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!
Experiment with New Things to Design Your Best Life and Career
I speak to countless people who feel stuck or helpless in the wrong career, the wrong organization, or an unhappy life. The concept of design thinking will empower you with practical and creative strategies to reboot what’s not working so you can assert more control over your future. Design Thinking, a concept birthed in the tech […]
Enjoy Your Career. Love Your Life. ™
For decades, I took great pride in being known as a workhorse. I was praised for burning the candle at both ends and didn’t take all my well-earned paid time off. I didn’t recognize the fact that I sacrificed my personal life for my career because I loved my all-consuming work. In the heart of […]
More Sleep, Less Stress – Equals a Better Life and Career
Stress is a hot button topic for many of us these days. When my coaching clients, family, or friends, talk about how stressed they’re feeling, one of the first questions I ask is whether they’re getting enough sleep. April is National Stress Awareness month, and it’s a good time to assess your stress levels and […]
Will You Be Ready When Opportunity Knocks? Start Preparing Now!
You may have heard the saying about ‘luck’…that it’s more than just happenstance…that ‘luck’ is when preparedness and opportunity intersect. So the question is – are you prepared for opportunity to knock? If you’re a first-time job seeker or a career changer, here are some tips to help you prepare, so that, when those new […]
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 […]
