06 Jan 11 How’s Your Job Search Going?

If you ask, most people in a job search probably hate getting asked this question.

I’m currently reading a book called Breakthrough! (affiliate link) by Paul Kurnit and Steve Lance.  It’s more of a business book, but the marketing principles are certainly applicable to those in transition. Chapter 1 of the books is ”How Ya Doin’?”

Job seekers are not alone in their dislike of the question. Paul and Steve say that question is one of the most feared questions people in business hear all the time as well. Without sounding like a complete advertisement for the book, I think there are some great things they share that can transfer to those in a job search. (Note: I originally came up with the idea for this post in the spring of 2010 before I’d even heard about the book.)

It should be easy, they say. After all there are only 5 choices, which I’ve adapted for the purpose of this post:

1. “Terrible.” If your job search isn’t what it could be or your career outlook isn’t what it used to be, what are you doing about it? Take stock of what you already have to offer. Then figure out a new game plan and transition into something else.
2. “Could be better.” This is probably what most of us would say. Whose fault is it that our search is the way that it is? The only one who can change it is you. Time to make a plan to make it better.
3. “Same old, same old.” What?! It sounds like rear-view mirror thinking. This is a dangerous spot to be in, because you could soon find yourself thinking that things will be okay in the future because they have been in the past.
4. “Great! Couldn’t be better!” Maybe things are going well for you in your search. Maybe you feel that everything is falling into place and you can just coast along. The truth is that, just as consumer brands need to develop and grow to stay at the top in their respective industries, so we ourselves as brands need to develop and grow to stay at the top in our respective industries.
5. “It’s great, but it could be better.” You should always be actively involved in creating what Matthew Kelly, author of The Dream Manager (affiliate link), calls “the best version of yourself.”

So, how’s your job search going?

Related articles

• Memorable 2010 job-search stories (sfgate.com)
• Job Seekers, Forget About LinkedIn: The Ultimate Guide for Your Twitter Job Search (customerthink.com)
• Looking for a job in 2011? Here’s how to stand out (msnbc.msn.com)
• Shake Up a Job Search Success Cocktail This Holiday (personalbrandingblog.com)

Tags: big idea, Breakthrough! (book), career development, Dream Manager (book), innovation, job hunt, Job hunting, job search, Matthew Kelly, Paul Kurnit, Steve Lance

29 Sep 08 Everyone is disposable

Image by Cold Cream Coffee via Flickr

We live in some crazy times. I heard about what happened at the Accounting department of one company. It seems that the parent organization across the country was looking to take over the Accounts Payable function of the business, so they let everyone go on the day they made the announcement. Then, about a month or so later, when it turned out that the transition wasn’t being done smooth enough, they decided to move the function back. Hiring brand new people.

If a mission-critical function of the business is that easily disposable, how can any of us really have any job security? No one. We have to be our own career managers.

Related tags: getthatjob get+that+job job+hunt job+search career+advice networking professional+development daniel+johnson+jr

25 Sep 08 One thing every day for your career development

Image via Wikipedia

It’s almost like Jason Alba was reading my mind.  Yesterday I mentioned how I’ve felt like I’ve been treading water in my job search:

I had an idea a few days ago, and my mind has been spinning since.  Today I’m announcing Jibberjobber One Thing, which will help people who are interested in nurturing their careers, or even protecting their careers, and wondering what they can proactively do to salvage some idea of job security.

I’ve signed up for this.  Why don’t you do the same?

10 Nov 07 The Impetus for a Job Change?

To say I’m upset is an understatement. In this Utterz from the Road (player embedded above), I talk about a “Coaching Memo” I received today that could very well be the impetus needed for me to make a job move. Please check out http://danieljohnsonjr.com/

Related tags: getthatjob get+that+job job+hunt job+search career+advice networking professional+development daniel+johnson+jr

27 Mar 07 Job Searching vs Career Management

Jason wrote a great article about changing the way we approach job searching and career management:

I frequently think about how we think of our job transitions – we are supposed to have lots of them during our career.

I’m completely intrigued by the people who have forgotten what a forced transition is like, or by those that feel totally secure in their job (or their ability to find a new job) – and their reactions to a “job search.”

I’m finding that Career Management was easier when I was looking for work. Now that I’m working, it’s harder and harder for me to stay in that mindset. I’m spending more time thinking about projects at work than my own career management.

But I try to do a little bit every day to manage my career, whether it’s setting up a lunch appointment with a friend, or use my LinkedIn URL as I comment on this and many other posts. I also maintain a portfolio blog. I also look for other ways to share what I’m learning about career management.

I don’t want to be misled into a false sense of job security. Right now work is going strong, but I still need to keep my eyes on the big picture.

What practical things do you do every day to manage your career?

Related tags: getthatjob get+that+job job+hunt job+search career+advice networking professional+development daniel+johnson+jr career+management jibberjobber

21 Sep 06 Job Security

From the Contract Employee’s Handbook, Appendix B: Glossary of Terms for Contract Professionals:

Job security

Job security is an urban myth. The myth of job security owes its origin to the common misconception among employees that they are somehow entitled to keep their employment with a given company in perpetuity. In fact, there is no job security. Employment with a given company is not an entitlement, and the right to continued employment is a myth. Another urban myth is that of job loyalty. Job loyalty arises from the misconception among many employees that if they show loyalty to their employer, their employer will reciprocate with loyalty toward the employee. As Dan Pink points out in his enlightened book Free Agent Nation, conventional wisdom dictates that workers trade loyalty for security, when, in fact, a more realistic assessment shows that workers instead trade talent for opportunity.