The Career Attraction Weekly Wrap-up – Friday, July 9, 2010
The end of yet another week is upon us. For you soccer (or, ahem, football) fans out there, the World Cup final is on Sunday – Spain and the Netherlands. I know one person who will be clad in orange pulling for Holland…our friend Ilona Vanderwoude!
Whether your plans include watching the match or something else all together, I hope you have a great weekend.
Now, here’s what happened this week at Career Attraction:
My “Stand Out” Job Search Training starts on Monday. If you haven’t seen what it’s all about, watch this short video (about 10 minutes). I built it around exactly what you told me you wanted. I’ll be walking you through how to build stronger networks that drive opportunities to you, more efficient social media systems that work for you and, of course, how to Stand Out from the crowd easily, naturally and authentically. Watch the short video here…
Stand Out by Ditching the Elevator Speech – As you know, I am not a fan of the “elevator speech.” I agree with the concept of getting your message across quickly, succinctly and powerfully. Where this concept loses me (as well as most people receiving it) is that it isn’t value packed for the listener. This is particularly important in your job search, since there are a lot of “speeches” being pitched to hiring managers and you must stand out here. In my opinion, taking a more solution based approach will do just that. Read more here…
Q&A: How do I grow and cultivate a real network? – Kevin, in one of your webinars, you mentioned two types of networks: real and “acquaintance” (or something like that). I would like to know how to cultivate a real network. I don’t really think that I am relationship challenged. It is just the nature of my personality to be calm, cool and collected, and in the background. People don’t really gravitate to me. So anyway, I have 53 LinkedIn connections that span most of my life. But they are mostly acquaintances and they aren’t really people that engage in an equal give and take with me. This isn’t a personal question. I’m more interested in the professional side. How to I create those professional relationships that can stand the test of time? Read my response here…
INTERVIEW: Networking from Scratch – I’ve been sharing this interview a lot lately with my coaching clients. It’s a conversation I had with a senior professional who found himself in a new city, with no network and unemployed. Michael had to build a trusted network from scratch – and quickly. In this interview, he explains exactly how he developed a strong network in short order that landed him an outstanding job…all without ever asking for a job! His advice – priceless. Get the interview here…
Next week in Career Attraction University:
- “Stand Out” Job Search Training start Monday
- Monthly Q&A Webinar – Thursday, July 15 at 12:00pmEST (Invitations will be emailed on Monday for Career Attraction University members). Remember to send your questions in by noon on Wednesday, July 14 to university@careerattraction.com)
- New “how to” Social Media Videos will be posted next week too!
Not a member of Career Attraction University? For less than one dollar a day you can access all this information and more. Sign-up here and get started today!
2008 – 2010 – Career Attraction – All Rights Reserved
Ilona Vanderwoude: Fitting a Million Passions into One Lifetime…and Making a Great Living!
In last week’s video interview with Ilona Vanderwoude on Renaissance Personalities, I talked about the webinar we did together for the Private Career Mastermind Group in March. After a number of emails from subscribers, I realized not everyone had seen this. So, I decided to re-release it…
Want to get started towards fitting your passions into a meaningful career? Click here to learn more about Ilona’s upcoming teleseminar series we talked about in the webinar.
Interview with Ilona Vanderwoude on Renaissance Personalities
I am sure you remember Ilona Vanderwoude, Founder of CareerBranches, from past guest blogs and as a SME for the Career Mastermind Program. Well, this past week she agreed to be interviewed by me on a topic near and dear to us both: Renaissance Personalities. If you were on the SME webinar we did back in March, you will definitely want to watch this short webinar (< 30 minutes). If this is your first time hearing about Ilona, or Renaissance Personalities, you can check out one of her past blogs…then watch this video!
Want to get started towards fitting your passions into a meaningful career? Click here to learn more about Ilona’s upcoming teleseminar series we talked about in the webinar.
Renaissance Personalities Follow-up Q&A with Ilona Vanderwoude
There were some lingering questions from my March 17th webinar with Ilona Vanderwoude on Renaissance Personalities. So, she agreed to come back and answer them! In this 20 minute segment, Ilona shares more insights into the Renaissance Personality and the job search.
Changing Careers? Zigzag Your Way Into New Territory! The Real Story of a Career Changer and Renaissance Woman: Guest Blogger – Ilona Vanderwoude
Career changers and renaissance folks alike always ask me: “How do I change paths without having to begin at the bottom all over again?”
Annoyingly, as with most things careers related, it depends.
Clearly, if you want to become a doctor, you’ll have to go to med school and start from scratch. A lawyer: back to law school, my friend.
But in most fields, there isn’t just one ticket to enter. Even though your preferred field asks for a specific educational background, chances are you may be able to bypass that.
Meet Maria
Last week I spoke with Maria, who is also a “renaissance woman,” meaning she loves variety and is one of those people trying to fit a million passions into one lifetime.
She majored in computer science and started her career in technology; coding, programming, etc.
Several years into her first job, her employer facilitated a lunch hour volunteer program through which Maria got to teach career-related workshops to young adults.
It wasn’t long before working with people had become Maria’s main interest.
Maria also volunteered trough Chicago Cares, which connects volunteers to 200+ opportunities in various areas (http://chicagocares.org/about.asp). They offer one-time volunteer opportunities. No weekly or monthly commitment. She joined field trips with seniors, did art activities with children, helped create resumes for homeless adults, tutored in the lab, helped prepare food that was being donated to an event, and helped serve meals at a Salvation’s Army.
Tip: Chicago Cares is a great way to test out non-profit or social services work for anyone living in the Chicago area. Some other cities have similar programs (i.e.: http://www.newyorkcares.com).
From Science to Social Services
When the company she worked for folded two years later, she saw it as an opportunity to pursue her new passion.
Her goal: moving into social services – without the ‘right’ academic background. Make that: without a ‘remotely related’ academic background!
Maria was very organized about her transition. She even leveraged her analytical abilities that she used in her technology career (in which, btw, she flourished) to plan the next chapter.
She considered her options, talked to people, and saved up her money.
A few months later, she landed a training position at a for-profit university that specializes in technology. Maria trained homeless and at-risk adults (18 – 60+ yrs old) in soft skills and hard skills needed in the workplace.
Here, she leveraged her technology background and volunteer experience with young adults.
How did she get this job?
Networking without realizing she was doing it! She sort of sheepishly mentioned her plans to a college friend over dinner. His wife happened to know someone who was looking for a trainer.
Within two years, she had become the director of training; she managed the entire career development department and she even created a new workforce center.
Another Change of Direction
After another few years, Maria was getting restless again and shifted to a non-profit function in higher education – working with college students and alumni on career development.
Here are some pointers you can take away from Maria’s story if you want to pull off a similar transition:
Put It Out There – Share your story, ask for help, and do some soul searching to make sure your desire for change comes from positive motivation to want to do something new, not from wanting to escape something old.It’s important to talk with others about your dreams. Not just to get the mental and moral support, but also because when you do, you’re apt to receive valuable input. People may have ideas you hadn’t thought of, or connections you weren’t aware of – just as in Maria’s example. And, as Barbara Sher says “isolation is a dream killer.” So get it out into the world – even if it seems an unattainable goal to you right now! Others can help you realize your dream.
Use a Phased Approach – If your new field or position is quite a stretch and you’re sure you can’t enter it directly, do a phased approach – just like Maria did.
Look at your transition as a multi-step plan. First into the area that offers you the easiest entry. Once you’re in; get some experience under your belt, acquire some new skills along the way, and then move on to the area you really want to be in.
Volunteering or doing an internship is often a successful entryway into a new field. This may require a financial step back, so plan ahead, or do this on a part-time basis, if at all possible.
Zigzag Into New Territory – Not keen on starting all over again? You don’t have to! As Maria put it; renaissance folks should take a “zig-zag” approach to their career. Each time you move on to the next field, you may have to take a small step back, but not all the way to entry level the way someone fresh out of college would. Then you’ll work your way up again, zig-zagging your way through different careers.
How do you do this? By leveraging your experience and skill set and quickly acquiring new abilities. Figuring out how to promote your transferable skills and experience (on your resume, in conversations and interviews) will take some effort. If needed, work with a career coach.
Then there’s this nice side effect of being a renaissance person; you’re probably very passionate about your new professional focus and you’re quick to learn new skills. Don’t underestimate your passion; people notice it and are drawn to it.
More often than not, the combination of transferrable skills, the ability to quickly learn new ones, and noticeable passion for this new field will get you there.
Want to learn how to fit your multiple passions into one lifetime – and make a great living at it? Read more on Ilona’s website!
Ilona (“rhymes with Fiona”) Vanderwoude’s passion is helping modern-day “Renaissance Personalities” fit a million passions into one lifetime while making a great living. As both a Career Designer and a Master Resume Writer (1 of 28 worldwide), she combines career and life design with the tactical support to actually make it happen. Please visit Ilona at CareerBranches to claim your free gifts!
