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!
Are You a Multiplier or a Diminisher?
From academia to the non-profit arena, and the corporate world-of-work, I have had many clients who complained about bosses who were ineffective leaders. Were these leaders intelligent and talented people? Yes. But were they able to lead a team, motivate others, and empower professional development and success in their colleagues? In many cases, no. I […]
Are You Nurturing Your Network?
Networking is a skill, and it can be hard to keep up with the extended community you worked so diligently to develop. The follow-up step is the key to maintaining strong professional relationships since the one-and-done effort leaves people feeling ill-used and less than willing to share their time and expertise with you again. Kevin […]
The Law of Attraction
Two years ago, Deborah Stephens, a friend and mentor on my personal Board of Directors sat me down and asked what I wanted to accomplish professionally in the next 5 years. She asked me to be very specific and envision my future goals so I could develop strategies to make them happen. At the time, […]
What’s Whipsering to You?
I taped the last episode of the Oprah show and watched it with pen in hand since I knew she would be sharing some amazing wisdom worth repeating and I wanted to take notes. My biggest take-away was that nobody but you is responsible for your life. As Oprah eloquently said – “You are responsible […]
Are Your Nurturing Your Network?
Networking is a skill and it can be hard to keep up with the extended book of contacts you worked so diligently to develop. The follow-up step is the key to maintaining strong professional relationships since the one-and-done effort leaves people feeling ill-used and less than willing to share their time and expertise with you […]
Knock ’em Dead Core Career Strategies
As my blog audience grows I have had the great pleasure of connecting with some of the amazing career development professionals in the field. Martin Yate, a household name in this industry and I had a great conversation recently about his new book. Martin is the New York Times bestselling author of 11 job search and […]
All Eyes are on You
I find it fascinating how many people don’t utilize the power of strong eye contact when communicating in-person these days. We have indeed become a technology driven work force but well used eye contact is still imperative and separates us from the electronic gadgets by putting a human touch on our communication that will never […]
Get Comfortable Feeling Uncomfortable
I read a great piece by Laura Deck, a Program Manager for PBWC at Planning Dynamics who develops conference programs and other initiatives for women. She discussed how when women feel uncomfortable in a new position they are tempted to fall back on their previous jobs. While most people are fearful about a new job, […]
Ask For What You Want
I have yet to meet a boss who is a mind reader and it’s important for employees to be empowered with the reality that they should ask for what they want. The worst thing that can happen is that your boss will say no – but you’ll never get it if you don’t ask. Be […]
Tap Your Inner Meryl Streep
Whether you have the performance gene or not, there are times in your professional life when you have to command an academy award winning performance to offset your emotions – especially fear. You remember the tag line of the Dry Idea deodorant commercial: Never Let Them See You Sweat – the same holds true in […]
Be Your Own PR Agent
Even though I count on my amazing Publicist, Stacey J. Miller’s expertise to promote my book, I still consider one of my most important tasks to be self promotion. I am always packing books, business cards, portfolios, and compelling stories about what I do and why it is valuable to potential clients, speakers bureaus, or […]
Building Resilience
In my previous career as a performer, I quickly learned the necessity of developing a thick skin. Disappointment was a regular phenomenon since I didn’t land every audition I pursued. But as I developed my resilience it also helped me hone my craft and focus on what I did have control over. Resilience is a […]
Go Ahead, Be Ambitious!
I was conducting a mock interview for one of my clients, a focused, smart, and confident woman going through an intentional career reinvention. When I asked her if she considered herself ambitious she recoiled as if I used an inappropriate word. After further inquiry she revealed that she never wanted to be seen as the […]
What Do You Do?
No doubt you have been asked this question at a cocktail party or when meeting someone for the first time. It seems to be the American Way and the quintessential question to start off a conversation with a person whom you don’t know. I’ve seen men and women in career transition flinch from this question […]
