Few decisions impact your life as much as the one to quit your job. It disrupts family budgeting, collegial relationships and the essential structure of your day. So this is a decision best made with forethought. Before I lay out 5 reasons when it’s time to quit your job, I’ll start with things to consider BEFORE making a move: […]
When clients come to me during a career transition, I often ask them a version of the “genie” question. In other words, if I could wave a magic wand and presto! you could do whatever you want professionally, what would that be? It may take a gentle nudge, but most people come up with an answer – whether it’s a buried dream that’s been gnawing at them since childhood or a more recent yearning. In today’s post, I’m going to provide you with 3 steps to take the seed of a new career idea and make it grow. […]
When clients reach out to me during a career transition, they’ve often lost sight of their talents. Maybe it’s been awhile since they got to use their talents at work, or received much praise for their efforts. Knowing your strengths and being able to concisely articulate them (in person and in writing) are essential to creating your next work opportunity. In my Job Hunter’s Guide to capitalizing on your talents, I’ll put you back in touch with what you’re good at, and show you how to position yourself for future employment. […]
In my version of a perfect world, a person’s value would have nothing to do with their job title. Whether gainfully employed or not, your inherent worth would shine through and be appreciated by everyone. But sometimes the world comes up short. If you find yourself deflated from feeling less valuable than the people around you, it’s time to tackle shame while out of work. […]
To navigate a successful career change, you’ll need to become a good detective. This is particularly important when you’re unsure of what type of work you want to do next. As a detective, you’ll be tracking down leads, gathering facts and examining evidence. What follows is a series of questions to serve as a catalyst for the process. As you go through the list of questions, try not to overthink them. Your first gut response can be the most revealing. During a career change, I know the stakes are high. But allow yourself to have some fun with this. […]
When you’re stuck in an awful job and imagining a brighter future, the idea of being boss of your time may sound blissful. And it could be, at first. But if you’re out of work without any structure, it’s hard to know where to focus. Here are 3 simple ways to give shape to the day, to help land your next job. […]
When I started a media organization as a relative unknown, I needed allies. So I had to reach out to film people with a lot more stature than me. In the beginning, I had just a few connections and hardly any introductions, but I still got a great response rate. And that’s because of how I worded my request. I challenge you to get a meeting with someone who can change your career. Read more for the blueprint of how to do it. […]
I’m not a fan of structured networking events. I fully acknowledge that it’s essential to network for career growth. But the idea of walking into a packed room of strangers wearing name tags makes my stomach churn. (Maybe that’s just me.) And so I avoid it. As with exercise, the best networking regimen is the one you’ll actually do. Here are ways to design a plan to match your disposition and build in benchmarks so that you’ll follow through. […]
If you’re in a career transition, there’s a good chance you’ll need to update your resume. Maybe you’ve done this recently, or maybe you haven’t looked at it for 20 years. Either way, it can feel like a dreaded task. With so much online noise about how to improve your resume, I want to give you an overview of the basics to position yourself for career change success. I’m going to tackle the questions that I get asked the most. But read all the way through. They build to to the final one, which is the key. […]
One of the hardest parts of looking for work is weathering rejection. The piling on of “NO’s” during a job search can feel like one body blow after another. It’s an understandable impulse to want to walk away and stop trying. I learned the hard way that you’ve got to fight that impulse in order to reach your career goals. Though I can’t promise to completely take the sting away, I can offer you a protective shield. Here are 5 empowering strategies to boost your confidence, so you can stay in the game. […]