Year-End Career Moves

Q. "I hate my job and I really want to move to a warmer climate. Arizona sounds good! But it's the holiday season. I'll start the process on New Year's Day." A. The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas often gets dismissed as dead time. Why bother? Few employers are hiring and few clients want to embark on new projects. Anyway, we’re all drowning in year-end deadlines and rejoicing in family festivals. We’re shopping and partying. Who’s got time to think about the future? But my clients who accomplish successful transitions refuse to be derailed. They may take extra breaks but they assign a minimum number of minutes per day to work on their long-term goals. And they gain leverage by putting their subconscious minds to work for them, even while they're attending a party or tracking down gifts at the local mall. How does this happen? Let's say you allocate fifteen minutes a day to your Number One long-term goal. Maybe you add a weekly power surge by calling a coach or mentor. You're verbalizing your goals and hearing reinforcement from a supportive resource. As you're walking the dog, driving to work, or chatting at a party, your subconscious mind remains tuned to your goals, processing the data you generated during your fifteen dedicated minutes and (maybe) your phone sessions. Additionally, everyone you meet will view you as a source of purposeful energy. Enjoying a party? As you spread onion dip over a cracker, you fall into conversation with someone who adds a critical piece to your long-term puzzle. You attract strong, motivated people like yourself, and you reinforce one another. You ease away from the group that's moaning, "I haven't done a thing all week. I really dread the coming of January." What can you do for fifteen minutes a day, between now and New Year's Day, so you’ll be closer to your goals and dreams as you change your calendar?

Audio or visual?

Recently I met someone in person after several months of phone communication. He had proposed a joint project and I was backing off, based on a number of phone communications and missed deadlines.

I was charmed by his style. If I hadn't made a firm decision ahead of time, I'd have said yes.

On the other hand, he was more of a visual person. He hoped to use the opportunity to convert me to say yes. But when we met, he picked up on my body language and nonvebal communication, and he dropped the idea almost immediately. We had a glass of wine and talked about everything but our project. As soon as we met, he recognized it was a dead deal.

I live on the phone and Internet, so I tend to forget the power of face-to-face. And I pick up more on the phone than I do in person. Many people work the opposite way.

"Why am I still here?"

Q. “After ten years in a university community outreach office, I’m ready to join the corporate world. But interviewers ask me why I’ve stayed so long in the nonprofit sector.” A. When faced with tough questions, most of us begin by feeling defensive. Instead, at the first sign of attack, begin to claim your bragging rights. You have to plan ahead so you’ll be prepared. (1) Discuss how you’ve grown in your current job. “I’ve had promotions every two or three years. Each promotion gave me a whole new set of experiences – like moving from job to job.” “Actually I resigned two years ago. My current employer made a counter-offer to keep me.” (2) Show how you’ve contributed value. “I’ve increased our placements from 50% to 90% in two years with no increase in promotional spending.” “With my team, I developed a seminar program that doubled student participation in one year.” (3) Demonstrate your comfort level with corporate for-profit organizations. “Although I work for a university, I deal more with businesses like Pepsico and Citicorp than I do with my own departments. I submit proposals and work on joint programs with corporate executives.” “I work with the business school and we’re immersed in contemporary corporate challenges every day.” (4) Emphasize the prestige of your current organization. “My university’s business program was ranked 9th in our region.” “We attract students and faculty from all over the world.” (5) Use business concepts to frame your resume and interview stories. For example, an academic committee often operates just like a corporate cross-functional team. “My six-member team developed a marketing strategy that doubled the number of Fortune 50 recruiters who came to our campus from 2005 to 2006.” Got the idea? Now practice responding to your own toughest questions by flipping the switch from “beg” to “brag.” Will these tactics guarantee success? Not necessarily. Some companies (and managers) will remain inflexible, no matter how persuasive you are. Remember the Job Changing Mantra: Sometimes the outcome has nothing to do with you. But if you apply what I call the Bragging101 principles, you’ll increase your odds of achieving success. And you’ll come across as a confident professional who deserves respect throughout the interview process.

Using Metaphor to Deal With Office Bully Experience

I just ran across an interesting article on office bullies. Click here to read. You'll also find an article on my website about dealing with bully bosses. Click here to read. Is this a hot topic for you? Send an email