Personal Development for Smart People Forums - View Single Post - Changing careers and finding high-quality career counseling.

Rapid · 01-19-2007, 09:22 AM

Hi, there.

I recommend:

What Color Is Your Parachute? by Richard Bolles - Read the section on the 5 best and worst ways to apply for jobs and do the exercises in chapters 7-9 to find out what your favorite skills, values, and passions are. As they say: "Know thyself."
How You Really Get Hired by John LaFevre
Guerilla Marketing for Job Hunters by Jay Levinson.
Career, Education, and Life Advice from Marty Nemko - Lots of free articles and a radio show archive. He has some unconventional ideas.

Don't just read the books and articles though. Research companies. Use the advice to create a portfolio showcasing your work and write cover letters custom-tailored for your favorite prospective employers. Don't rely on sending out resumes.

I don't recommend paying expensive fees for life and career coaching when you can get them for free or cheap. I speak from experience. People have the tendency to over-rely on "experts" or "authority figures" to tell them what to do. Paying someone else to coach you may make you feel as though you are doing something to advance towards your goal, but you're actually postponing starting on the work that you need to do for yourself.

Besides reading books about different career options, you can also conduct informational interviews with relatives, friends, their acquaintences, members of trade associations, etc.. The only cost to you is money for thank-you cards, meals out (offer to treat people in return for their time), and thank-you gifts.

Fill in this Statement in order to focus your search:

"I am interested in ________ (action verb), ________ (action verb), and ___________ (action verb) at a _______________ (type of company) located in ____________ (city)."

I've spent hundreds of dollars on career tests. The results were informative. But what motivated me to really go after what I'm looking for was my lay off (please see my post "full-time versus contract"). Suddenly my time is in my control and fear propelled me to take action. What will it take for you to take action?

Family and friends may mean well, but they don't always know what is best for us. Take time for solitude and self-reflection. Away from all the "noises," you will be able to listen to your intuition and develop self reliance.

There you have it. Some straight talk from a fellow adventurer of life. Now stop reading this and pursue your dream!

01-19-2007, 09:22 AM	#13 (permalink)
Rapid Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 172	Career/Life Advice Hi, there. I recommend: What Color Is Your Parachute? by Richard Bolles - Read the section on the 5 best and worst ways to apply for jobs and do the exercises in chapters 7-9 to find out what your favorite skills, values, and passions are. As they say: "Know thyself." How You Really Get Hired by John LaFevre Guerilla Marketing for Job Hunters by Jay Levinson. Career, Education, and Life Advice from Marty Nemko - Lots of free articles and a radio show archive. He has some unconventional ideas. Don't just read the books and articles though. Research companies. Use the advice to create a portfolio showcasing your work and write cover letters custom-tailored for your favorite prospective employers. Don't rely on sending out resumes. I don't recommend paying expensive fees for life and career coaching when you can get them for free or cheap. I speak from experience. People have the tendency to over-rely on "experts" or "authority figures" to tell them what to do. Paying someone else to coach you may make you feel as though you are doing something to advance towards your goal, but you're actually postponing starting on the work that you need to do for yourself. Besides reading books about different career options, you can also conduct informational interviews with relatives, friends, their acquaintences, members of trade associations, etc.. The only cost to you is money for thank-you cards, meals out (offer to treat people in return for their time), and thank-you gifts. Fill in this Statement in order to focus your search: "I am interested in ________ (action verb), ________ (action verb), and ___________ (action verb) at a _______________ (type of company) located in ____________ (city)." I've spent hundreds of dollars on career tests. The results were informative. But what motivated me to really go after what I'm looking for was my lay off (please see my post "full-time versus contract"). Suddenly my time is in my control and fear propelled me to take action. What will it take for you to take action? Family and friends may mean well, but they don't always know what is best for us. Take time for solitude and self-reflection. Away from all the "noises," you will be able to listen to your intuition and develop self reliance. There you have it. Some straight talk from a fellow adventurer of life. Now stop reading this and pursue your dream!