Really?

It's been approximately 8 months on my new gig---the best job I've ever had in many ways.  I haven't written a blog entry in 2 months.   So, should I be thinking about my next job?  How many of you say "NO!?"   You're wrong.

The thing is, none of us know how long our jobs will run, with long tenures and golden watches for retirement not the norm, none of us can afford to get complacent.  Have you done a skills inventory lately against the skills currently being sought out in your field?  Is it time to hit a couple of seminars in 2011 to get yourself up to date or to inspire yourself to grow intellectually? 

I've been at my job for 8 months, and since I was, more or less, in job search mode for 1.5 years (though I was working contracts), I find myself like a coworker who, after completing his Master's degree, found himself going to his study on Sunday afternoon as he'd done for a couple of years, realizing that he no longer had to spend EVERY Sunday afternoon in study and paper writing.  It feels weird to NOT be on an intense job search--of course, I'm not complaining.

If you haven't taken stock of your current position/employer/field in a while (like over a year), I would strongly encourage you to do so.  Do a skills inventory, research jobs in your field that you qualify for and/or would like to do and hiring trends at companies that you think you might like to work for.  Expand your social networks, especially LinkedIn.   Right now, employers can afford to be selective when interviewing candidates for the positions they have open, and seeing the skills and experience for which they are looking might be a good indication of where your skills development plans should be going.  Some of the skill needs you may find that your field desires may be something that would take you a few years to acquire.  If you're working now, don't wait until you aren't to update your skills and make yourself more marketable.

Ecclesiastes 3:6 "A time for search and a time for loss; a time to keep and a time to give away"

Ecclesiastes 3:1  For everything there is a fixed time, and a time for every business under the sun.

When you get some time to examine yourself, especially if you are busy searching for your next career opportunity, you may find that your mind wanders off in many directions.   Perhaps, you think, you could make a living as a fisherman or fireman or circus freak like you dreamed of doing when you were a child.  Maybe what you've been doing isn't what you really want to do or what you feel God has planned for you in life.   We should always be asking ourselves hard questions about our direction in life, but most of the time, we excuse ourselves as just being way too busy.

Always having been one to spend a lot of time in reflection (some might say way too much), I imagine the many different courses my life could have had, has had, is on, and/or could take, and frankly, it's both terrifying and exciting!  Like the next person, I enjoy the comfort that is the American standard of living, but if all we are concerned with is physical comfort (i.e. "making a living"), are we experiencing "life" or just "physical existence?"  Years ago, I remember being in a dead-end job, thinking, "God, is this it?  Is this all there is to life?"   When you pose that question directly to God, you probably should have your seat belt on and tray tables in an upright position.  It's at that point that I think He must deem us teachable, and class usually commences shortly after we pose such a question.

I'm reading Bob Buford's Half Time (Changing Your Game Plan from Success to Significance) right now, and I highly/especially recommend it for anyone approaching that "reassessment" period in his or her life.  I'm guessing that a lot of people are experiencing "reassessment" as they find themselves looking for work during this economic downturn that has turned out so many long-tenured, experienced workers.

As you think about your life and career---and this is largely the point; YOU MUST TAKE TIME TO REFLECT---lose yourself in your dreams and imagination.  You may be holding yourself back from something wonderful that matches with what you believe is your life's mission.  Sure, some people are so far underwater with the cares of life that they can't hope to reach their life's vision in the foreseeable future.  If in frustration we give up and stop dreaming, we become real-world versions of Star Trek's Borg.  Realization of some dreams just takes more time and commitment, and some changes in life require greater commitment than thinking about it one afternoon and deciding to act.

It's a good thing it takes many years to get to adulthood.  When we're "grown up," we have finally reached a point where we can possibly learn about ourselves---if we are willing to take the time and effort. 

Contracting: Reality in the Current State of Things

I remember reading some years back that "in the 21st century, many people would be free agents, contractors," but I didn't really believe it.  There are so many reasons for hiring a person, none the least of which is ownership and productivity.  However, after being a contractor for just about a year, I'm not dismissing that as an option anymore.....but then again, I wonder if I can make a living with multiple income streams, some of which involve gardening and woodworking.

I've spent most of this past year in a focused, informed, network-savvy job search.  I've done some presentations at professional groups, had some interviews, even 2nd and 3rd interviews, but no offers.  In the past, I've averaged a couple of calls a week, and on a good week, I would have two interviews with two separate companies.  Not so at the present time.

It's not that I don't like my present contracting situation--it honestly doesn't pay too badly.  It's just that there are no benefits--especially health insurance--and that puts a damper on things. (Disclaimer:  I do not support the socialized medicine that our current administration is pushing.  When a high-ranking Canadian official comes to the US for surgery that he could get "free" in Canada, that says a lot about the highly-touted Canadian system and others like it.)  So, a major concern is health insurance, and if you've had to buy insurance privately, you know why that is an issue.  If you haven't, pray that you never have to, and have an AED nearby when they tell you the rates.


The other thing about contracting is that no matter how involved you get in the business, no matter how great your co-workers are about making you feel at home, you will always be a NON-EMPLOYEE.  I'm not saying that my current contracting company treats me badly; they don't.  It's just that as a contractor, you do not share in any of the "company" things, and there are some issues you have to steer clear of, as no one wants a co-employment issue to crop up. 

Companies like contractors because they aren't as difficult to get rid of (pretty much a phone call will take care of it), and companies want to bring in just the right skills for just the right job.  Of course, that only happens in the bizarro world.  Though a contractor does bring established skills that are useful to a company they contract for, he or she must also get a lay of the land and understand the issues surrounding the work they are contracted to do.   Perhaps some contract positions/temp employees may be able to "drop in" and perform a job adequately, but others need time to assimilate to the work environment, learn what has been done, and understand the political situation to be effective.  

I wonder if when regular employees see contractors filling positions that could be and would be better be served by a regular employee, they may become less engaged (a hot topic these days), as they may be concerned that their position may be given to a contractor or that they are always preparing for the eventual departure of the short-term contractor.

Companies like to tout contracting as being cheaper, but in reality, after the fees by the contracting company (the contractor's employer of record) are taken into account, the cost is about the same.  The only difference is that you have a worker who does not have the same investment in the company's success as a regular employee and who is looking for his or her next contract from almost the start of the job. 

Rebecca Metschke has done it again.....see the article that sparked my comments on contracting.

Are You the Boss of You?

from The Interview Edge by Rebecca Metschke

 

Earlier this week, The Wall Street Journal ran an interesting piece about the “age of going solo” – working for yourself. While it focused on the ins and outs of how to succeed as a consultant, I was struck by the snapshot of today’s workforce in the article’s setup.

With unemployment stuck on “high” and millions of people in the “long term unemployed” bucket, seismic shifts are taking place in the composition of the workforce.

According to author Richard Greenwald, 20% to 23% of U.S workers are “operating as consultants, freelancers, free agents, contractors, or rmicropreneurs.”

Think about that. Close to one quarter of working Americans are employed on a contingent basis.
Goodbye, defined career paths and benefits – hello, project-to-project work.
With the employment picture looking gloomy for literally years to come, contracting may be in your future, too (if you haven’t gotten there already).

I know many folks who were forced out of traditional jobs during the last recession – and quite a few are still working for themselves today.

Contracting/freelancing/consulting isn’t easy, especially if all you’ve ever known is the 9-to-5 world…but it can be rewarding. Many independent employees will tell you they don’t ever want to go back.
Bottom line: given the lackluster employment outlook, you may very well end up being the boss of you, whether or not that’s what you were planning.

The Interview Edge- a comprehensive guide for people who are serious about their careers. Available in instantly downloadable format.

Retooling Yourself for the Future

by Rebecca Metschke

Rebecca Metschke is the author of The Interview Edge, a comprehensive guide for those who are serious about their careers. Visit http://blog.TheInterviewEdge.com for free tips and strategies to gain a professional advantage.

How marketable are you right now? What will you need to do to make sure you’re still relevant five years from now? 

When the economy is in recession, workers focus on their marketability. They’re either trying to hang on to their jobs or attempting to land new ones. Nobody wants to be deemed redundant, or expendable, or a weak candidate. Those are labels no one can afford to be tagged with. People spend time thinking about how they can shore up weaknesses and increase perceived value.

Unfortunately, though, when the job market finally rights itself, a lot of those same people will just as suddenly put thoughts about how to stay relevant on the back burner. And that will be a mistake.

Even when the economy begins expanding again, we’re still going to be looking at a dynamic job market. Remember back just a few short years ago when the market was red hot? People were still facing layoffs. Companies were still merging – or outsourcing – or streamlining operations – resulting in head count reductions. Of course jobs weren’t being lost at the pace they are now, but the point is…you’d better make sure you’re marketable.  

If you don’t keep up with the pace of change, you will always be vulnerable. (Emphasis mine.)

Your skill set needs to be broad and relevant. You need to be sure you’re making a meaningful contribution to the organization. You need to identify future trends early and understand what you need to do to adapt and thrive. 

This will require initiative on your part. Nobody’s going to do this for you; it’s your responsibility to make sure you’re as marketable as possible.

Do You Take Time to Dream Anymore?

Free association time about what I want to do when I grow up....   Have you ever really asked yourself what you really like to do?   Richard Nelson Bolles (What Color is My Parachute?) leads job seekers through just such an exercise (as have numerous outplacement companies).  It's one way to do a career check and a gut check at the same time.   It also helps us maintain direction in our searches and helps us not to get pulled into the multitude of employment scams that hit the email box and other "get rich quick" jobs you see advertised.  BE AWARE!  Scam artists of every kind are trying to capitalize on the unemployed.  

Just a few of the things that run through my mind as possible career options (and yes, I do have a wide variety of interests/dreams, and no, this is not the ravings of mid-life male!):

....I could be a fisherman in New Orleans where I grew up....I could be a Master Gardener and tour Texas, teaching people to plant vegetable gardens.....I could be a woodworker, making small things to sell at craft fairs and online as well as learning how to make bigger things.....I could live in the Canadian wilderness (or Alaska), living off the land, planting a garden and fruit trees.....I could go back and finish my training in counseling and help people by actually working in the field.....I could become a (full-time, professional) career counselor.....I could run a job hunter group like many of the excellent local ones......I could be a professional fisherman/hunter.......I could study the stars, as I loved to do as a kid.......I could find a job as a performance consultant, helping companies grow profitable and people to do their jobs better......I could work in Quality consulting, teaching others about how right W. Edwards Deming is.......I could go to Europe (Germany or Austria) and be an ambassador of good will.......I could go raise bees on Pitcarin Island (if they'd let me on)......I could work as a Training Manager on a cruise ship (actually seen ads for this)......I could become a travel consultant/guide/reviewer and visit all the places in the world I enjoy and tell others about those places.....I could figure out what kind of writing I like the best and work at it to make a living......I could go back into the ministry as an Education Minister, using what I've learned in private industry to edify the church......I could open a business in Second Life and show the world that people really can make money there.....I could work in a think tank, coming up with future ideas for technology and its use.......I could get serious about my walk with Christ and see more clearly where He leads me in my working life........I could join the war on terrorism (too old and fat for infantry or navy) in cyber security or some other way to defeat the terrorists and rid the world of that mess.........I could actually stay in my field of learning and development, pushing forward in management and training new trainers.........I could go it alone as a training and development consultant.........I could become an outplacement counselor for one of the big firms........I could return to school, get a Master's degree in learning and development and pursue a performance consulting or Organizational Development position.....I could raise Bouviers as a breeder..........I could teach college English and Literature........

Bottom line:   Find out what you love to do/what gets you excited and motivated on a regular basis, seek God's guidance, and find a job doing what you love.   Chances are that you could make a living at something you never thought you could. : )