Great Occupations

In his book, Release Your Brilliance, Simon T. Bailey speaks about his belief that you have what he calls a Universal Assignment. He adds, “And you are the only person on this planet of 6.5 billion people that can fulfill that assignment. You are here on Earth for a very specific reason. There is a void in the world that needs your touch, your insight, your wisdom you magic. You are here to be different and to make a difference.” Ah, making a difference... that intrinsic quality we find so elusive in our careers. I once read a survey in which employees were asked what they want most from their jobs. Choosing from a list of options such as... Read the rest of this entry »

“Informational interviewing” is a time-honored method of career exploration. Clients who are just getting started doing this kind of research usually ask me about how they should make contact and what they should say to break the ice. Should you make contact by email or by phone? There’s not a magic formula to follow, but what you decide to do can depend on... Read the rest of this entry »

To optimize a client’s investment, I give homework during personal consultation sessions. So when a client comes to me for my expertise, he or she will definitely walk away with some action steps to create forward momentum. However, sometimes I work with clients who get stuck. They have trouble getting their homework done. This can happen with folks who are doing a straightforward job search, but, more commonly, the stuck clients are the ones trying to change careers. Why does this happen? For some... Read the rest of this entry »

A friend recommended a very interesting book called The Power Years: A User’s Guide to Rest of Your Life. The primary contributor, Dr. Ken Dychtwald, is a psychologist, gerontologist, documentary filmmaker, entrepreneur and best-selling author of sixteen books on aging-related issues. In my first perusal of the book, the following main points really stood out for me. We'll be living longer and healthier than we used to. In 1800 the average life expectancy was less than 40 years. Today, the average lifespan is... Read the rest of this entry »

Using a behavioral assessment can be very helpful for validating what you might be already sensing are your strong propensities. They can also cause you to see things creatively by bringing more underlying common threads into focus. However, I want to caution you to not rely solely on the results of these "tests." Assessments don’t decide... Read the rest of this entry »