Dawn Barclay

Helping you align all that you do with your core values

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Career Change is a Retrain Required?

Many people assume that to change career they are going to have to completely retrain.

Not true. Yes, it applies to some careers but for the majority it doesn’t.  Careers that require professional registration will require a complete retrain i.e. social worker to doctor, nurse to health and safety officer.

So, what role do you want to move into?  You will already know if you have to complete mandatory training or are you looking for a career change that may not require specific qualifications in order for you to obtain it?

You may just need to find a way through the door.

If it’s latter it may not be a question of retraining but re-branding you and your skills, knowledge and experience.  Many people know about transferable skills and prior knowledge/learning yet are unable to utilise them in their search and application.

The following might help and it’s good fun:

Send off for three applications for the job/career you are aiming for.  This can be based anywhere because at this point you are probably not going to apply right away, so forget saying ‘oh I am not skilled’ this way you are taking the emotion all out of it.

You have no intention of applying.

Once they come, go straight to the person specifications and we will use these only.

Look for the similarities, they may be worded differently but do they mean the same thing?

Create your own specification called ‘My Dream Job Requirements’ on a new piece of paper.

List everything you need to have in order to be doing the job.

Now, for every point on your list write beside it examples, truths, knowledge, paid, unpaid experience, why you know you could do the task.

Recently, I worked with a client who had been working in retail for 20 years and they wanted a role helping people but they felt they had no experience.

Doing the above exercise we discovered together that she had brought three children up on her own, cared for a parent who had died of cancer, volunteered in a day centre ‘doing peoples nails’ and was involved in a local community group.

Their problem was, they did not see the connection. You can right?

So you will have two lists next, where are the gaps?  That is your first retraining.  It might be something like ‘ability to use SAGE’.  Your call to action would be identify who uses this, where they use it, can you help them use it?

This may even be someone you know.  And note it where it says the ‘ability’ to use, not 10 years experience.  If you are asked for an ability to do something, you can probably assume they will provide training.  You just need to show you have the capability to learn.

People assume they have to spend fortunes in expensive career change retraining yet someone else out there already knows what they need to know.

The key is learn and retrain from them.

Email Signature, ‘C’mon What’s Wrong With Love?

For sometime now I have been ‘signing off’ in my email signatures, blog posts, correspondence with the phrase ‘Love and best wishes’…recently I was chatting with a couple of friends who said, ready…?

‘You shouldn’t use the word love in your email, people don’t know you and they will think it’s too informal, it’s not professional!’

Mmm, perhaps it’s not a huge point, but it has got me thinking.

In fact if anything, it’s got me thinking I should ditch the ‘best wishes’ part…but that’s for another post.

I’d ‘love’ to know your thoughts and what your sign off is, but first:

Well, let’s see, over the past five years you have read from me in emails:

  • ‘Yours Sincerely’ (too formal – especially for me)
  • ‘Kind Regards’ (I never ever liked that one, reminds me of solicitors letters)
  • ‘In love and light’ (I think some of you ran a mile at that phrase, does suit a Reiki Practice though)
  • ‘Have a Wonderful Day’ (I think I’d seen someone else use that one)
  • ‘To Your Success’ (that was okay, I think?)

and I can’t believe I’m writing this one:

  •  ‘Your Fiery Friend’ (that lasted about a day as I’m strawberry blond not a ginger, and I was just being a smart ass.)

There have been others I’ve spouted at you, but they are long gone from my memory (hopefully yours too…oh, and please don’t shame me by sending me reminders, delete all old emails from me, okay?)

But…love and best wishes…what do you think? Are our email signatures are reflection of who we are?

I love the word ‘love’…what’s wrong with love?

  1. Too ‘touchy feely’?
  2. Too ‘out there’?
  3. Uncomfortable?
  4. Overrated?
  5. Underused?
  6. World (still) not ready for it?
  7. Too cheesy?

Here’s my thoughts, (and I’d love to know if you agree or disagree with me).

I’m in the business of personal and professional development, right?

Doesn’t all development start on the inside first?  Whatever way you look at it, does it not come back to ‘you ‘gotta love yourself first’!

So simple, and yet as human beings most of us stink at throwing love at where it’s needed most…which is our way.

Some days we love ourselves and other days well, need I say more, we can be our worst enemy; we can detest everything about ourselves, our life, our career, home, business…you name it.

But I repeat…generally, what is wrong with the word love?

Many of the people I’ve met and worked with, have been denied love, (and some from a very early age) personally, I find that sad and unacceptable.

Are we so scared of being loved that we now can’t even mention the word?

Has the word and world of love become so loaded with impersonal meaning and heavy duty baggage?

Is it one of ‘those’ words that even the mention of it triggers an unhappy thought and past experience? One of ‘those’ words that we notice people flinch at when they see it written or hear it said.

That’s sad.

As a fellow human being, I’ve decided (at least for the time being) to keep using it.

Why?

(Apart from still surviving the ‘fiery friend’ email signature) Because, in my opinion, if I can’t display and show you love what the hell am I doing here?

No, I don’t mean at a shallow level either…love to me is power.

Love is the unspoken language that makes enemies and strangers become friends.

Love is the complete opposite to hatred and fear.

Love is the positive regard I have for every other human being (and no, I never expect it back.)

Love is what fuels my passions, drives me forward and energises me to sit up and take notice.

Love to me is not just a basic human need but also a need for being human.

Love is not something that has to be fought over!

I mean can you imagine if the world you and I live in, were to wake up tomorrow morning and we were using phrases like ‘the love in Iraq’ the ‘March For Love’, ‘Love Rally’, ‘Weapons of Love’ or ‘Love Attacks’…that is not me being silly and unaware, I’m trying to explain that by the use of ONE word – a whole new way of thinking can appear.

Love can create change.

And for the comment not being professional?

Ah! That’s a good point…and that has been my ‘word’ to overcome.

My goal is to provide professional services.  It has taken me years to realise that I can do this better, not by staying at arms length from people, but getting right on down and ‘just being me’.

And yes, that involves loving what I’m doing and sharing it with you.

So, signing of with…

lots of love and best wishes

Dawn

PS What’s your email signature? Can you remember why you choose it?  Oh, and to display love in business or not, what do you think? Leave a comment below.

An Example of Complete Passion, Purpose and Service (and a lesson for every business owner, employee and human being)

Maya, my beautiful dog passed away it’s raw. One day I’ll write about it, but not today.
If you aren’t a ‘pet’ person and lover of animals, that’s okay, this post is still for you.

The story briefly (yes, it’s still raw, so short and sweet), in the early hours of the 6th of July, I knew that Maya would not be with me very much longer.

Maybe you too have been in a similar situation (to which I’m genuinely sorry) I hadn’t, and sitting with her that last night I hadn’t got a clue about what to do after she’d gone.

I began searching and it wasn’t long before I was reading an article called ‘The Right Choice’ which explained all about giving your pet a ‘dignified and respectful cremation’.

Click, click, click, I landed on a local business that offered ‘pet bereavement services’.

The sad hour did come and because of what I has read on the site above, I had no hesitation in calling the number.

Here’s What Happened…

1.      Expecting an answering service (I called at 4.30am) the call was answered by a woman who understood instantly my needs, my state, my problem, my pain. (When many business owners are making themselves less available this lady is answering calls 24/7.)

2.      She arrived at my home (55 miles from hers) at 6.30am. (She gave the ETA and stuck to it.)

3.      She (and her partner) came into my home with the respect and understanding of my situation.

4.      She sat, she let me cry, she explained the process in language I would understand, she listened, she didn’t once flinch or flicker at the irrational behaviour I was displaying, she treated Maya with the utmost respect and dignity (as she promised on her website), she step by step took me by the hand and led me through what was going to happen. She hid nothing.  (When many business owners are trying to hide behind their faults and failings.)

5.      She told her story (when I asked and not before) and it was obvious (even then) she had ‘walked in my shoes’ (she knew me better at that moment, than I knew myself.)

6.      She then drove Maya the 55 miles back to her home (until she could contact the crematorium to book a time for later on that day)

7.      Then she drove 120 miles to the pet crematorium because that is the only one that operates on the same ethical values as herself.

8.      She waited an hour for Maya’s ashes.

9.      She then drove the 175 miles back to my home to give me them. 18 hours in total.

10.  All in the same day – and that is something she does in rain, hail, snow or shine.

 The cost of this floored me, so I paid more.

Then a few days later I started receiving letters from animal charities thanking me for their donations, the woman didn’t even take the extra, she gave it away.

What am I sharing this with you?

If You’re a Small Business Owner

You have probably heard of the saying ‘going the extra mile’.

And for some business owners it means ‘throwing in a free sample’ or ‘we have a free phone number’ or perhaps the major selling point is ‘ call us, you’ll get to speak to a real human being’.

Here’s the test…go through your business and honestly answer this question ‘is this part of my service so special and unique that even I would rave about it?’.

Next, go through every benefit, add on, service you offer and ask yourself ‘is this extremely valuable to my customer’ if the answer is yes then think of five ways you can add to it, if the answer is no, then (like I did) get busy and make it so.

When I read the petundertakers site on the first visit I read exactly what was going to happen at the end (and it’s not pretty reading nor was a pretty sight) but I was given knowledge.

Is there something that you are holding back from your customers that if they knew just that one thing they would have information that is priceless.  Give them it, give it away.

I know one of the reasons I choose the petundertaker was because one little piece of information prepared and informed me more than any trip to the vet could do.

If You’re an Employee

Well, another story…when I called and cancelled Maya’s pet insurance I explained the situation and the first reply was ‘you still have the rest of next months premium to pay’.

It was on the tip of my tongue to give out to the person on the other end of the phone and shout ‘you eegit, do you really MORE THAN care?’ but I held my breath.

The next time you are faced with any customer say to yourself:

‘I’m the first person that has heard this persons problem.’

You could be the first person that another human being has spoken to that day, you could be the first person that another human being has told their problem to, you could be the first person that has really listened and cared!

You could be the first person in that persons LIFE who has listened to understand them rather than respond.

 And Lastly If You’re a Human Being!

Through this sad experience it has added further to my beliefs about living a life of  ‘purpose and passion’ (and I mean by that, at any moment your world can change) and those who know me will know how much I care about ‘service and giving back’.

Yes, I know you may be thinking ‘but she was only a dog for goodness sake’, ah, and that is the truth, for sure.

And that’s the lesson.

To truly deliver passion and purpose in our service as a business, as an employee, human being: is it not about putting ‘I’ aside and what ‘I’ think even a tiny moment so that we can serve people better?

To sum up…do one thing for yourself today, ask yourself tonight (you’ll remember to do it) when you go to bed and slip between the sheets, ‘what one thing did I do today that was purposeful, full of passion and of service to others’?

If not, get moving, it ‘aint long till the ‘two legged undertaker calls’ at your own door…do you want to just leave or leave a legacy?

 

The Problem With Crisis Job Search

Our careers are a roller coaster ride, just like every other area of our lives.

They go up and down, have high points and low points.

Some days are better than others.

We can leave our baggage at the doors most mornings, and yet other days we drag in the suitcases.

There is nothing wrong with having the odd negative moment, hour or day about your career.

The problem is when the negative far outweighs the positive when every day is a low point.

Going in some days can be an emotional nightmare. The fact you dislike what you are doing so much affects your confidence and self-esteem. If you have got to this stage then perhaps a Career Change is needed.

The Long Dark Dinner Time of The Sunday Night Soul

I worked with a client once who basically wiped out Sunday with his family so he could concentrate on dreading Monday morning.

Maybe like what he did, you carry out crisis job search every night when you go home.

This is the type of search where you go to the big online job/career recruitment sites, enter a keyword and then just send off your stored CV, usually the CV that has been the same one, without changes, for a year or two.

The problem here is you then feel as though you have been applying for a while and nothing is happening. You believe that recruitment agencies are no good when the truth is you sent something irrelevant, untargeted and not a match.

Let me explain. You are only applying in crisis when things are bad.

Think about it when you do other things in a bad mood: does it work out rosy? Or does it seem to get worse?

My advice: stop applying for a while.

What! I know, I am asking you to give no thought to your career, the thing that is driving you insane. Instead of applying, research and get ready to make a meaningful change.

This can include the following:

  • Discover what you love to do. Think about your current role, is there any of it left that you still enjoy? Make a list.
  • Spend time on you. Next time you are online only research the roles and careers you would love to explore. Find out about salaries, training, skills requirements.
  • Speak to those already doing the job you would like. Spend time with them asking all about it. Be ready and willing to see new opportunities and chances.
  • Get ‘career savvy’. Learn everything there is to know about researching, applying, writing CV’s and cover letters, interviews and alternative career searching. Instead of downloading an online template start a file of interesting information you find.
  • Start applying again when you are not in crisis. Commit yourself to this. When you are calmer, you are more focused and you will actually see more.
  • This is the best time to apply, not when you are in despair. It’ll come through in everything you write, say or do.

7 Ways to Increase Your Self Esteem

Eleanor Roosevelt once said ‘no-one can make you feel inferior without your consent’.

No one can make you feel anything, you are the only person that can feel what you are feeling.  It’s your choice on what you choose to feel.

Here are ten ways to increase your self esteem…

Competence 

Low self-esteem is an acceptance that in some all areas of your life, you don’t make the grade, you don’t match up, and you don’t measure up.  You may feel inferior by not being as good as another, comparing yourself to others.  Carry out a true evaluation of you, explore your life and list all your competencies.

Locus of Control

We each have a locus of control; we have an internal thermostat if you like, of how much control we feel over our lives.  Some people feel that they have none or very little control, they go through life blaming others and complaining how everything happens to them and they had no control over it.

This behaviour lowers self-esteem, by not increasing your locus of control you are giving away power and accepting that life is a defeating process.

Look back over you life to date, where did you give up control where you know today, that in hindsight, you could have control than you had.

Valuable 

People with low self-esteem have the belief, feelings and behaviour that state they are worth nothing to no-one or anything.

Have you ever said ‘I’m not worthy?’  In order to raise your self-esteem you may have to start by reviewing your definition of the ‘worth’.  Start taking a Life Inventory, a stock take of all your strengths, achievements and start looking for the distortions and generalisations you make about your self.

Contribution 

Everyone has something to contribute.  Everyone.  For example, people out of work may see their self-esteem lower during this time.  One of the causes is the in fact that employment (paid or unpaid) assist us in making a contribution, without it we may feel insignificant that we are no longer part of something that has an end result.  We all have something to contribute.

Acceptance

Acceptance is the ability to embrace who you are NOW, this moment including all things that you want to change or are no longer happy with.  Acceptance is not a declaration of ‘well, this is it, this is how it is going to be, I accept that’.  By choosing to accept the truth of you at this moment you can move forward.  There is truly no need to find fault in yourself all the time, adopting a ‘know what, I’m okay, let’s move on’ frees up the mind.

Self Love

The greatest, most passionate, exhilarating and unconditional love affairs you can have is with yourself!  Many baulk at sayings such as ‘love yourself first’ or ‘unless you love yourself, how can you love anyone else’.

Love is an emotion, we all describe it differently, we all feel it’s power and yet we provide lack of it for ourselves.  It really does not make any sense, it has no logic, there is wonderful saying ‘take care of the caretaker’.  Have you heard it?  We are so often willing to give up love to others and yet struggle to love ourselves.  Define your definition of love, what does it mean to you?  Next, apply your meaning to yourself, where does it fall short?  What needs worked?

No Judgement

We are our biggest critics; we are experts in reminding ourselves of our biggest failings and where we went wrong moments.  We are all too ready to belittle, pass comments, make snide remarks about us!  Who sits in your own personal jury?  Who is responsible for sentencing you to low self-esteem?  By who’s laws are you trying to abide by?  I give it to you; judgment is not the same as an honest evaluation, if there are people that are on the prosecution in your life, you do not have to accept all their closing statements.

The Myths Attached to CV’s

Some people have heard time and time again and therefore now believe ‘oh it’s your CV what gets you the interview’. The result being they have attached such an emotional value to it they can’t let it go.

Some people, spend days, weeks, months and in some cases YEARS getting their CV ready to fire out to hiring employers and agencies…yet in the end they never send it! This emotion they have attached to it is so strong that anything less than perfect will just not do.

Ready to shatter a few myths so you can actually start applying for all those opportunities and chances?

Myth 1: Writing A CV Is Hard

Wrong!

What people, generally, find ‘hard’ is selling who they are, their skills, experience, knowledge and potential.

A CV is just a tool, all you need is the ‘know how’ and knowledge and understanding of the tool to make it work for you. There is no point wasting time looking for ‘Free CV Templates’ if you are unable to complete the empty boxes, also searching for ‘good CV examples’ is not another great thing to do. Why? Because you will no doubt try and replicate it word for word. To create the best CV for you, look at you first.

Unless you have taken an inventory of who you are, where you have been, what you have learnt, where are your skills, where are you talents, gifts and uniqueness you will find selling yourself an extremely difficult task. No one can sell you, you have to do it. To learn to sell, adopt a career change salesman mindset.

Myth 2: If My CV Is Perfect I Will Always Get An Interview

Wrong again. What your definition of perfect is, may not be the same definition the employer/recruiter has. It should be ‘perfect’ for each job you apply for and there is no way that every job will be the same. A perfect CV involves having the bulk of it done and tweaking it as you go.

Having only one CV for a career change is ineffective. Why? There is nothing worse for an employer to look at a CV and be thinking ‘have they read the advert’?

Myth 3: My CV is The Most Important Part of Searching

No actually it’s not. Okay, if you are just sticking to only traditional job searching methods it will be your first introduction to a company or agency, yes it’s pretty important.

More important is your attitude and goal orientated behaviour. When applying for a new position or starting down a different career path. The CV should be the last thing put together. Research and document everything, learn the language your future employer is using first.

Creating your CV’s will be a hundred times easier.