It’s hard to believe it’s been 3 months since our last Open Office Hours. I’m thrilled to be kicking off day one of October by announcing our next gathering to discuss all of your burning career change questions is less than a week away.

If you haven’t joined before – we talk about all things career transition and job search-related. From the very tactical of – what should I write in my thank you note (and yes you should write one!) to – am I obligated to take the role if I’ve interviewed with five people, but the red flags are appearing in my nightmares?

And for those of you who have decided to take on consulting or project work while you’re looking – that’s a common topic in our community. How do you decide on a rate? How do you find new work? How do you describe what you do?

No questions are off the table.

What I love about these calls is that everyone shows up up with compassion, support and words of inspiration that can make you feel like you’re not alone in this time of transition.

So – join us on October 7th at 12 PM ET.

You can register at rachelbgarrett.com/office-hours.​

And send this link to your friends who may be interested in getting some support on a Monday afternoon.

Looking forward to seeing you and your people there!

Sometimes the thing holding you back in your job search just isn’t on your radar. And you keep on keeping on with minimal results.

If you’re an excellent candidate – which I know you are – you’ll find you will get the momentum you’re looking for if you avoid these three common mistakes.

1. Resume longer than 2 pages:

Just no. I love someone who knows how to self-promote, but if you can’t be concise about it, the recruiters and hiring managers are already thinking – you’re not going to be clear and concise in emails, conversations and the multitude of documents you will produce on the job. Rule of thumb is: For under 10 years of experience, the resume should be one page and over it should be two. There are rare exceptions where I’ve allowed a third page for published works, a deal sheet or film/tv credits. But I would try to avoid it if you can.

2. Submitting applications between 12 AM and 6 AM:

I know you want to finish the application you’ve been working on all night. But I can tell you for sure – you’re going to make mistakes you will regret. You’re going to make typos you read the next day that can take you out of the running. Save your application. Re-read it after a good night's sleep in the morning with fresh eyes. Also – assume the application will take longer than you think it will, so try to start earlier in the evening, if possible, so you can finish earlier.

3. Assuming you need to meet every qualification to apply:

Job descriptions are wish lists. You do not need to be an exact match with every bullet point to be a good fit for the role. Many (women especially) take themselves out of the running for roles that would be excellent next steps for them. Please don’t do that! Especially if you have a contact at the organization! In your materials and your interview, you should talk about the skills you do have and where you can hit the ground running AND talk through the areas you’re looking to grow to explain that’s why you’re looking at roles like this. Reminder: if you have every single qualification for a role, you’re going to be bored in the first few months. Not ideal.

Feel free to share any of the mistakes you’ve learned to avoid along the way – and I’m sending you good job search momentum and mojo this fall!

Reminder, if you’re local to Brooklyn – join us for our next Career Walk and Talk on Thursday, September 26th at 5pm ET - register at rachelbgarrett.com/walk.

In my group last week we discussed how we tailor our networking to both our style and our strengths – and what I realized is that my style is vulnerable, casual and in workout gear. YES! 

That’s why I LOVED our last Career Walk and Talk in Prospect Park where we went deep – got honest about our careers and asked each other for intros and support – all while moving our bodies and taking in some fresh air. Sounds better than a stuffy conference room or even a zoom square to me! 

Many of you reached out to say you wished you could make it last time and you’d be in for September – so now’s your chance! Let’s revel in the most beautiful colors and temperature Prospect Park has to offer for our September Career Walk and Talk! 

Join us on September 26th at 5pm at the 3rd street entrance to Prospect Park. 

Register for the walk - rachelbgarrett.com/walk

Feel free to send the link to friends who may want to join!

I can’t wait to catch up with you for a low-key chat about how it’s going in your career right now. 

Summer is officially over. There’s much grief that comes along with that statement – and that reality. For many, summer allows for a slower pace, more rest, travel and visiting family.

If you’re someone who has been feeling the nudge that career change is on the horizon, all the reasons to put it off a little longer may have disappeared and now you’re up against that moment you were avoiding.

You must do something about it.

Yet even the idea of it gives you the stomach swirl.

The uncertainty.

The uncertainty of what could be next and how to get there usually paralyzes people into inaction.

That’s why I created an unlikely secret weapon - structure.

I built a career shift framework to support you through each step of the process with tools and strategies.

You only need to focus on one step at a time which allows you to tolerate the discomfort of the uncertainty – bit by bit – instead of letting it pull you entirely out of the game.

Knowing you can accomplish each part of the process gives you the momentum and confidence you need to get through that last leg of the work with your networking, interviewing and negotiating an offer that’s on your terms.

I will be there with you, to guide you and to bear witness to all of your ideas and possibilities that actually live within that dreaded uncertain stew.

Good news, bad news – it’s where we find all of your creativity and the good stuff you’ve been pushing way down.

So if you’ve known September is your time, but the uncertainty has you tied in pumpkin spiced knots – let’s talk about how I can walk you through – one reflective exercise, one LinkedIn strategy at a time.

You can set up a free 30-min zoom call to discuss how you can tap into your career desires even if you don’t know what they are yet.

As we wrap up summer, I want to report from the front lines. I'm seeing clear signs that this tight job market is opening up.

Current and former clients have been reaching out in the last month to set up tight-turnaround sessions to discuss offers – and I do mean offers plural – that they are currently negotiating.

One client called to discuss two offers from her vacation.

So here’s a tip – if you want to finally get the offer – go on a two week vacation.

In my world – 2024 job searches did take longer than those in 2023 – but one thing is consistent.

In all of my nine years coaching, my focus has always been to help you find a role that is on your terms, based on your life priorities. And that is exactly what happened in this tougher job market.

With those clients weighing offers, together, we go back to their non-negotiables that we discussed in the very beginning of the process. We make sure those terms are present in the offer and we strategize how to negotiate to meet or exceed those terms with the final offer.

I’m proud to say that while the processes may have been extended in this market, 100% of my clients who landed new roles this year, stuck to their non-negotiables and were not seduced by the good on paper (with all the red flags) roles that preceded the jobs they accepted.

So if you’ve been wondering if you should dip a toe into the search, but have been fearing what you will face out there, come on in…the water is much more fine that it was a few months ago.

And – of course – I’m here to help you navigate it in a focused and strategic way. So you don’t feel like you’re trying a million things without an idea of what's going to stick.

To learn how to get started you can go to rachelbgarrett.com/clarity to set up your 30-minute clarity call!

The past few weeks have been a cocktail of adrenaline and inspiration. A mixture of so many things that fuel me.

Truth Telling.

Vulnerability.

Seismic changes in leadership.

The validation of a talented and underestimated woman meeting the highest stakes moment with embodied confidence.

Women of all ages speaking powerfully about reclaiming our rights to make choices about our own bodies.

Strong men standing in solidarity and in support of women leaders.

Humans with diverse perspectives in community, working together toward a common goal.

There’s been a fleeting feeling in my body that goes beyond hope and optimism. And I can’t let it all the way in, just yet.

It’s safety.

It’s calm.

We might be ok. Our country might be ok.

But there’s a lot of work to do to get there. The first and easiest thing to be done is to make sure your voice will be heard.

Priority number one: Check your voter registration to make sure you will be able to vote on November 5th or before with early voting.

Go to ➡️ https://iwillvote.com/to confirm you’re registered and/or register – there’s still time!

I’m so excited to be voting for Kamala Harris to be our next President of the United States – our first woman president and my heart is full for the direction of our country when she takes office.

As you may remember, I have two daughters in the New York City Public School System.

Now that my younger daughter is starting 8th grade, I’m embarking on my 2nd needlessly complicated, impossible to explain to anyone outside of the 5 boroughs – New York City High School Process.

With my type a, overfunctioning wind at my back – I have this complex project tightly organized in all the Google shared docs and, mind you, the process hasn't even officially begun.

But I also have another secret weapon to help us along: My kid and the joy and creativity she brings to life.

When I asked her to sit down to watch a pre-recorded virtual tour for a high school one summer evening we were on our own, she said, “Only if we can make it a game.”

This isn’t exactly how my brain works (unless we’re talking Hunger Games) so at that moment I was unclear how that would even look.

Choosing curiosity instead of doubt, I asked…how might we do that?

“Let’s make a High School Tour Bingo Card!” She said “And as we hear the words that come up on our card, we can mark them off to see who gets Bingo first. ”

Uhm…brilliant – and more fun than I expected.

So we made two different bingo cards with the words/phrases in different spots so we could play against each other.

"Rigor"

"Restorative Justice"

"Inclusive"

"College Acceptance Rates"

"Put us first on your list!"

All made it to the final cards.

We played our first round. She won and we were successful at making a pretty boring thing that we have to do into something that turned out to be pretty fun.

While you may not believe me at first, the same is possible with your job search.

You can gather a few friends who are also job searching and compete on how many people you’re reaching out to.

You can see how many times you can drop your elevator pitch into a conversation in one day as you’re going about your workday, errands and social gatherings.

Or – you can see how many people you can help with their respective careers and job searches in a week for a feel-good experience of giving back in this process.

What other ways can you make your search joyful, fun – even like a game?

Feel free to send me your ideas so I can share them with the folks who are in the muddy slog of it all.

As always – if you need support in your transition or your search, feel free to sign up for a complimentary 30-min zoom call to learn more about coaching.

Sometimes I hear clients say - I love my company, the people feel like my people and I have the flexibility to be the parent I want to be, yet…

I’m still hungry for something new.

It’s often followed up with…am I crazy?

In a word, "No!"

For those of us who love learning and thrive with a diversity of projects and skills – this makes total sense and you may be able to have exactly what you want – at that organization that already respects you for the value you bring.

In the past couple of years I’ve been bringing this internal career pathing work to thoughtful, people-driven organizations with my signature workshop:

You Are The Driver Of Your Career

The workshop includes interactive exercises, group coaching and tools from my proven career pathing framework to help employees take command of their careers and drive them forward on their own terms.

It offers tactics they can leverage to speak confidently about their gifts, while meaningfully connecting with internal advocates and sponsors who can help open and widen doors.

Lastly, it empowers leaders with career pathing conversation guidance so they can compassionately support their direct reports with the psychological safety and resilience required for transitions.

I‘ve delivered this powerful work to a select group of my corporate clients who include:

• American Express

• Broadridge Financial Solutions

• Council for Urban Professionals (CUP)

• Expand the Room

• FactSet

• The United Nations

• Urban Land Institute (ULI)

One client shared:

Last month we were incredibly fortunate to have Rachel join us at FactSet as part of our speaker series and in conjunction with our Internal Recruiting organization to give an inspiring talk to all FactSetters, "You are the Driver of Your Career." The talk was focused on owning and growing your own career through inner clarity and intentional action. She provided some very useful tools to help unlock new ideas around what we want in our careers. Equally important, her tips for managers were practical and easily applicable. Many FactSetters I have spoken to have begun using these new tools to think differently about their careers at FactSet.

It was a great experience to work with Rachel. She is an effective speaker and she has deep knowledge and a wealth of experience to draw from. She took the time to understand our needs and goals for the session and she crafted and influential and meaningful session that I know provided a lot of take-aways and long-lasting impact. I look forward to the opportunity to partner with her again.

- FactSet, Marcy DeMassa - VP, Associate Director, Leader - Agile Coaches

I’d love to partner with you to bring this work to your company!

Learn more and get in touch at rachelbgarrett.com/speaking.


Looking forward to helping you turn the role you have into the one you want.