I recently interviewed two successful members of the entertainment industry for upcoming profiles: Alison Deyette, a TV host, stylist, and lifestyle expert who appears regularly in segments on top network TV talk shows, and Judith McHale, longtime President & Chief Executive Officer of Discovery Communications, the parent company of The Discovery Channel. Though their career paths couldn’t be more different, and Alison is in mid-career while Judith left Discovery several years ago, they each did something multiple times early in their careers which helped shape their success and which anyone can do at any career phase to help them get more opportunities and ultimately achieve more. They stood up and raised their hands. Alison’s career path is full of examples of her stepping forward, taking advantage of an opportunity, taking initiative, and saying what she wanted. As an editor for her college newspaper, she went to every cultural event and dined at every restaurant she could in order to provide reviews and garner journalism experience. She also interviewed many business leaders, government officials, and celebrities and got her articles published in business journals and other publications. Right out of school, when offered a position at a start-up magazine in New York based on having a portfolio of published work, she struck a deal to be hired as an assistant editor rather than editorial assistant and to have her first article published within a short time of starting at the magazine. She quickly had her own column, as well as writing other articles each issue. And when she noticed the fashion editor was always hiring freelancer to go on fashion shoots, she asked if she could assist on one. Warned that it wasn’t as glamorous as it sounded, she was allowed to go on that shoot (and many after that) when she found she loved even the hard work and was good at it. By standing up and raising her hand in college and as a recent graduate, whether directly or by taking initiative, she found a career which had multiple elements and played to her strengths and her passions, which she continues to thrive in to this day. In Judith’s case, there are two situations in which she stood up and raised her hand. She had been a commercial producer before and during law school and, though she went to work for a firm that did not have an entertainment law practice, she let them know (after she had established and proven herself) that she was interested in practicing entertainment law. “About two or three years into my tenure, they actually merged with an entertainment law firm,” she told me. “I ended up as their principal associate and began to work as a lawyer in media issues, everything from First Amendment issues to contracting to sports to television syndication, all sorts of things. So I was getting a pretty broad exposure to the industry.” With the groundwork firmly in place for a career in media, Judith decided she wanted to work for a business rather than a law firm, and she accepted a position as an attorney at MTV, rising to General Counsel before taking the same position at Washington, DC-based Discovery Communications when she needed to relocate to be near an ailing parent. After she had established herself at Discovery, she made a similar statement as she had at MTV. This time she wanted to make sure they weren’t “typecasting” her in her position. “Don’t think of me just as the general counsel,” she said. “I want to do more than that. I want to be engaged in the strategic planning. I want to be engaged in some of our acquisitions. I think I have broader bandwidth than just being a lawyer.” And her rise from General Counsel to President & CEO of Discovery Communications and her long tenure there, helping build the organization from a 30-person company to a global media enterprise, demonstrates she was clearly right in believing that she had more bandwidth than just doing General Counsel work and that, like Alison, she was wise to stand up and raise her hand. So where would it be wise to stand up and raise YOUR hand? Make a difference in your career today!Image Credit: Shutterstock
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
BigstockMake a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
- How did I learn about this job?
- How did I apply for the job?
- Did I earn an interview?
- What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
BigstockAre you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
Let's start with resumes!
Every resume should be tailored to the position in order for it to stand out to recruiters and hiring managers. It may seem like a lot of work, but it's actually less work than submitting the same resume over and over again and never hearing back.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
BigstockYour job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
- Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
- Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
- Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
Need more help with your job search?
Become a member to learn how to land a job and UNLEASH your true potential to get what you want from work!
This article was originally published at an earlier date.