Archive for Ideal Career
Moving past limiting beliefs to create your ideal career
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Graduation is upon us! Job seekers, specifically recent graduates, often have limiting beliefs about their lack of work experience or value. When these beliefs are shared with a prospective employer it can completely derail a job search
These beliefs can show up in many forms, for example: “I’ll never make enough money doing what I love”, “It’s not responsible for me to follow what my heart wants in my career” or “I’m not good enough at this to really make it in the field I most love”. Do these sound familiar?
Having limiting beliefs can cause you to question moving forward with your ideal career. Here are four ways to overcome these beliefs so they don’t hold you back:
1) Become aware of them. You have to really see what limiting beliefs you have. Get to know these beliefs instead of pushing them back and resisting them. As the famous saying goes, “What resists, persists.” So instead, keep track of what limiting beliefs are most active for you. Awareness is the first step in moving past them.
2) Connect to what you want the most. Would you rather put energy into your limiting beliefs, or into your passion? In order to answer that question it is important to connect to what you care about and what you want. Why does it matter to you? How does it make you feel when you think of what you’re passionate about?
3) Make a commitment. Now that you are in a great position to make a choice, write down your #1 limiting belief. Next, write what you most want for your career. Now really take these two things into consideration. Which one are you most committed to? Which one do you want to feed with your energy and your love?
4) Choose an action. Based on your choice of what you will put your energy and time into, what is one action step you can take to move forward with that choice? Write down the action and the deadline for achieving it. If there are any baby steps needed to help you get there write those down as well.
If you choose what you love and are passionate about, you are on your way to moving past your limiting belief and creating the life and career you desire. Congratulations to those recent grads out there! Good luck and we hope this is helpful for you.
Darcy Holoweski
Certified Career Coach
P.S. Be sure to check out our LinkedIn Consulting Program where you can learn how to effectively leverage your LinkedIn account for your job search and ongoing professional development.
9 things college grads need to do to beef up their job search
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I enjoyed seeing Matt Jones again in the studio recently, recording my latest radio segment for Q100 Atlanta and their Cumulus stations. College grads everywhere are walking across the stage. If you are one of those who does not have a job lined up, this is especially for you. Here are my talking points that I wanted to share with you:
–Don’t sell damaged goods: We go through our job search too often not realizing that we aree not being our best selves; we are not being as confident as we could be. We are selling ourselves short (see the blog post and the video I posted about on not selling damaged goods here). You need to believe in yourself first. Even when you are a recent college grad with little work experience. Identify what you HAVE done and how that makes you valuable. Is it sorority work? Leadership on a class project? Don’t go selling yourself short. Walk into interviews and networking events with confidence. It doesn’t matter if you are younger. Know that you have something to offer and you have to put yourself out there regardless so you might as well make it count. Get your feet wet and get started!
–Prepare, prepare, prepare: Have your materials ready before you get out there. This includes your resume, business cards (yes, you too should have them!), your elevator pitch for different purposes and different types of networking, your LinkedIn profile (it’s a must!), and consider creating an online resume.
–Attend career fairs: Four things to do to prep for these are…
- Find a list of employers that will be there.
- Identify the top employers that you want the opportunity to meet.
- Research the company and their current news so that you can prepare what you want to say to them.
- Have well thought out questions that you want to ask them about the company.
– AND attend networking events where people are employed: Job search groups are helpful, and networking events where people are employed can be even better! Find association meetings, alumni meetings, and local business groups. Attend as a guest for free if possible for that first meeting.
–Budget your time: Remember networking pays the biggest dividends, so you want to spend the most time there. It has the biggest pay off but also takes the most time, so plan to spend about an hour a day on job boards and set up auto alerts to be efficient with your time. But also spend an hour and a half a day on networking-more if you’ve set up multiple meetings for that day or week.
–Know when to take a break: Over time if you get burned out, take a day off. Rejuvenate. Take time off each day as well to get a break and take care of yourself. That greatly affects your confidence and the advice above in tip number 1.
–Stand out: Three things you need to do to stand out from the crowd: 1) Identify your unique skill set. How are you different from your college buddies based on your experience or unique skills. 2) For college students who don’ t have work experience, identify any work type of experience you’ve had. Put that down, even if it’s president of fraternity or something you did in class. I included the documentary I created in college on my resume. It was something unique, and a good talking point in interviews. 3) Focus on soft skills as well. Are you a good team player? Do you have great communication skills? Write those down in your summary of qualifications at the top of your resume.
–Hang around positive, employed people: Find people who have been successful in their search and have a positive attitude. Get some cheerleading and advice from them. Hanging around your unemployed friends who have not found work yet and are bummed out is not helpful. Identify a mentor who can help you in your search. Seek out people who are employed and enjoy their work. Spend time with them. You never know what advice (even if it’s informally) you’ll pick up.
–Get experience: People often ask me whether or not it is worth getting a part time job and or an unpaid internship. I say yes if it gets you out of the house, feeling better and more confident. Especially if it is in your field of interest. It shows that you are doing something, gives you experience, is a networking opportunity and can help you define what you want in a job. Be pro-active. About unpaid internships, I say yes! They absolutely can be helpful! Just don’t get stuck in them for long term. I’ve seen that happen. Communicate with the employer up front about the length of time for the internship and what happens after that. Can they hire you? What are the chances of that, or do you need to be looking for something else right away?
Hallie Crawford
Ideal Career Coach
P.S. Are you frustrated with your job search? Check out our FREE REPORT: ”Take Control of Your Career Transition: Uncover Hidden Opportunities”.
Affirmations with an exclamation!
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This was also printed in H2O magazine, but I wanted to share it with you because I really liked it. It was written by one of my associate career coaches Terry Wynne…
Do you want to have more control of your current job, job search, future career, next interview, or other circumstances in your life? Try using affirmations. Affirmations are statements of what you want for yourself. These statements are in the present tense without the use of the words, “no” or “not.” Some examples are:
- I have a career I love.
- My boss, my co-workers and I respect each other and each other’s ideas.
- I make a salary large enough to meet all of my needs.
The reason you avoid using “no” or “not” is because your mind believes what you tell it, but your mind doesn’t comprehend a negative request; it only comprehends what to do, much like a computer. If you put in “no” or “not,” your mind will delete these words and give you what you don’t want. Instead of “I am not a good interviewee,” a better affirmation is “I interview well and describe my qualifications expertly.”
Likewise, using the present tense is important so that you mind implements what you tell it right now. Using “I will” or “I must” only results in your mind delaying your request because “will” or “must” is an affirmation for your mind to delay your request until the future. Instead of “I will not find a job,” use “I find job opportunities that are interesting to me.” Again, think of your computer – it does what you tell it to do, when you tell it to do it so use present tense.
The best way to use affirmations is to put your desires in writing, and read them at least three or more times a day. Place your affirmations where you can see them consistently — on your mirror, your computer, in your wallet, and on your night stand. Even if you don’t believe your affirmations initially, pretend to believe them and in time, you will. Afterall, affirmations are a way to change an existing situation into the way you want the situation to exist.
Affirmations are powerful because you become what you think. Don’t believe affirmations work? Ask people who use them to tell you their experiences. Then you’ll quickly understand why you need to put your affirmations in writing – so you can remember your requests, recognize when your request becomes reality, be grateful, and create your next affirmations. What a way to give yourself a feeling of hope, belief, and control!
-Reprinted with permission from H20 Magazine
Terry Wynne
Certified Career Coach
P.S. Are you in the ideal career for you? Find out if you’re in the right career with our Ideal Career Quiz.
Are you in the right mental state for you job search?
Posted by: | CommentsI loved this video that I recently received from my career coaching client, Tom. He sent it to me the other day mentioning that this is how he used to feel on the job and while in job search mode. This was before he worked with me as well as a therapist to improve his self confidence. Watch the video below:
Remember, any action you take towards your ideal career or in your job search will go better and be more successful if you come from the right mental place or state. “Don’t sell damaged goods” as this author puts it. I think this is the perfect way to describe it!
I hope this video was helpful to you. If you’d like help with your job search, contact us today for a complimentary consultation.
Hallie Crawford
Job Search Coach
P.S. Are you frustrated with your job search? Check out our FREE REPORT: ”Take Control of Your Career Transition: Uncover Hidden Opportunities”.
Begin Your Ideal Career Scavenger Hunt today!
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It’s hard to believe that spring is already here! With Easter so early this year, it seems like the seasons are flying by too quickly. Spring time brings back fond memories of flying kites, Easter egg hunts, and playing outside. To help you get in the mood for spring, we are kicking it off with an Ideal Career Scavenger Hunt. If you are ready to get on the hunt for your ideal career, here are the 5 things you need to do to participate. See the bottom for where to submit your answers and receive a complimentary copy of our Career Transition book!
Destination #1 on Your Ideal Career Scavenger Hunt
People You Know - Brainstorm career options with people you know. This will give you a different perspective about your unique skill set, personality or even past work experiences. Utilizing your friends and family is a great place to start the hunt for your ideal career!
Destination #2 on Your Ideal Career Scavenger Hunt
Online Resources - Websites such as mypursuit.com and onetonline.org can really help you narrow in on your ideal career. Check out one of these online resources and plug in keywords that are related to your interests or your skill set, and then the site will give you ideas to brainstorm with.
Destination #3 on Your Ideal Career Scavenger Hunt
Informational Interviews - Conduct informational interviews with people who work in, or have been part of the industry that you are considering. The idea of an informational interview is to learn more and gather information about the job, industry or specific company that you would like to work for. Schedule and conduct one informational interview per week.
Destination #4 on Your Ideal Career Scavenger Hunt
Networking Events - Attend two networking events this month in industries that you are considering. This will help you to learn more about the industry that you want to be part of. You can network with other participants at the event and take notes during presentations about relevant trends within the industry.
Destination #5 on Your Ideal Career Scavenger Hunt
Career Assessment - Partake in a career assessment to help you learn more about your interests, preferences and personal style. We offer 2 career assessments that you can learn more about here (the Strong Interest Inventory and Strengthsfinder).
Career assessments are a great tool to help you along your ideal career path. There are also some free online career assessments such as this MAPP career assessment.
To Complete Your Ideal Career Scavenger Hunt
Submit all 5 of your completed tasks to hunt@halliecrawford.com by April 30th. We will choose one scavenger hunt winner and announce it in May’s Career Newsletter. Good Luck and Happy Hunting!
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 out our Free Newsletter to help you along your career journey today!
Compare the qualities vs. direction of your ideal job!
Posted by: | CommentsCheck out my latest video as I discuss how to create a list of things that you want to have in an ideal job, in order to find the right career path for you. It helps you create the vision of what you really want to have. When you’re writing down your list, you’ll notice there’s a difference between things that are qualities versus things that are directional. Listen to this video as Hallie explains what the differences are, and what to do with them.
It requires balance to identify your ideal career
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I wanted to share this testimonial from a career client, Kevon, who is part of our new online 60 Day to Your Ideal Career Program. His story reminded me of how important it is to fit your career transition action steps into your existing schedule and your life, in order for it to be successful.
“Thank you for checking in. Everything is going well and I think I’m making great strides. Also, I like the new format– doing the workbook online, unlimited emails, etc. It is much more conducive to my lifestyle and what I need out of my coaching.”
When it comes to your identifying your ideal career, it takes a balance between making the time and not getting so overwhelmed by it that you don’t take action at all. You don’t want all of the work you spend on defining your dream job to feel like an added item on your to do list. Find a way to work on it that works for you. Our online program is not for everyone, but is perfect for those who want to work on it at their own pace on their own time.
If you’d like to learn more about our career services, contact us today.
P.S. Get one of the most information-rich career newsletters on the web delivered straight to your email inbox! Check out our Free Newsletter to help you along your career journey today!
Step over nothing when identifying your ideal career
Posted by: | CommentsIn my latest video I was at Miraval and wanted to share a few thoughts that I had while on vacation. When you’re looking for your ideal career, try to think about everything that you might need to consider such as the work environment, your personality type, the salary, or if it will be fulfilling to you. People often pick one thing that was a fit for them and choose a job based on that. Then they end up in a job that is not right for them. Go slow with this process and step over nothing. Note every tidbit that comes to mind, and consider it when you’re painting the picture of your ideal career.
