The Elevator Pitch: 3 Easy Ways To Craft Yours

Imagine getting on the elevator in the lobby where you work. To your surprise, the CEO steps into the elevator as the doors begin to close. What do you do? Put your head down? Throw on your invisibility cloak? Or do something even more crazy like… speak?

Sometimes we create an opportunity for career growth, like successfully getting an interview for a job. Other times an opportunity might present itself unexpectedly, like someone important to our career stepping onto an elevator as we ride to the 8th floor together.

Why Your Personal Brand Is A Top Tool for Your Career Success

“I’m not sure my resume and LinkedIn profile represent my experience.”

“I want to give a more confident answer when someone asks me what I do.”

“I don’t know what my strengths are.”

I have heard these comments from countless clients over the years. The underlying question here: “Who am I (and can you help me figure that out)?” And it all boils down to establishing a personal brand.

Career Hack: How To Conduct A Successful Informational Interview

Informational interviews are a key tactic to a successful job search and career transition. They:

Provide a wealth of information about what it is like to work for a potential employer.
Are direct paths to the hidden job market.
Help us expand our networks and improve our networking skills.
How we conduct the informational interview—from the questions we ask, to how actively we listen, to the action we take as a result—is important for making the most of this opportunity.

Career Hack: How To Infuse Your Resume and LinkedIn Profile With Your Brand

Whether you know it or not, YOU are a brand, and your brand is out there. It is found in what you have written and shared about yourself, from your resume, to your LinkedIn profile, to what you post on your social media platforms.

Learning how to build and communicate your brand allows you to drive your career with greater confidence and enjoy greater professional and personal success.

If you are having trouble shaping your brand and getting clear on how others are receiving it, asking people for help is a great way to start.

Career Hack: How To Consider Making A Big Career Leap

If you have ever thought “I would love to make a big career move!” you are not alone. What often comes next, however, is: “I could never do it, though.”

But….what if you did?

Taking a big career leap (BCL) is not the same thing as other professional goals such as aiming to meet your annual performance metrics, or challenging yourself to go to more networking events, or, give more regular feedback to your team members.

Taking a big leap is life changing. It can be daunting. You might not know where to start. You might be unsure if you have the resources. It might not be the right time in your life.

But with exploring and moving it forward bit by bit – it just MIGHT be possible.

Career Hack: How To Look Inward for Career Confidence

Developing self-confidence is not an easy task, especially when it comes to our careers.

When we are applauded for the assignment we did well, the client we made happy, or the job we successfully won, it makes us feel really good about ourselves. When others see and note our good work and success, it feels even better. That’s called external validation.

But how do we do this for ourselves?

Career Hack: How To Be More Resourceful When Job Searching

In 2020, you likely discovered your resilience, based on the many challenges you faced in life and career. Resilience speaks to your ability to bounce back from a setback, overcome adversity, and strengthen yourself mentally.

But what about your resourcefulness?

Resourcefulness hasn’t gotten as much airtime, although it is just as crucial in this new, Covid-19 landscape. Resourcefulness is your ability to think creatively or imaginatively in finding solutions, and it can be key to conducting a successful job search during challenging times.

Yes, You’re Marketable. But Are You Likeable?

One of the top qualities hiring managers are looking for today is your ability to work harmoniously with others. Call it a positive attitude, an agreeable personality, or simply: Are you a likeable person? This, believe it or not, is constantly being evaluated by potential employers and colleagues as they assess your candidacy for a job.

When things are looking up during your job search, it can be effortless to exude likeability. And that is true of life; when things are going well, people around us respond positively to that.

Career Hack: How To Take Stock of Your 2023 Career Year

Amid the bustle of the holidays, this time of year reminds us that a new year is around the corner — and that means it’s time to begin setting our career goals for 2024.

However, December is also the ideal time for taking stock of what happened with our careers in 2023, especially when it comes to evaluating our accomplishments and even assessing what we would have liked to have gone differently. Taking this step now will help you set clear goals for 2024.

But how do we tackle this during SUCH a busy time of year?

Career Hack: How To Wait For The Job Offer

We’ve all been there: waiting to hear if you got the job (or not). These moments may rank as some of the longest you can remember. Will you be penning your resignation, or did you lose out to another candidate?