Michael's Career Corner  

In  1985 I graduated from Rutgers University, and thought I was going to set Wall St. on fire. Much to my surprise I landed a clerks position at a brokerage firm. Not the position from which you rule the financial markets as the next titan of industry. What I didn’t realize was this was the beginning of a journey. For the next few years I let the boat I called my career float with the current.
In 1996 I was laid off for the first time in my working career. The first time in 21 years (I include my paper route when I was 12 years old) I was terminated from a job.
At that time I lived in the old paradigm of job searching. You write a bunch of cover letters and resumes and mail them blindly to companies in your industry. I bought a book called the US Job bank, which contained names of executive officers and corporate addresses. My goal was to type and send out 50 resumes a day.
The shotgun approach was all I knew. No one every told me about networking, planning or cultivating a job search. No one every explained to me that a career, not a job, is a journey.
I got lucky; a vendor I knew from my previous job contacted me and clued me in about a company that was hiring human resource professionals. I was out of work only 3 months.
Over the next decade I was laid off four times. The longest I was out of work was 18 months. You may be thinking, gee this guy can’t hold a job. Well the circumstances varied from down turns in a particular market place, reorganization and bankruptcy. The point being I have experience on both sides of the equation. As a Human Resources professional, I’ve had the dismal duty to release employees, and I myself (as I’ve stated) have been released as well.
What I learned the hard way was that I never really was out of work. I was working all the time. Either I was contracting in my profession or working a temporary job to supplement cash flow. But I never really was out of work. I was constantly marketing my product and services; me!
We must realize that we never stop managing our career. If you are in a relationship you don’t stop working at being a good partner, unless you want to find yourself alone. If you are a parent, you don’t stop raising your children, unless you want the authorities knocking at your door.
Once you wrap your head around the fact career management is a continuous journey, then you must move on to the how, what when and where of your adventure.

Michael has over 20 years of human resource experience.  He has been both a job seeker and a job provider.  So he is keenly aware of the challenges faced by those in career transition.

 

Michael graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics.    While living in Nashville, Michael completed a Master’s degree in Human Resources from Vanderbilt University.

 

Michael has experience working in such industries as financial services, international insurance brokerage, entertainment, technology, and most recently public service.

 

Michael is a longstanding member of the Society for Human Resource Management, and holds their highest designation – Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). He is also a active member of the Middle Tennessee SHRM chapter, and the Tennessee chapter of Association Career Professionals.  Currently Michael is the Assistant Director for the Tennessee Department of Education, Teacher Quality and Retention. 

 

Michael is also faculty for the University of Phoenix, and facilitates both undergraduate and graduate level business course.

 

Michael works closely with various public and private career transition support groups in the middle Tennessee area.  

Well if you have been watching the news, the employment picture seems bleek.  Especailly to those who are new to career transition.  It may be hard to believe in this day and age, that some folks are new to the job search scene.  Most of us have, over the last decade, been laid off or moved on once or twice. 
The question is eternal; what do I do now?  The seaoned job seekers (you know who you are) may have a routine or process they've used in the past that has worked well.  For the uninitiated, you may wander around; play some golf; make a few calls and hope for the best.  That ain't gonna cut it! Unless you have deep financial resources and can afford to wait out this economic ice age.
What I hope to be able to provide to those either new to career transition, or those old pros, is a wealth of insights, resources and guidance on how to manage your career.
I don't have magic bullet, but I do know a few people.  And knowing is half the battle.  Stay tuned....