Ep 48: Using personal stories to land your next job with Sarah Sax

You are listening to episode number 48 with Sarah Sachs. If you're someone who wants to make major changes in their life, someone who wants to achieve their goals, or maybe you're someone who knows this is not as good as it gets but you have no idea where to start, on the Reinvent You podcast, we explore different types of people, their successes and failures, and how they reinvented themselves to create the life they love. It's our hope that from hearing their stories, that you too may have more insight into what it takes to build a life that you envision for yourself. Here to help you do that is performance and life coach Travia Steward. What's up, my people? So today is April Fool's Day, and man, I'm not sure if time is flying by for you guys as fast as it is for me, but it just seems like just last week it was January, right? It like 2021 just kind of like snuck up on us and now we're, we're a fourth of the way done. So it's like, oh my goodness. So before we dive into the episode, I'm so excited to get into it. I just wanted to really thank the latest reviews that have come in on Apple Podcasts. And I appreciate it so much. You know, I just, I love feeling like what the show is doing. The Reinvent You podcast is making a difference and giving you guys some value in your life. So thank you so much for that. I appreciate it more than you know. But right now I'd like to shout out to Pamela Ripley, to C. Blanchard, Vibe Queen, Vibe Queen left a review, Eto 1525, LL Jameson, Laura Powers 44, Tech is BS, and last but certainly not least, Panda Protector 75. Thank you guys so much for leaving reviews. Again, it's my goal to, to shoot it up to 100 by the end of 2021. Right now I'm on a good pace to getting there. So thank you so much. And, you know, again, share this podcast with anyone that you think could certainly find value in it and, you know, hopefully help them, you know, on their journey. Just a little bit about the episode that you're about to listen to with my guest, Sarah Sachs. You know, Sarah, I enjoyed this, this conversation so much because Sarah was the epitome in the conversation on the recording of someone who radiates when they talk about their job. You know, I mean, I shared a moment with Sarah on the podcast about how I felt like You know, I get to do what I am doing as a Coach through love and connection. I get to inspire. I get to motivate. I get to help my Clients transcend their lives. I get to help them separate their job from their life. Why? So they can have a life. I think you are going to really enjoy this conversation that I had with Sarah today, because we both were of the mindset that we both get to do this and Her spirit and her happiness and just the radiance was glowing. I know we did this virtually through Zoom, but I could feel her energy coming through the screen because it was so exciting. It was radiant. It was vibrant. And so thank you so much for Sarah, for showing up like that, which makes me want to show up even bigger, you know, because you came and brought so many golden nuggets and the energy that wanted to propel me to an even higher level. My guest, as you already know, is Right for the Job founder and CEO Sarah Sachs. Sarah helps clients revamp their resumes, their cover letters, and their LinkedIn profiles to tell their stories so that you can land a job that makes you happy. How would you like to know the strategies that, that could absolutely set you up to beat out the competition for your next job? Well, on the show today, Sarah shares some gold nuggets and gems on just how to do that. In her work with clients, Sarah writes their resumes, she writes their cover letters. I mean, she doesn't do all the work for them, but This is in, in, in conjunction with the work that they're doing. She even helps maximize and optimize LinkedIn profiles to help set you up for success. With her skills, she helps you to integrate your personal story inside of your professional materials as a part of this in a way that absolutely sets you apart from the rest. A couple of things that we discussed on the show. Number one, how being on the job that makes you happy impacts every other area of your life. And then number 2, how to craft your professional story in that helps you pivot careers. And then number 3, among so many other things, the importance of establishing credibility as part of the what— the reinvention process— and help you tell a better story through your professional materials. So let's get into it today with I have with me a very special guest, the one and only, and I know her as the one and only because I just put her first and last name together. So now she is first and last name as one name. Miss Sarah Sachs, welcome to the Reinvent You Podcast. I'm stoked to get into this conversation. Welcome.

Thank you for having me, Travia Steward. This is such an honor and I'm excited for our conversation today.

I am too. And let me tell you, especially why I'm so excited, because I know, you know, we'll get into the details of what you do, you know, Write for the Job. But what I love about your whole methodology, it really goes hand in hand with mine because I've just gotten to a point where I'm niching down. And what I am helping my, my, uh, ambitious professionals do is separate their job from their life. So they can have a life. And so all the things that we're going to delve into is going to go right hand in hand with that. Right.

I love that. I love that. I mean, it's so interesting because I talk with a lot of my clients and even prospective clients. And the one thing that comes up is just how much time we spend in our actual jobs, you know, and according to the US Labor Bureau, um, back in 2015, which was the latest report, they were saying the average person works just under 9 hours a day. It's 8.8 hours a day. And they work for about 44 years of their life. Let's say 21, 22, and up to about 65, sometimes even more. So the minimum that we all spend working in our jobs is about 93,000 hours in our lifetime, which is insane. And let's be real. Most people work more than that.

Exactly.

So I feel so strongly with your message. It resonates with me because we have to find a way to be happy in our careers and to be happy also in our personal lives.

Yes, you're speaking my language here. So before we really dive in, because I'm so excited about the conversation, let's put some context as to who Sarah Sachs is, how did she come to be, what is right for the job, all of the nitty-gritty that makes people go, oh, I need to work with that girl. I need to know what she's doing. What are the bones of Sarah Sacks?

Well, I'm a California girl who now lives in New York. And I studied broadcast journalism for 8 years in high school and college. I really learned the nitty-gritty of storytelling. And what I found is that a lot of people need help putting together a story. And when it comes to your career, oftentimes people forget that in order to sell anything, you have to tell it. You have to be able to tell your story and connect with somebody. So I use my background in broadcast journalism and storytelling as a way to create a professional story of who you are so that you can sell yourself to that company that you're dying to be at and hopefully be in a position that makes you happy. So Write for the Job was actually born because a few of my friends in college who are the smartest, most incredible people I know were struggling on landing interviews for jobs that, you know, they sent me the job description and I was like, you know what, you're super qualified for this. I don't know why you're not getting the interview. So I said, Send me your resume, send me your cover letter, let's work on it together. And I was actually really surprised. Many of their professional materials just kind of fell flat. They weren't interesting. They weren't, you know, telling their story to connect with me, the reader, you know, with most people, it's an HR professional or a recruiter. And so we revamped their professional materials and created a a package that they felt confident kind of handing out to the companies that they were excited about. And I saw that they were landing interviews and, and eventually landing jobs. And it was kind of a wake-up call to me that even the most accomplished professionals who have done some really amazing things need help communicating their story, their achievements, their results. In order to take that next step. And so Write for the Job was born and I started helping a bunch of people and it's been really gratifying.

I love that. And I love that you have a background in broadcast journalism. That was actually, I think, my second major in college. And I started off with like communications. I went to broadcast journalism, I went to public relations, I went to marketing, and then I graduated with a communications degree with theater. So there you go.

It's a perfect—

yeah, yeah.

So we have lots to connect on.

We do. I love the aspect of storytelling, and I am working my way to getting on other people's stages and my own stages. So I know the value of storytelling in public speaking. How on earth— I can't even fathom how Sarah Sacks is able to weave in stories on a resume when it's like most people are like bullet point item, here you go, I went to college, here it is, my internship. How do you weave in stories so that their experience and their stories actually shine? How do you do that without giving away your kitchen sink?

Well, I'm happy to give away some tidbits here because you know what, I feel like the more people that are in jobs that make them happy, the world would be a much better place. We'd talk to each other nicer, we'd be in better moods, we'd do more for others. There are so many different ways that it impacts their lives. So keep listening, get some tips, feel free to reach out to me at any time. But at the end of the day, you know that storytelling comes down to knowing your audience, right? So with, with, you know, a TED Talk, you need to know who's coming to the TED Talk, what type of people are interested in that, Whether you're doing a broadcast journalism piece, like we mentioned, harnessing our, our old days. Yeah. Who, who's your audience? Is it a digital piece? Is it a broadcast piece? Is it just something that's going to be posted on social media? And with your professional materials, with your resume, with your cover letter, with your LinkedIn profile, you are telling a story that's supposed to resonate with the HR professional, the recruiter, and most importantly, the person that you're going to be working side by side with, hopefully. And while that person may not necessarily read your resume, the HR professional recruiter are thinking of that person in mind saying, hey, can I spend 93,000 hours of my life with that person at work?

Right.

Although most of us switch a bunch of, uh, switch to a bunch of positions until that. But I think it goes back to the basics. I mean, You have to tell a beginning, middle, and end. Where did you start? That's your beginning. Where have you grown? That's your middle. You're talking about results. You're talking about achievements. You'll hear me say that a bunch of times in our conversation. And then where do you want to be? That doesn't mean that you have to have your dream job in this next position. Maybe you will. That would be awesome. But where do you want to be next? And You know, if you're thinking about who your audience is, that's going to be at the particular company that is reading your professional materials. Right.

Wow. So when I think about that, it's like, I mean, that makes so much sense. So for the person who's listening to this right now is going, yeah, but how do I do that on a resume? You know, like, for instance, I'm going like when you said, you know, how have you grown? So if I'm out looking for a job, am I going, this is where I went to school, these are my first jobs. Oh, in this job. And do I add like a bulleted item? I learned communication skills. I learned to be a leader. I led a team of 12. What would you do, like, on— because I know a cover letter you can expound more, but on a resume, what would you do with that?

On a resume, you always want to be succinct, yes. But, you know, because you have precious real estate, ideally your resume is one page. You know, it makes it easy to skim, and an average HR professional spends about 7.4 4 seconds giving a resume. That is not a lot of time at all. So when you're telling your story, when you're calculating, you know, you're figuring out what your bullet point is going to be, it's not your daily past. You're not saying, you know, I interviewed 3 people today on my podcast. It's what were you able to deliver? What kind of results were you able to achieve? So for instance, let's say you're in sales. That's probably the easiest because it has metrics that are attached to it. It's a little bit easier to, to talk about, but you say, okay, I did 100 cold calls a day that resulted in 10 meetings with prospects and closed 2 people a week for X amount of months. Or, and you know, you hit your numbers, you know, you want to be able to use metrics as a way to showcase just how much you were able to deliver. Because at the end of the day, many people can do a lot of little tasks, but few people can actually deliver results that are going to impact the bottom line of a company. And whether you're at Company A or Company B, if you are the type of person that is results-oriented, that you're going to do what it takes to to get the job done. That's how you want to be able to share your story throughout your professional materials. So hopefully that helps in formulating what those bullet points look like. Yes, you need your education on there. Yes, you want to have a skills section, but you also want to include in your bullet points just what you were able to deliver for the company you were at at the time that you were there.

That's so good. I like, I, that is never, that's why you are right for the job. Exactly. Like, that's so cool. Like what I also, if I'm doing my resume, what I also include the skills include what, you know, how I grew in my last position. What I also include something like, cause I know companies want to know what is it that you can do for us? What I, so in my role as project, as product manager, I would do— would you include something like that in your resume?

Yeah, absolutely. And I think you also touched on the fact how you can translate your past experiences into the future position, the future role at that company that you're looking into. And your cover letter is really a bigger area where you can expand on those ideas, as you previously mentioned. So you can really say in your cover letter, or even also in your bio on your LinkedIn, or in your summary section on your resume, there are a lot of little places that you can really do this. But I would say the COVID letter is really where you can expand the most, right? Um, your cover letter, you're able to maybe share a project that you're excited about, and that you're able to you know, really do a great job on, deliver a lot of results, you were happy with the achievements that you made by the end of it. Outline exactly what steps you took and the results that you were able to deliver. And then say, yeah, and I can do this for you too. I know that you're interested in this— you're— the company that you're trying to get into is focused on this area of growth. I mean, that takes research ahead of time.

Absolutely.

But hopefully everything is personalized, and you can really draw that connection between your past experience and what you can do for your future company.

This is gold. Like, I mean, it really is. Like, I mean, I haven't had any problems getting jobs because of my personality, because I can talk my way out of a soapbox. I mean, like, you know, and I learned early on—

That's great.

You know, and, but, you know, sometimes on paper they go, oh, you know, how do you separate yourself? And so I would just always get there and go, when they would ask a question that I didn't know, I don't know, but I can learn. I'm willing to learn. I can learn. And I realized early in my career that that was the best answer. So speaking of separating yourself, because it's such a short amount of time that, oh, resume one, resume two, what is a tactic that someone could use to catch the eye of the employers so that they actually stay on that one resume for 30 seconds instead of 7.

Right. That's the golden ticket that everyone wants because, you know, we're, we're talking right now in the middle of a pandemic. There are so many people that are out there looking for jobs. And I just want to reassure anyone who's listening here who's either been laid off and looking for jobs or thinking of transitioning or pivoting into another career there are millions of jobs out there and there is one for you. And you just need to be able to focus your attention in an industry or an area that's not only exciting to you but also is growing. So for example, and I'll get back to your question in just a minute, but I think it comes back to the prep work and targeting the area that you can be the most successful in. So LinkedIn, every year at the beginning of the year, typically comes out with a study that says which industries are growing and show potential for growth in future years. And they also say which job positions are more abundant, right? Based on all the data that they collect in their algorithms and system and whatnot. So, you know, right now you're looking at, of course, healthcare workers are very high in demand for obvious reasons. COVID-19 pandemic, all of that, but also positions like sales and development. There are always going to be a need for people who can sell products or services to other people who need it and who may not know where to find it. So you have these salespeople who are out there trying to connect the service with somebody who needs it. Um, so those are just two examples, but the reason why I say that is because Part of you looking for a job or finding a position that excites you, uh, and is going to propel your future in your professional life is aiming in a direction where you can have the most success, right? If you're, if you're being so narrow-minded, if you're being— and, and there is a place and an excitement and opportunity for people who know exactly what they want.

Right.

That's rare. Not, not many people know exactly where they want to be and what position they want to be in. So if you can move yourself in a way where there's greater opportunity and use the tools to your advantage, look on LinkedIn, look on Indeed, but also do the networking component. That's also very important. I mean, you mentioned the fact that you can talk your way into any room. That is a huge, huge asset in the job search, just being able to network and talk with people. So, right, you know, the golden ticket for your professional materials, coming back to that, and telling your story, it's knowing your strengths and finding a way to communicate that that will connect with others. Okay, and I know that's a general statement because in the reality, every single person is different and you want to be able to personalize and tailor your professional materials to reflect who you are. So a lot of what I do with clients is, you know, when we have our consultation, we're going through their resume line by line and they're sharing with me their work history. I'm jotting down all the phrases that they're using so that when I write the resume for us to then edit and massage out and make it feel like them, it sounds like them.

Got it.

You know, you don't want to be sending something around that doesn't feel like you.

Okay. Okay, perfect. So this is not about like rainbows at the top of your resume and, you know, 72-inch font. This is still keeping it professional, you know, in order to catch their— to catch their eye so that they actually stay on your resume. Very cool. Very cool. Would you ever include any pictures?

I will say, so I'm glad that you know, that's okay. You know, you ask really great questions. I think a lot of people get caught up in the, let me have a pretty color on my resume. Let me have a really cool design. Um, and those are nice, but you have to remember content is king.

Yes.

You may have a pretty resume. You may have a photo on it, for example, And we can talk about that in a second because I'm not a proponent of photos and I'll tell you why, but you can have those elements. But at the end of the day, if you don't have enough space and if you don't have the ability to make the case for why you're right for the job, you're not going to get the job. So I just warn people, there are beautiful templates online, but if it doesn't give you the ability to prove yourself, then you're not going to be able to really go far in the application process. So that's number one.

Okay.

Number two, there are different industries that are more lenient, uh, and accepting when it comes to some of these fun resumes. So there's a way to add a pop of color, there's a way to add, um, some flavor that makes it feel a little bit more like you. That being said, there are some, uh, some industries— forgive me— there are some industries that are still in the traditional black and white mindset. Think finance, think law, things, industries of that nature, which I'm sure doesn't come to a surprise, uh, for you. However, industries like PR, marketing, and sales, as you were mentioning before, they have a little bit more flexibility. So you can decide on your own what you feel comfortable with, but always remember content is king. Photos. I'm not the biggest fan of photos on your resume unless you are in an industry like acting or something where like you really need to show your headshot. Leave your photo for your LinkedIn profile. Make sure it's professional, good lighting on your face, people can see you. And I'll tell you why. Even though it's not legal to base a decision based on race or what people look like or whatever, subconsciously that is what happens. And I'm not blaming anyone. It's just human nature to have an instinct to judge somebody. And you want to make sure that you are giving yourself the best shot possible. Right. And I'm not saying that if you have your photo on there and you don't get your, the job, then that's because somebody discriminated against you. That's not what I'm saying. But what I am saying is that you want to make sure that you have the greatest shot possible to get to the next round. And you want to make sure to do it in a way that's going to, um, Showcase your strengths, your professionalism, your culture fit, that you align with the company's culture and you can contribute to that, right? There are so many different things that you can share in your resume and your professional materials where your headshot isn't really needed.

Okay. So I love how you touched on LinkedIn. Like, I just revamped my LinkedIn profile. Because, you know, when I first got on LinkedIn, I was like, nobody's on LinkedIn.

Why am I on LinkedIn?

I was just like, oh, this is the business. I'm not looking for a job, but it's so different now. Right. And so I just revamped it like a month ago or so. And now all these people are like, ooh, your profile is so interesting. You know, you know, because I put on there things like pivotal moments in my life. Would you advise people searching for a job, how much personal stuff would you advise them to put on like their LinkedIn profile on their About section?

First of all, I give you huge brownie points for revamping your LinkedIn when you're not looking for a job. I can't, I can't tell you how many clients come to me scrambling because something just landed in their lap and they're like, oh shoot, My LinkedIn is terrible. My resume is terrible. I have no cover letter. I haven't updated everything for years. And like, that feeling is terrible. So huge props to you for being proactive. I always think that that's the best way to move forward in anything that you do, being proactive and prepared. Um, now for your LinkedIn profile, where you're asking, where's the line of personal versus professional? And I think that's a great question. Again, I think it depends on industry. I also think it depends on what you're using LinkedIn for. Um, one thing to note, if you're not job searching, but you do want to polish LinkedIn profile, you are a representative of the company that you're working for. So you want to make sure that your profile is in good standing. And so if somebody is finding you on LinkedIn and they see that you're affiliated with this company, you know, your brand and what you're putting out there is, is good and it's nice and it's solid. It's not too all over the place. So that's, that's one camp. The second one, if you are looking for a job, um, what kind of industry are you looking into? If it's a more fun, playful, so I'll give you an example. The healthcare, um, sorry, not healthcare, but like health and wellness industry. That's a little bit more playful. You have the yogis, you have nutritionists, you have, um, you know, really cool tech startups that are doing some really awesome work in this space. If that's kind of the vibe that you're going for, there's more flexibility for a little playfulness, for, you know, choosing, um, a cover photo that's a little bit more vibrant and exciting. Whereas, you know, going back to what I was saying before, if you're in one of those more traditional, like black and white type of resume jobs, think finance, accounting, law, sometimes even real estate, right? You'd want to be a little bit more professional and by the book in terms of your presentation. But there's always flexibility. And I will say, last thing, I know I'm droning on.

You're fine. I love it. I love it.

I will say that remember, your job is always to present yourself so that you can connect with others. I feel so strongly, and I'm sure you would agree just based on the way that you live your life, your life is enriched when you can connect with others. You can learn about people's You can learn from their struggles and their triumphs and really just connection just makes the world so much richer. So if there's something that you can add to your LinkedIn profile that really feels like it's part of you that defines you, and it's not so crazy and it's still in the professional realm, but you know, it is a little bit flexible. I would recommend putting it on your LinkedIn page because someone could find it and be like, oh, I really like what Travia Steward there. I love the motto that she lives by and I want to get to know her. And you don't know what that's going to lead to.

Absolutely. I love that. My top— and I combine them. So I say it's my top, my top value, love and connection. And so I've done a manifesto. It's all about love and connection because you're right. I mean, we are put on this earth so that we can love and connect with one another. You know, I know there are people who are like hermits, they live alone and stuff, but that's not what we were meant for. We were meant to inspire each other, uplift each other, support each other. I totally love that. Love that you said that. You know, and I love how you focus on being happy, you know, in your job. And as a coach, I help my clients, but sometimes they're in these jobs already where they're already unhappy. You know, like I was, I had a call with one of these guys who's a potential client. And he was like, God, I knew what I was doing. When I went to college. I just knew I could make more money in this, but I hate it. I'm making a good living. How do you help them updo their, their cover letter and their resume from something like they're working in business and finance to something like, oh, I want to get into publication? How are those skills transferable?

Yes, well, you just said the magic two words, but in reverse order at the end of that. Transferable skills. We as human beings always want to be reflective, always want to be looking into ourselves. What are our strengths? What are our areas of growth? And when it comes to career and pivoting your career into something that's going to excite you rather than drain all of your energy and be toxic for your life, um, really focus on your strengths. Maybe you didn't love your job, but was there one element or one project that you were excited about? Or you really hated this project and you thought, hey, if I had the freedom to actually change this project into from A to B, I'd be so much more excited about it, about it. It would do so much more for the company. Think about those moments. And sometimes it's not just a one-time sit-down reflection. It's an ongoing process, but think about those things that excite you and harness those skills that you have been able to implement and you can continue to implement, but are applicable in other industries. So you, you may hear from a lot of career coaches and HR professionals, recruiters, that there's a difference between hard and soft skills. So you really want to think about things in those two buckets. Hard skills are like software type of skills. So, you know, Excel really well, or Adobe Photoshop, or Final Cut Pro for editing, or, or Salesforce CRM to get to know and track your, your sales data. Whereas soft skills are leadership, management, training, coaching, things of that nature. It's more people-to-people. Both skills are very important and you can have a little bit of both. You, you might be, you could be top-heavy in soft skills and just a few hard skills that you have, but you want to be able to identify your strengths and the skills that you have and also think about the skills that you kind of want to spend a little more time on, right? Got it.

Yeah.

And you want to be able to share that in your professional materials and maybe create a plan for how you can grow into the skills that you don't yet have, but you know you want.

Okay.

So I'll give you an example. One of my personal goals is to grow in my ability to use Microsoft Excel. Excel. And I don't have any need for it in my day-to-day for my current job, but it's been a goal of mine to learn how to use pivot tables and equations and all that. I found this girl called Miss Excel on Instagram. If anyone's heard of her, shout out Kat. Do not know this girl, but I think she's frickin' awesome.

Right.

Anyway, she's created this course called Accelerator to help people like me learn a new skill and learn how to really add another tool to their career toolbox. And I think that's so awesome. So all of this is to say, when you're looking for that next pivot, look at your hard skills, look at your soft skills, look at where you need to grow, find a direction and, and a step that you can take to build on skills that you don't already have. And show that reflected in your resume, in your skills section. And if you're working on a course like the Accelerator course, but you haven't yet finished it and you're applying for jobs, you can say enrolled in Accelerator course to be completed at this time, or, or whatever it is to show that you are growing, you are building on yourself, and you will continue to do more. In that next position.

Nice. I love that. See, I never would have thought putting incomplete things on my resume.

Well, I wouldn't say so many incomplete things.

Okay.

Okay. If there's— so like, if you're in— if you're planning to finish the course, and you're applying for a job, or a job opportunity falls in your lap, and you haven't yet finished it, it's okay to say expected completion date at this time. Okay.

Got it.

People want to see you're growing.

Yeah. And I love it. And that's so important because if we're not growing, we're dying. Right. I mean, you're just stagnant in that same spot. So I know that, like, for a coach, credibility is important to me. So, which is why I have people like you on my show to, you know, to help share some tips and stuff. But when we're talking about credibility, let's say we have someone who's gotten an on— I'm not knocking this. Okay. But we have someone who's gotten like an online degree from the University of Phoenix and they're going for, you know, the top, you know, leadership, you know, position at a Fortune 500 company. How does that person establish credibility on their cover letter and resume when they've done an online degree? Again, not knocking it, just talking about it.

So that's a great question. First of all, I'm going to butcher this quote, but there's a quote and everyone listening is going to know the quote that I'm referencing. So forgive me that I'm butchering it, but You can't go anywhere— wait, no. The quote is about, um, you miss 100% of the shots you don't take. That's the quote.

Yes, I love that.

I believe it was, it was Gretzky or one of the sports people out there. It's not my industry, forgive me.

Yeah.

However, um, I just want to say The people who are ambitious, who put themselves out there, have a greater possibility of actually landing a job like that. I mean, there's a statistic out there about how more men get some of these elevated leadership roles just because they apply, whereas women kind of filter themselves a little bit. They say, oh, I don't have all the qualifications. And so they don't apply and therefore they're not getting those jobs as often. Which hopefully we're seeing a change. I know that our world is increasing in terms of, uh, awesome women CEOs and founders and all of that stuff, which is so cool. But credibility is key. There are different ways that you can show your credibility. I'll first start with LinkedIn because those are a few obvious, uh, and easy ways to establish credibility. So on LinkedIn, there's a skills section. And so your connections can endorse your skills. So if, you know, if you're really amazing, if you're an amazing connector, Travia Steward, which I would assume that you are just given your personality and how much fun we're having in this conversation, but you say that you're a great connector on LinkedIn, you're going to want your connectors to say, yes, she is. And they put a little endorsement, you click it and you endorse it. LinkedIn makes it easy, go check it out. Um, so that's just like a little bit on top of that. Another layer to dig a little bit deeper is asking for a recommendation. Now, many people think, oh no, I can't ask my boss for a recommendation on LinkedIn. They're going to think I'm leaving. They're going to know I'm leaving, but that's not necessarily the case. You can say that you want to be able to be the best representation of the company on LinkedIn. Would you mind writing 1 or 2 sentences and give them a little bit of direction? Say, I want you to focus on these 2 skills, or I want you to highlight this project that I helped you deliver X results on. Um, give them a little bit direction. It doesn't have to— it's not a whole letter that's a recommendation. That's kind of back in the old days. It's just a quick one-two line. And it doesn't necessarily have to be your boss either. On LinkedIn, it gives you the opportunity to have recommendations from peers that you worked on the same project with, you're at the same level, somebody that you managed, somebody that managed you. So it gives you kind of this 360, you know, you hear in big companies that many employees like the 360 review scenario where you have somebody managing you, somebody under you, somebody who's your peer, all giving you evaluation. Kind of like that, but in a more toned-down LinkedIn kind of way.

Right.

So that's, that's option number 2.

Okay.

Option number 3 is actually more recent. So LinkedIn, based on the data it collected from HR professionals and recruiters, found that they were really trying to find a way to verify skills that candidates had apart from just taking their word for it on, on their resume. Like, oh, I'm good at Excel. Well, how do I really know that you're good at Excel? I just have to take your word for it. So LinkedIn created a tool. It's the assessment skill, or it's the skill assessment section. Um, it's by the skills section. It's a little button. And there, there are a lot of different like short quizzes that you can take that LinkedIn verifies skills that you have based on these quizzes, based on what HR professionals and recruiters are looking for. So you can have like a little bit of a, I'm not sure if it's a badge on LinkedIn, but it, but professionals can see it so that they have a little bit more credibility added to your making the case for why you're right for the job. Wow.

I, I've seen that section on LinkedIn, but I didn't really know what the purpose of it. And now you just explained that. So that is something that someone straight out of college and, you know, they just got their undergrad. They didn't work in a lab. They didn't do an intern. They just went to class and got good grades. They could do this to improve their level of credibility.

For those who are just out of college, another way to add credibility to your LinkedIn profile, and I know we're focusing a lot on LinkedIn here, but it's a really great way to add credibility, is a number of companies have training opportunities for professionals. Think McKinsey, a place like that. And if you enroll in those training courses, sometimes they'll have a badge that you can display on LinkedIn. So similar to the skills assessment section, that's kind of LinkedIn generated. Sometimes there are bigger institutions like McKinsey and other similar companies that you can take a course not affiliated with LinkedIn at all, but we'll give you a link to put a badge on your profile that just says, hey, I completed this and it's really awesome. It's high level. It's at a major company that has brand recognition. So that's another way that you can also add credibility and you don't have to be working in the workforce for 15 years to get something like that.

Wow. That's perfect. Perfect. So I failed to ask this earlier, like if someone's going, Do I really need a cover letter? Why can't I just use my resume? What's your answer for that?

I hear that a lot, Travia Steward. And, you know, and oftentimes it's in the phrase of, oh, but the COVID letter is optional in the application. So I'm just gonna send my resume and the COVID letter is optional. So I don't need to do it.

Got it.

So I've heard both. And yes, a cover letter takes much more work than polishing your resume or updating your LinkedIn. And I get that. But your cover letter gives you the chance to make the case for why you're right for that specific job. So you always want to be able to tailor your professional materials to the job that you're applying to. And your cover letter, as we mentioned earlier, is how you can draw the connection for how your past experiences, the past results that you were able to achieve, can funnel into this next phase of your career and be an asset to the next company that you land at. And so another part of that is storytelling. So A big thing is showing your personality and your writing style and figuring out how you can convey that you're good in the culture fit of that next company. That often is displayed in a cover letter as well. And there are various strategies in order to do that. But, you know, that's another benefit to having a cover letter.

Yeah.

Third, And final benefit, I would say, that may be applicable to many listeners right now or in the future that are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and all of the challenges it's caused is that many people may have a gap on their resume. And that's perfectly fine. It is not a bad thing to have a gap on your resume. I mean, think about mothers over the many, many years.

Right.

Maybe took a hiatus to raise their kids and now they're ready to go back into the workforce. Right. So a cover letter gives you the ability to address that head-on, to be honest about it, and to show what you were doing in that time to continue growing and achieving and, and tapping into skills that can still be transferable and applicable to to the next position.

Nice. These are such gold nuggets of information. And I really, really sincerely mean that. So Sarah, why do you love this work? Why do you do what you do? You know, because I can hear the passion in your voice. And I can tell that you love it. You're not somebody who's coming, you know, do your resume. Yes, you need a cover letter. You know, I mean, just do it. You know, but you're so passionate about it. Why do you love this work so much?

Sometimes I don't even know how to explain it because it's so special. I think, you know, when people think about their careers, it seems so stuffy, but there's a lot of opportunity for personal satisfaction and growth and excitement when you're in a job that you really love. I mean, even if you're in a job that you love, there are always ebbs and flows, ups and downs. I've had it where, you know, I have that really bad week and I'm just feeling low. And you know what? I don't talk to my friends and family so nicely when I'm in that low.

Right.

I don't want to socialize and grab a drink in normal non-COVID times because I'm like in a yucky state of mind. And when that prolongs month after month after month, if you're in a job that you don't love, you're not contributing to the world and sharing your joy and your love and your connection the way that you could. And, you know, I know it sounds really naive, but I really feel that if more people were in jobs that made them happy, the world would be a much better place. We'd connect with each other more. We'd talk to each other more nicely. We'd communicate better. We'd, you know, give more of ourselves to others in the best possible way. So I've just found a lot of gratitude and satisfaction helping people take that next step to finding a position that will impact their lives really positively, whether it's their dream job or it's a job that allows them to spend more time with their kids or more time with their spouse or their friends. It's really exciting. And sometimes it just takes an outsider like me to also identify what's special about somebody because you're so close to your own self and your story, right? So you forget sometimes. That's natural.. But I can hear your story and learn your work history and learn about what makes you tick from a fresh set of eyes and ears that can then be transformed into a story that will propel you into this next part of your life. And that's so awesome. I just feel so grateful.

Yeah. And I can tell, like, you're beaming right now when you talk about it. And that's really what it is about. You know, because as far as I know, there's only one life. You know, I don't have any evidence or proof that there's 12 more. And enjoying and really fulfilling and living up to the dash— not your birth date, not your death date, but the dash, right? Living that to its fullest. When I— because I taught high school theater for 24 years, and so I didn't make the pivot, the full to full-time coach, until last year at the beginning of COVID And Sarah Sacks, there was one moment when it was the day I was telling my kids that I wasn't coming back for the next school year. And it was the day that I got to go on my patio and drink coffee at a time when I wanted to drink it. I got to meditate and I wasn't rushed about it. And I looked up and it was like the sky was smiling at me. I'm in sunny Arizona, right? And I said, I get to do this. And I cried for like an hour. Right. I haven't experienced that level of fulfillment in a very, very long time. And I have it now. So I'm there with you.

I love that. I'm happy for you. I'm sure it was satisfying doing what you were doing before with kids. Yeah. But also, this is a new chapter. Absolutely. And it's a new part of you that's being fulfilled. And that's really amazing. Yes. Yes.

So just a couple more questions. Questions before we wrap it up here.

Yeah.

What is one way that you continue to grow your skills?

You hit the hard, hard question. Going back to your journalism roots of hard-hitting news. How do I keep growing? I think part of it is looking for opportunities, like I was mentioning before, the Excel growth that I want to do of a program that I've always thought was interesting but had no clue how to use.

Yeah.

So that's one area. The other area is how am I growing, not just in my career, but how am I dividing my time? I'm a very Type A, organized, color-coded calendar type of person.

Yeah.

And part of me organizing my time is also taking time for myself. And whether that's a workout to clear my head or to sit by the beach, if I'm, you know, by the beach or listening to music that just feeds my soul, I think that also contributes to growth. When you can nurture all the different sides of you, you can live your most fullest and beautiful life.

Boom, that's coaching right there, baby. That's coaching. That's what I'm talking about.

So I know I'm waiting— I'm after your job, Travia.

Yes, you are. Yes, you are. No, no, no. See, there's room for everybody. Yeah, there's room for everybody. We're going to help each other out. We're going to stay in contact. So I know there are people who are listening, who are going to be listening to this episode and going, girl, just give me how— give me the deets on how to work with Sarah now. I need her services. What does that look like? How do you work with people? Is it one-on-one? Is it group? Give us the deets of that.

So 99.9% of my clients, I personally work with them. Um, I want to make sure that they feel connected to, that they feel understood, and that I really learned their story so that they can put their best selves forward. So you can reach me directly by email. That's probably the fastest way to get in touch with me. It's writeforthethejobnow@gmail.com. That's W-R-I-T-E, writeforthethejobnow@gmail.com. And then you can also follow me on LinkedIn and Facebook at Write for the Job Now, or visit my site, writeforthethejob.net. Shoot me an email. I'd be happy to connect. I'm happy to look over your resume, cover letter, LinkedIn profile, and we can figure out a way to to make it work for you so that you're taking advantage of this great opportunity to land a job that makes you happy. And, uh, I have free consultations for anyone who's interested. We'd hop on a call for 15 minutes. Um, and for anyone who's listening here, I want you to feel like it's approachable to have this conversation and to start revamping your professional material. So when you reach out to me, put the name of this podcast into the email page, Reinvent You, and I'll automatically give you a 15% discount. I would love— yeah, I just— the more people that we can help in making this mission of getting people in jobs that make them happy to make the world better, the better off everyone will be.

So I love that.

Wow.

Thank you so much. It, it has been an absolute pleasure having this conversation with you today. I know that people looking for a job, especially getting ready to pivot, doing all these things. If I needed to revamp my, my, my resume, I would definitely hit you up. Like everything that you shared today just sounds so great and it just things that I just never thought about. So thank you for sharing your expertise and your skills with us today.

Thank you for having me.

Absolutely. If you're finding value in these podcast episodes, in these videos that I upload to YouTube, I would love it if you go to Apple Podcasts and leave a 5-star review. It helps other people find the podcast, and it also helps me to know that I'm on the right path. And so thank you so much for listening. If you would like some one-on-one coaching, my link is in the of the show notes. Feel free to click it. It takes you directly to my contact form, and let's have a free conversation of how I could help you reinvent you and transform your life for success.