Billie Sucher Blog

Would You Rather?

Last week, I had a conversation with a client who had recently lost his job. He offered that he might possibly get rehired by his former employer, either working nights at one job or traveling 100% of the time at another. He had worked a day job prior to getting downsized. The two choices he presented reminded me of the Would You Rather game and how life is always presenting choices. As a professional, would you rather...

• work at a job you hate for a lot of money or work at a job you love for a little money?
• be president of a company where everyone disliked you or vice president of a company where everyone loved you?
• be the one doing the talking or the one doing the listening?
• be the leader or be the manager?
• have a competent manager or a competent team?
• work nights for more money or work days for less money?
• be seen or be heard at a networking event?
• have someone read your company e-mail or listen to your phone calls?
• be the one who speaks up or the one who shuts up?
• know a little about a lot or know a lot about a little?
• be the one to give or the one to receive?
• be the changer or be the changed?
• be the winner or be the whiner?
• manage others well or well-manage yourself?
• be respected for your knowledge or trusted for your common sense?
• wear an old suit that's comfortable or a new one that's uncomfortable?
• be the employer or be the employee?
• buy an existing business or build an organization from scratch?
• be the question or be the answer?
• be the innovator or be the implementer?
• be the interviewer or be the interviewee?

What career choices are facing you right now? What would you rather?

Your Job Search Gesallprov

In a recent visit to the Swedish American Museum in Chicago, I spied a beautiful chair built around 1900 by one Frederic Johanson. Perched by the chair was a brief description:

This chair was his gesallprov, which was an apprentice's proof that his trade education was finished and he was ready to become a tradesman.

It occurred to me as I was admiring the extraordinary craftsmanship in this piece -- now wouldn't it be something if before you launched a job search, you had proven you were ready to become a job seeker? How it seems to go for many, though, is that with little preparation, understanding, or knowledge of the career transition and job search process, one attempts to move from Point A to Point B with no apprenticeship training.

Have you well-prepared yourself to produce quality results? Do you know how to craft an extraordinary search that captures the awe of strangers? Have you proven that you are ready to hit the streets armed with the 2009 version of best practices in career management?

Mr. Johanson's work made me pause to appreciate his gesallprov from a century ago. What would you say if someone asked you to describe your job search gesallprov?

Starting Over, Again

On the long drive to Chicago, on either side of the interstate for mile after mile, farmland disappeared into the horizon. Corn stalk rubble. Land-in-waiting. Ponding water in low-lying areas. Stagnant. Empty. Idled. Sitting. Nothingness. A fence row here. A grove of trees there. Dead brush. Hangover of harsh winds. Evergreens. Silos. Meandering creek beds. Mud. Jet black dirt. Terraced hills. Sleeping irrigation systems. Flooded fields. Barbed-wire fences. Empty buildings. Abandoned barns. Hobbled houses. Tall trees. Construction in the works. Sunny blue skies. Puffs of condensation from ethanol plants. Debris. Winter's remnants.

And in a matter of weeks, the dull, dreary, and dark now visible to the eye will morph through man's handiwork into an emergence of grand and glorious shades of green. Soon, the fields will be prepared for seed and the planting of a new crop. Within days of planting, a closer look will reveal sprouts. Sprouts of a new start. Sprouts of a new crop. Small signs of a new beginning. And as it goes, while many seeds will take root, some will not. That's nature's way. And so it is with job search and starting over, again.

If you find yourself without a job, you can start over. You can make a new beginning. You can begin anew. You can plant some new seed. Before you can reap your harvest, though, and find that new job, there are certain things you must do, specific steps you must take. There are plans to make. Goals to set. Priorities to be determined. Garbage to be dumped. Forgiveness to find its way into your heart and head. Fences to mend. Networks to tend. Chances to take. Risks and rewards to ponder. Trying one more time. Not giving up. Never giving up. Making the call. Reaching out. Considering choices and consequences. Filling out forms for the 50th time. Motivating self. Staying calm. Letting go of the loss. Staying upbeat and optimistic, no matter what.

Refusing to quit on self, even though others may have quit on you. One foot ahead of the other. Day after day. Just because. Relentless resilience. Until one day, somewhere along down the road, maybe even when you least expect it, something pops through and surprises you. Maybe it's your lucky day. And it all starts with one you, and one seed...one tiny seed placed in nature's rich and fertile soil. And then, with unwavering conviction, you care for and tend to, until...

What do you intend to plant this Spring? What kind of harvest do you expect to reap come Fall?

Between Jobs: MeetUp and Matter

For quite a while, I had been simmering an idea to start a group for people who had lost their jobs. Then I'd get immersed in my day-to-day routine of work and family, and it always seemed to get pushed to the back burner.

A couple of weeks ago, I had just finished a presentation on a multigenerational workplace. One of my slides said something about try something new, dare to experiment...maybe the new thing will fly; and maybe it will flop was the message. For whatever reason, I could not get that "fly or flop" thing out of my head. At dinner that evening, I was at a lovely new restaurant here in town, sharing with my dining companion the events of the day. And then all of a sudden it hit me...I was sitting smack in the middle of a great venue for a meetup. The only thing left was to find the courage to ask the owner if she would go along with my idea. I asked; she said yes. I was thrilled. I was ecstatic. And so it came to be...a new professional networking group in our community for persons who have lost their jobs. It is free to attend. All are welcome.

The group is called Between Jobs: MeetUp and Matter. I chose Between Jobs because that's the name of my book. I chose MeetUp because I like how it sounded. I added Matter because sometimes, you don't feel like you matter if you don't have a job. You do matter! Hence, Between Jobs: MeetUp and Matter. Last Monday, I hosted our first event. It was wonderful! I was delighted! Each person who came had a chance to tell their story, share their goals for the future, and offer a job tip or two to those present.

What I learned from our first MeetUp and Matter is this...two heads are better than one. Everyone has something to contribute. Collectively, many great ideas emerge. If your community does not have a Between Jobs: MeetUp and Matter, I would challenge you to simmer the idea for awhile. It may fly; it may flop; you won't know if you don't try.

There's No Better Time Than Now; Today is the Day

Have you ever thought and thought and thought about wanting to do something and yet you kept finding 29 reasons not to do it? You know, this excuse, that excuse? This morning, I declared, today is the day. To try something new; to do something new; to jump in and go for it!

For months, I have wanted to start my own blog. For months, I have wanted to Twitter. For months, I have found a reason here and a reason there to put it off. Too busy counseling clients. Too busy writing resumes. Too busy working on this transition project or that speaking opportunity. Too busy doing anything and everything and nothing.

Today, I did something about my two wants and 1. set up my own professional blog and 2. set up a Twitter account. As I write my very first blog post here on Billie Sucher Weblog, I am absolutely elated, overjoyed, and happy that I have done these two big things -- at least they are two big things to me. Do I know a lot about Twitter? No! Am I eager and excited about having my own blog? Yes! Am I glad I did both? Absolutely!

If you are reading my first official post here, please know how much I appreciate it! I hope that tomorrow morning you, too, will decide that today is the day.