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 Weeks of This Year
The countdown is on until 2022 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 new year. Make Connections Beyond Your Team Capitalize on the holiday party […]
Gratitude with Specificity
With the holiday season in full swing, we are reminded about the beauty of gratitude and how showing appreciation can be a powerful experience for the giver and the receiver. I am making a conscious effort to be more grateful on a regular basis, to acknowledge people authentically, and to show how much I value […]
How to Be Successful in the Job Hunt: The 5 P’s
In my coaching business, I meet many women looking for a ‘magic bullet’ for career success – a ‘no-fail’ formula that will lead them to the job or promotion of their dreams. While there is no one formula for landing that perfect job, there are qualities that, when tapped into, can make a difference in […]
Go Ahead, Be Ambitious: Let Your Goals Be Known!
If you’re one who tries to mask the fact that you’re ambitious, or squelches even the thought of it, you’re not alone. Many women I’ve worked with in my career coaching practice are hesitant to admit to the trait. In a mock interview, during one coaching session, I asked a client (I’ll call her Dana) […]
My Weekend With Marshall Goldsmith
Recently, I participated in the Indiana University Alumni Association Goldsmith Leadership & Executive Coaching Academy. Indiana University alumnus, Dr. Marshall Goldsmith certified the first group of IUAA Executive Coaches from around the globe and empowered us with tools for his positive behavioral change process. As Executive Coaches, we will work with IU alumni leaders and other […]
Ask For What You Want: You’re Worth It!
In my coaching practice, and in interviews I’ve conducted around the country, I see women, time and time again, waiting in the proverbial wings of their organizations – hoping and praying that they’ll be given a raise or promotion. As the saying goes, ‘hope is not a strategy’. If you’re at a point where you […]
Business Sense and Sensibility: Taking a Cue From the French
You may be familiar with French author Mireille Guiliano’s series of books sharing the sensibilities of French women on everything from food to facelifts. If you’re not, do yourself a favor and check them out. I just picked up Women, Work, & the Art of Savoir Faire, Guiliano’s enlightening book on career, for the second […]
Be Good to Yourself
One of the greatest joys in my career is helping others discover what gives them strength so they can honor their passion in life and career. But I’ve noticed that many people spend a lot of time beating themselves up for not being where they want to be, or doing what they really want to […]
Words to Live By
Plans are great but ineffective until you act upon them. Take action and discover your best possible self. I read a piece in Oprah Magazine by Dr. Phil McGraw that I believe is worth sharing. Check out Dr. Phil’s words to live by for 2014: Everybody has a personal truth. It’s what you believe about […]
Emotional Intelligence is the Most Desirable Employability Competency
Emotional Intelligence (EI) describes the ability identify, assess, manage and control the emotions of one’s self, of others, and of groups. In addition to having a cadre of transferable skills relevant to a particular career field, employers are looking for candidates with sound emotional intelligence when hiring. Emotional Intelligence helps us connect and communicate with colleagues on […]
Out With the Old & In With the Bold!
In the afterglow of the holidays and with 2014 looking us straight in the eye, I want to wish you a new year filled with good health, happiness, lots of good work, and a spirit of boldness. According to Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary, ‘Bold’ is ‘confidence’ and ‘fearlessness in the face of challenge’. My wish for […]
7 Habits of Highly Effective People Synthesized for Interviewing
Lou Adler is the CEO of The Adler Group, a consulting firm helping companies implement Performance-based Hiring. His latest book, The Essential Guide for Hiring & Getting Hired covers the performance-based process of successful interviewing on both sides of the table. Lou wrote a stellar piece in LinkedIn about using Covey’s quintessential “7 Habits of […]
Going For A Career You Love
As the New Year progresses, I want you to think about your career goals for 2014 and what would provide you the greatest fulfillment. As you think about it, please keep in mind these four things: You deserve to be happy in your work. You have the power to make that scenario a reality. You […]
Get Out From Under the Career ‘Should Haves’
When I talk with women in my coaching practice and around the country about loving their work, some balk at the idea. There is a contingent of women in the workforce who believe that the words ‘love’ and ‘work’ don’t belong in the same sentence, and many of these women are quick to pepper their […]
