Job Bailout

Do you need a job bailout? Sometimes we all need a "bailout" from something. Wouldn't it be nice to have a parachute show up when you thought you were doomed?

Let's think about the idea of a bailout for your job or career track for a second. A bailout is defined as "...coming to the rescue." There are times in life when a rescue attempt is good and ones when it is bad. If someone rescues you from something do you really learn your lesson as to not do whatever got you into the emergency situation in the first place? Some would say yes and others would say no.

I won't answer it for you but I think both are right and deserve their fair view. Most importantly is with any bailout...are you going to do things differently next time. This may mean never getting in a situation like this again and safeguarding against it. This may mean making tough decisions and not always getting what you want or taking the major risk. We must learn from our choices every day or we cease to live life to it fullest.

Take risks and do challenging things, but in the end you must learn from mistakes and live with consequences. My jobs over the years have been built on the previous ones. I have learned much from each position and hope to do the same into the future.

My son asked me last night to list the jobs I have had in my life so far. It turned out to be a long list starting from working at my dad's auto body shop when I was 10 to delivering papers, working as a bagger at Kroger, house cleaner, drug rep and now small business owner. There were another 10 jobs in the middle which have added to my experiences. Towards the end of the conversation, he asked how many jobs will I have until I retire. I had to think about this one as I am 39 and don't plan on really ever retiring as I want to do many things before I die. After careful thought I answered 10.

Life work is about adding to our experiences and not being scared. Living and learning and work should be integral in our experiences. No bailout is necessary but thinking about what you should do next can be fun and exploring the possibilities will enhance your future.

Let's Get Started!

Jeff

You Need Time To Search

If you think you are ready for a job change, don't quit today. Give yourself some time to get your resume together, checking out the job boards and talking to your friends and family. All these activities take time. Most job searches cannot be done in a week or two (although sometimes it happens).

Plan for a month or two just to get rolling. You really never 100% of the time know where your job lead is going to come from so you must start all the "normal" job search activities and see where they take you. I knew a guy who quit a $130k job to start his own business. The business chugged along for a year with no real full time income coming in. He then contacted a fried to see if they had any part time sales work. The friend said yes and now the guy is doing his business part time and business development part time. Who know where it will take him.

Don't delay in getting yourself out there. Get started today.

Let's Get Started!

Jeff

Gas Prices, Economy and Jobs

Sorry for the delay in blogging...been busy moving from AZ to CO. We are set up in our new office here and LOVIN IT! AZ is soooooo hot for soooooo long it gets old. We gave up our shorts and shades for sweatshirts and skis.

What is going on with the economy this year? WOW what a wild ride we are on. There is so much doom and gloom I am starting to believe it all. Well, not really. Yes I do believe we are experiencing a "correction" based upon too much optimism over the past 5+ years. The optimism in housing, stocks and our constant use of debt is starting to catch up with many of us.

Remember one simple concept and you will make it to the other side. The concept is based upon a verse I quote from the bible. In summary it says: "This too will pass." It is NOT the end of the world. It may be difficult to get through but you and I will. We will and learn something new about ourselves through the process. The ride will be bumpy but if we don't get caught up in the "sky is falling" mentality we can and will see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Now that I have used every cliche I could muster, what do we do with the job search? Just keep going. If you are out of work, think about how to get a new job in an industry that is going up. If you are working and unsure of if/when you might loose your job, you do the same: think about how you can search for a job in an industry that is improving.

You may be saying which industries are improving...if so here are a few: Technology (some areas are BOOMING!), Nursing, Elder Care, Sales (when times are tough, sales people are last to go), Education, IT Engineering and Programming, Entertainment (Music and Video) and Online Marketing (SEO, Blogging, Content Providers, and Promotions of all sorts). These are just a few examples.

Think strategically about your next job. Don't be a Lemming!

Let's Get Started!

Jeff