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!
Implementing Psychological Safety at Work
The term psychological safety is all the rage in workplace research and publications. I’d like to de-mystify this term and break it down so it’s easily implementable in all work environments. By Definition Katie Taylor wrote a great piece in Atlassian that defines psychological safety as follows: Psychologically safe work environments allow team members to […]
Go Ahead, Be Ambitious!
I was conducting a mock interview for a client, a focused, smart, and confident woman pursuing an executive leadership role. 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 run over your […]
Write it Down!
Having dreams and goals for the future is a wonderful way to focus on what you want in your life and career. A wise mentor once told me it’s not enough to just think about your goals – you must write them down. Putting your wishes on paper helps you articulate things more clearly and […]
You Can Tell A Lot By A Person’s Shoes
From the time I was a young girl I can remember my father polishing his shoes every night so they would be shiny and clean for his next work day. My father worked in the New York City corporate jungle of starched shirts and tailored suits. He always looked liked a consummate professional and taught […]
Jane Austen Would Have Been a Fabulous Blogger
Jane Austen, the English novelist who wrote romantic fiction was known for her biting social commentary in the 1800s. I believe she would have been an avid blogger if she was alive today and I imagine she would have thousands of connections in her LinkedIn profile. As much as I adore Jane Austen’s work, whenever […]
Engage All Learning Styles When You Present
One of my great professional joys is communication coaching. I find it incredibly rewarding when I have a breakthrough with a client or student who gains empowering self confidence when they feel positively about how they deliver a presentation or succeed in an interview. Public speaking can be terrifying for many. In addition to learning […]
Have You Ever Read 150 Resumes in an Hour?
It’s resume season as newly minted graduates dive into the job market and experienced professionals look for opportunities to better meet their career goals. I urge you to put on your recruiter hat as you develop your resume and think about the people who will be reading this important part of your professional tool kit. […]
Glass Ceiling or Sticky Floor?
I had the great pleasure of attending a webinar by Carolyn Wiethoff, professor at the IU Kelley School of Business and an expert on organizational behavior. She gave some startling statistics about how women still earn between 60-80% of what men are earning in the same positions across different career fields. Her research attributes this […]
Playing Nice in Your Career Sandbox
I have learned that there is nothing stronger than the power of women in community and that women can be inspirational resources in the professional arena. But I also know the reality of being a woman in the professional world and how we often struggle with owning a strong, confident persona while maintaining our authenticity […]
Madeleine Albright’s Leadership Institute for Women
Former Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright is paving the way for the future women leaders of the world and unlocking the door to the proverbial good old boys club. At Wellesley College, Ms. Albright’s alma mater, a new Institute for Global Affairs named after her will be offering students around the world access to non-partisan […]
Earning Verses Getting
One of my pet peeves is when a client or student of mine talks about getting their degree from a particular university or college. This nomenclature is everywhere from professional bios to all forms of media. The last time I checked, schools were not giving out degrees to just anyone who walked across the stage […]
The Art of Self Promotion
It’s not enough to just do your job well anymore. Professionals need to distinguish themselves in the workplace in order to earn promotions and recognition within an organization. Entrepreneurs have to take control of their own career advocacy to be noticed and stay competitive in the marketplace. The art of self promotion is a necessity […]
The Five G’s of Effective Communication
I had the great pleasure of hearing Kathleen Oliver, COO of Oliver Winery speak at a professional development workshop recently. In her position at the winery, Kathleen manages the retail operation of the business, oversees the activities of the tasting room, special events, and human resources so she communicates with a very large staff daily. […]
Networking Before You Need It
According to Keith Ferrazzi, a networking expert and author of: Never Eat Alone, you should build your resource team before you need it. Nothing is worse than the image of the unemployed individual desperately taking business cards at a professional conference in order to find a job. The reality is that you should start connecting […]
