to have the very best college education," she writes, "although we'll have to dip into savings and forget about building retirement funds. My husband disagrees. He says they'll do just fine at a state university." First, a big disclaimer: I am not an expert on family, children or marital conflict. But I feel very confident saying, "Your children will most likely not be deprived if they attend a state university. In fact, they may be better off, depending on who they are." (1) Top universities offer access to demanding academics. If you have a child who absolutely loves intellectual interactions, and who's confident of his or her abilities, then a top university may well be a good investment. (2) A surprising number of state universities have first-rate honors programs. And a less prestigious program can actually showcase a bright student, who stands out from the crowd. I once knew a scientist who attended University of Arizona as an undergraduate. Because he was so motivated, he was invited to work with scientists on campus, contributing to publications and research in a meaningful way. A mentor helped him get accepted at a prestigious graduate program, with scholarships, and he went on to a brilliant career at an even more prestigious university. (3) Students who value interactions and "just hanging out with my friends" may go on to great careers because they're building relationships. Any university will be fine. (4) Campus activities -- even fraternities and sororities -- can lead to lifelong networking access. (5) Some students thrive on an elite campus with lots of contact with professors. Others actually do better when they feel more anonymous -- less "on." Some enjoy same-sex colleges because they feel free to be themselves. Others feel stifled and confined, as though they've embarked on four years of Ladies Who Lunch. On the other hand, attending a small school often bonds the students into a big fraternity. Women from my own college tend to feel a bond when we encounter one another, even if we're strangers. (6) No degree guarantees success. I attended a very fine women's college. Some of my classmates went on to become famous writers, artists, lawyers, entertainers, judges and public figures. Martha Stewart graduated from my college (a few years before me and I never met her). Some alums taught grade school, became librarians, or chose to be full-time wives and mothers. Some declared bankruptcy and I read about a homeless alumna in our official magazine. And I once fell into conversation with a nice young man behind the counter of a New Mexico UPS store, brown shirt and all. Turns out he graduated from Harvard and spent the rest of his life working for low wages in bookstores. The UPS job was a seasonal detour to earn more money. (7) Few degrees guarantee failure. "Melvin" attended a small religious college in a small Southern town. Most people would never have heard about it. He majored in French. When he applied for graduate school in business, his GMAT scores were abysmal. So he ended up at a lower-tier graduate school. But he hooked up with a mentor, applied himself, discovered an aptitude for research and went to a career at a university that was highly respected in his field. His record, reputation and financial success greatly surpass many students with more prestigious academic backgrounds. If your heart is set on sending a child to a top school, you won't be deterred by these examples. But if your financial status calls for choosing between college for the kids and a retirement plan for the parents, I would suggest you set up some meetings with a financial planner. Your highly educated children may not feel that "four wonderful years" are worth the trade-off of bailing out the parents when they're fifty. NOTE: This topic is controversial. Feel free to add a comment, agreeing or disagreeing! I save all comments (except those from spammers).

What's missing from this job hunt

Columnist Michelle Singletary writes about a Katrina survivor learning to "survive the job market." Latanya Howard relocated to Maryland, has received considerable training and support by still can't find a job. Howard seeks a job as a cashier or receptionist, while nearly all my readers seek professional level careers. Still, some factors influence every job campaign at every level. (1) Relocating to a place that doesn't enhance your strengths. In New Orleans, Howard took public transportation to work, but her new location calls for driving. Howard doesn't drive. Every region and every city will hold different challenges and opportunities: weather, cultural style, lifestyle, likelihood of finding other newcomers and more. Very few people will be happy living "anywhere." (2) Depression Not surprisingly, Singletary notes, Latanya Howard suffers severe depression after losing her home, job, possessions and most of her life. I tell clients to deal with their emotional and psychological well-being before setting out on a job hunt, let alone a career change. Depression, anxiety, stress and other psychological conditions will get in the way. Career consultants can't help. (3) Motivation To succeed in a job hunt, Singletary notes, you have to treat job hunting as a full-time job. My own clients often are surprised at the amount of time and energy a job hunt requires. Outplacement, career consulting and coaching all help sustain motivation and momentum. Singletgary's column appeared in today's Seattle Post-Intelligencer .

Too weird...or just right?

Recently I was invited to apply for a special program connected with an organization. Good visibility, I thought, so I said, "Okay." Then they said, "We need a conventional resume." I wanted to say, "You must be kidding." I haven't put together a conventional resume since 1981, when I began writing academic resumes. And now I have no need for a resume, conventional or otherwise. Do I spend hours and hours trying to reconstruct my life of 30 years ago? More likely I'll say, "Is there something else that would satisfy your requirements?" And then I'd live with their answer. Often organizations have requirements that make no sense. Usually these requirements raise a red flag: "These folks are weird. Don't work for them." My favorite: I was offered a writing project to create instructional material for a university group in the midwest. I was living in New Mexico, over a thousand miles away. I would work from home, on a project basis. The university wanted me to sign a statement swearing that I subscribe to a drug-free environment. Now, let me make one thing perfectly clear. The only drug in my home is catnip. Organic catnip, to be precise. But I was tempted to ask, "Does this mean Creampuff (my calico cat, who is somewhat addicted to this herb) must indulge outside my home office? Or are you going to fly someone here to check the aspirin bottles? We're just three hours from the nearest airport." They also had a pile of application forms with tiny little squares that had to be completed by hand. I declined. But sometimes organizations have weird requirements for applicants and then turn out to be nice as pie once you're in the In Crowd. My colleague "Marilyn" went through agonies applying for a college teaching job, many years ago. The hiring committee demanded to see her original diploma. They questioned her choices of graduate courses and dismissed her research as "light." I would have said, "No way." But Marilyn smiled and smiled. She answered every question and even wrote nice thank you notes to every single interviewer. She got the job. She loved the job. "They're treating me like a queen," she reported happily, several years later. So does that mean we should all be more like Marilyn? Not necessarily. Marilyn's intuition may have told her, "Hang in there. It's worth the hassle." She was there. I wasn't. And I might not have thrived in Marilyn's environment. Who knows? The only real lesson from all this is, "Keep your power. Build your financial base. Someday you're going to really, really want to decline an offer. Or you will want to accept on your own terms." When that happens, saying "no" can brighten a whole day.