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Patricia A. Crew
Master Career Counselor MA, LCPC, NBCC
Patricia has almost 30 years of experience helping individuals pursue, change, manage and advance their careers. As well as a Masters degree in counseling from Catholic University, Patricia has completed numerous post-graduate classes in counseling and career development at Johns Hopkins University.
Patricia previously worked as the Career Development Manager for the Montgomery County Government and as a career counselor for the Montgomery County Commission for Women.
She continues to be a featured speaker with recent presentations topics that include: Secrets to Predicting Career Success That Only You Know, Get Out of Your Own Way To Get What You Want in Your Career and Winning Strategies to Enhance Your Worth at Work.
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COMPREHENSIVE CAREER COUNSELING CAN HELP YOU TO: |
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~ Gain a clear understanding of your core strengths. ~ Do a thorough career exploration. ~ Manage a career change. ~ Improve your work performance. ~ Remove artificial, organizational barriers to success. ~ Navigate thorny management issues. ~ Prevent derailment by building strategic alliances.
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| CLIENT SPOTLIGHT
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Amy Palmer: Sales Training Consultant
Amy made a career change from high-level management in corporate America to become a successful entrepreneur after career counseling with me. In my opinion Amy has become the go-to person for sales training and consultation for individuals of all levels. In her own words Amy explains her experience and current business.
"When I left my
job as VP of Sales, responsible for $50 million in annual revenue, I did not
know what I wanted to do next. I thought that would mean a new job at a different company. Through
my career counseling sessions with Trisha, I discovered that what truly
intrigued me was the prospect of building a business of my own. Trisha's questioning style, and direct no-nonsense approach helped me to see
goals and desires that I didn't even know I had!
Since then, I
launched Blue
Sky Coaching & Consulting, a
successful sales and leadership consulting firm that specializes in helping
companies achieve revenue growth during tough times. I love working with
women business owners and executives that are not comfortable with selling and
are looking to create their own "style"!
Thanks Trisha for
helping me pursue the right path!
Also, your
clients and newsletter recipients can contact me for a free 30 minute consultation,
and 15% off coaching sessions when they mention your name!"
www.blueskyinnovate.com
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Volume 3: July 2008 Greetings!
Welcome to
the third edition of my Comprehensive Career Counseling Newsletter and thank
you for your very positive responses to my last newsletter: "I Don't Know What
I Want to Do." I hope you will find the
focus of this newsletter just as helpful: "I'm unhappy in my job but I don't know whether it's my job, my career
or my employer."
Since the
last newsletter, it has become more evident that the downturn in the economy is
impacting almost everyone's job. Your
work life may present many dilemmas for you to address. You may be struggling
with career transition, adjusting to a changing management style or stuck in a
post-layoff state. Now, more than ever, it
is important to have support and encouragement as you navigate turbulent times.
Your
purposeful and thoughtful reflections on the future of your career are critical
before you make any decisions. I'm
hoping that my newsletters will continue to give you some ideas and direction
as you explore your various possibilities.
As you prepare
for your future, consider registering for my upcoming group: "Where do I go next?" We will discuss how to find direction and meaning, and we will brainstorm your own unique
career path. There is limited space, so please e-mail me at
trishacrew@aol.com or call me at 301-838-9456, if you'd like to reserve a seat.
If you are
interested in attending my next workshop,
"Creating Mentoring Relationships to
Empower Your Success" on July 15th, please check the Montgomery County Commission for Women website in July to
read more and register.
As always, I would enjoy receiving any ideas you have
regarding this newsletter. You can contact me at trishacrew@aol.com. I
continue to believe you will find these articles beneficial. However, if you do
not wish to receive this newsletter, you may unsubscribe by clicking the link
at the bottom of this page.
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SCENARIO 2:
UNHAPPY WITH YOUR
JOB AND NOT SURE WHY?
Are you
feeling overwhelmed, bored, burned-out, angry or confused about your current job?
Do you go to work, but feel something is wrong - it feels like drudgery and there
seems to be no incentive to do well? Have
you become disinterested or low on enthusiasm for your job? Are you running the
risk of a poor performance rating as a result? Is it difficult to tease out
what is really happening?
Identifying
the root cause of your discomfort is the first step to rectifying your problems. To begin determining some of these causes, take a minute to write down the
answers to the following three questions:
Imagine doing the very same job
for a different employer. Does the skill set you use every day still enliven you? Do you
continue to enjoy your daily tasks?
Imagine doing the same job as an
entrepreneur. With
no management or co-worker issues with which to contend, would you enjoy your
job again?
Imagine your job within a
different department or division of your organization. Are the duties and tasks still
appealing to you?
If you answer "YES" to these questions - it sounds like you still enjoy the essence of
your job. Then perhaps it is time to take an inventory or do an audit on your organization. As Dr. Caela Farren indicates, you need to be well aligned with your organization: "Misalignment...manifests itself in many ways: restlessness,
low productivity, emotional turmoil, depression, ill health, cynicism,
addiction...and more."1
To gain a better perspective on your situation, try the following exercise:
Since sometimes it helps to observe from a third party stance, try to engage in a balcony experience. For two weeks, keep a journal of your observations of your workplace from a third party perspective. Remove your emotions from your writing. Record your entries as if you were preparing a newspaper article - stick to the facts.
After two weeks, do you see some patterns emerging from your journal entries? For
example, do you recognize that your work environment is toxic? Are your co-workers negative or is your management not open to new ideas? Is your workplace rigid, arbitrary or rule
driven?
Do you observe a lack of positive role models? Could this be inhibiting an opportunity to
connect with mentors and give your career a boost? Are there no opportunities for you to gain visibility? Are you unable to further enhance your skills or education?
Have you observed limited advancement within the organization? Do you experience that your ideas are dismissed or not taken seriously?
Now, armed with this information, you have a better chance to assess the problems and make appropriate decisions about your future.
One of the benefits of career counseling is finding someone who can help you recognize
these patterns and draw up a blueprint to move you into a more rewarding career
experience. There are a number of specialized inventories available to assist you in assessing your job within your organization.
1 Caela
Farren, Ph.D., Who's Running Your Career: Creating Stable Work in Unstable
Times, Bard Press, Austin, Texas, 1997. |
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In the next edition I will be addressing Scenario 3: "I hate my job and want to make a career change. I have some ideas
about what I might like to do but I am unsure about how to get started."
As always, I look forward to your feedback.
Sincerely,
Patricia Crew
Comprehensive Career Counseling | |
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