Heres Your Sign

Here’s Your Sign â€" It’s Time For Change Directions by Russ Allison Loar of Flickr I pursued the employment industry because I enjoyed matching people with opportunities and creating a win- win-win for the company, the candidate, and my firm. I moved into working one-on-one with job seekers because I gained invaluable knowledge that I knew many people needed to help them succeed; I wanted them to succeed. Being a great judge of character is a necessity to being a great recruiter. While I feel that I do have that talent, it was clear to me after several months that I would rather help these people than determine that they are not good enough to present to our clients. I stuck with it for several years, however. No regrets â€" the years that followed provided me with even more experience and knowledge. There did come a time when I had to recognize that it was time to move on. In late 2005 after I was married, it seemed as though everything that I read or watched or overheard was intentional because most of it led me to the same conclusion: I needed to create something of my own to share this information and provide services for jobseekers in this area that no one else offered. From every different direction I was paying attention to inspirations, call them omens, that seemed to confirm that change was necessary. I even had a fortune cookie tell me that a change in vocation was coming. The help and encouragement of a career coach (Sheila Kutner) pushed me to bring my vision and mission to fruition. When I was a recruiter, it was frustrating to know that people who needed a job were standing in their own way by failing to understand how to market and sell themselves, how to be fair to themselves and the employer in negotiations, and how to do the right thing for everyone involved. As a career coach, I use my experience and expertise to motivate and teach people to target the right job and effectively market themselves for it so that they accelerate toward it.  Still, I can only help the people who first recognize that changing their mindset and/or their activity is necessary to change their results. Many people insist on standing in their own way of happiness by not recognizing that a change is necessary, and worse yet,  recognizing that a change is necessary and not empowering themselves to make that change happen. I do understand, to a point, the psychology behind not changing. It is difficult and scary. What if the forces that be decide that you are not good enough? What if there really isn’t anything better out there? What if what you want isn’t attainable? I have seen my loved ones emotionally and mentally beaten down by work environments in which hostility between colleagues is tolerated while appreciation and recognition are scarce. The longer that they stayed there, the more it was reinforced that they were a disposable commodity. It was as though they should feel fortunate to be employed. It hurt to watch people that I know are unique, important, and deserving of so much more made to feel small and insignificant. They became resigned. Once I was recruiting it hurt more because I knew what they needed to be happy and believed it was so attainable. Regardless, it still had to be their decision, their resolve, and their commitment that made it happen.  These days it is even harder to c onvince people that they A) do not have to settle for a consolation job just because they need a job and B) they can actually prolong their search (and misery) by pursuing something for which they have little passion. Here are a few questions and answers that may indicate if it is your time to recognize the signs. 1. Are you regularly grumpy on Sunday evenings and every morning but Friday? If you answered yes, this indicates that you have anxiety about going to work. Everyone gets grumpy sometimes. Even people that love what they do will have times when they wish they were somewhere else. Timing and frequency are the factors that have the most weight in determining the cause of the grumpiness. 2. While you are at work, are you spending more time finding personal business to tend to rather than critical deliverables that your boss is expecting? While most people will admit that they tend to procrastinate from time to time, your job depends on your abilities  to deliver. When you prioritize unimportant personal business ahead of what you need to do for you boss, that communicates that you only care enough to keep face, if you even care enough to do that. Your boss could very well be the problem and you may not be able to keep your position in that company and change your boss. You can certainly change something and you might as well. 3. When you come home from your workday, do you head straight for the television, your bed, or a drink? We all are expected to output more these days. It can be exhausting. This is why it is even more critical to do work for which you have passion. It will be energizing more than it will be draining and it will allow you to come home and tend to personal matters and relationships rather than spending hours decompressing and zoning out until you can sleep, wake up, and do it all over again. 4. Do you encourage your closest friends and family to NOT use your company’s product or service? If this is the case, it has to be a definite sign that you are not contributing your days and hard work to a company that is going to survive! Find a product or service that means something to you and then find a position within that company that allows you to use your talents and abilities to further their progress while you further your career. 5. Are you just brimming with ideas that no one at your company seems to hear, let alone implement? Companies sometimes do not utilize the talent that they have to the fullest. This seems like such a waste of great energy and money! That goes for you, too, if you are staying there allowing all of these brainchildren to wither and die! You know we are here for you if you agree that it is high time that you found a job that lets you UNVEIL YOUR BRILLIANCE! www.charesume.com