To stand out in a career transition, tailor your resume, upskill, network, and build a strong online presence. These strategies and a positive attitude can make you standout as an exceptional candidate. In this insightful podcast, Lisa Carter, the founder of Recruiter Ready Career Services, engages in a meaningful conversation with Nolan Hout, Senior Vice President of Infopro Learning. They delve into the current challenges of the tight labor market, especially for job seekers looking to make career transitions. Lisa shares valuable advice for teachers moving from education to corporate roles and offers practical tips to improve one’s chances of landing a job.
She emphasizes the importance of understanding hiring managers’ perspectives and tailoring job search approaches accordingly. She encourages authenticity, acknowledging weaknesses while showcasing the ability to overcome challenges. Furthermore, she suggests focusing on industries and organizations that align with personal values and strengths for a successful career path.
Listen to the podcast to learn more:
Question:
Take some time to give us a bit of the story, Lisa.
Question:
What was your first kind of foray into the training world or recruiting?
Question:
Would you mind explaining a little bit about the ‘Recruiter Ready roadmap’?
Expert profile:
Lisa Carter
With over 20 years of experience, Lisa is a seasoned professional dedicated to facilitating seamless job transitions while upholding the principles of transparency. Her proven expertise has made her a standout in the field, as witnessed by a friend who benefited from her assistance. Lisa founded Recruiter Ready Career Services, specializing in supporting educators moving from teaching to corporate roles. She is the driving force behind the Recruiter Ready Roadmap and Teacher Boot Camp, programs that prepare teachers for a successful transition. Additionally, she serves as the Vice President of Community Development for the San Antonio chapter of the Association for Talent Development (ATD). These roles reflect her career and her deep-seated passion for professional development and education.
Nolan Hout
Nolan Hout is the Senior Vice President at Infopro Learning. He has over a decade of experience in the L&D industry, helping global organizations unlock the potential of their workforce. Nolan is results-driven, investing most of his time in finding ways to identify and improve the performance of learning programs through the lens of return on investment. He is passionate about networking with people in the learning and training community. He is also an avid outdoorsman and fly fisherman, spending most of his free time on rivers across the Pacific Northwest.
An excerpt of the discussion follows:
Nolan:
Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Learning and Development podcast sponsored by Infopro Learning. As always, I’m your host, Nolan Hout. Today’s special podcast breaks away from our traditional corporate training topics only partially.
We will discuss career transitions today, but not in the traditional sense of what you would expect, building out career transition programs and things like that. But we will be learning how people can improve their chances of landing a job if they’re at a transition point.
This could be a major transition, such as moving from a K-12 teaching job to corporate training like many of us in the field or just moving from one job to the next. The labor market is getting tighter, and it’s becoming challenging to find your next job, and we wanted to find a way to help. And who would be better to help us on this journey than our guest for the day, Lisa Carter.
Lisa has spent over 20 years helping people transition from one job to the next and has an entire business dedicated to this practice in full transparency. I have had her help a friend of mine, but I must say that she is one of the best in the business. But not just because she’s talented and has a good method of finding people jobs.
But she has a true passion; you will hear that in the podcast today. I’m so excited to get started.
So, let’s get to it and meet Lisa. Hello, Lisa.
Welcome to the podcast.
Lisa:
Hi Nolan. Thank you for having me.
Nolan:
We delve into our guests’ backgrounds to kick off each podcast episode. Today’s discussion promises to be extensive as we’re set to tackle pressing contemporary issues. July 2023 has been an especially noteworthy and challenging period for many in the workforce. This podcast holds valuable insights for our listeners. However, before we dive into those topics, it’s valuable to explore our guest’s journey, from their early beginnings to their current position.
Take some time to give us a bit of the story, Lisa.
Lisa:
Certainly, Nolan.
Let me begin by describing my current status. I proudly serve as the founder of Recruiter Ready Career Services, specializing in offering career transition and coaching services tailored to educators transitioning from the teaching profession to the corporate world.
Additionally, I am the innovator behind the Recruiter Ready Roadmap and the Teacher Boot Camp, which aim to equip teachers with the skills they need for this transition. Furthermore, I am Vice President of Community Development within the San Antonio chapter of ATD. These roles and endeavors are my professional pursuits and the passions that drive me.
Nolan:
That’s fantastic!
So, please tell me about your initial job experience, perhaps outside of gyms, spas, restaurants, or clothing outlets.
What was your first kind of foray into the training world or recruiting?
Lisa:
My journey into the world of recruiting was quite serendipitous. After nearly a decade of service in the Army, I was at a crossroads during my transition. Uncertain about my next steps, I stumbled upon an opportunity as a staffing manager for a prominent financial recruiting firm. With some guidance and training, I quickly developed a deep affection for the work. I thoroughly enjoyed connecting employers with potential candidates and assisting individuals in finding meaningful employment.
However, despite my passion for the work, I found that the corporate environment could have been better. In this setting, I began exploring a new avenue – career services. I vividly recall a Sunday evening, dreading the impending Monday morning at the staffing company. At that time, the Sunday paper was still a thing, and as one of the few who continued to read it, I came across an article about a woman who had spent 25 years in prison but was now rebuilding her life upon release.
Her biggest challenge was securing employment, and a deep sense of purpose welled up within me. I thought, “I could help her find a job.” Remarkably, just eight weeks later, I worked for a nonprofit organization, teaching a 10-week course to empower women like her to successfully navigate the intricacies of the U.S. business culture. It was an opportunity to help them reintegrate with their families and embark on a new life chapter.
This experience ignited my passion for career services, and I’ve continued to pursue it diligently ever since. I’ve worked with various individuals, from college students to mid-career professionals and now teachers. What keeps me passionate about this work is the profound impact it has, not only on the person finding the right job but on their entire family and community. This is how my journey in career services began, and it’s a path I remain dedicated to.
Nolan:
What an incredible journey!
I’ve had conversations with others who, like my brother, have transitioned from military service to the corporate world. It’s a challenging shift for many. But then, you went through that transition, ventured into recruiting, and somehow felt a calling to assist others in their journey. And, in a way, you came full circle.
You’ve experienced it all and found your passion along the way, a Eureka moment that has led you to where you are today. It’s an amazing way to live, and I love your story.
Lisa:
It’s one of those situations where I’m genuinely thankful that the universe has somehow guided me to the right path despite my lack of awareness about my gifts, talents, passions, and long-term goals. I’m genuinely delighted and fortunate to engage in this meaningful work every day alongside wonderful individuals.
Nolan:
Today, I’d like to introduce our topic for those tuning in. We’re here to discuss an intriguing subject that can be useful for many of you. As Lisa mentioned, she has assisted individuals in transitioning from one career to another, encompassing many fields. This is particularly relevant for those considering a significant shift, such as moving from a teaching profession to a corporate education role, which can be quite a substantial career change. We recently featured a guest on our podcast, the Vice President of Learning at Papa Murphy’s, who had followed a similar career path, so it’s a common journey.
Now, let’s delve into the main focus of today’s conversation, which centers around Lisa’s expertise and the innovative concept she has developed. This could immensely benefit those currently navigating a career transition or contemplating one. The topic at hand is the “Recruiter Ready Roadmap.” It’s a captivating and highly valuable tool.
Would you mind explaining a little bit about the ‘Recruiter Ready Roadmap’?
Lisa:
Certainly, let’s begin with the issue I identified. My closest friend is a transitioning teacher, having dedicated 30 years to teaching. Our friendship spans 15 to 20 of those years. As she embarks on this transition, she finds herself in a state of confusion and frustration, unsure where to start. She’s reaching out to potential employers but feels like her efforts are falling on deaf ears. She’s scattering in every direction, seeking guidance and a clear path forward.
In response, I sat her down and developed a structured roadmap to guide her through this process. We now call this roadmap the “Recruiter Ready Roadmap,” a six-step approach tailored to support teachers feeling lost and overwhelmed. They often need help to sift through the overwhelming amount of information coming their way. This roadmap offers a clear direction, starting with helping them find their focus and culminating in strategies for negotiating salary.
The roadmap outlines the concrete steps they should take. But there’s another element at play here – the Coaching Boot Camp. Drawing from my staffing manager and recruiter background, I leverage my experience to assist these transitioning teachers. I aim to make them understand that they are venturing into a distinct professional realm where recruiters and hiring managers have unique requirements.
Through coaching, I endeavor to familiarize them with these needs and teach them how to identify and respond to them. I want them to base their transition decisions not solely on their previous experience, which they are deeply passionate about, but on a deeper understanding of what recruiters and hiring managers are looking for. In essence, it’s about equipping them to communicate their qualifications effectively and align them with the goals and needs of these gatekeepers.
The ‘Recruiter Ready Roadmap’ consists of a structured six-step process. At the same time, the Coaching Boot Camp is dedicated to helping teachers embrace the perspectives of recruiters and hiring managers and using that insight to navigate their transition effectively.
Lisa and Nolan explore recruitment intricacies in greater detail in this episode. For deeper insights, tune in to the recorded episode.
