Quo Vadis Opinions

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Well posting has been very erratic of late for various reasons which are going to continue, so am now going to take a break from blogging until further notice. But one final post.

In working as a career coach one of the things I’ve noticed is that this recession affects people from all walks of life and at all stages of their careers. From young graduates looking for their first job to senior managers being made redundant.
If I could give only give one piece of advice to all these people, it would be to develop an overall sense of purpose for your life and to work towards that purpose. It will change over time as you progress through life so you will need to keep updating it.

Research shows that people who have a sense of purpose for their lives whether they’re employed or unemployed tend to be happier and more content. They also tend to be more resilient and more able to cope with life’s up and down’s.
Regular readers will know I’m a great fan of Stephen Covey’s “the 7 habits of highly effective people” which is very good on developing a sense of purpose.  Now Covey has launched a new website which people can use to develop their own sense of purpose. It‘s in beta testing mode at the moment so it’s free. Do try it out for yourself by clicking on the link below.

Link to Covey website

career coach
career builder
career coaching
career guidance Ireland

The personality questionnaire I use is from one of the marketing leaders, SHL who are regarded as worldwide leading experts in the field of occupational testing. It’s known as the OPQ and despite many other competing profiles, it is still rated by the British Psychological Society as one of the top test instruments in reliability and validity which are vital issues in psychometric testing

Up to now only people (like me) who had completed specialist training with SHL could provide these assessments. That is still the case, but recognising the impact of the recession and technology developments, in a world first, SHL have now made a shorter less comprehensive version of this scientifically robust questionnaire available as an iphone application.

Only 0.59 stg 

If you can’t afford the personalised service of a career coach like me this is a useful alternative option and only costs 0.59 stg. 

Your report will list
• Your three key strengths that will help you get a job
• The roles you are most and least likely to enjoy working in
• Your personal strengths and areas of potential development needs that will help or  hinder you in an interview situation or in a new role

Based on the above, you also get personalised development tips on how to improve your performance at interview or assessments.

You can download the application for free, take the assessment and only then decide whether you want to buy it.
There’s plenty of help available on the website to help you use the information. You can even look at a sample report before you buy.

Click here to find out more and buy the report.

(Note I am not being paid to promote this!)

career coach
career builder
career coaching
career guidance Ireland

Last post was about career development, this post is about the feeling & emotions  which everybody experiences and how to work with these feelings and emotions. These are books I’ve read and found useful and are available in public libraries. It’s not intended to be exhaustive.
For a more complete list see the HSE’s list of self help books here

Feel the fear and do it anyway, Susan Jeffers
Jeffers writes in a very simple way and whilst the very American approach can grate with us Irish, (the first chapter is really bad, but it gets better!)  her book is a must for anyone thinking about changing careers. The basic premise is that’s everyone is scared and the difference between achievers and non achievers is the achievers are still scared but just get on with it.

The Power of Negative Thinking, Tony Humphreys
Written by an Irish Clinical Psychologist this book’s basic premise is that if we can understand why we are thinking in a negative way we can have a happier more fulfilled life. Not the easiest of reads, but well worth while.

Codependent no more, Melody Beattie
An Italian clinical psychologist once only half jokingly  said to me, he believed the Irish were passive agressive where as Italians were emotionally agressive. A major source of passive agressive behaviour is if you find yourself always worrying about other people and what they think about you. If this is you,  read this book. 

Help Yourself, Dave Pelzer
Written by an American who was the victim of one of the worse recorded child abuse cases in the state of California.  This book consists of the lessons he learnt growing up which enabled him to survive horrific abuse. Whilst there are no graphic descriptions of this abuse it may upset more sensitive readers or survivors of childhood abuse. It is however a very inspiring book which demonstrates the power of human spirit.

When success is not enough”, by Adam Walker
This is a nice short book and is easy to read. Good on goal setting.

Status Anxiety, Alain De Botton
An international bestseller this is an interesting take on how we’ve become so consumed by material possessions. Provides some useful insights on why we need to constantly “keep up with the Joneses”

Keywords
career coach
career builder
career coaching
career guidance Ireland

Happy new year to you all. Hope you had a good and restful break.  

Apparently at this time of the year, there’s a big demand for self help books, so here are a few of my favourites on  working life.  Next time I’ll post on self development books.
 

Brazen Careerist: The New Rules for Success
Written by American Penelope Trunk who is brutally honest about personal issues on her blog, this book is a must for anyone trying to develop a career whether in business or not for profit. It’s very direct and hard hitting and should be mandatory reading for anyone who has just left education and is job searching for the first time.  It’s also useful for people who are already in employment.
I don’t think it’s available in Irish bookshops but can be bought on Amazon.

Downshifting. The Guide to Happier Simpler living Polly Ghazi & Judy Jones
Written by two English women this provides practical advice on changing careers and living on a lower income. A must if you’re thinking of leaving a highly paid job to become a struggling musician or artist.

Slave to a Job, master of your career by Sean Mc Loughney

An Irish book there are interesting chapters on networking and developing your personal brand which would be useful to anyone developing a career. Unfortunately the business language will put off a lot of people not working in business, which is a bit of shame, because otherwise it’s well presented  and is a useful reference book, particularly for anyone at mid management levels  wishing to develop their career further. For a full review by me click here 

How to safely quit the day job, retiring early in economically tough times by Ian Mitchell.
Given the government has started making restrictions on pensions which will further restrict pension relief in future years, anyone who does has not already looked at future pension planning should do so now.
What Mitchell really does well is making the very boring and complex area of pension planning clearer using plain language which is easy to understand. In part two he shows how to work out the numbers, in part three he gets in to the really complex stuff, but again tries to keep it simple. Part one also has a useful look at managing your expenses better so you can plan for the future.
For a full review by me click here
The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams

A very funny cartoon book which takes the madness of working life  to task. I got this from a  satisfied client some years ago and find the cartoons very useful when dealing with clients working in difficult organisations. They (the cartoons!) always make me laugh.

The 7 habits of highly effective managers by Steven Covey.

This timeless classic  is also a must read for all aspiring workers whether managers or not and has relevance to daily life as well. Well worth a read.

Next post will be on self help books -personal development.

career builder
career coaching
career guidance Ireland

Apologies for the delay in posting, blame windows vista  as my   computer crashed, costing me a lot of time and hassle!

With firms going into liquidation and being bought out, more and more people are dealing with new employers.
Don’t assume that just because of your knowledge of operations, the company etc you will be kept on. I’ve heard of instances where the new owners simply keep employees for a few months to learn as much as possible and then let them go, once they’ve acquired the inside knowledge they need.
Unfortunately if you try to hold on to all your knowledge yourself, you’re liable to be let go even quicker!
So what can you do?

Firstly, be prepared.
Keep your CV and your contacts up to date
Listen to what’s going on in your trade or industry
Check out whether your existing salary is high or low for your position in your particular industry as this can determine whether the new owners will make you an offer & how likely you are to be let go. The higher your salary is compared to other similar roles the more likely you  are to be let go..

Make sure you know what your own career objectives are for the future as this will help you decide what’s best for you.

Do your research on the new owners
Find out as much as you can from surfing the internet, talking to suppliers, customers etc. The more information you have -the more prepared you’ll be for dealing with your new owners and adapting to their style of managing. It will also help you decide whether you see a long term future with the new owners.

Thirdly don’t hide.
Think about how you can be useful to the new owners either in your existing position or in a new position.
Volunteer to get involved in new activities the owners are planning.

Listen really hard
All this means you have to really listen to what the new owners are saying both through the grapevine and through the formal communications system.

Know your rights.
There are legal protections in these situations, but it is a complex area, depending on whether the old owners make you redundant, new contracts are offered or existing contract still in place.  See Nera the National Employment Rights Authority to see what legal rights you have in your particular situation.

career coach
career builder
career coaching
career guidance Ireland

TD Olwyn Enright will not be standing for re-election for the next Dail, citing pressures of a political  life and a young family. The life of a politician is not for those who want to have some kind of balanced life.
A friend who was once a politician told me  people expect you to be available all of the time even on Christmas day for the most mundane of matters. It got to her eventually as did the amount of time spent in endless meetings where nothing was really achieved.
I think this is one of the reasons why the economy is in the mess it’s in. People working very long hours tend to lose the ability to question the status quo, and notice something’s badly wrong. In the politicians case they seem to be disconnected from the reality of many people’s lives with their ongoing claims to unvouched expenses and failure to see the Dail and Seanad needs urgent reform. (Watch or read any Dail proceeding and it will prove this point)

A political example
Dermot Ahern, Minister for Justices is obviously suffering from the long hour’s syndrome as he called for higher fees for ATM transactions to discourage bank robberies, only to retract when saner voices protected. (Incidentally I ended up withdrawing €500 cash this week to make a payment because the electronic payment had not been processed by my bank within the standard 3 working days. In England a similar payment can be in the other person’s bank account within twenty minutes! Maybe addressing this issue will go towards solving the high cash levels in circulation)
Anyhow I know when I worked seventy to eight hour weeks my decision making ability became weaker and weaker.

A medical example
A really tragic example of the impact of long hours is this week’s medical council review of the Stewart/Conroy case where a consultant (Martin Corbally) noted incorrectly that the left kidney was to be removed on a then eight year old boy rather than the diseased right kidney. Despite the parents raising concerns on four different occasions, the operating doctor (Sri Paran) removed the healthy kidney, without reviewing the X-rays.
Both doctors worked very long hours of up to 80 hours a week. Both come across as caring and responsible professionals who immediately admitted the mistake and are now putting together a joint document to see what lessons can be learnt from this fiasco and to prevent it happening again. The Medical Council review does not appear to have addressed the issue of doctors working long hours though.

Impaired decision making
If you are working very long hours over an extended period of time, be aware your decision making ability is probably impaired not just in your working life but in your personal life. If you’re stuck in a rut and don’t feel able to take action to change the long hours seek professional help. If this is not an option do make sure to get some physical exercise at least 3 to 4 times a week as this is known to help. 

Keywords 
career coach
career builder
career coaching
career guidance Ireland

I coached a client recently, who had been sacked from a job for poor performance, after reporting a fraud. Unfortunately because she was less than a year in the job, she had no rights under employment law.
Hopefully you will never be in this very stressful situation, but here are some pointers  just in case. 
What can you learn from the experience?
Generally there are usually some indications that all is not well, prior to the sacking. Did you notice these indications? If not does this indicate you are not tuning in well to communications between you and your boss or co-workers?

Good communications?
If there were no indications, that you could reasonably have seen, was there good communication between you and your boss? If not maybe this is an area you need to improve on in your next job.

Looking for the next job
In looking for your next job, you need to establish whether there is any chance new employers will find out you were sacked from a previous job. If they are likely to find out, then be upfront about it and immediately state what you have learnt from the experience.
If relevant, explain why you may not have been a good fit for the organisation and position it as strength. For example if applying for a position in a very control orientated employer you could state “well it was a go-ahead young entrepreneurial company, and I’ve learnt I prefer to work in a company where T’s are crossed and I’s dotted, so I understand why I was not a good fit, as they wanted to act fast, where I insisted on the paperwork first then act.

Never criticise
Never ever criticise your previous employer, as this just makes you look bitter and no employer wants to employ bitter people.

Fixed Term contract?
 If you were only with the company a short time, is it reasonable to say it was a fixed term contract?

If you feel you are in danger of being sacked, don’t wait till it happens, but start looking around.

What  did my client  learn?
My client has learnt a lot from the experience and has now been shortlisted for a new position, so hopefully they’ll be back working soon. In the meantime they are keeping busy, with exercise, socialising and also completing additional training courses. One thing they have learnt though is  it is not enough just to be good in your specialist area and follow the legal advice you’re given.  There’s also a need to build working friendships with other managers that you deal with in other departments, as this may have made a difference in their case.

Key words
career coach
career builder
career coaching
career guidance Ireland

How to safely quit the day job- retiring early in economically tough times

I enjoyed reading this book as the author Ian Mitchell has a funny light hearted approach to the complex area of financing your retirement in Ireland.
The book is divided into three parts. The first is about defining what you want. While it talks about portfolio careers it does not go into a lot of detail on this. It uses a nice simple example to show how to look at your life, what money you’re spending and how to make savings. It does not go into much detail though on looking for alternative careers with a better work life balance. Ghazi and Jones “Downshifting, the guide to happier and simpler living” is probably a better guide to choosing how to get to a better work life balance.
Where Mitchell really does well though is making the very boring and complex area of pension planning clearer using plain language which is easy to understand. In part two he shows how to work out the numbers, in part three he gets in to the really complex stuff, but again tries to keep it simple.

He makes it crystal clear why because of tax relief that it really is a no brainer to invest in a pension.  Even though my pension funds value are way down on their previous values, because of tax relief my pension fund is still worth more than I originally invested.
Even if you’re not thinking of retiring now, would it not be nice to reduce the tax you pay by saving some money?
In the next edition, he could usefully cover the impact of expenses within pension funds as this has a huge effect on investment returns and also how to choose a qualified financial adviser. (QFA;s) Although QFA’s are regulated, I’ve noticed a huge difference in the quality of the advice they give, so you do need to be careful about who you take advice from.
April’s consumer choice has a good article on choosing the right QFA.

There has been lots of noise about the Government reducing the tax relief on pensions, so now is a good time to think about planning your future finances, even if you’re broke at the moment. So unless you are a TD with multiple pensions, this book is a must read for the non expert. Any one from their late 20’s onwards should read it.

Keywords
career coach
career builder
career coaching
career guidance Ireland

Sean Mc Loughney’s new book, “slave to a job master of your career” has a nice catchy title and makes some excellent points. There’s a section on how to know when you are a slave to your job and a very good checklist to see when you have an “employee mindset” on page 12.
Chapter one is about managing your career the way you would manage your own business. You need to take responsibility for your own career and not expect your employer to lalways look after you.

Great advice which I give to all my clients. There’s a nice table on page 18 highlighting the entrepreneur mindset versus the employee mindset.
For example
“I’m passionate about my clients” versus “I do my job well”
Or
“I take pride in my appearance” versus “Sure I’m fine the way I am”
Or
“I earn my wages and give value for money” versus “They should pay me more for what I do”. 

Or
“I love to smile and bring energy to my workplace” versus “First thing I do is smile to get it over with”.
However I can’t agree with
“I love to wear bright colours” versus “I wear grey, that way I won’t stand out”.   This won’t work in some workplaces, for example if you work in an undertaker.
A business slant  runs throughout the book, which can be a little grating. For example- “build your business empire around delivering extraordinary results”.  But what if I don’t want a business empire, what if I just want to make a living and enjoy my job?

 There are interesting chapters on networking and developing your personal brand which would be useful to anyone developing a career. Unfortunately the business language will put off a lot of people not working in business, which is shame, because otherwise it’s well presented  and is a useful reference book, particularly for anyone at mid management  levels  wishing to develop their career further.

Disclosure
Sean is a Chartered Accountant as am I, and this book is published by Chartered Accountants Ireland, who are a client of mine, but I do not know Sean and am not being paid for this post.

career coach
career builder
career coaching
career guidance Ireland

I’ve warned people about scam jobs here and here before, but here’s another variation from Maman Poulet where the job exists, but the training and pay are so poor that invariably people lose out.

They may stop advertising such jobs in their current ad format, because a bright spark complained to the advertising standards commision and a complaint was upheld againgst D7 marketing. See here for  details

I  wrote  here  about assessing  whether an employer is right for you , but based on comments on Maman Poulet and Beaut I think I need to add a few further items –

• where the recruitment procedure is vague or non existent, you’re probably looking at a job that is going to cost you money

• If your experience as a marketer is limited and you’re being offered a dream job in marketing, ask if it’s door to door sales.

I’m not saying that door to door sales is not a valid career choice, but make sure your employer provides decent sales training and a basic wage while training. You’ll also need to be very tough skinned, confident and resilient

The other area that seems to be taking off again is MLM or multi level marketing; I’ll come back to this as a lot of time & effort can be wasted in this area as well.

Keywords
 
career coach
career builder
career coaching
career guidance Ireland