Dilip Saraf's blog

With the new Yahoo! CEO Scott Thompson now in the spotlight for lying about his academic qualifications, the focus on people lying on their résumés is back in the media. In his case his degree in Computer Science that appears on his résumé was found to be a misstatement.

With the improving job market and exploding new technology areas in which new talent is desperately needed (Big data, HTML-5, Mobile Payments, Gaming, Social Media, to name just a few in the technology space alone), many are seeking greener pastures and are aggressively looking to change their jobs.

Over the past seven years, since its inception, LinkedIn has become a veritable boon for professionals in how they manage their career. When used properly by the professionals (vs. recruiters and employers) it can provide you with a powerful career-enabling tool that was previously missing.

In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit. —Albert Schweitzer, philosopher, physician, musician, Nobel laureate (1875-1965).

Having worked with thousands of clients globally I have kept track of some of the main reasons professionals come to me as my clients. This blog is about some of the most common reasons people get into trouble with their careers, and is also about some ways of either avoiding or overcoming those trouble spots (the remedies I suggest to them).

A noticeable percentage of my clients, who are in their corporate careers also have a dream of becoming an entrepreneur one day. Their entrepreneurial predilections are apparent when they disclose that in the Client Intake Questionnaire, and in a more subtle way, when I look at their performance and engagement in their jobs.

As a career coach I have worked with thousands of clients and prospects. This blog is about a partial catalog of unwitting behaviors that I find get in the way of those who are trying to get ahead in life. When I observe them from my clients I tell them and try to correct them from their errant ways.

During my 10 years of career coaching, working with some 5,000 clients, I have encountered many situations that my clients had to face at their employers. Some came to me after realizing that they had done something wrong in their job or in their career that was now causing them grief.

During the past two weeks I got three calls from potential clients. When I asked them the reason for their contacting me they all said that they just had been given their Annual Performance Review and that they were rated overall as “Needing Improvement.” They wanted to know if I could help them recover from this set back.