You are in your late 30s, 40s or early 50s. You have lived a charmed life; you have a lot to be thankful for.

• You have suffered through some leadership career setbacks – but (knock on wood) you have successfully ‘traversed’ turbulent business waters and made smart/strategic career moves
• You have a few ‘sandwich generation’ issues (elder care and saving for tuition), but nothing major
• You have a supportive spouse/significant other
• You have traveled (for business and leisure); you have some interesting hobbies and some nice ‘toys’

So, why are you thinking:         Instead of helping clients find their next opportunity as a result of a downsizing – for the last few months I have been working with clients on developing strategies for ‘WHAT’S NEXT?’.                    

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Those of you who know me, know that I am a straight-talking truth-teller. So let me just say this as clearly (okay, and bluntly) as I know how.

The only thing worse than having no Linked In profile is having one that is completely incomplete.

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Personal branding can seem like a full time job when you’re responsible for so many social networks. There’s Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, a blog, a personal website. Those tools, although hugely important to cultivate a personal brand online, take your time and energy to develop. So why should you devote more time to a newcomer like Pinterest?

Why Pinterest?

Do you really need Pinterest? Can Pinterest get you a job? As with any kind of business decision, you have to consider the ROI. In our case, the ROI of social media is landing a job. So: is Pinterest worth it? In sum: Yes... ... Read more

Some interesting comments have been posted to a recent question on Proformative around how to differentiate oneself from other CFOs competing for the same positions. It reminds me a little bit of the CPA / non-CPA controversy. You know, if you have one it’s critically important; but if you don’t hold that credential, you can do the job equally as well as someone who does. These comments, though, boiled down to knowledge vs. impacts. How much  I know trumps the impacts I made. All the education in the world doesn’t matter if it remains merely “head knowledge” rather than translating to actions that deliver impacts... ... Read more

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Re-blogged from TheLadders.com by William Arruda: ... Read more

So many career services and resume writing professionals talk about "personal branding" today. It is so overused and cliche at this point...I must rebel. I understand the thrust of the argument and, at a certain level, agree. However, the advice regarding personal branding within a resume typically results in a sanitized version or account that doesn't depict the true nature of the individual. Think about it! We all have unique strengths, flaws, passions, drivers, attitudes, and motives. Your "personal brand" needs to include these elements. Most do not...they simply state how you are just like everyone else. To successfully engage your audience, you must tap into these critical areas and harness them to help communicate how you are distinguished from all others.   ... Read more

In 1987, Ben Carson performed a surgery separating Siamese twins joined at the head. This was a milestone in pediatric neurosurgery, a field he is now regarded as a world-wide expert. But he almost didn’t pass his job interview, (at least according to the biographical movie, “Gifted Hands”). With someone so clearly qualified, what went wrong?

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Don’t hit send…yet! The impression you leave could be a long and lasting one. Do you want to brand yourself as professional, intelligent, mature, patient, considerate and understanding? Although those managing an executive career would share a resounding “yes” too many are taking a high risk with online comments which could be construed as arrogant, antagonistic or lacking compassion and professionalism.

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The current economic turmoil dramatically impacts job seekers. As more people flood the job market, job seekers are facing a new reality. The market is now swamped with more experienced professionals than ever before. These days job seekers are competing with others who have also done their job very well, have the qualifications to succeed, and are now readily available purely due to the economic situation. There is a subtle change when the market is saturated with job seekers: The old question employers were asking is “Why should we hire you?” The new question is “Why should we hire you instead of all the other highly qualified professionals available in the market?” This is where your personal career brand comes into play. If you can distinguish yourself from the rest of the qualified people in the market, you are more likely to be selected for the job than the others.      

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