We’ve all been through tough times; whether they’re related to our careers or even our personal lives. We commonly hear people giving advice with things like, “You just have to stay positive….” or “Keep a positive attitude…”. When all you really hear is “Blah blah blah”. Sometimes when we hear this advice, all we want to do is tell them to go pound sand.I understand these feelings because I’ve been there too. There are days...

As I’ve worked with younger career clients over the years, I’ve noticed a theme, especially with my female clients. This may not be the most popular perspective but here it goes…Women’s Liberation gave us a lot of great things, the right to vote, more equal pay (although still not perfectly equal as we know) and more career choices than ever. Did it also give us women the burden of being more confused than ever in our early...

People often ask me, "if I have so many hobbies and interests, or so many things I enjoy doing, how do I know which one I should pursue as a career?" This is a common issue. I tell people it's like being on spin cycle in the dryer. You're so confused you don't know which way to turn, and which interest or passion to pursue. Sometimes the path we want to take seems very clear though. For example, some passions will pay more...

I’m sure you are familiar with this quote from President Barack Obama: “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”Change is never easy, especially when you are in career transition. Fear (among others) can be a big obstacle to change that you want to make. The obstacles I see time and time again for people wanting to make...

We all know that networking is the best way to get a new job. Approximately 70% of the jobs that are secured out there are landed through the hidden job market. There are two important things to remember though:1) Networking, and conducting informational interviews with people in a field of interest, is also an invaluable way to learn more about different industries you want to explore for your long-term career path.2) Netw...

I was talking to my client Kellie recently about her job search. She had a few calls to make to prospective employers to follow up on her interviews. (Yes luckily, I’m finding recruiters are calling people again, and I have several clients out there going on interviews.) Kellie was nervous, she didn’t know what to say to them and didn’t want to choke up or sound unprofessional on the phone or on their voicemail.This is impo...

I was talking to my group coaching client, Jodi, this week. She was concerned that she hadn’t yet identified her ideal career, and was putting a lot of pressure on herself to not only figure it out, but to have a plan with each specific action step she needed to take to make it happen. I told her, like I tell all of my clients, that this isn’t realistic. Career transition is a process that has to unfold. It’s organic and yo...

I was THIRLLED to receive this email from a former client recently. We worked together several years ago and her dream was to find a job in a study abroad office, preferably in Italy.To: Hallie CrawfordSubject: Good newsHi Hallie,Happy New Year! I hope you had a great holiday.I wanted to send you a quick note to let you know that after almost resigning to the possibility that I would never get a job at IES Abroad (the study...

I had a great time speaking at Agnes Scott last week. Over 50 alumnae from Agnes Scott attended the event, and the level of energy, participation and learning was great! Participants left with very specific advice on how to create their business cards and how to develop a networking strategy. One woman who attended the event wants to start a company creating her own greeting cards, but has no money to get started.She came t...

I was working with a new client the other day in an all day intensive career coaching program. She flew in from Louisiana to work with me, and right off the bat I sensed that she was comparing herself to her friends. She told me point blank that she was frustrated with the fact that “all of her friends knew what they wanted to do next” and she didn’t. It was clear this was creating a lot of anxiety for her.I see this often...