Quintessential Careers:
Q&A with Michelle Fleig-Palmer
Please note: On a somewhat infrequent basis, Quintessential Careers asks noted
career experts five questions related to their expertise and publishes the interview
in the current issue of QuintZine,
our biweekly newsletter. Here is one such interview.
Dual-career expert Michelle Fleig-Palmer, MBA, is the Director of
the Dual Career Program at the University of Nebraska at Kearney
(UNK).
Q:
What, in your view, are the three biggest challenges that
dual-career couples face?
A:
Here's a typical dual-career couple scenario. 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.
Namely, to balance career fulfillment for each partner in the same
geographic location while often juggling family concerns as well.
The balancing act is tough because dual-career couples are trying to manage
two careers, not just one. Questions faced by dual-career couples include:
Whose career takes priority? When?
How long of a commute should each partner make?
Who leaves work to care for the sick child/pet/parent?
Who runs the grocery/dry cleaning/ household errands?
These challenges are met successfully by dual-career couples who are
committed to a long-term relationship. They recognize that nurturing their
relationship is as important as pursuing their careers. Despite setbacks
(that happen to everyone), they work together to help each other find
fulfilling careers.
Q:
What ideas or techniques can you offer for dual-career couples to help
them manage their careers simultaneously?
A:
Be clear about goals, both as a couple and as individuals. Effective
communication with each other about career aspirations helps dual-career
couples to consider each career move in light of its long-term impact on
the relationship. Continue to communicate as plans to achieve career goals
may change and evolve over time.
Be creative in how you view yourself. Each partner in a dual career
couple must be able to identify his/her "transferable skills" and
understand how those skills apply to different jobs. Then a partner can
more easily make the inevitable adjustments from job to job and career to
career, especially if the move is precipitated by a partner's career
decision. Those partners who take responsibility for their career by
identifying and understanding their talents are better at managing
their careers.
Don't accept a job transfer involving relocation without negotiating
job-search support for your partner. Key to this benefit negotiation should
be specific examples of the networking opportunities a company will provide
your partner. One business in a small town in Ohio paid for a breakfast
meeting so the relocating partner who is an artist could meet other artists
from the community. Networking opportunities for relocating partners should
help them become connected in the new community so they can quickly resume
their careers.
Find a mentor who understands your commitment to your partner and
your career. Observe dual-career couples whose partners have both found
fulfilling careers. Ask them how they nurtured their relationships while
managing career transitions. Advice from a seasoned mentor is priceless and
can even help partners avoid some pitfalls.
Dual-career couples can manage two different careers simultaneously. Strong
communication about career goals along with solid advice from a mentor
facilitates this process. In addition, knowing your "transferable skills"
and negotiating wisely when relocating will make the inevitable job
transitions easier.
Q:
What do you feel is the most exciting or hopeful trend in job-hunting?
A:
One of the most positive trends is the expansion of services at college
career centers to alumni. In the past, college students had access to many
resources to assist them in their job search; however, as soon as they
graduated, they were unable to continue utilizing those resources.
Now, colleges are recognizing that a valuable service they can offer their
alumni is continued access to the career-development center. Providing
alumni with the tools to manage their careers successfully could ultimately
provide a college with a solid base of potential donors as well as mentors
for students.
For job-seekers who have graduated from a two-year or four-year college,
one of the first networking contacts should be the director of the career
center. I recommend sending a resume and cover letter, followed by a phone
call one week later. Ask about services that are available to alumni,
especially networking opportunities and access to job postings.
Q:
What's the one job-hunting secret you share with clients but that may
not be widely known?
A:
No doesn't mean no, it just means not today. The following anecdote
illustrating this is from my personal experience in job searching.
I was one of the top two candidates interviewing for a position but did not
make the final cut. I was very disappointed because I really liked the
hiring manager and felt that I could learn much from her. So I wrote a
letter to her. In the very first sentence, I said, "I am disappointed that
I was not chosen for the position, but as a former manager, I understood the
difficult decision that you had to make." Then I discussed what I admired
about her knowledge of her area of expertise and stated that I would still
appreciate an opportunity to discuss this expertise at more length. One week
later I called her secretary to arrange an appointment.
The director offered me a temporary job involving a three-week special
project, which got my foot in the door. Successful completion of the project
led to a full-time job offer in the same organization.
The moral of the story is that if I had accepted the first no as a final
answer, I never would have discovered the other opportunities that existed.
Q:
What techniques -- beyond assessments -- do you advise for really
getting at a client's career passion?
A:
I recommend creating an "IDEAS" folder. You start by doing some general
reading of newspapers and/or magazines. As you read, clip anything you find
interesting. Then drop the clippings in the "IDEAS" folder. Add notes of
conversations you've had or something you heard on the radio that you found
exciting.
Soon the "IDEAS" folder will have enough information that can be shared
with a career counselor. It provides a real springboard for a fruitful
discussion of career options.
For someone who doesn't know what they want to do, it is an inexpensive way
to begin to explore what they are passionate about. It is also valuable for
someone who has put their career on hold. One mom said the "IDEAS" folder
allows her to continue dreaming about her career and provides a ready-made
resource for when she is ready to re-enter the job market.
Michelle Fleig-Palmer, MBA, is the director of the
Dual Career
Program at the University of Nebraska
at Kearney (UNK). She developed the Dual Career Program for UNK in
1998 to assist the relocating partners of new employees in securing
employment. Fleig-Palmer speaks on dual career issues to professional
and academic conferences and community groups. Her recent
publications include a resume in Best Résumés for College Students
and New Grads as well as articles in Résumé Writers Digest and Career
Masters Connection. Her successful career transitions include jobs in
marketing, accounting, human resources, and training at
manufacturing, service, and non-profit organizations. Ms.
Fleig-Palmer is a member of the National Résumé Writers' Association
(NRWA) and Career Masters Institute (CMI). She can be reached at
fleigpalmerm@unk.edu.
