Assessing Your Career Plan

Get Off that Hamster Wheel!

October 3, 2017 By Marta Goertzen

Brains are funny things.

We take for granted that our heads sit on our shoulders while our brain does its thing. We learn, we make mistakes, all the while unaware that each action has an impact on our brains. Is that cool or what?

There is a theory about that. Intentional Change Theory argues that our brains grow and change through self-discovery. I am vastly over simplifying this complex research by Dr. Richard Boyatzis and his team at Case Western Reserve University. A recent lecture from Dr. Melvin Smith on this topic was most enlightening. It seems to me that the bottom line is that we grow the most through big picture thinking.

This was a surprise to me. I am a list maker. I love to check off tasks on my way to a big goal. I seldom think about where I am going except in the most practical terms. All that stuff about dreams makes me quite uncomfortable.

I want to achieve $XX revenue this year. I know the steps I have to take to achieve that goal. I know how many clients I need, how many speaking engagements, and how many LinkedIn connections I have to add. I am consumed by these tasks.

Does all that work really contribute to my personal growth and development? Or am I on a hamster wheel?

Intentional change theory suggests that I might make more progress and my brain might grow if I look at a bigger picture more frequently to put the tasks into perspective. I can achieve more substantial results through coaching to have a reminder of this perspective.

Instead of focusing exclusively on those daily and weekly tasks, focus on the bigger picture. “How did my work this week move me towards my goal?”

This also begs the question of whether my goal is big enough. Sure I want to earn $XX revenue. What if I focus on my mission in The Interview Doctor which is to teach people how to achieve career goals so they can achieve their own dreams. THAT is a big lofty goal.

This changes my question from “achieve $XX revenue” to “how did my work this week help someone achieve their career goals?” After I ask the big question I get a certain perspective that makes the revenue question make sense. And my brain grows while my business can grow faster because I focus on giving and sharing with others!

The funny thing is that my work with my business coach focuses on this big picture. I just usually ignore the big picture to focus on the tasks. I have had the power all along to grow faster and further but I completely missed the point!

What does this mean for you? Are you living for a loftier mission or are you on a hamster wheel of activities that make the days pass? Which would you prefer?

Focus on the big picture of what you want in life. Check out our Career Advancement Tip Sheet for steps to help achieve your big lofty goal!

Spring Break Celebration

April 25, 2017 By Marta Goertzen

Are you getting spring flowers yet?

The dogwood blooms and daffodils remind us that it is spring!

Spring also represents the end of the first quarter of the business calendar year. We should be one quarter of the way towards those goals we set at the beginning of the year.

I am a tiny bit behind but the trend lines indicate I am on the right track. How are you doing?

There is always time to set goals and expectations for yourself. Don’t wait until year end to see how you did. Set monthly goals. Research shows that we need to check in for feedback to get a sense of accomplishment or to make course corrections to achieve our goals.

Get started today:

Make a plan. Put it in writing to make your ideas turn into reality. Unless you put your ideas in writing in a plan, it is just a dream.

Work the plan. Keep it in front of you regularly so you can stay on course. Otherwise you will just wander around in the day to day weeds.

Readjust if needed. I readjust quarterly if I find a new opportunity or if the plan is not coming together the way I want it to. What can you do today to get back on course? What opportunities can you jump on today to make your goal tomorrow?

Celebrate success. Break out the kazoos and do the happy dance when something comes out the way you hoped. The beauty of plans with monthly or quarterly check-ins is you can do the happy dance more frequently! Who wouldn’t want that?

Sound like continuous improvement? It should! Life is an opportunity for continuous improvement. What are you doing today to contribute to tomorrow’s success?

Don’t settle for a mediocre career that you don’t want! LinkedIn offers many ways to find the ideal job or career for you! Get your FREE copy of the LinkedIn Career Advancement Tips and find the perfect career today.

You Can’t Get What You Want Till You Know What You Want..

February 5, 2016 By Katherine Burik

“You can’t get what you want until you know what you want,” a great line from a Joe Jackson song in 1984. I always liked that guy.

Job seekers often sing that tune. Dean called the other day. He is sick of working in call center hell. He can’t take one more day. He would love to work in some field that uses his first love, photography, but he is not sure exactly how to make that happen. He doesn’t know exactly what he wants so he can’t find what he wants.

Briana called too. She has a fabulous education. She kicked around for the two years since graduation working on interesting but dead end positions in non-profit and education. She is not sure what else to do to get her career started. The problem is she is not sure what she wants. No one will help her figure that out. Plenty of people will move her along once she narrows down the options.

Adam worked for a year teaching math in Dallas public schools for Teach for America. Now he has the credentials but isn’t sure that is what he wants to do for the rest of his life.

Insurance companies and financial services firms prey on folks making a transition from one thing but not sure what is the next thing. They make their jobs sound so secure and enticing. Everyone needs insurance, right? Everyone has money to invest, they tell weary job seekers. You just have to ask your friends. But most people are not suited for this kind of work. It is yet another detour for those who do not know what they want.

When you know what you want, the path is clear. Then you can say no to some things and yes to others. You know which path to take. Cliché after cliché is out there about knowing the right path to take. It is true.

If Dean wants to work in photography then why can’t he work in photography? I’ve seen his photos. He is good. How can he make a living with photography? Brainstorm with Dean for a minute:

He can open his own studio
He can work for a marketing or advertising agency
He can work in big companies that do their own photography
He can work for hotels or resorts that offer photography

I bet there are lots more ways a person can use photography. Each of these ideas is a path to follow. Researching these ideas reveals people to talk to who can add information and leads to the search. Follow several concrete leads at once. But nothing starts till you narrow down what you want to do into concrete ideas.

You can’t get what you want till you know what you want. Start there. The Interview Doctor can help put the pieces together from there.

Do you know the value of what you are selling?

September 8, 2015 By Marta Goertzen

The Interview is a Sales Call. Lou Adler states it quite clearly on LinkedIn in a post called: “Change the World: Treat the Interview as a Sales Call.”

This is not a great revelation. In fact, if you don’t get this, you’re likely going to be disappointed with your interviewing results, either as a candidate or as an employer or hiring manager.

The bigger question for me is “who are you”? Do you have something of value to offer? What makes you special, and can you back that up with results?’

If you have figured that out in your mind and in your heart, you will hire the right people more often than not, you will receive offers when you interview, and you will land in interesting positions because you will make it interesting with your added value.

Three ideas I would suggest that will help you figure out who you are or who you want to be, and how you will learn to articulate value:

1. Live with a mission. Create some high expectations, define those expectations in writing, and live that mission every day.

I work with a company who recently decided to redefine their customer service, which was already pretty good, as ‘wicked awesome service.’ Now most of their employees who’ve been exposed to their new mission like that phrase. ‘That’s who we are,’ they say. In fact, defining that as part of their mission actually raises the bar of customer service expectations for everybody, and employee ownership of their ‘wicked awesome service’ gives that company an edge, including when they interview candidates.

2. Get comfortable talking about what you do with other people.

Some very talented people I know stumble and mumble when you ask them about their accomplishments. They’ve done some great work; they just prefer (at least somewhere in their heads) modesty over braggadocio. Unfortunately, Milquetoast doesn’t work when you want a better job. It’s not rocket science; talking about yourself takes practice. Those who do it well get more better-job offers because they understand and can articulate why they are a valuable member of any team they join. It’s not bragging; it’s just being candid and honest. Try it. It will get easier over time.

3. Be someone who always makes a contribution.

What’s the difference between a young person who is in eighteen different activities, and a young person who really cares about one or two things, and learns to excel at those certain things at an early age? Who adds value when they’re 25? In my experience, the blue-chipper is the person who really cares about something, and gives that something her or his all. They become people other people admire; they make the contributions that others say, ‘how did they do that? They are amazing!’

This is true for companies and for people. When a company gets really good at making or providing one particular product or service, people will flock to experience that passion, and that added value. And in interviewing as in life, we all need some raving fans. You create your raving fan base when you decide you will always make a contribution.

Do you know why you are valuable? How do YOU figure it out?

Letting Go Opens up New Career Possibilities

March 3, 2015 By Marta Goertzen

Why it’s important to let go of our old (outdated) definition of success, so we can open ourselves to new possibilities.

When I was a kid I wanted to be an attorney. Actually I wanted to work hard for the general good and I thought being an attorney was the way to do that. Growing up in the shadow of Watergate will do that to a kid. My family was filled with teachers so my declaration was not well understood.

Although they did not know how to deal with my goals they were supportive.

I moved forward in my career with dogged determination. I advanced quickly in labor relations and human resources.

I had an image in my head of what defined success – recognition, rewards, the accoutrements of folks at my level.

Yet something was missing. I did not get pleasure from those rewards. I needed to throw off the old ideas I committed to so many years ago about what my life would be. It was hard and really scary. But business is good since I left go of my original impressions of what I thought I wanted for my life.

Recently my daughter and sister encountered the opportunity to redefine their paths. My sister Martha had several careers as a teacher (remember it is the family business!). When she did not get tenure as a professor she had to reinvent herself. The process has been difficult and really scary. I mean REALLY scary. But over the last year she has found another way of utilizing her skills and strengths that seems to allow her to express herself and earn a living.

My daughter Marissa had been a political operative working all over the US in political campaigns and most recently in Washington DC for a consulting firm. She decided to change careers. Her path takes her to get her MBA in St. Louis this summer. She left her position a few weeks ago. This decision was difficult and really scary. But since she left she has had three consulting gigs that will provide earnings between now and when school starts in July and maybe while she is in school.

What is happening here? Perhaps letting go of our old definitions of ourselves opens us up to new opportunities we could never imagine before. It feels like magic. Something special is happening here! I have seen it happen with clients too.

In his article, “Letting Go for the Life You Want“, Hale Dwoskin shares that letting go of our emotions can free us up from long standing problems and challenges, melting stress and opening us up for new opportunities. He suggests letting go is an invitation to the possibilities that life has to offer.

The minute Martha and Marissa let go of their previous definitions of success they opened up possibilities they never imagined. Magic!

So here is the challenge to you. What old images have you held on to for longer than they are useful? Can you even imagine what might happen if you let go? It is worth exploring your definitions of success to see what magic you can find!