Working World - Career Transition

By: Barbara Bowes
Date: June 19, 2010
The Winnipeg Free Press

If you are a news junkie like me, you'll often spend the weekend scanning the newspapers from cover to cover looking for tidbits of information about what is going on in our community and the world.

At this time of year, much of the news and many of the announcements are about scholarship and fundraising activities as well as graduation ceremonies. Picture after picture and article after article highlight the smiling faces as they accept their high school, college or university diplomas. It is also the time of year when honorary degrees are granted to local dignitaries who have made significant contributions to society.

However, quietly interspersed within all of these graduation ceremonies is another kind of announcement, that of "graduating" to the next phase of life -- a career in the sunset of life called retirement. These smiling faces have contributed to society, to corporations and not-for-profit organizations for terms ranging from 30- to 40-plus years. These people have decided that whatever power, money, prestige or job satisfaction they achieved in the work world is no longer important enough. They have reached the stage in their lives where they want more control of their day, they want freedom, and they believe that retirement is the answer. After all, the summer season is the best time to call it quits and simply relax at the lake.

Yet more and more, you can expect that many of these smiling retirees won't be smiling by the time fall rolls around. That's because they focused solely on the financial aspects of retirement and they didn't really think through all of the psychological impacts, which can be so powerful that people will feel they've been hit with a "ton of bricks," so to speak. And it hurts!

One of the first pangs of pain a retiree will experience is the issue of personal and professional identity. This is because most of us have gained some of our identity from our professions. For instance, when asked what we do, we say that we are a teacher, an engineer, an accountant, a carpenter, an electrician and or a consultant. There is a good deal of pride in what we do at work. This is where we have gained all of our job satisfaction and accomplishments.

With this in mind, you might now be able to understand why women cringe when they have to answer "just a housewife." And it's even more difficult for a man who has decided to be a stay-at-home dad. Being a homemaker has simply never been given any value in society. And to some extent, this same concept of undervaluing segments of society has been applied to retirees. Somehow, society has considered retirees as a "non-entity" with little value.

So as you can imagine, the retiree who has allowed his/her identity and sense of satisfaction to be tied too tightly into a profession and/or an employer will go from feeling like a "somebody" to feeling like a "nobody." These feelings can represent a wide range of responses including severe depression; after all, a sudden change of identity can be quite upsetting.

A second shock wave to hit a new retiree might be the lack of social interaction. Those with a large social circle which included work colleagues, bosses, customers and vendors as well as corporate volunteer activities is suddenly shrunk to one's immediate family. And while most will gladly last the summer season with friends, grandchildren, travel or golf, once the tempo of life dies down, it can get pretty quiet and lonely. This is often the time when longtime marriages fall apart.

A third shock to the retiree's system is that of personal time management. More than likely, he or she didn't realize how they had become so attuned to a day that was managed, scheduled and scripted by their work responsibilities. While we might say we can't wait until we are in control of our time, it is quite another thing to manage your time "all of the time." It's not just one day or vacation that you have to manage -- it is every minute of every day.

As the economy heats up, I predict we'll start to see that more and more of those baby boomers will be looking more closely at taking the retirement route. Yet, at the same time, there is a challenge for both employees and employers. First of all, many potential retirees are not psychologically ready to retire and would perhaps consider working part time. Secondly, employers are not ready to let their seasoned employees go. We need their skills, particularly as we move through an economic recovery,

So, what can be done? The answer lies in the application of three concepts: succession planning, pre-retirement training workshops and phased-in retirement.

First, organizations need to get a handle on their retirement and succession issues. You need to determine the age demographics, identify who is eligible to retire and when and what risks might be created. You then need to develop a succession and replacement plan that enables you to plan for at least five years ahead. Many of the succession plans we create include developmental plans for incumbents, yet most planning fails to consider what could be done for and with the potential retirees.

Pre-retirement planning creates a second opportunity for organizations. While providing pre-retirement planning in the workplace has not been common practice, there is no reason why employers can't play a more active role. According to Greg Genik, managing partner of Career Partners International in Winnipeg, their "New Horizons, Mapping Your Path to Retirement" program is directed to all employees and helps them to develop a plan for a successful and satisfying retirement. And while many baby boomers want to take a different path at this stage of their life, they don't want to leave the workforce completely.

This creates a great opportunity for employers to find ways to accommodate the work-life balance interests of their employees. One such strategy is phased-in retirement, which allows both the employer and employee to avoid the classical approach of "full-stop" retirement and instead enables them to engage in a broad range of alternatives. This could include a gradual reduction of a workload from five days to four days and then perhaps three days. Phased-in retirement can also include job sharing, part time, seasonal work and/or any other creative combination of time and energy.

With the growing economic recovery, baby boomers will be looking for new ways to live their lives. So, it is time for organizations to get creative and to think outside the so-called traditional retirement box.

Barbara J. Bowes, FCHRP, CMC is president of Legacy Bowes Group, Manitoba's leading Talent Management Solutions firm. She is also host of the weekly "Bowes Knows" radio show and is the author of another new book called Resume Rescue. Barbara can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

By: Barbara Bowes
Date: July 17, 2010
The Winnipeg Free Press

The recent Statistics Canada job figures indicate employment has risen by a whopping 93,000 new jobs in June alone. While the jobs were evenly split between full- and part-time work, it appears that these latest gains have offset nearly all of the jobs lost during the fall downturn of 2008.

This certainly looks hopeful for young people looking for summer jobs, but it also spells good opportunity for other job seekers as we move through the summer and into the fall.

Yet, I must warn you, there are still challenges out there. By this, I mean that job seekers still need to be careful to avoid accepting the first job opportunity that might be offered.

As well, incumbents currently employed need to be careful not to jump from one employer to another simply because one feels a sense of flattery after being contacted with a new offer. Candidates not only need to do their own research on the job opportunity itself, as well as the potential new employer, but they also must really know themselves and what makes them happy at work.

So let's take a moment and examine some of the assessment criteria that can be used to assess whether a job is the right one for you.

Industry sector evaluation -- Take time to evaluate the industry sector you are interested in and evaluate it for job longevity as best you can. What is happening in this sector? Is the sector declining or growing? Have there been layoffs? If one company has downsized, then more than likely other companies will also do so over time. Where do you think the industry sector will be in 10, 20, or 30 years? What technological changes will affect the industry? Your answers will help to assess your career potential in that sector.

Large or small -- Do you know the environment where you are best suited to work? For instance, some people shun small companies because they feel more personally secure in a larger company. Yet, there are often more opportunities to learn and progress with a smaller firm. On the other hand, yes, smaller firms might be more risky. Check out your comfort level and need for security and apply this to assessing your new workplace.

Personal and organizational values -- People have values and so do organizations. Check out your potential employer by reviewing its website, its job ads and the people described within. But don't stop there. Ask around, do an informal assessment. Is the potential employer a quiet, low-key organization or is it high profile? How will this affect your own values. Make sure there is a fit with your values. Without the right fit, you will not be comfortable and will not feel that you belong.

What's the opportunity? -- No matter what, every person wants to learn, grow and progress in their career. So, what is the value of accepting a new position with a new employer? What will you learn? Who will you get to know that could advance your career? What kind of network could you build? Will there be quality people around you from whom you can learn? Will you be challenged and for how long? Will this be a one-year, three-year or five-year opportunity?

Does the leadership style fit? -- It is well known that when employees leave, they most often leave because of leadership. Do you know which leadership style best motivates you? Find this out first and then check out to ensure a match with a new employer. For instance, if you are a team player but the new boss is more of a micromanager rather than someone who develops the skills of a team, I guarantee, you won't last long.

Will tenure help or hinder your career? -- As you can expect, every organization has developed their own reputation in the marketplace. This reputation will then stick to you as well. For instance, some organizations are known for their excellent leadership and management training programs. This training will help catapult you to another career level. On the other hand, if an organization has a poor reputation, then your experience and credentials might well be discounted. Thus, take time to assess the value of associating yourself with a potential employer.

Does the compensation structure fit your goals? -- Many candidates fail to inquire about the compensation philosophy and structure, but rather tend to focus on the specifics of the job they are seeking. Yet companies always have a compensation philosophy such as a desire to pay market rates and/or pay their employees above or below the market. I can guarantee that companies that pay below market rates will not be the first to offer up a salary raise. And so, in spite of the fact that money is never the final motivator, an employee may find their sense of "fair felt pay" is not satisfied and they will eventually leave.

Will you experience job satisfaction? -- My motto has always been that if you are not doing what you are good at and love to do 80 per cent of the time, then you need to be looking for another job. This means that candidates really need to know themselves well, not only what skills they have to offer but also what motivates them. This knowledge creates a job check list from which you must achieve an 80 per cent rating or else the job is not the right one for you.

Are there stepping stones to the future? -- Most organizations have some form of hierarchy. As a candidate, you need to know how this might affect your career over the long term. Family owned businesses, for instance, will not often provide senior leadership opportunities, yet what you can learn in the meantime might be of great value. Larger organizations, on the other hand, can offer opportunities to transfer to various departments where you can learn new skills and gain broader experiences. Assess what is important to your career success.

My experience suggests that most candidates do not take time to assess a potential new employment opportunity from the point of view of their long-term career. Instead, they focus only on the short-term issue of getting a job. Yet, if you want to be truly happy and experience job satisfaction, your job must indeed be the right job. Therefore, take time to ensure you assess any job opportunity for the right fit for your skills, your values, your work environment, your goals and your dreams.

Barbara J. Bowes, FCHRP, CMC is president of Legacy Bowes Group, Manitoba's leading Talent Management Solutions firm. She is also host of the weekly Bowes Knows radio show and is the author of bestseller, Resume Rescue. Bowes can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

By: Barbara Bowes
Date: June 26, 2010
The Winnipeg Free Press

New graduates of all ages are spilling out of universities and colleges at a rapid pace. One benefit for businesses, organizations and the marketplace in general is that many of today’s students come with graduate or double degrees or diplomas, plus experience in co-operative or internship programs.

These qualifications are often complemented by several years of other work experience, especially in the hospitality, retail or food services sectors. As well, the customer service and computer skills of these new graduates and job candidates are often second to none.

Most of the students will indeed be successful in getting jobs in their chosen profession, but what happens next?

Quite often, to be honest, these graduates don't think about what happens next. Instead, they concentrate on doing well in their first job and proving themselves to their new employer. This is all well and good but at some point, you have to take charge of your career and my advice is to do it sooner than later.

If you interview a number of employees with 10-15 years' experience, most will tell you that they literally "fell" into their jobs. They didn't seek out their current role, but may have been recognized for their skill and asked to apply by their boss. Or, they may have developed a reputation and had been hunted by an executive search professional. But all in all, most people don't manage their careers. Not only that, these seasoned employees will frequently take themselves for granted and will have a hard time telling you what they are good at and what they like to do.

On the other hand, I have certainly met a number of young people who try to go too fast in their career or have high personal expectations that are unrealistic. Sometimes they come with degree or diploma in hand and want the same salary level as someone with 10 or more years' experience. They don't realize, recognize or perhaps accept that hands-on, day-to-day work experience with an employer has equal value to their education and in fact, sometimes more.

However, my approach is not to recommend that you sit down and carve out a rigid career plan that will lead you to the seven next jobs in your career, concluding with the dream of being a CEO. Instead, as a career coach with over 25 years of proven experience, I have always recommended a different and more comprehensive approach.

My approach suggests focusing on knowing who you are, what skills you have to offer, and to understand what truly motivates you. When you have this knowledge, you can then look for and take advantage of opportunities. You can take the time to focus on the right experience, build the right skills and place yourself in the right work environment where you can succeed and excel. You will be in charge of your career and will always direct yourself towards a job that fulfils your personal and professional needs. So, what does this approach to career management look like? The following guidelines will start you on your journey.

Understand your personality -- Personality refers to personal characteristics that lead us to behave and think in certain ways. Are you open to new experiences, are you curious or cautious? Are you well organized, easy going or careless? Each of these traits is important with respect to what makes us happy. They have an impact on what type of career is best suited to you.

Define your communication style -- There are three types of communication styles. Aggressive individuals are goal oriented and excel in fast-paced environments. Passive individuals are hesitant to speak up and require a less aggressive work environment. An assertive communicator, on the other hand, is non-judgmental and a good listener and needs an environment where he or she can be a good team player.

Know what motivates you -- There are eight different personal motivators ranging from the need to work independently to being in an environment where you can focus on a social service or a just cause. Your work environment must create satisfaction with your motivators or else, guaranteed, you will not feel like there is a good fit and you will not be happy.

Examine your best team role -- Today's work world requires good team skills balanced with your technical expertise. This requires you to understand which role in a team you are best suited for. Do you like to initiate and lead the startup of a project, but not be involved long term? Do you like to come into a project and fix or change the direction? Are you flexible and able to serve many roles on a team?

Know your skill set -- People take themselves for granted. They do not understand what they are good at and what they like to do -- they just do it. Examine when you were most happy. For young people without much experience, this might include examining what playtime they most enjoyed. Believe it or not, enjoyment from child's playing can demonstrate the same skills in a work environment.

Develop a "picture" of who you are -- Define all of these personal characteristics and traits, then sit back and ask yourself, "who is this person, anyway?" Develop a brief picture of yourself doing what you like to do, what you are best at and where the work is taking place. Once you know this, you will be able to better assess job opportunities that come your way. You'll be better equipped to know when that next new job is exactly right for you.

Stay on the career train -- Once you have a job, it's important that you stay on the career train. Avoid getting trapped in your current role and forgetting about yourself and what you can do with your career. I am not saying this from a selfish point of view, but you need to always focus on how your experiences and learning can help advance your long-term goal and, more importantly, your job satisfaction.

Develop positive work traits -- Good things will come to those who work hard. Be diligent in your profession, ensure you always engage in good ethics, be patient and show respect for others. Be consistent so that people can count on you. Reach out to help others, be flexible and accept new experiences with excitement and an opportunity to learn new things.


Barbara J. Bowes, FCHRP, CMC, is president of Legacy Bowes Group, Manitoba's leading talent management solutions firm. She is also host of the weekly Bowes Knows radio show and is the author of several books. Barbara can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

By: Barbara Bowes
Date: May 15, 2010
The Winnipeg Free Press

Finally, some good news for employees in this month of May: jobs, jobs and more jobs — full-time jobs as well as part-time jobs.

In fact, it is said that the new job creation statistics represent the strongest monthly increase since comparable data became available in 1976. It seems that even the trend watchers have gone into shock. Finally, the economic pendulum is in an upswing and believe it or not, you can actually feel the excitement in the air.

I don't mean to put a damper on all this good news, but at the same time, I also see danger lurking about. For employees, the danger is taking the first job that comes along without fully examining whether there is a good fit between their skills and the job duties. For employers, the danger lies in creating new jobs without a full analysis of what the job should entail, where it fits within the organization structure, how the work flows in and out of each job and what skills and competencies are required to carry out the work effectively.

When a job is not properly analyzed and structured, it will create numerous problems both for the employer and the employee. For instance, if the new job does not have all the appropriate tasks included in the role, then a new employee would be frustrated and fail to feel a sense of satisfaction. More than likely, the job is not a "whole" job but instead requires an employee to pass unfinished work to another employee. Poor job structure also leads to poor identification of the skills needed to do the job which in turn will lead to recruiting the wrong employee. Candidates who may be overqualified will quickly become bored while candidates who are under-qualified will struggle in their role.

More than likely as well, the compensation set for this new job will also be incorrect and will again affect the ability to attract the right candidate. And what about organizational culture? Culture plays a significant role in whether a new employee fits into your organization and whether they will stay. Culture needs to be considered because a candidate's work ethic, attitude, work style and personality can quickly make an impact in an organization. Failing to include the cultural aspects of a job significantly increases the chance that a new employee will fail in the job.

So, where should you start when planning to create a new job? The following guidelines will help ensure that your newly created job will be a success.

Conduct a job analysis -- Every proposed new job needs to be analyzed from several different views. Examine the specific duties and the time to be spent on each, review who the potential new employee will report to and who will approve their work. Review the education and skills qualifications and the time required to reach high performance in the new job. Examine the type of problems the incumbent will be working on and which problems can be solved independently versus being brought to a manager for approval. Finally, examine the resources required for the job, the work environment and the culture and various communication channels the incumbent will need to participate in.

Develop the job competencies -- Setting the job duties are one thing, but identifying and confirming the actual skills and competencies are quite another. Examine the specific tasks and then determine what skills and competencies are required to undertake the tasks effectively, efficiently and successfully. Be sure to include the so-called soft skills such as interpersonal communication, teamwork, taking the initiative, taking risks, or being creative and innovative.

Fit to the organization structure -- Determine where your new job fits in and who the role will report to. Be sure that the incumbent will only report to one manager so that directions will be clear and there won't be any conflict on whose direction is more important. Examine and develop a potential career path for the position so that a new employee can see long-term potential in staying with your organization.

Set a compensation rate -- If your new job is a "hot job," in other words there is a lack of potential candidates in the marketplace, you will need to set a higher salary for the role. Study the market rates for your new job and determine if you wish to set a salary level that leads, lags or meets the going market rate. Your decision will affect your ability to attract a candidate for the job.

Develop a job description -- Employees want to know what they are responsible for and who they report to. A job description outlines all of the key tasks and reporting structure and the time to be spent on each activity. It serves to communicate what is important and what needs to be done.

Advertise and seek resumés -- Make yourself a checklist of the skills, competencies and experience you are seeking. Review each resumé to examine the match between the skills required and those being offered. The "A" candidates will be those who match the skills most closely and "B" candidates less so. Conduct a telephone interview with each of these candidates and then determine who is eligible for a face-to-face interview. Give yourself a choice of five to seven candidates because some may have the technical skills but not the "soft skills" and thus may not fit into your organization culture.

Prepare interview questions --Interview questions must directly relate to the tasks outlined for the job. Structure the questions so that the responses will provide you with information on the specifics of where and when an individual used their skills to carry out a task similar to those in your job description. Involve other people in the interview process so that you achieve a balanced view of the candidates. Be sure to include the manager to whom the new employee would be reporting.

Prepare and conduct orientation -- Believe it or not, it sometimes takes up to one year for a new employee to become fully proficient in a job. Therefore, it is important that you prepare a well-structured new employee orientation or "onboarding" program for the successful candidate. Helping them to get to know others and to fit in will significantly help to make the person successful in your organization.


Source: Labour Force Survey, May 7, 2010, Statistics Canada

Barbara J. Bowes, FCHRP, CMC is president of Legacy Bowes Group, Manitoba's leading Talent Management Solutions firm. She is also host of the weekly Bowes Knows radio show and is the author of another new book called Resume Rescue. Barbara can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .