Class of 2013: Be a Super Hero!

Great advice here for recent college grads or anyone seeking to make a career transition. This article by Jacki Zehner, CEO of Women Moving Millions, and former partner at Goldman Sachs, will show you that following your instincts and values will pay off in terms of finding a rewarding career! http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130521084252-25295057-class-of-2013-be-a-superhero

Here's some advice regarding effective usage of LinkedIn written by me and other career advisers on the CareerThoughts website: http://careerthoughts.com/get-a-job-with-linkedin

Perseverance is key in reaching your job search finish line!

Today is the 117th running of the Boston Marathon, and it got me to thinking about the similarities between running a marathon and looking for an internship or job.

I have been working for several months now with a junior who is trying to find a summer internship. Every week, he comes into my office to provide an update about his internship search activities. He proudly opens up his laptop to display the neatly organized Excel spreadsheet depicting all the details of the internships he has applied for.

Some weeks he has exciting news about an alum agreeing to do an informational interview or the fact that he got a phone screen for an internship at a really cool company. Other weeks he shares the discouraging news of losing out on his dream internship to someone who had more experience. Most weeks I can offer him another idea: a new internship posting that just came in or the name of another alum that he can reach out to. Admittedly, there are some weeks when I am out of ideas and have to say something like, "Just keep on doing what you're doing, and I know something will break for you." Often I feel that these words ring hollow to students, but I know they are true because I've seen it happen so many times before. However, this student quickly reassures me, "Oh, I'm fine with it." I admire that about him and his constant ability to quickly get back in the saddle again.

Just a few weeks ago, a senior I've been working with a quite a bit was in my office and feeling really down because she had been doing everything right and nothing had yet materialized for her. Having already perfected her resume, cover letters and LinkedIn profile, as well as honing her interviewing technique, there was nothing more I could offer this student than to say, "I know this is difficult for you, but something will happen soon," as she dejectedly walked out of my office. And something did break for her - actually multiple things! Just a week later, she had three interviews lined up.

I have no doubt that many marathoners are going to feel like giving up today, especially when they reach the infamous Heartbreak Hill, but most of them will persevere past that point to victoriously cross the finish line in Copley Square. Currently, I am training for my own marathon of sorts - a 45 mile pilgrimage over three days. While on the road yesterday, I had this thought, "Just when you think you can't go any farther, you can." It amazed me that my feet kept walking even when my head was saying, "No, I can't do this."

The junior I mentioned above came in last week to tell me that he now had two internship offers and one was at his dream company! I was thrilled to see that all of his hard work and perseverance had finally paid off, and I can assure you that the same thing will happen for you as long as you keep steady on the path.

Take control of your career destiny

We've all been there...waiting, and waiting, and waiting...for the phone call to tell you that you've been invited in for an interview for the job of your dreams. You're feeling powerless, at the mercy of the hiring manager to make a decision about your future, your fate, your career. Imagine for a moment that you held the power in this situation.

Well, you can. It's called informational interviewing. Unlike real interviews, you can initiate an informational interview and, chances are, you'll be granted one, if you approach the situation professionally. Then, treat it like a real interview and prepare for it exactly like you would for a real interview. Informational interviewing enables you to shift the balance of power and control your own destiny. If you prepare well and make a great impression, there's a good possibility you'll be called in for a real interview at some point in the future.

Informational interviewing also enables you to do two things that an online application cannot: get in front of the hiring manager and get inside the company. Then, when you do get the real interview, you'll be much less nervous, having experienced the situation once before.

I've done several informational interviews with people who want to break into the career counseling field. During our conversation, I inevitably ask them interview-type questions such as, "Why do you want to be a career counselor?" or "Tell me a bit about your background." If I'm impressed with the person, I make a mental note to reach out to that person in the event I have a position to fill. I can guarantee that the same thing will happen to you.

What's your vision for 2013?

My daughter's birthday was a few days ago, and I taped a birthday message to our mirror in the hall, along with a sign that read "2013 - The Year of Melissa's Road Trip." She's been talking about doing a road trip across the US for awhile now and, not having realized that old dream myself, I knew that I should encourage her to do the thing that I had not.That sign has been on the mirror for over a week, and we pass it several times a day. Reading that message every day, sometimes several times a day, has embedded the idea in our minds and made it become a reality. It went from a "wouldn't it be nice" kind of thought to "it's really going to happen" fact.

Admittedly, I had never been a big fan of vision boards in the past, not truly believing in their power. My sincere apologies go out to my dear friend and colleague, Natascha Saunders about this, who has always been a believer in their power! In fact, please check out her awesome Vision Statement Guidebook to give you a jump start in pursuing your dreams.

Now that I have witnessed the power of my unintentional vision statement firsthand, I am a convert and want to tell you that vision boards do work. My daughter has already chosen the month she will go on her road trip and who she will go with and has begun the initial steps of planning her itinerary.

So, what's your vision for 2013? Write it on a piece of paper and tape it to a place that you look at every day, or maybe even in multiple places. Before you know it, what you had initially deemed a far-fetched fantasy will become your reality.