What to Do with The Rest of Your Life America's Top Career Coach Shows You How to Find or Create the Job You'll LOVE

by Ryan, Robin

• ISBN13: 9780743224505
• ISBN10: 0743224507
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-09-10
• Publisher: Touchstone

Summary

Stuck in a job that's going nowhere? Hate going to work? Pounding the pavement looking for an opportunity? Bored? Whether you are caught in a career crisis, a victim of corporate downsizing, or suffering from old-fashioned burnout, you need America's #1 career coach, Robin Ryan.Robin has the answers. She will show you that your perfect career is waiting for you no matter what your age or income. Most important, Robin Ryan provides great advice for the millions who feel trapped in their jobs and need a change but also need to maintain their income.

Author Biography

Robin Ryan is the author of four bestselling books. She has appeared on more than seven hundred television and radio programs and has been featured in Money. Newsweek, Cosmopolitan, McCall's, and Fortune, as well as USA Today. The Wall Street Journal. The New York Times, and the Chicago Tribune. She has a career consulting practice in Seattle

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. ix
Preface: Getting the Most from This Book	p. xv
Figuring It Out	p. 1
Define Your Passion	p. 3
Why Change?	p. 4
The Hottest, Fastest Growing Career Fields	p. 9
Our Identities and Our Careers	p. 10
Identify Your Best Skills, Values, and Interests	p. 12
Skills Identification	p. 14
Values Assessment	p. 19
Blending Your Career with a Family	p. 20
Interests	p. 26
Creating Your Professional Profile and New Direction	p. 27
Determine Your Ideal Job and Workplace	p. 29
Is Business Ownership for You?	p. 31
Your Future	p. 32
Define Your Ideal Job	p. 33
Look Before You Leap	p. 34
Putting It All Together	p. 34
Career Killers to Avoid	p. 38
Moving On	p. 47
Hire Me--Strategic Ways to Land a Great Job	p. 49
Know Where to Look	p. 51
Job-Hunting Strategies	p. 52
Tapping into the Hidden Job Market	p. 57
Is a Company's Culture the Right Fit for You?	p. 74
Relocation--How to Find a Job When You Tag Along	p. 76
Summary	p. 78
Launching a Business	p. 80
Key Mistakes to Avoid in Running a Business	p. 86
Start-up Options	p. 90
How to Start a Business While You Still Work Full-time	p. 96
Turn a Hobby into a Career	p. 97
Where Does the Start-up Money Come From?	p. 98
Running the Business	p. 100
Now It's Your Turn	p. 101
Getting Paid Well for What You Do	p. 104
Salary Negotiations	p. 105
Why Women Are Still Paid Less Than Men	p. 106
Determine Your Competitive Salary Worth	p. 108
Conclusion	p. 119
Staying Put	p. 121
CEOs and Top Executives Reveal How to Get Promoted	p. 123
Survey Results	p. 124
Technical Competence and More	p. 126
Network ... Network ... Network	p. 133
CEOs Reveal What It Takes to Get to the Top	p. 139
Increase Your Competitive Advantage with These Tools	p. 140
Moving into Management	p. 145
When the Best Way to Get Ahead Is to Move On	p. 152
Making the Most of Your Current Job	p. 154
Summary	p. 156
Get That Raise!	p. 159
Worst Ways of Asking for a Raise	p. 160
Where the Biggest Raises Come From	p. 161
The Secrets of Getting That Raise	p. 162
When the Answer Is No	p. 170
Moving Your Business to the Next Level	p. 172
Getting Business to Come to You	p. 173
More Effective Marketing Strategies	p. 174
On Becoming an Authority	p. 180
Make Money Off Your Website	p. 182
Publicity--How to Get Your Name in the News	p. 185
Free Up Time to Make More $$$	p. 194
Strategies for Setting Business Fees and Prices for Products or Services	p. 196
Learn Business Skills from Business Experts	p. 205
Summary	p. 206
Conclusion: Go for It!	p. 209
The Rewards of Meaningful Work	p. 211
More Career Help Available	p. 217
Recommended Resources	p. 219
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

Define Your Passion

I've always believed that any person with a little ability, a little guts, some persisitence, and some determination could achieve whatever he or she could dream.

Are you ready to move on? Make a change?

You'll spend about eleven thousand days working over your lifetime, and I believe they should be rewarding and happy ones. This book's goal is to help you decide how you're going to spend your days--at what job, at what level, where you do it, and how it will affect your life and your family for all the weeks to come. It's not just a career book, though because--contrary to public opinion--you cannot compartmentalize your life. You have onlyone life.Your career, your family, your hobbies, and your socializing are all parts of your life--the only life you have to live. So, as we work together, I'll refer to your life and how you'll blend your career goals with both your family and your financial needs.

The first thing to determine is exactly what you want. I've worked with many clients who have faced the decisions you face now and moved on to a better and more fulfilling situation.

Sucessful people love their work, excel at it, and find meaning and happiness performing it. You are about to investigate many potential options: something new, bigger, better, different, or part-time, or even something you create and own. You can ponder and explore a new field or industry, land a promotion, and perhaps even consider a new location. You might be burnt out or simply want a position that allows more flexibility and time to be with your children. Starting completely over at the bottom in a new career just isn't financially feasible for a lot of people whose lifestyle includes a house, two cars, kids and so forth. But changing careers doesn't have to mean a big drop in pay, as you'll see in later chapters. We'll look at your income objectives and make that a part of your career goals. Maybe all you need to do is clearly sell the skills and talents you already possess. You may need training or more specialty courses or even degree to make your move. We'll investigate it all and set a plan of action in motion. If a move up is in your future, then hold tight, for included in this book is a new CEO/top executive survey on exactlyhowto get promoted and even reach the top if that's your goal.

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Excerpted from What to Do with the Rest of Your Life: America's Top Career Coach Shows You How to Find or Create the Job You'll LOVE by Robin Ryan
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.