Did You Miss Our Call? Here’s Key Points

We are experiencing serious professional trauma. It's okay if you need a moment

Yesterday we had an awesome Zoom call. Over 240 people joined us with less than 2 days notice - wow!

It was a lively discussion with four people who gave us insights on what recruiters look for and first-hand experiences of how to transition from international development into other sectors.

• Lorine Ghabranious - leadership coach

• Mike Johnson - works in tech sector

• Jailan Adly - executive career advisor for C-Suite

• Andrea Spillmann-Gajek - works in health tech sector

Key Themes

We started with an acknowledgement that we are all going through a major professional trauma. Our whole lives, careers, self-image is under assault.

Personally, I am feeling what one person described as a “fog” each day. Unsure if I should hide under the covers, go scream at the world, or try to apply for jobs.

Just connecting with you. Knowing I am not alone. That there are others going through this pain too was so helpful for me and for you.

Overview

For those in a rush, here are the main recommendations:

• Know you are not alone - there are a few thousand subscribers to this network alone

• Keep résumés concise (1-2 pages), results-oriented, and language-specific.

• Create a "Brag Book"—personal portfolios of achievements to stand out in applications.

• Use informational interviews to learn about sectors and career paths

• Search LinkedIn and leverage existing networks for job referrals.

• Leverage GenAI to improve your cover letter, CV, and interviewing skills.

• This is a marathon, not a sprint. Take your time and set realistic yet timely goals to keep moving forward

What else should we be thinking about? Tell me, please!

Networking & Career Transitions

Participants shared their experiences transitioning from international development to the private sector, especially in fields like tech, healthcare, and consulting.

We talked about the importance of informational interviews to learn what other careers are like and if they are a good fit for you. Everyone agreed we should do them - and yet they are so rarely done. Why?

Please consider starting informational interviews now.

Here is how to reach out to friends, then friends of friends. Interview them - that’s why its called an informational interview - on their work, what they love or hate about it, how they got that job, and where their sector is headed. Key: ask for 3 other people to talk to, and then email those folks.

Resume & LinkedIn Optimization

We create beautiful, long, detailed CVs full of jargon. Yet the private sector thinks in fast, numeric résumés.

We need to tailor our résumés and LinkedIn to reflect the audience we are approaching and the language they speak. Don’t say “Chief of Party” or “MERL” in either. Team Leader in business intelligence is private-sector-friendly language.

Coming up: a “translation kit” to help you speak in private sector terms.

You may want to remove graduation years or past jobs to avoid age discrimination and strip out fancy formatting to optimize your résumé for automatic Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).

Using GenAI in Your Job Search

GenAI tools like ChatGPT can help with your job search. Here is how to use it on your cover letter and CV. When you get an interview request, here is how to practice with ChatGPT.

Coming up a future Zoom session on "How to Use AI in Your Career Search".

Obviously, you should not copy/paste from and GenAI tool. Use it like an assistant - to give you inspiration, write the first draft, and suggest changes. You are the human to be hired - own your work.

Accountability Groups

We spoke for a bit on the idea of an accountability group. 5-10 people seeking non-competitive roles that can be a peer group for you. They will help you be accountable to your plans and offer ideas and connections to help you search.

Coming up: a chat area for The Career Pivot so you can self-organize

For example, I belonged to one last year when I was job searching. We talked about our methods - what worked and didn’t - and our (slow) progress. Just hearing that I wasn’t alone in getting ghosted after an interview was so rewarding.

Next Steps

You can see that I italicized a few action items that I will deliver to you this week. What else do you need in your journey?

• CV terms translation kit

• Zoom call on how to use GenAI in the job search

• Chat area so you can self-organize

Please let me know if you can help with any of these. This is a community of action and I love your support.

Thanks,

Wayan