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!
Be Your Own Valentine: Love Who You Are
It’s the time of year for cards with red hearts, chocolates, and flowers as Valentine’s Day approaches. It causes anxiety for some who are seeking affection, and bliss for others who are celebrating their love with someone special. This Valentine’s Day I encourage you to see it through a different lens. By all means celebrate […]
Pro Tips from a Recovering Workaholic
My work and personal life is full, hectic, and often moves at break-neck speed. Although I thrive in the fast-paced environment I have created, I’ve had to regularly evaluate my work/life integration to determine if I’m living my values and honoring my life as well as my career. What I have learned is that I […]
Wise Tips for New Managers
I wish that being promoted into a managerial role required training or maybe even a license so we could avoid the excess of poor managers that are infiltrating the workforce. While it would be ideal to groom new managers for their new role, we know this is rarely the case. Roberta Matuson recently released a […]
Communicating Well on Your Team
A lot of job dissatisfaction stems from poor communicating amongst employees as well as with superiors. At the most basic level, an employee wants clarity of expectation from a boss so she knows what to deliver. Lack of employee engagement and frequent turnover can often be pinned on ineffective communication. The good news is that […]
Fake It Till You Make It!
Carol Jurgensen Sheets is a mental health therapist who also works as an executive and life coach. In a recent article she shared a wonderful concept that may shift the mindset of career changers and job seekers who are stuck in a rut trying to move forward towards a more satisfying career opportunity. I meet […]
Are You Following-Up?
I speak to so many people who honestly believe they are networking well by sending an email or leaving a single voice mail. When they don’t get a response, they abandon the contact. The follow-up is the most crucial part of building and maintaining any professional relationship. My first suggestion is to distinguish yourself by […]
Are You Busy or Productive?
With the New Year in full swing many people are feeling the strain of sticking to their resolution of keeping some semblance of work/life balance. All of us have felt the panic of the treadmill moments when life moves so fast with so many responsibilities that it seems impossible to get off the moving belt […]
Think Like a Recruiter in Your Next Interview
In this competitive job market you really need to develop a great professional story that showcases your strengths and why you are a value-add for the opportunity you are seeking. So many great candidates blow the interview because they are not prepared to sell themselves to the employer. You have to be your own best […]
Red Light/Green Light Rule
In my book, I feature the reinvention story of an amazing woman, Karen Vandergrift who shared her epiphany about her career journey in relation to the red light/green light rule. Her axiom is that multiple red lights might mean that you are on the wrong road. While I applaud tenacity and determination, sometimes we just […]
Interviewing Tips – The Goldman Way
Goldman Sachs has long been a coveted company to work at for those on the corporate finance career track. They have their recruitment process down to a science and even share the secrets to successful interviews with prospective hires in a video on their website. Vivia Chen recently wrote an article that tells hungry Goldman […]
Rules of Reinvention
I learned from my book writing journey that people pursue career reinvention for a variety of reasons. Some are not happy in their work, others are not playing to their strengths, and the economy has forced many people to reinvent due to lay-offs and downsizing. The reasons for reinvention are endless as are the ways […]
Knowing When To Say No
The question about whether or not work/life balance is possible continues to plague many professionals. What I have learned from amazing women around the world who seem to “do it all” is that you have to pick your opportunities and work smarter – not harder. Angela Jia Kim is featured in my book and has […]
Business Sense and Sensibility
I just finished reading Mireille Guiliano’s book: Women, Work, & the Art of Savoir Faire and it is filled with fabulous advice about being a professional woman in the world of work. Mireille was the former CEO of Cliquot, Inc. known best for their luxury champagne. This French born business woman has savvy tips to […]
Take a Seat at the Table
The recent TED – Ideas Worth Spreading video featuring Sheryl Sandberg is going viral and that’s great in my opinion because she addresses why we have too few women leaders in the career world. As the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook, Sheryl manages the social media giant’s sales, marketing, business development, human resources, public policy […]
