We’re talking from experience about red flags, especially in the job search process, where your gut fits into decision making and how to listen for those flags. Kat tells her story from 20 years ago about her first HR Leadership role where she joined a company working for a husband and wife team. The offer was lower than her comfort zone with a bon…

We have a letter! One of our listeners wrote to us with a question. They are stuck with what to do with their golden hancuffs. Their current employer was acquired by a larger company. The company wants them to stay, and has given them a year-long series of bonuses and severance if they stay long enough. But they'd also like to look around to see if…

Today we’re talking about all things Company-Paid. We're here to help you understand and navigate the world of expenses. Here are the Real Job Talk guidelines for using your company credit card. Guideline 1: Look at your company handbook/rulebook and familiarize yourself with the company’s policies around expenses. There may be limits on hotels, gu…

Welcome back to Real Job Talk, Kat Kibben! Kat (pronouns they/them) is the founder of Three Ears Media, a speaker, advocate, and leader in the HR space around inclusivity and job descriptions. We're really pleased to have Kat join us for a second time on the podcast. (Check out their first appearance, Episode 38: Write a Resume that Gets Past the S…

Welcome to Real Job Talk Robert Gilbreath! Robert talks to us about his career journey as a solopreneur, entrepreneur, and an employee and how he treats each role like he’s the owner of the company. Robert Gilbreath is an experienced solopreneur and entrepreneur, and joins the show to share his insights on work mindset, ownership of roles, networki…

Welcome to Kelli Thompson! Kelli is a speaker, coach, author, and HR executive who left the corporate world to pursue her passion for helping women advance their careers. She is driven to help more women make it to the board room, advance their careers, and bring their best, most authentic selves to the office. Today we’re going to be focusing on t…

Today we're talking about giving feedback at work. In talking with managers at work, Liz encouraged people to ask their people how they wanted to get feedback and how to deliver news positive and negative. Feedback, when given in a timely and kind manner, can be a gift. But often we forget key steps like finding out how someone likes to receive fee…

We talk about a topic that has come up extensively over the last few months -- severance packages. What are they? What aren't they? Why do they exist? What do you do when you get them? Our goal is to answer all of the questions we get around them to help you learn and be prepared if you’re faced with them. Question 1: What is a severance package an…

Liz and Kat Zoom in with Mpume Ncube-Daka all the way from South Africa to talk about change conversations. Mpume works with people to drive the best decisions in their growth and development. She is passionate about personal and professional development and learning through change. Mpume thought she’d be a doctor when she grew up, but realized she…

Today we’re talking about job abandonment -- something we’ve each seen a handful of times in our corporate careers. (Kat saw it more with people working in retail.) We want you to know what job abandonment is, how to avoid it, and what the ripple effect can be when someone abandons their job. What is job abandonment? Job abandonment is when you jus…

Welcome to Real Job Talk, Angela Loeb! We refer our clients who need their resumes done to Angela because she literally wrote the book(s) on resumes and job searching. Angela started out helping people to get into beauty school- she interviewed people and helped them get into classes. Angela got into recruiting by answering an online ad (a rarity!)…

In this episode we advise on what to do when your company gets acquired. Most of us don’t know if our company is going to change structure, ownership, or leadership, so when something big is announced it can be a bit shocking and can cause us to ask, “What happens to me?” What do you do that day? Acknowledge your feelings - you’re going to get floo…

Top secret! We’re talking about NDAs, non-disclosure agreements. What’s an NDA? It’s an agreement between you and the company saying that you won’t share information about the company outside of the company. These are shared whether you’re an employee or a contractor. Sometimes you sign an NDA when you’re interviewing, which means that whatever you…

Today we’re talking about background checks. Background checks are a standard piece of company’s hiring processes. The company takes the resume and verifies education, employment, and criminal records. Sometimes they also do things like drug tests. Both of us have had to rescind offers or eliminate employment based on background investigations, and…

Welcome to Dr. Carrie Root, who joins us to share her book The Other Soft Skill that teaches about intergenerational communication and connection. Carrie has had a number of career twists and turns, breaking barriers as an IT consultant with the Navy and now as an educational consultant. Carrie tells us that she ignored the gender differences she f…

Welcome to Professional Service Manager and author of the new book Make Me The Boss: Surviving as a Millenial Manager in the Corporate World, Emily Tsitrian! We talked with Emily about being a “newer career” manager, why she wrote her book, and lessons she learned along the way. We asked Emily how she got into professional services (which is a lot …

In this episode we’re taking a lesson from something that happened to Liz and using it to help people be prepared for networking meetings, especially when networking with executives. Liz posted on Linkedin about how her company is hiring, why it's great to work there, and told people to sign up for time with her if they were interested. Well, her c…

Welcome to Kanika Tolver, speaker, CEO/founder, and author of Career Rehab. Kanika is a tech program manager who has build a business around helping people find and get the jobs they really want and will really love. Kanika inspires people around the globe to pursue their dreams, build their personal brands, and she is part of our tribe of people u…

Today we’re talking about bereavement and bereavement leave and what to do when you need to take bereavement. Many companies offer very little bereavement leave. A leae of 3 days for a close loved one is typical, which we think is crazy, as our stance is that most people will not be able to come back after losing a family member after 3 days. AND, …

Today we’re welcoming Dr. Carol Parker Walsh, whose tagline we love: she helps high-achieving professional women at midlife courageously design a career, brand & life they love. Carol is a coach, a speaker, best-selling author and business owner. Carol followed her path to go to school, get degrees, and go down a life path -- when she realized she …

We have a listener question!!! We got a great email from a global listener that we had to record right away (we sent them the raw recording). The letter was as follows: Hi ladies I have recently discovered this podcast and it has already helped me so much. I am a lawyer. I began working at a firm run by two people that I know very well and have a l…

You're starting a new job. Congrats! OK, now what's next? Every company does onboarding differently: some bigger companies tend to have more structured onboarding and some start-ups less so. HR onboarding is more about paperwork, but the true onboarding that we are talking about is how the existing team and managers can help new people understand w…

Welcome Michele, resume coach, recruiter, and LI influencer extraordinaire. Michele is a seasoned global HR professional who is the owner of O&H Consulting. We brought Michele to RJT to talk about resumes, job searches and to give insider tips around job seeking. Michele’s big picture resume rules: The top one-third of your first page needs to answ…

This week we talk about divisiveness at work. Divisive opinions at work are an example of divisiveness in the world ... people seem to be on one side or the other of so many issues, and we can’t remember a time when people have been so polarized. We love the saying “Let’s agree to disagree." -- thank you David Campt for going deeper on that with us…

We have a letter from a listener who doesn’t think they reacted properly when a colleague quit. They reacted with a big “Really? Why? I thought you liked it here!?!” and then felt like a bad colleague when the person looked visibly uncomfortable and showed them that they’d overstepped. For the colleague, we referenced Episode 55 “The Art of Quittin…

Welcome to Real Job Talk, Whitney Casares- the author of the Working Mom Blueprint, pediatrician, mom, and supporter of moms in the workplace through her community at www.modernmommydoc.com. We invited Whitney to join us to talk about the realities of being a working mom, and also to discuss how managers, teams, and companies can support working pa…

Welcome, Don Khouri! Don is a PhD in Human and Organization Systems who works with leaders and individual contributors to build their presence, improve communication, and be more productive. It’s this last area where we’ve asked Don to join us and talk about his book, When to Say YES, to help our listeners learn more about being productive, especia…

This episode is discussing the complex question of going back into the office as companies are beginning to open up their offices and asking workers to return. We talk about options around going back to work, questions to ask, obstacles, and how to communicate with your team around your availability. The emotions around back to work are complicated…

Fear and doubt come in so many forms, including imposter syndrome, self-deprecation, and holding yourself back in other ways. We’re here to talk about how to overcome these things in the workplace. Kat comes from a position of normalizing fear and doubt and accepting them as a part of the human experience. How do we recognize fear and doubt? Awaren…

Welcome to Real Job Talk, Kat Cosgrove, Staff Developer Advocate from Pulumi. We invited Kat to join us to talk about her experience as a technical woman in the technology industry. After a conference, Kat tweeted about being hit on in the virtual hallways, and Liz and Kat Troyer talked about how people really need to be more aware of appropriate b…

Check out our new tagline!!! We’re evolving, and while we loved our water cooler, it’s been sitting dormant since March, 2020. Real Job Talk is the podcast for mid-career professionals looking for practical career guidance. Today we’re talking about vulnerability and telling our stories, inspired by some training Liz has been doing. A great way to …

Today’s episode is about building and deepening professional relationships at work, and small changes that can have a big impact on your work relationships, personal brand, and people’s experience working with you. Tip #1. No ghosting. We discuss the person, who we never know if they are going to show up to our meetings, and therefore we wonder how…

Welcome to Real Job Talk, Jordan Babineaux! Jordan was an NFL player for 10 years, is a sports broadcaster, runs serveral businesses, is receiving his MBA, and is a true entrepreneur. Jordan joins us to talk about his new book, Pivot to Win, and we ask him all about pivoting towards both success and happiness. Jordan defines leadership as being a f…

May is mental health awareness month, and we want to tell you to take care of yourself. Yes, you hear us talk about self care, but we also want you to know that you’re not alone and that your employer may have resources for you. Today we’re talking about toxicity and how to tell if a work environment is healthy or toxic. Liz has a coaching client w…

Welcome to Real Job Talk, Mary Abbajay! Mary is a speaker, consultant, and trainer who works with managers and teams to create productive workplaces. She also teaches at the university and post-graduate level, speaks at numerous conferences, and is an active volunteer. Mary is the CEO of the Careerstone Group, and the author of Managing Up: How to …

Welcome to Real Job Talk to NYU Professors Raúl Sánchez and Dan Bullock. Raúl and Dan teach a the Center for International Studies and write for the Wall Street Journey while also conducting training on international communication for organizations such as The UN and International Student group. Dan and Raúl wrote the book How to Communicate Effect…

Welcome back, Chris Gaither! Chris is a leadership coach, writer, and "career pivoter extraordinaire." Chis is somebody who listens to his own energy to make career decisions. Chris has tailored his coaching practice to work with sustainability leaders, an area where he is knowledgable, passionate, and impactful. We are talking with Chris about lis…

Welcome to our first podcast guests who are a father-son duo, Bob and Nick Slater, authors of the new book _Look Out Above!_This book is aimed at helping people enter the job market, pivot in their careers, and make the most out of the first few years of their careers. Bob is a professor from UNC & Duke, and his son, Nick, is an entrepreneur. We as…

Today we’re talking about the world of recruiters: who they are and what you can expect from them. We’re deep diving into types of talent professionals to help you navigate your job search in a more educated way. Types of Recruiters Retained. Given money up front to start a search (fees are 25-40% of 1st year compensation). Usually very connected, …

LIZ AND KAT ARE OFFERING CAREER COACHING!!! Our intro rate is $100/hr for BOTH of us! Email realjobtalk@gmail.com to schedule a 1:1 unrecorded session. Welcome Jennifer Mackin, author of the book Leaders Deserve Better, and a trainer who helps managers become better leaders. Jennifer considers herself a change agent dedicated to helping businesses …

Quitting is an art- there’s a right way (leave with your head high and relationships strong) and a wrong way (think bull in a china shop or loud ranting with everyone breathing a sigh of relief when you’re gone) to quit your job. In this episode, Liz and Kat walk you through the delicate process of quitting, how to deal with a counter offer, and ho…

Welcome to L’areal Lipkins, a sales trainer and expert in goal setting, vision boards, and how to make your goals a reality by adopting the right plan and mindset. L’areal does NOT believe in SMART goals (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timebound) , and we get right into it asking about her approach to goal setting. L’areal is a “rec…

Welcome Jason Levin, founder and CEO of Ready, Set, Launch. We’re talking with Jason about launching a job search in a virtual world. Jason grew up with a happy family whose lives changed dramatically when his father lost the only job he had ever had in New York's garment district. Suddenly Jason and his brothers were the kids getting free lunch in…

Dr. David Campt is a national expert on inclusion and intergroup dialogue. David has worked with groups from large corporations to the White House, and has appeared on The Daily Show. He speaks about about how we talk with each other, and how to help people come together. In 4th grade, David had a teacher tell him that “People are more alike than t…

This week we welcome Joep Piscaer, who has grown his career by moving up the ranks in a technical organization, from sys admin to CTO, and now is an independent consultant focused on creating content in the devops space. Throughout his career, Joep has struggled with Imposter Syndrome, and despite numerous indications to the contrary, he has had to…

This week we welcome Adam Bertram, aka Adam the Automator. Adam wrote a post called “I told my boss I quit and……” which went viral, so we invited Adam to join us. Our goal for having Adam on RJT is to learn from his personal journey of career discovery. Adam’s a tech pressional/sys admin, blogger, and content creator. We asked Adam to share his jou…

We have a letter!!! Our writer (Ready to Be Independent) asks about being a consultant: what does it take, what do they need to do, and what is the pros and cons list? We break it down. Some of the things to consider as you're looking at making a leap like this: to consider are: inconsistent revenue as a consultant vs a regular paycheck and salary.…

The US election is heating up, and Liz and Kat want to help you navigate politics, voting, and all related topics at work. First of all, know your company’s rules around voting and if you have time off to vote. Make a plan to vote! And do it within your employer’s rules. Know that social media is public, and if you are choosing to be political on s…

Both Kat and Liz are BIG fans of Brene Brown’s Dare to Lead. This book is about leadership; we adhere to the belief that we’re all leaders of our own lives and careers, and so we think that this book applies to everyone. Having the ability to "rumble," whether it’s in your personal or work life, will help you authentically connect with people aroun…

On this episode, we welcome to Corliss Jackson, the founder and CEO of Federal Job Results and author of Cracking the Federal Job Code. Corliss is a speaker and panelist, and her company mission it to help people find jobs with the US federal government. Corliss started as a consultant after college; she decided that she wanted to work for the gove…