Ctrl + Alt + Del: Restart Your Career

by Linda Mercurio

As a professional development coach, I’m privileged to work with attorneys who are re-entering the paid professional world after an absence and those that are looking to transition or re-invent their careers. For many of us, the re-entering and re-inventing process can be overwhelming. We feel isolated and stuck and oftentimes have an inability to connect back to our professional selves. But we need not go through this alone, resources and support are available.

I have been honored to witness individuals undergo monumental professional transformations. I remember one woman in particular. She said to me emphatically “I can’t do this.” She had tears in her eyes as she explained to me, “I didn’t go to a good law school. I’m not going to be able to do this.” From this statement alone, you can see where her mindset was at the time – self-defeating. It was going to take a lot of work for her to build her self-esteem again. She needed to re-envision her career and gain practical skills in order to turn things around. And she did it! She is now working at a mid-size firm, and she has even taken on a bar leadership role. She is doing amazingly well. Just think – she’s a talent that the legal profession would have lost had she not participated in a program that gave her resources and support.

The Online Lawyer Re-entry Program at American University Washington College of Law is a unique online program that puts structure into the re-entry process. It allows individuals an opportunity to create momentum for themselves, in addition to providing training and guidance. One of the many special things about the program is that it creates a space for individuals to get to know themselves again with confidence – as professionals and attorneys. Read More

Environmental Services Management Careers with Sodexo

By Trish Freshwater

At Sodexo, our management employees are able to work in several different business sectors — from healthcare to schools to corporate and military locations. With these varied career opportunities, our employees are able to embrace their passions and work in areas that bring great personal satisfaction.

One area that crosses almost all of our business sectors is our Environmental Services Management business. In this field, employee careers grow while managing people, departments and entire divisions of companies. Read More

Giving Back and Getting Back

How Volunteering at Work Can Enhance Your Career

By Dr. David A. Jones

Workplace volunteering has numerous benefits to consider as you think about your own professional development. In fact, research shows that employees who volunteer learn valuable workplace skills while giving back to others.

Recently, I led a study out of the University of Vermont with national education non-profit Citizen Schools and their corporate partners, Google, Cisco, Cognizant, and Fidelity. I analyzed attitudes and behaviors of employee volunteers who participated in Citizen Schools’ 10-week apprenticeships, mentoring local middle school students and helping them complete a hands-on project that often pertained to the employees’ areas of expertise. I found this experience had a profound effect on the employees’ views about their employer and, for some, their professional skills. Based on these findings, here are the top four reasons why volunteering can make both you and your company more successful.
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Seven Tips For Negotiating Your Salary

By Jean Baur

As a career coach who has guided thousands of job seekers — many of them women — through the ups and downs of the interview and negotiating process, I’m sad to say that many aren’t very good at asking for what they want. And I include myself in that group. So what can we do to get better at this?

Put these seven tips into practice to negotiate effectively: Read More

The Hidden Job Market Exposed

By Leeza Byers

I’ve had many job seekers ask me, “How do I get hired in such a highly competitive job market?” or “I’m not getting interviews, what do I need to do to secure interviews in this job market?”

Well, let me tell you a little secret that you may or may not have already heard about. It’s called the hidden job market and I’m going to show you how to use it to get hired quickly. What I’m about to share is actually some of the same advice I utilize during my one-on-one coaching sessions with my Courageous Job Seeker clients.

First, let’s dispense with a common misconception —- the hidden job market isn’t really hidden at all. It’s just not in plain sight. It’s referred to as the hidden job market because of how positions are created and filled. Read More

Have You Lost Your Edge? Three Ways to be Sharper on the Job

By Vicky Oliver

Have you lost your edge? When you can’t get organized, higher-ups seem to look past you, and you seem to be falling behind the pack, it’s time to wake up and take action.

Here are three ways to sharpen your workplace performance —- before someone decides to ship you out.

Problem #1: Deadlines pass you up.
In team meetings, you hear dates and deadlines, but they go in one ear and out the other. Later, when your team leader asks how the project is coming along, you get flustered and give the impression of someone who’s supremely clueless and disorganized.
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