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.   […]

Are you feeling deflated looking for a job, and experiencing a crisis of confidence? Here’s my number one suggestion to boost your self esteem  – volunteer. It’s a win-win. You’ll be doing good for others and reaping benefits, too.   […]

Starting over in a new career is personal for me. After 20 years in the film industry, I was aging out of the profession, struggling to find work. Despite a focused effort at seeking job opportunities, and making use of a high-profile network of colleagues and friends, I couldn’t get hired. With my sense of self worth seeping into a puddle, it was the most uncomfortable time of my life. Here’s the good news. Being uncomfortable is an essential component to career change, and the more uncomfortable, the better.   […]

Looking for work is a hard job. It takes creativity, focus, resilience and a thick skin. If, along the path, you send out dozens of resumes and barely get an interview, and when you do, you’re not chosen, it can start a spiral of negative thinking that leads to nowhere good. (I know. I’ve been there.) If you’re looking to expand a business, progress often feels fleeting, one step forward, four steps back. The only way to ensure success is to STAY IN THE GAME. But how do you persevere when if feels like no one wants you? Where do you turn for solutions when you’ve hit the wall? Here’s my five-point plan for staying buoyant and refreshed as you chart your career course.   […]

It takes grit to change careers and find a new job that you love. Few people enter this arena for sport. If you’re visiting my blog, you’re likely at a pivotal moment, either because you’ve reached a breaking point in your present job or you’re without employment (and unhappy about it). There’s good news. As uncomfortable as it feels when you’re looking to change jobs (and I have walked hard in those shoes), the fact that you’re reading this means you’re motivated to move forward. Here are 5 steps to turn your motivation into action:   […]

Changing careers can be a vulnerable time. If you didn’t leave a job on your own terms, you might have lingering self doubt. What did I do wrong? Am I good enough? Who will want me? In this state of mind, feeling confident may be a hard mountain to climb, even harder is to promote yourself to others. But to find your next employment, that’s exactly what you’ll need to learn to do. That’s why I’m sharing 3 techniques to get you moving and motivated to shape your employment story, even when you’re not feeling on top of the world.   […]

MY WEEKLY UNPLUG

Every Friday evening, I step away from the computer, switch off the lights in my office and ceremonially mark the end to the work week. For the next 24 hours, I don’t respond to emails or texts related to professional life. I refrain from trying to solve job-related issues (unless there’s a bona fide emergency). This moment of unplugging can feel counterintuitive, especially when the to-do list is endless with problems looming large. But I do it anyway. Trust is part of the point. As critical as this is now when I’m loving my career, it was even more important while I was looking for work and it never seemed like I was doing enough. How can I walk away when there’s so much left to do? Wouldn’t it be more effective to keep powering through?     […]

It’s time to jumpstart your career change. You’ve been out of work for awhile or thinking about leaving a job you don’t like. You’re frustrated and READY to take action, but you’re not sure how to start. This is a moment of real opportunity for finally discovering your purpose. It can also be a time of stress. How will I pay my bills? What’s going to happen to me? Who is going to provide for my family? With money anxiety in the foreground, it might seem frivolous to engage in visioning. But that’s exactly what I suggest you do. Allowing yourself to DREAM and envision a job in which you derive real satisfaction is a crucial first step to making this new career a reality. I have 3 questions that will help jumpstart the process.    […]