Weekend Reading: Reset by Dwain Schenk

I was watching Morning Joe on MSNBC this morning, which isn’t part of my normal routine. A two-hour school delay threw off my morning a little. But it felt serendipitous, because within a few minutes Joe and Mika were interviewing Dwain Schenk, a friend of theirs who recently published Reset: How to Beat the Job Loss Blues and Get Ready for Your Next Act. An excerpt from the book can be read here.

Hopefully no one reading this has been fired. But if you’re a teacher who’s looking for a new career, this book may be of use to you. Normally I don’t recommend books unless I have read them, but it seemed timely and Mr. Schenk came across as knowledgeable about the subject of job loss but also successfully dealing with change. The book also seems a bit memoir-ish, as he wrote about his own experience of how he dealt with his own job loss and his subsequent re-invention. Even if you still have a job, transitioning to a new field is challenging, especially if you’ve been teaching for fifteen or twenty years.

I’m going to purchase the Kindle edition of this book and will post a follow-up when I’m finished. 

Lessons from a Bungled Job Interview, Part 2

My previous post provided a short list of ideas to help you maximize your performance in a phone interview. Today, here are a few things you need to avoid.

You shouldn’t…

·         Downplay the opportunity by saying, “It’s only a phone interview.” Even though you’re not there physically, you’re still getting an opportunity to shine a light on your qualifications for one or more of your potential employer’s key people.

·         Smoke, chew gum, or eat. I know you’re thinking Thank you, Captain Obvious. But I’ve read enough about phone interviews to know that it’s happened. And it will probably continue to happen, because some people are clueless about such matters. Keeping a small bottle of water on hand for an emergency might help you feel less worried about a coughing fit, but that would be the extent of it.

·         Do anything else except participate fully in your interview. We’ve embraced modern technology to the point of distraction, because it’s possible to simultaneously talk on a landline, surf the Web, send a text and take a video of your cat. As I used to tell my students, just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. It may be tempting to open your browser while you’re on the phone. I used to find myself wandering over to Facebook too often, without even realizing what I was doing, so I realize how automatic some behaviors are. Be mindful, and be present. A savvy interviewer will be able to tell if you’re not 100% there.

·         Get discouraged if you don’t get the job. If you never had a phone interview before, chalk it up to a learning experience, maybe jot down some reminders to yourself for next time, and move on.

As a teacher, preparation is part of your daily life. You’re always preparing something, whether it’s a lesson plan or an exam or conference notes. So chances are, you’re very good at preparation. Remember that as you prepare for the next stage of your career. Your ability to prepare yourself will be a great asset as you look for your next career.

Lessons from a Bungled Phone Interview, Part 1

       When I left teaching in June 2012, my primary career goal was a position I could do from home. My teaching job required me to travel fifty miles one way, which I did via a commuter train I sleepily boarded each morning at 5:55. My only child was starting kindergarten and I hoped to be able to get her ready for school and meet her when she got off the bus. Sleeping past 4:30 am was an added bonus.

       I applied on-line for a remote position as a writer with an educational software company. After moving through the first few e-mail-based stages of the hiring process, I was asked to participate in a phone interview. The company was located on the opposite coast and obviously flying in all the candidates was impractical and expensive.

     I didn’t get the position, thanks in part to a less-than-stellar second phone interview, but I learned from the experience. Phone interviews probably aren’t part of a typical teacher interview process, but if you choose to pursue a career in a new field, you may find yourself participating in one. They allow hiring managers to screen through candidates more efficiently. Here are tips to help you prepare:

You should…

·         Be ready for all possibilities. Phone interviews can be a 15-minute getting-to-know-you chat or a lengthy conversation with multiple people. My first interview lasted an hour, and though the questions were in-depth, the interviewer was friendly and the general tone was light. It ended on a promising note: I was asked to move to the next step, a second phone interview. Though I prepared thoroughly for the second interview, I wasn’t expecting to be interviewed by three different people; I suspect two of them had studied intimidation tactics because they were both very intense and asked lengthy, difficult questions. The tone was completely different from the first and I think that was their plan; it allowed them to weed out people who they felt might not perform well under pressure.
·         Determine which is more reliable: your landline if you still have one, or your cell phone. Cell service in my house can be spotty so I supplied my landline number. While a dropped call may not necessarily be held against you, it may unnerve you and prevent you from performing as well as you could.
·         Keep your notes and résumé on hand. I prepared beforehand by anticipating possible questions, including the dreaded “tell me about yourself.” I wrote the questions on index cards, and used bulleted phrases and key words under each question to prompt me. This helped me avoid sounding like I was reading from a cue card, but I had enough information nearby to help if I felt suddenly unsure. I also used a highlighter on key parts of my résumé.
·         Listen very carefully. You won’t be able to rely on body language to help you fill in gaps.  

       Come back Thursday when I'll share what you shouldn't do...you may be surprised. 

Vacation Reading

Even though Christmas isn’t here yet, you may already be thinking about your New Year’s resolutions. Getting a new job, or transitioning to a new career altogether, is a popular resolution. But, like with most resolutions, you may be unsure where to begin.

If you’ve found your way here, you’re a teacher or have a background in education and you’re interested in a career change. Since there are still several months before the end of the school year, you have a good chunk of time ahead of you. But it’s important to use the time effectively.

You may already have an idea of what you want to do…or maybe you don’t. If you're up for a little reading during your well-deserved Christmas vacation, here are a couple of great books to check out.

• I am a big fan of What Color is Your Parachute? Its status as a career-searching classic is well-deserved. It’s updated annually, which is great, because we all know how quickly the current career landscape changes. Though I am a big proponent of public libraries, I think owning this book is preferable, so you can highlight, take notes and have it on hand as a reference. There is also a workbook, which is full of exercises to help you pinpoint your next career moves.

• When I graduated college back in the mid-Nineties, I came across Do What You Are: Discover the Perfect Career for You Through the Secrets of Personality Type in my local bookstore.  I purchased it after flipping through it. It’s been updated since, the last time in 2007. Because this book is more focused on you and helping you identify your personality type, it doesn’t need updating as frequently as What Color is Your Parachute? In addition to the exercises, which can tell you a lot about yourself, the book contains profiles of people which are really engaging and fun to read.  

Changing careers involves actions, so you'll have to do a lot more than reading. But I've learned that reading books can be a great place to start. You'll learn about yourself, and about the process, and hopefully build more confidence that will help you make this change.

Career-Changing Tips from the Web

•  Teachers are in a great position to transition to writing for kids. Here's a story from Fast Company about an approach that worked for a lawyer-turned-YA author.
• A great case study of a teacher who successfully transitioned to a career in marketing.
• Branding: It’s not just for companies. Creating a personal brand can help you land a new job. Here are some tips.
• An inspiring read about reinventing yourself with a great slide show.
•  If you aspire to leave teaching at the end of the 2012-2013 school year, take a look NOW at your social media profiles and make sure they reflect you in the best possible light.  This article from Mashable has some helpful charts suggesting what should and shouldn't be there.

Welcome to my new and improved blog.

A year ago, I began this blog, then ignored it. It was meant as a means of documenting my last year in the classroom, where I’d discuss how I made my transition to a new career. The truth is, I spent much of the past year floundering, trying to figure out what I wanted to do, and being overwhelmed. Many of my students were difficult and dealing with the challenges drained me, but it also added to my resolve to leave. 

Earlier this month, I officially resigned from a fifteen-year teaching career. And I decided to chase my real goal: to work from home as a freelance writer. So I’m back, and I’ll be sharing ideas and tips for my fellow teachers who need and want to do something different. Maybe you’re a veteran who knows in your heart it’s time to go. Or maybe you’re a recently minted teacher, frustrated by the current job market and ready to consider alternatives. I hope this is helpful. 

Ode to the Résumé

I have to write a resume.

I love to write, and am told I do it well. I can sit down and spew out reasonably coherent things pretty quickly. And I have an extensive vocabulary full of otherwise useless words, like "spearhead" and "validate" which are ideal for résumés. 

Maybe I should rephrase. I can write for a variety of purposes: informing, persuading, describing. I dabble in fiction and like to write poetry, but am usually not brave enough to show it to anyone but my dog. And I know oodles of dynamic words conducive to résumé writing.

Thus, I should find the task of writing a résumé minimally stressful and not very challenging.

But the opposite is true. I haven’t written a real résumé since the Clinton administration. Since 1996 I have had only one employer and never tried to leave. There have been a couple occasions where I’ve put quick résumés together as a formality. The idea of adding a fictional stint in the adult-movie industry often tempted me, because I knew no one at my job was actually going to read it. 

And now, I will need an excellent one, but I’m freezing up. A lot.

I have never sent a résumé electronically. Back when I was seriously seeking employment, people were using snail mail exclusively. I’m not even sure if formats have evolved. Back when I needed my very first résumé, a graduate school classmate recommended a professional who’d done hers. This classmate seemed to be landing interviews, so I forked over a whole night’s worth of waitressing tips, about $100, and got a professional résumé. I got a couple interviews, but as I continued to look at books of samples, I began to think my professionally-done résumé was not delivering the results I wanted. A friend and fellow job-seeker let me have a copy of hers, and it was way better than my professionally-prepared one. But I learned a couple of things. First, a résumé done by a professional may not always be better than one you do yourself, if you do the legwork. And second, it’s always good to review and reassess your résumé as you go through the job-hunting process, whether you’re a career changer or a new graduate.

But the biggest lesson of all? Don’t let two Presidents come and go from the White House without updating your résumé at least a couple of times.