One of the greatest gifts you can give yourself is a personal advisory board.  This is a group of people that represent what you aspire to be or to make happen.  The challenge before you could be intellectual or strategic, it could be finding balance, or a creative breakthrough.  Often this decision or the course of action, feels like an important crossroads and you feel its weight.  Your advisory board should be people who have what you want in one form or another.  Each member is someone for which you have a great deal of respect.  And, no, you don’t need to gather for one meeting in a boardroom.  Phone calls and one on one meetings are perfectly effective.

When you embark on something big, something that is really challenging, you will be tested.  Lots of fabulous clichés come from these times. Here are a few of my favorite:  What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, when the going gets tough the tough get going, it is always darkest before the dawn. You have heard them all. But what is missing from the clichés is that it is cool to ask for help. This is not the time to turn inward, even if that feels safer.  It is the time to pull-in the people who are the best and the brightest in your world.  Don’t expect them to make the big decisions for you, but get their counsel. 

What this will do for you, besides the obvious of getting good advice and maybe some fresh ideas– it will take you outside of yourself and force you to confront the hurdles that seem the most daunting.  When you open yourself up to your hand chosen advisors, you are living out what it means to trust.  Throughout my life I have had to turn to my advisory boards during crucial turning points. The members may change, or stay the same, but what has been consistent for me over the years is the meaningful difference these people have made in my life during my biggest challenges.  Pulling in the counsel of others and being willing to be good counsel is the rich stuff that when the hurdle is overcome, becomes the material for rewarding memories.  – Mary Caraccioli

If you find yourself feeling this way too, then I feel your pain. But we both have to get over ourselves and get back out there. The best way to find a job is through other people. Networking. The law of averages says you should only spend about 10% of your time looking online or at job ads. If you want to improve your odds, you have got to do more than search the ads. An easy way to get started is by getting on to some of the social networking sites. Facebook and Linkedin are very easy to set up and good general starting points. Then move on to more industry/interest specific sites. Quick rule of thumb for social networking; share. You’ve got to be part of the community, not just take from it. If you are trying to get a job share the stuff that makes you a great hire and an interesting person, not the beer bong photos from the bachelor party. Think of it like this; don’t share anything you wouldn’t want in the headlines of the newspaper. Talking about your interests and asking/answering questions about personal and professional development is a great way to build a community. As wonderful as the Internet is for community building, there is nothing better than real human contact. Get involved with something you enjoy. It will get you out of the house and in touch with lots of people.

Two more tips. Create an elevator pitch about yourself. That is a quick 20 or 30-second description of what you have to offer the world (particularly the working world). Practice it many times before you use it on a stranger. A great book for honing this skill is Peggy Klaus’ BRAG! The Art of Tooting Your Own Horn Without Blowing It.

Getting that pitch together will help you with this last tip. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Not everyone can or will help you, but you’d be surprised how many people are happy to lend a hand. You never know where that connection will lead. So share your story and your goals with anyone who will listen, they may be able to help. Be positive, be concise and be helpful to them too. – Mary Caraccioli