Is Anyone Unemployable?

Is Anyone Unemployable: Is career counseling for everyone?
by Nancy Miller, M.S., LifeWork Coach

At first glance it would seem like there are a reasonable number of people who are unemployable due to health, disability, age or motivation. Certainly there are times when a person may not be able to work because of illness or trauma, but are they really unemployable, or are they unable to work at that time? People who lack Career Management skills may find it as difficult to keep a job as to find a job. But real and perceived challenges to employment may be making it difficult for highly skilled, motivated, experienced workers to find a job. In a changing competitive work environment where time, place and workload are totally under the employer’s control, as is often the case in large corporations, a skilled experienced job seeker may feel unemployable. It is important for workers to develop strong skills, ethical work habits and the ability to work in a group, but they also need healthy work environments. In this article we will discuss challenges to employment, career professional roles and accessibility of career services.

Some common challenges to employment are lack of career self-management skills. In a fast changing world, we need to have workers that know who they are and how to adapt quickly to new situations. The ability to learn is more important than what you know. Understanding and appreciating diversity helps people work in a world economy.

To be adaptable, you need to know what your skills are, where you want to work, and how you will get there. But you need much more. A job seeker needs to be a resource person looking for employers who want to work with you rather than a job-beggar complaining about your circumstances and looking for someone to feel sorry for you. Too often people who are chronically unemployed and poor focus on their deficits rather than their strengths.

When people suffer from long-term unemployment due to poverty, disability, past failures or lack of lifestyle management, they are often considered society’s throwaways. Our jails are full of our forgotten throwaways. With the cost of keeping people in prisons, it would be less expensive to have a culture of full employment than a culture full of jails. The question is, “Is anyone unemployable?” Can we have an inclusive system of employment? Are we building support systems to have an educated, employable fully functioning society of people?

Most people have at least one perceived challenge to employment for example they are told they are too old, too young, have a mental or physical disability, too much education or too little. In his book, “What Color is Your Parachute”, career guru Richards Bolles goes so far as to say that because of your real or perceived challenges to employment, there are about three weeks of your life when you’re employable.

Developing Career Management Skills means that you need to know Who you are, What you want, and How to get there. As career professionals we often see people who want to skip to the How. Most people who come to me for career coaching start with a request to review their resume. The exception is the college career center. Students often want a quick assessment and then a list of jobs that will pay well or provide job satisfaction.

In today’s world of work, it is important to start with your strengths or natural abilities and determine what skills you want. Look at your financial needs and evaluate how you can best develop your skills. I you have the financial means, you may be able to spend most of your time in school or training, at the same time testing the waters and gaining some work experience. In other words make it real. Employers are not interested in education without some real experience. Experience helps you try out your skills to see if you really want to use them in the real world.

Career professionals have many roles in assisting people with find a path to a balance of life and work. Career professionals may be able to:

1. Teach Career Management Skills:

• Helping people to better understand who they are and what they want.
• Finding their voice for expressing their strengths
• Discovering learning opportunities to develop their skills

2. Advocate for people:

a. Help job seekers find employers who will be willing to work with them.
b. Help individuals build networks and support systems

3. Learn the skills and character to be entrepreneurs and advocate for themselves.

4. Build supportive systems in their workplaces.

5. Provide counseling to assist people who have been wounded, lost hope, have low self-esteem, etc.

6. Refer a person who has a mental disability to a professional.

7. Model a hopeful positive attitude and a sense of humor.

I believe that anyone can be employable, and everyone benefits from participating in society whether it is through paid or unpaid work.

Leisure

I had the best laid plans for taking time off after I quit my job, taking a trip to Ohio to visit my daughter and 2-year old grandson for a month, and diligently working on my business while I was there. I found myself spending my time going to the playground, swinging on swings, visiting parks, recreation centers, a farm and taking long walks.

At first I felt guilty that I was only working sporadically. But then I began relaxing, enjoying the outdoors, my family, and re-learning how to laugh & play. I had been thinking for some time that I needed to spend some time on leisure, but it never seemed quite right to plan time for fun and play. Now I am more relaxed, I feel better, my stomach isn’t as tight and I can generally think more clearly. In the past two weeks, I’ve really learned the benefits of taking time for leisure.

NJ Miller

A little about me...

I am a LifeWork Coach and Counselor with a passion for encouraging and inspiring people to find their passion and energy. I graduated from CSUS with a Master’s Degree in Counseling with a Career Development Specialization. In the counseling program as I studied career development, I began to see how important it is to understand relationships. While in graduate school, I realized that I had not spent enough time on my relationships. As a result of my experience, I recognized how important it is to make time for healthy relationships. Although that revelation may seem obvious, like many busy people, I thought I could put my relationships on hold temporarily until I finished all of the important work that I was doing. When I realized how important relationships were not only at home, but at work, I became passionate about investing my time and energy in the relationships that I value.

I turned my passion into my business when I found that I love to work with people in workshops or one-on-one as I see their faces light up when they find their natural strengths as the source of their passion and energy. I enjoy helping people find ways to express their energy and creativity in their daily lives.

I want to help as many people as possible find happiness through positive spiritual thinking and healthy lifestyles. I use my strengths of curiosity and creativity to research and study theories on happiness, personality, healthy living, and spirituality. I am a member of the California Association for Counseling and Development, a member of the International Association of Coaches, a True Colors Career Development Facilitator, and a Real Game trainer.

I find energy being near or in the ocean. I love seafood, collecting shells, starfish, leaves, and boats. I love to travel, meet new people, and hear their stories. I enjoy facilitating workshops becuase I get excited about seeing people discover their strengths, find new energy, and learn to respect people who are different than they are. For more information about LifeWork Coaching Programs contact Nancy Miller at: lifeworkcoach@clwd-share.org.

Home for the holidays

Our thoughts turn to home and family during the holiday season. For many people thoughts of home bring warm memories of childhood dreams and fantasies. When I think of Christmas, my thoughts turn to fond memories of stringing popcorn and making cookies for tree decorations. I made popcorn and cookie decorations with my children, and I also remember stringing popcorn with my sister when I was young. My grandmother considered the singing of spiritual songs serious business, so my sister and I tried not to laugh while we sang. When my children got older, we would hang an assortment of decorations and throw tinsel at the tree and at each other while we laughed, sang, and drank sparkling cider. Holiday traditions stay with us even at times through generations. Whether we have fun happy memories or feelings of tension and distress, we often expect the same experience each year. But times change, seasons change, and thoughts of home and holidays can change also.

In the past, home for the holidays often brought the expectation of sitting around the fire in a home of your own with your extended family. This in itself can bring with it feelings of tension and anxiety as families grow and expand. Your house or mine? Where shall we go for Christmas? Or, worse yet, you might try to resolve the conflict by house hopping from one parent or grandparent’s house to another. Our American past is filled with so many stories about trying to be everywhere at the same time, and trying to fit too much fun into each moment. I remember one year inviting each side of the family over, one after the other, and fixing two different dinners on the same day. Whew! The expectation of so much fun and family can cause stress to children and adults alike.

Some people will always feel sad during the holidays. Whether for lack of gifts, family or warmth, the holidays can be a time of sadness for people who have great expectations for the season. I can’t think of any time of the year that carries such high expectations as the Christmas season (which has extended to cover at least three months). For some people early lights, shopping and decorating are ways to spread the joy. For others, shopping and advertising means more disappointment.

Now fast forward to the 21st century with soaring housing prices in many areas, long commutes to work, ambiguous work hours and conditions. You may be left wondering, “Where is home for the holidays?” Television and advertisers are still touting the big Christmas tree in the big house with a big family in red sweaters receiving big gifts. The commercial that caught my attention was the one where the long stockings were pulled out of the gift box. The stockings brought back memories of sneaking under the tree with my brother and sister to open an exciting gift before Christmas morning. To my disappointment, I had opened the gift from my grandmother. Socks! Not the best pick for an early surprise.

Maybe I’m just getting older, but now I think that warm fuzzy socks are a great Christmas gift. Celebrating the love of God, family where ever they are, the warmth of socks and a hot cup of tea are a great way to spend the holidays. How will you connect with your home, friends, and family for the holidays? This may be the year that your family is spread out or you are working or traveling. It may be a time when you can share family and holiday stories with someone else, or just sit down to a hot cup of tea and be thankful for what you have. Knowing your values and knowing what is really important to you will help make this a wonderful holiday season.

Copyright LWD © 2005 Nancy Miller

Writer's Conference

I had a wonderful opportunity to attend the Writer's Conference at CSUS this past weekend. It was a very humbling experience for some of us. It was invigorating to hear so many talented writers who had a vision for sharing something with others, whether it was something personal about themselves or a topic of importance. We heard the success stories and also the daunting reality of getting yourself published.

One of the authors that showed incredible determination in gettting her book published was Sandy Lynne Holman who wrote, "Grandpa, Is Everything Black Bad?" As a teacher, Sandy helps young people of all cultures understand and appreciate their heritage. She was a dynamic speaker who had us all dancing before the presentation was over.

As I was leaving the workshop, I met Susan Wooldridge who has written books and presents workshops to adults and young people on self expression through poetry. She offers "PoemCrazy Workshops" for community libraries, schools, and individual requests.

Growing and learning can be a rigorous process. It is very difficult to critique other people's writing as we did in the workshops, and it is also very difficult to hear your own wonderful work critiqued. The workshop facilitators emphasized the importance of writing what's in your heart, following your passion, and then editing...editing..editing. Writing is at the heart of the human experience. Sharing yourself with others through writing, speaking, or conversing puts you in a vulnerable position. It's through that vulnerability that you feel human. Receiving a positive response to that communication makes you feel bigger than life.

Too often in our experiences with others we sit in the director, editor, or critics chair asking ourselves if the person we are listening to deserves to be heard. We tell ourselves they are wasting our time. Go work on yourself some more and come back when you are successful. Publishers want to see a person's work when it has already shown a track record for success. I'm afraid that we as individuals often do the same. Some of the most wonderful successful books like, "Harry Potter" were rejected by all of the major publishers. Then someone took a chance on something different. They listened to something no one else was listening to.

Have you ever shrugged someone off for being a little odd, unique, or different? Maybe they talked more, louder, or with a lisp. Maybe they wore a colorful outfit when their friends were wearing black. I certainly have, and others have done that to me. I think we are really missing out when we are not open to people who are creative, unusual and mysterious. They may be like the best book not yet edited and published to sell to the masses.

Trust

Recently my daughter and grandson from Texas stayed with us for a couple of weeks. As I held 2 month old Jonah, I could feel how trusting and vulnerable he was. We know that babies can't take care of themselves, but holding a baby in your arms and looking into his eyes, you can really feel how much more there is to the relationship than caregiving. An infant needs touch, they can sense when something is wrong, and they need physical and emotional caring to live and thrive.

As I looked into this little baby's eyes, I thought about how vulnerable relationships can be. Just as a baby needs a great deal of nurturing, so do relationships. The heart of a relationship is trust.

If a person hasn't been nurtured and loved in the past, they often lose their natural sense of trust for other human beings.