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Kamala

 Looking for a job is never easy, and it seems to be harder than ever these days. Things have changed considerably and will continue to change, which can be truly difficult when you have always approached them in the same way. This is where I was at when I decided to make a change in my career. I had never had a problem finding a job before; how I did things had always worked for me.Even though I thought I had adapted to the current ways of searching and networking for jobs, I was not confident that I had, so I was looking for expert advice. When I looked into the Career Center at the conference, I found I could make an appointment with a Career Coach, so I did. I had an awesome meeting with Wendy Terwelp on Monday, and highly, highly recommend Wendy and the Career Center.Although I readily adapt to change, I found I was still approaching conversations from an awkward stance. Wendy and I discussed how to have more natural conversations with people as people, as opposed to approaching them for what they may be able to do for you - hire you, refer you, connect you to their network, etc. Later when I went to lunch, as I was approaching a table those thoughts were right there (bad habits!) as I saw the opportunity to meet a lot of new, potential contacts. And I stopped. I decided I would just have lunch. When I made that change in my thinking, everything else began changing. I met wonderful people, and had great conversations. I made a lot of contacts, some of which now have great potential to lead to jobs.This continued to happen throughout the conference as I had experiences I could not have dreamed of having, including a couple of spontaneous interviews, which led to other interviews. And I’m happy to report that one of those interviews actually turned into a contract position. Talk about 0 - 60 real quick! But that is such a good thing. Although I am scared, I am also excited and know I will learn a lot, and I needed that opportunity. Even though this is currently short term, I am hopeful it is the beginning of my becoming an independent contractor.I don’t believe this would have happened had I not relaxed and changed my thinking. I met people that day at lunch and throughout the conference, not prospects, and they are priceless to me. Thank you to Wendy, Pat Byrd from the Career Center and everyone else there. They could not have been kinder or more supportive! They are a great group, and I look forward to seeing them again next year. Coaching from ASTD career coaches is available throughout the year, through the online ASTD Job Bank.

Kamala

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