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

Do you fantasize about reinventing your career? On this episode of Find Your Dream Job, we find out what it takes to completely change your career path, and why so many people want to give up on corporate life and open a bed and breakfast. Guest expert Kathy Caprino shares a roadmap for finding the right direction for your career. Kathy takes a holistic approach to career change, encouraging people to understand themselves and their motivations, and to be patient. She shared 5 steps to a successful career change: Step back. Refocus on yourself, look at who you’ve been over the course of your life. Let go of thinking patterns and behaviors that keep you stuck. These cause you to self-sabotage. Say yes to your compelling vision. If there’s something you’ve always dreamed of doing, decide to take it seriously. Try it on. Try out your dream, talk to people who have done it, and get past the fantasy. Create it smart. This process takes time. Don’t rush. Have a plan, then hold yourself accountable. Our Guest for This Episode: Kathy Caprino Kathy Caprino is a career and personal success coach, writer, speaker and leadership developer dedicated to the advancement of women worldwide. She is the author of Breakdown, Breakthrough, and the founder of Ellia Communications, Inc. and the Amazing Career Project.  Kathy is also a contributor to Forbes, Huffington Post and LinkedIn. Ben’s Job Search Resource: Career Interest Survey Everyone has a different way to describe themselves and what they like to do. The  Career Cluster Interest Survey, created by Minnesota State University, lets you rate activities you enjoy, your personal qualities, and school subjects you like. Then you can see which career clusters are a match for your interests.You’ll answer 152 different yes/no questions about specific interests, activities, personal qualities, and education. It only takes about 10 minutes to complete because all you’re doing is checking off boxes for traits that relate to you. This process can help you get clear on the right career - or type of job - that works best for you. Find Your Dream Job Listener Question: Job Hunting in a New City This week’s listener question is a relatable one for folks looking to relocate. Becky and the team address this question from Seth Richardson, of New York City: “Hi, this is Seth from New York City. I am in the process of relocating to Portland. Can you give me some advice on how to get my resume noticed from across the country when I can’t always be there in person to make the face-to-face connection?” These segments are sponsored by Mac’s new book, Land Your Dream Job Anywhere. The book offers practical, actionable, and proven tools to help you get clear about your career goals, find hidden jobs, and ace your next interview. Get the first chapter of this useful resource free. Be a part of the Find Your Dream Job podcast! Join in: Ask your job-related question! Email it to becky@macslist.org, or leave us a message at 716-JOB-TALK. If we use your question on the air, you will receive either a copy of our new book, Land Your Dream Job Anywhere. Share your best job resource with our listeners! Send your resource to ben@macslist.org, and tell him how it has helped you find your dream job. What do you think of our show? Rate and review our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support! Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

We recorded our 100th episode live in our hometown of Portland, in front of about 100 of our closest friends, and it was a wonderful night. If you were there, reminisce with the full audio. If you missed it, you're in luck - we captured all the audio in this podcast!  Take a listen.  About Our Guest: Jared Mees Jared Mees is cofounder of Tender Loving Empire, a local-focused record label and collection of stores featuring handmade goods. Jared is a musician and art lover who turned his passion into his career. More from this episode: Crowd favorite and expert career coach Jenny Foss, a.k.a. JobJenny, spoke to Mac and soundly defeated Ben in a friendly round of career trivia. Live music and a chat with Freddy Trujillo, who wrote our podcast theme song. Real people got onstage to share their experiences with job searching, job loss, and more. The Mac’s List team recalled their favorite moments from the past 99 weekly shows. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Studies confirm that storytelling is the most powerful form of communication there is. By transforming your career history from a chronological list into a story with personality, you’ll leave a strong impression on the interviewer. Rob shared tips to tell your career story with a strong narrative arc in 5 steps: The Thread: Connect the dots of your history, and boil it down to one common theme. Disruption: Tell a story that impacted your career trajectory. Turning point: How did you decide to turn a corner. Conflict: Summarize a couple of impactful challenges. Resolution: Explain how you resolved the challenge and what brought you here. Our Guest for This Episode: Rob Biesenbach Rob Biesenbach helps organizations and individuals capitalize on the power of storytelling.  He’s an award-winning consultant to Fortune 500 companies, an engaging and informative keynote speaker, and a Second City-trained actor. Rob is also the author of two fun, practical books that use principles from the world of performance to help people communicate more successfully. And he’s now at work on a third book on storytelling. Ben’s Job Search Resource: LinkedIn Profile Mistakes   Recruiters shared the LinkedIn mistakes they see people make all the time. Whether your profile is outdated, you have a lame headline, or you’re not telling a coherent story about your background, this resource shares common mistakes job seekers should avoid on their LinkedIn pages. Read Recruiters Explain What the Worst LinkedIn Profiles have in Common on Fast Company. Find Your Dream Job Listener Question: New Professional Potential This week’s listener question comes via email from Heather Rockwell in Newberg, Oregon: “I'm young, passionate, fresh out of college, energetic, and ambitious -  how do I get employers to take me seriously? I've had several interviews since graduation, and all of them left me feeling like I was too young, too optimistic, and too inexperienced for them. How can I show my potential as a young, early-career professional? I know I have what it takes to perform the jobs I'm applying to, but I need them to see it.” These segments are sponsored by Mac’s new book, Land Your Dream Job Anywhere. The book offers practical, actionable, and proven tools to help you get clear about your career goals, find hidden jobs, and ace your next interview. Get the first chapter of this useful resource free. Be a part of the Find Your Dream Job podcast! Join in: Ask your job-related question! Email it to becky@macslist.org, or leave us a message at 716-JOB-TALK. If we use your question on the air, you will receive either a copy of our new book, Land Your Dream Job Anywhere. Share your best job resource with our listeners! Send your resource to ben@macslist.org, and tell him how it has helped you find your dream job. What do you think of our show? Rate and review our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support! Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What makes podcasts such a great medium for sharing career advice? I share my love of audio storytelling, conversation, and helping people find great jobs with dozens of other podcasters. On this bonus episode, I talk about how great podcasts are for career development, and introduce you to my new guide, Top Career Podcasts of 2017. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Losing a job is tough; getting laid off unexpectedly is even harder. It's emotionally devastating when all of the sudden you lose your job, your paycheck, and the vision you had of yourself, all in one fell swoop. Career coach and guest expert, Sherri Thomas, shares her tips on how to bounce back from such professional setbacks. She recommends: Take some time to heal. Process and quiet the negative chatter in your brain before looking for a new job. Feelings of confusion and embarrassment will be noticed by hiring managers, so work through your emotions before embarking on your next job search. Identify areas for improvement. Try writing down what you and your previous manager could have done better. This exercise may highlight opportunities for professional growth. Emphasize the positives. If you are wondering how you should address your departure in conversations, Sherri recommends this recipe: share something you are grateful for from your last position, talk about an impact you made at the organization in quantifiable terms, and then own your story and relay it in a positive way. This Week's Guest: Sherri Thomas Sherri Thomas is Founder and Career Strategist of Career Coaching 360. She helps professionals think differently and proactively about careers. She is the author of two books, The Bounce Back: Personal Stories of Bouncing Back Higher and Faster from a Layoff, Re-org, or Career Setback and Career Smart: 5 Steps to a Powerful Personal Brand. Sherri is also a Huffington Post columnist and keynote speaker. Her career advice has been featured in the WSJ, Time, and other publications. Sherri is offering Mac’s List listeners her video series, 15 Clever Ways to Get More Job Offers free. Ben's Job Search Resource: Unemployment FAQs Ben’s resource this week is FAQ’s about Termination from Employment from the website, The Balance. It consists of clear questions and concise answers to the most common questions you have if you are departing from a job. Find Your Dream Job Listener Question: An Ethical Dilemma Becky, Ben, Jessica, and Mac offer advice to J.L., from Chicago, Illinois. She asks, “Is it appropriate to ask an employer about their ethics during an interview?” Be a part of the Find Your Dream Job podcast! Ask your job-related question! Email it to becky@macslist.org, or leave us a message at 716-JOB-TALK, or tweet us @macs_list. If we use your question on the air, you will receive a copy of our new book, Land Your Dream Job Anywhere. Share your best job resource with our listeners! Send your resource to ben@macslist.org, and tell him how it has helped you find your dream job. What do you think of our show? Rate and review our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support! Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, FreddyTrujillo.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your resume is probably the most important document you use when looking for a job. It offers a great opportunity to tell your story and demonstrate what you can offer an employer. Guest expert Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter shares her top 6 list of what’s hot and what’s not in creating a great resume for today’s job market. What’s Hot in Resumes Focus — Make your resume format quick and easy to read and keep it employer focused. What's in it for the Employer — Research pain points the employer has and integrate your strategic insights about the issue. Creative Problem Solving Skills — Use specifics from your background to show how your critical thinking has solved problems. Leadership — Display your ability to help other push forward. Have a Career Portfolio — Have a skimmable resume, a meatier resume, and professional profiles.   Value-Focused Resume — Showcase the core values you would bring to an organization. What’s Not - And How to Fix It Brain Dump — Unless it directly benefits the employer, leave out the wordy details. Me, Me, Me —  Instead of focusing on yourself, look for ways to demonstrate that you work well on a team without minimizing your own accomplishments. Followership — Demonstrate your ability to take on the role of a leader when necessary. One and Done — It’s important to have multiple ways an employer can access desired information about your career. Just the Facts — Instead of listing your history, use storytelling to paint a more interesting picture of your professional career. Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter Bio Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter owns and operates CareerTrend.net. She is one of just 50 master resume writers in the United States. Jacqui has crafted more than 1,500 career stories. She uses her bachelor’s degree in writing and journalism to apply a reporter’s eye to careers. Follow her on Twitter @ValueIntoWords. Jacqui is also in the process of rolling out a do-it-yourself resume starter kit. Ben’s Job Search Resource: Modern Career Economy Ben’s resource this week is Down and Out in the New Economy: How People Find (or Don’t Find) Work Today, by Ilana Gershon, an anthropologist at the University of Indiana. Thanks to Find Your Dream Job listener, Russell Terry. Find Your Dream Job Listener Question: Modern Job Search Strategies Becky, Ben, Jessica, and Mac offer advice to Marcia Callahan from Portland, Oregon. Marcia asks, “Is it worthwhile to drop off your resume at an office where you would like to work, or is there a more modern strategy to get in front of a hiring manager?” These segments are sponsored by Mac’s new book, Land Your Dream Job Anywhere. The book offers practical, actionable, and proven tools to help you get clear about your career goals, find hidden jobs, and ace your next interview. Get the first chapter of this useful resource free. Be a part of the Find Your Dream Job podcast! Ask your job-related question! Email it to becky@macslist.org, or leave us a message at 716-JOB-TALK, or tweet us @macs_list. If we use your question on the air, you will receive a copy of our new book, Land Your Dream Job Anywhere. Share your best job resource with our listeners! Send your resource to ben@macslist.org, and tell him how it has helped you find your dream job. What do you think of our show? Rate and review our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support! Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, FreddyTrujillo.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

Informational interviews are a fairly recent strategy in the search for a new career. The application process and job searches of the past were more formal endeavors. As a job seeker, this new adaptation gives you more networking opportunities than were available before. Consider your existing network and divide it into two categories: Your strong ties — People you immediately think of as business connections. Your weak ties — People who are separated from you by a few degrees. Friends of friends, for example, can become a great career resource. When working to build your network, guest expert Kate Gremillion recommends asking your strong ties this question: “Knowing my interests and knowing what I want to be doing in my career, who would you suggest I speak with?” She says people genuinely enjoy helping other people, so this is a great place to start. Checking LinkedIn connections of people who have influence at a company you want to work for is another great tip. These “weak” ties can turn into strong connections if you approach them in a professional manner. Once you’ve landed an informational interview with a contact it’s important to: Allow the other person to chose the method of communication. Prepare 3-5 actions the person could do to help you if they ask. Take a genuine interest in the other person by listening more and talking less. This Week’s Guest: Kate Gremillion Kate Gremillion is Founder & CEO of Mavenly + Co.  Her firm offers group workshops, corporate training courses, and coaching programs. These services give young women the tools, resources and mindset they need to create careers and lifestyles with purpose. Kate also hosts the weekly podcast, Women, Work, and Worth. And her advice has been featured in publications like Forbes, Fortune, Business Insider, and HerAgenda. In her new program, Crafting Your Career, Kate works with clients to make their ideal career path a reality. Ben’s Job Search Resource: Great Networking Emails Ben’s resource this week is from the job research site The Muse. Here Are the Subject Lines That’ll Get Your Networking Emails Opened — Every Time. Find Your Dream Job Listener Question: LinkedIn Signals Becky, Ben, Jessica, and Mac offer advice to Stephen Walden from Salem, Illinois. Stephen asks: “How do you redo your LinkedIn profile to reflect your new interests without drawing the attention of your current employer?” These segments are sponsored by Mac’s new book, Land Your Dream Job Anywhere. The book offers practical, actionable, and proven tools to help you get clear about your career goals, find hidden jobs, and ace your next interview. Get the first chapter of this useful resource free. Be a part of the Find Your Dream Job podcast! Ask your job-related question! Email it to becky@macslist.org, or leave us a message at 716-JOB-TALK, or tweet us @macslist. If we use your question on the air, you will receive either a copy of our new book, Land Your Dream Job Anywhere. Share your best job resource with our listeners! Send your resource to ben@macslist.org, and tell him how it has helped you find your dream job. What do you think of our show? Rate and review our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support! Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, FreddyTrujillo.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Karla Miller, career advice columnist for The Washington Post Magazine, delves into the complexities of workplace fashion. She emphasizes the importance of dressing for the company culture and shares tips for acing interviews by analyzing employee attire. Karla highlights the generational divide in dress expectations and discusses clothing taboos, including tattoos and gender discrepancies. She also introduces the Pregnancy Pause initiative, which aids women re-entering the workforce, stressing the significance of professional appearance in achieving career success.