FALL is Here and so is the Unemployment Line!

I had the pleasure of visiting my unemployment office today. This has to be one of the most humbling experiences of my life.   In Indiana you have to file online for your claim before you can move to the next step.  I had originally filed September 9,  a couple weeks after my severance pay ran out.  While I am a pretty bright person, navigating through the system is very confusing to say the least.  I wonder how folks who do not have internet and  computers at home get through this process. 

First things first - THE PROCESS

I went on Google and found the website and read all the instructions on how to apply.  The first thing they tell you is that by Indiana law you don't get paid for your first week of unemployment and then it is a 3 week period before you get your first check.  Oh, and by the way, you won't be getting a check you will get a debit card, that if you don't follow all the instructions just right your money will be eaten up by fees.  Apparently this is such a problem that they have a class on how to manage your debit card to avoid the fees.  Seriously?  Just give me a check.  The card is supposed to save the state money - me I think it is to collect fees off of the poor folks who have no job.  Did I also mention that they ask if you want to have the taxes withheld or pay them later?  Taxes on unemployment? At this point why bother?  By the time I actually get any money there won't be any left after taxes (more unemployment tax on my unemployment check, isn't that an oxymoron?) and fees.  

After you file your initial claim you are told that you have to register on Indiana Career Connect site and do job searches weekly.  I went to the site, registered and started the process of uploading my resume etc.  At one point you are asked to go through a skills assessment to rate your skills in varying different categories.  The one that I thought was the most interesting was when they asked me what my knife skills were, did I know how to use a knife? Well, I had to ponder that one for a moment; if they were referring to cutting vegetables then yes!!  Eureka, I have knife skills; but are they referring to skinning a deer with a knife, if so then I hate to admit but I don't have those knife skills.  Daringly,  I checked yes, I have knife skills in case that one my job offers would require me to have knife skills.  

NO I DON'T HAVE THIS SKILL

YES I HAVE THIS SKILL

At this point I have checked off all of my skills and I am ready to run my first job search on the site; which is required even though I have 25 job searches on other sites, and I am working with several recruiters,  but whatever.  I have put in all my criteria, my experience level,education,  location (anywhere basically), and I hit "RUN".  

I wait, wait, wait for it, and nothing.  Not one job fits my criteria.  Not one. So I went back in and took out some of my requirements (like education), and still nothing. They actually don't even have supply chain as a  job category I discovered.  Very helpful.  

I gave up and went through all the assessments and waited to hear from WorkForce Development, that is the fancy name for the unemployment office.  I got a card in the mail that said welcome to the system.  Every Sunday I have to go into the system and file my weekly claim along with documenting my job search.  When you go to the site to file your claim you also get messages on things you need to do. 

Yesterday my message was to go to the local office.   They didn't say to do anything at the office, just go.  So off I went this morning to the local office, which is 20 miles away mind you.  At the office was a very nice man named Randy.  He walked me through the process of what I had to do today;  I had to sign in and he will note in the system that I signed in.  He then proceeded to tell me that I had to take a 3 hour class tomorrow on how to navigate the system.  Hmmm, wouldn't you think this class might have been more appropriate before I started all this stuff? But, heck, who am I to tell anyone how to do something more efficiently?  I only have 20 years experience of doing just that!  But, I didn't say anything, I just smiled and said what time?  So tomorrow morning from 9-12 I will be taking a class on how to navigate the unemployment process.  

So you may ask, why am I going through this painful process?  You might say, "it is your right, you paid into the system long enough".  Well I think I might actually learn something  along the way, and maybe, just maybe I can help someone navigate this system that really needs the money to survive and provide for their family a lot more than I do.

 

Football and Finding the Right Fit with the Right Company

Thank goodness it is finally football season!  My most favorite sport to watch is finally back. I am an avid fan of the New England Patriots and all other teams (when they are not playing the Pats, I root for them all).  In my time off I have wondered why I like football so much and I think I have discovered why.  

Football is a game of strategy -  the team can fail one week, but the day after the game the team is right back at it reviewing what went wrong and revamping the strategy to fit the next opponent.  That is very much like what I have done in my career.  In consulting I would go to a client (opponent), develop the strategy that works for them, implement, then go on to the next client.  While working at hospitals I had a similar approach - looking at each location or department and figuring out what works best for that particular location, then  moving on to the next issue.  

One of the things I have reflected on while being unemployed is how to  find the right fit with the right company.  In the past I have jumped at opportunities to switch companies when recruiters called because I felt I had to make up for lost time when I stayed home while my children were young.  I thought "wow, they want me, I must move to this position" but I didn't do a great job of determining upfront if the company had the same cultural fit that would work best with my style.  Similar to football players moving around the league because they too are looking for the right fit with a team.  Do you ever wonder why some players do so lousy with one team but excel with another?  It is because we all react to different cultures, management styles, and values in different ways.   Highly successful people are not afraid to fail and move to a better opportunity.  Failure does not define who you are, how you handle failure does.  

It is similar to people looking for new positions.  If we are truly going to succeed in our positions, we must find a good fit with our prospective employers and that takes work.  I have told many recruiters and HR personnel that I am taking my time to find the one last position that will be the best fit for both me and the employer.  I am willing to wait for the perfect position. 

The work I go through when deciding to apply for a position involves a lot of internet research.  What are people saying about the company? What are they not saying? Are they always in the news for the wrong reasons? Who is on their executive team? Are they well respected in the industry?  I do my research  and it would be fitting if I could show the companies that I apply to how much time I took to select them to apply for.  However,  it is difficult to show them in a cover letter just what I have gone through to get to that point. 

The most difficult task is trying to determine what the culture is truly like.  I ask myself questions like: "will they really embrace a female leader?", "Is the company ready for me and my style?". Those are hard questions to get answers for and I am struggling with that.  I want my last great job to be with a company that embraces my level of enthusiasm, someone who wants to have fresh ideas and input often on how to make things better, and someone who is not going to judge me because I like colorful suits!

The moral of today's blog is that you can have a great career with a great company, but you have to do the work to find out who you are first and what is important to you in your career, and take the time to find the right employer that fits with who you are and what your style is.  You may not find it on the first try, but like the football players who move around the league, eventually you are going to find the team works for both of you.

Taking Stock of Your Pantry and Your Skills

In today's crazy world of bombings, gas attacks, and natural disasters we should all take a few minutes to look at our pantries to see if we could last a couple of days with no outside contact. Here in Indiana there are many advertisements for "stockpiling" food, tornado shelters, etc.  Since I have been canning like a crazy lady I have quite a bit of food stored and I have some bottled water. I will check to make sure that I have batteries and matches as recommended.  This seems to be the norm here.  

But how many of us take stock of our personal and business skill sets?  Not many I imagine; which makes it difficult to tell someone what your skills are off the cuff when looking for a new position.  I mentioned  LinkedIn previously and this is a great place to start to take stock of your skills.  You can also just start an Excel spreadsheet, below I show how I have mine set up.  I started by just adding what I use and what I do on a daily basis, then I added the level I felt I was at, and lastly calculated how long I have been using it (this will help you determine the level you are at).

Type	Skill	Level	Yrs Used
Professional	Excel	Advanced	17
Professional	Word	Advanced	17
Professional	Internet	Advanced	17
Professional	Supply chain	Expert	22
Professional	SC Operations	Expert	22

I also have my personal skills included.  You would be surprised how your personal skills can be transferred to professional jobs.  As an example, if you are an artist and love to create things at home, say paintings and crafty things,  you would be a great candidate for a creative design job.  You can take pictures of what you have done, invitations, paintings, etc to use as part of a job application. Having it all down on paper or in excel makes it easy to see the transfer of skills.  

Another example could be that you are a great party planner, so good that other people ask for your help in planning parties.  Why not get paid for that skill? There are corporate event planners at most large companies and you can use your personal skill to help you land a professional position.  

Documenting your skills also shows you where you have a gap or weakness.  It can also boost your morale!  Most people have skills that they don't even think of as a skill and most are transferable.  Ask your friends what skills they think you have and include them on your list. You can then compare your skill set with job opportunities to see if you qualify for a position. 

Finding the right job is a job in and of itself, but if you take the time to do the work you will find you are more qualified for  positions than you think.  I am also  learning that it is more important to find the right fit with a company from culture to vision and values than it is to just find a job.  I am on a search for the best "last" job of my career, and it takes a lot of work to find the right company to fit into  my goals and values the same things I do.

I am off to write labels for the 19 quarts of tomato sauce I canned yesterday.