career change

What if? A Tale of Dreams and Time

June 10, 2021 By Katherine Burik

Sometimes I stop my work, lift my head, and look around, wondering where the time went. Do you ever do that?

I have been working hard at The Interview Doctor since 2005. In 2021, we celebrate 16 years, helping clients find the career or job they love. Seems like a lifetime! I can barely remember doing anything else.

I love being my own boss, coaching and sharing my knowledge, so people find a better job search technique to shorten their transitions and move on with their lives. I particularly love creating training programs and workshops to help the most people in the most efficient fashion.

I guess I spend at least 50% of my work time writing and supporting the marketing effort. I have written almost 700 blogs, published three books and numerous eBooks, and released about a dozen online training programs. I am enormously proud of this body of work.

The rest of my work time is spent with clients. I have coached at least 725 clients in the last 10 years. It has been my biggest pleasure to see you thrive.

In the background, I really enjoy living and traveling on our boat, Good Karma. My husband and I have been living mostly on a boat for the last 10 years while I have been busy working. I write another blog about our travels, dabble in watercolors, walk, and bike, and get creative with cooking.

I have a full life.

Lately I have been wondering, “What’s next?” Daydreaming. Imagining.

I finally put pencil to paper earlier this year. I created a list of dozens of things I would rather do, which led me to wonder about my life balance.

I believe I am at a crossroads between my passion for job seekers and my urge to get out and explore the world. Everyone eventually comes to some sort of crossroads. Maybe you know how I feel?

I have coached many people through career crossroads. It is kind of funny that it took me a long time to figure this out for myself! The cobbler’s children have no shoes. I concluded that something must change!

What is Changing with the Interview Doctor?

Like you, I want to live my life fully, with abundance, discovering all the wonders the world offers. If the covid pandemic has taught us anything, it is that life is short. We do not have too much time. I am determined to make the most of it!

What I have decided is that … I am going to back off on the Interview Doctor marketing work while continuing to work with anyone who needs my help.

I will continue to post my thoughts on LinkedIn and on my website, but we will temporarily stop issuing weekly newsletters and the coordinated social marketing effort.

My website and training programs and ebooks remain active and available to you. I am open for speaking engagements, particularly virtual engagements.

I am calling this a sabbatical!

My husband and I plan a lot of travel, some on the boat and some on dirt. I have a few more books in me, which takes time. And plenty of friends we have neglected in the whirl of work. Feel free to stay connected and keep up with me on Instagram or LinkedIn!

As I say in my LinkedIn profile: Change is the only constant. It is time for a change! I am excited about the possibilities!

Turn your Dreams into Action – The Joan C. Smith Story

March 4, 2021 By Katherine Burik

A lifetime in the same job is a long time. A boring, long time.

Joan C. Smith was antsy to try something new. I had a long talk with Joan to appreciate the decisions she made to reinvent herself! This is a longer article than usual but hang in there. We learn a lot from each other. As you read Joan’s story, consider how you can apply what Joan learned and did to your own situation!

Joan began her career in social service evaluating eligibility for SNAP & Medicaid eligibility under the Federal Food Program in Northern Virginia and another jurisdiction. If Joan concluded that the client did not qualify during eligibility evaluation, Joan found other ways to help. She realized that this creative problem solving was transferrable to human resources. This is the story of how Joan changed careers!

Joan identified skills that could easily transfer from social service to the HR role she wanted:

Both fields require heavy emphasis on confidentiality.
Both fields utilize solid interview skills to understand client and employee needs. Asking personal questions applied to employee relations and recruiting.
Both fields require strong collaboration to create programs and solve business problems cross-functionally.

PRO TIP: Knowing what skills transfer provides a foundation for job search in a new career.

Career transition is a process, so Joan created a plan with solid preparation. Joan sought out experts. She found inspiration for her reinvention from “Power to Fly” webinars targeting reinvention, along with a career coach targeting women interested in improving their situation. She also met recruiters through that organization.

Joan decided to go back to school to get credentials in HR. She selected a virtual master’s degree program to coordinate with her work schedule. It took 3 years to finish her Masters in HR Management with honors.

PRO TIP: Making a career transition takes time. Be patient. Have a plan. Work the plan.

Leveraging volunteer experiences to get into her new field. While in school, Joan joined Society of HR Management (SHRM). Some SHRM chapters she visited were not very friendly. People did not talk to each other often, just came and left. They would not let her volunteer as an officer. Joan knew being active was the key to networking, so she continued to search for the right organization.

Next Joan joined Association for Talent Development (ATD). DC has an active chapter that welcomed Joan’s participation. Joan felt the focus on talent development was a good fit for her.

PRO TIP: Volunteering in professional organizations is a great way to network. Each chapter is different so explore which chapter fits and which one is open to your active participation.

Get actively involved to facilitate networking. Joan approached all 7 ATD chapter board members individually about her interest in breaking into the field. Two responded including the President who emailed her info about an officer role. Joan was asked to create a video about why she was interested – that video got her a slot as Program Director – she ran unopposed and won!

The ATD Chapter gave her training on how to do the leadership roles. That training applies to her career goal. Plus, they provided her with a beautiful professional headshot.

PRO TIP: Imagine the influential people you can meet by getting activity involved in the professional career of your next career! If you really want it, jump through hoops to make it happen.

Organized LinkedIn profile to demonstrate and explain your transition. Joan changed her LinkedIn profile to create the HR presence she needed so she could add connections and begin networking. This is critical. People who look at your LinkedIn profile must understand how you fit in the new career. In fact, Joan was rejected for one LinkedIn Group because the administrator did not see the tie to HR.

Joan added her ATD volunteer experience into the Work Experience to bulk up her HR experience. She used the About section to tell her story so viewers can understand how her previous experiences support her new career in HR.

Early in 2020, Joan started to do confidential information interviews. She chose to speed up her plan because her job was quickly becoming a toxic environment. Sure enough, Joan was laid off at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.

Since Joan had been working her plan for years, she was ready to move closer to her ideal job. A few months later, Joan became a government agency contractor, working in a space tangentially related to HR. She is much closer to her career goal!

By the way, Joan is open to networking about HR and training opportunities! Connect with her on LinkedIn.

What can we learn from Joan’s story? Joan recommends starting with a dream to turn your dissatisfaction into an opportunity! Find a way to describe your previous experience in terms that are used in your new career. Get additional education to bolster your career aspirations. Start networking through professional organizations. Find the organization that fits you best then volunteer to increase your exposure.

I would love to hear your story! If you are stuck in your job search, get a new start with The Interview Doctor’s free Job Search Training.

Does Networking to find a Job terrify you?

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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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Click here to purchase the Job Search Networking mini-course now.

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!!

Doing More with less is an opportunity not a curse

May 6, 2014 By Marta Goertzen

I gave up pop (soda) for Lent. Now, I love Diet Dr. Pepper in particular. It tastes great. In the middle of the afternoon when I need a lift, I looked forward to that drink. Yum. But I gave it up for Lent to see what would happen. Could I be comfortable without those bubbles, that peculiar taste?

I did this once before. That time I couldn’t get the idea of Diet Dr. Pepper out of my head. This time was much easier. Occasionally I had an urge but for the most part I went through the six weeks without a problem. This time I did not have the urge for pop (soda) that I did before. Maybe I broke the habit. I got more creative to find refreshing snacks to replace my beloved Diet Dr. Pepper. After Lent I have no desire for a Diet Dr. Pepper at all. I am pleasantly refreshed with a nice ice tea or ice water.

It got me thinking about living within restraints. When I gave up pop for Lent I created a restraint and learned to live within that constraint. It was easy. It inspired me to seek out alternate snacks for the afternoon.

Constraints come to us voluntarily or involuntarily.

Give up cigarettes. Stop eating red meat. Give up sweets for your diet. Exercising instead of being a couch potato. These are voluntary constraints we impose on ourselves. Losing your job or retiring are involuntary constraints that change the way we live. We have to adjust our spending or we run up debt.

It is possible to find these constraints refreshing or invigorating. The adjustment requires creativity.

I found this interesting article the other day that reinforces this idea of working within constraints, “The Weird Strategy Dr. Seuss used to create his greatest work (and why you should use it too)” by James Clear. Evidently Bennett Cerf, founder of the publishing firm Random House made a bet with Theo Geisel (Dr. Seuss) that he could not write an entertaining children’s book using only 50 different words. Working within that constraint, Dr. Seuss wrote the best seller, Green Eggs and Ham, which has sold more than 200 million copies. He rose to the challenge!

James Clear offers ways that setting limits for ourselves (constraints) can be invigorating. He says:

Constraints inspire creativity. If you are looking for a job or working towards a promotion you work with what you have. You make lemonade out of lemons. You find ways to reach out to people who can help you. One recent client started writing a blog to get his name out there. Another wrote a paper on a topic that interested him and pertained to his work. Then he blasted his article out to all his contacts and used it to leverage appointments. Get creative within your constraints.
Constraints force you to get something done. Set goals. One client made a personal goal to have 10 meetings per week. Do you know how many calls he has to make to have 10 meetings per week? A lot! I write 2 blogs per week. Each blog takes about an hour. That means I have time constraints if I want to get everything done. But I get it done because I have to. Set time limits and create a schedule. You will be shocked how much more you can get done.

Recognize the constraints in your life and use them to grow and become more creative. Practice doing more with less resources and see what happens?

If you liked this blog, check out this other Interview Doctor info:

Getting Something Done – How to Schedule your time during a job search

The Magic of Doing One Thing at a Time

The Job Search Marketing Plan – Declare to the World how you will find your next job!