Working with People in Their Dream Jobs

When you work with passionate people, you get better results! People who are in their ideal careers are more motivated, more innovative and more fun than people just in a job for a paycheck.

If you need further convincing, check out my latest post on MarthaStewart.com on the Radio Blog! You'll get the see the amazing work of two of my career coaching clients - Designer Trisha Ginter and Photographer Ann Wilkinson and my travel writer husband Craig (also pursuing his ideal career.)

Every customer, every recruiter, every employer wants to hire people who are in their ideal careers. It's the best way to create lasting job security and Trisha, Ann and Craig are all great examples. Hope you enjoy reading it and Happy 4th of July!

What do you think? Do you agree that if you follow your passion, success will follow you? Post your comments and experiences working with talented people!

Leaving a Legacy Thru Your Career - Farrah Fawcett, Ed McMahon and Michael Jackson

Just turn on the TV or the computer and you will see countless stories, articles and comments on the passings this week of Farrah Fawcett, Ed McMahon and Michael Jackson.

I've heard several people ask, "Why do we get so impacted by people we didn't really know?" To me, it's because we take it personally. Seeing their passing makes us once again realize that someday we too will pass. This is tough to swallow especially for people who aren't living life the way they want.

I often see this as a career coach. People seek out my services at key moments in their lives - like a milestone birthday. They are frustrated because their life and career is not as far along or as fulfilling as they thought it would be. The good news is that these people reach out to me because they are ready to take action with their careers - choosing to no longer be passive recipients of what happens but defining and going after what they truly want.

If there's a shared legacy that Farrah Fawcett, Ed McMahon and Michael Jackson leave - it's that they were tireless in creating the careers they wanted. No one sought them out to offer them lives of fame and riches. In fact, if you read the biographies of these individuals you will see that it was their hard work and dedication that made them the icons we miss today.

If you're feeling impact from the passing of these talented people, perhaps it's because it's time for you to fully express your own talents. Think about it and I'll leave you with a sentiment. It's from one of my favorite dream the impossible dream stories, Man of La Mancha so that you too can take action to further define your own legacy, "It's not why did he [or she] die, but why did he [or she] live."

What is your impossible dream? Are you living it? Share your comments here - studies have show that by writing down what you want and putting it out there, you increase your chances of success by 10 times. Now let's hear it!

A Fun Side to Unemployment?

My previous post about travel being good for your career sparked me to do additional research on the topic. Interestingly I came across a related phenomenon -"Funemployment." According to a recent article on SFWeekly.com, some of the jobless in San Francisco are actually viewing unemployment as an opportunity to volunteer, travel, freelance and consider career shifts. (Notably these are folks who have savings and/or severance who did not get caught up in the real estate crisis.)

Alexis Mansinne, profiled in the article, had been an event planner for Dwell magazine until she was laid-off. Though shocked by her pink slip, Ms. Mansinne decided to take a refreshing perspective on her situation (helped by the 50 weeks of unemployment benefits she was about to receive) and see it as a chance to take a more "socially redeeming career path". She started a blog (Funemployment.blogspot.com) to share her thoughts on how to take advantage of being unemployed and has since decided to go back to school to become a school guidance counselor.

The article also mentions another interesting blog, Unemploymentality.com and one of it's founders, Tania Khadder who's quoted as saying, "Being unemployed, took my attention, which was spread over a lot of different things, and gave it focus. In a way, it derailed my financial plan. But it accelerated my professional plan." Ms. Khadder's plan is to attend graduate school focused on public policy.

I realize that no one wishes to be unemployed and that many are struggling to pay for even basic expenses even with unemployment checks. For those however who do have the means to invest in themselves and their futures careerwise, many are having fun exploring their interests, talents and passions. Share your thoughts on the upside to unemployment - positive perspectives welcome!

Travel to Boost Your Career

Is it a good or bad idea to take a trip after you've been laid-off? Some people think it's a great mental health break while others think it's a foolish waste of resources. Weigh in and share your comments below. Read on for both sides of the argument and to see where I stand:

Bad Idea: Sit Tight and Save Up VS. Great Idea: Take Time Out to Travel

Share your comments on whether traveling is a smart move after a layoff and why you think that way. And tune into my career talk radio show this month for my interview with journalist Melanie Nayer on the benefits of a travel sabbatical in between jobs!

Career Advice for Business Owners (from NY Times Best Selling Author Christine Comaford)

Earlier this year, I interviewed Christine Comaford, author of Rules for Renegades on my radio show about building a mighty venture. Christine has consulted to the White House, 700 of the Fortune 1000, and over 100 small businesses. She has neither a high school diploma nor college degree but she has built and sold five of her own businesses and served as a board director or in-the-trenches advisor to 36 startups.

Here are her key tips on one business building killer: Lack of Reliable Revenue.

Not having reliable revenue systems spells death to more businesses than I could count in a lifetime. To begin with, it totally drains you of much-needed energy and kills your creativity day after day. When it comes to growing your business, CASH IS KING, and the best way to generate cash for your business FAST is by generating profitable SALES. To increase your sales, you need to learn to disqualify sales leads.

Here’s the 1-2-3 for creating healthier leads.

1. Set your objective for prospecting. Shifting your objective from getting the appointment to determining whether the prospect qualifies for an appointment is key. Next, eliminate your fear of rejection; it’s easier to do this when you aren’t begging for sales meetings. Instead of begging for meetings, identify your target prospects using specifics, such as price point, budgets, decision-making ability and schedules. Only make appointments with prospects who need, want, and can afford what you are selling and are willing to buy from you now.

2. Start separating real leads from unlikely ones. This type of prospecting is essentially a practice of sorting and identifying by talking to as many people as you can in the shortest amount of time. This involves learning how to disqualify a low probability prospect and maintain control of the interaction. Remember, whoever asks the questions is in control. Here are a few key reminders to keep in mind when you make calls: A) I work with high probability prospects only. I disqualify everyone else. B) “No” is just as good as “yes.” C) When in doubt, I disqualify.

3. Stay focused. Fear is what keeps most of us chasing sales leads that we know aren’t high probability. Here are three ways to stay on track and further cement this learning into your sales process. A) You are training prospects when you disqualify them. B) Deal with discomfort by acknowledging it and pushing through it anyway. C) Remind yourself often that this is the disqualification game.

Remember, you have no power to make a high probability prospect. You do have the power to disqualify – and THAT is the key to creating a healthier list of prospects, clients, and ultimately the future of your successful and well-financed business.

Thanks Christine! For more on this subject, Visit the "Resources" section of her Mighty Ventures Web site for free financing, sales, marketing, and operational documents, templates, and white papers and see Christine's Results Now Webinar.

Have a business you need to build revenue for? Share your challenges here and success stories too. Being your own boss is a dream for many, let's make it a reality! Looking forward to your comments.

Maximizing Results with a Career Coach

I am honored to write this guest blog for my Career Coach Maggie Mistal. I have been inspired and motivated by Maggie throughout the coaching process. The experience has been extremely valuable in helping me launch LSR Coaching and Consulting, LLC in only a few months after leaving my corporate career. The accelerated timing is due entirely to my coaching with Maggie.

If you are considering hiring a career coach, there are a few things you need to keep in mind:
• First, you need to hire a qualified coach. Maggie is an excellent example and offers a complimentary consultation to determine if she is the right fit for you.
• Second, be prepared to work hard. A career coach will guide you and will have discovery exercises to help you. The experience is only valuable, however, if you complete the exercises and really put your self into the work entailed.
• Third, be creative in the ways you “try on” a new career. Be prepared to network and research your career interests. With my new business, networking is an important aspect of my marketing plan. I wish I would have started networking years ago because it would have made getting started much easier. It is never too late to start though! I started networking about four months ago and recently conducted a well received mini-workshop at one of my networking meetings. There are many ways to network such as Chambers of Commerce, groups for your profession, Toastmasters, economic clubs, etc. Try various avenues to see what is most comfortable for you.

Through my coaching with Maggie, I realized my dream of starting an attention coaching business shortly after taking a voluntary buy-out from the automotive industry. My business is in a relatively new field that coaches people to overcome challenges associate with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder or Attention Deficit Disorder although someone doesn’t need a diagnosis to benefit. Clients have been motivated to improve academic performance and develop time-saving routines at home among other results. To learn more, visit me at www.MyAttentionCoach.com.

Thanks Laura! And share what results you'd like to see materialize more quickly in your own career! Is there a business you'd like to start? Are you thinking about coaching as a career? What strategies have worked for you to get faster results in reaching your career goals?

Career Advice for Working Moms

According to Harvard Business Publishing, 75% of women of child-bearing age (24 to 44) have a job or want one. As a career coach, I help many moms work smarter not harder. Use these simple strategies to keep your career on track while still being a super mom:

1. Keep networking. With all the demands on their time, most moms find they network less and less. By losing touch with your company or your industry you run the risk of missing out on opportunities. Instead, resolve to attend a minimum of 3 networking events a year and choose wisely. High profile events, industry-wide events and company events are great. Don’t forget your child’s games and practices too. Learn what other moms and dads do for a living and share contacts. Your next great career connection might be closer than you think.

2. Advocate for yourself. The fastest climbers up the corporate ladder are not the ones who do the most work. Rather they work strategically, focusing on work that impacts the bottom-line and gets them noticed. Whether you’re VP or mailroom clerk, you have the chance to make a difference. Don’t just do what you’re told. Come up with new ideas and strategies to get work done and save the company money. And let the higher-ups know about it when you catch them in the elevator.

3. Delegate. Getting it done right doesn't always mean doing it yourself. In fact, if you want to get more done in less time you need to delegate effectively. That means finding resources who are qualified, whom you can train to do work for you. Interns are a great option. They are eager to learn and don’t mind doing a lot of different tasks. But always make sure to have the delegatee repeat back the assignment; that way you can avoid any miscommunication and ensure the assignment is done right.

For Moms returning to work, check out my recent video on How to Rejoin the Workforce After a Break from Motherhood.

And if you have a working Mom you'd like to thank, share your comments here. I thank my Mom for showing me how to make a great living doing what you love. You see, she went to medical school after having 3 kids and with the support of my Dad and grandparents, achieved her dream too. Tell me about your Mom and what she taught you about having a great life and career. Happy Mother's Day!

Don't Wait Too Long to Follow Your Dreams

This weekend I sang my heart out off-Broadway in NYC. The show, entitled "Follow Your Dreams" included me singing jazz classics - each with an inspirational message, as well as a mini-workshop where the emcee took the audience through a fun, interactive dream building session. All of this backed up by a fabulous trio of musicians on bass, piano and trumpet. To check out the bass and trumpet player, visit The Jazz Conceptions Orchestra.

As part of my "walk the talk" philosophy, it's been important to not only tell others to go after their dreams but to be an example myself. I am happy to report that many said it was my best performance yet! I've also made it a point to have others in the show who are walking examples of living the dream. This includes the band as well as the emcee for the show, Craig.

A former financial services consultant, Craig was laid-off in January. For some, losing a job is a negative but for Craig it has been a blessing in disguise. (It was for me too - read my layoff into a positive story.) Resident travel writer for RealHoboken.com for the past 3 years, Craig traveled the world with consulting and published many of his travel adventures. Now with 20 stories in his portfolio, Craig is taking a chance on his dream of becoming a full-time writer.

First he started by taking a Vocation Vacation where he spent two intense days being mentored by a professional travel writer. Next he put himself "out there" as a writer by appearing on Fox & Friends for a career change segment. He also took me up on an offer of career coaching, writing out his day-in-the-life vision as a professional writer. Now four months later, Craig's dream career is becoming reality. He is writing for travel and cultural blogs as well as pursuing several ghost writing opportunities. He has room to grow to get back to his Wall Street level salary but he's excited to use this time to invest in his dream career.

One of the songs I sang in the show was made famous by Madeleine Peyroux, called Don't Wait Too Long. It says, "Take a chance, play your part!" Well Craig is not only taking a chance on his career, he is also playing his part in inspiring others. Thank you for walking the talk Craig!

If you've taken a chance on a new career, share it here. How did you do it? It's okay if you're not there yet. Just share what part you would most like to play in life and career. Don't Wait Too Long because "time can slip away."

It's Never Too Late to Follow Your Dreams

Have you ever felt uninspired? Have you ever thought about passion and purpose only to feel as if you don't really have much of either? If so, you are definitely not alone. Many of my clients come to me for help uncovering their true aspirations. (To read my article on Finding Your Purpose, click here.)

The key is to recognize that 1) you DEFINITELY do have passion and purpose. It may only be a a little burning pilot light but deep within you there is a knowing of who you are and what you're in this life to become. And 2) sometimes you need a spark to fan that flame into a beautiful, blazing fire.

For me that pilot light was burning for my desire to sing. I love helping people with careers but part of me always dreamt of being a singer. I never thought it was something I could make a living at so I didn't sing at all. Until recently.

About 2 years ago, a colleague was coaching me about writing and said, "You should take a writing class." Immediately a thought sprang to mind from deep within, "If you're going to take a writing class, you have to take a singing class FIRST. You want to be a singer not a writer." It was an epiphany!

I immediately started surfing the web to find a singing coach but there were so many options, I didn't know which to choose. I emailed a contact I had met at SIRIUS XM who was a career opera singer for recommendations. Coincidentally, she gave voice lessons and also needed some career coaching, so we set up a barter.

It was as if my little pilot light of a dream had sparked into a flame! I started taking lessons and after about a year and a half of building my skills and confidence, I was ready for my first cabaret show. That was last July. To see a clip, click here.

That show was one of the scariest and most rewarding things I've ever done. I'm also convinced it sparked many other great opportunities in my career. After my first cabaret show I was asked to do more career talk radio on SIRIUS XM. To tune into for free to my weekly radio show, click here. And after my second show in October of last year, I was asked to make my first appearance on CNN as a career expert. To see a clip, click here.

Now this coming Saturday, April 25th from 4-5pm I'm putting on my Follow Your Dreams cabaret once again. I've been blessed with a fabulous trio of musicians trained at none other than Juilliard! All the songs I sing have an inspirational message and you even get the chance to think about and share your own dreams as part of the show. To learn more, click here.

I recently saw an off-Broadway show on the life of the "first lady of song" Ella Fitzgerald. Seeing that show inspired me and fanned the flames even more. It's my hope that if you're in need of a little inspiration, that you'll join me next Saturday at Don't Tell Mama in NYC from 4-5pm. Life don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!

Government Career Advice Q & A

My radio interview this week with Stewart Liff, author of Managing Your Government Career sparked some great listener emails. Stewart was kind enough to respond to the additional questions with the inside scoop on landing a government job!

Question: How do you get around the system? No doubt there are many of us with great credentials but otherwise shouldn't waste our time due to gaps in our employment, bad employers or firms that have been merged, purged, bought and sold so that we can't provide references. Is this a lost cause? If so, are there still opportunities to work for the government without the paperwork? Consulting? Appointments by elected officials?

Answer: There are several ways to work for the government. The most direct way is to become a government employee. If you do not have references to cover the immediate past, this will not disqualify you for government employment, as they are not really taken into account until the end of of the selection process. At that point, if they like you well enough to tentatively select you, the odds are that a gap in your employment will not be a concern, particularly if it is driven by the economy, which everyone understands has had an adverse impact on many people. Consulting opportunities certainly exist with the government, but there are a wide variety of rules and regulations that govern this process. You can 1) try and consult directly with the government, which often involves having to either bid for government contracts that are announced to the public; 2) get on a GSA schedule as an approved vendor; or 3) work for a company that consults with with the government. Political appointments are generally at a high level and often, but not always go to people who were involved in the most recent Presidential campaign.

Question: Are there professionals we can hire to do the paperwork for us? How much? For the working person, it may well be worth $500 to $1,000 when we don't have the time to do it ourselves.

Answer: I'm sure there are, especially retired Human Resources experts. However, the most important part of the application process is your resume, which you should develop on your own. Once that is completed you can use that for every job announcement you are interested in (although you should customize it for different jobs.) Beyond that, all you would have to do is either answer several questions designed to identify your knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) or respond to a series of multiple choice questions. Once you have applied for a few jobs, the process will pretty much be the same and the amount of work involved in submitting your application should drop precipitously.

Question: Does the government use recruiters/headhunters?

Answer: Not that I am aware. The people who get the best jobs with the government follow the strategies I've laid out in "Managing your Government Career." They apply only for the jobs that are a good fit for them, they submit a first-class application that distinguishes themselves from the competition and they come to the interview on time and well prepared.

Thanks to Stewart Liff for sharing his insights. If you have a career or industry you'd like to learn more about, share your comments here. Life's too short not to do work you love! Here's to us all Making a Great Living.

Ready to work for Uncle Sam? Government Careers and How to Land Them

Interested in one of the 48000 job openings with Uncle Sam and almost 26000 employment opportunities for students?

Tune in today for my special "Where the Government Jobs Are" segment on Making a Living with Maggie at 4pm EST/1pm PST on Martha Stewart Living Radio SIRIUS 112/XM 157. My guest will be Stewart Liff, author of Managing Your Government Career.

According to Stewart who began his government career in 1974, you need to put together a solid package of information to land a government job - from detailed work history, to education transcripts, to salary information. It's this information that the hiring manager will use to decide which government level you fit into and if you have the necessary experience.

Also most challenging for people not used to applying for government careers are the additional questions you need to answer as part of the application. Supplemental Qualification Statements (SQS) can contain over 100 detailed questions about your skills and experience.

It may take patience to apply for a government job but once you land one, you can make a difference. As evidenced by my guest later today Stewart Liff - winner of the President's Rank Award for Meritorious Service. Join me today and learn more about how you can make a great living working for Uncle Sam!

Have you applied for a government job or been in a government career? What tips have worked for you in landing a job and building a fulfilling career within federal, state or local government? What are the pros and cons of this path? Share your advice!

Real Life Success Story - Using the Downturn to Springboard into a New Career

When times are uncertain, it can feel safest to hunker down and wait out the storm. It's an approach many are taking, just being thankful for having a job at all. My concern with this approach are the missed opportunities. People who were never really happy in their careers to begin with, are now settling for a less than rewarding career path.

Perhaps its time to take a different approach. Perhaps it's time to see opportunity in change. In my webinar earlier this week, this was the central message and for my clients, many are now seeing this as the perfect time to reinvent themselves and their careers.

If you feel the same, join me this Wednesday, April 8th for a very special Making a Living with Maggie on Martha Stewart Living Radio SIRIUS 112 and XM 157 (listen free here). One of my very own clients. Laura Rolands of myattentioncoach.com will be on hand to share her very real story of successful career change, using the economic downturn as a springboard.

Together Laura and I will share tips and advice to help you move your career forward in new and interesting ways. Tune in and join the conversation during this live radio broadcast and call in with your specific career questions at 1-866-675-6675.

You'll not only learn something new when it comes to managing your career but also get the inspiration and motivation you need to make your ideal career a reality now!

What success story would you like to see happen in your career? Already made a career change and want to share your story - comment here, now!

Landing Your Dream Job in a Recession

Many thanks to my colleague and fellow career coach Allison Cheston for the opportunity to guest post on her blog for Examiner.com. Allison has appeared on my radio show and is a career change expert and authority on executive search.

My guest post, "Landing Your Dream Job in a Recession: Why Now is No Time to Settle" is available now on Allison's Career Change blog. Here is a sample tip from that post: To land a job you have to be the best at what you do. Employers have their pick of candidates. In order to stand out, you must focus on positions where you are particularly talented. Each one of us is a unique individual with a unique set of skills and talents. Align those talents with your dream job and you will stand out from the crowd.

Click here to read more of my tips and advice on how to go after your ideal career!

What's your dream job? What would you LOVE to be doing right now? What do you need to make it a reality?

Retirement - still possible in a bad economy?

Many baby boomers are choosing to stay in their jobs given the economic downturn. And for those who've lost their jobs, retirement can seem challenging to reach.

Join me this Wednesday 4pm EST/1pm PST as I interview CNBC's resident retirement expert Bill Losey. A certified financial planner and author of "Retire in a Weekend! The Baby Boomers Guide to Making Work Optional", Bill will share the key steps to retire despite a bad economy. Also on the show, Danny Kofke, author of "How to Survive (and perhaps thrive) on a Teacher's Salary."

All that and your career questions answered on Making a Living with Maggie SIRIUS 112 and XM 157. Hope you can tune in! For a free trial of SIRIUS, click here.

The Top 10 Growing Industries for Jobs

If you missed me on CNN this week, you have another chance to hear where the jobs are.

Tune in for my interview on The Bill Handel Show KFI AM 640 LIVE from Southern California today (Mar 19th) at 10:30am eastern/7:30am pacific. Bill hosts the #1 rated morning show in the area with more than a million listeners. I'll be talking about the top 10 growing industries and how to transition into a new career!

For those not living in Southern California you can tune in LIVE by clicking here. If you don't have a chance to tune in LIVE then a podcast will be available for download here after the show.

Hope you can tune in!

New Ways to Avoid Layoffs, Today at 4pm EST SIRIUS 112/XM 157

Layoffs actually cost companies more than they save.

That's according to Work Life Fit expert Cali Williams Yost, my guest today on Making a Living with Maggie (SIRIUS 112/XM 157 4pm EST). To tune in using a free trial of SIRIUS, click here.

Last week, during her interview on Public Radio International's The Takeaway, Cali highlighted that managers think firing someone who makes $50,000 a year saves $50,00a year, but the research shows it's costing them between $75,000 and $125,000. Cali advises companies instead to use flexibility, such as reduced schedules/salaries, adding unpaid vacation days, furloughs/sabbaticals, etc., as a better approach to reducing labor expenses because it preserves the profit-generating productivity and engagement critical for recovery. Click here for more details in Cali's blog post.

Unfortunately many companies are turning to layoffs to save costs at this time. If you or someone you know has been let go from a job recently, there are steps you can take to recover. Join me tomorrow (Thurs, March 19th at 8pm EST) for a one hour webinar on Leveraging Change to Move Your Career Forward. Click here to learn more and email me at maggie@maggiemistal.com to sign up.

It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change. ~Author unknown

Guest Post: Career Advice on the Growing Field of Environmental Careers

My client Julie, Principal at Ecology and Environment, Inc. is a prime example of a person making a great living while making a difference. Read below for more on a day in the life with Julie and what career opportunities are available in the growing field of environmental careers...

Maggie - thanks so much for inviting me to write on your blog. Working with you definitely helped me think through how to match my career with my personal priorities. I do feel fortunate with the work that I do.

No day is ever quite the same as the next in my job, though there are consistent themes. We are an environmental consulting firm so we deal mainly with issues that affect human health and the environment.

Specifically our mission is to find workable, sustainable solutions to any environmental and human health problem that could pose a concern to human settlements and natural eco-systems. What this means is that I could be working on a contingency plan for water resources one day and be reviewing a climate action plan for a University the next. The topics are wide ranging but the purpose is singular. We try to make our communities better places to live.

As a Principal with the firm, I am responsible for directing client relationships and engagements, business development and mentoring junior staff. One of my primary goals for any client engagement is to make sure our clients and staff receive the recognition they deserve for their efforts. This year one of my clients is presenting our work at the 2009 American Water Works Association Annual Conference and Exhibition. We are very excited for them.

There are so many different types of jobs related to the environment. I have friends who are investors in start-up enviro-tech companies, others who are Corporate Sustainability public relations specialists and still others who focus on specific aspects such as energy conservation. The field is quite broad and growing. What I am really pleased about is that environmental work is no longer just seen as tree hugging. There are real operational and economic reasons to incorporate environmental concerns into businesses and our communities. Energy efficiency, scarce resources, mitigating natural disasters are just a few.

I encourage anyone who is interested in helping to shape our future pursue a career related to the environment. I have found it most rewarding.

Thank you Julie. Click here for more information on environmental careers. Are you looking to change careers into the growing environmental field? Is it your dream job to make a living and make a difference? Perhaps now is the perfect time for a career change.

Special Webinar: Leveraging Change to Move Your Career Forward 3/19 8pm EST

"I totally agree with Maggie that things happen for a reason - and "change"
allows us to move on because it is the right time. With every bad situation - always look for the positive side." - webinar participant

Change is the one constant we can count on. I learned that early on in my career when my employer (Arthur Andersen) shut its doors and 80,000 of us across the world were out of work. It's difficult to go through a layoff. Feelings of shock, anger and fear can be overwhelming.

I understand career impacting change and have lived through it and you can too. To help you deal with the career changes affecting you, I'm offering a special webinar on leveraging change Thursday March 19th from 8-9pm EST.

In this one hour interactive session, I'll share a three step process for not only recovering from a career impacting change but also understanding how to use change to your advantage and come out better for it in your career. There will be time for questions to address specific challenges you're having as well. The webinar price is $19.95. For additional information and to sign up, email me at coaching@maggiemistal.com.

Here's what participants have said about this webinar in the past:
"Maggie is a true sage and has an incredibly positive outlook on life...Not only was it informative - it gave us a chance to be among all those whose positions have been eliminated and capture some of the feelings that we all probably feel..."

All is not lost if you've been laid-off. Change can work to your advantage if you know how to leverage it. Register and join the webinar on March 19th at 8pm EST.

Avoiding Job Scams

Recently, I was dismayed to hear about the number of people getting roped into job scams. Sarah Needleman reported in the Wall Street Journal that "There isn't always a job behind an online job posting."

According to the article, sometimes employment ads are an underhanded way to get you to listen to a career marketing pitch or worse yet, an identity theft or money laundering scheme. With rising unemployment, the scammers are looking to take advantage of people in desperate situations.

To avoid getting scammed, follow these tips noted in the article:

--Be suspicious if information is lacking. If the job posting does not list details on the hiring company or position, it might not be real. If a name is listed, try calling the company to make sure the job posting is legitimate.
--Don't share important information. On your resume, consider using a PO Box instead of your real address and a disposable email address.
--Check for complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau (www.BBB.org) against the hiring company or job placement agency noted in the employment ad.

Still the best tride and true advice if you don't want to be the victim of a scam - If it seems to good to be true, it probably is.

Have you or someone you know been the victim of a job hunting scam? If you've experienced a job scam or successfully avoided one, share your story in the comments below. It will help us all stay informed and protected!

Want your dream career? Learn from your Heroes and Tune into My Radio Show

I've been working remotely these past few weeks from Southern California. Soaking up the sun and beautiful coastline views. I've been taking client appointments, writing my blog, even doing my radio show live from San Diego. It's fun to connect in person with my West Coast clients and visit with my sister (and otherwise Virtual Assistant) who lives here as well.

Besides getting a break from the cold weather of the Northeast, I've also been happily surprised by the admiration of my clients and friends at my working vacation. They are all so happy that I am "living the dream".

What's amazing is that not so many years ago, I too was saying the same to Deepak Chopra on my radio show. I remember being fascinated by a day in his life living and working in Maui. To be as inspired as he needs to be in his chosen career, it only made sense that his work location fit the task. Seeing one of my heroes go after and create what he wanted, only inspired me more to go after and get what I wanted.

--Look to your heroes. Write down of list of the 2 or 3 people you admire most and why. What qualities or accomplishments or lifestyles do your heroes have that you want?
--If they achieved, you can too. You can only admire qualities in others that you possess yourself. If your heroes achieved great things, that just means it's possible for you too.
--Learn from their mistakes too. Your heroes are only human and have had ups and downs just like everyone else. Invest some time in reading the turning points in your heroes' careers. You'll find that they've had setbacks too. Setbacks that they overcame and you can too.

I'd like to know who your heroes are. Who do you admire and why? What do you hope to achieve that your heroes have achieved? Living the dream is closer than you think.

For more inspiration and career advice, tune into my radio show, "Making a Living with Maggie", Wednesdays at 4pm EST/1pm PST on SIRIUS 112/XM 157. This week, I'm joined by self-made millionaire Christine Comaford who'll share tips form her New York Times best-selling book - Rules For Renegades: How to Make More Money, Rock Your Career and Revel in Your Individuality. I'll also have a day in the life with a top hotel concierge from The New York Palace hotel. Click here for a free three-day trial of SIRIUS so you can tune in!