There's no such thing as thinking too big

"I think I'm thinking too big" said David.

This was his response to writing down his Preferred Career Directions for the future. We were at a career management and strategy workshop for postgraduate students of The University of Queensland Business, Economics and Law faculty which I was facilitating.

"First there's no such thing" I replied. "Tell me about your possible directions".

"First, I want to be a successful economist". A worthwhile goal, I thought, to excel in his chosen profession.

"Second, I want to be an expert in developmental economics". A specilisation in developing economies, fair enough.

"Finally, I want to turnaround a nation".

Wow.

"David", I asked, "where are you from?"

"East Timor" he replied. "We're in a mess. But have a look at Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia - they all turned around their nation in the space of one generation. I believe we can do the same".

There is no doubt in my mind that David will make a significant contribution to his country. He's the next Treasury Secretary, Presidential Advisor or whatever role he ends up in to turn around his country.

There's no such thing as thinking too big.

Two Executives, One Career

Following from the last post, I wanted to share another innovative job search story. 

Harvard Business Review published a story in 2005 called 'Two Executives, One Career'. Two senior executives shared a job at a bank for six years before being retrenched. This article is the story of their job search as they went about selling themselves as a team. They had one resume.

Some people to whom I've mentioned this story have been skeptical.  Understandably so - innovative ideas always engender a healthy dose of cyncism. Can such a job search approach work here in the real world?

Yes.

Recently a pair of senior communication and public relations professionals did exactly this. Inspired by their cohesion as a working team, they stayed together after the project they were working on finished. 

Working with their consultant on a Career Transition program, they developed a comprehensive job search campaign including a joint approach (one resume, both attending interviews) and seperate approach (independently following leads, networking).

They secured a senior management position in their chosen areas of communications and stakeholder management.  In this tighter labour market it is even more important to implement a well planned job search strategy.

There is always room for innovative approaches. Remember, companies will make room for great people. You just need to find those companies and convince them of your value. 

Use your network to create your network

There are two truths about a tightening labour market: (1) There are still jobs available; but (2) those jobs are harder to find.  It is times like these that call for innovative job search strategies and I'd like to share with you a clever approach.

I recently heard about a senior manager who was between jobs and decided he needed to expand his network. He asked his mate, who was a wine connoisseur if he'd share his expertise and then organised a wine tasting evening. He invited a number of his key contacts in his network, asked them to bring someone, and invited other people who he didn't know, but wanted to know. 

The result: a small but highly influential gathering of people, a strongly enhanced network, and several job leads to follow. 

A successful job search requires creativity and energy. Think laterally, and put the effort in. 

The good news about the labour market

Australia's employment rate is 95.2%. That's not bad. We only ever hear about the unemployment rate of 4.8%. The purpose of the media is to tell the news in a way which sells the most papers and advertising. A great example is the sensationalism with which the media portraits the mass layoffs and company closures in recent times.

Don't get me wrong, these are challenging times and retrenchments are happening at an unprecedented rate. Some industries and occupations are suffering more than others. Engineering, for example, is being hit hard by the downturn.

But it's not all doom and gloom. There is still work which needs to be done. There are still jobs out there. 

I'm pleasantly surprised by the underlying buoyancy in the market. Participants on our Career Transition programs are generally finding work quicker than one would expect. But those that are the most successful are working the hardest.

Jobs simply aren't being advertised at present. Companies are reluctant to advertise yet they are still recruiting. So don't focus on the bad news, focus on the good news: you have great talents which someone, somewhere will gladly pay for.

Will you finish strong?

Here is a 60 second video clip of an inspirational speech by Nick Vujicic. This man has an amazing spirit. You can't help but be inspired by watching this. 

What professionals want

I was getting my coffee at my favourite local coffee shop - The Newsroom Cafe in Toowong - and started speaking with the Barista about the impact of the Global Financial Crisis. Yup, good hearty morning topic with a double shot flat white. Her partner is a computer game designer and recently had a project axed on which she was working for two years. She was devastated that two years of work was down the drain.

Professionals want professional recognition. Regardless of the occupation, professionals want to use their profession and grow and develop over time. Give an architect interesting work and they'll stay. Give an accountant a challenging assignment and they'll thrive.

Make sure that your manager knows the type of work that you enjoy. Convince them to give you such work as you'll give 120% effort in return.

Where do you career

I must admit to a twinge of patriotism over the Australia day long weekend. It must of been all the Australian flags attached to cars. I did see one person who was 3 times more patriotic than the average Australian: he had 3 flags attached to his car.

But this is not a flag post. Its about Australia, about where we choose to live and, therefore, work. Location is the first decision to make in your career. It impacts on our life and the opportunities available to us. 

Richard Florida argues vehemently on the role of location in his book: "Who's Your City". While I don't agree on his belief that globalisation is overstated, I do believe that the role of location is often overlooked in making decisions about career and life.

First step: identify your preferred career directions. Second, identify the life influences on this (family, kids at school etc). Then identify where you could achieve this.