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!
Leverage The Final Work Weeks of 2023

The countdown is on until 2023 is in the rear-view mirror of your career. While many organizations slow down during the final days of December, consider how you can use this time to leverage your influence and set your career stage for the 2024. Make Connections Beyond Your Team Capitalize on the holiday party or […]
End 2023 Strong at Work

With days left before the beginning of a new year and the holiday season in full swing – it’s an opportune time to finish out the calendar year with intentionality at work. The economic predictions about inflation, a potential recession, and company lay-offs are conflicting at best, so take advantage of the opportunity to demonstrate […]
“Can’t Not Do” – Guided by Desire or Fear?

I’m thrilled to share this guest blog from my friend and colleague, Beth Kreitl, EdS, LMHC, 200RYT. We worked together in the early stages of our career development journey at Indiana University and it has been a joy to see Beth truly enjoy her career and love her life. I’m confident you will be inspired […]
The Wisdom of Picking a Career That Suits You Well

This blog post was contributed by Reanne Brian. When deciding on an initial path or a career change, there can be many factors at play. People often think about wages and working hours as well as the specific role itself. Career coaches advise that to find the most fulfilling role, you should first take a long hard […]
Feedforward On the Job: A Key To Self-Improvement

Continuous learning and growth is essential to building a successful career, and feedback is an important part of that process. I’ve seen my coaching clients flourish thanks, in part, to feedback. While the prospect of an assessment of your strengths and weaknesses can feel daunting, and actually receiving it can be painful at times, feedback […]
Getting In The Habit: Baby Steps Toward Change

Raised as a Catholic, I was well aware of habits. First, because nuns were wearing them, and nuns were not to be trifled with, and secondly, because nuns were always on a mission to instill the good ones. At this stage of the game, many of us have our own inner nun overseeing our “good” […]
Women Leaders Are Changing the World

Women are paving the way for a new style of leadership that is confident, authentic, and highly effective. And yet, CNN Money reports that only 25 out of 500 companies in the S&P 500 have women CEO’s. Thankfully, the comprehensive picture looks more promising. The presence of women in C-Suite roles is certainly important but […]
Tap Your Inner PR Agent for Career Success

Even though I count on my amazing Publicist, Stacey J. Miller’s expertise to promote my book, I still consider one of my most important tasks to be self promotion. I am always packing books, business cards, portfolios, and compelling stories about what I do and why it is valuable to potential clients, speakers bureaus, or […]
The Thrill of Career Victory and The Agony of Defeat

National unemployment numbers are the lowest in recent history and jobs are more plentiful but finding the right career fit can still be a challenge. Some are re-entering the job world after a planned hiatus – like taking time off to raise children, caring for elderly parents, or becoming a trailing spouse following a partner’s […]
The Crucial Step of Following Up

I speak to so many people who honestly believe they are networking well by sending an email or leaving a single voicemail. When they don’t get a response, they abandon the contact. The follow-up is the most crucial part of building and maintaining any professional relationship. My first suggestion is to distinguish yourself by calling […]
Work-Health Balance: 7 Guideposts To Help Take Care of Yours
![Women_can_have_family_or_become_CEO[1] Women_can_have_family_or_become_CEO[1]](https://carolinedowdhiggins.com/wp-content/uploads/Women_can_have_family_or_become_CEO1-360x240.jpg)
We talk a lot about work-life balance these days, but what about work-health balance? When we refer to our work, we often say we’re giving it our “all” or giving “one hundred and fifty percent.” These are admirable sentiments in theory, but what percentage of the pie of life are you reserving for yourself – […]
Organizations are Serious About The “No Jerks” Policy When Hiring

Over the last 15 years as a career & professional development consultant, I have worked with countless employers seeking ideal candidates to fill critical roles in their organizations. Regardless of the career field, recruiters and hiring managers agree that after the basic criteria of skills and experiences are met, candidates are accepted or eliminated based […]
Why We Need To Fail In Order To Move Forward

This post was originally published on PPC Hero by Matt Umbro. I am delighted to showcase guest blogger, Matt Umbro, a Senior Account Manager in charge of Community at Hanapin Marketing. He specializes in ecommerce PPC and client relations, while overseeing content production for PPC Hero. Matt also runs the popular #PPCChat Twitter hashtag. Follow […]
Best/Worst Careers: 2016 Job Rankings

CareerCast.com’s 2016 Jobs Rated Report was recently published for the 28th consecutive year, and it’s fascinating to peruse the findings. The popular job search website gathered data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a division of the US Department of Labor, to rank jobs based on four core criteria: work environment (physical and emotional requirements); […]