Podcast

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You’ve done it – it’s your time to shine, and the pressure is on. The question is do you sink or swim? (Spoiler: You’re an Empjoyee – You swim!)

How do you:

• Handle the high-stakes situations that come with switching careers and progressing in your career?
• Find a way to bring your best self to work and do your best work when you only have one chance to get it right?
• Come back from a mistake or misunderstanding in a project so that you can deliver on project and customer goals?

Today, you’ll get insight into how you can perform at your best in high-stake situations through the Sam Port’s career journey.

Sam has pursued multiple careers in his life from amusement park operations, to acting and producing, to his current role as Creative Director at Proscenium where he designs and executes large-scale live experiences for some of the largest brands in the US.

Enjoy!

By the end of this episode, you’ll be able to:

• Identify examples of how to meet business objectives and of B2B (business to business) and B2C (business to consumer) through large-scale experiential events
• Utilize multiple methods to perform at the top of your level in high-stakes situations
• Apply techniques to quickly bounce back from missteps at work to move forward and continue providing value

TL;DL (Too long; Didn’t Listen): 3 Actionable Takeaways

• Anchor your creative ideas to the project, client, and company objectives to create a blend of memorable experiences that provide true business value
• Embrace taking a non-linear path to your goals as you never know how the opportunity to realize that dream will come to fruition for you
• Own your mistakes rather than running from them as the way you handle adversity often speaks more to your character and ability than your words

But wait there’s more! Share your #1 takeaway with today’s featured Empjoyee and other Empjoyees in the Empjoyment community!

From Insight to Action

“There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long range risks of comfortable inaction.” – John F. Kennedy

Sam shared how he was able to identify what mindset supports peak performance and mitigates fear.

His specific solution is not a solution that will work for everyone, but the approach of reflection and observation (aka increasing self awareness) is a path to anyone learning how to position themselves for peak performance.

Your Joyney: Share a time when you were in a high-stakes works situation and the way you felt/things you did that lead to that success within the Empjoyment Community.

SHARE YOUR JOYNEY

Additional Resources to Accelerate your Growth

• Find out more about Sam’s company Proscenium and the Credit Karma experience in this case study
• Connect with Sam on LinkedIn
• Check out the Empjoyment Glossary for our interpretation of the tech-specific words used today

CONTINUE THE DISCUSSION

Getting to Know Today’s Featured Empjoyee: Sam Port!

Come back soon to read more about how Sam is saving the world by changing lives one day at a time when the bio is available. It’s not an easy job but someone has to do it!

Spread the Joy to Help Others Experience Empjoyment

Kudos to you for taking another step towards experiencing enjoyment through employment through today’s episode.

If you find this podcast helpful, we would greatly appreciate if you took a minute or two to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast in iTunes. They’re extremely helpful when it comes to helping new Empjoyees know that this is a podcast that really has their interest at heart. Plus, we read each and every one personally!

Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes to make sure that you never miss an episode, share the episode with one person you know who would benefit from today’s episode, and let us know if you’d like to share your story as a featured Empjoyee to help others learn from your experience too.

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Q: How do you transition into tech when you’ve had a long gap in US employment or have been out of the country for a while?

A: Use what you did during that time to your advantage by incorporating it into your story and your differentiated value proposition.

Our featured Empjoyee, Adele Sanchez did just that as she shares in today’s conversation. This is not intended to be an over-glorification of the gap period, as Adele took steps to make an impact during that time.

Instead, we encourage you to explore how Adele positioned her experience abroad and leveraged it to to her advantage when she returned to the US. And now, you’ll have the opportunity to shape your experiences in a way that works to your advantage too.

Enjoy!

Listen now to learn how Adele:

• Hires and develops career changers with non-technical backgrounds to career success
• Leverages her 7-year gap living in Bangkok to obtain a job in tech during one of the worst US employment markets
• Navigates a career that started as a gate agent at an airline to growing with an organization

TL;DL (Too long; Didn’t Listen): 3 Actionable Takeaways

• Don’t overlook your network when it comes to getting your first role in tech – you’ll be surprised where your next referral may come from
• Identify the key aspects of what you are looking for your next work experience (high growth? doing a specific type of work? achieving a certain lifestyle) and make sure your goals align with the opportunities
• Consider every part of your career and life journey as an asset as you’ll never know if the think that you feel would hold you back the most is the key differentiator for a potential employer.

But wait there’s more! Share your #1 takeaway with today’s featured Empjoyee and other Empjoyees in the Empjoyment community!

From Insight to Action

“There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long range risks of comfortable inaction.” – John F. Kennedy

Adele encourages us to open ourselves to opportunities throughout your career journey. Let’s explore how that could come to life for you and the other Empjoyees.

Your Joyney: Tell us about a time when you allowed yourself to just be open to the possiblibilities that presented themselves in your career including the results of making that decision within the Empjoyment Community.

SHARE YOUR JOYNEY

Additional Resources to Accelerate your Growth

• Connect with Adele on LinkedIn
• Check out the Empjoyment Glossary for our interpretation of the tech-specific words used today

Getting to Know Today’s Featured Empjoyee: Adele Sanchez!

Adele Sanchez has had many lives in the tech space. From the Dot.com days to the current SaaS platforms, she’s seen many iterations of the Customer Success team and has held different roles within it.

When she took a break from tech to live and work abroad, she gained an understanding and experience that would be invaluable, allowing her to re-enter the tech industry with a new lens. She has since been a teacher and a mentor to many others and that’s what success means to her.

Spread the Joy to Help Others Experience Empjoyment

Kudos to you for taking another step towards experiencing enjoyment through employment through today’s episode.

If you find this podcast helpful, we would greatly appreciate if you took a minute or two to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast in iTunes. They’re extremely helpful when it comes to helping new Empjoyees know that this is a podcast that really has their interest at heart. Plus, we read each and every one personally!

Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes to make sure that you never miss an episode, share the episode with one person you know who would benefit from today’s episode, and let us know if you’d like to share your story as a featured Empjoyee to help others learn from your experience too.

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Re-organizations (more commonly called “re-orgs”) are a common occurrence in tech companies as they grow and adapt to accomplish better meet product and market fit.  These reorgs may result in a shift in team structure, priorities, and often the day to day roles.

Knowing how to navigate the ambiguity and ultimately continue to make the most of your time at a company for both you and your employer is an important skill to strengthen in the tech world.

Angela walks us through her journey in tech which more or less starts with a re-org (see Empjoyment glossary) and the steps that she’s taken since to progress in her career and add value. So much value in fact, that she has been able to work remotely between two cities throughout her career.

Listen now to learn Angela’s:

• Top strategies for growing through reorgs and changes to your role
• Highest criteria when she hires new team members
• Method of dealing with a lot rejection while looking for a new job and her universal recommendations to get through that as quickly as possible

TL;DL (Too long; Didn’t Listen): 3 Actionable Takeaways

• Act with purpose towards the career opportunities of your choice rather than with desperation when things aren’t working out
• Demonstrate your ability to seek growth outside on your own without being told to do it [that includes this takeaway -> don’t force something as that’s easily seen through.]
• Prepare yourself for “re-orgs” and act in a manner that will continue to move your forward in your career rather than wallowing in frustration

But wait there’s more! Share your #1 takeaway with today’s featured Empjoyee and other Empjoyees in the Empjoyment community!

From Insight to Action

“Do the thing and you will have the power” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Angela stressed the importance of demonstrated self-motivation and growth without required to do so for people she hires. Let’s explore the various ways we can accomplish that as a community.

Your Joyney: Share one thing you do outside of work that shows your commitment to self-motivated growth and learning within the Empjoyment Community.

SHARE YOUR JOYNEY

Additional Resources to Accelerate your Growth

• Code Academy: Free platform to learn to code (Angela used this to get the basics of CSS and HTML)
• Find out more about Angela’s company: VenueBook
• Check out the Empjoyment Glossary for our interpretation of the tech-specific words used today

Getting to Know Today’s Featured Empjoyee: Angela Christian!

Angela Christian graduated from Georgetown University in 2011 with a degree in Finance.

Angela spent the first 5 years of her career at Google focusing on sales and marketing, working with small mom and pop shops all the way to Fortune 500 companies.

About a year and a half ago, Angela switched things up and joined an events based start-up called VenueBook to lead their acquisition efforts.

Spread the Joy to Help Others Experience Empjoyment

Kudos to you for taking another step towards experiencing enjoyment through employment through today’s episode.

If you find this podcast helpful, we would greatly appreciate if you took a minute or two to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast in iTunes. They’re extremely helpful when it comes to helping new Empjoyees know that this is a podcast that really has their interest at heart. Plus, we read each and every one personally!

Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes to make sure that you never miss an episode, share the episode with one person you know who would benefit from today’s episode, and let us know if you’d like to share your story as a featured Empjoyee to help others learn from your experience too.

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Let’s face it: making a career change when you’ve invested a lot just to get to where you are currently can feel really scary.

To take things further, transitioning into a brand new industry can make the fear of the unknown (and whether you’re making a good choice) even more overwhelming.

We get it, we’ve been there, and we’ve got Leslie Lai’s story to help you navigate that path to a place of personal fulfillment.

Leslie holds nothing back as she shares the resistance she faced while transitioning out of a career in law to tech.

Listen now to learn how Leslie:

• Built new skills through a coding bootcamp which landed her a job as a software developer, a role she’s using to get to her next destination of product manager
• Found a group of supportive friends and mentors who encouraged her to pursue the career and lifestyle she desired
• Classified 3 do’s/don’ts that you can apply to get your next role in tech

TL;DL (Too long; Didn’t Listen): 3 Actionable Takeaways

• Seek people who will support you through your career change, including making new meaningful connections with people through LinkedIn and other means
• Consider joining a bootcamp to help you gain more solid footing within the tech industry – Leslie took a coding bootcamp with the intention of getting into product management!
• Take regular, consistent action while looking for jobs – slow and steady (e.g. 5-10 well researched applications each week vs. 2 days sending 50+ applications)

But wait there’s more! Share your #1 takeaway with today’s featured Empjoyee and other Empjoyees in the Empjoyment community!

From Insight to Action

“Action is a great restorer and builder of confidence. Inaction is not only the result, but the cause, of fear. Perhaps the action you take will be successful; perhaps different action or adjustments will have to follow. But any action is better than no action at all.” – Norman Vincent Peale

Leslie shared that companies consider the risk involved with hiring someone for their organization and recommended several ways for you to reduce the perception of risk during your job search.

Your Joyney: Let us know “What is one thing you’ve done or have seen done that has made someone feel more comfortable / reduced the risk associated with you when taking on a new role or project” within the Empjoyment Community.

SHARE YOUR JOYNEY

Additional Resources to Accelerate your Growth

• Check out Leslie’s website where you can find out more about her and her projects
• Connect with Leslie on LinkedIn!

Getting to Know Today’s Featured Empjoyee: Leslie Lai!

Leslie has a B.A. in American Studies from Yale and a J.D. from Georgetown. She has worked as an aviation finance lawyer, an executive of a food startup, and a software developer.

Currently, she is a freelance writer, focusing on nonfiction essays and articles about technology, culture, gender, and ethics.

When she’s not agonizing about what to do with her life, she enjoys board games, photography, traveling, and writing letters.

Spread the Joy to Help Others Experience Empjoyment

Kudos to you for taking another step towards experiencing enjoyment through employment through today’s episode.

If you find this podcast helpful, we would greatly appreciate if you took a minute or two to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast in iTunes. They’re extremely helpful when it comes to helping new Empjoyees know that this is a podcast that really has their interest at heart. Plus, we read each and every one personally!

Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes to make sure that you never miss an episode, share the episode with one person you know who would benefit from today’s episode, and let us know if you’d like to share your story as a featured Empjoyee to help others learn from your experience too.

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As a career changer, there is a natural level of risk associated with an employer taking you on for a role. In fact, the fear of making a mistake with a “risky” higher can be a common roadblock to getting into a new field.

Great – now that that’s out in the open you can use this to your advantage. Why? Because you can make sure you’re taking steps to proactively mitigate that risk for an employer.

James Kaikis shares several examples of how to set, manage, and exceed expectations for both employers and clients through his incredible career journey. You’ll want to listen to this several times to capture all of the actionable lessons he provides!

Listen now to learn how to:

• Manage expectations effectively, especially for the purposes of job interviews and exceptional client sales & service
• Demonstrate the value you’ll bring to the team from your first interview by doing what few others are willing to do
• Articulate the way sales engineers can fit into organizations and their role within tech organizations (including the
  difference between sales and sales engineering and what tandem selling looks like in practice)

TL;DL (Too long; Didn’t Listen): 3 Actionable Takeaways

• Play with the cards that you are dealt with by approaching each situation in the moment and making the best out of the experience
• Exceed the expectations of interviewers by doing/bringing/demonstrating your research and willingness to go above and beyond from the outset (in this case, you’re showcasing the type of person you are rather than specific skills)
• Manage expectations with clients by not taking things at face value, ensuring that you’re aligned with the company and client, and not being afraid to say “no” to make room for alternative solutions that meet the needs of all involved

But wait there’s more! Share your #1 takeaway with today’s featured Empjoyee and other Empjoyees in the Empjoyment community!

From Insight to Action

“If you want to be, do” – John Lee Dumas

James shared a powerful example of what it takes to exceed expectations for potential employers, through research and going above and beyond from the outset. Each role and company will differ and we want you to get comfortable with how you reduce the risk of hiring you through demonstrable action.

Your Joyney: Share one example of a) how you personally set yourself apart for other candidates in a job search b) what you’ll do at your next interview to stand out from the crowd or c) what someone else has done that made you feel the candidate was exceptional within the Empjoyment Community.

SHARE YOUR JOYNEY

Additional Resources to Accelerate your Growth

• Find out more about James’ company: Showpad, the Sales Enablement Platform
• Download the books James recommended on Audible to access more learning in your ear buds
  • Blink by Malcolm Gladwell ;
  • Outliers by Malcom Gladwell;
  • How to make friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie;
  • Coach Wooden’s Pyramid of Success: Building Blocks for a Better Life by John Wooden
    
• Check out the Empjoyment Glossary for our interpretation of the tech-specific words used today

Getting to Know Today’s Featured Empjoyee: James Kaikis!

James Kaikis currently manages a Sales Engineering team for a tech company in San Francisco, USA.

Prior to his current company Showpad, James worked at Revinate (a hospitality start up) and Hyatt Hotel Corporation prior to that.

James has worked in roles that focus on Customer Experience across a number of industries (Tech, Hospitality, Athletics, & Operations).

Spread the Joy to Help Others Experience Empjoyment

Kudos to you for taking another step towards experiencing enjoyment through employment through today’s episode.

If you find this podcast helpful, we would greatly appreciate if you took a minute or two to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast in iTunes. They’re extremely helpful when it comes to helping new Empjoyees know that this is a podcast that really has their interest at heart. Plus, we read each and every one personally!

Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes to make sure that you never miss an episode, share the episode with one person you know who would benefit from today’s episode, and let us know if you’d like to share your story as a featured Empjoyee to help others learn from your experience too.

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One thing that holds a lot of us back from making the career change we know that we’re meant to make is the nagging feeling that we don’t know enough about the job/ product/ company industry/ [insert limiting belief here] to truly excel in a new career in tech.

We’re imperfect people, which lead to imperfect decisions. So the question may not be “how do I avoid making mistakes” but “what do I do to move forward when things don’t go as plan”. In the fast-paced environment of tech, that frame of mind will carry you far.

Mila Singh, our featured Empjoyee today shares her journey of leveraging 3 different career changes to land her first job in tech, her approach to overcoming a difficult setback in her first month on the job, and a simple, yet powerful tool to bridge every knowledge gap you come across at work.

Listen now learn from Mila’s experiences on how to:

• Ask questions and adopt a curiosity mindset to make you a better teammate
• Overcome mistakes you will inevitably make early in your new tech career
• Find opportunities in your current role to build experience and pursue your passion even before you transition into tech

TL;DL (Too long; Didn’t Listen): 3 Actionable Takeaways

• Steer your career and life in the direction that you want at any time – You are in the driver seat and you are in control
• ASK QUESTIONS and constantly be curious – people are always willing to help, even when you think they are too busy.
• Use the opportunity to wear “many hats” when working in a small startup to your advantage.

Share your #1 takeaway with today’s featured Empjoyee and other Empjoyees in the Empjoyment community!

From Insight to Action

“To know and not do is really not to know” – Stephen R. Covey, author of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Mila stressed the impact of asking questions throughout her tech experience – especially as a career changer who joined her first tech startup only months earlier. Let’s get used to asking (and answering) questions from each other so we can build that skill as well.

Your Joyney: Ask 1 Question and Provide 1 Answer (to a separate question) within the Empjoyment Community that will help you and others move forward in your journey !

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Additional References to help your growth

• After the conversation, Mila brought up a book that she’s reading call Designing your Life by Bill Burnett.
• Find out more about Mila’s company: CultureIQ
• Check out the Empjoyment Glossary for our interpretation of some of the tech-specific words used throughout the conversation

Getting to Know Today’s Featured Empjoyee: Mila Singh!

Mila is a Culture Strategist at CultureIQ, a culture management software and services company committed to helping organizations measure and strengthen their culture. She is passionate about creating great places to work and building company cultures that drive business results.

Prior to CultureIQ, Mila spent time on the Market Development & Insights team at IBM and in the management consulting practice at Accenture. She has also worked in education operations at Achievement First.

Mila has a bachelor’s degree in Industrial and Labor Relations and MPA from Cornell University. She also holds an MBA from Yale School of Management. Outside of work, Mila loves to travel and recently hiked Mt. Fuji with a group of friends.

Spread the Joy to Help Others Experience Empjoyment

Kudos to you for taking another step towards experiencing enjoyment through employment through today’s episode.

If you find this podcast helpful, we would greatly appreciate if you took a minute or two to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast in iTunes. They’re extremely helpful when it comes to helping new Empjoyees know that this is a podcast that really has their interest at heart. Plus, we read each and every one personally!

Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes to make sure that you never miss an episode, share the episode with one person you know who would benefit from today’s episode, and let us know if you’d like to share your story as a featured Empjoyee to help others learn from your experience too.