Raised on a ranch in southeast Colorado, Tana Poppino has spent her entire life around horses. That love and a competitive nature drew her to the world of rodeo at an early age. She participated in the amateur rodeo ranks throughout high school and college but pursued a career at Grand River Dam Authority in their media and communications department which she enjoyed for 20+ years. [Read more...]
Career Coach • Author • Speaker
What’s a PhD to Do?
August 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Earning a PhD or a doctorate in any academic discipline is a difficult road. It takes commitment, focus, and a thick skin to make it through the course work, requisite exams, the dissertation defense, and ultimate publication – not to mention an average of 7 years of your life. While some aspire to work in higher education as professors, others decide that academia is not an ideal fit and forge a different path.
But the struggle for PhDs who want to go in a different career direction is as old as the ivy on the hallowed university buildings where they minted their degrees. While the basics of selling your skills in research, writing, advanced analysis, and teaching are a given – don’t ignore the personality trait that empowered you to earn the highest degree in the land in the first place. Resilience and your tremendous work ethic can be the special sauce that you use to distinguish yourself in the job market.
Think about it – you have spent 7+ years of your life becoming an expert in a very particular, often esoteric, slice of an academic discipline that may not play into your future career goals at all now. According to an article in Selloutyoursoul “a work-horse, a smart work horse, a curious person willing to put in the time to become an expert in a new industry…that is something worth a second interview.” Help prospective employers understand that you are eager to put this incredible work ethic to use in their company.
Think about your ability to break down a massive project into small steps, an excellent exercise in creativity and high-level thinking according to Selloutyoursoul. Be ready to convince the hiring manager that you are approachable and a team player. The fear for many HR managers is that with a PhD comes a big ego which will upset the existing team dynamic. While you want to highlight your passion, drive, and ambition – it’s also important to show them that you are a good colleague and able to play in the sandbox with others.
“So don’t be a genius. Have a single purpose: to attack the study of a new industry just as you attacked your study of literature. And then actually do it.” - says Selloutyoursoul. But remember, you also need to figure out what makes you tick, what you value, and how you can play to your strengths in a career field that makes you excited to go to work each day.
PhD holders that do not want a career in academia must focus on selling themselves and not their degree when searching for work. Don’t lead with your PhD – lead with the fact that you can be indispensable. Show your employer what you can do, not what skills you theoretically honed in academia.
Building Resilience
May 4, 2011 By Leave a Comment
In my previous career as a performer, I quickly learned the necessity of developing a thick skin. Disappointment was a regular phenomenon since I didn’t land every audition I pursued. But as I developed my resilience it also helped me hone my craft and focus on what I did have control over.
Resilience is a sought after competency by employers since change is everywhere in the career world and set-backs happen. I’m a big fan of the Marcus Buckingham strengths based career development philosophy and I recently read an online article on his TMBC website about building resilience, especially after a set-back. Here is a quick glance at Marcus’ resilience strategies.
- Know that everything you are feeling is absolutely valid.
- Give yourself time to feel your emotions deeply. Seek out friends or mentors who will listen to you objectively and help you work through these authentic feelings.
- When you are ready to move forward and focus on something new, focus on life experiences that created positive emotions. Write them down – hold onto them and understand that these are the platform from which you will move forward.
- Make an effort to do one activity each week that will provide an opportunity to create and celebrate your strengths.
- Surround yourself with supportive companions and appreciate them.
- Never let a crisis go to waste. Lock the valuable lessons and insights into your strengths as they will continue to serve you in your life. Ask yourself questions that will create positive emotional outcomes for you.
While set-backs and unexpected change can be difficult, the reality is that life will be full of these detours and we have choice about how we handle them. Honor your emotions, surround yourself with supportive people, and take away the best lessons you can from each experience to grow and move forward on your journey. If you can master resilience you can add that to your list of sought after strengths.
Job Search Fatigue
March 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment
I was recently featured in a CareerBuilder.com article written by Rachel Farrell discussing job search fatigue. The reality is that job searching is a full-time endeavor and can be frustrating and mentally exhausting, especially when it drags on for an extended period of time.
As Rachel indicated in her piece, the economy is rebounding but that does not mean automatic work for job seekers and managing expectations is very important. I encourage those questing for work to be cautiously optimistic and not let it get the emotional best of you.
Jenny Foss, of Ladder Recruiting Group was also featured in the article and shared that there are many emotions that go along with long term unemployment including inadequacy, anger, terror, and shame but they key is to manage these emotions and tap into your resiliency skills.
With the reality of the hidden job market it’s impossible to conduct an effective job search just by applying to posted positions. Jenny Foss and I offered up these tips in the article to get you jumpstarted.
- Consider your job search a full-time job.
- Catch your breath. Calm down before you scramble to find a new plan.
- Know what your strengths are. Develop your special sauce story so you can illustrate why you are a value-add to an organization.
- Focus on your competencies not just job titles.
- Polish your interview and storytelling abilities. A great interview is a fluid conversation — not stock answers.
- Explore social media techniques for job search like Facebook, Twitter, a personal blog and LinkedIn.
- Craft a formal game plan. Don’t flail your way through every day. Have a plan and a schedule for each day.
- Stop playing the blame game. At the end of the day figure out what is not working and then craft a strategy around it. If you can’t find your way in through the front door, find the side door. It’s all about being creative and strategic in order to be successful.
Carole Brody Fleet, Widows Wear Stilettos
June 28, 2010 By 1 Comment
At the young age of 40, Carole Brody Fleet had a thriving career in the cosmetics industry. She built a new house from her Mary Kay Cosmetics earnings and became a national winner of top sales awards and numerous accolades. But none of her success could soothe the deep pain she experienced when her husband died after a two year battle with Lou Gehrig’s disease. A young widow with a then, 11 year old daughter, Carole had days when she literally could not get out of bed. [Read more...]
Showcase Your Resiliency
February 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment
With staggering unemployment rates and job insecurity, many people have changed careers by necessity and others, by choice. You must learn to navigate the new normal of this job world and take ownership of your personal career destiny. Now more than ever employers want to see that you can bounce back and recover quickly from adversity.
Resilience is a key competency that employers value because it transfers well into the workplace. One constant in every career field is change. If you can show an employer that you can deal with change you can be seen as a valuable commodity to that organization. Attitude is just as important as skill set in a competitive marketplace.
If you were downsized out of your last job, pick yourself up and get back on that proverbial career horse. Showcase this adaptive skill to illustrate that you are scrappy, flexible, and able to recover from a set back with a positive attitude and a game plan. There is no room in this job market for a negative attitude and badmouthing your former employer is the kiss of death. Put your game face on and forge ahead with confidence.
I have seen negative attitudes get the best of amazing job candidates because they are still grieving the loss of a former position and have not let go emotionally. Take the time you need to vent, rant, and rave in the privacy of your own home – this is therapeutic and essential to establish a new and positive mindset. But when you are ready (sooner is better than later!) focus and concentrate on your goals. Put your best professional foot forward and show the job world that you are scrappy, flexible, and ready for a new opportunity.
