Booooo! Coming Face-to-Face With Your Greatest Fears!

“Sometimes you don’t realize your own strength until you come face to face with your greatest fears”.

I was terminated on a Friday. It was the scariest thing that could have happened. I was out on the street, my job eliminated, two small kids and a huge mortgage. What I thought was a cruel trick turned out to be an amazing treat.

As a result of this termination, I was introduced to a terrific career coach who prepared me for the rest of my career. I hope you don't have to have your greatest fear to begin applying these techniques in your career. I learned many things from this experience, which I am glad I can now share with you to help you prepare for the rest of your career.

4 elements that should always be in your career toolkit

1. Resume

The text in your resume should reflect your path forwards, instead of focusing on telling the story of your past. The most important elements are summary, competencies, experiences.

2. Demo Reel

Media professionals should have a 3-5 minute demo reel. Include a strong slate with a striking image and make it available on YouTube or Vimeo. Make sure you have the settings set for public viewing so it's easily visible and shareable.

3. Elevator Pitch

You should be able to deliver an elevator pitch at a moment's notice. Imagine you're pitching a movie titled "Your Career". Focus on your skills, background, experience and dream job, avoid redundancies or personal goals.. Answer these 3 straightforward questions with 4 or 5 well constructed sentences.

Who are you?
What have you done?
Where are you headed?

4. Updated LinkedIn Profile

Update your Linkedin profile with a professional headshot, preferably a medium shot, and a title bar that consists of SEO optimized keywords. For your bio, you can use the same elevator pitch as long as it's a solid summary of your career and it's future.

Timing can be critical when landing on your feet during a big career change. Build a strong toolkit and the greatest fear in your career could lead you to your strengths and greatest opportunity.