Peak Careers

Professional Development for Career Practitioners

Career

What is happening with LinkedIn?

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What is happening with LinkedIn?

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I have been on LinkedIn since December 20, 2007 — making this my 9th year. The first few years I sat back and watched a lot because I simply did not know what was happening…I needed to learn the culture, like you do when you go to a new country.

A few facts: LinkedIn was launched in 2003 and by the time I joined in 2007,LI had 17 million profiles. As of August 4, 2016 there were 450 million users. Though there are millions of people who have created profiles on LinkedIn, there are those who don’t know what to do, haven’t logged in in months, or have lost their passwords. According to Wikipedia, there are just over 100 million active users. I can believe that.

LinkedIn has changed over the years and not all for the better.  I am now seeing more spammers out there requesting to connect with me to gain access to my 945 connections. I am also seeing many more LI messages for me to buy buy buy something they want to sell, sell, sell. I’ve also seen and heard about many more users with fake profiles who are also trying to access people’s contacts to do the same thing.

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Networking – Ewwww…

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Why does the word “networking” conjure up such negative thoughts for people? Many of my clients and the students I have worked with seem to believe it is only for “professionals” dressed in suits, playing golf, and smoking cigars. That image is not MY image of networking. So I asked myself, “What do I need to do to help explain networking to my clients?”

I searched LinkedIn for articles on networking and I found 214,500+ articles and the majority are focused on “What NOT to do”. Whew! Where to start? So I decided to post a discussion in the NCDA LinkedIn group and to email some key people in my network. I picked up many great ideas as well as confirmation on a number of my thoughts on this topic.

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Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance at Interviewing

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Interviewing “Flat Kate” for a job.

Have you ever felt a little nervous when helping clients when they are finally given the chance to interview? All the work you have done is now at the doorstep of paying off. 

You’ve done assessments, had the discussions, helped with LinkedIn profiles, explored options, created a strong cover letter & resume, and now the day has come for an interview. The pressure is on.

Here are my five tips regarding proper planning prevents poor performance at the interview.

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Coloring Books and Career Development

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Can we as career counselors and coaches help our clients in their career development by being more fully present in the moment? Appreciating the value of turning off our technology and taking time to just ‘think’? Embracing these basics of ‘mindfulness’ as a useful approach to help our clients when job searching and for life in general?

You don’t have to spend hours meditating to be totally in the moment. Often the path to mindfulness is brief, simple, and even unexpected.

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My wife asked for an adult coloring book for Christmas this year. I had no idea what that was, but she has one now…and she loves it! Why? I believe it has to do with mindfulness. Being present in the moment. No technology. Tactile. She has to focus which clears her mind. It can be challenging.

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4 Areas to Explore to Help Your Clients Rebalance Their Life

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When I first heard Geoff Pearman (workforce development consultant in New Zealand) use the term ‘rebalancing’ to describe how Boomers could look at the next phase of their lives, I knew I liked it. I have struggled with how to describe this time after leaving full-time employment to clients I work with, and now have embraced ‘rebalancing’ rather than retirement, “3rd age”, or whatever else is out there. This is a great way to look at ALL career changers as well. (Read Geoff’s article).

People don’t just stop living when they turn 62 to retire and watch eight hours a day of I Love Lucy reruns. This time in their lives is an opportunity to really look at their life and rebalance. Most people want to keep active: possibly volunteering, traveling, picking up new (or old) hobbies. Some will want to keep working, albeit maybe something different than what they’ve done for most of their careers…and maybe with more flexibility.  

Here are four areas to explore when you are working with a client who is changing career paths, and in particular for Boomers who are leaving full-time employment and facing their ‘second adult lifetime’.

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Technology free retreat – What a great day!

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On February 19 of this year, I turned off all my technology and took a “Rebalancing Retreat.”

Thanks to the inspiration from my brother Mark who has taken retreats annually for years and to Richard Leider, a ‘purpose’ expert who suggests in his book, Repacking Your Bags, taking a ‘technology-free’ day and to use that day to  j u s t   t h i n k…

My retreat was at a local liberal arts college in a remote room in the chapel tower. My view included the beautiful campus on top of Mayflower Hill in central Maine, to the east towards the coastal mountain range, and to the north up the Kennebec River Valley towards Quebec. Inspirational and fortuitous says my brother the priest. Below are some of my thoughts from that day.

I find myself reaching for my phone to check emails (I must have 20-30 by now from last night) or to send a text to someone… and I realize…the text can wait, it really is not that important they receive this text at 8:45 a.m.  

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