Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 27, 1994 TAG: 9402280283
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: GERTHA COFFEE
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The average worker can expect to have three or four career changes in a lifetime, surveys show. And in the rough-and-tumble economy of the 1990s, there's no telling when or where one will land.
For some, that can be devastating. On average, it takes about six months to find a new job. And 40 percent of those changing jobs have taken pay cuts.
For those who link success to what they do and how much they earn, doubts about job security can batter self-esteem.
In addition to changing financial expectations and lifestyles, many people may find they also need to make psychological adjustments.
First, you have to deal with the sheer shock of being out of work, said Barry Glassner, chairman of the department of sociology at the University of Southern California. Glassner, author of "Career Crash," spent four years studying hundreds of successful, college-educated professionals and managers who lost jobs nationwide.
"Next came the hurt and anger of having been betrayed by their companies," he said. "Then there was the embarrassment of having to tell parents, partners and children."
The question then becomes how to pick up and move on. View the layoff as an opportunity to reassess goals and values.
"What you do is not who you are; your work is not what you are," said Douglas Slavin, a clinical psychologist in Conyers, Ga. "How valuable we are and how we feel about ourselves can be linked to a whole range of behaviors," he said. "You might have good self-esteem because you feel you raised your kids well, or performed well at a certain task."
Once you go through the reassessment cycle - and the amount of time varies from person to person - you're ready to ask: "What am I going to do?"
Arming yourself with knowledge is the best defense against being overwhelmed, said Tom Franklin, a senior vice president at the Atlanta office of Drake Beam Morin Inc., one of the world's largest individual and organizational transition consulting firms.
"When you have little or no information, you tend to fear a thing or see it as a threat," Franklin said. "Once you're knowledgeable, you can see it as a challenge or opportunity. This works whether you've lost a job, dead-ended in a job, or need a career change."
He suggests asking yourself four basic questions:
What have I done? Take a look at your job and career as related to your accomplishments.
What can I do? Do a skills assessment to take stock of your abilities. Contact career counselors, employment agencies or other experts for help. There are many books on the market that can serve as guides, such as "What Color Is Your Parachute?"
What do I want to do? What are your interests or hobbies? A lot of people are in jobs they really don't want.
What will I do? That is, how will you survive financially?
Your choices boil down to: working full time for someone else doing what you always did; working full time for someone else doing something different; working part time or temporary jobs; working for yourself; retiring or semi-retiring; or continuing your training and education.
You also can take steps to ease the financial pain of change.
If you're married, for example, you can put off making major purchases, said Charles Ross, president of Financial Media Services, Inc. Or young adults might stay home and attend a public college. Persons close to retiring could semi-retire and take a part-time job, said Ross.
"All these life-cycle decisions come down to whether or not you're going to have enough money," Ross said. "Put pen to paper and find out. Then decide."
\ JOB SEARCH TIPS\ SOME TIPS FROM THE MULLING GROUP, AN ATLANTA OUTPLACEMENT FIRM\ \ Treat the search as a full-time job. You have a product to sell: yourself.
\ Focus on what you want to do and what you can offer an employer.
\ Develop a list of target companies.
\ Don't overlook smaller companies. That's where much of the recent growth has been.
\ Network to uncover opportunities.
\ Make it a goal to meet two or three new contacts a day.
\ Maintain and expand contacts in professional organizations. Don't overlook other contacts, such as family, friends, alumni associations or charitable groups.
\ Mask your discouragement. A negative attitude will show up in an interview or phone call. A positive attitude can help land a job.\ \ SOURCE: The Mulling Group, Atlanta outplacement consultant
by CNB