Twice today I had a conversation about how valuable investing in yourself with professional development is. Two other people - not just me - shared how impactful professional development has been in improving their skillset or advancing their career. Today's podcast reminds you of this and shares a short clip from an online ad executive as he shares his personal recommendation for investing in yourself. 

Marketing Launch Society Podcast

Invest in yourself

This title makes it sound like I'm about to give you a cheat, but I promise today's tip is not only ethical but extremely valuable. I am encouraging you to invest in yourself and get out there to attend a thriving live conference. There are marketing conferences all around the county and world on almost every topic focus your heart could desire. Learning from others who have already gone ahead of you and are now willingly sharing thier insights and tips for success is so amazing and will transform your career! 

How to quickly grow your skillset by building off of someone else's experience

In most situations, you will be shown to a waiting area, quite possibly directly within the eye gaze of the receptionist, administrative assistant, etc. as you wait for your interview with the hiring manager.  Here are a few ways you can make the most of your wait, to bring an extra wow factor to your first impression. Because here’s the truth of the situation. The hiring manager will ask the front person for their initial feedback on you. So get it right!  http://marketinglaunchsociety.com/podcast20 

How to make the most of your first impression

On your resume, LinkedIn Profile, etc. you have the opportunity to lead with a power statement about yourself. Often times I see people waste this space saying something generic like their title in that line. For example, I just saw someone’s LinkedIn headline reading, “Store Manager and then the name of the company.” That’s so boring and it doesn’t really tell what you are capable of doing or why someone should care. How will you label yourself so that you point out who you serve and what value you can create? Will you hone in on an area of expertise? Will you state what you are seeking in your career? Consider how valuable this one headline is at enticing people to check out your online profile or read over your resume. Don’t waste it being vague or restating a job title. And say what you need to say in 10 words or less for full visibility on the main screen. You have slightly more room than that to expand on your description when they click on your profile. http://marketinglaunchsociety.com/podcast19 

Craft an enticing headline for your profile and resume

Online job applications have become the norm for expressing your interest in a position. But are they the most effective way to landing a job? I wholeheartedly believe they are not. Today I'm sharing a clip from an upcoming video series in which I walk you through more effective means for letting employers know of your availability, skillset, and value. But for right now, dive into this clip as I discuss the first job in marketing I ever landed and how it came about through connection, not an application. 

How a conversation – not an application – landed me my first job in marketing

At a business conference this past year, Rachel Hollis asked us to raise our hands if we weren’t the prettiest, most popular girl in our seventh-grade class. Without a doubt, my hand went up. Seventh grade was a transition year for me and I looked worse at 12 than I ever have at any other stage of life. She asked us to keep our hands up if we felt like we would never be as “perfect” as that popular girl had been. As I’m holding up my hand, my mind begins reminding me of all the things I never was. I wasn’t that tiny waisted, seamlessly flawless and overly confident cheerleader with perfectly flat blond hair, rolled jeans, and a scrunchie on her wrist with a Jansport® backpack. It has been 27 years since I was in the seventh grade and my memories can still surface like I was just walking the halls of Woodside Middle School yesterday. I think that’s why Rachel brought it up in her speech. She knows she’s not the only one who has allowed experiences in her adolescence to impact how she views herself as an adult. Listen to today's podcast to find out how working through these lingering emotions can help you overcome your challenges, forget your fears, and push forward for a stronger career.  http://marketinglaunchsociety.com/podcast17

How Rachel Hollis helped me overcome my reliance on other people’s opinions

This Christmas season will you fall in line with the materialistic version of an American Christmas pushing yourself to the extreme or will you focus in on a time of peace, reflection, and gratitude in light of the true meaning of Christmas? Life is too short to get caught in things that take away your joy and hold you back, focus in on all the ways you can be thankful this Christmas and count your blessings. Even better, find a way to be a blessing by serving others. You’ll feel amazing when you do. Blessings to you this Christmas!

Which will you choose? A materialistic Christmas or a Christmas blessing?

Two focus words for you today. Intention and alignment.  Use these two practices to make sure you accomplish your goals (and set the right goals).  

Setting your intention and aligning with your goals

Apprenticeships are not new. Plumbers, electricians, artists, and craft trades have been training up the next generation through apprenticeships for decades. Family-run businesses follow much this same model as they groom their children to take on leadership in the business. Even looking back into history books will show you that the apprentice model was followed as a way to raise up future employees. It’s the ideal way to learn on the job, develop the training and insights you need to thrive through hands-on work, mentorship, and practical training. It’s the most robust model of acquiring a trade (skillset). If all the other criteria were the same, I would hire the person who has the proven training and skills from working on the job vs. someone just graduating with a degree in hand. This is the whole premise as to why I created Marketing Launch Society - to empower marketing students to get more experience and training so they can powerfully compete in the marketplace. For more info on Marketing Launch Society visit: http://marketinglaunchsociety.com/  Note: Before recording this podcast, I wrote about this topic as an article that is published on LinkedIn. If you want to read the article or share with others, here is the link: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/apprenticeship-classic-effective-way-launch-your-career-edwards/ 

Apprenticeships make it possible to prepare for and land a career without a college degree

Today I'm excited to introduce you to Joi Brown who graduated 10 years ago with a degree in graphic design, pursued a career as a designer, and naturally found her way into marketing – where she now serves as the marketing manager of a non-profit. She offers you great insights into:  her diverse responsibilities how marketing touches every area of the organization how seeking to land a role is more about being a subject matter expert than about the degree you have (don't I tell this to you all the time???)  the value of investing in your trade and connections (specifically networking through organizations) It's a fantastic interview you're going to get a lot of value from. 

Insights from a graphic designer turned marketing manager

One of the things I struggled with the most at the start of my career, was having the conversation about money. How much they would pay me. When should I bring it up? What if they asked me how much I wanted? As my career grew, it didn’t get easier, until I learned to share what I was worth vs. placing so much emphasis on the dollar amount. It still isn’t the easiest thing for me to talk about because my thoughts often get in my way. I personally struggle with openly talking about money. But I have come to find ways to make it easier. And the biggest tip I can share with you now as you are launching your career, is to learn to lead with value. Rather than focusing on the income amount, learn how to showcase yourself in a way that reflects your value. The more value you can demonstrate and prove, the more you are worth. http://marketinglaunchsociety.com/podcast12  

Salary negotiation begins with presenting your value

This episode is full of simple but practical tips you can do within minutes to strengthen the first impression you have on hiring managers. Most of these tips you have probably heard before. In fact, all of them are public knowledge, promoted in different ways. I’m just putting them all in one spot as a reminder to you to take action. These are so simple, but yet put together, they can have a powerful impact on the impression you make virtually.

Quick tips you need to implement to improve your online presence

Today we focus on some research about why following your passions isn't good career advice. As we look over what some experts have to say on this topic, I provide you with an alternative way of choosing a path in marketing that aligns with your personality, strengths, skills, and natural abilities.  I've learned how to develop a career that brings me great joy. I have niched in on my area of expertise and get to do work that is not only fun, but rewarding. And that is what I consider following my passions. My work has become my passion as I have become really good at what I do.  And as Mark Cuban states, “Nobody quits anything they are good at because it is fun to be good. It is fun to be one of the best.” http://marketinglaunchsociety.com/podcast10

How to align yourself to an area in marketing and discover your passion!

The busiest shopping day of the year is upon us, Black Friday and as marketing majors, there are some tricks we can learn from these retailers to help us attract employers.  Because for you, it has to be about more than just your marketing degree.  When so many other applicants are applying with the same credentials, how will you make yourself stand apart from the competition? How will you get employers to choose you? Marketing Launch Society is here to help you get noticed by crafting your trade, developing your platform, and building your connections.   We use these three tactics to turn you into a super marketer, of yourself! This episode is about helping you see the need to promote yourself because you need to find a way to make yourself stand out. I have a great system inside of Marketing Launch Society to help you do that and I’m offering you an overview of the three tactics I use to help marketing majors move from college into their first job in marketing.   So here’s my special offer for you. I’m going to give you my system on a live webinar next week. Visit http://marketinglaunchsociety.com/webinar to pick one of the three-time slots that works for you. 

Learn to promote yourself like a Black Friday special

One of the core characteristics of the students I work with in Marketing Launch Society is their ability to take the time to define the type of life they want to have and pick a career in marketing that aligns with that goal and their personality. By doing this they are setting themselves up for a stronger career. In today’s podcast, I want to entice you to do the same.  We’re going to begin by defining what type of role in marketing you want to have and what that looks like for you. Then we’ll look at what type of personal life you will carve out around your job. And lastly, we’ll set the non-negotiable that will serve as your guiding compass as you seek out employment.  To help make all this happen, I have a handout with questions to help you break each of these topics down and reflect, as you build out your dream job situation. Visit MarketingLaunchSociety.com/podcast8 to get your free handout. 

Create the future you want by defining your non-negotiables

The way that marketing is taught in college has not kept pace with the market expectations. It is becoming more challenging for recent graduates to land a job in marketing as more companies seek to hire the most skilled applicant regardless of their degree. If a marketing degree will no longer set you apart, and if the skill gap from college to career is widening, what will you do to stand out? Marketing Launch Society is here to help with expert coaching specific to the marketing industry, Stefanie helps marketing majors navigate the path to landing their first job in marketing.

hubhopper

Marketing Launch Society Podcast

hubhopper