Stop Saying "Sorry", learn alternatives
Episode 16 - Seven ways experienced professionals can elevate their game for better career outcomes
This episode will discuss my final 7 actions from the 31 Days of Action To Reset Your Career Project. I left these for last because although they are just as important, they should follow on from the first actions, which are the foundation steps in resetting your career. These are the finetuning and the next step in building your leadership skills, elevating your game, and being ready to take on new opportunities, responsibilities, and new jobs.
1. Register to attend a professional event.
We discussed this already in a previous episode, number 11: "What to invest in when you are job hunting: Options for 3 different budgets." That episode is jam-packed with tips and advice so that you only spend money when and if it's essential for your job search. But in this episode, we do a bit of a recap and dig a bit deeper.
2. Stop saying "sorry".
Replace:
Sorry to interrupt WITH I'd like to add that…
I'm sorry we couldn't meet WITH Such a pity we couldn't meet…
I'm sorry, but I don't understand … WITH I don't understand
I'm sorry if this is not what you want to hear WITH What I'm about to say may be out of the box…
Sorry, I'm late… WITH Sorry I'm late – because if you are late, you should apologize.
3. Book a meeting with your manager.
If you've been following the 31 Days Of Actions To Reset Your Career, by now you have done a lot!! Pat yourself on the back, my friend! Now would be a good time to address some of your career ambitions with your manager. Remember first to listen: ask them to tell you about the key themes for the company this year, what are the most critical aspects of their work, clarify what you need to do to support them, and maybe even share with them your career interests and ambitions.
4. Send two thank-you notes.
The University of Texas Austin has done research extensively on this topic. And the results are essential for you: writing thank you notes improves your well-being, as well as the well-being of the letter recipient!
And those genuine, authentic and positive connections are what you want to build in your life and your career. They are powerful links, and when you continue to invest time in building them, you are building a solid foundation for you to thrive as a person and as a professional.
In Episode 5 of The Job Hunting Podcast, I detail the importance of giving thanks. You can find the audio and blog post here.
5. It's time to update your LinkedIn profile
LinkedIn summaries are a tricky business; I'm not going to lie! You need to follow your sector trends as well as the trends for 2020. When in doubt, be conservative: some summaries I see listed on "top summaries" in articles on the web are interesting, but not exactly great for job hunters.
Here are my top tips:
Write in first person, i.e., use "I."
Think about the reader and what they want to read about you.
Write it on Word/google doc. Check for spelling. Sleep on it.
Recheck the wording. Send to a friend who loves English, ask them to review. Then publish.
Use dot points.
Use action verbs.
In-between jobs? Finish the summary with an invitation to catch up. You've nothing to lose!
6. Get to know 2 recruiters who are specialized in your sector.
Two is just the beginning. You should have a spreadsheet with the key recruiters in your sector and your region, and this is quickly done.
Go to job boards like Seek, LinkedIn, or Indeed
Search for roles you would like to apply
Check the recruitment organizations advertising them.
The name of the recruiter may be listed there. If not, check the website
Follow (do not connect! See the difference on my post from day 13!!) those recruiters on LinkedIn, so you know when they are advertising: usually, they will post on LinkedIn to let their network know.
Keep doing this for a few days/weeks and you will have a good list of people who can eventually help you get a job.
Considering going a step further and getting in touch with them? Or applying for a job? Remember that I have a free email template to help you connect with head-hunters, recruiters, and hiring managers.
7. Invest in your career development
This is the FINAL DAY ACTION OF THE 31 DAYS OF ACTIONS TO RESET YOUR CAREER!!! Phew! I've been busy getting these 31 actions ready for you, and I hope you have enjoyed them!!
Resources mentioned in this episode
Transcript of this episode
Hello everyone and welcome to The Job Hunting Podcast. I’m Renata Bernarde, the host. In this podcast I give you tips, advice and interview experts to help you nail your next job and have the best career: a career that ties your dreams and your life together, and not only pays your bills but also moves you towards your goals and aspirations.
I want to apologize first for skipping a week. You may have noticed that this podcast has weekly episodes and last week, well, it was a messy week, and there was no way I could make it work, folks. If you follow me on Instagram and Facebook you may have seen my announcement saying it was just too much to juggle, and I decided to focus on getting my website back and running – I have done a bit of work and updating on it – and press the reset on everything and let that week go. Had this podcast been going on for longer I would have re-posted an older episode, but we are young, and it’s too early to do that!
Anyway, here we are with our last companion episode of the 31 days of Actions! SO exciting to finally release it and wind down this project.
And of course, I’ve started something new already. In fact I’m reviewing all my offerings, with the help of you, listeners out there who have booked a time to speak with me, it’s wonderful to get to know you more personally and be able to help you, as well as get some inspiration for future projects and podcast episodes I can plan for you to enjoy. If you want to have a session with me, free, no commitment, just go to the show notes and I’ll have the link there for you. Or if you can remember, all you need to do is type in my website address and add /join.
In this episode we will discuss my final 7 actions from the 31 Days of Action To Reset Your Career Project. I left these ones for last because they are just as important, but they should follow on from the first actions which are more the foundation steps in resetting your career, whereas these ones are the next step up.
Today I was watching my favourite YouTube channel, Sailing La Vagabond, where this gorgeous Australian couple sail the world in their catamaran. Riley was getting ready for a Transatlantic crossing, which is a major undertaking, and he is doing all these steps in preparation, and he said something really wise: the last 5% you need to do are incredibly hard and time consuming, but you need to do it to get everything ready for the trip. Right? You really need to prepare and be 100% ready for a challenging journey like that. Well, career enthusiasts, these next 7 crucial lessons are just some of what you need to do for your last 5%, to get ready and have a successful career transition, job search strategy, career progression and so on.
As always, like everything I do, such as my Job Hunting Made Simple framework I that I teach, my private clients that I coach and mentor, and the Reset Your Career Project I share, I’m sharing this with you so you don’t have to learn it the hard way. The 31 days of Actions I created to showcase you the value of having guidance and coaching, someone giving you advice, tips and checklists you can follow to improve your game. To get you in the habit of investing in yourself and, quite frankly, in your “bread and butter”! If amazes me that we invest in our cars, health, dogs, kids, hair, basically everything but our careers. The value you can get from a coaching program can and should last you a good 2-3 years. So, keep that in mind as you start planning for your future and want to get help with those crucial 5% tasks and planning that can literally be instrumental in your success.
So, I would really like you to consider embracing this opportunity to have a free consultation with me. Just go to the show notes, find the link and let’s have a chat! You’ve got nothing to lose, and I’m confident you will get a few invaluable tips during our time together.
Ok without further ado, let’s start with the final 7 steps, the ones that can elevate your game as you apply for jobs and enable your career growth.
1. Register to attend a professional event.
We discussed this already in a previous episode, number 11: “What to invest in when you are job hunting: Options for 3 different budgets.” That episode is jam-packed with tips and advice so that you only spend money when and if it’s important for your job search. But let’s recap on events attendance, and why it’s important for your job-hunting strategy.
Let’s start with events you can attend on a budget: Use an app like Eventbrite and search for professional events in your local area. There are dozens of conferences, symposiums, lunches. For example, Melbourne Innovation Week events are free or very accessible. There are several lunches and events organised by Lean In Chapters, Councils, Co-working spaces and so on, which are around $30-$50 and are focused on a specific sector or topic, which you can attend to learn, network, and socialize. There may be job opportunities that you are made aware thought these events: I recently spoke at a free Lean In function in Melbourne, hosted by energy company AGL. AGL announced it had several positions opened, and invited the guests to speak to the AGL employees during the event.
Now, if you can spend a bit more, attend paid networking events. There is a difference between the ones I proposed before, and the ones I am proposing here. I am suggesting that you attend thought leadership events where decision makers are present. These are people who may be potential employers and can be looking for talent. In Australia I suggest CEDA’s State of State Addresses, Chartered Accountants CEO forums or events organised by Chambers of Commerce e.g. Australian British Chamber of Commerce, American Chambers, etc.
When job hunting, be careful with conferences: They are a good place to meet peers and learn important technical aspects of your professional. Being up to date with innovation, new systems, new technology is very important but it’s also easily done on a budget at home with time and patience. Unless you are in academia, people in attendance at conferences may not have the authority to hire you. So, keep that in mind and use your budget wisely. There are several exceptions to this rule but I say this from experience: people will usually overly invest in technical knowledge they already have, or additional degrees which may not give the return on their investment in getting the next job quickly. I explain this at length in my course, Job Hunting Made Simple. But for now, remember to attend networking events, exchange cards, then connect with these people on LinkedIn, including the CEDA speaker and CEDA staff, and they are your connections now for life.
2. Stop saying “sorry”.
Replace:
Sorry to interrupt WITH I’d like to add that…
I’m sorry we couldn’t meet WITH Such a pity we couldn’t meet…
I’m sorry but I don’t understand … WITH I don’t understand
I’m sorry if this is not what you want to hear WITH What I’m about to say may be out of the box…
Sorry I’m late… WITH Sorry I’m late – because if you are late you should apologize.
3. Book a meeting with your manager.
If you’ve been following the 31 Days Of Actions To Reset Your Career, by now you have done a lot!! Give yourself a pat on the back, my friend! Now would be a good time to address some of your career ambitions with your manager. Remember to first listen: ask him/her to tell you about the key themes for the company this year, what are the most important aspects of his/her work, clarify what you need to do to support them, and maybe even share with them your career interests and ambitions.
When you book your free consultation with me, we can use that time to help you get ready for this meeting. It’s important to use that time wisely, especially if it doesn’t happen that often. Ill give you my example: my meetings with my boss. I’d love to help you nail your meeting, and in return you will be helping me better understand your career needs so I can produce great content for you in the future!
4. Send 2 Thank You notes
University of Texas Austin has done research extensively on this topic. And the results are important for you: writing thank you notes improves your well-being, as well as the well-being of the letter recipient!
And those genuine, authentic and positive connections are what you want to build in your life and your career. They are powerful links, and when you continue to invest time in building them, you are building a solid foundation for you to thrive as a person and as a professional.
Here is a quote from the researcher: "What we saw is that it only takes a couple of minutes to compose letters like these, thoughtful ones and sincere ones. It comes at little cost, but the benefits are larger than people expect."
On Episode 5 of The Job Hunting Podcast I go into more detail about the importance of giving thanks. You can find the audio and blog post here: https://www.renatabernarde.com/blog/5
5. It’s time to update your LinkedIn profile
LinkedIn summaries are tricky business, I’m not going to lie! You need to follow your sector trends as well as the trends for 2020. When in doubt, be conservative: some summaries I see listed on “top summaries” in articles on the web are really interesting, but not exactly great for job hunters.
Here are my top tips:
Write in first person i.e. use “I”
Think about the reader and what they want to read about you.
Write it on Word/google doc. Check for spelling. Sleep on it.
Check the wording again. Send to a friend who loves English, ask them to review. Then publish.
Use dot points.
Use action verbs.
In-between jobs? Finish the summary with an invitation to catch up. You've nothing to lose!
If you need help getting it ready, you can use our free consultation to discuss this. When you book your time with me there will be a few questions to answer, just add your LinkedIn profile url there, and I’d love to help you nail your summary, and in return you will be helping me better understand your needs better.
6. Get to know 2 recruiters who are specialized in your sector.
Two is just the beginning. You should have a spreadsheet with the key recruiters in your sector and in your region. This is easily done:
Go to job boards like Seek, LinkedIn or Indeed
Search for roles you would like to apply
Check the recruitment organisations advertising them
The name of the recruiter may be listed there. If not, check the website
Follow (do not connect! See difference on my post from day 13!!) those recruiters on LinkedIn so you know when they are advertising: usually they will post on LinkedIn to let their network know.
Keep doing this for a few days/weeks and you will have a good list of people who can eventually help you get a job.
Considering going a step further and getting in touch with them? Or applying for a job? Remember that I have a free email template to help you connect with head-hunters, recruiter and hiring managers. The link is on my website and I will also include on the episode show notes.
7. Invest in your career development
This is the FINAL DAY ACTION OF THE 31 DAYS OF ACTIONS TO RESET YOUR CAREER!!! Phew! I’ve been busy getting these 31 actions ready for you, and I hope you have enjoyed them!! Please comment below or send me a direct message!! I’d be delighted to hear from you if you’ve been implementing them!
If you are not yet subscribed to this podcast, do so. If you are not yet subscribed to my newsletter, please do so now. This is the easiest and cheapest way you can action this strategy and continue to invest in your professional development. I’ll keep you accountable! Way we can continue to work together and invest in your career.
If you are considering going a step further and investing in your career, I’d love to help. With the link below you can contact me for a free (no commitment, nothing to sell) consultation. My goal is to give you guidance: what is keeping you awake at night? What are your next steps? Why am I not getting interviews? Why is it taking so long for me to get my next job? When I posted this on Instagram, I got some great feedback from my followers, and I’m so glad that it is resonating with many of you. I think the recruitment and selection process is heavily weighted towards the employer, and it can be a very lonely and uncertain experience for the candidate. Let’s change that, shall we?
That’s all for this episode, my friends! I look forward to sharing more tips and ideas with you next week, and I’m glad to inform you that I have quite a few interviews booked and I think you are going to really enjoy listening to different stories and perspectives.
Remember to subscribe to my newsletter so that you get the podcast episodes in your inbox, together with important news and announcements from me, and some extra resources that I curate especially for my community.
Bye for now
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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