Time to Try Something New?
April 10th, 2013 | 
Author: 
I’ve been told I have a problem staying in one place too long. I guess that’s true. I’m not sure where this comes from, because I do consider myself to be a patient person. It might be my Type A personality, or my never ending curiosity. Whatever it is, I’m not ashamed of it or too afraid it will get me into (too much) trouble. If anything, my ability to try new things (especially the things I am most afraid of) has really been the key to my success. Just saying “yes” has led me to getting on the TED stage, meeting Seth Godin, presenting at hundreds of events, and now, getting involved in a new business opportunity.
A few weekss ago, I left my post at UMass Amherst to try something totally different. Well, not totally different, but different enough that I’m finding myself staying up late to study and learn every corner of my new profession. It’s a field I have been aware of for a long time since I do have a background in HR and recruiting, but never gave it much thought since I was never directly responsible for it. I’ve heard about the value of this service, but never looked into it. Curious yet? Okay, here it is. The field is employee background checks. At first, I wasn’t sure if this work would be for me. It seemed too technical and boring. As I am learning, it really is the opposite! There are so many different ways to do a background check, depending on the position, the company, and the industry. There are also a lot of opportunities to work with many different industries, which presents more opportunities to learn.
I should clarify, I am not the person actually conducting the background checks, I am in charge of sales & marketing. Either way, if I’m going to sell it, I need to know what I’m selling and how to talk about it. The interesting thing that has happened after taking this job is this: I remembered how much I love learning new things and putting information together. My mind has been so stimulated the last few weeks and it feels so good!
Taking this new job has been an opportunity to dive right into something very different. In doing so, I’m learning more about myself, the world, the people in business around me, and the field of employee background checks. I have about 50 projects on my plate right now (yeah, um, 48 might be self-imposed) and I can’t wait to implement each one.
I also get to decide who I will work with! I want to work with people in charge of hiring and business owners who make decisions about who works for their company. I want these people to be excited about their work, interested in working with people who also have an above average amount of interest in their work, and need background checks for new employees, existing employees, and the extended workforce (like contractors, vendors, volunteers, etc). If you love what you do and want to partner with people who also love what they do, we should work together!
Anyway, this new position has given me a new lease on life. I have so many new ideas, so many people to meet on my list, so many projects, so little time!! I like change. I thrive on challenges. Learning gets me excited. If you haven’t felt this way in a while, it might be time for you to find something new to do as well. It’s invigorating and refreshing. If your friends give you a hard time about making a change, just let them know you will be more fun to hang out with if you have a new project to focus on. After all, I’d rather be critiqued for being a “changer” than being stagnant and watching life pass me by. It’s a lot more fun. Enjoy the ride!
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And 20 Months Later…
Hello everyone! Felt like saying hi after my 20 month hiatus from blogging. Actually, that’s not entirely true. I’ve been blogging all along, just not here. I’ve been blogging here instead. You’re probably wondering why I haven’t even updated my website with all of the cool stuff I’ve been doing lately either. Well, I am taking a break of sorts. Read the rest of this entry »
Realizing Your Potential by Acting on It
Here is a guest post by my friends at Bellevue University in Nebraska. Enjoy!
Preparing students to hit the ground running in the career field is the stated goal of most educational institutions. Unfortunately, this does not always happen because too many students are focused on getting the grade instead of the real-world experience. After all, they think, it’s the grades that show up on a school transcript, not the learning experiences. How can you prove to a future employer that you have done the work unless it has been properly graded and documented?
Top 3 Most Common Resume Mistakes That Put You in the “No” Pile
After reading thousands of resumes, I’ve come to find that it’s the little things that often lead to the biggest disasters. Thing like little white lies, grammar and spelling mistakes, and submitting a resume that has nothing to do with the job only graze the tip of the iceberg. When I was an executive recruiter, I would often find myself asking the question, “why did you put X on your resume?” only to hear a muffled “I don’t know, I thought it was supposed to go there.”
I’d like to say this only once – yes, there is a science to writing a resume. No, there is not only one way to do it. If you are trying to get the attention of a business owner, human resources director, or hiring manager, you want to make sure you are covering the three biggest points they are looking for. If you don’t include these elements, your chances of getting the job will be dramatically reduced as other job seekers who are following these rules will be taken seriously.
Editing Your Life
by Katherine Yasi, Public Relations Specialist/Intern 365 Degrees Consulting
Gunner the Weimaraner
These last couple months of summer I have been interning with Angela at 365 Degrees Consulting as Public Relations Specialist. So far we’ve worked on a few projects and I’ve been able to attend a few of her seminars – which have been awesome for helping me come up with a personal brand and a vision for my future! The last project I worked on was editing and putting together a promotional video clip for the Women Business Owner’s Alliance for their annual Women’s Night of Comedy.
As editor of the video, I was able to choose, rearrange, add, and delete and I had full creative power to adjust the video however I saw fit. I chose the music, added titles, and chose pictures that represented the event and would be appealing to the viewers. As I sat there (with two adorable Weimaraners at my feet!) dragging pictures and video clips from folder to folder on the computer and then selecting the best pictures and cutting out the extraneous footage that would not be effective in the video an idea popped into my head. What if people could begin to see themselves as the Creative Directors or Editors in their own lives? I know a lot of people who choose to see themselves as passengers in the journey of life and go on with their lives as such. They go to school for 12 years, go to college because they are told they should, get a boring but well-paying job, basically they choose to do things “by the book” so to speak.
My question to these people is: are you happy doing this? Read the rest of this entry »
My TEDx Speech
Want to see my speech from TEDx? Here it is! Shot in Washington, DC on June 11, 2010:
Giving & Receiving Lists and the Anti-Perfectionist Movement
My To Do lists from this week
I’m an insane list-maker. At times, I think that I would lose my head if I didn’t have my lists. I cling to them like the lap bar on a roller coaster. Without them, I fear the worst might happen. After attending SARK’s workshop last weekend, I walked away with a ton of new perspectives and ideas. One of her simple-yet-brilliant points was about the concept of receiving. She talked about how to receive compliments, receive money, receive good things from others. This is one of those acts that should be easy, after all, who doesn’t like to be given accolades or tokens of appreciation?
The thing is, it’s really not that easy at all, especially if you are a perfectionist like me. (This is another important epiphany I had this weekend, I never realized I was a perfectionist until she told us the perfectionist’s anthem: “Not yet”). I am always raising my bar and telling myself to keep moving, keep going…and the result is that I keep overlooking the small wins and joys that come with every day. Something completely amazing could happen, and I wouldn’t celebrate the accomplishment or opportunity, just think about how I could have done something better, and oh, what’s next?
If You’re Still Confused About Social Media
I don’t usually use my blog as a way to promote other people’s services, but today, I am. When I worked in radio, our web guy was pretty awesome. He helped us make all kinds of crazy promotions come to life on our website, even when we didn’t even really know what we wanted or what it would look like. He made it happen and he was always fun to work with. His name is Cale Guin, and he owns Web180 in Milwaukee (or right around there…I think it’s some other Indian tribe name like Waukeshaw or something…sorry Cale.).
Punching Fear In The Face
With Croix Sather, Fire-Eater Extraordinaire!
Yes, I did it. I punched fear in the face last Saturday morning. A few weeks ago, Croix Sather, fellow Toastmaster and friend asked me if I’d be interested in sharing the stage with him during his presentation he would be giving at the upcoming District 53 Toastmasters Spring Conference. He said that my job would be the one who eats fire.
Uhm. What?
Yes, eat fire. I’ve never done it, nor have I really thought about doing it, but I was immediately intrigued by the idea of it. So, my answer was yes. Yes, I would eat fire on stage with him in front of the crowd.
What I’ve Learned About Creating A Remarkable Online Profile
There are so many websites that ask us to create a profile for ourselves….Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, you get the idea. How do you convey the message you want people to remember in a tiny box? It’s tough, especially if you aren’t used to summing yourself up in 500 words or less. So, what do you say to make sure you are telling people the right things about yourself? The profile is like a mini-resume, and it can be memorable, or it can be a waste of space. Check out the 5 points I put together to setup a profile that will tell the world what you want them to know.
