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!
Can You Really Love Your Work? Marcus Buckingham Weighs In
I’ve been a longtime consumer of the research, thought leadership, and wisdom of Marcus Buckingham. A New York Times best-selling author of two of the most popular business books of all time. He also has two of Harvard Business Review’s most circulated, industry-changing cover articles, and his strengths assessments have been taken by over 10 […]
A Teamwork Reboot for the New World-of-Work
Change is ubiquitous and the world-of-work is evolving at a relentless speed. Hybrid work environments, labor shortages and 55% of Americans looking for new roles has made creating team culture a moving target. It’s time to rethink how you lead a team or contribute as a colleague, and as you would expect emotional intelligence tops […]
Everyone Should Have a Business Card
Business cards can be traced back to the 1600’s in France during the reign of Louis XIV. They were first known as visiting cards and individuals wrote promissory notes and messages on blank cards. They later evolved into a business tool and a way for merchants to market their wares. Today business cards are still […]
When Will I Land My Dream Job?
These unstable economic times make it especially tough for first time job seekers that are beginning to forge their career paths. It’s also tough for seasoned professionals that find themselves out of work with rising unemployment rates. The truth is, in this economic climate sometimes you must take a job that won’t help you move […]
Networking Bootcamp for Job Seekers Part II
You’ve assembled your contact list and now it’s time to actually reach out to people in your network. You have a clear picture of your strengths, what you are looking for, and customized questions at-the-ready for your new professional contacts. Here are best practices to lead you to success. Stay Positive. Be prepared to speak […]
Networking Bootcamp for Job Seekers Part I
Networking is a word that often strikes fear in many job seekers. You might feel especially nervous if you are one of those people that claim you don’t know anyone. The point of networking is to develop your community and gather information. It’s about being genuine, authentic, and building trust and relationships with the idea […]
The Invisible Job Market
Years ago, before the internet became mainstream – networking was an expected ritual for the job seeker. Candidates pounded the pavement and reached out to those they knew to develop leads for job opportunities. It was the norm to get out and meet people and talk about what you were looking for, what you did […]
Coaches are Not Just for Athletes
Olympians and professional athletes at the top of their game have been utilizing coaches for decades so why have professionals in the world-of-work taken so long to catch up? A coach stands on the side lines and gives you input and objectivity that you cannot effectively produce yourself. You should hire a coach because you […]
Professional Poise Can Distinguish You
As an opera singer I know from experience that stage presence speaks volumes about how you are perceived. The audience forms an impression of you before you even open your mouth and the same rings true in the world of work. You have control over the way you carry and comport yourself and these traits […]
The Art of the Informational Interview
Part of your career reinvention strategy is to figure out what you really want. Once you have completed your self reflection and connected the dots linking your values, interests, personality and skills you should come up with a general idea of career fields that are a good personal match. The reality is that you may […]
Showcase Your Resiliency
With staggering unemployment rates and job insecurity, many people have changed careers by necessity and others, by choice. You must learn to navigate the new normal of this job world and take ownership of your personal career destiny. Now more than ever employers want to see that you can bounce back and recover quickly from […]
Lessons About Soft Skills from Peggy Klaus
My last entry discussed the importance of recognizing your unique skill set, so I want to take a moment to highlight adaptive skills often referred to as soft skills or emotional intelligence competencies. Peggy Klaus, a nationally acclaimed Fortune 500 communication and leadership coach is a friend and mentor of mine and I am a […]
You Have Skills You Didn’t Even Know You Had!
Every day I speak with students and private clients who have no real sense of what their skills are. Simply put, a skill is an ability, based on training or experience, to do something well. We all have skills and the trick is to discover what they are and market them with humble confidence to […]
Know Thy Self
Following the career development steps of self evaluating your VIPS (values, interests, personality and skills) it’s time to focus on personality. This happens to be one of my favorite parts of the career reinvention and self reflection journey. Personality refers to your unique patterns of mental, emotional, physical, and behavioral characteristics. You may have heard […]
