Dear Friends and Colleagues,

This issue of my newsletter was inspired by a conversation I had with a colleague who uses my book, “30 Ways to Shine as a New Employee: A Guide to Success in the Workplace” as the basis for her Employment Readiness class at a community college in Phoenix, Arizona.   One of the 30 skills in the guide is entitled “Dealing with Change – Preparing for the Winding Road of Transition”.  It includes a visual map of the four stages of transition for an employee new to the work world and a list of seven tips for traveling the winding terrain of a new job.  (Pages 13-18) While this skill area is one of my favorites in the book and is a total delight to teach in my Train the Trainer course, it never occurred to me that these same principles can and should be applied to people who are preparing for or are in the midst of a job search.  When she asked where she could find the “Map of Transition and Traveling Tips for the Job Search”, I smiled a crooked smile and suggested that she should subscribe to my newsletter and find it in an upcoming issue.  And so, here it is.  

For those who are not familiar with 30 Ways to Shine, the “Map of Transition to a New Job” is a two-page visual map describing the following four stages: 

• Stage One: Feeling lost in the forest or like a stranger in a foreign land.
   

• Stage Two: Trying to find your bearings and getting used to being a beginner. 
   

• Stage Three:  Having a totally exaggerated emotional response to your new environment – totally loving it or completely hating it!
   

• Stage Four: Adjusting to the new job and finding emotional balance.

While all transitions seem to have a sequence of stages, the nature of those stages differs with the kind of transition we are in.  For example, the stages of grief as introduced through the brilliant work of Elizabeth Kübler-Ross are not what we expect to experience in the transition of getting married, having a baby, or moving to a new city.  I am sure that there are many various “models of change” for job seekers, and as such, I am not presenting this as a formal, academic model.  Rather, consider the following as the result of my current thinking about the stages I have recognized personally as a job seeker and witnessed professionally in working with job seekers.     It is important to note that these stages as I am presenting them are not necessarily linear – they are simply five sets of experiences that typically accompany the job search. How each of us moves from one to the other is a personal matter.  These stages do not suggest a clear cut movement forward.  In other words, while there may be a sequence, it does not preclude back and forth, overlapping experiences of the stages. 
 

Denise’s “Map of Transition for Job Seekers”

Stage One:  Emotional Reaction/Responding 

Depending on the circumstances that brought the person to the point of seeking new work, emotions can feel numb or go haywire, or they are enthusiastic and hopeful. The person can feel as if the world as they have known it is disappearing and they have no firm foundation upon which to stand OR they can feel as if the world is their pearl of possibility and they are excited to enter a new stage in their life.  Whether it is a time of grief, with its requisite aspects of denial, anger, bargaining, and sorrow, or a time of great elation and celebration, (as with the completion of a degree or an exciting move to a new city), it is all the person can do to just be with their emotions.

Stage Two: Reflection and Acceptance

This is the questioning phase when people attempt to integrate the idea of a new reality into their thinking, and deal with the ramifications of how it will affect their everyday life.  This is the time of entertaining a new identity, imagining who they will be as they leave behind old roles and relationships, whether as a welfare recipient, a university student, or a professional leaving a workplace and a community due to a lay-off.  This is a time of reflecting on skills, values, purpose, and meaning.  It is a time of problem-solving and articulating a new vision for one’s life.  

Stage Three:  Organizing and Preparation 

Once people have come to recognize and accept the need to seek new work or to enter a new stage of their livelihood, they begin to review the practical aspects of their situation by gathering information, seeking assistance, and making a plan.  This is a time for putting together tools such as resumes, portfolios and cover letters, researching and targeting potential employers, networking, carrying out informational interviews, and coming up with a job search strategy.   This can be a very stressful time or a most invigorating phase as the job seekers’ goals and dreams begin to take shape. 

Stage Four:  Starting and Maintaining the Job Search

This is where the rubber hits the road – the time for knocking on doors, mailing letters, attending job fairs, picking up the phone, and actively marketing oneself through a variety of job seeking methods.  While people can start strong in their job search, the trick for most is maintaining momentum when their efforts fail to bring immediate results.  This stage brings high hopes as well as disappointment, a lot of waiting and anticipation, requiring great self-discipline, patience and perseverance.   

Stage Five:  Employment or Reworking of Goals

The job search will either end with the attainment of employment or the surrender of the job seeker’s resolve to continue looking.  Either way, they are back to the early stages of transition - being new on the job or needing new vision, inspiration or a fresh plan to get them moving again on their job search.
 

Traveling Tips for the Winding Road of Transition

For the sake of those who do not have a copy of “30 Ways to Shine”, what I offer below are the seven tips as presented to new employees in the original guide, with an addendum for job seekers. 

1. Mark your spot on the map.
   
   There are stages we go through in any transition and it is helpful to identify the stage you are in so you know what to expect!  Identifying where you are in the process helps you to prepare for the terrain ahead.  So if you are feeling a little blue on the job, and you realize that you are in the second stage of transition, you might remind yourself that it is normal to feel down because you are still feeling lost, but it will pass when you begin to feel more at home on the job.  Which of the four stages of transition do you relate to most right now?
   
   Job Seekers: Mark your spot on the map of transition.  Do you recognize any of these stages as places you have been and moved through?  In which stage do you find yourself right now? How might you prepare for future stages? 
    

2. Check your rearview mirror!
   
   Expectations can lead to disappointment and assumptions can get you into real trouble. What are some of the pictures you had of yourself in this job?  How did you imagine this place to feel?  How do you think your pictures match with that of the employer’s?  Do you think you and the employer have the same expectations? Is it possible that you are having difficulty adjusting to the new job because you cannot put down your pictures of what you thought it should be like?
   
   Job Seekers:  If you begin to feel discouraged in your job search, consider how your expectations are playing into your experience. How did you expect certain employers to respond to you or to your application?  How long did you think it would take you to land a job?  Are you dispirited because your reality has not matched your expectations of the situation?  If so, is it possible to change your expectations so that they are in sync with your current reality? 
    

3. Keep your eye on the road!
   
   Focus on what is going right on the job.  Don’t lose your concentration by trying to pay attention to the million and one things going on around you.  Keep your energy and effort directed in places where you have control and continue to remind yourself of what is working out well so far.  Be proud of how far you have come and less concerned with how far you think you still have to go!
   
   Job Seekers:   When in the throes of a job search it is much easier to be critical of oneself and disappointed with what has not yet happened than to recognize and appreciate the great strides one has already taken.  Put more focus on the effort you are making than on the results it is having.  Have faith that if you continue to sow the seeds of your daily job search with discipline and dedication, you will enjoy the results of a healthy harvest.  Keep doing what you are doing long enough for it to work!
    

4. Know the rules of the road!
   
   What are the priorities of the job?  If there is too much to be done at once, what should you focus on first?  When there is little going on, what is a good use of your time?  Clarify what is expected of you from other people as quickly as possible. Who do you have to please?  What do you have to do to please them?  How will you know if you have done what they expect? If you cannot answer these questions, find someone who can respond to them.  They will respect you for asking!
   
   Job Seekers:  It is immensely discouraging to keep working at something if you do not feel as if you are making ground.  Establish a daily routine with specific timelines, goals and objectives, so that at the end of the day you can have the satisfaction of looking back at what you did and celebrating having accomplished another day of your job search.  There is a saying in the business world, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”  Muster the self-discipline to organize, measure, and celebrate your daily efforts in the job search.  Also, be sure to take the time at the end of each day or week to discern what is working for you and what is not.  Seek good advice from job search professionals about the best ways to market yourself and how to use your time to your best advantage.  “Being busy” is not the same thing as “ making progress”.  Be sure to keep busy doing the “right” things!  
    

5. Share the road!
   
   You don’t have to go the distance alone.  Everyone around you has gone through (or is going through) something similar when they started their jobs.  No one was born on the job they are in – everyone has had to pass through the threshold that you are facing now.  Most people are thrilled to be asked for support!  It is a compliment, a sign of respect, and an invitation to friendship.  If you do not have people to support you outside of work, find a mentor or a co-worker who is willing to be supportive. 
   
   Job Seekers: The job search is typically difficult for everyone – always has been, always will be!  What makes it harder is that we tend to go it alone, making it lonely as well as discouraging.  Muster the courage to ask for help when you need it.  Have the confidence to share your goals and aspirations with the people around you, remembering that you never know who can connect with you other people or opportunities.  Be willing to seek advice or get assistance from the many people and agencies who are set up to work with people in your situation.  While you are on the receiving end of assistance, don’t forget to continue offering your assistance to others who could also use your help!  Get involved in a project or volunteer your time during the part of the day or week that you are not actively looking for work.  Remember that you are not alone!
    

6. Take the journey one mile at a time!
   
   You don’t have to harvest a garden over night and you won’t find your groove in your new job overnight.  Consider it a project that you work on a bit every day.  You don’t need to be an expert – if you were, they would probably pay you more.  All you have to prove when you are new on the job is that you are willing to learn.  Focus more on progress than on perfection!
   
   Job Seekers:  Make sure that your daily job search goals and objectives are ambitious enough for you to feel that you have accomplished something at the end of the day, but make sure that your plan is gentle enough to be doable.  Sometimes it’s helpful to think in terms of “small steps” instead of “big plans”, and to set objectives from hour to hour or from day to day rather than from week to week. Consider making a list each morning of two or three small pieces of progress that you would you would like to make by the end of the day. Remember that stick by stick a bird makes its nest, brick by brick a mason builds a home.     
    

7. Bring several pairs of sunglasses!
   
   Your mind is wonderfully versatile.  Like changing sunglasses with blue lens to yellow, you can change the lens from which you view the world from dark to light, fearful to hopeful.  Find and hold to a perspective that makes sense of this time and helps you keep a sense of humor as you transition into your new job.  W. C. Fields once said “Life is a tragedy up close, but a comedy seen from a distance.”  The same thing that can make us cry, seen through another lens, can make us laugh.  What you need is the ability to see things through various lenses.  The steps laid out in this guide will help you to do that. 
   
   Job Seekers:  Exercise the awesome power of your mind to get and keep perspective during your job search.  When times are tough, entertain questions like the following to help you regain perspective on the situation:
    

   • What qualities and attributes am I learning to put into practice during this time?
      

   • What other transitions have I successfully gone through in my life?
      

   • What do I have going for me in my life which I am grateful for?
      

   • What are some of the good things that could happen as a result of the effort I am putting out?
      

   • If I were my own best friend, what advice would I be giving myself?
      

   • If I were a great coach, what three tips would I be giving myself to keep my job search going strong?
      

   • How do I reward myself for the small steps I am taking day to day?
      

   • What is the best thing that has happened to me since I began looking for work?
      

   • What else is happening in my life that deserves my attention when I am not looking for work?
      

In summary, it is important to recognize each stage of the transition that a job search represents so that our assistance is consistent with the job seeker’s experience. In other words, sending someone on an informational interview or to a job fair while they are grappling with the emotions of a lay-off may not be the most effective “next step”. Similarly, the person who has not yet done the work in the early stage of self-reflection and job targeting may fail to make “employer contacts” because they have not yet articulated a vision for themselves. For those of us who are supporting people in becoming employed, we must be consciously attuned to the transition stages of each individual so that the assistance we offer them is both timely and appropriate.

Recognizing that all of us are always in the state of “in between”, I leave you with a poem about the vulnerability that comes on the journey of one transition to another.

I wish you all many safe and happy “arrivals”…

~ Denise