Job Searching Is Like Going To The Gym

Time to read: 1 minute 15 seconds

Welcome to week 2 of Job Searching for Corporate Rebels!

An effective job search builds momentum. You start with a handful of connections and grow it into a vibrant matrix. This means three things:

1. You have to start somewhere which means you can start anywhere.
2. The start may be slow. That's ok. It takes a while to build momentum.
3. You want your job search to take on a life of its own.

Looking for a job is like going to the gym. When you start, working out doesn't feel great. You can't lift much weight, and your body feels unfamiliar and uncomfortable. You force yourself to go. After a few weeks, a bicep appears, and you sleep better. As you start to see results, you become intrinsically motivated to work out.

Job searching works the same way. Doing reps gets results. Job search reps are making calls, talking to people, submitting resumes, and just like the gym, refining your approach will focus your results as you progress (tailoring your resume, honing your talking points).

Job searching isn't magic (until you get the offer, then it definitely feels like magic). It's a matter of discipline and willingness. Doing the work. Talking to people. Sending applications. Do the reps. Over time, you build momentum.

Today's Hot Tip: Do the reps. Job searching isn't complex. Just do the reps.

In the next couple of weeks, I'll share more about how to build momentum. Stay tuned.

If you have a friend or colleague who could benefit from 14 years of experience in career development and job seeking, please hit forward and share this newsletter with them. They can subscribe here to receive the whole series.

Reach out anytime!

CR Popup Cafe - THIS FRIDAY

Time to read: 15 seconds. Time to mark your calendar: 3 seconds

Let's hang out!

Join me this Friday (Jan 8) for a Corporate Rebel Pop-up Cafe at 10:00 am CT (8:00 am PT, 11:00 am ET).

Grab your coffee. Grab your tea. We'll spend 60 minutes this Friday focused on generating hope and plans for 2021. We're emerging from the holidays and putting 2020 in the rearview mirror. Let's discuss!

This is a free drop-in event. You don't have to sign up.

Just show up in this Zoom room at 10:00 am Friday Jan 8. There will be conversation, Q&A, connection, and certainly laughter.

Join Zoom Meeting below:

https://zoom.us/j/98246938870?pwd=eGF5OU1aWDVZSHFu...

Meeting ID: 982 4693 8870

Passcode: 303400

One tap mobile

+16468769923,,98246938870#,,,,*303400# US (New York)

+13017158592,,98246938870#,,,,*303400# US (Washington D.C)

Please invite your friends and anyone you think would enjoy some connection this Friday morning.

Reach out with questions.

See you Friday!

This Is What Easy Looks Like!

Time to read: 45 seconds

Hello rebels,

A client of mine is looking for work and has decided to use this opportunity to craft his career in his area of passion and life purpose. It feels risky and exciting and scary and wonderful all at once.

He was recently accepted into and attended an exclusive international training program in his area of passion. This training included luminaries in his field, people with gobs of experience, amazing possibility for connection, and the potential for tapping into the unpublished job market. He was simultaneously excited and terrified.

For the event, we set some tactical goals: 1. to get a photo with the biggest star at the conference; 2. come away with at least 5 new connections.

On our call this week, we reviewed his progress toward these goals. Photo with star - check! And the 5 connections... "well," he said, "the conference organizers sat us at tables according to our region so the 5 connections happened easily. I guess I didn't really do the assignment."

What?! Didn't do the assignment? He wanted 5 connections and got 5 connections. In fact, more than 5 connections fell into his lap easily. Something seemed wrong because he hadn't "worked" for the connections. He hadn't struggled.

And, this is how life and work happens when you are on the right track. This is how opportunities flow when you are following your purpose. Opportunities come easily. Connections happen naturally. The universe just seats you at a table with exactly the people you need to meet.

All that energy spent struggling and worrying about making the right connections at the conference? He got to use it to talk about the things he actually cares about and take the next steps toward what he wants.

What would it be like to let go of the struggle and achieve your goals this easily?

You can.

With rebel love,

Christina

P.S. Do you know someone who feels they have to struggle to achieve their goals? Share this newsletter with them. They can join the fun here.

Feeling "Meh" About Selling Yourself?

Time to read: 1.5 minutes

Today I want to talk about self - promotion. Eeew. Yuck. Ick. Does the idea of promoting yourself turn your stomach?

Here's what I've been feeling lately. In the online business world (Think: "Become a 6-Figure Coach in 3 Days!" "Fix All Your Problems Now!" "Become the Most Awesome Boss in the World in 3 Easy Steps!"), there has been a lot of despicable behavior.

Online marketers sell programs that don't work. They know they don't work and sell them anyway for big bucks. Entrepreneurs sign people up for content and sales launches that they never asked for. (I delete at least one a day.) Every webinar is a pitch. I don't know about you but my Facebook feed is filled with marketing messages offering me everything from younger skin to a fairy godmother. I avoid Facebook and want nothing to do with those marketing tactics.

All of this leaves a business person like me looking for ways to connect authentically with people and get my message out into the world with integrity. For you, it's like figuring out how to promote yourself without sounding like that self-serving jerk who is constantly taking up air time in meetings. Neither of us wants to be associated with the bad behavior we see. So what are you and I to do?

I've given this lots of thought in the past few weeks. There are very good reasons to promote yourself and ways to do it with integrity. Here are 6 of them:

1. No one is paying attention to you. That's not as harsh as it sounds. It means that people are paying attention to a million other things, and you are not at the top of their "pay attention to this now" list. Knowing this frees you to promote yourself. Stop waiting for other people to notice you.
2. Your story is compelling. You are interesting. You have done amazing things. You have a point of view. All of that brilliance will get lost if you don't share it.
3. You can help others. Shift the idea of promoting yourself from one of "how can I look good" to one of "how do I use my gifts and talents to help my company and the people we serve?"
4. Promoting yourself is generous. You have an obligation to share your brilliance with others. You really do. Holding back serves no one.
5. Make your promotion about real connection and real conversation. When you authentically connect from a place of interest in and service to others, you will no longer feel like a used car salesman.
6. Promote yourself to people who are interested in you. Don't just plunk a calendar invite on some busy VP's schedule in order to tell them how wonderful you are. It's a great idea to invite a senior leader to lunch and start by getting curious about their vision, their fears, and how you can support their efforts. Then, once you are on their radar as a human being, you can talk about your accomplishments and desires for your career.

Real connection is always welcome. So, feel free to email me and tell me what you think about self-promotion or the current state of online marketing or anything else you feel like sharing with me. I'm here.

With rebel love,

Christina

P.S. I want you to stay at the Corporate Rebel for a good long time. And, I am a fan of choosing where you put your attention. There is always an "unsubscribe" button at the bottom of this newsletter anytime you feel like this content is no longer serving you.

P.P.S. The best way for the Corporate Rebel message to spread is through you. If you love this weekly dose of wisdom and humor, please forward this newsletter to friends. They can join our merry little band of rebels right here.

Do You Gossip? 4 Things To Do Instead

Time to read: 1:11.15 minutes

Harry Potter was a close as I could come to mini-figures dressed for work.

Office gossip is an international sport. Talking about other people is as common as water coolers, cheap coffee, and windowless conference rooms. Gossip breeds mistrust. If someone is willing to gossip with you, there's a very good chance, they will also be glad to gossip about you.

I had a recent ah-ha about gossip in my own life. I ran into an old friend who I hadn't seen in a while. We were casually catching up when I happened to mention something that sparked her desire to complain about an organization to which we both belong. Luckily, we didn't have time to continue the conversation, and she walked way with the promise to call for a tea date.

After we parted, I realized I was tempted to gossip because what I wanted was true connection with her. Colluding and creating an unpleasant dynamic that would, frankly, leave me feeling like crap, was the price I have been willing to pay for connection in the past. The realization hit me like a ton of bricks, and I decided then and there that I would no longer let gossip and collusion hijack real connection.

Does using gossip as a tool for connection ring familiar to you?

Here are 4 things you can do to stop the gossip and go for the real connection instead:

1. Be aware of how you feel when you succumb to gossip. Do you feel inspired and connected or dirty and sad (or something else completely)?
2. Openly commit to stopping the gossip and collusion. Tell your friends and colleagues your commitment and recruit them to help you stick to it.
3. Find points of real connection with others and talk about those things: common projects, shared interests, different interests, and current events. In my corporate days, we had a tradition of bringing funny or poignant stories from the radio as topics during lunch.
4. Share you areas of personal and professional growth and recruit your friends and colleagues to hold you accountable to help you grow. Talking about yourself is waaaay more fun than talking about others any day.

May these suggestions bring you the real connection you crave.

With rebel love,

Christina

P.S. As always, if you like what you see in the Corporate Rebel, please share the love with your colleagues. They can join our merry band of rebels right here.