FIND Full-Time or Part-Time WORK THAT DOESN’T SUCK – Step 2

First a brief review of Step 1.

Step 1 of my 3-step process essentially requires you to obtain crystal clarity about WHAT you want TO DO for a living. That is, how you want to contribute, what you want to give to the world, and what legacy you want to leave behind.

Now the idea of a legacy might seem a little “heavy” when it comes to thinking about a part-time job. But having a detailed description of your DREAM does ensure that any interim job or contract position you obtain will support your dream; not prevent it.

The detail you look for includes a clear picture of WHAT, WHO, WHERE, WHEN, WHICH, and HOW. (I’ll cover these details in my upcoming FR^EE teleclass)

Step 2: Use Your Theme(s) to Find THE Work of Your Dreams

Clarity takes time … and effort. The good news is that having any degree of clarity about your Destiny Dream^TM is valuable. Especially IF you act on that clarity and move toward your Dream – as it reveals itself to you.

So, how do you take all those apparently jumbled pieces of data about Who, What, and so on and create a Theme or Themes for your Dream?

Let’s use my Destiny Dream^TM as an example.

I’ve been crafting and using a Destiny Plan^TM to guide my life, career, and work since the early 90s. My Destiny Plan^TM has evolved to have 9 key Action Goal^TM Areas – My Health & Wellness, My Relationships, My Work, My Learning & Development, My Passions, My Sexuality, My Muse, My Spirituality, and My Societal Contribution. Naturally, your 9 Action Goal^TM Areas would likely be different from mine.

What I’ve noticed for the last several years is that, as I’ve done my Action Goal^TM Planning every January, I’ve felt this strong sense that I was missing something.

So, I began asking myself, “What do I need?” (By the way this is a critical question for an Enneagram Two – which I am – to ask themselves). Beyond the needs in my Top Three^TM Action Goal^TM Areas I kept hearing, Travel!

I’ve had a burning Passion for Travel since I was a wee lad. But, like many others, I choose to have a family early on and invested time and energy in my kids instead in trips to Europe.

Sure, whenever we could afford it we travelled: 1^st with the ex and the kids, most often camping trips throughout Alberta and British Columbia, an anniversary trip (alone with the ex) to Hawaii; work trips to New Jersey, Toronto, New Orleans, and San Jose; and following the divorce, many trips to LA/The OC, Monterey, and Palm Springs, while completing my Masters degree; and later with my current wife, trips to Nova Scotia (her home), New Brunswick, Alaska, Newfoundland, and countless camping adventures.

Yet, still it never felt like enough to slake my Travel Lust.

Then a few weeks ago during an early morning walk I saw a sign (literally), as if from God, “Wanted Part-time Cruise Consultants!” WOW!

I jumped at the chance to apply. And, the position seemed ideal: I’d be on contract not – god forbid – an employee; income was commission only – so I could make as much, or a little as I wanted; and I liked the ‘feel’ of the place.

NEXT ISSUE: Step 3: Landing the “JOB”

I love to hear from you. So, let me know what you think. Send me an e-mail or add your comment here at the blog!

Unless you’ve been living in the wilds of Bora Bora you know that Parachute, as it is affectionately called, is THE Job Hunter’s Bible. And, I’m honoured — and a wee bit intimidated — to be asked to review it.

So, for more than a month now I’ve struggled with how to best share ‘the best of the best’. I’m afraid that my Inner Perfectionist has been controlling my typing fingers. This is of course, at one level, ironic and funny: The Unsticking Coach stuck!

Finally, I decided to take my own advice to those struggling with Writer’s Block: Just start!

So, here goes…

I was struck by two comments in the Preface.

First this: “I’ve worked particularly hard on the three most recent editions — 2008, 2007, and 2006 — and I think (immodestly) they are the best I’ve ever done.” Indeed. I bought my first Parachute in 1986 and since my coaching work focused I watch for and purchase the newest edition when it is released each fall. Parachute just keeps getting better.

Why? The answer lies in this the second comment from the Preface: “In fact I do not think of this any longer as, a book. It’s much more like a living organism, evolving, changing, growing. It takes on a life of its own year by year.” So, whether this is the first time you pick up, read, and use the ideas in Parachute, or the twenty-first; you’ll find the best and most up to date advice on finding a job and creating your ideal career.

At more than 400 pages Parachute is chock a block full of information and tips. So, how does a reviewer capture the essence of this classic? I decided to thumb through the book and highlight items and ideas that captured my interest and attention.

First though, I want to give a bit of an overview of the structure of the book and some thoughts on how to use it. Like the 2007 edition of Parachute which I reviewed last year, this edition is in 3 parts:

1. PART I: The Things School Never Taught Us About The Job Hunt [Bolles clear headed strategy for how best to conduct your job search]
2. PART II: When The Unexpected Happens: How To Deal With Change [What's changing in the world of work and how to cope with it]
3. PART III: Resuming The Search To Find Your Dream [How to identify and find the career of your dreams]

If you need a job quickly then focus on Part I. If you’re struggling with job change and career transition, scoot over to Part II. Finally, if you’re looking for meaning, balance, and want to do what you love (just as soon as you figure out what that is) then Part III is for you. Finally, if you really want to understand the how to’s of creating and developing your career, read the whole book. You won’t regret it.

Now, here are some of the parts that grabbed my attention as I thumbed through this edition…

• Unsure what your skills are? Page 43 lists 246 skills.
• Shy like me? Check out page 44 and see how to use the late John Crysta’s P.I.E. system.
• Wondering about the value of Social Networking sites. Check out Bolles thoughts on sites like LinkedIn, MySpace, and Tribe (page 54). Better yet read the whole darn chapter and find out the whys and wherefores of using the Internet for your Job Search.
• Having trouble describing your acheivements? Check out the EASY system delineated at page 71.
• See page 82 for a list of The Ten Greatest Mistakes Made In Job Interviews.
• See page 102 for tips on how not to lose the job in the first 2 minutes of the interview.
• Want the best salary? Page 119 graphically demonstrates the best time to negotiate.
• Unsure about whether you should take those career TESTS? Read Bolles 6 Rules About Testing, starting at page 162.
• Changing careers, check out Seven Rules for Choosing or Changing Careers on page 164.
• Want to start your own home-based business? See Bolles A – C = B formula for effective research, starting on page 193.
• Over 50 and starting over, read Chapter 11 “Entering the World of 50+”, starting on page 215.
• Since I’m The Unsticking(TM) Coach, my favourite chapter is naturally, Chapter 12 “How to Get ‘Unstuck’”. I particularly like Bolles’ notion of taping into your Safekeeping Self (See page 232).
• As a Dreamer I’m particularly drawn to ALL of Part III. At 60 I know that life is best when one does what one loves. READ and follow the ideas in Part III on using Bolles’ Career Flower process to discover, document, and plan your Ideal Career.

Phew! Lots to learn. Lots to use.

Grab your copy and get going.

If you need help and support, Ping me. I have a Special Offer for Blog readers. If you send a blank e-mail to tuc-busters@aweber.com with “I’d Like To Live My Dream” in the subject line you can have the following:

• 55 minutes of focused, 1-on-1 Unsticking(TM) Coaching,
• Verbatim notes of your coaching session,
• An audio recording of your coaching session,
• A complimentary subscription to my twice monthly ezine, and
• A special suprize gift.

Normally, you’d pay $ 200 for this. If you send your blank e-mail to tuc-busters@aweber before January 31st, 2008 you’ll pay only $ 45.00 (Canadians this includes GST). That’s less than the cost of a tank of gas — and it will take you a lot farther!