Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch

Career Compass: Finding Your Career North from CareerCampSCV 2012 from the Career Opportunities Podcast [Video]   Watch this podcast …or tell your Alexa, “Alexa, play the podcast Career Opportunities” Douglas E. Welch presents “Career Compass: Finding Your Career North” at CareerCampSCV (Santa Clarita Valley) 2012 (http://careercampscv.wordpress.com)   Read my Kindle eBook about the Career Compass One-To-One Career Consulting Now available exclusively to Career Opportunities readers and Listeners. Click for more information and pricing  Build the Career You Deserve with these books ††† * A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs ** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library

Career Compass: Finding Your Career North from CareerCampSCV 2012 from the Career Opportunities Podcast [Audio]   Listen to this podcast …or tell your Alexa, “Alexa, play the podcast Career Opportunities” Douglas E. Welch presents “Career Compass: Finding Your Career North” at CareerCampSCV (Santa Clarita Valley) 2012 (http://careercampscv.wordpress.com) Listen to this entire presentation (44:14) – Career Compass: Finding Your Career North from CareerCampSCV 2012 from the Career Opportunities Podcast [Audio] Read my Kindle eBook about the Career Compass One-To-One Career Consulting Now available exclusively to Career Opportunities readers and Listeners. Click for more information and pricing  Build the Career You Deserve with these books ††† * A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs ** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library

Don’t be tentative in your endeavors from the Career Opportunities Podcast   Listen to this podcast …or tell your Alexa, “Alexa, play the podcast Career Opportunities” We can all be scared when starting a new endeavour. Whether it is a new job, a new business, a new relationship, the fear of the unknown can stop us in our tracks. Still, most of us can power through the fear, make it through the first day of work and move on with our careers. It isn’t always pretty and it isn’t always easy, but for the most part we all get through those first tentative steps. Unfortunately, there is another behavior that can crop up when we are faced with new experiences. In these cases we might profess our excitement about a new job or other endeavor, but when we go to execute it, we are tentative about it. We don’t jump into the new job with both feet and our whole being. We don’t push as hard to build our new business. We stop short on all points like a child cautiously dipping a toe into the water to see if it is too cold. This tentativeness can be more damaging than not pursuing new opportunities at all because it gives us a false excuse should it fail. We give ourselves the ability to say “well, I wasn’t that into that project anyway.” Read this entire article – Don’t be tentative in your endeavors from the Career Opportunities Podcast One-To-One Career Consulting Now available exclusively to Career Opportunities readers and Listeners. Click for more information and pricing  Build the Career You Deserve with these books ††† * A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs ** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library

Out with the old job market and in with the new from the Career Opportunities Podcast   Listen to this podcast …or tell your Alexa, “Alexa, play the podcast Career Opportunities” It is graduation time again here in the US. College graduates, high school graduates and, in the case of my own son, a graduation from Junior High and into High School. Where graduation usually brings a feeling of exhilaration for most, it can also bring a heavy dose of fear in today’s job market. The old ways of work are changing, but the new ways haven’t yet found their stable center. Job seekers today are just as likely to face old-fashioned resume review and interviews as they are to encounter new methods of hiring. It can be a stressful time, made all the more stressful for all the unknowns. That said, I think we are moving into a time of greater flexibility and opportunity for everyone. We aren’t stuck with the old ways of doing business and we should seek out those opportunities that look to the future, both in their hiring practices and the work environments they offer. Read this entire article – Out with the old job market and in with the new from the Career Opportunities Podcast One-To-One Career Consulting Now available exclusively to Career Opportunities readers and Listeners. Click for more information and pricing  Build the Career You Deserve with these books ††† * A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs ** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library

Your career depends on the company you keep from the Career Opportunities Podcast   Listen to this podcast …or tell your Alexa, “Alexa, play the podcast Career Opportunities”  “CHAPTER XXII — CONCERNING THE SECRETARIES OF PRINCES The choice of servants is of no little importance to a prince, and they are good or not according to the discrimination of the prince. And the first opinion which one forms of a prince, and of his understanding, is by observing the men he has around him; and when they are capable and faithful he may always be considered wise, because he has known how to recognize the capable and to keep them faithful. But when they are otherwise one cannot form a good opinion of him, for the prime error which he made was in choosing them.” — Niccolo Machiavelli Even as far back as the Renaissance — and probably before — people have known that good people attract other good people while evil, avaricious, greedy, mean people attract those with the same failures and vices. You can be, and will be, judged by the company you keep, but few people seem to understand or remember this very useful part of human nature. Worse still, even when people understand that the company they keep is damaging their career and life, they remain in their company simply because leaving it — quitting a job, finding another, moving schools or homes — is simply too much trouble. This column is a reminder that the damage you do to your career by associating with the wrong people is far worse than the inconvenience you will face in trying to change it. Read this entire article – Your career depends on the company you keep from the Career Opportunities Podcast One-To-One Career Consulting Now available exclusively to Career Opportunities readers and Listeners. Click for more information and pricing  Build the Career You Deserve with these books ††† * A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs ** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library

The little truths we need to tell ourselves from the Career Opportunities Podcast Listen to this podcast …or tell your Alexa, “Alexa, play the podcast Career Opportunities” Telling the truth, especially in situations that require it, is important to every career. The truth can be hard. It can be dangerous to your job. It can also raise you above others who have decided to ignore the problems that are right before them. Sure, we all tell little white lies to smooth our interactions with others, but in the end, the truth is usually the most powerful tool we own. Read this entire article – The little truths we need to tell ourselves from the Career Opportunities Podcast One-To-One Career Consulting Now available exclusively to Career Opportunities readers and Listeners. Click for more information and pricing  Build the Career You Deserve with these books ††† * A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs ** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library

Acting and Your Carer from the Career Opportunities Podcast Listen to this podcast …or tell your Alexa, “Alexa, play the podcast Career Opportunities” Given my focus on computer consulting and writing, it always seems to amaze people when I tell them that my college degree is actually unrelated to either of these areas. I graduated from Bowling Green State University with a degree in — theater! That’s right, I did every possible job in the theater during my time in college. I was an actor, a dancer, a singer, lighting operator, stage manager and more. I think I spent more time in the theater than I spent in the classroom during my college years and even though I do not work in professional theatre now, I think that that time has had a direct and significant impact on my life and career ever since. Read this entire article – Acting and Your Carer from the Career Opportunities Podcast One-To-One Career Consulting Now available exclusively to Career Opportunities readers and Listeners. Click for more information and pricing  Build the Career You Deserve with these books ††† * A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs ** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library

The pain of solving a problem today is always less than the pain of solving it tomorrow from the Career Opportunities Podcast Listen to this podcast …or tell your Alexa, “Alexa, play the podcast Career Opportunities” Human conflict can be troubling to all parties involved. For myself, being forced into conflict with others leaves me drained, even when the problems are small. That said, many of us put off important, if painful, discussions much longer than is healthy. We think that sparing ourselves and others the pain of a a difficult conversation today, is more important than solving the problem. Surely, we can talk about it later. The trouble being, though, the pain of solving a problem today is always less than the pain of solving it tomorrow. Conflict might be frightening, angering and depressing, but I can guarantee you it will only get worse the longer you procrastinate. Read this entire article – Treat every career like an entertainment career from the Career Opportunities Podcast One-To-One Career Consulting Now available exclusively to Career Opportunities readers and Listeners. Click for more information and pricing  Build the Career You Deserve with these books ††† * A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs ** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library

What you DON’T do is often more important than what you do from the Career Opportunities Podcast Listen to this podcast …or tell your Alexa, “Alexa, play the podcast Career Opportunities” When people talk about careers, jobs and productivity the main focus is almost always about doing — getting things done — being highly productive. I often write on these topics myself. Moving from inaction to action is greatly important, but as with everything in life, there is an opposite or converse side to that advice. Sometimes in your life and your career you will be judged more harshly for those things you didn’t do than for those things you did. Whether a sin of commission or omission, failing to do something important can damage your career much more than doing something that fails. Read this entire article – Treat every career like an entertainment career from the Career Opportunities Podcast One-To-One Career Consulting Now available exclusively to Career Opportunities readers and Listeners. Click for more information and pricing  Build the Career You Deserve with these books ††† * A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs ** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library

Treat every career like an entertainment career from the Career Opportunities Podcast Listen to this podcast …or tell your Alexa, “Alexa, play the podcast Career Opportunities” What would happen if you treated your carer in the same way as an actor, a musician or an artist? What if you considered yourself a freelancer no matter where you worked or for whom? What if you saw every job as a stepping stone to a CAREER and not just another step in an endless string of “just to get by on ” jobs? Now, of course, I don’t mean that you should start acting like some of our most at risk stars involved in drugs, alcohol  or a highly publicized 27 day marriages. Your goal is a long and productive career, not a a bright shining moment that ends in a crash. In fact, these bad examples can often be more useful than good examples. They warn us of the dangers and pitfalls to avoid.  The good examples then serve to give us a guideline as to how to handle our career paths. Read this entire article – Treat every career like an entertainment career from the Career Opportunities Podcast One-To-One Career Consulting Now available exclusively to Career Opportunities readers and Listeners. Click for more information and pricing  Build the Career You Deserve with these books ††† * A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs ** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library

A college degree isn’t a license to a great career from the Career Opportunities Podcast Listen to this podcast …or tell your Alexa, “Alexa, play the podcast Career Opportunities” Today’s column is addressed to my younger readers and listeners. It might also be useful to those of us who are older and have children entering the university system in the next couple of years. It carries an important message that everyone needs to hear. A college degree will not and cannot guarantee you a good job or a good career. I don’t believe that has ever been true. In the end, your career depends on you, your skills, your desires and your hard work. University is simply one way of gathering knowledge and skills to help that endeavour. Read this entire article – A college degree isn’t a license to a great career from the Career Opportunities Podcast One-To-One Career Consulting Now available exclusively to Career Opportunities readers and Listeners. Click for more information and pricing  Build the Career You Deserve with these books ††† * A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs ** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library

Networking isn’t about business cards from the Career Opportunities Podcast Listen to this podcast …or tell your Alexa, “Alexa, play the podcast Career Opportunities” After a busy month of networking mixers, Social Media Week panel discussions and hosting my 5th CareerCamp unconference I was reminded of an important lesson. We all talk about networking as an important part of building our career, but I think we can sometimes lose sight of what networking truly is and how we can best connect with those around us. There are some very important concepts to remember when you are out there actively networking if you want to gain the biggest benefit from your activities. Read this entire article – Networking isn’t about business cards from the Career Opportunities Podcast One-To-One Career Consulting Now available exclusively to Career Opportunities readers and Listeners. Click for more information and pricing  Build the Career You Deserve with these books ††† * A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs ** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library

Look deeper to find hidden jobs from the Career Opportunities Podcast Listen to this podcast …or tell your Alexa, “Alexa, play the podcast Career Opportunities” It is conventional wisdom that bigger is always better, but when it comes to your job search, returning to the same old well might not serve your best interests. If you are looking where everyone else is looking, you shouldn’t be surprised when you find yourself facing hundreds, if not thousands, of other candidates for the same job. I think it is safe to say that in today’s environment you need to look beyond the largest job search sites if you want to build the career you deserve. Read this entire article – Look deeper to find hidden jobs from the Career Opportunities Podcast One-To-One Career Consulting Now available exclusively to Career Opportunities readers and Listeners. Click for more information and pricing  Build the Career You Deserve with these books ††† * A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs ** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library

The importance of the teachable moment from the Career Opportunities Podcast Listen to this podcast …or tell your Alexa, “Alexa, play the podcast Career Opportunities” During our recent 3 week trip visiting family in Sicily, I had the opportunity to spend several days with our 25-year-old cousin Orazio who is just finishing up a 5 year program in Engineering. We talked about many things related to his career over this time, but something struck me again and again during our time together — the importance of the teachable moment. A teachable moment is an unplanned opportunity to communicate a very important lesson. These opportunities can come and go in a flash unless you are ready to take advantage of them immediately. Whether you are on the sending or receiving end of a teachable moment, you need to recognize these opportunities when they occur and pursue them, regardless of what other plans you might have. A teachable moment is fate telling you that you need to have this discussion, that you need to share this wisdom, that you need to stop and listen, right now. Read this entire article – The importance of the teachable moment from the Career Opportunities Podcast One-To-One Career Consulting Now available exclusively to Career Opportunities readers and Listeners. Click for more information and pricing  Build the Career You Deserve with these books ††† * A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs ** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library

Opting out of social media is no longer an option from the Career Opportunities Podcast Listen to this podcast …or tell your Alexa, “Alexa, play the podcast Career Opportunities”  Many years ago, I could almost forgive people for not being as heavily into email as I was. Email was somewhat new. It was a bit technical to use. Sure, people who opted out using email made my life a little more difficult. They made it harder to coordinate group activities like parties, snacks for the Little League team, etc . You always had to make sure you called certain people on the phone to make sure they were in the loop and such. Still, you knew that not everyone “got” email. These days are long gone, though. Today, someone who doesn’t use email is akin to someone who doesn’t know how to dial a telephone. Email is now a basic life-skill — a basic tool in organizing our lives and coordinating and communicating with others. Does this sounds familiar? It should. Social media — like Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and more — is now no longer something you can ignore. Opting out of social media is no longer an option unless you wish to ignore one of the most important career and life-enhancing tools available today. Sure, you can get by without social media, but ignore it and you are making a decision to stop progressing in your career. If you do not engage in social media, you will see your work peers and your family progressing far beyond you as they use these tools in enhance their lives. You won’t just be standing in place. You won’t be maintaining the status quo. You will be falling behind at an ever growing rate. Read this entire article – Opting out of social media is no longer an option from the Career Opportunities Podcast One-To-One Career Consulting Now available exclusively to Career Opportunities readers and Listeners. Click for more information and pricing  Build the Career You Deserve with these books ††† * A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs ** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library