Career Success Points

Two questions for you. . .

 

“In business, how successful do you want to be?”

And;

“How will you know when you get there?”

 

The above two career coaching questions represent the classic argument that if you don’t know where you are going then frankly how are you going to get there?

It is a very valid argument and you need to address it at some point if you are serious about your career. Unfortunately many people find it too big an issue to address and consequently brush it aside. Let me help you break it down into something more manageable.

The simplest way to do this is to change the time scale of the first question. Instead of thinking about the whole of your career consider a much shorter time span, for example this year, next year, or your next review date.

Alternatively consider it in terms of how successful you want to be in your current role or in your current company. Your current role is your next opportunity to be a success. Even if what you do isn’t what you want to do long term a success in your role now can only help your long term ambitions.

So shorten the time scale of the question based on your current situation and rephrase it to “By the end of that time how successful do I want to be?” Avoid allowing yourself the luxury of giving an answer like “Very” or “As successful as I can be” And that’s where the second question helps.

Asking yourself ““How will I know when I get there?” forces you to come up with something definitive. Job titles are the easy answer that people typically give but there are other answers that might be more relevant for you. Also job titles can be a dead end in business. I know plenty of managers who don’t manage anyone and sales managers who don’t sell.

Deeper, arguably cleverer answers might well then be event related. Such things as setting sales records, getting an industry award or achieving a high customer satisfaction rating. Events like that are the real signs of work success and are very powerful steps towards shaping a successful career.

The key is knowing what level of success you want and knowing how you will measure that. Aim over the short term and each time you achieve your career success point set your next one. This way you will enjoy a progressive career where you chart out each step.

Yours

Stephen Hart

Coach, Trainer, Public Speaker

Based in the UK and Working Globally

Edenchanges

Edenchanges is a company specialising in recruitment training and coaching.

Additionally it provides management and sales training along with a range of corporate training programs to the wider business community.

Services for individuals include career coaching, job hunting advice and interview preparation.

The Best is Yet to Come

The above is our philosophy and what that means to you is that however good and successful you have been up to now we would like to help you be even more successful.

As a company we have a very strong background in recruitment and headhunting, career coaching, sales and management.

We only train things we have done ourselves so when you work with us you are working with people who have sat in your seat and faced your challenges for real.

Combining that real life experience with our ongoing research and development programs and the result is the best training and coaching available.

We also genuinely care about helping people and we’re happy to be a little different in our approach. That’s why our website is designed as a business blog as this means we can offer free personal and career development advice on a regular basis.

Details of the Edenchanges services can be found by clicking the relevant link at the top of the page. Additionally we welcome all enquiries and our contact details are listed below.

We invite you to browse our website and conside how Edenchanges can help you achieve greater success.

Contact Details

Email

enquiries@edenchanges.com

Telephone (International)

+44 1757 249 380

Telephone (UK)

01757 249 380

Edenchanges is based in the UK and works Globally

Related links are:

www.recruitmentwithoutborders.com – a recruitment coaching service provided by Edenchanges

www.box.net/shared/mya0u51×57 – Click to download Edenchanges corporate brochure pdf format

http://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenlhart – Linkedin public profile of Stephen Hart, Owner of Edenchanges

http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/how-to-succeed-at-job-hunting/5885865 – How to Succeed at Job Hunting E-book written by Stephen Hart, Owner of Edenchanges

The Redundancy Escape Plan

Part Four in the Surviving Redundancy blogs

So now you have told your family that you have been made redundant and the emotional shock is, mostly, behind you. What happens next?

The answer is simple – you plan.

You draw up a plan of attack to save yourself, and your family, from the situation that you have been thrust into. Your plan should cover a number of areas:

Budgeting – if you haven’t done it before then now is the time to draw up a monthly budget so that you and your partner know where the money you do have is going to be spent. Be realistic and record everything. You might find it useful to see this blog Stemming the Flow where I outline some budget writing ideas.

Economising – no one likes to do this but your income just got seriously reduced so now is the time to cut out the non essentials. If the pain of giving something up is too much then consider cutting down. Bear in mind that retail therapy has a time and a place but now isn’t it! Remember that hopefully you are only going to have to do this for a short time.

In case anyone is confused the difference between budgeting and economising is that budgeting is the recording, in advance, of what money is going to be spent and where; economising is agreeing to spend less on things.

Job hunting – You need a job and probably sooner rather than later. However it pays to sit down and think through exactly what kind of job you want. Rushing into something now might mean further upset down the road as you struggle with a job you hate. So give some serious thoughts to what you want to do next. I have an e-book titled “How to Succeed at Job Hunting” which will be available soon – more news on that when it is ready.

Good times – So you’ve done the serious tasks of economising, budgeting and job hunting take some time to consider that life goes on. You should take some time out to plan some fun things. You might find that by not being able to purchase a ton of new things to entertain yourself frees you to enjoy some of the other things in life.

Consider how you can spend quality time with the people in your life. Does being redundant mean that you are now home with your partner? Then use some of the time, when not job hunting, to do things together. Go for walks, visit art galleries and museums or simple sit and talk in the comfort of your own home.

Is now an opportunity to do some small household tasks or spring clean the house? Do you have an attic or garage that could do with a clear out? You might indeed find some things to sell on sites like ebay as you clear things out!

I leave it to you to consider how you can spend your time. You might not have a job right now but you do have a life. I encourage you to turn your situation into as positive an experience as you can whilst at the same time you plan your way forward.

Until next time

Stephen Hart

Surviving Redundancy

Redundancy is a plague that is sweeping the country. Companies make the headlines but it’s the people that suffer.

This is the first in a new series of twice weekly blogs in which I will be outlining strategies for surviving redundancy.

To begin at the beginning let me empathise with you. I can remember vividly each time I was made redundant. The shock and numb disbelief, the crushing realisation that despite being good at my job and working hard circumstances outside of my control had taken it away from me.

After the shock of the announcement two things always hit me. First, how was I going to tell my wife and second, how was I going to pay the bills?

What I have learnt over time, and it’s really the first lesson I would share with you, is it’s okay to have these feelings. It’s okay for a mature man, or woman, to be upset about losing their job and to be worried about what is going to happen next.

So be upset, be angry, hate the injustice and feel those feelings but don’t, and this is important, don’t let them blind you to the practical tasks ahead.

The very first practical task is to find out the exact details of your redundancy. When is it happening, how much will you be paid and when will you receive payment. And if you are in possession of company equipment e.g. car, laptop or phone you need to find out how long you can keep possession of those.

You should find out that information at the time they announce your redundancy. Make sure you get specific details. You want to know exact dates and amounts. Remember to always be professional and polite and consider if the person making the announcement is the right person with whom to discuss the decision. It might be that they are only the messenger not the decision maker.

Further to the previous point, if you ask the questions listed below consider who else you could ask. It might be that you personally know other senior people in the business who could help you. This is all about your future after all so consider all angles.

If you didn’t find this blog until after you had been made redundant there is no reason why you shouldn’t go back to your company and ask the following questions:

1. Why is this happening specifically to me?
2. How could the decision be overturned?
3. What circumstances would need to exist to have the decision overturned?
4. How far back would it be possible to delay the redundancy date?
5. What other roles are available within the company / group?
6. Who can I get a good reference from?
7. What support will you give me?

The harsh fact of your situation is that your income has ended yet your bills are ongoing. This is a crisis situation and you need to maximise all your resources. Your biggest resource at this moment, even though it might not feel like it, is your current company.

It’s going to feel lousy, you’ll be angry, worried and anxious for the future. That’s normal and healthy. Let yourself feel those emotions with out recrimination and make sure you ask the practical questions listed above to make your situation as informed as possible. Knowledge is power after all.

In the next blog, on redundancy – Marshalling Your Resources I discuss the types of support that your company can provide and in the blog after that I will discuss the really hard part – letting your partner and family know what has happened.

Until next time;

Stephen

Stephen Hart

Picture by demostheses with thanks