3 Traits for Facing Weather, Employment and Chronic Illness

This month’s Career Collective Blog Posts topic is:  Things job seekers should keep an eye on in 2011.  My fellow bloggers  (scroll down  for those links) share  insights into trends and forecasts and I’m focusing on basics.

We have an expression in New England:  Don’t like the weather?  Wait a minute and it’ll change. As the number of New Years pile on in my life, I’ve seen how that wisdom applies to more than just the weather.   And that a wise person learns to stay flexible, resilient and prepared for the weather, bad job markets and chronic illness.

Speaking of employment, aren’t we all feeling desperate  for good news? Many pundits  say that this horrible job market seems finally to be loosening.  I’ve seen it among my clients.  A physician told me last week that in the past month, she’s gotten two phone calls due to networking she’d done over a year ago.  Another client who has been unemployed for more than two years has three interviews lined  up in January for administrative assistant positions.  That’s one more than she’s had in the last 6 months!

Some say it’s only the white collar jobs that are expanding.  Others say the opposite.  I’m no job market expert and my perspective comes from a small sample.   But a new year is a good time for optimism,  so let’s consider what you can do while living with chronic illness and thinking about finding a job in 2011.  This stuff isn’t based on any new information.

Nope — it’s just the basics that are always worth reviewing because they allow  you to  be flexible, resilient and prepared.

1. Create  an “elevator” message – – a  few sentences about what kind of job you’re looking for and where.  With this, you’ve got a clear and memorable message when your best friend’s spouse or brother  (who happens to have awesome job connections) asks what you’re looking for. With this you’ll be prepared.
2. Review  your list of the chronic illness issues to think about when applying for that next job. Some examples might be scheduling needs, job redesign, disclosure.  For more on this see the Keep Working With Chronic Illness Workbook.  With this knowledge you can be more flexible in your decision making.
3. Dig deep  into your network and reconnect to see what you might shake loose. Start with your advocates and then reach out to your  prospects.  For more details,   The Keep Working With Chronic Illness Workbook. With these actions, you will increase your ability to respond with resilience.

I didn’t say anything here that I haven’t written many times before.  Actually,  the most important lesson I’ve learned after all these new years is that we need to hear the same things many times to create real change in our selves.

To read what my fellow bloggers have to share on the topic:

• Social Media Recruiting to Grow Further in 2011, @debrawheatman
• Another Year, Another Job Search Begins, @GayleHoward
• In 2011, Increase Your Prospects With Better Differentiation, @WalterAkana
• 4 Lessons Learned From Job Search in 2010, @Careersherpa
• Your Career Action Plan for the New Year, @KatCareerGal
• Trends Job Seekers Should Look For in 2011, @erinkennedycprw
• Things Every Job Seeker Should be Thinking About in 2011, @expatcoachmegan
• Let your presence be known or send out a red flag, @MartinBuckland @EliteResumes
• How to find a job in 2011: Pay attention to emotional intelligence, @Keppie_Careers
• 2011 Employment Trends Supercharged with Twitter, @KCCareerCoach
• 3 Traits for Facing Weather, Employment and Chronic Illness, @WorkWithIllness
• Everything old is new again @DawnBugni
• Career Trend 2011: Accountability + Possibility = Sustainability, @ValueIntoWords
• Career Tools to Check Out in 2011, @barbarasafani
• What Was in 2010, What To Expect in 2011, @chandlee
• The Future of Job Search: 3 Predictions and 2 Wishes, @JobHuntOrg