Career coach advises CBS listeners

Caroline Dowd-Higgins, director of the Office of Career and Professional Development for the Maurer School of Law, wears many hats, including author, speaker, career coach and now national radio talk show host.

Locally, however, her status as a national career coach for CBS’s “Coach Me Radio” series is unknown, Dowd-Higgins said.

“I tweet a lot during the show, and I talk about it on Facebook all the time, but not many people know about it locally,” Dowd-Higgins said. “I want to be available as an expert.”

Since Nov. 1, 2011, Dowd-Higgins has been broadcasting her show, “Career Coach Caroline,” at 5 p.m. every Tuesday  to discuss career development and answer listeners’ questions. She said she had done a lot of television and radio interviews, but she hadn’t really considered her own radio show until CBS approached her with the career coach idea.   

Dowd-Higgins’s status as a member of the National Speaker’s Association specializing in career development helped capture CBS’s attention.

“It was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up,” she said.  

The “Coach Me Radio” series features experts from different fields coaching listeners about different topics.

Now signed to one-year contract, Dowd-Higgins said she is curious about how long the show will continue.

“We’ll see how it goes after a year,” she said.

During her show, Dowd-Higgins usually speaks with a guest for the first 30 minutes, someone who might have a different area of expertise concerning career development.

She spends the rest of the time taking questions from listeners who call, email or instant message. She said the questions are varied, ranging from very specific questions concerning job search or resume building to broader career questions.

“I love it, I absolutely love it, especially when people call in,” Dowd-Higgins said. “There’s a lot of action.”

She said she shares plenty of information, but she also hopes it is fun for listeners as well. She said she approves of the 5 p.m. hour for her show, especially since many of her listeners might be listening from work or while in the car.

Students can tune in on CBS’s New Sky Radio online, as well as on CBS Radio AOL, Yahoo Radio, Blackberry, and iPhone and iTunes. Questions can be submitted either through Instant Feedback on newskyradio.com or live on air by calling 248-545-7685.
“I believe people should be happy in their careers,” Dowd-Higgins said.

— Kathryn Moody