Themes discussed in this episode

• The importance of continuous learning for career development
• Building and maintaining strong professional relationships
• Taking proactive steps and embracing opportunities before feeling fully prepared

Episode Highlights

Time-stamped inflection points from the show

00:13 – Introduction and overview of the three key pieces of career advice.

01:03 – Learning how to learn: Emphasizing the need for continuous skill development, especially in fast-changing environments.

03:58 – Relationships are everything: How networking and building strong connections can open doors and provide opportunities.

05:34 – Take action before you’re ready: Encouraging proactive behavior and embracing opportunities despite self-doubt.

Top Quotes

03:07 – “Learning to learn, becoming a lifelong learner, is really important to long-term success.”

04:47 – “Your network will open more doors than your resume.”

06:39 – “Get the job and then figure out how to do it. You’ll learn faster on the job than studying or taking a course.”

07:52 – “None of us are ever ready. And a great piece of advice that I tell people is don’t be fooled. Nobody really knows what they’re doing. We are all just making it up as we go along.”

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Transcript

00:13
Hello, I’m Lori Jo Vest. Thank you so much for joining me for this episode of Work Mom Says “Don’t Be An Idiot!” So I was thinking about what to record today, and what came to mind is what would be the best three pieces of career advice I could give to anybody right now that would change their career trajectory?

And here’s what I came up with. It’s so true. It’s just these are the things that helped me grow in my career and that helped most people grow in their careers. So focus on learning how to learn, building strong relationships, and taking action before you feel ready. And let’s dig into this a little bit deeper.

01:03
Learning how to learn. Things are changing constantly. AI is everywhere. There are all kinds of skills that will help you in your career. Everything from writing to reading a lot, learning how to digest complex information. You need to continue to learn in order to elevate your skill set and your performance. So I’ll give you a couple of examples.

01:32
When AI first started, this was probably three and a half years ago that we first started hearing about it. And I run a small digital marketing shop, and we got a project that involved writing SEO copy descriptions, product descriptions for 4,000 different luxury carpets. That’s a lot of copy. And so we knew in order to hit the client’s budget targets that we would need to bring in some kind of an AI tool. That’s what they suggested. We’d never done that before.

There was a really early one called Jasper. And what we did was we would go into this tool, enter in the colors, the pattern, the materials, some adjectives. After we entered that information into the tool, it would spit back, you know, different angles on that copy. And that was the hardest thing about it. When you have to write repetitively, it can be really challenging to come up with different angles. And Jasper did that. It didn’t always do it well. And it came up with some really crazy things. At one point, it suggested that this 8 by 10, you know, beautiful Persian rug would be something that you would bring with you to parties so that you could stand on it. It would be good enough for you because no one else’s floors were, you know, up to your preferences. So, no, it wasn’t always great. And it really helped us. And it was one of those things that we did because we knew that the new technology was coming and we needed to learn about it.

3:06
So learning to learn, becoming a lifelong learner, is really important to long term success. That could mean on your way home from work, you have a couple of topical podcasts that you listen to. That could mean that you have a book club with three or four other professionals and you, you know, read chapter by chapter together and then talk about those in a weekly phone call. There are a million ways to learn. Oh, I don’t want to forget this one. Go to events and listen to speakers. You’ll get a lot out of that. You’ll learn all kinds of things that you didn’t know you needed to know. And oftentimes at industry events, what’s being talked about is what’s timely in your industry. And you really want to know about that because you want to be one of those people that can talk about things that are happening because you’re knowledgeable.

03:58
Which brings me to relationships are everything. Point number two. Relationships are so critical in business. I’ve been in the Metro Detroit advertising community for about 35 years. I know so many people that when I started my own digital marketing shop about eight years ago, I knew so many people in the industry that I was able to hang up my shingle and get some work right away. I made relationships wherever I went. If I, when I worked at the ad agency, if I saw somebody was really into, you know, personal development books or business books, I would make a point of stopping by to talk to that person about that because that was an interest I had.

Relationships are everything. Your network will open more doors than your resume. Show up. Show up at virtual events. There are virtual events everywhere. Show up at in person events. Show up, and if you’re looking for a job or looking to make a career change, when you’re talking to people, especially as a young person, ask for their advice. Let them know that. You never know who you might meet that knows about a job opening that suits your skill set perfectly. You never know if you put it out on LinkedIn and mention that you just, you know, got downsized out of your position and you’re looking for a new gig. The more people you know, the more likely someone is to say, hey, let me share this with my network and see if I can help. So number two, relationships are everything.

05:34
And number three, I love this one. This is one of my all time favorites. Take action before you think you’re 100% ready. It’s kind of like when people decide to have kids. When you’re in your 20s and 30s and you’re trying to decide when to have kids, and you think, well, we’re not quite ready yet. Guess what? You’ll never be ready. You don’t know what to expect. And so in the work environment, imposter syndrome can really get in your way. You may think you have a lot more to learn. You may think that you’re not quite qualified. You don’t want to apply for that position inside your company, because if they thought you could do it, why didn’t they offer it to you? Well, maybe they didn’t know you’d be interested. So take chances. Do things. Take action. Don’t wait until you’re ready.

06:24
I got a really great piece of advice probably 15 years ago from a woman that I just met briefly. I had, you know, she was a client for a short amount of time. We had lunch a couple of times, and I haven’t seen her in 15 years. But one of the things that she said is get the job and then figure out how to do it. So that was her motto in life, and she went really far. She worked for Oprah in Chicago for quite a long time. She was one of those people that, you know, put together huge sponsorship packages and things, and she’s just brilliant. And she said, go for the job and then figure out how to do it. You are smart. You’ll learn faster on the job than you will ever learn studying or taking a course, ever. So learning by doing is not a bad thing.

07:13
I’m going to go back over these three best pieces of career advice for this week. Learn how to learn. Become a lifelong learner. Make a point of becoming curious. Dig deeper into subjects that interest you. Relationships are everything, number two. You will be able to find mentors. You’ll be able to make friendships that can be lifelong. If you prioritize relationships in your career and work environments at all levels, you’ll be really surprised how well that serves you. And number three, take action before you think you’re ready. None of us are ever ready. And a great piece of advice that I tell people is don’t be fooled. Nobody really knows what they’re doing. We are all just making it up as we go along based on our life experiences, our work experiences, our maturity, our emotional health. We’re making it up. Do the same thing. You will be really surprised how well that will serve you.

08:17
So that’s what I’ve got for you today. Thank you so much for tuning into this episode of Work Mom Says. If you are watching this on YouTube, please subscribe. Hit that bell, get notified, give me a like or comment. I have a website at workmomsays.com, where you can also contact me there. You’ll find all of the episodes of the podcast that we’ve done so far there, as well as on Spotify and all the popular podcast channels. And last but not least, I’m an Open Networker on LinkedIn. If you’d like to connect with me there, just mention that you are a listener and feel free to reach out with subjects you’d like me to cover or guests you’d like me to have on the program. So again, thanks so much, and I’ll see you again soon

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Who is our ideal listener?

This podcast is for young professionals who want to learn to play the emotional context sport of business and experience less drama and more success.

How can you be more logical and less emotional? Be strategic, and Work Mom Says can help you.

“I tell people to back up, put down the magnifying glass, and look at the big picture when you’re responding to something,” said Lori Jo Vest, Work Mom. “In doing this, you will understand that what’s really upsetting you right now will be something you don’t even remember next week.”

What value can people get from listening to this podcast?

Listening to Work Mom Says can help you grow your mood management skills, grow your ability to reframe situations, and look at things from a strategic point of view. This makes it easier to go into a work situation and get the most positive results.

On Work Mom Says, we also offer tips and tricks for creating connected positive relationships that last over time. People will want you on the team if you can create connected positive relationships and work environments. You become an asset, and you will be more successful when you’re an asset.

“I also like to talk about developing traits like optimism, persistence, tenacity, stick-to-itiveness, sticking with things, and approaching every project with a curious mind instead of a fearful mind,” said Lori Jo Vest, Work Mom

                                                                                                     

Why do I do this? A few more words from Work Mom

I do this because I naturally fell into the Work Mom role when I worked in the ad agency business and had so much fun with it. I also realized I had made just about every mistake there was to make. I don’t hold myself as a stellar example of truth and how you should be. I hold myself out there as someone who has been bruised, battered, and beaten up and learned some important lessons. I’d love to share these lessons with young people, so they don’t have to make those same mistakes or be the idiot I was.

I also want to help young professionals realize that many things our culture prioritizes aren’t really important. We talk a lot about what should be important and how to present your best face at the office so that you can succeed.

I’ve learned so much throughout my career, and it’s gratifying to share that with young professionals and help them avoid some of those mistakes and get to that success sooner.