Standing Out in a Sea of Sameness

I'm 51 & have a job. Do I still need to iInterview? (Informational Interview)

There are two reasons to conduct iInterviews - (Informational interviews).

1. To learn.
2. To explore jobs, companies and industries.

Notice I didn't say to promote yourself. There are a lot of slick Willies out there who preach promoting one's self while info interviewing. No worries. You'll promote yourself whether or not you try. When you try it becomes obvious that your main intention is to promote yourself and not to learn and explore. 

To Learn

You recognize that people have been on the road you're travelling longer than you. You understand that they are an excellent source of intel, intel that you'll need to navigate towards your future. 

For instance, someone passes you on the road heading in the opposite direction. You acknowledge them and move on. A half hour later and the road is under four feet of water. What if you were to have asked that person about the road ahead? You know that answer.

We iInterview to learn about the road ahead.

If one has passionate curiosity to learn, then age become irrevlent. The art of learning is a precursor to self-development. Do you want to grow within your profession? Do you want to grow within acadamia? Do you want to grow within life? 

If you want to learn, develop and grow, go out and talk with people on the road ahead of you. Go out and iInterview.

To explore jobs, companies and industries

My newspaper sold out and I was let go. After thirty years as a reporter, I think I'd like to do something different but I'm not sure how. What do I do?

Many career coaches advise people to explore themselves. Find out about their likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses, skill, talents and dreams. I suggest buying the book What Color is Your Parachute? and follow Dick Bolles' advice on this subject. 

While you are doing that however, I also suggest that you go out on the road and talk with people. Talk with people (iInterview) who are in positions and or career fields that your'e interested in. 

"What questions should I ask?"

There are a million Websites out there that all pretty much give the same advice on iInterviewing. Then there are a couple thousand college career centers Websites that apply a clinical layer of rhetoric on top that same advice. Then there is the most clear, concise and comprehensive site on iInterviewing in the universe - Quintessential Careers. 

You should ask the questions that satiate your curiosity. 

In order to warm up that onboard curiosity, stop by these two Quintessential Career sites: Questions to Ask at the Informational Interview and 200 Informational Interview Questions.

"I'm 51 & have a job. Do I still need to iInterview?"

Yes!

If you want to learn, develop and grow in your present and or desired position, the answer is yes!

If you have even the slightest notion of changing positions and or professional fields, the answer is yes!

If you have an inclination that you might want that slightest notion, the answer is yes!

Feel like making a comment on this post? Follow this link to our Standing Out in a Sea of Sameness  Facebook page and look for the post on this review dated 12/15/2013

What is Standing Out in a Sea of Sameness?

In the days before we became a connected planet, we learned from our parents and our elders. We listened to their stories; we learned how to hunt, fish, grow crops, cook and make pottery. We added our experience and made our own stories which we then taught to our children. Along the way we learned how to solve problems, make stuff and make stuff better. We also learned that when dealing with others if we did this, or we behaved this way, then we got that. So if we wanted others to listen to us, if we wanted them to buy our stuff or if we wanted them to tell others about us, we behaved and did things a certain way.

Standing Out in a Sea of Sameness is where Explorers come to not only learn how to learn from Guides (elders) but also how to continue that relationship. 

An ideal future outcome is when the Guide is asked to refer someone for a position and the Guide thinks of you the Explorer. Why? Because you applied her advice, you continued to develop and improve and you kept her updated...especially when her advice helped you out in some manner. At that point YOU Stand Out in a Sea of Sameness from the hundreds of others who've crossed her path somewhere along the line.

Today we are a connected planet. And there are millions of Guides out there who value and are thrilled to be contacted by Explorers. Feel free to sit down at our campfire. Feel the warmth, feel the stories and feel the wisdom. Feel like Standing Out in a Sea of Sameness!

Why are the comments closed? We are the sliver of an ash in the gigantic bonfire of Facebook. From this point every post here will link to our Standing Out in a Sea of Sameness Facebook page. Simply match the post date here to the post link at FB. Throw a log onto the fire and jump into the conversation!

Jenny Blake.me

To begin with, happy anniversary Jenny! Two years ago today Jenny launched her own business. I've been tracking Jenny for a long time because she embodies the spirit of exploration, connecting, cultivating relationships and standing out. 

Visit Jenny's new site JennyBlake.me Bring your explorer's hat, notebook, video recorder, notebook and camera (or your smart phone) and begin exploring today!

 

The following two links are how Jenny describes her two Websites:

 

http://JennyBlake.me   New & Shiny!

http://LifeAfterCollege.org  Greatest Hits!

Jenny's resources - These are the resources that help Jenny do what she does. 

 

The Start-Up of You

The Start-up of You: Adapt to the Future, Invest in Yourself and Transform Your Career by Reid Hoffman & Ben Casnocha. I need to review this book but I don't have to wait till then to tell you; this is a must read! I missed this book's launch by one year due in part to my narrow view of LinkedIn. Although I've been a member of the LinkedIn community since nearly its inception, I viewed it more of a place to go and get a job than that of a relationship building community. The Start-up of You shines a beacon of light on relationship building and the near limitless value of LinkedIn.

The value of The Start-up of You to Standing Out in a Sea of Sameness can best be summed up by its relativity to this blog's categories. It pertains to every single one here.

The Start-up of You Resource Page

 

 

Capture Your Flag: "Where are you seeking advice and coaching?"

Erik Michielsen, founder of Capture Your Flag, asks Joe Stump, "At this point in your life, where are you seeking advice and coaching?" Erik evokes two plus minutes from Joe chocked full of ideas and wisdom. 

Before I start...Joe uses the term mentor. Please try and not get hung up on this word. Think in terms of Guide to begin with. 

"At this point in your life..." Joe highlights this key part of Erik's question by explaining how his career and job related needs have changed over the years. He now thinks in terms of domain specific coaching. As a manager, he seeks management-related advice from managers. As a dad he seeks advice from other types of people. 

As an Explorer just starting out, you ask, "how is this info of value to you?"

Although you have your hands full with school, work and other activities, it's a good idea to form coaching-type relationships with people for subjects other than career exploration. Say for instance personal finance. You wouldn't have to devote the same amount of time as career exploration and its ROI to you is incalcuable. 

Jedi Council - Joe talks about his Jedi Council. I strongly encourage you to set up your own Jedi Council. Here is a fitness professional describing how build your own.

p

Explorer

Consider yourself an explorer. I personally love the word student. I myself am a student, a student of life. But I think there's a cultural perception to link students with conventional educational institutions e.g., student = school. And for the last thirty years, we all know about not only the perception of traditional schools, but also the reality.

Student

Aside from the relationship between student and school I just spoke of, my stumbling block to use this term is that it implies recipient... as in being on the receiving end of a teacher. Culturally, perceptually and of course literally, there is no verb association with the term student. The implication is a student is, she exists. No verb. No action.

Explorer

While the term explorer is also a noun, it evokes action, adventure and discovery. And really, if you're a person who satiates curiousity by proactively pursuing knowledge, information, wisdom and connection, aren't you also an explorer?

Create Your Own Mentor Program While in School

There's a fair chance that your school doesn't have such a detailed and focused mentoring program as the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia. 

For the sake of this discussion, let's assume that you know exactly how you will apply your degree in terms of employment after college. This is going to be so easy your first inclination will be to make it more complicated and difficult.

Go out and find someone in your prospective field* or someone who has retired from it. Ask if they'd be willing to meet with you twice per month throughout a semester. Your intent is simply to learn about the field. While most seasoned professionals will take control and guide you along, you still want to make sure you're covering essential details. Following QUT's lead, use the bullet points listed here under the Responsibilities section as a reference point.

*So few professionals are approached by young adults for this purpose that as long as you approach one with respect, enthusiasm and visible curiosity, the chances are pretty good that a perfect stranger will help you (let alone someone with whom you can make a connection with). I spent twenty-five years in professional management. I was never approached in this manner.  

Team Dan Pink, Connecting & Carol Ross

I'd mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I'm a member of Team Dan Pink, whose mission is to help Dan promote his new book. I've had some time to explore other team member's Websites. Something inside began to Panama Canal a neuro-pathway in a remote corner of my brain, but I didn't know why. It seemed as if a steamshovel was creating an impression while the overall project was still pretty fuzzy.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Things started to come in focus however when I began investigating Carol Ross's site Carol Ross and Associates. Actually, that's not quite true. I completely forgot about Dan Pink and instead became mesmerized with Carol's work. It was like I was looking in a mirror. Well, as much as an old, balding grandfather can who is looking at a sharp, attractive Chinese woman and her stuff. It was like Carol was my female, little sister version of a brother from another mother. If my heart had stopped one more time from all of the similarities, you wouldn't be reading this right now.

Contrary to what you might think here in cyberspace, I am an introvert's introvert. I sometimes talk myself out of personally connecting with folks I see online. Not the case with Carol. I couldn't wait to talk with her. It's funny how inhibition melts away when overwhelmed by commonality. 

I had the pleasure of talking with Carol yesterday. When she told me how intrigued and fascinated she is with and by the folks on this team, a rubber mallet struck me upside the head. I had become so lost in Carol's Website I'd totally forgotten why I came there in the first place...our connection with Dan and his work. We probably could start and finish each other's sentences in regards to Dan's Whole New Mind philosophy. 

I've connected with people who've had no use for me and let me know in no uncertain terms. You can probably just imagine how this experience affects dave-the-introvert. I've forced myself again and have been slapped down or completely ignored again. I'm not a warrior here. For every person I connect with I pass on five others. But I can tell you, if I had to go through all of that crap in order to connect with a person like Carol, I gladly do it all over again.

The moral of this story is if you're an introvert like me, don't get discouraged or take it personally when people don't connect with you. Keep moving forward. You'll meet a professional like Carol. And when you do, the road you've traveled won't seem so bad and the one if front of you looks a whole lot brighter. 

The lesson of this story is when a steam shovel is furiously burrowing a neuro-pathway in your brain about synaptic connections to like-minded people, stand by with diesel fuel and be ready to connect.

To Sell is Human Meets Field Notes' Aaron Draplin

Commemorating publication of his new book, To Sell is Human, Dan Pink is including a limited and customized edition of the Field Notes Memo Book. Here is the rest of the freebies you get if you pre-order the book before December 31, 2012. Should you decide to take advantage of this one time offer, simply follow the What You Need to do directions in Dan's post.

You know, this isn't about spending sixteen dollars and some odd change for a book. It's learning about a mindset that will help you navigate society today, in the 21st century. It's tapping into the essence of what makes us human and using it to communicate with others. And to get a feel for what humanness looks like, I'd like you to meet Aaron Draplin, creator of Field Notes. Talk about a guy, a regular guy. I love Aaron's passion-to-know!!

Tell me that you don't want to collect something after watching Aaron. I dare you. 

Field Notes Brand: From Seed from Coudal Partners on Vimeo.

Aaron is the kind of guy that Dan partners with? That's reason enough to buy his book! Again, go here to take advantage of the freebies and pre-order your book.

Did You Always Wanna be a....?

Dear Old Adult,

Did you always want to be a...(fill in your present job or career)? Are you content with the path taken to get there? Could there have been a more effective route?

When asked these questions most people say they wouldn't change a thing. Mostly because their experience forged who they are today. Of course there is truth to that. But still, dontcha wish just a teeny bit? To know then what you know now.

Now, how about all those kids walking towards the same cliff that you and I blindly and naively walked over? Sure life is about the experience, the journey. But wouldn't it be nice to alleviate some of their pain? Wouldn't it be nice to help them become more effective at an earlier age? Wouldn't it be nice to see them be able to make a difference in other's lives earlier in their lives? And about this nice-thing. It might end up in the top five of joy-givers in your life. We're getting around to that.

So how do you help young adults from meeting their demise on the jagged rocks below?

You paint a vivid picture of your profession's landscape, illustrating required education, job-related details, challenging, worthwhile and frustrating job aspects and career pathways. You tell them what you like and what you dislike. The intent is to supply information to help them make a decision as to whether or not your profession is worthy of a higher level of consideration.

Most young adults do not have a firm grasp on what people working in fields of interest actually do. An example is engineering. It's not uncommon for nearly fifty percent of the students in engineering schools to drop their major by the end of their freshman year. They just didn't realize what engineers do. (Getting Real, Gray, page 9)

The onus however, is not on you my old adult friend. It is on the student or as I refer to them, the explorer. It is up to them to find you. Or for them to utilize a person such as myself to help facilitate a connection.

Here is my working theory that is behind what I write. A young adult asks you for twenty to thirty minutes of your time. She is gathering information to assist in guiding career path decisions. She arrives smartly dressed and on time at your place of business. As she asks questions you cannot help but to notice how passionately curious she is to learn. It's in her body language, her eyes and her voice. And, unlike other people you encounter during the workday, she listens to you. Finishing up the conversation she asks if you could refer someone who would be willing to hold a similar conversation. You were so impressed by the respect she afforded and her demeanor, you offered to personally call your colleague and set up an appointment.

The next day a hand-written thank you note arrives in the mail. The young lady thanks you again for your time and reflects back on a point or two that you made. You feel quite satsified with the whole experience and wonder how her future will turn out. Later on in the year you receive another card from her and six months later another card. Five years later and you're still receiving cards from this young woman. She continuously updates you on her career and educational progress. A few times she reflected back on advice that you had given her and in the manner it helped you. That made you feel good. Real good.

One day you receive a phone call from our diligent young adult. She is wondering if you might be able to make a connection for her. I don't have to tell you how fast you acted in helping her. And that made you feel good. Real good.

The effort it took you to originally speak with this young adult: minimal (and enjoyable). The time spent on that first interview: thirty minutes. Time collectively spent reading all her correspondence: forty-five minutes. Value that YOU receieved from this relationship: priceless. 

There is a more than fair chance that you are taking me up on my suggestion to read this. If so, and you are interested in helping to guide and offer career advice to a young adult, please contact me.

Again, the onus is on the explorer to seek you out. Please consider allowing me to point them in the right direction.