Start looking for your next job as soon as you start your current job.

In my younger, more naive days, I thought this advice was tantamount to disloyalty to my new employer and a sure way of getting myself blackballed from the get-go. Now, as a (late) thirtysomething professional who has been through the fire and smart enough to see wisdom when it appears, there’s quite a lot of good we can gain by heeding this guidance.

First, let’s be honest…this isn’t our grandpa’s professional world and loyalty in employment doesn’t exist like it did two generations ago. So we have to take care of ourselves and be constantly vigilant with our careers and employment. This last economic downturn should have made that 100% crystal clear. Sadly, it’s a realistic and somewhat cynical perspective. On the other hand…

Here’s where we can take a more positive and forward-focused view. I’ve started to think clearly about:

• what kind of tangible experiences I want to include in my professional portfolio
• what kind of stories I want to tell at an upcoming interview
• What kind of kickass results I want to market on my resume

By imagining into the future, we practice the kind of goal-setting we typically do with any sort of project: we begin with the end in mind and work backward. What this encourages us to do is frequently think about our resume and focus our actions toward remarkable results. And it’s not at all disloyal: we can’t build experiences, create stories, and generate results without completing our objectives for our current employers.

photo credit: Alexandre Moreau Photography (via Flickr)

Asking for and receiving career advice can always be a tricky proposition. We often ask for help when we’re stuck in the muck or otherwise when we’re most confused. And then when we start collecting advice from people we trust or believe to be fairly smart individuals and we only get more confused. It shouldn’t be surprising though…everyone has an opinion, right? But what complicates things is what sits behind those opinions: motives. These motives can be positive (think about a parent who wants their child to succeed or a spouse who wants their significant other to be happy or a manager who wants their employee to advance their skills). And we all know examples of people who express motives that aren’t quite so well-intentioned.

The problem is that motives are often more focused on the desires of the advice-giver than the advice-seeker. That’s just human nature. Anthony Balderrama at CareerBuilder.com writes:

Of surveyed advertising and marketing executives, 58 percent say co-workers gave them bad career advice. Bosses didn’t fare much better, as 54 percent blame them for bad career advice. Parents and relatives are better career counselors, but 35 percent of surveyed executives received unsatisfactory guidance from them. Thirty percent of spouses and significant others are blamed for bad advice (and probably had to sleep on the couch at some point). Mentors have the best record for dispensing advice, as only 21 percent have the finger pointed at them.

He goes on to introduce some tips from Donna Farrugia, Executive Director of The Creative Group, who notes that it’s important to always evaluate the motives of the advice giver.

In addition to those tips, I’d also suggest a couple of other ideas:

1. I think there’s some wisdom to Chesterton’s approach. If not actually doing the opposite, then at least contemplating whether there’s a potential solution there.

2. Even more importantly, we need to own our decision-making process. It’s okay to collect advice, but committed action needs to come from us. Deep down, we do know what we want.

What are your thoughts? Any experience in getting good (or bad) career advice?

photo credit: ambergris (via Flickr)

But lest I go into a more focused rant against ISMA, I actually want to address a tangential issue that arose from Olivier’s post. It has to do with the value of the diplomas and true certifications we earned. Think about the Bachelor’s and other post-graduate degrees you hold as well as the professional certifications necessary to practice your craft. Maybe it was an advanced engineering degree earned from a large university twenty years ago. Or perhaps it was a general liberal arts degree from a small college last year. What is it’s value to you today? If you’re thinking it has little or no value, I’d encourage you to think again. Even if you’re not actually using that degree today, I wager it has had some impact on the way you view the world.

My personal example (and yes, your mileage may vary) is that I went to a small liberal arts school and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in history. If you know my profile and background, you’ll notice that I haven’t spent any professional time working in museums, teaching history or any other historical-related efforts. Yet, what I learned through my history major has impacted how I view the world around me. I see cause-and-effect differently; I seek out root causes for incidents; I believe there are multiple viewpoints to explore for any event. So while I’m not a practicing historian, I do see and think about my world through the lens of a historian. And that is what adds to my unique value as a professional no matter what I choose to do in my career. Now I’m working on a Master’s degree in Business Anthropology and that further adds to my specialized approach to working with clients.

Try to think about that diploma differently. Don’t disregard or undervalue the learning that you’ve gathered over the years regardless of how detached it may seem to the work you’re doing right now. That academic learning coupled with your experiential learning makes you the unique and highly valuable professional you are today.

Are you doing something different in your career than your undergrad or post-grad prepared you for? More than likely you are…if so, how do you think your academic learning has influenced your professional work? Love to hear your own stories.

There’s a professional association for you…no matter what you do.
Some professions have easily defined associations (think accountants (AICPA), lawyers doctors (AMA), and realtors (NAR)). But if you think your profession doesn’t have an associated professional community, think again. By some estimates, there are around 70,000 professional societies, trade associations, and chambers of commerce in the United States alone. To find an association devoted to your profession, visit the American Society for Association Executives and search their Gateway to Associations. I guarantee you’ll find something (and if you don’t, contact me and I’ll help you locate one).

Don’t be afraid to think creatively about joining an association. There are some exceptional niche associations that address specialty areas within professions. And if you’re considering making a career leap, think about taking a small step in that direction by joining an association for that particular career. Associations have member resources such as listserves, newsletters, and networks which are great ways to learn about the possibilities and challenges facing you as you think about that potential new career choice.

So, you joined an association…now what?
Once you find and join an association, immediately sit down and sketch out what you want to achieve through your membership. Your membership is an investment in your professional future…take responsibility for nurturing that investment. One of the most frequent mistakes made by new members is not fully thinking about how they want to get the most from their membership. While most associations have a new member orientation program, only you know where you want to go. If growing your network is important, volunteer for a conference or join a committee. If building your prestige is important, write an article or submit a conference presentation proposal. The return on your investment will ultimately be what you’re willing to put into your membership experience.

Play around…see what works for you…then do it.
Take advantage of everything you can. Read the association’s publications, research their website, and contact the association’s staff to learn all you can about the features of membership. You might just find that there’s a little publicized member feature that fits your needs or discover a new feature in the works that will benefit your career. Don’t make the mistake of joining and then forgetting your membership. This isn’t an investment that delivers a return if ignored…you have to actively manage it and take action to see results.

Finally, care for your association staff…and they’ll care for you.
This is my shameless plug for all the hard working folks who make association management their careers. Just like others in the nonprofit world, they usually don’t do it for money, they do it for love. They love their members and love what their members do and they love being able to have an impact on their members’ industry. When you find them doing great things, tell them. If you find ways to improve the association, tell them. Foster a caring relationship with the staff and they’ll be far more likely to think about you when seeking a writer, speaker, or volunteer.

I’d love to hear about your experiences with professional associations. Have they been beneficial to your career?

Also posted at Career Hub…read more articles at the #1 HR Blog according to HR World.

The punchline is that many other professions are starting to resemble ours. Increasingly service-oriented, globalized economies are bringing this type of transience to once rock-solid professions, to the point where analysts and middle managers are building portfolios too, or at least viewing their skill set as a portable thing, to be optimized for their own benefit rather than their employer’s. When this trend is discussed by those new to it, the reaction is often one of fear and outrage: how could the corporate world betray us so? For those of us who’ve already become accustomed to it, we get to shrug and smile, tell them to get over it and go grab another beer.

Most organizations talk about loyalty and engagement as if they are immutable characteristics shared by each hired employee. But that’s servitude, not a relationship…and that’s not going to work so well with today’s generation of professionals.

If organizations want to get loyalty and engagement from their folks, execs and leaders need to step up and be prepared to give what they want to get.