Finish these sentences....... and get some ideas of work that is right for you!

Finish these sentences....... and get some ideas of work that is right for you!

Zen and the Art of Making a Living made a huge impact on me and my career direction (I think I have owned 5 copies and still have 2 on my bookshelf).

Here are some of the key sentences I've modified from his work to ask people I coach.  Try them out!

………………..is what I really want to do to create income for me to live like I want.

More than anything, I really want to do something about………. in my community.

More than anything, I really want to do something about………………in Canada/the world.  

The times I have been the most creative were……..

The times I have been the most committed to something were……….

 I want to serve …….......... (think ages, incomes, groups by interest, location, ethnicity, languages, et cetera).

If there are 10 of my best friends/coworkers in a room, I (do this)…………………… better than most of them

If there are 10 of my best friends/coworkers in a room,  I (do this)……………………worst than most of them

If I was a product on a shelf, customers would buy me since I'm……………………

The best job I ever had was…………………

In a perfect work day, I would:

-          Wake up at……………….

-          Wear to work……………..

-          Go to (settings for work)…………….

-          Work with tools like……………..

-          Spend most of my day doing…………………

-          I would work with people like……………..

-          Finish my work day at……………………….

-          I would earn, per year, about………………

2 recent finds for Career Advice!

Think this blog is good?

Well, check out :

a.  the Career Management Best Practices group CLICK HERE on Linked-in.

b.  the iTunes podcast Career Tools CLICK HERE.  246 episodes on all sorts of topics.  I listened to one last night and felt like an amateur.

Lots of great advice from all sorts of great people.

Decision Making Tools - support for BlogTalk radio Episode #3

Episode #3 of my blogradio cast is available on iTunes (search for Doors Close Doors Open) and at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/doors-close--doors-open/2012/06/15/episode-3--making-decisions

Thank-you to all of you who continue to visit my blog (over 4400 hits since April 4) and now are tuning into my podcasts (over 300 in two weeks).  As always, I will ramble in some sort of direction and give you some tools that I have found in my/our journey and my professional that can help.

I find a real lack of decision making tools in Career Development literature and web-sites.  I think it is "assumed" we all CAN and DO make good decisions regularly.  We all know the saying about assumptions.....  

Here is how I made my decision and I hope it can show you some of the steps.

When I was faced with a decision on my career transition, forced a bit by the news my office was closing, I did 7 things.

The 1st thing I did was to reach out to those in my circle of trust.  I needed them to help me understand the problem I was facing and I felt I needed to be heard and understood.  There are no resources here just the strength and humility to admit weakness and vulnerability.

So the 2nd thing I did when I was overwhelmed by choices was to start writing stuff down. I took all the documents and wrote out scenarios.  I made list of pros and cons.  I pushed numbers into on-line pension calculators.  

The 3rd thing I did was resort to quiet time, mediation, nature in order to unclutter all the work I just did.  I love Sharon Salzberg.  She has a really great approach to meditation.   You can find her book "Real Happiness" on-line and on the web at CLICK HERE (http://www.sharonsalzberg.com/)

The 4th thing I did was to push aside my past decision making practices and explore new ones.  I found the wikipedia page on decision making and it opened my eyes to ways to decide CLICK HERE http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decision_making.    I especially liked the segment about bounded rationality - the idea that human decision-making is limited by available information, available time, and the information-processing ability of the mind. It identified two styles: maximizers and satisfiers.  From the wiki:

maximizers try to make an optimal decision, whereas satisfiers simply try to find a solution that is "good enough". Maximizers tend to take longer making decisions due to the need to maximize performance across all variables and make tradeoffs carefully; they also tend to more often regret their decisions (perhaps because they are more able than satisfiers to recognize that a decision turned out to be sub-optimal)

Aren't all our decisions limited by information and time?  I am a satisfier and it make my life easier but I also tend to pay a bit more or get a bit less.  Who are you?

The 5th thing I did was Google for worksheets, taking the first stage of writing things down but now forcing me to think in different ways.  I found www.MindTools.com . There are heaps of worksheets for decision making, complete with tips and tricks at CLICK HERE http://www.mindtools.com/pages/main/newMN_TED.htm#models

I printed some off and started to calculate and figure out what choices meant in real terms.  Really help flesh-out some of my options.  I really like the Career Choice Worksheet 

The 6th thing I did was similar to the second thing - to quiet my mind again.  I refocused on work, play, sport, and music for a few days.  I let all the work, worry settle in and tried to tap into my intuition.  Intuition can be powerful but must be, I believe, validated with facts.  

And lastly, the7th thing I did was I came back to my loved ones.  I told them what my conclusion was, what risks there were and what changes they might be in store for.  Only with their agreement and understanding did I make my choice.

Did you notice the circles I made?  I started with loved ones and ended there two.  I had two different "work" stages and "play" stages.  Hey, that's life!

And a friend Kyle introduced me to this wonderful depiction of life in all its organic, non-liner splendour...

Looping back in your decision making,alternating between your brain and your heart, by trusting others, and by seeking new ways of doing this, your journey may lead you in every direction but in the end will lead to success.

Making Career Decisions

Join me tonight at 9pm (MST) for episode #3 of my blogtalk radio show.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/doors-close--doors-open/2012/06/15/episode-3--making-decisions

Tonight I will focus on Making Career Decisions.  After all the self examination and brainstorming, now comes the task of refining ideas, evaluating choices, and actually deciding what you will do.

Decision making can be very stressful and is one of the toughest steps, especially for my affected colleagues in the Federal Public Service.  Combining rational and intuitive techniques as well as involving your circle of trust in the process can help optimize the decision.

I look forward to you logging on and chatting on-line during my show or calling in.

Remember, archived shows are available on iTunes as podcasts and on the blogtalk radio site.  See you tonight!

Episode #2 - Exploring your options

Join me this Thursday, June 07, at 9pm MST for the second episode of Doors Close, Doors Open blogtalk radio.  The link is http://tobtr.com/s/3330963

Episode #2 will be about exploring your options after you have evaluated yourself.  Trying career options on for size to see the opportunities and risks, the benefits and the drawbacks is an important second step in career transition.

Now that the jitters are gone, I will try to be the energetic speaker that I can be.  And please, send in your questions and share your stories before or during the show - I am truly running out of clever things to say!

I am excited to announce that I have created a podcast channel on iTunes.  You can sign up and listen to my archived shows on iTunes by searching for Doors Close in the search engine or by using this link http://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/doors-close-doors-open-blog/id532874916.

24 hours until 30 minutes of blog radio

Earlier this week I made a crazy commitment to host my own talk-radio show about my personal career journey and general career transition advice.

Since then, I have been worrying about what I am going to talk about.

Episode 1 will mainly surround the circumstances of early April 2012, when I was notified that my office was going to close and very few people (not me) were going to be offered relocation to Ottawa (wouldn't take it) while others were going to be transitioned out (fancy for laid-off, and yeah that's me).

It will also focus on the first stage of career transition - evaluating yourself.  I will offer some of my tips and tricks, as well as introduce you to some handy web-sites and books.

However, feel free to email any questions to me at jaysonlavergne@gmail.com or call into the show.

We go live at 9pm MST tomorrow at http://tobtr.com/s/3307295

Talk to you then.

Jay

We are all Effected

Workforce Adjustment, WFA, affected, surplus, lay-off, alternation, blah, blah, blah . . . let's face it, everyone working for the Government of Canada is just plain effected these days.

Now, the word-du-jour is affected but I like effected. Typically a noun, effected means something produced by a cause (in this case Budget 2012).  But, as a verb, it means to bring to completion. Wow, that is so true.

Beyond the obvious (quite possibly my career with government being completely over), my career really has now come full circle - a completion. 

I feel like I did in June 28, 1990, leaving high-school and not needing to go to school another day if I didn't want to (luckily I did want to).  I feel like I did in June of 1996, when I flew home from Japan with all my University courses complete with no job and no grad school.  I feel like I did in the early spring of 2000, when I was getting ready to complete my 2-year contract and return to Canada.  All those times, the future was uncertain, the options were limitless, but the risks to my survival (food, shelter) were around every corner.

What lessons did I learn from those times . . .

1990 - Education is a doorway to opportunity.  I met so many people, learned so much, and with the piece of paper I got, I have had a great career.  Education was fun, challenging, and difficult.  But looking back, one of the best decisions I ever made. 

Bringing it forward to now - My education created my career and my income, and for that I am thankful.  Like, really thankful.  But if I want more out of my career and more income, I really need to take this opportunity to retool.

1996 - The economy was bad, and so the career prospects.  I felt like I had no control, no chances at success. Now it was nowhere near the crap of 1982, which decimated my family.  But it was hard to be so eager without anyone to woo me.

Bringing it forward to now - There are windows of prosperity in economies. Around the world, Canada is weathering the global recession fairly well.   In Canada, there have been worse times.  In some provinces, particularly the prairies, there haven't been much better times.  I am changing careers in one of the good times and I should be thankful.

2000 - I was managing English teachers in Japan with an Arts degree and no real career in Canada.  I was worried about what kind of job I would get.  I was worried about what kind of career I would have with an Arts degree.  So I sat down with a Career book and worked through the exercises (defining your values, examining your skills, looking at your personality).  I have stayed remarkably true to what I discovered then.

Bringing it forward to now - My career since 2000 has not been an accident.  I planned to raise a family in Edmonton and I have.  It made the decision to consider relocating to Ottawa a simple NO.  I knew that I wanted a defined career, so I chose HR and I still want to be in HR.  All my education since 2000 has had an HR focus.  I got my CHRP credentials.  I have worked in HR now for 14 years.  And, when I was told of my fate,  I looked and found another HR job. 

What lessons have you learned from your past that you can rely on now? 

Are you investing in education?

Do you realize the relatively positive economy we live in?  Are you thankful?

Have you really worked on YOU and made some decisions for your career?

What oil can buy - ALIS

Living in Alberta can be a crazy life - in 1981 and in 1995 you couldn't get a job and in 2002 and 2012 you can't find anyone to hire. Our lives here seem to revolve around oil, or as the Hillbillies theme went "black gold".

The huge upside is that the Alberta Government every year potentially has a very handsome revenue stream and have to respond to the oil sectors business needs. Not to get political here, but sometimes Ministers get lucky and lead their departments in the right direction and even spend the taxes wisely.  Case in point is ALIS (click here)- the Alberta Learning Information Service - a career service for the Alberta labour market to prepare them to work.

ALIS is a great, sorry a fantastic, resource for all job seekers, even non-Albertans. One of the great subpages is The Tips by Topic (click here).   Topics include negotiating salaries in the job search process, handling job offers and trends in salaries.

Dig around the site some more and you can find tonnes of tools such as the 2011 Alberta Wage and Salary Survey (click here)

Wow, linking you with ALIS may have been a BLM (a blog limiting move)!

Your Money or Your Life

About 13 years ago, when the Oprahfication of my life was in full-force, I was introduced to a book called Your Money or Your Life Link to Chapters on-line
It was a real game changer for me.

The essence of the book is we all trade our life energy for money.  Sometimes we can keep our energy, get paid less and actually be happier and wealthier.   We typically don't realize how much we are getting paid in the end once we deduct the true cost of working.  Young families in Canada realize this very fact once you have to pay after-tax dollars for child-care!

I remember when I took paid paternal leave in 2006 when although my income was reduced, I had way more money since I didn't have all the work expenses.

In the book Your Money or Your Life, pages 67-68, is a helpful worksheet you can use to balance your income with your work-related expenses considering your current job or a potential new job. 

Take your salary or potential salary and deduct:

1.  Commuting costs
- time spent commuting to and from work that you could be getting paid
- wear and tear for commuting miles costs
- gas and oil or public transit costs
- parking costs

2.  Costuming costs
- clothes bought for work
- make-up bought for work
- briefcases et cetera bought for work
- shoes bought for work
- drycleaning for work

3.  Meal costs
- convenience meals since you are often too late/busy to cook
- coffee breaks at work
- lunches at work
- entertaining for work
- food rewards for unpleasant jobs

4.  Daily decompression opportunity costs
- time till the kids can have fun after you get home from work
- recreational substances (my daily beer) at home you need after work
- time till able to be productive again at home after work

5.  Escape entertainment costs
- movies
- bars
- cable
- holidays
- exercise

6.  Job related illnesses costs
- lost time to flu, colds, stress related illnesses related to your job

7.  Other job related costs
- hired help to clean house, mow lawn, shovel snow since you are too busy
- childcare while you are working
- educational programs for your career
- memberships, certifications for your career

How much do you actually make?  Could you make more be doing something else? Is your job "costing you too much"?  It might just be wiser to work a simpler job closer to home for less money.

Back to the Future

I left off on Friday with a technique to envision what might be what a perfect work day would be like. 

Returning to Zen and the Art of Making a Living, the next exercise is remembering when work has been "perfect".  This might provide hints, actually proof, of what kind of work you really enjoy - looking back to see the future...Back to the Future...get it now.

As an added plus, it can help you with some great answers to behaviourally-based interview questions and supply some great info for your resume!

1.  What was the most important contribution you feel you have made in your career?

2.  What has been the most exciting aspect of your work?

3.  What has been the most difficult work challenge in your career, but one that you met face on and worked through the obstacles?

4.  What, in your career, are you the most proud of?

5.  What has been a creative highlight?

6.  What skills have you perfected in your career that you have incorporated into your day-to-day life?

7. What have you enjoyed the least?

8.  What have you been formally rewarded for in your career?

9. What have you been the most committed to in your career, where you were deeply involved, emotionally committed, and determined to succeed?

10. What have you done that someone said that you couldn't and shouldn't but you knew was right?

11.  What have been some times when you were absorbed in your work, when you hardly noticed the time (or the bad pay)?

(L Boldt, Zen and the Art of Making a Living)

I have a follow-up interview tonight for a job that still has a lot of question marks for me.  I will ask these questions of myself this afternoon and into tonight, trying to figure out if it can give me the same satisfaction as some of my past highlights.

Blog again with you tomorrow.

A Day in the Life

Most of us have books that have a profound effect on our lives - Catcher in the Rye, the Bible, the Twilight Saga.  In February of 1998 I bought a book called Zen and the Art of Making a Living by Laurence Boldt.  Over the next two years, I read and worked through it.  It helped my clarify my values, linked my values to a profession, and helped me chart my career course.  There is a lot of new age crap in it, but the essence of the arguments and the very effective worksheets were worth it.

Boldt’s main point is that we need to be fulfilled – to do the work we love.

One worksheet in the book is called A Day in the Life.  It helps you discover what a perfect work day would be like.  Print off this post and answer the questions for yourself.  See if you are living the perfect life already Or see if a new job will bring you closer to your ideal. 

Your Ideal Day in the Life

1.  What time do wake up for work?

2.  What do you wear to work?

3.  Where do you go to work?

4.  Who is the first person you greet, if any?

5.  At what time do you begin your work day?

6.  Are you working for yourself, a small firm, a large firm, or a branch of government?

7.  What are the tools you work with?

8.  Do you have a boss?  What kind of rapport do you have?  Do you have subordinates or employees? What do they do?  How do you interact?

9.  How do you spend the lion share of the day (in meetings? alone? with a team? on the telephone?  Making presentations?)

10.  Do you work primarily with people inside or outside of your organization?

11.  Where do you have lunch?  With whom?

12.  As what time do you complete your work day?

13.  Do you take your work home with you?  If yes, what kind of work?

14.  How much money will you earn at this job?

You can visit the author's web-site at http://empoweryou.com/. 

Occupational profiles

One of the best resources I use for my career and profession is occupational profiles.

Occupational profiles, in Alberta can be found at http://alis.alberta.ca/occinfo/Content/RequestAction.asp?format=html&aspAction=GetHomePage&Page=Home

The profiles list the duties, the personal characteristics, the educational requirements, employment and enhancement, and salary information. As an HR professional, I use the site to create job ads, interview questions, and to negotiate salaries.

But, as a job-seeker, it can be more useful. It can help you define:

1. What areas of experience have that match with the career. You can use the phrases on your resume or your on-line profile.

2. What areas of experience you don't have. You can try to stretch in your current job and/or seek opportunities to gain this expertise.

3. What job-specific personal characteristics you have and focus your cover letter, resume, and interview responses to focus on your job specific strengths.

4. Conversely, identify personal characteristics that you are week on and mitigate them.

5. Evaluate educational programs that could accredit you in the profession.

6. Identify key employers.

7. Negotiate salaries or determine your income earning potential in certain sectors.

Try to search for your current job, jobs close to yours that might be attainable, and some of your dream jobs.

Becoming a professional

Last week I blogged about the 9 essential skills for ANY job.  But it is not that simple.  For self-fulfillment and recognition (income-earning potential), I became a professional.  I took the required education, joined the accepted professional association, gained the required experiences, and built the skills to be a professional.  This can be done for most any job out there & can help position yourself on the top of everyone's hiring list.

Here is how;

1.  Use an occupational profile site, typically run by your provincial government.  In Alberta, the site is called ALIS and can be found at http://alis.alberta.ca/occinfo/Content/RequestAction.asp?format=html&aspAction=GetHomePage&Page=Home.  Under each job title are the duties, personal characteristics, educational requirements, and associations.   This can be used as a professional roadmap for education (including post-graduate), subject matters you may want to get experience in, and abilities that you may want to focus on.

2.  Use the professional association’s web-site for required capabilities. My association, CHRP, has 187 knowledge, concepts, skills, abilities and other attributes required for demonstrating success as an effective human resources professional. 

3.  As always, when in doubt, Google.  I found a great information source on HR Consulting from Alan Weiss   He has tonnes of free articles on his web-site about consulting best-practices http://www.summitconsulting.com/articles/index.php.  I have adopted many of them to the public sector with great success.

Best of luck becoming and presenting yourself as the consumate professional in whatever you do!

The 9 Essential Skills for Any Job

Working for the Government of Canada for the past 8 years has opened my eyes to so many free resources.  Well, are they actually free or did we all pay for them....

One resource I keep going back to is a 2007 HRSDC (Human Resource and Skills Development Canada) Essential Skills project.  The gist of the project was to identify skills that are universal, skills that in some way every job requires.

This can be an excellent tool for employers for the standardization of hiring.  If every job requires these skills, then every assessment of a job seeker (resumes, interviews, reference checks) should include all the essentials.

For a job seeker, this can be an equally powerful tool.  When crafting a linked-in profile or an untargeted resume, a job seeker should ensure that all the 9 Essential skills are addressed.  These "portable" skills will increase your chances of looking like a fit for any job.

The 9 Essential Skills are:

1. Reading Text
2. Use of Documents
3. Writing
4.  Numeracy
5. Oral Communication
6. Thinking Skills including problem solving, decision making, critical thinking, job task planning and organizing, significant use of memory, finding information
7. Working with Others
8. Computer Use
9. Continuous Learning

To integrate these skills into your on-line profile or untargeted resume, focus on past situations that exemplify your skills (known to HR professionals as behavioural-based assessment).  You will need to:

A.  Describe the situation (be specific as it make the situation more real)
B.  Talk about the actions you took (additionally, you can show why you chose those actions)
C.  Describe the results of your actions (most organizations are results-based so don't leave this out).

Here is my example for Essential Skill #5:

- developed and delivered presentations on the internal government job board to employees and managers.  This increased usage of the tool by both parties and has resulted in 300 users and over 10 staffing solutions in the last year.


To access the entire guide, visit: http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/workplaceskills/LES/tools_resources/tools_audience/general/readers_guide_whole.shtml