Rich Paino's 7 Tools for Dominating Change

Capella University Ph.d candidate Richard Paino shared 7 Tools for Dominating Change at The Breakfast Club meeting February 8. The Breakfast Club is a networking group for job seekers and meets the second Saturday of the month at the Days Inn in East Brunswick.

Amid the debate in Congress on whether or not to extend unemployment benefits coupled with a slow economy Paino’s presentation gave hope and sage advice to the captive audience.

According to US Bureau of Labor Statistics there are more than 10.2 million people unemployed in the United States and that number is growing everyday.  While Congress continues to debate employment issues,  millions of people and their families are feeling the anxiety, depression and sadness that comes from being out of work.

Paino gave 7 Tools for Dominating Change list the characteristics the successful job seeker must have to land that new opportunity.

1.  Reframing

Negative experiences cause many people to see a job loss as a negative thing. This attitude can weigh down a job seeker and be detected by hiring managers and recruiters in interviews. The best way to shake off this negativity is to reframe the job loss in a positive light and see it as a chance to do something different.

2.  Directed Attention

Looking for opportunities will cause a job seeker to find them because the attention will be focus on that. Directing attention to negativity only reinforces this and brings about negative people. A job seeker should direct attention on updating resumes, connecting with colleagues and attending networking events.

3. Internal Compass

Don’t become frozen or fearful which can lead to procrastination. Have a vision that will inspire you to take a new course of action.

People who believe life happens to them are less likely to attend networking events, seek out additional education or try a new career. People with a positive internal compass feel powerful and even when a job loss happens to them these people are motivated to take positive action to help their situation.  Attending job fairs, networking events and applying for positions strengthens the internal compass.

4. Steadfast Competence

A person who feels steadfast competence will do more job search activities. They are more proactive and will do more things to help themselves. Individuals who land positions visual their success before it even happens. They believe they can overcome their situation. They believe something good will happen and so they do more. Instead of feeling defeated they feel more confident in themselves. The more networking, phone calls a person makes increases the chances something positive will happen.

5. Resilience

These people look for opportunities in change.

People who have resilience can deal better with the ambiguity involved in change than those who don’t have this trait.  Resilient people bounce back from setback quicker and tend to be more open to new experiences. They are less likely to be closed off to new ideas.

6. Change The Mental Model

These people believe not everything has to be the same, sometimes you can find a new way to use a old skill.  Some job seekers get stuck in a rut and don’t realize that skills in one job could work in another profession. Talking with colleagues can help job seekers realize just because they lost the job doesn’t mean they lost the skill.

7. Positive Expectations

When people think positively they anticipate something good will happen and it usually does.  Having a positive expectation causes people to be more motivated. They get up earlier and have a positive attitude that reflects in their behavior. Hiring managers like to hire positive people who are expecting good things to happen because these people make better around them feel and do better.

The next Breakfast Club meeting is scheduled for Saturday March 8 at 8:00 a.m. Ken Eisenberg will be presenting “How to Leverage the Immediacy of the Telephone in Your Job Search.” The $10 fee covers the cost of the renting the room.