A Rebel? Now?

I never expected that one day I would be writing a blog; much less writing a blog about looking for work.  Not so long ago I was a worker bee at a huge pharma company. I loved my job, loved the people I worked with and was pretty good at what I did.  I grew up with the company, joining when I was 31 years old. I went through a divorce, raised a child as a single mom, remarried and had another child and an assortment of pets all while juggling a career.  One day the ax fell and my position was no longer needed. Like anyone experiencing a loss, I was crushed and angry. I decided to turn that negative energy around and within a few months created a business plan to open a job search company where I would teach people the very things I needed to learn when I was released. That soon blossomed into writing; training programs, a book, a blog and a Facebook and Twitter page. The often over-used expression, “Been there, done that” took on an extra meaning for me because I could add, “felt that”.

Many people align their self worth with their jobs and when they are released  they experience feelings of worthlessness and grief.  My mission is to help people pick themselves up again and realize their value and continued potential.  I guess you could say I am giving them back their "wings". Thus the company name and blog reference.

I was asked to take part in a blog hopping exercise; a look at various authors and their answers to the following four questions...so here we go:

1. What am I working on?  Right now I am working on a new book of job search tips.  I plan on using many of the ideas I blog about and arrange them into a three chapter handbook, similar to my first book, Job Search for Moms.  I’m also working on new worksheets and training sessions that will help people with their job search transformations– I’ve created resume writing worksheets, networking forms and interviewing cheat sheets in the past.

I’ve also written several job search classes such as career assessment, resume writing, interviewing, networking, LinkedIn and job search for moms and job search for the older worker.  I just completed revamping a job search program for young adults.  I’d like to bring this program into our high school and colleges.

On a totally different note, I’ve written a children’s book.  It deals with the death of a loved one through the eyes of a young child. I am looking for an artist to help illustrate it.

Finally, I’m working on a huge and emotional production; the July wedding of my daughter.

2. How does my writing differ from others? I don’t just tell people what they should do; I show them how to do it.  I offer worksheets and examples or links to other worthwhile job search sites. I think that it helps that I spent years as a corporate trainer and human resources consultant. That experience helps me write programs and remain mindful of corporate policies and procedures. I also think that my writing differs from others in that my posts are short and to the point.  I'm not writing about something fun like art or cooking; my stuff is kind of dry. I don’t want people digging for ideas within an article when they have a job search plan to follow; they need to get the tips and put them into practice right away. 

3. Why do I write what I do?  Job seekers face a much tougher time finding work today and when an organization makes a business decision to release them, the unemployment rate isn't even a consideration. I look at the people who read my blog or book or who come to my classes as the caring people that they are and who have families to feed and mortgages to pay. They are valuable members of the community and my goal is to help them see their value. I take the name of my company, "Blackbird" very seriously.  It's from the Lennon/McCarthy song and says, "Take these wings and fly. All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arise." 

4. How does my writing process work?  I usually get an idea for a blog post from something that was said in class or coaching session. For example, a few weeks ago a couple of people in a resume writing class told me that a recruiter said it was OK to lie on a resume.  Really? No way. I came home and blogged about it.  I hear a lot of sad stories about ageism too.  These stories infuriate me so I'll write about ways to decimate it by giving tips to eliminate stereotypical behavior. Other than that, I research current job search practices and put them out there and hope that they help.

So that's it. The elimination of my own job pushed me to become an advocate for others who have lost their jobs. I guess that little bit of rebellion from my youth finally found a voice.

Now I'd like to introduce you to my fellow bloggers.They too are touching lives in wonderful ways.

Cindy Lopez, Blogger of The F-Mom on workingmother.com. She has culminated her twenty-plus years as a divorce paralegal, a business school instructor and a paralegal career consultant to support fellow women through her blog with straight-forward truth and humor. Before there were "blogs," she founded and created the first website and online magazine for paralegals, Paralegal Press in 2000. She is inspired by women of all ages and stages balancing it all every day.

(Pat Smith) I'm a Jersey girl transplanted to Alexandria, Virginia some 43 years ago, but my heart is still at the Tak and Garfield Terrace beaches. After grad school at Penn State my Ag Economist husband worked for EPA and the USDA. We were lucky to be able to travel through his job. We been to France (lots), Finland, New Zealand, Greece, Italy, England and Ireland. I've was in Spain at Lake Banyoles for the 1992 Olympics when I was on the US Rowing BOD.

My degree is in technical theatre from Indiana University. I've had a variety of jobs, most in some kind of creative area, even when the job wasn't billed as such. As a stay at home mom I was a weaver and managed a gallery at the Alexandria Torpedo Factory.

During the 20 years I worked for the Alexandria school system I produced a monthly TV show for local cable and a yearly five hour telethon for our scholarship fund. I still do some free-lance video editing work. I design lighting/sets for drama and dance shows. Visuals are more my thing than writing.

We have two children, both lawyers, and four grandchildren. My daughter lives nearby and I've been taking care of her twin boys since they were born...12 years! Boy it goes fast. I'm recycled to soccer, kid extracurricular activities and all that entails. In my spare time I garden and write a blog about this and that at http://pats-addition.blogspot.com/. 

Nancy opened Blackbird Learning Associates LLC in 2009. She has over 25 years of learning and development, human resources and organizational development experience in the pharmaceutical, finance and insurance industries. Her company provides job search training, coaching and resume writing services and has helped hundreds of clients identify their strengths and find meaningful work.  Nancy is the author of the job search handbook, Job Search for Moms, an easy to follow handbook packed with many of the tools, examples and exercises used in her highly acclaimed courses. 
Nancy graduated from Lynchburg College in Virginia with a degree in elementary education. She took that teaching degree and turned it into training and has been enjoying the ride since. In her off time, Nancy enjoys spending time with her family, being at the beach, painting and volunteering. Follow Nancy at Blackbirdlearningassociates.com.