Your Career GPS – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode, Brad W. Minton and career story coach Steph Gillies discuss the challenges faced by young professionals in navigating career anxiety and the pressure to specialize. They explore the importance of embracing multi-passionate career paths and how to craft a compelling career story that reflects one's authentic self. Steph shares insights on resume writing, the relevance of diverse experiences, and strategies for presenting oneself effectively in job applications. The conversation emphasizes that every experience is valuable and can be framed to highlight transferable skills, encouraging listeners to embrace their unique journeys.

Key takeaways:

Young professionals often feel anxiety and pressure in their careers. The traditional notion of specializing in one career is outdated. Most people's career paths are not linear; they are often messy. It's important to normalize non-linear career paths. Resumes should highlight relevant experiences, including volunteer work. Education can be framed as work experience for new grads. Authenticity is key in job applications and interviews. Having multiple resumes can help tailor your story for different roles. Every experience can be made relevant to your career goals. You can change your career at any age.

Guest Info:

Steph Gillies is a Career Story Coach, focused on helping multi-passionate professionals embrace their authenticity and design their career story. Having had 32 jobs in 15 years, Steph mastered the job search process and gained valuable insights into how to align passions with career paths.

After being laid off from what she thought was her dream job in 2020, she started resume writing and career coaching. Since then, she has helped over 1000 people discover their purpose and create a career story that truly reflects who they are.

Guest Links:

Website

LinkedIn

Podcast

In this conversation, Brad W. Minton and Deb Samuels-Peretz, PhD, discuss the critical importance of soft skills in the workplace, particularly for Gen Z.

They explore how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the development of these skills, the key power skills needed for success, and the role of emotional intelligence, coachability, and critical thinking. The discussion emphasizes the need for continuous learning and self-awareness, as well as strategies for leveraging soft skills in job applications and tailoring them to specific job opportunities. The conversation concludes with valuable career advice for young professionals entering the workforce.

Key Takeaways:

• Soft skills are essential for workplace success.

• COVID-19 has hindered the development of social skills in Gen Z.
• Emotional intelligence encompasses empathy and self-awareness.
• Coachability is crucial for new graduates in entry-level positions.
• Critical thinking is necessary in an era of misinformation.
• Creativity thrives on collaboration and diverse perspectives.
• Job descriptions provide clues about desired soft skills.
• Continuous learning is vital for personal and professional growth.
• Soft skills can be highlighted in resumes and interviews.
• Employers value candidates committed to developing their soft skills.

Guest Info:

Dr. Deb Samuels-Peretz is Co-founder and VP of Learning and Development at TheRealMe, Inc. is a social scientist and consultant with a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from Boston College. Deb has prepared teachers at universities such as Boston University, Boston College and Brandeis University. Her specialties are adult learning and cognitive development, applied neuroscience and educational technology. At the RealMe Deb uses her expertise to help Gen Z upskill their soft skills so they can get hired at jobs they'll love.

In this episode, Brad W. Minton interviews Mikhail Filipovitch, the Vice President of Operations at Jobs for Humanity, about inclusive hiring and disability support. Mikhail shares his personal journey and the catalyst that led him to work in the disability rights movement. He discusses the misconceptions that employers have about hiring people with disabilities and emphasizes the importance of building trust and showcasing past success to encourage employers to take a leap of faith. Mikhail also provides advice for young job seekers with disabilities, including the importance of building confidence, seeking internships and volunteer opportunities, and connecting with communities and mentors.

In this conversation, Brad and Mikhail discuss the importance of personal branding and showcasing one's authentic impact in the job search. They also highlight the value of being proactive and coming to the table with solutions to potential challenges. Mikhail emphasizes the power of community and the resources available to young job seekers, such as personal contacts, organizations like Jobs for Humanity, and employee resource groups. He also encourages individuals to focus on gaining experience, whether through internships, volunteer work, or self-employment. Mikhail shares success stories of individuals who overcame barriers and found meaningful employment with the support of organizations like Jobs for Humanity.

Key Takeaways

• Building trust and showcasing past success can encourage employers to hire people with disabilities.
• Young job seekers with disabilities face unique barriers, including a lack of mentors and predecessors.
• Job Accommodations Network (JAN) is a valuable resource for job seekers with disabilities, providing guidance on disclosure and accommodations.
• Confidence can be built by seeking internships, volunteering, and connecting with communities and mentors.
• Being solution-oriented and productivity-focused when discussing accommodations with employers can make the process easier. Personal branding is crucial in the job search, as it allows individuals to communicate their authentic impact and what they bring to the table.
• Being proactive and coming to the table with solutions to potential challenges is highly appealing to prospective employers.
• Building a strong community and utilizing available resources, such as personal contacts and organizations like Jobs for Humanity, can greatly benefit young job seekers.
• Gaining experience through internships, volunteer work, or self-employment is essential, especially for individuals with disabilities who may face assumptions about their abilities.
• Success stories highlight the transformative power of support and advocacy in helping individuals overcome barriers and find meaningful employment.

Guest Info:

Mikhail Filipovitch

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikhailfilipovitch/

Jobs For Humanity: https://www.jobsforhumanity.com/

JAN: https://askjan.org/

In this amazing episode Brad Minton and Megan Vallee interview Lezlie Garr. Lezlie, a certified professional resume writer and founder of ResumeLezlie.com discusses her career journey and how she navigated through several shifts and pivots from her original plans. She breaks down for listeners the true nature of resume function in the job search today and how this document is being screened by employers and the software they utilize in their screening processes. She helps our listeners understand what are some of the most common resume issues that she has seen in her clients, as well as what are the key ingredients to a great resume versus a good resume. She highlights the steps that students and young adults can take in order to differentiate themselves to turn this document into a value proposition. She breaks down the importance of taking a solid inventory of all past accomplishments to drive the value of the document further. Finally she discusses the cover letter and how this document is generally underutilized, and how it can serve young job seekers. 

Guest info:

Lezlie Garr

www.resumelezlie.com 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/resumelezlie/

Instagram: @resumelezlie 

#resume #resumewriting #careerdevelopment #jobsearch #coverletter #podcast

Hosts Brad Minton and Megan Vallee are joined in this episode by Hannah Morgan, Owner and Job Search Strategist with Career Sherpa. Hannah discusses her career journey and how she came to find career coaching and job search strategy as her calling in life. She talks about how social media has changed the landscape of personal branding, networking, and job search and is a powerful tool for career advancement. She highlights the ways in which young people and aspiring professionals can utilize various platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok, She highlights steps that students and new grads can take to shift from using this platforms in a personal capacity to a more professional way. Hannah reminds our listeners the areas of caution regarding social media including how employers view candidates pages, and the ways this can work against job seekers and those looking to break into an industry. Hannah many small, easy action steps that our listeners can take to maximize their brand through the use of social media including ways to engage with companies, employers, and employees in companies of interest. 

Guest Info: 

Hannah Morgan

www.careersherpa.net 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannahmorgan/ 

Facebook and Instagram: @careersherpa 

#socialmedia #personalbranding #networking #contentcreation 

On this incredible episode Megan and Brad sit down with Ariella Despins (formerly Coombs), who presently serves as the Director of Career Support at Work It Daily, a Private B2C SaaS career coaching platform with over 3,000+ monthly premium subscribers. Ariella talks about the concept of personal branding for young people and the core ingredients needed for an effective brand. She highlights the importance of establishing and taking control over your own personal brand or letting others control it for you. She lays out the core components that comprise a successful personal brand along with easy steps to consider,  Finally, she does remind listeners about how a personal brand can have setbacks and potential downsides particularly in the early stages. 

Guest Info: 

Ariella Depsins 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ariellacoombs/ 

www.workitdaily.com 

#personalbranding #careerdevelopment #podcast #contentcreation 

In this incredible episode Founder of My Marketability and Career Coach Diana YK Chan sits down with Brad and Megan on an important topic: How to stand out from the traffic and move to the fast lane of your career! Diana provides background into her own unique story of moving to Canada as a child and how over time she came to accept and embrace her own awesomeness rather than running from it or trying to fulfill other people's fantasies of her own life. She talks about the many lessons she has learned as a job seeker, as a recruiter for Google, and now as a Career Coach in her own business. She helps listeners understand the pillars to moving to the fast lane: Marketability, Visibility, Credibility, and Likability. She helps listeners understand why it's important to stand out from the traffic in today's competitive job market as well as how to do so in a way that's easy for students and new grads to do even when they may be a little fearful. 

This is a can't miss episode with one of the best career coaches in the world today! 

Guest Info: 

Diana YK Chan

www.mymarketability.com 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianachan/ 

#personalbranding #careerdevelopment #standout #authenticity #careersuccess #collegestudents #newgrads #collegetocareer #podcast

This is episode Megan and Brad have the opportunity to interview Megan Collins Myers, an amazing recruiter turned Career Coach and founder of Myers Career Coaching. Megan talks about her personal career journey in a way that is very relatable for most young professionals. She talks about her path to career coaching and how she leveraged her own natural curiosity and a love for people to use informational interviewing as both a career starter as well as a career accelerator. She talks about the best approaches to informational interviewing including who you should interview, what questions to ask, and how to follow good protocol. She highlights her best pieces of advice for students and young professionals to leverage the knowledge around them using informational interviewing and the payoffs to doing so. 

Guest Info: 

Megan Collins Myers

www.myerscareercoaching.com 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/meganmyers1010/

#informationalinterviewing #careerdevelopment #podcast #networking 

For this incredible episode Megan and Brad interview Mike Bird of CoachOiseau Career Coaching. Mike talks about his journey to career coaching by way of athletic coaching and how he fell in love with cultivating the development of young people. He talks about how creating content for young people is not a new activity, but one that they can center to enhance their career development. He outlines several important considerations including the type of content you produce, the audience it's meant for, and how to deal with fear and even writers block. Mike describes the journey all young content creators take and how ultimately they can use a variety of platforms to beat the job market traffic and gain the right attention! Don't miss this one! 

Guest Info: 

Mike Bird 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/birdmike/

https://www.coachoiseau.com/ 

#careerdevelopment #contentcreation #careerjourney #findyourpath #overcomefear #authenticity #personalbranding 

In this episode Megan and Brad sit down with Assistant Director of Career Development at Northeastern Illinois University and Inclusive Career Coach Lynette Correa-Vele,z M.Ed. She discusses why setting clear and concise goals at a young age is so important. She takes listeners through her life and career journey and outlines the incredible impact of having a vision and passion had on her life. She helps listeners understand how they can still be effective in achieving goals despite adversity and despite not having everything figured out. She provides an easy framework of the difference between good goal setting and great goal setting and how young people can reach theirs. 

Guest Info:

Lynette Correa-Velez, M.Ed. 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lcorreavelez/ 

#goalsetting #careerdevelopment #careeradvice #collegelife #studentlife #achievement #podcast