00:00today's conversation will be quick but we're going to talk about transitioning mentally
00:14physically and emotionally during these times of economic instability and social unrest because
00:24that does get carried with us in our invisible backpacks to work every day I'm often reminded
00:34of a quote we are what we repeatedly do excellence then is not an act but a habit that's compliments
00:44of author and philosopher Will Durant from 1926 and how awesome is it to constantly reflect
00:53on that particular quote when we talk about habits so let's get into the habit of talking about
01:00ourselves this means I'm asking you to think about how you are going to build and promote
01:10your personal brand a brand that needs to be consistent across all social platforms a brand
01:19that precedes you before you enter a room and a brand that lingers around after you have left
01:26that room I also challenge you to craft and practice your elevator pitch remember what goes
01:33up must come down and network like your life depends on it I'll often tell women that I mentor
01:41your net worth is based on your net work so the market may look and feel a bit different today
01:51and maybe even overcrowded but the landscape is still the same and you've got to put in the work
01:58to get the reward so let's talk through this how will you stand out when we talk about building
02:06the connections and we talk about building your brand go straight to social whatever platform speaks to
02:15you use that platform because you have to be comfortable in those interactions now this one
02:22whether you are comfortable with it or not I challenge you to use LinkedIn you have to make sure
02:29that you are on LinkedIn and it is consistently updated and you are using that platform to network
02:37and build your net worth find the person who is doing exactly what you think you may want to do
02:46begin to follow them understand their career trajectory and identify ways in which your past maps to
02:56their present and begin to ask questions we're in an age right now where everybody is looking to connect
03:04leverage the desire to connect outside of our home domains LinkedIn is a great tool just like any of our
03:14other social platforms but on LinkedIn it's focused professionally so make sure that you're keeping your
03:20professional hat on now I know a lot of people are used to going on those lunch outings or maybe having
03:29those coffee chats and while we can't do them in person nothing is stopping us from doing them at all you find
03:39someone you introduce yourself with your elevator pitch you link in with them because they are where you are
03:46trying to go and you leverage an opportunity to meet with them and you can definitely title it a lunch date
03:55or even a coffee chat but you ask for no less than 15 minutes of their time to talk about how they got to where
04:04they're going and understand how what they did to get there could possibly be what you need to do to get there
04:13but never leave those conversations without an ask to meet again now when you meet again there could
04:22possibly be an ask for your resume and we know how daunting of a task it is to build that resume
04:29how is it that I am able to capture all that I can do within these four corners these four walls
04:38well guess what you don't have to you build out the narrative you want people to see immediately
04:46as it speaks to the specific skills and requirements that they are seeking for in whatever role it is that
04:53you're interested in does this mean you have multiple resumes it could okay and that's you doing the work
05:02that is you building a habit you also want to make sure that you are highlighting all of the experiences
05:10that you have had whether they have been in the office whether they have been virtually or whether you
05:18have been volunteering I'll tell you this there was a point in time in my career where I was laid off
05:26after getting over it I immediately did two things I found a grant and went back to school and I volunteered
05:37and volunteered and volunteered and I'll tell you that those volunteer experiences coupled with my
05:44educational experiences open doors I had never thought would be open to me but in this day and age
05:52companies are looking to understand who you are as the full person and how you can elevate their brand
05:59gap year post-graduation all great questions in all scenarios we have seen play out very well for
06:07individuals but when thinking about taking a gap year I want you to think of three key questions
06:14one what will I accomplish during this time two how will I define a successful gap year and three how will I
06:29hold myself accountable all three of those questions anchor in self your gap year is for you it is not for
06:40someone else so make use of that time and make use of the experiences gained and when we talk about those
06:49experiences gained I challenge you in your gap year to read to listen to podcasts and to watch watch the news
06:59watch movies watch people around you you need to keep your eyes
07:09and your ears open to all of the change that's happening around us and be prepared for when you reenter
07:16whatever space you're looking to reenter that you are prepared in this time research career goals
07:25and know why that career I still don't know why I wanted to write cards for hallmark and I've long left
07:35that in my past so it's important for you to understand here's where I want to be here's how I can get there
07:43but here's why I want to be there because once I am there here's how I will make people feel here's how
07:51people will receive me and here's the impact that I will have on the community speaking of community
07:58volunteer volunteer volunteer volunteer volunteer people need you and you could learn just as much
08:09from the people that need you than the people that need you can learn from you
08:14you
