The Cost of Big Ambition.

My local newspaper printed an article recently deriding the Dr Seuss’ approach of instilling hope and ambition in children. The main argument centered around the notion that big ambitions can lead to big disappointments and it is the very few and very fortunate that get to become footballers and TV stars and such. The author spoke out against what he called an epidemic of effortlessness and as the local career counsellor I felt duty bound to respond, hoping that, at the very least, a discussion may be engaged.  I agree that we live in a culture where success can appear to be bestowed for no apparent reason with the ‘stars’ being so devoid of any obvious talent, but I cannot see how damping ambition can in anyway enhance our world, communities or our own lives.  Even seemingly ‘talentless’ people have made an investment in their career if fortunate enough to see it come to fruition, it has done so because of their commitment and effort.  Success does not look the same for everyone and although we may not always like to see people get on when they have used their connections, their looks or methods that are not available to all we must acknowledge that those people have also approached their career creatively and put in their time, which is, if nothing else, an option available to all, but taken in earnest only by the few who do succeed.

Respect and Resilience for Organisational Success.

The effect of the economic recession on work and recruitment practices is becoming increasingly obvious, with good employers remaining the torch bearers and setting examples that regrettably lesser companies are failing to follow. Evidence of shifting selection criteria, poorly managed assessments or psychometric testing and a demonstration of poor manners are now commonplace both within the United Kingdom and in Europe. The focus of the news remains on economic worst case scenarios and avoiding the fate of Greece, but news from within the Greek workplace are most concerning with workers finding themselves at a constant knife edge.

How to Protect Your Online Footprint.

Over the last few weeks it has been difficult to get away from the unfolding phone hacking scandal at News International.  From a careers perspective, privacy is one of the most delicate issues to consider, especially as so much recruitment is conducted virtually, with candidate details held on databases and searches on Google conducted as a matter of course.   Managing the information that can be accessed about you is extremely important while looking for work, but also when you are in it.  In this arena a little bit motivation can reap tremendous results.

A Hard Lesson to Learn.

It would be easy to ignore the recent strike actions by teachers and focus on the see-sawing fortunes of the job market and numerous other career concerns. Opinion seems to have been whipped to a frenzy by those opposing the strikes, while the teachers themselves, who clearly have a need to state their argument, appear to have had their faith in their employer shaken to such a degree that no small amount of goodwill is likely to restore it. And that is the point here from a careers and organisational perspective: whatever your opinion, is it likely and possible for thousands of educated and hardworking people to feel such a lack of trust in the process of change without cause leading them to strike?  More worrying still, could what we are watching unfold to public sector workers a demonstration of poor employment practice, regardless of and as well as economical necessity?

The Parent Trap? Being a Happy Working Parent.

After much anticipation, countless antenatal appointments and preparedness your little bundle of joy arrives and with it an even bigger bundle of expectations, your own and others.  Having a child and growing your family changes the way you feel about the world and to a large extent how you interact with it.  The impacts on your working life are substantial, not least because, you no longer can claim that your job is the most important thing in your life.  The adjustments required once a baby enters your life do not all present themselves together, but as your child grows your metamorphosis into a parent also develops and you might find yourself looking at your work through very different eyes.

No Longer the Great Pretender: Discovering What you Want to Do With Your Life.

When you don’t know what you want to do for with your life it is hard to avoid the conclusion of the age old expression.  It is as though you will not ‘grow up’ until you find out and everything else you try feels like a game of pretend.   At worst it can be demoralising, bewildering and uncomfortable. At best it can be and an unnecessary anxiety in an already anxious world. Is it possible to discover what your vocational calling is and can anyone really help?

The Holy Grail: Getting Leadership and Management to Work.

Concerns about management and leadership capability in the United Kingdom are making the headlines once more in the Human Resource Development press. You have to wonder whether HR professionals are trying to line their own pockets,  incapable of making a clear enough case about the need for effective management and leadership training, or that all of us in the people development sector are blighted in a similar way to the ancient Greek princess Cassandra, whose prophecies were always true, but believed by no-one. 

Breathe Out, It’s the Weekend: Well Being and Relaxation while Jobsearching.

Feeling anxious and unconfident are not the only by products of a prolonged job search or looming redundancy. There are other feelings some of which can be motivating and propel you into a new career. However positive you may feel about your prospects this kind of major change does not come without its ups and downs and requires a level of perseverance that is at best taxing. You need to be at your best to score a job. For this and for many other good reasons, like your sense of perspective or your loved ones, you must make sure you look after yourself when you are looking for work or managing yourself through job transition. It is easy to let yourself become paralysed by what can often be a grind of rejections, or responses that fail to come and even easier to slip into despondency, but you are facing a long weekend, which you truly deserve, so take a break from staring at your inbox and indulge in a little R&R.

Getting the Right Helping Hand for Your Career.

There is something quite comforting when you speak with people who do the same job as you and share common experiences.  You can use the shorthand lingo, express frustrations and feel a little more understood.  It is the foundation that makes the after work drink world keep on spinning.  When career counsellors meet, inevitably the conversation turns to client expectations.

So many of us have been confronted by people we want to help, who have spent numerous years trying to work out what the right job is for them have the expectation that a single meeting with a career professional will unravel the mystery for them. 

Job Seeker – What Are You Entitled to?

Last Sunday I was walking through my local park, family in tow, when two interesting things happened.  The first was my eldest son deciding to test his balance by walking on the ledge of the lake.  The sheer delight brought on by this effort in his face made the extremely slow pace and the frequent stumbles easy to bear and also made it possible for me to overhear an entire exchange between two other park dwellers sitting on a lakeside bench deep in conversation about the current job search scene.  Both men were in the thirties and donned a degree of righteous world-weariness, nodding knowingly to each other when relating the need for qualifications and experience in order to secure a job.  “There are no longer any ways to get in,” said one to the other, “no-one will hire you without qualifications or experience.”  I wanted to go over and tell him that today even that may not be enough, but as their discussion ensued I realised that these two jobseekers were not interested in finding work today, but in yesterday’s world.