This Is Not The Career I Ordered™ Blog
Savvy Professional Career Wisdom by Caroline Dowd-Higgins
This is Not the Career I Ordered is read by thousands of careerists around the globe. With savvy tools, inspiration, and resources, this timeless book empowers you to enjoy your career, and love your life!
Should I Stay, or Should I Go?
The world-of-work is changing fast with unemployment at a record low and the Talent Wars in full swing. The Worker’s Market and the post-pandemic journey have given you the opportunity to reconsider your values and assess whether your current workplace is a best fit. As a career and executive leadership coach, I hear on a […]
The Inside Scoop About Psychological Safety at Work
The term psychological safety is all the rage in workplace research and publications. I’d like to de-mystify this term and break it down so it’s easily understandable and implementable in all work environments. By Definition Katie Taylor wrote a great piece in Atlassian that defines psychological safety as follows: Psychologically safe work environments allow team […]
Five Rookie Mistakes to Avoid During Job Interviews
By Laura Deck A few weeks ago, I interviewed three candidates for a marketing specialist position at the Silicon Valley tech nonprofit where I work. The position was targeted at individuals who had acquired a few years of marketing experience since college graduation. I was expecting some basic marketing skills and a modest amount of […]
Happiness Hacks to Reinvigorate Your Workday
Gallup defines engaged employees as those who are involved in, enthusiastic about, and committed to their workplace. A whopping 51% of American workers are actively looking for a new job or watching for new job openings. Many cite a work culture that is not inviting, stimulating, or designed to foster community amongst employees. Since the […]
How to Manage Stress in The Workplace
We often hear the word stress when someone talks about their work-life. What exactly do you think they are complaining about? What triggers stress at a workplace? Does everyone experience it? Did you know that during 2015/2016, there were about 488,000 cases of issues related to stress at the workplace and mental health in the […]
Eye Contact in the Career World: Where Are Yours Focused?
It’s often said that the eyes are “the windows to the soul,” and it makes sense considering that the way we make eye contact speaks volumes about how we feel about ourselves, and others. If you’re looking to improve your communication skills, I encourage you to pay attention to your eye contact – how you’re […]
Resilience: The Art of Getting Back On the Horse
I loved watching the Olympics in February. Having a front row seat and experiencing the thrill of victory and agony of defeat – with world-class skiers, skaters and bobsledders competing their hearts out – was awe-inspiring, to say the least. I must say, however, that as much as I’m amazed at Olympians’ laser-focused commitment to […]
How My 10-year Vision Helped Me Design My Ultimate Career
Special thanks to Matthew Moheban for this guest blog post. He is the Co-Founder of Live220 and 220 Leadership, companies he started with his brother to help students and young professionals shatter their perceived limitations to create the life, career and relationships of their dreams. Long-term thinking prioritizes what matters Since I was in high school, I had […]
Job Searching With Heart – Part II: Finding the Right Fit
Philosopher and theologian, Howard Thurman famously said: “Don’t ask what the world needs, ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” In my blog post last week – “Job Searching With Heart: Part One,” Thurman’s inspiring quote served as a jumping off […]
Job Searching With Heart: Tap Into What You Love – Part I
During this time of year when hearts abound in every bakery, big box store, and card shop, I send a wish that you’re following your own when it comes to your work. If you find yourself at a career crossroads – wondering about your next move – I offer up the words of author, philosopher […]
Career Momentum: It’s Time to Stop Dreaming and Start Activating
So many of us have waited for the perfect job description to magically appear and make all of our career dreams come true. Or, a perfectly balanced life with less stress, more time to exercise, well-behaved kids and the ideal life partner. What are you waiting for? It’s time to stop wishing for great things […]
Career Advice: 7 Tips for Getting Noticed at Work
Through my coaching practice and travels, I’ve met a number of women who’ve shared that they prefer to avoid the spotlight at work. When I’ve inquired as to why, some say they don’t want to seem like they’re “playing the political game,” or coming across as “too pushy.” Others say they don’t want to be […]
5 Ways to Nurture Yourself with “You Time”
Now that the holidays are behind us, I’d like to ask…did you give yourself a gift or two during this past season of celebrations? I posed this question to some of my friends and clients, and responses have included everything from upgrading to the latest laptop, to buying an electric pressure cooker for speedier family […]
Work/Life Integration: Being Busy is Nothing to Brag About
I conducted a social experiment and asked the question, “How are you?” to several individuals of different ages, career fields, socio-economic backgrounds, geographies, and perspectives. The people I queried all responded with some variation of how busy they were. Their responses were stress-filled and frustrated and their self-reported state of busy was clearly causing them […]
