life@work

The Career Happiness Manifesto

Manifestos have gone out of style somewhat, I think. Marx really did a number on that whole genre.

But here's a manifesto that you can get behind: The Happy at Work Manifesto, by Alex Kjerulf. I heard about this over at ask the CareerCounselor, a  wonderful blog written by Devon Carlson, filled with all kinds of juicy "Help! What do I do in this situation?" Q&As.

So the manifesto, which I highly recommend printing out and keeping close by, is a powerful tool to help you keep a reasonably good attitude about your job.

It's not about being a Pollyanna, but about focusing on what happiness is anyway, what is going right, and what can be viewed from another, more positive, angle.

I was just talking to a friend about this yesterday - that our culture encourages and supports a lot of bitching and moaning in general. It's a badge of honor to be the one at the table with the most complaints, the worst boss, the biggest stress, and the least sleep. Happiness is out, right?

If enough of us work to escape the cycle of career cynicism, it just may catch on.

You might even say we could create a revolution. Wouldn't Karl be proud!

Heather Mundell
Dream Big Coaching Services
www.dreambigcoaching.com
heather@dreambigcoaching.com

Career Happiness is a Warm Puppy

I've really wanted to talk about my corgi puppy since we got him in September. I'm done having kids, and this is the only kind of baby picture I can flash around with parental pride.

Since this is a "professional" blog on which I have previously promised that you won't have to read about what I'm eating for breakfast these days or what I'm watching on TV, I've been racking my brain about how I could link career happiness to my puppy, Caleb.

And then I remembered that as an English major in college I wrote dozens of papers and answers to essay questions in which I had to present logical arguments based on the minutest of threads, such as how Madame Bovary was a metaphor for global warming (um, which didn't exist in the 80's but you get the idea) or the three biggest similarities between Dante and Dorothy Parker.

I'm a dog person. I like cats too, but I'm really crazy about dogs. I've had a dog for most of my life. From 1994 through last December we owned corgis (lots better behaved than the queen's by the way, but still with their quirks).

But then suddenly our remaining dog passed away, and we were a family without a pet. After the initial grief subsided a bit, I realized that I felt a larger emptiness. It just wasn't as much fun around our house without a short little herding dog to entertain us, make us go on walks every day and watch TV with. We were missing something important.

Most of us who are happy in our careers can point to at least one quality or condition that is essential for us to be fulfilled at work. It may be working in a team where everyone trusts one another, or having a lot of autonomy, or always being able to develop new programs without having to maintain them for the next five years, or what have you.

Often we don't understand how important those qualities or conditions are until we lose them.

When we know what makes us happy at work, we can judge various career opportunities and make good decisions. We can ask ourselves, "Will this opportunity offer me a well-functioning team, a lot of autonomy, and the chance to always be building something new?" If no, move on.

Of course what makes us happy overall will not always make us happy every moment. I love my puppy, but there are elements of puppy ownership that are less than thrilling and can be downright annoying - the accidents at home, the consistency of walks required (early mornings, on rainy days, during times when you just want to be on the couch), the bad habits that take longer than you think to break.

Nobody has a stellar day at work each and every day. But when you know what it takes for you to feel happy in your career most of the time, you have more control and more wisdom to create what you want.

Thank you for reading about my dog! I'm sure someday I'll be able to link Caleb to insights about job searching.

Heather Mundell
Dream Big Coaching Services
www.dreambigcoaching.com
heather@dreambigcoaching.com

 

Serendipity and Your Job Search

Serendipity is one of my favorite words. It's both mysterious and delightful.

A job search can seem like such an uninspiring list of tasks. But when you think about it, serendipity plays a big role in many of our successful searches.

• Did you find out about your job from someone unexpected?
• Were you the right person at the right time?
• Did that lay off lead to something a lot better?

Serendipity shows up all over the place.

To invite serendipity into our job search however, we usually have to take some kind of action. I'm sure someone out there has gotten the call about the amazing job after doing nothing but sitting on the couch paging through a magazine, but the rest of us need to get "out there" and do something.

This means you get out from behind your computer, put on your coat and go talk with people.

"Referrals from friends or business contacts remains the top way that most candidates find work", says Perri Capell in a recent CareerJournal.com article.

She quotes David Walker, managing director of a well-known outplacement firm:

"What happens a lot in job hunting is serendipity. One person introduces you to the next, and they introduce you to a third and that's the person you were supposed to meet."

I frequently advise my clients to take action that doesn't offer a promise of success. This is because frequently things don't go as we imagine (or fear), and if we do nothing, we generally get nothing.

I'm talking about:

• Applying for a job that requires more schooling than you have (It may not really matter!)
• Attending a professional association meeting (You never know who will be there and what you'll talk about!)
• Calling all your former co-workers and managers with whom you were friendly to let them know exactly what you're looking for, even if you haven't spoken to them in over five years. (Everyone likes to hear a friendly voice from the past, and there's no telling who they know now!)
• Cold calling someone in your desired field for an informational interview (People are generally flattered and generous!)
• Contacting your target company and introducing yourself (Who knows where this will lead!)

The list could go on and on. There is so much to gain and so little to lose by meeting and talking with people, or by simply expanding your comfort zone of activities.

Don't worry about jumping off the high dive just yet - just go one level deeper than you usually swim in the pool.

You could find it to be a serendipitous experience!

Heather Mundell
Dream Big Coaching Services
www.dreambigcoaching.com
heather@dreambigcoaching.com

Book Review: 45 Things You Do That Drive Your Boss Crazy

I wish Anita Bruzzese had written this book in 1989, when I was starting my career.

True, it probably wouldn't have included chapters on email blunders, turning off my cell phone, and blogging about my job, but everything else would have applied and would have been welcome information.

I showed up to my first real job after college not knowing one tiny little thing about how an office works or how I should do my job. I came from a liberal arts college that was all about learning, studying, writing, and being at college.

I didn't have a fancy corporate internship, I didn't have an older sibling, I didn't have parents in the corporate world, and I didn't have a clue.

Anita's second book, 45 Things You Do That Drive Your Boss Crazy - - And How to Avoid Them, is a treasure trove of tips on thriving in the workplace.

It's especially well suited to new careerists, however older professionals would do well to remind themselves of some key activities to avoid, such as gossiping, failing to delegate, asking for a raise you don't deserve, and the classic - goofing off on a business trip.

Your boss notices and cares about things that maybe don't seem that big a deal to you. It pays for you to gain an understanding about how the work world differs from college, from your neighborhood, what you see on TV and how your family works. This book is a wonderful introduction into the rules and mores at companies.

The advice is solid, grounded in Anita's long history as career columnist and workplace expert. Her writing style is personal and often entertaining. Pick it up!

Heather Mundell
Dream Big Coaching Services
www.dreambigcoaching.com
heather@dreambigcoaching.com