Peak Careers

Professional Development for Career Practitioners

Blog

INTERVIEW: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

by 2 Comments

I have been exploring and working on my own implicit biases this past year or so, largely due to the many inequities witnessed in our country. I’ve questioned myself on my biases and blind spots on this subject and I want to do a better job at awareness and what I can do to help improve our country…beginning with me and my work.

My guests today are:

Dustin Ward, founder of, It Is Time…LLC, which looks to end racism in communities across Maine.  

and

Jenn Tardy,  owner and operator of Jennifer Tardy Consulting (aka Team JTC) which is an internationally known, award-winning diversity recruitment consulting firm

Today I ask our experts

– What role might career service providers play in supporting and /or promoting diversity, equity, and Inclusion awareness?

– What can career service providers do to increase awareness of implicit bias within their own actions?

Interview on DEI for career coaches
https://youtu.be/SQxMgVKtAKEWATCH OR LISTEN TO NOW

Featured Image by truthseeker08 from Pixabay

BIO’s

Dustin Ward hails from Presque Isle, Maine, and is a graduate of the University of Southern Maine (’10) achieving a B.S. in Political Science, and Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary (’19) with a Masters in Divinity.  His love for law, politics, and ethnic and racial studies grew during his time away at college. Yet the murder of George Floyd in 2020 became a catalyst for him to step away from ministry work, and begin focusing on equity work as a Racial Equity and Reconciliation Advocate. 

In September of that year he founded his own business, It Is Time…LLC, which looks to end racism in communities across Maine.  Dustin also works as an Implicit Bias Educator for Mindbridge, a Board Member and partner with Atlantic Black Box, and the first Person of Color to be a Select Board Member of The Town of New Gloucester. 

https://www.itistime.me/and social media: @itistimeme – Instagram and Twitter. email: [email protected]

Jenn Tardy has vast industry experience as a Recruiting Thought Leader, Diversity Recruitment Practitioner, and Career Success Coach with over 15 years of multi-industry experience in the field of human resources and recruiting. She has been helping employers and job seekers reach their goals since 2004 and is on a mission to make it easy for recruiters to find, attract, engage, and hire job seekers from historically underrepresented backgrounds, ultimately helping employers to increase diversity.

She owns and operates Jennifer Tardy Consulting (aka Team JTC) which is an internationally known, award-winning diversity recruitment consulting firm based out of Maryland, USA.Sure, here is our website: https://www.jennifertardy.com/ and here is Jenn’s Linkedin profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifertardy/

Jim Peacock is the Principal at Peak-Careers Consulting and writes a weekly email for career practitioners. Peak-Careers offers discussion-based online seminars for career practitioners focused on meeting continuing education needs for CCSP, GCDF and BCC certified professionals as well as workshops for career practitioners and individual career coaching.

He is the author of A Field Guide for Career Practitioners: Helping Your Clients Create Their Next Move and The Adventure of Finding Me in New Zealand. He is also the recipient of the 2020 Kenneth C. Hoyt Award from the National Career Development Association and the Mid-Atlantic Career Counseling Association’s Professional Contribution’s Award in 2020.

Sign up here to receive my  TOP 10 TIPS WHEN WORKING WITH AN UNDECIDED PERSON.  You will also receive the career practitioner’s weekly email on a variety of career topics, industry news, interesting events, and more. 

Peak-Careers logo

The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters

by Leave a Comment

By Priya Parker

You know when you read something and realize that you were doing some things right but you didn’t know why? Yep, that is how this book felt to me so many times.

Priya walks us through the various parts to gathering, whether it is a simple meeting, family get-together, or a wedding. You really need to be clear about the purpose of the gathering as that will define who is invited, how you invite the, how you greet them, and what you deliver. And oh yeah, how you close. It is all about the purpose and being clear in your own head what that means.

I loved her chapter, Never Start a Funeral with Logistics. Her story about every one being so sad and mournful at a funeral and the first thing the funeral director did was “the bathroom is down the hall…the family would like you to attend a get together at _____”. What people REALLY needed to hear first is recognizing some feelings / emotions.

When I read this I was preparing to do a two-hour long zoom-workshop and realized that the 1st thing I was doing was introducing myself and going over the agenda. I changed it a bit and did a poll that engaged people first and still made the point about what we would be talking about. Hmmm….that was pretty smart. Thanks Priya.

I then had them introduce themselves, where they worked, and some pivotal point in their own career development. Another Priya thing. Many of these folks knew each other but probably did not know a past pivotal moment in their lives.

There is so much more to gathering that we take for granted. If you are the host, you have a responsibility to be clear about the purpose, keep the purpose forefront so that those people who know the purpose and stay engaged, do not get “sidelined” by someone who either hogs the show or does not stay focused on the purpose (which might simply be to get to know each other better). The host has the responsibility to keep the gathering going in the right direction. (i.e. staying on the agenda for a work meeting comes to mind to me).

But, the host can not take over a meeting either – there is a balance and the author does a great job at breaking down these roles, again from something as simple as a family / social get-together to setting up a United Nations meeting.

I enjoyed this book which we discussed in a small book-club I am in. Oh yeah, never end with logistics either. Do logistics 2nd to last and end with a summary of what happened.

INTERVIEW: LinkedIn, The Latest and Greatest

by Leave a Comment

What are the latest and greatest changes happening on LinkedIn? If you are not paying attention closely to LinkedIn, you may have missed some of these changes. And you may be missing out on the opportunity to take advantage of them. I am thrilled to interview these three LinkedIn “heavy hitters” who share their knowledge and tips that you don’t want to miss out on.

Guests today

Bob McIntosh, CPRW is a career trainer and coach who works at an urban career center and earned the distinction of a LinkedIn’s Top Voices, Hannah Morgan,  Career Sherpa is a trainer and job search strategist and a LinkedIn Top Voice in Job Search and Careers, and Edythe Richards is a career counselor and trainer who has helped thousands of people locate and sustain meaningful employment. She is the founder of A Top Career.

Today I ask our experts

 What are some of the newer and possibly under-utilized features of LinkedIn
 and suggestions on how to leverage them?

WATCH OR LISTEN NOW

Biographies

Bob McIntosh, CPRW is a career trainer and coach who leads more than 15 job-search workshops at an urban career center, as well as counsels job seekers on every aspect of the job search.  His colleagues rely on Bob to critique their clients’ LinkedIn profiles and conduct mock interviews. In addition, Bob has gained a reputation as a LinkedIn authority in the community where he leads workshops for non-profit and for-profit organizations.  Job seekers from across the state attend Bob’s  LinkedIn workshops.  His greatest pleasure is helping people find rewarding careers in a competitive job market.  For enjoyment, he blogs at Things Career Related and contributes to Recruiter.com.  Follow Bob on Twitter and connect with him on LinkedIn.

Hannah Morgan is a trainer and job search strategist. She has worked in outplacement services, a graduate school career center, a department of labor one-stop and as a recruiter/HR generalist. She is a nationally recognized author and speaker on job search trends and was previously a LinkedIn Top Voice in Job Search and Careers. She founded CareerSherpa.net to combine her career expertise with her love of writing, speaking and social media. Hannah is a regular contributor to US News & World Report. She has been quoted by media outlets, including Kiplinger, Forbes and Money Magazine. She is also author of The Infographic Resume and co-author of Social Networking for Business Success. Hannah is active across social media including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Edythe Richards is a career counselor and trainer who has helped thousands of people locate and sustain meaningful employment. She is the founder of A Top Career, a Washington, DC-based consulting firm that empowers people to clarify values, resolve stressors, and balance personal priorities with professional pursuits. She is also the creator and host of several podcast series, including Myers-Briggs Question Corner, and EQ at Work.Edythe is a Global Career Development Facilitator (GCDF), Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW), Myers-Briggs Master Practitioner, certified Gallup Strengths Coach, and a certified Emotional Intelligence Practitioner and Trainer with a Master’s in Counseling. Connect with Edythe on LinkedIn and follow her on Twitter.

Jim Peacock is the Principal at Peak-Careers Consulting and writes a weekly email for career practitioners. Peak-Careers offers discussion-based online seminars for career practitioners focused on meeting continuing education needs for CCSP, GCDF and BCC certified professionals as well as workshops for career practitioners and individual career coaching.

He is the author of A Field Guide for Career Practitioners: Helping Your Clients Create Their Next Move and The Adventure of Finding Me in New Zealand. He is also the recipient of the 2020 Kenneth C. Hoyt Award from the National Career Development Association and the Mid-Atlantic Career Counseling Association’s Professional Contribution’s Award in 2020.

Sign up here to receive my  TOP 10 TIPS WHEN WORKING WITH AN UNDECIDED PERSON.  You will also receive the career practitioner’s weekly email on a variety of career topics, industry news, interesting events, and more. 

Peak-Careers logo

Elephantoms: Tracking the Elephant

by Leave a Comment

By Lyall Watson

The author grew up in South Africa spending time in the bush hoping someday to see a wild elephant. One day, he and a group of other 12 or 13 year old kids saw one and it changed Lyall’s life. From then on he was obsessed with learning more about this great animal.

He ends up going to college to study more but his love is in the bush. He shows us how elephants great memories help them navigate their shrinking world…how they actually mourn for the loss of one of their own…how they care for each other, and much more.

One of the coolest things I learned was their low-level sound communication that is below what humans can hear and can transmit for miles.

So many interesting small stories within this book, I loved it and have a great appreciation for how amazing this animal is and how concerned I am for their shrinking numbers.

Journey on the Crest: Walking 2600 Miles from Mexico to Canada

by Leave a Comment

By Cindy Ross

I hiked the Washington section of the PCT in 1981 for 400 miles and was “hooked” on long-distance hiking. Since then I have completed about 1800 miles of the trail by doing sections of 110-200 miles at a time. Cindy hiked the trail from Mexico to Oregon in 1982 and then finished it in 1984.

She did a great job at describing the feelings and emotions, and the physical parts of hiking long distance. I loved it. I also enjoyed that I had hiked much of the trail over the years and could clearly picture where she was most of the time. In particular I enjoyed the Oregon and Washington sections for some reason. Maybe because I did those early on and the reminiscing was great. Maybe because we were hiking both around the same time period as well.

If you are a long-distance hiker, you will enjoy this book with the various characters who walk the PCT with Cindy.

Thinking about starting a career coaching private practice?

by Leave a Comment

I started part-time with Peak-Careers while I was working as the Director of Advising & Career at a community college and never thought I’d go full-time with it. After 10 years my consulting business kept growing and growing and I finally took the leap to private practice full-time with Peak-Careers Consulting in 2012.

Here are a few tips I have learned over the years that I wished I had known when I was starting out.

private practice
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
  1. Begin now.
    Don’t worry about what you have not done or what you “should” do. Start now and write down what you want to do and how you want to do it. What is your “super-power” that makes you unique? By writing it down it helps you take it out of your head and make it more real. (link to journaling)
  2. Take the time.
    The most powerful gift I give myself is my monthly, or bi-monthly, tech-free day-long retreat. You need to find the time to sort out the many details of what you want to do, how you will do it, when you will do it, and who needs to help. Find at least a half of a day where you can leave all the “to do’s” aside and really focus on what your private practice could be.
  3. Set goals.
    Just like you do with your clients or students, writing down goals and creating concrete, measurable steps that need to be done is important for yourself as well. Give yourself deadlines on when things need to be done so that you see progress.
    And then, share them with someone who can keep you accountable.
  4. Seek advice.
    Starting your own business has a lot of moving parts to it. How do you set yourself up? How do you handle collecting money? What legal considerations do you have? How do you write a business plan? How do you market?
    Talk to other people who have a private practice – there are lots of social media groups out there.
    Consider hiring a business coach.
    Definitely check out the Small Business Administration free support near you. Your independence may be important to you, but don’t do this alone.
  5. Trust Your Instincts.
    Make the best decisions based upon facts, research, and advice but trust your instincts too. Know when to move forward and when to change directions by listening to the voice…that gut feeling…your guardian angel who is watching over you. 
  6. Take the time to evaluate.
    Yeah, I know #2 is “take the time” as well but after you get started in your private practice, take the time to evaluate what is working, what didn’t work, and why, what other opportunities might exist. Even if you are busy juggling a full-time job and your side-gig, find the time to think about your business. My regular tech-free retreats are great at allowing me the space to reflect on my business from the 10,000-foot view.
  7. **Added 7 & 8 after original went out because my good friend Scott Woodard pointed out these two important thoughts.

    One I would add is to remember that it’s a business. To me, the term “private practice” doesn’t carry enough “heft,” it’s almost like a hobby rather than a business. Scott.

    Having come from higher education and K-12 education…I was clueless on running a business! This is such a great point that Scott makes. It really is a business and it really was a ‘mindset’ change for me to think like a business.
  8. The other thing I’ve learned is that I tend to spend a LOT more time in my business (admin, marketing, etc.) than on my business (coaching, consulting). Scott.

    I was shocked at how much time I spent on the business side compared to the time I actually provided career coaching. If I wanted to do more career coaching, I should have stayed at the community college where I would see 5+ students every day and more when I taught the career decision making class.

I wish you the best in your adventure of private practice.

I know I will never work for someone again 40-hours per week. I love the independence and creativity of owning my own business.

If you’d like more assistance (see #4 above)  you may want to check out the 5-week, discussion-based online seminar Mark Danaher and I are offering in October – November. Building Your Coaching Business.

Jim Peacock is the Principal at Peak-Careers Consulting and writes a weekly email for career practitioners. Peak-Careers offers discussion-based online seminars for career practitioners focused on meeting continuing education needs for CCSP, GCDF and BCC certified professionals as well as workshops for career practitioners and individual career coaching.

He is the author of A Field Guide for Career Practitioners: Helping Your Clients Create Their Next Move and The Adventure of Finding Me in New Zealand. He is also the recipient of the 2020 Kenneth C. Hoyt Award from the National Career Development Association and the Mid-Atlantic Career Counseling Association’s Professional Contribution’s Award in 2020.

Sign up here to receive my  TOP 10 TIPS WHEN WORKING WITH AN UNDECIDED PERSON.  You will also receive the career practitioner’s weekly email on a variety of career topics, industry news, interesting events, and more. 

Peak-Careers logo