The Best Job I Ever Had

Today's post is not about looking forward to finding a new job; today I'm looking back. Today is the anniversary of a wonderful event in my life, and I have a past job to thank for it. That's why, of the many terrific opportunities I've had during my career, I always rank my job as Senior Editor at ASAE as the best. Through my work at ASAE during the 1990s, I met my soulmate--my husband, Jeff--and today is the 12th anniversary of our first date.

After writing an article for me in 1999, Jeff asked me out to lunch. We went to Art Gallery Grill on I Street, as I had done a million times before with ASAE coworkers. After lunch, we walked a few blocks to the park across from the White House. It was a gorgeous day, and we sat on a bench, talking for forever. By the time I got back to the office, I already knew that ASAE would always hold an additional special place in my heart as a party to my happy personal future.

Thank you ASAE. And Happy Anniversary Jeff!

Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda

Regrets—I’ve had a few. And I reflected on them a bit this afternoon after reading the “My Favorite Mistake” column in the latest Newsweek. If only I’d followed a different professional path, I coulda been XYZ by now. Given another shot, I woulda done XYZ another way. I shoulda (or shoulda never) taken XYZ steps with my career.

The longer it takes to find a job, the easier it is for these backtracking thoughts to surface. Like many job-seekers, I recognize the wasted time in dwelling on regrets and have come up with a few tricks for banishing them. (Take a quick walk, turn on the radio and sing along for a song or two, pet the cat, like a few things on Facebook.) We all know (don’t we?) that, despite what Newsweek thinks, there are no mistakes—except for looking back with regret on steps we took in the name of reasonable risk. I saw a tweet the other day that said something along the lines of: Without risk, there is no opportunity. No matter how hard risk may be, it’s essential for personal growth. Not every risk I’ve taken has moved me forward in a traditional professional sense, but I’ve always gained experience, made valuable additional contacts and developed friendships that I’d be hard-pressed to give up if I could have a do-over.

Still, during a recent job interview, when asked about my departure from one particular job, I had to admit/say it: “I made a mistake.”

If Newsweek asks me to write an installment of their column, I might have to turn them down:).  What about you? Would you characterize any of your career steps as regretful—and tell us all about it--or lump it in with lessons learned?

One big lesson I’m learning is this: When your gut tells you to apply for a job because the description lights up your face and gets the wheels turning about growth opportunities, and the compensation seems fair and manageable, ignore the nagging coulda, woulda, shoulda cousins: couldn’t, wouldn’t and shouldn’t. Those internal voices love to chant, “I couldn’t be happy with that work. I wouldn’t be advancing my career. I shouldn’t pursue that job.” I know better than to listen to cousins.

Barry Manilow’s Work Ethic

Say whatever you want about Barry Manilow, but the bottom line that you cannot erase is: Barry worked his way out of a rough Brooklyn, New York, childhood. It’s one thing to be born with a gift, as he was; it’s another thing to put it to work, despite all odds.

Yep, I went to Barry’s D.C. concert at The Warner last night, and it was beyond fabulous! Total schmaltz, full orchestra, amazing dancers, streamers bursting in the air, Barry hitting all the notes on every hit song, and all of his charming stories. And, of course, the Barry moves. Once my post-Barry high subsided a bit, I did what I do with everything these days: I thought about how the event applies to job hunting. The main application: Work hard and smart and believe in yourself, and you, too, can get people to buy the never-sell “This One’s for You.” 

I find inspiration in so many places from so many people that I sometimes feel like the biggest sap on the planet. Then balance comes, and I allow some sarcasm--after all, I *am* from Brooklyn! Last night was a piece of inspiration cake. Who or what is the most unusual person or event or thing that has inspired you lately?

Happiness Loves Company

I received terrific news last night from a fellow job hunter: He landed a great new position! We'd been checking in with each other regularly, swapping leads and ideas and supporting each other when the news to share was negative. I’m thrilled to give him the boot from my job-searching group of friends. His success is well deserved, resulting not only from strong professional qualifications but persistent and smart search efforts. Admiring the strategy, intensity, and positive attitude that he brought to the job-hunting process, I’m newly motivated about my search.

Extra energized this morning, I signed up for Toastmasters, following up on a professional development goal that I set during the ASAE conference. Thanks to another friend who touched base earlier today, I put that plan in action. I also registered for another networking event and—of course—applied for another interesting-sounding job. Taking another friend’s suggestion, I also joined the Washington Post contest for a temporary work advice columnist. After all, I love to compete and don’t mind offering suggestions for dealing with office dysfunction.

Considering how much support I’ve received from people in just the past 24 hours—motivation, an invitation, a suggestion, and a nudge-- I’m reminded of how wise it is to tell others about a job search and let them help, and I’m eager to offer help to someone else. What’s the best thing that you’ve done for a friend or colleague today?

Because You Just Never Know

This is more reminder than rocket science: When faced with rejection, as I was today, the best thing to do is to let the employer know that you’d like to be considered for future openings. Stay strong enough on the rejection call to get that message across. Then you can hang up and crumble and e-mail your friends and be reassured that you’re terrific and eat a pint of ice-cream. But first, after you hear the terrible news, don’t give in to the gut reaction of wanting to get off the phone as quickly as possible. Thank the caller, wish the organization the very best as it moves forward, and conclude with the positive message that you enjoyed being considered a candidate and would be delighted to talk in the future about any new positions.

And why not? Did the organization in which you were so interested suddenly become dull or evil? Did the people you met during interviews – people you wanted so much as your new colleagues – suddenly change? No, and no. And even if the organization never does have another job opening that feels right for you, those folks with whom you connected may not be on that staff forever. Someone might leave to move onto another organization and contact you about job openings there.

Stay positive. Stay connected. Because you just never know.

Four Hours Max

The only job-hunting angle I have for this post is to note that preparing for the approaching hurricane is cutting into my job-search time. With Irene on her way, I ignored CareerHQ this morning and looked for info about how long food lasts in a refrigerator and freezer after a power outage. Here’s a link to the USDA’s advice:

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/keeping_food_safe_during_an_emergency/index.asp

Only four hours. Satisfied with this information, I ignored additional job sites and drove to Giant for supplies. Tracy now has enough cans of Fancy Feast to last through multiple tropical storms. Jeff and I have lots of fresh fruit, canned vegetables, canned salmon, cereal and nuts to keep our energy levels up. And cookies, of course, to keep our spirits up.

Bring it on, Irene!

Fizzle Out or Follow Through?

At the end of a professional development event, you have a choice: Let the program spirit fizzle out, or follow through on all (or at least some) of the commitments you made, stretching the value of the program. I choose the latter! Attending the ASAE conference—as well as the Association Media & Publishing (AM&P) conference a couple of months ago—took time and money. I’m going for a big return on that investment.

Since the conclusion of the AM&P and ASAE annual meetings, I’ve been linking up with new colleagues in the association community, asking for thoughts and providing help with their requests. I’ve also been downloading session handouts, reviewing my notes, reflecting on the ideas I had while chatting with so many interesting people and prioritizing my follow-up steps. I can’t make everything happen all at once, and some ideas will fall off my list, but I am being intentional about getting as much benefit as possible from my educational and networking opportunities. Doing so will promote my main goal of getting a full-time job and will strengthen my performance in that future role.

Top on my follow-through list: Getting back to Kelly Flowers about personal mobile and social coaching. I’ve gained a lot of expertise in social media and collected a lot of information about mobile technologies, and now I want to take that to the next level. AM&P and ASAE have offered many terrific educational programs on these subjects, and I’ve learned a great deal from participation and application. Still, when I bumped into Kelly at the ASAE conference and heard about her new business to help associations maximize their mobile and social investments, I knew I wanted to take advantage of Kelly’s expertise. I asked her about personal coaching, and she has already sent me an outline of options to review.

Check out Kelly’s new business at http://www.growthvine.com. It’s got a lot of sizzle!

Face to Face

We all love online professional networking--and when appropriate, many of us tack on virtual xxx’s and ooo’s to a message. Hey, why not? Did you see all the hugging going on at ASAE?

Now that we’re home from the conference, we need to continue our face to face and hand to hand and hugs in addition to linking in. The first thing executive coach Marshall Brown said to me in St. Louis after our hello hug (we’ve been friends for a very long time) was: Are you meeting up with people back home?

During my formal career coaching sessions with Marshall a few years ago, he insisted that I schedule coffee chats and lunch dates on a frequent basis to strengthen my professional network. That was in addition to all the networking I did at live educational events. You can find lots of valuable career advice from Marshall at http://www.mbrownassociates.com/Blog/

Best wishes to all of you and virtual hugs to many of you, Gerry

Home, Sweet, Overwhelming Home

Three thousand cheers for ASAE for producing a fabulous conference! I learned so much; I connected with terrific new people; I hugged and hung out with old friends from everywhere (it was particularly great to see Alfons Westgeest, from Brussels, again); with my best animal-loving girlfriend, Dawn Latham, I baked treats for and fed sweet dogs at the rescue center; I had my first Ignite experience (wow!); I bought books from the bookstore; thanks to my husband, I went to great special events; I danced every single night except Thursday; I cheered on the award winners, including good friends Mark “Gordon” Golden and Jodie Slaughter; I set a new key personal goal and helped a colleague set one for herself; and I celebrated the wonderful profession of association management.

And if the 5,000 of us participants weren’t already super-impressed with St. Louis, we got a final taste of the city’s incredible hospitality as we were leaving for home. CVBers greeted us at the airport to bid good-bye and give us a parting gift. I learned a lot in St. Louis about surprising and delighting your customers.

I’m sure that all of my conference co-participants with jobs woke up this morning with a mix of fulfillment and dread. Batteries: recharged! Backed-up work: waiting! The same goes for those of us who are job hunting. I am so energized by the ASAE experience, yet at the same time overwhelmed by the job-searching work ahead…which now feels more intense since I have so much more information, advice and ideas from the ASAE conference to use in my search and interview efforts.

The best tip I have this morning comes from the lovely association executive who spoke at one of the Ignite sessions about yoga and association management: Breathe.

Going Up?

The importance of an elevator--or escalator--speech cannot be emphasized enough, especially when you're at the ASAE conference. You take more rides every day than you normally would in a month, and every three-minute trip is an opportunity to network. At a terrific session this morning in the CAE Lounge (15 floors down the Renaissance elevator and just past the escalators on the convention center's ground floor) I heard job-hunting advice from executive recruiter Jim Zaniello, president of Vetted Solutions, and ASAE Career Services program director Catherine Lux Fry. They reminded us to develop a strong, concise introduction to use when meeting colleagues and interviewing for positions. Deliver an intro that communicates clearly and quickly who you are, the most important work you've done and what type of opportunity you're seeking. Make sure your passion shines through.

The same advice applies to your resume. The top half of your first page must grab the prospective employer's interest to encourage further reading. Introduce yourself with a skills summary that highlights your strengths and allows your passion to pop off the page. Spend time and money on your resume--like your elevator speech, your resume is your first chance to make a great impression.

Jim and Catherine also talked about the impact of thank-you notes. Send them to every person who takes time to interview you--and don't forget recruiters. Figure out whether the best format is an e-mail or a handwritten card. Consider the nature of the organization and the job. For example, if you're interviewing for a position focused on digital publishing, it might be best to e-mail thank-you messages.

Thank you, Catherine and Jim, for sharing your valuable perspectives.

Must Love Dogs

Checking CEO Update this morning, I see that Therapy Dogs of Vermont is searching for a pup-loving Executive Director. How Gerry is that?:) It's a part-time, home-based position that includes some responsibilities beyond my experience, so I will not apply. I know someone who could be interested and qualified, though, so I will forward the job announcement. A huge part of job hunting is helping others find positions.

Great karma since Job One today is to help the stray dogs of St. Louis. ASAE's volunteer project starts in a couple of hours, and I'm psyched about helping the Stray Rescue team bake treats for the pups. Once I get my animal fix, I'll be ready to network with humans again and will have a huge opportunity to do so tonight. It's showtime for ASAE's opening celebration. Must love people.

Ready for You To Meet Me in St. Louis!

I am so excited to be in St. Louis at the best educational and networking event of the year for association execs that I couldn't resist writing that goofy headline and adding an exclamation point! (That is somewhat of an inside joke for editors, who are schooled in containing enthusiasm.) Hello ASAE -- I am rar'in to go. I'm here a day early and am following advice from a career coach: Never eat alone. I'm blogging over coffee in the hotel lounge so I can keep an eye out for early colleagues who might like to chat.

Another career tip I try to follow is: Be first. First to apply, first to interview, etc. This aligns with being a starter. So pre-coffee I skipped over to the convention center to pick up my badge and program book. At the registration desk, Jackie told me that I wasn't first, but I was close.

Now I'm really ready to begin. And as I look at the consultant label on my badge, I am more motivated than ever to change that tag to STAFF.

Take a Lesson From Editors

In 25 words or fewer, here’s what an editor does:  creates a product that delivers valuable content in a provocative and user-friendly way to engage a targeted audience (on deadline and within budget).

As a professional editor, I have worked toward that goal countless times and learned that the key to success is making the right choices. From the endless sources of relevant information, which ones do you choose for your product? From the many talented writers, who gets the nod for author? From the tons of potential images, which one best fits the visual strategy? Which vendor from the vast community is best prepared to deliver a high-quality product on budget and on time? And so on.

You survey the field and you make the best choices possible, knowing that your audience doesn’t think “content rich” means content overload, and knowing that your audience enjoys delightful surprises in the product while still expecting a consistent tone. You don’t just jam as much as possible into your product, even when it appears that space has no limits. Your audience expects you to be an editor and deliver the gems.

Same goes with your job-search materials. Your resume is a product that needs to deliver valuable content in a provocative and user-friendly way to engage a targeted audience, the prospective employer. Your resume is not your autobiography. Choose wisely what to include, and communicate that information accurately and effectively. Your job samples are just that--samples. They are not a collection of your life’s work. Be an editor:  choose, present, inform, engage, delight. Share valuable content that delivers the big picture of YOU as concisely as possible.     

What Do Your Shoes Say About You?

Want to convince a prospective employer that you’re fit to hit the ground running? One of the many ways to do so is to wear the right shoes during your interview. No one wants to see a candidate in casual-Friday footwear – not even on a day when you feel like your feet need to breathe. No flip-flops, no mules. Make sure your interview outfit doesn’t fall apart below the knees. Wear shoes that are professional and polished as well as coordinated with your clothes.

You might be saying: “I know that!” But here’s something you might not have considered: Wear fabulous shoes. Not spike-y, not glittery, but great looking and fabulous feeling. You’ll make the right statement when you meet your prospective employer, and you’ll be comfortable during your interview and better able to focus.

A friend of mine, a novelist, takes this a step further. Early today, knowing I had a phone interview, she advised: “Wear something fabulous while you talk on the phone.” She remembers buying a wonderful pair of shoes one morning and wearing them that afternoon while working at home, just because she wanted to, and she had a great writing day. I did it: During the phone call, I wore wonderful shoes.

Look down. Are you okay with what you see?

After Hours

Of the oft-cited benefits of freelancing, the one that rarely feels like a plus is flexibility. Box me in with a full-time job governed by core office hours, and I’m generally a happy camper, adding time before or after. And while I’m completely set up to telecommute as needed, I love the face-to-face aspect of Association Headquarters.

Between freelance writing and searching for a new position for the past few months, I certainly have had my fill of flex time. Career coaches tell job searchers to maintain a daily routine, and I’m pretty much following that advice. I’m treating job hunting as, well, my job. Still, at times I’m awake during nonroutine hours, and I find myself mentally composing my next cover letter. That buys me some free time the next day. With that free time I can do something productive, such as add another hour to my job as a job hunter, or rework my ASAE conference wardrobe spreadsheet, or learn how to cook a meal. Today I chose the latter and watched a re-run of Top Chef.

Of course, you can’t start out as a kitchen intern (which basically describes my culinary knowledge level) and whip up anything after just one hour of Top Chef. But from watching the show, I did learn that many elements of competitive cooking are similar to elements in competing for jobs. Stay true to yourself (project your style) while pursuing the challenge. Remember the importance of presentation. Satisfy the judge’s hunger.

Every friend and family member who has been on the receiving end of my cooking knows that a better reality TV fit for me is Worst Cooks in America. I’m truly what the show calls a kitchen zero. I hope to soon focus completely again on association management and demonstrate that I’m an office ten.

 

Bake, Feed and Rescue

Speaking of life jackets, while attending the ASAE annual meeting I'll have the opportunity to help extend the lives of stray dogs. The volunteer project for this year's conference speaks directly to my main passion: helping animals. I'll be putting to use the skills I learned during my high school and college jobs at Bellmeadow Bakery on Long Island and in the Snelling Hall bakery at the University of Georgia. A group of ASAE attendees will work with professional bakers to make healthy and delicious treats for the dogs at Stray Rescue of St. Louis. Then comes the best part: We'll have the chance to feed our treats to the pups and see the smiles on their faces.

If you are attending the ASAE conference and cannot participate in the Stray Rescue project, you can help the formerly abused and neglected dogs, cats and other animals by making a donation at the marked areas of the convention center. If you're not attending, you can donate at www.strayrescue.org.

You just never know when learnings from an old job will come in handy. What's the oldest skill you've put to work lately?

Getting ASAE-Ready (What to Wear??)

Dress not for the job you have but for the job you want -- that classic advice comes to mind right now, as I sit at my laptop, dressed for my current role: under-employed association executive. On this 100-plus-degree day, even in my air-conditioned home, that means I'm completing a freelance project in shorts and a tee. But this isn't one of *those* kinds of blogs. The point is that I need to outline exactly what I want to wear to each and every session and event at the upcoming annual meeting of the American Society of Association Executives. The ASAE conference in St. Louis starts soon, and at every opportunity, I want to look the part of an association communications professional: polished, upbeat, lovely and risk-taking. Guess I'll leave the life jacket at home.