TBT: How to Get a Job Without a Resume

About a year ago I wrote and released a free ebook called How to Get a Job Without a Resume, inspired by some community college graduates who were looking to build their personal brand, as well as the many e-mails I got asking how I got my book published and how I was able to work from home. 

Hope you enjoy the goofball video below, and hope the ebook can be a good summer read to help you start thinking about your online personal brand - you can never start too early!

Don't read this if you know exactly what you want to do with your life

Yesterday I had lunch with some friends who are in their last year of college and are feeling very anxious about the next steps. They shared:

"Ugh, I hate not knowing what I'm going to do with my life!"

And I thought I'd share with you what I shared with them.

It's okay. 

You don't have to know. 

While it is really important to have some kind of plan so you can focus your energy in a particular direction and towards developing a particular skill set, it's okay if you don't know exactly what your post-college future will look like. 

For many of you, the jobs you will have don't even exist yet. If you had asked me after college what I'd be doing I could have never pictured this. 

While traditional careers lend themselves to clear five-year plans, we are in a time of transition and rapid economic change, so the picture can be pretty uncertain. 

But the good news? 

In my many interviews and readings about successful people, it's become clear that those with the most exciting and successful careers were never quite able to answer the question "what is your dream job." 

A lot of really successful people who do big things in the world didn't know what their future would hold when they started out.

But of course that doesn't mean they just stared at the sky hoping the answer would come. Most feel that same anxiety about the future, but they don't let that stop them from working really hard to grow and contribute in the meantime. 

This became more evident than ever to me in the book I started reading last week, My Life With Martin Luther King, Jr., by Coretta Scott King. 

I was struck by a section where Coretta explained that when he was in his early 20's MLK Jr. knew he wanted to be a minister, and knew he cared deeply about the discrimination and segregation in the south, but he never could have imagined he'd be leading a civil rights movement. 

What he did during his early 20's, however, was key, and it's the same for anyone who wants to succeed even if they are unsure what they are going to do with their life at the moment:

1) Learn - MLK Jr. was determined to get the best training possible, and attained his PhD by the age of 25. Coretta explains that his intense studying did not stop after he received his doctoral diploma - he was always learning. 

Do not limit yourself to your college curriculum, and don't stop studying after college. Surround yourself with books that can teach you more about the subjects that fascinate you. 

2) Contribute - MLK Jr. began speaking publicly at a very young age, and his oratory skills were incredible. He immediately began using those skills to inspire and uplift others, becoming an assistant minister when he was in his early 20's. He recognized the privileges he had growing up, and began immediately using his oratory talents and education to empower others with a sense of hope and self that served as a crucial foundation to the beginnings of the civil rights movement. 

You should not wait to contribute. Do it now, with whatever you've got. You never know what it could be preparing you for. 

3) Act - When Rosa Parks decided to stay in her seat, MLK Jr. and the people he had been working with saw an opportunity to do something big. They organized the bus boycott and he soon became the symbol and the leader of the civil rights movement. Reading about his personal journey from his wife's perspective highlights how his years of learning and his spirit of contribution came to prepare him to lead such a crucial moment in history. 

When you engage deeply, learn intensely, and care about others you will see opportunities no one else does. And when you act, you never have to think about "what you should do with your life." Because you'll just be doing it. 

When should you start building your personal brand?

Ever wonder when you should start crafting your personal brand? The answer:

Now. 

Because good personal brands not only win jobs - they also win scholarships.  

When I applied for the Jack Kent Cooke scholarship and read all the essay prompts, I realized "Mmmmm, I'm just a normal girl and think I might wanna be an English teacher" wasn't really a good personal brand. They wanted to know who I was, what I'd been through, what I'd done, and how that influenced what I wanted to bring to the world. 

I worked really hard and thought really hard to put my life into a cohesive essay and subsequent life plan. Sure, that plan changed a lot, but having a direction and thinking deeply about who I was is what made all the difference.

To start, make a timeline of your life and draw pictures to illustrate your milestones and most defining moments. What made you who you are today?

Then, start to think about what kinds of things you enjoy most. When do you feel most alive? What kind of work would you love to do every day?  

You may not know exactly how to communicate who you are and what you want to do right now. And that's okay. 

Having a personal brand isn't about having it all figured out. It's about deciding that you will constantly do the work to create your brand as you learn more about yourself and the unmet needs in our economy. It's about taking ownership of your career before someone else does. 

Whether you're about to start college for the first time or are just finishing up, it's time to begin to figure out what your personal brand is and how you can best communicate it online and in person. 

Today I just launched a free ebook to help you do just that - it's called How to Get a Job Without a Resume, and you can get it for free here!

Today getting a job is about so much more than a resume - it's about how well you're able to communicate your personal brand online and in person. And trust me, you have more to share with the world than you realize. 

Please feel free to share How To Get a Job Without a Resume with your friends and on social media, and feel free to share any thoughts or questions on Twitter using the hashtag #WithoutaResume!

How to Get a Job Without a Resume

Ever felt frustrated by not being able to get work experience because no one will hire you without having prior experience? Ever try any of these things, like, stuffing your face with marshmallows?....[crickets]...... No? Ok I guess it's just me then......

Go to isaadney.com/howtogetajobwithoutaresume to get your FREE ebook (releases 8/5/2013)! :D

How to access the hidden job market

Check out the newest episode of The SKiNNY on College Success to learn how to access the hidden job market and get a great job now and after college! :)

How a Skateboard Can Get You a Job [First Job Profile]

Have you ever wondered what it might be like to wear jeans to work, write on the walls, and have your creative ideas influence millions?

Meet Will Gay, Creative Director at Disney’s Yellow Shoes and the man who helped lead campaigns such as findingfantasyland.com and the iconic campaign featuring YouTube videos of real families surprising their kids with a Disney vacation.

I recently sat down with Will; he shared invaluable advice on how to make it in the creative field, what you can do to get the attention of high-level professionals, and how a skateboard can help you get a job. His story is also jam-packed with with vital lessons for your future career success. 

What was your first job out of college and how did you get it?

Before I graduated actually, I called a bunch of agencies, and didn’t ask for a job directly. I just said I was looking to learn more and that I wanted feedback on my portfolio because I respected that particular person and their position. During my senior year of college I landed a salaried job as a Junior Art Director at one of those small agencies I had contacted.

[Lesson 1: Reach out to people at companies you want to work for.]

What was the most important thing you learned from your first job?

When you’re young you often think you know it all. I did, and at my first job I actually got fired after two years. I pushed hard for good creative work and fought my boss and others in all the wrong ways to get it done. When they lost a big client, I was the first to go.

I learned that there is a right way and a wrong way to fight for your ideas. I was humbled early on.

What did you do to leverage your first job to help you get where you are today?

Even though the first job ended badly, I had worked hard to develop a good portfolio and within three days I got a job with another agency where I got along really well with my boss and started to realize there was another way.

After doing some work there I was recruited by an ad agency in Orlando. However, it seemed I hadn’t fully learned my lesson quite yet.

I clashed with my boss again and found myself fighting for my ideas in the wrong way. I thought I was “irreplaceable” and when they lost a big client, again, I was one of the first to go.

[Lesson 2: Learn from your mistakes.]

This time I was out of work for eight months, which was one of the toughest times in my life, wondering how I was going to pay my bills.

I started freelancing for two agencies, one more well-established and another not so well known in the creative world. Both offered me a job, but I decided to go with the lesser known shop. I wanted the challenge, and I loved it.

We won a ton of awards and during one of the annual Orlando award ceremonies Disney was there and recruited me. I loved my job growing the ad agency I was at, but when Disney comes calling it’s hard to say no.

[Lesson 3: Choose opportunity over salary.]

What did you do to make sure you were prepared for each new opportunity?

You realize in hindsight that the journey and the struggle are often part of something bigger. Each thing taught me an important lesson I took with me to the next stage of my journey.

If I had gotten recruited at Disney too early I wouldn’t have been able to survive. I try to tell people to not try to rush it too much. And I’ve learned that if you always strive for great work and focus on that, the money will usually follow you.

What motivated you to work so hard?

I always wanted to try to do better work at each job, and always strive to do something different. You definitely have to be patient though to make break throughs.

You can’t be a rock star straight out of school. Some people can, it happens, but most people have to be patient and go through that slow step-up process and keep trying to do better things to get a better job.

When I went through a tough unemployment time after college I was really inspired by the story of Walt Disney losing everything he’d worked for in his first animation business, and then as he rode on a train, feeling depressed, he drew this little mouse that started everything.

Exactly. Walt drew Mickey during the worst time in his life. It’s so important to embrace those tough times. If you’re open and not afraid to keep trying, a mouse could pop into your head on a train.

What advice do you have for recent graduates who are struggling to find their first job after college?

Don’t get discouraged too easily.

The key is to be persistent and try to get attention in a unique way. Do something that is the opposite of what everyone else is doing – it’s the only way to stand out.

For example, so many students email me their digital portfolios, so what really stands out now are the things I get in the mail.

[At this point Will excitedly goes to his desk and pulls out this small sketchbook.]

The sketchbook cover.

This is a book someone made and mailed to me titled “15 Fool Proof Plans to get my feet in the door and into a brand new pair of Disney’s Yellow Shoes.” 

The inside page.

And at the end of the book (which was filled with off-the-wall cartoons of how she would ‘sneak into’ Disney Yellow Shoes offices, one of which is below) she hand-wrote the link to her portfolio.

It was obvious this took time to make, and it wasn’t something she could send out to everyone. It was creative, fun, personal, and irreverent. It showed she really wanted to work here, but more so, it also demonstrated the kind of skills needed in the creative industry.

She works here now.

[Lesson 4: Really get to know the companies you want to work for and personalize your approach.]

What advice do you have for grads who want to reach out but aren’t sure how to get the attention of someone in a way that would work for their desired industry and skill-set?

Know your audience and do your homework.

[Will gets up excitedly again to show me a skateboard. I’m confused for a second and then he turns it around to showcase a professional and artistic resume.]

I got this from someone who wants to work in our graphic retouching department. He found out through my blog that I skateboard and like to recycle my skateboards by painting over them.

[He then shows me the bottom of the skateboard where it says essentially “please recycle this board and paint over it.”]

Just like the small notebook, it was very personalized.

What should students avoid?

In the creative field, they should avoid having too many things in their portfolio. You have to self-select; otherwise it seems like you don’t have a point of view.

I also hated when people told me my portfolio was ‘great’ but then never called me back for a job. Students should ask for feedback.

After a recent event at a local university I had a student who asked me if he could walk me to my car. “I’m desperate,” he said, “I can’t get an internship and I need one for my major; I don’t know what’s going on.”

I usually try to leave these events right away so I can have dinner with my family, but I saw the fear in his eyes. I asked him to email me his portfolio.

[Lesson 5: When reaching out to people, don't be afraid to be vulnerable. It shows you care and will get their attention.]

The next morning I received an e-mail from him that had been sent 10 minutes after we talked.

[Lesson 6: Follow up with people immediately. It shows you're serious.]

I went through his portfolio and saw quickly it was not at the level where it needed to be. I invited him to come into the office to discuss it.

Remembering the lack of feedback I received and wished I had in my early years, I was very honest with him and told him what he needed to change.

The next day I got an e-mail with his new portfolio. He had taken my advice; I told him it was great and he told me he’d be sending it out that day.

A week later I got an e-mail from him [Will’s eyes start to water as he says this]…this is so recent I haven’t really talked about it. He e-mailed me and told me he had two internship offers with really great ad agencies and thanked me profusely for my help.

[Lesson 7: Act on good advice from professionals you admire immediately and follow up with a big thank you.]

It makes me tear up because I wished someone had helped me like that – it’s so hard. It made me think about the time I was looking for a full time job and some feedback how no one would get back to me. I felt so proud of him and so happy that the help worked.

He accepted one of the internship positions and is there now.

[Lesson 8: When you take someone's advice you make the other person feel that they're making a difference. It's one of the greatest gifts you can give. And your mentors deserve it, because they are giving you one of the other greatest gifts - their time.]

-----

I want to say a huge thank you to Will for inviting me into his office and giving me a tour. As a super-Disney fan, it was such an honor.

I hope you enjoyed his advice as much as I did, and I hope you take action on some of the gems in this story. 

Who has a job that you admire whom you could reach out to and ask for advice right now? 

What creative way can you get the attention of someone at a company you really want to work for?

Go for it!

How to get a job in the fashion industry: H&M First Job Profile

This summer I connected with some amazing professionals who were willing to share their wisdom. Each profile will feature how their first job out of college led to their amazing careers today (that they love, by the way), as well as their advice to help you do the same.

First Job Profile: Jennifer Ward, Senior Public Relations Director at H&M

1) What was your first job out of college and how did you get it? 

I graduated with an Advertising/PR degree but was having trouble finding a job. I took a job at Tommy Hilfiger as a sales assistant so I could learn the other side of the business until I was able to find a position in PR.

2) What was the most important thing you learned from your first job?

My first job was all about learning about the corporate world and branding. In addition to learning the sales side of the business the behind the scenes was most interesting to me. I learned how everything a brand does is strategic. Why they choose the colors, where the item is placed in the store etc. I thought it was going to be a fashion job, but most of my day was sitting in front of a computer analyzing spreadsheets.

3) What did you to leverage your first job to help you get where you are today? 

My first job helped me form a great foundation to overall understand fashion, but it did not help me much in my goals for PR. 

I had an internship in college for another fashion brand, and a year after graduating I interviewed for a full time position in their press department. It was a very small team of five which is where I learned everything to get me where I am today.

4) What advice do you have for a recent graduate who is struggling to find their first job after college? 

Talk, talk, talk. Ask anyone and everyone if they are able to help - networking is most important. A lot of jobs are not posted on website - it’s all about referrals. 

Having a strong resume will set you aside from the fierce competition. Try to have as many internships and volunteer jobs in your area of interest. If an employer is not hiring they will always remember their smart, motivated intern and help you find a position leveraging their contacts.

Great advice no matter what industry you want to pursue. Thank you so much Jennifer!

AskIsa: My ultimate formula for getting the best internships (& figuring out what you want to do with your life)

From the Ask Isa inbox:

Dear Isa,

Do you have any sources for finding internships? I'm a math major and am interested in civil engineering, although I am not 100% on that. I feel that getting a little experience in any engineering/math field would help me figure out exactly what I want to do. 

Sincerely,

Internship Seeker

Dear Internship Seeker,

You are right on about starting to get some experience to figure out what you want to do.

Some of the internship websites I know about are YouTern.com and InternQueen.com; you can also search Indeed.com for "civil engineering internship." I also recommend searching the websites in some of the most well-known corporations in your field to research their internship programs. 

The best internships are highly competitive and doing research early can make all the difference. 

The best thing to do is to start connecting with professionals via informational interviews (something I talk about how to do extensively in the 3rd section of my book.)

Here are the basics of the formula: 

1) Start a LinkedIn Profile
2) Click "advanced search"
3) Put "Civil Engineer" in the job title section
4) Enter in your zip code and choose a 10 or 25 mile radius
5) Click "search"
6) Review the profiles of the civil engineers in your area. What companies are they working for? If you can see their resumes, find out where they got started.
7) Choose one or two people whose jobs and/or companies sound really cool to you and request to connect with them. You can choose "friend," and then in the request message section write something personal telling that person why you admire their job and that you'd like to connect with them to be able to learn from them.
8) If they accept your request, send them a direct message requesting to meet with them for 10-15 minutes in person to ask a few questions about how they got to where they are today, what they like about their job, and any advice they might have when it comes to trying to get an internship in their field.
9) If they say yes, email them back with a few days/times you are free, ask them to pick the 15 minute window that works best for them, and then ask for directions for the most convenient place for them to meet (usually their office).
10) Then show up on time, dress professionally, and don't go longer than 15 minutes unless the person insists they want to talk longer. Ask questions. And listen, listen listen. Take notes.
11) Follow up via e-mail and/or a handwritten card and say thank you.

Most professionals will be so impressed that you've done this that they will offer you an internship directly, though you should never ask. This is just about learning, and if that's all you get it's so worth it. They will also know the best ways to secure good internships in their industry. 

Even if their company doesn't have any internships available at the moment, in your follow up email, ask if you can job shadow them for a few hours one day to see what their work is really like.

You'll be amazed at how much people will be honored that someone admires them and wants to learn from their work, and how much they will do to help you. Try it and let me know what happens!

Sincerely,

Isa 

Internship Seeker's updated response is below - things took a cool turn: 

Isa thank you so much for your advice! 

Looking at civil engineers’ profiles on LinkedIn helped me realize what I want to major in: Nutrition! I know I probably sound crazy, switching from talking to you about engineering to wanting to be a nutrition major, but I truly believe it is what I want to do. 

The Civil Engineering jobs did not sound interesting to me at all. I realized that if I were to pursue engineering I would be stuck in something that doesn’t really interest me. 

 Additionally, I talked to my uncle who went to college for civil engineering, and what stuck out to me was that he said “math is fun.” Math isn’t fun for me, and it surely wouldn’t get better at a four year school. I think I was focusing on the money aspect of engineering. Sadly.

But these two things (LinkedIn and interviewing my uncle) made me stop and think of what really interests me, and it’s nutrition. 

Nutrition is fun to me. I always am reading a book about nutrition, or researching it, or focusing on cooking something healthy. I’m even registered to go to a convention about nutrition in Georgia this fall. And one of my friends noticed that I bring up the topic of nutrition quite often. Nutrition is what truly interests me. So I hope I don’t sound crazy to you.

As I replied to Internship Seeker, she doesn't sound crazy at all. I told her this is one of the best possible things that can happen when you being your job-research process. 

LinkedIn-research, internships, and informational interviews are just as much figuring out what you don't want to do as figuring out what you want to do. Most people don't figure this out until they're stuck doing what they don't want to do.

Happy internship and what-do-I-want-to-do-with-my-life searching to you all! :)

Best Career Book for Class of 2013

What do the principles of entrepreneurship have to teach you about your career, even if you don't want to start your own business?

Everything. 

That is the message of the incredible book I just finished reading by LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman and entrepreneur Ben Casanocha: The Start-up of You.

For the past year I have been living a dream job filled with risk, adventure, and airplanes. If you had asked me when I graduated college if I would have been doing what I'm doing now, I would have just laughed and said that sounds like someone else. 

For the past year almost everyone I meet asks me some form of the question "where do you want to go with your career?"

I'm often caught off guard because, honestly, I don't know what the future holds. I love that, but it also scares me sometimes. 

My answer to that question usually goes something like this: "I don't know what will come next; I could have never known I'd be where I am now. My only plan is to keep doing what I did to get this far -  learn like crazy, meet lots of people who are way cooler than me, and work really hard."

The Start-up of You reinforced that this kind of present-focused, people-focused, and learning-focused "plan" is a good thing (whew - thanks Reid and Ben for making me feel better!).

The truth is, you do want to have some direction, but you must be open to change. If not, opportunities will pass you by. 

We don't know what the jobs of tomorrow will look like, so the best thing you can do for your career is to focus on learning today. 

Every time someone asks you "what's next" (which they will a lot - it's a human-nature kind of question) take that time to think about what you are doing today. 

Are you meeting with an interesting person? Are you reading a new book? Are you applying for a new and challenging learning experience? Are you volunteering for projects that interest you at your current job? 

The best way to guarantee a compelling and exciting career for your future is to learn like crazy and surround yourself with people you admire. 

Also, read The Start-up of You. It will pump you up for your next adventure, and give you the tools you need to get started. 

The adventure (and the learning) has just begun. :)

Disclosure: Unless stated otherwise at the beginning of a post, any book I recommend is because I've read it, loved it, and couldn't keep it to myself. I only share books I think will help you and that I love like crazy. 

How to find a mentor

Ever wonder how to find a mentor? In this quick-tip video from The SKiNNY I share a quick and easy way to find a mentor who can help you figure out what you want to do with your life, choose the right transfer university for your major, and give you guidance on your future career.