“Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections but instantly set about remedying them—every day begin the task anew.”  Saint Francis de Sales (1567 - 1622)

I hate waiting just as much as the next person. When I’m waiting for something to happen, that’s when my mind kicks into high gear and starts me down the slippery path of self-doubt. Would’ve, could’ve, and should’ve all become key words in my vocabulary and that sinking, anxious feeling settles right into the pit of my stomach. You know that feeling—don’t ‘cha?

I think Saint Francis de Sales has sage advice that applies even today. We are all quick to give grace to others; however we are our own harshest critics. Don’t accept the tempting invitation to the Pity Party.  Recognize any mistakes that might have been made, but ultimately move on and make changes. Do not lose courage in yourself, but strive to improve. Just take it one day at a time and you will have success in your journey.

As a nationally Credentialed Career Manager, Coach Kevin Tucker has been partnering with individuals like you for the last 25 years. Through the military, as a minister, a human resources executive, and finally as a career and life transition coach; he has continually been able to help motivated individuals find their calling in life! Check out more at http://ccubedcareer.com.

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Our daughter is in the process of planning her wedding and she is realizing that she needs to make some tough decisions. She’s quickly finding out that her dream wedding doesn’t necessarily fit into her reality budget. Like with most everything else, weddings come with a price tag. So do job offers.

Just like our daughter and her wedding, you need to determine what your “non-negotiables” are—what it will take to make you happy—when examining a job offer.

Obviously salary is the huge elephant in the room. But if the initial salary offering is somewhat lower than expected, do the benefits (vacation, health insurance, stocks, retirement, perks and other incentives) make up the difference or come close? What about the culture of the company and the work environment? Does that jazz you or could you take it or leave it? Is the job your dream job, or will it put food on the table until something better comes along?

Here are just a few suggestions for getting you started on assessing an offer. Know what you are worth and have an idea of what the current salary ranges are for the position you are going for.  Make an old fashion “Pros and Cons” list, listing everything the new position offers. Visualizing each monetary or non-monetary benefit will help you to better evaluate what is being presented. This will be especially helpful when comparing two offers or trying to decide if it is worth making the jump to a new job. Sit down and truly weigh each point. What are your non-negotiables and your nice to haves, but not a show stopper?

Whatever the “total bundle” is, you need to carefully evaluate the package as a whole and decide what is best for you and your situation. Best of success in your journey.

As a nationally Credentialed Career Manager, Coach Kevin Tucker has been partnering with individuals like you for the last 25 years. Through the military, as a minister, a human resources executive, and finally as a career and life transition coach; he has continually been able to help motivated individuals find their calling in life! Check out more at http://ccubedcareer.com.

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A mulligan, in a game, happens when a player gets a second chance to perform a certain move or action. The practice is also sometimes referred to as a “do-over.”  - Wikipedia

 
As crazy as it sounds, it may not be a bad idea to consider contacting a previous employer during your job search. Hear me out on this one. As long as you left your previous employer on good terms—even if you were fired—there’s absolutely no reason not to inquire about job openings.

By contacting a past employer you already have an advantage over other candidates because you can call straight to a previous manager or department—you’re able to network your way back into the company. In addition to having an inside contact, you’re already a known commodity.  They’re familiar with your skills and work ethic as well as know the value that you bring to the organization.

When you talk to your former boss, don’t bluntly ask if they have any job openings. Ask if they know who you should speak with about possible open positions. That way it doesn’t put them on the spot and it gives them an opportunity to refer you to someone else who does if their department is fully staffed.

Being fired isn’t necessarily a hurdle to being rehired as long as you can show marked improvement. If you can go back to a former employer with a year or two of good work experience, you could be in a position where they may be open to rehiring you. Be prepared to explain your growth and sell them on why you are a better employee now.

However, before reaching out think about this; you DID leave that company for a reason. If the company was a bad fit or if there was something else that made you unhappy; have things truly changed enough to warrant a second go with the employer? Also, if you left the company on bad terms, especially for disciplinary reasons, it’s best to move on. There’s no reason to take a step backwards career wise when you can start fresh with a new company. Best of success in your journey!

As a nationally Credentialed Career Manager, Coach Kevin Tucker has been partnering with individuals like you for the last 25 years. Through the military, as a minister, a human resources executive, and finally as a career and life transition coach; he has continually been able to help motivated individuals find their calling in life! Check out more at http://ccubedcareer.com.

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I’m often fascinated by off-beat trivia. Did you know that July is National Baked Bean Month, National Blueberries Month, and National Horseradish Month? The list goes on, but I think you get the picture. As my wife would say, “Any excuse to throw a party”!

The one trivia snippet that caught my eye is that this week is Take Charge of Change Week. The purpose or focus of this week is to increase awareness of an individual’s ability to control his or her own destiny and examine the principles of taking charge of the changes that affect each of us. All I can say is, Wow!

On December 31st the vast majority of us will take stock of the previous 12 months and make resolutions designed to make the coming new year a better one. Why wait until the end of the year? I’m suggesting we all celebrate Take Charge of Change Week this year and take charge of your life now, making changes necessary to improve the quality of your life.

As a nationally Credentialed Career Manager, Coach Kevin Tucker has been partnering with individuals like you for the last 25 years. Through the military, as a minister, a human resources executive, and finally as a career and life transition coach; he has continually been able to help motivated individuals find their calling in life! Check out more at http://ccubedcareer.com.

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Negative Self Talk
 We all know that if we keep telling ourselves that there are no jobs available, there’s no way we can make our way into a particular employer, or  we don’t have the right skills that eventually the bad mood with suck us in. We know better, but we still like to indulge ourselves and continue in this destructive pattern. STOP RIGHT NOW! Hiring managers can smell bad attitude miles away. Do yourself and your job search a favor and get those negative thoughts out of your head. I think Peter Pan said it best, “Flying is easy, “JUST THINK HAPPY THOUGHTS”.

Not Dressing for Success
 First impressions are often lasting impressions. Dressing too casual is a bad idea especially when working your search. No matter what the occasion—networking, interviewing, or just dropping off a resume—you need dress professionally. Business attire (yes, that means a suit), no extreme hairstyles, tats and non-traditional piercings either covered or removed, and light fragrances. If that scent you’re wearing reminds the hiring manager of an ex, do you really think you’ll get the job?
 
Waiting for that Internet Ship to Come in
 You’re feeling pretty good about your search since you have all of those job agents searching for you on all of those Internet sites. All you have to do is sit back and wait for the job offers to roll in, right? WRONG! Effective job searches are interactive! You need to actively participate which means you need to be networking, attending career fairs, going to workshops and conferences to generate leads. Those Internet job boards are a great tool and generate great leads but they should not make up the bulk of your search.

The Dog Ate My Homework Excuse
 Have you ever blown off the night’s homework thinking that watching TV was more interesting than doing algebra? You’re basically doing the same thing if you don’t learn as much as you can about a potential employer before you go in for the interview. The Internet makes researching a company and its leadership so incredibly easy, there is absolutely no excuse for not knowing something about a company that you’re interviewing with. By knowing something about the company, you can interact with the interviewer on a higher level and better demonstrate why you are the ideal candidate.

Throwing Away All of those Networking Contacts
 You grab your suit jacket and shove your hand into the outside pocket only to discover that pile of business cards from the last industry event you went to—a few years ago. It may be too late for some of those contacts to be of any use, but the next time you’re out and about meeting people, take a few moments after the event and organize the business cards that you collect. Whether you organize them in a box, or enter the information into your Outlook, make sure the information is easy for you to retrieve when you need it.

As a nationally Credentialed Career Manager, Coach Kevin Tucker has been partnering with individuals like you for the last 25 years. Through the military, as a minister, a human resources executive, and finally as a career and life transition coach; he has continually been able to help motivated individuals find their calling in life! Check out more at http://ccubedcareer.com.

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