Have you ever truly thought about why money has been a taboo subject in the world of work? The simple answer is if everyone talked about it, it would likely lead to many employees realizing they’re underpaid. That would be a big problem for companies. I’m determined to change how my clients, students, and readers handle the topic of compensation. To do that, let’s go back …
Read MoreTimes are tough out there but there are things you can do today to help your career whether you’re looking for a job now or will be in the future. Take 3 mins and see which of these could be a game-changer for your career:
Read MoreYes, there’s a global pandemic and times are tough. We all get that but there are still plenty of open jobs on the market. Last month alone the U.S. economy added almost 5 million jobs. So why will most job seekers be unsuccessful at getting hired this year? It’s because their approach sucks.
Read MoreI can talk for days about how to create a killer resume and teach you all about how to ace an interview but if you can’t do this one thing, you will sink your own ship.
The one thing you need to know how to crush is how to tell your own story. It sounds simple but most people are pretty terrible at it. For most of us, it feels like there are so many different ways to potentially piece together our own story and it just gets jumbled.
Read MoreI’m an optimist but also a realist. As a working mom (University Instructor, Career Coach, and Marketing Consultant), I've come to terms with this new reality. It has been a tough pill to swallow but I don’t think our current reality changes much until late 2021 so I wanted to share a few thoughts on how to cope with the year ahead based on the questions I've been getting:
Read MoreWould you go on a date without taking a shower? Or go to an interview without bringing your resume? Or ask your boss for a raise without believing you had done great work? If you answered NO to any of these (and I hope you answer NO to all of them by the way), then you should check yourself on how you’re showing up on LinkedIn.
Read MoreIt's my fifth year teaching Marketing Strategy at the University of Oregon but my first year teaching it from my home office. I, like so many working parents, are doing our best to survive and thrive as we navigate this new normal. The video below gives you a glimpse at what so many of us are doing.
My weekly Marketing class is 3 hours long and for 2 minutes during last night’s class, my kids joined. On the one side, my kids were super curious about why I’m teaching from home and on the other side, I think it’s important to show my students that I’m a real person too.
Read MoreAlthough I know there are ways that COVID-19 will change some things for the long term, I'm certain this will pass and we will all stop worrying so much about loved ones, health, money, and all the other little things that seem to have become very big things lately.
If you have just graduated college, are approaching graduation, or are currently unemployed, there are things YOU CAN DO now to help your employability once things settle down. Below is the advice I shared with my recent graduating class at the University of Oregon. Hopefully it will help you in the days and weeks ahead.
When I was 13, I had a dream to one day write a book. Now my goal is to help other people make their career dreams a reality.
In my book, “Made To Hire: How to Get the Job You Really Want,” I share how you can use my proven methods to get noticed, get hired, make more money, and reach your career goals faster.
Learn more here.
Read MoreIs it feeling impossible to get into your dream company? Or ANY company for that matter? I feel you! The job market is insanely competitive. I have an approach that will help set you apart. It’s how I got into Nike in my 20s.
It’s called project work.
Read MoreOne of my favorite things to do is help people transform how they tell their own stories. It’s amazing how improving that skill will change your success in interviews, not to mention in other professional and personal situations.
In my book, I teach the four keys to a great personal story: 1) be authentic and memorable, 2) use compelling content, 3) know your audience, and 4) chose the appropriate length.
Take 60 seconds and watch this clip to see a fantastic example from Ying-Ying Lu.
Read MoreHow you answer that questions says a great deal about you and your future...
Read MoreI’ve spent my entire adult life building the career of my dreams and helping others do the same. Below are the 10 most important lessons you’ll learn in my book.
1. You are a brand that needs to be carefully and strategically managed. With my background working for global brands, I will teach you, in chapters 1 and 2, how to develop your brand in order to get what you want professionally.
2. Your ability to tell your own story succinctly is arguably the most important personal development skill you need to master. In chapter 1, you will learn this skill.
Read MoreThis week Merryn joins Chris Villanueva from Let’s Eat Grandma in the Career Warrior podcast where they discuss the secret weapon of portfolios in job interviews:
How could a portfolio help you set yourself apart from the competition?
What's in a portfolio? (We cover two components in detail).
How do you actually use it in the interview?
How you should actually print/package the portfolio?
Video interviews can be so awkward and scary not to mention they’re becoming increasingly common, especially with large companies.
Check out my Q+A with talent acquisition expert Wendy Scott to help you ace your next video interview. Wendy has almost a decade of experience in talent acquisition with the bulk of her time spent at Tesla and at Nike. She’s now a Recruiting Manager at Binc, which places technology industry talent at companies like Dropbox, Samsung, and Airbnb to name a few.
Read MoreShelly Gourlay is known for her 30+ year talent acquisition track record with global brands including Nike and Columbia Sportswear. She currently runs the Sports Product Management Master’s Program at the University of Oregon where she identifies and develops future sports product industry leaders. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Shelly for several years as an instructor for the program.
I asked Shelly, “What matters most with a resume?” Her advice is direct and incredibly helpful. Here’s what she had to say:
Read MoreAmazon, Apple, and Google consistently top the global brand ranking charts. They do pretty much everything right and we buy into it. It’s easy and natural for us to think about companies like those big names as brands. They make things and we buy those things. What we seldom do though is think of ourselves as brands. I want to help you make that shift within yourself because it will be a game-changer for your career.
As a career coach, I help people with all aspects of landing their dream careers but there’s probably nothing more significant in career success than how you view yourself. If you start seeing yourself as a brand, and even better, as your favorite brand, you will be blown away by what will happen for you career-wise.
I know this is a big shift in thinking for many of us and there are several things to consider in how you create and manage your brand. To keep it simple, and to get you started, I’m going to give you what I think are the three first steps to thinking about yourself as a brand:
Read MoreYou are probably on your phone 5+ hours each day. I’m going to guess over half of your phone time is social media use. It’s pretty shocking but if you don’t believe me set a timer for 30 minutes and see if you can avoid checking social media that entire time. I’m not sure what we’re all looking for by endlessly scrolling. It’s as if we think we’re going to miss something critically important so we must check again … and again … or perhaps we think some life-changing news is going to appear and we don’t want to be the last to know. Whatever the reason, it’s the reality for most people.
I regularly hear people share their struggles with job searching and interviewing. Today I have three easy things you can do while you’re on your phone anyway to help get you closer to your next job. Simply put, if you’ve read this far, you must care about your career so let’s put some of that screen time to good use.
Read MoreI’ll start by saying it had nothing to do with applying online and then waiting to be called. Getting into Nike is like getting into any sought-after company - there’s a formula. If you have career goals that are bigger than what you’re doing now, read on.
My journey into Nike has keys you can use to help you land your dream job. I’ll warn you the path into a global brand or any top company is not easy, not a straight line, and not for the impatient. I’ve broken the formula down into 5 steps you can use with any company.
Read MoreLearn how to get really good at telling your own story. This week Merryn joins Tammy Gooler Loeb on the podcast ‘Work From The Inside Out’. Merryn shares with Tammy the highs and lows of her own career journey and how there are 10 seconds that really matter in how you tell your story. Merryn talks about the major transitions she undertook in her career including how she made a huge change to balance her professional goals with her desire to one day be a mom. Check out the episode and be sure to listen to other episodes of Work From the Inside Out. Tammy regularly hosts guests like Merryn who have undertaken brave career transitions to achieve a great level of happiness in their work.
Read More
