Create a Career Plan to Jump Start Your Job Search

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It’s been a crazy 3 years! We just survived a terrible global pandemic and people lost their jobs in unprecedented numbers. Then the jobs came back and people began to quit – the Great Resignation. But even if they didn’t really quit, many experienced a ‘silent quitting’. And now the economy has turned down again – layoffs are happening at companies where you would never have expected them, and we may be going into another recession. Who could have predicted all this a mere few years ago?

But because of all that turmoil, people have finally woken up to the fact that they may have just been allowing their career to follow its own path, without stopping to take stock of whether they really liked what they were doing at all. And that’s a good thing. Because you’d hate to get to the end of your work life, or life, and look back and realize that you should have done much more or something different. You don’t want to finish off with any regrets.

It’s important to understand that you are the only one who is responsible for your career. No one else will take it on, everyone is too worried about their own stuff to have time for yours. Read more

Recruiters & Hiring Managers – 3 Things That Job Searchers Wish You Would Do

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It’s been a tough several years for businesses and the world of work has been upended in any number of different ways.  A lot of things have changed, but sadly in the domain of the job search, some things that should have by now, just haven’t.  I know that recruiters and hiring managers are busy people – you need to get your positions filled quickly and you often get hundreds of applicants for a single posting, especially these days.  As a career coach, I see it from the other side – those unfortunate individuals who, for whatever reason (mostly not their fault) have lost their jobs and are desperately still trying to provide for their families. Or those who are in a toxic work environment (there are still lots of those too) and are trying to get out. And then there are those individuals who are just trying to better themselves, get a promotion or land in a job where they actually might be happy. Read more

4 Ways to Jumpstart your Job Search – Again!

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To say that the last few years have been unusual is an understatement! We went through a terrible global pandemic and people lost their jobs in unprecedented numbers. Then the jobs came back and people began to quit – the Great Resignation. But even if they didn’t really quit, many experienced a ‘silent quitting’. And then the economy turned down again – layoffs are happening at companies where you would never have expected them, and we may be going into another recession. Who could have predicted all this a mere 3 years ago?

But always in crisis there is opportunity and as someone famously said – you’d hate to waste a good crisis! If you were too stressed or busy to take the opportunity 2 years ago, now could be the time to take a fresh look at your job and career prospects, short and long term, before you are forced to. Or maybe now you are already in that tough position of being laid off and have to scramble to react. Read more

2022 Goal Setting – This Year Needs Something Different

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Have you noticed how many unsolicited emails there are in your inbox these days giving you new tips for goal setting? Yup – it’s that time of year alright – even though we may not be ready for it – 2022 is here. So here’s another one for you.

Each year I do a goal setting message with the latest and greatest tips for setting bright and shiny goals for the new year, a clean slate ahead.  Early on, I started with New Year’s Resolutions but after a while it became just goal setting and the process I was talking about each year became simpler and simpler. Because if you make it too complicated, no one is going to do it anyway. However now, after yet another year of stress, ambiguity and uncertainty it almost seems pointless to set goals after what we’ve been through.  But of course, that just makes it the most important thing we can do! It’s one of the few things that we really can control right now, when there’s so much we can’t.  Taking control over something can help us get our life back and maybe even some feeling of that ‘normalcy’ we are all looking for.

After looking at what other people are suggesting, I’m going with simple and ambitious for this new year. I’m following Michael Bungay-Stanier, coach and author, who is coming out with a new book soon called “How To Begin: Start Doing Something That Matters”. And I agree with him when he says you should set a ‘worthy’ goal this year. Read more

Little Pockets of Perfect

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One of the great things about spending the winter in Maui is being able to take my paddleboard out on the ocean and get some exercise in the warm sun.  But even more importantly, to search out turtles, colorful fish, perhaps a monk seal or two and especially to watch for whales.  But the ocean is tricky, one moment it is calm, not a ripple anywhere and the next moment the wind comes up and the surface changes. The waves can get big and it can get quite rough very quickly.  So I am hesitant to go out unless it looks perfect, calm, flat, with no wind.  I want to see clearly down into the depths, just like looking into an aquarium. Days like that however, are few and far between. And even if I start out in calm weather, and it changes in that heartbeat, I don’t ride it out, I am scurrying back to the shore as fast as I can go.  But I quickly realized that you cannot time the ocean (much like life, just when you think the moment is perfect, everything changes) so I finally decided just to go for it anyway. Read more

Returning to the Office – 3 Things Your Employees Might Want You to Think About

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Here we are a year and ½ later since the start of the pandemic and no one ever expected we would still be dealing with pandemic related issues. If you thought you were stressed and burned out a year ago, I can only imagine what you are feeling now!

As leaders I’m sure it has been incredibly difficult to hold it all together with so much uncertainty for so long, a challenging business environment and all the people issues you’ve had to deal with.

Maybe if you (like many) haven’t gotten it totally right this last 18 months, as organizations bring their employees back to the workplace slowly, now may be an opportunity to review and revise your approach and there’s good reason to do so right now.

In 2020, over 40 million people lost their jobs and now all of a sudden we are in the middle of ‘The Great Resignation’, people are looking outside their organizations for new work in record numbers and there are lots of open positions. (In fact 2.7% of the US workforce quit in April 2021, and a survey from Microsoft found that 41% of the global workforce is considering leaving their current employer within the next 12 months.)  Many employees have realized they don’t love what they do and many are not going to put up with it if the environment they find themselves in right now is lacking.  People don’t leave organizations; they leave their managers so there is a lot you as a leader can do to stem this potential tide of resignations.  And it is so much cheaper (and rewarding) to keep an employee than having to recruit and hire a new one, especially if a few little changes in your leadership style might make all the difference for them. Read more

New Year’s Resolutions in Reverse

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2020 is finally (and thankfully!) in our rear view and we have a whole new squeaky-clean year ahead of us once again.  Who would have thought, as we sat down a year ago to put our new year’s plans on paper, that we would have had the year we did?  Not in our wildest dreams.  However, it’s a testament to the human condition to how resilient we all have been, how people were able to pivot, adjust and adapt and make it through one of the worst years ever.  Some better than others of course but here we are, ready to push on to 2021 with a vengeance.

At this time of year, we usually sit down to put goals on paper, striving for even better results.  But some are probably thinking, with all this uncertainty still, what’s the point of setting goals when we really don’t know how things will go this year? Last year’s plans sure didn’t amount to much. Read more

Networking in the time of Covid

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Some people love to network, others do not.  And especially now in the time of Covid, in the middle of a worldwide pandemic, people are worried that it might not be ‘appropriate’ to network, especially if you are looking for a job, or want to pivot your career.  But if you think about it, the worst thing you can do if you have not talked to someone for a long time and now need a favor, is to reach out in the guise of asking how they are doing, and then ask for something for yourself, instead.  People will see right through you.  So for that reason alone, it is critical to network on an ongoing basis, no matter what is going on in your life, and how hard you think it might be.

Most people equate ‘networking’ to sticking a name tag on your jacket and bravely entering a room of strangers. And while we can’t do that anymore anyway (silver lining!) networking is really more about building meaningful relationships, about serving people and earning their trust and respect. Because humans are social beings, and I think we’ve discovered now more than ever, that we need to feel deeply connected to others to thrive. We want to be seen & heard by others, so essentially ‘connecting’ is vital for our overall wellbeing.  And connections start with communication which is what networking is all about. Read more

10 Point Job Search Checklist

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Well here we are 4 months into the pandemic and unfortunately no end in sight! While it has been a tough time for all, my heart especially goes out to those who have lost their jobs during this difficult time. So I’ve created a quick checklist for those of you who may be struggling, wondering why you haven’t found anything yet, or just want to be sure you are on the right track.  This checklist can also be used for those who may want to take the opportunity to pivot to something new.  After all, I think it’s been made pretty obvious lately that life is too short to waste doing something you don’t love! Read more

4 Ways to Jumpstart your Job Search

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A few months ago, the economy was going strong and there were tons of job openings. You may have been contemplating a job or career change or were perfectly happy with what you were doing. And then everything changed in the blink of an eye. Who could have predicted the scenario we now find ourselves in worldwide, or the fact that millions of people have suddenly lost their jobs? It is a tough time for everyone having to deal with this pandemic and my heart especially goes out to those who now don’t have a job as well.

But always in crisis there is opportunity and while hard to think of it that way, now could be a time to take a fresh look at your job and career prospects, short and long term. Consider taking a consistent combination of focused actions every day to do this. Think of it as a journey and you’re taking incremental steps each and every day to get to your destination. There will be hurdles and roadblocks, but you will overcome them.

Whether you need a new job just like you had before, or wish to change or pivot to something different, here are 4 steps you can implement now to get going on that journey: Read more