The blog for all things Apochromatik.

Farther, Faster…

A message from Apochromatik

Below is a modified version of the email that went out to our list yesterday. In it, we share some of our thinking about one small thing we’re doing to ensure our own promotions don’t take up space this week that should be occupied by other voices. Please know this isn’t the polished, thoughtful statement we’d like to make, but we’ve been focused on helping our clients during this time rather than on making perfect statements, and on saying something today rather than something better down the road. Because we know that waiting to speak hasn’t helped.

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Don’t make resolutions, and 6 other tips for success in 2020

Don’t make resolutions, and 6 other tips for success in 2020

Last Wednesday wasn’t magical. 

There, I said it.  Yes, the new year is exciting – time to turn the page on 2019, and look forward to the blank slate of 2020.  If your inbox is like mine, you probably had an onslaught of emails Tuesday and Wednesday with subject lines like “New Year, New You,” “New Year, New Discoveries,” or my favorite: “New Year, New Shoes” (because evidently, the 2019 me is good enough, but my shoes aren’t?!). 

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Job Search Month: Networking

Job Search Month: Networking

September is a great time to jump start your job search, so throughout the month, we’re focusing on different elements of the process.

This week, we’re starting where your search should: networking. Whether or not you’re looking for a new position, no one has ever regretted having a strong network. From client referrals to moral support to, yes, help finding a new job, your network is an important asset you must invest in. In fact, studies show that 70 percent of jobs are filled through a networking contact,  and the average annual income for workers who got their job with a referral is 6% higher than those who didn’t.

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3 Ways to Love Your Career Again

3 Ways to Love Your Career Again

You’ve probably heard some version of the adage “Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.” I think many of us would roll our eyes, at least internally, at that.  But it is, in some respect, true.  Even if you are planning to change employers or make a career transition, falling back in love with your current position can help you be more successful both in your career, but less obviously, with a job or career change.  This week we’re going to present three strategies to fall back in love with your career.     

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Don’t make resolutions, and 6 other tips for success in 2019

Don’t make resolutions, and 6 other tips for success in 2019

Tuesday wasn’t magical. 

There, I said it.  Yes, the new year is exciting – time to turn the page on 2018, and look forward to the blank slate of 2019.  If your inbox is like mine, you probably had an onslaught of emails Tuesday and Wednesday with subject lines like “New Year, New You,” “New Year, New Discoveries,” or my favorite: “New Year, New Shoes” (because evidently, the 2018 me is good enough, but my shoes aren’t?!). 

But beyond the emails trying to get us to whip out our credit cards, the new year is a good time to reflect on last year and think about how we’d like the next year to be different.  Here’s the catch, though: You probably tried that last year, yet all of the new shoes in the world won’t help you make progress on your goals in 2019.  Instead, you need a dose of reality, and what we call the CAN-DO Formula.

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How Listening to Leslie Knope Changed My Life

How Listening to Leslie Knope Changed My Life

“As you navigate through the rest of your life, be open to collaboration.  Other people and other people’s ideas are often better than your own. Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.”

-       Amy Poehler 

 Three years ago, I didn’t know what a mastermind was.  Today, I know that my accomplishments over the last two years are attributable in many ways to the focus, accountability, and development that a mastermind provided.  In short, Amy Poehler (or, as I prefer to think of her, Leslie Knope) is right.  Let me back up.  

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Make 2019 Different (and by Different I mean Great)

Make 2019 Different (and by Different I mean Great)

Everything old is new again.  What popular 1930’s trend is back in vogue today?  

I’ll give you a hint.  Historically successful leaders like Franklin D. Roosevelt, Walt Disney, and Thomas Edison (all old, white guy business leaders)  and even author and creative J.R.R. Tolkien, were famous for participating.  The result of their participation was exponential growth in their businesses and pursuits and the “diversity” of thought they obtained from participation helped them accomplish far more than they ever could have alone.

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One Common Mistake to Avoid in the Search for True Job/Career Satisfaction

One Common Mistake to Avoid in the Search for True Job/Career Satisfaction

Job satisfaction, and for that matter career satisfaction, can play a big role in our overall happiness.  I don’t know many people who haven’t had the Sunday evening “workweek dread” come over them around 4:00 p.m.  But if that happens to you more weeks and sometimes days than not, you might need to consider whether you have real job satisfaction.

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Career Lessons from a White House Internship: Alongside a Stalker

Career Lessons from a White House Internship: Alongside a Stalker

When someone sees my resume, the item I’m most likely to be asked about is my internship in the West Wing of the White House.  That is usually followed up by asking whether I know there’s a character named Amy Gardner on the “West Wing” TV show.  (Yes, I do, and I have a great – mostly true – story about how she really could be named after me.  And if you know any different, don’t tell me.  I like my version better.)  Until now, though, I haven’t publicly shared how I got that West Wing internship.  It wasn’t due to connections or networking and certainly not any special expertise.  Instead, I got my internship in the White House press office largely because of the lessons I learned from a stalker.  

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