Before Linda Tripp and Ken Starr entered her world, Monica
Lewinsky was headed for a public relations job at Revlon.
She would have been one among many attractive young women
climbing the corporate ladder, anonymously.
After the world learned who she was, Monica couldn't show up
in an employment agency as an ordinary job applicant.
Corporate jobs are closed to her. She lent her name to diet
products, talked to the media, and pitched her line of
handbags on the Internet.
You probably have nothing in common with Monica Lewinsky,
but you may face the Monica Lewinsky Career Challenge
Employers like applicants who fit the mold -- their mold.
Fitting in will be especially difficult for high-profile,
high-visibility professionals who have been displaced by
forces beyond their control.
When potential employers recognize your name on a resume,
consider this awareness as an asset to your job search
strategy.
(1) Begin to build a platform for your next life. Explore
opportunities to leverage your position in the community and
the industry, such as speaking engagements, consulting and
teaching.
(2) Create an independent power base through these
activities. Appealing on the basis of need will usually
backfire. Find ways to operate from strength.
(3) List your professional friends and network members. How
can each person help? Some will serve as sounding boards.
Others will have expertise you need. Still others will be
able to hire you as a consultant or speaker.
(4) Investigate options for self-employment. After twenty or
more years in a field, you may see income faster by starting
your own business than by waiting to get hired. And a
business gives you a cover story. Instead of "Dan who's out
of work" you're "Dan who's starting a business and
considering all his options."
(5) Plan a campaign that leaves you in charge, targeting
clients and employers who will feel privileged to do
business with you. Resume-blasting will backfire: you'll get
responses like, "You wouldn't seriously want to work here,
would you?" And you'll hear from folks hoping to invest your
money or name in their off-the-wall ideas.
Typically, high-visibility professions can parlay their
industry contacts into a business or a powerful new job. As
for Monica... well, career lessons come from everywhere.
Fame on any level has to be handled with care.
************************************************************
Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D., author, speaker and consultant, works
with midlife professionals who want to rebuild, renovate and
revitalize their careers.
"Ten secrets of mastering a major life change."
http://www.cathygoodwin.com/subscribe.htmlWebsite:
http://www.cathygoodwin.comContact: mailto:
cathy@... 505-534-4294
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