April: Quarantine: The joys and sorrows

By: Julie Shipman, Career Coach

Have a question or comment? Connect with me at Julie.shipman@jwsgroupllc.com

I would like to propose that all teachers receive double their pay next year. I’ve never been more willing to vote yes on my next referendum.  And I have ONE child who is 9 years old. You moms and dads with more than one child, I think you deserve a raise too. Distance learning is hard. In the words of our daughter “Mom, I HATE home school”. Yes, me too honey, me too. And yet, I’m grateful. Grateful that the technology exists to allow us to educate our children at home during this global pandemic. Grateful that we have such incredibly dedicated and hardworking teachers. I’m also grateful for the daily walks I’m now taking with my daughter and our dog. She has discovered how much she likes photography. I’ve discovered how much I enjoy just being with her and seeing the world through her eyes. Our family schedule is different; it’s slower, more connected and spontaneous. There is joy is being outside, spending an evening playing a game as a family, learning to cook or watching more TV in a week than you did last year.

I also understand there is sorrow. Worry about losing a job, finances, missing friends and social connections, cancelled events and new levels of frustration when everyone has been in the house together too much. Those feelings are real. They have depth and intensity. I want to encourage you to seek a professional if they begin impacting daily living in dangerous ways. But if you simply need a change; a new job, something to look forward too, an accountability coach to help you chart a course to achieve your goal. I’m here.

A mentor of mine says that it’s important to do 6 things a 1,000 times not 1,000 things 6 times. Never have I been more aware of how true his words are. As a career coach I can tell you that’s true of a job search too. If you are considering a job change, do you have a clear vision of the 6 things that are most important? Have you established a set of goals to guide the time, energy and money you will put into that search?

Here are the first 3 to get you started:

LinkedIn Profile – corporate recruiters are searching through profiles every day. Is yours up for the review? That means that information is accurate, consistent with your resume, reflective of your skill set and interests and fully utilizing the network that you are building.

Resume – has it been formatted and written for the position you want, not just the position you have? Your resume is your marketing document, spend the time to make it look like the best reflection of you.

Business Network – who is in your network? Have you found a cadence of connection that is mutually beneficial for both of you? No one wants to feel like they are being used, but most people are willing to support each other. Form genuine connections through past employers, mutual connections and aligned interests. When someone asks you to meet for coffee or reaches out for your opinion on a topic you are knowledgeable about or an introduction to someone in your network say yes when you can.

If you find yourself struggling because you don’t know where to start, reach out. I would love to help you establish a path. This quarantine could be the perfect time to do that and I’d love to help.