Find Your Dream Job: Insider Tips for Finding Work, Advancing your Career, and Loving Your Job (Mac Prichard)

Do you ever leave an interview feeling like the hiring manager knows nothing about you? That’s a response we hear often. How can you answer common interview questions while leaving an impression on the interviewer? Find Your Dream Job guest Madeline Mann says you begin by choosing stories and accomplishments that are relevant to the role you’re interviewing for. Next, Madeline advises showing how this role is perfect for you, based on your experience and purpose. Finally, make sure each of your answers displays your character and your desire to make a difference for this particular company.  About Our Guest: Madeline Mann (https://www.linkedin.com/in/madelinemann/) is an HR and recruiting leader whose career coaching programs have helped thousands. Madeline also hosts the award-winning YouTube channel, Self Made Millennial (https://www.youtube.com/c/SelfMadeMillennial). Resources in This Episode: Register for Madeline’s free 5-day class, Upgrade Your Career, by visiting www.selfmadeway.com/webinar-opt-in (http://www.selfmadeway.com/webinar-opt-in1596637303985) From our Sponsor: Find Your Dream Job is brought to you by TopResume.(http://macslist.org/topresume) Top Resume has helped more than 400,000 professionals land more interviews and get hired faster. Get a free review of your resume today from one of Top Resume’s expert writers. (http://macslist.org/topresume) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New college graduates often struggle with networking. They may feel that they have nothing to offer or that they’re wasting time with informational interviews. But good networking leads to career success. Find Your Dream Job guest Shawn Lipton says that the best networkers have a methodical approach to meeting and staying in touch with people. They also network even when they aren’t looking for a job. Shawn tells us why most professionals actually want to meet with new graduates and how to make that initial contact. About Our Guest: Shawn Lipton (https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnlipton/) is a certified master coach. His company, The Trusted Coach (http://thetrustedcoach.com/), has helped thousands of professionals land jobs and develop careers. Shawn also is the author of “50 Proven Networking Tips for Career Development Success” and two other books. Resources in This Episode: Shawn offers strategies on developing your career and landing your ideal job. Find out more at The Trusted Coach (http://thetrustedcoach.com/?section=home). Nail every behavioral interview question in your next interview by learning how to prepare for them. Download 100 Behavioral Interview Questions You Need to Know (http://www.macslist.org/questions). From our Sponsor: The City of Portland is one of Oregon’s largest employers, and the organization responsible for keeping the city thriving is currently hiring. Visit www.portlandoregon.gov to learn more   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It pays off to prepare yourself before asking an employer to make your job virtual. Most employers will want to know what’s in it for them before allowing an employee to work from home full-time. A professional way to address your employer’s possible questions and concerns is to make a list of the objections you think they will have, and then build a mini business case around each issue. Showing an employer a value proposition is your quickest way to a yes. Employers appreciate when you can show them: How your productivity will be increased How you plan to hold yourself accountable How your creativity may be sparked The absence of workplace distractions Logistical cost savings When your employer agrees to your proposal of setting up a virtual office, you need to start preparing yourself for success. Melissa says that it is best to be honest with your work style and be sure you can spend long periods alone. Also, you should not consider working from home a substitute for child care. If you want to continue working virtually, you should have other means for your child to be cared for during your work hours. With focus and determination, you can do this! Resources for virtual office information: Harvard Business Review Blogs Fast Company Mashable Virtual Agency Realities Group on LinkedIn FlexJobs Melissa Mathews Bio Melissa Mathews is the founder and president of The Mathews Group, a strategic communications agency built on an entirely virtual, flex-work model. The Mathews Group supports Fortune 100 corporate clients, with a team working from home offices, coffee shops, horse barns and soccer sidelines across the U.S. and international time zones. Melissa believes that if you hire great people and give them the freedom they need to live and work, they’ll exceed your expectations. Learn more at Mathews Group. Ben’s Job Search Resources: This is a simple and free online tool which has revolutionized the ability to connect with people by email. Job seekers can use this tool to contact with hiring managers, to bypass Human Resource Departments or to make sure their email goes to the intended party. Email Address Verifier is very simple to use and allows the user to know if the email address is valid. Jenna’s Find Your Dream Job Listener Question: Ben, Jenna and Mac provide detailed feedback to answer Eric Stachon’s question―“Is it possible to make a great second impression if your interview didn’t go as planned?” These segments are sponsored by the 2016 edition of Hack the Hidden Job Market Course and Land Your Dream Job in Portland (and Beyond). If you would like the team to answer a job-related question, send it to jenna@macslist.org or call her at 716-JOB-TALK. Or if you found a job resource you think everyone should know about, send it to ben@macslist.org and tell him how it has helped you find your dream job. If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support! Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your cover letter is one of the most important elements of your application--perhaps as important as your resume. This is where you outline your passion for the position and make the case for why you are the best candidate for the job. Unfortunately, too many job seekers undervalue and underthink their cover letter. Sometimes they fail to include a cover letter in their application. More often--but equally detrimental--they use the same generic, cookie-cutter cover letter for all their applications. This simply doesn’t cut it. On this bonus episode of Find Your Dream Job, Jenny Foss, founder of JobJenny.com, shares how your generic cover letter reads to a hiring manager.  Her entertaining, “what-not-to-write” cover letter hits home with insights on how you can improve your own cover letter right away. When you read your cover letter from a hiring manager’s point of view it starts to read differently than when you are reading it for yourself. Jenny reminds us not to regurgitate the content of our resumes into our cover letters and to not waste the hiring manager’s time with worn out cliches like “detail-oriented” and “proven track record.” You can find more useful job search insight in Land Your Dream Job Anywhere, now available on Amazon. To preview the first chapter for free, visit www.macslist.org/anywhere. Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You can expect to switch jobs several times during your working life. But if you’re ready to try an entirely new field, it may be harder than you think to get hired. You have to present yourself as already able to do the work, says Find Your Dream Job guest Roshaunda Green. Do your research to know what skills the new sector requires and highlight your abilities in those areas. Always remember that a job is about the employer’s needs, and approach your career and your desire to pivot with courage and confidence. About Our Guest: Roshaunda Green (http://www.linkedin.com/in/roshaundagreen/) is an account manager for diversity and inclusion at SourceAbled and Rangam Consultants. Roshaunda helps employers find and hire qualified people with autism, neurodiversity, and disabilities. Resources in This Episode: Connect with Roshaunda on her LinkedIn page at www.linkedin.com/in/roshaundagreen. (http://www.linkedin.com/in/roshaundagreen/)   From our Sponsor: Find Your Dream Job is brought to you by TopResume.(http://macslist.org/topresume) Top Resume has helped more than 400,000 professionals land more interviews and get hired faster. Get a free review of your resume today from one of Top Resume’s expert writers. (http://macslist.org/topresume)           Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’re over 50, you’ve likely encountered ageism in your career. Older workers struggle in the job search and feel a disadvantage in competition with younger professionals. So what can you do? The first thing to do might be to rethink your entire job search strategy. On this episode of Find Your Dream Job, we discuss one strategy to overcome ageism in a job search: positioning yourself as a subject matter expert. About Our Guest: Kevin Kermes Kevin Kermes is the founder and a partner at Career Attraction, an executive talent agency. Since 2008, Kevin’s firm has helped open the doors for more than 15,000 professionals to find work they love and the compensation they deserve. Resources in This Episode Want to know if an employer welcomes older workers? Check out Retirement Jobs Employer Reviews. How can you use internal connections in a hiring process that’s being managed by an outside agency? Listener Ginny McDonnell asks and we answer. Kevin Kermes on LinkedIn Overcome Age Discrimination: The Biggest Missed Opportunity for Experts and Seasoned Professionals The Career Upgrade Roadmap: 90 Days to a Better Job and a Better Life Find Your Dream Job Listener Survey (Open through February 28, 2018!) Land Your Dream Job Anywhere Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your network plays a pivotal role in finding your next job. On this bonus episode of Find Your Dream Job, Amanda Green (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-green-cpa-mpa-29b09921/) shares how she secured her dream job, even though she wasn’t looking for her next position at the time. Thanks to having a strong network, she was able to learn of an open position that wasn’t on her radar. Learn more about Amanda’s career history below in this installment of our Success Stories series. (https://www.macslist.org/articles/success-stories)   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some people make success in the workplace look easy. Others struggle and fail in spite of great talent and ability. This week’s guest, Lolly Daskal, believes that they key to success is knowing your strengths and mindfully acknowledging your weaknesses. Successful people lead from their strengths and avoid getting stuck in their gaps. Your unique capabilities and your competencies are what give you confidence. Your self-doubt keeps you from mastering your leadership abilities. These self-doubts, or gaps, are what make you feel small or inadequate. Everyone, at some time, feels like an imposter. Awareness and a daily reflection practice can help you to assess the things you did well during the day and consider how you can improve on it in the future. Our Guest for this Episode: Lolly Daskal Lolly Daskal is the founder and CEO of Lead From Within. She’s an advisor to Fortune 500 CEOs and boards, and has coached the leaders of hundreds of companies, across 14 countries. Lolly has written online articles for many publications, including Inc.com, Fast Company, Huffington Post, and Psychology Today. She is the author of a new book, The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness. Ben’s Job Search Resource: Transferable Skills Worksheet Ben’s resource this week is a transferable skills worksheet, developed by Portland State University. This sheet provides a structured way to identify your transferable skills, particularly if you are considering moving into a different field. Find Your Dream Job Listener Question: Covering Resume Gaps Jessica, Ben, Beth, and Mac offer advice to Kim Morrison, from Portland, who wants to know: What to do on resumes that have gaps because of downsizing and layoffs. And, what to do in cover letters and job applications to explain the gaps. Be a part of the Find Your Dream Job podcast! Join in: Ask your job-related question! Email it to becky@macslist.org, or leave us a message at 716-JOB-TALK. If we use your question on the air, you will receive either a copy of our new book, Land Your Dream Job Anywhere. Share your best job resource with our listeners! Send your resource to ben@macslist.org, and tell him how it has helped you find your dream job. What do you think of our show? Rate and review our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support! Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

53 million Americans--one out of three workers--can be classified as freelance entrepreneurs. A career as a freelancer offers lots of advantages. You work when and where you want. You set your own prices and keep the profits. You choose your clients and your coworkers. (And yes, you can work at home in your pajamas!) A career as a freelancer has its challenges, too. You have sole responsibility for finding clients, project management, business operations, contracts, taxes, marketing, scheduling, and everything else in what is, essentially, your own small business. This week on Find Your Dream Job Mac chats with Rebecca Shapiro, an artist, illustrator, and career freelancer. Rebecca has worked with the Portland Freelancers Union and is the author of Work Independently & Live Connectedly: 52 Steps to Freelancing Freedom. She shares her experience in the gig economy and offers advice for starting and maintaining a successful career as a freelancer. In this 32-minute episode you will learn: The importance of community, relationships, and collaboration in freelancing The mindset and technical skills you need to thrive as a freelancer How to shift out of the “worker” mentality, into the “freelancer” mentality Why you need to set healthy boundaries with clients How to find customers for your freelance services Income expectations when you become a career freelancer This Week's Guest: Rebecca Shapiro (@rebeccashapiro)Principal, Rebecca Shapiro Art and Rebecca Shapiro IllustrationAuthor, Work Independently & Live Connectedly: 52 Steps to Freelancing FreedomPortland, Ore.You can also connect with Rebecca on LinkedIn and Instagram. Listener question of the week:  Do I need both an e-portfolio and an actual (physical) portfolio? Do you have a question you’d like us to answer on a future episode? Please send your questions to Cecilia Bianco, Mac’s List Community Manager at cecilia@macslist.org. Resources referenced on this week’s show: DoubleYourFreelancing.com The Business of Freelancing Podcast Wordpress SquareSpace Rebecca Shapiro Illustration Rebecca Shapiro Art Portland Freelancers Union CreativeLive SkillShare Work Independently & Live Connectedly: 52 Steps to Freelancing Freedom Land Your Dream Job in Portland (and Beyond): The Complete Mac’s List Guide If you have a job-hunting or career development resource resource you’d like to share, please contact Ben Forstag, Mac’s List Managing Director at ben@macslist.org. -- Thank you for listening to Find Your Dream Job. If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support!Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com -- Full Transcript Mac Prichard:    This is find your dream job, the podcast that helps you get hired, have the career you want and make a difference in life. I'm Mac Prichard, your host and publisher of Mac's List. Our show is brought to you by Mac's List. Your best online source for rewarding, creative and meaningful work. Visit macslist.org to learn more. You'll find hundreds of great jobs, a blog with practical career advice and our new book, "Land Your Dream Job in Portland and Beyond". Thanks for joining us today. This week on Find Your Dream Job we're talking about freelance work. If you see three random people walking down a street in the United States, one of them likely does freelance work. Thirty-four percent of Americans, 53 million people in all, are freelancers according to a 2014 survey. Now, a career as a freelance worker offers lots of advantages. You work where and when you want. You set your own prices and you keep the profits. You choose your clients and your coworkers and, yes, you can work at home in your pajamas. A career as a freelancers has its challenges too. You do all the administration and marketing for your business and this could take up to 25% or more of your time. You can't bill those hours to your clients. You also have to produce more revenue. Charging an hourly rate that equals your old annual salary won't cut it because now you have to cover your own sick leave, vacation, benefits, and payroll taxes. This may mean that you have to earn two to two and a half times the amount of your former salary. In the next thirty minutes we'll address these and other important issues for freelance workers. Whether you're about to strike out on your own or you've been working for yourself since the Carter administration, Ben Forstag has found a website with ideas you can use to make any freelance business more efficient and profitable. If you're a freelance worker who is an artist, designer or film maker I don't have to tell you the difference a portfolio can make in landing your next gig. One reader asked us however, "Can I just present my work online or do I need a printed portfolio?" Cecilia Bianco has the answer. Let's start as we do every week by checking with Mac's List team; Ben Forstag and Cecilia Bianco. Cecilia, Ben how are you two doing this week? Ben Forstag:   I'm doing awesome. Cecilia Bianco:  Doing good Mac. Mac Prichard:    Good. Well, it's a pleasure to see you here in the studio. This week we're talking about freelancing and I have to ask you both, have either one of you worked as a freelancer? Cecilia? Cecilia Bianco: No, I haven't but I've definitely considered it and I know a lot of people who have. Mac Prichard:    There are no freelance babysitting jobs in your past? Cecilia Bianco:  No. Mac Prichard:    Okay. I haven't worked as a freelancer myself. I have taken the odd contract job while I look for a permanent position. Like you, I haven't worked as a freelancer. How about you Ben? Ben Forstag:   I've taken odd contract jobs between permanent positions, but when I think of freelancing I think of the folks who are doing this as an ongoing career. I've never done that. Actually, my wife is a freelancer and she has a rule in our house that one of us has to have a full-time, permanent stable job. Since she's already got the freelancing gig that leaves me to come into work everyday. Mac Prichard:   Yeah. Well, we're glad to have you. My wife, too, is a freelancer and we have the same arrangement. I imagine when we talk to our guest expert this week we'll hear more about how that can help a couple because often when one member of the couple has a permanent job they bring benefits, health insurance and other advantages to the table that help freelancers get going. Let's turn to our regular feature with Ben, who every week is exploring the internet looking for podcasts, books and other tools you can use in your job search. Ben Forstag:    Let me say up front that I don't know a whole lot about freelancing as a permanent career. In preparing for today's show, I reach out to some of my friends who are freelancers and asked them for suggestions about what blogs they read, what podcasts they listen to and so forth. Today, I want to recommend a blog and an accompanying podcast that are designed to help people address some of the challenges that are inherent when they're running a freelancing business. The blog is called doubleyourfreelancing.com and it's written by Brennan Dunn, a long-time freelance software designer. The blog tackles questions like how to find clients, how to market yourself, how to price your services, how to manage projects and workflow, how to do your estimated quarterly taxes which I know is a challenge for my wife, and other basic tips on how to improve the efficiency of your freelancing business. Brennan only posts a handful of times each month, but each entry is really nicely written, well thought out and comprehensive. Some of the posts are almost long form in their length. You could spend fifteen, twenty minutes going through some of these posts. I particularly like the post entitled, "The best networking hack I've ever used." I'm not going to share with you what that hack is. You'll have to go and read the blog, but I thought it was a really interesting approach in how to make lasting connections with professional contacts. In his case, this is how to make connections that will turn into future business. Brennan's blog has an affiliated podcast called, "The Business of Freelancing" which is available on iTunes. The focus here is on interviews with fellow freelancers and the discussions surround how to improve clients relations and business practices. It's a well produced podcast and they release episodes every two weeks or so. I suggest you check out these two resources. The blog is doubleyourfreelancing.com and the podcast, available on iTunes, is "The Business of Freelancing". Mac Prichard:    Thanks Ben. I had a chance to look at that website this week when you flagged it for us. I was impressed by the quality of the information and the large number of articles. I know people like to get content in different ways, so not only are there articles but there's a podcast. For those who like structure, there's also a course with a curriculum that looked very useful as well. Now it's time to hear from you, our listeners. Let's turn to Cecilia Bianco our community manager. It's time for her to answer one of your questions. Cecilia, what do you have for us this week? Cecilia Bianco:  Our question this week is, "Do I actually need an e-portfolio and a printed portfolio?" Personally, I think everyone should have an online portfolio. It's a more in depth and visual version of LinkedIn where you can expand on your skills, your past work and your personality. It's a great tool to show a potential employer why they want to interview you before they actually meet you. It's a brief look into who you are as a professional and it can be really important in securing an interview. Ben Forstag:   Cecilia, let me interrupt here. I know LinkedIn has a projects section, can you do most of what you're talking about on that tool? Cecilia Bianco:  Yeah, you definitely can do most of this on LinkedIn but an online portfolio is more of a personal website where you can showcase your brand and your personality in a more creative way. There's easy ways to do this using WordPress or Squarespace. Both platforms are super easy and low-cost. I think I pay $30 a year for my customized site. I think that being able to create a well put together personal website shows your skills as far as creativity and visual storytelling, which is another bonus to it. It's another thing for when employers Google you, because we know they all do, it adds something to Google when your name's searched and it's a great tactic to control your online reputation. Mac Prichard:    What about printed portfolios, Cecilia? I know most employers are going to Google people and look at their LinkedIn profile, but when you have a meeting with an employer do you think it makes sense to bring one in? Cecilia Bianco:  I think it depends on what field your in. Printed portfolios are really only necessary, in my opinion, for people in a visual field like photography or graphic design. Otherwise, it's really challenging to make it appealing to an employer. To bring in a portfolio full of written content is not that fun to look through and it's not that fun to create. In my senior year, we were required to make one and I majored in public relations, so a lot of my work was news releases and written content. Printing that out and arranging it nicely in a portfolio was pretty difficult and it just doesn't seem necessary in a written field when you can display that information online in a more appealing way. I think printed portfolios are necessary for some fields and not for others. Well, what do you think about that actually Mac because you run Prichard. Are you impressed when someone brings in a printed portfolio? Mac Prichard:   Generally, it's someone who is a designer and they will have a book with samples of their work. I do enjoy going through the book with them. The advantage of that is they're telling a story and they're sharing examples of their work to make their points about that story. I have seen those portfolios at a university that writers have used and I think there is some advantage in, again telling that story, it's a way of doing it but it's not the only way. The short answer to your question, Cecilia ,is I think it's a must for designers and photographers. There could be some value for writers, but I think there's so many opportunities to do that online and there's only so many hours in the day. I agree with you. I would give precedence to an online portfolio. Cecilia Bianco:  Yeah. I agree. Mac Prichard:    Thank you, Cecilia, and if you have a question for Cecilia you can email her day or night. Her email address is cecilia@macslists.org. The segments by Ben and Cecilia are sponsored by the Mac's Lists Guides, publisher of our new book, "Land Your Dream Job in Portland and Beyond". The Mac's Lists Guide can be the tools you need to get the job you want. We show you how to crack the hidden job markets, stand out in a competitive field and how you can manage your career. The book has eight chapters and in each one experts share job hunting secrets like how to hear about jobs that are never posted and what you can do to interview and negotiate like a pro. To download the first chapter of the book for free visit macslists.org/macslistsguides. Now, let's turn to this week's expert. Rebecca Shapiro is the author of, "Work Independently and Live Connectedly: 52 Steps to Freelancing Freedom". She's also a former regional organizer for the Freelancers Union and a fine artist, illustrator and community manager. Rebecca offers experiential art in public spaces and for events and she also makes custom illustrations for medical textbooks, e-books, murals and cards. Rebecca, thank you for joining us here today. Rebecca Shapiro:   Thank you. Thank you for having me. Mac Prichard:    Yeah, it a pleasure to and thank you for coming to the Mac's List studio. Let's start with freelancers in general. Is there a typical freelance worker out there in America today? Rebecca Shapiro:  Well, actually there's 53 million of us in the United States right now. One out of three workers is an independent worker, so they're a freelancer whether they're working part-time or full-time. There is a typical freelancer out there and I think there's a bunch of us because we are finding ways to create livelihood for ourselves. Mac Prichard:    Okay. I think when people hear freelance they think a writer, someone in the creative field. What other kinds of careers might lend themselves to freelance work? Rebecca Shapiro: Well, that's a really good point because when I first started working with Freelancers Union I always considered myself an entrepreneur because I couldn't find any other word to describe what I was doing. I thought freelancers applied to copywriters and maybe a graphic designer, but really it's anybody who's working independently for themselves, like I said full-time or part-time, so it could be taxi drivers, babysitters. It could be somebody who is a copywriter, I've worked with a lot of copywriters, illustrators, web programmers. It's everybody. Anybody who is creating income for themselves is considered a freelancer. Mac Prichard:    Now, you're the author of a book about freelancing and you have practical tips in that book about what freelancers can do, in fact, one for every week of the year. What's striking about your book is its emphasis on community, relationships and collaboration. Can you tell us more about why you focus on those themes? Rebecca Shapiro:  Probably because if you don't have relationships you basically have yourself and you're unemployed. You need those relationships to have partnerships with other people so that you can work on projects together, to have clients and healthy robust relationships with those clients so they keep coming back. Then, the other relationship that I think is really important is the relationship with yourself. You really have to know yourself. I joke sometimes that working for yourself is almost like a spiritual path because you have to have so much awareness about who you are, the way that you work and what you like and what you don't like in order to have a healthy freelancing business. Mac Prichard:   Now, every time there's a recession I think when people lose work they think, "Well, maybe this is the time to strike out on my own." Is there a particular kind of mindset you need to be successful as a freelancer? Rebecca Shapiro:    Absolutely. You and I spoke about this earlier, I really have a soft spot for the people that have been laid off and have either been so discouraged that they can't find work or just kind of give up and they decide to go into freelancing. I think it's really important when you find yourself in that position, or if you're just choosing to go out on your own, that you find a community of freelancers in which to participate because you can have conversation with people and find out what's working and what isn't for them and build experience for yourself and figure out like, "Okay, this piece might work well for me. This piece isn't going to work so hot." You can put together, cobble together, this business for yourself so that you're successful. Mac Prichard:    Learning how to be a freelancer it's not only a mindset, but it requires a set of skills. I run two small businesses, Mac's List as well as a public relations company, and I had worked for large organizations for many years; non-profits and public agencies. I needed to learn how to create and run a business and that was different from the technical skills I had. Do you find that successful freelancers have to go through a similar process? Rebecca Shapiro:     Absolutely. In fact, the learning curve is really pretty big. That again is why the relationship building piece is so important that you sort of find your tribe or your educational group or your mentors that are going to help you be successful with your freelance business. Part of that is also finding your support team. For example, taxes is something I'm not interested in nor am I very good at so I see my relationship with my CPA as a collaboration. It's a very good one and he makes sure that I don't get into trouble and that I save a lot of money on my taxes. That's one example. If you can find ... I think it's really important for you to to be able to realize if you're going out and becoming a freelancer or starting out look for communities that you can jump into and then definitely look for ways that you educate yourself on as many things as possible. Some good places to look would be the classes at CreativeLive or on Skillshare. They have a lot of entrepreneurial business freelancing type classes that they teach as well as specific skills that you might need. Let's say that you wanted to go into graphic design but you were kind of wobbly in one area of it. You could look for some specific classes that would help you build up your skillset. Mac Prichard:  Okay. There are resources out there to help you with your technical skills, whatever service you might be offering to clients, but you also need to connect with others in the community to work on your business as well. Rebecca Shapiro:   Absolutely. I think the more support that you can get for setting up a healthy structure for your business the better. If you can learn how to do things like time management ... At lot of times when people ... And this is a key point, a lot of times when people are leaving their desk job they try and recreate that environment working on their own and it's not a very efficient way to work. Learning how to shift out of the worker mindset into "I actually run my own business mindset", there's a difference between those two. When you can go to groups, for example Freelancers Union has I think sixteen cities around the country where freelancers of all different types get together and they communicate and talk about their businesses. Then, you can learn from those people that are doing it well. Also, a lot of them are very honest about the mistakes that they make. I think that's really valuable. These conversations are part of having a healthy freelance economy in each of our cities so when we can have these honest conversations about what works well, but also what kind of mistakes to avoid and personal stories about what went wrong can really help you figure out how to run your business better. Mac Prichard:  As you talk about learning those skills, I'm reminded that old habits die hard. When I was in my early thirties I had the good fortune to go to graduate school full-time and I worked in government for almost ten years. It was a masters in public administration program. It took about a month, there were a group of us who had worked in government, even though classes didn't start until 9:30 we all showed up at school at 8:00. We just were trained to do that and it took us a while to get into the student mindset. I imagine it's challenging for people to get into that freelance mindset if they treat it, as you say, just like a job. Rebecca Shapiro:  It is. The more that you can read ... There's so many great blogs out there including Freelancers Union. If you just Goggle freelancing resources there's a lot of great information out there that will help you start to think about running your freelance business differently. It helps you start to shift your mindset so my recommendation is read as much as you can and talk to as many freelancers as you can and it'll start to get you changing those habits that you talked about. Mac Prichard:    You have a book and it has actionable steps, and we'll be sure to mention it in the show notes, but Rebecca of those fifty-two steps are there two or three that you always recommend that people can use if they are starting out as freelancers or maybe they're experienced freelancers and they just want to take their business up a notch. Rebecca Shapiro:   One that I frequently run into, especially when I was working with freelancers, is to set healthy boundaries. That's part of taking care of yourself, but also it's also part of taking care of your business. When you can set healthy boundaries and let your clients know that you are not available 24/7 every single day of the week, you don't end up resenting them and you end up being able to take care of your time so that you have time away from your clients and doing actual work. It also helps your clients know that you value them and that you also take your business seriously. Setting up those healthy boundaries is really important and an easy way to do it is just to have a policy where you talk about your payment policy and when you're available and all that sort of stuff. You can put that on your website. You can put it in your contracts. You can have it in your face to face conversation when you're talking with a client before you get started because so many freelancers make the mistake of bending over backwards. Especially when they're starting out, they'll do everything for their client. What you've done is you've successfully trained your client to realize that you're going to go two hundred extra miles for them. You can't sustain that and then you end up screwing up later on down the road. Everyone gets really frustrated and disappointed so it's better to just set healthy boundaries right in the beginning. Mac Prichard:  I think that's excellent advice. I work with other public relations agency owners and small business owners and they all tell me that they expect vendors, whether they are freelancers or small businesses to have contracts and scopes of work and to send out invoices at a certain time. I would say to freelancers or people who are thinking about doing this who are listening, this is how business is done. It's normal. Your customers won't be surprised when you do set those boundaries or set those expectations. Rebecca Shapiro:  One of my boundaries, and I've had to turn away work, is I use a contract. I always use a contract. There have been some high profile people that have said, "I don't want to sign a contract." I've actually stepped away from the work. It's a hard decision but it's a policy that I have because I know that the contract ... So many things change over time of the project, it's hard to remember where you started and the contract is a way to protect yourself as well as the relationship with your client. I'm really glad you brought that up. Mac Prichard:   I, running my own small business, made the mistake once of not having a contract and we can share horror stories about that after the show. Rebecca Shapiro:  Yeah. All it takes is one time. Mac Prichard:   Yeah, you learn. I'm conscious of the fact that our time has come to a close and just thinking about our listeners who are thinking about doing this and they may have very practical questions. Why don't we just go through a short list? Rebecca Shapiro:   Okay. Mac Prichard:    Your best advice for people who are thinking about getting started, what are one or two things they could do right away or they should address? Rebecca Shapiro:   Okay. The first thing that they should do is they should go find a group. Go find their tribe. Whether it's Freelancers Union or maybe it's a co-working space, there's a lot of co-working spaces that have a community component and an educational piece to it. Get online and in person and look for those types of communities. That would be the first thing that I would absolutely do. Then, the second thing I would do is get really clear on what it is, what is the product or service that you want to provide for somebody? Then, look for other people that are doing something similar in your community that you could actually sit down and just talk to them. Find out how their doing it. You know, it's funny it's really hard for us to ask for help, but I've found that almost everybody wants to help. It's kind of a nice way for people to realize that you're not invincible and that you're accessible. Ask for help and people ... I've actually have never found somebody who's said, "No". Mac Prichard:  That's been my experience too, but I'm glad you're bringing that up because I think a lot of people hear that advice and think, "Well, why would a potential competitor give me advice? Why would they be helpful?" What's been your experience there, Rebecca? Rebecca Shapiro:    I'm a big advocate of collaboration versus competition. In the traditional business realm it's more like you have to be bigger, better, faster, badder than your competitor. When you're a freelancer you're both a person and a business and so this can feel contradictory. I find that going to your competitors, even when they're working in the same field you each have different strengths, and you may find that you can create a relationship where you can work together. I've had that happen to me several times and they've turned out to be really satisfying working relationships and even a couple of them have turned into personal friendships. Don't be afraid to go talk to people that are in your field. Conversely, I encourage freelancers, because we like to hang out in our field especially when we are networking, to step out of that comfort zone and look in different fields and pick one person every once in a while that you can work with that's vastly different that you are. What you can do is look for strengths in that person and strengths in yourself and see where you can meet up. Mac Prichard:   That's how you get started and collaboration is very important. Don't be afraid to reach out to competitors for advice. What about finding customers? How do people find customers who've never done this before? Rebecca Shapiro:  Gosh, that is such a good question. There's a couple ways. One, of course, is to have an online presence. You guys have talked about this actually in some of the past podcasts that you've listed that I found was really a great resource. Also, again when you go to these networking events ... Don't let the word networking make you blanch and kind of shy away, just reframe it as an opportunity to make friends and meet interesting people. Most of my work has been through word of mouth and so going to these events, going to conferences, meeting up with people for coffee it gives you a chance to get to know one another. You never know. It's what I call building a reciprocal network. You never know where that relationship is going to lead. Again, I've found most of my clients through word of mouth and through other people, so that relationship piece is one of the key ways that I find my work. Mac Prichard:    What about people who have had a traditional job and they want to match their old salary. Is that realistic in the first year? How do you do it? Is it something that you have to invest time in? What do you see out there? Rebecca Shapiro:   That's a really good question. I see both. Every once in a while there's that unusual person who just, they do fabulously well. When I was at the Ted conference earlier this year, there was a gentleman who was talking about businesses and whether they flew or didn't fly. It was all about timing. The ones that really took off, it was just perfect timing. It didn't matter if their brand was spot on or anything, it was just timing. I think sometimes that plays a really huge part in somebody being massively successful. I would encourage, this has been my experience as well, it takes a while. Be patient and definitely plan for unexpected contingencies like new relationships or maybe you have kids or maybe there's unexpected events that happen, people die, or there's accidents or things like that that may have an impact on your work. You want to plan ahead for those, but I think it's really important to look at this as like this is a long term relationship that you're having with yourself and what kind of things you want to put out in the world and your business. It takes a while to build that up. Especially if you're just starting out. Mac Prichard:    Okay. Well, thank you Rebecca. Anything else you'd like to add? Rebecca Shapiro:  Just that I am really pleased that you all are doing this. I think it's a really great resource. One of my favorite things to do is to look at other business models and ideas and lift them and apply them to my own life, and so even though some of the former podcasts have been about more traditional job finding, there's been some really terrific suggestions and tips in there that I've been able to apply to my freelancing work. I really appreciate the resource that you guys offer. Mac Prichard:   Thank you. I appreciate you being here and sharing your wisdom with our listeners. You can learn more about Rebecca at her website, it's rebeccashapiroart.com. You can find her book on Amazon. The title again is, "Work Independently and Live Connectedly: 52 Steps to Freelancing Freedom". We'll also include links to these two resources as well as Rebecca's LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter accounts in this week's show notes. We're back with Ben and Cecilia, so what did you two think? What were the most important points you hear Rebecca make? Cecilia Bianco:  I really liked her points about networking and having the mindset that you're just going to a party to make some new friends and not looking at it as an awkward business gathering. I thought her points about that were really great. Mac Prichard: I agree Cecilia. When people hear networking I think they break into a cold sweat sometimes. It's about relationships. We're all human beings and we all enjoy and get energy from connecting with others and that's what happens when you network effectively. Ben Forstag:      I think the key point was that when you're freelancing you're essentially running your own small business. When you're making the decision of whether you want to go in the freelance direction or not, thinking about all the other pieces that have to be wrapped around that; the accounting, the business practices, the invoicing, the contracts. All of that. It's kind of the whole small business package so it's a big task. Mac Prichard:    It is. I do find in large organizations there are people who have spent their careers in jobs but they have an entrepreneurial bent. They know how to set goals, build teams, collect resources. I say that because if there are listeners out there who are thinking to themselves, "I don't have the skills it takes to run a small business." Take a second look at your experiences and your background and what you're doing, even if you're in a large organization. You may surprise yourself. Probably, if you are successful, have many of those entrepreneurial skills. Ben Forstag:    Definitely, and I think it has to be said that this is a direction the labor market is going in in general. You hear people talk about the Uberization of the economy, that we're all turning into essentially gig workers where we kind of do the patchwork, DIY career thing. Having these skills and having the backbone to engage in that "I'm going to do it on my own approach." I think that's a real asset you could have. Mac Prichard:   Okay. Well, thanks. Well, thank you all for listening. We're grateful to the scores of people who've left ratings and reviews for our show on iTunes. This helps others discover the show and helps us help other job seekers. If you have a moment, please visit us on iTunes and leave a rating and comment. We'll be back next Wednesday with more tips and tools you can use to find your dream job. In the meantime, visit us at macslist.org where you can sign up for our free newsletter with more than a hundred new jobs every week. Thanks for listening and we'll see you next Wednesday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Whether you’re afraid of backlash or of being let go, it can feel scary to tell your boss or coworkers that you’re looking for a new position. But what if they are the very people who could give you a lead on that job you’d love? On this bonus episode of Find Your Dream Job, Daniel Thornton (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-thornton-37959b18/) shares how his current boss gave him the lead on his dream job at another company. Daniel and I also discuss why networking is more successful than submitting 50 resumes per day. Learn more about Daniel’s career history below in this installment of our Success Stories series. (https://www.macslist.org/articles/success-stories) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For working moms looking for their next career opportunity, it can be difficult to balance parenthood, volunteer work, and their home life with the hours required to job hunt. Is there any way to make it easier? Find Your Dream Job guest Mona Johnson says yes. And it starts with saying no. Say no to the things that aren’t top priorities for this season. Say yes to consistency and good time management. Mona adds the important reminder to ask for help. Others want to help you, but you have to be willing to let them know what you need. About Our Guest: Mona Johnson(https://www.linkedin.com/in/mona-johnson/) is a career coach at Merit America (https://www.meritamerica.org/). It’s a nonprofit that provides a path to skilled careers in technology for adults without bachelor’s degrees. Resources in This Episode: Are you ready to build a career that matches your potential? Find out how Merit America can help you achieve your career goals at meritamerica.org. (https://www.meritamerica.org/) From our Sponsor: Find Your Dream Job is brought to you by TopResume.(http://macslist.org/topresume) Top Resume has helped more than 400,000 professionals land more interviews and get hired faster. Get a free review of your resume today from one of Top Resume’s expert writers. (http://macslist.org/topresume)   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you send in the same generic resume to every position you apply for, you’re likely to be passed over more often than not. What can you do to make your resume unforgettable? Find Your Dream Job guest Derek Murphy-Johnson has several suggestions, beginning with using the keywords and specific language of the job description. Derek also explains how to match your experience with the job you want, the best tricks to avoid typos, and why keeping your resume simple is the best way to stand out from the crowd.  About our Guest: Derek Murphy Johnson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/hrderek/) is in charge of talent attraction at KinderCare Education (https://www.kc-education.com/). It’s the largest childcare provider in the United States. Resources in This Episode: Connect with Derek on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/hrderek/) for more information on the work he does. From our Sponsor: Find Your Dream Job is brought to you by TopResume.(http://macslist.org/topresume) Top Resume has helped more than 400,000 professionals land more interviews and get hired faster. Get a free review of your resume today from one of Top Resume’s expert writers. (http://macslist.org/topresume)    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If your job search has been going on for longer than you expected, you might find yourself discouraged. It can be demoralizing to go to interview after interview and never be offered the job. On this bonus episode of Find Your Dream Job, Heather Back (https://www.linkedin.com/in/heatherback/) and I talk about her two-year-long job search and how she finally landed a job. Heather shares the changes she made in her job search strategy, which included finding new networking opportunities after moving to a new city and narrowing down the exact type of position she wanted. Learn more about Heather’s career history below in this installment of our Success Stories series. (https://www.macslist.org/articles/success-stories) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We say it a lot here at Mac’s List: networking is the single best thing you can do for your job search—or your career, in general. But attending a single networking event probably isn’t going to land you a job right away. Networking is about building mutually-beneficial, long-term relationships, not making awkward demands for a job. In fact, according to this week’s guest, Abby Kohl, the single biggest mistake you can make in a networking event is to ask for a job. Another fatal error is beginning a conversation by announcing your unemployment. Both actions are deadly mistakes for the same reason: they make networking all about you and your needs. Such an approach is more likely to scare people away than to lead to a constructive conversation. Instead, Abby recommends that you always focus on how you can help the person you’re talking to. Listen to their ideas, try to identify their challenges, and ask how you can help. This positions you as a solution provider—the kind of employer every organization wants. It also builds goodwill with your contact, increasing the likelihood that they will assist you in your job search. Abby’s other networking tips include: When you’ve made a good connection, ask for a follow-up meeting over lunch or coffee. Find a “job search buddy” who is looking for similar work. Always have business cards available. Never say you’re unemployed. Instead, say that you are “between successes.” This Week's Guest: Abby Kohut Abby Kohut, founder of Absolutely Abby, is a recruiter who has filled more than 10,000 jobs. Through her website, books, and talks Abby shares hiring secrets other recruiters won’t tell you. Abby is on a mission to help one million job seekers. She is now driving across the United States on a nationwide tour to accomplish the goal. If you have a job search group, contact Abby on her website to create an event in your town. Meet Abby offers a free teleseminar, “Interviewing Ingenuity.” This Week’s Job Search Resource Ben’s resource this week is from the PBS segment, "How to Make a Personal Connection with an Employer Even if the Job Listing Forbids It," by headhunter, Nick Corcodilos. Most job postings explicitly say ‘no calls please.’ Nick recommends finding an alternative way to contact the hiring manager and discussing their problems in a constructive manner. This Week’s Listener Question Joining the Mac's List team as a guest-host is Andrea Gerson, Portland-based career coach and principal at Resume Scripter.  Andrea, Ben, and Mac offer advice to listener Megan Smith, who wants to know which format she should use for her resume. If you would like the team to answer a job-related question or if you’ve found a job resource you think everyone should know about email it to ben@macslist.org or call at 716-JOB-TALK. If we use your question on the air, you will receive either a copy of our new book, Land Your Dream Job Anywhere or a Mac’s List Coffee Mug, your choice. If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support! Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you find yourself avoiding networking events, maybe you need to change your mindset around them. It’s normal to feel nervous when you don’t know anyone who will be there or you feel unsure of what to say or do. Find Your Dream Job guest Linda Van Valkenburgh says that preparation is the key when attending a networking event. Linda also advises putting together a one-pager to distribute rather than your resume, bringing business cards, and thinking through what you want to share before you get there. About Our Guest: Linda Van Valkenburgh (https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindavan/) is a certified executive career coach. She helps her clients plan, manage, and organize individualized career campaigns. Linda is a frequent speaker at networking and professional groups. She also has presented at the Yale School of Management and the University of Connecticut’s School of Business. Resources in This Episode: Visit Linda’s website (http://www.myexecutivecareercoach.com/) to take a career transition assessment. To get your own copy of the one-pager Linda talked about, email Linda at linda@myexecutivecareercoach.com Do you find yourself applying for any job that you think you could do? Before you send out your next application, stop chasing every lead and get clear about your own goals. Our free guide, Finding Focus in Your Job Search (http://www.macslist.org/focus), can help. Read the transcript of the entire episode at macslist.org/podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A career in the public sector can be incredibly rewarding. But government hiring processes from the local level to the federal level are often complicated and outright byzantine. This podcast listener exclusive bonus episode features Kirsten Wyatt, co-founder of Engaging Local Government Leaders, reading her contribution to Land Your Dream Job Anywhere. Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Merely mentioning the words “applicant tracking system” can strike fear in the heart of a job seeker. We tend to fear what we aren’t familiar with and when our livelihood is on the line, it’s easy to understand why. But rather than fear them, Find Your Dream Job guest Matt Warzel says you need to learn how to benefit from them. When approached correctly, an ATS can help you get in front of a hiring manager more quickly, and allow you to showcase your skills prior to an interview. Matt shares the exact method he uses with clients to get the best results when applying through an ATS.  About Our Guest: Matt Warzel (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjwcareers/) is a certified resume writer and the president of MJW Careers (https://mjwcareers.com/). Matt’s company helps you find your next job faster and with a better salary. Resources in This Episode: For more insight into how managers and recruiters think, follow Matt’s blog and sign up for his newsletter at jobstickers.com (https://mjwcareers.com/news/). From our Sponsor: Find Your Dream Job is brought to you by TopResume.(http://macslist.org/topresume) Top Resume has helped more than 400,000 professionals land more interviews and get hired faster. Get a free review of your resume today from one of Top Resume’s expert writers. (http://macslist.org/topresume)     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The most effective resume is one that is targeted for the specific job you want. Your resume should match the skills, experience, and background the company is looking for. How do you create a resume like this? Find Your Dream Job guest Heather McBride says the first step is understanding how to highlight the skill sets the employer is looking for. Heather also stresses that your resume is not the place to be humble; freely share your accomplishments and experience.  About Our Guest: Heather McBride (http://linkedin.com/in/heathermcbride-resume-writer) is a resume writer and a human resources consultant. Resources in This Episode: Ready to crack the Applicant Tracking System code? Get Heather’s FREE keyword worksheet by visiting www.inclarity360.com (http://www.inclarity360.com.). From our Sponsor: Find Your Dream Job is brought to you by TopResume.(http://macslist.org/topresume) Top Resume has helped more than 400,000 professionals land more interviews and get hired faster. Get a free review of your resume today from one of Top Resume’s expert writers. (http://macslist.org/topresume)   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’ve been laid off or need to find a job quickly, you might feel tempted to send your resume or application materials to every open position you discover. But Find Your Dream Job guest Serena Chan says that’s not a good plan. Hiring managers and recruiters need to know you have the specific skills necessary for the position you’re applying for. Serena also says it’s important to do your own research to be sure that the company you’re applying to is a place you truly want to work, based on their vision and company culture. About Our Guest: Serena Chan (https://www.linkedin.com/in/serena-chan-79881114/) is a recruiter with Cambia Health Solutions. It’s a nonprofit health care company. Resources in This Episode: To learn more about the job opportunities at Cambia, visit their website at cambiahealth.com/careers. (http://www.cambiahealth.com/)   From our Sponsor: Find Your Dream Job is brought to you by TopResume.(http://macslist.org/topresume) Top Resume has helped more than 400,000 professionals land more interviews and get hired faster. Get a free review of your resume today from one of Top Resume’s expert writers. (http://macslist.org/topresume)     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Check out the podcast on Macslist here: (https://www.macslist.org/podcasts/networking/find-job-networking-nathan-perez) Employers hire candidates that they know and those who are recommended to them by people that they trust. That's why networking is so important: it gets you face-time with fellow professionals and kickstarts relationships that get you known in the community. When you're looking for a job, one of the best things you can do is conduct informational interviews with professionals in your desired field. But how do you find the right people with whom to meet? And what are the takeaways you can expect from these meetings In this episode of Find Your Dream Job Mac talks with Nathan Perez, an executive recruiter and writer who has mastered the art of networking. According to Huffington Post, Nathan is one of the most connected people on LinkedIn, with 30,000 professional contacts. He is also the author of The 20-Minute Networking Meeting, a primer on how to conduct successful informational interviews.   In this 36-minute episode you will learn: How to structure a short but effective networking meeting How to make a good impression in an informational interview How to build and leverage your network The one thing you should never do in a networking meeting This week's guest: Nathan Perez (@NathanAPerez) Principal, 20 Minute Communications Author of The 20 Minute Networking Meeting Minneapolis, Minn.   Listener question of the week: What do I do when a professional connection "ghosts" (disappears) on me? Do you have a question you'd like us to answer on a future episode? Please send your questions to Cecilia Bianco, Mac's List Community Manager at cecilia@macslist.org. Resources referenced on this week's show: The 20-Minute Networking Meeting (Executive Edition) The 20-Minute Networking Meeting (Graduate Edition) Young Nonprofit Professionals Network Network After Work Ignite Conferences Eventbrite Meetup.com Find Your Dream Job in Portland (and Beyond): The Complete Mac’s List Guide If you have a job-hunting or career development resource resource you'd like to share, please contact Ben Forstag, Mac's List Managing Director, at ben@macslist.org. Thank you for listening to Find Your Dream Job. If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support! Learn more about Mac's List at www.macslist.org. Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Figuring out the next step on your career journey takes energy and focus. If your strategy so far has been to apply everywhere and see what happens, getting clear on your purpose can reap powerful benefits. Find Your Dream Job guest Erin Thomas says you need to know exactly what type of job is going to leverage your unique talents and strengths. Erin also shares the five-step process she uses with clients to get clear about who you are and about what matters most to you in a job search. About Our Guest: Erin Thomas (www.linkedin.com/in/erinfthomas/) is a career and leadership coach, organizational development expert, and human resources professional. Over the past 15 years, Erin has worked with hundreds of people from all around the globe to uncover their unique leadership stance and voice, putting them in the driver seat of their career and life. Resources in This Episode: To learn more about Erin’s career coaching, visit her website at careerandleadershipcoaching.com. Do you find yourself applying for any job that you think you could do? Before you send out your next application, stop chasing every lead and get clear about your own goals. Our free guide, Finding Focus in Your Job Search (focus.macslist.org/), can help. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Seventy-seven million adults have a criminal record, and while discrimination is illegal, employers do have the right to ask about your background. If you’re ready to rejoin the workforce after a criminal conviction, Find Your Dream Job guest Ty Reed suggests only disclosing if asked directly, but being 100% honest. Be prepared to describe how you have turned your life around, using specific examples. Ty also offers the reminder that while it may take time, you absolutely can get the job of your dreams after a criminal conviction, so don’t give up. About Our Guest: Ty Reed (https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyreedmba/) is the founder of Recovery Career Services (https://www.recoveryandwork.org/)It’s a nonprofit that helps anyone who wants to return to employment and put the past behind them. Resources in This Episode: If you have a criminal record and need help getting back in the workforce, Ty would love to help you. Find out more by visiting his website at www.recoveryandwork.org.(www.recoveryandwork.org) From our Sponsor: Find Your Dream Job is brought to you by TopResume.(http://macslist.org/topresume) Top Resume has helped more than 400,000 professionals land more interviews and get hired faster. Get a free review of your resume today from one of Top Resume’s expert writers. (http://macslist.org/topresume) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In an ever-changing world of technology, many job seekers are now being asked to do video interviews. But if you only have experience with face-to-face interviews, how do you prepare for an on-camera meeting? Find Your Dream Job guest Kanika Tolver says you need to prepare in two ways: technology and practice. Make sure you install the technology you’ll be using to conduct the interview a day prior and that you understand how it works. Kanika suggests asking family and friends to practice with you. She advises that setting up a distraction-free environment will allow your true personality to shine through.  About Our Guest: Kanika Tolver (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kanikatolver/) is a professional coach, author, and speaker. She believes that a satisfying, successful career requires fulfillment, self-awareness, and determination. Resources in This Episode: For more information on Kanika’s new book, Career Rehab: Rebuild Your Personal Brand and Rethink the Way You Work, visit kanikatolver.com. (www.kanikatolver.com) Nail every behavioral interview question in your next interview by learning how to prepare for them. Download 100 Behavioral Interview Questions You Need to Know. (http://www.macslist.org/questions) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Any job search is easier if you know what you’re looking for. Too many job seekers settle for a job that pays a good salary but doesn’t fulfill them. How do you figure out your passion and purpose before you try to land your next position? Find Your Dream Job guest Andrea Koppel says you have to experiment. Try out as many things as it takes to discover what you love. She recommends choosing three industries to explore. And Andrea reminds us that we may have several passions in life, so follow what you love and don’t be afraid to change.  About Our Guest: Andrea Koppel (https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-koppel-caffeinated-career-coaching/) is the founder and CEO of the College2Career Academy and the host of the Time4Coffee podcast. (https://time4coffee.org/t4c-podcast/) Resources in This Episode: Take advantage of the huge archive of conversations Andrea has with career professionals by visiting Andrea’s website at time4coffee.org/. (https://time4coffee.org/) From our Sponsor: Find Your Dream Job is brought to you by TopResume. (http://macslist.org/topresume). TopResume (http://macslist.org/topresume) has helped more than 400,000 professionals land more interviews and get hired faster. Get a free review of your resume today from one of TopResume’s expert writers.(http://macslist.org/topresume)       Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everybody knows that changing jobs regularly is the new normal. The days of working for just one or two employers through your adult life are long gone. But what about switching not just jobs, but careers? Most of us will be in the workplace for four decades or more, so it’s a choice each of us will face. In fact, we may have three or four distinct careers over the course of our working lives. This week on Find Your Dream Job, we’re talking about the challenges and benefits of changing your career. Our guest expert is Michelle Hynes a career coach who specializes in helping people in the midst of work transitions. Michelle has, herself, gone through several career changes. She shares her insights on how to reinvent yourself, not just to improve your marketability, but also to increase your happiness. In this 30-minute episode you will learn: Why everyone--no matter your age--needs to plan for career change How changing careers can empower you as a professional and improve your life How to use informational interview to guide your career change The importance of continuing education, training, and certification How to manage the uncertainty involved in switching careers Resources for older professionals looking for an “encore career” This week’s guest: Michelle Hynes (@mhynesPDX | LinkedIn)Principal, Michelle Hynes ConsultingPortland, Ore. Listener question of the week:  What advice do you have for working professionals who would like to shift careers to a new field? Do you have a question you’d like us to answer on a future episode? Please send your questions to communitymanager@macslist.org. Resources referenced on this week’s show: Michelle Hynes: Coach, Consultant Growth Guide Encore.org: Second Acts for the Greater Good The Encore Career Handbook: How to Make a Living and a Difference in the Second Half of Life Encore 2016 Conference: February 9-11, 2016 The 20-Minute Networking Meeting Laura Carstensen: The Longevity Dividend Laura Carstensen: Older People Are Happier Land Your Dream Job in Portland (and Beyond) - 2016 Edition If you have a job-hunting or career development resource resource you’d like to share, please contact Ben Forstag, Mac’s List Managing Director at ben@macslist.org. -- Thank you for listening to Find Your Dream Job. If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support! Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The decision to make a career change can be full of challenges. Rejection, lack of focus, and ignoring networking opportunities can make the transition even harder. On this bonus episode of Find Your Dream Job, Travis Puckett and I discuss his move from the food and beverage industry to data analysis. A desire for traditional work hours and a love of number-crunching motivated Travis to pursue an internship rather than a full-time, traditional position. Travis shares how he got clear about his goals and how faith in himself gave him the confidence to try something new.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You feel like you want a change in your career, but you’re scared. Should you change, or should you stay put and appreciate the job you have? A change can be a positive thing, giving you new opportunities in your day-to-day responsibilities, says Find Your Dream Job guest Amechi Udo. Before making any career change, Amechi suggests asking yourself what your desired outcome is. Get clarity around what you want in a new position, and then use the resources you already have to pursue the opportunity. Start with your skills, talents, and experience and grow from there.  About Our Guest: Amechi Udo (http://linkedin.com/in/careercoachforexecutives) is the founder of Your Career Matters (https://www.yourcareermatters.co.uk/). Amechi’s company helps you take charge of your career. Resources in This Episode: Download your FREE guide, The Seven Steps to Career Change Success, at www.yourcareermatters.co.uk/findyourdreamjob (http://www.yourcareermatters.co.uk/findyourdreamjob). From our Sponsor: Find Your Dream Job is brought to you by TopResume.(http://macslist.org/topresume) Top Resume has helped more than 400,000 professionals land more interviews and get hired faster. Get a free review of your resume today from one of Top Resume’s expert writers. (http://macslist.org/topresume)    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you a few years into a job that no longer excites you, or worse, makes you feel unsuccessful and unfulfilled? You may be having a career identity crisis, says Find Your Dream Job guest Elaine Lou Cartas. Don’t worry; you can fix this by paying attention to what matters most to you. Ignore the “shoulds” and dive deep into your values and priorities. Elaine suggests using informational interviews and networking to explore new avenues and possibilities. Elaine also reminds us that we all change, and an identity crisis at work might just mean it’s time for your next career opportunity.  About Our Guest: Elaine Lou Cartas (https://www.linkedin.com/in/elaineloucartas/) is a speaker, podcaster, and coach who works with women of color and allies.  Resources in This Episode: Ready for Elaine to help you with a FREE personalized career review? Visit elainelou.com/call (https://elainelou.com/call/) to learn more! You can find Elaine online at elainelou.com (http://elainelou.com/), https://www.instagram.com/elainelou_/(https://www.instagram.com/elainelou_/), https://www.linkedin.com/in/elaineloucartas/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/elaineloucartas/) From our Sponsor: Find Your Dream Job is brought to you by TopResume.(http://macslist.org/topresume) Top Resume has helped more than 400,000 professionals land more interviews and get hired faster. Get a free review of your resume today from one of Top Resume’s expert writers. (http://macslist.org/topresume)     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’re investing all of your focus into your current job, you are not setting yourself up for future success. Taking ownership of your career gives you an advantage that sets you up for success in future positions. How do you take ownership of your career? Find Your Dream Job guest Monique Betty says you begin by being deliberate - in your skills, your relationships, and your education. Monique suggests focusing less on your purpose early on, and more on finding fulfillment. That, she says, will ultimately lead to you discovering and pursuing your purpose.  About Our Guest: Monique Betty (https://www.linkedin.com/in/moniquebetty1/) is an executive coach and trainer who works with professionals and teams. Resources in This Episode: Head over to Monique’s website at moniquebetty.com (https://www.moniquebetty.com/) to be notified when her e-course, The Career Advantage, goes live to the public. Don't miss your chance to sign up (https://www.moniquebetty.com/7-guiding-principles) to Your Professional Development Plan to Move Your Career Forward From our Sponsor: Find Your Dream Job is brought to you by TopResume (http://macslist.org/topresume). TopResume (http://macslist.org/topresume) has helped more than 400,000 professionals land more interviews and get hired faster. Get a free review of your resume today from one of TopResume’s expert writers. (http://macslist.org/topresume)     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is a structure or blueprint to being a successful person but there is no perfect formula. The design differs for everyone, as guest expert Don Hutcheson explains. It is necessary to dig into who you are and what you are supposed to be doing before attempting to be successful at any one thing. The first quality all successful people have in common is they take full responsibility for their own self-knowledge and self-awareness, and they avoid mindless conformity. If you start with a solid base of knowing who you are on the inside, you eliminate the guessing which leads to reactions and unsatisfactory career choices. Other things successful people have in common is they are all on a lifelong journey of learning, and they surround themselves with like-minded people. They read educational resources about how to use their individual talents and how to strengthen their emotional intelligence. People go through what Don calls “turning points” every 6 or 7 years. If they have a continuous mindset to keep getting better, these turning points will enhance their already honed abilities. To be successful: Do research about yourself and your abilities Set goals for yourself Surround yourself with the right people Accept failure and learn from it Be disciplined Trust your instincts Make strategic decisions, not knee-jerk reactions Don’t be miserable Journal about your experiences Seek out people who have the same values! Book Resources from Don: What Should I Do With My Life? by Po Bronson What Color Is Your Parachute? by Dick Bolles Don’t Waste Your Talents by Don Hutcheson & Dr. Bob McDonald Don Hutcheson Bio Don Hutcheson is a lifelong entrepreneur, inventor, author and coach. He hosts the daily podcast, Discover Your Talent — Do What You Love and has interviewed over 350 successful people. By the end of 2016, he will be offering membership groups and courses, which will include experts on topics such as emotional intelligence, salary negotiations and exposing natural abilities.  Don has never had a boss. Instead, he has created six companies in advertising, publishing, coaching and career planning over the last 40 years. Ben’s Job Search Resources: Ben shares the blog post How to Tell People What You Do—and Be Remembered by Alexandra Franzen on TheMuse.com. The post is about how you can communicate what you do in simple terms, which begins with the Maya Angelou quote “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." Jenna’s Find Your Dream Job Listener Question: Ben, Jenna and Mac provide feedback to Sue Black’s question - “Is there a great career coach for young, recent college grads?” Jenna recommends career coach Satya Byock from Quarter-Life Counseling in the Portland area and Stacey Marie Ishmael’s BuzzFeed podcast, Another Round. If you would like the team to answer a job-related question, email it to jenna@macslist.org or call her at 716-JOB-TALK. Or if you’ve found a job resource you think everyone should know about, send it to ben@macslist.org and tell him how it has helped you find your dream job. These segments are sponsored by the 2016 edition of Hack the Hidden Job Market Course. The course launches November 1st - lock in your early bird pricing now. If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes (http://www.macslist.org/itunes). We appreciate your support! Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Don’t be nervous. Be prepared! This episode shows you how to negotiate your salary like a pro. With guest expert and negotiation consultant Kwame Christian, we learn what you need to do to prepare for your next salary negotiation, set a baseline for the salary you want, and convince your new employer to give it to you. About Our Guest: Kwame Christian Kwame Christian Esq., M.A. (linkedin.com/in/kwamechristian), is a business lawyer and the director of the American Negotiation Institute (americannegotiationinstitute.com). He also serves as a negotiation consultant for attorneys and for companies closing large business deals. And Kwame hosts Negotiate Anything, the top ranked podcast on negotiation in the US. In every episode, he interviews successful entrepreneurs and shares powerful persuasion techniques. Resources in this Episode: Employee Total Compensation Calculator: www.calcxml.com/calculators/total-compensation Get a free negotiation guide from Kwame: americannegotiationinstitute.com/guide/ Listener Peter Weiss asks about the best way to share publicly when you’re looking for a new job. Would you post about your unemployment on Facebook? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many people believe retirement means working until a certain age and then enjoying a life of leisure. The problem with this thinking, says this week's guest expert, Nancy Collamer, is that most of us are facing the 40/30 dilemma. After working (only) 40 years in a full-time career, 30 years of retirement can be too many hours to fill, and too many years to fund. That's why Nancy urges people to make retirement more than just gardening, grandkids, and golfing. You can also use this time to explore a second act career.  A part-time job to supplement our income, or a volunteer position may be just what the doctor ordered. A Second Act Career A second act career is the work we do after our primary careers. In general, the work is more fun, more flexible, and more fulfilling than our previous work. Nancy notes that many people find it daunting to plan for their second act career, so she suggests three steps to help with the process: Introspection —  Think about what you want, and how you want to do it. Idea Generation — Get out there, and research your options. Experimentation — Try things out, to see what fits. The sooner you start this process, the better! Finding your encore career earlier in life, may allow you to quit you unfulfilling 9-5 job before you otherwise expected. A second act career can also mean you don’t have to dip into your savings as early. You can delay accessing your Social Security, and that is a financial gain. Bucket or Chuck It? Nancy recommends planning for your retirement hours with a bucket list and a chuck it list. A bucket list is a way to make sure you get in everything you’ve ever wanted in life, while a chuck it list allows you to say goodbye to those things you never really liked, such as traffic and spreadsheets. This Week's Guest: Nancy Collamer Nancy Collamer is an expert on second-act careers, semi-retirement and boomer career trends. She writes a career blog for Forbes.com and the PBS website NextAvenue.org. Nancy is also the author of Second-Act Careers: 50+ Ways to Profit Your Passions During Semi-Retirement and a contributor to Not Your Mother's Retirement and 65 Things To Do When You Retire. Nancy publishes her free newsletter on My Lifestyle Career and she is working on a digital product to help people jump start their second act career planning process.   Resource of the Week Ben’s resource this week is the Huffington Post — Reinvention Section. This entire section is for those lucky people who are 50+ are interested in reinventing their life, career or location. There are some great articles here and some not so great, so browse around. Listener Question of the Week Jessica, Ben, and Mac offer advice to Ryan Wilson who is looking for guidance about to talk about himself and his accomplishments, without coming off as boastful. If you would like the team to answer a job-related question or if you’ve found a job resource you think everyone should know about email it to ben@macslist.org or call at 716-JOB-TALK. If we use your question on the air, you will receive either a copy of our new book, Land Your Dream Job Anywhere or a Mac’s List Coffee Mug, your choice. If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support! Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dressing for work is especially fraught for women. This came to the fore nationally in July when a female journalist in Congress was turned away from the House lobby because her dress didn’t have sleeves. The story reignited our recent discussion about what “professional business attire” really means. For this bonus episode, we bring back Karla Miller, the Work Advice columnist for The Washington Post Magazine to talk about what Washington dress codes mean for the rest of us. How should business leaders address a vague dress code, and is there a tried and true rule for sleeves in the workplace? What do you think of our show? Rate and review our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support! Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Career burnout is more common than you might suspect; approximately 76-90% of people report feeling some level of burnout in their job. And not all burnout is the same, says Find Your Dream Job guest Candyce Hunt. She shares her three-step strategy for addressing burnout, and how to head it off before it begins. Burnout doesn’t look the same for everyone, so Candyce shares some of the most common types and what might be causing them. Career burnout is not sustainable so learn how to recognize it and protect yourself from it.  About Our Guest: Candyce Hunt is a career strategist, a speaker, and a co-founder of the 5 Minute Career Hack.  Resources in This Episode: Read or download a complete transcript of this episode. The 5 Minute Career Hack Podcast is a wonderful mix of interviews, inspiration, and actionable career development ideas.  If you’re ready to address the entirety of your career life cycle, you’ll want to get your hands on the 5 Minute Career Hack Master Course. Learn more here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If your job search is taking longer than expected, you may notice some unpleasant symptoms like anxiety and sleeplessness. These things, in turn, can lead to poor decision making. And poor decision making can lead to a hiring manager noticing your stress levels and wondering if you can do the job. If you find yourself in a downward spiral, Find Your Dream Job guest Chase Sterling says you can change it by developing a healthy daily routine. Chase also shares how mindfulness and gratitude can be key ways to lower your stress and anxiety. About Our Guest: Chase Sterling (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chasesterling/) is the Founder of HHP Cultures, whose mission is to improve the world by improving workplaces. Resources in This Episode: For a healthier workplace, check out Chase’s website for HHP Cultures, hhpcultures.com/. (https://hhpcultures.com/) From our Sponsor: Find Your Dream Job is brought to you by TopResume.(http://macslist.org/topresume) Top Resume has helped more than 400,000 professionals land more interviews and get hired faster. Get a free review of your resume today from one of Top Resume’s expert writers. (http://macslist.org/topresume) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’re in a period of stagnation at work, it can seem too hard to look for something better. A job search takes a lot of energy, and if you feel drained at work, you might not feel that you have the energy it takes. But Find Your Dream Job guest Megan Leatherman says there are always steps you can take, no matter how impossible it seems. She says the first step is to get back to self-care. It’s also important, Megan says, to believe that you can do what it takes to find the job that’s perfect for you. Vocalize what’s true about where you are now and where you want to be.  About Our Guest: Megan Leatherman (https://www.linkedin.com/in/meganleatherman/) is a coach, writer, and the founder of A Wild New Work. It’s an ecological career development agency in the Pacific Northwest. Resources in This Episode: Get Megan’s free program, Grounded and Gifted, by going to her website at awildnewwork.com/groundedandgifted (https://awildnewwork.com/groundedandgifted) From our Sponsor: Find Your Dream Job is brought to you by TopResume.(http://macslist.org/topresume) Top Resume has helped more than 400,000 professionals land more interviews and get hired faster. Get a free review of your resume today from one of Top Resume’s expert writers. (http://macslist.org/topresume)  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Networking and coffee often go hand-in-hand; inviting a professional contact out for coffee is one of the easiest ways to score an informational interview or stay in touch with your network. Chances are, before anyone accepts your coffee invite they are going to check out you out on social media. So it is vital that your social media profiles are a true reflection of who you are as a professional. On this bonus episode of Find Your Dream Job, Joshua Waldman, author of Job Searching with Social Media for Dummies and founder of Career Enlightenment, shares his advice on how to keep your online presence and profiles up-to-date and professional during your job search. His top tips? On top of having a stellar LinkedIn profile, consider giving your new contact more information about yourself with a simple About.me website. If you’re looking for more advice on how to network, check out our book, Land Your Dream Job In Portland and Beyond. You’ll find everything you need to get a great job whether you’re in Portland Oregon, Portland Maine, or anywhere in-between. For more information on Land Your Dream Job In Portland and Beyond, visit macslist.org/book. Thank you for listening to Find Your Dream Job. If you like this shoe, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support! Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you keep pressing forward when rejection makes you want to quit? Find Your Dream Job guest Larnell Vickers suggests using rejection to do the deeper work of understanding who you are and what you want. Rejection can help you define your value as a person and learn how to better express your work ethic. It can also help you to grow in perseverance and resilience. Larnell also reminds us that our career is a personal journey, and rejection is part of that journey. Learning how to work through it can make your journey stronger and more fulfilling. About Our Guest: Larnell Vickers (http://linkedin.com/in/larnell-vickers) is a career coach, executive recruiter, and leadership consultant. Resources in This Episode: Are you ready to power your career forward? Learn how Larnell can help you by visiting the career journey.co (https://www.thecareerjourney.co/) From our Sponsor: Find Your Dream Job is brought to you by TopResume.(http://macslist.org/topresume) Top Resume has helped more than 400,000 professionals land more interviews and get hired faster. Get a free review of your resume today from one of Top Resume’s expert writers. (http://macslist.org/topresume)   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Often, when busy professionals receive a request for a networking meeting, time is the deciding factor as to whether or not they accept it. If you want to improve your chances of meeting an important contact, make it clear that you only want twenty minutes of his or her time. In this bonus podcast episode, Nathan Perez, executive career and job search coach, as well as co-author of the 20-Minute Networking Meeting, shares his advice on how to organize and execute a short, focused informational interview.  Here are his key tips: Have a focused agenda prepared in advance. Give your contact context about your professional background.  Ask a short set of targeted and strategic questions. Know the background of the person you're meeting with and understand how they can help you with your job search. Listen and stay actively engaged in the conversation. Preparation and focus allow you to have an informative and powerful conversation. If you master the art of the 20-minute networking meeting you will quickly build a network that will advance your job search. You can find more useful job search insight in Land Your Dream Job Anywhere, now available on Amazon. To preview the first chapter for free, visit www.macslist.org/anywhere. Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You’ve received an offer for your dream job, but the salary isn’t quite what you had hoped it would be. How do you negotiate the salary with confidence? Find Your Dream Job guest Kate Dixon says you need to be prepared to ask for what you need. Share your expertise and what your research shows the market will bear for someone with your experience. Kate recommends establishing a collaboration with the hiring manager and exploring the company’s flexibility for salary and other benefits.  About Our Guest: Kate Dixon is the founder of Dixon Consulting (https://katedixon.org/) and the author of Pay UP! Unlocking Insider Secrets of Salary Negotiation. (https://www.amazon.com/Pay-UP-Unlocking-Insider-Negotiation/dp/1734699264/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=pay+up+kate+dixon&qid=1632850843&s=amazon-devices&sr=1-1) Resources in This Episode: Are you ready to negotiate for a better salary? Get Kate’s course, “The Pay Up Workshop” by visiting her website at courses.katedixon.org. (https://courses.katedixon.org/courses/pay-up-workshop) From our Sponsor: Find Your Dream Job is brought to you by TopResume. (http://macslist.org/topresume) TopResume (http://macslist.org/topresume)has helped more than 400,000 professionals land more interviews and get hired faster. Get a free review of your resume today (http://macslist.org/topresume)from one of TopResume’s expert writers.     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To have a great career, you need passion. But you also need a solid plan.  Specifically, you need to know how your passions and ideas will be marketable in an ever-evolving job market. This week on “Find Your Dream Job” we’re talking about career management and how to build a plan for a remarkable long-term career. Mac interviews professor and author Larry Smith, whose provocative TED talk, “Why You Will Fail to Have a Great Career,” has attracted more than six million views. Larry urges his students to explore their passions--but also to think about their ongoing relevance in the job market. In this 35-minute episode you will learn: Why passion is a prerequisite to a great career--but not enough in-and-of-itself. How to market yourself and your ideas How to discipline your passion as part of your overall career management plan Why everyone needs a 50 years career management plan Why even non-creative professionals need to be creative when managing their career This week’s guest: Larry SmithAdjunct Associate Professor, University of WaterlooAuthor, No Fears, No Excuses: What You Need to Do to Have a Great CareerWaterloo, ON, Canada   Listener question of the week:  Everyone tells me to “do what I love” for a job. But how am I supposed to know if I like something before I do it? There are so many different jobs out there. I feel like I will be limiting myself if I pick a direction too early in life! If you have a question you’d like us to answer on a future episode, please contact Jenna Forstrom, Mac’s List Community Manager at jenna@macslist.org. Resources from this week’s show: "How to Find Your Passion" | Seanwes’ Podcast, Episode 101 "Why You Will Fail to Have a Great Career" | Larry Smith's TEDx Talk Larry Smith’s Facebook Page No Fears, No Excuses: What You Need to Do to Have a Great Career Land Your Dream Job in Portland (and Beyond) If you have a job-hunting or career development resource you’d like to share, please contact Ben Forstag, Mac’s List Managing Director at ben@macslist.org. — Thank you for listening to Find Your Dream Job. If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support! Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you submit a job application, you’re adding your resume to a stack of resumes. Is there any way to make yours stand out to a recruiter? According to Find Your Dream Job guest Samantha Kennen, the answer is yes. Samantha suggests beginning with enthusiasm. Show your excitement for the position by being specific about what you would bring to the job. Samantha also recommends sharing numbers to quantify your skills whenever possible, as well as listing clear objectives or career goals near the top of your customized resume.  About Our Guest: Samantha Kennen (https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthakennen/) is the human resources director at Grand Central Bakery. (https://www.grandcentralbakery.com/) Her company’s hand-crafted breads and pastries are beloved locally and recognized nationally.  Resources in This Episode: Connect with Samantha on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/samanthakennen/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthakennen/) To learn more about Grand Central Bakery, visit their website at www.grandcentralbakery.com/. (http://www.grandcentralbakery.com/) From our Sponsor: Find Your Dream Job is brought to you by TopResume.(http://macslist.org/topresume) Top Resume has helped more than 400,000 professionals land more interviews and get hired faster. Get a free review of your resume today from one of Top Resume’s expert writers. (http://macslist.org/topresume) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’re ready to find a new job but want to stay in your current company while you look for a better opportunity, you need to engage in a thoughtful and sensitive “stealth” job search. You don’t want your boss finding out that you’ve already got one foot out the door! Recruiter, Bernie Reifkind, reminds job seekers to “trust no one” with their plan to seek employment elsewhere. Even co-workers who have become close friends should not know about your plans. If the information were to slip out, you could be terminated from your current position. If you are networking as part of your job search (and you should be!) Bernie recommends using certain phrases which subtly imply you are in the market for new opportunities. He also recommends asking others to respect your confidentiality. A confidential candidate resume is one way to send your resume to respective employers while keeping your personal data hidden. Make sure your resume is world-class, then replace your name with “Confidential Candidate,” set up a new email account and remove any and all personal information. During a stealth job search: Lock down your LinkedIn with privacy options. Keep your activities private from your current colleagues. Never use a company computer to search. Be cautious about responding to blind job postings. Our Guest for This Episode: Bernie Reifkind Bernie Reifkind is the founder of Premier Search, Inc. His company offers career counseling, strategic planning, and executive recruitment services for clients in healthcare and other industries. His clients include CEOs, mid-career managers, and recent graduates. Bernie is about to launch a new website for C-Suite executives. You can find out more by following @Guru2Interview on Twitter, or connecting with him on LinkedIn. Ben’s Job Search Resource: Employee Referrals Ben’s resource this week references one of the most powerful tools you can have while searching for a job: an internal referral. The U.S. News blog post, 7 Things You Should Know About Employee Referrals, describes why an employee referral increases your chances at getting the job. Find Your Dream Job Listener Question: “Cold Resumes” Becky, Ben and Mac offer advice to Melody Dawn, from Portland, who wants to know: How can I make my “cold resume” stand out from the stack of applications? These segments are sponsored by Mac’s new book, Land Your Dream Job Anywhere. The book offers practical, actionable, and proven tools to help you get clear about your career goals, find hidden jobs, and ace your next interview. Get the first chapter of this useful resource free. Be a part of the Find Your Dream Job podcast! Ask your job-related question! Email it to becky@macslist.org, or leave us a message at 716-JOB-TALK. If we use your question on the air, you will receive either a copy of our new book, Land Your Dream Job Anywhere. Share your best job resource with our listeners! Send your resource to ben@macslist.org, and tell him how it has helped you find your dream job. What do you think of our show? Rate and review our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support! Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this bonus episode, certified career coach Hallie Crawford reads her contribution to our new book, Land Your Dream Job Anywhere, the complete Mac's List guide to finding work you love.  Hallie urges all job seekers to start their search with some deep personal analysis. This begins by building a "Career Contrast List" to figure out their true career wants. This helps in two ways: People realize there may not be as many barriers to their career path as they initially thought. It helps job seekers become more rational and practical about what they need to do next. Next, she has people construct an ideal model for their career. This means: Exploring career values and enjoyments of job seekers.  Confirming (and sometimes attaining) the qualifications needed for the dream job they are considering.  The goal of these exercises are to complete a comprehensive analysis the job seeker can use to take action in their job search. You can find more useful job search insight in our new book Land Your Dream Job Anywhere, now available on Amazon. To preview the first chapter for free, visit www.macslist.org/anywhere. Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s an exciting time of life; you're having a baby! But how do you make your next career move when your time and energy are about to be challenged? First, says Find Your Dream Job guest Emily Lamia, focus on the job you want. Just like any job seeker, determine your skills and the value you offer to the company you’re applying to. Next, Emily says, determine the benefits you need and pursue the positions that offer them. And finally, don’t let pregnancy make you feel like you can’t get hired; companies will hire the right person for the job, so communicate that you are the right person.  About Our Guest: Emily Lamia (http://linkedin.com/in/emilylamia) is the founder and owner of Pivot Journeys (https://www.pivotjourneys.com/). Her company gives you the strategies and support you need to find meaningful work. And to empower you to be inspired, engaged, and effective on the job. Resources in This Episode: If you’re ready for personalized help as you navigate your next career move, find out how Emily can help you by visiting her website at Pivot Journeys (https://www.pivotjourneys.com/). From our Sponsor: Find Your Dream Job is brought to you by TopResume.(http://macslist.org/topresume) Top Resume has helped more than 400,000 professionals land more interviews and get hired faster. Get a free review of your resume today from one of Top Resume’s expert writers. (http://macslist.org/topresume) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Losing your job—under any circumstances—is a painful, embarrassing experience, and it’s natural to be upset. You may feel like you’ve lost control of your life, or that you’ll never find another job.  Plus there’s the stress of managing your financial responsibilities on a diminished income. While it’s natural to be anxious after a layoff, you shouldn’t let panic drive you to rash decisions. So say this week’s guest, Jane Jackson. Instead, give yourself time to heal and figure out the next step in your career. Jane suggests that you reach out to trusted friends and professional contacts to help you avoid catastrophic thinking and maintain perspective. These people can help clarify where you are where you are in life and what options are available. Only after you’ve properly dealt with the emotional aspect of a job loss, should you create a plan to find your next gig. If you jump too quickly into the job search process, you’re likely to come across as desperate or needy to potential employers—a dynamic that will only lead to more frustration on your part. This Week's Guest: Jane Jackson Jane Jackson is a career and life coach who has worked with thousands of clients across Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Europe. She is the author of the Amazon #1 bestseller, Navigating Career Crossroads: How to Thrive when Changing Direction. Jane also hosts the Your Career Podcast. Jane is excited to be speaking about branding and networking, at an upcoming CFO conference in Cannes. And, she recently launched the online career transition program, The 7 Steps Careers Program. This Week's Resource Ben’s resource this week is the blog post, After Being Fired, Answer the Job Interview Question: Why Did You Leave Your Job? from Job-Hunt.org, The post recommends starting with a positive statement and then explain the circumstances around your being fired in an honest, flattering light and then pivot to a positive takeaway from the experience. Listener Question of the Week Joining the Mac’s List team as a guest-host is Andrea Gerson, Portland-based career coach and principal at Resume Scripter. Andrea, Ben, and Mac answer Jasmine Ward’s question: "Should I send a cover letter even when the employer doesn’t specifically request one in the job posting?" If you would like the team to answer a job-related question or if you’ve found a job resource you think everyone should know about email it to ben@macslist.org or call at 716-JOB-TALK. If we use your question on the air, you will receive either a copy of our new book, Land Your Dream Job Anywhere or a Mac’s List Coffee Mug, your choice. If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support! Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you start a job search by saying you’re open to anything, you’re really saying that you have no idea what you want. And if you don’t know what you want, how will you convince a hiring manager that you’re the right fit for a job opening? Instead of being “open to anything,” Find Your Dream Job guest Corbin C. says you have to be focused on finding a job that you will enjoy and that you are qualified for. Corbin advises not wasting time applying for jobs you don’t actually want, and learning to apply the experience you have to a specific position, even if that’s mostly volunteer experience.  About Our Guest: Corbin C (https://www.linkedin.com/in/corbinc/) is a career and technology advisor at Boly:Welch. It's a B Corp that offers recruiting, staffing, and executive search services.  Resources in This Episode: For more information on the workshops that Corbin and his colleagues offer for job seekers, visit https://bolywelch.com/jobseekers/. (https://bolywelch.com/jobseekers/) From our Sponsor: Find Your Dream Job is brought to you by TopResume.(http://macslist.org/topresume) Top Resume has helped more than 400,000 professionals land more interviews and get hired faster. Get a free review of your resume today from one of Top Resume’s expert writers. (http://macslist.org/topresum Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Finding a new job isn’t easy, and when we experience fear, it can discourage us from even trying. How can you overcome the common fears of job hunting? You can start by clarifying why you’re seeking a change. Find Your Dream Job guest Soma Ghosh also says you need to know what your ultimate career goals are. Soma suggests taking small steps toward your goals and not allowing the fear to paralyze you. Having a supportive network of friends and colleagues can also help you overcome any fears that hold you back.  About Our Guest: Soma Ghosh (https://www.linkedin.com/in/soma-ghosh-26086638/) is a career adviser, a business owner, and the host of The Career Happiness Podcast (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-career-happiness-podcast/id1450116167).  Resources in This Episode: Do you know the 4 pillars of creating your dream career? Find out by visiting Soma’s website at (ww.somaghosh.com/.) From our Sponsor: Find Your Dream Job is brought to you by TopResume.(http://macslist.org/topresume) Top Resume has helped more than 400,000 professionals land more interviews and get hired faster. Get a free review of your resume today from one of Top Resume’s expert writers. (http://macslist.org/topresume)   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Does your manager fail to notice your accomplishments at evaluation time? If so, it is because “managers are busy” says salary negotiation expert Josh Doody. In addition to managing people, managers are also responsible for running the business and making a profit. Many companies only consider giving employees raises during a focal or anniversary period which can be the most politically challenging time for an employee to ask for a raise. The best way to get a raise or to maximize your salary is to start by doing your homework. Employees should start building their case for a raise 30-60 days before a review and make the process as easy as possible for a manager. To build the best case when asking for a raise you should: One:  Have a target salary in mind which is based on your market value. Use online resources such as Payscale.com, Glassdoor.com or Salary.com. Two:  Put a case together with proof you deserve what you are asking for. Ask for a specific raise amount. Outline the quantitative accomplishments since your current salary was set. Show which activities you have performed and the result they have made to move the business forward. Prepare a list of accolades or social proof from others who have recognized your work. Three:  Show how you are improving the company and how your results align with the goals of the business. When building a case employees should not include reasons which do not carry a positive result for the business such as, buying a new house, kids in college, etc. Remember to make the process as easy on your manager as possible! Josh Doody Bio Josh Doody is an author, consultant, MBA, and engineer who writes about salary negotiation, career management, business, job interviews, and self-publishing.  He is the author of Fearless Salary Negotiation: A Step-by-Step Guide to Getting Paid What You’re Worth. His current focus is in reaching people directly through one-on-one coaching programs and his Free 7-day course on how to get promoted quickly. You can follow Josh on Twitter @JoshDoody. Ben’s Job Search Resources: Anyone can use Payscale.com to way to find out what jobs are worth based on job title, location, company and experience. Advantages to using the site are targeted salary research, such as, how your salary compares with others who have the same job title and nuanced information on how individual skills can affect your salary. It also includes a comprehensive compensation review so job perks can also be added to the equation. The site is user-data-driven so you may want to limit the amount of personal information you supply. Jenna’s Find Your Dream Job Listener Question: Ben, Jenna and Mac provide detailed, honest feedback Shannon Cleary’s situational question - “There is a philanthropic organization that I have applied to 2 jobs to over the last 10 months. I am about to apply for my third. After my last application, I had a phone interview. When I got the rejection email, I replied and asked for time to chat (with my interviewer) or suggestions for things to work on for my next application. I never heard back from her.  So my questions: Should I reach out directly to her and ask for coffee again OR just send in my application as directed by the job post?” If you would like the team to answer a job-related question, send it to jenna@macslist.org or call her at 716-JOB-TALK. Or if you found a job resource you think everyone should know about, send it to ben@macslist.org and tell him how it has helped you find your dream job. These segments are sponsored by Hack the Hidden Job Market Course, which starts November 1st. Visit the link above to lock in early bird pricing now. If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support! Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If the statistics are true, recruiters and hiring managers spend less than 5 minutes looking at each resume they receive; even less if it doesn’t grab their attention immediately. In order to get past the first round of screening, Find Your Dream Job guest Agnes Zach says you need to use the language of the job description in your cover letter and resume. In addition, she suggests preparing specific, 3-5 minute answers to the most commonly asked interview questions. Agnes also shares the most common reasons you aren’t making it to the final round of interviews. About Our Guest: Agnes Zach (https://www.linkedin.com/in/agneszach/)is the CEO at Nonprofit Professionals Now. Her organization offers executive search, temporary staffing, and talent evaluation services. Resources in This Episode: If you’re a professional or job seeker in the nonprofit sector, Agnes offers services to help you. Find out more at her website at npprofessionals.com. (https://npprofessionals.com/) From our Sponsor: Find Your Dream Job is brought to you by TopResume.(http://macslist.org/topresume) Top Resume has helped more than 400,000 professionals land more interviews and get hired faster. Get a free review of your resume today from one of Top Resume’s expert writers.(http://macslist.org/topresume)     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’re looking for a new job opportunity, you may be weighing out the possibility of taking an internship. But you shouldn’t underestimate the value of internships. Internships can unlock new opportunities, forge new relationships, and create lifelong connections. Find out how to stand out as an intern and stay connected after your internship ends with insights from career expert Kirk Baumann. About Our Guest: Kirk Baumann Kirk Baumann is an experienced talent acquisition leader, connecting people to their purpose. As a career and leadership expert recognized globally, Kirk has helped launch thousands of careers for young leaders and thrives on building lasting relationships. Named one of the 100 Most Social HR Experts on Twitter by The Huffington Post, Kirk is the founder and author of the award-winning career advice blog, Campus to Career. Kirks advice has been featured in Business News Daily, Mashable, and US News & World Report. Resources in this Episode: New tool: “The Pay Gap Is Way Too Entrenched To Be Solved By Women Alone” (https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-pay-gap-is-way-too-entrenched-to-be-solved-by-women-alone/) from Fivethirtyeight. Listener question: Colleen Smyth from Gresham, Oregon asks: “I know it's important to ask the hiring manager good questions in an interview. How many questions do you think is appropriate? In my last interview, I felt like I was asking too many questions and the interviewer was getting annoyed.” More from our guest: Get Kirk’s advice on Acing the 400 Hour Interview (https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/acing-400hr-interview-kirk-baumann/) Read 4 Little Ways to Stand Out as Intern (https://campus-to-career.com/2017/07/25/4-little-ways-to-stand-out-as-an-intern/) From Campus to Career. Visit campus-to-career.com to read Kirk’s latest blog posts. Connect with Kirk on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kbaumann/. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’re looking for a job you will love and where you can make a difference, you need a custom resume and cover letter for every application you turn in. Find Your Dream Job guest Monica Haut says custom application materials begin with the specific company name, the keywords used in the job listing, and the unique skills you bring to the table. Monica also stresses the importance of keeping the resume concise, with plenty of white space. Custom applications give you the greatest opportunity to find your dream job.  About Our Guest: Monica Haut (https://www.linkedin.com/in/monica-haut-4735449/) is the human resources manager at  Hopworks Urban Brewery. (http://www.hopworksbeer.com) It’s a family-owned and operated company that employs more than 100 people across the Pacific Northwest.  Resources in This Episode: Learn more about Hopworks Urban Brewery at www.hopworksbeer.com. (http://www.hopworksbeer.com) From our Sponsor: Find Your Dream Job is brought to you by TopResume.(http://macslist.org/topresume) Top Resume has helped more than 400,000 professionals land more interviews and get hired faster. Get a free review of your resume today from one of Top Resume’s expert writers. (http://macslist.org/topresume) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sometimes you take a job solely for the paycheck. But, at its best, work is about more than just financial advancement. A rewarding job engages you in a personal way, drawing on your strengths and passions, and challenging you with interesting, meaningful projects. The key to landing a “dream job” is understanding your own interests, abilities, and needs. Only when you know what you truly want from from work will you able able to target the job opportunities most likely to make you happy. Are you clear about what you want from your job? This week on Find Your Dream Job Mac talks with Aubrie De Clerck, a Portland-based career coach, about how to focus get clear about your work goals. Aubrie believes that everyone can have a career that feels authentic and purposeful. When job seekers identify the the work-life elements they most value, it creates a focused roadmap for meaningful work.   In this 29-minute episode you will learn: Practical steps to help you discover (and focus) what you want from a job Why a focused job search is better than “keeping your options open” Tools for exploring your personal and professional strengths Why it’s OK to not have all the answers--and admit it to others This week’s guest: Aubrie De Clerck (@AubrieDeClerck)Principal, Coaching for ClarityPortland, Ore. Listener question of the week: How can I determine if a job is the right fit for me? Do you have a question you’d like us to answer on a future episode? Please send your questions to Cecilia Bianco, Mac’s List Community Manager at cecilia@macslist.org. Resources referenced on this week’s show: StrengthsFinder Online Test StrengthsFinder 2.0 (Book) Coaching for Clarity Land Your Dream Job in Portland (and Beyond): The Complete Mac’s List Guide If you have a job-hunting or career development resource resource you’d like to share, please contact Ben Forstag, Mac’s List Managing Director at ben@macslist.org. -- Thank you for listening to Find Your Dream Job. If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support! Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You pursued your dream job, got hired, and you’ve been there a few years. But, what if you feel the pull to pursue a new career direction? On this bonus episode of Find Your Dream Job, Ben Oh and I talk about deciding to leave a dream job behind. Ben shares how trusting his instincts and fighting unrealistic expectations led him to a job he loves. Ben also breaks down how he stayed confident that making a career change was the right decision. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Job seekers are nervous. If you’ve had a recent interview, you can probably identify with that statement. But there is a way to see a job search as a natural process between humans and one that allows you to be yourself. Find Your Dream Job guest Mia Williams is here to share how to create a resume that uses keywords to showcase not only your relevant experience but who you are as a person. Mia also gives some great tips on preparing for an interview, as well as how to network more effectively.  About Our Guest: Mia Williams (http://linkedin.com/in/mia-williams) is the founder of The Colors of Her Success (https://www.thecolorsofhersuccess.com/). It’s an online platform for Gen Z women of color learning to navigate success in life and career. Resources in This Episode: Want to hear more from Mia? Check out her podcast by visiting The Colors of Her Success Podcast (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-colors-of-her-success/id1596998261).  From our Sponsor: Find Your Dream Job is brought to you by TopResume.(http://macslist.org/topresume) Top Resume has helped more than 400,000 professionals land more interviews and get hired faster. Get a free review of your resume today from one of Top Resume’s expert writers. (http://macslist.org/topresume)   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this bonus episode, Don Raskin, author of The Dirty Little Secrets of Getting Your Dream Job reads his contribution to Mac's book, Land Your Dream Job Anywhere. Knowledge is power and the key to interview preparation is research. You must do these three things before your next job interview.  Research the company. Go to the company’s website and social media profiles. Collect information you can use during your interview. Look for recent news items about the company, its competitors and the industry at large. Use this information during the interview to help you look in the know.   Know the job description Review the job description to understand the duties and responsibility of the job. Search Indeed.com and look at similar positions from other companies to compare job requirements and responsibilities. Find out about your interviewers LinkedIn is your go-to resource for finding out about your interviewers' expertise, background, and position at the company. Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you feeling demoralized by rejection in your job search? Has the “numbers game” made you feel like a loser? There is a better way to find your next position, and Find Your Dream Job guest Stephanie Mansueto says it’s by being picky. Stop applying for every job you’re qualified for and figure out which jobs you can be competitive for. What skills and experience do you have that take you to the next level of qualification? Stephanie also advises making a list of dream employers and using informational interviews to access the hidden job market.  About Our Guest: Stephanie Mansueto (http://linkedin.com/in/stephaniemansueto619) is a corporate recruiter and a job-hunting coach.  Resources in This Episode: Let Stephanie help you figure out what’s standing between you and your next big career move by visiting her website at smcareercoach.com (https://www.smcareercoach.com/). From our Sponsor: Find Your Dream Job is brought to you by TopResume.(http://macslist.org/topresume) Top Resume has helped more than 400,000 professionals land more interviews and get hired faster. Get a free review of your resume today from one of Top Resume’s expert writers. (http://macslist.org/topresume) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Expect the ATS! When you’re applying for jobs at large companies, your resume and cover letter are probably getting uploaded to an Applicant Tracking System. So how can you get through the ATS system? You might already know to repeat words from the job description in your application. But there’s more you can do to navigate an ATS successfully and hear back on more online applications. About Our Guest: James Hu James was a job seeker in late 2013 and experienced the pain of the resume black hole first hand. He founded Jobscan (www.jobscan.co), an online tool that optimizes resumes, to make the job search easier. Before Jobscan, James co-founded an award-winning carpooling startup and worked as a product manager at Kabam Games, Groupon, and Microsoft. Resources in this Episode: Ben shared an article testing the carpet-bombing application method on an automated scale. Read the whole story on Fast Company: I Built A Bot To Apply To Thousands Of Jobs At Once–Here’s What I Learned (www.fastcompany.com/3069166/i-built-a-bot-to-apply-to-thousands-of-jobs-at-once-heres-what-i-learned) James offered free resume scans to our listeners! Visit www.jobscan.co and use promo code MACSLIST to redeem. How are informational interviews different from networking? The team defines the difference and offers advice on making the most of informational interviews. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you are preparing to return to work after some time as a stay at home parent, you may feel unsure about where to begin. How do you explain the gap in your resume while also showing what you’ve accomplished during that time? Find Your Dream Job podcast guest Stephanie Smith says a smart job search strategy starts with getting your career documents in order. Stephanie also stresses the importance of using online tools like LinkedIn to help you stay in touch with industry leaders. And you should never underestimate the value of connecting with others through parenting groups or volunteer opportunities. Parenthood is a powerful experience that brings people together and those relationships can help you not only personally, but also professionally. About Our Guest: Stephanie Smith (https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanieannesmith/) is the co-founder and chief operating officer of Livelipath (https://livelipath.com/#/index). It’s a software company that customizes your resume and cover letter for any job application. Prior to Livelipath, Stephanie created the concierge career services firm, Career Muse. And she ran multi-million dollar recruiting programs for Amazon and other Fortune 500 clients. Resources in This Episode: Stephanie’s company, Livelipath, provides customized resumes and cover letters to help you get back to work with documents tailored to the job you want. If you have been out of the workforce for a significant period of time, there are several resources available to help you. Companies like Power to Fly (https://powertofly.com/), The Mom Project (https://themomproject.com/), and iRelaunch (https://www.irelaunch.com/) serve parents who are returning to the workforce. Jobscan is an online tool that optimizes keywords and customizes your resume for greater chances of landing an interview. Visit www.jobscan.co/dreamjob for a 10% discount. You can avoid the resume pitfalls we consistently see job seekers make with my resource: Don't Make These 8 Killer Resume Mistakes (https://www.macslist.org/podcast-cta-dont-make-8-killer-resume-mistakes). In this guide, I’ll show you how to avoid the most common errors and get employers to take a second look at your resume. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We hear a lot about branding in the job market, but what does it mean to create a personal brand? Find Your Dream Job guest Michael Ramirez says you already have one, whether intentional or not. Michael defines a personal brand as the way you communicate your values and strengths to a company or hiring manager. Self-confidence is enhanced when your personal brand is strong and well thought out. Sharing your brand with others is as simple as developing an unforgettable elevator pitch that you can use in networking situations.  About Our Guest: Michael Ramirez (http://linkedin.com/in/mikeramirezdesign) is a talent acquisition manager at the Oregon Health & Science University (https://www.ohsu.edu/).  Resources in This Episode: OHSU is hiring! Find out more by visiting ohsu.edu and clicking on the “Jobs” tab. From our Sponsor: Find Your Dream Job is brought to you by TopResume.(http://macslist.org/topresume) Top Resume has helped more than 400,000 professionals land more interviews and get hired faster. Get a free review of your resume today from one of Top Resume’s expert writers. (http://macslist.org/topresume) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you dealt with circumstances so difficult, you’re afraid nobody will hire you again? Find Your Dream Job guest, Oscar Garcia has. Oscar knows what it’s like to lose a job with no warning, and he has learned how to use that adversity to advance his career. Oscar says you begin by reframing your story; telling it from a position of strength, not victimhood. View every obstacle as a challenge instead. Oscar also shares how to brand yourself so that companies come to you, as well as how to find the courage to market yourself well. About our Guest: Oscar Garcia (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chiefempowermentofficer/) is the Founder & Chief Empowerment Officer of Aspira Consulting, a Silicon Valley training and consulting firm. Resources in This Episode: If you’re ready to see results in your career search, let Oscar help you. Find out more by visiting his website at aspiraconsulting.com/. (https://aspiraconsulting.com/) From our Sponsor: Find Your Dream Job is brought to you by TopResume.(http://macslist.org/topresume) Top Resume has helped more than 400,000 professionals land more interviews and get hired faster. Get a free review of your resume today from one of Top Resume’s expert writers. (http://macslist.org/topresume)   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A job search can be grueling and the discouragement of not finding a job quickly is a common factor for many job seekers. One way to find a job you might love is to take a chance on a field you hadn’t considered before. On this bonus episode of Find Your Dream Job, Miranda Whitters (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mwhitters/) shares how she used her psychology degree to pursue a career in recruiting and how her network helped to get her foot in the door. We also discuss why one-click applications are a waste of time, and how field-specific certifications can provide you with more exposure to the jobs you want. Learn more about Miranda’s career history below in this installment of our Success Stories series. (https://www.macslist.org/articles/success-stories) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Job searching can feel difficult if you’re approaching it alone. One way to go farther in your job search is to team up with friends, coworkers, and mentors to lighten the load, get their advice, and make your job search journey more bearable. On this bonus episode of the Find Your Dream Job podcast, I chat with Mariana Lindsay (LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariana-lindsay-2582a71a/) who is the the urban rural connection coordinator at the American Leadership Forum of Oregon. Learn more about Mariana’s career and get her job search advice in her Q&A below, part of the Mac’s List Success Stories series. What do you do for a career? Who do you work for? I’m coordinator of American Leadership Forum (http://www.alforegon.org/) (ALF) of Oregon’s new Urban Rural Connection Program. At a time when our communities and nation feel acutely divided, ALF is leading dialogue and helping foster collaboration across differences. Throughout the 30-year history of ALF Oregon, the urban-rural divide has been a part of every class and it is an issue that affects each of our local communities. Through gathering community partners, funding, and staff capacity to bring together a diverse cohort of leaders to explore what’s causing the divide and what solutions can be generated, ALF works to better understand how the divide is defined, how it impacts communities, and when the divide is used as a weapon or as a tool. How long did it take you to find this job? 2.5 months How did you find your job? What resources did you use? What tool or tactic helped the most? I previously spent nearly 5 years at the Center for Women’s Leadership (CWL) in Portland, and served as interim Executive Director during my last year. Once we announced new Executive Director, Traci Rossi, I felt comfortable scheduling coffee with colleagues to discuss my job search and what opportunities might be available. It’s easy to get stuck in a professional bubble, so having those conversations re-opened my perspective on the types of positions and sectors available. I’ve always been a believer in reaching out to people who I’ve worked with and learned from to get their best thinking and advice. And, on the flip side, I believe in trying to always be open and ready to return the favor when they reach out. There is so much that can be learned, accomplished, and built through relationships. I think we often times are discouraged from reaching out to learn from others (see: fake it till you make it), but we can’t be perfect at everything and by asking for partnership, we give another person the chance to shine and teach. ALF Executive Director, Kendall Clawson, has been a mentor and friend for 7 years, and we’d collaborated on projects and shared more time over coffee than I can count. Our history meant we’d developed a good sense of each other’s passions and professional backgrounds. She approached me about the new Urban Rural project and it being a fit for my skillset. I applied, and was fortunate enough to get the job, partly in thanks to some of my professional contacts (including the former CWL Board Chair Martha Pellegrino) who were ALF Senior Fellows and were generous enough to vouch for me. What was the most difficult part of your job search? How did you overcome this challenge? Above is the short and sweet version, but it doesn’t encompass the parts of the job search that weren’t slam dunks: applying for jobs that I didn’t get, contemplating moving to another job market, and the self-doubt of starting a new chapter. You can’t pursue it all, no matter how much you want to. There are only so many hours in the day, and not every job is right for you. Sifting through job announcements and figuring out which ones really fit my professional experience, values, and ambitions was time-consuming and often exhausting. I tried to go on a run most days and check in with friends – the time to reflect internally on a run and externally through friends helped me distill where I should be putting my energy. During the in-between time, I pursued contract work, which helped me stay active in my professional networks and eased my financial concerns. What is the single best piece of advice you would offer other job-seekers? It’s hard to know which meeting, application, or random conversation will be the door that opens to the next career chapter. So be present where you are and with who you’re with in the moment. Job-seeking is usually a stressful season, so it’s easy for the mind to drift to the long to-do list and the seemingly omnipresent worries, but you can only be in one place at a time and you want to get the most out of the now. Why do you love your job? I love the daily chance to collaborate with leaders across regions and sectors who believe in an Oregon that thrives because diversity is welcomed, communities are heard and supported, equity is paramount, and the state is bursting with thoughtful innovation. My job affords me the chance to think deeply, feel passionately, and work with people who inspire me. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you walk into an interview ready to answer questions but don’t have any of your own to ask, you are not taking full advantage of the interview process. You have a responsibility to not only answer questions but to ask them of everyone you talk to within the company, from the HR staff to the team members, to the hiring manager. The answers you receive will tell you a lot about how things really work inside the company. On this episode of Find Your Dream Job, my guest Michelle Neal says that if you get conflicting answers to your questions, especially from the team and the hiring manager, that is your sign to run. It can be hard to walk away from a job offer if you’ve been out of work for a while but just remember, you can’t change people, and working in an unhealthy environment doesn’t benefit anyone. About Our Guest: Michelle Neal (https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellelnealmpa/) is a career coach and the owner of Consulting with Integrity (http://www.consultingintegrity.com/). Her passion is helping people become successful through strategic coaching. Michelle uses her talents of honesty, openness, and empathy to guide individuals to a successful outcome. Resources in This Episode: If you are in a job transition or you need help planning your next career move, Michelle offers consulting and strategic coaching through her business, Consulting with Integrity (http://www.consultingintegrity.com/). Nail every behavioral interview question in your next interview by learning how to prepare for them. Download 100 Behavioral Interview Questions You Need to Know, the free Mac’s List resource that will give you a solid foundation for any question an interviewer may ask. (http://www.macslist.org/questions) From our sponsor: Jobscan is an online tool that optimizes keywords and customizes your resume for greater chances of landing an interview. Visit www.jobscan.co/dreamjob for a 10% discount. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you decide whether to stay at your company or look for a position elsewhere? It all boils down to a few simple questions, according to this week’s Find Your Dream Job guest, Kelli Thompson. Do your values match those of the employer? Are you excited to get to the office every day? If not, have you discussed your needs with your boss? Kelli recommends doing what you can to change the environment before choosing to leave it. State your needs clearly and set boundaries around time and expectations. And finally, trust yourself to know what’s best for you. About Our Guest: Kelli Thompson (http://linkedin.com/in/kelliraethompson) is a leadership and career coach. Kelli’s mission is to help women advance to the rooms where decisions are made. She’s also the author of Closing The Confidence Gap: Boost Your Peace, Your Potential & Your Paycheck (https://www.kelliraethompson.com/book) Resources in This Episode: Kelli’s book can help you increase your confidence in the workplace. Get your copy by visiting her website at kelliraethompson.com/book (https://www.kelliraethompson.com/book). From our Sponsor: Find Your Dream Job is brought to you by TopResume.(http://macslist.org/topresume) Top Resume has helped more than 400,000 professionals land more interviews and get hired faster. Get a free review of your resume today from one of Top Resume’s expert writers. (http://macslist.org/topresume) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In order to find a job where you will thrive, it’s essential to determine if the company’s work culture is the right fit for you. Do you thrive in structured work environments or do you need to work remotely? During the interview process, ask tactical, specific questions about the company’s culture and determine if it fits your needs. Dorianne St Fluer, HR practitioner and diversity/inclusion enthusiast joins us to examine how to identify if a company’s culture is a good fit before you accept a job offer. About Our Guest: Dorianne St Fleur Dorianne is a HR practitioner, Diversity & Inclusion enthusiast and career and salary strategist based in New York City. She is also the creator of the online career coaching boutique, Your Career Girl as well as the host of the weekly career podcast called, Deeper than Work. Dorianne coaches, speaks and podcasts about how women of color can leverage their unique strengths to decrease the leadership gap in Tech and Finance. Resources in this Episode: New tool: Keep in mind these 7 warning signs before you accept a job offer, from Fast Company: https://www.fastcompany.com/40585779/7-warning-signs-that-you-shouldnt-accept-a-job-offer Listener question: Alex Franklin, Portland, OR, is passionate about politics and frequently uses social media to discuss political issues. He asks, is it okay to be politically active when looking for work? More from our guest: Go to yourcareergirl.com Subscribe to Dorianne’s podcast, The Deeper Than Work Podcast: https://yourcareergirl.com/podcast/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Looking for a job is exhausting, and it can make even the strongest of us doubt ourselves. How can you overcome self-doubt so that it doesn’t come through in your search? Find Your Dream Job guest Juliet Murphy says you start by believing that you have something to offer. You also need to think about what your colleagues praise you for. Juliet reminds us that it’s normal to be nervous when interviewing for a position but when you believe in yourself, your energy is high and you project confidence that you are exactly what that company needs.  About Our Guest: Juliet Murphy (https://www.linkedin.com/in/julietmurphy/) is a leading career strategist who specializes in executive advancement and millennial leadership development. Her company’s services include resume writing, executive coaching, and career branding. Resources in This Episode: If you’re ready to take the next step in your career, let Juliet help. Find out more about her services at julietmurphy.com/. (https://julietmurphy.com/) Sign up to receive Juliet Murphy’s “9 Tips to Ace the Interview” (https://julietmurphy.com/ace-the-interview/) From our Sponsor: Find Your Dream Job is brought to you by TopResume.(http://macslist.org/topresume) Top Resume has helped more than 400,000 professionals land more interviews and get hired faster. Get a free review of your resume today from one of Top Resume’s expert writers. (http://macslist.org/topresume) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Choosing the industry you want to pursue in your career is one of the most important decisions you will make, but it can also be one of the toughest. How do you narrow your choices if you aren’t sure what you want to do? One of the most helpful ways, says Find Your Dream Job guest Meg Gerry, is trial and error. You have to try things to know if they’re a good fit. Meg also suggests having conversations with people currently working in the field you are considering. And finally, personality and career assessments can help you get clear on the skills you offer and what you need in a work environment.  About Our Guest: Meg Gerry (https://www.linkedin.com/in/meg-gerry-academic-career-advising/) is a Certified Career Services Provider (NCDA), a Global Career Development Facilitator (CCE), a Certified College Counselor, and an academic advisor with a master's degree in academic advising. Resources in This Episode: Meg’s podcast, All Things College and Career, (https://atcandc.com/) provides interviews with experienced professionals to help you decide which academic major or career path is right for you.  From our Sponsor: Find Your Dream Job is brought to you by TopResume.(http://macslist.org/topresume)  Top Resume has helped more than 400,000 professionals land more interviews and get hired faster. Get a free review of your resume today from one of Top Resume’s expert writers. (http://macslist.org/topresume) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Job interviews can be dry and intimidating. They normally have a set format in which the interviewer and interviewee go back and forth, over and over. But it doesn't need to be this way. Our guest this week, Jeff Altman, suggests that job seekers have the power to turn any interview into a dynamic conversation between equals. He believes you can do this by asking one question as soon as you begin the conversation. The question is simple: "Tell me about the job as you see it, and what I can do to help?" This question is a game-changer because it sets you up with all the information you need for the rest of the interview--specifically, what the hiring manager sees as the biggest challenge for the organization. Plus, you level the playing field with the interviewer and set yourself apart from the competition. Jeff discusses how to interpret the hiring manager's reaction to this question, and other workplace dynamics you can infer from how he or she responds to your prompt. This Week's Guest: Jeff Altman Jeff Altman, known as The Big Game Hunter, has helped organizations find leaders, employees, and consultants since 1971. In this role, he’s evaluated almost 700,000 people and filled more than 1,200 positions. Jeff also publishes the No B.S. Coaching Advice newsletter to help job hunters, HR professionals, and business owners make better staffing decisions. And, he’s the author of eight books about job hunting and the host of the Job Search Radio podcast. Jeff’s site, Job Search Coaching HQ, is a great resource where Jeff helps people find work more quickly. Resource of the Week Ben’s resource this week was written by the nicest member of the Mac’s List team, Ben Forstag, and is titled: "The Questions You Should Be Asking at Your Next Interview". Listener Question of the Week Jenna, Ben, and Mac offer advice to Kristen Pfeiffer who is looking for guidance on applying for a job if the salary listed is too low or isn’t included in the posting. If you would like the team to answer a job-related question or if you’ve found a job resource you think everyone should know about email it to ben@macslist.org or call at 716-JOB-TALK. If we use your question on the air, you will receive either a copy of our new book, Land Your Dream Job Anywhere or a Mac’s List Coffee Mug, your choice. If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support! Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Employers have several main goals for their companies and one of those goals is saving money. There are several ways they do this but one of the most frustrating for job seekers is through lowball salary offers. This doesn’t mean they only have their interests in mind; they’re simply making a business decision. Find Your Dream Job guest Lisa Gates says that as a job seeker, you can be proactive by preparing for your interview, deciding ahead of time what your must-haves are, and taking the initiative to bring up salary early in the conversation.  Lisa also tells us how doing your research ahead of time gives you the information you need to ask for the salary you want. About Our Guest: Lisa Gates (https://www.linkedin.com/learning/instructors/lisa-gates) is a negotiation and leadership coach and co-founder of She Negotiates. Lisa helps women close wage and leadership gaps. Drawing on her work as an actor and storyteller, Lisa helps you land the job, get that raise and promotion, and hit your goals out of the park. Resources in This Episode: Find more resources for negotiation and interview coaching at Lisa’s website, shenegotiates.com. You can find comparable salaries for your area by visiting sites such as glassdoor.com and payscale.com. If you wait for employers to bring up salary, you’re wasting your time and energy. My guide, How to Talk About Money in an Interview (https://www.macslist.org/cta-how-to-talk-about-money-in-an-interview), shows you how to do salary research before meeting with a hiring manager. Learn how to be more comfortable talking about money and get the tools you need to request a higher salary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Volunteering is an important component to any job search, and can benefit the job seeker in myriad ways. So says this week's guest, Mark Anthony Dyson. While most volunteer gigs won't lead to a formal job offer, Mark argues that giving your time and energy as a volunteer helps you stand out from the crowded field of job seekers. Here some of the many benefits to volunteer service: It's a great way to network within an industry or an organization you want to work for. It shows value-alignment between you, your peers, and target organizations. It allows you to showcase your professional skills or learn new skills It give you a chance to help others, who may, in turn, be able to help you It can fill in employment gaps in your resume. It can make you feel better about yourself and your job search. This Week's Guest: Mark Anthony Dyson Mark Anthony Dyson is a career consultant who helps unemployed, underemployed, and under-appreciated job seekers. Mark’s advice has appeared in U.S. News & World Report, Monster, Fox Business and TIME magazine. He’s also the founder of the award-winning career blog and podcast, The Voice of Job Seekers. This Week's Job Search Resource Ben’s resource this week is the website VolunteerMatch. It matches volunteers with organizations in search of volunteers and vice versa. The are thousands of volunteer opportunities in a hundred different cities and even virtual volunteer positions. This Week's Listener Question Jessica, Ben, and Mac offer advice to Mary Anne Rice who wants to know if she should be her authentic self in a job interview. If you would like the team to answer a job-related question or if you’ve found a job resource you think everyone should know about email it to ben@macslist.org or call at 716-JOB-TALK. If we use your question on the air, you will receive either a copy of our new book, Land Your Dream Job Anywhere or a Mac’s List Coffee Mug, your choice. If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support! Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It can feel frustrating to hear that you are overqualified for the job you want. Hiring managers may feel it’s a waste of both time and money to hire you if you have more experience than the job requires. There are ways around this, including doing your research to understand where the company is heading and taking advantage of any connections you have within the company. On this bonus episode of Find Your Dream Job, Johnny Hartman (www.linkedin.com/in/johnanthonyhartman/) and I discuss how he tapped into his personal network to overcome two specific challenges in his job search: skills that were seen as being too specialized and being overqualified. Learn more about Johnny’s career history below in this installment of our Success Stories (www.macslist.org/articles/success-stories) series. What do you do for a career? Who do you work for? From feature films to interactive virtual worlds, I’ve crafted media experiences both commercially for some of the biggest brands on the planet, as well as for entertainment properties. As a cross-platform or transmedia producer, I develop workflows and resolve technical issues while maintaining the project’s creative vision. As the Director of Research and Development for Elevate Pictures, I look to the future to understand the coming media landscape and develop solutions to address the problems of tomorrow. I am currently building out the Story Atlas – a storytelling platform and methodology that pulls consumers into the intersection of brand and entertainment, integrated with industry tools of the trade to improve workflow. The Story Atlas integrates transmedia and production planning with creative assets to maintain the canon of the narrative. It runs on cloud services and uses A.I. to optimize media and maintain narrative control and is a solution that allows your story to flow while holding true to canon. How long did it take you to find this job? Ten months. How did you find your job? What resources did you use? What tool or tactic helped the most? My personal network led to this job. I started out consulting and then was asked to take this position. I used quite a few resources online in my job hunt but none were as powerful as my relationships. I did have success using Linkedin and was offered another position before this one but it would have required me to move so I turned it down. What was the most difficult part of your job search? How did you overcome this challenge? My struggle came from over-qualification and specialized media experience. More than once I was told that “they did not know what to do with me” or they were “afraid I would ‘get bored and find another job.’” I overcame this by embracing my experience and looking beyond the Northwest. I reframed the conversation to be about the BIG picture in media and got concise with my focus. What is the single best piece of advice you would offer other job-seekers? Do what you love! Follow your passion even if you have to learn more about it while you work your current role. Find the path to that passion and be specific about how you can achieve your dream. Why do you love your job? I love being able to create stories that reach and connect with audiences, and pushing the boundaries of what is possible.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all know that networking is a crucial piece of the job seeker’s puzzle. However, networking alone won’t get you a great job. You have to be strategic in who you’re talking to and where you spend your time. On this bonus episode of Find Your Dream Job, Joseph Hernandez (https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephjhernandezmba/) shares how strategic networking got him noticed by a recruiter and ultimately led to a job he loves. Joseph also explains how to share your personal values in a way that builds relationships with others, and how to find mentors to help you along the way. Learn more about Joseph’s career history below in this installment of our Success Stories (https://www.macslist.org/articles/success-stories) series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Millennials, the 54 million Americans born after 1980, now account for more than a third of the workforce in the United States. Perhaps more than any generation, millennials stand out for wanting meaningful, purpose-driven careers. And they have brought new ideas about decision-making, management style, and work-life balance into the workforce. Millennials face challenges, too. Many started work in the middle of the Great Recession, which may result in up-to $100,000 of “lost” wages during their lifetime. Those lucky enough to find jobs were often overqualified. And there’s a stereotype that millennials are high maintenance and overly demanding. This week on Find Your Dream Job Mac talks with Paul Angone, an author, career coach, and advocate for millennial workers. Paul has dedicated himself to helping millennials overcome their fear of insignificance and find purposeful work. He believes that the secret to a great job is building your “signature sauce”--aligning your strengths, skills, and values around a need or problem that can be solved. In this 34-minute episode you will learn: The myriad motivators for millennials workers (it’s not just about a paycheck!) Why failure can help clarify your passions How to build genuine relationships when you network The recipe behind your own “signature sauce” Why you should watch out for OCD--“Obsessive Comparison Disorder” The best thing millennials can do to get a job they love This week’s guest: Paul Angone (@PaulAngone | LinkedIn)Founder, All Groan UpAuthor, All Groan Up: Searching For Self, Faith, and a Freaking Job! and101 Secrets For Your TwentiesSan Diego, Calif. Listener question of the week:  How can I stand out as a recent college graduate? Do you have a question you’d like us to answer on a future episode? Please send your questions to Cecilia Bianco, Mac’s List Community Manager at cecilia@macslist.org. Resources referenced on this week’s show: Answering the Three Career Questions: Your Lifetime Career Management System AllGroanUp.com SignatureSauce.com All Groan Up: Searching for Self, Faith, and a Freaking Job! 101 Secrets for Your Twenties Twentysomething Problems--as Told By Eggs Land Your Dream Job in Portland (and Beyond) - 2016 Edition If you have a job-hunting or career development resource resource you’d like to share, please contact Ben Forstag, Mac’s List Managing Director at ben@macslist.org. -- Thank you for listening to Find Your Dream Job. If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support!Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com. -- FULL TRANSCRIPT Mac Prichard:    This is Find Your Dream Job, a podcast that helps you get hired, have the career you want and make a difference in life. I'm Mac Prichard, your host and publisher of Mac's List. Our show is brought to you by Mac's List and our book, Land Your Dream Job in Portland (and Beyond). To learn more about the book and the updated edition we're publishing in February, come to our website. Just visit macslist.org/ebook. Millennials, the 54 million Americans born after 1980, who came of age in the New Millennium, now account for more than a third of the workforce in the United States. Perhaps more than any generation, Millennials stand out for wanting meaningful careers, and lives that balance career and family. They are also the first generation digital natives. Millennials face challenges, too. Many started work in the middle of the Great Recession, and entering a labor market during a recession can mean up to a hundred thousand dollars in lost wages during a lifetime. Those lucky enough to find jobs were often overqualified, and there's a stereotype out there of Millennials as high maintenance workers who are overly concerned with titles and status. This week on Find Your Dream Job, we're talking about Millennials and the search of meaningful work. Joining us for our interview segment is Paul Angone. He's an expert on Millennials and the author of 101 Secrets for Your Twenties. Ben Forstag has a book for us that any generation can use to map out a career for meaningful work, and Cecilia Bianco has a question from a new college graduate just beginning a career. But first, let's check in with the Mac's List team. I think we have all three generations represented here. Ben Forstag:    I think you might be right. Mac Prichard:  For the benefit of our listeners, do people want to self-identify? Cecilia Bianco:  I'm a Millennial. Mac Prichard:   Okay, good. Ben? Ben Forstag:   I was born in '79, so I'm right at the cusp between Generation X and Millennial. Mac Prichard:   I'm a solid Boomer. I was born in 1958, so we have good representation here. Let's move on with our topic this week. Ben, you're out there every week looking around the internet and what have you found for us this week? Ben Forstag:       Mac, can you hear this sound? Mac Prichard:   That's very analog of you. Ben Forstag: It is, yes. I'm sure they have this book in digital format as well, but this week I'm talking about the physical book, and it's called Answering the Three Career Questions: Your Lifetime Career Management System, and this was a book that was recommended to me by Russell Terry, one of our long time listeners. The book is by author Bruce Hazen, and it's a really interesting read. The author has a very clear goal with this book, and it's to help people avoid the one-job-in-a-row trap. Too often, people see their career as simply the narrative of all their jobs, one after another, and you sometimes see that in their resume. Hazen says that people should really see their career as something different than the sum of their jobs. It's really a holistic narrative about what you find important, what you find interesting, engaging and satisfying as a professional. In a sense, he's flipping this on its head. The career should dictate what jobs you have and not vice versa. This is a concept I know we've talked a lot about in the podcast. In episode 2, Dawn Rasmussen called your career "the stream that runs beneath your current job", and even some of the practical tips we've provided around branding, resume building and interviewing, you can see this recurring theme of your career being a driving narrative behind your professional life. In his book, Bruce Hazen frames career management around three questions that professionals should regularly ask themselves. Those questions are: One, is it time to move up? In other words, do you need a development strategy to progress in your current organization? He makes a really interesting distinction between promotion and progression here. Promotion is about moving up in an established organizational hierarchy; getting a promotion essentially, while progressing is about improving your own subjective satisfaction with your job. He has this great quote: Up has dimension and not just direction, so moving up could mean adding complexity or authority to your work, enriching the job you've got, a lateral move to a job you like more, changing location, or even in some cases, moving down the hierarchy to a job that you prefer. Mac Prichard:    I think as people think about their goals, it's important to remember titles alone aren't going to bring you satisfaction. Sometimes I think people think the only change that's a good one is one that has you moving up the hierarchy of your organization, but sometimes you might have other goals. I think for example, when I was working in the governor's office, I had an opportunity to take a position in politics with a group of state legislators and I turned that down to work for the State Purchasing Bureau. People said, "Why would you do that? Isn't that a step down?", and it was actually what I needed at that time, which was steady work, well-paying work, and it was a great opportunity for the year that I did that. Eventually it led me to another position in communications, which has been my career, but people I think here, Ben, shouldn't get hung up on just always moving up and up and up. Ben Forstag:  Yeah, and I know in my own career, there have been a couple of times when I've taken a step down the hierarchy, or at least as it looked on paper or as it played out in my paycheck. At the time, a lot of people scratched their heads and I even questioned that, but in the long run, that ended up being the best possible move I could make because I ended up liking the new job more, and it helped me transition into new fields that I might not have been able to do so otherwise. The second question here is, is it time to move out? Is it time to move to a job that better aligns with your interests, passions and needs? Do you need a strategy to transition into this new organization or field? The question here is really fit. Does your current job or organization fit with who you are as a person? Hazen provides different tools to ascertain fit, with a lot of tests around measuring work values and ethics and things like that. He also outlines strategies for professionals who realize their current position isn't a good fit for who they are. Cecilia Bianco:  I think this one's great and it would be so good if people would sit down and do these tests before they start looking for a job and interviewing, because if they know what they want as far as fit, they're going to have a much easier job search. Ben Forstag:  Yeah, I think fit is so important, and I know I've been in jobs where I just haven't been a good fit for the organization and it wasn't my fault or the organization's fault, it just wasn't an alignment. If you can get clear about what a good fit is before you start the job, that's clearly a benefit. Cecilia Bianco:  Yeah. Ben Forstag:     The third question here is, is it time to adapt your style for greater success? That is are you in the right position, but not getting the right traction or the right results in that position? This question is really aimed at people who have the right technical skills to succeed, but need a new approach to their colleagues or to their organization. Hazen shares a couple of different strategies for using your skills in interacting with others, all with the intent of improving your productivity and satisfaction with your current job. When I talked to our listener Russell about this, I asked him why exactly he liked this book so much, and this is what he said: "I found it helpful to break things down to three basic questions and to emphasize that through our careers, we keep coming back to these same three questions." I really, really liked what Russell said here, and I totally agree with him. I think the strong point about this book is that it does bring all these questions back into the center of the conversation over and over again, so I strongly suggest to anyone who is looking at career management tools, check out this book. Again, the book is called Answering the Three Career Questions: Your Lifetime Career Management System, and it's by author Bruce Hazen, and we will have a link to the book in our show notes. Mac Prichard:  Thank you, Ben, and thank you, Russell, for that suggestion. Do you have a book or a podcast or website that has been helpful to you in your job search or managing your career? Let Ben know about it. You can write him directly, and his email address is Ben@macslist.org. Now let's turn to you, our listeners. Cecilia Bianco, our community manager is here, and she answers one of your questions. Cecilia, what do you have for us this week? Cecilia Bianco:  Yeah, our question this week is how can I stand out as a recent college graduate? I personally think the best way to stand out as a recent grad is to have an established and strong personal brand, so your goal should be, if an employer looks online for you, are they going to view you as a professional or a college student? Obviously, the goal is to look like a professional, even if you haven't graduated yet. Are they going to be able to tell what your career interests are based on what they find about you online? Something I was required to do in my college program before I graduated was to create a personal website that showcased my experience and my goals for the future, and this was a great way for me and my classmates to really stand out. It made us look a bit more polished and prepared to start job searching because it forced us to figure out the type of job and industry that we could realistically apply for and have a good chance of getting. Beyond just building your personal website, your social media profiles, your resume and cover letter and your business cards should all fit with this personal brand that you're building for yourself. One girl in my program I was very impressed with. She created a logo for herself and used it to build a template for her website application material and it really made her stand out. She had no trouble getting interviews because her branded materials made her look like a seasoned professional rather than a college student or a recent grad. Mac and Ben, what are your thoughts on how college grads can stand out? Ben Forstag:   I think the number one way that anyone can stand out, whether you're a college grad or an established professional, is good writing. It is so rare to find someone who can write concisely and clearly nowadays, and anyone who does that is a real valued commodity I think in almost any organization, so whether that writing shows in your portfolio or the writing sample you submit as part of your application or even the language you use on your website, the more you can showcase good writing ability, the more you'll stand out with employers. Cecilia Bianco:  Yeah, that's definitely true, and building a personal website is one way to get your writing and your message about yourself really clear. Ben Forstag:   Yeah, and definitely good writing is part of the brand that you present about yourself. Cecilia Bianco:  Yeah. Mac Prichard:   Yeah, I think good writing is always effective, no matter what your age or what stage you are in your career. For recent college graduates, it's a tactical tip, but one thing that can make them stand out I think, Cecilia, is just having a business card. It's old-fashioned, but it fits in with your earlier point about having a strong personal brand. When I meet recent college graduates, often they don't have cards, but they either ask for mine or would I offer them a card. There's an opportunity there to be on equal footing by sharing a card of their own. It's easy to do and is a way of distinguishing yourself. Cecilia Bianco:  Yeah, definitely. The people in my program, since we all had cards, when we would get sent out to networking events, we would talk about how some of the employers, they would be shocked when we handed over a business card, and we hadn't graduated yet, so that's definitely really important. Ben Forstag:    Two points about business cards: One is they do make you feel like a professional when you have them and you start handing them out. You feel like hey, I've made it. The other one is you can get business cards really cheaply online, like ten dollars will buy you five hundred business cards, so it's definitely a good investment and a really cheap investment as well. Mac Prichard:  Yeah, and you can get them for free. There's services that do that, but they're branded by the company that produces them, and I think spend the five or ten dollars it takes to get one with your own personal brand. Ben Forstag:  Definitely. Mac Prichard:  Okay, well, thanks, Cecilia. That was a great question. If you have a question for Cecilia, you can email her. Her address is Cecilia@macslist.org. I noticed today on Twitter, Cecilia, one of our listeners was tweeting at both of us, and she said that she'd sent you several questions. Cecilia Bianco:  Oh, yeah, I already got her questions. Mac Prichard:    Terrific. These segments by Ben and Cecilia are sponsored by the 2016 edition of Land Your Dream Job in Portland (and Beyond). We're making the complete Mac's List guide even better. We're adding new content and we're making the book available on multiple e-reader platforms. In February, we'll launch a new version of the book, and you'll for the first time be able to access it on Kindle, Nook, iPad and other digital devices, and for the first time, you'll be able to get a paperback edition. Thank you, Ben, so whatever the format, our goal's the same. We want you to have the tools and tips you need to get meaningful work. For more information, go to our website. Visit macslist.org/ebook. You can sign up for our e-book newsletter, and when you do that, you'll get publication updates, exclusive book content, and we'll provide you with special pre-sale prices. Now let's turn to this week's guest, Paul Angone. Paul is a leading voice to and for millennials. He loves helping millennials uncover their unique signature sauce to find where their passion, purpose and career collide. Paul is a best selling author of 101 Secrets For Your Twenties and All Groan Up. He's also a national speaker and the creator of AllGroanUp.com, which has been read by millions of people in more than 190 countries. Paul, thanks for joining us today. Paul Angone:      Oh, thank you for having me. It's an honor being here. Mac Prichard:   Yeah, it's a pleasure to have you on the show. Now Paul, millennials stand out for a number of reasons, but what is most striking I think about this generation is their desire for work that has purpose. Why do you think it's such an important value for millennials? Paul Angone:     Yeah, that's a great question. You're right. When I look at all the research I've done over the years, all the blog articles I've written, all the emails I've received from millennials, really all over the world. I don't think this is just solely in the United States where we're at, but I think this is worldwide. If I distill it down I think one of millennials' greatest fears is insignificance. Is this feeling of I'm doing work that has no point and my life is kind of meaningless. I'm just showing up everyday going through the motions. I think millennials are truly at their core for the most part really driven by trying to find this meaningful work. Trying to find purpose and trying to do something that feels like man, this really means something important to me and I'm not just getting a paycheck or working for the corner office. Millennials really aren't wired that way. They have different motivators than just a pay hike. They really want to find work that is drenched in purpose. Mac Prichard:  How do you see millennials get clear about that purpose? What do people who are successful at chasing their purpose do? Paul Angone:   That's the million dollar question, isn't it? That's the tough one. It can become very difficult. I know for myself it was a very frustrating process in a sense because I loved hearing about I want to follow my passion, I want to do work I'm passionate about, but I was really struggling with how do you figure that out. How do you find what you're passionate about? I didn't have a clue. I was going through college doing all the right things, getting the good grades, trying to pick the right major, pick the right internship, taking these steps. I felt like if I just kept taking the right steps up there somewhere was going to be success. Up there somewhere was going to be my passion. Yet when I got up there I still felt as lost as ever. Maybe even more lost because I didn't know what my passion was. For me, and I think for a lot of millennials going through the same kind of process, is that it is a process. It takes time and it takes one thing in particular that I don't think a lot of us think about or want to think about, but I think one of the really big clarifiers to finding your passion is failure. I didn't really want to hear that or understand that when I was searching for my passion, but I think failure becomes that great clarifier. Because when you've failed at something but yet you want to keep doing it, well then you've found something, there's something there that you're really truly passionate about. Mac Prichard:  Let's explore that because I think that's one thing that many of us are taught to avoid at all costs is failure. Paul Angone:      Exactly. Yeah. Mac Prichard:   Why do you think it makes such a big difference for people who are trying to find their purpose? Paul Angone: I think it's easy to say that you're passionate about something or you're excited about something that you are achieving a lot of success in. Or maybe you're getting accolades for or getting good grades or you're getting money to do it, but when those externals start going away or in my case I really wanted to write a book. I was passionate about wanting to help specifically twenty-somethings that were struggling in kind of the what now of life after college. Yet for years I couldn't get a publisher to say yes to anything I was writing. I couldn't get people to return emails. I thought my email was broken at one point because I couldn't get anybody to return an email of mine. I quickly realized that I was truly passionate about this topic, about helping twenty-somethings, about trying to write and speak to them because even through all the no's and rejections I still kept showing up and I kept writing and I kept pursuing it and hammering away at it. I really figured out that that was something I was truly passionate about. Where other ideas that I had, other pursuits, business ideas, things that I did when I hit those first couple of obstacles like all of us will, I quickly quit. I quit that dream. I went another way because really I wasn't in it for the right reasons. I wasn't truly passionate about that endeavor. Like I was when I was writing and trying to really reach twenty-somethings. Mac Prichard:  Okay, so there's a big difference between enthusiasms and passion. Tell us how can you figure out what is your passion. Does it require failure or is there a shortcut? Paul Angone:   Well, I think we'd all be lying to ourselves if we thought failure wasn't a part of it. You know? Mac Prichard:  Okay. Paul Angone:  Just like any good entrepreneur, and I've actually tried to infuse more of this in my lifestyle, I never thought of myself as an entrepreneur before, but I've kind of become and entrepreneur through circumstances. I'm trying to develop more of what I call an entrepreneurial mindset. I think what entrepreneurs are really good at and what they understand is that failure is just that learning process and when they release products even in the business realm they beta test products. They release version 1.0. Basically they release something that they know is not complete, that they know is not perfect, that they know in some respect will fail and that's kind of the point because they know that they'll learn so much through the process and the feedback and the test groups and those kinds of things that when they create version 2.0 it's going to be better. I think for all of us, whether we're an entrepreneur or not, when you're pursuing something and you feel like yeah, this is something. I feel alive when I'm pursuing this. I feel passionate, these words that we say. It's not having that fear that you're going to fail. Because the possibility for greatness and embarrassment both exist in the same space. You really can't have one without the other. Mac Prichard:    Okay. For millennials who want to pursue their passion, and I meet many every day who do, they should expect fear and that failure will be part of that process. It's a good feedback mechanism. It shows you that you're on the right path particularly if you persist and you keep getting up even when you're knocked down. Now, once people have figured out they need to follow that passion and be persistent about it, what are some of the other career challenges you see for millennials? Paul Angone: Yeah and I think following your passion and pursuing that, it's such a big overwhelming word. Mac Prichard:    It is, yeah. Paul Angone:      I even have to break it down. That's why I love talking about this metaphor of finding your signature sauce because it gives me a great mental image of what I think the metaphor looks like. When I talk about finding your signature sauce I mean the blend of ingredients that are coming together within each person to create that kind of flavor, to create that passion, to create that signature sauce that they want to serve to the world so to speak. I think even in this idea of finding your passion, I think we can unpack that even more for millennials or for really anybody and break down I think some key ingredients that go into that. For one of those as millennials are pursuing their career and trying to find jobs that align with that, one I think it's really a simple way is finding something that your strengths and your skills align with. I think for a lot of us we become passionate about something and we want to keep pursuing it when we feel like we're good at it, when we have some skill sets that resonate with that, that we have some strengths that we really lend to this arena that makes us feel good when we're doing it because we're achieving some sort of success in that endeavor. It doesn't have to be all about failure, you know? There is the skills and strengths that are a part of that. Then another crucial ingredient I think that aligns with that is your values. Mac Prichard: Lets talk about values and the difference they can make, Paul. Paul Angone: Yeah. Yeah, to make it personal for me and when I started realizing this is I felt like a strength of mine, and this can be up for debate and your listeners can debate this if they want, but I felt a strength of mine was communication. I felt like I loved speaking, I loved writing, I loved communicating ideas. I always thought I should try to do a sales job because then I'd be in front of people, I'd be speaking, I'd be using that strength of communication. Yet I took a couple sales jobs and I was absolutely terrible as a salesman. I was just terrible and I hated it. I didn't enjoy it. I started realizing that I had a value of being authentic. Authenticity was a really crucial value of mine. Actually in a couple sales jobs when I felt like I was selling something that I didn't really believe in and I felt like I was being inauthentic it actually kind of undercut my strength. My strength was no longer that strong because my value was more important to me. Really it was that value of authenticity aligning with my strength of communication and then that was where my sweet spot was. When I really get passionate about something like helping people, helping twenty-somethings, giving them hope and truth and hilarity, I get excited about that because I really believe in it. It really ties in with my value. Mac Prichard:   Okay, so I want to move onto some other topics, but before we leave this idea of the secret sauce and the ingredients, you talked about the importance of skills and strengths and recognizing values. Are there one or two other key ingredients you want to share with people? Paul Angone:     Yeah, I think another really big one that was really the driving force behind me pursuing and pushing through obstacles is I think people when they find a passion and when they talk about something they're passionate about, a lot of the times it directly relates to a need or a problem that they really want to fix. We see needs and problems very differently depending on our background, our story, where we're at, the way were raised. All the different intricacies that make us us. Even you and I mac, we might see problems and needs in a very different way. I think for all of us, when you're pursuing something that is bigger than yourself, and it doesn't have to be huge. You don't have to be changing the world here. Maybe it is, but maybe it's even a problem that you see in your current job. Maybe you see something that can be optimized and could run smoother. Or maybe it is that you see homeless people in your community and you see that as a huge need that you want to do something about. I think sometimes when we take our strengths and our skills and we take our values and then we align those with really serving or trying to solve a need or a problem, man, I think that will push you through more obstacles than anything. That's really what my story was about was pursuing a need and a problem where I felt like there was a lot of people that needed this information and needed kind of this hope and insight. Even if I was getting rejected I felt like this is such a big issue, I'm going to keep doing it because if I'm not going to do it, who else is? I have to keep hammering away at this. I think something will work out. Mac Prichard:   I think that's excellent advice both from a strategic point of view, but for job seekers in general because when employers are looking for help they've got a problem. They have a need that has to be addressed. Understanding that need and knowing how your strengths and your skills can help solve that problem I find puts candidates who can do that at the front of the crowd. So excellent advice Paul. Paul Angone: Exactly. Mac Prichard:  Let's talk specifically about millennials and maybe some tactile things. Is there one thing that you recommend every millennials do to get a better job? Or just a job. Paul Angone:     Yeah. Yeah, there's so much nowadays and I guess I'll hone in on one thing. Typically when we're talking about the job search and all this it can be very overwhelming, but we all know that a lot of job opportunities, we've seen the stats, they'll come through networking or through relationships. I know for myself, networking was always challenging for me because again, it's kind of that value of authenticity, but I think a lot of millennials feel this way where it can kind of feel inauthentic. Or you're going to a networking event and maybe you feel like that used car salesman that's pushing your business card to everybody and trying to get an opportunity or trying to make a pitch, your elevator speech so that you can get that job. Really for me, when I started thinking about it more as what I call relation-shipping, so not networking per se, but relation-shipping. Why I call it that is because I feel like when you're focused on building just relationships and giving to people and adding value and when you're meeting people you're not just pitching them on your elevator speech about how amazing you are, but you're just asking them questions about how amazing they are for the first five minutes. You don't say anything about yourself. That becomes such a more effective way to build relationships, but also in a turn, a byproduct of that is people like you more. They want to help you. Now when they have a job opportunity maybe they think about your first because people love being able to talk about themselves. If you can ask them good questions and focus more on relation-shipping, building value added relationships, man, I think that's really going to set you apart instead of talking about yourself and being a me monster at a networking event. Mac Prichard:    Yeah. I think that goes back to your earlier point, Paul about thinking about the needs of others and their problems and how you can help solve them. Paul Angone:      Mm-hmm (affirmative). Mac Prichard:    Not thinking just about your own needs. Paul Angone:    Exactly. Mac Prichard:  Yeah. Well, your first book was 101 Secrets For Your Twenties. Can you do a lightning round of those secrets for us? Paul Angone: Oh sure. Yeah, there's 101 of them so it's always hard to pick my favorites. I think one of them that has resonated with a lot of people is to watch out for what I call the new OCD. Which it's not the OCD as we typically think of, but it's obsessive comparison disorder. I think for a lot of millennials especially this is so prevalent nowadays, especially through social media. I think for any of us that is going through transition, that is maybe trying to change jobs or you feel like well, I'm not doing my passion right now. I'm working in a coffee shop or I'm selling insurance. I'm not really that excited about my life. It can become very hard when you're looking at social media and you're looking at the perceived amazing-ness of everybody else's lives and what we're showcasing on social media. Which isn't always the most accurate truth that I think most of us know, but it doesn't feel that way sometimes. Watch out for what I call obsessive comparison disorder. Because if you're always measuring yourself up to the images that people are putting up on Instagram or are on Facebook, you're always going to feel lacking or you're always going to feel like I'm not enough. I think that's a really big one. Mac Prichard:   Okay. Excellent advice. We're coming to the end of our interview, Paul. Tell me, what's next for you? What do you have coming up? Paul Angone:   Yeah, for me I'm really excited actually about an online course that I've started called Finding Your Signature Sauce. I just took my first group of students through it just now and it's been amazing to be able to walk through this process with people and go on a deeper level than just through blogs or books, but actually have a personal relationship and get to know a lot of people. That's probably the thing that I'm most excited about right now is just refining that and really helping people through that process of finding your signature sauce and all that entails. Mac Prichard:  Great. Well thank you, Paul. Tell our listeners how they can find you online. Where can they learn more about you, your books and your work? Paul Angone:     Yeah, they can find me at my main website is AllGroanUp.com and groan is spelled like you're groaning in pain, All Groan Up. I like to say that it's pun-derful, is my go to joke. Yeah, All Groan Up. They can find me on Twitter at Paul Angone, A-N-G-O-N-E or they can find me at SignatureSauce.com. Any of those websites or through Twitter. Reach out if you have questions. Id love to connect with you. Mac Prichard:    Great and we'll be sure to include those links in the show notes. Thanks for joining us this week, Paul. Paul Angone:  Thank you, Mac. Mac Prichard:   Well, we're back with Cecilia and Ben. Tell me, what do you think we're the most important points you heard Paul make? Cecilia Bianco:  I really liked his point about how to tell what your real passions are. He mentioned that if you fail at something and you keep doing it because you enjoy it so much, that's how you can tell that you're passionate about it. Following that I think is really key when you're a millennial trying to find the career you want. Mac Prichard:    Yeah. I identified with that too. In my 20s and 30s I worked on a lot of election campaigns. I worked on a lot of losing campaigns and I kept showing up every election cycle. We won some, but I was so passionate about that work and the opportunity it offered to make a difference I kept signing up for campaigns even when we lost. Ben Forstag:       I liked his point about finding a problem that needs to be fixed. I know for me personally that resonates because I find the most enjoyment in my work when there is this problem. It doesn't need to be a giant problem. It could be how to increase the open rates on an email for example, but having that problem to explore and to test things out, that really animates a lot of where I find enjoyment in work. Mac Prichard:   Good. I think that was good advice not only for millennials, but for any generation. Well, thank you all for listening. We'll be back next week with more tools and tips you can use to find your dream job. In the meantime visit us at MacsList.org where you can sign up for our free newsletter with more than 100 new jobs every week. If you like what you hear on our show you can help us by leaving a review and a rating at iTunes. This helps other job seekers discover the show. It helps us help more people. Thank you for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do you have a strategy for landing your dream job? Robert Cugno says you need to build the right relationships and craft a mission and vision for yourself to be ready when the right position opens up. Aligning yourself with key people will help you advance your career, whether you’re looking for a promotion or applying for new jobs. About Our Guest: Robert Cugno Robert Cugno is a career strategist who lives to inspire people to achieve their goals and have rewarding work lives. Robert is the founder of Future U Coaching (http://www.futureucoaching.com.au/), an online program that offers one-on-one coaching and courses that help people develop the skills they need to get that next promotion, a new job, or the career they want. Resources in this Episode: How to use an employer tool for your job search: Textio for Job Seekers (https://textio.ai/textio-for-job-seekers-7c62ab3b7492) Our listener question deals with whether or not you should disclose, and how to talk about, addiction in a job interview. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all know that LinkedIn is an important part of any job search. But too many people keep making basic mistakes on LinkedIn. Our guest expert Christie Mims shares four LinkedIn mistakes we can all avoid to improve the way we build and engage our network on LinkedIn. The key is the invest in your network before you need a favor.   About Our Guest: Christie Mims Christie Mims is the Founder and CEO of The Revolutionary Club (therevolutionaryclub.com), the number one destination for smart people who are unwilling to settle for anything less than career happiness. Her website has been named a Forbes Top 100 for careers, and she herself has been named one of the top 29 coaches to follow on the internet. Resources in this Episode: New Resource: How Job Listing Language Could Be Adding to Silicon Valley’s Gender Divide from KQED, explains how the words used in job descriptions affect the people who apply. Read the article: www.kqed.org/news/11642547/how-job-listing-language-could-add-to-silicon-valleys-gender-divide?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20180205 Bonus Resource: InHerSight (www.inhersight.com/) is a great tool for women looking to find a welcoming employer. Listener Question: Lisa Burns from Hood River, Ore. asks how you can find out about a company’s culture and show that you’re a good fit when you apply for a job. From Our Guest: Get Christie’s free workbook on finding your passion - visit revolutionaryclub.com to download. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do you know how to get a job you love? It’s OK if you don’t. Most people do not believe it is even possible. A traditional job search includes scouring job postings and identifying with skills an employer is looking for. Today’s conversation turns the table on tradition and encourages job seekers to first identify and then search for a job they will love. Guest, Scott Barlow uses putting a puzzle together as an analogy for identifying which type of job you will probably love. Signature Strengths are your inherent qualities which give you a natural and unfair advantage over another person. These strengths can be seen as the corner pieces of the puzzle as they are easy to recognize. Identifying these strengths is the first step in the process of finding a job you love. To assist you in figuring out what your strengths are, try: StrengthsFinder 2.0  Get Feedback from those who know you well enough to give you a truthful answer to the question “What do I do well?” The ideal work environment for you is a company which values the same things you do. Think about a workplace you would flourish in. These are the edge pieces of the puzzle, the framework of what you should be looking for when you search for a job. If you pre-identify the companies which closely match your ideal work environment, you can make contacts within the organizations before a job is posted online. You can place yourself first in line when a position becomes available. Go after the things you are great at and focus on the things you place the most value in! Scott Barlow Bio Scott Barlow is the founder of Happen to Your Career, a company that helps you stop doing work that doesn’t fit, figuring out what does fit and then teaching you to make it happen. Scott has been helping people develop their careers and businesses for more than 10 years. Scott is also the host of the Happen to Your Career podcast. Visit the Figure Out What Fits site to obtain the 8-day video series for creating career change. This is a FREE gift for Find Your Dream Job podcast listeners. Ben’s Job Search Resources: Apres Group is a community-based website for female professionals who have taken a career break and are looking to re-enter the workplace. The site is designed by Jennifer Gefsky and Niccole Kroll. The site’s resources include coaching, success stories and employers who are looking to hire. The site is free for women who want to register and perform job searches. Jenna’s Find Your Dream Job Listener Question: Ben, Jenna and Mac provide detailed feedback to answer Leta Muncie’s question - “What is the general career path a person might have before becoming an Executive Director of a nonprofit?” These segments are sponsored by the 2016 edition of Land Your Dream Job in Portland (and Beyond). Now available in all formats! If you would like the team to answer a job-related question send it to jenna@macslist.org. Or, if you found a job resource you think everyone should know about send it to ben@macslist.org and tell him how it has helped you find your dream job. Thank you for listening to Find Your Dream Job. If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support! Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do you want to work in the nonprofit sector and still make money? There’s a common misconception that working for nonprofits means you have to give up a competitive salary in exchange for mission-driven work. Our guest this week on the Find Your Dream Job podcast, Catalina Rojas, says that you don’t have to choose between a nonprofit job and competitive pay. By doing your research, knowing your worth, and advocating for yourself, you can have a fulfilling job and the compensation you want. About Our Guest: Catalina Rojas Catalina Rojas (https://www.linkedin.com/in/catalina-rojas-912b9a2/) is the host of the Social Change Career Podcast. Catalina is an expert on nonprofit salary negotiation. She says if you choose to work for a nonprofit, that doesn’t mean you can’t ask for a good salary. Catalina emphasizes the importance of being prepared and knowing what you want before sitting down to salary negotiations. Her advice is practical, actionable, and much of it applies to private sector jobs, too. Resources in this Episode: Listen to Catalina’s podcast, the Social Change Career Podcast, to hear how professionals in the social change field are changing the world while making a living and learn how to align your own passion with your purpose. Visit: https://pcdnetwork.org/the-social-change-career-podcast/  For global social change resources, visit the Peace and Collaborative Development Network: https://pcdnetwork.org/. Knowing the average salary of the position you’re going after will make you a stronger negotiator. You can find the true salary for positions in your area using online tools that compile this data. Catalina recommends Glassdoor.com. Learn how to negotiate for the salary you deserve. Download our free guide, “How to Talk About Money in an Interview,” at macslist.org/moneytalk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Wing it” and “job interview” are two phrases that should never go together in the same sentence. Before you walk into an interview, you need to prepare yourself, do your homework, and practice what you will do and say. But how do you prepare responses when you don’t know the questions? And what, besides having good answers, contributes to a successful interview? This week on Find Your Dream Job we talk about the interview process and share tips on making a great in-person impression with a prospective employer. Mac chats with executive recruiter and career coach, Janet Brumbaugh, of Janet Brumbaugh and Associates. Janet helps her clients hone their interview skills by video-recording them in mock-interviews; she then reviews the tape with the jobseeker, to identify mistakes and opportunities for improvement. In this episode, Janet shares her expert advice on how to your own interview performance and outcomes. In this 33-minute episode you will learn: The specific research you should do before an interview What employers are looking for during the interview process How to make the interview less of an interrogation and more of a back-and-forth conversation The questions you, as the candidate, should be asking at the interview How to respond to oddball interview questions This week’s guest: Janet Brumbaugh (LinkedIn)PrincipalJanet Brumbaugh and AssociatesWest Lynn, Ore. Listener question of the week:  What questions should I ask an employer in an interview? Do you have a question you’d like us to answer on a future episode? Please send your questions to Cecilia Bianco, Mac’s List Community Manager at cecilia@macslist.org. Resources referenced on this week’s show: 10 Weirdest Job Interview Questions of 2015 GlassDoor.com Janet Brumbaugh and Associates Land Your Dream Job in Portland (and Beyond) - 2016 Edition If you have a job-hunting or career development resource resource you’d like to share, please contact Ben Forstag, Mac’s List Managing Director at ben@macslist.org. -- Thank you for listening to Find Your Dream Job. If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support!Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Working with a recruiter can be a great way to find your next position, but finding a recruiter or getting noticed by one isn’t easy. The trick, says Find Your Dream Job guest AJ Eckstein, is to network before you need a job. AJ says you need to focus on building organic relationships, especially with those in the field and geographical area you want to work. And don’t focus on work alone; get involved in your community through organizations and volunteer work. Build a portfolio of life experiences so that you have a story to share when you reach out to a recruiter. About Our Guest: AJ Eckstein (http://linkedin.com/in/aaron-aj-eckstein) is the founder of the Career Coaching Company (https://www.careercoachingcompany.com/) which helps recent college graduates land dream jobs at leading companies. He also hosts The Final Round (https://www.careercoachingcompany.com/podcast), an interview podcast with company recruiters.  Resources in This Episode: Learn how to make it past the final round of interviews and actually get the job offer by tuning in to AJ’s podcast at www.careercoachingcompany.com/podcast (http://www.careercoachingcompany.com/podcast.) From our Sponsor: Find Your Dream Job is brought to you by Top Resume. Top Resume has helped more than 400,000 professionals land more interviews and get hired faster. Get a free review of your resume today from one of Top Resume’s expert writers.     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

LinkedIn is a vital part of any serious job search or recruitment. Smart job hunters use LinkedIn to tell a compelling professional story, document accomplishments, and show what they can do for others. A vast majority (94-97%) of recruiters and employers use the platform to find candidates who have the right skills, experience, and connections. This week on “Find Your Dream Job,” we talk with Arnie Fertig, a career coach and LinkedIn expert, on how to use this platform to find a job. Arnie knows what recruiters on LinkedIn are looking for. He shares practical tips for building a compelling, eye-catching profile, as well as strategies for building rewarding professional relationships on LinkedIn. In this 35-minute episode you will learn: Tools for making your LinkedIn profile look polished and professional How recruiters use LinkedIn and what they’re looking for in your profile Strategies for attracting recruiters and potential employers with your profile Why you need to be speaking in the first person (using “I”, “me”, and “my” on LinkedIn) What NOT to include in your LinkedIn profile This week’s guest: Arnie Fertig  (@jobhuntercoach | LinkedIn)Principal, JobHunterCoach.comBoston, Mass. Listener question of the week: What should my LinkedIn title be if I’m currently unemployed? Answering our question this week is Dawn Rasmussen, Chief Resume Writer at Portland-based Pathfinder Writing and Career Services. If you have a question you’d like us to answer on a future episode, please contact us at communitymanager@macslist.org. Resources from this week’s show: JobHunterCoach.com Find Your Dream Job Ep. 017 - The Social Media Job Hunt World Bad LinkedIn Photo Day | Mathys+Potestio 7 Tips to Make Sure Your LinkedIn Picture Is Helping, Not Hurting, Your Prospects | Entrepreneur.com The Ultimate Guide to Social Media Image Sizes | Social Media Examiner Pathfinder Writing and Career Services Your Career Begins With What You Wear | LinkedIn Land Your Dream Job in Portland (and Beyond) If you have a job-hunting or career development resource resource you’d like to share, please contact Ben Forstag, Mac’s List Managing Director at ben@macslist.org. -- Thank you for listening to Find Your Dream Job. If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support! Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com. -- FULL TRANSCRIPT Mac Prichard: This is find your dream job a podcast that helps you get hired and have the career you want and make a difference in life. I am Mac Prichard your host and publisher of Mac’s List. Our show is brought to you by Mac’s List and by our book Land your Dream Job in Portland and Beyond. To learn more about the book and the updated edition that we published on February 1, visit macslist.org/book. Ben Forstag: Hey Mac been here I have a question for you. Mac Prichard: Fire away Ben. Ben Forstag: We have an audience for a podcast that goes across the country and indeed around the world. Mac Prichard: I understand we are huge in China. Ben Forstag: We are big in China and we even have some listeners in Iran and I’m going to put out my call again if you’re listening to us in Iran please send me an e-mail I would like to hear your story. The reason I bring this up if I’ve gotten e-mails from several of our listeners asking whether our book is only appropriate for people looking for a job in Portland. Mac Prichard: That’s a great question we are Portland is our home town and we are very proud of it. Much of the information in the book is aimed at Portlanders it reflects our strength. You’ll find that if you do read the book that it’s valuable to anybody looking for work. There are eight chapters and they take you through what you need to do in any job search whether you’re in New York, Austin, Portland or even Tehran. The questions that you will find that we answer in the book include how do I find a well-paying engaging job. What can I do to stand out from other applicants. How do I learn about jobs that are never publicly posted. What do I need to do to get started in a new field. These are common problems for all job seekers and the advice you will find in our book will help you no matter where you live. LinkedIn is a vital part of any serious job search or recruitment. Smart job hunters use LinkedIn to tell a compelling professional story, document accomplishments and show what they can do for others. Recruiters use LinkedIn to find people who have the skills, experience and connections that employers want. In a recent show episode number 17 with Joshua Waltman who is the author of Job Search and Social Media for Dummies. We touched on the importance of a LinkedIn account and the basic elements your page must have. Now that you’ve taken that first step it’s time to do more. After all of as of last year there was almost 400 million LinkedIn members. What will you do to stand out in such a crowded field? This week on find your dream job we will tell you how to make your LinkedIn profile irresistible especially to recruiters. I speak to our guest expert Arnie Fertig former headhunter who has helped hundreds of people create great LinkedIn profiles. Ben Forstag has seven practical steps you can take now to shine on LinkedIn and our guest co-host Dawn Rasmussen will answer a question from a listener. Joining us again this week is our guest co-host Dawn Rasmussen a pathfinder career and writing services. Dawn thanks for coming into the studio. Dawn Rasmussen: Thanks for having me, it’s good to be here. Mac Prichard: It’s great to see you again. Dawn, Ben when you two think about your LinkedIn profile what’s the one change that you’ve made that has produced the best result for you? Dawn Rasmussen: I would say making your profile as robust as possible. So many people they just do a very cursory just one liner about their work or whatever. You really need to go in with a fine tooth comb and add as much relative content as possible. Making sure that you keep track of those keywords because that’s how people search for you and for me, my clients find me through keywords on LinkedIn. You have to pay attention to those things. Mac Prichard: Okay good tip. Ben? Ben Forstag: For me it’s just updating my profile regularly instead of one big massive edit I try to go in there and tinker with it every couple of weeks or so. The thing that does is it puts you out there in front of your contacts, they see the changes you’re making and it is just a trigger for a conversation with contacts. I remember during my last job search I made some change on my profile and I got two or three people who reached out to me and said oh hey Ben it’s been a while since we talked tell me what’s going on what are you looking for what’s the good word. I think that’s a good habit to get into just so you’re always up there with folks. Dawn Rasmussen: I was going to say one other thing I actually publish articles too and I had one unexpectedly went viral there’s no magic formula for things going viral. It was kind of a controversial thing I said what you wear determines your career. It was talking about how people should dress for interviews and things like that. It really sparked a pretty big conversation on LinkedIn, I think I got over 117,000 views on that article. It’s just interesting because that brought a lot of people to my profile too because they were checking me out. That is a great publishing platform is to Ben’s point is to have some content that’s constantly coming out that’s refreshed about yourself too. Mac Prichard: I remember that post that you wrote Dawn and the attention you got from it, that’s a great point. It’s actually related to my tip which is there’s a status update section and even if you’re not creating original content to publish on LinkedIn you can take blog posts for example that you’ve already written for your company blog or an organization blog and write a little status update about them there and draw people to them blog. It gets to your point Ben about having a dynamic site that engages people and attracts the attention of others. Now let’s turn to Ben Forstag our managing director who is out there every week exploring the Internet and he’s looking for blogs, podcast, books all kinds of tools that you can use in your job search. Ben what do you have for his this week? Ben Forstag: This week we’re talking about LinkedIn and I want to share a couple of resources around one of the most visible aspects of your LinkedIn profile. That’s the photo you use and I know it seems a little silly to be talking about a LinkedIn photo on a podcast, but it’s amazing how many bad LinkedIn photos there are out there and what a turn off this is for prospective employers. Mac Prichard: Are you looking for nominations right now because I have one I could share? Ben Forstag: Well you know lets hear it. Mac Prichard: I got an e-mail from somebody who wanted an informational interview, good guy and I went to his LinkedIn profile and there was a photograph of him with a cigarette dangling from his mouth. Dawn Rasmussen: I had an executive client who had a LinkedIn profile that had him in a water ski flotation vest with a woman’s hair cut off at the shoulder. It was pretty bad. Mac Prichard: That’s hard to top I guess if he had been wearing Speedos. Dawn Rasmussen: It was shoulders up thank goodness. Ben Forstag: I know our friends over at Mathis and Potestio which is a recruiting firm here in Portland and we actually had Steve Potestio on an earlier episode of the podcast. They had a bad LinkedIn photo contest where users could submit their own bad LinkedIn photos which is well intentioned and well hearted little contest. I’ll see if I can find the link to that and include it in the show notes. On past shows we talked about the importance of having a professional looking photo on LinkedIn. Our specific advice for those photos has been fairly high level. No spring break photos with a woman’s hair in the background. No photos of your cat etc. I thought I would get a little more into the weeds today and offer some more specific tips for taking the perfect LinkedIn profile pic. I’ll be showing two different blog posts today. The first is from the website entrepreneur.com and is entitled seven tips to make sure your LinkedIn picture is helping not hurting your prospects. These are all quick and dirty rules for having an appropriate LinkedIn photo and I will go over them real quickly. One, appear approachable, friendly, smiling and looking at the camera. Two remember this is about you don’t include other people distracting backgrounds etcetera. Three make sure your photo is up to date and they have a great quote here. “If your professional headshot isn’t old enough to buy a drink in the bar it’s time to get a new one.” Look the part, clothes and grooming matter no wrinkled shirts, shorts et cetera, this speaks to your point earlier Dawn. Five, skip the Facebook esk photos. LinkedIn and Facebook are different platforms with different audiences so you want to get a photo that’s appropriate for the LinkedIn. Six, no selfies allowed this is a big one I think especially for Millennials. Selfies tend to be lower quality and it’s clear that you’re taking a selfie of yourself and the image itself is often pretty hazy. Seven, Photoshop with caution, a little bit is great but too much is bad. Mac Prichard: It’s important to invest in your career and your job search and getting a good quality headshot from a professional photographer might set you back $50 $100. Again it will pay so many dividends down the road. Ben Forstag: Increasingly at professional conferences I noticed the organizer of the conference will bring a photographer as part of your registration you will get a headshot. If you’re at an event and that’s an option certainly take advantage of that because that’s gold for your career. The first part of the equation is taking a good photo. The second part is formatting that image so it looks great on your profile. LinkedIn recommends an optimal image dimension of 400 pixels wide by 400 pixels tall. Meeting those recommendations is important to make sure that your photos are crisp and clear. On LinkedIn you can tell when someone has uploaded a profile photo that is too small because their photo will be highly pix-elated or blurry or sometimes it appears like a little small picture with a blurrier version of a picture behind it. Here’s the rub though, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and all of these other social media platforms all have their own optimal image dimensions. They always seem to be changing those dimensions every 12 to 18 months. For the second resource I want to share today, it’s a cheat sheet for keeping up to date with those optimal image sizes. It comes from a website called Social Media Examiner and it’s titled the Ultimate Guide to Social Media Image Sizes. This is a resource I use on a regular basis when I’m posting articles for Mac’s list, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and so forth. I’m not going to delve into all of the numbers here but I definitely suggest you check it out. Let me add there is a benefit here beyond looking good in your profile photos. When you’re adapting your images to each social media platform you are so showcasing your familiarity with that service. This is a great way to show your employees that you know how social media works. That you know how to connect with different social media audiences and that you have a higher level of attention to detail, all important skills when you’re talking to a prospective employer. Mac Prichard: Thank you Ben, if you have a suggestion for Ben, he would love to hear from you. You can e-mail him his address is Ben@Macslist.org. Now it’s time to hear from you our listeners, we are going to turn to our guest co-host Dawn Rasmussen from Pathfinder Career and Writing Services. She joins us here in the studio to answer one of your questions. Dawn Rasmussen: The question from a reader reads what should my LinkedIn title be if I am currently unemployed. Hint, unemployed is not a job title it is not gold. Unfortunately a lot of people do that. Mac Prichard: The other variation I see of that is currently seeking opportunities in _________. Dawn Rasmussen: Or looking for my next opportunity that’s not helpful. Mac Prichard: Right what do you think of those? Dawn Rasmussen: That’s not helpful, that’s not specific. I always say you don’t want to draw attention to the fact that you’re unemployed. When you’re thinking about your LinkedIn title you want to think about the job title that you eventually want to have and so that’s the first thing anybody is going to see and they’re going to put you in a bucket. What bucket do you want to be put in. You don’t want to be put in the unemployment and you don’t want to be put in the looking for the next opportunity bucket. You need to be aligning yourself with your target and that will help your audience understand you. Mac Prichard: Lets just pause there for moment Dawn, why don’t you want to be in the unemployed or seeking opportunity bucket? Dawn Rasmussen: It raises a lot of questions and it brings up negative before positive in my opinion. I think you should be optimistic and looking forward instead of ruminating about what just happened and so it’s just a bad place to be in my opinion. Mac Prichard: I agree and I would also add that there’s research that shows unfairly employers tend not to hire people that have been unemployed for a long time. Dawn Rasmussen: That is true, that is true. One thing that you do you want to do along this whole process it’s a fine line but you want to come up with a headline that’s accurate and speaks to your experience but also focuses on your next opportunity that you want. For example, if you’re in the field of journalism your title should either include journalist or reporter or whatever your specialist is. To make it clear what types of jobs you are interested in or what you’ve had. That will help make you more searchable and getting back to the keyword thing you always need to have keywords in your profile. It’s important to really kind of think forward like I said not look backwards. Ben Forstag: I have a follow up question here. In previous episodes we talked about the importance of being open about your employment search and letting people know especially your own personal contacts like hey I’m out there I’m looking for a new opportunity. How do you balance your advice about not being upfront with it with earlier advice about also being open and letting people know that you’re available for new opportunities? Dawn Rasmussen: That’s a very good question Ben and my suggestion is to take your summary section use that as a way to talk about your forward thinking and what you bring to the table. Then towards the end of your summary section say if you could benefit from someone who has this type of expertise contact me. Ben Forstag: That’s great. Mac Prichard: Thank you Dawn. If you have a question for us please e-mailcommunitymanager@MacsList.org. These segments are sponsored by the 2016 edition of Land Your Dream Job in Portland and Beyond. We’ve made our book even better we added new contact and we’re offering it in the formats that you want. For the first time ever you can read Land Your Dream Job in Portland and Beyond as a paperback book or you can download on to your Kindle, Nook or your iPad. Whatever the format our goal is the same we want to give you the tools and tips that you need to get meaningful work that makes a difference. For more information visit macslist.org/book and sign up for our special newsletter. You will get updates about the book not available elsewhere as well as exclusive content and special discounts. Now lets turn to this week’s guest expert Arnie Fertig. Arnie Fertig is the founder of JobHuntercoach.com. where he helps people master the nuts and bolts of job hunting to find their personal brand and shorten the time until they are hired. He is a former executive recruiter and a leading expert on LinkedIn. Arnie also writes a weekly column for the on careers blog for US News and World Report. Arnie is a graduate of the University of Vermont, Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and the Hebrew Union college-Jewish Institute of Religion where he was ordained as a rabbi. Arnie thanks for joining us on the show. Arnie Fertig: My pleasure. Mac Prichard: I know you think long and hard about LinkedIn because you were a recruiter for many years and now you help job seekers. I know our listeners are very interested in hearing about how they can make their LinkedIn profiles most appealing to recruiters and employers. Let’s start Arnie by telling us how recruiters use LinkedIn. Arnie Fertig: I just interviewed a recruiter last week and he told me his entire practice was focused on LinkedIn. He uses it to advertise jobs, he uses it to search in a Google like way within LinkedIn to find candidates based on very complex searches. He looks at what people write in their groups and what their qualifications are and reaches out to those people that he thinks would be good fits for the searches on which he’s working. Mac Prichard: Arnie I know you talk to recruiters all the time and other career counselors as well. In your experience is that uncommon that a recruiter spends all of his or her day on LinkedIn and uses the tool that extensively? Arnie Fertig: The latest I’ve seen is somewhere between 94 and 97% of all recruiters use LinkedIn to source candidates. That’s virtually everyone at this point. More than that, it’s used by HR departments and hiring managers in the sourcing and the vetting of candidates as well. Mac Prichard: It’s interesting that figure of almost 100% is so high and just this week I’ve looked at a report from the Pew Research Center which said that about half of adult Americans are on LinkedIn. Perhaps as much as half of the workforce isn’t where recruiters are. Tell us Arnie when recruiters are trolling LinkedIn profiles what are they looking for? Arnie Fertig: They are were looking for keywords to match critical elements of a job description or a position description that they’re looking to fill. They will look at the requirements of the job. They will look at specific skills. They will look at things that would be relevant to the particular employer for example, distance to the job. They might look for the university training that one has had. Certain employers are fond of hiring people from a certain set of universities. They can search to see who has a particular degree from a particular university in a particular year located in such and such a place. They will get very granular with their searches and so that means that you need to have all of that information filled out so that you can come up as the response to a detailed query when a recruiter makes it. Mac Prichard: Listeners obviously cant control now where they went to school or where they live but they do have the ability to plug in key words, not only in their LinkedIn profile but in the skills section. What advice do you give people in thinking about those keywords and what is the strategy behind choosing them and how many should they choose? Arnie Fertig: I don’t think it’s a question of how many to choose and I don’t think it’s a question of just cramming your profile with keywords at this point because recruiters are more sophisticated than that. What they want to see are accomplishments and what they want to see are accomplishments that match up to the kind of expectations that employers have for the role that is to be filled. I would suggest that somebody take a look at several different job descriptions of positions that they might like to fill. Whether they are local or not whether they’re actually going to apply or not but the kind of position that makes sense for your next job. Plum those job descriptions for the key words for the skills that are called for, for the educational background that’s called for, for the verbs that talk about what you’ll be doing in that job. Make sure that you use those words in the way that you describe what you’ve accomplished in your current and former roles. Mac Prichard: Don’t talk about duties or tasks but about accomplishments and think strategically about the words you use in describing those accomplishments. Arnie Fertig: Exactly right. I think a resume is about telling a story it’s about giving a context or a challenge in which you encountered about the actions that you took to confront that challenge and what the results were in each little resume bullet. But in a LinkedIn profile you want to focus less on the responsibilities and more on the accomplishments. Make it much more personal, active and engaging. Because LinkedIn you have to remember is a social medium and it’s fine to use the word I and it’s fine to talk about what you’re passionate about and what really you’re proud of in terms of what you’ve done in your professional roles. Mac Prichard: That’s an important point you’re making because I think many people reflectively treat their LinkedIn profile like a resume and I think the challenge, it’s challenging for them to use the first person to say I rather than put everything into the third person. Why is that more effective why do recruiters like that? Arnie Fertig: I think it’s a question of being personable and showing that this is a social medium and that you can connect in a social way back and forth and interacting. When I’m interacting with you and your profile it’s you as a person not a resume that speaks about you in the presumed third person. LinkedIn is about ultimately not just looking for jobs and saying I’m out here look at me I want a job. It’s about creating relationships and it’s important to create the relationships with the recruiters even before you’re looking for a job so that you know the kind of people that are looking or the kind of recruiters that are looking for people like you. Mac Prichard: Let’s talk about that Arnie, we often hear from people here at Mac’s list who want to get in touch with recruiters and are uncertain about how to approach them and then once they do make a contact how to manage that relationship. What’s your advice about how to connect with recruiters through LinkedIn and how to keep that relationship going Arnie Fertig: It’s fairly simple to do a search an advanced people search on LinkedIn and look for people who have the title recruiter and do a geographic search based relatively close to where you are in terms of your zip code. Do a sub search on that to see who is recruiting in your industry or for people with your particular skill set. Narrow it down to a relatively small handful of recruiters. Then begin to reach out to them just in a sense of saying hi I’d love to have you know who I am, Id love to be of help to you in the searches that you’re conducting and would it be possible for me to have 10 minutes of your time to talk with you. A lot of people will be more than happy to be approached even if it isn’t in the context account of saying I know you’re looking for so and so now please consider me. Mac Prichard: When you get that appointment what kind of expectation should you have as a job seeker when you sit down with an executive recruiter either in person or perhaps over Skype for 10 minutes. How should you approach that meeting and what kind of results should you expect to get from it? Arnie Fertig: As an internet working meeting it’s about building a relationship and building a relationship isn’t just you’ve got, I need, therefore give me. It’s about what can I do for you. It’s about trying to understand the prospective and the needs of the other person. You want to find out what kind of searches the recruiter does, what kind of people does he or she look for on a regular basis. Offer to make connections for them when you can. At the same time the recruiter will likely ask you that’s great I really appreciate that and tell me also about you. Then you want to be able to succinctly provide in a nutshell, in a sentence or two, your own personal branding statement. Hi I’m a _______ ________ career person and I’m particularly adept at doing such and such and my proudest accomplishments are such and such. Stop let the recruiter then come in and ask more questions and find out more about what it is that he or she is looking to find out for you. Mac Prichard: Think about what you can do for the recruiter and how you can be helpful, be clear about what you can offer in terms of your experience and skills and then listen and engage the recruiter in a conversation about how you might work together. Arnie Fertig: Exactly it’s about building relationships, having conversations not just capturing 10 minutes of somebody’s time and haranguing them with your story and expecting them to help you. Mac Prichard: What’s your best advice Arnie about how to keep that relationship going after you have that conversation? Arnie Fertig: From time to time you might want to introduce somebody to that recruiter. Check out their website and see what they’re looking for and see if you know somebody that could be helpful to them. Either somebody who was a thought leader in the field or somebody who actually might be looking for a job who actually meets the criteria of the recruiter is looking for. Mac Prichard: Let’s bring it back to LinkedIn, we talked about the things that people should do and how to leverage LinkedIn into connecting with recruiters. Thinking about people’s profiles Arnie what do recruiters don’t want to see on your LinkedIn page? Arnie Fertig: They don’t want to see a non professional picture. It’s really critical to present a good headshot of yourself with a contrasting solid background so it doesn’t look like you’ve got a tree coming out of your head. Whatever it might be in the background. You don’t want to see children or pets or you standing on a mountain in a distance. You want a good professional headshot first and foremost. You then want to have a good solid title up at the top of your profile. What it is that you do for example, I see on Dawn’s profile, Dawn Rasmussen’s profile she has labeled herself as a CMP certified resume writer. It tells you in a nutshell who she is and what she does. That’s a very good use of the profile the same way you can say here’s what I am and give a job title or give a description of what it is you do. Mac Prichard: What are some of the biggest missed opportunities that you see that things people should know how to do and just don’t take advantage of? Arnie Fertig: There are few things, number one to recognize what people see and what they don’t see. Many recruiters have a paid recruiting package that enables them to see all kinds of information. But some don’t, some have a free account and you never know who’s who. You want to make sure that if you come up as a third degree connection to somebody else’s search where your name and your contact information will be blocked you want to make yourself find-able. The first thing you want to do in your summary is to give your name and your e-mail address. Not your address, not your phone number, not your social security number, and not your visa number. Just your name and your e-mail address so that somebody if they’re interested in what they see in you will be able to reach out and to contact you directly. You then want to make sure as you go through the rest of the LinkedIn profile that you fill in all of the possible fields, all of the possible sections of your profile. You can list up to 50 skills you should do that. You can list your publications and your certifications and your experience and when you come to talk about the positions that you currently have and you had in the past you want to focus on giving people a sense of the size and scope and scale of what it is you’ve done and the accomplishments that you’ve made. You want to feel it in you don’t want to just leave your company and job title, otherwise nobody knows what you do or how you compare to anybody else who works in a similar company or has a similar job title. I think it’s very important for people to understand that using LinkedIn isn’t just about putting out a profile. It’s also about being active on it. Using it as a networking tool online to create relationships. It’s about interacting with the people that you’re already connected to and continuing to build your network. It’s important to understand that there are multiple ways to find jobs on LinkedIn. Not only on jobs tab which is essentially a paid job board but also in your home page on your scroll on the homepage as you’re connected to a lot of people especially recruiters and people who tend to do hiring. HR folks you’ll see that they will often just put a a simple post up that they’re looking for so and so or such and such and those come scrolling by so it’s important to check that. It’s important to check out the jobs that are listed in the various groups that you might belong to. Again you can be in 50 groups you should be in what I think of as a basket of basket of groups. There’s groups based on your locality, groups based on your title or your industry. Groups based on your skill set, groups based on your outside interests or your alumni groups from colleges and universities that you’ve attended. There is all different kinds of groups and you should be in some of each of those kinds of groups. Within each group there is a job tab to look at that and see what jobs are posted there. Those jobs are not necessarily going to be found on the large job tab at the top of the LinkedIn portal. Those jobs are just to be seen by the people in the group and often it’s a way that recruiters and HR people have of finding just a very small talent pool of highly qualified individuals for the specific search that they’re doing. They don’t want to be bothered by having to go through 500 resumes that everybody else is sending in. Mac Prichard: There is a whole universe of niche job boards out there at LinkedIn that are just hiding in plain sight and they are not that hard to find but you do have to know where to look. Arnie Fertig: Right. Mac Prichard: Well thank Arnie, tell us what’s coming up next for you. Arnie Fertig: I’m putting out an eBook, it’s available actually to people who are listening to this podcast on how to booster interviewing skills to get a job. I’m going to be publishing that soon but as an advance to that anybody who is listening to this podcast can get that free and immediately. Mac Prichard: Great and the URL for that which you were kind enough to send me before the show is info.jobhuntercoach.com/dreamjob. We will be sure to include that in the show notes. To learn more about Arnie visit jobhuntercoach.com, you can also connect with him on LinkedIn. You accept LinkedIn connections you told me Arnie. Arnie Fertig: Absolutely. Mac Prichard: We will include those links in the show notes. Thank you Arnie for joining us. Arnie Fertig: It’s been my pleasure thank you Mac for inviting me. Mac Prichard: Welcome back to the Mac’s List studio. Dawn, Ben what were some of the key takeaways for you from my conversation with Arnie? Ben Forstag: I think Arnie had a lot of good points, the one that I thought that was really astute was including your name and your e-mail address in the first line of your summary. I know I use LinkedIn a lot to find people and to reach out and if you can find that e-mail address especially if you’re not already a contact with that person it’s so valuable and it makes reaching out so much easier. Mac Prichard: I agree, I’ve been frustrated so many times trying to reach people who have a public LinkedIn profile and there’s no way to contact them other than through LinkedIn and many people don’t check their LinkedIn mail accounts regularly. It can be weeks even months before you hear back from them. Ben Forstag: We’ve all played the game of trying to reverse engineer an e-mail address based on the company URL and maybe it’s their last name, maybe it’s the first initial and last name. If you can avoid that frustration and just make it very clear how to reach out to you that’s the best. Mac Prichard: Make it easy for people to find you. How about you Dawn, what were some of the key points you heard? Dawn Rasmussen: He hit it right on the head this is a social media forum and you have to write and compel the audience, make them want to pick up the phone or type out a special e-mail to you. Make them want to reach out making it personal is the biggest thing. It really also just craving a constant stream of meaningful content and you can use that to connect to recruiters. I think Arnie mentioned that once you make that connection to the recruiter you can send them people, why not send them articles that might be helpful. You could become a helpful resource to the recruiters but then also show traction within your own profile that makes people want to reach out to you. Mac Prichard: I agree and for me the key point is one I keep running across again and again, people still think of LinkedIn as some kind of online resume book as if it’s an electronic binder and you put your resume inside it and magic things will happen you just have to sit and wait. That’s not how it works and there’s so much more as you say Dawn that you can get out of that platform. Dawn Rasmussen: I use the euphemism that this is a garden and you reap what you sow, if you only plant one or two seeds then you only get that amount back. You have to look at LinkedIn as sort of a garden that keeps … it needs nurturing, it needs to be watered, it needs to be tended to, then you reap and sow what you put into it. Mac Prichard: Good advice, thank you Dawn and thank you Ben and thank you our listeners. If you like what you hear on the show you can help us by leaving a review and a rating at iTunes. It just takes a moment and it helps others discover our show and that helps us serve other job seekers. Here is an excerpt from one of the reviews we received recently. It’s from wildiris2008, that’s her iTunes name and she writes, really impressed with the quality and relevance of this podcast series particularly the guest speakers. I’ve listened to several shows and episode two about staying marketable in the absence of job security stands out. I’ve fallen into that trap of slacking off on professional development and networking when I get comfortable on the job and Dawn Rasmussen who is with here today offers concrete practical suggestions for how to stay focused on the long-term journey, says wildiris2008. Highly recommended for novice and seasoned job seekers alike. Thank you wildires2008 and thank you to the scores of other listeners who have left a review. Please take a moment to leave your own comments and ratings just go to www.macslist.org/iTunes. Thanks again for listening and we will back next week with more tools and tips that you can use to find your dream job. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Job loss can be a great opportunity to examine whether you’re in the right field. On this bonus episode of Find Your Dream Job, Jenny Mack-Christensen (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennymackaben/) tells how she used the time between jobs to affirm that she wanted to stay in marketing. She used informational interviews to explore other career fields, but Jenny says she ultimately decided to level up in her current field rather than make a switch. Learn more about Jenny’s career history below in this installment of our Success Stories series (https://www.macslist.org/articles/success-stories). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your professional references can make or break your chances of getting a job. Select, nurture and prep your people to give you the best possible reference when they get the call from your potential new boss! Our guest on this episode of Find Your Dream Job gives you practical tips to strengthen your references. About Our Guest: Daisy Wright Daisy Wright is chief encouragement officer at The Wright Career Solution, a certified career management coach and professional resume writer. She works with executives, managers and mid-career professionals to help them get hired faster. Daisy is also the author of two books, “No Canadian Experience, Eh? A Career Success Guide for New Immigrants,” and “Tell Stories, Get Hired: Innovative Strategies to Land Your Next Job and Advance Your Career.” Resources in this Episode: If You Want Something, Ask For It: www.gsb.stanford.edu/insights/francis-flynn-if-you-want-something-ask-it A listener in Oregon asks for advice on relocating within the same state.  Get another take on references in this early episode of our show: How to Manage the New World of Reference Checking: www.macslist.org/podcasts/interviews/manage-new-world-reference-checking-ray-bixler Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"What do you do for a living?" It's a question you probably get often, especially when meeting new people. What you say matters a lot, says this week's guest expert, Christina Canters. Your answer may lead to your next job or it can help you move up in your career. Because the question is so common, however, most people don’t give it much thought. They simply spit out their title and then stop. Christina says a title doesn’t give the other person anything to respond to. A better answer to "what do you do" can be a starting point to a more engaging conversation. Christina offers these tips when sharing what you do: When speaking with people outside your field, explain your job in language and metaphors that are easily understandable. Explain who you help in your job--and how you might be able to help the person you're speaking with. Add a fun fact about your work just after your title. If you're currently unemployed and looking for work, use the "what do you do" question as an opportunity. Put a positive spin on your situation by saying “I’m looking for new opportunities at the moment. I’m looking to help or do…” Christina also emphasizes the importance of confidence when explaining your job.  If you don’t come across as confident in yourself, why would anyone else be confident in you? Her tips for projecting confidence include: Get into a positive state-of-mind before you arrive at an event or presentation. Do power poses to put yourself in a positive physical state. Watch your language and remove the words “just a” before your title. This Weeks Guest: Christina Canters Christina Canters is a communication skills speaker, coach and host of the podcast, Stand Out, Get Noticed. Her website, the CMethod, helps ambitious professionals become more effective and confident when they speak, present and pitch. An engaging speaker, Christina has wowed audiences at organizations and conferences around the world with her passion, humor, and the occasional ukulele song. Resource of the Week Ben’s resource this week is the blog post Why Are Job Titles Important to Your Career? from The Balance. Titles are an important part of the compensation management system. The article includes common job titles and descriptions of what the job title includes. Listener Question of the Week Jessica, Ben, and Mac offer advice to Abbey Pendley who is looking for guidance about mentioning ongoing freelance work to a possible new full-time employer? If you would like the team to answer a job-related question or if you’ve found a job resource you think everyone should know about email it to ben@macslist.org or call at 716-JOB-TALK. If we use your question on the air, you will receive either a copy of our new book, Land Your Dream Job Anywhere or a Mac’s List Coffee Mug, your choice. If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support! Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The interview is your first, and sometimes only, opportunity to make a positive personal impression with an employer. You don’t want to wing it or walk into the meeting unprepared. You need to have a solid game plan and good talking points to make the most of this opportunity. However, it’s important to note that all interviews are not created equal. Every organization has its own needs and internal culture; every hiring manager has a unique personality and history that you need to consider. This is why it is so important that you research an organization and the people you’ll meet before you walk into an interview. Don’t use your one-hour meeting as discovery session. Instead, do your homework ahead of time and come in as an informed candidate with some ideas of how you can address the employer's challenges. This week’s guest expert, Jessica Smith, lays out a plan for how you can best prepare for your next interview. Read the company’s website, find commonalities between the job description and your skills, and view the LinkedIn profiles of the internal recruiter or hiring manager you’ll be meeting with. Figuring out who the company likes to hire, and knowing the organization’s buzzwords gives you instant credibility, When it’s time to answer the tough interview questions, Jessica recommends looking through your background to find a project with a clear objective or goal, and one with a discrete beginning and end. If you are unsure what project to choose, use the company’s job description as a guide. Then, describe the project using the STAR method Situation — Describe the situation.Task — Describe the task you were given.Action — Describe what you did.Result — Describe the outcome. Jessica also urges job seekers to always discuss past accomplishments in the first person singular--saying “I” instead of “we.” Job seekers often want to be modest and credit a team approach for their accomplishments. But speaking with an “I” perspective better conveys that you had an active role in these projects. This Week’s Guest: Jessica Smith Jessica Smith is a career and wellness coach for 20-somethings. Her coaching philosophy centers around the idea that everybody has an internal voice of wisdom that can help you live with more flow, confidence, and joy. Jessica is the author of the forthcoming book, Your Twenties, which is scheduled for publication later in 2017. She is also the host of the weekly podcast, Career Coaching with Jessness. Jessica has free career success guide for listeners on her website, Jessness Required. This Week’s Resource LinkedIn has a new feature that allows users to quietly signal recruiters that they are looking for new professional opportunities. This is a great option if you currently have a job and don’t want your employer to know you’re looking. To turn on this feature, go to the “Jobs” tab of LinkedIn, and toggle the “Open Candidate” button. This Week’s Listener Question: Jessica, Ben, and Mac answer Chris Mitchell’s question: “How long should I wait after a job interview to follow up with a hiring manager?” If you would like the team to answer a job-related question or if you’ve found a job resource you think everyone should know about email it to ben@macslist.org or call at 716-JOB-TALK. If we use your question on the air, you will receive either a copy of our new book, Land Your Dream Job Anywhere or a Mac’s List Coffee Mug, your choice. If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support! Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you skipped applying for a job you would love because you don’t have 100% of the qualifications in the job description? Before you eliminate yourself, Find Your Dream Job guest Jonaed Iqbal says you need to consider what you do have to offer. Share stories of how you’ve used your skills in past positions, including volunteer work. And make the interview a two-way street, engaging the hiring manager in conversation, while sharing your passions and how you will use them to meet the demands of the job. About Our Guest: Jonaed Iqbal (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonaed/) is the founder of NoDegree.com (https://www.nodegree.com/). It’s a career website for those without college degrees, and also hosts The NoDegree Podcast (https://link.chtbl.com/TheNoDegreePodcast). Resources in This Episode: Lacking a degree doesn't mean you can’t have the job of your dreams. Find out how you can have a fulfilling career and life by visiting Jonaed’s website at NoDegree.com (https://www.nodegree.com/). From our Sponsor: Find Your Dream Job is brought to you by TopResume.(http://macslist.org/topresume) Top Resume has helped more than 400,000 professionals land more interviews and get hired faster. Get a free review of your resume today from one of Top Resume’s expert writers. (http://macslist.org/topresume)   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most colleges and universities provide career advising services to their current and former students. Yet only 10-20% of all college students or alumni ever use of their university career center. Are you making the most of your alma mater? This week on Find Your Dream Job Mac chats with Linda Williams Favero, director of alumni career services at the University of Oregon. Linda discusses how career centers function, the services they provide for students, and the opportunities available to alumni. She shares tips on how to make the most of your university career, even if it's been many years since you graduated. Linda also talks about the importance of maintaining a connection with your alumni networks. As she notes: “Ducks like to help Ducks... and you’ll find that at any university.” In this 29-minute episode you will learn: How career centers can benefit current students and alumni How to build a strong professional relationship with a career counselor The value of networking with alumni associations and local alumni chapters Special career center services often available to older alumni The single-best thing you can do to make the most of your university career center This week’s guest: Linda Williams Favero (@LindaFavero)Program Director, Alumni Career Services, Career Center and Student Life, University of OregonPrincipal, Linda W Favero | Organization + Individual DevelopmentPortland, Ore.   Listener question of the week: Should I list every job I’ve ever had on my resume? Do you have a question you’d like us to answer on a future episode? Please send your questions to Cecilia Bianco, Mac’s List Community Manager at cecilia@macslist.org. Resources referenced on this week’s show: LinkedIn YOUniversity Alumni Career Services, Career Center and Student Life, University of Oregon Linda W Favero | Organization + Individual Development Find Your Dream Job in Portland (and Beyond): The Complete Mac’s List Guide If you have a job-hunting or career development resource resource you’d like to share, please contact Ben Forstag, Mac’s List Managing Director at ben@macslist.org. -- Thank you for listening to Find Your Dream Job. If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support!Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com.     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you are the parent of a college student, you want to do everything in your power to help your son or daughter find a great job after graduation. However, the things we think are helpful could actually have a negative impact. Encouraging your child to visit their career services center and attend events such as career fairs are specific ways to help, says Find Your Dream Job guest Margaret Roberts. Margaret also says that parents need to take a step back and allow their child to follow their own interests, rather than burdening them with the expectation that they will follow a certain path. About Our Guest: Margaret Roberts (https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretroberts/) supports individuals in achieving success throughout their career life cycle. She leads the Career Management Center at the Eberhardt School of Business at the University of the Pacific (https://www.pacific.edu/academics/schools-and-colleges/eberhardt-school-of-business/centers-and-institutes/career-management-center.html). She is also a freelance executive resume writer and is pursuing her EdD in Educational Leadership. Resources in This Episode: You can avoid the resume pitfalls we consistently see job seekers make with my resource: Don't Make These 8 Killer Resume Mistakes (https://resumemistakes.macslist.org/). In this guide, I’ll show you how to avoid the most common errors and get employers to take a second look at your resume. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Networking is a valuable skill to take into a job search, but only if you go into it with the understanding that not everyone you spend time with will have a job to offer you. On this bonus episode of Find Your Dream Job, Alex Dolan (https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexdolan/) and I talk about how talking to others helped him during his job search, even if it was just a friendly conversation. Alex also shares why he hired a career coach, how to do research on your dream job, and why putting yourself out there is the most important thing you can do. Learn more about Alex’s career history below in this installment of our Success Stories series. (https://www.macslist.org/articles/success-stories) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this bonus episode of Find Your Dream Job, the Mac's List team, Mac Prichard, Ben Forstag, and Jenna Forstrom talk about the single biggest mistake most job seekers make. They spend too much time and energy on job boards! Job boards can be a great resource. But did you know, 8 out of 10 jobs never make it on a job board?  That's employers prefer to hire candidates they already know and trust.  If you are looking for a job only on job boards, chances are you are missing out on 80% of the job opportunities you might be interested in.  As a business owner - even one who owns a job board site - Mac uses the hidden job market to hire his employees. If you are looking for a job only on job boards, chances are you are missing out on 80% of all job opportunities! Want to learn more about this hidden job market?  Today, we launched the Hack the Hidden Job Market online course.  It's a 12-part video course, where Mac walks you through the entire job hunting process. It's full of practical tips for job hunting, strategies for networking, and is completely inspired our community's questions that we've been hearing at Mac's List for years. In Hack the Hidden Job Market, we remove the curtain of confusion when it comes to job seeking.  Help you get focused on your career goals, which allows you to job hunt effectively.  Plus, we've got tons of additional bonus materials, podcasts, PDFs, website resources and a private Facebook group with monthly mastermind meetings with the entire Mac's List team. Interested in learning more?  Sign up for Hack the Hidden Job Market is available now at www.macslist.org/course.  Find your dream job faster and with less frustration! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last year LinkedIn offered a new option. You can now check a box visible only to recruiters that says you’re open to new opportunities. Recruiters can now search and find people who use this feature. Our guest expert this week is Donna Serdula, a nationally recognized LinkedIn expert. She says you need to do more if you want recruiters to find and talk to you. About Our Guest: Donna Serdula Donna Serdula is an nationally recognized expert in LinkedIn profile optimization. She’s also the founder of Vision Board Media and LinkedIn Makeover (www.linkedin-makeover.com).  And she’s the author of “LinkedIn Profile Optimization For Dummies,” (www.amazon.com/LinkedIn-Profile-Optimization-Dummies-Education/dp/1119287081/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8).  With more than 30 writers on her team, Donna has helped thousands of professionals and companies tell their stories and brand themselves successfully on LinkedIn. Resources in this Episode: New Tool: Narrow down your career options with CareerOneStop’s SkillsMatcher tool: www.careeronestop.org/Toolkit/Skills/skills-matcher.aspx Listener Question: We hear from Thomas Weissenberg in Germany, who’s about to start a job search in France, where he once worked for more than decade. Thomas wants to know how he can get his C.V. in front of leaders who want employees who can work in different cultures. More from Donna Serdula: How to Let Recruiters Know on LinkedIn That You’re Open: www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-really-let-recruiters-know-youre-open-donna-serdula/ Find keywords to use on LinkedIn with 500 Keywords to Boost Your Resume, via Jobscan: www.jobscan.co/blog/top-resume-keywords-boost-resume/%20http://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=685960&u=1287781&m=57041&urllink=www%2Ejobscan%2Eco%2Fblog%2Ftop%2Dresume%2Dkeywords%2Dboost%2Dresume%2F&afftrack= Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Like it or not, we live in a digital age. Each of us has a digital presence, and the first impression we make for many job opportunities will happen online. Are you telling your story in the best possible way? This week on Find Your Dream Job, our guest expert Ryan Rhoten says a successful online personal brand has four parts, and he’ll break it down for us. About Our Guest: Ryan Rhoten Ryan Rhoten is a personal and digital branding strategist, a public speaker, and a podcaster. He is also the author of the book CareerKred: 4 Simple Steps to Build Your Digital Brand and Boost Credibility in Your Career (www.amazon.com/CareerKred-simple-Digital-credibility-career-ebook/dp/B06Y2M6Q1F). Resources in this Episode: A new app to help you connect with local professionals who share your interests, passions, and career path - Shapr is a mix of LinkedIn, Tinder, and a slot machine. www.shapr.co/ Listener Heather Fonseca of Los Angeles asks for advice on the best way to apply for a job when you have a contact “on the inside.” Do you still need to apply online? Short answer: yes, but use your connection for an additional boost; we weigh in with tips. Read more from our guest, Branding expert Ryan Rhoten, on his website: www.ryanrhoten.com We want to hear from you! Please take our listener survey and you’ll be entered to win a $50 Amazon gift card: visit macslist.org/podcastsurvey and complete by February 28, 2018 (Thank you!) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You feel unhappy at work but you aren't sure what to do about it. Should you look for a new job, or change careers entirely? Find Your Dream Job guest Al Dea says you begin by figuring out what’s causing the unhappiness. Dig down into the nitty-gritty details of what you don’t like about your job. Then, think about what would be a happy workday for you. Are there changes you can make at your current job to make those things a reality? Al suggests not worrying about the ultimate outcome but rather focusing on each little step toward happiness along the way.  About Our Guest: Al Dea (https://www.linkedin.com/in/aldea1/) is a talent development advisor, author, and speaker. Al is also the founder of Betterwork Labs (https://betterworklabs.com/) and the host of The MBA Insider (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mba-insider/id1504586425) podcast.  Resources in This Episode: Are you ready to build the performance of your team? Find out how Al can help you by visiting betterworklabs.com/ (https://betterworklabs.com/). From our Sponsor: Find Your Dream Job is brought to you by TopResume.(http://macslist.org/topresume) Top Resume has helped more than 400,000 professionals land more interviews and get hired faster. Get a free review of your resume today from one of Top Resume’s expert writers. (http://macslist.org/topresume) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’re looking to enter a career where you can serve others and work in a variety of positions, consider working in government. Even if you’ve never held a government position, you can land a fulfilling job with a few strategies. As with most jobs, networking is crucial when trying to land a government job. Find Your Dream Job guest Kirsten Wyatt says that while the application system for government positions can be outdated, you need to shift your focus to what government hiring managers need and outline how you can meet those needs.  About Our Guest: Kirsten Wyatt (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kwyatt/) is the co-founder and executive director of the  Engaging Local Government Leaders network (ELGL) (https://elgl.org/). It’s a nonprofit that engages the brightest minds in local government. She works on behalf of ELGL members to connect, communicate, and educate about local government public service, and is also co-host of the GovLove podcast (https://elgl.org/govlove/), sharing informative and unique stories about the people, policies, and professions that make up local government.  Resources in This Episode: Tune into GovLove, ELGL’s podcast that shares stories and information about local government work. Discussions range from policy issues that impact local governments, to interviews of the people doing the work and their career journeys, to the future of the government sector. (https://elgl.org/govlove) ELGL is hitting the road this fall for a series of hyper-local conferences. Find out more at elgl.org.  Your presence online is critical in order for employers to find you. Learn how to use your social media to make a favorable impression by enrolling in our free online course, How to Wow and Woo Employers Online (https://macslist.teachable.com/p/impress-employers-online/?src=podcast). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All too often people only think about career management when they are actively looking for a job. This is a big mistake! Ongoing, proactive career management while you are employed can pay huge dividends next time you are looking for work. Don't wait to lay the foundation for your next job search! On this bonus episode of Find Your Dream Job, Marsha Warner, owner of Portland-based Career Factors, shares professional regrets she's heard from her clients. She reads “Lessons Learned By The Recently Unemployed”, her contribution to our book, Land Your Dream Job in Portland (and Beyond). Avoid future regret! Here are Marsha's tips for help you prepare for your next job search: Keep your own file of reviews and accolades Don’t wait until you’re unemployed to start networking Keep your LinkedIn profile active When your job ends, take time to mourn the loss and acknowledge your emotions, then let it go Teaching is a great source of career satisfaction Proactive career management means stepping up to a challenge Thank you for listening to Find Your Dream Job. If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support!   Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com. Transcript Mac Prichard: This is Find Your Dream Job, the podcast that helps you get hired, have the career you want and make a difference in life. I'm Mac Prichard, your host and publisher of Mac's List. On today's bonus episode we're sharing exclusive content from our new book. Land Your Dream Job in Portland (and Beyond). Land Your Dream Job in Portland (and Beyond) compiles all of our best job search tips and career management tools into one simple, easy-to-read guide. It's the definitive tool kit for anyone looking for meaningful work. The book also includes special contributions from an array of job search experts and today you'll hear from one of them. Here's Marsha Warner, owner of Career Factors, reading her contribution Lesson Learned By the Recently Unemployed. Marsha Warner: Recently, a client shared what he wished he'd done before he found himself on the job hunt. Here's a list of best practices for career maintenance that are applicable to everyone. He said, "I wish I'd kept of copy of my performance reviews." Lesson: Keep your own file of reviews and accolades. They are helpful to promote accomplishment statement, review for interviews and remind yourself of achievements when doubts creep in. He said, "I wish I'd continued to network and develop outside contacts." Lesson: Don't wait until you're unemployed to start networking. Stay in touch with colleagues, classmates, ex-bosses, other parents, fellow volunteers, and so on. He said, "I wish I'd joined LinkedIn earlier on." Lesson: Keep your LinkedIn profile active. It's a tool for recruiters, a way to stay connected and a source of information for professional development. Spend at least an hour a week updating your profile, reconnecting, joining interest groups and staying current. He said, "I wish I had not taken it so personally. I let this lay-off really get to me." Lesson: When your job ends, take time to mourn the loss and acknowledge your emotions, then let it go. Evaluate the job market, then take up your career toolbox, and go forth. Know that when you're part of a reduction in force, it's a business decision not a personal decision. Take charge of your career with a personal marketing plan. Manage what you can control, and let what you cannot go. He said, "I wish I had reached out and passed on my professional knowledge to younger colleagues before I left." Lesson: Teaching is a great source of career satisfaction. Some companies have formal programs for knowledge transfer. Seek them out. The effort will be worth the reward you'll feel in sharing your knowledge with others. He said, "I wish I had paid more attention to my own development and taken advantage of challenges that would give me more exposure." Lesson: Proactive career management means stepping up to a challenge. Volunteering for projects and committees or getting trained for new skills are ways to grow. They'll get you noticed by your boss and bring greater satisfaction to your daily work. Ask yourself at the end of each day, what did I learn today? He said, "I wish I'd ask for help early on in my job search. Things have changed so much, I feel a bit lost." Lesson: Feeling isolated and lost is common. A career coach can offer expert information and advice about the job market and how to put your best foot forward. Portland is blessed with great career resources including local colleges, private coaches and job search support groups. Help is available. Be wise, and ask for it. Mac Prichard: If you're looking for more expert advice and insider tips like what you just heard, check out Land Your Dream Job in Portland (and Beyond). You'll find everything you need to get a great job whether you're in Portland, Oregon, Portland, Maine, or anywhere in between. The 2016 edition includes new content, and for the first time ever, it's available in paperback, as well as in an array of e-reading devices including Kindle, Nook and iBooks. For more information on Land Your Dream Job in Portland (and Beyond) visit macslist.org/book. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If it’s been a while since you did a job search, you might feel a bit rusty. And that’s completely normal. One of your first priorities should be identifying the people who will help you work through the process, whether that’s through introductions to others in your chosen industry or simply standing by as emotional back-up. On this bonus episode of Find Your Dream Job, Chris Ling (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kurisuringu/) and I talk about his move from lawyer to data engineer. Chris shares how networking with others and practicing the skills necessary for his new career helped him achieve his career goals. Learn more about Chris’s career history below in this installment of our Success Stories series. (https://www.macslist.org/articles/success-stories) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do you pay close attention to the actual words you use in an interview? We all say, “um” sometimes, but does it really matter? If you feel nervous when meeting with a hiring manager, you might use fillers, disclaimers, or hedge words. According to Find Your Dream Job guest Tracy Hooper, those extra words are making you appear less than confident. If you’re ready to lose the words that sabotage your confidence, Tracy suggests recording yourself, working on losing one hedge word per month, and practicing using positive language.  About Our Guest: Tracy Hooper (https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracyhooper/) is a former TV news anchor, a professional speaker, and the founder of The Confidence Project. (https://www.confidenceproject.com/) Resources in This Episode: If you want to learn the skills necessary to be successful in today’s job economy, get Tracy’s new book, "The New Hello: What to Say What to Do in the New World of Work.”  (https://www.confidenceproject.com/book) From our Sponsor: Find Your Dream Job is brought to you by TopResume . (http://macslist.org/topresume) Top Resume (http://macslist.org/topresume) has helped more than 400,000 professionals land more interviews and get hired faster. Get a free review of your resume today from one of Top Resume’s expert writers. (http://macslist.org/topresume)   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Check out the podcast on Macslist here: (https://www.macslist.org/?post_type=podcasts&p=15499&preview=true) Do you feel exhausted by your job search? If you’re facing discouragement, heaviness, or burnout, Find Your Dream Job guest Leigha May says you could be dealing with job search fatigue. Leigha is here to share ways to overcome that feeling of fatigue. She says it starts with setting a daily intention for the time spent and the actions completed in your search. Next, you must adopt a positive mindset. And finally, tap into your network. Spending more time with other humans will give you a boost in motivation.  About Our Guest: Leigha May is here to talk about how to avoid job search fatigue. She’s a career coach for high-achieving professionals. Resources in This Episode: Does your life make you excited to wake up every day? If not, find out how Leigha can help you make that happen by visiting her website at leighamaycoaching.com. Connect with Leigha on LinkedIn. Use promo code DREAMJOB at the link below to get an exclusive 60% off an annual plan at incogni.com/dreamjob. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every time you switch jobs, you have the opportunity to redefine your career—to pursue new challenges and find new meaning in your work life. Most workers have ample opportunity to change career paths; the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the typical American will have 10 different jobs before the age of 40.  Yet many of us struggle to make the big choice of changing professional direction. Knowing what you want to do in life often means conquering your fears. You may have to shed old ideas. Or find the strength to let go of a safe job. Put simply… it takes courage. This week on Find Your Dream Job, we’re talking about how you can plan your career instead of letting just happen to you. Mac talks with Katie Kelley, an executive coach, motivational speaker, and author of the new book, Career Courage.  Katie shares her tips on how to discover your passion, step out of your comfort zone and create the career success you want. In this 33-minute episode you will learn: How the FOG (Feedback – Opportunities – Gut Instinct) model helps you make career decisions What you should stop, start and continue doing in your career How to evaluate other careers that interest you What the “career success circle” looks like and how it can point to your next steps How to reflect on career plateaus and move forward from them Why permission to be different is the key to having career courage This week’s guest: Katie Kelley (@katie_c_kelley | LinkedIn)Professional MentorAuthor of Career CouragePortland, Ore. Listener question of the week:  When it comes to creating (or updating) my resume do I really need to include my home address? If you have a question you’d like us to answer on a future episode, please contact Jenna Forstrom, Mac’s List Community Manager at jenna@macslist.org. Resources from this week’s show: Signed Copy of Career Courage Dan Ariely’s TEDx Talk Katie Kelley’s Facebook Land Your Dream Job in Portland (and Beyond) If you have a job-hunting or career development resource you’d like to share, please contact Ben Forstag, Mac’s List Managing Director at ben@macslist.org. — Thank you for listening to Find Your Dream Job. If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support! Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your job hunt is going well, and you’ve interviewed for several different positions. You are offered one of the positions and you accept, only to receive a more lucrative offer, or one that’s a better fit for you. How do you tell that hiring manager that you’re going in a different direction? Or, let’s say you have been offered a job but the salary or benefits don’t meet your requirements. How do you turn down the offer without burning the bridge with that employer? Today’s guest on the Find Your Dream Job podcast, LaKiesha Tomlin, says that as long as you handle the rejection with professionalism, you should be able to move on and even apply for jobs at those same companies in the future if a great opportunity becomes available. About Our Guest: LaKiesha Tomlin (linkedin.com/in/lakieshatomlin/) is a career coach for talented leaders in science, technology, and engineering. She’s also a mechanical engineer who has worked as a manager in the aviation and technology industries. LaKiesha’s company, Thriving Ambition (thrivingambition.com/), helps clients improve employee engagement and retention, grow careers, and build five-star networks. Her work has been cited in Forbes, Self Magazine, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Resources in This Episode: Feel more satisfied with your career. Know that your skills, knowledge, and experience are truly being utilized and appreciated. Plus, learn how you could earn twice as much as you are currently earning, by visiting Thriving Ambition (thrivingambition.com/) to sign up for LaKiesha’s course, Dream Job (thrivingambition.com/network), which will be opening again in early 2019. Do you find yourself applying for any job that you think you could do? Before you send out your next application, get clear about your own goals. Stop chasing every lead. I’ve got a resource that can help. It's called Finding Focus in Your Job Search. Download your copy today at macslist.org/focus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices