TIP OF THE WEEK: Take a career journey this summer! 

While you are making summer plans to travel or enjoy a stay-cation, consider planning something to boost your career or job search goals. Attend a workshop on a topic new to you. There are many low cost and no cost resources for you. (I'm glad to direct you!) And, now is the time to lay a foundation for future plans. Make a career coaching appointment, meet with a trusted friend or colleague to talk through plans or ideas. Whatever you do, choose something that will be enjoyable and productive for you. I'm here if you have questions or would like to meet!  Summer is almost here so plan now, and share what has worked for you.
Marianne

TIP OF THE WEEK: This is the time of year when many of my friends and I begin to look at the music festival calendar for upcoming late spring and summer. We love live music. It clears the cobwebs in our heads and gets our mind focused on just that which is in front of us - people doing their passion in the music world.  A January '12  article on happiness in the Harvard Business Review pointed out that music is one of the top 4 ways that people get "happy".  They referred to the The Economics of Well-Being.

OK, what does all of this have to do with the world of work and career? When we add creativity - whether it's music, dancing, art, cooking, movies, books - into our life to balance work life or job search, we gain exponentially. A new perspective adds value to our work and life. So, give yourself permission to be creative this week - anything goes. Enjoy! Be happy! Watch out - new perspective ahead!         Marianne    contact marianne@designyourdirection.com

TIP OF THE WEEK: You have to start somewhere. If you are thinking of changing your job, restarting or redirecting your job search, then seek out a resource this week. Use linkedin - the best social media resource out there. Make a career appointment. Have coffee with a friend to tell them about your next step. Go to a professional meeting to get inspired! Would love to hear what's worked for you!

Marianne@designyourdirection.com

www.designyourdirecction.com

Stay Ahead of Your Career Game: Do What You Can Do Now!

Even though the 49ers stadium hasn't "broken ground" yet , the multi-floor parking garage across the street is almost completed. There's a tip here related to your career success. Do what you can in the immediate - to be ready for your next interview, transition, promotion or big networking event so you are in full swing and ready to go when that "right" time occurs. Get coaching to figure out what the best "readiness" stops are for you!

Here are a couple of pictures below and for your coaching strategy contact
marianne@designyourdirection.com or call her at 408-295-6656.

Santa Clara Breaks Ground on Tasman Garage

Posted by Taylor Price on July 7, 2011 – 4:30 PM



Chief Operating Officer Paraag Marathe called Thursday’s ground breaking ceremony in Santa Clara another material sign of progress in the 49ers quest to build a new 68,500-seat stadium in Santa Clara.
The six-story, 1,820 space garage adjacent to the Santa Clara Convention Center is a $25 million dollar project that will be paid fully by the city’s art redevelopment funds that were previously in place. The garage should be ready for use by fall of 2012.
City officials, team officials and Santa Clara Mayor Jamie Matthews were some of the notable figures on hand for the ceremony held across the street from the future site of the 49ers new stadium on Tasman Drive.
“It means one more step in a long marathon to get this stadium built and this was a significant thing for us because its ample parking that just happens to be across the street,” Marathe told 49ers.com. “Today is an important day, Tuesday was an important day and we’re going to have several more going forward.”
Marathe was referring to Santa Clara’s Stadium Authority approving several crucial steps earlier in the week that will enable the 49ers to do some ground breaking of their own very soon.
“We’re very close,” Marathe said of the team’s plans to begin building a new stadium. “I think we’ve made a lot of significant milestones certainly in the last several weeks, but also over the course of the last year. Today is just another step. I think the city has made a lot of great progress as evidenced by today and I think they’ve been a great partner. It’s just one more milestone that brings us closer to our goal of breaking ground and building a stadium.”
Though plans to start building the stadium are 18 months away, Marathe was excited to see Thursday’s ceremony take place. He’s also looking forward to seeing how the state-of-the-art parking garage impacts the experience of the 49ers Faithful who attend home games.
“I think it’s really important. Fans deserve it,” he said. “Right now we already have 40,000 parking spots within a 20-minute walk and this adds almost 2,000 more that happen to be within a hop, skip and a jump away from the stadium.”
Matthews echoed Marathe’s sentiments and did so with a similar upbeat demeanor.
“This is another great step forward in the stadium project becoming a reality,” Matthews said. “This is one small scoop for one large shovel that will happen in 18 months here with the 49ers stadium happening in Santa Clara. This is in direct relations to it, so I consider it to be a very soft opening day for us as we move forward with the project.”

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CREATE YOUR BRAND STATEMENT: Pitch Your 2012 Career Goal

Why not have a tag line or brand statement about what your career goal is for 2012?  Saying it brings it alive! You are more likely to achieve it. And, you gain supporters along the way by sharing it. In the world of professional development and career coaching, having a Professional Brand is the latest buzz on the street. The concept is a powerful one and can get you through barriers of
connecting with others to talk about your work or even network into potential new jobs or
new business. The reason it works well is that it's simple, memorable and fits YOU.


Here are some ways to think about it in 5 simple steps:

1. Set your career goal for the year! (if you have more than one, think of a larger "umbrella goal " or take them one at a time. If you don't know where to start, it's probably time to set up a career appointment.)
2. Think of an authentic way to tell someone what your goal is with an "engaging" and "memorable" sentence or two.  Short and memorable is the key.
3. Refine it and this becomes  your 2012 career "brand" statement!
4. Have a couple of stories that exemplify the brand statement and goal in more detail.
5. Get out in your professional world and share it! 

EXAMPLES:
A) Self-employed trainer:
Goal for 2012: To expand training part of business and to increase business throughout the US. This will involve more travel.
Ideas: More travel, more training, knowledge share, leverage expertise; more corporate work, expansion of work
Brand Statement for 2012: Do more traveling and training in 2012!  Bring the latest in career development to more companies and their employees across the US.
Examples: Facilitated a team buildings for US management team.  Helped them develop their own brand statement about the strength of the team and what it delivers. It was prepared for annual sales meeting. T-shirts were made and everyone on the team communicated the same messaging.
Team Tech - We deliver: Customers, Technology, Solutions!

B) Project manager for leading edge enterprise software
Goal for 2012: To build a team that will  design and deliver the most innovative product the company has ever seen. It will position the start-up company for IPO.
Ideas: Leverage previous design success, bring in leading edge developers/contacts in the industry, use ability to enlist key stakeholders to remove barriers and meet one year time frame
Brand Statement for 2012: Lead the team that  delivers the most talked about product of it's kind! This will happen by end of 2012 with team of highly respected developers. Product idea is already in place.
Example: Previous experience leading team that delivered one of first B-to-B enterprise systems during the .boom that made front pages of tech and business news.  Also, led teams that brought 3 start-up products into profitable releases and companies were positioned to go public in all 3 instances.

Enjoy the process! Let me know what assistance you need. And, do share your  results.
Looking  forward to hearing from you ~       Marianne

Advice for Job Search and Transition in the New Year

This past year, I have had the opportunity to travel throughout the US delivering workshops to sales and marketing teams for Genentech. I continue, also, to coach many professionals, all levels, in a broad range of professions and industries. As I reflect back over what advice seems to be of high priority when looking for a job change, it is to network. Now, many of us get turned off by that term. We think it means that we have to change our personality to meet everyone possible wherever we go so that we can find our new opportunity.

A better way to think of this process is that anyone we are talking to can be a resource and an interesting new connection. And, one method that we can all apply to expand our network is the process of Informational Interviewing. This is setting up time with someone we know, or to whom someone else refers us, to conduct a brief meeting (preferably in person but can be done over the phone) to find out all about a role, company, industry, etc. And, guess what? At the end of this time, we have just added another person to our network of contacts.

So, commit to doing 2-3 informational interviews this month. Let me know how it goes. And, contact me if you'd like a copy of my informational Interview handout.  

ALL THE BEST TO YOU AS YOU START YOUR 2012!!                 Marianne

Resume Tips to Insure a Good Look from Hiring Managers

There are some resume basics that I have learned over the years, as a recruiter, hiring manager and 15 years as a career coach. First of all, don't listen to those who tell you to do a "Functional Resume" if you have a gap or are transitioning. That just raises the Red Flag way up high for the manager who wonders why you are not following a chronological format. Over the 15 years that I have assisted with resume writing, I haven't found a situation that couldn't be covered effectively, highlighting your strengths and marketability, by having the resume appear in a chronolgocial format. So, think about how you can work out a solid chronological format. I'm here to assist if you need a coaching appointment. Just send me an email. You are also welcome to a copy of my Resume Tips handout. Just send me a request.

All the best to you!
Marianne, Career Coach