second career

It’s always a good way to start out the month by getting something published in one form or another.

As a member of the National Career Development Association, I receive all of the organization’s reading material, including its quarterly journal and the monthly e-zine, Career Convergence. A couple of months ago, I approached the editors of Career Convergence with an idea for an article for a future edition.

I’m thankful to report that idea has become a reality. In the March issue of Career Convergence, I have contributed the article titled, “The Emergence of Creating and Online Presence.” In it, I have detailed how career development professionals such as myself should work with our clients to better position themselves in the job search.

One of the key points of this article is stressing the importance of building an online presence to job seekers. In recent months, this has been the cornerstone of our Super-size Your Resume efforts, which combine the traditional resume services with the power of online marketing.

I look forward to getting feedback from this article, since, like many of you, I am always looking to improve what we have to offer.

There’s so much talk about how baby boomers ought to have another career/job waiting in the wings. Well, I started one about a year ago. I do decluttering — helping people get rid of stuff and organize themselves. I have had several paying clients over the year (including one I work with every week), and it’s growing. I work with people who are simply messy or who have a problem bordering on hoarding (I have decided not to work with hard-core hoarders because they don’t usually have a capacity to change). As a side note, I bought a GPS recently on Craig’s List. Someone who received it as a Christmas gift didn’t want it, so I got a good price on it. It’s a TomTom 720 and I love it. It got me to a new client’s house a couple of nights ago. I like doing decluttering because it’s extremely physical — the opposite of my daytime desk job. I also like it because I’m helping people change their lives. Do you moonlight or have a second career or job? Tell all.

The Columbus Crew returns home tonight to face Western Conference foe Colorado, following a two-game West Coast road trip last week. It will be the Rapids’ lone visit to Crew Stadium this season and an Easter Egg hunt will take place on the stadium grounds when gates open at 6 p.m. Fans will receive Crew schedule magnets, sponsored by SWACO, while supplies last.

Tonight’s match, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET, will be televised live regionally on ONN-TV, with Dwight Burgess and Bill McDermott calling all the action and Katie Witham reporting from the sidelines. The match can also be heard in English on News/Talk 610 WTVN, and on-line at TheCrew.com and MLSNet.com, with Neil Sika and John Bluem behind the microphone, as well as in Spanish on La Que Buena 1550-AM with Carlos Cordova and Benny Pietrangelo on the call.

Colorado enters tonight’s match on the heels of a pair of games in L.A. against the Galaxy within the last week. A 3-2 victory Saturday (April 4) in league play was followed by a U.S. Open Cup play-in game Tuesday, won by the Rapids, 4-2 on penalty kicks, following 120 scoreless minutes. The Rapids were paced on Saturday by forward Conor Casey, who registered his second career hat trick as Colorado won its second straight match. Casey started his deluge by scoring just 16 seconds into the match, making his tally the second quickest goal in MLS history, and netted the game-winner in the 84th minute.

Columbus, which hasn’t been able to field its first-choice squad yet this season, due to injuries and national team absences, enters the match after losing both games of its West Coast swing last week. On Thursday night (April 2), a Robbie Findley hat trick paced Real Salt Lake to a 4-1 victory at Rio Tinto Stadium, ending the defending MLS Cup champs’ unbeaten streak at seven games (4-0-3), including playoffs. Jason Garey scored the Crew’s lone goal in the match, the 10th of his MLS career, which briefly evened the match in the 22nd minute. Garey was forced to leave the game late in the proceedings with a sprained right ankle.

The Crew then proceeded to Los Angeles where it dropped a 2-1 result to Chivas USA, despite a valiant effort. Atiba Harris drew first blood for Chivas USA in the 35th minute, but Andy Iro equalized for the Black & Gold minutes before halftime. Eduardo Lillingston then put Chivas back in the lead just five minutes after the halftime restart with his second career MLS goal. The Crew’s woes were compounded minutes later when Iro was shown a straight red card by referee Kevin Stott in the 54th minute for a hard tackle on Chivas defender Cary Talley. The 10-man Crew battled hard to claw its way back into the match, but the deficit and man disadvantage proved too much to overcome.

In the upper echelons of the corporate world, there used to be an unwritten rule that only family men made it to the top - so men made sure that they at least appeared to be family men.

Some men married women simply to look like they were playing the game.  Women considered themselves lucky to marry a man who could provide for them and who didn’t beat them. A woman knew that her duties were to provide sex, children, and to make him look good at all costs.  A marriage built on love was not something that people expected.

As long as the woman made him look good, then it helped his career.  If she was a good homemaker, a good cook, mother and party hostess, then that man was on his way up.

I’d like to think that today’s corporate world is a little bit different.

A wife’s role in today’s corporate world can range from the traditional homemaker who stays with the children full time, helping her husband’s career by making sure things are right at home, to a power broker CEO who runs the boardroom and helps her husband’s career with her own connections.

Here are six ways that the modern wife helps her husband’s career:

Fashion consultant. She loved you when she married you and she thinks you’re a hunk of burning love - but she also wants the world to think you look good too.  Let’s face it, women pay more attention to style.  I walk out the door most days barely put together, but when I really need to look good at work, my wife has a keen eye and an amazing ability to improvise.  She’s also a great judge of color.

Homemaker. In the case of wives who make their career in the home, men are blessed to be able to come home to meals prepared for them on a regular basis, a clean house, and a sense of peace and serenity that is rare to come by in today’s busy world.  Since modern women have the choice of working in or out of the home, today’s homemaker’s are ever more capable and confident in their chosen lifestyle.  The comfort they provide their husbands is beyond measure.

Power Broker. The woman who works in the corporate world is often powerful, successful, and very good at making connections.  Women are natural networkers, and they help each other out.  Heaven help the company or individual who crosses the Power Broker’s husband.  She’ll move heaven and earth to make sure he gets the right job, the right contract, or the table at the right restaurant so that her husband can meet his goals.

Socialite.  Along with being natural networkers, wives have the ability to charm and fascinate clients, coworkers, and bosses.  They leave everyone they come in contact with thinking, “Wow, that guy must really be something to attract someone as vivacious, beautiful, and intelligent as her.  Maybe we should take a second look at him.”

Cheerleader.  No one’s opinion matters more than the wife, and no one’s doubt crushes dreams faster.  The wife who is a cheerleader for her husband can see him soar to new heights as he rides the confidence she gives him with her praise, encouragement, and smiles.  Every man wishes that he had someone to tell him he can do it, and no one fits that bill better than the wife.

Confidant.  Most men rarely share their emotions.  Many men only share their emotions with one person - their wife.  If she’s sweet, and understanding, and firm when she needs to be, then her man will be healthy and able to lead the pack when it comes to landing the big deals or making the major breakthroughs.

How has your wife helped your career?  Answer the poll to the right, and leave comments below.  Don’t forget to share this post with friends!