Archive for the 'Choosing a Career' Category

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Join Lee Runchey and The Collegiate Career Coach Postponed Thursday, July 1

Tonight, Lee Runchey, a very special guest is joining The Collegiate Career Coach from 9 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. EST. Click on http://www.ustream.tv/channel/create-the-career-of-your-dreams-phenomenon. For all of my Twitter users, you can access the show at  http://ustre.am/hSvC. All guests will be able to type in to chat live during the entire show.

Runchey, a now successful publicist in LA, will talk to us about a time two years ago her and her mother were caught in the middle of a police shootout at a Detroit grocery store. This experience motivated her to pack up her car and follow her dream career.

Despite the hardships of the economy, Runchey landed a job with a PR firm that has represented 58 Oscar Winners since 1983.

Currently, Runchey is  now working, for the second time, on Michael Moore’s film festival and recently won the Bulldog award (The Oscar of the PR industry) for best arts and entertainment campaign for the 2009 North American KISS tour.  KISS is kicking off their 2010 North American tour in four weeks.

Join Lee Runchey and the Collegiate Career Coach tonight for a motivational and inspirational online discussion.

Are You in the Career of Your Dreams? Online Discussion Tuesday Night!

Are you working in the career of your dreams right now? If not, what’s holding you back? If so, how did you accomplish your goals?
Let’s talk about it Tuesday night at 9 p.m. EST. Just click: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/create-the-career-of-your-dreams-phenomenon.

Become a Networking Pro

“Only 13.2 percent of external hires in 2009 were made via job boards, according to a corporate study done by staffing consultancy CareerXroads,” said the U.S. News & World Report. The article entitled, “Why Job Searches Should Start-But Not End-On the Web,” gave shocking information about how job searches online are essentially not as effective as many people think (http://www.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2010/05/04/why-job-searches-should-start-but-not-end-on-the-web.html).

The conclusion of the article was simply that job counselors and career coaches agree that networking is the way to go.

You don’t know how to network? Well, take notes and ask questions because job seekers MUST know how to network and network well if they want to be ahead of the game.

1. Do look for local networking events that are specific to your career field. You can use any search engine and type in your career field and the keyword “networking,” and you are bound to find some events. Also, look in your local newspaper.

2. Do not go in handing your resume and business card to everyone you meet. Networking is not an “all about me” type of event. It’s about making connections, getting to know people, and allowing them to get to know you. But don’t push yourself down people’s throats.

3. Do get to know the people in the room and figure out what their needs are. You may be able to connect them with someone you already know or another contact you’ve met. People like to talk about themselves. If you listen, they’ll want to hear more about you and may know a contact that will land you the job you want. If you connect them with a job, imagine how willing they’ll be to help you out.

4. Do not let fear get in your way of meeting new people. If you’re shy and hesitant to introduce yourself to other people, take someone with you who is more outgoing, whether he or she is in your industry or not. At least you’ll have someone with you of whom you are comfortable around, and that can ease the stress of feeling by yourself. Just make sure you don’t tell people that’s why your friend came with you…lol.

5. Make sure that as you collect business cards,  jot down notes on the back of that card to help you remember something about the person you just met. Write down something that made this person interesting to you and would make you to contact him or her.

For more networking techniques and practice, contact The Collegiate Career Coach.



If You Died Tomorrow

I finally bought the book, The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow. I’ve heard so much about it for a couple years now, but I never made time to buy it.

So far, I’ve only read the introduction and the first chapter. I’m fully engaged in the book already….so much to the point that my evening plans are to curl up on my couch and dive further in.

As a professor who only had a few months to live due to cancer, Randy Pausch gave his last lecture. A last lecture is common for retiring professors, but this lecture was much different because this was a man in his 50s preparing to die.

Trying to figure out his lecture topic, he decided to right about being able to accomplish his childhood dreams.

It made me reflect on myself. If I died tomorrow, will I have accomplished everything I’ve ever wanted to do? What would my legacy be for the world, for my family, and for my friends? What haven’t I done that I want to do?

Think about it for your own life. If you died tomorrow, are you where you want to be and doing what you want to be doing? If not, why not? Create a “bucket list” for yourself and go after the desires in your heart.

Absolutely nothing is off limits unless you’ve  limited yourself. You can always find a million reasons why something can’t be done, but it takes a man or woman with courage to be determined enough to follow through on their dreams. Is that you?

Open Your Mouth: Communication Between Parents and Students

On the last day of class, I have one-on-one conferences with my students. I discuss what each student needs to work on in their next class, whether the student needs to retake the class or is moving on to the next level.

In one of my end of the semester conferences, I asked my student the question I’d been wanting to ask him all year. I acknowledged that he was a great person but never seemed to put any effort into his work. I asked him, “What’s preventing you from giving your all in class?” He said, “I don’t want to be in college. My mother is making me come.”

That comment spoke volumes to me. If someone doesn’t feel they have a choice, they will not put the effort into their work. This student is very smart and could have completed the class with an “A.” Instead, he got an, “F,” and had to retake the class.

We all have our own journey in life. Parents, allow your children to make choices about their future. They really do know what they want to do and will succeed in it if they’re given the choice to pursue it. Students, tell your parents what you want. If you open up the lines of communication, parents will understand your point of view.