How to bounce back after losing your job

This post came out from The Straits Times (19 Sep 2015)
Title - How to bounce back after losing your job

Some pointers that I've got are:
1. Emotional impact
2. Other issues
3. Coping with job loss
4. Confronting grief
5. Get organised

On emotional impact

• Although losing one's job is not the same as the prospect of losing one's life, the same elements can still manifest themselves in our emotions. 
• In the early stage, an employee facing the possibility of being laid of may tell himself as part of his initial denial that it will affect some of his colleagues, but not himself.
• As the reality sinks in that he is being laid off, he may be angry over his perceptions of "why me?" and other injustices.
• Such anger can be directed at his past employers, those who are retained, himself, family members or other convenient targets.
• Bargaining can take the form of hope of subsequent re-employment within the same organisation or securing an alternative job within a short time. 
• Feelings of sadness and depression will soon set in as his daily job routine is disrupted and he is separated from his usual role, which gives him his identity and self-worth.
• As time passes, he begins to adjust emotionally to the job loss and eventually comes to accept what has taken place and prepare himself to face the challenges ahead.
• Overall, losing a job affects different people in various ways as each person grieves in a unique manner despite the general patterns of human thought, feelings and behaviour. 
• We must also understand that the passage of grief is a process and the stages of grief may overlap, occur in any order or simultaneously be of varying intensity and unpredictable duration, and may disappear and reappear at random.

On Other issues

• Economic concerns are often a natural consequence of job loss as a person thinks of the monthly expenses and bills, as well as mortgage instalments to be paid. 
• At the same time, we are all social beings who need to relate to one another. Losing a job will disconnect us from our former colleagues, resulting in feelings of loneliness and isolation. 
• Furthermore, if we identify ourselves by our jobs and derive meaning and purpose from our work, job loss can shatter our world view - we could feel empty and directionless. 
• We also need to remember that job loss will affect the dynamics of the whole family. Everyone in the family needs to adapt to changes since all these factors will significantly impact spousal and parental relationships. 

On Coping with job loss 

• The loss of a job usually presents major coping challenges in managing grief. May people will ignore their grief to concentrate on their finances and search for a new job. 
• However, the emotional distress can negatively impact our ability to function effectively by disrupting our concentration and impairing our judgement.

On Confronting grief

• Talking about the loss: Do this with someone who understands what we are going through and can empathise with us. Grief shared is grief halved. 
• Resolving issues: Many of our emotional issues arise from having the wrong perceptions and our unconscious desire to hold convenient targets of blame for our suffering.
• Finding new meaning: As we question our assumptions about how the world works, we need someone to encourage and guide us to re-examine and reconstruct a new world view that can accommodate our job loss experiences. 

On Get organised

• A job loss leaves a big void in us and we need to organise ourselves to fill it up. Inactivity will soon breed helplessness, which pushes us deeper into our grief.
• Addressing our grief requires that we not only attend to the emotional pain, but also maintain a positive problem-solving attitude and proactive approach.
• Acting on what is in your control: Do not look too far ahead, just do what you an each day. Focus on your present resources and strengths to make whatever adjustments are necessary and start looking for a new job. Keep away from negative people who only complain and take no action.
• Establish an active routine: Put routine back into your day and make a daily job search plan. 
• Maintain helpful relationships: Do not isolate yourself but maintain contact with people who may be able to help you in your job search. Remind them that you are looking for a job and seek their support.
• Learn from experience: Rejection is a common experience during a job search. Find out why you are not selected as an avenue for self improvement. 

Yours,
Something Small Thinking Big

Reap the benefits - What you do before and after a networking event matters

This post came out from The Straits Times (22 Sep 2015)
Title - Reap the benefits

Some pointers that I've got are:
1. Planning and preparation
2. After the networking event
3. Learning from each event

On Planning and preparation

• For each networking event you attend, spend some time before hand researching it and its participants so that you know who you are going to talk to. You could also think about how many people you intend to speak at each event.
• Create a networking game plan, create an interesting story and think about scripted questions to ask others, as well as achievable long term goals. If you are well prepared, your confidence will come through naturally.
• During the event, keep track of everyone you talk to and any pertinent details required for your next action step. Do not rely on your memory. After shaking the hands of 10 or more individuals, you will have trouble remembering who you have talked to and what you both talked about.
• For professional networking to be effective, a positive mindset is absolutely essential. You need to be positive in order to motivate yourself to get out there and meet people. When you radiate positivity, it attracts people to you.

On After the networking event

• It is absolutely crucial to follow up with your contacts in power networking. Even if you are able to meet 100 people a day, nothing will develop if you do not follow up with them. Your initial meeting should grow into a relationship, which is your ultimate objective.
• When you follow up quickly, you stand out from the others. If you take too long, the warm contact will become lukewarm, even cold.
• To follow up, call or email your contacts. Start by reminding the person who you are. Apart from saying your name, job his or her memory by telling them when and where they met you. 
• Next, continue the conversation which started at the event. This will bring the interaction to the next level. Continuing the conversation may include asking for more information, sharing something you think they will appreciate, offering some kind of help, or arranging to meet up over lunch or coffee.
• In your follow up, be yourself. Do not try to hide your true intentions and just you did during the initial meeting, strive to be positive and make a good impression. Be transparent and real, but do not sound needy.

On Learning from each event

• Although meeting and following up with your contacts takes time, do not stop attending networking events. You may scale it back to once a week or so, but you should keep the momentum.
• An excellent way to measure your networking progress is to look at the things you have done for your new contacts. You can set a goal of doing something for someone everyday. It could be something as simple as providing helpful information or referring them to another contact who can help them. This is a great way to measure how effective your networking efforts are because it focuses on what you do for others, instead of what others do for you - which more often than not, pays off eventually. 

Yours,
Something Small Thinking Big

5 tips for new graduates to get hired

This post came out from The Straits Times (23 Sep 2015)
Title - 5 tips for new graduates to get hired

Some pointers that I've got are:
1. Craft an effective cover letter and resume
2. Leave a positive impression during interviews
3. Be an intern who over delivers
4. Follow your passion
5. Network to open doors

On Craft an effective cover letter and resume

• Highlight your assets and achievements in a concise manner instead of rambling about laundry lists of insignificant duties. Use direct action verbs including led, troubleshot, researched, innovated, demonstrated and attained. 
• Find out about the qualities, transferable skills, content knowledge and experience level required of the job. Suss out what employers are looking for and highlight how you meet such requirements in your cover letter and resume.
• If possible, quantify your statements using numbers, percentages or costs. 
• Refrain from repeating chunks and paragraphs from your cover letter on your resume. The objective of a resume is to present a succinct factual history of your educational qualifications and employment history.
• A cover letter should provide subjective information such as your interests, values, motivation, and how the company culture appeals to you.

On Leave a positive impression during interviews

• Present yourself well. Do not be overly flustered by unexpected or difficult questions. Interviewers are more interested in whether you are able to maintain your poise and composure when challenging questions are posed to you.
• Competency-based interviews are increasingly common and serve to assess whether candidates have the abilities required for the role. 
• Situation - Provide a concise context (who, what, where, when, and how) comprising real life examples.
• Task - Talk about what you had to deliver and the specific challenges or constraints you faced (client expectations, deadlines or a tight budget).
• Action - Elaborate on specific actions you took. These should indicate the abilities required for the role, like initiative, teamwork, or perseverance.
• Result - Summarise your achievements and the learning points you took away.

On Be an intern who over-delivers

• If you are on internship, treat it as a job and not an academic module you need to pass. Show a keen interest in learning and do your best to deliver consistently high standards. 
• The internship method of hiring is highly favored because of the reduced risk of a poor job fit, as compared to the traditional route of holding several one to two hour interviews with a candidate whom the company had no prior work interaction with. 

On Follow your passion

• Be wise and courageous enough to affirm your strengths, talents, and interests, and stand up for what you would like to do for a living.
• Passion, in addition to a massive dosage of discipline, is key to the enthusiasm, zeal and motivation to keep you persisting when the going gets tough. 
• If you settle for a job because of prestige or career security, instead of how it brings out your strengths, your job satisfaction is likely to fade quickly, leaving you uninspired. 

On Network to open doors

• Stay in contact with your lecturers, internship supervisors, career coaches and classmates. They may be aware of job openings in their company or the industry suitable for you. 
• Tertiary education institutions may regularly hold recruitment talks and alumni mentoring sessions. Attend as many networking events as possible and speak to industry players. If you are painfully shy, teaming up with your friends and classmates might make the experience less daunting.
• Approach key speakers at the end of the event and follow up with specific questions and feedback via email. In this way, you will have a deeper understanding of the industry demands or company culture. 

Yours,
Something Small Thinking Big

How to embrace complex change

Article from Harvard Business Review by Linda Brimm

Some pointers that I've got are:
A framework for thinking about change and involves navigating through the Seven C's

1. Complexity

• People may felt overwhelmed by the number of variables to consider. Some respond by seeking simplicity and, as a result, either revert to the stable status quo (which stunts growth) or ignore the problematic aspects of the change to make the decision easier (but not necessarily wiser). 
• Both coping mechanisms are counterproductive. To kick off a successful change effort, you must embrace its complex dynamics. Take careful inventory of all the factors at play by thinking about them on your own, talking to affected parties, and seeking third-party counsel.

2. Clarity

• You have to fully understand, organize, and prioritise all the factors to reduce your anxiety about them. The clearer you are about what's most important to you, the less anxious you feel, and the easier it is to find even greater clarity. This task requires deep reflection along with conversations with the right external resources. You should rely on people in your network who will listen without judgement and will set aside their own preferences and biases to help you weigh the pros and cons of the change. 

3. Confidence

• An executive must feel capable of managing the change while realizing that many challenges can't be predicted or controlled. You want just the right amount of confidence. Too much, and you risk missing key or newly emerging information. Too little, and you'll be paralyzed in the face of the difficulties inherent in the change process. 
• Belief in oneself is mostly conditioned by life history, but it can be facilitated by small actions, such as connecting with someone who offers personal support, resolving even minor problems associated with the change, or envisioning a successful outcome. This positive outlook is critical to maintaining the energy required for the remaining C's in the cycle.

4. Creativity

• Innovation is key to any successful change effort. When confronted with problems - early or late, large or small, expected or unexpected - you must find creative but realistic solutions, adapting strategies used in the past and developing new ones. Again, look to trusted members of your network and seek out new contacts with relevant experience to test your ideas and help you generate solutions. 

5. Commitment

• Once you're ready to commit to a good, realistic course of action and implement it to the best of your ability, you need to close off other options - including escape - and move forward. This is often the hardest step, bu there can be no change without it. It is helpful to think about this decision not as right or wrong but as a different path. You're no longer weighing the pros and cons of the decision or second-guessing it. You're working to make it successful. 

6. Consolidation

• This phase involves letting go of the previous situation so that new possibilities can arise. Some aspects of your old identity must be set aside or abandoned as you adapt. People at a new company who use 'we' to refer to their former employer have not yet consolidated the change; 'we' should mean the current team.
• Some individuals get through this stage by focusing not on what they've lost but on what they've gained. They regard change as developmental - something that brings them closer to a 'true self' or to possibilities they might now achieve. Surprisingly, anchors in your past daily life - even as minor as familiar foods - may help provide a stable basis for safe experimentation with your new identity. 

7. Change

• The final step in the process is living into the change, savouring its positive outcomes while dealing with any unintended consequences or new challenges that arise. This is't a static state, of course. You must also be on the lookout for new opportunities that may lead to your next change effort. 

Yours,
Something Small Thinking Big