What happens if you find a role that you know you’d be a perfect fit for, but you don’t have direct past experience in? Naturally, the next question to ask is “How can I stand out in the sea of candidates who may have a more competitive profile than me?” If this describes your situation, then you’re in luck. This edition of Design a Career You Love will break down how to stand out and land an interview - despite not having direct experience in a role. (for those of you not in this position,...
13 days ago • 3 min read
This month, I've been getting a lot of questions about Applicant Tracking Systems and keyword matching. So let me break this down! 97% of Fortune 500 companies rely on an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to help them hire new employees. The purpose of this software system is to automate time-consuming tasks - like application screening and tracking - for talent teams and create a database of applicants for future opportunities. As a high-achieving professional, it’s important to understand...
20 days ago • 4 min read
September is the start of a new season. When we were young it meant the start of a new school year. Now that we’re older it’s the signal that we have four months left in the calendar year. Eek! Someone once said to me that the two most productive days of the year are the day after Labour Day in September and the first Monday after New Years Eve. So let’s capitalize on this season of focus. Here are three ways to increase your focus and help you achieve your goals before the end of the year....
about 2 months ago • 4 min read
This week I worked with a client who was feeling overwhelmed by his job search. Between sending out hundreds of LinkedIn messages, preparing for interviews and researching for coffee chats, he felt like he was responding to the urgent without being strategic. It was stressing him out. In our session, we worked through the different types of job search strategies… essentially the best ways to land an interview. Then, we discussed which approach to prioritize and why. Here are the options I...
2 months ago • 3 min read
Most people think the best time to engage a career coach is after a layoff or if your job search is going sideways. Those ARE good times to engage a coach to help get you on track (and I’m here for all that!)... But the clients who have experienced a truly holistic transformation don’t work with me out of desperation. They engage me as a coach as an act of foresight. They know a change is coming (or they want a change to happen), and they’re willing to put in the time and effort to invest in...
2 months ago • 2 min read
"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go." – Dr. Seuss Where do you want to go? What’s the vision for your life and your career? Are you investing in yourself today to get to where you want to go tomorrow? About 12 years ago, I began dreaming about the type of life I wanted. As a stressed out management consultant, my dreams felt far off. Like really far off. I’m a curious person and if I have a problem to solve, I’m focused on...
3 months ago • 2 min read
It’s been 18 months since I opened doors “officially” as CEO and Head Career Coach at Thain-Blonk & Associates. This is the second business I’ve built since starting a family four years ago. With each business, I’ve gotten more ruthless about how I prioritize my time. What’s my priority in this season? It’s found in the tension between time spent with family and revenue goals. As I’ve been reflecting on the last 18 months… the client success stories, the services delivered, the revenue earned...
3 months ago • 5 min read
March 2020 hit different for me. (and it wasn’t just because of lockdown) I was out of work for the first time in my life (company had closed down Jan 2020). I had just become a new mom. Life was totally different (very overwhelming actually) and I had no prior framework to navigate this season. So I did the only thing I knew to do in the midst of floundering. Dig in and learn. My biggest question? What could this season look like as a new mom going back into the workforce? What could be...
3 months ago • 4 min read
Imagine getting let go from your role, landing a new role, getting let go again due to restructuring, landing a new role, leaving due to the toxic workplace and finally landing a new role once again. All in 12 months. Sometimes life just throws it at you. I had a past client catch me up on her life and she shared that THIS WAS HER YEAR. Uggghhh. Not what I wanted to hear. But what she said next made my day. She said that because of our work, she had the skills and confidence to find and land...
3 months ago • 1 min read