BY JEANINE "J.T." O'DONNELL AND DALE DAUTEN
Dear J.T. and Dale: I moved to a new town and, ever since, my career has been in a freefall. I got a good job and messed up on it, and ever since, I can't get anything right. I've had three jobs in the past year and have failed at all of them. My resume and my self-confidence are a mess. I'm afraid to try again. -- Jade
DALE: Here's what I'm thinking: You got yourself caught in the "set-up to fail syndrome." There's a book by that name, authored by Manzoni and Barsoux. See if this pattern sounds familiar: An employee screws up, and then the manager starts watching for future mistakes. The resulting overmanagement shakes the employee's confidence further, and has him or her second-guessing every action and becoming a drag on co-workers. That's where the book's authors end -- it was written for managers -- but it's easy to see how the poor employee would continue spiraling down, job after job, all starting with a single mistake.
J.T.: But blaming management isn't going to turn things around. You, Jade, need to be open to learning if there is something about yourself that might be putting off others. Your former managers are unlikely to confide their opinions about you, but former co-workers might. Ask for help. Tell them you want to turn around your career and ask what they saw in you that was holding you back.
DALE: And also ask them what you did right. You need to fix whatever you're doing wrong, but also mend your self-confidence. What is self-confidence but what you think when you think about yourself? Right now, when you think about work, your brain jumps right on that downward spiral, recounting the series of failures. That's like a baseball player going up to the plate thinking, "Here we go again -- I always strike out." You need to start talking yourself up to yourself. Lovingly recall every accomplishment, every compliment. Tell the part of your brain yakking about your defeats to shut up, and instead start recounting your successes. You've hit bottom and bounced. You're headed back up. You're now writing the new chapter in your career, the one with the big turnaround.
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Dear J.T. and Dale: Several years ago it seemed one could get a half-time job (once known as job-sharing). This would be very nice for someone in my position (55 years old) and also wanting to enjoy her grandkids, traveling, gardening, etc. My dilemma is this -- the folks working at the temp agencies are so young that they've never heard of job-sharing. I've come to the conclusion that I'd like to work at a medical office, scheduling patients for their appointments. This is an entry-level-type job and would pose no problem in and of itself, but everyone seems to want full-time help. -- Chris
J.T.: I suggest that you go straight to the source. Put together a short cover letter that conveys your desire to work part time, and create a resume that supports your extensive experience. Then, get out the yellow pages and identify all the local medical-office parks within your ideal commute. Finally, put on your best professional attire and pick a Friday (when staff members are usually in the best mood) and hit the pavement. Visit each medical office and introduce yourself to the receptionist. Let her know that you are looking to work for a medical office part time and would even be willing to temp for them as needed. In essence, you are starting your own medical-receptionist temping-agency-of-one.
DALE: I'll bet that virtually every medical office has staffers who'd love to work less than full-time -- maybe have an afternoon off each week, or maybe a couple of days. They've dreamed it, they just don't know how to make that dream a reality because the whole hiring system is built around full-time slots. Then you walk in. In with you comes a plan, ready to sell to the office manager, to make their lives better while you create the ideal job for yourself.
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Jeanine "J.T." Tanner O'Donnell is a professional development specialist and founder of the consulting firm jtodonnell.com. Dale Dauten's latest book is "(Great) Employees Only: How Gifted Bosses Hire and De-Hire Their Way to Success" (John Wiley & Sons). Please visit them at jtanddale.com, where you can send questions via e-mail, or write to them in care of King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10019.
(c) 2008 by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
