Steve's a pretty regular guy ? wife, 4 kids in their blended family, 12+ years of engineering experience, a degree, mortgage, car payments, some debt? and feeling depressed because he waited to look till the end. Last time he transitioned was 5 years ago for more money and he liked some of the people and it was simple?this time he's heard some in his professional association have been looking for almost a year...and they weren't lightweights. No wonder he's sweating.

Steve's wife can't figure out why he's so moody and angry?she doesn't understand that Steve has feelings of rejection from a company he had been loyal to for 5 years. He had poured heart and soul into his projects. Even though he didn't always agree with his manager's direction, on a project he shepherded, he had been recognized for achievement. Gosh, only 2 years in and already a rising "star".

In hindsight, Steve saw he had subtly butted heads on how the team was treated by management and that he made suggestions that "his bosses' way" was backward. Things began to slip. It was more real when he didn't get a merit raise. He didn't fathom the basic tenet that consistent values with the management are fundamental to longevity. You see, Steve made an "easy" choice to compromise his work ethics and principles because he thought he was on the upside of lots of growth (money).

Choice #1 ? Choose based on values ? not only on personalities in the organization.

Now that his desk was cleared out, a few weeks to wind down was in order before he could mount the energy to start looking. After all, he deserved a break, didn't he? It gave him time to think over what went wrong?to concentrate, to brood over the calamity that landed on him because others hadn't done their jobs. It simply wasn't fair?Jesse, their 6 year old, couldn't understand why "daddy just sits in the den and won't play with me anymore?"

Choice #2 ? You have power to choose your reaction to difficulty. It was business, not personal, and even if it was personal, so what, get some support, get some direction, get some help to tackle this bump in the road and get on with life.

Steve's wife finally pushed him to get his resume posted online?this is easy! What he didn't know was the internet is only about 4% of the market and that less than 10% of the companies who have posted have ever hired someone from the internet. He has complacently fallen into a deadly trap believing quantity will always yield quality positions!

Choice #3 ? Choosing to get a career by coincidence will seldom (read seldom as never) yield a role with expansive growth potential and long term satisfaction. It is not easy; it takes expertise, competitive edges of timing, better exposure and more powerful communications about capacity to win a position of your choice.

Eventually, Steve let a recruiter encourage him to "get his foot in the door" in a company a few states over. It was his only "egg in his nest" and a few steps back to where he had been 8-9 years earlier?and he'd have to leave Sundays and come back home Fridays since relocation wasn't even offered. But what choice does he have ? it's been 11 months since he was let go and savings have dwindled and he's tired of being a stay-at-home dad.

Choice #4 ? Choosing to take a job will only spiral down his career, his confidence, his perceived capability and his cash. Being talked into ? that is recruited/sold ? a cookie-cutter position versus taking a position that has been engineered around him. There should be no question.

Well, Steve has gotten accustomed to the commute and his efficiency apartment and really looks forward to seeing his kids next weekend. The job is just that ? he's surviving, but there's no challenge?same-o every day. That recruiter called back to say he's got another job like this on the East Coast ? Steve hung up on him this time?about all the energy he could muster. Been feeling really exhausted.

Choice #5 ? Choosing to ignore his body cues of exhaustion only leads Steve to depression and powerlessness and feeling trapped again. Choosing to have proper rest, diet, exercise and balance of life invigorates.

Steve's 17 month anniversary is coming up ? he's looking a little haggard from the day-to-day grind. It's Friday, about 2 and Steve's boss wants him to come to the conference room?and the HR person is there?

Choice #6 ? Steve can choose to run this cycle again?or choose to purposefully utilize his full potential by proactively marketing himself.

It's Steve's choice?it's his career?it's his life? Then, again, maybe it's not Steve; maybe it's you???

Bruce Benskin is a Regional Manager in Cincinnati for R.L. Stevens & Associates Inc. (http://www.interviewing.com), a career marketing firm and organization celebrating over 24 years of providing strategic marketing solutions for its clients' career transitioning needs.

In The News:

---

Study For A Thrilling Career in Fashion
3x24 - Your Newspaper and News Magazine, Germany - Aug 29, 2008
Most fashion retailers enjoy stimulating careers in specialty stores, boutiques, national department stores, discount chains, wholesale apparel dealers and ...

Boomers find meaning in 'encore careers' at nonprofit groups
Dallas Morning News, TX - Aug 27, 2008
More than 750 people have found employment or housing in the four years he has managed the program. Nonprofit groups that want to capitalize on such ...

"Hello Kansas wheat field farmer, let me thank you for your time."
Tri Valley Herald, CA - 12 hours ago
Clearly, Daniel thinks of careers as though they are Lay's potato chips or "Rocky" movies or Brangelina's children or Amy Winehouse's dumb things that she ...

Michigan Business Review - MLive.com
Washtenaw Contractors Association Career Expo hopes to attract ...
Michigan Business Review - MLive.com, MI - Aug 28, 2008
The peak between those two points was in 2000, when construction employment in July reached 211300, according to statistics from the state Department of ...

English degrees will land jobs: BC expert
Canada.com, Canada - 14 hours ago
That's why Johnston talks about careers planning, emphasizing the plural. Today's students or recent graduates can expect to have a number of careers over ...

Cayman Net News
Radio Camp Prepares Students for Broadcasting Career
Cayman Net News, Cayman Islands - Aug 28, 2008
Affording young people the opportunity for gaining employment in a new field was the main objective of the radio camp on Cayman Brac that ran from 18-22 ...

ZDNet Blogs
Things you’ve probably done this summer instead of work
ZDNet Blogs - Aug 28, 2008
Yet even those quietly plotting their escape might not have gotten far this summer, as the employment market struggled this summer, in part due to seasonal ...

Reasons for the surge
India Today, India - 6 hours ago
A global recession would negatively impact employment opportunities. India is unlikely to experience a recession any time soon, and apart from China, ...

All work and no play this Labour Day - thirty-five percent of ...
Canada NewsWire (press release), Canada - Aug 29, 2008
... the situation you're in, it's time to position yourself for a career that's in demand; has growth potential or even the possibility of self employment. ...

"Get Hired" Career Program to Offer Insights on Jobs and Hiring ...
MarketWatch - Aug 22, 2008
... it will host "Get Hired," a careers program featuring Kelly Jensen, Omnicom Management Services, Mike Overby, Express Employment Personnel and Robert ...

careers employment - Google News