eZine

Number 143

Are you trying to assist an unemployed friend? You might provide a great service by locating project work that he or she can take on while looking for a permanent position. Professional job searches can easily take a year or longer, and short-term projects can provide a bit of income to ease the pain. But there are many other reasons for a job seeker to adopt this strategy:

• Stay in the flow. Job candidates who are engaged in even small projects are more likely to keep up with trends and developments in their field.
• Try something new. A frequent mistake made by the unexpectedly unemployed is to keep looking for jobs much like the one they used to have. And those jobs might not be around any more. When they take on projects that are a bit different from what they are used to, they develop fresh ideas about their skills, their preferences and their options.
• It may lead to something. All kinds of work is being outsourced these days, and sometimes full-time positions emerge from small contracts that grow into bigger contracts and trusted relationships.
• Build a story. Potential employers will want to know how you have been using your time. You will be a more attractive candidate if you can enthusiastically describe the ways you’ve stayed engaged in creative activity.

Marcia Newell is the owner of The NewinCo, Inc., a well established Washington attorney search firm. She agrees that a good way to energize a job search, and improve the candidate’s attitude, is to line up interim projects.

Newell says that, “Although candidates’ expectations, attitudes and market approaches will not turn a bad market to good, the boost that can come from project work will give candidates a significant competitive posture and maximize their odds of receiving offers.”

“Another benefit of project work, including pro bono work, is the expansion of candidates’ networks,” Newell says. “People seeking employment must place themselves in a target-rich environment – usually not found when we’re sitting in our home office in pajamas.”

“Of course the electronic network can be implemented from home,” she says, “but I find that candidates have far more success in attracting/creating new job opportunities when they are out in the community actively engaged in … well, in anything. Oddly, there is a significant positive correlation for job seekers who avidly pursue a beloved hobby during times of unemployment. This supports the suggestion that a key to assisting job seekers is to help them keep up their energy.”

Staying energized and engaged in interesting activities may help candidates overcome a stigma that could be plaguing the more than 4 million Americans who have been out of work for more than a year. A USA Today story in January described the growing phenomenon of employers who are reluctant to hire the long-term jobless on the assumption that they are lazy, lacking in creativity or unwilling to work.

And often it is a third party, like you, who can help find the project work that will make all the difference to a job seeker. For example, you might notice friends or colleagues who are overwhelmed with work, and suggest ways that they could lighten their load by offering a modest consulting contract.

While you are working your network, looking around for possible projects, think broadly. Perhaps you know of a nonprofit group that could use your friend’s expertise. Could you raise some contributions that would fund a small contract, bringing in your friend as a visiting expert?

While you are thinking about options, consider the potential of internships. As mid-career job changes are becoming the norm, more and more older workers are gaining experience as modestly paid, or even unpaid, interns.

And at the same time you are looking for interim work, find other ways to help keep your friend stay involved in social and other enjoyable activities. As Newell suggested, job seekers who find engaging ways to use their time away from employment may be the first to be hired.

Number 142

Did you notice recent headlines announcing that obesity is contagious? Several studies suggest that you are more likely to gain weight if you hang out with fat people. The importance of social connections in the spread of obesity is just one of the topics being examined by the new science of human networks.

Two scientists explore some of the fascinating findings about social networks in “Connected – How Your Friends’ Friends’ Friends Affect Everything You Feel, Think and Do.” Authors Nicholas Christakis and James Fowler make a convincing case that, like schools of fish changing direction in unison, we are unconsciously led by the people around us. Here are some of their conclusions:

• Our networks shape us. We all belong to social networks that have properties and functions not actively controlled by the people within them. These networks give rise to cultures that are more complicated than the participants realize, and develop much like a cake that becomes something greater than the sum of its ingredients. Humans are “ultrasocial” and our brains are deeply influenced by the networks to which we belong.
• Our networks are smart. Social networks can manifest an intelligence that augments or complements individual intelligence, the way an ant colony can act smarter than the smartest single ant.
• Happiness is contagious to three degrees of separation. Our emotions and behaviors are greatly influenced by the emotions and behaviors of those in our networks. You are influenced not only by your close contacts, but also by your contacts’ contacts, and their contacts, as well. For example, the authors found that a person is about 15 percent more likely to be happy if a directly connected person (i.e. a person at one degree of separation) is happy. But happiness continues to spread, like ripples in a pond. The happiness effect for people at two degrees of separation (the friend of a friend) is 10 percent, and for people at three degrees (the friend of a friend of a friend) is 6 percent.
• Our networks can support change. We might be more effective in tackling social issues, like crime or public health, by addressing groups of people, and not just individuals. For example, to help people quit smoking or lose weight perhaps we need to involve their families, friends and even their friends’ friends.
• Your actions matter. The authors say, “the surprising power of social networks is not just the effect others have on us. It is also the effect we have on others…The ubiquity of human connection means that each of us has a much bigger impact on others than we can see.”

Number 141

We devote vast time and energy to our professions, and we expect much in return. But sometimes we aren’t satisfied with the deals we’ve cut. Even when the pay is good, our jobs may leave us feeling bored, ignored or frustrated.

Would you like to get a bit more out of your work? Perhaps more recognition or stimulation? Certainly it makes sense to seek ways to make your job more satisfying. But don’t stop there. It may be that some of the elements you are missing at work could be found elsewhere in your life.

If you are happy, healthy and engaged in life, you are most likely to thrive in your career. But you may have to look to additional avenues to find the fulfillment that will allow you to be at your best, both at work and at home.

Ask yourself about what is missing in your work life – like appreciation or a sense of community – and consider whether you might find other ways to attract those elements into your life. Ask these questions, as you explore ways to meet needs not currently met by your career:

• Are you lonely? Research suggests that people are generally happier the more they socialize. Gallup data on well-being show that the happiest Americans socialize six or seven hours a day. If your job doesn’t offer satisfying interaction with others, look within and beyond your professional life to improve your social life. Schedule simple activities during the day, like coffee breaks and quick lunches. Join professional groups and committees. And drag yourself out of the office for regular time with friends and networking in your community.
• Do you need more recognition and appreciation? High achievers often reach a plateau where they are still doing good work, but their colleagues are taking it for granted. They may enjoy the work itself, but they miss getting “A’s” and being thanked for their efforts. If you feel like you’re not enjoying enough respect on the job, reflect on whether there are other venues where your contributions might be appreciated. Consider service on a non-profit board, or find some other kind of volunteer work. Join a club or reconnect with your faith-based organization.
• Do you need new challenges? We tend to get bored when we perform similar tasks for a long time. But when we are engaged in learning something new – even if it is not directly related to our jobs – we may develop renewed interest in our work. It seems that when we are in a learning mode we start to view old routines in a new way. We are more alert, and spot new connections and develop fresh ideas. So if you are bored with your job, you might create a change of pace by studying something new. Learn a language, pick up a new skill, or pursue an abandoned hobby. You can stimulate new energy at work by engaging your brain in new challenges outside the office.
• Is your job too stressful? On-the-job stress tends to build with time. When we already are feeling stressed we overreact to emergencies and other new stressors and the pressure continues to build. We may reach a stage that we are so stressed we can barely function, but are feeling so overwhelmed that we don’t dare take a minute off. Research suggests that people in stressful jobs often improve their performance if they take regular breaks. So build in small breaks throughout your days with meditation, brief walks or deep breathing. And take regular vacations. Even if you think you are too busy to get away, you may find renewal that will allow you to perform more effectively than ever.