Hello everyone, Matt again, back for another blog entry for our Incepture blog team. I know why I am doing this, not real sure why you are still reading these, but I am going to with my creative style, great humor and award winning personality, OK? Hey, we all get to dream…….

I have mentioned in previous blogs that my first career was the U. S. Navy. I am now on number six since I retired from active duty. As I have become fond of saying, the police keep finding me and it’s time to move on! So unlike many of the topics I will write about, I am uniquely qualified to discuss this one. After all that, there is a certain poetry for me to be working at a Staffing company.

I love Google! Google “Changing careers” and you get 156,000,000 results! REALLY 156,000,000! That completely blows away the 6,620,000 results we got for “Dealing with Stress” from my other blog. It’s kind of like stress isn’t even trying! Do the math! That means you are 23.5 times more likely to have to change jobs than be stressed and cranky in the Google universe! But I digress……

Of all the things one must do when changing careers, probably the most difficult for me was deciding what I wanted to do.  A friend of mine had a discussion with his wife on the way to his retirement ceremony after almost 30 years in the Navy. His wife said that this was very exciting because now he could do whatever he wanted to do. She asked, “What is that you always wanted to do for a living?” His reply…..”I just did it.” While that was true for the specifics of his job, the overarching skills he developed translate across all areas of employment.

As I said, I am now on career number six, Navy, Higher Education, Ice, Wind, and IT. But in essence, I have held the same job six times….Leading people and managing stuff! Don’t misunderstand; if you are planning to do something like that, you need to be a quick study, because the devil is still in the details! You can only smile, nod knowingly and say things like “We need to do the right thing” for so long. Eventually they will figure it out and…….

The other essential part of changing careers is…..finding the new job. Luckily you are in the right place. Look through the Incepture website and the blogs to get some great tips on resume’s, interviews, networking, etc. All these things will assist you as move through this process.

What follows is a list of things that will help as you go through the process of changing careers. It will vary somewhat depending on whether this is your idea (“take this job and shove it”) or someone else’s idea (i.e. you were fired, let go, downsized, reorganized and my favorite….”terminated.”)

• Decide what you want to do.  Do you really want to change careers or just change jobs within the same career field. If changing careers, what field do you want to work in? Are you qualified? How do you get qualified?
• Have a family meeting.  Shake hands with your spouse and promise each other that you are still going to be friends when this is over. If you have kids, let them know what is happening. The level of detail will vary with their age, but even little kids will notice if Mommy and Daddy are having a tough time. Important tip! Try not to scare them; they often assume the worst.
• Finding a new job is your new job. If you got up to go to work at 6am, then get up at 6am and go to working looking. Make sure you have access to a good computer, looking for a job has changed a lot lately. There is information not only about openings on line, but great research resources about potential employers.  Don’t feel overly bound by the Job requirements as posted on line. Often what they think they want and what they really want aren’t the same thing.
• Dress and act like you’ve been there before. Research the company and know what they do and how well they do it. Be confident, not cocky when you interview. It is a formal process; understand that EVERYONE you encounter at a potential employer is evaluating you. Be rude to the receptionist and you might as well go home. Have examples ready, if you want a job leading people and managing stuff, be prepared to explain how you have led people and managed stuff in the past. When in doubt, overdress. So much better to be in a suit and your interviewer be in jeans than the other way around!
• Have a “Plan B.”  Have some idea of how you will support yourself and family during the transition. That is easy to say and hard to do.

This can be a challenge, but stay positive. Even if the “jobless rate” is 9%, that means the “jobbed rate” is 91%. Remember, the really good thing about looking for a new job is that you only have to find one! It’s not like you have to corral 5 or 6 of these things!

Until next time, look at the current openings on the Incepture web site and see if there is something there for you. If not, come back in a few days…..this stuff changes all the time!

Contact or Follow me on Twitter at @KHCO00 (That’s KHCO zero zero)

Good luck, Matt