Oh Yeah, Prove It!

Twenty-five years as an Engineer in the same company. Laid off. In shock. 58 years old. Not enough money to retire on, just yet. He's thinking, "Now what?". He's really anxious. How can he support his family? As he was hearing me speak to a group about how I could 'rah rah' help them through this layoff aftermath, I saw him smirking with a look that seemed to say, "Yeah, sure, prove it". He had a sense of resignation about him and was very depressed. "Who was going to hire me?" he was thinking. With this attitude, he looked and acted like a cantankerous, stoop shouldered old man. He'd come in to meet with me one week, not come back for two. Took some time off to help a friend. Came back for more assignments. Went on vacation. Boy was he not ready. I told him the job search process did not work in 'fits and starts'. But, I guess he needed time to heal, think, contemplate, work on his anger and depression, and sort of pick himself up, let go of the past and move slowly into a new life. Not a good feeling at this point. After a period of five months, occasionally attending seminars and working on an assessment, he decided it was time to stop feeling sorry for himself, and started to ask himself questions. So instead of, "Damn I lost my job", he started to think, and "What can I do now?" Some of the introspective questions in the assessment opened his eyes to some interesting possibilities, and he started researching the realities of transferring his skills into other options. He said he was tired of Engineering; he wanted work that was more fun. As he was doing his research he kept telling me that he didn't like working with people - didn't like to be around people. He just wanted a private place to 'do his thing'. As I was observing him, I noticed he was unusually friendly with most people. He was very helpful to the other clients in the seminars and went out of his way to get information for them. He had great observation skills and was unusually aware of their needs - very sensitive. I said to myself, "This doesn't seem to be someone who doesn't like people." So after the assessment, during a job reality check, and doing more research I said, "You keep saying you don't like working with people, but I notice that you are extremely friendly and helpful to others." "Did you notice that throughout your entire assessment you kept mentioning you don't like to manage?" "Maybe it's the management part of the people thing you don't like - what do you think?" Well, you could have knocked him over with a feather! This was his epiphany! His big blue eyes grew larger and he sat up straight in his chair as he started to realize what he wanted. He had always loved to work with video, audio electronic equipment, putting entertainment systems together, figuring out how to connect all the wires together to create it from a complex to an easy to operate simple operation. But he never applied for that kind of job because he really felt he didn't like to work with people. So when I shared with him my observation that it was his dislike of management, not people - it all fell into place. Yes, he could work at his dream job, helping people solve problems, helping them choose the best entertainment system for their needs, helping them operate it in an easier way. And, best of all, he didn't have to do what he hated--manage. So, we put together a resume utilizing some of his past work and personal experiences and related accomplishments with an objective of AV Engineer. He knew three people who were in the entertainment business, and one of them gave him a job doing what he loves. This old man ain't old no more! Yes!

For help in designing effective job search strategies that work, and living a more balanced life and career that is fully aligned with your passions and values, contact Winning Ways.