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I am honored to be selected by Career Director’s International as writer and career expert for their award-winning blog. Here are links to my latest posts. If you have any questions or topics you would like me to cover in the future, just let me know by dropping me a line at GOCoachMarsha@gmail.com. Or if you need personalized help navigating a tough transition in your career path, I’d love to help you with that as well. Please click on the button to the right to schedule your complimentary session.

3.17.19 How to Make Your Own Luck

Everyone talks about the “Luck of the Irish…” Many of my clients talk about the role luck plays in the career transition process. They talk about "being at the right place at the right time." They think this is about being "lucky" or "unlucky…." I say "we make our own luck!" In the career’s industry, there is no such thing as "Dumb Luck." Although I would argue, there is "Smart Luck." And you can be smart enough to make your own. Here are 4 tips to help you do just that...

So, you got a great start on rockin’ your LinkedIn profile in the previous blog. Here are some more tips to continue to craft and polish. Keywords Count. Be sure to use all keywords you want to be associated with. These are the same ones you’ve targeted to sprinkle throughout your resume. Use them early (in your headline) and often...

You’re familiar with LinkedIn. You may even have posted a profile. But if you’re like a lot of people, at best you copied your resume into the little spaces on the form. You may not even know there are some hidden spaces that you haven’t filled in. You may or may not have uploaded a picture, and said picture may or may not be appropriate. Need help? That’s what...

By suggesting you “be FRANK,” I’m not saying to throw etiquette and politeness out the window. You will, of course, be respectful of others’ time and make it easy for them to help you. (I know you can be charming…) Instead, FRANK is an acronym I learned from Berri A. Wells, Career Activist, coach in the DC area, and a personal friend...

Last time we discussed some caveats around asking questions in a job interview, and we also covered questions related to your specific role. Today we’ll continue with the other categories, getting more “big picture” as we go. The Team You will obviously be curious about the folks you’ll be working with--either as peers or direct reports--since they can…

You just received a job offer! Congratulations! You’ve probably also quickly discovered that your total compensation package can be fairly complicated. So, here are a few tips to help you along your negotiating way. Tip #1. Whoever mentions money first, looses. Avoid any compensation discussions until the end of the process. Then you can be honest…

“Do you have any questions for me?” How many times have you heard that in an interview? Well, here’s the thing: if you wait until the end of the interview to ask your questions, you’ve missed the whole point. The interview meeting--just like the entire job search process--is meant to be a two-way street. You are learning as much about them as they are…

In a recent post, we gave you the real scoop on 5 common resume myths. We thought you could use several more to craft your document into something that truly reflects your brand and your value proposition to potential employers. So here we go with myths 6-10… Myth #6: “A Chronological Resume is the proper way to format.” Truth: Rarely. According to resume...

It seems everywhere you go, some well-meaning person has an opinion on your job search strategy. And no part of your career game is more riddled with myths and misinformation than that of crafting your resume. Don’t be bowled over by outdated or obsolete opinions. We’re here to help you separate the fact from the fiction.

Take a quick scan of a variety of job descriptions on Monster or Indeed and you’re likely to discover that soft skills are in high demand. Where’s the best place to hone these needed skills while still in school and only able to work part time? A Retail Job.

“What? A McJob?” You say? Yep. And they’re available all over your home town.

Whether you’re working at your local fast food restaurant, a specialty store, or that huge department store over at the mall, you will gain some killer marketable skills—all while being able to work around your school schedule, and possibly take advantage of an employee discount on clothing or food. (Yeah—you can have fries with that…)

But, for the long-term, let’s go back to that skills piece. Here are the top 3 skills that can be gained—and transferred to your subsequent jobs once you graduate:

“If you were an animal, what kind of animal would you be?” Or how about, “What is your favorite song and can you perform it for me now?”

Actual interview questions, you ask?

Yep.

They’ve been asked in real live interviews.

Once I got, “Sell this brick to me,” as the interviewer shoved a heavy clinker in front of my face.

Now, I know you. You’ve spent a lot of time preparing for the “Top 25 Most Commonly Asked Interview Questions” (or 50, or perhaps 100—you over-achiever, you…) You may have even written out your answers and edited them. Then, to make sure you didn’t sound too scripted, you conducted a mock interview with a friend or your friendly career coach.

But nothing can really prepare you for those strange questions that come out of nowhere. Or so you think…

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