Archive for career coaching
It’s true – Finding your ideal career is possible!
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I am thrilled that my career coaching client, Damon, has decided what he wants to do long term with his career. He is combining his past experience as a business owner with his passion for managing projects and having a tangible outcome with real estate. He has decided what he wants, has a business plan in place and is already making connections in the industry.
After putting time and effort into evaluating his career path, he’s figured it out. The key to finding your dream job is figuring out what is fulfilling to you. Through our career coaching process, Damon thoroughly evaluated each of his ideas, including mediation as one possible path, and decided real estate was the best fit. Congrats Damon!
If you are having trouble finding fulfillment in your career, it’s time to get right to the heart of it. Do what it takes to find your dream job as soon as possible. If you’d like to learn more about career coaching and how it can help you, contact us today!
Hallie Crawford
Ideal Career Coach
P.S. Get one of the most information-rich career newsletters on the web delivered straight to your email inbox! Check our our Free Newsletter to help you along your career journey today!
Immerse yourself in your industry
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It is important to consistently stay in touch with your peers in your industry, not just for networking purposes but to rejuvenate your interest in your field. I was excited to attend a CTI workshop recently, and this workshop really rejuvenated my interest in coaching. CTI is a coaching school that I attended years ago, and being back there with my fellow coaches for this workshop was like coming home for me. I felt like I was with “my people” again, and it renewed my energy and enthusiasm for being a coach. This is really something I think we all need to do. We can feel stale sometimes when we’ve been doing the same thing for a while!
I also wanted to mention to you a cool benefit I’m happy to give you. From that workshop, I have $200 off coupons for CTI’s core fundamentals course. If you would like one, I’m happy to mail it to you. They can be used anywhere in the US and would be useful for anyone wanting to improve their leadership skills, management skills, and relationship skills inside and outside the workplace. Just let me know! Here’s the CTI website to learn more: www.thecoaches.com
Hallie Crawford
Certified Career Coach
P.S. If you are looking for career fulfillment, check out this FREE REPORT: ”4 Keys to Career Fulfillment and Effectiveness”.
Career Obituary: Who are you at the end of your career journey
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Sometimes it’s hard to see clearly who we want to be right now, how we define success, and how to find career fulfillment over time. If things are blurry for you, try writing your Career Obituary.
Here’s how it works:
Fast forward 20 (or however many) years to your ultimate retirement party. Significant colleagues, loyal networking connections, and supportive friends and family are all in attendance. Several of your colleagues would like to say a few words about what it was like to work with you. What would you want them to say?
Move into a quiet, creative space, and write from a third person perspective about how people experienced you, the accomplishments they witnessed, and the value you brought to the table each day. After your draft is complete, observe the tone and the heart of the message. How far away is this person from who you are now? What choices are required in order to become this future self? What core values must you uphold?
This is one of many creative activities to challenge you during the career coaching process to take a different perspective and apply it to your current exploration and decision-making process.
For more cool activities and structured guidance, please contact us for a complementary consultation call!
Dig below the surface to define your the ideal career!
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I was talking with my career coaching client, Margaret, the other day. She was giving me positive feedback on our career coaching process, which of course is always great to hear. One of the things we discussed I wanted to share with you, because it’s something you can do to help you define your ideal career direction. Many people I encounter have thought about their career direction but wind up confused with either too many or not enough ideas. I find that many times, the problem is they’re not digging below the surface of their ideas to help them get to the root of what appeals to them for a career.
Here’s an example: I had a career coaching client, Chris, who thought of being a landscape architect. When I asked him why, he said because he liked being outside. This is one reason it was appealing to him but didn’t give us much to go on in terms of career direction. When I asked him for more details and to dig further into this idea, we were able to come up with much meatier answers.
These are some of the questions I asked him that you can use for your own purposes: Why did this appeal to him in addition to being outside? What did he enjoy about being outside? Does he really want to be outside all day every day? Or was this idea more about life balance for him and wanting to be able to go outside when he wanted to?
Ask yourself the WHY questions as much as possible, to get to the heart of what you want. Don’t just skim the surface of your ideal career.
Hallie Crawford
Ideal Career Coach
P.S. If you would like more help identifying your ideal career, be sure to take our Free Ideal Career Quiz!
What can time do for your career journey?
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I was very impressed when I received this email awhile back from my career coaching client, Robin. Check out how prepared he was for his career fair. It went really well after all the time and effort he put into it!
I researched all 120 companies attending and wound up with a list of 12 I thought were good fits. Further research pared the list down to 4 and I received an invitation from a fifth who saw my profile on the career fair web site and asked me to come talk to them. I prepared folders with my resume, a business card and a cover letter slightly customized for each company. That seemed to be very well received and was an indication of my level of professionalism.
Having a plan and being prepared with information about the company and the positions they were looking to fill was invaluable. The lead company did not even list the position I wanted in the booklet we all received. It was an interesting and very fruitful discussion. Because I knew who I wanted to talk to and what I was interested in, I feel all of the discussions went well and expect good results. None of them may ultimately result in a job, but not for lack of preparation or execution.
When dealing with your job search, it’s always worth going the extra mile. Follow Robin’s lead and put the extra time and effort into preparing for your networking events and interviews. It will pay off!
Hallie Crawford
Job Search Coach
P.S. Is your resume ready for your networking events? Read this article to help you get organized and prepare for the big event!
Clear your fear in career transition
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Do you dream of doing something new in your career? Do you spend hours daydreaming about how things will be wonderful in your new career and not stuck in the one you’re in? Do you find yourself hesitant to take the steps forward, even though you know you want change? You are not alone.
As a career coach, I have spoken with hundreds of people who dream of doing something different with their lives, but can’t seem to move forward. What’s holding them back? One word: Fear.
I see fear as the #1 reason people stay in jobs they don’t like. It could be fear of the unknown, fear of what other people will think, fear of failure, or fear of financial insecurity. There are as many different fears as there are people.
So what can you do if you want to make a career transition but are stuck in fear?
Here are my three top tips to clear your fear and make a career change:
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Take Things One Step at a TimeThe fastest way to feel overwhelmed and fearful is to jump 10 steps ahead of where you’re currently at. Instead, just concentrate on the next step in front of you. For instance, don’t worry about being offered the job if you haven’t sent out any resumes. First get your resume and cover letter in order. Whenever you jump ahead past the step you’re on, you will feel fearful.
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Spend Time Getting Clear Inside YourselfMany times fear is based on what other people tell you and what you hear in the news. Basing our decisions on what we think others will think is not helpful for you in getting clear on your career transition. Instead, spend time journaling, meditating, and asking yourself what you most want. Allow yourself to get excited and motivated towards making a change. You are in charge of your own life, so spend time getting clear about what is best for you.
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Find SupportIt is very challenging to make big changes alone. It is important to enlist a supportive team to help you with your transition. You don’t have to do this work alone. Why reinvent the wheel if there are professionals who can help? If you are ready to get support in your career transition, contact us today and we’d love to provide you a complimentary consultation.
4 steps to help you meet your career goals!
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I had the privilege of being on a radio show for Q100 here in Atlanta last week. We talked about staying on top of New Year’s resolutions. Here are 4 steps to help you meet your goals that I shared on the show:
- Create a job search plan that includes your ideal career direction, plus two other possible ideas related to it, in case you need to expand your search over time.
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Firm up your elevator pitch. What makes you unique? You have to know your brand or your value. Understand your strengths and what you bring to the table.
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Network, network, and network. Networking is still the best way to get a job. Employers are still going to be hesitant to post jobs because they still get flooded with resumes. Set up as many informational interviews as possible.
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Go for what you really want. The job market is getting better, but you have to realize it takes work and time. Sometimes a new approach to your job search is needed to stand a better chance to land the job you really want.
If you’d like help at achieving your career goals this year, contact us today to set up a complimentary consultation.
P.S. If you are interested in furthering your career direction, be sure to check out these free tools, specially designed to help you on you career journey.
How to spice up your job search today!
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A key element to spicing up your job search is to ask for information. After working with many career coaching clients recently, I’m finding that people aren’t using the right networking strategy for their job search. Here are some key tips to spice up your job search:
- Informational interviews are resonating and helpful in your jobs search. Talk to the people in your network who work in an industry you want to be part of. Ask them for 15 minutes of their time to learn more about what they do. Don’t ask for a job, ask for information.
- Go places where people are, such as professional associations. Instead of going to job fairs and places where people are unemployed, this can be a great way to make connections and learn more about your preferred industry.
- A good networking strategy is critical and includes LinkedIn. Update your LinkedIn profile right away if you have not done so in the past 3 months. People still don’t get on LinkedIn and use it effectively. 80% of recruiters are searching here. We have a career coaching client who upgraded her account to paid and is reaping the rewards of seeing the actual traffic to her account. There are many ways to use this actively to run your search.
- Soft skills are important, and another area that job seekers often don’t fully understand. Soft skills are skills that an employer can’t teach you like work ethic, management skills, or your ability to work in a team.
I hope these tips are helpful to you. If you are motivated and want to spice up your job search more, contact us today to set up a complimentary consultation.
Hallie Crawford
Ideal Career Coach
P.S. A great way to receive free help regarding your career direction is to our Free Monthly Newsletter. Check it out today!
