Making Your Own Luck

I'm like many people in this country, in that, after the recession hit, my job was cut. I could have papered a wall with the lovely rejection letters that told me how impressive my education was and how lucky someone else would be to get me as an employee.

In an attempt to both feed my family and keep from going stir-crazy while job searching, I started utilizing prior skill sets in private investigation, research, and activism, doing research jobs - genealogy, social media for small businesses and conventions and finding people (alums, family members, missing clients etc.) and thus, Rene Thompson Consulting was born.

I will document the different types of work I do in the hope that those who need work done will contact me, while giving you a look at what it's like starting your own business after the world has turned upside down.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

How You Can Help After The Hurricane



Yes, we can all hope for the best for those effected by Hurricane Sandy, but let's put that hope into action.

Here is an excellent list that was put together by Huff Post on ways and means that you can help during the disaster.  We all have talents that can be used to assist in situations like these, we just have to be creative.

Let's take care of each other.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Shuffling the Deck



When you lose your job, it can seriously take the wind out of your sales and make you question what you have to offer.

Instead of looking at the job titles on your resume in order to determine what you should do next, look to your skill sets. You know, those little bullet points you click on LinkedIn such as management, editing, sales.  Get yourself some index cards and place each skill on a card.  By separating these skills from the titles you can free yourself up to look at yourself a different way. 

Has your previous career become a dinosaur?  That's OK, the skills haven't and they can be used in other vocations.  And don't forget to document skills that you have from hobbies or volunteer work, they count as well. Document on the card whether this is a skill that you enjoy using and whether and your level of expertise. This can lead you to identify career potentials you may not have considered and give you the heads up if you need to sharpen skills to make you more marketable.

After budget cuts cut the program where I had worked for seven years, I had to shuffle my own deck.  And in re-examining my skill sets I recognized that whether I was at work or on my own time, I enjoyed research. When I had worked in OVR and for the Department of Human Services, I had enjoyed research and using my Internet skills to re-establish contact with "lost" clients and my thirty years doing genealogy had taught me to look through avenues that many people don't consider.

By utilizing my strongest skills and thse skills that I enjoy using the most, I know that I can put in 110% to my business and not even feel as though I working.

Give it a shot, re-shuffle your deck and tell me if you come up with a vocational path you hadn't considered before.

And if you need research or social media assistance, feel free to contact me.