Translate Your Resume: Show How You Make a Difference

To all my scientist, engineering and IT people – your resume needs translation! Your CV needs to showcase how your work makes a difference! No longer will just a list of technical qualifications be enough. If you want to take your passion to the next level, do you know what that next level is?  IsContinue reading “Translate Your Resume: Show How You Make a Difference”

Coasting Through Your Career?

Do you have more days at work when you are bored than engaged?  Are you counting the days until the next big thing will be over?  What have you done to jump-start your career lately? Check your career map. Oh, you don’t have one?  What happened to that plan you drafted, the professional development planContinue reading “Coasting Through Your Career?”

You just had a Career Conversation

Were you paying attention? Not all career conversations are directly about you and getting ahead.  Getting personal feedback is great, but it is only one aspect of career conversations. Career Conversations come from many sources, not just bosses and mentors. They may be hiding in meetings and other conversations. If you just had a hallwayContinue reading “You just had a Career Conversation”

Career Conversations, part 4 – Raise Your Hand

One of the most effective career conversation you can have is asking to do something for your boss. When my boss was sharing some of the company’s plans for re-structuring, we could see that there was a big piece missing (aka “opportunity”) in managing the transition. Turf protection was high and we knew that gettingContinue reading “Career Conversations, part 4 – Raise Your Hand”

5T Approach for Career Conversations

In my March blog, I gave you 9 tips for starting career conversations.  Some of the most important career enhancing conversations are about getting meaningful feedback – observations of the impact of what you’re doing both successfully and things that could be done better. Do others share the same opinion of you and your workContinue reading “5T Approach for Career Conversations”

Update Your References This Month

A few months ago I posted some tips on the Care and Feeding of Your References and this month here are some more tips to get past your procrastination. May 4-8 is Update your References Week. References are people that vouch for your work. Your boss is a key person, but not the only one.Continue reading “Update Your References This Month”

Mid-Level Contentment – Is There a Problem?

“I love my job. I’m excited to get up and come to work every morning! Yet, I’m being pressure to move into management. I’ve taken the management courses and don’t want to do the administrative chores required in those roles. What should I do?” Career management is a continuous cycle of assessment, exploration, planning andContinue reading “Mid-Level Contentment – Is There a Problem?”

Strategies for Extended Unemployment

What are they thinking?! Why are companies shunning people who have been out of work six months or more? Unemployment biases stem from employers desire to avoid making hiring mistakes. This avoidance leads to making assumptions that may or may not be based in fact. Four assumptions I’ve heard are: “If others don’t hire you,Continue reading “Strategies for Extended Unemployment”

Accomplishments: Meaning in the Mundane

The key to every self-performance appraisal, resume,and interview  is capturing our accomplishments.  Many of us don’t feel we have any because we just come in and do our jobs.  Others of us believe that our good work will get noticed by others and we don’t have to remind them. We are carefully taught not toContinue reading “Accomplishments: Meaning in the Mundane”

Key Job Search Strategy – Volunteer!

The  Corporation for National and Community Service  has released new research,“Volunteering as a Pathway to Employment,” which provides the most compelling empirical research to date establishing an association between volunteering and employment in the United States. The results of this study suggest a statistically significant and highly stable association between volunteering and employment.  Volunteers haveContinue reading “Key Job Search Strategy – Volunteer!”