I’m certain that there are a lot of people walking around — or holed up at home – in a bit of a state of shock these days. With the financial losses and lay offs affecting so many, there’s a lot of fear and confusion about what’s happening. We all, really, want to know ‘What’s going to happen to me?’ Years ago, during the dot com bust, I was interviewed on the Style Network talking about what to do when faced with a lay off. At that time, I was working with many dazed and confused people in their late twenties and early thirties – these were people in what I call the Roadblock LifeStage and most of them really needed to reassess what they wanted from work and how they could take what they’d learned and done to a new job. A few of these clients were already… Read More
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Sharing the Journey
Another post from our guest blogger, KSS… One of the things that’s become an essential part of this sweeping life change I am about to make is reminding myself to share the journey. At times this is very easy. I’ve come to an exciting realization, found renewed confidence in my goals or connected with a loved one who serves as a big supporter. For me, it’s hardest to share this process when things are not going so well. Stress compounded by dismay mixed with inertia all create a situation where I only want to hole up inside of myself and refuse the support of my network of confidantes – the very people cheerleading me along. It’s not that I don’t want them to know, but rather that the thought of sharing all the mishaps seems like it could possibly worsen an already overwhelming situation. Making a life change is a… Read More
MBA students take stock amid troubling times
By Marco R. della Cava, USA TODAY PALO ALTO, Calif. — The unsparing tsunami of bad news created by the collapse of storied Wall Street banking firms has made its way 3,000 miles to the palm-studded campus of Stanford University. “Every day, it only seems to get worse,” says Ben Sloop, 29, of Atlanta, one of 740 students seeking an MBA at an institution known for incubating tomorrow’s business stars. (Think Google’s founders.) “You wonder, ‘Wow, if I get laid off at one firm, it’s not like I can now go to another.’ ” With his elite schooling, New York firms were an option. But now Sloop likes the feel of a job grounded in reality. So he’s thinking small. This past summer, he worked for an online company in nearby San Francisco that helps consumers manage their bills. The fit seems right. “This crisis has reinforced that I… Read More
Road Signs are for more than Driving
I’m happy to welcome another guest blogger. She’ll remain anonymous for now so we’ll give her a pen name. I will tell you that KSS is a 28 year old client of mine and is happy to share some of her thoughts and experiences – ‘paying it forward’ as it were so that more people are assured they aren’t the only ones going through these transitions. Really, this post could be written by one of my 40 or 50 something clients too. You’ll see more posts from KSS as the weeks go by. Stay tuned! Road Signs are for more than Driving, by Guest Blogger KSS Several years ago, in the throes of my first real job and its ensuing demise, I randomly turned on my television and was immediately greeted by Oprah Winfrey. Never an Oprah devotee, I quickly decided to change the channel, but something inside me… Read More
Mixing Social Networking with Work
A few days ago, I was interviewed for an article about social networking at work… The article is now up on the Yahoo Hot Jobs site! Social networking isn’t really news, but its use in the workplace is. According to a new survey of human resources professionals by Challenger, Gray & Christmas, the nation’s first outplacement consulting organization, 59% of companies don’t have a formal policy in place regarding the use of social networking sites, such as MySpace and Facebook, at the office, perhaps because nearly half of those polled said surfing these sites isn’t a problem as long as employees are completing their work. In terms of networking and finding out about career paths and to get a sense of different kinds of people and professional opportunities, I think social networking is fantastic. I’m all for the social networking sites because I believe there’s so much you can learn;… Read More
Summer 2008 Newsletter
Daisy Swan & Associates – Summer 2008 Newsletter What’s Inside: Welcome & Introduction, by Daisy Swan, MA, CPCC: The Los Angeles Career Counselor & Coach Survey: Complete our brief survey and be entered into our prize drawing! Updates: What’s New at Daisy Swan & Associates Recommended Reads & Web Sites Welcome & Introduction, by Daisy Swan, MA, CPCC: The Los Angeles Career Counselor & Coach Hello, Readers! It’s been a momentous year, thus far, at Daisy Swan & Associates. You’ve probably reached that conclusion on your own, if you’ve read all of the notices about our events and programs! I’m so pleased to have been able to offer so many new programs, and to have served an ever-growing clientele – with the multiple live events that we’ve hosted, as well as the addition of new, talented coaches to our staff, we have been (and will be) able to serve hundreds… Read More
What Happy People Don’t Do
This article is from The New York Times By RONI CARYN RABIN Published: November 19, 2008 Happy people spend a lot of time socializing, going to church and reading newspapers — but they don’t spend a lot of time watching television, a new study finds. That’s what unhappy people do. Although people who describe themselves as happy enjoy watching television, it turns out to be the single activity they engage in less often than unhappy people, said John Robinson, a professor of sociology at the University of Maryland and the author of the study, which appeared in the journal Social Indicators Research. While most large studies on happiness have focused on the demographic characteristics of happy people — factors like age and marital status — Dr. Robinson and his colleagues tried to identify what activities happy people engage in. The study relied primarily on the responses of 45,000… Read More
Navigating Career Change Panel Discussion – Overcoming Obstacles to Career Change in the Entertainment Industry
Daisy Swan & Associates upcoming career panel is a great way to learn about working in a variety of entertainment industry positions including the music industry and also how to transition out of these jobs. Guests will have the opportunity to talk informally with the panelists both before and after the discussion. According to the 2008 ExecuNet Sixteenth Annual Executive Job Market Intelligence Report, 40% of executives are dissatisfied with their current job. The Report also states that 44% of executives expect their age will negatively impact their ability to land a new position. And practically nowhere do these two statistics ring true more than in the entertainment industry. At this July 10th “Navigating Career Change” Panel Discussion, Daisy Swan, MA, CPCC, “The Los Angeles Career Counselor & Coach,” will moderate a panel of entertainment industry professionals who will address the ways in which career change can often take shape. Read More
Is your grad wired for the real world?
Article Source: Melissa Barber, Circuit City – City Life The job market’s tough for new grads, and not only because of a faltering economy. Many employers dismiss today’s 20-somethings as the Entitlement Generation because they expect even their first entry-level job to offer them personal satisfaction, great benefits and high pay. Really, young people are just seeking balance, says career strategist Daisy S. Swan, founder of Daisy Swan & Associates. This younger generation has seen how stressed modern workers can be, she says, and they hope to avoid a similar fate. “They want what a lot of people want, they just want it sooner.” Equipping your grad for cubeland First, however, they need to prove themselves, and that may mean working nights and weekends. “More than ever, at any time in our work history, flexibility is at a premium,” Swan says. For that reason, any new grad needs… Read More
My Graduation Gift
What’s the best graduation gift? Money? A watch? A car? A trip to another country? All good! But I’m giving something some might think is rather dry. I’ve decided to give the gift of education…I’ve been reading about the difficult time new grads, and those who haven’t even graduated yet, are having finding jobs this summer and I want to do something to help. I’m offering our Interviewing Excellence program on June 10th for free to those people out there who are under 23. I may even do that with our Navigating Career Change panel on July 10th, too. There’s just so much you don’t really know about work when you’re just getting started. I know I didn’t know much about how to handle an interview when I was 21, or 23 (and sometimes when I was older, too, although I did get really good at it). My life… Read More
