DESPERATE TIMES CALLS FOR DESPERATION?

As a career counselor I talk to a number of job seekers, students, alumni, and community members alike, that can and have come to a desperation point during their job search of: "I just want a job, any job!" I understand the need to pay the bills but the appearance of desperation to potential employers is not going to get you the job. Employers don't hire the candidate that needs the job the most, but can sell their skills the best.

Two Reasons for Desperation

1. Must fulfill basic needs first: Most everyone has learned about Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs in psychology class and I'm here to say there is abundant truth in his theory. Maslow states that for someone to move up the needs pyramid he/she must first fulfill the basic bottom elements, with the most basic being physiological and security. Physiological are needs basic to survival like water, food, shelter, etc. Safety needs are usually the needs that inhibit job seekers, and the most common of those needs would be job security. It's difficult to focus on career goals (Self-actualizing need) when you don't know how you're going to pay the electricity bill.
2. No professional goals established: All too often people take their career development "one step at a time" with the idea that they'll figure out what they want to do later. The only problem is that when 'later' arrives they still don't know what career they want to pursue and time's running short before money runs out, which leads to desperation for a job-any job.

So how can you prevent the desperation from occurring? Consider personal investigation to determine what types of careers will match you best. Then brand yourself by choosing internships, volunteer opportunities, student organizations, networking groups, and professional associations that match your chosen career focus.

Values – How do your values rank? Out of the following values, which one(s) are most important to you? Which ones are you willing to compromise? Do your values conflict with your career goals?

• Advancement • Benefits • Challenge • Choice of Environment
• Competition • Creativity • Diversity • Compatible Co-workers

• Easy Commute • Excitement • Family Life • Contribution to Society

• Flexible Hours • High Earnings • Independence • Leadership
• Leisure Time • Prestige/Status • Rewards • Moral Fulfillment

• On the Job Training • Security • Travel • Power/Influence

• Variety

Interests – The easiest way to explain interests is through John Holland’s theory which categorizes work interests into 6 categories: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional. Which categories do you identify with most?

• Realistic: People who like to work with their hands, be outdoors, and/or have tangible accomplishments at the end of the day. Examples include farmers, naturalists, auto mechanics, engineer technologists, athletes, etc.
• Investigative: People who like to ask questions, usually in a science- or math-related profession. Examples include doctors, engineers, statisticians, psychiatrists, etc.
• Artistic: People who appreciate creativity in their work. Examples include writers, artists, interior designers, actors, etc.
• Social: People who want to work with other people, especially in a helping-role. Examples include social workers, counselors, customer service, advocates, etc.
• Enterprising: People who enjoy persuading and leading others. Examples include lawyers, sales-people, lobbyists, entrepreneurs, etc.
• Conventional: People who like order and systems. Examples include librarians, personal assistants, secretaries, etc.

Skills – What are your strengths? What skills have you mastered and what do you need to develop? It is best to capitalize on your current strengths because it is likely to lead to success, which leads to higher confidence and clarification of your career goals. For a list of skills to evaluate, click HERE.

Last Pieces of Advice

Be patient! In-depth self investigation takes time. Take your time and really consider how you’ve succeeded in the past, what ignites your passion, and what values you hold.

Do research! Check out websites like O*Net, Career One Stop, and ACT’s World of Work Map to research jobs and determine if they match your values, interests, and skills.

Get involved now! Start volunteering, join a student organization, and/or get an internship to aid in marketing yourself to employers. If employers can see a pattern of involvement documented on your résumé, it translates you as being a focused individual.

IPFW Externship Program

Spend your Spring Break doing an Externship!! [March 7-11, 2011]

The externship program is designed to give IPFW undergraduate students the opportunity to explore a specific career field while networking with professionals and alumni within the community...so, it is kind of like a mini-internship. We run it during Spring Break!

Here is the website for more information: http://new.ipfw.edu/offices/career/students/externships.html

Participating Employers: 14 WFIE-TV, All-Phase Electric Supply, Aunt Millie’s Bakeries, BAE Systems, Boys & Girls Club of Fort Wayne, Boy Scouts of America (Anthony Wayne Area Council), Business People Magazine, Caring About People, Courtyard by Marriott, DelPalma Orthopedics, Design Collaborative, Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Fort Wayne Urban League, Fort Wayne Youtheatre, IPFW, The Journal Gazette, MSKTD & Assoc., Northrop Grumman, OmniSource Corporation, PHD, Pizza Hut, Sam’s Club, SCAN, Inc., Shindigz, Ultra Electronics USSI, and Visionary Web.

The deadline for students to apply is February 21st!

Apply today!

Volunteering, You & Your Job

The holiday season has always been a time for giving and sharing good will to all those in need. It’s no surprise, with all this charitable giving, that holiday seasons are associated with words like happy, merry, and joy! Volunteering doesn't just benefit those in need, it benefits you, the helper, and even your workplace.

BACKING IT UP...
There have been numerous studies about the positive effects of volunteering, and these effects can spill over into your work life. Allen Luks researched the cause and effect relationship between helping and good health and found that after doing an act of kindness there is a physical reaction called a “helper high” and that is followed by a “longer period of calm and improved emotional wellbeing.” This period of positive mental health affects all areas of a person’s life. Luks continues, stating the period of wellbeing can stay for hours or days and reduce negative feelings which cause “stress, overeating, ulcers,” and more. Good news, too, because an academic study reported that a manager can waste $75 per week due to being “psychologically distressed.”

Diane Stafford’s article from the St. Petersburg Times states that a person’s “psychological well-being is a significant indicator of job performance.” Her article goes on to point to stress on the job as being an indicator of low psychological wellbeing, but if we refer back to Luks’s research there is a clear option for improvement. Help others.

THE CHALLENGE!!

I challenge you and myself to volunteer not just during the holiday seasons, but the rest of the year as well. There's this classic Christmas song entitled Christmas All Year Long where the artist sings about the things he likes about the season and wishing it would carry throughout the year. The bridge is my favorite part of the song with the lyrics stating, "I wish that every spirit in the world could feel the power, and know love not once a year but every minute and every hour." This is exactly what I mean by the helper high and volunteering having an impact on your mental wellbeing. You could personally have your own holiday spirit all year long if you so choose.

HOW TO KEEP POSITIVE MENTAL WELLBEING

Perform acts of kindness like donating to a worthy cause, spending time with people who are lonely, or specifically do something special for people at your workplace. Now here’s the kicker, these acts of kindness must be completely altruistic. After all, if you expect something in return then you’ll prevent your heart from receiving the true gifts of love and joy—along with other life-enhancing benefits. As you consider this, let me leave you with one last piece of evidence, “studies suggest that people with greater personal well-being may volunteer more often, and people who are involved in community service may have greater life satisfaction, self-esteem, sense of purpose in life, physical health, and mental health.” Read more about this study here.

Spend your Spring Break doing an Externship!!

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE EXTERNSHIP PROGRAM?
The externship program is designed to give IPFW undergraduate students the opportunity to explore a specific career field while networking with professionals and alumni within the community.
ELIGIBILITY
Any IPFW current undergraduate student is eligible to participate in the March 7–11, 2011 [week of Spring break] externship program; however, only one will be selected for each opportunity.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
To participate in the externship program, you will need to complete the brief Externship Application Form (you can access the form on our website), and submit your resume and the additional paperwork- it's that simple!
LIST OF AVAILABLE EXTERNSHIPS
We have over 20 externships available...Click here to see details.
Questions? Contact Career Services, 260-481-0689

LIFE AFTER SCHOOL EXPLAINED

I completed my undergraduate program a little more than a year and half ago. And boy was there a lot I didn’t know. Luckily, I landed a full time professional job right before graduation. But a full time job wasn’t the only major change I would encounter during my first year in the “real world.” A few months after graduation I got married, bought my first car, and purchased my first home. The transition from being a full time college student living in a dorm room to employee, wife, and homeowner happened fast and without much time for adjustment.

Now, after a lot of trial and error, I was introduced to a book called “Life After School. Explained.” This book covers many important topics for recent college graduates; including information on benefits, investments, apartment hunting, dinner etiquette, taxes, and even buying paint. When I started my first job I didn’t understand many of the terms and acronyms that my Human Resources Director was telling me. What did all these terms mean and what would be the best decision for my future? We didn’t learn about matched 401K’s, HSA (Health Savings Account) PPO (Preferred Provider Organization), PCP (Primary Care Physician), mutual funds, and IRA’s in my undergraduate program. *Note: However I did gain a clear understanding of Machiavelli and Facebook during my undergrad.

I wish that I would have known about this book earlier. You can easily read through the entire book in an afternoon or simply keep it on hand to look up topics as needed. I would recommend this book to anyone preparing to graduate or starting their first job. Stop by the Career Services office located in Kettler 109 to pick up your free copy!

Check out Cap & Compass's website at http://www.capandcompass.com/

Unemployment Impacts More than Your Wallet

National unemployment rates were averaged at 9.5% in July 2010 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. They also stated that the median time a person has spent in unemployment is 25.5 weeks, about 6 months.

Six months is the time we recommend any job seeker to devote to the job search process. This provides a little relief to know that this average hasn’t changed much considering this recession is about twice as bad as in the 1980s. Even though the job seeking timeline and median unemployment rate matches, the psychological affects have climbed.

The Snowball Effect

It doesn’t help that the media continues to report on how bad the unemployment trends are

within our economy. Just yesterday I received a phone call from a media representative who wanted to do a story on the fact that the unemployment rates haven’t changed and how that impacts my job as a career counselor and the job seekers.

Honestly, what impacts the job seekers outlook most is this developed sense of hopelessness.

Even though we’re able to still hold job fairs with local employers looking to fill 50-100+ jobs, the number of seekers attending the fairs has decreased since the start of the recession in 2007.

This sense of hopelessness with the job market snowballs and as it increases it also impacts additional areas of a person’s life. The Pew Research Center published recent findings that unemployment not only affects finances, but also relations with family and friends and a loss of self-respect.

It’s interesting that the time we need our family and friends the most is also the time we tend to cause strain on the relationships, or just ignore them completely. Shouldn’t it be the other way around?

This is a time to strengthen relationships and really use them to their full potential. All those years of being there for your friends and family should have some residual effect when it’s your turn to need help. Like I’ve said in some previous posts, no person is an island and you shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help.

Self-respect is probably the most critical area that’s impacted by unemployment. If you lose self-respect then you’re decreasing your networking effectiveness, chances to be hired, and overall productiveness of the job search. In essence a loss of self-respect

could spiral people into depression.

Employers want to hire candidates with confidence and competence to do the job well, and if your self-respect has lowered then it’s likely your confidence and ability to market yourself in a job interview has also decreased. If you’re not sure about your level of self-respect then ask yourself how often you use negative language, like “I can’t…,” “This will never…,” or “No one will help me.”

A Positive Effect

There has been one potential positive effect from the recent unemployment, a reassessment of career goals. The forced change of losing a job can lead to a reevaluation of career goals, interests, and overall job and life satisfaction. More and more people are seeking out professional development opportunities and training options to increase their marketability.

An even bigger trend, which I’ve seen through counseling appointments, is an interest in returning to school and changing career directions completely. I’ve heard more people state things like “for the past 20 years I’ve worked to support myself (and my family) but it was never what I really wanted to do. Now I have the option to change my career, but I’m not sure how to go about it.” I applaud this risk taking behavior because it could mean an overall increase in life satisfaction. However, be careful when taking risks because if it impacts basic needs of food, shelter, and safety then it could increase the chances of losing self-respect and even depression.

Dealing with the Aftermath

There are many ways to productively and positively handle the loss of a job.

I’ve actually posted a number of blogs through my career services office that discusses coping with job loss. These contain some good tips about how to mentally prepare for the road ahead, not allow your current situation to have a negative impact on finding a new job, and even some additional job seeking strategies.

It’s time to be more conscious of yourself which means taking time out to daily reflect on the positives in your life, recreate with friends, keep a journal, or whatever method works for you. Times of turmoil call for a deeper intuition of self and a recognition of needs.

Even as counselors we are reminded that the number one person to care for is you, because if you’re not healthy in mind, body, and spirit then it reduces our effectiveness to help others. So take time to renew and balance your life because that is the core to an effective personal and work life!

New Career Spots Videos

We are excited to announce that we have 20 NEW Career Spots Videos located on our website for IPFW Faculty, Students, Alumni and Staff to use. The videos cover the following topics:

Career Fair Success

Top 10 Interview Mistakes

Finding a Co-op / Internship

Make your resume POP

Advice from Graduates

How do you get THAT job?

Ask the Experts

Career Center Benefits

The Salary Question

Follow up with Employer

Art of saying THANK YOU

Perils of Social Networking

Interview Dress for Women

Interview Dress for Men

Informational Interviews

Importance of Networking

Researching Companies

The Interview

The Cover Letter

The Elevator Pitch

To view the videos, go to: http://new.ipfw.edu/career/