Podcast
Looking for a new job or want to move up in your company? Lesa teaches you the tools and strategies you need to land your dream job, increase your promotability, and successfully navigate your career.
120: Thriving Through Inevitable Career Lows (Interview with Angela Civitella)
This week's guest is Angela Civitella, founder of Intinde and a certified coach to business leaders, managers, and entrepreneurs. We talk about strategies for not only surviving, but thriving in the midst of the career lows you will inevitably face.
121: Career Pivots and Reinvention
For those of you who were job searching when this all began, or those of you who will be job searching as a direct result of Virus Jail, you have some unprecedented challenges ahead. Unprecedented, but not insurmountable. In light of the New World Order, I want to talk about career pivots and reinvention.
122: Is Now the Perfect Time for a Side Hustle?
For many of you listening—perhaps even most of you—your work has been directly affected by Virus Jail. Perhaps you are unemployed. Maybe you are working from home. Maybe you are working harder than ever, especially if your industry is on the front lines of Covid 19. Maybe you’re working fewer hours than you have in the past. Which got me thinking that some of you may be considering a side hustle—a way to generate income when the way you’re used to generating income doesn’t currently exist. If you want to earn some extra money during the months of Virus Jail, here are some steps.
123: Creative Networking Strategies for Virus Jail
Today, I want to talk about creative networking strategies in the era of Virus Jail. When in- person networking events are literally against the law for many of us. Here’s the main message I want to convey today: You can’t put your career or job search goals on hold during Virus Jail. You can’t wait to exhale until this is over. As I keep reminding you: Your goals are still your goals. How you achieve them may change, but the desired result hasn’t. The most effective job search strategy, hands down, is networking. The most effective career advancement tool is networking. Your challenge, then, is to get creative with networking during Virus Jail.
124: Your Social Impact Job Search (Interview with Katie Secrist)
In honor of Earth Day 2020, today’s podcast guest is Katie Secrist, the Director of Strategic Partnerships at Sustainable Business Consulting. She talks about careers in sustainability – what they are, how to get them, and specific strategies for navigating your social impact job search.
125: Making it Through a Job Search Unscathed
…okay, maybe I overstated a bit in the heading. Disappointment, rejection, and frustration are part of the deal when it comes to job searching. Here’s what is optional during a job search: Beating. Yourself. Up. Today, we’re talking about taking that rejection notice…that non-response…mean something about you as a human being. As an employee. As a valuable contributor to the world.
126: Laid off 5 Times By Age 30 (Interview with Lorraine Rise)
Today’s guest is Lorraine Rise, and she’s speaking with me about being “Laid off Three Times by Age 30.” In this time when so many have lost their jobs due to COVID, Lorraine’s topic is both timely and inspirational.
127: Managing an Uncertain Future
Here’s the first thing I want to say about the uncertainty of our future in the face of COVID19: The future has ALWAYS been uncertain. Today we’ll talk about my best strategies for navigating an uncertain future (which, remember, is always).
128: Launching Your Creative Career (Interview with Chris Lyons)
My guest today is Chris Lyons of Creative Career Starter. Applying for a creative job is different from filling out an application and uploading your GPA and resume. Today, we talk with Chris to see how he does it and how he can help you.
129: Is Your Resume Job Search Ready?
The Coronavirus, or as I call it, Virus Jail, means many of you will need to update your resume. Clearly, I have a bias for hiring a credentialed resume writer. Not all are created equal, so if all you can afford to spend is a few hundred dollars, you’re better off doing it yourself. Here are five top tips to make sure your resume is job search ready.
130: What Job Seekers Need to Know About Executive Recruiters (Interview with George McGehrin)
Here are the topics George and I discuss during this episode: the difference between retained search firms and contingency search firms (this is an important distinction and one of the first questions you should ask a recruiter who reaches out to you), myths about executive recruiting, how the role of the executive recruiter has changed in the face of COVID, the proper role of recruiters in your job search, & ways to cultivate long-term relationships with recruiters as a career management strategy
131: Persistence Strategies for your COVID Job Search
I’m working with a lot of clients right now who were laid off as a result of COVID. Many others were already job searching when COVID hit. For many of these clients and, I suspect, many of you – you are fighting feelings of despair and frustration as you look for a job right now. What I want to offer you today are some persistence strategies to keep you going in the midst of the most challenging job search environment in, maybe, ever.
132: How to Answer Interview Questions Related to COVID and Quarantine
Today we’re discussing those of you who will be interviewing for jobs, where questions about why you were let go during COVID, or how you spent your time during COVID, might well be asked.
133: Is Now the Perfect Time to Reinvent Your Career?
Today we’re focusing on the idea of career reinvention. We’ll discuss the pros and cons and then which steps may be helpful in this process once you make the decision that this is the right move for you.
134: Returning to the Office - Challenges and Strategies
Those of you who were fortunate to keep your jobs during quarantine may have already returned to work or will be returning soon. You may feel a lot of uncertainty around that, like who still works there? How have my co-workers been affected by quarantine? How will the company be different? I’m certainly no expert on the health aspects of the workplace, so I want to focus on some best practices you can personally adopt as you return to work. Here are the 5 top qualities you have the opportunity to demonstrate, or develop, as you return to work.
135: Managing Your Boss's Expectations About Your Job Duties
Many employees would assume that their boss knows exactly what they are already doing, minute by minute. They figure if the boss gave them this responsibility, they should be able to manage it in addition to what they are already doing – otherwise, why would the boss have assigned it? WRONG. Of course, your boss has at least a general idea of what you’re doing, but it is a mistake to assume she knows how full your plate is. Today we’ll be talking about the factors you need to consider when the boss puts a new responsibility on your plate.
136: What are you Lacking as a Job Candidate?
Lee Hecht Harrison surveyed 277 human resource managers to find out what was missing from the job candidates they receive application materials from. Today, we’ll cover their responses and what this means for you as a job applicant.
137: Five Quick Ways to Get Branded as Unprofessional
Today, we’ll cover my top five ways to quickly become branded as “unprofessional.” I’ve described them as you might talk about someone who is unprofessional and given you some of my real-world experiences with unprofessional behavior.
138: Skills and Values Employers are Looking For
I came across an article on LiveCareer entitled “14 Skills and Values Employers Seek in Jobseekers,” and I wanted to share it with you. Today we’ll walk through these 14 skills and talk a bit about each.
139: How to Have Difficult Conversations at Work
Today, we’ll talk about how you can have difficult work conversations in a way that doesn’t leave one or both parties feeling like you’ve been run over and left for road kill. The purpose of this exercise is to move the relationship forward, not to convince the other person that you’re right and they are wrong. There is no upside to having a winner and a loser. Be willing to be wrong…or at least not right.
Let’s work together