There are many well-meaning people who are trying to give us advice about our careers. Unfortunately, as well-intentioned as they may be, their career advice is often not very helpful. The problem is that every person and every situation is different. So something that may have worked very well for them, may not necessarily work for you. When Advice Isn’t Helpful I thought back to different times when I received advice that wasn’t very helpful. The first career advice came from my parents. They wanted me to be successful, so they thought that working for a big, stable, prestigious company woul ..read more

I recently read an insightful book – “The Power of Meaning” by Emily Esfahani Smith I was very interested in the topic, because when I help people discover their ideal career, “meaning” is one of the key factors we explore to identify what fulfills them. And it’s usually the hardest one to figure out, because there is no simple assessment that can tell us what gives us meaning and we aren’t taught much about it. In her book, Emily shares that there are 4 pillars of meaning: 1.    Belonging 2.    Purpose 3.    Storytelling 4.&nbs ..read more

 “Life is amazing. And then it’s awful. And then it’s amazing again. And in between the amazing and the awful, it’s ordinary and mundane and routine. Breathe in the amazing, hold on through the awful and relax and exhale during the ordinary. That’s just living heartbreaking, soul-healing, amazing, awful, ordinary life. And it’s breathtakingly beautiful.” ~ L.R. Knost I originally posted this quote at the end of 2015, but I think it’s fitting for the end of 2020 as well. I know this has been such a crazy year and of course it’s easy to think of all the challenges we are dealing with. And e ..read more

Sometimes we have these big goals, and we work really, really hard towards reaching them. And after finally reaching that goal, we first feel very excited.  Unfortunately, oftentimes that feeling is fleeting and that excitement goes away very quickly. Have you had this experience before? One of my friends was working really hard towards a promotion and she sacrificed a lot in the process, working very long hours. And after over a year of hard work, she finally did it – she finally got the promotion!  At first she was extremely excited. But a few days later, she was actually v ..read more

What Does A Career Coach Do? Many people don’t realize that there are different types of career coaches who specialize in specific areas. Clarifying what you want help with can help you choose the right type of career coach. A job search coach can help you get that new job much faster with the latest job search strategies, creating compelling resumes, and helping you ace your interview. A career coach who specializes in career exploration and helping you uncover your dream career can help you find a career you love. If you want to get promoted in your career or improve your leadership skills ..read more

What draws us to other people? Oftentimes it’s a quality they have that we really admire. He is so hardworking (or kind, or grounded, or strong or creative)! I really like that she is so independent (or compassionate, or outgoing or funny or honest)! But as time goes on, it happens. It is inevitable. No matter if it’s our partner, a loved one, or a friend, sooner or later we find ourselves thinking: “If only s/he could change this one thing (or maybe two or three), then things would be so much better! Sometimes it’s actually the quality that we liked so much in the beginning that is ..read more

We are faced with all sorts of difficult conversations at work. We usually find conversations difficult when we think the other person will disagree with us or if we need to give constructive feedback to someone. Here are 2 examples of difficult conversations I get asked about most often: A. Talking to someone (who you are not managing directly) about something crucial you want to change B. Giving constructive feedback to your direct report These 2 types of conversations require different approaches. A. How To Have a Crucial Conversation With Your Manager Or Colleague If you have a crucial co ..read more

I can’t believe we are at the end of January already. I don’t think the New Year has ever been as eagerly anticipated as this year – at least as far as I can remember. So here we are. It’s a brand new year. With it comes a lot of hope. Hope for a better year. Hope for a return of many things that we have been unable to do for most of 2020. How do you set intentions and goals for a year when there is still uncertainty? I usually start by reflecting back to last year. Here are a couple of questions you can ask yourself: What was 2020 about for you? What lessons have you learned in 2020 that you ..read more

How I knew I was ready to quit my job Over a decade ago, I was in a career I was not happy with. Everything looked great on the outside, but on the inside, I felt trapped like a hamster on a wheel. I struggled for years, staying in a job that I was miserable in, but that I stubbornly held on to. I was not yet ready to quit my job. At the time I was keeping a journal that I wrote in every morning. “I am so unhappy at work.” I wrote, “I don’t enjoy what I am doing, but I don’t know what else I want to do instead. We are having another reorganization at work. Maybe things will finally change.” As ..read more

Are you in the right career? Or are you in a career that you are not happy with? If you are not feeling fulfilled in your current career, you are not alone. Research conducted by Gallup shows that 87% of global employees are not feeling engaged at work. This is a staggering number. But given how little guidance there is in choosing the right career for ourselves, maybe that is not so surprising. Many of us may have chosen a career based on our parent’s expectations, following in someone else’s footsteps, or based on what we thought would bring us “success.” I struggled for years, staying in a ..read more