February 5, 2010 • 1:35 am 0
How often do you stop running around crazy busy and just enjoy the moment? Do you look at the view or just plow right by? Consciously take a deep breath in the midst of a stressful day. Pause. Reset. Be present.
Filed under: life coaching , Anna Quindlen, inspiration
February 3, 2010 • 1:55 am 0
Read my response in my latest post for TheGlassHammer.com:
Filed under: career coaching , job search, recruiting, resumes, TheGlassHammer.com
February 1, 2010 • 1:06 am 0
When I ask jobseekers how they plan on reconnecting with old contacts, I usually hear this: I will let them know I am no longer at company X, and I will ask them to keep their eyes and ears open for me. Yikes! How would you feel if someone you hadn’t spoken to in a while reached out and the first thing they did was ask for help? Put upon? Used? Rushed?
Yes, lots of people do this (but it’s still annoying). Yes, this is a tough market, so it’s more understandable why people are asking for help (but it still feels intrusive). The first time you reconnect, it cannot be about your job search. You cannot ask for anything that first time, except how the other person is doing. The point of reconnecting is to reestablish the relationship. The other person is the focus and by listening to them and being interested, you actually help yourself because you will learn about what’s going on in the market and what people care about and you can act on this LATER.
This is why maintaining your network is so critical when you don’t need anything. It takes the time pressure off of you to accomplish anything. But if you’ve waited till you’re in need to work on your network, then you have to self-discipline yourself to still make those early contacts about your network and not about yourself. One good exercise: take 3-5 contacts per day and just say hello. This gets you in the habit of regularly reaching out to your network, so that when you actually have a question to ask or even a favor, the request isn’t the only time you have reached out.
Another tip: when using LinkedIn, remind people how you know each other. Don’t use those template connection invitations. Make it a personal message about where you met, when you last spoke, or something else that shows genuine interest. Put an updated and professional-looking picture of yourself so that old connections who may have forgotten your name can recognize you visually.
Caroline Ceniza-Levine is a career expert, writer, speaker and co-founder of SixFigureStart (www.sixfigurestart.com), a career coaching firm comprised of former Fortune 500 recruiters. Caroline is a co-author (along with Donald Trump, Jack Canfield and others) of the upcoming “How the Fierce Handle Fear: Secrets to Succeeding in Challenging Times” due out March 2010; Bascom Hill Books. Formerly in corporate HR and retained search, Caroline most recently headed University Relations for Time Inc and has also recruited for Accenture, Citibank, Disney ABC, and others. Caroline is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Professional Development at Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs, a life coach (www.thinkasinc.com) and a columnist for CNBC.com, Conde Nast’s Portfolio.com, Vault.com, Wetfeet.com and TheGlassHammer.com.
Filed under: career coaching , job search, LinkedIn, networking
January 29, 2010 • 1:41 am 0
What is the why behind what you do and what you strive for?
Are you getting a better life for your family? Are you changing a market? Are you changing the world?
Sometimes you don’t need to worry about the How. Get back in touch with the Why. The rest is just tactics.
Filed under: life coaching , inspiration, motivation, Willis Whitney
January 27, 2010 • 1:14 am 0
If you like business books and biographies, “In-N-Out Burger” by Stacy Perman is an exhaustive foray into the Snyder family business that became this beloved food chain. I love books like this because you can see the obstacles and hardships up close. Sometimes there are explicit lessons and you don’t have to reinvent the wheel to share in the insights. Sometimes, it forces you to think about how you feel and where you stand in your business or career and life decisions.
Is staying small the way to go for a business with widespread appeal?
Is family succession the right thing?
Does promoting from within reward long-term hard work or breed insularity?
In-N-Out grew up around a time when women didn’t play prominent roles, but has this changed now for them and for the other businesses with the same history? Or is there too much of an ingrained culture there and elsewhere for women to make inroads? What advice would I share with my daughters seeing how much ground women need to catch up on?
If you like the food chain or are a foodie in general, this is a good read. For the general public, it’s somewhat long and dry but it’s thorough and clearly well-researched.
Filed under: book review , business books, In-N-Out Burger, Snyder, Stacy Perman
January 25, 2010 • 1:09 am 0
In a previous column, I talked about the importance of being proactive in the job search. In my encouragement of playing offense, I do not dismiss the role of good defensive moves. Defense keeps the players in the game and gives them a chance to win. Good defense keeps you in a thorough, thoughtful and proactive job search so you get a job that you want and not just any job you settle for.
The first coaching session I have with clients includes a 60-point checklist around career items AND a 40-point checklist around life items, most of which are NOT career-related. Why? There is no way I can coach someone on their career and not take into account the other aspects in their life that will influence their ability to focus, their willingness to do the work of the job search, their risk appetite. Having a solid foundation in the other, non-career related aspects of your life (e.g., relationships, personal finances, health and well-being) is good defense and critical to keeping you in top job search form.
I also ask about money in the first session because it dictates how much time and energy someone has to focus on their search: how much savings? What other cash is coming in? Are there freelance or consulting prospects to take financial pressure off so we can focus on what is best for the long-term career? A solid cash position is good defense. I’ve seen too many jobseekers let fear and desperation dictate their job search choices. Get the money part taken care of as a separate focus of your search with temp work or consulting, but reserve some energy for long-term career investment.
Finally, there is the temptation to run as hard and as fast as you can from the start, with no time off and no rest. Some people think this means they’ll be faster to market and get ahead. Rest and reflection is good defense. When you push too hard, you may come across as pushy. You may push in the wrong direction and not realize it. You may burn out before any of your efforts have a chance to pay off. Remember that your search is a meeting of your efforts and what the market will bear. You have to be able to stay in the search (game) long enough for the market to come and meet you.
Caroline Ceniza-Levine is a career expert, writer, speaker and co-founder of SixFigureStart (www.sixfigurestart.com), a career coaching firm comprised of former Fortune 500 recruiters. Caroline is a co-author (along with Donald Trump, Jack Canfield and others) of the upcoming “How the Fierce Handle Fear: Secrets to Succeeding in Challenging Times” due out March 2010; Bascom Hill Books. Formerly in corporate HR and retained search, Caroline most recently headed University Relations for Time Inc and has also recruited for Accenture, Citibank, Disney ABC, and others. Caroline is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Professional Development at Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs, a life coach (www.thinkasinc.com) and a columnist for CNBC.com, Conde Nast’s Portfolio.com, Vault.com, Wetfeet.com and TheGlassHammer.com.
Filed under: career coaching, life coaching , defense, job search, work/life balance
January 22, 2010 • 1:21 am 0
What would happen if you focused on the upside in the decisions you make? Would you take more risks? Would you feel better? Would you make different choices altogether?
Filed under: life coaching , inspiration, J. Martin Kohe, motivation
January 20, 2010 • 1:16 am 0
I often get market-related questions: what are employment prospects; what are the hot industries; who is hiring. Keep in mind that employment statistics for your career planning are not worth following. Fears of 10% unemployment are misplaced. The statistic you care about is either 0% or 100%; are you employed or not. The next question to ask is, “Are you in the job you want or not?” So regarding market prospects for 2010, the short answer is, “Why should you care?”
Focus on your individual career. Yes, all things being equal, I would pursue growing over shrinking industries. But all things aren’t equal. It is more important to know your values, skills and interests and align them with the correct industry, function and company, rather than picking employers and force-fitting yourself into them.
Let the market react to you. The market is invaluable in that it does provide guidance on what your skills are worth and how you are perceived. If you are aiming for certain jobs or titles or salary levels and not getting a first meeting, you need to find out if you are off-base with what you are targeting or simply not positioning yourself properly for what you want. Rather than reading market news and trying to incorporate that into your planning, act on your best plans, collect market feedback specific to your activities and adjust accordingly.
Go for the ideal, not the available. The reality is that a career is always a coupling of what you bring to the table and what the market will bear. So I don’t dismiss the importance of what is available in the market. But markets expand and new markets emerge, so when you look at what’s available now, you are not seeing the full possibilities. When you aim instead for your ideas and look for a way to bring that to market, you include market expansion and creation in your potential outcomes. Going for the ideal gives you more opportunity.
Caroline Ceniza-Levine is a career expert, writer, speaker and co-founder of SixFigureStart (www.sixfigurestart.com), a career coaching firm comprised of former Fortune 500 recruiters. Caroline is a co-author (along with Donald Trump, Jack Canfield and others) of the upcoming “How the Fierce Handle Fear: Secrets to Succeeding in Challenging Times” due out March 2010; Bascom Hill Books. Formerly in corporate HR and retained search, Caroline most recently headed University Relations for Time Inc and has also recruited for Accenture, Citibank, Disney ABC, and others. Caroline is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Professional Development at Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs, a life coach (www.thinkasinc.com) and a columnist for CNBC.com, Conde Nast’s Portfolio.com, Vault.com, Wetfeet.com and TheGlassHammer.com.
Filed under: career coaching , dream job, job market, job search
January 17, 2010 • 2:34 pm 2
As most of us have football playoffs on the brain, it’s helpful to look at the lessons that translate from the sports field to the job search field. The idea that offense wins the game is particularly relevant in this job market where anxiety and uncertainty about the market abound. It’s easy not to fault jobseekers for playing it safe. I have even advised jobseekers to remember that Bold Job Search Moves Are Not Required. But while I don’t suggest every job search tactic be the equivalent of a Hail Mary pass, the reality is that defense just keeps you in the search, but offense gets you the job
Reviewing your resume over and over again for typos is defense. Positioning your resume with the language and detail that gets you the job you want is offense. Positioning is proactive. You are targeting specific opportunities and putting yourself out there to attract these.
Rekindling old contacts and reconnecting with friends is defense. You are maintaining your network, and while that’s good, it’s incomplete. Seeking out those people who are specific decision-makers in your areas of interest and developing a relationship with them is offense. You are proactively (there’s that word again!) making opportunities for yourself, rather than relying on whomever you happen to know or come across.
Scouring the job boards and filling out applications is defense. You are covering your bases, but you are reacting to someone else’s (the employers’) moves. Identifying specific companies that you want to serve, researching their pain points, and positioning yourself as the solution is offense. You are not waiting for something to open up. You make something open up. You make the employer realize that they have a need, and you fill that need, and you proactively (more proactive behavior!) make the match.
Playing offense does not mean being risky or reckless. It just means being thoughtful and brave enough to do those activities that will make things happen for you, rather than let things happen to you. If the dream job is the goal, where are you on your field? What are you going to do to score? You can’t just block your competitors. You yourself must enter the end zone, cross that finish line, or make that play. It’s always your move. Get on the offensive in your job search.
Caroline Ceniza-Levine is a career expert, writer, speaker and co-founder of SixFigureStart (www.sixfigurestart.com), a career coaching firm comprised of former Fortune 500 recruiters. Caroline is a co-author (along with Donald Trump, Jack Canfield and others) of the upcoming “How the Fierce Handle Fear: Secrets to Succeeding in Challenging Times” due out March 2010; Bascom Hill Books. Formerly in corporate HR and retained search, Caroline most recently headed University Relations for Time Inc and has also recruited for Accenture, Citibank, Disney ABC, and others. Caroline is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Professional Development at Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs, a life coach (www.thinkasinc.com) and a columnist for CNBC.com, Conde Nast’s Portfolio.com, Vault.com, Wetfeet.com and TheGlassHammer.com.
Filed under: career coaching , defense, job search, networking, offense, resumes, sports
January 15, 2010 • 7:27 am 0
Are you doing something?
Filed under: life coaching , motivation, Wright Brothers
