Hi there,   

Welcome to the October edition of the Blaze Unlimited Satisfaction @ Work E-Zine.  This is a bit of a newsy variation to our newsletter as we have lots of exciting things to tell you about. 

Firstly, the more observant among you will have noticed me playing around with the title of our E-Zine.  As many of you may already know Blaze Unlimited delivers services to individuals and to organisations.  For a long time now I’ve been adjusting our marketing messages so that what we do and the problems we solve are clearer to both corporate and individual clients.   I think I’m there now.  Satisfaction @ Work.  This is the umbrella under which all our services hang, it makes sense to me.  I’d love to know your thoughts.  Anyway, the reason I’m telling you this is because lately I’ve been talking to my clients a lot about Composite Careers.  Heard that term yet?   If not, chances are that you soon will.   

Part of our career planning process is helping clients to get clear on what is important to them; from a work perspective but even from life in general.  Your career should ideally support your aspirations and life goals, not detract from it.  Bundling all a clients’ diverse values and needs together can often create a job specification that may actually be unrealistic...  meaning that not all of the clients needs can be met by one change of career.   It is these clients that start to consider composite careers.  Much like my marketing message now meets all my clients’ needs (individual and organisational) so to do composite careers start to separately address my clients diverse needs.  Consider for a moment.  A client expresses an interest in the following:

• Maintaining an income of $50k
• Allowing them greater flexibility to work from home
• Opportunity to start pursuing a creative outlet (eventually for income)
• Spending more time with family
• Wanting to contribute to their general community
• Wanting to do something ‘worthwhile’ that lasts into and beyond retirement

The challenge to find one job that meets all the above may well be difficult. Particularly when you factor in other challenges like existing skills, willingness (or capacity) to re-train and geographic location. This is where a composite career might come in.  So what is it?  Let’s say you decide to commit 40 hours a week to income producing activities.  Someone in a composite career may actually have two or more part-time, casual or volunteer jobs.  Each job meets a different set of needs so that in total, the client is having all their needs met (just not from one source which as we established may be unrealistic).  In the above example the client opted for part-time work of 5 days per fortnight and sought a retail assistant’s job in a local arts and crafts store.  This second job both supplemented her income but also provided an outlet for her creative side and helped her to develop the networks she required to open and manage a small boutique crafts store on her rural property.   

As the business side of things picks up this client plans to reduce her commitment to her permanent (part time) role.  Given this client is not at her ideal place but is now working on a very real and achievable plan towards attaining her lifestyle goal and has made the first big steps towards it.  Perhaps a composite career might be on the cards for you?  It’s a great way to explore a transition or change… try before you buy. 

New Look Website.

As our range of services grows we’re continually adapting and updating our profile.  Our website layout is now being re-designed to reflect these changes.  Stay tuned.   

We’re Expanding!

This is exciting!  It’s nearly two years now since Blaze Unlimited was started and we’re now looking to expand.  We are in the process of recruiting two new career coaches to work in our Melbourne and Sydney offices.  This will greatly enhance our capacity to deliver outplacement and transition programs to larger clients.  Redundancies, downsizing, mergers and acquisitions are a fact of life.  Many people at some point will lose a job through no fault of their own.  Even in strong economies organisations shift and change resulting in staff needing to move on.  Good companies are now recognising that how they manage their exiting employees has a lasting impact on the workers that remain and on the companies’ attraction and retention branding.  This is where we come in.  Our outplacement and transition programs ensure that excess staff are provided with all the support and assistance they need to make an effective transition into meaningful and rewarding work.   If you, your teams or your organisation (or anyone’s you know) are currently facing a transition or downsizing situation where people may need help to move on then please drop me a line.  We would love to be able to help in what can often be a traumatic time for individuals and organisations AND when handled correctly can leave a lasting positive impression on all involved. 

Ace Day Jobs

Lastly, here is a great link that I’ve been sending many of my career planning clients to have a look at www.abc.net.au/acedayjobs.  It’s a wonderful (free) resource that provides informational videos on a range of different careers and jobs.  Check it out!!  Your dream job may be on there and it might be all the inspiration you need. Have a great month.  All the best with your career and please… if satisfaction at work is an issue.  Call us on 130 886 501.  We can help. 

Warm regards, 

Sean