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!
ReCulture Your Workplace for Lasting Success and Satisfaction
The late leadership guru, Peter Drucker’s iconic quote, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast….” is visceral in an era when people are leaving companies in record numbers to seek work environments that honor their values and provide meaning and purpose. I had a great conversation with Melissa Daimler, Chief Learning Officer for Udemy on my Your […]
Employee Languishing: It’s a Real Thing
I’m an avid consumer of the writings, talks, and podcasts of Adam Grant, Wharton professor and organizational psychologist. Recently, I listened to his Ted Talk on how to stop languishing and start finding flow. Are You Feeling Meh? Let’s be real – there is a lot happening in the world right now. Mass shootings are […]
Do You Have a Career Plan?
Even if you are blissfully happy in your career you should always be thinking forward about an exit or growth strategy so you can be in control of your career destiny. Ken and Scott Blanchard wrote a great piece in Fast Company about the wisdom of the career plan and why you should have one […]
To Write, Or Not to Write…A Cover Letter
It’s so easy to submit your job application online these days but that alone will rarely get you any significant traction no matter how stellar your credentials. The reality is that there are so many job applicants for each position you must distinguish yourself above and beyond the competition. A cover letter can help you […]
Include Thought Partners on Your Personal Board
I’m a big fan of assembling a Personal Board of Directors to help guide you on your unique career journey but I recently came across the concept of Thought Partners. Barbara Stanny wrote a great piece in Forbes about successful people, who in addition to having career mentors and sponsors seek the wisdom of Thought […]
Did They Even Get My Application?
These days it’s common for an applicant to never hear back from an organization about a job they applied for online. You send your materials off into the black hole of the Internet and hope for some kind of acknowledgment that your resume landed in the right place. Meghan Biro wrote a great piece for […]
Happiness and Workplace Influence
It’s no mystery that happy employees are more productive but unhappy employees can become extremely debilitated and unwilling to follow leaders. This lack of influence leads to a breakdown in organizational morale, positional power and stability within organizations. Crystal Miller wrote a great piece on Blogging4Jobs about how asserting influence is not a passive thing […]
Slay Your Leadership Dragons
Every week on my CBS Radio show: Career Coach Caroline I get calls or email from listeners asking for guidance about a bad boss. Art Petty wrote a great piece in Management Excellence about Leadership Dragons, the outward behavior by many in leadership roles that prevent them from truly meriting the title of leader. These dragons […]
Delegation is a Must for Effective Leaders
Are you are buried at work, putting in long hours with no end in sight? Chances are you are not working effectively as a leader because you have failed to delegate tasks that your team members are hungry to get a piece of. The Harvard Business Review posted a blog in July about the power […]
Four Simple Tools for Success
So many people ask me about the magic bullet for job search or career growth success. If it were that simple we’d be at 0% unemployment and everyone would be incredibly satisfied with their careers. The good news is that the keys to success are very simple concepts that anyone can apply if they accept […]
Has the Wind Been Knocked Out of You From a Job Loss?
Losing a job can be an emotionally debilitating experience and a severe blow to the ego. For some, it’s like having the wind knocked out of you when the loss was completely unexpected. In this economy downsizing, budget cuts, and reduction in force are common so more people than ever have experienced a job loss. […]
