Surprising Job Search Mindset Tool

Job search resilience refers to the ability to remain positive, motivated, and persistent despite the challenges you might face during the job search process. Watch this video to learn a tip that can help build job search resilience.

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I want to share one of the most creative things I have heard when it comes to thinking about job search resilience. So I was speaking at a conference and my co-panelist shared that she had been laid off from a job and every morning before she got started with her applications and her networking, she would watch a commencement speech.

Now that was not the thing that I was expecting to hear. And she shared that a lot of times in those speeches, people are talking about really hard times in their lives, how they persevered, and then usually they're pretty successful people. So I thought this was so thoughtful, so creative, so out of the box, and a great way to think about taking care of your mindset and your mental health when going through something that can be pretty challenging for many people.

So I hope that this tool is supportive for you, whether you've been laid off or not, to help you have another tool in the toolkit for taking good care of yourself.

Salary Negotiation

Have you had the desire to negotiate your salary but you’re not sure how your employer will react? Turns out salary negotiation is common and even expected from the majority of employers. Explore compelling reasons why negotiating your salary is helpful for your career success.

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Did you know that about 70% of organizations expect candidates to negotiate after they're given a job offer? Yet only about 50% of people actually do that negotiation. Now there's a lot of factors at hand, and I do want you to know, if you're excited about and happy about the offer, then you don't have to feel pressure to negotiate.

That being said, a lot of times we just get anxious, and I notice that my clients just get nervous that an offer will be rescinded, and that is what prevents them from negotiating. There are many different ways to approach this conversation in a respectful and grounded way, to advocate in the facts and the data that you do deserve more without offending an organization or the employer at hand.

If this is something you're interested in learning more about, I'm happy to connect. But even just knowing that many people put an offer out there expecting you to ask for more can be the nudge that a lot of people need.

5 Signs It's Time to Look for a New Job

I’ve been career coaching since 2007 (!) and have worked with people of all ages and backgrounds. There are common themes that arise after having so many conversations with people when they’re exploring a change in their professional lives.

While of course every person and situation is different, I often see these five signs. Use them as one tool to evaluate your career satisfaction – how many are true for you?

1. You’re bored

Have you noticed that projects that used to excite you don’t anymore? Perhaps the tasks that make up most of your work lead you to dread your workday or even roll your eyes when you see the email request come in?

While these don’t mean you need to kick a job search into action, they are indicators that your innate desires to continually learn, grow, and challenge yourself are not being met. Note which types of tasks may still excite you and see if you can speak with your supervisor or colleague to get more of those in the mix.

If it’s not possible, that is information to take into consideration when assessing whether your current role and employer is still a fit or not.

2. You don’t see any room for growth

(Can present as “I don’t want my boss’s job”).

For some time in your professional life, you may be very goal oriented. For certain people this looks like wanting to work towards a particular job title or scope of responsibility. For others, it’s more nuanced, and is more about wanting to continue to be in positions where they acquire new skills and are pushed outside of their comfort zones.

If that’s you, and the role you’re in isn’t providing continued opportunities to hone existing and/or acquire new skills, that may not feel like a good fit.

Of course, before simply jumping to the next organization, it makes sense to have candid conversations with your organization about making this happen. Sometimes all it takes is an ask!

To note, for people who are at a certain point in their careers and/or lives, this may not be a dealbreaker. For some people, once they’re reached a particular point in their professional lives, they don’t want to keep climbing and moving onto the next. This is not my nice way of saying “once you’re older you stop wanting to grow” either!

It can happen at any age when you’ve found work that aligns with your values, interests, personality, skills, and fits well with your personal life. Bigger offices, more pay, and shinier titles are not what it’s all about for many people… these days more than ever.

3. You’re not using the skills you thought you’d get to use

This one is often a stand-alone reason why people end up leaving their current role.

This can happen in a few ways – perhaps it’s a startup or a new position, and what the company anticipated the role requiring didn’t end up being what was needed. Or, someone may start off with a role looking one way, and then it evolves into something different due to staffing changes or simply because that’s where the organization is headed.

It can feel very disappointing no matter the circumstances. You’ll notice a theme, though, with the tips I shared above.

Especially in a culture where growth and changes are happening in the organization at an exponential rate, this may be something management has simply overlooked vs a sign they don’t care about you. An option is to reach out to your manager and ask to get some time on their calendar to discuss the scope of your work – giving them a heads up to prime the conversation can often yield a more productive chat.

4. You often find yourself daydreaming or wondering about what’s next

…maybe even during planning meetings at your current company.

If this is happening – noticing a strong disconnect when your colleagues are looking at the future – it is a big piece of data potentially pointing to disinterest in your current professional whereabouts.

Other ways I often hear this start off…

 “I’m happy where I am but I just started scrolling through jobs on LinkedIn...”

“It’s fine where I am but… I’m starting to wonder what else is out there.”

“I’ve always known the next step in my career, but now I’m not sure what I’m going to do… I just know it’s not this.”

Let me clarify – daydreaming alone does not mean it’s time to make a change, but if you’re noticing this internal pull to do something else, something different, and this innate sense of longing or wondering “what else?” – that is information to pay attention to and explore deeper.

5. You feel burnt out or misaligned

A toxic work environment, not gelling with the company culture, not believing in the organization’s mission… these are some of the top contributors to employee burnout.

We spend over 1/3 of our lives at work, so if you’re not being treated well or feeling a sense of purpose connected to how you’re spending the majority of your time, especially now as work bleeds into home life, it takes a toll.

This comes down to personal preference, but for many people, they want to work where they feel there is alignment and where they are valued. Employee burnout can also come from that lack of using skills you want, as discussed above, so it’s important to clarify where this energy drain comes from so you can create a clear path forward.

Are any of these resonating with you?

If you’re noodling on making a change, or maybe have even been trying to make one but not getting traction, I’m here to chat over a complimentary consultation should you need some support.

Here’s to finding more flow in our work!

Designing Your Life + Giveaway!

I’m starting the week with a way to make your future workweeks more enjoyable!

Over the last 10+ years of career coaching, I've had many people come to me because they disliked the work they did but had no idea how to figure out what they'd enjoy more. This usually came with fear around making the "wrong" choice, and a lot of overwhelm.

I still meet people who feel this way every week, and I've found that this is the book I'm constantly recommending as a starting point. It has lots of practical exercises and prompts to help people move from feeling stuck to taking productive action.

I've had clients call this book "life changing" so I'm giving away a new copy to hopefully positively impact the life of the winner!

To enter, head over to my Instagram page and follow the simple prompts (*This giveaway is now closed*).

If you’re not interested in the giveaway but you're not feeling fulfilled by your work, here's part of the model I use with clients to help them brainstorm/assess other options. I encourage you to stop asking friends or googling "jobs in <insert your location>" when trying to make a change - start with YOU.

When you find something that aligns with your VIPS, that's when it all clicks.

To be clear, I don't think a "perfect career" exists - every job will have tasks you'd rather not do or things you don't love, even if you work for yourself. But, as cliche as it sounds, when you love what you do, work feels less like work. You’re also less likely to experience chronic stress and burnout.

How might you take some time to pause and reflect on these parts of yourself?

It may seem simple, but it can help you get a better sense of where your dissatisfaction is coming from and also have a framework to evaluate new options.

Happy exploring!

Courageous Career Choices: Episode 4

The fourth episode of the "Courageous Career Choices" monthly series is up! I'm interviewing people from all industries, both entrepreneurs and employees, who have made intentional decisions (not just major career changes) to do work that's aligned with their values. The goal is to to inspire you if you're curious about:

• the impact that our work can have on our health 

• what makes people move from thinking about leaving their jobs to actually taking action

• how to manage stress and prioritize wellness when in a big transition (or simply in your everyday life!)

We're speaking with Lissa Johnson, Founder of Mosa Mack Science (https://mosamack.com/). Learn more about how she saw a need within the educational system while she was a teacher and used that to inspire the creation of her incredible business. She also gives great advice about networking and finding time to fit in wellness while working a lot!

Click this link to watch the replay!

Courageous Career Choices: Episode 3

The third episode of the "Courageous Career Choices" monthly series is up! I'm interviewing people from all industries, both entrepreneurs and employees, who have made intentional decisions (not just major career changes) to do work that's aligned with their values. The goal is to to inspire you if you're curious about:

• the impact that our work can have on our health

• what makes people move from thinking about leaving their jobs to actually taking action

• how to manage stress and prioritize wellness when in a big transition (or simply in your everyday life!)

This episode featured Brendan Quinn, Managing Director, Strategic Capital, Silicon Valley Bank. This was unique/special for two reasons- one: he's my husband and two: unlike the first interviews, Brendan didn't change careers or decide to make an extreme pivot... he chose to stay at the same organization for 12 years. 

If you're thinking of staying where you're working, but want to manage your stress so you can perform better and/or make more sound decisions, join me for a free virtual training "Stress Less, Sleep More" in two weeks!

Courageous Career Choices: Episode 2

The second episode of the "Courageous Career Choices" monthly series is here! I'm interviewing people from all industries, both entrepreneurs and employees, who have made intentional decisions (not just major career changes) to do work that's aligned with their values. The goal is to to inspire you if you're curious about:

• the impact that our work can have on our health 

• what makes people move from thinking about leaving their jobs to actually taking action

• how to manage stress and prioritize wellness when in a big transition (or simply in your everyday life!)

This episode is with Alfredo Axtmayer, cancer survivor and career changer, now a Nurse Practitioner in Oncology at Yale New Haven Hospital. He's the epitome of someone who has shown courage in both his personal and professional life, and shares some inspirational messages we can all learn from. 

Please fast forward to 2:30 as Facebook and Zoom didn't sync and those first 2 minutes are garbage! If you have questions or comments, or want to tune in to next month's episode, head on over to the Facebook page.

Are You Making Career Choices With Courage?

The first of a new monthly series called "Courageous Career Choices" is done! I'm interviewing people from all industries, both entrepreneurs and employees, who have made intentional decisions (not just major career changes) to do work that's aligned with their values. 

The goal is to to inspire you if you're curious about:

• the impact that our work can have on our health

• what makes people move from thinking about leaving their jobs to actually taking action

• how to manage stress and prioritize wellness when in a big transition (or simply in your everyday life!)

The first interview was with Jen of Wander Free Wellness. You can watch here (just skip to the 1 minute 30 second mark to ignore the tech trouble!) or head to the Facebook  page if you want to leave a comment or question. The next three months are scheduled and in the events section there so you can RSVP to receive a reminder when we're going live! I truly hope you enjoy this series.

What's Your Weakness?

In the 10 years I've spent helping people move from feeling nervous to confident before interviewing, this is often the questions that's most dreaded by my clients. 

When asked "Describe a weakness of yours?" it's important to first and foremost think about WHY the employer is asking you the question.

What do they actually care about and hope to learn?

This video will discuss what the question within the question is here, as well as three strategies for structuring your answer. For a complete guide to answering this, along with the "Tell me about yourself" question, you can download my free guide to the two most dreaded interview questions here.

You can also grab more free interviewing tips here, and how to answer negative interview questions here. I LOVE doing mock interviews, so if you're ready to get out of your comfort zone and practice, reach out for a free consult to set yours up!
 

Today's video is going to focus on how to answer everyone's least favorite interview question, which is to “describe a weakness of yours.” We're going to go through what this question is really asking, as well as what the most effective strategies to answer it are. 

Let's begin with actually dissecting what this question is really all about. A lot of my clients get frustrated or confused about why this question even gets asked. They think it's kind of a silly one to cover in an interview. What the question is really asking is, “Are you self-aware? Do you think you're perfect? Or do you know that there are some areas where you can work on and improve the skills and qualifications that you have?”

The second part of the question within this question is employers are trying to get a sense of if you're really picturing yourself in this role or not. If you give an answer that actually is a skill that has something to do with the position, it can showcase to the employer, you're picturing yourself in the role and really thinking through where you might have the ability to succeed and hit the ground running.

Conversely, what is an area where you would need a little bit more training? Those are the actual questions within the question, and that should give you a better sense of what employers are really looking for in their responses. 

Now, let's talk about the three strategies to use when answering this question in an interview. First things first, do not answer with an example, a skill, or a piece about yourself; that's a deal-breaker. For example, if the role says you need really strong Excel skills, and you don't have them, that's definitely not something you want to emphasize proactively. Another thing you want to avoid is any character flaws. If you have a tendency to run late, this is not something you want to seek out to share with your employer.

Strategy number two we’ll cover is you will want to think through and focus on if there is part of a job description that says desirable or preferable skills. This would be a really safe space to focus your answer on highlighting your skills compared to what the employer has posted on the job description.

For example, if they're talking about proficiency in certain software, highlight your proficiency in that system. If it's something you could learn quickly, or that you perhaps have demonstrated an aptitude for by learning in different related software, you could showcase that in your answer.

This brings me to the third strategy for answering the “Tell me about a weakness or describe your biggest weakness question.” The number one thing any answer, regardless of what you're focusing on saying should include is what you're doing, have been doing or will be doing to improve upon said weakness. An employer is not just looking for self-awareness, but also the ability to grow, develop and prioritize personal or professional development. 

If public speaking is the weakness you're going to emphasize, then you can talk about how this is an area you're working to improve upon. If you've proactively sought out speaking opportunities, or even taking a Dale Carnegie or a public speaking class, those would be things you would want to emphasize in your interview. Be sure to conclude your answer by saying, “These are the things I'm doing to improve upon this and I feel confident I will continue to develop in this area.”

This concludes my biggest tips for understanding both what the weakness question is really about, as well as the strategies to use to answer this in the most realistic, thoughtful, and thorough way for the employer. 

Thanks for watching, and if you have any other questions on this topic, feel free to leave me a note in the comment section, or download my free guide to interviewing to get you as prepared as possible for this exciting time.

How to Create an Effective Job Search Strategy

There are many common missteps that happen when trying to land a job. Submitting applications and never hearing back or refreshing your inbox every few minutes to find out whether or not you have been selected can certainly make you feel helpless.

Learn how to use a simple, two-pronged, proactive approach to feel energized and empowered instead. The more you operate from this position of strength when searching, the more motivated you'll be to take time to do the work AND you'll have more energy to do other things you love.

When creating a job search strategy, it's important to keep two things in mind. You want to have both proactive and reactive goals as part of your approach. In this video, I'm going to define what those are and how to create a really effective strategy to manage your job search with confidence and to feel empowered in the process. 

Let's talk about reactive goals first because this is where I find most people spend the majority of their time. When I talk about reactive goals as being part of your job search strategy, what I mean is just reacting to things that are coming your way. The most common area where I see this is people just applying to positions they see posted online or they're getting job alerts for. While this can be a helpful part of the process, it is not where you should spend the majority of your energy. But that is how most people end up navigating their jobs or when they're approaching it on their own. 

The reason I don't recommend spending all of your time here is that sometimes positions get posted, and they've actually been filled already, or there is another candidate in mind. So when we see them posted we think, “Great, I'm starting at the front of the line,” but realistically, there might be other people who are already being considered ahead of you. If you're spending all of your time and energy justifying to those, it means you're missing a lot of opportunities. You want to be the person that is at the front of the line, and in consideration before something even gets posted. 

This brings me to the proactive approach to goal setting when you're navigating a job search. Being proactive or setting proactive goals, is referring to networking. I know this is not everyone's favorite activity, and there's a lot of stigma and generalizations made around networking. So to kind of counteract, I want to talk about what I mean by that. While your longer-term goal is to land a job, the networking I'm talking about is focusing on your shorter-term goal.

It's important to learn about the roles that exist in the field you're targeting. One should learn what skills are really valued and would make you stand out from your competition. Then ask questions from people in positions that you're targeting like how they landed them, what was the hiring process, what were the interviews like, etc? Focus on building connections and relationships more authentically. It’s so much more than just approaching networking, like many people think, which is “Hi, are there any openings? And can you make sure my resume gets to the top of the pile?” When you shift your perspective to think about networking in this mindset of really learning and building connections, it will help you incorporate more of these strategies into your search. 

A quick fact I’d like to share with you is over 80% of people land positions through networking. So if you're spending your time 80% on the reactive side, and 20% networking; I'd invite you to flip flop that. I'd rather see you spend way more energy building relationships and learning how to make yourself stand out than just blindly submitting applications online. 

One other note on the reactive side is I'm making the assumption you're really tailoring your application materials with each position. Many employers are using artificial intelligence to scan your materials before they even make it to a human being to vet your qualifications. If you're not taking those extra minutes to make sure you're connecting the dots for the employers, then you're spending even more time and energy on things that are not most productive to the process.

Hopefully, this helps you create more of a clear-cut approach to navigating your job search. Each week, I invite you to spend time on both the proactive and reactive goals so you can feel like you're not just waiting to see openings come up. We're also not just waiting to hear back from people for informational interviews. This approach is a more holistic way to ensure that you feel empowered in the process, and you always have some actions to be taking instead of refreshing your inbox every five minutes and waiting for other people. 

I hope you find some value in the lessons I shared today. If you have any questions on your job search, feel free to leave a note in the comments or reach out for a free 30-minute consultation. I'd be happy to be a sounding board and hear what you've been doing in your strategy and see if there's room for any improvement. 

Thanks for watching, and best of luck in your job search.

How Long Should A Cover Letter Be?

One of my goals for 2018 is to create more video content, knowing that people have different learning styles and also feel more connected when they can see the person they're learning from. 

...truthfully, this was a goal for 2017 but I procrastinated because while I love presenting, shooting and editing videos of myself is a totally different experience! I know I'll get more comfortable and my true personality will come out more with time, so I'm honoring this growth period and not letting perfection be the enemy of good. 

So without further adieu. here is my first video (outside of my online coaching program)! It's called "How Long Should A Cover Letter Be?" and you can view it through clicking below.

When helping people with their job search, one of the most common questions I get asked is, “How long should my cover letter be?” If you want more information on the pros and cons of writing a cover letter, I'm happy to share with you my free cover letter writing guide. 

For today, we're going to focus on the length of a cover letter. When you're writing the letter, you want to keep in mind you only have a really short amount of time to deliver a lot of valuable content to the employer because they read your application materials so quickly. With that in mind, knowing you have only a short period of time to deliver valuable information to an employer about why you're the best fit for the role, your cover letter should never be longer than one page. Also, it shouldn't come close to the bottom of the page either. Let’s discuss a little bit more about the structure of the letter so you can get a better sense of what really goes into it. 

In your first paragraph, and I say that loosely because it's only a sentence or two long, should cover what position you're applying for and how you found out about it. This section is where you would name drop if there was someone referring you, or someone you did an informational interview to include a quick summary sentence talking about what you're going to discuss in the rest of your letter. 

For example, you could say “I'm writing to apply for X, Y, Z role, and I found out about it after Bob Smith referred me to this opportunity. The combination of my x y, and z skills coupled with my A, B, and C, makes me a great fit for this position.”

Then you get into the next, the second and third paragraph, which is what I call the meat of your cover letter. So this is where you're really thinking strategically about what is most important about you and your background to emphasize to an employer. It should not be a regurgitation of what's on your resume. It's more of a narrative approach to maybe fleshing out an example or a story that showcases multiple qualifications you have for the role. 

The most important part of a letter that most people leave out is why you want to work for that organization. It doesn't have to be again a verbose thing. It can be a short and sweet sentence or two, explaining what about this organization and what they do is unique and why that makes you want to deliver and use your skills for them in this role in particular. 

So hopefully this helps you get a little bit more clarity on the length, as well as the structure of your cover letter writing. If you have any questions feel free to shoot me a note or download my cover letter writing guide posted in the comments below.

If you learn better through reading, you can see this information in my previous cover letter blog posts or my free comprehensive guide. If you have questions, leave a note in the video comments! 

How To Figure Out Your Career Path

“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom”

— Aristotle

When evaluating career paths, it can be tempting to look everywhere but inside of yourself for the answers. Common questions that come up when exploring ideas are: What’s valued by society? What does my family think? Hey, Google- what pays the most and where’s the growth? Which companies are rated the best to work for?

While some of the information than can be gleaned from these questions can be useful, it’s wildly ineffective to start there.

Why?

If you’re asking “What career path should I pursue?” and want the world to curate an answer that’s specifically relevant to you, you’re going to be disappointed. Searching in this broad, unfocused, and generic manner will make you extremely overwhelmed, as occupational options are endless. “One estimate suggests that 65% of children entering primary school today will ultimately end up working in completely new job types that aren’t on our radar yet.” (source)

Use self-understanding to find a job that's the right fit. Get your guide here.

Additionally, you know yourself better than anyone else.

Slowing down, turning inward, and getting more clarity on your values, interests, personality, and skills (VIPS), and how those align with potential career paths, is an incredibly valuable place to start.

Many people get to this point, but then get overwhelmed by how to do this self-reflection. What questions do you ask? How do you think through your interests and different career options?

Knowing this, and that many people like to work through some of this on their own instead of or before working with a coach, I I created a comprehensive 20-page self-assessment guide. It's a combination of open-ended questions tapping into your values and interests, along with more formal assessments like the SkillScan. It wraps up with resources and an action plan for you to have concrete steps to move forward with your exploration.

In my 10 years of coaching people, I've found that the more clear people are on their VIPS, the more certain they are about their career paths, and the happier they are in their work. Start with finding your why, and then the rest of the answers will come.

I hope this helps you in your journey towards finding work you love! 

What Can You Do With a Health Coaching Certification?

Photo by Pure Style Photography

Do you have a passion for health and wellness? Find yourself consumed reading all of the latest research about a superfood or health hack? Are you thinking about bringing some of this into your professional life and wondering how to boost your credentials?

If so, read on.

I get a lot of questions about how I chose my nutrition program and integrated it into my business. I’m sharing my experience in hopes that it helps you on your own journey! If you want to discuss this potential program/path or ask questions about anything that I don’t cover here, feel free to reach out and we can set up a one-on-one conversation.  

I’ve shared a bit about my wellness story before, but in a nutshell, I went from not taking great care of myself to rabbit-hole-ing on any and all information I could find. I wanted to learn more about the theories and science behind all of the conflicting information out there and to understand how there seemed to be so many dissimilar paths towards healthier and happier ways of living. I knew, though, that I didn’t want an experience that only focused on the hard science -  so, right there I knew I wasn’t going to pursue Nutritionist or Registered Dietician studies.

Here are a few of the reasons I chose the Institute for Integrative Nutrition:

• They cover over 100 different dietary theories in the curriculum, and some of the speakers are experts in the field including: Deepak Chopra, MD, leader in the field of mind-body medicine, Andrew Weil, director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, Dr. David Katz, MD, MPH, director of Yale University’s Prevention Research Center, Dr. Walter Willett, MD, DrPH, chair of nutrition at Harvard University, Mark Hyman, MD, founder of The UltraWellness Center, Geneen Roth, bestselling author and expert on emotional eating, David Wolfe, raw food leader and nutrition expert, Marion Nestle, PhD, MPH, professor at New York University’s Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health, and WAY more! You can get a taste of the syllabus here, or sample a class here.

• More than just western medicine principles, they also go in depth about wellness beyond what’s on your plate. For example, they discuss the idea of primary foods vs secondary foods. Your primary foods are things like your career, relationships, spirituality, and other non-food forms of nourishment which can all impact your wellness greatly. For me, this was a huge piece of what attracted me to IIN because many people know what foods and lifestyle habits are good for them, yet they still fail to incorporate them or feel unwell. I wanted to learn more about this concept and this program has an immense focus on it.

• They provide a plethora of coaching resources. If you do want to work as a health coach, they give you countless guides and handouts to use with clients, 6-month coaching program forms and resources, outlines and ideas for wellness workshops, and more. They also have mandatory coaching calls before you graduate to make you practice some of the skills in advance, ask questions, and learn from others in the program too.

• The format is flexible to fit into a busy life. I was working full-time, just launching Aspire with Aileen and doing coaching on the side, completing a 200-hour yoga teacher training… and had a new puppy :) While I don’t recommend having that much on your plate at the same time in general, let alone when doing a program like this, it worked. A new module is released each week, but you have a grace period to complete the work if your life is extra hectic that given week.

• Though it’s mostly online, you still build a community. The IIN network is HUGE, for better or worse, and the name is incredibly well known in the health world. I assumed since it’s a global program that I wouldn’t make many connections in Boston, but I’ve met people both during my time in the program as well as afterwards who have become good friends, and/or collaborators for wellness workshops! Most of the coaches I looked up to, followed, and learned from studied at IIN as well, so I knew that was a good sign.

What can you do with this certification?

Before investing in a program like this, you’re likely curious about career opportunities and how people use this training… and if not, this question will likely arise during your studies!

Some people do this program solely for their own learning and development. If you’re just curious about these topics or want to improve your own wellness, simply soaking up the knowledge for your own sake is certainly one option.

Many people begin that way, and then become inspired to incorporate what they’ve learned into their professional lives too. Here are some of the many paths you can take:

Become an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach.

This is the most “traditional” path that’s discussed throughout the program and where much of the training incorporated throughout the modules focuses. Some notable full-time coaches include Robyn Youkilis, Andrea Beaman, and Maria Marlowe.

Be on the wellness committee (or create one!) at your current place of employment.

American businesses lose $300 billion annually to lowered productivity, absenteeism, health-care, and related costs stemming from stress. Stress is the root cause of the majority of chronic illness. Offering workshops and programs that address these health concerns and reduce stress benefits both the employer and employee, and this is becoming more of a common practice these days. You can influence decisions around wellness programming, or offer to run sessions yourself!   

Integrate this coaching into other areas of a business.

Many graduates combine health coaching with yoga, acupuncture, life coaching, (or career coaching like me!), business coaching, or other services instead of having it be the focus of all of their attention. You can find tons of examples (I'd say the majority!) of graduates doing this.

Create products.

You may already know this, but if not, you’ll soon learn that what we put on our bodies also has a big influence on our health. IIN Grad Adina Grigore created a super successful product line S.W. Basics.

Elizabeth Stein wrote “start a natural foods company” on her notebook while at IIN and now is Founder and CEO of Purely Elizabeth, which is the #1 selling granola in the natural food space. These are just two examples of how graduates used their education to create something innovative.

Create change.   

Some graduates go on to work to create change in our food systems. For example, Amy Kalafa created a movie and a movement to create healthy and sustainable food options in schools.

Do an advanced search on LinkedIn to see others!

There are so many potential paths, and what may sound appealing to you is dependent on your own values, interests, background/skills and more. I recommend doing an advanced search on LinkedIn to see what others have done and explore other ideas/people to speak with to inform your decision.

Additional paths/options:

• Finding a career in nutrition

• What health coach jobs are there on the market

• 9 professional paths you can pursue as a health coach

• Superstar Graduates

What next?

I hope this post has given you some insight into what the Institute for Integrative Nutrition program entails, some of the related career options, and how to learn more before making a decision. In summary, I’d recommend reviewing the certification (perhaps looking at the curriculum), doing some self-reflection/exploration on what your goals are/what you’re hoping to get out of the program, and if everything sounds good, then sign up*!

If you do enroll and mention you were referred by me Aileen Axtmayer, I’m an Ambassador of the school so you’ll receive significant savings! Let me know when you’ve done so and I’ll gift you four free 30-minute coaching / mentorship calls to support you throughout the program and while you explore ways to integrate this into your career. These sessions can be used at any point in your program and up to 6 months post-graduation.

I’d be happy to be a sounding board for you and to point you to additional coaching resources to help you get wherever it is you’d like to go.

*If you do enroll and use my name, be sure to email me to get you set up with the free coaching!*

Additional Resources

In addition to what IIN provides, and my mentoring if you do enroll, there are many other resources available to support you both throughout and after completing the program. Two examples include:

• Healthy Profit University: Michelle graduated from IIN and not only has a successful health coaching practice, but also a business coaching program to help other health coaches get their businesses off of the ground. I completed her program and found it incredibly helpful for everything from refining my target market to managing the nitty gritty technological components of setting up lists, programs, and offerings.

• Melissa Danielle has a podcast "Grow Yourself, Grow Your Health Coaching Business" which provides a lot of information to aspiring or current health coaches. We did an episode together about the business side of coaching, but we also got to speak again about why loving your work matters!

Good luck with this exciting decision!

4 Essential Steps to Find Work You Love (+ exciting announcement!)

If you get my newsletter, this isn't new information for you (Want to hear news first and get access to freebies? The form is at the bottom of the page!). For the rest of the world, I have an exciting announcement. Last week, I ran a webinar "4 Essential Steps to Find Work You Love" and officially opened registration for something big! 

I've just launched a new online course "A Holistic and Strategic Approach to Finding Work You Love"

It's comprised of five modules (delivered over four weeks) of videos, assessments, workbooks, expert guides, and activities. The self-paced model lets people fit this process into their busy lives when it works for them, while still having access to one-on-one support from me. I have over 10 years of career coaching experience and compiled the most critical tools and skills I’ve used during this decade into this program.

The content covers everything from clarifying what you want to pursue in your career to the tactical side of getting there. One module focuses on how to take care of yourself, so you can have the energy and mindset needed to manage any additional stress that can come with this work. Full details and a program schedule can be found through the webinar.

Registration closes on Halloween (10.31.17). If you'd like to get a sense of my style and this topic, listen to the webinar while it's still available or reach out for a free consultation to decide if it’s the right fit for you.

I hope to see you there! 

Interviewing Tips

Helping people prepare for interviews is one of my FAVORITE things to do (yes, I realize how nerdy this makes me sound, but I’m okay with that).

There's so much anxiety and fear that comes along with the excitement of landing this precious time with an employer. One of the reasons why I love it so much is because it's so rewarding to use my holistic perspective and coaching skills to move people through those feelings to a place of confidence.

If you're battling a bout of the pre-interview scaries, read on to get moving!

The first thing to do is remember that there's a reason why you're being interviewed!

Really, that’s step one. It sounds simple, but my clients often get swept up in the overwhelm and overlook this critical information. Employers go through hundreds or thousands of applications before narrowing the pile down to a first round of interviews. They don't have the time or resources to interview you just for fun. Something in your application materials made them interested enough in you to connect.

Use that not only as a confidence building tool, but also as guidance on how to prepare. Go through all of your application materials and know them like the back of your hand. Assess what you think, from their perspective, is most attractive about you and practice speaking to those things.

This may sound obvious, but so many people have information on their resume that’s from a few years ago and when I ask them to tell me about it they fumble with remembering what they actually did.

Take a peek at your resume right now and skim to one of your oldest bullets – is that true for you, too?

Don’t let this happen with an employer. You may think the older information has nothing to do with the prospective job, and you may be right, but sometimes they’re intrigued to learn more for exactly that reason. It can break up the monotony for them when reading resumes of candidates with very similar backgrounds and experiences.

In summary: be able to speak to every single line on your resume.

The more you “overprepare” for an interview, the less anxiety surrounds it and the more you’ll be able to start off the conversation from a place of confidence.

Continue to use the clues you have in front of you to keep plugging away, instead of jumping over and Googling “interview questions.” If you followed my exercise for how to write a cover letter, you’ve already dissected the job description (if you haven’t, download my free guide to help make cover letter writing less painful while simultaneously setting yourself up to be ahead in your interviewing prep work). Based on the themes you’ve noticed in the post, you can anticipate what types of questions you’ll be asked, and then practice them out loud. You can also find sample interview questions on recruiting or career services sites with a quick Google search.

It will likely be uncomfortable practicing out loud, but it’s always worth it.

The way you think you’ll answer something in your head often translates very differently when it comes out of your mouth. Notice what part of the job or skills you feel weakest in and spend extra energy practicing how you’ll approach those instead of just hoping they won’t ask you about them.

Next, scour the company website, Glassdoor, and the news to be as informed as possible about how they’re branding themselves and what information is widely known about them.

Lastly, ask for information if you don’t have it.

I’ve had clients get so excited to be asked to interview that only later do they realize they don’t have very important information. One extreme example is when a client of mine didn’t even have a job description! He’d done an informational interview and they asked him to come in and interview the next day for a position that hadn’t even been posted yet. He accepted the interview and then had no idea how to prepare. When I asked him if he asked them for the details he said no. It’s a completely reasonable thing to ask for, and after some encouragement he realized he had nothing to be afraid of and sure enough they sent it his way when he asked.

Consider: Who will you be meeting with? How many people and at what times (and if it's a full-day interview, what snacks will you bring?)? What are the details of the job? Can you confirm the location, especially if they have multiple locations?

I can go on, but these guidelines should get you off to a very comprehensive start.

One last thing... If you’re nervous, don’t forget to breathe!

Deep belly breaths will help trigger your relaxation response to counter that stress. There’s debate about some other more holistic approaches to your mindset and physiology, but breathing should definitely be on your to-do list.

If you’re on a roll and want more tips, read on for how to answer negative interview questions or strategize your “What’s your weakness?” answer instead of just dreading being asked it!

For personalized support on thank you note etiquette, navigating the salary conversation, managing energy when interviewing back to back, and everything else… reach out or send this along to a friend who is job searching. Good luck!

Should You Quit Your Dream Job?

Dream Job. What’s yours?

I was looking back over old emails when I saw what I wrote to a reference of mine a few years ago. “eeeee this is my dream job!!” …yes, I wrote “eee” and no I don’t recommend you do that in your emails to your references, unless you’re very close to them like I was in this case!

Considering I'd left that job to start career coaching on my own full-time, it got me wondering if I’d labeled any other former jobs the same way. Sure enough, after some digging, I found older emails about other jobs I’d held where I described them in just the same way.

Now, maybe my 20-something-year-old self just had a tendency to overuse the phrase, but it got me thinking about our development and how it shapes our perspective of what our “dream” is…

In my opinion, one of the keys to both our personal and professional success is the ability to continuously reevaluate the things that matter to us.

But it can’t stop there and happen in a vacuum.

We then have to look at how our life is, or isn’t, providing space for us to experience those things.

So often, we don’t take the time to slow down long enough to do this reevaluation (in either a formal or informal way).

When I led a work life balance workshop recently, I invited participants to do a pen-and-paper version of this exercise. Once they completed it, and looked truthfully at their lives, they were shocked to see how little overlap there was between their values and their daily actions.

When we name what these disconnects are, it helps us to understand where possible sources of anxiety and frustration may come from.

For example, let’s say one of your values is spending time with friends and family, but work is so busy that that’s been more of an afterthought. If there’s no indication you’re going to be less busy any time soon, you may understand why you’ve been getting cranky on Sunday nights before the workweek begins.  

So, what changed for me 10 years after initially using this "dream job" phrasing?

My passion for career coaching remained strong, but my interests and skills expanded to include corporate wellness. The combination of some changes in my office, coupled with an unanticipated spike in clients, led me to feel pulled in too many directions. I had a check-in with myself (and my husband!) to assess it all and realized that I valued the success of my business, and the ability to tap into these newer skillsets, more than the work environment of higher education I'd previously adored. It took some time to process the notion of leaving this previous dream behind for a newer one, but I haven't looked back since.   

How can we be proactive about making sure we’re living in alignment with our values, before too much time passes and stress builds to scary levels?

Here are some ideas:

• Prioritize bringing more awareness into your life, in general. Continuous awareness of how you’re feeling and what you’re thinking will make it less likely that you’ll wake up one day wondering how you ended up wherever you are. Meditation (especially apps like Headspace!) can be a great way to increase awareness while decreasing stress.

• Schedule check-ins with yourself. Just like many employers have performance reviews, you could set up an annual or semi-annual values review.

• If you need extra accountability, schedule a check-in with a friend, colleague, or career coach. It doesn’t have to be anything formal but some people need this kind of structure for it to actually happen. It can also be helpful simply to get out of your own head.

These are just a few ideas. In what other ways can you bring more self-reflection into your life?

Make a commitment to put these practices into place now, so that if life moves along and you notice your dream job is no longer fulfilling you in the same way it used to, you’ll be empowered and informed enough to take action.

P.S.

I'll be talking more about self-reflection and mindfulness as it relates to the way we eat our food in a blog post soon. If you're interested in the topic, I'm hosting a free "Mindful Eating" talk in Boston in just 2 weeks too!  

Simple Resume Writing Tips

Has it been a while since you last updated your resume? Or perhaps you want a quick "how-to" on approaching this thing that has potentially been on your to-do list for ages? Below is my attempt to succinctly share how to navigate this process. 

Overall Strategy/Approach 

1. Always, always, keep it updated

This one is hard to stick to, but so worth it if you do. If you haven’t and want to start now, go back and take a look at past performance reviews, your job description, or even your work calendar for the last few months (or years!) to jog your memory of not only what you do, but also what you’ve accomplished.

Similar to what I discuss in my cover letter guide (grab it at the bottom of the page!), some people get paralyzed by perfection. Start where you are instead of feeling like you need to have the most beautiful phrasing in the world. You can edit and refine later but begin by pretending you’re telling a friend what it is you do on a day to day basis, season to season. This simple exercise has helped hundreds of my clients move from a blank page to a full resume.

2. Don’t have someone else do the entire thing for you

I’m an advocate for asking for guidance on your resume, but having someone else put it all together for you is completely different. The ability to use your own voice to describe your experience is such a critical skill to have in your life. You know your story best, and employers will want to hear the version of the story they read in your application materials. Make it your own.

I’ve worked with clients who have to go back to the person they paid to write their resume every time they want to change it. For everything... even a tiny tweak in formatting or the use of one new word. You want to be able to make tailored versions of your resume for every application you have, and having to go to someone for this every time will slow things down (and out of pocket costs will go up!).

Getting tactical 

1. Looks matter      

There’s debate about how long employers spend actually reading your resume. It’s safe to assume if they’re feeling generous, the maximum amount of time you’ll get on a first read is 30 seconds. So, while it may sound shallow, the aesthetics of your resume really matter. If you give them any reason not to want to read it (it’s too busy, it’s too long, and so on) they just won’t. Along the same lines, think about the way we read (left to right, top to bottom) and use the prime real estate on your resume accordingly!

2. Top 3 rules to follow no matter what industry you're applying to

I could write 100 pages on resumes and still not cover everything. This is how I summarize the most important criteria for content to everyone, no matter their industry:

• Be results-oriented: say what you did AND why it matters

• Quantify when possible: Taught 450 elementary students vs. Taught students makes a big difference

• Use bullets and start them with strong and varied action verbs: paragraph format takes too long for employers to read + the thesaurus in MS Word is a goldmine

3. General Housekeeping:

• Your margins should NEVER be smaller than .5 on all sides (at the smallest!)

• Always send your resume as a PDF when possible

• Be mindful of the file name for your resume – If you accidentally apply to Starbucks with “My Dunkin Donuts Resume” it’s going in the trash. “Resume Version 284” isn’t the best look either.

• Use spellcheck, but have someone else (like me or a friend) take a look at it – asses and assess are both words, but you’re a lot more likely to use one of those on a resume over another!

I hope this helps you get started on updating your resume, which is often the hardest part. Next up is deciding what to include in a cover letter.

If you have questions or need help, as always I'm available for a free 30 minute consultation, and resume writing is one of my favorite things to help clients through (nerdy, but true).  If you’d like to take an even bigger picture look at what it’s like to work with a career coach, the linked post goes into a lot of depth on that as well. Good luck!

You Can Talk Yourself Into or Out of Anything

When I was deciding whether or not to quit my job to scale up my business full-time, my friend and fellow coach Stephanie said something so beautiful and incredibly helpful:

For a decision like this you’ll be able to talk yourself into it or out of it a million times over. So, you want to get out of your own way. Give it up and ask for guidance. Set the intention to be guided to the right decision and then commit to actually listening to your intuition and not second guessing it.

Fear isn’t a sign that it’s the wrong decision. Fear is healthy.

The answer is already inside of you and you just need to slow down, let go, and listen for it. Then act on it.

The reminder that my gut already knew what to do, and the comforting insight that fear is not a bad thing, were exactly what I needed to finally get out of my own way and move forward with Aspire with Aileen.

When I work with both my career and health coaching clients, I truly believe that they too have the answers inside of them, they just need some space and guidance to find them.

On the career side, clients will come to me with the hope that I will just tell them which careers to go for (I don’t blame them, when I decided my SENIOR year of college that I didn’t want to pursue what I’d studied for 4 years, I wanted someone to do the same!). On the surface that doesn’t seem too outrageous, but when you think about the fact that you would trust a stranger over yourself for your life’s direction, that’s a pretty big deal!

For health coaching, clients want meal plans handed to them and to know which foods are “good” and “bad,” but ultimately even something as healthy as broccoli can be nourishing for one person and harmful for another. We instinctively know what foods and habits will serve us best, but don’t always take the time to slow down and listen or make changes.

There are a variety of reasons why we avoid taking action. At times, it’s because there aren’t obvious answers to these decisions/challenges. In these situations, how can you take action?

Similar to what Stephanie said, start by turning inward.

When it comes to career exploration, I encourage clients to explore their VIPS: Values, Interests, Personality, and Skills (more on this later when I release my self-assessment guide- stay tuned!). Use this framework to get clarity on what your drivers are, and how realistic the paths you’re exploring are as well. There are TONS of free online questionnaires and assessments to prompt you into delving deeper into these, but here’s one site that touches on a handful.

As for the healthy foods and habits exploration, start by taking stock of what you already do.

Try keeping a food journal for even just a few days – you’d be amazed by how much that can illuminate for you especially if you track how you feel physically after each meal. You may even notice you only drink one glass of water per day, a habit that is definitely important to change. When I have my initial consult with clients, I ask about everything from that water intake to how many times a day they check their email.  From there, we build awareness of what foods and habits may be interfering with their wellbeing and create a plan to make lasting change. Sounds much better than just being told to eat kale, right?

Another thing you can do is poll the audience*

This has an * because in the end, you know yourself best. If you really want something, don’t rely on validation from others to feel you have the permission to go for it. Sometimes, however, we’re so immersed in our own ways of thinking that it can be helpful when others give us their perspective. Talking with friends and family may bring up insights like “You haven’t sounded excited about your work in months…” or “Every time you talk about xyz your face just lights up!”

Notice your reaction to any input from others.

Even more telling than what they say can be how you react. That’s because you know deep down in your gut what’s best for you and your gut will chime in if you’re being steered in a different direction.

If you’re dissatisfied in your work and thinking of making a change and someone were to say “No way, you’re crazy for even thinking of leaving that job” – Do you feel disappointed? Does your stomach sink? You may find clues to what you really want by looking at how you feel when someone tells you that you can or can’t have it. 

Ask for help

One other option is continuing to have conversations, but with an unbiased party (like a therapist, health or career coach!). This can provide a safe space to really be heard without expectations or judgment. By the end of some of our sessions, I’ve had clients say “After talking through things a bit more and thinking out loud with you, I think I may have just answered my own question.”

These conversations, no matter who you decide to have them with (including with just yourself!), provide you with the space to step back, slow down, and evaluate your options to get to a place of confidence and clarity.

What decisions have you been grappling with and which of these tools can you implement to move forward?

In the image above, the words are an excerpt from a quote by Victoria Erickson. Full quote and link to her work here.