Today, I was reading an article in The Economist about the employment situation in the US and extension of unemployment benefits. By all accounts, it’s not pretty.

But what really got to me was a picture of a man wearing a t-shirt with the words “I need a job.”  No, it’s not the picture here (look at the article to see the sad face of the man wearing it; the photo is copyrighted, so I want to be respectful). Let me help out the artist who created this particular t-shirt and send you to the link where you can buy that t-shirt.

I looked at this guy and thought, “He needs a different kind of job.”

He needs a J.O.B.

In other words, he needs a Jolt Of Belief.”

As I see it, if you are between jobs, you could benefit from a few beliefs:

(1) The belief of others. In other words, knowing that other people believe in you. If you are seeking your next work opportunity, ask people you care about to tell you, “I believe in you.” And ask them to give you at least three concrete reasons why they believe in you.  It’s a free way for them to help you. Take in what they say. And notice how good it feels.

Suggested Activity: Ask a good friend to tell you “I believe in you.” Go on. Do it. Now. Yes. Really.

Hey, if you’re reading this, and you know a job seeker, be proactive. Tell that person why you believe in them. You’ll make their day. I promise.

(2) The belief in yourself. It can be tough, day after day, to get up and seek work. Since we live in a country where we often define ourselves by the work we do, it can be awkward, humbling, and vulnerable to be without a job. Not that it’s a crime. Not that we should be working all the time, especially if that work means knocking ourselves out.

No, I just want to say to you, if you are in job search mode: “Believe in yourself. Find that place within you, no matter how teeny tiny it seems, that trusts and knows that all will work out. And just focus on that. Magnify that. Nurture that small spark of belief in yourself, because it will grow.”

Suggested Activity: Read the paragraph above to yourself at least three times a day. Out loud. In the mirror. And watch for magic.

(3) Belief in the interconnections in the world. If you’re seeking a job, you have a set of skills, talents, and abilities. What if you knew that what’s innate in you was the answer to the problems to at least a few people or organizations in the world? What if they were hungry to find you, even if they didn’t yet have a job posted? What if right now, they were hoping and wishing for someone just like you? Would you feel better?

We DO live in an interconnected world. And if you allow yourself to open to the idea that you are a perfect match for someone or some company, what happens? Do you feel lighter? More hopeful?

OK, I imagine you saying, “Yeah, but I have really specialized skills.” Or you might say, “My skills are a dime a dozen. I’ll be competing with the whole world.”

Let those negative ideas go. For now. They don’t serve you.

Suggested Activity: Engage your active imagination. Imagine shaking hands with a future employer. Look around at your new workplace. See your new co-workers and their smiling, welcoming faces. Do this for at least five minutes every day. And watch what happens. You might be pleasantly surprised to find new employment possibilities opening up for you.

(4) Belief in something bigger than yourself. Whether you call that God, Allah, Krishna, Buddha, The Universe, My Higher Power, or whatever…surely, some force created the world in which we live. Can you allow yourself to believe that you exist for a reason, even if you have no idea what that reason is? And if you embrace that idea, even for a second, does it not follow that you are here to do good, to use your talents? Or are you wedded to the idea that you have all these gifts, these abilities that you want to use at work, and that you’re just being mercilessly tortured and taunted, and being held back from using them? If you believe that, perhaps you’re wounded at a deep level. Perhaps at a young age, you were made to feel worthless. If that’s the case,  my heart goes out to you. But I’m here to tell you that you are far from worthless. You are deeply valuable. Whatever this entity or energy is that is bigger than you…let’s call it the “collective consciousness” for now…well, it wants you to connect to others. It wants you to share your gifts.

Suggested Activity: This is a little experiment for you: What if you have a conversation, aloud, in your journal, or from your heart, with this Higher Power, this bigger-than-you energy? And you ask it to reveal to information about where you are to be matched. Where your ideal placement is, for now. Your ideal colleagues, your ideal organization. You might get that information in a magazine you read. On a billboard you see. In an idea that pops in your head in the shower. What if you allow this Higher Power to guide you, and you trust your heart as you see signals, signs, and little (or big) clues to follow.

Hey, this idea is like chicken soup:  It can’t hurt. And it just might help. Really. I’ve seen it help.

So please, if you say “I need a job,” take a moment and rephrase that. Ask for a JOLT OF BELIEF. Ask others to tell you they believe in you. Take a moment to believe in yourself. Believe in the interconnectedness of our world and how that means you’re bound to find where you’re needed. And believe in a higher power, and ask for its guidance.

I believe in you!

Susan

PS – Notice that I don’t call people who are between jobs “UNemployed.” If you happen to be without a job right now, please read my blog post about avoiding the “UN”  word. You’ll save yourself agony, and you actually might just increase your chances of landing a job!

Yesterday, I was speaking to a job search group, Experience Unlimited, in Walnut Creek, California, about creating work that truly fits. When I opened up the floor for questions, these are two of the questions I heard:

“I switch companies when I get bored. I’ve had a great time being an electrician, a photographer, and about 100 other things so far in my life. But I’ve had too many job experiences. Even though I’ve left companies when I’ve felt it was right to go, I haven’t stayed long enough. So, now, it’s hard to find a job. What do I do?”

“With the economy so tight, companies expect you to be able to do absolutely everything in the job description and more. There’s no way for me to get a job right now, because I only have some of the experience, and not all of it. How am I supposed to get work in this financial climate?”

Do you notice the limitations in thinking in these questions? The people asking them are essentially saying, “What I’m looking for is not out there.”

Dare I be so bold as to state this:  The problem, my friends, is not out there.  The limitation lies within you.

To the person who gets bored, I said, “Hallelujah! You refuse to be bored. You need to be challenged. You want to grow. To do that, you need to find organizations and individuals who share your vision, who want what you want. I wonder if you’re ashamed or embarrassed that you’ve enjoyed yourself, when so many people around you just “numb out” and “go through the motions” at work?”  He admitted feeling sheepish about how much pleasure he derived from work. That attitude kept him from feeling entitled to derive even more pleasure from work. Consequently, he kept meeting companies who questioned his diverse experiences.

When you feel naughty or bad for what you”ve done or what you desire, you tend to cut ourselves off from having more of that. And you do it by limiting your thinking, by defining yourself in negative ways.

To the man who can’t seem to get hired, I said, “So, it sounds like you do have work experience, yes?” He replied, “Oh, yes, very good experience. Just not enough of it.” He threw a roadblock in his way by believing that no company could hire him. I suggested that companies still have problems, and that perhaps if he didn’t get hired for full-time, long-term employment, he might contract himself out for projects or “gigs” where the expertise he does have could be utilized. On a contract basis, he could see if he truly enjoyed the company, and he could also demonstrate other skills. Perhaps he would be hired for the long run. But by believing he didn’t have enough experience, he was limiting himself.

So when you notice yourself feeling unfulfilled, lacking or resentful, I encourage you to notice the ways you perceive yourself and your opportunities. Maybe it’s time for an upgrade in your thinking. Expand your possibilities.

We even have subtle ways we limit ourselves, like the way we dress. If you were the male dean of a top 10 business school, would you wear an earring? What message would that telegraph?Would that look professional enough, especially when you meet with corporate sponsors?

Well, Richard Lyons, dean of the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, was interviewed in the fall of 2009 about the earring he wears, and explained:

“I started wearing the earring shortly after I joined the Berkeley faculty. You see how fast this place gets to people? Actually, one of my colleagues and I went out and got our ears pierced together. For me, it’s a reminder of how many degrees of freedom we actually have in our lives. We get on certain pathways and do certain things, but usually we grow the most when we take risks and experience big transitions. We don’t need to define ourselves one certain way, or as one certain thing. We can be many things in our lives. I like being reminded of that.”

How can you redefine yourself and expand your degrees of freedom? What events or situations might you see differently, to support you in creating what you really want in life?

Expanding possibilities,

Dr. Susan Bernstein
Life/Work Transition Expert
www.WorkFromWithin.com

Last week, I was a speaker at Career Reboot Camp, and heard the keynote speaker, one of my heroes, Richard Bolles, author of the career classic, What Color is Your Parachute? and his new book, The Job-Hunter’s Survival Guide: How to Find a Rewarding Job Even When There Are No Jobs. As always, Dick was in amazing form, full of great stories and wisdom.

I want to get right to the heart of the points he made to help those looking for work:

1. (1) Stop saying that “there are no jobs.” It’s not true! What we hear in the media is only part of the story. Each year, roughtly 31 million jobs disappear. But, in a year, 32.8 million new jobs are created. So, net-net, we actually have 1.8 million new jobs per year. The issue is “churn.” We hear more about the job losses, and some job titles go away forever (do you know anyone who’s a buggy whip maker?), but new jobs and job titles are constantly popping up. Sometimes, job titles are new.

(2) We need more sophisticated job search tools. Stop looking up jobs by title (and stop looking on the Internet, as I’ll explain further). Titles change. Ten years ago, was anyone a “social media expert”? I doubt it. But now, we have all types of jobs in that arena.

(3) It IS taking longer, on average, to find a job. It used to take 14-16 weeks. Now, the average is 26 weeks. That means you need to think about your finances and your sanity, and plan accordingly.

(4) Use the first few weeks of a job search to catch up on sleep. No kidding, Dick suggested this.  I agree! We are so tired from the blow to our egos, and just tired from working. Don’t feel guilty. Take care of yourself. Remember, that’s the self you need to bring to interviews. You’ll look better if you’re rested!

(5) Use more than one job search method, but not more than four methods. Research shows that of people who use just one search method, 51% give  up within the first month. But if they have two search methods, only 31% give up.  So, don’t just look on the Internet. Do things like joining a job search club, attend networking meetings, do informational interviews…you get the idea. See people. Don’t hide behind your computer.  And, with too many job search methods, you dilute your efforts. So use 2 to 4 methods to look for work.

(6) What’s your most important possession during a job search?  HOPE! That will keep you going.  Do whatever you need to do to maintain hope, so you have momentum.

(7) Don’t look for your job online. Gosh, Dick said this over and over again, so many different ways. I have always thought that looking online was a way of “hiding out.” Well, data bears this out. Only 4% of job seekers find their jobs online. Four percent! That’s measly. Get out there, folks.  Meet real people. People care about and want to help people. Your computer and the Internet? Sorry, but they don’t love you or have empathy for you. Even if you talk to them. Sorry.

(8) Resumes don’t work as well as they used to. They are not the persuasive documents we think they are. No one likes writing them (well, except maybe professional resume writers) and almost no one enjoys reading them. We enjoy meeting people, not reading paper reviews of people. Dick stressed using personal relationships. If you ARE going to be online, spend your time making contacts and getting appointments with people you meet on LinkedIn (I wholeheartedly love this last part of his advice. It’s so worthwhile to do keyword searches to find helpful people on LinkedIn, and I confess to my bias of being a gigantic fan of the LinkedIn community.)

ALL great advice, and I encourage you to take it. I picked up one other great morsel during the Q & A portion of Dick’s talk. An audience member, who is also part of the clergy, noticed that Dick was really talking about seeing opportunities. So, instead of calling the collection of activities of looking for work a “job search,” this gentleman proposed saying that he was on a “job opportunity feast.”

Ah!  I love it!  A “Job Opportunity Feast.” The smorgasbord of choices out there! If you are tuned to looking for opportunities, you will see them. Why not envision a feast out there, and everyone you meet can point you to some other delicious dish — a helping of connections, a serving of companies to consider, a dash of industries to consider.

What treats are you putting on this table? Let’s make a job opportunity feast together! Take a moment and post your best job search ideas here.

Optimistically yours,

Dr. Susan Bernstein
Life/Work Transition Expert
www.WorkFromWithin.com

PS – Here are links to Dick’s newest book, and his classic:

“I got a job!”

I love those words. Especially because I’m so sick of hearing all the employment reports that are filled with gloom and doom. Words and phrases like “crisis,” and “massive layoffs,” and “unprecedented increase in unemployment” are more than a downer.  They induce hopelessness and defeat.

So, out of my utter frustration, and because I am bound and determined to be a ray of hope for people in their job search, I am taking a stand for the positive. It’s time to celebrate.  It’s time to share the good news.  We all need some encouragement!

I ask you, if you have gotten a job, or if you know someone who’s gotten a job, to please post your story (as a comment) here.  Include your name and the job you got.  And how you feel to have your new job.

By posting that “I got a job” and sharing a little bit about it, not only will you be able to brag, you’ll be able to help job seekers to know that it’s still quite possible to get a job.

So, please do share your “I got a job!” stories here.  Your success can have a positive impact on a lot of people.

Thanks!
Susan

Susan Bernstein, MBA PhD
Coach I Author I Speaker
Work from Within, LLC
www.WorkFromWithin.com
It all comes together when you work from within

Moms have more options than ever in terms of the ways to work.  And, that also means they face more complexity in their choices.

Fortunately, Sharon Reed Abboud is helping moms to lay out their choices, with her new book, “All Moms Work.” I met Sharon virtually through LinkedIn.  I can’t recall if she found my profile, or if we met in a her “All Moms Work Group,” honestly, but it doesn’t matter. We’ve been exchanging emails for a few months now.  A few days ago, I actually got to hear her voice across the miles in Virginia, near Washington, DC.  She’s a bit soft spoken and humble for someone with her talents in career advising and the wealth of knowledge she’s amassed about all the combinations and permutations open to mothers in today’s American workplace.

I want to recommend Sharon’s book to mothers, whether they’re working or staying at home, because you never know when when you might want to — or more likely, need to — go back to work. If you’re a stay-at-home mom, how do you stay current on workforce issues?  How do you decide when to go back to work?

And when moms decide to work full- or part-time, how do they juggle their lives?  How can they ask for flexibility?  And how do they maintain it?

Sharon has interviewed outstanding experts to gain perspective and shares the stories of inspirational moms who work full- and part-time for companies, and those who’ve started their own entrepreneurial ventues.  I see her book as a sort of “soup to nuts” complete approach to helping moms sort out the thorny issues of when, how, and where to work.

I’m not sure how much longer they’ll offer it, but Sharon’s publisher, Capital Books, is offering 35% off for pre-orders.  I’d encourage you to order now, so you can save.  But even if you miss out on the discount, Sharon’s got meaningful, totally useful advice to share with moms, to make your working life easier.

Here’s to all moms who work!
Susan

Dr. Susan Bernstein
Coach, Speaker & Author
www.WorkFromWithin.com
Work From Within, LLC

This morning felt a little nutty, with a client emergency, a cell phone that kept dropping calls, and a washing machine that made an awful sound. In the midst of all of this, I realized I hadn't had breakfast yet! Ooops!  Ever had a day like that?  How did you stay upbeat?

Fortunately for me, I was able to stay positive and motivated because I had a phone call already planned with Kyra Cavanaugh, from Life Meets Work. We set up a time this morning to talk about what's happening in the economy, and why we think that there's actually a lot to be happy about and how people can stay positive and upbeat, even when the Dow is down.

We've had so much fun talking with each other over the few months that we've been acquainted, and realized we had a ton of inspiration and education to share.  So we planned to record a friendly conversation to share with our readers (now, listeners). 

I hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed sharing our ideas, which include:

• Opening up to new job possibilities, so you don't get locked in by your industry or function
• Finding flexible work options (Kyra reminds us that those are more attractive than ever)
• Doing what's important to keep your job or get a new one
• Ways to do contract work
• The positive good that's being created in our current economy
• The need for cooperation and community, instead of competition

We'd both love you to post your comments. This creates community, fosters conversation, and lets us know what else we can provide for you.

Happy listening!
Susan

Dr. Susan Bernstein
Coach, Speaker & Author
www.WorkFromWithin.com
Work From Within, LLC

Yesterday, I was sitting in a workshop and kept getting emYesterday, I was sitting in a workshop and kept getting emails from friends saying, "I saw your name on TV." I was confused, because they didn't say, "I saw YOU on TV." 

So, I shot back emails asking for more details.  Turns out that reporter Len Ramirez featured a story on CBS5 news on Monday night about how LinkedIn is helping unemployed people to find jobs. 
So, if you watch the video, you'll see at one minute, thirty five
seconds into the coverage (1:35) that my name shows up in a story about
LinkedIn job seeker David Stevens.  Voila!  My two seconds of fame. 

You
don't see my adorable mug hamming it up for the camera.  You even don't
see a picture of me.  You just see my name and a network update, "Dr. Susan Bernstein is now connected to Kim Fisher."

Why does all of this matter?

I
share this to tell you the "behind the scenes" story of how this all
came to be.  Not because I want you to know about my fame — this is
not exactly Oprah-worthy news, after all.  No, it's because I want you to know how LinkedIn made this all possible, so that you can use LinkedIn, too, in innovative ways.

Flash
back about three months ago.  I wanted to learn about ways to build
publicity for my business.  In particular, I wanted to know how to
build media connections that might be useful one day. 

First aha – Use LinkedIn Q&A to pose questions to a bunch of people!  I had a question, and I could either post it on LinkedIn Q&A or I could search for an expert in my network.  In this case, I didn't wind up doing either of those. 

Second aha – Check out Q&A — because you never know when you'll find someone useful to you!  I happened to also be looking for information on networking, and saw in the Q&A section that David Stevens (who worked for a radio TV station in a PR capacity). had answered a question on myths and misconceptions about networking that Krista Canfield had asked. Instead of posting one or more questions on Q&A (when I didn't really know what questions I'd want to ask), David's reply made me think I might be able to have an extended conversation with him about media PR!  At the time, he was a Marketing Solutions Provider at
NextMedia Group.  

I decided I wanted to get in touch with David.  So I sent a request for
introduction to Krista Canfield.  She's always been amazingly gracious
and helpful, and I figured she'd help facilitate the introduction. 
And, as I usually find on LinkedIn, the connection was successful, and
David was only too happy to talk to me about media PR.  He called me
and we spoke for nearly an hour.  I got some vital insights from our
conversation, thanked David, and told him that if I could be of
assistance to him, I'd be happy to return the favor.  We joined each
other's LinkedIn network so we could stay in touch.

Third aha –what goes around, comes around. Just a few weeks later, David sent me a note saying, "You
said if there was ever anything you could do for me you would be happy
to."  Although I didn't know David well, I loved his enthusiasm and his
assistance, so I wrote something honest, "“I asked David for some perspective on radio PR, and he was extremely
knowledgeable and helpful. He gave me some interesting insights as I
learn more about this media.” 

Fourth aha – getting recommendations can help you get a job…or at least get attention. 
As I suspected, David was being wise as he saw that his job was coming
to an end, and he gathered recommendations so that a future employer
would be able to learn more about him.  Sure enough, he found his next
job through LinkedIn, as the Channel 5 news about his job search success story makes clear.  

I
truly love success stories like this.  I'm a self-proclaimed "power user" of LinkedIn,
and I estimate that upwards of 60% of my clients find me through
LinkedIn.  I'd love to show you how to leverage LinkedIn in your job search…whether
you're conducting a job search right now, or anticipate that you'll
need to be on your toes about using LinkedIn in the near future.  On
Thursday, November 13, from 6-8 pm Pacific, I'm offering a webinar, Using LinkedIn Strategically in Your Job
Search. 
It's very reasonably priced, and 88% of the people who attended this
same webinar on October 22 were "very satisfied" with the content. 
C'mon, check out the details — and start using LinkedIn much more strategically, with better results!

Happy linking!

Susan

Dr. Susan Bernstein
Job Search Coach & Founder
The Job Search Gym
www.JobSearchGym.com

Some of my dear readers may not know that, in addition to helping people who are at a career crossroads saying "I don't know what's next!" I also help people who DO know what they want to do next, but they're not sure how to find it.

So if you, or someone you know is looking for a job and feeling overwhelmed or lost about the job search process, I've created a pretty jazzy little widget (made it all myself using SproutBuilder) to help explain the way out of job search hell. Well, OK, maybe job search isn't THAT bad, but if
You don't know what to do for your job search each day…or
You're hating looking on the search engines and coming up empty-handed, or
You're seeking a job that's a little out of the ordinary…these are all great reasons to check out the Job Search Gym.

The widget has links to a video I made, audio clips of past participants in the Job Search Gym, and a bunch of free resources. I hope you enjoy this!

Oh, and if the widget's not showing in your browser, check out http://tinyurl.com/6h3vev

Happy job searching!

Susan

Dr. Susan Bernstein
Coach, Speaker & Author
www.WorkFromWithin.com
www.JobSearchGym.com

In addition to helping people who are trying to figure out
"what’s next?" I also help people who know what’s next, but want help
in landing that job that really, truly fits.

Well, having friends and advisors to help you along your job
search journey can be pivotal to your success. 

If you’d like to experience support, encouragement,
direction, networking and a wealth resources in your current job search, I
hope you’ll consider joining the new Job
Search Gym I’m launching.  Our 10-week program starts this Wednesday,
March 12, and all it requires is a phone line and computer access.  You
can participate in the program from anywhere in the world.

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