Category Archives: Career Tips & Strategies

Holiday Coaching Specials

Tired of the same old holiday gifts this season? Try this delicious change. Give a special friend or family member an opportunity to work with an experienced professional career & life coach over the next three months.

Coaching is results-oriented, fast-moving and incredibly powerful. Know that you are helping someone that you really care about create the life they truly want in 2012. What a great way to jump-start the New Year – there is no better gift than that!

This is the best part . . . for the month of December all my coaching price options are reduced by 20% for the first person on your gift list. For the second person on your list it’s a 50% discount. 

Several of these coaching options are for three months, so your savings is significant. And that first or second person could be you as well!

Here’s how you do it . . .

  1. Go on my website www.CareerConnectionsSN.com and click on the tab “Coaching”, then from the dropdown menu, click on “Individual Coaching Options”. Or click here: Individual Coaching by Kit.
  2. Review the descriptions and select one of the options you would like to gift.
  3. Shoot me an email [email protected] or call (775) 324-5151. I will take it from there!

Happiest of Holidays and into the New Year, too!

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A Tip for Connecting During the Holidays

As we all roll into this holiday season, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and stressed with the addition of multiple holiday events, shopping, errands and bills on top of our everyday work and family routines.  And it’s the expectations that we have of ourselves (especially women) that seem to be strongest at this time – all in the name of “tradition”.

But in the last couple of years, I’ve shifted some of these expectations of myself to something I truly enjoy – connecting with others.  I do this all through the year but it becomes a top priority to reconnect with business colleagues for the couple of weeks leading up to Christmas Day.  It doesn’t cost anything.  It’s a lot more fun than shopping and paying bills.  And it’s good business.

Set your intention to reach out to your favorite clients, customers or companies in the next couple of weeks. It can be for coffee, lunch or a simple chat on the phone.  Yes, it can be through email or social media but nothing is better than your voice. 

If you think you might be bothering someone, you may be pleasantly surprised that as it gets closer to Christmas Day there is often some down time in people’s work schedules – fewer meetings are scheduled, workloads ease off a bit and people can take time to catch their breath and talk to you. 

A Quick Phone Call is Perfect

I’ve learned a lot about staying in contact from Ray LaFleur, a biking & running friend from our old days living in San Diego.  Ray is a master at staying in contact with friends and colleagues. He calls every couple of months to just say “hi” and ask how work and the family are doing.  It’s not more than a 5 minute call but it reconnects our families regularly.

So this holiday season I’ll do as Ray does . . . I will pick up the phone each day and call three people to just say hi and wish them Happy Holidays.  I encourage you to do the same.  Keep it simple and genuine.  You’re not asking for anything.  You are just reconnecting.  People like to know that others are thinking of them.  It’s a human need – to feel recognized and valued.  I like it too – you can always give me a call as well!

 

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A Road Trip is Good for Your Spirit

As I get ready to head out tomorrow morning to Santa Fe, New Mexico, I’m reminded how good it is for us to take a road trip every now and then.  You may be driving, flying or even taking a train.  It doesn’t matter because it’s all  good for your body, mind and spirit.  And it is critical to helping stay balanced in this somewhat unbalanced world.

Getting Out the Door

Yes, it’s always a bit of a rush to clean off the desk at work, answer those emails, pay some last-minute bills and get that boarding pass before racing to the airport at “o-dark hundred” to catch your flight to anywhere. And sometimes I’ve felt like it’s not even worth it especially in past years when as a psychotherapist I had so many patients to care for before and after any trip.  But I always knew that it’s all worth it as the plane lifts off and you slip into that delicious space of being “in-between” the here and the there.

I like flying and I like airports.  It must come from the years of living overseas and going in and out of many European airports.  I usually had two small children at my heels or on my hip but it all seemed doable since we were are another “road trip”.  And after the darkness and steady rain of Norway any road trip seemed great to me!

Celebrating 11 – 11 – 11

So off I go in the early am to meet my twin sister, Diane, to celebrate our birthday 11-11-11 in this wonderful community of Santa Fe and Taos.  Why are we going there?  We’ve never been – it’s that simple.  We’ll make some fun memories (as we always do) and I think it will remind us of Carmel, California (where we grew up) and Italy/Portugal where we have traveled often.  Delicious food, a little wine and some shopping will be just perfect and when I return to the office next week my body, mind and spirit will be renewed and refreshed.  I recommend it highly for all of us!

 

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Be “Interested” & “Interesting”

Bruce McGregor, age 93, is true Irishman and a delight!  Bruce is one of those people that is both “interested and interesting”.  Bruce, and his twin brother Bob, have been close friends with my Dad (also 93) for years and years.  Bob is now deceased but Bruce continues to live here in Reno and to work part-time as a calendar salesman for a local company.

So what makes Bruce special?  One always feels that you have Bruce’s undivided attention – that he is genuinely interested in you.  Even as kids, my twin sister and I always enjoyed Bruce.  He always was there with a laugh, interested questions and a secret stash of trinkets in the trunk of his car to pass out. We felt special because he made us feel special.

So years later, and even though he wears hearing aids now, Bruce can definitely keep up with any conversation over a glass of wine.  For example, Bruce joined me last week at a wonderful Northern Nevada Red Cross Wine Tasting fund raiser www.nevada.red.cross.org.  As I watched him meet and greet the significantly younger crowd I was impressed with how Bruce can engage others through his genuine interest in them.  He truly is “interested” in what others have to say.

Be Interesting as Well!

But the other side is just as important.  Bruce is “interesting” as well.  He and his twin brother traveled extensively throughout the world.  There is not a country, city, town, train, cruise etc. that Bruce can’t remember and tell you which road to take; a great restaurant to eat at and the best hotel to book.  Before any trip I make sure to consult with Bruce.  And being Irish, Bruce always knows the best deals as well!

What a treat to know Bruce and what great lessons he can teach all of us.  This is what I continue to learn from Bruce . . . to always strive to not only be genuinely “interested” in others but also to be “interesting” as well.  I need to take every opportunity to go and do – to learn and to grow.  And I encourage you to do the same.  You’ll be pleasantly surprised that others will gravitate to you and you both will enjoy the richness of each other’s experiences and lives.  That’s great for your personal life and your professional career as well.

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Story Telling is a Powerful Career Skill

Stories are wonderful!  As a professional career coach, I am asked all the time how you can best present your skills, knowledge and experience to a potential (or current) employer.  It’s actually quite simple.  Telling an engaging story that highlights your strengths is one of the best ways to do it.

Learn How to Tell a Good Story!

Do you get a little nervous and tongue tied when asked to describe your accomplishments in job interviews, an annual performance evaluation or even in networking events?  That’s normal.  It’s not that you don’t have anything to say – actually you have lots to say – it’s just getting it out there smoothly, briefly and with enough pizzazz to keep your listener listening.

So try this . . . story telling.  Everyone loves a good story.  And people remember a good story because it creates a visual image for them.  We come alive telling stories and listening to stories.  Stories are very powerful but they do take planning to avoid the tale going on and on.

Here’s how to design your story for maximum impact. Think of an accomplishment in your professional life that you are particularly proud of – it’s best if it highlights your individual strengths as well as contributions from a team.  Now describe it in one short paragraph using the C.A.R. format.

  • C = Challenge  (the challenge you faced)
  • A = Action  (the action you took)
  • R = Results   (the positive results that occurred)

Now the icing on the cake is to tie the story in with the value you can bring to this new position or the continued value you bring to your employer. This is what your listener really cares about – what can you do for them to solve the challenges they are facing.

Do one story and now do a couple of more.  Create a cheat sheet for yourself with the C.A.R. format.  For each story hit each of the three points briefly.  Practice out loud a couple of times but don’t overdo it. You want your natural enthusiasm to come through as you’re telling the story.  If you get stuck call me – I would love to help!

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