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By Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady What Do You Want To Be Next?We often ask children, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” As an adult thinking about your future, it’s time to ask yourself, “What do I want to be next?” Whether you are lookinh got your first professional role, in a post-layoff career transition, or you're employed and contemplating your future, it's always a good time to think about what you want from your professional life going forward. Shouldn't I Just Take What I Can Get?As a job seeker who is unhappy with their current situation, I understand the tendency to feel like you are in no position to be picky. However, when I talk with job searchers having difficulty landing a new role, not having a focus for their job search actually slows their progress considerably. Most of the time, employers are less likely to hire someone who wants what I would call “any old job.” Most companies would rather hire a person who genuinely wants to do a specific type of work, has the necessary skills, and is targeting an identified role. One of the best things you can do for the success of your job search is to figure out what you really want to do, then use your resume and LinkedIn profile to promote yourself as a match for your desired role. Take a BeatWhen you're not currently employed and nervous about your future, it's natural to think, “I need a job as quickly as possible.” or to skip thinking altogether and seek out exactly the same job you had before. It’s not that you can’t seek the same type of work—because you can. Just make sure to reconfirm with yourself that you are going toward a role you want. Here are ideas for how to go about that process. Reflect on Your ValuesA good starting point is thinking about what really matters to you in life and how you express those values. Personally, I also find that it's challenging to think of the right words to articulate those high-level ideas that matter to you. I discovered the think2perform Online Values Exercise at a previous job when I was designing a retirement planning seminar. Since thinking about your money (or your work, for that matter) starts with what you care about on a larger scale, this is a great starting point. Personally, I take this assessment on at least an annual basis because the process helps me revisit my values in general and helps me more thoughtfully talk about what I do and why I do it. The assessment itself includes 51 named value cards and 4 rounds of reviewing the cards. The total time to complete this activity is about 15 minutes, and perhaps more, depending on how much contemplation you do during the process. You also have the option to add your own values as needed. In the end, you'll have 5 value cards with descriptions that name and describe key areas that matter to you. After you identify your top 5 values, think about how you live those values in your life and how you would like to express those values in your work. Use these as your guideposts as you move on to the next steps. Identify Your Work StrengthsThe CliftonStrengths Assessment (previously known as Clifton StrengthsFinder) is a wonderful tool for identifying what you are good at, how that manifests, and how your version of each strength shows up. It not only helps you identify your top strengths but also gives you language to talk about skills you didn't even realize everyone else didn't have. To access this assessment, you can purchase the StrengthsFinder 2.0 Book (which includes a code for the new CliftonStrengths Online Assessment) or you can directly pay for and access the CliftonStrengths Top 5 Assessment on Gallup.com. Either option should cost around $25 for the basic assessment and results, with the option to purchase additional assessments or training based on your level of interest. The 30-minute online assessment includes 177 questions including paired statements. On a scale you select which of the statements is more like you. From there, you'll receive a report identifying your top five strengths along with a more detailed description of how those strengths are exhibited in how you interact with the world. Reading a report about yourself (one that is freakishly accurate, by the way) is downright life changing. After taking the assessment, you'll be able to see your unique talents and have language to explain how what you do sets you apart from others. Having a way to put your abilities into words can translate directly into your resume, and how you talk about who you are and what you bring to the table. Reflect on Roles and Identify What You WantThink about your previous jobs and life experiences and reflect on what you liked and didn't like. As yourself the following questions and write down your answers:
Talk To People In Roles of InterestOne helpful way to find out more about possible career options is to talk to people who are currently in those roles. By reaching out to individuals in your professional network and asking them to put you in touch with people they know who could help, you can make new connections and find out more. This will help you start to bridge the distance between your skills, and possible job titles and companies that might be a good fit for you. Learn More
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By Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady Managing Curious and Well-Intentioned PeopleOne of the hardest things about being laid off is telling other people about it--specifically fielding their uninvited questions. I'm not talking about work people or your professional network, either. I'm talking about the family friend you run into at the grocery store, that parent you went to a PTA meeting with once, seldom-seen relatives at a holiday gathering, and the neighbor you pass by only occaisionally. Worse yet, it is interacting with a group of well-intentioned people who express their curiosity, worry, and opinions regarding your wellbeing. Here are a few suggested talking points for managing those conversations that pop up at just the wrong time. Getting Your Patter DownAfter you've chatted with your inner circle, it’s time to think about addressing this topic with everyone else. This includes people who make random comments about your situation, those who don't really know how layoffs work, and the ones who genuinely want to help but may not have the best advice. These conversations may be rough, especially if you feel vulnerable. Your goal may be to get through the awkwardness and move on to other topics. To prepare, it is helpful to know how to respond. Here are a few suggestions for talking points to get you through. Talking About Your Current State and Plans
Talking About The Job You No Longer HaveThe question: I heard you’re unemployed. What happened there! Your core message: My job ended. It is a thing that happened.
Talking About What Is Next For YouThe question: What are you going to do now? I would be freaking out! Or I’d be scared to death if I were you. Are you sure you’ll be okay? Or A person I sort of know lost their house/was unemployed for years/had to take a pay cut/never worked again. Your core message: I’m going to keep on keeping on and also look for a new job.
Talking About STILL Not Having a JobThe question: So--do you have a job yet? Or Are you STILL unemployed? Or Did that thing you were interviewing for work out? Your core message: I am job searching and something will work out.
Acknowledging People's ReassurancesThe question/comment: Don’t worry. It’ll be fine. Hang in there! You’re so talented! Your response: Thanks. Addressing Well Intentioned and/or Awful AdviceThe comments:
Your core message: I appreciate you. I will make the right decision for me.
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Looking BackThere are several days each year when people typically look back and assess their lives. This could be the anniversary of a death, a holiday full of memories, or your birthday. For me, the day I reflect is Groundhog Day. February 2, 2006Early in 2006, my life was at a crossroads. My then-husband and I were in the process of getting divorced, and I was figuring out how to transition from a house to two houses and what co-parenting my 2-year-old daughter would be like. The one shred of stability I had was my job. I was happy to have one thing I could count on not changing. …and then February 2 happened. That morning, I went to work. I took a few minutes between meetings to create a spreadsheet to figure out if I could afford to buy a condo I’d looked at the night before on my own. As I saved my file, I got a tap on the shoulder that I had an impromptu meeting. I grabbed a pen and a legal pad and walked into a conference room full of executives who informed me that my position was eliminated due to restructuring because of the company being acquired. Welcome to layoff #2. I was in shock. I returned to my desk, deleted my spreadsheet (which had just become irrelevant), told my coworker Brad “I’m gone,” and found myself sitting in my car with a box containing all of my formerly workly possessions. From the parking lot of my ex-workplace, I called my soon-to-be ex-husband to tell him about my now ex-job. His only response was, “Huh.” Then, It Got A Little WorseThat weekend, I was on a road trip to visit some of my high school friends for a fun weekend of reminiscing and going to the Snowflake Ski Jump. On my way there, a local cop pulled me over for speeding. As I sat there, I glanced at the notification I’d just received from unemployment sitting in my passenger seat—the one that said I’d receive less money than the last time I’d been laid off—meaning I wouldn’t be bringing enough money in to cover my half of the mortgage. As the officer approached my window, I could feel the tears well up. I could not get a ticket, too. I would cry (as I often heard people threaten to do), but this was no empty threat that would come to bear only through theatrics. I was legit going to fall apart if this happened. This moment—sitting in the car with indications of my life failures greatest hits smacking me in the face was a low point in my life—rivaled only by my dad’s unexpected death when I was still in high school. Then, It Got a Little BetterFortunately, I think because of my street cred, which included being a native of a town nearby, I drove away ticket free. One thing had gone okay. Then I saw friends, connected with new people, and spent more time with my daughter. I also had the time and space to figure out what to do with myself now. The Transition BeginsIt was an ugly, ugly few months. I applied for countless jobs. I put our house up for sale. My daughter’s dad (new language from the book Mom’s House, Dad’s House) and I decided to move in tandem to Minneapolis, Minnesota from Madison, Wisconsin. I looked for jobs, made business connections, and stayed with friends on the way to and from my regular trips to Minneapolis. I didn’t sleep well for months. A tree fell down in my front yard the day of my open house, so I figured out how to have a giant tree removed while driving on I-90 back home from a job interview. That May, I found a job, a preschool for my daughter, a new place to live, and reconnected with one of my best friends from high school. Later, my daughter's dad found a job and moved to Minneapolis, along with his new girlfriend (a lovely person and good to my daughter). Then, to mix it up, I totaled my car, dated and broke up with a couple of people, and got Shingles three times in a row. Some days, after work, I would lie on my floor and look at the ceiling in my apartment, my low-cost therapy as I acclimated to all of the life changes. I adjusted to my new normal after going through every significant life change (save a death in the family and someone I love going to prison) I could think of to endure. Then, It Kept Getting BetterIn October, on the same day, I was approved for a car loan and found out that my house in Madison had new owners. Over time, I made two great friends from my job and got comfortable in a new city. I started dating someone who was great, then bought a house with and married that guy--who is an awesome stepdad and cat dad. I got laid off again and got another good job, then got laid off again and got an even better job. Things have gone pretty well through layoffs, reemployments, trials and tribulations. Through it all, my husband is awesome, my now-adult daughter is amazing, and the cats mostly tolerate my presence. A Frame of Reference for GratitudeSometimes, I see people who are unhappy with what they have. The strange upside of having gone through rough times is that it gives you a frame of reference. It reminds me to be grateful for the roof over our heads, my husband playing video games with our two cats in his lap, my healthy, happy daughter, and an ongoing stream of new challenges and adventures. I’m grateful for being active, able-bodied, and having a strong sense of well-being. I am grateful for winter heat, summer air conditioning, and all the machines that do my housework. I treasure mother/daughter movie nights, trips to the skating rink, and building relationships with new friends and colleagues. I value my roller derby skates, my outside roller skates, and my inline skates. I appreciate my cats, Zippy and Meathook, and the combination of disdain and affection they have for me. I am genuinely grateful for it all. Groundhog Day is my annual reminder to remember all these things. Learn More
By Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady About Personal BrandingWhether you're actively job searching or just trying to build your professional network, sharing content on social media is a great way to demonstrate your value. By identifying topics that people with your professional focus care about and sharing related content, you will help people associate your name with those areas of expertise. While regularly sharing content is valuable, it can also be time-consuming. Here are three tools I regularly use to organize and streamline this process. Google AlertsOn LinkedIn, you will share some content that you directly create. This might include a post about an event you attended, your career news, or your observations on a given topic. When it comes to LinkedIn, most of my content includes articles on critical topics of interest, with some introductory commentary framing the value I see in the article. This means I need to locate and collect those articles to post them as needed. One way I locate helpful content on each topic is to set up a Google Alert for keywords or phrases relevant to my professional skill set. Each Google Alert sends you an email with new online content regularly. Here are a few examples of what Google Alerts you may want to set up:
After you identify the keywords for topics that people in your industry talk about, create alerts to keep a steady stream of content coming to you. Flipboard serves two essential purposes. First, you can follow exciting topics and see content other users share. Second, you can use Flipboard to create magazines on a given subject area and bookmark content that interests you for later use. Here are a few ways you might find content to save in a Flipboard magazine:
Gathering possible information to post when you run across it, organizing it, and making it easy to access will save you a lot of time figuring out what to post. BufferWhile the other two tools are about finding and organizing possible content to post, now let's look at a tool to schedule those posts. There are several tools available to help you manage social media posts. Currently, I use Buffer. This online platform has a free version that will enable you to manage posting on up to three social media platforms. When my goal is building my professional network and job searching, I focus on LinkedIn. Buffer enables you to create, schedule, and update posts as needed. When searching for a new role, I may post as often as daily. When focusing on building or maintaining my network, I may post once or twice a week. The Learn More section includes recommendations on how often and at what times you may want to share content for the greatest impact. Creating A Post When I create a post to share an article, I often include the following details:
Here are a few examples:
Learn MoreBy Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady The Value of Professional NetworkingWhen it comes to job searching, professional networking is a critical component of success. Ideally, you make initial connections with people through LinkedIn (maybe even after meeting them in person or at an online group event). While this is a great start, there is value in building relationships beyond that initial connection. A 1:1 meeting can significantly strengthen a networking relationship and help you learn how you and your new connection can help one another succeed. About 1:1 Networking MeetingsSo what exactly is a networking meeting? Back in the day, I remember hearing people talk about doing "informational interviews." In short, if you were interested in having a particular job or working with a specific company, you would contact an organization or individual and ask if they would meet you for an informational interview. In this 1:1 meeting, which could take place via phone or in person, you might learn about the company, what they are looking for, skills to acquire, and more. It also allowed you to start to build a relationship with a company--or a possible advocate in the person doling out said information. Fast forward to now. Today, a networking meeting is typically between you and another person deciding to spend a half hour-ish together. This meeting, sometimes called a coffee chat, could happen virtually via Zoom or in person, often over coffee. If you're job searching, the typical focus will be on how to progress in your job search. Someone may agree to a networking meeting because you have things in common (like a field of work, background, professional goals), because they are generally committed to helping people when they are job searching, or because you have a mutual acquaintance to ask that person to meet with you to help you out. Networking Meeting = Informal InterviewWhenever you have an opportunity to meet one-on-one with someone, remember that you are taking part in a type of informal interview. Whenever I meet with someone in career transition, my goal is to help them figure out their next steps, offer advice (if they ask and are interested), and give them ideas on further steps they might take, including who they should speak with next While I go in with this idea, the amount of help I'll provide also depends on how this networking meeting goes. Ideally, we have a good, productive conversation, and I think to myself, "I totally want to help this person more." If the meeting goes well, I'll refer them to specific resources that might benefit them (like a networking group they might want to join, a company to check out, someone to follow on LinkedIn) and even put in a good word for them to have a networking meeting with someone else who might get them closer to their goals. In addition, if it goes REALLY well, this is a person who I'll refer to others for openings, pass on job opportunities, and maybe even hire someday. If the meeting doesn't go well, I'll share a few resources, but I may not be willing to help them as actively moving forward. Remember, any interaction you have with people will impact their desire to help you in the future. Types of Networking MeetingsHere are a few common types of networking meetings:
Networking Meeting Best PracticesHere are a few best practices for networking meetings:
The True Power of Networking MeetingsWhen people talk about how they "networked" into a new job, typically, that means they leveraged their initial connections to help make inroads with new contacts, who helped them get closer to a new position. The holy grail of networking meetings is when the person you meet with agrees to introduce you to someone else they know who could help you. That process repeats until you're talking to a hiring manager or influencer who can help you get an interview for a job. Having good networking meetings is a critical step in that process. Learn MoreBy Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady Reflection and Goal SettingBeginnings and endings often make us think. When relationships, jobs, or projects end, we often reflect on recent events and our desired future state. Taking time to reflect on what went well, areas for improvement, and lessons learned can give us clarity on what matters to us and how to set goals that help us achieve what is most important to us. Why We Don’t Pause To ReflectIt’s human nature to want to keep the past in the past and move boldly into the future. Consequently, we often skip over self-reflection that could help us learn from the past, select the right goals, and identify the why that will help us succeed. We may also want to skip self-reflection to avoid dealing with unpleasant truths or uncomfortable emotions. While pausing to reflect can be hard, it can help prevent you from patterns of behavior that keep you stuck. Let’s look at a straightforward self-reflection activity that can help you select the right goals and make the progress you want. How To Think About Your WellbeingI use Gallup’s Five Elements of Wellbeing model as a starting point. This model identifies and labels five important areas that work together to form our overall wellbeing:
In short, if you’re struggling in one area of wellbeing, it will harm your overall wellbeing. By reflecting on each area, you will start to see connections between the different areas, how the areas impact one another, and how you could make positive changes to improve your overall wellbeing. Reflection Questions for Each Element of WellbeingUse these questions to reflect on each of those five elements of wellbeing:
An Example Reflection: Community WellbeingHere's an example of what this reflection might look like as you think about community wellbeing:
Reflection Question for Your Overall WellbeingAfter reflecting separately on each element of wellbeing, ask yourself the following question about your overall wellbeing: Based on your reflection on each element of wellbeing, which area do you want to focus on? Your Reflection Insights and Your GoalsBy going through this activity and evaluating your lived experiences through the lens of each area of wellbeging, you may notice trends. For example:
Use what you learn from your reflection to inform how you focus your attention and what goals you set. What Do You Think?Do you factor your wellbeing into your overall goal setting? How do you do that? Include your thoughts in the comments. Learn MoreBy Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady Getting To Know Your LinkedIn ConnectionsConnecting with someone on LinkedIn is a great way to start a formalized relationship with someone in your professional network. While that is a great start, deepening those relationships is a helpful next step to get more value out of LinkedIn. Let's look at a few ways to do just that. Interacting with PostsInteracting with posts on LinkedIn is a great way to continue to build relationships with your connections and demonstrate your professional value. Not only is this a great way to build your credibility with many connections at the same time, it also gives you an opportunity to showcase your knowledge without having to choose the initial content for the post. You can also use your comments to interact with others and even use this as a starting point to invite other commenters to connect. Adding Your ReactionThe easiest way to interact is by adding a reaction to a post. With a click of a button, you can like a post or select from the other available responses. When you react to a post, your name will be listed on the post as well. This is an easy way to have people see your name and affiliate it with the content you liked. Adding your reaction also helps more people see the original post. Commenting on a PostAn even more valuable way to interact with a post is by commenting. Once you have connected with someone, reading and commenting on their posts is an excellent way to build on that relationship. This way, they are starting the conversation, and you are helping expand on that content by adding your ideas. In addition, you can comment on other people's comments and share additional value. You can thank the initial poster for sharing the idea, add your thoughts, share your experiences, and illustrate how you have used the concept in practice. Commenting on posts also gives you an inroad to connect with someone else who is also interacting with that post. Commenting is a great way to interact with others in your profession, build credibility, and make more meaningful connections. It also helps to achieve one of your LinkedIn goals of showcasing your knowledge and also sharing valuable information. RepostingIf someone posts something of value to your connections, you may want to comment on the post itself and then consider reposting it with your comments. When you repost content, first, you'll see anything you typed, then LinkedIn will include the entire original post. This helps the original post get additional views and also enables you to share useful content with your network. When I repost content, I usually include "Thanks [original poster] for sharing this information!" To include the original poster's name, include the @, then type the first part of their name, and choose their name from the options provided. (This is often called an "at mention." This will tag them in the post so they can interact with your new post, which will help boost the number of people who see the post. Sharing Your Own LinkedIn PostsSharing content on LinkedIn is a great way to engage with your connections, add value to your professional relationships, and promote who you are and what you know. Unfortunately, very few people ever post anything at all--which is a huge missed opportunity to differentiate yourself from others in your field. Another question that comes up is the frequency of posting. I recommend posting on LinkedIn no more than once a day and posting one to four times per week. Use your favorite search engine for recommendations on the best times and days of the week to post to get the most views on your posts. As for content, you don't have to write a lengthy, original manifesto to post on LinkedIn and make an impact. Personally, most of the content I share on LinkedIn includes some version of the following:
Once you make a post, be sure to like any comments other people make on your post and even reply to each comment. The more likes and comments you receive on your post, the more people will see it. This will continue to build your professional brand and add value to the networking relationships you are fostering through LinkedIn. Learn More
By Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady It's Interview Time! Make It Count!No doubt, you've been applying for a lot of jobs--and now a company wants to talk to you! Since you're over the first hurdle, it’s time to get ready to make a good impression. Your goal is to help your interviewers see how amazing you are! To do that, you need to figure out how to shape and share your story. Let's look at what you're likely in for and how to set yourself up for success. About Behavioral Interviewing QuestionsDuring the job interview process, hiring managers and recruiters often ask behavioral interview questions since past actions often predict future behavior. Old-school interview questions rely on asking how you would handle a hypothetical situation (which, of course, would be perfectly). Conversely, behavioral interview questions require you to share a story of what you actually did in a similar situation. The stories you share come from your previous work experience and demonstrate how you think, solve problems, measure success, and overcome obstacles. Anticipating Behavioral Interview QuestionsTraditional interview questions usually start with, "How would you?" while behavioral interview questions often begin with, "Tell me about a time." Here are a few examples of old-school questions and behavioral alternatives:
Finding Your StoriesWhen answering behavioral interview questions, you will tell a story. It's valuable to think about your previous jobs and be ready to mine that experience for stories to explain key points to your interviewers. Your goal should be to give a 1-3 minute answer that showcases your skills in ways that address the question. The tendency is for people to either not know what to say or to ramble and hope they stumble upon something useful. For the next little part of this article, we'll explore different strategies you could use to answer the following question: Tell me about a time when you had to finish a project with a short turnaround time. The Non-Plan: Start Talking and Hope For The BestHere goes nothing: Gosh. I've done a lot of projects where I had to get something done quickly. Those have included software implementations, making a video, and even designing or updating a class with little to no notice. I usually just work really hard and put in extra hours to get something done. So, one case I can think of was right when the pandemic started in 2020. I worked for a software company that delivered most of its training in person at customer sites. Since government guidelines for dealing with COVID were changing daily during the early part of the pandemic, over the course of a couple of days--maybe it was like two weeks. I can't quite remember. Anyway, we realized that we would not be able to travel to customer sites to deliver their training like we had always done. We had to figure out how to deliver what was usually a week or so of in-person training without traveling to a customer site. We really didn't know how we were going to pull that off--and we were really worried that we were going to totally screw it up. I mean, who even knew what was going on early pandemic? What a mess that whole thing was. So anyway, we had to figure out how to do that well--and we had to figure it out in literally days. I had the trainer cancel their travel plans. Then, a few of us--including a salesperson, a trainer, and an instructional designer--sat down and tried to figure out what to do. We didn't want to bore people to death or make it an awful experience. We thought about doing videos, but those take a lot of time to create and produce. We also had to figure out a short-term plan for the next week and figure out a more interim plan after that. It was really hard to figure out. I mean--the whole WORLD had changed! [Note: we're still on the stage setting part of this and not even on to the question answer. So. Much. Talking.] PAR: Problem/Project, Action, ResultsHaving a plan for your answers will make the whole interviewing process better. PAR is one method you can use to structure your answer. Here are key components and what each letter represents:
A PAR AnswerProject/Problem: In March of 2020, when COVID was declared a pandemic, I worked at XYZ Software Company, and my team trained new users right after their software went live for each customer. Because we did new user training in person at each customer's site, and travel restrictions were going into place, we had to figure out what to do instead--and we only had a few days to figure something out. Action: I talked with my manager about how to deliver this training the following week to ABC Company. We thought through options and decided to use a combination of Zoom meetings and hands-on practice. I repurposed some of our materials to be self-paced activities, and my manager and I talked with the customer about our plans. We agreed to do a 90-minute instructor-led session in the morning and another one in the afternoon each day that week. Learners would also do self-paced activities, and the instructor would be available to answer questions as needed. Result: This resulted in us delivering the training during the planned week using the time already scheduled, but in a different way. In the end, the customer was happy that we were still on schedule, and end users appreciated the combination of instructor-led training and self-directed time. CARL: Context, Action, Results, LearningCARL is another method you can use to structure your answers. Here are key components and what each letter represents:
A CARL AnswerContext: In March of 2020, when COVID was declared a pandemic, I worked at XYZ Software Company and my team trained new users right after their software went live for each customer. Because we did new user training in-person at each customer's site, and travel restrictions were going into place, we had to figure out what to do instead--and we only had a few days to plan. Action: I talked with my manager about how to deliver this training the following week to ABC Company. We thought through options and decided to use a combination of Zoom meetings and hands-on practice. I repurposed some of our materials to be self-paced activities, and my manager and I talked with the customer about our plans. We agreed to do a 90-minute instructor-led session in the morning, and another one in the afternoon each day that week. Learners would also do self-paced activities, and I would be available to answer questions as needed. Result: This resulted in us delivering the training during the planned week using the time already scheduled, but in a different way. In the end, the customer was happy that we were still on schedule, and end users appreciated the combination of instructor-led training and self-directed time. Learning: Through this process, we learned more about how we could deliver effective learning at a distance. We also found that encouraging learners to turn their cameras on during training helped build a sense of community among class members. We built upon our lessons learned to improve our training with each customer. Additional Question Answering ModelsIn addition to PAR and CARL, here are two more question answering models.
In the end, it doesn't matter as much which one you choose, just that you structure your answers to minimize rambling. Learn More
By Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady The Value of Information GatheringIf a career opportunity comes your way, it is to your advantage to be ready to pursue that job. Doing a little extra information gathering ahead of time will help you fill out a detailed job application, include a particularly relevant class, or remind one of your references of when you worked. Since time may be of the essence when applying, this will help you meet that tight deadline with fewer headaches. Gathering this information, which is really your career backstory, will help you to tell the story of your professional life consistently. Your Work HistoryWhen filling out job applications, having a thorough list of where you worked and basic information about each job can come in handy. Depending on the application, you may be able to submit a resume alone and be done with it. Other companies may ask you for specific start and end dates for each role. They may even ask for contact information for your immediate manager and the organization itself. To make filling out more thorough job applications a little easier, I suggest you create a spreadsheet including information for your previous workplaces for the past 10-15 years. Depending on what stage you are at in your career, decide how many years of work experience it makes sense for you to gather. Make sure to compile this information for each role:
While you’re busy gathering information, you may want to note these items, too:
Your Education HistoryEmployers like to have assurances that a given candidate really has the knowledge, skills, and abilities they claim to have. This is why it’s helpful to list the classes you’ve taken, groups you’ve joined, certification tests you’ve passed, and degrees you’ve completed. Having this type of external validation for your skill set adds to your credibility. To customize your resume and make filling out a detailed job application easier, I suggest you create a spreadsheet to list the formalized ways you continue learning and growing. I list my college degrees, Association of Talent Development (ATD) membership, a business analysis class I took, a vendor-specific train-the-trainer course I attended, and a few technical certifications. Here are the core details to gather on each line item:
Keep in mind that this list is intended to accommodate everything from a 1-hour seminar you took once upon a time on sales prospecting all the way to an advanced degree. You may want to make separate lists for different activity types. Use the format that works best for you. Learn MoreBy Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady Learning About YourselfWhether you’re considering making a career change, are currently in the midst of a job transition, or want to be more effective in your role, increasing your self-knowledge is a great place to start. It's hard to figure out what kind of work will be the best fit for you if you're not clear on who you are, the life you want, and the role work plays in that equation. A Good Starting Point: Values and StrengthsIn other articles here on The Layoff Lady, I’ve outlined ideas for exploring your values and discovering your strengths. Knowing more about what you truly value and what you are good at will help you think about the why, what, and how of the type of work you are driven to do. Reflecting on your findings will also help you have better conversations about your skillset and what motivates you personally and professionally. A Solid Next Step: Discovering Your Saboteurs It’s incredible how our strengths and values also show up when we are in challenging situations—often in good ways, but sometimes in more destructive ways. Learning about how you can get in your own way is a valuable strategy for making better decisions when you’re mid-crisis. Enter Shirzad Chamine. He is a professor, professional coach, and the author of the best-selling book Positive Intelligence. He introduces strategies for how to be mindful of what we know (IQ) our overall emotional intelligence (EQ), and how to leverage our positive intelligence (abbreviated as PQ). The end result is learning to be more effective and increase our overall. Nine Ways We Self SabotageHere arer the nine saboteurs outlind in Positive Intelligence listed in alphabetical order along with my brief description of each:
Yikes. We're certanly not our best selves when we show up this way. Let's look at how you can identify your saboteurs and use that information to improve how you show up. About The Assessment To Find Your Top SaboteursSet aside time to take the 9 Ways We Self Sabatoge Assessment from Positive Intelligence. The assessment takes 5-10 minutes to complete. In addition, I suggest giving yourself 30-45 minutes to review your results and reflect. This assessment consists of 45 questions. Each question includes of a statement, and you'll rate your agreement with that statement on a 5-point scale ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree. The directions encourage you to answer each question relatively quickly and go with your initial response. The final 7 questions are about demographics and finding out where they will send your assessment results. Your Assessment ResultsThe results you receive include a ranking of your top sabateurs and your score for each. In addition, you will receive the following information about each of your saboteurs:
Reviewing Your ResultsI find these types of assessments fascinating. As someone who is committed to ongoing professional development, I appreciate getting insights that might be hard for someone else to share. These insights are valuable, and also help me understand why I do what I’m doing as well as helping me to recognize those non-helpful patterns so I can adjust my approach going forward. Not at all surprising to me, my top three saboteurs are as follows:
My Initial Reflections On My ResultsHere were my initial thoughts as I saw my top three identified saboteurs:
My Additional Reflections On My ResultsUnder Controller, here are a few statements resonated with me from the details included within my report:
Reflecting on Your Results
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Author7-time layoff survivor Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady, waxes poetic on layoffs, job transitions, & career resilience. Buy The Book!
Were you recently laid off? Need a roadmap for what's next? Or planning just in case? Check out my book, Seven Lessons From Seven Layoffs: A Guide!
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