Great Occupations

People end up where they usually expect to end up. If you expect to just "go through the motions" of life, then you will just go through the motions. If you expect great things, you'll achieve great things. Just about 8% of the general population ever actually make goals, and only 3% actually write then down. It's the 4th day of 2011. Have you made any goals for 2011? It's not too late. Read the rest of this entry »

I heartily recommend doing what Tom Peters suggests – have regular personal retreats to review your personal brand, mission statement, career direction and life goals. And if you’re making a dramatic and/or a quick shift in direction, I urge you to set aside time every week to review your plan and make course adjustments as needed. In the “Go For It!” module of the CareerFinder™ Method, Jay and I lay out suggestions about this process. Below is... Read the rest of this entry »

This week Jay challenged us to set and achieve career goals. Well, I’ve decided it’s high time for me to finally achieve a particular goal that I’ve been rolling around in my mind for more than 2 years.

I’m putting it out there for all to see because I believe that there’s nothing like writing down a goal and then sharing it with others to really help you be accountable to the intention.

My Goal: By Fall of 2010, I want to be involved in delivering a special session which teaches women how to be more empowered during salary negotiations. (I’d say that’s a SMART goal!)

By the way, if you think of a snazzy title for this class, I’m open to your suggestions!

Jay and I cover salary negotiation in the GET HIRED! module of The Job Search Boot Camp program, but we women seem to need an extra push in this area. I’ve long felt that a specific class is in order…

So check this out! Yesterday, I found an excellent article by Ronda Templeton, a columnist with the San Antonio Express-News. It put an arrow right into heart and re-ignited my desire to teach this topic.

Ms. Templeton quotes numbers compiled by The Washington Post:

• Men are eight times more likely than women to negotiate a starting salary and benefits.
• Men ask for raises 85 percent more often than women.
• Though they recognize the importance of negotiation, 22 percent of women say they never do it.
• Perhaps worst of all — women, on average, ask for 30 percent less money than men.

Jay is fond of saying that most people generally leave 20% to 30% “on the table” during negotiations. Considering there’s that much room left, think about how much room is left for the women who fall under the categories pointed out in the statistics!

Oh, and another thing… We often hear talk in the media about the disparity between men’s and women’s salaries – about how women earn less money than men despite having similar skills, experience, education and training. While I’m not denying the existence of gender discrimination in hiring practices (unfortunately, I personally witnessed it while I was a recruiter), it seems to me that we are not truly “comparing apples to apples” when making such claims. Not if 22% of women never even negotiate, if they rarely ask for raises, and if they ask for 30% less money than men!

If you’re interested or know someone who’d be interested in taking a special class designed to empower women during salary negotiations, let us know.

Angela Loëb is an author, speaker and career coach. She and her partner, Jay Markunas, help people make successful career transitions through workshops, webclasses and 2×1 individualized coaching services. Listen to them on The Job Search Boot Camp Show. Find out more about their programs & services at www.greatoccupations.com. NOTE: For a limited time during Graduation Season, Angela & Jay are offering the perfect new grad gift: The Job Search Boot Camp for College Grads, a live, interactive & intensive program. For more details, click here.

Do you have goals? Sure you do. Maybe you don’t call them “goals”. Maybe you just call it “making it through the day”….well, that’s a goal. What are some other goals you have today? “Don’t get fired”, “pick up the kids”, “make it to a meeting on time”, etc. We all have little goals that help us make it through the day. We could call these daily goals.

What about longer term goals? Maybe you graduated from high school, college, or received your PhD, got that perfect job, married that perfect spouse, etc. These are long-term goals. Maybe you didn’t “formalize” them, but they were goals nonetheless.

I’ve mentioned Dave Ramsey and the Total Money Makeover system before. He says you’ve got to tell your money what to do (budget/goals), or your money will figure it out on its own (car repairs, home repairs, etc). Your career and your life is no different!

Be SMART After getting clear and embracing change in CareerFinder(TM) Method program, we ask participants to set 1, 3, & 5 year goals in many areas of their life.

All the experts agree that the best goals S.M.A.R.T. That is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound. A goal of “lose weight” doesn’t really meet the SMART methodology. Neither does “lose 100 lbs” - is that really Realistic? A SMART goal would be “Lose 10 pounds by July 1st”. Specific (“10 lbs”), Measurable, Attainable and Realistic, and Time-bound (“by July 1st”).

B&W Goals As humans we have two sides of our consciousness that are at odds - the intellectual side and the emotional side. The intellectual side says “I need to quit smoking”. The emotional side justifies having that cigarette in given situations. For example, if your goal is “I will have only one cigarette per day”, the emotional side will say “well, I usually don’t get the oppotunity to spend time with Suzy and she smokes, so I’ll allow myself a few extra cigarettes tonight and not smoke tomorrow and the next day.” Those who have tried to quit smoking may attest to this situation and how it causes you to fail.

Black & White Goals eliminate the “wiggle room” the emotional side will try to use. When eliminating a habit, it is best to use a B&W goal. “I will not smoke under any circumstances” leaves little room for the emotional side to wiggle.

Career Goals When making a career change, using short-term and long-term goals will help you achieve your dreams. If your 5 year goal is to “become a lawyer by January 2015″, then setting attainable 1 & 3 year goals will help you get there.

For example, a 1 year goal may be “I will take a LSAT study prep class by February 28th, and sign-up to take the LSAT by March 1st” (LSAT is the entrance exam needed for accredited Law Schools). Another 1 year goal may be “I will research and pick my top 3 law school choices by June 1st”. In addition, you may have a 3 year goal like “I will take 3 pre-law courses - public speaking, political science, and Cornell University’s Introduction to the American Legal System which I will complete by September 1, 2013.”

Power Goals are very powerful. Setting and resetting goals on a weekly, monthly, or annual basis will help you achieve your career goals. 5 years will come and go whether you like it or not. Will you be working in fast food, or will you be a lawyer?

Set goals, and achieve the work you love!

Jay Markunas is a Career Coach who believes in the power of goals.

NOTE: For a limited time during Graduation Season, Angela & Jay are offering the perfect new grad gift: The Job Search Boot Camp Live & Interactive Basic Training Program. more details