Back in January, my usually upbeat handyman confided to me that he was in a funk. Business was down and he could barely meet  expenses. He decided to seek employment as a Superintendent or Facility Manager. While he enjoyed doing home repairs, he needed the security of a full time job. A change in situation would create a steady income  and allow him to serve private customers after business hours. The problem was he lacked the personal awareness to effectively market himself.

After a brief discussion we agreed on a barter arrangement; I would write his resume and cover letter in exchange for his taking care of several projects around my home.

My familiarity with his work helped me to create a resume that would attract the opportunities he was seeking. The profile boasted about his talents, the skills section featured every tool he had operated and the professional skills he offered. I included a logo that depicted a hammer and nail to catch the attention of hiring managers.

The interview process and completed document gave my handyman the language he needed to market himself. What he learned about himself during the interview process of the resume program gave him a better understanding of his value to others and the role his previous experience in played in achieving his goals.

About a week after his resume was completed he called to tell me about all the opportunities that were coming his way. The newly created resume enabled him to clearly speak with friends and members of his congregation about his career goals. To his surprise he found people were more than willing to share contacts and job leads. I listened as he enthusiastically told me he was going to apply for a seasonal maintenance position with the Trump Organization…It has since occurred to me the real benefit of what I do is give people the confidence and hope they need to pursue their goals.

The move coincides with the addition of Aspire Higher “Success Team”, a collaborative Forum for Enterprising Women. This supportive team environment helps entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, independent consultants, commissioned sales executives, and home based business owners stay motivated, focused and accountable to what matters most.

In upcoming months, I will be offering job clubs, workshops and seminars to assist you better. For more information on our new location or programs, call me at 917-576-2821.

At the same time, I have made it my mission to help my handyman, and friend, transition into residential facilities management. Towards that goal, I contacted everyone I knew who worked in the industry, including my building manager. Eureka, several of the people I contacted automatically moved him to the top of their contact list. The building manager where I live asked for his resume and plans to meet with him next week to discuss his career goals.

In both these cases the parties had defined their career goals. They clearly shared these goals with people who were familiar with their work and believed in their dreams and abilities. Once again, these situations support the importance of having a strong network and asking for help.

– Vigyan Bhairava, Ancient Hindu Text

It has been a while since my last posting. Which was due, in part, to some major changes my husband and  I made over the past year. The biggest change was the sale of my house.  However, the move has favorably  effected every area  of my life. Each step I took was surprisingly similar to the process of making a career transition or job change. Therefore, I offer up so both what I learned and what was reinforced along the way.

• Square Pegs Are Not Made to Fit Into Round Holes: While I loved my physical home, it was a poor fit in terms of both my husband’s and my values, wants, needs, and desires. Much like someone who is unhappy with their employer or career, no matter how hard we tried to work to resolve things the same issues kept coming up.
• Face the Problem: It took both the passing of time and outside support for my husband and I to take a realistic look at our living situation. With the assistance of Robin Vaccai Yess, CFP , an independent, fee only financial adviser who objectively yet passionately confirmed the source of our trouble.  Almost 7 years to the day we moved in, we surrendered and put the house on the market.
• Prepare for Change: Aside from getting our house ready to go on the market, we had to create a criteria to find a new home that we would be happy in. While we were clear on what  didn’t work for us, we had to create a vision of what would work. I applied the same principles that I use with someone who wants to make a career transition to my own life. We visited  neighborhoods at  different times during the day and night, questioned local residents about the area, and clocked how long it would take to travel to and from New York before we narrowed down our options.
• Expect the Unexpected: If you have ever been in a job search you know things can quickly change. Early on in our search, I fell in love with a house. While I thought it was a perfect fit, the seller had a different opinion and accepted another offer. Shortly after that, a personal situation arose, which took priority. We took the house off the market for a few months.
• Find the Opportunity in the Challenge Once our situation was resolved, we were ready to make the move. We got an offer the first day we put our house back on the market. While it wasn’t while it wasn’t our ideal number, it was good given the market conditions. We accepted the offer and ramped up our search. With less then 3 months to pick our new home we explored our options. I thought I wanted another house yet we could not find anything we liked. As time ticked by, we considered other options and eventually found a wonderful co-op that would accept us and our 2 dogs. Within less then a month I was on the gardening committee and had made 2 new friends.  I never would have imagined that we could be so happy living in an apartment again.

What isn’t working in your life? What is one thing you can to change it?

Take for example the following postings be job seekers:

• Experienced (11 years) Certified Professional Sr. IT Program and Project Manager looking for opportunities in the Phoenix, AZ, area.
• Sr. IT professional seeking contract or direct placement.
• I’m expanding my network. Please send me the invitations @ projectmanager@projectmanager.com. Thanks.
• (Still!) Actively seeking a new role for myself - IT/Telecommunications Project Management in the Middle East, Europe, Africa, USA or Asia.
  

The presentation of the word (Still!) coupled with the candidate’s willingness to relocate anywhere in the world conveys a sense of desperation and is likely to repel members of his or her network. My initial reaction to the other postings is So What? So What as in:

• So What distinguishes you from other Project Managers?
• So What would make a hiring manager want to click on your link and schedule a meeting?
• So What do you offer that would be of value to my organization?
• So What is your professional brand and what are you best known for? How will it make difference to my organization?
• So What is it exactly that you do?
• So What would make me want to be a part of your network?

Descriptive, snappy action oriented introductions, such as the ones below, will move your network into action:

• Global PM looking for EMS, Electronic, and Medical project opportunties…expert at leading Product Development Teams culminating with Manufacturing Design Transfer. Travel no problem.
• An IT Project Management Professional (PMP) certified, Security Cleared, looking for position within UK (Cambridge or surrounding area)
• Global Portfolio Management Evangelist seeking next Mission

Happy posting

To learn more about Careers in Project Management read my column @ NY Project Management Examiner

You Are Invited to Attend
“THE NEW JOB WARRIORS”
A FREE WEEKLY PROGRAM FOR PEOPLE IN A CAREER TRANSITION
Starting Tuesday, March 24, 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM
@ Starbucks
1 Depot Square, Tuckahoe, NY
Coffee and Danish Compliments of Starbucks
Seating is limited.
Call now to reserve your space
914-961-0579

Starbucks rocks! Thanks to Miryah, manager of Starbucks in Tuckahoe for her support.

15 years ago she worked around the very same issues  she is facing today. The difference was she felt appreciated by her bosses. Now, she waits anxiously for her boss, who is located across the country, to return her calls. During our meeting  she confided to me she feared he wasn’t interested in hearing her ideas.

Having coached her for several months, I knew I would be unable to convince her otherwise. Yet, I had to come up with something to help feel better or risk seeing her lose her new job because of her attitude. That’s when the word “perhaps” came to mind. I took a chance and asked her what would happen if she started her internal dialogues with the word perhaps? Perhaps, he is isn’t interested in what I have to say? Perhaps he is too busy ot respond to my email. She smiled, she could deal with knowing he might or might not be interested in her ideas. After practicing this for a few days, she called to tell me that her boss called her and said he wanted to hear more of her input.

Perhaps is a powerful tool. With an 8% unemployment rate there are a lot of people competing for work. It is stressful to wait for a response to your perfectly written cover letter and resume. Yet, stress can drain you of your optimism and enthusiasm. Both of which are needed to catch the attention of hiring managers. Perhaps, you could retain some of your optimism by saying to yourself “perhaps. I will be called in for an interview.”

The  next time you find yourself filled with thoughts of gloom and doom, preface your thoughts with perhaps. You might   feel a little better.

YOU ARE INVITED TO ATTEND
“THE NEW JOB WARRIORS”
Saturday, March 14th, 4:00 to 6:00 PM
@ Yoga Haven
62 Main Street, Tuckahoe, NY

A FREE program to help people manage their careers with the courage and heart of a warrior.

Whether you are unemployed, facing a lay-off, considering a change or interested in advancing your career this program will  introduce you to cutting edge strategies and resources that will help you thrive in today’s competitive market. Learn how to calm your mind, take control of your career and create a plan that will lead to new opportunities.

Seating is limited.
Call now to reserve your space
914-961-0579

However, do not be lulled into a false security, this is just the first step. We now need to guarantee that once women challenge pay discrimination, they have the necessary tools and legal support to prove their cases beyond a reasonable doubt and hold their employers accountable.

The Ledbetter Act was drafted to overturn the Supreme Court’s May 2007 decision in the case of Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., which would have prevented underpaid workers’ to use the protections of civil rights laws to remedy pay discrimination.

Lilly Ledbetter had worked at Goodyear for 19 years when she discovered she was being paid significantly less than every single one of her male counterparts. A jury agreed that she had been paid unfairly, and awarded her $223,776 in back pay, and over $3 million in punitive damages. However, a judge cut that to $300,000 because of a 1991 law that limited a company’s liability for damages — even when found guilty of willful wage discrimination.

What ensued was an egregious miscarriage of justice. The U.S. Supreme Court rescinded every penny of the back pay and damages awarded to Ms. Ledbetter, citing the 180 day filing limit had begun way back when the very first paycheck showed lesser pay.

Learn more about Lilly Ledbetter

1. be ready when an unforeseen opportunity presents itself
2. be ready to launch your job search if you are suddenly laid off
3. have a healthy awareness of your unique strengths, skills, and accomplishments
4. be less stressed should you find yourself in an unexpected job search
5. be ahead of the competition because you will also be active in your  professional and social network and have a strong online presence.
6. be in a better position for promotions and salary increases