Unlocking Job Search Success: Faith, Awareness, and Satisfaction

This episode of the ProFAITHsional Favor podcast delves into empowering listeners on their job search and career transition journeys. The host shares personal anecdotes and professional insights to unveil three secrets to success: keeping faith, becoming self-aware, and fearlessly putting oneself out there. The focus is on overcoming information overload, leveraging experiences, and the importance of presenting oneself effectively through resume transformation and storytelling. Additionally, the episode explores work and life satisfaction, encouraging listeners to pursue their passions and find fulfillment beyond traditional measures of success. Real-life success stories, including the host's journey from engineering to international business and others who have pivoted their careers significantly, are highlighted to inspire and guide listeners towards realizing their job aspirations and achieving a balanced, impactful work life.

00:00 Unlocking the Secrets to a Successful Job Search
00:13 Faith and Professionalism: A Unique Approach to Career Growth
00:34 Three Pillars to Landing Your Dream Job
00:50 Navigating the Job Search Jungle: Overcoming Information Overload
01:41 Identifying and Overcoming Your Job Search Frenemies
03:44 Personal Journey: From Engineer to International Business Professional
06:57 The Power of Coaching: A Personal Transformation Story
17:41 The Three Secrets to Getting Hired Quickly
17:48 Transforming Your Resume: The First Step to Getting Hired
25:10 Mastering the Art of Storytelling in Your Job Search
35:41 Finding Work and Life Satisfaction: It's Possible!
43:58 Wrapping Up: Your Path to a Successful Career

Get the guide "4 Things You Need to Get a Job": eBook for Kindle
Schedule a coaching session with me: https://calendly.com/jarissagarcia

Transcript

[00:00:00] Jarissa: Have you ever endured a long job search only to be left feeling frustrated and even hopeless because you haven't been able to get hired soon enough? Well, if that is the case, I want to share with you three secrets that are going to help you along in your job search. So stay tuned. Dear proFAITHsional, this is a podcast to share God's favor over your work life while I offer you a professional favor.

[00:00:20] Although faith without works is dead. Sometimes we do our job and work without faith. So my wish is to inspire, motivate, and encourage us to grow our faith in the midst of our job and work environment. So thanks for listening. All right. So what I want to share with you today is how to get the job that you are most qualified for by number one, keeping the faith, number two, becoming self aware and number three, and most importantly, without the fear of putting yourself out there.

[00:00:50] So chances are you've gone deep into the internet and you've looked for tips and tricks and strategies on how to win at the job search and get hired sooner. And quite frankly, if you failed at getting a better job in the past, then it's not entirely your fault. The truth of the matter is that there is a wealth of information on the internet and quite frankly, this is a little bit of more information.

[00:01:11] However, I suspect that many times the information overload, it is what keeps us from success. And if you have ever felt overwhelmed by all of the information, then I'm here to tell you that that's perfectly normal. It's okay. And you are in good company. You know, my intentions are to calm your fears, to really let you know that you can do this.

[00:01:33] You maybe just need a little bit of help along the way, or you need either someone to coach you to kind of get you through the process. So what we're going to do is to aim at your frenemies. Yes, you have some frenemies in the process. You know, first of all, you know what, let's just call it what it is.

[00:01:54] The devil is a liar. He does not want you to succeed. But honestly there are some big corporations out there that it is most beneficial for them, or they desire to hire someone with the fanciest of degrees that went to the, you know, the most elite universities or colleges. Perhaps they have their own reasons for wanting that, but that doesn't necessarily have to be true for every single job and every single place that you're going to look into. And if there is anyone that does not want you to succeed, then yes, you know, it is beneficial for some, for someone out there, an agency or some, organization to keep you in debt and to really keep you trailing behind on the curve.

[00:02:32] And really, those are the people that may not necessarily want you to succeed. But I really do want you to succeed. I want you to really accomplish whatever dream that you have in your life. I want you to go after it. So let's make your dream come true. If you're dreaming to make an impact, then stay tuned because really this will help you along the way.

[00:02:56] And so I have two goals in this episode and those goals are number one, I want to help you get a job and the people that I really want to help are first, those that are getting their first job you'll find out what it takes to get a good job, but then I also want to help those that maybe have some work experience because you learn how to transition into the job that you really want or maybe even to a better job.

[00:03:18] That's my first goal to help you get a job. My second goal is to give you two tools. The first tool I want to give you is and I really want you to learn is that the only way for you to find a good job is by keeping the faith. You cannot lose heart in this process. And the other tool, the other thing that I want to equip you with is that the only way to become the most qualified candidate is by being self aware and learning to tell your story.

[00:03:44] So a little bit about my story. In 2010, I transitioned my career from an engineer to becoming an international business professional. And really, this is how I did it. My very first transition happened a few years before that. While I was enrolled at the University of Cincinnati, I had a part time job working as a shoe salesperson.

[00:04:04] But at UC, we got the opportunity to do co-op, so cooperative education, and all that means is that for the middle three years of my undergraduate degree, I would work full time in an engineering type job. And so that helped me land my first role as an engineering technician at a local engineering firm here in the Cincinnati area.

[00:04:26] So from there when they no longer had any projects for me, I went to work for Walt Disney Imagineers. So, which was a complete dream. I got to see the behind the scenes of how all of the ideas and, and really how, how the Imagineers put their creativity to work. And so. That was awesome. I mean, dream job.

[00:04:47] But my next transition, I went from having the dream job at Disney to really, after I graduated, I joined the sewer department here in Cincinnati. And the interesting thing is that everyone, or at least most of the people at the sewer department, we would always say things like, you know, nobody dreams of working in the sewer department, but I have to say, those were some really good years.

[00:05:08] And I got some really solid experience while working there. But after doing that for about two years, I went back to school to get a master's degree and I enrolled in Thunderbird School of Global Management. Now, the first lesson I learned when I arrived at Thunderbird is that a person has to have a plan for what they want a master's degree to do for them.

[00:05:31] And then in my case, I wanted my master's degree to help me transition a career from a technical job into a relational leadership position with a little bit of an international twist. So yes, I wanted to take the world by storm. Now, while I was at Thunderbird, I got a consulting job assignment for a research center in Guanajuato, Mexico.

[00:05:50] So, so far I've worked at an engineering firm in the Cincinnati area. Then I worked in Orlando, Florida with Walt Disney Imagineers. Then I got an assignment in Mexico as a consultant. And that's what really kicked off my international career, because after Thunderbird, I worked for a corporate French company.

[00:06:14] And the company, really the corporation at that time, it was in 80 plus countries with over 50, 000 employees. Now, because of this opportunity, I'm so grateful the company really, being a French company, I got the opportunity to work in Paris, France. Which was awesome That was like the most amazing time ever and so that marked and that represented another transition. So really what I want you to see is that all along the years in the past 15 almost 16 plus years i've really had to learn and get really quite good at how to transition from one job to another and not just a different job, but a completely new and different career path and so

[00:06:57] All of those transitions really I can say, you know, maybe a little bit of an expert You know, there's some things that you learn along the way after you do them for so many times But what I really, want to share is the moment that changed everything

[00:07:10] In all of the transitions the one that I would say was the most challenging Was going from engineering to then enrolling in the master's school, program Because at that time, I wasn't really sure. I knew I wanted a master's degree. I always wanted that. But I wasn't sure if I should continue in the track of engineering or if I should focus in something more of like a softer skill sort of thing.

[00:07:32] And so, lucky for me, I had been selected for a sort of a high potential leadership track program at the sewer department. And that did two things for me. Number one, it allowed me to gain feedback from a 360 degree evaluation. Really what that means is that everybody just evaluates you and tells you a little bit about you and your leadership style.

[00:07:56] I learned a lot, but the other thing that the program afforded me, the leadership program was that I was offered coaching. Now, The 360 degree feedback that I got was really positive. The only challenge the only caveat to it was that I had rated myself completely opposite to what and everybody else rated me So right then and there I learned that we you know We tend to be more critical than those than other people and it's a known fact but to see it in the numbers Was really eye opening and that really just started me on on a process of self awareness but then the other thing is that when the coach really reflected on the results from the 360 degree evaluation, and she said, well, you know, if everybody else is rating you this positive and you know, they have you know, such positive remarks about your leadership style, then then right now you can rest at ease. There's not really much for us to work on or, or improve upon.

[00:08:53] Except beware that you yourself are rating yourself a little bit more harshly than everybody else, when she said that I said, well, that's great But I wanted to take advantage of the coaching. So I told her you know There's this decision that it's been weighing on me and I really want to decide what I should do Should I could should I get a master's in engineering or should I get a master's in another in a different completely different field?

[00:09:15] And so I never forget. I remember like it was yesterday and she lit up and she was like Coachable moment, with a lot of energy and she was really excited and her words were I had seen you in our sessions and in our group setting and she said I was really Intrigued and I really wanted to work with you But I just couldn't force myself and I really didn't have any excuse To actually ask to work with you.

[00:09:37] So basically I was kind of giving her the open door to say Hey, can we can we work together? Can you coach me? And so she was the one who started me going through and thinking about the pros and cons of the different schools. Ultimately, she was the one who suggested, or she said, have you ever looked into or have you ever heard of this thing called Thunderbird?

[00:09:55] And I said, what? And so she put me on the track to research about Thunderbird and I just found that it was like the perfect match for me. It had the international component to it, but then also Thunderbird is it's focus is to, to really, train leaders to, to create sustainable good around the world.

[00:10:12] So for me, it just seemed like it was a win win. I get to go to a school that will focus on impact, but then also I get to develop myself as a leader in kind of an international business setting. So the 

[00:10:26] coachable

[00:10:27] Jarissa: moment is what changed everything. And I have to say that if it wasn't for that coach I don't think that I would have kind of made the jump or the leap to go from being an engineer to being an international business person you should say.

[00:10:39] And so what I learned really early on is that a little bit of coaching can really get you on the right track and it can get you moving. If you've ever felt stuck, then find yourself the nearest coach. And I can assure you that that's going to help you move forward. But I, probably know what you're thinking.

[00:10:59] You know, you're probably thinking, or you're probably saying something like, how are you and I the same? Like, how are we, you know, we're different, you know, surely happened to you, but that doesn't necessarily have to happen for me. And well, the thing is that we all need the same thing, although we're not the same person, right?

[00:11:16] Our situations are not the same, but all of us have to know how to get a job. And that's what I really want to focus on. I want to really just condense all of my experience and kind of give you a little bit of tips and tricks. to help you along the way. Now, the traditional process to get a job, it used to be that you will fill out an application, a good old application by paper.

[00:11:36] You will wait for a phone call after you submitted it and you will get an interview and then you will wait for, to receive and accept an offer. An employment offer and while that was a traditional Process we must acknowledge that the internet has complicated everything Now everything is more competitive So it's harder to get hired because really the internet makes it easier for people everywhere To submit resumes and apply for jobs.

[00:12:06] So the same job that you're applying to Hundreds of people can be applying for the same job. And so that's what ultimately makes it so So competitive and all of that competition makes it a little bit harder to get hired. And with more competition, then comes more demand. Because if so many people are applying for the same job, then we have to have systems and we have to have ways to be able to narrow down the candidates so that you know, HR can kind of go through them.

[00:12:33] And so because HR is receiving so many resumes, they have become more picky over finding the perfect candidate. And if you don't know how to get your resume past the screening software or over the picky HR person, then you really have very little chance to get hired. And this is why sometimes you may feel like you're applying everywhere, but no one calls you back.

[00:12:55] That's because getting a job requires focus and it requires the right strategy. Now there's two things you need and that's really what I'm sharing with you. Number one, you need to be self aware. You need self awareness to help you define exactly what you are looking for Now self awareness focuses on self it focuses on you but the reason why you need Self awareness to focus and to figure out what it is that you're looking for is because until you really know what you have to offer You you really don't know where or who to offer it to.

[00:13:28] And so focusing on yourself is the first step that is going to help you. And the number two thing that you need is to keep the faith and keeping the faith is about creating a strategy to wait for the best opportunity while you are looking. 

[00:13:42] So with that in mind, I want to share with you a success story because not only has this worked for me, but it has also worked for my friend Edward. So Edward was working in logistics and he wanted to transition his career back to communications. Now, in Venezuela, where he's from, he went to school and he got a degree in communications.

[00:14:01] But when he immigrated to the United States, he didn't know how to speak English. And it's pretty hard and almost near impossible to land a job in communications if you don't even speak the language, right? So, for him, that was a big hurdle and a big step that he had to overcome. Over the years, with some experience and then some dedicated effort, he got better and he learned English.

[00:14:23] And one of the things that he did is he had landed a job in logistics. Just helping to set up different freight and transportation for different things. And so, in doing this job though, he was making good enough money. However, he got to the point where he really just wanted to go back into communications because that's his field, that's what he's passionate about.

[00:14:43] So Me and him had worked in a couple of volunteer things around church and those sort of things. And I found out about his work situation. And so I said, you know, there's something we can do. How about we sit down and we work on it? And so I offered to coach him and I offered to help him.

[00:14:58] And so, when we sat down and we were kind of Going through his experience and kind of what are some of the things that he's doing to be proactive One of the things he shared is that he has started a certificate program so that he can learn video editing And production so he had a degree but now he was learning and he was adding some technical skills to it as well which are very relevant to the field might I add and so we started working and one of the things that I quickly noticed is that in his existing resume, he had everything to do about logistics, but he had taken out a lot of things about communication, especially the things that he had done back in his country.

[00:15:36] He thought that he needed to tailor for, for some time to something that was practical, but I was reassuring him that no, no, no, no, no. In order for us to make this transition successful, we have to really focus on you as a person. And so I had him kind of walk me through his past experiences and I drilled him down and that's really my style.

[00:15:58] I kind of go in deep and and really figure out What was the totality of what the person accomplished at their previous job and in doing so I was able to get the big picture of who he was as a professional. So what I really noticed is that what he needed most was to become aware of himself.

[00:16:16] He needed to become aware of his skills he needed to become aware of what he had to offer. And with all of that in mind, then we were able to really do a complete resume makeover. So then I convinced him that some of the things that he had taken out from his resume, he needed to put them back in and really things like courses and trainings and projects that he had worked on, both volunteer projects, but then also some of his paid experiences.

[00:16:39] He thought that most of those things were not significant, but I helped him to see how they were relevant. And so transforming the resume was a major breakthrough because before we worked on the resume, the only phone calls he was getting were for logistics jobs.

[00:16:54] But then after helping him and kind of going through, you know, the coaching process, it really helped him to number one, realize how much he had to offer. Before the resume transformation, he felt that his experiences were disconnected. And really, he even felt that a lot of things that he did were sort of a waste of time, but he felt that he had gotten so far off track. And then with just a little bit of professional career coaching, he transitioned his career from logistics to media production.

[00:17:23] And now he's actually getting paid to do work that he like really enjoys. So, from where he started to where he wanted to be, really what was keeping him from it was just working on the resume. And as soon as we transformed the resume, he was able to get different calls for positions that really interest him more.

[00:17:41] So with that story in mind, I want to share with you the three secrets to getting hired rather quickly. Secret number one is that you probably need a resume transformation. You know, you need to know how to write a resume that guarantees that you get hired. The resume is what gets you the interview.

[00:17:59] And without the resume, you will not be interviewed. And if you don't get interviewed, you cannot get an offer. So the really, the first step is for you to really work on the resume, transforming your resume. Secret number two is you need to tell your story. You need to learn how to tell your story, to highlight what you have learned from your past experiences and secret number three is you really need to, figure out what work and life satisfaction mean to you.

[00:18:23] You need to know how to find the balance to get your needs met and be satisfied in your work and life. So work life. So secret number one, the resume transformation. You know, when I arrived at Thunderbird, I knew that I wanted to go from engineering to an international business person. And besides that I was clueless.

[00:18:42] I didn't know much else. And so there were many paths that I, that, that, you know, to help me become that. But the truth of the matter is that I had no idea in which direction to go. And so as excited as I was at the prospect of a new career, I also felt very lost and overwhelmed by the whole notion of it all.

[00:19:02] But luckily for me, I have one whole year to figure it out because the first year I really didn't have to do much job searching. I just had to kind of dedicate myself to the classes. Right. And so that kind of gave me a little bit of a buffer. However Feeling the way that I felt I have to say that the class that created the most value for me at that moment was career Management because that class was really designed to be like an intense two months coaching program.

[00:19:27] So In career management class, they paired us with a second year student and this student was a little bit more experienced. They had gone through the process and they didn't just have the theory, but they had the practice and the experience to really bring it all together and to walk us through and coach us and guide us and really be a good feedback loop for us.

[00:19:47] And so paired with the student, we were able to really put to writing all the things that we were learning in the class. And so. The person guided us in strategies and, how we can navigate the process to land the best job offer. And so at Thunderbird, I learned that there's a lot more that goes into a resume than just fancy words, right?

[00:20:08] And really it was the guidance and the coaching that helped me to put the right things in the resume and frankly, to help me know what to keep out because that's just as important. So the first step for you to get hired. It's really to transform the resume and the way that you're going to transfer your resume is number one, you need to stop writing about job descriptions.

[00:20:29] A lot of times people make the mistakes that they just looked at the job descriptions for the previous jobs , or they look for a random job description of the job that was similar to the job that they had. And then they just copy and paste, surely for them, that's like the easiest way to go.

[00:20:45] but The problem is that when you write a job about a job description, you're telling me about the job or you're telling me about the company or the team or or the work environment, but you're not telling me anything about yourself. So what I really need you to do instead is for you to focus on your achievements and contributions.

[00:21:02] That is what's going to talk about you and not the job. And so you need to be able to, to differentiate those two things. Because until you do, your resume is really not going to get much hits. And then the other thing that you need to do is to focus on the content. You know, a lot of times people, Jump right into it and they go for the look.

[00:21:23] Let me find a template You know The first thing people do is look for a template look for a design For the resume and I argue that that is the absolute worst thing you could do I mean that should be the last step the last step you do is to make it pretty and that's where the look comes in comes in.

[00:21:37] But really before you think about the look, the format and those sort of things, you really need to be focused on the content because it is the content that is going to get hired. When all of those softwares and the HR you know, hiring person is looking through your resume, they're looking at the words and they're looking to see if that resonates with what they're looking for.

[00:21:55] So yes, your resume might look pretty, but if you do not have the right things in it, if the content does not read well, then Then that's it you've lost you've lost you're not even I mean You're not even invited to the party. So in order for you to transform your resume, the first thing you need to do is to really focus about your achievements and contributions and so really That's where coaching comes in coaching really really works. 

[00:22:25] And you may be tempted to think that coaching is a waste of time But let me remind you that it was the coach that got me to apply to Thunderbird and she essentially became a career fairy godmother after the coachable moment where she helped me to realize that I wanted to become an international business person.

[00:22:40] She guided me through the process of getting into graduate school. I remember feeling overwhelmed. I was motivated, but I had no idea on what to do or how to make it happen. And so no one in my family or anyone I knew had any idea about what it took to get into a graduate program, let alone how to get a graduate degree.

[00:23:01] So my coach was exactly the kind of helpful influence that I needed. You know, as a coach, she became my guide throughout my grad school process. I met with her several times and she coached me through every step of the way. She guided me to think about the things that were important.

[00:23:18] And she even proof read all of my application essays. I mean, coaching helped me to accomplish what I wanted. And so it was time well spent. 

[00:23:27] And if you're thinking that coaching can't get you the job, well, then let me tell you about my friend, Brian, who I coached. Now, Brian had been applying to different jobs and he was literally getting no callbacks. No one was inviting him to any interviews.

[00:23:42] And so he felt discouraged. At that time he was living in Philadelphia and he's originally from New York. And so because of his job situation or his lack thereof He was at the point where he was already kind of making plans on how he would have to move back Because if he couldn't land the job, he really couldn't sustain his lifestyle and so One of the things that he really was stuck on is how much of like he felt like there was something wrong with him And he felt like he just had the worst of luck But then after coaching him we really sat down and we went deep into like his resume and talking about His past experiences and I had to help him like really tell me about things that he learned in his past experiences.

[00:24:25] And so he was able to remember things that he had completely forgotten, things that were just not in the top of his mind at all. And then after he started to realize those things that gave him a confidence boost. And so it helped him to focus and apply to the jobs that then he was most qualified for, because before then he was just kind of just, Throwing spaghetti at the wall and to see what, what would stick.

[00:24:46] And so really, he changed his complete approach to job searching. And he got hired. All it took was a little bit of coaching to get him really into the job that he, he needed and he wanted. So really, I just shared with you that it is the resume transformation that can really get your foot in the door.

[00:25:07] And when you do, that's really what's gonna set you apart.

[00:25:10] And that brings me to secret number two on how to tell your story Before Thunderbird, I made one significant major transition and that was going from being a shoe salesperson to working as an engineering Technician.

[00:25:23] So my last year in high school, I worked at the shoe store And it was my first job. I was just fresh into the marketplace. And so I continued to work at the shoe store at the mall through my first year in college, because I really liked the discount. Eventually I had to quit the job because I realized that the degree was getting more, more demanding and a little bit more difficult.

[00:25:46] And so as an engineering student at UC , we're required to do cooperative education. So that just means that we had to get a full time internship or paid experience between second, third and fourth year of undergrad. And so during those years, I would alternate between school and work.

[00:26:04] And so I remember that the daunting feeling for my very first interview, when I went for an engineering related job, I felt unqualified. My first year as an engineer was hard and I felt like I didn't really learn very much. I felt like I had very little to contribute as an engineer. Like how am I going to be talking about technical serious things, right?

[00:26:24] All I had done was sell shoes before that. 

[00:26:27] So anyways, during my undergrad, I did co op with two different companies. And so I worked for a local engineering consulting firm and then I worked for Disney Imagineering. The first job I got because I was able to tell why I chose engineering as my career.

[00:26:43] I shared some of the things that I liked and some of the relevant subjects in schools that I was really good at. And then I also talked about what I wanted to learn. And I was hired. Based on that on those things, right? So, some of the things that I had learned But then also some of the things that I wanted to learn And after I got that job, I, I got a confidence boost.

[00:27:04] I'm like, Oh, I can do this. I'm made for this. And so with that, then I worked for the engineering consulting firm for about one and a half semesters. And then after they ran out of projects for me, then I had to go I had to go back to school, kind of go back to the drawing board. And I had to now go on the hunt for my, my second engineering job.

[00:27:23] And so, At that time I came across Disney Imagineering that they were hiring students for different internships and, and different, different roles. And so when I saw that, I thought, why not? Quite frankly, never in a million years did I think I was going to get it. Here I was a little kid in Cincinnati, applying to a job, working at the most magical place on earth, one of the most known name corporations or in the world.

[00:27:47] And I was like, but you know what? Just try it. Just, just, just, just give it a try. And so to my surprise though, I was selected for an interview. And then I still felt like I really didn't know much about engineering at that time, but still the only thing that I could do is talk about my past experience and what I had learned so far.

[00:28:07] There was one question that stood out to me and that was, have you ever been in a position to where you had to hear no repeatedly? And what did you do whenever you heard no or how did that feel? And so I at that moment I had to refer back to my job as a shoe salesperson. And I simply responded, the interview question by saying that I had heard no so many times working in retail And the only thing I learned is that when people would say it, it was never personal.

[00:28:35] So I was able to say, I've heard the word no. And it's not personal and this is how I was able to overcome those times. So hearing no did not bother me That's basically the message that I sent to them and that worked because ultimately that got me the job and I know that I know that I know that it was that that question that got me the job because that's what the job entailed A lot of what I was doing at disney was really working on the warranty period for new Resorts or for for new attractions and in doing so I had to really talk to the vendors and I had to call talk to the different construction companies and whenever they would kind of like argue back and forth No, it's not our responsibility.

[00:29:14] We didn't have to do that Then I had to really take a step back and really figure out how to best approach them And really not get sidetracked or not feel like oh my gosh i'm not doing my job because that was the job and so Literally the fact that I was able to tell the story of how I had heard no so many times and never took it personal I know that I know that I know that that's what got me the job at Disney So secret number two, you need to know how to tell your story.

[00:29:41] It doesn't matter if your previous work experience had nothing to do with the job that you're trying to get. What matters is what you've learned and how you share it with the people that are looking to hire you. You have to be able to translate your past experience into How are the skills that you learned relevant to the new role?

[00:30:00] You know, sometimes yes, there could be a match That you may be a hundred percent aligned Your previous role to the role that you're going after but a lot of times we have to really get good at you know Sharing with people. What are some of the transitional job skills? What are some of the skills that we Performed at our previous job that then will help us to perform well in our in our new job.

[00:30:23] So Really what matters is what you've learned and how you share that with the people that are looking to hire you. Telling your story is more important than describing the job description. Remember that when you're talking about a job description, you're only telling me about them. But when you talk about your story, you're talking about you.

[00:30:44] Job descriptions focus on a job or a company. Your story gives you the opportunity to share what you've learned, what you've accomplished. And so while a job description talks about tasks and expectations, your story talks about you, your story talks about what you did. And so that is why it's important for you to do that.

[00:31:00] So I know that the shoes sales story is really what got me the job at Disney Imagineering.

[00:31:05] The simple fact remains that a resume gets you the interview, but it is the way you tell your story that really gets you the job. It's what you do in the interview that is going to get you the job offer. 

[00:31:15] The cool thing is this doesn't just work for me, it works for anybody trying to transition in their career. So I had the opportunity to coach my friend Aaron and he always thought that his story didn't really matter much when it came to getting a job. But after he took a leap of faith and he tried this and he really focused on how he told his story, you know, things completely changed for him.

[00:31:37] So I coached Aaron on, on transforming his resume and his ultimate goal is to become a lawyer and work as a Senator. And so he felt stuck because he had taken a few years off of college. So he didn't necessarily. finish his degree in one pass.

[00:31:53] He had taken a break somewhere in between and he was feeling like it was getting too late for him to move forward. In his path, law school is very competitive and taking time off off of school may not, may not help. And so as we worked on his resume, I kept highlighting the thread of his story.

[00:32:10] He was struggling to see how the jobs that he had in customer service and shipping were really contributing to his career. They had nothing to do with him going into law school. And so I helped him to see that it was not the job description that mattered, that the important thing was for him to really, like, really focus on his accomplishments while he was in each position.

[00:32:30] So he had been creative with solving different problems for other employees at different places where he worked. And then I said that that is his story. He needed to focus on how he makes his work environment better, no matter what the environment might be.

[00:32:45] Jarissa: He always focused on really transforming things. And so I show him how that was the winning story. And that's what he needed to really learn how to express and share with other people. And so eventually he was able to land an internship in Washington, D. C. And he really jump started his career in politics. He's a mayor now in a, in a city here in the, the greater Cincinnati area.

[00:33:08] So. He went from being very subconscious to now he runs a city in the greater Cincinnati area. So the fact that he was able to learn how to, how to tell his story and how to really talk about the ways that he made improvements in the different places where he worked, that he made improvements on behalf of the people, his fellow co-workers, really that's what set him apart.

[00:33:32] And I believe that that, that was kind of like the, the winning idea behind it. So secret number two, you need to know how to tell your story. So do not doubt anymore. You cannot doubt that the things that your experiences in the past are really preparing you for what's next. You really have to know that, and you have to convince yourself as such because when you do, you'll be able to speak with confidence. You have to remember that it's never too late for you to get the job that you want to do and that you can learn How to tell your story by listening to other people and how they share theirs. 

[00:34:05] And you're probably thinking you don't have the right degree to do the job that you really want. And so let me tell you about my friend, Alexa. She has a degree in theater and with a degree in theater, she was able to land a job for the United States Senate as an intern, but still she was able to work there.

[00:34:22] Jarissa: Theater degree to the Senate. I mean, that's a pretty impressive transition. And then a couple of years later, she then became, she worked at the drama and arts department for a local school in the Phoenix area. So surely with a theater degree, it took her so many different ways. She was able to transition into different things.

[00:34:42] And if you're thinking that what if you're getting too old in order for you to start in a new career path? Well, I've been at several graduations, including my own, and I've seen men and women that are graduated and they are well in their fifties, sixties.

[00:34:55] So that just proves to me that it is never too late for you to go after something that you truly want. 

[00:35:01] And if you're thinking that you don't necessarily know anyone that can may understand what it's like to make such big changes well Asking other people about their past experiences. You may learn more about what changes and transitions they've made. You'd be surprised to learn how many people have done this.

[00:35:18] And so the bottom line is that you can learn how to tell your story if you just listen to other people tell theirs. 

[00:35:23] And if you really can't find anybody close by, then I'm happy to be that person for you. Just as I've done it with other people, but now, you know, that it is the way that you tell your story and to highlight what you have learned from your past experience that that's really going to get you the job that you want.

[00:35:41] That really takes me to secret number three, work and life satisfaction. 

[00:35:47] People often ask me, how did I go from working at Disney to working at the sewer department? Because in the department, we would always say that no one dreams of working at the, in the sewer department. And I never woke up dreaming that I, that I wanted to work there, but I did. And nonetheless, it was a good experience and that is because I decided to make it so.

[00:36:08] Although it wasn't my dream job, I was determined to make the most of it. I was appreciative to get the job right in the middle of the economy crisis in 2008. I knew that many other people were struggling to find a place to work and luckily I had a good job and I had great benefits and I was thankful.

[00:36:26] I mean, I got hired. Literally, a couple of weeks right before there was a citywide hiring freeze. And so, I mean, I was thankful. And even when a lot of my, my fellow classmates that had graduated with me, there were some people that struggled finding, finding work at that time because of the crisis in 2008.

[00:36:48] And I have to admit that while working at the Sewer Department, there were days where I felt like I was working in the wrong place. I asked what if, what if I had worked harder to stay at Disney?

[00:36:56] I felt that the work at the Sewer Department is important, but it was not personally satisfying to me. The people that I worked with were nice, and I developed some great relationships. That alone made the job significant, and I enjoyed a lot the people that I worked with. So in order to be Satisfied at work, I grew relationships and I got involved.

[00:37:17] Even on the days where I felt like, oh, like if I was dragging because of the technical aspect of the work, I always made sure to find ways to make it significant for myself. So one of the ways that I got involved was making sure that my division participated in a mentor program for high schoolers. And so I was committed to give high school students a great experience and to help my co-workers have a good time in the process.

[00:37:40] For other people, mentoring seemed like a, like extra unnecessary work, but for me, it was a chance to give back to the students. It was a chance to do things that I really enjoyed doing naturally, it was an opportunity to influence students in their career path.

[00:37:56] It was a way for me to give back and to be true to my purpose of helping people find their path. And so looking back, I can say that my mentoring work gave a whole new meaning to my job. It helped me to feel connected and boosted my satisfaction. 

[00:38:10] So making sure that the sewers were in good condition and working the way that they should was important. But impacting someone else's life was my dream job and I got able to, I was able to do that. And so from then on, I learned that I can be satisfied no matter how stinky the job may be. As long as I made a positive impact for other people.

[00:38:31] So I discovered what made me feel satisfied. And so this satisfaction didn't have to come from the task or the duties that I got paid to do, but it came from the impact that I was creating. And so I made sure to always pursue impact in every single one of my work experiences after that. And so, The point is that you need to do what you like.

[00:38:53] The cool thing is that this doesn't just work for me But it's it works for all kinds of different people. So my friend Samantha who I got the chance to work with Her dream was to work for a sports team but she took a leap of faith helping me manage a child care center. So this is what happened.

[00:39:09] Samantha, she's from a small town in Ohio, in the north part of Ohio, and there's not a lot of diversity there, but Samantha has always wanted to learn Spanish. And so during high school, she, she took classes and then while she was in college, she also took a couple more classes. And so she took an internship working with me to implement new systems in the child care center just to help us be more efficient.

[00:39:32] And after her internship ended, she stayed working with us and the most amazing thing happened. And it was that she got a chance to practice her Spanish while the time working with us. She ended up working with us two and a half years, even after her internship commitment ended. 

[00:39:47] And by the time she found a new job, she was nearly perfect at speaking Spanish. I mean, she was literally almost bilingual. And so maybe working at the child care center was not her dream job. Because she really was going to school to earn her degree in mathematics and sports management, but the job at the daycare really allowed her to do something that she's always wanted to do.

[00:40:08] And that was to speak Spanish. So before she transitioned out of this job, I coached her with her resume and not only Did she get another management job, but she was able to double her salary and she can also claim that she was an advanced Spanish speaking, Candidate which was awesome 

[00:40:27] so secret number three your work and life Satisfaction, you know, you're probably thinking that only doctors engineers and lawyers can make good money And well, they don't make bad money.

[00:40:39] That's for sure. But all of us have different skills that make us perfect for a specific job. And making a decent living is about finding the one thing people are willing to pay you for and become the best you can be at it. You may be thinking I can't be happy or satisfied in my field.

[00:40:56] Well, happiness is not about your job. All of us have things that make us feel happy. And the key is to identify them and to find ways to do more of them. That's what makes work bearable. When you, those days where you feel like, Oh my gosh, I don't, I don't, I don't like where I work. I don't like what I do.

[00:41:14] But if you find the things that really things that you enjoy, then your days are going to be that much better. 

[00:41:20] You may be thinking, what if other people have control of my job or career?

[00:41:23] Well, your career really is up to you. You decide when to make the changes and who can influence it. I worked in a corporate job where I was warned that my direct manager, the head of the department was saying that she was not happy with my performance and she blocked my recommendation to work in different executive level projects.

[00:41:42] And so when I figured that I had enough money saved to be able to go for a few months without working, I resigned and I realized that it was up to me to decide how long. I will continue to work in a negative environment. And so you could be thinking that I can't afford to get back to school or getting a new degree is not something that I can do right now.

[00:42:02] Well think about ways that you can get free or low cost training to do something that you enjoy. 

[00:42:08] During the time I worked my corporate job, I joined a program to be trained and to learn on what it takes to be a board of directors members for different nonprofits. And so this had nothing to do with the job that I was doing or the job that I was getting paid to do, but it was just an interest of mine and it was a way to learn how I can better serve the community and create impact and get more personal satisfaction along the way.

[00:42:32] So you have to figure out how can you balance, right? If you're not getting paid for the things that you love, you need to find out ways that you can do things that you love outside of your job. And that is how you become satisfied. 

[00:42:44] And what if you're thinking that there are no good jobs out there, well, what you decide you want to put into a job and what you will get out of it are two ways to measure if the job is a good fit for you. Jobs are not meant to be one size or type that fits all. Instead, you have to find what works for you and what is good for you. One of the reasons that I didn't stay working for Disney is because at that time, when I graduated, I wasn't ready to move, like, away from my family for, for, for an extended period of time, or what seemed like a permanent timeframe for that matter.

[00:43:21] And so, Even though that was a great opportunity, it was not necessarily a good opportunity for me at that time. And so we all have to define what good is for us. And then we just go after it, you know, and what is good now may not necessarily be good later. And so don't be afraid if your definition of good changes over time.

[00:43:43] At the end of the day, you have to decide what is good for you and pursue it. That's really what it boils down to. When you do, that is how you're going to be able to balance the satisfaction you get from your job and ultimately what you do outside of your job.

[00:43:58] So let us reflect for a little bit because I've shared with you three secrets to a successful career.

[00:44:05] So let me ask you a question. If you followed what I showed you in secret number one, and you transformed your resume to guarantee that you get hired, and then you did what I showed you in secret number two, and you told your story to highlight what you learned from your past experience, and then you use secret number three to find balance, to get your needs met and be satisfied in your work and life, do you think you could be successful?

[00:44:29] Will you be able to get the job that you really want and that you are most qualified to do? And so let me ask you, let me ask you this. Are you excited about what we just talked about or are you feeling overwhelmed because of, we just covered so much. 

[00:44:44] And obviously it will be impossible for me to share everything you need and for me to condense everything that you need for your specific job search. However, I took the time to create a guide that will help you along your job search. So if you wanted it in writing, you can get "The 4 Things You Need to Get a Job" and you're going to find really specific tips and tricks and strategies for you to win and to be successful in your job search.

[00:45:09] You need something a little bit more specialized, something that is more customized to you. I'd be more than happy to coach you. And just as I've done for some of my friends and other clients, I'd be happy to extend that to you. So feel free to look at the description and the show notes, and you'll be able to find the information on how to get the guide, or you may also find the information on how to contact me so that we can collaborate on your specific, either Transitions or job search.

[00:45:40] So this has been ProFAITHsional Favor with Jarissa. Until next time, buh bye!