Marie-Claire AssekoDefining your professional brand and your career journey is not simply about adjusting your resume to job descriptions 🫥.
In the first part of this 2-series workshop, I outlined how we should recognize and own our unique skills and story. In a nutshell, here are 3 pivotal reasons why this is critical.
- First, understanding our strengths and passions ensures that we are not just selected for roles based on others’ needs but for what truly aligns with our personal and professional aspirations🕊️.
- Secondly, with the pace of change in the job market accelerating, having a clear career path helps navigate🧭 through new opportunities and technologies.
- Lastly, this self-awareness enables strategic negotiations that align with our career goals🎯, ensuring that any professional engagement is mutually beneficial.
After the online workshop, I had the pleasure of delivering the second workshop in person at McGill University. I focused on sharing actionable insights to help attendees navigate through the initial phases of the recruitment process. Again, my hope is that the answers and experiences I have gotten so far can help someone🙏🏾.
During this session, I covered the remaining 3 steps out of 5 (the first 2) that have worked best for me. Here’s a recap of the essential takeaways from the session.
You have the opportunity to download the slides at the end of this article.
Interview Confidently
No matter who you are, interviewing is S T R E S S F U L 😰
- You’ve searched for a job for quite some time so you will be stressed when you’re faced with the opportunity to finally get what you sought after—It’s normal.
- I have heard many executives talk about their interviewing experiences and how, even at the “corporate level” they’re at, it remains a stress-inducive event.
Think about it: an interview is the only time where we clearly request someone else’s approval of our profile. Personal and professional attributes are evaluated by interviewers because they want to ensure that you’re a fit both technically and interpersonally. So it’s very easy to feel rejected as a whole person, not just as a worker, when you are not selected☹️.
Because it’s our brain’s job to try and protect our mental, emotional and physical integrity, we want to avoid feeling rejection. This lead us to try to “perform” during an interview, to “dress to impress”…which creates more stress😶🌫️.
Cue the vicious cycle of one stress trigger leading to another in a loop
My approach to interviewing is different. I focus on what I can control so that I can be confident on the day of the interview.
- I cannot control the mood of the interviewer🫣 but I can adapt how I respond to it;
- I may not be able to remove all stress but I can do some breathing 🌬️ exercices to get ahold of my nerves;
- I can research👩🏾💻 the company and the role thoroughly to better understand its culture and its needs, and be able to improvise if need be;
- I can craft my elevator pitch to not only succinctly convey 🗣️ who I am and what I stand for but also how my professional vision aligns with the company’s objectives;
- I can rehearse my elevator pitch for that specific company and role so that my delivery is authentic and engaging😏.
Last but not least, crafting compelling responses in interviews is an art that requires preparation and practice. Yes, it has nothing to do with sorcery or talent but rather the time you invest in preparing and practicing!
Utilizing the S.T.A.R. method—detailing the Situation, Task, Action, and Result—to structure your responses will highlight both your problem-solving skills and the tangible outcomes of your efforts. Personally, I love this method because it helps me to not only structure my thoughts, clearly articulate my past experiences but also ensure that my contributions are clearly understood and appreciated—showcasing my potential impact within the company.
Of course, you want to highlight personal contributions with regards to the job requirements.
Negotiate Your Worth Strategically
A significant part of career advancement is learning how to strategically negotiate. Negotiations go beyond salary discussions to include job responsibilities, professional development opportunities, and work-life balance.
But please 🙏🏾 you have to be clear on what you’re negotiating for!
- Understand the components of total compensation💰 for the role—base salary, bonuses, equity, and benefits—is essential.
- Decide what the non-negotiable components 🚫are for you based on where you’re at in life will set the goalposts for a successful negotiation. It also means that you know what you’re willing to compromise on🤔, or even completely let go of.
- Define the minimum acceptable salary that fits your desired outcomes. Then define a salary beyond that number. In total you’ll have 3 numbers for your negotiation. But as much as possible, always let the employer share the first number🫰🏾!
I cannot stress enough how important it is to enter discussions with a clear idea of your desired outcomes. It’s easier than you think to get swayed by shiny objects or charismatic interviewers/leaders.
Additionally, strategic negotiation involves knowing what matters most to you and focusing negotiations around these aspects. Whether it’s the scope of work, the team dynamics, or the potential for career progression, being clear and articulate about your expectations sets the foundation for a fruitful professional relationship.
Onboard Like a Boss
Successfully securing a job offer is only the beginning. I want you to onboard this new role as if you wrote the job description for it!😎
I always keep this article from Wes Kao handy to read when I started a new job; it’s helped me tremendously to take ownership of my onboarding process. By applying the tactics she mentions, I also set the stage for future promotions🚀 because I show from the start how impact-focused I am in my processing of new information:
- Learning about the company’s products, services, and culture on my own helped me to channel my newbie’s perspective into clever recommendations for the team;
- Being proactive not only sped up my adjustment process but also impressed my new colleagues and supervisors by demonstrating eagerness and capability;
- Understanding key performance indicators and seeking high-impact projects led to early successes and visibility within the companies;
- I build a reputation as a reliable and solution-oriented🥊 teammate.
TL;DR – Empowering Your Career Journey – Part 2
- Interviewing: You can’t improvise greatness and confidence on the day of the interview. But you can definitely prepare and practice for it. Mastering the S.T.A.R. method to share your professional contributions will help you position your profile, skills and experiences as the right addition to the team.
- Negotiating: Any contract you will ever sign will be to the benefit of whoever wrote it. In a recruitment process, this means your future employer. Hence, the importance of reflecting on your non-negotiables, what you’re willing to compromise on before you start interviewing. You want to remain cool-headed with clear goals in mind throughout the process.
- Onboarding: Congratulations! Now show to your team and your supervisors that you are a collaborative, insightful and results-driven talent. Whether you have an official onboarding plan or not, create your own with S.M.A.R.T. goals and milestones so that you remain on track for future promotions.
My goals for these workshops were to equip participants with the tools to create their professional brands and career journey but also to inspire them to take a thoughtful approach to navigating their career.
The engaging discussions we had reinforce my belief that with the right strategies, anyone can steer their career journey in a direction that brings fulfillment and success. For further guidance and to enhance your own professional journey, I invite you to connect and explore how we can further tailor these insights to your unique career journey.
You can download the slides here.
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