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Those young in their career or those seeking to change their career path are often given very bad advice.
Do what you love and the money will follow.
Follow your bliss.
Follow your passions when looking for a job.
If you do what you love it will never seem like work.
If you don’t love your work, find something else.
THEY CALL IT WORK FOR A REASON.
Photography and writing are my passions. If I dedicated mindshare and time to pursuing either, I am certain I could make some sort of progress and earn a few bucks. Instead, I take pride in my work as an Executive Coach. I have trained for and know how to do it, some say well. My work provides an income, loads of satisfaction and the wherewithal to write and photograph. Continue reading 'Bad advice from well meaning mentors'»
Excerpt from Job Search Debugged which can be purchased and delivered immediately as a PDF download from the book store, the red tab above. A sample of the tough love found in the pages of the book that has guided many a career.
BASICS FOR SIX-FIGURE INCOME CANDIDATES
Most readers of this book earn significant income in salary, bonus, and stock. Landing $100,000+ jobs can often take six months or more. The amount of time is less important than what occurs in that time. To be effective, focus on your networking activities: Your objective is to rise above the competition with recognized expertise, outstanding messaging, and industry presence. Your objective is not to get your resume to rise to the top of the stack, it is to not be on the stack at all. Continue reading 'Job search advice that works for six figure executives'»
Ageism, Branding, career advice, coaching, Executive topics, Job Security, networking, recruiters, Uncategorized, Warnings
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$100+, career advice, executive careers, executive coaching, Rita Ashley, social networking
Every time you try to hide your sexual orientation you give haters power.
A prospective coaching client told me he was reluctant to join GLBT groups on LinkedIn because he didn’t want people to know he is gay. I nearly reached through the phone to hit him upside the head with a 2 x 4. Continue reading 'If you are gay, be gay.'»
“Anticipate the difficult by managing the easy.” Lao Tzu
Successful executive job search starts with your objective. Are you looking for that next big job? Is that the focus of your job search and your networking? Or have you taken the time to learn how to build your career over the long-haul? Continue reading 'Are you looking for a job or building a career?'»
MINIMIZE AGEISM issues.
Few comments from prospective employers are so demoralizing to candidates as, “We like you but you are overqualified for this job.” Most people interpret this as, “You are too old.” Continue reading 'Crush the ‘overqualified’ label'»
THE ELEVATOR PITCH–Is Yours Working?
Your brand [Elevator Pitch] is the promise you make to a prospective employer. Shivonne Byrne, Microsoft Branding Executive.
Do people respond to it with questions about your work, your success or processes? Do they want to learn more? Do they invite you to talk about your credentials? Do they offer to introduce you to others? Do they show interest so you can invite them to meet at a future date? Do they ask for your Continue reading 'Simple steps to make your elevator pitch memorable'»
Time management is the demon that destroys a carefully executed job search. One client of recent memory spent seven hours a day at the computer sending emails, requests for introductions and participating in various LinkedIn groups. After three months he had only made five new connections that referred him to opportunities. And not one of the opportunities was right for him. He was demoralized. The demon was elated. Continue reading 'Six tricks to subdue your job search time management demon'»
career advice, coaching, Executive topics, Job Security, networking, Uncategorized, Warnings
| career advice, executive careers, LinkedIn, Rita Ashley, time management
I published this blog last year and it resonated with a lot of senior executives who, in their private moments, admit to feelings of being an impostor. Yesterday, I mounted my first photography exhibit and when it was finished, I was overwhelmed with feelings of self doubt. What made me think I had any right to pass myself off as a photographer? In dealing with these feelings, I confronted my own ‘impostor.’
Continue reading 'Are you a Fraud? Silence your internal critic.'»
- Objective: Determine, do I want a face to face interview?
- Strategy: Create a real connection
- Tactic: Ask questions to demonstrate company knowledge, outcomes they can expect and your serious interest.
Telephone interviews for executive job seekers are daunting, filled with land mines and, the results, difficult to interpret. Make it simple with a clear objective and understanding the interviewer’s objective. Continue reading 'Telephone interview questions to ask'»
Ask a question, Branding, career advice, Executive topics, Interview, Uncategorized, Warnings
| career advice, executive careers, executive jobs, how to say no to a job, interview tips, Rita Ashley, telephone interview
It is not about you. It is about the employer. 
It is most often the case that the job for which you are interviewing is not a perfect fit or worse, doesn’t have a clear path to your mid-term goals. It is human nature to want to get on track immediately, but in an interview for executive jobs, that is the most wrong thing you can do. Continue reading 'How to interview for the job you want'»
Commonly accepted wisdom says, if you want to succeed, you need to know your competition. As with most things common, it is rarely true for those who want to excel rather than merely participate. There are those who say, it is good to know what your competition knows, work as smart as your competition, and find an edge over (an offering which is better than) your competition. Continue reading 'Competition doesn’t matter'»
Get promoted, fast.
TEN STEPS TO EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP
It’s not rocket science. Many people master the art of strong leadership, mostly by trial and error, some through mentors and others by way of a career coach. Here’s a primer of basic leadership techniques. You still may want a coach to help you implement, but this heads-up will alert you to where to put your effort. Continue reading 'Fast track to successful executive leadership'»
career advice, coaching, Executive topics, Job Security, Mentor, team building, Warnings
| career advice, executive careers, executive coaching, leadership, mission statement, promotion, Rita Ashley, strategy, tactics, transparency, vision statement
Just because you are vulnerable doesn’t mean you have to be a victim.
One estimate of job openings filled by recruiters is over 35%. The percentage is higher for executive-level positions in the $100,000+ salary range. Clearly, cultivating a professional relationship with a recruiter or two is an excellent career development strategy. But how do you avoid exposure to the wrong ones? I believe knowledge is power. The more you know about how and why recruiters set traps for you, the easier you can avoid getting caught. Continue reading 'Clues to spotting bad recruiters and scams'»
career advice, Executive topics, recruiters, Uncategorized, Warnings
| bad recruiters, career advice, executive careers, executive jobs, privacy, protect yourself, Rita Ashley, scams
Control your resume. A friend of mine expressed disbelief than any executive would even consider using a job board. He knows job boards don’t work. He maintained that no executive is so naive to believe an anonymous resource like a job board could be considered as a tool by any executive who has ever hired anyone. I couldn’t agree more. Continue reading 'Why employers post on job boards'»
My friend, Joe [not his real name] is 69 years old. He is advising six start up companies, sits on the board of three. He is routinely sought out for advice, teaching and speaking on entrepreneurship. Continue reading 'Senior citizen still working – no end in sight'»
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