StartingBlock Career Services, LLC

06/04/2025

I had a blast joining Keith Liscio on his Beyond the Nine to Five podcast! We dug into career myths, business ownership, and the kind of career micro-chats that keep things real, reminding us we’re all figuring it out as we go.

🎥 Scroll down on this link to watch the video podcast:
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7336084296878735360/

And if we’re not connected on LinkedIn yet—let’s change that. I’d be glad to stay in touch!

I had a great time joining Keith Liscio on his podcast Beyond the Nine to Five! We dove into career myths, business ownership, and those meaningful moments that shape our work lives. I enjoy career micro-chats like this, real talk reminds us we're all just navigating our careers and trying to ma...

04/02/2025

⏳ There's still time to register!

Proud to partner with ASIS International, a truly outstanding association that consistently supports security professionals' growth, leadership, and success worldwide.

📌Join me on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, for "Communicating Your Value Part 1: The Foundation – Success Starts with What & How YOU Communicate."

Unlock your potential and amplify your career success with this webinar designed specifically for security professionals. I'll share practical tools and strategies to help you communicate your value—whether you're exploring new roles, advancing your current one, or negotiating your next big opportunity.

🕰️ 12:30 –1:30 pm ET | Virtual

📌Real talk. Real tools. Real results.

👉 Register here: https://store.asisonline.org/communicating-your-value-part-1-the-foundation-success-starts-with-what-how-you-communicate.html

📣 Know someone in the security field? Please SHARE THIS POST or tag a colleague who would benefit from joining!
Presented by Ellen Steverson, Career Management Strategist and Co-Author of CM Book: Fall of 2025 | Founder of StartingBlock Career Services 🎤 Conference Speaker, Presenter & Trainer | 📚 5X Certified Executive Resume Writer & LinkedIn NCOPE

02/19/2025

My colleague Thomas Powner, sent out a great LI post today. Here's my comment I added "Ah, the age-old debate: 1-page vs. 2-page resumes. The truth? One-pagers work for entry-level roles, minimal experience, or academic settings (because schools don’t want to double their workload, so they teach a one-size-fits-all format). But in the real world? A well-crafted 2-page resume lets professionals showcase key results, metrics, and keywords—not just for ATS ranking, but to prove they actually get their role. The goal isn’t just to list experience; it’s to spark interest, land interviews, and ultimately, negotiate better offers. Resumes are the starting block to better conversations—and better conversations lead to better pay. Simple." As a former exec recruiter, I can tell you—no hiring manager has ever complained about flipping to page 2 when making a crucial hiring decision. In fact, they prefer it. A bad hire falls on them, so they want substance, not a vague one-pager. Why start your relationship with a company by underselling your dynamic career?

04/30/2019

Excited to announce The Motivated College Graduate book by Brian Howard is now available on Amazon. It was a great opportunity to work with Brian and have my work published in this amazing book with other colleagues.

https://www.amazon.com/Motivated-College-Graduate-Search-Graduates/dp/1608082091/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1AT00P2XPFZRB&keywords=the+motivated+college+graduate&qid=1556637153&s=gateway&sprefix=the+motivated+college+gr%2Caps%2C241&sr=8-3

12/31/2018

Don’t neglect your network just because you found a new job. One of the most important parts of maintaining your network is providing assistance when you are asked. Be responsive to requests for help from folks in your network when you are asked. Every person you meet is a potential networking contact. But networking is a two-way relationship. Don’t just see your network as contacts — see them as people. Learn about them and what they do.

12/24/2018

You should commit to keeping your new résumé updated. If you don’t already have one, start a “brag” file. This can be a file folder or a folder on your computer that you use to collect items for updating your résumé. This can include descriptions of projects (and quantifying accomplishments related to those projects in terms of numbers, percentages, and dollars), performance reviews, testimonials or letters of appreciation from customers, awards/honors, training certificates, publications you’ve contributed to, etc.
And finally, put a note on your calendar for next year at this time to update your résumé with StartingBlock Career Services.

12/17/2018

When it comes to networking, heed the advice of author and networking pro Harvey Mackey: “If I had to name the single characteristic shared by all the truly successful people I’ve met over a lifetime, I’d say it is the ability to create and nurture a network of contacts. A network replaces the weakness of the individual with the strength of a support system. You don’t have to know everything as long as you know the people who do.”
Be sure to contact StartingBlock Career Services to learn more about effective networking through personalized career coaching.

12/10/2018

The more connections you make, the easier networking will become. Whether mentioning your job search in casual conversation, or making calls or sending emails specifically to advance your job search, you will find that people want to help you, if they can. But you will get the best results if you ask for something specific. For example, “Do you know anyone who works at ‘Company X’” instead of, “Do you know anyone who is hiring?”

12/03/2018

Thank your network! After you land your new job, be sure to thank your network — especially contacts that have specifically helped you with your job search. Send a personal note to everyone who assisted you in your search, and consider sending or giving a small gift to those who were of particular help. And don’t forget to spread the word that you’ve accepted a new opportunity.