Murli Melwani

GUEST AUTHOR: Murli Melwani

from the Dallas Morning News

The term “persons in transition” is rich with possibilities of interpretation. It can range from an echo of Buddha’s immortal saying, “Change is the only constant in life” to the heartbreaking situation of people out of work today.

Recently I attended a meeting conducted under the auspices of JOB, named after the Biblical unfortunate, but really an acronym for Job Opportunity Basics.

Invited by Ruth Glover, one of the coordinators of the JOB Group, to introduce ourselves, I heard snippets of human drama: the mother of a challenged child juggling situations and losing jobs; an engineer being told after being interviewed three times by the same company that he was overqualified for the position; a systems designer announcing that he had filed six applications in six days; a man with experience in sales and engineering being told over and over again that the opening was not for a “generalist.” There were 16 such cameos.

The expressions I saw on the faces of the participants, the range of body language, the variety of inflexions in voices, were a testimony to both the frailty as well as the strength of the human spirit. Eyes around the table showed the disappointment from losing an opportunity to an internal candidate. A flicker of anger surfaced as an injustice was narrated; the anger harnessed a moment later. The dull narration of one’s circumstances reflecting the shell-shock of being laid off recently. Some struggled with focus even though they knew goal setting was important. All of us reached out in our own ways to the other 15.

The speaker of the evening, Jan Moorman, spoke about the career changes she had made at considerable financial and emotional cost. “But a trapeze artist cannot swing from one trapeze to the other if he does not let go of the bar.” That attitude had in fact opened her up to opportunities.

Her talk struck a chord. When Ruth Glover asked us to share what we were taking away from the evening, several people said we must “make a leap of faith,” have the courage to follow our dreams, develop a passion, go with the flow and be ready to make sacrifices in its pursuit.

What surfaced was our shared humanity. Dick mentioned three openings he had learned about that others in the room were free to apply for. Jane confided that volunteering had been a shortcut to a job for a friend. John said he was ready to give up his current position for a job that would perhaps pay less but allow him more human interaction. Bob mentioned an opening in a finance company.

Everyone was ready to share the information.

Custer Road United Methodist Church sponsors the JOB Group with volunteers Ruth Glover and her co-coordinators — Roy Hunter, Sara Owen, Locke Alderson and Craig Gussow — to host the JOB meetings on its premises. The format of the group is interesting. The résumé review and interviewing tutorials take place on the first Tuesday of the month. A subgroup, called the Advanced Action Accountability Group, or the AAA Group, consisting of those who have a completed résumé, know how to interview and understand networking, meets every week, on Tuesday nights at 6:30 p.m.

On the fifth Tuesday of the month, the JOB Group invites a speaker. The speaker is a specialist in his field and the talk invariably relates to issues connected with job searches.

There is no charge, nor any conditions, for attending JOB Group meetings. I can’t recognize angels with wings. But I can spot one in human form; when I do, I don’t hesitate to recommend her volunteer work to others.

(THANK YOU, MURLI, FOR SUCH A NICE ARTICLE ABOUT OUR GROUP!)

Murli Melwani is a Plano resident. His blog can be read at www.indoenglishstories.blogspot.com. His e-mail address is murli@unigain.net. Contact Ruth Glover at 972-208-2333 .  You can subscribe to be notified when she posts new articles.

Award Winner-Taunee Besson

If you employ a career or talent development specialist in your company, you are more fortunate than most, as many companies simply give lip service to “succession planning” but fail to engage the employees in the process plan.   Especially in small companies, career paths may be ignored, resulting in a key, frustrated player’s decision to depart the company.

How can you prevent having Carl and Carla from leaving, when you need them most? Coaching employees and executives creates opportunity for individuals within your companies.  Coaches may be termed Career or Transition Consultants, especially when they work for outplacement firms, where individuals experiencing layoffs complete assessment tests and learn how to market themselves for new jobs. But are these Coaches and Consultants actually providing in-depth solutions for those in transition?

You may not be aware of Association of Career Professionals International, commonly referred to as ACP, but their credentialed members provide qualified career transition services in the Dallas area and around the world.  Many other credentialing organizations exist but ACP and its independent, nonprofit sister agency, the Institute for Career Certification International, represent a global effort to assure clients and corporations their services are reputable and ethical.

Career Counselor vs. Career Coach

Both titles encompass career development, but the career counselor often delves more deeply into ancillary problems that inhibit progress.  The career may not be the issue: family and other personal issues may cause exhaustion and other performance issues at work. On the flip side, the career coach may concentrate only on job performance, leadership and career progression.  ACP and ICCI have both categories of members. Service providers are not required to have a Masters or PhD; however, Human Resource professionals often gravitate to the work, taking time for intensive coursework or scrutiny of the years of experience.

A Global Conference

Recently Taunee Besson, past President of the local ACP Chapter, attended a worldwide conference on the Ruby Princess sailing in the Caribbean, where much of the discussion centered on the upcoming gap when the Baby Boomers retire.  Although statistics vary, Boomers supposedly number close to 80 Million while the Gen Ys number 56 Million.

Knowledgeable HR professionals and career experts must address the issues inherent in the gap, as well as the cultural differences in the generations.  According to Taunee, the problem is not unique to the US. As more employees emigrate from their native to foreign countries, cultural differences must be addressed.  Learning the differences before they become problems is critical for our globalized workforce.  Representatives from countries such as Russia, the Netherlands, and Canada shared their common concerns surrounding globalization.

A Global Award

Taunee, owner of Career Dimensions, a career counseling/coaching agency, has the distinction of “Fellow” which is the highest credential in ICCI.  To achieve such recognition, she completed many facets of the certification process.

Much to her surprise, ACP honored her as “Professional of the Year” at its International Conference.  Her tireless years of work to professionalize the industry and efforts to help her individual and corporate clients maximize their talent are recognized by both her clients and colleagues in Dallas as well as her global professional association.

If you are looking for a career coach or career counselor for your company or yourself, credentials must be part of the process.  Believe it or not, there are disreputable companies who charge exorbitant fees with little or no results.  If you are planning on hiring a Coach or Counselor, be sure to ask about certifications, credentials, experience and results.

Feel free to contact me for a list of local career consultants to assist with your career development needs.  You may also visit the ICCI website for a list of certified individuals throughout the world.