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!
Cracking the Code of Job Satisfaction: 2023 Study

This article originally appeared here: Cracking the Code of Job Satisfaction: 2023 Study and was republished here by permission of My Perfect Resume. Does your job give you an endorphin boost? Or rather anxiety, stress, and hundreds of reasons to complain? No matter whether you save lives or create memes, work from 9 to 5 or have no […]
It’s Time for a Mid-Year Career Refresh

My article was originally posted on Medium. My grandparents were faithful Christmas Club savers at their local bank. Starting in July, they would deposit money in a special account each month, so they could have savings ready to go for the holidays. While many retailers are now having Christmas in July sales, it’s also a […]
15 Leadership Lessons to Invigorate Your Career

As the year draws to a close, I am reminded of the great leadership lessons I have learned from colleagues, mentors, sponsors, coaches, and a myriad of incredible people I’ve encountered on my professional journey. May these words of wisdom give you the courage and fortitude to chart your unique path with confidence so you […]
Office Holiday Party Etiquette: Do’s and Taboos

It’s been a great year, you’ve worked really hard, and your company has brought back the holiday party to reward the team for a job well done. Before you pop the champagne be mindful that your behavior at the holiday bash will impact your professional reputation come Monday morning and beyond. Here are some tips […]
How To Fascinate Knowing Your Advantages

These days, advertisers have a whopping five to eight seconds to fascinate and entice a consumer to make a purchase, according to an INC. article on marketing trends, and Sally Hogshead, author, speaker and founder of Fascinate, Inc., says it’s no different when it comes to you and how you impress an interviewer, new client […]
Make This The Season for Gratitude and Giving in Your Career

Hollywood has depicted the stress of the holidays with iconic movies that make us laugh (or cry!) because of the relatability of the zany characters and dysfunctional scenarios in life and career. I encourage you to start this festive season with a different mindset so you don’t get caught running on the hamster wheel of […]
Finding Your Center: 7 Everyday Ways To Meditate

Do you have a case of the “should’s” when it comes to meditation? Many of the women I talk to in my coaching practice and on the road during speaking engagements certainly do. They feel they should be meditating, and believe that the only way to do it is to sit cross-legged on a mat […]
Tips For Landing A Job Over 40: Putting the 3 P’s To Work

There’s no doubt that being back in the job market in your 40s and 50s can be more challenging than earlier days on the job-hunting trail. Many of my 40-plus coaching clients feel out of interview shape and daunted by the job-search process – especially if they’ve been steadily employed for years, or even decades. […]
Give, Give, Get in Life and Career!

My life and career philosophy focuses on authentically giving to others. As the recipient of priceless wisdom and generosity from others throughout my life, I want to share ideas that will help you focus on paying-it-forward. When You Give – You Also Receive – Consider how you can give of your time, talent, or treasure […]
How to Keep Your Colleagues Engaged Through Better, Faster Meetings

Time is money: it’s been said and proven again and again. But never before has the definition of time been so clear-cut, drastic and incredibly precise—through advancements in business technology and communication, companies can track every second of work done by every single employee, with time management tools and productivity trackers to aggregate levels of […]
Landing the Job: 4 Sales Strategies For Interviews

It’s fair to say that we’re all sales people to some extent in our work lives – selling the team on a new strategy…selling the boss on granting a raise or promotion – and we’re most definitely in sales mode when it comes to interviewing for a job. When you walk into an interview, you’re […]
Blissful Beauty Sleep Can Help Your Career

I am delighted to feature this guest blog post from Jen Owen, an Adult Nurse Practitioner specializing in Integrative Medicine. She has over 20 years of experience working with natural remedies for health, including herbs, supplements, and nutrition. She combines this knowledge with conventional medicine to find the very best plan for each patient. Jen […]
A Survival Guide to Dealing with Difficult Colleagues

Professional behavior should be a given expectation amongst working adults but in reality, most of us have experienced unprofessional conduct in the workplace. You can choose your friends but you don’t always have the luxury of choosing your colleagues. In the iconic words of the late leadership guru, Peter Drucker, “We spend a lot of […]
Is Working Remotely For You? 5 Questions To Help You Decide

Have you ever considered trading in your daily commute, travelling several miles from home, for a commute where you’re travelling several feet to the closest computer in your home? More and more of my coaching clients are interested in exploring the option of working remotely, and according to an American Community Survey, there are 3.3 […]