Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

Act As If It Were Impossible to Fail – A review

By

actasifaccelerate_your_career-hb-v1-3d“…Act with enthusiasm and confidence – act as if it were impossible to fail. Your beliefs become your reality, and your expectations have a direct result on the outcome of any given situation. Concentrate on your strengths, your triumphs and your successes as you power up the corporate ladder” (p.177). – Act As If It Were Impossible to Fail, by Joe Lavelle

I “met” Joe Lavelle, author of Act As If It Were Impossible to Fail – The Employee Handbook That Your Empoyer Hasn’t Given You, via Twitter and when he began to comment on this blog. He writes the Act As If Blog, which offers great advice to anyone hoping to accelerate his or her career plans. So, I was delighted to read a copy of his book.

Joe doesn’t disappoint! His book is filled with stories that lead the reader to understand his points. My favorite was the story of how Ford rolled out the Edsel, as it relates to seeking (or not seeking!) feedback and the inevitable results. How often have you thought about feedback as a gift? If you hope to propel your career to a new level, it is something to focus on. If you are not getting the feedback you need, it is time to think about how to ask for it.

Joe reminds readers that first impressions are important, but it is even more important to manage the impression you offer. In fact, he details a story of Karen, who had failed to make a good first impression, but who worked to revise how people viewed her. The point – “Every day is an opportunity to make a new first impression – to introduce the world to the new and improved you” (p. 13).

I really enjoyed Joe’s book. It is a good read, with lots of useful information to help anyone who hopes to drive his or her career bus, which is something I write about a lot and believe everyone should do!

I can help with every part of your job hunt! Need a great resume? Tips to use social networking? Interview coaching?  If you need help mobilizing your networks and your job search plans, learn more about how I can help you! While you’re at it, don’t forget those social networks! Be sure to become a fan of Keppie Careers on Facebook…I’d be thrilled to have you as part of the community! Since we’re on the subject of doing something new…Are you on Twitter? Jump on and touch base with me @keppie_careers.

Paint your house – or plan your job hunt!

By

paintedhouses229537032_51f40ea803_mThis week, I’m having my house painted. Inside and out – fresh paint, new colors. It has been a while. My friends know that this has been a long time in coming. I’ve been talking about painting for months!

The first obstacle – picking colors! For the interior decorators among you, this may be hard to believe, but choosing colors for several key rooms in the house seemed like an overwhelming problem. What if it looked bad? What needed to match? Or not match? I had no interest in making a mistake in my home.

What did I finally do? I hired an expert. Laura came in with her paint swatches, asked me what I liked and proceeded to explain what she would recommend. She has seen the colors she recommended to me in many, many homes. On the walls! I trusted her ideas and knew I could move forward confidently.

But, that wasn’t all. I still had a few choices to make. I needed to buy some samples and see how I liked them on the walls. But, being “too busy” (I really am busy – how do you think this blog gets written?!), I procrastinated. For a long time. It wasn’t until the painter I had said I would hire called back to check in that I finally went to work on making final color selections. It was easier to TALK about making a change than it was to actually make a change. Surprise!

Does this sound like you? Not about painting, but about your job hunt? Is it overwhelming to even think about starting? I hired someone to help me (trying to take my own advice to hire an expert). Should you do the same thing? Think about it – you can sit around and procrastinate or you can take some action!

Even when I had my professional advice, I still needed to actually take action and move forward. The same is true for you. No matter what, you will need to take steps to move forward. The fact is, nothing was going to get painted in my house unless I made a conscious choice – and took a bit of a chance.  Nothing happens without action.

What action are you taking to move your job hunt forward?

I can help with every part of your job hunt! Need a great resume? Tips to use social networking? Interview coaching?  If you need help mobilizing your networks and your job search plans, learn more about how I can help you! While you’re at it, don’t forget those social networks! Be sure to become a fan of Keppie Careers on Facebook…I’d be thrilled to have you as part of the community! Since we’re on the subject of doing something new…Are you on Twitter? Jump on and touch base with me @keppie_careers.

photo by jaygooby

Career lessons from Carrie Prejean

By

carrieprejean3616505852_9049427208_mI thought I would take the evening off tonight. I got settled in and turned on the TV, which was set to CNN and Larry King Live was on interviewing Carrie Prejean about her new book.

I vaguely remember her story, which Wikipedia sums up:

Caroline Michelle “Carrie” Prejean (born May 13, 1987)[1] is an American model and former beauty queen from Vista, California. She held the title of Miss California USA 2009, and placed first runner up in the Miss USA 2009 pageant. She gained nationwide attention over her answer to a question about same-sex marriage. She was eventually dethroned on June 10, 2009, with the producers of the Miss California USA pageant citing continued alleged breach of contract issues as the reason. Prejean called those claims false, and filed a libel suit alleging that she has been discriminated against due to her religious views.[2][3] However, the legal battle between her the pageant officials was settled out of court on November 3, 2009 following the revelation of a “sex tape” involving Prejean[4].

Since it would be a shame for me to take the evening off (!)…I happened to tune in to the interview when Carrie was talking about why she was fired from her role. She made it clear that she had not been released from her contract (which involved a highly confidential settlement) because of any moral considerations. Instead, she noted that it was because she was “difficult to work with.” Hmm…

I am not an expert on her case, but further in the interview, she did make a point of saying that she hopes her book teaches other young women to be careful of what they do and that they don’t do anything they’d be embarressed about down the road.

I have some career advice for Ms. Prejean – and everyone else:

Announcing that you are “difficult to work with” on national television is not a great career move. Maybe I am going out out a limb here, but I am willing to bet that there are more people out there who would work with someone who had a lapse in judgement as a teenager than people who would like to work with a self-professed “difficult to work with” 22-year old!

Ironically, the interview continued by Carrie telling Larry King he was being “inappropriate” in his questions to her, and then she almost walked off of the set when he took a phone call that she said was not part of the agreement. (Could she have just reminded him that she was not planning to take any calls?)

To me, it looked like a career lesson. On my evening off. So – there it is for you. Don’t make a sex tape. Don’t be rude on national television. And, most importantly, do NOT announce that you were considered “difficult to work with.” This is not an asset for most jobs.

—

I can help with every part of your job hunt! Need a great resume? Tips to use social networking? Interview coaching?  If you need help mobilizing your networks and your job search plans, learn more about how I can help you! While you’re at it, don’t forget those social networks! Be sure to become a fan of Keppie Careers on Facebook…I’d be thrilled to have you as part of the community! Since we’re on the subject of doing something new…Are you on Twitter? Jump on and touch base with me @keppie_careers.

photo by cattius photo

Intuition and your job hunt

By

intuition.2677121177_d81cbe81d8_mIntuition is the apparent ability to acquire knowledge without inference or the use of reason.[1] “The word ‘intuition’ comes from the Latin word ‘intueri’, which is often roughly translated as meaning ‘to look inside’ or ‘to contemplate’.”[2] Intuition provides us with beliefs that we cannot necessarily justify. For this reason, it has been the subject of study in psychology, as well as a topic of interest in the supernatural. The “right brain” is popularly associated with intuitive processes such as aesthetic abilities.[3][4][5] Some scientists have contended that intuition is associated with innovation in scientific discovery.[6]

– Wikipedia

I’ve been thinking a lot about intuition and the job hunt. A lot of people who contact me have been looking for a job for a long time before they seek help. They realize that something isn’t working and hope that getting help will – help! But, why does it take so long? Why doesn’t intuition kick in sooner?

Which begs the question: Is intuition a skill we acquire or a talent we refine? The question, posed on LinkedIn and responded to by many people, is probably key. Clearly, some people have a stronger sense of intuition than others – about their job hunts and everything else!

So, I did a Google search for intuition in the job hunt. Not surprisingly, the first result was written by Kathy Hansen from Quint Careers, a giant in online career search resources.

Kathy shares “tips to sharpen your intuition and use it for making career choices.”(Bold from Kathy, commentary is my own.)

 

  • Accept your gut feelings. Do you remember someone once telling you to “go with your first choice” on a standardized test? While “your first choice” is not necessarily the best one for all of life’s concerns, it is important to recognize that you have a “gut instinct.” Think about it and use it when you are navigating your job hunt..

 

  • Know yourself. Think about it. Who knows you better than you do? Take advantage of what you know and let it guide you.

 

  • Journal your thoughts about career choices. This is a useful way to track information you otherwise might ignore.

 

  • Seek a calm, quiet place to ruminate on your intuitive thoughts. Kathy says, “It’s OK to wait for the insight you need to make a choice.” I agree totally – rushing to judge and acting impulsively are unlikely to help you with your job hunt. (Note the difference between “impulsivity” and “intuition,” per wikipedia:

Impulsivity (or impulsiveness) is a type of human behavior characterized by the inclination of an individual to act on impulse rather than thought.[1] Although part of the normal behavior, impulsivity also plays a role in many mental illnesses.

  • Take baby steps. You probably want to rush. Getting a job is important. Going slowly is okay.
  • It’s OK to use both intuition and rational, analytical thinking to make career choices, especially if you are not highly intuitive. Kathy suggests, “Use reason to test your hunches. Once you think you’ve made an intuitive choice, ask yourself the logical questions that draw on your powers of reason. You can also visualize possible outcomes of your decision.”
  • Be positive and assume you have the resources to make a good choice. You can’t really underestimate the importance of having a positive attitude.
  • Ask the right questions. What are the right questions? I’d suggest – “What brought me to this point, and what, if anything, do I want/need to change?” Also – “What steps can I take to bring me closer to my goal?

I can help with every part of your job hunt! Need a great resume? Tips to use social networking? Interview coaching?  If you need help mobilizing your networks and your job search plans, learn more about how I can help you! While you’re at it, don’t forget those social networks! Be sure to become a fan of Keppie Careers on Facebook…I’d be thrilled to have you as part of the community! Since we’re on the subject of doing something new…Are you on Twitter? Jump on and touch base with me @keppie_careers.

photo by lefiaf.geo

 

 

How to find out what job you should do next

By

leapAre you doing what you SHOULD be doing? Does you job fill you with excitement and passion? (Not THAT kind!) Do you REALLY enjoy your work, or is it just a means to an end?

When job seekers contact me and don’t know what they want to do next, I tell them I can’t help them. Actually, that’s not exactly what I tell them. I do explain that I only work with people who know their next target job. I don’t write “general resumes,” nor do I do what I call “find your bliss” coaching. If clients need help figuring out their next steps, I can offer some suggestions about how to go about finding jobs you might not even know existed (maybe a topic for a future post), but otherwise, I will refer those clients to work with a trusted colleague and advise them to come back to me when they are ready to focus on a job search.

So, I don’t usually write about the topic of “figuring out your next step.” A few recent occurences have made me think about this, though…

A friend of mine, who has been running her own business for the better part of the last several years, recently took an opportunity to do some work that was very similar to what she used to do before her current gig. The money was too good, so she couldn’t pass it up. Unfortunately, she admitted to me how BORED she is with the work. Remembering her talk about her previous job, it never occurred to me that she had disliked it, so I pressed her to explain.

It turns out that she had really LOVED this job in the old days. It felt challenging, different every day – even thrilling at times. Now, that same work is so boring, she can hardly get anything done without something running in the background.

What changed? She realized where her TRUE passions lie in the interim. It’s a different type of work, a different type of interaction with people  that excites her now. If the money were not so good, she would not even consider going back. Maybe, some would say, she should STILL not go back, even for the money, but I’m about practicality, so I’m not one of those voices!

Coincidentally, I recently had the opportunity to meet Rick Smith, author of 5 Patterns of Extraordinary Careers and The Leap. Rick’s focus is on showing people that “3 simple changes can propel your career from good to great.” He launched what he calls his “primary colors” assessment, which he says helps people identify where their passions should take them. In fact, he believes that working to find your passions (or your “primary color“) and then working to move in the direction of that passion is the first step to success (p. 192).

Rick’s personal story (basically, he was laid off from his recruiting job and wound up founding an elite senior executive networking organization) and those of the people profiled in his book can certainly inspire anyone to take that “leap” into doing something different. What I really like about Rick’s idea is that the “leap” does not necessarily need to be into entrepreneurship. It is perfectly reasonable to assume that people who recognize what they love doing will be able to direct their job search in the right direction.

I enjoyed The Leap…If you are struggling with your next step, I think you will, too. (Be sure to watch Rick’s video. It is pretty inspiring!) Learn more about Rick and his book HERE.

I can help with every part of your job hunt! Need a great resume? Tips to use social networking? Interview coaching?  If you need help mobilizing your networks and your job search plans, learn more about how I can help you! While you’re at it, don’t forget those social networks! Be sure to become a fan of Keppie Careers on Facebook…I’d be thrilled to have you as part of the community! Since we’re on the subject of doing something new…Are you on Twitter? Jump on and touch base with me @keppie_careers.