In honor of Mother’s Day,
I dedicate this post in
memory of my mom.

Few people doubt the important role mothers serve. A new book by Stephan Poulter, The Mother Factor: How Your Mother’s Emotional Legacy Impacts Your Life, suggests that “There may be a direct link between our career success and our mothers.” (Hat tip, Anita Bruzzese.)

Alexandra Levit recently blogged about Anita’s post about our mothers’ influence on career success:

The book’s thesis is that, whether we acknowledge it or not, our mothers leave an indelible impression on the people we become. Our ability to function in personal and professional relationships is based on our mothers’ “styles.” Poulter defines the five major styles of mothering as:

* The Perfectionist Mother: whose family must look perfect in every way.
* The Unpredictable Mother: whose ups and downs can create lifelong anxiety and depression in her son or daughter.
* The “Me First” Mother: whose children come second or last.
* The “Best Friend” Mother: who’s now in vogue but can wreak havoc.
* The Complete Mother: who provides guidance and shows compassion to her child.

For example, if your mother was a perfectionist, then you might have difficulty taking feedback at work. “Ninety five percent of the time it’s your emotional history spilling into the present,” Poulter says.

If this research is correct, I am even more lucky than I thought to have had such an encouraging, supportive, caring and giving mom. My mom was exceptional and unique in many ways. She had high standards for herself and others. She taught me to believe in myself, set goals and work hard to achieve them. She was instrumental in helping me develop my soft skills, including writing, communication and common sense.

My mom demonstrated a strong work ethic and instilled that ethic, along with a can-do attitude that supports me to this day. I am so grateful and appreciative to have had that foundation upon which to build my life and career. Thanks, Mom. I miss you.

Do you see a proverbial “glass half full”

in this recession?

I’m on a listserve run by Peter Shankman called Help A Reporter Out (HARO). The purpose of the list is to connect experts and regular people with reporters and authors who have specific inquiries for projects such as books, newspapers, magazines, blogs and all types of media outlets. It’s free to join. The emails you’ll receive come with a dose of humor from Peter and some insight into what you might be hearing and reading about in the future. (Reporters, writers, experts and regular people can join by following this link.)

Today’s morning post (there are 3 a day) had an interesting inquiry. A freelance writer is doing a story with the theme, “Upside of the Recession.” (Listserv rules prohibit me from re-posting her contact info, but I don’t think Peter will mind that his list inspired my blog today!)

I’ve posted quite a bit about how to recession proof your job, job searching in a recession and tips for when job hunting prospects look bleak. With job seekers worried about their employment prospects, people losing their positions due to downsizing and prices for everything important going up, up and up…

Is there a silver lining to the recession
from the worker’s perspective?

At least one person I know thinks so. Nolan Feintuch, a real estate professional in Atlanta, believes that the housing market slow-down offers a “great opportunity for realtors to grow their businesses.” He notes:

Many agents are leaving the business and those who are serious are having to get back to basic sales skills to build their client base. It is common for agents to boost their careers during down markets.

Do you see any silver lining? Let me know in the comments section…

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May brings the pomp and circumstance of graduations. The other day, my college roommate sent me an email with a number as the subject. The number was how many years ago to the day we graduated from Michigan. (Not mentioning the number here, suffice to say it was in the double digits.)

I remember how exciting it was to graduate, but both of us only had “fall back” plans set up at that point, and the future seemed a little uncertain. To make a long story short, we both wound up working in New York City (me on Wall Street and my friend for a non-profit organization).

Our lives took a course that we never (in a million years) would have imagined. Following a path to plans we hadn’t actually charted changed both of our lives.

Neither of us would be where we are today without having followed a road that we didn’t pave ourselves. Looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing.

I think this story applies to all job seekers, not just new graduates. Keep an open mind to possibilities you may not have considered. If your hunt is getting stale, consider a new directional focus. Look for positions in a new, but related field. Open your eyes to opportunities that may not be what you expect, but may be exactly what you need.

Keppie Careers will leverage over 10 years of experience helping job seekers for you! Contact us: [email protected] or www.keppiecareers.com.