I often remind job seekers that past performance is the best predictor of future success. Recruiters and hiring managers assessing candidates are looking for proof that you can do the job. One of the best ways to assess that is reviewing your accomplishments from similar roles. However, it can be difficult to remember what you’ve done! That’s why I created an accomplishments journal. It includes 365 daily prompts to help you identify and track your accomplishments throughout the year. You can either write down a specific accomplishment from that day or use the prompt to help you think of a re ..read more

Are you happy with your job? Are you happy with your life? The end of the year is a natural time to take stock of the past year and plan for the year ahead. This career planner is designed to guide you in taking a look back at 2021 and looking ahead to 2022. Most important, it will help you identify, define, and clarify your personal and professional goals. This is not about setting New Year’s resolutions. It’s about goals. It’s about dreaming about what you want your life to be like and putting plans in place to make it happen. Resolutions seem to fade with time. By February, they are usually ..read more

LinkedIn has been an excellent tool for my job search clients. It has made it exponentially easier to source and introduce contacts and bridge the gap between candidates and decision makers. Yet whether it is being used for a job search or general sales prospecting, many behaviors persist that run counter to the spirit of networking and limit its value. Here are a few I have noticed. Posting a message that you know of an open role and then not responding to potential candidates. Maybe people have come to accept this bad behavior when they apply via a job board, but the whole purpose of LinkedI ..read more

Many of my executive clients retain my services to prepare them for a search for their next big role in a public company. And while that is certainly one option to explore, the reality is that the higher you are in seniority, the fewer the options for those plum C-level roles. Additionally, these clients generally skew towards age 55 and above and may face age bias as decision makers question if they are up for the role over the long haul. Private equity roles present an alternative or additional search path for executive job seekers. A private equity firm is a type of investment firm that ta ..read more

As the pace of recruiting continues to quicken in the third quarter of 2021, my clients are more regularly being asked about their crisis management skills, particularly in light of the recent global pandemic. Operating in a Covid-19 environment added an additional layer of stress to the workplace and required a level of quick thinking, innovation, patience, resourcefulness, empathy, and agility that many have never experienced before. Along with these exceptionally challenging circumstances came the ability to grow and learn new skills that have helped shape them as individual contributors an ..read more

Many of my clients are at a place in their careers where they would like to be considered for board roles. But most approach the process with a resume that may be suited for operating roles, but falls flat for board seats. Boards are looking for candidates that are experienced in the competencies that are most frequently utilized in the role. They know that you have already proven yourself as a C-level executive in a finance, operations, sales, marketing, IT, or HR role. Accomplishments concerning how you have contributed to business growth, streamlined costs, or new product launches are alrea ..read more

Are you happy with your job? Are you happy with your life? The end of the year is a natural time to take stock of the past year and plan for the year ahead. This career planner is designed to guide you in taking a look back at 2020 and looking ahead to 2021. Most important, it will help you identify, define, and clarify your personal and professional goals. This is not about setting New Year’s resolutions. It’s about goals. It’s about dreaming about what you want your life to be like and putting plans in place to make it happen. Resolutions seem to fade with time. By February, they are usually ..read more

We are eight months into this pandemic. As a job seeker, you have mastered Zoom, updated your resume, and practiced your pitch. But it’s certainly not business as usual and unusual times call for different ways of doing things and a whole lot of creativity. In today’s climate, you don’t have ten coffee meetings on your calendar, five golf outings, and two annual conferences to stoke your networking efforts. But that doesn’t mean your socially distanced networking can’t thrive. Here are ten ways to keep your search moving forward. Send Holiday Cards. Holidays provide a natural touch point for r ..read more

I am pleased to announce that Career Solvers was recently nominated for a TORI (Toast of the Resume Industry) Award by Career Directors International. Career Solvers has been nominated for this award over 30 times since 2006 and won 12 awards for Best Executive Resume, Best Technology Resume, Best Sales & Marketing Resume, Best International Resume, Best Creative Resume, and Best Cover Letter. The competition draws hundreds of entries from resume writers from all over the world, and it is an honor to be a nominee this year. This year I was nominated for Best Portfolio Careers Resume. A per ..read more

While the pandemic has created a host of new challenges for job seekers, there are also certain shifts the pandemic has instigated as it relates to job search that can work to your advantage. Here are a few. Few hiring managers will question why you are in transition this year or next. One of the most common questions recruiters ask candidates is, “Why are you currently in a job search?” Whether you are in search because you are no longer in a role or because you are looking for something new, all hiring managers will understand the impact of Covid-19 on your search and are unlikely to probe ..read more