It’s no secret that a mentor can be a terrific resource as you navigate your personal career path. Some organizations assign mentors and other relationships develop naturally when like minded people hit it off. If you are your own boss, or don’t have a company to connect you with a mentor, you can and should pursue mentors on your own.

Seeking a mentor starts simply with asking for advice from a trusted professional who has been there and done that in your industry. Start by asking for information and advice and see how the relationship develops. You will know when you have made an authentic connection with someone and taken the relationship beyond colleague to personal guru.

Mentors help to improve upon your strengths and guide you along your path to success with inspiration and resources that come from experience. A mentor can also help you set and accomplish your goals. Mentors will guide you and offer practical ideas about how you might do things differently. We all need at least one mentor that can speak candidly and offer constructive criticism, even when we don’t want to hear it.

Mentors should help boost your self confidence and empower you to achieve and overcome obstacles. But don’t think that you need one perfect mentor to help you on your professional way. In reality, life is full of mentors that can advise you day-by-day, sharing important bits of wisdom incrementally over time. I encourage you to take a close look at the many people in your life and reflect on how they may actually be mentoring you right now. Build your own personal Board of Directors, your personal posse, to guide you in your career pursuits.

You can gain a wealth of support and resources with a team. Sometimes these relationships develop organically and sometimes you need to take the driver’s seat and ask others for help.  No matter which, mentors volunteer their time and experience so always show them your respect. Listen, don’t argue – and always follow-up with a personal thank you note or gesture of gratitude. The mentor relationship is powerful and valuable, so cultivate it wisely and be mindful of how you can help others and keep the circle of wisdom continuous by becoming a mentor yourself.

Karen Kibler was raised in a small farming community in Iowa and what many people don’t know about her is that she can weld and operate heavy equipment. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa in 1977, and soon after relocated to Arizona and worked several jobs in the business sector from receptionist to business owner. At age 40, she began working on a PhD which she minted in 1997 from Arizona State University where she now serves as an Assistant Research Professor and the university Biosafety Manager. The focus of her current research is HIV vaccines and treatments. Read Full Story

Having dreams and goals for the future is a wonderful way to focus on what you want in your life and career.  A wise mentor once told me it’s not enough to just think about your goals – you must write them down. Putting your wishes on paper helps you articulate things more clearly and gives you accountability for achieving your goals.

I interviewed a woman for my book who has laid out a 50-year plan for her career goal of taking a product to market that will cure cancer. Her project is massive in every respect since she must first take the cancer curing protocol through a series of clinical trials that will literally take years to accomplish. You need not carve out a 50-year plan but I urge you to take a close look at the next 90 days and write down what you want to accomplish. You can always change your mind and adjust your game plan, but dig deep to think about what you really want.

Split your 90-day goal into smaller, attainable actions and chop it into manageable baby steps. My very first book interviewee, Angela Jia Kim is the Founder of Savor the Success www.savorthesuccess.com a premium business network for women entrepreneurs. She just launched a hybrid magazine/notebook (the magbook) that will help you write down your goals, check them off, and discover solutions to realize your dreams. Her Savor magbook is a secret weapon designed to empower you to be the best you can be and focus your objectives.

This is also a good time to look to your posse, your personal Board of Directors, or resource team to assemble the masterminds that will help you reach your target. Identify your solutions instead of focusing on the problems and seek out information and help from your advisers. According to Angela – passion, plus natural ability, plus hard work, plus flow, equals results!

It’s easy to get bogged down with over ambitious to-do lists. The point of the exercise is to manage the work flow into reasonable and attainable increments. Reaching a goal is extremely gratifying so set small, attainable goals for each day and work incrementally towards the big finale. Research tells us that you are 90 times more likely to accomplish a goal when it is written down. What are you waiting for…grab a pen and write down your goals!

From the time I was a young girl I can remember my father polishing his shoes every night so they would be shiny and clean for his next work day. My father worked in the New York City corporate jungle of starched shirts and tailored suits. He always looked liked a consummate professional and taught me that first impressions are lasting.

Over the years in my experience with employer relations and collegiate recruiting, I have been exposed to a myriad of work environments across the nation. Some sectors, like big law and corporate business, still honor the suit and high polished shoes for men and women. Others are more casual and have adopted a trendier environment that values the current fashion trends. It’s your responsibility to blend into the culture and wardrobe expectations of your respective place of work. You want to distinguish yourself by your accomplishments – not your clothing!

Learn a valuable lesson from my Dad – your shoes tell a lot about how other people perceive you. Are they scuffed with run down soles or polished and neat? Women have a unique challenge about whether or not to wear heels on the job. I must be distantly related to Imelda Marcos because I love shoes. But, I have discovered that I also need to be mobile and comfortable to be successful in my job environment. I save my super high heels for after work occasions and wear stylish but walk-able shoes to work.

I have seen many women tottering in stilettos en route to a job interview. What happens when your future boss asks you to take a tour of the company and your face long distance walking in those wicked high heels! Bottom line, be prepared for any occasion and plan appropriately. You want to be steady on your feet so better to wear a lower heel for the interview.

I’m happy to report that the shoe gods are shining on women today because there are many brands that have married comfort with style. I have found some professional and attractive heels that pass the 10 hour on-my-feet test in these brands: Sofft, Clarks, Cole Haan and Liz Claiborne, and I know there are many more. In fact, Jessica and Emily Leung, founders of Hey Lady, Shoes! have designed ergonomic wedding and special occasion heels that are truly gorgeous. Check out their career transition piece archived on the stories tab. Regardless of the brand, make sure your shoes are neat, polished, and well fitted. This will save your posture, your back, and your professional reputation. Put your best foot forward and think wisely about choosing the right shoes for your work environment.

Anne Shroeder has been through many transitions in her life but at age 50 she has now found her passion and peace with a dream career that will warm your heart. She splits her time between her web development business, Language Works and caring for 50+ animals in need of a home. Her animal sanctuary: Star Gazing Farm is also a non-profit organization and if that wasn’t enough, Anne is also refining her skills as a sheep shearer. Read Full Story

Jane Austen, the English novelist who wrote romantic fiction was known for her biting social commentary in the 1800s. I believe she would have been an avid blogger if she was alive today and I imagine she would have thousands of connections in her LinkedIn profile. As much as I adore Jane Austen’s work, whenever I re-read her novels or watch a movie or BBC mini-series of her work, it makes me appreciate the modern times in which I live.

Jane’s plots, although often comic, highlight the dependence of women on marriage to secure social standing and economic security. She was a rare bird to be a female published author in her day. Thankfully, times have changed and modern women can make their way in the world with or without a significant other in their lives. We have choices and have been empowered to lead authentic lives and forge careers that are meaningful to us as individuals.

Jane Austen would have been inspired by Tracy Robbins, the highest ranking woman and Executive Vice President of Global Human Resources for Intercontinental Hotels Group, PLC. Tracy shared 4 tips for success in a recent interview that we can all learn from.

1. Stretch Yourself – take on projects that have potential to make a big impact on your career and your life. Make those accomplishments visible and find authentic, effective ways to promote your achievements.
2. Be Yourself – be genuine in your life and career choices. Don’t fake-it to fit in or get ahead on the job. Honoring your values and passions will reap greater rewards in the long run.
3. Have Fun – laughter breaks down boundaries. Add some levity to each day and don’t take yourself too seriously. Develop your sense of humor and enjoy a good hearty laugh – it’s good for your health.
4. Develop Your Team – be relentless, caring, and tenacious about developing your team. Surround yourself with great people who do what you can’t and support them and encourage them to achieve success together.

I dare say that Tracy’s words of wisdom would be applauded by Jane Austen!

Mary Wasiak was raised in a conservative family that always encouraged her to pursue a practical career. She always knew that she would attend graduate school but found herself in law school without interest or aptitude because it would lead to a sensible career. Little did she know that teaching would turn out to be her dream job in the near future. Read Full Story

One of my great professional joys is communication coaching. I find it incredibly rewarding when I have a breakthrough with a client or student who gains empowering self confidence when they feel positively about how they deliver a presentation or succeed in an interview.

Public speaking can be terrifying for many. In addition to learning the particulars of good diction, effective posture, supported breathing, and owning your stage presence, a strong presentation depends on how well you connect with your audience. Whether you are leading a small meeting in the company board room or presenting to the masses in a large auditorium, your success hinges on how well your spectators absorb your message.

Individuals respond to different stimuli when viewing a presentation.

• Print learners are book lovers and appreciate and respond to words and text.
• Auditory learners are music lovers and are engaged by what they hear.
• Visual learners are art lovers and are stimulated by images, colors, and pictures.
• Kinesthetic learners like activity and need to physically interact with the material.

When you present, make sure that you honor all of these learning styles and engage your audience with unique and customized approaches that cover all the bases.

For the Print learners, in addition to your Power Point slides, provide take-away materials or hand-outs for post presentation reflection. For the Visual learners, mix it up a little and add images or video to your text slides. The Auditory learners will respond to your vocal inflections. Remember the power of the pause – silence can be just as effective as sound. Add music or sound effects to really energize this group.

With Kinesthetic learners you need to incorporate them into the action. Provide interactive opportunities to engage the group or mix Q&A into the presentation instead of waiting until the end. These learners like to feel, so if appropriate, pass around a sample of your product or a relevant prop. You can also encourage them to take notes and provide them with note pads or pens.

Next time you are listening to someone else present, be aware of how your absorb information. This will help you engage your audience and will make you more cognizant of engaging all four learning styles the next time you are up at bat.

It’s resume season as newly minted graduates dive into the job market and experienced professionals look for opportunities to better meet their career goals. I urge you to put on your recruiter hat as you develop your resume and think about the people who will be reading this important part of your professional tool kit.

In the government sector as well as many business environments, resumes are scanned electronically to pick out key words that represent skills and competencies required in the job description. You may have amazing credentials but if you don’t customize your resume to fit each job opportunity, you won’t make the first cut. The one size fits all resume will not serve you well.

Typically, a reviewer spends 15-30 seconds on the first glance of a resume. It’s amazing how much you can glean in that very short time. Your resume is meant to entice the reader to interview you so your task is to convey why you are a terrific value-add for the job in a concise document.

Here are some best practices to help your resume shine:

• If you are an experienced professional, don’t lead with your education, lead with your experience. Reserve the education-first style for new graduates.
• Consider a professional skills or competencies section to front load why you are a good fit, especially if you are a career changer or don’t have experience in the job field.
• Use strong action verbs to describe what you have done in past positions. Bullet points are easier to digest than paragraphs and allow the reader to scan for key words.
• Choose a clear font and don’t go below 11 point size. If you blind the reader with small print you won’t get the job.
• Look at the job description and use the SAME verbiage if you can honestly say that you have relevant experiences.
• The rule of thumb is one page per ten years of experience unless the employer asks for a curriculum vitae or CV format (often the case in academia) which allows you to elaborate.
• Spell check, proof, and share the document with your advisers for feedback. Typos and grammatical errors will land your resume in the garbage – no matter how well qualified you may be.
• Don’t be shy about showcasing your strengths. List your accolades and accomplishments and consider ways to distinguish yourself in print.

Bottom line – customize your resume for every job opportunity and showcase your strengths.

I had the great pleasure of attending a webinar by Carolyn Wiethoff, professor at the IU Kelley School of Business and an expert on organizational behavior. She gave some startling statistics about how women still earn between 60-80% of what men are earning in the same positions across different career fields. Her research attributes this to the good old boys club, male dominated work cultures, and overt discrimination, which are not new issues for 2010. What surprised me was her report that some women are also lacking breadth in their work projects such as opportunities to work on international assignments and complex cases because some bosses feel they might not be able to handle it due to family constraints.

While research supports that women do prefer positions with flexibility, it’s also important for women to ask for what they want in a work environment. Men are 58% more likely to ask for a higher starting salary when an offer is made while most women just take the job, as is.  Women who do reach the pinnacle of C-level or executive positions are often considered oddities referred to as the female doctor, or female CEO. I’ve never heard a single reference about a male CEO. I find it unsettling that in 2010 women have not advanced significantly in the equality arena and are still openly discriminated against in the workforce similar to conditions decades ago.

But, my take-away optimistic hope from Wiethoff is that from here on out we need to redefine equality. Women should be encouraged to seek out male mentors and role models (in addition to women!) to integrate in the male dominated work environments. When men and women both take advantage of flex time, maternity/paternity and family leave, we will move closer to this not being something that only women have to do in order to take care of their families. I look forward to the day when telecommuting and utilizing technology to accomplish the job virtually are acceptable options for all and not special dispensations for a limited few.

Lastly, Wiethoff shared that the generation of young women entering the workforce now are more focused than their predecessors on work/life balance and choose careers that empower them to raise families and lead quality lives out of the office. Once again it all comes down to values and what you prioritize and cheers to these women for knowing what they want. All women and especially those who consciously choose the path of the C-level executive because it fits their values and provides gratification, should ask for more money and you will probably get it! The book It’s Not a Glass Ceiling, It’s a Sticky Floor by Rebecca Shambaugh is worth checking out.