Stop Obsessing About Having the Perfect Career Plan  

That was the headline that captured my attention in a Wall Street Journal article from 9/17/23. Basically, the premise is that while people for decades have pursued the mysterious “perfect career”, the reality is false advertising. Multiple global factors, coupled with the speed of technology and change, reinforce this point. The author ended with a great point, “Even though this (a …

Seasons of Change 

Over the past several weeks I’ve had the opportunity to connect with some former colleagues who were recently let go from their employer, along with a couple of friends who are anticipating leaving their employer in the near future.  The top-of-mind question for all of them was, “What should I do first?” Of course, they’re all experienced adults who can figure …

7 Job Interview Rules…and More! 

I’ve found no matter how much I think I know about a topic, there’s ALWAYS more to learn! And, no surprise, the topics surrounding job transition are no different. Even though I’ve been around this topic for years and have experienced transitions several times, I continue to pick up some new insights from others.  Proverbs 1:5 reinforces this view with “Let …

Be Aware and Flexible, but Stay The Course! 

For any of you who are in a job transition or have been in a job transition, you know the job market is a very fluid phenomenon. Whether it’s specific to you individually (the job you’ve applied for that you think you’re the PERFECT fit for doesn’t come through), or there’s a broad application (unemployment is low, so why do …

The Dream Job?  Explore! 

In over 30 years of working with human resources and people in transition, I’ve not met many people who have told me that they’ve found their “dream job!” However, I’ve encountered many people who, upon reflection, have identified attributes of former positions they’ve held which they loved, and I’ve found even more who are in search of that “dream job!”  …

So…Tell Me About Yourself 

If you’ve ever been interviewed, you’ve probably received the question / statement in the subject line. Many times it’s the first primary question that’s asked, after the introductory chit chat. What’s your reaction to that question? Do some of the questions below immediately spring into your mind and stop you in your tracks?    If yes, then you’re like almost …

Starting a New Job?

I recently saw an article entitled, “The 80-95% Rule: Why not giving your all in a new job could actually make you more successful.” A viral TikTok video argues: “You teach people how to treat you.” At the time I’m writing this article, the video has captured over 340,000 viewers.  The author states, “If you are pulling extra hours, saying yes …

What’s Worse Than Being Unemployed?

If I asked you to describe the emotions you experience or associate with unemployment, what would your response be? If you’re like most people (myself included), words like frustrating, overwhelming, anxious, fearful, angry, exasperated, confused, stressful, tiring, and debilitating may come to mind. Some optimistic folks may include hopeful, optimistic, and even ‘exciting’ (yep, there are those crazy ones among …

Do The Work You Need To Do

Have you ever done work, on a sustained basis, that you didn’t like or perhaps at which you weren’t that skilled? Or maybe even you didn’t mind it, but you knew it wasn’t what you were built to do?    Perhaps you had to do the work to provide for your family? Or you had to do it as the job was …

Finding Peace of Mind in Your Job Search

Here are some recent headlines/data affecting our employment. What impact, if any, should these have on your job search or career planning?  In addition to the bullets above, I could have easily come up with double the number of bullets from additional headlines/data. If you’re like many people scanning these, or similar, headlines and data points, it’s easy to become …