The Exclusive Career Coach (Lesa Edwards)

Think about it: Work/Life balance, to me, is like Work is on one side of a teeter-totter, and Life is on the other side.

When one side of the teeter-totter gets “heavier,” meaning you spend more of your time and attention on it, the other side gets “lighter,” meaning you spend less time and attention on it.

In other words, focusing on Work is at the expense of your Life, and focusing on your Life is at the expense of your Work.

I don’t think this model serves anyone.

Rather, think of Work/Life blend, meaning a delicious mixture of both where the Work ingredients are indistinguishable from the Life ingredients.

Sometimes your recipe calls for a bit more Work. Sometimes your recipe calls for a bit more Life.

You always have choice when it comes to what you put into your mixture.

For example, let’s imagine you’ve just gotten a promotion. There’s a fairly steep learning curve for your new job, and you’re under the gun from day one to get a major project completed on time.

It may FEEL like your recipe will be all Work and no Life. But you actually have options.

You could:

-Turn the promotion down

-Negotiate with your new boss for help with the project

-Look for a new job that won’t require as much of your time and attention

-Seek help with aspects of your Life you can delegate, such as housecleaning, grocery shopping, and errands, so you can focus as much time as you need to on your new job

-Eliminate some time-stealers from your personal life in favor of engaging in more meaningful activities

Let’s imagine one of your parents has just been given a terminal diagnosis, and you are the person to take care of your parent during the illness.

You could:

-Seek help with your parent

-Seek a facility that will provide your parent with needed care

-Quit your job so you can focus entirely on your parent

-Ask for a leave of absence from your job

-Speak with your boss about sharing some of your work load with others

There are probably many more options you might consider. The point is, you have options, and it doesn’t serve you to think “I’m trapped,” or “How am I going to manage this?”

Particularly in time when one area of your life is “heavy,” it’s a good idea to set goals for the other are of your life so you’re getting maximum bang for your buck.

Think of it this way: what one ingredient can I put in my mixture that will make the most impact?

For Work:

-Complete something you’ve been working on a long time

-Organize your physical space and/or computer files

-Get on a committee/project that won’t take a tremendous amount of your time, but will have a high return for your professional reputation and career

-Go deep with the aspect of your job you most enjoy…perhaps it’s creativity, analytical, organizing…

-Take a critical look at what you are currently doing: What can be eliminated? What can  be put on the back burner? What can be delegated?

For Life:

-Make time for exercise. What can you eliminate from your Life to make this a priority? Is there a different type of exercise or way of exercising you could use during this time?

-Look for time wasters, such as watching t.v., and replace them with more satisfying activities.

-Make sure you’re getting enough sleep.

-Get creative with your meals to eliminate time spent in preparation, without sacrificing food quality. Especially during this time, you need your nutrition to support you.

What activity restores your equilibrium? Here are some possibilities;

-Reading

-Cooking

-Crafting

-Getting out in nature

-Spending time with friends/family

-Learning (something that has nothing to do with work)

-Writing

-Making art or music

The bottom line, then, is to make sure your ingredients are meaningful to you. When you have less time to spend on Life, make sure the time you do spend gives you the greatest ROI. When work has to be diminished because of things going on in your personal life, make sure you’re focused on the most important aspects of your job…and be willing to put others on the back burner.

To visit my website:  www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of value career management content is easily digestible bites. 

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me:  www.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon!

For the last quarter of 2018, my podcast and blog theme is “Making Crucial Career Decisions.” This month, we’ll be drilling down on your skills, personality preferences, core values, and expertise. Each of these things can, and should, play a role in your career decisions.

Keep in mind that, whenever I talk about career decisions, I am speaking on a macro- and micro-level. The macro level is this: Does the career path I’m considering allow you to make optimal use of your skills and expertise? Does your personality type mesh with this career? Does this career fit within your most critical values?

On the micro-level, you are looking at particular job opportunities within that career. Keep in mind that, while a career may fit with your personality and values, etc., a particular job may not. The more you know about yourself, the more aware you will be of what is most important to you…I call them your non-negotiables.

Today’s topic is “Identifying Your Motivated Skills.” Let’s start with a definition.

Motivated Skills are those skills that you are both very good at and get a great deal of pleasure from doing. The reason they are called Motivated Skills is because the more you do them, the more motivated you will be about your work.

The opposite of Motivated Skills is Burnout Skills. Burnout Skills are those skills that you are very good at, but DON’T get any pleasure from doing. In fact, these skills suck the motivation right out of you. The more you have to perform Burnout Skills in your work, the more likely you are to…you guessed it…burn out.

The idea is to come up with a core list of just 5-6 Motivated Skills. Any more than that, and you are unlikely to find a career or job that includes them all…and you may sacrifice the most important ones for those that aren’t quite as essential to you. Any fewer than that, and you may be lacking in self-awareness…you just haven’t lived enough, or been present enough, to know what you like and don’t like.

Let’s talk about why knowing what your Motivated Skills are is so important. Obviously, you want this information to inform your career decisions on the macro- and micro-level; knowing your Motivated Skills will also help you answer some of the tough interview questions you’ll likely get asked.

Even within a job, knowing your Motivated Skills will help you make intelligent decisions about projects, committees, and assignments you volunteer for.

Of course, sometimes you don’t get to pick these things. However, by letting your boss know what your Motivated Skills are, he will be far more likely to put you on projects, committees, and assignments that align with those skills. After all, you doing a great job makes him look great…so it’s a win-win.

What’s the alternative to identifying, and capitalizing on, your Motivated Skills? Here are five downfalls:

-You don’t find fulfillment in your work…that soul-satisfying need to do what you were put on this earth to do.

-You don’t excel in your work…thereby limiting your potential to move up (which you don’t really want to do anyway…at least not in that career).

-You jump from job to job, not realizing what’s really wrong.

-Your dissatisfaction at work bleeds over into the other 2/3 of your life…it impacts your personal relationships and your sleep suffers.

-People who need what you were put on this earth to do miss receiving that from you. If this sounds esoteric, I promise you…this is what it’s all about.

I hope I’m made a compelling case for identifying and capitalizing on your Motivated Skills. So what are these skills anyway?

There are general categories of Motivated Skills, under which you’ll find several sub-categories.

Under the general heading of Communication Skills, you have skills in all forms of communication including verbal, written, presentation, sales, and negotiation. This group of skills involves the transfer of information in an accurate, persuasive way.

Under the general heading of Marketing, Public Relations, and Customer Service Skills, there are a wide range of skills that include being at ease in social settings, the ability to identify customer needs and preferences, and the ability to translate objective feedback into self-improvement and self-identify deficiencies to improve performance.

Under the general heading of Quantitative Analysis Skills are computer skills and the ability to compile and analyze numerical data.

Under the general heading of Analytical Research Skills are scientific curiosity, research, and the ability to understand and use engineering or industrial principles, tools, and equipment to improve processes, services, or products.

Under the general heading of Technical Reasoning Skills are mechanical and spatial reasoning, working outdoors in a technical capacity such as construction, environmental, or landscape projects, managing operations, or gathering technical or environmental data. Technical Reasoning Skills also include technical problem-solving or troubleshooting.

Under the general heading of Creativity and Innovation Skills are the ability to use color and shapes to create visually pleasing images and to create new ideas and forms with existing objects. It also includes the ability to use imagination to create new ideas, projects, or programs.

Under the general heading of Teaching, Training, Instructing, or Counseling Skills: These are pretty self-explanatory. You are conveying information to an individual or audience in a teaching/training/instructing capacity, or you are counseling people to improve some aspect of their lives.

The final grouping is Project Management, Leadership, and Motivation Skills. These include managing and directing the work of others, motivating people to perform at their peak level, planning programs or projects, organizing people, data, or objects, and making decisions. It also includes the ability to manage detail-oriented tasks.

www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of value career management content is easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me:  www.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon! 

This month, I’m talking about using critical information about yourself in your career choice. Last week, I talked about Motivated Skills; this week I want to talk about your personality.

I am a Master Practitioner of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), the world’s most widely used personality assessment. It is a psychological tool designed to reveal your personality preferences…the ones you were born with.

Here’s the analogy I always use with my clients: I have them write their name. Whether they use their right hand as most people do or their left hand (like me), we identify that the hand they wrote their name with is their preferred hand. No one forced them use that hand; one day, they picked up a crayon and started drawing with that hand.

That hand is their innate preference.

Next, I have them write their name with their non-preferred hand. We talk about the fact that it was a much more conscious task with that hand…and that the results weren’t nearly as good.

The next step is to have them imagine their preferred arm is broken and it’s in a cast for six months. During that time, they are forced to write exclusively with their non-preferred hand.

They will no doubt get better at using that hand during those six months, right?

I then have them imagine that a co-worker exclaims, “Oh my gosh…your arm is broken! Is that the arm you write with?”

Of course, their answer is “Yes!” Even though they are using their non-preferred hand exclusively, it doesn’t change the fact that that isn’t their preferred hand.

And, as soon as that cast comes off, they are back to their preferred hand.

What’s this have to do with personality type? The MBTI measures personality preferences on four scales and identifies one of 16 personality types based on your responses.

The MBTI is identifying your innate preferences…the way you prefer to handle a situation or task if given the option.

But here’s the thing: All of us must access our non-preferred side of our personality. On a daily basis.

The Introvert who has to go to a two-day team building event with coworkers and finds it incredibly draining.

The Perceiver whose boss expects her to stick to a tight schedule.

The Thinker whose coworker comes to him very emotional, with a personal problem.

The Intuitive whose project assignment requires her to complete her tasks in a very sequential manner.

Let’s translate this into your career choice. As I said last week, career choice, and the role of your personality in that choice, is a macro- and micro-level decision.

On a macro level, you are choosing a career field that meshes with your personality.

On a micro level, you are evaluating job opportunities based on those same criteria. Because sometimes what holds true for the career as a whole doesn’t hold true for a specific position.

Here’s an example: I once worked with a YMCA Assistant Director who was underperforming at work. Turned out (much to everyone’s surprise) that he was an Extravert. You would think a job at the YMCA – specifically organizing the recreational sporting events for children – would be a great fit for an Extravert. And you would be right.

HOWEVER, at this YMCA the Assistant Director’s office was at the end of a dark hallway – isolated from the patrons coming in and out, and from the other employees. He hated that aspect of his job.

So what are the preference pairs measured by the MBTI?

EXTRAVERSION – INTROVERSION

This pair has to do with where you get your energy. Extraverts get their energy from the people and activities going on around them; Introverts get their energy from being by themselves.

Extraverts are generally comfortable meeting, and speaking with, strangers; Introverts would rather not approach strangers and find it difficult to start a conversation with someone they don’t know.

Extraverts tend to be “open books,” meaning they freely share what they are thinking with those around them. Introverts are much more closed about what they share until they know someone well and feel they can trust them.

SENSING – INTUITION

This pair has to do with how you prefer to take in information. Sensers take in information by way of the 5 senses – sight, taste, touch, hearing, and smell. Intuitives take in information by way of their 6th sense – their intuition.

Sensers prefer to deal with concrete information that has practical value; Intuitives prefer to deal with abstract ideas and concepts that involve creativity and imagination.

Sensers tend to trust what has worked in the past and aren’t likely to want to make changes to something if it’s working okay. Intuitives want new and different and will make changes to things even if they are working okay as is.

THINKING – FEELING

The Thinking-Feeling pair address your preference for making decisions. Thinkers make decisions using cool, impersonal logic – they make their decisions with their head. Feelers make decisions using sympathy and values – they make their decisions with their heart.

Thinkers tend to stick to established rules and regulations – treating everyone fairly by treating everyone the same. Feelers tend to consider the circumstances – treating everyone fairly by treating everyone differently.

Thinkers will be brutally honest in evaluating work performance and can come across as harsh because they are telling you the unvarnished truth. Feelers will consider your feelings in giving you feedback; while the interaction may be more pleasant, you may not be given the information you need to improve.

JUDGING – PERCEIVING

Judging-Perceiving addresses how you organize your life. Judgers love planners, calendars, and systems that create a superstructure of organization in their lives. Perceivers want freedom to do what they feel like doing at any given time.

Judgers avoid the pressure of last-minute work, whereas Perceivers do their best work at the last minute.

Judgers want structure to their work and prefer jobs with schedules they can control. Perceivers like jobs that are unstructured, and they are at their best when responding to emergencies or changes in plan.

Why Does This Matter?

A lot of research has gone into career fields most frequently chosen by different personality types. I want to lay out just a couple of examples for you:

ENFJ (Extraverted-Intuitive-Feeling-Judging)

When you combine the four letters of your preference, you get a four-letter code that says volumes about your preferences.

Here’s a brief description of an ENFJ:

Imaginative HARMONIZERS; at their best when winning people’s cooperation with insight into their needs. They value:

-Having a wide circle of relationships

-Having a positive, enthusiastic view of life

-Seeing subtleties in people and interactions

-Understanding others’ needs and concerns

-An active, energizing social life

-Seeing possibilities in people

-Follow-through on important projects

-Working on several projects at once

-Caring and imaginative problem solving

-Maintaining relationships to make things work

-Shaping organizations to better serve members

-Caring, compassion, and tactfulness

What careers do you think ENFJs most frequently go into? Fields that involve helping others achieve their goals – looking toward the future to become what they want to become. Using their creativity is essential to ENFJ’s job satisfaction.

Public Relations Manager

Social Worker

Career Counselor

Editor

High School Teacher

Human Resources Manager

Advertising Manager

Marriage & Family Therapist

ISTP (Introverted-Sensing-Thinking-Perceiving)

Here’s a brief description of ISTP:

Practical ANALYZERS; at their best when analyzing experience to find logic and underlying properties. They value:

-A reserved outer life

-Having a concrete, present-day view of life

-Clear, exact facts

-Looking for efficient, least-effort solutions

-Knowing how mechanical things work

-Pursuing interests in depth

-Freedom from organizational constraints

-Independence and self-management

-Spontaneous hands-on learning

-Having useful technical expertise

-Critical analysis as a means to improve things

-Solving problems with detached, sequential analysis

What fields do ISTPs pursue? Those that allow for freedom…of schedule, or daily work…or setting in which the work is done. Variety is very important to ISTPs. They also like work that is hands-on and practical.

Building Inspector

Forester

Chef

Athletic Trainer

Financial Manager

Software Developer

Mechanical Engineer

Police Officer

Using personality information in your career choice allows you to align your preferences with your work. Think of my analogy: if you don’t do this, it will be like writing all day, every day, with your non-preferred hand. It will be tiring, less fulfilling…and you won’t excel to the degree you could.

A note about taking the MBTI: There are lots of on-line “knock offs” of the assessment. If you want to take the actual MBTI, I recommend doing so with a qualified professional who will interpret your results with you. Otherwise, you are left with information you won’t know what to make of. The MBTI is a psychological assessment, and as such, and only be administered and interpreted by a qualified professional or Master Practitioner such as me.

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of value career management content is easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me:  www.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon!

This month’s podcasts are covering the importance of incorporating your skills, values, personality, and areas of expertise into your career decision.

Remember that your career decision is on a macro- and micro-level: Choosing the career field you will pursue, and the jobs within that career field. Even on a more micro-level, this self-knowledge will help you decide which assignments, projects, or committees you volunteer for – or you boss assigns you to.

Today, I want to talk about your core values…what is most important to you in an employer, a work environment, and the specific work you’re doing.

Identifying these “non-negotiable” values helps you align your career choices with what is most important to you. And alignment increases your chance for career success, compensation, and satisfaction.

Here’s how you use this information:

-If there is a career or specific job you are considering, evaluate it against your core values to determine how well it meshes with your values.

-If you are exploring careers, look for those that hold your most important values. No matter how many “niceties” the career might have, if it doesn’t offer the value you hold most important, you won’t be satisfied.

Note that some of your values may apply to a career as a whole; other values may be job-specific. For example, “Using physical strength/coordination” is a universal value for a career in physical therapy. Within the career of physical therapy, however, some jobs may satisfy a value of “work on a team,” whereas other jobs may be geared more towards a value of “opportunity to work independently.”

Here are the values on the sort activity:

Utilize physical strength and coordination

Utilize courage and take risks

Utilize creativity and originality

Opportunity for advancement

Ability to do a job as efficiently as possible

Receive recognition for accomplishments

Ability to exert power and influence

Higher than average financial rewards

Ability to help and serve others

Ability to teach and train others

Search for knowledge and truth

Closer relationships with co-workers

Opportunity for continued learning

Opportunity to work independently

Good relationship with manager

Job security

Intellectual challenge

Ability to freely express faith and beliefs

Ability to exert authority and leadership

Ability to give ideas and suggestions

Respond to problems or emergencies

Perform clearly defined tasks

Ability to complete tasks with autonomy

Flexibility in work hours and schedule

Work on a team

Quality, luxurious surroundings

Earnings directly tied to your contribution

A quiet workspace

Opportunity to travel frequently

Experimenting with different solutions

Highly structured environment

Unstructured, open environment

Variety of work tasks

Having a fixed set of tasks

Working on multiple projects simultaneously

Working on one project at a time

A competitive work environment

Work that mentally challenges you

Receive clear instructions

Let’s play out a couple of examples. Let’s say your 5 top values are:

Utilize physical strength and coordination

Utilize courage and take risks

Respond to problems or emergencies

Unstructured, open environment

Opportunity to travel frequently

Does this sound like the values of an accountant? A school teacher? A writer?

What comes to mind is someone who takes groups out on extreme vacations…hiking, rafting, horseback riding.

See how these values play into that career choice? Here’s another example:

Someone’s top 5 values are:

Ability to exert power and influence

Higher than average financial rewards

Competitive work environment

Work that mentally challenges you

Quality, luxurious surroundings

These would be ideal values for someone entering the field of law, particularly in private practice (their value of higher than average financial rewards might not be satisfied working for the DA’s office, and they probably wouldn’t have quality, luxurious surroundings there, either).

There are no right or wrong answers here, and there are an infinite number of values.

These values then become the yardstick by which you measure a career field and job opportunities within that field. It helps you not be swayed by other things that are nice enough – but not one of your Core Values.

For example, if one of your Core Values is having a quiet workspace…you know you won’t be able to do your job without a fair amount of solitude.

You interview for a job and learn that your office will be the first one in the door. People will be sticking their heads in all day every day, and you are the first line of defense when there’s a problem (this situation actually occurred with the last university I worked for).

You have a couple of options: You can not accept the job if it’s offered or you can negotiate a different location for your office once they offer the job to you and before you accept. But you KNOW you won’t be happy and productive in the office they are offering you.

At the end of the month, we’re going to be putting all the aspects we’re talking about this month together. In the meantime, I hope you’re listening to each episode and drawing some conclusions about yourself.

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of value career management content is easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me:  www.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon! 

So far this month, I’ve talked about how to incorporate knowledge of your Motivated Skills, personality preferences, and Core Values into your career decision.

Once again, career decisions operate on a macro- and micro-level: You are making decisions about which career path to pursue, and which positions to seek and accept within that career field.

Today, we’re answering the question, What are You REALLY Good At? We’re talking about capitalizing on your Areas of Expertise.

If you’re just getting out of college, your Areas of Expertise are probably vague ideas…shadows of what is to come. But if you’ve been in the work force for a few years, you should have at least 2-3 Areas of Expertise, with more to develop as you progress through your career.

I want to connect these Areas of Expertise with your Motivated Skills, because they are closely related. Let’s say one of your Motivated Skills is Writing, which is defined as “Possessing excellent writing skills. Able to create business or technical documents, correspondence, and other effective written communications.”

So you get a job in the Public Relations office of a company, where one of your main duties is to write press releases. Because of this experience, one of your Areas of Expertise becomes “Writing Press Releases.”

Here’s another example: One of your Motivated Skills is Planning, which is defined as “The ability to plan and develop a program or project through organized and systematic preparation and arrangement of tasks and schedules.”

In your job as an Office Manager, you have the opportunity to coordinate other people’s schedules, come up with more efficient systems and processes, plan the work of others in the office, and even manage a major project. Your Areas of Expertise becomes “Coordinating Schedules,” “Project Management,” and “Supervising Employees.”

One more. One of your Motivated Skills is Teaching, which is defined as “The ability to explain complex ideas or principles in an understandable manner; able to provide knowledge or insight to individuals or groups.”

However, becoming a school teacher was not of interest to you…so you looked for alternative ways you could teach others. In your job, you were able to volunteer as the safety officer for your department, giving monthly safety talks and demonstrations to the employees.

Your Area of Expertise becomes “Safety Training.”

See how this works? The Motivated Skill is broader, and the Area of Expertise is a particular sub-set of that Skill you’ve developed.

What makes something an Area of Expertise for you? It’s when you have a better-than-average grasp of that thing…at least initially. What you’ll find is, as you progress through your career, your Expertise will become more pronounced…to the point where others are calling you “the Expert in _____”

Here’s my challenge for you: Identify your Motivated Skills, then do one of two things depending on where you are in your career:

If you are entry-level, identify a potential Area of Expertise you would LIKE to develop for each of your Motivated Skills. Bonus points if you’re willing to identify and schedule time for the first step in acquiring that Area of Expertise.

Here’s an example: One of your Motivated Skills is “Creative or Imaginative with Ideas,” which is defined as “Using imagination to create new ideas, projects, or programs; able to conceive existing elements in new ways.”

What aspect of creativity do you a) want to become an expert in, and 2) can do in your current job?

Let’s say you decide you want to develop your graphic design skills. You studied a little bit in college and found it fun; there’s no one else in the office with that Area of Expertise, and there’s a need for it.

You volunteer to take on some graphics projects the office needs, and then a few more, and the a few more…next thing you know, you’re the office expert in graphic art.

If you are a more experienced worker, identify an Area of Expertise you HAVE developed for each of your Motivated Skills. Bonus points for you if you can identify a way to take that Area of Expertise deeper in your current job (or maybe outside of work).

You can also develop your Areas of Expertise outside of work, through volunteering with civic or professional organizations, or charities with a cause you are passionate about. Areas of Expertise often emerge as side hustles in the more entrepreneurial among us. It sure did for me – and then it became my company.

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of value career management content is easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me:  www.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon!

The theme for November is “The most important qualities in an employer.”

I researched three online sites for this podcast. According to zenefit.com, the top 5 most important things employees look for are:

#1 – Company culture and mission

#2 – Approachable leadership

#3 – Opportunities for growth

#4 – Flexibility

#5 – Recognition

According to The Balance Careers, here are the top 7 things employees look for:

#1 – Competitive salary

#2 – Good benefit package

#3 – Flexible schedule

#4 – Opportunity to advance

#5 – Recognition

#6 – Effective management

#7 – Team atmosphere

The third source I used is High Speed Training. Here are their top 6:

#1 – Fair salaries

#2 – Opportunities for personal development

#3 – Work/life balance

#4 – Recognition and a sense of purpose

#5 – Great company culture

#6 – Perks / benefits

-Medical/dental

-Sick leave

-Maternity/paternity leave

-Pensions

-Travel compensation

-Continuing education opportunities

What is this information telling us? Here are my top 6 insights:

1.     Money isn’t everything.

2.     Company culture matters. A lot.

3.     People leave jobs most often because of their boss.

4.     Millennials don’t just want to know where they are going to start. They want to know where they can go.

5.     There is a wide range of perks and benefits available out there. Make sure you know the vocabulary and what’s most important to you.

6.     Recognition is important, and many companies do it poorly.

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of value career management content is easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me:  www.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon!

This month’s theme is: The most important qualities in an employer. Last week, I talked about what employees value most in an employer. Today, we are talking about what makes an amazing employer.

I chose three employers from this year’s Forbe’s list of top American employers. I chose companies from a range of industries who were amazing for very different reasons

Case Study #1 – Michelin North America

-Offers a “purpose-driven career with a purpose-driven company.”

-31% of their employees are Millennials; 22% of their workforce has a tenure of more than 20 years

-Dedicated to reducing CO2 emissions

-Employee Evaluations:

-Great Challenges: 91%

-Great Atmosphere: 89%

-Great Rewards: 85%

-Great Pride: 93%

-Great Communication: 88%

-Great Bosses: 88%

Some of the benefits at Michelin:

-Tire service/tire rebate for family members

-Health incentives / subsidized fitness

-Corporate jet shuttle

-Parental leave

-Business networks for LGBTQ, Hispanics, etc.

-Onsite health facilities

-Partnership with Yellowstone National Park for service

-Flexible work schedule

-Job sharing

-Remote work option

-Compressed work week

-Onsite amenities, like cafeterias, mother’s rooms, and entertainment

Case Study #2 – Costco

Although I couldn’t find the wealth of information about Costco that I found for Michelin, the consistent thing I did see was employee satisfaction with compensation and benefits. In fact, even part-time employees are eligible for benefits.

-Growth potential was another strength of Costco.

-I saw several articles that referenced the “family” atmosphere of the employees at Costco.

Case Study #3 – Google

Here are the key aspects to Google’s ranking:

-Job satisfaction

-Mission

-Compensation

-Telecommute

-Low-stress

Perks:

-Free meals

-Fitness facilities

-Paid parental leave

-On-site childcare

-Passion projects

What’s the message here? Many companies are great; many are not so great. The important thing is for you to do you self-homework so you know what is most important to you in an employer. Then, do your research to find those companies that offer what you are looking for.

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of value career management content is easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me:  www.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon! 

When to Negotiate

There is a relatively small window of opportunity to negotiate during the hiring process. It is between the time the company makes you a bona fide job offer and the time you accept that offer.

Any earlier, and it’s all hypothetical. And you may be shooting yourself in the foot by asking for more too early.

Any later, and it’s too late. The company isn’t likely to give you more AFTER you’ve said yes.

A bona fide job offer is typically in writing, or at least a formal verbal offer of employment. If you are unsure, you can ask “Are you officially offering me the position?”

What are My Options?

You have three options when a job offer is made:

-Accept the offer as-is

-Reject the offer

-Negotiate the offer

Should I Negotiate?

If you are completely, totally happy with every aspect of the offer, then you don’t have to negotiate.

I highly recommend that you ask for a few days to a week to consider the offer before accepting. This gives you time to thoroughly evaluate the offer and keeps you from looking “desperate.”

When is “No” the Appropriate Response?

-When you have already accepted another offer

-When you know the company or job is in direct conflict with your values and career goals

-When you know the salary or other aspects of the job don’t mesh with your needs (i.e. doesn’t pay enough for you to live on, extensive travel for a new mom)

-When you hear or read considerable intel that the company is financially unstable, your prospective boss is very difficult to work for, or the work environment is toxic.

NOTE: Always do this politely so you aren’t burning your bridges.

How do I Negotiate?

Let’s assume you are in the window for negotiations.

If salary is the issue:

-Research salaries for the same or similar jobs in the same geographic region

-Send a letter of negotiation with a counter-proposal for your salary, and provide statistics from the research you’ve conducted

Tips for negotiating from Harvard Business Review, written by Deepak Malhotra:

Don’t underestimate the importance of likability.

“People are going to fight for you only if they like you. Anything you do in a negotiation that makes you less likable reduces the chances that the other side will work to get you a better offer. This is about more than being polite; it’s about managing some inevitable tensions in negotiation, such as asking for what you deserve without seeming greedy, pointing out deficiencies in the offer without seeming petty, and being persistent without being a nuisance. Negotiators can typically avoid these pitfalls by evaluating how others are likely to perceive their approach.”

Help them understand why you deserve what you’re requesting.

“They also have to believe you’re worth the offer you want. Never let your proposal speak for itself—always tell the story that goes with it. Don’t just state your desire (a 15% higher salary, say, or permission to work from home one day a week); explain precisely why it’s justified (the reasons you deserve more money than others they may have hired, or that your children come home from school early on Fridays). If you have no justification for a demand, it may be unwise to make it. Again, keep in mind the inherent tension between being likable and explaining why you deserve more: Suggesting that you’re especially valuable can make you sound arrogant if you haven’t thought through how best to communicate the message.”

People won’t want to expend political or social capital to get approval for a strong or improved offer if they suspect that at the end of the day, you’re still going to say, “No, thanks.” If you intend to negotiate for a better package, make it clear that you’re serious about working for this employer. If you’re planning to mention all the options you have as leverage, you should balance that by saying why—or under what conditions—you would be happy to forgo those options and accept an offer.

Companies don’t negotiate; people do. And before you can influence the person sitting opposite you, you have to understand her. For example, negotiating with a prospective boss is very different from negotiating with an HR representative. You can perhaps afford to pepper the latter with questions regarding details of the offer, but you don’t want to annoy someone who may become your manager with seemingly petty demands. On the flip side, HR may be responsible for hiring 10 people and therefore reluctant to break precedent, whereas the boss, who will benefit more directly from your joining the company, may go to bat for you with a special request.

They may like you. They may think you deserve everything you want. But they still may not give it to you. Why? Because they may have certain ironclad constraints, such as salary caps, that no amount of negotiation can loosen. Your job is to figure out where they’re flexible and where they’re not. If, for example, you’re talking to a large company that’s hiring 20 similar people at the same time, it probably can’t give you a higher salary than everyone else. But it may be flexible on start dates, vacation time, and signing bonuses. On the other hand, if you’re negotiating with a smaller company that has never hired someone in your role, there may be room to adjust the initial salary offer or job title but not other things. The better you understand the constraints, the more likely it is that you’ll be able to propose options that solve both sides’ problems.

Many job candidates have been hit with difficult questions they were hoping not to face: Do you have any other offers? If we make you an offer tomorrow, will you say yes? Are we your top choice? If you’re unprepared, you might say something inelegantly evasive or, worse, untrue. My advice is to never lie in a negotiation. It frequently comes back to harm you, but even if it doesn’t, it’s unethical. The other risk is that, faced with a tough question, you may try too hard to please and end up losing leverage. The point is this: You need to prepare for questions and issues that would put you on the defensive, make you feel uncomfortable, or expose your weaknesses. Your goal is to answer honestly without looking like an unattractive candidate—and without giving up too much bargaining power. If you have thought in advance about how to answer difficult questions, you probably won’t forfeit one of those objectives.

If, despite your preparation, someone comes at you from an angle you didn’t expect, remember this simple rule: It’s not the question that matters but the questioner’s intent. Often the question is challenging but the questioner’s intent is benign. An employer who asks whether you would immediately accept an offer tomorrow may simply be interested in knowing if you are genuinely excited about the job, not trying to box you into a corner. A question about whether you have other offers may be designed not to expose your weak alternatives but simply to learn what type of job search you’re conducting and whether this company has a chance of getting you. If you don’t like the question, don’t assume the worst. Rather, answer in a way that addresses what you think is the intent, or ask for a clarification of the problem the interviewer is trying to solve. If you engage in a genuine conversation about what he’s after, and show a willingness to help him resolve whatever issue he has, both of you will be better off.

Sadly, to many people, “negotiating a job offer” and “negotiating a salary” are synonymous. But much of your satisfaction from the job will come from other factors you can negotiate—perhaps even more easily than salary. Don’t get fixated on money. Focus on the value of the entire deal: responsibilities, location, travel, flexibility in work hours, opportunities for growth and promotion, perks, support for continued education, and so forth. Think not just about how you’re willing to be rewarded but also when. You may decide to chart a course that pays less handsomely now but will put you in a stronger position later.

If someone makes you an offer and you’re legitimately concerned about parts of it, you’re usually better off proposing all your changes at once. Don’t say, “The salary is a bit low. Could you do something about it?” and then, once she’s worked on it, come back with “Thanks. Now here are two other things I’d like…” If you ask for only one thing initially, she may assume that getting it will make you ready to accept the offer (or at least to make a decision). If you keep saying “and one more thing…,” she is unlikely to remain in a generous or understanding mood. Furthermore, if you have more than one request, don’t simply mention all the things you want—A, B, C, and D; also signal the relative importance of each to you. Otherwise, she may pick the two things you value least, because they’re pretty easy to give you, and feel she’s met you halfway. Then you’ll have an offer that’s not much better and a negotiating partner who thinks her job is done.

Resist the temptation to prove that you are a great negotiator. MBA students who have just taken a class on negotiation are plagued by this problem: They go bargaining berserk the first chance they get, which is with a prospective employer. My advice: If something is important to you, absolutely negotiate. But don’t haggle over every little thing. Fighting to get just a bit more can rub people the wrong way—and can limit your ability to negotiate with the company later in your career, when it may matter more.

At the beginning of a job hunt, you often want to get at least one offer in order to feel secure. This is especially true for people finishing a degree program, when everyone is interviewing and some are celebrating early victories. Ironically, getting an early offer can be problematic: Once a company has made an offer, it will expect an answer reasonably soon. If you want to consider multiple jobs, it’s useful to have all your offers arrive close together. So don’t be afraid to slow down the process with one potential employer or to speed it up with another, in order to have all your options laid out at one time. This, too, is a balancing act: If you pull back too much—or push too hard—a company may lose interest and hire someone else. But there are subtle ways to solve such problems. For example, if you want to delay an offer, you might ask for a later second- or third-round interview.

People don’t like being told “Do this or else.” So avoid giving ultimatums. Sometimes we do so inadvertently—we’re just trying to show strength, or we’re frustrated, and it comes off the wrong way. Your counterpart may do the same. My personal approach when at the receiving end of an ultimatum is to simply ignore it, because at some point the person who gave it might realize that it could scuttle the deal and will want to take it back. He can do that much more easily without losing face if it’s never been discussed. If someone tells you, “We’ll never do this,” don’t dwell on it or make her repeat it. Instead you might say, “I can see how that might be difficult, given where we are today. Perhaps we can talk about X, Y, and Z.” Pretend the ultimatum was never given and keep her from becoming wedded to it. If it’s real, she’ll make that clear over time.

Tough salary negotiations or long delays in the confirmation of a formal offer can make it seem that potential employers have it in for you. But if you’re far enough along in the process, these people like you and want to continue liking you. Unwillingness to move on a particular issue may simply reflect constraints that you don’t fully appreciate. A delay in getting an offer letter may just mean that you’re not the only concern the hiring manager has in life. Stay in touch, but be patient. And if you can’t be patient, don’t call up in frustration or anger; better to start by asking for a clarification on timing and whether there’s anything you can do to help move things along.

Remember: What’s not negotiable today may be negotiable tomorrow. Over time, interests and constraints change. When someone says no, what he’s saying is “No—given how I see the world today.” A month later that same person may be able to do something he couldn’t do before, whether it’s extending an offer deadline or increasing your salary. Suppose a potential boss denies your request to work from home on Fridays. Maybe that’s because he has no flexibility on the issue. But it’s also possible that you haven’t yet built up the trust required to make him feel comfortable with that arrangement. Six months in, you’ll probably be in a better position to persuade him that you’ll work conscientiously away from the office. Be willing to continue the conversation and to encourage others to revisit issues that were left unaddressed or unresolved.

This is the final and most important point. You can negotiate like a pro and still lose out if the negotiation you’re in is the wrong one. Ultimately, your satisfaction hinges less on getting the negotiation right and more on getting the job right. Experience and research demonstrate that the industry and function in which you choose to work, your career trajectory, and the day-to-day influences on you (such as bosses and coworkers) can be vastly more important to satisfaction than the particulars of an offer. These guidelines should help you negotiate effectively and get the offer you deserve, but they should come into play only after a thoughtful, holistic job hunt designed to ensure that the path you’re choosing will lead you where you want to go.

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of value career management content is easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me:  www.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon!

Here are some great purpose questions to ask yourself:

1. When I was young, I wanted to be a _______________________________.

Why did this appeal to me then?

Does it appeal to me today? Why or why not?

2. I am uniquely designed and prepared to:

3. I’ve won the lottery. I’ve bought everything I wanted, traveled wherever I wanted, and now I’m bored (but still quite rich). What do I want to do with my talents?

4. I’m standing at a crossroads and looking at a signpost – what words are on them?

5. What have people said about me my whole life?

6. “Just go for it.” The “it” is:

7. If I could test drive any profession, what would it be and why?

8. If I was not worried about the consequences, what chaos would I introduce into my life right now?

9. Write down a recurring symptom in my body: ________________________

Give the symptom a voice:

10.What am I passionate about?

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of value career management content is easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me: www.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon!

The theme for December is Starting, Continuing, or Restarting Your Career. Today, I want to give you five top tips for starting your career. I won’t be talking about tactics and strategies, but rather about how to view the beginning of your career in a way that serves you.

My target market is high-achieving 22-32 college graduates…those for whom the sky is the limit IF they have the support, strategies, and tools they need to successfully navigate their careers.

For the most part, today’s podcast is dedicated to those 22-year-old recent college graduates. However, the tips I’m giving you today will serve you at any point in your career.

Tip #1: Don’t be afraid to make mistakes.

The keyword for this tip is FEARLESS. I am asking you to take chances, be brave, be willing to screw it up royally. Because it is only by taking these chances that you have the opportunity for an amazing payoff.

Here are some ways this might look: You might apply for your dream job, even though you don’t have all the qualifications. You might ask someone you respect to help you get your foot in the door. You might accept a job that is nothing like what you thought you wanted to do, but that seems really interesting.

Is there potential for failure in each of these? Of course. But by not trying, you are assuring the worst possible outcome for yourself.

Tip #2: Check your gut…frequently.

The keyword for this tip is INTEGRITY. I want you to have integrity with yourself during your job search and as you progress through your career. Make sure the work you are doing is in alignment with your skills, values, interests, personality, and passions.

I see a lot of 22-year-olds who are so influenced by their parents, siblings, professors, or significant other that they aren’t pursuing their dream. Their career goals have gotten lost in the shuffle of other people’s dreams for their lives.

PLEASE don’t make your career decisions, or individual job decisions, based solely on money. While money is important and solves a lot of problems, it can’t compensate for doing work you don’t enjoy…work that doesn’t fill your soul or your purpose on this earth.

If your gut is telling you this isn’t the right opportunity for you, listen to it. If your gut is telling you to talk to your boss about a promotion, pay attention. Your gut is there for a reason.

Tip #3: Get professional help.

The keyword for this tip is EXPERTISE. Just as you would hire an expert to remodel your home or fix your car, you need an expert to support you in your job search and in managing your career.

A certified resume writer, career counselor, credentialed job search coach, professional interview preparation assistance, and accountability partner can be a tremendous help in your job search and career management success.

Here are some of the benefits of working with a professional in this process:

-Take more, better, and smarter actions—because you set the goals you really want

-Reach for more, much more—because you have a partner in the process

-Make better decisions for yourself and your career—because your focus is clear

-Have a lot more sustainable energy—no more chugging along in your job search

Tip #4: Be willing to start somewhere.

The keyword for this tip is HUMILITY, because you might need to start at the bottom. Doing work you don’t love as a means to an end. I’m not asking you to do drudgery, just to be willing to do whatever needs to be done.

With the right attitude, your boss will likely recognize your work ethic and quickly promote you to a position you would never have gotten as an external candidate.

Tip #5: The right attitude is everything.

The keyword for this tip is OPTIMISM. I’m not asking you to be overjoyed when you don’t get that job you interviewed for or to be thrilled when you bomb an interview.

Rather, I’m asking you to keep everything in perspective. To recognize that you are learning…which, to me, is the opposite of winning.

Here are some of the thoughts I hear from prospective clients:

“I’m not qualified.”

“There are looking for someone with…” (something you don’t have)

“There’s too much competition.”

“I keep applying online, but never hear anything back.”

“I want to do X, but no one will ever hire me for that job.”

Here’s the question I want you to ask yourself about any thought you have: Does this thought serve me? If not, is there a better thought you can think that will serve you better?

I’m not asking for a 180-degree change; you probably won’t be able to believe that. Going from “I’m not qualified” to “I’m fully qualified” may be unbelievable. But could you go from “I’m not qualified” to “I have most of the qualifications they are looking for?”

Attitude also affects how you show up for work every day. Are you willing to do the dirty work? Put in long hours when needed? Help out co-workers? And do all of these things with a smile?

To visit my website:  www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of value career management content is easily digestible bites. 

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me:  www.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon! 

This month’s theme is starting, restarting, or changing careers. Today I want to talk about job dissatisfaction. How to figure out what the problem is…and how to solve it.

I see a fair number of clients who really don’t like their job, but they have trouble articulating what the problem is. Some of them question if they are in the wrong field, or if it’s just that specific job.

For many years, I have told clients they have two options in these situations: change your circumstanced or change your attitude. Today I want to focus on changing your circumstances.

As a reminder, your career is the overarching field you are in, whereas your job is your specific employment position within that career field.

Accounting is a career field.

Tax Accountant, CPA, and Auditor are all jobs in the accounting career field.

Supply Chain Management is a career field.

Customer Service Manager, Distribution Clerk, and Procurement Analyst are all jobs in the Supply Chain Management career field.

Marketing is a career field.

Marketing Coordinator, Public Relations Coordinator, and Product Manager are all jobs in the Marketing career field.

Get the idea?

Okay, back to trying to figure out what’s going wrong with your current job. I recommend you journal your answers to these questions; really give yourself time with each question so you can get beneath the surface to what’s really going on.

About Your Current Job

-What do I love about my current job, and why do I love it?

-What percentage of my work week is spent doing (or being around) the things I listed in #1?

-What Motivated Skills do I possess that aren’t being used in my current job? (Motivated Skills are those that you are very good at AND enjoy using very much)

-On a scale of 1-5 with 1=not at all possible and 5=totally possible, what is the opportunity for me to use the Motivated Skills I listed in #3 in my current job? (Score each Motivated Skill separately, and explain your rating for each.)

-If I were to reconfigure my current job, what 2-3 changes would I make? (Could be job duties, work environment, management style, etc.)

-One year from now, here is what I would like my work life to look like (describe in as much detail as possible):

-On a scale of 1-5 with 1=no similarity whatsoever and 5=completely similar, how well does my current job fit with my description in #6?

About Your Career Field

-Career field I am in, and reason I chose that field:

-On a scale of 1-5 with 1=doesn’t fit at all and 5=perfect fit, how well does my current job fit into my career field?

-What would the next logical step be in my current career field?

-On a scale of 1-5 with 1=not at all exciting and 5=complete excitement, how thrilled am I with the prospect of that next logical step?

-Do I fantasize about a different career field? If so, please describe.

-What perceived barriers do I think there are in pursuing that different career field? How difficult do those perceived barriers seem to be to overcome?

-On a scale of 1-5 with 1=not at all interested at this time and 5=exceptionally interested at this time, how interested am I in pursuing that career field?

Again, I recommend you journal your answers to these questions. Take your time. Put it down and come back to it later.

You might want to have someone else look at your answers and provide feedback. A parent or significant other who knows you well and might pick up on blind spots or biases.

What should you do with this self-knowledge? Your answers to question #7 in each section really give you the information you need.

If you scored less than a 3 in the first section, then I recommend you think about a job search. By scoring that question low, you have essentially said that your current job bears little resemblance to your ideal job.

What’s important is to decide what you want to do about your dissatisfaction, and then make a plan to do it. Meet with a professional such as myself if possible to help you map out a plan. DON’T just wallow in the knowledge that you hate your job.

If you scored MORE than a 3 in the second section, then I recommend you think about a career shift. By scoring that question high, you have shown a great deal of interest in a new career field.

I definitely recommend working with a professional such as myself if you want to make a career shift. In particular, a certified resume writer who and strategize with you to position your skills and achievements in light of your new career field. It really helps to have a professional, unbiased perspective here.

It’s quite possible that you will score low in the first section, and show a great deal of dissatisfaction with your current career field, but not have an idea of a different career field you would be interested in. If that is the case, I recommend working with a qualified career coach such as myself to flesh that out.

Whether you decide to change careers or just your job, I cannot overstate the importance of professional help. I also cannot overstate the importance of taking action…not just sitting with this knowledge so that, a year from now, you’re in exactly the same place.

To visit my website:  www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of value career management content is easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me: www.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon!

This week, I have a return guest – Robert Jordan. Robert is CEO of Interim Execs, which matches interim, project, and fractional executives with opportunities.

When I had Robert on the podcast back in episode #235, we talked about matching your leadership style to the right organization. Today, we’re talking about the role of an interim executive – and who is the right fit for these types of opportunities.

Robert shares the characteristics he looks for in interim executives and how you can best present yourself for these roles.

You can take a leadership assessment on Robert’s website at rightleader.com

You can find Robert at:

https://www.rightleader.com/ https://interimexecs.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertjjordan/

https://twitter.com/interim_execs

https://www.youtube.com/user/interimexecs

Here is the link to episode #235 with Robert, where we talk about how to make sure your leadership style meshes with the right organization: 

http://exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2022-07-20-235-235-matching-your-leadership-style-to-the-right-organization-with-robert-jordan

Are you in the wrong job that chips away at you every day? The CareerSpring document and coaching program will help you find a job that uses your zone of genius, recognizes your value, and pays you what you’re worth.

If you’re ready to take your job search to the next level by working with a highly experienced professional with a track record of client success, schedule a complimentary consult to learn more: 

https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2

This month, I’m talking about starting, changing, and restarting your career. Last week’s episode covered how to identify the source of your job dissatisfaction and what to do about it.

Today, I’m presenting case studies of people who made significant career changes, and the lessons to be learned from those changes. My hope is that you might identify with one or more of these case studies and find hope and direction in the paths they took.

Case Study #1 – “Jennifer”

“Jennifer” is a 25-year old with a bachelor’s degree in Communication and Media Studies. When she came to me, she was working as a Model Manager for a NYC modeling agency.

Although this was her first full-time job, Jennifer had done internships with two NYC PR firms. This work interested her, but she told herself she didn’t have the qualifications to get a full-time job at a PR firm.

Initially, Jennifer expressed an interest in moving to the other side of the table, as a Talent Booking Coordinator for a company—perhaps one of the ones she had supplied models for as a Model Manager.

The profile of her ideal employer certainly supported this career move, as did her top skills in organization, research, attention to detail, communication, and a wide base of knowledge.

Here’s where things got interesting for Jennifer: when she completed the Target Employer Ranking form. This is where a client identifies about 25 potential “dream” employers, then evaluates those employers against the criteria the client has identified as being ideal for her.

On her list initially was just 2 PR firms, and both firms came out on the top of her ranking form, largely because of the collaborative working environment and the opportunity to do a wide range of tasks.

My recommendation to Jennifer, who I’m still working with, is to add a couple more PR firms to her target employer list and evaluate them.

This process has been such a revelation for Jennifer who now is full-speed ahead on gaining a position in PR, and who recognizes the value she will bring to a PR firm. She is energized and highly motivated!

While Jennifer and I haven’t yet launched her job search, she has extensive NYC connections in PR firms including the two she interned with, and I have absolute confidence in her ability to land her dream job.

Case Study #2 – “Randy”

“Randy” is a 26-year-old with an Associate degree in Turf Management. He is currently working as a groundskeeper for a major league sports team and will complete his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in about three months.

He’s very dissatisfied in his current position, mostly due to the lack of decision-making ability he has and a work environment that isn’t collaborative. He has felt for some time that he is meant for more, professionally speaking, than what he’s currently doing. The question has been what that “something more” is.

Before earning his Associate degree, Randy was at a university with majors in Economics, Business, and a minor in Actuarial Science. In short, Randy didn’t have a career path, and eventually took a break from higher education to figure himself out.

When he first came to me about majoring in Turf Management at a technical school, I didn’t see the fit. However, Randy’s personality and interest assessments presented an unusual picture: he likes to work with his hands AND he wants to be in a position of influence. He has a high need for structure and routine and has strong attention to detail. Further, Randy wants to work in a field where he can improve processes to make them more effective and efficient.

Randy is currently conducting informational interviews and job shadowing with people in supply chain management. He is 90% certain this is the field he wants to pursue.

What’s up next with Randy? We will be redesigning his resume and LinkedIn profile to show the transferability of his skills and accomplishments in light of his new career path.

We’ll then map out a job search strategy that focuses on active methods to get an entry-level position in supply chain management. Then we’ll conduct some practice interviews to hone both his interviewing skills and his comfort level with presenting himself in a completely new line of work.

Case Study #3 – “Michael”

“Michael” is a 22-year-old recent college graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Global Business. When he came to me, he was doing contract work for an abstract company.

As we went through the “Land Your Dream Job” program, Michael’s interest in human resources emerged. He wanted work with variety and required interaction with colleagues. He considers himself a caring and empathic person. Michael has strong attention to detail and is a quick and efficient worker.

Fortunately, all companies of any size have an HR function, and Michael lives in the northeast, so he was able to identify several companies of interest to him. He was particularly interested in companies in the automotive, fashion, pharma, and financial services fields.

I’m considering Michael’s story that of a career-change, even though he hadn’t really started his career yet. He came out of college without a clear career focus, and by working with me honed in on the career path he wants to take.

So what are the lessons to be learned from these three case studies? Here are five:

1. Don’t expect to get it right, right out of the gate.

2. Assess what’s working, and what isn’t, before automatically jumping ship.

3. Starting over is easier when you haven’t moved very far into a career yet.

4. Pay attention to where your mind wanders, as that can be a great indicator of what you are passionate about.

5. It doesn’t matter what your degree is in. Probably.

To visit my website:  www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of value career management content is easily digestible bites. 

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me:  www.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon! 

This month’s theme is starting, restarting, and continuing your career. So far, we’ve talked about perspectives when starting your career, how to figure out what’s not working in your current job and how to fix it, and case studies of people who have made significant career shifts.

Today I want to talk about alternative work arrangements including self-employment, contract work, and side hustles.

Let’s define these terms. If you are self-employed, you are hanging out a shingle to provide whatever service or product you offer. If you are a solopreneur, meaning you are the only person in your business, you are involved in running all aspects of a business including financial, marketing, operations, purchasing, and billing. You are doing it all. If you hire others, you are likely involved in human resources, payroll, vendor negotiations, etc. Either way, you wear a ton of hats.

If you are a contract worker, you are also self-employed, providing contracted services to another person or organization. You are often referred to as a “1099,” the tax form the hiring organization has to provide you with. You are not an employee of that company and are generally not eligible for any benefits such as insurance, paid time off, or retirement contributions.

I want to talk about side hustles in this podcast too, because self-employment and contract work often starts as side hustles. That is to say, you are in a full-time job (presumably with a predictable income and benefits) while building a side business. You may want to turn that side hustle into your full-time work someday, as I did, or you may want to keep it as a side hustle that provides you with additional income.

I’m going to take the old journalistic approach of who, what, when, where, and why for this podcast. My intention is to give you a window into what life would be like as an entrepreneur.

Who

Here are some general rules about who is best suited to life as an entrepreneur:

1. You are self-motivated.

2. You have a driving passion.

3. You are willing to get your hands dirty.

4. You are willing to put yourself out there.

5. You are willing to ask for the sale.

What

I find there are two distinctly different types of entrepreneurs: those who have a driving passion for a product or service they are well equipped to provide, and those who just want to own their own business. In many cases the latter are true entrepreneurs, while the former are synthetic entrepreneurs. In other words, the latter aren’t necessarily driven to be entrepreneurs, but the product or service they are passionate about necessitates them becoming entrepreneurs.

For the true entrepreneurs, many of them look at franchises to determine which one best suits their skill set, interests, investment level, potential ROI, and provides the support they want and need. I’m fascinated by people who purchase a franchise that provides a product or service they have no experience with. I always recommend true entrepreneurs find a product or service that is connected to their former career or a passion they have…I think it just makes everything easier and more enjoyable.

For the synthetic entrepreneurs, the challenge is in defining the product or service they provide. They are often full of ideas and short on the follow-through to make those ideas a reality. The product or service needs to solve an actual problem.

When

When to become an entrepreneur is a tricky question, and many people have asked me how I knew when it was time. The truth was, I didn’t, I just took a leap.

Ideally, you are side-hustling first and you come to the tipping point: that point at which you can no longer effectively serve your full-time job because of all the activity in your side hustle. Also, your interest will wane for your full-time job as your side hustle becomes more vibrant, and you will begin to see the opportunity cost of remaining in your full-time job.

There are lots of resources out there to help you plan financially for this transition, and that’s not my area of expertise, so I won’t go into that here. Suffice it to say that this decision should be made based on facts and realities rather than a knee-jerk reaction.

Where

There’s the where of the location you work at, and the where of where you find your customers.

Many solopreneurs are able to work from home or coffee shops, which minimizes overhead. Especially when you are starting out, minimizing your expenses as much as possible is incredibly helpful.

In terms of the where you find your customers, the single best piece of advice I can give you is to get crystal clear on who your ideal customer is, what problem you are solving for them, and how you solve that problem. Knowing these things will give you tremendous clarity around what, exactly, you are selling, to whom you are selling it, where to reach those customers, and how to speak to them.

This applies to contract work, as well. If you provide a service to businesses, what size company? What do they make or do? What is the problem you can solve?

Why

As an entrepreneur, I can speak with a great deal of authority about the benefits of being an entrepreneur. Among them:

-Flexibility

-Unlimited earning potential

-The challenge

-Deep fulfillment

There are also some pretty compelling reasons not to be an entrepreneur. If you place a high value on these things, I don’t recommend self-employment:

-A secure, steady paycheck

-Benefits (that you don’t have to pay an arm and a leg for)

-The structure of an 8-5 job

-Constant interaction with co-workers

-A boss to tell you what to do and when to do it

If there’s one piece of advice I can give you, it is that there are more than enough resources and experts out there to help you build a business. If anything, there are too many, so your challenge will be to sift through them to find what you need and who you want to provide it. From group coaching programs to online education to organizations, you really don’t have to figure out any aspect of your business on your own.

To visit my website:  www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of value career management content is easily digestible bites. 

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me:  www.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon! 

This week's guest is employee benefits specialist Michelle Snow. She walks us through a primer on employee benefits so you can understand what your various options may be, how to decide what's most important for you, and what questions to ask the employer.

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of value career management content is easily digestible bites. 

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me: www.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon!

This week's guest is Denise Wilson, Vice President of Capital City Bank in Tallahassee, Florida. Capital City Bank has a formal program to identify and train high-potential employees.

In my interview with Denise, I asked her to define a high-potential employee, talk about Capital City's high-potential program, and provide advice for anyone seeking to be identified as a high-potential employee within their organization.

Whether or not your company has a formal program like Capital City's or not, these tips will help you stand out as someone worth considering for stretch assignments, promotions, or employment with other organizations.

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of value career management content is easily digestible bites. 

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me: www.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon!

This week's guest is college senior, Melizza Black. As the editor in chief of hercampus, Melizza has great advice for college students wanting to develop their leadership abilities while in school. Her advice is also applicable to recent graduates who may be new to an area and wanting to get involved in the community.

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of value career management content is easily digestible bites. 

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me: www.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon!

I want to come at this from a few different angles today.

First of all, let’s define “leadership style.”

Leadership is a noun, defined as follows:

the position or function of a leader, a person who guides or directs a group:He managed to maintain his leadership of the party despite heavy opposition.

ability to lead: As early as sixth grade she displayed remarkable leadership potential.

an act or instance of leading; guidance; direction: They prospered under his strong leadership.

the leaders of a group: The union leadership agreed to arbitrate.

Here’s how dictionary.com defines “style”:

A particular, distinctive, or characteristic mode of action or manner of acting:

When put together, “leadership style” is defined as the ability to lead with a particular, distinctive, or characteristic manner of acting.

There are some aspects of leadership that are universal: no matter your personality, industry, background, or audience, true leaders show up in certain ways.

Here are seven common traits of leaders, according to Entrepreneur Magazine:

1. Self-control

2. Stay clear of drama

3. Seekers of truth

4. Place courage over fear

5. Empathy towards self and others

6. Self-aware

7. Maintain and nurture their reputation

Forbes adds the following traits:

1.      Self-managing

2. Acting strategically

3. Being an effective communicator

4. Being accountable and responsible

5. Setting clear goals and persisting in achieving them

6. Having a vision for the future

7. Managing complexity

8. Fostering creativity and innovation

9. Teambuilding and promoting teamwork

10. Creating lasting relationships

11. Learning agility

So, based on these two business publications, here’s my summary of the common traits of leaders:

1. They have their own house in order – they are self-aware, have self-control, and manage themselves effectively. They are accountable for their actions and hold themselves to a very high standard.

2. They treat others with respect – they avoid gossip, show empathy, and create strong, mutually beneficial relationships

3. They create a positive working environment – by communicating effectively, setting clear goals, creating and disseminating the vision, facilitating creativity, and promoting teamwork

4. They are brave – they don’t let fear stop them from moving forward, they are strategic, they flourish in the complexity of the business environment, and they are continually learning

Now let’s drill down to your leadership style. Think of this as the specific way in which you lead.

As a master practitioner of the MBTI, I want to talk about leadership style in the framework of your personality first. Of course, you need to take the MBTI to know your type, but you probably have a good idea of at least some aspects of your personality.

The first preference pair in the MBTI is Extraversion vs. Introversion. This has to do with where you get your energy, and extraverts get their energy from people and activities. Introverts get their energy from being by themselves.

In general, Introverts will be quieter leaders, more difficult to get to know, and will often bring forth fully formed plans.

In general, Extraverts will be more talkative, easier to get to know, and will often throw out ideas they’ve just thought of.

The next preference pair in the MBTI is Sensing vs. Intuition. This has to do with how you take in information. Sensers take in information by way of the five senses, and Intuitives take in information by the way of their sixth sense.

In general, Sensers will be slower to change and will lead by specifics. That is to say, Senser leaders will have a very specific plan for how to proceed and will want to share those details with the team.

In general, Intuitives love change and will lead by inspiration. Intuitive leaders will lay out the vision and will allow the team to achieve the goals in the way they see fit.

The next preference pair in the MBTI is Thinking vs. Feeling, which has to do with how you make decisions. Thinkers make their decisions using their head, and Feelers make their decisions using their heart.

In general, Thinking leaders will always stick to the rules no matter what. They can come across as critical, because they aren’t as concerned with how someone feels as they are about telling the truth.

In general, Feeling leaders will consider the circumstances when making a decision, and may bend the rules depending on those circumstances. Feelers will create a sense of belonging and will be kind to their employees, but may not be as honest with employees as to their weaknesses and areas for improvement.

The final preference pair in the MBTI is Judging vs. Perceiving. This has to do with how you organize your environment. Judgers will maintain structure and organization, and Perceivers prefer to maintain openness and be spontaneous.

In general, Judging leaders will create deadlines, stick to a schedule, and get their work done well ahead of time.

In general, Perceiving leaders will wait until the last minute to complete projects, prefer not to have schedules, and often have a messy workspace.

If you know your personality type and would like a copy of my “Leadership and Type” handout, email me at lesa@exclusivecareercoaching.com.

Next, let’s talk about leadership style in the context of my synthesis of the Entrepreneur Magazine and Forbes lists. I’m giving you some thought-provoking questions to ask yourself; I recommend you pick one question from each of the following to work on over the next 90 days.

1. They have their own house in order.

a. On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being perfect, how well do I take constructive feedback? What can I do to move that needle?

b. On a scale of 1-10, how well do I manage my own schedule? Do I plan my days out and achieve the goals for that day, or do I allow outside influences to set priorities for me? What can I do to move that needle?

c. On a scale of 1-10, how self-controlled am I in the face of emergencies, conflict, or everyday frustrations? What can I do to move that needle?

2. They treat others with respect.

a. On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being complete avoidance, how well do I avoid gossip? What can I do to move that needle?

b. On a scale of 1-10, how empathetic am I? What can I do to move that needle?

c. On a scale of 1-10, how good am I at building professional relationships? What can I do to move that needle?

3. They create a positive working environment.

a. On a scale of 1-10, how effective am I at communicating in professional settings? What can I do to move that needle?

b. On a scale of 1-10, how effective am I at fostering creativity in others? What can I do to move that needle?

c. On a scale of 1-10, how well do I promote teamwork? What can I do to move that needle?

4. They are brave.

a. On a scale of 1-10, how brave am I in the face of fear in my work? What can I do to move that needle?

b. On a scale of 1-10, how good am I at strategic planning? What can I do to move that needle?

c. On a scale of 1-10, well do I perform in complexity and ambiguity? What can I do to move that needle?

Finally, let’s talk about leadership style in the context of your industry. Several of these questions assume that you currently lead others, so if you don’t, you may have to think about a time when you did lead others.

Here are seven questions to ask yourself related to the specific industry you work in:

1. Do I relate to my peers in a way that fits for the industry I work in and the personalities of my peers? What could I do differently to improve my ability to communicate better with them, support them more effectively, and engage in more collaborative efforts?

2. Are there people I lead that don’t seem to respond well to my overall leadership style? Are they a good fit for the job they are in and our company? If so, how can I adjust my style to be more effective with those individuals?

3. Am I providing the people I lead with the right type of motivation for them to achieve organizational and department goals? Have I asked them what motivates them, and how they like to be rewarded/recognized? How can I do better in this regard?

4. What does creativity and innovation look like in my industry and company? What am I doing to foster creativity and innovation in my team? Is it working? How can I do better?

5. What teambuilding activities have I engaged in with my team, and have they been effective? How do I know? What is one activity I could plan in the next 90 days that would move the needle?

6. What is my strategic planning style, and is it appropriate for my industry and company? What could I do different in this regard?

7. Am I providing the kind of feedback that actually helps my team improve? Do they know what they are doing well and where they need to improve at the time I see it happen, or do I wait for annual performance reviews?

In summary, there are several common traits of superior leaders, but how those traits manifest themselves can vary widely. Don’t try to be someone else, just have a goal to be the best version of yourself you can possibly be.

To visit my website:  www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of value career management content is easily digestible bites. 

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me:  www.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon!

All this quarter, I’m talking about various aspects of leadership. Today, I want to talk about Speaking with Leadership Authority.

An important piece of your leadership strength is in the presence you have when communicating, either one-on-one or to a group.

Here are five top tips according to Inc.com:

In the moment, it's hard not to say "uh, um," while you try to gather your thoughts. Great speakers rarely use the distracting sound. But if you listen close, it's not that they avoid pauses all together. They instead replace "uh” and “um" with stronger filler words.

When you need to gather your thoughts, use words such as "Now; You See; However," etc. The sentence, "Um…I was thinking..." suddenly sounds much more definitive and powerful when slightly adjusted to "You see, I was thinking...". It sounds intentional, and intention instills confidence.

The best speakers know the power of silence. They are unafraid of letting the room wait for a moment. These speakers can sit calmly for a breath or two in total silence and feel comfortable--and actually use it to their advantage.

Unintentional silence can be seen as a mistake, or a sign of uncertainty. Intentional silence, however, is seen as dramatic and even more important. Instead of seeing moments of silence as issues for concern, turn them to work for you by making your next statement that much more poignant. Use silence to lean into your points and your audience will hear you much more clearly.

The quickest way to know whether or not someone knows what they're talking about is to pay attention to how many industry-specific words they use. If their vocabulary is a fashion show of insider adjectives, chances are they are speaking more from a place of theory and less from a place of experience.

Great speakers and people who carry themselves well know how to get to the point. They don't dance around it. They don't throw around handfuls of buzzwords. They say what needs to be said and leave it at that.

If you use language that leaves your audience confused, you aren't impressing them. You are frustrating them. Keep it simple.

Unless you've built a reputation or a persona around your "edgy" delivery, it's best to leave the sailor's mouth at home. When it comes to leading a room, it is in your best interest to keep the energy and the flow as positive as possible. Unless you know your audience very well, you never know where a misplaced word could lead. Don't add in an extra variable that doesn't need to be there.

This doesn't mean you have to keep your language G rated. Say what you need to say, in the way it needs to be said.

I have watched so many rooms turn the corner after a well-told story.

Stories are how we relate to each other. Stories are what ignite our imagination and turn a thought into a feeling, an idea into reality. 

Whether you are explaining a data point, or hinting at the outcomes of a campaign, be descriptive. Use sensory words--touch, taste, smell, a feeling, a sound. Bring what you are talking about to life and let the people in the room be part of it.

Forbes Magazine adds the following advice:

Get to the point.

Your competition is the attention span. Rambling, unfocused speeches will earn you few supporters. A powerful presentation stays on message, is made up of short sentences and few asides, and gets to the point quickly.

Slow down and breathe.

When PepsiCo chief Indra Nooyi first travelled from India to the U.S. to attend the Yale School of Management, she spoke so fast that she barely paused to breathe. Nooyi had to learn a slower, more effective pace that leant more authority to her ideas. Broadcasters usually speak at a pace of 150 words per minute, which is conversational yet metered.

Utilize your vocal tools.

The worst thing you could do is drone on using a flat monotone with no variance in pitch or pace. The voice is one of the most underused tools and can be manipulated to project power and incite interest. Optimize it by using a mid-range pitch, inflection to offer emphasis and variety, a volume that attracts attention but is not overly loud, pauses after important sentiments and clear pronunciation so that words are not lost.

Inject humor and warmth.

Female leaders like IMF chief Christine Lagarde and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg are excellent examples of women who are articulate and well-spoken but also utilize humor to connect with the audience. They project an ease and optimism that invites in listeners and establishes credibility.

There are also non-verbal components to communicating like a leader. According to Forbes:

Stand like a champion.

Giving presentations and making speeches is very physical. When on stage or standing before a group of people, use the champion stance: position one foot in front of the other, place your weight on the back foot, hold your head up, drop your shoulders back, lean your torso slightly forward and smile.

I would add to place your hands in the power pose – in front of you, in a pyramid, facing the audience. Avoid the “I have to go potty” stance with your hands in front of your crotch; hands behind your back can negatively impact they way your outfit hangs.

Sit with your elbows on the table.

When sitting down, get your elbows on the table. Don’t put just your hands on the table; it looks too lady-like. Instead, sit up straight, lean forward and place your forearms on the table-top. Whether in person or on camera, maintain eye contact with fellow speakers or the camera lens.

To visit my website:  www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of value career management content is easily digestible bites. 

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me:  www.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon! 

For the first quarter of 2019, I’m covering several aspects of leadership. For some of you, you are already holding a leadership position, so these strategies will be immediately useful for you.

Others of you aspire to leadership roles, and today’s topic of Taking on Stretch Assignments to Boost Your Leadership Creds will be particularly useful for you.

Whether you are currently in a leadership role or aspire to be, keep in mind that true leadership is not positional, but attitudinal. That is to say, you can be a leader within your organization regardless of whether or not you actually lead people in your job.

Conversely, I’m sure we can all think of someone who had a leadership role within an organization, but in no way was a leader.

In previous episodes, I’ve talked about the importance of taking on stretch assignments so you can be considered highly promotable. Today, let’s focus on the strategy of taking on these types of assignments so you can be seen as a leader. So, in essence, you have the opportunity to flex your leadership muscles.

Step 1 is to determine what you want to show, grow, or know as a result of your stretch assignment. This will help you determine what type of stretch assignment to take on.

Show. Are you underutilizing a talent at work, and you want your superiors to see you shine in that talent? Are you particularly effective in project management, yet have no opportunity to utilize that skill in your current job? Show the powers that be what you can do with the right stretch assignment.

Grow. What fledgling skill do you have that you want to further develop? Do you want the opportunity to go from managing an intern to managing a small team of full-time employees? Do you want to take your event planning skills to the next level by playing a key role in a major companywide event?

Know. This “know” can be a “who” or a “what.” Perhaps there is a leader in another area of your company you would love to work with. Perhaps you want to learn about your company’s risk management processes or loss prevention practices. Be strategic with where you want to go in the company, and what or who you need to know to get there – then create a stretch assignment accordingly.

This advice is from provisional.com:

If your employer doesn’t formally offer the opportunity for stretch assignments, then try to create your own opportunity. For instance, are there areas within the company where you’ve noticed inefficiencies or dysfunction? Are there certain projects or tasks your boss is having a hard time with? Once you’ve identified an issue or project you’d like to take on, talk to your boss and suggest how you’d work to rectify the situation.

Some examples of common stretch assignments include:

§ Managing a volunteer or intern

§ Executing a new or important company project

§ Participating in the company’s strategic planning process

§ Turning around a failing project, department, or operation

§ Organizing and leading an important company event or meeting

Sure, there’s always a risk when taking on a stretch assignment. For instance, it might not work out like you planned or you may fail at the task. However, if you don’t ever challenge yourself professionally, you won’t develop your leadership abilities and other important skills necessary for career advancement. As a result, your career will eventually grow stagnant.

From Forbes, here are recommendations on how to execute your stretch assignment like a rock star:

1. Bring A Beginner’s Mind-Set

Allow yourself to be new at it. When we're asked to do something new, many of us want everyone to believe we know exactly what we're doing. When we have questions or we're unsure about how something works or whom to call, we keep it to ourselves. We just try to figure it out. Whatever you do, don’t try to go it alone, or you’ll deny yourself a rich learning experience. Starting something new is the perfect opportunity to ask all the questions that you have.”

2. Be Inquisitive

Be as curious as you can possibly be and speak to a wide cross-section of those involved. Ask management why they felt it was important for you to devote time to this issue and what a successful execution of this assignment looks like to them. Also, speak with colleagues and stakeholders on the project to identify shared goals and challenges you may encounter. And seek contacts beyond the specific assignment you've been given. For instance, you can also speak to people who have done this type of work before. Being curious will only make you smarter and give you a much better perspective on what you're trying to achieve.

3. Over-Deliver

Don’t lose sight of the opportunity that’s been entrusted to you. Many people don't get stretch assignments or, at least, highly visible ones. If you are selected for a special assignment, it means someone took a risk on your behalf and put his or her reputation on the line to advocate for you. This person, along with your organization, is invested in your success and will be watching to see how you perform. When someone gives you the opportunity to stretch, don't just hit the status quo. Give it your absolute all.

4. Utilize the Springboard

Stretch assignments can become important stepping stones on the way to your next big career milestone, so it helps to be clear on what you hope to gain from an assignment. Whether it is to develop new technical or leadership skills, strengthen relationships with colleagues and influencers, raise your profile or assure your organization you’re ready for your next role, keep your personal goal firmly in mind as you execute on the assignment.

Look at stretch assignments as springboard opportunities. Use this moment to your fullest advantage. You can go on to do bigger and better things, meet more people, broaden your network and expand your knowledge base. Take this opportunity and do amazing things with it.

Finally, be sure to leverage your stretch assignment according to your career goals. Examples of how you might leverage your achievement include:

1. A write up in the company newsletter or the city paper

2. A write up in your industry or professional journal

3. A written commendation from your stretch assignment supervisor

4. A conversation with your current boss about a) your next stretch assignment, b) a promotion, or c) a lateral move to another area of the company.

5. Inclusion on your resume and LinkedIn profile

To visit my website:  www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of value career management content is easily digestible bites. 

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me:  www.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon! 

Today, my guest, Jane Springer, and I talk about dressing for leadership roles for both men and women. Hear her insights for the dressiest work environments down to casual Friday faux pas.

You can find Jane at http://www.janespringer.com or email her at jane@janespringer.com

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of value career management content is easily digestible bites. 

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me: www.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon!

Let’s assume you aspire to a leadership role, either with your current employer or a new employer.

Many people mistakenly believe that to ACT like a leader, you must be IN a leadership position.

Quite the opposite is true: To GET a leadership position, you must ACT like a leader.

Right now. Today. Wherever you are, and in whatever position you are in.

You’ve heard me say this before: Leadership is attitudinal, not positional.

Today, I want to touch on the Top 10 Leadership De-Railers.

Those subtle “mistakes” you may be making that are delaying, or preventing, you from becoming the leader you desire to be.

I got some of this information from businessworlddaily.com and Inc.com

Mistake #10: Not having faith in your abilities.

Consistently second-guessing yourself rubs off on others, and before you know it, that trust is gone. Don't be afraid to trust your gut instinct.

"While it's important to listen to others, employees and clients alike, sometimes this can be very dangerous. If you truly believe in what you are doing, it's OK to listen only to yourself sometimes. (Be) loyal to your internal compass," says Moran Zur, founder and CEO of SafeBeyond.

Second-guessing yourself results in you presenting yourself as not confident, unsure, and wishy-washy. Leaders are decisive, confident, self-assured people.

Mistake #9: Being reactive rather than proactive.

With the pace of business today, it is important you are on the cutting edge. Whether it’s technology implementation, business strategy decisions, or hiring decisions, it is important to see around corners and make decisions based not on today’s information, but tomorrow’s.

Reactive employees get a reputation as either playing it safe, or constantly putting out fires that could have been avoided by taking a proactive stance.

Mistake #8: Not being strategic about what you take on.

There’s a balance with this one: You want to be seen by your boss as a go-to employee, but you also don’t want to get stuck consistently doing scut work that doesn’t hone your skills or show what you are capable of.

My best solution for this is to communicate clearly with your boss about projects you’re interested in working on, strengths he/she may not have yet seen you demonstrate, or skills you want to develop.

You boss will still assign your fair share of scut work, but this type of communication is likely to minimize it while maximizing your chances for meaty assignments.

Mistake #7: Not setting personal goals.

Beyond the goals set for you by your boss, department, or corporation, effective future leaders set personal goals that typically exceed or extend beyond what is expected of them by their employer.

Not only do goals give you direction and purpose, they also ensure you are making measurable progress towards the overall goals of the organization.

Once you are in a leadership position, you will be setting goals with your employees, so setting personal goals early in your career is a tremendous conditioning practice.

One last word about setting personal goals: Don’t just set them. Make sure you calendar in time to achieve these goals, with specific action steps that virtually guarantee your success.

Mistake #6: Avoiding conflict.

One of the most difficult adjustments a new leader has to make is learning how to handle disagreements or issues. You want to be fair and balanced while avoiding potential conflict, but, sometimes, that's difficult.

"Managers often veer away from confrontation and try to avoid it at all costs," said Mark Feldman, vice president of marketing at Stynt. "But when performance or personality issues go unaddressed, they fester and set an overall tone that minimizes the urgency of correcting mistakes. If there is (an) issue, it's best to address it right away when the situation is fresh."

Feldman noted that many issues blamed for incompetence or poor performance are actually a result of misunderstood expectations.

"Create an environment that encourages continuous feedback, and be exact with dates and expected outcomes," he said.  

Mistake #5: Needing to be liked.

Often, employees avoid conflict because of an overwhelming need to be liked.

Leaders are people first, and it's natural that they want to be liked, said David Scarola, chief experience officer of business resource The Alternative Board. But the need to be in everyone's good favor can sometimes cloud solid business judgment.

"A common mistake with new managers and new business owners is that they make decisions that are popular, which are often not the best decisions for the business," Scarola said. "[Leaders] need to sometimes make unpopular decisions. That comes with the territory."

Instead of trying to be well-liked among your employees, seek instead to be understood and respected. Learn how to communicate openly and frequently with your team, and always keep staff members in the loop about the reason behind any decisions, popular or not.   

"The best leaders have learned that if they make the right decisions for their business, even if unpopular, and also take the time to explain their reasoning, they will earn the respect of their employees," Scarola said. "In the long run, this is the best outcome a leader can aspire to."

Mistake #4: Gossip and Lying.

This one’s straightforward: DON’T GOSSIP.

Don’t be known as the two-faced employee who says one thing to one person and something entirely different to someone else.

And don’t say anything about someone that you wouldn’t say to their face.

No exceptions. This one can be a real career-killer.

Mistake #3: Failing to grow and learn.

If you’re under the misguided notion that your learning ended with college graduation, welcome to the real world. Your college degree is, in fact, the beginning of your lifelong learning and growth process.

You might or might not want an advanced degree, but be assured that you will need to continuously learn and grow throughout your career.

One of the biggest teachers you will have throughout your career is your mistakes. Or, more specifically, how you respond to your mistakes. Do you learn from them, or do you try to place blame elsewhere?

My coach says “If you aren’t making mistakes, you aren’t taking enough risk.”

Mistake #2: Communicating poorly or not at all.

I cannot possibly overstate the importance of well-developed verbal and written communication skills. I’ve talked about this in a number of different ways on this podcast, but I want to drill down on a couple of specifics here.

#1: If written communication is not your strong suit, find a course, program, mentor, SOMETHING that will bring this skill to at least average. If writing isn’t going to be your strong suit, at least make sure it’s not your weak suit.

#2: If verbal communication is a weakness for you, same suggestion: find a way to bring it to at least average. I highly recommend Toastmasters as a way to practice your public speaking skills. Also, record yourself – it can be very revealing, particularly in regards to speech habits (um, uh) and annoying speech patterns (like ending every sentence by going up, which sounds like you are asking a question).

Here’s why this is critically important: As a leader, you will be tasked with keeping your employees in the loop as efficiently and quickly as possible. Don’t expect a secretary or well-meaning co-worker to do this for you.

Mistake #1: Lack of follow-through.

I saved the best for last, because I think this mistake has de-railed more potential leaders than any other.

I’ve said it before, many times: To be considered for a promotion, you must excel where you are at today.

I’ve seen so many employees over the years that decide the circumstances of their job mean they can’t possibly excel.                            

They are in the wrong job.

Their boss doesn’t appreciate them.

They aren’t being recognized enough.

They are underpaid.

These kinds of thoughts are career-killers. You get to decide what you want to think about your job, your boss, your contributions, and your pay.

It will never serve you to think these things, but that’s where your brain will want to go.

Your brain thinks it’s keeping you safe.

It isn’t.

Excel in your current position regardless.

No excuses.

No limitations.

Kill it at work, each and every day.

Not for your boss or your employer.

Do it so you can smile at yourself in the mirror at the end of the day.

So you can sleep well at night.

To visit my website:  www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of value career management content is easily digestible bites. 

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me:  www.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon! 

Throughout this quarter, the episodes have been centered on leadership. In many cases, the focus has been on the “doing” aspects of leadership. Today, we’re talking about the “being” aspects of leadership.

Today’s guest is Licia Berry of Daughters of Earth. Her signature talk, “Leading By Being,” discusses the inward aspects of leadership and purpose.

When you don’t listen to your inner voice, the consequences can be painful. Dreading going to work every day, a malaise, a sense of being on a treadmill and walking as fast as you can, yet going nowhere.

Being on track with your purpose is a joyous, energizing experience.

For many people, job dissatisfaction centers around job title, salary, their boss. Today, we talk about job satisfaction in terms of fulfilling your purpose on this earth.

Licia talks about the indigenous people’s practice of going on a vision quest – getting away from civilization to hear the messages about who they really are and what they were put on this earth to do.

They then bring this newfound knowledge back for the betterment of the entire tribe.

Many of the clues of our purpose can be found in our childhood fascinations and fantasy play. However, somewhere along the way we often lose sight of those early indicators of our purpose. Society doesn’t necessary encourage us to listen to ourselves, instead encouraging us to rely on experts and authority figures.

When we are clear on our purpose, we vibrate in such a way as to attract people to us. People will be drawn to our energy.

Leading By Being is that natural, outward expression of our connection with our inner connection.

In her work, Licia helps women leaders clear up any blockages or confusion they have about their purpose. As a result, they catapult their leadership capacity and show up as the best leader they are capable of being.

You can find Licia at www.liciaberry.com

Her new Women’s Leadership Institute has just launched! It’s an online library of courses around leadership. To learn more: http://liciaberry.com/doe_learning

email her at licia@liciaberry.com

To visit my website:  www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of value career management content is easily digestible bites. 

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me:  www.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon! 

This quarter, we’ve talked about leadership from several different perspectives. My guest today is Peter Berry, whose leadership experience is varied and fascinating; particularly interesting in light of his undergraduate degree in Fine Arts.

Peter is a perfect example of how a liberal arts degree can be a great springboard for moving into leadership roles.

Peter talks about what employers are looking for in today’s workforce, both for entry-level positions and as Millennials step into leadership roles.

We talk about emotional intelligence, managing employees, critical thinking skills, communication skills, the ability to articulate a vision and enroll others in that vision, and the ability to offer solutions as being the skills employers seek to move employees into the leadership ranks.

One of my favorite concepts from our conversation is what Peter calls “Life/Work Balance,” because Millennials put their quality of life before their job. Sure, they want to work hard and are willing to give their all at work…they just don’t want to work 60 hours a week at the expense of their lives.

Peter talks about some of the best practices he’s helped build in the companies he’s led…and how those practices serve to engage and motivate Millennials.

To reach Peter Berry, connect with him on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/peter-berry-9b466041

To visit my website:  www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of value career management content is easily digestible bites. 

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me:  www.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon! 

All podcasts in April, May, and June will be focused around the theme “College Graduation, 2019 Edition.”

At this time each year, I concentrate on topics to help that year’s crop of graduating college seniors.

Of course, everything I talk about will apply to those of you who have been out in the workforce for a few years, as well.

In April, I will be covering resumes, cover letters, and LinkedIn profiles. These are your primary marketing documents in a job search.

Point #1 – Your Resume is a Marketing Document

Here’s what most of you have for a resume, unless you’ve worked with me already: a descriptive document. I call it a “data sheet.” Your document tells the reader where and when you worked, what your job duties were, and what your job title was.

Lather, rinse, and repeat.

From a marketing standpoint, that’s like describing a product’s features, but not its benefits.

These shoes have shoelaces.

This sofa is covered in dark brown fabric.

This refrigerator has an ice maker.

An employer needs to know what your job duties were in each position, to be sure, but what they also need to know is how well you performed the job.

From a marketing standpoint, these are your benefits. Here’s what this might look like:

These shoes have interchangeable shoelaces that can match any outfit you have in your wardrobe – you’ll be the most stylish woman at the coffee shop!

The color of this sofa means stains and dirt will practically disappear!

This refrigerator’s ice maker is in the door, which will save you approximately $125 a year on electricity costs!

How does this translate to your resume? Here are a few bullets from resumes I’ve written for my clients:

- Developed and implemented a mentoring program that reduced General Manager turnover 4% and saved $240k in recruiting and onboarding costs.

-Completed approximately 60 engagements thus far, encompassing weddings, graduations, birthdays, house parties, and bars/clubs. (This client started his own DJ business)

-Maintained 100% accuracy with approximately 70 closing packages totaling $24.5M. (This client had his own business assembling mortgage loan packages)

- Conducted a Facebook e-mail campaign that resulted in 3,000+ likes within three days and increased engagement to 11%.

-Realized 20% volume growth over previous year with KTM bike retail marketing program at key convenience retailer Super America.

Notice how many of these accomplishments have numbers. Whether your achievements lend themselves to dollars, percentages, number of participants, or volume, whenever you can quantify your achievements you take that statement to another level.

Point #2 – Your Resume Reflects Your Brand

I’ve said this one before, but it bears repeating: To truly differentiate yourself in your resume, you must tell the reader what you bring to the table that no other candidate will have.

What you can do for them that no other candidate will be able to do.

What makes you uniquely qualified for the position you are applying for.

During the resume-writing process with my clients, I ask them why an employer should hire them over all the other candidates.

I often get generic answers like “I’m a hard worker,” “I’m a team player,” or “I have a degree in _____.”

Let’s go back to thinking of yourself as a product. A product that can communicate with you.

You walk up to those athletic shoes, introduce yourself, and ask them why you should buy them.

The shoes respond with “Because I have a sole, shoelaces, and a vamp.”

You’re not going to choose to buy those particular shoes because of their sole, shoelaces, and vamp.

You’re going to choose to buy a particular pair of shoes because they are the right type of shoe for the athletic activity you plan to do, because they feel good on your feet, because they have proper arch support, because they are warm enough or cool enough for your weather, and because they look good on your feet.

These are the things that differentiate one pair of athletic shoes from another.

They all have soles, shoelaces (unless they are velcro), and a vamp.

Back to you as a product you are offering to employers.

Why should they buy you over the sea of applicants clamoring for this position?

Here are a couple of excerpts from resumes I’ve written for my clients:

-Entrusted with more than 500 customers including Target—one of the company’s largest customers globally—serving as the face company X with many key relationships.

-Offering a diverse background spanning entrepreneurship, office management, heavy equipment operations, and entertainment.

-Strong background in global supply chain strategies, business analytics, and innovative go-to-market approaches that generate industry-leading results.

- Attained 3.96 GPA at Southern New Hampshire University while working full-time and part-time jobs—demonstrating high motivation, determination, and the ability to make sacrifices. Active in leading teams for Financial Peace University—demonstrating leadership, financial acumen, and commitment to community service.

-Strong business development skills—combining data mining and analysis with exceptional interpersonal skills and proven networking ability

-Extensive international travel experience (currently 16 countries), with the proven ability to navigate travel efficiently and cost-effectively

Point #3 – Your Resume MUST Be Applicant Tracking System (ATS) Compatible

Back in the day, you sent your resume in via email to a company for a position. An overworked and underpaid human resources person received them and either sent all resumes to the hiring manager or did a cursory evaluation of candidates and only sent over those that met the basic qualifications.

Not happening like that anymore.

Virtually every company except for mom-and-pop shops or those with old-timers who can’t be bothered to learn technology have ATS systems now.

The reason? There are a few:

-It minimizes the human capital needed to process applicants, which saves the company money

-It reduces the potential for human error, which in the case of hiring can lead to lawsuits

-It provides an unbiased and unprejudiced way to evaluate candidates based on the job criteria, so theoretically the employer is making better hires

-It automatically keeps track of EEO and other state and federal reporting requirements for hiring equity

There are, however, significant downsides to the ATS. If you’ve applied for a job lately, you have a good idea what those downsides are.

Among them:

-The difficulty of putting your resume in “correctly” so the ATS can read and score it

-The inability to interact with a human in the process - it’s hard to ask questions or feel any personal connection

-The unlikeliness that you will hear from the company you apply to unless they want to interview you-you don’t even know if it was received in many cases

-The feeling that you have to play to the ATS rather than just present yourself as a qualified candidate

ATS, just like all technology, is rapidly evolving. Here are some pointers based on the 2019 status of most ATS systems:

-Any formatting that isn’t on your computer keyboard will not translate to the ATS. This includes bullets, text boxes, charts and graphs, italics, lines, and symbols.

-Keywords are the name of the game. Review each job posting for the keywords (typically nouns) contained in the description. If you possess that skill or qualification, make sure it shows up in your resume.

-DO NOT cut and paste the job description into your resume. This may get you through the ATS, but the human will definitely toss you out.

-Use common headings for the sections of your resume. The ATS cannot interpret that your bachelor’s degree can be found in a section with a heading such as “Academic Preparation.” Stick with “Education,” “Professional Experience,” etc.

-Virtually all ATS will allow you to upload a fully formatted version of your resume for the humans to see. Do this as a PDF to retain the integrity of the document.

-Length is not an issue with ATS resumes, so you can go into more detail if necessary. Your formatted version, however, should be no longer than two pages.

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of value career management content is easily digestible bites. 

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me: www.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon!

Today I’m going to talk about what I like to call “curb appeal,” how to improve the appearance of your home on LinkedIn, which is your LI profile.

Next week, I’m going to talk about strategies for making the most of LI. In other words, once you have an attractive home on LI, how you can invite people into your home and how you can go visit other people’s homes.

Here are my top eight improvements for your LinkedIn profile:

1. Your Photo.

This should be a professional headshot of you. There shouldn’t be anyone else in the photo and the picture should be close enough and clear enough that someone could find you in a crowd based on your LI photo.

I recommend updating your photo about every three years; more often if you’ve undergone significant change such as a drastically different hairstyle or large weight loss.

You don’t have to incur the expense of a professional photographer, although it’s a good idea. When I worked in higher education, the campus photographer was glad to do a headshot for me – I needed them anyway for other work-related purposes.

Your photo should be appropriate to your industry and profession. You should look like someone a stranger would be willing to reach out to.

2. Your Background.

Your LI profile came with a stock background photo that looks like a constellation. I recommend changing this to be in line with your professional brand.

In other words, if you’re an avid surfer, your background photo should not be of the waves in Hawaii unless you’re also a surfboard sales person.

As an alternative, you can use an illustration in the background that you like. It doesn’t represent your brand or profession, but doesn’t detract from it, either.

When I am doing this for my clients, I select four photos from pixabay.com and try each on my client’s profile. This way, I can see which one works the best with the client’s photo, brand, profession, etc.

3. Your Headline.

Your headline is the statement directly underneath your name on your profile.

You have 120 characters for your headline, and most people completely waste this valuable real estate.

You can include your current job title and employer, but keep in mind that your employer’s name shows up in that top box anyway. And if you’re looking for a new job, what good does it do to cement your current employer with recruiters?

Including your job title is important for SEO purposes, especially if the work you want to do next is in line with your current job title. Otherwise, you’ll want to figure out how to get your new desired job title in there without being overt.

Here’s an example: Let’s say you currently have the job title of Customer Service Representative, but what you want to move into is sales.

Here are a couple of ways you could express this in your headline:

Customer Service Representative | Proven ability to upsell, resolve complaints, and provide exceptional post-sale care

Customer Service | Inside sales | Post-sale care | Resolving customer complaints with exceptional critical thinking

Here’s another example: You are currently an Assistant Manager of a hotel restaurant, but you want to move into the reservations side of the hospitality business.

Here’s a possible headline:

Assistant Manager, Hospitality Industry | Providing exceptional customer service in the fast-paced hotel business

Notice that you didn’t mention the restaurant, because that’s not what you want to do moving forward.

What if you want to move up within your current career field? Don’t just tell them your job title, tell the reader how you add value:

Human Resources Coordinator | Experience with recruiting, hiring, onboarding, payroll, benefits, and training

Here’s another option:

Human Resources Coordinator | Generalist background | Strong leadership qualities | Certified Trainer

4. Your Summary.

You have approximately 1,980 characters for your summary, and most of you are using only a fraction of that, if any at all.

This is your chance to tell your story, and it SHOULD NOT BE a cut-and-paste of your resume.

Your summary should be written in first person, using language you would use if you were telling a colleague about your career.

Tell them a bit about your background, what you’re currently up to, some of your achievements, and a bit about you personally.

I include this personal information at the end, before the Skills list I will talk about next. It is only one-two sentences but can be impactful in rounding you out as a person and giving the reader something else to connect with you on.

I’ve included information about travel, hobbies, philosophy, influencers…as long as the information is neutral or positive.

I also encourage you include a Skills list at the end of your summary, as this is great for SEO. Note that these terms should match your Skills and Endorsements section verbatim, otherwise recruiters won’t be able to search for the terms you use.

5. Your Experience.

Many of you are listing only your employer, job title, and dates of employment in this section, which greatly reduces your SEO effectiveness.

Again, this should not be a cut-and-paste of your resume, but rather the story of your work. Talk about some challenges you overcame, some metrics around your achievements.

This information is factually the same as your resume but written in first person using a more conversational writing style.

Finally, I see so many LI profiles where this section is all about the employer rather than the person. Unless you’re self-employed where your business and you are one and the same, like me, this doesn’t make any sense.

6. Your Connections.

You need a minimum of 500, but don’t stop there. The more the merrier, with a few caveats.

If you have fewer than 500 connections, I recommend going for quantity over quality. Ask people you either already know or are at your level to connect with you to quickly get that number up to the magic 500+.

At that point, you will have the “creds” you need to reach for higher-hanging fruit. The other person will see you as a serious player on LI and will be much more likely to connect with you even though they don’t know you.

7. Your Skills and Endorsements.

This section is primarily useful for SEO purposes. I recommend you review this section annually to make sure it is still an accurate reflection of the skills you possess and want to present to potential employers.

8. Your Recommendations

By far, this is most underutilized and potentially most helpful aspect of your profile.

This is when people who have worked with you in some capacity take the time to write great things about the experience of working with you.

LinkedIn recommends a minimum of three recommendations; I like you to have at least 10.

Here’s how to approach this:

a. What are my brand attributes? The aspects of me I most want to present to the world?

b. Who among my connections are best able to speak about each of these brand attributes? (I recommend asking two people for each recommendation you want to get)

I’ve thrown a lot of “home improvements” at you today for LI, so if you’re feeling overwhelmed, let’s break it down.

-Assess your current profile in light of the eight tips above and determine the area(s) in which your profile could benefit from some “sprucing up.”

-Set aside a block of time (I recommend at least two hours) to tackle the list you came up with in step #1.

-Ask a trusted friend to review your changes and make suggestions for further improvements.

To visit my website:  www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of value career management content is easily digestible bites. 

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me:  www.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon! 

The theme for this quarter (April, May, and June) is College Graduation, 2019 Edition.

I’m talking about your marketing documents in April; in May we’ll be covering the job search, and in June we’ll do a deep dive into the job interview.

If you’re not a recent college graduate, don’t worry – everything I tell the new kids will apply to you as well.

Last week, I gave you my top eight tips for improving your LinkedIn profile. If you haven’t listened to that episode, I strongly encourage you to do so, as these two episodes fit nicely together.

One of the questions I get asked most often by 20-somethings is “What’s up with LinkedIn?” Essentially, they are saying they know LinkedIn is important…they just don’t understand exactly what it is.

Or what they are supposed to do with it.

Last week, I gave you my #1 reason to be on LinkedIn: virtually every employer is going to check out your LinkedIn profile at some point in the hiring process.

It’s not enough to just have a LinkedIn profile, you need a robust one, with lots of connections.

Here’s another compelling reason to play full-out on LinkedIn: you never know.

Who you will meet.

Who will reach out to you, and what they may want or need.

What you will be asked to participate in, lead, or do.

I have gotten new clients from LinkedIn, partnerships, collaborations…so many opportunities that would never have come to me without LinkedIn.

I talk about your profile being your “home” in the LinkedIn community. The tips I gave you last week were to improve the “curb appeal” of your home.

Today, I want to talk about strategies for making the most of LinkedIn. I’m going to focus on those of you who are job searching, but good networking is good networking…regardless of your end-goal.

In giving you these tips, I am not going to talk about the content of your LinkedIn profile, as that was last week’s episode. The only repeat from last week is my first recommendation, which is so important it bears repeating.

Here, then, are my top five strategies for maximizing your use of LinkedIn:

1. Connect, connect, connect.

There’s a magic minimum number of connections on LinkedIn, and that number is 500. Once you reach the magic number, your profile shows that you have 500+ connections.

Forever.

This tells others that you are active on LinkedIn. That you’re reasonably serious about LinkedIn.

In the case of LinkedIn, the more the merrier, and here’s why: you increase the size of your footprint.

Think about Google. When you search for something, you probably don’t look at more than the first page or two of results.

When someone looks for someone with your qualifications on LinkedIn, they will likely do the same thing.

The way you move up – that is to say, the way you become more visible on LinkedIn – is to have more connections.

It’s math.

Let’s say you have 500 connections, and each of those connections has 500 connections.

Your existing connections are called 1st-level connections; their connections are called 2nd-level connections.

I call this your “footprint.” Who you’re connected to, and who they are connected to.

In the example above, your footprint might be around 250,000 people (500 X 500).

Stated another way, you can be found relatively easy by a quarter of a million people.

Sounds awesome, right?

Now let’s look at my footprint on LinkedIn. I have a little over 4,600 connections right now.

Using the same math as above, my footprint on LinkedIn would be 2,300,000.

Stated another way, I am easily found by more than two million people.

Big feet.

Here’s how this helps me: when people are looking for someone who does what I do, I am very likely to show up near the top of their results.

If you have fewer than 500 connections, I recommend going for quantity over quality. Get that number up.

Then you can reach out to people you don’t know and people who are at a higher professional level than you.

2. Set up your job agents.

If you are job searching, LinkedIn is one of the best job boards out there, in terms of the quality of the positions posted.

You’ll want to set up some job agents so that the positions you are qualified for are coming to you daily.

To do this, click on the Jobs tab at the top of your profile. Then search using whatever criteria are appropriate for you.

LinkedIn will ask you if you want to save that search, and if you want to receive notifications of positions that meet those criteria.

I recommend daily notifications. You can set up multiple job agents; each one will send you a daily digest.

There’s also a link you can click that tells recruiters that you are open to new positions. Doesn’t hurt to do this, although recruiters don’t actually care whether you’re job searching or not.

If you meet their qualifications, they will reach out to you.

3. Engage with those you’ve connected with.

I wrote a blog a few years ago about “LinkedIn shouldn’t be the place your connections go to die.” Yet many people collect connections and never do anything with them.

A strategy for moving the relationship along is in order. Is this connection someone you want to meet in person for networking? Is this someone you want to ask to introduce you to someone else? Is this someone who is in a position to actually hire you?

Create a few templates you can use to communicate with people after they’ve accepted your invitation to connect. Make your communications personal and engaging. And not too long.

Along these lines, when you invite someone to connect with you, ALWAYS customize the invitation. You’ll get much higher responses that way.

4. Join some groups.

Your visibility increases exponentially if you join a few groups that make sense for your profession and industry.

Your goal should be quality rather than quantity. Choose groups that are active, that interest you, and that you can contribute to.

Then contribute. Ask questions, answer other people’s questions, comment on posts. You are positioning yourself as a professional in your field, you are increasing your brand recognition, and you are making connections with new people.

All good.

5. Use the power of LinkedIn to show you how to get to decision-makers.

Want to connect with the CEO of a startup you really want to work for? Use LinkedIn.

Want to know who the Director of Marketing is for one of your target companies? Use LinkedIn.

Want to get the inside scoop on your ideal employers? Use LinkedIn.

LinkedIn should be your best friend in the hiring process, because it is so easy to find who works where, who knows whom, and what companies are in hiring mode.

Here’s a bonus tip for LinkedIn: when you write a recommendation for someone you are connected with, you get a piece of prime real estate on their profiles. So not only are you helping them, you are helping yourself.

Win-win.

To visit my website:  www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of value career management content is easily digestible bites. 

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me:  www.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon! 

This month, we’re covering the marketing documents you need for your job search – your resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile.

Today, let’s talk about the cover letter. I get a lot of questions about whether a cover letter is necessary…relevant…in today’s job market.

I’m borrowing heavily from the website makeit.com and author Debbie Carreau for this episode.

Here are three reasons not to submit a cover letter:

1. You have no interest in customizing a cover letter for that position. If you aren’t willing to take the time to make that letter specific to that company and that position, you may be doing yourself harm by submitting a cover letter.

I would add that if there here are errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation in your cover letter, you are doing more harm than good. Make sure the cover letter is as error-free as your resume.

2. You are not providing the reader with any new information. If all you’re doing is rehashing the exact verbiage of your resume, you aren’t helping yourself.

3. If all you’re doing is telling them how you would improve the company, save that for the interview. You risk coming across as a know-it-all by providing this information in the cover letter.

When to include a cover letter (NOTE: the default is to include a cover letter; these three situations below are the times you really MUST include a cover letter.)

1. When you have a personal connection or referral. Mention the name of the person who has referred you to the company and position.

2. You have a connection to that company. If you’ve had an internship there or worked with that company in some other capacity, be sure to mention in the cover letter.

3. If this is your dream job. While I don’t necessarily want you to tell the employer they are your #1 choice, I do want you to show your enthusiasm about the opportunity to work there.

Virtually all ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) will allow you to attach your cover letter as a PDF when applying.

Here’s how I approach writing the cover letter: I have already identified my client’s brand attributes (what makes them different; what they bring to the table that differentiates them from their competition) in writing their resume. I then take three of those brand attributes and create a paragraph for each in their cover letter.

Here’s an example: if my client is in marketing and one of their brand attributes is data analytics, I’m going to provide two-three examples of when they utilized this skill in their various jobs, internships, or class projects.

I’m not repeating what is in their resume verbatim; rather, I am reconstituting the facts from their resume in their cover letter.

To visit my website:  www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of value career management content is easily digestible bites. 

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me:  www.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon! 

This month is all about networking. Episode titles include “How Most People Network…and My Approach,” “Places to Network and How to Maximize Them,” and “How Not to Be a Networking Barnacle.”

Today I want to address the WHY of networking…why is networking so very important?

Here are my top five reasons why networking is so stinkin’ important:

1. 75% of the jobs are in the hidden job market, meaning they are not advertised. If you aren’t networking, you have zero chance of accessing the largest portion of available jobs.

2.     Networking isn’t just to get a new job. Networking can get you key assignments within your current employer, increase your promotability, and get you tied into community organizations where you get to interact with a cross-section of people.

3.     Networking gives you the opportunity to (subtly) toot your own horn. During a networking meeting, it is common to tell the other person what you’ve been up to at work. This helps to build your personal brand and become known as the expert in _____.

4.     Networking builds your social skills. If you don’t love, or aren’t great at, talking about yourself or meeting strangers, networking is one of the best ways to get over your aversion and build your skills in this area. You’ll get clearer on your personal brand, asking questions to draw out the other person, and making small talk every time you engage in networking.

5.     Networking can provide results that extend beyond professional. People make friends, find romantic partners, discover passions and opportunities to express their passions, and generally make their lives fuller by networking.

When you go into networking, whether one-on-one or group, I recommend having a goal while also being open to possibilities.

Let’s talk about the types of networking, as each one requires slightly different skills and offers slightly different advantages.

1. One-on-one networking.

This is typically done with someone you already know or have been introduced to. In a future episode, I will talk about the mechanics of networking, but here are the benefits of one-on-one networking:

-You have a concentrated period of time to really focus on building a relationship with another person.

-Because these meetings are typically scheduled, you have the opportunity to prepare for the meeting and determine exactly what you want to ask the other person to do for you.

-It’s much easier to follow up with individuals you have networked one-on-one with – to provide them with what you said you would and remind them to provide you with what they said they would.

2. Networking events.

These are events where networking is the primary function. People who come to these events may not all be looking for a job, but they are looking to sell their products/services, establish partnerships, and seek referrals. Here are the benefits of attending networking events:

-You can speak to as many as a dozen people at one event, making it a very efficient way to network.

-You get a large cross-section of people at these events, increasing the likelihood that someone you meet can help you.

-You can simultaneously build your LinkedIn network by connecting with everyone you meet at these events on LinkedIn.

3. Events where networking is possible.

While not specifically for the purpose of networking, these events provide you with the possibility of networking. Think professional development meetings and community service organizations.

The benefits of attending these events are the same as attending networking events, with a possible added benefit:

-If you are engaged in working alongside other professionals, they have the opportunity to see you “in action,” and be impressed by your work ethic and results.

To visit my website:  www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of value career management content is easily digestible bites. 

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me:  www.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon! 

This month, I’ve done episodes covering your Motivated Skills, your personality preferences using the framework of the MBTI, your Core Values, and your Areas of Expertise in making career decisions.

Remember, I’ve talked about the macro- and micro-level of career decisions. On the macro level, you are making a decision about the career path you will follow. On a micro-level, you are using this information to make decisions about which jobs to take. On an even more micro-level, you are using the knowledge to guide projects, programs, committee assignments, and job duties…or to help you boss make these same decisions.

Today I want to bring all of these things together. First, a refresher.

Motivated Skills: Those skills that you are both very good at and get a great deal of pleasure from doing. The reason they are called Motivated Skills is because the more you do them, the more motivated you will be about your work.

The opposite of Motivated Skills is Burnout Skills. Burnout Skills are those skills that you are very good at, but DON’T get any pleasure from doing. In fact, these skills suck the motivation right out of you. The more you have to perform Burnout Skills in your work, the more likely you are to…you guessed it…burn out.

A few examples of Motivated Skills are Writing, Presentation Skills, Customer Service, Working with Numerical Data, Research, Mechanical Reasoning, Troubleshooting, Teaching, and Planning.

Personality: Using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) as the framework, it measures personality preferences on four scales and identifies one of 16 personality types based on your responses. The MBTI identifies your innate preferences…the way you prefer to handle a situation or task if given the option.

The preference pairs of the MBTI are:

Extraversion vs. Introversion, which is your orientation to the outer world…where you get your energy from.

Sensing vs. Intuition, which is your preferred way of taking in information, and they type of information you prefer to work with.

Thinking vs. Feeling, which is your preferred decision-making style.

Judging vs. Perceiving, which is how you order your world.

Core Values: What is most important to you in an employer, a work environment, and the specific work you’re doing.

Identifying these “non-negotiable” values helps you align your career choices with what is most important to you. And alignment increases your chance for career success, compensation, and satisfaction.

Here are a few sample Values:

Utilize physical strength and coordination

Utilize courage and take risks

Utilize creativity and originality

Opportunity for advancement

Ability to do a job as efficiently as possible

Receive recognition for accomplishments

Ability to exert power and influence

Higher than average financial rewards

Areas of Expertise: What are You REALLY Good At? We’re talking about capitalizing on your Areas of Expertise.

If you’re just getting out of college, your Areas of Expertise are probably vague ideas…shadows of what is to come. But if you’ve been in the work force for a few years, you should have at least 2-3 Areas of Expertise, with more to develop as you progress through your career.

I connected the Areas of Expertise to your Motivated Skills, because I see your Areas of Expertise as sub-sets of your Motivated Skills.

Let’s say, for example, one of your Motivated Skills is Writing, which is defined as “Possessing excellent writing skills. Able to create business or technical documents, correspondence, and other effective written communications.”

So you get a job in the Public Relations office of a company, where one of your main duties is to write press releases. Because of this experience, one of your Areas of Expertise becomes “Writing Press Releases.”

Let’s put all of this information together in a couple of case studies that will hopefully help you get the idea.

Case #1 – Danielle

Danielle is a 25-year-old college graduate who studied communications in college and has been working in the entertainment industry since graduating. She is looking to make a career change, because she finds her current field to be too competitive and not meaningful enough for her.

Danielle’s top 5 Motivated Skills are:

Writing

Public Relations

Organization

Creative or Imaginative with Ideas

Decision-Making

Her personality type is ENFJ; here’s the description of that personality type:

Imaginative HARMONIZERS; at their best when winning people’s cooperation with insight into their needs. They value:

-Having a wide circle of relationships

-Having a positive, enthusiastic view of life

-Seeing subtleties in people and interactions

-Understanding others’ needs and concerns

-An active, energizing social life

-Seeing possibilities in people

-Follow-through on important projects

-Working on several projects at once

-Caring and imaginative problem solving

-Maintaining relationships to make things work

-Shaping organizations to better serve members

-Caring, compassion, and tactfulness

Her Core Values are:

-Utilize creativity and imagination

-Ability to help/serve others

-Close relationships with co-workers

-Working on multiple projects simultaneously

-Flexibility in work schedule

How would you coach Danielle? Here’s what we talked about:

-She needs a career that is meaningful to her in that she is able to help others, while utilizing her considerable creativity. She prefers freedom in her work hours – as long as she gets the work done, it shouldn’t matter when she does it. She also wants to wear multiple hats, so a start-up would be a good fit for her (smaller = more jobs to be done).

Danielle decided to pursue careers in non-profit marketing – finding a non-profit she is passionate about, which is fitness, and marketing that non-profit to the appropriate audiences.

Case #2 – Brandon

Brandon has just graduated from college with a degree in business but doesn’t know where he wants to go. He interned with Enterprise Rent-a-Car while in college and liked the variety of work but didn’t like the front-line management part of his job or how little structure there was to his daily duties.

Brandon’s top 5 Motivated Skills are:

Selling

Negotiating

Customer Service

Work with Numerical Data

Planning

Detail Management

Brandon’s personality preference is ESTJ; here’s the description of that personality type:

Fact-minded practical ORGANIZERS; at their best when they can take charge and set things in logical order. They value:

-Results; doing, acting

-Planned, organized work and play

-Common-sense practicality; usefulness

-Consistency; standard procedures

-Deciding quickly and logically

-Having things settled and closed; orderliness

-Rules, objective standards, fairness

-Task-focused behavior

-Directness, tough-mindedness

-Systematic structure; efficiency

-Scheduling and monitoring

-Protecting what works

Brandon’s Core Values are:

-Open for Advancement

-Ability to Do Job as Efficiently as Possible

-Highly Structured Environment

-Work that Mentally Challenges You

-Performing Clearly Defined Tasks

How would you coach Brandon? Here’s what we talked about:

Brandon liked the sales aspect of his internship with Enterprise Rent-a-Car, and had also had part-time jobs where sales was a component of his job. He likes the idea of being highly compensated for superior performance in sales.

What Brandon DOESN’T like about sales is the unpredictability of it…how flexible you have to be. Brandon LOVES structure.

So where do we go from here?

One of the top careers for ESTJs is Business Administrator, and the administrative aspects of his internship appealed to Brandon. He admitted that, once he was older and more experienced, he wouldn’t mind supervising employees…he just didn’t feel qualified to do that as an intern.

Brandon decided to pursue jobs as a sales compensation analyst, where he could use his sales experience coupled with his love of structure to research ways to attract and retain top-notch sales people.

From there, Brandon could see himself moving into other business administration roles.

Case #3 – Sadie

Sadie has been out of college for about eight years; she majored in psychology. When she began that degree, she planned to get a Ph.D. in psychology, but as she went through her coursework that became less interesting to her.

After graduating, Sadie got a job in human resources as a generalist – some hiring, some benefits, all kinds of personnel issues. She liked the variety of the work but didn’t love the constraints around how she could help the employees. She stayed in this job for three years.

The next job Sadie had was also in human resources, at a larger company where she specialized in recruiting employees. She liked feeling like she was really helping people but found the career fairs and other large recruiting events to be extremely draining.

Most recently, Sadie has worked as a Recruiter for a recruiting company. This has been a step back in that she feels overwhelmed by the volume of people contacting her and the volume of contacts she has to make each day. She’s ready for a complete change.

Sadie’s top 5 Motivated Skills are:

Writing

Counseling

Negotiating

Performance Improvement

Creativity or Imagination with Ideas

Sadie’s MBTI type is INFP; here’s the description of that personality type:

Imaginative, independent HELPERS; at their best when their inner ideals are expressed through helping people. They value:

-Harmony in the inner life of ideas

-Harmonious work settings; working individually

-Seeing big-picture possibilities

-Creativity; curiosity; exploring

-Helping people find their potential

-Giving ample time to reflect on decisions

-Adaptability and openness

-Compassion and caring; attention to feelings

-Work that lets them express their idealism

-Gentle, respectful interactions

-Showing appreciation and being appreciated

-Close, loyal friends

Sadie’s Core Values are

-Help/Serve Others

-Ability to Teach/Train

-Ability to Give Ideas/Input/Suggestions

-A Quiet Workspace

-Unstructured, Open Environment

How would you coach Sadie? Here’s what happened:

Sadie talked about considering a Master’s in Counseling so she could become a Certified Counselor, but decided she was more interested in being a coach. Because I have considerable knowledge in this area, I was able to educate Sadie on the types of coaching out there, the industry as a whole, and how she could proceed.

Sadie had some homework to do! When she came back, she was excited about becoming a life coach. We drilled down a bit further, and Sadie decided she wanted to coach recruiters to become better at what they do – she saw a lot o problems with this industry and was confident she could help improve it.

Sadie found a coaching program she liked, signed up, and went through the certification process while keeping her job as a recruiter. We worked on her thoughts about her job so it was more enjoyable, and we also strategized about how to leverage her contacts for when she opened her coaching practice.

I hope these three case studies have given you some ideas about all this self-information comes together in the career decision-making process. Of course, if you’d like to work with an expert in this process, reach out to me.

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of value career management content is easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me:  www.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon!

This month, I’m taking a week for each of the components of the thought model as developed by my coach, Brooke Castillo.

She created the thought model as a combination of various thought leaders and teachers she studied early in her career as a life coach.

I’ve talked about the model before, but if you haven’t heard those conversations, let me give you the big picture.

Circumstance

With any situation in your life, you have a neutral circumstance. This is the fact of the situation, devoid of any emotion or bias. The circumstance is the only part of the thought model over which you have no control – and that’s great news.

Thought

This is your thought about that circumstance. The sentence in your head.

Feeling

This is your emotion about the thought you’re having.

Action

This is the step you take – the action – based on the thought you’re having and the feeling that thought generated. It can also be a reaction or inaction.

Result

This is the result you achieve based on the action, inaction, or reaction.

Today, I want to hone in on your actions. The things you are doing – or not doing – that are generating the results in your life. Actions include reactions and inactions.

Your actions are a direct result of your feelings, which are a direct result of your thoughts.

If you have a feeling of hopelessness towards your job search, the action you are likely to take is inaction. You do nothing. After all, it’s hopeless, so what’s the point in trying?

If you have a feeling of confidence in your ability to give a stellar presentation, you prepare for that presentation, sleep well the night before, make sure you arrive early, and wear a great outfit. You are confident, and the actions you will take are those of a confident person.

If you have a feeling of hate towards your job, the action you are likely to take is either reaction – you react negatively to people who say they like their job or the company you work for – or inaction because you’re not going to be engaged in a job you hate.

If you have a feeling of gratitude towards your employer, the action you are likely to take is to give your best effort and double down on the work you produce. You have gratitude towards your employer, so the steps you take will step from that feeling of gratitude.

Notice there is nothing in these examples about what someone else is doing to give you these feelings and actions. I didn’t say you felt hopeless towards your job search because you’ve gotten rejected 25 times or that you have confidence in your ability to give a stellar presentation because you are a master presenter.

You generate these feelings – positive or negative – and the subsequent actions because of the thoughts you are having. NOT because of the circumstance.

After all, you could just as easily feel optimistic about your job search, because you are thinking you have an effective job search in place. You continue to take action from a place of optimism and confidence. After all, a lengthy job search does not have to equal a feeling of hopelessness. A feeling of optimism is available to you, and doesn’t that feel much better?

You are feeling hate towards your job because you are thinking hateful thoughts. Why not instead think grateful thoughts? After all, you have a job and that job generates a paycheck and benefits for you. You’re learning tons about yourself and what you want/don’t want in an employer. And you’re gaining skills and experience. Woo hoo! Sounds great.

From this place of grateful, you will be a better performer, a better team player, and a better ambassador for your company and your field of work. Lots of upside.

My coach says we’re all delusional, so we might as well be delusional in our favor. There’s simply no upside to acting upon negative feelings.

Next week we’re going to talk about how the actions you take – or inactions or reactions – give you the results you are experiencing in your life.

Here’s your assignment for this week: Each day, notice an action, inaction, or reaction you are taking and trace it back to a thought.

Then decide if this is an action, inaction, or reaction you want to be taking. If it is, pay attention to that thought and practice it so you will continue to take the action you want to be taking.

If it isn’t an action you want to be taking, how can you adjust that thought to give you a different feeling and cause you to take a different action? Remember, you’re not likely to believe a 180-degree different thought, so make small, consistent corrections in your thoughts until they are exactly where you want them to be.

If you’re doing the model correctly, the action will always align with the thought.

In other words, if you called in sick from work today (and you weren’t sick), the thought in your head isn’t “I love my job.”

If you worked through the weekend to create a stellar proposal for Monday’s meeting, your thought wasn’t “I’m incompetent at my job.”

If you killed a job interview, your thought wasn’t “I don’t know how to interview.”

Here’s another exercise for you: Decide what thought you would need to have to generate these positive actions:

-Apply for a promotion at your company.

-Volunteer for a key assignment.

-Get involved in a civic organization.

-Go back to school for an advanced degree, a certification, or just to study a subject you’re passionate about.

-Start a blog, podcast, book…whatever has been in your soul to do.

www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me:  www.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon! 

All this month, we’ve been diving into the job interview including how to answer difficult questions and how to prepare for a behavioral interview. Today we’re talking about the questions you can ask the interviewer.

1.     Make it organic.

I’m not a fan of having generic questions to ask every employer, because they tend to sound…generic.

Rather, do your homework in preparing for the interview. As you prep, your questions will come organically.

2.     Show your existing knowledge.

When asking your questions, tell the interviewer what you already know relative to your question. This will make you seem far more intelligent.

Here’s an example:

“When researching your company, I discovered you are widely recognized as number 1 in customer service in your space. To what do you attribute your reputation for exceptional customer service?”

3.     Make sure you’re asking the right person.

If you’re in an interview with someone from HR, ask questions about benefits.

If you’re in an interview with the person who would be your direct boss, ask questions about the department.

If you’re in an interview with a potential co-worker, ask questions about the boss’ leadership and management style.

4. Write your questions down.

You’re in a high-stress situation; there’s no need to compound it by trying to remember your well-thought-out questions.

Bring a padfolio along with your questions written out; the padfolio also serves as a place to keep the business cards you are collecting and extra copies of your resume.

IN GENERAL, here are some excellent areas for questioning:

-Interviewer’s own experience with the company

-Company’s/departments greatest challenges

-Expectations for first 30/90 days on the job

-Greatest rewards for working at that company/in that department

-Company’s support of continuing education (i.e. master’s degree)

-Description of the ideal candidate for the position

IN GENERAL, stay away from asking questions about:

-Salary

-Vacations/paid time off

-Anything that might have a negative connotation (such as the company’s recent credit rating drop)

-Specific coverage of medical benefits that might reveal a pre-existing condition

-Anything that might reveal personal information about you

In wrapping up, there’s a world of difference between the candidate who asks the “canned” interview questions and the candidate who has clearly done her homework and asks very targeted questions based on her research.

In the best possible scenario, these are questions you truly need the answer to in order to evaluate whether you want to work for that employer or www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me:  https://my.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon! – because the interview should be a two-way exchange of information.

11 Success Strategies for Starting Your New Job in the First 90 Days (by Robert Moment)

Starting any new job can be an exciting, yet stressful experience. You are entering an unfamiliar environment with certain procedures or behaviors that may be drastically different than your first job. You certainly want to make a good impression, as your first impression in any job can be difficult to reverse.

Ultimately, the stakes are high. But that doesn’t mean that you have an impossible task in front of you. There are a number of tactics and strategies that you can leverage to start your new job on the best foot. These tactics are universal to any organization—regardless of the size, sector, or location.

By recognizing and using these 11 success strategies, you can make a killer first impression during your first 90 days on the job.

1. Listen and Learn: This is one of the most important success strategies that you need to leverage. Especially during your first few days on the job, you must place a priority on listening and learning. This is as small as learning each of your colleagues’ names to learning your organization’s technology stack. On a larger scale, you must learn your company’s procedures and regulations so that you can sufficiently do your job.

That said, one of the most important things to learn is your boss’s communication and leadership style. Because you will be working closely with him or her, this is a task that is well worth your time. Some bosses are micro-managers and others are more passive. Some seek to empower their direct reports while others aren’t afraid to take credit for your group’s success. Whatever the case may be, get into your boss’s head and understand how he or she operates. Doing this will make your life easier—both in the first 90 days and beyond.

2. Clearly Define Success: “Success” may sound vague or amorphous, but it is critical for you to spend some time exploring what success means at your company. One of the best ways is to ask your colleagues. Ask them directly: “How is success measured?” While you may get some varying answers, you will be in a much better position having gathered these insights from your new colleagues.

Once you have an idea of what success means, do your best to set up procedures that will get you there. If your company’s idea of “success” is stellar customer service, make sure you are delighting and surprising your customers. If it is about hitting a particular sales quota, keep that figure in mind throughout your first 90 days. Whatever the case may be, home into that definition of success and work towards it.

3. Set Realistic Goals: Once you understand what success means to both you and your organization, it is important to set realistic goals. Think about where you want your career to be in the next month, six months, and one year. And then from there, work backward so that you can create micro steps toward your goals. By thinking about and setting realistic goals, you will be off to a great start.

Once you set your goals, however, make sure that you are constantly referring to them. Perhaps you can print them out and tape them to your desk. Or you can schedule a monthly check-in with yourself to determine whether or not you are on track. However you go about this, make sure that you both set realistic goals and take action toward those goals.

4. Go Above and Beyond: The first few weeks of any job offer a terrific opportunity to go above and beyond. Yes, you will want to ensure that you successfully complete your day-to-day duties. You don’t want to stretch yourself too thin and give off the impression that you can’t handle your regular work.

But assuming that you have the bandwidth, don’t hesitate to take on additional work as you see fit. Not only are you setting a great first impression, but it allows you additional opportunities to develop relationships with your new colleagues. And who knows? Your career may take a dramatic shift (even in those first 90 days) by going above the call of duty and taking on a project that speaks to you.

5. Know Your Team: Not only is it critical to know the likes and preferences of your boss, but you should have a good sense of the inner workings of your team. What are their likes and dislikes? Is there one team member that likes things done one way and another who likes them done another way? You will discover some of these traits through osmosis, but it helps to take an active, genuine interest in your team members.

Yes, there is a fine line between knowing your team and knowing everything about your team. But taking the time to build a profile of your team members will pay off in spades down the road. It will make your life easier.

6. Learn and Observe the Culture: This is a big one. While you may be able to get a sense of your organization’s culture from an internship or through Glassdoor, the best way to learn about it is while you are on the job. So during your first 90 days, observe what your company’s culture is truly like, rather than simply reading your company’s mission statement or printed values. How do your colleagues treat each other? Does your organization embrace remote work or must you be in the office at a precise time? These little things matter, and the best way to get a sense of your organization’s culture is by listening and observing.

7. Identify Opportunities: In your first 90 days, you should be on the hunt for opportunities within your organization. Whether they are opportunities within your particular group or opportunities to meet others within your company, identify and pursue them. These opportunities can be work or non-work related. Some of the best opportunities for new employees are lunches or other social events, where they can get to know their colleagues in a less stressful environment.

8. Ask Questions: This is something that you should be doing even beyond your 90 days, but it is especially critical when you first start with your organization. Humility is your best friend here. It is better to ask questions when you are uncertain than operate under certain assumptions that prove to be wrong. That leads to wasted time and frustrated colleagues. While you don’t necessarily want to bombard your colleagues with questions, don’t be afraid to speak up when you encounter ambiguities, whether they involve your day-to-day work or certain company procedures.

9. Solicit Weekly Performance Feedback From Your Boss: Feedback is going to be your best friend in your first 90 days. Upon starting your new job, it is in your best interest to get weekly feedback from your boss. Whether this feedback is in a pre-planned weekly meeting or in impromptu chats on Friday afternoons, you should leverage the power of direct feedback. Even if you are sensitive to criticism, this weekly feedback from your boss can be a godsend. Embrace it—even if you don’t necessarily like negative things about your performance.

10. Identify Key Actors (Employees) in the Organization: While your boss and direct reports are key actors that you will be interacting with the most, it is in your best interest to identify other key actors in your organization. Presumably, you don’t expect to stay in your current position for long. You will want more responsibility, and this often requires organizational allies to vouch for you. Yes, most of those allies will come from your group, but having key actors in other parts of your organization can certainly help. Internal office politics can be ugly at times. However, it is impossible to avoid. So understanding who the key actors are and starting to build relationships with them is an important task in your first 90 days.

11. Set Monthly Job Performance Reviews With Your Boss: Finally, you will want to set up monthly job performance reviews with your boss. You don’t want to wait until the 90 days are up to complete this task. Rather, sit down with your boss and ensure that you will be receiving frequent reviews, where your boss outlines your strengths, weaknesses, and how you can contribute more to the team. While you can’t do much to control the amount of effort that your boss places in your review, the simple fact of placing a regular meeting on the books increases the chances that you will receive solid, actionable feedback in your meetings.

Be Proactive

Using the success strategies outlined above, you will undoubtedly increase the odds of success in your first 90 days. The core theme outlining all of these success strategies is one word: proactive. You simply cannot expect these success strategies to naturally happen. You need to take control and execute.

By taking on this ownership attitude and implementing these success strategies from the start, you will be in a great position. From there, focus on getting to know your colleagues, doing great work, and being a kind, respectful employee. Your efforts will be rewarded.

The first days at work can be pretty overwhelming due to all the information you’ll need to absorb. However, all you need is to take one step at a time and enjoy the work environment around you. You don’t need to get all the information at once, just the most important.

Robert Moment is The Get Hired Expert, Speaker, and Author of “Starting a New Job” and “How to Ace an Interview.” Robert specializes in teaching ambitious professionals how to interview using skills and strategies that will make them stand out, get hired, and make more money. He is using his exceptional skills and business acumen acquired working for iconic brands such as CitiGroup, Xerox, Manpower, Sprint, and Pitney Bowes as a Corporate Executive, Account Manager, Account Executive, and Business Development Manager to help new and seasoned professionals recognize, demonstrate, and leverage their value in the job market and workplace.

For more information about Robert’s books visit www.HowToAceAnInterview.com.  Join our growing community "Starting a New Job" group on LinkedIn.  Contact Robert at TheGetHiredExpert@gmail.com.

To visit Lesa Edwards' website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with Lesa Edwards: https://my.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon!

First of all, I want to point out that everything I’ve taught you in previous podcast episodes holds true for foreign nationals.

In other words, there’s nothing US citizens should do in their job search that foreign nationals shouldn’t do.

There is, however, another layer (or perhaps a few additional layers) for foreign nationals.

The order of this process MUST be:

1. Secure a job in the US, then obtain the appropriate visa

You are going to be looking for companies that are willing to sponsor a visa, which will cost the employer approximately $25K. Because of this, only about 5% of companies in the US will sponsor visas, and they typically only do so for individuals with highly specialized skills.

Even though you won’t yet have a visa when you are looking for employment, it is necessary to know what type of visa you will be seeking because certain employers will only sponsor certain types of visas.

Some of the more common visas are:

H1B – for specialized workers (this is the most common)

H2B – for temporary skilled or unskilled workers (non-agricultural but temporary in nature)

L1 – Intracompany Transferee – you have to be in management or have specialized skills and will be working for the same employer

Certain companies that have strong relationships with the US have specialized visas that are easier to obtain; these countries include Australia, the UK, Canada, and Mexico.

Beware of visa scams; there is never a fee to apply for a US work visa.

Note that many people find obtaining a student visa an easier route; they can then seek sponsorship once in the US, perhaps with a company they intern with.

The sites I recommend to look for jobs include Indeed, Glassdoor, and USponsor Me. Keep in mind you are looking for companies that are willing to sponsor, so don’t waste your time applying for those that don’t.

Sometimes, smaller companies may have difficulty attracting highly specialized workers, and thus may be more amenable to sponsoring a visa that very large corporations. They have to be large enough to be able to absorb the $25K in legal fees, but if they are small enough to not use an Applicant Tracking System (the computer software that may automically kick you out if you aren’t a US citizen) you might have an easier road.

LinkedIn is going to be a major resource for your job search in the US, so make sure your profile is top-notch. Take note of recruiters looking at you profile and/or connecting with you, then reach out to them about opportunities with sponsoring companies.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics website is an excellent source for salary information; the Occupational Outlook Handbook can help you with job prospects.

You can also Google things like “least expensive major US cities” to find the locations most affordable to live in. This will be particularly helpful if you are seeking an entry-level or unskilled laborer job or want to start your own business.

To avoid driving yourself insane, it will be important to have a career focus and a few cities you want to focus on. “I will take any job anywhere in the US” may sound like a good way to expand your options, but you aren’t targeting, which will make you appear irrelevant to employers.

Networking

Networking is very important for all job seekers…and especially so for foreign nationals.

While you may be thousands of miles away, the Internet and LinkedIn makes it possible to network effectively.

I won’t go into great detail here because this is a topic I’ve covered extensively in other episodes.

Resume

Everything I’ve said about the resume in other episodes holds true for foreign nationals. You have, however, a few additional hoops to jump through:

1. Make it clear what the US equivalent is to your degree, if obtained in another country. There are websites that can help you with this.

2. If there are other aspects of your resume that may not show the US equivalent, do so.

3. There shouldn’t be any personal information on your resume such as picture, age, marital status, or hobbies.

4. Your resume shouldn’t have any personal pronouns, such as “I” or “me.”

5. Tell what languages you speak, and your proficiency with each.

6. Although your references are separate from your resume, I want to talk briefly about them here. If you are able to secure US references, that will be a tremendous help.

Interviewing

Recently, someone reached out to me about the difficulty foreign nationals face in the interview process, especially if there is a language barrier.

If you think your ability to interview in English will be a barrier to employment, I recommend hiring an interview coach such as myself to determine if a barrier actually exists, how significant that barrier is, and how to address it.

It’s not just the language itself that creates a barrier – the lack of ability of understand sayings or humor may make it more difficult for the interviewer to feel as if he or she has really “gotten to know you.”

Five biggest mistakes in this process:

1. Putting your needs first

Sure you want a job in the US. But if you lead with that, the employer will be turned off.

2. Playing the desperation card

Don’t expect an employer, whom you’ve never even met, to feel sorry for you to the tune of $25K.

3.     Not showing your qualifications

You still have to be the most qualified candidate to get the job.

4.     Not showing your interest

Employers want to know why you want to work for them…not just that you want any job you can get. And your reason can’t be self-serving.

5.     Applying to companies that clearly don’t sponsor

This just wastes your time.

In closing, DO expect:

1.     That this process will take several months, if not a year

2. Lots of rejection and frustration

3. Some attempts to scam or cheat you, preying on your desire to work and live in the US

www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me:  https://my.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon! 

There are three basic needs that every person has in order for their job to be fulfilling. Of course, you probably have additional ones, but I want to focus on these three basics in today’s episode.

A job MUST provide you with an outlet for your passion, require sufficient proficiency to perform the job well, and compensate you sufficiently to be profitable.

Let’s break these down.

Passion

You MUST be engaged with the work you do for it to be fulfilling. You have motivated skills – those tasks you love to do and are very good at – that are non-negotiables. They MUST be present for your work to be fulfilling.

You may be passionate about the product or service your company sells, the company itself and what it stands for, your role in the company.

You could ask 100 people who say they are passionate about their jobs, and you’ll likely get about 100 responses to the question “What are you passionate about?” It varies depending on the job, the person, and the environment.

The bottom line: we as a human species seek passion in the work we do.

Proficiency

Humans have a basic need to feel proficient in the work they do. Whether they are filling totes with drugs to go off to a CVS, planning a fund-raising campaign for the local YMCA, or teaching young people to read, humans can only truly enjoy jobs in which they have at least a base level of proficiency.

Proficiency is a moving target, in that the level of proficiency expected of you on day one of a new job is very different from the level of proficiency expected of you in year two.

If you don’t know how to effectively execute the duties of the job to which you are assigned, frustration will be inevitable.

Most often, a lack of proficiency isn’t universal – you aren’t struggling with everything – but rather topical. You might have been promoted into a managerial role, for example, with no training or experience in managing people. You lack proficiency in this area of your new job.

Profitability

We most often think of profitability in terms of owning our own business. We brought in $X, $X went out, and what is left is considered profit.

However, profitability also applies to employment. Your paycheck is $X, your living expenses are $X, and what is left is your profit.

You put your job title (or aspirational title), level of experience and education, and geographic location into the blender and out comes a reasonable expectation of income.

Does that number allow you to live in a reasonable amount of comfort? This, of course, varies widely by individual. Will you be paying off high student loan debt? Living in a high cost-of-living city? Buying a new car?

I teach my clients to go into salary negotiations with three numbers: Their ideal salary (be realistic), their walkaway number (they won’t take the job at anything less than this number), and their starting number (if they are asked to throw out the first number, where do they need to start to end up at their ideal salary?)

You can also get creative about how to make your job more profitable. Seeking roommates and ride sharing instead of purchasing a vehicle are just two ways to reducing your cost of living so that your job is more profitable.

So what happens when one of these ingredients is missing?

Passion + Proficiency – Profitability = HOBBY

If you’re loving the work and are very good at it, but the mathematical equation leaves you consistently in the red, you have a hobby.

I see this with entrepreneurs who say they have a business but aren’t making any money. They have a hobby.

Proficiency + Profitability – Passion = BOREDOM

I see this one a lot with the more experienced clients who come to me. They’re very good at what they do and are making a good living, but they have lost (or never had) passion for the work. They are antsy to find something that will reignite their passion.

Passion can be a moving target, in that you are allowed to have shifting passions. Also, something you once found passion for is no longer “enough” – you need a new challenge to become passionate about.

Passion + Profitability – Proficiency = FAILURE

You simply can’t do the job you were hired to do. Maybe you’ve been promoted in the company because you were great at making widgets, but you truly suck at managing the widget makers.

Sometimes you can train for your lack of proficiency, if…of course…you identify that you have a lack of proficiency. Or someone else, such as your boss, brings it to your attention.

I also see this with entrepreneurs, whose lack of proficiency in a certain area of business eventually catches up with them. They don’t know how to run a business, they don’t know how to market themselves or their business, or they don’t know how to ask for the sale.

So look for jobs that ignite your passion, for which you have the necessary proficiency, and that are suitably profitable. If you are in a situation now that is missing one of these ingredients, get busy solving the problem before it is “solved” for you with termination, mounting financial troubles, or a desire to pull the covers up over your head when the alarm goes off in the morning.

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me:  https://my.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon!

I’ve gotten questions lately about what I do as career coach…and they ask if I am a life coach.

It occurred to me that there are some similarities and distinct differences between career coaching and life coaching, and I thought I would educate you, dear listeners.

If you want help with your career, it’s very important you know what kind of help you actually need…and who can best support you.

In either instance, understand that coaching is an unregulated industry, meaning that you can call yourself a coach without any type of certification or training. This doesn’t mean that someone without a certification is inferior to someone with a certification; it simply means that anyone can call themselves a coach.

Let’s think of this thing called coaching on a continuum, with life coaching on one end and career coaching on the other.

At the life coaching end, your coach will be working with you on how you think about your job, perhaps what your career goals and dreams are. Unless they have specialized training or experience in the job market, the hiring process, and how to conduct an effective job search, they likely won’t be able to help you with the DOING piece of a job search. They won’t be able to help improve your interview skills or navigate corporate politics.

At the career coaching end, you will (hopefully) have an expert in the job search, career management, interviewing, etc. They will mix some consulting in with their coaching because they will be teaching you how to do these things. You will be hiring them because they are experts and you want to learn from their expertise. They probably won’t be focused on your thoughts; instead, they will be focused on the DOING piece.

What if you want/need some of both? This is what I do. I am a Certified Executive and Leadership Development Coach and Certified Job Search Strategist who utilizes life coaching tools in her practice. I’m not a life coach, but I’ve been coached by the best life coach on the planet and have incorporated several of her tools into the work I do with my clients. I recognize that, no matter how great my job search tools are, if my clients aren’t thinking the right things they won’t get the results they desire.

So what to do if you want to hire a coach?

The first step is to get crystal clear on what you want to hire a coach for. What is the problem you want a coach’s help to solve?

The next step is to ASK QUESTIONS. Find out what a potential coach’s credentials and experience are; what kinds of clients they typically work with and what kind of results those clients are getting. Ask about the process they go through – is it a structured process or is the coach unable or unwilling to tell you what you’ll actually be doing?

Also be sure to check in with your gut…how do you feel when talking with this person? Are you connecting? Are there any language or cultural barriers that may get in the way of you getting what you need? Do you truly believe this person can help you?

Prices for coaching will vary widely depending on the coach’s education, experience, specialization, and even where he or she lives. I’ve seen coaches charge as little at $50 an hour when they are first starting out, and I’ve worked with coaches who charge $1000 an hour.

Keep in mind that what you are paying for isn’t an hour of coaching…or 10 hours of coaching. You are paying for results, so make sure you understand what the expected results are.

I’m not saying that merely purchasing a coaching package will get your desired results, because you have to do the work. A coach should be willing to tell you what IS a reasonable expectation, IF you do the work.

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon!

This week's episode is with Lauren Gerard, a client I worked with in 2018. Hear what motivated her to look for a new job, what her job search looked like before and after reaching out to me, what she found most helpful about working with a professional job search coach, how she found her new job, and how she's enjoying her new position.

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me:  https://my.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon! 

This week's podcast is an interview with Tallahassee entrepreneur Chirag Shah, owner of The Current Agency - a digital and creative marketing agency. We talk about his genesis as an entrepreneur, the challenges (and rewards) he's faced as an entrepreneur, how he has built his team through internships, and his plans for the future. 

Chirag's journey is a fascinating peek into the world of self-employment, community engagement, and business building. 

The Current Agency: www.current.agency

You can reach Chirag at: chirag@current.agency

Find them on your favorite social media!

www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me:  https://my.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon! 

I wanted to talk about this topic today because it’s one I’ve been working on for myself.

I think there’s a balance to be found between being grateful for what you have, and yet wanting more for your life.

Sometimes we think we have to be dissatisfied with our current circumstances in order to want something different.

We have to be really miserable at our job before we give ourselves permission to look for a different job.

We have to hate our life partner before we leave the relationship..

We have to hate our current weight before we’re “ready” to lose weight.

I want to offer a different perspective.

That you can be totally, 100% grateful for what you have, and still want something different.

You can love your current job, and just be ready for a new challenge.

You can love your life partner and still decide you want to be with someone else.

You can love yourself totally and still be overweight. And from that place of love, decide you want to take better care of yourself and lose weight.

I was listening to a podcast today that was about Entitlement, and it hit me right between the eyes.

It’s this notion that we deserve certain things.

This notion of Entitlement takes away any hope of genuine gratitude.

If you believe you are entitled to clean drinking water, then how can you possible be grateful for it?

If you believe you should have a higher paying job, how can you possibly be grateful for the job you have?

If you believe you should weigh less, how can you fully love yourself at your current weight?

Here are some of the things I realized I felt entitled to:

-More clients (after all, there’s an alphabet of letters after my name and I have 30 years’ experience)

-A new computer (after all, the one I have is woefully inadequate)

-A life partner (after all, I’m a great woman)

-A home (after all, successful 60-year-olds don’t live in apartments)

-A new car (after all, the one I have, while paid for, isn’t completely reliable)

Do you see how insidious these thoughts are?

-How can I show gratitude for my current clients if I believe I should have more?

-How can I appreciate the computer I’m currently using if I believe I deserve a new one?

-How can I exert the right energy to attract a life partner when I believe I’m entitled to have one?

-How can I be fully grateful for my cute, little, no-maintenance apartment in a quiet, safe, and centrally located neighborhood when I believe I deserve a home?

-How can I show gratitude for the car that gets me around perfectly well when I believe I should have a brand new one?

Here’s the balance:

Being fully grateful for what you currently have, while striving for better. Without believing you are entitled to anything different…better.

The upside: the energy you will be in will attract the “more” you want for your life.

-Instead of believing I “should” have more clients, I appreciate every single one I work with…no matter how few or many.

-Instead of believing I “deserve” a new computer, I appreciate the work my current computer is able to do and show gratitude for the new one that will come in its perfect time.

-Instead of believing I’m "entitled" to a life partner, I love my life exactly the way it is, and express daily gratitude for him.

-Instead of believing I "deserve" a mortgage, I’m grateful for my apartment and show it all the love I possibly can.

-Instead of hating on my quirky 14-year-old van, I love that I don’t have a car payment (and celebrate how well I commit to my vehicles) while believing for a new car in its perfect time.

Let’s bring this back to your career.

Over and over again, I have found that clients who aren’t miserable where they are the most successful job seekers.

They have positive energy, are optimistic about their job search, and know that something out there is better for them, while still loving their current job.

So often people choose to start hating on their current job or employer or boss before starting to look elsewhere …that’s the wrong energy to bring into a job search.

They believe they DESERVE better.

What if you decided to love your current job…employer…boss…and still wanted to look for a new position with a new company?

Remember, love is just a decision you make…it’s not something that happens to you, out of your control.

It’s based on the sentences in your head.

If those sentences are

“I hate my job”

“I don’t want to go to work today”

“I deserve better”

“My boss is an idiot”

You might have feelings of despair…anger…hate…entitlement.

These feelings WILL NOT spur you on to positive actions in your work. You might

-Slack off

-Call in sick

-Do the minimum

These actions WILL NOT benefit you when looking for a new position. They might even get you fired.

I hear what you’re saying, “You don’t know my situation.”

Yes I do.

There’s always something you can think that is better than the thoughts I just mentioned…that will get you better results. You might think:

“I’m glad I have benefits”

“I’m blessed to get a regular paycheck”

“I like many of my co-workers”

“I’m learning valuable skills”

If you think these thoughts, you might have feelings of happiness…fulfillment…success.

These feelings will lead to much more positive actions at work, such as:

-Coming to work every day

-Putting in a full day’s work

-Engaging with co-workers

-Learning new things

Here are my top 5 tips for showing gratitude for what you currently have, while wanting more:

-Adopt a daily gratitude practice

-Do a daily thought download

-Catch yourself thinking negative thoughts and look at them with compassion

-Begin practicing new thoughts

-Allow yourself to dream

Let’s talk about the additional layer of challenge involved in looking for a job in another city.

For any job search, you will need the following:

-Updated resume, cover letter, LinkedIn profile (your marketing materials)

-A clear job target, and experiences to support that target

-A job search strategy

-A network of people

-Technology (i.e. phone, computer, video interviewing capabilities, Internet)

-Appropriate interview clothing

-Interview skills

-Money for all of the above

Conducting a job search outside of the city you currently live in adds the following:

-Target city(ies) – if you try to look for a job just anywhere, you’ll be in for the long haul and higher expenses

-Resources to research those cities, which I talk about later

-Contacts in those cities, if possible

-Additional money to travel to those cities, move, etc.

-Additional money for other moving-related expenses, such as a wardrobe for a different climate, geographic-specific expenses such as the tax to move into Florida

As a general rule, expect a non-local job search to take longer and cost more money, although this varies by your industry and job function.

Also, some companies will reimburse moving expenses, either as a flat allowance or after submitting your receipts for eligible expenses. This is a question to ask – not in the initial interview unless the interviewer brings it up, but certainly before you get to the offer stage as any moving reimbursement should be included in the written offer of employment.

Here are some resources for conducting a job search in another city:

-Chamber of Commerce online directories

-Convention and Visitor’s Bureaus

-Book of Lists

-ReferenceUSA

-livibility.com – list of 10 best cities to live in

-Cost of Living Calculator (I like bestplaces.net) – this site also allows you to compare cities you might be considering side-by-side on a range of characteristics such as crime rate, housing, transportation, etc.

For example, if you would reasonably expect a $50K salary in your hometown of Kansas City, MO and are considering a move to Los Angeles, you would need to get $106,148. More than double!

So important to do this research before even looking for jobs so you can eliminate those that would net you less money than you need to live on.

www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me:  https://my.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon!

This week, I interview Ron Frazier, one of two Entrepreneurs-in-Residence at Florida State University's Jim Moran School of Entrepreneurship. We talk about his entrepreneurial journey, the innovative curriculum for FSU's entrepreneurship majors, some of the exciting businesses they have started as students, and where they've gone after graduation.

For those of you interested in becoming entrepreneurs or just those with curiosity about the world of self-employment, don't miss this episode!

You can reach Ron at frazierron78@gmail.com

To check out FSU's School of Entrepreneurship: www.jimmorancollege.fsu.edu

www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon! 

I’m getting a lot of questions from people about how to navigate the sea of resume writers and career coaches out there. If I were you, I would be confused about whether I even needed a professional resume writer or a career coach, much less which ones to choose.

I recently did an episode (#89) about the differences between how a life coach will likely approach career coaching versus how a career coach will approach career coaching.

As I mentioned in that episode, coaching is an unregulated industry, meaning someone doesn’t have to have a coaching certification to call themselves a coach. I highly recommend a certified coach, but keep in mind that all certification programs aren’t created the same, and the fact of someone having a certification doesn’t inherently make them a better coach or resume writer than someone without a certification.

Let’s talk about career coaching first, because in many respects I think it’s a cleaner topic.

Let’s first talk about WHY you would hire a career coach. Here are eight possible scenarios:

1. You have been job searching for some time now, with little to show for it. You want results, and you’re willing to pay for help in getting them.

2.     You know that job boards are ineffective, but you don’t know the alternative. You want a proven program that will take you through the steps necessary to plan and launch a more effective job search strategy.

3.     You are networking averse. Or networking shy. You want coaching around the tactics and mindset necessary to build a network that will serve you now and for years to come.

4.     You are not confident in your interview skills. You want to practice with an expert to gain the skills and confidence to ace any job interview.

5.     You want to shift into a different career, and you either don’t know what that new field should be or you don’t know how to access the new field. A career coach will likely use coaching AND assessments to help you navigate this process.

6.     You need accountability and support throughout your job search. You want an expert to help you stay on track, keep the right mindset, and recalibrate when needed.

7.     You want to talk to a professional about whether the timing is right to launch a job search.

8.     You want to seek an internal promotion, and you want an expert to help you plan and execute an effective strategy.

If I were looking for a career coach, here are the steps I would go through:

1. Get clear on exactly what type of help you’re looking for.

I covered this in episode #89, but it’s important to get clear on whether you need the expertise of a job search expert or career management expert…someone who has a program designed to get you where you want to go, or a life coach who will work on your thoughts about your current job, your marketability, or your dreams.

Some, like me, marry career coaching and life coaching together to give the best of both worlds.

2.     Utilize your network for referrals.

Many of my clients come to me through referrals, so I think this is a great way to narrow down the sea of possibilities. You’ll be able to get first-hand experience of what it’s like to work with that individual.

Conversely, you could do an online search and then check in with your network to see if anyone has used one of your top prospects, and if so, what their experience was like.

3.     Do your homework.

LinkedIn and the coach’s website are two good places to start. On LinkedIn, does the coach’s profile speak to you – do you feel like this individual understands you and can help you? Does the coach have recommendations on LinkedIn, and if so, what have previous clients said about that coach?

One thing that is extremely important to me in a coach is professionalism, and that shows through (or doesn’t) in the coach’s LI profile and website. Also, are past clients commenting on the coach’s professionalism?

4.     Schedule a consult.

Most career coaches will offer a free consult call – mine are 30 minutes; they tend to range from 20 minutes to a full hour.

The professional coaches are going to walk you through a series of questions designed to help you with one thing you’re struggling with. The idea is they are providing value ahead of time – before you’ve ever given them a penny – and they are demonstrating what it would be like with them as your coach.

If there is no structure to the consult call, I would consider this a red flag. This shouldn’t be a loosy-goosy chat, but rather a structured coaching call. What you get in the consult, after all, is a microcosm of what you’ll get as a client with that coach.

At the end of that consult, expect the coach to let you know the options for working further with him/her.

5.     Pay attention to your gut.

Remember, the coach doesn’t have to be “bad” in order for the two of you to not connect…not click.

There should be a bit of magic in that consult call, and if it’s just not there, don’t try to force it.

And definitely don’t sign on with someone you’re not super excited about.

6.     Price isn’t everything.

Finding the $50/hour coach may seem like a bargain, but make sure you’re following all the previous steps as well and not just focusing on the cost of the coaching package.

As a frame of reference, many certified coaches are required to do a certain number of coaching hours for free (or a greatly reduced fee) when they’re first starting out. If there’s a lot riding on the coaching you need, this may not be your best option, as these coaches are just starting out and probably don’t have the expertise and experience of a more seasoned coach.

The hourly charge varies widely, but here are the results from four sites I visited:

#1: New coaches $50-$75; average for more experienced coaches is $100-$500 per hour

#2: Average is $207, with a range of $75-$497

#3: Range is $50-$250

#4: Average is $100, with a range of $100-$150

Keep in mind that you aren’t paying for an hour of coaching, but for what that hour of coaching will result in for you.

Most experienced coaches will have a package and can walk you through the results you can – and shouldn’t – expect from that package.

In case you’re interested, my hourly rate for entry-level professionals within the first 10 years of their career is $150; for mid-level professionals it is $250, and for executives it is $350.

Note that these ranges are all for one-on-one coaching; group programs will typically be less expensive but won’t be as personalized or high touch. It’s up to you to decide what format will best facilitate your success.

In terms of my programs, my Land Your Dream Job! for college grads in the first 10 years of their career is a four-session group coaching program that is $295; my two-session interview coaching program is $225.

Let’s shift gears and talk about resume writers. As with coaching, resume writing is an unregulated industry, so there are plenty of folks out there with no credentials in resume writing.

As with career coaching, I want to start with why you would want to hire a credentialed resume writer instead of going it alone. Here are five important reasons:

1.     The Applicant Tracking System (ATS) will read your resume before a human does.

There are implications here for how your resume is formatted, what words are in your resume and where, and hazards to avoid to ensure your resume scores high enough to make it to the human eye.

2.     You probably don’t do your own taxes or fix your own plumbing.

Professional resume writing is a profession, and there are many great writers out there who provide a tremendous service. Don’t try to go it alone.

3.     Your resume should be a marketing document, not a static “data sheet.”

Even if you knew how to write a great resume, it’s very difficult to assess yourself objectively to determine what your brand message is. It’s extraordinarily helpful to have an expert observer to work with in articulating your brand differentiators.

4.     The added benefits.

One of the things my clients frequently comment on is that the process we go through in gathering the information for their resume is also preparing them for the job interview. THIS IS BY DESIGN.

Not only that, clients have the opportunity to pick my brain and benefit from my decades of experience as I write their marketing documents for them.

5.     Confidence.

One of the greatest by-products my clients comment on is seeing themselves through my eyes, via their resume. They often say, “I would hire this person.” A client recently said, “You made me look like a stud.” I told her, “You ARE a stud.”

As with career coaches, credentials are important in the resume writing industry, but the presence of lack of a credential isn’t by itself, evidence of the writer’s ability.

When I was considering becoming a resume writer, I met with a Rockstar in this industry and asked her about the alphabet soup of credentials available.

The reason I chose Academy Certified Resume Writer (ACRW) is because it was the only one that provided training. The other organizations require some combination of a test and submission of examples of the resume writer’s work for review, but there is no education component.

Here are the three primary players in this space:

NCRW – Nationally Certified Resume Writer

CPRW – Certified Professional Resume Writer (this is by far the most common)

ACRW – Academy Certified Resume Writer

MRW – Master Resume Writer

So, if you are looking for a resume writer, here are the steps I recommend:

1.     Search “credentialed resume writer” on LinkedIn, then review the profiles of several that are most appealing to you. How are they presenting themselves on LinkedIn? This is especially important if you need your resume writer to write your LinkedIn profile, but even if you aren’t, you’ll get a good sense of the individual’s writing ability from their profile.

2.     Pick your top 3-5 to review their website. In addition to information about who they work with and their process, you should find samples of their work. Keep in mind that those samples are representations of their BEST work, so if you see errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar…keep on going.

3. Set up consults with the top contenders. As with coaches, pay attention to how connected you feel, whether you feel this person understands you, and whether he/she has experience in your field.

Most resume writers operate from one of two models: they either provide you a questionnaire to get all the information they need to write your resume, or they gather your information via a phone call.

There’s no right or wrong here, but if you have a strong preference for one over the other, be sure to ask about this during the consult.

4.     Price, again, isn’t everything.

Here are some general rules of thumb in terms of how much you can expect to pay for a resume writer:

½% to 1% of your expected annual salary is a good rule of thumb. In other words, if you’re right out of college and expecting to make $50K, I would look for resume writers in the $400-$500 range (much below that amount and you probably won’t get a better document than you could do yourself).

If you expect to make $100K, then expect to pay $500-$1K.

So let’s wrap it up with five questions to ask yourself:

1.     Is what I am doing getting me the results I want?

2.     On a scale of 1-10, how motivated am I REALLY to getting the results I want?

3.     Is getting the results I want enough of a priority that I’m willing to put money into getting those results? How much money am I willing to invest?

4.     Is now the best time for me to invest money into getting the results I want, or are there things going on in my personal or professional life that make it a good idea to wait? If I choose to wait, when will I be ready to move forward?

5.     If I’m ready to get help, what are my first three steps? Who will I speak to, where will I conduct research, and how will I decide whose help to get?

www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me:  https://my.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon!

Today, we’re talking about university career centers. I want to begin this topic by saying that I have 22 years’ experience as the director of two university career centers, so I know of what I speak.

Keep in mind that what I talk about today are generalizations. There are no requirements for what career centers must offer or what their staffing levels must be, although the National Association of Colleges and Employers sets some broad standards for career centers.

It is not uncommon for career centers to have a 2,000-1 staffing ratio, meaning that there is one FTE for every 2,000 students. Because of this, the availability of one-on-one career counseling is often limited or not available at all.

I know this episode will be controversial for some, so I’d love to hear feedback, especially from those of you who either work at, or have used the services of, a university career center that is considerably better, or worse, than my descriptions. Tell me what they are doing that makes them great or not-so-great.

What Career Centers Do Well

As a general rule, here’s where I think most career centers excel:

1. Presentations to classes and organizations.

Because they are on campus and interact with faculty and staff, they are usually available to come into classes and organizations to speak on a range of career-related topics.

These presentations serve a dual purpose: They provide valuable information to the students, and they put a face with the office, so students may be less intimidated to walk into the career center and seek help.

2.      Career fairs.

Campus career fairs that bring employers to the students is another strength of most career centers. Larger universities may have multiple career fairs for various colleges, groups of majors, or career interests.

3. Career planning.

I think most career centers do a pretty good job of career planning with their students, using some combination of group teaching, one-on-one counseling, and assessments.

This career planning help students identify a major and potential career paths.

4.      Alumni connections.

Whether through the career center or the alumni office, career centers often at least facilitate connections between students and alumni.

Alumni are valuable resources for networking and for finding out about a city, industry, or employer, and they are often willing to make introductions on the student’s behalf.

5.      Career speakers.

Whether these speakers are alumni of the university or not, having people from a range of professions on campus to speak to students is a huge benefit of career centers.

I have witnessed so many students over the years have a major “aha!” moment at these types of events, as they are exposed to a career field they either didn’t know about or knew very little about.

6.      Basic-level help.

I am specifically saying basic-level help, because many career center staff aren’t trained to provide high-level coaching. In fact, many career centers are set up with peer consultants who provide the bulk of one-on-one assistance to students.

For many students, this basic-level help is all they need to get their first job post-graduation.

Career Center Limitations

Again, keep in mind that I’m painting this with broad brush strokes, but my points are based on personal experience, both in career services and as someone who works with recent college grads in my practice.

1.      Outdated resume techniques.

This is the biggest one for me. I’ve yet to see a resume that has been worked on at a university career center that I would consider useful. What I’m seeing are old-school, static “data sheets” rather than marketing documents that effectively market the student for the job they want. The focus is on job duties, rather than achievements.

When I got my first resume certification, I had been in career services for nearly 20 years – and I realized I had been teaching students the wrong way to create a resume all that time.

I was also sold the line of BS that a person must create their own resume; otherwise, it wouldn’t be “genuine” or “authentic.” I actually find it extremely helpful for someone other than you to package your skills and achievements—especially if that person is a credentialed resume writer.

2.      Focus on job boards.

There are plenty of jobs available for entry-level candidates on job boards; the problem is that only about 25% of all jobs are on those job boards. Most universities have software, either canned or home-grown, that provides students with a job board specific to them.

It’s extremely important, in my opinion, to learn how to conduct a targeted, proactive job search early in your career so you can hone those skills throughout your career.  While many career centers talk about networking, I don’t believe that many of them go deep enough with this topic.

3.      Limited one-on-one access to knowledgeable professionals.

As I mentioned earlier, many career centers’ first line workers are students themselves, and they have limited knowledge of career planning and the job search.

Even the full-time professionals often aren’t trained as career coaches, professional resume writers, job search strategists, or the like. What they’ve learned is by osmosis from their director or assistant director, so if the skill set isn’t there at the top, it’s not going to be able to trickle down throughout the center.

4.      Perception.

Because career centers are the “hometown” option, they can often be overlooked while a student is in college. After all, they are right around the corner or down the hall…and the “get around to it” thing never happens.

I also think it sometimes takes a recent college graduate going back home to their parents’ basement to realize they don’t have a clue what they should be doing to look for a job.

While I prefer to work with recent college graduates who did take advantage of their university career center and want more than they were able to get there, I also get folks who (like me) never darkened the door of their university career center while they were a student.

5.      Wide difference in the quantity and quality of services.

I used to say parents would be very interested to know about these differences, because most parents are sending junior to college so he gets a good, high-paying job. Mom and dad would be shocked to learn of the huge variations in the career services offered by the universities junior is considering enrolling at.

So let me bottom-line it for you: I DO want you to use your university career center when you’re a student, and those services MAY be available to you as an alum. You are likely to get a good foundation of career counseling and job search preparation there.

However, many people will find they need more advanced help than their university career center is able to provide.

There’s lots of free information out there, and that’s a good start. This podcast and all the YouTube videos I have, for example. Lots of books and online courses.

You know it’s time to invest in paid services when you aren’t able to solve your problem yourself and you’re willing to invest money to solve your problem.

www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me:  https://my.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon!

I get a lot of questions about recruiters, so I figured some education was in order.

Specifically, people ask me if they should be connecting with recruiters as part of their job search strategy. They are talking specifically about third-party recruiters, as opposed to recruiters who are employed in the HR department of a company and are recruiting solely for that company.

As a general rule, I prefer recruiters as part of a long-term career management strategy, rather than as part of an active job search.

Also, keep in mind that the terms “recruiter” and “headhunter” are synonymous.

There are two primary types of recruiters, with some other flavors thrown in the mix.

Contingency Firms

These are what I like to call “one of many,” in that contingency firms are competing against each other to bring the winning candidate to an employer.

Rather than an exclusive relationship with one recruiter, an employer might let a half-dozen contingency firms know about an opening. The only firm that receives payment is the one that brings forth the candidate the employer hires.

You see contingency firms in use with mid-level jobs; typically the executive jobs will be managed by the next type of firm.

Contingency firms will often “pre-screen” candidates ahead of an actual job opening, because speed is the name of the game here. If they wait for the job to be posted to look for suitable candidates, it will likely take too long and the position will be filled – with another contingency firm getting the fee.

As a result, if you are contacted by a recruiter, the first question you should ask is “Are you a contingency firm or retained search firm?” If they are a contingency firm, you’ll want to investigate further to determine whether they have a specific position in mind for you, or they are just filling their coffers.

If you are in active job search mode, you don’t want to waste time filling out information for a contingency firm so they can put you in their database for down the line.

In terms of building long-term relationships with contingency recruiters, I recommend doing so with only about three. More than that, and other recruiters will shy away from you because they don’t want to get into a war over who actually “owns” you for a particular job. In other words, who should get the commission for placing you?

Retained Search Firms

Retained search firms have an exclusive contract with a company to shepherd candidates through the entire hiring process—from needs assessment, evaluating bench strength, advertising, interviewing, and even negotiating salary.

They are paid a percentage of the candidate’s annual salary (this comes out of the employer’s pocket, not the winning candidate).

Because of this structure, retained search firms aren’t typically looking to fill their database with potential candidates, because each search is highly individualized. Rather, they are focused solely on the contracts they have already won and are currently working on.

As a result, trying to access a retained recruiter who is looking for someone exactly like you, at exactly the time you reach out, is a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack. Better to let them come to you.

So…What Do I Do with this Information?

As a long-term career management strategy, it’s a great idea to connect with a few (not too many) recruiters who operate in your space. Below I’ve provided some suggestions as to how you can provide value to these recruiters as a way to stay in their field of vision.

LinkedIn is your place to find recruiters. You may also be getting contacted by recruiters on LinkedIn, and it’s okay to accept their invitations to connect as long as it’s not too many.

Ways to add value to recruiters:

1. Send candidates their way.

2. Be a source of insider industry information.

3. Keep them posted on your career progression, new credentials, etc.

As a short-term job search strategy, I recommend talking to recruiters who reach out to you, but not spending time trying to find recruiters who might have a position for you.

The best way to attract recruiters is to have a top-notch LinkedIn profile; this is where recruiters live day in and day out. There are specific parts of your profile they search on to find suitable candidates; if you’d like help having a standout profile, reach out to me for a consult.

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me:  https://my.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon! 

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about boredom at work. Not only for my clients, but because I’m dealing with a bit of boredom in my own work. I’ve just completed a couple of big goals in my business, and I’m challenged now with finding the next big thing I want to go after…so I’m a bit bored at the moment.

Which got me to thinking about how some people stay at the same job for decades and totally love their work, while others feel stagnant after just a few years.

I think it’s important at this point to talk about the stages of learning:

1. Unconsciously Incompetent

2. Consciously Incompetent

3. Consciously Competent

4. Unconsciously Competent

Here’s the point: when you’ve been doing the same task, the same way, for a while, you become unconsciously competent at that task.

In other words, your brain, in its propensity to want to be efficient, creates a neural pathway relative to that task, and relegates that task to your subconscious. In other words, you can do that task without really thinking about how to do it.

Here are some examples of unconscious tasks you may do daily:

-Drive to work

-Brush your teeth

-Walk your dog

-Tie your shoes

Once you tell your brain “It’s time to go to work,” your subconscious takes over with grabbing the car keys, locking your front door, walking to your car, unlocking your car, putting the key in the ignition, backing out of your parking space, and pointing your car in the direction of your work.

If you had to give conscious thought to each of those tasks, your brain would be very busy…and would have very little capacity to think of much else during the time you were consciously getting yourself to work.

How does this relate to work? Let’s say you work in public relations, and one of your jobs every day is to scan social and print media for mentions of your employer.

You’ve been doing this task five days a week for a year now, so your brain has become very efficient at doing it. You have a system in place to get this task done, and your brain has practiced going unconscious until you find a mention of your employer.

While you are very efficient at performing this task, you begin to find it very boring. You’re not learning anything new, so you’re not forming any new neural pathways. Your brain isn’t getting a workout, so it might be going a little soft in the middle.

With all of this in mind, here are some suggestions for how to shake things up so that your brain is engaged more at work:

1. Do the rote task a different way...in a different sequence

2. Do the rote task in a different location

3. Do the rote task at a different time of day

4. Break up the rote task into bite-size chunks, if it is time-intensive

5. Create a challenge/reward around the rote task

6. Swap your rote task with a coworker’s rote task

7. Learn something new while doing the rote task (such as listening to an educational podcast)

8. Ask to take on a new responsibility that will NOT be rote for you

9. Speak with your boss about reassigning the rote task so you can take on something more challenging for you

10. Use puzzles, games, and other tools to engage your brain

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me:  https://my.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon! 

I do a lot of interview coaching with my clients.

I write about interviewing.

I have done several podcasts around the job interview.

I’ve conducted dozens of actual interviews in higher education, nonprofits, and retail management.

I am considered an expert in interview preparation.

In light of my credentials, and because it’s near Halloween, I decided to give you my Unlucky 13 Fatal Interview Mistakes.

Probably not in the way you are thinking.

Rather than talk about specific questions candidates answer “wrong,” I want to talk about the bigger picture here.

The fatal ways in which candidates show up improperly for the job interview.

1. Interviewing “just for practice.” (This can absolutely come back to bite you in the butt.)

2.    Not doing your homework on the company/product/industry. (Which means, among other things, that you won’t be able to articulate how you are the perfect person for the job.)

3.    Not doing your homework on the people you will be interviewing with, whenever possible. (Think foot in mouth.)

4.    Not preparing your Challenge-Action-Result (CAR) stories to answer behavioral interview questions.  (You simply can’t ace an interview without preparing for the behavioral questions, and you can’t wing them, either.)

5.    Not being able to clearly and concisely articulate your brand differentiators. (Why should they hire you over the sea of candidates they are considering? If you don’t tell them, who will?)

6.    Minimizing your achievements/qualifications. (This one’s specifically for the ladies – it ain’t bragging if you can prove it.)

7.    Showing up late / on time. (On time IS late.)

8.    Not making a good first impression with your appearance. (Top to bottom, they are judging you on first impressions.)

9.    The dead-fish handshake. (Especially if you are a dude shaking a woman’s hand.)

10.Leaving the interview without a clear understanding of what’s going to happen next. (Not only do you need to know what’s next, it will make you look more interested in professional when you ask.)

11.Not showing your enthusiasm for the company, the position, the product, etc. (They need to know you want THAT job, not just ANY job.)

12. Being discourteous/dismissive of ANYONE you come in contact with at the company. (What – you think they don’t share this information?)

13.Thinking there’s EVER a time during this process when you aren’t being interviewed. (From the initial contact to set up an interview, to you getting out of your car in their parking lot, to your manners over lunch…it’s all interview.)

www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me:  https://my.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon! 

This week's episode is a trip down memory lane, with a look at how this podcast started, how it got to episode #100, and where we're going from here.

As my present to you, here's a teachable moment from the 100-episode Exclusive Career Coach podcast host:

Love the work you do.

No, you won’t love every day or every task.

But, on balance, you should love your job.

Being miserable at work doesn’t just affect the results you get at work.

It affects your relationships.

It affects your sleep.

In other words, it affects everything.

Here’s the best news: You get to decide whether to love your job or not.

It’s totally up to you.

The only thing responsible for being miserable at work is your own brain.

Not your boss. Not your coworkers. Not your paycheck. Not your company. Not your commute.

Your brain.

Sure, you can get up in the morning and dread going to work.

You can think “I hate my job.”

But, does that thought serve you?

What if you decided today you were going to love your job?

You were going to be grateful for the paycheck, the benefits, the people you get to help?

Doesn’t mean you have to stay there.

It simply means you’ll have a better experience while you’re still there.

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon! 

Welcome to the second 100 episodes of The Exclusive Career Coach!

Today, I want to talk about volunteering as a strategy for developing your career.

Here’s a definition of volunteering:

Volunteering is generally considered an altruistic activity where an individual or group provides services for no financial or social gain "to benefit another person, group or organization". ... Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue.

Let’s begin by defining the types of volunteering experiences available. My source for this information is gooverseas.com. While the focus of this site is volunteering abroad, their information also applies to local volunteering.

In a short-term volunteer program, volunteers provide service to a community on a short-term basis and/or focus on the cultural learning experience. These programs can be for-profit or not-for-profit.

Quick facts about short-term volunteer programs:

· Offer short-term volunteer positions (from one week to three months).

· Generally do not require volunteers to have specific educational or professional qualifications.

· Are the most common types of overseas volunteering programs available.

The biggest disadvantage to short-term volunteering is you may be “gap filling” meaning you may not have the opportunity to make much of an impact.

Local examples of this type of volunteering might include helping out with a local arts festival or event, ushering at for a concert series, or helping to plan and execute a 5K race.

Type #2 - Long-Term Volunteer Programs

The focus of most long-term volunteer placements work is on empowering local people. These programs often involve some kind of skills transfer and may require volunteers to have specific educational or professional qualifications.

Quick facts about long-term volunteer programs:

· Generally not-for-profit.

· Require volunteers to have specific educational or professional qualifications or provide training to support volunteers in developing the requisite skills.

· Usually involves the transfer of required skills and knowledge to individuals and groups over a longer time period e.g. six months or more.

The primary advantage of long-term volunteer work is that volunteers usually work very closely with local people on long-term issues; this gives you the chance to potentially see your impact on big, difficult issues. A disadvantage is that, as the project is long-term, it can take a long time for the results of the program to become visible.

Local examples of this type of volunteering might include serving as a foster dog or cat parent, building houses with Habitat for Humanity, and becoming a guardian ad litem for children in the court system.

Conservation volunteer programs are primarily concerned with conservation and environmental work in the field.

Quick facts about conservation volunteer programs:

· Focus on environmental issues on a local or global scale.

· Can involve working with endangered animals, threatened environments (on land or in the ocean) or even with organic or sustainable farming projects.

· Are generally very hands-on and offer a real chance to learn about global conservation challenges and how they are being confronted.

Advantage: One good advantage of conservation volunteer projects is that they are often results-orientated so it’s far easier for you to identify -- and measure -- your impact. Conversely, your impact may not always be welcome.

A notable disadvantage is that volunteers may face hostility from local people or agencies is possible, particularly where there's a tension between the destruction of environmental resources and the need for economic development.

There are plenty of local opportunities to volunteer with conservation groups. Think of your specific skill set, conservation-related passion, and availability: can you clean up a stream one Saturday? Would you like to participate in a more long-term project, such as removal of an invasive plant species? How could you support recycling efforts in your community?

Type #4 - Relief/Emergency Programs

The focus of most relief or emergency volunteer work is on emergency situations, which could arise as a result of conflicts or natural disasters, such as volunteering with refugees or volunteering as part of hurricane relief efforts.

Projects are usually run on short notice and concentrate on basic needs, such as the provision of food, water, sanitation, medicine, and shelter. Many placements require specific professional and educational qualifications, as well as relevant prior experience.

Quick facts about emergency relief volunteer programs:

· Work in disaster areas and help those who need it most.

· Requires volunteers who can adapt to the immediate needs of the context.

· Can take the form of work in the aftermath of an emergency or in destinations where forward-planning for future distasters is required.

The biggest advantage of volunteering in emergency relief is that the results of your hard-work will be readily visible; you can see the impact you're having on a daily basis.

This can come at a cost though; one of the primary disadvantages of this type of volunteer work is that it can be very stressful and emotional on a personal level. Many top volunteer organizations provide support to volunteers to help manage this burden.

Local availability of these types of volunteer opportunities means either you’ve had a disaster in your area or you can help with local efforts towards a disaster that has happened elsewhere in the world.

I want to add to gooverseas.com’s list with a more local viewpoint.

When you are volunteering in your community, you have the opportunity for one-off or very short-term volunteering. Just yesterday, for example, I was telling a friend that I was thinking of volunteering with the artist series here in Tallahassee. They might want me to serve as an event usher, help take tickets, or assist with parking. Here are the benefits of this type of volunteer experience:

· The opportunity to interact with the people you want to make contact with

· An indirect way of supporting the arts in your community

· Free access to high-quality entertainment

The Benefits of Volunteering

Beyond the altruism, there are several tangible benefits to volunteering; here are a few specific to career advancement:

-You have the opportunity to get to know other volunteers. These people can be sources of job opportunities or even hire for their companies.

-You have the opportunity to interact with those taking advantage of the volunteer services you are providing.

-You have the opportunity to develop career-related hard and soft skills.

-You are demonstrating community engagement, which looks good on your resume.

-You can try on a different career before making a long-term commitment to that career.

-You can utilize a passion or interest area that isn’t being utilized at work, which may make you more satisfied with your job.

Leveraging Your Volunteer Experience

Finally, here are tips for leveraging your volunteer experience:

-Connect with everyone you meet through your volunteering via LinkedIn.

-If the connection has seen you working, ask for a recommendation on LinkedIn.

-Include your volunteer experiences on your resume and LI profile.

-TALK to people. Get them talking about their work; be interested and ask insightful questions. You never know where these conversations may lead.

-Schedule one-on-ones outside the volunteer venue. Offer to help and ask for help.

-Give it your best effort. Although not being paid, treat your volunteer experience with the same level of commitment and excellence as you do your paid job.

Bottom line: volunteering should be, first and foremost, an altruistic act. Ideally one that marries your skills (either current or those you want to develop), your passions, and your goals.

Look at several opportunities, ask questions about the organization and the leadership, try it on for size if at all possible. Commit only when you’re all in. Then give it your very best.

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me:  https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS. Hope to see you soon! 

First of all: In full disclosure, I spend about 15 minutes per day, five days a week, on LinkedIn - just want you to know I practice what I preach.

As an entrepreneur, my goal on LinkedIn is to get clients – to be seen as the career management expert I am. Your goal might be to get a new job, to be more attractive to recruiters, or to be recognized as a Subject Matter Expert in your field.

Here’s how I spend my 15-minute parcels of time (and I actually set the timer on my phone for this):

Mondays: I offer an “old” podcast post on my personal profile and my business profile, then I spend 15 minutes wishing happy birthdays, congrats on the new job or promotion, and interacting in the groups I am in. So, a tad more than 15 minutes on Mondays.

Tuesdays: 15 minutes of pure interaction and congrats.

Wednesdays: I post my new podcast on LI, so less than 15 minutes.

Thursdays: The same as Tuesdays; 15 minutes of pure interaction and congrats.

Fridays: I “recycle” old content I’ve created as an original article (essentially a blog that lives on LI). Because I also create original artwork for the article using Canva, I spend a bit more than 15 minutes on LI on Fridays.

One thing I used to do is send personalized messages to everyone I’m connected to. Hi, how can we support each other, that sort of thing. I wasn’t getting ANY responses. Not one. This was very labor-intensive, so I eliminated it in favor of other higher-yield activities.

Some definitions are in order here, for those of you less familiar with LI. My attempt is to explain any of the above activities in case you have no idea what I’m talking about.

-On your LI profile, you have the option of creating an “article” – original content, or a short-form post – which can be a question, announcement, link, etc. You do this under the “home” tab at the top of your LI profile.

-If you are writing an article – again, this means original content – you have the option of artwork, which I strongly recommend. When you click on the article link, you’ll see where the artwork goes. You’ll have to play around with sizing, but I use Canva for the artwork and for pics I use Pixabay.

-The “Notifications” tab is where you’ll see information on whose birthday it is, who’s gotten a new job or a promotion, etc. As I mentioned above, I do this on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays – this keeps it from being an overly-long task and allows me to be timely with my comments.

-I also talked about commenting in the groups I belong to. If you haven’t joined any groups, that will be step one for you.

To find groups, go into your profile. At the top, you’ll find the search bar. When you click on that, one of the options that comes up is “Groups.” Click on Groups, then in the search bar put a specific type of group you’re interested in. If that yields an overly large number of results, narrow your search further.

When I’m deciding on which groups I want to join, I look for two things: group size and activity level. If I see that the most recent post in a group was two weeks ago, I know that’s not an active group and I keep going. Generally, I look for larger groups – they don’t have to be the biggest, as I may get lost in those – but there does need to be a critical mass.

-Now that you’ve joined some groups, you want to poke around in those groups to see where you can make a comment, ask a question, agree with something, etc. In general, you don’t want to self-promote, at least not right off the bat. If you position yourself as an expert in your field, you WILL be self-promoting, but in a way that is acceptable and will serve you better. Even if you’re just positioning yourself as an engaged professional in your field, you are getting your name and your skills out there.

-Review the groups you belong to regularly. If there are ones that aren’t doing it for you, exit those groups. Poke around for some new groups every once in a while. I like a critical mass of 20-25 groups; any more than that is unmanageable for me; any fewer and I’m not spreading the love around enough.

So how might your 15-minute parcels be used? It’s helpful to start with a goal for LI. Your goal might be:

-To increase your number of connections

-To spread your influence on LI and be seen as a Subject Matter Expert

-To get closer to decision-makers in your dream companies

-To engage in professional conversations via the groups you belong to

-To stay connected to people you used to work with, haven’t seen for a while, etc.

Here are some suggestions:

-Spend time 3-5X/week sending birthday wishes and congratulations to your network.

-Spend time 3-5X/week interacting in the groups you belong to.

-Connect with people (used the Advanced Search function).

-Send messages to those you’re already connected with. These can range from personal messages to people you actually know, to asking questions to get to know those you don’t already know personally.

-If you have original content or are willing to create it, share on LI.

-Comment on posts in your feed (these are the people you’re connected to, separate from the groups you belong to).

Notice what ISN’T included in these 15-minute parcels:

-Job searching/applying to jobs.

If you’re in active job search mode, this could easily take all of your daily 15-minute parcels and then some. This should be a separate block of time, as part of your job search strategy.

-Updating your LI profile

This infrastructure work is important but doesn’t count as connecting/engaging time.

In summary:

-Set one or two goals for your time on LI

-Calendar 15 minutes every day for LI, and write in your calendar how you will spend this time each day

-Review your activities periodically to determine what is, and isn’t, getting traction.

Need help creating an amazing LI profile, or maximizing LI for your career goals? Set up a call with me and I’ll let you know how I can help you one-on-one.

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me:  https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS. Hope to see you soon! 

This episode is specifically for women and those who hire, train, coach, mentor, manage, or supervise them. And those who know women.

So basically everybody.

If you’re not familiar with the term “glass ceiling,” here’s a definition: “An unofficially acknowledged barrier to advancement in a profession, especially affecting women and members of minorities.”

I want to specifically address women and the glass ceiling in this episode.

To be clear, there are statistics that bare out the presence of the glass ceiling. Here are just a few, according to the website Center for American Progress:

Women earn 48.5% of all law degrees, yet only 22.7% of law firm partners are women and only 19% are equity partners.

Women earn 47.5% of all medical school degrees, yet only 16% of permanent medical school deans are women.

Women earn the majority of doctorates in the US, yet only 32% of full professors are women and just 30% of college presidents are women.

61% of accountants and auditors are women, 53% of financial managers are women, and 37% of all financial analysts are women – yet just 12.5% of all Chief Financial Officers are women.

The pay differential exists, as well:

25-34 YO men average pay: $45,604; women: $39,676 (about 15% less than men)

35-44 YO men average pay: $57,824; women: $45,604 (about 27% less than men)

45-54 YO men average pay: $59,176; women: $45,552 (about 30% less than men)

There are some interesting micro-aspects of the glass ceiling, which I’ll mention briefly here:

Glass escalator: Men entering traditional female-held jobs such as nursing progress faster and make more money than women in those same fields.

Sticky floor: Research shows that women are slower to begin to climb the ranks in their field than men. This is a concept I will circle back around to in a moment.

The frozen middle: Women’s climb often freezes in middle management. Again, more on this in a moment.

Second shift: The role of traditional “women’s” work in the home that essentially amounts to a second job, particularly as it relates to motherhood.

Mommy track: Women leaving the workplace, or taking part-time jobs, during child-rearing years.

Here’s where I want to go with this information, particularly as it relates to the Sticky Floor and The Frozen Middle: at least some of the glass ceiling has to do with how women present themselves in the workplace.

In no way am I discounting or ignoring the fact that many corporations are led by men who want to hire other men…corporations who don’t value a woman’s contributions as much as a man’s…corporations who “punish” women who want to have children.

However, there’s another aspect to this…one I see almost daily in my practice: women who don’t know how to present themselves as effectively as men do.

Much of this has to do with how we’re raised from childhood: Many of us are from homes where the males are cultured to be the strong, unemotional earners, and women are cultured to be the nurturing caregivers.

There are tons of research around female students not speaking up as much in school as their male counterparts; I certainly saw this in higher education.

And yes, this is still happening today.

Here are some of the specific situations in which I see my women clients sometimes lag behind my male clients:

1. Achievements.

So often, women will want to minimize their achievements. This either comes in the form of downplaying what they’ve achieved, not recognizing their achievements as such, or not having kept a record of what they’ve achieved.

These achievements need to show up in their resume, their LI profile, and in their interview answers, so I often do considerable work with my female clients to pull this information out of them.

2. Brand.

An important part of the work I do with my clients for their job search, and for their career management in general, is getting clear on their brand. What do they bring to the table that others don’t? What is their secret sauce? This self-knowledge is critical to their resume, LI profile, and interview answers…as well as how they show up at work on a daily basis.

Women often see their unique value proposition as “business as usual,” whereas men will recognize, and promote, their genius.

3. Interview.

Directly related to #1 is my female clients’ ability to present themselves effectively in an interview. In addition to talking about their achievements, they are often less willing to confidently tell the interviewer why they are the ideal candidate for the job…and to back that statement up with compelling proof.

4. Self-promotion.

In the course of doing their job, women are much less likely to engage in effective self-promotion. This is often due to a lack of self-confidence, a fear of being labeled as something that rhymes with “witch,” and experience being “put in their place” when they have attempted to self-promote in the past.

This self-promotion might take the form of speaking up during meetings, making sure they have a place at the table for important projects or meetings, keeping a record of their accomplishments, and letting the right people know about them.

Another aspect of self-promotion involves getting out of their department to interact with professionals at or above their level throughout the organization.

5. Stretch assignments.

One of the best ways for my clients to get recognized is to take on stretch assignments that demonstrate their potential. Women often hesitate to take on assignments they want, that will position them in the best possible light.

Instead, they either keep on with the same job year after year, or they take on assignments that no one else wants to do…and that don’t showcase their potential.

6. Promotion.

Because of all the previous points, women are much less likely to seek promotions and raises…and if they do, much less likely to present a compelling case for themselves.

I’ve presented a lot of challenges for women in the workplace. Here, then, are 12 tips for women to help address the glass ceiling:

1. Before seeking employment at a company, look at who they’ve hired already.

2. Utilize glassdoor.com, personal connections, and other intel in making a decision about who to work for.

3. Get help from a professional like myself for your resume, LI profile, clarity around your brand, and interview skills.

4. Dress the part, from the interview on.

5. Hire a coach.

6. Get a mentor.

7. Keep a “brag” file.

8. Put networking on the front burner, no matter what.

9. If your boss isn’t willing to advocate for you, get a different boss.

10.Set professional goals and create an action plan that will guarantee the success of those goals.

11.Get feedback from individuals you trust, who will be honest with you about how you’re showing up.

12.Commit to continuous improvement…in the form of ongoing formal or continuing education, credential enhancement, skill development, stretch assignments.

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me:  https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS. Hope to see you soon! 

One of the topics I’ve talked about before on this podcast is the concept of the bull’s eye as it relates to your dream career.

If you think of your career as a dart board, then all of the “suitable” jobs for you are somewhere on that dart board.

Not on the wall, not with the dart sailing through a doorway into the next room.

Your goal, then, as a recent college graduate with little if any career experience is to get on the outer rung of your dart board.

That’s all…on the dart board somewhere. Hopefully, this takes the pressure off.

Then, as you leave your first post-college job and take your next career step, the goal is to move a bit closer to the inner rung. Just a bit.

There are two primary reasons why the center of your dart board isn’t a realistic goal right out of college: You don’t have enough experience and creds to get that job unless you’ve aimed super low, and you don’t know yourself well enough to truly know what the center of your dart board looks like.

It might well be 10-12 years out of college before you’re in the center of your dart board. And within that center, there are several jobs that are perfect for you.

So you go through a series of jobs, maybe even change career paths, as you move toward the center of your bull’s eye. You like, maybe even love, each of these jobs. You continue to learn more about yourself and more about the world of work as you go.

This concept, which is pretty macro, got me thinking about the bull’s eye concept on a micro level. What you can be doing on a monthly, weekly, even daily basis to get you towards your bull’s eye.

I also want to bring the personal aspect into this conversation, because we’re total people rather than our “professional” and “personal” selves. The two can’t really – and shouldn’t be – separated.

Here, then, are NUMBER micro-decisions, or micro-opportunities, that can either move you towards your bull’s eye…or not.

RAISING YOUR HAND

In episode #103, I talked about how women sometimes take on job responsibilities that no one else wants, without thinking strategically about whether that additional duty will benefit their career.

I am suggesting that you think strategically before raising your hand. This can be in one of two forms: your boss needs someone to do a particular thing, or you see a thing that needs to be done and offer to do it.

I invite you to push the pause button before that hand goes up. Picture where you are now on your dart board, where you want to go next and ultimately, and how this thing you’re about to volunteer for fits into those goals.

Does it move you closer to your bull’s eye? Unless the answer is yes, resist the urge.

If this thing moves you away from your bull’s eye – run quickly. If it keeps you in the same place – neither forward or backward – give serious consideration for agreeing to do the thing.

There are many ways a new responsibility can help your career, and I’ve talked about that in episode #69 when I covered stretch assignments. If you’re unclear about this concept, go back and listen to that episode.

The short answer is to think broadly about how a particular assignment might benefit your career. But, if after thinking broadly, you come up with NADA, then pass on that assignment when at all possible.

Also – keep in mind that that task you’re trying to force fit into your career goals may be a perfect fit for one of your coworkers. Don’t deny them that growth opportunity.

BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS

I could do an entire podcast on the relationships you do, and don’t, want to develop to progress your career…oh wait. I already have. Several, in fact.

Let’s talk first about the relationships you DO want. Who do you need to spend time cultivating relationships with inside, and outside, your current employer? Who can mentor you, be your champion, be your sounding board?

If you want to move to another area of your current company, who do you need to know in the new department to facilitate that?

Who are the “realistic gets” in your profession, your industry, your city?

This, of course, is networking.

The flip side are the relationships you DON’T want. This is often based on negative reputation, lack of follow through, all flash and no substance. Narcissists who will guaranteed not be there for you when you need them because it’s all about them and no you. Run, don’t walk.

ADDITIONAL EDUCATION/CREDENTIALS

First of all, additional education, whether formal or informal, takes time. It also takes money – if not yours, then your employers’. There is a cost to doing this.

As someone with a master’s degree and a boat load of letters after my name, I’m all for creds. What I’m not for is creds for creds’ sake.

If you’re going after a master’s degree, will it move you towards your bull’s eye, and is NOW the best time to go for it?

Will the credential improve your chances for career success? If it’s a wash, do you want to invest your time in doing it?

Bottom line here: You may have one of three answers to these questions. Yes, No, or Not Now. Pay attention to what your gut, and the data are telling you.

TIMING

I’ve seen far too many clients who’ve jumped ship when things got a little rough…at the detriment of their career.

Conversely, I recently heard from a long-time friend, who initially reached out because she was ready for her next career move.

She sat on it for a few days, and realized she had a few more goals at her current employer. She wants to revisit her job search in about six months.

What’s left to accomplish in your current role? What’s going on in your personal life right now, that would either make this a good or not-so-good time to job search? Are there considerations around bonuses, pensions, etc.?

SEEKING PROMOTIONS

The first piece of seeking promotions is whether that promotion is going to move you towards your bull’s eye.

What’s new about the new job? What’s the same? How’s the new title play? What’s the salary increase, and how will the new job affect your work/life blend?

The second piece is timing. Have you spent enough time in your current role to have 2-3 solid achievements to speak of on your resume? Are there any other factors in your life that make this a particularly good, or bad, time to seek this promotion?

THE REST OF YOUR LIFE

Use these same principles for decisions outside of work.

Let’s use an example. One of your personal bull’s eye “things” in your life is to own your own home in the next two years.

Maybe you currently rent a fairly nice apartment…so maybe, in this regard, you’re not on the outer rung of your “homeowner’s” bull’s eye. Maybe you’re one rung in.

Over the next two years, you will want to make decisions based on whether or not they move you towards, or away from, your homeowner’s bull’s eye. Financial decisions, decisions about job changes and the accompanying salary, maybe even relationship decisions.

See how this works?

www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me:  https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS. Hope to see you soon!

Back in 2016, I started what has become an annual Thanksgiving tradition…my list of Five Unusual Things to Be Thankful for.

In creating this year’s list, I decided to revisit the three previous years’ lists. In part to see what stood out to me each year, but also to see how this list has evolved.

In year 1, I made it about you; in years 2 & 3 they were MY lists. A little insight into my soul, to be sure. My hope is that, by sharing what I’m thankful for on a very personal level, you can identify.

And maybe even recognize the blessing in something similar that you’ve faced this year.

Also, it was an opportunity for me to revisit the learning that occurred through these experiences. Did I really learn from that situation, or have I been required to revisit that lesson again and again until it finally sticks?

So, now we proceed with this year’s list:

1. Not knowing anybody.

I went to a two-day conference in March in Dallas, held by my coach, Brooke Castillo. What I found when I got there was the vast majority of the participants (and there were 300+) knew other people there. Most of them had gone through Brooke’s coaching school and were hanging out with their classmates at the conference.

I didn’t know a soul at the conference.

There have been many situations like this in my life where I assimilated into another group quite well, but in this situation I chose to be by myself.

The upside? I really enjoyed my excellent meals in a swanky hotel by myself with a good book or that day’s training materials.

I enjoyed my room by myself.

I enjoyed reserving my energy outside of the conference, so that I could be rested and fully present for the conference.

No, I didn’t make any friends there. And that’s okay. It was still an amazing conference.

2. The contrast of a negative energy.

This one may sound a bit woo-woo, but stay with me. Early this year, I was contacted by a much older woman who wanted a resume. Maybe. Maybe she needed job search coaching, or LinkedIn help…I could never get a read on this woman.

At her request, I did something I’ve never done before…I met her at her home here in Tallahassee. I spent far more time with her than a normal 45-minute consult call.

Then there were additional calls and emails…followed by silence. In the end, we parted ways and I was glad to see the end of her.

But it wasn’t the end. An amazing woman, Licia Berry, identified two negative energies that had attached themselves to me. I figured one of them out immediately, but it took me a while (with Licia’s help) to identify that the other energy was this 70-year-old woman. Licia then got her that negative energy off of me.

The lesson? I have a process, and that process works. Any client who wants to control my process isn’t a good fit for me, because I’m the expert here…not them. It’s not that I’m inflexible, it’s that I want to give my clients the best possible experience…and I know what that should look like.

Also, I chased her far too long out of a sense of need. I needed the money. There, I said it. In retrospect, I should have never gone to her house (where, no doubt, her energy got on me). I certainly shouldn’t have continued to follow up with her when everything inside me was screaming to run in the other direction.

3. Having to ask for help.

The Universe decided I needed to allow others to help me this year, and it’s been one of the most difficult lessons for me to learn.

Let me say that, at my age, any lessons still to learn are difficult ones. We’ve already knocked out the easier stuff, so we’re left with heavily ingrained beliefs and habits that are painful to address. (Something for you young ‘uns to look forward to.)

In the interest of retaining a smidge of dignity after this episode drops, I won’t go into detail about the kind of help I’ve needed this year, but suffice it to say it’s covered the spectrum.

And here’s what I learned a long time ago: People want to help. Not all of them, and not all the time, but in general, people want to help. My allowing the people in my life the opportunity to step up to the plate has given them the chance to receive the blessing that comes from helping someone.

I will also say that some of the things my friends have had to do for me this year have gotten us much closer…it takes true friends to do some of the things I’ve needed them to do for me.

4. Finding out I’m not as great as I think I am.

If you’re a regular listener, you know that I spent three weeks in April in Italy and Greece with my then-24-year-old daughter, Chloe.

I’ve told friends that Chloe’s purpose on this trip was to knock me down a few pegs…to show me that I’m not all that.

She let me know, in no uncertain terms, that I didn’t know how to pack, couldn’t follow directions, and had no skill in locating the best food.

Here’s the blessing in all that: Chloe learned how skillful she was in those areas. Her skills in getting us around foreign cities, finding great out-of-the-way restaurants, and dealing with her overpacked mom really boosted her confidence, and now she knows she can travel anywhere in the world and be okay.

My ego is well able to take the knocking down, and it was so cool to see Chloe’s ego ratchet up several notches.

5. Doors that won’t open/won’t close.

Let’s call this year Lesa’s Year of the Door. Is that a cow or a pig on the Chinese calendar? Not sure.

Until recently, I had a car door that I couldn’t get open, but also couldn’t keep closed. It was draining my battery, causing my interior lights to be on while driving, and required me to do this shimmy thing to the door when I got out so I could lock the car. Super fun and safe.

Then there was the bathroom door.

On the day of my son’s wedding, I managed to get myself locked in the women’s bathroom at the venue, via a faulty deadbolt. The building manager ended up breaking the door out by the frame so I could get out. I had to wash masonry and insulation off myself.

Then there was the apartment door.

I stayed at my son and daughter-in-law’s apartment after the wedding while they were on their honeymoon, because I was doing training for a company in Pennsylvania the following Tuesday. On Monday morning, I left their apartment to go get my son’s car, parked a couple of blocks away, so I could load it up for the drive to Scranton.

And locked the apartment keys in the apartment.

My first reaction, brilliantly, was to try to break the door down. The dead-bolted door. As if that had been super successful three days earlier at the wedding.

Then I came to my senses and realized that, even if I did break the door down, I couldn’t very well leave their apartment in urban New Jersey with no front door.

So I went downstairs and knocked on the first door. To my surprise, a young couple opened the door and let this stranger in. They called the landlord for me, who was there to unlock the door within 30 minutes.

The blessing? A week ago, my car door issues were taken care of by two automotive places, neither of which charged me a penny.

Although embarrassing, the wedding-day incident brought some levity into this Mother of the Groom’s weepy, emotional self.

The downstairs neighbors must be the nicest people in Jersey City. The wife kept offering me food and drink, which I eventually accepted so as not to insult her Indian culture. They couldn’t have been kinder to me.

So, my question to you is this: Where are the blessings in the midst of the challenging times in your life? If you are looking for them, I promise they are there.

One of my favorite things to say to myself is “Why is this happening for me?” Instead of “Why is this happening to me?” It really does change everything.

At the top of your resume, in the biggest print on the resume, should be your target position. This is NOT an objective, which tells the reader what YOU want, but rather what you can do for them.

Here are a couple of great examples:

ENTRY-LEVEL ACCOUNTANT

HUMAN RESOURCES SPECIALIST

What if you don’t have a specific job title? Here’s another way to approach your target position:

COMMUNICATIONS GRADUATE WITH EXCELLENT PRESENTATION SKILLS

OFFERING OUTSTANDING SKILLS IN RESEARCH, DATA ANALYSIS, AND REPORT WRITING

Note about this second approach: Make sure the things you list are related to  one another. Don’t try to cover a wide range of functions here.

Most college graduates have worked; what will separate you from the pack is what you accomplished, rather than just listing your job duties. Here are a couple of bullet points from resumes I’ve written for college graduates:

· Spearheaded online marketing efforts including Facebook and Instagram, improving the designer’s following by 100%.

· Cultivated relationships with all real estate agencies in Midland and placed fliers in every realtor’s mailbox to generate referral business. (This client ran his own yard service.)

· Worked 20-25 hours per week during school year, including most Friday and Saturday nights. (This was one of several bullet points that showed this client had worked consistently throughout college, speaking to her work ethic.)

3. Your resume should be specific.

Did you notice the numbers I used in the bullets above? Metrics make an accomplishment more tangible. See the difference between these two bullets:

Improved lead generation by designing and implementing a referral-based networking system.

OR:

Catapulted lead generation 40% in just 6 months and sold 61 policies in the first 90 days of employment by designing and implementing a referral-based networking system.

Make sure that what you say, and how you say it, supports your job target.

Let’s go back to the previous accomplishment:

Catapulted lead generation 40% in just 6 months and sold 61 policies in the first 90 days of employment by designing and implementing a referral-based networking system.

This individual was applying for a business development position. What if he wanted to apply for a customer service position? The bullet might read something like this:

· Contacted all clients (200+) each month to ensure that policies were current; as a result, received the highest customer service ratings of all representatives.

What if the candidate was applying for an administrative position?

· Developed and implemented a referral-based networking system that was subsequently implemented system-wide, leading to a 40% increase in lead generation.

Keep in mind that the people who will read your resume are often my age—and we can’t see all that well. Your font should be non-fussy and in a decent size.

You also want to make sure you use a standard font that is readable by most Macs and PCs. My favorites are: Arial, Verdana,Tahoma, Calibri, Lucida Sans, Trebuchet. I like to keep my margins between .65” and .8”.

I’m personally not a fan of two-column resumes, as the ATS can’t read them properly. What I will say about stylistic elements of your resume is this: does the design add to, or detract from, your branding message? Are you creating a document that is too large to easily attach when you’re applying online or sending your resume?

6. Heaviest goes first.

Many entry-level candidates automatically put their education first on their resume, then their work experience.

While this is sometimes appropriate, here’s the way to determine which should go first: Mentally place your education on one side of the scale, and your experience on the other side.

Which one is weightier? That’s the one that should go first. It could even be your volunteer experience, if you have significant, related volunteer experience, coupled with little to no paid experience.

This process of comparing two sections of your resume to determine which to put first works for all sections of your resume.

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS. Hope to see you soon!

One of the things I coach my clients on around the job interview is how to answer the question, “Why should I hire you?”

Or, as I like to put it, “Why should I stop the interview process right now and offer the job to you?”

Here’s the kind of answers I most often get:

“I’m a hard worker.”

“I’m a team player.”

“I’m good with numbers.” (for an accounting position)

“I’m very analytical.” (for an analyst position)

Do you see the problem here? These answers are completely non-differentiating.

Let’s look at the reverse:

Has anyone, ever, gone into an interview proclaiming that they are a slacker?

Has anyone, ever, stated in an interview that they are a loner?

Has anyone, ever, stated in an interview for an accounting position that they AREN’T good with numbers?

Has anyone, ever, stated in an interview for a business analyst position that they AREN’T analytical?

NOW do you see the problem?

You are a brand, just like Nike, Starbucks, and McDonalds.

Let’s pretend Nike, Starbucks, and McDonalds are interviewing with you for a job.

Nike wants to be hired as your athletic shoes.

You ask Nike, “Why should I hire you?”

Nike says, “Because I stay on your feet.” (As opposed to the other athletic shoe candidates, who regularly fall off your feet.)

Starbucks, when asked the same question, states:

“Because I keep you awake.” (As opposed to the other coffee candidates, who put you to sleep.)

McDonald’s states:

“Because my food will fill you up.” (As opposed to the other fast food candidates, who make you hungry.)

Next, next, and next.

You want to know what it is about Nike shoes that will compel you to buy them.

Why you should select Starbucks over other coffee chains, local coffee shops, or just making coffee at home.

The benefit of eating McDonald’s for lunch over the other options.

Now back to you and that “Why should I stop the interview process right now and offer you the position?” question.

I want to offer five different approaches to answering this interview question.

1. What you are consistently successful with.

Here’s your chance to talk about what you’ve done repeatedly.

For example:

“Throughout my seven years with XYZ Company, I’ve been asked to turn around four underperforming departments. When I came into each department, there were issues around work output, engagement, and product quality.

“Some examples of the improvements I made in these departments are: (give metrics)…”

This approach requires you to 1) have a track record of success, 2) be able to articulate that success, and 3) provide evidence of that success.

2. Your secret sauce.

This one often goes hand-in-hand with the previous one. This is where you talk about HOW you are successful…not in specific terms because they don’t get to know that unless they hire you, but in broad brush strokes.

For example:

“My ability to spearhead these turnarounds is due to well-developed analytical and listening skills, meaning that I figure out what the root causes of the problems are, and I listen to what the staff are saying…and not saying.

“I also have built trust with upper management so when I come to them with my proposal, they trust that I’m on the right track and will execute the turnaround efficiently and effectively. “

This approach requires you to 1) be very clear on how you approach these problems differently than other people do, and 2) be able to articulate that difference in a compelling manner.

3. What others say about you.

This approach HAS TO BE backed up. It’s best when you say what a SPECIFIC person has said about you, and then you give an example of that thing they said about you.

For example:

“My current supervisor, Joan Smith, recently told me she was going to have to find something wrong with me, because she couldn’t keep giving me perfect performance evaluations.

“She said this because of the volume of work I do that has allowed her to triple her client caseload, the quality of my work that keeps clients coming back to her, and the thoroughness of the research I conduct in preparing documents for her.”

Note this is very different from you, giving your opinion of yourself. Joan Smith is a third-party expert, so what she says about you is unbiased and carries much more weight.

This approach works best if, for example, Joan Smith is either one of your references, has written a letter of recommendation for you, and/or has recommended you on LI.

4. Your unique constellation of attributes.

This one is my answer. While there are others out there who also hold each of the credentials I hold, I know of no one who holds them all…in combination with my skills and personality.

For example:

“I’m one of 23 Master Resume Writers in the world, I am a Certified Job Search Strategist, a Certified Executive and Leadership Development Coach, a Master Practitioner of the MBTI, and I have a master’s degree in Public Administration.

“Further, I have 20+ years’ experience managing two university career centers, plus more than a decade of managing my own practice.

“Finally, my clients love my personality – the warmth, humor, and honesty with which I interact with them. I can honestly say there is no one out there who can claim all of that like I can.”

Note: this approach works very well in fields where credentials, certifications, and continuing education are highly valued.

This approach requires you to 1) have a unique constellation of attributes, and 2) be able to articulate that constellation.

5. An experience no one else is likely to have.

Keep in mind that this has to be truly differentiating. Use this approach if there is something in your work history that is highly unique.

For example:

“I come into this position with X years’ experience with your primary competitor. As a result of this experience…”

You could also talk about unique sector experience, such as:

“Because I served in the military for X years, I am able to…”

Or maybe it’s breadth of experience:

“I come into this HR role with experience in government, Fortune 500, startups, and rapid growth companies. Because of this breadth of experience, I am able to…”

This approach requires you to 1) have a truly unique background, 2) be able to articulate that background, and 3) relate that background to the benefits you will provide to the employer.

Pick one of these approaches and map out your answer to the question “Why should I hire you?” Then practice it in front of a mirror.

Your final step should be to practice your answer in front of an expert such as myself, who can evaluate whether you’ve truly differentiated yourself.

Here’s the payoff to doing this deep dive on a single interview question:

You become name-brand…highly desirable…sought after.

The alternative? You are generic.

The low-cost alternative, chosen ONLY because of price.

Be the brand-name option – it’s totally available to you.

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me:  https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS. Hope to see you soon! 

This week’s podcast features guest life coach, Jane Springer. We’re talking about buffering – that is, the things you do when you should be looking for a new job. Buffering can show up in all areas of your life as a way to avoid doing something that will move you forward in your life.

Visit Jane Springer’s website at janespringer.com

Find her on Facebook at @JaneSpringerCoach

Check her out on Instagram at Springer_Jane

Connect with her on LinkedIn at Jane Peck Springer

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS. Hope to see you soon!

I don’t know about you, but I’ve heard about goals till I’m blue in the face.

And the focus is often on SETTING goals, rather than how to actually ACHIEVE them.

I’ve heard it said that a goal without a plan is just a wish. How true that is.

I want to approach this topic from a different angle. Rather than talking about setting goals, let’s talk about what you need to be DOING in 2020 so that, when you look back on the year, you will consider it a resounding success.

We’ll also talk about the THINKING aspect of planning for a successful 2020, because what you are thinking will have a direct impact on what you are doing.

Or, put another way, if you’re not DOING what you want to be doing in 2020, it’s because you’re not THINKING thoughts that will support what you want to be DOING.

I’m going to recommend some exercises for you to complete. You can certainly think about your answers to these questions, but there’s something very powerful about writing your answers down and seeing them on paper.

Here's the link to a worksheet that will help you through this process:

http://bit.ly/Episode109

SETTING THE STAGE

Let’s start by setting the stage here. If you’re going to set yourself up for success in 2020, the first step HAS to be defining success for yourself.

Not what anyone else thinks success looks like…what does it look like for YOU?

Here are the suggested areas of your life to look at, these come from the BAGUA map. If you’re not familiar with the BAGUA map, you can Google it and see examples; it’s based on the principles of Feng Shui.

-Wealth (prosperity)

-Fame (reputation)

-Relationships (love and/or friendships)

-Family (community)

-Health

-Creativity (joy and inspiration)

-Wisdom (self-improvement)

-Career (purpose)

-Helpful People (travel, benevolence, synchronicity)

I don’t recommend that you try to do all nine areas; I’d rather see you pick 2-3 that really speak to you and determine what success would look like in that area.

Some examples are in order:

If you choose Wealth, you might decide that success would look like a certain income level. You might also choose to do something with your money that will generate wealth, such as investing or doing things that will allow you to keep more of the money you earn.

My success marker for Wealth in 2020 is a certain income level.

For Fame, you might decide to start a blog…write a book…join a committee or activity at work that will get you exposed to more people on a broader scope. You might decide to speak on a certain stage or get a certain level of recognition for your job performance.

My success marker for Fame in 2020 is to have 10,000 downloads per episode of this podcast.

For Relationship, you might want to meet the love of your life…improve your marriage…ask your significant other to marry you.

My success marker for Relationship in 2020 is to meet Andy.

For Family, you might want to have a baby…mend or strengthen a relationship with a family member…or create a community for yourself with friends. This one also incorporates “community,” so it isn’t limited to blood relationship.

For Health, you might want to address a certain health issue that’s been plaguing you, reach a certain weight, start a certain type of exercise like yoga.

My success marker for Health in 2020 is to get the help I need for my back and neck issues, while also reaching my goal weight.

For Creativity, you could either start or expand on an activity that brings you joy and inspiration. I have a friend who got a bunch of art supplies for Christmas because she wants to return to her love of painting and making stained glass.

It doesn’t have to be artistic…whatever brings you joy.

For Wisdom, what is one self-improvement activity you can engage in? Do you want to finish your bachelor’s degree or start a master’s degree? I there a certification or credential you’d like to pursue?

My success marker for Wisdom in 2020 is Self-Coaching Scholars; I’ve re-joined and will be fully engaged in the monthly coaching activities.

For Career, is there a shift that needs to take place, either in terms of the company you work for or the job you are doing? Do you want to go after a promotion? Do you want to seek the help of a career coach like me to make some important career decisions?

For Helpful People, is there someone you need to meet? Is there a place you want to travel to? Is there a collaboration you want to cultivate? Is there a colleague at work who you would like to get to know better?

My success marker for this category in 2020 is actually a nod to some significant travel I plan to take in 2021.

THINKING

Next is the thinking piece. For each success marker you pick, determine a thought you can practice thinking to set you up for success.

You are not currently a person who believes that thought, or you would already have the thing you desire.

That’s okay. Your brain has become very efficient at thinking something different, and your job is to retrain your brain to think the new thing.

If you currently believed you were capable of a certain income, you would already be making that amount of money.

If you believed you could be at a certain weight, you would already be there.

If you believed you could get that promotion, you would have already sought it out.

Here are some sample thoughts you might choose to practice thinking:

For Wealth: “I am a person who earns _____(fill in the blank with a specific amount).

For Fame: “I am a successful blogger.”

For Relationship: “Andy and I will find each other in 2020.”

For Career: “I will get a new job as a ____(job title if possible) by _____(date.)

Important in this step is to be aware of what you’re currently thinking so you can gently correct yourself as you are practicing believing your new thought.

When you catch yourself thinking “I’ll never make more than $50K,” gently correct your brain, with something like “I will earn $75K by the end of 2020.”

When you catch your brain telling you that you have no business trying to blog, you gently correct that thought with something like “I am capable of learning how to become a successful blogger.”

DOING

Now that you’ve selected 2-3 areas from above, and determined your success marker for each area, it’s time to MAKE IT HAPPEN.

Remember, without a plan it’s just a wish.

For each area, write out the following, or use the worksheet I’ve created for you.

Category:

Success marker:

What I need to START doing to achieve success in this area:

What I need to STOP doing to achieve success in this area:

Here’s an example:

Category: Career

Success marker: Get a new job with a different company

What I need to START doing: Set aside 4 hours per week for job search activities

What I need to STOP doing: Complaining about my current job, because that energy doesn’t serve me in looking for a new job.

The next step in the DOING process is calendaring the things. In the example above, you would want to find 4 hours each week that you can set aside to conduct your job search.

The next step would be to determine HOW you will spend those 4 hours. If all you know how to do is look at job boards, reach out to me and I can help you with this. Also, I’ve covered this topic on multiple episodes of the podcast, so you might want to re-listen to those.

Okay…I hope I’ve given you a different way of looking at goal setting and goal achievement. A final word: if this isn’t something you’ve done before, start with smaller, attainable success markers. This allows you to be successful, and it also helps you build your relationship with yourself. You get in the habit of having your own back on getting the things you want in life.

Here's the link to a worksheet that will help you through this process:

http://bit.ly/Episode109

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS. Hope to see you soon! 

In previous episodes, I’ve talked extensively about whether to leave your current employer or stay. In today’s episode, I want to talk about when to tell your boss you’re looking for a new job.

This topic came from one of my clients, who reached out to ask me this question. There’s isn’t a simple answer, so I want to lay out the considerations for you.

I very seldom turn to external sources for my podcasts, but I did for this one. The articles I’m pulling from come from ziprecruiter.com, indeed.com, and themuse.com.

Evaluate Your Relationship with Your Boss

The first step in determining when to tell your boss you’re looking for a new job depends on the relationship between the two of you. If you have a supportive boss, you can let him or her know you’re looking for more – or different – responsibilities.

He or she might even help you explore other opportunities within the organization – or leverage his or her network to help you look outside the organization.

You might also need to let your boss know if you think a prospective employer will be checking references. You don’t want the prospective employer catching your current employer off guard by calling for a reference when he or she doesn’t even know you’ve been looking.

Letting your boss know early in the process has another benefit: you are leaving the door open. Whether for a different full-time job down the road or contract work, you are minimizing the chance of burning a bridge.

What’s Your Company Culture Like?

Another consideration when determining when to tell your boss you’re looking elsewhere is the company culture.

Is turnover common in your organization, or are you a tight-knit, family-like office that does a lot of things together outside of work? Do people stay in your organization for years and years?

How Has Your Boss Reacted to Previous Employees Leaving?

If you’ve worked at your company long enough, perhaps you have experienced another employee leaving the company.

How did your boss react? Was he or she supportive, or angry? Past behaviors are usually pretty good indicators of what you can expect.

How Do You Feel?

During this process, it’s important to check your gut about whether to tell your boss. Do you feel like you’re having to weave elaborate lies to explain where you go and what you’re doing?

Conversely, do you believe that telling your boss will just cause more problems for you?

Don’t Tell By Showing

If you don’t want your current boss to know you are job searching, be sure not to do anything that will telegraph what you’re up to. Don’t use your company’s internet to look for a new job, make and take job search-related calls on your cell outside the building, and don’t post on social media.

Also, drastic changes in wardrobe one day is a huge red flag, so consider taking the entire day off or changing off-site into your interview outfit.

Potential Downfalls of Telling Your Boss Too Soon

If you don’t have a good relationship with your boss, experts don’t advocate sharing the news. One reason is that there might be a perception that you’re a short timer, not fully engaging in the work you have left to do. You might also not be considered for a plum assignment that you would have otherwise been considered for.

After all, you don’t know how long your job search will take.

I have had clients who feared their current employer would terminate them as soon as they found out they were looking. Finally, you may decide your current job and/or employer isn’t so bad after looking around and want to stay – which will be much more difficult if you have announced that you’re leaving.

There are also consequences of not being upfront with your boss. It may become increasingly difficult to keep your search a secret. Would you rather have your boss or co-workers hear the news directly from you, rather than through the gossip mill?

How to Tell Your Boss

Let’s also talk about how to tell your boss. Whether you are telling your boss you’re thinking of leaving, are in a job search and they are checking references, or telling him or her you’ve already accepted a new position, there is professional etiquette involved. You don’t want to burn bridges here.

1. Request an in-person meeting.

This is good professional etiquette and allows for a productive dialogue. You can also discuss exit strategy at this time.

2. Outline your reasons for looking elsewhere or quitting.

Are you leaving to pursue other opportunities? Move to a new city? Changing career fields? Returning to school?

By letting your boss know specifically what you’re leaving for, he or she may be willing to make concessions to accommodate your desires. At the very least, it’s important feedback for him or her as a manager. Keep this conversation as positive as possible – this is not the time for harsh criticism.

3. Give at least two weeks’ notice.

This is standard professional courtesy, although you (or your boss) may suggest a longer transition time depending on your job duties and other extenuating circumstances.

4. Offer to facilitate the transition.

Once you’ve accepted a new position, offer to help smooth the transition.

You might:

-Help identify strong potential replacement candidates

-Complete as many of your current projects as possible

-Outline requirements and next steps for projects you will not be able to complete

-Train a current employee to temporarily handle some of your responsibilities

-Assist in training the new employee if they arrive before you leave

-Offer to answer questions or provide some assistance during the transition, even once you are in your new role

5. Express gratitude.

It is important to express gratitude for the opportunities you have been given, such as skills you’ve developed and professional connections you’ve gained.

6. Provide constructive feedback.

You can help your employer improve the workplace by providing constructive feedback on your experience. Many companies schedule an “exit interview” for this purpose.

You might provide feedback on:

-Your experience in the department

-Your job responsibilities

-The training you received (or didn’t)

-The company culture and policies

-Relationships with managers

-Relationships with co-workers

Your feedback should be specific, constructive, and honest. This is not the time for a bitch session or to “stick it to” your former boss or a co-worker; there is no upside to doing this.

7. Provide a formal, printed letter of resignation.

The important components of a letter of resignation are:

-Date you are submitting the resignation letter

-Last day of work

-Expression of gratitude

-Offer to help with transition

Here’s an example:

Dear Jan,

I have greatly appreciated my time at ABC Incorporated these past three years, and I want to inform you that my final day will be Friday, August 16.

During my time at ABC, I have gained valuable connections and expanded my skill set, which has allowed me to grow and pursue more advanced opportunities in my career. I am very grateful for the experiences I have had here.

If I can help you in any way during this transition, please let me know. I am happy to answer questions and provide training and support over my final two weeks. I wish you all the best.

Sincerely,

Sam Jones

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS. Hope to see you soon! 

This week’s guest is Mac Prichard, speaking with me about How to Hack the Hidden Job Market.

80% of all jobs are never publicly advertised, but there are ways to access this treasure trove of work opportunities.

Mac explains:

-Why the hidden job market exists

-What kinds of tactics help jobseekers break into the hidden job market

-How to execute a less frustrating, win-win job search

You can find Mac Prichard on his weekly career podcast, Find Your Dream Job, wherever you get your podcasts.

Mac’s List is a Portland-based job listing site that contains excellent job search information:

https://jobs.macslist.org/search

Have a question for mac? Email him at mac@macslist.org

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS. Hope to see you soon!

I’ve been thinking a lot about my journey lately. Also, with the new year and new decade, it seems like a good time to reflect.

I’ve shared bits and pieces of my life with you over the previous 111 episodes, but I decided to dedicate an entire episode to my story — what I’ve learned and how I’ve grown,–in the hopes that it will inspire you.

I’m hoping to pull back the curtain in this episode.

www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk.

Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS. Hope to see you soon!

This past fall, I conducted a program I called “What Did You Just Say?” – Tools For Active Listening and Effective Communication, for The Topps Corporation.

This week and next, I want to share some of the concepts from this program with you.

Today, I’m focusing on Active Listening; next week, I’ll cover Effective Communication.

WHY IS ACTIVE LISTENING IMPORTANT?

I think we can all agree that it is important to really listen at work, but maybe you haven’t given much thought to why it’s important. Here are some of the benefits:

-Builds relationships

-Creates new ways to approach issues

-Diffuses emotional situations

-Avoids costly errors

-Provides better service

THE STEPS TO ACTIVE LISTENING

-HEAR (the biological process of sound waves hitting the ear)

-ATTEND (filtering in what’s important to you)

-UNDERSTAND (making meaning and connections)

-RESPOND (either verbally, nonverbally, by paraphrasing, or by asking questions)

-REMEMBER (retaining the important stuff)

CHARACTERISTICS OF AN ACTIVE LISTENER

-Has an alert posture

-Makes direct eye contact

-Gives full attention; avoids distractions

-Focuses on what is said as well as non-verbal cues

-Gives feedback (nonverbal, verbal, questions, paraphrasing)

-Doesn’t interrupt

-Doesn’t offer opinion too quickly

SET AN ACTIVE LISTENING GOAL

A good example of a goal:

My active listening goal is to be more attentive when I am listening to coworkers on phone calls and web conferences.

Specifically, I will immediately begin doing the following:

-Close/turn off/disable any devices/apps not needed for the meeting

-Remove the toys from my desk I tend to play with when I’m on the phone

-Take 60 seconds before scheduled calls/conferences to breathe deeply and focus on the purpose of the upcoming meeting

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS. Hope to see you soon!

This week and last, I am sharing some of the concepts from a program I created for The Topps Corporation entitled, “What Did You Just Say? – Tools for Active Listening and Effective Communication.”

Last week’s episode was on Active Listening, so today I’ll cover Effective Communication.

There are four steps to the communication process; at any point in that process something can go wrong.

-The words you speak

-What you meant by those words

-The words the listener heard

-What the listener makes those words mean

George Bernard Shaw is quoted as saying, “The biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”

8 BASIC PREMISES OF COMMUNICATION

1.   You are always communicating, even if you are not saying anything.

2. Everything you say counts. There are no second attempts, editing, or deleting of what you say.

3.   When your words leave your mouth, you have no control over how they are going to be interpreted.

4.   Listeners are constantly constructing or “story-making” – interpreting what you say. (This is the “Understand” phase of the listening process)

5. Your words are transformed or reorganized to fit into the listener’s personal story or preconceived idea of you and/or similar situations.

6.   There will be more than one story – each listener will create his or her own.

7.   The story that is created from your communication determines the meaning, not what you actually say.

8.   It is the story, not what you say, that will be remembered, passed on, and communicated to others.

THE BENEFITS OF SPEAKING SUCCINCTLY

-Your message will be clearer; less room for misinterpretation

-You provide bite-sized bits of information that are easier to digest

-Allows the listener to more easily make the necessary mental connections

-Saves time and mental energy (for both parties)

-Less chance that people will mentally go elsewhere

THE BENEFITS OF SPEAKING WITH SPECIFICITY

-Gives the listener enough information to understand exactly what you mean – minimizes the chance of misunderstanding

-Allows the listener to create a mental picture of what you’re saying

-Increases the likelihood that you will get valuable feedback

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS. Hope to see you soon!

This month, I’m sharing pieces of programs I offer to corporations, non-profit organizations, professional associations, and community organizations.

This week, I’m talking about the MBTI, and how to leverage personality differences in the workplace.

I created this program as a quick overview of personality and how it plays out in the workplace.

I also do half-day and full-day retreats on the MBTI. In these instances, participants take the MBTI online prior to the retreat and I bring their results with me to the retreat. I spend the morning explaining the facets of the MBTI and what their results are telling them.

The afternoon is spent engaging in activities that bring the differences in personality to life through various activities. At the end of the day, we spend a fair amount of time processing what they’ve learned about themselves and their coworkers.

In the shorter version, participants don’t take the MBTI, but I explain the facets to them and give them some tools for recognizing the personality preferences of their team members. I also talk about how they can maximize their team’s effectiveness using personality type.

Research has shown that:

-You will get along better with those who are like you

-A balanced group will be more effective, if you can get everyone on the same page

THE PERSONALITY PAIRS

Extraversion – Introversion (How you recharge)

Sensing – Intuition (How you take in information)

Thinking – Feeling (How you make decisions)

Judging – Perceiving (How you structure your world)

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND:

Extraverts need Introverts so there’s someone listening

Introverts need Extraverts so there’s someone talking

Sensors need Intuitives so there’s creativity

Intuitives need Sensors so there’s attention to detail

Thinkers need Feelers so the humanity of the organization shines through

Feelers need Thinkers because there are tough decisions to be made

Judgers need Perceivers so they don’t always rush into a decision

Perceivers need Judgers because deadlines are real

Keys for recognizing the personality preferences of your team members, so you can maximize their effectiveness

If you have a team member who is great with details and deadlines, you probably have a Sensor-Judger

- Give this person complex projects

-Provide thorough information on project scope, timeline, deadlines, etc.

-You might feel like you’re micromanaging, but they won’t see it that way

If you have a creative team member who consistently delivers at the last possible second, you probably have an Intuitive-Perceiver

-Give this person as much leeway as possible in using their creativity to solve the problem at hand

-You may need to create “artificial” deadlines so you get what you need when you really want it

-Allow for flexibility in work environment, hours of work, etc.

If you have a team member who loves to talk and is great in interacting with others, you probably have an Extravert.

-Give them a front-facing role

-Make sure they aren’t in a back corner somewhere

-Compensate for how draining too much time alone will be for them

If you have a team member who loves to be in a back room with a research project, you probably have an Introvert.

-Provide them as much alone time as possible

-Give them meeting agendas ahead of time so they’re prepared

-Compensate for how draining meetings and groups will be for them

If you’ve never been exposed to the MBTI, consider this your first “foreign language” lesson!

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS. Hope to see you soon! 

This month, I’m sharing pieces of programs I offer to corporations, non-profit groups, professional associations, and community organizations.

This week, I want to talk about one of my favorite subjects, “Managing Your Mind to Advance Your Career.”

I created this program because so many trainings focus on the doing part of managing your career, and I wanted to focus on the thinking part.

In this program, I teach participants how to:

-Cultivate a practice to become more aware of your current thoughts

-Begin thinking thoughts that better serve you

-Learn how to think to achieve any goal you set in life

Here’s the deal: Everything in life is either a Circumstance, a Thought, a Feeling, an Action, or a Result.

By knowing the model, which I teach in this presentation and which I’ve talked about many times on this podcast, you develop an invaluable tool for managing your mind.

You’ll be able to download a blank model worksheet, as well as some example models by accessing the URL in the show notes.

To prove that the model works no matter what, I’ve come up with a Circumstance, a Thought, a Feeling, an Action, and a Result you might encounter at work. We’ll do a model around each.

To access the handout for today's episode:

http://bit.ly/Episode116Handout

www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS. Hope to see you soon! 

Here are some tips, borrowed heavily from “The New Leader’s 100-Day Action Plan” by Bradt, Check, and Pedraza.

A SUCCESSFUL ON-BOARD REQUIRES DECIDING ON THE RIGHT APPROACH

Determining the organization’s culture (and/or the sub-culture of your specific department or business unit) is key to knowing how to approach your work from day one. A major component of organizational culture is readiness to change. You will likely see one of these four cultures:

SMOOTH SAILING

If the situation does not require urgent changes and the culture is ready to change, you can assimilate in and make minor changes over time. You have a great team that is willing and able to become even greater.

Perhaps the biggest challenge in this situation is the shoes you’re filling; often times, Smooth Sailing is occurring because the previous leader was outstanding.

Also, depending on how that previous leader exited the team, there could be some resentment towards you as the new leader.

Your task, then, is to not make waves right off the bat, and to not undo what their previous beloved leader did (at least not immediately).

UNSTABLE CALM

If the situation does not require urgent changes and the culture is not ready to change, converge and evolve slowly by becoming part of the organization and changing over time with a series of carefully thought-out minor “shocks.”

“Pick your battles” is the anthem for Unstable Calm. You can clearly see areas for improvement—but pushing them through without finesse will most assuredly result in resentment and push back.

Think WIIFM (What’s In It For Me) as you shepherd your team through change and dangle a carrot or two as incentives for adapting to change.

READY TO ACCELERATE

If the situation does require urgent changes and the culture is ready to change, converge and evolve quickly as a catalyst for change.

Many leaders find this their ideal situation, because they consider change management to be one of their greatest strengths.

The biggest challenges in this situation are 1) deciding which changes must occur, and in what order; and 2) moving as quickly as the situation requires.

This is a situation where doing something, although perhaps not perfect, is better than non-action.

FACING DISASTER

If the situation does require urgent changes and the culture is not ready to change, you must immediately shock the system for it to survive. The going will be tough!

Many people won’t knowingly walk into this type of situation. People who do relish this role often see themselves as what I like to call “Mary Poppins,” someone who enters a dysfunctional situation, makes widespread change, and exits quickly. This may very well be a short-term role.

If you’re okay with that, and are willing to make the tough decisions, then proceed with gusto!

Strategies and tactics vary widely for those entering into Smooth Sailing, Unstable Calm, Ready to Accelerate, and Facing Disaster environments. Now let’s talk about the people you are likely to encounter on your journey.

Inevitably, you will have some people who will support you, some who will resist you, and others who will hang out in the middle of the road.

It is important to know who’s who in your organization, with the goal of moving every team member one step in the right direction.

These are the people who share your vision. They are often new to the organization and have more to gain by going forward than by holding on to the past.

Your strategy with Contributors should be to make them your champions. Give them leadership roles, committee assignments, projects to manage that allow them to sing your praises and those of your department.

Contributors can also be beneficial in giving you honest feedback about what they are hearing and seeing in the weeds…not as tattletales, but as extensions of your eyes and ears.

These people are comfortable with the status quo, change resistant, and may see you as a threat to their value and power. They have often been in their position for a long time and see a greater threat in change than in the current state.

Your strategy with Detractors is to silence their whining, complaints, arguments…not in a spirit of “my way or the highway,” but rather to become better team players.

Detractors will probably never become Contributors, but if you can find a common middle ground with them, they may keep their mouths shut.

These people—often the silent majority—will sit on the fence and see which way the herd’s moving. Your strategy with Watchers is to move them towards your side of the continuum.

They’ll probably never become Contributors, but at least they can feel positive about their work environment and you.

I think of Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People…make small deposits in their emotional bank account, try not to make huge withdrawals, and eventually you’ll have a respectable balance in that account.

If the goal, as I stated earlier, is to move every person one step in the right direction, how do you do that?

By changing the consequences, so that it is less risky and more rewarding to follow; more risky and less rewarding to resist.

Simply put, increase the positive consequences of good behaviors and the negative consequences of bad behaviors; decrease the negative consequences of good behaviors and the positive consequences of bad behaviors.

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS. Hope to see you soon! 

Many people, perhaps most, don’t think of “passion” and “job” in the same sentence.

They believe passion is for their family, their significant other, their hobbies.

They lock their passion in the safe before leaving for work every day.

The result? Long, unfulfilling days with little to show for them.

Those of us who have aligned our passion with our work are excited and energized to get up in the morning, because our work is a reflection of who we are. What we were put on this earth to do.

I think of my passion as being a vest I wear every day.

Everyone can see it.

It’s close to my heart.

It keeps me warm.

Over the years, people have shared with me the ways in which they aligned their passion with their work. Here are three examples:

Bread and History

Several years ago, I met a woman who had two passions: baking and history. She had majored in history in college, been a home economist and a teacher. Partial Eclipse; not bad.

When I met her, she was giving baking demonstrations at the Missouri History Museum in St. Louis…educating school children on how the settlers baked.

Total Eclipse. Perfect Alignment.

Right Place, Wrong Role

One of my clients, a mid-level manager at a large corporation, reached out to me because she wasn’t finding her work as stimulating as she once did.

This sense of dissatisfaction had left her questioning everything…the company she worked for, the line of work she was in. She thought perhaps a drastic change was in order.

Through our sessions, she was able to bring into focus something she knew—but didn’t know how important it was.

Her passion is fixing broken things.

She has the leadership, interpersonal, business, and change management skills to take what isn’t working…what is underperforming…and make it great.

Once she does that, she’s ready for the next challenge. Think Mary Poppins.

Maintaining the status quo isn’t fulfilling to her. And that’s what she’d been doing for the better part of a year.

Our work together gave her the “ammunition” to have a crucial conversation with her boss, who subsequently put her in another broken department.

Total Eclipse.

Passion to Educate…and a Love of Animals

I worked with a student many years ago who was about to graduate from college. He knew two things about himself: he wanted to help the needy globally, and he loved animals.

He had never heard of Heifer International. When I exposed him to this global non-profit organization, it was like watching a plant take root and flourish.

I’m getting goose bumps just thinking about it.

He got a job helping people in Africa learn how to care for the livestock they received from Heifer International…livestock that would provide eggs, milk, and other life-giving food for their families.

Total, Utter Eclipse.

With these examples in mind, here are some steps I recommend to help you find your career passion:

-Journaling (your perfect day, your energy around your current job tasks, dreams you had as a child and young adult, where your mind goes when you allow it to wander)

-Talk to close friends and family (not their advice for you, but rather their perspective about what they’ve observed about you)

-A career coach, like me (may include assessments and/or other activities)

-Conducting informational interviews

-Volunteering / part-time job / internship

If you’d like to read what I consider to be one of the best books out there on this subject, I recommend Po Bronson’s “What Should I Do with My Life?” Po interviews people who have found their “total eclipse,” as well as those who were still looking. Great read. I also recommend Tim Kelley’s book, “True Purpose.”

www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me:  https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS. Hope to see you soon!

This episode center’s around Wallace D. Wattle’s seminal book, “The Science of Getting Rich.” Specifically, his perspective on persistence.

Why is this so important? Because Mr. Wattle’s decades-long research into successful people revealed what so many after him have also found to be true…persistence is an essential quality for success.

First, a definition of persistence: “A firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition.”

There’s a difference between being obstinate and obstinate continuance. The former indicates an unwavering unwillingness to change, whereas the latter indicates determination. Huge difference.

Whether you are persisting through rejections in the job search process to get to your dream job, persisting through the steps necessary to launch your own business, or persisting through the many demands on your money to save for that trip-of-a-lifetime…the common denominator is persistence.

What Mr. Wattle Has to Say About Persistence

Here’s what Mr. Wattles has to say about persistence:

Take inventory of yourself, and determine in what particular, if any, way you are lacking in the essential quality. Measure yourself courageously, point by point, and see how many of the factors of persistence you lack.

Here you will find the real enemies that stand between you and noteworthy achievements. Here you will find not only the “symptoms” indicating weakness of persistence, but also the deeply seated subconscious causes of this weakness.

The Persistence Checklist

Here is Wallace D. Wattle’s persistence checklist. Which of these “enemies’ do you struggle with?

-Failure to recognize and to define clearly exactly what one wants.

-Procrastination, with or without cause (usually backed up with a formidable array of alibis and excuses).

-Lack of interest in acquiring specialized knowledge.

-Indecision, the habit of “passing the buck” on all occasions, instead of facing issues squarely (also backed by alibis).

-The habit of relying upon alibis instead of creating definite plans for the solution of problems.

-Self-satisfaction. There is but little remedy for this affliction, and no hope for those who suffer from it.

-Indifference, usually reflected in one’s readiness to compromise on all occasions rather than meet opposition and fight it.

-The habit of blaming others for one’s mistakes and accepting unfavorable circumstances as being unavoidable.

-Weakness of desire, due to the neglect in the choice of motives that impel action.

-Willingness, even eagerness to quit at the first sign of defeat.

-The habit of neglecting to move on ideas, or to grasp opportunity when it presents itself.

-Wishing instead of willing.

-The habit of compromising with poverty instead of aiming at riches, general absence of ambition to be, to do, to own.

-Searching for all the short-cuts to riches, trying to get without giving a fair equivalent (usually reflected in the habit of gambling, endeavoring to drive “sharp” bargains).

-Fear of criticism, failure to create plans and to put them into action because of what other people will think, do, or say. This enemy belongs at the head of the list because it generally exists in one’s subconscious mind, where its presence is not recognized.

How’d you fare? What can you do to remedy any of the points you struggle with?

Here are some steps you can take:

-Honestly evaluate your current level of persistence, using the criteria just listed.

-Choose one area you’d like to focus your energy on improving.

-Write a full page of ideas on how to improve that area.

-Choose 3-5 specific strategies you’d like to focus on.

-Calendar time to implement those strategies.

-Set a date to evaluate your progress on that area. At that time, you’ll either want to implement additional strategies to improve on that area or choose a different area to focus on.

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk.

Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS.

Hope to see you soon!

Many people, perhaps most, don’t think of “passion” and “job” in the same sentence.

They believe passion is for their family, their significant other, their hobbies.

They lock their passion in the safe before leaving for work every day.

The result? Long, unfulfilling days with little to show for them.

Those of us who have aligned our passion with our work are excited and energized to get up in the morning, because our work is a reflection of who we are. What we were put on this earth to do.

I think of my passion as being a vest I wear every day.

Everyone can see it.

It’s close to my heart.

It keeps me warm.

Over the years, people have shared with me the ways in which they aligned their passion with their work. Here are three examples:

Bread and History

Several years ago, I met a woman who had two passions: baking and history. She had majored in history in college, been a home economist and a teacher. Partial Eclipse; not bad.

When I met her, she was giving baking demonstrations at the Missouri History Museum in St. Louis…educating school children on how the settlers prepared their food.

Total Eclipse. Perfect Alignment.

Right Place, Wrong Role

One of my clients, a mid-level manager at a large corporation, reached out to me because she wasn’t finding her work as stimulating as she once did.

This sense of dissatisfaction had left her questioning everything…the company she worked for, the line of work she was in. She thought perhaps a drastic change was in order.

Through our sessions, she was able to bring into focus something she knew—but didn’t know how important it was.

Her passion is fixing broken things.

She has the leadership, interpersonal, business, and change management skills to take what isn’t working…what is underperforming…and make it great.

Once she does that, she’s ready for the next challenge. Think Mary Poppins.

Maintaining the status quo isn’t fulfilling to her. And that’s what she’d been doing for the better part of a year.

Our work together gave her the “ammunition” to have a crucial conversation with her boss, who subsequently put her in another broken department.

Total Eclipse.

Passion to Educate…and a Love of Animals

I worked with a student many years ago who was about to graduate from college. He knew two things about himself: he wanted to help the needy globally, and he loved animals.

He had never heard of Heifer International. When I exposed him to this global non-profit organization, it was like watching a plant take root and flourish.

I’m getting goose bumps just thinking about it.

He got a job helping people in Africa learn how to care for the livestock they received from Heifer International…livestock that would provide eggs, milk, and other life-giving food for their families.

Total, Utter Eclipse.

With these examples in mind, here are some steps I recommend to help you find your career passion:

-Journaling (your perfect day, your energy around your current job tasks, dreams you had as a child and young adult, where your mind goes when you allow it to wander)

-Talk to close friends and family (not their advice for you, but rather their perspective about what they’ve observed about you)

-A career coach, like me (may include assessments and/or other activities)

-Conducting informational interviews

-Volunteering / part-time job / internship

If you’d like to read what I consider to be one of the best books out there on this subject, I recommend Po Bronson’s “What Should I Do with My Life?” Po interviews people who have found their “total eclipse,” as well as those who were still looking. Great read. I also recommend Tim Kelley’s book, “True Purpose.”

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk.

Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS.

Hope to see you soon!

This is a special episode to help those of you who are job searching during the Coronavirus pandemic.

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS. Hope to see you soon!

This week's guest is Angela Civitella, founder of Intinde and a certified coach to business leaders, managers, and entrepreneurs. We talk about strategies for not only surviving, but thriving in the midst of the career lows you will inevitably face.

You can find Angela at:

www.intinde.com

linkedin.com/company/intinde

twitter.com/intinde

facebook/com/intinde

Instagram: @angela_intinde

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS. Hope to see you soon! 

Well, here we are in what I’m calling Virus Jail. For those of you who were job searching when this all began, or those of you who will be job searching as a direct result of Virus Jail, you have some unprecedented challenges ahead.

Unprecedented, but not insurmountable.

The world will go on. We can’t know what it’s going to look like or when companies are going to be back up and running again, but we know the world will go on.

I was just listening to my coach, Brooke Castillo’s podcast, The Life Coach School. She was saying that the future has always been unpredictable. Three months ago, none of us would have imagined the reality we now find ourselves in—yet here we are.

In light of the New World Order, I want to talk about career pivots and reinvention.

Let’s start with a definition of career pivot:

“The act of finding a different career, which is still reliant on your current skills, but helps you move in a new trajectory. Often the draw of a career pivot, compared to a career change, is that you don’t have to restart at the bottom of the ladder.”

A lot of the information out there right now about career pivots centers around the necessity of having to pivot because of Virus Jail. I prefer to think of career pivots in terms of choosing to pivot, because that gives the person pivoting all the power, rather than being at the effect of the economy or other external circumstances.

I like this further explanation from bizpenguin.com:

“A career pivot is about using your existing experience to find a better job, but a successful pivot also involves being open to what careers might suit your skill base—beyond what you might be looking for. There are likely a great deal of jobs out there that you may not realize you’d be ideal for.”

Here’s how I explain career pivots: just like a basketball player, you keep one foot stationary while you move the other. Your stationary foot remains in either your job function or your industry, while the other moves.

A pivot, in my definition, is not moving both feet at the same time – that’s a traveling foul.

Here are some pivot examples:

-A CPA working in an accounting firm who pivots his industry to become a CFO at a non-profit

-A sales manager in the manufacturing industry to pivots into an operations role with another manufacturer

-A human resources generalist with a healthcare organization who pivots into a nursing position at her company after completing the necessary educational requirements

-A customer experience manager with a large banking organization who translates his experience into healthcare and pivots into a patient satisfaction role

-A CEO at a faith-based non-profit focused on healthy children who pivots into a marketing role for a faith-based radio station

-A grounds manager for a major league soccer team who pivots into a sales role with an equipment company that does business with that soccer team

-A sales and marketing professional in the travel industry who pivots into a sales and marketing role in a tech startup

-A wait staff person who completes her degree and pivots into management with her company

Here then are my top 5 tips for successfully pivoting:

-Take stock of yourself – your motivated skills, your values, your credentials, your personal qualities. What do you have to offer an employer?

-Take stock of your current (or most recent) job. What did you like? What are you willing (even eager) to leave behind in your pivot?

-Take stock of the job market. Where are the opportunities in this current reality we’re facing? Where would you be excited to pivot to? Does it make more sense to pivot your job function or your industry?

-Get your marketing materials professionally updated. A career pivot requires a much higher level of strategy in your resume and LI profile than does a linear job search.

-Get professional help with a pivot job search – someone (like me) who can help you put together a multi-pronged job search that will be effective in today’s job market.

Now let’s talk about Career Reinvention. Here’s my definition: a Career Reinvention is the act of taking stock of where you are, where you want to be, and what it will take to get there.

As I see it, Career Reinvention is the umbrella under which career pivots fall. The steps I mentioned under a Career Pivot are all part of the process of Career Reinvention.

An analogy is in order: As part of my Vehicle Reinvention process, I’ve decided to pivot from a van to a small- to mid-sized SUV. Now that I’ve decided on a Vehicle Reinvention, I have some steps to take to pivot:

-Research SUVs utilizing Consumer Reports

-Secure financing

-Narrow my options down to 3-5 top choices

-Schedule test drives for each of my top choices

-Schedule second test drives as necessary

-Research best prices for my top choices

-Engage in negotiations with my top choices

-Select the best option for me

See how that works?

Keep in mind that both a Career Reinvention and a Career Pivot presupposes a desire to make a change. It’s also entirely possible that, during your Career Reinvention process, you decide you don’t want to Pivot.

You decide to double down on your efforts to remain in your current job function and your current industry.

As I have been saying frequently in recent podcasts, the goal hasn’t changed. If you’re job searching, your desired result is still a great job.

Virus Jail is simply requiring us to be more creative, more vigilant, and a lot more patient that in previous job searches.

You’ve got this.

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk.

Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS.

Hope to see you soon!

If you’ve been listening to the podcast recently, you’ve heard me refer to our New World Order as “Virus Jail.”

For many of you listening—perhaps even most of you—your work has been directly affected by Virus Jail.

Perhaps you are unemployed. Maybe you are working from home. Maybe you are working harder than ever, especially if your industry is on the front lines of CoVid 19. Maybe you’re working fewer hours than you have in the past.

Which got me thinking that some of you may be considering a side hustle—a way to generate income when the way you’re used to generating income doesn’t currently exist.

I’ve talked in the past about entrepreneurship, and the qualities needed to be a successful entrepreneur, so I’m not going to cover that here. For today’s purposes, let’s assume you’re not interested in starting a business but rather generating some extra income.

If you want to earn some extra money during the months of Virus Jail, here are some steps:

1. Assess what you’re really good at AND love to do.

This can be related to your career, but it doesn’t have to be. I have a client who loves dogs and has a big yard. Because all the dog parks in her area are closed, she is offering a place for dogs to come and hang with other dogs for a few hours a week while mom and dad do whatever they need to do.

2. Think about where the gaps are right now.

Signing up for Uber right now may not be the best idea, as so many people are staying home, but food delivery is a hot area. There’s demand for grocery store workers to help with stocking and curbside delivery because many employees are having to stay home with their children or elderly family members. And Amazon and other online retailers are booming right now.

3. Be willing to make some compromises.

My daughter is laid off right now. She’s earning some money by doing a deep cleaning of the place she works at that is closed and cleaning some rental units as they turn over.

Cleaning is not her strong suit and not something she loves to do, but it’s getting her out of her house a few hours a week, generating a little income, and helping improve her mood.

4. Set some goals.

These goals might include how much money you want/need to make, how your side hustle will fit into to your other responsibilities, and when you plan to exit your side hustle. If you’re also job searching, make sure you allow sufficient time to conduct an effective job search (i.e., not just looking at job boards).

5. Adjust your attitude.

You get to decide what your side hustle means. Do you want to think of yourself as a victim of the current reality who has no choice but to do menial work? Or would you rather think of yourself as resourceful, capable, and flexible?

The former will result in resistance to your side hustle, which is bound to affect your revenue. The latter will open you up to the new experience and what you can learn—about yourself, about a different line of work, about people—that you might never have learned otherwise.

There are lots of online sites that are posting part-time jobs right now, and the availability of those jobs will no doubt change between the time I’m recording this and the time you listen, so I won’t post specific sites.

Rather, I encourage you to look to your network. What do they need help with? Does someone need some in-home childcare while the daycare centers and schools are closed? Does someone who is now working remotely have temporary needs, such as administrative support or someone to run errands? Is there an entrepreneur whose online business is busier than ever and could use your help in some capacity?

Looking for help with your job search during Virus Jail? Here's the link to a series of FREE webinars I'm conducting in April to support you:

https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.co/

www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk.

Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS.

Hope to see you soon!

First of all, let me wish a happy birthday to myself! This will come out on April 15th. This time last year, I was in Tuscany for my birthday. My, how the world has changed since then.

Today, I want to talk about creative networking strategies in the era of Virus Jail. When in- person networking events are literally against the law for many of us.

Here’s the main message I want to convey today: You can’t put your career or job search goals on hold during Virus Jail. You can’t wait to exhale until this is over.

As I keep reminding you: Your goals are still your goals. How you achieve them may change, but the desired result hasn’t.

The most effective job search strategy, hands down, is networking. The most effective career advancement tool is networking.

Your challenge, then, is to get creative with networking during Virus Jail.

Here are my top tips:

-Set some networking goals.

If you don’t do this on the regular, now’s an especially great time to start. For example, my goal is 3-4 networking events or one-on-ones each week. Just because I can’t do any of this networking in person doesn’t mean I have to cancel this goal.

-Spend time daily on LI.

-Add to your connections (those you know and those you’d like to know)

-Reach out to each person as they accept your connection

-Comment on people’s posts

-Create your own posts/articles

-Join some new groups and actively participate

-Schedule Zoom or Skype networking meetings.

People are feeling very isolated right now, and many people have more time now than when they are going into an office every day. Take advantage of this to schedule some virtual, face-to-face meetings with those in your network.

-Reach out with quick, impromptu phone calls.

With people you know well, there’s no reason not to reach out via phone. If they don’t answer, leave an upbeat, friendly message. If they do answer, ask if they have a few minutes to talk so you can catch up.

-Participate in virtual networking events.

I’m starting to see groups and organizations move their events online now, and there are also some new ones cropping up. Take advantage of as many of these as you can – you never know who you’ll meet.

-Schedule your own virtual networking events.

In this New World Order, there’s no reason you can’t schedule your own. It could be centered around your profession, your industry, a specific circumstance you’re in (i.e. moms who now find themselves working from home). It could even be a group of your friends.

-Follow up, follow up, follow up.

If you meet someone in a virtual networking event, make sure you connect with them afterwards on LI. Send thank you notes to those you meet with one-on-one or have a significant connection with online.

When appropriate after the quarantine, ask someone you met in a group networking event to meet with you one-on-one.

If you have something of value to offer someone you meet in a virtual networking event, such as a contact or helpful resource, send it immediately.

Looking for help with your job search during Virus Jail? Here's the link to a series of FREE webinars I'm conducting in April to support you:

https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.co/

www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS.

Hope to see you soon!

In honor of Earth Day 2020, today’s podcast guest is Katie Secrist, the Director of Strategic Partnerships at Sustainable Business Consulting. She talks about careers in sustainability – what they are, how to get them, and specific strategies for navigating your social impact job search. 

Katie’s consulting portfolio includes Expedia, Seattle Children’s Hospital, and Alaska Airlines; she has been featured on ESPN and in the Washington Post and USA Today.

To contact Katie:

Sustainable Business Consulting: sustainablebizconsulting.com

Video Modules: vimeo.com/ondemand/greenjob

Twitter: @SecristKatie

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ketiesecrist

Email: katie@sustainablebizconsulting.com

Looking for help with your job search during Virus Jail? Here's the link to a series of FREE webinars I'm conducting in April to support you:

https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.co/

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk.

Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS.

Hope to see you soon!

…okay, maybe I overstated a bit in the heading. Disappointment, rejection, and frustration are part of the deal when it comes to job searching.

Here’s what is optional during a job search: Beating. Yourself. Up.

Making that rejection notice…that non-response…mean something about you as a human being. As an employee. As a valuable contributor to the world.

In the midst of Virus Jail, it’s even easier than usual to beat ourselves up during the job search.

-Jobs aren’t growing on trees like they seemingly were just a few months ago.

-Some industries are laying off, not hiring.

-A lot of companies are taking a “wait and see” attitude to hiring.

-Other companies will tell you they want to hire you…they just aren’t sure when.

Here’s the question I want you to ask yourself about any thought that comes up for you during your job search:

How does this thought feel when I think it?

How do I feel when I think “I’m too old to get a job”?

How do I feel when I think “I’m not going to get a job without a bachelor’s degree”?

How do I feel when I think “I bombed that interview”?

Conversely, practice these thoughts:

“I still have 10 or more good years to contribute, and the right company will value my wisdom and experience.”

“I have skills and experiences any company would benefit from.”

“I learned a lot from that interview, and I will do much better the next time.”

My coach says we’re all delusional, so it only makes sense to be delusional in a way that serves you.

In a way that feels good.

Repeat after me:

“I will be an amazing addition to the right company.”

“I will go through as many rejections as necessary to get to my dream job.”

“I am a fantastic employee.”

Now go out there and get rejected. Get ignored. Lather, rinse, repeat.

And keep telling yourself how amazing you are.

Because you are amazing.

Here’s the link to this week’s FREE webinar:

“What the HR Experts Have to Say About Job Searching Right Now”

Thursday, April 30th 1:00 p.m. Eastern

Here’s the link to register:

https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_4YxWrYplThuCDMrwBPRFgQ

Check out my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk.

Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: 

https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS.

Hope to see you soon!

Today’s guest is Lorraine Rise, and she’s speaking with me about being “Laid off Three Times by Age 30.” In this time when so many have lost their jobs due to COVID, Lorraine’s topic is both timely and inspirational.

Lorraine has built her career on the practice of coaching others to succeed. Her career began in the health and weight loss industry, coaching hundreds of clients to reach their weight loss goals. As a Director and Regional Trainer for Jenny Craig Inc., she has hired, trained and mentored dozens of employees in the areas of sales, customer service, and management.

After a layoff in 2013, Lorraine took the opportunity to make a career change into human resources. She has since supported the human resources and recruiting efforts at numerous firms in Information Technology including Lockheed Martin. Lorraine still actively recruits within the Intelligence Community (IC) for Integrated Intel Solutions.

In 2015, she made another career change and founded Career UpRising.

Lorraine holds a M.S. in Human Resources Management as well as certifications in Human Resources (SHRM-CP), Resume Writing (CPRW) and Career Coaching (CPCC).

Lorraine has served well over 200 clients in over 30 industries, both public and private. Many of her clients come from some of the most recognizable firms in the country including Microsoft, Amazon, Fannie Mae, Morgan Stanley, and more.

Career UpRising, LLC is located in the Washington DC metro area but serves clients all across the globe! Listen to Lorraine's inspirational podcast, Career UpRising, on InFlowRadio.com, iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

You can find Lorraine Rise at:

www.careeruprising.com

linkedin.com/in/lorrainerise

or email her at lorraine@careeruprising.com

Want help writing a superior resume for your job search? Here's the link to a series of FREE webinars I'm conducting in May to support you:

https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.co/

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk.

Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS.

Hope to see you soon!

Here’s the first thing I want to say about the uncertainty of our future in the face of COVID19: The future has ALWAYS been uncertain.

I am recording this in April for a drop date in mid-May, which gives time for a lot to have changed in between. So if you’re back at work and everything is as it was before the quarantine, great.

However, I highly doubt it.

Most likely your life is much the same as it was in late March and April. Meaning: the future is uncertain.

When will you get to go back to work?

Will your employer be there to go back to?

When will schools, and restaurants, and the hair salon reopen?

So here’s the perspective I want to offer: When you were planning your 2020 back in late December or early January, how many of you put this quarantine in your planner? Scheduled it in Outlook?

No one. So, then, your future, as of late December or early January, was uncertain.

Because your future is always uncertain.

Nothing’s gone wrong to cause this pandemic. The pandemic was always going to happen.

How do we know that? Because it’s happening.

You can argue with reality, but you’ll lose 100% of the time.

My mother was always going to die when I was 23 years old.

I was always going to marry more than one man I wasn’t compatible with.

I was always going to need my gall bladder removed in 2005.

Nothing went wrong in each of those instances.

Nothing has gone wrong in 2020.

So when you think about your future, whether that’s three months from now or three years from now, it’s uncertain.

The question, then, is now what?

There’s a circumstance in the world called COVID19. Or, as I like to call it, Virus Jail.

Now what?

What do you want to think about this time of quarantine? This time of being out of a job? Or perhaps this time of working harder than you’ve ever worked?

What do you want to think about your chances of getting a new job? About your financial future? About the world?

What do you want to make all this mean?

Here are my best strategies for navigating an uncertain future (which, remember, is always).

Name the emotion.

One of the most useful tools to bring your anxiety level down is to name the feeling you’re having.

Sad, scared, worried, afraid, terrified…what is the emotion you’re experiencing right now?

Describe how the emotion feels in your body.

Calling the emotion out will really bring the anxiety about that emotion down. By bringing it out into the light, it is less scary and more manageable.

Is it a fluttering in your stomach?

Is your pulse racing?

Do you feel pressure behind your eyes?

When you think of your feelings this way, they seem much less scary and harmful.

Identify the thought causing that emotion.

Every emotion you experience has a corresponding thought.

If I’m feeling scared, perhaps it’s because I’m thinking “I don’t want to catch the virus.”

If I’m feeling afraid, perhaps it’s because I’m thinking “I don’t know how I’m going to pay my bills.”

If I’m feeling sad, perhaps it’s because I’m thinking “Aunt Jenny just tested positive for the virus.”

Notice it’s not COVID19 causing your feeling. It’s your thought about COVID19. About your employment status. About Aunt Jenny.

Decide if you want to keep thinking that thought.

Some thoughts whisk through our brain and we quickly discard them.

“Where did that come from?” we ask ourselves.

Other thoughts are ones that we keep thinking over and over, and they become part of our belief system.

The thought creates a new neural pathway in our brain, so that the brain can become more efficient in thinking that thought by relegating it to our subconscious.

This is great if those habitual thoughts serve us; not so great if those habitual thoughts are destructive.

Some destructive thoughts right now that I’m hearing from a lot of clients are:

“There are no jobs available.”

“No one is hiring.”

“It will be very difficult to get a job right now.”

Give equal airtime to the best possible future.

Because the future is always uncertain, why not entertain the possibility of the best possible future for yourself?

Instead of thinking you’re going to be out of work for months and living in a cardboard box, how about thinking you’re going to get a fabulous new job that pays more than you were making?

My coach says we’re all delusional, so we might as well be delusional in our own favor.

Set a 90-day goal.

Put your brain and this downtime to good use by picking a project you can achieve in 90 days, then GET BUSY.

My project has to do with physical pictures I’m scanning and putting into digital photo albums.

Do you want to lose some weight?

Get on a regular exercise routine?

Clean out your garage?

You’ll feel good in achieving this thing, and it will take your mind off the less healthy thoughts you’re having.

Get help.

Life coaches have never been busier than they are right now, because people need help managing their thoughts around the virus.

As I’ve mentioned numerous times, I’m in Self-Coaching Scholars with Brooke Castillo, and many of the clients she coaches have issues around COVID19.

I HIGHLY encourage you to look into Self-Coaching Scholars; it’s absolutely the best $297 I spend every month. If you can’t afford that right now, check out her FREE podcast, The Life Coach School.

Another new podcast I really like is Brene Brown’s Unlocking Us.

And, of course, there’s this podcast.

Keep in mind that friends and family will give you their opinion. A life coach will hold space for you to see your thoughts and your feelings and process them in a safe environment. No judgment or opinions.

It’s okay to be afraid.

Here’s the caveat: Don’t let the fear hold you back.

Don’t let the fear keep you from planning your future and getting shit done.

Fear is just your primitive brain, trying to protect you from certain death. Thank it for its concern, then override it with your prefrontal cortex by planning and making decisions ahead of time.

I like the visual of fear being a back-seat passenger in your car. It can state its opinion about where you should go and how you should drive, but it can’t take the wheel from you.

Unless you hand the wheel over to your primitive brain, all it can do is state its opinion.

Don’t expect it to be easy.

One you set some goals — whether for getting a new job or accomplishing a project with old pictures — your primitive brain will FREAK OUT. Guaranteed.

Your primitive brain will see this goal as dangerous, and its job is to keep you safe.

Your job, then, is to plan for NOT wanting to do the thing you planned to do when it’s time to do it.

You set aside an hour to call people in your network. I guarantee you’ll think of ten things you MUST do during that time.

What will your strategy be for doing the thing anyway? One of the tools I like to use is to think of how proud my future self will be when I’ve accomplished that thing.

In the case of my picture project, I picture how emotional my kids will be when I give them their childhood pictures. How much it will mean to them.

Recognize – and reward – your progress.

Many people wait until the job is done to reward themselves. Until they get the job to give themselves a treat.

The completion of the task IS the reward. The new job IS the reward.

What can you do every day to reward yourself for getting that day’s tasks done?

Want help writing a superior resume for your job search? Here's the link to a series of FREE webinars I'm conducting in May to support you:

https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.co/

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk.

Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS.

Hope to see you soon!

My guest today is Chris Lyons of Creative Career Starter.

Chris has been an Agency Owner/Creative Director, and for the past 20 years, a Freelance Illustrator and Adjunct Professor of Design.

He helps design school grads with an effective process for finding their first creative job, which is something not a lot of design programs teach.

Applying for a creative job is different from filling out an application and uploading your GPA and resume.

Depending on the discipline you are interested in, you need to demonstrate - through your portfolio - your understanding of their business, your abilities to solve problems using your creativity, and to tell compelling stories about your work through the lens of the audience you've targeted with the work.

Many design schools produce graduates with portfolios demonstrating software competency and surface design talents, but creative firms are looking for creative problem-solvers. Not someone who can design "a poster" or a "logo."

Chris helps grads set up their portfolios with new, more focused, comprehensive work (either by expanding existing projects or creating new work) that speaks to the people they most want to connect with.

And then he helps find those people.

Chris’s classes are comprehensive, covering everything from defining your skills to identifying the right places and the right people, buffing and polishing your personal brand, editing and strengthening your online portfolio, writing compelling letters (and how to follow-up), how to kill it at the interview, and then how to negotiate an offer. The course also covers how to run a freelance business to sustain themselves during the process.

The added wrinkles of the pandemic and looming recession have meant new ways needed to think about this as well.

To access Chris’s FREE Jump Start Guide for creatives:

https://bit.ly/jfreeumpstartguide

Want help writing a superior resume for your job search? Here's the link to a series of FREE webinars I'm conducting in May to support you:

https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.co/

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk.

Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS.

Hope to see you soon!

The coronavirus, or as I call it, Virus Jail, means many of you will need to update your resume.

Clearly, I have a bias for hiring a credentialed resume writer. Not all are created equal, so if all you can afford to spend is a few hundred dollars, you’re better off doing it yourself.

Here are five top tips to make sure your resume is job search ready.

Branding is everything.

Just as companies and products are branded, so should you be.

Whether you utilize a formal brand development tool such as Reach360, work with a professional like me to uncover and refine your brand, or work through this process on your own, it is critical that you develop a differentiating branding statement.

You want potential employers to know, quickly and clearly, whether you are a good fit for their organization.

What you MUST do to effectively brand yourself: Differentiate yourself. Tell the reader why they should select you over all the other candidates. What makes you uniquely qualified for the position.

The alternative is a “vanilla” impression that may not repel any potential employers – but doesn’t attract any, either.

Make a strong visual impact.

Most companies utilize Applicant Tracking Systems, for which you’ll need an un-formatted Word version of your resume.

These systems typically allow you to upload your “pretty” resume, and this is the version the humans want to look at.

You want your “pretty” resume to make a strong, professional impact that will compel the reader to take you seriously as a candidate and perhaps spend a bit more time looking at your document.

The judicious use of color, shading, and lines can be very effective. I will often use charts or graphs with my sales executives to show their achievements visually.

Your layout has to be logical.

HR professionals and hiring managers spend far too much time viewing resumes to bother with one that doesn’t make sense in its layout.

Candidates will sometimes try to gain attention by creating a layout that is different. But different, in this case, isn’t always good.

Your information at the top of the page, your Experience section before your Education section (unless you’re a recent college graduate), and a standard layout for your Experience section will go far in your resume’s readability factor.

And while we’re on the subject, most employers are clear in their preference for a two-page (maximum) resume.

There is research that shows how a person reads a resume – where their eye goes and how long it stays in various places. Because of this research, I have a strong bias against two-column resumes. Besides being impossible to upload in the ATS, two-column resumes confuse the reader’s eye – they have trouble finding what they are looking for and will then stop reading.

Make a clear distinction between your job duties and your accomplishments.

Most people have what I call a “data sheet” – a static listing of where they’ve worked, dates, and job duties. In other words, an old-school resume.

If they have any achievements on their resume, they are mixed in with bullets that describe their job duties.

The net effect: Your achievements are diluted by the job duties, and your “death-by-bullets” laundry list of job duties/achievements puts the reader into a coma.

Create a 2-3 line paragraph listing your job duties, taking care to 1) include the most significant, and 2) avoid “fluff” language.

Which brings me to my final point…

The focus is on your achievements.

What differentiates you from your competition is your achievements.

Right or wrong, most hiring managers assume certain job titles carry with them a common set of job duties, so listing these ad nauseam on your resume is not the best use of space.

Hard-hitting bulleted accomplishments is what will separate you from others who’ve held the same or similar job titles.

A maximum of six, with progressively fewer bullets as you go further back in your work history. Each of which start with a strong action verb.

Want help with your interviewing skills? Here's the link to a series of FREE webinars I'm conducting in June to support you:

https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.co/

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk.

Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS.

Hope to see you soon!

This week, I speak with George McGehrin, Founder of The McGehrin Group. George’s firm conducts executive search at the C-level throughout the US, Europe, and South America.

In addition to managing his recruiting firm, George also works with executives to empower their careers through branding and coaching.

Here are the topics George and I discuss during this episode:

-The difference between retained search firms and contingency search firms (this is an important distinction and one of the first questions you should ask a recruiter who reaches out to you)

-Myths about executive recruiting

-How the role of the executive recruiter has changed in the face of COVID

-The proper role of recruiters in your job search

-Ways to cultivate long-term relationships with recruiters as a career management strategy

You can find George at linkedIn.com/in/gmcgehrin

Want help with your interviewing skills? Here's the link to a series of FREE webinars I'm conducting in June to support you:

https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.co/

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk.

Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS.

Hope to see you soon!

I’m working with a lot of clients right now who were laid off as a result of COVID. Many others were already job searching when COVID hit.

For many of these clients and, I suspect, many of you – you are fighting feelings of despair and frustration as you look for a job right now.

What I want to offer you today are some persistence strategies to keep you going in the midst of the most challenging job search environment in, maybe, ever.

First, I want to start with how you know you are struggling. How I know my clients are struggling: they aren’t doing their job search assignments, they are postponing their coaching calls, and they are making excuses for why they haven’t done the work.

In other words, their actions (or in many cases, their inaction) are telling me they are struggling.

Take a look at your job search strategy. Ask yourself these questions:

1.   Are you setting daily job search goals?

2.   Are you scheduling time, on your calendar, to do those things?

3.   Are you doing what you have scheduled time to do?

For those of you who are struggling, here are some premises I want you to accept as realities. Nothing has gone wrong, you’re not a poor candidate, these things just are.

1.   This is the toughest job market in, perhaps, ever.

2.   Employers are having to figure out whether they are going to open their doors tomorrow.

3.   Employers who are trying to hire are having to figure out how to do so with the new realities they are facing.

4.   Hurry up and wait is the order of the day, and that requires extreme patience and understanding on your part.

5.   The candidates who are willing to go beyond just applying online are the ones who will win the jobs. This has always been true, and never more so than now.

Here, then, are my top 10 persistence strategies for job searching right now:

1.   State your job search goal daily. Out loud. To yourself and the significant people in your life.

For example “I will have a job as _____ by _____(date or general time frame).

2.   Develop a job search strategy that makes sense in today’s job market, preferably with the help of a job search coach.

Once you have this strategy, calendar in the specific activities you will do for that strategy.

For example, if one of your strategies is to reach out to your LinkedIn connections, how many per day? How, specifically, will you reach out to them? When will you reach out to them?

3.   Reward yourself for having your own back.

When you do the things for that day, give yourself a reward for having your own back.

Make sure this reward doesn’t have a net negative consequence, like ice cream every day or drinking a bottle of wine every night.

4.   Recognize your achievements.

I made this a separate bullet point from the “doing” point above, because the reward piece is for doing the things you set out to do.

Recognizing your achievements means looking at what you are doing that is yielding the desired results. Here are some examples:

-Getting to 500 LI connections

-Speaking up at an online networking event

-Having your first virtual one-on-one networking meeting

-Being able to offer help to someone else who is job searching

-Getting your first interview

5.   Plan for anxiety to be your passenger – just don’t let it drive the vehicle.

If you wait until you are no longer anxious to begin your job search, you may never get started.

It’s okay to be anxious about reaching out to people you haven’t seen in a long time or have never even met.

The trick is to be anxious – and do the thing anyway.

6.   Be aware of the sentences in your head.

Persistence killers like “No one is hiring,” and “I’m never going to get a job” have no place in your thought repertoire.

When you catch yourself thinking these kinds of thoughts, just gently redirect your mind to your goal sentence.

One caveat: Don’t beat yourself up for thinking the persistence-killing thoughts. It’s just your prehistoric brain trying to keep you safe.

7.   Don’t try to do this in isolation.

As I mentioned previously, I highly recommend a job search coach and/or a group job searching program.

What you don’t want: to surround yourself with disgruntled job seekers.

You want to be around other humans who are full of anxiety, just like you, but who are focused on their goal – just like you.

You also want to surround yourself with positivity through what you listen to or watch, the friends you hang around with, etc. Even if you aren’t talking about job search things, let’s keep it positive.

8.   Don’t make it mean anything about you.

You’re going to get rejected. You’re going to hear crickets. The phone isn’t likely to ring off the hook with offers for interviews.

It’s not you. It’s the job market. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

9.   Dress for the occasion.

Many of you have chosen, as your new daily uniform, pajamas or sweats.

There’s something about getting dressed, fixing your hair, maybe putting on some makeup, that gets you in the right frame of mind.

Remember to bathe, practice good hygiene habits, look your best.

It really does matter.

10.Finally – take care of yourself.

It’s difficult enough to conduct a job search right now without the added challenge of feeling physically terrible.

Plan a healthy food intake, decide what kind of exercise you’re going to do and schedule it, make sure you’re addressing any medical issues.

Think about it this way: You wouldn’t expect your vehicle to take you on a cross-country trip without filling it up with gas (several times), changing the oil, getting all your belts checked out, etc.

Your body is the vehicle that’s going to drive you to your next job. Take excellent care of it so it can support you in achieving your goal.

Want help with your interviewing skills? Here's the link to a series of FREE webinars I'm conducting in June to support you:

https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.co/

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk.

Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS.

Hope to see you soon!

Let me start by being clear: I am not speaking about having COVID19. I am speaking to those of you who will be interviewing for jobs, where questions about why you were let go during COVID, or how you spent your time during COVID, might well be asked.

Let’s start with those of you who lost your job because of COVID.

You have a pass.

The biggest message I want to convey here is that no one will question why you were terminated this year – you are one member of a very large club.

On a micro level, you might need to provide some color about your specific organization.

In this case, keep it positive and generic. Here are a couple of possibilities:

“My company was struggling financially before COVID hit, and the owners decided to close the company down as of April 1st.”

(Although this one discloses “struggling financially,” it doesn’t put blame on an individual for that struggle or criticize the company for its struggles.)

“My company was in the hospitality industry, and so was very hard hit. They were able to reopen as of May 1st, but at 25% of their previous staffing levels.”

“My previous employer managed to stay open during COVID as an essential service, but business still dropped 50%. As one of the newest employees, I was one of the first let go.”

Now, let’s strategize on some of the interview questions I can see coming as a result of COVID.

1.   How did you spend your time in quarantine?

This question speaks to your self-motivation, time management, goal-setting, and initiative.

2.   What did you learn about yourself while in quarantine?

This question speaks to your ability to self-reflect and evolve.

3.   What changes did you make during quarantine?

Depending on the changes you made, this question could speak to any number of things.

4.   What goal did you set for yourself during quarantine, and did you achieve that goal?

I love goal-setting questions, and this is a great time to ask this question.

5.   How did you handle being in quarantine?

This is a mindset question. Be honest, but if you struggled, be sure to talk about what you learned from that struggle.

Want help with your interviewing skills? Here's the link to a series of FREE webinars I'm conducting in June to support you:

https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.co/

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk.

Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS.

Hope to see you soon!

Let me start by being clear: I am not speaking about having COVID19. I am speaking to those of you who will be interviewing for jobs, where questions about why you were let go during COVID, or how you spent your time during COVID, might well be asked.

Let’s start with those of you who lost your job because of COVID.

You have a pass.

The biggest message I want to convey here is that no one will question why you were terminated this year – you are one member of a very large club.

On a micro level, you might need to provide some color about your specific organization.

In this case, keep it positive and generic. Here are a couple of possibilities:

“My company was struggling financially before COVID hit, and the owners decided to close the company down as of April 1st.”

(Although this one discloses “struggling financially,” it doesn’t put blame on an individual for that struggle or criticize the company for its struggles.)

“My company was in the hospitality industry, and so was very hard hit. They were able to reopen as of May 1st, but at 25% of their previous staffing levels.”

“My previous employer managed to stay open during COVID as an essential service, but business still dropped 50%. As one of the newest employees, I was one of the first let go.”

Now, let’s strategize on some of the interview questions I can see coming as a result of COVID.

1.    How did you spend your time in quarantine?

This question speaks to your self-motivation, time management, goal-setting, and initiative.

2.    What did you learn about yourself while in quarantine?

This question speaks to your ability to self-reflect and evolve.

3.    What changes did you make during quarantine?

Depending on the changes you made, this question could speak to any number of things.

4.    What goal did you set for yourself during quarantine, and did you achieve that goal?

I love goal-setting questions, and this is a great time to ask this question.

5.    How did you handle being in quarantine?

This is a mindset question. Be honest, but if you struggled, be sure to talk about what you learned from that struggle.

https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.co/

www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk.

Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS.

Hope to see you soon!

In episode #121, “Career Pivots & Reinvention,” I focused primarily on career pivots.

As I define it, a career pivot is like a pivot in basketball – one foot remains stationary while the other foot moves.

In a career pivot, one of your feet remains in either your industry or your job function.

You remain working in marketing, but pivot from the manufacturing industry to CPG.

You remain working in pharma, but pivot from sales to marketing.

A career reinvention, then is moving both feet. You are essentially starting over – and using your transferrable skills in a new job function and a new industry.

-A grounds manager for major league soccer who becomes a salesperson for a transportation logistics company

-A model manager who becomes a quality assurance manager for a tech startup

-A insurance salesperson who becomes the CEO of a nonprofit

The primary message I want to send about both career pivots and career reinventions is to make sure you like your reason for the shift.

Rather than telling yourself you have no choice in the matter, I want you to come from a place of deciding…and then deciding to like your decision.

Here’s why this is important: This is YOUR career. You are in charge of YOUR career. Your career isn’t something that HAPPENS to you.

There is no clear right and wrong answer when you are thinking about a career pivot or reinvention.

There are, however, considerations you’ll want to make, such as income potential, availability of jobs in your geographic area, and your skill set.

Let’s take an extreme example for illustration. Let’s say you’ve been an incredibly successful farrier – the person who puts shoes on horses and cares for their hooves.

You love your work. At least you did until you moved from rural Kentucky to Los Angeles because of your spouse’s work.

What do you do now? You could:

1)   Commute incredibly long distances so you can keep working as a farrier

2)   Pivot from being a farrier in the horse industry to being a nail technician for dogs and cats in a froofy pet boutique on Rodeo Drive

3)   Pivot from being a farrier in the horse industry to writing about horse care in a horse magazine

4)   Reinvent yourself.

You choose #4. You begin thinking about what you love to do when you’re not working. Where your mind goes when you allow it to wander.

Here’s what you come up with: As a farrier, you really loved marketing your services. Talking to potential customers, offering complimentary services as a way for them to see your work, maintaining an active presence on social media.

Sales and Marketing! You realize you love marketing and selling your product and you’re very comfortable talking with people.

You also recognize that you still want to work primarily outdoors, so you decide to focus your career on sales and marketing positions with animal-related companies.

Here then, are some of the pros and cons to consider when considering a career reinvention:

PROS:

-This is an opportunity to reignite your passion—to re-light a flame you hadn’t even realized had gone out

-This is an opportunity to meet new people, learn new things, and expand your skills and expertise

-This is an opportunity for you to CHOOSE your career path with intentionality, rather than allowing it to happen to you. Very empowering.

CONS:

-May mean a significant reduction in pay, especially if you are a mid- to senior-level employee in your current career

-May mean becoming the low person on the totem pole: less vacation, working weekends and holidays, etc.

-May mean feeling like a beginner all over again, with a steep learning curve

-May mean additional formal education and/or a certification

-Your network may not be in this new industry and job function, so networking will be more challenging

-Because you have neither industry nor job function experience, you likely won’t be the most desirable candidate, so networking will be essential to get your first job in the new field

What steps might you take if you are considering a career reinvention?

1.   Working with a career coach is essential.

2.   Have a professional resume writer experienced in career reinvention write your resume for you, so your transferrable skills are front and center and the employer can clearly see why you are making this shift. (If it doesn’t make sense, the employer will immediately discard you as an applicant.)

3.   Informational interviews with people in the new industry and career field.

4.   Offer to work for free to show them what you are capable of.

5.   Network, network, network.

6.   Create a realistic household budget to determine if this is financially feasible. What are you willing to give up or do without for a while as you build your new career?

Want help finding your next job? Here's the link to a series of FREE webinars I'm conducting in July to support you:

https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.co/

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk.

Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS.

Hope to see you soon! 

Those of you who were fortunate to keep your jobs during quarantine may have already returned to work or will be returning soon.

You may feel a lot of uncertainty around that, like who still works there? How have my co-workers been affected by quarantine? How will the company be different?

Changes might include:

-Variable/flexible work shifts

-A combination of work-from-home and in-office work

-Office/workspace physical reconfiguration

-Installation of physical barriers

-Health checks at the beginning of each work shift

-Sanitation measures

-An action plan in the event an employee tests positive

-Introduction of health protocols

-Policies around requests for work-from-home protocols

-Increased focus on a contact-free workplace

-Retraining/re-skilling of employees based on company’s new direction/focus

-Easing in of duties, especially those with significant physical activity

-Education programs around all of the above

I’m certainly no expert on the health aspects of the workplace, so I want to focus on some best practices you can personally adopt as you return to work.

Here are the 5 top qualities you have the opportunity to demonstrate, or develop, as you return to work:

1. Flexibility.

So many of the changes I mentioned before require flexibility. This is a New World Order we’re talking about here, and those who are malleable in responding to frequent changes—especially including the missteps along the way—will rise to the top.

In addition, do you have an area of expertise that lends itself to one of the changes I mentioned above?

For example, if you are excellent at training employees, perhaps you could play a role in retraining employees beyond your current department.

Would you like the opportunity to serve on the health protocols committee?

Does your strong back and sense of physical space lend itself to helping with the physical reconfiguration of your office?

2.   Patience.

A first cousin of flexibility here is patience. Allowing the decision-makers to get it wrong, frequently, before they get it right.

3.   Creativity.

Those who creatively solve the problems their workplaces are facing will also rise to the top. How can you look at a problem differently than your co-workers?

I hate the expression “thinking outside the box,” so I’ll call it “thinking creatively.”

4.   Positivity / teamwork.

There will be plenty of nay-sayers in the return-to-work process; you have a tremendous opportunity to be a force for positivity and teamwork.

Sure, you’ll have your moments of “I’d like to scream my head off right now,” but save it for elsewhere. At work, you can be the consummate team player.

5.   Leadership.

Along with positivity and teamwork, how can you demonstrate your leadership strengths? Of course, this is expected of the positional leaders, so I’m talking to those of you who don’t yet have a leadership position in your company.

If you take advantage of this opportunity to demonstrate attitudinal leadership, you’ll soon have the title to go with it.

6.   Gratitude.

I couldn’t give you a list like this without including gratitude.

Record numbers of people are out of work right now, and you have a job. Practice gratitude for that job, that paycheck, those co-workers, your company that weathered this situation.

Focusing on the good you do have, rather than what you don’t have or what you have that you don’t want, makes ALL the difference.

My daily gratitude practice involves writing down 5 things each day I’m grateful for. What gratitude practice will you adopt?

Want help finding your next job? Here's the link to a series of FREE webinars I'm conducting in July to support you:

https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.co/

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk.

Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS.

Hope to see you soon!

In episode #36 of the podcast, I talked about specific points at which it is important to manage your boss.

One of those important times is when a new responsibility or project is placed on your plate.

Many employees would assume that their boss knows exactly what they are already doing, minute by minute. They figure if the boss gave them this responsibility, they should be able to manage it in addition to what they are already doing – otherwise, why would the boss have assigned it?

WRONG.

Of course, your boss has at least a general idea of what you’re doing, but it is a mistake to assume she knows how full your plate is.

When the boss puts a new responsibility on your plate, here are the factors you need to consider:

1.   Has your boss told you that you ARE doing this new thing, or has she asked you if you will take It on?

The reason this is important: There’s more room for negotiation if your boss is asking. There could be significant repercussions if you try to decline an offer that isn’t an offer at all, but rather a command.

2.   Is this a permanent responsibility, or something temporary, with a specific end-date?

The reason this is important: If this is a temporary assignment, you may be able to accommodate it with all your existing responsibilities.

If, however, this is a permanent responsibility, some adjustments to your existing duties may be in order.

3.   How much of my time will this new responsibility take?

The reason this is important: In assessing whether you can absorb this new responsibility without taking anything off your plate, it is essential you get an understanding of the time this new responsibility will take.

Ask your boss; ask whoever else you need to in order to get an accurate read on the time commitment you’re making.

4.   Are there ways I can work more efficiently to accommodate this new responsibility?

The reason this is important: Your boss will certainly appreciate it if you can do the new thing and all your old things, so take a hard look at your work days to determine if this is a possibility.

I’m not talking about working MORE hours, but rather working smarter within your existing workday.

5.   Am I truly maxed out?

The reason this is important: If, based on your evaluation of how and what you’re currently doing, you decide there truly is no more room on the plate, then you will come from a much stronger position than if you knee-jerk it.

6.   How can I leverage this new responsibility for a future promotion or growth opportunities outside of my current employer? How can I bring my best to the table so that happens?

The reason this is important: You want the time to do this new thing right – to shine a positive light on yourself for your work.

You can’t do that if you’re over-committed or resentful of the new responsibility you’ve been given.

How do you have this conversation with your boss?

1.   Get your facts straight before having the conversation.

You want to lay out the facts as best you can for your boss.

How much time are you spending each week on your current projects?

What is the timeline for each of those projects? Are any of them expected to end soon?

2.   Explain the concessions you are willing and able to make.

If you’re hoping for help, the best first step you can take is to tell your boss what you can do to help accommodate the new project or responsibility.

How will you tighten your belt, so to speak, to meet this new responsibility?

3. Offer solutions, not just problems.

Suggest a couple of reasonable alternatives to your boss. Which projects or assignments make the most sense to off-load? For how long? To whom?

4.   Partner with your boss on the solution…don’t create an adversarial situation.

Help her to make the best decision for the company and your department? You don’t want to appear to be self-serving here.

Want help finding your next job? Here's the link to a series of FREE webinars I'm conducting in July to support you:

https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.co/

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk.

Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS.

Hope to see you soon!

Lee Hecht Harrison surveyed 277 human resource managers to find out what was missing from the job candidates they receive application materials from.

The prompt was: “Please rate how detrimental you believe each of the following issues is to a candidate’s chances of being selected for an interview.”

• Lack of job-related skills…9.0
• Lack of required technical skills/experience…8.7
• Spelling and/or grammatical errors on application materials…8.5
• Lack of required education and/or training…8.1
• Inappropriate social media content…7.7
• Resume doesn’t showcase results or accomplishments…7.5
• Gaps in work history…7.4
• Lack of industry experience…7.3
• Lack of tenure in current/previous position…7.3
• Titles don’t accurately reflect positions and/or responsibilities…7.0
• Poorly defined value proposition…6.2
• Generic resume and cover letter…6.0
• Failure to include a cover letter…3.9

The Messages

It seems that unqualified, or minimally qualified, candidates are applying for positions due to the prevalence of job boards and ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems).

The inboxes of HR managers are filled with applications from unqualified candidates, increasing the chances that your qualified application may be overlooked in the pile.

Or that the employer will try to bypass publicly posting their jobs the next time around.

Another message: You can be well-educated and have great, relevant work experience…but not get called in for an interview because your marketing materials are riddled with misspelled words and poor grammar.

You can be THE perfect candidate…until they Google you and find some unfortunate content…or a lack of positive professional content.

You can be a great candidate EXCEPT for your habit of job-hopping, and the fact that you’ve only been in your current role for six months.

I’ve hired a lot of employees over the years, and here’s my biggie: It’s the whole resume thing. Mis-spelled words, poor grammar, and inconsistent formatting drives me NUTS. Of course it does, I’m a Master Resume Writer.

Want help finding your next job? Here's the link to a series of FREE webinars I'm conducting in July to support you:

https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.co/

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk.

Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS.

Hope to see you soon!

Let’s start with the definition of professionalism: “The standing, practice, or methods of a professional, as distinguished from an amateur.”

So then, what does unprofessional mean? “At variance with or contrary to professional standards or ethics; not befitting members of a profession, as language, behavior, or conduct.”

ALSO: “Not done with professional competence; amateurish.”

Here then, are my top five ways to quickly become branded as “unprofessional.” I’ve described them as you might talk about someone who is unprofessional and given you some of my real-world experiences with unprofessional behavior.

1. “He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

One of the best ways to get branded as unprofessional is to not stay current with the skills and competencies required for your profession.

Examples might include IT people who let their skills slip or a marketing person who avoids jumping into digital media because she only knows traditional media.

The other side of not knowing what you are talking about isn’t related to your skills and competencies, but rather being tone-deaf to the energy in the room. There’s a huge difference between putting a differing viewpoint on the table and being completely unaware of emotions running high on a particular subject.

In the latter scenario, the person who lays out an insensitive or potentially career-damaging statement might be branded as unprofessional.

Years ago, I worked with an IT person who, when I hired him, was current with his IT knowledge. He didn’t continue to hone those skills, however, so by the time he was terminated, his skills were completely out of date.

Not only did this mean he wasn’t going to get a glowing recommendation from me as his most recent boss, it also meant he was going to have a hard time landing another position in IT.

2. “She always blames someone else when something goes wrong.”

Gaining a reputation as a blamer is a sure-fire way to get branded as unprofessional. AND people will quickly brand you as a blamer and won’t want to work with you.

One of the hallmarks of emotional intelligence is accepting blame and being willing to make things right.

The only way you can be perfect in your job is to do nothing – take no risks, try nothing new. Which really isn’t perfection at all.

So you are going to make mistakes. The question then becomes, “What now?”

While I can’t say I’ve worked with a chronic blamer, I have worked with multiple employees who wouldn’t accept responsibility for their own actions.

A particular staff member I worked with was engaging in some very unprofessional behavior. When I confronted her about this, she denied saying and doing the things I knew were true.

Her denial made it +difficult for me to try to fix the damage her behavior had caused.

3. “You can’t count on him to come through.”

You simply won’t be given the best assignments if you cultivate a reputation as a ball-dropper.

You will consistently be given assignments that have little consequence…which is boring and certainly not career-promoting.

You want to be seen as someone who’s word is gold – if you say you will do it, it’s as good as done.

The afore-mentioned IT tech was in charge of a very important annual report with implications for the entire university. After he was terminated, I discovered that he had used the previous year’s stats to create the current year’s report. I can’t even tell you what a nightmare that was.

4. “She is rude and inconsiderate.”

People won’t continue to help you, or even work with you, if you’re rude and inconsiderate.

At all levels of an organization, in projects big and small, people want to be acknowledged and appreciated for their contribution, and they certainly don’t want to be yelled at or taken for granted.

You want to cultivate a reputation as someone who works well with others, shows appreciation, doesn’t try to take the accolades for other people’s work, and respects the other responsibilities each member of the team has.

At a former employer, the Director of Public Relations had the reputation of telling you what you were going to do, rather than asking for your help. Further, she wasn’t thankful or appreciative in the least when you did it.

People learned to avoid this individual, get their bosses to say they couldn’t do the thing she was asking them to do…anything to avoid working with her.

5. “He came to the meeting without the materials he needed, and he clearly wasn’t prepared.”

Here’s how many people would view this person: as inconsiderate of the other team members’ time. “I took the time to prepare for this meeting, why didn’t he?” they will grumble under their breath.

Worse yet, the entire team slowly decreases their preparation for meetings, because they perceive that it’s acceptable to do so.

You want to cultivate a reputation of being super-prepared and efficient in how you present your information to the group.

My favorite example of being unprepared is from a job interview I conducted years ago.

The interviewee, when asked if she had any questions for us, said “Am I going to get another interview? I need to know whether or not to do some research on [company].”

Can’t get much more unprepared than that, and then she telegraphed her lack of preparation by saying what she did to me.

Want help finding your next job? Here's the link to a series of FREE webinars I'm conducting in July to support you:

https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.co/

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk.

Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS.

Hope to see you soon!

I came across an article on LiveCareer entitled “14 Skills and Values Employers Seek in Jobseekers,” and I wanted to share it with you.

Professionalism. The article talks about “acting in a responsible and fair manner in all your personal and work activities, which is seen as a sign of maturity and self-confidence.”

Last week’s podcast, episode #137, talks about 5 quick ways to get branded as unprofessional. The flip side is what you do and say, and don’t do and don’t say, what you wear and don’t wear, and how you show up at work that brands you as either a professional, unprofessional, or in the murky waters somewhere in between.

Honesty and Integrity. There have been a lot of very public corporate scandals stemming from employees’ lack of honesty and integrity, which has made this quality highly valued by employers.

Truthfulness always wins out – as long as it’s coming from a place of understanding and compassion. Being hateful under the guise of truthfulness will get you quickly branded as mean, uncaring, and a host of words I won’t mention.

If you are unsure of whether you should do something, think about whether you would do that thing if the president of your company were watching.

Adaptability. The article speaks of “openness to new ideas and concepts, to working independently or as part of a team, and to carrying out multiple tasks or projects.”

This skill of adaptability or flexibility is particularly important in the face of COVID 19, where employees are being asked to do things completely outside their wheelhouse to keep the doors open.

Your boss LOVES employees who raise their hands for new projects and are willing to stretch their skillset. Be one of those employees.

Problem-Solving. As someone who has supervised many employees, one of the most important things I looked for was employees who would not just come to me with a problem, but at least one possible solution to that problem.

Don’t be labeled as the difficult employee who is always complaining. Instead, get branded as the solution provider. Even if your boss doesn’t use your suggestion, she will appreciate that you had a solution to offer.

Dependability/Reliability/Responsibility. This one’s pretty simple, but so important. Arrive on time and own up to your mistakes.

You can’t expect to be given promotions or plum assignments if you garner a reputation of being undependable.

If you screw up, and you will, OWN up. End of story.

Loyalty. “Employers want employees who will have a strong devotion to the company, even at times when the company is not necessarily loyal to its employees.”

How do you talk about your employer and your boss when they aren’t around? How do you think about them?

Loyalty is rewarded. Disloyalty is terminated.

Positive Attitude/Motivated/Energy/Passion. As opposed to those highly desirable job candidates who are negative, unmotivated, sluggish, and dead inside. Yep.

A cousin of adaptability is your ability to do your work with a positive attitude and passion.

People with a positive attitude carry that attitude through no matter the assignment, timeline, budget, team members, or any other variable.

Self-Confidence. “If you don’t believe in yourself, in your unique mix of skills, education, and abilities, why should a prospective employer? Be confident in yourself and what you offer employers.”

On the job, you want your self-confidence to shine through in all you do, especially when it is a new project or an area you haven’t worked in before.

Your boss needs to feel he made the right choice in giving you that job, and a big piece of that is the self-confidence you display.

Self-Motivated/Ability to Work Without Direct Supervision. The flip side of being a team player is the ability to get your work done without anyone standing over your shoulder.

Bosses really don’t want to micro-manage you, so show them by your results that you don’t need to be micromanaged.

Willingness to Learn. You must show a willingness to learn new skills, job duties, and ways of working.

Never complain about the skills or competencies you haven’t been taught…emotional intelligence is going to the proper source to get what you need to do the job. And don’t present your case as a victim, but as a professional individual who is willing to learn this new thing.

Leadership/Management Skills. Although the article groups these together, I see them as distinctly different skill sets. Management speaks to the day-to-day operations of a business unit and managing the work of those in that unit.

Leadership speaks to determining the direction of a unit and making sure that direction is followed. Leading a team involves charisma, vision, and passion.

Multicultural Sensitivity/Awareness. “There is possibly no bigger issue in the workplace than diversity, and job seekers must demonstrate a sensitivity and awareness to other people and cultures.”

This one is huge in the workplace right now. How can you help lead awareness and sensitivity in your company or department? How can you move the conversation forward from a place of sensitivity and awareness?

Planning and Organizational Skills. In addition to designing, planning, organizing, and implementing projects and tasks, it also involves goal-setting.

In most occupations, flying by the seat of your pants is not a desirable way to get your work done. You make your coworkers nervous that you won’t get your work done on time.

Set up your calendar system. Stay on top of meetings with others. Plan out your part of projects so you get quality work done on time.

Teamwork. So many jobs today involve work groups, and your ability to contribute fully within work groups is extremely important.

Whether you are meeting in person or virtually, it is so important that you carry your weight with each of your teams.

Make sure your voice is heard – but don’t monopolize the conversation.

Make sure your voice is heard – but don’t be tone-deaf to the energy of the room.

Make sure your contribution is recognized – and so is everyone else’s.

Make sure your skills are leveraged – and so are everyone else’s.

Here’s my challenge to you: identify one of these 14 things that you would like to improve. Then establish what you will do towards that item.

Make sure you set a SMART goal: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-Sensitive.

Is it a formal class? Do you want to read some books on the topic? Is there someone you need to have a conversation with? Do you want to hire a coach?

Want help finding your next job? Here's the link to a series of FREE webinars I'm conducting to support you:

https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.co/

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk.

Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS.

Hope to see you soon!

Let’s talk about how you can have difficult work conversations in a way that doesn’t leave one or both parties feeling like you’ve been run over and left for road kill.

The purpose of this exercise is to move the relationship forward, not to convince the other person that you’re right and they are wrong. There is no upside to having a winner and a loser.

Be willing to be wrong…or at least not right.

Step One – Really Listen

The first part of this process is to allow the other person to tell you why they believe they are right. Your job in this phase is to listen intently without interrupting.

THIS IS NOT EASY.

Your temptation will be to defend your position, to argue, or to display body language that clearly expresses your frustration or disbelief.

It will take practice for you to just listen, so the other person feels completely heard. Put yourself in their shoes – what are they thinking and feeling?

Step Two – Your One Sentence

You now get one sentence, and only one sentence, to state your position on the matter.

Your temptation will be to vent, but there’s no upside to that. Be succinct.

Step Three – State the Points of Agreement

After the other person has had their say, you want to state the areas in which you agree.

You’re moving towards the solution phase of this conversation, so even if your points of agreement are few and far between, state them.

Step Four – Brainstorm Solutions

What’s most important here is that you don’t dwell on the problem or points of disagreement, but rather move quickly to possible solutions. You’re not allowed to go back to talking about the problem at this point.

Want help finding your next job? Here's the link to FREE weekly webinars I'm conducting to support you:

https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.co/

Today’s guest is Jeanne Bohen, and we’re discussing transferable skills.

Especially in today’s job search climate, being able to pivot by identifying and capitalizing on your transferable skills has never been more important.

We discuss what transferable skills are, why they are so important, and a process you can go through to identify your transferable skills.

We also talk about the importance of proactively developing transferable skills as part of your career development plan.

Jeanne brings more than 25 years of business experience and executive level leadership roles with Fortune 500 and start-up companies across Health Care, Medical Manufacturing, and Human Resource offerings.  Jeanne was a VP of Sales and a General Manager at Hill-Rom in the health care space. As VP of Sales and Client Services at ChildrenFirst, she worked with CEO’s and CHRO’s of companies including Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, KPMG, Deloitte, General Mills, Booze Allen Hamilton, and Viacom, bringing solutions for employers and benefits for their employees.

Jeanne has an MBA from the Katz School of Business, University of Pittsburgh and is a certified Retirement Coach in the Life Options Program.

To reach Jeanne, find her on LinkedIn or at Jeanne.bohen@gmail.com.

https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.co/

www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

A few years ago, I conducted research of past clients to find out what was, and wasn’t, working for them in terms of their job search.

Several of my clients talked about getting their most recent job without conducting a job search.

They took the approach of doing little things on a regular basis, rather than doing nothing…nothing…HIGH GEAR…you get the idea.

As a result of that research, I coined the term “ARFO” – Always Ready for Opportunity.

It is the idea that you should always be prepared to have conversations about job opportunities…and that there are certain steps you want to take to be prepared for those conversations.

Why is ARFO a good idea?

Maintenance Versus Repair.

Here’s an analogy: I can keep my car maintained and clean on an on-going basis. Spend a bit of time and money on a regular basis as part of the cost of ownership.

OR I can neglect my car, not attend to the noises under the hood or the lights on the dashboard. I can let it get filthy dirty…people write WASH ME on my rear window.

It’s most likely going to cost me more to take the second approach, both in terms of time and money. At least it will feel that way.

And I might get stranded on the side of the road by using the second approach.

Truthfully, I might get stranded on the side of the road using the first approach too, but it’s less likely and will probably be less devastating.

My astute clients took the “maintenance” approach to their careers, recognizing that 1) it will “cost” them less in the long run, and 2) the possibility of getting “stranded” (i.e. finding themselves out of a job) is real, and they don’t want to be left flat-footed.

Even if you plan to conduct an active job search, ARFO can be a tremendous compliment to your other job search strategies. Here’s why:

• Your “startup” phase will be much shorter because your marketing materials are always updated and your network was never allowed to go fallow.
• Your skills, education, and certifications are current, maximizing your marketability (and attractiveness) to potential employers.
• You can get in touch with recruiters who reached out to you recently to let them know you are now actively job seeking.

Five Strategies for Practicing ARFO:

1. Keep a folder (electronic or paper) to centralize your accomplishments, performance evaluation, commendations, etc. These will be tremendously helpful when updating your marketing documents.

2. Maintain your resume and LinkedIn profile with new positions, shifts in job responsibilities, and accomplishments. You should be able to present your resume to a prospective employer on a moment’s notice.

3. Dedicate time to your networking efforts. I recommend separating this into two “buckets:” on-line and in-person/virtual. Reach out to people on LinkedIn on a regular basis, and schedule coffee/lunch/phone conversations with those in your network.

4. Review your qualifications annually: are you missing any important credentials/certifications? Is there another level to which you can take your current credentials/certifications?

5. This one’s so obvious I hesitate to mention it…do a great job where you’re at. How you show up for your current role is your best…or worst…marketing tool. Give your current employer everything you have, no matter what the circumstances.

How does this all relate specifically to 2020, when a pandemic has been raging for months and the U.S. is experiencing the highest unemployment rates in our lifetime?

1. If you are currently employed, you can still look for a job. You don’t owe it to anyone else to hold off on your job search because so many are unemployed. After all, if you leave, that opens your current position for someone else.

2.   Remember – recruiters like to hire the employed, so you are still more desirable because you have a job. Don’t for a minute think that recruiters are only going after the unemployed because they can start more quickly – great companies want to hire great employees, employed or unemployed.

3.   Networking needs to happen, even in a pandemic. Just get creative and look for networking venues online. You should never take your foot off the networking “pedal.”

4.   Evaluate what you have – including the security of what you have – against the opportunity that is presented to you. Make an informed decision, then have your back about that decision.

5.   Have those conversations with recruiters when they reach out to you. Listen to what they have to say. The position they are hiring for right now might not be a good fit, but you have an opportunity to cultivate a long-term relationship.

Want help finding your next job? Here's the link to FREE weekly webinars I'm conducting to support you:

https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.co/

Sometimes, you are free to shout your professional availability from the roof top.

Other times, your job search needs to be covert, because you don’t want your current employer finding out what you’re up to.

Here are five tips for utilizing LinkedIn for a discreet job search.

Don’t share your profile edits with your connections.

Changes that spur a network update:

· Adding a new or current position

· Editing an existing or current position

· Celebrating a work anniversary

Changes that no longer spur a network update:

· Uploading or editing your profile picture

· Editing your Headline

· Editing your Intro Summary

· Changes to your contact info

· Editing or adding education

· Editing or adding volunteer experiences, languages, skills, publications, certifications, course, projects, test scores, organizations, patents

To be discreet, don’t share these edits with your connections.

This DOES NOT mean that they won’t see those edits should they visit your profile; it means they won’t receive a notification in their inbox that you’ve made those changes.

Here’s how to make your edits private:

Click “Me” underneath the thumbnail of your picture at the top of your profile

Click “Settings & Privacy”

Click “Share job changes, education changes, and work anniversaries”

Toggle to “No”

Keep your stalking private.

You’re going to be checking people out on LinkedIn and deciding who you want to connect with, and the best way to do this is in private mode.

This allows you to flit around, conduct your professional surveillance, and decide who you want to connect with without leaving clues as to who you are.

Here’s how to view others’ profiles in private mode:

Click “Me” underneath the thumbnail of your picture

Click “Settings & Privacy”

Click “Profile Viewing Options”

Choose “Private Mode”

Generally, you want people to know you’ve visited their profile, so be sure to switch back to full view mode when you’re finished.

Use the Advanced Search function….liberally.

If you know the name of the person you are searching for, you can type that in the search box at the top of your profile.

If, however, you need to find people you want to connect with, the Advanced Search function should become your best friend.

To access the Advanced Search function, click on the magnifying glass inside the search bar. You’ll get a number of search options.

If, for example, you want to find the decision-maker at ABC company, put ABC under “Company” and the job title of the person who would make a hiring decision about you under “Title.”

Reach out to a mutual connection and ask for an introduction.

LinkedIn makes it easy to see what connections you and the decision-maker have in common. If it is someone you know well, you might want to reach out to that person and ask for an introduction to the decision-maker.

This approach, while being a bit more cumbersome than the next approach, is more likely to yield results because you are getting a warm introduction, rather than cold-calling.

Make it personal.

When you send a connection request to a decision-maker, personalize it, such as:

Sue,

I see we have several connections in common. Let’s connect.

Once they’ve accepted your request, you can share the real reason you’re reaching out, such as:

Sue,

Thank you for connecting with me! John Smith, one of your former associates, has spoken very highly of you and ABC.

I am discreetly looking for a new opportunity and, after considerable research, believe I would be a tremendous asset to ABC. Would it be possible to have a brief phone conversation?

I look forward to hearing from you!

Will everyone take you up on your phone call request? No. But you’re not interested in the companies that aren’t interested in you.

Want more FREE help? Register for one of my weekly job search webinars using this link: https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.co

Visit my website: https://exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk.

Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS.

Hope to see you soon!

Today’s guest is AmyK Hutchens, and we’re talking about “How to Handle Tough Career Conversation.”

AmyK covers how to handle three particularly challenging career conversations:

-The job interview

-Dealing with a difficult co-worker

-Asking for a raise

AmyK also provides you with her three top tips for handling any tough career conversation you may face.

AmyK Hutchens is a former executive of a billion-dollar global consumer products company who has been awarded the Vistage UK International Speaker of the Year. With 75+ presentations per year, AmyK travels the globe sharing with executives, influencers, and go-getters how to confidently and competently navigate their toughest conversations without saying something they regret, giving their power away, or damaging their relationships.

AmyK received her M.S. from Johns Hopkins University and has been a featured guest on numerous TV and radio networks including Bloomberg, NBC, and ABC. She resides in San Diego, CA.

You can visit AmyK’s website at amyk.com or find her on LinkedIn.

Be sure to check out this month’s FREE weekly webinars at www.mastercoachwebinars.carrd.co

My client hadn’t been in a new job for a few decades, so she wanted coaching around how to approach the list of questions she had received.

My first thought about this structure: AMEN. It was so refreshing to see this so structured – both for the new employee and the boss.

I also think it speaks to the company’s commitment to setting its new employees off on the right foot, which is a huge factor in retaining those employees.

Finally, I love this framework for both the new employee and the boss to get the information they will need to work together. So many of the bumps for a new hire is in understanding (and meeting) expectations, and a meeting like this will go a long way to facilitating that understanding.

The biggest piece of coaching advice I had to offer my client – more than once – was that this was NOT a job interview. She had the job, so she needed to put on her employee hat.

She wanted to approach these questions as an eager employee, getting and giving the information she needed to be successful.

This is her chance to determine what her boss’s expectations of her are, what criteria he will use to measure her success, and what is most important to her boss.

We also talked about the fact that her job was to make her boss look good, so she will want to ask follow-up questions as needed to find out how best to do that.

This is also the perfect time to clarify job responsibilities, as well as things like work hours, dress code, and expense reporting.

For the boss, this is an opportunity to understand how to motivate and communicate with the new hire.

Here are the questions this company listed for the boss to ask the new hire:

-What did you enjoy most about your previous work experience?

-What projects/activities give you the most energy/joy?

-What’s something you do regularly outside of work that’s really important to you?

These questions speak to your motivation. A good boss will learn from your answers to these questions how best to motivate and reward you at work.

-What have your past managers done that you’d like me to also do or not do?

-How will you tell me how you’re doing or if you need help?

-Do you have a preferred method of communicating?

These questions help your boss to understand how best to communicate and interact with you.

-What are your goals for your career?

-Are there any specific challenges you want to experience?

-Are there specific skills you want to focus on developing right now?

These questions help your boss understand your career goals and how to help you achieve them.

These questions are for you to ask your boss:

-What is my job? (The big picture; you already know the job duties.)

-Why is my job important?

-How will I know if I’m successful?

-What key areas should I be focusing on when setting my performance goals?

The following are conversation starters for both the boss and the new hire:

-What I expect of you…

-The best way to give me feedback is…

-How I operate, communicate, and work through conflicts…

-Do you have any pet peeves I should be aware of?

The manager might want to start conversations around these topics:

-As a manager, I think I’m good at…

-As a manager, one thing I find challenging is…

Clearly, there is some overlap with these questions, and asking all of them might make for a very long meeting. Rather than a checklist of questions, I think this is meant to provide a framework for the introductory meeting.

What can you do with these questions?

As a new hire:

Particularly if your new employer doesn’t have a guided onboarding process laid out like this company does, these questions can be a great blueprint for questions you can ask your new boss.

Select 3-4 you think are most important for you to get the information you need from your new boss.

You may also want to pick 3-4 questions you think your new boss should ask you. If she doesn’t ask hose questions, you can volunteer that information.

As a boss:

If your company hasn’t created this kind of new hire structure, you can borrow liberally from these questions to create something for your department.

As with this company, I recommend giving the new hire the questions ahead of time. Particularly with introverts, you are not going to get the best response from your new hires if you just spring the questions on them during the meeting.

Let your new hire know exactly what the purpose of this meeting is (to get to know each other better and learn how best to work together), when the meeting will be, where it will be held, and how long you expect it to last.

I might also recommend food and/or drink around this meeting. It’s a great way to show you value your new hire, and food can also diffuse a stressful situation.

To get the best data from your new hire, you want her as relaxed and open as possible, so think carefully about the meeting room and setup.

Of course, many of us are onboarding—and being onboarded—virtually right now, so get creative with ways to make the virtual onboarding process enjoyable and as stress-free as possible.

Want help finding your next job? Here's the link to FREE weekly webinars I'm conducting to support you:

https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.co/

To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com

Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.

Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk.

Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS.

Hope to see you soon!

You’ve heard this statistic: as much as 85% of jobs are obtained through the “hidden” job market.

“Hidden,” meaning these jobs aren’t advertised.

The vast majority of these “hidden” jobs are obtained through networking.

Here’s what many people do wrong in networking…and how you can avoid these traps.

1. Networking only when you’re job searching.

Many people think of their network only in terms of looking for a job.

If they are in job search mode, they network.

Then they turn it off until the next time they are looking for a job.

Remember Noah from the Bible? He didn’t wait until it was raining to build the ark.

The sun was shining, life looked pretty good, nothing to worry about…and he’s out there, making an effort for what seemed like no reason.

He trusted that an ark would be needed, so he started working on it before he needed it.

The antidote: Schedule regular, on-going networking time, so your network will be there when you need it.

This can be achieved formally through a networking group like BNI, or informally through one-on-one coffee dates or lunch meetings.

I recommend a combination of both.

2. Taking a tommy gun, rather than bow-and-arrow, approach.

Many people make the mistake of not taking a strategic approach to networking.

They take one of those gangster guns and “shoot” everybody with their networking, hoping in the process they “shoot” someone who can help them.

I advocate a “bow-and-arrow” approach that is strategic and focused.

Ask yourself:

What goals do I currently have for networking?

Who do I want to network with? (These can be specific people, or types of people)

Where do I need to position myself to meet those people? (Specific networking groups, professional organizations, venues)

3. Making it all about you.

Ineffective networkers take a barnacle approach to networking.

They latch on to those they network with and suck whatever they can out of them.

Effective networking should be an exchange among equals…you give as good as you get.

What’s more…you give BEFORE you get.

In a 30-minute coffee date, make the first 20 minutes about the other person.

Here’s the challenge for you: LISTEN. Deeply.

Then add value wherever you can.

How? Suggest a strategy the other person hasn’t thought of, a person he would benefit from meeting, a tool or resource she could use to solve her most pressing problem.

Then, when it’s your time to ask, your connection will be much more likely to go the extra mile to help you.

4. Being vague with requests.

Ineffective networkers say things like “Hey, if you hear of anything, let me know.”

This will fly in one ear and out the other, because there’s no specific action you are requesting of your connection.

Say something like, “I see from your LinkedIn profile that you are connected with Sally Jones at XYZ company, which is one of my target employers. I’d really appreciate an e-mail introduction to Sally.”

Which leads nicely to my final point:

5. Not following up/through.

This may be my #1 point for business professionals in general: They let things slip through the cracks, either as a result of poor organizational skills, poor time management, laziness, or fear.

As a result, their networking efforts are largely in vain.

After the conversation above, reach out to your connection as soon as possible via email. Thank him for his time, provide him with anything you promised him, and remind him that he said he would make an email introduction to Sally Jones for you.

If you have to do this a couple of times, then do so. Be gently persistent.

Want help finding your next job? Here's the link to FREE weekly webinars I'm conducting to support you:

https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.co/

Okay…let me correct that title a bit. It very well MIGHT be your resume. Here’s how I know:

In consults with prospective clients, I ask them if they are currently in a job search or just at the starting blocks. If they tell me they have been job searching, I ask them for these metrics:

# of applications:

# of interviews:

# of job offers:

This information is invaluable because it gives me tremendous insight into where their problems might lie.

As a general rule of thumb, here are the conversion metrics I want to see:

100 applications yield 10 interviews with 10 different companies

10 interviews with 10 different companies yields 1 job offer

Candidate #1 – Let’s call her Sally

# of applications: 200

# of interviews: 2

Here’s what I now know: It is either Sally’s resume, the positions Sally is applying for, or a combination of both.

Remember, 200 applications should convert to about 20 interviews with 20 different companies, so it’s likely that Sally’s resume doesn’t properly market her for these positions.

Also, unless Sally has been searching for ages, it’s tough to find 200 positions she is really interested in and fully qualified for, so I suspect our candidate is throwing an application at most everything that moves.

Candidate #2 – Let’s call him Jim

# of applications: 50

# of interviews: 20

# of job offers: 0

In this scenario, Jim is getting a great return on the applications, but not converting the interviews into job offers.

I’m going to take a look at Jim’s resume, but I’m more concerned with his interview skills and how he is executing his follow-up.

My conversion metrics here are that 20 interviews should generate 2 job offers – maybe not the jobs Jim wants to take, but offers nonetheless.

I’m going to ask how many 2nd or 3rd interviews Jim has had. I’m going to ask for specifics about who Jim interviewed with, how the interview process went, and any feedback he got from anyone he interviewed with.

Jim likely needs coaching on interviewing and interview follow-up.

Candidate #3 – Let’s call her Beth

# of applications: 6

# of interviews: 1

# of job offers: 1 (was for a job she had absolutely no interest in from the start, but interviewed for anyway for “practice”)

Let’s say Beth has been job searching for 6 months. Here’s the problem with Beth: She isn’t actually job searching at all. She’s playing at it.

In this scenario, I want to look at Beth’s resume…I have no way of knowing if it’s a good one because there are virtually no metrics.

I’m pretty sure Beth needs heavy-duty job search coaching. And we need to begin with what she believes about herself as a job candidate and what she believes about the job market (especially in 2020).

Beth is probably stymied by her belief that there are no jobs out there and/or that she won’t be a viable candidate for any positions she really wants. Too much competition; she doesn’t have [fill in the blank] that all the other candidates will surely have, or that she is too [fill in the blank] to be a viable candidate.

Whenever I have a client whose job search has stalled, I know we must begin with their mindset. If we try to start with action steps without cleaning up the underlying beliefs, there will be an inevitable collision that won’t yield the results the clients wants.

Want help finding your next job? Here's the link to FREE weekly webinars I'm conducting to support you:

https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.co/

For the uninitiated, ghosting means that someone has stopped responding to all communication from you.

You can be ghosted by a friend, significant other, or a potential employer. Or a recruiter who went from hot to cold for no apparent reason.

This is different from applying for a job and never hearing anything – that happens all the time. Ghosting means that you are in the pipeline, maybe you’ve already had one or more interviews, you think you’re well on your way…then nothing.

I got a lot of the information for this episode from an online article by Shireen Jaffer at Minutes.

There are a few reasons why a company or recruiter might ghost you that have nothing to do with you:

1.    A change in priorities. Maybe a freeze has been put on hiring, the position is no longer as important to fill as it was, or the company has decided to go in a different direction altogether. Granted, you would hope they would let you know about these things…but they often just go silent.

2.    Internal candidate. Perhaps the company has decided, for any number of reasons, to focus on internal candidates.

3.    Timing. The recruiter you have been working with is on vacation or has left the organization.

4.    A poor recruiter. The recruiter you’ve been working with has dropped the ball.

What if you have done something that has led to the ghosting? These might be the culprits:

1.    Bombing the follow-up. You didn’t provide something you were supposed to or inadvertently misbehaved in your communications.

2.    Not showing initiative. Recruiters want candidates to show consistent desire for the role, so make sure you aren’t passive in responding to follow-up requests, checking in periodically, etc.

3.    Reference check. The employer has checked your references and didn’t like what they heard. Many people mistakenly think that no one ever reveals anything negative in a reference, but I promise you this happens regularly.

So what can you do to minimize the chance of being ghosted?

1.    Focus on thoughtful follow-up. Send 1 email per week for at least 3 weeks. Be thoughtful in your communication, continue to express interest in the position, and be sure not to sound frustrated or impatient.

Also, continue to research the industry and the company, and reference your research when you correspond with your contact. This shows the employer that you are very interested and could likely begin contributing immediately if given the position.

2.    Connect through LinkedIn. Be sure to keep it positive, such as “I really enjoyed our conversation last week and look forward to hearing the next step.”

3.    Reach out to build other relationships. If the job posting has been taken down, the role has probably been filled. If it is still up, then you may want to reach out to another recruiter at the company or even the hiring manager.

I get a lot of questions from employers about whether they should do something like this. My response is always the same: What do you have to lose? You aren’t making any headway as it is, so you might as well pull every trick you can out of your toolbox.

At least this way, if they say no, you can rest assured that you did everything you could to get the job.

What happens if you are being ghosted over and over? This is one of the areas where clients come to me seeking assistance. We work our way through their job search efforts to find out where the issue might be, and I coach them through the problem.

Unfortunately, most recruiters and employers won’t give you honest feedback about why you weren’t hired for legal reasons. This is why a coach is so beneficial.

Want help finding your next job? Here's the link to FREE weekly webinars I'm conducting to support you:

https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.co/

Today’s guest is Bruce Tulgan of Rainmaker Thinking. Rainmaker Thinking is a management research company founded in 1993 by Bruce, the best-selling author of 21 books.

Today we talk about how to be indispensable at work. Bruce defines indispensability: to whom should you seek to be indispensable, and how to be indispensable while maintaining a work/life balance (or, as I like to call it, work/life blend).

Bruce talks about his extensive research in this area, and the key takeaways you can use to become indispensable at work.

You can find Bruce Tulgan at rainmakerthinking.com.

Go from dragging yourself to work each day to finding a job you love. The CareerSpring Program is for high-achieving and ambitious mid-level professionals, like you, who are looking for a job that uses your zone of genius, recognizes your value, and pays you what you’re worth. If you’re ready to learn more, schedule a complimentary consult: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2

I coach my clients on walking into the salary negotiation process with 3 numbers decided. In addition to talking about those numbers today, I’m also using the Forbes Article, “Are You Being Thorough in Your Salary Negotiations? The Complete Insider’s Checklist,” by Dawn Graham for additional information on salary negotiations.

The First Number

The first number you want to bring into salary negotiations is your ideal salary number. The number you WANT to end up with.

This number should be based on salary research in the geographic region of the job. Your ideal number within that salary range should be based on the following:

-Unique skillset

-Added abilities/skills that will save or earn money for the company

-The value of your education/certification/license

-Introduction through a strong referral

-Individual learning curve

-Supply vs. demand of the skillset you bring to the table

This number can also be impacted by such things as excellent medical insurance or other benefits that will minimize your out-of-pocket, IF that is something that is important to you.

The Second Number

The second number is where you want to start salary negotiations, if you are asked to throw out the first number.

Depending on the job market, your marketability, and the supply/demand ration of your specific job, that number might be 10%-25% higher than your first number.

The Third Number

This is the number many people DON’T go into salary negotiations with – at their own peril.

The third number is your walkaway number – the number at which you know you will be looking for a new job from day one. You will regret accepting the job.

This number can factor in your specific financial situation, although you won’t share that with the employer.

The primary reason for knowing your third number is to avoid what I call the “shiny object syndrome” – agreeing to work for sub-par wages because of nice facilities or other perks that you don’t actually need and may not even use.

Additional Factors to Consider

Here are additional considerations in deciding on your numbers:

-Do I currently have a sufficient source of income?

-How is the market / industry performing in my area of expertise?

-Do I have another offer in hand?

-Am I being contacted by recruiters for jobs I’m really interested in regularly?

-Am I at risk of a layoff or in a toxic environment I need to exit quickly?

-Is it a buyer’s or seller’s employment market?

The Company

It’s also useful to consider what you know about the company you are negotiating with.

-Is this a time-sensitive hire?

-Did the department just lose one or more people – and why?

-Is there a strong #2 candidate in the running?

-Is this a newly created role (tends to be less urgent)?

-Is someone adequately covering the roll currently?

-How critical is the position to the company’s success?

-Are there other company positions that are a greater priority than this one right now? Or other company initiatives?

Expense to Hire

Another consideration is Expense to Hire.

-Did I get introduced by a headhunter, which comes with a hefty finder’s fee?

-Are relocation or other up-front costs involved?

-Will I need a lot of training or upskilling to get up to speed?

-Is there a non-compete or other risk to the employer to consider?

Risks

Finally, let’s talk about the risks that may be present in the job you are negotiating.

-Is it a start-up, and if so, what stage? Do I trust the founders?

-What part of compensation is variable vs. guaranteed?

-Is there a lot of change occurring within the organization?

-What risks are the company facing that I may be indirectly taking on?

Remember, when it comes to salary negotiations:

-Always sleep on it

-Prepare thoroughly

-Find the balance between the outcome and the relationship

Go from dragging yourself to work each day to finding a job you love. The CareerSpring Program is for high-achieving and ambitious mid-level professionals, like you, who are looking for a job that uses your zone of genius, recognizes your value, and pays you what you’re worth. If you’re ready to learn more, schedule a complimentary consult: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2

This is episode #150! Considering so many podcasts that flame out after a dozen or so episodes, I am so very proud of the body of work in my catalogue.

I’m also working on a podcast index book, so stay tuned for more information on that.

We’re talking today about behavioral interviews. Those interview questions that begin with “Tell me about a time when…” or “Describe a situation that…”

There are episodes where I’ve talked about the behavioral interview – specifically episode #84.

A brief recap:

Your answers to behavioral interview questions should follow this format:

C (Challenge)

A (Action)

R (Result)

EXAMPLE

Question: Tell me about a time that really tested your organizational and time management skills.

C: I was managing a large project and we were at a critical phase when a coworker had to be off for extended medical leave. I was asked to fill in her role.

A: -Learn her responsibilities

-Manage boss’s expectations

-Agree together on what I can put on the back burner or hand off to someone else

-Meet with project management team to let them know about my additional responsibilities and what that would mean for the project

-Became even more scheduled, including…

R: As a result, I completed the project within time and budget constraints while also managing my co-workers’ responsibilities effectively for 6 weeks.

EXAMPLE

Let’s talk about putting a bow on your answer. Think of this like extra credit on an exam. Now your CAR story is a CARL story:

L (Lesson Learned)

L: What I learned from that situation was my capacity for organization and time management…

OR

L: What this situation demonstrates is how my boss trusted me with so much responsibility and I didn’t let him down.

OR

-Communication skills

-Collaboration

-Relationship with boss

I don’t recommend putting a bow on every single behavioral story, but peppered in they can be quite effective in reinforcing your brand and demonstrating the kind of value you will offer the organization.

Go from dragging yourself to work each day to finding a job you love. The CareerSpring Program is for high-achieving and ambitious mid-level professionals, like you, who are looking for a job that uses your zone of genius, recognizes your value, and pays you what you’re worth.

If you’re ready to learn more, schedule a complimentary consult: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2