1. Fear of being your own boss: You have no choice to face this fear, because it is right there already. You are your own boss, whether you like it or not. Due to the trend of shrinking job tenure, everyone needs to think about what their next step is going to be, on a regular and strategic basis. Long gone is the lifetime career working for “the Man”.  People need to consider not just one, but multiple sources of income and manage their career like a business.  As such you need to become your own Chief Marketing officer.       ... Read more

It’s Martin Luther King Day on Monday, and there are a lot of events to recognize this day, especially, service related events. I am reminded of the Jewish concept of Tikkun Olam. If you haven’t heard of it before, it means healing the world.  I definitely believe we can all play a role in this, especially during these difficult times where there is so much need. Martin Luther King day offers you a chance to volunteer (if you aren’t already) and  do something meaningful for ... Read more

I am so thrilled to introduce Bless Vaidian as a new member of the Careerfolk team. I was so excited when Bless told me that she loved to write because I immediately suggested that she put together some articles. In fact I even suggested that she enter her writing into the Jobmob Blogging competition. Little did I know that she would go onto win, with me coming a close 2nd {Smile} ! She was just getting back into the world of career counseling after a 6 year hiatus. She had never written for this audience before. And her blog was the most read blog in an international competition.  That is what blogging can do… ... Read more

Don’t underestimate how you might be able to help someone by inviting them into your network. A Linkedin invitation is ideally a mutually beneficial experience; assuming that both parties are equally invested in their professional networks and they both use Linkedin. So, when you are enjoying the holiday parties of the season, ... Read more

Even though we may often get caught up in our own needs and desires, most of us do genuinely try to help others.  But do we recognize when others have helped us?  And beyond that, do we even think to thank them?  Sometimes the help we ... Read more

Curiosity is, in great and generous minds, the first passion and the last. – Samuel Johnson Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known. – Carl Sagan For better or worse, I have always been intensely curious. I say “for better or worse” because curiosity has been known to get people into trouble, (poor cat!)  but I feel quite grateful for my innate sense of curiosity because without it, I am sure there would be ... Read more

By Camille Kramer If you are actively in the job search you no doubt get notifications of networking events.  Hopefully you go to them, learn something from them, and make new contacts.  Why go alone? Why not always ask at least three people to join you?  These need not be good friends; they can simply be people you have met at other networking functions, or contacts you have made.  Some people need a little push to go to activities that may be helpful to them and some may not be as much in the loop about finding these events.  With this little effort on your part, you not only are helping three other people, but you yourself will feel a greater comfort level at the events because you will know at least a few people in the room. Thank you Camille Kramer for her suggestions. I couldn’t agree with you more.  A win- win for both! Cost: Priceless ... Read more

3. The Gift of a Positive Attitude: You may be in a difficult place with your job search, and understandably so– an ongoing job search, being stuck in a job you hate, or chronic underemployment are all very demoralizing, but an optimistic outlook (ok, not that easy to find at times, but dig up whatever you can), can be beneficial on a number of levels. Positivity is infectious and the more positive energy you exude, the more ... Read more

Listening is the greatest gift you can give.  By engaging in the act of listening you are giving someone the chance to tell their story. So, in order to really engage with someone, the best thing you can do is listen. I learned this after a powerful experience with master storytellers from the organization Narativ, that there is no story without a listener. However, we humans are easily distracted, and ... Read more

The holidays can be stressful at the best of times, but these economic times present both a challenge and an opportunity. We’re all getting used to the New Normal, or New New, as one of my friends like to call it.  The one consistent is that networking is the most valuable action you can take to help yourself in your job search or in ... Read more