Summer Announcements!
Click the link to access the pretty Mailchimp version. :) https://mailchi.mp/33c68519ba8c/summer-announcements Introduction to Theatre of Liberation Workshop Some of you know that I have a background in social change or interactive theatre, and I can offer these tools and exercises in career and community workshops. They are fun! And also support learning and growth, dialogue, working through blocks, and discovering new ideas, which can support both career and life journeys. I recently joined a new social change theatre group called Outreach Theater Eugene and am excited to help launch our group through bringing a well-know facilitator, Marc Weinblatt, down from Washington to offer a workshop in August. He will facilitate an Introduction to Theatre of Liberation, which is a combination of Theatre of the Oppressed and Playback Theatre. If you have questions, please let me know! Here are a few more details: Outreach Theater Eugene is hosting an interactive theater workshop August 1st through 3rd. Led by Marc Weinblatt of the Mandala Center for Change, participants will explore both Theatre of the Oppressed and Playback Theatre through sharing stories and rehearsing concrete actions for real life challenges. All adults are welcome and can benefit from this kind of practice, but especially those interested in healing and growth, community dialogue, and social justice. Join us August 1st through 3rd at the First Congregational Church in Eugene. For more information and to register for the workshop, go to the Outreach Theater Eugene website. Coming soon: NEW WEBSITE LAUNCH I’m excited to announce that my website will be moving from Weebly to WordPress, which is an easier platform for design work, in the very near future! I’ve taken this opportunity to add some new content about services and how I work with clients that I hope visitors find helpful. I’ll let you know when it’s officially launched! As a side note, I have been thrilled with the experience of working with Nine Planets, a local digital marketing and web-design company. Now, I’m learning how to add and revise page content on the new platform, so fingers crossed. 🤞🏼 Lastly, I have new client openings and am offering a free 45-minute Into Your Dream Career consultation, which includes valuable tips and a resource, as well as a 15%-off new-client rate this month for my career counseling packages. Please spread the word to any friends or family who may be stuck in draining jobs that don’t fit - I would love to help them discover and transition to meaningful careers that energize and inspire them! *P.S. The special rate for previous clients, mentioned in my last newsletter, is still good through July! That’s all for now; sending lots of good thoughts until next time. ☀️ Hope you’re have a relaxing and playful summer! ☀️
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![]() Recent Career News Is Skills-First Hiring set to be the future? A recent Forbes article poses this question. Skills-First Hiring is an interview style in which, “employers focus more on getting candidates to demonstrate specific examples of times they have shown a particular skill rather than looking at which degree or university they went to.” Click the link to read advantages, including a more inclusive talent base. The article stated that a resume will still be important in the initial screening process, however, and that certain industries are more suitable to using a skills-first approach than others. (Morel, David, 6/3/24, “Is Skills-First Hiring Set To Be The Future?,” Forbes) Some of my clients have a high value of autonomy and freedom or flexibility in their careers and understandably seek remote, hybrid, and/or project-based careers that don’t require them to punch a time clock or prevent them from going to a doctor’s appointment, or taking their family member to one, sometimes during the day. Of course, this type of work is more common post-COVID, and I want to share a website specializing in these type of jobs - www.flexjobs.com - as well as a recent article listing companies hiring for remote Project Manager positions. Many technical, online support, and planning or writing-based jobs, including Project Manager, are often posted. Check it out if you’re seeking this kind of work! (Howington, Jessica, “10 Companies That Hire for Remote Project Manager Jobs,” flexjobs) Previous Clients - Catch the Savings! Client Appreciation Rate I’ve decided to give an extra good deal on career counseling sessions through June and July for my previous career counseling clients. I appreciate you and the work we did together in the past, and if you would benefit from a career counseling session (or a few) right now, I invite you to take advantage of this offer. I would love to support you through upcoming small or large career changes, on-the-job frustrations or uncertainty, or finding a second revenue source or side gig to diversify and increase your monthly income. For the next couple of months, you can book Zoom or In-Person career sessions with me at a $97 Client Appreciation Rate. Click the button below to reserve your spot! Book a Client Appreciation Session Sending positive thoughts for your happiness and fulfillment as we head towards summer! After over 20 years working in the field of Career Counseling, I decided to apply for my Certified Career Counselor credential through the National Career Development Association (NCDA), and I'm happy to report my application was approved!
In my earlier career, I worked in a federally-funded Workforce employment program, then for many years as a Career and Academic Counselor in community colleges, before opening my own business. I've always felt well-qualified in the services I offer my clients, but I wanted to grow professionally and add this certification to my master's degree. I was required to submit my graduate transcripts, complete a rigorous "Facilitating Career Development" course online, and respond to four challenging career counseling scenarios. In the FCD course, I learned more in-depth knowledge about career counseling theory, refreshed my counseling skills, and picked up some new tools and strategies to share with clients. I'm in the process of changing my credentials online, and I will soon be listed on the NCDA site, as well, so I can reach more folks who need my services. Thanks for celebrating with me! Kristina Bennett Cheney, MA, CCC ![]() What do the longest-living people in the world have in common? This article from GQ outlines these "9 Pillars," including more movement throughout the day, friendships, loved ones, and the one I got most excited about, "Know Your Why." Getting up each day with a sense of purpose can add up to 7 years to life expectancy! A big part of my "Why" is helping people discover their purpose. What is your "Why"? https://www.gq.com/story/blue-zones-power-9 ![]() On the front page of my website, I mention dynamic processes I bring to career counseling, including: "Free Writing and Creativity: writing without editing yourself can help unlock fresh ideas, insight, and direction. Tapping into your right brain through creativity may break you out of habitual thinking and deliver new inspiration." I recently read and related to an article, The Secret To A Successful Career Change: Left, Right Brain Dominance, that discusses how we can use BOTH hemispheres of our brain to successfully navigate a career change. It's true that much of the process is more left-brained, but the right brain is crucial, as well, as I encourage clients to reflect, brainstorm, and visualize career options and long-term goals. This is especially important in the initial exploration process, so that the client can open up and consider new career possibilities before analyzing, potentially catastrophizing, and dismissing them. One right-brained exercise I use engages imagination to envision an ideal work day several years in the future, from the moment of awakening to drifting off to sleep. I'm always amazed at the helpful clues that surface through this exercise. Left-brained activities include researching and analyzing career data on www.onetonline.org, as well as data-driven decision-making. Truly, integration is key, as the article states, "To successfully change careers, it’s crucial to integrate the strengths of both hemispheres. Utilize left-brain logic for strategic planning, analysis and goal setting while tapping into right-brain creativity for intuition, passion exploration and holistic decision-making. While logic ensures a systematic approach, passion fuels motivation and resilience during the challenging phases of a career change." Forbes.com, 2/01/24 The Forbes Magazine website posted an article October 7th called, 7 Strategies To Cope With The Stress Of Career Uncertainty, which included information about stress triggers around career uncertainty, including tight budgets, inflation woes, debates about remote work, and evolving global issues. They also shared certain helpful strategies and mindsets that can help you manage and cope with this uncertainty.
For example, the fourth strategy says: "Keep a curious mind. Curiosity and anxiety can’t co-exist. When you make your mind up out of fear before each new experience, you become unteachable and can no longer receive insights. Opening your mind with curiosity empties a made-up mind of expectations, allowing you to receive teachable moments in new career situations. Learning to be okay with “maybe,” also can help you become more comfortable with uncertainty and open you to possibility." Opening to new possibilities is a vital part of the change process, in career or life, in general. And a sense of adventure, mentioned in another strategic tip, can call in more play and fun, It not only helps people enjoy the change process more, but increases their capacity to think, engage, and receive new insights. In my experience, career counseling and creative career exploration exercises can specifically help open clients up exciting new ideas and possibilities. If you want to explore and discover new career possibilities, or know anyone who does, feel free to schedule a complimentary career consultation today! https://mailchi.mp/f170e7e3af41/summertime-news-from-navigating-transitions
Here are strategic tips I share regularly with my clients to save time and money in a job search, not to mention stress and exhaustion. Feel free to share and click the link above to read the whole newsletter! 4 TIPS TO SAVE TIME AND MONEY IN A JOB SEARCH
![]() According to a recent study, Family Time is far more important that other aspects of life for most Americans, and a clear majority value physical and outdoor activities. My work with clients supports these findings! A Pew Research Center study, which came out at the end of May 2023 says that, “About three-quarters of U.S. adults (73%) rate spending time with family as one of the most important things to them personally, regardless of how much time they actually devote to it. Nine-in-ten say they view it either as one of the most important things or as very important but not the most important thing.” This coincides with my experience as a Career Counselor in which family time and work/life balance most often make the list of my clients top five values (which they directly use to help make career decisions). They also share about NOT having this value met at previous jobs and feeling guilty or frustrated at the impact on their families. Additionally, I help clients create a job search screening tool - including information on what they need or must have in a future job – and work/life balance or aspects related to that are always on the list. These aspects are expressed as: having a “regular” schedule mostly within school day hours, allowing some choice of hours, a flexible schedule allowing for upcoming appointments, ability to work online or hybrid working hours, or a choice to complete work outside of their normal schedule. Some clients also talk directly about the employer’s values and culture, wanting them to value family and time outside work, and to recognize that their employees are whole people, with a spectrum of life priorities. I coach them on how to research a company or organization’s culture through online sources and interview questions. On another related topic, the study finds that, “Clear majorities say being physically active (74%), being outdoors and experiencing nature (72%)…are at least very important to them.” This resonates with what I hear from my clients about health and stress management, or a concern about their level of fitness, which may even be holding them back from advancing in a physical career. If an employer has a wellness program, whether that be yoga classes, a workout room, or a wellness area to rest and recharge, this seems to be a valuable benefit for employees considering working there. This makes sense to me! I’m curious, how much do you value these aspects of work? https://lnkd.in/gSiAXVkb #workinghours #job #career #careertransition #wellness #workculturematters What changes can you expect to see in the labor force over the next few years? Indeed Hiring Lab and Glassdoor Economic Research teams partnered to predict these changes and produced a Hiring and Workplace Trends Report, reported on in this Indeed article. Revisiting #2 in the article's trends list, "Remote Work is Here to Stay," I have mentioned that many more of my clients are seeking hybrid or remote positions than before COVID, and I've heard them say they can't imagine going back to punching a clock and working 40+ hours a week in an office anymore. They appreciate the autonomy, flexibility, and work-life balance that remote or hybrid work allows, including working hours that fit their family schedules and times of highest productivity. As a Career Counselor, I have wondered if the tide of employer expectations was going to turn back to people working primarily onsite. This report says, "No," to that question, at least in the big picture. *As a side note, most of my clients are well established in their work lives and have strong resumes that increase their demand. Additionally, some jobs clearly don't lend themselves to remote work, so regardless of experience level, they need to be done in-person. Many do not, though. Read on to learn about other trends expected, not only in 2023, but over the next several years, including one that is music to my ears, "People will expect a sense of happiness and wellbeing from their work." Yes! This is a huge part of the reason I do what I do! Speaking of work-life balance, a recent article in U.S. News and World Report listed the top 10 companies that "...offer flexible schedules and encourage employees to develop rich and healthy lives outside of the office," including Brunswick, Etsy, and Essex Property Trust. It says work-life policies will be driven much more by employee demand than in the past. In my experience, these new policies will contribute to both greater employee happiness AND retention. What do you think about these trends or which companies provide work-life balance? I'd love to hear. #wellbeing #happiness #careercounseling #workplacetrends #worklifebalance |
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Kristina Bennett Cheney, MA, CCC - Certified Career Counselor, helping mid-career professionals who are burnt out and frustrated in careers that drain their energy, to discover and transition to meaningful careers that fit and energize them. Archives
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