6 Figure Career Management

As we wrap up 2008, I thought I’d share some of the best posts of the year below. I got the idea from Penelope Trunk, who recently shared her best 18 posts of the year on the excellent blog, Brazen Careerist.

As this is the last post of the year, can I also quickly say ‘thank you’ for reading and commenting on the blog. I understand that everyone is busy and so appreciate you taking the time to read. I hope you’ve found the articles of benefit during a turbulent 2008 and hope to bring you more valuable advice and information in 2009.

So wherever you are in the world, I wish you an enjoyable and relaxing time over the remaining days of the holiday season and look forward to ’seeing’ you in January.

15 Best Posts of 2008

Focus On Reinvention, Not Recession

10 Ways YOU Stop Yourself Getting The Right Job

How To Thrive During Uncertain Times 

9 Career Lessons From Richard Branson

13 Ways To Stay Positive In An Economic Downturn

How To Recession Proof Your Career By Developing Your Network

5 Tips For Managing Your Career In A Crazy Market

Why Thinking Like A Consultant Protects You In A Downturn

5 Steps To More Money AND More Satisfaction

The 7½ Tips For Being Remarkable

The Secret To Success In A Downturn: Choosing Your Reaction

5 Tips For Job Searching In A Crazy Market

How To Make Your CV / Resume Stand Out In A Downturn

Lehman Employees: Here’s What To Do Next

Career Changers: 6 Steps To Becoming Unstuck

If you like the post, I’d really appreciate it if you helped spread the word by sharing it on Delicious, StumbleUpon or Digg!
 

“I thought, I can either feel guilty about surviving, or I can do something positive that will help other people.”
Megan Blunt (Cancer Survivor)

This is 15 year old Megan Blunt from the UK. Megan is a cancer surviver who chose to use her experiences to produce an A to Z guide for children on how to deal with cancer. She turned a bad situation into an opportunity to do some good. She turned lemons into lemonade.

She couldn’t change the fact that she had cancer – that was her situation, her condition. But she chose to attach a very different meaning to her illness – a meaning that involved using her experience of cancer to help thousands of other young cancer sufferers better handle the stresses and pains of the illness.

Megan is one of the inspirational individuals that has been recognised by the “Pride of Britain Awards” in recent years. Pride of Britain celebrates the achievements of the remarkable unsung heroes who make our world a better place. It’s the biggest national event of its kind in the UK.
 
Megan’s story perfectly illustrates how it’s not what happens to you, but about the meaning you give to what happens to you that dictates your level of success.

Click here to read the rest…

To coincide with National Stress Awareness Day in the UK tomorrow, Wednesday 5th November, I’m pleased to have a guest article below from an international expert on executive stress - Carole Spiers

After twenty years as a stress consultant to blue-chip companies, I could fill about half the internet with my reflections about the present credit-crunch and the countless workplace stressor-elements we can expect to see afflicting everyone right up to boardroom level, in the coming weeks and months.

Instead, let me pinpoint just five less-known stress-symptoms which I believe we shall see bulking-up over the coming months, for all of which there are formal training initiatives for HR staff as part of the stress-management agenda.

Click here to read the rest…

If you have a warm home, a soft bed, food in the fridge, clean clothes, family and friends – then you have a lot to be thankful for. Two-thirds of the world’s population would think they’d won the lottery if they were in your shoes. If you have a college education, own a car, a phone and have internet access then you’re far more privileged than about 90% of the people on the planet.

Keep that in mind the next time you find yourself complaining about the state of the economy, the job market and your prolonged job search. No matter how bad a day, week or year you’re having, you’re still in a pretty privileged place right now.

This is far more than a ‘you gotta stay positive’ message. Developing the right attitude is the foundation of your job search - without it, you will struggle to get back into the right job in the current economic climate.

Click here to read the rest…

Having recently re-looked at Richard Branson’s book “Screw It, Let’s Do It - Lessons In Life,” I have adapted the 9 ‘life lessons’ in the book into the 9 career lessons below:

1. Just Do It
If you have a goal or ambition that you really want to pursue - then just do it. You can tell it’s something that is intrinsically driving you when you keep thinking about it and talking about it.

So set goals for yourself - no matter how big or small. Develop a simple plan (DON’T over-plan), take action consistently and have the faith and belief in your ability to achieve it along with a healthy amount of realism.

Don’t expect results overnight so be persistent.

2. Have Fun
Stay positive and have an upbeat outlook on life.

Do work you enjoy and work with people you enjoy being around. Sounds a little idealistic I know, but positive and fun people are good to work with and good to have on new projects. Fun people get noticed and remembered.

If you get to the stage where you have spent far too many days not enjoying yourself - then it’s time to: a) change your mindset and how you view things or: b) change your job.

Click here to read the rest…

Cross posted at the Career Hub Blog 

“I’ll do anything - beggars can’t be choosers. Especially in the current market.”

That’s a line quoted by someone I spoke with earlier this week just after she had been laid off.  Jane works with a friend of mine who had referred her to me for some advice, a day after being made redundant.

When I pointed out what she had said and how this type of thinking was like poison to her job search and the overall health of her career, she quickly replied “Oh, I would never say that to a recruiter or future employer.”

It doesn’t matter.

The fact that you are talking or thinking like this, even just to yourself, means it matters hugely.

I know that ‘beggars can’t be choosers’ is one of those clichés, but as I have said before, there is sometimes a danger that clichés and stories actually become self-fulfilling prophesies.

As I pointed out to Jane, this type of thinking is faulty because:

Click here to read the rest…

  “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.”

- Aristotle

Now that summer has ‘officially’ ended, it’s time for back-to-school, back to work and the start of a new season. 

As I mentioned in my newsletter article this week, September often signals a time of change for many people. And similar to new years resolutions, people begin September with new intentions and new habits.

At a personal level you may have decided to stop smoking, start going to the gym more, sleep earlier, leave work earlier.

At a professional level you may have decided to work fewer hours, say “no” more often or spend more time networking to improve your visibility.

If you’re currently looking for jobs, you may have decided to start your job search activities early in the morning each day or maybe to contact 5 people a day or even a habit of staying positive on a day to day basis. 

But like so many resolutions, the likelihood is that you won’t stick to them. After the initial enthusiasm, they will fizzle out and you’ll be back where you started.   

But it doesnt have to be that way if you follow some simple rules of developing any lasting habit:

Click here to read the rest…

I had a laugh and a joke this morning about cobbler’s children with Craig Ringland of Digby Morgan, the international HR recruiters.

You’ve probably heard the expression ‘The Cobbler’s Children Have No Shoes’.  The phrase describes the phenomenon where certain ‘professionals’ in any given area are so busy with work for their clients and their teams that they neglect using their professional skills to help themselves or those closest to them.

It’s the decorator whose own house never get’s painted, the accountant who is always late in submitting his own tax return or, on a more topical point, the global banks that suffer from liquity problems!

Click here to read the rest…

One of the points I made in this week’s newsletter article was about appreciating what you have instead of focussing on all the bad news.

This short clip, which I came to via the Here Is The City site, captures this point perfectly.

To take a look, click here

Here’s a tease from the tip in my weekly newsletter ‘Straight Talk’ - if you haven’t already, I hope you’ll sign up.

I’ve been asked by a few people recently how to stay positive in the current market.

Whilst some people find the notion of being positive to be a little ‘fluffy’ - intellectually, most people understand that your state of mind and how you feel has a direct impact on your actions and so the results you get.

But on a practical level, how can you remain positive when everywhere you look there’s bad news?

Here are 13 tips I came up with:

Click here to read the rest…