I'm back

I had planned on shutting down my blog for the rest of 2008. But things have changed, as they do, and I'm working on changing with them.

My Mom died on May 8, 2008. I was holding her hand. She went in peace and without pain, and I'm glad for that. What happens next, for me and for my family, is the hard part.

In the wake of my Mom's death, I'm doing what all the experts say you shouldn't do: changing my life. I'm taking some time off from working this summer, to feel my feelings and figure out what I want my life to look like for this next little bit. Part of my thinking has led me back here, to this blog, and back to writing.

I left an 11-year journalism career in 2006, and since then, I have worked as an administrative assistant in advertising and human resources. What I have learned from those experiences is that, overwhelmingly, I am a writer. I can be an assistant, because I'm adept at managing details and organization (and love doing both), but I respond to all work situations with questions -- as I did as a journalist/writer/editor. It's not just how I think, either; it's my best skill. I'm good at it, and I do love to do it. I seem to have gotten over the burnout that plagued me even a few months ago. I want to do this again.

I also want to nurture my interest in HR, recruiting and the entire job-hunting process. For the last year, I 've been reading the HR bloggers listed in my blog roll, and they've taught me a tremendous amount about all things HR. I hope to add my voice to theirs through this blog.

Make a Change Resumes began as my resume-writing business venture. I'm not writing resumes for hire just yet, but that could come. I'm restarting this blog with the hope of sharing tips and information on resume writing, job hunting, interviewing and closing the deal. My goals and focus could change over time, but that's the beauty of life -- it's all about making changes.

Blog suspended for one year

Hi all,

My recovery from emergency back surgery has gone well. I'm almost fully healed -- I can touch my toes! It's very exciting.

However, I have decided to shut this blog down until January 2009. I've realized that I need some time away from writing. I was a burned-out writer in 2006 when I left the newspaper industry, and somehow, I haven't stopped writing since. So I'm taking some time off in hopes that my excitement for blogging will be renewed.

Also, as some of you know, my mother has been battling lung cancer for 16 months now. She doesn't have too much longer to go, and as I no longer live in my hometown, I'm trying to travel more to see her. I have a feeling that 2008 is going to be emotionally taxing in a way that won't leave much time for extra-curricular career activities.

I'm writing you this note to explain my absence, as I do not want to delete this blog entirely, which means that anyone who uses Google can find it. There's some good information here for job-hunters, and I hope that if you stumble across this blog that you'll find information that helps you. I've loved working on this blog, and I hope I'll return next year.

In the meantime, enjoy the archives and recommended links!

Lea

Another blogging hiatus

Not long after my last post, I wound up in the hospital after emergency surgery on my spine. Everything went well, thank goodness. The downside is that I'm not to sit upright for much more than an hour at a time during this stage of my recovery. So I haven't been able to do much writing.

Hopefully I'll be able to return with some consistency by early December.

Recommit to what you want

It's easy to let exhaustion and complacency derail your job hunt.

It took me three years of on-again, off-again work to leave newspapers and embark on a new career. I would go through cycles of enthusiasm about what I could do next -- start a pet-sitting business! start a personal-shopper business! freelance as a writer and editor! move somewhere new and find another writing job! -- and do my research, only to give up when I was hit with a big assignment at work or a personal crisis. Other times, I made the deliberate decision to stick it out where I was, because the money was good (and I had bills to pay) and the devil I knew was better than what might be Out There.

Sound familiar? I've seen this happen among my friends and clients as well. It's human nature. But a successful job hunt requires commitment, dedication, determination, and hope; without those, you'll have a hard time motivating yourself to keep with it. It also doesn't hurt to have a catalyst or a reminder of why you want a new job.

My job search finally took first place in my priorities when I received a new work assignment that I just couldn't stomach. It was one of those assignments that was historically given to people to help move them toward the door. I took the hint, buckled down, worked my contacts, and within two months received an offer that would teach me a new field (advertising) and give me the excitement I was longing for. (I quit that job seven months later, but that's a story for another post.)

Advice for job-seekers recommends that you work your job hunt like it's a job in itself -- something you do for 20 to 40 hours a week, perhaps every day, with measurable goals. This is difficult to do when you already have a full-time job to juggle with your family life, chores, your community work, your time for yourself, etc. In the end, you need to decide what's most important RIGHT NOW. If your job hunt never makes it into that slot, maybe it's time to put your energy into making your current job the right place for you to be.

As readers of this blog have probably noticed, Make A Change Resumes has not been at the top of my priority list for some time now. I spent the summer working two jobs, six days a week, 50+ hours a week, in order to make ends meet. I was too scared to let go of the second job that brought in money I could count on, in favor of working on my business and my blog, which might not bring in any money for a while. I made excuses to myself all summer, and then over the weekend, I had my decision made for me: I was fired from my second job (in a bookstore, which paid little more than minimum wage) because my exhaustion, and my restricted work hours due to that exhaustion, were things that the store manager no longer wanted to accommodate.

Sometimes it takes an outside catalyst to help us make the changes that our hearts want us to make. I'm grateful to my managers at the newspaper for helping me out the door, and I'm grateful to the book store manager for doing what I could not bring myself to do. I liked working at the book store, but what I really wanted to be doing was blogging and working with clients on their resumes. Now I can. I am recommitting myself to Make A Change Resumes, and I'm excited about it.

Are you ready to recommit to what you want?

Brief blogging hiatus

I apologize for my absence from the blog recently. In the past few weeks, I've started two new jobs and signed a lease on a new apartment. I'm now in the middle of packing for the move, which happens next week -- and I'm trying to rest my back, which I injured last weekend. It's been an exciting month for me, to say the least, even with the back injury!

But something had to give (besides my back), and that was this blog.

I will resume blogging during the week of June 5. In the meantime, check out the resume resources and career blogs listed in the menu to the right. I particularly recommend Career Hub and the free e-books on job hunting, resume writing and interviewing that you can download from the site.

Happy reading!

Welcome! Are you ready to make a change?

In my professional life, the only constant has been change.

I began my career as a newspaper journalist and spent more than a decade learning to roll with changes, sometimes on an hourly basis. A year ago, I jumped into advertising, an industry that could teach journalists a thing or two about living with constant change.

This year, I'm starting my own business, one that's devoted to helping you navigate change.

In three years of studying the job market, I've learned just how much the workplace has changed since I graduated from college 12 years ago. Today's recruiters and hiring managers want to know what you have done for your employers -- and what you will do for them. Resumes need to highlight accomplishments in quantifiable terms, in order for companies to understand what you can do to enhance productivity and the company's bottom line. Interviewers ask behavioral questions to find out how you've responded to real-life work situations, in order to determine how you'll behave if you work for them. And in order to get someone to read your resume, let alone to invite you for an interview, you need to know people who can recommend your work.

In short, job hunting in the 21st century is challenging. And you deserve to have as many resources as possible to help you navigate the experience and find the job you want.

That's where Make A Change Resumes comes in.

The goal of this blog is to connect you with news, tips and information that will assist with your job hunt. My goal as the owner of Make A Change Resumes is to create a resume for you that will showcase your accomplishments and tell recruiters and hiring managers why you're the person they need to hire.

Consider me as the newest cheerleader for Team You. Let's make a change together!