Fix Your Job Hunt

(Do you really want a job?)

Job Hunting is Frustrating and Very Stressful. You no longer have the income that you depended on. Bills are piling up and savings going down. Your social standing may be lower with strangers. You miss your old friendly coworkers who greeted and talked with you daily. We depend on social interaction to live.  We want our old life back.

We need to adjust our attitude to get our next job. This is only a trip to our next life. Not insurmountable. A phase to get through. Assume you will get a job. Then job hunting will be less stressful.

That is right, assume you grow through this experience. You will be a better person, more humble and more human after starting a new position. You will help other job hunters because you understand.

We don’t know how long it will take to get another job. We just know you will find one. You may have to move. You may have less stuff. But we, who have been unemployed before, found new work. You will too.

Now you know you will find work. What steps to prepare should you do?

1. Write down a list of your successes at work and in school. Does not matter if anyone else thinks they are a success. You do. Write them out.
2. What compliments did you receive? People have told you what you are good at. Don’t discount small compliments. What you find easy to do are your gifts.
3. What assignments or parts of your jobs did you enjoy? What tasks or skills do you want to do on your new job?

 Your strengths, gifts and experiences will help you excel at your career. Don’t skip this step of understanding yourself. Most people think they can do any job. But you get hired for the job you do well. The more focused you are, the faster you go back to work.

Assume you will succeed, put in effort, cultivate a positive attitude, and you will succeed.

What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?

This question is usually answered with a job or a wish. Fireman, Teacher, Nurse, or what someone in our family does. Truthfully we are so young we don’t know what it means.

One parent is looking to give up her Chairmanship. Her young son tells her he can take over. “I set up the chairs every week.” Different meanings are lost on us.

“In general we are least aware of what our minds do best.”

–      Professor Marvin Lee Minsky, MIT AI Lab

Professor Minsky studied intelligence and want to develop thinking machines to act like humans. The complexity of intelligence is our mind can learn several different ways. We observe, smell, interact, manipulate, taste, experiment, love and experience. All at the same time. Look at people interacting with their pets. How complicated are the behaviors of both human and pet?

Further our brains handles health functions like breathing, digesting and waste without much conscious thought. We pull back from hot, avoid predators, entertain others, and navigate around by distance, direction & landmarks in a complicated world. A Artificial Intelligence machine like that will require building lots different skills, and integrating them all to be like a human.

Often talents pop out and we wonder where did that come from? Why am I the only one who knew the answer? How come no one else understood him? Why didn’t they know what she meant? My favorite - “It was easy. Anyone could do it.”

We sometimes get mentors who recognize our talents and start to lead us. Often we muddle through and struggle what to do. You are far from alone. Often wonder what should be doing with these different gifts I have.

The hell of life is we are born for greatness. But we neither know why, or what our talents are. Finding out may take our whole life.

Happy hunting, and share what you learn.

Where the Hell is Matt?

Just saw Matt Harding’s inspiring 2012 video. He traveled around the world in 2003 doing his little ‘bad’ dance in front of iconic backdrops. Posted it on his blog to share. Kept it up and he talked people in joining him dancing.

Finally he had his moment when he danced with some kids and realized he had been doing it wrong.

Dance with other people. It is not the scenery, it is the people that make this video special. That and Matt’s gift of enjoying people from everywhere. True ambassador to the world.

Watch Matt’s video. Figure out how to invite more people to join you in whatever your calling is. Together we can solve anything.

You can see Matt is much more than a bad dancer. Look at the joy he brings to strangers. The world is a closer place thanks to Matt.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pwe-pA6TaZk

Be a Real _____

My friend Kelly Meloy wrote an interesting and thoughtful piece asking, “Are you a REAL (fill in the blank)?” Thought he made a great point -  doers do their craft. Don’t hold yourself back.

You should go ahead and read Kelly’s piece below first.

I disagreed with him a little over his final line, “if you get paid…” then you are REAL professional. Getting paid is NOT the right judge if you are an artist, athlete or a professional.

Have not made a lot of money from writing books, but the quality of my work is professional. My writing skills are used on my paid profession. Are you any less of a professional if you give away work to a charity? The time and materials are still tax deductible.

It is the quality and effort you put into your work that makes you a professional. The pay and/or rewards come later. Rewards are not always cash.

To be one, get started now. Act like you are already the real craftsman or artist you desire to be. Be the artist or athlete. Fake it until you make it. It won’t be announced when the day comes. Later realize you already crossed the line by being one first.

Get REAL!

By Kelly Meloy

Are you a REAL (fill in the blank)?

REAL Artists make art

REAL Cartoonists cartoon

REAL Photographers direct and capture Images

REAL Writers write

REAL Hikers hike

REAL Skaters skate

REAL Sculptors sculpt

REAL Musicians play music

REAL Composers compose

REAL Singers sing

If you get paid then you’re a professional REAL (fill in the blank).

Thankfulness and True Wealth

Reflective mood being Thanksgiving and a year older today.  Just want to share a thought.

The world struggles because the focus is wrong. The president, congress and the Federal Reserve have it wrong. They think wealth is created by adding liquidity to the economy.  QE has not made the economy grow or most people wealthier.

True wealth is created by helping other people. Washing machines improved people’s lives and freed up time to spend with family. Airplanes let us visit each other all over the world. Microwaves heat our food.

Bank’s being able to loan more debt? How has that improved the world? Finance is not as important as building something, no matter how small.

True wealth to most people is being able to share time with family and friends on a holiday. Charity, volunteering and doing good are the best examples of sharing real wealth.

So what am I thankful for today?

Being able to serve coffee and Danishes at church this morning. May even wash some dishes.

Friends and family who are fighting and beating cancer. Their struggles inspire and show the goodness of people/strangers helping them.

Being able to read inspiring thoughts from other writers encouraging us to be a little bit better every day. Not only the famous like Reverend’s Schuler & Olsteen, but friends like Reverend’s Steve Cuff and James Richards teaching faith.

The few words of peace, love and understanding I am able to share. Example my chapter redefining success not as money earned, bur raising good kids as more important. The words may be read by only a few people, but they will reach someone who needs them.

All the engineers I have been able to teach this year how to be better engineers. Always learn something when I teach.

It is not the gifts or possessions that make me thankful today. It is the life I get to share. Please share some of your blessing today and enjoy today. Lets build real wealth.

Your Losing Streak

(Upcoming book: Adapting! Things I Learned from Unemployment)

Everyone goes through tough times. Don’t care how rich, how famous or how ordinary you are. You are not alone. Everyone has hard times.

Being unemployed is tough. You lost your routine. Lost the place you went everyday. Lost the people you saw and enjoyed everyday are gone. You no longer have enough money to go buy your wants, or even needs.  You don’t even know what to do with yourself today. What are you going to do later?

In today’s economy you can be out of work for months or years.  I know from experience.

You can feel confused, frustrated, angry, lost

… or all the above and more.

It is truly a difficult experience.

Understand you are not the first. You are not alone. Go find support. Realize people do care about you, and use their strength to keep going. Experience unlimited, church, temple, mosque and religious groups are wonderful.

Believe in yourself and set out to help someone else. This is the key to success.

Know you will eventually find work. Not always what you want, nor as much as you would like to earn.  You may have to start over, and that is not always a bad thing.

Why should you believe in yourself? Truthfully you have had more successes than you remember. Every year or two you had a success you participated in. Not by yourself, but one you participated in with a team.

Your contributions matter then, now, and in the future. We need you to succeed.

So step one is going through your work, schooling and volunteering. Find those successes. What is the definition of a success? “Anything you think that was a success.” Do not make this hard.

What purpose is this for? You are going to figure out what talents and skills you have. These transferable skills are what employers want.

You have to show your personal value proposition to employers. Same thing entrepreneurs have to do with their customers, you have to do too.

Then look at each success and break it down. What was the situation or problem? What did your team do, and what was your contribution? Write these stories down.

Then estimate, calculate or take a swag at how much $, %, # or time was earned or saved. Don’t exaggerate, but do your best. Remember dollars is the language of business.

These are the stories you are going to tell during your interviews. When they ask have you done this?  You answer. “Not exactly, but I have done something similar with your story. Practice telling these stories out loud, and the more you do it the better you become.

Get started, figure out your skills and the value you have to offer.  We want and need you to succeed. Really.