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JOB SEARCH ADVICE FROM A FORMER JOB SEARCH CONSULTANT

22 Jun

My wife Nancy and I worked for a firm for many years that provided training to employees who had lost their jobs. We were privileged to do this work, and in this time when so many are unemployed I want to share what we learned.

If you’ve lost your job, I am so sorry. Along with the loss of income, we often miss the satisfaction that comes from doing meaningful work and loss of friendships. I don’t know exactly how you feel, but I’ve lost a job before, and our son is currently furloughed.

This isn’t easy.

Nancy and I volunteered to help folks who attend our church a few weeks ago. I don’t want to offer anyone a false sense of hope, but several people we know have gotten jobs– good jobs– in the past few weeks. It’s certainly a more challenging environment, but there are open positions out there.

One of the things people in the job search struggle with is a feeling of losing control. That is understandable and a normal response to, in this case, a crazy situation. However, there are many things that job seekers can control– activities that can be done every day to advance a campaign. We’ll focus on those.

There are twelve training videos on the web site of my faith community and a handout the videos reference. This content is free. You don’t need to register or provide any personal information: https://www.thetablempls.com/jobresources

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Disability Doesn’t Mean Inability– Ethan

28 Apr

I saw this video today on Mashable. According to them, this young man, who is six, is on the autism spectrum. In spite of (because of) his disability, Ethan is a remarkable pianist. Yet another example of what I’ve been saying for years– disability doesn’t mean inability. In Ethan’s case, his talent is quite obvious, where for other folks with disabilities their gifts, and talents may be more subtle.

But they have them. As you enjoy Ethan’s gift, think about what you can do to identify and nurture the talents of someone like Ethan.

Batting Practice at the Secret Park

5 Oct

My knee hurt, and I didn’t want to go.

But Jacob was determined to get in some batting practice, so we walked to the park where I would dutifully pitch and he would hit.

My knee was throbbing, but I knew this was important to him. He had requested my participation the day before, but the rain had kept us inside. I probably should have found more comfortable shoes for this outing but I was too lazy to trek upstairs, and I muttered to myself that I would have to bear this discomfort so number-one-son could enjoy batting practice.

“Number one son”.

So much can be wrapped up in this notion—you have a son in whom you place so many dreams and hopes.

We play at the “Secret Park”.

It’s not really secret, but it’s a park that is in an out-of-the-way area that doesn’t get much use, so we christened it such. My favorite part of batting practice at the Secret Park is we play in the middle of a grove of oak trees. I position myself so two of the larger trees are a few yards behind me, acting as center and right fielders, knocking down a few of Jacob’s fly balls in mid-air and reducing my retrieval time. I call these grand oaks the “Say Hey” and “Roberto” trees, after my idols Willie Mays and Roberto Clemente. Being October in Nebraska, Say Hey and Roberto have fewer leaves, so balls often steal through their branches. They will improve their fielding percentage as spring returns.

Darn, “Say Hey” missed another one. “Nice hit,” I say, as I turn and trot after it. My knee is really going to be sore by the end of this.

At the Secret Park, Jacob is completely in his element. He is at peace.

Time stops for him.

All that counts is that he has a bat in his hand and his father is pitching. He loves to hit a baseball, and is actually quite adept at the task. I pitch it high, I pitch it low, or I take a little speed off. No matter, he makes contact.

Other intricacies of baseball—when to hit and run, the suicide squeeze, the double switch, a balk–are not things he comprehends. Jacob will never share my love of baseball strategy. He won’t pore over the box scores or the statistics of his favorite players the way my dad and I did. But tonight, the reasons why father and son love baseball don’t matter.

It is a picturesque night. It’s cool, and the flush of my face feels good. Not a whiff of wind. I wiggle my knee. No pain.

Jacob calls for another pitch.

A mom and dad stroll by with two toddlers in tow, stopping to watch Jacob’s hitting exhibition. They don’t know he has this severe disability called autism. They just see a kid having fun with his old man– dad pitching and son hitting. I wonder what kinds of dreams they have for their child, what hopes they harbor. I wonder what they would be thinking about the future of their child if they knew about their baby what I know about our son. They pass. Jacob turns toward me and puts his bat at the ready.

I’ll try to remember everything about this night, the grass still green before the coming winter, the pale blue sky, the joy in Jacob’s eyes. There are going to be times, probably very soon, that will be difficult, when life with our son will be much harder, when his disability will overwhelm him and our family, when this world of ours will not be welcoming or gracious to folks like our Jacob.

But tonight, we’re taking batting practice at the Secret Park, and it is enough.

(Photo courtesy of Stock.xchang)

A New Low

7 Jan

The Conference Board has released a new study, which I picked up via National Public Radio, that employee satisfaction (as the Board measures it) is at an all-time low. They report that “just 45 percent of people surveyed said they were satisfied with their jobs. That number fell from more than 61 percent who said they were satisfied in 1987, the first year the survey was conducted.”

Yikes.

The report continues:

Even more troubling, says Lynn Franco, Conference Board spokeswoman, is the satisfaction rate of young workers, less than 36 percent.”Generally the longer you are in the workforce the more your satisfaction seems to deteriorate. So these new young entrants with such a low level of satisfaction, the outlook is not very promising there. It’s something employers need to address very quickly.”

These findings are generally in keeping with the survey results we see from our partners at Quantum Workplace. How many companies have reacted to the economic conditions and their approach to leading their employees through this mess has not helped the cause– we’ve generally blown it when it comes to maintaining and highly engaged place to work.

For some managers the response will be a shrug and feeling that nothing can be done. For others this can be a rallying cry in to increase efforts at re-engaging those with whom they work. (“re-engage”, kind of a catchy name!). Here’s hoping you are one who is ready to lift up employees and renew engagement at work.

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