THE CAREER SECRETS™ NEWSLETTER
Revealing what's "working" for you…
FREE Career Management News and Ideas from Darrell W. Gurney, CPC, JCTC, RScP, For Working and Careers-Industry Professionals.
October 16, 2001. Copyright Hunter Arts Publishing.
Editor@CareerSecrets.com; http://www.CareerSecrets.com ; 1-877-5-RECRUIT
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IN THIS ISSUE
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1. Welcome from the Publisher
2. CareerTips
3. CareerNews
4. CareerResources
5. CareerThoughts
6. CareerCalendar
7. CareerHumor

<1>------------WELCOME FROM THE PUBLISHER-------------<>

Welcome to the fifth issue of my monthly newsletter. A special welcome to new subscribers. Just a reminder: this is an opt-in only publication. Thank you for accepting the invitation to subscribe, whether from an article, a forwarded newsletter from a friend, or the opt-in box on either of my related sites, http://www.CareerSecrets.com or http://www.HeadHuntersRevealed.com. (If this was forwarded to you by a friend, please feel free to opt-in at either of the above sites and join us!)

As always, I would love to include your relevant articles, comments, questions, Career Secrets™, humor, and anything else you think will support the cause. Please give what you can: the next time you notice an interesting career statistic or resource site, read something humorous about the workplace, or get moved by the thought of "the work" we're all meant to do here, let me know!

All the Best to You and Yours,

Darrell W. Gurney, Certified Personnel Consultant (CPC), Certified Job & Career Transition Coach (JCTC), Licensed Spiritual Counselor (RScP)
Editor@CareerSecrets.com
Hunter Arts Publishing & A Permanent Success National Career/Search Partners
http://www.HeadHuntersRevealed.com and http://www.APSCareerSearch.com

<2>-------------------CAREERTIPS----------------------<>

Our advice nuggets from earlier issues continue to receive favorable responses, so we include another here.

We answer as many questions as possible but, if it's really important, remember our career coaching services.

QUESTION:
Mark wrote:
I am 29 and currently working in retail as a general manager. I didn't have much interest or was aware that I had any skills in that area, so in college I majored in Biology. After college I found that I wasn't interested in Biology as a career and got into retail. I have enjoyed it very much and have proven to be a very successful business operator. The problem is I don't want to stay in retail. I would really love to get into consulting. My primary skills are in breaking down and analyzing how a store is operating and then fixing the problems. Unfortunately, I get bored fast after everything is running smoothly. My question is: Is there any hope of making the jump to consulting and if so, what steps should I be taking? Thank you for your help. I hope to hear from you soon.

Hi Mark,
Literally anything is possible...and your particular situation is a cinch. How do I know that? Because you said you'd "really love to get into consulting." That's the key that opens the door. Look, we all studied what we studied, and most of us ended up doing something else. The absolutely wrong approach to take is to think that, because you studied a particular thing, you're stuck in that forever. Good for you: you realized this early, and took the step into retail. Now, in a similar way, don't get caught up in the idea that you're now boxed into that.

Life is a long proposition, and careers today involve way more than doing one thing...the way our parents and their parents might have done. So, yes, start letting your passion for something pave the way. Quit your day job? Not necessarily yet, but begin having the right kind of conversations with the right kind of people about the right kind of skills you possess to start the segue into your field of interest. This move won't have to come from any extra degree or certification. It can come from the practical experience you've gained...and given yourself the permission to use.

First, you have to believe that such a move is possible, which you do: your question proves it. Next, you need to begin promoting the idea to each and every person who may have advice and/or contacts for you to glean information from. My coaching clients use this type of "informational interviewing" to make inroads into areas of interest that a plain old past-based resume would never reach. The key is networking yourself silly until enough understanding of the field meets with your first opportunity to utilize it. Then you're off to the races.

As long as you keep "doing what you love," there will always be a way!


Darrell W. Gurney, CPC, JCTC, RScP
Need a Career Coach? E-mail the CareerMeister@CareerSecrets.com
http://www.HeadHuntersRevealed.com and http://www.CareerSecrets.com

<3>--------------------CAREERNEWS---------------------<>

There are lots of dedicated individuals making their "living" right now dealing with death and destruction. To support the New York firemen in the face of such discouraging workdays, word is out about a "Card-Writing Campaign." Go out to your local card store and buy a card that reflects your feelings about their heroic efforts and send it to them at:

NYC Fire Department
1 Chase Manhattan Plaza
New York, NY 10005

In related news, the Career Masters Institute (http://www.cminstitute.com), the Professional Resume Writing & Research Association (http://www.prwra.com) and the National Resume Writers Association (http://www.nrwa.com), have created a collaborative volunteer project to assist those impacted by the events of 911.

If you are a job seeker directly impacted by the event or closely related (e.g., airline employees), you can register for FREE services at http://www.volunteersforcareers.org. Also, those interested in volunteering their career services (e.g., resume writing, career coaching and/or job search) can register to do so here. You can indicate on the brief registration form what specific services you would like to offer and how many job seekers you would like to work with.

Finally, in case you haven't already seen this, it may bring tears to your eyes:
http://www.top-greetings.com/cards/299

<4>-----------------CAREERRESOURCES-------------------<>

Since your computer's health is so critical to your career life, whether searching or assisting, I think this idea is worthy of consideration as a "Career Resource:"

Here's a little trick you can use to stop the spread of pc viruses - Naturally this doesn't deal with the issue of the fact that viruses exist in the first place, but it does help you protect your Email software and contact list.

Create a contact in your email address book with the name !0000 with no email address in the details. This contact will then show up as your first contact. If a virus attempts to do a "send all" to your contact list, your pc will pop up an error message that says: "The Message could not be sent. One or more recipients do not have an e-mail address. Please check your Address Book and make sure all the recipients have a valid e-mail address." You click on "OK" and the offending (virus) message will not have been sent to anyone. Of course no changes have been made to your original contacts list. The offending (virus) message may then be automatically stored in your "Drafts" or "Outbox" folder. Go in and delete the offending message. Problem is solved and the virus will not spread.

This works with any name as long as there isn't an email address, but some email programs won't allow you to make a new contact without an email address associated with the name. In that case, create a fictitious address like !0000@novirus.com to apply to this contact. Try this and pass it on to your friends.

Want some fast insight into your personality type? More extensive tests are great, yet this simple and fun quickie analysis is rather amazing: http://users.rcn.com/zang.interport/personality.html You're asked to simply choose one of 9 shapes, and you're inner workings are miraculously revealed. Thanks to Dan Miller for this tip.

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<5>--------------------CAREERTHOUGHTS-----------------<>

Minding Your Own Business (Part 1 of 2)


Do you think, because you are "employed" by a company that hands out paychecks, the concept of owning your own business does not apply to you? Think again. Think hard. Think beyond what you've thought before.

"BUSINESS." What does it mean? Well, let's simply break it down: busy-ness-the act of being busy. Do you stay busy? Do you engage in activities all day long in your workplace which keep you busy? O.K., then there is your busy-ness. We each have our own busy-ness. The question is, how much do you own your own business? Ownership is an interesting concept. It puts you in charge. Rather than being dependent upon something or someone greater than you, ownership puts full responsibility for what you produce squarely in your lap. Along with that responsibility, however, comes the opportunity for great reward. Consider all the entrepreneurs out there creating their own companies. It's the old tradeoff of risk and return: the more we take responsibility for our own success and assume the onus of producing results, the greater, more satisfying the potential rewards.

We all won't become another Bill Gates or Warren Buffet, and "owning your own business" does not even mean starting a company. (If everyone started a firm, there would be nobody to work for anyone else-then I'd be out of a job!). You bought a book about using headhunters wisely because you work for someone else, right? Nothing wrong with working for someone else. But I am asking you to consider that you already have your own company: [YOUR NAME], Inc. After all, Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary defines "incorporated" as "united in one body." I am asking you to adopt the mindset that you are self-employed. I am suggesting that, to the degree that you, as an employee, own your own busy-ness, you will reap greater rewards, because staying busy doing anything for anyone without always fully knowing your value and options is not good business.

Don't be easy pickings-own your own business. What do I mean by that? Just this: you have certain assets, right? As a professional employee, much less as a human being? Those assets could be your award-winning sales ability, your keen and persuasive public-relations skills, your ability to multi-task the elements of a busy desk, your fluency with programming code in the most difficult of computer languages, your knack for hiring the right person for the right job, your unique and motivating management style, your sense of numbers which has all the pieces of the financial puzzle come together, your engineering acumen in the face of the most challenging circumstances…I could go on, and I've only touched on professional abilities here-not to mention innate, personal strengths which single you out as a unique, special person.

So let's accept that you have certain "assets." Well, what does a business do with its assets? It deploys them in such a way as to maximize their profitability, right? The success of an enterprise depends most on its ability to utilize its assets, to "employ" them, to invest them wisely to reap the highest return. In the world of finance, it's called Return on Investment (ROI). The higher the ROI for a particular group of assets, the more successful the business-enhancing the owner's equity and causing happier owners, stockholders, etc.
(Excerpted from Headhunters Revealed! Career Secrets for Choosing and Using Professional Recruiters. No portion of this material may be reproduced in any manner without prior written consent from Hunter Arts Publishing.)


Darrell W. Gurney, Certified Personnel Consultant (CPC), Certified Job & Career Transition Coach (JCTC), and Licensed Spiritual Counselor (RScP), is Principal of A Permanent Success National Career/Search Partners and author of "Headhunters Revealed! Career Secrets for Choosing and Using Professional Recruiters" ($14.95, Softcover), available online at http://www.HeadhuntersRevealed.com or by calling 1-877-4-HEADHUNT. "Headhunters Revealed!" received the 2001 Clarion Award for Best Book by the Association for Women in Communications (http://www.womcom.org), was reviewed in Publishers Weekly and the American Library Association's Booklist, and has been featured in nationally syndicated career columnist Joyce Lain Kennedy's "Careers Now."

If you are a Careers Industry professional with a Web site, check out our Affiliate Program at: http://www.HeadHuntersRevealed.com/educate.html for a 20% commission on every book sold from your site's sent traffic. Help a career-minded individual…and buy yourself lunch.

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I invite submission of articles related to careers, job search, the workplace, and similar topics. If your article is used in my monthly newsletter and/or on my Web site, you will be given full credit for your contribution. Please send articles to Editor@CareerSecrets.com with ARTICLE CONTRIBUTION in the subject line. It is understood that any contributed articles have the author's permission to be reprinted and no additional release will be needed.

<6>----------------CAREERCALENDAR---------------------<>

Darrell Gurney, CPC, JCTC, RScP will be a guest at the following upcoming events:

The Learning Annex will host Darrell for the topic "How to Ma$ter the Hidden Job Market", an evening of discussion on both recruiting and career coaching tools which allow the uncovering of the jobs you never hear about. Dates are October 23, November 19, December 18, and January 21 in Los Angeles. 6:30-9:30pm. Cost is $29 for members and $39 for non-members. You and your friends can sign up at http://www.learningannex.com

The Job Summit Group will host Darrell for their monthly "Meet the Recruiters" event in Costa Mesa on Tuesday, October 30, for a talk and book signing. Details can be found at http://JobSummitGroup.com.

The Orange County Chapter of the American Marketing Association will host Darrell for the topic "The Job Market: What It Is, What It Was, What It Shall Be!" in Anaheim on Thursday, November 1. Check out the details under "Career Forum Dates" at http://ocama.oc-net.com/Events/index.htm

<7>-----------------CAREERHUMOR-----------------------<>

The Rabbit, The Fox, and the Wolf -- A Fable (author unknown)
(Thanks to Michele-Joy Del Re)

One sunny day, a Rabbit came out of her hole in the ground to enjoy the weather. The day was so nice the Rabbit became careless, so a Fox sneaked up to her and caught her.

"I am going to eat your for lunch!", said the Fox.

"Wait!", replied the Rabbit, "You should at least wait a few days. I am just finishing writing my Ph.D. thesis."

"Hah! That's a stupid excuse. What is the title of your thesis anyway?"

"I am writing my thesis on 'The Superiority of Rabbits Over Foxes and Wolves'."

"Are you crazy? I should eat you up right now! Everybody knows that a Fox will always win over a Rabbit."

"Not really, not according to my research. If you like, you can come to my hole and read it for yourself. If you are not convinced, you can go ahead and have me for lunch."

Since the Fox was curious and had nothing to lose, he went with the Rabbit into her hole. The Fox never came back out.

A few days later, the Rabbit was again taking a break from writing, and sure enough, a Wolf came out of the bushes and was ready to eat her.

"Wait!", yelled the Rabbit, "you cannot eat me right now."

"And why might that be, you fuzzy appetizer?"

"I am almost finished writing my Ph.D. thesis on 'The Superiority of Rabbits Over Foxes and Wolves'."

The Wolf laughed so hard that he almost lost his hold on the Rabbit.

"Come read for yourself, you can eat me after that if you disagree with my conclusions."

So, the Wolf went to the Rabbit's hole…and never came out.

The Rabbit finished writing her thesis and was out celebrating in the lettuce fields. Another Rabbit came by and asked, "What's up? You seem to be very happy."

"Yup, I just finished writing my dissertation."

"Congratulations! What is it about?"

"It is entitled 'The Superiority of Rabbits Over Foxes and Wolves'."

"Are you sure? That doesn't sound right."

"Oh yes, you should come over and read for yourself."

So, they went together to the Rabbit's hole. As they went in, the friend saw the typical graduate student abode, albeit a rather messy one after writing a thesis. The computer with the controversial dissertation was in one corner, on the right there was a pile of fox bones, on the left was a pile of wolf bones, and in the middle was a Lion.

The moral of the story is: The title of your dissertation doesn't matter. The research doesn't matter. All that matters is who your advisor ("Coach") is.

E-mail your CareerHumor and/or CareerQuotes to Editor@CareerSecrets.com.

For more information about having a Lion in your hole, see http://www.thomasleonard.com/teleclass/coachref/crsdetail.lasso?-search&-database=tl.crs&-layout=lasso&op=eq&id.contact=28776 or e-mail CareerMeister@CareerSecrets.com

"In perhaps a half-dozen concise telephone conversations, two short in-person meetings, and another 8 or so e-mails, Darrell continues to impart wisdom and sure-footed guidance that allows me not only to learn new ways of approaching a right career strategy, but has also given me a new way of looking at myself and realizing what my strengths are. Darrell knows his business and is someone I can count on." Gary C.

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Hunter Arts Publishing, Darrell W. Gurney, Certified Personnel Consultant, Certified Job & Career Transition Coach, Licensed Spiritual Counselor, Author, Publisher, Speaker
P.O. Box 66578
Los Angeles, CA 90066
http://www.HunterArts.com with free online career tips, resources, and excerpts.
Tel: 310-821-6303, Fax: 310-306-2929
Editor@CareerSecrets.com