Experience versus Opinion

Experiences stand where opinions fall

"Opinions are like small intestines: every body has one." Anon.

Ask these questions and you'll get an opinion...

What are my options?

Where should I go from here?

What would you do in my place?

Why am I in this position?

Ask questions like these and you'll get much more...

How have you made difficult decisions in the past?

What makes you confident about the future?

What got you through your last job search?

What tough times have you lived through?

The difference is all down to experience...

Nobody ever photographed an opinion

[Image courtesy of EBONY~CAT on flickr]

Opinions that read perfectly on paper or sound just right in conversation don't always work in the real world. When you are job searching or deciding where you want your career to go, opinions can be confusing and that gets in the way.

True experience is always grounded in fact. Good, bad or indifferent, an experience can teach you something. Someone else's experience can be just as valuable to you as it was to them. What you have learned through experience can always be relied upon, it happened to you after all.

Instead of asking someone's opinion, ask what they have done, find out what they lived through, what they rely upon and the lessons they have learned. Find out from them what has worked.

When an opinion just doesn't feel right, seize the opportunity to ask for an experience or share one of your own.

Discover for yourself why it makes all the difference.

work/life change

Things need to change

I need to change

Things have changed

I have changed

I've no idea where they're going but sometimes I'm still jealous ;)

[Image courtesy of P - A - S on Flickr]

Of course there are differences but making changes and catching-up with change requires the same effort.

What do you think?

What changes do you want to make right now?

What changes are you trying to catch-up with?

All the best,

Paul

Where you want to be in 5 years time

The last post on this blog proved nothing.

Not as bad as it sounds because the intention wasn't to prove anything, the intention was to find out what's possible. To ask if there might be a better way to answer this career question: "Where do you want to be in 5 years time?"

Proving and disproving should start with questions worth investigating. Questions that offer knowledge worth gaining. Questions that are worthwhile exploring.

It might seem like an unusual way to try and answer career questions but a mathematical approach does offer certainty. And if I'm not mistaken, mathematical certainties often begin with doubt too.

Maths has this much in common with career decision-making at least!

A worthy exploration or a waste of time?

Your opinion has the same value as anyone else's.

Maybe maths isn't the right discipline to help us as individuals answer this question. If that is ultimately proven (here or elsewhere) then we've all learned something worthwhile.

You don't have to be a maths professor for your opinion to count.

As an outsider to the language of maths, there are some things I am envious of. The importance of what you say, not who you are is one. Pierre de Fermat was a career lawyer not a mathematician after all.

Here's an excerpt from an email I received last week:

There are only two types of question:

1) Questions mathematics has answered

2) Questions mathematics has yet to answer

I took that as encouragement to keep exploring this question.

Special thanks to Steve and Kyle for commenting last week and moving this question forward.

All the best for now,

Paul

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Discover a new way to answer this question for yourself at exploreyourcareer.com

Where do you want to be in 5 years time?

What's stopping you?

If we're not careful, we can spend our careers wondering...

Can it be done?

Is it possible?

Can I do it?

What happens if I fail?

But - if you were careful - could you wonder like this instead...

It can be done.

It is possible.

I can do it.

Whatever happens I'll learn something.

What difference would it make to your career if you could?

Inspiration is like a beautiful sunset.

You don't have to be in a beautiful place to experience it.

All the best for now

Paul

Talking Redundancy/Layoff

“You’re younger than me so you wouldn’t understand.”

Your friend is right but if he thinks being younger means you don’t have career worries, he’s got a short memory.

The conversation between you continued.

“I’m looking over my shoulder at all these people younger than me. How can I compete with that?”

A short silence fell while both your minds raced.

His question went unanswered.

[Walking & Talking - see more at Saundra's Flickr Photostream here]

“I’ve been laid-off before but it's different this time. I just feel like my luck has run out.”

He finished talking.

You considered your reply.

You took a deep breath and started to speak, “...

How did you respond?

What would you have said to your friend in that conversation?

All the best for now,

Paul

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Previous posts on redundancy:

Norris's story: Redundancy/Layoff in a Team

More about redundancy and layoff

Redundancy: Is there a positive future?

Redundancy - A personal view

Alex's story - Redundancy/Layoff with a Positive Outcome

A Commuter's Tale

Tuesday morning. It’s dark and raining.

You walk to the train station avoiding the puddles. Your umbrella keeps you dry for the moment. The same umbrella will soon make you and the person beside you wet on the busy train.

“Remind me again why I’m doing this?” you say out loud. Thankfully, no-one is close enough to hear you.

Your job is OK. It’s a good company. Good people. You know what you’re doing.

“So what’s the problem?” you say to yourself. Still out loud but a little more quietly this time.

[Rain Tracks - see more at Saundra's Flickr Photostream here]

The more you think about it (and you have thought about it a lot lately) you don’t hate your job. You just aren't one of those people who enjoy what they do.

You don’t envy the people who seem happy at work.

“They should be praised for proving it’s possible.” you think to yourself. Not speaking out loud this time.

“It’s up to me to figure out what’s missing. To understand what I want. Not just from my job but for the rest of my career too.” you quietly resolve to yourself.

You splash into the station and continue to think as you roll up your umbrella.

Your umbrella rolls up in a smooth, practised motion that reflects the many times you have done it before. It's a familiar, satisfying feeling.

“That’s the feeling I want from my job!” you speak out loud again. Louder this time.

The ticket collector hears you.

She smiles and you know that she wants the same feeling too.

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A bit of an experimental post today. I hope you like it!

All the best for now,

Paul

Where would I like to be in 5 years time?

Ask yourself this question

There's no trick to it

No right or wrong answer

Take your time

Where would I like to be in 5 years time?

Easy answers can't work in the long-run

Someone else's answer won't work for you either

You can't be 'technically correct' on this one

[Santa Cruz - see more at Saundra's Flickr Photostream here]

Where would I like to be in 5 years time?

You're not alone when you think about this question. It's by far the most searched and most visited on this blog.

I hope you do choose to stay with this question a little longer. The only person who can benefit is you.

Refresh it, Re-phrase it, Renew your attitude towards it. Do whatever you feel necessary but do take the time to ask yourself once again:

Where would I like to be in 5 years time?

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Learn how your answer to this question can evolve over time at exploreyourcareer.com

Where do you want to be in 5 years time?

What to aim for when you write your CV/Resume

This question came up recently and it's a good one:

What are you aiming for when you write your CV?

Here's one potential answer:

"I'm aiming to write my CV, dummy!"

A fair answer. It's technically correct too but it's also not the whole story. (Perhaps summed up best by the comedian who once said, "Technically correct. The worst kind of correct.")

I have asked this question a lot recently: What are you aiming for when you write your CV? (Although I do avoid asking it at parties. It's a bit of a mood killer)

[Communication - see more at Saundra's Flickr Photostream here]

If we ponder it a little more for the moment, perhaps the most common answer to this question is: "To get myself a job."

Technically correct once again. When you sit down to write your CV or Resume, the reason you do it is to get your next job or because you need a new job.

But here's where you can turn technically correct into the best kind of correct. An answer that is best for you and your career.

What about: "To get myself a job that I want."

We all know the difference between work and the work we enjoy doing. If we're searching anyway, why not look for a job that we want?

So here's one last question if you are writing your CV or Resume right now:

What are you aiming for?

All the best for now,

Paul

Chance and your career

What's the difference between taking your chances and taking a chance?

✪ We need to take our chances to move our careers forward

✪ To take a chance with your career is too great a risk

Are chance and opportunity related?

✪ To take our chances is to seize opportunities

✪ To take a chance is more opportunistic

[Taking his chances? - see more at Saundra's Flickr Photostream here]

Why explore this together?

✪ For our careers to be successful we need to know the difference

✪ Opportunity can be managed but chance also plays a role

So what's your opinion?

All the best,

Paul

The Learner's Progress - Past, Present & Future

I'm posting over on the Joyful Jubilant Learning blog today.

Here's a direct link to the article: The Learner’s Progress – Past, Present & Future

In other news, look out for a new post on work/life fusion next week where I interview the author of the new book, There's More to Life Than the Corner Office. If you can't wait, check out the book's website here.

Have a great weekend wherever you are!

All the best,

Paul

A Hole in Your Career?

Have you ever done a good job but no-one told you so at the time?

Sometimes our work is good but no-one tells us and that can leave a hole.

Is a hole a good place for more digging?

Here’s one example: Two colleagues worked in the same office for years. Marley helped Scrooge all of the time: Scrooge never thanked him once. Years later when Marley was leaving the company, Scrooge quietly cornered him and said, “It was a pleasure working with you. I’ll never forget how much you helped me. It won't be the same without you.”

Although it changed Marley’s view of Scrooge forever that moment filled a big hole in Marley’s career understanding as well. He always knew that he had done good work for Scrooge but he never completely believed it until he got Scrooge's feedback.

Marley also learned something important about the holes in his career. He now understood that they wouldn't go away if he ignored them. From then on Marley challenged himself to act differently whenever he found a hole. First, he resolved to climb in and dig around. Second, he would start to fill it in. Never again would Marley ignore or walk away from a hole in his career.

[Thought - see more at Saundra's Flickr Photostream here]

Your Experience:

✪ What’s the longest you have waited for positive feedback?

✪ When you got it, what did it challenge or confirm?

✪ How did you feel or act differently after getting it?

My Experience:

Marley taught me to be a lot braver about my career. That doesn't mean I now act carelessly. If anything, Marley's experience showed me how to act positively whatever the situation, however big the hole! My only regret is I never met and talked with Marley years ago.

Our Experience:

✪ Where are the holes in our careers?

Comment here and let's see what else we can find!

All the best for now,

Paul

Managing Career Change II

If you stopped by last October, you might recall reading about Prem.

Prem wanted to break into a new industry but he was finding it difficult. He was battling the perception that his experiences had no relevance outside his old work.

✪ Could Prem change these perceptions?

✪ Could he prove his experiences were valid in this new field?

✪ Could he get anyone to give him a break?

When Prem and I first spoke, he was already feeling like his choices were running out. To give us both the lift we needed, first we focused on the good news: at least Prem had choices!

We followed this up by establishing a shared belief in the fact that Prem's choices were actually the biggest single factor influencing his career success. Prem's intention to move his career into a new industry was his choice and his chief motivating factor after all.

[Louvre Voyeur - - see more at Saundra's Flickr Photostream here]

Managing Your Career

✪ Are you in a situation like Prem?

✪ Have you successfully switched from one industry to another?

✪ How did you get your big career break?

✪ What does managing our careers give us in common?

Comment is welcome & free!

All the best for now,

Paul

Related posts:

✪ Prem's story: Short & Long-term career planning

✪ Managing career change

✪ Career choice

Career Heroes

A client asked me yesterday [in my professional capacity as a career coach], “Have you ever struggled with career decisions or had moments of crisis or doubt?”. I replied, “All of the time.”

That was when he laughed.

Actually, we both laughed because it reminded us of past ‘experts’ who showed no weakness in themselves. Those super-men and wonder-women [with brightly coloured capes and underpants worn outside of their tights] who made us feel a little embarrassed for needing their help.

It really is a super-power that super-heroes can make us feel self-conscious when it's them who dress so badly :)

[Bay Bridge Sunset - see more at Saundra's Flickr Photostream here]

A career coach admitting to career issues might sound like a fundamental flaw. Like a seasick sailor, a cowboy with a horse-allergy or an entomologist scared by creepy-crawlies. Sometimes, our career-heroes appear to have a flawless history but appearances can hide a great deal. Sometimes neat packaging is nothing more than that.

In my client’s position, I’d want the truth because it would help me to use better judgement and make better decisions. Much of my work together with this client focused on doubts and testing beliefs. Our relevant personal and professional experiences on both sides could only help.

So what's your opinion?

✪ Of all the pleasure boats in the harbour you might still choose the one with the sickly looking Captain. [He is telling you the sea might be rough. If you decide the trip is still worth it, grab a sick-bag and get on board!]

✪ She might have bloodshot eyes and a runny nose but would you ride home the cattle with anyone else?

✪ Your comments [particularly if you are a successful entomologist with arachnophobia] are welcome!

All the best for now,

Paul