Career Chat Talk Show
Learn more by viewing Mindy's weekly talk show 'Career Chat' and reading our Career Chat Blog.Break Through the Barriers with Career Counseling
What do you do if you can’t sort it out? What happens when you become so fed up with trying to figure out next steps? You and I both know there is a huge cost to this kind of storm that might be brewing inside you.
Getting Ahead: Don’t Forget to Feed Your Spirit
As Blake Shelton from the popular show “The Voice” might say, “What kind of bull crap is this?” To the contrary, Blake definitely knows what I’m referring to because it’s clear that one of the ways Blake feeds his spirit is through country music.
3 Considerations that May Trump Your Career Transition
There are many people that want to cross this bridge to the other side, however, career changes cannot be made in isolation. In fact, when we make a change, we need to consider the context of our personal life and overall life goals.
Surviving An Uncivilized Workplace-What About the No A–Hole Rule?
There are horrid abuse stories out in the workplace. Many of these stories have to do with people that annoy us, bosses that are mean-spirited and people that show up psychologically hostile. So, wouldn’t it be awesome if every organization employed the No A-hole rule?
The Secret & Generation Y
This past Sunday, I felt overwhelmed by such happiness while sitting at 45th and Spruce Street in Philadelphia. I happen to be eating brunch at Rx The Farmacy, an organic, farm to table, comfort-food bistro which has been jammed packed with customers since their opening day. I also happen to know both owners, and I can tell you that the passion and energy behind this restaurant is so exciting, it just fires me up.
Image and Your Job Search
You’ve heard that it takes less than 10 seconds for a recruiter to decide if they want to continue reading further. If you think that’s a ridiculous amount of time to review a resume, think about how quickly your image can communicate a message. The truth of the matter is that your professional image is the single, most important non-verbal communication there is.
How to Uncover the Hidden Job Market
The research shows that 80% of the jobs available are never really advertised. This doesn’t mean that you’ll be unable to land a job using the internet. However, if you are proactive about your search and change your approach to target specific companies and industries, you will be able to uncover hiring managers and potential leads for you to penetrate the hidden job market.
“The Second You Give Up is the Moment You Need to Keep Trying.”
For six long years, my client struggled with landing an entry-level writing job. She figured her resume was good enough and, after all, she was a trained writer who was published and won many awards for her stellar writing. As unbelievable as it may sound, my client actually received only one response to hundreds of applications over these last six years since she graduated from college in 2007.
How Job Seekers Can Avoid Joining A “Bad” Organization
I think you will agree that life is too short to work in a toxic atmosphere or for horrible bosses and bad coworkers. More times than not, job seekers will leave an organization in the hope of finding a better opportunity. In fact, the most common reason (other than a layoff), is a bad boss or toxic coworkers.
What You Don’t Know About Career Counseling
There are many people that call into my office after spending weeks, months or years trying to figure what they should do with their career. Depending on the individual seeking assistance for career counseling, it is likely that there are a variety of career services that might be offered. What most people don’t know is that there are a number of unknown byproducts that people gain by learning job search strategies and evaluating factors to identify new career options for themselves.
Our Career Voyage and Inner Growth
In the midst of 24×7 technology advances, a recent poll indicated that 82 percent of people in the United States believe in God. I was astounded at this statistic. Some folks call this belief “a sense of the spiritual or a quest for meaning.” In fact, it turns out to be a central theme in the lives of most adults.
Boosting Your Interview IQ
I think we can agree that there are a ridiculous number of interviewing books on the market today. Frankly, I have read many of these over the years, but my all-time favorite happens to be “How to Boost Your Interview IQ” by Carole Martin.
A Dream Come True – Actuary to Professional Poker Pro
Everyone loves successful career transition stories especially ones that truly demonstrate that anything is possible. I think that one of the reasons we love them so much is that it gives us compelling evidence that we also can reach for the stars and win. This story has to do with my own son Russell who was employed as an actuary for a large insurance company…er… up until last week.
How to Improve Your Chances of Keeping Your Job
While I listened to the morning show yesterday, US News and World Report reported some of the top reasons on how to completely “trash” your career. I think it’s worth a quick review, so let’s get to the top fatal flaws.
Is It Time For You To Make a Career Change?
I encounter clients everyday who absolutely know when to make the move. They are the folks that call me up and say that they are over the top. They can’t take it anymore and something has got to change in their life. But, in today’s economic climate, it’s a scary proposition and I get that. Without a doubt, you have to admire those folks with the guts to go full speed ahead and take on the challenge of finding a better way of life for themselves. Others stand still laden with fear.
How Are You Showing Up in Business?
I had the good fortune to attend a week long retreat in Italy with six American entrepreneurs led by Pamela Haack. We participated in an intensive study of what made business women successful, particularly in Italy. After traveling through medieval villages and towns throughout the Tuscany and Umbria regions, it became clear that showing up with a generous heart, a passion for your craft and, above all, a gratitude and love for people were critical elements that allowed them to be successful.
Becoming a Warrior in the Job Market – What does that look like?
You gotta love when you hear about the job hunters of the world who drive that job search process.
I just received an email from a client who spent 20 years as an computer operator . . . up until her entire department got offshored to India. And, let’s not forget that she trained everyone before she was let go. While she took six months off after the layoff, Lin decided to invest in career counseling. This was a huge investment on her part, but she knew she could not figure out the next steps of her career just by talking with her family members and friends.
Sinking Below The Noise of The World – Are You Able To?
“It takes practice to hear your true desires. Your passion will often come as a whisper or a serendipitous event that reminds you of what’s important and what makes you happy.”
Making the Move in Tough Times – It’s Happening Every Day
Career transitions are tough. So many people want to do it. So many folks want to cross that bridge. But they are held back by fear and many times . . . by a lack of support by the naysayers of the world. I have to tell you that I am truly amazed when a client just does it. It doesn’t matter which occupation or career path you choose. Everyone has a gift and our number one job on the planet is to find out what that is.
What’s Going On?
A couple weeks ago, I heard Mayor Nutter of Philadelphia talking on WXPN radio about Marvin Gaye and how he recorded that infamous song What’s Going On almost forty years ago. The mayor also talked about how music soothes our soul. It got me thinking how this song “rocked” us and the music world back then. The fact is that Marvin Gaye was describing some of the exact same issues many people are dealing with today.
Why Am I Not Getting a Job?
In Martin Yates’ book entitled, Secrets and Strategies for Success in an Uncertain World, he talks about not only having a killer resume . . . but also about how to quadruple your chances of landing more interviews. It’s about face time with your potential employer that enables you to land. Here’s a reminder about some of the success strategies regarding working your job search that you might want to employ.
Could Andy Reid of the Philadelphia Eagle Make It In Corporate America?
When Fox29 News called to ask me to comment a few weeks ago about this question, I immediately knew what that answer would be. See the video about Andy’s performance with Fox29 News Reporter Bruce Gordon and yours truly.
The Graduate
She was puzzled. Her parents were confused as heck. Her friends were altogether floored. After all, everyone thought she had the whole package. Even the graduate.
If You Empower Yourself, No One Can Unplug You
With the earthquake and hurricane masking our job searches for the last two weeks, some of us are back to the task at hand. Searching for a full-time position with benefits and advancement potential is wearing on the whole world. Here are some reminders as we move through this holiday weekend.
Recession-Proof-Metro Areas
I’ve been hearing about many unemployed people who are willing to uproot their lives and are actually moving out of state. If you are intrigued about where people are headed or if you are thinking that might be the solution for you, take a look at Jobbait’s list of the top seven metro areas around the country that are recession proof. There is even a list of 230 recession proof industry sectors. While you’re checking the list out, you might want to sign up for JobBait newsletters (www.jobbait.com) to keep your finger on the heartbeat of the up and coming trends . . . all calculated according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Failing Over and Over Again – Do Not Lose Your Mojo…Not Now. Not Ever.
Sometimes we are so close to the mountain top that we can’t feel it or see it.
Here is one of the greatest examples of someone who has failed their way to the top.
Check out this utube of Michael Jordan. I think you will agree that plugging away eventually gives way to winning.
I Got To The Interview Table, Now What?
She had been to five interviews at global companies. She was not only extremely attractive but she had a very charming personality along with a strong academic record. And yet, she had zero job offers.
I checked her LinkedIn page to see if she was up with the “times” and yep, there she was, photograph and all. This gal was a smart cookie. She had many distinct advantages, including nailing down an extra pharmaceutical sales credential while in her senior year. “Impressive,” I thought, “Very impressive.” It appeared she was doing everything right, so what was happening in her interviews that was sabotaging all her hard work?
The World of Socialnomics-Social Media is Not A Fad
To: Baby Boomers, Generation X, Y, Z and Entrepreneurs Sitting on the Fence
From: Mindy Thomas
Subject: Social Media Is Not A Fad
If you are still sitting on the bleachers and not getting into the game (you won’t sign up for LinkedIn, Facebook or any other social media) OR you are “wanna be” entrepreneur, indulge me for 5 minutes by checking out this Youtube video.
There is A Place of Food and Plenty
North Dakota, Spurred by Energy and Ag Boom, Has 3.2 Percent Unemployment…can you imagine this?
Well, it’s no joke folks. I know that this is a far reach but as the market keeps getting tighter, does it make sense to pack up and seek work where there is an abundance? On July 1st, on the front page of Yahoofinance.com, there was a stunning article about the growth of this far off state. They are actually begging for people to come out and work there.
One Resume Is All I Need, Right?
Skill sets required for most positions are different. And, with that in mind, it makes sense that your keywords and competencies need to reflect this. The smart job hunters know this and will alter their resume to include these words or phrases. It is critical since scanners are doing the heavy load of sorting through thousands of resumes that are entering the systems everyday. So many job hunters will never . . . and I mean never make it to the table because they refuse to adjust their resume. No one said this would be easy. Even if you have the proper credentials, job experience and education . . . you may never get to the table because the scanners will not pick ‘you’ up. Automated Tracking Systems are in full force, so let’s quit kidding ourselves on this point.
Don’t Wait Any Longer. Start Forging Your Own Path Today!
Please call Mindy directly at 610.937.5632 or send us a message. Our offices are located in suburban Philadelphia at 221 North Olive Street in Media, PA, close to Wilmington DE, NYC and Washington DC.