Today’s Guest Post comes from best-selling author Barbara Winter.

When funnyman Steve Martin’s book Pure Drivel came out it enjoyed critical raves and enthusiastic sales. Although the author has long been recognized for his fertile comic mind, he told the Today Show’s Matt Lauer that the book would not have happened if he hadn’t taken time off. His sabbatical unleashed, Martin said, an avalanche of creative ideas.

Martin is not alone in discovering that taking time away can reap enormous benefits. Nicola Freegard was a successful (and frazzled) Hollywood music production executive. After a particularly stressful project, she decided to spend a year driving around the United States with her cocker spaniels as companions. Eventually, she settled in Tucson and began to clarify her goals. She decided she wanted to combine design and textile production with her concern for the environment. Furthermore, she wanted to work with great people and travel to exotic places. Today she heads Earth Works, a company that markets environmentally sensitive products for the home.

Despite numerous stories extolling the profound rewards of taking time away, it’s an idea that is not being as heartily embraced as it might be. In fact, many people find the whole notion downright terrifying. Not surprisingly, I’ve noticed, these are people with the least to lose.

Because the notion of regular sabbaticals throughout our lifetime has been so ignored in recent times, there’s some confusion over what constitutes a true sabbatical. People often claim to have taken a sabbatical when they actually took a sidetrip — usually not one of their own choosing. Divorce or a job loss frequently sends people into a tailspin, causing them to drift until they get their bearings. Calling such times a sabbatical diminishes the true objective of time off.

My definition of sabbatical is time away with a purpose. The purpose of such a time is not to abandon your life, but to enrich it. In the original concept, first defined in the Old Testament book of Hebrews, a sabbatical was to be taken by everyone, every seven years. During this year off, fields were to lie fallow, debts were to be forgiven, relationships were to be repaired and introspection was encouraged. Over time, of course, the notion disappeared and today many people don’t even observe a weekly Sabbath, much less consider taking an entire year of restoration.

After taking my sabbatical seminar a few years ago, Veneta Masson wrote an inspiring article about it for a health care magazine. In the article she said, “In 1998, I will have been an RN for 35 years. I should be coming up on my fifth sabbatical. …What if nurses, especially nurses in clinical practice, were granted time away from the physical, mental and emotional intensity of patient care for personal renewal? Wouldn’t nurses nurse more effectively if they themselves are well cared for?”

Obviously, my answer to the questions, “Who me? Take a sabbatical?” is a hearty, “Yes. Why not you?” And I’m not alone in singing the praises of such an adventure. The authors of Six Months Off interviewed over 200 people who had done so and without exception they all found that doing so enhanced their lives and careers. I have never met any sabbatical-taker who doesn’t rank it as a top life experience.

Like every worthwhile undertaking, a sabbatical requires thoughtful planning plus a creative approach to shifting gears for a while. Just like starting a business, taking time off seems fraught with obstacles until the right idea occurs. Then enthusiasm for the envisioned project begins to create momentum and attract necessary resources.

A good starting point for thinking about your own sabbatical can be as simple as this little exercise. Start writing down your own thoughts by completing this sentence:

I want time away in order to accomplish  __________________.

Once you have the big picture in sight, begin to list all ideas — both tame and wild — about how you might fulfill the mission. Then get busy carrying out the logistics.

Whether you want to see the world, find time to complete a project without interruption, study a new language or jumpstart your creative spirit, a sabbatical is an old idea that deserves to be rediscovered and put to use by those serious about discovering their biggest selves.

Is It Time for Time Away?

Here are several signs that it is the perfect time to consider a sabbatical:

You can’t remember the last time you had a new idea that you were excited about.

You’ve reached all of your goals.

You’ve reached none of your goals.

Your kids think you’re a nerd and you suspect they’re right.

You have a nagging suspicion that you’d be really good at something if you only had time to learn how.

You get wistful every time a plane flies overhead.

Nobody ever asks you what’s new.

A longterm relationship or job has come to an end. It’s time to write a new chapter.

You’re tired of being an armchair traveler and want to see distant lands for yourself.

You’re ready to find a new hometown.

You feel drawn to donate your time and talents to a humanitarian cause.

You need time to do research or start a long-term project.

Your soul is weary.

Barbara Winter, author of the bestselling book, Making a Living Without a Job: Winning Ways for Creating Work That You Love, is also a business owner, itinerant teacher, and self-employment advocate who found her own right livelihood after overcoming her early notions that work was meant to be drudgery. Be sure to check out her Winning Ways newsletter publication and various Teleclasses and Workshops at www.JoyfullyJobless.com or www.BarbaraWinter.com

OK, Penelope Trunk thrives on being outrageous. She’s shared a hefty dose of information about her own life (did you know her original name was Adrienne?). She’s written about her own relationship issues, therapy and mental health issues. But mostly she’s been an advocate of an outrageous approach to what used to be called career counseling.

Here’s a BlogTalkRadio podcast of Penelope at her best. It’s just 15 minutes long but she packs a lot of punch into each minute, thanks to an interviewer who just tosses out one question after another.

Penelope hates Tim Ferriss because she doesn’t think he’s got realistic ideas (and she shares why). Ironically, she an Ferriss share a common strategy: they get lots of media attention by being outrageous. After all, most of us couldn’t (or wouldn’t) follow Penelope’s suggestions in her book, Brazen Careerist.

Penelope doesn’t mince words when it comes to the recession. Not working? Just agree to take a pay cut, she suggests. Never mind that (a) many employers are suspicious of employees who downsize and (b) the psychological toll of taking a step backward can be enormous. She does recommend changing fields and starting over, which can be a better way to take a step back.

She also reveals how shes manages to raise two kids and have a career. “I haven’t been to a movie in 3 years,” she says. You have to make sacrifices and trade-offs. Here I think she’s right. I’ve met many business owners who sacrificed not just leisure but even their own health; several gained 20, 50 or even 100 pounds as they built their businesses. The question, “Are you willing to do whatever it takes?” is not an empty one.

Penelope has the luxury of being frivolous; unlike a real career counselor or career coach, she gets to be theoretical. She’s not dealing with a real client sitting in front of her (or talking on the phone) who’s got all kinds of special circumstances, excuses, challenges and side issues. Still, her ideas are entertaining. Click on the link below if you’d like to listen.

Over the years I’ve come to believe that adapting to a corporation is a skill, just like programming computers or giving talks. What’s key is learning the unwritten rules. What do companies really want? How are employees really rewarded?

Suits, a memoir by Nina Godiwalla, offers a strong role model. Nina managed to get accepted into a mentorship program two years ahead of schedule, right after her freshman year of college. She had a successful career as an investment banker on Wall Street, navigating past the male-dominated culture.

We are introduced to many worlds -

- second generation Indian family life (her mother had 4 daughters!)
- insider peek into Wall Street
- inside view into thoughts, feelings and experiences of a woman who succeeded on Wall Street

Mostly it’s a story of a woman who was determined to be successful. You can describe her story as calculated or as strategically plotted. You can admire Nina or view her as ruthless and ambitious. Regardless, she figured out what she had to do. She understood the unwritten rules about what to wear, what to say, how to act and even what to drink. She didn’t buck the system or try to make changes. She wanted to maximize what she could gain from it.

In all fairness, Nina’s bosses and coworkers weren’t uniformly cruel. She describes the careful mentoring she received from “Steve.” She reports that her work was recognized on merit, even though she was a minority hire from a public school. And while I’d hardly defend sexism, I note that the events described here took place at the turn of the century – around 2000. Scarcely 25 years earlier, when I was in business school, women were just gaining a toehold in the workplace. Men would make a public presentation and say things like, “Women won’t travel.”

The real sickness comes in the culture, which favors wealthy Ivy League graduates like “Michael,” who “get by” on connections. Even white male graduates get beaten down, as evidenced by the public meltdown of one of Nina’s colleagues.

The company takes talented, ambitious people and puts them to work doing tasks that could be handled by a high school graduate – or, these days, a computer-savvy high school student. Nina gets berated when titles aren’t centered on a page or a graph gets printed with dots instead of stars. The sheer waste of talent can be contrasted to the wasteful spending on food and entertainment.

Although Nina excelled on performance, I can’t help wondering if this culture really rewards achievement. From what I could tell, the key is to survive two years and then use the Morgan Stanley name to move on to doing what these people *really* want to do. Nina’s colleague “Luis” tries to game the system by looking busy without doing any work; her colleague Michael is so well-connected he doesn’t bother to hide. In the end, will their fates be that different? Does Nina get a substantially greater bonus?

I also was taken aback by Nina’s actions when she discovers a colleague was posing without clothes in a magazine that seemed to be targeted to gay men. She wasted no time sharing the magazine with everyone she could find. She and her friends seemed to think there was some law against firing this colleague for his off-duty activities, but she’s far too shrewd to claim she didn’t anticipate negative consequences. She may have been too exhausted to think clearly. Still, I think this episode – which she recounts with unsparing, perhaps naive honesty – shows that she may have been absorbed into the system, and the system’s ethical values. more than she realized at the time.

Nina went on to get an MFA in creative writing and an MBA. She has a consulting company that deals with stress in corporate America.

Here’s a listing I came across. I don’t know *all* the sites but they seem pretty good to me.

Check this out:

http://internsover.com/best-job-sites/

Matt Youngquist, a Seattle-based career counselor, just posted an interesting article about the changing job market. He points out that the job market is “boxier,” with employers seeking specific skills for jobs that are hard to define. You can read his post here.

I can’t help wondering how many of those job postings are genuine and how many already have a candidate selected, but are advertising to comply with EEO and other regulatory measures. It’s an old trick: write a job ad that’s so detailed and specific that only one person can meet this need.

Job hunters need to maintain active networking and also look into ways to start their own businesses.

Will video resumes be the wave of the future? Read this article and find out.

Frankly, I am not thrilled about this development. Companies have always discriminated based on appearance and age. I get frustrated with having to create photos and videos for my online business, when I’d rather just hide behind my work.

What do you think?

Here’s an article with the title of Five Rules for Job Security from the CBS Moneywatch site.

But in fact they are not about giving you job security. Nobody can do that. Instead, these rules are about

• mitigating the effects of job loss and
• protecting your financial security in the event of job loss.

The distinction is important. These days you can’t count on job security, although it makes a great headline.

The story opens with an anecdote about a marketing executive who was unexpectedly laid off. Fortunately, he had already started a part-time Internet business. He was able to bring in enough revenue to keep paying the bills till he found another job.

What the article doesn’t add is that having this financial security probably gave this man an edge when he applied fora new job. Employers tend to hire people who are confident. I like to think that getting a job is like getting a bank loan. It’s easier when you don’t need it.

This man’s approach, along witih the other techniques proposed in the article, seem to suggest creating a form of career insurance. By way of analogy, when someone steals a precious possession, your insurance allows you to replace it. Nothing guarantees that your object won’t be lost stolen. But insurance can mitigate the damage.

I’d be happy to talk to you about ways to develop your own career insurance. Click here to learn more about my services.

One of the biggest challenges in a career decision involves identifying your company’s real agenda, which may be out in the open, deliberately hidden or just not articulated clearly. For example:

Recently “Bernard” was offered a truly amazing opportunity in a new company. His boss encouraged him to turn it down, setting up some compensation and promising more. Soon afterward his boss left to take a job with the very company Bernard had considered. Was this move deliberate? Did the boss want to keep the job for himself? We’ll never know, although Bernard has his suspicions.

“Tina”  became frustrated with the results of her interview for a new job – till she realized the company had already made up its mind and was going through the motions. The HR department insisted they interview three people.

“Jim” emailed me when he got a poor performance review. I can’t give advice as a quick response to an email, but they can hire me for dome coaching. I also have an ebook on performance reviews. One challenge is to identify the hidden agenda. Can you genuinely recover and have a career or are you doomed? Does your company culture support a strong reply or will you be better off, in the long run, with silence?

Career Coach, Speaker and Author Ford R. Myers Offers Practical Job Search Strategies for Individuals of Any Age.

Here is his press release:

Haverford, PA (January 24, 2011) – Despite U.S. unemployment rates that hover around 10 percent, one segment of the population is not being hit as hard: employees age 55-plus. At its peak in December 2009, the unemployment rate for this group was 7.2 percent.  As of December, 2010, it was 6.9 percent. These statistics will no doubt come as a surprise to all the 55-plus job seekers who are still struggling to find work.

Ford R. Myers, Career Coach, Speaker and Author of “Get The Job You Want, Even When No One’s Hiring,” (John Wiley & Sons, 2009, www.GetTheJobBook.com) finds that mature workers offer experience and skills that younger workers cannot offer employers. “They are more likely to stay put for longer than their younger counterparts, thus reducing turnover – which lowers the costs associated with hiring and training,” says Myers.

Regardless of the benefits mature workers offer employers, many face age discrimination when searching for a new job.  Myers suggests the following four practical strategies that can increase the chance of landing a great job at any age:

1. Energy level. Even if you’re a mature worker, it’s important to maintain a high level of energy and project real vitality. This allows you to take on challenging projects, keep up with the fast pace of business, and get things done efficiently. So show-up early, move fast throughout the day, and work hard.

2. Technology skills. As an older candidate, you didn’t grow up in the computer age, but it’s critical that you learn and practice technical skills. Employers are much more likely to hire mature workers who can demonstrate strong computer skills and possess a comfort level with technology in general. This is a great way to compete effectively with younger candidates.

3. Personal image. It’s always important to look your best, and this is especially true when the mature worker is looking for a job. Pay close attention to your appearance. You can make a more positive impression by updating your hairstyle, eyeglasses, clothing and many other personal attributes. Your wardrobe may also need a “makeover” to look more stylish.

4. Company culture. Research the culture of your prospective employer. If everyone at the company is 20 to 30 years old, then the firm is not likely to hire an older candidate like you. On the other hand, there are companies that have a reputation for attracting and hiring mature workers. These firms actually like to have “adult supervision,” and they’ll pay a premium for your greater levels of experience and wisdom.

“You can’t change your chronological age, so don’t waste mental energy thinking about it. Older workers who understand that their maturity and expertise are assets are more likely to land the job they want in the long run,” adds Myers.

For more information and other useful tips to help those in career transition achieve career success, visit http://www.getthejobbook.com.

If you’re frustrated with corporate life check this one out:

http://myhellisotherpeople.com/

The language is a little strong but the content will resonate for many of you! I don’t know the author and get nothing for this recommendation.