Volume 6, Issue 3 March 2002 Job Link Move 7 Steps Closer to Your Dreams
Make Temping Work for You
Coping Without a PaycheckTimesheet Time
Jobless: The First 72 Hours
Notable Quotable
Our Disciplines and Locations
Move 7 Steps Closer to Your Dreams From Divine Intervention: Your Guide to Creating the life You Love
By Lynn A. RobinsonDo you know what your goals are but can’t seem to make them come true? Is your life going in the direction you’d like it to? As Will Rogers said, “Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” These seven suggestions are small steps you can take to create the life you want. None of them require you to make an immediate decision or to take a big risk. All you are doing is gathering information or what I call “putting your energy out there.”
Take action on at least one thing each week to move you closer to your goals and dreams. Making a change in your life often feels uncomfortable at first, but even the smallest steps count. Put the energy to create new things in your life out into the world. Your intuition will guide you as to what actions to take. The path towards your goal will begin to open up.
- Talk to someone who made a successful career change about how they got there.
- Interview someone who has your dream job.
- Sign up for a class in something that is either pure fun or a subject you may want to explore for a new career.
- If you are thinking about a geographical move, go to that place on vacation, subscribe to the local paper and ask friends for referrals to people living in the area.
- Research your interests on the Internet or at the library. Small steps count. You are building a bridge to the life you want!
- Call a career counselor and make an appointment to discuss your interests. Work with her to create an action plan to bring your dreams into reality.
- Make an appointment with a financial planner to evaluate how you could make a career switch and at the same time maintain your financial security. To find a reputable planner visit the Certified Financial Planners Website.
“I thought I could change the world. It took me a hundred years to figure out I can’t change the world. I can only change Bessie. And honey, that ain’t easy either.” NOTABLE QUOTABLE
– Bessie Delaney
Make Temping Work for You
This month’s issue deals with ideas of what to do when you have been laid-off or otherwise left unemployed.Whie the economy shows some signs of improvement, it will take a little while for this improvement to make itself known in the job market. This recession is by no means as difficult as the one ten years ago. There are still many excellent jobs to be had, the only difference between now and eighteen months ago is that there is fiercer competition for the positions that are available.
Temping is an excellent way to support yourself while looking for a new job. Beyond the exposure you get to several different companies’ cultures, you make money, and if you choose, you have your income tax deducted right away, rather than facing a large tax bill at the end of the year as you would with unemployment insurance.
NRI can help you with temporary work while we help you find a permanent position. This has been a regular practice at NRI for many years.
Temping can also allow you the opportunity to experience different kinds of work while you are contemplating a career change or taking classes to enhance your skills or make a life change.
Talk to your recruiter. If you are not temping for us already, see what NRI can do for you.
Coping Without a Paycheck
From ivillage.com, By Hope DlugozimaYou’ve been downsized. Or you quit your job because it wasn’t right for you. Or you walked away (temporarily) from a job you like because you wanted to explore other careers and other lifestyles. No matter the reason, there’s one common link here, folks—your paycheck is gone. And it’ll take some quick, sharp thinking to land on your feet (or, preferably, to end up better off than you were before). Follow these tips:
Go for the unemployment check. Don’t waste time feeling that it would be too embarrassing. And don’t wait until you’re truly desperate. Sign up for your checks right away, because it can take a while to receive your first payment. You can always cancel if you find another job or another form of support. But this is one of those small money gifts you can give yourself—it’s called financial breathing room. While it’s not a lot of money (taxes can take more than half), it will allow you to truly look at your options rather than grabbing the first job that comes along.
Sign up with a temp agency. If you haven’t walked into a temporary placement office in the last three years, then you don’t know how much they’ve changed. Cool people now use temp agencies. They make good money. And they check out lots of different companies. This has become a big business.
Cut back, but do it with style. The Voluntary Simplicity movement—which started in the Pacific Northwest and is spreading across the country—is an elegant one. Its mission: to help you cut back in your life. Not temporarily. Not impulsively. Simply because you don’t need all the stuff you have. A nice site to explore: www.simpleliving.com — a good overview of the movement and also gives recommended reading tips.
Keep the right mindset. As author Fran Lebowitz wrote in Vanity Fair magazine, “I’m not poor. I’m broke.” There’s a big difference, because being broke means that you’ll be back in the riches soon.
Timesheet Time
Speaking of temping, the key to getting paid while you are temping is your timesheet.NRI has been working diligently to bring you internet timesheets which will allow you to log onto our website, enter your time for the week and zip it off to us. We are now in the final testing phases and hopefully we will be able to offer this option to you within the next few months. You will get full details when they become available.
In the mean time, we have added a printable timesheet to our website so if you find yourself without one, all you need to do is log onto our website, go to the bottom of the Site Map and click on “Printable Timesheet”. Fill it out, have your supervisor sign it, and fax it back to your office by 6:00 p.m. on Monday.
Jobless: The First 72 Hours
From ivillage.comYou’ve quit your job. Or you’ve had your job quit you. Behind you lies the known. Ahead of you lies uncertainty, exhilaration, crankiness, joy and the chance to remake your career. But to survive and thrive, you need a game plan for those first few hours and days when the old structure is gone and the new one isn’t yet formed. Here’s how:
Take Charge of your PR. Once you’ve quit your job, or even if you’re devastated by a less-than-ideal parting of the ways with your former employer, your first task is to tell the world why and how you quit before the news arrives through other people. Within the first day or so, send out a group email to friends, business associates and would-be future employers with whom you have a personal contact. Make it obvious that this is a group email so no one feels obligated to reply unless they have concrete news for you. You’ll quickly learn that inspiring guilt is something you need to avoid when jobless.
Your letter could say something like, “As some of you may have already heard, I’ve decided to leave ABC Technologies for other opportunities. Specifically, I’m going to be (give details here. It could be that you’ll be doing freelance work or traveling or starting your own business). Short-term, I can still be reached at my current email address. Starting February 1, you can contact me at newname@internet.com. I’ve had a great time at ABC—working on its lead technologies, shipping the new 4.0 version, meeting with engineers throughout Europe—but it’s time for me to leave and try other challenges.” This last sentence is a casual way of reminding others of your accomplishments.
Accept Free Lunches. This email is sure to inspire at least a few offers of lunch because people will want to hear the gossip. Accept all these offers and try to set them up for your first few days of joblessness. You have a good story to tell. Use this power while you have it. Don’t, by the way, trash your former company unless you’re in the presence of a very good friend. Keep your worst work thoughts to yourself. It’s more professional that way and reflects well on you.
Declare a Panic-Free Zone. Even if you couldn’t wait to leave your old job, the first half-decent offer that comes along in the first few days will be especially tempting. Don’t be impulsive. A few months from now you’ll wake up and think, “Why was I so worried? And why in the world did I take this job so quickly?” Give yourself, say, three weeks not to worry or think about any work concerns. Use this time to really think about what you liked and disliked about your old job and what you’d like your new job to be. If anyone asks about your future plans, simply say, “I’m considering a range of options. I’ve decided not to make any firm decisions until March 30.”
Plan an Adventure. If you know your first day of joblessness is, say, March 15, then plan a trip or a big undertaking starting the next day. It’ll give you something to look forward to and give you a nice transition between life with a structured job and your new life. One bright fellow planned a sailing adventure to start the first day after the layoffs. He was the envy of all his also-laid-off coworkers. If you have children and can’t just take off, consider a special weekend field trip with the family to get things into focus.
Remember that Unemployment is Trendy. All the best people have faced layoffs or business failures or a desire to quit and try the unknown. You’re simply becoming part of an ever-shifting crowd that includes thousands of bright people on any given day. View your new situation as an opportunity that is going to open doors for you that you can’t even see right now. Enjoy the ride.
OUR DISCIPLINES AND LOCATIONS
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