Guest Post: Top 5 Business School Admissions Mistakes

The following post is written by Sodany Sor, a graduating MBA student at the Wharton School.

As the workplace becomes increasingly competitive, more people are looking at an MBA as a way to distinguish themselves. The benefits of attending a top-tier business school are numerous: rigorous academic and leadership training, a powerful student and alumni network,

By |March 22nd, 2011|Enhancing career skills, Tools / Exercises|1 Comment

Your Dream Job Description

When my LYJ (Love Your Job) Search class starts on Monday, I will be asking participants to draft a description of their ideal job. The clarity that results from this exercise can be extremely helpful. It allows people to better articulate what they are looking for and creates a level of focus for their searches.

If

Setting Intentions During Seasonal Transitions

Last weekend, I attended a special yoga workshop focused on the seasonal transition between winter and spring.  We reflected on the past couple of months while simultaneously preparing for spring. Interestingly enough, the special focus was on cleansing and activating kidney energy, the body part associated with winter. We set intentions for what we hope

By |February 17th, 2011|Enhancing career skills, Goals, Purpose, Self-Care and Personal Well-Being, Tools / Exercises|Comments Off on Setting Intentions During Seasonal Transitions

How to Decide if a Job Offer Is Right for You

A friend of mine is close to a job offer that would increase not only her salary but also her management and leadership responsibilities. However, the job would require her to relocate across the country and is not fully aligned with her longer-term career goals. She’d be leaving behind her relationship and creative side projects

Ask Three People to Name Your Strengths

We’re at the point in my LYJ (Love Your Job) Search Class where I ask participants to do the following assignment. I was reminded again how valuable this exercise is so I wanted to post it here:
Ask 3 people who know you well what your biggest strengths are as they see it. Choose a variety

My Networking Default

Most jobseekers I’ve worked with have at their fingertips a rich resource of contacts they could be making much better use of. Part of this, I’ve found, relates to fears around asking for help. These fears include such thoughts as, “Everyone is so busy,” or “Why would I burden someone with my situation.” Sometimes it’s,

Making the Best of a Bad Situation: Sticking It Out at Your Current Job

I spoke to an LYJ jobseeker yesterday about making the best of a situation that is not working for her. Here are some of the ideas I jotted down about how to do this:

1. Ask yourself, “If there were 3 things that could change about the job at hand that would bring immediate relief, what

By |June 23rd, 2010|Job search, Self-Care and Personal Well-Being, Tools / Exercises, Workplace|Comments Off on Making the Best of a Bad Situation: Sticking It Out at Your Current Job

Just Say “Hi”

If you’re like me, sometimes you doubt your social skills, especially at an event where everyone is a stranger, and worse, no one is talking to each other. At times like these I remember a bit of advice given to me: the best way to start a conversation is still “Hi, my name is…” When

My Students’ Tips for Success

On the last day of my college career development class this week, I asked my students to name their tips for success after a full semester of engaging with ideas and skills around career success. We filled the blackboard with their advice for other students which I think can apply to anyone at any stage

Play Your Free Square

During week one of my LYJ (Love Your Job) Search Class I like to read an excerpt from Victoria Moran’s book Creating a Charmed Life called “Play Your Free Square” which reads in part as follows:

“In the game of Bingo, every player starts with a bonus: the free
square in the middle. Because everybody gets one,