Don't be boring!
Episode 134 - The 5 things no one tells you about job-hunting
There are challenges in job hunting. For some professionals, these challenges are enough to make them avoid job hunting altogether. However, there are huge benefits for professionals who embrace the challenge of changing jobs, such as obtaining higher wages and more flexibility.
So, it’s crucial for professionals to move jobs, or at least learn how to move jobs so they can do so confidently when the time is right. In this episode, we look at the five things no one tells you about job hunting so you can prepare for them. If you know what they are, you can plan, address, and conquer the five challenges that may keep you from progressing in your job search and securing the job you want.
Resources mentioned in this episode
Timestamps to guide your listening
[00:58] Linkedin tip: connecting vs. following
[05:17] Changing jobs every 2 to 3 years: Why do it?
[08:26] Number 1: You need to sell yourself
[11:30] Number 2: You need to do the work, not just plan for it.
[16:00] Number 3: You need to make time
[18:12] Number 4: Pitch then plan
[19:46] Number 5: You don't have to be all grown up and boring
Transcript of this episode
[00:00:00] Renata: hi, I'm Renata Bernarde. And this is the job hunting podcast, where I interview experts and professionals and discuss issues that are important for job hunters and those who are working to advance their careers. So make sure that you subscribe and follow and let's dive right in.
[00:00:30] Renata: Everybody, thank you for listening to the job hunting podcast. Once again, I really appreciate you trusting my advice on all matters, job hunting, career planning, professional development, executive coaching, and it really means a lot to have so many followers. If you're a new, my name is Renata. You probably looking for a job.
[00:00:51] Renata: If you found this on your podcast app and you are in the right place before we begin, I want to say two things. I have such a pet [00:01:00] peeve with LinkedIn and the followers are great at connecting with me. You're following me. If you're following me and you allow me to send you a message, you know, you have to allow for extra messages to be able to get a message from me.
[00:01:14] Renata: You probably have received a message on LinkedIn. So well-done and some of you want to connect and say a few more words or send me feedback and that's fine. Connect with me, send me a message. But you know, those people that own LinkedIn just want to connect. You have no idea who they are. You've never met them, and you have no idea why they want to connect with you.
[00:01:34] Renata: I just got a couple of those and one of them is a fellow coach, you know, but I don't know. And, and it really sort of leaves me flabbergasted because she should know better tell her clients to make. So they always send a message and I feel that, you know, we want to connect with like-minded professionals and, and I understand that.
[00:01:53] Renata: So, a tip for you, if you let's say you are a marketing manager and you want to connect with other marketing [00:02:00] managers, but you don't know. Well, first start by following them. You can follow people instead of connecting with them. So, follow them first, see if they are active on LinkedIn. If they are active on LinkedIn their posts will come to your feed, right?
[00:02:12] Renata: So that's a great way to get to know someone. And then if you really want to connect with them, you think that you are going to gel well and be good mates, then do that. And say, look, I really love following you on LinkedIn, your posts. I would love to get to connect with you here on LinkedIn. Do you mind accepting my invitation to connect and then send that person something nice.
[00:02:37] Renata: Maybe if that person likes like myself, I love sharing posts with my followers, articles that I find that I think are good for people that are looking for jobs. Send me something, you know, send that person something, Luca, I know you like data and, and marketing. And I just saw this article. I want it to share with you, right.
[00:02:55] Renata: Take why not? You know, I mean, it's really funny. Like you would never do [00:03:00] something like that in bursts and he would never walk to a person in a. Hand your business card and walk away. You would never do that. So don't do that on LinkedIn. Okay. That's my tip for you. I love my followers on all my social media platforms.
[00:03:15] Renata: I am on LinkedIn as I should be. Of course. I mean, look at the title of this podcast, right? And I'm also on other platforms. Like if you want to know a little bit about my life and what I do and eaten listen to every day a and you know, everything I am on Instagram. I also have little short videos on TikTOK.
[00:03:36] Renata: I'm just starting on Tik TOK. I was told I had to, what else I am on Twitter on Twitter. I like to read other people's tweets, especially journalists and politicians. It really informs, um, my, my thinking about the world and, you know, it's just a platform to be there. Sometimes I tweet, I tweet mostly what I add to other platforms about my coaching and my [00:04:00] podcasts, of course.
[00:04:01] Renata: And I have a Facebook group. It's a great group. It has over a hundred people now and a Facebook page, of course. So, you know, I'm everywhere. You can find me everywhere. Okay, please, please follow me. Okay. So this episode is about the things, no one tells you about job hunting. You know, that's what this podcast is all about isn't it?
[00:04:20] Renata: It's about informing you, educating you so that you can make the best career plans for yourself. And I love sharing with you ideas and I'm informed by the clients. I serve the people that give me feedback, the people that want to join the Facebook group, and they have to answer three questions. I love reading those answers because it tells me how people are feeling about the job market and what they're trying to do.
[00:04:45] Renata: And it informs the topics for this is episodes. And I'd love to hear your feedback about the topics. And if you want to hear more about a specific topic, please let me know. But sometimes you don't know what you don't know, you know, and these are the things [00:05:00] people don't know about job hunting, and I can add more.
[00:05:03] Renata: I can keep talking. I can talk under water about this but I will stop at five things so that we don't go on and on forever, I'm finding that professionals in the corporate, nonprofit and public sectors are becoming more and more comfortable. Changing jobs. We know that there are huge benefits from changing jobs every two to three years, and people that are much younger in their early thirties, you know, in their late twenties, they are way more comfortable than people in their fifties with making those career decisions.
[00:05:33] Renata: Those are strategic, the city. They're not just things that happened to people's careers. Those are strategic decisions to enable them to have an enormous financial gain. So I will give you an example. I know someone in his early thirties who left a consulting job to work for a startup and doubled his salary.
[00:05:55] Renata: And then a few years later, maybe less than two years, [00:06:00] joined a very low. corporation and was able to increase his salary once again by about 20%. So in a very short period of time, his financial situation changed enormously. And that can happen when you're strategically looking for work. When you're not in a risky, challenging situation when the job market is favorable to your profession.
[00:06:24] Renata: So you have to keep. The finger on the pulse. I say this all the time, I finger on the pulse of the job market. And not only there is a financial gain in changing jobs every now and then it's very good for your professional development for networking, for finding a culture that fits better for your style.
[00:06:44] Renata: And. The purpose and values that you have. So instead of feeling miserable in a job that you don't like for years, for fear of changing, you can step outside your comfort zone, go out into the job market and find a better job for you. I have a client who has [00:07:00] experienced that. She was feeling really miserable at her job, and it was a job that didn't fit her skills.
[00:07:06] Renata: She was under valued, under paid, and the culture was terrible and she changed jobs. And all of a sudden that person. Was a completely different person. She was so much happier. And that validation that comes externally is important. I know we need to love ourselves and feel self-confident and self resilient, but going to work into a culture that doesn't fit you every day can be a very soul crushing experience.
[00:07:32] Renata: So it's important for professionals to move jobs, especially when the environment is favorable. At the time of this recording, it's around may 20, 22, and it's not going to last forever, right? Like we have this misconception that because the job market is good now that it will just keep on becoming better and better.
[00:07:53] Renata: It's not eventually things will flatten out and the supply and demand of job candidates and job positions [00:08:00] will even out as. Pre pandemic. So let's look at the five things. No one tells you about job hunting so that you can prepare for an M. If you are making plans to go to the job market, you know, you would be able to address them, anticipate them plan for them and conquer, conquer them, conquer your fears as well of going into the job market, knowing more about how to behave, prepare, and plan for it.
[00:08:26] Renata: So, number one, You need to sell yourself. You are the service and the product out there. That will be quiet by another employer. So if you're in the job market, you of course know that you need to sell yourself. And that's in itself a self-selecting proposition. Some people hate talking about themselves, selling themselves, and then they avoid.
[00:08:49] Renata: Going out into the job market. Like the plague. It's not for them. They don't like to sell themselves. How many times I have heard this from friends, colleagues, clients, but you have to sell [00:09:00] your skills to an employer. How can an employer know how you can help if you're the right candidate, the right fit for that position that they're advertising, right.
[00:09:09] Renata: It's important. To know that most professionals, as amazing as you are a senior, a school skilled and experienced as you are, you are not an iPhone. What I mean by that is that people are not going to be lining up at your door, waiting to buy. Right. Like a nine for a knife phone is bought because people queue up, they go to an apple store intending to buy it.
[00:09:33] Renata: They have already made a decision. Now, some employees and professionals out there who are in that situation, it's very variable. Most of the time you need to sell your skills to an employer. They need to be sold, not bought you. Can't just be an apple store and wait for employers to want you. If you're a skillset is not iPhone, like you [00:10:00] need to have face to face interactions with people that have the decision-making power to hire you.
[00:10:06] Renata: It needs to be personalized. It has to be an intense contact of backwards and. Conversations LinkedIn profile alone will not get you a job. It may attract you people to come to your profile and get to know you. But then after that there's work to be done, they will call you, they will email you. They will want to talk to you and interview you.
[00:10:28] Renata: So it's important for you to be ready. So many people, when they are looking for jobs, they come to me and they say, I need you to update my resume and my LinkedIn profile. And I can do that service as you know, if you went to. Website, you know that I do LinkedIn audits and I do one-on-one consultations.
[00:10:45] Renata: They are 60 minutes long. I can review your resume, record it for you if you want so that you have that recording and you can update your resume in a way that it's ACS compliant and great for your profession, your country, wherever you are. I have clients [00:11:00] all over the world. I can do that, but there is more to job hunting then that you need to know that.
[00:11:06] Renata: And you need to be out in the world, connecting with. Who make the decisions about who to hire. So be prepared for that. There are episodes here that can help you on this podcast to be prepared for that. But of course, coaching is there for a reason. People hire people like me for a reason, it's to help them with that narrative, with that selling proposition.
[00:11:30] Renata: Second thing that you need to know if you're going to be job hunting is. To do the work, not just plan for it. So I'm a big planner, right? If you've listened to all the episodes, you know, I like to be strategic. I like to have career plans for myself and for my clients, but sometimes it's important to listen first.
[00:11:51] Renata: And sometimes a career plan is developed after you go out into the market. Career plan is important. Yes, [00:12:00] but also no, Y what we really don't want to do is to spend months or even years trying to come up with the best possible career plan, what you really want to do in the future, and just sit and reflect by yourself and dream about your future.
[00:12:17] Renata: Knowing if there is a market out there for what you want to do, if there are professional, if there are employers that want to hire professionals like you, if what you want to do professionally is viable financially for you. And the way to know about these things, it too is to talk to people. So this second issue of, you know, you need to do the work.
[00:12:40] Renata: Just plan for, it came from question that was asked by a LinkedIn follower recently, and then she wanted to know, you know, how do I know if this is what I really want to do? And I said, well, do you have anybody in this sector that you can talk to men? You know, have you spoken to people that do this? Do you know [00:13:00] anybody in the industry you have.
[00:13:03] Renata: And go out there and find out, you know, just reading about it is not enough. Reading is curated, right? Ideally you would want to shadow that person. So, you know, spend a day with somebody that has the job that you want to have in the future. And if you ask people may, may want to mentor you. Right. So it's important.
[00:13:22] Renata: The study is not a career plan right away. It's a tactical move. And I think that this is really important too. So let's say you want to become a project manager, right? Or a product manager in a specific sector. You can do a master of project management that will give you a lot of information. It may even crystallize some of the learnings you've already had at work.
[00:13:46] Renata: You know, it's just a good way of ensuring. That whoever employs you in the future can see the experience in your work background, but can also see that you've studied it. So it's really a double whammy. You're going to be a [00:14:00] winner in their eyes, but it's a tactical move you hurt. Or you first have to decide that you want to be a project manager.
[00:14:06] Renata: You have to talk to. Project manage and see how they do their work. Ask them for advice on how to skill reskill and upskill is there's this master of project management, a great degree to do. Is it necessary? So knowing those things from the horse's mouth is ideal for you, as you make your plans, a career plan is knowing where you're going and as you move along the chosen path for.
[00:14:33] Renata: Then upgrade your plan along the way. Right? So as you go out into the market with a minimal viable product of what your career will be like, remember to upgrade it, right. It doesn't have to be set in stone. It's important to review your plans for your future based on what's happening out there to you and how you're feeling emotionally and professionally about the path that you have chosen.
[00:14:58] Renata: You might want to change your [00:15:00] mind. I remember. Many years ago when I was the CEO of the John Monash foundation, trying to connect with, uh, one of the scholars who we had sent overseas to study an and when we make an investment or giving someone a scholarship, such a prestigious scholarship, of course, we want to keep in touch and all what they're doing.
[00:15:17] Renata: And I realized that she didn't want. Connect with me because she was feeling embarrassed that she had changed her plans. So she had come to the selection process saying she wanted to do X and then halfway through her studies, she decided to do Y and you knows that was a misconception from her side that we would only be offering her the scholarship based on what she told us she would do.
[00:15:41] Renata: We gave her the scholarship because she was brilliant and we knew whatever she did in the future. Would make us proud. And I think that that's an important thing to know as well, whatever you decide to do, be proud of your career plan and where you're going with your career and your life. [00:16:00] Number three, you need to make time.
[00:16:03] Renata: As we mentioned before, most professionals don't understand that they need. They don't understand that they're not an iPhone. People are not going to be lining up to hire them. They won't be bought, they need to be sold. So you have to make time to DIY your selling. Right? So nobody's going to do that for you.
[00:16:22] Renata: You don't have a team around you. I mean, if you hire a coach, you will definitely get a lot of support, but you still, even with the coach need to have the time to network to learn more about the future of your profession. To listen to your employees, both past present and future potential employers on what they need from professionals.
[00:16:46] Renata: Like you, you need to read about your chosen profession, apply for jobs, talk to people, all types of people get as much feedback as you can. Prepare for the interviews. You know, interview preparation is so [00:17:00] underwrite. It it's so important and it requires time getting ready for your next work is so important.
[00:17:06] Renata: Preparing your next all of is so important and you need to carve out the time in your. To do that. So for people that have reached out to me, you're looking for a private coach. That is a question that I always ask. You know, I can see you really want this job. I can see that you really want to engage me as your coach.
[00:17:25] Renata: Do you also have time in your. To do this. Let's talk about the time that you will be able to allocate. And that really informs how I will be able to help that person. And if that person is really ready, I remember there was one time when a client said, I just thought you could do most of the work for me.
[00:17:44] Renata: And I said, no, that's not how coaching works. And we then postponed the beginning of her coaching six months until she found a time and you will be happy to know she found a new job. So that was good, but she was just too busy with work [00:18:00] and family in the middle of the pandemic to dedicate to job searching.
[00:18:04] Renata: So we had to postpone it until such time when she could carve out the time to invest in, in her career. Number four. It's important to pitch and then plan. So you can see there is a consistent message here, right? I want you to be active out there looking for work. What, you know, it's the thing about what comes first?
[00:18:27] Renata: Is it the chicken or the egg? It's the same with bitches? You know, a lot of people focus a lot on perfecting. Pitch when in fact he can only perfect something. Once you start doing it, it's the same with everything. Riding a bike, surfing, playing tennis, the work that you do, you have to be out there doing the work to be better and better at it, right.
[00:18:49] Renata: To pitch your, your elevator pitch. you write your about section on LinkedIn. It helps you address that question that you get on job [00:19:00] interviews. Tell me about yourself and why do you want this job? It's it's the same. it's not going to be perfect. It's going to be ready. Give the pitch a few times in different formats.
[00:19:12] Renata: See what works about. Doesn't change the pitch. Then you write your career plans and goals based on the information that you're getting from the job market. Specially, if you're actively looking for work in the next six to 12 months, you can really refine those plans. Once you're out there pitching you.
[00:19:32] Renata: Can't perfect. A pitch in isolation. You have to go to market with an MVP, a minimum. Pitch and test it out and then re redo it and redesign it. Okay. In number five and number five in last, you don't have to be all grown up in boring. Okay. Remember that? I was rereading a book that I love by a marketer called guy Kawasaki.
[00:19:59] Renata: He [00:20:00] is a very well-known guru in marketing and he, this book was for startups and I was rereading it because. Like his ideas and, and advise. And I feel that people tend to lose themselves when they go for job interviews and they act all important and serious. When in fact your employer or future employer may want your unconventional ideas.
[00:20:25] Renata: You know, it's important to be thoughtful, to be spontaneous. To be vulnerable so that you can open up to the person in front of you and show your great ideas, your unconventional ideas. I have a client at the moment who is from a very commercial. Corporate background. She has amazing experience managing Townsend's of people and, you know, a very large budgets and she is being going through a selection process for a much, much smaller [00:21:00] organization.
[00:21:00] Renata: And it's. For her to adapt and bring that amazing knowledge to the table in a way that is thoughtful and is spontaneous so that that employee can understand what she can do for them. They probably already know because she's, you know, uh, at the S. Tail end of the engagement process and the selection. And I think that she has been able to showcase that to them, but it's important to be, make the employer talk.
[00:21:31] Renata: It's important to allow them the space in the job interview in the conversation to explain to you what they're looking for. Most people can't do that in job interviews, they get re. Anxious about the, the fact that the employer is using too much space and talking for too long and that they won't be able to make the case, but it's important to let the employer talk because you don't know about them as much as they do, and they want to inform you, [00:22:00] right.
[00:22:00] Renata: You don't know them that well, you don't know yet, or you can offer them. And once you hear them, if you have a good ear, and if you feel listening mindfully to what they're saying, you will be able to tailor your answers to address their concerns. So let the employer tell you about what they need, listen, and then explain how your skills can help them listen, and then review your pitch and then start planning.
[00:22:26] Renata: Career and your goals, right? So this opportunity that we have between jobs or when we're looking for work can really inform your career, not just at this point in time, but long-term as well understanding what's in people's minds, what they're really looking for and, and professionals like. And make sure that you don't be all grown up in boring and serious and to the point and to vanilla in job interviews, but allow yourself to some vulnerability [00:23:00] to show who you are and yeah, let them talk.
[00:23:03] Renata: I think that that's really important. This is all for this episode. I hope you've enjoyed listening to it. It was very chit-chatty. I really wanted to share this ideas with you to help you in your job search. So a recap you need to sell yourself. Number one, you need to do the work, not just plan for it.
[00:23:24] Renata: Number two, you need to make time. To find the next job. Number three, you need to pitch and then plan and not the other way around. That's number four and you don't have to be all grown up and boring. If you need the support of a coach to achieve those goals, getting to truth, mate, check out my services on my website.
[00:23:45] Renata: My services start at 219 Australian dollars. That's equivalent to approximately one 50 us dollars. At the time of [00:24:00] this recording. At that level of investment, you can get a whole day of recordings from me with master classes that are designed to help you reset your career.
[00:24:09] Renata: Plus a 31. Action plan plus templates such as resume templates at a templates in a bunch of other important resources. It's called a reset your career workshop and action plan, which is available to you right now. As soon as you need it, it's there for. Go check it out on my website.
[00:24:32] Renata: All right. That's all for now. And thank you for listening until the end and I'll see you next time. Bye.
About the Host
Hello, I’m Renata Bernarde, the Host of The Job Hunting Podcast. I’m also an executive coach, job hunting expert, and career strategist. I teach professionals (corporate, non-profit, and public) the steps and frameworks to help them find great jobs, change, and advance their careers with confidence and less stress.
If you are an ambitious professional who is keen to develop a robust career plan, if you are looking to find your next job or promotion, or if you want to keep a finger on the pulse of the job market so that when you are ready, and an opportunity arises, you can hit the ground running, then this podcast is for you.
In addition to The Job Hunting Podcast, on my website, I have developed a range of courses and services for professionals in career or job transition. And, of course, I also coach private clients.
Contact Renata Bernarde
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