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!
Celebrating My One-Year Milestone

A year ago, I left a senior leadership role in a large organization to pursue my executive coaching, speaking, and consulting practice full-time. My side-hustle entrepreneurial days morphed into a full-time venture, and I have never been happier. This was not an overnight decision. I had been pursuing my business on evenings, weekends, and precious […]
Older, Wiser, and Career Dynamic

I have several executive coaching clients in their late fifth and sixth decade of life who are navigating a career change due to lay-offs, or company mergers and acquisitions beyond their control. Others are career transitioning by choice and excited about designing a new chapter in life and career. My clients expressed worry about ageism […]
Be a Competitive Job Candidate in The New Career Normal

Unemployment is dropping as the economy continues to recover from the Great Recession but careerists must be well prepared to be competitive for top positions. From resume preparation to networking strategies, the job search has changed significantly and understanding the new normal is essential for your success. Career Cast, created by Adicio, is a job search portal […]
Work Reboot: 7 Tips To Refresh and Recharge

As winter melts into spring and photos of smiling faces in warm, sunny places are streaming through social media feeds more and more – you may be feeling in need of a re-charge. Taking allotted vacation time is important for mind, body and spirit, however, if you’re office-bound – with no beach in Cabo or […]
Stay Curious: 5 Ways Curiosity Benefits Your Life

We’re off and running into 2016, and rather than ask how your resolutions are going, or whether you’re on track to reach your goals, I’d like to pose a different kind of question in this post…What are you curious about in 2016? I love the word curious. There’s an authenticity and wonder about it. It […]
Create An Action Plan to Achieve Your Career Goals

As a professional speaker, I have honed my craft and grown my business with the tremendous resources of the National Speakers Association. NSA’s current President is Ruby Newell-Legner, CSP. In a recent NSA Speaker Magazine, Ruby outlined suggestions to put goals into actionable steps. Creating goals is essential but unless you also develop a plan […]
There is No Reality, Only Perception with Your Career Brand

As a career development and executive coach, I often work with people that brand products or services for an organization but have no real awareness of their unique professional brand and why it matters. It’s time to take stock of your own brand and use it to achieve your career goals and tell your authentic […]
The Best Gift – A New Career Opportunity!

The stress of navigating work and life can be difficult enough without having to worry about finding a job or reinventing your career. Consider tapping into the wisdom and expertise of your friends and family. Turn a family gathering into a professional development coaching session and ask your circle of trust to help out by […]
Unhappy At Work? Then Make a Change

This post was contributed by Chris Evans. Many thanks for your insight, Chris! I’ve written many times about the enormous amount of people I come across who are unhappy at work. So, today, I thought I would lay out a little plan for anyone who doesn’t enjoy what they do. It’s simple stuff in theory, […]
May the Force Be With You as a Seasoned Woman at Work

The double standard for men and women continues in the workplace. The recent media debate about whether Carrie Fisher is aging well or not in the blockbuster, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” movie, is an example of women facing scrutiny about looks and appearance in the workplace that does not equally apply to men. It’s […]
Perfect Your Hiring Process: Five Tips to Building the Right Team

For start-ups and entrepreneurs especially, the hiring process can be a grueling period in a company’s life. Those first few weeks where you’re trying to look for great talent but are also desperate for a workforce of any level calls for an immediate trimming and systemization of a proper hiring process. Getting people to sign […]
The Best Ways To Impress Bosses And Advance Your Career

This post was contributed by Beth Jones. Thank you for sharing your wisdom and expertise, Beth! Most people would like to earn the highest wages possible from their jobs. However, it’s difficult to get into that higher-rate tax bracket without many qualifications. With that in mind, I thought you could benefit from some advice about […]
Top Talent’s 2016 Career Question: Should I Stay, or Should I Go?

The world of work is changing fast with unemployment on the decline and the Talent Wars in full swing. The major skills gap is still a reality and the buyer’s market is highly competitive for qualified candidates. The Millennial Generation talent pool will comprise 50% of the workforce in 2020 but their values don’t focus […]
How to Get a Raise in 2016

The US Labor market is picking up speed and your promote-ability could follow suit. While asking for a raise may be something you look forward to as much as a root canal, being well prepared will help reduce your anxiety and up your chances of getting a promotion. Remember, you’ll never get it of you […]