It's All Good

Clients often lament that their career has been choppy or contains positions they wish they'd never taken, or that they weren't in for very long, or that they had a boss at the last place with whom they did not get along, or other work/job/career things they think didn't unfold the right way.

But from what I've observed it's a truth—for all of us—that all of the experiences we have had in our careers have served us well, every one of them, just maybe it doesn't exactly look that way at first glance.

One pattern I've found in careers is that, every job we hold gives us some sort of a "gift". Sometimes people look back and see that if they hadn't held That job, or worked at That company, or with That person, they wouldn't have learned a certain skill or bit of information or had an experience that, it turns out, became important to rest of their career.

And hand-in-hand with that idea is this: sometimes people get let go from positions quite suddenly, big surprise/shock. But often, down the road, they can see that they'd gotten that bit of information, skill or experience from that company, or job, and it truly had been time to move on. They didn't realize that consciously, and they hadn't thought they were ready to make a change, but over time they saw how neatly their past opened up into their future.

There's a saying that when one door closes, another opens. And if you can trust that, and believe another old saying which is that 'The Best Is Yet To Come'.... well... then it's all good.

Do you know about the 80/20 thing in job hunting?

Eighty (80) percent of all jobs that are available, are not posted.

They’re not posted on line, or on job boards, or in the newspaper. They’re never listed anywhere, and do you know why? It’s because the employer doesn’t have to post them because people basically just show up and ask for them! 

That’s called ‘proactive job seeking’ – you go to the employer to ask for a job. You show up with a great resume and a big smile on your face and let them know that: (A) You’re interested in pursuing employment opportunities at their company and (B) You have great qualifications for working there and that you can bring value to their company!

You already know you’ve got great qualifications – do you also have a great resume? If not, I can help! Because you know what? That new job is waiting for you to show up and claim it!

Is your resume great? Is it getting you interviews for at least 50% of the job you're applying for? It should be, and if not, I can help. I've been writing powerful, interview-getting resumes for more than 20 years. Email your current resume to me for a free consultation to help you get on track -- it's easier than you may think!  cnyresumes.com  •  terrieosborn@gmail.com

The Great Opportunity Of Changing Jobs: Just Let Go

Changing jobs can be stressful, especially if you thought you’d be staying forever / for a long time / until you retired, at the job you’re now finding yourself thinking about changing from.

Here are a couple of thoughts that might make the process easier.

1. Why did you think you’d be staying there forever, anyway?

Your response might be: That’s what my father and grandfather did -- stayed at the same job for 20 (30, 40 or more) years so I just assumed I'd work at the same place for my entire life too. Or maybe it's not exactly that you ‘thought’ you’d be staying there forever, but that you wanted to stay there because you didn’t want to go through (what seemed like) the chaos of changing jobs.

Or maybe you’re ‘vested’ in the company financially, meaning with retirement funds, and have no interest in jeopardizing that. Or maybe you just like it there, like the routine, like the people you work with, etc., and want to stay. Probably why you thought you’d be staying at your job is due to one or a combination of those responses.

2.  What if you changing jobs is just a part of the huge, global changing / rearranging / cleaning up / making things better overall and for everyone everywhere process that we appear to be experiencing right now?

It's pretty obvious that a lot has been changing on the planet over the past few years, and for all the upheaval that often appears to be involved, it does seem that things are going from good to better. What if you’re just playing a little part in – dare you even think it? – making the world a better place, by shifting out of a place where you’re no longer needed, into a place where you very much are needed now, in ways you may never know, and even though you might not know what or where that place is just yet?

Maybe you—personally—have some intangible qualities that would be of benefit to another employer at this point in time. Maybe ‘the universe’ is (gently, at least at first, at least until you resist) moving you into new place as part of the overall change on the planet, even if you’re not seeing it that way. Maybe you’re ‘all done’ at the place where you’ve been, your mission has been completed, and you’re needed elsewhere now, AND you’ll be happier when in the new place. (Maybe some or all of these are true for you.)

And finally,

3. What if the changing process doesn’t have to be difficult, but can be fun and easy, as fun as taking a wonderful vacation where great surprises are in store for you as well as a type of pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?

Ok to be clear, I’m not exactly talking about actual ‘gold’, although excellent renumeration should absolutely be on your ‘must have’ list of what you want in a new job (if it's what you want -- whatever you want in a new job, should be on your 'must have' list). I’m talking about feeling happier.

Suppose you knew changing jobs would put you into a place where you were happier than you ever have been: wouldn’t that make the job changing process a little easier? To know that’s what you’re headed toward? To know that everything would be even more than okay when you got there? That it might even be the best thing that ever happened to you?

We set the tone for all of our experiences by what we anticipate. If we think we’re going to have a bad time, we probably will. But if we decide to have a wonderful experience, and surrender to the beautiful potentials that we decide to believe are in store for us -- imagine the possibilities!

Changing jobs doesn’t have to be horrible, unless you make it be that, which—if you’re not deciding it will be a good experience—chances are that’s exactly what you’re doing, letting the experience be awful.

You could decide to believe changing jobs is, somehow, in your best interest, even if you don’t exactly see that right at the moment, and just let it happen. If you have to make a change, for whatever reason, you can choose to do it willingly instead of in resistance. Decide good things are going to happen on this adventure then pack a lunch and the camera and keep your eyes open. This may well be the most amazing journey you’ll ever take.

The key that opens doors to interviews is a great resume. Is yours getting you interviews? If not, I can help. I've been writing powerful, interview-getting resumes for more than 20 years. Email your current resume to me for a free consultation to help you get back on track -- it's easier than you may think!  terrieosborn@gmail.com