Nancy Halpern ’79
KNH Associates
@myjobchat
Sponsored by the Hiatt Career Center at Brandeis University
KNH Associates @myjobchat
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 Webinar Objectives
 Questions for you
 “Stuck” vs. “Unstuck”
 Q&A
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 We are working longer
 We may have multiple careers with numerous
employers and different roles
 Technology provides unknown opportunities and
challenges
 Generational shifts and impact
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 Mid-level in your organization and/or
industry
 Mid-point in your professional development
 Mid-aged
 Plateaus: and why they’re good
 Question: Where are you in your
organization?
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KNH Associates @myjobchat
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 Increased risk
 Increased obligation
 Feels like a path has been chosen
 Fewer options?
 Is the half way mark “good enough?”
 Learning curves
 Time left
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 Identify the key competencies in your organization
 Set objectives to align your competencies with top
management
 Build your network
 Find a mentor
 Build your reputation
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 The common skills of people at upper levels
 Are they risk takers or analytical thinkers?
 What are the values of the organization?
 What behaviors does the company value and reward?
 What type of person is promoted?
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 Set goals to achieve your target
 Let your boss know that you want a higher position
 Ask your boss what skill areas you need to develop
 Honestly address gaps in previous performance
reviews
 Regularly monitor progress
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 Network with those you like – and then others
 Support of colleagues is often over looked
 Networks are relationships – they need to be fed
continuously or they grow stale
 Look for opportunities to connect people
 Try to be on cross-functional team
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 Is there someone in upper management you can
approach to help you?
 Will your boss be able to provide mentoring support?
 Are there people with strong political power?
 Consider a group of mini-mentors or a “kitchen
cabinet”
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 Seek high profile projects
 Speak up and contribute to meetings
 Be generous with your team while maintaining
boundaries
 Share ideas with peers
 Manage your emotions
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 Career planning is like financial planning
 it is future focused
 currently based
 Most career advice is targeted at job seekers
 Most coaching is geared to the highest levels
 Do you want to wait until you need it?
 A goal statement that looks ahead to the next one or




three or five years
An honest self assessment
Objectives that are customized to your needs: new
role; additional skills; personal and professional
development
Concrete action steps to get you there
Adaptable and reviewable
 What I want to do
 Manage team or department, using my skills and
experience in hiring, training, developing and promoting
staff
 Unravel and resolve complex strategy problems through
applying business acumen and interpersonal expertise
 With whom
 A mature leadership team that values methodical and
thoughtful change
 A newly formed and highly energized division operating
in a tough competitive environment
SelfAssessment
Implement
Your Plan
Explore
Options
Develop a
Plan
Interests
Passions
Skills
Others’
Views?
What do
you like to
do?
Accomplishments
 What accomplishments are you proudest of?
 What are you still hoping to achieve?
 What are you good at?
 What do you want to do more of/less of?
 What skills and/or experiences do I need to make that
happen?
 What kinds of problems do I like to solve?
 What makes me crazy?
JOB
SATISFIERS
DISSATISFIERS
VP of Operations
1. Status – large office,
staff of 23, dedicated
assistant
1. Manager – aloof, too
little feedback, no
organizational
credibility
2. Limited promotional
opportunities,
constant travel
3. Bored – have been in
the role too long
2. Perks – more vacation
time, stock options
 Think about all the bosses you’ve had (or can
remember!)
 Who gave you:
 No Problems
 Some Problems
 Severe Problems
 Do you see any patterns regarding:
 Type of people?
 Their management style?
 What is your ideal type of boss?
Talk
Train
Research
Network
Learn
 What are you developing towards?






New or different responsibilities?
A new assignment?
A different job?
A promotion?
A new boss?
Other ideas?
 How are you using job search tools?
 LinkedIn
 Contacts
 Industry groups
 You get promoted
 You create the role yourself
 You move across the organization
 You follow someone
 You volunteer for the job no one else wants to do
 You expand – and negotiate for it
 You share your aspirations with those in positions to
help
Review it
quarterly
Stay
hungry
Have a
career
“buddy”
Update
as
needed
Reality
and gut
check
 Review it quarterly
 Have an honest buddy
 Address what you know is incomplete
 Be open to revision
 Add to it
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


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Be selective about how you spend your time
Look for roles that provide quantifiable measures
Manage your environment – don’t be a victim of it
Pick a few role models – all for different reasons
Keep yourself marketable
Resist the temptation to discuss your anxiety
 Practice pretending to be confident

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not
an act, but a habit.”
Aristotle
“You always have options. Even if you don’t like any of
them.”
Nancy Halpern
KNH Associates @myjobchat
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 Fill out our satisfaction survey when you leave the webinar
 Register for our October webinar:
Ask a Recruiter: An Insider’s Guide to Getting Hired
Presenter: Allison Nakano, MA’14
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
12:00 – 1:00 p.m. EDT
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2311825819687541761
 Join the Brandeis University Career Connections group on LinkedIn
 Brandeis undergraduate alumni:
 Call (781) 736-3618 to schedule a free career advising
appointment (in-person, phone or Skype)
 Alexandra Stephens
 Associate Director, Alumni Career Programs & Engagement
 Email: [email protected]
 Phone: 781-736-3623
 Website: alumni.brandeis.edu/careers
 Twitter: @HiattatBrandeis
 Facebook: www.facebook.com/HiattCareerCenter
 LinkedIn group: “Brandeis University Career Connections”
 Do you have a clear objective?
 What action steps can you take to help you achieve it?
 How will you know you’ve been successful in reaching
it?
 What obstacles stand in the way?
 How will you overcome them?
 What time frame is this?
PROCESS STEPS
OBJECTIVES
ACTION STEPS
STATUS/NOTES
Self-Assessment
Identify skills,
interests, passions,
wants, needs
Review, think, list,
self-question, reflect
How best to
discover? Who
knows me best?
Patterns? News?
Explore Your Options
Think about
possibilities, identify
gaps, reach beyond
the current
Find a buddy,
generate more than
one idea, test market
it with others you
trust
Who gives the best
advice on what?
What is my time
frame? How does
this reflect what I’ve
learnt?
Develop the Plan
Have a concrete and
achievable goal in
the time frame I
want
Identify who can
help me, identify any
obstacles and ways to
overcome
Prioritize my next
steps – break them
into smaller steps if
that helps
PROCESS STEPS
OBJECTIVES
ACTION STEPS
STATUS/NOTES
Self-Assessment
Identify skills,
interests, passions,
wants, needs
Review, think, list,
self-question, reflect
How best to
discover? Who
knows me best?
Patterns? News?
PROCESS STEPS
OBJECTIVES
ACTION STEPS
STATUS/NOTES
Explore Your Options
Think about
possibilities, identify
gaps, reach beyond
the current
Find a buddy,
generate more than
one idea, test market
it with others you
trust
Who gives the best
advice on what?
What is my time
frame? How does
this reflect what I’ve
learnt?
PROCESS STEPS
OBJECTIVES
ACTION STEPS
STATUS/NOTES
Develop the Plan
Have a concrete and
achievable goal in
the time frame I
want
Identify who can
help me, identify any
obstacles and ways to
overcome
Prioritize my next
steps – break them
into smaller steps if
that helps