Feature Article: Is Your Life in Balance? Work/Life Balance Quiz
Special Feature: 10 Tips for Getting Your Work/Life in Balance
Bonus Feature: Your Career Planning and Job-Search Calendar
A Quintet of Quick Questions: QuintZine's Q&A with
a Career Expert: Dual-career expert Michelle Fleig-Palmer
Quintessential Site: Featured Career Web Site of this Issue
The Career Doctor: Answering Your Questions
Q TIPS: Quick and Quintessential Tips to Guide Your Job Search
Notes from the Editor: About this Issue...
At a time when we're making resolutions and thinking about how we'd like to improve our lives,
thoughts often turn to how we can better balance our careers, our personal lives, and our families.
That's what this issue is about.
In addition to a quiz to help you determine whether your life is in balance, we have tips for achieving work/life
balance, and a suggestion-packed Q&A with a dual-career expert who addresses the special
career/life balance issues that go along with being a dual-career couple.
Finally, our Career Planning and Job-Search Calendar will help you plan your job search over the next 12 months.
Everyone faces the issue of time management at one point
or another, but as more and more people deal with working
at one or more jobs, fighting long commutes, managing a
household, attending school or other training, raising
children, and dealing with aging parents, the days
often seem to last long into the night, and vacation and
leisure time seem to be consumed with issues other than
relaxation and personal fulfillment.
In fact, a recent study of more than 50,000 employees from
a variety of
manufacturing and service organizations found
that two out of every five employees are dissatisfied with
the balance between their work and their personal lives.
The lack of balance "is due to long work hours, changing demographics,
more time in the car, the deterioration of boundaries between work
and home, and increased work pressure," says the study's author,
Bruce Katcher, president of the Discovery Group, a management
consulting firm.
How much is work invading your personal life, and how much of
your personal life is affected by the stress of trying to balance
all the many responsibilities in your life? Take our
Work/Life Balance
Quiz and see for yourself.
Announcement: Don't Miss Our Next Issue!
Don't miss the next issue of QuintZine
in which we'll bring you:
The new Quintessential Careers Directory of Life and Career Coaches
An exciting new tool: An Accomplishments Worksheet to help with your resumes, cover
letters, and interviews.
A fresh new look for our sister site, Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters,
along with new cover-letter products.
Special Feature: 10 Work/Life Balance Tips
10 Tips for Getting Your Work/Life in Balance
by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.
Our article offers 10 tips to help you achieve a better balance in your life.
Take a moment to read and reflect on these tips -- and then get your
life in balance!
Instantly email your resume to 1000s of recruiters,
headhunters, and direct hiring companies! With the most
comprehensive and targeted network of recruiters on the
net, you can rest assured you have taken the steps
necessary to jump start your search. We are so sure
you will be happy that we guarantee our service!
Need to launch, change, or fix your career? It's a daunting task. As we all know, however, experts say
that if you break a task down into digestible bites, it doesn't seem quite so overwhelming. That's the idea
behind our Career Planning and Job-Search Calendar -- to break down the task of starting or repairing your career
into monthly components. If you follow this plan -- and all the planets are in alignment -- you just might find yourself
in a job and/or career you love by this time next year. If you can't wait a year, feel free to compress
this step-by-step guide
into a shorter time frame.
QuintCareers Forges Partnerships with JVIS.com!
QuintCareers, in partnership with JVIS.COM, brings you the
Jackson Vocational Interest Survey (JVIS), the career and
education planning tool that has already helped over half a
million people like you.
Based on years of research, the JVIS accurately measures
your interests, showing how they relate to the worlds of study
and work, and mapping out your route to an interesting career.
Michelle Fleig-Palmer is Director of the Dual Career Program at
the University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK).
"Here's a typical dual-career couple scenario," says
Michelle Fleig-Palmer in the Q&A interview we did with her.
"One partner comes home and says, 'Guess what, honey! I got
a promotion and we're moving!' To which the other partner
responds, 'I don't want to move. I'm finally at the point in
my job where I'm successful and everyone knows it! I don't
want to start over. And we can't move the kids in the middle
of the school year.'"
"This scenario represents the top challenges that dual-career
couples face," Fleig-Palmer notes. Namely, to balance career
fulfillment for each partner in the same geographic location
while often juggling family concerns as well."
See Fleig-Palmer's suggestions for dual-career couples,
along with some great ideas for alumni use of college career
centers, persistence in the job search, and an innovative
way to figure out what career you want, in our complete
Q&A
with her.
Net-Temps, ranked the No. 1 online job posting board
specializing in the staffing industry and serving direct
placement and temporary (contract) professionals, offers
comprehensive, quality content that applies to ALL
job-seekers.
The site, also ranked in the CAREERXROADS 50 Best of the Best
job and resume Web sites, provides article on resumes, letters,
interviewing, salary, job tips, recruiter info, layoffs, networking,
career choices, career change advice, and college, as well as
sections called "Working Zone," and "Ask the Expert
Forum." The site's spin-off newsletter is excellent. Tools
available on the site include a Salary Wizard, Premium Resume
Builder (fee-based), Interview Tools (fee-based), and Resume
Writing Services (fee-based).
All this in addition to the ability to post resumes and search for
jobs among some 35,000 postings. The free My Net-Temps features
enables registrants to create up to three resumes, store job searches,
track resume search statistics, and receive job leads via email.
The Last Job Search Guide You'll Ever Need: How
to Find -- and Get -- The Job or Internship of
Your Dreams! (For College Students and Recent Grads Only)
has just been published by our friend Steve Rothberg, and
it's a gem.
The book contains must-read contributions from 149 of
North America's top employment experts, including the folks here at
Quintessential Careers. You can receive it risk-free for
the next 90 days through the
link to this Website.
Latest Additions: New Sites Added to QuintCareers
IncomingFreshmen.com --
a cool concept using Internet technology. Once a high school senior knows what college s/he is
going to attend, register at this site and find others who will also be attending. You can begin to
build friendships before even arriving on campus. Free registration required to use the site's features.
Nursing Spectrum
-- a complete career resource for nursing professionals (and for those thinking of a
nursing career). Job-seekers can search job postings (by specialty, location, and keyword).
Great information and resources for helping current nursing professionals manage your career
as well as for students wanting to learn more about a career in nursing. Free to job-seekers.
TestingRoom.com
-- a site dedicated to helping you learn more about yourself. The site includes access to
numerous online tests and assessments for self-discovery (including career assessment,
values competencies, and work personality). Membership and assessments are free,
but you must pay for detailed test results.
ThinkJobs.com --
a great job site for technical, computer, and energy professionals. Browse through job listings
or search for open positions (by keyword or location). Job-seekers can also submit your resume and
create a job-search agent. Focus is on Southeastern U.S. Free to job-seekers.
Find even more career and job site additions to Quintessential Careers by visiting our
Latest Additions section.
Persida writes: "I wonder if you can help me. I am working on a bachelor's degree in accounting,
have two more years to go (full time work). I've been an administrative assistant for 3 years, and
would like to do something else for a while, something more challenging, and more fun. Without
a degree what are my options? Also, my idea of a perfect job would be one that would change
every 3 months (I get bored very easily). What career would fulfill that need for change? I know
accounting is not the most interesting position, but it will help me achieve my career goals."
Jeremy writes: "I was in a job interview and asked this question: Do you have the qualifications
and personal characteristics necessary for success in your chosen career?
I responded with: Yes, I feel my work experience and college education give me what it
takes to succeed. On a personal level, I have excellent people skills, am an active listener,
and posses strong ethical decision-making.
John writes: I am a 29-year-old veterinarian and have been out of school and
practicing for 3 1/2 years. I am coming to the conclusion that I have picked the wrong
career and am convinced that I need to make a change. I think I am fortunate to know
that I would like to go into the computers/electronics field. However I am not sure about
the best way to go about making the change. I have a natural talent for computers but I
realize that I probably need to get some kind of training or certification. Any advice on this?"
I am short and heavy. I do not look good in women's 2-piece suits, as they
cut into a straight line I wish to project and my bust is large and hard to hide.
Is it appropriate to wear a nice one piece dress for interviews?
I also don't wear high heels much because they kill my feet. Is this essential
for a good interview?"
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Q TIPS: Quick and Quintessential Career & Job Tips
Seems that women and workers under 35 particularly value the flexibility to balance life
and work issues. A recent survey by USATODAY.com and the Society of Human Resource Management addressed
the question of what workers value and found the answer varies depending on whom you ask. Employees
say "job security" is very important to their satisfaction levels. The top three aspects that were "very important"
to worker satisfaction:
Job Security (65 percent)
Benefits (64 percent)
Communication between employees and management (62 percent)
However, among women, flexibility to balance life and work issues (72 percent) and communication (71 percent)
ranked as their top concerns. Work/life balance was also a big concern of the under-35 generation, which rated communication
and work/life balance as equally important (66 percent), while workers ages 35 to 55 ranked job security first (71 percent).
Nancy Collamer of JobsAndMoms.com shared this information vie Career Master Institute. For a free subscription to
JobsAndMoms.com, send your name and email address to Nancy at ncollamer@aol.com.
Satisfied employees are not necessarily hard working or committed to a company's bottom line performance,
and a majority of U.S. workers admit to having a low level of commitment to the job they do and the company
they work for, according to a ground-breaking employee loyalty study released by Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS) Intersearch.
However, the same study finds significant room for improvement in that the best performing Fortune 500 companies are bucking
this trend with significantly higher levels of employee commitment. Workers at these companies give management
higher ratings on issues of business ethics, innovation and competitiveness. At the same time, they report receiving
higher performance evaluations, having increased their productivity, and taken fewer days off because of sickness
and personal reasons.
The TNS study surveyed 20,000 workers across 33 countries. Two thousand full-time employees were surveyed in the U.S.,
ranging from corporate executives to front line and administrative employees in all industry groups. The U.S.-based employees
worked for some of this country's, and the world's, largest organizations.
The study classified employees into four different groups:
Ambassadors (Global 44 percent/U.S. 41 percent): The most committed -- those who are fully committed
to the company and to their work.
Company Oriented (Global 8 percent/U.S. 8 percent): The next most committed group, which includes those
who are fully committed to their company -- more so than their work and career.
Career Oriented (Global 14 percent/U.S. 20 percent): Includes those who are more interested in furthering
their career and their needs over the needs of the company.
Disengaged (Global 35 percent/U.S. 31 percent): The employee segment that no company wants, but has in abundance.
They are neither committed to their company or to their career.
Business Week recently posed the question: Does having a great
career kill your chances of having a child? The magazine cites
a recent book, Creating a Life: Professional Women and the Quest
for Children by Sylvia Ann Hewlett, which reiterates what many
women already know: that success in the job still too often
leads to childlessness. In fact, 49 percent of women who are
40 and making $100,000 or more in Corporate America are childless,
vs. only 19 percent of 40-year-old men in the same salary bracket.
For the first time in 25 years, a growing number of women at the peak
of their careers are dropping out to stay home with their families,
according to U.S. Census figures. One reason: Corporate life for a
mom can be hell. Even programs such as telecommuting and flextime
often fail. Taking advantage of such schemes is often tantamount
to asking not to be promoted. Moreover, these strategies don't do
enough to change career trajectories, still largely patterned after
men's life cycles -- with no allowances for breaks to raise kids.
Enlightened employers such as Merrill Lynch & Co. are finding that
their retention efforts work when they build accountability into
programs. Merrill Lynch makes a point of keeping tabs on telecommuting
employees to ensure they are being promoted as fast as their peers.
Other winners: job sharing and creating part-time work that offers
proportional pay, perks, and chances for advancement.
Read the full story.
Ad: You Deserve To Get What You Truly Want
Try a free 30-minute coaching call to clarify your goals, explore what's stopping you, and
take the first step. Liz Sumner, M.A., Whole Life Coach
Quintessential Careers is affiliated with Liz Sumner, Life Coach.
We'd Love You to Link to Quintessential Careers!
If your school, organization, business or other
entity has a Web site, we welcome you to link to Quintessential Careers.
If you already have a link from your site, we want you to know we
appreciate it. If you don't have a link to us, please
send a request to your site's Webmaster to establish a
link to Quintessential Careers. Thanks so much!
For more details (including sample HTML copy), see our
Link to Us page.
QuintZine: Topics in Upcoming Issues
WATCH FOR feature articles on these topics in upcoming
issues of QuintZine:
* Crafting a successful e-mail resume
* The interview as sales call
* Getting the raise you deserve
* 10 things I wish I'd known before starting my first job
* Letters of recommendation
* Why, how, when to use a career coach -- and whom to choose
* Employer research: step by step
* Learn about careers through job-shadowing
* 10 job-search reality checks
* Is job flexibility right for you?
* First days on the job: Strategies to get ahead
* Dealing with a bad boss
* Making your case for telecommuting
* A day in the life of a recruiter
* Don't wait by the phone: Following up on all job leads
* Dining etiquette
* The relationship between personality and career choice
* What employers are really looking for
* New series: 10 mistakes to avoid in: resumes, cover letters, interviews, salary
negotiation, career change, networking, job-search
* Quintessential Career Profiles of YOU, our readers
* Q&As with well-known career experts
* Book reviews
. . . and much, much more!
Don't ever want to miss another issue of QuintZine? Get a free subscription to
the email version of QuintZine by completing our
subscription form.
Quintessential Careers Advertisements
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sprucing up or revamping, order our Electronic Resume Makeover Package.
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For a truly complete electronic package, add a text-based cover letter.
We also offer:
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Quintessential Careers also offers writing services
for those who have been asked to give a speech and
need assistance in researching and writing their
remarks.
Need a speaker for your career-oriented conference or
event at your college or organization? The Quintessential
Careers Speakers Bureau can help! Our quintessential experts
can provide presentations/workshops on a variety of
career-related topics.
