Welcome!
I am excited to write this blog about job and career issues. I’ve been working as a career counselor and coach with hundreds of clients for close to 30 years. We work together in the privacy of my office, one-on-one, to solve their job search and career problems. I’ve worked with people who were fired and found their way to better jobs, others who learned how to be better managers, or grew to be leaders in their field, many struggled with difficult job searches and found their way to opportunities, some had problems with their interviews but were able to slam dunk it when it counted, and a great many were trying to figure out the right career direction and did. Most people come to work with me when they have a career crisis or a longstanding dilemma. In our work they gain insights and learn to navigate their careers more productively. The insights and strategies are useful and applicable to other people but because our work is done in private, others don’t get to learn or have the benefit of that knowledge.
There are many people out there in the world who are looking for jobs, for job satisfaction, for a way to manage a tough situation at work, for a way to stay challenged in a job that has become repetitious or isolating, for a way to work effectively but still have a life outside of work, find their second act and much more.
I have often thought how great it would be if my clients could benefit from each other’s insights, struggles, and successes. What a lot of wisdom my clients could share with each other! What a lot of good information!
I have imagined a big party where the 3500 people I have counseled could meet and talk and share stories and laugh together, or, maybe, cry together too sometimes. Or maybe it would be a great big campfire where everyone would sit around the crackling fire late into the night telling their stories of success, and trial and error, and sharing their hard won knowledge. One would tell the story of how he learned to manage the overbearing or micromanaging boss. One would talk about how she dealt with the jealous co-worker who tried to undermine her success with the partners they worked for. One would tell about how he learned to develop relationships that opened doors in his job search and how remarkable it was that the guy he met for coffee actually turned out to be one of the interviewers and how that helped him land the job he wanted so much.
That campfire is not going to happen. But if we can’t have a great big campfire and meet in person, maybe we do something online. A blog might be the next best thing. If I can share with you some of the collective wisdom I have learned by working with so many insightful, thoughtful people in transition, then perhaps that will be a sort of virtual career get together.
In this blog I am planning to do three key things. First, I want to tell stories from the front: stories about how a client met a challenge and overcame it or figured out a solution, solved a dilemma or learned a worthwhile lesson. Second, I want to share my reaction to stories the news, new research or information about jobs and careers. And third, I’d like to share my ideas about how to think through or sort out career problems such as figure out the right career direction, have a productive job search, and manage workplace dilemmas.
It is my hope that you will find this blog useful, valuable, instructive and a source of personal insight. We can learn a lot from each other. Our collective wisdom is powerful. Stories and experiences can comfort us, show us the way forward and act as cautionary tales. I hope this blog will be a source for your own information and knowledge, insight and awareness, as well as inspiration and motivation.
Welcome!
