Workwlse

I did a Career Action Planning session with Mary Jeanne who has the perfect combo of being warm, direct and non-​judgmental as a career coach. The latter is helpful for those of us who are prone to making rash job decisions ;-)
She started the session assessing what my current situation is and went backwards from there — where did I go to school, what did I study, where did I work, what did I like and not like about each job. The process of explaining it aloud produced many a-​ha moments that made me stop and take note and/​or question my current decision-​making. That step, coupled with Mary Jeanne’s laser insight into what I value most and what I bring to the table for any job I take, made me realize that I was selling myself short — ugh, that’s not good!
She then took 20 minutes to process the data and draft a one-​pager on what’s essential to me, what I need to look at and next steps to consider. During this time, she has you sit in the lobby and look at some of the books and tools that she sells. Some may be turned off by it (or the safari-​themed lobby-it’s a shared office space), but if you actually take time to review the materials and ignore the zebra prints, she has valuable information and tips in them.
When she calls you back to review the one-​pager, she also tapes the conversation for you to keep — I haven’t listened to mine yet, but I’m guessing I will one day and more than likely, it will probably make me giggle (I’ve been told my voice sounds like a cartoon character and I hate hearing it recorded), but more importantly, reinforce that I made the right job decision thanks to Mary Jeanne.
p. s. She also had a great idea for packaging myself better in transitioning to a new job industry.
I highly recommend seeking her out if you’re confused, dejected, uninspired, lacking confidence, or any other fun feeling that job and career hunting spurs on.