Career Coaching with Caitlin
With so many people in job transition during Covid-19, there are lots of questions about career exploration and job searching! So this past Friday, Caitlin Magidson and I (Laura Goldstein) sat down to talk about career coaching. We discuss tips about how to find a new job during covid-19. And the link between this and family therapy for young people searching for a new job during covid. We touched on other great non-covid related tips too!
Reviewing it just now to come up with time stamp info reminded me quite how action-packed it was. Caitlin shares SO many golden nuggets of advice and tips. So I really recommend watching the whole interview. But if you don’t have time, some key points are outlined below!
Introductions
Caitlin and I begin introductions at 3:18
Caitlin is a career coach and psychotherapist. She pulls from both trainings to help clients navigate their career path.
And I’m a family therapist and teen therapist. I often see families stuck with parents trying to be in the role of career coaching. This is unhelpful for the relationship and the perfect opportunity for career coaching,
Where do you begin your job search?
At 6:20 we ask the big kahuna question!
Caitlin’s Tips: Find clarity about where you are in your process. You have to figure out where you are in order to figure out what you need to do to move forward. Figure out what you WANT before you worry about tasks like resumes and cover letters. Then focus on quality of applications rather than quantity.
Laura’s DBT connection: This relates skill of Accumulating Long Term Positives. Make sure you know what values you are trying to fulfill. You don’t want to pour effort into a process that will leave you with an unfullfilling result.
Where do you begin if you are making a career change?
At 9:20 we talk about how this could be different for a career change
Caitlin’s Tips: Identify transferable skills you have. Tell your story thoughtfully. What value can you bring to an employer?
More about telling your story. How much do you share?
At 10:50 we talk more about what it means to own your career narrative
Caitlin’s Tips: Don’t let imposter syndrome take over. Speak to what you HAVE and not what you DON’T have. You get to decide how much you share. What do you want them to remember about you? What valuable qualities do you have? Highlight those adjectives.
Laura’s AHA Moment: In interviews, radical transparency may not be necessary. Keep some of the details of your lack of experience to yourself.
Being in a position with a lot of opportunity for learning and growth is usually a good thing. Building mastery (another DBT skill) will reduce negative emotions. Not challenging yourself in a new role won’t give you that same feel-good feeling.
Connection to gender roles. Men apply to jobs where they meet 60% of the qualifications. Women generally apply to jobs where they meet 100% of the qualifications. Learn more.
You can be picky in finding the right fit. We balanced this with awareness that finding the right fit is a privilege that comes with some financial security. Use Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to figure out your priority and figure out where to begin.
How do you frame a resume gap due to of covid-19?
At 20:50 we talk about the dreaded resume gap. Laura talks about the generational myth that resume gaps are detrimental. This message from parent’s doesn’t have to instill fear.
Caitlin’s Resume Ideas: Instead of arranging your resume in chronological order, arrange it by areas of experience. Put the most relevant category of your experience at the top.
Caitlin’s Networking Tips: Over 80% of jobs are found through networking and not resumes. Spend some down time building connections. Also use your covid time to show that you are taking initiative and developing yourself somehow.
Where are the networking opportunities during Covid-19 if you can’t meet in person.
Caitlin’s Tips: Use features of LinkedIn to send personal messages. Ask them to share their story. Don’t ask for a job. Consider it research while you build connections!
What if you don’t have any idea what you want to do with your life? How do you find your passion?
At 27:43 we talk about taking the intense pressure off of finding your “passion” or job clarity. There is no one perfect answer. It’s ok if you don’t know what you want.
Cailtin’s Tips: Explore what you naturally gravitate towards. Ask yourself some of these questions:
- What classes in school energized you?
- When you go to a book store, what section do you gravitate towards?
- What blogs and articles do you read?
- What light’s you up?
- When you lose track of time what are you working on?
- Who do you admire?
This is a big part of Caitlin’s work in assessments and tools in career coaching!
Laura’s Family Therapy Connection: Parents’ advice may not apply for you. There are generational difference, cultural differences, societal differences, etc. It’s normal and healthy to individualize from your parents during this process. It’s ok for values to be different between parents and children. Risk tolerance may also be different as well.
You don’t have to know exactly where you’re headed in order to get started. Forward momentum brings more forward momentum. Balance waiting to find clarity and also making movement in order to begin. It’s not all or nothing! There is definitely something in the middle.
Celebrate small wins along your way! One day at a time!
Where do you find motivation to job search during the bleakness of covid?
At 39:29 we normalize the covid blur and how hard it is to motivate!
Caitlin’s Tips: Self care and compassion is key! You can’t job search 8 hours a day. Set realistic goals. Make your environment nice and comfortable. Build in breaks and time for fun. Remember: it’s a marathon not a sprint! And get support!!
Laura’s Reminder for Parents: Job searching cannot be a “full time job”. It’s not realistic ever. And it’s especially not realistic during Covid-19. Plus, you don’t want it to wear down your self-esteem prior to an interview!
How do you know if you need Career Coaching or Therapy?
At 42:55 Caitlin talks about how to assess your needs for the kind of support you need.
Therapy for Job Searching
If your emotions are getting in the way of tasks like resumes and cover letters and networking, you should probably start with therapy to address your emotions. If your motivation is so low, or you feel so overwhelmed by your emotions about the process, therapy will be helpful!
Career Coaching for Job Searching
Coaching is more collaborative and you have to be ready to take action and make progress on tasks. Coaches are more like accountability partners. A lot of people benefit from both!
Taking Safety Precautions into Consideration
At 45:11 we talk more about this whole process specifically during covid-19!
Caitlin’s Tips: Be mindful of industry. Ask people how covid is affecting their industry.
Laura’s experience with families: Sometimes parents and children have different levels of risk tolerance is different. There is an enmeshment about covid that is otherwise unhelpful for this developmental age. What options are in the middle?
Catilin’s Tips: Ask employers directly about safety precautions. Flexjobs.com is a great place to look for just remote jobs! Or look for ways to use skills to create something. Build a side-hustle!
More from Montgomery County Counseling Center
We’re offering a College Student Support Group during Covid. A big topic of discussion will be worries about jobs and employment opportunities after graduation, especially in the current economy.
We’ll be doing another LIVE Instagram about “Back to Virtual School” on August 21st
Reach out to one of our expert therapists for individual or family therapy related to the career development or the job searching process during covid-19 (or anytime).
Get in Touch with Caitlin for More Career Coaching Tips
If you want to reach Caitlin for a consultation about career coaching or psychotherapy services, check out her website! She also runs groups through the Quarter Life Center.
I want to extend a HUGE thank you to Caitlin for joining us to talk about career advice during covid-19!
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