BossmakeHer: Career Shifting Secrets for Women in Leadership Tracy Saunders

“Just updating your experience on your resume is no longer enough,” Tracy explains on this solo episode of BossMakeher. In order to be competitive in today’s crowded job market, you need a resume that is going to penetrate through all the noise, grab a recruiter’s attention and encourage them to keep reading. This starts with a crucial first step that too many female executives overlook but that Tracy will share today. She’ll explain how to optimize your search and get the most from hiring a resume writer (which is non-negotiable), saving your time, money and frustration. 



Tracy will explain the data you should be gathering about potential jobs, how to evaluate them based on your needs, skills and the requirements of your potential new employer. Learn how to create a balanced spreadsheet for a more targeted job search, what the most important part of your resume is and the step a recruiter will take if they want to learn more. 



Resume-writing is a skill like any other, and seeking professional help can save you a great deal of whiplash. Join Tracy to learn the different types of resumes you’ll need, the ideal amount of time to dedicate to job searching, what not to put in your headline in order to be considered by recruiters. 



Quotes


“Just updating your experience on your resume is no longer enough. The market is highly competitive, and so what you need to have is alignment to the role that you want, and a competitive advantage.” (2:32 | Tracy)


“Isn't it the job of the resume writer, to know what the resume  needs to be? The answer is, actually, no. They're looking to you to tell them what the direction of your resume should be. And if you don't know, they can't know.” (5:21 | Tracy)


“You cannot design a resume to do everything. What your resume needs to do is have irrefutable alignment to the role that you need or that you want such that the recruiter can basically grab the information and forward you along without hesitation.” (9:02 | Tracy)


“You've got to be really clear on the role you want, the role and the role that will meet your needs. That is how you begin to put together a resume that will penetrate through.” (10:29 | Tracy)


“I highly recommend not trying to do this yourself. You need eyes on this, you need support, you need expert opinions. But ultimately, there's nothing like a great resume writer. There are a lot of bad ones, but there's nothing like a great one who can make you stand up as the woman that you are on paper and just be more powerful than you ever could have imagined.” (21:08 | Tracy)





Links

Learn more about BossmakeHer here: www.bossmakeher.com 

Connect with the BossmakeHer team for your free initial consultation here:
https://calendly.com/madeline-bossmakeher/initial-consult-website



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“Amazing things have evolved from making a decision to do one thing,” expresses Katrina Hutchinson-O'Neill, the visionary CEO and founder of Join Talent. This dynamic company, launched in 2018, skyrocketed to fame by being named the UK’s fastest-growing enterprise in 2023. A testament to its meteoric rise, Join Talent was honored with the prestigious Royal Award for Enterprise, bestowed by His Majesty King Charles. This accolade is merely one in a series of commendations, a testament to Katrina's willingness to take leaps of faith, especially as she self-identifies as a natural introvert. After nearly a decade navigating the corporate landscape—Katrina had an epiphany: she possessed all the makings of a CEO. As the primary provider for a family of five, she allocated a year and set a budget to transform her business dream into a tangible success.



In this enlightening episode, Katrina extends valuable experience shares for executive women yearning to ascend the career ladder. 



Quotes


“I guess my career path was pretty non-traditional. I never knew what I wanted to do when I grew up. So I really struggled with that.” (3:38 | Katrina)


“I did that, sat across from quite a few CEOs years ago and thought, ‘Man, I could really do your job. I know how to run your company. I've run way bigger teams, way bigger budgets, but I also know your product, your market, your customers, really well.’ And I realized that nobody was going to give me that job because my CV didn't lead to it. I'd probably have to spend 10 years working my way up to it.” (5:41 | Katrina) 


“I don't think you're ever ready. It’s a bit like having a kid, there's probably never a good time or a bad time to do it.” (6:52 | Katrina) 


“I'm kind of an all-in gal. It's how I worked. I've met a lot of entrepreneurs on my journey who have done the, ‘I'm going to work my day job while starting to build my business on the side’ and that's awesome. That would have been a much easier way to do it, I guess, if I'd had that opportunity. But I was very much working my day job, and I think a lot of women are like this as well, particularly those that have been successful in climbing the ladder in the corporate world, you're never a nine to five person.” (11:48 | Katrina)


“You make a decision to do one thing, you set up a business…showing up and being a positive part of that. It really does lead to great things.” (16:57 | Katrina)


“Recruiters aren't always magic and won't necessarily see a straight line between some of your experience and what a hiring manager is asking for.” (23:38 | Katrina)





Links

Connect with Katrina Hutchinson-O'Neill:

Website: https://jointalent.net/







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“It’s not just the job search,” Tracy says in this episode, which is taken from a recent webinar she hosted, “It’s about transforming your life.” More and more women are looking to make career moves, be it reentering the workforce after raising families, looking for a more fulfilling role, or leaving companies which have repeatedly passed them over for promotion despite their contributions and seniority. In fact, women are so severely undervalued in the workplace, that just taking small steps to what Tracy calls “power position” yourself can increase your salary up to 90% and even double up your level. Today, Tracy will offer invaluable advice through all stages of the process, from how to read between the lines of job descriptions, how to tighten up your interview skills, all the way through to negotiating. 



This starts with asking foundational questions. What would your future role look like? What impact would it create? How would it fulfill you?  Will you be as much a fit for the company as they are for you?



 Is your skillset a good tradeoff for what the company has to offer, particularly as more workers are placing increased value on aspects such as flexibility and mental health?



In fact, so important is finding the right position, that Tracy considers the job search an act of self care. 



If you’re willing to forget everything you know, today’s episode will save you time, money and the “whiplash” that comes with trying to do everything yourself. You’ll also gain a competitive edge in a volatile market and against men who take their natural advantage for granted. 



She’ll explain the best time of year to launch your job search, whether or not it’s worth it to upskill, and the most important aspect of your LinkedIn profile that recruiters are sure to notice. 



Quotes


“It's not just the job search. It's about transforming your life.” (2:35 | Tracy)


“Women I've noticed tend to overthink and really over-iterate, trying to do it all themselves, asking their friends, partners and spouses for their advice. And that can create a lot of whiplash.” (8:16 | Tracy)


“How’s your role? How are you? What would a better role look like?...what do you actually need from work because you give a lot.” (10:40 | Tracy)


“I say that you should always be just searching, or always have an eye open for something that's better. It can only benefit you. But it's important not to wait also until you're under duress.” (13:29 | Tracy) 


“The psychology of a job search is something that can paralyze a lot of women and people from moving forward.” (17:48 | Tracy)


“One of the most fundamental pieces of a job search is clarity.” (21:03 | Tracy)


“If you feel skeptical about job search experts, you have every right to feel that way. I think 83% of women feel like recruitment is biased in favor of men. Does that ring a bell? Does that sound resonant? Because it's true.” (31:27 | Tracy)


“This is your time, this is for you. This is for your family, this is for your mental health. This is for your financial future, a lot of different things.” (33:43 | Tracy) 







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On today’s episode of BossMakeHer, communication strategist and founder of The Elevate Way, Micky Lazic, delves into the psychology of “should.” When we start thinking in “shoulds”–where we should be in our career, that we should be doing more–we are assuming, falsely, that there is one fixed reality for everyone. She’ll explain why the answer to avoiding this confusion is in shifting to a curiosity mindset, and from ‘should’ to ‘could.’ She also reveals the important but tricky question we must ask ourselves about why we’re so preoccupied with doing so much all the time. 



Despite often being confused for each other, confidence and self-esteem are distinct, as Micky explains with enlightening definitions for each, and they inform different decision-making processes. When we see another person whom we assume has confidence, it may be that they are radiating what Micky calls “me-ness,” which is really a sense of belonging. She offers advice on what we can do to create and bolster that feeling for ourselves in our own lives. 



Since the paradigm of confidence is based on heteronormative men, who tend to feel naturally like they belong wherever they are, fostering the same in female executives can help ensure that they find our authentic roles in the corporate space and with much less friction in the job search. Micky provides some actionable steps toward forging that clearer connection to ourselves. 



Quotes


“Whenever we say I shouldn't be doing or they should be doing anything… Should assumes that there is a fixed reality that everybody should be abiding by. And we know that that just isn't the case.” (4:28 | Micky)


“The other issue that I tend to see, like so many concepts in our world, is the idea that confidence has been defined by men.” (5:56 | Micky)


“Ask yourself, what is the silent expectation that you have that isn't necessarily founded in any fact or truth?” (13:31 | Micky)


“The way I work with confidence, it's rooted in self trust. And it speaks more to your tolerance for taking a risk.” (23:21 | Micky) 


“The most important conversation you'll ever have is the one you have with yourself… you have to belong to yourself first, in my opinion, but also to a community at large.  ” (28:41 | Micky)


‘When you notice that you're tempted to use the word confidence to describe something that you're longing for, just pause…now we know the opportunity there is to get a better sense of belonging.” (33:59 | Micky)


“So we have women living in masculine energy…but then shutting down a lot of that connection to themselves. And I think if that was clearer, then where they want to go next could be clearer, and how they get there could be calmer.” (36:00 | Tracy)





Links

Connect with Micky Lazic:

Website: https://www.theelevateway.co 





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If you're dealing with the emotional fall out of a layoff or job search, trust me. You are not alone. That's why over at BossmakeHer we've engagement Melissa Lapides to support our members on the journey. In this episode, I'm talking with Melissa about what women are going through, why, and how they can manage the unspoken issues in today's tumultuous market.



“So many times, achievement is born out of a space of trauma,” explains Melissa Lapides, trauma and psychological and safety attachment expert and founder of the Safe Space Institute. According to Dr. Gabor Mate, she explains, trauma is choosing attachment over authenticity, and many high-achieving women in leadership define themselves by their careers. Consequently, when they are laid off, those feelings of trauma tend to resurface along with an identity crisis. 



This is where Melissa comes in. She teaches women to connect with their true selves so that they learn to attach internally, and are able to transition into careers that better reflect who they really are and what they want, so as not to perpetuate the trauma. She helps with professional development, facing the pressure of a job search in a saturated market, and balancing aspirational goals with practical ones.



Part of Melissa’s work is helping shift women’s mindset from one of doing to one of being. Most women carry around a good deal of guilt and shame and the physical consequences are serious. Join the discussion to hear Melissa explain the one question that women at the top aren’t asked often enough.



Quotes


“So many times that achievement is born out of a space of trauma, of having to constantly get somewhere to the next place without any space to be…Oftentimes, in order to make those achievements, you have to actually repress a lot of your emotions to keep going and getting to the next level.” (5:11 | Melissa) 


“That's what they say is the definition of trauma. Dr. Gabor Mate talks about this: it's when we choose attachment over authenticity.” (10:56 | Melissa)


“These are the protective mechanisms that have to be on for these women to survive in these environments. Teaching them to take those protector mechanisms off at a pace they're ready for, has been so beautiful. Watching them take this weight off and be able to come forth in their fullness, and really be seen, accepted and supported there, is one of the most beautiful things…because different environments require different levels of armor.” (17:37 | Melissa)


“You can't settle. I really believe that if you really hold what you value, then you're not going to settle. That's part of that self confidence work and that self worth work is about. Once you're in your authentic self, you have to hold on to that and protect that and be really choosy about what environment you're going to be in because you don't want to end up hurting yourself and your mental health.” (19:05 | Melissa) 


“There's always room for emotional work and it's always necessary. I tell people, it's just as important as going to the gym and eating kale. If you're going to the gym and eating kale and your mental health isn't being attended to, you're still going to end up in a bad place.” (25:43 | Melissa)


 “It's so true that women hold so much guilt and shame, two things that are so collective in women that we need to be working on all the time because those things are killers. They are literally at the root of so much disease in women. And we have to really look at how we are still holding those things inside of us and constantly be processing them.” (28:33 | Melissa)





Links

Connect with Melissa Lapides:

Website: melissalapideslmft.com

Instagram: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-lapides-9109a811/





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