People in Transition

Victoria Pelletier is a dynamic, innovative, and passionate Senior Executive with over two decades of progressive executive experience in strategy, operations, growth initiatives, and business and talent development in organizations such as Brookfield, American Express, Aon and IBM.  She is currently a Managing Director at Accenture, leading much of North America’s Travel Industry Client Portfolio.She is a visionary leader with a passion for innovation, creativity and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.  In fact, Victoria has won both the 2020 Mentor of the Year award from Women in Communications & Technology AND the 2019 HSBC Diversity & Inclusion in Innovation Award. Victoria was also named as 2021 50 Most Influential Business Leaders in Technology.Victoria serves as a board member for several organizations; she is also a published author, regular contributor to Forbes and a member of the Forbes Business Council. She is an in-demand public speaker and appears regularly on national radio and television.  An inspiring professional with impeccable credentials, Victoria is a trusted voice among peers and emerging executives. In this episode, Victoria shares so many key job transition ideas and coaching for the candidate, including:·         On ZOOM interviews, it is important that you appear confident, in control and to look directly into the camera to create some type of eye contact connection.·         In today’s job market, a candidate having multiple jobs in their past is really expected so don’t worry about being labeled a “job hopper”.·         It is important that you set strong goals for yourself and have the resilience to work toward them; to be very aware of your strengths/areas to improve – this mean you are doing a critical self-assessment and do something with the information; model the behavior you want to be seen as – your self-brand is very important for your success.·         You don’t have to be an extrovert to be successful at networking – you just need to take steps early on, be strategic in your efforts and build it over time – you will be able to leverage that network for your success.·         Our workforce of the future will see an even faster pace of digital transformation, a constant need to upskill and fluid/new ways to work will be the norm.·         In your work life, you are going to have ups and downs, accept this, build resilience into your character.And Victoria had many other comments and observations for the person who is changing their jobs/life.   For more information about Victoria unstoppable approach to work/life, go to her website  https://victoria-pelletier.com/ Send us a text

Susan Collins spent over 20 years in HR with a front-row seat, watching professionals search for their place in organizations. She believes that finding joy and purpose at work not only leads to a more successful career but also enhances everything else in life. She now supports leaders eager to clarify their goals, achieve their objectives, and unlock their potential. For additional information, go to Susan’s website   https://www.thenetworkconcierge.com/. As a special bonus, she shares some of her secrets from her days of recruiting in this free download to help you manage recruiter perception based on your candidate profile: https://www.thenetworkconcierge.com/TopSecret In this episode, Susan covered many tips and techniques to make finding your next great job opportunity easier and maybe even fun.  Here are a few of her ideas: ·         Make sure you are clear on what you want in your next job before you start your search.·         The further you are in the interview process; the more information you should have researched about the company you are talking with.·         After your interview, it is a good idea to email the hiring manger every few weeks to follow-up; really a great idea if you can email with some article or something that ties back to your interview.·         Networking is the most important thing to do in your job search – everyone should start it now and not wait until it is needed.·         Remember, you are not in your transition alone – let people help you. Susan is bright, energetic, smart, and experienced at the entire recruiting cycle.  Make sure you share this episode with friends, they will thank you for caring enough to give them this gift.  Enjoy!Send us a text

Donna Peters is the author of the #1 international bestseller, Options Are Power: Career Strategies for High Performers Who Want a Life. She is host of the The Me-Suite podcast, 2021 finalist for both Best Business Podcast and People's Choice Award.  Donna is a certified Executive Coach, speaker, and leadership faculty with 20+ years advising senior executives and next generation leaders at the world's most admired companies.  Donna acted professionally on stage, film, and stand-up for 10 years before pursuing an MBA at Cornell and becoming a senior partner and practice leader in Management Consulting.  She helps driven professionals take control of the future they want to have.During this week’s episode, Donna covered many transition tips and techniques, some key thoughts discussed include:·         Negative stories don’t get us to where we need to be.·         She describes the two types of networking time for her own schedule – “I think of you – I tell you “and my “time to think” – both help her keep her network fresh and engaged.·         The mindset of what the personal brand you are trying to convey in those first impression moments impacts everything you do in the interviews you have; the other mindset you should have is that the interviewer would really like you to be the perfect candidate – it is to their advantage that you succeed in the discussion, keeping this in mind helps us join the discussion in a more positive frame of mind.·         You need to have a job-hunting strategy, so you know what to say “no” to.·         Recruiters look at technical, functional, and interpersonal skills – be ready to discuss and give examples of your strength in each.·         You should ask yourself, how does your presence on LinkedIn help your personal brand.Donna shared so many more ideas to help you in your job search, you are going to want to listen to this one several times to get all her tips/suggestions.  Please make sure you share this with a friend, you will be glad to you did – thanks!Send us a text

Nathan A. Stuck is an experienced Director level executive with a demonstrated history of affecting organizational change, implementing solutions, and driving results. Jack of all trades and well versed in Business Planning, Strategy, Corporate Social Responsibility, Operations Management, Sales, Marketing, Team Building, and Market Research.  He is passionate about giving back and all things B Corporation (the term used for any for-profit entity that is certified by the nonprofit B Lab as voluntarily meeting higher standards of transparency, accountability, and performance).  Nathan has a diverse work experience and is a well-rounded professional, with an MBA focused on Marketing and Consulting from The University of Georgia - Terry College of Business.In this episode, Nathan covered many topics, some of them he will deal with in more detail in his soon to be released book.  Some of the key points we discussed include:·         LinkedIn is your friend in your search, get to know it’s power and use it to your advantage.·         Networking is not transactional; it is relationship based and long-term focused.·         Spend time learning, at least 1 hour a week or 1 hour a day, think of the growth you can achieve if you invest in yourself 365 hours each year!·         Always use thank you notes after interviews or discussions, in today’s electronic world, they take virtually no time/effort to use and can make the difference between your going to the next phase or not.·         If you want to pivot into a different area/industry, go get the experience, volunteer, whatever it takes to gain the experience in that area/industry so you can talk with confidence and knowledge about why you have what is needed for the new role.Nathan brings such insight, realism, and passion to the job search process.  Make sure you not only listen to the episode but also share it with a friend.   Nathan has offered to help any of my listeners in their job search, so feel free to reach out to him on LinkedIn.Send us a text

Dr. Benjamin Ritter is a leadership, executive, and career coach, L&D director, values geek, international speaker, podcaster, author, mentor, and passionate about guiding leaders in finding, creating, and sustaining a career they love. With over 10 years of experience working with clients from companies such as Amazon, Coursera, Doordash, Google, Fiserv, Northwestern, Pinterest, and Yelp, Ben understands how to navigate any career path you decide you want to travel. From empowering professionals to get unstuck, to guiding senior leadership on how to stand out from the competition, develop executive presence, and feel confident in being a leader, Ben is an expert in his field and will guide you toward truly living for yourself at work and in life.  Key links(s): Liveforyourselfconsulting.com / youtube.com/c/benjaminritter / linkedin.com/in/ritterbenj Some of the information he shared during our discussion include: ·         Sometimes, you need to do a hard audit on yourself to really know what you want and where you are going to.·         If you are running away from a job, you might just run right back into the problems you have had, always better to run to the next great opportunity.·         You must believe in yourself to be successful in the job search, rejection is not directed at who you are, the skills you have just don’t match the need.·         When the inner critic is shooting at you, bring clarity, confidence, and control to deal with it.·         If you are at a job impasse, give yourself some kindness, break for a while and then start back slowly and explore where you are at and where you need to go to. Ben provided so much thoughtful, helpful, and actionable advice in this episode.  You are going to want to listen to the recording several times to make sure you got it all.   He lives his life with this philosophy, “I think there is a way to beat the system. To work outside of it. To change the boundaries of work for myself and for everyone.” and shares how we all can achieve this success.Send us a text

With a unique, innovative, and practical evidence-led, neuroscience-based approach ICF certified Executive, Leadership and Career Coach, Bruna De Palo empowers people to understand why the brain triggers certain behaviors and how to optimize its functions. With an ability to bring cutting-edge neuroscience concepts to life through practical frameworks and tools, she helps people stop acting as Human Doings and start living as Human Beings and feel alive at work.In this episode, Bruna discusses many transition tips and techniques, including:·         It is not money or title that is important, it is to feel “alive” that is key; and we feel most “alive” when we use our own special gifts.·         You should use/expand your personal network before you go to job boards in your search.·         Emotional intelligence leads to wellbeing which leads to feeling alive at your work.·         Fear of the unknown is often what stops people from finding their next great job opportunity, a coach can help you work through this challenge.·         A networking group can help you deal with your fear on networking.·         To improve your marketability, you need to show how you can solve the companies’ problems.·         Always bring who you are to what you do.·         Go For It!  Bruna motto for life.Bruna provides so many great ideas on knowing yourself, the actions you need to take to make your career transition and a science-based career change framework.  Focusing on developing self-awareness, emotional intelligence, self-regulation, and the power of "bringing who they are into what they do", participants increased their confidence, control, and balance to lead a more fulfilling life.  For more information go to https://brunadepalo.com/  Enjoy!!Send us a text

Marsha Friedman is a Career and Personal Transformation Coach for professionals who are struggling to get through the challenges of life, which are affecting their family, finances, relationships, or career.  Marsha helps her clients rediscover their passion, reinvent their lives, and reach their full potential.    Prior to founding MEF Coaching & Consulting Group, Marsha was the head of learning and organization development for Diebold Global Service Logistics.   Marsha is co-facilitator of Summit Networking Group for executive level jobseekers.  Marsha is also the author of Surviving & Thriving Despite the Drama and Job Search Mastery: How to obliterate obstacles on the path to your next job.  For more information on Marsha, go to,  https://consultmef.com/jobseachmastery In this episode, Marsha discusses with us:·         If you are looking for that next great job opportunity, you should develop your own marketing plan to help guide your job search efforts.·         Everyone should have an accomplishment log or “brag book” to help them deal with the dark times they may have during their job search and to provide concrete examples of asked how you have added value in past.·         Effective job search starts with you, have you stayed current/relevant, how can you bring value, and know what you are looking for.·         Do something positive for yourself each day – be kind to yourself during the journey..         For more information on how to ask for help on your job search, go to, https://consultmef.com/how-to-ask-for-anything/In her networking groups and during her podcast, Marsha talks about the importance of selfcare, positive emotions and a “I can do this” attitude.  Even if you are not looking for that next job right now, Marsha’s coaching will help you have a better day/week/life.Send us a text

AJ Eckstein founded Career Coaching Company during the COVID-19 pandemic to “pay it forward” and help students and professionals land their dream internships and jobs. He built up the coaching team to include over 15 coaches who are recent grads at top companies that specialize in 1-on-1, live tailored coaching. AJ previously coached over 320 hours and has helped over 100 individuals land top offers.  AJ is a 5x intern and has worked for Fortune 100 companies like Disney and tech startups like TeleSign.  In addition, AJ was awarded "Most Outstanding President" & "Diversity & Inclusion Award" out of 20,000 USC undergrad.  For more information on AJ, go to his website, https://thefinalround.com/In this episode, AJ talks with us about:·        Almost all recruiters/hiring managers will use LinkedIn to help them fill positions – make sure your page is current and represents you well.·        Doing interviews on telephone requires the candidate to make up for the lack of visual communication, some ideas to help include to stand up during the interview and bring energy/passion to your voice.·        To help stay focused during your job search, you may want to have an accountability buddy.·        There probably is no complete course or video on networking – you just need to dive in and do it, start early, be comfortable with the uncomfortable feelings it may bring you and be excited about the potential for new friends or connections.·        Networking is all about building long term relations vs. a transaction of getting more business cards or a job lead.·        Don’t be afraid to ask for help in your transition. No matter if you are a college senior looking for that first job, or a more experience professional, AJ has insights into the recruiting process that will help you.  He brings energy, experience, and creativity to the job search process.  I know you will want to listen to this episode more than once to make sure you get all the recruiting tips and techniques AJ shares.Send us a text

Mark Herschberg is a seasoned executive and cybersecurity expert who can bridge the divide between business and technology.  He has started, grown, and fixed startup companies spanning 10 different verticals as well as helped two Fortune 500 companies with their internal startup initiatives, and helped create educational programs at MIT and HBS in business and leadership.  He understands that networking, negotiating, communicating, leading, career planning — are all skills critical to your career success. But did anyone ever teach these skills to you – probably not.  But in this episode, Mark will share his thoughts/expertise on many of these skills/areas.  Key points discussed during the recording include:·         If you have ever wondered how to answer those brain teaser questions, like how many ping pong balls would fit into the Empire State building, Mark will tell you the way to approach them if used in your interview·         Mark discusses how to develop an effective resume, which should use a standard/professional format, employee bullet points to help focus the reader on key information and never be more than 3 pages long·         Mark talks about how you can handle the discussion with a hiring team if the role you are interviewing for is a step down for you·         We discussed the keys to networking, which is really about relationship building and when you need to start building your network·         In our lighting round we discussed; use of individual addressed thank you notes (even if they are emailed), the candidate needs to dress just a little “better” than the interview team, the applicant should not bring up the question of compensation too soon in the discussions and to give thought beforehand to the questions you want to ask the companyMark’s academic credentials and his business experiences have provided the framework to help him guide any professional through their job transition.  For additional support or information from Mark, go to his web site https://www.thecareertoolkitbook.com/ .  You are going to want to listen to this episode several times and share it with your friends.  I know you will join me in saying, “Thank you Mark for all your great ideas!”Send us a text

Cord Harper is the founder and CEO of Endeavor Agency, one of the leading career transition and outplacement firms in the US for executives and professionals. Cord founded Endeavor Agency in 2011 to help executives and professionals gain every advantage for themselves in the challenging process of making a career change. Prior to that he led the physician division of one of the largest healthcare recruiting firms in the country, Maxim Healthcare. His early career covered many different industries including, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, hospitality, real estate, construction, and agriculture. His LinkedIn profile lists that he is a "Disciple of Taking Action" and anyone who knows or works with Cord will agree he lives his life “in action”!In this episode, Cord discusses many transition tips and techniques, including:·         Managing your internal emotions/communications is a key to transition success·         Looking for a job means you will have rejections – and that hurts – an accountability partner can help you deal with the emotions tied up in rejection·         Fear keeps us from networking – but really there is no downside to reaching out to new connections – the worse that it can be is they don’t want to connect with you and then you move on·         Have a work plan to help guide you through the transition – and execute it each day·         Your LinkedIn brand, including your picture on it, is an important part of your marketing material·         Get some help – accountability partner or professional support – to be a part of your transition management/job searchCord has helped scores of people as they change jobs.  His favorite line that sums up Cord and this episode so well is, “I love starting conversations with new people every day. Amazing things happen when you go on a voyage of exploration. Above all, take action and make it happen.” I think you will enjoy the recording and as always, share with me any feedback and share this with others Send us a text