Today, I want to give you strategies to improve your verbal communication skills – specifically, with an eye to enhancing your promotability.  Next week’s episode will piggyback on this one with ways to improve your written communications skills – also with an eye to enhancing your promotability.  In episode #113, I covered active listening at work; here’s the link to that episode:https://exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2020-02-05-113-active-listening-at-work/ In episode #114, I talked about effective communication at work, and I’ve included that link in the show notes. I’m going to include some of that information in today’s episode. https://www.exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2020-02-12-114-effective-communication-at-work Let’s start with an assessment of your verbal communication skills – tell yourself the truth as you answer these questions. I highly recommend journaling your responses. 1.    Do I ask questions when I don’t understand something, or do I keep it to myself? 2.    Do people often misunderstand my messages? Am I often surprised that they don’t understand what I am saying? 3.    Is it easy for me to understand someone else’s point of view during a conversation? 4.    Do I think about how my responses will be perceived by others, or do I speak without thinking?  5.    Do I find it difficult to see and read people’s body language? 6.    Do I struggle to find the right words to convey my message? Which one of these is a weak link for you? Develop a 90-day goal to improve that area. Asking for a mentor’s help, watching YouTube videos, listening to podcasts, reading books, asking for people’s feedback, or taking a course are all ways to improve your area.   There are four steps to the communication process: -The words you speak (articulation, correct word usage) -What you meant by those words (intonation, vocal pauses or emphases) -The words the listener heard (ability to hear what is said, the listener’s understanding of the language you are speaking in) -What the listener makes those words mean (experience, cultural differences)  Utilizing both verbal and written communication skills, you want to be able to clearly communicate your achievements and contributions to your manager. You also want to be able to articulate your career aspirations – he or she needs to know that you want to be considered for a promotion at the appropriate time.   Next, let’s dig into specific verbal communication issues you may have and ways to improve.  1.    If you find yourself straying mentally when others are speaking, you may have a challenge with active listening. Strategies to improve: -You have to be able to hear the other person. If the space you are in is too noisy for that to happen, suggest moving to someplace quieter.  -Are you possibly dealing with a hearing problem? Is this something you need to get checked out? Or is the problem only when there is a lot of ambient noise? If so, move to someplace quieter.  -Are there visual distractions around you that are interfering with your ability to pay attention? Relocate the conversation to minimize.  -Are you asking questions to make sure you understand what the other person is trying to communicate? The key here is to find the balance between constantly interrupting the speaker and making sure you understand their message. Another tool for understanding is to repeat back what you heard.  -Are you making appropriate eye contact? My rule of thumb is your eye contact should be nearly 100% when the other person is speaking and at least 60% when you are speaking. Also, be sure to nod and make appropriate facial gestures to show you are listening.  -Do you have trouble retaining important information after a conversation? If so, WRITE IT DOWN.  -Are you paying attention to nonverbal cues – and working to reconcile them with what’s being said? If not, you’re missing more than half of the conversation – the 55/38/7 formula created by Albert Mehrabian states that communication is 55% nonverbal, 38% vocal, and 7% words only. If this is a challenge for you, I recommend you look up some YouTube Videos on nonverbal communication.  -Do you understand what the speaker intends for you to do with the information they are about to give you? If not, ask questions – does the speaker want your advice, do they want you to take action, do they want to just impart information?  -Are you showing the appropriate emotional response to what is being said? If this doesn’t come naturally to you, it may be a case of “fake it ‘till you make it.” Excitement, empathy, and understanding are all possible emotional responses.   2.    If your challenge is speaking clearly and concisely, you’ll want to work with a coach or find a mentor who can give you real-time feedback on your verbal communication skills. Specific areas for them to help you with include: -Are you clearly stating your message? Can the other person understand the information you are trying to convey? -Are you using unnecessary jargon or fillers? Slang, inappropriate use of words (hone instead of home, irregardless instead of irrespective), fillers like “Um” or “I mean” or “Sort of”), or overusing a word like “literally” or “fantastic.” And, of course – no profanity.  -Are you conveying your message concisely – with an appropriate amount of detail but not too much? Are you staying on point? -Are you using examples or analogies as appropriate to illustrate your points?  3.    If your challenge is speaking up in meetings, this may be a confidence issue, a communication issue – or both.  Either way, set a goal to make at least one significant comment in your next meeting. If possible, ask someone you trust who will be in that meeting to give you feedback afterward.  As you get comfortable with making one comment, set your bar higher. Eventually, ask about running a meeting.   4.    If your challenge is presentations, this can either be an issue with public speaking, organizing and conveying information – or both.  This is an excellent one for a speaking coach; Toastmasters is another excellent option. Practice is the key here.  -Seek out low-risk opportunities to speak in public, whether at your work, in a volunteer organization, or some other opportunity. Gradually build up to higher-risk opportunities, as there will also be a higher reward possibility.  -Use appropriate visuals. We’ve all been subjected to PowerPoint presentations that are so small we can’t read the content – or 46 slides in one presentation. Make sure your visuals support your presentation – not hijack it.  -Get feedback on the “compellingness” of your presentation – are you moving people if that is the purpose of the presentation? Are you making factual information interesting? Are you using humor if appropriate?  -Know your audience. What is their current level of understanding of the information? What references will they relate to? What else do you know about them that will help you customize your presentation?  -Look the part. One of the best pieces of advice I ever received from a professor was this: “How you dress lets the audience know what you think of them.” Of course, you want to factor in the environment and other considerations, but in general – dress in a way that shows your audience you respect them and value their time.  -If you find it challenging to answer audience questions, either because you are afraid you won’t have an answer or because you aren’t great with spontaneity, watch YouTube videos of this portion of people’s presentations. Go to live presentations – evaluate how other people are handling this portion and learn from their successes and mistakes.  So let’s circle back around to the title of this episode: Improving Verbal Communication Skills to Enhance Promotability. As I said at the outset, a piece of this is to let your boss know of your interest in being promoted. Also, let him or her know that you are working to improve your communication skills – and what, specifically, you are doing to achieve that goal.  Ask your boss for what you need – Is it feedback? Is it suggestions on how to improve? Is it opportunities to use the skills you are working on?  The final word here: Practice. Practice. Practice. Set SMART goals, plan your steps to achieve those goals, and evaluate your progress at appropriate intervals.   If you are a high-achieving professional with the goal of landing in the C-suite, the Highly Promotable coaching program may be just the ticket! This 1:1 program is targeted to strategically leverage one of your strengths to become a signature strength — and move the needle on one of your developmental areas so it becomes a strength.  This is a four-figure investment in your professional future! If this sounds like just what you need, schedule a complimentary introductory call to determine if you are a fit for Highly Promotable:  https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/highly-promotable-introductory-call  

Today’s topic is the most important leadership qualities employers are looking for – and derailers to avoid. As you can imagine, every source I reviewed for this episode had a slightly different list and number of qualities, so I’ve attempted to synthesize a few sources into my list of leadership qualities for leading an organization, leading others, and leading yourself. I’ve also given you a major leadership derailer.   Leadership Skills for Leading the Organization: My ask for this section is for you to identify one leadership skill you would like to work on for the next 90 days and create a measurable goal. Create some specific action steps and calendar them in; also set aside time at the end of the 90 days to evaluate your progress. You can choose one from any of the three categories – leading the organization, leading others, or leading yourself.  1.    Decision-Making Skills & DecisivenessLeaders make informed decisions quickly – no waffling or second-guessing allowed. They are able to see the potential outcomes of various options to make the best decision in that circumstance.  2.    AdaptabilityStrong leaders are able to navigate through uncertainty in today’s rapidly changing business world. This is the flip side of decisiveness – the ability to recognize when circumstances require a mid-course correction…or when a decision made wasn’t the right one.  3.    Integrity and EthicsWe can argue that there are plenty of employers in the news every week that seem to be operating with a lack of integrity and ethics – however, I don’t think those are the companies any of you want to work for. Rather, excellent employers value leaders who are honest, loyal, have integrity, and operate in an ethical manner – all of which fosters the trust so important in business. 4.    Strategic ThinkingGreat leaders don’t spend the majority of their time putting out fires; rather, they are playing a key role in setting and communicating the organization’s mission, vision, and goals. They also have the ability to formulate and execute a strategic plan to achieve those goals.  5.    Problem-Solving SkillsSuccess in organizations requires the ability to identify and solve complex problems within a culture of innovation and continuous improvement. Effective leaders are able to foster this culture and address potential or actual problems.  6.    Change ManagementEffective leaders are able to facilitate organizational change initiatives and overcome resistance to change.   Leadership Skills for Leading Others:  1.    Communication SkillsIt should come as no surprise that effective written and verbal communication is essential for leaders to convey their ideas clearly, inspire their teams, and foster collaboration. Further, a lack of strong communication skills can be seen as unprofessional – causing people to question the leader’s abilities in other areas.  2.    EmpathyIt is important for a leader to be able to relate to the emotions and perspectives of others to foster a positive work environment. Showing genuine concern and compassion for those you lead is critical in building employee morale and engagement.  3.    Motivational & Team-Building SkillsThe ability to inspire and motivate a team is critical for successful leaders. Serving as a coach and mentor not only builds the team, it builds the relationship with each employee.  Strong leaders can recognize and leverage the individual strengths of their team members, as well as foster collaboration rather than unhealthy competition.  4.    AccountabilityExceptional leaders take responsibility for their actions and hold themselves and others accountable. Part of accountability is dealing with problem employees in a decisive and fair manner; one of the biggest missteps many leaders make is showing favoritism to certain employees or having blinders on.  5.    Open-MindednessTo promote innovation and inclusivity with a team, leaders must be open to new ideas and diverse perspectives. They listen.  6.    Building Collaborative RelationshipsEffective leaders build productive working relationships with coworkers and external parties. 7.    Respect for DifferencesLeaders value people with different backgrounds, cultures, and demographics. They truly understand the value of diversity in its many forms – and foster an inclusive workplace.  Leadership Skills for Leading Yourself:  1.    ResilienceLeaders should be able to bounce back from setbacks, maintain a positive outlook, and demonstrate self-control in the face of difficulties.  2.    Time ManagementEffective leaders prioritize tasks and manage their time efficiently to meet deadlines and achieve objectives. They spend the majority of their time in Stephen Covey’s Quadrant Two: Important, But Not Urgent activities.  3.    Self-AwarenessStrong leaders are fully aware of their strengths and weaknesses. They know how to leverage their strengths and they have a plan for mitigating their weaknesses. Further, they have a personal mindset of continuous improvement.  4.    Taking InitiativeExceptional leaders look at problems as opportunities to be capitalized on, and they do so quickly.  5.    Work-Life BalanceStrong leaders recognize the importance of having a personal life, rest, and rejuvenation. They also see the value in modeling a work-life balance for their team.  6.    Career ManagementLeaders are lifelong learners, they have coaches and mentors, and develop professional relationships that are open and honest. They keep their skills and credentials current and are actively engaged in acquiring new knowledge.   Here is a major derailer to being an effective leader (besides the obvious opposites of each item above): Failure to Meet Business ObjectivesThis one is loaded because there are so many potential reasons. If you earn a reputation as someone not to be trusted to follow through on commitments or does not effectively complete work, your tenure with that organization will be short-lived. The problem with this one is it is pretty black and white and can give the organization a concrete reason to fire you.   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  

Greetings, Career-Minded Superstars! Welcome to The Exclusive Career Coach podcast. I’m Lesa Edwards, Certified Executive and Leadership Development Coach, Certified Job Search Strategist, and Master Resume Writer.  If you would like to learn more about my practice, check out my website at exclusivecareercoaching.com. While you’re there, be sure to look at the Free Resources page – I have lots of great stuff there for you to take advantage of.  So far this month, I’ve talked about what you need to know if you are going to be conducting a job search this year – and what the job market currently looks like. I’ve discussed what is going on with remote work, the importance of personal branding, LinkedIn, tailoring your marketing materials for each position you apply for, and the role technology is playing in the interview process. I also dug deep into what is currently happening with the U.S. workforce – and what is expected to occur over the next few years around worker supply and demand, the aging workforce, and wage growth.  Today, I want to talk about the obstacles you may face if you are planning to job search this year. I’ve teased out six things you’ll want to take into consideration as you look for your next great role.  1.    A lack of personalization in the hiring process. Over and over, I hear my clients’ frustration about how technology has removed the personal touch throughout the hiring process. From initial interviews conducted using AI tools to Applicant Tracking Systems to an inability to reach a human at the hiring company, candidates are FRUSTRATED.  My solution for this shouldn’t surprise you if you’ve listened to my podcast before: Networking. Specifically, my +1 approach, where you do one more thing in addition to just applying online like everyone else. I’ve talked about both of these in depth in multiple other episodes, so I won’t dwell here. Here are a couple of other tools to help with this lack of personalization: Expect that it will likely be impersonal – in other words, manage your expectations. Also, exhibit as much patience as you can possibly muster in navigating the various platforms you’ll be interacting with.   2.    Companies that want you to jump through hoops like a circus animal.  From projects that take hours of your time to multiple interviews (I had one client who was subjected to 10 interviews before they went with their internal candidate) to cumbersome application requirements, some companies just don’t understand that their efforts to find the perfect candidate is often resulting in the perfect candidate running in the opposite direction.  My advice: Decide whether you’re in or you’re out. If you’re in, be willing to do whatever is asked of you, with a positive attitude (they will smell your resistance). To be fully in, it’s so important that you really want that job with that company – and you fully believe you have the qualifications, professional qualities, and culture fit to be a great hire.  Just don’t apply if you aren’t really excited about the job and at least 75% qualified. Save your energy for the ones you are truly in on.   3.    Being ghosted.  I was fascinated to sit at a round table discussion with HR folks recently, who to a person complained about how candidates were ghosting them. When I spoke up about my clients’ frustration about how employers were ghosting them, they were shocked. I’m sure you aren’t surprised, though – you may well have faced this very thing. Whether from an in-house recruiter or third-party recruiter, it’s particularly difficult to understand this when the recruiter reaches out to you unsolicited.  There are myriad reasons this may be happening, but what I want to point out here is this: Don’t make it mean anything about you. You get to decide what to think about this sudden radio silence – please don’t think it’s because you aren’t qualified or they didn’t like you.  I like to think of it this way: I was spared from working with a company that doesn’t have its act together and/or doesn’t recognize my genius. Something better is on its way to me.   4.     Companies that take you all the way through the hiring process, only to tell you there’s been a hiring freeze, a change in priorities, or “we found a better candidate.” It’s always more difficult when you’ve invested a considerable amount of time and emotional energy in a lengthy process. I spoke with a prospective client just yesterday who had been told an offer was on its way, only to meet with the HR representative and be told there was a hiring freeze.  My solution for this situation is to stay in touch – most likely through LinkedIn. That hiring freeze will lift, they will figure out what direction they want to go in, and they will have other hiring needs (or figure out their first choice wasn’t the right choice).  Calendar in a cadence of regular, infrequent communication with your contact, and look for ways to add value to them with things like acknowledgement of accolades the company has received or important industry information.   5.    Your competition may be miles away.  Especially with remote jobs, your competition has increased exponentially as candidates from around the globe can do the work from home.  This is where personal branding, an achievement-focused resume, and strong interviewing skills become even more important. Whether you are their back-door or across-the-globe candidate, you MUST show them that you are the best fit for the role and the company culture. And yes, culture DOES matter, even with remote jobs.  Know yourself, know the company, and be able to articulate how the two fit together perfectly.   6.    Employers that immediately want to know your salary requirements.  Some states have adopted wage disclosure laws so companies have to post salary ranges with their job descriptions. As of this podcast, 13 states have pay transparency laws, although the specifics of those laws vary greatly.  My philosophy on this used to be deflect, deflect, deflect…be vague – after all, how can you tell them what you want before you truly understand the job requirements and how you are the perfect fit? Now, however, I am encouraging candidates who are asked to give the salary range they are looking for, based on research into the industry, job function, geographic region – as well as the candidate’s qualifications and experience.  The reason employers are asking is because they don’t want to waste their time with someone whose salary expectations are not in alignment with what they are able to offer.  My final word to you today is this: You don’t have to do this alone. If you would like to schedule a complimentary consult to discuss how I can support you in landing your dream job despite the challenges of today’s job market and hiring practices, here’s the link to my calendar: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2 Take care, and I’ll see you next week! 

There is a lot of confusion about the current job market – perhaps the most I’ve ever heard of outside of the 2008 recession. I wanted to bring you some facts today – as well as a translation of those facts into action steps you can take to increase your chances of success.  Here’s a quote from Nick Bunker, Indeed Hiring Lab Director of Economic Research for North America:  “Outside of some risks – the ones we know about and the ones we don’t – things look pretty good so far. There’s lots of indications that the probability of the economy pulling off a ‘soft landing’ has gone up.” Here are five economic trends that will shape the job market for 2024: 1.    Ongoing worker demandSimply put, high employer demand for workers will need to continue. However, the labor market outlook for 2024 not only hinges on whether employer demand for workers continues to fall, as it has in recent years, or not – and on how employers reduce their demand.  There could be a round of widespread layoffs as employers look to shed workers. If, on the other hand, employers hoard labor as many think will happen, job postings and openings could fall without unemployment rates rising.  In other words, if you’re in you’re in – but if you’re out, you’ll find it difficult to get in.  Why would employers hoard labor, even if their financial results don’t support it? Because of the difficulty they faced just a few years ago when trying to ramp back up after Covid’s effect on the labor market. They don’t want to be in line to hire from a scant supply of workers, nor do they want to lose productivity as they train and ramp up a new workforce.  What this means for you: Keeping your skills and credentials current is extremely important – we are past the labor market of a few years ago where a pulse was just about all you needed for some jobs. Make it difficult for your employer to let you go.  2.    An influx of younger workers. More prime-age workers (defined as 25-54) need to enter the workforce to counteract the long-term drag of an aging population.  As many older workers opt for retirement or reduced working hours/responsibilities, coupled with a flat rate of immigration, the number of prime-age workers in the U.S. will continue to decrease.  This drop-off may not happen in 2024, but it is inevitable that it WILL happen. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, we reached the highest percentage of labor force participation in 2018, with a steady decline expected through 2030.  The labor force participation rate is the percentage of the population that is either working or actively looking for work. I did some math on this: The current population of the U.S. is about 332 million. Currently, about 62.5% of those people are in the labor force – or want to be; that equals about 207 million.  Come 2030, the expected population of the U.S. will be about 360 million. With an expected labor force participation rate of 62%, that equals about 223 million.  At the risk of geeking out on you, that means we currently have about 125 million people NOT in the work force and not wanting to be. In six years, we are expected to have 137 million people NOT in the work force and not wanting to be.  12 million more people NOT filling jobs.  What this means for you: I want to approach this from a different angle. What these statistics tell me is that the need for new entrants into the workforce to hold jobs that supply services and products to older Americans is only going to continue to grow. I would NEVER tell someone to enter a career field they were not passionate about – but how could you point your skills, values, and passions in the direction of a career path that has higher than average job security, such as serving older Americans?   3.    A steady quitting rate. Employees quit at an unprecedented rate in 2021 and 2022; we need to maintain a steady quit rate. Here’s what the quit rate indicates: Employees’ confidence in either finding another job or pursuing other meaningful work, such as self-employment. Higher quit rates often equate to increases in salary and benefits – as well as more work flexibility, such as remote work.  Of course, within a fairly robust economy where employees have options, a quit rate can also be the equivalent of “I’m mad as hell and I’m not taking it anymore.”  I also saw a lot of employees quit during the pandemic because the economic, political, and public health conditions created a perfect storm for people to reevaluate their career path – and, in many cases, take a career pivot or career reinvention.  Many employers, especially in such sectors as hospitality and leisure, are putting incredible emphasis on talent attraction and retention measures.  What this means for you: Do your homework before quitting without another job lined up. In some sectors, you may be hired quickly; in others, you may find yourself unemployed for several months.  If you believe you are on the wrong career path, invest in working with a career coach like me – it’s well worth the money. If you are attracted to entrepreneurialism, try it on while you are still employed – you may decide you love it, but only as a side gig.   4.    Declining wage growth.This may sound like bad news. Nominal wage growth will need to continue or decrease by a little, but not too much. For workers to maintain and increase purchasing power, wage growth cannot fall below the rate of inflation.  As a result of the intersection of the three trends above — a decrease in employer demand, an increase in labor supply and depressed levels of quitting — wage growth is expected to return to the 3.5% to 4% range early next year. This is a “healthy and sustainable rate seen before the pandemic” and a marked cooldown from the January 2022 peak of 9.3%, per data from the Indeed Wage Tracker.  What this means for you: Don’t get greedy with your salary expectations if you are in the job market – especially if you changed jobs during the peak wage increases of a few years ago. Do your homework, using the U.S. Department of Labor’s statistics and other sources to determine a reasonable expectation for your compensation package.   5.    AI adoption. AI tools are expected to boost productivity growth and fundamentally change the labor market in the near future. It is expected that demand will increase for jobs related to creating AI-based tools, as well as for jobs that use them. We will likely see a considerable upsurge in job postings that mention generative artificial intelligence (GenAI). What this means for you: No matter what kind of work you do, you will be well served to learn AI tools – especially as they relate to your career field and industry. There is no shortage of courses out there – or you can teach yourself, as I have.  As for WHAT jobs will be in demand in 2024, I really don’t want to go down that road because I want your career choice to be based on your skills, values, and passions, rather than where the jobs are. Having said, that, there IS value in knowing what sectors are hiring within your chosen career path – and what emerging skills or competencies employers in those sectors are looking for. This question obviously opens up a world of possibilities, so I encourage you to do your research on what’s happening in your career field, where the hiring is occurring, and any niche specifics on how to make yourself more marketable. The final piece of advice I want to give you is how to prepare for any of the possibilities I’ve talked about in this episode. I won’t go into detail here, because these are things I’ve taught you about in other episodes – in many cases, ad nauseum. And, of course, if you need help with any of these things (and trust me, you do), reach out and let’s talk.-Make sure your skills and credentials are current and marketable; begin acquiring any new ones that will increase your marketability and/or promotability-Update your resume-Freshen up your LinkedIn profile-Create a plan to energize (or in some cases, begin) your networking efforts that is intentional and strategic-Have a conversation with your boss, if appropriate, about how to make yourself more indispensable in your current role – what new project or duty can you take on to expand your skill set?-Practice your interviewing skills – preferably with a professionalAnd finally – spend some time really thinking about where you want your career to go next. Make sure you are being proactive with your career, not just reacting to the job market or other external forces. If you can invest in yourself to work with a career coach for this, I promise it will yield tremendous ROI for your career.  If you are a high-achieving professional with the goal of landing in the C-suite, the Highly Promotable coaching program may be just the ticket! This 1:1 program is targeted to strategically leverage one of your strengths to become a signature strength — and move the needle on one of your developmental areas so it becomes a strength.  This is a four-figure investment in your professional future! If this sounds like just what you need, schedule a complimentary introductory call to determine if you are a fit for Highly Promotable:  https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/highly-promotable-introductory-call  

If you are planning to job search this year, there are some important things to know – especially if you haven’t been in the job market for a while. I want to focus on 5 things I think are important for you to understand about the current job market and hiring process.  Of course, the job market can vary widely depending on your field and industry; the hiring process can vary as well. Having said that, I tried to focus on some virtually universal truths.  1.    Remote Work TrendsThe availability of remote and/or hybrid work arrangements varies widely by field and industry, but what I want to talk about here is the WAY jobs are being posted.  Prior to Covid, you might find a few jobs that indicated “remote” or “hybrid,” but the absence of this language meant you could expect the job to be in person.  Post-Covid, companies are much more explicit in the type of job they are offering. They typically lay out the parameters of a job they list as “hybrid.” “Remote” jobs may have a geographic location they want you to live in, even though you don’t have to go to the office.  Another aspect of remote work is the proliferation of sites specifically targeted to remote work. In addition to mainstream sites that you can search on using the filter “remote” or “virtual,” here are a few specifically for remote work: Growmotely  We Work Remotely  FlexJobs  Remote.cohttps://ratracerebellion.com/https://www.wahjobqueen.com/ One thing I want to caution you about is the possibility of a company deciding to change the location requirement AFTER you’ve been hired. It’s a good idea to ask about the possibility that a remote or hybrid job might be redesignated as in-person in the future.  They probably won’t tell you straight out – they may not even know – but look for evasiveness. I’ve had clients who had to look for a new position for this reason.   2.    Personal Branding Especially if you haven’t been in the job market for a while, you will probably be surprised at the importance of personal branding.  Here’s the way this works: Think of your favorite coffee shop or retailer…whatever you frequent. What do they stand for? Why do you go there and not somewhere else? What do they offer you that no one else can?  Prospective employers want to know the same thing about you: What you stand for, why they should hire you and not someone else, what you can do for them that no one else can.  You want an employer to have an immediate, visceral reaction to your resume – they either immediately know you aren’t the right candidate for them, or they immediately want to pick up the phone and schedule an interview with you.  Without that reaction, you languish in the “maybe” pile, sure to be eliminated somewhere along the way – or offered a below-market salary.  Back to product branding. You can buy no-name athletic shoes at Walmart, or you can buy Nikes. You’ll pay significantly more for the Nikes – and you want an employer to pay significantly more to get YOU.  Without personal branding, you are like a generic product – an alternative for an employer who doesn’t want to pay as much.  I spend an entire hour with my resume clients to tease out their personal brand, which is not only helpful for their resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile but also as they network their way to their next great job.   3.    Tailor, Tailor TailorOne of the biggest missteps I see job applicants making is submitting umpteen applications every day, yet not taking the time to customize their resume and cover letter for each position.  Focus on quality over quantity – otherwise, you’ll wear yourself out AND you’re setting yourself up for failure.  I talked about the specifics of how to tailor your resume and cover letter in episode 287: http://exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2023-09-06-287-how-to-tailor-your-resume-and-other-materials-for-a-specific-position Here’s the bottom line: Your resume needs to include the skills, competencies, and qualifications listed in the job description – to the degree you possess those things. Otherwise, your resume won’t score high enough in the ATS to make it through to the human at the other end.   4.    LinkedIn Isn’t OptionalI’ve done so many episodes on LinkedIn – you can find all of them by going to my website at www.exclusivecareercoaching.com and clicking on the Podcast tab. There, you’ll see a tile for LinkedIn with all the episodes I’ve done on that topic.  Here’s the part many people don’t think about – having a strong LI profile isn’t just for YOUR networking efforts, but also for OTHERS to find you. Specifically, recruiters and others with job opportunities.  What I see over and over with people I consult with is their LinkedIn profile is missing critical information to make it easier for recruiters to find them. Having a complete Skills section, a Headline that includes your target job title, and achievements in your Experience section are just some of the areas many people under-leverage.  It's no longer enough just to HAVE a LI profile, you now need to have a robust LI profile coupled with an active presence through networking, engaging with others’ content, posting your content, and sharing others’ content.    5.    Expect Technology in the Interview Process. Increasingly, companies are using AI to conduct initial interviews. Many companies are only bringing the final 2-3 candidates to their campus – especially if the job is remote.  I talked about how employers are using AI in the job interview process and how you can prepare in episode #281:http://exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2023-07-26-281-how-employers-are-using-ai-in-job-interviews-and-how-to-prepare-for-an-ai-interview The bottom line here is two-fold: 1) Be prepared for remote interviews – make sure you have adequate technology and that your background is not distracting or off-brand; 2) Remote interviews DO NOT mean you can relax your appearance or preparation.   If you are a high-achieving professional with the goal of landing in the C-suite, the Highly Promotable coaching program may be just the ticket! This 1:1 program is targeted to strategically leverage one of your strengths to become a signature strength — and move the needle on one of your developmental areas so it becomes a strength.  This is a mid-four-figure investment in your professional future! If this sounds like just what you need, schedule a complimentary introductory call to determine if you are a fit for Highly Promotable:  https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/highly-promotable-introductory-call

I can’t believe this is episode #300! My first podcast was published on October 25th, 2017. Shortly after that, I put out four additional episodes utilizing some material I had already created. I had no idea where I was going to go with the podcast after those initial episodes – I only knew that I really, really wanted to podcast and believed it was the best way for me to get my brilliance out into the world.  There has been an evolution of The Exclusive Career Coach, to be sure…As the focus of my practice evolved, so did the audience I spoke to via the podcast. Earlier episodes were heavy on content for recent college graduates; there were also episodes for wanna-be entrepreneurs. I went from no guests to having about 25% of my episodes be with guests, before settling on about 10% guest episodes.  I used to “bracket” episodes with themes…spending three or four weeks in a row breaking down a larger topic like interviewing or career decision-making.  I will admit that finding new content for the podcast has become increasingly difficult. ChatGPT has been extremely helpful in guiding me towards the topics people are searching the internet for. I also rely heavily on the “zeitgeist” – what my clients are asking me about and what I’m seeing talked about on social media and in online groups I am a member of.  Now for the meat of episode #300 – My Best Career Advice. I’m going to reference specific episodes and have included the links to those episodes in the show notes. I’ve awarded winners in each of the categories of podcasts I release, Academy Award style.  Winner of My Best Advice for Career Decision-Making: #119 – Are You Squarely in the Center of Your Passion? This episode resonates deeply with me, as I talk about how so many people leave who they really are at home when they go to work. As a result, work is unfulfilling and mind-dulling. https://www.exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2020-03-18-119-are-you-squarely-in-the-center-of-your-passion I give three case studies of people I have worked with who were squarely in the center of their passion, and why.  Two books I recommend in this episode are Tim Kelley’s “True Purpose” and Po Bronson’s “What Should I Do with My Life?” Great episode for those of you who are questioning whether you have lost your way, career-wise…or just want reassurance that you haven’t.  Winner of Best Advice for Managing Your Career: #219 - Ten Symptoms of Job Burnout – and What to Do About Them http://exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2022-03-25-219-ten-symptoms-of-job-burnout-and-what-to-do-about-them This episode was published on March 23rd, 2022 as the world emerged from Covid. Although this episode wasn’t specifically about Covid-related burnout – I brought on guests to talk about that topic – it was about how to specifically recognize that what you are experiencing at work is burnout.  For each of the Ten Symptoms, I provide a question to ask yourself and what to do about that symptom. Hint: While some of the Ten Symptoms suggest that you may need to look elsewhere, only two of the Symptoms outright require moving on.  Great episode for those of you who aren’t feeling it at work, but don’t know why. Or you suspect what the problem is, but don’t know what to do about it.   Winner of Best Advice for Making a Career Transition:I actually have three episodes for this category – all related to career pivots and career reinventions. #121 – Career Pivots and Reinventionhttps://www.exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2020-04-01-121-career-pivots-and-reinvention #133 – Is Now the Perfect Time to Reinvent Your Career? https://www.exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2020-06-24-133-is-now-the-perfect-time-to-reinvent-your-career #280 – What You MUST Do in Your Job Search if You Are Pivoting Careershttp://exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2023-07-19-280-what-you-must-do-in-your-job-search-if-you-are-pivoting-careers In these episodes, I define career pivots and career reinventions, give strategies for successfully navigating a career pivot or career reinvention, talk about the pros and cons of a career reinvention, and give strategies for job searching when you have decided to pivot or reinvent your career.  Great episodes for those of you who are considering a career pivot or career reinvention – or those of you who are dissatisfied with your current career path and want to explore alternatives.   Winner of Best Advice for Dress & Etiquette:I haven’t done many episodes in this category, and some of them are with guests, which I’m leaving for a separate category.  #291 – What Should I Wear to a Job Interview? http://exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2023-10-04-291-what-should-i-wear-to-a-job-interview In this episode, I address the questions I’m getting about how to dress for job interviews in a post-Covid world. I cover WHY dress still matters, how to determine what is appropriate dress for the company culture, and the levels of business casual.  Great episode for those of you with a job interview coming up, whether in person or via technology.   Winner of Best Advice for Job Interviews:Consistently, the episodes I publish about interviewing are among the most downloaded – clearly people are roaming podcasts to get ready for a job interview.  I began with episodes covering more general aspects of the job interview; since then, I’ve gotten more granular with the scope of what I cover.  I’ve selected three winners, all covering the behavioral interview: #277 - Behavioral Interview Questions Don’t Come Out of Thin Air – How to Know What You’re Going to Be Asked http://exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2023-06-14-277-behavioral-interview-questions-dont-come-out-of-thin-air-how-to-know-what-youre-going-to-be-asked #262 – The Behavioral Interview: Your Five-Step Process for Delivering Job-Winning Answershttp://exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2023-02-22-262-the-behavioral-interview-your-5-step-process-for-delivering-job-winning-answers #150 - Putting a Bow on Your Behavioral Interview Answers http://exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2023-02-22-262-the-behavioral-interview-your-5-step-process-for-delivering-job-winning-answers I cover what a behavioral interview question is, how to prepare for these types of questions, and how to wrap up your answers with one of two approaches that garner you what I like to think of as “bonus points.”  Great for those of you who have job interviews coming up!   Winner of Best Advice for Job Search:This is a HUGE category! I could have gone in a lot of different directions with the winner, but I chose a foundational concept that benefits EVERYONE looking for a new job.  #258 - How to Organize Your Job Search Time to Optimize Your Results http://exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2023-01-25-258-how-to-organize-your-job-search-time-to-optimize-your-results I provide five strategies for structuring your job search time to yield the best possible results.  Great for those of you who find your job search time gets hijacked by other things – and those of you who find your job search time isn’t being used wisely.   Winner of Best Advice for Life Coaching:To be clear, I am a Certified Executive & Leadership Development Coach, not a life coach. However, life coaching is an unregulated industry, and I am a student of life coaching.  It’s incredibly important for me to talk about your mindset when we talk about most of these other topics, but your thoughts WILL generate the results you get.  These five episodes each cover an aspect of the thought model taught by one of my early coaches, Brooke Castillo. In a nutshell: A Circumstance is a situation in your life that can be proven in a court of lawYou then have a Thought – positive, negative, or neutral – about that CircumstanceThat Thought generates a Feeling for youThat Feeling generates an Action, Inaction, or Reaction, whichLeads to your Result #38 - The Neutrality of Circumstanceshttps://www.exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2018-12-19-038-the-neutrality-of-circumstances #39 - Your Thoughts Determine EVERYTHINGhttps://www.exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2018-12-19-039-your-thoughts-determine-everything #40 - How Do You Want to Feel?https://www.exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2018-12-19-040-how-do-you-want-to-feel/ #41 – Taking the Proper Action Stepshttps://www.exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2018-12-19-041-taking-the-proper-action-steps #42 - You ARE Getting Results…Are They the Results You Want? https://www.exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2018-12-19-042-you-are-getting-results-they-the-results-you-want/ Great for those of you who want an easy-to-understand framework for looking at the results you are getting in your life…and why.   Winner of Best Advice for Leadership:Several of the episodes about Leadership include guests, but here’s a great foundational one with 10 points you must know to be a successful leader.  One I think is often overlooked is #7 – ask for advice on your leadership. Many new leaders – and seasoned ones as well – are either afraid to ask or don’t think they need to. Be open to feedback from your direct reports and you’ll become an even better leader. #223 – Leadership 101: What You MUST Know to Be a Successful Leaderhttp://exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2022-04-20-223-leadership-101-what-you-must-know-to-be-a-successful-leader Great for those of you entering into your first leadership role, or those of you who could benefit from a refresher.   Winner of Best Advice for LinkedIn: This is another huge category. Because technology is involved, some of my earlier podcasts on LinkedIn contact outdated information.  I chose this episode because this is a concept I teach a lot of my clients – how to leverage the people their connections are connected to.  #244 – Mining Your Connections’ Connections on LinkedInhttp://exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2022-09-28-244-mining-your-connections-connections-on-linkedin Great way to expand your LinkedIn network strategically and easily.   Winner of Best Advice for Networking: Of all the networking-related episodes I’ve put out, I’ve gotten the most feedback on this one. I think that’s because Introverts resonated with the topic – and many Extraverts did, too.  One of my goals in my practice is to help my clients become successful networkers – getting past their fears, learning how to network effectively, and how to give as much value as they get in the networking process.  #295: Help! I’m an Introvert and I Hate Networkinghttp://exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2023-11-01-295-help-im-an-introvert-and-i-hate-networking Great for everyone who is less than excited about networking.   Winner of Best Advice for Professional Development:I did this episode in the later days of Covid, when so many were working remotely and others had gone back into the office. I was getting a lot of questions about how to make sure your work was noticed when you didn’t have direct face time with your boss. #221 – How to Get Noticed and Promoted While Working Remotely http://exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2022-04-06-221-how-to-get-noticed-promoted-while-working-remotely Great for those of you who still work remotely, and those of you who supervise remote workers.   Winner of Best Advice for Resume Writing:It may surprise you that, as one of fewer than 25 Master Resume Writers in the world, I don’t love talking about resume writing.  I love WRITING resumes. Having said that, I have put out great content covering all aspects of the resume. The episode I chose goes into some detail on how to customize your resume for each position you apply for. Everyone tells you you SHOULD do that – but I wanted to tell you exactly HOW.  #287 – How to Tailor Your Resume and Other Materials For a Specific Positionhttp://exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2023-09-06-287-how-to-tailor-your-resume-and-other-materials-for-a-specific-position Great for those of you in a job search.   Winner of Best Advice for Salary Negotiations:I’ve only done a handful of episodes on this topic; the episode I chose provides you some foundational teaching I do with my clients who want coaching on salary negotiations.  #149 – Salary Negotiations: 3 Important Numbershttps://www.exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2020-10-14-149-salary-negotiations-3-important-numbers/ Great for those of you who are in a job search.   Winner of Best Advice for Work Issues:This category covers a lot of ground and it was difficult to pick a favorite. The one I chose is one I frequently send a link to for clients and those I consult with.  #169 – Questions to Ask Your Manager to Improve Your Relationshiphttps://www.exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2021-03-17-169-questions-to-ask-your-manager-to-improve-your-relationship/ This is another one I frequently send links to out to folks:#171 – How to Have a Successful 1:1 With Your Bosshttps://exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2021-03-31-171-how-to-have-a-successful-11-with-your-boss Great for those of you who not only want to improve your working relationship with your boss, but also those of you who want to maximize the effectiveness and frequency of your 1:1 with your boss.   And finally, Winner of Best Guest:As I tell you every time I have a guest on the podcast – I don’t often HAVE guests on the podcast. Think of this as a Venn diagram: I want a guest who overlaps the areas of expertise I have (in other words, not someone talking about something completely off-target for my audience), BUT who doesn’t completely overlap my area of expertise (I’ve already got those areas covered, thank you very much).  I want to give out two awards here; the first is for the episode I most frequently direct people to listen to: #154 – Five Ways Mind Drama Can Creep Into Your Job Searchhttps://www.exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2020-11-18-154-5-ways-mind-drama-can-creep-into-your-job-search-with-jane-springer Jane Springer was my guest on the episode – BTW, she earns a side award for being my most frequent guest. Mind drama is a HUGE issue in the job search…and completely avoidable. In this episode, we talk about the 5 ways mind drama can show up when you’re looking for a job – and what to do about each.  My second award goes to the person who most affected me personally; this episode rocked my work in more ways than one. #247 – Are You Ready for a Career Break? http://exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2022-10-19-247-are-you-ready-for-a-career-break-with-katrina-mcghee Katrina McGhee talks about her own experience with taking an extended, planful career break – and how you can do the same. P.S. – She recently published her book: Career Break For Dummies” – check it out!  Great for those of you who have a life goal you’d like to achieve that requires a concentrated amount of time away from work – and those of you who have a deep need for rest and regeneration.   So, happy 300th episode! To those of you who listen faithfully each week, I so appreciate your dedication to enhancing your career – and that you trust me for that help. For those of you who pop in and out based on the topic each week – I greatly appreciate you too! You know what you need, and you trust me to give it to you. I’m here for all!  Here's also to another who-knows-how-many episodes. As long as I continue to love delivering them to you and you are listening – and the world hasn’t moved on from podcasts to some other platform – I’ll be here.   If you are a high-achieving professional with the goal of landing in the C-suite, the Highly Promotable coaching program may be just the ticket! This 1:1 program is targeted to strategically leverage one of your strengths to become a signature strength — and move the needle on one of your developmental areas so it becomes a strength.  This is a four-figure investment in your professional future! If this sounds like just what you need, schedule a complimentary introductory call to determine if you are a fit for Highly Promotable:  https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/highly-promotable-introductory-call    

As a reminder, I’ll be offering Land Your Dream Job Accelerator again in January. Here’s the link for more information and to register: https://bit.ly/lydja  As those of you who listen to the podcast regularly know, I seldom have guests on the podcast – and only when they are fantastic and will add value to you listeners.  Today’s guest, Amy Green Smith, is a perfect example of this. We’re talking about People Pleasing – something many of you are very familiar with.  Amy tells us when it is okay to people-please in the workplace – and how to know if you’re doing it for the right reasons. She gives several scenarios to help us understand people pleasing, when it’s right, and when it isn’t.  You can grab Amy’s free-sources including “How to Speak Up for Yourself Without Being a Dick: 9 Proven Strategies to Radically Improve Your Self-Confidence and Self-Worth” at Amygreensmith.com/free You can find Amy Green Smith on social media at:Instagram.com/heyamygreensmithFacebook.com/heyamygreensmithLinkedin.com/in/heyamygreensmithTwitter.com/heyamygreen 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   

If you’ve been a faithful listener of the podcast for some time, you’ll know that I do a special episode each year during Thanksgiving week. It started out as five unusual things to be thankful for that weren’t specific to me. Somewhere along the way, they became MY five things. The hope has always been that you will look at the circumstances of your life through a different lens after listening to my list. For many of us – myself included – 2023 has been difficult, so I want to take a different approach to this year’s list. As a former coach of mine likes to say, half of life is A*S*S, and it feels like more than half of my year has been like that. If you’re in the same boat, here’s hoping this years list will help you see the good side of what you may have gone through in 2023. Here are five unusual situations at work you can be thankful for because of the growth they bring about. 1.    Getting terminated. Whether for cause, because of a large-scale layoff, or some other reason, what I see over and over again is that clients who get terminated are in a far better place six to nine months after they are terminated. What they repeatedly tell me is that they knew it was time to leave, but they didn’t have the [fill in the blank with the emotion] to make the move themselves. So the Universe stepped in and took care of it for them. In the best situations, these people take the time to evaluate what they want moving forward, do the necessary mindset work on themselves, learn from any mistakes they may have made, and march courageously into the next phase of their life. You have the choice when something like this happens to you. You can play the victim, you can argue with reality, or you can ask yourself “now what?” I highly encourage the third approach.  2.    Recognizing that your attitude sucks. I’ve talked about one of my clients before – she came to me earlier this year because she had lost her work mojo. She knew she was phoning it in yet was resentful for others getting promoted instead of her. She is in SUCH a different place today. Ironically, she DID get riffed recently, but because of the mindset work we did together, she was able to handle that termination in a completely different way than if she was still stuck in sucky attitude mode. This client had a choice: she could keep blaming her boss, her coworkers, her employer…or she could look in the mirror and deal with what she saw. She chose to do the latter, and that has made all the difference. Remember…always, in any situation…the only person you have any control over is YOURSELF. That’s the work.  3.    Being dissatisfied with your career path. Perhaps the path you’ve been on has run its course, or perhaps it’s been the wrong career path for you from jump. Either way, there’s such beauty in recognizing that you want to make a career pivot or reinvention. When I do this work with clients, they learn so much about themselves. They often bring up a long-ignored career path because it [fill in the blank with the career path’s shortcomings] and realize their passion for that thing hasn’t diminished over the years. When I work with clients to connect the dots between what they have been doing and what they now want to do, they experience a tremendous surge of confidence and assurance that they can succeed in this new field. Other clients have absolutely no idea what direction they want to go in now, so we do the excavation work to uncover the artifacts of their life that will give us clues. Still other clients want to engage their altruism more…their life experiences have soured them on their current corporate treadmill and left them longing for more meaning in their professional lives. Whatever situation you find yourself in, if you are experiencing seeds of discontent, be willing to work with a career coach like myself to figure out what’s going on…and to work through what you want to do about it.  4.    Failing.We all know this intellectually: We learn more from our failures than we do from our successes. (BTW – don’t like the word “failure.” I like to think of it as winning or learning.) But, let’s face it: failing sucks at the time. What’s great about failing, however, is the opportunity it presents us. Not just to figure out how to do the thing differently next time, but what it teaches us about ourselves. We might have to fall on our sword and admit our culpability. We might have to apologize to many people. We might have to go to great lengths to fix the problem we’ve created. We might have to deal with our inner demons, telling us WE’RE failures. WE aren’t worthy. WE’RE bad people. Each of these potential outcomes presents us with an opportunity to grow, both professionally and personally. Not to mention, we now have a great story to tell when our next interviewer asks us about a time we failed.  5.    Working with a terrible boss. The research is clear: more people leave due to a bad boss than for any other single reason. If you haven’t had a terrible boss, you’re blessed – and most definitely in the minority. Most of us can rattle off a handful of horror-story bosses. Here’s what I learned from mine: How I DON’T want to be as a boss…which helped shape how I DID want to be as a boss. I learned how to individualize the support I provided for each employee. Some needed and wanted more than others, all needed different types of support. I learned how to determine their motivators and how to reward them (hint: I asked). I learned how important it was to me to have my birthday and other life milestones recognized…so I did that for my employees. I learned how and when to give praise and constructive feedback. I learned to NEVER ambush an employee at their performance evaluation. I learned that my job as a boss was to advocate for MY team…vigorously. It wasn’t my job to care about the other departments that answered to my boss. I needed to have MY team’s back at all times and in all situations. Whether you have a bad boss, a PITA co-worker, or a direct report who you spend 80% of your time trying to make competent…LEARN from these situations and apply them to becoming a better boss.  I hope you’re able to take at least one of the things on my list to heart as you navigate the fallout from 2023 or whatever is ahead for you in 2024. Remember: Winning or Learning. I wish you the happiest of Thanksgivings to those of you here in the United States, and a retroactive Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian listeners (who, BTW, have it right for putting more space between Thanksgiving and Christmas). 

Here’s the link to January’s Land Your Dream Job Accelerator, which starts on January 11th: https://bit.ly/lydja Typically, my episodes around interviewing are the most downloaded. I’ve done more than 25 episodes on interviewing; if you want to see all of them in one place, check out my website at https://exclusivecareercoaching.com and click on the Podcast tab. Today, we’re covering interview etiquette – what to do, and what not to do. I want to start with some basic “do’s” – go through them quickly so we can spend time on the more nuanced aspects. I’ve talked about several of these points on previous episodes, so I’m including links to those here. Another note: I’ve talked about how to prepare your behavioral interview stories in multiple other episodes, as well as how to answer difficult questions like “tell me about yourself” and “what is your greatest weakness?” so I won’t be covering those here. 1.    Dress appropriately.I just covered this topic in episode 291, so I’ll simply say wear professional attire that is in alignment with the company’s culture. http://exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2023-10-04-291-what-should-i-wear-to-a-job-interview 2.    Bring your documents. In addition to multiple copies of your resume, bring any other documents the employer requested. 3.    Research the company. I teach my clients that their questions for the employer should come organically, as a result of their research of the company and the industry. Strive for questions that are unique to that company, rather than questions that would apply to any job you might apply for. Above all, avoid asking questions that can easily be answered with a little research – it will show that you didn’t do the basic amount of research. https://www.exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2021-05-05-176-how-to-really-prepare-for-the-job-interview 4.    Plan to arrive early to an in-person interview. Aim for 10-15 minutes early, but not too early as that may throw people off. If you are interviewing in an area you aren’t familiar with, try to visit the area ahead of time so you’ll know where you’re going that day. 5.    Make a good first impression.A firm handshake, eye contact, and clear enunciation of your name goes a long way. I broke down the anatomy of a proper business handshake in last week’s episode 296: http://exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2023-11-08-296-the-importance-of-body-language-in-job-interviews 6.    Display appropriate body language. I also covered this in episode 296 – whenever your nonverbal communication is at odds with what you are saying, a trained interviewer will believe your body language. 7.    Maintain a positive attitude. Keep your energy level up and show appropriate enthusiasm for the job and the company. 8.    Three-step closing. At the close of the interview, thank the interviewer for his/her time, re-state your interest in the position (if appropriate), and ask about the next step in the hiring process.   Now, let’s dig into three points that I want to spend a bit more time on. 9.    Active listening.One of my greatest frustrations with actual interviews and the clients I coach is when they don’t listen to my question before responding. It’s okay to take a moment to think before responding – and by all means, ask for clarification if you don’t understand the question or want to make sure you are on the right track. I often ask my clients two- or three-part questions, to see if they can keep track of my question. It’s okay if you don’t remember all the parts, as long as you remember there WERE multiple parts. Ask the interviewer to repeat the other parts of the question. 10.Follow up within 24 hours. This is usually going to be in the form of an email – speed is of the essence, although you can get creative in some situations. Here’s a good format for a thank you: Sally, Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to interview me for the Accounting Manager position at ABC. I was so impressed by your history with the company and how you’ve moved up so quickly! I am confident my experience at NoName Accounting has prepared me well for the role, especially my unique experience working with [something they seemed to home in on during the interview]. As promised, I’ll touch base with you by Friday of next week to see how the process is coming along. I’m really excited about this opportunity! Best, 11.Be patient. Avoid the temptation to follow up earlier than agreed upon during the interview, but do follow up. After the initial follow up, I recommend touching base between 1X/week and 2X/month, depending on the timeline the employer has stated to you. Keep the employer posted on job offers you get from other companies during this time.  Besides the opposite of the Do’s I already talked about, here are the most important Don’ts to keep in mind:  1.    Don’t interview just for practice.When someone tells me they plan to do this, I cringe. First of all, you are wasting the employer’s time. Secondly, you aren’t going to get feedback on your interview, so all you are really doing is cementing any bad interview habits you have. 2.    Off-color language. Even if the interview uses slang or curses, YOU shouldn’t. It might be a test – and it most certainly won’t reflect positively on you. 3.    Not making sufficient eye contact. Throughout the interview, you should be making eye contact at least 75% of the time when you are talking, and nearly 100% of the time when the interviewer is speaking. A lack of eye contact signals a lack of self-confidence and/or interest in the position. 4.    Focusing on salary and/or benefits. Especially with your initial interview(s), the focus should be on the requirements of the job and your suitability for that job. While the employer may initiate a question about your salary requirements, YOU shouldn’t initiate such a conversation. 5.    Checking your phone. With the exception of an emergency – let’s say your partner is going into labor at any moment – your phone should be turned off and put away. 6.    Providing negative personal information. I teach my clients to provide personal information in small doses during their interview – as long as it is neutral or positive. Examples would include: In the process of building a home, recently adopted a dog, learning a foreign language. Negative personal information typically includes children – unfortunately, especially if you are a woman. Don’t bring up health conditions, injuries, dicey personal relationship situations, etc. 7.    Watch what you say about previous employers or experiences. The important thing here is to keep it factual, with no opinions or color. While many “experts” will tell you to never say anything negative, I teach this a little differently. You may need to state the truth as to why you are leaving a company, why you were terminated, or why a big project failed – just stick to the facts and don’t let your emotions have any place in your story. A good example: “I’m looking to leave XYZ because there have already been three rounds of layoffs. While I’ve been spared so far, I believe it is time for me to look for my next opportunity.” A bad example: “I’m leaving XYZ because my boss is an idiot and I cannot work another day with her.” 8.   Do NOT bring anyone with you. If someone has to drive you to your interview, they need to remain in the car or go find a coffee shop. No children, pets, or security “woobies” either. 9.    Don’t mispronounce or misspell names. I get thank you emails all the time from people who spell my name Lisa – or they pronounce my name as “Leh-sa.” Ask, repeat it back, ask questions if necessary – whatever you need to get it right. 10.    Don’t answer questions with a simple “yes” or “no.” Provide sufficient details, with examples whenever possible. 11. Don’t try to fake it. If you don’t know the answer to a question, say so. If your knowledge of a subject they bring up is limited, let them know. This will come across as much more authentic than trying to wing it – and they will know if you try.  DIY vs. DFY DIYOnce again, my DIY recommendation for interviewing is to find a free online AI tool that will not only help you improve your responses, but point out non-verbal issues. DFYOf course, my suggestion here is to secure the services of an interview coach like myself. Not only will you get expert feedback from a professional, you’ll leave with tools and strategies to improve your approach to difficult interview questions. Perhaps the most beneficial outcome of interview coaching is the increase in confidence you’ll experience – worth the price of admission. 

As a reminder, I will be holding another round of Land Your Dream Job Accelerator in January. If you’re interested or would like to know more, email me at lesa@exclusivecareercoaching.com Body language, or nonverbal communication, can make or break your interview. No matter what is coming out of your mouth, a trained interviewer will pay attention to what you are saying with your facial expressions, arms, posture, and general demeanor. If what you are saying is at odds with your body language, a trained interviewer will believe your body language. The caveat here: Be yourself. Take the advice I give in this episode to perhaps move the needle in a few areas, but don’t try to make yourself over completely – you’ll come across as nervous and uncertain, leaving the interviewer confused. And confused people don’t buy. Here then, are 11 tips for conveying appropriate body language during a job interview: 1.    Posture.Sit or stand up straight – you’ll appear more confident and engaged. Head up, shoulders back, spine straight. Sit back in the chair – you won’t be comfortable perched on the edge of the seat – and don’t slouch or lean to one side. 2.    Eye contact. Maintain almost continuous eye contact with the interviewer when they are speaking – this shows you are actively listening and engaged in the conversation. When you are speaking, you can look away occasionally – as long as you maintain eye contact most of the time. Be careful not to stare too intently, as that can be perceived as aggressive. 3.    Smile.A warm, genuine smile can help you come across as friendly and approachable. Avoid excessive or insincere smiling as it can appear as nervousness. 4.    Handshake.You want to offer a firm, but not bone-crushing, handshake when you first meet the interviewer. Connect thumb joint to thumb joint and pump 1-2 times. Note that a weak or limp handshake can be interpreted as lacking confidence. 5.    Hand gestures.Within reason, your natural hand gestures will appear authentic, and can help emphasize your points and make you seem more animated.  6.    Mirroring.Subtly mirroring the interviewer’s body language, such as matching their verbal pace and tone, can build rapport. Be sure to do this within the range of what is normal for you. 7.    Active listening.Nod your head occasionally and use verbal cues like “I understand” and “that makes sense.” This shows you are actively listening and are engaged in the conversation. 8.    Avoid fidgeting. If you tend to play with your hair when you are nervous, consider wearing it up or in a ponytail. Don’t have a pen in your hand if you tend to click them. Calm that leg of yours that doesn’t stop jiggling when you’re nervous. 9.    Dress appropriately.Dressing well can boost your confidence and create a positive impression. Your clothing should be professional and appropriate for the industry, the job you are applying for, and the company culture. 10. Facial expressions.Your facial expressions can reveal a lot about your emotions – try to maintain a calm and composed expression. Avoid rolling your eyes or showing signs of frustration. 11.Show enthusiasm. Your body language should reflect your interest and eagerness – display genuine enthusiasm for the job and the company. DIY vs. DFYDIYMy favorite free resource for interview practice is one of the free tools on the internet. Google “free interview practice” and find one you like – there are plenty to choose from, and some of them do charge.  DFYOne of the best ways to correct any body language issues is with mock interviews – you’ll get feedback from the mock interviewer and you’ll be able to see how well you did if the session is recorded. My interview coaching package includes 2 sessions, both of which use about 20 minutes in character as interviewer and interviewee, with the remaining 40 minutes being for feedback, coaching, and training. We use the first session to determine where the client’s interviewing strengths and weaknesses lie – then I give homework for the second session. In that second session, I ask some of the same questions – particularly those that gave the client trouble in the first session – then throw in some new curveballs. I see the client’s confidence really shoot up in the second session, as they hear themselves performing better, I am giving them feedback to that effect, and they will be able to watch their improvement on the record. 

I wanted to let you know that I’ll be starting another 4-week Land Your Dream Job Accelerator in January, starting the week of January 4th. If you’re interested in knowing more about LYDJA, email me at lesa@exclusivecareercoaching.com. As a master practitioner of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), I know well the difference between introverts and extraverts. In MBTI language, introversion vs. extraversion has to do with where you get your energy. Here’s what extraversion and introversion AREN’T: Ability to navigate social situations, friendliness, or whether you like people. When it comes to networking, it’s not about introverts being socially awkward. It’s about the drain on their energy. It’s about having to initiate a conversation (they generally DON’T want to do this). It’s about small talk, which seems pointless to them. I’d like to offer the flip side of networking for introverts: The strengths you bring to networking. You tend to be much better listeners than extraverts, you prefer meaningful conversations with one person or a small group of people over chit chat with a large group, and you tend to be thoughtful before you speak. Here, then, are 13 tips for you introverts to…if not love networking, at least not hate it so much. Maybe even enjoy it a little. 1.    Work on your mindset first – and throughout. Start by filling up a piece of paper with all your thoughts about networking – I’m confident the majority of those thoughts will be negative. Next, identify one of the thoughts you wrote down that you think takes up the most space in your brain – the one you think most often. Find a better-feeling thought you could begin practicing. For example:If you have been thinking “I hate networking,” you might replace it with “Networking is hard for me…and I can do hard things.” You’ve created a neural pathway in your brain around “I hate networking” such that it is in your subconscious, playing on repeat without your awareness. It’s time to create a new neural pathway with a thought that serves you better. Maybe your next thought will be “Networking used to be hard for me…but now it isn’t.” 2.    Start with low-hanging fruit.If you’re starting to network from ground zero, it’s important to begin by reaching out to people you already know fairly well. You want to work out the kinks in your networking skills (there WILL be some) and build your confidence up before you reach for bigger networking targets. 3.    Set realistic networking goals.If you’ve never really networked before, your goal may be one, 30-minute networking coffee. If you’ve networked periodically before, you may set a goal of meeting with three people you used to work with. When attending a networking event, set a goal for how many people you want to meet – or a specific type of person, such as at least one person who works in HR. Then allow yourself permission to leave after you’ve accomplished your goal —this makes the event feel more doable. 4.    Focus on quality over quantity. Don’t compare yourself to your extraverted colleague who tells you she met 13 amazing people at the networking event she attended last night – she probably couldn’t tell you one meaningful fact about any of them. Focus on forming a deep connection with a few people – play to your strengths. 5.    Join groups of shared interests.One of the biggest mistakes I see people making with networking is too narrowly defining what networking actually is…and where it can happen. As I like to say to my clients, you can network anywhere the music isn’t too loud and the people aren’t too drunk. What do you enjoy doing? Find a group of people who also enjoy doing that thing. The people in the group have jobs…their significant others have jobs…they have friends and family members with jobs…you get the idea. 6.    Prepare in advance. Plan your talking points and questions ahead of time. 7.    Leverage online networking. By initiating and maintaining conversations online via LinkedIn and other online forums, you get to become acquainted with someone before meeting them in person. 8.    Attend small events. I don’t recommend you start here, but at some point, you’ll want to begin attending networking events. Do your homework to find out how many people will be expected, what kinds of people attend, the venue, etc. A smaller, more intimate gathering will allow you to engage in more meaningful conversations without feeling overwhelmed by a large crowd. 9.    Arrive early.Networking events may feel overwhelming if you envision yourself walking into a crowded room. Being one of the first to arrive may make it easier for you to strike up a one-on-one conversation. 10.Active listening. Focus on listening more than talking – this can take the pressure off you to come up with things to say, and others (especially the extraverts) like to be heard. 11.Ask open-ended questions. Asking questions that can’t be answered with a simple “yes” or “no” encourages others to share more information and keeps the conversation flowing. 12.Take breaks.You may need to step away for a moment to recharge if you are feeling drained. Find a quite space to regroup, and then return to the event. 13.Follow up and follow through. After a networking meeting or event, follow up with the people you met. Connect with them on LinkedIn. Provide them with any information or resources you promised them and thank them in advance for anything they promised to do for you. DIY vs. DFY DIY My DIY recommendation is to get an accountability partner for your networking! I recommend someone who is good at networking…and hopefully, actually enjoys it. You’ll want your accountability partner to help you set realistic networking goals, help you with your thoughts about networking, mentor you as you step out of your comfort zone, and hold you accountable for achieving the goals you set.  DFYI think the done-for-you option for networking is pretty obvious: Get help from a coach who specializes in networking. Here’s what you can expect: -Training on how to network including how to reach out to people, who to reach out to, how to begin communications, how to set up a networking meeting, what to say during the meeting, and how to follow up afterwards. -Mindset shift: You’ll likely need to begin thinking new thoughts about networking and your ability to network. This work is so important to make sure the networking you do is done with the proper energy. -Practice and feedback: A coach should require you to actually network. You can’t get better at networking without actually doing it. I work with many of my clients on networking – for many, it is a single session, while other clients needed more support. If you’re interested in getting coaching with me on networking, you can schedule a complimentary consult about my networking coaching here:https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2

Today, I’m diving into 14 reasons why people fail to prepare themselves for a successful attempt at a promotion. For the purposes of this episode, I’m talking specifically about internal promotions – although many, if not all, of these strategies will apply if you are seeking a higher position with a new company. 1.    Signing on with a company that can’t offer you a promotion. This is an upfront mistake I saw frequently during my time in higher education – people would ask in the interview about the opportunity for promotion, and there just wasn’t any. This is not to say that you don’t want to work there – perhaps it is the right opportunity for you now, and you know you will need to look outside your organization to seek a higher-level job. Just be sure you like your reasons for joining an organization that can’t offer you a promotion. Also – does the company have a practice of promoting from within? Or is this going to be a series of frustrations, where outside people (or those from other departments) are put in more senior roles ahead of you? 2.    Not communicating your desire for a promotion.You may assume your boss knows you want a promotion, but you know what they say about “assume.” Your boss may think you are content with your current role – you want to let her know of your ambition. Be careful here – you don’t want your boss to think you want her job unless she has upward mobility, as well. 3.    Not understanding the new role. We all know of people who wanted a promotion for the additional money in their paycheck – not because they were passionate about, or really understood, the new role. Make sure you thoroughly understand the responsibilities, skills, and qualifications required for the position – and give real thought to whether this is a role you actually want to take on. 4.    Lack of skill development. My favorite strategy for this is to ASK. Find out what skills and experience will be needed, then ask your boss or the hiring manager (if the job is in another department) how you currently measure up. The goal here is to find out exactly what you need to learn and develop so your candidacy is a no-brainer. 5.    Not building a strong track record. One of the very best strategies for getting a promotion is consistently delivering exceptional results in your current role. Never think of your current job as just a steppingstone to bigger and better things. 6.    Not self-promoting. There’s a huge difference between being the braggart who takes credit for others’ work and being an effective self-promoter. It’s important to communicate your achievements and contributions effectively – including relevant ones outside of work. 7.    Ignoring company culture.Everything from your dress, grooming, punctuality, spoken and written communication, and professionalism will be taken into consideration. Make sure you align with the company’s values, mission, and culture. 8.    Not seeking feedback. Not only does constructive criticism help you make improvements that will increase your chances for promotion, but you are also showing evidence of your ability to hear those things – and make changes based on feedback. 9.    Seeking a promotion at the wrong time. Increasingly, I am seeing companies indicate a timeframe for internal candidates to apply for promotions, so take that information as gospel. In general, be mindful of the broader context, such as the company’s financial stability or changes in leadership that would directly impact the new role. 10.Not networking.Building relationships with colleagues, superiors, and mentors can provide valuable support and recommendations, which can significantly improve your chances of promotion. 11.Neglecting soft skills.Qualities like leadership, communication, teamwork, and adaptability can be deciding factors in promotions – and can often be as important as your technical skills, if not even more so. 12.Overlooking the competition. You may have competition within your organization for the same promotion. It is important to assess your peers and their qualifications so you can develop a strategy to set yourself apart. 13.Demanding rather than earning. For most of us, we begin doing the work before we get the new title or salary increase. Promotions should be earned, so demonstrate your value to the company rather than expecting a promotion just because of time in the company, educational credentials, or other qualifications. 14.Inadequate preparation for interviews.Don’t assume the interview doesn’t matter, either because it’s been hinted that you have it “in the bag” or because you assume you know what they will ask. Absolutely, the interview is viewed differently with internal candidates, but your goal is to blow them away in the interview so they can’t say no to you.  DIY vs. DFY DIYThe DIY I want to recommend here is getting a mentor. Preferably, someone in your organization who knows you and the other players – and who will be honest with you about what he sees as your areas for development. From there – consume! Read books, watch Ted Talks, listen to podcasts…whatever you can consume to help with your areas for development. Finally – practice! Try your new learning on at work and ask for feedback from people who will be honest with you – and who aren’t also trying to get the same promotion.  DFYThe most obvious assistance you could get to prepare yourself for a promotion is a career coach. If you choose to go this route, it is so important to pinpoint what kind of help you need. There are coaches who specialize in improving your communication skills, your leadership skills, your professional appearance…you name it. One you’ve identified the help you need, reach out to 2 or 3 possible coaches for a consult, sometimes called a discovery call. This will give you a sense of your connection with the coach, their methods and processes, and their package options. 

Today, I want to talk about how to improve your time management and productivity as a key way to increase your chances for promotion.  If you’re like many people, you may role your eyes at the term “time management.” If you’re structured and organized, you may think you’ve already mastered time management. If you are unstructured and disorganized, you may think it’s hopeless…a skill beyond your ability to master.  Here’s a definition of time management I really like: “Time management means organizing your time intelligently – so that you use it more effectively. The benefits of good time management include greater productivity, less stress, and more opportunities to do the things that matter.” Here’s a benefit to time management I want to add: It creates boundaries around the things you need to do, should do, and want to do in your life.  Think of it like this: You create a container for your work, a container for your play, a container for sleep, a container for your exercise time…you get the idea.  The alternative is working until midnight, forgoing exercise, time with friends, and time for basic hygiene. Or conversely, neglecting your work because you haven’t given it a container – and your personal life is encroaching on your work time. Yet another scenario is you, doing whichever thing you’re doing at the moment, but feeling guilty because you aren’t doing something else. Here are my top 12 strategies to improve your time management. In each instance, I’m giving you some of my tips as to how I implement that strategy. 1.    Set clear goals – both long-term and short-term. This will help you prioritize your tasks. And make sure those goals are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. Otherwise, you won’t be able to evaluate your success.  I have a quarterly planning retreat, where I review my progress on my goals from the previous quarter and set goals for the upcoming quarter. From that planning and goal setting, I create an Action Items list that ties directly into those goals. I estimate how much time each action item will take, and rank them in priority, e.g. A-1, A-2, B-1, B-2.  I’ve figured out through trial and error that I can handle about 15 hours of Action Items each quarter – my tendency is to overcommit myself, and then I feel frustrated when I seemingly haven’t made much progress.   2.    Use the quadrants. There are four: Urgent and Important, Urgent and Not Important, Not Urgent and Important, and Not Urgent and Not Important.  As you set out your daily tasks, you want to focus on the Important sections of the quadrant: Urgent and Important, and Not Urgent and Important.  The idea here is to minimize the time you spend on Not Important activities so you can focus on what’s really important.  Some of the tools I use here include limiting the time I check emails, minimizing distractions such as phone notifications, and using blocks to calendar in my activities each day – more about that one in a moment.  3.    Block your time. Allocate time blocks for the various activities you need to complete – this helps you avoid multitasking and allows you to really focus.  My entire workday, each day, is completely time blocked. In each block, I can include notes as to what, specifically, I need to do during that time block.  I found this particularly helpful when I started spending 15 minutes a day on LinkedIn – my brain kept yelling at me that I needed to be doing something more important/urgent. But I set the timer on my phone for 15 minutes, and I have developed a cadence of the things I do each time I’m in LinkedIn.  Another way I use time blocking is for my writing projects. Once I have had the two resume strategy sessions with a client, I go into my calendar (I use Outlook) and write in which day I will work on each aspect of the client’s writing project. I also indicate which day is the deadline to get that client’s first drafts to them.   4.    Create a To-Do List. Whether daily or weekly, include both work-related and personal tasks, and keep it updated.  I really like my system for this: Each Sunday, I print out a planning sheet for each day of the week. It already has time blocks for the various activities I do, such as client writing projects and marketing my business, and I have already have certain activities I do each week on there. From there, I fill in specifics for that day – which client projects do I need to work on? Do I need to schedule a doctor’s appointment or follow up with someone? It all goes on that day’s sheet.  5.    Eliminate Distractions. I alluded to this one earlier – social media, notifications, clutter, phone calls, emails, people stopping by – take steps to minimize or eliminate them when working on important tasks.  When I’m working on a project at my computer, I close out my emails – I don’t have my computer set to notify me of emails, but I don’t want the temptation to check them. I turn my phone upside down and I don’t answer my phone unless it’s from someone I am waiting to speak with.   6.    Learn to Say No. Avoid overcommitting by saying no to tasks or requests that don’t align with your goals or priorities.  I don’t have to deal with this much because I’m self-employed, but I promise the world will not stop revolving if you say no on occasion. Or not right now. Or “let’s discuss this in ___.”  7.    Delegate. Delegating frees up your time for more important responsibilities.  Here’s the thing I’ve learned about delegating, both from my days as the director of two university career centers and now, as the CEO of my own company: Those tasks I do not enjoy doing and/or aren’t particularly good at and/or just aren’t a good use of my time are GOLDEN for someone else.  I could do an entire episode on delegation…maybe I will. Suffice it to say that Your Trash May Be a Co-Worker’s Treasure.   8.    Use Time Management Tools. Maximize your use of your calendaring system, check into task management apps and project management software, set reminders, use old-school daily planning sheets like I do. Find what works for you and decide to stick with it for at least 30 days.   9.    Plan Ahead. This helps you start your day with a clear agenda.  I create my daily task sheets on Sunday and write in the specifics for Monday. Then, each afternoon before wrapping up for the day, I write in the specifics for the next day.   10.Avoid Multitasking. The research is clear: multitasking decreases productivity and quality of your work.  My best recommendation to avoid multitasking is to eliminate the distractions I’ve already talked about. Also, when I was in higher education, I had a sign system for our doors to indicate when we should not be disturbed.   11.Take breaks throughout the day.  I set my phone alarm for 50 minutes, then give myself a 10-minute break. Knowing I have a break coming fairly soon really helps me focus during that 50 minutes.   12.Set Deadlines. Even for tasks that don’t have external deadlines, set your own to create a sense of urgency.  As I mentioned, I do this with my client projects. I can see clearly when the project is due and what portion of the project I am to complete each day and when.  Circling back around to the beginning: Give yourself true free time to do the things you enjoy by blocking time for your work and home obligations.   DIY vs. DFY  DIY My Do-It-Yourself tip for time management has to do with tracking how you are spending your time. For at least one week, make note of each 15-minute block of time – what you did and what quadrant it fits into. (Remember, these are Urgent and Important, Urgent and Not Important, Not Urgent and Important, and Not Urgent and Not Important.) Then take a critical look at your data. Are you making the best use of your time? Are you using your time on the right things? How much time are you wasting – and what are the primary culprits?  Then make some changes to better manage your time and be more productive.  DFY While you really must manage your time yourself – or at least parts of it – my DFY is a couple of time management books I really like.  -The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey – a classic, but still relevant -The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Achieving More with Less by Richard Koch -Atomic Habits by James Clear – not specifically about time management, but about breaking bad habits and creating positive ones                                                                                                                                  

I get a lot of questions about using recruiters in my clients’ job search, so I wanted to dive into this topic and my perspective on the role of recruiters in your job search. First, some definitions are in order. I am talking about a third-party recruiter rather than a person who works in the company you want to work for as a recruiter. Third-party recruiters work for a recruiting firm and find candidates for a large number of employers. In its most simple form, there are two types of third-party recruitment firms: Retained Search and Contingency. Retained Search firms are hired with exclusivity by a company to find a candidate for that company. They are paid regardless of the outcome of the search and are often involved in every aspect of the hiring process including market research, evaluating internal bench strength, locating candidates, conducting initial interviews, and bringing 2-3 top candidates forward to the company. They may also negotiate compensation packages. Retained Search firms are typically used for jobs at about $150K and above annual salary. A retained search recruiter, often called an executive recruiter, will only be reaching out to people to possibly match the criteria laid out by the company they are currently hiring for. Because these searches are highly specialized and labor intensive, an executive recruiter doesn’t have the bandwidth to spend much, if any, time getting potential candidates into a database for possible future positions. They are working on the job search right in front of them – and they will only conduct a handful of these each year. Contingency firms are one of many – a company may send their job notice out to a half-dozen firms to increase the likelihood of finding the best candidate quickly. Only the firm that puts forth the winning candidate gets paid, so it is a race. Because of this, you may get contacted by contingency recruiter not for a currently available position, but to get you in their database for future roles – so be sure to ask about this if you are contacted. When I am working with a client to create their customized job search strategy, they are often surprised that I have “reach out to recruiters I already have a relationship with” as a passive job search strategy – they think it should be an active strategy. The reason I consider reaching out to recruiters as a passive job search strategy is because you have no control over what positions they are hiring for at that time. Recruiters tell me that, for every position they have available, they have 6-10 qualified candidates or more. Also, recruiters don’t make their money from you – they make it from filling roles sent to them by employers. They are not in business to help you. Note that I said “reach out to recruiters I already have a relationship with” – trying to find a recruiter who is looking for you at the same time you are looking is like looking for a needle in a haystack. If you have existing relationships with recruiters, by all means let them know you’re in the market and send them an updated copy of your resume. Otherwise, I don’t consider hunting down recruiters to be a good use of your time and job search energy. A better use of your time, in my opinion, is to have a top-notch LinkedIn profile that acts like “recruiter flypaper” – bringing recruiters that are looking for people with your skills, education, and experience TO YOU. While you’re busy engaging in other job search activities.  Now for the “pros” of working with a recruiter: 1.    Access to job opportunities: Recruiters often have access to job openings that may not be publicly advertised, which can increase your chances of finding relevant opportunities. This is particularly true at the executive level, where the only way to find out about an opening is through the executive recruiter. 2.    Industry expertise: Many recruiters specialize in specific industries or types of jobs, giving them in-depth knowledge about trends, companies, and hiring practices in your field. 3.    Time savings: A recruiter can save you time and effort by matching you with suitable job opportunities, streamlining the application process, and providing valuable insights into the hiring company. 4.    Interview preparation: Recruiters can offer guidance on interview preparation, how to present yourself, and what to expect during the process. 5.    Negotiation assistance: Recruiters can help with salary negotiations and benefits discussions, ensuring you receive a competitive compensation package. 6.    Feedback and coaching: Some recruiters will provide feedback on your resume and interview performance to help you improve your chances of landing a job.  Now for the cons: 1.    Limited control: When you work with a recruiter, you may have less control over the job search process because the recruiter WILL prioritize their clients’ interests. 2.    Not all industries use recruiters: In some industries and regions, using a recruiter is less common, such as situations where there are many more candidates than openings or jobs with excessive turnover. 3.    Limited company options: Recruiters have relationships with specific companies and may not be able to expose you to a wide range of job opportunities. 4.    Quality of service varies: The quality and professionalism of recruiters can vary widely, so it is essential to choose one with a good reputation and track record. I’ve personally heard a lot of horror stories about recruiters ghosting candidates – even when the recruiter reached out to the candidate unsolicited. 5.    Employer requirements: Often, recruiters are tasked with bringing forth 2-3 qualified applicants, so you have built-in competition.  If you decide to work with a recruiter, do your research, ask for recommendations, and choose a reputable recruiter who specializes in your industry or job type. Also – don’t rely solely on recruiters for your job search.  DIY vs. DFYTop of Form The DIY I want to talk about has to do with developing long-term relationships with recruiters. Remember, I talked about reaching out to recruiters you already have a relationship with – how do you develop those relationships? 1.    Keep the door open. Just because a recruiter reaches out at the wrong time for you or has a position you aren’t interested in doesn’t mean you can’t still cultivate a relationship with them. Whether you should cultivate this relationship should depend on your homework – what is this recruiter’s reputation? What industries/job functions do they specialize in? Are they accessible? 2.    Quid pro quo. Think about ways you can offer value to that recruiter – send her qualified candidates, keep her updated on trends or current events in the industry/job function she specializes in, reach out periodically with no agenda in mind. 3.    Be willing to have the conversation. Before saying no, at least listen to the recruiter. If you ignore them or refuse to speak with them, they will likely remove you from their list.  The Noah’s ark analogy is appropriate here – he didn’t wait for it to start raining before he started building. Cultivate relationships with a few key recruiters when the sun is shining.  DFYI mentioned earlier the importance of having a top-notch LinkedIn profile that acts as recruiter flypaper. To get there, I highly recommend a professionally written profile from me or another experienced professional. Writing an effective LI profile isn’t just about the words you use, but where you put what to get the maximum visibility by recruiters. My clients almost always see a significant uptick in both the quantity and quality of recruiter contacts after I write their profile for them. Also, a little curb appeal never hurts – a customized background really helps here. If you would like to speak with me about writing your LI profile and possibly some training on how to maximize LinkedIn to achieve your job search or career goals, here’s the link to my calendar: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2   

Land Your Dream Job Accelerator (LYDJA) starts Thursday, October 6th.  To learn more about and to register: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14Dy066dj7gm5chND-FfIcd-vZNeS0y4Tdbbf6Jr_oP8/edit#heading=h.9en890oi4qsu  We’ve gotten very relaxed in our dress since Covid, especially those of us who have worked from home. Even many companies have relaxed their dress standards – so what does this mean for how to dress for a job interview?  Many screening interviews and even subsequent interviews are still being conducted via Zoom or Teams. Even though they may only see you from the waist up, I strongly recommend you fully dress for the interview – you’ll show up differently if you do.  Of course, you’ll need to dress appropriately from head to toe for an in-person interview. What, exactly, you should wear varies depending on your industry, the company culture, and the position you’re interviewing for.  Remember that dressing appropriately shows respect for the company and the position you’re applying for. When in doubt, it’s usually better to be slightly overdressed than underdressed. You might also reach out to the company’s HR or the person who scheduled the interview to ask about the dress code if you’re uncertain.  Why is dressing appropriately important? -You’ll likely be more confident in yourself during the interview. -You are demonstrating to the employer that you have a good sense of judgment and can successfully read a situation. -It shows your commitment to professionalism and that you genuinely want the job. -It can set you apart from the other candidates. -It demonstrates your respect for the business you’re interviewing with and those you are meeting with.  -Makes a good impression on the hiring manager – you never have a second chance to make a good first impression.  Here are some general guidelines for dressing for the interview: 1.    Research the Company: Before the interview, try to learn about the company’s culture and dress code by looking at their website, social media profiles, and even asking current or former employees if you know any.  2.    Grooming and Hygiene: No matter the industry or company culture, it is important that you are clean and neat. Your clothes should be wrinkle-free, shoes polished, nails groomed, and hair clean and neat. If you wear glasses, clean them! Avoid perfumes or even scented lotions or hair products that may offend some people.  3.    Accessories: In general, keep to a minimum. A watch, one bracelet, one ring on each hand, simple earrings that don’t swing or make noise, and one simple necklace. Alternatively, women may choose to wear a scarf; if so, minimize jewelry even further.  4.    Footwear: Men should wear closed-toed dress shoes that are polished. Women should wear comfortable, closed-toed shoes with a minimal heel or flats. 5.    Colors: While you have more latitude with creative roles in creative companies, in general stick to neutral or conservative colors such as black, grey, navy blue, and white for shirts. Petite women may choose to brighten their palette up to give themselves a larger presence.  6.    Try everything on: Before the day of your interview, try everything on to make sure it fits and looks good together. Decide on your accessories and try them on. While I don’t recommend wearing brand-new shoes, if you do, break them in and scuff up the soles ahead of time so you aren’t uncomfortable and don’t slip and fall.   Next, let’s talk about the levels of business attire. 1.    Business professional: If the company has a formal dress code or if you are interviewing for a professional or more senior role, it’s generally best to wear a business professional outfit.  For men: A well-fitted suit and tie. How loud or creative your tie and shirt choice are depends on the position, the industry, and the company culture – as well as your personality.  For women: A pantsuit, skirt suit, or conservative dress with jacket, with closed-toed shoes (low heels or flats). Avoid anything too short, low-cut, sheer, or otherwise suggestive – you want the interviewer to focus on your qualifications, not your attire. Business casual: If the company tells you to dress business casual for the interview, you’re going to need more information, as business casual can range from a blazer with or without a tie for men and a blazer with non-matching skirt or pants for women down to jeans.  For men: Unless the company tells you otherwise, opt for khakis with a collared shirt, tucked in. No tennis shoes, but you can wear rubber-soled shoes as long as they are clean and scuff-free. For women: Unless the company tells you otherwise, opt for pants (not leggings) and a blouse or shirt that isn’t too short with a completer piece – either a blazer or cardigan. Closed-toed casual shoes that are clean and scuff-free.   The bottom line: No matter how relaxed the dress code is, you should still look polished and put together. Remember: there is no such thing as business casual when it comes to your grooming.   DIY vs. DFY DIYMy DIY recommendation has to do with WHEN to do your shopping for your interview outfit. I recommend Monday-Friday, during the day – this is usually when the full-time employees work so you may get higher-quality help. Also, it will probably be less crowded, so you can expect to get more personal attention.  To get this kind of help, consider a well-regarded department store in your area or a boutique shop that offers professional clothing. I don’t recommend trying to purchase this outfit online – you really need to try things on and get help with what looks good on you.  Let the salesperson know that you are looking for an interview outfit, about how much you’d like to spend, and be sure to bring any items (such as shoes) you plan to include.   DFYMy DFY recommendation has to do with alterations. Men’s suits, and many pants, come unhemmed, so you have no choice but to use alterations services, and the store may provide them. If they don’t, ask friends or family for recommendations.  Women, your outfit may require alterations as well – hems, waistlines, and shirt/sleeve length may need adjustments. It is so worth it to pay for this service – you’ll look much more polished, and your confidence will likely shoot up when you look in the mirror.  A final recommendation that applies for both DIY and DFY specifically for the women: Sit in front of a mirror and cross your legs. Are you comfortable? Does your skirt ride up too far? Does your blouse gape around the buttons? 

Here’s the link to learn more about Land Your Dream Job Accelerator, and to register:https://docs.google.com/document/d/14Dy066dj7gm5chND-FfIcd-vZNeS0y4Tdbbf6Jr_oP8/edit#heading=h.9en890oi4qsu  We will be tackling this issue on two fronts: how to take care of yourself during a job search if you have a chronic physical or mental health condition, and when/if to divulge this information to the prospective employer. My guest for this episode is Jane Springer, who’s been on the podcast several times before. Jane is a life coach specializing in health and wellness for women ages 50+. We talk about what a chronic physical or mental health condition is, how to manage your condition during the stress of a job search, and how to make sure you find a job that can accommodate your specific health needs.  I often get questions about when and how to divulge information about a physical or mental condition during the job search. According to the Society for Human Resource Management’s website: “The Americans with Disabilities Act defines disability as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity. Disabilities outlined by the ADA include (but are in no way limited to) deafness, blindness, non-functioning or missing limbs, cancer, diabetes, asthma, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, arthritis, obsessive-compulsive disorder, HIV and depression. “Under the ADA, employers generally can't ask disability-related questions, such as whether the applicant has a disability or what the nature or severity of the disability is, or require applicants to undergo medical examinations until after the applicant has received a conditional job offer.“Once a conditional job offer has been made, the employer may ask disability-related questions or require a medical examination so long as all individuals who receive offers for the same job are treated similarly. That means they must be asked the same questions or required to undergo the same medical examination, she said. (Once an individual is employed, disability-related questions and examinations again are prohibited except in limited circumstances.)“Employers may, however, ask applicants whether they can perform the essential duties of a position with or without accommodation.“Federal law also permits employers to ask applicants about reasonable accommodations before a conditional offer is made if the employer reasonably believes that the applicant may need an accommodation due to an obvious or voluntarily disclosed disability, or when an applicant has disclosed a need for an accommodation.” A best practice is for employers to thoroughly describe the steps the candidate will go through, so the candidate can intelligently respond as to whether they will need accommodations.  If you don’t need accommodations to perform the job, you are under no obligation to voluntarily disclose a disability or condition. You may choose to disclose anyway – but you don’t have to.  You can find Jane Springer at jane@janespringer.com or visit her website at janespringer.com.  

Land Your Dream Job Accelerator starts on October 5th. To learn more and register:https://docs.google.com/document/d/14Dy066dj7gm5chND-FfIcd-vZNeS0y4Tdbbf6Jr_oP8/edit#heading=h.9en890oi4qsu  Oftentimes, people who schedule a consult with me are doing so because they have been job searching with little to no success. On the scheduling form, they indicate that they need a resume re-write. One of the questions on the scheduling form has to do with the number of applications they have completed, the number of interviews with different companies they’ve had, and the number of job offers they’ve received. I ask for this information because it helps me begin to narrow down where their problem might be. Let’s look at each step of this process, and what to do if your problem is in that step. Not enough applications. There are three main points I want to make here: 1.    Clients will indicate that they’ve applied to 12 jobs and not yet received an interview. My rule of thumb is 1 job interview for every 10 applications, so while 12 applications should have yielded an interview, we really don’t have sufficient data here. 2.    It’s a numbers game – but those numbers have to be quality. I often hear from clients who aren’t getting interviews that their solution has been to apply for more jobs – even jobs they aren’t that interested in and/or aren’t at least 75% qualified for. Your applications should ALWAYS be quality over quantity. 3.    If all you are doing for your job search is applying to jobs online LIKE THE REST OF THE UNIVERSE, then you’re going to be in for a long haul. Enter networking to access the 70-85% of jobs that aren’t advertised.  Not enough interviews. Here are three considerations: 1.    If a client indicates that they’ve applied to 75 jobs without a single interview – or with just one or two interviews – then I dig down to determine the QUALITY of the jobs they’ve applied for. As previously stated, the client is often in QUANTITY over QUALITY at this point – and they are operating from a place of desperation and lack. Here's what happens when you apply for jobs you don’t really want or don’t think you have a shot at: You get discouraged, and your motivation begins to dip. EVEN THOUGH YOU DIDN’T REALLY WANT THE JOB IN THE FIRST PLACE.  2.    Another consideration if a client isn’t getting enough interviews is, are they customizing their resume and cover letter for that position? Are they completing the application? A resume that isn’t tailored for that position isn’t likely to beat out other applicants who took the time to do so. 3.    Finally, I talk to this client about my “+1” approach – doing one more thing in addition to just applying like everyone else. Who can they ask to advocate for them? How can they make a personal contact? Remember, applying online is like trying to get the attention of the people on stage in the most crowded auditorium there is. You need to make yourself stand out.  Interviews aren’t converting to job offers. Here are four possibilities: 1.    I find that many people think they should have received at least one job offer after two-three interviews. My rule of thumb is the same as with application-interview: 10 interviews for one job offer. And these are 10 interviews with 10 companies, not multiple interviews with the same company. 2.    If the client has had 15-20 interviews without an offer, one possibility is that, while they are qualified for the job, they aren’t really interested in the job – or at least they aren’t conveying their interest in the interview. The interviewer isn’t getting a sense of the candidate’s excitement about the company and the job. 3.    Another possibility is that the candidate isn’t adequately preparing for the interview – they haven’t done their homework. NOTE: This preparation also often tracks with the candidate’s excitement level. 4.    Finally, the candidate may need interview coaching. Some clients who come to me for this service have been given feedback that they don’t interview well; others sense it based on their experience; still others want to improve their interview skills before they start getting interviews. Here are eight suggestions if you aren’t getting enough job offers: 1.    Develop an actual job search strategy – one that doesn’t rely solely on job boards. My rule of thumb is 25% networking if you’re right out of college, 50% networking if you are mid-career, and 75% or more networking if you are at the executive level. 2.    Improve your networking skills so that networking is an equal exchange of energy. Most people who hate networking feel that way because it feels creepy or desperate. I teach a much better way of networking, where you give at least as much value as you give. 3.    Have a professionally written resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile. And take the important step of customizing your resume and cover letter each time you submit these documents. 4.    Improve your interview skills. Ideally, work with a coach like me who can give you professional feedback, rather than advice from a friend or family member based on their limited interview experience. 5.    Consider adding certifications, coursework, or other short-term credentials to your resume. Even beginning an undergraduate or advanced degree can work to your favor. 6.    Volunteer or freelance. This is a great opportunity to build skills, network, and gain valuable relevant experience – maybe even earn some income while you’re doing it. 7.    Work with a coach on mindset. I find that candidates who are in the job market for a while often begin to make the rejections and non-responses mean something about themselves and their qualifications. Working with a coach to look at your thoughts, and how to make conscious changes to those thoughts, is invaluable during a job search (and always). 8.    If you suspect the problem is the career path you are on, you’ll definitely want to work with a career coach like me to assess what you really love to do and what jobs would make the best use of your Zones of Genius. DIY vs. DFY DIY: The number one piece of advice I can give you is to use my conversion rule of thumb to determine where your problem might be. Once again, it’s 10 applications for one interview; 10 interviews for one job offer. Tell yourself the truth about the jobs you are applying for – are you very interested in every one of them, and at least 75% qualified? If not, what is the thought driving your decision to apply anyway? Also – use my +1 approach so you aren’t just applying like everyone else. Commit to either going all-in on the jobs you apply for, or not applying at all.  DFY: If you are listening to this podcast when it first comes out, I highly recommend checking out my Land Your Dream Job Accelerator, starting on October 5th for four weeks. In this small group coaching program, you’ll build out a targeted, proactive job search strategy; learn my “bow-and-arrow” approach to networking that teaches you how to give as much value as you get, and how to manage your mindset throughout your job search. You’ll also have two, 20-minute laser coaching sessions with me for targeted 1:1 help with your job search. Here’s the link to learn more about LYDJA and to register: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14Dy066dj7gm5chND-FfIcd-vZNeS0y4Tdbbf6Jr_oP8/edit#heading=h.9en890oi4qsu 

Here’s the link for the October Land Your Dream Job Accelerator: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14Dy066dj7gm5chND-FfIcd-vZNeS0y4Tdbbf6Jr_oP8/edit#heading=h.9en890oi4qsu  I want to start by talking about an internal “red flag” – this has nothing to do with the company you are applying to and everything to do with YOU.  Each time you make a job move, it is so important to evaluate your current job. Think of this as a trip you are taking: What do you want to put in your suitcase and bring with you, and what do you want to leave there? In other words, what are the skills you enjoy using and want to utilize at least as much in your new role (Motivated Skills) – and what skills do you want to stop using or minimize (Burnout Skills)?  When you don’t do this work, you risk jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire…or, at best, not progressing in your career towards your ideal job.  Now let’s talk about the possible red flags an employer could be waving right in front of your face.  Unprofessional communicationIf the employer or company representative communicates with you in a rude, unprofessional, or overall informal manner during the application process, it might indicate a lack of respect or a poor company culture.  As with most of these red flags, on their own they aren’t necessarily reason to run in the other direction, but rather an indication that you should investigate further. I do think it puts a stain on a company when THE PERSON THEY HAVE HIRED SPECIFICALLY TO DEAL WITH APPLICANTS isn’t communicative or friendly.   Vague job descriptionIf there is very little information about the actual job duties or requirements, or the job description focuses a bit too much on how great it is to work there but without the corresponding information about the actual job duties or requirements, this could indicate a lack of organization or lack of transparency about the role.  This vagueness can also translate into the hiring process – are you getting answers to your questions, and in a timely manner? Are they openly discussing opportunity for advancement, job responsibilities, and company culture?   Super quick process and too-good-to-be-true offersBe aware of recruiters that respond within minutes of your application – why are they so desperate that they are waiting around for you to apply? This kind of immediate response often correlates with a rapid, barely-there hiring process and pressure to accept the job offer immediately.  There may also be an extremely high salary or benefits that seem too good to be true. This all smacks of a scam – or at best, a job they can’t fill or keep filled.   Negative online reviewsGlassdoor, Indeed, and other sites offer online reviews and ratings for the company, often in a variety of categories such as culture, management, work environment, pay, and opportunity for promotion within. Look for balance and consistency here – are you seeing one negative review about culture and eight positives? Or are 75% of the reviews slamming a specific aspect of the company, such as pay?   Unrealistic expectationsDo the job duties mesh with the job title? With the pay? With the educational requirements? If any of these seem unrealistic for the role, it could mean a lack of understanding of the position. You may not want to be the Jane Goodall that treks into that forest of cluelessness.  Unusual interview processI am hearing about this a lot from my clients – it was especially common during Covid. If there is an excessively long, complex, or intrusive interview process, it shows disorganization and a lack of respect for candidates’ time. Also, this lengthy process typically results in the top candidates bowing out for other opportunities; if you remain in the candidate pool and get hired, you might be working with a bunch of underachievers who didn’t have other job prospects.  A note about hiring projects: while some companies are paying candidates to complete projects representative of the work they would do in the job, most aren’t. It’s up to you to decide if you are willing to do the work for no pay and no guarantee of a job – don’t move forward if you can’t do it with a positive attitude, because it will become evident.   High TurnoverWhat can you find out about the turnover for the position you are applying for, the turnover in the department you would be working in, the company as a whole? You are looking for red flags around management, culture, or employee satisfaction.  Glassdoor is one good resource here; there may also be info around this in LinkedIn insights if the job is posted there. You can also reach out to a few former employees to find out why they left – you can find them easily on LI.   Lack of growth opportunitiesI talked previously about asking this question – and making sure you get a clear answer. If the company doesn’t offer clear paths for growth, professional development, or advancement, it probably isn’t a viable long-term option for your career goals.   Non-competitive compensationSimply put, outstanding employees don’t accept below-market compensation. Not only will you be underpaid – and likely undervalued – but you’ll be working with a bunch of underpaid, undervalued people. Not a good recipe for a positive work culture.   Payment requestsBe cautious of job opportunities that require you to pay upfront fees for training, materials, or other expenses – these should be covered by legitimate employers. This is most likely a scam.  Bottom line: trust your instincts and conduct thorough research before committing to a job opportunity – and listen to your gut.  DIY vs. DFY DIYIf you are conducting a job search on your own, make sure your mindset is in the right place. Are you moving towards something new that you’re really excited about – or are you trying to run away from an untenable situation with your current job?  The energy with these two is completely different. The first energy means you’ll likely be confident and selective about the jobs you apply to, people you speak with, and how you present yourself. The second energy means you’ll be more likely to ignore the red flags and jump at the first slightly reasonable opportunity that comes along.  For help with your mindset, I recommend “Six Things Derailing Your Job Search,” available on my website at: https://exclusivecareercoaching.com/free-resources  DFYIf you find yourself ignoring red flags job after job, I highly recommend working with a professional like me. There is likely an underlying issue around your confidence, belief in yourself, or something else that is holding you back from doing the necessary work to land a job you love with a company you can fully believe in.  If you would like to schedule a complimentary consult to discuss working with me on this, here’s the link to my calendar: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2 

Link to learn more about, and register for: Land Your Dream Job Accelerator:https://docs.google.com/document/d/14Dy066dj7gm5chND-FfIcd-vZNeS0y4Tdbbf6Jr_oP8/edit#heading=h.9en890oi4qsu  I think most people have gotten the memo that you are supposed to tailor your resume, cover letter, and any other materials to the position you are applying for. This tailoring, if done correctly, will greatly increase your chances of making it through the ATS – and compelling the human on the other end to want to interview you. I DON’T think most people know what tailoring actually means, so let’s dig into this today. First off – let me say that my rule of thumb is you should spend about 30 minutes customizing your resume and another 30 minutes customizing your cover letter – and this includes careful proofreading. If you are having to do much more customizing than that, it’s likely that you either have a pretty generic, non-targeted resume to begin with, or you are trying to use a targeted resume for a position that is very different from what the resume was targeted for.  Your ResumeCustomizing your resume for a specific position must start with analyzing the job description – which obviously means you must HAVE a job description. Make sure you get your hands on this document. If a recruiter has reached out to you, it doesn’t hurt to ask if he or she has any information in addition to the job description about the company and/or the job to help you with tailoring. Your next step is to highlight keywords and phrases. You can do this manually, or you can dump the job description into ChatGPT with the question, “What are the most important qualifications for this job?” Note that you are looking for hard skills, credentials, certifications, experience – rather than things like “hard worker,” “team player,” or “leadership.” Once you’ve identified these qualifications, I use the “find” function in Word to see if I already have those terms in the resume. If I don’t, then I determine the best way to include them. Can I add an achievement bullet that speaks to that qualification? Do I add the certification or credential to others I already have on my resume? Do I add the skill to my list of Competencies at the top of my resume? Have I taken a course or training on a subject mentioned in the job description? Remember, you want to include the exact language used in the job description. Another aspect of customizing your resume is possibly re-ordering your achievement bullets, eliminating some that aren’t relevant, and including others that are a better fit for this position. As a reminder, your job duties should be condensed into a 2-3-line paragraph, followed by achievement bullets (no more than 5 per job). Achievement bullets should begin with an action verb, be front-loaded with the result you achieved, and include metrics whenever possible.  Cover LetterOne of the main reasons I am still an advocate for cover letters is that they give me the opportunity to address any skills, qualifications, or competencies mentioned in the job description that aren’t easily included in my resume – or that I want to expand on beyond how they are mentioned in my resume. For example, if the job description asks for “Proven ability to effectively interact with individuals at all levels of the organization and build strong, trusted relationships,” I might mention something about building mutually beneficial stakeholder relationships in my resume. However, the cover letter gives me the opportunity to pull together 2-3 examples of how I met this qualification in various positions. Perhaps most importantly, the cover letter gives me the opportunity to express my interest in that specific position with that specific company – not just that I want A job. I want THIS job. In this section of the cover letter, talk about what you like about the company’s culture – and why this is a perfect fit for you and your strengths.  Other MaterialsThere’s a wide range of possibilities here – the job posting may ask for samples of your work or completion of some type of job application exercise. The only points I want to make here are: 1. Provide what they ask for. Yes – some of my clients have told me about extensive, time-consuming exercises they have been put through during the hiring process. You can absolutely decide to bow out if you aren’t willing to do the exercises, but if you decide to move forward, do so at 100%. Don’t try to cut corners – they will see this as a representation of how you would perform the duties of the job. Point #2: To the degree possible, choose work samples that most closely mirror the company and job. If they are asking for examples of your marketing work, when did you market a company similar to the one you are applying to? When did you solve a problem similar to the one stated in the exercise – or a problem similar to one you know the company is facing? The keyword here is RELEVANCE. As I wrap this episode up, I want to emphasize once again how important this tailoring process is. I see so many clients who get frustrated with the job application process – and respond by applying to more jobs. In other words, quantity over quality. I’d much rather see you limit your applications to those you are really interested in and at least 75% qualified for – and then give that process your full attention. Finally – don’t forget the +1 approach I’ve spoken of so many times on this podcast. What is one more thing you can do, in addition to just applying like the rest of the world, to get yourself noticed? DIY vs. DFY DIYThis entire episode has been a DIY special, but here’s one more tip: Remember that your goal is to convince the reader you are a top candidate for the job. Everything you do should be with that in mind – it’s not about what you want (like the old school resume objective), and it’s not about just telling them what your job duties have been. It’s about marketing yourself! DFYWhile you’re still going to need to do the customization I’ve spoken about in this episode, having a strong resume and cover letter to start with makes all the difference. When you work with a professional like me, you are getting someone who can pull things out of you that you wouldn’t think to include. You will have someone who understands ATS and how to write your resume for both the technology and the human. Also, you will work with someone who understands personal branding and can position you to really stand out in a crowded market. If you would like to schedule a complimentary consult to discuss working with me, here’s the link to my calendar: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2    

There’s so much in the news about Artificial Intelligence (AI) replacing jobs. In the resume writing world, there is a widespread belief that is, unfortunately, being spread by some people who have created AI-based resume writing platforms they want you to purchase. I first want to start with how I have incorporated AI into my resume writing practice. Here are a few of the ways:  Job DescriptionI am currently working with a client who has a background as a dental assistant. I used ChatGPT to come up with a job description for a dental assistant so I could incorporate the keywords into her resume. Note that I didn’t cut-and-paste any part of the response from ChatGPT – I merely used it as a reference for the skills a dental assistant should be able to demonstrate. If I have a client who is using the resume to apply for a specific position, I can feed both the job description and the resume into ChatGPT to see how they compare and tell me where the gaps are. Then I can work in those keywords. If a client wants to pivot careers, I can ask ChatGPT for a job description for the job the client wants to move into so I can position that client with the necessary transferable skills. DIY vs. DFY DIYIf you want to use ChatGPT or one of the other AI tools to write your resume, remember that AI is a TOOL. If you use AI to write your resume, you will end up with a generic, non-differentiating document. What makes you, you – your differentiators – has to come from you. AI can’t possibly know your achievements or your personal brand. AI can’t possibly know your “secret sauce” – the way you do what you do that is different and better than others in your field. AI can’t possibly know about the feedback you have consistently received from colleagues, supervisors, or customers. Let AI help you craft your job descriptions, but not do it for you. If you want AI to help with your achievement bullets, write out CAR (Challenge – Action – Results) stories, then ask ChatGPT to write into bullets. Make sure it sounds like you and that each bullet begins with an action verb. Remove personal pronouns and unnecessary articles such as “the.” Do the work on your branding – I recommend using my Branded Resume course, which you can access here: https://exclusivecareercoaching.com/free-resources Then ask ChatGPT to write out 3-4 sentences that encapsulate the information you’ve written down about your personal brand. DFYHere’s one of the litmus tests I use with clients: How high is the bar for the job you want? If it is pretty high, you might consider working with a professional like me. I think one of the primary benefits of working with me is my ability to pull out from you your high-impact achievements and your differentiators – coupled with my ability to package that information in a way that is compelling and drives the reader to reach out to you for an interview. There’s something to be said for recognizing your Zones of Genius – and getting help in areas that don’t play to your strengths. How much is your time worth – and how important is it to get it right? If you would like to schedule a consult to talk about how I can write your resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile for you, click here: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2

Since Covid, the number of people working from home – or wanting to work from home – has multiplied exponentially. Today, I want to offer resources and strategies to help you land a WFH job. I’m not going to go into how to determine which types of WFH jobs you should apply for – I’ve covered that in other episodes. For today’s episode, I’m going to assume you know your Motivated Skills and how you want to apply those skills in a WFH job. A note here: your desire to WFH shouldn’t be the primary consideration as to which jobs you pursue. You still have to enjoy the work and exercise your Zones of Genius. I’m also not going to go into the steps everyone should be taking to look for any kind of job, such as customizing your resume and networking. Again – covered in other episodes. Also – buyer beware. There are WFH scams out there, so check with the Better Business Bureau and other sites to ensure the validity of the job.  FiltersThere are a number of legitimate remote job sites, which I will be sharing in this episode. Another consideration is using filters on “mainstream” sites like LinkedIn and Indeed. Try “remote,” “work from home,” “telecommute,” and “virtual” to narrow down the jobs you see. Also consider that some companies may offer WFH jobs on their website but not on sites like LinkedIn, so be sure to check.  Read the job description – and interpret itSome jobs will clearly state the in-person, virtual, or hybrid nature of the job, with specifics such as WFH Fridays or “must be in office 2-3 days per week.” When the parameters are specifically laid out in the job description, I would take that as fact. That is not to say that the “must be in office 2-3 days per week” couldn’t be negotiated down to just 2 days, or that which days you are in office can’t be negotiated – I mean that a job that clearly states “must be in office M-F” isn’t likely to be flexible about a hybrid or WFH setup. What about those jobs that aren’t clear in their description? Post-Covid, I would take that as POSSIBLY a sign that there is some flexibility. My thought is this: I don’t want to remove myself from consideration for a job I am really interested in and very qualified for just because I want WFH capabilities, so I’m going to go through the process and see what happens. An employer who does have some flexibility is more likely to exercise that flexibility once they’ve gotten to know you, your qualifications, and the value you will bring to their organization. When do you bring this up? I might try to suss this out sooner rather than later. Perhaps they directly ask you what type of work setting you are looking for – in this situation, I would be honest but vague. I might try responding with a question like “What do you see as viable options for this role?” This likely won’t be solidified, however, until after a bona fide job offer has been made, so before you sign on the dotted line make sure you understand what’s in the offer and ask for any concessions you want so the offer can be amended. Understand that the only time you can negotiate is between the time a bona fide job offer has been made and you have accepted that offer. Before this, it is hypothetical, and afterward, they aren’t likely to improve on what you have already accepted. Be wary of language that speaks to the temporary nature of the hybrid or WFH condition. I recently had a client who had to quit her job because the WFH situation became in-office and she lived some two hours away and couldn’t relocate.  Websites for WFH FlexJobs is one of the top boards to find remote, part-time or flex jobs. They have opportunities across 50+ categories.Growmotely features long-term remote jobs with conscious companies. You can create a candidate profile and start searching for remote roles right away.We Work Remotely highlights remote jobs across all types of fields, including tech to customer service, sales, and marketing. Remote.co – in addition to the job listings, this site has resources for how to work from home, such as managing your home office or managing a remote team. https://ratracerebellion.com/ - this site seems to be more geared towards people who want to pick up hourly or temporary/seasonal work, but check it out anyway. https://www.wahjobqueen.com/ - this one is a grassroots site that was recommended to me by a client. Another one I’ve heard several clients talk about is The Mom Project, but there is a lot online about this being a scam. They supposedly feature roles with vetted, family-friendly companies and include remote positions – but beware.In addition, there are sites where you can filter your job search using the terms I previously mentioned, such as “remote,” “virtual,” “work from home,” or “telecommute.”  LinkedIn Indeed.comGlassdoor.comZiprecruiter.comUsajobs.govMonster.comSimplyhired.comCareerbuilder.comSnagajob.comRoberthalf.com  DIY vs. DFY DIY: If you are doing a remote job search solo, the biggest piece of advice I can give you is one I already mentioned in this episode – the fact that a job is remote should NOT be your primary consideration. You still need job satisfaction, the opportunity to use your Zones of Genius and expand your skills, a sense of connection with other team members, and working for a company whose product or service you believe in and can support. DON’T mistakenly think that working from home will solve all your problems – you still need to carefully vet the company and the job opportunity.  DFY: As I have said approximately 1,000 times on this podcast, your job search shouldn’t rely solely on job boards. I’ve gone so far as to say that job boards don’t don’t constitute a job search – you need a targeted, proactive strategy that, depending on your level of seniority, is somewhere between 25% and 100% networking-based. If you want help planning and executing a targeted, proactive job search with multiple prongs, specific daily action steps, and a plan to evaluate and make mid-course corrections, then let’s schedule a consult so I can learn more about what you’re currently doing in your job search and how I can support you. Here’s the link to my calendar for a consult: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2

From time to time on this podcast, I will mention a free resource available to you via my website. Today, I thought I would go over all those resources for you. As a reminder, the URL is exclusivecareercoaching.com.  To be clear: The primary free resource I offer is this podcast, with nearly 300 episodes covering the job search, interviewing, career decisions, salary negotiations, LinkedIn, career management, life coaching, career transitions, leadership, and more. If you are ever looking for a specific topic on the podcast, the website is a great place to go because the topics I just mentioned are categorized so you can more easily find exactly what you need. As for the other free resources found on exclusivecareercoaching.com, click on the “Free Resources” tab – currently, there are six resources there, with plans to add several more in the not-too-distant future. Why do I offer so much free stuff? Two reasons: 1.    Not everyone is a good fit to work 1:1 with me, either because they aren’t able to make the investment, their career path and goals aren’t ones I focus on, or they just aren’t looking for the level of help I provide when I work 1:1 with clients. 2.    When I put valuable content out into the world, it attracts my ideal clients to me. People who want my level of service and are willing to invest in themselves and their careers. People who schedule a consult with me should be actively seeking a professional partner in this process – and have the funds and willingness to invest in themselves to come on board with me if we both feel we are a good fit for one another. My consults are NOT for people to get further 1:1 assistance from me for free – please respect that I run a business, and to continue to do so I have to make money. Here are the free resources you can find on my website:   Branded ResumeThis free resource comes to your inbox over five days, giving you bite-sized chunks of information and homework each day. I cover all the main areas of the resume, including how to write your job description and achievements. I cover in-depth how to brand yourself in a way that differentiates yourself from your competition. Once you sign up for the Branded Resume, you begin getting the course the next day, and will receive content for five straight days. Each day focuses on a different aspect of your resume, with homework for that aspect.  Professional PurposeAlso sent over five days, the Professional Purpose course walks you through how to find your Motivated Skills, identify the most important values you want to see in an employer, job, and work environment, gives you questions to journal to help you uncover those seminal moments in your life that are pointing you towards your purpose, and next steps. I use this course with clients when I am coaching them on making a career pivot or reinvention, but you can also use the course on your own. If, once you go through the course, you want more help understanding what all that information is telling you, then you may want to invest in some coaching with me.  6 Things Derailing Your Job SearchThis resource is specifically for those of you who have started a job search and somewhere along the way lost your mojo. It is also for those of you who need to start a job search but can’t seem to get going. For each of the six things – all things I frequently see in clients I work with – there is a strategy or tool to solve the derailer. This is a great resource for those of you who want to get your energy and enthusiasm back to support you in finding your next dream job!  How to Choose a Resume WriterThis resource, which is also available on my LI profile, walks you through questions you should ask a prospective resume writer, how much you should expect to invest, and how to evaluate your consultation with a resume writer to determine if this person is a good fit for you. I also cover the alphabet soup of credentials available to resume writers – and what you should look for in terms of resume writing credentials.  Zones of GeniusThis is an exercise I have all my resume writing clients go through. It takes only 10-15 minutes and is designed to help you identify language around your areas of strength, which I call Zones of Genius. This is a must-have resource if you are writing your own resume. You can either use some of the language in your results verbatim in your resume, or just include the ideas and concepts you learn.  Interview Coaching GuideIf you have a job interview coming up, this resource will be invaluable to you. I walk in-depth through how to approach answers to tough and behavioral interview questions. In addition, there are dozens of interview questions you can use for practice. I offer this guide to all my interview coaching clients to supplement the 1:1 work we do, and it has also been the most downloaded of my free resources lately.  If any of these resources are just what you need, head on over to exclusivecareercoaching.com to sign up. You’ll be on my mailing list, which means you’ll get a couple of emails from me each week with even more helpful career management and job search content.  DIY vs. DFY This entire episode has been about the DIY services I offer on my website, coupled with how I utilize those resources with my 1:1 clients. If you want to DIY your resume, interview prep, or career decision-making – PLEASE take advantage of these free resources; they are my gifts to you. If you want the 1:1 attention, expertise, and results that come from working with a highly skilled professional like me, and have the funds available to invest in yourself at a high level, then I encourage you to sign up for a consult: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2  

According to an article from the Wall Street Journal, nearly four million workers left the labor market in the first months of the pandemic – the lowest level of employment since 1983. Some of these workers left because their employers could not operate as they had pre-pandemic – or could not operate at all. Others left to care for children or other family members affected by Covid. Still others took advantage of attractive state and federal programs during the pandemic to walk away from work they didn’t love to rethink their career goals. Post-pandemic, the resurgence of midcareer workers – defined as those between the ages of 25 and 54 – has been led by women. As of June 2023, the labor force participate rate for prime-age women was the highest on record, at 77.8%. As of June, male participation rates were at 83.5%. It is a tight labor market in many sectors. The unemployment rate has been at or near a 50-year low for more than a year. What does this mean for the job seeker? Employers can’t afford to be as choosy or selective. The better employers are willing to work with candidates around child- or elder-care issues, WFH, and flexibility with hours. They are also more willing to hire previously retired employees or other older workers. Employers have raised wages and improved benefits in recent years in an effort to attract top talent – or, in some cases, any talent. What if the economy cools? There are some concerns that the Fed’s campaign to bring down inflation through higher interest rates will cause unemployment to rise too much and push some of the most vulnerable workers back to the sidelines. Currently at 3.6% as of June 2023, the unemployment rate is expected to rise to 4.1% by the end of 2023 and 4.5% next year – suggesting the economy will lose tens of thousands of jobs.  Those are the statistics and forecasts. Now let’s talk about the disparity I and my colleagues are seeing between the need for employees on the one hand and the frustration of qualified candidates vying for those positions on the other hand. Technology has created a barrier between employers and candidates that often doesn’t speed up or otherwise streamline the process – creating frustration among candidates. Employers, conversely, are losing the best candidates in these lengthy and cumbersome processes. I no longer have the source in front of me, but I read recently that top candidates will only stay in a candidate pool for something like 10-14 days before moving on to more promising opportunities. I could give a 10-hour lecture on what employers need to do to create a more candidate-friendly and candidate-attracting environment in their hiring processes…but I won’t. I DO want to talk about what you, as a candidate, can do to make the hiring process more palatable and successful for you. Follow Up After submitting your application materials, follow up with an email or phone call to ensure your materials were received and to express your interest in the position. Be ResponsiveRespond promptly to any requests for additional information or to schedule an interview. Communicate AvailabilityDuring the interview process, let the company know about your availability for subsequent interviews or assessments. Be as flexible as you can be. Provide References EarlySubmit your references along with your application or initial resume submission. These should be on a separate document from your resume. Prepare Documents in AdvanceAnticipate the documents the company might want, such as certificates, diplomas, or work samples, and have them ready to submit. Ask About the TimelineBefore you leave the first interview, make sure you understand the company’s hiring timeline and expected next steps. Network InternallyIf you have contacts within the company or industry, consider reaching out to inquire about hiring status or any updates on your application. Could these people put in a good word for you? Demonstrate Your InterestExpress enthusiasm for the role and the company – they are more likely to prioritize candidates who are genuinely interested in joining their team. Provide Complete InformationEnsure that your application and resume are complete, with all the relevant information about your skills, experiences, and achievements. Prepare for AssessmentsIf the hiring process includes tests or assessments, be well prepared to take them promptly when offered. Stay in CommunicationDepending on the timeline the company has provided you, weekly or bi-weekly check-ins let the employer know you are still interested. Look for opportunities to add value in these communications.Keep Them Apprised of Other OffersOnce you have received a job offer from another employer, let the other employer know – but don’t give too much information. This is only necessary if you are still interested in this employer’s opportunity. Finally…Know When to Cut Your LossesI will never recommend that someone put all their eggs in one basket, so until you have signed an employment agreement, KEEP LOOKING. If you think you are being ghosted by an employer, you probably are. Don’t burn bridges in this instance – but I DO recommend that you notify the employer that you are pursuing other opportunities.  DIY vs. DFY DIY: If you are managing your job search on your own, the biggest piece of advice I can give you is to keep detailed records. When you submit an application, all communications you send or receive, notes on what was said – these will all help you organize your job search. You can do this via a simple Excel spreadsheet or via an app. I don’t have one I recommend – I find Excel works very well, but you can Google and check them out. DFY: Although no one is going to do your job search for you, what you may need help with is planning your job search strategy and keeping your thoughts positive throughout the process. Having an expert in your pocket, not only to plan your strategy but also to help you navigate the inevitable roadblocks and pitfalls along the way, is incredibly helpful in achieving your goals. If this is something you are interested in learning more about, you can schedule a complimentary consult using this link: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2 

Today, I am speaking with Ahmed Wasfy, an engineering manager with such giants as Microsoft, Google, and Amazon. In addition to his day job, he provides coaching services to help managers become effective leaders through his company, the Thriving EM. Ahmed explains the purpose of a project manager, the skills and qualities needed to be an effective project manager, and how to break into the field. We also discuss the PMP – Project Management Professional – designation, and whether that credential is necessary to enter into project management work. You can find Ahmed via his website: https://www.thethrivingem.comOr via Instagram at a1wasfy Exclusively for our listeners, Ahmed is offering a free 30-minute session to show you how to set up your calendar to save 10 hours each week. Just email Ahmed at ahmed@thethrivingem.com with the subject line: LESA – 10 HOURS BACK      

As a reminder, if you are a mid-career high-achiever with the goal of entering the C-suite, let’s talk about my new coaching program, Highly Promotable. Here’s the link to learn more: https://exclusivecareercoaching.com/highly-promotable Today, we’re talking about how employers are using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in job interviews – and what that means for you as a job seeker.  AI is being used in the interview process via Natural Language Processing (NLP), chatbots, sentiment analysis, facial expression recognition and visual perception, speech recognition, tone analysis, and decision-making.  Let’s start with some definitions:  Artificial intelligence:Computer systems that can perform tasks that normally would require human intelligence. Artificial Intelligence-trained video interviewing technology analyzes facial features, moods, expressions, and intonations of the interviewees to select the most suitable candidates. Speech recognition, personality insights, tone analysis, the relevance of answers, emotional recognition, and psycholinguistics are used in this hiring process that uses technology automation. The best matches are shared with human recruiters along with AI’s own notes on individual candidates. Chatbot:An artificial intelligence feature that is short for “chatterbot.” A chatbot is a software or program that simulates human conversations through voice commands and text chats. Chatbots are used for answering initial questions applicants have and to conduct preliminary “screening” interviews. Immediate feedback may be provided to the candidates.   Natural language processing (NLP):The interaction between humans and computers using natural language. AI’s machine learning skills derive meaning and understanding from language as it is spoken by humans. The most common uses of NLP in the market today include chatbots, personal assistants (such as Siri and Alexa), predictive text, and language translation.   What AI tools are available to employers? There are at least four categories of tools: Video Conferencing ToolsEmployers often use video conferencing tools including Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet to conduct remote AI job interviews.  AI Powered Interview PlatformsSpecialized platforms like HireVue, Pymetrics, and Mya Systems use AI technology to conduct interviews. These platforms employ natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning algorithms to analyze candidates' responses, assess their skills, and provide insights to employers. Online Assessment PlatformsOnline assessment platforms like TalentScored, eSkill, or CodinGame offer AI-related assessment tests and coding challenges specifically designed for evaluating candidates' AI knowledge, problem-solving abilities, and programming skills. Coding PlatformsFor technical positions, employers may use coding platforms such as HackerRank, Codility, or LeetCode. These platforms allow candidates to write and execute code, solve coding problems, and assess their programming skills.  How should you prepare for an AI interview?  This from Talview.com’s website: “Candidates should prepare for an AI video interview the same way they would for a face-to-face interview. They must know everything there is to know about the company beforehand; look up the company website, Google news, press releases, and understand what the company and the industry are all about.“Candidates can also make a list of questions that they would like to ask their prospective employer. Practice makes perfect when it comes to an AI video interview. Candidates can make a list of expected questions and practice their answers. Once the video interview begins, candidates will not be able to stop, erase, or edit the interview and must, therefore, be prepared well in advance.“On the day of the interview, candidates must dress professionally. Position themselves in a straight-back chair and make sure the camera angle focuses waist up.“Although an AI video interview is recorded, it is for all purposes conducted just as a face-to-face interview would. So, candidates should sell their candidacy based on the company’s needs and let the employer know how they will meaningfully contribute to their organization.“Finally, candidates are asked to keep calm and exude confidence through their body language.” The bottom line is this: There’s nothing new that an AI interview does – it asks the same questions as a human interviewer would. But the deep analysis that goes into the assessment of an interview is beyond human undertaking. The speed, accuracy, and convenience of AI recruitment and AI video interviewing are very valuable. It’s impossible that AI interviews will go off the grid – if anything, we will see an increase in its use. DIY vs DFYI’m going to combine the DIY and the DFY for this episode. If you want to improve your interview skills on your own, I recommend Yoodli – a free site that allows you to respond to the system’s questions or input your own. Yoodli will help you with things like eye contact, use of filler words, and other vocal disrupters.  If you would like human help with your interview preparation, my interview coaching program includes working with Yoodli + 2, 1-hour coaching sessions. In addition to Yoodli’s help, you’ll work with me to develop strategies to approach difficult and behavioral interview questions, such as “What is your greatest weakness?” “Tell me about yourself.” “Tell me about a time when…” 

As a reminder, if you are a mid-career high-achiever with the goal of entering the C-suite, let’s talk about my new coaching program, Highly Promotable. Here’s the link to learn more: https://exclusivecareercoaching.com/highly-promotable Let’s start today’s topic with my definition of a career pivot: Think basketball. If you aren’t dribbling the ball, you have to keep one foot on the floor at all times. So then, a career pivot is keeping one foot in either your current industry or job function, while pivoting out of the other. Some examples: -Pivoting out of human resources into marketing while remaining in the CPG (Consumer Product Goods) industry -Pivoting out of manufacturing and into CPG while remaining in accounting  The alternative is a Career Reinvention, which involves moving out of both your industry and your job function. I don’t recommend this unless absolutely necessary, because it often means starting over at or near the bottom. You could consider a two-step pivot, which achieves the same goal as a Career Reinvention but may allow you to stay at or near your current level. Some examples: -You want to move out of marketing and into operations. To be more marketable, you stick with your current industry – tech – to make this move. However, your ultimate goal is to be in real estate operations, so you look for an employer who might be able to make that happen down the road. -Your ultimate goal is to move from non-profit operations management into for-profit sales of something that leverages your passion for animal welfare (this is the type of non-profit you work in). You initially look for an operations role in the for-profit sector, say in a company that makes high-quality animal feed or products – with the goal of moving into sales as you learn the business and become a known quantity with your employer. Now, what do you need to do in your job search if you are pivoting careers?  You need to know what you are pivoting to. You MUST have a new job goal in mind so that your marketing materials can be tailored accordingly. It is not enough to know you are moving out of, say, CPG or accounting, but also what you are moving TO.  You need a transferable skills resume. This is a more difficult proposition than writing a linear resume, so I highly recommend getting help with a transferable skills resume. This entails understanding the skills you’ve developed in your current industry and job function – and how those skills translate into your new industry or job function. You can’t expect the employer or the ATS to intuit this – it has to be explicit on your resume.  You need to understand the issues and vocabulary. In addition to understanding your new industry or job function for the resume, you also need to “talk the talk” for the interview. You don’t want to come across as a know-it-all – they KNOW you don’t know it all – but rather show that you have enough interest and intelligence to have done your homework. If it is a new industry, what are the major issues of that industry? Who are the competitors, and where does the company you are interviewing with rank? If it is a new job function, have you completed a certification or done other coursework/training in that function? It is not enough to SAY you are interested in this new job function – you need to show evidence of your interest. It’s also a great idea to speak with people in the new industry or job function to get the real story about what you’re getting into.  You can’t rely on job boards.  To be clear: I don’t want ANY candidates to rely solely on job boards. However, when you are pivoting, you simply CAN’T. When you are pivoting, you will always be in the middle third of the pile of applicants, even with a world-class resume like the ones I write. The reason? The top third will be populated with people who have industry AND job function experience; the bottom third will be populated with people who have neither. You’ll be in the middle. What’s the solution to move further up the candidate pile? Two things: -+1 approach – doing one thing in addition to just applying online like everyone else. -Networking. You want to get facetime with decision-makers who can see you as a dimensional professional with the qualities they are looking for. Top companies recognize that, in most instances, they can train you on the industry and the job function – but not on qualities such as motivation and fit with company mission.  DIY vs. DFY DIY I’m not going to talk about DIY’ing your resume as a pivoter, because I don’t think you should attempt this. So let’s talk about how to DIY your decision process for what industry or job function you want to pivot to. This is the time to take a step back and reflect on your career thus far – what, specifically, have you enjoyed /not liked about your previous positions? What do you want to leave behind, carry forward, do more of? What are your Motivated Skills and Burnout Skills? AI can help you here – ask ChatGPT some questions about various occupations or industries. Also, informational interviews can be extremely helpful. I also recommend signing up for my five-day course, “Professional Purpose,” here: https://exclusivecareercoaching.com/free-resources  DFY What might a career coach, such as myself, do to help you plan your pivot? -Self-assessments, along with expertise in helping you understand your results and their application to your decision -Assigning homework, such as informational interviews (as well as helping you know HOW to conduct an info interview, and with whom) -Coaching you to come to the best decision for you – not advice, but rather guiding you through the decision-making process with coaching skills and expertise If you would like to schedule a complimentary consult with me to discuss career coaching, here’s the link to my calendar: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2  

As a reminder, if you are a mid-career high-achiever with the goal of entering the C-suite, let’s talk about my new coaching program, Highly Promotable. Here’s the link to learn more: https://exclusivecareercoaching.com/highly-promotable Today, I want to share some tools on LinkedIn that many people I speak with aren’t aware of.  The Advanced Search Function If you are looking for a specific person, preferably someone with a unique name, you can probably use the search bar to find him or her. However, let’s say you are looking for Susan Smith. I just did this search, and I got 13,000 results. How do you find the right Susan Smith? By using the Advanced Search function. Here’s how to access: -Go to “My Network” in the navigation bar -Click on “Connections” in the box on the left. This will bring up all your connections. -Click on “Search with Filters” then “All Filters.” You then have the option to create searches to help you find the right Susan Smith. You can put her name in + something else you know about her – I find that putting in the university she attended tends to be the most reliable. The Advanced Search function also works when you are trying to find someone with a specific job title whose name you don’t know. For example, the VP of Marketing for ABC Company.  Having a Differentiating, On-Brand Background LinkedIn has a standard background of shades of grey. Here are three options for changing your background: -Use a royalty-free photo site, such as pixabay.com, to find a background that is on-brand. When I am doing this for my clients, I select four photos and try each one on for how it looks with LI’s size restrictions and the fact that the client’s head will be in the bottom left-hand corner of the photo. -Create a highly differentiating background using Canva. If you are familiar with this desktop publishing tool, you’ll need to set your size to 1584 X 396 pixels, or 16.499 X 4.125 inches. Canva allows you to include such things as a branding statement. You can use one of Canva’s backgrounds or import a picture of your company or product. -Combine the two by using a stock photo from pixabay or another site uploaded into Canva. You can then add whatever text or art elements you wish.  Add Featured Content First off, let me say what I DON’T want you to put in your Featured Content section – your resume. This allows employers to access a version of your resume that has NOT been customized for the position they are hiring for, putting you at a disadvantage. It is better to have a robust LI profile that draws them in, then they can reach out to you for your resume (which you can then customize). If you don’t already have content in your Featured section, you’ll need to add that section by going to the top box of your profile (where your picture and headline area) and click on “Add Profile Section.” What might you want to include in this section? Here are some possibilities: -Information about your employer or products/services -News releases about your employer or products/services -A video you’ve created to introduce yourself – whether to potential employers or potential customers -A helpful, downloadable resource (I have my How to Assess Resume Writers on my profile) -A link to a podcast you’ve been featured on -A sample of your work You can have multiple items in your Featured section, but know that only three will be visible. You can manipulate this section to show the three you choose.  Leveraging Your Connections’ Connections I tell clients about this all the time, and almost no one has thought about this. It utilizes the Advanced Search function. Let’s say you are connected to me on LinkedIn and you want to “mine” my contacts. Go into the Advanced Search function and click “All Filters.” -Change 1st connections to 2nd connections. -In the box “Connections of” add the person’s name whose contacts you wish to mine. -Add whatever other criteria you wish; otherwise you’ll get ALL their connections. You might want to add a company name, industry, job title, or geographic location. If you want to add these people to your connections, I recommend a customized message that goes something like this: John, Hello! I see we’re both connected to Susan Smith – let’s connect!  Private Mode In general, I want you to be visible to the people whose sites you are visiting – but there are times when you want to go into stealth mode. Most often, this is helpful when you want to sneak around privately before deciding who you want to connect with. To go into Private Mode: -Click on your thumbnail in the upper right corner of your navigation bar -Click on “Settings and Privacy” -Click on “Visibility” in the box on the left -Click on “Profile Viewing Options” and switch to “Private Mode” -Remember to change back when you’re done  DIY vs. DFY DIY If you want to update your LinkedIn profile yourself, here is my #1 tip, which I’m going to yell in all caps: DON’T CUT AND PASTE YOUR RESUME INTO LINKEDIN. Your LinkedIn profile should be written in first person and sound as if you are telling your story to someone over a cup of coffee. Less “businessy” than your resume and more conversational. Even a drop of humor here and there is okay. You have the opportunity to show personality, tell some background (not just the what but also some of the how), and show evidence of your motivation level on LinkedIn. Do it!  DFY If you either don’t have the time or the skill set to write an outstanding LinkedIn profile for yourself, you may want to consider hiring someone like me to do it for you. Here are the benefits: -An unbiased perspective on you and your strengths -Knowledge of how to attract recruiters and/or buyers to you (SEO) -The ability to write in a compelling story-telling manner -The time you’ll save in writing and rewriting (and rewriting) -If you desire, training on how to optimize LI for your goals

Today, we’re talking about the role that job boards should play in your job search, as well as the most used/best job sites. As I have said repeatedly on this podcast, 1) job boards should NEVER be the only strategy you are using in your job search, and 2) the amount of time you should spend on job boards depends on the of the position you are seeking. As a reminder: -Just out of college: 25% active, 75% job boards and other passive activities -Mid-career: 50%/50% -Senior/executive level: No more than 25% job boards (if any) I’ve also frequently talked about my “+1” approach, meaning you should do one more thing in addition to just applying online. Here’s why: When you apply online, you are going to the most crowded place possible and trying to get noticed. The analogy I use is you are in a large auditorium that is completely full, and you are trying to get the attention of the people on stage. It’s very difficult to be seen. The +1 approach involves finding someone in your network who can advocate for you, reaching out to someone connected to the job and/or the company to let them know you’ve applied, or making direct contact with the hiring manager. I covered the +1 approach in episode #132: https://exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2022-02-02-212-the-1-approach-to-job-boards  As we talk about how to use job boards, keep in mind that there are general boards, niche job boards, and industry-specific job boards. Here are my favorite sites: General Job Boards IndeedLinkedIn JobsGlassdoorCareerBuilderMonsterZip Recruiter  Niche Job Boards:Behance.net (for creatives, by Adobe)Idealist (for non-profits and social impact)CrunchBoard (for startups and tech companies)FlexJobs (for remote and flexible work)USAJobs (for federal government jobs)Dice (for IT professionals)  Industry-Specific Job Boards: eFinancial Careers (finance and banking)Mediabistro (media and publishing)Oilandgasjobsearch (energy industry)JournalismJobs (media and journalism)  To bottom-line it for you: Unless you are just out of college, your job search SHOULD NOT depend primarily on job boards, but rather a robust combination of active and passive strategies that are specifically chosen to achieve your career goals.  DIY vs. DFY DIY: For those of you who are managing your job search on your own, here is my #1 tip: Map out a strategy. Decide which job search tactics you will engage in – you shouldn’t have just one tactic, nor should you be trying so many things that you’re not doing any of them well. Once you’ve decided on the tactics you want to take, next map out your specific action steps and calendar them in. I talked about this in episode #258:http://exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2023-01-25-258-how-to-organize-your-job-search-time-to-optimize-your-results I talked about active vs. passive job search strategies in episode #30: https://www.exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2019-01-16-030-active-vs-passive-job-search-strategies  DFY: If you would like help in planning and executing a targeted, proactive job search strategy that is customized to your career goals, timeline, and strengths, you can schedule a 1-hour coaching session with me. You’ll leave with a master plan for your job search that will get results! The Job Search Strategy Hour is $450; email me at lesa@exclusivecareercoaching.com to schedule!   

Hey – I’m taking the next two weeks off for a summer vacation. I’ll be back as usual on July 5th. If you listened last week, you know that I’ve implemented a DIY vs. DFY segment at the end of each podcast. Be sure to stick around! Today, I want to talk about behavioral interview questions. Specifically, where do they come from? How can you know what you’re going to be asked so you can prepare appropriate CARL stories? The answer to these questions begins with the job description – if the recruiter or your contact doesn’t provide you with this, be sure to ask for one. Next, read the job description. Carefully. Underline or otherwise pull out the keywords the employer is looking for. For example: -Strong verbal and written communication skills -Experience in project management -Ability to juggle multiple responsibilities simultaneously -Experience in a fast-paced environment -Ability to manage conflict  Your next step is to come up with a CARL story that would illustrate your ability in each of these areas. As a reminder: C – Challenge A – Action R – Result L – Lessons learned (or skill demonstrated)  Before you wrap up your CARL stories, think further about the position you will be interviewing for. Other than what’s in the job description, what other skills or competencies might be reasonably expected of someone in this role? Here are some examples: -A time when you had to manage a team that was underperforming -A time when you had to manage your relationship with your boss -A time when you failed -A time when you had a particularly difficult customer service situation to manage -A time when you had a conflict with a coworker  I recommend outlining your CARL stories, then practicing. If you have at least 10 stories, you should be covered no matter what the interviewer asks you.  DIY vs. DFY Segment In need of some sample behavioral interview questions? You can access an extensive list of behavioral and other interview questions here: https://bit.ly/interviewcoachingguide When do you want to hire a coach to help you with your interview skills? I consider three factors: When the bar is very high, when you know your skills are below average, and/or when you are so concerned about some aspect of your work experience that it is overshadowing your ability to properly prepare for the interview. Examples might include a lengthy gap in employment, frequent job changes, or a recent termination. My interview coaching program involves two, one-hour sessions. We spend approximately 20 minutes in character as interviewer and interviewee; the remainder of the hour is spent analyzing your performance and developing strategies for improvement. The second session is structured exactly the same, and this is where the confidence shoots up as you hear yourself improving, I give you feedback to that effect, and you have the opportunity to compare your performance in both interviews via the recordings I provide you. If you would like to schedule a consult with me about my interview coaching program, click here: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2

There is a change to my podcast starting with this episode. I will begin offering a segment at the end of episodes called “DIY vs. DFY” – Do iI Yourself vs. Done For You. This segment will tie into the podcast episode whenever possible and offer 1) a top tip or resource for those of you who want to tackle that episode’s subject on your own, and 2) a service or program for those of you who would like help. So stay tuned to the end! This week, I wanted to give you a peek inside my coaching practice…to pull the curtain back, Wizard of Oz-style. Sure, I mention the various things I do with clients throughout episodes, but I’ve never given you the full tour. Here we go. My practice began as a resume writing service once I got my initial resume writing certification back in 2009. At that time, my business was called LEK Consultants. Previous to that, I had LEK Presentations while I was still working in higher education, focused on providing training programs for companies, higher education, and non-profit organizations. Along the way, I became a Certified Executive & Leadership Development Coach (CELDC), a Certified Job Search Strategist (CJSS), and a Master Resume Writer (MRW). My practice expanded with a full slate of coaching services, with the goal of being a full-service career coaching practice. So what are those services? And how do I charge for these services? The “inner circle” of my practice is in service to clients who are in job transition. First of all, I determine where the client is in their career – Early Career is within about seven years of graduating from college; CareerSpring is my sweet spot, folks who are mid-career; Executive is folks at the VP or C level.  At each of these levels, I offer three packages: Document Package: Resume, Cover Letter, LinkedIn profile Document & Coaching Package: Resume, Cover Letter, LinkedIn profile + 3, 1-hour coaching sessions VIP Package: Resume, Cover Letter, LinkedIn profile + 6, 1-hour coaching sessions + 6, 30-minute Accountability & Support calls  The next “rung” of Exclusive Career Coaching is coaching for people who aren’t looking to change jobs or employers in the immediate future. Rather, they are dealing with something in their career that they know they need help with. Here are some recent examples of clients I’ve worked with: -A Senior Manager who is now managing a large team and dealing with politics in a way she never has before -The senior-most female executive in a male-dominated company and industry who is being told to act “more like a man” and is understandably confused by the mixed messages -A project manager managing a $1B infrastructure project in Canada who has been told his micromanagement is hindering his chances for upward mobility with his employer -A woman in banking who is seeing younger employees pass her by. She’s become very negative in her thinking and has been “phoning in” her work.  For these complex issues, I typically recommend a 12-session coaching package. We typically meet every other week for six months – this is sufficient time to really move the needle in their area(s) of concern. As I mentioned last week, I have just begun a very structured program called Highly Promotable – for people whose goal it is to land in the C-suite. This program involves a 360-degree assessment, 10, 1-hour coaching sessions + 2, 90-minute mega sessions at the beginning and as we wrap up, + follow-up sessions at 45 days and 6 months. The Highly Promotable is for mid-career professionals who want to land in the C-suite. They have either identified an area that is holding them back, been given feedback of an area they need to work on, or just want to optimize their chances for rapid promotability. Using the 360 feedback, the client and I determine 1) an area of strength that we will intentionally and strategically leverage over the six months we work together to make it a signature strength, and 2) a developmental area that, with that same intentionality and strategy, could become a strength. There will be homework between each session, such as reading, listening to podcasts, talking with specific people, or implementing specific strategies at work.  DIY vs. DFY SegmentWelcome to DIY vs. DFY! For those of you who want to improve in an area of your job by yourself, here’s a resource for you – and it’s around goal-setting for the area you want to improve. Here’s where most people go wrong with goal-setting: they aren’t creating SMART goals. SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-Sensitive. Here’s an example: Let’s say you have identified public speaking as an area you want to improve on. A SMART goal might look like this:I will identify, sign up for, and participate in three public speaking opportunities by the end of 2023. Once you’ve identified that SMART goal, chunk it down into bite-sized pieces and calendar those steps in. You’ll need time to identify potential opportunities, time to prepare your presentations, time to practice, time to actually deliver the presentation, and possible follow-up time. You may also want to measure your improvement in public speaking as you make these presentations: Will it be from participant satisfaction surveys? Will you have mentors in the audience to give you feedback? Could you have the presentations taped for you to review?  Now for DFY. In our example above, you can’t hire someone to do the presentations for you, but you can engage with a coach who specializes in public speaking. You can expect this coach to help you with your topic, fleshing out your talking points, coaching you on your delivery and how to make your presentation more engaging, and even how to overcome your fear of public speaking through thought work. BOTTOM LINE: Here’s how I like to think of DIY vs. DFY – what is my investment vs. what is the potential payoff? For example, if I have to give a presentation this fall that could make or break my career – there’s a lot at stake, so a coach would probably be the best idea. Also, if I know my public speaking skills are really terrible, then a coach would be the best idea to make real progress fast. If, on the other hand, I’m already pretty good at public speaking and just need opportunities to present so I can demonstrate my strength in this area, I may not need a speaking coach.  If you are a high-achieving professional with the goal of landing in the C-suite, the Highly Promotable coaching program may be just the ticket! This 1:1 program is targeted to strategically leverage one of your strengths to become a signature strength, and move the needle on one of your developmental areas so it becomes a strength.  This is a high four-figure investment in your professional future! If this sounds like just what you need, schedule a complimentary introductory call to determine if you are a fit for Highly Promotable:  https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/highly-promotable-introductory-call    

Link to schedule an introductory call for Highly Promotable: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/highly-promotable-introductory-call  With so many people job searching right now, I wanted to do a deep dive on a particular aspect of the job search. But first, let me set the stage. When it comes to networking, many of you engage in what I call “The Tommy Gun Approach” – spray everyone you can think of with the information about what you are looking for, followed by “If you think of anything, let me know.” While there’s nothing wrong with this approach, a more effective tool is what I call “The Bow-and-Arrow Approach.” This is a more strategic approach to networking that begins with the end in mind. For some reason, I always think of the Wizard of Oz here…you know you want to get to the wizard, so what’s the first step you need to take to get to him? In Bow-and-Arrow networking, you are setting up strategic meetings with people who can get you successively closer to the decision maker…The Wizard. This Bow-and-Arrow approach starts with you knowing where you want to work. I’ve talked in previous episodes about how to profile your ideal employer, so I won’t go into detail here, other than to say it is SO important that you know what you are looking for in your ideal company. Otherwise, how will you know if you’ve found it? What might be important to you in a company?-Location/Commute-Size-Number of employees-Revenue-Product or service-Mission-Reputation-Culture And there are many others. You won’t likely find a company that meets your criteria for everything, so you want to select your top 3-5; I call these your non-negotiables. Everything else is just gravy – or, as I call them, Wouldn’t It Be Nice. Once you’ve identified your non-negotiables, your next step is to create a list of about 25 employers that MIGHT meet your criteria. I say MIGHT because, at this point, you haven’t done in-depth research on these companies yet. Meaning: If you think they MIGHT be a fit, put them on your list. If you KNOW they don’t mesh with one of your non-negotiables, DON’T put them on your list. How do you come up with this list?-Top-of-mind-Where friends/family work-In the news (for positive reasons)-Competitors-Chamber of Commerce directory-Google-Who’s in hiring mode? (check things like LI) Once you’ve created an initial list of about 25 employers, now it is time to do more in-depth research to narrow your list down to about 10-12 Ideal Employers. I recommend you create a rating system using your top 3-5 criteria – you can do this in Excel or whatever way works best for you. Your next step is to create “tiers” within your 10-12 Ideal Employers. Look for natural demarcations or just put an even number of companies in each of three tiers – it’s up to you. You also get to decide how you will approach each tier. For example, you might choose to find three contacts who are connected to each of your Top Tier employers and try to set up face-to-face meetings. For your second tier, you might choose to find one contact for each. For your third tier, you might choose to keep an eye on them, look for openings, and watch out for news about the company that would either move them up or out of your list. With at least your top tier, you then want to figure out how to get your foot in the door with each company. Who do you know who works there AND knows the decision maker? Who do you know who either works there OR knows the decision maker? Who do you know that knows a lot of people? (I call these people Centers of Influence) This is where you begin speaking with people. Remember, until you reach the decision maker, you aren’t asking anyone to give you a job – you are asking for an introduction. Do your homework on LI before the meeting and have a specific ask – this gives the other person some concrete way to help you AND gives you something specific to follow up on.  Are you wondering why your job search hasn’t been as successful as you expected? Grab a copy of “Five Things Derailing Your Job Search” here: https://bit.ly/6thingsderailingjobsearch   

Today, we’re talking about researching an employer who has sought you out for an interview. However, it is important to research employers BEFORE you apply for a job. Here’s the alternative scenario: You see a job posted online and it looks perfect for you. You’ve never heard of the company, but you apply anyway. Soon, they reach out to schedule an interview. In preparation for the interview, you begin to research the company – only to find that their business practices, lack of commitment to DEI, lack of environmental consciousness, or financial woes throw up a red flag. So you decide you definitely DON’T want to work at the company, but you agree to the interview “for practice.” BAD IDEA – after all, you aren’t likely to get any feedback on your interview, so the only thing you’ve practiced is how you THINK you should answer their questions. Instead, I want you to do your research BEFORE applying to the company. By the way, I talked about all aspects of preparing for a job interview in episode #176: https://www.exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2021-05-05-176-how-to-really-prepare-for-the-job-interview In that episode, I covered these general areas for research prior to a job interview:            -Research the company            -Research the company culture            -Research the industry            -Research the product or service the company provides Where should you look for this information? What should you be looking for? How do you analyze the information you garner to make a decision as to whether you should apply to that company?  Let’s start with where to research and what to look for.  While I think the company website can be useful, I find it most helpful in answering questions around the products and/or services the company provides, divisions of the organization, corporate structure, etc. If I want to find out about company culture, I recommend glassdoor – and possibly reaching out to former employees of the company via LinkedIn. If I want to find out about the industry the company is in and its competitors, I would look in the Wall Street Journal, industry journals, Wikipedia (one of my favorite resources), and public library resources such as Data Axle (formerly ReferenceUSA). Specifically, I am looking for the company’s major competitors, where this company stacks up (is it #1 or a smaller player?), and what this company’s brand differentiators are (in other words, what are its unique attributes?). While I can find out information about the company’s products and/or services from its website, I’ll need to look elsewhere to learn about the product and/or service classes it is in. In other words, it’s great that I know how many widgets company X makes every year and how they distribute them – but if I don’t know what a widget is and what it does, that information isn’t of much use to me.  How do I analyze the information I gain?  There are no right or wrong answers here – you are simply holding the company’s qualities up against what is most important to you. Here are some things my clients are frequently concerned about in potential employers: -Is the company in an industry I want to work in and/or have experience in? Is that industry viable right now? -Can I get on board with the products and/or services the company makes? Are they in harmony with my beliefs and values? -Is the company in growth mode, or are there signs the company is in financial distress? -Does the company’s mission and vision resonate with me – and have I found evidence that they “walk the talk?” -Is the company’s size and lifecycle phase a good fit for me? What about number of employees, revenue? Is it a private company or public? -What is the company culture – and how does that fit with what I am looking for? -Where is the company located geographically and am I willing to move there? If the company is nearby, what do I think about my daily commute? If I want a remote or hybrid job, what does the company offer in that regard? -What else is really important to me in my next employer – and how does this company measure up? Are there things I can’t evaluate until I am in the interview stage – such as how I connect with my potential boss – and what, specifically, will I want to find out at that stage?  To wrap up, there is much research you can do before ever applying for a position. I’m not suggesting you go into hours of research upfront, but certainly 15-30 minutes of research will keep you from applying for jobs you ultimately wouldn’t be interested in. When you get to the interview phase, you’ll want to do even more research as you develop your questions for the interviewers; I covered this topic in episode #85: https://www.exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2019-06-26-085-developing-your-questions-to-ask-the-interviewer Next week, I will be talking about how to develop your list of target employers, which will lean heavily on the research we’ve talked about in this episode.  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 

I’m leaning heavily on an article from cnbc.com by Claire Hughes Johnson entitled “I was VP at Google for 10 years. Here’s the No. 1 skill I looked for at job interviews—very few people had it” According to research references by Claire, 95% of people think they have this quality, but only 10% to 15% actually do. What is this important, yet rare, quality? Self-awareness. Here’s a quote from the article: “Sure, your experience and skills matter, but they can be learned. And when someone is highly self-aware, they’re more motivated to learn because they’re honest about what they need to work on. They also relate better to their colleagues and managers.”One way the author checked for self-awareness during job interviews when she was a VP at Google was to pay attention to two words: “I” and “we.” Too much “I” is an indication that the candidate may not be humble or collaborative, and too much “we” may obscure the role the candidate played in the situation. There needs to be a balance between “I” and “we” language.She also would ask the candidate what his or her colleagues would say about them. If the response is only good things, she would probe as to what constructive feedback they have received. Then she would ask “And what have you done to improve in that area?” to see if they took the feedback to heart and made improvements.  How do you know if you are not self-aware? Here are some telltale signs:-You consistently get feedback that you disagree with. This doesn’t mean the feedback is accurate, but it does tell you that how others perceive you differs from how you perceive yourself.-You often feel frustrated and annoyed because you don’t agree with your team’s direction or decisions. This is likely because you aren’t aware of how you are presenting your ideas or how your ideas may be perceived. It may also indicate that you tend to disagree with ideas that aren’t yours.-You feel drained at the end of the day and can’t pinpoint why. Self-awareness helps you to focus on the things you both enjoy and are good at (Motivated Skills), minimize the time you spend on activities that don’t play to your strengths, and have the proper mindset when you have to engage in Burnout Skills. -You can’t describe what kinds of work you do and don’t enjoy doing. Engaging in your Motivated Skills and minimizing the use of your Burnout Skills allows you to do more of what you enjoy and less of what you don’t – it has to start there.  How to Build Self-Awareness1.    Understand your values. Knowing what is important to you, what gives you energy, and what steals your energy will help you make sense of how you work.With these insights, you will be able to express your values and understand when they are at odds with one another, or with someone else’s values. 2.    Identify your work style. Take a few weeks to write down the moments when you feel like you are reaching new heights in your work or hitting new lows – you’ll start to see patterns.If you have trouble trusting your own instincts, ask someone whose judgment you respect: “When have you seen me do my best and worst work?” 3.    Analyze your skills and capabilities. In an interview setting, you should be able to speak confidently about your strengths and weaknesses. Ask yourself these questions:“What can I do really well and really enjoy doing?” Which skills do you have, and which do you need to build on? What are my Motivated Skills? Conversely, “What skills am I good at, but don’t enjoy using?” These are your Burnout Skills, and you want to minimize the time you spend doing these things. “What is an area I have the capacity to move the needle on, and how can I move that needle?” This is not a weakness, but rather an emerging strength you would like to turn into a signature strength.  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 

I found this article from Heidi K. Gardner, Ph.D., who has discovered through more than a decade of teaching and research at Harvard’s business and law schools that people who figured out how to collaborate across teams gained a major competitive edge over those who did not. Dr. Gardner also discovered just how rare collaboration skills are. A 2021 McKinsey study found that collaboration skills are surprisingly rare, especially among men. The study found that women leaders, compared with men at the same level, were about twice as likely to spend substantial time on collaborative efforts that fell outside their formal job. What exactly is collaboration? The act of bringing people together to solve problems. In my practice, my clients are stressing the importance of cross-functional collaboration – being able to work with people from accounting, HR, marketing, sales, operations – to address complex, nuanced challenges and develop creative solutions. Why are collaboration skills so important in today’s work force? Research shows that collaborators: -Deliver higher quality results-Get promoted faster-Are more noticed by senior management-Have more satisfied clients  What are the aspects of being an exceptional collaborator? 1.    Be an inclusive leader. Whether you are in a leadership position or not, do what you can to bring diverse people together – and be sure to be inclusive in your diversity. What does that mean? Different knowledge domains, different backgrounds, different ages and life experiences, different educational backgrounds, different cultures, different personality types, different strengths.  2.    Show appreciation and acknowledgment.  A study by Harvard Business School professor Boris Groysberg found that workers, especially men, often take their professional networks for granted. Acknowledge those who have helped you get where you are and show appreciation for those you’ve collaborated with. Give credit where credit is due – and never, ever throw anyone under the bus for underperforming.  3.    Ask for help. Whatever your role is in an organization, it is likely that reaching out across the organization for different insights and perspectives will make your final product better. Collaboration doesn’t have to be a large group – you could collaborate with one person from another department to greatly improve your report, project, or whatever you are working on. 1:1 collaboration can also be a great way to form strong business relationships with people you might not otherwise get to know in any depth. Remember to credit those who helped you.  4.    Crowdsource. Give people a way to contribute – and learn along the way – without having to be a part of every team. Utilize Slack or other messaging tools to spur virtual collaborations, knowledge sharing, and knowledge distribution.  5.    Share data streams. Scorecards and dashboards are powerful tools that allow you to measure progress against the goals you’ve set, create a sense of positive peer pressure as outcomes can be compared, and make critical information accessible. This is never done in a punitive manner; having said that, data is data. Of course, some data should not be shared, so make what can be accessible, accessible.  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 week, I want to talk about how to focus on the right things at work, using Stephen Covey’s Four Quadrants. At its essence, the Four Quadrants is about time management. If you’re anything like me, you’ve had it up to your eyeballs with articles, speakers, and social media posts about how to manage your time better. So, let’s not go there. Instead, let’s think about the Four Quadrants as a tool to manage our ACTIVITIES better – so we are focusing on the right things to get the results we are held accountable for achieving. My challenge for you in this area is this: After listening to this episode, decide to make a small – but significant shift – in one of the quadrants. A shift that will yield substantial results in terms of your productivity. The Four Quadrants For the uninitiated – or as a refresher - here are the four quadrants: Quadrant I – Urgent & Important Quadrant II – Not Urgent but Important Quadrant III – Urgent but Not Important Quadrant IV – Not Urgent & Not Important Let’s get specific. Quadrant I is the Quadrant of Necessity – things you need to do immediately. While these things are Urgent & Important, living in this quadrant tends to lead to burnout and takes time away from doing things that are Important but not Urgent. Examples:Resolving crises/Putting out firesPressing problemsProjects with deadlines  Quadrant II is the Quadrant of Quality – this is where you do important things that lead to real success and long-term viability for your company and yourself. The best way to ensure you are spending an appropriate amount of time in Quadrant II is to calendar these activities in and keep track of what you are doing. Examples:Relationship-building/NetworkingPlanning/PreparationPreventionEmpowerment  Quadrant III is the Quadrant of Deception – the key here is to recognize that these tasks don’t need to be done right away and may even be delegated. These tasks may seem important in the moment because of their urgency, but they aren’t. The challenge is not allowing someone else’s urgency to become yours – especially if it is due to the other person’s procrastination. Examples:InterruptionsSome phone callsSome mailSome reportsSome meetings  Quadrant IV is the Quadrant of Waste – activities that aren’t urgent or important. You want to minimize the time you spend in Quadrant IV at all costs. Examples:Busy workSome phone callsSome mailTime wasters  So, how do you figure out where the shift needs to take place? Step one is to take an honest look at how you are currently spending your time at work. Some of you may do very similar things each day, so evaluating how you spend your time could be as simple as tracking your activities for one day. Others of you may have a wide variety of tasks based on the day of the week, time of the month, quarter of the year, or other variables – so you’ll need to evaluate how you spend your time over a longer period of time. I thought I would use myself as an example – and yes, I’ll let you know the shift I will be making as a result of this exercise.  Quadrant 1 – Urgent & ImportantWriting my client’s resumes, cover letters, and LI profiles – 10 hours/weekCoaching calls with clients/Consults with prospective clients – 12 hours/weekWriting and producing this podcast each week – 2 hours/weekResponding to emails from clients, prospective clients, etc – 2 hours/weekIn-processing new clients – 1 hour/weekSunday preparation for the coming week – 1 hour/weekMeeting with my VA and my coach – 1 hour/weekTOTAL: 19 hours/week  Quadrant II – Not Urgent but ImportantAttending SHRM meetings - 2 hours/monthAttending Ellevate meetings – 2 hours/weekOther professional development – 2 hours/monthNetworking via LI, Fairygodboss – 2 hours/monthBudget management – 1 hour/weekPlanning for business growth & expansion including new programs – 4 hours/weekTOTAL: about 7 hours/week  Quadrant III – Urgent but Not ImportantI can’t think of anything I do that falls in this category  Quadrant IV – Not Urgent & Not ImportantGoing down a rabbit hole with unimportant emails – not much time, but should avoid this altogether – 2 hours/week  Here’s what I learned from this exercise: I spend the vast majority of my time in Quadrant I, which can lead to burnout. I get tremendous satisfaction from planning for the growth of my company, as well as networking – yet I let the Quadrant I activities overtake Quadrant II activities. I am committing to carving out an additional two hours/week to engage in planning, program development, and business growth. My question to you is this: What one change will you make that has the potential for a tremendous ROI in your productivity – job satisfaction – results? Let me know!   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

I talked in episode #268 about leading through a reduction in force – today I want to talk about the signs that your company might be about to do a RIF – and how to be prepared. Here’s the link to episode #268: http://exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2023-04-12-268-leading-through-a-reduction-in-force-rif  Let’s talk about the preparation piece first. I’ve talked on this podcast numerous times about ARFO – Always Ready For Opportunity. If you take that approach, your resume, LinkedIn profile, qualifications, and job search plan are always up to date and ready to go at a moment’s notice. If you haven’t updated your resume or LI profile lately, that should be a first step. Are there any credentials or qualifications you need to get or renew, or training you need to make you more competitive? Get that training. The thing I most hate to see is when clients are either not seeing the handwriting on the wall – or are blissfully choosing to ignore it. You don’t want to be caught flat-footed when the pink slips start coming – nor do you want to be at the back of the line for available opportunities at other companies in your industry and field. Whether you see RIFs on the horizon or not, updating your marketing materials, ensuring your credentials and education are competitive, and having a job search strategy in place is always a good idea, because you just never know. Another aspect of ARFO is keeping your network current and active. The best practice is to spend a small amount of time on a regular basis maintaining your network. If you haven’t done that, you’ll need to allot a larger amount of time to revitalize your networking efforts. What are the signs your company may be planning a significant reduction in force? 1.    Key projects and assignments going to someone else. 2.    Nonessential perks start being cut. 3.    New products, initiatives, or expansions are being put on the back burner. 4.    The budget is under a microscope, such as heightened scrutiny on expense reimbursements, additional procedures for purchase approvals, or targeted or across-the-board budget cuts. 5.    There’s a merger or acquisition – creating duplicate positions. 6.    You’re being kept out of the loop and in the dark. 7.    Executives seem more stressed out than usual, and communication dries up.  These are indicators that you need to start looking elsewhere immediately: 1.    Your company is bleeding money – missing revenue targets for successive quarters. 2.    The essential budgets are being cut to the bone, like sales & marketing. 3.    There is a hiring freeze. 4.    There is a mass exodus, often without any notice, from the c-suite and other key executives. Especially when the exodus includes top performers. 5.    There’s talk of restructuring the company. 6.    There has already been at least one round of layoffs. 7.    Your boss or HR is suddenly interested in the specifics of your job duties – perhaps even asking you to write them down. 8.    You’re getting locked out of files or not included in emails.  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    

Once again, I am pulling from the book “Leading with Emotional Intelligence” by Reldan Nadler. In his book, Nadler talks about “The Perfection Loop” – the fact that success-driven people often set unrealistic goals that set them up for failure or frustration. There are three reasons for setting unrealistic goals: 1.    The expectations are set without the benefit of critical thinking 2.    Once the unrealistic expectations are set, they aren’t revisited for their accuracy or realism 3.    The unrealistic expectations are adhered to as the Golden Rule  Six Stages of the Perfection Loop 1.    Perfection is set as an expectation 2.    Stress, pressure, and possibly procrastination going into the task 3.    A less-than-expected performance 4.    You are On Your Case, and on others’ cases Here’s the link to the episode I did on Being On Your Side vs. Being On Your Case:http://exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2023-03-29-266-self-confidence-being-on-your-side-vs-being-on-your-case 5.    You become less confident about yourself and your team 6.    You determine to do better next time  When you recognize that you are in a perfection loop, you can begin to see how unproductive it is, understand how you created the loop, and determine what you need to change to get different results.   Here are some indicators that you are in a perfection loop: -Your “planning” is actually worrying -Your “preparing” is actually avoiding -Your “resting” is actually procrastinating  So how do we counter the perfection loop? -Assess how realistic and attainable your expectations actually are – is your evaluation system faulty? -Determine what resources, time, or other help you will need to get the task done. -Assess where you currently are in the perfection loop and determine the first step you need to take to regain control. -How can you view your evaluation of the outcomes of this activity so that it becomes a learning experience for next time? -Who do you need to support you, and in what way(s)? -Who can you ask to give you feedback when they see you stuck in the loop?  As a previous coach of mine would say, “Perfectionists are scared people.” What she meant was that, in their effort to be perfect, they were trying to manipulate other people’s opinion of them by doing “a great job.” When in fact you can’t change what other people think – no matter how good (or bad) a job you do. That’s on them. Perfectionists are also afraid of backlash from putting an inferior product or result out in the world. My coach advocated for B- work, and I concur. It is better to get your work out into the world at a B-, than to not get it out into the world at all. As I like to say, it’s not winning or losing. It’s winning or learning.  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 

Today, we’re talking about leading through a Reduction in Force, or RIF. This episode isn’t just for people who have managerial duties, but also people who lead by influence. I want to frame this with some statistics; as of the day I am writing this episode in late March: -Meta is planning to lay off 10,000 workers this year -More than 161,000 tech layoffs occurred in 2022, with an additional 128,000+ layoffs so far in 2023 -Disney announced 7,000 layoffs in February -Amazon is cutting 18,000 jobs -Salesforce is laying off 10% of its workforce -Goldman Sachs is cutting 3,200 jobs -Spotify is cutting 6% of its workforce  So, what do you do when you are in a leadership role during a RIF? What DON’T you do?  Show kindness and compassion to those you are letting go.  Advocate for them to receive outplacement benefits and severance. Treat them with dignity and respect. Leverage your network, if possible, to help them successfully land in their next role. If you aren’t in a leadership role, you can still show this kindness and compassion to your RIFed coworkers – and you may be able to help them network their way to a new role.  Acknowledge the toll on the remaining employees. It’s easy for a leader to think that those remaining are thrilled to keep their jobs, but the uncertainty of the ground underneath their feet makes it much more likely the remaining employees will be nervous, shaken, and unsettled. They are simultaneously mourning the loss of their colleagues, wondering if they are next to be RIFed, and trying to adapt to added job responsibilities as they fill the roles of those who have been let go. As a leader, you are tasked with keeping the team together emotionally and motivationally – this is key to help avoid further layoffs. If you aren’t in a leadership role, be a friend to your remaining coworkers. It’s okay to express your emotions – but it’s not okay to use your lunch hours as a bitch session. Be a positive inspiration of how to navigate this situation.  Allow space for grief. Perhaps your employees need to share their grief with each other – facilitate this for them. The worst thing a leader can do in this regard is pretend like your team isn’t grieving. If you aren’t in a leadership role, and your boss isn’t allowing space for grief, advocate for this with your boss.  Redefine priorities and communicate with your team. If this has been a significant RIF that has decimated your team, meet with your direct supervisor to determine priorities in light of reduced staff. It is quite possible that previous priorities are thrown out the window and a completely new focus is introduced if the company is reorganizing or refocusing.Over-communicate these new priorities with your team. This is a critical time for employees to be kept in the loop to help minimize gossip, fatalistic thinking, and a mass exodus of the employees you had hoped to keep. If you aren’t in a leadership role, ask your boss how you can support him or her in communicating these new priorities – and what new roles your boss needs you to take on. Be a model team player.  Streamline systems.  How can you step up automation to help with reduced staff? How can you reshuffle job duties to even out the workload? If you aren’t in a leadership role but have significant tech skills, perhaps you can take the lead on researching possibilities or implementing additional facets of existing technology. Could you help your boss reshuffle the workload?  Invest in your remaining team members.  You need those who remain to be operating at their highest level; what are the tools, training, and support they need to do so? Will some team members need to be retrained to take on completely new responsibilities? Plan social events, recognition, even give out spot bonuses, if possible, to keep your remaining workforce motivated and committed. If you aren’t in a leadership role, perhaps you would love to plan a social event or create a recognition program – approach your boss to offer to take the lead on some aspect of this that plays to your strengths.  Paint the vision. The only way you can get your team onboard is to show them a brighter future. Here’s a quote from a Forbes article called The Big RIF: “Most people will jump ship immediately without a clear view of a future magnetic state. Or, they will check out, go through the motions, and then jump ship. Neither scenario accomplishes your mission.”If you aren’t in a leadership role, you can’t paint the vision – but perhaps there is a part you can play. Can you create a PowerPoint for the boss to share with your team? Is there an opportunity for you to support your boss in operationalizing the new vision? If you are in a leadership role during a RIF, you have a tremendous opportunity to show kindness and empathy, provide direction and resources for your team members during a turbulent time, and show those above you how good of a leader you truly are. If you are not in a leadership role during a RIF, this is your opportunity to put your leadership strengths on display for your boss, coworkers, and others to see. Take advantage of this!   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  

Today’s topic, Transitioning from Managing Yourself to Managing Others, relies heavily on The Leadership Pipeline by Charan et al. In this book, they go through six leadership passages, the first of which we’ll be covering in this episode. The biggest change when you become a first-time manager is a shift to begin thinking about others. This is not to say you have been a selfish narcissist prior to becoming a manager, but rather you weren’t concerned about the productivity of others, how to lead them to better performance, or how all the members of your team fit together into a cohesive unit. Note that, by the book’s definition, you are a First-Line Manager if at least ½ of your time is spent managing the work of others – so most likely you have more than just 2 or 3 direct reports. As an Individual Contributor, your skills are: -Technical and professional proficiency – doing the work you were hired to do to the best of your ability -Being a team player -Relationship-building for personal benefit – for the most part, you are developing friendships and collegial working relationships -Using company tools, processes, and procedures – knowing what is available to support the work you do, as well as the rules and regulations  Your time application involves: -Daily discipline – when you arrive and leave based on written and unstated rules -Meeting personal due dates for projects – you manage your own time  Your work values include: -Getting results through personal proficiency – you must do high-quality technical or professional work  As a First-Time Manager, your skills become: -Planning – you are managing budgets, projects, and your workforce -Selection – of team members -Job design – understanding the strengths of your team members and the goals of your unit to optimally structure job duties and responsibilities -Delegation of work – you can no longer do everything yourself, nor should you try. This requires seeing yourself in a new light – as someone who gets work done through others -Performance management, evaluation -Coaching and feedback -Rewards and motivation -Communication -Culture facilitation -Relationship building – up, down, and sideways for the unit’s benefit -Acquisition of resources – budget, people, tools  Your time application involves: -Annual planning of budgets and projects -Making regular time for team members – at their request and yours -Setting priorities for the unit and your team -Communication time with other units, customers, suppliers, etc.  Your work values become: -Getting results through others -Success of direct reports -Managerial work and disciplines – the administrative “stuff” -Success of the unit -Seeing yourself, and behaving, as a manager -Visible integrity – your team and others across the organization see that you can be trusted to follow through on your commitments and promises  In a nutshell, the three significant changes are: 1.    Defining and assigning work 2.    Supporting direct reports in doing their assigned work 3.    Establishing and cultivating relationships  A sure sign of a clogged leadership pipeline at this level is high stress among the leader’s individual contributors. If they feel overwhelmed and think their boss isn’t doing much to help them, it’s likely the manager is missing a crucial first-level skill. For example: -The manager view questions as interruptions  -The manager fixes their mistakes rather than teaching them to do the work properly -Refuses to take ownership of the team’s successes and distances himself/herself from their problems and failures  Here are three tactics for unclogging the pipeline at this stage; if you are a manager of first-time managers, these are the step you want to take:1.    Preparation: Clearly communicate the skills, time applications, and work values required at this stage and provide training to help make the necessary changes. If you are the first-time manager, ask questions around these areas to determine what support you will be given. If your boss waffles or if nothing is offered in-house, make sure you can access outside training to get what you need – otherwise, you are setting yourself up for sure failure.  2.    Monitoring: Determine whether and where someone is having difficulty with this first-level transition. If you are the first-time manager, ask how your performance will be evaluated. What are the metrics for success? 3.    Intervention: Provide regular feedback and coaching to help people make this transition; take action if they’re experiencing significant difficulty in doing so. If you are the first-time manager, ask your boss how he provides feedback – and make sure to schedule regular 1:1 meetings, especially early in your tenure as a first-time manager. In closing, I want to state clearly that some people don’t want – and shouldn’t want – to become first-line managers. They love their role as an individual contributor and don’t want to take on the additional responsibilities of a manager. If you do, however, want to move up the corporate ladder, your success at this first-line stage is of the utmost importance. Make sure there is a structure in place to maximize your chances for success, then go for it!  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   

One of my all-time favorite leadership books – certainly the one with the most sticky tabs in it – is Reldan Nadler’s “Leading with Emotional Intelligence.” I’ve used this resource for other episodes of the podcast, and today I want to talk about tools for building your self-confidence – specifically, Being on Your Side rather than Being on Your Case. Or, as I like to call it, having your own back. When you are on your case, you are hard on yourself. This often comes from a belief that the only way to get better is to push yourself to do better and better. What you may not realize is that your calculus for evaluating success or failure is probably at fault. It’s not what you did or didn’t do, but rather what you think about what you did or didn’t do. When you are never satisfied with your performance, your self-confidence is naturally negatively impacted. You are often stressed and unhappy. As a coach, I understand that all the other relationships you have in your life are natural outcroppings of how you treat yourself. If you are being highly critical, judgmental, picky, negative, and never satisfied – you will view others in the same way. So while we’re specifically talking about your relationship with yourself in this episode, understand the consequences of that relationship to all the other relationships in your life. If you lead people, you will likely treat them as you treat yourself. Here’s what I know to be true: You can’t hate yourself into becoming a better performer at work…a better leader…a more promotable person. When you can be on Your Side, you develop a more accurate calibration by which to measure yourself. Instead of using On Your Case language with yourself, you can begin practicing more On Your Side language.Here are some examples of On Your Case language: -How could I be so lame? -Don’t I know better than this? -I’m an idiot for doing this! -Why didn’t I start this sooner? -I could have done a much better job! -What is wrong with me? -I should have known better!  Here are some examples of On Your Side language: -Which parts of this went well? -What didn’t turn out the way I wanted it to? -What exactly didn’t work out here? -Which part is under my influence? -Is there anything I could have done differently? -What can I learn from this performance? -What do I want to improve next time? -Is there any learning, training, or help I need to improve my performance?  On Your Case language is demanding, damaging, and irrational, and over-generalized, leaving you feeling dissatisfied, less confident, and overwhelmed. On Your Side language is respectful, constructive, rational, and realistic, leaving you feeling encouraged and energized – and with an action plan for the future.  Here are some questions to ask yourself: -How accurate is my evaluation system? -On a scale of 1-100, what percentage of the time am I on my case? -How do I feel after I’ve been on my case? -What are the consequences for me and others for being on my case? -Do I treat others as harshly as I do myself? -Is this an effective pattern for me to continue with? -If I don’t change this, what do I stand to lose or miss out on?  The first step in this process has to be awareness – telling yourself the truth about how often you are On Your Case vs. On Your Side. Noticing when you are On Your Case going forward vs. On Your Side. Change always must begin with an honest assessment of where we currently are. NOTE: Once you begin being more aware of how often you are On Your Case, the tendency is to beat yourself up even more. You are already beating yourself up by being On Your Case, but now you are also beating yourself up for beating yourself up. “I’m such an idiot for being on my case so much.”  Rather, I invite you to begin slowly redirecting your brain, which has been thoroughly trained to Be On Your Case, to begin being On Your Side. Be kind to yourself, patient with yourself, and show grace and mercy. Don’t expect a 180 degree change overnight. Celebrate the small victories – which is also a great way to be On Your Side!  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         

I have been re-reading the book “Quiet Leadership: Six Steps to Transforming Performance at Work,” by David Rock. One of his concepts jumped out at me, and I wanted to share it with you. Brain science tells us that, when we focus on a behavior we wish to change, we are actually cementing the neural pathway that was created when we began repeating that behavior in the first place. Once a neural pathway is created in our brain, it will always be there. The challenge is not to remove that pathway – we can’t – but rather create a new neural pathway through our thinking and beliefs. Let’s look at an example. Let’s say you are a newly minted manager, managing two entry-level employees in the marketing department of your company. You’ve never managed people before, and you haven’t been given any training to do so. You feel as though you have been thrown into the deep end, but you really want to succeed. One area you are struggling with is one of your employees consistently coming to work 30 minutes late – we’ll call her Jane. Because all of this is new to you, you sit Jane down and ask her why she is late every morning. She tells you she is a new mom and says she finds it hard to leave her son at daycare every morning. Because this is unacceptable behavior, you tell Jane she has to come to work on time. End of conversation. How does Jane receive this feedback? She is likely frustrated, anxious, and begins fixating on how late she is every morning. But the behavior doesn’t change. The only change has been additional stress on Jane because now she’s afraid you’re going to fire her. Rewind: Let’s have the conversation with Jane again. You ask her why she is late every morning. She tells you she is a new mom and says she finds it hard to leave her son at daycare every morning. You then ask her why she finds it so hard to leave her son every morning. She says it’s because he starts crying, which makes her cry, and she can’t bear to hand him off to the daycare worker. She admits that she has even started going to the daycare later and later because she knows what is coming. You let Jane know you can see how hard this would be. You then ask Jane what are three possible solutions to this problem – solutions that would get her to work on time AND help with the daycare handoff. Jane at first says she doesn’t know what to do, but you gently persist to help Jane solve her problem – and you resist the urge to solve it for her. Jane finally comes up with three possible solutions: One, her husband could drop the baby off and see if that goes more smoothly; two, she could get up earlier so she could spend more time at the daycare with her baby and still get to work on time; three, she could ask for ideas from her online mom group. You give Jane some paper so she can write her options out. Then you ask her how she wants to proceed with these three options. Jane says she will ask her husband to drop the baby off for one week, and during that time she will reach out to her online group. After one week, she and her husband will evaluate how him dropping the baby off is working and possibly she will start getting up 30 minutes earlier every morning for the next week. You and Jane then agree that the goal is for Jane to consistently get to work on time because a) Jane is a valued member of your small team, and b) Jane will be a better employee and mom with less stressful mornings.  Now Jane feels a measure of relief because she has possible solutions to her problem, and a plan to try those solutions out. She also feels valued to you – like you want to help her and not punish her. She wants to solve this problem for you as much as for her. How might this look with one of your own behaviors? Let’s say you tend not to speak up during meetings. You have thoughts and ideas, but in the moment you tell yourself your ideas aren’t good enough to share and people will think you’re dumb if you offer those ideas up. This has become a habit for you, to the point where the dialogue in your head during meetings is “people don’t want to hear what I have to say.” You decide to focus on the behavior you do want – very specifically. You decide you will begin contributing one thing during each meeting – and you will do it during the first half of the meeting rather than waiting until everyone is ready to get out of there. If you know what will be discussed in the meeting, you can think about what contribution you might want to make. If you don’t know what will be discussed, you decide to stay present in the room, listen intently to what others are saying, and look for an opportunity to make your contribution. After a month of focusing on the behavior of making one contribution each meeting, you next focus on specific ways you can make your contribution more confidently and competently. Perhaps you focus on how to modulate your voice, specific power words you want to use (and not use), or how to make eye contact while you are speaking.  I encourage you to think of a behavior you would like to change in yourself and how, specifically, you can make that change. If you supervise people, use this tool to help employees find their own solutions to behaviors they need to change. This strategy also works when employees want to learn a new behavior, such as improving a specific aspect of their communication skills or learning how to be a better presenter.  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

In episode #175, I talked about articulating your brand on your resume. Here’s the link to that episode: https://www.exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2021-04-28-175-how-to-articulate-your-brand-on-your-resume Today, I want to delve into the three biggest mistakes I see people making in their attempts to brand themselves – as well as the solution. First, let’s talk about why personal branding is important – not just when you are looking for a new job, but throughout your career as you look to get promoted, get selected for key assignments, or look for opportunities to leverage your strengths through volunteer and/or Board positions. Personal branding is important because: -It differentiates you – you avoid being seen as “generic” (interchangeable) -When people know what you’re about, they come to you with tony opportunities -It helps you make strategic career decisions – your brand becomes a lens through which you view the opportunities and choices available to you.  Mistake #1: You haven’t articulated your brand. At all.  Many of the resumes I review have no branding at all. The client just launches into their work experience, without any framework to help the reader understand and contextualize that experience. It’s safe to say that most of these same people can’t articulate their brand verbally, either. Either they don’t understand the importance of having a personal brand, or they have no idea how to go about identifying their brand.Let’s go back to those reasons for having a personal brand: When you don’t have one, you risk being viewed as generic (a low-cost substitute for the real thing), you miss out on the best opportunities because the decision-makers don’t know you would be good at that thing - or interested in doing it, and you may make impulsive or inauthentic career decisions without the guideposts of a personal brand.  Mistake #2: Your brand is non-differentiating.  Here’s the kind of thing I see most often on resumes of people who have attempted to identify their brand: “Hard working team player” (as opposed to all the slacker anti-social people out there) “Good with numbers” (on an accountant’s resume) “Experienced professional looking for a position that leverages skills in BLANK, BLANK, and BLANK (a thinly veiled objective statement) Here are the things a brand ISN’T: -A description of skills and experience that are required of EVERY. SINGLE. CANDIDATE. (Math skills for an accountant, a teacher who says she is good with classroom management, a PR associate who is a good writer.) This is the equivalent of Nike marketing their athletic shoes as “they stay on your feet and you can walk in them.” Duh. -What YOU want. Think about Nike – you don’t see them advertising their athletic shoes as something they need you to buy so they can spend more money on R&D or give huge bonuses to their senior executives. So sorry to be the one to break the news to you, but employers don’t care what YOU want – not really. They want to know what you can do for them.  Mistake #3: Your brand is words on paper that haven’t been translated to your actions and decisions.  We all know of companies who have their mission statement written on the walls of the company. Everyone can recite it by heart. It’s in the marketing materials. BUT – they don’t walk the talk. They don’t make decisions with their brand in mind. In fact, they often do things directly opposed to their supposed brand. How does this translate to you? Once you have done the work to identify a truly unique, differentiating brand for yourself, that brand should inform your decisions about which assignments to take on, which promotions to go after, how you treat people, which companies you seek employment with, and so much more. For example, let’s say your brand is that you have consistently high retention rates for the employees you manage because you have an open-door policy, make an effort to spend 1:1 time outside of work with each team member at least once a quarter, and believe in on-the-spot praise when you see an employee doing good. On a day when you aren’t at your best, you may be tempted to close (and lock) that office door. You may be in a hurry and be tempted to not take a moment to thank one of your employees for how he just handled a difficult customer. You may think you have too much on your plate to meet 1:1 with every employee this quarter. No can do – your brand is your brand. You make decisions based on your brand.  The solution.  I have a saying, “You can’t read the label of the bottle you are in.” This applies especially to determining your personal brand – if you can get professional help from someone like me, I highly recommend it. In lieu of that – speak to people who know you well, and in different capacities. What are you hearing consistently from them?Here are some questions you can ask them: -What do you think I do especially well? -Is there something I have done that has especially impressed you, and why? -What do you see in me that you don’t typically see in someone of my age/profession/seniority level (whichever is most appropriate)?  Here are the components of a great personal brand: -It summarizes who you are, what you do, and why you do it. -It communicates your value and expertise to others. -It showcases your unique value proposition. -It is succinct and to-the-point.  Here are some examples: “I am an HR manager with experience in industry, consumer product goods, and finance. I have led efforts to improve retention by as much as 40%, reduce time-to-hire by as much as 75%, and built a best-in-class HR function that serves as true business partners.” “As an operations professional, I have been able to save my employers as much as $1.4M by introducing lean methodology, conducting employee movement analysis, and helping employees do their jobs more efficiently.” This is mine:“I help high-achieving, mid-career professionals land their dream job with best-in-class marketing materials, a job search strategy that optimizes their chance for success, and the interview skills to nail even the toughest job interview.” One final word: How you present your brand will vary slightly depending on the medium. For example, you wouldn’t use the wording I just gave you in your resume, because there are personal pronouns. You also might vary your words slightly depending on your audience – a networking event with people in your same profession versus a networking event within your employer, for example. 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 

Let me start by saying there are good reasons to accept a counteroffer from your current employer. However, if the ONLY reason you are even considering the counteroffer is because it pays more than the outside offer you’ve received, it’s probably the wrong move for you. What is a counteroffer? There are two possibilities: When you receive an offer from a potential new employer, you may choose to submit a counteroffer. This is essentially an acceptance of parts of the initial offer, while proposing changes to other parts of the initial offer. The second kind of counteroffer comes from your current employer, who wants to keep you when you tell them you have a new job offer.  Tools for evaluating an initial job offer -Look at the total compensation. This includes salary and benefits, possible bonuses or equity in the company. This is an area that may people will counteroffer on – more base salary. -Does the position put you on a track for advancement? This may or may not be important to you…just make sure you take it into consideration. -Are there additional perks, such as WFH or flexible hours? Just remember – a state-of-the-art rec facility that you never use isn’t a valuable perk TO YOU. Watch out for “shiny object syndrome.”  Counteroffer strategies Now let’s talk about the counteroffer you may receive from your current employer. Here are some strategies: -Know why you were searching in the first place. Maybe you were approached by a recruiter…there was likely a reason you took her call. Can the issues at your current employer be resolved if you chose to stay? If your only real concern was your current compensation, then a higher offer may entice you to stay. If, however, you are having issues with your boss and the corporate culture, no amount of extra money will address these kinds of issues. -Determine why your employer made the counteroffer. Is it because of your value to the organization – or so they can have someone in the role until they find a replacement? Do some digging. -Pay attention to the details. There will likely be a higher salary offer from your current employer, and possibly a new job title. What else will change – and do those changes excite you or cause you concern? Will you have some new growth opportunities that leverage your strengths or develop weaker areas? -Weigh the pros and cons. You have an offer from another employer, and a counteroffer from your current employer. What are the benefits of taking the new role? Of staying at your current employer until an even better outside offer comes in? Of accepting a new, higher paying role with your current employer?  Accepting the Counteroffer If you decide to decline the outside employer and accept the counteroffer from your current employer, your next steps with your current employer should include: -Thanking your boss/others immediately – tell them you accept. Show gratitude for identifying you as a valuable employee. -Set up a meeting with your boss (or new boss) to establish a plan for meeting your new goals and fulfilling your new responsibilities. -Sign your contract to make it official. One of the cons of accepting a counteroffer from your current employer is that you may be marked as a “short timer,” someone who may soon jump ship. This may mean you will be passed over for the best opportunities or watched more closely than before.   To decline the outside company’s offer -Send them written communication, thanking them for their time and interest in you. -Briefly explain why you decided not to accept the offer. -Keep the door open – let them know you would like to maintain professional ties. Having said that, there is a chance that declining this offer may mean the door will be closed to future employment conversations.  If you decide to accept the outside offer -Stay professional with your current employer – don’t burn bridges -Thank your boss/others for the counteroffer. -Give a brief reason why you said no – you don’t have to give the real reason if you prefer not to. -Send an exit email to your team, thanking them for their support and asking them to stay in touch. 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

Consistently, the episodes I do on interviewing are among the most-downloaded. Today, I want to give you a five-step process for answering behavioral interview questions. Behavioral interviewing operates on the principle that the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. Behavioral interview questions require you to respond with a specific story, rather than talking in hypotheticals. Behavioral interviewing is difficult to “wing,” because it is highly unlikely that you’ll come up with a great story AND lay it out in an organized and compelling manner on the fly. So, preparation is key. You may have hear of the CAR (Challenge-Action-Result) method, the PAR (Problem-Action-Result) method, or the STAR (Situation-Task-Action-Result) method. I teach my clients the CARL method: Challenge – Action – Result – Lessons Learned. Here are the steps to prepping for a behavioral interview: 1.    Come up with a “toolkit” of 10 stories.You can do this in one of two ways: The front door method, or the back door method. The front door method requires you to think about the competencies needed for the job – the job description is your roadmap here. Based on the competencies either written in the job description or implied, you come up with 10 stories to address what that company and that job will require. For the back door method, come up with 10 meaningful stories – mostly from your work experience – and then retrofit them to the competencies you think the job requires. Any story you come up with will likely be applicable to 3-4 questions you might get asked, so 10 stories gives you ammunition for as many as 40 interview questions. 2.    Write your stories out.Not necessarily verbatim, but the major points you want to hit for each story. Use the CARL method: Challenge – Action – Result – Lessons Learned.  3.    Find the balance.You want your stories to be factually correct and sequential. You also want your stories to be interesting – keep in mind that your interviewer may be interviewing several people for this position, and you want your responses to stand out in a positive way. Give enough detail to support your point – if the story is about how you turned around an underperforming team, you want the interviewer to know that you did, how you did it, and the results. You also want to give enough color to your story to make it interesting – pepper in some specifics to make the interviewer feel your story. Just remember not to throw anyone under the bus.  4.    Pepper in the “L” (lessons learned).Not every behavioral story needs a lessons learned, but they can be extremely helpful. The “L” can be lessons learned OR benefits. Here’s how that might sound: For the “L”: “What I learned from this situation is the importance of making sure my entire team fully understands the project and has their questions answered and concerns addressed at the outset. For the benefits: “What this situation illustrates is my ability to make mid-course corrections – to have a plan AND flexibility.”  5.    Practice.Ideally, practice with an interview coach such as myself. In lieu of that, who do you know who has experience interviewing job candidates? Ask them for help. The biggest benefit of working with an interview coach like me is that you have a professional who knows their stuff AND will shoot straight with you. Also, a professional may make you more nervous than a friend or family member – and that’s a good thing. Now go forth and ace that behavioral interview!  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   

Today, we’re talking about what might be holding back your career development. I leaned heavily on a December 21, 2022 article in the Harvard Business Review by Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis for this episode. Here’s a fact: for most of us, and the companies in which we work, career development is rarely a priority. There are too many urgent matters to attend to every day…and career planning takes a back seat. One challenge is when…when we have time for career development. This essentially separates our career development from our job, rather than viewing the two as integrated. The solution: Chunk down your career development into short, manageable 5- to 10-minute time blocks where you can coach yourself to increase your self-awareness and identify new opportunities for action. I recommend journaling your responses. Here are some possible questions: What do I want to build a reputation for?  If I were to leave my current position tomorrow, what tasks would I want to bring with me, and why? What tasks would I want to leave behind, and why? What is something I’ve always wanted to learn – or learn more – about, and why? How might this interest play into my professional life?  What do I really like about my current employer/industry? What do I dislike?  Who is someone I admire professionally, and what do I admire about them? How might this admiration play into my career?  If money were no object, what have a long been attracted to, and why? How might I incorporate this interest into the career field I am in (or want to be in)?  As you uncover your responses to these prompts, come up with a game plan to answer the “now what?” question. Perhaps you want to meet with your boss, sign up for a class or program, or find a mentor to address a specific issue.  Another challenge is who…who can help you with career development. This puts your career progression in the hands of other people. Sometimes, it isn’t possible for your direct supervisor to be your most valuable source of support, so consider peer-to-peer learning. These could be colleagues in your current organization or outside, with which you can share challenges, generate ideas, and learn together. To get started, use a tool like Slack or WhatsApp and share the purpose of the group with about five people who share the same interest. You can then grow the group by giving everyone the option to invite one person. Ask everyone to share something they have read, watched, or listened to that they’ve found helpful in their current role.  Yet another challenge is what…if you aren’t sure what area, or even what field, you want to develop in, you might never get started. The first step here is what the article calls a “learning navigator” – a way to prioritize what you learn; to distinguish between what you need to know from what’s nice to know – as well as what’s relevant to your current role, versus what might be relevant for future roles. Here’s a quadrant map: Need to Know                    Nice to Know  Important for Today         Important for the Future This process also helps you to spot common skills, which can help you determine where to start.  The final challenge is where…if there are no perceived career development opportunities where you currently work, you may become frustrated and lose motivation. The response: Write down one internal opportunity you would like to make happen. Answer the prompt: This opportunity is important to me because…Next, identify 2-3 ways you could get the result you are looking for. Here’s an example: -I would like to become known as a SME for change management -This is important to me because I am passionate about helping people and organizations navigate change, I’m a strong communicator, and I enjoy helping others. -Ways to achieve this: 1.    Talk to my boss about getting on a change management team 2.    Seek out a change management certification program and ask my boss if the company will pay 3.    Ask the head of change management in my area if he would be willing to mentor me The bottom line is this: Not every organization offers structured career development, and even fewer do it well. Ultimately, it is your responsibility – and your obligation to yourself – to think strategically about where you want to get to and how to get there. 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  

I get a lot of questions about following up after a job interview. Today, I want to give the ABC’s of interview follow-up, as well as some creative options for staying in touch throughout the decision-making process. First, the basics for thanking the interviewer(s) and others who had a hand in your interview: 1.    Follow up within 24 hours (preferably sooner). 2.    Consider the audience.Generally, email thank-you messages are best because they can get to the recipient more quickly. If however, you’ve been interacting with someone for whom email doesn’t appear to be their native tongue, consider a snail mail thank you note. 3.    When in doubt, thank.Consider thank you messages to the secretary who scheduled your interview, the person you met impromptu who spent time speaking with you, etc. What’s the harm? 4.    Collect business cards or contact info.To send thank you’s, you need names (spelled correctly) and email addresses – make sure you get them during your interview so you don’t have to call afterward. 5.    Remind them of what they seemed to really like about you.Here’s an example: Diane, Thank you so much for the onsite interview yesterday - I was particularly impressed by ABC’s obvious commitment to the health and wellness of its employees. No wonder your turnover is so low! It seems like my experience at XYZ in digital marketing makes me a strong candidate for the role of marketing director – and I welcome the opportunity to leverage my knowledge in building brand reputation via a wide range of social media sites. As I mentioned in the interview, I will reach out at the end of next week to see where you’re at with the hiring process. In the meantime, let me know if you have any follow-up questions for me! With gratitude, Lesa Edwards  Now that we have covered immediate follow-up, what about continuing to stay in touch between your interview(s) and the hiring decision? 1.    Make a plan – and schedule it in.The cadence of your plan is largely determined by what the interviewer told you at the close of your interview (make sure you ask about the next step(s) in the hiring process). If the hiring decision is expected to happen fairly quickly, you might want to have weekly check-ins; otherwise, every two weeks might be preferable. You might also have an informal interview with someone who doesn’t have an immediate opening, but wants to stay in contact for future opportunities. In this situation, perhaps a monthly or every other month follow-up is appropriate.  2.    Look for opportunities to add value.Rather than always just sending an “I’m still here” message, seek ways to provide value to your contact person. This could be a positive article you read recently about the company, something positive you read about your contact person (such as an award or commendation), or something about that industry you think your contact would find interesting. Your message could read something like this: Diane, Greetings! I just saw this article about ABCs award for its employee health and wellness program – kudos! I can certainly see why you were recognized for your initiatives around weight loss and smoking cessation – great job! As an update, I have had interviews recently with three great organizations and second interviews with two other companies. I hope to hear that I have moved on to the second round of interviews with ABC soon!  3.    Let them know of other offers (or close-to offers).Here’s an example: Diane, Greetings! I just received a written offer for a marketing director position at a CPG company. I have until DATE to let them know my decision. I’m still extremely interested in the opportunity with ABC and wanted to know where things stand? I look forward to hearing from you! The trick here is to give them enough information so they know there actually is another job (in this case, the job title and industry), but not enough information to be able to check the other offer out through back channels (no company name or salary, etc.). Also – notice I said I was extremely interested in ABC’s opportunity – not that ABC was my first choice (even if it is). I would lose negotiation power if I let them know ABC is my first choice. 4.    Notify them if you accept another offer.It’s just good business etiquette, even if they’ve been ghosting you.  Now for the creative follow-ups. What you do here is really dependent on a) the role you are applying for, b) the industry, and c) your personality. Any creative follow-up should be on-brand. For example, I was recently working with a client who was applying for marketing jobs. She was following up with a box of delicious chocolates and a marketing-style message. Here are some other ideas: -For an accountant: You’re probably pretty serious, and the company you are following up with is probably pretty serious, too – so gimmicks aren’t the right approach. -For a salesperson: What can you create that further “sells” you to the company? How can you demonstrate your persistence and ambition? -For an operations director: What could you develop for the company that addresses one of the operations-related concerns you learned about during the interview? You don’t want to give them the entire solution, but how about a piece of it to engage their imagination? -If the job you have applied for involves presentations, how about a YouTube video where you are teaching them something specific to their company? -For many positions, a gift basket of chocolates or fruit that the office can share may be appropriate. The trick is to present it as a thank you, rather than a thinly veiled bribe. Hopefully, I’ve gotten your creative juices flowing, so what ideas can you come up with that are on-brand for you and the industry you want to work in?  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  

Today, a return guest – and one of my favorites! Previously, Katrina McGhee was on the podcast to talk about taking a career break; here’s the link to that episode: http://exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2022-10-19-247-are-you-ready-for-a-career-break-with-katrina-mcghee Today, we talk about leveraging a sabbatical before taking on a bigger role. Whether with your current employer or accepting a position with another company, you may need a break before taking on even more responsibility and challenges. Katrina talks about the signs that this break may be more of a need than a want and how to ask for the break. We also talk about re-entry strategies after the break is over.  You can find Katrina McGhee at www.kmcgheecoaching.com She is offering a 3-part video series on her website to help you conquer your fear and stop waiting for “someday.” She walks you through the basics of taking a career break and just how possible it can be. Find this FREE series at www.kmcgheecoaching.com/career-break-training  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  

Let me start by saying there are good reasons to accept a counteroffer from your current employer. However, if the ONLY reason you are even considering the counteroffer is because it pays more than the outside offer you’ve received, it’s probably the wrong move for you. What is a counteroffer? There are two possibilities: When you receive an offer from a potential new employer, you may choose to submit a counteroffer. This is essentially an acceptance of parts of the initial offer, while proposing changes to other parts of the initial offer.  The second kind of counteroffer comes from your current employer, who wants to keep you when you tell them you have a new job offer.   Tools for evaluating an initial job offer -Look at the total compensation. This includes salary and benefits, possible bonuses or equity in the company. This is an area that may people will counteroffer on – more base salary.  -Does the position put you on a track for advancement? This may or may not be important to you…just make sure you take it into consideration.  -Are there additional perks, such as WFH or flexible hours? Just remember – a state-of-the-art rec facility that you never use isn’t a valuable perk TO YOU. Watch out for “shiny object syndrome.”   Counteroffer strategies Now let’s talk about the counteroffer you may receive from your current employer. Here are some strategies: -Know why you were searching in the first place. Maybe you were approached by a recruiter…there was likely a reason you took her call. Can the issues at your current employer be resolved if you chose to stay?  If your only real concern was your current compensation, then a higher offer may entice you to stay. If, however, you are having issues with your boss and the corporate culture, no amount of extra money will address these kinds of issues.  -Determine why your employer made the counteroffer. Is it because of your value to the organization – or so they can have someone in the role until they find a replacement? Do some digging.  -Pay attention to the details. There will likely be a higher salary offer from your current employer, and possibly a new job title. What else will change – and do those changes excite you or cause you concern? Will you have some new growth opportunities that leverage your strengths or develop weaker areas?  -Weigh the pros and cons. You have an offer from another employer, and a counteroffer from your current employer. What are the benefits of taking the new role? Of staying at your current employer until an even better outside offer comes in? Of accepting a new, higher paying role with your current employer?   Accepting the Counteroffer If you decide to decline the outside employer and accept the counteroffer from your current employer, your next steps with your current employer should include: -Thanking your boss/others immediately – tell them you accept. Show gratitude for identifying you as a valuable employee. -Set up a meeting with your boss (or new boss) to establish a plan for meeting your new goals and fulfilling your new responsibilities.  -Sign your contract to make it official.  One of the cons of accepting a counteroffer from your current employer is that you may be marked as a “short timer,” someone who may soon jump ship. This may mean you will be passed over for the best opportunities or watched more closely than before.   To decline the outside company’s offer -Send them written communication, thanking them for their time and interest in you. -Briefly explain why you decided not to accept the offer. -Keep the door open – let them know you would like to maintain professional ties. Having said that, there is a chance that declining this offer may mean the door will be closed to future employment conversations.   If you decide to accept the outside offer -Stay professional with your current employer – don’t burn bridges -Thank your boss/others for the counteroffer.  -Give a brief reason why you said no – you don’t have to give the real reason if you prefer not to. -Send an exit email to your team, thanking them for their support and asking them to stay in touch.  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

Today, we’re talking about organizing your job search. For some of you, this may be a foreign concept – why would I need organization to look at job boards? I just look at them and apply to as many jobs as I possibly can – right? Wrong. I’m not going to go into detail with specific job search strategies – I covered that in multiple other episodes. In particular, I recommend episode #30 – Active vs. Passive Job Search Strategies: https://www.exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2019-01-16-030-active-vs-passive-job-search-strategies And #251 – What Type of Job Search Should You Launch? http://exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2022-11-16-251-what-type-of-job-search-should-you-launch Rather, what I want to cover today is the structure of your job search…dedicating time for your job search and using that time to your best advantage. Here are five tips for structuring your job search: 1.    Calendar in time for your job search.As I cover in episode #251, I encourage employed job seekers to dedicate 5 hours per week to their job search, and unemployed job seekers to dedicate 30 hours per week to their job search. Begin by deciding the blocks of time you can consistently devote to job search. For example:Employed job search           Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 7:00-8:00 p.m. Wednesdays – lunch will be devoted to attending my professional association meetings one week, then scheduling lunch meetings with people in my network on the other Wednesdays. (May need to be another weekday, before work, or after work instead)           Sunday evenings from 7:00-8:00 p.m. Unemployed job search           Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. noon; 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.  2.    Calendar in how you will spend your job search time. As a reminder, here’s how I recommend your job search time be divided, depending on your level of experience: If right out of college: 75% passive; 25% activeIf mid-career: 50% passive; 50% activeIf senior level: 75%-100% active Passive strategies are job board-focused; active strategies are networking-focused. For example:  Employed job search (for mid-career professional) This person’s job search strategies are (I recommend four-five total job search strategies): Passive: job boards, target employer websites Active: LinkedIn networking, in-person networking, professional association meetings Tuesdays from 7:00-8:00 p.m.: Reach out to five people from my existing LinkedIn network to connect/reconnect. Ask at least one of those people to meet with me next week (either virtually or in person). Thursdays from 7:00-8:00 p.m.: Apply to jobs I found online since last Thursday (pay attention to application deadlines and apply sooner if necessary). Look at the websites of my target employers to see if there are opportunities there.+1 approach for any jobs I apply to. Wednesdays: Attend my professional meeting on the third Wednesday of the month; try to schedule networking lunches on the other Wednesdays but be flexible when needed. Sundays: Apply to jobs that can’t wait until next Thursday; include +1 approach. Plan upcoming week’s job search. The unemployed job search could look much the same – just with more time spent on each of the activities. In other words, you don’t need to necessarily go broader with your job search – just deeper.  3.    Reward yourself for achieving that day’s job search goals. When we only reward ourselves for either a job interview or a job offer, we are setting ourselves up for a lot of days of “failure.” Rather, I want you to reward yourself for doing the things you decided ahead of time were important for your job search that day. This might look like a trip to the dog park, down time to read a book or watch a movie, or a glass of wine. You could also set up something a little more elaborate, such as a week of doing everything you set out to do = $X in guilt-free, no-strings-attached spending money. But also do the daily reward!  4.    Periodically evaluate and adjust. At least once a month, check in with your activities and the results you’re getting. Is there something you need to do more of, less of, start doing, or stop doing? Tell yourself the truth here – is the strategy not working because you aren’t working the strategy, or at least not with the proper energy? Do you need professional help to address an issue you are having around networking, or cultivating relationships on LI, or sticking with your plan? 5.    Finally – find the balance between staying the course and giving yourself a break. You might get sick. If you are working, you might have a huge deadline coming up. You might have family issues to attend to. It’s up to you to decide: Do I reschedule this job search time for another day? Do I genuinely need to take a week off? Do I forego today’s job search plan and pick it back up tomorrow? Your answers to the above should be informed in part by how quickly you want to land a new job. Happy job searching in 2023! 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  

Last week, I did an episode on setting a goal in your professional life – and how to make sure you achieve that goal. For some of you, you may want help with that goal. For others of you, you may want to make a job or even a career change this year. For still others, you may want to position yourself for success in your current role. These are all great reasons to hire a coach, so I wanted to dedicate an episode to helping you find the right coach for you.  Coaching vs. Therapy Let’s start with the difference between a coach and a therapist. Here’s a definition I really like:  A therapist is needed when you are performing below par for you. It is backward-facing, focusing on trauma in your past that is negatively affecting your present. A coach is for when you are performing at par and want to perform above par. It is present- and forward-facing, focusing on the thoughts, feelings, and actions that will get you where you want to go. I know people who started with therapy, then moved to coaching. I know others who started with coaching, but realized they needed to deal with past trauma to move forward. I know of at least one person who has a therapist and a coach presently.  What Kind of Coach?  As I’ve mentioned on this podcast before, I was successful in finding the perfect coach for me because I knew EXACTLY what I was looking for – and was able to articulate it as I spoke with potential coaches or people who knew coaches. If you are specifically looking for help in your career, what exactly do you want help with? For example, you might want to: -Improve your leadership skills-Learn how to step into your power and have greater influence-Become a more efficient decision-maker-Improve your interpersonal/communication/delegation skills-How to be more strategic in what you agree to do – and how to say no when you need to Notice that none of these goals are job search related. As I tell people, my primary coaching business is for those in job transition; the second rung of my coaching is career coaching for people who want to stay within their current employer and move up or perform at their optimal capacity.  Here are some of the reasons people come to me for job search-related coaching: -Improve their interview skills-Plan and execute a more strategic and effective job search-Learn how to be a better networker (also useful if you aren’t job searching)-Learn how to negotiate salary and benefits-They are thinking of a career pivot or reinvention but don’t know how to accomplish this on their own  Within the coaching world, as with many types of professionals, there are generalists and there are specialists. For example, you might hire a general life coach who can help you with your self-confidence, taking the necessary steps to finish your degree or get an advanced degree, or improve your marriage. Specialists should be clearly articulating their specialty in their marketing materials. There are interview coaches, salary negation coaches, coaches to help female executives step into their power, and coaches to help you take a strategic sabbatical. Identify exactly what kind of help you need and be able to articulate it to others. FYI – I would consider myself a semi-specialist. I operate primarily in the job search realm, which is an area of specialization. However, I don’t just coach on interviewing or job search strategy or salary negotiations, so I’m less specialized than some.  Which Format?  With a lot of nuances, there are basically three types of formats for coaching: 1:1GroupContinuity 1:1 offers the most individual attention, with virtually no one-size-fits-all solutions. The downside will be the cost: This is typically the most expensive option. Group coaching offers the community of the others in the program and the synergy that comes from working together towards the same goal; it can also be a more affordable option than 1:1. The downside can be the lack of individualized and customized attention and solutions. Continuity (or monthly) programs typically offer a low-cost option, either as a monthly pay-as-you-go or an annual subscription rate. You benefit from the community – and there may be hundreds, if not thousands, in that community. The downside is also the lack of individualized and customized attention and solutions, as well as the lack of accountability. It’s easy to scoot by unnoticed in a continuity program.  Now What?  Now that you have determined your goal for coaching and have an idea as to which format would best meet your needs, now it’s time to meet with potential coaches to get a feel for what it would be like to work with them and to see if there is chemistry there. Note that you likely won’t meet individually with someone for a continuity program – and possibly not for a group program, either. There may be a video for you to watch or a group introduction to attend. Here are some considerations as you interact with the coach, someone from his/her team, and/or materials you receive about the program: -Do I believe in this person’s ability to help me?-Is there anything about this person that would inhibit my ability to be helped by them?-Does the format they use work for me? What about dates and times?-Have they helped people like me, with a problem similar to mine? As for finding coaches, there are many “collectives” on the internet that have many coaches working for them – often with a wide range of specialties. You can also ask friends, post the question on social media, or do a LI search. I’m not a stickler about whether a coach has a coaching credential, although I prefer them to because then I know they understand what coaching is (and isn’t). Some people want ICF-certified coaches; I’m not one of them. My main concern is: Do I believe this person can help me?  A Word About Price Price shouldn’t be the driving factor in choosing a coach or coaching program. It is, however, a consideration. -Brand-new coaches may charge as little as $50/hour for a 1:1 coaching session, whereas more experienced and specialized coaches may charge over $1,000/hour. -Group programs MAY be less expensive than 1:1…but not always. -Continuity programs are generally the least-expensive option; I know of a great one that charges $297/month and another one that charges $597/year. Especially with continuity programs, make sure you understand the time commitment you are making, how payments will be made, and what, if any, consequences there are to leaving the program.  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   

Greetings and Happy New Year! My wish for all of you in 2023 is that you experience lots of love and laughter, that a long-held dream becomes a reality, that you experience the discomfort of growth, and that you are able to look yourself in the mirror at the end of each day and honestly say “I did my very best today.” And when that “very best” isn’t up to your usual standards – you give yourself a break and love yourself anyway.  Let me start by saying I’m a planning geek. Goals and strategies excite me, and I love realizing the aggressive goals I set for myself. Today, I’m inviting you to pick an area of your professional life that you would like to see massive change in. Step 1 – Choose the general area Some possibilities: -Get a promotion -Get a substantial raise -Get a new job -Get a new certification -Complete a degree -Learn how to _____ -Get better at _____ -Stop _____ -Develop a better relationship with _____ -Win _____ award -Become a subject matter expert in _____ -Write an article for _____ publication Of course, there are many more possibilities than these, but hopefully this gets your brain moving.  Step 2 – Set a SMART goal As a review, SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-Sensitive. Let’s do a few examples. If your area is to get a substantial raise, your SMART goal might be: -Ask boss for 20% raise at my performance evaluation in June. Specific: 20%Measurable: Did I, or did I not, ask?Achievable: I can absolutely make this askRealistic: Based on my salary and the market rate for what I do, a 20% raise is very realisticTime-Sensitive: I already have my performance review scheduled for June 19th; that’s when I will ask. Here’s another example: If your area is to get better at delegating, your SMART goal might be: -Delegate the annual report copyrighting to Dana and the QA for the annual report to James, which is due on 3/01/2023. Specific: Delegate the annual report copyrighting and QAMeasurable: Did I just supervise, rather than work hands on – yes or no?Achievable: Dana and James are both fully capable of doing this work and would enjoy the challenge.Realistic: It makes sense for Dana and James to be involved in this project for their professional development.Time-Sensitive: Project is due 3/01/2023  Step 3 - Write down all the ways this WON’T work.  Going back to the example of asking for a raise: -I’ll be too nervous to ask -My boss might get mad -My boss might fire me for asking -My boss will tell me I don’t deserve that much more money -My boss will laugh at me -My boss will counter with a much lower raise -My boss will tell me that it isn’t possible to give me that much  In the example of delegating the annual report: -Dana or James might refuse -Dana or James might not do a good job -I may spend more time supervising them than if I did it myself -I might end up having to do it all over again at the last minute -Dana or James might leave before the project is due, and I’ll be left picking up the pieces -Others on the team may be jealous of Dana or James because they got this important assignment  Step 4 - Use your list of problems to come up with action steps to solve. Going back to the example of asking for a raise: -I’ll be too nervous to ask – I will practice with my significant other or friend -My boss might get mad – I can’t control how my boss reacts, but I will deliver my request as politely and respectfully as I can while standing up for myself -My boss might fire me for asking - I can’t control how my boss reacts, but I will deliver my request as politely and respectfully as I can while standing up for myself -My boss will tell me I don’t deserve that much more money – I will have data to back up my request -My boss will laugh at me – I won’t make this mean anything about me -My boss will counter with a much lower raise – I will practice how to counteroffer -My boss will tell me that it isn’t possible to give me that much – I will have examples prepared that refute this if my boss brings it up  What if your goal is more long-term? If, for example, your area is to become a better leader, your goal might be: Attend 3 leadership seminars/events in 2023. The problems and solutions might be: -I don’t know where to find the best events – I’ll mark off time on my calendar in January to research upcoming events and vet them out -My boss might not want me gone that much – I’ll speak with him and get his support to attend -I don’t know if my company will pay for that much training in one year – I’ll check with my boss on this; I’ll pay out of pocket if I need to -I can’t take that much time off work – I will identify a 2nd in command for my function to be in control when I’m out; I will train that person prior to the first training I attend  Step 5 - Calendar in your steps to success If you need to research trainings, books to read, or how to set something up, block out times to do so. Give yourself sufficient time to complete the task – not too much or so little that you become frustrated. If you plan to return to school, block out time to attend classes, study, etc. If you want to improve a working relationship, schedule lunches or other out-of-office time with that person.  Step 6 - Choose an accountability partner – carefully I love mastermind groups for this purpose, because I know that in two weeks, they will ask if I did what I said I was going to do.  Step 7 - Check in on your progress at least weekly Create a system to keep track of what you’ve done and what you still need to do relative to your goal. Anything from notes in your calendar to an Excel spreadsheet to a formal project management tool will do the trick, as long as it is a) easy for you to use, b) accessible to you. Part of checking in is making mid-course corrections. Is there a new step you need to introduce into your process? Has the goal changed slightly as you have progressed? Do you need to adjust your timeline (ideally due to circumstances outside your control).  Step 8 - Celebrate the win This is the fun part – and the part so many people forget. This is your opportunity to give yourself a pat on the back, recognize the people who helped you achieve the win, and reflect on how you grew in achieving the goal. What if you weren’t successful? Then celebrate the growth and learning. Remember my saying: It isn’t winning or losing, it’s winning or learning. If you weren’t successful, do you want to go for the goal again? Are you satisfied with the movement you did have – and are ready to move on to a new goal?  Step 9 - Use the momentum to choose another goal One of the major benefits of setting, and achieving, goals is how you improve your relationship with yourself in doing so. You are learning to have your own back – “when I say I’m going to do something, I DO IT.” Leverage that improved relationship to select another goal right after you’ve had a moment to stop and enjoy the view from your previous goal.  One final note: I recommend starting with something small, if goal setting and goal-achieving is a new concept for you. You’re building muscle around your ability to do what you say you are going to do, so don’t try to life a 250 lb. dead weight right off the bat.  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  

Happy Holidays! Whatever you celebrate – and whoever you have the blessing of celebrating with – I wish you Peace, Joy, Love, Laughter…and lots of good eats! I wanted to revisit a topic I covered way back in episode #82 on how to answer the “Tell me about yourself” interview question. That episode aired on June 5th, 2019, so I thought it was time to go over how I coach my clients to answer this question. There’s a phenomenon call the primacy effect, which states that people remember whatever came first in a sequence. There’s also the recency effect – people remember whatever came last in the sequence. Because the “tell me about yourself” question is asked first if it is asked at all, it holds considerable weight in the interviewer’s mind. It also gives you the opportunity to start the interview off on the best possible foot. Here’s what a lot of coaches will tell you: Tell them your work history, your strengths, why you want to work for them…they want you to make this a full-on sales pitch. Here’s why I DON’T recommend this approach: I have interviewed hundreds of candidates over my years in higher education, and I had a structured interview process. Meaning: we asked every candidate the same questions and had a pre-determined scoring system to try to keep the evaluation process as fact-based and non-partial as possible. Not to mention: If you provide them with your life history, it’s likely to be loooong and you might find the interviewer nodding off. Not a great start. In a structured interview process, which most employers use (often for legal reasons), they will ask you about your strengths. They will ask you why you want to work for them. They will ask you why they should select you over the other candidates. If you answer ALL these questions in your response to “Tell me about yourself,” you will have thrown off the cadence of the entire interview. The interviewers will have to scramble to evaluate you on questions they haven’t yet asked you. Here’s why I ALWAYS ask the “Tell me about yourself” question: I want to see what will come out of your mouth when asked such a broad, non-specific question. I have had candidates tell me about their abusive ex-boyfriend, their three preschool kids, their spouse’s job, what’s going on in their family of origin. Oh – and my personal favorite – how they can’t come to work when they are tired. ALL THINGS I CAN’T ASK ABOUT. I also ask this question as a nice “soft pitch” before getting into the more technical or behavioral questions. I am surprised by how many are completely unprepared for this question. I’m also surprised by how many people answer in a way that puts the interviewer to sleep and/or overloads them with too much information. Here then, are my top 8 tips for developing your answer to the “tell me about yourself” question: 1.    Structure your answer in a past – present – future format.Give the interviewer a bit of information about where you came from, where you are now, and where you want to go.  2.    Stay at the 40,000-foot level.This is not the time to provide details about your accomplishments, work experience, or skills – they will ask questions about these things later.  3.    Keep it to 2-3 minutes.By staying at a 40,000-foot view and not getting into the weeds with specifics, it is easy to keep your answer to the “tell me about yourself” question to no more than 3 minutes. This will also help the interviewer keep on track with the questions he/she wants to ask without going over time and will keep the interviewer’s interest high.  4.    Introduce your brand, right up front.If you’ve done the personal branding work I’ve talked about on other podcast episodes, you should be very aware of your personal brand. Here’s your chance to introduce your personal brand right at the top of the interview…and reinforce it throughout the interview.  5.    Provide personal information.If the interviewer would be your new boss, he/she is going to want to get to know you as a total person. Even if the interviewer is from HR, giving the interviewer a sense of who you really are will help him/her to decide if you would be a good fit for the available position. The caveat here is that the personal information should be neutral or positive. Some examples: -A foreign language you are learning-A hobby you are passionate about (as long as it doesn’t scream death-defying danger)-A personal goal you are working towards (such as building a home or training to run a marathon)-A recent travel experience What constitutes negative personal information? Here are some I’ve been given in actual job interviews: -Number and ages of children-Health conditions-Marital status (recently divorced)-The fact of, and reasons for, being recently terminated  These tips apply to the “tell me about yourself” question as well as the entire interview: 6.    Pay attention to nonverbal cues.One of the best ways to make sure you are proceeding with your answer to any interview question in the proper way is to watch for nonverbal cues from the interviewer. Note that I’m not saying there is a “right” or “wrong” answer to an interview question. What I’m saying is that sometimes candidates misunderstand the interview question and aren’t providing the interviewer with the information he/she is looking for. It is perfectly acceptable to stop, ask the interviewer for clarification on the question or to verify that you are providing him/her with the desired information.  7.    Relax.You may think it is impossible to relax in an interview, but I promise it will serve you well to develop this ability. I’m not suggesting that you be so relaxed that you’re practically asleep, but rather that you aren’t so tense that you are struggling to communicate effectively and look like you are about to jump out of your own skin. This first question is a great opportunity to you to relax into the interview so you can put forth your best effort.  8.    Let your personality shine through.Many people I have interviewed over the years were stiff, all business, and showed no sense of humor. If you have a sense of humor – let it shine through, as long as you remain in good taste. If you love to do nice things for your co-workers to create camaraderie and a sense of team – tell the interviewer about this. If you are too buttoned up because you think this should be a serious affair – and you are naturally a fun and personable creature – the interviewer isn’t really getting to know you. In other words, there’s a bit of false advertising going on.  An ExampleI thought I’d end with my “Tell me about yourself answer.” We’ll pretend I’m applying for a job back in higher education as Director of Career Services. “One of the most important things to know about me is the breadth of experience, skills, and credentials I bring to the table. “As you’ve probably already seen on my resume, I spent 10 years as Director of the Career Center at Columbus State University, followed by 12 years in the same role at Truman State University. At Columbus State, I led efforts to separate career services from the Counseling Center and became the new entity’s first Director. In that capacity, I created the university’s cooperative education program, which was successful enough to be able to hire a full-time co-op coordinator the next year. “At Truman, I took a career center that was underutilized and underwhelming into a highlight of the university – touted in admissions material and to employers and donors. When I was hired, my boss told me that if I could turn the Career Center at Truman into a showpiece for the university, I would have worked a miracle. When he left Truman for another university, he told me I had worked a miracle. In 2012, I left higher education to work in my practice full-time. In this capacity, I have worked with clients on all continents except Antarctica on resume writing, LinkedIn profiles, job search strategy, interview techniques, salary negotiations, and career management. I am one of 23 Master Resume Writers in the world, and a Certified Job Search Strategist, Certified Executive and Leadership Development Coach, and Master Practitioner of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. While I have loved owning my own business, I am excited about the prospect of leading a team again – and being part of a team as well. I am motivated to help each team member reach their full potential and create a team that is cohesive and engaged. On a personal note, I am an avid reader and love to listen to true crime podcasts. I have two hound dogs who love to take me for walks.” Time: 1:50  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    

My guest today is Dr. Amy Mednick, a New York City psychiatrist who specializes in the overlap between the humanities in neuroscience. Today, Amy and I talk about Zoom fatigue – what is it, why is it so prevalent, and the warning signs you want to pay attention to. We also talk about how to make Zoom meetings more humanizing if you are in charge. You can check out Amy’s book, Humanizing the Remote Experience, at www.htre-book.com You can find Amy on Instagram or Facebook at amymednickmd, on Twitter @Amy Mednick, or on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/amy-m-794363174.  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 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_execshttps://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 

Each year since the inception of this podcast in 2017, I have done a Five Unusual Things to Be Thankful For episode during Thanksgiving week. This episode is never one of my most-downloaded episodes, but it is one of my favorites. It is also one of my most personal and vulnerable episodes each year. The purpose is two-fold: To get you thinking about the things in your life that you could look at differently – and to show gratitude for those things that maybe didn’t feel so good at the time they were happening. I like to put it this way: Why is this happening for me? Not to me, but for me – for my benefit. The universe isn’t out to get me…I’m not a victim here. Here, then, is my 2022 list of unusual things to be thankful for: 5. A great Virtual Assistant (VA). This one’s maybe not so unusual, except that I had previously tried to find a VA with zero success. My VA, Robin, has been a game-changer for my business…and she’s an absolute delight to work with! I am so very thankful for Robin. My message for you: When we look backward and determine our future based on our past, we are missing the point. If I had decided Robin wouldn’t work out because the others hadn’t, I would have missed out on one of the most beneficial investments I make every month into my business. Circumstances will be different this time…people will be different this time…YOU will be different this time.  4. When there are no options. In my world of making dozens of decisions every day, it’s nice when there really is no decision to be made…when the path is clear and obvious. This year, this happened early on when I found out I had to have major surgery at the end of May and wouldn’t be able to walk my dogs for at least six weeks. I was living in an apartment at that time. I really had no option other than to move to a house with a fenced-in backyard. This also happened back in 2020 when my 12-year-old Honda Odyssey all but stopped working. I took it to my mechanic, who couldn’t find the electrical problem that was causing the battery to drain daily, back doors not to open and close…and don’t even get me started with the haunted interior lights. No option but to purchase a new vehicle. I’m really good at making decisions and having my own back about those decisions. HOWEVER, it’s nice to know exactly what you need to do. My message for you: Let easy things be easy. Don’t overcomplicate things. Don’t assume moving or making a major purchase is going to be hard…just maybe, it won’t be.  3. Growing pains. This has been a year of refining my systems and processes to take my business to the next level – along with the mindset needed to see myself differently as my role within the business changes. Of course, I could have kept on with “business as usual” – nothing wrong with that. Except that’s not how I roll. I want bigger…I want to serve more clients…I want to have more influence in the world. So these growing pains are absolutely necessary – and it won’t be the last time I experience them. My message for you: Don’t let yourself stagnate. Be brave and willing to experience the growing pains of seeking a promotion, a new job, a new relationship, new friendships…whatever you desire. Don’t expect it to be comfortable or easy or without a few hiccups. Know that the discomfort and difficulties are part of the deal…and that’s okay.  2. Reviving a past interest…and finding it’s still there. In the process of moving, I knew I wanted a new dining table – I’ve always hated the one I had. I ended up getting a high-quality table from a local thrift store for $75 that needed a lot of love. After putting about that much money into supplies and a lot of time and elbow grease, it is now my pride and joy. I was coaching a client this week about her job dissatisfaction. I encouraged her to have fun – try some new things, revisit some old things she used to enjoy, be willing to NOT have fun in an effort to have A LOT of fun. This will make her job dissatisfaction have less of an impact on her life. My message for you: Exactly what I coached my client to do. Have you always wanted to make cheese, or learn salsa dancing, or take a Japanese cooking class? DO IT. Did you used to love riding your bike, or horseback riding, or painting? DO IT AGAIN. Step outside your comfort zone. The further, the better.  1.                Listening to my gut. I find that my gut is always right. In this incident, I was considering a major purchase for my business. I had an initial sales call that I found difficult to follow…and then the follow-up he promised didn’t happen. Then I got a free trial but couldn’t utilize it. When I reached out to them for help, they never responded. Then I spoke with two people using the software and heard less-than-glowing reviews. Most recently, I am receiving multiple client referral emails from them every day despite the fact that I am NOT NOR HAVE EVER BEEN THEIR CUSTOMER. It’s taken three contacts to get these to stop. My message for you: Listen to your gut. If the facts line up with what your gut is telling you, great. If the facts don’t line up with what your gut is telling you, go with your gut. Stop with the rationalizations and accommodations. This works for people too: If someone is showing you who they are, BELIEVE THEM. Happy Thanksgiving! Here’s to another year of unusual things to be thankful for.  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  

Let me start by saying that not all job searches should look alike – and the important thing is that you launch the type of job search that makes the most sense for you. When clients get coached by me on their job search, it is an Active job search. If they are employed, I require they spend a minimum of 5 hours per week in their job search; if they are unemployed, I suggest 30 hours per week – if they want to get employed as quickly as possible. If they have fewer than 5 hours per week they can devote to a job search, I suggest a Passive job search. Let’s break these terms down: An Active job search focuses on networking-based activities. A Passive job search focuses on job boards and company websites.  An Active job search can have Passive strategies in it. Here’s the ratio I recommend: If you are just out of college: 25% Active and 75% Passive If you have been out of college for a few years through mid-career: 50%/50% If you are at a more senior level: 75% Active and 25% Passive If you are at the C-level: 100% Active  A Passive job search might include some networking, but due to time constraints is almost completely job board- and company website-focused. I have covered specific Active and Passive strategies in previous episodes, so I’m not rehashing that here. One of the things I do with clients in one coaching session is create their customized job search strategy. They leave that session with a plan they can calendar in – that gives them their marching orders. The question we want to answer in this episode is: Which type of job search should I launch? Here are some considerations: Are you unemployed?If you are unemployed and want to become employed as quickly as possible, then an Active job search is your best option. I recommend 30 hours per week of job search. Using the ratios above, here’s how you would break out your time: Right out of college: 7.5 hours per week on networking; 22.5 hours per week on job boards and other passive strategies. Mid-career: 15 hours on each Senior: 22.5 hours per week networking; 7.5 hours on job boards  Are you currently employed, but want to change jobs relatively soon?To change jobs relatively quickly, you’ll need an Active job search. This will require you to carve out at least five hours each week for your job search. Here’s how you would break out your time: Right out of college: 1.25 hours per week on networking; 3.75 hours per week on job boards and other passive strategies. Mid-career: 2.5 hours on each Senior: 3.75 hours per week networking; 1.25 hours on job boards  Are you currently employed and want to change jobs, but you aren’t in a hurry?If you can carve out at least five hours each week for your job search, then an Active strategy is still your best option. If you don’t have the bandwidth to commit to at least five hours per week, then a Passive strategy is probably all you’ll be able to do – with the occasional networking meeting or event thrown in.  Are you not really looking to leave your current job, but want to be open to speaking with recruiters?This is what I call the ARFO strategy – Always Ready For Opportunity. I’ve spoken about this in other episodes – you have all your ducks in a row, such as an updated resume, current credentials, and an appropriate education level. In an ARFO job search, you are simply “opening the door” to recruiters – this is primarily through your LI profile. I strongly recommend having an expert like me write your LI profile for you so it is impactful to the reader AND has the right things in the right places to serve as “recruiter flypaper.”  In summary, the variables for this equation are Time and Urgency. If you have Time and Urgency = Active job search If you don’t have Time but do have Urgency = Passive job search with some networking in the mix if at all possible If you don’t have Time or Urgency = Passive job search If you don’t have Urgency = ARFO  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

Okay…I’m determined not to get mushy here, but I do want to take a moment to congratulate myself. I don’t know the stats on how many podcasts make it to 250 episodes…or even how many make it to 20 episodes. I do, however, know it is a great accomplishment – and one I am exceedingly proud of myself for. I’ve told this story before, I’m sure, but before I started my podcast – way back in 2016 and early 2017 – I had it in my head that it would cost $5K to start a podcast. I had no facts to back that up, mind you…I just arbitrarily decided it was too expensive for me to become a podcaster. One of my earlier “coaches” suggested I do a teleseminar. You know – I talk on the phone, people sign up ahead of time to attend, and they listen on their phone. You had to attend live to get the content of the teleseminar. I had ZERO energy around this idea…in part because a group I was involved in disseminated their weekly content via teleseminars, and I hardly ever attended. I just wasn’t willing to commit an hour of my day at 9:00 every Wednesday morning. So I tried to make myself take steps toward producing a teleseminar series…but I never really made it out of the starting gate. Remember: I had ZERO energy around this idea. The thought in my head? Probably something like “Yuck. Teleseminars. Yuck.” The feeling that thought produced? Disengagement. Disinterest. Boredom. The actions those thoughts and feelings produced? Lesa, doing anything OTHER than working on a teleseminar series. Then, one fateful day, I was listening to…wait for it…a podcast. After all, I LOVED listening to podcasts. This particular podcaster was talking about challenging our assumptions. You know, those beliefs we have that hold us back from moving forward in our life. She could have been talking directly to me. She hit me right between the eyes. Her suggestion was to gather the FACTS, then make an informed decision about the best path forward. You mean, like the FACTS of how much it ACTUALLY costs to produce a podcast? What a novel idea. BTW – at the same time, I decided to challenge my belief that getting the undercarriage of my minivan fixed so it wouldn’t scrape the ground was going to cost a gazillion dollars. So I drove my Odyssey to the nearest body shop, they identified the problem and said they could order the necessary part and fix the problem the day after tomorrow. The cost? $50. And because of my faulty belief system, I waited for a full year to fix that minor problem. So…back to me and podcasting. I didn’t know what I didn’t know, so my first step was to find…wait for it…a podcast on podcasting. Back in early 2017, there were probably only a few options available, but I found a good one. He talked about the resources available on his website, so off I went. It told me what I needed and gave best options at three price points – entry-level, mid-level, and highest quality. I opted for the mid-level, because he said this may be all I would ever need. (I haven’t upgraded since then, so I guess he was right.) I needed a microphone, headphones, a podcast host, and an editing program. I took his mid-level recommendations on the microphone and headphones, then began researching his options for hosting and editing. (I’ve kept both of the options I chose for hosting and editing since then, so again – good advice from him.) What was the new thought in my head about podcasting? “I can do this. This is possible for me. I AM going to do this.” What feeling did that thought produce? Excitement. What actions did I take? I bought the necessary equipment, I came up with the topics for the first 12 or so episodes, determined my process (weekly, about 30 minutes or less most times, dropping on Wednesdays, no guests initially) and then I got after it. Result? I became a podcaster. A fact, BTW, that I’m still very proud to share with people. And when I tell them there are 250 episodes in my catalogue? They are super impressed. But more importantly, I am impressed with myself. Now that I’ve told you my podcasting genesis story, I invite you to think of something you have been putting off because you don’t think you have enough. Enough money.Enough education.Enough time.Enough knowledge.Enough youth/experience.Enough information. Take a hard look at where that “not enough” has gotten you. Most likely, as it did with me…not very far. And, like me, you may be frustrated with yourself for not moving forward. Or worse, you may be “bleeding.” There may be other areas of your life where your “not enough” is sabotaging you. If you believe you don’t have enough money to start a podcast, maybe you also don’t believe you don’t have enough money to go on that trip of a lifetime. If you don’t believe you have enough education to seek that promotion, you may also believe you don’t have enough education to seek other opportunities outside your current employer. If you believe you are too old to learn to ski, you may also believe you are too old to start dating again.What’s the solution? Here is a four-step process: 1.    Find something you have wanted to do in any area of your life, but have believed you don’t have enough money, education, time, knowledge, experience, youth, or information to do. 2.    Decide on a new thought that will serve you. For example, “I will explore what it actually costs to become a podcaster.” Make sure it is a thought you can fully believe – and begin practicing it regularly. Write it out on index cards; put it on your screen saver. 3.     Map out your first steps, then get after them. You may not yet know every step you need to take, but at least get started and the next steps will reveal themselves. 4.    DECIDE. Then decide you’ve made the right decision – in other words, have your own back. If, after all the steps above, you decide not to proceed with the thing, that’s okay. Just don’t waffle.  I would love to hear from you about the area of your life you looked at!  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     

I have recently finished Jen Sincero’s book, You Are a Badass. One of the chapters in the book is on The Almighty Decision, and I wanted to dive into this topic for this episode. One of the things I talk with my clients about is the three-step process of decision-making. Those steps are:1)    Give yourself a limited amount of time to explore options. 2)    Make a decision based on the information you’ve gathered AND what your gut is telling you. If the two disagree, ALWAYS go with your gut. 3)    Decide you have made the right decision. No waffling, second-guessing, or changing your mind. Have your own back as to the decision you made.  Why does this matter? So many people take FOREVER to make a decision… sometimes, even over small, fairly inconsequential things. Decision-making is a muscle, and the more you exercise that muscle, the stronger and more dependable it will become. In my work as a career coach, job search coach, and Master Resume Writer, here are some of the indecisions I see clients grapple with: -Should I leave my current employer and go elsewhere, or should I stay? -Am I qualified to apply for this position? -Should I ask for a promotion and/or raise? -Is my dissatisfaction with my career path – or just my current employer? -Should I make a career pivot or completely reinvent my career?-Should I reach out to X for help with my job search? -Should I stay employed, or start my own business? -Should I fully retire, or just downshift to a less stressful, more rewarding job? Of course, there are hundreds of micro-decisions I help my clients with, but these are some of the big ones.  What are some of the decisions you might make in other areas of your life? -I WILL lose XXX pounds. -I WILL begin an exercise program. -I WILL eat healthier. -I WILL begin dating again. -I WILL buy a home. -I WILL stop smoking/drinking/doing drugs. -I WILL clean out the clutter in my home. -I WILL make new friends. -I WILL learn how to do XXX.  In her book, Jen Sincero tells the story of Henry Ford, who was determined to have all eight cylinders of the engine cast in one block. His engineers told him he was crazy – it couldn’t be done. They came back sometime later, with even more evidence that it couldn’t be done. Henry Ford rejected their “evidence,” and ordered them back to the drawing board. Of course, they eventually figured it out by creating the V-8 engine like the workhorse I had in my 1970 Ford Torino. (Let’s not talk about the gas mileage, but man could she GO.) Sincero’s point? “So often, we pretend we’ve made a decision, when what we’ve really done is signed up to try until it gets too uncomfortable.  What do you have to be willing to withstand in order to truly make a decision? -Family and friends laughing at you, questioning your decision, expecting you to fail -Deciding to avoid/minimize your interaction with others who don’t support your decision – at least for now -Avoiding social media, print, or other content that presents evidence that your decision is the wrong one, doomed to failure -Recognizing that your own doubts are merely your primitive brain, trying to protect you from the certain death you’ll face as a result of your decision (“nothing has gone wrong”)  What steps will you need to take to develop this muscle? -Deciding ahead of time what you will do each day towards making your decision a reality – then doing the things even when you REALLY, REALLY don’t want to -Willingness to be uncomfortable – sometimes VERY uncomfortable -Becoming comfortable with “failure,” and reframing it as “learning opportunities” that show you one more way NOT to achieve your goal-Training your brain to resist immediate pleasure in favor of your big picture  Here, then, are Jen Sincero’s tips for decision-making: 1.    Want it badYou have to want it more than the alternative. As she says, “You need to have a ten-ton gorilla of desire behind your decision or else you’ll wimp out the second things get hard.” This requires you to be honest with yourself about what you really want to do, not what you think you should do – and believe it is available to you regardless of any evidence to the contrary. 2.    Get good at itSo many people have terror around decision-making because they are so afraid of making the “wrong” decision. This is where waffling, making hasty decisions just to get it over with, and choosing to do nothing come into play. (By the way, choosing to do nothing IS a decision.) A good strategy is to begin practicing on small decisions…making them quickly and changing them slowly. We’re not talking about making hasty decisions here, but rather gathering the facts as quickly and efficiently as possible to be able to MOVE FORWARD. Also – give yourself a deadline for making the decision. Finally – quit telling people (and yourself) that you are terrible at making decisions. Talk about confusing the universe! 3.    Eliminate the negotiation processDecisions are simply not up for negotiation. Remember what I said at the outset – have your own back. The decision-making process is an excellent opportunity for you to improve your relationship with the most important person in your life – YOU. As you have your own back on decisions you make, you begin to trust yourself more and more. Not only that – others will notice that you are following through on your decisions, and THEY will begin to trust you, as well. Let’s say you have decided to buy a vacation home on the beach by a certain date. You know how much money you need in the bank…and a friend comes along with an invitation to go to Bali for two weeks. Of COURSE, Bali sounds wonderful – who wouldn’t want to go there? But you decided to buy a vacation home on the beach by a certain date. You KNOW that going to Bali will delay your ability to buy that home. SO…you have your own back about your vacation home-buying decision. You thank your friend profusely and tell her that you hope she’ll ask the next time she wants to travel. But this time…you have decided to become a vacation homeowner! 4.    Stick like glueIt takes tenacity…stick-to-it-iveness…to achieve your goals. I like the analogy of giving birth. I clearly remember, when I was in about hour 12 of trying to exit a 10-pound, 1 ounce, human out of my body, that I told my then-husband, “I can’t do this anymore.” His response? “You don’t have any choice, Lesa.” And he was right; I had no choice but to see this child-having decision through to the birth. Let’s have this same sense of “you don’t have any choice” with other decisions in our lives. Focus on the result you desire, recognize that the inevitable bumps and bruises along the way are supposed to happen, and STAY THE COURSE. I love this quote from Sincero: “In order to change your life and start living a new one that you’ve never lived before, your faith in miracles, and yourself, must be greater than your fear. However easy or rough your birthing process is, you have to be willing to fall down, get up, look stupid, cry, laugh, make a mess, clean it up, and not stop until you get there. NO MATTER WHAT.” 5.    Love yourselfBecause you can do ANYTHING. And it’s much easier to get there by loving on yourself along the way than by hating on yourself.  So, I invite you to make a decision TODAY. It can be a small one…or it can be you, finally getting off that non-existent fence and making a decision about something big. And congratulate yourself for changing your life forever. Because in the process of making that decision and going through the necessary steps to realize your goal, you will be forever changed. Way to go, you!  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 week my guest is Marcelle Yeager of Career Valet, and we’re talking about navigating remote work. Our focus is on managing and being managed in “the new world order” with in-office, remote, and hybrid employees all working together. We also cover how to ensure you are setting yourself up for success as a remote worker – and how, if you are a manager, you can set your employees up for success in a remote environment. Prior to starting Career Valet, Marcelle worked in strategic communications at APCO Worldwide, Booz Allen Hamilton, the Department of Defense, and the Department of State. She holds and MBA and is a former regular contributor to U.S. News and World Report’s On Careers blog and ClearanceJobs.com. She’s been featured in MONEY Magazine, Business Insider, and FlexJobs. You can download Marcelle’s free resume handbook, which covers the 10 items you need to change on your resume right now:Careervalet.com/cv-resume-handbook You can find Marcelle at:careervalet.comlinkedin.com/in/marcelleyeagerInstagram.com/career_valetFacebook.com/careervaletTwitter.com/careervalet  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  

Our guest today is Katrina McGhee, and we are diving into the idea of taking a career break. NOT a run-away-as-fast-as-you-can because you hate your job, but a planned, strategic break with goals. Katrina tells us her career break story and how she has coached more than 50 clients to have successful career breaks. We also delve into how to successfully “re-enter” your career after your break. You can find Katrina at www.kmcgheecoaching.com She is offering a 3-part video series on her website to help you conquer your fear and stop waiting for “someday.” She walks you through the basics of taking a career break and just how possible it can be. Find this FREE series atwww.kmcgheecoaching.com/career-break-training  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

Hey – I have extended the Rate, Review, and Subscribe contest through 10/14 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern – so you still have a few days to enter if you are listening to then when it comes out. To participate: Rate (1 entry); Subscribe (2 entries); Review (4 entries) Winner will receive $250 Visa gift card Participants should notify me of their participation and what they did via lesa@exclusivecareercoaching.com  I recently answered a question in a group I am a VIP in about 30/60/90-day plans, so I thought I would convey this information to you. These plans are fairly common at the director level and above. There are two possible scenarios for such a plan: When you are in the interviewing phase, and when you are new in the position. The purpose for a plan when you are in the interviewing phase is to show the hiring manager and other key decision-makers that you understand the priorities and have given considerable thought to how you will approach them. It also shows them how you will assimilate yourself into the company culture. You can’t know all the details about things like budget, staffing challenges, etc. before you’ve been hired, so the goal isn’t perfection. Rather, it is showing that you understand the broad-brush strokes and have a plan of attack. The purpose of a plan when you are new in the position is to make sure you and your boss are on the same page. This is an opportunity to lay out a plan and have your boss shoot holes in it, ask question, add content, etc. In either scenario, I recommend creating a PowerPoint presentation for your plan. Here is a suggestion of how to organize your PP: 1: Intro page with your contact information and possibly a quote or philosophy you operate by. Adjust this accordingly whether you are a candidate or the incumbent. 2: Your leadership philosophy with examples. 3: Your vision for your role in the company and your specific position. 4: High-level overview of your 30/60/90, such as: 30 - LearnMeet with partners, peers, internal stakeholders to learn the business and HR systems. The goal will be to accelerate my learning process to make an effective and expedient contribution. To have a seamless transition in the HR Role, from existing HR Manager to incumbent HR Manager, is to plan, stay on course while remaining agile! 60 - AssessAnalyze the existing key processes to understand the performance of core, short- and long-term initiatives by HR for operations. Identify opportunities for short term and long-term improvement, based on feedback from HR Director. 90 - OptimizeIdentify opportunities for improvement, potential process or program improvements. Use existing or begin building HR Scorecards to measure strategic alignment with business operations.5: Details of 30-day, with specific bullet points 6: Details of 60-day, with specific bullet points 7: Details of 90-day, with specific bullet points 8: Measurements of success at 30, 60, 90 days, such as: 30 Days - Learn -Begin relationship-building w/HR Dir., HR Staff, Executive, Line, & Union Leadership-Learn HRIS systems, Employee Handbook and Union Contract-Knowledge transfer, pending ER issues & actions-Benefits and Payroll learning-Understanding of ongoing HR projects, KP/Metric & Financial Analytic Knowledge-Talent Acquisition Process Review-Training and Development Process Review 9: Closing page, with a repeat of contact information if you are in the interview phase  You might also want one more page if you are in the interview phase. Here are some possibilities: -2-3 recommendations (could be pulled from LI profile or performance evals) -An embedded video you have created with appropriate text on the page -Links to publications and presentations; appropriate text on the page -Case study, with either actual pictures or stock artwork as appropriate -Something else you believe would be useful -A side-by-side comparison of what company stands for/is looking for and what you bring to the table One final note: If you are in the interviewing phase, you can create a template for your plans to keep from having to start from scratch each time. 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  

Hey – I have extended the Rate, Review, and Subscribe contest through 10/14 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern – so what are you waiting for? To participate: Rate (1 entry); Subscribe (2 entries); Review (4 entries) Winner will receive a $250 Visa gift card Participants should notify me of their participation and what they did via lesa@exclusivecareercoaching.com  Today, we’re talking about the basics of networking. This is especially for those of you who a) avoid networking like a root canal, b) describe your networking skills as “terrible;” and c) those of you who think networking is not necessary to land your dream job or advance your career. Here’s a quote I used on a previous podcast: “The opposite of networking is NOT working.” Keep in mind that your network doesn’t just consist of people you know…it consists of people who know you. Think about it…you may “know” Tom Cruise or Joe Biden…but do they know you? If they don’t, then they aren’t in your network. Through this podcast, I am networked to hundreds of people I’ve never met, but they are in my network. They reach out to me when they need the services and expertise I provide. They aren’t yet in my network until I meet them and get to know them. Here are some of the reasons networking is so important throughout your career: Internal networking: 1.    To advance within your current organization 2.    To get tapped for high-profile projects within your current organization 3.    To receive recognition for the work you are doing 4.    To become well known for your brand throughout your organization  External networking: 1.    To find out about, and get promoted for, job opportunities 2.    To collaborate and partner with people in your community, your profession, or your industry on mutually beneficial projects/opportunities 3.    To be selected for leadership roles within your community, your profession, or your industry 4.    To help others! Networking should never be a one-way street…all take and no give.  Now let’s talk about the ABC’s of networking. Remember, this is a primer…having said that, anyone would benefit from this refresher. Here we go, taking a reporter’s Who, What, When, Where, and Why approach:  Who.  I get a lot of questions about who people should be networking with, and that question tells me they don’t have a networking strategy. You develop a networking strategy by knowing where you want to work. You identify 10-12 companies that are a perfect match for your skills, the culture you work best in, your preferred work environment and geographic location, etc. Once you have identified your dream employers, work backwards using LinkedIn to figure out who you know relative to that employer. -Do you know someone who works there, or has worked there recently? -Do you know someone who knows the person who can make the decision to hire you? -If you can’t think of anyone for the previous prompts, who do you know who is well connected and might be able to point you in the right direction? You have to know how to use LinkedIn’s Advanced Search function to pull this off, so if you aren’t familiar with this functionality – listen to last week’s episode #244 for a step-by-step process.  Note: This is the more strategic approach to networking, but you can also start with what I call “low-hanging fruit,” the people you know well who you feel the most comfortable starting with. This gives you an opportunity to work the kinks out of your networking approach…and who knows where it might lead.  What.  We’re talking about networking here – meaning, as I define it, an exchange among equals. I make a clear distinction between networking and informational interviewing, which is you asking a series of questions of someone about their job, their employer, their career trajectory, etc. It is much more one-sided than networking.  When.  So many people mistakenly think networking is just for when you are looking for a job, and nothing is further from the truth. When done correctly, networking should be a career-long process. If you aren’t looking for a job, build a modest amount of time into your regular schedule for networking activities. For example: -15 minutes, 2X/week on LinkedIn to connect with people, comment on posts, and cultivate relationships with your connections -Attend 1 networking event every week, either 1:1 or a group event. -Connect on LinkedIn with everyone you meet at the networking events or otherwise. If you are looking for a job, here’s the formula I use for how to parse out your job search time: -If you are entry-level: at least 25% of your job search time should be spent on networking-based activities -If you are beyond entry level or at mid-career: at least 50% of your job search time should be spent on networking-based activities -If you are at a more senior level: at least 75% of your job search time should be spent on networking-based activities -If you are at the executive level: 100% of your job search time should be spent on networking-based activities Activities for job seekers might include: -1 hour, 5 days a week on LinkedIn – connecting, cultivating relationships, commenting on posts -2-3 networking events every week, with a combination of 1:1 and group events -Connecting on LinkedIn with everyone you meet at the networking events or otherwise.  Where.  I talked a lot about this in episode #179 of the podcast; I encourage you to listen to that episode for a more in-depth discussion of where to network. The suggestions I made in that episode include: -Meetup -Service clubs (i.e. Rotary, Kiwanis) -Chamber of Commerce -Facebook/community events -Your place of worship -Your university alumni association -Create your own networking group In addition to meeting in person, you can network via Zoom and Skype – so geography should not be a deterrent.  Why. Hopefully, I answered this question at the outset.  Let’s add one more: How. Here are eight tips for the logistics of 1:1 networking: -Don’t be too aggressive when you first reach out.-Don’t assume they will participate. -Make it 80% about them; 20% about you. -Be able to clearly articulate what you are looking for and what you bring to the table. -Have an ask planned – AND be open to other ideas your networking partner might have. -Follow-up and follow through is essential. -This should not be a one-time thing – have a plan for on-going communication. -Keep records!  If you are attending a networking event, here are eight tips: -Have a plan ahead of time. Is there someone specific you want to meet, or do you want to meet a certain number of people? This allows you to have a measure for success. -Stand near the beverage or food station – avoid the corners. -Be interested first, then interesting. -Don’t hesitate to leave a conversation and move on – it’s the nature of the beast. -Be able to clearly articulate what you are looking for and what you bring to the table. -Follow-up and follow through is essential. -Keep notes. -Periodically review the networking circles you are in and make changes as needed to maximize your effectiveness.   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  

RATE, REVIEW, SUBSCRIBE CONTEST IN SEPTEMBER To participate: Rate (1 entry); Subscribe (2 entries); Review (4 entries) Winner will receive $250 Visa gift card Participants should notify me of their participation and what they did via lesa@exclusivecareercoaching.com Winner will be selected on Friday, September 30th, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern  Recently, I was showing a client how to leverage her connections’ connections on LinkedIn, and she was blown away. She felt like she had found the holy grail, so I thought I would share this technique with you.  What we’re talking about.  Let’s begin with what I’m talking about. You have connections on LinkedIn – LinkedIn calls these 1st-level connections. The people you are already connected with. Each of your connections has connections – LinkedIn calls these 2nd-level connections. Think of them as one-offs. You have the ability to see all of your 2nd-level connections. Why would you want to do this? Because it significantly expands your network. And, because these people are connected to someone you may know, you can reach out to your mutual connection and ask them to introduce you. Conversely, because you are a 2nd-level connection, someone who may want to interview you for a position can reach out to your mutual connection to get the down low on you before they reach out to you. I have had multiple clients leverage my connections – their 2nd-level connections, to obtain jobs. Either they’ve asked me to introduce them or they’ve made the connection themselves. I have about 6,000 connections, so leveraging my connections significantly expanded those clients’ networking reach.  How to do it.  Hopefully, I’ve made a compelling case for leveraging your connections’ connections…now let’s talk about how to do it. You really need to master the Advanced Search function for this. As of this recording date in September of 2022, here are the steps to access your connections’ connections: 1.    Type “People” in the search bar. You’ll then get a series of options that pop up under the search bar. 2.    Click on “All Filters.” 3.    Let’s say you are trying to mine my connections. You would click “2nd connections” and put my name in the “Connections of” space. You’ll want to add additional filters; otherwise, you will get about 6,000 results. For example, maybe you aren’t connected to anyone who works at Amazon, so you choose “2nd connections” of Lesa Edwards, and in the “Current Company” box, you select Amazon. You will then see all my connections who currently work at Amazon. If this doesn’t yield results, you could then try 2nd connections of someone else you are connected to, or you could include people who previously worked at Amazon. You can also use the geographic filter – who works at Amazon in a particular city? Or maybe you are moving to Dallas and want to see who I’m connected to who lives there no matter the company they work for. See how this works?  What to do next.  Once you’ve identified some target people, you can either reach out to them directly for a connection or ask the mutual connection to introduce you. If you reach out directly, I recommend starting with something like this: “I see we’re both connected to Lesa Edwards – let’s connect!” Notice I am not trying to sell myself or ask for information up front; this can be a deterrent for many people if they think you are being too “salesy.” Once they have accepted your invitation to connect, I recommend thanking them with a message like this: “Thanks so much for connecting! Lesa said you really love working at ___ and she suggested I reach out to you with my questions about ___. Would you have a few minutes to jump on Zoom with me?” From here, your goal is to have specific questions to ask that should only take about 15 minutes of their time. Before you end the conversation, ask “Who else should I talk to about ___?” and ask them to introduce you to those people. -Follow up with a thank you email  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 

RATE, REVIEW, SUBSCRIBE CONTEST IN SEPTEMBER To participate: Rate (1 entry); Subscribe (2 entries); Review (4 entries) Winner will receive $250 Visa gift card Participants should notify me of their participation and what they did via lesa@exclusivecareercoaching.com Winner will be selected on Friday, September 30th, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern  I came across this concept of Ikigai recently – the Japanese answer to a life of purpose. In practice, this concept of Ikigai is a lifestyle, which the Japanese live somewhat instinctively. To quote the ikigailiving.com website, “Your Ikigai wakes you up in the morning and leads you away from a mundane, status-quo lifestyle. It empowers you and drives your actions and purpose.”   Ikigai is the intersection of: -What I love -What the world needs -What I can be paid for -What I am good at  Let’s drill down on this a bit further. I recommend journaling your answers to these questions if you are seeking your professional purpose…thinking about a significant career shift but you aren’t sure to what…looking for your Ikigai.  What I love As you journal your responses to this prompt, I recommend avoiding the universal responses such as your significant other, family members, or children. Here are five responses for me: -Helping people navigate their careers -Coaching -Making presentations (including podcasting) -Writing resumes -Writing I recommend you fill up an entire page of paper, listing the things you love.  What the world needs Obviously, the world needs a lot of things, so I recommend you focus your responses on the things in your wheelhouse. For example, if I give the response of “cheaper gas prices,” I have responded with a need I have no control over. Here are five things I think the world needs, within my sphere of influence: -More people who love, and are fully engaged, with their jobs -A more effective way to connect employers with quality employees-Affordable coaching for people wanting help in navigating their careers -Job seekers need support and encouragement from other job seekers -Help for people needing to manage their minds around their job search, their careers, their marketability Fill up as much of a full page as you can on this prompt, remembering to keep your responses in your wheelhouse.  What I can be paid for Most of us need to make money following our purpose – unless we are trust fund babies who can go around being altruistic all day, every day. Take your previous list of “what the world needs,” and think about the job titles and opportunities you might have to get paid for delivering what the world needs. Here’s my list: -More people who love, and are fully engaged, with their jobs – I can use my writing talents and presentation skills to deliver this information to job seekers via newsletters, speaking engagements, podcasts, and coaching  -A more effective way to connect employers with quality employees – Not sure what this might look like, but I want to create something that is easy for employers to use AND more friendly for employees – while also being highly effective -Affordable coaching for people wanting help in navigating their careers – Offer group programs that keep the cost more affordable without sacrificing any of the quality -Job seekers need support and encouragement from other job seekers – This can be baked into the group programs I offer. I could also create a FB group and a LI group for job seekers.  -Help for people needing to manage their minds around their job search, their careers, their marketability – Whether I’m leading a group or working with a client 1:1, I can use the Thought Model and other tools to help my clients manage their thoughts during their job search.   What I am good at This should be specific skills you bring to the table. Here are five of mine: -Establishing rapport with prospective clients and others I come in contact with -Asking incisive questions that give me the information I need to work effectively with clients -Writing – whether resumes, LI profiles, newsletters, or podcast show notes, I am a great writer -Using humor in the coaching process to lighten the intensity while also getting the point across -Influencing others – whether I am selling them on a package of my services or selling them on a strategy I want them to try out, I am very influential  Bringing it all together  Remember, Ikigai is the intersection of: -What I love -What the world needs -What I can be paid for -What I am good atAgain – journaling really helps here. Bring your answers to these four prompts into a single focus and come up with a page full of possibilities. Initially, don’t edit your responses – just come up with as many as possible, even if they sound crazy to you, impractical, or if you find yourself coming up with ways it wouldn’t work. Once you’ve created your initial list, begin to cross out ideas for legitimate reasons. In other words, don’t shy away from the impractical or crazy, but rather discriminate based on what really appeals and excites you. You may want the help of a trusted friend or even a career coach for this phase – to help you see what you may be too enmeshed in to see for yourself. There are many possible steps after this, which will vary depending on the paths you’re considering. But hopefully, Ikigai has gotten you thinking about what you were put on this earth to do. Your answer to living a life of purpose.  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

Happy September! Happy college football season! Happy almost fall!  RATE, REVIEW, SUBSCRIBE CONTEST IN SEPTEMBER To participate: Rate (1 entry); Subscribe (2 entries); Review (4 entries) Winner will receive $250 Visa gift card Participants should notify me of their participation and what they did via lesa@exclusivecareercoaching.com Winner will be selected on Friday, September 30th, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Today’s episode is on how to ask for interview feedback, and I sourced this information from the Harvard Business Review article from Marlo Lyons. I hear from you about your frustration in not getting feedback from your job interviews. Without concrete information, you are left to make assumptions – and for some of you, that means you beat yourself up for your “failure.” The message I intend for you to hear in this episode is this: Waiting until after you’ve been eliminated as a candidate is too late to ask for feedback. You want to engage with your interviewers throughout the process – not only so you can make mid-course corrections in how you are approaching the interviews with that company, but also so you can improve your approach for future companies you interview with. To be clear, not all recruiters and hiring managers will provide you with feedback – often because they are fearful of saying something that could be construed as discriminatory or non-inclusive. Others won’t provide feedback because of time constraints. It doesn’t hurt to ask, however, and these are three touchpoints at which you might want to give it a try.  At the end of the recruiter screening interview These initial interviews are often short screening events – meant to screen out as many candidates as possible so the recruiter can go more in-depth with the remaining candidates. At the end of this conversation, ask the recruiter, “Based on our conversation, how do you think my experience matches the requirements for this role?” If the recruiter has already told you that you are through to the next round, ask “Is there anything specific I should highlight in upcoming interviews, based on the job description or any intangibles that aren’t listed?” This type of question can surface valuable information that may not have come up in the initial conversation. It will also give the recruiter an opportunity to reveal the hiring manager’s perspective on the job.If the recruiter is noncommittal about next steps, with comments such as “we’re just starting the interview process” or “we have more candidates to talk to,” you most likely aren’t a top candidate. In this case, ask, “What additional information can I provide you with for you to feel comfortable championing my candidacy for this role?” If the recruiter engages, you may have a few minutes to provide more information, or you may receive feedback that can help you when interviewing with the next company.  Ask for feedback after every roundOnce you make it past the recruiter screen, you’ll likely interview with the hiring manager and then potentially numerous people on panel interviews. At the end of your interview with the hiring manager, ask, “How do you think my skills can be leveraged to bring value to your team and the company?” The answer will reveal whether your message was clear - or whether you need to hone it further.After each interview, write thank-you emails, not just to the people you interviewed with, but also to the recruiter, whom you can ask for time to discuss subsequent interviews. During that conversation, ask, “Is there any feedback, specific focus areas, or anything I can do to improve my interviewing technique?” You’ll receive more feedback when you’re in the middle of the interview process than after you’re eliminated from it. Recruiters want to keep you fully engaged and interested in the job and they want you to be successful in every round of interviews until they’re informed you’re no longer a viable candidate or you receive an offer.  Ask culture-fit questions at the end of the processCulture fit is about your demeanor, energy, presence, and how you approach your work. If you didn’t get the job, ask the recruiter, “Do you think, based on the feedback, I would be a culture fit for future opportunities? I wouldn’t want to waste my time or yours if it’s not a match.” You may not receive a transparent answer, but it’s worth a try.If you receive any feedback, do the following three things to put what you learn into practice.  Listen with curiosity.Take notes and deeply understand the context behind the feedback. This isn’t a time to argue, refute what’s being said, or try to explain your experience further. This is the time to take away some insights to use for future interviews.But keep in mind that the feedback you get is one person’s or group’s perspective. Some feedback may not be applicable to future jobs — for example, “We really needed someone who is more hands-on.” Another company may love that you focus more on strategy. Use every answer you get to fuel questions for future recruiters — for example, “Are you seeking someone more hands-on, someone who can provide higher-level strategy, or both?” or “What percentage would you say is hands-on and what percentage of the work is strategy development?” Analyze feedback holistically.Recruiters don’t know how you will receive feedback, so expect it to be sanitized to not hurt your feelings. Take it at face value, and don’t overanalyze one sentence or one phrase as the reason you didn’t receive an offer. Review the feedback holistically to either pivot if you’re still in the interview process, or to change your interview strategy and approach with the next company if you’ve been rejected from continuing in the process. Adjust your approach, not yourself. Feedback is not personal — no one is asking you to change your personality, and you wouldn’t want to anyway. You can pivot where doing so is comfortable and makes sense, but not where you would be compromising your authenticity. If you’re putting on a show and not being your true self, then you won’t know if you’ll be a culture fit for the team, function, or company. Therefore, use the feedback to develop your interviewing skills and executive presence for future roles. In the end, if you’re rejected from a role and no one will give you feedback, don’t take it personally. Many times, it’s not about you! There could be internal politics, a management change, or the need for someone with different skills than you have at play, or the job posting could’ve been cancelled and no one told you…the list goes on.The most important thing to remember is you will get the right role at the right time. 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

Let’s face it: we’re navigating uncharted waters when it comes to the job search these days. So much has changed, and I am seeing clients struggle to be successful in their job search. I thought I would present this information in a Problem/Solution format – what’s tripping job seekers up and my recommendations for how to address.  The Interview Process Problem: Candidates are faced with video interviews, virtual interviews, phone interviews, and in-person interviews. I have clients who’ve gone through as many as 10 rounds of interviews – only to be passed over for an internal candidate. Solution: Preparation! It is so important to practice your responses to questions like “tell me about yourself” and behavioral interview questions. Not with a friend or family member, but rather a professional such as an interview coach (of which I am one). Also – practice with the technology you’ll be using ahead of time if possible. Ask the interviewer what the platform will be if you aren’t sure. Nothing detracts from your professionalism right off the bat like futzing with your tech or not being able to conduct the interview at all. Finally – Ask! What type of interview will this be, who can I expect to be in the interview, what else should I know? KNOWLEDGE IS POWER.  Is this Job Remote, In-House, or Virtual?  Problem: Some job announcements will tell you this; others don’t. For my clients who have a specific requirement (for most, it is to work remotely), they don’t always know whether the job they are applying for is a fit in this regard. Solution: Apply anyway, if it is a job you are extremely excited about and feel well qualified (notice I didn’t say 100% qualified – my rule of thumb is at least 75%-80%). It is quite possible that there is room for negotiation with this once they are excited about hiring you. If you DO end up needing to negotiate this aspect, plan out three reasons why you want to work remotely or in a hybrid arrangement. Make sure the reasons you state speak to the benefit to the organization, rather than your personal reasons (they don’t care that Fido gets separation anxiety).  Why is it Taking So Long?  Problem: Job searches in general are taking longer than candidates expect – and the timeline from application to receiving a job offer is taking longer, as well. Solution: The answer here is a mindset shift because you have arbitrarily decided how long this process should take…and it’s taking longer than that. You can’t compare your job search or hiring timeline to anyone else’s – so patience is key. Make sure you aren’t making the delays and protracted timelines mean anything about you, your marketability, or the job market.  Job Boards are STILL Broken Problem: Clients are coming to me because the way they’ve always gotten jobs in the past – via job boards – isn’t yielding the results they were expecting. They need to do things differently…they just don’t know how. Solution: Networking, of course, is the solution to job boards. I’ve talked about this extensively on the podcast, including my +1 approach. Step 1: Identify 10-12 companies that are ideal matches with your non-negotiables Step 2: Identify people you know who work in those companies and/or know the decision maker Step 3: Meet with those people, either virtually or in person – and have a specific ask Step 4: Provide as much value as you give Step 5: Follow-up and follow-through Step 6: Lather, rinse, repeat For the +1 Approach: Step 1: Apply only to jobs online that you are extremely interested in and at least 75% qualified for Step 2: Leverage your network to have someone put in a good word for you, make an introduction, or otherwise advocate on your behalf Step 3: If step 2 fails, PROFESSIONAL STALKING  Is My Resume Even Making It Through the Company’s System?  Problem: If you haven’t had your resume written by a qualified resume professional, you may be submitting a document that can’t be properly read by the Applicant Tracking System (ATS). Solution: I provide my clients with two versions of their resume: one I call the “pretty” version that is fully formatted, and one for ATS upload. In addition to the ATS not being able to read things like bullets (unless they are found on your computer keyboard), tables, text boxes, and underlining, the ATS needs to be able to find certain information in certain places. -Use standard resume headings, such as Education and Professional Experience -Spell out words and use the acronyms, such as Bachelor of Science and BS -Review the job description for keywords that aren’t already present in your resume, and include them if applicable -Don’t keyword stuff -Don’t stack jobs -Translate your job titles, if needed Finally, reach out to the employer whenever possible to verify they have received your materials. It’s easy to experience a glitch, forget to hit the send button, or otherwise cancel out your application.  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   

The information for this week’s podcast comes from an online article by businessnewsdaily.com. Step 1: Identify your leadership style. Each leadership style has its strengths, although some are seen as more desirable. It’s important to understand and harness the strengths of your leadership style so you can communicate effectively and motivate your team. The 9 most common types of leadership: Autocratic leadership: This is one of the strictest types. Autocratic leaders tend to have complete control over the decision-making process. This leadership style can be effective when decision-making is urgent, or workmanship is routine. Bureaucratic leadership: Although not as strict as autocratic leaders, bureaucratic leaders also tend to strictly enforce regulations and statuses in the hierarchy. This leadership style can be effective in healthcare and safety environments. Charismatic leadership: Charismatic leaders have an infectious presence that motivates their team to follow their lead. Their likability helps them and their teams achieve success in business. This leadership style can be effective in high-energy work environments that need a lot of positive morale.  Democratic leadership: Unlike autocratic or bureaucratic leaders, a democratic leader often welcomes subordinate participation in decision-making. This leadership style is often admired and can be effective in creative work environments that don’t require quick decisions. Laissez-faire leadership: Laissez-faire leaders have a hands-off approach and let their employees assume responsibility in the decision-making process, although they must still set employee expectations and monitor performance. This leadership style can be effective when working with highly experienced and confident employees. Servant leadership: Servant leaders share power and decision-making with their subordinates and often direct the organization based on the team’s interests. This leadership style can be effective for humanitarian organizations, nonprofits, and teams that need to create diversity, inclusion, and morale. Situational leadership: Situational leaders implement a range of leadership types and modify their style based on the needs of their employees and the environment. Because of its versatility, this type of leadership is effective in most organizations.  Transactional leadership: A transactional leader uses a reward/consequence system to motivate employees toward success and discourage them from failure. This leadership style can be effective for teams that are motivated by rewards. Transformational leadership: Like charismatic leaders, transformational leaders use their inspiring energy and personality to create an engaged workplace. This style is often more effective than charismatic leadership, as it also motivates teams to build confidence and accountability. It can be effective in organizations with intellectual team members who thrive in interactive environments.How to identify your leadership style Let’s figure out which leadership style feels most authentic to you. Here are some questions: To do this, ask yourself these questions:  What do I value more – goals or relationships?Do I believe in structure or freedom of choice?Would I rather make decisions on my own or collectively?Do I focus on short- or long-term goals?Does motivation come from empowerment or direction?What does a healthy team dynamic look like to me?There is no right or wrong answer to these questions; many individuals find their leadership style through trial and error. Experiment with different approaches to see which one works best for you and your team. You can also seek a leadership mentor who can offer advice on how they developed their style. Solicit feedback from people you trust as well. Most importantly, be authentic. Try to pick a leadership style that feels natural to use and is aligned with your strengths.  Why it is important to understand your leadership styleSelf-awareness is the foundation of a good leader. When you understand what leadership style works best for you and your team, it’s easier to be an effective leader.“It’s important to know what type of leader you are (or are not) in order to show up effectively in an organization. Knowing your leadership style also helps you decide which organizations might be a better cultural fit.”It’s important that you maintain transparency about what you’re focused on as a leader, and to help create alignment around your vision and objectives. It’s also important to create a culture where people understand the strengths they collectively bring to the team.Effective leaders are able to set a vision, align people with that perspective, and show them how they can achieve that intent together. However, you must play to the strengths of your leadership style to achieve that goal. “If you can better understand your leadership strengths and harness them, you will continue to grow and succeed.” Daily leadership behaviors that motivate employeesRegardless of your leadership style, there are leadership behaviors you can exhibit to inspire employee motivation and success. A prime example is to be a positive role model for your team. Showing your people that you are constantly focusing on improving your own skill set – leadership, industry knowledge, technical skills – is critical to good leadership. You can encourage them to explore new skills to make sure they know you’re committed to their growth.When you set a good example for your employees and show interest in their success, they are more likely to follow your lead and respect your authority. You can also display daily acts of authenticity, compassion, and inclusion to inspire employees. You can build trust in your employees if you exhibit genuine actions and are willing to work alongside your team when necessary.The Leading with Courage Academy has a leadership self-assessment tool you can find at this URL: https://lwca116.typeform.com/to/Oj2zpq?typeform-source=lee116.typeform.com 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 

The usual cadence of hiring is this: The biggest push of the year occurs mid-January through March; the second-biggest push occurs after Labor Day until early- to mid-November. Of course, COVID and the current job market has affected the hiring practices of many employers, but let’s go with there being one more chance to get hired in 2022.  If You’ve Already Been Searching.  If you’ve been looking for a few months with no results, it’s time to up your game – especially if all you have been doing is looking at job boards (which, as I’ve said many times before on this podcast, isn’t really a job search, in my opinion). It’s time to add 1-2 active job search strategies to your arsenal, which I’m going to talk about in a few minutes. One more thing: how’s your mindset? You haven’t had the success you were hoping for yet – what are you making that mean? It’s so important to do the “mental hygiene” at this point so you can get different results than you’ve gotten so far.  If You’re Just Getting Started.  If your resume isn’t prepared and your LI profile updated – get on that immediately. Also – give some thought to your non-negotiables in an employer and job. After all, if you don’t know what you are looking for, how will you know if you’ve found it? This process also helps with avoiding “shiny object syndrome” – going after a job for the wrong reasons. One more suggestion – do a Google search on yourself. Is there anything there that would cause a potential employer to skip over you? In addition to the absence of negative, is positive content related to you out there? Whether you’ve been looking for some time or are just getting started, here are some active job search strategies you can consider adding to the passive activities of looking at job boards and company websites. Pick 1 or 2 – don’t try to do them all. Here are some options: -Begin (or increase) connecting and cultivating relationships via LinkedIn -Set up 1-2, 1:1 networking meetings, either via technology or in person each week -Check out virtual or live career fairs in your area – either sponsored by the city, a local university, an industry (such as healthcare), or an individual employer -Attend a virtual or in-person event for your professional association -Attend in-person networking events, such as those put on by your local Chamber of Commerce, BNI, etc. -Attend in-person events where networking can occur (the music isn’t too loud and the people aren’t too drunk) -Check out Meet-Up and the Events tab on Facebook for affinity groups you could join – and network with the participants -Look into your university alumni association -Let people at your place of worship know you are looking for a job  Happy job searching!  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 week, I’m talking about the stages of group development – what is necessary (and inevitable) for a team to grow, face up to challenges, tackle problems, find solutions, plan work, and deliver results. This work is based on the research of Bruce Tuckman from 1965, who hypothesized that, along with these factors, interpersonal relationships would create an effective group function. The four stages Tuckman identified in his research are forming, storming, norming, and performing.  FormingIn this phase, the team meets and learns about the opportunities and challenges, and then agrees on goals and begins to tackle the tasks. Team members tend to behave quite independently. They may be motivated but are usually relatively uninformed of the issues and objectives of the team. Team members are usually on their best behavior, but very focused on themselves. Mature team members begin to model appropriate behavior even at this early phase.  The meeting environment also plays an important role. Members attempt to become oriented to the tasks as well as to one another. This is also the stage in which group members test boundaries, create ground rules, and define organizational standards.  Discussion centers on defining the scope of the task, how to approach it, and similar concerns. To grow from this stage to the next, each member must relinquish the comfort of non-threatening topics and risk the possibility of conflict. StormingThis is the second stage of team development, where the group starts to gain each other’s trust. This stage often starts when they voice their opinions; conflict may arise between team members as power and status are assigned. When group members start to work with each other they start to learn about individual working styles and what it is like to work with each other as a team; it also identifies the hierarchy of positions in the group.  At this stage there is often a positive and polite atmosphere, people are pleasant to each other, and they may have feelings of excitement, eagerness, and positivity. Others may have feelings of suspicion, fear, and anxiety. The leader of the team will then describe the tasks to the group, describe the different behaviors to the group, and how to deal and handle complaints.  In this stage "...participants form opinions about the character and integrity of the other participants and feel compelled to voice these opinions if they find someone shirking responsibility or attempting to dominate. Sometimes participants question the actions or decision of the leader as the process grows harder..."  Disagreements and personality clashes must be resolved before the team can progress out of this stage, and so some teams may never emerge from "storming" or re-enter that phase if new challenges or disputes arise.  In Tuckman's 1965 paper, only 50% of the studies identified a stage of intragroup conflict, and some of the remaining studies jumped directly from stage 1 to stage 3. Some groups may avoid this phase altogether, but for those who do not, the duration, intensity, and destructiveness of the "storms" can be varied.  Tolerance of each team member and their differences must be emphasized in this phase; without tolerance and patience the team will fail. This phase can become destructive to the team and will lower motivation if allowed to get out of control.  Some teams will never develop past this stage; however, disagreements within the team can make members stronger, more versatile, and able to work more effectively together. Supervisors during this phase may be more accessible but tend to remain directive in their guidance of decision-making and professional behavior.  The team members will ideally resolve their differences and members will be able to participate with one another more comfortably. The ideal is that they will not feel that they are being judged and will therefore share their opinions and views. Normally tension, struggle, and sometimes arguments occur.  Norming"Resolved disagreements and personality clashes result in greater intimacy, and a spirit of cooperation emerges." This happens when the team is aware of competition and they share a common goal. In this stage, all team members take responsibility and have the ambition to work for the success of the team's goals.  They start tolerating the whims of the other team members. They accept others as they are and make an effort to move on. The danger here is that members may be so focused on preventing conflict that they are reluctant to share controversial ideas. Performing"With group norms and roles established, group members focus on achieving common goals, often reaching an unexpectedly high level of success." By this time, they are motivated and knowledgeable. The team members are now competent, autonomous, and able to handle the decision-making process without supervision. Dissent is expected and allowed as long as it is channeled through means acceptable to the team. Supervisors of the team during this phase are almost always participating. The team will make most of the necessary decisions. Even the most high-performing teams will revert to earlier stages in certain circumstances. Many long-standing teams go through these cycles many times as they react to changing circumstances. For example, a change in leadership may cause the team to revert to storming as the new people challenge the existing norms and dynamics of the team. In 1977, Tuckman added a fifth stage: adjourning. Adjourning This stage involves completing the task and breaking up the team (also sometimes referred to as mourning). Tuckman’s research concluded that an important step in the small group lifecycle was the ultimate separation at the end of this cycle.   As a leader of small groups, how can you facilitate this lifecycle?  In the forming phase, a leader should engage their coordinating behaviors, which include:  -Purposefully picking the team -Facilitating goal identification -Ensuring a shared mental model – a cohesive approach to thinking about the problem or task at hand  In the storming phase, a leader should engage their coaching behaviors, which include:  -Serving as a resource person for the team -Developing mutual trust -Calming the work environment  In the norming and performing phases, a leader should engage their empowering behaviors, which include:  -Getting feedback from team members -Facilitating the transfer of leadership to the group -Setting aside time for planning and engaging the team  In the adjourning phase, a leader should engage their supporting behaviors, which may include:  -Redefining roles -Creating future leadership opportunities  You’re probably thinking that leaders in these various phases need to have a wide range of competencies – and you’re right. I wanted to take a few minutes to outline three leadership strategies to help with these groups:  Group diversity is everything…if you can manage it.  From a personality perspective, research has shown that, while homogeneous groups get along better with less conflict, heterogeneous groups achieve better results…IF they learn to work together.  Understanding personality type, and subsequently bringing together a diverse group in terms of the way they take in information, make decisions, structure themselves, and orient themselves to the outer world will ultimately help you get the best possible result.   Striking a balance between decisiveness and inclusivity.  Your team will run you over if you aren’t decisive enough…but if you are dictatorial, they will rebel like teenagers. Your challenge, then, is to find the ideal balance between getting input so all members feel heard and their opinions valued - AND making the necessary decisions that move the group forward.  Personality type plays a role here, as well – make sure your introverts are heard. Giving them the agenda ahead of time, with specific questions or issues you’ll be bringing up during the next meeting, will help get the best out of your quieter members.  If a lack of decisiveness is one of your weaknesses, establish a timeframe for decision-making. For example, set a timer in the meeting for discussion, then when the alarm goes off, DECIDE. Then move on to the next decision…no second-guessing or re-evaluating.   Continue to step back, gradually. As the team becomes more cohesive, roles and responsibilities clearly defined, and forward progress accelerates, your leadership role will change. An important skill set is to know when to step back to more of a facilitation/support role.  Ego can sometimes get in the way here, so keep in mind that this isn’t about you. You have an amazing opportunity to develop emerging leaders, help group members develop skills, and watch synergy between people who perhaps didn’t even know one another a short time ago.   Here’s a bonus: Evaluate your leadership.  This is a growth opportunity for you as a leader, so it is important that you assess your leadership strengths at each phase. Where could you have handled situations better? Where were you too slow/too fast to address a problem? Internally, where did you find yourself resisting a change that would require a different set of skills from you?  Make sure you do this evaluation from a place of curiosity and personal development – not judgment and condemnation. Remember, there is a learning curve here for you, as well – even if you have led other groups, you haven’t led this group with this purpose before. Be kind to yourself!   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            

Today, I’m talking about how to manage difficult employees. My sources for this episode include Northeastern University Graduate Programs blog, lumapps.com, and indeed.com  Let’s start with the definition of a difficult employee: A difficult employee is a term used to describe a person who acts in a careless, unprofessional, or irresponsible manner in the workplace. Difficult employees may challenge the authority of their leaders, create a negative or disruptive work environment for their peers, or struggle to meet personal performance expectations.  Specific characteristics of a difficult employee may include: Attendance issuesFailure to meet expectationsDistracting others from their workLack of motivation, energy, enthusiasm, or pride in their own workDifficulty accepting accountability for their actionsArgumentative, rude, violent, or disruptive behaviorBehavior that intimidates, threatens, or humiliates othersLack of respect or tolerance for the opinions, skills, or talents of othersDifficulty building positive work relationships or working on a teamTaking part in workplace gossipIgnoring established rules or procedures What are some of the causes? -Professional relationships -Jealousy of the success of others-Issues within their home or family-Physical or mental health concerns-Stress resulting from a heavy workload-Poor work-life balance Difficult employees often have the potential to be valuable contributors to an organization. The actions and behaviors of these employees also impact the culture and morale of the overall workplace. It is important to understand that difficult employees often are not intentionally being difficult, but instead are responding to challenges in their personal or professional lives that are impacting their ability to perform or behave appropriately. I think it is easy to get into a victim/villain mode with a difficult employee – thinking that they are intentionally doing the things they are doing to “get you” as the boss. This type of thinking puts you as the supervisor in a helpless, disempowering position with the difficult employee having power over you.  So, how do we manage difficult employees?  1.    Acknowledge and identify the problemThe first step is an acknowledgment that there is a problem - and identifying exactly what the problem is. Documentation helps here, along with specific examples of each issue.  2.    Find the positivesAlthough sometimes we may find this difficult, it is important to identify the employee’s positive characteristics. By identifying several positive traits or achievements to discuss with the employee along with your concerns, you minimize the risk that the meeting will become confrontational and unproductive. The employee will likely respond better when they feel their value is being recognized.  3.    Ask for the employee’s feedbackGet the employee’s feedback about their performance, behavior, and concerns. Begin by asking the employee if they are aware of how their performance or behavior is impacting the company. Then ask them if there are any concerns they have or if there is anything they want to discuss. Listen closely to what the employee has to say. Your primary goal for the meeting is to discover the root causes of the issues with your employee’s performance or behavior, and to find solutions you can work on together.  4.    Create an action plan and document itThe next step is to work with the employee to create an action plan to address the concerns. Make sure your expectations, the process for measuring progress, and the consequences for failing to meet expectations are clearly laid out. Identify the specific actions they need to take to help them achieve their goals and identify any tools or resources they will need for success. Establish appropriate time frames for completing each section of the action plan. Finally, be sure to document everything in writing and provide the employee with a copy.  5.    Follow up consistentlyMonitor the employee’s progress throughout the given timeframe. Establish a schedule for check-ins with the employee to discuss progress and provide additional progress. Recognize progress of goal achievement and address any areas in which they are struggling.  With these steps, you can maximize the chances of turning around the difficult employee so they can:-Understand how their behavior or performance impacts the organization-Overcome the personal or professional circumstances that are affecting their behavior or contributing to their performance issues-Build positive work relationships with their managers and colleagues-Make adjustments to their behavior that helps create a positive work environment-Improve their work performance and achieve their maximum potential and greater job satisfaction  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 

I recently read “The Gifts of Imperfection” by Brené Brown, and her section on Hope and Powerlessness really resonated with me. I wanted to translate her concepts to the job search and give my take on her concepts. Hey - I wanted to let you know that the next Land Your Dream Job group coaching program starts on September 13th and goes through November 1st. This is an opportunity for you to get the same great content I offer in 1:1 coaching sessions at a much more affordable price. Topics include: -Identifying your “non-negotiables” – the qualities you are looking for in your ideal next job and employer -Leveraging your existing network – no matter how small or niched you think it is – to get your foot in the door at your target employers -How to utilize my #1 strategy for making your online applications more effective -Building out a multi-pronged job search strategy customized to your career goals and timeline -Recognizing and addressing the negative thoughts that will hold you back from job search success There will be 8 weekly group coaching sessions You get all of this for just $795! And, if you bring a friend, the second registration is half off – just $395.  If you would like to get your name on the waiting list to be notified when registration opens, here’s the link: https://landyourdreamjob.carrd.co/  Getting back to Brené Brown and Hope, her research revealed that hope isn’t an emotion, but rather a way of thinking or a cognitive process. Hope, then, is a thought process made up of a trilogy of goals, pathways, and agency. Hope happens when: -We have the ability to set realistic goals -We are able to figure out how to achieve those goals, including the ability to stay flexible and develop alternative routes AND -We believe in ourselves.  Here’s my translation: -We know what we want -We know how to get there AND -We believe we can do it.  According to Brené, hope can be learned. Children most often learn hope from their parents. We may have learned hope from other significant role models in our lives, such as extended family, teachers, coaches, or clergy. Let’s translate all of this into the job search. If we think of Brené’s trilogy of hope, our job search will be successful if: -We set SMART goals – realistic, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-sensitive. In other words, we aren’t just out there REACTING to job boards – applying to jobs with the mindset of “that doesn’t sound bad,” or “I could do that.” We are being proactive with our job search. -We have a plan to achieve those goals – what will we do each day towards landing our dream job. At the same time, we are open to mid-course corrections as we gather data on what is – and isn’t – working for us. We are willing to be disappointed as many times as needed to get that great job. -We believe we are qualified for, and deserving of, a great job with great pay, benefits, and working conditions. We don’t downplay our qualifications and skill set, nor do we settle for “good enough.” Brené talks about children needing boundaries, consistency, and support to develop their hopefulness. As job seekers, we need the same things: -Boundaries – this is what I am willing to do/not do and what I am/am not willing to sacrifice for my job search. Further, boundaries need to be set around what is most important to us in our next employer and job – and be unwilling to compromise on those non-negotiables. -Consistency – job seekers who occasionally network, stop and start their job search when other things in their life get complicated, or don’t follow through on their plan lack the consistency to be successful in their search. I require my clients to dedicate a consistent minimum of 5 hours per week on their job search if they are currently employed – with considerably more time required of those who are unemployed. -Support – job seekers need the right kind of support. In addition to supportive family and friends who sign on with your goals, you need professional support. This can include a professional resume writer, career coach, and job search group. It is so important to have help with both your mindset, job search strategy, and execution to be successful. Your job search isn’t going to be fun, fast, or easy – and one of the biggest mistakes I see job seekers make is deciding arbitrarily that “this is taking too long,” “This is too difficult,” or “they aren’t hiring me because of _____.” These beliefs are hope killers. Hopeful self-talk might include: -“This is hard, and I can do hard things” -“I am patient with myself as I learn new skills” -“I am becoming better at _____.”   This is not to say that your entire job search will be a drudge. Find ways to infuse fun into your job search! For example: -Reward yourself each day after achieving that day’s job search goals -Make your networking meetings as fun as possible, while still achieving your goals. Laughter is great medicine. -Allow yourself to get excited about the possibilities you are finding! Not from a place of “if I don’t get THIS job, I’m a failure,” but rather, from a place of “It’s so exciting to learn about what this company is doing.”  Finally, you’ll need to cultivate a tolerance for disappointment in your job search. You’ll inevitably hear lots of no’s or get no response at all many times before you get to your coveted “yes.”  Thoughts such as these can help you through those no’s: “I thought that was the job for me, but I was mistaken.” “Something even better is coming for me.” “They were simply mistaken when they didn’t hire me. The right company will recognize and reward my genius.” Here’s a quote from Brené’s book: “Powerlessness is dangerous. For most of us, the inability to effect change is a desperate feeling. We need resilience and hope and a spirit that can carry us through the doubt and fear.” Your job search is a tremendous opportunity to cultivate hopefulness and a feeling of power. YOU are in control of your job search; YOU can effect change in any area of your job search that isn’t working for you. YOU can weather – even grow from – the disappointments and setbacks in your job search. YOU’VE got this.  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 

My guest this week is Robert Jordan, and we’re talking about the four leadership styles his team has identified. Robert shares how to make sure you land in a “leadership match” position – and how best to leverage your leadership style once you are in your new role. Robert Jordan of Interim Execs, has launched companies and helped others build companies for more than 25 years. Jordan is the author of “How They Did It: Billion Dollar Insights from the Heart of America.” You can find Robert at:https://www.rightleader.com/ https://interimexecs.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertjjordan/https://twitter.com/interim_execshttps://www.youtube.com/user/interimexecs  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  

My guest this week is Tracy Hooper, and we’re talking about words to use and words to lose in your next job interview. Tracy gives us techniques for identifying the less-than-ideal words we may be using and how to replace them with better word choices. Tracy Hooper is the Founder of The Confidence Project, working with executives and high-performing teams in a variety of industries to elevate their presence, communicate more clearly, and work together better. She has been a TV news reporter, anchor, producer, and voice-over professional with a client roster that includes Disney, Marriott, and NFL Films. Find Tracy at:www.ConfidenceProject.comInstagram: theconfidence_projectLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracyhooper/  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     

Mac Prichard, of Mac’s List, is a third-time guest on the podcast!Mac and I have talked on previous episodes about informational interviews. Today, we do a deep dive on how to conduct an informational interview, including the three things you MUST do during this conversation. Mac shares the things he sees job seekers doing wrong in their informational interviews, how to set up the meeting, how to end the meeting, and how to follow up afterward. You can find Mac Prichard at macslist.org, and you can follow his podcast Find Your Dream Job wherever you get your podcasts.  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 week, my guest is Sonja Price. Our parents and grandparents often worked for the same company their entire career – many times, even in the same position. This model doesn’t serve most of us today, and there are financial, developmental, and other reasons to change jobs every few years. Sonja Price and I talk about how to create short- and long-term career goals that will serve as our guideposts for making decisions about career changes, when to look inside your organization and when to look outside, and the indications that it is time to leave your current job.  Sonja Price of Dynamo Careers is a career strategist, salary advisor, and leadership coach and the author of two books. She has worked with Tony Robbins, trained with Al Gore to become a Climate Reality Leader, and won an Honorable Award from the Women’s Economic Forum. Sonja’s mission is to support professional to have greater meaning, better work-life balance, and significantly higher pay.  Check out Sonja’s “Increase Your Income” masterclass to increase your income by $20K to $100K or more per year: www.dynamoincome.com You can find Sonja on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonjaprice  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 week I'm excited to share a "Best of the Exclusive Career Coach podcast" episode — I speak with Mark Danaher, founder of Mark Danaher Training and Coaching. Mark and I discuss the seismic shift in people’s work because of the pandemic – especially the large number of people who are rethinking their career direction.Mark gives us the signs that you may be ready to make a career shift, as well as strategies to help you make that shift.Mark helps professionals make a career change from work they hate to the work they will love. Mark has been a career counselor and coach for over 25 years, helping professionals connect the dots to reduce stress, regain balance, and thrive in their life and career.Mark is offering a free e-book, “How to Make a Career Change in Seven Simple Steps: Seven Lunchtime Activities to Get You in Action and Moving Forward.” Find it at www.markdanaher.com/Lesa

This week I'm excited to share a "Best of the Exclusive Career Coach podcast" episode — I speak with Laura Browne on the 7 Raise Rules for Women Who Want to Make More Money.Men and women approach salary issues very differently, and Laura and I dive into these differences and how women can ask for what they want.Laura provides us with some of her best tips for asking for a raise and negotiating a salary and compensation package.Laura Browne helps women to make more money at work. She is the author of 10 books, including her newest, Increase Your Income: 7 Rules for Women Who Want to Make More Money at Work.She is a contributor to Forbes and has been quoted as a business expert in major publications including Cosmopolitan, Family Circle and USA Today.She has trained high-potential female leaders from Fortune 1000 companies to be more successful through WOMEN Unlimited. She also has experience in leadership and management development for global tech companies. Laura is a High-Performance Business Coach with certification from Columbia University.To find out more about her programs and to see a free video on How to Get A Raise at Work, go to https://learn.careertipsforwomen.comFor a list of 15 Common Raise Mistakes and How to Fix Or Avoid them go to https://www.careertipsforwomen.com/You can contact Laura at Laura.browne@CareerTipsForWomen.com

This week I'm excited to share a "Best of the Exclusive Career Coach podcast" episode — I speak with life coach Jane Springer on the types of mind drama I hear from clients related to the current job market, their qualifications, themselves as human beings, their job search strategy, and their career focus.This mind drama is causing people to stop job searching or put in minimal effort – which, of course, solidifies their opinion of the job market and themselves.Step 1 is recognizing when you are engaging in mind drama; Step 2 is acknowledging which type(s) of mind drama you’re in.We tackle each of these areas of mind drama and provide concrete action steps to overcome.1. The job market“There are no jobs out there.”“No one’s hiring.”“There’s so much competition for every position.”2. Your qualifications and credentials“I don’t have the proper education.”“I’m over (or under) qualified.”“I don’t have ____(fill in the blank with whatever certification or credential you think you need).3. You as a human being“I’m too…” (old, young…whatever)“I’m not confident.”“I’m not good enough.”4. Your job search skills / strategy“I don’t know how to…” (interview, plan a job search, network…)“I’m not a good interviewer.”“I’m too shy to network.”5. Your focus“Maybe I need to take my career in a different direction.”“There are no jobs in my field, I’m thinking of changing to…”“I don’t know what I want to do next.”Jane is a life and wellness coach, specializing in helping women aged 50+ get unstuck. If you want to lose weight, begin dating again, update your style, or improve your relationships with yourself and others, Jane is a tremendous resources.Check out Jane Springer at janespringer.comYou can find her “Divinely Inspired Weight Loss Guide” on her website; you can also schedule a complimentary strategy session with her.

Increasingly, LinkedIn is a crucial part of the hiring process. Whether employers are vetting you for a position you’ve applied for or seeking out candidates with the credentials they require, they ARE most definitely looking at your LI profile. Today, we’re specifically covering strategies for writing an outstanding LI headline. This is the “tag line” that goes directly underneath your name at the top of your profile – and it is prime real estate.  A reminder that I offer a monthly job search Masterclass, held on the third Thursday of the month at 4:00 p.m. Eastern. The topic is different each month, and I jam-pack them full of content. To learn about the next webinar: https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.com1.    Don’t use the default.One of the biggest errors you can make on your LI headline is allowing LI to default to your current job title and employer. You have 220 characters to create a compelling headline; don’t waste it. I’ll be going over how best to leverage these 220 characters in this episode.  2.    What are we trying to communicate in the headline? Your LI headline should communicate the following: -Who you are (your current or aspirational title, or the essence of your work) -What you do (How you add value to an organization)-Results you’ve produced (The results of the value you’ve added)-Credibility or proof (Evidence of what you’ve said about yourself)   3.    Have a headline strategy in mind. For example: -If your current job title is the same job title you are job searching for, then start with that title | Your value proposition or keywords Example:Human Resources Manager | Delivering transformational leadership as a strategic partner | Proactively addressing issues and developing processes that solve complex business problems and enhance bottom-line results (213 characters) With Keywords:Human Resources Director | Professional in Human Resources (PHR) | Professional Certified Coach (PCC) | Strong international HR leadership | Experience with M&A, Spinoffs, Startups (180 characters)   -If you are not actively job searching and want to leverage your LI profile for sales or other business, then start with your job title and company name | Your value proposition or keywords Example:Sales Leader, ABC Supply | Driving excellence in customer satisfaction with exceptional products, superior service after the sale, and generous referral incentives (163 characters) ORSales Director, ABC Supply | Value-Added Reseller (VAR) of commercial and residential kitchen and bath products from Kitchenaid, Whirlpool, Kenmore, Maytag, Bosch, Jacuzzi | Serving the greater Chicagoland area (210 characters)  -If you are overtly job searching, then include your target job title as much as you legitimately can | Your value proposition or keywords (but never include Looking for Work or Seeking Opportunities) – divorce yourself from your current employer Example:Transformational Leader in Human Resources & Talent Acquisition | Delivering human capital and talent acquisition efforts that improve retention rates, reduce hiring costs, and increase profitability (199 characters) ORTransformational Human Resources & Talent Acquisition Leader | Workforce Planning | Pipeline Development | HRIS | Streamlining TA processes, improving retention rates, and reducing hiring costs (193 characters)   -If you are unemployed, you can (and should) be overt. You don’t have a current job title, so you want to make sure your target job title is included in your headline. Example:Mechanical Engineer | Extensive technical background, strong problem-solving skills, and the ability to see around corners | Streamlining processes | Educating and empowering team members (188 characters) OR:Mechanical Engineer | Advanced Thermodynamics | Advanced Fluid Mechanics | Human Robotic Systems | Optical Engineering | Metamaterials | Extreme Materials | Analytics & Statistical Learning | Engineering Finance (211 characters)   -If you are looking to make a career pivot and are doing so covertly, massage your current job title towards what you are looking for | Include keywords for your new career as much as possible Example: (currently in marketing; wants to move into sales)Sales & Marketing Leader | Delivering exceptional sales support with marketing strategy and collateral | Experience with Salesforce | Strong business development skills | Competitive drive to succeed (199 characters) ORSales & Marketing Leader, B2B and B2C | Salesforce | Sales Support | Business Development | Social Media Marketing | Marketing Collateral | Lead-Generation | Account Management (176 characters) In summary, your LinkedIn headline should NOT be your current job title and employer. Think like a recruiter who would be searching on LI for someone like you – what would cause them to stop searching and spend time on your profile? If you are job searching, include your aspirational job title as closely as you can. Finally, don’t try to cover too much real estate with your headline. Rather than appearing capable of a lot of things, it will likely make you look unfocused.  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    

The pendulum is swinging in terms of education and credentials - because employers are finding it difficult to fill many positions, they are increasingly looking more broadly for candidates.

When you are having a difficult conversation with someone, you are the only person in that equation that you have any control over. What you think, what you feel, what you say, and what you do. Here's how to show up for these conversations in a way that serves you.

Today I wanted to give you some tools to help you with your direct reports. I utilized “Quiet Leadership” from David Rock for this episode.   A reminder that I offer a monthly job search Masterclass, held on the third Thursday of the month at 4:00 p.m. Eastern. The topic is different each month, and I jam-pack them full of content. To learn about the next webinar: https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.com  The idea of solutions-focused questions is that you are focusing not on the problem, but on the solution to the problem. There is no upside to placing blame; rather, you want to help your employee understand how they can do better next time. Focusing on problems is focusing on the past – leading us to try to change what can’t be changed. Focusing on problems leads to blame, excuses, and justifications. Focusing on solutions creates energy in our minds. We address problems by analyzing the way forward, instead of their causes. Here are examples of questions: Why didn’t you hit your targets? VS.What do you need to do next time to hit your targets? Why did this happen? VS.Why do you want to achieve here? Where did it all start to go wrong? VS.What do you need to do to move this forward? Why do you think you’re not good at this? VS.How can you develop strength in this area? What’s wrong with your team? VS.What does your team need to do to win? Why did you do that? VS.What do you want to do next? Who is responsible for this? VS.Who can achieve this? Why isn’t this working? VS.What do we need to do to make this work?  Notice how often I used the word “why” in the problem-focused questions – removing this work from our conversations with employees can be a great first step to focusing on solutions. Here’s a quote from The Solutions Focus: “It is often easier to start something new than to stop something. Anything that is a habit is by definition difficult to stop. And, if change is encouraged by positive reinforcement, it is much easier to be aware of when you are taking the reinforceable action than to know when you are not doing whatever it is that you want to give up.” In a nutshell: Problems fade into the background as solutions develop. According to Quiet Leadership: “If you’re worried that this sounds too easy, consider that being solutions-focused means taking responsibility for outcomes and taking action. It doesn’t mean being lazy with the facts; in fact, it requires significant discipline and focus.” Here’s your assignment: When you go into a conversation with someone, notice the number of times you choose to focus on problems versus the number of times you choose to focus on solutions, and keep a tally of your ratio. Do this for a week, and see if, simply by awareness, your ratio begins to change towards a solutions focus.  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 

The reason I’m doing this episode today is because of the horror stories I have heard about bosses who are supposed to be “coaching” their employees but are doing something else entirely. As a Certified Executive and Leadership Development Coach (CELDC), I wanted to talk about a few of the coaching competencies as laid out by the International Coaching Federation or ICF. ICF is considered the premier coaching credential organization in the world. Many people in leadership positions have gotten a coaching certification, but it may not be appropriate for everyone. So here’s a crash course on eight coaching competencies you can put to use today without a coaching certification.   A reminder that I offer a monthly job search Masterclass, held on the third Thursday of the month at 4:00 p.m. Eastern. The topic is different each month, and I jam-pack them full of content. To learn about the next webinar: https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.com  1.    Cultivates Trust and Safety.  The first competency I want to talk about is cultivating trust and safety. As a manager of people, you want to create safe and supportive environments that will facilitate your employees’ opening up and sharing freely. There needs to be mutual respect and trust to develop this trust.    2.    Maintains Presence.  It is so important to be present with your employees at all times – and especially when you are coaching them.  Minimize or eliminate the potential for disruption, and make sure you can eliminate mental distractions before you coach an employee.  Here are some of the tools for maintaining presence in the coaching relationship:  -Be flexible with your agenda (but do have an agenda) -Trust your intuition -Be open to not knowing and taking risks -Use humor to lighten the mood when necessary -Avoid being overwhelmed by your employees’ emotions   3.    Listens Actively.  You want to hear what your employee is saying and not saying to fully understand what is going on with your employee. A great coach will do far less talking and far more listening.    4.    Powerful Questioning to Evoke Awareness.  This is where many “coaches” go wrong – they tell their employee what to do and how to do it, rather than creating an environment where the employee accesses her own wisdom and knowledge. Powerful questions are ones that encourage your employee to investigate new insights about themselves. These questions also focus on the future rather than the past.  Tools you can use to evoke awareness include silence (allowing for quiet as the employee processes their thoughts or questions) and metaphor or analogy (utilizing different ways of communicating concepts).    5.    Facilitates Growth. The purpose of coaching should be to promote your employees’ autonomy and ability to transform their book knowledge, experience, and insights into actions.    6.    Goal-Setting It is important to enter into a coaching relationship with specific goals, which should be revisited and revised periodically throughout coaching. The goals set should: -Be SMART goals (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-specific) -Address the employee’s specific concerns and desired areas for learning and development   7.    Designing Actions.  The employee should drive the actions she takes as a result of the coaching. While you can suggest actions, the employee has to buy in.  The employee’s actions should: -Enable the employee to demonstrate, practice, and deepen new learning; -Help the employee to further explore concerns and goals that they outlined themselves; -Encourage the employee to further explore ideas, solutions, and actions that will lead them towards their goals;  -Promote active experimentation and self-discovery;  -Allow the employee to apply what has been discussed and learned during coaching sessions; -Encourage the employee to challenge the existing beliefs and assumptions about the world around them;   -Help the employee to notice and celebrate successes and capabilities for future growth; -Encourage the employee to stretch and challenge themselves, albeit at a comfortable pace.  In a nutshell:  There should be visible, positive change and growth as a result of the coaching experience.   8.    Managing progress and accountability As the coach, you want to encourage your employees to define their own methods of holding themselves accountable, with you playing a supporting role in this accountability. You should never chastise the employee for not staying accountable, but rather approach them directly from a place of support and concern.  To hold an employee accountable: -Clarify the agreed-upon actions with the employee -Ask the employee about their progress with the actions they committed to during previous sessions -Acknowledge the employee’s progress – or lack of progress – since the previous coaching sessions -Keep the employee on track with the coaching plan, intended outcomes, agreed-upon courses of action, and topics for future sessions -Remain open to adjusting the coaching plan based on shifts in direction during coaching sessions -Allow the employee to develop their own ability to make decisions, address key concerns, and improve themselves – while lending a helping hand if needed -Positively confront the employee if he does not take agreed-upon actions  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 

A LOT is written about how to be a great leader. In today’s podcast, I wanted to distill this information down to the top 10 things you MUST know to be a successful leader. A reminder that I offer a monthly job search Masterclass, held on the third Thursday of the month at 4:00 p.m. Eastern. The topic is different each month, and I jam-pack them full of content. To learn about the next webinar: https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.com  For this episode, I used an article on businessnewsdaily.com.  1.    Engage in open, honest communication.  Great leaders are able to customize their interactions and communication styles based on the situation and each team member. They take the time to figure out which communication mode is preferred by each team member, and they are great listeners who are authentically interested in their team members.  The key word here is Authenticity. It is important to be genuine and real above all else.   2.    Connect with your team members.  Building a real, personal connection with your teammates is vital to developing the shared trust necessary to build a strong culture of accountability and exceptional performance. To build a connection with each of your team members, focus on getting to know their personality, interests, strengths, weaknesses, hobbies, and preferences. This can give you insight into their goals and motivations.  3.    Encourage personal and professional growth.  Acting as your team's cheerleader is an important part of being an effective leader. You should be invested in their success and growth.A great leader invests financially and emotionally in his employees’ growth. In addition to providing funds for professional development, great leaders empower their employees by giving them challenging opportunities and guidance.  4.   Keep a positive attitude. The way you handle situations – big and small – says a lot about your leadership skills. Robert Mann, author of The Measure of a Leader (iUniverse, 2013), recommended focusing on the good in any set of circumstances. "Look at three positive things about a problem before you identify what makes it dissatisfying. The more you look at the positives in a problem, the more positively people react with one another." If you or a team member notices a particular course of action you've taken that just isn't working, figure out some things you've done in the past that have worked.  5.    Teach employees instead of giving orders.An effective leader knows how to show others what is required, rather than simply telling them. If you are trying to control people to do certain things in certain ways, you're not going to get the level of engagement that you're looking for. Help the people you lead recognize the choices they have in front of them. People will then take a great deal of ownership over the direction of the project.Leaders should be teaching so they can grow new leaders to take their place. 6.    Set clear goals and expectations. When setting goals and objectives for your team members, encourage questions and feedback. Including them in the process can increase engagement.For a leader to motivate and inspire, she needs to keep her team in the know about her vision," he said. This helps employees understand the result they're working towards as a unit. Don't let team member goals go static. Periodically revisit goals to modify or rearrange them as needed. This will let your team members know that you are present and aware of what they are working on.  7.    Give direct feedback about performance.  If you're not direct, people won't know what you truly think about their work, and they will never be able to improve. If you don't know the precise direction your company is headed, no matter how much you've communicated to your employees and leadership team regarding their individual performance, they will struggle when making decisions and taking action. In addition to providing constructive feedback and performance reviews, highlight employee accomplishments. If a team member does something great, let them know. Celebrate their wins and thank them for their hard work.Acknowledging successes by outlining how it impacts the business, rather than with vague pats on the back, is not only encouraging but also helps a person work better in the long run.  8.    Ask for feedback on your leadership. In addition to feedback from your direct reports, mentors and colleagues can help you evaluate your effectiveness. Leadership coaching can also help you discover your areas for improvement and assist you in developing a plan to achieve your leadership goals.   9.    Be open to new ideas. Good leaders have the emotional intelligence to understand and accept that change is inevitable. Instead of trying to maintain a status quo just for the sake of consistency, embrace change and innovation. Be open to new ideas and alternative ways of thinking. Everyone brings a unique perspective to the table, and that is something to take advantage of, not discourage.When solving a problem, encourage team members to provide their insights. When employees feel like they can openly bring new ideas to the table, true innovation, engagement, and success can prevail.  10.Understand your own motivation. If you view your leadership role as "just a job," it's going to show. To be an effective leader, you need the right motivation. Is it the money or the prestige you care about, or do you sincerely want to inspire people to do their best?In addition to what motivates you, it is important to know what decreases your energy. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses can help you diversify your team and get a well-rounded portfolio of skills. It helps you not hire carbon copies of yourself and surround yourself with others who are not like you.Your leadership style plays a role in how you interact with employees and should be evaluated as well. The best leaders can adapt each style to their situations and employees. Remember that being a good leader takes time. Although some individuals are naturally inclined to have good leadership skills, it is something anyone can learn and improve upon. With hard work, dedication, and strategic planning, you can lead your team to success.  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 

Today, I am speaking with returning guest Jane Springer on how to deal with family and friends who may not encourage you during your job search…who may actively discourage you, in fact.  A reminder that I offer a monthly job search Masterclass, held on the third Thursday of the month at 4:00 p.m. Eastern. The topic is different each month, and I jam-pack them full of content. To learn about the next webinar: https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.com  In this episode, we cover family and friends’ reactions to your thoughts about changing jobs and/or careers, what the people in your life may say about your job search, and what to do when people seemingly resent your new job.  Jane Springer is a health and wellness coach, specializing in helping women in mid-life navigate the challenges they face – divorce, dating, remarriage, weight gain, health issues, and self-image. You can find her at: jane@janespringer.com https://janespringer.com https://www.facebook.com/janespringercoach/?fref=ts https://www.instagram.com/springer_jane/  To access the gift Jane mentions in the podcast, click here: 7 Faith-Filled Steps to Reaching Your Ideal Weight   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 

Today, we’re talking about the unique challenges so many of you are facing as a direct result of the pandemic. Some of you continue to work from home, while others have returned 100% to the office. Still others have devised a hybrid model that combines the two. Specifically, I want to address the challenges of getting acknowledged for your contributions when you aren’t in the office every day – and how to set yourself up for promotions and new opportunities as a remote worker.  A reminder that I offer a monthly job search Masterclass, held on the third Thursday of the month at 4:00 p.m. Eastern. The topic is different each month, and I jam-pack them full of content. To learn about the next webinar: https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.com  I have 10 recommendations for getting noticed and setting yourself up for promotions when you work from home. Here we go:   1.    Boost internal communication  This goes beyond the myriad of virtual meetings that most work-from-home employees are burdened with. Rather, this speaks to discussing your work progress and challenges, informing those who need to know of your progress, and making your contributions known in a professional manner.  This can also include in-person or virtual social gatherings. Can you go to lunch with a colleague? Meet a few after work for drinks? Schedule a virtual happy hour?   2.    Volunteer Just as you would volunteer – in some cases, literally raise your hand – for a project or initiative that interests you, you should do the same thing when working virtually. Don’t wait to be asked – or for the plum assignments to go to colleagues who are in-office.  In most organizations, there are also opportunities to volunteer outside your department or team – find out how to get connected with these opportunities as a WFH employee.  Finally, you can – and should – volunteer to help your coworkers with projects or tasks. This keeps you top-of-mind and allows you to demonstrate your value.   3.    Treat it like a real job (because it is)  Appearances have gotten very slack in the age of COVID. Here’s the thing I have found to be true after working from home for more than a decade: Dressing up for work makes ME feel better about ME. About my work product, my professionalism, my drive and initiative.  If you are working from home, you are saving commute time. Use some of that saved time to dress professionally, fix your hair, and put some makeup on.  The adage of dressing for the job you WANT rather than the job you have still holds true.   4.    Be on time and be professional  If you have a Zoom call scheduled at 4:00, be there. There’s nothing that calls your professionalism into question like being consistently late for meetings.  Make sure the kids won’t be crying nearby, the dogs aren’t barking at the mailman, and your phone won’t ring. Of course, you can’t eliminate all possible distractions – but you can minimize the chances that they will disrupt your meeting.   5.    Let your boss know If you see evidence that your boss is leaving you out of important conversations or cutting your input off, have a conversation with him. There is, however, a caveat here: You have to be willing to listen to what the boss says in return.  Perhaps he has noticed that you don’t speak up as much in meetings as you did when you were in the office. Maybe he questions why you chose to continue to work from home once people started coming back to the office — and thinks this is a sign you aren’t as committed as others are.  Logical or not, it is important to have a conversation with your boss to assure him of your commitment to the work, him, and your team. If you find you are being left out of important meetings held by other staff members, let your boss know about this, as well.   6.    Seek quality over quantity The way many people are approaching WFH equates to burnout – 24/7 access 7 days a week and constant video meetings are not sustainable.  This is your opportunity to hone your time management and boundary-setting skills to create the work-life blend you desire. Done correctly, your quantity of work WILL increase, and your quality will improve dramatically. Know when you are most productive for the various types of tasks you do. Tell your friends and family that you are unavailable during work hours except in an emergency. Create a work environment that is comfortable and conducive. Recognize your particular forms of distraction – i.e. Netflix, laundry – and give them their proper place outside of work hours.   7.    Meet with your boss You need regular meetings with your boss even more when you are working remotely. I highly recommend listening to episode #171 of The Exclusive Career Coach podcast for a deep dive on how to do effective and productive meetings with your supervisor.  Beyond keeping your boss current with your projects and progress, these meetings allow you to tune into your boss’s goals and priorities – which you can then volunteer to help with in a way that best utilizes your talents and passions.  https://exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2021-03-31-171-how-to-have-a-successful-11-with-your-boss  8.    Be there in person, when (and if) possible Are you able to travel to the home office occasionally? Can you meet with colleagues and/or direct reports at their worksite or in a neutral location such as a coffee shop? Can you work in the office sporadically?  A little bit of in-person contact goes a long way.   9.    Forward glowing recognition to your boss Be sure to let your boss know about favorable comments from clients, vendors, co-workers, and others in your organization. You could send the information in an email with a comment such as, Dave, I wanted to let you know how happy ABC Company is with our products and service – here’s a note from the Director of Purchasing!   10. Network outside your department.  Set up lunch dates or virtual coffee meetings with people throughout your organization who would be beneficial to get to know. Keep the relationships you already have in your company going.  Focus on building the relationship, staying present, and finding ways to help so you’re top of mind for recognition and promotion. 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 

We’ve all had to work with difficult co-workers. Of course, what makes a co-worker difficult to work with for one person may not be an issue at all for another person – maybe they even view that co-worker’s idiosyncrasies as a strength.   Hey – if you haven’t checked out my FREE monthly webinars, now’s the time! On the third Thursday of each month at 4:00 p.m. Eastern, I offer a 1-hour webinar on a job search topic. To see this month’s topic and to register: https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.co  The most important thing to understand here is that YOU CAN’T CONTROL ANYONE ELSE. Only yourself. The only person you can change is you.  Your co-worker has the right to talk too loudly, gossip about other co-workers, even steal from the company. They may well have to pay for the consequences of their actions, and you may choose to report their unethical or illegal behavior, but you can’t actually change them.  That is not to say that you can’t make requests of the difficult co-worker or have a conversation about your concerns. It DOES mean that you have to own your feelings about the situation and the toll those feelings are taking on you.  My source for this episode is indeed.com.   So, if the only person you CAN change in this equation is           YOU, what steps can you take to live with this unlivable human being in the next cubicle?  1.    Get to know them. Sometimes, just opening up the lines of communication to understand the co-worker makes all the difference. For example, you may perceive that your co-worker is unfriendly towards you in the mornings. You say a bright and cheery “hello!” and they seemingly ignore you. After a conversation, you find out that they are a) not a morning person AT ALL, and b) they schlepp a lot of stuff to work, which they want to unload before communicating with others. Now that you understand, perhaps you can have some grace about their preferences and wait for their friendliness to thaw in the mornings.  2.    Focus on the relationships at work you enjoy. From a brain science perspective, that which we focus on expands. By focusing on the positive relationships you’ve cultivated at work, your issues with your difficult co-worker will take a back seat and seem less critical.  3.    Talk to your boss. If your co-worker’s behavior has crossed the line into unethical, illegal, or immoral behavior, it’s time to speak with your boss. If he or she is unresponsive or, worse, defends the co-worker’s behavior, go to Human Resources.  4.    Accept them as they are. Accept that you may just not like the co-worker’s personality…and be okay with that.  5.    Stay neutral. No matter what, don’t engage in gossip about this co-worker in the office. Not only does gossip feel bad to the gossiper, it can come back to bite you.  6.    Limit your interactions. To the degree that it is possible, avoid being around this person.  7.    Be the better person. Continue to treat others with kindness and respect, and deal with any conflicts in private rather than bringing coworkers into it.  8.    Know your trigger points. Once you can identify the behaviors your coworker displays that you find the most challenging, you can immediately remove yourself from situations where he or she is exhibiting those behaviors.  9.    Focus on the positive.What do you love about your job? What about other aspects of your employment, such as the hours or the benefits? By adopting an attitude of gratitude, you can minimize the impact of the co-worker on your life.  10.Reflect on your own actions. Think about how you act around this co-worker…how you respond to them. How can you change your behavior in relation to this co-worker?  In summary, recognize your thoughts about your difficult co-worker – and decide if those thoughts are serving you. Notice the question isn’t “Are those thoughts true?” but rather, “Do I like how those thoughts make me feel?” “Do I like the results I am experiencing from the way I am currently thinking about this situation?” If you decide you want to think different thoughts, understand that the old thoughts will continue to rear their head – they are neural pathways in your brain, created to make thinking more efficient. In other words, those negative thoughts are playing on a loop in your brain. After you decide you want to think differently, don’t beat yourself up when the old thoughts come up – just recognize that they are there and that they don’t serve you any longer. Practice thinking the new thoughts – say them out loud, write them down, speak of them with family and co-workers. Then notice how you feel – and contrast that to how you felt when you were obsessing over your co-worker.   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  

Today, we’re talking about the signs of job burnout and what to do. The first thing I want to say about this topic is that there is the job burnout you can recover from without leaving your current job, and there is the job burnout that will require you to move on.  My sources for today’s episode include Forbes.com and Greater Good Magazine.  Hey – if you haven’t checked out my FREE monthly webinars, now’s the time! On the third Thursday of each month at 4:00 p.m. Eastern, I offer a 1-hour webinar on a job search topic. To see this month’s topic and to register: https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.co Some of you KNOW you are burned out. For others of you, it may be like lightbulbs burning out one by one – you don’t realize the room is dimming until the last bulb goes out and you are in complete darkness.   Causes of the symptoms of job burnout include: 1.    Lack of job control and or resources to effectively do your job.  Ask yourself: Do I feel in control of my job? Do I have the necessary resources to succeed in my job?  The cure: Talk to your boss about exactly what you need to be effective and what is getting in the way of that. If your boss balks or is part of the problem, this is a job burnout factor that might only be resolved by moving on.   2.    Work overload.  Ask yourself: Does the company culture reward results, or time spent at work? Would I be penalized for working less, even if I still achieved the same results?  The cure: Meet with your boss about lower-priority assignments so you have his/her help and support in rearranging your workload. If the company culture is such that you are penalized for leaving at a reasonable hour or keeping your weekends open, look elsewhere.   3.    Unclear job expectations.  Ask yourself: Do I clearly understand my boss’s expectations of what I need to accomplish?  The cure: If you don’t have a written job description, make a stab at one and meet with your boss about it. Get clarification from him or her on the priorities and expectations – and how your success will be evaluated.   4.    Work environment that leads to increased stress levels.  Ask yourself: Does the office culture and dynamics foster a positive working environment?  The cure: Do what you can to improve your personal work environment, such as plants, pictures, occasionally closing your door. Foster relationships with co-workers through lunches, drinks after work, etc.  If you are working remotely, what can you do to alleviate the isolation? How can you schedule your day and your work environment to alleviate stress?   5.    Lack of physical activity.  Ask yourself: Am I getting enough physical activity to feel good about myself and remain healthy?  The cure: Find micro-opportunities for physical activity throughout your day, such as taking a break every hour to walk up and down a flight of stairs or parking as far away from the building as possible. What do you enjoy doing for activity? Schedule time for a tennis match, run, or yoga class – this should be a top priority.   6.    Too much work and too little play.  Ask yourself: Am I scheduling enough “me” time and time with friends and family?  The cure: I like to think of this as work/life blend, rather than work/life balance. If you don’t feel you have the proper blend, what small ingredients can you add? What quick wins can you have to get more time for yourself and/or with friends and family?   7.    Lack of reward or recognition. Ask yourself: Is there evidence that this company and my boss truly value my contributions?  The cure: If this is a systemic issue with your employer – and rewards and recognition are extremely important to you – it may be time to move on. If the issue lies more with your boss, can you volunteer to lead an employee recognition program with some co-workers?   8.    Lack of fairness and equity.  Ask yourself: Are assignments doled out equitably? Is praise and recognition consistent and in balance with the achievement? Are there “favorites” in the office?  The cure: This may be a time to cut your losses, especially if the boss’s favoritism is hurting your career. If you choose to hang in there, decide that your boss’s favoritism and inequity is no reflection on you or your performance – it’s his or her issue.   9.    Values mismatch. Ask yourself: Do the values of your employer and your boss align with your values?  The cure: If your company makes a product or provides a service you don’t believe in, you’re better off leaving. The same is true if your company operates in a way that is incongruous with your values.    10.Lack of friendships at work. Ask yourself: Do I have close friends at work with whom I can share my successes and frustrations? If I am working remotely, have I accommodated those friendships in this new environment?  The cure: Make friendships a priority – schedule time for lunches, coffee dates, etc. Ask your coworkers about their personal lives. You can do this even if you are working remotely – and it’s all the more important that you do.  According to Jill Suttie, in Six Causes of Burnout at Work: “While organizations can do much to prevent burnout by setting kind, considerate workplace policies and improving workplace culture, individuals have a role to play, too. Understanding what burns you out and trying to alleviate it is important to keeping you happy on the job.“Some people with particular personality traits or career paths may suffer burnout more easily, writes Moss. For example, those who have higher levels of neuroticism (over-worry), conscientiousness (especially if it leads to perfectionism—a potential problem), and introversion (in a highly social office) may be particularly susceptible. “To help individuals do what they can to reduce burnout in themselves, say no to things that are not necessary to do your job, without fear of “missing out” or disappointing others. Do more of what you’re good at and less of the stuff that drains you—perhaps skipping the Zoom meeting with multiple people and phoning a person you need to talk to instead. Lastly, it is important to have friends—at work and outside of it—whom you can lean on when times are hard.” 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     

Today, I’m sharing my 12 top career management tips for 2022. For this episode, I pulled information from Workitdaily.com and monstergulf.com. Hey – if you haven’t checked out my FREE monthly webinars, now’s the time! On the third Thursday of each month at 4:00 p.m. Eastern, I offer a 1-hour webinar on a job search topic. To see this month’s topic and to register: https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.co 1.    Keep your resume up to date. Whether you are looking for a job or completely happy where you are, having an up-to-date resume says to the universe, “I am open and willing to speak with recruiters.” Another benefit: If you frequently update your resume, there’s less chance that you’ll forget important achievements.  2.    Polish your LinkedIn profile. Much like keeping your resume up to date, keeping your LI profile current is a must. I like to think of your profile as “recruiter flypaper,” meaning your content is attracting the recruiters you want to speak with.  3.    Keep a win list. I recommend both paper and computer files of your performance evaluations; kudos from colleagues, your boss, customers, or vendors; details of successful projects you managed or initiatives you introduced; performance metrics such as sales reports. This win list will make your life much easier when it’s time to update your resume or prepare for a job interview. 4.    Get a mentor.I did an episode on the four times in your career when a mentor is especially important; you can find it at https://www.exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2021-04-07-172-four-times-when-you-need-a-mentor Mentors can be extremely beneficial in guiding you through the challenges of your job, your profession, your industry, or your company. Choose wisely – and make sure you both are on the same page as to expectations and time commitment.  5.    Become a mentor.Unless you are a still-wet-behind-the-ears recent college graduate, you have something to offer someone. As a rule of thumb, I think you are qualified to mentor someone who is two steps behind you in that area of their professional life. Be open to employees who might be on the search for a mentor – and offer to help others who you are confident would benefit from your expertise and experience.  6.    Make time for networking. For many of my clients, making networking a priority is difficult for them. If they aren’t actively job searching, it is easy to think of work responsibilities as more important than networking. Here’s how I think of this: Noah didn’t wait until it started raining to build the ark. If you make small efforts on a regular basis, your network will remain active and even grow. Then, when you want to look for a new job, that network is there for you to leverage – no need to start from scratch, in the rain.  7.    Join a professional association. Professional associations hold many potential benefits including networking for career advancement, partnership opportunities with colleagues, professional development, and leadership opportunities. Find one that suits your career goals and strengths and go deep in that organization – this is far preferable to joining several groups but not really participating in any of them.  8.    Schedule time for regular meetings with your boss.Last year, I did an episode on how to have productive one-on-ones with your boss: https://www.exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2021-03-31-171-how-to-have-a-successful-1-1-with-your-boss This episode points out how to make sure these meetings aren’t cancelled by your boss, what to do when they are, and how to structure them so both of you are excited and energized by the meetings.  9.    Take advantage of professional development opportunities…or create your own.If your company offers courses or provides funds toward continuing your education, take advantage! If they don’t, look for opportunities that will help you do your current job better and position you for the next rung in your career ladder. I find it helpful to look at job descriptions of the position I want next; what are those employers looking for in a qualified candidate?  10.Set a SMART goal.As a reminder, SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-Sensitive. Here is an example:“I will begin my MBA in the fall of 2022.” I love the saying, “A goal without a plan is just a wish.” It is important to establish a plan to achieve your SMART goal. Your plan to begin your MBA might include the following, with specific dates to achieve: -Take the GMAT -Research online MBA programs -Apply to 3-5 schools -Make adjustments to work schedule and home commitments to allow time for attending online classes and doing homework Your goal could be around additional education or certification, a skill you want to improve on, a technology you want to learn, or a person you want to work closely with.  11.Tackle a gap. In addition to engaging in professional development to position yourself for your next role, what else do you need to be competitive? What experience do you need to have – or have more of? This gap may very well inform your choice for a SMART goal.  12.Google yourself. Not only to find if there is anything negative about you out there, but also to see what positive content is out there. Are you positioned as a thought leader in your field? A subject matter expert? At the pinnacle of your profession? Along these lines, take a look at your credit score and make sure there’s nothing there that could bite you if a future employer wants to do a credit check. Which ones resonated with you? Remember, a goal without a plan is just a wish…so get busy planning to make your career management goals happen. Let me know if I can help!   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 

Hey – if you haven’t checked out my FREE monthly webinars, now’s the time! On the third Thursday of each month at 4:00 p.m. Eastern, I offer a 1-hour webinar on a job search topic. To see this month’s topic and to register: https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.co This week, we’re talking about how to position yourself as a star performer. According to the book The Emotionally Intelligent Workplace by Cherniss and Goleman, there are several key competencies of Star Performers. A Star Performer is defined as someone who is in the top 10% of performance. Those competency clusters are: Self-Awareness – Understanding yourselfSelf-Management – Managing yourselfSocial Awareness – Understanding othersRelationship Management – Managing others The goal is not to be a Star in every competency in each of these clusters, but to have a good balance of competencies across the four clusters. It’s also important to define a derailer – a behavior or attitude that curtails an individual’s performance or advancement. Because of the person’s visibility or impact on others, one derailer can undermine or trump a whole set of Emotional Intelligence competencies. If you haven’t listened to last week’s episode on Your Emotional Intelligence Profile, I highly recommend it, as we define and discuss the facets of Emotional Intelligence in that episode. These facets form the basis for your Star Performer Action Plan, which we are creating today. Briefly, here are the competencies: Under Self-Awareness:-Emotional Self-Awareness-Accurate Self-Assessment-Confidence Under Self-Management: -Emotional Self-Control-Trustworthiness-Adaptability-Conscientiousness-Achievement Orientation-Initiative Under Social Awareness: -Empathy-Organizational Awareness-Service Orientation Under Relationship Management: -Developing Others-Inspirational Leadership-Influence-Change Catalyst-Communication-Building Bonds-Conflict Management-Teamwork and Collaboration  Here are the steps to creating an action plan to become a Star Performer. Step I: What are the competencies that you currently identify as strengths that you would like to improve even more? Step 2: Do you have any critical derailers? Step 3: How can you leverage your strengths to help mitigate your derailers? Step 4: What resources do you need to make this happen, such as training, feedback, etc.)? Step 5: Who can support you and hold you accountable, and what can they specifically do to help you? Step 6: How might you sabotage your efforts and best intentions? Step 7: What will your first 3 steps be to begin executing your plan?  I like examples, and I think you do, too. Let’s call our person Casey, who works as the assistant purchasing manager at a large manufacturing company. Step I: Casey identifies these three strengths that she would like to develop even further: -Emotional Self-Awareness – Casey recognizes her feelings and how they are affecting her work. She would like to improve on owning those emotions in a male-dominated workplace without feeling guilty about having those emotions. -Adaptability – Casey is great at “going with the flow.” She would like to improve on seeing the opportunities for new challenges proactively, instead of just being reactive to what is already in front of her. -Building Bonds – Casey has a strong network at work. She would like to improve her network in her community and in her profession.  Step 2: Casey identifies her critical derailers. -Confidence – This is, by far, Casey’s biggest derailer. She hesitates to speak up in meetings and doesn’t always express her opinion on matters she is very familiar with. -Organizational Awareness – Casey considers herself to be “apolitical,” and resists the idea of “playing politics” at work. -Inspirational Leadership – Casey wants to move up into greater leadership roles within her profession and company, and she recognizes that her “worker bee” approach will not serve her in leadership roles.  Step 3: How Casey can leverage her strengths to help mitigate these derailers. -To improve on her Confidence, Casey is going to leverage her extensive internal network to identify 2-3 mentors who are confident women and would be willing to help her. -To improve on her Organizational Awareness, Casey is going to establish this as a goal with her immediate supervisor, who is strong in this area. -To improve on becoming an Inspirational Leader, Casey is going to check out TEDx talks and look for YouTube videos and books on becoming an inspirational leader.  Step 4: Casey has identified the following needs: -Mostly, Casey needs time to achieve all of her goals, so she is going to reorganize her work schedule to accommodate meetings with potential mentors and her boss. She will learn about Inspirational Leadership on her own time, so she is going to set aside time for that, as well.  Step 5: Casey has identified her best friend, who works at the same company in another department, as her accountability partner.  Step 6: Casey recognizes that her biggest challenge in making these improvements is her lack of self-confidence – she is concerned that she won’t have her own back about taking the time and showing the courage she needs to do these things. Her best friend is very self-confident and assertive, so she is specifically asking her for help with this.  Step 7: Casey has identified these first three steps in reaching her goals: 1.    Reach out to 2 internal contacts each week to schedule a lunch date, coffee date, or some other way to meet with them to discuss becoming a confidence mentor for her. 2.    Establish a meeting with her direct supervisor to discuss strategies to improve Casey’s Organizational Awareness. 3.    Set aside 2, 1-hour blocks each week to find and view TEDx talks and YouTube videos and read books on Inspirational Leadership.  It is important with any big goals such as these to share them with people who will support you and hold you accountable – who will be your cheerleaders when you succeed and your friend when you stumble.  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  

Hey – if you haven’t checked out my FREE monthly webinars, now’s the time! On the third Thursday of each month at 4:00 p.m. Eastern, I offer a 1-hour webinar on a job search topic. To see this month’s topic and to register: https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.co Emotional Intelligence has been a hot topic for some time now. To my mind, this focus on emotional intelligence is recognition that it isn’t just what you can do for your employer that is valuable, but rather how you do it. How you show up for your coworkers, your boss, your direct reports, your customers, your vendors. I’m pulling heavily today from “Leading with Emotional Intelligence” by Reldan S. Nadler, Psy.D. Let’s start with the difference between IQ (Intellectual Quotient) and EI (Emotional Intelligence). We’ll also introduce Technical Expertise into the mix – and how each of these play out as we progress through our chosen careers. Here’s a definition of each: IQ “A number used to express the apparent relative intelligence of a person.” Harvard Health Publishing defines EI as follows: “Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to identify and regulate our own emotions, to recognize the emotions of other people and feel empathy toward them, and to use these abilities to communicate effectively and build healthy, productive relationships with others.” Technical Expertise is “The capability to perform the duties of one's profession generally, or to perform a particular professional task, with skill of an acceptable quality.” Research shows that as performers move up in their organizations, more of their success comes from leadership skills and EI than their IQ or technical acumen. We all know of people who were great at their lower-level jobs and so were promoted to a leadership role for which they had no experience, training, or natural ability. This often times is a source of job dissatisfaction. In the book, “Leading with Emotional Intelligence,” the author provides an EI assessment. This assessment can be used on yourself, your direct reports, in 360 evaluations, and in establishing goals with your direct supervisor. Here’s how I want to use this profile: As I describe the 20 facets of emotional intelligence, identify the 10 that are most important in your career and industry. Next, think about how often you display that competency, on a scale of 1-10. 1 means you display that competency 10% of the time; a 5 would mean you display that competency 50% of the time, and so on. Feel free to stop and start the podcast so you can give some thought to each, or listen to this list multiple times. Finally, identify just 1 of the competencies that you want to give particular attention to over the next 30 days. It could be one of your weaker ones that is very important to your career; it could be one you rated yourself fairly high on but want to display even more frequently. Set some specific goals as to how you will improve that competency. Who do you need to speak to? What do you need to do? How will you measure success? Note that these competencies are important to develop throughout your career. It is never too early to being consciously working on competencies…and it is never too late. Here are those competencies (note that other experts will have a slightly different list): The first three competencies fall under the general category of Self Awareness. 1.    Emotional Self-Awareness: Recognizing your feelings and how those feelings affect you in your job 2.    Accurate Self-Assessment: Recognizing your strengths and shortcomings and focusing on how to improve your shortcomings 3.    Confidence: Presenting yourself in an assured, forceful, impressive, and unhesitating manner  The next general category is Self-Management.  4.    Emotional Self-Control: Staying calm, unflappable, and clear-headed in high-stress situations 5.    Trustworthiness: Openly admitting your faults or mistakes and confronting unethical behavior 6.    Adaptability: Being comfortable with ambiguities and adapting to new challenges and situations 7.    Conscientiousness: Taking personal responsibility to make sure tasks are completed 8.    Achievement Orientation: Working through obstacles and taking risks to meet challenging goals and continually improving 9.    Initiative: Seizing or creating opportunities for the future  Next we have Social Awareness.  10.Empathy: Understanding others’ perspectives; being open to diversity 11.Organizational Awareness: Understanding the political forces and unspoken rules of work 12.Service Orientation: Being proactive about customer satisfaction and addressing underlying customer needs The final category is Relationship Management.  13.Developing Others: Giving timely and constructive feedback and mentoring 14.Inspirational Leadership: Communicating a compelling vision and inspiring others to follow 15.Influence: Finding the right approach to build buy-in; developing a network of influential people 16.Change Catalyst: Leading change efforts and championing new initiatives 17.Communication: Effectively giving-and-taking with others; continually fine-tuning your messaging and delivery 18.Building Bonds: Building strong networks and using them for answers and support 19.Conflict Management: Understanding all sides and finding common ideals to endorse 20.Teamwork and Collaboration: Being encouraging; drawing others into an active commitment for the collective effort  In the spirit of full disclosure, I decided to take this assessment myself. Here are the 10 I believe are most important in my career as an entrepreneur and subject matter expert: 1.    Emotional Self-Awareness: Sometimes people say something negative about me or are critical of my work. It is important for me to give those comments the proper place without derailing me. 7 2.    Accurate Self-Assessment: This one goes hand-in-hand with Emotional Self-Awareness. Can I take feedback and make improvements? Am I in continuous improvement mode? 6 3.    Confidence: Confidence is essential as an entrepreneur. If I don’t believe in myself, how can I expect anyone else to? 9 4.    Emotional Self-Control: I live my business life on deadlines and manage multiple projects simultaneously. I have to remain calm and level-headed no matter what. 5 5.    Trustworthiness: I’m not perfect, and my clients need to know when I missed something or messed something up. 8 6.    Conscientiousness: This one is a particular challenge as I build my team; everything is still my responsibility, even if I’m not the one personally doing the task. 6 7.    Achievement Orientation: No matter what obstacles are in my way, I have to meet my goals. 9 8.    Empathy: I have to be able to listen to my clients and understand their concerns – while still relying on my expertise. It’s a delicate balance. 6 9.    Service Orientation: My clients know they can trust me to do what I say I’m going to do, when I say I’m going to do it. 8 10.Communication: As my team and clientele is growing, I am continually evolving my communication methods and tools. 7 Conscientiousness is the one I plan to work on for the next 30 days – and for the rest of 2022. As I grow my team and expand my business, I will keep a close eye on making sure all the systems and process I have in place or put in place serve a purpose of creating a delightful experience for my clients and my team members.   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

Hey – if you haven’t checked out my FREE monthly webinars, now’s the time! On the third Thursday of each month at 4:00 p.m. Eastern, I offer a 1-hour webinar on a job search topic. To see this month’s topic and to register: https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.co  Today’s topic is How to Work Around a Debilitating Boss. Notice that I didn’t call it a Toxic Boss. I believe we are using the term “toxic” far too frequently these days. If we are to believe everyone who says their workplace or boss is toxic, the American workplace would be in shambles. (Some would argue that it is in shambles.) I also think many people are using the term “toxic” as a way to absolve themselves of any responsibility for creating, or fostering, the difficult situation. Here’s the definition of Debilitating: “Causing serious impairment of strength or ability to function.” In essence, the word indicates a temporary impairment or a condition of weakness and helplessness. Dictionary.com defines toxic as “Causing unpleasant feelings; harmful or malicious.” Here’s what I take away from these two definitions: Toxic is often malicious in nature, which indicates the boss is doing things on purpose. The results are often harmful.  Debilitating, on the other hand, means your boss is somehow impairing your ability to do your job. You are in a weak and helpless position.  Clearly, there’s a fair amount of overlap between what we might call toxic and debilitating. Rather than focus on whether your boss’s behavior is toxic or debilitating, let’s instead focus on bad boss behavior and what to do about it.  One thing I learned from my years in the workforce, both as an employee and as the boss: Most bosses aren’t intentionally terrible at their job. In many cases, they haven’t been trained for their role as a boss. In other cases, they were outstanding at whatever they did before, so were promoted to a role they are ill-fitted for, and possibly not interested in doing.  I’m sure you are aware of the benefits of being on a cohesive, engaged team that enjoys coming to work every day and can operate at maximum efficiency. Among those benefits: -Reduced stress -Reduced chance of illness -Increased work satisfaction -Improved work relationships -Increased productivity -Improved potential to advance at work  What are some signs you have a bad boss?  -Instructions are given as orders, rather than a conversation among professionals -Your boss constantly offers to show you the door if you don’t like her decisions -Your boss won’t listen to fresh, new ideas because “this is how it’s always been done”  -Your boss tells you that you are lucky to have a job -Your boss, either overtly or covertly, discourages you from having a life outside of work  -Your boss creates an atmosphere of fear…employees are afraid to innovate or be creative -Your boss issues assignments, reorganizes workload or makes decisions without explaining the thought process or reasons -The boss keeps team members out of the loop – you don’t have the information you need to do your job effectively -The boss gossips about employees with other employees -The boss makes what should be private conversations or information public -The boss “punishes” employees by taking juicy assignments away and replacing them with assignments no one else wants, or gives “busywork”   What strategies can you use to work around a debilitating boss? -Determine your boss’s motivations -Identify your boss’s triggers so you can avoid them -Don’t gossip with other employees about your boss -Anticipate your boss’s requests so you can stay one step ahead -Focus on your boss’s good qualities -Stop assuming your boss knows – or should know – everything -When your boss gives you an assignment, repeat back what you heard to ensure clarity -Focus on what you can do, rather than what is out of your control -Understand why you’re so upset -Set boundaries with your boss -Set up time to have a frank conversation with your boss – plan what you are going to say and practice with a trusted friend or colleague  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   

Hey – if you haven’t checked out my FREE monthly webinars, now’s the time! On the third Thursday of each month at 4:00 p.m. Eastern, I offer a 1-hour webinar on a job search topic. To see this month’s topic and to register: https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.co I get a lot of questions about what should, and shouldn’t, be included in a resume. I also see a lot of resumes that include information that shouldn’t be there. Keep in mind that your resume should be a marketing document. You are selling a product, and that product is YOU. You want the reader to know your features and benefits. What will they get if they buy you? Why should they choose you over all the other candidates? If you keep this concept of a marketing document in mind as you write your resume, you should be able to look at the things on your resume to determine if they add value to your candidacy or not. Here are six things that should ALWAYS be on your resume: 1.    Your name 2.    Your contact information (phone number and email address) 3.    Your education (list degrees both as abbreviations and spelled out) 4.    Your relevant work experience, with achievements 5.    A clearly articulated, differentiating branding statement 6.    Relevant and current credentials, certifications, courses, etc.  Here are eight things that should NEVER be on your resume (specific to North America): 1.    Your street address 2.    Your marital status 3.    A picture (unless you are an actor or model) 4.    Information about children, your health 5.    Unrelated personal hobbies 6.    Salary expectations/salary history 7.    Reason(s) for leaving previous jobs 8.    Exact days of beginning and ending jobs (month and year is sufficient)   Here are nine things that MIGHT go on your resume: 1.    Professional affiliations 2.    Relevant personal interests 3.    Your city, state, and zip 4.    Faith-based volunteering 5.    Unrelated jobs 6.    Your LinkedIn URL 7.    Community engagement 8.    Board service 9.    A list of relevant keywords As you can see, much of what should or shouldn’t go on your resume is dependent on what your career goal is and/or how you will be using your resume. Continually ask the question: “Does this thing add value to my candidacy?” If so, include as space permits. One final reminder: Your resume is not a C.V. – meaning it is not meant to be an exhaustive record of your professional history and achievements. Rather, it is a carefully curated marketing document that should present you in the best possible light.  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   

Hey – if you haven’t checked out my FREE monthly webinars, now’s the time! On the third Thursday of each month at 4:00 p.m. Eastern, I offer a 1-hour webinar on a job search topic. To see this month’s topic and to register: https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.co  Let’s talk about this topic of providing personal information during a job interview. Different so-called “experts” will have differing opinions about this, but here’s my stance: In short, my answer is YES. But with conditions. The interviewer, particularly if he or she would-be your direct supervisor, is evaluating your fit with the organization as much as your fit with the job. Will you be able to work well with the other members of the team? Does your prospective supervisor think you will be easy to lead? I remember so clearly interviewing a candidate for a coordinator job at Columbus State University. I knew that, shortly after the candidate I selected started to work, we were going to take a rather long road trip from Columbus, GA to Clearwater, FL. (Don’t ask me why we weren’t flying – I don’t remember.) As I was interviewing candidates, I was, in part, filtering those candidates through the lens of “Would I want to spend 14 hours roundtrip in a car with this individual?” The hiring manager is likely thinking of you in a similar way. Perhaps he has a difficult-to-get-along-with personality in his department; how will you fit in with that person? Perhaps she is thinking of how you will get along with another employee you would have to work closely with. Perhaps the team is heavily tilted toward one decision-making style or work style, and she is looking for diversity. While some of these issues can be addressed by asking traditional interview questions, sometimes your personal life can shed further light. Keep in mind that the employer cannot legally ask questions about your family life, marital status, or upbringing – only questions that have to do with your ability to perform the job. This doesn’t mean you can’t volunteer this information. Here’s my rule of thumb: You can provide personal information, as long as it is neutral or positive. What does this mean? Feel free to tell the interviewer about your recent marriage (tends to promote stability), your efforts to learn Mediterranean cooking (you’re trying to eat healthy), or your attempts with learning Japanese. Things you don’t want to share with the interviewer would include a recent divorce (you may be bitter or emotionally fragile), children (this is especially true for women, unfortunately), or recent/upcoming medical issues you or a close family member are facing (may mean extended absences from work). I also STRONGLY discourage divulging any personal medical information unless you need accommodation for the interview. You want the hiring manager to see your positives before you bring up any potential negatives, such as a mental illness or chronic medical condition. Most frequently, this personal information shows up in your answer to the “Tell me about yourself” question. While 95%+ of your answer should be professional-focused, you can give them a little look into your life with the last 5%. For example: “…and outside of work, I am an active runner and biker – I competed in 2 half-marathons last year.” “…and when I’m not working, I really enjoy oil painting and I’m learning how to use my new air fryer.” “…and in my free time, I am learning conversational Italian, which I plan to put to good use when I visit Italy next year.” Here is one example of what not to say; this is from an interview I did when I worked at Truman State University: “I am a single mother with three preschool-aged children, and I’m in the National Guard.”  Other examples: “I moved back to town after breaking up with my boyfriend.” “I really enjoy high-risk activities, including sky diving and mountain climbing.” “My elderly mother recently moved in with us after my dad died.” In summary: let the interviewer get to know you as a total person. BUT remember – this is like a first date, so keep it neutral or positive so you don’t scare them off. You want that second date!  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  

Hey – if you haven’t checked out my FREE monthly webinars, now’s the time! On the third Thursday of each month at 4:00 p.m. Eastern, I offer a 1-hour webinar on a job search topic. To see this month’s topic and to register: https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.co  Today, I want to zero in on something I have mentioned in other podcasts. I call this my +1 approach to job boards. In my work with clients, I differentiate between active job search strategies and passive job search strategies. Active job search strategies put you in the driver’s seat of your job search. They revolve around networking. Meeting people 1:1, attending group networking functions, connecting with people on LinkedIn, networking through professional associations, and networking with your university’s alumni or your church’s members are all active job search strategies. Passive job search strategies put you in the passenger’s seat of your job search. Looking for jobs via sites like LinkedIn or Indeed or going directly to company websites are all passive job search strategies. Of course, I want my clients to focus their efforts on active job search strategies. Here’s why: 1.    Active job search strategies allow you to focus on landing your dream job with your dream employer – not just respond to what’s been posted on a job board. You are in the driver’s seat. 2.    Active job search strategies often mean you are the only one competing for the job – you aren’t being compared to hundreds of other applicants OR a laundry list of supposed “must have’s” in a job description. Having said all of this, there is a way to make your passive job search a bit more active, using my +1 approach. Here is how this works: -When you are applying to a job online, think of one more thing you can do to increase your chances of getting noticed by the hiring manager. This could be asking someone you know who also knows the hiring manager to put in a good word for you, make an introduction, write a letter of recommendation specific to that position, or leveraging a high-profile person to recommend you even if they don’t know the hiring manager. What you decide to do for your +1 is very situational. Here are your considerations: -Who do I know who knows this hiring manager? -Who do I know who knows a senior executive in the hiring company? -Who do I know who works at the hiring company? -Who do I know who is well-known and well-respected in the community? -How can I personally intersect with the hiring manager or a senior executive of the hiring company? This last point falls under what I call “professional stalking.” Figuring out where the hiring manager or a senior executive will be on a certain date and time, and “accidentally” running into them. You can often figure out certain behaviors from someone’s social media posts, groups they follow on LinkedIn, or organizations they post about being affiliated with. Just be sure not to let the object of your stalking know you are stalking them! Finally – I’ve talked about the percentage of time I recommend you spend on active vs. passive strategies before, but let’s review again: If you are just out of college: 25% active / 75% passive If you have been out of college for a few years: 50% / 50% If you are in middle management or above, but not yet in the executive ranks: 75% active / 25% passive If you are seeking an executive-level job: 100% active                         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   

I’ve talked in previous podcasts about the three numbers you need to know before you enter into salary negotiations. Today, I want to talk about what you should do BEFORE you get to the negotiation phase. 1.    Research your local job market.The salary numbers you bring into the negotiation should not be pulled out of a hat, but rather based on careful research of the local job market. What does this job command in your local area? If you would have to move for the job, what is the salary band for your job in that geographic area?  2.    Determine where you fit within that salary band.Advanced degrees, certifications, and experience can move you up within the salary band – especially if you possess most or all of the preferred qualifications of the job. If you are asking for a raise, where are you currently within that salary band? Objectively, where should you be?  3.    Write out 3-5 facts you want to talk about, and practice them. In addition to any of the things I talked about in the last point – advanced degree, certifications, and experience – what projects have you managed with great success? What stretch assignments have you been placed on? What committees or initiatives have you participated in?  4.    Clean up your mindset. Central to all these steps is being confident in what you bring to the table. Believing firmly, and without wavering, in your deserving-ness. Insidious thoughts like “They’ll never offer me that much money,” or “They’ll pass me over for a raise just like last time” will absolutely sabotage your efforts. I recommend you take a legal pad and fill a page with positive thoughts you can believe and start practicing. For example, “I am the best person in my department for___.” “My client praised me for____.” “I am so ready to take on this new challenge.”  5.    Assume the position. I’m talking about Wonder Woman here. (Pick your favorite superhero if WW doesn’t do it for you.) Stand in front of a mirror with your legs far apart, hands on hips, shoulders squared. Smile at yourself, state your positive thoughts out loud, and feel the strength and power you are harnessing. Bonus points if you play an uplifting, encouraging up-tempo song while you are posing! 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

Starting on January 25th, I am offering a group coaching program called Land Your Dream Job. This is an 8-week small group coaching program for a maximum of 15 participants – focused on planning and executing a targeted, proactive job search that will support you in landing your dream job. Land Your Dream Job will help you:  ü Identify exactly what you are looking for in your dream job and ideal employer ü Develop a comprehensive job search strategy, customized to you ü Learn how to network in a targeted, proactive way (I call it Bow-and-Arrow networking) ü Overcome mental blocks that are holding you back from realizing your career goals ü Get the support and expertise you need to help you through the inevitable lows of a job search – and celebrate your highs!   What do you get with the Land Your Dream Job group coaching program? ü Eight weekly, 1-hour Zoom sessions – they will be recorded if you can’t be there live ü A maximum of 15 participants – you’ll get the attention you need ü A designated accountability partner ü Facebook group for questions, encouragement, and sharing job leads ü A member vault with session recordings, handouts, and supplemental materials  To register:https://lydjjoin.carrd.co/ For a 15-minute call to ask questions:https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/15-minute-call  Today, I wanted to share strategies for those of you who will be conducting a job search this year while working full-time. You’ve probably heard the expression that looking for a job IS a full-time job. But what if you already have a full-time job? The biggest issue I see for people in this situation is the tendency to put their job search on the back burner because they have so many priorities going on at work. This is especially prevalent in people who aren’t unhappy in their current job. To be clear, this is a job search that is targeted and proactive – not just passively looking at job boards or waiting for recruiters to contact you. There’s nothing wrong with a passive job search; however, today I want to talk about how to conduct a job search that is focused and active. I’m not going to talk about the obvious things you need to do in any job search, like update your resume and LI profile. Here, then, are my top six strategies: 1.    Set a SMART goal.I love the quote, “A goal without a plan is just a wish.” SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-Sensitive. You can set a SMART goal for the desired result, such as “I will be in a new position by September 1st of this year.” You can also set SMART goals for the steps along the way, such as “I will reach out to Bob Jones at XYZ company by January 15th.” Here’s why this is important: goals keep us focused and on-task. They keep us from blowing off our job search plans in favor of something more pressing at work.  2.    Establish your WHY. I encourage you to write down your why – essentially, it is a manifest for why you want a new position. It has to be compelling and meaningful to you. You can choose whether to share your WHY with anyone else. You WHY could center around a new skill you want to develop, a new industry you want to enter, the contribution you want to make in the world. It can be a financial WHY, especially if is paired with another WHY. Here’s an example:“I want a new position because, now that I’ve earned the PMP designation, I want to grow that skill set into a strength.” Another example:“I want to work in the non-profit sector because I am committed to ___”(whatever the non-profit does). Here’s why this is important: We humans tend to lack commitment to something when we don’t know why we are doing it. The busyness of life and our many obligations tend to get in the way.  3.    Block off time – and get specific. This is a big one – again, work obligations can easily usurp our intentions if we don’t calendar in time to conduct our job search. Perhaps you block off time for one networking lunch a week, or to attend one networking function every month. Maybe you allot 15 minutes per day, as I do, to networking activities on LI. Just as important as blocking off the time is to set specific goals for that time. For example, your 15 minutes on LI might involve reaching out to a certain number of people to connect with or posting/commenting in the groups you belong to. Make sure you are realistic in blocking off time – don’t set an unrealistic goal for yourself. Here’s why this is important: Work obligations can seem more important – more urgent – in the moment. When I know this is how I planned to spend this time, it allows me to relax into the activity, rather than feel stressed that I’m not doing something else. And by listing exactly what you will do during that time, you won’t waste part of the time figuring out what to do.  4.    Mindset matters.Mindset matters in every area of your life – and your job search is certainly no exception. I’ve done plenty of podcasts on mindset, so I won’t go deep here. Here are a few tips: -Be aware of what you are thinking – about your job search, the job market, your qualifications, how long it is taking to find a new job. Don’t beat yourself up for having negative thoughts – just notice them. -Decide what you want to think – on purpose. Practice your new thoughts so they become like “muscle memory” – creating new neural pathways in your brain. When you find yourself avoiding your job search activities, revisit your thoughts. It always starts there. Here’s why this is important: It is impossible to change our behavior without a corresponding change in our beliefs. Either we’ll avoid the activities that will lead to a new job, or we will go through the motions with the wrong energy.  5.    Weekly rewards.If you have blocked off time for your job search this week and did the things you decided ahead of time to do towards your job search in that time, then you deserve a reward. Many people make the mistake of waiting until they get their new job to give themselves a reward. THE NEW JOB IS THE REWARD. You need encouragement along the way. Perhaps it is treating yourself to a round of golf or a new outfit. Whatever is rewarding to you. You could also reward yourself each day. For example, if you love going to the gym or having a glass of wine, you require yourself to do the job search work first. Here’s why this is important: You are improving your relationship with yourself – having your own back in terms of following through on your commitments to yourself. This is a skill set that will serve you in every area of your life.  6.    Remember that networking should be a two-way street. As I teach networking, it is an equal exchange of energy. Meaning: you give as much value as you get. For example, you are meeting with an old colleague. When you get together, you begin by asking about them – what they think of their new employer, what challenges they are facing, where their frustrations lie. During this conversation, you are providing value. Whether it is a listening ear, a best practice, or a referral, you are helping that person out. This is happening BEFORE you ask for anything. Why this is important: Most people don’t like the feeling of “all take and no give” in networking, so this approach feels better to you AND you are much more likely to get the assistace YOU need by providing value FIRST.    

Starting on January 25th, I am offering a group coaching program called Land Your Dream Job. This is an 8-week small group coaching program for a maximum of 15 participants – focused on planning and executing a targeted, proactive job search that will support you in landing your dream job. Land Your Dream Job will help you:  ü Identify exactly what you are looking for in your dream job and ideal employer ü Develop a comprehensive job search strategy, customized to you ü Learn how to network in a targeted, proactive way (I call it Bow-and-Arrow networking) ü Overcome mental blocks that are holding you back from realizing your career goals ü Get the support and expertise you need to help you through the inevitable lows of a job search – and celebrate your highs!   What do you get with the Land Your Dream Job group coaching program? ü Eight weekly, 1-hour Zoom sessions – they will be recorded if you can’t be there live ü A maximum of 15 participants – you’ll get the attention you need ü A designated accountability partner ü Facebook group for questions, encouragement, and sharing job leads ü A member vault with session recordings, handouts, and supplemental materials To register:https://lydjjoin.carrd.co/ For a 15-minute call to ask questions:https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/15-minute-call Happy New Year! Let’s talk about how to develop the perfect elevator pitch. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the concept, an elevator pitch is your 30-second commercial. The idea is that you could say it going from one floor to the next on an elevator. Your elevator pitch can be used as you introduce yourself at networking events, when you meet people by happenstance, and of course when you are on the elevator. Here’s the formula: I help_____ (this is who you serve) Do/know/understand_____ (this is how you serve them) So they can_____. (this is the result the people you serve can expect)  This is my elevator pitch: I help high-achieving, college-educated professionals plan and execute a targeted, proactive job search so they can land their dream job.  Here’s an example for a mid-level learning & development professional: I help employees develop the soft skills they need to get promoted and have greater career satisfaction.  Here’s an example for an IT professional: I help companies become more efficient so they can increase profitability and streamline processes.  Here’s one for a senior HR professional: I help companies attract, train, and retain top-notch employees so they can reduce turnover.  The bottom line is that you are, at best, piquing the other person’s interest so they will want to know more about you. At worst, you aren’t boring them with more information than they need or want. Your assignment is to take this formula and come up with five variations of your elevator pitch. Practice them, out loud, in front of a mirror. You may even want to practice with a friend or colleague. Then select the one that feels the best to you – that you will feel most comfortable saying to a stranger. Here’s the formula again: I help_____ (this is who you serve) Do/know/understand_____ (this is how you serve them) So they can_____. (this is the result the people you serve can expect)  

Be sure to sign up for the special webinar in January – The 3 Things You Haven’t Thought About For Your Next Job Search.  Here’s what you’ll gain from this webinar: ü Clarity around EXACTLY what you are looking for in an employer – after all, how will you know if you have found IT if you don’t even know what IT is? ü Awareness of your values and skills, so you can make sure an employer meshes with your values and appreciates your skills ü Deep understanding of your professional purpose – what contributions you are uniquely designed to make  This is a hands-on workshop (no passive lurkers allowed!) where you’ll be asked to think about what you really want in your next job. You’ll do solo work, followed by small group time to share your insights and intentions with other participants. Guaranteed: You’ll know yourself infinitely better at the end of this hour. You’ll know what you want and why you want it. You’ll have focus and direction. Here’s the link: https://3thingswebinar.carrd.co/   Carissa and I speak about how to become a fearless speaker. This topic is especially important for women, and Carissa tells us why. Carissa talks specifically about becoming a fearless speaker during job interviews, when giving presentations, and when you are having one-on-one, difficult conversations. She explains how to bring down our anxiety, boost our self-confidence, and be extremely prepared for these conversations. Carissa Karner is a certified World Class Speaking Coach, a certified Clini-Coach, a licensed psychotherapist, a TEDx presenter, and an actress. She pulls together an arsenal of tools to help you get confident about speaking in public, knowing what to say and how to say it effectively, and how to create mic-dropping speeches that can change lives. To learn the framework Carissa outlines in this episode, download her FREE Use Your V.O.I.C.E. workbook here:https://fearlessspeak.com/useyourvoice You can find Carissa at: fearlessspeak.comInstagram: @carissakarnerLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/carissakarnerFacebook: facebook.com/groups/fearlessspeakers  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  

Be sure to sign up for the special webinar in January – The 3 Things You Haven’t Thought About For Your Next Job Search.  Here’s what you’ll gain from this webinar: -Clarity around EXACTLY what you are looking for in an employer – after all, how will you know if you have found IT if you don’t even know what IT is? -Awareness of your values and skills, so you can make sure an employer meshes with your values and appreciates your skills -Deep understanding of your professional purpose – what contributions you are uniquely designed to make  This is a hands-on workshop (no passive lurkers allowed!) where you’ll be asked to think about what you really want in your next job. You’ll do solo work, followed by small group time to share your insights and intentions with other participants. Guaranteed: You’ll know yourself infinitely better at the end of this hour. You’ll know what you want and why you want it. You’ll have focus and direction. Here’s the link: https://3thingswebinar.carrd.co/   The holidays are a time for family, rest, good food…a time to unplug from the hustle and grind that, for many of us, defines our work life the rest of the year. In the midst of that family time and relaxation, you have an opportunity to reflect and journal on your professional life. Review 2021 and set intentions for 2022. Here are six simple ways to help your career during the holidays.   1.    Give yourself credit.  Where did you slay it in 2021? Where did you exceed expectations? What are you most proud of? WRITE IT DOWN. And then practice gratitude for your achievements in 2021. Give yourself a huge pat on the back!  2.    Write down the not-so-great.  It’s also important to journal where you missed the mark – not from a place of judgment or condemnation, but from a place of observation. Like you are a dispassionate observer of your year. In addition to where you missed the mark, answer WHY you missed the mark. Was it in your control or out of your control? Did you change your mind or revise the goal during the year so that it served you better? As part of this journaling process, ask yourself these three questions: What do I want to STOP doing?What do I want to START doing?What do I want to CONTINUE doing?  3.    Get one big professional goal for 2022.  Remember: goals need to be SMART – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-Sensitive. As part of this step, break that year-long goal into 90-day increments: What will you have accomplished by March 30th? June 30th? September 30th? Keep this goal in the forefront of your mind throughout the year and check in every 3 months to measure your progress.  4.    Set a big personal goal too.  Life is all about balance, so make sure you’re moving forward in your personal life as well. Use the same process to set, create 90-day benchmarks for, and evaluate your personal goal.   5.    Eliminate 2-3 tolerations in your life.  Think about the things in your work or personal life that really drive you nuts – and yet, in many cases, you’ve never really thought about how to change that annoyance. These things are creating low-level stress in your life – or maybe not low-level at all. You are diverting precious energy into these areas of your life. Start by writing down as many things as you can think of at home and work that make you nuts. Step two is to categorize each in the following way: C=Continue to tolerate for now R=Resolve this annoyance entirely H=Get help to minimize or eliminate Example of C:-My suitcase is breaking down and it doesn’t roll very well anymore. I’m going to keep an eye out for a really good sale on the brand I want and purchase new luggage before my next trip. Example of R: -My closet is so disorganized that it stresses me out. I’m going to dedicate 2 hours this Saturday to fixing this problem myself, and I’ll buy some storage solutions to really up level my closet. Example of H: I can’t stand that my kitchen sink is constantly dripping. I’m going to hire a plumber or handyman THIS WEEK to get this fixed.  Here are some additional annoyances you could consider: -Taking time out of your precious weekend to clean the house, mow the lawn, etc. -Anything about your transportation that is causing you stress -Anything that is disorganized and consequently requires extra time to navigate -Anything you are overdue on – doctor’s appointments, oil change, filing taxes -Any important conversations you have been putting off – with your boss, a co-worker, a family member  6.    Drop into your future self.  It is December 31, 2022, and you’ve achieved your big personal and professional goal. You removed several annoyances from your life. You are firing on all cylinders. Drop into this space – I recommend journaling, but you can also say it out loud or meditate on it. Picture the best possible scenario for how your 2022 has gone – and bask in your achievements. You’ve got this!   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

I encourage everyone to update their LinkedIn profiles at least once a year. Even ifyou are not actively job searching, most of you would be open to having aconversation with a recruiter if the opportunity was right – and those recruitersare looking for you primarily on LinkedIn.Here are the areas of your profile I want you to audit before the end of the year:1. Your headline.This is the content that shows directly below your name and picture. Most peopledefault to their current job title, which is an incredible waste of the 220 characters you are allotted for this section.Make sure your headline markets you effectively. Whether you take the valueproposition approach or the keyword approach, make sure your headline drawsrecruiters in.2. Your Skills section.You can have up to 50 skills listed in this section, which is very important forkeyword searches. I recommend you use all 50.-Eliminate skills you no longer use or no longer want to use.-As you add skills, think in terms of what a recruiter would be searching on.-Be sure to select one of the drop-down options.-Duplicate these skills in your About section, starting with “Specialties.”3. Add any new jobs or achievements to your current job.This is an excellent opportunity to add your new job, or recent achievements toyour current job.Are there older jobs that need to be deleted? I recommend going back about 20years. I regularly see mid-career professional who still have college internships ontheir profile.4. Update your About section.Look at this section with fresh eyes – what doesn’t it say about you? Have youpresented a clear and compelling reason for a recruiter to reach out to you?Of course, if this is not your strength, I recommend hiring a LI profile writer likeme to do this for you – it’s well worth the money.5. Your photo and background photo.If the picture on your profile is more than a couple years old, has animals orpeople other than you in the picture, or isn’t of a decent quality, it’s time for anew photo. It doesn’t have to be professionally done, but it does need to beprofessional quality.Your background photo is a way to differentiate yourself from your competition.Find a royalty-free, on-brand picture. When I do this work for my clients, I select 4options, try each one on the client’s profile, then select the one I like the best.I recommend pixabay.com; there are many others offering royalty-free images.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

Be sure to sign up for the special webinar in January – The 3 Things You Haven’t Thought About For Your Next Job Search.  Here’s what you’ll gain from this webinar: ü Clarity around EXACTLY what you are looking for in an employer – after all, how will you know if you have found IT if you don’t even know what IT is? ü Awareness of your values and skills, so you can make sure an employer meshes with your values and appreciates your skills ü Deep understanding of your professional purpose – what contributions you are uniquely designed to make  This is a hands-on workshop (no passive lurkers allowed!) where you’ll be asked to think about what you really want in your next job. You’ll do solo work, followed by small group time to share your insights and intentions with other participants. Guaranteed: You’ll know yourself infinitely better at the end of this hour. You’ll know what you want and why you want it. You’ll have focus and direction. Here’s the link:    I want to begin today’s podcast by saying that the perspective I am presenting in this episode is mine, and mine alone. Having said that, I AM one of fewer than 25 Master Resume Writers in the world, so my perspective carries a fair amount of weight. On various social media accounts I follow of resume writing groups and individuals, I am seeing a disturbing trend of flash over substance. At first glance, these resumes LOOK good, but when you actually read the documents, there’s no depth. No metrics. Here are five specific concerns I have about these resumes.  1.    Measuring your opinion of your soft skills.  I’m seeing graphs where the candidate has ranked his or her communication skills, emotional intelligence, etc. SEEING THIS ON A RESUME MAKES ME CRAZY. Here’s why: There’s no attribution – did you take a survey? Did someone say these things about you? Did you just decide you were great in these areas? The second thing that makes me crazy about these graphs is that they are almost always divorced from the rest of the resume. Where are you showing evidence of your strengths in these areas, and how are you spoon-feeding the reader as to the connection? You absolutely cannot expect the reader to make those connections on their own in the approximately 10 seconds they take for an initial pass on your resume.  2.    Little, if any, content under each job you’ve held.  And, if you do have some content, it is a sentence or bullet about your job duties, rather than your achievements. This hurts you in two ways: There are few, if any, keywords in this section to help you score well with the ATS. Secondly, if this keyword-shy resume actually gets seen by a human, there’s very little there to compel them to reach out to schedule an interview.  3.    Adding things that STILL aren’t considered acceptable on resumes.  If you are in North America, there is no reason for you to have a picture on your resume unless you are an actor or model. We don’t care that you like to snow ski, unless you are applying for a job as a ski instructor (in which case the love of skiing should be obvious). We CERTAINLY don’t want to know your family situation, number of children, age, or height. When these things show on a resume, I am left feeling that this is a candidate who is either a) trying to be different, but not doing it in a positive way, or b) clueless about how to present themselves as a viable candidate. Either way, I’m left cold.  4.    Symbols next to your phone number, email, etc.  You have a series of 10 numbers at the top of your resume: 3 numbers, followed by 3 more numbers, followed by 4 numbers. Gee – I wonder what that could be? Real mystery. You have lesaedwards@gmail.com – what could that mean? Don’t insult the reader’s intelligence by using these symbols.  5.    A layout that is confusing.  I’ve seen far too many resumes that have three columns, or the specific information I am looking for isn’t easy to find, or the graphics take up incredibly valuable real estate. Margins that are too small to effectively print the document, or so large that you need multiple pages to fit everything in. You simply didn’t use the real estate in a way that serves you. Finally, you’ve created a document that cannot be used for submission to an ATS, so you’ll either need a parallel document that is unformatted, or it will take you five times as long to apply to each position.  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  

Don’t forget to sign up for “The 3 Things You HAVEN’T Thought About For Your Next Job Search” webinar on January 11, 2022. Here’s what you’ll get: ü Clarity around EXACTLY what you are looking for in an employer – after all, how will you know if you have found IT if you don’t even know what IT is?ü Awareness of your values and skills, so you can make sure an employer meshes with your values and appreciates your skillsü Deep understanding of your professional purpose – what contribution you are uniquely designed to make Link to register: https://3thingswebinar.carrd.co/ Each year at Thanksgiving in the U.S., I do an episode on the five unusual things I am thankful for that year. These are things that might, on the surface, not seem like blessings – but have been. And I show parallels to how this, or something similar, might show up in your life. Here is my list for 2021: 1.    I am thankful for friends who weren’t. This year, I completed relationships with a couple who I thought were two of my best friends. The reason for completing these relationships isn’t important, but here’s what I learned: a.    Not everyone is meant to stay in your life for the rest of your life. b.    Completing a relationship with close friends forces you to own your part in the relationship’s “failure” – and let the rest of it go. c.     In my particular situation, it forced me to focus on what I think of me – what other people think of me is none of my business. d.    Completing a relationship opens you up to room for new friendships. You can’t effectively navigate a lifetime of relationships if you only ever add people – never subtract. Do any of these points resonate with you? Are there people in your life with whom it is time to complete the relationship? Are you owning more than your share of the breakdown of a relationship? This is a saying I’ve often repeated:“There are people who come into your life for a reason…a season…a lifetime.” It’s so important to recognize which is which.  2.    I am thankful for being in pain throughout my vacation.For three years now, I have had a fair amount of medical issues around a fall I took at a local grocery store. In September, I took a vacation to St. Lucia with my daughter and daughter-in-law. If you’ve never been there, St. Lucia is a volcanic island that is very hilly. Our villa was literally built into the side of a mountain. I really struggled with all the stairs and steep inclines and declines. So the Monday after I got back from vacation, I switched up my diet, talked to my chiropractor and got a referral to a physical therapist I adore, and started with a new massage therapist. It was good for me to come face-to-face with my physical limitations – it spurred me to become aggressive in doing something about it. Maybe your limitation isn’t physical – do you struggle with a perceived mental or emotional limitation? Think you need more education or credentials to be successful? Here are your options: -Decide, today, to make some necessary changes that will move you in the right direction. Doesn’t have to be drastic; doesn’t have to be all the changes at once. Just start. -Decide you are okay - really okay – with your limitation. It’s okay if you don’t have a bachelor’s degree or are 40 lbs overweight – it’s up to you to believe you are still worthy and fully capable – and you’re going to live your fullest life anyway. If you choose this option, NO COMPLAINING. (By the way – it’s good to believe you are really okay AS you proceed to make changes in your life. It will help you get there more easily and even quicker.)  3.    I am thankful for extreme discomfort in my personal life.Throughout the year, in addition to my physical pain, I’ve experienced a lot of discomfort in my personal life. I’m thrilled with where my business is, but the other areas of my life…not so much. So I’m working with a life coach and doing work on my own to create the life I want. Here’s what I think has happened: I have had to evolve to a new version of myself in order to achieve the business success I’ve had. This new version of Lesa wants to also evolve the other areas of my life. I want to be as satisfied with my social life, how I spend my free time, and my living situation as I am with my career. I love this dissatisfaction and what it teaches me. Here’s what it can teach you: You are supposed to evolve throughout your life – and it will be extremely uncomfortable to do so. -If you don’t evolve, you’ll be extremely uncomfortable as you resist the universe’s direction for your life. So – uncomfortable either way; pick your discomfort. -Don’t let success in one area of your life overshadow the importance of the other areas of your life. They should all be evolving. -Set goals in each of the areas of your life, along with specific strategies to reach those goals.  4.    I am thankful for spending a lot of money on a coach. Here’s why: I wouldn’t have evolved to where I am in my business without investing that money in a coach. I had to be serious and committed, I had to ask a lot of myself to get my money’s worth, and I had to learn to think differently. Bonus: I’ve made a lifelong friend in my coach, who I adore beyond words. This was an unexpected, wonderful bonus. Where are you unwilling to invest in yourself? What are you thinking that is causing you to be unwilling to invest in yourself? What do you need to think to become willing to invest in yourself? It could be coaching, like me, or it could be a weight-loss program. Or a professional resume writer. Or learning ballroom dancing or how to play the piano. Learning a foreign language. Here’s what I know: It’s almost never about the money. It’s about your thoughts. About your beliefs in yourself. About your beliefs in the investment. About your ability to get the results you want.  5.    I am thankful for opportunities I said “no” to. As my practice has become more successful, I’ve had to let go of some sub-contracting work and say no to some other opportunities that were presented to me. Was it scary to, essentially, say “no” to money? Yes. What I focused on, however, was the opportunity cost of saying “yes.” Because, in each instance, these opportunities would take away from my ability to build my own business. Essentially trading in unlimited potential income for a semi-dependable $50 or $60 an hour. Just as with friendships, saying “no” to some opportunities keeps you open for others that are a better fit for you. You are keeping space open for what you REALLY want, rather than filling space with what happens to come along. As my daughter’s softball tee-shirt said: Good is the enemy of Great. Choose to wait for Great.  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 

Be sure to sign up for the special webinar in January – The 3 Things You Haven’t Thought About For Your Next Job Search.  Here’s the link: https://3thingswebinar.carrd.co/ Last week, I talked about how to prepare for the interview as an internal candidate. Today, I’m talking about the different types of interviews you might encounter – and how to prepare for each. I like to give attribution where it’s due, and I got much of this content from thebalancecareers.com. Many companies will tell you what type of interview you’ll be having; if they don’t, you should ask what to expect. As I think you’ll see as I go through these types of interviews, you may experience a combination of two or more types of interviews for the same job – even in the same interview.  Types of Interviews Behavioral InterviewsInterviewers use behavioral interviews to determine how you’ve handled various job situations in the past. The idea is that your past behavior predicts how you’ll act in the new job. You won’t get many easy “yes” or “no” questions, and in most cases, you’ll need to answer with an anecdote about a previous experience. Case InterviewsInterviews that include the interviewer giving you a business scenario and asking you to manage the situation are called case interviews. They’re most often used in management consulting and investment banking interviews and require you to show off your analytical ability and problem-solving skills.For example, you may be asked how to determine how big the market might be for a new type of tennis ball. That’s not much information so you’d need to ask questions such as who the target consumer is—professional tennis players or weekend tennis enthusiasts. Another question might be about how much the new tennis balls cost and how or where they are sold: in stores or online.Remember that answering a case interview question like this really isn’t about being right or wrong. The interviewer is more interested in how the applicant arrives at his or her solution.As such, a case interview is back and forth dialogue. The interviewee is expected to interact with the interviewer and ask clarifying questions in a logical, sequential order to solve the given problem. Competency-Based InterviewsInterviews that require you to give examples of specific skills are called competency-based interviews or job-specific interviews. The interviewer will ask questions that will help them determine if you have the knowledge and skills required for the specific job.Competency-based interview questions can be posed as behavioral questions, especially to evaluate things like conflict management, critical thinking, and flexibility. Some competency-based interviews will ask you to complete a timed assignment. Tips for preparing for a competency-based interview: Check the job listing for examples of required skills and abilities. For example: accountability, ambition, approachability, compliance, conflict management, critical thinking, delegation, flexibility, inclusiveness, influencing, initiative, resourcefulness, risk-taking, etc. Next, list situations in which you have demonstrated each of these competencies. Once you have prepared a list of situations, review it. By thinking of examples before the interview, you will be able to answer questions quickly and concisely.  For each skill, write down the situation, the actions you took to handle the problem, and the ultimate results. This is a modified version of the STAR interview response technique. Using this technique will help you give a brief, coherent, and structured response to interview questions.  Final InterviewsThe final interview is the last step in the interview process, and the last interview before you find out whether or not you’ll get a job offer. This type of interview is usually conducted by the CEO or other members of upper management. The key to a final interview is to take it as seriously as all the preliminary interviews—just because you were asked in for a final interview doesn’t mean you got the job yet. Group InterviewsEmployers may hold group interviews because they’re often more efficient than one-on-one interviews. There are two types of group interviews: one involves an applicant being interviewed by a group (or panel) of interviewers; the other involves one interviewer and a group of applicants.Jobs involving high-stress, fast-paced work, or customer interaction also commonly require group interviews. If you perform well during a stressful interview, you may be more apt to perform well in a challenging job. Informal InterviewsHiring managers may begin the screening process with a relaxed, informal conversation instead of a formal interview. This is more of a casual discussion than a typical job interview. On a similar note, a chat over a cupt of coffee is another less formal type of job interview.Off-Site InterviewsEmployers sometimes schedule job interviews in a public place, like a coffee shop or restaurant. Perhaps there is no local office or maybe they don’t want current employees to know about the possibility of a new hire. In any case, it’s good to be prepared for off-site interviews. Panel Job InterviewsA panel job interview takes place when you’re interviewed by a panel of interviewers. You may meet with each panel member separately or all together. And sometimes there will be a panel of interviewers and a group of candidates all in one room. Phone InterviewsWhile you're actively job searching, you may need to be prepared for a phone interview at a moment's notice. Companies often start with an unscheduled phone call, or maybe you’ll get to schedule your call. Restaurant InterviewsOne of the reasons employers take job candidates out to lunch or dinner is to evaluate their social skills and to see if they can handle themselves gracefully under pressure. Remember you’re still being observed when you participate in a job interview at a restaurant, so use your best table manners, choose foods that aren’t too messy. Second InterviewsYou passed your first interview, and you just got an email or call to schedule a second interview. This interview will be more detailed and may be several hours long. The interviewer will delve into your experience in more detail than the first round, as well as how you would fit in with the company culture. Structured InterviewsA structured interview is typically used when an employer wants to assess and compare you with candidates in an impartial way. Essentially, the interviewer asks all the candidates the same questions. If the position requires specific skills and experience, the employer will draft interview questions focusing exactly on the abilities the company is seeking. Semi-Structured InterviewA semi-structured interview is a job interview in which the interviewer does not strictly follow a list of questions. Instead, the interviewer will ask open-ended questions, allowing for a conversation rather than a straightforward question and answer format. Unstructured Job InterviewsAn unstructured interview is a job interview in which questions may be changed based on the interviewee's responses. While the interviewer may have a few set questions prepared in advance, the direction of the interview is rather casual, and questions flow based on the direction of the conversation. Unstructured interviews are often seen as less intimidating than formal interviews. Video InterviewsPerhaps you’ve applied for a remote job, or you’re interviewing for a position in another state (or country). Software programs such as Skype, Zoom, and FaceTime make video calling easy, and video interviews are becoming common. 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 

To register for “The 3 Things You HAVEN’T Thought About For Your Next Job Search” on January 11th, 2022, click here: https://3thingswebinar.carrd.co/  I’ve talked extensively about interviews on this podcast – and it’s one of my absolute favorite topics to coach my clients on. Several of my interview podcasts made it on my recent “Best of” podcast on episode #200, so it seems you listeners really want this content. This week I’m talking about how to prepare for the interview as an internal candidate; next week I’m covering the different types of job interviews and how to prepare for each. Let’s start with what you should do, if possible, before you even submit your application for an internal position. Ideally, you want to have an honest conversation with someone who can advise you as to whether you will be a serious candidate. Your boss, someone in HR, or the person who would become your boss are all viable options, and there may be others. The important thing here is to get clear direction to apply or not to apply. The downside of being an internal candidate is that sometimes you will get a courtesy interview even though they have no intention of moving forward with you – this will only cause hard feelings if you think you are a serious candidate. So they’ve said you would be a great candidate – or perhaps one of the people I mentioned before actually encourages you to apply. Now what? -Make sure your application materials are top-notch – if you think that, because you are an internal candidate, you automatically have a distinct advantage, you might cut corners. DON’T DO THIS. -Follow the same courtesies as external candidates should – send thank you notes, keep in touch throughout the process, respond quickly to any requests for additional information. -Be aware that the decision-makers will be heavily focused on your work record and recommendations from other employers they trust. So now you are in the interview. Here are strategies for acing an internal interview: 1.    “Tell me about yourself.” You HAVE to approach this question differently as an internal candidate. -If you know the person or people who are interviewing you, you don’t have to state your name – they already know it. -If you don’t know the person or at least one of the people who are interviewing you, include your name and current job title. You might also want to include your direct supervisor’s name and the department you work in…or other job titles you’ve held with the company. -Tell them things they probably don’t already know about you. -You are an insider – use that to your advantage. Use company lingo and assume your interviewers may have at least some knowledge of the projects you’ve worked on, company initiatives you’ve had a role in, and other things going on in the company.  2.    Behavioral questions. -You want to prepare for these as you would an external candidate – just be extra careful to give credit where credit is due and don’t exaggerate your role in projects.  3.    Questions to ask the interviewer. -Here, too, use your internal company knowledge to ask well-thought-out questions. You CANNOT be canned or generic with your questions as an internal candidate! This quote is from Indeed.com: “When applying within a company where you already work, you should be prepared to talk about what motivated your change, particularly if the move would not be a promotion. The person questioning you will be aware that you are already familiar with the ins and outs of the company or they may already be aware of interdepartmental differences. Be prepared to answer in-depth questions.”Here are some internal candidate-specific questions you should be prepared to answer:Why did you decide to apply for a new position with the company?What experience within our company has prepared you to assume a new role?What would you do to help your replacement should you move on to this position?Should you not be selected for this role, how would it affect your current job?What is your proudest accomplishment with the company and how does it demonstrate your readiness for this new role?Tell me about a time with the company where you received a special commendation for your work.What is the first change you would make to the way this position is currently being carried out, based on your experience at the company?·     Have you spoken about the position with your current manager? If so, what did they say?  Prepare yourself for criticism. Here’s a quote from Deakinco.com: No employee has a perfect employment record, so be prepared for some of your mistakes to come to light during the interview. Perhaps you lost a client or you billed the wrong person. Maybe you missed a deadline or you posted something you shouldn’t have on social media. These things happen, so take ownership of your mistakes and use them to talk about what you’ve learned since joining the company. Explain what happened, what went wrong, and how you can avoid making the same mistake again. Whatever you do, don’t become defensive and start blaming others. 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   

Freelancing…The Freelance Economy…Side Hustles…Entrepreneurship. As a result of COVID, many people have opted out of their corporate, non-profit, and education jobs in favor of doing their own thing. Still others are continuing to work in their previous profession, while building a side business.  Still others are contemplating a shift to self-employment.  My guest today is Matthew Mottola, author of The Human Cloud. We talk about The Freelance Economy, what it means to be a freelancer, and the good and bad reasons for entering The Freelance Economy. Matthew also gives tips for ways to start working as a freelancer – and how to make yourself indispensable as a freelancer. Matthew Mottola is a Forbes contributor who previously worked for Microsoft and has started numerous businesses. At Microsoft, in joint partnership with Upwork, he built the Microsoft 365 freelance toolkit, a tech stack for companies to spend up to $100M on remote freelancers. He has been named a Top 50 remote work expert to follow.  You can find Matt on: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/matthewmottolaPersonal website: matthewrmottola.comThe Human Cloud Book: humancloudbook.comTwitter: twitter.com/matthewrmottola If you would like a free leadership deck on why to invest in the Human Cloud: humancloudbook/com/why-invest-in-the-human-cloud  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  

For this special episode, I've pulled snippets of wisdom from the top 10 most-listened-to episodes of The Exclusive Career Coach podcast.

My guest today is Marina Kirik, and we’re talking about stress and fatigue around the changes to our work environments due to the pandemic. Marina explains some of the unique challenges of work-from-home, work-in-office, and hybrid arrangements, and gives us strategies for coping with the stress around each. Marina also shares ideas for keeping the healthy habits many of us have adopted during the pandemic as we return to work or see other changes in our work situations. Marina Kirik is a stress buster, joy finder, and holistic wellness coach who focuses on stress and burnout prevention in high achievers and entrepreneurs. She left a successful career in HR technology to pursue her passion of helping people feel happier and healthier through realistic and sustainable health habits. She coaches individuals and works with companies all over the world while traveling full-time.  Schedule a FREE 45-minute Stress Breakthrough call with Marina, valued at $150, by booking through her website at www.sumofallpositive.com. She will dive deep into your current stress level, the way stress affects you, and uncover quick wins you can start implementing right away to overcome the impact of stress on your mind and body. You can connect with Marina at https://linkin.bio/sumofallpositive  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

A lot of people – maybe more than ever before – are re-thinking their career path. In this episode with guest Jeff Perry, we talk about making an intentional, rather than reactive, career transition. Everyone has heard of the “Great Resignation” and knows the effects the pandemic has had on certain industries and many careers. We discuss what is going on in the employment landscape in 2021 – and what all of this means for you. Jeff describes career clarity for us, how to determine our non-negotiables (what MUST be present in our career and job for satisfaction), and tools you can use to help find your own career clarity. Jeff Perry is a leadership and career coach who specializes in working with purpose-driven engineers on intentional career transitions. You can get Jeff’s Career Clarity Checklist FREE at:www.engineeringcareeraccelerator.com/career-clarity Find Jeff at:www.linkedin.com/in/jeffcperry His website is: https://morethan-engineering.comCheck out his free masterclass at: www.engineeringcareeraccelerator.comListen to his podcast at:https://engineeringmanagement institute.org/the-podcast/  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   

My guest this week is Mark Herschberg, and we’re talking about How to Manage People You Don’t Manage.This is a particularly important topic in light of the changes we’re seeing as corporations respond to COVID. Learning how to manage people via influence before you have the position can help show your boss what you are capable of and open the door to a managerial position.Mark talks about the unique challenges of managing people you don’t manage and gives us tips for leading by influence.Mark is the author of The Career Toolkit, Essential Skills for Success That No One Taught You. Educated at MIT, Mark has spent his career launching and fixing new ventures at startups, Fortune 500s, and academia. He’s developed new software languages, online marketplaces, new authentication systems, and tracked criminals and terrorists on the dark web. Mark helped create the Undergraduate Practice Opportunities Program, MIT’s Career Success Accelerator, where he has taught for 20 years. Mark also serves on the boards of non-profits Techie Youth and Plant a Million Corals.Download the free app for Apple and Android that can help you develop the skills Mark teaches in his book: www.thecareertoolkitbook.comFor a free download on how to create peer learning groups (and other resources): www.thecareertoolkitbook/com/resourcesYou can reach out to Mark in these ways:www.linkedin.com/in/hersheytwitter.com/CareerToolkitBkwww.facebook.com/TheCareerToolkitBookwww.instagram.com/thecareertoolkitAre 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 

My guest this week is Mark Danaher, founder of Mark Danaher Training and Coaching. Mark and I discuss the seismic shift in people’s work because of the pandemic – especially the large number of people who are rethinking their career direction.

My guest today is Dave Perry and we’re talking about the concept of a blue-chip stock as it applies to being a standout employee. We talk about how to position yourself as a blue-chip stock during the interview process and once you’ve gotten the job. Dave gives us action steps we can take to begin positioning ourselves as a blue-chip stock.  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#careermanagement #careers #careercoach #careercoaching #jobsearch

My guest this week is Dave Fano, Founder and CEO of Teal, which provides people with tools, resources, and community for career management. We are talking about startups – how they are different, what to expect if you work at one, and how to transition back into a corporate environment. We also talk about the red flags – and “green flags” – to look for in evaluating a startup as a potential employer. Dave Fano is an entrepreneur with more than 20 years’ experience building products and services to help people leverage technology to achieve more with less. The former Chief Growth Officer of WeWork, Dave is now focused on empowering people with tools and resources to grow their careers.Check out Teal’s FREE job tracker at https://www.tealhq.com/job-trackerConnect with Dave at:www.tealhq.comtwitter.com/teal_hq twitter.com/davidfanolinkedin.com/in/davidfano 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

My guest this week is Dr. Nicole Tschierske, and we are talking about how to infuse your current position with passion, excitement, and creativity - no matter what is happening in your company, with your boss, or in your personal life. We talk about the “grass is greener” concept that is so prevalent as we come out of the pandemic, how to decide if “hanging in there” a bit longer is the right move for you, and specific action steps you can take to stay motivated, productive, and challenged in your current role. Even if you choose to start looking elsewhere, this episode will help you create the best possible environment in your current job until the day you leave. Nicole Tschierske is passionate about helping overlooked women in STEM become influential so they can confidently unlock new opportunities for themselves, get their employers saying “we need you on this job!” and make a bigger impact. As a scientist and positive psychology coach, Nicole helps her clients strategically turn their career frustrations into a renewed love for their work. Dr. Tschierske is offering a free masterclass starting September 20th; learn more at https://womeninstem-reimagined.com/You can reach Dr. Tschierske at nicole@intoactioncoaching.deOr visit her website at https://intoactioncoaching.deOr connect with her on LinkedIn at https://linkedin.com/in/drnicoletschierske 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 

A reminder that I’ve moved to a once-a-month webinar format, held on the third Thursday of the month at 4:00 p.m. Eastern. The topic is different each month, and I jam-pack them full of content. To learn about the next webinar: https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.co We’re hearing a lot about “The Great Resignation” of 2021 and the volatile job market. I wanted to personally do a deep dive on this topic, and decided to share what I uncovered with you guys. According to the Labor Department, a record 4 million people quit their jobs in April 2021, starting what is called the “Great Resignation” period. People began to see their lives differently. While some realized how much time they were spending commuting and want to continue working remotely, others felt the exhaustion of digital overload and lack of connections. At the same time, companies like Apple are delaying its return to the office to October as the Delta variant surges.Employees are claiming more flexibility, defining hybrid work as the best alternative in the post-pandemic workplace to adapt to the VUCA context. A report by TINYpulse shows that 62.8% of HR leaders say that hybrid work optimizes employee performance in their organization Here are some statistics to set the stage: -According to Monster, 95% of workers are currently considering changing jobs -Microsoft Research found 41% of the global workforce is considering changing jobs -HR executives expect only 8% of employees to quit once COVID restrictions are lifted. -According to Global Workplace Analytics, the hybrid work model is here to stay; 25%-30% of the U.S. workforce will be working partially from home by the end of 2021. According to rainmakerthinking’s report, “Winning the Talent Wars,” they found the following: -Voluntary unplanned turnover – the “quit rate” - is increasing -Pent-up departure demand – the “want to quit rate” is also increasing -Early voluntary departure of new hires – employed for less than 18 months – is increasing What is going on? -Workforce burnout and depression -Fear of infection, resulting in fear of returning to the workplace -Extended unemployment and other benefits – effectively de-incentivizing the workforce -Increased family care needs -Location disruption -Changes in certain industries, such as healthcare, education, and public safety -Hastened retirements and career-pausing -Postponed schooling/training/graduation, causing delayed workforce entry What are the costs? -Sales are missed, orders can’t be fulfilled, services can’t be delivered -Current staff members are burnt out from overcommitment -Overtime costs are increasing -Perpetual understaffing causes bad habits as employees see cutting corners as the only solution -New hires are getting the on-boarding and initial training they need to be fully engaged and productive According to “Winning the Talent Wars,” these are the top four causes of early departures: -Buyer’s remorse – the employer oversold the job and made promises they can’t keep out of desperation to staff their vacant positions -Inadequate on-boarding and initial training -Hand-off to an unsupportive manager -Limited flexibility “When employees, whether new hires or longer-term, decide to quit when the time is right, we call this ‘leaving in your head,” or ‘leaving without leaving.” This phenomenon is sometimes the explanation for diminished performance or bad attitude from a previously good employee.” These are the top five causes of mid-stage departures: -Overcommitment syndrome for an extended period of time – creating “siege mentality” that feels like an assault. -Disengaged or unsupportive manager -Limited flexibility -Lack of career path -Relationship conflict “As hiring soars to record levels in the post-pandemic era, quit rates are also soaring as pent-up departure demand is released.” Where are the most vacancies? Construction, manufacturing, warehousing and pharmacy jobs are now in ample supply, the firm's data shows. "The economy is still all about the pandemic," said Jed Kolko, chief economist at the Indeed Hiring Lab. "The biggest increase in job postings are those that either help get us through the pandemic or help us get out of the pandemic." The hottest jobs sectors are those that "make and move things," Kolko added. E-commerce, warehouse and delivery jobs, all of which surged during the pandemic, are now growing at an even faster clip. The number of warehouse jobs listed on Indeed as of early April was 57% above what they were before the virus struck. The broader logistics field could add as many as 4.5 million new jobs over the next five years, according to Burning Glass, a labor market analytics firm. Along with frontline jobs, like truck drivers, that includes data analysts, software engineers, project managers and other positions required to maintain supply chains, Burning Glass predicted. Factories that make goods are going through their own labor pains. Manufacturers laid off fewer workers during the first wave of COVID-19 compared with service industries. Meanwhile, consumer demand for everything from personal protective equipment to vehicles has surged, putting a squeeze on the sector.  The drive to vaccinate people against COVID-19 is also spawning job opportunities in pharmacies and other health care organizations. Across the U.S, more than 1 in 5 job openings at the end of February was in health care and social assistance, according to Labor Department data.  Which industries are still hurting? -Education -IT -Beauty & Wellness -Hospitality & Tourism Here are seven trends that the Microsoft report highlighted leaders need to know when planning a return to the office.1. Flexible work is here to stay. 73 percent of workers surveyed want flexible remote work options to continue, while at the same time, 67 percent are craving more in-person time with their teams. Companies should consider re-designing physical spaces to accommodate hybrid work environments better2. Leaders are out of touch with their employees.People expect their employers and leaders to empathize with their unique challenges. More one-on-one meetings and informal conversations are required, especially for remote workers. If working in hybrid work environments, face-to-face meetings can enhance the connection even more. 3. High productivity is masking an exhausted workforce.54% feel overworked. Microsoft discovered that apart from an increase in time spent in meetings, the average Teams meeting is 10 minutes longer (up from 35 to 45 minutes). In addition, the average Teams user sends 45% more chats per week and 42% more chats per person after hours, with 62% of meetings not planned. 4. Gen Z is at risk and will need to be re-energized. Employees ages 18-25 reported that they were more likely to struggle balancing work with life (+8 percentage points) and to feel exhausted after a typical day of work (+8 percentage points) when compared to older generations. For Gen Z’s, feeling a sense of purpose and connection is essential to feel satisfied at work, but remote work makes this more challenging, especially for those new to the workforce. 5. Shrinking networks are endangering innovation. Respondents who reported weaker workplace relationships were less likely to report thriving at activities that lead to innovation. “When you lose connections, you stop innovating” said Dr. Nancy Baym, Senior Principal Researcher at Microsoft. 6. Authenticity will spur productivity and well-being. At the same time that networks shrank, a good trend that started last year was increasing authentic relations with those closest to us. The research shows that 39% of people in the study said they are more likely to be their whole selves at work compared to one year ago. These more personal interactions can increase inclusion, productivity, innovation and psychological safety.7. Talent is everywhere in a hybrid work world.Together with an increase in resignations, the marketplace is broader as companies are more eager to hire employees living on the other side of the planet. It is also more accessible for minorities, women with children, and talent residing in smaller cities that prefer remote work. 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  

Today I have several guests on the podcast. Alycia Grenesko, Reese Kerlin, and Kristin Kerlin talk with me about why they reached out to me for coaching, what shifted for them during coaching, and what advice they have for others who may be thinking of hiring a coach.I also speak with my coach, Mimi Bishop, who also holds dual roles as a coach and a coachee. The message here is clear: even experienced coaches need coaches to help see themselves objectively, recognize the thoughts and behaviors that are holding them back, and help them set (and achieve) ambitious goals. Mimi and I also talk about the different kinds of coaches we have sought out for different stages of our lives and businesses.Whether you are thinking of hiring a career coach (like me), a business coach (like Mimi) or a life coach to help you with relationships, weight loss, or finding a partner, coaches can make a huge difference in your life. Enjoy! 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 

A reminder that I’ve moved to a once-a-month webinar format, held on the third Thursday of the month at 4:00 p.m. Eastern. The topic is different each month, and I jam-pack them full of content. To learn about the next webinar: https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.co Today, I’m talking about whether you should hire a professional resume writer or DIY it. A disclaimer here: I believe EVERYONE would benefit from a professional resume writer. The question then becomes, is the cost worth it? Are the stakes high enough that I need a professional to help me be competitive? Here are the considerations:1.    Where is the bar? How competitive will the positions I am applying for be?2.    What is my timeline to be in a new position?If you are expecting a salary of $150K, every week you are unemployed is costing you $2,885. Even if you subtract unemployment benefits, you are still losing money every week you are unemployed. If a professional resume writer can help you shorten that timeline by even 1-2 weeks, it has paid for itself. 3.    Is this a strength I possess, or will I be starting from scratch? Do I have the time to do this – and do I want to use my time this way? Let’s say you’ve decided to use a professional resume writer. How do you choose?I’ve created a document, How to Assess Resume Writers, that you can download from my LinkedIn profile. I’m going to hit a few highpoints from that document here:1.    Review their website and LinkedIn profile – are they professional? Do they work with people in similar situations to yours? Look for examples of their work – do you like what you see?2.    Review their credentials. While credentials aren’t everything, there are a lot of people out there calling themselves resume writers who have absolutely no formal training. It is not at all uncommon for me to review a resume that has been “professionally written,” only to find 25+ errors in the document.Look for writers with the ACRW (Academy of Certified Resume Writers) or MRW (Master Resume Writer) designations, as these are the gold standards in resume writing.3.    Evaluate your interactions with prospective resume writers. How responsive have they been? Are they friendly and understanding – or short and distant? Do you feel a connection with them?4.    Find out about their process. Do they want you to fill out worksheets or do they get the information via phone or Zoom calls? What is the expected timeline? If a resume writer doesn’t offer any direct conversation with you, move on to the next option.5.    Ask about price. Price isn’t everything, but it should be a consideration. As a general rule of thumb, you want a resume writer whose fees reflect approximately ½% - 1% of your annual expected salary for the resume only. For example, if you are seeking a $100K salary, expect a resume writer to charge $500-$1000, + extra for LinkedIn profile, cover letter, or other documents. Be very wary about services promoting a $99 or $199 fee; if the price seems too good to be true, it probably is.6.    Determine if this provider also offers job search coaching – it can be a great benefit to go to a “one-stop shop.” 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, schedule a complimentary consult to learn more: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2  

A reminder that I’ve moved to a once-a-month webinar format, held on the third Thursday of the month at 4:00 p.m. Eastern. The topic is different each month, and I jam-pack them full of content.To learn about the next webinar: https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.coToday, I’m talking about 3 areas of your LinkedIn profile that are often overlooked – and that can have an outsized effect on your results if done correctly.Those 3 areas are:1. Your Headline2. Your Skills3. RecommendationsYour Headline (220-character limit)The first thing I want to say about your headline is this: Don’t use the default of your current job title and employer name. These things may be a part of your headline, but you want to say much more than just those two things.Your headline is a high-profile, highly searchable section of your profile. How you approach your headline depends on your specific situation, but here are some guidelines: If you are unemployed and job searching:You can be transparent about the job title you want – this should go in your headline. For example:Accounting Manager | Delivering accurate and timely financial results with the utmost in professionalism and ethics | Experienced in AP/AR, presentations, and Quickbooks (169 characters) If you are employed and job searching:You will probably want to include your current job title, and perhaps your employer in your heading. Unless you have notified the company you are leaving or been asked to leave, you don’t want to broadcast your intentions. For example:Director of Marketing, ABC Company | Delivering digital marketing expertise and strong team leadership | Leveraging analytics to drive marketing decisions | Experienced in financial services, consumer goods, & education (219 characters)If you are currently in one field but want to change fields:You will also probably want to include your current job title and/or employer. For example:Nonprofit Administrator | Leveraging financial and business acumen to minimize expenses, increase revenue, and garner community support and buy-in | Exceptional fundraising and grant writing skills (197 characters)Skills SectionThis section is no longer about getting endorsements – it is about the keywords you pack into this section.I recommend an annual audit of this section – remove obsolete skills or those you no longer want to feature and add new skills you’ve recently developed.When auditing this section, always think in terms of what a potential employer would be searching on to find you. For example, I love dogs – but my LI profile is no place to feature my dog-related skills.Once you start typing in a skill, be sure to select one from the drop-down menu, because these are the terms recruiters will be searching on.Also, duplicate your skills at the bottom of your About section. Label this paragraph “Specialties,” and list the same skills here.RecommendationsI LOVE this section and very few people utilize it. Here’s what I love it for: this is where you can ask people to say things about you that you really can’t say about yourself. Soft skills and certain strengths are best talked about by someone other than you.LI recommends a minimum of 3 recommendations and there is no upper limit. Here’s how to approach:1. Write out 3-4 characteristics you want people to write about.2. Think of 2 people who could write about each of those characteristics (this way, hopefully, you’ll get at least 1).3. Make sure you are connected to the person you want to write a recommendation for you.4. Go to the person’s LI page and click on the “More” button in the top box where their picture is. Select “Request a Recommendation” and follow the prompts.5. Write a customized note to each person, specifically asking them to write about the characteristic.6. Their recommendation will come to your inbox. You have three options: reject, accept as-is, or request changes.7. Keep in mind that you can repurpose recommendations from LI, but you can repurpose a recommendation from elsewhere into LI. Because of this, LI makes a nice repository for your recommendations.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.Schedule a complimentary consult to learn more: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2  

A reminder that I’ve moved to a once-a-month webinar format, held on the third Thursday of the month at 4:00 p.m. Eastern. The topic is different each month, and I jam-pack them full of content. To learn about the next webinar: https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.coThrough various groups I belong to and sites I visit regularly, there is a lot of talk about being in a “toxic work environment.” Today, I want to drill down on what actually constitutes a toxic work environment and what to do if you are in one. I also want to talk about what isn’t a toxic work environment and how to manage these situations.Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about a toxic workplace: It is marked by significant infighting, where personal battles often harm productivity. Here’s a quote: “It is reasonable to conclude that an organization can be considered toxic if it is ineffective as well as destructive to its employees.”Here’s what monster.com has to say about a toxic work environment:A toxic work environment is one wherein dysfunction and drama reign, whether it’s the result of a narcissistic boss, vindictive co-workers, absence of order, et cetera.In addition to harming your morale, this kind of climate can also be damaging to your health, says Paul White, co-author of Rising Above a Toxic Workplace. “Stress takes a toll on your body,” White says. Health problems stemming from a hostile workplace include hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and decreased mental health, and can lead to fatal conditions, research from Stanford and Harvard Universities found.“A toxic environment keeps people in a fight or flight mindset—the constant pump of cortisol, testosterone, and norepinephrine generates physical, emotional, and mental stress,” says Cheri Torres, an Asheville, North Carolina-based business leadership coach and author of Conversations Worth Having: Using Appreciative Inquiry to Fuel Productive and Meaningful Engagement. She says you can’t do your best work when you work in a toxic workplace, and your health and well-being is at risk.As I was researching for this episode, I saw a lot of things credited as contributing to workplace toxicity that simply aren’t. No boss, coworker, or CEO is perfect – and a boss who isn’t organized or a coworker who is chronically late doesn’t make a workplace toxic.Here are the signs Monster gives for a toxic workplace:1.    You are chronically stressed out. Take this quiz to find out how stressed you are: https://www.stress.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Workplace-Stress-Survey.pdf2.    You’re being overworked.3.    You’re being bullied.The Workplace Bullying Institute defines bullying as “repeated mistreatment of an employee by one or more employees; abusive conduct that is threatening, humiliating, or intimidating; work sabotage; or verbal abuse.”While 61% of bullies are bosses, 33% of bullies are peers with the same rank as their targets, and a surprising 6% of bullies are subordinates, a survey by the Workplace Bullying Institute found.4.    You’re a contributor to – or recipient of – office gossip.5.    Your boss is a hothead.6.    Communication is poor/nonexistent, and it is affecting your ability to do your job.Here are additional signs from Bustle.com:1.    An absence of work/life balance (or, as I like to call it, work/life blend)2.    You are constantly getting sick.3.    Family and friends are noticing a difference in your character.4.    Your employer culture is “competitive conflict.”5.    Your time boundaries are not being respected. (Think “Two Weeks’ Notice”)6.    Your boss encourages bad/unprofessional/unethical behavior7.    Your gut-check tells you that your ethics and morals are eroding the longer you work there – you are losing yourself. Here are clear-cut situations of workplace toxicity:1. Sexual harassment2. Bullying3. Illegal behaviors (stealing, cheating, misrepresenting results)4. Being asked to participate in or look the other way with illegal/unethical behaviors5. Workplace safety or environmental issues that aren’t addressed6. Lies/undermining that are affecting your ability to do your job or get the results you are expected to achieve So what are your options when you find yourself in a toxic work environment? There are at least three:1.    Approach the perpetrator directly.A quote from Monster: “You should be able to resolve many interpersonal problems without intervention. “Generally, your best first step is to have a gentle backstage conversation with the person who’s causing you harm,” says Sutton. But, rather than focusing on how someone’s behavior makes you feel, focus on the negative consequences of the person’s actions.”2.    Confront with a team and go up the chain of command.According to Monster: “If the direct approach is futile, you may have to get help from your superiors (assuming they’re not the problem) to resolve serious issues with co-workers. But before you request a meeting, there are a couple measures you should take.“First, figure out if any of your peers are having similar problems. “The more fellow victims you have, the more power you have,” Sutton says. Obviously, you don’t want to bombard your co-worker; one or two representatives in addition to yourself should suffice.“Second, gather hard evidence to prove your case. For example, if your colleague is frequently trying to sabotage your work by turning their assignments in late, compile emails that show times when this has happened and present what you have in the meeting.”3.    Plan your exit strategy.“Some companies simply have a culture of dysfunction. If the toxicity is coming from the top down, you may be better off coming up with an exit strategy,” according to Monster.Finally, let’s talk about what doesn’t constitute workplace toxicity. These are all contextual, because if one of these non-toxic things is happening and, as a result, your health is suffering or your friends and family are noticing a negative change in you, then there is evidence that that thin is toxic FOR YOU.What I want to make clear with these four things is that you have within your power the ability to shift your mindset around these things so that your experience at work is more positive.This DOES NOT mean you have to stay in that job…it simply means that, while you’re still there, you can have a better experience.1.    You don’t want to go to work.2.    You aren’t as happy as work as you used to be.3.    You don’t feel respected.4.    Your point of view and ideas aren’t being heard.What can you do in these situations? Here are my suggestions:1.    Do a pros/cons exercise – what reasons do you have for not wanting to go to work? Why don’t you feel as happy about work as you once did? In what ways DO you feel respected at work? When have your POV and ideas been heard at work?2.    Take a careful look at your cons – what shifts can you make to move some of these items out of this column? Maybe they won’t end up in the pros column, but at least you can neutralize them.For example, if one of the reasons you don’t want to go to work is a particular co-worker’s attitude towards you, what can YOU do about that? You could schedule a time to speak one-on-one with this co-worker. If one of the reasons you aren’t as happy at work as you used to be is because you’ve been passed over for a promotion, perhaps you could meet with your boss about why you weren’t chosen and what you could do to increase your chances of success next time around.3.    Engage in a gratitude practice – Every morning, I write down three things I am truly grateful for, and I really FEEL that gratitude.4.    Mindfulness – Become more aware of when the negative thoughts are creeping in and choose to think something more positive instead. For example, if you find yourself sitting in your car in the parking lot every morning not wanting to enter the building, this is likely because you are thinking something like “I hate my job.” Once you realize this thought, you can shift your thinking to something like “I like _____ about my job.” A slight shift that can make all the difference.5.    Focus on what you CAN control – nothing exacerbates a feeling of powerlessness more than putting yourself in the role of victim. If you don’t feel your POV is being heard at work, how can YOU show up to meetings differently to increase your chances of being heard?6.    Engage in a bit of perspective-adjusting. We tend to think the grass is always greener over there…but it often isn’t. If you choose to go elsewhere, keep in mind that there may be similar problems there…or even worse ones. Is what you have REALLY that bad? Are you in the wrong job that chips away at you every day? The CareerSpring coaching program will help you find a job that uses your zone of genius, recognizes your value, and pays you what you’re worth.Schedule a complimentary consult to learn more: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2

A reminder that I’ve moved to a once-a-month webinar format, held on the third Thursday of the month at 4:00 p.m. Eastern. The topic is different each month, and I jam-pack them full of content. To learn about the next webinar: https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.com Today, I want to drill down on ways to promote yourself as a SME on LinkedIn. Let’s start with why this is important: 1. If you are job searching, putting content on LI in your area of expertise will show potential employers that you are a thought leader in your field. 2. This can be a great tool for your company – instead of a hard sell on why you should buy a particular product or service, your expertise is much more interesting to others in your field, potential buyers, and potential future employees. You can really differentiate your company from the competition this way. 3. As you become known as a SME, recruiters will increasingly reach out to you. The optimal state is that you never go “in” and “out” of job search mode, but rather you are always having those conversations. I call it ARFO – Always Ready For Opportunity. 4. Your expertise can be repurposed for your employer – they may want to use it on the website, in videos, or social media posts. This is a win/win/win situation. Now that I’ve hopefully persuaded you of the reasons to position yourself as a SME, why LinkedIn? Here are three reasons: 1. It’s the most professional of the SM sites 2. LI is set up to also be your de facto blog 3. People will engage with professional content on LI – it’s one of the main reasons people use LI Finally, let’s get to the meat of this episode – how to promote yourself as a SME on LI. Here are my suggested steps: 1. Decide on your “why” – if you don’t know why you are doing this or your reason isn’t very strong, you’ll likely put it on the back burner when other things in your professional or personal life become more urgent. 2. Create a strategy. How often will you post? What will you post each time? Here’s an example for someone in HR: Mondays – Original content around a basic concept in Human Resources Wednesdays – Share someone else’s article and comment on it Fridays – Create engagement around a question or idea and ask other HR professionals to give input 3. Calendar everything.You’ll need time to create the posts and associated artwork, time to post (I would recommend Hootsuite’s free version). Although you can’t really calendar in time to respond to comments on your posts, you’ll want to keep an eye on this so you keep the conversations going. 4. Periodically shake things up. I do this in my business once a quarter. I look at a) what kind of content I’m putting out on my various channels, and b) what days I’m putting that content out. By shaking things up every three months, I am hopefully doing the same thing grocery stores do when they move product to another part of the store. The shoppers now have to actually look for what they want…and who knows what they might find along the way. Also, you may find that some kinds of posts get far more engagement than others, so either eliminate the less effective or think of a way to tweak it to get more eyes on your content. Here are some specific types of posts you may want to consider: 1. Share expertise around a hot topic in your field 2. Pose thought-provoking questions 3. Share a problem you’ve solved and how you solved it 4. Share what your company is doing to address a problem 5. Post thought-provoking statistics relevant to your field or industry 6. Post relevant quotes from industry leaders 7. Share upcoming trainings, certifications, or other professional development opportunities 8. Align yourself with thought leaders in your field by posting a quote and expanding on it 9. Post about an award your company, a leader in your company, or you have received Are you in the wrong job that chips away at you every day? The CareerSpring coaching program will help you find a job that uses your zone of genius, recognizes your value, and pays you what you’re worth. Schedule a complimentary consult to learn more: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2 #careermanagement #LinkedIntips #careercoach #careercoaching #SME  

Today my guest is Ed Evarts, author of “Driving Your Career.” We talk about ways to take responsibility for your own career success. Ed is a leadership coach, business strategist, and podcaster with Excellius Leadership Development (excellius.com). Reach out to Ed at ed@excellius.com or find him on LinkedIn. Are you in the wrong job that chips away at you every day? The CareerSpring coaching program will help you find a job that uses your zone of genius, recognizes your value, and pays you what you’re worth. Schedule a complimentary consult to learn more: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2#careermanagement #careercoach #careercoaching #careers

I wanted to let you know that I’ve moved to a once-a-month webinar format, held on the third Thursday of the month at 4:00 p.m. Eastern. The topic is different each month, and I jam-pack them full of content.To learn about the next webinar: https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.comI’m a huge fan of Brené Brown’s work, and I love her concept of FFTs. If you’ve been listening to this podcast for a while, you know that I don’t say anything that wouldn’t be suitable for all audiences, so I’ll start by saying that FFTs stands for “F’ing First Time.”Brené talks about FFTs in the framework of doing something new. Of challenging ourselves…of evolving to the next level in our development as a human.Which got me thinking…what do FFTs look like in the framework of our jobs? When we are given a new task…asked to work in a new way…learn a new skill?Here are her five steps for FFTs; I want to break each down for you:1.    Name it2. Develop perspective3. Adjust expectations4. Build in rest & recovery5. Get in top FFT shape1. Name itLet’s say you have been given a huge new assignment at work with gigantic implications. You feel completely unprepared for this level of responsibility – you have, after all, only managed small teams and small budgets before. For the Name It phase, it is important to name the “newness” of this new responsibility. Your list might look something like this:-There will be 15 people on my team, and I’ve never managed more than 2 people before-This budget is 4X larger than the most I’ve ever managed-There is so much riding on the success of this project-I don’t know why they thought I could do this-I’m afraid I’ll fail and lose my jobThe important thing here is that you are bringing the monsters out into the light. The first step in neutralizing fear is to recognize the source of that fear.2. Develop perspectiveIf you have never done something before, it’s natural to believe you aren’t qualified and may fail. The point in this step is to think through things like:-Worst-case scenario-Taking stock of what you do bring to the table-Recognizing the faith someone has put in you by assigning this task to youIt’s a very useful exercise to think about “what if I do fail and get fired?” Not because you are planning to fail and get fired, but because you’ll see that this worst-case scenario isn’t the end of the world.By taking stock in what you bring to this project, you are hopefully focusing on your strengths rather than what you DON’T have. This should help you reinforce your self-belief.If you don’t believe in yourself at this moment, it can be helpful to “borrow” the faith of the person who has entrusted you with this project. For that matter, who are your cheerleaders – those who believe in you no matter what? Spend time around those people so you can siphon off some of their belief in you.3. Adjust expectations. Is 100% success, with no hiccups, a realistic expectation for this project? Probably not.It is important to find the perfect balance between believing in yourself and being realistic about what you are being asked to do.Perhaps setting a goal to complete the projects within 10% of budget is reasonable. Sure, you’d like perfection – but at what cost? The project might actually be better – and stay on time – by allowing for some errors and mistakes.You may also need to adjust expectations with your boss. If you have realistically assessed the project scope and know you can’t do it without 2 more project members, then ASK for what you need.You will also want to adjust expectations with the other project members. How will success be measured? When should they come to you for help? How will you support them? Make sure everyone involved is reading off the same sheet of music.4. Build in rest & recovery.FFTs wear us out. We’re using new muscles, our brain is working in new ways, we’re interacting with new people, and making new kinds of decisions daily.FFTs require rest & recovery. Depending on the FFT, this could mean daily R&R, time off mid-project, or a vacation afterward.Don’t ignore your needs…this is a marathon, not a sprint. Be kind to yourself. 5. Get into top FFT shape. There are things you can do right before you begin something new, such as reading up on how to do the new task, rearranging your schedule so everything else in your life is under control, asking for help at home or at work, or simply getting a good night’s sleep.Other ways of getting into top FFT shape might take longer and will require you to anticipate your needs. If, for example, you want to start managing projects, what class or certification can you start now to be better prepared?A good way to anticipate your FFT needs is to meet with your boss on another, more senior person in your company. Tell them your professional goals and ask for their input into how you can begin preparing to take on new roles, responsibilities, and leadership now.If you are mid-project and realize you aren’t in top FFT shape, there are strategies to address this as well. For example, if you realize there’s a skill gap in your team, you might choose to read up on that skill, ask others about that skill, or ask your boss for a SME to step in to help with that skill. There will always been unanticipated “hiccups” in FFTs, so your ability to make mid-course corrections will be essential.Are you in the wrong job that chips away at you every day? The CareerSpring coaching program will help you find a job that uses your zone of genius, recognizes your value, and pays you what you’re worth.Schedule a complimentary consult to learn more: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2

Our topic today is 7 Raise Rules for Women Who Want to Make More Money, with Laura Browne. Men and women approach salary issues very differently, and Laura and I dive into these differences and how women can ask for what they want. Laura provides us with some of her best tips for asking for a raise and negotiating a salary and compensation package. Laura Browne helps women to make more money at work. She is the author of 10 books, including her newest, Increase Your Income: 7 Rules for Women Who Want to Make More Money at Work.She is a contributor to Forbes and has been quoted as a business expert in major publications including Cosmopolitan, Family Circle and USA Today.She has trained high-potential female leaders from Fortune 1000 companies to be more successful through WOMEN Unlimited. She also has experience in leadership and management development for global tech companies. Laura is a High-Performance Business Coach with certification from Columbia University.To find out more about her programs and to see a free video on How to Get A Raise at Work, go to https://learn.careertipsforwomen.comFor a list of 15 Common Raise Mistakes and How to Fix Or Avoid them go to https://www.careertipsforwomen.com/You can contact Laura at Laura.browne@CareerTipsForWomen.com Are you in the wrong job that chips away at you every day? The CareerSpring coaching program will help you find a job that uses your zone of genius, recognizes your value, and pays you what you’re worth. Schedule a complimentary consult to learn more: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2#jobsearch #jobsearchcoach #jobsearchcoaching #career #salarynegotiation #careermanagement #careercoach #careercoaching

I wanted to let you know that I’ve moved to a once-a-month webinar format, held on the third Thursday of the month at 4:00 p.m. Eastern. The topic is different each month, and I jam-pack them full of content. To learn about the next webinar: https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.com This week, I want to talk about how to wrap up a job interview and what you’ll want to do after the interview to increase your chances of getting the job.At the close of the interviewHere are the three things you must do at the close of each interview:1. Thank them for their time2.    Re-state your interest in the position, if applicable3.    Determine the next step(s) in the hiring processWithin 24 hours after the interview1. Send thank you emails2.    Send any additional information requested by the interviewer, or that you mentioned during the interview3.    Send any supplemental information that might assist with the hiring decision, such as work samples, document, etc.4.    Connect with the interviewer(s) on LinkedIn if you haven’t alreadyOngoing contactIt can sometimes be weeks, or even months, before a final decision is made. In the meantime, how do you stay in contact with companies you’ve interviewed with and are very interested in? 1. Periodically check in with your primary contact – depending on the circumstance, weekly or every other week is appropriate. 2.    Send information about the company or the contact when you can – but don’t overdo it.3.    Let them know of any new achievements, credentials, etc.4.    Let them know if you receive another offer so they have the opportunity to counter.Are you in the wrong job that chips away at you every day? The CareerSpring coaching program will help you find a job that uses your zone of genius, recognizes your value, and pays you what you’re worth.Schedule a complimentary consult to learn more: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2

Today, my guest is Carson Tate of workingsimply.com, and we’re talking about our work relationships. Carson is an employee engagement expert, and we talk about why relationships at work are so important. She also gives us tips for re-engaging with our coworkers now that many of us are going back in the office. She shares with us the “Platinum Rule” and how that applies to our work relationships and the indicators that our relationships at work are suffering. Carson walks us through SCARF threats – all of which, when triggered, can send us into fight or flight.“According to Gallup, people who have a friend at work are happier, more productive, and more engaged,” says Carson Tate. Carson serves as a consultant, coach, and trainer to executives at Fortune 500 companies including AbbVie, Deloitte, FedEx and Wells Fargo. The author of Work Simply: Embracing the Power of Your Personal Productivity Style (Penguin Portfolio, 2015), her views have been included in top-tier business media including Bloomberg Businessweek, Business Insider, CBS Money Watch, Fast Company, Forbes, Harvard Business Review blog, The New York Times, USA Today, Working Mother and more. Reach out to Carson at workingsimply.com or on connect with her on LinkedIn. Are you in the wrong job that chips away at you every day? The CareerSpring coaching program will help you find a job that uses your zone of genius, recognizes your value, and pays you what you’re worth.Schedule a complimentary consult to learn more: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2

 We’d love to think that everything is back to “normal,” and all our pandemic-related stresses and frustrations are behind us. THIS ISN’T TRUE.Whether we are dealing with returning to work, navigating a return to normal with our significant others or children, or rethinking our career path, many of use are still dealing with COVID-related fatigue. My return guest, Jane Springer, is a life and wellness coach. She and I discuss what we’re seeing with our clients and how we are helping them navigate the world in 2021. Jane is a Certified Life and Wellness Coach focusing on empowering women who are 50+ years of age to move beyond their challenges to live life on their own terms. Jane uses her own experiences with divorce, remarriage, and overcoming chronic fatigue to create strategies that guide women to fulfilling relationships, improved health, increased happiness, and enhanced self-confidence. Check out Jane’s website and take her “Are You a Woman of Faith Ready for Love?” quiz at www.janespringer.com/lovequizIf you’re struggling to return to normal, Jane offers “Feel Better, Look Good, & Gain Confidence in Seven Steps” www.janespringer.com/feelbetterAre you in the wrong job that chips away at you every day? The CareerSpring coaching program will help you find a job that uses your zone of genius, recognizes your value, and pays you what you’re worth. Schedule a complimentary consult to learn more: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2  

Today, my guest is Heather Younger, author of The Art of Caring Leadership. In addition to being a best-selling author, Heather is an international speaker, consultant, and facilitator. She is the CEO and founder of Employee Fanatix, an employee engagement, leadership development, and DEI consulting firm.Heather Younger is the host of the Leadership with Heart podcast, and has been featured in Forbes, Huffpost, and SHRM’s All Things Work Podcast. Check out Heather’s website: www.theartofcaringleadership.comIn this episode, Heather and I talk about the six areas of self-leadership from her book and why it is so important to lead yourself before you can effectively lead others. Are you in the wrong job that chips away at you every day? The CareerSpring coaching program will help you find a job that uses your zone of genius, recognizes your value, and pays you what you’re worth. Schedule a complimentary consult to learn more: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2

In episode #177, I talked about overcoming your fear of networking. Today’s podcast will be strategies that you may not have thought of to either jumpstart your networking, or to take what you are already doing to the next level. Before I dive into the seven strategies, there are three points I want to make for the one millionth time: 1. Networking is how jobs are gotten2. There is the Tommy Gun approach and the Bow-and-Arrow approach – I teach my clients the Bow-and-Arrow approach3. Your goal with any networking is to give at least as much value as you getStrategy #1: LinkedIn (the obvious choice) Set a goal of messaging X# of your contacts in LinkedIn each day Move to a Zoom meeting when appropriate Have a specific ask AND be open to ideas the other person hasStrategy #2: Meetup Find a few groups on Meetup that are active right now, and give them a try Join groups based on hobbies, passions, beliefs, etc. Let the other members know of your job search – in specific terms Meet 1:1 outside of Meetup as appropriate Strategy #3: Rotary, Kiwanis, Chamber meetings, etc. Google “Rotary chapters near me” or “Chamber of Commerce” Attend a few meetings to determine if you would like to join Take advantage of any opportunity to introduce yourself and let them know about your job search Move to 1:1 meetings as appropriateStrategy #4: FB Events tab, Eventbrite Most things are still virtual, but there may be some live events in your area that you would feel safe attending Take advantage of any opportunity to introduce yourself and let them know of your job search Schedule 1:1 meetings as appropriateStrategy #5: Your place of worship Determine your best opportunity for interacting with people – is it prior to the service? In small group meetings? Sunday school? Take advantage of any opportunity to let them know you are job searching Schedule 1:1 meetings as appropriate Strategy #6: Your university alumni association Do your homework to find out what your alma mater offers as a member of the alumni association Get involved in ways that are appropriate and meaningful for you Take advantage of any opportunity to introduce yourself and let the others know of your job search Schedule 1:1 meetings as appropriateStrategy #7: Create your own networking group! Decide how to proceed, based on your network and SM reach Make sure you have the proper technology, i.e. paid Zoom account or external camera Be very clear in your messaging – if this is not your strength, who could help you with this? Be consistent, follow up and follow through – everything you do in this regard will be a reflection of your professionalism and work ethicAre you in the wrong job that chips away at you every day? The CareerSpring coaching program will help you find a job that uses your zone of genius, recognizes your value, and pays you what you’re worth. Schedule a complimentary consult to learn more: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2

My guest today is Jen Ngozi, founder of NetWerk®, a global women in leadership organization and movement on a mission to help everyday women worldwide build the community, confidence, and skills needed to become leaders. Since their launch, Jen has grown NetWerk® from her basement to a global community of instructors, members and over 20,000 NetWerkHERS worldwide.Jen has spoken at events with the United Nations, Vogue and Create & Cultivate. She has been seen in HuffPost, Weight Watchers, Thrive Global, ABC, NBC, Fox News and more.In today’s episode, Jen provides the listeners with invaluable tips to STOP apologizing for everything and how to communicate like a leader.Check out NetWerk at netwerkmovement.comAre you in the wrong job that chips away at you every day? The CareerSpring coaching program will help you find a job that uses your zone of genius, recognizes your value, and pays you what you’re worth.Schedule a complimentary consult to learn more: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2

Let me start by saying that MANY people are afraid to network. Here’s what they tell me:-I don’t know many people-I don’t know what to say-I don’t know how to reach out-I can’t network during a pandemic- I’m awkward in a large groupAll of these thoughts are just that…thoughts. And they are all overcomable. Let’s first talk about one-to-one networking, then we’ll discuss networking events. One-to-one NetworkingLinkedIn is your best friend when it comes to finding people to networking with. With one-to-one networking, the fear usually centers around WHO you know and WHAT to say. Here are my top eight tips for one-to-one networking: 1. Start with people you already know2. Don’t worry about what field they are in, whether they are also looking for a job, or anything else 3. Reach out via LinkedIn or email to check in on them4. If they respond, suggest a live or Zoom meeting organically5. The 80/20 rule – make it mostly about them6. Be interested, then interesting7. Follow up and follow through after your meeting8. Don’t drop the ball – networking is not a one-and-done kind of thingNetworking EventsI separate networking events into two categories: -Events specifically for networking (it’s usually in the title) -Events where networking can occur (people aren’t too drunk and the music isn’t too loud) Fear around networking events usually centers around not liking crowds. Keep in mind that not all networking events are huge, and you may choose to start with smaller ones as you build your confidence and skill level. Here are 12 tips for managing your fear around networking events:1. You don’t have to talk to everybody – but you do need to talk to somebody2. Bring a networking buddy3. Set a specific goal for each networking event4. Do your homework – can you find out who will be there ahead of time? 5. Use LinkedIn to research specific people you want to meet6. Focus on being a listener rather than a talker7. Arrive early (so you don’t have to walk into a crowded room where everyone has seemingly already paired up)8. Be present – avoid wandering eyes and body language that doesn’t send the “I’m interested in what you’re saying” message9. Be kind to yourself as you overcome your fear and learn networking skills10.Call a time out during the event, if needed11.Position yourself so you can more easily extract yourself from a conversation when it’s time to move on12.Follow up and follow throughAre you in the wrong job that chips away at you every day? The CareerSpring coaching program will help you find a job that uses your zone of genius, recognizes your value, and pays you what you’re worth. Schedule a complimentary consult to learn more: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2

 I have done plenty of episodes on how to answer various types of interview questions. What I want to touch on today is everything else surrounding the job interview. When I was the director of a University Career Center, I noticed my students would spend hours preparing for an exam – and yet very little time preparing for a job interview. The last time I had a job interview, my goal was to be so well prepared that the interviewers couldn’t throw me a curve ball. There would be nothing they would mention about the university that I wouldn’t at least know something about. At the end of my grueling, two-day interview gauntlet, the man who was to become my boss said that he felt more like I interviewed him than the other way around.OF COURSE. I was considering a 1,000-mile move with two small children. I wasn’t about to make that huge leap without being sure of what I was getting myself into. Here, then, are the 11 tips to help you be optimally prepared for your next job interview. 1. Carefully examine the job description.Here is what Indeed has to say about this: “During your prep work, you should use the employer’s posted job description as a guide. The job description is a list of the qualifications, qualities, and background the employer is looking for in an ideal candidate. The more you can align yourself with these details, the more the employer will be able to see that you are qualified. The job description may also give you ideas about questions the employer may ask throughout the interview.”What does this look like? If, for example, the job posting indicates a high priority on a certain skill or credential, you want to make sure you weave your ability with that skill or the fact that you have the desired credential into one or more of your interview responses. You can also use the job description to anticipate behavioral questions you may be asked. 2. Get crystal clear on why you want the job, why you want to work for that employer, and what you bring to the table.You need to be able to clearly articulate what attracted you to the position and the company and why you believe you are the best candidate for the job.Rather than telling them how excited you are about the position, demonstrate your excitement with tangible details as to the skills, characteristics, and qualifications you will bring to the position. Your excitement will be evident.3. Conduct in-depth research. There are a few levels of research you want to do prior to a job interview.-Research the company -Research the company culture -Research the industry -Research the product or service the company provides -Research the role 4. Research your interviewers.In addition to in-depth research on the company and the position, you want to use LinkedIn to research those you will be interviewing with. Where have they worked previously? What other roles, if any, have they held in this company? What is their educational background? Can you find evidence of what they like to do outside of work?Bonus points if you can make a connection with an interviewer based on your research, such as a common hobby or attending the same undergraduate institution. 5. Plan your interview attire.You may think that your interview attire depends on whether it is an in-person or virtual interview, but it doesn’t. My number one piece of advice to clients who will be having a phone or Zoom interview: dress like the interview is in person. It really does make a difference. The more you know about the company culture, the job you are applying for, and the interviewers, the better you can plan what you’ll wear. Here are some general rules:-Dress above the requirements of the job-Dress as well as, but not better than, the boss-Look like a well-dressed, successful professional in your field-Consider styles and colors that work for you and project the proper image-Sit down in your interview attire in front of a mirror-Break your shoes in ahead of time, and make sure they are suitable for walking-In most fields, avoid trendiness and go for the classics – unless you’re in a creative field 6. Bring hard copies of your resume in a padfolio.7. Practice your speaking voice and body language.Whether you practice by yourself, with a friend, or preferably with an interview coach, recording yourself and watching it back will help you see areas for concern. These might include vocal fillers, mispronunciation/misuse of words, and nervous habits. If, for example, you see that you touch your hair several times during the interview, plan to wear your hair up or back to resolve the temptation.8. Conduct mock interviews. The benefit should be obvious: practice makes perfect. Or, as my daughter’s softball tee shirt said, “Perfect practice makes perfect.” 9. Plan out your travel arrangements.Most of my clients are experiencing in-person interviews at least once before they are offered the position.You’ll want to be very clear with the appropriate representative of the company as to who is responsible for what arrangement and how payments and reimbursements will be handled.Double- and triple check these arrangements prior to departure; nothing will stress you more or sideline your focus more than a missed connection or botched hotel reservations.10. Sell yourself.Remember: It ain’t bragging if you can prove it. You may be uncomfortable with selling yourself, but it doesn’t have to feel icky.Your goal during the interview is to accurately and compellingly convey your skills and experiences so the interviewers have the complete information they need to make an informed hiring decision. Metrics or stats that demonstrate your accomplishments and growth are great for selling yourself during the interview. Have those stats memorized and give thought to how you want to insert them into your answers.Finally, don’t be modest about sharing your accomplishments.11. Follow up and follow through. Although I’m a huge fan of the hand-written thank-you note, I have acquiesced that, in most instances, this approach isn’t viable today. If, however, your interviewer has presented himself or herself as old-school and you have the time to send a hand-written thank you, they are still acceptable and even encouraged. It is key that you find out what the next step(s) in the hiring process will be before you leave the interview – and offer to reach out to touch base at an appropriate time.If the process drags on, as it does with so many companies, stay in regular contact (perhaps weekly or bi-weekly) to let the hiring authority know you are still interest in the position.When appropriate, you can add value to those communications, such as letting them know of an additional achievement, certification, or recognition you’ve received, or kudos for something they or their company have done that has made the news.It is also appropriate to let them know if you’ve received another offer, especially if you would rather work at their company.Are you in the wrong job that chips away at you every day? The CareerSpring coaching program will help you find a job that uses your zone of genius, recognizes your value, and pays you what you’re worth.Schedule a complimentary consult to learn more: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2  

Why is personal branding important? To differentiate yourself in a crowded candidate pool To clearly convey the benefits an employer will get from hiring you To avoid being the “generic” candidate NOT an objective – which tells the employer what YOU want, rather than what you can deliverThe problem with most people’s attempt at branding is that it is generic and non-differentiating.Here’s an exercise to begin the branding process:Pick one of the following brands, and write down three adjectives that describe them:-Nike-Starbucks-Chick-fil-a-Apple Computers-Keurig-Bombas Socks-Disney World/Disneyland-Yeti You probably didn’t have any trouble coming up with three adjectives to describe the company you chose. You want others to be able to quickly identify your brand. Branding is important for your resume and LI profile; your brand can also serve as a guidepost in making career decisions. Questions to ask yourselfPick one of the following to compare yourself to:-A model of car-A breed of dog-A household appliance-A restaurant chainAsk yourself these questions:-Which one (model, breed, etc.) am I? -Why did I choose that one? How does that choice describe me? These are also great questions to ask those who know you well, in a variety of capacities. The next step is to select 2-3 of these questions to answer: What have you consistently been asked to do in your work? What is your “secret” sauce? What do others say you do well? What is your unique constellation of attributes? In what area(s) of work do you lose track of time and become totally absorbed? Example #1Multi-Unit Manager, HealthcareSeasoned operations and facilities manager with a record of superior facilities management with award-winning cleanliness, rapid response in resolving issues, and strict adherence to healthcare provider standards. Consistently asked to take on additional roles and responsibilities due to resourcefulness, meticulous follow-up and follow-through, and ability to empower team members. Highly effective in communicating with staff at all levels of the organization, as well as collaborating—and enhancing relationships with—with referral sources.Representative Successes: Promoted from Operations Manager of a single facility to District Operations Manager for 23 facilities with COMPAN—a fitness company with 700+ facilities throughout North America. Chosen twice as change agent for major acquisitions including terminating redundant employees, relocating top-performing employees, and evaluating equipment for redistribution and removal. Restructured key position at COMPANY to take a holistic view of the patient experience that included referral sources, family members, and other key stakeholders. Recuperated as much as $1M in revenue through effective facility manager training and motivation. Rebuilt staff and workflows in Tallahassee and Panama City offices of COMPANY — improving efficiency, employee engagement, and patient satisfaction. Example #2Astute and personable finance executive with considerable experience leading financial reporting, preparing yearly operating and capital budgets, AP/AR, Payroll, Purchasing, Medical Records, Dietary, and Environmental Services. Consistent record of increasing transparency/accountability, resolving financial management issues, and implementing systems and processes that enhance efficiency and effectiveness. Exceptional Record of: § Supporting managers in understanding financial operations and making intelligent financial decisions§ Managing physician contracts and vendor negotiations for a range of services§ Renegotiating contracts and eliminating excess spending to realize significant savings§ Developing systems to minimize loss, optimize equipment utilization, and maintain internal controlsExample #3Chief Human Resource OfficerDelivering an executive presence, coupled with a data-driven decision process and willingness to engage in tough conversationsSenior HR professional with an exceptional record of improving employee engagement and retention in the high-turnover field of healthcare through a combination of building strategic relationships, gathering data directly from front-line workers, and restructuring hiring, on-boarding, and compensation processes. Representative Achievements: » Transformed perception of HR into a true business partner in support of organizational leadership with an optimal blend of training, change management, coaching, and a full branding shift. » Served in key leadership capacity during COVID-19 including massive furlough and establishing remote work structure for 5,000 employees. » Reduced turnover by as much as 4% for front-line healthcare workers and 3.3% for corporate areas.  Are you in the wrong job that chips away at you every day? The CareerSpring coaching program will help you find a job that uses your zone of genius, recognizes your value, and pays you what you’re worth. Schedule a complimentary consult to learn more: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2

Here’s what I see on almost every resume that comes my way: either there isn’t an achievement in sight, or the few achievements that are there are mixed in with bulleted job duties.This creates what we resume writers call “death by bullets.” A looooong laundry list of job duties, maybe a few achievements, that don’t impress the reader and causes them to lose interest fast. Job descriptionsLet’s start with your job descriptions. This should be a 2-3 line paragraph of the daily job duties you performed – either most frequently or those that are most applicable to the specific position you are applying for. There’s no room for fluffy words or extra verbiage in this paragraph. Stick with the most important, most relevant, and/or most differentiating tasks.Here’s an example: Manage daily operations of 23 facilities in Florida including all construction, remodels, maintenance, repairs, equipment installations, warranty work, and operations budgets. Hire and collaborate with contractors. Recruit, hire, train, and coach facility managers; develop managers for promotions. Directly supervise 28 including 23 general managers.(This is 4 lines on her resume – written in present tense because this was her current job at the time I wrote her resume:Here’s another example: Identified opportunities and developed/implemented solutions for general operations management, project management, human resources management, and staff development. Managed project portfolio and facilitated monthly review of all projects and resource allocation breakdown with senior leadership team. Direct supervision of 3; indirect supervision of teams as large as 100. (4 lines on resume – written in past tense because it is a previous job)AchievementsYou need achievements on your resume because they tell a prospective employer HOW WELL you did your job – not just THAT you did what was expected of you.It is your achievements, not your job duties, that market you.When you mix your job duties up with your achievements, you dilute the effectiveness of your achievements.Ideally, you will have progressively more achievements as your jobs are more recent. At most, 5 achievements per role. What makes an achievement impactful? -Is specific-Starts with an action verb (parallel structure)-Leads with results-Leaves the reader wanting more (2 lines max)Example #1:Instead of Grew customer baseThis high-impact achievement bullet: Catapulted customer base 400% and revenue 700% by launching a comprehensive social media campaign. Example #2: Instead of Managed new-hire in-processingThis high-impact achievement bullet: Processed 140 new employees in just 30 days including all paperwork, orientation, security clearances, and computer access. Example #3: Instead of Managed IT installation projectThis high-impact achievement bullet: Spearheaded 1200-unit IT installation project including beta testing, identifying and training superusers, and troubleshooting.Are you in the wrong job that chips away at you every day? The CareerSpring coaching program will help you find a job that uses your zone of genius, recognizes your value, and pays you what you’re worth. Schedule a complimentary consult to learn more: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2

Let’s begin by explaining what the ATS is: software that manages the entire hiring and recruitment process. From posting the job online to making the job offer, an ATS keeps track of all the activity that takes place in the recruiting department.If you have applied to a company’s website or uploaded your resume to Indeed or LinkedIn, you’ve used an ATS. The ATS was first created for employers who demanded features that could discourage and filter out unqualified candidates in no time. ATS is supposed to save time, speed up the hiring process, and keep the hiring process fair and non-discriminatory. It also keeps track of things like EEO and diversity metrics that can be used to protect the company legally and make governmental reporting easier. All ATS work in one of three ways:Automatic rankings The ATS compares your resume to the job description and ranks each applicant based on how well their resume scores. This allows the recruiter to focus on candidates with the best job description match. Keyword rankings Keyword rankings are available in almost all ATS. The ATS might search on your current job title, a particular degree, or a required skill. This process saves only candidates who have that exact thing on their resume; anyone else would just be kept in the system.Viewing applicationAt some smaller companies, recruiters or hiring managers will look over all the applications. Much like a manual submission, recruiters will look at your past highlights, job titles, and employers to determine whether they want to learn more about you or not. Because of this, it’s important that your top skills and qualifications are easily identifiable, not only for the ATS but also for the recruiter’s eyes. What does this mean for you?-Use a .doc or .docx format – not all ATS can read pdfs.-Translate any images, graphics, text boxes, or chart information into the body of the resume.-Use traditional headers in clearly defined sections so the system can locate key details.-The length of your resume doesn’t matter in the ATS.-Populate your resume with keywords from the job posting, but don’t just stuff your resume full of keywords. The system searches for keywords used in proper context.-Remember that once the resume makes it through the ATS an actual person will read it – so be sure to demonstrate proof of skills, not just fluff.-If you are allowed to upload a copy of your nicely formatted resume as a PDF, do so. Same with a cover letter.ATS don’ts-DON’T have any content on your ATS resume in text boxes, graphs, charts, etc.-DON’T try to “hide” keywords in your ATS resume (this trick ticks hiring managers off)-DON’T stack jobs; if you have multiple roles with the same employer, the employer’s name needs to be listed with each role (and the individual dates for each).-DON’T underline, italicize, or use any symbols not available on your computer keyboard.Are you in the wrong job that chips away at you every day? The CareerSpring coaching program will help you find a job that uses your zone of genius, recognizes your value, and pays you what you’re worth.Schedule a complimentary consult to learn more: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2

For this article, I pulled heavily from the Real Simple article “4 Moments When You Need a Mentor” in the November 2020 issue by Ronnie Koenig. According to the article, 63 percent of women in one study said they had never had a mentor. The article also states that employees with mentors are promoted five times more often than those without a mentor. Why is having a mentor important?-Ask for advice-Talk about uncertainties with-Help you practice tricky conversations-Think about your future goals – and how to realize them-Be your cheerleader, supporter, tough talkerIf you’re just starting outIf you are at the beginning of your career, you need a caring cheerleader. It can often feel like you have to pick a lane before you’re even sure where the road goes or how long it will take to get there. The best person for this type of mentorship is someone in your department, a member of a professional organization you belong to, or even someone in a different industry who can advise you on the pitfalls and direct you toward opportunities. Your goal at this point in your career is to stay in a learning mindset so you become well-rounded and not become pigeon-holed in one direction. A good way to find this type of mentor is to ask to help with a project or event at your employer or in an organization you belong to. If you’re trying to pinpoint your passionIf you are coasting along in your current job but believe you’re not following your passion, you need inspiration. A mentor can help you plot your next move and help you build your confidence to take the leap. To find this type of mentor, search LinkedIn or attend industry events to find people who are leading causes you care about. Ask people about their career path and it will help you uncover the path you’re meant to be on. Email the person to ask if they would be willing to share how they got started. If you’ve been downsizedIf you have been laid off, the mentor you need is a staunch supporter. Your immediate reaction to being terminated is to look for a job just like the one you lost, but instead take some time to think about what you really want to do next.This type of mentor can be an admired former boss or senior colleague, who can offer their take on your career thoughts and provide a boost of optimism from their encouragement and faith in you. They can also help you see how your skills and interests will transfer to opportunities you hadn’t previously thought of.If you had a major life eventIf you recently became a parent, are reentering the workforce after some time away, or have dealt with a serious illness, your mentor should be an experienced colleague. It can help to talk to someone who’s been there. They are empathetic, but no longer in the thick of it – so they have the perspective and distance to be helpful.To find this mentor, ask a colleague who has recently gone through what you are facing. Ask questions about how they transitioned back to work, negotiated their availability, or enforced boundaries.Don’t hesitate to talk to people outside your immediate circle – if you see someone who is handling your issue particularly well, ask. You’ll be exposed to great ideas outside your workplace bubble.Lastly, let’s talk about the benefits of being a mentor. Greater work satisfaction. Mentoring others can have a rejuvenating effect on you – especially if you have plateaued in your career and could use the boost from sharing your knowledge and wisdom with others.A salary boost. Being recognized as an effective mentor can get you noticed and enhance your reputation at work. Research indicates a connection between being a mentor and receiving a higher salary and more promotions.Sharpened skills. You’ll get a lot of practice in listening, asking thought-provoking questions, facilitating change, influencing, and overcoming obstacles – all skills necessary to become an exceptional leader.Are you in the wrong job that chips away at you every day? The CareerSpring coaching program will help you find a job that uses your zone of genius, recognizes your value, and pays you what you’re worth.Schedule a complimentary consult to learn more: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2

For this episode, I leaned heavily on the article “7 Essential Tips for Effective 1 on 1 Meetings with Your Manager” from the getlighthouse.com blog.In a perfect world, 1:1 meetings with your boss should be something you have regularly, and actually look forward to. Done well, effective 1:1 meetings are an opportunity for:-Feedback-Coaching-Relationship-Building-Goal-SettingWhile the ultimate responsibility for making 1:1 meetings great falls on your manager, there are things you can do to improve your 1:1s. Most managers really do care about their people; they are much more unaware and overwhelmed than evil. If you truly believe your boss doesn’t care enough to invest his or her time with you, it is time to look for another job. For the rest of you, here are tips to improve the quality of your 1:1 meetings:1. Don’t let them cancel. Ask to reschedule. It is hard to get into a good rhythm with your boss if weeks or months go by without dedicated time to talk. Even worse, it can cause a backup of issues to discuss that get worse as they go unaddressed.If this happens frequently, it is best to address the reason(s) for the cancellations directly with your boss. Also, is he or she cancelling with all employees – or just you?You might say something like “I understand you have something pressing, and these meetings are important to me. When can we reschedule for?”You might event try suggesting new times or pulling up your calendar right then to coordinate a new meeting time. The easier you make it for your manager to say yes, the more likely you are to get your meeting.2. Avoid status updates.If your boss feels out of the loop, he or she will want to talk to you about what you are doing. It is also a safe topic to fill the time and avoid tough, sometimes uncomfortable, subjects that really matter. Instead, give them your status update outside your 1:1 meetings. Here are some options:-Email updates (Agree on a frequency and format with your boss that makes sense for both of you)-Stand up meeting (Daily team meetings for bite-sized updates)-Tools (such as IDoneThis, Slack, StandupJack – these all help organize status updates)3. Bring things you want to talk about.You being prepared will not only make the meeting more productive, it will avoid the dread (yours and your boss’s) that comes from having nothing to talk about. 4. Make an agenda for your meeting.As you go through your week, jot down things you want to discuss as they come to you. By your next 1:1 meeting, you’ll have a healthy list of topics to discuss. Here are some possible topics:-Your career/growth goals (don’t assume your manager knows your career aspirations – bring them up. And not just one time.)-Team improvement ideas (what ideas do you have to help the team work better?) -Self-improvement needs (ask for coaching, feedback, help — and be specific) -Interpersonal issues (ask your boss to help mediate or coach you through difficulties with a coworker) -Personal topics (let your boss know of a family death, serious illness, particular stressors at home – this opens the door for potential reasonable accommodations)5. Encourage your manager to take notes.You could say something like “This is important to me. If you want to take a minute to write this down, we can pause for a moment.”As an alternative, you could offer to take notes during the meeting that you will then type up and disseminate to your boss. He or she may take the hint and write notes during the meeting, but at minimum there will be a recording of your conversation.You can also reinforce your boss’s taking notes with a statement such as “Thank you so much for writing that down – it is very important to me.”The more they take notes on the most important parts of your 1:1 meetings, the more valuable they’ll become for both of you. They’ll be more prepared, and you’ll trust that you will be able to build on what happened in the last meeting.6. Make it actionable. A great conversation with your boss can feel like a pressure relief valve finally letting off a build-up of steam – you feel relieved. Unfortunately, that feeling can be very short-lived if you are talking about the same issue in your next meeting.You want to close the meeting by talking about steps for next time. You could ask something like “What do you think we can both do for next time based on what we talked about?”By presenting it as a question, your manager will feel like part of the solution, which makes them more likely to do whatever they said they would do. This essential creates a social contract: if you deliver on your action items, your boss will be more likely to keep their end of the agreement, too. Taking two minutes at the end of your 1:1 to set next steps can make all the difference. 7. Think about your manager’s view.Depending on what is going on in your company, your boss may not be getting the support they need. They may have the best of intentions but be overwhelmed. Ask about how you can help and support your boss, too. Here are a few ways you can better manage up and make work life better for your boss:-In the loop – find out what they feel out-of-the-loop on related to your work; create a way to keep them updated.-Take the lead – Offer to take the lead on one part of a project your boss is responsible for; this is also a great way to build leadership skills.-Learn their style – Adapt some of your deliverables to fit your boss’s style and preferences, such as a summary page, a certain template they prefer, or timing of when to request feedback. Are you in the wrong job that chips away at you every day? The CareerSpring coaching program will help you find a job that uses your zone of genius, recognizes your value, and pays you what you’re worth.Schedule a complimentary consult to learn more: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2

Today, I have a return guest – Mac Prichard. Mac runs the highly successful Mac’s List for employment opportunities in the Portland area. The site also offers a wealth of tips for both job seekers and employers looking to hire. Mac is also the host of the Find Your Dream Job podcast.We're talking about networking secrets for job seekers. Mac talks about the most misunderstood concept job seekers have around networking and how to network during a pandemic. He also gives us his top 5 networking secrets.Connect with Mac via his Find Your Dream Job podcast: macslist.org/podcastsAnd on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/macprichard/Are you in the wrong job that chips away at you every day? The CareerSpring coaching program will help you find a job that uses your zone of genius, recognizes your value, and pays you what you’re worth. Schedule a complimentary consult to learn more: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2

Today’s podcast is based heavily on the getlighthouse.com blog, specifically the blog titled “18 Questions to Ask Your Manager to Improve Your Relationship and Better Manage Up.” I’m sure I’m not telling you anything new: people leave managers, not companies. According to a recent Gallup poll, more than 50% of us have left a job because of our boss. Having said that, you are not a victim here – you have a role to play in managing the relationship with your manager. Whether you are trying to improve your relationship with your manager from bad to okay, okay to good, or good to great, you can work with your manager to improve your relationship and make work much more enjoyable for both of you. Here are questions you can ask your manager to improve your relationship and better manage up: Questions that help you understand your boss’s priorities and goals. Once you know his or her priorities, you can tailor the information you share during meetings and conversations. And when you can assist your manager in accomplishing his or her goals, you are demonstrating dependability and initiative. One-on-one meetings are going to be your best avenue for uncovering your boss’s priorities and goals. If you aren’t regularly scheduled for 1:1’s, then your first task is to establish a regular meeting time. I will be diving deeper into how to have successful 1:1’s with your boss in an upcoming episode. Here are four great questions for your 1:1 meeting with your manager: 1. What are your priorities? What wins do you need most right now? 2. What are some things I could do better or differently to help you succeed even more?3. Here are my top NUMBER priorities. Do these align with your priorities? 4. What do you consider above or below the waterline? The waterline principle means that it’s okay to make a decision that might punch a hole in the boat as long as the hole is above the waterline so that it won’t potentially sink the ship.But, if the decision might create a hole below the waterline that might cause the ship to sink, then associates are encouraged to consult with their team so that a collaborative decision can be made.Using the waterline concept can help make both you and your manager’s lives easier by establishing a defined process for when you really need to check in with him or her, and when you can be given more autonomy and independence.As a follow-up, make sure to be clear with your manager about how you’ll treat below and above-the-water-line tasks. For example, you might say, “I’ll keep you informed at a high level, but work independently on above the waterline tasks. Meanwhile, I’ll be more detailed, and come to you quickly for things below the waterline if we start having problems.”You can also ask your colleagues individually to share examples of things they have done to successfully meet your boss’s needs in the past. You’ll quickly begin to see common denominators, and these practices are the ones you’ll want to begin emulating. Questions that help you get into your manager’s mindThese questions help you get into your manager’s mind and pick up on their language. By emulating their language, you begin to build a common vocabulary – you are speaking the same language. 5.    How can I build more trust with you on the work I do? (Great if your boss is a micromanager)6. What is most important to you to be up-to-date on for the progress I’m making? Where do you trust my work and can allow me to be more autonomous?7. What causes you to feel stressed about my work? What gives you confidence?8. What part of my work are you most comfortable and familiar with? What parts of my work are things you haven’t done as much yourself?9. What have your best team members done when working with you that you especially liked?10.What have team members you found challenging to work with done or failed to do? Questions to help anticipate what your manager wantsMuch of managing up is learning to anticipate what your manager will want. This builds trust and support.Many times, issues develop because an employee is afraid to open up to their manager. As a result, the issue gets worse over time until it has become Mount Vesuvius. Because you inevitably see things your manager doesn’t, you can bring up problems you think they should know about – especially if you come to him or her with a possible solution. 11. I noticed problem X and was thinking solution Y could help. What do you think of that? After asking this question, follow up with “How could we make that happen?” to nudge the solution along and make sure action is taken to resolve the issue. 12.Would X be helpful to you? How would you change it? 13.What do you recommend for when I get stuck on [area you are weaker in]?This is a great way to ask for coaching versus waiting for them to coach you spontaneously. 14. At what point do you want me to come to you for help versus figuring it out on my own? 15. If I need help with something, what is the best way to get your input or support? 16.What is one thing I could do differently or better that would make your life easier?17.How could a recent project or task I was involved in be made easier for you?18. What do you need to report up your chain of command related to the work I do? How can I put that information in a format that is easy for you? Are you in the wrong job that chips away at you every day? The CareerSpring coaching program will help you find a job that uses your zone of genius, recognizes your value, and pays you what you’re worth.Schedule a complimentary consult to learn more: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2

Today, my guest is Laura Berman Fortgang, and we are discussing three clues you can look at from your past to help you find the career you are meant to be in. We talk about what clues to look for, how to assess those clues, and what to do with your new-found self-awareness.Laura is the author of Now What? 90 Days to a New Life Direction. She is a best-selling author, speaker, TV personality (The Oprah Winfrey Show and All national morning shows), corporate trainer, and spokesperson. Her Ted Talk has garnered over 1.5 million views.Laura’s five books are now published in 13 languages. Her coaching clients have ranged from homemakers to celebrities and Fortune 100 companies to NASA and the Army Corps of Engineers. She is the creator of the Now What?® Career Coaching Methodology which she trains and licenses coaches to use with clients and is now available as an online course to the public.Check Laura Berman Fortgang out at www.nowwhatcoaching.comTo get a copy of the free “Five Step Guide to Clarity:” https://tinyurl.com/LBF-5StepGuideAre you in the wrong job that chips away at you every day? The CareerSpring coaching program will help you find a job that uses your zone of genius, recognizes your value, and pays you what you’re worth.Schedule a complimentary consult to learn more: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2

Since COVID hit last March, I have been putting out a lot of content on the podcast and in my weekly webinars around your job search. In this episode, I want to approach the topic of your job search from a slightly different angle. I want to start by giving you three recent podcasts that will be especially helpful for your job search:#154 – Five Ways Mind Drama Can Creep into your Job Search (with Jane Springer) – for those of you who are arguing with your own brain every day about your job search#140 – Transferable Skills (with Jeanne Bohon) – for those of you who are considering a career pivot or reinvention during these times#147 – What to Do When Employers Ghost You – for those of you who are losing contact with recruitersAlso, in January episodes #159, #160, and #160 offered a resume clinic, a LinkedIn clinic, and an interviewing clinic. So here are the things I want you to consider adding to your job search, especially if you aren’t getting the results you were expecting: 1. Community. Job searches aren’t meant to happen in isolation, yet because of the pandemic many people are conducting their job searches by themselves.Here’s the caveat: your community must be comprised of positive, forward-looking, resourceful people who are willing to help you (and who you can help). STEER CLEAR OF THE NEGATIVE NANCYS. Your community can take the form of a networking group, an informal group of friends who are all looking for jobs, a group job search program, a job search buddy…the important thing is that you have people to share your frustrations and challenges with. Not to bitch and moan, but to receive fresh perspective and help. Community can also be less about job search and more about networking in general that could lead to job opportunities, so consider ways to engage with other professionals given our current situation. Meetup, LinkedIn groups, FB events, service organizations, your professional organizations are all ways to build community during these times. 2. A new strategy. If you aren’t getting great results from your current job search strategy, then it is time to shake things up.Ideally, you have a job search coach, like me, to work one-on-one with to help you craft a more effective job search. If that isn’t in your budget, however, I encourage you to listen to the previous podcasts I just mentioned and attend my weekly free webinars (https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.co) to pick up a new way to approach your job search. To be clear: If all you are doing is looking at job boards, you aren’t really conducting a job search. You are just doing what a large percentage of the population does on the regular, even though they aren’t looking for a new job. I highly encourage you to add 1 more active job search strategy into the mix that is focused on networking. 3. A new mindset. I’ve covered this topic extensively lately, but I want to hit one specific point here: What are your expectations about your job search? I’m speaking with a lot of people whose frustration stems from their thoughts that their job search shouldn’t be taking this long, that employers should be interviewing them for jobs they feel fully qualified for, that they should have gotten a job offer for that interview they did so well in. Here’s the thing: Expectations set us up for disappointment. A goal is one thing, because it gives you a target and a timeline to work towards. Expectations, however, are often built on nothing more than an arbitrary decision. It often involves thoughts that start like this: “I should…” “They should…” “They shouldn’t…” “I didn’t.”Here’s the problem with these expectations: you are setting yourself up for failure, you are making yourself a victim, and you are arguing with reality.Here’s a different set of “shoulds” that will serve you much better: My job search should be taking this long. How do I know that? Because it is taking this long.I shouldn’t have gotten an interview for that position. How do I know that? Because I didn’t get an interview.I shouldn’t have been offered that position. How do I know that? Because I wasn’t offered that position. See how that works? Arguing with reality means you will lose 100% of the time. By putting yourself in the position of a victim of your own job search, you will either begin to slack off your job search or show up for your job search with the wrong energy. Bonus points if you can get into your brain, determine the primary thought you are having about your job search that isn’t serving you, and decide to begin thinking a new thought that feels better. Instead of thinking “I should have gotten that interview,” you could begin thinking “That wasn’t the job for me…something better is coming.” Instead of thinking “There are no jobs for me,” you could begin thinking “There are jobs available.” Instead of thinking “What is wrong with me that they didn’t offer me the position?” you could begin thinking “They must have found an amazing candidate if he was better than me!” Are you in the wrong job that chips away at you every day? The CareerSpring coaching program will help you find a job that uses your zone of genius, recognizes your value, and pays you what you’re worth. Schedule a complimentary consult to learn more: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2

My guest today is Jawad Ahsan, CFO of Axon. We are talking about how to move into the executive ranks. Jawad set a goal for himself to become an executive, which he first achieved as a divisional CFO at GE Healthcare. By age 34, he was the CFO of a private equity-backed SaaS company; at age 37, he became the CFO of publicly traded Axon.In his current role, Jawad leads the company’s global finance, corporate strategy, legal, and IT organizations, as well as Axon’s consumer-facing business. During his tenure, Axon’s market cap has increased from $1B to more than $6B.Jawad is the author of What They Didn’t Tell Me, which translated the feedback he got and the lessons he has learned along the way into actionable advice for leaders at every level. Jawad shows how charting your own course not only changes how others view you – it changes how you view yourself.In What They Didn’t Tell Me, Jawad has translated the feedback he got and the lessons he learned along the way into actionable advice for leaders at every level. Drawing on his remarkable story, Jawad shows how charting your own course not only changes how others view you—it changes how you view yourself. If you’re ready to become a resilient leader at the helm of a high-performing team, this book is for you.Here are the topics Jawad addresses on this episode:-His personal journey into the executive ranks, including his biggest surprises-Three strategies to make yourself the obvious choice to step into the executive ranks-The biggest mistakes he sees others make when trying to move into the executive ranksYou can find Jawad on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jawadahsan/Check out his company, Axon: axon.com Are you in the wrong job that chips away at you every day? The CareerSpring coaching program will help you find a job that uses your zone of genius, recognizes your value, and pays you what you’re worth. Schedule a complimentary consult to learn more: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2

Let me start by saying that LinkedIn is your single best job search resource. Today, I want to drill down on 12 specific ways to network using LinkedIn.CONNECTIONS1. When you ask someone to connect with you, keep it simple. Comment on something you have in common, someone you have in common, or something you admire about them. 2. Thank each person who connects with you – regardless of who initiated the connection. 3. Once they have connected with you, start with a couple of simple, easy-to-answer questions – about their experience, education/credentials, their employer. 4. If they are responsive, suggest a move to a 30-minute Zoom call. 5. Make the first 20 minutes of the Zoom call about them, then when it’s your turn make a specific ask.6. Follow up with a thank you and a subtle reminder of whatever you asked of them. 7. Once you’ve connected with someone, you can see everyone they are connected to. Don’t hesitate to ask for introductions. GROUPS1. Join groups that will put you in proximity to decision-makers at the companies you want to work for.2. Be active – post, respond, ask questions. 3. Pursue 1:1 meetings based on people who interact with you in the group. PROFILE & CONTENT1. Make sure your profile is welcoming, professional, and designed to elicit an interview – I strongly recommend a professional LI profile writer. 2. Consider original content, especially if you are at the higher levels in your profession and/or are considered a SME. Are you in the wrong job that chips away at you every day? The CareerSpring coaching program will help you find a job that uses your zone of genius, recognizes your value, and pays you what you’re worth. Schedule a complimentary consult to learn more: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2

My guest for today’s episode is Fawn Germer, and we’re talking about why the pandemic offers a tremendous opportunity for those of use willing to step up to the plate. In this episode, we discuss the following:1.    Lessons learned about perseverance in the face of falling down – often.2.    Advice for people looking for a job during COVID, especially those who have been looking for months.3.    How to stand out in your job during these times of uncertainty and rapid change.4.    How to keep your skills current to remain marketable in a crowded job market.5.    The concept of guerilla networking – and how to do it.Fawn Germer is the irreverent best-selling author of nine books including the Oprah book, Hard Won Wisdom. She has been a keynote speaker for more than 80 Fortune 500 companies and was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize four times. Fawn’s first book was rejected by every major publisher in the United States, but Fawn would not give up until it was the No. 1 nonfiction bestseller that Oprah loved.Her latest book, Coming Back! How to Win the Job You Want When You’ve Lost the Job You Need shows how to turbocharge your career with a quick injection of relevance. Why do so many careers sputter out midstream? Fawn shows how to get back on track if you have been sidelined or cast out. She interviewed more than 300 CEOs, senior executives, academics, workplace experts and professionals to find out how to maintain momentum and viability all the way until the end of your career.Are you in the wrong job that chips away at you every day? The CareerSpring coaching program will help you find a job that uses your zone of genius, recognizes your value, and pays you what you’re worth.Schedule a complimentary consult to learn more: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2

I’m finding a lot of my clients are missing some pretty amazing resources in looking for their next job, so I wanted to spend this episode going over 10 of these resources. 1. Your alumni association. University alumni associations are an often-overlooked resource for connecting with other alums. Here are just some of the job search-related help they can provide:-Connecting you with alums in your field-Connecting you with alums’ network in your field-Connecting you with alums in your industry-Connecting you with alums’ network in your industry-Connecting you with alums who are hiring managers or HR managers-Connecting you with alums’ network who are hiring managers or HR managers-Connecting you with alums in your geographic region-Connecting you with alums’ network who are in your geographic region-Connecting you with alums in the city you want to move to-Connecting you with alums’ network in the city you want to move toStrategy: To get involved, find your alumni association on your university’s website and make contact. From there, they will let you know what is available to you. There will most likely be a membership fee, but it may be well worth the investment. As with most things, you will get out of the alumni association what you put in, so don’t just approach this with a “what can you do for me?” attitude. Be willing to help out in whichever way makes the most sense for you. 2. Volunteering.While I don’t advocate volunteering for the express purpose of looking for a job, it can be a great way to interact with a wide range of people in your community. The key to building a network through volunteering is to build the “know, like, and trust” relationship first. If you come across as self-serving and aggressive, people won’t be willing to help you. -Connect with other volunteers in your field and/or industry-Connect with the network of other volunteers in your field and/or industry-Connect with other volunteers who are hiring managers or HR managers-Connect with the network of other volunteers who are hiring managers or HR managers-Connect with the network of other volunteers who live in the city you want to move toStrategy: First - Be interested, then be interesting. Don’t just make it about you. Choose your volunteering at the crossroads of 1) what you are passionate about, 2) your skills and qualifications, and 3) where you will meet the best-fit people for your job search. Gain a reputation as an excellent volunteer and people will bend over backwards to help you. 3. Civic organizations. If you aren’t a member of Rotary, Kiwanis, or another civic organization, now may be the perfect time to join – or at least visit several chapters to see if there is a fit. These organizations are populated with the area’s business leaders, so they are a great opportunity to get your name out there and meet people. Strategy:-Research chapters in your area-Visit a few (they may still be meeting virtually)-Join a chapter if you’re feeling it-Get involved – remember, it’s not who you know, but who knows you4. Your place of worship. As with volunteering, I don’t want you to join a church TO find a job, but if you are a church member, this can be an excellent job search resource. The potential is the same as with the alumni network:-Connect with church members in your field and/or industry-Connect with the network of church members in your field and/or industry-Connect with church members who are hiring managers or HR managers-Connect with the network of church members who are hiring managers or HR managers-Connect with the network of church members who live in the city you want to move toStrategy: Think about the opportunities at your church to chat – is it the 15 minutes before and after service? Is it in a Sunday School class? Does your church have small groups you could join? Be interested in others before you share what you are looking for. They need to know, like, and trust you before they will refer you, so relate to others on a personal level. 5. Job fairs.Job fairs are pretty much exclusively online these days, but they are still happening. Here are the types of job fairs you may find useful:-Geographic-based job fairs (i.e., the city you live in, often hosted by the Chamber of Commerce or local state employment office)-Industry-based job fairs (i.e. a job fair for healthcare)-Job function-based job fairs (i.e. a job fair for teachers or computer programmers) -University Career Center job fairs (your alma mater; also check local universities to see if you can attend)-Employer job fairs (i.e., one, typically larger, employer in your city or the city you want to move to)Strategy: -Find possible job fairs and register for the ones that make sense for you.-Take advantage of the preparation materials provided by the job fair host.-Make sure your technology will support the virtual fair – you will probably need an external camera; check your lighting and background.-Follow up with every employer you are interested in – and be persistence. The 2020/2021 job search isn’t for the feint of heart. 6. Job networking groups. Job networking groups are created for the express purpose of allowing job seekers to help and learn from each other. These groups can be assembled based on any of these criteria:-Geographic-based-Industry-based-Job function-based-Education or credential-based-Seniority levelStrategy:-Google “job groups,” “employment groups” or job networking groups.”-Register for those that make sense for you.-Be active, visible, and vocal in your networking groups.-Commit to regular 1:1 with members of the networking group.-Commit to giving at least as much value as you receive7. Chamber of Commerce.The members of your local Chamber of Commerce are the hiring managers, business owners, and senior executives of companies in your geographic area. This is an exceptionally vibrant source for networking. Check your local Chamber to find out what events are coming up and whether you can attend as a “prospective” member. If not, who do you know who is a member that you can tag along with? Strategy:-Attend all functions that make sense for you -Take advantage of every opportunity – to introduce yourself to the entire group, distribute resumes, talk to individuals-Schedule 1:1 with members you meet who have promise-Follow up and be persistent8. Affinity groups.If you are an avid runner, join a running group and let the other members know about what you are looking for. While many of these types of groups aren’t meeting in person these days, others are. Even if it’s a virtual wine tasting, you are still interacting with the other members. Strategy:-Utilize Meetup to find affinity groups-Register for the ones that make sense for you-Be active-Schedule 1:1 with members you meet who have promise. -Follow up and be persistent9. Your local employment office. Here in Florida, these are called Career Source – they are government-run and free to the public. Many of these have a separate “executive” office geared towards helping people seeking higher job positions. Strategy:-Find your local employment office and learn what they have to offer.-Register for the programs and services that make sense for you.10.Outplacement services offered by your former employer. The biggest benefit of these: They are free! While you likely won’t get the same level of individual hand holding you would get working with a career coach like me, you WILL get assistance. Strategy:-If you aren’t sure whether your former employer has offered these services to you, ask.-Take full advantage of whatever the outplacement company is offering.Are you in the wrong job that chips away at you every day? The CareerSpring coaching program will help you find a job that uses your zone of genius, recognizes your value, and pays you what you’re worth. Schedule a complimentary consult to learn more: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2

This week's guest is Adriel Lubarsky of Riveterworks.com - an online community for job seekers. We talk about how to make the most of your unemployment, both personally and professionally. Adriel has a special offer for listeners; check it out at riverterworks.com/Lesa You can email Adriel at adriel@riverterworks.com and find him on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.  Are you in the wrong job that chips away at you every day? The CareerSpring coaching program will help you find a job that uses your zone of genius, recognizes your value, and pays you what you’re worth. Schedule a complimentary consult to learn more: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2    

This month, I’ve offered 5 action steps for your resume and 5 action steps for LinkedIn. Today, I’ll give you 5 action steps for interviewing in the pandemic. If you are happily employed right now, you can still get valuable takeaways from these clinics. I want to give the same caveat as the previous two weeks: Keep in mind that anything I teach you will be of little value without the proper mindset. If you are struggling to stay motivated and on-task with your job search, I highly recommend listening to episode #154: 5 Ways Mind Drama Can Creep into your Job Search. This episode, with life coach Jane Springer, will help you identify and reshape your thoughts about the job market, your qualifications, and your prospects in a way that serves you. Let’s tuck into my 5 action steps for interviewing in the pandemic. I strongly recommend getting interview coaching from someone like me, but today my action steps will be for those of you who are going it on your own. In episode #152, I gave you specific tips for video or audio-based interviews, and I recommend checking that episode out if you are unsure about the nuances of interviews that aren’t conducted in person. 1. Prepare and practice your response to “Tell me about yourself.” Here’s how I teach my clients to approach this question: Past – Present – Future.Tell them something about your background, something about where you are at now, and something about your future. Make it relevant to the position and company. Keep it at the 40,000-foot level; otherwise, you may be answering questions they haven’t yet asked – which can throw off the cadence of the interview and make your answer overly long.Also, interject some personal information – as long as it is neutral or positive. They are evaluating you as a total person, so allow them to get to know you outside of work. 2. Prepare your “strengths” and “weaknesses” response. Here’s how I like to approach the “strengths” question:“There are three strengths I bring to this position. First…”Make them relevant to the job and show the interviewer how you will benefit the company with that strength. As for your weakness, DO NOT give them a strength in disguise – they will roll their eyes (either literally or mentally). If you tell them you work too hard or are too dedicated…yuck. Talk about a weakness you have either overcome recently or are in the process of overcoming. If you can make it relative to the position you are interviewing for, even better – this is your opportunity to address the elephant in the room. For example, “My greatest weakness relative to this position would be my lack of experience with BLANK software. However, I have extensive experience with BLANK software, which I understand is very similar. I am confident I will be up to speed on your software very quickly.” Better to bring the elephant out into the open where you can overcome a potential objection, rather than hoping they won’t notice or care. 3. Develop a tool kit of 10 CAR stories for behavioral questions.Behavioral interview questions begin like this: “Tell me about a time when…”“Tell me about a situation that…” These questions require preparation as they are difficult to compose effective on the spot.Develop a tool kit of 10 CAR stories that can be used to answer any behavioral questions you may be asked. C=ChallengeA=ActionR=Result4. Prepare well-thought-out questions to ask the interviewer. Please, please, PLEASE don’t use the same questions for every interview – make your questions specific to that company, based on the research you have done.For example: “While researching COMPANY, I found mentions of a new market you plan to open in Asia in 2021. What can you tell me about this?”OR“COMPANY is so well regarded in the industry for its customer service. How does your department support this reputation for providing excellent customer service?” There may be some standard questions you want to ask – just customize them to the degree possible. For example, “From what I’ve learned online, COMPANY has an excellent reputation from hiring within. What can you tell me about that?”5. Don’t forget to close. There are 3 things you should do at the close of every interview:-Thank the interviewer(s) for his/her/their time-Re-state your interest in the position, if you are still interested-Determine the next steps in the hiring process and insert yourself where appropriate.  Are you in the wrong job that chips away at you every day? The CareerSpring coaching program will help you find a job that uses your zone of genius, recognizes your value, and pays you what you’re worth. Schedule a complimentary consult to learn more: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2 

Last week, I offered 5 action steps for your resume in the pandemic; today I am giving you 5 action steps for LinkedIn. Next week I will be giving an interviewing clinic. If you are happily employed right now, you can still get valuable takeaways from these clinics. I want to give the same caveat as last week: Keep in mind that anything I teach you will be of little value without the proper mindset. If you are struggling to stay motivated and on-task with your job search, I highly recommend listening to episode #154: 5 Ways Mind Drama Can Creep into your Job Search. This episode, with life coach Jane Springer, will help you identify and reshape your thoughts about the job market, your qualifications, and your prospects in a way that serves you.Let’s tuck into my 5 action steps for LinkedIn. My disclaimer up front: I am, and will always be, a HUGE proponent of having your LI profile professionally written, and getting coaching around how to maximize LI for your job search. I promise this is a very worthwhile expense.It’s important to understand that recruiters live on LI and they will see your profile before your resume. LI should NOT be an after thought or cut-and-paste of your resume.My 5 action steps will be specifically for those of you who are DIY’ing LinkedIn: 1. Update your profile.I’ve done entire podcasts on updating your LI profile, so I’m going to hit some high points here. If you don’t know how to do any of the things I discuss here, you can check into my LI podcasts or reach out to me for help. -Your picture should be no more than a few years old-Make sure your heading is reflective of what you are looking for next; this is a key place recruiters search. Don’t let it be JUST your job title and employer. -Tell your story in a compelling way in your About section, using first person language as if you were having a conversation with the reader.-Update your Skills section and duplicate those skills at the bottom of your About section. This really helps with SEO.-Get at least 3 recent recommendations and tell the recommenders what you are hoping they will say about you.-Write your Professional Experience in the same first-person voice as your About section.-Eliminate ancient history from your Professional Experience section – 15-20 years is a good cut-off point.2. Get to at least 500 connections.When you ask someone to connect with you, be sure to customize your message but DON’T scare them away with a lengthy, needed request. Here’s how I like to approach it:Sarah,I see we are both connected to NAME – let’s connect!OR John,It was a pleasure meeting you at EVENT – let’s connect!Here’s the reason for a minimum of 500 connections: you are increasing your footprint on LI significantly with every connection you make. Let’s say you have 500 connections, and each of those connections has 500 connections. Your footprint, as I measure it, is 250,000 people. Meaning, you have ready access to a quarter of a million people – and they have that same access to you.You become more visible with every connection you add, because you become a 2nd-level connection to each of the people your connection is connected to. I recommend going for quantity over quality until you get to 500, and then you can be more strategic about who you are connecting with. They will be more likely to accept your invitation to connect when they see you are playing seriously on LI.3. Then get strategic about who you connect with.Once you have the magic 500 connections, you can begin to seek out decision-makers and other key connections at your ideal employer. I recommend the same strategy for inviting them to connect with you:“I see we are both connected to…”“I see we both went to SCHOOL…”“I was particularly impressed by your…”4. Cultivate those connections.Once they’ve accepted your invitation to connect, begin a conversation. Remember: this is a first date, so think of it as such and don’t try to maul the connection with requests too quickly.For example, if the connection is a decision-maker at one of your target employers, your first post-connection message could be something like this:Paul,Thanks for connecting! It seems PAUL’S COMPANY has fared well during the pandemic – congratulations! What have you experienced in your department? ORSue,Thanks for connecting! How are things at COMPANY?Depending on how they respond, you may ask further questions or request a Zoom call.5. Engage with the community.I spend 15 minutes a day engaging on LI. Here are the activities I engage in:-Respond to messages-Answer requests to connect-Greet those who accepted my invitation to connect (or whose invitation I accepted)-Congratulate connections on birthdays, new jobs, work anniversaries, and promotions-Engage in the groups I am a member of and with my connections’ posts.I also post daily to both my LI profiles – this may or may not be a useful strategy for you, but if it is, it can be a tremendous way to increase your visibility on LI and be seen as a subject matter expert.Are you in the wrong job that chips away at you every day? The CareerSpring coaching program will help you find a job that uses your zone of genius, recognizes your value, and pays you what you’re worth.Schedule a complimentary consult to learn more: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2

So…here we are, closing in on the 1-year mark of the pandemic here in the U.S. I thought I would start the podcast off this year with some “clinics.” Today I’ll be giving you a resume clinic; next week will be a LinkedIn clinic and the following week will be an interviewing clinic. I decided in each clinic to give you 5 action steps you can take to help with your pandemic job search. If you are happily employed right now, you can still get valuable takeaways from these clinics. Keep in mind that anything I teach you will be of little value without the proper mindset. If you are struggling to stay motivated and on-task with your job search, I highly recommend listening to episode #154: 5 Ways Mind Drama Can Creep into your Job Search. This episode, with life coach Jane Springer, will help you identify and reshape your thoughts about the job market, your qualifications, and your prospects in a way that serves you. Let’s tuck into my 5 action steps for your resume. My disclaimer up front: I am, and will always be, a HUGE proponent of having your resume professionally done. For many of you who have been out of work for many months, the expense may seem exorbitant or indulgent. However, if you can possibly do it, it may very well reduce your job search and get you employed – and earning a paycheck – sooner. Especially if it is coupled with job search coaching and accountability support. My 5 action steps will be specifically for those of you who are DIY’ing your resume: 1. Fresh eyes.Who do you know who regularly reviews resumes, and can give you a hiring manager’s perspective on what they see when they look at your resume? Ask more than one person – there will always be anomalous feedback, so you want to look for what others consistently comment on about your resume. This step is particularly effective if you are able to ask probing questions, such as: What aspects of my experience and credentials are most interesting to you? What do you see as the focus of my resume?What part(s) of my resume are confusing to you? This helps you get valuable content feedback, rather than just about your format or spelling. The final result is, of course, up to you – so don’t make changes you don’t agree with or don’t feel good about. 2. Customize every time. I recommend spending 15 minutes customizing your resume before you send it out each time, using the job description as your guide. What key words are in the job description, but not in your resume? Are your job duties and achievements consistent with what the employer is looking for? How can you massage them for a better fit? I always put the job title at the top of my clients’ resumes, and I recommend you do the same. Exactly as it is stated. 3. One size does not fit all. If you are seeking diverse opportunities, don’t try to do it all with one resume – the amount of customization you will have to do every time will be cumbersome and leave the door open for spelling/grammatical/formatting errors. I don’t often create a second resume for clients, but here’s when it is a good idea: when the two (or more) fields you are searching in are different enough that you need to present yourself differently for each.Here’s an example: I have had several clients over the years who were interested in continuing in their current field (for example, Human Resources) AND interested in a sales job. If I present that client as an HR professional, hiring managers looking for a sales professional won’t see the relevance – and vice versa. These clients need a resume tailored to HR and a separate resume tailored to sales. Think about it from the hiring manager’s perspective: why would she hire someone for sales who is also interested in an entirely different field, when she has plenty of candidates who are singularly focused on – and have a resume tailored to – sales? 4. ATS compatibility is a must.I give my clients a “pretty” version of their resume with all the graphics AND an ATS-compatible version that is stripped of the formatting the ATS can’t read. I want my clients to have an attractive resume for the humans to look at – one that is visually impactful as well as chocked full of great achievements. I’ve gone in depth with ATS resumes in the past, so I won’t go into tremendous detail here, other than to say: by taking the time to create an ATS-compatible resume, you will ultimately save time by shortening the time you need to apply online each time. 5. Make it achievement focused. Virtually every resume that comes across my desk is focused on job duties, which tells a prospective employer what you did. An achievement-focused resume tells a prospective employer how well you did, and this differentiates you from your competition. Here’s an example to help you understand achievements: Let’s say one of your job duties is to do month-end financial closing. This is one of the things you were hired to do: it is a job duty. If, however, you reworked the month-end financial closing process and shortened it from 3 days to 3 hours, now we have an achievement. Here’s how I would write it as an achievement bullet for your resume:Reduced month-end closing process from 3 days to 3 hours. One more, important, note about achievements: they should be the only things bulleted on your resume. This makes them pop, because they aren’t diluted by being mixed in with job duties. Take 2-3 lines to create a paragraph about your job duties, followed by no more than 5 achievement bullets per position (fewer with older jobs). Are you in the wrong job that chips away at you every day? The CareerSpring coaching program will help you find a job that uses your zone of genius, recognizes your value, and pays you what you’re worth. Schedule a complimentary consult to learn more: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2

I want to break this conversation down into things to contemplate if you are unemployed and things to contemplate if you are employed. I want to focus on those of you who are employed, because I’ve put so much content out to help the unemployed during COVID. A couple of brief mentions for the unemployed first:UnemployedI highly recommend listening to episode # 154 on cleaning up your mind drama about your job search. It is so important that you look at your situation with honesty and gentleness, while also telling yourself the truth about your situation. The holidays are the ideal time to evaluate what job search strategies you’ve been using and what traction you are getting on each. What can you eliminate? What can you do more of? What strategy can you add to your arsenal? This time is also an opportunity to make sure you still want to move in the same direction with your job search. You can pivot or career change…just make sure you like your reasons, and that you aren’t just knee-jerking in response to a difficult job market. EmployedHere are 13 questions I recommend contemplating during the holidays. I am a huge proponent of journaling, so grab a notebook and begin writing. -What do I truly love about my current job? -What am I doing in my current job that I would want to stop doing in my next position?-My predominant emotion about work is: _____. (Examples of an emotion are dread or joy.) Is that the emotion I want to be having? If not, what can I do about it? -What fulfillment do I get out of my job?-What fulfillment don’t I get out of my job? Am I getting that fulfillment elsewhere? -Where have I gone stale in my current role? How can I resolve that? -What do I think about myself – as a professional, as a colleague, as a boss, as an employee? Do these thoughts serve me? -What chaos would I introduce into my professional life right now if I weren’t afraid of the consequences? -Fill in the blank: When people at work think of me, they think…-What goal can I set for myself for 2021 that would change everything?-The thing I am best at in my work is _____. Am I leveraging this in the best possible way? -Something I love to do that I don’t get to do (enough) at work is _____. How can I incorporate this strength more? -Five years from now, I want…Are you in the wrong job that chips away at you every day? The CareerSpring coaching program will help you find a job that uses your zone of genius, recognizes your value, and pays you what you’re worth. Schedule a complimentary consult to learn more: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2

I want to talk about overcoming an employment gap from an internal, and external, perspective. Internal – What you are thinkingStep 1 – Acknowledge your role, if any, in the reason you have an employment gap – but DON’T beat yourself up.Step 2 – Clean up your thoughts about your former employer, boss, YOU. It will not serve you going forward to still be hating on your boss or a colleague who “did you wrong.”Step 3 – Spend some time journaling what you learned during your employment gap – about yourself, the world of work, friends/family/former colleagues. Try to stay in a positive space with this step: You may have learned that your former colleagues aren’t really your friends after all, so what’s the upside in knowing that?Step 4 – Set your intention for moving forward – along with a concrete plan to get there. The past is in the past, and your focus is now on the future.External – What you are doingStep 1 – Remove months of employment from your resume and LI profile to help “mask” your employment gap.Step 2 – Consider addressing your employment gap in your cover letter, especially if it has been more than 1 year. Explain, but DON’T overshare.Step 3 – Prepare, and practice, your answer to the question “Why have you been out of work for ____months?” or “How have you grown during your period of unemployment?”Step 4 – Keep networking. Don’t let embarrassment or fear of what others will think of you deter you from the most effective job search strategy in your arsenal.Step 5 – Consider updating your education, certifications, skills, etc. You don’t want to compound an employment gap with outdated skills or qualifications.Step 6 - Create a motivating job search routine, allowing for daily reinforcement when you do the things you set out to do. It is easy to become unstructured or stay in bed as the weeks drag on…this is the kiss of death for your job search.Step 7– Consider volunteering, temping, or taking on consulting engagements, as a way to keep your skills current, get you out of your home, allow you to network, and in the case of consulting or temp work, earn some money. Are you in the wrong job that chips away at you every day? The CareerSpring coaching program will help you find a job that uses your zone of genius, recognizes your value, and pays you what you’re worth. Schedule a complimentary consult to learn more: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2

This week, I have return guest Bruce Tulgan with me. We are talking about the unique challenges of managing, and being managed, remotely. With so many companies working from home at least part of the time, this is a particularly relevant topic. Bruce and I discuss:-Best corporate practices for remote work-Key strategies for managers and employees working remotely -How companies will look moving forward…will we go back to “business as usual?”Bruce Tulgan is the best-selling author of 21 books. His management research company, founded in 1993, is Rainmaker Thinking. Find Bruce Tulgan at rainmakerthinking.comAre you in the wrong job that chips away at you every day? The CareerSpring coaching program will help you find a job that uses your zone of genius, recognizes your value, and pays you what you’re worth. Schedule a complimentary consult to learn more: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2

For several years now, I have blogged and/or podcasted a list of 5 unusual things to be thankful for each year at Thanksgiving time. There are lessons in each of these things that you can apply to your life. Here’s my 2020 list. Are you in the wrong job that chips away at you every day? The CareerSpring coaching program will help you find a job that uses your zone of genius, recognizes your value, and pays you what you’re worth. Schedule a complimentary consult to learn more: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2

This week, I speak with life coach Jane Springer on the types of mind drama I am hearing from clients related to the current job market, their qualifications, themselves as human beings, their job search strategy, and their career focus. This mind drama is causing people to stop job searching or put in minimal effort – which, of course, solidifies their opinion of the job market and themselves. Step 1 is recognizing when you are engaging in mind drama; Step 2 is acknowledging which type(s) of mind drama you’re in. We tackle each of these areas of mind drama and provide concrete action steps to overcome. 1. The job market“There are no jobs out there.”“No one’s hiring.”“There’s so much competition for every position.”2. Your qualifications and credentials“I don’t have the proper education.”“I’m over (or under) qualified.”“I don’t have ____(fill in the blank with whatever certification or credential you think you need).3. You as a human being“I’m too…” (old, young…whatever)“I’m not confident.” “I’m not good enough.”4. Your job search skills / strategy“I don’t know how to…” (interview, plan a job search, network…)“I’m not a good interviewer.” “I’m too shy to network.”5. Your focus“Maybe I need to take my career in a different direction.” “There are no jobs in my field, I’m thinking of changing to…”“I don’t know what I want to do next.” Jane is a life and wellness coach, specializing in helping women aged 50+ get unstuck. If you want to lose weight, begin dating again, update your style, or improve your relationships with yourself and others, Jane is a tremendous resources. Check out Jane Springer at janespringer.comYou can find her “Divinely Inspired Weight Loss Guide” on her website; you can also schedule a complimentary strategy session with her. Are you in the wrong job that chips away at you every day? The CareerSpring coaching program will help you find a job that uses your zone of genius, recognizes your value, and pays you what you’re worth. Schedule a complimentary consult to learn more: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2

Many of you have been job searching this year and will be continuing your job search into 2021. Others of you will start a job search in the new year. I use the analogy of a starting line for your job search. Mid-January is the beginning of what is typically the largest hiring push of the year. At that time, you want to be ready to job search.This means you aren’t still creating a resume, polishing your LI profile, learning how to interview, or researching employers at that time – you are at the starting line of the race. You are ready to job search.Here are the 11 steps you should be taking before the end of 2020 so that you are at that starting line by mid-January:1. A professionally prepared resume.2. An updated, on-brand LinkedIn profile, with a new pic if it’s more than a few years old. 3. A minimum of 500 LI connections.4. A clear picture of what you require in an employer.5. A target employer list of 12-15 companies that meet your requirements.6. Identify how you will get your foot in the door with each of your target employers (quadrants). 7. Research on each of your target employers so you can articulate why you are the right person for the company. 8. A Google search to make sure there’s nothing out there that will give a prospective employer pause. 9. A multi-pronged job search strategy that focuses on networking. 10.Confidence in your interview skills. 11.MOST IMPORTANT: A proper mindset to achieve all of the above. Listen to next week’s episode where we talk about the 5 Areas Mind Drama Can Keep into Your Job Search. 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’ve given you tons of content around interviewing; today’s podcast is about the special considerations surrounding Zoom and phone interviews. The sources I used for this episode include: Theinterviewguys.comIndeed.comCareersidekick.comThebalancecareers.comLet’s start with Zoom (or Skype or other video-based conferencing system):TECHNOLOGY-Download and get familiar with the app you’ll be using-Practice with a friend and record (an interview coach is always the best) -Check audio and video performance beforehand-Make sure your internet connection is solid-Make sure your name is on the screen-Close everything else on your computer-Look into the camera while you are speaking-Use the mute button in case of emergency-Use a laptop or desktop rather than your phone (iPad may work okay)YOUR ENVIRONMENT-Test your room lighting-Take a critical look at your background-Select a quiet location where you won’t be disturbed-Silence your phone-Turn off all notificationsMATERIALS-Have a cheat sheet and your resume handy-Have a pen and paper handyYOU-Wear professional attire-Remember: your face is the only place they can read your body language -Be on time, but not early-Verify date, time, etc. -Speak slowly and clearly-Try not to get flustered if technology problems occur -Keep water nearbySpecific to phone interviews:-If the call wasn’t scheduled and you don’t feel prepared or centered, ask if you could talk at another time.-Smile – they will hear it in your voice.-Be where you can get optimal cell reception.-Don’t hesitate to ask for clarification on questions to make sure you are going in the right direction with your response.

I want to frame this discussion in three parts.At the Close of the InterviewAs the interview wraps up, there are three things you want to do:1. Thank the interviewer for her time.2. Re-state your interest in the position, if you are still interested.3. Determine the next step in the hiring process.Immediately After the InterviewWithin 24 hours of the interview, do the following:1. Send thank you emails2. Send any additional information requested by the interviewer3. Send any supplemental information that might assist with the hiring decision4. Connect with the interviewer on LI if you haven’t alreadyAt Regular Intervals1. Check in with your primary contact2. Send information about the company or the contact3. Let them know if you’ve received another offerGo 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)EXAMPLEQuestion: 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. EXAMPLELet’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 bossI 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

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 NumberThe 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 tableThis 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 NumberThe 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 NumberThis 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 ConsiderHere 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 CompanyIt’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 HireAnother 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?RisksFinally, 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 relationshipGo 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

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

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/

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 companies10 interviews with 10 different companies yields 1 job offer Candidate #1 – Let’s call her Sally# of applications: 200# of interviews: 2Here’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: 0In 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/

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/

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.comFollow 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 raiseAmyK 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

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 anniversaryChanges 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, patentsTo 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 profileClick “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 pictureClick “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.coVisit my website: https://exclusivecareercoaching.comFollow 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!

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/

 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.comFollow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.  

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 ListenThe 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 SentenceYou 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 AgreementAfter 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 SolutionsWhat’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/

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.comFollow 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.comFollow 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…9.0Lack of required technical skills/experience…8.7Spelling and/or grammatical errors on application materials…8.5Lack of required education and/or training…8.1Inappropriate social media content…7.7Resume doesn’t showcase results or accomplishments…7.5Gaps in work history…7.4Lack of industry experience…7.3Lack of tenure in current/previous position…7.3Titles don’t accurately reflect positions and/or responsibilities…7.0Poorly defined value proposition…6.2Generic resume and cover letter…6.0Failure to include a cover letter…3.9The MessagesIt 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!

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.comFollow 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 aboveI’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.comFollow 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 farrier2)   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 Drive3)   Pivot from being a farrier in the horse industry to writing about horse care in a horse magazine4)   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.comFollow 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!  

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.comFollow 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 interview5.   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.comFollow 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 strategyYou can find George at linkedIn.com/in/gmcgehrinWant 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.comFollow 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.comFollow 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/jfreeumpstartguideWant 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.comFollow 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.comFollow 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.comlinkedin.com/in/lorraineriseor email her at lorraine@careeruprising.comWant 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.comFollow 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. EasternHere’s the link to register: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_4YxWrYplThuCDMrwBPRFgQCheck out my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.comFollow 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.comVideo Modules: vimeo.com/ondemand/greenjobTwitter: @SecristKatieLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ketiesecristEmail: katie@sustainablebizconsulting.comLooking 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.comFollow 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.comFollow 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.comFollow 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 companyHere 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 meSee 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.comFollow 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.comlinkedin.com/company/intindetwitter.com/intindefacebook/com/intindeInstagram: @angela_intinde To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.comFollow 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.comFollow 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 HistorySeveral 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 RoleOne 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 AnimalsI 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 / internshipIf 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.comFollow 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 PersistenceHere’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 ChecklistHere 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.comFollow 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!  

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 APPROACHDetermining 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 SAILINGIf 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 CALMIf 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 ACCELERATEIf 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 DISASTERIf 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.ON-BOARD TO WIN HEARTS AND MINDSInevitably, 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.CONTRIBUTORSThese 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.DETRACTORSThese 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.WATCHERSThese 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.MOVE EVERY MEMBER OF YOUR TEAM FORWARDIf 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.comFollow 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 lifeHere’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!  

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 pageTHE PERSONALITY PAIRSExtraversion – 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 listeningIntroverts need Extraverts so there’s someone talkingSensors need Intuitives so there’s creativityIntuitives need Sensors so there’s attention to detail Thinkers need Feelers so the humanity of the organization shines throughFeelers need Thinkers because there are tough decisions to be madeJudgers need Perceivers so they don’t always rush into a decisionPerceivers need Judgers because deadlines are realKeys for recognizing the personality preferences of your team members, so you can maximize their effectivenessIf 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 wayIf 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 themIf 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 themIf you’ve never been exposed to the MBTI, consider this your first “foreign language” lesson!To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.comFollow 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 COMMUNICATION1.   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.comFollow 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 GOALA 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.comFollow 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.comFollow 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 searchYou 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/searchHave a question for mac? Email him at mac@macslist.org To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.comFollow 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 BossThe 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 ShowingIf 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 SoonIf 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 BossLet’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 role5. 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-workersYour 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 transitionHere’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.comFollow 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/Episode109SETTING 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.” DOINGNow 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: CareerSuccess marker: Get a new job with a different companyWhat I need to START doing: Set aside 4 hours per week for job search activitiesWhat 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/Episode109To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.comFollow 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.comFind her on Facebook at @JaneSpringerCoachCheck her out on Instagram at Springer_JaneConnect with her on LinkedIn at Jane Peck SpringerTo visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.comFollow 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!   

There are enough books, articles, and blogs on resume writing out there to fill the Empire State Building a few times over. I thought I would boil all of this down to the least common denominator. Here we go… 1. Tell them what you’re applying for at the top of your resume. 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. 2. Your resume should focus on your accomplishments. 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. 4. Keep your job target in mind as you write your resume. 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. 5. Keep your resume clean. 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!

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.

  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!  

  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!   

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! 

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. Type #1 - Short-Term Volunteer Programs 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. Type #3 - Conservation Volunteer Programs 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!     

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.comFollow 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!     

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 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!   

  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’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!  

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.comTo check out FSU's School of Entrepreneurship: www.jimmorancollege.fsu.edu www.exclusivecareercoaching.comFollow 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!  

  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!  

  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  

  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!   

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!   

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!

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!

  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!     

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!

  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.    

  All this month, we’re covering the job interview. So far, we’ve talked about how to answer the “tell me about yourself,” “what are your greatest strengths,” and “what is your greatest weakness” questions. Today, let’s dive into the behavioral interview. Behavioral interviews are incredibly common today, and they are based on the philosophy that past performance is the best indicator of future performance. In other words, how you handled a situation or responded to a challenge tells the interviewer how you would behave in the future. Behavioral interview questions are very difficult to wing; they require planning and thought. Candidates who don’t prepare for behavioral questions usually respond in one of two ways: 1. They speak in generalities, rather than giving the interviewer the specific situation he/she is asking for, OR 2.     They half-answer the question, without packing their story with the important components it MUST have to be an effective answer. What is a behavioral interview question? Here are some examples: -Tell me about a situation that required you to ramp up your leadership skills. -Tell me about a time when you were tasked with bringing an under-performing team up to par. -Tell me about a situation that really tested your organizational skills. Here are three tips for preparing for behavioral interview questions: 1.     Develop 10 CAR stories (Challenge – Action – Result) You can develop these stories one of two ways: either anticipate what competencies the interviewer will want to assess with behavioral questions and develop your stories based on those competencies, OR just create 10 stories and trust that, no matter what the interviewer asks you, you will have a CAR story to respond with. 2.     Practice your CAR stories. Start practicing by yourself, then ask a friend or colleague to help you. You might also want to enlist the help of an interview coach, such as myself. 3.     Think about the questions each of your CAR stories could answer. There’s a multiplication effect with your CAR stories, in that each one can probably do triple or quadruple duty. Give some thought to what else the interviewer might ask that could be answered with each of your stories. Here’s an example of a CAR story: Interviewer: “Tell me about a time when you were part of an under-performing team. How did you help the team leader turn the team around?” You: In my last job, I was on the benefits committee. CHALLENGE: We were tasked with reviewing the current benefits offered by our company, researching potential options, and recommending a new suite of cost-saving benefits to the director of HR. ACTION: Shortly after the committee was given its charge, the committee chair went out on long-term medical leave. All of us expected someone to come in as the new chair, but after a few weeks it became evident that this had slipped through the cracks. I communicated to the director of HR, who quickly appointed a new chair. Before our first meeting, I met with the new chair to offer my assistance in any way she needed me. She asked me to communicate with the team about upcoming meetings and to reserve the space for our meetings. RESULT: The committee still met the original deadline for submitting our recommendations to the HR director, and everyone on the committee was pleased with the work we had done. I received a special commendation from the committee chair for the help I provided her in organizing our meetings. The HR director let the team know that our efforts saved the company 3% in benefits over the previous year, without sacrificing the quality or quantity of benefits offered. BONUS: What I learned from this situation was to step up even when you aren’t the appointed leader. Leadership isn’t positional anyway, it’s an attitude. Think of the bonus as putting a neat bow on the top of your story. I don't recommend bonuses for every behavioral answer, but peppered in they can be quiet effective in telling the interviewer a) what you learned from the situation, or b) how that experience will help you do the job better. 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:  http://my.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon!     

  This month we’re covering some of the most difficult aspects of the job interview. Last week we covered the “tell me about yourself” question, and today we’re diving into the “strengths” and “weaknesses” questions. When developing your answer to the “tell me about your greatest strengths,” it is important to keep two things in mind: Your personal brand. If you haven’t done personal branding work yet, get to it! It is so important at the interview that you can clearly articulate what you bring to the table that differentiates you from the competition. Your personal brand, in effect, is the unique constellation of your strengths. The requirements of the job. The way I always ask the “strengths” question is this: “What are your greatest strengths relative to this position, and how will you use them should you get the job?" One of my greatest strengths is my ability to decorate my home in a way that makes people feel welcomed and comfortable. This isn’t relative to an employer unless I’m applying for a job as a decorator or furniture salesperson. It isn’t that you will have different strengths for different jobs – your strengths are your strengths. Which ones you emphasize will depend on the requirements of the job. To emphasize each strength you offer, I recommend providing a CAR story to illustrate. Telling stories throughout your interview will also achieve two things: -You will prove your point more effectively -You will be remembered by your stories Now let’s talk about the “weakness” question. Here’s how I like to ask it: “What is your greatest weakness relative to this position and how will you address it should you get the job?” Just as with the “strengths” question, it is important to know the requirements of the job to answer this question. This is your opportunity to address the elephant in the room. For example, let’s say the job description asks for “five years of experience in _____.” You only have four years of experience in that area. Here is what to keep in mind: You’re in the interview. They obviously consider you a top candidate or you wouldn’t be in the interview. The fact that you have less than the required amount of experience is clearly not a deal-breaker. You’re not the perfect candidate. Here’s the good news: there are no perfect candidates. This weakness, however, is a likely concern for the interviewer – and it is up to you to alleviate his or her concerns. Tell them what you DO have that would be an effective substitute – do you have an advanced degree, experience in another related area, training or a certification in that area? Even if they don’t ask the question the way I did, be sure to tell the interviewer how you plan to address that weakness. An important thing to keep in mind when answering the “weakness” question: it can’t be a mission-critical weakness. What do I mean by this? -An administrative assistant who says her greatest weakness is organization -An accountant who says his greatest weakness is numbers -A teacher who can’t manage a classroom Finally, your “weakness” response can’t be a non-weakness…this elicits an eye-roll from the interviewer.     Some examples: -I’m too dedicated -I work too hard -I’m a perfectionist (although this one can work as a weakness if it is genuine) So, be honest about your weakness, but not brutally honest.   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!  

This quarter is dedicated to college graduation 2019. In April, I covered all aspects of the resume, LinkedIn, and the cover letter. In May, we talked about networking. This month will all be about the job interview – how to answer the most difficult questions, how to prepare for a behavioral interview, and what questions to ask the interviewer. Today, let’s dive into the “tell me about yourself” question. This one is super important, because if it is asked it is the first question. There’s a phenomenon call the primacy effect, which states that people remember whatever came first in a sequence. There’s also the recency effect – people also remember whatever came last in the sequence. Because the “tell me about yourself” question is asked first, it holds considerable weight in the interviewer’s mind. It also gives you the opportunity to start the interview off on the best possible foot. Over the hundreds of people I have interviewed in my career, I am surprised by how many are completely unprepared for this question. I’m also surprised by how many people have prepared an answer that puts the interviewer to sleep and/or overloads them with too much information. Here then are my top 8 tips for developing your answer to the “tell me about yourself’ question: 1. Structure your answer in a past – present – future format. Give the interviewer a bit of information about where you came from, where you are now, and where you want to go. 2. Stay at the 5,000-foot level. This is not the time to provide details about your accomplishments, work experience, or skills – they will ask questions about these things later. If you start to answer their subsequent interview questions, it can throw off the cadence of the interview and make it difficult for the interviewer to evaluate you on par with the other candidates. 3. Keep it to 2-3 minutes. By staying at a 40,000-foot level and not getting into the weeds with specifics, it is easy to keep your answer to the “tell me about yourself” question to no more than 3 minutes. This will also help the interviewer keep on track with the questions he/she wants to ask without going over time and will keep the interviewer’s interest high. 4.     Introduce your brand, right up front. If you’ve done the personal branding work I’ve talked about on other podcast episodes, you should be very aware of your personal brand. Here’s your chance to introduce your personal brand right at the top of the interview…and reinforce it throughout the interview. 5. Provide personal information. If the interviewer would be your new boss, he/she is going to want to get to know you as a total person. Even if the interviewer is from HR, giving the interviewer a sense of who you really are will help him/her to decide if you would be a good fit for the available position. The caveat here is that the personal information should be neutral or positive. Some examples: -A foreign language you are learning -A hobby you are passionate about (as long as it doesn’t scream danger) -A personal goal you are working towards (such as building a home) -A recent travel experience What constitutes negative personal information? Here are some I’ve been given in actual job interviews: -Number and ages of children -Health conditions -Marital status (recently divorced) -The fact of, and reasons for, being recently terminated These tips apply to the “tell me about yourself” question as well as the entire interview: 6. Pay attention to nonverbal cues One of the best ways to make sure you are proceeding with your answer to any interview question in the proper way is to watch for nonverbal cues from the interviewer. Note that I’m not saying there is a “right” or “wrong” answer to an interview question. What I’m saying is that sometimes candidates misunderstand the interview question and aren’t providing the interviewer with the information he/she is looking for. It is perfectly acceptable to stop, ask the interviewer for clarification on the question or to verify that you are providing him/her with the desired information. 7.     Relax. You may think it is impossible to relax in an interview, but I promise it will serve you well to develop this ability. I’m not suggesting that you be so relaxed that you’re practically asleep, but rather that you aren’t so tense that you are struggling to communicate effectively and look like you are about to jump out of your own skin. This first question is a great opportunity to you to relax into the interview so you can put forth your best effort. 8. Let your personality shine through. Many people I have interviewed over the years were stiff, all business, and showed no sense of humor. If you have a sense of humor – let it shine through, as long as you remain in good taste. If you love to do nice things for your co-workers to create camaraderie and a sense of team – tell the interview about this.   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! 

  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’re talking about networking. So far, we’ve covered why networking is so important, talked about a better, more strategic way to network, and covered a variety of places to network and how to make the most of those networking opportunities. Today, let’s talk about quid pro quo. How to give as much value as you get when you’re networking. Most of us aren’t comfortable with just taking and not giving back, whether it is in networking or anything else. I call this being a networking barnacle. The process I will be describing is specifically for one-on-one networking meetings with people you already know, or who are on the same level as you professionally. Let’s say you have a 30-minute coffee date with a networking contact. Here are the steps to make this successful: 1. Make the first 20 minutes about them. Ask questions, give input, or just be a listening ear. When you do this first, the other person will be more than willing to help you out when it’s your turn. I promise, even if you think you can't possible provide value to the other person - you can.  2. When it’s your turn, have a specific ask. Do your homework and know exactly what you want this person to do for you. Who do you want them to introduce you to? Use LinkedIn to find out who they are connected to that can move you a step along in your networking efforts.  3. Follow up. Because you have made a specific ask, it is easy to follow up with an email to thank the other person, remind them of how you helped them and that they agreed to introduce you to a certain person (or whatever they agreed to).   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 month, I’m doing a deep dive into networking. So far I’ve talked about why networking is important and how most people go about networking. I’ve also told you about my Bow and Arrow Approach to networking. Today, let’s talk about where you can network. The events or organizations that can provide significant potential benefit to networking for a new job. 1. Chamber of Commerce networking events. 2. Civic club meetings. 3.  SHRM (Society of Human Resource Management). 4. Non-profit fundraisers. 5. Affinity groups. 6. Community organizations. 7. Alumni gatherings. 8. Community festivals or events. 9. Organized networking events. 10. Church or other religious establishments. 11. Professional meetings. 12. Career fairs. 13. LinkedIn groups. Let’s talk about how to make the most of these networking events. Here are my NUMBER top tips:   1. Set a goal. Decide ahead of time what will constitute success for each networking event, and get to making it happen. Is it the number of people you want to speak to, particular people you want to speak to, a resource you want to identify? 2. Prepare a brief elevator pitch. I like to keep the initial intro to one sentence. If the other person is interested in knowing more, they will ask. If not, you haven’t wasted your breath. -You can give your name, job title, and current employer -You can give your name and the position you’re seeking -If you have your own business, you can tease them with what service you provide. 3. Free up your hands. Put your business cards in one pocket, and the cards you collect from others in a different pocket. Women, leave your purse in your car so you can be hands-free. 4. Position yourself. The two best places to stand in order to meet people is near the food or near the beverage station. Avoid getting stuck in a corner where it’s more difficult to get away from someone who is monopolizing your time. 5. Make notes immediately. Once you’ve met with someone, turn their business card over and make notes about your conversation. Do it right away, before you move on to the next person. 6. Connect on LinkedIn. Connect immediately with everyone whose business card you get at the networking event. Remind them that you met them at the networking event. 7. Schedule one-on-one meetings as appropriate. For those people you want to further the relationship with, schedule one-on-one meetings as soon as possible.   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 we’re going deep on the topic of networking. If you haven’t listened to last week’s podcast on Why Networking is So Stinkin’ Important, I highly encourage you to do so. Today we’re going to talk about the way most people approach networking, and how my approach is different. The Tommy Gun Approach If you’ve listened to my podcast much, you’ve heard me use the expression “Tommy Gun Approach” to networking. This is the way most people do networking. Shoot everyone they can find with information of their job search and hope their bullets land in the right place. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with the Tommy Gun Approach, it isn’t strategic and it may not get you the results you are looking for. I call my approach the Bow and Arrow Approach. You are highly strategic in who you network with and what you ask for in networking meetings. Problems with the Tommy Gun Approach Let’s say you see someone you know in the grocery store. The Tommy Gun Approach would suggest that you need to tell that person you are looking for a job and if they think of anything to let you know. The problem with this approach is two-fold: -You haven’t given the other person anything concrete with which to help you, so your request will probably go in one ear and out the other, and -You aren’t providing the other person with any value (there is no quid pro quo here). What does the Tommy Gun Approach look like at a networking event? In a sentence: Vague requests lead to vague results. You tell everyone you meet at that event that you are looking for a job and if they think of anything to let you know. Then you give them your business card or a copy of your resume. They don’t even know you, so the chances of anything happening from that contact is slim. The Bow-and-Arrow Approach So how is the Bow and Arrow Approach different? Here are the main ways: 1. You begin with the end in mind. You know which employers you most want to work for and you figure out how to get to the decision-makers in those companies. You then set up one-on-one networking meetings specifically around these goals. 2. You are asking your networking contact for specific assistance. You’ve done your homework, so you know who you want them to introduce you to or what piece of information you need from them. 3. You are providing as much value to the other person as they are to you. I’ll talk about this in detail in another episode this month, but the idea again is quid pro quo. Equal value for equal value. Tit for tat. How does the Bow and Arrow Approach work in networking events? You don’t know who’s going to be there, so it is difficult to plan ahead. Also, you aren’t likely to have an extended amount of time to talk with any one individual. In these situations, you are in information-gathering mode. You are finding out who’s there, where they work, what their job titles are, and any other information about their professional lives. Then, you’re going back to LinkedIn. After adding them as a connection, you are looking at who they are connected to, where they’ve worked in the past, etc. THEN you can decide if this individual is appropriate for a one-on-one networking meeting. Of course, if you meet someone at that networking event who works for one of your target employers or has some other way of helping you, ask! I just don’t see much benefit in telling everybody your are job searching.   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, 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!   

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!   

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!   

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!  

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! 

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! 

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!   

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!  

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!   

    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: 1. Replace "Um" With Stronger Filler Words 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. 2. Know the Power Of Silence 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. 3. Do Not Make Things Complicated 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. 4. Don't Curse 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. 5. Tell A Story 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!   

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!  

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!  

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 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 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 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, 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!  

  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!     

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!

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.” Make it clear they can get you. 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. Understand the person across the table. 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. Understand their constraints. 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. Be prepared for tough questions. 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. Focus on the questioner’s intent, not on the question. 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. Consider the whole deal. 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. Negotiate multiple issues simultaneously, not serially. 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. Don’t negotiate just to negotiate. 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. Think through the timing of offers. 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. Avoid, ignore, or downplay ultimatums of any kind. 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. Remember, they’re not out to get you. 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. Stay at the table. 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. Maintain a sense of perspective. 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!

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! 

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!

  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!    

  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!   

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!    

  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!   

  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!  

There are two facets to this topic I want to cover: -You’re not being given new tasks or assignments to stimulate you (this is a management issue) -You aren’t feeling motivated to do the work anymore (this is an internal issue) If you’re not being given new tasks or assignments, it’s time to speak with your boss. Be sure to listen to episode #47, where I talk about internal professional development possibilities, and how to take advantage of them. For some of you, the boss is the reason you’re not being given new tasks or assignments. What do you do then? I think it’s useful to figure out what’s really going on. Here are some possibilities: -Your boss is afraid you’ll take her position and wants to hold you down. How do you know if this is your problem? Look for evidence that your boss is an insecure person. Defensiveness, blaming others while refusing to take responsibility for her mistakes, and a general nervous energy are symptoms of an insecure boss. Solution: Many times, this is a situation that requires you either move elsewhere in the company or leave the company altogether. -Your boss isn’t aware that you want more of a challenge, or of all the skills and talents you have. How do you know if this is your problem? Your boss isn’t tuned into her employees, either professionally or personally. She doesn’t make an effort to get to know you or her other employees with such things as team building activities, happy hour, or going to lunch together. Distant, detached, uncaring are words you might use to describe your boss. Solution: Set up a meeting with your boss to express your goals and concerns, without placing any blame on your boss. Let her know, directly and respectfully, that you want more challenge. Bring with you to the meeting ideas you have for ways in which you can better utilizing your motivated skills. -Your boss has so much on her plate that developing her employees has gone to the back burner. How do you know if this is your problem? Different from the previous situation’s detached and uncaring boss, this boss is overworked, overwhelmed, and overcommitted. She’s probably not a good time manager and may have trouble saying “no” to her boss. She may frequently cancel staff meetings at the last minute, she barely slows down all day, and seems distracted when she’s with you. Solution: You have a chance here to offer to take something off your boss’s plate. You can take on an activity you’re excited about, while relieving your boss a bit. Win-win. -Your boss hasn’t been properly trained on how to lead and manage others and doesn’t understand that developing her employees is part of her job. How do you know if this is your problem? This often looks like a woman who isn’t comfortable in the supervisory shoes she’s been placed in. She consistently says and does the wrong thing in supervising her employees, or conversely, avoids actually supervising anyone. There’s also an element of fear here, because she may be terribly afraid she’ll be “found out” as incompetent. Often times, these people don’t recognize the failure of their bosses to properly train them. Solution: There’s not much you can do here, so this is a situation that probably requires looking for another job. If developing employees is not a company value, then an internal move probably won’t resolve the problem – you’ll need to look outside your current employer. -Your boss is narcissistic, concerned only with her position and status within the company and not her employees. How do you know if this is your problem? Appearances are everything to this boss – it’s all flash and no substance. You are certain she would throw you under the boss without a second thought if she needed to in order to make herself look good. You certainly aren’t going to get the leadership, coaching, and mentorship you want from your boss if she’s a narcissist. Solution: Run, don’t walk, because narcissists think only of themselves and won’t have your back when you most need it. Seek an internal transfer or look outside your employer.   If the problem is you’ve lost your motivation, here are my top tips to get it back: Your thoughts I promise you the lack of motivation you’re experiencing is a result of thoughts you’re having about your job, your boss, your coworkers, or your employer. The first step is awareness of the thoughts you’re having. The second step is to gently direct your thoughts to ones that serve you better. For example, if you’re thinking “I hate my job,” you might redirect your thoughts to “I have a job.” From there, you can practice thinking more positive thoughts about your job. Shake Up the Repetition Often times, a dip in motivation comes from feeling like you’re in a rut…doing the same things day after day, in exactly the same way. How can you shake up what you do, how or when you do it, to infuse some motivation into your work? Get creative here. Design a new system, process, or tool to help you do your job better. Is there the possibility of doing your work in a different physical environment? How can you look at your work through new lenses? Helping Others Who can you help at work? Mentoring another employee, volunteering through your employer, or joining a committee that is doing meaningful work can all be ways to infuse your motivation. Do It Anyway Give your best every day regardless of whether or not you are motivated. Sometimes, my biggest accomplishments come from plowing through a completely uninspired day to do the work anyway. Celebration! Celebrate even your smallest achievements at work. Make a game of rewarding yourself for little things…make it fun! If your department doesn’t have any fun awards, set one up and lead it 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!

In episode 47, I talked about taking advantage of your company’s internal training opportunities. I also talked about 7 strategies for creating one-on-one professional development opportunities for yourself, regardless of whether or not your employer has formal programs like these. Today, let’s talk about continuing your education outside your current employer. 1.      University continuing education departments. Most universities, particularly those in larger cities, have a Continuing Education department. These departments are an external arm of the university, and typically offer a range of professional development courses. These courses generally fall into one of three categories: -A cluster of courses leading to a certification or other professional credential -Stand-alone courses that provide you with targeted knowledge -Courses created for a specific employer, with training specific to that employer A note about any training you attend: keep a folder so that, when you update your resume, you’ll have ready access to the specifics of your professional development. This folder can also be a handy place to keep any certificates or other type of documentation you receive for attending. 2. For-profit training companies. When I worked in higher education, I regularly got brochures from Fred Pryor, Skill Path, and other for-profit companies that were providing in-person training in a city near me. I’m sure some of these companies no longer exist and others have sprouted up, and not all of them have a great reputation. So do your due diligence if you see a course you’re interested in to make sure it’s a good expenditure of your employer’s money. These for-profit training companies can be particularly effective for you to get training on a targeted subject that your employer isn’t likely to offer. 3. Targeted coursework at a university as a “non-degree-seeking” student. Perhaps you want to take a course in marketing or accounting as a non-degree seeking student. You may also be able to audit a class, which simply means you take the course and do the work but don’t get a grade or any formal recognition that you took the class. Many of my clients seek out courses they can take at Ivy League schools, so they have that university’s name on their resume. 4. Conferences, workshops, or seminars offered through your professional associations. Your professional organizations are often the best source for professional development that is specific to the work you do. Many offer an annual conference, along with more frequent workshops and seminars that may be offered in-person or online. Attending conferences has the added benefit of exposure to other professionals in your field. Many even have an infrastructure in place for employers with open positions to source candidates at the conference, and even interview on-site. Another benefit of professional associations is the opportunity to serve on committees that give you exposure to a wide range of people in your field. I have served on committees for new professionals, the planning committee for the annual conference, and on executive boards. Many of the people I met in these committees are still my friends today. How do you determine if it’s the right time for you to pursue a graduate degree? How do you determine if you even should pursue a graduate degree? Here are my guidelines: DO seek a graduate degree IF: 1. You are very clear on your career path, and know that a graduate degree will help you move up 2. You have maxed out in your career field without a graduate degree 3. Your work schedule will allow you to fully commit to the program once you’ve entered   DON’T seek a graduate degree: 1. To avoid entering or continuing in the job market (there are less expensive ways to hide from your life) 2.  If you are unclear about what you want to study 3. Just because you have an interest in a particular field (unless you are independently wealthy) 4. If you’ve started a new job less than a year ago. You have a learning curve for your job that doesn’t leave much room for anything else. 5. If your work schedule is erratic, you work incredibly long hours, or in any way can’t fully commit to the program. Many employers offer tuition reimbursement for continuing your education, and this is a topic you can ask about in the job interview. Be sure to find out the finer points of the reimbursement program, such as length of time you have to be in the position before eligibility, or how long you have to work for the organization after completing the degree. 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! 

According to Inc.com, many companies provide access to eLearning and may provide reimbursement for employees to attend professional conferences or obtain external certifications. Inc.com goes on to say that, while these are important and can be effective for employee development, on-the-job-development accounts for up to 75% of effective learning.In 2014, the 100 Best Companies to Work For by Great Place to Work put employee development as a top priority, more than any other area. I expect this will remain a top priority and a key focus for many organizations over the coming years as we continue to see the landscape for recruiting great talent become even more competitive.Not providing growth and developmental opportunities to direct reports and teams can have a lot of consequences. Probably the most damaging is that they decide to find development elsewhere and leave for another opportunity externally.Here are seven tools for you to take advantage of on-the-job professional development. Your company may have formalized programs around one or more of these; if not, ask your boss if you or he/she can initiate something.1.     Stretch Assignments and Projects. Are there projects or special assignments coming up in your company that you would be a valuable team member on, and also allow you to grow professionally? Serving on a cross-functional team is particularly beneficial for you, as you are interacting with people from across the company. This type of role will likely require time away from your primary assignments, so be sure to check with your boss about taking on any assignments outside your department.2. Job Enrichment. Are there opportunities for you to augment your current role by making presentations at team meetings, joining a committee, or volunteering through your employer? Human Resources is often a good starting place to find out about committees and your employer’s volunteer policy. If you are able to take paid time of to volunteer, be sure to coordinate the time away with your boss.3. Mentoring or Coaching. If you listened to podcast #37 where I interviewed Becky Cutright of the Federal Reserve Bank, she talked about mentoring as being one of the most important aspects of her career success. If your employer doesn’t have a formal mentoring program, find someone in the company who will share his or her wisdom, insights, and expertise with you – as well as someone who is willing to take the time with you.If your company makes coaching with an actual certified coach available to you, I highly recommend that you take advantage of this. There is no better way to work on those things that may be holding you back that to work with a certified coach.4. Job Shadowing. This is a great way for you to learn the critical elements of other jobs, which can also benefit you in your current role. It also allows you to explore potential career opportunities elsewhere in your organization.If your company doesn’t offer this program and your boss isn’t on board, get creative. Can you come in early, stay late, or work through your lunch break to shadow someone in another department? Can you meet with that individual a few times to ask them questions about their work, essentially conducting a “virtual job shadowing?”5. Job Rotation. If your company provides a rotational program, I highly recommend you look into the requirements for consideration into that program. Rotations can last for days, months, or years. Rotational programs are very effective in retaining young employees, as it increases the likelihood that you’ll find your niche in the company.6. Lateral Moves. While not a promotion and typically with the same salary, a lateral move provides you with new challenges and the ability to develop new skills. Also, it is a great retention tool. A lateral move may be a good option if you aren’t getting the support you need from your current boss, or there is some other situation that is hindering your chances for success in your current role.7. Promotions. Don’t be shy about asking about the criteria for promotion within your department or unit. Once you know the criteria, you should set out to meet or exceed all requirements – therefor virtually ensuring you’ll be seriously considered.In addition to these one-on-one professional development opportunities, your company may offer a formal development program. These are typically offered either in person, online, or in a blended format that combines the two.If there are options as to which courses you can take, or if the entire program is optional, speak with your boss about what you should take. You also want to get him or her on board with the time away from your work you’ll need to participate in these programs.Be strategic about what you take, because you don’t want to become known as that employee who takes everything that’s offered regardless of its applicability to your job. Also, you will be much more likely to retain information that you can immediately apply in your work.A final word that applies to in person training: you will be in the classroom with others from across the company. How you speak, how you act, and even how you look is a reflection on your brand. If you want to cultivate a positive reputation across the organization, be on your best behavior in these trainings.Next week I will be talking about external continuing education opportunities, ad whether or not you should pursue an advanced degree.To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.comFollow 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 podcast covers all the bases when it comes to dress and grooming for today's workplace. My guest this week is the fabulous Abigail Hunter, who gives her top five tips for my ladies and my dudes.   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 is an etiquette quiz: ___F__1. The primary place setting utilized in the U.S. is inside-out. ___T__2.  At a sit-down dinner, you should wait until everyone at your table has been served to begin eating. ___F__3.  At a buffet, you should wait until everyone at your table has returned with their food to begin eating. ___T__4.  Your food dishes are to the left of your place setting and your drink containers are to the right. ___T__5.  Forearms can be placed on the table between courses and when there is no food at your place. ___F__6.  It is o.k. to salt and pepper your food before tasting it. ___F__7.  When leaving the table during a meal, you should place your napkin next to your plate. ___F__8.  When leaving following the meal, you should place your napkin on top of your plate. ___T__9.  Items should be passed counterclockwise around the table. ___F__10. To remove inedible food from your mouth, use your napkin. ___T__11. You should offer community foods, such as sugar, to others before serving yourself. ___T__12. You should break off a bite-sized piece of bread, butter it, and eat, rather than butter the entire roll at one time. ___T__13. Once you have used a utensil, you should never place it back on the table. ___F__14. If someone requests only the salt, it is o.k. to pass it by itself without the pepper. ___F__15. The correct movement for a soup spoon is toward you. ___F__16. When eating American style, it is o.k. to use your knife to assist you in getting the last bits of food on your plate. ___T__17. You should tuck paper trash under the rim of your plate. ___F__18. It is o.k. to eat fried chicken with your fingers in a formal setting. ___F__19. It is o.k. to break crackers into your soup. ___T__20. The butter knife passed with the butter should never touch your bread. With all of the etiquette rules, it is easy to forget something; don’t worry.  There are two cardinal rules you must never forget: -Never say anything negative about the food, restaurant, or wait staff. -Never point out anyone else’s etiquette mistake.  (It’s o.k. to point out your own, however.) Additional tips: -Don’t order foods that are messy or that you don’t know how to eat: Whole lobster French onion soup Pasta -Often times, job candidates make the mistake of ordering the least expensive thing on the menu.  Two options are to either order something that is mid-priced, or to ask your host what he/she recommends.  Even if it is something you don’t care for, the price of it can guide your decision on what to order.  The latter is particularly effective when at a nicer restaurant where no prices are visible. -Only return food if it is completely inedible.  If you do so, do it discreetly. -Use the time immediately after you sit down to briefly inspect the silverware, glasses, and dishes.  This will tell you what you’re eating and when (outside – in) -If you have ordered a special meal due to dietary restrictions, it is your responsibility to let the wait staff know. -If you receive food you are unable to eat for dietary or religious reasons, you are not obligated to eat it.  Just be discreet. -If something is served on a plate, use utensils to eat it (even if you would normally eat it with your fingers at home).  This includes fried chicken, french fries, bacon. -Cup a lemon in your hand before squeezing over tea or seafood to avoid squirting anyone. -When ordering wine at a restaurant, it is better to ask the waiter/sommelier for a recommendation, rather than to try to look like you know what you’re doing if you don’t. -As a general rule, red wines pair better with beef, or other dishes with a red sauce; white wines pair better with chicken, fish, or pork. -If you have ordered a bottle of wine at a nicer restaurant, the waiter/sommelier will pour a small amount for you to taste before serving.  You should accept the bottle unless there is clearly something wrong with the taste.  If you are unsure, you could say to the waiter/sommelier, “Could you double check this bottle for me?” -White wine glasses are smaller, and should be held by the stem, so as not to warm the wine up with your hands.  Red wine glasses have a larger bowl and are often taller than white wine glasses. -Be cautious about drinking in a business setting! 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! 

Wikipedia defines work etiquette as “A code that governs the expectations of social behaviors in the workplace. This code is put into place to respect and protect time, people, and processes. While there is no universal work etiquette standard, Wikipedia states that work etiquette includes, among others, rules governing body language, good behavior, dress, use of technology, effective communication, and working with others. Here are my top 20 tips for work etiquette: 1.      Always stand when you are being introduced. 2.      Always state your full name when you are being introduced or introducing yourself. 3.      Practice a firm business handshake. 4.      Dress appropriately for your work environment, the tasks you’ll be performing that day, and your body. 5.      Be generous with written thank-you notes. 6.      Always arrive on time, whether to meetings or just to work. 7.      Don’t check your email or voice mail during meetings. 8.      Make eye contact with the person speaking and give them your undivided attention. 9.      Stay home when you are sick. 10.    Put your cell phone on vibrate during meetings or while at work. 11.    Avoid eating at your desk. 12.    Be aware of how loud your voice is. 13.    Avoid perfume or cologne at work. 14.    Don’t wear revealing or otherwise inappropriate clothing. 15.    Always hold sensitive conversations in private. 16.   Take responsibility for your actions. 17.   Respect others’ space and property. 18.   Keep personal activities to a minimum. 19.   Don’t take anyone else’s food or drink from the fridge or kitchen. 20.   Don’t use the speaker phone feature where others can hear you. Tips for dealing with offenders of office etiquette: 1.      Don’t reciprocate their bad behavior. 2.      Stay calm and try to be sympathetic to the occasional bad behavior. 3.      Address offending behavior directly, rather than speaking to a co-worker about it. 4.      Talk to the offender in private. 5.      Understand your company’s policies and procedures for reporting infractions.     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!

More than 2/3 of salaried jobs in the U.S. require substantial written communication and companies spend approximately $3 billion per year training employees to improve their written communication skills, accordingly to Grammarly. You’ve probably seen the statistics that written communication skills are one of the most desired among employers hiring requirements. However, far too few people have exceptional written communication skills, and I’ve seen plenty of people be held back professionally because of poor writing skills. Writing skills are necessary to get the job, to move up professionally, and to develop the kinds of relationships with co-workers that lead to job success and satisfaction. Here’s the problem with the writing skills of a lot of recent college graduates: academic writing is often based on number of words or pages, which entices the writer to use fluff to fill the page. This writing is not useful anywhere in the business world. Here are my top 14 tips for improving your speaking abilities: 1.      Slow down. 2.      Smile. 3.      Like, Um, Ah (10 minutes…87 Uhs and Ums) 4.      Don’t fear the pause…it can be highly effective 5.      Segue to a new topic with grace (put on your turn signal) 6.      Big words don’t help, and here’s why. 7.      Be sure you’re using words correctly. 8.      Speak in active voice as much as possible. 9.      De-slang your language, and watch the use of company-specific terminology outside of your organization. 10.  Keep your language clean. 11.  Watch out for vocal fry. 12.  Don’t trail up at the end of your sentences. 13.  Watch “uptalk” – phrasing sentences as questions. 14.  Avoid speaking in a monotone. Here are my top 12 tips for improving your written communication skills: 1.  Read a lot – there is a strong correlation between reading and writing skills. Reading actually sends good writing habits into your subconscious. 2.  Write as often as possible – as little as 15 minutes a day makes a huge difference. 3.  Review and edit your own writing. Also consider taking a writing course and/or swapping writing with a friend. 4.  Keep a journal (paper or online) to let your feelings flow. The more you write, the more inspired you will become. Having said that, writing is a discipline, so it’s important to write even when you don’t even feel remotely inspired to do so. 5.  Before sending business communication, ask yourself these questions -Is the tone of this communication right for the audience? In other words, am I speaking in a way the reader(s) will receive? -Does my communication get straight to the point, so the reader knows exactly what I am asking him or her to do as quickly as possible? -Is my writing simple and direct, without extra words and off-topic information? -Have I reread at least once for grammatical errors, correct spelling and punctuation, and coherence? 6.  Deliver negative communication in person whenever possible, as written communication removes the non-verbal component. 7.  Read your communication aloud – I often find that something I think is well-written doesn’t make sense when I read it aloud. 8.  Avoid redundancy in your writing. Here are some examples: -Previous or prior experience -The state of Florida -End result -Absolutely necessary or absolutely essential 9.  Can one word say what three words are currently saying? For example: -In place of (instead) -As well as (and) 10.  Be especially careful with there, their, they’re and it’s and its, etc. 11.  Correct usage of me, I, myself: -Jane and I went to the store. -My boss grilled me about the report. -I blame myself for what happened. 12.  Keep paragraphs short, with one topic per paragraph. Depending on the type of writing, 2-5 lines per paragraph. In summary, how you present yourself with your written and spoken words says a lot about you. Make sure you’re presenting yourself in the best way possible. 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 the results you are getting in your life. Message #1: You ARE getting results in your life. No matter what. Here are some possible results you may be getting: -Making more money than this time last year. -Making the same amount of money as this time last year. -Making less money as this time last year. -Got a promotion at work. -Didn’t get a promotion at work. -Got a new job last month. -Haven’t gotten a new job, despite looking for one year. -Got married this year. -Got divorced this year. -Didn’t go on any dates this year. It is possible to work from the bottom up on the thought model, starting with the result you’ve achieved to determine why you got that result. You can also work from the bottom up to start with the result you want to get and determine what you need to do, feel, and think to get that result. Let’s start with a positive example in your life. Let’s say you just landed your dream job. Here’s a possible thought model that led to that result: THOUGHT: “The company that chooses to hire me will be so glad they did!” FEELING: Confident and Persistent. ACTION: Planned and launched a proactive job search strategy that included frequent networking activities and minimized job boards. Set daily and weekly job search goals and rewarded myself for achieving those goals. RESULT:  Just got my dream job!   Here’s a less-than positive result you might be experiencing: You’ve been looking for a new job for a solid year, with little activity and no job offers. Perhaps this is how your current thought model looks: THOUGHT: “I need a new job.” FEELING: Desperate. ACTION: I spend two-three hours every week looking at job boards and applying to positions I’m qualified for. RESULT:  No job offers; only three interviews. Let’s say that, after this year of unsuccessful job searching, you want to change your result. Let’s do some subtle shifts to your thought model that will make all the difference. THOUGHT: “I will be in a new position by DATE.” FEELING: Purposeful. ACTION: Research other ways of job searching that are more effective; create a plan to implement the ones that make the most sense for me. RESULT:  Get a new job I love by DATE. Here’s the question to ask yourself: Why am I choosing this result in my life? This is a hard question to ask. Your brain will push back, telling you that you didn’t choose this result. You didn’t choose to look for a job for an entire year with no offers. You didn’t choose to make less money this year than last. You didn’t choose to get passed over for that promotion. But you DID. I promise you, you did choose these results. Perhaps you chose to look for a job for an entire year with no offers because your action (your job search strategy) wasn’t effective. Perhaps you chose to make less money this year than last because you didn’t take the action of asking for a raise, or prospect for more customers, or apply for a higher position. You didn’t consciously choose to make less money, but by taking the actions or inactions you did, you effectively made that choice. Perhaps you chose to get passed over for that promotion because you didn’t advocate for yourself, you didn’t give your best effort, or you cultivated a reputation as a lone wolf who doesn’t play well with others. I can hear you pushing back on this now. I understand where you’re coming from, I promise. Here’s the question? Does blaming the job market, your employer, your boss, or yourself for the results you’re getting in your life have any upside? Sure…you might conduct a very effective job search and it still takes longer than you want it to. You might give 100% at work and still get passed over for that raise or promotion. How an employer or boss acts is 100% out of your control. How you show up is 100% within your control.   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 feelings. Everything we do in our lives is because of a feeling we want to have. Here’s a definition of a feeling: A vibration in your body. Sadness feels certain way in your body. It vibrates differently than happiness or excitement. Some feelings might create a constriction in your throat or a quickening of your pulse. Other feelings might create a flutter in your stomach or cause your sweat glands to produce. We spend a great deal of energy and money to achieve certain feelings. We make a purchase because of how we think that purchase will make us feel. We choose a certain vacation because of how we want to feel on that vacation. Along those lines, the buffering we do in our lives is because of a feeling we want to avoid. We might overeat, overdrink, do drugs, or watch too much t.v. as a way of avoiding our feelings. We don’t want to feel lonely, sad, angry, hurt, or empty, so we buffer. Here’s how you know you are buffering: there is a net-negative consequence to our behavior. You have a drink when out with friends, there’s probably no net-negative consequence. If you drink a bottle of wine every night after work, there will be some net-negative consequences to your health, your relationships, your productivity. Here’s how I invite you to think about your feelings: Choose to feel them on purpose, from within yourself rather than based on something external. Choose to feel positive about your job, your boss, your coworkers, your employer. Not because of anything they do or don’t do. Feel on purpose. I promise, it makes all the difference. How you feel is directly affected by what you think, so think thoughts that will serve you. Choose how you want to feel in any given circumstance and think accordingly.   Here are some examples: CIRCUMSTANCE FOR TODAY: I have a major presentation to give to the senior executives at work. HOW I WANT TO FEEL DURING THAT PRESENTATION: Confident and Competent. TO PRODUCE THE FEELINGS OF CONFIDENT AND COMPETENT: I will think “I’ve prepared thoroughly for this presentation, and I really know my stuff. I’ve got this.” See how that works? If you want to feel Confident and Competent, yet you are thinking “I’m terrified I’ll make a mistake and embarrass myself,” there’s no way you’re going to feel Confident and Competent. Instead, you’ll likely feel Nervous and Incompetent. No one is ever going to intentionally choose to feel Nervous and Incompetent, but they are unintentionally choosing those feelings because of the way they are thinking about themselves and their abilities. Here’s another example: CIRCUMSTANCE: My performance evaluation with my boss is at 3:00 today. HOW I WANT TO FEEL DURING THAT INTERVIEW: Relaxed and Receptive. TO PRODUCE THE FEELINGS OF RELAXED AND RECEPTIVE: My thought is “I’m a strong contributor to the team. I look forward to hearing his constructive criticism so I can become an every better performer.” See the difference? In both of these circumstances, you are deciding how you want to feel ahead of time, not waiting for the circumstance to occur first. This takes discipline and training your mind. It isn’t easy, but it’s so worth it to become conscious of your thoughts and feelings. Here’s my assignment for you this week: Decide how you want to feel before a situation you have coming up this week, and make sure you think the thoughts that will generate the feeling you want to have. Don’t be at the affect of your thoughts, but rather direct your thoughts to generate the feeling you want to have. 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 thoughts. These are the sentences in your head about the circumstances of your life. Your thoughts determine EVERYTHING. Every result you achieve in your life…whether it’s a positive result, a negative result, or a non-result (which is, actually, a result), is due to the thoughts you are having. Most of us are completely unaware of the thoughts we’re having. Of the sentences in our head. We certainly don’t realize the affect these thoughts are having on every area of our life.   Let’s look at a few examples: CIRCUMSTANCE: I didn’t get that promotion. If your thought is “They don’t appreciate my work” or “I’m not good at my job” you’re going to take a certain action. -You might slack off your job performance. -You might start looking for another job. -You might develop an attitude.   If, on the other hand, your thought is “I will double down on my work performance” you will take a very different action. -You will improve your job performance. -You will become more engaged at work.   Do you see how these different thoughts will generate very different results? In the first set, you’re likely to never be considered for a promotion at that employer, and you will probably hinder your ability to get another job somewhere else. You will become labeled as “difficult.” In the second set, you will contribute more than ever, which will increase your chances for a promotion down the line. If you still decide to leave, your chances of getting a new job will be better. Most importantly, in the second set, you will be evolving to a better version of yourself. Taking rejection as a source of motivation, rather than as a reason to believe you are unworthy or that others don’t appreciate your contribution. Here’s another example: CIRCUMSTANCE: My coworker didn’t complete her part of the project by the deadline. If your thought is “My coworker is worthless” or “I have to do all the work around here,” you might take these actions, none of which serve you: -You talk about your coworker to other coworkers. -You stop talking to your worker or become passive-aggressive towards her. -You develop an attitude about how much more you do at work than anyone else. If, on the other hand, your thought is “My coworker did the best she could” or “I’m more than capable of taking up the slack on this project” you might take these actions: -Double down to make sure the project is completed on time (with a positive attitude) -Talk to your coworker about why she wasn’t able to complete her portion on time – from a place of trying to understand and build the relationship, rather than condemn and place blame. -Celebrate the success of the project with your coworker, with no thought of who did what. In the first set of actions, your results might be: You damage the relationship with your coworker and your reputation at work. In the second set of actions, your results might be: gaining a great reputation at work, building a relationship with your worker, and developing a track record as a team player. Which one of these serves you better? Here’s the trick with thoughts: You aren’t likely to be able to believe a 180 degree shift overnight. Thoughts often have to be re-shaped incrementally. Going from “My coworker is a waste of space” to “My coworker is great” is too big a leap. Perhaps going from “My coworker is a waste of space” to “I have a coworker” is something you can believe. Going from “My boss doesn’t appreciate my contribution” to “My boss respects my contribution” is too big a leap. Perhaps going from “My boss doesn’t appreciate my contribution” to “My boss complimented me on the presentation I made last week” is something you can believe. Here’s your assignment for this week: Just become aware of the thoughts you are generating. Of the sentences in your head. Then, be an observer of your own thoughts. In other words, think about what you’re thinking about. Try to understand where that thought is coming from, without beating yourself up. Recognize that the thought you just had about your coworker’s incompetence came from your concern about getting your project completed on time and doing a great job. Once you realize this, you can keep your focus on completing the project, rather than other people over which you have no control. Recognize that the thought you had about your boss not appreciating you comes from a place of insecurity that you’re doing a good job. Once you realize this, you can begin to develop ways to affirm yourself for your job performance…you will no longer need others to affirm you. 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. - I can’t recommend Brooke’s podcast highly enough (www.thelifecoachschool.com); she has literally changed my life. - First,

This week, my guest on the podcast is Becky Cutright, Communications Consultant with the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Becky was my intern "back in the day" and she's been in the workforce for 10 years.   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!

If you haven’t entered the work force yet or are brand new to the work force, the concept of managing your boss may be foreign to you. Here’s the basic premise: To get the most from your work and ensure your success, you will need to be intentional about getting what you need from your boss. Here’s the perfect situation: Your boss is just available enough when you start out, then progressively loosens the reins as you become more competent in your role. She never micro-manages you and she never under manages you. She knows just what kind of management style works best for you, and she knows exactly what you need when you need it. Now for the real world, where your boss has a zillion things on her plate and your professional success isn’t even on the stove, much less the front burner. It becomes your responsibility to get your professional needs met, and a big piece of that is managing your interactions with your boss.   Here are my top five opportunities to manage your relationship with your boss: During the Interview Ask the question, “How often, and in what way, will my performance be evaluated?” of your prospective boss. Depending on her response, you can ask follow-up questions like “Will I have the opportunity to receive more frequent feedback in the first few months or when I begin a new project?” It’s important that you know what your needs are…and whether what you’re hearing meshes with those needs. If you hear that your prospective boss travels extensively and you’re going to be left on your own quite a bit…will you get the feedback you need to be successful? On Day One Most new hires have a one-on-one with their boss in the first week of employment. Here’s your chance to re-state your understanding of how you’ll be managed, and to ask for what you need. For example, if your boss has stated that your first performance evaluation will be in 90 days, you might want to ask for quick weekly check-ins prior to that. Whatever you need…ask for it. By phrasing your request as important for your success, and by extension your boss’ success, she can hardly say no. At the Beginning of a New Project / New Responsibility When your boss assigns you a new project, you may very well want closer supervision initially to make sure you’re moving forward in a way that meets your boss’ expectations. You can ask for regular check-ins, or just request that she be available when you have questions…whichever works best for you. You also want to be specific about the type of supervision you want as you take on this new role. Do you want to be able to develop a rough draft or outline to see if you’re on the right track before moving forward? You may also want to ask for additional training. When Challenges Arise Let’s say you have a conflict with a co-worker that is affecting the quantity or quality of your work. Nip this as quickly as possible by scheduling a quick meeting with your boss. This should NOT be a complaining session, but rather an opportunity for growth. Use this time with your boss to brainstorm solutions, rather than place blame or rehash the problem. Challenges will also arise in your work…an obstacle you’re having difficulty resolving, an issue with a customer you can’t figure out the solution to. Rather than go it alone, check in with your boss. And when you meet with your boss about a challenge you’re facing, offer possible solutions. Don’t expect your boss to do all the mental work. When You’re Ready for More Whether you’re ready for a promotion, want to take on more responsibility, or want to apply for a position elsewhere in the company, meet with your boss to get a realistic assessment of your chances. This is particularly effective if you do it early, so that you can ask your boss what it will take for you to get that new job or take on that additional responsibility. By knowing exactly what the criteria are, you can work towards meeting them to virtually guarantee your success.   On a separate note, you may also need to manage expectations with your boss. I’ll talk about this in a future podcast, such as negotiating how you manage your existing duties when a new responsibility is put on your plate or how to negotiate a more realistic timeline for a project she gives you. 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!

Yep, my dear Millennials, it’s time to be an adult at work. Sorry about that. First, let’s define emotional adulthood. Emotional adulthood is where you take responsibility for what you think, feel, and do. What’s the opposite? Emotional childhood, where you blame others for how you are thinking, feeling, and acting. Emotional adulthood means you are not at the affect of your circumstances. You aren’t blaming your boss, coworkers, or the company you work for. You understand that, no matter what is or isn’t happening at your work, it is totally within your control to think positive thoughts, feel good, and act in a way that serves you. I can hear you now. “You don’t know my situation.” You think you are a special snowflake…that your circumstances do cause you to feel bad. Let me ask you this: What’s the upside of abdicating responsibility for your life to someone else? Especially someone you may not even particularly like. You are giving that other person far too much power over your emotional life. Abdicating responsibility for how you feel at work is incredibly disempowering. You become a victim, and the other person becomes the villain. Do you really want to think of yourself as a victim? I didn’t think so. By abdicating responsibility, you will fuel an action you don’t want to be taking. You might: -Avoid the other person. -Talk about the person behind their back. -Vent your rage to your significant other. -Slack off on your job performance. -Become passive-aggressive toward that person. None of these actions will get you the results you are seeking at work. None of these actions are fueled by thoughts you truly want to be having. None of these actions generate positive feelings for you. Here’s the problem: from childhood, we’ve been told by our parents, teachers, and other significant adults that we have the ability to hurt another person’s feelings. To make them feel bad. This is absolutely untrue. When we understand that only we can affect our own feelings, the onus is off of others to make us feel a certain way. The reverse is also true. Nothing we say, do, don’t say, or don’t do can make another person feel a certain way. Only what they think about what we say, do, don’t say, or don’t do can make them feel something. An emotional adult doesn’t blame anyone at work for their mistakes. An emotional adult doesn’t throw temper tantrums when they don’t get that promotion, that tony project, that recognition. An emotional adult owns their mistakes and takes responsibility for them. An emotional adult doesn’t blame himself or herself for mistakes, either. There’s no upside to blame. Ever. Rather, an emotional adult is interested and curious in the thoughts, feelings, and actions that led to the result they didn’t want…the so-called mistake. An emotional adult knows that the only way to get a different result is to start with a different thought. This probably makes sense in the abstract, but will be much more difficult to do when a situation arises at work. Your challenge is to be aware of the temptation to slip into emotional childhood and try to catch yourself at the thought phase. Then, gently and kindly reframe your thought so that you get a different outcome. Replace “He’s such an idiot!” with “He’s doing the best he can.” Replace “She should never have been given that job” with “She is good at _____.” Replace “My boss never recognizes me” with “I know I’m doing a great job.” So the goal is emotional adulthood. And the path to emotional adulthood is self-awareness. Of your thoughts. Of when you slip into blame or a victim mentality. Of when you’re beating yourself up for negative thoughts. One more aspect of emotional adulthood: People-pleasers are liars. If you’re trying to control other peoples’ opinion of you at work by acting in a certain way or saying certain things, you are in emotional childhood. You CANNOT control how other people feel about you, because their feelings about you are a reflection of themselves, not you. Just be you, and continue to grow and evolve as the human you are. Show up at work as the best possible version of yourself, and “let” others think what they will about you. (You don’t have a choice in the matter, anyway.)   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 first message I want you to hear is that you have the option of making yourself indispensable at work, no matter the job you’re in or the circumstances surrounding that job. If you’ve listed to many of my podcasts or read my blogs, you know that the circumstances of your life are always neutral. Circumstances are those things in your life over which you have no immediate control. Here are some possible work circumstances: -The company just eliminated 200 employees. -My job title is _____________. -I have a degree/certification in _____________. -My boss is _______________. Notice the complete lack of negativity in those statements. There are all factual. Each of those circumstances could be proven in a court of law. So, no matter what the circumstances of your job, you can make yourself indispensable. It all starts with your thoughts about those circumstances.   Here’s a thought model: Circumstance: The company just eliminated 200 employees. Thought: “I’ve only worked here for six months, I’ll probably be eliminated next.” Feeling: Fear Action: Start looking for another job, don’t try at your current job because you’re going to be eliminated anyway Result: You may get terminated, but regardless, you didn’t have your own back. Here’s the problem: you might have gotten terminated anyway, but now you don’t know if it’s because you’ve only been there for six months, or if it was because your job performance started slipping when you figured they were going to first you. Let’s do a turnaround. Circumstance: The company just eliminated 200 employees. Thought: “I’m going to double down on my work performance, so they won’t want to terminate me.” Feeling: Committed Action: Ask your boss how you can pick up the slack in the department due to others being terminated. Result: Regardless of whether or not you get terminated, you know you have shown up as the best version of yourself until the day you leave the company. The 10 suggestions I’m about to give you for being indispensable at work start with how you think, so I’m providing suggested thoughts as well. 1. Do the job you were hired to do to the best of your ability every day. This is job #1 – doing what you were actually hired to do at your highest level every day. You aren’t doing this for your boss or the company, although they certainly benefit. You are doing this because you have your own back and want to be the best version of yourself. Thought: “I am a great employee who makes significant contributions to this organization.”   2. Look for ways to help your coworkers. Indispensable employees look for ways to support others. Do you have an area of expertise you can lend; do you have a bit of free time to stuff envelopes or tie balloons? Are you great at serving as a sounding board for new ideas? Thought: “I enjoy helping my fellow coworkers.” 3. Ask your boss how you can support him/her. An indispensable employee seeks out ways to make the boss’ job easier. What can you take off his/her plate? How can you make him/her look even better? Thought: “By helping my boss, I am ultimately helping myself and my career.” 4. Keep current on required skills/qualifications. To be indispensable in your current position, you MUST keep your skills and qualifications current. Maintain the memberships, certifications, designations that are required for your current job. Thought: “I am fully qualified for my job.” 5. Identify skills/certifications that would help you grow professionally and ask your boss about them. This one differs from #4 in that these are skills or certifications that are not a requirement for your job, but those you’ve identified as ways to help you continue to grow professionally and move up within your chosen field. For example, let’s say you are a project manager. A requirement for your current job is the PMP (Project Management Professional) designation, which you have. Maintaining this designation is an example of #4. Let’s say you want to start managing a certain type of project. Is there a training or certification you can take to better manage these types of projects? This is an example of #5. Thought: “I continue to learn and grow professionally.” 6. Seek out projects or activities that allow you to work with others across the organization. There are many benefits to this, not the least of which is gaining access to decision-makers throughout the organization. It makes you indispensable because you become seen as someone who steps outside the “box” of your department and job description. You’re willing to work for the greater good, and you can get along with anybody. Thought: “I have many strengths and skills that I can use to benefit all areas of the organization.” 7. Avoid a reputation as a gossip/backstabber at all costs. Just say no. No exceptions. I promise, it will haunt you professionally. Avoid gossip/backstabbing that is disguised as concern. If you are saying something about someone that you wouldn’t say to their face, you are gossiping/backstabbing. Thought: “I speak about my coworkers the way I would want them to speak about me.” 8. Don’t engage in negative talk about your boss, the company, etc. No matter what. Again, a form of gossiping/backstabbing. It’s super common for coworkers to get together at lunch or happy hour for the express purpose of trashing the boss or the company. It’s hard to walk away from these situations, because you may want your coworkers to be your friend. I promise there’s no upside of this talk. Do you really want to be friends with people whose conversation regularly turns to negative talk about the person who controls their paycheck? Thought: “My boss is doing the best he/she can.” Or: “I am grateful to have this position at this company.” 9. Gain a reputation as someone who consistently produces a high volume of quality work on time. Get it done, do it right, and do it within the time constraints you’re given. One of the worse career derailleurs is becoming known as someone who isn’t dependable. Your only path to bigger projects with greater scope is to do a great job with what you’re given now. No exceptions. Thought: “I am a dependable employee.” 10. Don’t allow yourself to only receive feedback once a year or very seldom. This one is particularly difficult for recent college graduates, who haven’t yet learned how to manage their boss (I’ll be covering this in an upcoming podcast.) Your job is: a) find out what the “normal” performance feedback structure is with your boss, and b) ask for adjustments to that, based on specific assignments, your level of experience with your job duties, and your experience with the company. An example is in order. If you’ve just been hired, and the work is relatively new to you and you haven’t worked for the company before, waiting for a 90-day performance review is just too long. If you’re given a new assignment that requires you to lead a team for the first time, you might want actual coaching or mentoring to ensure your success. Remember, when you’re asking for this feedback, it is to improve your output, which ultimately benefits the company and makes your boss look good. Everybody wins. Let’s circle back around to how I started this podcast. You can be indispensable at work regardless of what is happening with your boss, your coworkers, or your company. Your thoughts drive how you show up at work, so be aware of your thoughts and gently shift them to thoughts that serve you better and lead to the results you want. Show up as the best version of yourself, every day. And watch your whole world change.   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!

Most resumes I see, from candidates at all stages in their career, are what I call “data sheets.” “Here’s where I worked; here’s my job title; here are my dates of employment; here are my job duties.” Lather, rinse, repeat. What you are essentially telling a potential employer is: “I was hired to do a job…and I did it.” Not a very compelling marketing message. The resumes I create for my clients, and those most professional resume writers create, are branded marketing documents. They tell the potential employer two critical things: 1.  What makes you different from all the others competing for the same position. 2.  How well you did your former jobs. Let’s start with what makes you different. This is known as personal branding. Here’s a completely non-differentiating branding message: “Highly motivated entry-level candidate with strong work ethic and great interpersonal skills.” Here’s another one: “Hard worker, with a bachelor’s degree in BLANK and excellent communication skills.” The acid test for your branding statement is two-fold: 1.  Does it differentiate you? 2.  Is it compelling? Here are a couple of compelling branding statements from my clients: From a CFO/Controller: “Senior executive with a consistent record of successful leadership roles extending beyond financial operations to include HR, IT, and facilities management” From an early-career candidate: “Offering eight years’ experience in broadcast television operations in New York City, coupled with an internship at Lifetime and a bachelor’s degree in Film Production” For an Industrial Sales Manager: “Known for developing, implementing, and managing start-up initiatives that create incremental growth across multiple industries and channels”   Here are three ways to approach developing your personal brand: 1. What have I been consistently successful in doing? What have others consistently asked me to do? 2. What’s my secret sauce? 3. What are my brand attributes that, in combination, make me stand out? The second aspect of a branded resume are bulleted accomplishments that tell how well you did your job. The “data sheets” I received usually include what we resume writers call “death by bullets” – a laundry list of bulleted job duties. If there are any accomplishments in there, they are buried in amongst all the job duties – essentially diluting their effectiveness. Your job duties should be in a paragraph of no more than 3-4 lines. Bullets are reserved for quantifiable accomplishments. Tips for creating high-impact accomplishments: 1. Start each with an action verb. 2. Front-load the most impactful part of the accomplishment. 3. Quantify. Here are examples of high-impact accomplishments from resumes I’ve written for a 20-something client: “Generated $500k in revenue in 2016—a 26% increase over 2015; 2017 Q1 and Q2 results were 12% over previous year.” “Developed a model-acquisition system utilizing a spreadsheet to track all activities including contracts, visas, and hiring processes—significantly reducing manhours and improving compliance.” “Recruited three full-time employees and four interns for roles throughout the organization by identifying individuals with the right skill set and motivation and making recommendations to director.” “Cultivated relationships with clients in fitness/athleisure, fashion, jewelry, and beauty such as Peloton, Lululemon, Cole Haan, Carolina Herrera, Saks, London Fog, Target, Tiffany & Co., and Coach. “ Here are accomplishments from a client with approximately eight years’ full-time experience: “Promoted to Commercial Coordinator based on input from sales staff to supervisor about work quality.“ “Managed an average 81 advertisers with 1436 commercial spots weekly, receiving compliments from multiple advertising agencies for accuracy of work.” “Achieved 100% accuracy in responding to change requests.” “Responded to a last-minute emergency change request by an ad agency for a major motion picture company, quickly making the change to avoid legal ramifications for the advertiser.” “Resolved a potentially costly problem with a Fortune 500 company and their advertising agency that resulted in no financial liability for WPIX 11.” “Trained four interns from local colleges on all aspects of commercial coordination.”   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 put into perspective your first job out of college. I also want to talk about getting your foot in the door. Think of your career as a dart board: your goal in your first job out of college should be to get on the dart board. There are two reasons you can’t land in the center of your dart board right out of college: 1.  You don’t know enough about yourself to know what the center of your dart board is yet; 2.  You don’t have the requisite experience, and additional education / credentials, you will need to get to the center of your dart board. This should take a tremendous amount of pressure off you to “get it right” when you are 22 years old with a bachelor’s degree. How are you supposed to know, with any degree of certainty, what the center of your dart board is? Your goal, then, is to get on the dart board with your first job, then after a few years, move into another job that’s a bit closer to the center of the dart board. After all, you now have a couple years’ experience under your belt, and you know so much more about your professional preferences than you did two years ago. Now that I’ve set the stage with this dart board analogy, here are my top strategies for getting your foot in the door: 1.  Temporary agencies. 2.  Part-time / temporary assignments with an organization you really want to work for. 3.  Volunteer to work for free. 4.  Post-graduate internship. 5.  Contract work. 6.  Take a less-than-desirable position with a company you really want to work for. I also want to talk about bridge strategies. A bridge job is one that pays the bills…it’s not intended to be your ideal job. I say that because, hopefully, it allows you to give yourself permission to do a bridge job AND you see it as a means to an end. No beating yourself up allowed. Here are a couple of examples from my clients: 1.  One of my 20-something clients who graduated from college about three years ago found herself out of work longer than she expected to be after a termination. She was able to work on a part-time, temporary basis for her previous boss, who had moved on to another company. This part-time work allowed her to pay her bills while still allowing for a bona fide job search during daytime hours. 2.  Another younger client of mine has been working with me to move from NYC to the Orlando area. This is taking much longer than he hoped because of his full-time job and three-hour daily commute, so he has given notice. He’s going to move down to Orlando, stay with relatives, and look for a bridge job. This will take the financial pressure off him, allow him to get the lay of Orlando, and begin networking for a career position. Here are the optimal criteria for a bridge job (they won’t all be present in any one position, but they do help you narrow in your focus): 1.  It pays relatively well, especially because you will (hopefully) be working less than 40 hours a week. Think waiting tables in an upscale restaurant during dinnertime. 2. The hours allow you to conduct a bona fide job search, which means you have free daytime hours for networking (remember, you can execute an online job search any time). Again, waiting tables in the evening…or a job with primarily weekend hours. 3.  There is some career benefit to the bridge job. Will you strengthen your customer service skills, ability to work in a fast-paced environment, ability to handle money? Ideally, you don’t take a job just for the paycheck. 4.  It parlays some skills you have already developed in part-time work. Have you worked in retail, fast food, an office setting? How can you capitalize on the skills you gained previously to land a bridge job? 5.  The company has potential for future, full-time, career-related opportunities once you prove yourself in the bridge job. And, it may be okay to let them know upfront what you’re hoping 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!

If you haven’t created a LinkedIn profile yet, that has to be Step #1.  We’ll talk in detail about the critical elements of a Search Engine Optimized LI profile in a future podcast, but let me give you a few quick pointers here: 1.  Your pic is critical – make sure it’s only of you, professional, and your look friendly. 2.  Your summary is the most important text of your profile. You have approximately 2,000 characters to tell your story and compel employers to reach out to you…make it count. 3.  There’s a good reason the magic number of connections on LinkedIn is 500. Get to that number any way you can, and then you can start being more selective about who you connect with. So, to re-emphasize: having a decent profile is key to the tips I’m giving you here, so you make a good first impression when people look at your profile.   Here are ten ways you can use LinkedIn in your job search: 1.  Find someone in the company you are applying to, such as a human resources professional or department decision-maker, and reach out via LinkedIn. 2.  Find who you know and are connected to relative to a position you are applying for and ask them to help you in some way, such as putting in a good word for you or giving you some “insider info.” 3.  Identify who you know relative to your target employers; these are the people you want to network with, preferably face-to-face. 4.  Join LinkedIn groups that put you in proximity to decision-makers in your target employers. 5.  Follow your target employers; this gives you an inside scoop into jobs as they open up. 6.  Research your target employers on LinkedIn. 7.  Reach out to people who work at employers you are interested in to get the inside scoop. 8.  Use the Jobs function on LinkedIn to find out who’s in hiring mode, regardless of whether or not they’re posting positions you’re interested in. 9.  Post a video of you, talking about your qualifications, on LinkedIn. Make sure it’s professional. 10.Use the Advanced Search function to find people you already know so you get your connections to 500+.   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 many people, their entire job search strategy is looking at job boards. While this strategy is somewhat effective for entry-level positions, it is a dangerous habit to get in to, because as you advance through your career, more senior positions will be harder and harder to access through job boards. If you’re just starting out in your career, I recommend that no more than ½ of your job search time be spent on job boards (I recommend just 25% for my mid-career and executive clients). I also recommend that, when you are applying to a position on a job board, you: 1.  Make sure it’s a position you are fully qualified for – because online job postings tend to get a massive number of applicants, it will be very difficult to land on the top of the pile unless you have EVERYTHING the employer is asking for. 2.  Do one more thing in addition to just applying online – get creative here. Who can you reach out to, who can put in a recommendation for you? Passive job search strategies are those in which you are in the passenger seat of your job search. You’re along for the ride, but in no way are you in control of when the vehicle leaves, where it goes, or when it gets to its destination. Passive job search strategies include: -Job boards -Employer websites (just another form of job boards) -Facebook or Craig’s list job ads -Tools that showcase your skills, such as a web portfolio or personal website Active job search strategies put you in the driver’s seat. You control when the vehicle leaves, where it goes, and when it gets to its destination. Active job search strategies include: -Face-to-face, one-to-one networking -In-person career fairs -LinkedIn networking -Networking events – Chamber of Commerce, job networking events held in your area -Events where you can network – Rotary / Kiwanis meetings, SHRM, other professional meetings   So, let’s say you are going at your job search full-time…30 hours per week. Spend 15 hours in online activities and 15 hours in networking activities. Online activities can include all job boards – both looking for jobs, applying to those jobs, and following up afterwards. It can also include the passive activity of looking for networking events to attend. Customizing your resume for specific positions and prepping for a job interview all fall into this bucket. The 15 hours you spend in active networking should be actual networking…as opposed to researching networking events. I recommend you set some goals, such as three coffee dates each week and two group networking events. This might take eight hours of your time, so the remaining time could be spent in LinkedIn networking – connecting with key people and starting conversations with them. If this sounds like a lot of work…do you want a great job or not? Create a calendar for your job search “work week” and try to schedule activities about two weeks out, so you are keeping your networking going. A final word: The Tommy Gun approach vs. The Bow-and-Arrow approach. The Tommy Gun approach has you “shooting” everywhere with your resume…telling EVERYONE you are job searching. I prefer a Bow-and-Arrow approach, where you are strategically aiming your arrow at the people in a position to support your job search. The Bow-and-Arrow approach allows you to focus your energies, and is less likely to result in casualties. 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 podcast features an interview with human resources executive Gloria Reed, discussing the primary missteps she sees recent college graduates making in their first job out of college.   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!

There are three main perspectives I want to share with upcoming (or recent) college graduates related to your first “real” job search: 1.      Know yourself – what makes you different, and why an employer should jump at the chance to hire you. Vanilla candidates are the human equivalent of the generic brand. No one ever chooses the generic equivalent for any reason other than cost—it’s cheaper. You don’t want an employer to choose you because they can’t afford to pay for brand name. W hat do you bring to the table that, in combination, they won’t find in any other candidates? Here are some questions you can ask yourself (and others) to determine your unique brand: -What are my three biggest successes in my life thus far? -What was my “secret sauce” to those successes? In other words, what underlying skill(s) or quality(ies) did I utilize to achieve those successes? -What feedback do I consistently receive from others about what I do well? (If you don’t know the answer to this one, ASK others.) -I am brand YOUR NAME. Just like any product, I have brand attributes that are unique to me. What are my three top brand attributes? (Be sure these attributes are differentiating.) 2.  Make sure the brand work you do in step #1 is effectively translated to your resume, your LinkedIn profile, and ultimately to your job interviews. Be consistent…if you feel like you keep repeating yourself, you’re doing it right. This repetition of your “selling features” will cement them in the listener’s—or reader’s—mind. 3. Finally, get crystal clear on what’s most important to you in an employer you would want to work for. Granted, you will further refine your “ideal employer” criteria as you go through jobs – often times, you learn what you do want by experiencing what you don’t want. However, all employers ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL. I can’t say that one loudly and strongly enough. Here are just some of the criteria that might be important to you in choosing an employer: -Industry -Products/services -Mission/vision -Public/private -For-profit/non-profit -Revenues -Number of employees -Organization culture -Geographic location -Commute distance Some of these qualities aren’t necessarily ones you will share with the employer…they are internal (like commute distance). However, I can promise you that an extended commute will, sooner or later, affect your job satisfaction. This number is relative to were you live…I have a client right now who has a 90-minute commute each way, every day. For others, anything over 15 minutes is too long. Other qualities—such as the organization’s mission or eco policies—are excellent to weave into your story about why you want to work for that 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!

There are three main perspectives I want to share with upcoming (or recent) college graduates related to your career this week: 1.  Don’t expect to find your dream job right out of college. Instead, think of your career as a dart board, and your first job as the outer ring of the dart board. It will likely take three-four jobs, and possibly additional education and/or credentials, to land in the bull’s eye.   2.  Your degree does not have to equal your career. Some careers require a specific degree (think accounting, nursing, education), but even then you don’t have to follow that career path. For most of you, you can purse virtually any career path with any major. One of the exercises I have clients do is find 4-5 job descriptions that interest them, and then analyze why. This information can be incredibly insightful in telling you what the job duties are that most interest you…and can help you move away from a pre-conceived notion of a job title that you’re “supposed” to seek. 3.  Follow your bliss, and the money will follow. I just spoke this morning to a college student who is doing an internship this summer in social work (her degree is in social work). When I asked her if the population she will be working with this summer—homeless teens—is the population she wants to work with in her career, she immediately began talking about how little social workers make, especially those who work with teens. We talked about how many people follow the money…only to find themselves stuck in a career that pays well but in no way feeds their soul. And 10-15 years down the road, it is much more challenging to give up that good paying career to follow your bliss, which often means a considerable cut in pay. Here’s a good evaluation tool: You want your job to preferably fulfill two of these three things: Money……………………….Intellectual Challenge……………………..Job Satisfaction So, following the money if there is no intellectual challenge or job satisfaction won’t make you happy. Conversely, an intellectually challenging job that doesn’t pay well and doesn’t fuel your soul won’t make you happy. I will argue that a job that fuels your soul and gives you job satisfaction will inherently have enough intellectual challenge…you will find a way to get the intellectual challenge you require. So, will you make enough money to live? Keep in mind that you’re much more likely to be successful in a job you love, and success usually leads to promotions and raises. As opposed to a job you’ve taken just for the money, but you are an average performer at (because your heart really isn’t in it) and often passed over for raises and promotions. Meaning you get to spend longer doing the same job you don’t like. 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 is part 2 of my Q&A session with two Florida State University students, Melizza Black and Jolana Alonso.   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 and next week’s podcasts will focus on a Q&A session I had with two college students. They fired questions at me that are on their minds, as well as career-related questions their friends wanted to ask. Here are the questions we cover this week (for my answers, listen to the podcast!): Q: When should we start looking for an internship? Q: Where can I look for an internship? Q: How early in college should I start thinking about my career? Q: What can I start doing to make sure I have a job at graduation? Q: Does the major I choose require me to work in that industry? Conversely, do I have to have a specific major to get the job I want? Q: What do employers care about when they are hiring recent college graduates? In other words, what are they looking for? Q: What are some of the worst mistakes I can make on my resume? Q: Should a resume be one page? Q: Is it okay to be more creative with our resume, such as layout, format, color, etc? Q: What are the most important things I should have on my LinkedIn profile? Q: What’s the best way to get letters of recommendation? Q: How do I get more connections on LinkedIn? Q: What’s the story with the Endorsements section of LinkedIn? Q: How often should I be updating my LinkedIn profile? Q: Should I have business cards, and how should I use them? Q: I don’t know anyone in my field. How do I begin networking? Q: What are some tips for making the most of approaching companies at career fairs? Q: What are the best networking tips for someone who hasn’t networked before? Q: What are the critical elements of an effective elevator pitch? Q: How long should I wait after a job interview to follow up? Q: What are some good questions to ask the interviewer? Q: Should I bring up salary during the interview? Q: As a recent college graduate, how much wiggle room is there in negotiating my salary? Q: How do I showcase my personality in an interview? 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! 

Your relationships at work are important. And each of those relationships is a direct result of the relationship you have with yourself. If you are unsure of yourself and have negative thoughts about your work performance, those thoughts will show up at work. If you think your boss doesn’t support you or is trying to sabotage you, those thoughts will most definitely affect the results you have at work. Today’s guest is Jane Springer, life and style coach. We’re talking about how to increase the value you bring to your employer. Our discussion centers around the thought model developed by Brooke Castillo of The Life Coach School. Brooke is the life coach for both Jane and me. Brooke talks about “confirmation bias,” the idea that whatever thought we have, our brain seeks evidence of that thought. If we think our boss doesn’t appreciate or recognize our efforts, our brain will seek out proof for that thought. If, on the other hand, we think our boss does appreciate our contributions, our brain will seek proof for that thought. When your boss criticizes your work, are you making it mean he doesn’t like you? Or are you making it mean he wants you to improve and is giving you constructive criticism? Whatever result you want in life, determine what thoughts you need to have to get there. Here’s the model: A circumstance in your life (which is always neutral and fact-based) Produces a thought Which generates a feeling Which compels you to action, inaction, or reaction Which produces a result. Here’s what you are doing: training your brain to intentionally think thoughts that serve you. Creating new neural pathways in your brain to supplant the old, unconscious thoughts that aren’t serving us. Maybe the new thought isn’t believable to you initially. The more you practice that thought, the more believable it will become. That new thought will get stronger and stronger. 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 often liken the job search to root canal surgery. Except they medicate you before oral surgery. I can’t imagine anyone describing the job search as “fun” or “enjoyable.” It doesn’t have to be awful, either. As my coach says, negative things happening in your life are inevitable. Suffering is optional. Eleanor Roosevelt is credited with saying “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Think about this: What if I told your brown eyes are mousy, too dark, and just plain ugly? You know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you have blue eyes. You are completely confident that your eyes are blue, so what I say about your brown eyes has no effect on you. On the other hand, if I told you were not a good mother…spouse…employee…might some self-doubt creep in? Might you believe what I’m saying because, on some level, you believe it’s true? In other words, you begin to feel inferior about that thing I’ve said to you, because you’ve consented to what I’ve said. Let’s bring this back around to the job search. There are lots of rejections inherent in the job search. Lots of non-responses. If you believe that these rejections, these non-responses, mean you aren’t adequate as a job candidate, you are likely to either pull back on your job search efforts, or continue with your job search efforts but not show up as the best version of yourself. Either of these options will reduce your chances for job search success, which will provide further evidence for you to believe that you are an inadequate job candidate. On the other hand, what if you believed those rejections meant something better was coming along? If those non-responses meant that just wasn’t the right opportunity for you? You would double down on your job search, knowing that it’s a numbers game and the rejections are the currency you have to pay to get to the “yes” of your dream job. It’s important to check your attitude—your thoughts about yourself—throughout the job search. Most people go into the job search with high hopes and confidence, but allow the rejections and non-responses to lower their hopes and confidence. This is optional. Here are my top three suggestions for maintaining a positive attitude throughout the duration of your job search: 1.  Set daily job search goals, and reward yourself regularly for achieving those goals. Make sure you set SMART goals that are results-oriented. Don’t wait until you get that new job to reward yourself; reward yourself every week for doing what you said you would do for that week. 2. Celebrate your “failures”. I used air quotes because I don’t consider the rejections you will get along the way to be failures, but rather just part of the deal. Celebrate that job you weren’t offered that you didn’t really want anyway; that interview you aced but that still resulted in a rejection. It’s all part of the process. 3. Regularly evaluate the ROI of the job-search activities you’re engaging in. I coach my clients to come up with 4-5 job search strategies and 2-3 action steps for each strategy. Periodically, say once a month, evaluate those strategies to eliminate any that aren’t gaining traction.   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’s the main message I want to give you today: You can’t change anyone else. You can’t control their behavior. You can’t make them be top performers, highly engaged, or deliver exceptional results for the company. If you’re having difficulties with relationships at work, the only control you have in any situation is how you respond. And how you respond is a direct result of how you feel in any given situation. And how you feel in any given situation is a direct result of your thought about that situation. No exceptions. I’ve talked about this at length on previous podcasts and in my blogs; I coach my clients on this all the time. Let’s take some real-world examples and put this theory to the test. SITUATION #1 My boss once called me into his office because another coworker (not a direct report of his) said that I had treated her department unfairly in a way that was harmful to them. My thought: Are you kidding me? This woman’s crazy. My feeling: Hurt, because my professionalism was being called into question. My action: Became defensive with my boss and the woman. My result: Further damaged my relationship with this woman and didn’t make a good impression with my boss.   Here's how I could have handled this situation differently: My thought: She doesn’t understand the process my office uses; I will explain it to her better. My feeling: Curious about why she reached this conclusion. My action: Explain the process to her and my boss; answer any questions they have. My result: I can’t control how the information is received, but I can be confident I handled the situation in the best way I could. Both of these options are available to me, but one definitely serves me better than the other. In the first option, I become defensive, make it about me, and don’t try to approach the situation from a place of compassion and curiosity. In the second option, I am focused on the relationship, remaining open to hear others’ perspectives. SITUATION #2 A coworker did not produce his portion of the project you are leading by the deadline. When you questioned him about this, he said you hadn’t made his assignment clear and he didn’t know what he was supposed to do. Your thought: What a liar! Everyone else knew what their assignment was except this idiot. Your feeling: Anger. Your action: Yell at him, call him names, belittle him. Or, conversely, give him the silent treatment. Your result: You have alienated this worker and he still didn’t do the assignment. Here’s how you might handle this situation instead: Your thought: He’s clearly making an excuse for why he didn’t do the work because I know he heard the assignment; let me find out what’s really going on with him. Your feeling: Curious. Your action: Ask questions to find out what he heard about the assignment and what else he has going on at work or at home that led to this. Your result: You do everything you can to salvage this relationship, help the employee grow, and get his part of the project done. SITUATION #3 My son’s boss is sometimes friendly; sometimes my son gets the silent treatment or sarcasm. Others in his department refer to the boss as a “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” His thought: My boss is a jerk to me. What am I doing wrong? His feeling: Anger; self-doubt. His action: Silently seethe or lash out at his boss; question himself. His result: Further damage the relationship with his boss; possibly lose his job. Here’s a different way my son could handle this situation: His thought: My boss treats everyone this way; it’s not personal. He’s socially awkward. His feeling: Neutrality. Don’t take it personally. His action: Continue to be himself around his boss, regardless of what his boss says or does. His result: Maintain a cordial working relationship with his boss.   In each of these situations, you have a myriad of choices as to how you will respond. I invite you to step back for a moment and consider which response will serve you the best. You can’t anticipate (or control) how the other   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, we’re talking about managing the mental, physical, social, and spiritual aspects of a job transition. Whether you have chosen to leave a position or that decision has been made for you, job changes can be one of life’s most stressful experiences.By taking care of your primary asset—yourself—you can ensure a more successful, less painful job transition.This week’s guest is Jenn Swanson, of Careers by Jenn. Known to be a "pathologically positive" person, Jenn has been educating, encouraging, and empowering others to succeed for more than 25 years. With a background in healthcare and education, a Master's Degree in Leadership and a passion for wellness in the workplace, Jenn brings energy and enthusiasm to all that she does. MentalJenn focuses on three key areas of mental/cognitive self-care:Patience – Be patient with yourself and with the process. The job search can be slow-paced and full of unexpected (and unexplained) delays; exercising patience is an important component of mental self-care.Positivity – Keeping a positive mindset and not allowing the inherent rejections to be about you are key aspects here. Realize that there’s a lot going on “behind the scenes” with the companies you’re applying for; it has nothing to do with your ability to do the job.Persistence – Never give up! Keep plugging; each rejection is just one step closer to your “yes.”PhysicalYou know, intellectually, to take care of your physical body during a job transition. It is easy, however, to let self-care slip because of financial constraints or a sense that you should be doing “more important” things.Your body is the vessel that performs the work you were put on this earth to do, so just as you maintain your car, you want to take excellent care of your body.-Eat real (whole) food-Get plenty of rest-Take time for daily exerciseSocialThe job transition can be a very isolating place; here are ways to ensure your social needs are being met:Networking – Not only does networking serve an important job search purpose, it also requires you to get dressed and get out of the house. If you’re networking with former colleagues, you also have the opportunity to keep your finger on the pulse of your social circle and your profession.Relationships – If you are unemployed during this period, you may have the opportunity to spend more time with the most important people in your life. Take full advantage of the space to truly nurture these relationships in ways that are mutually meaningful.Have Some Fun – If you can afford to take that trip of a lifetime, do it. If your budget is more limited, get creative on some fun activities you can engage in locally. Give yourself permission to enjoy some downtime.SpiritualIt’s important during this transition to give yourself time to be quiet and introspective. Here are some specific suggestions:Practice Gratitude – Be aware of, and grateful for, what you do have in your life, rather than what you’ve just lost. Develop a daily gratitude practice that requires you to focus on the positive aspects of your life.Meditate/Pray – Regardless of your religious beliefs, accessing your higher power is critically important during this transition. Speak to, and receive messages from, your source as you navigate your job search and make decisions about your future.To find Jenn Swanson, visit her website, podcast, and blog at careersbyjenn.com.To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.comFollow 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 talk about articulating your brand on LinkedIn. LinkedIn shouldn’t be a cut-and-paste of your resume. Repeat, NOT a cut-and-paste. Your resume is considered a legal business document and as such, should be written in formal language appropriate for your industry and function. The correct approach for your resume is first person, but without pronouns. Please don’t refer to yourself in the third person or use personal pronouns. The correct approach for LinkedIn is first person with personal pronouns. A conversational style that invites the reader in and shows your personality. While still a business conversation, it should be less formal than your resume. Here are the FIVE key places in LinkedIn where you can articulate your brand: 1.  In your heading. You have 120 characters to give not only your job title or, depending on your situation, your aspirational job title, but also your value-add. Here are some great examples of headings I’ve written for my clients: B2B Business Development | Managing complex sales cycles, winning significant accounts, & catapulting top-line revenue Senior Financial Executive | Achieving aggressive corporate goals with financial expertise & strong leadership Creative Marketing Director | Delivering exceptional quality and innovative concepts within tight deadlines and budgets 2.  In your summary. You have approximately 1,988 characters to tell your story and your brand. This is the section they will actually read if it is compelling. Again, write in first person – as if you were sitting across the table from the reader, telling him or her your story. Here are a few excerpts from summaries I’ve written: As a seasoned creative director, I have a strong record of delivering exceptional quality and innovative concepts within tight deadlines and budgets. My secret sauce is my ability to bring strong business acumen to the creative process, coupled with the ability to understand how the creative process fits into the organization’s overall business strategy. One of my greatest strengths lies in my ability to balance organizational development efforts with the company’s strategic growth goals. I’ve been highly successful in designing performance incentives, compiling health benefits, and structuring deferred compensation plans to attract top-notch talent, as well as constructing training and performance management programs to retain that talent. With every marketing project I tackle, I combine creative thinking and analysis-driven planning. I take an integrated approach to marketing that combines all the elements of traditional, social, event, and customer touch-point marketing. As an accomplished business developer, I have a record of significant sales achievements across multiple industries including B2B payments, financial services, telecommunications, media, business products, and renewable energy. I am known as a consummate professional with the tenacity and organizational skills to provide clients with superior service and make sure sales objectives are attained. I incorporate my creativity, entrepreneurial drive, and exceptional people leadership skills into the programs and projects I manage. With extensive experience presenting to C-suite executives, I possess the poise, professionalism, and business acumen to build and sustain mutually beneficial business relationships. Each time the bar is raised, I raise my performance to meet the challenge. 3.  In your professional experience. This section needs to be distinctly different from your summary but should mesh seamlessly with your summary. For example, if you mention an accomplishment in your summary, the reader should be able to find the specifics about that accomplishment in your professional experience. Again, first person is the rule here. As with your resume, separate out your job duties, which are important for SEO purposes, and your achievements, which you can bullet. I like to begin by telling them a bit of background, such as what type of company it is, what I was recruited to do, and the overall impact I’ve had on the company. If you’ve had multiple positions with similar job duties, try to shake things up so each job description doesn’t look like a cut-and-paste of the previous one. Here are some examples of job descriptions I’ve written for my clients’ LI profiles: As Creative Marketing Director, I conceived and executed online, print, and social campaign creative strategies for multiple businesses. In addition to serving as brand ambassador, I also drove creative strategy and execution of print and online versions of the Digital Marketing Report—an in-depth marketing data and trends report that served as the company’s marketing funnel. I spearheaded the landing pages of the digital version, marketing emails, and social promotions. I was recruited to introduce the company’s new line of wireless connectivity and collaboration products including defining the value proposition, creating marketing collateral, developing a sales strategy, training the sales reps and their supporting channel, opening cross-channel opportunities to widen the company’s reach, and facilitating business development efforts. Here are some examples of achievements: Due to a massive buyer program rollout I oversaw and the launch of ground-breaking buyer-funded payment programs that I spearheaded, I was able to overachieve my 2013 sales target by 437%. My efforts brought in hundreds of millions of dollars in net new business and led to the largest BIP program in the Canadian marketplace. The marketing promotional plan I developed featured a three-tiered approach that covered channel partners, internal sales support, and new customer acquisition; it has been highly effective in driving incremental revenue. I won eight enterprise-level contracts in just three months. This accomplishment is particularly noteworthy in light of the fact that the rest of Canada only wrote three contracts in 12 months. 4.  In your picture. Here are my guidelines: High-quality Head shot only You’re the only person in the picture Professional Friendly and approachable (suitable for your field) 5.  In your background photo. This is a chance to “subliminally” incorporate your brand into your profile. Choose a photo that depicts you or expresses your personality. I have a background photo of a woman in a business suit, with a briefcase, leaping over a chasm towards the word “JOB.” For my clients, I have used photos of business settings that express their industry or function. For example, one of my clients does trade show management for her company, so I used a photo of a trade show. For other clients, I have used a design that they like.   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 people who listen to this podcast are brilliant people, so this episode is about brilliant networking for brilliant people. In episode #14, I gave this definition of networking: A supportive system of sharing information and services among individuals and groups having a common interest.In that podcast, I talked about setting goals for your networking activities, creating an intriguing and engaging elevator pitch, listening more than you talk, being specific in what you ask from your networking contacts, and following through with what you say you will do for your networking contacts.Today, I want to cover my formula for how to network in a way that doesn’t leave you feeling like a barnacle.Think about a barnacle – attached to the side of the boat, getting what it needs from the other parasites on the boat…to the detriment of the boat.Instead, I want your networking to be a symbiotic relationship, where both parties benefit equally.The formula I’m giving you today works specifically when networking with people you know OR people you don’t know who are peers. I’ll cover how to network with people you don’t know whose status is higher than yours in another podcast.Here are my top seven tips for becoming a networking pro:1. When you call to schedule the networking meeting, don’t tell them it’s because you’re looking for a job (if, in fact, you are looking for a job).That’s NOT what the meeting is about. It’s about building a mutually beneficial relationship.Don’t lessen your chances for getting the meeting you want by making it all about YOU.2. Do your homework before the meeting using LinkedIn.This will inform the questions you ask and what challenges they may be facing. Also, your homework should lead you to the specific ask you have for your networking contact (see #6).3. At the meeting, let them talk first and most.Ask questions based on your homework, but mostly just listen to what their challenges, successes, etc. are.Here are some questions you can ask:“What is the biggest project on your plate right now?”“Tell me about your most recent success!”“What is your BHAG (Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal) for this year?”“Which of your skills is getting the most mileage these days?” Notice that none of these questions are negative in nature, because it doesn’t serve either of you to take the conversation in a negative direction.4. Provide value – in the form of contacts, ideas, strategies, perspectives, insight.We tend not to value what we already know, because we already know it. Trust me, you know something or someone that will be just what the other person needs.5. When it’s your turn to talk, if you’ve provided sufficient value, they will be more than willing to help you.Most people are willing to help, especially if they feel they have been helped by you.6. Make a specific ask.Tell them, specifically, who you would like them to connect you with or what you need from them.Here’s an example: “Mary, I saw on LinkedIn that you are connected to John Smith, the director of Human Resources at ABC Company. Is this someone you know well?”If Mary says “yes,” then you ask her if she is willing to make an email (or in-person) introduction on your behalf.Here’s another example: “Jeff, I know you work for XYZ Company, and I’m interested in speaking with the Purchasing Director about our new supply chain management software. Is this an introduction you would be willing to make?”Many job-seekers make the mistake of saying something like “If you think of anyone I should talk to let me know.” Vague requests lead to vague results.7. Follow through – both to remind them of what they said they’d do for you, and to do what you said you would do. Don’t let the networking relationship suffer from lack of care and attention. To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.comFollow 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!

  Are you effectively managing your career? Today’s topic will help tremendously with your efforts, as I talk about how to position yourself for internal promotions. From your first step to your last, getting an internal promotion is very different from an external job search.   Here are nine strategies to position yourself for internal promotions: 1.  Do a great job in your current role. There’s no place to hide from a less-than-stellar work performance if you are seeking an internal promotion. Do exceptional work in your current role until the moment you leave that position.   2. Be known as a team player. Your reputation needs to be that of someone who gives of your time, talent, skills – whether in formal team assignments or informally on a daily basis. Be known as that team player who pitches in and helps whenever needed. Lone wolfs don’t often get internal promotions. 3.  Be dependable. This applies to showing up on time and doing what you say you will do it within the established time and budget constraints. “He’s undependable,” or “you can’t count on her” is the kiss of death when seeking internal promotions. 4.  Get noticed throughout the organization. Make sure you are stepping outside of your department in ways that will connect you with key decision-makers throughout the company. Volunteer for committees, lead philanthropic efforts, and don’t shy away from a mention in the company newsletter. A little self-promotion is a good idea. 5.   Volunteer for assignments. Take on high-profile assignments with far-reaching implications that will get you recognized more widely than your current department. Show your boss, an others in the organization, what you’re capable of…and willing to do.   6. Continue to develop professionally. This can be formal education, obtaining additional certifications, or simply taking courses that will develop your knowledge and/or skills. A great way to approach this is by looking at job descriptions for positions you aspire to. What are they asking for, in terms of formal education, certifications, or skills? Then do a gap analysis.   7. Keep a file of your projects and achievements. Keep performance evaluations, commendations, etc. in a central location for resume updates and interview preparation. Not only does this keep this information close at hand, it also helps you to not forget about all the great things you’ve done. 8.  Let your boss know of your ambition. While this can sometimes be difficult, ideally you want to let your boss know you are interested in moving up in the organization. In a perfect world, the boss grooms you and advocates for you as his/her replacement, or for another key role in the company. 9.  Ask your boss about the criteria for a promotion and continue to check in with him/her as you work towards meeting those criteria. An internal job interview is different than with external candidates. Some of the most awkward interviews I’ve ever been in have been with internal candidates who didn’t know how to approach my questions because they weren’t strangers to at least some of the people in the room.   Here are my six top suggestions for acing internal job opportunities: 1.  Don’t cut corners in the application process. Cross all of your “t’s” and dot all of your “I’s” just as if you were an external candidate. 2.   Make sure your resume reads as one created for an internal position. From company lingo to how you describe the projects you’ve led, make sure your resume reads as one for an internal position. Not only do you want to take advantage of your insider knowledge, you also don’t want decision-makers to think you’re also seeking external positions. 3.  Be the insider you are, using the lingo and insider intel you have. But DON’T sound like a know-it-all. You are, after all, an insider. Let this show through in the interview-in a “we did this” sort of way, rather than a “you” mentality. 4.  Take advantage of internal references. Ask those people in key positions with whom you have great relationships to serve as references for you. 5.  Follow the same courtesies as an external candidate should. This includes thank you notes and periodic follow-ups to check on the status of the position. 6.  My top suggestion: meet with your boss, or the new prospective boss, to determine if you will be seriously considered as a candidate BEFORE you ever throw your hat in the ring. There can be professional repercussions from being known as the person who was passed over for the job, and it often leads to exiting the company altogether. You’re not likely to be told you WILL get the job; you’re simply finding out if you are a viable candidate. Receiving a “courtesy” interview is not useful for anyone.   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’ve probably viewed 10,000 resumes in my career; I’ve written more than 1,000. Today, I’m talking about the top ten missteps I see in the resumes I receive. Before I share those top ten missteps with you, here are five (virtually) universal considerations when we talk about resumes: 1. Today’s competitive resume is a marketing document, rather than a static “data sheet” that tells a prospective employer where you worked, what job titles you held, and what your job duties were. 2. More often than not, your resume is NOT the first thing a prospective employer will see about you. It’s highly likely they will view your LI profile first. This changes the strategy for your resume. 3. Brevity is the name of the game. No one has the time, or inclination, to sift through your life’s history to find the hidden gems. Two pages is the rule of thumb for the majority of professionals. 4. You need a “pretty” resume and an Applicant Tracking System-compatible resume for job boards and company hiring systems. Or, if you only have one resume, it should be ATS compatible (formatting is removed, and the information is laid out so the computer can “see” it). 5. Sell it, don’t tell it. Metrics and quantifiable results are the name of the game. Don’t just tell the employer how great you are; back it up with results that prove how great you are.   Here are the top 10 missteps I see in the resumes I receive from prospective clients and applicants: 1.  There is no clear job target. It is not clear what type of position the person is seeking, preferably at the top of the resume and throughout the document. Everything in a resume should be geared towards the client’s job target. I always state the client’s job target at the top of the resume; this way it is clear what “pile” to put that client into as a job applicant. (No one actually has physical piles anymore, but it helps to think of it that way.) 2. No discernable brand, making the candidate the generic option. The candidate has made no effort to differentiate himself or herself from all other candidates. As a result, that candidate is essentially presenting himself or herself as the “generic” candidate – the less expensive, less desirable options. 3. Large paragraphs of text that no one will take the time to read. As a rule of thumb, most paragraphs on your resume should have no more than three-four lines. By breaking up the text, it’s much easier to consume your resume. A big part of this is culling the information so that what’s left is the really important stuff. Don’t expect the reader to figure out what they should focus on…spoon feed it to them. 4. A focus on job descriptions…what the person did in the job…rather than a focus on accomplishments…how well they did the job. There are either no accomplishments in sight, or the accomplishments are mixed in with the job duties, which dilute the effectiveness of the accomplishments. 5. “Death by bullets.” Job duties are mixed in with the occasional accomplishment, and everything is bulleted. Your job description should be in paragraph form, and your accomplishments should be bulleted. I recommend no more than four-six bullets for each position. Each of these bulleted statements should begin with a strong action verb. 6. The person’s life history is in their resume, rather than being a carefully edited, targeted, and branded document that is succinct and elicits the desired result…a call for an interview. This is typically a three-plus page resume, with every detail of their life, and no focus. 7. Job titles that are confusing and/or don’t accurately represent the scope of the person’s responsibilities. Many companies use job titles that don’t make sense outside that organization. I will often work with my clients to massage their job titles so they make sense to others. This is my acid test: If a potential employer were to call your former employer for an employment check, and that potential employer says “Was their job title XXX?” Your former employer would say “yes”. We also want that job title to be SEO friendly. If, for example, you are looking for a marketing director position, and your former job title didn’t have the word “marketing” in it but that’s the work you did, then how can we massage your job title to incorporate the word “marketing?” 8. Work history that dates back to the middle ages. I typically go back about 15 years with my clients’ work history. This is enough time to show your career trajectory without giving away your age. That date can vary depending on a number of factors, but 15 years is a good rule of thumb. If a client has something older in their work experience that is important to retain, I will do this in a shortened format that doesn’t include dates. 9. Irrelevant information, such as hobbies or unrelated extracurriculars. A potential employer doesn’t need to know about your love of windsurfing or your marital status. This, of course, varies by country. I have an international client base, so I take their country of employment into consideration when determining what personal information is appropriate to include. Extracurricular activities can be included if they are relevant to your brand or career goal, otherwise leave them off. 10. I saved my favorite one for last: a BORING-looking resume. The use of color, shading, bolding, etc. can liven up your resume and make it a more compelling read. Let’s have some fun here, while staying within the bounds of good taste for your job function and industry. Stand out, but don’t stick out! 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 interview stylist and life coach Jane Springer, and we are talking about how to dress for the interview. The bottom line: how you dress for the interview depends largely on the industry, the specific company, and the position you’re applying for. (Nothing new here.) The biggest mistake men make is not getting their interview suit properly tailored. It’s not possible to present yourself in the best possible light when your clothes are hanging on you (or conversely, too tight). Guys, you have the opportunity to show your personality through your shirts and ties, but make sure those items are not the focus. (Stand out, but don’t stick out.) Women, your errors come from skirts or dresses that are too short, or tops that provide the interviewer with way too much information. When you’re  purchasing a skirt or dress, sit down in front of a mirror; you’ll see what the interviewer will see. For women, pants are always an option for the interview, and can be the best alternative if you’re not confident with your legs. As with the men, fit is critical: make sure your pants don’t ride up or down as you move. The best tip for making sure you are purchasing clothes that don’t easily wrinkle: while the clothes are still in the store on the hanger, bunch a handful of the fabric in your hand and count to 12. If the fabric comes out wrinkled, then you will be wrinkled in that outfit. When purchasing your interview attire, go to the store during the day, during the week. You’ll get the best help and the most individualized attention at that time. Going on line is also an alternative, especially if the online site has good size charts (and you measure yourself honestly). You can also order one size up and one size down, with the intention of returning whatever doesn’t fit. Utilizing the services of a stylist, like my guest Jane Springer, provides you with an expert who will give you an unbiased opinion – and who will gently push you outside your comfort zone. This is particularly important if your appearance has changed significantly; if you’ve lost (or gained) significant weight, you may not have an accurate view of how you look today. Shop around for the stores, departments within those stores, and brands that work for your body and your style. This upfront work will allow you to be more efficient in your shopping in the future. For you guys who are building a work wardrobe from the ground up: invest in a suit or two (grey or navy blue); from here, you can take the slacks and combine with blazers, different shirts, and a variety of ties. Also, a pair of flat-front khaki pants will serve you well. Women building a work wardrobe should also start with a couple of suits in basic colors; you can also mix and match the pieces with other pieces. Women, you also want to invest in a good pair of flat front black pants (hemmed to fit with the shoes you want to wear with them). Men and women will both benefit from a pair of dark wash navy denim jeans for casual days. They should be tailored, without rips or tears. (Save your more fashion-forward jeans for the weekend.) Women can then purchase a variety of blouses, scarves, and jewelry to personalize outfits (and make it look like you have more clothes than you actually do). You can ABSOLUTELY incorporate your personality into your wardrobe, even in the interview. When you dress nicely, care about how you look, and incorporate your individuality, you’ll stand out (rather than stick out). Visit Jane's website for more great tips:  www.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!

Just like the products marketed and sold by you, my sales and marketing superstars, YOU are a brand. Think about the work you do – how could you possibly market or sell your product if you didn’t know that product inside and out? How would you know WHO to market it to, or how to present that product in a way that is meaningful to the intended audience? Without this knowledge, you’re really firing into the dark, hoping something will hit the mark. Yet this is how many people approach the job market…as a product without a clearly defined brand, no understanding of who should buy that product or why, or what benefits the buyer will receive from their purchase. This is a train wreck waiting to happen, and this is why people so often end up in jobs that don’t fully utilize their preferred skills, or in companies that don’t fit with their ideal employer profile. I want to give you my favorite questions for determining my clients’ brand. This is a significant piece of the work I do with my clients in formulating their branded resume, and this work also helps tremendously with prepping for the job interview. In episode 7, I talked about getting crystal-clear on your brand, and here are the questions I mentioned in that episode: -What do I do differently, and better, than others in my field? -What do I dislike about how others in my profession go about this work, and what is my solution? -What feedback do I consistently receive about my strengths?   Here are three questions you can ask others to determine your brand: -What do I do better than anyone else you know? -If you had to compare me to a model of car (or type of appliance, or breed of dog…choose whichever one is most meaningful to you), what type of car would I be and why? -What three adjectives best describe me? During a resume strategy phone call with my clients, I ask them what their five main brand messages are. I preface this question by telling them that I want specifics…I want to get granular with information that will differentiate them from every other person they will be competing for a position with. If you went to a car dealership and asked the salesperson about a specific vehicle you were interested in, would you want the salesperson to tell you the car has a steering wheel, four tires, and an engine? Of course not. You would want to know about the safety features…gas mileage… entertainment and navigation systems…warranty. The equivalent for brand YOU is to tell me you are a hard-worker (steering wheel), highly motivated (four tires), and have X years’ experience (engine). BORING. Tell me about your record of turning around underperforming sales departments and leveraging outsourcing to minimize costs and maximize productivity, your ability to conceptualize and produce strategic go-to-market plans based on thorough research and sound methodology, and your experience with quarterbacking strategic and innovative marketing and branding strategies for B2B and B2C segments (these are all from a client I’m currently working with, and he’s definitely a marketing superstar). This work requires an objective eye to your career, and often asking those you’ve worked with or working with a professional like me is the best way to view yourself objectively. When my clients stall out on this question, I invite them to think in two possible ways: -What am I consistently called upon to do? Is it turning around underperforming departments like my client, is it building departments from the ground up to become showpieces for the organization like I have done, is it mentoring and coaching so team members perform at their peak? -Here’s the other question: What’s my secret sauce? HOW do I accomplish what I accomplish? Is it my ability to secure the best talent in the industry and keep them? Is it my ability to build long-term relationships with customers? Is it seeing potential in a customer and presenting that customer with solutions to their problems that catapult my company’s bottom line? One more word about developing your brand messages: Sometimes it’s not so much the individual aspects of your brand, but rather the combination of those brand attributes that makes you different. 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’s the definition of networking: A supportive system of sharing information and services among individuals and groups having a common interest. Here’s the breakdown of that definition: -Networking requires a supportive system. This indicates that there should be a symbiotic, rather than a parasitic, relationship. -Networking requires the sharing of information and services. Again, can’t be one-way or parasitic. Networking requires individuals or groups that have a common interest.  It doesn’t mean those individuals need to have multiple common interests, nor does it mean all individuals in your network have the same interest. In other words, you network with different people for different reasons.   Here are my top six tips for how to actually make this happen: 1.  Set goals for your networking activities, both on the macro- and the micro-level. For example, you might join a particular networking group with the goal of generating $x in sales directly attributed to that networking group within the first year of joining. On a micro level, you want to have specific goals for each meeting you attend, and each one-on-one interaction you have. This is a great way to assess the ROI of this particular networking activity. Is it yielding the results you planned for when you joined? Do your results warrant you staying with the group, or is it time to move on? I recommend you evaluate your overall networking strategy at least once a year, and make any changes needed to maximize your results. 2.  Create an intriguing and engaging elevator pitch that leaves ‘em wanting more. I’m working with a client right now whose elevator speech was, to put it kindly, BORING. It went something like this: “Hi, my name is DELETED. I am the founder of “COMPANY DELETED” and Professional Coach. I work with individuals in 1x1 session setting to help them deal with difficult situations in life or career.” My perfect referral is an IT Professional striving to become a leader or a new IT Leader who needs support. I also work with individuals in life transition. I offer favorable coaching packages.   Here’s what we came up with during her coaching session: Hi! I’m NAME DELETED, and I support IT professionals in their quest to become superior leaders, so they can make maximum contributions to their company, their employees, their profession, and, most importantly, themselves. Notice that nothing is mentioned about this client being a coach. If the networking partner is engaged, they will naturally ask “How do you do that?”, giving my client the opportunity to talk about being a coach. Her next sentence, after they ask “How do you do that?”, might be: “I’m a coach with X years’ experience as an IT leader. I am passionate about providing IT professionals with the support I DIDN’T have when I was at their career stage.”   3. You have two ears and one mouth for a reason. The message is this: listen twice as much as you talk, particularly in one-on-one networking meetings. Whenever possible, start with THEM, and listen carefully. Interrupt only for clarification; save your ideas or comments for afterwards. Focus SOLELY on how you can provide value to the other individual. Turn off the sentences in your mind about your own story or what you’re going to say when it’s your turn. 4. Be specific in your ask. Do your homework ahead of time to determine a possible ask for this individual, while at the same time being open to the meeting going in a completely different direction than you had planned. LinkedIn can be a tremendous asset in determining who this individual knows and can connect you to. Seek to connect with them prior to the meeting so you have full access to their network. Remember that vague requests lead to vague results, so tell them exactly what you’re hoping they can do for you. 5.  Do what you say you will do. My sales and marketing superstars know that follow-up is the key to success, and it applies to your networking efforts, as well. Make the introductions you said you would make, follow up with the networking contact when you said you would, etc. Be a person of your word; this will take you far in your networking efforts.   6.  Finally, don’t be afraid to try new networking events that may not be obvious choices for you. Step way outside your comfort zone – you never know! 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 starting with three random things I’ve been thinking about over the holidays that are applicable to you. 1. “Eat your cake and have it too.” This is the original quote from before WWII, but it has changed over the years to be “Have your cake and eat it too.” I learned this from watching a documentary on the Unibomber over the holidays; the original phrase (which almost no one knows is the correct one) was found in both his manifesto and a letter he had written. And it tripped him up. Here’s my point: what do you believe, absolutely, is “true” but may actually just be your opinion? Until a few days ago, I would have sworn on a witness stand that “Have your cake and eat it too” was the right phrase. Question your beliefs, because they are just thoughts you’ve had a lot of practice thinking. 2.  Just like Rainman, I think everything costs $5,000. Here’s a confession: I think everything is too expensive. My magic number is $5,000. Guess what? It usually doesn’t cost that much. Is there something in your life you really want to do, but “know” it will cost too much? Financially, emotionally, or otherwise? Challenge those assumptions by doing the research to determine the facts. 3. Giving value ahead of time. This is a primary tenet of my coach, Brooke Castillo. For entrepreneurs, this might look like a podcast, a blog, free opt-in, free webinar, mini sessions, free samples, or free experiential events. For those of you with “W-2” jobs, this might look like offering your services for free, or working on a short-term contract. Marketing superstars, you are particularly well-suited to this type of set up. What can you do for an employer to demonstrate the value you will bring to them should they hire you? On to today’s topic: Navigating Experts I want to start with the answer to a question I get asked frequently: what are the differences between coaching, counseling, and consulting? Coaching The International Coaching Federation (ICF) defines coaching as “partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.” My definition: a coach looks to your future to support you in taking your business or personal life to the next level. Coaching is typically for high-achievers who want to go even further. Counseling Here’s the definition I found: “Professional guidance in resolving personal conflicts and emotional problems.” My definition: a counselor looks to your past to unresolved issues that are affecting your ability to function fully today. Consulting The dictionary says a consultant is someone who is “employed or involved in giving professional advice to the public or to those practicing the profession.” My definition: A consultant is the expert who will either tell you what you need to do, or do it for you. Here are the benefits of working with a career coach, according to the University of Vermont’s website: 1.      Learn critical skills required in today’s work environment. 2. Build confidence and define your value proposition. 3. Build a powerful and relevant resume. 4. Make informed decisions about the evolution of your career. 5. Set goals and build a roadmap to your destination. 6. Build connections. 7. Gain lifelong career skills. 8. Launch a career in a new field. 9. Prepare for interviews. 10. Help craft your story to land your dream job. What I do in my practice is a combination of coaching and consulting, and I think most career coaches do both. There are times when it’s appropriate to let your brilliance to shine through; at other times, you are best served by learning a proven formula for success. 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!

Your career is not something that happens to you. It should be something you carefully manage. Today, I want to give some high-level concepts about managing your career.   Here are my top six tips, which come directly from my coach, Brooke Castillo: 1.  Set an impossible professional goal for 2018 – one that makes your brain go “yikes!” If your brain doesn’t completely freak out at this goal, it’s not impossible. It has to be measurable – you have to know, clearly, whether or not you achieve this goal. You also want to set a date and time to achieve this goal. 2. Here’s the reason for an impossible goal: when your primitive brain freaks out at this goal (because it is convinced it will kill us), you can AGREE WITH YOUR BRAIN. Yep brain, I know it’s impossible! You’re right! Puts you and your brain on the same side. 3.   Use two full sheets of paper to write down all the thoughts that come up about that impossible goal. Write, write, write. How am I going to do it? Where will I find the time? I don’t know how! Get it out. 4. For each of those thoughts, write out a strategy to solve. If, for example, your thought is “I don’t have any management experience,” then how can you get management experience in the next year? Come up with a plan – this will take you from a feeling of overwhelm and confusion to a plan to move forward. 5.  Plan 25 epic failures each quarter for your goal. These should be worthy attempts that are probably going to fail…as opposed to failures that happen because you didn’t make the attempt. It’s what you make that failure mean that makes all the difference. If you make the failure mean “this is the currency by which I eventually succeed,” you’ll have very different results than if you make that failure mean something negative about you. 6. Finally, calendar everything. No to-do lists here! Schedule time for everything, and honor those commitments to yourself. Plan 25 epic failures each quarter for your goal. These should be worthy attempts that are probably going to fail…as opposed to failures that happen because you didn’t make the attempt.     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 me tell you a little bit about ARFO. I surveyed many of my clients a few years ago, and I heard a theme of clients who never went “in” and “out” of job search mode, but who stayed in readiness mode. I coined this ARFO - Always Ready For Opportunity. What’s so great about ARFO: when you’re ready for opportunity, you can take advantage of those opportunities when they come along. Also, I don’t think those opportunities show up in your life when you’re not open to receiving them. You don’t get the chance to hear about the opportunity, because it doesn’t even show up. Here are my top eight tips for being ARFO: 1.  Keep your resume and LinkedIn profile updated – I recommend updating these documents every six months. Whether you do it yourself or hire a professional like me (or a combination of the two), this is good practice. 2   Be great where you are – the chance of someone reaching out to you with a great opportunity increases exponentially if you are killing it in your current role. No matter the circumstances of your current employment, there’s no excuse for you not to perform to the best of your ability until the last day you work there. 3. Shine your light, utilizing LinkedIn as your “advance resume.” Often an employer will see your LinkedIn profile before your resume, so make sure your metrics, awards, and recommendations are bright and shiny on LinkedIn. Your profile should NOT be a cut-and-paste of your resume, or worse yet, just a listing of your employers, job titles, and dates of employment. 4. Keep your networking active. Make an effort on a consistent basis by scheduling regular one-on-one meetings or staying active in organizations that have proven to be a good networking resource for you. You’ll need that network at some point, and by putting in a steady stream of effort, you’ll ensure your network will be there for you when you need it. 5. Allow recruiters in. If you have a receptionist or secretary, decide how to handle those calls coming in with your gatekeeper so you can take those phone calls. Recruiters tell me these gatekeepers are one of their biggest sources of frustration, because they can’t speak to the potential candidate about a fantastic opportunity. 6. Scratch recruiters’ backs, and they will (eventually) scratch yours. How can you be a source of wisdom about the people and trends in your industry so you can help recruiters? Then, when you have a need, those relationships will be firmly established. I’ll do a future podcast on this. 7. Grow your roots with your current employer widely, but not too deeply. When you plant your roots too deeply, you lose your competitive advantage internally (in terms of e promotions and raises) and externally (in terms of the appearance of being a “lifer”). If your boss knows that no matter what, you won’t look elsewhere, you’ve really lost that advantage. 8. Be willing to have conversations with recruiters, even if you aren’t immediately interested in the position (or you don’t know enough to be interested). Even if that position isn’t the right fit, you are keeping those doors open for opportunities that might arise down the road. 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 talk about preparing for a job search in 2018 (or whenever you happen to listen to this episode). I’ve already talked in a previous episode about updating your resume and LinkedIn profile, getting some fresh recommendations on LinkedIn, and connecting with decision-makers at your target companies on LinkedIn. Today, let’s talk about some of the trends in hiring for 2018, according to TheJobNetwork.com: 1.  A professionally prepared resume. The competition is so tough today, and your competition are using professionals to prepare their resumes. If you don’t compete on the same playing field, you are putting yourself at a disadvantage. Here are some interesting statistics: -58% of employers state that typos are the most common problem they see in resumes. -36% of employers state that resumes are too generic—the resume and cover letter hasn’t been customized for that specific position. -32% of employers are concerned with the amount of words copied directly from the job posting into the resume—candidates are “dumping” the job description directly into their resume verbatim, which is causing the employer to doubt the truthfulness of that entire section of the resume (and probably the entire resume). 2. Personality will play an even greater role. Employers can be very picky because of the number of candidates they are getting for their positions. The baseline for employers is “does this candidate have ALL of the qualifications we are looking for?” Beyond that, they are looking for a candidate with a personality that fits in with the existing team. Following up throughout the job search process in any, and all, ways possible to help your personality to come through. My test is this: would I want to spend seven or eight hours in a car with this candidate? After all, I will spend more time with this person that I will with my own family…so I better like spending time with this individual. 3. Social media will be more important. 70% of employers are screening candidates’ social media profiles before making a hiring decision (I actually think that’s a little low) It’s not just the absence of bad of social media, but also the presence of good—are you making a positive impression personally and professionally? 54% of employers decide against a candidate after seeing their social media profiles. Facebook is more influential than LinkedIn in this regard, which makes sense. Most people understand that LinkedIn is for professional networking, and don’t have questionable content on their profiles. Facebook, however, is often another matter. 4. Digital resumes and portfolios are increasing in importance. Here’s a direct quote: “Wise job seekers will utilize personal websites, online portfolios, and LinkedIn connections to stand out.” It comes down to “what can you do to make yourself stand out from the competition?” Think about, depending on your field, would a personal website, an online portfolio, an infographic to help stand out? According to TopResume.com, here are some specific strategies for sales and marketing candidates: -Include numbers and statistics in your marketing documents, and be prepared to speak about them in the interview. -I often create charts or graphs on the resume to highlight a clients’ wins (but they have to be really impressive numbers to do this). -Remember, your achievements are what differentiate you from your competition. The job duties simply tell the employer that you did your job. The achievements tell the employer how well you did your job. -For director-level positions, show evidence of your ability to define and execute strategy, as well as your experience with effective P&L management. -I will often include the $$ my clients manage on their resume, as well as the number of employees they have managed. -At the director level and above, you want to show a balance between knowing how to do the day-to-day work, and how you now manage the people that do the day-to-day work. Here are some tips for the phone interview, which is increasingly being used as a screening devise: -My top suggestion: dress as if you were having a face-to-face interview, even if the interviewer can’t see you. -Keep in mind that the interviewer is determining how open you are to coaching and molding—are you teachable or inflexible? -For sales candidates, the interviewer wants to know what type of sales cycle you prefer and have had the most success with. It’s really important that you interview only for positions that will utilize the sales cycle you prefer to work with and excel with-otherwise, you will likely be looking for another job soon. -Are you able to hold a normal, cordial conversation? -Be sure to show relevance between your experience and the position you are interviewing for—be sure to connect the dots, on the resume and in the interview, between what you’ve done and the position you are applying for. This is particularly important if you are shifting job titles, industries, or sectors. -Know your numbers—include them in your resume and have them top-of-mind for the interview. -Have an answer to the question about why you are looking to leave your current employer. -Be gracious with the recruiter and the employer if you aren’t offered the position. You don’t want to burn these bridges, because an opportunity might come up down the road. Overall, I’m hearing optimism around the job market for 2018.   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 Fifth blog and fifth podcast of the month is all about fun. My sense of humor doesn’t always come out in the weekly podcast, so here’s my opportunity to let it rip! Here are today’s stories: 1.      “How Not to Show Up for the Interview” 2.      “What Not to EVER Do During a Job Interview” 3.      “Dress as if You Already Have the Job” 4.      “Don’t forget to Bring Your Husband Along” 5.      “What Color is Your Dog?” 6.      “City Girl and Country Cows” 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 wrote a blog about Five Unusual Things To Be Thankful For in 2016, and I’ve decided to make this an annual event. This year’s list come from my personal life…and each have application to you. We’re all thankful for the good things that happen in our life. Very few of us take time to find the good in, and be thankful for, the less-than wonderful things that happen. My life coach, Brooke Castillo, calls it “ass.” The negative emotion that will happen about 50% of the time. We can either question why the world is doing this to us, or we can understand that we’re in the midst of “ass.” After all, we wouldn’t be able to appreciate health if we’d never had sickness. Wealth if we’d never experienced poverty. Beauty without ugliness. 1.. I’m grateful for facing a difficult year with a lot of uphill battles. Here’s what has come out of this: -I created this podcast! -I hired an intern who has helped tremendously with my social media and website. -I hired a life coach and a branding coach to address specific areas of my life and business I was struggling with. When things are going smoothly, you are highly unlikely to rock the boat and make changes. It’s all about what you make those difficulties mean. 2. I’m thankful for being sick more than usual this year. Here’s what I learned: -To accept help when it’s offered. -To ask for help when I need it. -How to manage my mind when I’m sick-allowing myself to rest when I’m really sick, without beating myself up mentally for taking the time off. 3. I’m thankful for taking a bad fall. Here’s what I learned: -If you are genuinely hurt, go after restitution. -Don’t feel sorry for yourself. -That something that seemed so terrible at the time can actually turn out to be a blessing. 4. I’m thankful for getting into a seemingly good situation that actually wasn’t. Here’s what I learned: -I want to at least have the conversation about opportunities. I don’t have to say yes, but I can at least listen. -To get my ego out of the way. When I looked at the facts, I was able to clearly see the time this project would consume, and the unlikeliness that we would get the contract because of the way the RFP was structured. -Pay attention to my gut. At the same time I was looking at the facts, I was also paying attention to the turmoil in my gut about the process we would have to go through to get the contract. 5. I’m thankful for being in a physical environment that didn’t energize me. Here’s what I learned: -Sometimes free…isn’t. I realized what I was sacrificing for something that was supposed to be a gift to me. -How important it is to surround yourself with what energizes you. -How to drink in the positive environments I am usually in.   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 my top five career management tips: 1. Have an end goal in mind, but be open to possibilities. Look at where you are now, where you want to be, and what will you need to do or get to achieve your goal. This is essentially a gap analysis. Once you’ve determined what you need to gain in terms of experience, education, or skills to achieve your goal, then create a plan to achieve each step, and calendar those action items. Also be open to opportunities that may come your way that aren’t necessarily in line with your goal. After all, you don’t have to say yes to the opportunity, but you can at least have the conversation. 2.  Be ARFO (Always Ready For Opportunity). When you’re not ready for opportunity, you often pass on even having a conversation about that opportunity. Keep your resume, LinkedIn profile, credentials, skills, and education current so you can at least have those conversations. When you’re ready, the universe conspires in your favor. 3.  Get crystal-clear about your brand, and shamelessly self-promote. To determine your brand, you can either self-assess, ask colleagues, or go through a formal process with a professional like me. Here are three questions you can ask yourself: -What do I do differently, and better, than others in my field? -What do I dislike about how others in my profession go about this work, and what is my solution? -What feedback do I consistently receive about my strengths? Here are three questions you can ask others: -What do I do better than anyone else you know? -If you had to compare me to a model of car (or type of appliance, or breed of dog…choose whichever one is most meaningful to you), what type of car would I be and why? -What three adjectives best describe me? To shamelessly self-promote, think about how you can incorporate your new-found brand into the conversations you have…the way you do your job. Certainly, your brand needs to be front-and-center on your resume and LinkedIn profile.   4.  Step outside your comfort zone on a regular basis. Can you cross-train to learn new skills? What tasks can you take over from your boss? Can you take on a leadership role? 5.  Know when to hold ‘em, and know when to fold ‘em. If you are thinking of leaving your current employer, take stock of the facts of your current situation – minus the drama. How much money are you making? How much travel is involved? Also take stock of what is going to happen, based on any information you have, with your company and your field. Next, think about the realities of your personal situation…your finances, housing situation, spouse/significant other, ailing parents…all of the things in your personal life that will affect your decision. Also, think of your pay as compared to the market rate. What would the possibilities be if you moved on? What kind of position would you seek, and what’s the market like for those positions? How much time do you have to devote to a job search? Would you be actively job searching, or would it be a more passive job search? Finally, if you decide to go, what is your timeline for this job search? The general guideline is one month for every $10k of expected salary, but this varies widely depending on how actively you job search. Finally, I encourage you not to leave your current employer mad, because you carry that energy with you. This will help you to make the best decision for you without the emotion. 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!

After Labor Day through the end of November is the last big hiring push of the year. First, I want to talk to those of you who haven’t yet started a job search, but plan to launch one in the new year: 1.  Update your resume and LinkedIn profile, preferably using a certified resume writer. -Use this opportunity to pull together your performance evaluations, sales results, marketing achievements, and other documents. You (or your resume writer) will need this information AND it brings your accomplishments to the front of your mind, which will be a tremendous benefit during job interviews. -Make sure you have a clear brand message on your resume that is carried through to your LinkedIn profile. This brand message should differentiate you from all the other candidates you’ll be competing against. -Metrics are key! I like to use text boxes, graphs, and charts on sales resumes to visually represent your successes. 2. Get some new recommendations on LinkedIn that speak, as specifically as possible, to your brand attributes. (Note: I’m talking about written recommendations, not endorsements.) Think of your brand attributes as a puzzle, with multiple pieces. Which pieces of your brand are missing from your LinkedIn recommendations, or which pieces are only spoken of by an old recommendation? -These recommendations are third-party, expert endorsements of your brand; they are much more impactful than if you say the same things about yourself. -Your goal should be to have a minimum of three recommendations, but I recommend 10. You’ll probably want to ask two people for every one recommendation you hope to receive, because not everyone will follow through. 3. Connect with decision-makers at your target employers on LinkedIn and start a conversation. -This begins with determining the companies you really want to work for, and then finding the decision-makers at those companies. -These conversations are separate from any jobs that may be posted. You are having a conversation about your fit with the organization, not your fit for a specific job posting. For those of you who have been job searching in 2017, and are still looking: 1.  For any companies you have interviewed with but haven’t received a rejection notice from, make a call to determine the status of your candidacy. -Be sure to ask them what their timeline is – are they planning to make a decision by the end of the year? -What is their target start date for the selected candidate? 2. For positions you’ve applied for but haven’t been invited in for an interview or received a rejection notice, make a call to determine the status of the job search. -Same questions as above – when are they planning to make a decision? When do they want the selected candidate to start work? -If they seem receptive, ask another question, such as what is the primary quality or skill they are looking for in this position? What has been their biggest challenge in hiring for this position in the past? 3. If you’ve been looking for a while with less-than-stellar results, speak to an expert like me who can assess your job search and identify strategies you can implement to get better results. -If you want to do this yourself, conduct an ROI on your various job search activities. Simply group the activities you are doing into categories, such as applying on job boards and networking, and determine how much time you are spending on each. Then assess the results you’re getting from each category.   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!

No matter the circumstance of your job, you CAN keep yourself motivated. What are some of those circumstances? -Not having a supportive manager -Co-workers who aren’t supportive…or who may be trying to sabotage you -Not being recognized, or compensated, in alignment with your contributions to the organization -The company as a whole does not have a clear direction…the focus is constantly shifting -No opportunity for upward advancement -You have responsibility, but you don’t have authority commensurate with that responsibility -Expectations that don’t allow for much life outside of work You can think negative thoughts about these circumstances, but that is completely optional. What are some of the thoughts you might be having about the circumstances I’ve mentioned? “My boss doesn’t care about me.” “I hate the people I work with, and they hate me.” “Nobody cares how much I contribute to this company.” “How can I possibly be successful in this company, when no one is steering the ship?” “How can I be effective in this role when I can’t make the changes I need to make?” “All I do is work.” All of these thoughts are optional. What results might you get with those thoughts? -Underwhelming performance evaluations -Termination -Reduced chances for promotion -Less-than-stellar performance evaluations -A lack of satisfaction in a job well done To change these results, change the thoughts you are thinking. Because your thoughts generate your feelings. Your feelings generate your actions. Your actions generate your results. Here’s the thing about your thoughts: -They are optional. -You probably aren’t even aware of them. -It takes practice to change your thoughts. -The first step to changing a thought is to recognize the thought you’re currently having. -The second step is to decide whether or not that thought is serving you. -You’re not allowed to beat yourself up for your thoughts. -You don’t want to try to make a 180-degree change in the thoughts you’re having, because you won’t believe that new thought. Make small shifts in your thoughts toward a thought that serves you better. Going from “my boss hates me” to “I have a boss.” That’s nice and neutral, isn’t it? Does it serve you better to think “I have a boss” than “my boss hates me?” Absolutely. Eventually you’ll be able to start practicing an even more positive thought. Take baby steps. You’ll get there. Here are some final thoughts about your thoughts. -No one can make you feel happy…successful…fulfilled…but you. Your boss can’t make you happy. Your co-workers can’t make you feel successful. Only you can do that. And you do that with your thoughts. -Be aware of your thoughts, but don’t beat yourself up for the thoughts you’re having. Just pay attention. I write my thoughts down every morning: good, bad, neutral. I dump them out on the paper to see what’s going on up there. -Make incremental changes in your thoughts that move you in the right direction. -Don’t abdicate your happiness…success…sense of fulfillment…to anyone but yourself. That’s your power, and you don’t want to give it away.   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!

Depending on what resource you look at, 75%-85% of all jobs are in the hidden job market. In other words, 3 out of 4 (or 4 out of 5) jobs aren’t advertised. The Hidden Job Market doesn’t mean employers are trying to hide from you.   Here’s why jobs aren’t publicized: -An employer needs to confidentially replace an underperformer. They don’t want a gap between terminating the underperformer and hiring the new employee, so they are conducting a confidential search. -The employer at a public company fears that news of hiring a critical role might hurt stock prices. -The company doesn’t want to reveal plans for a new project or a new direction to the public. -The employer wants to get referrals before, or instead of, publicizing the vacancy. -The company is going to work through a third-party executive recruiter. In this situation, the executive recruiter will be doing the advertising (or using his/her network to recruit). -The employer uses social media or other free means to advertise the position. -There is a hiring freeze at the company, so they can’t publicize the position yet. -The employer is very small and doesn’t have the time or financial resources to publicize the vacancy. -The employer simply fails to publicize the vacancy.   Some of these situations present an opportunity for the savvy job searcher to use his/her network to get a foot in the door with little, or no, competition. One of the best ways to expand your network is through LinkedIn. The people you are connected to, and the people they are connected to, constitute what I call your “footprint” on LinkedIn. The bigger your footprint, the higher you will come up on recruiters’ searches on LinkedIn. This significantly increases the likelihood that a recruiter will see you and be willing to reach out to you. The more people you are connected to will give you a multiplication effect with your 2nd-level connections (the people your connections are connected to). To be more visible on LinkedIn, get more connections.   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!

We’re wrapping up the second-biggest hiring push of the year: after Labor Day through mid-November. Let’s talk about active vs. passive job search strategies. If you are in no hurry to leave your current employer, then a passive job search may be appropriate for you. For those of you who are unemployed or see the handwriting on the wall, an active job search puts you in the driver’s seat. I want you to choose four-five job search strategies, and I want the majority of your strategies to be active. Active Strategies -Face-to-face networking – events, one-to-one conversations -In-person career fairs – companies, industries, alumni associations from your university, Department of Labor -LinkedIn networking – connecting with people and starting conversations -Professional association networking events – going to the weekly/monthly meetings held by the professional associations you belong to -Other ideas? Passive Strategies -Professional association job postings -Target employer websites -General job boards -Industry job boards -Online classified ads -LinkedIn job postings -Personal website -Web portfolio -Facebook job search -Other ideas? For each of the strategies you choose, come up with two to three specific action steps you will take to achieve that strategy. The next step after coming up with your action steps is to calendar those steps (DON’T create a to-do list).   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’s the deal: job boards are broken. Having said that, many of my clients still feel the need to incorporate them as part of their job search. I think of them as a habit-like a safety blanket. What do you do with job boards, if you must use them? After all, some people do get jobs using job boards.   If you’re going to use them, here are 12 tips for making the most of job boards: 1. Spend no more than 25% of your allotted job search time on job boards. 2. Look at job boards at 10:00 at night when you can’t call people or have networking meetings. Don’t spend your valuable daytime hours on this passive strategy. 3.  Don’t apply unless you are fully qualified – because of the amount of competition on job boards, it’s going to be very difficult to rise to the top unless you have all of the qualifications listed. Even if you know in your heart that you are the ideal candidate, if it doesn’t look like it on paper, you are probably wasting your time to apply for that job. 4.  Customize your resume and cover letter for that position, so the reader knows you are interested in that specific position and not just any job. Do not make it hard for the reader to figure out what job you are applying for. 5.  Incorporate keywords into your resume. Take a highlighter to the job description and use the “find” feature in Word to make sure the keywords from the job description are present in your resume (assuming you have that skill or qualification). Take a highlighter to the job description and use the “find” feature in Word to make sure the keywords from the job description are present in your resume (assuming you have that skill or qualification). 6.  Make sure your resume is ATS compatible. I give my clients two versions of their resume – the “pretty” version and the ATS version, which puts everything in the right place so the ATS can read it. You need to use common headings in your resume, such as Professional Experience, Education, and Summary of Qualifications. Most ATS will allow you to attach the “pretty” version, as well as your cover letter. Remove all formatting, such as bullets that aren’t found on your computer keyboard, tables and text boxes, and italics. 7.  Use LinkedIn to find a person in your network who can make an introduction to the decision-maker for that position. NEVER JUST APPLY. 8.  Reach out directly to the decision-maker for that position using LinkedIn. Initially, don’t tip your hat that you are applying for a job with their organization; do this after they accept your invitation to connect. Use the Advanced Search Function on LinkedIn to find specific people whose name you don’t already know. Use the magnifying glass within the search bar at the top of your profile. This will allow you to search on several possible criteria, such as keyword, current employer, job title, or geographic location. 9.  Provide something extra the employer isn’t going to get from other applicants. For example, writing samples or other sample of your work, a glowing letter of recommendation, a case study of your biggest win, or an infographic of your accomplishments (i.e. sales results) or value. A caveat: don’t overdo it by inundating them with content. 10. Complete the application – you’re not going to be considered if you leave blanks on the application. I know it’s a pain in the butt, but do it anyway, and don’t write “See Resume.” Otherwise, the ATS won’t be able to identify you as a qualified candidate. 11. Follow up whenever possible. If you know what company you are applying to, and the ad doesn’t specifically say not to call, then contact the to let them know you’re super interested. 12. Think of job boards as a reference point on which companies are hiring, rather than a source for  specific job postings. This tells you which companies are in hiring mode, and they might be more open about hiring you-even if they haven’t posted a position for which you are qualified. Do your homework to find out why the company is in hiring mode, and how you might be able to add value. Is that company a good fit for you? Then seek out the decision-maker about how you can add value to the   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!

Hi there! I’m Lesa Edwards, and I’m the CEO of Exclusive Career Coaching. Welcome to my new podcast, The Exclusive Career Coach. I’m super excited to talk with you about all things career management. This podcast is specifically for sales and marketing superstars. Particularly those of you who haven’t landed in jobs that have allowed you to soar like you’re capable of. Let’s do a high-level overview of the job search. If you hear me say nothing else today: Job boards are broken. But what’s the alternative? Many people would prefer a root canal over a job search – after all, the dentist will give you medication. It CAN be painful to go through a job search. Rejection is part of the process. There are ways to make it more palatable. As I said earlier, job boards are broken. If you were looking for a top sales performer, would you rather look within your own network or the networks of your top performers…or would you rather put a notice on a job board that everyone can see and get inundated with applications (many of whom aren’t at all qualified)? Increasingly, companies are utilizing their internal networks to look for employees. Some companies even have an incentive program in place for submitting candidates. Because of all the unqualified applicants coming through the job boards, it makes it difficult for the qualified candidates to rise to the top. Often, companies are planning to promote from within for the advertised position, so the real opening will be at a more junior level. Many times, the open position is “frozen” due to budgets, the exodus of a key executive, or uncertainty about the direction the company wants to take. If job boards are broken, what’s the alternative? I teach my clients about passive vs. active searches. If you’re happy and secure in your current position, a passive search could be fine. Talk to recruiters who reach out to you, look occasionally at job boards, etc. If, however, you’ve been terminated, been put on notice, or see concerning changes on the horizon in your company, then an active job search is in order. An active job search puts you in the driver’s seat, whereas a passive job search puts you in the passenger seat. Let’s talk a bit about the Hidden Job Market. It should actually be called the Unadvertised Job Market. It represents 75%-85% of all jobs available. Why aren’t positions advertised? -The job has just been vacated…there hasn’t been time to post it. -The company hasn’t defined the direction they want to go in with the vacant position. -It’s a small company that didn’t get around to posting. -Large companies don’t want to be inundated with resumes. -The position doesn’t exist…great companies will create positions for the right candidate (Jim Collins, author of “Good to Great,” calls it “getting the right person on the bus.” By having a conversation about your fit with the organization rather than a specific position, you’re not being compared to the “wish list” known as a job posting. Once the company has decided you’re the right person, they will overlook certain qualifications they would have otherwise required you to have. To have these conversations, you have to know yourself and your brand, know the employer, and know how those two things fit together. I recommend my clients spend no more than 25% of their total job search time on job boards, including company job boards and the online application process. The bulk of your job search should be focused on networking activities including in-person meetings (one-on-one or networking events), phone calls, emails, etc. I have my clients identify a list of 12-25 dream companies that are a great fit for them. I then have my clients go through their network to find contacts at each of those companies, using my quadrant system. A few final notes: keep your job search organized, with whatever system works best for you. Be a thermostat in your job search rather than a thermometer. A thermometer just tells you what is already there. A thermostat changes the environment. Be a thermostat in your job search, by being active rather than passive. 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 wanted to let you know that I’ll be starting another 4-week Land Your Dream Job Accelerator in January, starting the week of January 4th. If you’re interested in knowing more about LYDJA, email me at lesa@exclusivecareercoaching.com.  As a master practitioner of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), I know well the difference between introverts and extraverts. In MBTI language, introversion vs. extraversion has to do with where you get your energy.  Here’s what extraversion and introversion AREN’T: Ability to navigate social situations, friendliness, or whether you like people.  When it comes to networking, it’s not about introverts being socially awkward. It’s about the drain on their energy. It’s about having to initiate a conversation (they generally DON’T want to do this). It’s about small talk, which seems pointless to them.  I’d like to offer the flip side of networking for introverts: The strengths you bring to networking. You tend to be much better listeners than extraverts, you prefer meaningful conversations with one person or a small group of people over chit chat with a large group, and you tend to be thoughtful before you speak.  Here, then, are 13 tips for you introverts to…if not love networking, at least not hate it so much. Maybe even enjoy it a little. 1.    Work on your mindset first – and throughout. Start by filling up a piece of paper with all your thoughts about networking – I’m confident the majority of those thoughts will be negative.  Next, identify one of the thoughts you wrote down that you think takes up the most space in your brain – the one you think most often.  Find a better-feeling thought you could begin practicing. For example:If you have been thinking “I hate networking,” you might replace it with “Networking is hard for me…and I can do hard things.” You’ve created a neural pathway in your brain around “I hate networking” such that it is in your subconscious, playing on repeat without your awareness. It’s time to create a new neural pathway with a thought that serves you better.  Maybe your next thought will be “Networking used to be hard for me…but now it isn’t.” 2.    Start with low-hanging fruit.If you’re starting to network from ground zero, it’s important to begin by reaching out to people you already know fairly well. You want to work out the kinks in your networking skills (there WILL be some) and build your confidence up before you reach for bigger networking targets.  3.    Set realistic networking goals.If you’ve never really networked before, your goal may be one, 30-minute networking coffee. If you’ve networked periodically before, you may set a goal of meeting with three people you used to work with.  When attending a networking event, set a goal for how many people you want to meet – or a specific type of person, such as at least one person who works in HR. Then allow yourself permission to leave after you’ve accomplished your goal —this makes the event feel more doable.  4.    Focus on quality over quantity. Don’t compare yourself to your extraverted colleague who tells you she met 13 amazing people at the networking event she attended last night – she probably couldn’t tell you one meaningful fact about any of them.  Focus on forming a deep connection with a few people – play to your strengths.  5.    Join groups of shared interests.One of the biggest mistakes I see people making with networking is too narrowly defining what networking actually is…and where it can happen. As I like to say to my clients, you can network anywhere the music isn’t too loud and the people aren’t too drunk.  What do you enjoy doing? Find a group of people who also enjoy doing that thing. The people in the group have jobs…their significant others have jobs…they have friends and family members with jobs…you get the idea.  6.    Prepare in advance. Plan your talking points and questions ahead of time.  7.    Leverage online networking. By initiating and maintaining conversations online via LinkedIn and other online forums, you get to become acquainted with someone before meeting them in person.  8.    Attend small events. I don’t recommend you start here, but at some point, you’ll want to begin attending networking events. Do your homework to find out how many people will be expected, what kinds of people attend, the venue, etc.  A smaller, more intimate gathering will allow you to engage in more meaningful conversations without feeling overwhelmed by a large crowd.  9.    Arrive early.Networking events may feel overwhelming if you envision yourself walking into a crowded room. Being one of the first to arrive may make it easier for you to strike up a one-on-one conversation.  10.Active listening. Focus on listening more than talking – this can take the pressure off you to come up with things to say, and others (especially the extraverts) like to be heard.  11.Ask open-ended questions. Asking questions that can’t be answered with a simple “yes” or “no” encourages others to share more information and keeps the conversation flowing.  12.Take breaks.You may need to step away for a moment to recharge if you are feeling drained. Find a quite space to regroup, and then return to the event.  13.Follow up and follow through. After a networking meeting or event, follow up with the people you met. Connect with them on LinkedIn. Provide them with any information or resources you promised them and thank them in advance for anything they promised to do for you.  DIY vs. DFY DIY My DIY recommendation is to get an accountability partner for your networking! I recommend someone who is good at networking…and hopefully, actually enjoys it.  You’ll want your accountability partner to help you set realistic networking goals, help you with your thoughts about networking, mentor you as you step out of your comfort zone, and hold you accountable for achieving the goals you set.   DFYI think the done-for-you option for networking is pretty obvious: Get help from a coach who specializes in networking.  Here’s what you can expect:  -Training on how to network including how to reach out to people, who to reach out to, how to begin communications, how to set up a networking meeting, what to say during the meeting, and how to follow up afterwards.  -Mindset shift: You’ll likely need to begin thinking new thoughts about networking and your ability to network. This work is so important to make sure the networking you do is done with the proper energy.  -Practice and feedback: A coach should require you to actually network. You can’t get better at networking without actually doing it.  I work with many of my clients on networking – for many, it is a single session, while other clients needed more support. If you’re interested in getting coaching with me on networking, you can schedule a complimentary consult about my networking coaching here: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2