================================================== "Achieve Your Dreams" - Volume 14, November 2005 ================================================== Greetings! Welcome to "Achieve Your Dreams", a bi-monthly newsletter for people with a dream - - whether it's accelerating a career, changing careers, building a business, securing a new job, achieving that long-desired goal, or discovering a new life vision and direction. Each newsletter will offer 1-2 noteworthy articles, a section on "Office Happenings" and "Helpful Resources", and some favorite quotes and sayings to motivate and inspire you. In this issue: 1. "New Job Blues... How Long Should You Stay?" 2. Office Happenings (Holiday Gift Certificates) 3. Helpful Resources ("Finding Your Perfect Work") 4. Favorite Quotes Feel free to forward this to those you believe would find it useful. Feedback is encouraged and appreciated. If there is a specific topic you'd like covered, please send the suggestion to me via the e-mail address below. Enjoy ... ========================================== New Job Blues... How Long Should You Stay? ========================================== You've landed what you thought was the job of your dreams. Each stage of the interview went smoothly - you sold them on your skills and expertise, and your prospective boss sold you on the position and the benefits of joining the company. He/she seemed excited about extending an offer. And then, with offer in hand, it was thrilling to give your notice to your current employer (or tell your friends you're finally employed after a long stint of unemployment!). All seemed right with the world. You've now been on board a few days... or perhaps a week... or maybe even a month. Suddenly you're not so sure you've made the right decision. The job that seemed like a dream is starting to feel like a nightmare. Perhaps the position isn't what you thought it would be... it's either too narrow, too broad, not challenging enough, or more of a stretch than you imagined. Maybe the company isn't measuring up... perhaps the politics are uglier than you were led to believe or the word "layoff" is starting to hit the grapevine. Or maybe your boss isn't the caring, supportive mentor he/she portrayed him/herself to be. In a state of confusion, you wonder what you should do. Stick it out? For how long? Leave? Then what? The decision to stay or go is a personal one, with no right or wrong answer, as everyone's situation is unique. And many people, at one time or another, have been faced with this predicament. To help you navigate your next move and decide what's best for you, here are some questions you may want to ask yourself: - Is it just the newness of the job? Changing jobs can be an unsettling experience. In your previous job, you knew your way around... you knew what was expected of you, you knew your job, you knew the players... you felt like you belonged. In a new job, it takes time to learn the ropes and feel like you're truly adding value. Sometimes it's best to give yourself time to get over the "newness" and then decide if the job is right for you. - Can you live with your boss? Hiring managers sometimes put their best foot forward in an interview, and then do an about-face when a new employee arrives. Even though your boss isn't the supportive mentor you thought he/she would be, can you live with the change? If so, it may be worth staying. If not... if you experience a nauseous stomach on Monday mornings or a rise in blood pressure every time he/she walks into your office, it may be wise to consider leaving. - Can you navigate the politics? Office politics can be the bane of many employees' existence. If you've been hired into a political crossfire, it will be important to ascertain your political skills to determine if you can make it work. If politics aren't your strength, you may want to leave before you find yourself failing without even knowing why. If you're good at developing relationships and working with differing styles, as well as "managing up", you may want to consider staying and seeing if you can make a tough situation at least tolerable. - What will you learn if you stay in this job? Sometimes a seemingly wrong job turns out to be a terrific opportunity to learn new skills, become exposed to new technologies, and gain valuable experience. Is it possible this job could be a stepping-stone to a better, more satisfying job down the road? Could it ultimately propel your career forward? If so, and you can tolerate everything else, it may be worth staying. - If the scope of the job has changed, can it be renegotiated? If the actual work turns out to be far different from what you thought it would be, it may be worth talking with your manager to see if aspects of the job can be changed. If the scope is too narrow, can more responsibilities be added? If the workload is too great, can you get some assistance? If the job ultimately represents a step backwards and/or you're doing work you didn't feel like you signed up for, it may be worth looking elsewhere. - Can you afford to leave without another job to go to? If your boss, or the job, or the politics are so bad it will negatively impact your health and personal life, then leaving sooner rather than later may be the best move. But can you afford it? Carefully evaluating your financial situation prior to jumping ship will help alleviate regrets later on. Consider also the momentum you had in your job search prior to starting your job. Can it easily be resurrected so your time of unemployment is minimized? The decision to stay or leave an intolerable new job is a tough one. How long to stay is also a dilemma. Many have left after two weeks, never to look back. Others have stayed, only to regret staying too long. And still others have stayed and managed to make everything work out ok. Only you can decide. If you answer the above questions honestly, you will surely make the right decision for you. Pay attention to how you're feeling and what the job is doing to your health and self-esteem. Recognize that the longer you stay, the greater the requirement to add the job to your resume. Know that it's always an option to stay and look for employment on the side. If you do that, it may be valuable to evaluate your job, boss, team, and environment requirements so you can develop some insightful interview questions to ask the next time around. Regardless of your decision, always maintain your professionalism and treat those you report to, and work alongside, with respect. Ultimately, you want to protect your career by never burning any bridges. ================= OFFICE HAPPENINGS ================= Holiday Gift Certificates: Do you have a friend or family member who's struggling in their job search or still deciding "what they want to be when they grow up?" Then a Gift Certificate for career coaching, job search/interview coaching, a career assessment, or a resume critique may be the perfect gift this holiday season. Gift Certificates may be purchased for any denomination and are easily available by calling 617-968-7747 or e-mailing me at jeanne@careerdesigns.biz. Holiday Hours: In celebration of the upcoming holidays, I will be out of the office on the following dates: Monday, November 21 - Friday, November 25 Friday, December 23 - Monday, January 2 While I'm away, I will not be checking e-mail or voicemail, but I do promise to reply to all calls and e-mails the moment I return. ================= HELPFUL RESOURCES ================= Have you often dreamed of leaving the corporate world and starting your own business, only to abandon the idea because you have no clue what that business would be? If so, you'll want to check out "Finding Your Perfect Work", a terrific book by Paul and Sarah Edwards. This wonderful resource offers in-depth exercises to help you determine if you could start a business based on a natural talent you have, a deep passion you have, a mission that's important to you, or some tangible asset you possess. It offers stories of real-life people who have started innovative, successful businesses - just reading their stories will get your creative juices flowing! The last section of the book, "Directory of Self-Employment Careers by Personal Style" is a comprehensive list of possible business ideas that you can use as a jumpstart in launching your own business. Enjoy! =============== Favorite Quotes =============== "Change the way you look at things, and the things you look at change." -- Dr. Wayne W. Dyer "Success is a state of mind. If you want success, start thinking of yourself as a success." -- Dr. Joyce Brothers "Heal the past, live the present, dream the future." -- Mary Engelbreit "Fall seven times, stand up eight." -- Japanese proverb My very best wishes to you and your families for a happy, healthy, and truly joyous holiday season! In support of you, Jeanne ****************************** Jeanne Knight, JCTC, CCMC Career and Job Search Coach jeanne@careerdesigns.biz www.careerdesigns.biz 617-968-7747 Office Hours: M-TH 8:30am - 5:00pm FRI 8:30am - 12:00noon ** If you would like someone added to this newsletter distribu- tion list, please forward their name and e-mail address to me. They will be added promptly. ** If you would like to be removed from this list, please reply to me via this e-mail address. I will remove your name promptly.