CareerSherpas: Climbing the Mountain

Struggles abound, but are the ones you’re facing the important ones right now?

When you’re faced with a problem, what do you do? For myself I’m a “fixer”. The guy who likes nothing better than digging in and solving problems. But what if the number of problems are overwhelming?

At their core problems, or opportunities for those who like the “positive politically correct” translation, are situations where someone can picture a better situation. Often a problem doesn’t exist on its own but is linked to two or three others, which in turn are connected to more. Digging to the bottom of the pile you will come to a point where there is something fundamental that needs to change.

Whether you have the ability to fix or influence someone else to fix an issue will often mean walking into a web of politics and emotional attachments that make a simple fix impossible. When faced with this, there is a choice that isn’t always obvious but that will always be made: Is this something I’m going to fight for?

What kind of mountain are you trying to climb? Is it a mountain where the cliffs are steep, slick and slippery? Do you have the support to face it? Do you get to decide to climb this mountain or does someone else?

All of these questions and more have to be carefully weighed. Sometimes just going around the mountain to have the energy and resources to climb a bigger one beyond is the right thing to do. Sometimes not clearing a roadblock gives you the ability to move beyond it to solve more important concerns.

Have you asked yourself if what you’re fighting with now really helps you? Are you going to improve something by continuing along a path or are you just being stubborn?

Take the time to reassess something you’re stuck on today and see if it really is as important at it looks when you’re in the thick of it.

Peter Fitzgerald is the founder of CareerSherpas.com and is currently working on his first book, connecting individuals with ideas and opportunities, and attempting to learn the bagpipes.

As we emerge from the depths of the initial struggle, tasks appear that help transform the viewpoint and the person into their next effective form. So too does the heroine’s path lead through trials to move them to an enlightened state.

Fluffy stuff aside, we all go through trials. Tests and trials are rights of passage and doors to new life stages. Whether we’re sitting high school exams or college finals, or engaged in an apprenticeship our mental models are being challenged and tested as much as our knowledge or skills.

Making these mental shifts let us migrate into a new sense of ourselves and prove to everyone that we have what it takes. Developing a variety of mental models lets us be flexible in solving problems. We can academically learn about new models all the time, but sometimes to really understand the benefits of the mental model in a concrete way takes being at a loss and being challenged to use a new way of thinking.

Sometimes proving to ourselves that we are competent to do something is the only part of the challenge with any meaning. The struggle lets us see that we can accomplish the “next great step”. Each time we face down a right of passage we come out of it changed.

Professionally, taking on a role that we haven’t done before often challenges our sense of worth. It’s common that people feel like they’re “faking it” until a challenge comes, is met and passed. That challenge tests us and makes us draw on elements of ourselves that we weren’t expecting to find. The confidence that follows brings out new possibilities and new ways of approaching problems learnt from the struggles.

Taking an example from the personal life side, dealing with death is a clear stage that all of us will face eventually. Particularly dealing with the death of someone close to us forces us to challenge what we think about life. It’s a common experience that this grim context gives a different perspective and offers a chance to break old ways of being. Individuals often get an opportunity to consider how they’ve used their own lives and to relish the gifts left by the deceased. New appreciation for lessons learned and wisdom left behind come back with truths we might have missed.

Whatever the trial, whatever the right of passage, reaching beyond gives us more opportunities, a greater sense of self and new insights into ourselves.

Grab hold of the challenges and take yourself on to bigger and better things!

Peter Fitzgerald is the founder of CareerSherpas.com and is currently working on his first book, connecting individuals with ideas and opportunities, and attempting to learn the bagpipes.

Peter Fitzgerald is the founder of CareerSherpas.com and is currently working on his first book, connecting individuals with ideas and opportunities, and attempting to learn the bagpipes.

Your resume is your faceless, somewhat impersonal, professional selling tool… or at least it should be.

Even if you don’t use a professional resume writing service, please, Please, PLEASE(!) take the time to have someone review your resume. In my experience, there isn’t a single answer for how to put a resume together for everyone. Rules of thumb exist all over the place, but most of it is general information and often different groups will provide conflicting information.

I recently stumbled across this list of blunders over at ResumeBear.com and the honesty of the first statement struck me:

“Most articles on this topic list blunders that very few people are dumb enough to actually make.”

That being painfully true in many places, I have to recommend ResumeBear’s list. Taking apart many of the crucial failures, it’s a good primer on how not to completely mess up.

At the same time, I have to disagree with some of the generalizations. If you work in an arena that respects (needs/craves/expects) you to have an eye to design elements, sending in a stock Microsoft resume template is probably not going to do you any favors. Being outlandish in your layout when you’re going for a corporate job isn’t going to help either. Moderation and awareness of who you’re communicating to are essential.

That same moderation needs to be applied when we’re talking about the content you put into your resume as well. Recognizing that often the first person to see your resume will be some one (or worse, a piece of software) that is looking for keywords is important. Writing your resume so that these filters and the hiring manager see the value you bring is crucial. Making every second word a keyword from the job description is overkill.

The best resumes are short, sweet and to the point. Making it legible and error free lifts it a couple of notches, and finding creative ways to get it into the hands of a hiring manager can change the game for you.

As with many areas of life, a little common sense, a good sounding board and a good dose of humility go a long way to getting your resume in great shape. If you need professional help, contact us to talk about your resume today.

Peter Fitzgerald is the founder of CareerSherpas.com and is currently working on his first book, connecting individuals with ideas and opportunities, and attempting to learn the bagpipes.

“It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.” The Lord of the Rings – J.R.R. Tolkein

I’ve talked about receiving a call, but once you’ve received it there is always the first step. Not that that first step is easy at all. Once you’ve accepted the call to action, you have to get out of your comfortable space and cross your threshold into the wild beyond.

That first step requires a lot from you. Not only are you leaving behind (at least some of) the comfort of your former life, but you’re treading into the unknown. You don’t know if the maps you’ve drawn or picked up are correct, current or even relevant to your journey. You don’t know if your provisions will get you to your destination. And in that crucial first step you’ve left behind any support not carried or travelling with you.

But this is how an adventure starts! This is how your adventure starts!

The heroes and heroines of legend receive all manner of help at this point. A mirrored shield for facing Medusa, magic swords and instruments, guardians or guides for the road, even a lock of hair from a loved one become talismans to carry forward and help in times of need.

While they might not have the supernatural abilities of their mythological counterparts, coaches and mentors like (shameless plug) CareerSherpas can help you make that transition and offer support in the face of obstacles. Friends or family who have been successful professionally, former and current bosses and others who work in your fields are all great places to find support too. With the right support even the most perilous of opportunities can be smoothed out.

Need help with that first step or any other point in your journey? Contact us!

Peter Fitzgerald is the founder of CareerSherpas.com and is currently working on his first book, connecting individuals with ideas and opportunities, and attempting to learn the bagpipes.