Dear New Grads—Words of Wisdom from the Columbia Career Coaches Network
Welcome to the Columbia alumni community, Class of 2016!
Officially turning the tassel from "students" to "alumni" is one of the most exciting moments for new grads. But it can also be a time of uncertainty, especially for those still considering the next career move in their post-schooling lives.
You're not alone. And so we asked your fellow alumni from the Columbia Career Coaches Network to share their best post-graduation career advice to new alumni.
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5 Books Guaranteed to Unlock Your Creative Genius
By Melody J. Wilding '11SW of the Columbia Career Coaches Network
Originally published on melodywilding.com
Why does it seem like some people can effortlessly “follow their passions,” while others can’t? What’s the secret of successful entrepreneurs and creatives who live out their dreams of dedicating their careers to inspiring, meaningful work? Why do the rest of us feel stuck in an unfulfilling funk?
Not everyone can follow their passion and make money from it. Not everyone can work on a personal project or business that lights you up and makes every day feel like retirement. Or can you?
The exciting truth is that there are small changes you can make every day to dig yourself out of burnout and inch yourself closer to creating a life and career that invigorates you, instead of draining you. The key is attuning yourself to your capacity for creativity.
Unfortunately, the systems we find ourselves in—whether that be family, schools, or—condition out of us the courage to risk. Playing it safe suits the naysayers who are scared of the sacrifice and upheaval big ideas entail, but staying small is unfulfilling. This is why, if you truly want to be exceptional, you have to nurture this skill again. You have to nurture your creative genius. Luckily, you can do that through developing habits and deliberate practice working the creative “muscles” in your brain.
Creativity is part art, and part science. In the decades since the science of creativity began to be uncovered, there have been many books written on the topic, which will help you build those muscles and achieve that illusive creativity.
These are 5 of my favorite:
Read moreNetworking for Introverts: 4 Tips for Tapping Into Your Strengths
By Melody J. Wilding '11SW of the Columbia Career Coaches Network
Originally published on melodywilding.com
Networking can be, at times, awkward and even produce anxiety. The thought of reaching out to people you don't know to build potential business relationships can seem daunting. How do those "super connector" social butterflies carry themselves with such confidence while others stammer and stutter?
As it turns out, there's a psychology to relationship building that will not only help you feel more secure when meeting new people, but will also transform your stack of business cards into meaningful connections that may advance your career.
Remember, confidence and relationship building are not skills we're born with.
Here are four ways to leverage what we know about human behavior and the brain to become a better networker and to create relationships that last:
Read moreMaking a Career Change: Switching Industries
By Julia Harris Wexler '83TC, '14BUS, Columbia University Certified Executive Career Coach
Mid-career shifting is perhaps one of the most common, yet least researched challenges faced by our generation. Let's look at the dynamics:
1) Most professionals begin their careers after graduating college or graduate school in their mid to late 20s. Their work life will last until their early 60s to late 70s on average.
2) This 40+ year span will most likely NOT be spent dedicated to only one field/industry or career.
Since it's logical that most professionals will need to reinvent themselves in order to leverage their prior skills in preparation for taking their places in their next careers, why is this topic still such a mystery?
That's why I specialize my coaching on this exact challenge: Mid-Career Shifts.
Mid-career shifting is perhaps one of the most common, yet least researched challenges faced by our generation.
Here is the method I use when coaching clients in tackling this issue:
Read moreNine Transition Tips for Your Career
Transitioning to a new career requires a mixture of faith, courage, inspiration, and support. The end results are exciting and often unpredictable.
Here are nine takeaway tips you need for a career transition from Eric Horwitz '90CC, the head of the Columbia Alumni Career Coaches Network and a full-time executive career coach and life coach.
Read moreHow Can You Overcome a Career Slump?
By Lynn Berger '84TC, '90TC of the Columbia Career Coaches Network
From time to time, all of us experience a career slump; however, it can be a meaningful experience. It allows us to identify the gaps in our work and career. Let's explore how you can identify your interests, motivated skills, personality style, and values to allow you to achieve greater career satisfaction.
So, the question is posed—“How can you overcome a career slump?” The best way to answer this question is to imagine you are creating and putting together the pieces of an intriguing, challenging, and rewarding puzzle. Each piece needs to be closely examined, shifted, and viewed from a variety of perspectives. Once you are able to fit the pieces of your puzzle together, you will have created the complete image, which in effect, will become your fulfilling career.
Don't Risk Failure in Your Executive Job Search
By Debra Feldman '74PH of the Columbia Career Coaches Network
You got where you are today by virtue of hard work and producing results. If you don’t get the strategy right and execute it correctly, a project fails. This success principle applies to your personal career: you need the right job search strategy to support an effective campaign effort. If either your job search strategy (focus or target) is wrong or your job search execution (tasks and activities) is inadequate, your job search can’t succeed. In other words, if you don’t know where you are going, then you are not going to get anywhere.
5 Ways To Structure Your Networking Pitch
If you’ve thought about making a career change or sought job advice recently, you may have come across the Columbia Career Coaches Network – a group of over 20 accredited professional alumni career coaches who provide fee-based consulting and volunteer for the Columbia Alumni Association’s free professional development programs throughout the year.
One of those coaches is career expert Caroline Ceniza-Levine '93BC who is also a regular contributor for Forbes and Money and Time. Earlier this year, Caroline wrote about ways to structure your networking pitch, an important asset to develop at any professional level.
Check out Caroline’s advice below:
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