strategy – Careers for Social Impact

22May 2023 by Erin Ewart No Comments

Announcing Our Summer Coaching Specials!

By Erin Ewart Summer is a time when many people put their career plans on pause. “I’ll pick this back up in the fall,” we often hear from potential clients. But summer is actually a great time to focus on your career. Hiring is still happening and you'll have less competition this time of year as other job seekers take time off. And even if you aren't planning to make a career move until later in the year, this is the time to get prepared so you're not starting from scratch in the fall. Summer is a time when we all need a little more flexibility, and we’re excited to share that we’re offering THREE special coaching programs this summer to help you keep your momentum going and get the…

06Jan 2023 by Erin Ewart No Comments

Staying Focused on Your Career During Down Times is Critical – Here’s Why

career coaching, job search, strategy

By Erin Ewart With more layoffs in the news recently, it might feel like the outlook for hiring right now is bleak. If you're currently job searching, this may be creating anxiety and making you wonder how long it may take to land something new, or how much you'll need to compromise. And if you're unhappy in your current role, you might think it makes sense to hunker down and stay put until the economy improves instead of looking for something new. These are valid concerns during challenging economic times. And the reality is that despite all the predictions out there, no one knows for sure what this year will bring. When times are tough, it can seem logical to put off thinking about your career and just focus on…

23May 2022 by Erin Ewart No Comments

The Power of Rest

career coaching, strategy, updates

By Erin Ewart If there's one thing we’ve learned these past few years, it's that rest is essential to persist through the challenges life consistently throws at us. Especially for those of us working in social impact, it's important to find a balance between taking action and supporting others and taking care of ourselves. And yet it can feel hard and scary to actually take a break, even when you know deep down it’s what you need. That was true for me when I was planning my sabbatical - I knew it was absolutely what I wanted and the right thing to do, but it was still terrifying to think about stepping away from my business for an extended period of time. I feel so fortunate that I was able…

05Jan 2022 by Erin Ewart No Comments

Why I Don’t Make New Year’s Resolutions (And What I Do Instead)

career coaching, strategy

By Erin Ewart How’s that fresh start going for you? I don’t know about you, but I’ve had lots of ups and downs this first week of the new year: bursts of energy and motivation as well as exhaustion and mental fog. Coming back from time off is always challenging, and I tried to cut myself some slack and go easy on my schedule this week (which I’m immensely grateful for). But one thing I haven’t done this week is set New Year’s resolutions. There are a few reasons why: I haven’t had time: December was busy wrapping up for the year, and my holiday break was very full with two young kids at home full-time. So while I did start to capture a few ideas (more on this below),…

15Jun 2021 by Erin Ewart No Comments

You Don’t Need To Have It All Figured Out

career story, strategy, updates

By Erin Ewart Seven years ago this week, I stepped into the unknown and started my first independent consulting project. At the time, I thought I’d just be doing a few projects as I looked for my next full-time role; I had no idea that I was planting the seeds of what would become Careers for Social Impact and the next chapter of my career. Looking back, there were a few hints I might go in this direction: I went to business school, and from time to time I’d imagined it would be fun to start a coffee shop or wine bar (not a career coaching business!). But did I actually have a concrete goal to launch a small business seven years ago? No. Did I have a business plan? No. Did…

28Apr 2021 by Erin Ewart No Comments

Wondering What’s Next In Your Impact Career? Start Here

career coaching, job search, strategy

By Erin Ewart Record levels of turnover are happening this year as the economy recovers and more people feel comfortable leaving their jobs. After a challenging year that has helped all of us get more clarity on what's important, many of these job seekers are looking for work that's more aligned with their values, priorities, and purpose. If finding mission-driven work is your goal, we have a roadmap for you. Our Careers for Social Impact Career Transition Framework breaks down the process of moving toward your next impact career step into three distinct phases: Build Your Foundation, Define Your Direction, and Find Your Fit. To successfully use this process as you search for what's next, you’ll need to focus on three key things: Getting as clear as possible on what’s…

17Mar 2021 by Erin Ewart No Comments

5 Keys to a Successful Negotiation

negotiation, strategy

By Erin Ewart Of all the topics we cover in our coaching programs, negotiation tends to be one that provokes the most questions and discomfort. And it’s no wonder that so many of us don’t feel comfortable negotiating. We typically get little (or no) training on how to negotiate, and when we end up in a high stakes situation like negotiating a job offer, we can feel totally lost. But negotiation is such an important skill, both in your career and your life overall. And like any other skill, it’s something you can learn and get better at, starting right now! We can’t promise that negotiating will ever be your favorite thing or that you won’t get nervous during these conversations, but there are definitely things you can do to…

15Dec 2020 by Erin Ewart No Comments

Job Searching? Take These 3 Steps Now to Start the New Year Strong

job search, networking, strategy

By Erin Ewart The end of the year is so close we can taste it. This is a great time to take a break, especially if you’re job searching or in career transition. While it may feel tough to step away from your search, it's an important way to keep your energy and motivation up during this process so you won't burn out. So if you’re planning to take a little break from your search over the holidays - great! Make sure to decompress and truly unplug for a few days if you can. But before you step away, there are three important things you can do to wrap up the year on a great note and make sure you’re prepared to hit the ground running again in January. 1.…

26Jun 2020 by Erin Ewart No Comments

We’re Halfway Through the Year. How’s it Going?

career coaching, strategy

By Erin Ewart All the sudden it's June, and we're almost halfway through the year already. As we continue to navigate a lot of transition, it’s especially important to take a step back at this point in the year and ask ourselves how we're doing and how things are going in our lives and careers. So much has changed and shifted over the past few years. For me, those shifts included moving to a part-time work schedule (and then back to full-time again) while taking care of two small kids, rethinking our business strategy in light of the changing job market and economic climate, and working to build a bigger focus on racial and social justice into my life and work. As we continue to return to "normal" ways of…

22May 2020 by Erin Ewart No Comments

How to Plan When Planning Feels Impossible

job search, strategy

By Erin Ewart If you’re anything like me, these last few months have passed in a weird time warp, seeming to both take forever and fly by at the same time. And it’s no wonder we’re feeling this way: we’re experiencing something called “temporal disintegration”, which means we lose track of time when the future is in question. And the future is definitely a great big question mark right now - but we still have to think about what's next. It’s such a paradox: how can we plan our lives, careers, or anything else, when things are changing all the time and we have no idea what will happen next month, or even next week? It’s a question I’m really grappling with right now, both personally and professionally. We have…