Holiday Gift Ideas

Each year near the holidays or graduation, parents of UK students contact me asking for career related gift ideas for their children. Is there someone on your holiday gift list that could benefit from such a gift? Here is a list of my favorite items.

• Leather portfolio suitable for interviews
• Business card holder
• High quality pen
• Tie
• Leather purse
• Pearls
• Business book

There are many classic business and professional development books that make impressionable gifts - especially when a handwritten note is included. Some of my favorites include: How to Win Friends and Influence People, From Good to Great, Never Eat Alone, Drive, and 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Bloomberg Businessweek recently conducted a survey of prominent professors and business professionals seeking their favorite books. What would you add to this list?

Capitalize on the Holidays!

Each year at this time I hear clients say, "I think I will take the holidays off and begin my search again in January". There is certainly a myth out there that no one hires in December or that December is the worst month of the year to be job seeking. By the amount of activity our alumni have been recently experiencing, there is nothing further from the truth! Many of you have been calling and emailing about interview tips and salary negotiation strategies. Yes, the economy is stronger than we have seen in a few years. Use this month to purposefully reconnect with former supervisors, colleagues, and clients. Send cards, emails, or simply make a telephone call wishing others a happy holiday season. Take advantage of holiday open houses and parties. This is the time of year when feelings of peace on earth and goodwill make networking much easier. Social occassions and year end networking can go a long way towards building trust and may help open doors for business opportunities next quarter.

John Maxwell Leadership Conference

Internationally renowned author, speaker, and leadership expert John Maxwell was recently in Lexington for an event that the UK Alumni Association helped promote. It was great to see so many fellow UK alumni from several different industries represented at the conference. There also was a youth leadership track where UK and high school students participated in sessions led by Dr. Tim Elmore.

Dr. Maxwell shared from his recent leadership book Everyone Communicates, Few Connect: What The Most Effective People Do Differently. His presentation was an excellent reminder that success is really just being able to connect with other people. Similar to networking, we need to be conscious of other people and how we can help them. We are either a plus or a minus, adding to or subtracting from relationships. Essentially, connecting is more about character and relationships. The following are some suggested tips for connecting. Be available and open for others. In getting to know someone new, ask them questions. Be conscious of what you can do to help others. Create experiences that make time with others more enjoyable.

If you are not already a fan, consider reading a few of Dr. Maxwell's leadership books to help with your own professional growth and development.

FREE- Professional Development Video Downloads

Last Spring we launched a UK alumni "Third Thursday Networking" series. Each program featured a speaker or panel on a job search/professional development topic. The content has been amazing and alumni who have attended have been able to take away some wonderful contacts and information that has helped them to explore and make successful career transitions. Fortunately, these career downloads are available free for alumni around the world. We hope that you will take advantage of this Alumni Association benefit. The topics include:

Job Search Strategies - Panel of Executive Recruiters and HR Professionals
Generations At Work
Brand You: Marketing Yourself To Employers
How To Land a Non-Profit Job - Features a panel of Non-profit employees
Tips on Making A Successful Career Change - Panel of Successful Career Changers
How To Get A Job At UK - UK HR

We welcome your ideas for future programs. Remember, even if you do not live close enough to attend the event in-person, you can take advantage of free career downloads.

LinkedIn Tips for Your Summary Section

Social Media expert Jason Alba is a "go to" person for tips on using LinkedIn (LI). You may be familiar with his book I'm On LinkedIn Now What? or his DVDs on how to use LinkedIn more effectively. He recommends the following four tips for making the most of your LI Summary section.
1) You are allowed up to 2000 characters in this section - use them.
2) Don't cut and paste your resume in this section (it should go in the Profile section).
3) Tell up to six compelling STAR (Situation/Task, Action, Results) stories emphasizing prior work accomplishments. Quantify when possible (i.e. #, $, %)
4) Load up on industry key words and phrases. Remember to make sure that you stay on brand. Also, communicate what you are passionate about and what you bring to the table.

By utilizing these tips, your LI summary section will be much stronger.

Emotional Intelligence and Work

Several years ago as my UK graduate school days in Educational Psychology were coming to a close, the concept of Emotional Intelligence (EI) was just beginning to appear on the scene. Peter Salovey at Yale University and Jack Mayer a professor of psychology at the University of New Hampshire conducted initial research on the concept and are well known for their continued contributions in the EI field. However, reading Daniel Goleman's best seller Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ is what got me interested. So what is EI? In essence, EI is expanding our traditional definition of IQ and cognitive intelligence to a definition that includes an awareness of our emotions and the ability to use them effectively. In Goleman's later research he developed the argument that non-cognitive factors such as self-awareness, self-discipline, and empathy determine workplace success, as much if not more than, technical skills and I.Q. So how does/can this impact our jobs?

Studies show that EQ is a better predictor of performance than employee skill, knowledge, or expertise. In order to reduce costs associated with turnover, absenteeism, and low performance, progressive employers are finding ways to integrate EQ into hiring and training as well as into corporate culture. Fortunately, EQ competencies can be measurable and learned. To learn more about the links between emotional intelligence and performance at work, Google "The Business Case for Emotional Intelligence" and read more books and articles on the topic.

New Career Lingo

The world of work is rapidly changing and keeping up with the latest career trends is part of my job that I find fascinating. The following are some terms I recently learned.


"VUCA" World - Sounds like it could be derogatory, but it is just an acronym for Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguos. A career development author who spoke at a recent conference used this term to describe our rapidly changing world. You can bet she touched upon the importance of remaining flexible.

"Slash Careers" - This term recently came on my radar in a blog that I follow. It is used to describe how so many professionals these days are combining their interests and skills into more than one job or career - often simultaneously. For example, a client could be a Dental Hygienist/Professional Photographer or a CPA/Jewelry Company Representative. Some people are slashing careers by choice, others are having to combine fields inorder to recreate themselves in this tight economy. Do you have a slash career?

"Slow Careers" - You've heard of the slow food movement that started in Piazza di Spagna, Italy several years ago in protest to the communities first McDonald's restaurant? The "Slow Movement" is a conscious cultural change toward slowing down one's life pace and making decisions in a more sustainable way. The "Slow Career" movement acknowledges that career transitions give one a chance to re-evaluate their life values and while striving to obtain greater balance in each life role. What does slow career mean to you?