How do we end up staying so long??
A note to my mortgage buds . . .
I almost feel guilty for talking about my work like this. After all, I was the one who accepted the jobs, the training, who networked and made good friends in the industry. I always loved my teams, my bosses, my clients and industry friends. Toward the end of my career, there was a rhythm (albeit long hours!), but we were “in it” together, we commiserated, celebrated wins and cared for each other. I truly had the best boss, the best team, great products and good friends.
Early on, I chalked it up to the steep learning curve. There was just a lot to learn. I have a true love of people and think that gave me entrance into a couple good spots, but this industry was different than anything I had known. Offices opened and closed, banks merged and people moved with it, requiring learning different products, systems and people. I just tried to keep up. I did admin work when the Great Recession hit, but after moving to SWFL, five (5!) different people suggested I go back to mortgages and all suggested the same high-integrity team. So I did. As an assistant serving two top-level loan officers, I mentioned to my psychologist friend that I wondered if I might be a little A.D.D. (?) (there were signs!) But I was learning and growing, so tried harder. I was given more training and transitioned to a loan officer.
I had the opportunity to join a popular credit union in our area with great products and took it. The culture was amazing, our team and my boss . . . I truly loved my years there!
So what happened?
Before I started in mortgages in SWFL, I tried again to get back into staffing and had an interview with a staffing agency where they said that even though it had been 20 years, they urged me to pursue staffing. I had an opportunity to manage a staffing office soon after, but after praying about it, felt like the Lord was leading instead to take the real estate association job, which led directly to a return to mortgages. (Why?)
In the end, after all that time, it was the hours that did me in. I resigned during the season of super-low mortgage rates and zillions of applications. My mom passed away and I needed to step away and get my bearings.
What did I learn and why did I end up in mortgages and not staffing?
Commission-based pay revealed my own financial insecurity and fear. Eventually, the Lord confirmed that He is my provision — not my deals.
The Lord taught me my worth as a person. At times, I had some pretty unhealthy interactions, sometimes originating with me and other times a client or boss. Truly, understanding one’s own abilities, limitations and personality can limit these exchanges, as it is clear what situations we will thrive in and which will not be a good fit.
Ultimately, I think it came down to the people. It’s always the people! The friends in the industry, so fun and funny, our great clients, our amazing team. I will always be grateful for those relationships and for knowing I can do hard things. (I could hug them even now!)
In the background, a couple things had been percolating . . .
First off, I heard of a company called Career Direct. They gave career assessments and helped folks figure out what careers would be a good fit. Shizzam! I LOVED the concept, took the assessment and got the results. It said that I was quite “unstructured” and that I shouldn’t be in a job with lots of details or deadlines. (AGH!!) (I knew it was wrong . . . it was just the stress of the job, right?)
A couple years earlier, I heard of an organization called Better Together — they did Job Fairs at churches, inviting local employers, recruiting volunteers from the church and advertising to the community to find applicants in need of work. (See their website to read more!) I literally jumped up and down in my kitchen and told the Lord I had to do that!
I had a key conversation with an Executive Director of a local nonprofit who felt that I was the person who should take her place. It was a total surprise and didn’t end up happening. But the process of leaning in, praying and asking the Lord His will for my life led me to re-engage with my passions and ultimately gave me the courage to resign my mortgage work.
New Things!
I trainied as a Career Direct consultant and began giving assessments and consultations. LOVED it. (still do!)
As a part of my training, I took another assessment which confirmed my “unstructured” trait. This caused a bit of shame since I was from a pretty structured home and should be able to do structure. After mom passed, I saw a therapist and broached the subject of possibly being A.D.D. She didn’t diagnose, but her “you THINK?” said it all. Over a period of two to three years, the Lord confirmed His design in me and showed me more of the good things about who I am. He also led me to great strategies for those parts that have been hard. (Like “time-blindness”!)
I led our church in a Job Fair with Better Together. Oh, what fun!! As we were packing up and leaving, I felt the Lord distinctly say, “This is one of the good things I had in mind for you to do.” (Not audibly, but distinctly, nonetheless.)
I called the CEO at Better Together and we had breakfast. We decided it would be great to work together! They offered me a part-time, flexible position the following year as a Partnership Manager working to encourage churches to join in the mission. As a pastor’s wife for forever and lover of business, it was a sweet fit and the work felt like a wide-open door that was intuitive in nature. My boss was amazingly great and we approached the work similarly and made great headway in opening a new region in Florida. I can’t TELL you the difference it makes working in your strengths vs. against them. I highly recommend!!
My husband and I moved to Virginia the following year and are currently creating a new life here including kids and grandkids, close family, new friends, gardening and lots of new work. The Lord knows what’s next for us . . . and for you!
Want to have a conversation about your work?
Is your job a good fit?
It all begins with an idea.
Things were seemingly going well. I beat my boss’ sales numbers that first month (which was all you really wanted!) But my husband’s late-night question of, “Hey, what’s happening with you?” needed to be answered.
I had never done anything like this and was not used to hurdles when it came to adjusting to new work. Years earlier, my husband commented that he thought I just found whatever job I wanted, interviewed, then started the job. This was different. It was a whole new body of information that I knew nothing about. Evidently, most people worked up to my new position in this industry. Also, my friend had faith in me, so I had to work hard. And I was! Reading and studying late into the night, up early, learning the information and the people that mattered. My husband wanted to know why I was so stressed.
Seemingly, this should have been a good fit. Up until then, I had done money or people (staffing/human resources or cost administration) and this was a combination of both! Commission with a base salary, lots of room for growth . . . all I had to do is learn it — and I had a great teacher! One of my tightly-held values was that of work/life balance and although life was tipped to one side for now, once this learning curve was over, things would go back to normal, right?
NOTE: The reason I beat my boss’ numbers is because he gave me some of his deals. So, there’s that… :)
Where are you in your work?
Is it a good fit? What parts do you like?
How much of an investment have you made?
Is it attractive to you when considering new work possibilities?
If you could do anything you wanted, what would you do?
I would encourage you to set aside some time to really think about these things. And of course, let’s be practical. I absolutely love to dream, but do-able is so excellent. Consider your values. What’s important to you? Will your work allow those values to play out?
Consider:
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance so we would walk in them.”
(Ephesians 2:10)
My Work Beginnings
"I trained my buddy Chuck, and he was dumb as a rock!”
That line from my buddy was how my new career got started. Inviting, right? As the Marketing Director of a nonprofit, I knew there was something else out there and began to actively look. When I interviewed with a staffing company for something else, the recruiter asked if she could get an interview for my job— sounded great to her! When my buddy at church said he was opening a bank branch and wanted to train me, I knew this was what I had been praying for! That’s how it all started . . .
Have you ever wondered where you belong in the world of work?
I have been fascinated by how people choose their work for as long as I can remember. It probably started in my college days. I did summer temp work in downtown DC, and loved it. I worked for Channel 5 with Maury Povich (a newscaster), did data analysis at the World Bank and was offered a job at Goodyear in sales and marketing with the Blimp. I loved “temping” and especially “Mrs. B”, my staffing manager.
Mrs. B and husband Ralph
I jumped at the chance to work as a staffing consultant with Mrs. B, so quit college, started work and loved it. We doubled the business in a year, she opened up her own agency and we enjoyed growth, great clients and a great reputation. Mrs. B was kind, incredibly sharp and naturally gifted at understanding a person’s character and placing them in the right job. For me, this job was like water … natural, easy and I was good at it.
Since that time, I have loved talking about what people do for work, how they got there and what they dream about. I have learned a few things along the way about work, how faith and work connect and how to find how you’re created. If you have questions about where you fit, keep reading or pop around on this website to see what your next steps are.
I’d love to have a conversation with you! Let’s find your best career fit and create a plan to get you there!