Our Top 5 Summer Career Reads

Our Top 5 Summer Career Reads

career coaching, job search, LinkedIn, networking, strategy
By Erin Ewart Summer's here and we know you're probably ready to kick back with a page turner or an easy beach read. But along with those purely-for-fun books, we encourage you to spend a little time this summer reflecting on your career or building your skills with some of our favorite new career reads. 1. If you're ready to boost your management skills with an equity lens: Management in a Changing World: How to Manage for Equity, Sustainability, and Results by Jakada Imani, Monna Wong, and Bex Ahuja. This book from the team at The Management Center gathers some of their best tools and techniques specifically geared toward managers and leaders working toward social change. 2. If you're ready to stop chasing someone else's career dream and start chasing your…
Read More
Announcing Our Summer Coaching Specials!

Announcing Our Summer Coaching Specials!

career coaching, strategy, updates
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…
Read More
Staying Focused on Your Career During Down Times is Critical – Here’s Why

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…
Read More
The Power of Rest

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

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),…
Read More
You Don’t Need To Have It All Figured Out

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

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…
Read More
5 Keys to a Successful Negotiation

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

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

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. I know I always find myself wondering "how did we get here so quickly?!" And precisely because the years feel like they fly by so fast, the midpoint of the year is an important time for all of us to reflect on how things are going in our lives and careers and what we want to prioritize for the rest of the year.  It may feel hard to create time and space for reflection, but that actually makes it even more important, so that you can identify where to focus and what to de-prioritize. Follow our three step process below to review, reset, and reprioritize as we move into the second half of the…
Read More