Friday, December 12, 2014

"I'm just a………"

I've been working with many unemployed professionals who have lost their positions when their large law firm closed.  To a person, no one seems to feel they have any skills, accomplishments, or any other noteworthy "why should I hire you?" information.  I hear over and over again, "well, I'm just a (paralegal, legal secretary, lawyer, accountant)."  When I press the issue, I get a whole lot of……NOTHING.  I am always incredulous, though, because when I start quizzing them about what, where, how, why, when, how much, and how many, most of them wake up and start revealing a little more. Usually, though, unconvincingly.

This is not an unusual phenomenon with many clients.  I think, if someone like me can see the greatness in their work, why can't they? Perhaps it's because I'm a "glass is half full" kind of counselor/coach, which is why it's probably a good think I'm in this profession.

Years ago, in a class with soon-to-be-laid-off teachers, each and every teacher told me, "I'm just a teacher." WHAT?  If we dissect what a typical teacher does each day, we find that there are a multitude of great skills.  Time and classroom management, stand-up presentation skills, writing, reading, facilitating, scoring, pairing, decision-making, organization, intuition, problem-solving, and the list goes on.

So, a while back, I started trying to understand WHY this situation is so rampant among the unemployed.  Could it be depression, anxiety, shame, low self-worth? Perhaps, although my theory is simple this: most people don't think about their talents in a job-setting. They assume they're doing a good job, (after all, they got hired, right?) so they are simply going about their business every day, every month, every year. Unless someone gets an award or is recognized for something, most people just carry on.  This is problematic, though, because then people are unprepared for the unexpected.

A key career management skill (which really means you're always preparing for your next job) is to take stock of what you do, for example, how well you do it, how many people you work with, how much money you've helped the company save, in what situations you've problem-solved and the result, etc. Being able to quantify your accomplishments, your results- and clearly identify specific skills you have which make you employable is going to greatly enhance your chances of success in the future, no matter what the situation.

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