How can you find writing jobs? Do you have proven skills that can propel you in the right direction? If so, then why are you looking for fresh vacancies? The best tool to those who have employment histories is to look to the companies that you have already worked for. There, they can help provide you with more work, or point you in the right direction. Continue reading →

What is a Career Portfolio?

The original portfolio used by artists looking for work was simply a collection of works demonstrative of the artists style and ability. Because their works varied in size and shape, portfolios came in all sizes and shapes. Fashion designers would lug a box of their clothing and accessory designs from interview to interview hoping for the big break. Potential employers or commission agents could view the art or garments and decide if applicants were likely to be able to paint or design what they had in mind. In more recent days, people such as architects, whose work has a personal dimension, carried rolls of drawings and photographs to interviews. Continue reading →

You can’t write an effective résumé if you have no job target. What I mean by this is you need to tailor your résumé to the specific job you want to apply to. Gone are the days of sending out 400 copies of the same résumé. Continue reading →

1. Start with an attractive layout. Use bold and italics to highlight key points.

I do not recommend downloadable templates because they are very generic and dull. Get creative but not crazy. You can use a little touch of color if you are modest. Continue reading →

You don’t have to look very far to find fascinating ways to make a
living. Opportunities are literally everywhere? if you’re looking, that is. It seems I can’t turn on the television or radio or open a magazine or newspaper without seeing at least one good business idea.

Maybe that’s why, as we were winding down a consulting session the other day, one of my clients said to me, “Boy, you sure have a lot of information in your head.” I appreciated the compliment, but Julie was only half right. When you’ve been in the business of helping people change course for as long as I have, it’s only natural I’d know a lot about creative income streams. But most of them aren’t in my head ? they’re in my Opportunity File. Continue reading →

A part of you can’t wait to dive into your new career — but you’re also smart enough to know that you can expect a few bumps along the road to success. By far, the biggest roadblocks exist between your own two ears!

Let’s take a look at three common mental roadblocks and learn how to overcome them. Continue reading →

Using a general résumé.

DON’T DO IT! You cannot successfully use the same résumé to apply to several different jobs.

Your résumé should be custom written for each job you are targeting. When you send out something generic, it shows apathy and lack of motivation. This is NOT the impression you want to send to your potential employers.

Continue reading →

While traveling in northern California last October, I happened to tune into a local newscast. The newscaster was telling his co-anchor that the speaker at that morning’s Rotary Club meeting had to cut his presentation short because he was being flown down to Disneyland to carve elaborate Halloween pumpkins for the park festivities. The newscaster wrapped up the story with the familiar quip, “Nice work if you can get it.” He got the first part right. For a creative kid-at-heart, being a professional pumpkin carver is a dream come true. It was his serendipitous “if you can get it” thinking that missed the mark. The fact is, people rarely “get” great work; they create it! Continue reading →

The alarm clock jars you awake at some insanely early hour. As you hit the snooze button you think, “there’s gotta be a better way to make a living.” As someone who rolled out of bed this morning at 8:30, I’m here to deliver the good news: there is.Â

A lot of people dream of escaping “Dilbert’s world” and being their own boss. Perhaps the biggest reason these dreams get derailed is money. Or, more accurately, faulty thinking about what it means to “make a living.” I’m no exception. For a long time I thought before I could take the leap to self-employment, I had to first figure out a venture that would generate the same amount of income as I was then earning. Continue reading →

‘Fear of rejection’ is the major reason why individuals looking for a career change hesitate to use networking as the most powerful weapon in their job search armoury. This is even the case with senior people who you would have thought anybody would be delighted to receive a call from. In 99.9% of cases this fear is unfounded – most professional people are pleased to receive calls from like-minded people and are a pleasure and delight to talk to. Continue reading →