Asking Powerful Questions

The question is a very powerful tool. It is deceptively simple but can evoke profound effects if used to our advantage. We often get ourselves stuck with closed-ended questions that get basic facts or yes/no answers. Here are three types of questions that you may find useful to propel you toward something useful. (Thanks to ideas from a book by Vogt, Brown and Issacs called The Art of Powerful Questions for inspiring this Blog.)

Questions for focusing attention

·       What question, if answered, would make the most difference to your job search?

·       What attracts you to certain parts of the job search process?

·       If you dig a little bit, what hidden opportunity might you discover in your present situation?

·       What assumptions do you need to test or challenge in your thinking about job search?

·       What would someone who knows and loves you say about your situation?

Questions for connecting ideas and finding deeper insight

·       What is starting to take shape for you? What are you noticing that is positive in recent events?

·       What is in the center of your life that you need to stay connected to?

·       What new connections could you make that will really help you out?

·       What seems easy for you during this process?

·       What has been the most interesting discovery for you so far?

·       What is it that you would love to discover soon?

Questions that create forward movement?

·       What will it take to move to the next level in your job search?

·       What brings you the most positive energy during the job search process?

·       What is possible here and who can help me get what I want?

·       What seed can I plant today that will make the most difference in my future?

·       Who do I need to have a conversation with to go to the next step?

·       What have I been putting off that I can do now to get some momentum?

Healing the wound

Healing the wound of a layoff

In any group of job seekers laid off from the very same company you will meet very different reactions. This is normal isn't it? We all have different relationships to an employer or a job. Some feel devastated to be laid off while some are disappointed, and others are nervously delighted. A few are downright overjoyed. Other feelings are disoriented, dazed, numb, furious, guilty, hurt, or sad.

No matter what the reaction is, it is important to heal any wounds quickly because there is a risk that these emotions will "leak out" during networking, or worse yet during an interview! Saying something negative about your previous employer is a major mistake, because the interviewer will hear it as a comment on you, rather than on the employer. They will not be sympathetic.

I can't emphasize enough that no matter how justified your feelings may be about the reason you were laid off, or the manner in which you were laid off, you need to resolve those feelings and put them behind you before you move into your full job search.

So, how do you resolve them? How do you heal a sizable wound?

Consider this: the opposite of LOSS is not GAIN, it is ATTACHMENT. The reason a layoff hurts so much is because we have an attachment to that job, organization, team, salary, status, title, responsibility, etc. It is the cutting of those attachments that hurts so much and causes the pain. The most important goal is to re-establish your sense of wholeness without that job.

As you process what it means to be whole, keep in mind that you were "you" before you ever took that previous job. You were already whole. You are not that job - so you remain whole without that job. You have all of the skills, knowledge, ability, attitude, motivation, work ethic and character that you had before you lost the job. You are a whole person.

Imagine for a moment what you left behind at that previous job. Your office/cubicle, your desk, your title, your chair, your routine with co-workers, your lunch pattern, your customers/clients. None of these are truly part of YOU. They can all be replaced. You haven't left anything of yourself behind. Be sure you realize that fully. Become aware of all of the wonderful parts of yourself that you have within you. They are still there - hold on to them, because you will need them during the job search and in your new job.

Let the other stuff go - let them drift into a memory and you will feel the lessening of the attachment and the lessening of the emotions as well. Do this exercise a few times until you feel you have let go of those attachments and emotions. And then focus on the future and the exciting things that lie ahead. Whatever you do don't keep telling yourself the "story" of your layoff, because that story had an unhappy ending and will only keep getting you upset. Start to tell yourself a new story that has a happy ending - you getting a new and perhaps even better job. The new story will provide the motivation and the positive feelings you need to get through this transition.

Take care of yourself,

--Mike

Beating the "Overqualified" objection

One of the major issues that "mature workers" have to face is that employers will see them as overqualified. Overqualified generally means having too much of something: more skills, education, or experience than the job requires. You might think that an employer would want to hire the best possible candidate for a given job, but the reality is that they want to hire the person with the best fit. They don't want an employee to feel above the job, unchallenged, underpaid, underutilized.

If they need a person with a BA/BS, they don't want someone with a PhD even though you might be willing to take it. If you have 20 years experience and apply for an entry level position, they probably won't give you a look.

I heard a new story last week. A job seeker said he was so prepared for a job interview that he really thought he had nailed it. When he was rejected, the feedback he received was that he was "too enthusiastic." I never heard that before. Could it have been another way of saying he was too old, or too qualified? Who knows, but too enthusiastic? Wow.

How can you overcome these objections? Some advise taking some skills or experience out of your resume. This may work to some degree and might be worth a try. I recommend applying to smaller businesses or non-profits. They tend to be less rigid about job descriptions and more willing to utilize all the skills you can bring them. If you can manage projects and can also maintain a website, this might be an extra that you can bring them that they don't currently have. Finding out about these potential needs through your networking and research can give you leg up.

You also need to make sure you address the over-qualification question even if it doesn't come up directly in the interview. If you have been a manager and are applying to be an individual contributor, explain why you want to make that career change. If you can allay their fears and doubts, you may open their minds to welcome you into your new job!