Game On – The Time is NOW

“High achievers spot rich opportunities swiftly, make big decisions quickly and move into action immediately. Follow these principles and you can make your dreams come true.”. - Robert H. Schuller

Over the past several years, the country was in the throws of the recession – a recession the depth of which many of us will hopefully never see again.  Over the past few years, we have seen some recovery – albeit small and often not consistent – but recovery. Some have taken advantage of this and launched their search for a new job or career; others haven’t – yet.

Fast forward 2014 …

If you have been holding back waiting for the “right” time – it is now. The job market – especially in our region – is the best we have seen for seven years. It isn’t where we were before the recession, but growing it seems each week. We live in a bit of a “bubble” here in the Capital Region, fueled by a stable public sector workforce and technology development (Nanotech et al). And this isn’t likely to change soon.

So Game On – Now. The wait is over. The economy is improving.  Employers are hiring in our Region and as well, across New York State.  Unemployment continues to shrink. More and more of my clients are finding jobs – great jobs. Employers however do voice one huge concern: They are concerned that they cannot find potential employees who have the skills and attitude to prosper in their company. It is a problem – but I see it as an opportunity for you perhaps!

Time to get off the sidelines – reengage in your career.

I have five questions for you to think about and help you identify if and how ready you are for a change.

• Are you simply working for a paycheck, or are you energized by your career?                                                                                 Yes          No

• Do you look at others and wish you had their job?             Yes  No

• Do you have the “Monday Morning Blues” and wish you didn’t have to go to work?                                                                           Yes  No

• Do you often question your ability and your purpose in work?      Yes          No

• Do you feel you are contributing to your future or just working?  Yes   No

If you answered yes to two questions, you are ready for a change in the direction of your career and certainly your job. Answered yes to three --- you need to engage now and begin. Answered four or five – you are disconnected from your career life and likely this is impacting other parts of your life as well. You must move on or make a radical change in the manner in which you work.

What to do next?

It’s so easy to say just move on … but how and what do you do?  Three critical steps:  

• Identify your ideal career and job – this is absolutely critical before you do anything else.

• Develop your contact and/or target list – begin networking now. Seventy to eighty percent of jobs are found through networking.

• Commit to action --- simply thinking about change won’t work – you need a plan of accountability. With my clients, I use the Next-Act ActionNow! program, which provides clear and measurable daily and weekly actions to drive results and progress.

Ready for a change? It is time. Thinking about it isn’t proactive – committing and doing something – now that is active. Do it now! Good luck!

And thank you for reading this. - Dan