by Pamela Skillings      Send to a friend

Guest blogger Heather Johnson has some great advice on common career change mistakes and how to avoid them.

If you’re ready to take the plunge and shift your career, then you’re bound to be feeling a bit vulnerable.  As you make your transition, you will likely experience a myriad of  emotions including anger, anxiety, stress, excitement and terror.  With all of these emotions running wild, wrong turns sometimes start to look like good ideas  To minimize stress during your career change,  avoid these six common mistakes:

1.    Not having a plan in place.  Even if you have a clearly thought-out strategy to shift your career, it can still take a couple of months to complete.  If you just up and quit your current job with no plan in place, you may be facing an even longer and more stressful transition period. 

2.    Changing your career because you hate your job.  Don’t mix up your career with your job.  It may be that you’re at the wrong company but not in the wrong profession.  Don’t let a bad job make you rethink your career path.  Figure out if it’s your job or your career that you hate before making a drastic move.

3.    Making a change just for the money.  Remember the old adage that money can’t buy happiness when you feel lured by dollar signs toward a different career.  Even if a different profession inherently offers more money than your current field, be careful about switching for money alone.  If you switch and hate your new career, you’ll be spending that extra money to relieve your newfound stress.

4.    Changing careers due to pressure from others.  If you like your job and make a reasonable living, then you shouldn’t change your job because of what others have to say about it.  Your parents, spouse or friends don’t have to go to your job every day.  While you can certainly respect their opinions, don’t let those opinions dictate your career choices.

5.    Changing careers because someone you know is successful.  It’s human nature to compare yourself to your friends and family members.  But don’t make a hasty career change because you’re envious of the success a friend has had in a given field.  Put your competitive impulses aside and think about whether you would truly be happy in your friend’s shoes. 

6.    Searching for a new career without honing your skills.  Before you take the plunge and actually change your career, take the proper time to prepare. Do your homework on the field you’re interested in and seek out any additional training or knowledge you will need.  Make sure your resume is up to date and presents your qualifications in the best possible light.  Practice interviewing with friends and start building your network.

This article is contributed by Heather Johnson, who regularly writes on the topic of career exploration. She invites you to email her with questions and writing job opportunities.

Popularity: 3%

by Pamela Skillings      Send to a friend

This past week, 30 Rock’s ultimate company man Jack Donaghy rebelled against his banishment to the 12th floor by quitting his corporate job at NBC/GE/The Sheinhardt Wig Company/The Ahp Chanagi Party Meats Corporation of Pyongyang, North Korea. 

Jack’s new gig is for the Department of Homeland Security. I’m sure that will end well.

At least he’ll always have that cool goodbye collage that his assistant made for him.

The Sheinhardt Wig Company: "Not Poisoning Rivers Since 1997."

Popularity: 4%

by Pamela Skillings      Send to a friend

A new survey by consulting firm Watson Wyatt found that 84% of large U.S. employers do not support a single-payer system such as universal health care coverage. Of the 453 companies surveyed between November 2007 and January 2008, 78% favor private-sector solutions. 

“The link between health and productivity is a vital part of a company’s success. Most employers are not willing to cede influence over programs that affect their workers’ health," said Ted Nussbaum of Watson Wyatt in a press release. “Despite their frustration with rising costs, employers believe they can do a better job managing costs and meeting the needs of their workers than the government can.”

Isn’t it nice that your company cares so much about your health and productivity? I’m sure their feelings about universal health care have nothing to do with the fact that government-mandated health care coverage could lead to higher costs and tax implications for corporations.

I don’t claim to be an expert on the health care system, but I do think it’s ridiculous that it’s so much harder to get reasonably-priced benefits when you don’t work for a big company. Then again, many who work for large corporations argue that their benefit plans aren’t exactly reasonably priced either.

More interesting reading:

Watson Wyatt’s overview of the health care reform proposals of all three presidential candidates and the potential impact on employers.

Popularity: 7%

by Pamela Skillings      Send to a friend

I have heard a lot of stories about bad bosses, toxic corporate cultures, and all-around horrifying office behavior. But nothing really compares to this tale I came across in The Washington Post .

It seems that this  "team-building exercise" at a Utah firm involved pinning a young sales rep down on the ground and pouring water from a gallon jug over his nose and mouth until he started to black out from lack of oxygen. The manager who came up with and led this little group activity then allegedly told the rest of the sales team, "You saw how hard Chad fought for air right there. I want you to go back inside and fight that hard to make sales."

Is it me, or does this sound like a scenario that the writers for The Office tossed out because it seemed just too over the top even for Michael Scott? I mean, some of the quotes from the article would be funny if not for the fact that someone was actually physically tortured by his coworkers because of disappointing sales of personal improvement coaching. Seriously.

The same manager named in this lawsuit was also alleged to keep a "2-by-4 of motivation" on his desk and threaten to draw mustaches on subordinates’ faces with permanent marker. He is also described by upper management as "a nice, sensitive guy."

You really, really could not make this stuff up. Of course, the manager in question says it was a harmless prank and that the sales rep  volunteered to take part. 

"We’re not the mean waterboarding company that people think we are," George Brunt, general counsel for the firm, told The Washington Post. Soon it will be up to a judge to decide.

Popularity: 8%

by Pamela Skillings      Send to a friend

Want to read something scary? Check out this article on AOL about all of the wily ways that your  company can track what you’re doing in and out of the office.

You’re probably aware that it’s possible for your employer to spy on your email and your computer usage. But did you know that corporations also use video monitoring, phone surveillance and radio frequency ID cards to keep tabs on employees?

If you’re naive like I used to be, you may have allowed yourself to be lulled into a false sense of privacy at work. After all, why would your company bother to watch every little move you make? As long as you don’t download porn or blog about your manager’s bad breath, you’re probably fine. Right?

Sorry, no. It seems some companies have plenty of time and resources to keep tabs on employees’ every email, phone call, and bathroom break. Here’s the awful truth:

• The ID card that gets you into the office may have an embedded radio transmitter that tracks when you enter and leave the office. Better not linger at Starbucks.
• Employers really do monitor email and 28% of surveyed companies have fired workers for e-mail misuse.  62% were fired for inappropriate  language in email, 26% for personal email use, and 22% for violating company confidentially.
• Some companies now use software that keeps track of employee printing down to individual print jobs. Better wait to print out that resume until you get home.
• Your boss could be monitoring your every keystroke at work in real time — including your typing speed, your Internet patterns, and what software you use. Nearly half of companies surveyed capture and save this data.
• Almost half of companies surveyed use video office surveillance, though most do inform employees if they are being recorded.

Creeped out yet? Well then, you better get back to work (and maybe delete some of those personal emails). Oh yeah, and smile pretty for the camera in the ceiling.

Popularity: 11%

by Pamela Skillings      Send to a friend

The very cool Chris Bailey at Bailey WorkPlay has invited me to join a  game of book-related tag. The object of the game is to share what you’re currently reading and sentences 6-8 of page 123 of that book (I was excited to discover that Escape from Corporate America  is currently on Chris’ reading list). 

As always, I’m in the middle of two very different books. I tend to  have at least two books in rotation — one work-related or business title and one transporting novel or memoir. I like to always have a novel in my bag so that I can switch gears and escape to another place when i get too bogged down with work and day-to-day craziness (and when I’m squeezed between smelly people with no sense of personal space on the F train).

So my novel of the moment is one that I somehow didn’t get around to reading until eight years after it came out to great critical acclaim and won the Whitbread First Novel Award.  It’s White Teeth by Zadie Smith (I actually read her more recent novel On Beauty first and then had to go back and read the rest of her work).  Here’s the bit from page 123:

          Samad wasn’t listening. It was imperative that he be at school before nine if this trip were going to have any purpose whatsoever. By nine, she’d be in class. 

 I am also in the middle of reading Anita Bruzzese’s 45 Things You Do That Drive Your Boss Crazy (And How to Avoid Them), which is a great and entertaining resource for anyone with a boss. Here’s the slightly-out-of-context snippet from page 123 (it’s part of a great chapter about being more tolerant int he workplace):

          Focus on the behavior, not the person. Calling someone a racist or a bigot won’t get anywhere — it will just erect more barriers. Sometimes just clarifying the comment will help the other person realize the error: "Am I clear in understanding that you believe all Irish people to be drunks?"

 Next on my reading list is the latest from the amazing Jhumpa Lahiri, Unaccustomed Earth.

So who else wants to play tag and share their current reading? How about:

Anita Bruzzese

Analisa Balares

Richard Fouts

Nichelle Stevens

Popularity: 10%

by Pamela Skillings      Send to a friend

Okay, so I just finished watching Oprah’s "I Hate My Job Interventions" show with Marcus Buckingham. How cool is it that I actually found a work-related reason to watch an episode of Oprah?

Because I know those of you with corporate jobs  don’t have the luxury of watching Oprah whenever you feel like it (I felt a little guilty about taking the time away from my computer myself),  I’ll provide a little recap before I wrap up work and run out to enjoy a little bit of this beautiful day in New York City.

Here’s your "executive summary."

• Oprah kicked off the show by citing a CareerBuilder survey that found that 84% of U.S. workers are unhappy in their jobs. This represents an even higher level of job dissatisfaction than those I found while researching my book (though I did find that up to 80% of corporate workers fantasized about leaving their jobs).

• According to Marcus Buckingham, only a little more than one in ten workers say they actually have the opportunity to use their strengths at work.

• There were four women profiled. All were struggling with different job dilemmas.
  • Vanessa, a pharmaceutical sales rep, said she disliked her job and the fact that it left so little time for her daughter. "I feel overwhelmed, underappreciated, and overworked." Marcus Buckingham coached her to get better at saying no to work projects and turning off her computer between 5PM and 8PM to focus on her daughter.
  • Ayesha said her job made her feel "tortured all the time" and that she loathed all of the job duties she performed on a daily basis. Marcus Buckingham coached her on how to build a bridge to a career that would better utilize her strengths.
  • Rachel was a teacher who was overwhelmed by the demands of her job. Marcus Buckingham coached her on how to make time for activities that re-energized her — like walking her dogs.
  • Beth was under extreme stress in a job that she didn’t feel qualified for. Because she worked for her husband’s company, she didn’t feel like she could walk away from the job without damaging the relationship. Marcus Buckingham advised her to have a conversation with her husband about changing her job responsibilities.
  • Good advice for all four women: Don’t bury your dream under mountains of "shoulds" and "have tos"

• The bottom line, according to Oprah and Marcus, is that your real job in life is to find out why you are here. In order to make any kind of lasting contribution, your job must "feed"  you in some way.

Popularity: 18%

by Pamela Skillings      Send to a friend

I just saw a  preview for tomorrow’s Oprah show and am very excited because the subject is near and dear to my heart. The topic is I Hate My Job Interventions and the featured guest is Marcus Buckingham, author of the excellent Now, Discover Your Strengths.

Based on the results of a poll on Oprah.com, many of Oprah’s viewers could really use an intervention. The poll asks: "Are you happy in your job?" And as of this writing, 82.9% of 1995 respondents said No. Go add your vote and see the latest results.

As the blurb on Oprah.com says,  "Don’t waste another second in a job you hate." I couldn’t agree more and am eager to see if Oprah and Marcus will swoop into the cubicles of the disgruntled and downtrodden to save them from  their  miserable careers.

Marcus Buckingham’s theory is that the key to career happiness is to identify and focus on your greatest talents and strengths. The problem is that many of us have forgotten what those talents are or have never had the opportunity to really use them. I think everyone can benefit from his advice on how to understand and develop your key strengths. Buckingham is offering a free online course on the subject on Oprah.com right now if you want to learn more.

If you’re a career changer or contemplating an escape from Corporate America, I suggest you set your Tivo for this show tomorrow for a dose of advice and inspiration.  I’ll also be posting a review and recap here for those who miss it.

Popularity: 16%