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Show Topics:

• Classy Career Girl Free Webinar replay (transcript AND video!)

• About Classy Career Girl

• How to identify and get your dream job and my 8 step get unstuck action plan

• Stories from successful business women and career experts

• 30 days of networking ideas free ebook

You can read the webinar transcript below but if you would like to watch the recording, you can watch it here.

If you would rather review the slides, you can find them here.

Get Unstuck and Find the Right Career For You Podcast & Webinar Transcript

Hi, this is Anna Runyan from classycareergirl.com and welcome to podcast #5! Today we have another special podcast where I am going to replay my get unstuck and find the right career for you webinar. We had so many people sign up and attend and I had so much fun doing the webinar.   So, if you are stuck in a rut and looking for a little help on the next step to take to find the right career for you, get excited because you are going to love this podcast.

Webinar Transcript: 

Hi, this is Anna Runyan from Classy Career girl.com and welcome to Get Unstuck and Find the Right Career For you!  I would love to know where you are calling in so if you could enter where you are from in the chat box on your right that would be great! So this is the spot where if you have any questions, feel free to post them at any time.  I will be answering questions at the end if this webinar so feel free to write them out so you don’t forget them and I will get to them at the end.

Thank you so much for joining us tonight for our free webinar about finding the right career for you.  I am so excited to share with you some of the information I have learned over the past few years of how I found the right career for me and to share with you what I am learning from successful businesswomen and career experts through my 2012 networking challenge interviews.

Slide 2:

So here is the agenda for tonight.  This should go about an hour and if you have any questions feel free to fill them in on the side of the screen. So our first thing we are going to cover tonight is I am going to introduce myself and give you a little more background of me.  Then we are going to go through how to know if it is time for a career change,   Some tips that I have that you should do before you start your career search, how to identify and get your dream job and throughout tonight I am going to share stories from my interviews with successful business women and career experts because I have learned so much from them and I want to share them because they are so motivational.  I am also going to share with you what I have learned as well. I am also really excited to share with you my new ebook about 30 days of networking ideas and I will definitely be telling you where to find that at the end of this webinar!  So let’s get started!

Slide 3:

I am also excited to give out my free 30 days of networking ideas ebook and I will let you know where you can find that at the end of the call.

Slide 4:

About me!  My name is Anna Runyan and I am the founder of Classycareergirl.com.  I just celebrated two years of blogging and I also have a full-time job as a Consultant at a government consulting firm in San Diego. A year ago I also got my MBA and I went to school part time while working full time and blogging!

Since I am going to give you career advice, I wanted to make sure you knew my career background so you know where I am coming from. In college, I was totally undecided and had no idea what I wanted to do with my life.  I had three internships throughout college and I took and one of them turned into a full-time job with the government. I realized I hated the job though and then I got a job with a government-consulting firm, and have been working for that company for six years.

If you aren’t familiar with my blog yet, I started my blog as an anonymous personal blog and then about six months ago I realized that my passion and purpose in life is training and coaching through a personality assessment that I completed.

So I did informational interviews throughout the entire year of 2011, including people within and outside of my company and finally was able to get a side job with my company as an adjunct facilitator teaching employees at my company how to manage their career and find the right fit for them within the company, which I absolutely love.  I

also decided I wanted to help more people on my blog which is why I am doing webinars like this as well!  Last night, I wrote a tweet that totally sums up my journey, I wrote, “Because of some hard work, late nights, and big moves outside of my comfort zone, my life is starting to look exactly how I want it to.” And that is what I hope for all of you. I want you to find what it is that motivates you and interests you and then find out how to make that your job just like I was able to do.

Slide 5:

So I also had to include these five fun facts about me as well. Yes, you can read through them and discover the real me, I use to figure skate, run marathons, I can’t whistle,  I am from Minnesota, and moved out to San Diego to go to college when I was 18 and have been in San Diego every since.

Slide 6:

So now the part that you have all been waiting for! How to get unstuck from this terrible rut that you might be in! Or you may not be in a terrible rut but you just want a change because you know you are so much better than what you are doing right now and you want a bigger challenge!

So here are some common things that happen when you feel stuck and in a rut. You might feel like you have very little motivation, you hate waking up and going to work, you live for the weekend, you have little passion in anything, and you don’t know how to get a job in this economy so you just stay put and keep going to a job you hate every day.

You just don’t know what the next step to take is and it is totally draining. I have been there. And although it helps, wine every night is not the answer because you still have to go back to the same job the next day.

Slide 7:

When I have felt like this in the past, because I have had some pretty terrible jobs too, here are some things that I do that help me right away. There are definitely things to do long term but these simple things can help you today if you are feeling this way,  the first thing I do is take a mental health day to just have a day where I just think about what I am doing and what I want to change in my life.

The reason that this is a better than a weekend day is because most weekends you have things to do and errands and laundry to do. But having a day off work is like a free day to read a book and really have some down time which you wouldn’t have normally had.

Now I am not saying to do this often at all, but it will help if you are just really having a hard time getting motivated to use it as a day to try to make some changes in your life going forward. Kind of like a break and a new start. Other things to do are to make some new habits in your life, such as starting to wake up earlier which I did a year ago and it totally changed my life.

Other things are organizing your to-do list before you leave work for the next day or adding a 30-minute workout to your day or even setting aside an hour of reading every day. Change one little habit and it can really help change your life. Also, you could learn a new hobby like playing tennis or doing yoga. And meet new people!  That is a great way to get out of a rut is to talk to other people and learn what they do because it will help you learn more about yourself and what you want out of your life and the next steps to take.  Most people are also very open to giving your advice which is great!

Slide 8:

So now if you have a job you totally hate, here are some more suggestions to just survive today, definitely not long term, but to make it through until you can find a job that totally fits you.  Try to add little things to your plate that you enjoy and you can learn.  These things you can eventually place on your resume and can help you get a different job.  This is a little bit of what I am doing right now because at my company I have the side job as a facilitating trainings which I love doing and totally look forward to!

Also if you aren’t taking a break at lunch, you must! Trust me, it is hard sitting at your desk all day.  Schedule lunch dates or informational interviews at lunch. Remember, if your job is super stressful – you don’t have to be perfect in your job. Just do the best you can. Use your nights and weekends to do what you love and to learn more about what you might want to get into.

Seet an end date/ goal for when you want to move on and talk to someone about it. They can keep you accountable to make sure you are doing everything like networking, etc. to find that next job. If you are having a really difficult time, you can feel free to talk it over with your manager, they might be able to change things to make you happier in your job. Also, use all the extras that you can such as tuition reimbursement and training. Last of all, make a list of things in your current job that you love and hate and take your time to find what it is you truly want in your next job.

Slide 9:

So now we have our first tip from a career expert, Job Coach Jacqui who has a career consulting firm.

I asked her in my networking interview how to know if it is time for a change, and her advice to you is:

• “If you find yourself arriving to work late, calling in sick a lot – it probably isn’t the job for you.  You should enjoy the work that you do.  You should want to get up in the morning everyday and want to come in and do your job.  

• If it doesn’t inspire you or it doesn’t motivate you to do better, then most likely, that job is not for you.”

Slide 10:

But, the first tip I have is don’t quit!  Because we all know that it is easier to find a job when you have a job. Jon Acuff’s just wrote a new book which is called Quitter.  And even his first chapter is called Don’t quit your day job.  He has some great advice of why you shouldn’t such as you have to be able to pay your bills and get recommendations at your next job, etc.

So before you leap or give up, do some self-assessment.  Keep your complaints to yourself and focus on what you can change.  Set a timeline for change and create a vision of where you see yourself in a few months.  This will get you through.

Also,  don’t make the very common mistake that everyone tends to make which is to jump online and apply to 10 jobs that they would maybe like because it would be better than their current job which they hate.  What they don’t realize when you do that, is that you will just jump into another job that you hate if you don’t do a self-assessment to discover what the best job is for you.  It will just be a cycle that you repeat every few years or eventually, you will just stick in a job you hate until retirement.  This is what I really want to get across tonight because we should love our work, not hate going to work every day!

Slide 11:

This is one of my favorite quotes from the great Steve Jobs “ The only way to do great work is to love what you do. IF you haven’t found it yet, keep looking.  Don’t settle. As with all matters of the hear, you’ll know when you find it. “

Most people think that they won’t make enough money if they do what they are truly passionate about, but it is actually the opposite.  You will do so much better if you are doing work you love and will most likely make much more money if that is your end goal.  If you have a passion, you just have to find a career that fits that passion or create an economic model where you can make money with that passion.

Slide 12:

One of my favorite books is 48 days to the work you love by Dan Miller, he has a quote about how “85% of the process of moving forward in the right direction comes from looking inward first. 15% is the application.”

 “When you know your passion and have work that expresses that passion you become a magnet for others. You will become a lightning rod for not only your own efforts, but you will focus the talents and abilities of those around you – and your work will be magnified with little effort.”

Slide 13:

Here is another great quote by Jonathan Fields, Author of Career Renegade – How to make a great living doing what you love:

• “We do not exist for the sole purpose of paying our bills, grooming our kids to be able to do the same, and someday, retiring to finally enjoy life. 

• We are here to let our lights shine as brightly as possible, to drink in the joy of friendship and family, to serve and better the greater community and to tap into and inspire passion in everything we do.  We are here to come alive.” 

Slide 14:

So what is your purpose in life?  Here are some questions that can help you determine what your purpose in life is, What do you naturally do well?

• What would you do if you knew you could not fail?

• What do you absolutely love to do that you lose track of time when you do it?

The next step is to make a personal mission statement for yourself. My personal mission statement is to encourage, support, mentor and motivate everyone I interact with on my blog and through my work as a consultant and trainer. So now I challenge you to do some thinking tonight about what your personal mission statement is.

Slide 15:

So before you start job searching, there are a few things you need to do.

• You must know the direction where you want to go

• Being clear about what you want and writing it down is how you will find out who you need to talk to

• When you speak with someone, you must have some type of goal or plan

There is nothing wrong with not knowing what career direction you want to head in before you start networking but you must know the direction where you want to go. Write it down and identify the holes in your network. Being clear about what you want and writing it down is how you will find out who you need to talk to.

An example of this is last week I had a woman ask me for an informational interview and the questions that she asked me I just knew that she didn’t really want to get into the field that I worked in. I actually got off the phone with her and thought I would never refer her because I still have no idea what type of job she really wanted. When you speak with someone, you must have some type of goal or plan, it could be just researching a specific field or learning more but don’t be all over the place like well I might go into accounting or maybe marketing, I am just not sure yet. Instead, say I want to get into accounting only if you are talking with accounting people and vice versa with marketing.

Slide 16: 

Now, for the moment that you have all been waiting for!  So here is how you identify and find the right career for you.  The key is to identify all of these things.

1. Favorite transferable skills, which are skills that can be transferred from one job to the next such as decision making, responsibility, problem-solving skills and social skills. In the personal assessments that I have done, my skills are time management, ability to teach, listening skills, leadership and flexibility which all come in handy as a career coach/consultant/blogger!:)

2. Favorite interests, an interest is something that you are willing to give special attention to because you feel strongly about it.  How well your career aligns with your interests in the best predictor of how successful and satisfied you’ll be in your work.  Another important note is that your interests don’t change much throughout your life. My interests are influencing others, coaching and mentoring which you can see pretty easily in my work.

3. Favorite environment and location, where do you want to live? Do you want to be around family and friends or do you want to travel on your job or live abroad? These are all important factors that will determine what the right career is for you.

4. What are your values and motivations? Your values motivate and fulfill you and determine whether you will be satisfied in your job. Your motivations can change throughout your life, for instance, you when you have kids lifestyle and work-life balance will motivate you more than if you just got out of college, financial gain and recognition may motivate you more.

5. Your minimum/maximum salary. I am all about living within your means and not going into debt. IN fact, my husband and I just paid off all of our car loans and student loans so all that to say, you need to be able to have a salary that you can live on. Remember that this could be income from a side or part-time business as well.

6. Names of jobs that fit. Here is where you are going to brainstorm all of the jobs that meet all of the above requirements and then research the organizations that offer those jobs.

7. Once you have done the above and have some ideal jobs and organizations in mind, you are going to start networking like crazy and doing informational interviews at least 1-2 times per month.

That’s it!  Easy huh?

Slide 17:

So if you haven’t read yet about my networking challenge –

It all started at the beginning of 2011, when I was preparing to graduate from business school and trying to figure out the next step in my career. I knew that networking would be a key to success in the job search, but I also knew I was—and still am—an introvert and the prospect of meeting new people has never been easy for me.

Still, I was determined to knock down my barriers to networking and meet the people who would help me reach my dreams and goals. So I decided to embark on a networking challenge where every month, I would meet with four people I already knew but would like to get to know even better, as well as four completely new people. I called it the 4×4 Networking Challenge.

And at the end of 2011, I added 48 new people to my network and strengthened relationships with 48 friends, co-workers, and family members. Not to mention, a year of networking like crazy gave me a lot of valuable insights on what it takes to be a good networker—something I never thought I’d be able to claim.

Slide 18:

The first thing I learned is that finding people to network with isn’t that hard! 

During the challenge, I tried a variety of ways to connect with new people: I used Google to find professionals I thought were interesting. I went to networking events and met people, and asked for their business cards so I could request informational interviews after the event. I brainstormed all of the jobs that I would love to have at my current company and did informational interviews with people in those positions. My tips for informational interviews are to do your research and learn as much as you can about who you are interviewing and their company beforehand. Have your questions all prepared and ready to go and always always always ask who else you can contact at the end of the interview!

I also searched my social media connections for people I knew virtually but wanted to connect with in person. And here’s what I found: Every single person I emailed for an informational interview emailed me back. What’s more, at the end of each meeting, I always asked the person if there was anyone else he or she could introduce me to—and most of the time, they said yes! I was amazed how my networking took off with just this simple question. From this, I quickly learned that people really do want to help you—all you have to do is ask.

The second thing I learned is that planning ahead is crucial to your success

Part of the difficulty in networking is that it can get pushed off your priority list if you don’t make time for it. So, at the beginning of each month, I made sure to block off days in my calendar for interviewing, and I tried to set up all my meetings for the month in advance. Then, I wrote about what I was planning to do on my blog and found someone to keep me accountable. I also made sure I was fully prepared before each meeting. I created a list with all of my questions for the person ahead of time. And I learned to always be ready to give a quick elevator pitch about myself—most of my interviews were planned, but a few happened at the spur of the moment.

The third thing I learned is: Networking is a waste of time if you don’t take action

You can easily spend hours and hours finding and meeting new people. But, if you don’t stay in touch with them or don’t do anything with what you learn, it’s all a waste of time. Make sure to follow up with people by sending them thank-you notes and keeping in touch with them by email and social media.

Now enough of hearing just my advice!  Let’s hear what some career experts and successful business women have to say.

Slide 19:

Here is more advice from Dennece Mckelvy who is a career and executive coach:

Her advice when I asked her how can job searchers find the right career path for them?

• “One of the most valuable steps in looking for a job is knowing who you are and what values you have in life.  Our interests may change over time but our character and our value doesn’t.

• So before you start your job search on the outside, you should really focus on the inside to really understand who you are naturally.”

When I asked Dennece why self-assessment tests important in job searching – she said:

• “We tend to do a much better when we take a look inside ourselves rather than listening to what other people have told us about ourselves and what we are good and bad at.  

• I think it is also important before you go to college and study as well to figure out or in college.  I encourage women to take these assessments and look inside before they pick what they want to do.”

Slide 20:

And here is more advice from Job Coach Jacqui when I asked her how to find your dream job:

• She said “Write down all of the jobs that you have had and the things that you really really liked.

• Read through the list of all of the things you liked in your previous jobs, it will pretty much tell you what path you should take.

• Base your decision on what you enjoy doing so it doesn’t feel like work, not on how much money you would like to make.”

 Slide 21:

One of my favorite questions at the end of my networking challenge interviews is what you wish you would have known as a young professional woman just starting out in her career. I asked this question to Sarah Ward – owner of an image consulting firm that she started after being in the corporate world for many years.

Sarah says:

I wish I would have known more about myself. Once I recognized what my personal values were, it felt like everything just came into place so quickly I wish I had done that a decade earlier As you know yourself, what is important to you and the lifestyle that you want to live, then you can start crafting a career that meets your needs

 

There are careers out there that are going to hit on all of the things you love and make you feel fulfilled, alive and make a valuable contribution to the world. Know yourself and everything will fall into place!

 Slide 22:

So, this is a lot of advice but where should you go from here?

• Put Your Goals in Writing: Write things down one of my favorite quotes is by Brian Tracy: “If you don’t set goals for yourself, you will accomplish the goals of someone else..”

• Challenge Negative Thoughts: Because you will be so much happier if you are positive and people will want to help you and talk to you if you are positive.  Surround Yourself With Positive People who are making things happen and trying to do their best.

• Take Baby Steps: Do one little thing every day that is going to help you get to where you want to get to.

• Learn From Yesterday: Learn from your previous job about what you don’t like.

• Create a Vision & Make It Happen: Think about where you want to be and take action to make that vision happen. And most importantly just be you. You should be in a job that allows you to be you and lets your amazing strengths and skills out.

 Slide 23:

If you want additional help finding out what all of these things are such as your skills, your interests, your calling, your values, your motivations, and strengths, I would love to help you discover all of these so that you can get networking and interviewing like crazy because you will actually know what you want to do. I highly recommend you join our free Facebook networking group and consider signing up to join our Love Your Career Formula course as well. You will find tons of resources and like minded ladies!

So, I hope you enjoyed the podcast and learned a lot about how to find the right career. I know I had so much fun doing the webinar and like I said before, I am definitely going to be doing more of these free webinars in the future because I had so much fun doing it and answering your questions at the end. So thank you for listening to podcast #5. I hope you all have a great week and I will see you next week!  Bye!