A Good Career Feeling

When things go well at work, you get a good feeling.

We all know the feeling and there are plenty of ways to describe it: satisfaction, fulfilment, self-worth, happiness, success.

But what actually gives us this feeling?

Where does it come from?

When have you had it in the past?

What can give it to you again in the future?

Nothing like a load of questions to kill a good feeling...

You don't have to be an explorer to explore

[Rough Waters=Beautiful Skies: see more at Saundra's Flickr Photostream here]

...Unless they are questions that help you explore your career for satisfaction and success.

Questions like the ones above are worth asking because they have the power to turn a good career feeling into something a little more substantial. Something you can begin to understand, find evidence for, even seek as your answers become more familiar to you.

If you know the feeling I'm talking about, if you have experienced it briefly or even only once in your career before now, you have some real evidence to focus your questions on.

What work were you doing at the time?

Who were you doing it with?

What could have made that feeling last longer?

What would have killed it stone dead?

I hope you do choose to think about the good feelings your career has given you. And how your career always has the potential to give them to you again in the future. Only one person will benefit if you do.

All my best to you for now,

Paul

work/life fusion FAQ

After some of the recent Q&As on this blog I thought an FAQ might be a good idea. So here goes...

What's this blog all about?

work/life fusion is about making decisions that can lead to career and job satisfaction.

Why focus on career decision making?

It's rarely a simple choice like sweet or savoury, strawberry or banana when it comes to our careers. We all face key moments in our working lives and we're under pressure to get our decisions right. There are so many influencing factors, so much opinion and advice to make sense of. Why not explore career decision making in a blog?

Did anyone else hear a tree falling?

[Roots Remain - courtesy of Rosa Say on Flickr]

What are the toughest times for career decision making?

I could say it's always tough but that's an easy answer and you'd never forgive me for it! It's tough when you're on a job search. Knowing what to do for the best has unique challenges when you're facing redundancy or if you have already been laid-off. It's tough when we face any kind of career change at any time in our working lives. Times can get tough but it's still possible to make good career choices.

What separates good and bad career choices?

Career and job satisfaction is the measure that lasts longest. I wouldn't argue if you said success, promotion, financial stability, or anything else you feel passionately about. But I would argue that your personal feelings of satisfaction and fulfilment can outlast anything else you could aim your career at.

Can anyone make better career choices?

Yes! Choices that can lead to career satisfaction have a lot to do with the way you experience change, opportunity and even the odd failure and setback. Positivity is important as it helps us overcome obstacles. Looking inwardly as well as outwardly helps us find a deeper resolve. This in turn gives us more trust and assurance in our own ability to lead our careers forward.

What's the best place to start if I wanted to make better career decisions and aim for job and career satisfaction?

The best place to start is wherever you are right now. Begin by exploring questions like What's important to me?, What am I good at? and What do I want for the future?. This is the best way to start defining career success more personally to you.

Is there a secret to career satisfaction?

Sadly no. There aren't any quick-fixes, short-cuts or easy-answers but you can find out more about career satisfaction and what it means to you, if you are prepared to look for it too. Take a look at some of these career stories if you'd like to read more!

Add your questions, answers, opinions and anything else in response to the above.

Best Regards for now,

Paul

Certainty, Doubt & Your Career

If you begin with certainties, you'll end up with doubts.

If you're willing to start with doubts, you'll end with certainties.*

What did you know for sure when you started your career?

Are you sure about the same things now?

What doubts did you begin your career with?

Which of these doubts have stayed with you over the years?

Why do any of these questions matter to you?

If only there was a film called Certainty...

[Doubt... Bolt - Photo Courtesy of Joanna Young on Flickr]

These questions matter because they help you appreciate what your career experiences have taught you to date. The doubts you have changed to certainties prove just how much you have learned in your career. In a similar way, certainties that have turned into doubts are a good reminder of how much you can still learn.

Whether we work or not, it's true that our certainties and doubts can change over time. But work is one area of our lives where certainties and doubts always have a big impact. For example, if we are certain or doubtful at the wrong time, it can lead to two things that damage careers: doubt in ourselves and other people doubting us.

Sounds a bit bleak, unless that is you return to the statement at the top of this post. If you believe there is truth in that statement, when you find yourself doubting - or being doubted by others - take heart because your journey towards new, meaningful certainties has already begun. I for one am certain of that!

All the best for now,

Paul

[* I've taken the liberty of modernising and paraphrasing Francis Bacon in the above statement. For the purists, FB's original (16th Century) words were as follows: “If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts: but if he will be content to begin with doubts, he shall end in certainties.”]

Work Matters

How you feel about work matters. How your work makes you feel matters too.

This post is dedicated to a friend. He's looking for a job right now and trying to make sense of his career at the same time. This friend has been through a run of bad luck recently. But he's still wise and courageous enough to know that his luck will change and that he's the most likely one to change it.

He's still learning from recent experiences, some of which he'd rather not repeat. In fact, he's aware and smart enough to know that he's still learning from all of his career experiences. And at no time is this more true than when you're looking for work.

Old decisions, old situations and past conversations often come back to haunt you. You can easily find yourself getting caught in loops of "If only", "What if", 'Should've' and 'Could've'. And if your career has ever been somewhere similar, you'll know this leads nowhere.

[By the way - I'm sure I sat next to the Shouldves or the Couldves at a wedding. Lovely couple, if a little hard on themselves.]

Reaching High, Courtesy of Rosa Say on Flickr

So what message did I want to send my friend here?

You know more about your career right now, than at any other point in the past. You'll know even more tomorrow too because every day you're learning something new.

This time around, you're also making discoveries for yourself. Sure, there are people who can and will help you, people whose opinions matter, people you need to take care of. But most important right now is the understanding you're building for yourself around work. The figuring out that focuses on your personal relationship with what you choose to do for a living.

Only you can know what work has made you happy in the past. You're the only one who can get excited by new work you could be doing right now - whether it's out there in your community or in a place you've not even visited yet.

You're the only one who'll find the work that puts a smile back on your face and the right sized pay-check in your pocket. You're the only one who can understand where your own desire comes from and how it keeps you going. You are the only one who can make yourself feel more secure in each step, as you get your career moving forward again.

As you probably already know, there's no magic bullet when it comes to careers. No easy answers. But there are plenty of questions. And if we're courageous, determined and willing enough to face these questions - as I know my friend is - the absence of easy-rides, short-cuts and quick-fixes all becomes worthwhile.

Hope this helps in some small way :)

All my best for now,

Paul

Career Advice Hits the Road in the UK

Did you know that The Career Advice Service - or CAS for short - are a public service here in the UK and they'll give you free advice and guidance on your career?

The CAS have recently taken their message out on the road too. Telling their story and listening to people like you and me talk work and careers.

To find out more, I asked CAS Careers Coach, Paresh Damani, a few questions about life, the Universe and everything else career related.

Paresh, it's over to you...

What's the aim of the CAS?

The Careers Advice Service provides free and impartial information, advice and guidance on issues related to work, training and education. We can help you whether you’re trying to decide what job is right for you or you want to know how to get the job you want. We also let you know what financial support is out there to help you develop your skills. The Careers Advice Service is available both over the telephone and online.

What has it been like to take your service 'on the road'?

It has been a great experience to tell people face to face what we are about. The Careers Advice Service did some research and discovered that almost three quarters of the nation are planning on changing their careers, however one in four suspects they never will as they are unsure about what they really want. Given these results, we thought it would be great to mobilise the Careers Advice Service and bring it directly to the people. Whilst we were on the roadshow, the feedback we’ve been getting from people has been really great. People don’t realise that there is a free and impartial careers advice service for adults. There was a lot of interest and many people were queuing up to speak to careers advisers.

The CAS on the road in Sheffield, South Yorkshire.

What are people saying about their careers?

At the moment a lot of people are worried about job security. Many fear redundancy and are considering retraining in case the unthinkable happens to them. Having said that, a lot of people are just happy having a job at the moment. That’s understandable but people shouldn’t rule out refreshing their skills or re-training as there are some exciting opportunities out there.

You mention redundancy as a common worry. What general advice would you offer to anyone facing redundancy?

Get your finances in order, make sure you’ve received a correct redundancy payout and go to the jobcentre to sign on. Also speak to a careers adviser about your next steps if you are not sure and make sure you have an up-to-date CV; we have a CV checking service and can help people review theirs if it's a bit out of date.

How are you seeing the world of careers changing?

I think people would like more of a work life balance now. With the credit crunch and high flying banking and financial services jobs taking a hit, people are realising there is more to life than making money. I’ve found that there is still strong interest in media and broadcasting roles even though competition is stronger than ever but with fewer permanent jobs available.

How did you become an advisor?

I have a background in education, having worked as a school bursar, university finance officer and a college administrator. I graduated with a politics degree but had no intention of going directly into politics. But when I saw the position of learning advisor advertised in my local paper I thought it could be the perfect job for me - and here I am 4 years later. I love the fact that the role involves helping people find their niche in training and education, while helping them to develop their skills.

What's the best piece of careers advice you were given?

To be honest I don’t think I had any decent Careers Advice and I think this is part of the problem. I can’t even remember anyone saying you should do this or you should be that – I wish they had. That’s where the Careers Advice Service comes in. I suppose the best piece of advice I was given was to be curious and explore, and that way you may find something that suits you and you will enjoy doing.

Where can we find out more about CAS in general?

You can visit http://careersadvice.direct.gov.uk or call the Careers Advice Service on 0800 100 900 to get advice on expanding and updating their skills. The service is free from a landline and is open from 8am to 10pm Monday to Sunday. We are also now on Twitter - you can follow us at www.twitter.com/careers_advice1 for the latest news and information from the Careers Advice Service.

Paresh, on behalf of work/life fusion and its readers, I'd like to say a big Thank You for telling us more.

As always, you can join the conversation or ask questions by commenting below!

Best Regards for now,

Paul

Oh, The Places You'll Go!

On the subject of book reviews, I have one simple criteria: if it relates to your career, it's relevant here.

The above statement was the only way I could think to start this post because otherwise - as you read on - you might wonder what on earth was happening.

Allow me to explain a little further...

A friend mentioned a career book to me recently but his recommendation was so unusual, I thought he was playing an elaborate joke.

"It's a great book," he said. "Full of advice about making career choices and it doesn't pull any punches either!"

This sounded like a book I had to read.

"Who's it by?" I asked excitedly.

"Dr. Seuss," he said.

When I checked and double checked that he was being serious, I discovered that the book was called 'Oh, The Places You'll Go!' and ordered myself a copy.

Title: Oh, The Places You'll Go! - Author: Dr. Seuss - ISBN: 978-0-00-715852-2 (2003, UK soft cover re-print)

You might still think I'm joking (or that I fell for my friend's joke despite trying to avoid it) but I was amazed at what I read.

It was indeed good, solid advice that focused on decision-making and the variety of situations the world presents us with.

The Author didn't assume that he knew best either. He assumed the opposite in fact. That when it comes to your career, you're always the one in the best place to choose.

Here's one short passage to give you an idea what you'd be getting into by reading this book:

"You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself

any direction you choose"

OK, so this book won't answer all of your career questions in anapestic tetrameter but then again, it doesn't try to.

Instead, all it does is try to equip you with the knowledge that you will face choices, that things will sometimes be tough, that there will be ups, downs and everything in-between.

This book not only fills you with what organisational psychologists might call an increased tolerance for ambiguity, it also puts a smile on your face. Maybe Dr. Seuss knew that this is what you need most when you're, "in a slump" as he puts it.

Maybe Dr. Seuss wrote this book for the adult readers as much as the kids they would read it to/with. But even if you couldn't bring yourself to see this book as deserving of anything other than a pre-schooler's bookshelf, you would have to grudgingly admit that the subject matter of careers looks distinctly more interesting when it is touched by an artist in this way.

On the question of whether you should buy this book or not, allow me to respond by borrowing a little from Dr. Seuss's style:

If you're in two minds then all I can say

Is decide for yourself, today is your day!

(Plus £4.99 is all that you'll pay) :)

All the best for now,

Paul

www.ohtheplaces.org

800 CEO Read - Oh the Places You'll Go!

Oh, the Places You'll Go!, Waterstones UK

Defining Career Continuity

When this blog started out the posts were a lot more frequent (Apologies), as was my reliance on the dictionary.

Don't worry, this isn't another one of those articles about how things were better in the past (How the sun shone longer, confectionery was virtually free and there was no street crime, etc, etc.) but I do look back sometimes and think how much the dictionary helped.

Getting to grips with the words we all use to describe our relationship with work, our careers, what motivates us and so on, was a real eye opener because it turns out that plenty of these words have more than one meaning.

As a result - you guessed it - these important words could mean one thing to you and something completely different to the person next to you.

In anyone's book that can lead to trouble communicating.

(New English Dictionary - not the most precise definition in this case)

As the dictionary definitions came thick and fast - OK, in truth there was only really a handful - it became apparent that some of these words had meanings that took on a new relevance and importance within the world of work and careers.

Explorations into our individual relationship with work brought changes so the language people needed to express themselves had to change too.

It's been a while but these changes in work, and in the language used to describe it, have caused me to re-open the dictionary and offer a new word and a new definition today. That word and that subject is, 'Continuity'.

The idea of continuity in careers is definitely changing. Continuity in the past (you might prefer the word stability, or theme, or consistency, or something completely different but I like continuity) was mainly spoken of in terms of employment. "How many years have you been in continuous employment?" is a question you might recognise from questionnaires and forms.

Now and in the future, 'career continuity' can also mean something different. It has taken on a new meaning that goes beyond employment and refers to an individual person and the life-span of their career too.

As you can see below, I have borrowed from the style of a dictionary - Yes, Dictionaries do have style! - to try to expose a little more of this new 'career' dimension behind the word 'continuity'.

Take a look and see what you think...

continuity

noun ( pl. continuities)

1 the unbroken and consistent existence or operation of something over a period of time : you can find a new continuity behind your career choices

• a state of stability and the absence of disruption : your career experiences demonstrate a continuity that goes beyond employment.

• (often continuity between/with) a connection or line of development with no sharp breaks : learning more about your individual relationship with work will help you discover a new sense of career continuity

2 the maintenance of continuous action and self-consistent detail throughout your career

• the linking of career items with a common theme and through all forms of communication (spoken, written, electronic, etc.)

ORIGIN late Middle English : from Old French continuite, from Latin continuitas, from continuare ‘continue,’ from continuus (see continuous).

I'll admit that the above definition only really makes sense if you can experience the difference between a lack of career continuity and possession of it. [or in the absence of possession, an understanding of career continuity at least.]

Without a sense of continuity, there is a good chance that your career can feel lost at times (e.g. if you are out of work for long periods).

With a sense of continuity that stays relevant to your career whether you are in work, out of work or facing anything else, you can never feel lost in the same way.

In other words, the feelings of being lost (or finding yourself in a place where recovery is impossible) aren't as destructive. In fact, if you can find a solid sense of career continuity, a great deal of power is taken away from difficult career situations and given back to you. The main threads and thrusts of your career remain in your hands.

I hope you don't mind this little trip down memory lane with the dictionary. I'd be very keen to hear your opinions on the subject of career continuity, including what your own definition of career continuity might look like!

All the best for now,

Paul

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Here are some more dictionary definitions that have appeared on work/life fusion in previous posts:

Values

Talents

Goals

Vocation

Manifesto

Resolve

Perspective