Should I go or should I stay

Someone I know was recently let go from their job. When I asked why, she said she wasn’t sure, and then she said she had not been happy with her job for sometime and her boss finally called her on it. Gee, I wonder what gave it away. The fact she was miserable at work might have had something to do with it. Those are feelings that can be very hard to mask. If you put five people in room and only four are having a good time, it is not difficult to spot the person who isn’t. I had one of those jobs once but fortunately my wife at the time had the insight to strongly suggest I get out before it destroyed me.

Being happy in your work can be just as important as earning enough to support yourself and your family. Sometimes having a great job that doesn’t pay quite as much as you would like it too can be healthier, mentally and physically. Meanwhile, anyone able to earn more money than they need and also work in their passion is truly the envy of us all.

Lots of people will go through life and never have the opportunity to work at something they can honestly call their passion however it is possible to work at something you really enjoy. The trick is to find the balance and have the courage to walk away from something you hate before an employer asks you to leave.

Your comments are welcome.

Glen Slingerlands – Skills 101 / Job Development

Prospect in person

Recently I was helping someone put together their résumé. They wanted to apply to an organization without knowing whether or not there was an opening. We talked about her reasons and she simply said she felt safer prospecting by mail than in person. It was at that moment I felt like we were about to conduct an exercise in futility. Not only was she unsure about whether or not there were potential positions, she also seemed afraid to go face to face. She believed that if she sent them a well written résumé outlining all her talents they might see a place for her within the organization or, better yet, create one.

Unfortunately there isn’t a lot of room in a job search for fears and shyness. Some how, we have to find a way to work through those issues if we want to land a good job.

I suggested she do some homework and do whatever it takes to get that face to face interview with a decision maker inside the organization. Go in and ask prepared questions about the types of positions they have, what they look for in a future candidate, what their goals are, even the skills they like people to bring to the table. She needed to determine if this company was a good fit for her, and the only way to find out is to talk to people.

Once she had her interview and knew what she could do for them (if she actually wanted to work there), she could bring the information gleamed from the decision maker to me and then we could write the résumé. At least that way she would be handing a taregtted résumé to someone who already knew her and would have a better chance of the person actually reading it.

A company can have the greatest product or purpose on the planet, but still be run by idiots. It is impossible to know what you are getting into when you are prospecting with paper.

Your comments are welcome.
Glen Slingerlands Skills 101/Job Development

What is a Survival Job to You?

Jane found herself out of work and decided she would like to return to school for a Business Management Degree program. But alas! Bad credit was stopping her from getting a Student Loan or qualifying for government funding. Her hearts desire was to manage a small business. She felt her best qualities were assertiveness, organizational and an ability to delegate.

As a child it was hounded into Jane she would never make anything of herself if she did not get a degree. She became disheartened and her employment target became a ‘Survival Job’ in retail, to save money for schooling.

Jane was a large lady who took pride in the clothes she wore and one day discovered the store she buys her clothes in was looking for a sales assistant. Instantly, she thought this is the job for her!

Many of the Sales Associates knew Jane because she was a customer and this helped her secure the position. Jane loved it, before she used to snub retail as a low end second rate job, now she realized what fun it is trying on all the new styles and able to wear outfits to show them off to potential customers.

Jane became very good at her job knew what the customer wanted; she also knew how they wanted to be treated. That year she was the top sales person, and was promoted to Assistant Manager.

The story does not end there; Thanks to being able to get 50% off all clothes Jane was able to buy outfits she normally could not afford. He professional presentation made it possible for her to be sent away for managerial training.

Five years later Jane accepted a management position with another high-end company as Regional Manager.

Jane is not managing the small business she dreamed of, instead she is responsible for many small businesses and is making $55,000 per year to start. In the end, she never needed to take out that loan or go to college. She simply worked and trained her way into the position.

Through the confidence that Jane gained while working in the store and attending all the free training, Jane was able to work off excess pounds, looks and feels great!

Sometimes we may get our pot of gold from the rainbow we have yet to discover!!!!
Keep an open mind when looking for survival jobs, they may turn out to be much more than you first thought.

Lesley Anderson
CES - Job Coach / Skills 101 Facilitator

What would you do for a Klondike Bar?

How badly do you want it and what are you willing to do to get it? Better yet, what would you do for a Klondike Bar? There is a loaded question. You know exactly what the job or career is but for some reason it seems out of reach or at least the perception is that it is out of reach.

Example, one woman I knew wanted a job at a chicken processing plant. Not everyone’s cup of tea, but she was new to the area and felt it would be a good place to get established and make a steady income. She applied a number of times but couldn’t get an interview. Finally one day she showed up wearing a chicken suit. The person at the front desk immediately called in the HR person, who called in the manager, who called in the newspaper, who took her picture and ran the story front page news. Great exposure for the company and she got the job. This was one of those situations where the job in that processing plant was her Klondike Bar and she was willing to do whatever it took to get it.

Now, I am not suggesting you dress up in a chicken suit to land the job of your dreams. However, I am suggesting you explore your risk factor and ask yourself the question “How badly do I want it and what am I willing to do to get it?” Sometimes all it takes is a little creativity, and a few moments thinking outside the box to get something you really want. Of course, the number one most important ingredient to the process; you have to actually want it.

Your comments are welcome.

Glen Slingerland Skills 101 / Job Development

What would you do for a Klondike Bar?

How badly do you want it and what are you willing to do to get? Better yet, what would you do for a Klondike Bar? There is a loaded question. You know exactly what the job or career is but for some reason it seems out of reach or at least the perception is that it is out of reach.

Example, one woman I knew wanted a job at a chicken processing plant. Not everyone’s cup of tea I know, but she was new to the area and felt it would be a good place to get established and make a steady income. She applied a number of times but couldn’t get an interview. Finally one day she showed up wearing a chicken suit. The person at the front desk immediately called in the HR person, who called in the manager, who called in the newspaper, who took her picture and ran the story front page news. Great exposure for the company and she got the job. This was one of those situations where the job in that processing plant was her Klondike Bar and she was willing to do whatever it took to get it.

Now, I am not suggesting you dress up in a chicken suit to land the job of your dreams. However, I am suggesting you explore your risk factor and ask yourself the question “How badly do I want it and what am I willing to do to get it?” Sometimes all it takes is a little creativity, and a few moments thinking outside the box to get something you really want. Of course, the number one most important ingredient to the process; you have to actually want it.

Your comments are welcome.

Glen Slingerland Skills 101 / Job Development

Good Employees - Bad Companies

Trying to find an employer that is right for you can be just as difficult as it is for an employer to find an employee that is right for them.

See if this sounds familiar. You get an interview for a front-end position, or receptionist / database manager type job. They appear to be a good company. You present all that is important to you in a job and they say all the right things in the interview. You agree on a starting wage, a review date and all the details on the job description. It is established you will be working a 37.5 hour work week which suits your schedule and allows you time for other outside interests.

From day one they are blown away by your work ethic, your ability to pick up new tasks quickly, your incredible demeanour with staff and clients and you are told regularly how great you are. You find the work load heavy but you enjoy being busy as it makes the time go faster. Soon you notice the work load demands are beginning to exceed the number of hours in a day and head office is pressuring people to put in longer hours to complete these tasks. No overtime is offered but you are told you can book time off in lieu of extra hours worked. Unfortunately the work load is such that it leaves no time to book off since if you were to take time off, work would go undone and begin to pile up. Unreasonable deadlines begin to come into play and the picture perfect job you envisioned during the interview is turning into a vision of master and slave.

Your raise review date passes and you are not called in, however they continue to rave about your performance. One month after your review date you are presented with an opportunity to work for a different employer for more money. So you approach your current manager, tell him you enjoy working here and would rather stay, but feel it would be fair if you were paid a higher salary. The amount you ask for is less than what the other company is offering but relative to what you believe the job is worth based on your assessment of the position now that you have been in it for four months. He says he will go to corporate and see what he can do.

He comes back and presents you with an offer that is well below what you requested. You gently explain to him, in the most deplomatic way possible, why what he is offering is not a fair offer. He then says he might be able to ask for more if you are willing to work more hours. It is right at that moment the light clicks on and you realize you are NOT in the Land of Integrity.

Companies that pay employees for a 37.5 hour week but pressure them into a 45 and 50 hour work week, for the exact same money, are despicable. They also need a lesson on values and employee retention programming. If you find yourself in a situation like this, run from that employer as fast as you can. There are way too many good employers out there, who look after their staff, for any worker to put up with that kind of treatment.

It doesn’t matter what type of work you do you should consider yourself a professional in your field. We have professional housekeepers, professional database managers, professional sanitary engineers, professional street sweepers, professional cashiers and the list goes on and on. Good employers recognize the value in hiring a professional to do the job they need done and treat their workers as professionals. Companies that guilt or pressure staff into long hours for no reward or make them feel as if they did them a favour by giving them the job in the first place, do not deserve one drop of sweat off the back of any employee.

By the way, the person in this story did the right thing. She walked in the next day and gave them her notice.

Your comments are welcome - Glen Slingerland Skills 101 / Job Development