Category Archives: Career Success

Boomers Find Real Satisfaction in Encore Careers

As a Career Coach, I work with many seasoned professionals who are looking to reinvent themselves with a new career. Some are looking for more job satisfaction, while others are changing careers out of necessity as opportunities in their current field are dwindling. One of the best things about today’s resume is that it is a forward-facing marketing document – not an autobiography. I can highlight my clients’ transferrable skills and show potential employers how their experience will enable the jobseeker to be successful in this new role.

One roadblock to career reinvention has been employers’ reluctance to take a chance on an employee who does not have proven success in the same field. Current training can help, but I have recently discovered a better way for mid-career professionals to migrate to a new field! Continue reading →

Your Resume is a Valuable Marketing Tool

Welcome to Part I of my summer 2015 blog series on what it takes to conduct a successful job search in today’s competitive job market. I know it can be frustrating, so each week I will offer insight on another piece of the job search puzzle. This week, the all-important resume.

There is no denying that a strong resume is key to a successful job search, but it takes more than a professional-looking document to land a job today. Rather than your autobiography, your resume is a forward-facing marketing document that needs to position you for that next job. Employers are not looking for a jack-of-all-trades; they are looking for a Continue reading →

Is A Good Handshake A Lost Art?

We all know that first impressions are important, right? Well, don’t blow it with something as simple as a wimpy handshake. A good handshake is a key factor to how you are perceived as a jobseeker– it sets the tone for the rest of the interview. A bone-crushing grasp can make you look too aggressive or desperate, while a limp handshake can make you appear weak and ineffectual. This is especially important for women. Do not shake hands as though you have no bones in your hand. Forget about possibly chipping your nails (which is a HUGE turn off for a hiring manager). Offer the firm handshake of a confident person. And men, please do not be afraid to shake a woman’s hand. She will not break!

The key to the perfect handshake? Continue reading →

University Career Centers Offer Valuable Assistance

As most of my blog followers know, in addition to working with private clients as a career coach and professional resume writer through The Resume Resource, I also serve as Assistant Director of the Center for Internships and Career Development at Eastern Connecticut State University. Between these two roles, I work with a wide range of people helping them to identify their ideal career path and develop the tools, strategies and confidence to achieve their career goals.

Over the last few months, I have been approached by quite a few parents of new college grads looking for resume and job search assistance for their children. In most cases, these alumni have graduated from expensive private colleges, and despite the fact that the family has paid well over $150K in tuition over the 4 years, Continue reading →

Your Skills Alone Will Not Win You The Job

To win a job offer today, you must set yourself apart from your competition. What do you offer the employer that the other candidates do not? Odds are, you have similar educational backgrounds and work experience. Employers are looking for more. They want employees who have the determination to succeed, get along well with others and are well rounded. It is not a matter of GPA or test scores. Employers want to build teams of dedicated employees who they trust, and want to be around. Face it – we spend more time with our colleagues than we do our family and friends. Your likability is important. Continue reading →

The MBTI Assessment Can Help You Find Career Success

I am pleased to announce that I have completed CPP’s MBTI^® training program, and am now a Certified MBTI^® Practitioner! The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator^® is a great tool to help individuals understand the many facets of their personality. This information provides valuable insight into our natural strengths and abilities, which correlates directly to career satisfaction and success. In addition to career-development purposes, the understanding you gain from the interpretation of your MBTI results can benefit you in your interpersonal relationships. MBTI certified practitioner

The MBTI^® tool was developed by Isabel Briggs Myers and Katharine Briggs to help interpret Carl Jung’s theory of psychological types. It has been used for more than 60 years across the globe to help people become more satisfied and successful in their careers.

The results can help you: Continue reading →

The College Grad’s Key to Career Success: Interning

Competition for jobs is at an all-time high, with nearly 54% of bachelor’s degree holders under the age of 25 jobless or underemployed in 2013. An internship gives a new college graduate an advantage over those who have not gained real world experience in their field.

College students should not wait until senior year of college to intern. Completing more than one internship and starting earlier in their college career, students can learn about the everyday duties of various jobs, which can help them determine which career they want to pursue. If they do not like their first internship position, they would have time to experiment with other internships.

Interning benefits the future employer as well. Many employers see a student who has completed an internship as a more serious job candidate. Companies are more confident hiring a recent grad who has experience in the field and has already assimilated into the corporate culture. Continue reading →

Volunteer Work Can Counteract Discrimination Against Long-Term Unemployment

Research by the University of Toronto, McGill University and the University of Chicago indicates that applicants who had been out of work for 8 months had 45% fewer callbacks from employers. A study from MIT found that someone unemployed for 1 month would typically win 1 interview for every 10 job applications, while someone out of work for 7 months has to send 35 resumes to get just 1 interview. Not only is this wrong – it can be very demoralizing for those who have been in an extended job search. Continue reading →

Don’t Abandon Your Job Search During the Holidays!

If you are in the process of searching for your next job, keep your momentum going during the holidays. A few advantages of a holiday-season job search?

– More access to hiring managers – As many gatekeepers are on vacation, your odds of reaching the decision makers increase. Many executives actually answer their own phones when their assistants are out of the office. Continue reading →

What Is Your Resume Saying About You?

Your resume says a lot more to a prospective employer than just conveying your work history, skills and qualifications. Because they do not know you, hiring managers and recruiters judge you completely by your resume. If it is not winning you interviews, your resume might be sabotaging your job search efforts. Continue reading →

Psychological Profile Tied to Career Happiness?

Designed for hiring managers and human resource professionals, Software Advice’s New Talent Times blog shares strategies for building and managing today’s workforce. Knowledge is power. The same information that guides companies’ hiring decisions can help jobseekers sell themselves to hiring managers and target their ideal roles.

The Psychological Profiles of the Dream Team series analyzes 4 types of top performers: The Giver, the Champ, the Savant and the Matrix Thinker. They explain how these individuals tend to function in the workplace, the roles in which they excel and ones for which they are least suited.

Being in the right role is important to your overall career success. In the wrong role, an individual is typically not performing optimally which can result in a low level of satisfaction for both the worker and the manager. We all deserve to be happy in our career. Finding the best role for you is the first step.

According to these guidelines, where do you fall? Continue reading →

Overcoming Age Discrimination in the Job Search – Part II

I have heard from many of my baby boomer job-seeking clients that they have experienced age discrimination in today’s competitive job market. I wish that were not the case, but I am glad to share that there are effective techniques to overcome this challenge. Primarily, you want to focus on the value you offer an employer. You want the hiring manager to see you as a valuable skillset that would enhance their team.

The last thing you want the reader to do is question your age as they read your resume. To make your resume age-neutral: Continue reading →

Overcoming Age Discrimination in the Job Search – Part I

As a career coach, I work with fresh college graduates looking to launch their professional career as well as baby boomers looking for a satisfying second career. While they have different obstacles – they have the same goal: they need to make their resumes “age-neutral” and convince the hiring manager that they are the ideal candidate for the job. Jobseekers with little experience need to sell themselves on their potential while more mature workers need to show they still have a lot to offer an employer. There are effective strategies for each to overcome age discrimination in the job search. This week I’ll offer a few tips for the new graduates, next week I will address the boomers.

New college graduates and other Millennials need to show prospective employers that they have transitioned from “college kid” to “young professional”. Continue reading →

The Millennials Are Right!

Boomers can learn a lot from Millennials. As a generation, many of us Baby Boomers have never managed our careers with intention. Rather than identifying careers that aligned with our passions, many of us moved from job to job as the opportunities presented themselves. Now, in our 50’s and 60’s, we are looking for careers that provide us with the opportunity to do meaningful work. Whether precipitated by a layoff, stress-induced health issues or dwindling prospects in our field, many of us are considering job satisfaction for the first time. What do we really want to do next?

Continue reading →

5 Ways A Young Professional Can Succeed in the Corporate World

By Lauren Piccini

helping young professionals succeed at wrok

Joining a corporate office for the first time can be intimidating. You are viewed as the “new kid” for months, or at least until another new employee is hired. Don’t let this derail your confidence level; your employer hired you because he or she knew you would add value to the company. Succeeding in the corporate world is a game, and you can win it by using these 5 strategies:

Tip 1.

Be mindful of your actions. Always show people your most confident side and don’t discount your ideas. Stand up for yourself.

Mistakes to avoid:

Polling before making a decision
Sharing too much personal information
Needing to be liked
Being overly concerned with offending others

Tip 2.

Keep a success-oriented mindset. Being new to a company can be overwhelming, but never lose your confidence in yourself. You are great at what you do, that is why you are there. Take advantage of the possibilities your company can offer.

Mistakes to avoid:

Setting high, unrealistic standards for yourself
Limiting your possibilities
Talking yourself out of a promotion you know you deserve
Abandoning your career goals
Refusing perks

Tip 3.

Brand and market yourself as if you are the boss. After all, their position is the one you ultimately want to have, right?

Mistakes to avoid:

Minimizing your work or position
Waiting to be noticed
Being modest about your accomplishments
Staying in your comfort zone
Giving away your ideas

Tip 4.

When speaking among your colleagues, show them that have transitioned from a college graduate to a young professional by being mindful of your tone. Always be confident that what you are saying holds value, and it will.

Mistakes to avoid:

Second guessing yourself
Asking for permission
Apologizing for your beliefs
Failing to pause or reflect before answering questions

Tip 5.

Your response to actions occurring around the office and feedback received from colleagues shows a lot about your character and work ethic. Although negative feedback is criticism, taking it constructively can only help you grow.

Mistakes to avoid:

Internalizing messages
Tolerating inappropriate behavior
Biding your time instead of taking action
Putting the needs of others before your own

The keys to corporate success mostly revolve around knowing your worth and the value you deliver to your employer. Recognizing this power statement can only bring you great success and happiness. Good luck!

Lauren Piccini is a writer and blogger who helps business owners increase their brand awareness through social media. She is a recent grad with a degree in English from the University of Connecticut whose first work was published within six months of graduation. www.LaurenPiccini.com