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Blog

115 articles from fifteen years of writing for senior executives.

Fifteen years of writing for senior executives on career strategy, job search, interviewing, negotiation and leadership.

Everything published here, newest first, across every topic.

August 27, 2025

Is It Time for Change? Turning Career Plateaus into New Possibilities

Have you ever felt like your career has stalled, even though you are working hard and contributing at a high level? That moment is

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August 27, 2025

Mastering the Art of Negotiation

Securing a new role after a thoughtful career campaign is an achievement worth celebrating. Yet the work is not finished once the

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July 28, 2025

The Future Belongs to Those Who Reskill Today

I had coffee with a VP who told me something that stuck: "I used to worry about being replaced by technology. Now I worry about be

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July 28, 2025

Building Your Executive Brand: A Strategic Approach to Leadership Presence

Your executive brand isn't just about having a polished LinkedIn profile or delivering impressive presentations. It's about creati

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July 28, 2025

Making the Leap: From Corporate Executive to Board Director

After decades working with corporate leaders, I've seen many talented executives wrestle with the transition to board work. The sk

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July 28, 2025

The Power of Emotional Intelligence in Senior Leadership

I've been reflecting on what separates good leaders from truly exceptional ones, and it keeps coming back to the same thing: emoti

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April 15, 2023

Get Smart: Steps to an Organized Job Search

Blog By: Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC, EQ Certified Over the next 6 blog posts, Linda will take you through

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April 15, 2023

Section 3: Strategic Use of Online Job Boards

Blog By: Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC, EQ Certified Navigating the online job market can be a challenging u

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April 15, 2023

Section 1: Preparing your foundation materials

Blog By: Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC, EQ Certified Section 1: Preparing your foundation materials Preparin

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April 15, 2023

Section 2: Establishing a Daily Job Search Schedule

Blog By: Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC, EQ Certified Developing an effective job search plan is vital for st

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April 15, 2023

Section 4: Tracking Recruiters and LinkedIn

Blog By: Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC, EQ Certified To ensure success in their job search, prospective cand

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April 15, 2023

Section 6: Interview Preparation and Skills/Strengths Validation Story

By: Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC, EQ Certified Securing a job can often come down to the interview stage, s

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April 5, 2023

The Process of Transition in Career Transitions

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS This is the time of year when transition comes to the forefront with it being the

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April 5, 2023

How Job Search Is Like Online Dating

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS In honor of Valentine's Day, I think it timely to point out the similarities of job searc

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April 5, 2023

Networking for Introverts in Career Transition

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS You will hear over and over again that networking is the most important part of a success

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April 5, 2023

The Spring Holidays- A Time for Renewal in Life and Career Search

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS The spring holidays of Passover and Easter have a theme of renewal woven into the fabric

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April 5, 2023

Networking Your Way To Success: Part 3

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC CJSS So, here we are at the end of the networking series. "What more could there be to say?" yo

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April 5, 2023

The King's Speech - A Sterling Example of Coaching at Its Finest

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS When people ask me about what it is like to be a career coach, I go through explanations

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April 5, 2023

Facebook, "The Social Network," and Your Career Campaign

By Linda Van Valkenburgh The release of the movie "The Social Network" has brought Facebook, one of the most popular social networ

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April 1, 2023

Section 5: Networking Strategies for Finding a Job

Blog By: Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC, EQ Certified Finding a job can be a challenging task but by utilizin

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July 29, 2022

7 Books Every Senior Executive Leadership Should Read for Inspiration

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC You know what you need to do and the skills you need to be a successful lea

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August 9, 2021

5 Goal-Setting Tips to Always Be Improving Your Leadership Skills

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC One of the best ways to improve as a leader is by improving your goal-setti

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July 10, 2021

C-Level Executives Say These Things Are Critical to Their Success

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC Do you know the skills it takes to have C-level executive success? These sk

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May 31, 2021

What's Your Story? How Your Experiences Can Inspire Your Teams

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC Inspirational leaders are sensitive to their team's needs. They act with in

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May 1, 2021

5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Making a Drastic Career Change

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC You wake up in the morning and give yourself the daily pep talk. There was

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March 30, 2021

Giving hard news the right way!

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC The importance of giving criticism correctly as a leader. If you want your

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March 3, 2021

Do You Lead By Example? The Importance of Integrity in Business

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC When asked, 75% of workers will say that integrity is the most important at

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February 1, 2021

How to Be a Strong Leader

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC Think back to your favorite boss. What made them your favorite and why did

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November 30, 2020

How to Improve and Manage Your Work Reputation

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC A Harvard Business Review study found that 58% of people trust a complete s

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November 13, 2020

Accelerate Your Career with a Top Recruiter

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDCIf you want to grow in your career, sometimes you need to venture beyond you

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October 1, 2020

Are You a Modern Leader?

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDCTraditionally, a strong leader was someone who would take and command power

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September 2, 2020

How Mindfulness Is Changing The Corporate World

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC Google, General Mills, Aetna, and Target have already jumped on the mindful

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August 17, 2020

What Type of Leader Are You? Try These Strategies of Great CEOs

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC How does someone become a great leader? Are you born with the right qualiti

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July 3, 2020

Lessons Learned from Those Who Serve

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC There are bosses, and then there are leaders. Which one do you want to be?

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June 9, 2020

Stay Motivated and Focused With These 5 Tips

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC Only 8% of people successfully achieve the goals they set for themselves. D

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May 1, 2020

5 Tips to be a Successful Networker

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC About 85% of open positions are filled through networking. This means that

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March 31, 2020

Master Virtual Networking From Home

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindavan/lindavan@myexecutivecareercoach.com It

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March 17, 2020

A Message from Linda

To our clients and friends,With all of today's health concerns due to COVID-19, we wanted to let you know that our primary concern

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February 28, 2020

The First Time Leader's Guide To Success

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindavan/ lindavan@myexecutivecareercoach.com Y

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February 2, 2020

Grow in Your Career Through Self Reflection

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindavan/ lindavan@myexecutivecareercoach.com W

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January 6, 2020

Should You Take the Promotion or the New Job?

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindavan/ lindavan@myexecutivecareercoach.com Y

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December 3, 2019

Balancing Your Professional Reputation

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindavan/ lindavan@myexecutivecareercoach.com S

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October 30, 2019

Climb the Corporate Ladder by Debunking Myths

You work hard. You show up to work on time. You volunteer for special projects. You offer assistance to others on your team. You d

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September 27, 2019

Finding the Balance: Your Career and Family

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindavan/ lindavan@myexecutivecareercoach.com H

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August 7, 2019

From the Home to the Office, You Have Skills

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindavan/ lindavan@myexecutivecareercoach.com A

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July 29, 2019

Be the Person Everyone Wants to Work With

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindavan/ lindavan@myexecutivecareercoach.com T

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June 24, 2019

Treat Your Career as a Business

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindavan/ lindavan@myexecutivecareercoach.com H

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June 7, 2019

Is Your Social Media Working for You?

How many social media accounts do you have? It's probably more than you think. The average person has seven social media accounts.

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March 3, 2019

The Truth About Impostor Syndrome and How to Deal With it

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindavan/ lindavan@myexecutivecareercoach.com D

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February 1, 2019

How to Negotiate Your Salary the Right Way

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindavan/ lindavan@myexecutivecareercoach.com W

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December 6, 2018

Improving the Culture of Your Workplace

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindavan/ lindavan@myexecutivecareercoach.com T

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October 26, 2018

3 Benefits of Mindful Leadership

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindavan/ lindavan@myexecutivecareercoach.com I

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September 24, 2018

6 Tips to Boost Your Productivity!

Productivity always begins with self. As you are leading others, it will prove difficult, if not impossible, to show them how to b

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July 31, 2018

When You Should Stop Planning and be in the Moment During a Career Search

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindavan/ lindavan@myexecutivecareercoach.com T

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July 2, 2018

5 Steps You Must Take to Prepare for Career Change Success

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindavan/ lindavan@myexecutivecareercoach.com P

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June 5, 2018

LinkedIn Series Part TWO- How to use LinkedIn for Professional Development - Tips and Tri

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindavan/ lindavan@myexecutivecareercoach.com L

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May 10, 2018

How to Network on LinkedIn - Use These Tips & Tricks to Boost Your Opportunities

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindavan/ lindavan@myexecutivecareercoach.com L

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April 3, 2018

How To Create Powerful Goals And Stick To Them

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindavan/ lindavan@myexecutivecareercoach.com A

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March 2, 2018

Have You Plateaued In Your Career? Here is What You Can Do Next

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindavan/ lindavan@myexecutivecareercoach.com A

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January 31, 2018

How to Stay Present and Positive as a Leader to Effect Positive Change

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindavan/ lindavan@myexecutivecareercoach.com L

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