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!
Turn a Lay-Off into an Opportunity
With a flurry of companies laying off significant portions of their workforce as we finish out the calendar year, the holiday season may be career stressful for many. Whether you are part of the highly publicized Amazon, Twitter, or Meta lay-offs, or you are from a smaller company trying to make financial ends meet – […]
Mental Health Must Be a Top Priority in the Workplace
The U.S. Surgeon General, Vivek H. Murthy, M.D., M.B.A. released a report providing a framework for Workplace Mental Health and Wellbeing. Dedicated to all the workers who lost their lives during the pandemic and their families, the report is a call to action to lift the voices of all workers, particularly those most vulnerable, and […]
How Fitbit Helped My Career
Everywhere I go, I’ve noticed that elevators are almost empty and stairwells are filled with people tracking their daily steps with wearable fitness devices. I’m a Fitbit user and I’m happy to report that this accountability device has improved my health and my career more than I ever imagined. I check my mileage, my stairs […]
Stop the Busy-ness! Redefine Success on Your Terms
We all love to talk about how busy we are. It means we’re needed. It means we have places to go and people to see, and it also means we may well be running ourselves into the ground. Blogger Guy Kawasaki went so far as to implore readers to ‘stop the glorification of busy’, and […]
Surround Yourself with Positive People To Boost Your Career
I have been getting some wonderful blog submissions from freelance writers who have career wisdom to share. Sandra Mills is a freelance health and career writer. She likes helping people advance their careers and live healthier lives. I particularly enjoyed her piece below and I know you will as well. You can follow Sandra on […]
Habits for Success: How To Work Smarter
I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing over 400 women from around the world about work and career for my book: ‘This Is Not The Career I Ordered’ and my forthcoming book: ‘Thrive Where You Are’. Whether entrepreneurial in spirit or working in more corporate environments, many of the women I spoke with had similar ‘habits […]
Don’t Be a Vacation Loser
It’s vacation season and the time of year to step away from work to recharge and refresh. Sadly, many people don’t take all the vacation days they earn. Others who take vacation end up working during their time off which defeats the purpose entirely. According to a Glassdoor survey, only 25% of employees with paid time […]
Assess Your Career VIPS: Getting to Know YOU
For many of us, asking the question ‘What do I want to be when I grow up’ doesn’t stop at age 22, or even at 42. While I have coaching clients right out of college who feel at sea because they’re unsure of their career direction, I also have clients who are looking to transition […]
Making the Most of Your Time
Many people ask me how I juggled a full-time job with a private career coaching practice and still managed to get a book published. I’d be remiss if I said it was easy, but I did learn some excellent strategies that are applicable to anyone struggling to get time on their side. Here are some […]
A Gossip-Free Workplace
Recently, a coaching client in middle management was expressing frustration about the noticeable increase of gossip in her office, and it brought to mind a New York Times article from a few years back that made quite an impression. No Gossip Policy In a NYT Preoccupations column, guest contributor, Shayla McKnight shared her experience working […]
The Search Is On: 5 Tips To Improve Your Google Factor
Have you Googled yourself lately? It’s something I regularly ask my coaching clients and I pose the question to you…when was the last time you searched for yourself online? Your Name/ Your Brand While an impressive resume and interview skills are important to landing a new job, your Google factor is key as well. I’ve […]
Going Creative: Finding Your Best Career Fit
If you yearn for work that allows you to be more creative, you’re not alone. CreativeLive, an online education network, recently commissioned a study regarding creativity at work, and a sizeable percentage of those surveyed said they wanted more of it. According to CreativeLive’s inaugural Creative Jobs Report: Nearly 40% of U.S. adults have a […]
Just Say ‘Thank you!’ Receiving Compliments With Poise
Historically, women have been taught to be modest, and not boastful. The problem is, lots of women take the modesty road too far – to the point of devaluing themselves and their talents. While I’m not advocating becoming an out and out braggart, it is important to stand tall in your strengths and accomplishments and […]
Develop Your Charisma and Your Career
Last Fall, I had the opportunity to hear Charlotte Beers speak. The legendary retired Advertising CEO and former Under Secretary of State had us all in the palm of her hand at the Indiana Governor’s Conference for Women. We were riveted from the moment Ms. Beers took the stage. She was the personification of charisma. […]
