On Taking Your Own Advice

My friend Noel Rozny wrote about getting out of your comfort zone on this blog in September, and I have taken her advice.

Changing Course, Moving Up, Starting Out, Telling Your StoryAllison ChestonNovember 26, 2012Back to Work, Career Development, Career Management, millennial careers, new job, Career Planning, Comfort ZoneComment

Why Being Uncomfortable is Good for Your Career

The following is a Guest Post by the talented and indefatigable Noël Rozny.

I was recently a guest on #InternPro Radio, where the hosts and I talked about the steps college students can take to prepare themselves for the working world. One of the main points that came up was the importance of having as many new experiences as possible and getting outside of your comfort zone.

Changing Course, Moving Up, Starting Out, Telling Your StoryAllison ChestonSeptember 21, 2012Career Change, Career Development, Career Management, College to Career, millennial careers, Networking, Social Media Management, study abroad, volunteering., Career Planning, Career RouteComment

Inspiring Career Change

Do you have a well-honed, transferable skill? Are you having trouble figuring out how to apply that skill to jobs other than the one you have? This is a common problem, especially for those with a lot of experience. This past weekend’s New York Times featured a story I found to be hopeful and illustrative of the way in which successful career change really happens. And it told the story of a writer, in a profession that has diminished in market value as it’s become harder and harder to get paid to write.

Changing Course, Moving Up, Telling Your StoryAllison ChestonSeptember 19, 2012Career Development, millennial careers, Networking, skills, Transferable Skills, Working Identity, Career PlanningComment

Career Posts: Recommendations this Week

I see many excellent career posts and want to share the best advice with my followers. Here are a few from this week–all substantive, all great advice.

Changing Course, Moving Up, Starting Out, Telling Your StoryAllison ChestonSeptember 13, 2012Career Development, Career Management, LinkedIn, millennial careers, Networking, Blogging Tips, Career PlanningComment

Discover Your Career with Three Questions

My clients who are still in college or just graduating worry that they’ll cut themselves off from opportunities by choosing one path over another. When you’re in college, you can take any class that interests you, join a club or do an internship or volunteer gig—all without making a commitment to one specific thing.

Changing Course, Moving Up, Starting Out, Telling Your StoryAllison ChestonSeptember 11, 2012Career Development, Career Management, College to Career, Gen Y College, Interviewing, millennial careers, Myers-Briggs, Networking, Career Assessment, Career PlanningComment

Let Me Interview You About Your Interesting Career

Do you do work that you find deeply engaging? Are you proud of what you do and want to share it with others?

Don’t Just Find a Job—Find a Career

Recently a career industry colleague who works with Millenials asked me a question very relevant to our times. She asked, “How do you get college graduates to think not in terms of finding a job, but finding a career?”

Changing Course, Moving Up, Starting Out, Telling Your StoryAllison ChestonSeptember 4, 2012Career Development, Career Management, Colby College, College Debt, College Loans, College to Career, Internships, Interviewing, millennial careers, Networking, Roger Woolsey, Work-Life, Career PlanningComment

Look Ahead in Your Job Hunt, Not Behind You

In a tough economy, I often hear job-seekers worry about “the competition” – with so many people looking for jobs, it’s harder to be the chosen one. I believe that your biggest competition is yourself—the fear that goes on inside your head, the lack of confidence that stops you from doing your best work — promoting yourself for the qualities you bring to the table.

Yes, Your Grammar Matters to Your Career

I loved the recent blog post by a tech CEO who says he won’t hire people who have bad grammar. As they say, you only have one chance to make a first impression, and those impressions are what count when you’re hunting for a job.

Moving Up, Changing Course, Starting Out, Telling Your StoryAllison ChestonAugust 28, 2012Back to Work, Career Change, Career Development, Career Management, College to Career, grammar, Internships, Interviewing, millennial careers, Work-Life, writing, Business Writing, Career PlanningComment

Why Hire A Millenial?

So you’re a hiring manager faced with the task of motivating millenials while enhancing the work experience of other generations—all while improving the profitability of the company. Not an easy task, but not impossible either.

Changing Course, Moving Up, Starting Out, Telling Your StoryAllison ChestonJuly 16, 2012Career Change, Career Development, Career Management, College to Career, Executive Careers, Hiring Gen Y's, Hiring Millenials, Internships, millennial careers, Social Media Management, Work-Life, Career PlanningComment

You’re 90% There

Career paths are long and confidence is an ephemeral thing. And in my experience, women need their confidence replenished more than men.

Changing Course, Moving Up, Starting Out, Telling Your StoryAllison ChestonNovember 29, 2011Career Change, Career Development, Career Management, Executive Careers, Interviewing, millennial careers, Negotiation, Networking, Social Media Management, Work-Life., Career PlanningComment

How To Not Be a Boring Speaker

I have a number of presentations and workshops coming up this fall, and I’ve been thinking about how to structure my talks for maximum value and interest. In my research, I found a Tim Sanders blog post with a phrase that particularly bears repeating: “Do your research about the audience, where they need to be moved to, and how that intersects with your expertise or experiences.”

Changing Course, Moving Up, Starting Out, Telling Your StoryAllison ChestonOctober 19, 2011Career Change, Career Development, Career Management, Executive Careers, Interviewing, millennial careers, Networking, Presentations, Social Media Management, Career PlanningComment

LinkedIn Lessons: How to Stand Out and Level the Playing Field

This is a guest post by HR consultant Judy Lindenberger on one of my favorite topics: standing out on LinkedIn.

I love LinkedIn. It’s one of the best networking tools out there to help you expand your reach. It’s “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” for the business world. But it can be a big, foreign maze. To stand out in the LinkedIn crowd, here are ten quick tips:

Changing Course, Moving Up, Starting Out, Telling Your StoryAllison ChestonSeptember 13, 2011Back to Work, Career Development, Career Management, Interviewing, millennial careers, Networking, Social Media Management, Career PlanningComment

How Communication Skills Can Get You the Job

I recently read two blog posts about the importance of communicating effectively in order to advance your career. On their resumes, most people offer that they have “excellent communication skills”—an exaggeration on the part of most people and also a very subjective thing to gauge.

Changing Course, Moving Up, Starting Out, Telling Your StoryAllison ChestonJuly 7, 2011Work-LifeComment

What Works in Any Job Market

I just read a depressing statistic about the job market for new grads. According to a new study by Rutgers University, U.S. college graduates from 2011 have almost half of the graduates from 2010 to compete with in the job market.

Changing Course, Moving Up, Starting Out, Telling Your StoryAllison ChestonJune 8, 2011Career Development, Career Management, College to Career, millennial careers, Networking, new college grads, Social Media Management., Career Planning, College GradsComment