Words of Distinction

Blog

5 Things I Learned from Olympic Snowboarders

Posted on February 17, 2022February 17, 2022 by Emily Wong

I don’t know about you, but my favorite Winter Olympic sport is snowboarding. Besides the fact that they seem to be free of controversy, it’s one sport where the competitors seriously look like they’re having FUN!

Here are 5 things I learned from their performances and culture:

Experience still matters. Man, it was fun to watch Lindsay Jacobellis and Nick Baumgartner. They’ve both struggled in the past, as one would with that kind of longevity—but they pushed hard to the very end to win the mixed team snowboard cross, adding to Jacobellis’ gold for the individual snowboard cross the night before. One of the announcers joked that they had 76 years of experience between them. Yep.

Life isn’t fair, and we may not always be adequately recognized, but that’s not a reason to give up. Ayumu Hirano showed us—even with a WTF gasp-inducing score after his first completion of a triple cork, which had never been landed in Olympic competition—we don’t go off and sulk. We get back up and do it again, if for no other reason than to give the judges another chance to get it right. Thankfully, they did.

We can step away from our career and not lose our edge. We all know Chloe Kim is a superstar, but I didn’t realize she’d taken time off to “discover who Chloe is outside of snowboarding and then come back and be in a better mental state.” Did this sabbatical give her the refresh she needed to win her second gold? Who knows. It certainly didn’t hurt. In any case, she reminded me that doing so doesn’t mean we have to forfeit our chances for continued success.

Even if we compete in an individual sport, we can be part of a team. Nothing says community like a bunch of snowboarders. Watching the other snowboarders pile on top of Anna Gasser after she became the first female snowboarder to land the triple cork, or Baumgartner’s rival wrap his arms around him as Jacobellis rushed to the finish line was so darned refreshing, and another reminder that there’s always room to celebrate others—even if they’re our direct competition.

We can fall. We can fall in a messy way. It’s OK. It’s what we do afterward (and before!) that matters. That’s what legacies are made of. Thanks for a great run, Shaun White!

How to Use Career Stories to Land Your Next Role

Posted on February 10, 2022February 11, 2022 by Emily Wong

Photo credit: magical_light/Getty Images

Ask anyone who knows me, and they’ll agree. Even after years on the bleachers cheering my kids, I’m worthless when it comes to conversations about sports. That is, unless the athlete has an interesting backstory, personality trait, or quirk. I’m looking at you, Rafael Nadal.

I became a fan of Kansas City’s coach Andy Reid for the simple reason that I have a soft spot for coaches and players who’ve struggled yet continue to push themselves to overcome personal and professional adversity. Although Patrick Mahomes hadn’t appeared to suffer any major setbacks (until this year, anyway), he was part of the Andy Reid package. And when my brother pointed out that Mahomes had a unique throw, I was all in.

Put Your Career Profile on a Fitness Program

Posted on January 1, 2022January 2, 2022 by Emily Wong

What if I told you that if you just commit to a few minutes each day during 2 weeks in January, you’ll see a transformation in your resume, LinkedIn, and job search correspondence to one that’s lean and confident?

And what better time than the new year to resolve to pep up your prose, ferret out the flab, and beef up the body of your career-related content?

Free Boot Camp Alert!

Sign up for my Career Content Boot Camp, and from January 10 through January 21, I’ll email you a short (promise!) daily exercise for strengthening your profile.

Whether or not you’ve already worked with me, these exercises will help tone your writing as you continue to send career-related correspondence and update your profile. Or if you know someone who is considering a job change, please share this with them.

Each day, in less time than it takes you to set up that fancy new fitness gadget, you’ll be one step closer to a more svelte career profile.

In the meantime, you can get a head start right now.

Sometimes the best way to bulk up or tone your muscles is by starting with a process of elimination: mercilessly removing counterproductive behavior that saps your energy or prevents you from reaching peak form.

It’s no different when you’re writing your career profile. Words that have no value are like so many empty calories. So let’s cut ‘em!

The following are 5 words and phrases that constantly creep into resumes, LinkedIn profiles, and cover letters:

Career Transition in 6 Steps

Posted on November 2, 2021November 14, 2021 by Emily Wong

Aah. November. Crisp and refreshing. I love autumn for just that reason. Even the San Francisco Bay Area has its pops of color and brisk air. November is also a great time to refresh from the inside—and maybe think about refreshing your career. This could be anything from learning a new skill so you can grow in place, to redirecting your path altogether.

If you’re considering a transition to a new role, read on.

A Gap in Your Career Doesn’t Have to Mean a Gap in Progress

Posted on July 12, 2021July 15, 2021 by Emily Wong

Let’s talk about career gaps without stirring up the usual associated anxiety. Your career opportunities don’t dry up just because you took time off from work. In fact, some important personal or professional growth may have taken root during those periods. If you plan to travel, study, volunteer, or take care of family, you may find you return to the office reinvigorated and with a newfound appreciation for work in the traditional sense.

The good news: according to a recent LinkedIn poll, the perception of employment gaps may be shifting.

Take the Ick Out of Networking

Posted on May 6, 2021November 23, 2021 by Emily Wong

Ok, so not everyone thinks networking is icky. Some people love the social element and the idea of (sometimes) free food.

But a lot of us would prefer not to have to mingle over coffee with people we don’t know. And now that it looks like we’re turning the corner with the pandemic, we’ll be have to mingle more as we move toward in-person events.

Here are a few ideas that might help you ease into the new back-to-normal:

1: Start With People You Know

If you’re feeling anxious about jumping into an event without knowing a soul, look for those where you already have a connection, or find a friend or colleague to go with you. One caveat: do not spend the event with that person. Sure, you can pop in and out of their conversations, but remember, they aren’t the reason you’re there.

Kickstart Your Job Search

Posted on February 10, 2021February 15, 2021 by Emily Wong

If you’re having trouble getting motivated to start your job search, you may need a mindset adjustment. Or, you may need to simplify your approach. Or maybe you need a combination of both. In my own case, when I’m feeling overwhelmed by a project I know is important, it helps if I give it structure and break it down into more manageable buckets.

Try organizing your job search that way. If you can structure your job search plan around what I call the three Rs—research, relationships, and readiness—I think you’ll find it easier to tackle the project.

My Gift to You: A Career Podcast Playlist

Posted on December 23, 2020December 23, 2020 by Emily Wong

In 2020, I finally admitted to myself that my days of running were over, and with my gym closing and my devoted canine companion Clover staring up at me with her beseeching brown eyes, I committed to walking every day. Mind you, although this was something I enjoyed doing periodically with friends, walking was never an activity I relished doing solo.

So, how was I going to get myself out on the trail? I’m a big fan of pairing fun activities with what seem to be mundane (albeit necessary) ones to make the latter a little easier. I’m one of those who like a little sugar to help the medicine go down.

The first step was to distract myself by listening to the Godmother of podcasters, Terry Gross. And lo and behold, I soon found that I could actually forget the task at hand. Since then, I’ve built a library that includes all kinds of topics, from the writing craft to meditation to comedy. I got so into podcasts over the past year that I even launched my own.

Thank You to My Community!

Posted on November 25, 2020November 25, 2020 by Emily Wong

Last week I had the opportunity to participate in a global career summit where my colleagues and I discussed what’s in the pipeline for our clients in terms of remote work and AI, and how we can help them navigate this very different kind of work world we live in.

I feel energized because after that week-long series I’m confident that I’m better equipped to help my clients bridge their current situation with their next career milestones.

But there was another benefit to attending the conference. After that week, I have to say I came away as grateful as I’ve ever been for being a part of this wonderful career-focused community, who, by their very nature, want to help others and are so generous with their ideas. I also came away beaming because, as I always do, I met some really cool people who challenged my ideas and helped me grow as a person and as a professional.

Community is so important, especially now. And I want to remind you that even though physical bonding may not be an option, there actually seem to be more opportunities to cultivate our existing community or build a new one. So many organizations are going virtual, and you’re likely to have access to more groups (and individuals!) than you had in the past because of that.

By the way, I don’t like the term “social distancing.” Can we just say “physical distancing”? I think it’s a much more accurate term, and certainly makes me feel less…well…anti-social, in spite of the circumstances.

Anyway, besides strengthening relationships with your all-important family and friends, the following are three ways you can build community:

Don’t Let the Quest for Perfection Hold You Back

Posted on October 20, 2020October 22, 2020 by Emily Wong

There’s a reason Nike has one of the most iconic and sustainable taglines. Their succinct “Just Do It” is something most of us can relate to as we’re tempted to put off even that which might help us grow. The reason? It could be that we’re fearful that the results won’t be perfect.

So last week, when I launched my podcast with a conversation on perfectionism with my colleague Pooja Dang, I hoped the topic would resonate with listeners.

One of Pooja’s mantras is to “Break up with perfect,” so I knew she’d have some opinions on the subject. And like me, she has personal experience overcoming the pursuit of perfection. In fact, the whole process around the podcast was a little scary for both of us, because, well…perfectionism. More on that later.