What My Five Careers Have Taught Me Top 10 Lessons of Career Reinvention - Kathy Caprino

What My Five Careers Have Taught Me Top 10 Lessons of Career Reinvention I’ve significantly revised my career numerous times over my 25 years of working, and each time, I’ve learned some powerful, surprising lessons about myself, my capabilities, perceptions, misconceptions, and about what it takes for me to attain what I want. Each career shift led me down a new path, and often, the destination wasn’t at all what I’d hoped or planned.   Huge mistakes were made, certainly, but what I’ve learned has been of great value and utility, allowing me to focus ever more closely on what matters to me. As I examine my trajectory, my career paths have involved the following fields, industries, and skills (or a combination of these): Copywriting and marketing â€" in scientific publishing New product development and market research â€" in book clubs, publishing and membership services Marketing â€" professional book clubs Product Management â€"  in consumer membership services Marriage and Family Therapy Life/Career Coaching Entrepreneurship Women’s Career/Executive Coaching Writing, Speaking Marketing Consulting for Entrepreneurs Executive Recruiting In remembering who I was as a youngster and young adult, and all the endeavors I loved throughout my life and the roles I’ve assumed, I can now see core, recurring themes about who I am and what I love to do,  including: Understanding human behavior Helping address people’s needs Serving as a empathic listener Discovering and testing new models and creating new solutions Transforming chaos into order Identifying compelling messages/benefits and finding well-matched receivers of those products/benefits Communicating through writing, speaking and performing Using positive thinking and positivity models to be of help Connecting people with endeavors they thrive at Supporting people through dramatic change I’ve marveled at how my deepest values, preferences, and interests have remained almost unchanged since I was a child, and I’ve seen this same phenomenon in hundreds of folks I’ve coached. The key lesson I’ve learned through my career reinventions is thisâ€" what you loved as a child and young person you most likely still love.   And the key to having a fulfilling professional life is to find the right form in which to honor the essence of who you are and what you love. As one of my favorite authors, Maria Nemeth, of The Energy of Money says, we’re all happiest when we’re giving form to our Life Intentions in ways that support our lives and help the world.  So what have my numerous careers taught me?   Here are my top 10 lessons: 1)           Starting over as a beginner is a refreshing, and empowering step that keeps you engaged and enlivened 2)           Being a non-expert reconnects you to your humility 3)           You need a great deal of help from others to be who you want to be 4)            You have core skills and talents that long to be utilized in this lifetime (and you’ll be sick and sad if you deny them) 5)           If you’re doing something you love, but the form of it doesn’t fit your life needs and priorities, you’ll suffer 6)           You can’t hurry love â€" you won’t succeed if you’re in a desperate rush to be great at something you love 7)           Applying yourself to something new reaffirms your courage, gifts and weaknesses, and what you need to heal in yourself 8)           There is absolutely no security or stability except in what you feel inside of yourself 9)           There is no perfect career â€" there’s only the perfectly imperfect journey of applying yourself to something you love and value 10)     Embracing a new professional identity changes you because of the new realities you create (which is completely different from dreaming about it from the outside, for all eternity) I remember being moved after reading this beautiful passage from Viktor Frankl’s powerful book, Man’s Search for Meaning, (a MUST-read book for everyone), and it has stuck with me all these years: “…The person who attacks the problems of life actively is like a man who removes each successive leaf from his calendar and files it neatly and carefully away with its predecessors, after first having jotted down a few diary notes on the back. He can reflect with pride and joy on all the richness set down in these notes, on all the life he has already lived to the fullest.   What will it matter to him if he notices that he is growing old? Has he any reason to envy the young people he sees, or wax nostalgic over his own lost youth? What reasons has he to envy a young person?   For the possibilities the young person has, the future which is in store for him? “No thank you,” he will think. “Instead of possibilities, I have realities in my past, not only the reality of work done and of love loved, but of sufferings bravely suffered.   These sufferings are even the things of which I’m most proud, though these are things which cannot inspire envy.” In the end, it’s about living life to the fullest.   If finding new work is something you dream of, all I can say to you is, “Do it.” What new work do you dream about doing?   Do you have the courage to make that dream a reality?

Career Transitions Tip #3 To Get You On the Path to Success in Your Transition - Hallie Crawford

Career Transitions Tip #3 To Get You On the Path to Success in Your Transition Continuing the career transition tips from last week #3. Learn to overcome obstacles. This may seem obvious, of course we need to overcome obstacles in our way to make any change happen career or otherwise. But sometimes its easier said than done. Ive discovered through working with clients that you have to be really committed to overcoming obstacles. It cant just be lip-service. Because what can happen is this an obstacle pops up in your way and you start to get frustrated, angry or even worried. This is understandable and you have to commit to getting past those worries or negative that pop up when you encounter an obstacle. Otherwise, they are going to hold you back and you will remain stuck. To be successful in changing career paths, you need to learn to overcome obstacles you will encounter along the way. The obstacles I see time and time again for people wanting to make a career change are: not knowing what to look for in a job (so they take one that is “good enough” that they don’t truly enjoy) and negative beliefsnot believing they can successfully make the change. With practice, you can retrain your mind to see past perceived limitations, which are only a figment of your imagination anyway! With sufficient self-exploration, you will be able to pinpoint the exact qualities of the ideal career for you and even the characteristics that you dont want in a career. (https://www.halliecrawford.com/careercontrastlist.html) The people I know who are successful in finding a career they love and making the career change, are not people who avoided failure or didnt have obstacles but people who knew how to overcome a failure or an obstacle. Theres an important difference. All of this is much easier to worl through with a coach. If you need help, you know where to find me. Hallie,Career Path Related Links:Feel Better NowTips for Choosing a More Fulfilling Career Path

The Start of How to Write a Strong Resume

The Start of How to Write a Strong Resume What to Expect From How to Write a Strong Resume? When you're asking for a particular position, it is better to compose a resume that includes a resume objective at the very top of the very first page. Writing an engineering resume can be a complicated procedure, but among the best things that you can do is work your most relevant skills into the purpose statement at the peak of your document. There's not anything wrong with having multiple diverse resumes and utilizing the very best application for the position. As a job seeker you're intimately involved in your search, so much so that it's hard to have a step back and compose a resume that's marketable. A strong resume is the most essential tool someone can have when browsing for their perfect job. Based on the career, it may be necessary for the person to first gain professional experience before she can be eligible for a higher degree of education. Now the focus is on making use of a career summary to assist to your entry-level job search. The How to Write a Strong Resume Game Writing a strong resume is the very best approach to reach out to an expected employer before it's possible to earn a physical impression. Resume writing services have matured over the last few years and been sliced in two categories. Since resume fraud is on the increase, employers are taking considerably more care in verifying information, and it's becoming more and more tricky to mislead them. Basic resumes typically have an extremely classic and classic tone. Don't forget to customize each Sample Resume objectives for each and every position you're applying for. Zety's resume templates are made with the aid of recruiters and stick to the best practices in HR. Your resume ought to be full of impact words. Chronological resumes are the ideal place to highlight your accomplishments.

The Little-Known Secrets to Technical Writing Skill on Resume

The Little-Known Secrets to Technical Writing Skill on Resume The writing has to be purposeful and can be utilized in all content areas. By way of example, having the ability to prepare a strong summary is a skill that's extremely handy for briefing senior managers. The perfect way to create decent expression skills is via writing short passages with just a couple lines of thought so you do not tend to go lost or diverted. A particular elegance, fluidity, and grace in the building of a sentence is among the hallmarks of an excellent writer in all fields. A Startling Fact about Technical Writing Skill on Resume Uncovered A very simple definition of academic writing is tricky to find because it refers to writing done for a number of reasons. Students frequently find it difficult to compose a bit of writing since they don't know the ideal words, they don't know the most suitable grammar or they aren't great at composing and organizing. Psychological Factors Writing involves kno wledge of the author and its goal. Getting the Best Technical Writing Skill on Resume The writing activities ought to be geared to their requirements and interests. A fantastic direction of developing the language skills is to earn a custom of learning a couple of new words each day and then using them in your normal communication verbal in addition to written. Since you may guess that's not a functional process for manifesting our dreams. It's pretty hard to call it a day for those housewives whenever there are endless responsibilities to accomplish. The War Against Technical Writing Skill on Resume In reality, the capacity to use figurative language successfully is among the absolute most productive tools in a writer's skill collection. Very good writing skills are a part of the communication domain. Business writing includes a wide selection of distinct formats and writing jobs. Read More Using Figurative Language Learning how to use figurative language is a significant step in creating a mature and rich writing style. New Ideas Into Technical Writing Skill on Resume Never Before Revealed From official communication and private letters to technical reports and company documents, writing skills can be a valuable part of a company career. You, naturally, develop and posses a greater degree of grammatical skill than mere literacy requires. Fantastic writing skills are critical for effective communication. They can be developed in various ways, as long as you stay determined. Technical Writing Skill on Resume - What Is It? In general, the book is quite inspiring. Enhancing your business writing doesn't need to be hard. Writing systems develop and change depending on the requirements of the folks using them. Understanding Technical Writing Skill on Resume At times you can identify words without having the ability to construct much meaning from them. Compositional skill is the capability to organize words to create a result.

How to stay focused at work during the holidays

How to stay focused at work during the holidaysEvery year, as the weather gets colder and holiday shopping ads departure appearing on TV (though admittedly those start showing up around Labor Day now), even the fruchtwein diligent and focused employees find their attention wandering a bit. Theres a lot going ontravel plans, potluck food appearing like magic in the office, everyone feeling a little more festive and socialand the daily grind can get lost in all of that. So how do you keep on top of your actual job, despite holiday disruptions? googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) Be prepared to shut out distractions.This doesnt mean you have to hunch over your desk like Ebenezer Scrooge, frowning disapprovingly at your cheerful slacker colleagues. It just means finding ways to keep your own attention focused on the daily tasks you need to accomplish. For some, that means wearing noise-canceling headphones while working on a project or platzdeck chenting blocks of head down time where you dont allow yourself to be distracted by things like online shopping, social media, or extracurricular conversations with coworkers. Its time to be honest with yourself and figure out what works best at keeping you on-task. If that means setting calendar reminders for everything, do it. If it involves using an app to keep you from wandering to particular distracting websites, go for it.Try to avoid multitasking, because that can lead toflexible attention span. If youre giving all of your effort to a particular task, youre more likely to get it done. Even if youre usually an A+ multitasker, try to limit the number of things youre doing at once.Lean in to (some of) the distractions.This may seem counterintuitive to 1, but its also important to embrace the non-work stuff as part of your day. Its far more realistic to plan for small bursts of non-work activity than to think youll be able to shut it out completely. Be koranvers to schedule some breaks when you can check those flight prices or stop and grab a cookie with a colleague. If you start making the down time part of your workday (in small chunks), itll be easier to move from holiday mode back to work beast mode. Moderation is key hereits not an hour of work, hour of goofing off proposition. Think of it as more like a standard coffee break, but instead youre taking a few minutes to check out your Facebook friends pets in various holiday sweaters.Come up with a rest of year plan.Chances are, your workload has a combination of things that will need to be accomplished either now or in the near future, and things that can reasonably wait until January. Its time to sit down and make a comprehensive list of must-dos, should-dos, and can-do-laters. Your to-do list should be realistic and have milestones/deadlines included wherever possible so that you can plan your time. If you need to, talk through your end of year priorities with your boss to make sure youre hitting ever ything you need to do before everyone checks out. This has the added benefit of showing your boss how organized and driven you are, even as everyone else might already be starting to slip a little.While youre making the list, also make note of what youll need from other people. This time of year people can be in and out of the office, so if theres something important that youll need from Andy by mid-December, start thinking (and talking) about it now in case Andys planning on taking time off. If youve waited until the last minute and then youre faced with Andys Bye, see you next year Out of Office message, its too late.Reset your work-life boundaries.Setting a clear line between your work day and your personal time can help you stay focused at work if you know you can get all the fun stuff or personal logistics accomplished later. If youre usually a stay late kind of person, start leaving at a set time every day. If youre usually a wander in a little late in the morning kind of pers on, start putting in extra effort to get to work on time. And whenever possible, you should avoid taking work homeinstead, set a realistic workload and to-do list for the official workday. That way, family/friend/personal time gets its own spotlight in your day, separate from work, and youll feel less inclined to catch up on the outside stuff while youre at work.Dont forget to take care of yourself.The time leading up to the holidays can often take a physical toll as well, if youre indulging in special food, more drinks than usual, and/or later bedtimes to account for social activities. All of those can set you up for failure at work and make you feel lousy, so try to set up some extra healthy habits to compensate this time of year.Take short walks and exercise breaks instead of coffee breaks.Stay hydrated (and not with egg nog).Practice some desk yoga.Aim for half an hour more sleep.Bring a healthy lunch so you can sneak in some extra calories later.These can all help you feel bett er during the workday and more ready to devote your time and mental sharpness to accomplishing what needs to be done.No matter what the distractions are between Thanksgiving and the New Year, staying organized is not a lost cause. Its all about being realistic and developing some extra coping mechanisms to defeat those its the holidays, woo impulses and stay productive. Fully embrace the good cheer of the seasonjust make sure its on your to-do list, next to all the other things you want to get done.

I Turned Down a Candidate Because of Their Social Media These are the Mistakes They Made

I Turned Down a Candidate Because of Their Social Media These are the Mistakes They Made Before Vicki Morris was the CEO of Face to Face Marketing, she worked for abedrngnisherbei company as their social media and PR manager. Morris was responsible for interviewing and hiring new employees to join the companys social team. She found one candidate that felt like she would be a promising, based on her resume.A few days before the interview, Morris decided to look up the applicant on Facebook and Instagram.She had a huge following, which I thought would be an asset for the position, Morris said.As Morris began looking at the candidates posts, she found several nude photos of the eignung hire from a planned photo shoot. She also noticed profanity used in the captions. While certain body parts had been blocked out in the photos, Morris realized that the candidate did not have an image that would be a fit to represent the family-friendly business.Our social media posts often highlighted t eam members, so we could not risk a potential client finding this information on social platforms about one of our employees, Morris says. That would be a potentially huge credibility hit to the company.In 2018, a survey from CareerBuilder revealed that seven in 10 employers research job candidates via their social media platforms. More than half of these employers have also found content on these accounts that prevented them from hiring the candidate.What can candidates applying for jobs do to clean up their social accounts? Quickly tackle these areas first so your online brand is reflected in the best possible light.1. Put yourself in their shoes.Put yourself into a potential employers shoes when posting on social media platforms. What would they think if they saw you getting into arguments with other users on Twitter or blogging about how your boss is the worst on Tumblr? Its time to put a cap on negative online rants. Think before you post and imagine how a future employer might perceive this content out of context. You may even consider KonMari-ing certain accounts and mass deleting old posts that are no longer representative of the person you are today.2. Change your privacy settings.One of the fastest ways to clean up your social accounts according to Laura Handrick, Senior Careers and Workplace Analyst at Fit Small Business, is to change who has access to your accounts. Ideally, everyone should not be able to access your photos and posts.Ask yourself what kind of social media account settings can I change that will limit the general public from viewing content and photos on my account?, Handrick says.3. Hit refresh on profile photos, background photos, and descriptions.Are you half naked in your Instagram profile photo? Is your background transparent photo on Facebook taken at a party? Does your Twitter bio include risqu song lyrics or vulgar words? Handrick advises quickly overhauling all of these potential liabilities on your social accounts.The simp lest way to switch everything out is to make your replacement photos benign photos. For example, Handrick says you can use images with you with family members, pets or taken on vacation.Its likely that a hiring manager will take only a quick glance at these images, rather than looking for and scrolling through all your posts going back to your college partying days, Handrick says.4. Make 30-year social media posting decisions.What does this mean? Morris says to ask yourself if what you post today on social accounts is something youll be proud of if you saw it 30 years later. If yes, go for it. If no, its not worth posting.Morris also notes that its very possible that controversial social media posts, if not deleted or secured through privacy settings, may be brought up during a job interview. If this happens, Morris advises that candidates do not lie about what they have posted in the past. Instead, be honest and acknowledge that you did share this content. Then, tell the interviewe r what youre doing (or have already done) to clean up the pages. This shows youre being proactive about your social footprint and are working to establish good character on and offline.

Learn how to Handle Distracting Coworkers

Learn how to Handle Distracting Coworkers Whether you are trying to keep up with your growing pile of paper work, make a few contacts over the phone, or simply take a quiet break at your desk, sometimes it seems there is always a face hovering over your cubicle wall wanting to chat, gossip, or otherwise distract you from you need to, or rather would be doing. Going to work can often seem like an affair of endless socializing at the expense of productivity and time for personal reflection. Fortunately, there are ways to politely mitigate the effects of chatty coworkers in order to create a more relaxing and hospitable work environment. One way to potentially scare of the less assertive (read intrusive) of the coworker bunch is simply to wear a pair of headphones. Whether or not you are actually listening to music, the perception of you in your own world may aid in adding a subtle Do notlage Distur b sign to your cubicle wall. For the purposes of ridding yourself of unwanted visitors, it is probably more useful to wear highly visible (though not necessarily bulky) headphones so that you are more obvious. Earbuds may be easily overlooked, or even ignored, by anyone seeking your attention.If your workplace doesnt allow for even the appearance of listening to music at your desk, or youd just prefer not to wear a pair of headphones all day, you may want to consider developing a few trigger phrases or conversation traps to end coworker interactions through the use of languageDuring particularly busy times, let the intruder know that you are pleased that they stopped because it has given you the opportunity to ask him or her to help you catch up on tasks that you wouldnt otherwise complete due to your increased workload. Cash in a favor and send them away with work to do. Not only can this potentially help you achieve more work but also sends a message that if a coworker wishes to i nterrupt you during peak hours they can expect to be solicited for help.Focus your conversation topics on subjects that you know your coworker knows little about or dislikes. While you may still be stuck participating in a conversation, there is a good option that it will be much more brief than if you engaged your colleague in a topic that he or she loves.In a similar vein, explicitly state to your coworker that you are not interested in whatever it is that he or she is talking about. This is sure to shorten the conversation because it will devolve into a one-sided conversation of explaining why the initial conversation topic is interesting to begin with. And odds are that after enough attempts at conversing with an uninterested person, he or she will look elsewhere to find two-sided conversations.If the passive-aggressive nature of these strategies is too much of a turn off for your personality, you can always simply be up front with your desire to be left alone. Being assertive d oesnt require that you be rude or mean. Its just a matter of remaining calm, composed, and polite while you explain to the person that it is important that you be left alone to focus on your work.