In my practice working with executives at all levels and millennials starting their careers I’ve noticed that everyone, regardless of experience, finds the middle of their search stressful and difficult.

Find More Career Happiness in 2018

Welcome to your job search, 2018!

Did you know that being more aware of your natural habits and tendencies can bring you more happiness and productivity in your career?

Want More Interviews? Build Your Career Brand in 4 Steps

So you want a job that pays you to do your best work. You want to be appreciated for your experience, your special abilities and your creativity. You want to work for an organization that aligns with your personal values, a place you can feel proud to call home.

Get the Feedback You Need to Get Better at Your Job

I have a 23-year old client who is doing a one year, post-graduate fellowship. During our call this morning he told me that while he enjoys his work it can be slow and that his bosses don’t give him as much work as he’d like. In fact, they expect him to take initiative and suggest work he thinks needs to be done. While he has some ideas for new projects he struggles with how to initiate conversations with his boss who seems so busy with more important work.

Engineer Your Career: Make Big Career Decisions Using this Simple Process

Try applying “the engineering design process” detailed in Charles Duhigg’s excellent book and you will learn to make better, less binary and more creative decisions. This “methodical approach to problem solving” removes the emotion so we can view our problems more objectively. It’s an excellent tool for defining career problems and coming up with potentially novel solutions.

Want a Mentor? Don’t Make these Rookie Mistakes

I was listening to one of Tim Ferriss’s excellent podcasts the other day, and he made the comment that the best way to guarantee someone won’t mentor you is to ask them directly to be your mentor.

Anxiety and Your Job Search: Getting the Treatment You Need

A client of mine, an engineer with a PhD from a top school, had an easy time getting interviews. But during every meeting he became nervous and hesitant, stuttering and sweating as he was asked to respond to the most basic interview questions.

There’s No Such Thing as a Dream Job

Do you, or have you ever had, a “dream job”? Do you have any friends, former classmates or colleagues who describe their job as a dream? Do you believe them?

5 Ways to Develop Yourself as a Leader Early in Your Career

Leadership is one of those terms that is so ubiquitous it’s hard to define. Everyone aspires to be a leader, feels pressure to be a leader, is building their leadership capabilities. Every company is looking for leaders. Sure there are natural leaders, those with charisma to burn whose disciples will follow them anywhere. But leadership is not just the purview of those with rare talents; most people can become leaders if they take an interest and a methodical approach.

Why Recruiters Aren’t Returning Your Calls

There is a long-standing misconception among job seekers about recruiters – how they can help, how to engage them and, most often, why they’re not returning your calls.

5 Ways to Market Yourself as a Leader

Being a leader means knowing who you are and what you stand for—You’ve decided upon your mission and you have a vision for how to get there. It’s informed by your value system—what you care most about and what you feel is right.

The Interest You Left Behind

We all have subjects that particularly interest us, that capture our attention. It could be a skill, a hobby or just a topic you follow very closely. Try taking note of the articles that attract you online or in the newspaper and you’ll have your answer. Have you incorporated that interest into the job you have today?

I Found My Career on Twitter

A question I frequently hear from job-seekers at all stages is, “Why do I need to be on Twitter?” Twitter is a platform for interests of all kinds, and many users abuse its power by over-tweeting—so its value is sometimes misunderstood. But Twitter is an amazing career and job search tool, and can be used to help you pinpoint what you’re interested in and who can help you find the right job. Here’s how.

Looking for a Job With Meaning? Here Are Four Ways to Find It

Are you a 20-something seeking work with meaning? Are you willing to trade great mentoring and a dynamic work environment for a lower salary? If that’s the case, you are trending with your generation. And while making less money is not to be treated lightly, research shows that people who feel personally fulfilled at work are happier than those who work exclusively for the money.

Finding Your Career Should Be Messy

I’m helping my son, a college sophomore, find a summer internship. I’ve mentioned before in these pages that I find college sophomores to be ideal clients. For one thing, they’re over the shock of the newness of college. With established friendships and some newfound maturity, life at school is a bit more predictable. They’ve had the benefit of a year’s worth of classes that hopefully provided a window into some new subject areas. And at most schools, by the end of sophomore year students must declare a major.

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