Career Satisfaction

Job Search Tip: What is Holding You Back from Living Your Dream?

February 4, 2021 By Katherine Burik

Are you tired of your job? Does your current career make you happy? Is this the dream that you imagined? Or are you ready for a change?

Today’s video lesson shares some tips to help you find the career of your dreams.

Click the image below to view the video.

Katherine Burik is a Job Search / Career Coach and, in this video, she shares tips to help you find the career that you’ve always been looking for.

Learn what you are missing in your job search marketing plan and start making progress in your job search with this FREE quiz.

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Six (6) Videos are included with the workbook and shares tips on effective networking, turning vague concepts into a reality that anyone can successfully implement to find their next job.

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How to Deal with Age Differences in the Workplace

August 14, 2018 By Marta Goertzen

Surveys by Office Team Staffing report that 82% are comfortable reporting to a boss younger than us.

With four generations in the workforce today, odds are it is going to happen.

I think it is a wonderful thing. I got my first job as a Director of Human Resources when I was 30. Everyone was older than me. Now most people I meet are younger than me. It was bound to happen.

My older clients ask me about this all the time. Chances are they either are or will report to a boss who is younger than they are. They ask me how they should respond.

I look at the other person (much older than me when I became a boss and now much younger than me) as a person. It was as simple as that. I treat everyone like a person from the homeless person I pass on the street to the CEO of a major corporation. They put their pants on one leg at a time just like I do! I look them in the eyes, listen to what they say and respond as if whatever they say is the most important thing I’ve heard so far. That approach makes us equals.

Here are some tips to working around people who are a different age then you are:

Be aware of the gap. It is ok to realize that the other person is a different age. It is not necessary to draw attention to it in a way that makes anyone feel uncomfortable but the age difference is there. Be open to the experience that the age gap presents.
Don’t stereo type. Stereotypes and generalizations might have a tiny nugget based on fact but I have never found the entire stereotype fits any given individual. Treat people as individuals who have value and you will learn what is unique about the individual standing next to you.
Be receptive to feedback in general. Whenever she is in town, my 30 year old daughter Marissa offers (often unsolicited) feedback about me. She edits my clothes, my jewelry, my makeup, my hair, even the way I talk. I use this feedback to understand how I am being perceived by someone younger. I am always aware that I was a boss at age 30. Is this how older colleagues felt? I am not sure but by being open and receptive to feedback even from young people I know I learn something. And learning keeps me young.
Stay up to date so you have something to talk about with younger (and older) colleagues and bosses. Generation gaps become a problem when each generation stays in their own bubble. Get out of yourself and discover new ideas. I have a 73 year old friend who downloads Grammy award winning music every year for the last 35 years. She realizes that this keeps her in touch with today’s music and therefore today’s young people. It gives her something to talk about.
Stay active. You need plenty of energy to keep up with younger colleagues and bosses. Three months ago I started a VERY intensive exercise and nutrition program in an effort to lose weight. An added benefit is the increase in my energy level. My skin and hair look better. I feel younger. It feels like my face is no longer melting. Some of that is probably my imagination or wishful thinking but I know that when we older folks are more physically active we bring more energy to everything we do. That energy keeps us relevant in the workplace.

I think this younger generation is awesome! I love every minute working with all my clients of all ages. Meet every experience and every person as a real human being and you will be relevant in the workplace regardless of your age.

To learn more about improving your job search, check out The Interview Doctor’s free training, 5 Tips to a Successful Job Search.

I knew I hit a Career Wall When…

July 17, 2018 By Marta Goertzen

What is your answer?

Is it out of frustration like Janell who can’t listen to another complaint? Or boredom like Chris who knows his field is dying and can’t wait to get into a workshop to invent the next thing? Or plain dislike like Paul who knows his boss will never let him move further?

I know when I realized I hit a career wall. Looking back at my holiday letters I realized that for several years I wondered what “the next thing” would be. When the phone rang at work I wondered which of the five possible categories of problem or complaint the call would fit in. That little contest was not enough to keep me interested.

I hit the trifecta in 2004. My new boss really hated me. I was bored out of my mind and frustrated with the limitations imposed on me by the work in general. I identified that vague feeling in the pit of my stomach as a strong need to make a change. Then the new boss made it easy by giving me a large severance package to go away. That is how The Interview Doctor, Inc. came to be!

I hit a career wall. Ever feel that way?

Just for the fun of it I Goggled “hitting a career wall”. I found plenty of articles from before 2008 and after 2015. Very few articles on this topic during the financial crisis of 2008 until things started getting better around 2014 or 2015. I think exploring career options can be a luxury associated with good times. In tough times it is usually better to hang on to what we have as long as we can.

Rosemary hit a career wall a few years ago. She was a highly regarded VP Information Technology then head of Six Sigma under one boss who loved her. Then he left the company. The new guy didn’t feel the same way. Suddenly she was frustrated. Then she was demoted to a silly lower level position. She was bored out of her mind. But she had kids in college during the financial crisis. She felt she couldn’t leave. Or rather, she wanted to hang on to get that big severance package that never came.

Instead, the humiliations continued. She took up knitting. She read electronic books covertly at her desk because she finished her job in two hours a day. She got a second Master’s Degree. She volunteered for every project she could find. She did other people’s work. I wondered how long she could stick it out. She lasted EIGHT YEARS. I think that takes the cake.

After observing myself and others in this same boat, I have a few tips if you feel like you are hitting a career wall.

Can you find something new at work to keep you entertained? Some challenge no one else sees? A different way to practice your craft? Perhaps a hot new trend you can clasp on to that will re-energize your point of view? Latch on to it before another bored person gets there first.
Run away. Go find another job. Perhaps the grass can be greener somewhere else. Maybe a change of scenery will keep you stimulated. Do it quietly so folks at your current job do not realize what you are doing.
Take up hobbies in your spare time to keep your mind stimulated. Chris had a workshop in his basement for years where he tinkered with new inventions. He couldn’t wait to get home at night to try the next iteration. Rita took up painting in a sunny corner of her home. Undoubtedly that accounted for the faraway look in her eyes. Mike began running and doing cross fit. He looked and felt great which brought new energy to a boring old job.
Explore the feeling and start something new. Maybe it is time. It worked for me. I know being an entrepreneur is not for everyone. It is a hard life. It takes years for most people to make much money. But I would never trade the long hours and low pay for Corporate America EVER AGAIN! Whether you buy a franchise, set out a shingle in your own business or become a weaver, sometimes hitting a wall requires stepping out into the unknown to see what is out there for you.

Have you hit a wall? Is it time to reframe your current life into a new reality? You know we are here for you if you want to talk it through. Not a sales pitch. Just a hand stretched out in support!

In the meantime, check out The Interview Doctor’s 10 BE’s to Grow Your Career. It might be a great place to start the exploration!!

Evaluation, the Key to Career Insight

December 19, 2017 By Marta Goertzen

Lately I have felt stuck in my career.

What do I want to be when I grow up? Although I look grown up on the outside, I still ponder this question periodically. I never want to I feel like I am living the same day over and over like that great movie, Groundhog Day. I seek insight to improve my career and my life.

Ever feel stuck? From the number of folks I talk to about this, I bet you feel the same way occasionally too.

You know what I discovered? Insight begins with evaluation. Really!

To discern your future, look at where you are, consider what you like and don’t like, then make a plan for change.

I have used this technique myself many times to unstick my career. I found some insight into how younger folks look at this situation in an interesting article by Jay Kim in Forbes, “If you feel stuck in your career don’t do something drastic, do this”. Kim describes Ryan Holiday’s thought process as he grew his career by making some life changes.

The key to finding satisfaction seems to come from using your time wisely to gain insight.

Here are five steps for evaluation to gain insight as you prepare for career growth:

What is working? What activities, lifestyle and career choices are making me happy or bringing me the reward? How can I do more of what I love and less of what I dislike? What is standing in my way of doing more of what I love? Start making lists of what is working and what is not.
Don’t be an island. Get advice from people with more experience whose opinions your respect. Read some books, go to some networking meetings, and reconnect with people you might have lost touch with.
Take some calculated risks but don’t go crazy. Don’t quit your job based on dissatisfaction. Make your move towards something you like better not just to avoid something you dislike. Do your homework before making any major decisions.
Don’t burn bridges. You never know when someone from your past will pop up in your future. You want their reappearance to be positive.
Make good use of your time to learn and grow in place so you are prepared to move when the time is right.

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.

Which Fish are YOU in the Work Pond?

December 5, 2017 By Marta Goertzen

Are you a small fish in a big pond or a big fish in a very small pond?

This article is an excerpt from out BizTV video, which can be viewed online, simply click this link.

Which fish are you? Why are we talking about fish in November?

Jane is an up and coming financial analyst who wants to be a Chief Financial Officer someday. She has some choices to make about her next role.

She could take that job as a Financial Planning Manager in Gigantic Corporation, a multi-billion dollar corporation with dozens of divisions. She would be one of many in that role. The company is mature, growing steadily. She can see a long future career path in leadership roles in one of those divisions. But she also anticipates the bureaucracy and politics that comes from a huge company. She would be a little fish in a big pond.

Or she could take that role as a Chief Financial Officer in the small but fast growing start up. Less stable but she could be her own boss right away instead of waiting. She could have immediate impact.

Small fish in a big pond? Or big fish in a very small pond?

This could be the most important career decision Jane or anyone makes. Each choice leads to a different path.

Here are three tips to make a smart career decision:

Which people do you prefer? Do you see mentors and colleagues or potential foes? Consider whether you want to work with that team hour after hour, day after day for years in the future.
Which culture matches your workstyle and lifestyle values? People come and go but the culture will probably stay the same so you better feel like you fit from the inside out.
What is your tolerance for risk? The smaller pond is much riskier. But the rewards might be great if you can tolerate the risk.

I have a pretty high tolerance for risk compared to some people. I also like to have immediate impact without bureaucracy. I often chose to be a big fish in a smaller pond. It worked for me but it does not always work for other people.

Don’t make such an important decision based on money or perks. Fit beats money every day. Be the right fish in the right pond for your career satisfaction.

Want to advance your career but not sure what to do? Check out The Interview Doctor’s Career Advancement Tip Sheet to lay a foundation for your career growth. To get your FREE copy, click here.