September 26, 2008

I wrote a post/article this week over at Careerealism.com on the difference between those who connect well in the workplace, and those who do not.

Check it out here to determine which one you are.

More importantly, if you like the post, be sure to subscribe to the blog to get our new posts by e-mail!

JT

September 3, 2008

Check out this post on how our egos impact our success in the workplace. A new book offers interesting perspective on egos as both friends and foes to our career advancement…a great read for employees and management teams!

Click here to read it on my new blog www.Careerealism.com.

August 14, 2008

Last year, I did more than 20 presentations to hundreds corporate managers on the subject of working with Gen NEXT (a.k.a. Gen Y, Millennials, etc.). The first part of my presentation outlined why I believe they are a generation that deserves our attention and compassion. As you can imagine, when I opened with that statement, the usual group response involved lots of snickering and comments that included ‘lazy’ and ‘entitled.’ However, within one-hour, that always changed. In fact, by the first bathroom break, I was regularly approached by attendees who would say, “I”m guilty of being a helicopter parent. What can I do?” I always hated that I couldn’t recommend a good resource or take the time to discuss what I had seen work well in the parenting department with this generation. I’m no child psychologist, but I do feel my extensive interactions with young professionals have helped me see parenting styles that have paid off for some moms and dads of Gen NEXTers. So, the idea to write something to help parents understand how to take control and ’stop hovering’ loomed in my head, but only recently did I finally find the time to complete an e-book on the subject. Here it is!

“STOP HOVERING: 10 Rules for Effective Elevator Parenting”

is now available as a FREE e-book. Simply sign-up below and you’ll receive an e-mail with a link to the book.

What’s the difference between a helicopter parent and an elevator parent?

Well, the book goes into much greater detail, but the key difference is that instead of smothering their children, elevator parents act like their name - they elevate their children to the right floor, but then let them get out and navigate themselves to their final destination solo. In my observations as a career coach to Gen NEXTers, here’s what I’ve learned: the balance of help and empowerment is a fine line that elevator parents seem to master better than helicopter parents. This book focuses on the 10 ways in which I’ve seen elevator parents excel over helicopter parents.

So, if you think you might be guilty of being a helicopter parent, then this e-book is for you. It’s a quick read that can help you immediately assess and ‘tweak’ your approach to helping your child become more independent. Simply register above right now and you’ll automatically receive a link to this FREE e-book. Enjoy!

It all started with a simple post on my Twitter account in which I invited all my on-line friends to e-mail me and I would give them a compliment. One of the first to take me up on my offer was Etienne who writes The Happy Employee.

It snowballed into a post on my new blog, www.careerealism.com, in which I explain the difference between appreciation and compliments, as well as the best way to give an effective compliment. But it didn’t stop there….

Etienne and I decided to throw down the gauntlet and put out a workplace challenge to employees and managers everywhere: Give a really, truly great compliment to someone at work who annoys you - and then tell us about it. So far, the response is great, but we want more!

To sum it up: Compliments are free to give and receive, and thus, in a tight economy, they have the potential to be 2008’s #1 Job perk. So we ask you this:

Do YOU have what it takes to give a great compliment?

Why not try it (and pass the challenge along to others!) and see if we can’t all change a few workplace relationships for the better!

JT

June 18, 2008

Hello all!

A quiz I use to help people assess their career development and job search skills is now available on-line. The test is FREE and it doesn’t require your e-mail or to sign up for a thing. Just 24 questions that tell you how prepared you are to find career success and satisfaction in today’s workplace.

So, if you’ve got 2 minutes and want to see how employable you are, just give some honest ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers and you’ll find out! Here’s the link….

May 21, 2008

This winter it hit me - reality shows have taken over our country. Okay, so many of you are laughing right now and saying, “Uh, where have you been the last few years?” But honestly, I had been hoping this wasn’t the case. Here’s what opened my eyes to it all…

I was working with a team of college interns on a special project. We were discussing the staggering statistic I had heard which was 80%+ of young people between the ages of 16-24 expected to be rich and famous some day. I asked for their input, expecting to hear something like, “Oh no, not us.” But instead, I got, “Oh ya, every young person dreams about it. We sit around on the weekends and brainstorm reality shows we could star in.” - and they meant it!

That’s when I knew it was time to go back to the drawing board and create something that could help Americans get a handle on their career realities. Don’t worry, I didn’t go negative. I’m not a tough love kind of coach. But, I did work hard to create an approach that can help people tune out the hype and tune in to what works for them. CAREEREALISM offers unsatisfied workers a chance to get organized and focused on achieving career satisfaction. In short, it’s a crash (yet comprehensive!) course on how to create career success on your terms.

CAREERALISM is a book. Technically, it is a new-and-improved version of a guidebook I self-published a few year back for my private clients. It costs$19.95 and is available in most on-line retailers. BUT, if you buy it on my site, there’s a special bonus: Every purchase includes a FREE resume review by one of our professional development specialists as well as personalized feedback on how to improve your job search efforts. How’s that for value?!

So, if someone you know is living a career reality drama (okay, who isn’t?!?), I’d be grateful if you would recommend they check out CAREEREALISM. We look forward to helping them create their own happy ending.

April 5, 2008

I just finished watching the news which explained that 80,000 jobs have been lost since January, the unemployment rate is the highest it’s been in three years, consumer confidence is at an all-time low, more layoffs are expected as spending decreases, and Americans are starting to skip making payments that are ruining their credit scores (which many employers now check as part of the hiring process). Hmmm – happy Friday!

This made me think about how many people are questioning their career decisions right now, and that led to me write this post… (more…)

March 28, 2008

Blogging is fast becoming one of the best ways to create and enhance your career identity. (Don’t believe me? Then listen to the podcast in this blog post to learn more: Career Identity Tools You Must Use) And now, finding the best blogs to read and contribute to just got a lot easier.

Guy Kawasaki, the highly successful author and entrepreneur, has launched a new site, www.alltop.com, which organizes and presents the ‘best of the blogs’ in a targeted list of categories. I’m a big fan of blogs as a way to gain knowledge and collaborate with others, so I was particularly excited to see the visually appealing way in which his site lets visitors stay up-to-date on the latest posts from their favorite bloggers.

Be sure to check out Alltop.com on a regular basis and I guarantee you’ll feel more in-the-know. And while you are there, click on “J.T. & Dale Talk Jobs” - a personal favorite!

March 17, 2008

I saw this video on the topic of undercover job searching today and it got me thinking about some of the job search realities I coach my clients on regularly. Here are 3 THINGS you should consider if you are trying to find a new, better job. (more…)

March 14, 2008

Penelope Trunk, who writes the blog Brazen Careerist, wrote a post today called: A Recession Probably Won’t Affect Your Job Market.

The ‘Your’ in the title refers to Gen Y and Gen X employees. Trunk says, “There is a lot of hoop-la over the recession. Or coming recession. Or statistical but maybe-not-really recession. But the truth is that the job market is just fine, especially for the post-Baby-Boomer set.”

So the question is: Do older workers suffer more in a recession? The comments posted on Trunk’s blog would indicate so.

I think that in spite of an impending recession, there will always be a ‘talent’ shortage. As many of the commenters suggest, those who keep their skills up-to-date and brand themselves properly will always be employable.

How do you plan to keep yourself employable during an economic downturn? Share your thoughts…