Jobless Stories with a Twist: They are Career Counselors and Recruiters

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As a followup to Friday’s entry about Unemployed Bob who is attempting to collect stories of the jobless through his eponymous blog, I came across the story of Greg Dillon, as told by CNN’s Jennifer Reingold on CNNMoney.com. What makes the story especially interesting is the fact that Dillon is a career counselor. Reingold writes:

The worst thing for Dillon is the sense of powerlessness, even as he knows that others are in the same situation. “It’s a double-edged sword,” he says. “You don’t take it as personal because it’s affecting everyone, but at the same time those other people are also competing against you for jobs.”

If a career counselor, who presumably knows all the right moves, feels powerless, it’s easy to imagine how typical laid-off folks feel.

I was impressed by another out-of-work job-seeker who presumably knows all the right moves, recruiter Craig Campbell. I so often advise the unemployed that they must treat job-seeking like a job unto itself and really put the necessary time and work into it — but few do. Campbell, however, does. He should be the poster child for hard-working job-seeker. An excerpt from a blog entry describing his efforts:

Between online, on the phone and in person, I’m working-and obsessing-over my search about six to seven hours a day. I’ve built a career profile that includes my professional value proposition (the unique value that I offer to employers) and looks more like a marketing one sheet-an easy-to-read page that highlights my expertise-rather than the basic text resume. With the help of a friend I designed a Web profile and blog. I created a ‘call to action’ Outlook signature with links to my resume and Web site so that for every email exchange I have, the recipient can view or forward my profile. I updated my profiles and significantly increased my participation on social networking sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. I’m participating in blogs, chats, and Webinars and providing advice as a recruiting industry expert. I’ve created several competitive comparison case studies to present to the employers that I’m interested in. It outlines what they’re doing versus what their most direct competitors are doing (of course the final part, is how I can help close that gap). I’m also seeking out opportunities to speak on my areas of expertise for a fee or free.

… I think the extra work is necessary considering how competitive the environment continues to get with more layoffs every week. While I don’t have offers yet, after about a month of launching this new effort, I have been to several final round interviews. Each time they have commented on my career profile, online career page as well as my comments and feedback on their blogs or other social media outlets. It doesn’t always result in actual opportunity, but at a minimum they’re letting me know that I’m on their radar.

During the Great Depression, no medium like the Internet existed for the widespread dissemination of stories of the jobless. I believe the unemployed today are fortunate to have stories that help them feel they are not alone — and to offer tips on what is working and not working in the job search in this climate.

Commiserating Over Joblessness Through Stories as Half a Million Jobs Are Lost

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A troubling convergence today: The US government announced this morning that 598,000 more jobs were lost in January; for the first time in this crisis, I learned of a friend who was just laid off (not counting a number of my former students who have not found appropriate work since graduating); and I was forwarded an e-mail from “Unemployed Bob” about his blog (also called Unemployed Bob).

In stark contrast to my entry a while back about Barbara Winter, who is “joyfully” (and deliberately) jobless, Bob, formerly a successful marketing executive, says he is “hopelessly and desperately unemployed.” He says he has been “unemployed for nine months, eleven days, and three hours” and expected to land a new job easily after he got his pink slip. He was so confident that he used his severance pay for a six-day trip to Rome. All these months later, his parents think he’s starting a software venture and have no idea how dire his situation is.

Bob has a button on his blog that asks for others to send their unemployment stories. He says, “I’ve started this forum to share my tale with those who are just like me. I want to hear your stories (all printed anonymously) so we can create a healing revolution for brilliant, deserving, and jobless.” He wants to form a sort of “Unemployed Anonymous.”

There is indeed power, or at least comfort, in sharing stories in these difficult times. He believes — and I support his belief — that sharing stories can help to make unemployed folks “a little saner and confident in our everyday routine.” Bob says:

I started this site because I don’t want any of us to feel like we’re the only failures on Earth. Everyday when I sit in front of the computer, I want to read your stories. How are you coping? How did you lose your job? How are you feeling today? How do you stay positive? I need to hear that there are more people like me. Or like you. Like all of us.

Bob is asking for jobless stories to come to him by e-mail. He’s also asking the folks spread the word about his venture.

Bob’s blog is well-written and compelling. I plan to follow it. I hope folks do indeed share their stories with him.

America’s Story

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Perhaps it is President Obama’s inauguration, Black History Month, and the fact that February brings us Presidents’ Day that puts me in a patriotic mood and receptive to Americana.

I was thus charmed by a site, America’s Story, from the Library of Congress.

The site was designed especially with young people in mind, but also offers “great stories for people of all ages.” These teasers illustrate the site’s storytelling potential:

Here, you can discover what Abraham Lincoln had in his pockets on the night he was assassinated. (You will be surprised.) Or you can read about other “Amazing Americans” such as Buffalo Bill Cody and his “Wild West” show; the heroism of Harriet Tubman, who helped many slaves escape bondage; the music of jazz great Duke Ellington; or the inventions of Thomas Edison. (You will even be able to see his first motion picture!).

If you think break-dancing is a new invention, then visit “Join America at Play,” where you’ll see a film of an early break-dancer from 1898! Ever hear of a “cloth sandwich”? You’ll know what I’m talking about when you read the stories in this section. And, of course, we have many tales to tell about baseball, America’s pastime — from the “Cyclone” (pitcher Cy Young) to Jackie Robinson, a hero both on and off the field.

“Jump Back in Time” and find the settlers who landed on Plymouth Rock. Or jump to a more recent age and read about be-bop, a type of music invented long before hip-hop. Do you know what happened on the day you were born? You can find out here.

Want to travel across the country? Then click on “Explore the States,” where you’ll find fascinating facts and stories about all the states and Washington, D.C.

And if you’ve ever wondered what the first cartoons looked like, then click on “See, Hear and Sing.” You’ll read about a man who in 1896 figured out how to make inanimate objects move. You know about the guitar, the piano and the trumpet, but how about the oud, the zurna and the marimba? These unusual instruments influenced today’s modern musical instruments.

It’s a fascinating and lively romp through history told with a strong storytelling flavor.

From Poverty Porn to Humanitarian Storytelling

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Last fall, my Facebook friend Liz Massey of the blog Write Livelihood interviewed Roger Burks, a pioneer of what he calls “humanitarian storytelling.”

The interview, Roger Burks, his company Pictographers, and Burks’ pioneering work in humanitarian storytelling all impressed me. I had especially not consider the negative and exploitative effect of what he calls “poverty porn,” which he explains in the excerpt below:

For too long now, most of the communications we’ve all seen coming from humanitarian, development and non-governmental organizations have been what I’ve heard described as “poverty porn” — words and images that elicit an emotional response by their sheer shock value. Images like starving, skeletal children covered in flies. Overuse of the word “victim.”

That kind of communication may get results, but at what cost to those portrayed? I believe that kind of exploitation is nothing less than a violation of human rights, especially considering what the impoverished, oppressed and marginalized have already had to endure.

I co-founded Pictographers with the idea of dignity and development through communication. We’re trying to cause a shift toward documentary writing and photography that respects the humanity of those our organizations are serving, while still crafting compelling communications that inspire people to action.

Massey asks a great question about how Burks balances objectivity with the rawness of human emotion to tell a powerful story. Burks’ response, in part:

I think this is the essence of humanitarian storytelling: that balance between being an objective journalist and letting yourself be the conduit through which human emotion is channeled.

Burks’ believes this kind of humanitarian storytelling can be world-changing. I know well from my research that storytelling, done well, can spark action. Burks’ particular brand of storytelling may indeed be the kind that can inspire global transformation:

I’m excited for the chance to, as Pictographers, train journalists who will not only work to change their organizations, but change the world. That sounds lofty, but think about it: humanitarian storytelling gets people to take action. It not only raises awareness, but also gives organizations the resources they need to make a difference.

You can see examples of Burks’ humanitarian stories here.

12-Step Storytelling

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As I read a piece by “Jennifer” on “the lost art of storytelling” (which I don’t believe is actually lost), it dawned on me that storytelling is a mainstay of 12-step groups.

I have been sober for 26 years, after 10 years of problem drinking in my 20s, but I bypassed Alcoholics Anonymous because I just didn’t want to do a group thing. I am not unfamiliar with how AA works, however, and have attended a meeting or two with close family members who were 12-steppers. I know that storytelling — about the struggles and triumphs of dealing with addiction — is the heart of a 12-step meeting. I’ve also shared my own alcoholism story in other venues, such as newspaper columns I’ve written.

“Jennifer” made this point about storytelling and 12-step groups by way of discussing the book, The Spirituality of Imperfection: Storytelling and the Search for Meaning. She explains that the book:

… talks about the spirituality of shared imperfection through the telling of stories that occurs in AA (and likewise in other 12-step programs, e.g. Al-anon). It is through the telling of stories of hardship and pain, shame and doubt, joy and strength, experience and hope — stories of recovery — that we connect with each other and find a shared spirituality that accepts us all as okay, as imperfect and we learn and grow from our shared imperfections. These very imperfections are what enhances, not only our connection, but our spirituality, our connectedness, so that we are better, stronger as a result. It is not just through our flaws that we grow strong, but in shared imperfections – a sharing that occurs through the telling of our “stories”.

In a review on Amazon, John Moryl of Yeshiva University Library further explains:

The aim of this book is to explain the underlying spiritual — although not necessarily religious — principles of Alcoholics Anonymous. Part 1 presents the emphasis of this spirituality, which is the recognition and especially the acceptance of humans as imperfect beings. Part 2 tells how the founders of AA put spirituality to use. Part 3 discusses the benefits: release, gratitude, humility, tolerance, and forgiveness. On nearly every page, the authors retell stories and provide anecdotes from various sources: ancient Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Greek, and more. One need not have an interest in AA to benefit from this fine introduction to spirituality.

I’m intrigued and will add this book to the huge stack of books I want to read.

Name Badges Can Offer Story Prompts

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Anecdote, the Australian story-based consultancy, offered a neat idea in its latest newsletter — using name badges as story prompts. Suggesting this activity as an icebreaker for folks meeting the first time or that don’t know each other well, Anecdote instructs:

Ask everyone to write something interesting or quirky about themself on a name tag or post-it and wear it as a badge. … Allow 10 min for the group to mingle and hear as many stories they can that reveal the choice of words people have used and in doing so learn something interesting about each other.

Anecdote suggests these as possibilities for the name badges:

  • your nickname
  • sports you love to play or watch
  • the [sports] team you follow (Anecdote suggested football team, which, of course, means soccer in most of the world.)
  • your favourite biography
  • what’s on the cover of your diary
  • a thought-provoking quote
  • your personal motto
  • the beginning of an interesting story

Anecdote notes that Margaret Moon suggested a variation of this technique as an in-house team-building activity:

Ask people to write [on a post-it] a fact about themselves (a skill or talent) that their team members may or may not know about. Cluster the post-its on a wall. Invite participants to guess who the post-its might represent.

I like these activities a lot because they make the most out name badges (presumably, names are also included along with the tidbits on the badges; imagine how well your memory of each person’s name can be reinforced by looking at the other information on the name badge). These are great ways of integrating networking and storytelling.

Skip This If You Hate Self-Indulgent Blog Postings

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Today is an anniversary of sorts. A year ago today, I relaunched this blog (originally launched in May 2005) and made a commitment to blog every single day.

I’ve kept my commitment. Purists can uncover one entry (sometime in Aug. 2008) that I placed back into draft status because I wanted to add something to it and still haven’t gotten around to it. But I’m pretty sure that’s the only post-less day in the last year.

I never lack material. I do sometimes lack time because I find blogging very time-consuming. But maintaining this blog is always an immensely satisfying experience.

Thanks for coming along on the journey. I hope you’ll stick around.

More Scientific Evidence of Story’s Effectiveness: Story Learning May Enhance Memory Retention Up to Seven-fold

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We remember stories better than we do other forms of learning-delivery, report Drs. Fernette and Brock Eide in their blog, Eide Neurolearning Blog. I wish they’d cited the exact research studies they’re referring to The research reports they cite are below the blog entry the above link goes to. The Eides report:

Because remembering a story is easier than remembering sentences, and remembering sentences is easier than remembering word lists, story-based learning may be essential for children (and those of us adults) who have small auditory verbal working memories. In fact research studies in the 1970s established that story learning could enhance memory retention by 2- to 7-fold.

When I regularly asked my (college-age) students what kind of teaching style they learned best from, they usually cited professors who told anecdotes and stories.

I’d love to see story-based curricula developed for all age levels and subjects and research how these approaches improve learning.