Whether you’re embarking on your first job search or transitioning to a new career, an important goal is to identify and pursue meaningful work. What is viewed as meaningful, however, can change throughout the course of your career. There are two questions that trouble all generations in the workforce, from the Gen Y novice to the transitioning Baby Boomer:
What should I be when I grow up?
What should I do next with my career and life?
Career assessments are a great tool for all job seekers to use to a… Read More >
The lure of an expertly crafted resume and a charismatic candidate can be an appealing hook. Unfortunately, that draw may lead to a poor choice. While the candidate may appear to have the skills and knowledge for the position, they may lack the unique competencies required to be a strong contributor to the long-term, overall performance of your organization.
For decades the job description has been the norm for detailing the tasks, duties and responsibilities of a position. In many organizations, little attention has typically been given in determining the … Read More >
The excitement of starting a new position, especially after a hard fought job search, is exhilarating. To assure long-lasting job satisfaction, it's important to have a clear and well-articulated view of your ideal opportunity prior to starting your search.
In our last blog, we discussed the value of a focused and targeted job search and now you now have a job offer - … Read More >
Searching for a new job, whether your career transition is planned or unexpected, often seems like a monumental task. It’s tempting to jump right in and send out as many resumes as possible. Slowing down and organizing yourself is a critical first step and taking the time to target your job search makes the seemingly overwhelming task manageable.
As a first step, identify the characteristics of an organization that are important to you in your next role. Defining these criteria helps to narrow the list of possible companies and create your targets.… Read More >
When I left the office for lunch on Monday, I noticed a light on my car warning me that the tire was low. It was a warm day and I thought it was simply caused by the temperature change.
Have you ever missed the warning signs?
When I left at the end of the day, I noticed the light again and thought I ought to stop and add some air. As I drove my mind went to other things until I felt the car start to pull. By the time I decided to check it out, it was flat. “Maybe I can just go a little further before I put some air in it… Read More >
I used to do a lot of backpacking when I was younger and I’ve noticed that there are a lot of similarities between climbing a mountain and climbing the career “mountain.”
Our career, like climbing a mountain, is a journey for which we must prepare. We must pack our backpacks with the right tools for the trip if we want to get to the top. We must put the right things in the right pockets and ditch the things that just weigh us down. It’s about gathering and sorting the tools that are important in helping us along the way. So how… Read More >
A key part of my role as a career and change strategist is listening. Yes, I speak too and some may argue I do so too much! But hey, I have so much wisdom to impart, right? 
Seriously, a key requirement to success in my role is to listen - carefully, actively, and encouragingly.
The key word here is actively. This means I am not thinking about my next client, my meal tonight, or how the basketball finals are playing out. I’m not even … Read More >
The title of this blog is also the title of a great article by Emily Esfahani Smith, published in The Atlantic in January 2013. It has provoked great conversations between people with very differing views.
The article spotlights the writings of Viktor Frankl, the Jewish psychiatrist and neurologist who spent 3 years in a Nazi prison camp. Frankl’s belief and the premise of the article is this: what matters most in life is having meaning and purpose, … Read More >
At some point, most organizations realize that there is no shortage of applicants for the positions they need to fill; but rather a shortage of the specific skills and capabilities they need to grow their business. Good talent is still hard to find and even harder to place in the right roles for growth in the organization.
The problem of finding, selecting, and developing good talent has only been exacerbated over these past few years as unemployment rates have hovered at historically high levels. The result has been an overwhelming number of candidates in the j… Read More >
The GOOD news is that there is no shortage of assessments for the workplace – we have cultural, 360°, personality, competency, leadership, and team assessments, to name a few. The list goes on and on. Assessments can be a cost-effective way to improve your selection processes, enhance leadership development, and help create dynamic and positive discussions about commonalities and differences between peopl… Read More >
