Billie Sucher Blog

We Can Work It Out

You can get it wrong and still you think that it’s all right.

~ John Lennon, Paul McCartney

Are you looking for a job? Are you holding on to the job you have, yet can’t stand going to work? Did you get fired from your job recently? Have you been unemployed for two months or maybe even two years? 

When I listen to people, be it my clients, a speaker, a colleague, a friend, or one of our children, I am always listening for the essence, the takeaway, the nugget of what they are saying. The other day, I was listening to a speaker talk about working things out, whatever it might be in life. And the main message I took away from his presentation: “We can work it out.”

What in your job search would be well, wise and worth it for you to work out?

Do you need to work out how you are going to pay your bills to keep things afloat until you can find new employment?

Do you need to work out how you are going to start that business you’ve always talked about doing?

Do you need to work out how you are going to interact with a boss or co-worker you do not like until you can find a new job elsewhere?

Do you need to work out how you are going to write a résumé when you have held seven different jobs in the past five years?

Do you need to work out how to speak about yourself and your brand before you go to market and explore new opportunities?

Do you need to work out how to stay motivated and energized, up and on after being rejected 15, 20, or more times?  

Do you need to work out how to learn more about social media and how it could be another valuable tool for you?

Do you need to work out how to juggle unemployment and part-time work and who will watch the kids?

Do you need to work out how to talk to your spouse, partner or loved one how you’re going to ‘get through this’ together instead of apart?

Do you need to work out how you are going to explain to a Hiring Manager why you are between jobs?

Do you need to work out how you are going to tell your family that you are really struggling with being out of work?

Do you need to work out how to renew, rebuild and repair relationships with the people in your life who really matter?

Do you need to work out a way to forgive yourself, stop blaming yourself and resist the temptation of seeing yourself as a failure?

Do you need to work out a way to let someone know that you are sorry for what you said?

Do you need to promise yourself that you will do whatever it takes to hustle, to stay focused and to leave no stone unturned in making changes that need to be made to work out your life?

Do you need to work out in your mind and heart that you buy-in to the concept of we can work it out?

Life is very short, and there’s no time

For fussing and fighting, my friend.

~ John Lennon, Paul McCartney 

Job Loss Endings and EGBDF

Endings  Endings are hard. Endings are painful. Endings are not easy. Sometimes endings are bad. Sometimes endings make us mad or sad. Other times, endings make us glad. Endings make us uncomfortable. Sometimes endings are good. Sometimes endings bring welcome relief and help us breathe easier again. Sometimes  endings need to happen, whether we like it or not. Sometimes endings challenge us to take a hard look at what’s important – what really matters. Sometimes we’d rather not deal with any part of endings. Endings. 

Yesterday, I went to an auction. An accumulation of years and years of stuff was on display for all to see – and purchase! Among the many items for sale was my Grandmother’s piano – the piano I had ‘played’ when I was a little girl. As I stood there in the driveway looking at the piano, I heard my Grandmother’s voice from many years ago still teaching me …..’Every Good Boy Does Fine’. I played the piano chord I had played over and over as a little girl. I touched the keys for one last time. I thanked Old Piano for letting me play my off key creations which I am certain were not at all music to her ears. 

Not far from the Old Piano was the round, beautiful oak claw-foot table I’d grown up with. How many conversations had taken place around her? How many cakes and pies and goodies and meals had it displayed? How many life changes and goals and wishes and dreams and heartaches had it been privy to? How many tears of happiness and sorrow had found a permanent resting place there?  I took photos of the old oak table as I stood by her and thought about another time in my life. This day, though, I was saying good-bye to her for the very last time. 

As a career management professional, I have coached, counseled, comforted, and consoled many, many people who have lost a job. Losing a job is tough. I know – I have lost one before! Losing a job is a mucky, sucky, yucky time when you find yourself in a sort of no-man’s land – that messy, clouded, confused , chaotic uncertain time between the old job and the new one you know nothing about.  A time when you can’t go back, yet you have no idea how to move forward.

What I have learned time and again from clients regarding their job loss is this:

• Change is certain. If you have never lost a job in your career, you are lucky.
• Starting over is possible and doable if you choose to do so.
• You can move on – it is not easy; you just keep telling yourself that you can and that you must and that you will do your best this day, tomorrow, and the next to put one foot ahead of the other and keep going forward.
• Most likely, you can’t go back or get back what was – your old job. 
• Getting on with life after job loss takes tremendous self-care, courage and conviction. 
• Reaching out is much more effective than reeling in and pulling back.
• Building a transition team of people who are invested in your career success makes good old-fashioned common sense. Teamwork works! 
• Remember the goodness in people and the good times you had in your job.
• Celebrate the best of what was and move forward with an attitude of gratitude and believe that the best is yet to come.
• Make some new music in whatever way you can.  Even if it’s off key, maybe that’s better than not playing at all.
• Create some new conversations and some new stories with people you have yet to meet.
• Decide that you are going to spend more time looking ahead to your tomorrow’s than looking back on your yesterday's.

Everybody's Somebody in Luckenbach

Though not on my bucket list, I liked loved going to Luckenbach, Texas! I had no idea what to expect, so I kept an open mind, grabbed my camera and headed out to this Texas hill country dot on the map.

My only frame of reference regarding Luckenbach was a song I recalled about Waylon, Willie and the boys. Upon arrival, my first encounter was with two roosters (shown here), a Texas longhorn and a host of Harleys. That said, I felt comfortable and found my way to fit in with a multi-generational (did I say Boomers?) crowd, especially when I saw this t-shirt: Everybody's Somebody in Luckenbach.

Fitting In!

Fitting in! It's a big deal, especially when you are looking for a j-o-b. As you explore potential career possibilities, do your best to find a good fit. Employers evaluate any number of variables regarding an applicant's candidacy and a significant one is this: Is this person a good fit? Ask yourself the same question: Do I feel like I belong here? Is there a good fit for me here?

In the general store (gift shop?) as I paid for my purchases in the Nut Department (please see image), the cashier told me she was the chief psychiatrist for said area which leads me to my next point:

Have Some Fun!

Whether you are looking for a job, have a job, or want to change jobs, try to have some fun carrying out your day-to-day activities. What one thing might you do to have some fun for free as you experience the job search process? Laughter is free; a sense of humor is free; a smile is free. Use these free gifts to your competitive advantage as you explore new career opportunities.

And last, and not least -- just like the t-shirt suggests:

Everybody's Somebody in Luckenbach! 

And to this thought I would add, everybody is somebody right where you are, whether you are in Luckenbach, Los Angeles, London or Lima!

...so baby, let's sell your diamond ring

Buy some boots and faded jeans and go away

This coat and tie is choking me

in your high society you cry all day

We've been so busy keepin' up with the Jones

Four car garage and we're still building on

Maybe it's time we got back to the basics...

~ a few lyrics from the song, Luckenbach, Texas, co-written by rock and soul producer Chips Moman and keyboardist Bobby Emmons.

FAQ From #Jobseekers: How Do You Ever Know What to Say on Twitter?

Over on Twitter last week, I posted this tweet:

FAQ from #jobseekers: "How do you ever know what to say on Twitter?" #jobhunt #outplacement #careers #Twitter #in

While I don't have a specific answer, I do have a general idea that may help you, if you are a brand new contributor to Twitter, or you are thinking about signing up for Twitter. Perhaps a few of these ideas (tweets) stated below will help you get started and keep going as U tweet away from this day 4ward!

Think about a subject of interest that you want linked with your name and your brand.

What do you know about that you could freely (passionately/interestingly) share w/others?

In as few words as possible, write a thought to create one 'practice' tweet.

Tweak your thought (tweet) until it's about 120 of the 140-character limit.

Try 'trial tweets' of 25 or so to build confidence before you click on Tweet.

Engage readers w/ strong content, ltd. self-promotion and a +sounding attitude. (Add hashtags if U like: #jobhunt)

Reply with thanks & appreciation when you get retweets, followers, mentions.

That said, I recall my very first tweet, some 5,000 tweets ago and I think it went something like this...

"This is my very first tweet on Twitter."

So #jobseekers, how about giving it a try...what will be your very first #tweet on #Twitter?

P.S. Feel free to Follow Me on Twitter: @billiesucher

 

 

Je ne sais quoi and The Job Search

Job seekers, pretend for a moment that you are completing an application and it states that you must complete the following question and submit it with your resume, cover letter, references, and salary history.

Here's the question:

What is your je ne sais quoi?

Yesterday, I was sharing this French word with clients based on a very interesting story I'd heard on a morning radio program. For the sake of this post, let's give this term an English translation:

~ What is 'that certain something' you have that makes your brand distinctive and attractive?

~ What is the 'indescribable quality' you possess as a job candidate?

~ What 'charm' or 'indefinable enchantment' do you possess that is simply hard to explain?

Bottom line, what might you offer in response to the employer's query? Something to think about as you consider your je ne sais quoi.

Au revoir!

P.S. Homework Exercise: To best serve you, your brand and your chances of getting hired faster, please take the time to formulate rock-solid answers to the above questions.

What Will You 'BE' in 2011?

My client and I were chatting about all the things they wanted to 'be' in 2011 which got me to thinking about some ideas for you, The Job Seeker of 2011. Feel free to add to this list any words you want to 'be' as the New Year progresses...

Action-driven, ambitious, accepting, authentic, accountable, accessible, approachable

Better, brave, bold, branded, big picture

Courageous, common-sense, confident, connected, consistent, curious, creative, civil, caring, clear, compassionate, coach-able, considerate, cheerful

Doggedly determined, dedicated, diligent, decisive, disciplined

Energetic, excellent, educated, efficient, enough, engaging, entrepreneurial

Fun, found, forgiving, focused, fair, forward-thinking

Grateful, good, great, giving, genuine

Hopeful, helpful, happy, humble

Imaginative, interesting, invested, inspired, intentional, interested, investigative

Joyful, just

Kind, knowledgeable

Level-headed, like-able, learning, loving, of laughter

Marketing-minded

Networked, necessary, needed, nice

Optimistic, open-minded, observant, overcoming of obstacles, opportunity-minded, options-oriented

Professional, personable, polite, purposeful, a partner, paying attention, practical, prepared, punctual, possibility-driven, problem solver, present, persistent

Quick on feet, quick-thinking, quality-driven

Ready, well read, realistic

Supportive, steadfast, self-directed, sense of humor, sure, sensible, selfless, sociable, succinct, strong, sharing

Trustworthy, tenacious, tactful, #thinking: tweet

Uber-understanding, unique

Victorious, valuable, valued

Warm, worthwhile, worthy, well

Xcellent

Youthful in spirit, young at heart

Zestful

What will you 'BE' in 2011?

On Thanksgiving: 12 Thoughts

T Time to treasure and take stock of the abundance in your life.

H Harnessing an attitude of thankfulness for all that you are, and can become.

A Appreciating your assets, acknowledging your liabilities, always striving to improve.

N Never giving up, no matter what, until you get what you need.

K Kindling a spirit of caring, kindness and civility for all people.

S Seeing the best in others; scouting possibilities in both the best and worst of times.

G Giving of your time, your talents, your knowledge to help someone succeed.

I Imagination, inspiration, ingenuity and ideas to create a better today and tomorrow.

V Voice that you find when you least expect it.

I Intentional in serving others with professionalism, integrity, excellence, and ethics.

N No, negative, and nothing which can lead to yes, positive, and something.

G Gratitude for family, friendships, clients, colleagues, connections and followers  around the globe.

~ Happy Thanksgiving to All and Thank You for reading and contributing to this blog ~

Job Seekers, Your Competition: 'Got Nothin' on You'

A couple of weeks ago over on Career Success Radio, I listened to a great interview with Tim Tyrell-Smith, Keith Keller and Annemarie Cross. One of the topics discussed was music and your job search. A few days later on my way to work, I heard a song called 'Nothin' on You' -- a song title that immediately grabbed my attention.

Perhaps that specific song title is a helpful reminder that as a job seeker, your competition has 'nothin' on you'! Instead of focusing on what they (the competition) have, how about directing your thoughts, actions and feelings toward what you have to offer an employer?

Here's a simple little experiment for you to try by writing answers to these three basic career questions:

1. What do you want to be?

2. What do you need to do to become that?

3. What do you have to stop doing and start doing to make it so that your competition has 'nothin' on you' -- the award-winning job seeker?

 

(photos by billiesucher taken at Iowa State Fair August 21, 2010; can you guess whose brands the two 'word' photos above represent?)

Going to the Country, Don't You Want to Go? or 12 Things My Road Trip Taught Me About Careers

One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree. Which road do I take? she asked. Where do you want to go? was his response. I don't know, Alice answered. Then, said the cat, it doesn't matter.' -- Lewis Carroll

I love nature; over the fourth of July holiday weekend, I had a chance to get away from the city and spend some time in the rural parts of the Midwest. As per usual, camera in hand, I took these photos as I cruised about the back roads and by ways. As 'they' say, a picture is worth a thousand words; hopefully, you can figure out the 'answers' via the photo and the hint. I will post answers in the comments section, just in case my clues are clear as mud! :)

If you speak before you think at an interview, you may run yourself into one of these:

If you stay in a job you don't like or accept a job you don't want, you may find yourself stuck in one of these: 

Before you make important career (life) decisions, proceed with this:

If you take time to notice, this will reveal itself everywhere you turn -- in people, places, nature and things:

Take the right (or wrong) one of these and you may end up, wind up in a place better (or worse) than you thought:

When one of these confronts you, what is your strategy for moving through, up, on, beyond, in or around this in your job search:   

Every once in a while in your career, you will want to do this and make sure the coast is clear before proceeding:

It is my hope that you will never find yourself up one of these without a paddle:

Whether we like it or not, these need to be dealt with before we move on to the next thing:

Worth paying attention to as you move through your career (or job hunt) regardless of age, experience or education.  

Wherever you go in your career (life), you leave these behind...what do yours look like?

No matter which one of these you are on, you can never know, with certainty, what's around the bend:  

At the recommendation of my client, I am including a 'Bonus Question for Zero Points': Can you name (without doing a Google search) the musical group who sang: 'Going to the Country, Don't You Want to Go'? Correct answer is also included in comments.

About That Book You Wanna' Write!

Have you ever thought about writing a book? Have you been thinking that thought for a while now? As a career transition consultant, clients ask me many questions -- this has been an FAQ lately:

Billie, how did you get your courage up to write a book?

While I am certainly no expert on writing books, nor on finding courage, I will happily share my book-writing experience with you...

First and foremost, I am crazy in love with my work in the career management profession and I am passionate about teaching others; for me, a book is simply another tool, another vehicle to impart information for an intended audience. I would also say that it never really occurred to me to not write another book. For me, it is as natural as breathing to share my thoughts and ideas with others in a written format such as a book.

THE IDEA:  The idea for my newest book entered my mind one Sunday morning in April 2009. I had pen in hand and a small Ladders' notebook, a giveaway at the Career Management Alliance Conference in Minneapolis in 2008. I was waiting for the speaker to commence his address, fully prepared to take notes. I know that may sound a little strange to some, but that's what I love to do when I'm listening to a speaker -- take notes to learn something! In any event, while I was waiting, I opened the Ladders' book to a clean page and scribbled these words as fast as I could: The Language of Career Management (in parentheses I wrote 'working title') Then page by page, I jotted an A, B, C etc. at the top of each page. Voila, I had an idea that I liked for the book.

 
THE INSPIRATION:  The Ladders' notebook was my constant companion from that day forward. When I heard an intriguing word or phrase that triggered a one-liner, I recorded it in the appropriate A - Z category. This exercise continued through late September 2009 when I counted 861 one-liners and decided 'enough is enough already.' I didn't hurry the book, though; I let it simmer and happen naturally, always looking for inspiration for the next line to write, the next thought to share, the next entry to record. Inspiration is everywhere if you are looking for it, which -- for sure -- I was!

THE INSIDER'S INSIGHT:  When I say 'insiders' I mean my immediate family -- two daughters, one son, one husband, and one German Shorthair Pointer. I invited their collective input on the book. Man's best friend could care less what I wrote; my husband said 'whatever you do will be fine'; my oldest daughter, an international recruiter in higher education said 'just keep it simple'; my youngest daughter, a veterinary office attendant said 'nothing boring or stupid'; and my son, a second-year law student at the time 'don't make me read a bunch of stuff to get to your point.' When I want the uncensored, unvarnished insider's insight, I simply ask my family and like it or not, I will hear it.

THE INDIVIDUALITY, THE IMPORTANT, THE INTEREST:  In writing the book, five things were important to me:

1. to deliver career information and education in a fast, efficient manner.
2. to offer encouragement and hope to job seekers of all ages.
3. to provide individuality of design and easy-to-absorb content, always keeping the reader in mind.
4. to write text in the form of a one-liner (or in Twitter terms, a 'tweet').
5. and that when the book was done, it would be available on Kindle.

Another important ingredient, for me, in writing the book (or anything else) is that I must be 100% invested and 100% interested. If either of those elements is missing, I have learned that I need to find a new and different idea (or topic) to write about. Perhaps you feel the same.

THE IMPROVEMENTS ARE NEVER DONE:  Getting the first, second, third drafts completed was relatively easy...and then the harder work began once the publisher's team got involved. I loved working with the publisher's team of copy editors; change this, change that, fix this, fix that, why this, why that? The exchange of emails was efficient and with each new email came a newer, more improved version of text, thanks to the publisher's talented editing team. The 'process improvement' phase was engaging, exhilarating and educational; I absolutely loved it! And then one day, just like that, the book was done and done -- no more changes, no more corrections...time to go to print Billie, so stop looking for mistakes! Once the book went to press, not once did I review it for changes, corrections, or improvements and as of this writing, I still haven't. I will revisit that process should a second edition occur.

THE INVITATION: So, there you have it -- the very abbreviated highlights of writing a book. Perhaps I have oversimplified it; or maybe I have complicated matters more than necessary. Bottom line, if you have a book in your head, or in your heart, (or in the bottom desk drawer), I invite you to pick up your pen, sharpen your pencil, dig out a piece of paper, fire up your Droid -- whatever it takes -- then write! One word. Then another. And yet another. And before you know it, one of these seasons of your life, I hope you will write someone a blog post somewhere when they ask you:  by the way, how did you get your courage up to write a book? :-)