A colleague of mine recently said as we were discussing the traffic problems of late in Santa Monica, “Sometimes you’ve got to go in the wrong direction in order to move ahead.”  Although never so true as you try to circumvent traffic and find a faster route to get home, it can mean needing the same approach with your career search or professional advancement as well.  Finding that you always follow the same route in your job search or how you approach your career advancement opportunities might mean that you are not progressing any faster than you like.

It’s hard to imagine that by moving backwards you might actually be moving ahead.  Counter-intuitive as this might seem, movement of any kind usually means you are progressing towards a goal.  Stagnation in you career means sudden death under any circumstances.  It’s nice to think you know which direction will lead to the fastest route with your career choices.  It may not always be the case when you are for instance in career transition, or are a recent graduate or having trouble navigating the corporate ladder towards a promotion.  It’s okay to take a lesser position if you’ve been out of work for sometime trying to get your foot back into a company or a particular field.  Taking an internship for example might not be the worst thing as you wait for a job offer to come through for the position you really want. Trying to figure out your next career move when you are in a holding pattern at work because you’ve not been promoted might mean it’s time to try something new.

Having the ability to move backward in order to move forward helps you stay in the flow even if it takes you a little longer to get where you ultimately want to go. It’s always hard to know if you are doing all it takes to make progress in your career especially when you seem to be moving in the wrong direction.  Remember there are no wrong directions or choices when it comes to making a decision about your career or your life. As long as you keep making decisions and focus on the possibilities of what you are after, you are naturally on the right road towards success.

Finding the right balance between what you want and what you are willing to make happen does not always mean the decision will be an easy one. It doesn’t matter how difficult it is for you to get where you are going, it just matters that you keep moving in any direction that seems to take you towards a clear path for getting ahead. You might be surprised what you find along the way but you never know the new and different opportunities you may have overlooked had you not taken that left turn in the road. Finding your true north doesn’t always mean you have to travel north, it just means you should follow your path of least resistance.

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“I’m creative, I haven’t had to use a resume since 1996!”  Well that’s great for you but let us all in on your little secret to success!  Just because you’ve never had to formally interview for a job or have had your next gig lined up just by making a few calls, then it’s time to look around because your luck may be about to run out.  You may have had a great run at finding your next job without much help from least of all, a resume, but it may be time to take a trip on the wild side and do something good for yourself and for the person who does not yet know all the wonderful things about you!

A resume does not need to be a painful process and it certainly doesn’t mean that just because you’ve gotten away with not having one for so long that you eventually won’t need one.  Even if you are a creative executive with an impressive portfolio that drags on forever, it certainly does not mean you don’t need a resume. Keep in mind, not everyone may have seen that film or watched that television show you were working on.  It’s okay to have a long credit list but acting like everyone who reads it should instantly recognize any obscure title or independent production company you worked for is well, clueless.

It’s nice to know you don’t have to work to hard to get your next gig but what if something unexpected came along, something that you were not even looking for but sounds like something you’ve always wanted to do. Why not be prepared and have your professional resume ready to go?  What if that job didn’t come through your normal channels and you were tapped through LinkedIn or it was an industry referral that passed your name along because they thought you’d be “perfect” for the job. Or, you get a call from a recruiter or agent or maybe directly from the company and they ask you for a resume or a bio and you say, “I haven’t needed one since 1996!”  Click.  That’s what most people would do or want to do when you make that kind of an announcement.

Don’t think for a minute the person on the other end of the phone or email thinks this is cute, clever or even professional.  You need to write your professional history down, it doesn’t need to be long or full of bravado it just needs to simply tell the story of who you are, what you’ve done and where you’ve worked.  Keep it simple and to the point and be ready to hand it over to someone who offers to help.  Don’t make the hiring manager, recruiter or person interested in interviewing you do all the work.  You might be the perfect person for the job but if you are not prepared, no one is going to wait for you to get ready.  You may think you are a household name because you have an impressive list of credentials don’t assume everyone knows who you are.

The next time you are lucky enough to get a call or email out of the blue asking you to come in for an interview don’t embarrass yourself or someone else by stating that you are too good to put your professional life on paper.  Because if you don’t want to waste the time and effort for the job someone else surely will and will likely get the job you were not ready or able to accept.

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Navigation systems have been all the rage when it comes to mapping out your travel destinations.  But what can you use to map out your career destination? Career-pathing is a term used to do just that-map out a course or plan of action that will take you from point A to point B and help you best assess your career choices and options. When you use career-pathing properly, you not only set a clear and defined course for yourself, but you help remove the guesswork in what you want to be when you grow up.

In order to properly employ the career-pathing technique, it would help if you have a general sense of which direction you’d like to go in your current job, future job or when you graduate from school.  This involves not only understanding your unique skills, experience, knowledge and personal attributes but how you can apply them to the job opportunity you seek.  There are many tools available to you by way of career assessments that can help you map out your career trajectory in a more systematic approach.  Career assessments such as DISC, Berkman, PDI all offer ways for you to calibrate your career so as to help you better navigate not only your career choices but what work environment you would most thrive and excel in.

If you are already employed and want to figure out the best way to advance within your organization, inquire with your supervisor or Human Resources on which plan may be available to you and if the company offers any kind of career-coaching or assessments designed to help you in your current position.  If you are graduating or are in a transition, making an investment in yourself by hiring a career coach or purchasing an assessment can only help you have a better understanding of which path best suits you.  It’s hard enough to apply for a job time and again or work on your resume or portfolio or bio in the hopes you’ll catch someone’s attention and get a job offer.  Those odds become tougher these days when the landscape is filled with equally qualified candidates all vying for the same job.

Investing in yourself by reaching out to your network of professional contacts, getting feedback on how well you are doing in your career, and seeking out counsel from your human resources alumni office or will help you figure out what you need to do in order to move ahead.  There is nothing wrong in asking for help just be clear on what your goal is and you’ll make the right choices in moving your career forward.

Taking time now to map out a course of action when it comes to figuring out the next steps in your career path is not a wasted exercise.  Knowing ahead of time what it’s going to take, what necessary skills you need, what experience you may be lacking will help you to best lay out a plan that will move you closer towards achieving the kind of success you dream about in your career.

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One thing they may not teach you in business school is how to treat your professional network.  Maybe you don’t think you have a professional network and it’s not important to be courteous to anyone other than the person who pays you.  But you don’t know which person will someday be in a position to “love you or lose you” for or a job so it’s best to be on your professional best behavior at all times.

In life you will always run into situations where people will piss you off or work your last nerve but you can either take the high road and let it roll off of you, or you can mouth off and make a bad situation even worse.  You have to know who your friends are in business even if you don’t want to have lunch with them.  Knowing how to treat someone in your professional circle is important whether you think they can do anything for your career ambitions or not.  Having the common decency to treat others the way you would want or expect to be treated separates a good networker from a bad one.   Yes, because every situation that arises in your career has the potential to make a break your future prospects whether you think at the time they do not.

Here are some examples of ways NOT to treat your professional network no matter how much of a “bestie” you think the person is or will become:

1. Standing by your word and telling a colleague you’ll meet them for lunch and then inviting 10 other people without letting them know is not a professional way to handle a meeting or invite-especially if they offered to pick up the tab!
2. Forgetting to thank someone who has referred you or helped you make an introduction to someone in your professional community is bad form whether you get the meeting or not;
3. Calling someone on the pretense you want to see how they are doing all the while knowing you need or want something from that person is not being genuine, kind, or honest;
4. Being thankless in any situation shows you have no respect for the other person and even less respect for yourself;
5. Making someone wait for you while you are delayed without so much as a call, text or email is rude and inappropriate no matter what the circumstance (unless of course you are in a coma);
6. Telling someone you’ll help with an introduction or meeting while having no intention whatsoever to follow through is hitting below the belt;
7. Trying to guilt someone into helping you with a career move even though you can’t stand the person is not being honest, sincere or genuine;
8. Making someone always pick up the check at a business lunch or meeting is selfish and miserly;
9. Giving someone intentionally misleading information in the hopes you can benefit from it is unethical and makes you untrustworthy;
10. Having no sense of professional etiquette and not thanking someone at all times for assisting you whether you gain an advantage from the situation or not.

Understanding that it’s not all about you and that others have feelings too is important to realize no matter what your professional relationship.  Just because you have no clue how the person will or won’t help you in your career advancement does not give you license to be rude and dismissive-think of how you would feel if the shoe were on the other foot?  Knowing how you would like others to treat you is the first step in recognizing that it’s equally as important to treat others in the same manner whether you expect to get anything out of it or not.

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You may be at this a long time.  Your resume/bio reads like a who’s who of accomplishments, accolades and professional pedigree that would rival any Ivy League graduate’s credentials. You may think there is nothing you don’t know, haven’t seen or experienced in your illustrious career. You may be able to walk into any board room, any meeting and just take over with a seamless self –confidence that makes the members of the meeting blush with envy.

You are and always have been a rock-star.  You are sought after by your professional colleagues and everyone either wants to work for you or with you. You’ve been at this for so long you don’t even need a resume you are that good.  Well, you may be all that and then some but one question should loom in the back of your mind, “Am I still relevant?”

Just because you have successfully operated the way you have for decades does not mean the world around you has remained unchanged.  You’ve managed your career beautifully, you know all the right players, network with all the right people, but really at the end of the day, what is the something “new” you bring to the table? It’s easy to rely on your background and your professional successes to a point, but when you’ve not been able to progress along with new changes, thoughts and ideas, you have to ask if you are as relevant as you think?

As the career and business world spins off its axis, you’ve got to wonder what bubble you’ve lived in and what have you done lately to effect a relevant change?  Are you in touch with new thought processes?  Are you up to date in technology?  Do you keep up with new trends or updates in your industry?  Do you know the new players in your field?  How have you transformed your business, your company, yourself?  What is the last innovative or out-of-the-box thought or idea you’ve had? Do you consider yourself a pioneer?  How do your peers view you?  Are you willing to shake it up to be different? Are you willing to take risks to be relevant?

You might want to ask yourself these questions the next time you are ready to pat yourself on the back for past accomplishments. We all like to live in the glory days of our past, but when you can’t transcend the future you are like a dinosaur waiting for the Ice Age to hit. Your relevancy has nothing to do with your age or your level of experience it has to do with syncing your talents to what is current and looking towards new opportunities to build the future.

Change is a hard pill to swallow for most people especially for those who have had successful careers just doing what they do so well and for so long.  In this day and age that’s just not good enough any more.  You may be an expert in your field but if what you bring to the table is outdated and is not relevant to anyone other than yourself, then honestly you may be waiting for extinction just like the dinosaur.

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If you think the expression, “What goes around, comes around,” was something your grandmother use to say when you were naughty, think again.  In the corporate world of musical chairs what you put out there, good or bad comes back to haunt you no matter where you may land. It’s not that someone is up there with a score-card keeping track but guarantee no matter what industry you work in and in particular in entertainment, media & technology industries, it’s a small enough world for word to get out.  So be careful who and what you eat for lunch as it may very well come back to bite you in another form!

It may not seem right when you hear of others ascending the throne to even bigger or better positions (read my “Failing Up” blog), but know that your professional integrity is your most valuable asset no matter how small you may feel in your current role.  Bad behavior is nothing to reward particularly in folks who seem to continue to climb the ladder of success.  Those who have been sacrificed and eaten along the way come back to seek revenge on their prey like a Zombie Apocalypse. It may not be as dramatic as all that but believe me when I write that it does come back around somehow, someway.

You work hard, you follow the rules, and you even genuinely care about what you do and whom you do it with.  Along comes someone who rides on the merits of a flashy resume, or a pedigree education and a few key contacts and they have just usurped you from a job that you could have proudly stepped into had your moral fiber not been as strong.  And although you may think, “Hmm sour grapes,” you know to your very core that something is just not fair.

So where does that exactly leave you?  Do you need to alter your moral compass or just brush it off knowing that others will get their just rewards?  It might seem easier on the surface to feel betrayed by corporate America and sit back and lick your wounds.  Having the faith, dedication and perseverance to not follow the pack no matter how successfully they lay siege to the village ahead makes you one of the few who will reap the benefits of knowing you are better than all that. It might not make sense when you see the President of a company fired for “unprofessional conduct” and manages to receive a massive financial payout because of a contract; or the CEO who hosts a baby shower on the company’s dime, obligating the staff to buy her gifts yet all the while expensing it to the company; or the HR head who was inappropriate with staff members and somehow lands an even bigger gig; or the marketing executive who gets a big bonus check when they were reprimanded for falsifying expense reports.

Even if it seems like none of these folks have choked on those they’ve eaten along the way to their glorious careers think again.  Whether it’s a matter of divine intervention or dumb luck, what goes around will and always does come around.

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Same ride to work.  Same drink order at Starbucks, Same parking spot, Same office. Same receptionist.  Same ID required.  Same elevator. Same desk.  Same assistant. Same morning meeting.  Same agenda.  Same day over and over again.  What would really happen if you just shook things up?

I’m not suggesting you change your route to work, but if that helps put you in the mood I suppose you can start there.  I mean what if you really shook it up and made a drastic change like quit your job, move to another state or country, take that job that you are not sure is right just to do something, anything a little different?  We tend to think ourselves out of our next move because we are afraid of the unknown.  That’s okay many great things happen by mistake.  Not knowing what the next day will bring may be enough to make you want to take a drink at 8am or do anything to calm the butterflies in your stomach, but did you ever think that the sick feeling in the pit of your stomach is trying to tell you something?

Change doesn’t always feel good and sometimes it’s not suppose to. Change is there to do just that make you do something you would not ordinarily do.  Whether that change is forced upon you or you are your own catalyst, making up your mind to either fight the tide or go with the flow are just some of the options at your disposal. This is the make or break moment in your life that will lead to your successful transition.  Shaking it up means you are deliberately and intentionally choosing to change even if you are not sure what the outcome will look like.  Call it faith, call it blind ambition, call it having some balls however you see it, shaking up your world will inevitably give you a new outcome.

The good news is that you are not necessarily stuck with whatever comes. If you don’t like where you land, just shake it up again.  Change is not at all as frightening as some would have you believe.  Think about all the control you have when you know you are the one in charge of what you want and when you want it.  Not moving forward, standing still, doing the same thing over again without any hope of moving ahead does not a productive or fulfilling life make. When you are afraid of what might happen that’s the time you need to shake things up and see what you get.  You may wind up in the same place but at least you know you took action to get there.  Have a little faith that you do know what you want and you do have your best intentions at heart.

No one can shake it up like you can and even if the thought makes you dizzy, it’s okay, you can stop or start the process of change anytime you like.  Now if that doesn’t spell freedom I don’t know what does!

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We all have had moments where we look back and think, “Wow, I should have gotten that phone call or interview or job offer.  It’s the one that got away.”  As romantic as that might seem to you as you relish the longing for something that will never be, don’t be sad for too long, because there really is no such thing as a job that got away.  Like a bus, train or any other mode of transportation that takes you from point A to point B, there will always be another job offer and potentially an even better job offer waiting to take you to your next career destination.

When you wait and wonder and bemoan the fact that you were not called back for a second interview, or were passed up for that promotion, or they offered the job to someone else, you waste a lot of valuable time and energy hoping for something that quite frankly was probably not meant to be.  It doesn’t suggest that there is something wrong with you or that you are lacking some fundamental skill or talent that someone else has.  It does not mean that you are damaged goods and that you will never get another opportunity like it again and all of a sudden that job that you didn’t get was the best thing in the world that could have happened to you.

It’s not a romantic comedy or a Greek tragedy when the job you want does not want you.  It just means very simply that there really is something much, much better waiting for you if you remember to keep your eyes open and not ignore the next opportunity that presents itself.  You can get lost in the longing of something that you did not get or you can brush it off and think of all the good qualities in the job and the company that you did like and focus your attention on finding something just like it.

They say the Universe works in mysterious ways and you may not always know why something happens the way it does and why events unfold the way they do. It doesn’t mean that you need to become psychic in order to push the realm of possibility when it comes to your next career move.  It just means that you have to be yes, that’s right, patient with the process and trust that your desires, dreams, wishes have the potential of coming true if you just focus on what you want and not on what you may have lost.

Desire is a powerful and often underestimated tool when it comes to driving your career in the direction you want to go. You’ve got to really want the “something” not necessarily a specific job but the experience of more money, higher position, type of work experience, office environment, culture, people, etc. in order to make it a reality.  So often you get stuck on the specific job without taking into consideration all the other variables or desires that make up what you really want. You can get lost in the one thing you can’t have instead of staying focused all the things that you can have.

Next time you long for the job that got away, thank yourself that you may have actually dodged a bullet and focus on the next thing you really want and don’t waste any more time on past regrets.

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We all know at least one person where we scratch our heads and wonder beyond amazement, “How on earth did they land that job?”  It’s not that we think they are stupid (although that could very well be the case) but when you find someone over and over again who has made poor choices, been fired, displayed what could be described as unethical business practices but time and again finds themselves landing great jobs, you’ve got to be wondering, “How do I fail up?”

Failing up is a term used when people who seemingly have been unceremoniously booted out of their jobs for whatever reason, seem to find an even better opportunity to attach themselves to.  Not sure if hiring companies check references or reputation of folks they bring on board for senior positions, but something seems out of whack when the folks you know are damaged goods seem to recycle themselves into yet another career defining moment.

Call it dumb-luck?  I don’t think so.  One thing you’ve got to hand to folks who manage to find their way working in an industry that all has but shunned them is “What goes around, comes around.”  It may not seem fair when hard-working and smart folks who really believe in the concept of professional integrity have to take a back seat as they watch their peers come from behind to scoop up high paying, high profile jobs out of the blue.

Not that anyone says life is fair but here are some examples of folks who keep failing up well into their next provocative career move:

1. The executive who has managed a senior level job position for sometime and has levied enough litigation against them to make even OJ seem like a lightweight.  Yes, this individual keeps getting bonuses, job offers and equity even when the amount of employee claims keep piling up against them!
2. Then there is the executive who was fired on more than one occasion from various jobs for what some would call “unethical business practices” only to land a plum job at a company sure to make him/her millions when they announce they are going public in the near future. Talk about sitting pretty!
3. And what about the person who gets picked for CEO jobs time and again only to be fired for inappropriate conduct but manages to somehow have the next best gig lined up.

Whether you are envious of folks like this or wonder what our professional world has come to, don’t despair or lose your sense of self.  Your contributions and the fact that you can hold your head up high will not only make it easier to sleep at night but might parlay it into your next big gig.  It’s one thing to feel self-pity for not being as conniving as the next person, and it’s another to wait patiently in the wings for your turn to ride the gravy train.

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Since you are likely not born into royalty or a standard of living that affords you the ability to do what you please, do you work because you love to, have to or just because there is no other way you know to exist?  We are taught that “work” is something we must do as that is the currency we use to allow us the freedom to do what we want in life.  If there were another way to make a living outside of work, and I’m not necessarily suggesting those options, what course of work would you choose?

1. I Love To Work!  For those of you who know no other way, work is something that gives your life purpose and you would likely find something to do no matter how much money you had in the bank.  Working because you love to do what you do is probably the most rewarding and noble act you can choose. Contributing your life’s work in a way that benefits not only you but others as well leaves you with not only a rich and rewarding life but also a legacy that will carry on long after you are gone.
2. I Have To Work!  There are bills, responsibilities, things you’d like to do but you can’t or won’t because you have to take care of business any kind of business whether it’s personal or work. Nothing screams “work” more than having commitments that stare back at you when you look in the mirror getting ready for your morning commute.  Arguably, the greatest number of people fall into this category and sadly this is how we are all programmed to live, to breathe and to deal if we are to survive at all.
3. Is There Any Other Choice?  Yes, there are many choices available to those that love to work and those that have to work.  First, you have to be clear on which category you fall into, as that will determine the course you are apt to take as it relates to your work. Your motivation helps guide you to choose which path you are going to take whether you have to work for money or not.

Whether your motivation is love of what you do or the fact that you have commitments that you can’t turn your back on, you make choices depending on what pushes you the furthest towards your goals.  There is nothing wrong with accepting work at any level because you have responsibilities you need to care for.  It’s always better if you love or even like what work you choose to do but it’s up to you how you handle your choices.

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If you think you’ve got what it takes to succeed in your job-think again.  It might not matter how good you think or know you are, but what if your boss hasn’t a clue?  Not wanting to storm the corner office with your resignation in hand knowing your sole reason for leaving is that you are underappreciated?  Worse still, what if you were prompted to quit a job you otherwise liked because you were horribly underutilized?  When you find yourself counting the ceiling tiles above your work area, it’s time to start packing your bags.  You could however rattle a few executive cages as you make your way out the door but do you owe it to the powers that be to share your views while they continue to lose the talent they say they work so hard to keep?

1. You Work Hard For Your Money:  …. Even if no one else seems to notice. It’s not that they don’t like you, it’s just that when your boss has their head up (you know where) they can’t possibly see what you are doing or not doing to get ahead or even keep the job you have.  Finding a politically correct way to keep your boss informed about your work progress is key to allowing them to solve for any problems or inconsistencies in the workplace so you are not the next victim to make an appointment for an exit interview with human resources.
2. Not Everyone is Created Equal: … When you find out that your co-worker who started the same day as you was offered to be reimbursed for their job-related educational programs, while you were told “The company does not pay for those types of courses,” it’s time to stand up and be counted.  It’s okay to make a little noise in your own defense after all who else would do a better job standing up for you? Making sure you are treated fairly is something you don’t think you have to acknowledge this day and age but guess again you are your own best advocate.
3. What’s good for the goose:  Is not always good for you too!  When you want to plan a family vacation over a long holiday and you are asked to play “stand-by” in the event work flows through the pipeline it’s time to call it out and let your boss know that you will work as hard as you have to and get the work done but not on your planned vacation.  Managing expectations and treating your boss with respect will ensure someone gets the message it’s not okay to take advantage of people on their off-work hours and help sets the stage for a mutually respectful and productive workplace.
4. 4.   Come on already!  You’ve finally had enough and you hand in your resignation after countless attempts to offer your help, be productive and pull your weight.  Now everyone wants to know what you think, where you are going and how they will make you change your mind.  It wasn’t like you were forcing anyone’s hand but you realize if you have to take drastic steps to get noticed, what would it be like if something really serious were to happen at work?  Who on earth could you trust and turn to and would they really have your back?  It’s time to know when you’ve stayed to long at the party and gracefully make your way towards the exit sign.
5. 5.   It’s been wonderful:  Holding your head up high, calling it like you see it and following your instincts on when it’s time to move on are all attributes not taught in college or in career counseling seminars.  You know what you are worth and you will find someone else who will appreciate and value your contributions without much effort on your part.  There are employers and bosses who are good role models and will provide you with what you need to strive, thrive and not merely survive through check out time.

You are a rock star and even though you may find folks in your career that may not take notice, you are and will remain in the drivers seat.  And hey if they are willing to waste the talent that you are on any level, it’s time to move on to greener pastures because yes, they do exist

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Is the glass half empty or half full? You are either out of a job or in transition.  You define yourself as a consultant when self-employed or you are a member of the staff.  You were either fired or you were reorganized out of a job.  Whatever your perspective on your work life, you have the power to change how others look at you and how you look at your situation.

To remain in a state of denial or depression over your situation will not help you forge through no matter how tough you believe you are. Embracing the reality of what is happening to you by not harboring any resentment or shame over your circumstances is a first step towards self-acceptance and self-respect.  If you don’t possess those traits, than you are powerless over your perspective and how others choose to see you.

You can look at your situation from many angles and you can choose how you want to represent it to others.  What you can’t choose is what happens to you along the way. What you do have the power over is your ability to make a choice and how you handle any fall out as a result.  No matter what your work situation is like, employed, unemployed, miserable, content the power of your individual perspective will guide you through making the right choices when you need to. Your perspective means more to helping solve the outcome of your situation than does anything else.  Sure it’s nice to put on a good face for the sake of others, but that has little effect on how you feel about yourself and what you are willing to do about it.

Finding your own voice and having self-respect whether you were just told you were fired or you are afraid to make a change in your job will help you move on from your current situation.  It’s not enough that others believe what you are saying and doing is real, it’s more important that you do.   Having the power of perspective means you live in the moment and accept your reality but you are willing to take the necessary steps to do what you must to fix it.

Your perspective on things puts you in the driver seat in terms of calling the shots on how you handle your job search.  Staying stuck in something that tears your spirits down and makes you feel as if you’ve failed when you’ve worked so hard, is a perspective you need to lose if you want to move ahead.  If you don’t think you are qualified or competent no matter what has happened to you do you really think anyone else will?  What will that do to your job prospects if all you do is perceive yourself a failure?

Knowing when it’s enough to stop sabotaging your efforts because you believe you failed in your job is the second step towards moving forward and changing your perspective for the better.  Remember how others see you begins with how you see yourself.  You do have the power to change that perspective but it starts with you.

A special thanks to Melissa Hicks of CTHRA for the inspiration on the blog title.

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Are leprechauns running to place a pot of job gold at your feet?  Are visions of lucky charms and shamrocks falling from the sky offering you all the money you could ever want?  Do you wish for and pray to the “Job Gods” to descend from the heavens bearing gifts of promotions, raises and new job opportunities?  If so, it’s okay to dream and it’s okay to wish so long as you let your job fantasies carry you far and away into your next new career. You might need a few things to line up first before you lunge head long into your job fantasy.  Maybe you think it’s never going to happen to you, but if you don’t at least start the job fantasy process in your head, you’ll likely never wind up in the corner office.

Dreaming big is part of your career strategy whether you think it’s a waste of time or not.  Having a job fantasy does not necessarily mean your boss will run away with you, but it might mean you get the job or promotion you want after you’ve worked long and hard for it.  Painting your job fantasy with what you see for yourself, where you see yourself and how you feel when you get there is part of the strategy you need when you start your job search.  Even if you are not planning to leave your current position, you may still want to create visions of how you’d like to move up in your current job and what your ideal work situation will look like.

Your job fantasy should not be something you restrict to tangible action items that seem realistic but may be out of reach.  This is about thinking way outside your comfort zone for all of the crazy possibilities that your job fantasy might include.  Here are a few questions you might ask yourself as you linger in job fantasyland awhile longer:

1. Do you have a secret desire to be in charge?
2. Do you want to earn double your pay?
3. Do you want a company car or fly in a private plane?
4. Do you desire to direct a large staff?
5. Do you want to be recognized as an industry leader?
6. Do you want bigger, better more of everything you have now?
7. Do you want to be liked or do you care?
8. Do you crave recognition and fame?
9. Do you want to be a public figure?
10. Now that you are all grown up, ask yourself, “Are you everything you dreamed you’d be?”

It’s never too late to think big no matter where life has taken you. You certainly had no trouble dreaming big when you were little so why stop yourself now? Just because you’ve been traveling down your career track for all your life does not mean you can’t change direction if you want.  It’s up to you to flip the lever and turn your career in any direction you desire. The key is your DESIRE.  Your belief in yourself and your vision of who you are and who you want to be is the strongest and most compelling motivator you have to achieve the kind of success you want in life.  Dare to dream your big job fantasy even if it takes you out of your comfort zone.  It won’t hurt anyone to dream big!

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You may not be looking to be the next on-air personality or to create a headshot to accompany your resume, but it is important to make a good first impression when you meet someone no matter what the end game.  Making sure you are put together does not mean you show up for the interview on time, have a printed copy of your resume ready, it also means you’ve got to look and act the part in order to get the part.

Interviewing is like an audition and you’ve got to ask yourself, “Am I camera ready”?  Being camera ready does not mean to imply that if you are a little overweight or don’t have a new suit you should not show up for the interview.  It does mean you have to get your “act” together so to speak when you do find yourself in front of the lights no matter what the circumstances.  To be camera ready you have thought about how you want to come across from the way you dress to the way you style your hair to what words ultimately come out of your mouth.  It’s a dress- rehearsal for what you want to happen not only in the interview but when and IF you do get a job offer.

It’s one thing to be obsessed about your resume or your wardrobe, it’s another to be poised, practiced and confident about how you portray your skills, accomplishments and career goals.  Knowing how you come across to others will help you gain more insight in what needs to change in your presentation skills.  Do you stumble on your words?  Are you a deliberate thinker and need time to respond when asked a question or do you tend to think quickly on your feet?  Knowing how to gauge your presentation style will help you know how to put your best foot forward when you are up for the job you really want.

Having a few practice runs with trusted friends and colleagues may make you seem more at ease but doing your homework, prepping up on the job and the company will help you feel like you already work there even before you get your employee ID badge.  Taking actionable steps to make yourself “camera ready” means you care not only about how you come across but how you want to represent the company you ultimately work for. Showing that you are taking the necessary time to be the best you can be by being responsible for how you look and what you say demonstrates to future employers that you are serious about what you have to offer and you would be a good ambassador to your future company.

So next time you think you are ready for your close-up make sure you have done your homework about the job, the company and of course on how you present yourself.  Being prepared is the single most important thing you can do for yourself to ensure you’ve made a great impression in your next job interview.

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Well, you may say, “What’s in a name?” or in this case, “What’s in your shopping cart?” But to do what it takes to get your name in front of tens of thousands in one click will get you a few tweets if not a few job queries in your Inbox!  When you are trying to figure out what it will take for you to get noticed, nothing screams ingenious as creating a web page ala Amazon.com and listing YOURSELF as the product!  At least you’ll create a viral outbreak if nothing else.

Take Philippe DuBost, Web Product Manager at http://www.phildub.comand see how he used a creative approach in creating his “resume” and how he turned a few thousand heads in just one click. I’m not sure if anyone will actually “hire” Philippe or, if he’s any good as a Web Product Manager, but you have to give it to him credit for coming up with one of the most clever approaches to resume circulation I’ve seen in a long time.  Might this be a sign of the times?

As important as it is to have a resume that sells who you are, coming up with a way that uniquely and creatively gets your resume out there takes courage!  In Philippe’s case not only has he used the web in a new and interesting way, he’s tied it to his unique skills and qualifications as a web manager which says he not only knows how to sell himself but may actually do a decent job selling your company’s products and services on the web as well.

Have you given any thought to what you might do to use media in a new and interesting way to highlight your skills?  Can you tweet your way into a new job?  Will you Facebook your network in a way where your “friends” might actually become your job prospects?  Thinking outside the box may be easier for some than for others but giving some serious thought on how to move from mediocre to sublime may not be such a waste of time after all.  Setting yourself apart from the rest has never been more important than it is today.  You will see many folks trying creative ways to communicate and sell themselves in this fast moving media savvy world we live in.

What might you do to highlight your talents in a new and unusual way that will get you noticed?  I don’t know if Philippe has started a trend here or not and if this form of “resume” will catch on long enough for others to imitate, but whatever your angle, make sure you know what you want out of your next job, how to showcase your talents and please don’t forget to include your contact information so people know how to add you to their shopping cart!  Amazon might be creating a whole new “Job Marketplace” in the future!

Here’s to happy shopping even if it’s you they you are selling!

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but they are not impossible to fulfill.  Knowing when you have been diligent about keeping to your plans whether it is to lose weight, buy a house, pay off your debt or to find or leave your job is half the battle in sticking it through no matter what life decides to throw your way.  Measuring your success does not mean you have to become your own taskmaster.  It’s okay to have popcorn at the movie, take a weekend off from house hunting and put your career plans on hold for a bit if the timing isn’t right or you become to feel overwhelmed.

Pushing, prodding and bullying yourself into keeping up with the exhaustive list of New Year’s re-SOUL-utions does little for your self-esteem let alone your soul! Finding a happy middle ground will allow you to slowly and steadily achieve your plans without making you feel like a failure if you are not constantly moving at 100 miles per hour.  Taking a few “inventory” checks along the way will not only keep you on track but might even help you stay the course when you are ready to give up hope on ever reaching your goals.

1. Keeping To Your Lists…  may sound like a good idea but may add more pressure than you can handle at the moment.  Try using a vision board instead with images highlighting your successes. This way you are focused on the end result and not on what you can cross off the list and when.
2. Best Laid Plans… are subject to change and modification without advance notice!  Don’t think you can’t change your mind once you commit to your list of goals.  It’s okay to alter your plans particularly if they are no longer working for you.  This does not signal that you are a failure, it just means you are getting better in touch with what you really need and want and are staying true to yourself.
3. Be Kind To Yourself… along your journey because as my mother use to say, “If you don’t love yourself first, who else is going to love you?” Knowing that you are on a path to reach your goals however enormous they may seem should not deter you from treating yourself with love and respect along the way.  You are your best asset no matter what you are trying to achieve so take care of yourself and your plans will take care of you too.

Knowing that you are not alone in your journey towards finding a new job, working on getting a promotion or whatever personal goals you have set for yourself makes all the difference in the world when you are trying to stick to your plan.  Building and maintaining a support system that cheers you along the way is essential to realizing you cannot and will not fail no matter how hard it all seems to you some days.  Being your own champion may seem difficult at times, but asking for help is never hard when others truly have your best interest at heart.

So next time you think you can’t possibly stick to the resoulutions you made this year, stop and recheck your priorities, make changes if you must without guilt of failing and above all else go easy on yourself, because if you don’t cut yourself a break every now and then, do you really expect anyone else will?

 Looking for a job?  Find us at www.greenlightjobs.com

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And, on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/pub/2/abb/50