Welcome to “The Edge”
During my 30 years in the recruiting industry, I played a role in hundreds of successful career transitions. The lessons I learned during that time serve as an important building block for career coaching. Blending the two disciplines gives me a unique perspective into what it takes to navigate job and career changes. I hope you find a few “golden nuggets” that give you an edge that leads you down the path to a more meaningful and rewarding career.
To make sure you never miss getting “The Edge”, sign up in the footer.
Seal the Deal: How a Well-Crafted Follow-Up Email Can Influence Hiring Decisions
Think your job is done after the interview? Think again! Discover how a well-crafted follow-up email can be your secret weapon in clinching the job offer.
The Power of Pre-Quitting: A Strategic Approach to Career Growth in 2024’s Job Market
Ready for a job change? Discover the power of pre-quitting—an approach to career management that can save you time, reduce stress, and unlock hidden job opportunities.
Supercharge Your LinkedIn Profile to Stand Out in a Cooling Job Market (Our August Newsletter)
As the job market cools and unemployment ticks up, it's tempting to play it safe and wait for better times. But even in a shifting landscape, opportunities abound for those who stay proactive. Discover key trends and actionable steps to keep your career moving forward.
Should You Stay or Should You Go: A Career Anthem for Embracing Change
In 1982, The Clash, a legendary English punk band at the forefront of the punk movement in the 1970s and 1980s, released "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" This song, while exploring themes of romantic uncertainty, strikingly parallels the quandaries we face in our careers.
What You Can Learn About a Company's Culture from Its Hiring Process
Understanding a company's culture is pivotal when you're considering a new job. The hiring process itself—often overlooked as just a procedural formality—is actually packed with clues about the organization’s work environment and values.
Tips for Advancing your Career with a Recruiter (from a career coach who used to be one)
Before becoming a career coach, I spent over 25 years in the recruiting industry, 22 of them leading my own practice. Drawing on that experience, I’d like to share some tips on building mutually beneficial relationships with recruiters and turn them into career advancement allies.
Navigating Your Career Journey: How a Career Coach Can Help and Tips for Choosing the Right One
Feeling trapped in your current job? Uncertain about your career path or how to navigate a job transition?
You're not alone. Many professionals reach a point where they need a guiding hand to help them achieve their career goals. In this article, we'll explore how tapping the expertise of an experienced career coach can be the game-changer you're seeking.
10 of the Most Overlooked and Powerful Job Search Strategies
Before becoming a career coach, I spent 25 years as a recruiter. During that time, I gained a wealth of powerful, real-world insight into what it takes for job seekers to rise to the top. To my surprise, many people were unaware of many of those strategies. Here are 10 of the most overlooked and impactful.
The 31 Best LinkedIn Profile Tips for Job Seekers
What are the most important tools for a job seeker? You probably said your resume and your network. But what about the platform that combines them? LinkedIn allows you to share your experience, skills, and qualifications with future employers, while also allowing you to build and interact with your network and grow your brand as a professional.
Here are 31 expert-backed LinkedIn tips for job seekers—from creating a profile that will help you land your next job or get noticed by recruiters to establishing yourself as an expert in your field.
8 Tips for Laid Off Workers & Those Who Fear It
If you’ve been laid off, your mind may play tricks on you. You may question your worth or feel like you have nothing to offer. This is untrue. Layoff decisions are driven by an organization's bottom line: cost savings. Your experiences, education, and qualities make you a worthy candidate. Getting “let go” from an employer doesn’t change this fact.
What To Do When You’re Laid Off
Just Been Laid Off? Here’s Some Important Advice.
If you’ve just been laid off or are concerned that your number might come up soon, here’s some excellent advice (inspired by a LinkedIn post by Sarah Johnston, a coaching colleague).
Modern Resume Strategies
Your resume should engage the reader, position yourself as the perfect fit, and make your most critical points effectively. And in a dynamic, ever-changing job market, your resume needs to be constantly evolving. It’s essential to keep up with modern resume strategies so that you stay relevant in the market.
Why You Should Stop Responding to So Many Job Postings
As a career coach, I continually hear from my clients and others about their frustrations with applying for jobs online. I don’t blame them.
It’s like dropping your resume into a black hole. Or better yet, it’s like buying a lottery ticket to pay your mortgage. You know the odds are stacked against you, but you keep doing it anyway.
Don’t Believe Everything You Read in a Job Posting
Ever wonder why many job postings include a long laundry list of requirements?
That’s because they’re often cut and pasted from the employer’s internal job description. And that can be a problem for job seekers because there’s a good chance the one you’re reading is outdated and doesn’t reflect changes made to the role over time, is poorly written, or missing some key information.
That’s why when you’re interviewing, it’s important to ask the interviewer to confirm the details of the role.
5 Tips for Evaluating Company Culture in Job Interviews (with sample questions for getting the information you need)
There are several things you should consider when evaluating whether a job is a good match for you. Sure, you need to determine if the compensation package meets your expectations, if it’s the right next career step, and if your future manager is someone you think you’d mesh well with.
Here are five tips to help you understand and evaluate a company’s culture before you accept an offer—even if you’re interviewing remotely.
Still Wondering if Cover Letters are Necessary? The Data Might Surprise You.
Are cover letters worth the trouble? Do they make a difference? The data may surprise you!
How to Respond When Asked About Your Strengths and Weaknesses
Ever had an interviewer ask you about your strengths and weaknesses? Ever wonder why?
It’s baffling to me. During my 30 years as a recruiter, I never asked anyone that question because it doesn’t elicit any helpful information. Nonetheless, it seems to persist.
If it comes up in a job interview, what’s the best way to respond? Here’s what I recommend to my career coaching clients.
Considering A Job or Career Change? Before Deciding, Consider Pre-Quitting
You’ve decided it’s time for a change. You started a job search, interviewed with several companies, got an attractive offer, and accepted it. You’re excited and riding on cloud nine, but in the back of your mind, you’re dreading what comes next: telling your boss you’re leaving.
Will the response be best of luck, good riddance, or what can we do to keep you? In many ways, the last one, the counteroffer, is the most wrenching.
What you do before beginning your search is key.
10 Tips for Acing Your Video Interview
With more people than ever working from home, video interviews have become increasingly common and are likely to remain so for years to come. Interviewing effectively on camera requires careful preparation, so here are a few tips.