Take a vacation and learn a new career!

Ok so I wasn't learning a new career on my recent vacation to Thailand, but it was great to network with new and interesting people. So much so, that I talked on Martha Stewart Radio about how to network on vacation. Read all about it on Martha Stewart Living's Radio blog!

Vacation can lead to career change as well. For those of you who don't know, I'm an affiliate coach for VocationVacations (VV) - a company dedicated to helping people test drive their dream jobs. It's an amazing concept in which you can spend a weekend paired up with a mentor who does that dream job for a living. It's a great way to learn the in's and out's of a career BEFORE making a career change.

One of my clients found his landscape architecture Vocation Vacation to be very helpful in confirming that was the next career for him. He was also able to build a friendship and long-term network with his mentor. What a win-win!

If you've been contemplating a new career but aren't sure how to make it happen, read my recent blog post on the VV website. I offer tips and advice for making your career change a reality!

Great Resource for Career Research

Each week I take calls on my careers segment on Martha Stewart Living Radio SIRIUS 112.

This week in particular, several calls focused on where to find information on various careers from virtual assistant, to medical transcriptionist, to industrial engineer.

To gather comprehensive information on hundreds of careers whatever career you are thinking of, check out the US Department of Labor Occupational Outlook Handbook. The 2008-2009 edition is available online now.

Check it out and you might find that you have what it takes to make the career move you've been thinking about (and if not, contact me at maggie@maggiemistal.com and I'll help you create an action plan to make it happen!).

A Note of Caution When Blogging for Your Brand

Danielle's post about managing your brand made me think of a recent article on training for bloggers.

It turns out that you can be sued for defamation, copyright infringement or even piracy for what's on your blog if you're not careful. So, many amateur bloggers are getting professional training from journalists on what's ok and not ok to say on your blog.

A scary example noted in the article of a real estate agent being sued for $25 million because he blogged about a real estate developer's bankruptcy, drives home the importance of such training.

If you're interested in getting trained, the article mentions the Society of Professional Journalists in Chicago who are offering training in different parts of the country.

Manage Your Career Like a Great Brand with Guest Blogger Danielle Walsmith

This week, I thought I'd share some advice from Marketing Guru Danielle Walsmith. I've learned so much in working with her when it comes to managing my brand and hope you do too...

FROM DANIELLE:
Last week I saw this blog post on MarketingProfs Daily Fix about owning your digital identity. It talks about owning your own domain name, just like Maggie owns MaggieMistal.com, but also about owning your user names on social networking sites such as Flickr, Twitter and YouTube, so that others don’t end up owning your digital identity or making a mockery of it.

After reading it, I immediately Googled myself to check out my own digital identity – luckily most of what is listed is stuff I’m familiar with already. But some of it dates back five years or more, and that’s a good reminder of how permanent our digital identity can be. I also Googled Maggie, since I’m writing for her blog, and was relieved to discover that she owns her own user name on her Amazon profile!

Have you Googled yourself lately? It’s a good idea to do so on a regular basis to check in on your digital identity. If your user names are all over the map, or a variety of nicknames, it may be time to edit some of them. If your search results reveal info that is outdated or irrelevant to the personal brand you’re cultivating, you might consider some options for boosting more positive results. These include setting up a website on your own domain name, starting a blog under your domain name and posting often, Twittering frequently and posting thoughtful comments on blogs you read frequently.

Managing your brand online is just as important as managing it offline.

Danielle Walsmith is a small business coach in Los Angeles focused on working with female entrepreneurs launching or expanding their own businesses. She has over 10 years of experience as a communications professional with an emphasis on PR, marketing, strategic planning and personal branding. For more info about Danielle, you can visit her website at www.sweettalkconsulting.com.