Bette Z. Novak, M.Ed, MHRM, BCC, PCC
How Do I Relate to My Clients? I share that I have "Been there and done that..."
I believe that I am an effective career coach because I have been where you are - laid off, resigned from a job, made a career change, and advanced my career (promotion). I want to share some of my biggest challenges and changes I faced during my career.
The biggest challenge to my career was when I had to consider what I could do and wanted to do that would work with my diminishing eye sight. In 2003, I became legally blind in one eye and totally blind in the other. I share my story in my book, INSPIRE!, as a featured author with 24 other women who also overcame a major challenge in their life and/or work. Chapter 15, "Darkness into the Light" is my story.
However, change and transition became my career watch word as I changed from job to job, company to company, building a career path helping people search for their "life work" and organizations perform effectively. I built my career on Managing Training and Development, Coaching and Consulting as an internal Human Resource professional.
Managing Training as a Strategic Business Partner
I remember the first time I lost my job as a Region Training Manager because of a consolidation of our Region with Headquarters. All of a sudden I thought, "Now what?" and "Where does my new career in managing training and development move?" I had no answers and I definitely didn't have a plan, a set of strategic steps nor a network to fall back on. My next job as a Region Training Manager with an international restaurant chain came from a referral by my Dad who had coffee with the Regional Personnel Manager and shared that "my daughter just lost her Region Training Manager's job." So one trip to Washington, D.C. from Atlanta, GA and a one hour long interview, I was offered the job and asked when the movers could come and bring my belongings to Maryland. It wasn't until about ten years later and two more career moves later, that I figured out a system that would help my career survive and prevent the feeling of helplessness when jobs suddenly end.
Stepping into Career Coaching
After 10 more years of co-leading a community outreach group for the Marymount University Career Services, I created a professional development program and a road map that provided a blueprint for job seekers and professionals in transition to learn how to survive career change. In 2012, my husband, Martin Novak, and I wrote our first book, The Art of Career Survival: Never Fear Joblessness Again! A book to help people navigate their job search even in tough times. We plan to write and publish as a kindle copy our second edition of the same book in late 2014.
Re-engineering the Federal Government
in 1991, I began an eleven year career in Federal and County Governments as an Employee and Organization Development Specialist. I worked for the Department of Education in the Horace Mann Learning Center and its Skills Clinic and later in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. My main contribution to my agencies and the Federal Government was to explore, introduce and implement new models, systems, programs and services to the program offices and divisions who were required by Presidents H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and G.W. Bush to re-engineer, create and install programs and policies that supported public policy and law from the Legislative and Executive Branches. All the work that I and a group of other Federal career employees implemented in Organizational Learning, Learning Leadership and Systems Thinking to improve performance was transferred over to the Public Sector Consortium, Cambridge, MA.
A Professional Executive - Career Coach and Business Owner
After September 11, 2001, I chose to work closer to my home in northern Virginia. I worked as an Executive Coach and Internal Consultant to managers and leadership councils in the Department of Public Works. Unfortunately, my failing eyesight got worse and in 2003, I was declared legally blind. My story about how this event challenged my career and my life is written in my new book, INSPIRED! I am a featured author and my story, Darkness into the Light (Chapter 15) tells the challenges and fear I faced to get my eyesight back enough so i could make my most important career change to Career Coach, business owner, author and public speaker.
To learn more about my life and background you can read my profile on LInkedIn or Google me.
To learn about the benefits of working with me to advance your career from senior manager who wants to move to the executive level or experience professional who wants to move to a higher paying and/or more influential team lead or manager. To learn about what you will experience and how you benefit when you work with me as your Career Advancement Coach.
How Do I Relate to My Clients? I share that I have "Been there and done that..."
I believe that I am an effective career coach because I have been where you are - laid off, resigned from a job, made a career change, and advanced my career (promotion). I want to share some of my biggest challenges and changes I faced during my career.
The biggest challenge to my career was when I had to consider what I could do and wanted to do that would work with my diminishing eye sight. In 2003, I became legally blind in one eye and totally blind in the other. I share my story in my book, INSPIRE!, as a featured author with 24 other women who also overcame a major challenge in their life and/or work. Chapter 15, "Darkness into the Light" is my story.
However, change and transition became my career watch word as I changed from job to job, company to company, building a career path helping people search for their "life work" and organizations perform effectively. I built my career on Managing Training and Development, Coaching and Consulting as an internal Human Resource professional.
Managing Training as a Strategic Business Partner
I remember the first time I lost my job as a Region Training Manager because of a consolidation of our Region with Headquarters. All of a sudden I thought, "Now what?" and "Where does my new career in managing training and development move?" I had no answers and I definitely didn't have a plan, a set of strategic steps nor a network to fall back on. My next job as a Region Training Manager with an international restaurant chain came from a referral by my Dad who had coffee with the Regional Personnel Manager and shared that "my daughter just lost her Region Training Manager's job." So one trip to Washington, D.C. from Atlanta, GA and a one hour long interview, I was offered the job and asked when the movers could come and bring my belongings to Maryland. It wasn't until about ten years later and two more career moves later, that I figured out a system that would help my career survive and prevent the feeling of helplessness when jobs suddenly end.
Stepping into Career Coaching
After 10 more years of co-leading a community outreach group for the Marymount University Career Services, I created a professional development program and a road map that provided a blueprint for job seekers and professionals in transition to learn how to survive career change. In 2012, my husband, Martin Novak, and I wrote our first book, The Art of Career Survival: Never Fear Joblessness Again! A book to help people navigate their job search even in tough times. We plan to write and publish as a kindle copy our second edition of the same book in late 2014.
Re-engineering the Federal Government
in 1991, I began an eleven year career in Federal and County Governments as an Employee and Organization Development Specialist. I worked for the Department of Education in the Horace Mann Learning Center and its Skills Clinic and later in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. My main contribution to my agencies and the Federal Government was to explore, introduce and implement new models, systems, programs and services to the program offices and divisions who were required by Presidents H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and G.W. Bush to re-engineer, create and install programs and policies that supported public policy and law from the Legislative and Executive Branches. All the work that I and a group of other Federal career employees implemented in Organizational Learning, Learning Leadership and Systems Thinking to improve performance was transferred over to the Public Sector Consortium, Cambridge, MA.
A Professional Executive - Career Coach and Business Owner
After September 11, 2001, I chose to work closer to my home in northern Virginia. I worked as an Executive Coach and Internal Consultant to managers and leadership councils in the Department of Public Works. Unfortunately, my failing eyesight got worse and in 2003, I was declared legally blind. My story about how this event challenged my career and my life is written in my new book, INSPIRED! I am a featured author and my story, Darkness into the Light (Chapter 15) tells the challenges and fear I faced to get my eyesight back enough so i could make my most important career change to Career Coach, business owner, author and public speaker.
To learn more about my life and background you can read my profile on LInkedIn or Google me.
To learn about the benefits of working with me to advance your career from senior manager who wants to move to the executive level or experience professional who wants to move to a higher paying and/or more influential team lead or manager. To learn about what you will experience and how you benefit when you work with me as your Career Advancement Coach.