The Voice of Job Seekers

Mark Anthony Dyson ★ Career Writer ★ Speaker ★ Thinker ★ Award-winning Blog & Podcast! ★ "The Job Scam Report" on Substack! ★ I hack and reimagine the modern job search!

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Is a Portfolio Career a Good Choice for You with Mac Prichard

Is a Portfolio Career a Good Choice for You with Mac Prichard

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Perhaps by the end of this show, you’ll consider creating a portfolio career. Welcome back to the last show of the Summer season, and boy is this an informative one! Listen to this great show with Mac Prichard, founder of Mac’s List  (Careers) and President of Prichard Communications (Public Relations firm). Mac recently published a new book, Land Your Dream Job Anywhere: The Complete Mac’s List Guide to Finding Work You Can Love. In our conversation, we discuss the benefits of a portfolio career.

Love to hear your thoughts about how a portfolio career would help you:

  • Call and leave a voicemail at 708-365-9822, or text your comments to the same number
  • Go to TheVoiceofJobSeekers.com, press the “Send Voicemail” button on the right side of your screen and leave a message
  • Send email feedback to [email protected]

More about Mac Prichard

Mac loves connection people and passionately loves to help people find jobs they love. Mac’s List has a job board, career advice blog, podcast (in Apple Podcasts), books, and hosts local job events for local Portland Oregon job seekers.

A few highlights from the show:

  • Mac talks about how both his companies are his passions where they both share the common goals of connecting people to opportunities
  • Careers and public relations share the need to communicate effectively through storytelling
  • Mac defines a portfolio career as not relying on just one career
  • You reach the interview because of data, and stories connect you to the employer
  • In the mind of an employer, they are wondering what makes you stand out – good storytelling does
  • “…job seekers need to make the case why they’re the best person for the position and understand employer’s challenges and problems and show the interviewer through effective communication how they can solve the problems…”
  • A portfolio career offers diversity and skill variety and not to rely on one career
  • Job seekers can manage risk better if hobbies, volunteer, side gigs build additional skills
  • The second job or career can energize the primary career

Epilogue

I hope the rest of your summer will be epic! I will be active on the social networks with occasional breaks, and I will be publishing articles on the blog and elsewhere. Please share this show with those who may need it. I will see you Sept 12 with bi-weekly shows. Thanks so much for making this award-winning podcast a joy to produce and publish. By the way, we are entering the fourth year and 170 episodes released!

About Mark Anthony Dyson

I am the "The Voice of Job Seekers!" I offer compassionate career and job search advice as I hack and re-imagine the job search process. You need to be "the prescription to an employer's job description." You must be solution-oriented and work in positions in companies where you are the remedy. Your job search must be a lifestyle, and your career must be in front of you constantly. You can no longer shed your aspirations at the change seasons. There are strengths you have that need constant use and development. Be sure you sign up to download my E-Book, "421 Modern Job Search Tips 2021!" You can find my career advice and work in media outlets such as Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Glassdoor, and many other outlets.

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The Beyonce Syndrome, Career Aspirations, and Unconscious Bias

The Beyonce Syndrome, Career Aspirations, and Unconscious Bias

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The Beyonce Syndrome. Our definition of the show is about the career woman who has it all and does it all. Many feel it’s not enough to achieve the recognition for women to gain the same opportunities as men. Janine Truitt and Chris Fields are back on the show to discuss why it affects people of color much more. Much of what we talk about is unconscious bias, although it was accidental.

We would love your perspectives on this episode.

Here is how you can be a part of this conversation:

  • Call and leave a voicemail at 708-365-9822, or text your comments to the same number
  • Go to TheVoiceofJobSeekers.com, press the “Send Voicemail” button on the right side of your screen and leave a message
  • Send email feedback to [email protected]

Let me share a little about each of my co-hosts:

Janine Truitt is the founder of her company, Talent Think Innovations, LLC is a multi-disciplinary business strategy and management consulting firm. She has been in HR and talent acquisitions for more than ten years. Her media features include Black Enterprise, Entrepreneur Magazine, and US News and Careers.

Chris Fields is the founder of the Resume Crusade, and also an HR professional and resume writer. He helps around 150 people yearly with resume and job search advice. His career advice was in O Magazine, Mashable, and Monster Working!

Here are a few of the highlights:

  • Women: Is it possible to have it all? Want it all?
  • Having it all doesn’t mean all at one time. Everyone defines what “all” means differently
  • We talked about how more work is not recognized by women (even more women of color) with the same respect
  • Janine noted how assertiveness and aggressiveness has negative connotations coming from people of color
  • Chris shared how standards are different for black men and white men in their use of language

Need help with your career goals, directions, or efforts? Do you need coaching or instruction? I am here for it!

Please note my spring hiatus is from May 9 to June 6, and Summer break July 19 to Sept. 12. No shows to be published during these dates. We will, however, publish more articles on the blog.

About Mark Anthony Dyson

I am the "The Voice of Job Seekers!" I offer compassionate career and job search advice as I hack and re-imagine the job search process. You need to be "the prescription to an employer's job description." You must be solution-oriented and work in positions in companies where you are the remedy. Your job search must be a lifestyle, and your career must be in front of you constantly. You can no longer shed your aspirations at the change seasons. There are strengths you have that need constant use and development. Be sure you sign up to download my E-Book, "421 Modern Job Search Tips 2021!" You can find my career advice and work in media outlets such as Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Glassdoor, and many other outlets.

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3 Unforgettable Career Lessons from Hidden Figures The Movie

3 Unforgettable Career Lessons from Hidden Figures The Movie
Besides Hidden Figures being a great movie, there were useful career lessons. It’s rare a Hollywood movie features character and positive personal attributes. The film depicted three African-American women breaking gender and color barriers at NASA. The three main women characters showed how skill and character add value to employers. These attributes energize meaningful careers, and the movie reminded us why.
Oh, did I say this is a real story? It’s historic. Yes, men, we can learn from them too! But like the evergreen tree, these lessons are planted in water, and eternal.
Each woman has an extraordinary story and talents: a mathematician, computer technologist, and engineer. Bias impeded their breakthrough: Color and gender. They had to prove their value first breaking through extraordinary barriers. Even when they shattered expectations, it wasn’t enough.
These women challenged the status quo, race relation barriers, and gender bias. Consider these attributes and similar obstacles during your job search:

1. Strategy without patience and resilience is useless

Janelle Monae’s character Mary Jackson exercised great patience but also understood her value. She had to go to court to attend a class traditionally held by men but prohibited African-Americans. Mary was willing to go through the barriers, and still confront the challenges awaiting her.
Lesson learned: Job search takes time, and waiting until you’re jobless is excruciating.

Start networking for your future even if you don’t know the final destination.

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Networking adds to the intelligence you’ll need to navigate obstacles.

2. Sometimes you’re the last to know the significance of your contribution

Octavia Spencer’s showed how Dorothy Vaughn managed rejection for a promotion for years. She learned a computer language enabled her to functionalize the mainframe computers. Dorothy mastered it before the men assigned to set the computers did. Once she understood the new computer language, she taught her staff. This action resulted in the ultimate prize: A promotion to supervisor.
Lesson learned: Job trends shift incessantly in most industries. Find out how technology will play a part. Robots and computers will be the tools and the catalyst.

Focus on understanding what it takes to be competitive in your industry.

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3. Opportunities are created and boldly requested
Taraji Henson’s character Katherine Johnson was steadfast getting to the big meeting. Women were not allowed in this session! When she finally attended, she didn’t hesitate to show her abilities. Later, those skills shaped the space program forever and saved John Glenn’s life.
Lesson learned: Be persistent when it comes to meeting key people. Look to ask the key holders and not depend on the gatekeepers.

Your breakthrough requires doing the unexpected and more than what is expected.

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The tools and techniques we read about are necessary. What employers respond to is character and personality. Those are attributes employers cannot train employees to own. The modern job seekers cannot afford to be passive. Today, to achieve results, your action must have actionable steps. You be intentional and follow-up, and at times, ask more than once. It’s not easy but will yield results in time.

About Mark Anthony Dyson

I am the "The Voice of Job Seekers!" I offer compassionate career and job search advice as I hack and re-imagine the job search process. You need to be "the prescription to an employer's job description." You must be solution-oriented and work in positions in companies where you are the remedy. Your job search must be a lifestyle, and your career must be in front of you constantly. You can no longer shed your aspirations at the change seasons. There are strengths you have that need constant use and development. Be sure you sign up to download my E-Book, "421 Modern Job Search Tips 2021!" You can find my career advice and work in media outlets such as Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Glassdoor, and many other outlets.