Author Archives: Dorothy Dalton

Radio Interview with Mary van de Wiel – The Art of Career Transition

Mary van de Wiel alias “Van”

This is yet another illustration of the power of social media with an introduction from long time Twitter connection @CareerSherpa Hannah Morgan to Mary van de Wiel, Brand Anthropologist, creator of NY Brand Lab & Brand Audits and of Zing Your Brand. .

As CEO, Brand Anthropologist at The NY Brand Lab and ZingYourBrand.com, a NY-based consultancy, workspace & lab, Van helps entrepreneurs, start-up CEOs and business leaders recognize themselves so others can. With a strong background in advertising as a high-profile Creative Director she has many corporate successful campaigns under her belt.

Van invited me to an intercontinental radio interview yesterday! She is a skilled interviewer and the time flew. We had great fun and lots of useful tips emerged from our dialogue.

So what does Personal Branding mean to the job seeker or a person in transition? I wondered if I dare tell Mary, a noted Brand Anthropologist, that I hate the phrase and the first thing I do in my coaching programme is de-mystify it and make the process accessible !

I did! Listen to find out!

Listen to internet radio with NY Brand Lab Radio on BlogTalkRadio

Most important takeaways:

Set goals! Make career management part of your ongoing annual routine and career strategy . Your brand, visibility and online and digital presence should always be in line with those goals.
Brand YOU marketing will vary from one person to another. Be authentic.
Recruiters are time bound – use the top half of your LinkedIn profile wisely with easy to digest but punchy text with key words included.
An online presence is only a tool to get you to interview and meetings.
Don’t wait until you have a problem to take care of your career.
Network, network AND then network!.

My two dares:

Find 6 new powerful words to describe yourself. Think of a new way of telling your story . Use your transferable skills. Create a dialogue.
Invite 2 new people from your organisation or network to lunch before the end of the year. Why only two? I want it to be achievable!

Enjoy! Let me know if you make your dares!

10 tips for Career Changers

Tips for Career changers help to get them unstuck

Career Changers are often nervous and apologetic for being uncertain about not knowing exactly they want to do.

What they usually do know and are very certain about is what they don’t want to do.

As Marilyn Ferguson says ” . . It’s like being between trapezes. It’s Linus when his blanket is in the dryer. There’s nothing to hold on to.”

Planning

Being in transition is fine, if it’s part of a strategic plan to research and review options. If there is no plan then that’s drifting and dreaming. The possibility of ending up on a career path which is not right, is high. Many career changers expect a “eureka” moment of enlightenment, but mostly the right opportunities come about as a result of a high level of painstaking methodical research and detailed planning towards a specific goal, or even goals. And then making a considered choice. This becomes more confusing when we are all exhorted to reach for our passions. What if our passions don’t pay the bills?

Tips for career changers need to look at all the elements of job search right back to the beginning, not just the presenting issue.

Here are 10 things to consider

Create a strategy: Recognising that you want to change is easy. Creating a structure to support that change is more challenging, particularly if there are time pressure issues of being in full-time employment. Set up step by step plan, allocating time to cover even small parts of the process.
Hating your current job: Many career changers claim to hate their current jobs, but care has to be taken to examine what that involves – exactly. Is it the company, the team, the boss or the location that are irksome? Is it boring and if so why? Also examine not just the downsides, but the positive aspects as well.
Research: this is time-consuming but critical and it is vital to be thorough. Talk to your network, research online or set up informational interviews about new functions, sectors or companies. Make a generous time allocation for this exercise.
SWOT analysis: Identifying strengths and weakness and having a profound understanding of transferable skills is essential to this process. This requires a high level of introspection and one which many struggle with. Get professional support if that would help.
Acquiring skills : a direct outcome of this exercise establishes if there is a skill set deficit. Identify what you are missing and establish if the gap can be filled with volunteering, temping, an internship, or even taking a training course before making a decision to resign.
Strategic positioning: when was the last time you looked for a job? The last 5 years have seen dramatic changes in the job search and recruitment sector. How up to date are you? Bring yourself up to speed.
Feeling underpaid, under-valued and overworked. Many career changers feel the grass is greener elsewhere and are attracted by high salaries and super benefits. Envy of friends or peers can also be a strong motivator. The saying ” no such thing as a free lunch” very often applies. There is a reason why the office has a taxi policy after 2100, or showers and a gym on the premises. It’s because they are used, usually frequently. Sometimes our friends don’t paint an accurate picture of their own situations.
To please others: partners, family and friends can be hugely influential in determining career choice. Consider their motives before deciding. Do they want what’s best for you – or themselves? This is a real trap for women! be careful.
Create a new network: as well as tapping into your existing network reach out and make connections in your target sector, company or function. Alumni networks, professional groups, online platforms are all good sources to extend your network.
Find a mentor: having someone who will support and offer neutral input can be hugely useful to career changers.

If you need help as with your career transition – get in touch!

Why professional development should not be confused with ambition

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A tale of two ostriches is about two people who confused personal development with ambition.

Time to get your head out of the sand!

Esther

Esther is 45. She has worked for the same company for 15 years. She enjoys her job as a middle management customer service supervisor which is varied and demanding. Her family is her priority and is a wife and mother of three children. She values her privacy, so is not on LinkedIn, Facebook or any other social media which she considers to be “silly” and intrusive. She has a close circle of friends who are all her peers. The focus of her personal development is outside the office where she regularly takes classes on cookery, Italian and photography. She almost never goes to any professional networking events, conferences or courses, either online or actual because she likes to get home to the kids. Plus as she says, she is not “ambitious.”

Three months ago her husband told her he wanted a divorce. Six weeks later her boss resigned and his replacement is implementing a re-structuring exercise. Esther’s position will disappear.

Hugues

Hugues is 50. He works as a Procurement Manager based in the production unit of an international packaging company located within a stone’s throw of the Alps. He has 22 years service. His passion is climbing and every spare moment is devoted to trips and preparing for them. He is very active in local schools and youth groups, training young climbers about safety procedures. He is a volunteer on the local Mountain Rescue Squad.

As a long serving employee he is regarded as being solid within the organisation with a good understanding of the subtext of all the office politics and considered to be the “go-to” person to get things done outside the system. He has turned down promotion and the opportunity to learn English because he doesn’t want to re-locate to the H.Q. in Paris and take on the travel commitments involved in a more senior, regional role. The nearest mountain is also possibly three hours away. He is completely happy where he is and does not consider himself to be “ambitious.”

In January Hugues’ company was taken over (swallowed up really) and the procurement function has been centralised in Ireland.

Esther and Hugues have had their heads in the sand for a very long time. They made a major mistake and confused personal development with ambition.

The moral of these two stories

What Esther and Hugues learned the hard way is:

Complacency is not a safe place to be.
Security does not exist.
Be prepared.
Be up to date.
Have a flight plan.

What would you add?

If you need personal development to stay abreast of changing times get in touch NOW!

Portfolio careers: What are your tent-pole skills?

One story

Jonas has had a glittering portfolio career. Multi-lingual and multi-cultural, qualifying as a lawyer in a Magic Circle law firm, he then pursued an opportunity in corporate law . At the same time he gained an MBA from a top-tier business school. A two-year stint in Marketing for a boutique law firm followed. His creative marketing strategies attracted the attention of a major international player resulting in a successful acquisition. He then decided to pursue his passion for gardening and launched a landscape gardening business going on to employ a team of 16. This was eventually sold to allow him to pursue his second deep interest for film. He succeeded in winning a much coveted international prize for corporate video production.

Now at age 45 with an expensive divorce and child care responsibilities every second week, he is looking to refocus. He is despondent about this failure to return to the workplace as a corporate employee. He is also baffled by the response. Jonas stated his needs briefly

“Put simply my requirements are to identify which of my skills can make me revenue rich (or richer) without making me time poor.“

Negative impact

Now that sounds like a universal goal most job searchers would put at the very top of their wish lists. Ironically, Jonas has gone from feeling generally unique with high levels of recognition, to becoming simply one of the crowd. Words which have never been applied to him before, he now hears regularly “flight risk” and “job hopper,” plus “lack of long-term commitment” to name but a few, with a demoralising effect.

Do you need help identifying your tent-pole skills? Check out the individual coaching programmes.

Key skills

Generally speaking the identification of skills, tent pole or otherwise, has to be done with a dose of realism. Strong soft skills without up to date hard skills can be high risk currency for many organisations. A law degree acquired 20 years ago would almost certainly need some updating and would be valueless today as a stand alone qualification. But it does tell part of Jonas’ story. This needs to be re-created not just in terms of the chronology, but in light of his achievements. These soft skills, more tent poles if you like, are also more effective and powerful in clusters. They allow the canvas of a career story to be erected across a number of poles, rather than relying on one solitary support.

Cluster skills

What Jonas does bring to the table is a strong combination of a legally trained mind, combined with analytical business skills, commercial and entrepreneurial acumen. Not forgetting his leadership competencies. He has gained experience in building diverse activities into successful enterprises attractive for acquisition. He has successfully pursued personal projects to achieve international recognition and business success. It’s not so much the time he has spent at anything, but the result. The added value that he of course he has always achieved excellence.

Jonas is currently in negotiation with a consulting firm which has been fully appraised of his domestic circumstances.

Want to make a major career pivot (or even a minor one) – get in touch NOW!

How to rebuild a damaged professional reputation

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Why technology has made making a fresh start more difficult once we have damaged a professional reputation.

Reputation has been a topic covered by many thought leaders and philosophers from Shakespeare, to Socrates and more recently Warren Buffet who says:

“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.”

A professional gossip and rumour mill can have a very negative impact on our careers. It can take years to build up a solid reputation, but only a few ill-considered water cooler remarks, an imprecise email or an unguarded conversation to undo it all. Modern technology means that information on everyone can be transferred, stored and retrieved within a heart beat and remain on the collective hard drive indefinitely. A spat with a co-worker, a sarcastic comment or confused instructions can go viral at a horrific pace.

Commentary on our patterns of behaviour and perceptions of our style, values and attitudes can follow us around from one work place to another. Today, with the degrees of separation reduced to only four, we have fewer opportunities than ever to make a completely fresh start.

Difficult personality

Luke is a strategic consultant in a tightly knit sector specialising in crisis management. He has just been rejected for a position for which he was ideally qualified. Unofficial feedback from a friend in the target department was there was “no way Luke X would ever be hired into this organisation.” Dead bodies and hell freezing over were cited to give an indication of probability. It seems over years Luke has developed a reputation for being uncooperative, a poor team player and generally difficult to work with.

Luke is feeling harshly treated and rails firmly against the comments. Although upset he remains dispassionate, measured and resigned. “Some years ago I had a boss who was a bully and not only did I stand up to him, I filed a complaint. Just because I defend myself against this type of behaviour which is rampant and accepted in my sector, it is being held against me. Now my current boss is saying the same thing and won’t give me a chance.”

Many careers are stalled by issues linked to “personality clash” and “poor cultural fit.” Having our names mentioned in the same sentence as either of those phrases, especially in more than one organisation, can be tantamount to a career death sentence.

Worried about your professional reputation? Check out the individual coaching programmes

7 strategies to rebuild a damaged professional reputation

Luke or anyone in a similar situation has a number of options.

1. Establish the root of the negative perception.

Luke can’t undo what has happened in the distant past, but he can talk to his current boss and colleagues to ask for specific examples of these criticisms. If these comments have ever been referenced in an official performance review, though harsh to hear in some ways, they are easier to address than corridor gossip. If the review is considered biased there is usually an appeal system via H.R. or an opportunity to counter comment. Reputations are closely linked to smoke and fires. Rumours are more likely to be believed than otherwise.

2. Get trusted feedback

Talk to a neutral friend or mentor who can give some less hurtful and constructive insights on communication methods or style and behaviours that can be damaging. We all do and say things that are perceived differently than the way we intended, especially anything sent by email. Someone’s idea of defence is another’s idea of bringing out the big guns.

3. Introspection

Find out what you can do and then are prepared to do to change the dynamic. When you know where the problem could lie, step back and make a conscious effort to behave differently when the situation recurs.

4. Apologise and make amends

Is there an underlying pattern to the comments you should be aware of? How much do you have to compromise to retrieve your position? Perhaps you need to apologise, make amends or talk to one or a number of parties involved to correct the situation. Sorry is a powerful word.

5. Rebuilding the relationships

Gradually work on a different approach to colleagues, reports and bosses. Find a mentor or an advocate, someone who will highlight your strong points as well as your weaknesses. These people will be useful contacts to provide future references.

6. Move on

Maybe the compromises are too great or the possibility to rebuild your reputation is too slim in your current organisation. Perhaps a time will come to initiate a conversation with your boss “I don’t think this is working.” Be prepared psychologically to hear a painful response.

7. Learn from your mistakes

The most important thing is to analyse setbacks and make a concerted effort to address them. Even the most successful people have overcome hurdles. If these comments have dogged you in a number of places and are starting to impact your career, unless you recognise that change is required, you will simply be taking the problem with you if you just move on. You will continue to pollute your professional relationships and damage your reputation even further.

In the words of Henry Ford “You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do.”

Even in a post Facebook era that advice still stands.

If you need help moving on from a difficult workplace situation – get in touch NOW!

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Personal interests: 10 CV dos and don’ts

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There is always much conflicting advice from career experts on what to include on CVs. One of the areas that has an opinion divide of Grand Canyon proportions, is whether to mention your personal interests and hobbies on your resume and if they can actually make a difference to the selection process.

Hannah Morgan, Career Sherpa says “No one really cares that you enjoy knitting, wine tasting and training for marathons. That is, unless, you are applying for a job in one of those areas. Save the space for more meaningful, work-related information. Have you included professional memberships or volunteer activities?

Stand out with your hobbies on your job search by Bane Srdjevic exhorts candidates to share their personal interests on their CVs. Why? “ because who you are transfers over to how you work.”

Here’s my input but suffixed as always with the judicious ” it depends”:

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Personal interests: 10 CV dos and don’ts

Do: Remember that what is relevant will depend on the company culture and nature of the open position. Not all company cultures or teams look for, welcome or need, the person who does a fitness boot camp at 5.00 am every day before work.

Do: include some personal interests especially if they can showcase or endorse your professional skills and particularly if you have achieved some level of excellence or expertise.

Do: give a range of personal interests which showcase your personality. I think Hannah’s example of a wine tasting, knitter, who runs marathons could be a potentially interesting character.

Do: be strategic and highlight those personal interests which could be professionally relevant, but with a balance: team and leadership roles, as well as introverted and extroverted, competitive and non competitive. Depending on the nature of the opening, I would certainly pay attention to someone whose interests were exclusively solitary or exclusively competitive. Generally personality traits will be identified via any type of testing or assessment process anyway.

If you need help creating an effective CV or any other career support check out the individual career coaching programmes

Do: include if you played a sport to a high or professional level or represented your country in any activity, even if it was some years previously. It demonstrates focus, discipline and energy. Plus skills!

Don’t: include if you claim to be an international athlete light years before and it looks as if it was 50 pounds ago and walking from the desk to the door will induce a coronary.

Do: be sensitive with regard to any of your interests which might be “hot” issues for others: certain causes, or political or religious activities fall into that category. It’s impossible to know the personal biases and perceptions of the reader and interviewer unless they are in the public domain.

Do: share if you are using that skill currently via coaching, mentoring or volunteering.

Do: if you think your personal interests will be a social ice-breaker and professionally relevant. It is becoming increasingly easy to research interviewers and companies. If the hiring company sponsor an activity which genuinely interests you – include it. I was participating in a search recently where the company sponsored the fine arts and one of the candidates was a serious opera buff. The panel Chair and candidate had a brief aside on Liudmyla Monastyrska‘s role as Aida. It was a clear differentiator in that particular hiring process with a number of equal candidates. Confirmation bias exists.

Don’t: claim to have interests which are not real. If the last book you read was the Spark Notes from a university course, or the last movie you saw was Ghost or your idea of haute cuisine is opening a takeaway carton, best not to mention them as interests. You could be asked.

You are not a wine taster if your knowledge extends to white, red and pink.

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I interviewed someone who said they were a “huge tennis fan“, but couldn’t comment on the last Wimbledon final. As John McEnroe would say “You can’t be serious.”

So like any other part of your CV the personal interest section is an opportunity to be strategic. So I say use it – but wisely!

They’re just not that into you…Organisational red flags

Organisational red flags are the same as relationship ones

We convince ourselves that our rose-coloured version of reality is the correct one, even if all the signs scream a totally different message. We have all been in relationships that are dysfunctional one-sided or perhaps just past their sell by date. If he doesn’t call it’s because he lost his phone, broken both his hands or (poor darling…) had to go unexpectedly to some remote wilderness and signal-less location. Despite our excuses and even defence of an indifferent or bad relationship, the reality is we are not important enough for them to call.

GB ” If he creates expectations for you, and then doesn’t follow through on little things, he will do same for big things.”

They are just not that into us. Sound familiar?

Well, like many truisms this philosophy is transferable and can be applied to other situations, even corporate relationships. Many employees hang onto old jobs, roles and relationships for all the wrong reasons, when all evidence is suggesting they should getting a Plan B and getting one fast.

Frederick

Regional Sales Director of an international logistics company, Frederick had been the designated deputy for the C.E.O. for 9 years and expected to be appointed on his retirement. He was shocked to find that the position was advertised externally. He had not been appointed on an interim basis or even invited to apply for the job he had been effectively doing in his boss’ absence for many years. He pushed hard to be considered as a candidate and although he went through the interview process with an executive search firm, an external candidate was given an offer. The VP H.R. claimed to be too busy to discuss this with him directly and asked a junior assistant to make the turn down call.

Message: They aren’t that into him. If they had wanted him for the job they would have spoken to him not just for an interview, but maybe even years before and started a development process. There are a lot of organisational red flags here.

GB “The word “busy” is the relationship Weapon of Mass Destruction….. Remember: Men are never too busy to get what they want.”

Manuela

Returned from maternity leave in the banking sector and instead of slotting back into her position leading a large team, she was shunted into a solo operator functional role with no teeth. She was excluded from key meetings and responsibilities that had previously been hers were re-allocated to employees who had previously reported to her. She was told she needed to re-build her reputation after being in the company for five years. She is still working hard to retrieve her position, putting in long hours despite having a small baby. She rationalizes the decisions in terms of organisational imperatives and gender stereotyping which she hopes she can turn around.

Message: They aren’t that into her. 1 in 6 women experience contractual difficulties on return from maternity leave. Companies who value their female employees will honour and respect contractual obligations. Will Manuela effect a successful turnaround of opinion? Should she have to go through this exercise just because she’s had a baby? These are all organisational red flags.

GB “When it comes to men, deal with them as they are, not how you’d like them to be.”

Simon

was hired from outside the financial services sector as a C.F.O. designate, to step into the senior role after a three-year grooming period. When the outgoing C.F.O. left suddenly after only 18 months, under a mysterious cloud, the position was given to a colleague. It was felt that Simon lacked the necessary experience to assume a senior role and as the errant C.F.O.’s protogé, he might be happier elsewhere. Despite a tough time at the height of the recession, he finally got another job. In the meantime the new appointee isn’t working out and Simon has been approached to return as his departure has left a gap in the organisation.

Message: They aren’t that into him. That was a major red flag. They could not see any potential and would not invest in coaching or other onboarding programmes to guarantee success. None of the other executives were willing to support him because appointing Simon was a risk they didn’t want to take.

GB “Don’t be flattered that he misses you. He should miss you. You are deeply missable. However, he’s still the same person who just broke up with you.”.

Organisations that value employees look after them and groom them. They treat them with integrity. They provide support for growth and development. If they have issues they communicate them constructively so that the employee is clear and can make informed choices.

If they fail to behave correctly once, will that be a pattern that is repeated? Are the early warning signals likely to re-occur? Like in other relationships there is always a chance of an epiphany and the neglectful employer will reform. They are also strong indications that forming a Plan B would be a good idea.

GB “The quickest way to rectify that mistake (choosing the wrong person) is by learning from that, moving on, and choosing much more wisely in the future.”

What do you think?

Need support evaluating your career plan – get in touch

Why couples need a congruent career strategy not dual careers

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The traditional notion of a successful dual career couple seems to me to be outdated. Instead we should be looking at a congruent career strategy.

I’ve just led a workshop at the #JUMP13 Forum in Brussels on “How to be a successful dual career couple“. The first thing that struck me was how confusing this very concept is:

What is successful? One couple’s perception of success and a dream life is another’s nightmare. We all have our own ideas of what it means to be successful. Research carried out by LinkedIn “What women want at work study” suggests that for women the meaning of success has shifted from achieving a high salary, to establishing a balance between their professional and personal lives

The notion of career: what does that mean in today’s world when meteoric linear careers are a thing of the past and portfolio careers are more typical.

What does dual mean really?

(Definition – Consisting of two parts, elements, or aspects) This can cover a number of set ups:

two individuals within a relationship pursuing their own goals. This is characterised usually by the woman being caught below the glass ceiling while her partner strides purposefully to the top.
both members of the partnership supporting one career: The Obamas would be a good example of this, trailing spouses or stay at home parents who then have to deal with a parenting gap.
One career/one job: typical of this would be the man pursuing a traditional hierarchical career and the woman compromising to accommodate family needs. This could include accepting a job below her skill set and ability, or switching to working part-time – both common options for women.

So how can we manage the complexity of modern life coping with conflicting demands on our careers, relationships and of course ourselves?

Congruent Career Strategy

I believe we will be seeing more of what I call congruent career strategies (meaning when careers are in harmony or alignment), where both careers are considered jointly and equally. Not just that there are two separate elements. Focus might indeed switch between the two parts at different points.The main difference is that this would always be in line with consciously stated and discussed goals and a jointly agreed harmonious vision, rather than a reliance on unconscious beliefs and objectives, which is what most of us tend to drift into.

This would allow the pool of educated women to reach their potential and for there to be shared responsibility for both revenue generation and family, split equally between both partners. Men would be relieved of the stress of being the main breadwinners and allow them to be present rather than absent fathers and partners, leading richer and fuller lives. The possibility to pursue two careers within a couple is no longer a luxury for many, but economic necessity.

We all know that our professional and personal lives are very intertwined and problems on one side invariably spill over into the other. Yet they are continued to be viewed separately with unsettling consequences posing difficulties for couples trying to create successful career strategies.

Let’s look at recent trends

Recent complex, over lapping and discordant trends tell us that developed economies face aging populations and declining birth rates, presenting a worrying future for today’s governments. We actually need couples to have children to support future economies. But there are some significant disconnects which indicate that trouble is on the horizon.

60% of European graduates are women and we make up 50% of the workforce, yet occupy very low levels of senior positions in most developed economies. We carry out 80% of household chores and take 80% of parental leave. We earn 20% on average less than our male counterparts. We are creating a demographic that is unfulfilled, dissatisfied, but above all under utilised.

Choosing the right partner

Sheryl Sandberg suggests that choosing the right partner is the most important career choice that women make. Yet with between 33-50% of marriages ending in divorce, many of us are clearly not getting it right. Our choice of a partner is made at a time when we are least equipped to make sensible decisions: madly in love and deeply in lust. Very often the failure to create jointly agreed common goals and to rely on unstated unconscious beliefs means many couples end up in relationships with people they eventually barely recognise, let alone would choose a second time round. Susan found out that she and her husband had intrinsically divergent parenting values when their son was 14. This was after more than 10 years of frustration and tension resulting in their eventual divorce.

Challenges

Faced with the challenge of coping with family and professional life causes many women to opt to work at levels lower than their capabilities, or to switch to part-time hours as part of a dual career strategy (one career/one job model). This reduces their pensionable earnings, leaving them financially vulnerable in later life, another general negative trend lurking on the horizon. Yet an additional reason why a congruent career strategy would be advantageous to the dual career models. And of course all this begs the question that the divorce rate might be stemmed with a more conscious and joint approach to career planning in place. In Belgium 33% of families are now run by single parents, an increase of 26% since 1991.

Feedback

In the workshop of about 50 women, it was clear that the burning issues were not just in the workplace. The conversation focused on how to cope with the practical issues of:

corporate cultures and education systems that strongly favour the one career/one job, or one career/two person models making it difficult for both men and women to find balance
the constant battle to avoid doing or managing it all.
finding the time to nurture both their relationships and themselves.
selling the concept to their partners

Many used professional language for strategies to deal with issues in their non professional lives. Low value work ( a.k.a. ironing), time management, prioritising, parent mentoring, unproductive and lost time (commuting) and outsourcing

The use of online technology to make communication more effective was clearly helping: splitting grocery lists on-line, date nights scheduled into Outlook and a heartfelt plea for an app to manage family life, not just those aimed at mothers! Whoever does this will be a millionaire overnight.

Persuading men

Some alluded to the difficulty of persuading their partners to engage in a more structured and participative approach to joint career management. Gen Y are exhibiting a desire for a greater balance between professional and personal life than they experienced with their Boomer parents. All research suggests that married men living with their wives and more involved with their families lead richer lives. They live longer, are healthier, happier and enjoy better sex lives. It should be a no-brainer easy sell!

If the notion of dual career success is changing for both men and women, what we need to see now are the same changes reflected in our work places and government policies.

If you feel your career strategy is out of alignment with your partner’s, check out my programme: Creating a Congruent Career Strategy. This programme is offered to couples on a face to face basis (based in Brussels) or for busy couples via online webinar coaching with different locations possible!

Contact: dorothy.dalton@skynet.be

5 reasons job seekers should volunteer

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For job seekers, particularly those who have been on the market for longer than they had planned, the notion of giving their time without salary or any other financial benefits, can seem a fool hardy idea. If there are incidental expenses involved (travel, meals,) then the notion seems even more far-fetched.

Not for profit organisations and charities offer a range of opportunities to volunteers, not just for unskilled work. Volunteering can offer significant development possibilities even for those at a more senior level.

There is a shift of focus – from self to others. So whether in employment or out of it there are considerable advantages. For the job seeker it can be a constructive diversion and alternative to “busy-ness ” my term for unproductive activity usually internet usage, cunningly presented to self and others as focused job search effort. It also distracts from negative introspection and provides balance.
Networking – it leads to extending networking reach and the raising of visibility in a different sector.
Social – simply meeting new people and potentially making new friends, reduces isolation.
New skills – can be acquired particularly at a managerial or project management level.
Fills the CV gap – this is seen by any potential employer or head hunter as a constructive way of filling any gaps in your resumé. If you are taking a parenting gap – it is a great way to demonstrate that you have stayed in touch professionally or acquired new skills. Go one step further and make it part of your strategy.

Third Sector organisations can require very different people management skills. Working with volunteers who are donating their time and who will not always respond to hierarchical imperatives – even unstated ones! Do this because I’m in charge doesn’t work. Paul Woodward CEO of the charity Sue Ryder told me:

“Managing and motivating volunteers demands a different approach from managing a team in the business sector. If a volunteer doesn’t like a certain management style they can simply walk away leaving a manpower or skill set gap, which is not always easy to fill. Volunteering can definitely help to hone soft skills and broaden the managerial perspective on how to lead a team. ”

If the cost of travel is an issue contact the head office in the first instance to establish if they have other locations in your area. Look into car pooling. Perhaps they need remote support. Take a packed lunch and a thermos of coffee or water. You would have to eat anyway! Perhaps the organization can help with expenses. You can always ask.

Need help creating a job search strategy? Check the individual programmes

But even for managers who are firmly on a career path but confined to the straight jacket of their schedules and responsibilities, volunteering becomes one of those ” do later” options which they never get round to. There are so many reasons to re-consider that position.

How to tap into technology to network effectively

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Never has the circulation of information been faster. At the touch of a screen which can be as small as the palm of a hand, we have access to information on a scale never been seen before. We can also share data about ourselves and others in a nano second whether it’s an update on our relationship status (Facebook), the meal we’re about to eat (Twitter) a photo of a view or people we’re with (Instagram) an article we’ve read (LinkedIn) or even our own resumés.

Now we can use technology to network more effectively.

There are many, particularly in the older demographics, who still turn their noses up at the new social media platforms, associating them with lowest common denominator activities rather than an opportunity to network effectively. This is not entirely disconnected to intellectual arrogance as well as ignorance. I do agree that reading about people’s lunch choices is only marginally more interesting than watching paint dry unless of course you are a foodie or a restaurant critic. However, there are times when technology can enhance tried and trusted methodologies and even bail us out if we’ve screwed up. It certainly adds a new dimension to networking opportunities.

A spontaneous request for a CV

Old school – request business card and email resumé at next possible opportunity.

New options (with permission) –

Option 1 keep a copy of your resumé on your smart phone or tablet. Send it immediately to the person requesting the document.
Option 2 send a LinkedIn connection invitation on the spot from smart phone or iPad.

Forgotten or run out of business cards

Old school – panic, cringe with embarrassment, miss opportunities, write on beer mat, ask for their card and contact by email later.

New options

Option 1: keep a photo of your own card on your phone or iPad. Send immediately.
Option 2 : the Evernote app is a business card reader which replaces the app launched by LinkedIn. All you do is take a photo of your contact’s business card and it will automatically upload the business card details to your phone so you can make a connection with a potential connection in seconds. This process is better on an iPhone than iPad where it has had mixed reviews for layout. You can also use Bump another business card reading app which allows two mobile phones to “bump” together to exchange “digits”.
Option 4: Put number directly onto their phone.

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Don’t know anyone at an event

Old School – feel uncomfortable, hang out with friends, get cornered by event bore, try to break into a group of ” cool” people and fail. Get despondent go home!

New options –

Option 1: check out other participants on LinkedIn and connect before event and arrange to meet. If the organisations aren’t listing who is attending then the event is probably run by old schoolers
Option 2: If you are attending an industry event or social function, Foursquare is a location locater tool that allows you to find out who visiting the same place as you. Alert your network and share your coordinates so you become visible and contactable to potential network connections.
Option 3: many conferences and events have mobile apps to facilitate event networking and interaction while you are there.
Option 4: post your attendance at the event on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter! Some registration platforms (EventBrite) encourage participants to post on Facebook as part of their marketing. Let your network know you will be there. Many organisers issue event hashtags so that information on the event can be shared and tracked.

Whether this will lead to the predicted demise of the business card the pundits are still at loggerheads. In my book there is no need for it to be an either/or situation. There is a place for both traditional and more hi-tech methodologies and if used effectively they can be complementary techniques.

What other hi-tech tips can you share to supplement traditional networking?