Tag Archives: career success

What Does a Career Coach Actually Do?

Do I need a career coach? Where do they fit into my job search?

how a career coach can accelerate your success

If you’re wondering about the difference between a career coach and a recruiter, it’s actually pretty clear-cut. A recruiter works for the employer – a career coach works for YOU. When it comes to helping you reach your career goals, that’s a big difference. As your career coach, I have your best interest at heart. I will make sure you are prepared for success and will guide you along your journey.

Now you’re thinking, “Okay, so you work for me. But what exactly do you do?” I’m so glad you asked. My role is to help you gain a competitive edge in a crowded job market. I do this by helping you establish realistic career goals, articulate the incredible value you offer an organization and actually get in front of decision makers.

As a Certified Career Transition Coach, I can help you identify your career drivers and preferred communication style as well as the work environment in which you thrive. When you are in a role that aligns with who you are as a person and how you operate, you are generally happier and more successful.

As a leader, you drive success by filling your team with experts. Why should your approach to managing your career be any different?

Career coaching is a truly collaborative process through which I help you determine what you’d like to see in your next role and where you would like to work. We develop a branding strategy and then a step-by-step action plan to get you into that new role.

Want more? As a professional resume and LinkedIn profile writer, I also help you position yourself as an expert in your field. Through our conversations and coaching exercises, I will pull all the important content from you, and weave it into a compelling career narrative written in your voice. Describing your own career accomplishments is difficult for many people, but the objective viewpoint of a trained coach facilitates this process. Another bonus? A professionally written resume does so much to boost a job seeker’s confidence, which in turn, promotes success!

Can a career coach really help?

How many times have you thought: “Why should I hire a career coach? I have always written my own resume.” It’s a common question. Let’s look for answers. Continue reading →

Finding the Career That Fits Your Personality

Since we spend the majority of our waking hours at work, career satisfaction is key to our overall happiness. Yet, until we are mid-career, many of us do not pause to consider our level of personal satisfaction. We push forward to earn the accolades, annual raises and the next promotion. Day after day; year after year. Then one day, we wake up and realize we really do not enjoy our jobs. You know you deserve to be happy and feel the urge for a more rewarding career. But where do you start? The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® personality inventory is a very useful tool to help you identify your ideal role – one that aligns with your strengths and how you operate best.

MBTI personality typesWho Should Take the MBTI®

As a Certified Career Transition Coach and MBTI® practitioner, I work with many mid- to late career professionals looking for more career satisfaction. The good news about us baby boomers working longer is that there is time to build a successful second act career. In fact, I reinvented myself at age 48 and have never been happier. I want everyone to have the same career satisfaction and work tirelessly to help my clients achieve it!

The MBTI® offers:

  • Increased self-awareness
  • More job satisfaction
  • Healthier interpersonal relationships

Continue reading →

A 3-Step Year End Review Will Rejuvenate Your Job Search

[Back by popular demand and updated for 2018.]

Albert Einstein once said, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. If your job search is not winning job offers, then it is time to change your approach.

job search success

Photo by Bruce Mars on Unsplash

A year-end job search review helps jobseekers to reflect upon their strategies, evaluate their progress and determine which actions they should continue and which they should change.

Step #1: Clarify Your Goal

Do you have a crystal clear picture of what you offer an organization and a defined list of target companies? If you cannot articulate your career goal, how can you possibly achieve it? The crucial first step is to determine who you would like to work for and how you can help them achieve their organizational objectives. What do you offer that other candidates do not? Continue reading →

How to Quickly Land a Job in a Tough Economy

I speak with job seekers every day who are frustrated and overwhelmed by today’s job search. I’ll share with you the strategy I have used successfully with hundreds of my clients who are now working at jobs they love.

While it is true that the job market has never been more competitive, when you break it down there are really only 2 steps to landing a great new job.

A Career Coach can help make your dreams come true

You need to:

  1. Get in front of your target audience
  2. Make yourself memorable

A networking strategy that combines face-to-face and online networking has been key to landing a job in recent years and is even more effective today. An increasing number of employers are abandoning the big paid-to-post job boards because they do not want to sort through the flood of resumes from hundreds, if not thousands, of anxious jobseekers, many of whom are not qualified.

So, if you don’t search online for job postings, what do you do? It’s easy: you create your own job opportunities by building a list of target companies and impressing the decision makers. It is not as difficult as it sounds. I can teach you how. Continue reading →

What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?

The Importance of Career Assessments

Guest post by Lynne Bossart independent college advisor and owner of Muse College Consulting LLC

As a child, you probably had any number of answers to the question, “What do you want to be when you Muse College Consulting.grow up?” But, as a teenager and a college-bound student, the answer is not always so clear.  You may think you have to decide on your major before you even look at colleges. But did you know that according to the National Center for Education, about 80% of college students change their major at least once during their
college career?  And, “undecided” is one of the most popular majors for incoming college freshmen. In fact, there are jobs and careers that haven’t yet been invented but will be by the time you graduate college.  So, the real question is, “What do you need to know before you embark on your post-secondary path?”  Continue reading →

The Benefits of Working with a Career Coach

There is a great deal of hiring taking place in early 2016, but the competition for top jobs is fierce. As the confidence in the job market rises, jobseekers in transition must compete with people who are employed full-time but looking for a better position. You do not have to go through this alone. A career coach can help you gain the competitive EDGE.

Edge Career Solutions Graph Icon

Working with a career coach can accelerate your job search results and reduce the frustration typically experienced in a DIY job search. Offering insightful guidance, I will help you navigate the “hidden job market” to find the right opportunities, and develop a structured job search plan that breaks down the overwhelming process into manageable steps. Hiring a career coach provides a significant ROI. Typically, my clients win more job interviews and land job offers with attractive compensation packages. Continue reading →

“How Many Pencils Would it Take To Fill a Swimming Pool?”

Job interviews can be nerve wracking for even the most experienced job seeker. In today’s competitive job market, proper preparation for the interview can make the difference between a job offer and a rejection. You should behavioral interview questionspractice answering questions pertaining to your experience and be prepared to provide examples from your work history that sell you as the ideal candidate for the position. But, do not over practice and memorize a script! It is important to understand the gist of each question, so you recognize it when phrased differently.
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. YouTern_logo

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.  stay work ready 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, thepersonality traits tied to career success? 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:baby boomer in shape 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. job satisfactionNow, 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 →

Twitter Can Accelerate Your Job Search

[I have covered this topic before, but I am frequently asked by jobseekers how they can incorporate Twitter into their job search efforts. Here are a few tips to get you started.]

Most jobseekers already know that professional social networking sites such as LinkedIn are beneficial to your job search, but Twitter is often overlooked. It is a very powerful job search tool, and best of all – it is FREE!
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With the ability to connect you with people across the country or across the world, Twitter enables you to expand your network outside of your immediate circles. It can be used to follow current trends in your industry Continue reading →

Using LinkedIn Efficiently in Your Job Search

Once you have developed a robust LinkedIn profile, you must be an active participant to attract the attention of hiring managers and the 130,000+ recruiters that source candidates on LinkedIn.find a job on LI keyboard

Grow Your Network: Connect with friends, family and business contacts. Use LinkedIn as your contact database. The more connections you have, the better your odds of the right people finding you. Network with recruiters and others in your field to expand your reach. You never know where these connections may lead. But, do not just make connections — build real relationships. Get to know your connections, and schedule face-to-face coffee dates with those with whom you share a common interest. 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