Career Makeover Wednesdays: Daycare Duty to Writer Extraordinaire

Last time we heard about Gina and Ellen's first meeting. Here Gina shares what life is like in the world of making your own hours and getting away from what a daycare center is all about: structure. Gina also reveals how things went with her "action items" and shares the challenges of creating her "pitch" and how she is feeling about her makeover!

By Guest Blogger Gina Blitstein

After all those years developing work habits and skills that suited my role as a daycare provider, I am tremendously excited yet feeling ill-equipped to take on a new career direction. There are going to be a lot of significant changes...Things like how I spend and schedule my working hours have completely changed.

For over twenty years I worked from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Monday through Friday. Even though I was self-employed, I didn't have a lot of freedom in the way I spent my time. I was always at home for the drop-offs and pickups that happened throughout the day. For the sake of the children's sense of security, many routines were established: Meal times were set, play time, activity time, nap time, clean up time...days were predictably scheduled. Now, I can work when I want - any time of the day, any day I choose.

While I do try to maintain a fairly "normal" Monday through Friday schedule and normal business hours, the beauty is that I don't have to. I can work late into the night if the mood strikes without worrying about the early morning that awaits. I can run errands during the week without needing to close early or save it all for the weekend. I can get sick and simply do my work when I feel better. This is all new to me.

Adjusting to this is more difficult: For the first time in my working life I have to go out in the world to find clients. My daycare clients came to me by word-of-mouth. Now I must gain the skills to market myself as a writer. The writing comes naturally - the self-promotion does not.

I told Ellen how unprepared I felt for the marketing aspect of my new writing career. The few writing clients I already had came to me through word-of-mouth over the Internet but I knew this was not the normal way that writers and clients get together. Too bad, I thought, because I sort of enjoy the "safety" of connecting with people in business online - it wasn't as uncomfortable for me as face-to-face interactions.

I am not a particularly extroverted person, so that behavior is not intrinsic to my personality. While I have come A LONG WAY from the introverted child I was, I am not known as the chatty type in most situations. Let's suffice it to say that I can hold my own in a conversation if I feel people are interested in what I have to say.

Ellen made some suggestions to help me make strides into the marketing arena. She suggested some possible places I could find potential clients, then she helped me prepare myself for the task by assigning me some homework.

The first assignment seemed like it should be simple - to write my "elevator pitch" - in other words, describe my business clearly but in as few words as I could express during the course of an elevator ride. By preparing this mini speech in advance, I would feel more confident when talking to people about my new career. I would use my elevator pitch to give people a more fully-formed idea of what I do, rather than merely saying I'm, "a writer." But I am a writer, after all, so I'll just put it into words...easy, I thought! It turns out that it was not so easy!

Oh, I wrote some catchy and descriptive things that sounded great - on paper. When it came to saying them out loud they were absolutely l-a-m-e! Needless to say, my elevator pitch is still a work in progress. It is still clumsy sounding when spoken, so I'm continuing my search for that magical combination of descriptive and sincere along with the more elusive, "rolls off the tongue effortlessly."

Second up was the opportunity to attend a businesswomen's networking event. Ellen gave me the assignment of simply meeting three people and talking with them about my business. I did succeed at this assignment! After only a few minutes of feeling like that shy kid of yesteryear, I pulled myself together and started up conversations with several of the ladies.

What made me feel confident with one of the ladies was that she was embarking on a career reinvention of her own, so we had lots of notes to compare. With the two other the ladies, I focused on the topic of how I could help them to express their message in their advertising and on their web sites. The event was a success for me because, although I haven't realized any business from it, it served as a fantastic learning experience. I would go to another of these events in a heartbeat without feeling uncomfortable at all.

The third assignment has not been completed yet - and here's why...I got busy! Ellen encouraged me to make an appointment to meet with a retired local Realtor in order to "pick his brain" about business contacts I could make in the community. After all, we surmised, all my business can't come from the Internet! Well, so far that is proving to be not entirely true.

One of my existing clients from the Internet hired me for a HUGE writing project that has kept me consistently busy for weeks! That is why I simply haven't had the time to do any marketing...I've been too busy working! I guess there are worse problems than that... eventually i will make that appointment with the Realtor - and those connections will help my business grow.

Ellen's guidance through the rough spots has been indispensable. Without her encouragement to consider how to express myself to others and then to go out and actually talk about my business, I would still be hiding behind my keyboard. I am truly amazed at how my business is progressing - and even more amazed at how I'm progressing into a person with a completely new way working - and living.

"I'm...Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee"

If you are a Mom you have probably heard this song. Until I became a Mom, I did not know this catchy little darkish tune that children seem to love. I stumbled on it when playing a new CD from a friend and low and behold, my son could not get enough. He made me play it...and play it...and play it..."Mama, BEEEEEEE!"

While the dancing that accompanied replay after replay was the best ever, I found that I could not get this song out of my head. Once it even intruded upon my thoughts when I was trying to get to sleep...isn't repetition a powerful thing?

A lot of Moms I have met over the years tell themselves all kinds of things. In fact, they repeat them:

• "My brain has turned to mush all these years as a stay-at-home Mom interacting with babies and toddlers all day"
• "I've just been a stay-at-home Mom for 3 years and my husband has been the one with the career"
• "I don't have anything to show for the past 5 years I have stayed at home and I have no idea how to find a job or even if I am qualified for one"
• "I haven't kept up with my skills or developed any new ones"

These are just a sample of the dozens of disqualifying statements I have heard come from the mouths of Moms who have contacted me for help with re-entering the workforce. Most think they have nothing to show for "off-ramping" and are at a loss when it comes to their resumes and how to strategically job search.

Many women who have made the biggest commitment - to stay at home with their children - think that having a career just, well, stops. And that going back to old jobs or finding new careers in a changing workplace will be daunting at best but perhaps near impossible with lots and lots and lots of compromises.

If you have that tune or something close to it stuck in your head, it's time for a new one. Repeating negative thoughts about your chances at a successful career post-children will seriously limit you, to say the least. How we think and more importantly, what we say to ourselves, is critical during the transition of re-entering the workforce.

Bottom line: pay attention to your thoughts. In fact, write down what is going on in your brain as you ponder or act upon reigniting your career. While it might be a more difficult exercise than repeating lyrics about a bumblebee being squashed and revived and mommy being so proud, you might find that the tune in your head is just that repetitive - and just as disturbing as this little song :)

For help with your transition back to work, contact Ellen at trueprofessions@gmail.com for a free consultation.

Career Makeover Wednesdays: Daycare Duty to Writer Extraordinaire

Welcome back to the first of our career makeover series! Now that you’ve learned a little bit about Gina, let’s talk about how her makeover is coming so far. A lot has happened since Gina’s first post!

By Ellen Dunagan

One of the things that struck me as I questioned Gina during our first meeting was how thrilled she was about changing careers. While the opportunity to pursue a career as a writer had come her way after being forced to shutter the day care center she had built and managed for 20 years, she couldn’t have sounded more delighted with her situation.

I immediately recalled the numerous times I had conducted exit interviews with employees and thought: some of these individuals will discover that being let go from this employer is the best thing that could happen to them. We have all heard the stories of people who have been laid off or fired, only to go on to find better jobs and more fulfilling career paths. While these individuals feel the devastation of being let go initially, many later say they felt a sense of relief that their employer or the economy made the decision for them, thus freeing them to find greater career fulfillment.

This was certainly true of Gina. I didn’t hear disappointment, a sense of loss or foreboding, or even a trace of bitterness as she described the loss of her successful day care business. Instead, I heard sheer excitement in her voice as she described her new career aspiration: becoming a professional writer.

Right away we focused on goal-setting, and I had Gina identify 3 goals that would define a successful career as a writer. While she wrote: “Wow...not an easy assignment for some reason” she came up with 3 goals below:

1. Make a living at writing
2. Become comfortable marketing myself & my business
3. Realize my career makeover as a personal reinvention, complete with new skills and goals

She added: “Honestly, if I can accomplish one of those things I will be proud me!”

So we started with goal number one: Make a living at writing. So far, Gina already had several clients: she was a regular guest blogger for several blogs whose topics ranged from women in the workplace to technology. She was busy using social media on behalf of several clients to get information and news out to followers and she was also conducting research and writing web content.

We focused first off on where and how she was getting her clients. Gina is one of those savvy internet users (probably due in part to her husband who has his own IT business) so using technology and the World Wide Web is where she felt comfortable getting new business. However, Gina talked about wanting to get business on a local level in her town and surrounding area. One of my suggestions to her was getting old-school about it and getting face-to-face with people in her community who she could get to know and market her services to.

During our discussion, Gina mentioned two things that stood out to me: a women’s networking event that was on her calendar and a real estate agent who was well known in the community, had just retired, AND who had sold several houses to members of her extended family. Hello networking opportunities!

As we closed our discussion, I challenged Gina to go out on a limb and change her online behaviors to face-to-face encounters. Together we came up with some action items to help her practice talking about her business and test new and different behaviors that would lead her to securing business and also help her start working toward goal # 2: “Become comfortable marketing myself & my business.” So, action items to be completed by our next session included:

1. Come up with a pitch. Describe your business and what you do in the length of time it takes you to ride an elevator. In other words, make it short, but make it powerful. She’s a writer after all, so I thought this would be a great exercise for her but also might come more easily to her.

2. Meet at least 3 new people at the professional networking event coming up. Since Gina did not have a lot of networking experience, I did not task her with the challenge of pitching her business, but rather asked her to meet three new people and get their business cards.

3. Set up an appointment with the real estate agent who retired. Why? It might seem awkward to some while a no brainer to others. Simply put: people are wonderful resources who will help you get from point A to point B faster than you can do it yourself. Gina’s real estate agent is a pro who was in business for decades (sans the internet!) and who knows the locals, from businesses to business owners, like the back of his hand. One meeting with someone like him can yield a world of wealth, from contacts who might need Gina’s services to helpful business advice from someone who enjoyed great success.

After our meeting, Gina left armed with lots of homework, but lots of new ideas and things to think about. Check back next Wednesday to hear how Gina fared at her networking event…and with completing her action items!!

Career Makeover Wednesdays: Daycare Duty to Writer Extraordinaire

Welcome to the first in our series of True Professions Career Makeovers! For the rest of this year we will makeover careers…resumes…attitudes and images. Our first makeover focuses on Gina, a woman whose career recently fell victim to these challenging economic times. Here she shares what factors prompted her to seek a new direction for her career and how she and Ellen will work together to turn a lifelong passion into a new and fulfilling career path.

By Guest Blogger Gina Blitstein

I have been a licensed home child care provider for over twenty years. This means since the day I began my career at the age of 21, I have been self-employed. Along with self-employed comes a few other terms, such as self-motivated, self-sufficient and self-restrained. Yes, I am and always have been all of the above.

I have helped raise dozens and dozens of children through the years. I feel I always gave every day my best effort, through the dirty diapers and temper tantrums; the parental hardships and frustrations. I was able to do that because behind every temper tantrum is a smile and through every hardship comes strength. It is satisfying to be able to look back and feel that I did important and satisfying work for a very long time.

So why do I want to make a change? After all, you may say, most people don't ever feel that connection with the work they do or derive that much satisfaction from it. Well, in a nutshell, I got restless.

For the past few years, I've begun thinking that I want to do more - or at least different - things in my life. Child care was a great and rewarding experience, but frankly I am at a point in my life where I need to exercise some different mental muscles. I have always known I am good with words - writing has always come naturally to me. As far as making a living at it, however, that has always seemed like a pipe dream.

In high school I changed my college major from my first choice - English - to Human Development. At the time, it seemed an English degree could only lead to two careers: Journalism or English Teacher - neither of which appealed to me. That's how I embarked on my career as a Child Care Provider.

Recently there has been a sea change in my life. After all those years of a fairly consistent enrollment in my day care, my client base dried up. The little ones went off to preschool and beyond; and for the first time ever, no replacements came to fill their spaces. I found myself with a dwindling enrollment. The most likely reason is the economy - fewer people need daycare when fewer people are going to work. Here was my critical moment. I had an opportunity to make that change and widen my horizons.

Without the responsibility of the daycare business, there really was no reason not to think about the next stage of my career - Career II. So I've decided to start a freelance writing business. What's changed? Why do I feel I can make a living a writing now when it didn't seem a possibility before? Two words: The Internet. There seems to be a whole new world of opportunity for those with facility for the written word. I really do think I have a strong concept for a writing business but I also know I can't do it alone. I'm going to need some guidance and some shoring-up.

That's where Ellen comes in.

Check back next Wednesday to hear about Ellen and Gina's first meeting!

Get Ready for Career Makeovers!

While we won't be cutting hair and reworking wardrobes, we will be making over careers, resumes, attitudes and images....and blogging about some amazing transformations this year.

First up: Gina from Chicago. Gina was the successful owner of a thriving daycare center until the economy did the unthinkable and stole all her clients. Gina thought, "People will always be having babies so I won't be affected by this downturn, especially after 20 years in business." Lo and behold the babies continued to be born....but they stayed with mom and dad or other caregivers who had lost their jobs. After absorbing the shock of it all, Gina turned the loss of her business into an opportunity and decided to pursue a dream she had had for years: making a living as a professional writer.

Every Wednesday for the next 3 months we will be tracking Gina's progress, from winning new business to leaving the world of children behind and managing adults instead. Best of all, we'll watch her pursue her dream and "do what she loves", for the first time in her life.

So mark your calendars and check back tomorrow for our first look at Gina!

Putting Yourself Out There

I always say that looking for a job is similar to looking for a spouse. I just received this great email the other day that confirmed it.

A good friend of mine circulated a very detailed, very engaging email about her friend who just moved to DC and is looking for a serious boyfriend. She notes that her friend has tried online dating, and that sending this email to people in her DC network couldn't hurt. The email is full of descriptors surrounding her friend, from likes to dislikes, values, and even political leanings. So this led me to thinking about the similarities between marketing yourself for a spouse and marketing yourself for a job:

• Using Your Network. Did you know that most people who get the job they WANT find it by using their network? In other words, when you have people looking for you (doing the work) you discover hidden opportunities. Opportunities will also be sent your way since your network of friends, family and colleagues will be seeking out opportunities for you and sending them your way.
• Don't Forget the Details. Being clear about what you are looking for, whether in a spouse or a job, is extremely important, especially if you are asking your network to help you. If I want a job "that lets me use my skills and talents, has good benefits and a great work environment" what am I saying? Not much! BUT, if I say I am looking for a job "where I can contribute my 10+ years of experience in human resources, apply my leadership and team building skills, and utilize my innovative thinking and entrepreneurial spirit" then that brings much more clarity and detail to the picture, thus allowing someone to get a better sense of who I am and where I might fit.
• Asking for Help! If you don't ask, people can't help. If you don't ask, some people WILL help, but it might not be the kind of help you are looking for. Since I am talking about comparing job-hunting to spouse-hunting, I have to include an interesting anecdote here. I remember being on the fence about registering for gifts when I got married, or I should say, registering for so many detailed gifts. My friend said, "if you don't register for what you want, people will give you what they think you want, or worse, give you what THEY want". It proved to be SO TRUE!!! So sharing what you want and the details of what you want should be included when asking others to get the word out for you.

Putting yourself out there is not easy for most of us. It's awkward both in terms of finding a great spouse AND finding a great job. Asking people to help, asking them to listen to what you want and seek it out on your behalf can be tough, but using your network is by far the best way to do this, since you are likely to get the BEST results possible.

As for my friend's friend....well, I haven't heard anything yet as to a potential match but I am awaiting the results. As for you....I encourage you to open your mind to the possibilities and potential that comes from putting yourself out there. Without people to help us, really...where would we be?

Positive Psychology and Your Career

A week ago I started watching "This Emotional Life" on PBS. http://www.pbs.org/thisemotionallife/. It included footage with celebrities discussing what makes them happy, studies with Buddhist monks to help further science by learning what happens to the brain during meditation and how we can retrain our brains (fascinating!!) to improve our health, and it also included an interesting segment on a man who had recently lost his job.

This part was interesting to me for many reasons: Bill took care of his infant son during the day while combing the internet and making calls. He was noticeably deterred and unhappy about the course his life had suddenly taken in terms of his job loss, and he was receiving assistance from a Positive Psychology Coach who had graduated from The University of Pennsylvania's Positive Psychology Program http://www.sas.upenn.edu/lps/graduate/mapp.

While he clearly enjoyed being with his son, Bill spoke negatively about his situation, and seemed stressed and stuck much of the time they captured him on film. The coach's role was to not find work for him, review his resume, or teach him how to network more effectively, but rather she seemed to provide him with a different framework for how to live his life. A more positive one.

Bill's coach had him participate in an exercise that I thought I would share since it is one I often pass along to clients and friends and have used myself:

• Write down three things each day that went well, and list the reasons why they went well. You can also think of this as a gratitude list: jotting down three reasons each day why you are grateful. I suggest reviewing the things that went well at the end of every day as well as the beginning of each day, especially as they accumulate. And watch what happens.

Want to skip the waiting part? Here is an example from my past: I have participated in this exercise during both a career transition that took me several years to figure out, and during a very frustrating job search. It seemed each day was filled with uncertainty about where I would end up, from waiting by the phone for a recruiter to call me back to not knowing how in the world to get out of a career I did not find fulfilling. Throughout these two life experiences I learned to focus on the daily things that went WELL, since things like waiting and wanting someone to call me back were out of my control.

Bottom line: once I started to concentrate and reflect on the good things that happened during my day, I slowly noticed a shift in what I focused on and my days and my life - my livelihood even- became less overwhelming and the unknown became less anxiety-provoking, and a little more comfortable.

So go ahead- decide to be positive. I promise it will change how you think! Want more information on your personal strengths and happiness levels? Go to http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/questionnaires.aspx and get interesting and FREE information about YOU!