My Best Career Advice

Dear Cassie,

You give a lot of career advice. What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?

Just Curious

 

Dear Just Curious,

Wow, that’s a good one especially because I’m stunned at how difficult I’m finding this question especially when I dole out career advice all day long. Even today a candidate was telling me that she’s afraid to commit to a consulting firm on a full time basis and I asked her if she had also thought about the commitment the firm would make to her in the form of training, development, mentorship, benefits, and more. She hadn’t by the way.Dear Cassie

The best career advice I ever received was over breakfast, banana pancakes and a Diet Coke, at Lou Mitchell’s in downtown Chicago before I joined Cipe Consulting Group. I was breakfasting with a Senior Partner from Korn Ferry and friend of a family friend; one who I should stay in touch with come to think of it. I was telling him about the potential benefits and associated risks with joining a firm that, at the time, only had three partners, a website, and no business. After I blabbered on enough, he said to me, “So what’s the problem?”

Essentially his advice boiled down to the proverbial push off the cliff.

Therefore, as cheesy as it sounds, the best career advice I ever received was to go for it and let future Cassie worry about the outcome and challenges. Please don’t mistake this advice with that of “follow your passion,” which is constantly given out by executives and is worthless in my opinion. This advice is: take the big career advancing opportunity that is at your door. Take the risk, just go for it.

Thanks Just Curious!

Cassie

Have a career question you’d like to see addressed in this column?  Post it in the comments, and I’ll do my best to answer it!

About the author

Cassie Sturdevant

Cassie Sturdevant is a Senior Recruiter for Impact Advisors, a healthcare IT strategic and implementation services consulting firm just named 2013 Best in KLAS for Overall Services. She specializes in humor and follow up.

6 Comments

  • Dear Cassie,

    I’m enjoying your new column and am looking forward to learning more tips!

    I have a question. I’m putting together a resume for the first time in ages (I’ve been with the same hospital for 23 years), and I’m worried that if I list all of my experience and the date of my nursing school graduation that recruiters will pass me over for being too old. Is this a legitimate concern? Should I leave the dates off?

    Thank you in advance for any advice you can provide.

    Cindy

  • ooooohhhhh, thanks for your question, Cindy! Look for my response in my next column!

    Cassie

  • Dear Cassie,

    Do recruiters still expect a written resume, or is a link to my LinkedIn profile enough? It’s basically the same information and it seems redundant to create a resume.

    Thanks,

    Tim

  • Thank you for the question, Tim. Watch for my long answer in an upcoming column and my short answer is yes.

    Cassie

  • Dear Cassie,

    What’s the best way to handle references? Should I put “References Upon Request” on my resume and wait for a request, or should I just include them with my application? I have some great references that I think will help land me an interview, but I don’t want to appear too forward. And, are LinkedIn recommendations good enough for references?

    Thank you!!!

    Barb

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