The Exclusive Career Coach

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!