Energise Career Strategies Blog

Do you like reminiscing?

I went to an event this week and one of the speakers was from advertising; Nick Mustoe, a familiar name from my JWT account planning days!

Nick now runs Kindred Agency and as someone rare in advertising with white hair, is living proof that you CAN adapt to a changing profession and still be successful, and my goodness hasn’t it changed!

http://www.kindredagency.com/

Hand drawn concepts on paper using magic markers to 35+ social media platforms. The fragmentation of media and detail makes my strategic head want to explode. The consumer is definitely king.

I set up my own business in 1997 doing freelance account planning. I had saved up 6 months of money, was renting a low cost room from my sister, my Mum created my first logo, I had researched the market, set up a database and thought about my own brand positioning rather than someone else’s. The time was ripe.

The below the line agencies were getting into account planning big time to win chunkier work and there was a shortage of account planners because of lack of training and recruitment during the previous downturn.

I sent out my CV in the first week of self-employment and came home to the answering machine winking at me with its red eye 18 times. This was before I had done the follow up calls. Oh happy days! The relief! It was going to be alright.

So if you are at a career crossroads or still sitting on the fence re your career, with the economy not looking likely to change for some time, could it be your time?

Second careers are possible and we all need them to fund our dotage and top up our pensions, so why not make it something you enjoy in a growth market?

I am proof that you can completely change career direction with transferable skills and can help you make a good decision. What is the value of that?

To follow us on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/talentliberator

We write career guides for The Telegraph, so for new career ideas, why not look here?

http://jobs.telegraph.co.uk/careers/

This is the last in a series of 5 blogs about creating a career strategy and plan. In an uncertain world with static growth, you need to think more intelligently than others and be adaptable. Knowing where you are going helps you to get there, even when things change and you get busy.

Even just 20 mins in your diary once a week to focus on your career can move you forward to where you want to go.

12 tips and useful resources for your career strategy and plan

Here are some useful resources and tips to help you make it happen:

1. Get a career coach
2. Read autobiographies of people whose career inspires you, blogs and career self-help books
3. Look at Cedefop for future skill trends
4. Ask yourself self-reflective questions (self-coaching) to help you get clear e.g. “What would make me feel I had achieved career success?”
5. Be aware of long term work trends and how they impact on you e.g. read ‘The Shift – the future of work is already here’ by Lynda Gratton
6. Know why and how to market yourself e.g. read Reid Hoffman (founder of LinkedIn) ‘The start-up of you.‘
7. Block out time in your diary regularly to focus on creating your career vision and plan
8. Diarise quarterly career reviews
9. Set up a savings account to invest in your personal and professional development
10. Commit to taking responsibility for your own career, don’t rely on your employer to do this
11. Imagine being at the end of your life and look back – what do you want from your career?
12. Write your CV for 5 years time

What tips would you add?

The world of work is changing fast. Make sure that you have a career strategy and plan.

“If one does not know to which port is sailing, no wind is favourable.” Seneca.

To receive free Energise bulletins on Career strategies, smart living and working and self-promotion topics, visit this web page and opt in:
http://www.liberateyourtalent.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=79&Itemid=106

For more useful tips & insights, follow us on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/talentliberator

This blog post is part 4 of 5 and looks at the opportunity cost of not having a career strategy and plan.

“Control your destiny or someone else will.” Jack Welsh.

Opportunity cost of not having a career vision and plan

What are the implications of NOT creating a vision and plan for your career?

• You dislike your job
• You feel frustrated
• You get left behind with your peers succeeding
• You leave yourself vulnerable in the world of work
• You don’t feel resilient
• You experience frustration and anger from being unfulfilled which has a negative impact on your relationships and health
• You feel anxious and disempowered
• Your talent is unliberated – what a waste!
• Your career options and choices are restricted
• You are on the back foot (reactive), rather than the front foot (proactive)
• You don’t realise the potential you are capable of
• You provide a poor role model for your children that you can have meaningful and fulfilling work that plays to your strengths, not just ‘a job’

What would you add?

In case you missed them, here are the other blogs in this series, parts 1, 2 and 3:

Part 1:
http://liberateyourtalent.wordpress.com/2013/04/07/whats-your-career-strategy-and-plan-part-1-of-5/

Part 2:
http://liberateyourtalent.wordpress.com/2013/04/13/whats-your-career-strategy-part-2-of-5/

Part 3:
http://liberateyourtalent.wordpress.com/2013/04/19/whats-your-career-strategy-and-plan-part-3-of-5/

The next and final blog post in this series will share tips to help you create your career strategy and plan.

To receive free Energise bulletins on Career strategies, smart living and working and self-promotion topics, visit this web page to view previous topics and opt in:
http://www.liberateyourtalent.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=79&Itemid=106

For more useful tips & insights, follow us on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/talentliberator

This blog shares some tips about how to create a career strategy and plan.

“Goals that are not written down are just wishes.” Anon.

How do you go about creating a career strategy and plan?

It is a mixture of internal and external exploration and thinking and includes:

- Having a clear S.M.A.R.T. goal
- Creating a timing plan
- Breaking down long term outcomes into small shorter steps
- Having self-awareness; your needs, wants, values, motivations, skills, qualities etc.
- Diarising time to review and update it
- Reviewing published data on skill shortages and job/career trends
- Researching employer needs e.g. changing competencies
- Looking at market, economic and industry changes and trends
- Creating an image board – a pictorial representation of what you want from your career

What tips would you add?

In case you missed them, here are parts 1 and 2.

Part 2 looks at why it makes sense to have a career strategy and plan:

http://energisecareer.brandrepublic.com/2013/04/13/whats-your-career-strategy-part-2-of-5/

Part 1 explores why people don’t have a career strategy and plan:

http://energisecareer.brandrepublic.com/2013/04/07/whats-your-career-strategy-and-plan-part-1-of-5/

Part 4 of 5 will look at the opportunity cost of not having a career strategy and plan.

To receive free Energise bulletins on Career strategies, smart living and working and self-promotion topics, visit this web page and opt in: http://www.liberateyourtalent.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=79&Itemid=106

For more useful tips & insights, follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/talentliberator

This is part 2 in a 5 part series about career strategy and planning.

Part 1 explored why people don’t have a career strategy and plan. This blog looks at why it makes sense to create a career strategy and plan.

“Purpose serves as a principle around which to organise our lives.” Anon.

Why create a career strategy and plan?

Here are some reasons why creating a strategy and plan is a good idea.

 Increases the chance of career fulfilment
 Making conscious decisions rather than falling into jobs or leaving your career to chance is wise
 What you focus on is what you get
 Having a career plan helps you to narrow down information and networking options in a world of growing information overload/overwhelm
 Trends show that in future, people will need a higher level of skill and qualification so it helps you plan the time and money to achieve this
 Competition is increasing with well qualified cheaper hungry to learn talent from ‘people rich’ countries e.g. India, Brazil, China
 More and more jobs are being replaced by technology
 Layers of management have been stripped out making getting a job for middle and senior management more competitive; differentiation and self-marketing is essential
 It provides a horizon towards which you are always moving, whatever life/work throws at you
 Helps you say ‘no’ to things so you avoid wasting time/energy
 Stops you going down the wrong path and having regrets
 Means you are less likely to make a mistake
 Gives you a sense of control and purpose in uncertain and unpredictable times
 Prevents other people/external events determining what happens
 Helps you evolve your career and be proactive rather than reactive
 Ensures a good fit between you and your work

What would you add?

Further blogs in this five part series will examine how to create a career strategy and plan, the opportunity cost of not doing this and some tips to help you.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Mark Twain.

For more insights and tips, follow us on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/talentliberator

In case you missed it, here is part 1 of this 5 part series:
http://liberateyourtalent.wordpress.com/2013/04/07/whats-your-career-strategy-and-plan-part-1-of-5/

A high proportion of people fall into their career by accident. A few, by chance, enjoy their work, but many don’t, which is a shame as it represents such a large proportion of our time and it has a big knock-on effect on other areas of our lives.

Having a career strategy and plan is like being in a boat where you can use a motor, oars, paddle or the sails, with a compass to steer you towards the horizon to the destination of your choosing, whatever the weather. It makes sense to think about your career strategies and have a plan A, B and C and to make time to think about your career choices.

“Your aspirations are your possibilities.“ Anon

This blog, part 1 of 5, explores how having a career strategy and plan gives your career choices and thinking about your career strategies is wise.

Why don’t people have a career strategy/plan?

 Their parents were ‘hands off’ about their career
 They received no/inadequate careers advice at school or college
 They are too busy/don’t make time to reflect
 They are unsure about how to go about it
 They live ‘in the moment’/naturally think short term
 They find it easier or comforting to focus on immediate priorities of life; eating, sleeping, shopping, doing their current job
 There are more and more distractions that get in the way e.g. social media
 They have never thought about how they can influence their future

“If you don’t know where you are going, you might not get there.” Yogi Berra.

Visit next week for the next part in this 5 part blog series.

To receive your free Energise bulletins on Career strategies, smart living and working and self-promotion topics, visit this page:
http://www.liberateyourtalent.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=79&Itemid=106

“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” Reggie Leach.

One of the best decisions I made when I became self-employed over 15 years ago was to get a virtual PA. Their support has been absolutely invaluable.

Sometimes I joke that they know more about me than I know about myself, which is ironic for someone who works in personal and professional development.

Urban PA is the service I have been happy with for 15 years:
http://www.urbanpa.com/web/pa_service.html

My virtual PA doesn’t blink an eyelid when I ask them to search for images to express; ‘sitting on the fence’ or ‘rabbit caught in headlights.’

Because of having a virtual PA, there are many things that I don’t do and things I do more because of their expert help.

Things I don’t do:
• Tasks I don’t like and don’t enjoy
• Wait in ‘customer care’ lines not feeling cared for listening to lift style musak
• Miss events I wanted to go to but didn’t know about
• Wait in for the plumber, electrician or delivery losing precious time
• Search for log-ins and passwords
• Feel frustrated/angry
• Get stressed

Things I do do:

• Tasks I enjoy and like
• Keep up to date with research and best practice
• Build thought leadership
• Work smart
• Think about/spend time on ‘important not urgent’ tasks
• Feel more authentic as a coach as I practice what I advocate
• Take a walk as I have the time
• Remember things I need to remember

Who are virtual PAs useful for?

• Time poor executives
• Contractors who work away a lot and who don’t want to come home to a pile of admin
• People who want to make the most of time and play to their strengths
• Self-employed who want back up and realise they can’t do it all

More and more people are becoming self-employed; working mums who seek flexibility, 50somethings who cannot get a job etc.

Being a virtual PA is also a fantastic flexible career choice for the many support staff who companies have shed to save money and whose traditional role technology is replacing.

Tips for choosing a virtual PA

There are generalist virtual PAs and specialist ones e.g. event management, social media etc. so make sure that you choose one that is right for your needs. Here are some tips:

• Write a list of tasks that steal your time and that you hate
• Write a list of things you would do if you had more time/ensure, e.g. switch banks, check you have the best deal with suppliers, find out about the latest trends and gadgets
• Do your research
• Ask for recommendations from your network
• Decide if you want ad hoc support or a regular subscription service
• Find the right fit – values, chemistry and tasks, e.g. if you want support to organise an event/party, choose a virtual PA who excels in that task, rather than filing

For more smart working tips, read our Energise smart living and working bulletins and opt in to get future ones:

Click on this link:
http://www.liberateyourtalent.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=79&Itemid=106

Then it’s time to get ‘learning hungry’.

This blog shares 10 more tips and is the third and final blog in a series of 3.

1) Study for a relevant new qualification

2) Learn a language

3) Read an educative book/Kindle download on your commuting bus/train/tube/journey

4) Listen to a relevant personal development download when driving instead of listening to music

5) Follow ‘opinion formers’ on LinkedIn

6) Download free relevant white papers on the web

7) Make time each week to reflect on what you have learnt and what you need to learn next to take you to where you want to go

8) Review your learning and development objectives

9) Think about what you want to get skilled at and ‘model’ someone (i.e. learn from what they are good at and copy/adapt their approach to suit you)

10) Investigate your own learning style, so you can feed your mind and memory in the best way for you.

What tips would you add? Doing just 1 of these 10 tips will make a difference over time to your career prospects. It is easy to do nothing or put it off.

In an increasingly competitive world, it is vital to build your skills, experience and knowledge to ensure that you are marketable and to give yourself choice.

For more useful insights and tips, follow us on Twitter. Click on this link:
https://twitter.com/talentliberator

Then it’s time to get ‘learning hungry’.

What action will you take today to grow and improve your career prospects?

Being in the same role can get a bit stale after a while, even if it feels like you are doing the workload of two people, and it’s important to protect your position with lots of younger, cheaper keen people snapping at your heels for your job!

You need to take responsibility for your own career development and strategy if you are going to improve your career prospects. This is important to improve your CV and marketability for a new and better job, whether internally or externally.

This blog, part 2 of 3 shares 10 tips, many of them costing nothing but time to improve your career prospects by building your knowledge, skills and experience.

1. Organise a sabbatical
2. Do a role swap
3. Job shadow someone
4. Get an executive coach
5. Attend a conference
6. Get a mentor
7. Join and be active in a new LinkedIn group
8. Watch a Ted talks video
9. Volunteer for a charity
10. Work alongside an external consultant

What tips would you add?

Doing just 1 of these 10 tips will make a difference over time to your career prospects. It is easy to do nothing or put it off.

As a career, talent, and learning & development strategist and coach, or ‘talent liberator’ I get involved in skill and behaviour change in various contexts with both individuals and organisations.

For more useful insights and tips, follow us on Twitter. Click on this link:
https://twitter.com/talentliberator

Then it’s time to get ‘learning hungry’.

Being in the same role can get a bit stale after a while, even if it feels like you are doing the workload of two people, and it’s important to protect your position with lots of younger, cheaper keen people snapping at your heels for your job!

I have always had an insatiable curiosity to learn new things and my career has evolved as a result, leading me into writing books, articles and creating content.

With all these factors at play at present:
- economic growth slow;
- learning and development budgets squeezed;
- informal learning growing;
- more competition for jobs;
- a higher level of skill and qualification for roles than in the past;
- employees staying put for perceived security;
- digital revolution;
- more exacting standards by employers; and
- universities starting to offer free courses on-line

you need to take responsibility for your own career development and strategy if you are going to improve your career prospects. This is important to improve your CV and marketability for a new and better job, whether internally or externally.

This blog, part 1 of 3 shares 10 tips, many of them costing nothing but time to improve your career prospects by building your knowledge, skills and experience.

1. Increase your span of control e.g. decision making
2. Cover for others on leave
3. Get exposure to other departments and roles
4. Do a role swap or Secondment
5. Do desk/web research about a new knowledge/skill area
6. Champion/manage change
7. Volunteer to gain a leadership skill, e.g. raising money for charity, chairing a committee
8. Take on a stretch assignment
9. Spend time with managers cross function
10. Make customer visits

What tips would you add? Doing just 1 of these 10 tips will make a difference over time to your career prospects. It is easy to do nothing or put it off.

As a career, talent, and learning and development strategist and coach, or ‘talent liberator’ I get involved in skill and behaviour change in various contexts with both individuals and organisations.

Ask yourself these self-reflective questions:

What is my career strategy?
What are my learning objectives?
What competencies do I need to develop to improve my promotion prospects and marketability?
What new skills would broaden my horizons and career options?
How much time am I making each month to build my skills, knowledge and experience?
What’s stopping me from making this a higher priority?

For more useful insights and tips, follow us on Twitter. Click on this link:

https://twitter.com/talentliberator