Career Communiqué x-Press

A personal note from Annemarie...

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Friday 1, September 2006

Hi,

Welcome to another edition of Career Communiqué x-Press.

Can you believe we are already into September? Where has the year gone? With the busy lives we all seem to be leading these days, it’s amazing how fast the years seem to be flying by. Speaking of busy, we have been actively preparing for the launch of our new programme – Career Communiqué Live. Each Tuesday evening from 8.00 pm to 8.45 pm AEST we will be holding a telecall bringing empowering career-related topics to support you in achieving a career that you love.

I’d love it if you could join me, so please accept my personal invitation to join me on our first call - Tuesday 19^th September 2006. Further details about Career Communiqué Live can be located in the section - Resources and Tools to Catapult your Career, below.

Are you stressed at work? If you have been reading Communiqué x-Press for a while you will have realised by now that I am an advocate for life/work balance and maintaining passion and motivation in your work.

Even for people who are working in their 'dream role', a hectic work schedule (as well as other factors) if not monitored, can unfortunately result in stress, and prolonged stress can seriously affect your health and wellbeing as well as your performance.

If you are experiencing stress within your workplace and want to put some coping strategies into place before it becomes excessive, you should read our article in Coach’s Corner.

Until next time,

To your success!

Annemarie Cross
Career & NLP Coach

In this issue...

Coach's Corner: Is job stress affecting your health and your performance?

Ace that Interview: Avoid being labelled "overqualified".

Monthly Specials: Slash 20% from anyone of our Interviewing Success Programs.

Resources & Tools to Catapult Your Career: Career Communiqué Live - launching soon!

Coach's Corner

Is job stress affecting your health and your performance?

A research team at the University of Melbourne recently prepared a report for the Victorian Promotion Foundation (VicHealth) which indicated that health problems can be a direct cause of stress occurring within the workplace. The study demonstrated that job stress continues to be a serious public health issue and could also be linked to preventable diseases among staff, which was also having a negative impact in the workplace. According to the report it seemed that job stress was most serious with employees who had the least authority in the workplace, which in this case happened to be women and young people with limited skill-sets.

In previous articles we have also expressed how stress can seriously affect an employee's wellbeing and ultimate performance and should not be ignored, either from a personal or organisational standpoint.

Any person who is working in an environment with an overwhelming amount of work can experience high levels of stress and anxiety and if this is not monitored can cause the person to burn out. Some of the symptoms to look out for include:

Physical Symptoms:

§	Chronic fatigue
§	Tiredness and lack of energy
§	Depression
§	Weight loss or gain
§	Sleeplessness
§	Frequent headaches

Psychological Symptoms:

§	Diminished self-esteem and confidence
§	Boredom
§	Inability to make decisions
§	Feelings of powerlessness or helplessness
§	Cynicism, negativity

§ Behavioural Symptoms:

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§	Lack of interest in your work
§	Sudden mood swings (easily becoming impatient or irritated with people around you)
§	Becoming reliant on or increasing your usage of alcohol or drugs

§
If you recognise a number of the above symptoms are consistently showing up for you, below are a few coping strategies you could consider.

It is important for you to develop a realistic picture of yourself and gain an awareness of what you are feeling, and why, so as to be able to develop or seek an appropriate coping strategy.

Some coping strategies could include:

§	Establishing firm and realistic goals and sticking to them. Aim to complete the most crucial projects so as not to become enslaved by an excessive workload and bogged down with trivial tasks.
§	Avoid becoming the “yes” victim by learning to ask for help, or becoming more assertive and comfortable in saying “no” if asked to take on extra work by colleagues or demanding clients who continually present impossible deadlines.
§	Setting yourself a reasonable limit of hours for your working day and working week – and sticking to it.
§	Taking regular ‘power’ breaks - get up; stretch; walk around; change your posture.
§	Incorporating change into your routine to avoid getting stuck in a rut. Following strict schedules and performing repetitive tasks can lead to boredom, disinterest in your work, and eventually burnout. Rotate your schedule; incorporate a new task into your day; or put aside some time to develop your skill-set – anything that adds an element of change to your daily routine.
§	Maintaining a regime of proper nutrition and physical exercise. Exercise is an excellent way to relieve tension and stress so when scheduling your diary, block in 20-30 minutes of exercise at least three or four times per week. Increasing your fitness level can also benefit your productivity and level of awareness plus assist in avoiding other physical ailments.
§	Learning to delegate and avoid temptation to do everything yourself. Train someone or outsource any daily and repetitive tasks that do not necessarily require your expertise so that you can concentrate on more important issues.
§	Learning basic stress reduction techniques such as meditation or deep breathing.
§	And most important – taking time out for yourself and your family. Maintain an active personal and social life outside of work. Your life should not revolve solely around work, but rather follow a healthy balance that incorporates time for yourself, your friends, and your family.

§ If you do recognise some of the symptoms of burnout and you really feel unable to cope or powerless to implement some of the strategies, it’s important to be willing to seek out the support of a professional.

If you are ready to begin making choices today and feel you could benefit from having a partner to support you, I hope that you would consider working with me. It would be an honour to work with you. Drop me a line at: annemarie@annemariecross.com.

To your success!

Annemarie

Ace that Interview!

Avoid being labelled as "overqualified"

Being labelled "overqualified" can often mean that the interviewer has a number of concerns. Namely that you have too many years of experience; would soon be unchallenged with the role and leave; have a salary range that is way above their salary offer; are going to be inflexible in your expectations; or that your skills are outdated. Another concern could be that you would leave if a better offer was received, or that you could set your target for their management role.

Here are some great responses to avoid being labelled ‘overqualified’.

§	“Overqualified? While it may seem that my experience and skills are overqualified for the role – I would say that they position me as being fully qualified to perform the duties of this position. Being able to achieve performance levels better than expected would certainly be advantageous to an organisation would you not agree?”
§	“I certainly enjoyed my senior roles however I’ve reached a time in my career where I would prefer a more hands on role and be able to work more closely with customers.”
§	“I no longer have dependent children and am therefore no longer driven with salary or title. I prefer a hands-on role and the references I provided will confirm that I am a dedicated team member that consistently achieves goals and deadlines. I’m positive we can come to a mutually agreeable salary level.”
§	I realise your organisation is a dynamic company and experiencing significant growth in the market. This is exactly the sort of organisation I want to establish my career with. Rather than your company having to spend thousands of dollars in training, I offer an immediate return on your investment. I’m sure you value a team player with skills and aptitudes to support your corporate vision towards further growth?”
§	“You have mentioned my background confirms senior level roles however I am at a time in my life where I wish to stand down from the stresses of a senior position and regain a healthy work/life balance. This position is exactly what I am looking for and will provide me with more time to spend with my family, which is something my previous roles have not allowed me to do.”
§	“It’s gratifying that you believe my skills expertise would generate further head-hunter offers and that I would leave should another opportunity present itself. However this role is exactly what I am looking for and I would be prepared to sign an agreement committing to an 18 month period.

Want to strengthen your responses? You can!! Send me Ace that Interview today!

Monthly Specials

A 20% saving from any one of our Interviewing Success Programs, which include:

	Behaviour Profiling Report (Interviewing Insights Report - enabling you to prepare for the interview process by displaying your general characteristic, ideal work environment, value to the organisation and interview questions).
	Behaviour Profiling e-Worksheets (accompanying the Interviewing Insights Reports) to leverage unique strengths and value you offer a potential employer).
	10 Key Steps to Ace that Interview book (for more information on the book, click here).
	10 Key Steps to Ace that Interview e-Workbook (40+ pages of exercises to be completed alongside the book).
	One-hour interview coaching (delivered in 2 x 1/2 hour telecoaching sessions or 1 x 1 hour session).

Click here for further information on how you can outshine your competition in your next interview!

Resources & Tools to Catapult Your Career

Career Communiqué Live

"Unleash your true potential.
Boost your career success!"

Want to join the Career Communiqué Live community where you can access empowering topics to begin unleashing your true potential and boosting your success toward a career that you love?

Then join us on our complimentary weekly telecalls (each Tuesday from 8.00 pm to 8.45 pm AEST, starting September 19th, 2006) brought to you by Advanced Employment Concepts.

Topics we will be covering:
Resume Writing
Interviewing Techniques

Career Planning & Advancement
Work/Life Balance
Stress Reduction
Performance Enhancement
How to position yourself for Internal Promotion
and much, much more...

To register your interest go to: www.career-coach.com.au/live.htm

I hope you can join me!

Want to use this article in your ezine or website?

You can as long as you include this complete copy with it:

Career & NLP Coach and author Annemarie Cross provides specialised services for people striving for success and fulfilment in their careers. With an inquisitive, inspiring and influential approach, Annemarie has supported and empowered clients from diverse backgrounds across Australia and the globe in their journey to regain clarity, confidence, contentment and balance within their lives and careers. To learn more about her book, 10 Key Steps to Ace that Interview!, and sign up for more FREE tips and solutions like these, visit her site at http://www.annemariecross.com

Have a question you'd like answered in this ezine? Submit your question to: info@annemariecross.com

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