by sean@higheredcareercoach.com | Apr 25, 2011 | Job Search, job search tools, Site News
Social Media has changed the way we look for jobs, network, and do research on our fields of interest. Today, there are many opportunities on the internet to expand your reach, and to leverage the power of your personal and professional networks, but it’s especially important that you have a “socially intelligent” approach to what you are putting out to the world. Now, more than ever, individuals need to be careful about how they present themselves, know what is being said about them, and nurture relationships that enhance personal and professional credibility.
Much is made these days of the topic of “emotional intelligence” and what your EQ implies about your aptitude for certain types or positions and your ability to adapt to new situations and challenges. An increasingly important part of the equation is your “Social Network Intelligence.” This is where emotional intelligence collides with technology and communication, and results in perceptions of your motivations for work, readiness for a new role, adaptability toward new challenges and your general degree self-awareness.
To help you understand the various aspects of “Social Network Intelligence,” and to integrate this concept into your job-seeker arsenal, HigherEdCareerCoach will be offering an online mini-course on “Social Network Intelligence for Job-Seekers” this summer. Enrollment for the first session will be limited to 20 persons.
To find out more about this program, fill out the free “pre-enrollment” form below. When the schedule and cost are finalized, members of this list will receive the first opportunity to enroll. If the course fills from the list, those who cannot be placed will be offered the opportunity to sign up for a waiting list for later sessions.
I hope you will be able to participate in the mini-course. The content I’m developing so far should be really useful and I will be adding some bonuses that will be announced only to members of the list (they’re going to be good!)
by sean@higheredcareercoach.com | Apr 1, 2011 | Doctoral Study, Higher Education, Job Search, job search tools, Podcast
I’ve been thinking a lot about for-profit education lately, and where it fits into the big picture. This was the result of a few events:
- An ongoing conversation in a LinkedIn group about how online degrees (particularly doctorates) are perceived in hiring at Brick and Mortar Schools;
- The recent report released by the University of Southern California about the need to expand private higher education in order to avoid a workforce crisis; and
- Contacts from a particularly persistent publicist about getting me to interview someone from Devry about their new Career Advisory Board and career services they are offering their students and alumni.
We’ve covered other issues related to For-Profit Higher Education before, and honestly, I’ve learned a lot. Here are some takeaways I’ve drawn from the above:
- From the LinkedIn group discussion:
- There are vested interests on both sides, and very strong feelings about the worth of degrees from for-profit schools. For those who have chosen the for-profit route, they come down to improving themselves without sacrificing their families, or fitting further education into their busy lives. For those on the Brick-and-Mortar: defending the perceived differences in the quality of scholarship between online and B & M programs.
- There are legitimate concerns on both sides. For on-line pr iogram graduates, a desire to be taken seriously, and to have access to opportunities to contribute to discussions, associations and even teaching opportunities. For B & M graduates, a desire to protect the legitimacy of their scholarship and their degrees, by insisting that programs meet existing standards and accreditation models.
- From the USC Report:
- The demand for degrees and for an educated workforce is high, and public institutions are increasingly unable to meet this demand, in the face of funding cuts.
- There is an emerging public interest in creating common standards about basic courses that would ensure their transferability between institutions, regardless of their public/private status.
- Online education will increasingly be a part of the picture, especially for introductory courses.
- From my interactions with the publicist and the interview that resulted:
- There are for-profit institutions that are trying to serve their students and graduates and make sure their investment results in good jobs that will provide a good return on their investment.
- There are some really nice people in the for-profit world, and despite the controversies surrounding for-profit education, their intentions are good, and should not be discounted out of hand, by people who are just more comfortable with the way things have always been.
I share a few more thoughts in today’s BlogTalkRadio podcast, which was pre-recorded, and think that Devry is making efforts worth noting. Please listen and share your comments.
Listen to internet radio with Sean Cook on Blog Talk Radio
by sean@higheredcareercoach.com | Mar 15, 2011 | Book Reviews, Career Skills, Coaching, Job Search
A while back, I sent in an article to David and Michelle Riklan, the operators of SelfGrowth.Com for possible inclusion in their cooperative book project, titled “101 Great Ways to Enhance Your Career”. This is a compilation of 101 articles with practical, solid advice on how you can take action and improve your career.
I am extremely excited to be a part of this, and am equally excited to be a contributing author along with Tory Johnson, Laura DeCarlo, Brian Tracy, Charlotte Weeks and many more of the world’s leading career experts.
To get more information, go to http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?Clk=4210054
This book was created by David and Michelle Riklan, the founders of the #1 Self Improvement website in the world, SelfGrowth.com. They tapped into the minds of today’s greatest career experts and pulled together a nice collection of 101 insider secrets that shows you how to instantly and positively enhance your career!
In these days of decreased professional development budgets, many higher education professionals are having to scale back their funding for conferences and events. This book offers a practical alternative. All the articles are short, thought-provoking and easily digested–perfect for a professional development reading group, or to share with your staff during team development meetings.
David and Michelle have also bundled the book with some “bonus gifts,” and have created a package of $1,500 worth of absolutely free gifts that you get by purchasing just one copy of our book. I’ve contributed one of the bonuses (my “Mastering the Job Interview” presentation), and have been impressed by the range of topics covered in the other bonuses.
SelfGrowth.Com is so confident you will love it, that they are backing it up with a completely solid guarantee.
Go there and take a look for yourself – and make sure you check out the bonuses.
Here’s the link for you to go directly to this offer: http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?Clk=4210054
(Please note that all links above are affiliate links. Sales of books made through these links will support the growth of this site, and help bring career coaching and resources to those who need it. In this vein, I plan to apply all profits made from affiliate sales of this book toward providing free coaching sessions to unemployed or financially disadvantaged higher ed job seekers.)
by sean@higheredcareercoach.com | Mar 10, 2011 | Career Skills, Job Search, life purpose
Yo-ho let’s go!
My five-year-old son Brendan is a real fan of a new show on Disney Junior called Jake and the Neverland Pirates. Set in the magical world of Neverland, home to Tinkerbell and Peter Pan, the show follows three young pirates (Jake, Izzy, and Cubbie), as they regularly foil the evil plots of Capt. Hook and his sidekick, the bumbling Mr. Smee.
I’m not usually one to like the retelling of classic stories from my youth, but I have to admit that I have a great deal of affinity for Jake and his cohorts, mostly because my son enjoys the show so much.
The other day a friend asked me if I ever thought about when children lose their sense of imagination. He remarked that he could keep himself occupied and happy with the simplest of things when he was a child. And I know this to be true, because it was true for me, and because I see it daily with my two children.
It may seem cranky for me to say this, but I think the world beats it out of us and makes us too serious for our own good. I spend quite a bit of time trying to explain things to my son, that seem so intrinsic to functioning as an adult, that I regularly find myself questioning the logic of adult behavior, and the ways in which we cling to procedures, policies, rules, and the ever-present “just the way things are.” And I realize then that I am spouting nonsense. And the saddest thing about it is that this nonsense is very much the accepted status quo.
As a coach, one of the most important things I do is to help each client imagine what aspects would be included in their perfect career. And often what this means is that we return, together, to childhood, and spend some times exploring what they enjoyed doing most, what they were most interested in, and what kind of people and places they were most comfortable being around. In many of these explorations, I have found that clients have abandoned doing what they most enjoy in pursuit of material gain, increased influence in their field, titles, positional authority, control over their organizations, and when possible, their personal destinies.
The “Ah-ha” moment usually comes when they realize that their goals are complete bullshit, and that they have nothing to do with who they’re meant to be, and everything to do with a fiction and fantasy that society calls success. We work together to face each client’s fears, anxieties, and the practical, emotional, and circumstantial blocks in their path. You can only do this by picking them apart, holding them up to the light, and seeing them for what they are. Only then can a client move forward and meet himself or herself truly and deeply and genuinely, as who they are meant to be.
My friend Tommy Walker, a social media strategist I’m working with to develop a more engaging Facebook strategy, has a favorite saying: “I don’t do bullshit.”
Okay, so maybe that’s not all that original. But it is authentic. And if you’ve ever had the opportunity to speak with Tommy, to read his thoughts on his blog, or to chat with him on the Internet, you just understand the Tommy has developed and cultivated a true sense for who he is as a person, and matched that, as best he could, to a career which brings out his best.
So what are you doing to align your career with who you were meant to be?
Close your eyes. Remember the joys you had in your life. Not just the joys of accomplishment in your career, or those adult milestones that many of us strive to achieve (like getting a first job, having a first apartment, buying a house, buying a new car, getting married, having children, etc., etc.) Go back, go deep, and go long.
Then say to yourself, loudly “Yo Ho, let’s go!” And get back to where you once belonged.
by sean@higheredcareercoach.com | Mar 3, 2011 | Job Search, The Placement Experience
Go time! March is finally here, and we all know what that means. It’s time for March Madness!
For most Americans, “March Madness” signifies basketball games on television, betting pools with friends and colleagues, and the mind-numbing fun that comes with working through your brackets, watching early contenders fall, and ending with an overhyped contest, resulting in the emergence of one champion.
When you work in higher education, “March Madness” means something different: the great kickoff of hiring season. Candidates practice their pitches, don their uniforms, and put their game faces on. But the reward that comes at the end of this contest is not a trophy, but a job.
If there are any significant tournaments during the hiring season, they are the placement conferences, both regional and national. The largest of these is the Placement Exchange. TPE, as it is often abbreviated, is the “300 pound gorilla” of placement conferences for higher ed administrators. The Placement Exchange is a partnership of NASPA, ACUHO-I, NACA, NODA, ASCA, AFA, and HigherEdJobs. This event is expected to draw over 1200 candidates and has 463 positions already posted.
If you have never been to a placement conference, it can be a bewildering and confusing experience. But with a little preparation, some context, and the right attitude, attending a placement exchange can be a great experience.
This Friday at 11 AM, I will have the pleasure of hosting Nathan Victoria, Assistant Director of Educational Programs and Social Media for NASPA on my BlogTalkRadio show, when he will answer some common questions about the placement experience and offer some practical tips and encouragement for job seekers attending TPE this year.
If you would like the opportunity to hear more about the Placement Exchange experience or ask questions or offer your perspectives and advice for candidates attending a placement conference this year, please join us!
To listen to the show go to http://tobtr.com/s/1610677 or click on the BlogTalkRadio player below. During the show, you may call in your questions to (347) 989-0055 or connect to the show via Skype by clicking on the Skype click to talk “S” logo once the show is on the air. If you cannot join us at 11 AM Eastern time this Friday, you are welcome to submit your questions and comments in advance by e-mailing Sean@higheredcareercoach.com or sending a tweet to Sean at @hiedcareercoach. The show will also be available for download and streaming after the show concludes.
Listen to internet radio with Sean Cook on Blog Talk Radio
