Sometimes things happen in life that are simply unexpected, unfair, and come from out of the blue and smack you in the face like you were never expecting it. That happened to me this past January. I had a great career for almost two decades consulting and teaching. My motto was “I teach what I […]
I’ve been away from Women of HR for a while. It was never my intention to let this platform go into hiatus, but as we all know life happens and best intentions are sometimes eclipsed by the realities of life. But nevertheless, I’m back with the intention of being a bit more consistent now. Part […]
Often many women feel unfulfilled with their careers, either because they feel they can’t advance or because they are stuck in a rut. For some, it’s difficult to move ahead because many employers are reluctant to put family-oriented individuals in a highly demanding position, and many women decide to take time off at some point […]
Have you decided to make a significant career change in 2017? If so, you should be prepared for an uphill battle. Choosing (and starting in) a new career can be frustrating and difficult. However, when done correctly, it can also be a rewarding experience that will change the way you think, feel, and function. Eight […]
The world is moving at a very fast pace. What are you doing to keep in step? Every day we hear of corporate mergers, downsizing and restructures. What actions are you taking to rewrite your script to ensure you do not wind up on the cutting room floor? Did you choose to stay home devoting […]
You’re an HR professional and you’ve decided it’s time to change jobs. Maybe it’s something happening within your company causing you to switch, or maybe it’s something inside of you telling you it’s time. Either way, this is one time where things should be easy, right? After all, you’re a professional in Human Resources! Finally, […]
The Wikipedia describes a Trailing Spouse as “a person who follows his or her life partner to another city because of a work assignment.” It goes further to explain that the life of The Trailing Spouse is fraught with many challenges that may impact on their personal and professional lives. Challenges such as: Professional Sacrifice […]
Recently, my son transitioned to a different middle school than the one he had been attending since kindergarten and originally intended to graduate. This transition got me thinking when it came time for me to write for Women in HR. One can truly correlate the selection of a school to attend to accepting and starting […]
Ever get that call from a former colleague or someone you recently met at a conference asking for that “cup of coffee?” It is typically a code name for a job search, and I believe we should all be saying yes and be willing to support others in their quest.
But this post is not speaking to those of us taking the call – it is speaking to the caller.
It’s usually easy to spot: the nervous jitters as he talks about his most recent position, the disdain he is clearly trying to hide about his supervisor or colleagues, the glossing over of the actual job conclusion. By the time I ask, “ so what prompted you to leave” or “what brings you in today,” I can almost recite the words that always include “laid-off”, “let go”, “downsizing”, “bad manager”, etc. As a career coach, I encounter a myriad of clients who have a gap in their employment history. Typically these clients address this issue with me in one of two ways. They either shy away from the topic (think example above) to avoid mentioning it until half way through the appointment, after the resume review, or they bring it up immediately and we spend the better part of an hour talking about this event that has defined them for the past several months of the job search.