“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.

Technorati Tags: anxious, attitude, career change, career coach, career coaching, career consulting, career passion, human resource management, interview coaching, job, job search, kevin tucker, kevin tucker" rel="tag"> Success, life balance, life coach, life coaching, military transition, negotiating, Networking, Passion and Job Satisfaction, self improvement, success, the offer, transition coach, waiting

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.

Technorati Tags: assessments, attitude, benefits, career change, career coach, career coaching, career passion, Career Transition, compensation, compensation negotiation, human resource management, incentive negotiation, incentives, interview coaching, interview tips, kevin tucker, kevin tucker" rel="tag"> Success, life balance, life coaching, negotiating, outplacement services, Passion and Job Satisfaction, perks, salary, Salary Negotiation, work-life balance

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.

Technorati Tags: attitude, career change, career coach, career coaching, career consulting, career passion, human resource management, job search, kevin tucker, kevin tucker" rel="tag"> Success, life coach, life coaching, military transition, Networking, Passion and Job Satisfaction, self improvement, success, transition coach

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.

Technorati Tags: attitude, career assessment, career change, career coach, career coaching, career consulting, career inventory, career passion, Career Transition, human resource management, interview tips; Walter Cronkite, job, job fair, job search, kevin tucker, kevin tucker" rel="tag"> Success, keywords, life balance, life coach, life coaching, military transition, outplacement services, Passion and Job Satisfaction, self improvement, success, transition coach

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.

Technorati Tags: attitude, career, career coach, career passion, Career Transition, change, Coaching, human resource management, interview coaching, interview tips; Walter Cronkite, interviewing, job fair, job search, kevin tucker, kevin tucker" rel="tag"> Success, outplacement services, Passion and Job Satisfaction, resume, resume writing, resumes, self improvement, skills inventory, success, transition coach

No one likes to weed. I know it’s not my favorite thing to do. (Okay, so a few of you do; but for the vast majority of us it’s something on our delay until later list.) But much like a garden, your job search can get overrun with “weeds” that can choke the life out of your search. This can be especially true if you have been working your search for a period of time. It’s important that you just don’t go at it with a bottle of Roundup®; but carefully look at each area and decide what needs to be pulled so new growth can be given an opportunity to thrive.

Your Search Methods
Are they working for ya? Every good job search is comprised of many methods. Job boards on the Internet are a fantastic tool, but not the only one. Career fairs, association meetings, social media, networking events, and industry conferences are great ways to get out, get known, and get going! Be sure to do at least one positive thing for your job search daily!

Your Resume
Take a careful look at your resume. It should be up to date and accurate. Your resume’s focus needs to truly reflect your career goals. Check for key words and terminology—are there any terms or phrases that are outdated or newer concepts that need to be added? It’s an idea to read through current job openings and posting to get a feel for what is trending in your career field.

Your References
Approach this one strategically. You want references who can speak positively of your accomplishments, skills, work ethic and future contributions to a company. Past supervisors, co-workers and business acquaintances can be potential references in addition to personal friends.  Also, it’s not out of line to have different sets of references depending upon the industry or position. Be sure to ask for permission in advance before putting someone on your reference list.

Your Appearance
By all means, don’t go out and buy a new wardrobe (although my wife would beg to differ), but do go through your closet and make sure you have something appropriate and in good condition to wear to interviews and professional networking events. Conservative suits for both men and women are a must have. Make sure that any non-traditional piercings or body art are easily removed or covered. No extreme hairstyles or strong fragrances. Also remember to smile and be upbeat. You only get one chance to make a good first impression.

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.

Technorati Tags: career change, career coach, career coaching, career consulting, career passion, Career Transition, interview coaching, interview tips; Walter Cronkite, interviewing, job, job fair, job search, kevin tucker, kevin tucker" rel="tag"> Success, keywords, military transition, negotiating, Passion and Job Satisfaction, resumes, self improvement, success, transition coach

We had an almost total technological crisis here at C-Cubed last week. In addition to getting the black screen of death on one of the computers(I wrote about this last week), our main printer decided it would be a good time to take a permanent vacation—without the traditional two week notice. I could see things grinding to a halt and dollar signs floating in front of my eyes. How in the world did we ever function WITHOUT a personal computer its friend the printer? Repair or replace? Replace or repair? Replace or replace…I think you get the idea. Those were the questions of the week—all week. At first thought, emotion told me to bite the bullet and replace both. But was it necessary and did it really make sense?

Often career transition is guided by emotion—good or bad. You’re approached by a new company or department within your company to come work for them; a good dilemma for you! Or, on the flip side, you’re released or laid-off. Not so good. However, both developments are dominated by strong emotional pulls demanding that you make a decision, NOW.

Before you make a decision, you need to make sure it makes sense for you and your current (and future) situation. Step back for a moment or two and think through possible scenarios and likely outcomes. Sure, that invitation to work with a new department is flattering and gives you a boost; but is it in alignment with your career goals? Are you a good fit with that department’s culture?  Or now that you’re forced to find a new job; do you take the first one that makes an offer (any offer), or do you wait for one that fulfills all of your dreams? Do you accept something somewhere in between?

Whatever you do, don’t make the decision alone. Confide in close friends and family members. They often have insight that you may overlook in the passion of the moment.  Seek the advice of a career coach if you still need direction. A career coach can help you objectively see the big picture and give you a solid course of action to achieve your goals. Whatever you do, it needs to make sense for YOU!

As for my office machine meltdown; I was able to resurrect the computer. It now has four of its nine lives left. Knowing that I want to upgrade to a Mac in the future, it made sense to hold off on getting a new pc now. As far as the printer goes, we’re quite smitten with the new printer and the smok’n deal we got on 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.

Technorati Tags: career coach, career coaching, career consulting, Career Transition, change, job search, kevin tucker, life coach, military transition, Networking, Passion and Job Satisfaction, transition coach

I got a picture text from my wife yesterday showing me the black screen of death on her computer. She didn’t seem too upset, so I knew she had a contingency plan and everything was okie dokie. I preach the mantra of save frequently and back-up often, so I text her back, gave her some reassuring words and continued with my day. I didn’t hear anymore, so I figured “no news is good news”.

That was until I got home. She did manage to bring the beast back to life—briefly. Actually long enough to get a current back-up copy of her files. (Notice how I’ve highlighted current.) Now, although the black screen of death showed up unexpectedly yesterday morning, she knew that her system was running on borrowed time. It had done this once before, about six months ago, and to her, every day that the computer was working was a gift from God. Although she knew the computer was’t quite right, she didn’t have a current back-up of her data.

This incident got me thinking, how often do we put off or wait until the last possible moment to do things that need to be done—especially in a work situation? You can usually read the writing on the wall for down-sizings, RIFs, lay-offs, and firings. How prepared are you if the black screen of death comes to visit you at work? I’d like to pose a few questions to you if you don’t mind:

1. How current is your resume? Your resume should have your most recent information on it. If you don’t have a resume—NOW is the time to get one put together!
2. Do you have a network of people—both professional and personal—that you can turn to for advice and for references?
3. What would your next move be if you were to find yourself out of work?

Consider these three items to be a start to your “back-up” plan. I realize that I’ve over-simplified this a bit—I just wanted to get you thinking; to get you started on your plan. If you need help developing your plan, I’m just a phone call or e-mail away.

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.

Technorati Tags: career, career change, career coach, career coaching, kevin tucker, Networking, resume, resume writing, resumes, transition, transition coach

One of the biggest mistakes I see is job seekers making a change without making a plan. For the most part, people want to make career changes based on emotion alone. They hate what they’re doing. They want something different—and they something different NOW! For the past few years, the situation is often that a person doesn’t have a job; they’re having difficulty finding one and it’s already become a crisis situation. Once you’re in crisis mode and are ready to settle for whatever is out there as long as it pays, you’re setting yourself up for failure and another career change somewhere in the future.

Let me suggest that you make a plan BEFORE you make a change. That plan needs to include understanding what you do and don’t like about your current or most recent job situation; determining what type of jobs best align with your passions in life; and finally knowing how your strengths, skills and talents fit into the mix. These are key to making a truly successful and fulfilling career move. This can be as simple as a Pros vs. Cons list or as elaborate as a spreadsheet. Either way, map out what you want. Once you better understand your wants and needs, you can focus your search on those positions that will be a great fit for you!

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 www.CCubedCareer.com.

Technorati Tags: career, career change, career coach, coach kevin, job, job search, kevin tucker, transition

There is no question that networking can—and should—play an important part in one’s job search strategy. But in our work with individuals who are engaged in a job search, how much networking is enough?

The key to networking is being focused. Let me explain. Many individuals simply talk to friends or “network” with anything that breathes—but not with purpose. A job search support group can provide just this solution. It can provide the education, emotional support and accountability that job seekers need to be successful. Such groups, if organized and managed effectively, can help lead a person to that perfect opportunity.

I’m seeing many of these groups starting to pop-up from coast to coast.  Some are basic, home-grown meetings, while others are dynamically structured organizations. What they do have in common is their core mission—to help those in transition find suitable employment.

I’d like to highlight one that has really made an impact in this regard. The Scioto Ridge Job Networking Group (SRJNG) in Columbus, Ohio leverages the effective combination of a repeatable business model with the energy of talented people in transition to keep the group growing and delivering for the central Ohio community. It was “birthed” from a vision of a single person, Ken Lazar, who, with the support of Pastor Wade Giffin, launched the Job Networking Group at the Scioto Ridge United Methodist Church in 2006. As membership grew steadily from 8 initial members to more than 1000 members today, the mission of the SRJNG has remained steadfast: to help mid-career professionals find good jobs.

The key to the group’s success is a laser focus on effective networking and a shared belief that each member of the SRJNG has the responsibility to assist other members in their job search.  That focus has resulted in celebrating “job landings” at each meeting over the last three years.

Some other key points:

• SRJNG is a faith-based organization, ministering to the local community.
• Each chapter meeting of SRJNG is hosted by a local church.
• SRJNG will soon have 8 chapters, each meeting bi-monthly—all in the metro Columbus area.
• Each meeting is purposefully structured and includes networking, a guest speaker and break out groups where each person can share, learn and practice in a safe environment.
• Currently there are over 1,000 individuals with paid memberships.
• Another “level” of membership is Sponsors who help subsidize the organization and provide additional resources.  Sponsors are Corporate Human Resources, Professional Staffing Agencies, Career Coaches, Life Coaches, Benefit Providers and more.
• SRJNG features an interactive web site with job postings, job search tools, an event calendar featuring all metro area networking events, member resumes, sponsor profiles and links to additional job search resources.

Since this group meets in a church setting, it lends itself to a different spin than most networking or support groups.   Participants are willing to share more from a personal and holistic perspective. After all, the career is only part of a person’s life! Effective business networking is often sparked by a casual conversation about a common interest or acquaintance.

In this day and age, job seeker’s support groups, in their various forms, are found in many communities at many levels. They meet at libraries, career centers and even at churches—and they can work! Our knowledge of what local groups are available or even being involved with is another way to give your clients a resource to help them in their search. Being able to assist your clients to zero in on a job seekers’ group in their area that fits their specific needs compliments the guidance and resources that you continue to provide for them. But remember, job seeker groups are only one part of the big picture of networking

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 www.CCubedCareer.com.

Technorati Tags: career coach, career consulting, kevin tucker, Networking