Job Search Strategies with Tiffany Franklin

As a career coach, I've helped many clients either currently in toxic work environments or those who left, but still feel shaken to the core by their past experiences. 

In this episode, I connect with trauma expert, Dr. Randall Bell to discuss ways to help individuals still reeling from negative work experiences and strategies to help them not only survive, but also thrive as they embark upon the next chapter of their career.

Randall Bell, PhD, is a sociologist and economist who specializes in disaster recovery projects.

No stranger to how harsh the world is, Dr. Bell has consulted in more tragedies around the world than anyone. He was retained for the World Trade Center, Flight 93, Sandy Hook, BP Oil Spill, Hurricane Katrina, the Bikini Atoll Nuclear Test sites, the BP Oil spill, the Northridge earthquake, OJ Simpson, Jon Benet Ramsey, Heaven's Gate, and hundreds of other cases. He has been retained by the Federal Governments of the United States, Canada, and Australia to help resolve numerous crises, and his work has generated billions of dollars to rebuild damaged communities.

Dr. Bell’s investigations have taken him to 50 states, and seven continents. Having met with countless victims, he earned the nickname of Master of Disaster. In every case, Dr. Bell observed the emotional consequences and how some fared better than others. He was inspired to put his unique research skills to work and study the cycle of trauma.

A frequent guest of the media, Dr. Bell is the featured expert in Topic’s “Distressed Real Estate” documentary series directed by Jason Stefaniak. His career has been profiled by NBC's Today Show, Rolling Stone Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, People Magazine, ABC's 20/20, Hallmark’s Home & Family, and many others.

Dr. Bell is the author of MeWeDoBe and the founder of Core IQ, a non-profit educational foundation that provides free online training on life skills. 

In Post-Traumatic Thriving, Dr. Bell lays out the academic research and speaks freely about his trauma of being born with a congenital heart defect. Diagnosed with PTSD, he utilized these principles to heal from his childhood trauma and summit Africa's Mt. Kilimanjaro at 60.

To see more episodes go to www.tjfcareercoach.com, where you can also schedule a career coaching session and learn about resume overhauls.

VetJobs brings military and veteran job seekers together with employers who are looking to hire - for free.

This team has now surpassed 72,000 (verified) job placements while providing additional employment assistance support services to more than 100,000 military service members and veterans.

If you are transitioning from service, a veteran, or military spouse looking for work - THIS IS THE ORGANIZATION TO CONNECT WITH.

Learn more from Don Fried, Marketing & Branding Director at VetJobs.

Jane Finkle is a career coach, speaker and author with over 25 years of experience. She has successfully helped clients to envision and achieve careers that are fulfilling and personally enriching. Previously, Jane served as Associate Director of Career services at the University of Pennsylvania where she created and led the Wharton Career Discovery seminar and served as liaison to recruiters from major corporations. She has been published in the Business Insider, Huffington Post, Inc., Psychology Today, Talent Development and mindbodygreen and as a guest on national and podcast shows. She is the author of The Introvert’s Complete Career Guide: From Landing a Job, to Surviving, Thriving and Moving on Up.

For information about Jane and the resources in this episode, please see the show notes at https://www.tjfcareercoach.com/business-strategies-with-tiffany-franklin

Although from the outside, Raj Subrameyer appears to have it all, it was not an easy journey to get to where he is today. When he was 19, after painfully living in the shadows for his whole life, Raj had a breakthrough that changed his trajectory forever. Now, Raj is a tech career strategist, a bestselling author, and keynote speaker. He helps those in tech land their dream jobs to become leaders. In this episode, Raj walks us through his journey and shares the importance of attitude and mindset. He acknowledges that he has come this far through consistency and persistence. We talk about what he learned from his fruitless job search and how you can apply those lessons as well. Our conversation then moves to the job hunt, where Raj lays out seven things to do to help your land what you are looking for. Yes, the job market is competitive, but there are ways you can stand out. It is about having a spirit of continual learning and being open to opportunities. Raj's inspirational story is worth tuning in for!

Need help formulating a strategy for your job search or updating your resume? Book a consultation with Tiffany on www.tjfcareercoach.com.

To see past episodes, go to www.tjfcareercoach.com/blog.

You might think that working as a recruiter and being a TV anchor-meteorologist have nothing in common, but today’s guest, Jason Mikell, is here to prove us wrong. Jason worked as a recruiter for several years before pursuing his meteorology passion and becoming an on-air TV meteorologist. In today’s episode, Jason shares insights into this transition and how he went from planning the pivot to putting it into action. There is a fine balance between planning and getting stuck in analysis paralysis, which is why it is important to put things in motion. We talk about how Jason keeps growing professionally, the importance of being open to learning, and how to communicate your value. Seeing that Jason was a former recruiter, we couldn’t resist picking his brain about some questions on the topic, like how to interview for a high-profile career, what you can do to stand out in the job market, and some top networking tips. Tune in to hear it all!

To learn more about Jason, you will find his bio, an episode transcript, and resources in the show notes at www.tjfcareercoach.com/jasonmikell.

Need help strategizing a career pivot of your own or updating your resume? Book a 1-hour or 30 minute coaching session with Tiffany on www.tjfcareercoach.com/services.

To see past episodes, go to www.tjfcareercoach.com/blog.

TikTok is conventionally associated with dance videos, challenges, and life hacks, but recently the platform has seen an uptick in video resumes. This new trend reflects a broader movement where employers and candidates alike are beginning to see the value in resumes that take a video format. Today’s guest is Madeline Mann, an HR and recruiting leader who has built an audience of over half a million people and is known for her award-winning job search YouTube channel, Self Made Millennial. Madeline joins us on the show today to take a deep dive into the nuances of video resumes. We begin by hearing about how Madeline got into the career advice space and the strategy she applied to find success while helping so many people through her YouTube channel. From there, we shift our conversation onto the subject of video resumes. Madeline makes some great arguments for their utility regarding recruitment and she shares top tips for building a video resume that stands out from the crowd. In this episode, we also talk about video resumes on TikTok specifically, how to put your best foot forward as far as brand building on social media, and a whole lot more!

Thank you for joining Job Search Strategies with Tiffany Franklin. I appreciate you and hope you will go to www.tjfcareercoach.com/blog for more information about this episode.

Have you ever dreamed of a career in Hollywood, whether that's as a producer, director, writer, agent, actor, or content creator? 


This is the episode for you!

Topics covered include:


How to land a job in Hollywood | Skills that help you succeed in the entertainment industry | The question asked in every interview in Hollywood | How to network when it doesn’t come naturally and mistakes to avoid | Figuring out your point of view and how to take criticism | The importance of reinventing yourself to stay relevant | The Future of Streaming | How to get an Agent | Why you need to write something that terrifies you | Advice for actors trying to get their big break | Why so many people go off track in their pursuit of Hollywood dreams.

Join Tiffany as she chats with Rich Hull and Chad Gervich, co-founders of the nonprofit Vanderbilt-in-Hollywood, who have launched the careers of countless students over the past 15 years by placing them in internships at virtually every major film studio, television network, production company and talent agency in Hollywood.

Rich currently serves as President of VIX, the first solely Spanish language streaming service, which was recently acquired by US Hispanic Media Leader, Univision. In the first half of his career, Rich worked with most major studios as a film and TV financier and producer on over 25 projects that have generated hundreds of millions of dollars and ranged from young adult movies to award winning movies with a message.

Chad Gervich is a television writer, producer, bestselling author, and award-winning playwright. As an author, Chad has written two acclaimed industry textbooks used in several film schools and training programs. Prior to producing, Chad spent five years as a development executive with the Littlefield Company, former NBC president, Warren Littlefield’s production company, where he developed projects for NBC, ABC, Fox UPN, WB and Paramount.


For full guest bios, show notes and resources mentioned, go to the episode page at https://www.tjfcareercoach.com/blog.

With over twenty years in the business, Leslie Kuban has accumulated incredible insights into the inner workings of franchise ownership. Leslie shares how due diligence can drastically reduce the risk of starting a franchise, and we talk about which industries have flourished, even during the pandemic. We explore the nuts and bolts of what franchising requires and learn tips on how to approach the bank to prove that you are a worthy risk. Leslie explains why being part of a franchise can strengthen your loan application, before summing up the value of franchising in a single phrase: you can learn a new business with much less risk. She offers practical tips for newbies and introduces great resources to help you decide if franchising is your path to business ownership.

The past 18 months have shaken the business world and its workplaces to the core. How long will some of these changes stay in place, and what will the impact be? These are just some of the questions that today’s guest, Joe McKendrick, answers on the show. Joe is an author, independent researcher, and speaker, exploring innovation, information technology, trends, and markets, and he currently works as an analyst for Forbes. In this episode, we talk about remote work and other workplace changes that have occurred due to the pandemic. Although working remotely is great, there are certainly drawbacks, as Joe points out. Our conversation also touches on the value of leveraging social media to connect, how the pandemic has impacted the process of looking for jobs, and what executives need to keep in mind as we enter the post-pandemic boom. Tune in to hear it all!

See www.tjfcareercoach.com/episodes for Joe's full bio and resources mentioned in the episode. You can also book a career coaching session or resume critique through the site.

In today’s episode, we sit down with Reuben Dickenson to talk about his transition from a career in the military to one in corporate. Reuben is the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships for Telemynd, which offers a wide range of Telemental health solutions and predictive analytics. Reuben holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s of Science in Engineering. Over the course of his career, Reuben has worked at Fortune 500 companies, like General Electric as well as various startups where he has been integral to increasing their efficiency and orchestrating turnarounds. In our conversation with Reuben, we discuss his life in the military and how he experienced the transition into the corporate, civilian space. We hear from Reuben about how these two worlds differ from one another and how to transfer your military skills and achievements into the corporate world, especially when speaking to hiring managers. He explains the importance of adjusting your language for civilians so that you accurately convey what you achieved and how best to do that.  Later, Reuben shares some of the earlier missteps in his career, how best to avoid them and what he was able to learn from them. Reuben shares some of his tips for adjusting your military resume for a corporate position and why he wishes he had hired a career coach sooner! For all this and much more, join us today!

See www.tjfcareercoach.com/episodes for more details, speaker bios and resources mentioned in the episode.

The world of online business and content-creation has evolved so much over the last decade, and today we are joined by someone who has ridden this wave to success, building a uniquely personal and strong brand along the way. Courtney Whitmore is the brain and heart behind Pizzazzerie, a lifestyle and food blog, that has branched out into so much more over the years. Courtney has published five books, managed lucrative brand partnerships, and kept growing and evolving while staying true to her original vision. In this inspiring conversation with Courtney, we get to hear all about her beginnings in the online world, and the steps she took all the way back in 2009 to build her first site. She talks about the initial ways she monetized her platform and the evolving attitude she had towards creating multiple revenue streams from her work. Courtney underlines the importance of self-education and flexibility in order to keep shifting and pivoting as necessary, and we finish off this amazing conversation with a powerful call to action from our guest, so make sure to listen in today!

See www.tjfcareercoach.com/episodes for more details, speaker bios and resources mentioned in the episode.

In today’s episode of Job Search Strategies, we talk about getting into (and out of) grad school with Dr. Jeanne Stanley, the Executive Director of Grad School Coaching. She has worked with prospective graduate students for over three decades to help them successfully meet their academic goals, working with clients in selecting and applying for graduate programs, as well as supporting students who are currently attending grad school. Prior to founding Grad School Coaching, Dr. Stanley was the Director of two graduate programs at the University of Pennsylvania and has been on the National Advisory Board for accrediting graduate schools in counseling and clinical psychology. Since 1994, she has been on the graduate faculty at UPenn, and was awarded the Outstanding Educator of the Year Award from UPenn’s Graduate School of Education. As a national trainer, consultant, and licensed psychologist, she works with universities and colleges across the US and the result of her work, research, and services can be found in several professional journals and book chapters. She is uniquely qualified on today’s topic, so make sure to tune in to hear Dr. Stanley’s insight and practical advice for trusting your gut, staying organized during the application process, setting your personal statement apart and, most importantly, finding the best fit for you!

See www.tjfcareercoach.com/episodes for more details, speaker bios and resources mentioned in the episode.

As rewarding as finding the ideal career within a startup company can be, it takes motivation and drive to get the right job. How do you find a job at a company that may only have between five and 50 team members and no recruiting budget to speak of? Well, today’s guest is uniquely qualified to answer that question! Tarek Pertew is the Cofounder of Uncubed, a candidate engagement and recruiting platform. Earlier in his career, Tarek founded MyWorkster, a job fair platform for college alumni, and Referio, which is a referral hiring platform. He is also an advisor for his alma mater, the University of Virginia, and GoCoach, a coaching and upskill platform. In this episode, he shares his insights, experience, and advice with us, including sharing your passion, demonstrating patience as an entrepreneur, and doing your research, as well as showing how you can add value. Tune in today to find out more!

See www.tjfcareercoach.com/episodes for more details, speaker bios and resources mentioned in the episode.

Effective networking plays a key role in not just our career success but our journey toward becoming more dynamic people. Because of the stakes involved in networking, this activity can be stressful, but today we have Lauren Obersteadt and Sarah Whitney Anderson join us to help us learn how to manage it while becoming more skillful too. Lauren is the Executive Director of Alumni Relations for Vanderbilt University and Sarah is an Assistant Director for Alumni Student Engagement. Our conversation explores a wide range of topics such as how to approach people more naturally for the first time in person and online, how to best present oneself in Zoom meetings, and how to feel less shy while navigating tricky interpersonal terrain. We also cover how to build meaningful connections as quickly as possible, the right amount of follow-up after a cold email, and how to reach out to mentors that you have been out of contact with for a long time. Both of our guests dish out a ton of actionable tips such as trying to view networking in ways that make it seem less intimidating by focusing on the many things beyond career success that lie on the other side of a new relationship. We also hear about the value of pushing past shyness by simply diving in and understanding that it is okay to make mistakes. For an action-packed conversation that will springboard your journey to becoming a masterful networker, tune in today!

See www.tjfcareercoach.com/episodes for more details, speaker bios and resources mentioned in the episode.

If you have a job interview lined up, congratulations! That means your resume is doing its job. You think you’ve done all the necessary prep work, but are you ready to knock it out of the park? In today’s episode of Job Search Strategies, I dive into the best ways to prepare for job interviews, whether you have a day to prepare or you sent in applications and you are still waiting to hear back. Tuning in, you’ll learn an array of techniques and strategies to approach your interviews and present the most professional version of yourself. I focus on the skill that is essential to interviewing success, as well as the purpose of the interview and recruiter insights, understanding what hiring committees are seeking, and how to prepare, including resources for your research. You’ll hear tips for interviewing success, including how to make a positive impression, the power of empathy in your interview prep, and how to tell stories in a compelling way, as well as some examples of typical interview questions and how to navigate the tougher ones. I also cover what happens when you don’t have a relevant example, some questions to ask the interviewer, video interviews, follow-ups, and additional resources, so make sure not to miss this practical and information-packed episode!

See www.tjfcareercoach.com/episodes for more details, speaker bios and resources mentioned in the episode.

Achieving diversity and inclusion in educational institutions and workplaces is not easy, but it is a goal which we should all be collectively working towards, whether we are an employer or employee, student or teacher. On today’s show, we are joined by Jamie Joshua, a lawyer by profession who is the director of Cornell Johnson’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion. Jamie explains the programs and projects that she is currently involved with, and sheds light on the elements that are essential for creating spaces that are diverse and inclusive. Our discussion covers strategies that can help people to understand one another better, the benefits of a diverse workforce, and ways that you can find out which companies are prioritizing things that are important to you. Finding a workplace that aligns with your values is so important, and it’s never too late!

See www.tjfcareercoach.com/episodes for more details, speaker bios and resources mentioned in the episode.

Career centers at universities are such powerful resources and it should never be underestimated just how much utility they can offer students. Here to talk about how you can maximize this potential in the early stages of your career explorations, is Dr. Barbara Hewitt, who is the Executive Director of Career Services at the University of Pennsylvania. We have an insightful and wide-ranging conversation, covering timeframes, interviews, preparation and so much more! Dr. Hewitt really breaks down each component of the process, starting with when to first approach a career center, what to do in preparation and the extent of the services. Our guest also shares some great tips for internships. One of the most powerful takeaways from this interview is Dr. Hewitt's emphasis on the help that alumni networks can supply, and after exploring the best ways for students to arrange the right kind of conversations, she reminds us of her central thesis about the job search: to be open to trying things and failing. For all this and more from a great wealth of knowledge, join us today!

This was recorded in Jan 2021. When Dr. Hewitt discusses timing for internships and says “about now,” she’s referring to mid-January.

See www.tjfcareercoach.com/episodes for more details, speaker bios and resources mentioned in the episode.

Here to share some great wisdom about the important moments that can define progress and success is Zachery Jones! Zachery is currently the Vice President of Labor Relations for United and has led a truly inspiring professional life. He talks about the choice he made about what he wanted to achieve by the age of 30 and how he maintained this focused mindset through the different stages he went through. Our guest underlines the importance of taking opportunities and the willingness to say yes to things that we encounter before we discuss the life-changing power of mentors, and why an open mind can serve you and your future so well. Zachery talks about some specific examples from his varied journey and shares a few surprising moments in which he learned something unexpected and impactful. Listeners can expect a conversation jam-packed with insider knowledge and authentically learned lessons, so make sure to join us for this great chat!

See www.tjfcareercoach.com/episodes for more details, speaker bios and resources mentioned in the episode.

The world of online job searches can seem daunting and overwhelming, and with thousands of resume templates at your disposal, it’s difficult to determine which is the best for your purposes. In today’s episode, I share my recruiting experience and years spent overhauling 1,000 + resumes, to outline a detailed breakdown of how to crack the resume code! Tuning in listeners will learn about the different layouts available to job applicants when constructing resumes and how best to utilize them. I provide a detailed breakdown of resume formatting, from font sizes to margin width, and explain why one size does not fit all. I also offer a range of general tips such as how to elevate your writing using specific language and phrasing, as well as how to employ a resume buffet method, enabling you to pick and choose the most relevant items based on the job to which you're applying.

Get an inside look at how to utilize the online tool Jobscan to optimize your resume’s keyword use and readability for any job. I share how my services have changed over the years and how I help clients today, including free resources below to get you started! During the final segment, I give an in-depth look at the process I have honed over the past 10 years and how you can apply that process to your job search.

See www.tjfcareercoach.com/episodes for more details, speaker bios and resources mentioned in the episode.

Recruiting services are a powerful resource in any job search and today we get the inside scoop from master-recruiter, Chris Murdock! Chris is the Chief Sourcing Officer and Co-Founder of IQTalent Partners, and we chat with him about starting the company, the events in his career leading up to it, and the lessons he has learned along the way. Throughout today's conversation, Chris shares heavy-hitting advice and tips, from best practices for resumes and cover letters, to interview preparation and following up. We also cover some red flags, with our guest weighing in on his pet peeves and how to avoid getting sifted out of a pile of candidates. One of the biggest takeaways from this episode is the emphasis that Chris places on relevance; he uses this as a great guiding tool for ranking applications, urging applicants to stick to what is relevant in their communications and with regards to the positions they apply for. For all this and so much more, be sure to join us for this game-changing chat!

This episode was recorded in late Dec 2020.

See www.tjfcareercoach.com/episodes for more details, speaker bios and resources mentioned in the episode.