Hallie Crawford

Dress shopping in Boston

A couple weeks ago I took a trip to Boston to help my sister Meg pick out her wedding dress. My mom and I had a ball. It was 70 degrees in Boston while we were there, yahoo! Here are some pictures from our trip:

This is part of why I love what I do-a flexible schedule.

Here's to finding a career you love!

Hallie Crawford
Certified Career Coach

Six Steps to Landing Your First Teaching Job

I was recently interviewed for a great article for NEA.com titled “Six Steps to Landing Your First Teaching Job”. Read the entire article here.

…Starting each day with a job hunt schedule is the best way to “get focused and stay productive,” says Hallie Crawford, a career coach based in Atlanta. Make a list of things you want to accomplish each day, whether it involves networking, adding to your portfolio, or submitting applications.

Network aggressively with friends and acquaintances—a kind word from a colleague to a school administrator may open doors.

Spread the word about your job search to your Facebook and Ning friends, and look for job feeds on Twitter. The Kansas Educational Employment Board, for example, uses Twitter to send job announcements. CareerBuilder also has several regional Twitter feeds…

Contact us if you are interested in more helping finding a job that's right for you!

Here’s to having a career you love,

Hallie Crawford
Certified Career Coach

Two FREE Teleclasses in April!

Join HallieCrawford.Com for two free teleclasses that are coming up in April! 

"Top 10 Tips to Identify Your Ideal Career" will be on Tuesday April 13th at 7pm ET and. 

In this FREE teleclass, you will:

• Learn the top 10 things you need to know when searching for your ideal career
• Get advice on best practices in you career search
• Receive live feedback on your questions about finding your ideal career

Sign up for this class

"3 simple Steps to Nurture and Protect Your Career"  on April 21st at 12pm noon ET. 

In this FREE teleclass, you will: 

• Learn what you need to nurture your career 
• Discuss how to effectively protect your career during this unsettling and scary time.

Sign up for this teleclass

Hope to see you there!

Hallie Crawford
Atlanta Career Coach

Finding your ideal career should be exciting

When you're doing something big and out of the ordinary like changing your career, sometimes it seems there are naysayers at every turn, thwarting your efforts and tossing a wet blanket over your plans. This is exactly what you want to avoid if you're serious about leaving your old job behind and starting fresh doing something you love. 

Yes, you CAN do it, and yes there is money to be made in almost any profession. It takes time and effort to get there, but trust me when I say that millions have manifested their own career destiny, and you can too. The idea is to keep the Negative Nellies and other defeating influences at bay. If there are certain people who seem to react unfavorably when you discuss your plans and dreams, stop sharing with those people. 

Instead, focus on friends and colleagues who lift your spirits and help further your cause - these are the ones who will help you get where you want to be, faster and with the least amount of effort. Other negative forces are bad habits, addictive and destructive behaviors. You're on a plan for self-improvement right now anyway, so make it a goal to quit any harmful habits you may currently engage in like smoking, excessive drinking, binge eating, unhappy relationships, or other activities that distract you from achieving happiness. 

There are so many things you can do to keep your mind, body and spirit functioning at peak performance during this exciting time of change. Remember that, even though your current focus is on your career, deciding what you want to be when you grow up, and how to best navigate the transition, you are still a human being who deserves a balanced life of learning, new experiences, solitary time, activity and spiritual growth. Remember to give yourself these gifts and you will feel whole, at peace, and ready for whatever comes your way.

Are you on the right career path? Find out with our complimentary career quiz. This is your first step to finding your ideal job. Use the results to help you Create Your Career Path.

Here’s to having a career you love!

Hallie Crawford
Ideal Career Coach

Career Tips on Q100

For the past few months I’ve been on Q100 here in Atlanta providing career tips. If you haven’t heard me on the radio, I now have the links up on my site and you can listen to the past few months here

www.halliecrawford.com/q100.html 

And check out this picture of me on the radio:

If you live in Atlanta be sure to tune into Q100 to hear me on the radio each month! Have a great weekend! Hallie Crawford Atlanta Career Coach

If you live in Atlanta be sure to tune into Q100 to hear me on the radio each month!

Have a great weekend!

Hallie Crawford 
Atlanta Career Coach

Set boundaries in your career transition

Life can get a little crazy when change is happening all around us. If you've still got one foot in your former professional role and the other foot has stepped into the future, you may feel unsure of whether you're coming or going!

This is natural, especially in times of career transition. The trick is to set boundaries for yourself as a way to curb the feelings of overwhelm. One boundary could be, turning off some of the channels of information overflow. For example, if you've signed up for new career membership associations or email newsletters, you could create a special email address for this purpose alone. This way, personal pursuits can be kept separate from your daily responsibilities, helping you to feel less distracted and stressed.

Time can be another boundary that keeps anxiety at bay. For instance, you can make a commitment to not to think about anything career-related after 8 p.m., instead reserving another time slot for this purpose. Your commitment could be, "I will work on my career transition from 5:30-7:30 at least twice a week."

By setting and maintaining boundaries between your career goals, everyday responsibilities, and leisure pursuits, you will feel more in-control of your life, balanced and at peace with yourself and the process.

If you need help with your career transition, you might find this report helpful "Top Three Tools to Identify Your Ideal Career".

Here's to having a career you love!

Hallie Crawford
Career Coaching

FREE Teleclass This Week!

Join me this week for a free teleclass on Wednesday March 17th at 12noon ET. I will discuss the 3 things you need to know in order to make a transition to a career you LOVE.

In this FREE teleclass, I will:

• Give you the 3 keys for career transition
• Show you how to prepare for your transition
• Explain why goal setting is not enough to move you forward in your transition

Listen to an audio intro for this class or Sign up for this class

Hope to see you there!

Hallie Crawford
Career Coach

Why bother with an informational interview?

• It's a way to learn what it's really like to work in that field and discover possible career opportunities that exist in that company or at other organizations.
• It's a chance to get the inside perspective before you jump into that field and accept a job offer you might regret later.
• It’s an opportunity to get to know someone in that field, make a connection, and possibly land a job in the future.
• It's a way to find out who else you can network with in your field and begin to establish your professional network.
• It's an excellent means of practicing your interview skills without the pressure of having to land the job on the spot!

If you need help with your career transition, contact us for a complimentary phone consultation.

Here's to having a career you love!
Hallie Crawford
Career Transition Coach

Adjust Your Career Transition Attitude

Pounding the pavement for a job search is tough. Let’s face it; it’s not going to appear on anyone’s top 10 list of fun things to do. But if you go into you job search with the wrong attitude, it’s going to be a downward spiral with a potentially unhappy ending. The good news is… you can help prevent this.

You need to make career decisions from a position of strength or possibility and not out of fear, weakness or other negative feelings. It may take practice, but creating that feeling of strength and optimism can happen. This will help you to bolster you outlook on your job search:

• Worrying does NOT help - Taking action does. Do something about the challenges you’re facing. This not only helps you tackle each challenge head on, it also empowers and motivates you to continue to achieve success along your career path!


• Evaluate your decision making process - Take some time to notice how you approach your decisions. Are you approaching them with confidence and strength? If the answer is yes, then you’ll know that you’re getting a positive outcome as a result of this positive attitude and actions. If you approach decisions with fear or anger, then, conversely, you’ll notice the result is much less constructive.

• Practice being positive – Consciously practicing being positive may feel strange at first so take small steps. How are you feeling about the decisions you are making. If you are experiencing ‘bad vibes’ then it might be time to shift your mindset, or to table that important decision until you feel more comfortable and confident.

• Invest in yourself - While money may seem tight right now, one of your best bets is to spend resources making yourself invaluable to your current or potential employer. When you invest in your education – through additional classes to beef up skills or through advanced programs to learn new skills – you enhance your value and marketability.

Here's to having a career you love!

Hallie Crawford
Career Transition Coach

Birthday trip to Florida

Vaughn and I had a great trip to FL last week for my birthday and my dad's birthday. He played with and went on more motorized and non-motorized vehicles than he has in his whole life I think! A forklift, airplane, train, boat, back of bicycle, tricycle, car. He loves his new tricycle. Here are some of my favorite pics.

 

 

 

Hallie Crawford
Career Coach