Often when people first come to me, they share stories of interviews that felt just ok and rejections that came shortly after those meetings.

My response: Did you want the job?

Well…Long pause.

So, that’s a no. We both smile and agree.

Now, financial needs are real – and sometimes you need to get a new job immediately even if it’s a temporary measure to meet your financial responsibilities.

Yet, I find that people often apply to roles they don’t want – even when they’re not in a rush or in a financial crunch.

Guess what – even if you think you’re putting on a great show during the interview, it still comes through. In body language, in things that aren’t said, in energy. Any emotionally intelligent leader will see through even your best performance.

So why do many apply for the wrong roles?

Impostor syndrome and a fear of change.

And it’s this struggle with worthiness and uncertainty that cuts off their self-awareness at the knees.

They jump straight into the tactical action of doing, skipping the most important inner work steps that require…

Slowing down

Thinking and reflecting

Clarifying priorities and desires

Gathering data on strengths

From this essential work and only from here do the purposeful dots connect, does the energy rise from within and adhere to intentional paths.

The truth feels real in conversations, in interviews because it is real.

And the traction, the momentum, the optimism also becomes real.

This is the work I do with clients in the first month of my 1:1 Coaching Program. So if you’ve been on the hunt for a while and you know you’re applying to roles you don’t want – let’s talk in a complimentary 30-min zoom call.

I can’t wait to show you what it feels like when you actually hope you get it!

---

March Office Hours: Open to ALL!

This 60-minute session is an opportunity for you to drop in and ask career questions, make connections, or simply say hi. Typically these sessions are reserved for current and former clients, but this session will be open to all.

There comes a time in a job search, where (after gathering some real time data) my clients believe me when I say – proactive networking is a more effective strategy than simply applying to roles on LinkedIn.

Then, some of them can get stuck right here.

So, where do I even look?

How do I find companies (outside of the usual suspects) that would align with what I’m looking for in a corporate culture or will offer opportunities to learn and grow within the organization?

Your two best resources in this hunt for the right-fit company are: your people and AI.

Your people: Your first round of networking will not be about finding “a job”, but more about crowdsourcing companies.

Who are your colleagues and friends in your network who appreciate and respect their organizations?

Who do you know who is well connected in the industry you want to be a part of?

Set a goal to identify 10-15 companies in this first round of networking and then ask your people for introductions within those companies.

AI: ChatGPT and Claude are also formidable thought partners in this exercise. I work with clients on the right prompts that get at their criteria for their "crush companies"…as I like to call them. A few recent prompts…

What are ten well reviewed organizations that are helping high school and college students live better lives?

What are ten companies in the NYC area that hire product management roles and prioritize professional development and work-life balance?

What are ten companies in NYC that don't think we need more masculine energy?

They’re not always perfect results – and they rarely get the joke, but they offer up a place to start your research. Overall – that’s how I’m currently working with AI in this process. I don’t accept the responses wholesale, but they often do get me unstuck and to a next step where I can deepen my understanding.

Let me know how these two approaches or a combination of them works for you in coming up with your list.

I hear from many job searchers who’ve been at it for a loooong time.

Whether it’s 6 months, a year or longer, this process takes a lot of energy! When the rejections roll in – or worse – when you keep getting ghosted, it can make you want to quit the process altogether.

Then, you’re back where you started. In a toxic workplace. Being passed over the promotion.

Career purgatory.

I see you job searchers.

This process is hard.

Yet – sometimes the challenge you’re facing in the search and what’s preventing you from getting traction is more about making some SMALL tweaks in your approach instead of a complete reinvention of who you are and what you want to do.

That’s where I come in.

After guiding hundreds of job searchers through this process, I can listen to the approach you’ve been taking, the pitch you’ve been using and witness the areas your interviews may be going off the rails.

There’s no shame. No blame. No judgement.

Again – this is hard and you’re putting in the effort. Let’s work together to get you the results.

I’m so excited to have a new way we can work together on this job search diagnostic.

If you:

• Already know one, two or three paths you want to head down

• Have a resume that’s getting you some interviews

• Have been in a process or two where you’ve been one of the final two candidates and still didn’t get the job. (Always a bridesmaid!)

I can help you with my new coaching package - Career Flex.

Career Flex includes three 45-minute 1:1 sessions where we dive into what’s working and what’s not in your search to help you make small shifts that make a BIG difference.

Whether it’s asking your network for help, shifting your pitch to include your strengths and differentiators or learning to pause when you complete an answer in an interview – there are so many different ways we can shift your approach.

Early in my coaching process, I work with clients on their non-negotiables.
​What are the five things they need to make this next role feel meaningful, successful and on their terms?

Defining the kind of organizational culture they’re seeking (ie. collaborative, casual, no assholery) or the level of flexibility they need (ie. hybrid, remote, or simply to be treated like a grownup) often come up on the list.

It’s helpful to have this criteria in your back pocket as you’re evaluating opportunities. And – it’s critical that you vet out for these things in your networking and interviewing.

The question I often get is - How do I ask for these things without sounding like an entitled jerk?

After I stare down our Capitalist, Patriarchal, Hustle Culture with an invitation to fight this round, I take a deep breath.

I understand.

We have been taught to be grateful for what we get and not ask for more. Even when what we are given is not working or not enough.

The good news is that we can be clever and play the game without ever using the words want or need. That marketing background never disappoints.

Here are a couple of phrases you can use that are positive, confident – and also matter of fact.

"I thrive…"

I thrive in organizational cultures where there’s downtime between meetings to do the deep work that is so important in my role. Is that how you would describe the culture here?

Or

I thrive when I can give and receive feedback often so that I can continue to learn quickly in my role. Is that how you would describe your leadership style?

"I am my most…"

I am my most creative when I can brainstorm in a room of colleagues and it feels safe to pull all ideas (even the out there ones) on the table. Is that how you would describe the culture on the team?

Or

I am my most focused and thoughtful when I can work hard during the day and then log off completely to recharge after 6:30. Is that the kind of work day that’s understood and respected here?

I love all of these examples because they imply –

I’ve had this before so I know it’s possible.
If you don’t have it here, I will keep looking until I find it.

Now, just because you have these lines written out doesn’t mean it’s easy to say them. I would practice so you remember hearing them in your voice and perhaps write an abridged version of your questions on a cheat sheet if you have a virtual interview.

You know I love an update so let me know how it goes!

This coming March marks the 10 year anniversary of my business. What??? 

It’s truly hard to believe that I’ve been nurturing, imagining–and at times strong-arming this business into what I want it to be for a full decade. 

I continue to learn something new each year. 

I continue to be in awe of  the clients I get to serve. 

And one of my unexpected joys of running the biz is my weekly note to you. Whether you were one of the 100 OG’s who signed up in year one  or a more recent friend, I appreciate you, hang on your every reply and want to do my best to deliver ideas that shift your day, your week–or your career even just a little. 

But–that’s not how I felt at the beginning. 

When a business coach told me that I MUST start a newsletter back  in 2015–for marketing purposes–I had my first new entrepreneur tantrum. You may remember I was leaving a career in marketing, so more marketing was not top of my priority list. 

But–I listened. 

I wrote. From my heart. In my way.

It became my place to put all the pieces together. 

To create art out of work. 

Now, ten years in, I want to keep listening and learning and helping you imagine work that fits with the life you want to be living. 

You are the expert of you and how you want to grow. 

So, what might that be? I’d love to know! Feel free to reply with some career  topics that have resonated in past newsletters or  are of interest to you for your 2025 career moves. 

And speaking of your 2025 career moves, I’m excited to share that I’ll be introducing a couple of new ways we can work together this year. 

It’s clear–some of you have been job searching for a bit already (2025 is your year!) and are seeking shorter packages where we can troubleshoot the areas that are not working in this tricky market. Message received. More information on this to come! 

Thank you for being part of my ten year celebratory listening tour. 

It’s truly hard to believe we’re this close to the end of the year. For many this is a time of reflection. For me, I’m proud and humbled by the number of clients I was able to help this year – in a very tight market. Dream job alert! 

You may be asking yourself…

Did I accomplish my 2024 goals?
Do I even remember what they were?
What’s next for me in 2025? 
How do I get unstuck with all of the uncertainty in the world that can feel paralyzing?

If a career or job change is a priority for next year, I have two opportunities for you to get support:

1. Join my free Career Change On My Terms Panel on Thursday, December 5th at 7pm ET.
   Featuring talented former clients who made career shifts in 2024 amidst mass layoffs, hiring freezes, corporate uncertainty and an overwhelmingly complicated world.
   

2. Get on the waitlist for the next cohort of my group coaching program, Career Command Four-Month Shift.
   Doors open on December 5th and there’s an early bird promotion with coupon code SHIFT2025 through December 12th. The program kickoff is on January 28th and it’s the ONLY time I’ll be running the program in 2025. 

I’m so honored to bring you the panel event this week and to amplify the stories of these incredible women who did the hard work of unapologetically naming their career desires and going after them…even when it was an unlikely shift and scary AF. 

I’m looking forward to seeing you on Thursday. Here’s that link to sign up one more time and share your question for the panelists!

Sometimes when I’m prepping a client for an interview, it’s clear – they’ve done their homework..

Elevator pitch ✅
STAR  stories ✅

How many tennis balls fit into a limousine? Kidding – we don’t prep for that one anymore. 

They know their stuff and yet, it’s not landing when we do a mock interview. Or they’re sweating through a 2nd shirt. 

That’s when we take a step back and look at what’s truly getting in the way. 

It sounds like…

Why would they want me when there are so many other candidates? 

I don’t have every bullet in the job description. 

Am I even [INSERT ANY COMPANY NAME} material?

In these moments, I say with all the love and compassion, what’s holding you back here is not your expertise or your level of talent (which is typically off the charts).

It’s the dreaded impostor syndrome. 

It’s that part of you that doesn’t believe you’re worthy of this role. 

The eight-year old part who didn’t get every answer right on the worksheet and was scolded by a parent, a teacher or a competitive kid. 

She’s scared. She's stomping her feet to stop you from taking a chance on doing anything that is not perfection. With the sweat and racing heart, she’s trying to redirect you to safety. 

But you – you know that these are the moments you pull yourself out of the game. When you don’t go for the promotion or the public speaking opportunity. 

And you promised yourself that you’re ready to break this pattern. To step forward, even when it’s messy. Especially when it’s messy. 

So you sit this 8 year old you down in that chair that everyone fights over in your childhood home. 

And you give her a hot cocoa with as many marshmallows as she wants and you say – Little me, we’re ok. 

Somebody should have told you, you can do your best and you can get some answers wrong and you will still be smart and lovable and worthy of getting that VP of Marketing role. OK, that last part may not make too much sense, but trust me it will some day. 

You can say all the things you needed to hear then and are still hungry for now. You can breathe through whatever feelings come up and know you will have to say these things again and again to make them stick. 

But it’s worth it. You’re worth it, sweaty pits, imperfect answers and all. 

I’m filled with gratitude, because my network is generous, open, responsive – and cool AF.

I’m a connector to my core so I get an adrenaline hit when I curate pairs of humans I know will appreciate each other and learn from even a simple half hour conversation.

And my network shows up!

Whether it’s former clients talking to new clients about how the process worked for them.

Or former colleagues at my clients’ target companies – talking about culture, leadership and the day to day of a role.

The number of connections I’m able to make a week is one of my favorite parts of the job.

So thank you for your time.

Thank you for paying it forward if you’ve been helped in your career transition.

Thank you for normalizing that it’s ok and even exciting to want something new.

I appreciate you and all that you are offering to my clients who have no idea how they will find the right connection to what’s next in their career.

I often find that right connection with you and in you.

And if you’re still looking to meet some new people in the Brooklyn area this month – I’m having what will most likely be my last Career Walk and Talk of 2024 and this time we’re doing a lunch edition.

We’ll be meeting…

Wednesday, November 20th at 12pm ET at Prospect Park, 3rd street entrance
(We’re keeping it to 60 minutes this time.)