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You may not know the answer.  You may have worries or fears about the answer.  But rather than worry, get the support you need to make quality career decisions.  Read below for a summary of recent podcasts, articles and radio shows to help you become more optimistic about what 2010 can hold for you:

• Download the podcast of my recent interview on Lite FM 106.7 with advice for job seekers and those considering starting a business.
• Read my advice in the February issue of Shape magazine on "How to Love the Job You're In" and re-engage in your work.
• Call in to my live SIRIUS XM radio show Fridays at 4pm ET/1pm PT SIRIUS 112/XM 157.  All career questions are welcome at 1-866-675-6675.  This week, learn how to be a top performer despite the demands of 24/7 multitasking!

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive.  And then go and do that.  Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."  - Howard Thurman

If you are concerned about where your career is headed, don't wait for things to change.  Share your comments and concerns here and contact me with your career needs and goals.  You don't have to go it alone!

(Photo compliments of Wili Hybrid.) 

Recently I taped a segment for an upcoming HGTV show.  The focus - interviewing successfully.  It seems that this economy is requiring all of us to become interview pros.  With a plethora of candidates to choose from, hiring managers are looking for reasons to weed people out.

To avoid this fate, it's imperative that you Soul Search, Research and Job Search before your next interview. If you do, you'll not only have more job offers but have more fun interviewing!  Yes, fun!

Follow these tips to get beyond the interview and land the job:

-Soul Search and go after jobs that fit.  Most people check the want ads or online job boards and choose positions that fit their past experience.  But what if you didn't like your last job(s)?  If your heart's not into it, don't even waste the interviewer's time.  Spend that time instead on making a list of the skills you have that you WANT to utilize and the industries or fields that are of truly of interest.  Even if you haven't worked in a particular field before your skills can transfer so don't be afraid to go after what you want.  Not sure where to start?  Try the Occupational Outlook Handbook which lists various careers across various industries!

-Research to target the right employers and positions.  It sounds difficult but finding employers in a given field can be as easy as an internet search.  Online job board Indeed.com lists job openings by industry as well as by location so you can see which industries are hiring and where.   Once you've found a potential employer go to their website and learn as much as you can about the products/services they make, the # of employees, how long they've been in business, recent news about them and corporate goals and objectives. This will help you not only target the right employers for you but also help you answer the dreaded interview question - What can you tell us about our company?

-Job Search with the right attitude.  It's not enough to just dress the part, have a copy of your resume, be on time and prepared for the standard "why should I hire you" question.  You'll need the attitude "x factor" to land the job. That means, being someone the interviewer wants to work with and better yet, someone the interview can't imagine not having on the team.  To do that takes presence.  You need to relax in the interview and approach the situation as if you're making a new friend - a friend you'll want to keep whether or not you get the job.  Understand your "new friend's" biggest challenge that he/she would most like the person hired into this position to solve.  Offer ideas and support to the interviewer (and even follow-up with relevant articles) on that problem to demonstrate that you are already a resource even before being hired.    

By Soul Searching, Researching and Job Searching you can get better interview results and not only land a job but also a job you can be excited about!  With the Wall Street Journal recently reporting record job dissatisfaction, it's time we all did our part to reverse this disturbing trend!

Share your favorite interview tips below and post any questions you have about how to interview effectively.  You can also check out my free video on How to Ace the Job Interview.  I look forward to your comments!  You can also tune in live Tuesday Jan 12th at 3:30pm EST to SIRIUS 112 / XM 157 where I'll be answering career questions live at 1-866-675-6675!

Time management can be a challenge during the holidays.  Work demands continue, personal to do’s pile up yet many just want to relax as the year winds down.  

The time crunch is being more acutely felt this year:

• those in jobs feel overstretched (a result of the lean and mean approach by many employers looking to survive the recession) and 
• those not in jobs feel compelled to continue job searching over the holidays (for more on Smart Career Strategies Over the Holidays, tune into my career segment on Morning Living SIRIUS 112/XM 157 Wed 12/15/09 8am ET.)

To help you get it all done this holiday season, here are some of my favorite time saving tips:

• Get your to do’s out of your head.  This was a key insight from my interview with time management guru David Allen on Making a Living.  It takes a lot of brain space to maintain a to do list so free up your own mental productivity by capturing what’s in your head and organizing those to do’s in your calendar.   You’ll be better able to focus on the task at hand when you’re not thinking about the other 10 to do’s on your list.  Click below to learn more about David Allen’s very effective Getting Things Done approach.  

• Start each day with a plan.  When I was working on consulting projects at Arthur Andersen I learned that you need to “go slow to go fast”.  In other words, an hour of planning is worth a week of doing.  It can feel more productive to get started but doing the task correctly the first time will lead to less rework later.  For more great time saving tips from project managers click here.  

• Overestimate completion time.  Being an optimist, I often plan for the best outcome to my projects and activities.  However, sometimes thing take more time than I’ve allotted and the ensuing time crunch becomes yet another thing on my to do list to manage.  I’ve learned to be more conservative in my estimates and put more space into my calendar between appointments.  And on those days when things go smoothly, I enjoy the extra time by calling a friend or enjoying a quiet cup of tea.  It’s a win-win rather than a lose-lose.

You don’t have to stress out this holiday season.  You can make time for the most important (and fun) activities in your life and in your work.   For more time saving tips, join me this afternoon on Living Today 3:30p ET with host Mario Bosquez.  Tune in with this free trial of SIRUS and call in at 866-675-6675!

Happy Holidays!

"Find a job your like and you add five days to every week." - H. Jackson Browne

(Photo attribution)

In 2009 do gender stereotypes still play a role in the modern workplace?   A recent article in the college magazine Jungle Campus, called "Watch Your Step" highlighted that although women have made "significant leaps in the business world"; they "lag behind men in pay and leadership positions." 

Are you being held back by stereotypes in your career?  Many women say yes.  The article highlights a 2004 study by Catalyst, in which 46 percent of women chose gender-based stereotyping as a top barrier to advancement compared to only five percent of men.

Weigh in on the issue and comment (below).  I did.  As part of the panel of experts quoted in the article, I agreed with some of the stereotypes and disagreed with others:

Stereotypes I Agree With:

• Women are less aggressive - I have coached many of my female clients to aim higher when asking for a raise, promotion or more responsibility.
• Women underplay their professional accomplishments - Many times I have had to quote author Peggy Klaus and remind my female clients that, "It's not bragging if it's true."  Unfortunately when women achieve great success they are afraid it will threaten others.  In reality, people are impressed by your achievements when presented in a factual way.  It can demonstrate confidence and self-assuredness, which only help your career!

Stereotypes I Disagree With:

• Women are catty with each other - The women I've worked with in my corporate career have been just as helpful as the male bosses and coworkers.  It hasn't been about gender but about finding supportive mentors willing to help me succeed.
• Women can't take criticism - I think this is a misconception because women tend to question the criticism and want specific examples.  It's good career development to understand feedback you receive.  How else are you supposed to improve?

Read the article (on page 11) and hear from other experts such as Gail Evans, former CNN executive and author of Play Like a Man Win Like a Woman and Barbara Adachi, Chief Talent Officer at Deloitte and national managing partner of their Initiative for the Retention and Advancement of Women (WIN).

I invite you to comment on your experience with gender in the workplace and if you agree or disagree with the stereotypes.  You can also call into SIRIUS 112/XM 157 at 866-675-6675 on Tuesday Dec 8th, 2009 at 3:30pm ET. I'll debate gender stereotypes with host Mario Bosquez on Living Today.  Click here for a free 30-day trial of SIRIUS radio.

Also coming up a Making a Living Holiday Special Thursday Dec 10th, 2009, 4pm ET.  I'll focus on proper business etiquette during the holidays.  Judith Bowman'll join me, author Don't Take the Last Donut.

Happy Holidays!

Do you crave more meaning in your career?  Is it time you had more control over your schedule?  Want to work in a growing industry? 

You are not alone.

According to a recent article in More magazine's November Issue, 98% of women over 40 surveyed wanted to feel as if they were contributing positively through their careers.  73% wanted a flexible schedule and 89% wanted to work in an industry with a bright future.

If you're not happy, perhaps its time you considered a career change.  Start by thinking about what you would do if you could easily make a change.  Are you interested in green careers, technology, philanthropy or another field?  Are you open to building new skills or leveraging the ones you have?  If money weren't an issue, what would motivate you to get out of bed in the morning - helping others, completing projects, improving the environment?

This kind of Soul Search is the first step in contemplating a career change.  Once you're clear on what you'd love to do with your skills and talents, you can research careers that fit.  The More article highlights 10 of the best jobs for women over forty including salary information, skill/education requirements and specific organizations looking to hire.

Here are some of my favorites:

• Community Service Coordinator/Program Director.  Make a living making a difference with this field expected to grow 48% by 2016.  The top 10% make over $96K/year.
• Environmental Scientist.  For those with a passion for protecting the planet's ecosystems, this career requires a master's degree and the chance to work both in the office and out in the field, literally.
• Small-Scale Niche Farmer.  If you prefer on-the-job training and working outside, being part of the healthy, local food movement may be for you.  Small farms are growing at a rate of 10,000 per year and most earn from $26K to $76K/year. 

"Career changers tend to shoot up the ladder, their passion turns quickly into promotions - and an increase in pay" according to Amelia Warren Tyagi, who places senior talent and was quoted for the article.  

I couldn't agree more (no pun intended).  I experienced just that when I changed careers from business consulting to career development and training.  Think you have to start over?  Think again.  Experienced workers have skills and experience that transfer and their passion shows in their performance.

Check out the November issue of More magazine and let me know which of the 10 Best Jobs For Women Over 40 appeals to you.  I'd love to hear where you're going next!  If you have career questions, call into my radio show, Making a Living with Maggie, this Wednesday at 4pm EST SIRIUS 112/XM 157. Listen in for FREE to financial expert Jean Chatzky (who also has a column in More) live on my show this week, sharing tips from her best-selling book, Pay It Down: From Debt to Wealth on $10 a Day!

Change always comes bearing gifts.  ~Price Pritchett