The secret weapon that can get you out of your rut of just going through the motions at work

By Gina Calvano | Leave a Comment

Do you want a deeper sense of fulfillment from your work?

 

Who doesn’t right?

 

But, does your desire for fulfillment seem different this time – more intense  – more like “I think I am at a turning point in my life”?

 

We all know the difference between a dry spell in what we otherwise know is good match for us – be that in a partner, in a career or in a job – and down-right famine.  Do you feel closer to famine – a feeling in the pit in your stomach that nags you to do something dramatic to alleviate the pain of starvation for career fulfillment and avoid feeling defeated or doomed until retirement.

 

Maybe you already feel like a zombie at work or in your life – just going through the motions waiting for something to give – something to happen that will zap the answer about what direction to turn into your head and land you gently and safely into the arms of the mother of all career opportunities.

 

How did this feeling happen?  Did you commit to a college degree that you are no longer sure will lead you down a fulfilling path (does the phrase, “why did I listen to my parents” come into your head)?  Did you invest several years into a career that seems to be going nowhere (do you ever think to yourself – “oh, those ungrateful bosses”)?

 

You can get out of this rut – and your secret weapon could be the right career coach.

 

Could you be a candidate for career coaching?

 

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How much do you relate with the following statements…

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What an Easter Egg Hunt can teach you about finding happiness and success through your work

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Yesterday my daughter participated in an Easter egg hunt – actually it was more like an “Easter egg gathering” event.  The eggs were “hidden” in an open corporate cemented courtyard that was covered with astro turf and plastic eggs were spread out in plain site for toddlers.  For elementary school-aged children (like my daughter), they were it “hidden in plain site” in tree beds that were spaced out among the courtyard.  My point is the thrill came from the amount of eggs to be gathered much more so than the allure of finding what was “hidden”.  It sparked a thought in me that this is so representative of what our future workforce is growing up in – follow me here for a minute…

 

I imagined that the “eggs” where like talents and the kids were tasked with an ability to acquire as many of them as they could in a competition against other kids vs finding “eggs” (talents), that they were motivated to acquire for their own unique reasons – with the confidence that there was more than enough to go around for everyone.

 

So, is this where life is headed for this generation?  A race for acquiring as many “talents” as you can – more than you will ever use or enjoy (which BTW – aren’t unused talents the same as no talents at all?)- which only smothers the innate human flame for discovering what’s uniquely appealing and rewarding to you and therefore sparks a contentedness for not knowing what your talents are – and therefore not knowing what you want to do to serve others in this world.  Will this translate into a workforce that has an even more limited chance of feeling happy and experiencing true success?

 

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Two simple words that could tip the job offer scales in your favor

By Gina Calvano | Leave a Comment

So, even if you aren’t sure if you nailed it in the first 20 seconds of your interview, here are the two simple words that could tip the job offer scales in your favor…

 

THANK YOU!

 

Think about this – you basically have 3 opportunities in the interviewing process to convey that YOU are a good match with the job and company:

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The one ability you must demonstrate in a job interview to win favor over other candidates.

By Gina Calvano | Leave a Comment

“Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers.” – Voltaire

 

That one ability is to ask “good” questions.  Do this one thing well and you can win favor over other candidates.  So that leads us to …

Interviewing Toolkit – item #7…

Have a list of “good” questions to draw from – about the company’s:

  • culture
  • view of success (for the company overall and for individual performance)
  • current business challenges

The questions you ask may be the most important part of the job interview for a few reasons:

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People who get hired win favor for employment offers in the first 20 seconds of their interview with this one strategy.

By Gina Calvano | Leave a Comment

I bet you can’t get over the 20 seconds part to even start wondering what this strategy is – so let’s talk about the 20 seconds first – then I’ll share the strategy…

So – “the first 20 seconds” – really?  

Actually, no, not really.

It’s really in the very first second! – and there’s research to back this up …

Michael Bond summarized it well in a feature he wrote for NewScientist magazine  –  Come-to-work eyes: Secrets of Interview Success …

“Janine Willis and Alexander Todorov at Princeton University found that showing people an unfamiliar face for just one-tenth of a second is long enough for them to form judgements about the person’s attractiveness, like-ability, trustworthiness, competence and aggressiveness. Having more time to deliberate doesn’t change our opinions, it only increases our confidence in them.”

His article further explains that of course you don’t want to rest your laurels on that first second – keep oozing out that authentic charm and warmth especially through the next 29 seconds or so – here’s why…

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Are you a job lover, an industry lover or a company lover? Did you know that when you interview, one of these roles is more important than the other 2?

By Gina Calvano | Leave a Comment

Maybe you are all of these things – if so – yeah!  Good for you and especially for those you serve!  You truly are a job/industry/company “lover” – not a “hater”!  Hopefully, you are not “lukewarm” to “mildly liking” of these things.  I especially hope you are not a job/industry/company “hater” – if you are – I feel bad for you but I feel even worse for those you serve – so, as Cher in Moonstruck would say “snap outta vit!”

So, if you could “snap outta vit!”and demonstrate that you are at least one of these – which would you think is most important to an interviewer?

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Going on a job interview? DO NOT talk about your past successes! Instead, talk about this…

By Gina Calvano | 2 Comments

Did you know that one of the fastest ways you can kill an interviewer’s interest in your candidacy is to talk on and on about all the amazing things you did or all the great, profitable ideas you had?  That seems so counter intuitive – doesn’t it?  Isn’t getting your amazingness across to a hiring executive the whole point of the interview after all?  Well, yes – actually it is, BUT talking about all the amazing things you did is not what really makes you amazing to anyone who has a stake in filling a job opening.

What does?  It’s the same thing that would make someone else amazing to you if you were doing the hiring.

Talk about what everyone wants to really know…

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Do you have the most important interviewing tool confident and successful job and career changers have?

By Gina Calvano | Leave a Comment

Successful Job Changer’s Interviewing Toolkit – item #3

Values Clarity Statements

Before I explain what these statements are – let’s get on the same page about what I mean by values.

 

Values – meaningful contributions you want to be a part of creating in the world

 

So how do you connect with your values?

 

You can start by simply asking yourself who really matters to me and what do I most want for them?  (If this doesn’t help you get started, don’t worry, I have a more step-by-step approach to offer you in a bit – and it will only cost you about 1 hour of your time).

 

Values are about what you intend and actively work to manifest for others.   When you are clear about who matters most to you, what you want them to experience and feel like – starting with what you can most control which is every interaction with you – a role that will fulfill you and an intended way of being in that role (how to behave) becomes clear.

 

One of our primary life responsibilities is to get clear about our values.  That includes the roles we play in life, the people who benefit from us playing in those roles, and our intentions for how we want to impact those people in our life.

 

Why so much focus on what we intend for others in an interview?   

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Your interviewing toolkit – say goodbye to interviewing jitters and hello to being a successful job or career changer

By Gina Calvano | 1 Comment

Successful Job Changer’s Interviewing Toolkit – item #2

A Demonstrated Commitment To On-Going Development

The next thing that belongs in your interviewing toolkit is a solid demonstration of your commitment to on-going development.  I don’t mean just something you can point to and say “I’m learning/reading/attending X right now”…

I mean a solid demonstration that development (both personal and professional) is a normal, regular on-going thing in your life.  One of the biggest mistakes a job candidate can make is to only talk about professional development opportunities that were afforded to them by their current or a former employer.

So how do you demonstrate that personal growth and professional development are a regular way of life?  Here are 3 factors that demonstrate a commitment to development – might they inspire you to make this commitment for yourself AND for those you serve …

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What Being A Foo Fighters Fan Can Teach You About How To Leave A Legacy

By Gina Calvano | 1 Comment

“Everyone must leave something behind when he dies, my grandfather said. A child or a book or a painting or a house or a wall built or a pair of shoes made. Or a garden planted. Something your hand touched some way so your soul has somewhere to go when you die, and when people look at that tree or that flower you planted, you’re there. 

It doesn’t matter what you do, he said, so long as you change something from the way it was before you touched it into something that’s like you after you take your hands away. The difference between the man who just cuts lawns and a real gardener is in the touching, he said. The lawn-cutter might just as well not have been there at all; the gardener will be there a lifetime.” 

― Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

Often we hear about people wanting to “leave their legacy” – this is especially explored in when we engage in leadership or personal development.  But recently I have been watching a real life example of leaving a legacy.  Actually, it’s even better than that – because it’s about leveraging other’s legacies and using them as inspiration for finding and leaving a new legacy behind.

Premiering on the eve of Foo Fighters’ 20th anniversary, Foo Fighters Sonic Highways aims to “give back” to the next generation of young musicians. 

Foo Fighters (one of my favorite bands ever), founder Dave Grohl is directing a series on HBO – Sonic Highways.  It’s an 8 week reality/documentary that showcases the band writing their latest album – but they do it in such a unique way.  The beauty of their approach is that they have found a way to get you to fall in love with “the baby” (the song) before you’ve ever even heard it.  How do they do it?  They invite you to the “conception” and the “delivery room”.  TMI?  Not at all!!  The “conception” insight comes from exploring the cultural influences that shaped the musical heritage and how it personally inspired a few legendary musical artists of 8 major cities.  The “delivery room” experience comes from the band recording the song in a legendary space/recording studio integral to the unique history and character of each city.

The Foo Fighters do something we can all be inspired to apply to our own jobs –

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