Steve Jobs said it best (I will paraphrase a bit), “People say you have to have a lot of passion for what you are doing, and it’s totally true.  The reason is because it is so hard (that) if you don’t, any rational person would give up.  It’s really hard, and you have to do it over a sustained period of time.  So if you don’t love it, you’re not having fun doing it, you are going to give up.  That’s what happens to most people.    The ones who became successful did the things they loved so they could persevere when the going gets tough.”

Topics: Career Advantage, career, Dream Jobs

Once you land in your first role, you can rest assured that your new employer wants a highly engaged employee.  What’s that?  Employees who operate consistently above and beyond the norm.  Better described they: 

1. Put the Company or Organizational above themselves
2. Put the Mission of the Organization above themselves
3. Leverage, creatively, all available resources
4. Think outside ‘the box’ 

Those who perform at this level contribute, learn and lead at a more rapid clip than others.  That is why this is the kind of employee companies want.

Topics: career, Career Advantage

Have Five Top Achievements Ready To Discuss: Be sure to have some brief notes available that outline a handful of the best projects you have done previously. Be ready to talk about why and how they were a success, meaning you should have numbers, percentages, etc… at your disposal during this discussion. 

Topics: Career Advantage, Branding

Every major financial guru that I know recommends having an emergency fund, and for good reason. This MUST be part of your financial plans as you move forward. Modest, regular funding into an emergency fund will get you to where you need to be over time.

Topics: career, Financial Independence

I recently read a great book for young people who are transitioning from college to career. The Bigs, by Ben Carpenter, offers some of the clearest thinking and ‘how-to’ advice I have come across for 18-24 year-olds. In addition to his book, his website is full of valuable information accented by 13 short The Bigs Videos that are must-sees for every emerging college student (and their parents as well).

Topics: career

So what happens when you get a no? You were working with a recruiter, who ushered you into an opportunity. Perhaps they spoke so optimistically that you started to feel like this was nearly a done-deal. Then you get a rejection. Even if it wasn’t your #1 choice, you are still hurt, it stings, and you’re a bit pissed. Reject ME?

Topics: first job, Denial of Mastery

The objective of every job search is to receive multiple job offers. These offers provide you flexibility, choices and the option to select the best strategic opportunity for yourself. Jobs or roles within a company are two to four year career stepping-stones on track to your career destination.

Topics: Branding, career, first job

Think of the concept of branding like this:  A hiring manager has two different candidates under consideration.  All elements being equal:

• Candidate A:  Has general ambition, good potential, skills and grades
• Candidate B:  Has specific ambition demonstrated by two different internships applicable to the role they are interviewing for; They balance a schedule of part-time work, a leadership position in two campus organizations as well as their academics; They volunteered twice in the last two years to charitable causes;  And they have good potential, skills and grades

Who do you think has a stronger brand?  Who do you think stands out?  What drew you to that conclusion?

Topics: Branding

The term "job search" is a little misleading. Ideally, every job search should result in multiple job offers. Choosing which job you accept is important because a new job, or a new role within a large organization, is a stepping-stone to the next step in your career. But making that choice can be a real challenge.

Topics: career, first job

In quest of career development, we've all had moments of burning desire:  "If I only had THAT job, everything would be perfect." I've heard three different variations of that declaration in recent mentoring sessions. 

When I'm informed of the "object of one's career desire," I typically follow up with questions:  Why this job? What unique offerings and opportunities will it create in your professional journey?  Why are you the irrefutable choice for such a role? Why is it best for the organization? 

Topics: Branding, career