How to Episode 22: Create Your 2018 Career Strategy: My 10 Step Process to Overwhelming Career Success!

---

---

---

Although 2017 isn't quite over yet, being the high achieving and ambitious woman I know you are, you've probably already started thinking about what you'd like to accomplish in your career for next year - and I don't blame you - because I'm doing the same thing!

One of the secrets to an overwhelmingly successful career is creating and implementing a strategic career plan. Imagine how you'd feel if you could look back over your career 12 months from now and have been able to accomplish all of the goals you'd set for yourself just one year earlier.

It'd feel amazing, right?!

Well, in this episode, I'm breaking down the 10 steps you need to focus on in order to create your career strategy for 2018 (and beyond)!

---

Episode Gems You Don't Want to Miss:

• How to define your overwhelmingly successful career - and why positioning your career goals this way is extremely important. [8:50]

• The importance of aligning your career with your strengths and unique expertise - Hint: everybody has unique strengths and expertise, you just need to be focused on honing in on them. [9:45]

• How to figure out which strengths will help you achieve your career goals - this is a major key to creating the right strategy for yourself. [11:00]

• What non-negotiables are - and why you need to get clear on them. [13:55]

• How to declare your outcome by creating your Strategic Vision Statement. [16:25]

• Why taking a step back will actually help you make more strategic decisions for your future. I know it sounds counter intuitive, but it works! [19:15]

• How to figure out your next logical step - so you can put yourself in a position to actually achieve your career goal. [21:55]

---

Keep the momentum going by downloading your free copy of my Career Strategy Planning Worksheet

---

Other episodes and links mentioned:

• Episode #01: "My Career Story: How I Went from Laid off to Living Life!"

• Episode #09: "6 Things I did before making the switch to Human Resources"

• Episode #15: "The importance of setting stretch goals "

• Episode #21: "How to know if you're in a toxic work environment (and what to do about it)"

• Gallup Strengths Finder

• Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator  (MBTI)

• DiSC Profile

• Download your free career strategy planning worksheet here

P.S. If you wanna take your strategic planning up a notch, you should enroll in my course - Strategy from Scratch and join a community of success-minded women running full steam ahead into creating an overwhelmingly successful career strategy for 2018.

This video training is an accelerated career goal setting workshop that will absolutely guarantee you achieve you goals for the new year! #winning Once you enroll in class, you'll also get 30 days of unlimited email access with me and entry into the private Facebook community for Strategy from Scratch students only! For a limited time, use code PODCAST to receive 10% savings!

---

Let's be Internet BFFs:

• Your Career Girl Instagram

• Your Career Girl Twitter

• Your Career Girl Facebook

• Join the Your Career Girl Private Community

---

If you enjoyed this podcast episode, please take a moment to subscribe, rate and review on iTunes. This is how we can spread the word about the Deeper than Work podcast and have as many women as possible join the Career Girl Nation!

---

How to Know if Episode 21: You're in a Toxic Work Environment (and what to do about it) w/ Danielle Fairbairn-Bland

---

---

---

Danielle Fairbairn-Bland, Licensed Clinical Social Worker and guest host on the Deeper than Work podcast, episode 21

In this episode, I sit down with Danielle Fairbairn-Bland, Licensed Clinical Social Worker from Vision Transformation Firm and get down to the nitty gritty of toxic work environments - what they are, how to know if you're in one and what you should do to escape.

The truth is: We're in a dangerous time right now in our society where the idea of having an abusive job is "normalized" and almost considered a rite of passage.

While we would quickly advise a friend to get out of a toxic and abusive relationship, we're more likely to accept that same friend being in a toxic and abusive work environment. 

I'm not going to lie, this episode really hit home for me as I was reminded of my own toxic environment that I dealt with for two whole years. If you're currently in a toxic work environment or know someone who is, this episode is a must listen!

---

Episode Gems You Don't Want to Miss:

• How toxic environments affect black women specifically - "Our strength is often seen as our weakness and can be a gift and a curse." [4:04]

• The definition of a "toxic work environment" - Believe it or not, it's on a spectrum and can encompass many different (often subtle) things. [6:18]

• How you can tell if you're actually in a toxic work environment and why it can be harder than you think to diagnose it. [8:50]

• How a work environment that lacks diversity can contribute to a toxic work environment - this is one I can definitely relate to! [12:10]

• How toxic work environments affect your whole life - not just your time at work, but also your self-esteem, relationships, health and overall well-being. [14:55]

• What you should do if you're currently in a toxic working environment - Hint: "Sometimes you have to tune out from the world to tune into yourself." [18:30]

---

Need help figuring out how to escape your toxic work environment? Apply for a strategy session today!

---

Other episodes and links mentioned in the Episode:

• Episode #01: "My Career Story: How I Went from Laid off to Living Life!"

• Episode #19: "Navigating Your Career as a Black Woman"

• Connect with Danielle on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and her website

• Tired of your toxic work environment and ready to start your exit strategy? Fill out an application for a 1:1 Strategy Session!

---

Let's be Internet BFFs:

• Your Career Girl Instagram

• Your Career Girl Twitter

• Your Career Girl Facebook

• Join the Your Career Girl Private Community

---

If you enjoyed this podcast episode, please take a moment to rate, review and subscribe on iTunes. This is how we can spread the word about the Deeper than Work podcast and have as many women as possible join the success movement!

10 Job Search Terms Every Successful Job Seeker Should Know

When it comes to your job search, the most successful job seekers are the ones that are the most informed. With all the moving parts that go into the process, it can be easy to get lost in a sea of terms and acronyms that recruiters and hiring managers throw around. My goal is to make sure you understand the most commonly used job search terms so you'll never be caught off guard again!

10 Job Search Terms Every Successful Career Girl Should Know

1: Job Satisfaction

This describes how happy and fulfilled you are with your current job. It encompasses many things, i.e. the actual work you’re doing, your contributions to you company, your impact, compensation, etc. Dissatisfaction with your job affects your physical, emotional and financial well being.

2. Career Portfolio 

Your career portfolio helps frame an employer’s view of you. It includes samples of your work, your experience, your education, your accomplishments and your skills. Your portfolio is much more than just a resume or cover letter.

3. Job Boards

These are sites where open jobs are posted for job seekers to apply. There are five main types of job boards: general job-search engines, industry-specific job boards, geographic-specific job boards, job-seeker specific “niche” boards and company career pages.

4. Information Interview

Not to be confused with a job interview, an information interview helps you leverage your network to get insider information about a target company, role and/or industry. Savvy job seekers use these types of interviews to help choose or refine a career path, learn how to break in and find out if you have what it takes to succeed.

5. Hidden Job Market

Only about 20% of all available jobs are ever posted on a job board. This means that most jobs in the market are “hidden”. In order to find out about these jobs, you’ll have to use tactics like information interviews and networking.

6. Employment Gaps

This describes any periods of time between jobs when you’re unemployed (whether it’s voluntary or involuntary). Generally, employment gaps aren’t an issue – it’s when they’re unexplained or too frequent that they become a red flag. There are numerous strategies for reducing the impact of these gaps on your job search.

7. Counter Offer

This is an amazing salary negotiation strategy used by savvy job-seekers when a job offer is not at an acceptable level. You should know that almost all aspects of a job offer are negotiable, including the salary, non-salary compensation, moving expenses, benefits, and work arrangement. You should ALWAYS have a counter offer.

8. Company Culture

This is the most important thing to consider when going through the interview process and is the collection of beliefs, expectations, and values shared by an organization’s members. The culture sets the rules that defines what behaviors are acceptable/normal. It’s crucial for job-seekers to understand the culture of an organization before accepting a job.

9. Compensation Package

This is more than just salary and includes a combination of salary, bonus, overtime, benefits and allowances an employer provides to an employee. When comparing competing job offers, you should consider the total compensation package, not just salary.

10. Applicant Tracking System (ATS)

This is a tool used by employers to collect, store and screen applicant data. In order to make it to the job interview phase, applicants must learn how to develop resumes that are ATS-friendly and is rich with key words employers use to search for job seekers.

---

Career Girl Spotlight: Christine!

This week's career spotlight is on Christine Michel Carter! She's a global Marketing Strategist balancing her demanding work with being a mom. Check out Christine's story here - hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

---

1. In 140 characters or less, tell us what you do?

Marketing strategist | @Forbes @HuffPost @goodHealth contributor | Profiled in @WomensHealthMag @Ebony | On the inside: I’m tired as a mother.

2. What 3 words would you use to describe your career?

Relevant. Interwoven. Powerful.

3. Did you always know this is what you’d be doing?

I did not always think I would be a global marketing strategist by any means, but at four years old my teachers and parents encouraged me to write and share it with the public (not the class, actual audiences). Still, I never thought I’d be contributing to so many publications at 31 years old. I knew I always wanted to contribute professionally as a strategist, and thought entrepreneurship was the only way to do that. Boy was I wrong!

4. What’s your big “why?" Why do you do what you do?

I’m motivated by millennial moms because I’m passionate about seeing us represented in a positive light. I’m no different than all the other mothers in the world. Millennials demand their world highlight them, reflect them and look like them in all facets for less superficial reasons. As mothers, we’re dealing with challenges other generations never had to face. And from a corporate and commerce perspective, we’ve been misrepresented for so long, it’s important to us now to get the story right. Success to me is telling our story: our hopes, fears, challenges, everyday struggles and wins… and having someone listen to the story and make a positive impact as a result of it. This applies to my writing and the perspectives I provide in my professional career. As long as I’m building or improving upon the narrative, I’ve gotten it right.

5. Tell us a little bit about your career journey?

I’ve been working (illegally) since I was 12 years old, so let’s start with what’s most relevant to where I am now! At 21 years old I became the marketing director for a regional jewelry store, then branched out on my own and ran a retail marketing firm which supported mom and pop retailers. I started a business at the beginning of a recession, which was a challenge I didn’t anticipate. After a number of years being my own boss, I went back to the corporate world launching car sharing in Baltimore and supporting additional market launches. After this role I formally moved into corporate strategy and development for a large CPG company as a global marketing strategist.

6. What’s a typical day like for you?

No two days are the same, as people in business development roles can attest to. My projects unite many different departments in the organization, so I could be working on something finance related one day and something legal the next. Also with my writing I’m inspired by the news and the lives of other mothers, and since our children are unpredictable I never know what to expect!

7. What advice would you give to women who have not yet found their “purpose” or are unsure what they want to do in their career?

Reflect on your personal passions in life and find a way to make a career out of them. There’s always a way to profit from your purpose. Plus, you’ll never sit in a cubicle asking yourself “Why the hell am I here?”

---

Thanks so much for sharing your career story with us, Christine! Your advice to find a way to profit from your purpose is SPOT on!

---

Episode 16: How to Finally Find Career Fulfillment

Listen & Subscribe on iTunes and SoundCloud.

Ask anyone who enjoys what they do and has achieved a level of success in their career, and you'll likely find they've mastered career fulfillment.

Career Fulfillment is the foundation of career success and if it's something that's been eluding you on your journey so far, this one's for you!

In this episode, I'll break down the secret to achieving career fulfillment! Hint: It's actually not a secret at all.

Tune in to learn:

• My definition of career fulfillment

• What the 3 Ps of career fulfillment are

• How you can leverage fulfillment to upgrade your own career right now!

If you're serious about taking your career to the next level, you don't want to miss this one!

---