Ask Yourself These 3 Questions Before You Apply To Your Next Job

During the month of September, I had the opportunity to connect with several young professionals (from our Niche List subscribers to college students) and pass along valuable career advice that I have found myself consistently sharing over the last two years. Before I share a few pieces of this advice, I'd like to spend 60 seconds highlighting the last two years of this amazing journey. Side note: I mention two years, because today is a BIG DAY - it is the The Niche Movement's two year anniversary!

Not only are we celebrating our two year anniversary, but I recently left my full time job at Rutgers University and 8 year stint working in student affairs to pursue and build out the The Niche Movement and my digital storytelling business full time, while my wife and I move to the DC area later this month. I am so excited to see this passion project turn into a true community to help others find the work they love.

Here are a few highlights and wins:

• To date, we have 15 talented contributing editors sharing their journey since college and on-going career advice to help others navigate this thing we called the "real-world."
• This summer, we were featured on Buzzfeed, Money Under 30, Gen Twenty, and had several other press opportunities.
• After launching our Kickstarter campaign, we were overwhelmed by the 80+ contributors that helped us exceed our funding goal to write our first book The Niche Movement: New Rules to Finding the Career Path You Love. (anticipated release January 2015)
• We have delivered workshops and keynotes to schools and organizations all over including Steven's Tech, University of Illinois - American Disabilities Association, and The Jersey Alliance to name a few.
• I have personally worked with students from all over the United States and as far as the University of Calgary to the University of Puerto Rico.
• Back in February of this year, I delivered my first TEDx talk, Skip Your Career Fair, that has had more than 1,500 views.
• In later summer of 2014, we launched the Niche List, a curated weekly email of jobs and career advice for 20-somethings.

Now, onto the career advice and questions that everyone should be asking themselves.

The job search is a lonely process. If you think about it, 99% of the time you are by yourself, behind a screen (generally, late at night), scrolling through job postings, one after another. Then, when you do stumble upon a posting you love and qualified for, you spend more time and energy crafting a perfect cover letter, updating your resume and more often than not, filling out an applicant tracking system. The cycle goes on and on and when you immerse yourself back into society the next day and see your friends and family you get one of these questions "How is your job search going?" or "Did you find a job yet?".  This repetitive cycle will wear down the best of us and all of the sudden a really talented young professional will start to second guess their skills, potential and calling in life.

However, before you get to this point or before you hit send on your next job application, take a few steps back and ask yourself these three questions:

Tip: The more time and thought you put into these questions, the better your outcome. 

1. What are three things you would do for free?

I like to pose this question to everyone I start to work with both in one on one settings and during my speaking engagements. This is such a powerful question and requires a lot of thought, but once you start identifying a few things you love so much that you don't care about the money, you can start drilling down into specific work industries, companies, and jobs - instead of just casting a wide-net in your job search. I would also recommend that if you are so passionate about something and the job you desire isn't out there, then create it yourself. We are living in a world of limitless connection and unlimited resources at your finger tips that you can turn a passion project into a business in no time. Just note, it requires a ton of hustle, self-esteem, and perseverance.

2. What do people around you say you are really good at?

I love this question and believe that every college student should continually ask this question starting in their junior year. Any chance you have, ask your professors, supervisors, advisors, best friends, family, etc. "What do you think our my strengths?" or "What skill am I really good at?".

3. What is something you have done in the last 6-12 months that has made you feel invincible?

A student of mine shared this question with me during our 6 week Niche Discovery cohort we ran last spring and I have asked myself this question just about once a month since hearing it. It is from Scott Dinsmore's Live Your Legend site and it is so powerful. When you find something that makes you feel invincible, you will stop at nothing to achieve it. If you are applying for (or already working for) a job at a company or in an industry you are not passionate about, you are not going to have a "do whatever it takes" mentality.

No matter what stage of your career you are in, you should constantly self-evaluate by asking these questions. I'd love to hear your responses to any or all of these questions so comment below or shoot me an email at kevin@thenichemovement.com.

Day 30 - I Found My Niche

Have you ever worked on something that you become so passionate about that you can’t put it down? You know, the projects and pieces of “art” that don’t feel like work. After writing 29 blog posts over the last month, I can answer this question confidently saying “Yes - I know exactly how this feels.” During this entire journey, I looked forward to writing each post. All of the people I talked about are incredible and have taught me two major things:

1. Hustle and

2. take the risks to go all in.

As for learning to hustle… Writing has been fulfilling, but not easy. After a full days work, I used every last inch of my spare time writing. The comments and encouragement made the difference so don’t ever think your comment, no matter how small it may appear, didn’t matter- it did (and continues to matter). Writing each story about the people in my life that always went above and beyond in their work has inspired me during the most difficult days over the last month. If I learned anything from the people I’ve written about, it’s that if you want to achieve your most ambitious dreams you need to be willing to put in the work.
As for going all in… If you’ve been reading the posts in this series you’ve heard of mentors, friends, and family members that went all in to support me and believe in me. You’ve heard about the brave people I am lucky enough to call friends and family that went all in on their dreams. Writing their stories was exactly what I needed to summon the courage for what I am about to share with you. It’s time for me to go all in.
I want to dedicate my career to helping others find their niche, and here is how I plan to start.

#1 Launch a Kickstarter campaign to fund the first book dedicated to ending employment unhappiness

. The incredible stories I have shared over the last 30 days need to be shared with the world. I will take all of the posts that I have written and string them together by infusing advice from experts, new approaches to career exploration, and inspirational stories from others that have found their niche. The working title is The Niche Movement: The New Rules to Finding the Career You Love. Want to learn more?

Check out the campaign! It is live on Kickstarter until August 12th!

How you can help: While so many of you have helped so much just by supporting this blog series, I thank you in advance for any support you offer as I begin this exciting journey.

• If you feel moved to donate (and are financially able to do so), that is the best way to help.
• Equally as helpful, would be sharing the campaign with your network. To make this easy for, I created this page with four different ways to share including pre-made social media posts and other good links.
• Lastly, we are already working to be featured in a number of publications over the next 30 days, but if you have any contacts in the press/media please let me know how I can best reach out to them with this story.

#2 Help people identify career opportunities they are not finding through conventional career sites and job boards.

The Niche List will be an email subscription that people can join for FREE to receive a curated list of jobs in the startup community and with companies that have a great culture but are not on traditional job boards or recruiting at career fairs. I will also include career advice and identifying additional resources for those in the job search. If you or anyone you know is job searching, signup here.

How you can help: If you know someone job searching, send them the link!

#3 Launch a series of innovative career exploration events.

Starting this fall, I will be collaborating with a variety of organizations to host events and help people find their niche. The events will flip the career fair model, and help this generation find a job they love. Last week, we confirmed the date and location for the first event. We will be collaborating with the team of Bold: Get Noticed, Get Hired on September 17th at Venture for America in NYC. More details will follow in the next month, but this will be the first of several Niche Movement events and programs we hold.

How you can help: If you are interested in collaborating on an event or know an organization that might be a good fit for a sponsorship (we’ll be attracting recent grads and young professionals), you can connect them with me so that we can work together to help people find the career they love.

#4 Help organizations spread their message with high quality social media strategies, photo and video.

This one may seem like a weird fit as it doesn't mention career exploration in the title. However, I firmly believe that businesses, individuals, and organizations on a college campus, all have a message. That message is amplified when you match high quality video/photo/creative with a well crafted social media strategy. If people are going to find the jobs they love, then organizations will need to tell their story to attract those individuals. I want to use my talents in this area to help people and organizations craft and amplify their message to the world.

How you can help: If you know a business, individual or organization that could benefit from high quality video, photo, or social media content matched with strategies to build a sustainable social media presence please connect them with me. Do you believe we can rewrite the path to employment happiness for this generation? If so, join me in creating the first of many potential solutions for young people to find the work they love. https://bitly.com/nichekick

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I truly want to thank all of you who have rallied around this. I met every word and I can’t believe where this journey has continued to take me.

I have to give a huge shoutout to Camille Sennett, a Rutgers alum, that now works at West Virginia University. Camille is an amazing young professional who is not only a Niche Movement contributor, but the backbone of this Kickstarter campaign. In less than 4 weeks, Camille took on a marketing and press plan that will hopefully lead this to successful campaign. If you’re looking for a go-getter who is self motivated and creative writer then please connect with her.

Second, I can’t leave out my wonderful wife Courtney. She was there every single morning and night as I wrote. She was my proofreader, my soundboard, and the fuel to my fire. Thank you.

Silencing the Negativity to Unleash Greatness

Imagine what we would all accomplish if we didn’t listen to the negative voices in our head. You know, that part of the brain that feels like the guy looking in from the outside and just spouting off negative commentary like “you can’t do it”, “you’ll never be good enough”, or “you’re bad at that.” For me, my subconscious gets the best of me. I grew up thinking I was shy, letting my parents tell people I was shy, letting everyone believe it (including me) mainly because I had that little voice telling me I was just a shy kid. I used the word shy as a crutch to mask the voices in my head telling me that what I have to say or share “isn’t good enough”, “it won’t resonate with the people around you” or “people are going to judge you.” I have had these experiences all too often in both my childhood and adult life.

Until now.

Since September 2013, I wanted to share a 30 day blogging series of how I found my niche. However, between my subconscious holding me back from sharing some of my most personal experiences, mixed with a touch of procrastination and hectic schedule, I kept putting it off. Whether you have been following along or not, from January 2013 thru May 2014, I have accomplished a lot of great things with The Niche Movement that I am proud of including:

- building a contributing editor base and community of movers and shakers,

- hosting several #NicheStory interviews,

- providing workshops and keynotes for schools like Steven’s Tech, University of Illinois and not to mention a TEDx talk this past winter,

-  growing a tribe that has reached 1,500 unique views per month to The Niche Movement website.

There was something still missing and my subconscious was holding me back. Over this entire 18 month journey questions like “am I good enough?” or “will people care what I have to say?” all too frequently popped into my head.

Today, July 8th 2014, I can say those questions can be put to rest.

How did I get here though? It wasn’t some magical pill or quick fix. It started with a conversation with my good friend Stacy Rinaldi Campesii. Stacy and I worked together at Centenary College where I also attended graduate school in 2006-2008. Stacy also works in students affairs but the one thing we have in common is our passion for leadership.

When I met Stacy, she had recently been hired as the Coordinator of First Year Programs and led a group of first year student instructors at Centenary College. She was a great mentor to her students, and created processes and programs that were innovative and engaging. However, her role at Centenary was only a stepping stone that led to a greater vision that I have been so fortunate to see unfold.

Since she left her job at Centenary in 2009, her and her husband Chris took new jobs and moved outside of Washington, DC. She has held two different jobs in education, but there was still something missing. This past fall, Stacy decided to push her comfort zone and start taking classes to receive a certification and become a professional life coach.

Courtney and I have visited with Stacy and Chris quite a few times over the last year, but the trip we had to DC over Memorial Day weekend is where Stacy unleashed her new knowledge of being a life coach and put her passion for leadership to the test.

The subject: me.

Over dinner at their house, we started with our usual small talk, sharing recent stories about our dogs and quickly moving onto the unfulfilling stories of both of our jobs. Sure enough The Niche Movement came up and I politely shared some modest updates, but was still not super excited to be talking about it. That’s when Stacy’s life coach hat was put on and started asking some powerful questions.

See before this conversation, I always had a limited view of my work with The Niche Movement that if I took this “full time” I wouldn’t succeed or I would not be able to make a living from it. Since I was a junior in college, in Professor Singh’s class, I would always tell myself I wanted to be an entrepreneur. But, I never believed I had it in me to actually do it.

Through Stacy’s questions and advice, we started to identify my vision and what I value. Stacy helped me start to recognize that I need to be in an environment where I can carry out my own vision. I also started to realize that a lot of my values like being flexible, honest, hard working, genuine, authentic, autonomy, leadership, and loyal didn’t match up to my current environments. Too often than not, I didn’t believe in myself or stick up for my vision. I also realized that I was making a lot of assumptions in life. Those voices in my head would comment on an interaction with a friend or colleague and always make me think the worst of the situation. I can’t tell you how great it feels to not let those assumptions control me anymore.

I left that conversation with a refreshed look on life and The Niche Movement. I had motivation and drive like I have never had before. I decided that now more than ever is the best time to start writing everyday and put myself out there. Throughout my life, especially the last 8-10 years, I’ve had so many great people around me that I needed to thank and share how they influenced me.

Stacy, is by far one of the biggest catalyst for every post that I have published since June 5th. Since our talk in May, she has continued to encourage me and help lay out a very detailed plan for me to be able to listen to my own advice and achieve my own happiness. Stacy has helped quiet my subconscious to the point where I now feel invincible. Prior to this, there has only been a handful of times in my professional and personal life where I have felt this way. With her help, I felt like this since May 24th and I don’t see it going away anytime soon.

Tomorrow, you will read my 30th blog post that will reveal how I found my niche and how I am going to achieve my own happiness.

What they taught me:

Stacy has taught me how to silence the negative voices and comments I was creating in my own subconscious. By teaching me how to cope with this she has unlocked great potential I never knew I had. Stacy has also taught me that it’s ok to talk it out. We have this culture that makes you feel shameful for talking things out with someone. Particularly, men are told to keep their mouths shut and keep it in. My experience with Stacy has taught me that it is much better to let things out.

How they inspired me:

I always knew Stacy was a rockstar, but it wasn’t until she found her passion in coaching that I got to see her true potential. Not only is she teaching me how to better handle my negative assumptions, but she is inspiring me by showing me what happens when you match your skills with the right career.

#NicheTip:

I’ve said it plenty of times, the whole career development process from job searching to dealing with colleagues to getting the next promotion, it is not easy. We often go at it alone, and when we are alone we are more prone to the negative thoughts creeping in telling us we’re not good enough. If you want to live the life you love in the career you love, you need to be open to getting help. Whether it’s getting help on a project or finding a helpful listener, seeking help is not just ok it’s recommended.

Day 22 - Activators vs. Cheerleaders: How to Find the Action Oriented Supporters in Your Network

In the first few months when I started The Niche Movement in January 2013, I had a growing number of supporters and advocates that initiated some early outreach. One advocate that really stands out and still supports my vision to this day is Katie Bean. I met Katie in 2006-07 when I started visiting Courtney in graduate school at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. They were both in the same student affairs program and became really close friends.

Upon earning her masters degree, Katie moved to Washington, DC in 2008 where she worked as the Assistant Director of Alcohol and Drug Education for three years. Katie is one of those people who has huge heart and believes in what she does in her job. She has a vision where every college student is properly educated and supported to make healthy lifestyle choices thus leading to a healthier and safer campus.

In 2011, Katie found a new opportunity and moved back to her hometown of Philadelphia where she took a job as the Assistant Director of Student Outreach at St. Joseph's University. In this role, she provides wellness, alcohol, and drug education, support, and programming. Part of her job at St. Joe’s is to lead a group of peer educators that are advocates for responsible lifestyles and link the campus to her office. Katie’s leadership philosophy, both with her programming and advising her students, is to empower people to make choices that benefit them. I love her leadership style because anyone that works with college students knows you can’t force a college student to do something, but you can educate and guide them to make healthy choices that lead to a happier life.

Katie was someone that didn’t just talk about change, she created it. That’s why her mantra is “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” The emphasis is on ‘be’ because she is an action oriented person. I didn’t realized it at the time, but I learned that this trait would benefit the Niche Movement tremendously. After telling her about my ideas it was only a matter of time before I saw something different than many of my other conversations with supporters...I saw her take action.

When I launched The Niche Movement’s first online cohort for college students to help them find their niche, Katie Bean was one of the first colleagues to share it with her network. Not only did she promote it, but she encouraged a few of her peer educators that were juniors and seniors who were looking for some direction upon graduation to apply to this program. I can’t thank her enough for her belief in one of my first initiatives. Because of Katie’s support, four students from St. Joe’s were accepted into The Niche Movement’s program. One of her students, Nikki Uy, has an incredible story that I will share later this week.

You will have friends along the way that will listen to your ideas, share their support with you and those all great people to have around you. However, activators like Katie are game changers. She took the conversation a step further by sharing it with her students and supporting their involvement in the cohort. That kind of action-oriented support is invaluable.

Just like many of the people I have talked about, Katie has been there for Courtney and I. She played an amazing role as one of Courtney’s bridesmaids, she has helped us connect with several other colleagues in the field, and has always been there to offer positive life advice. It is great to see her genuine personality shine through in both her professional and personal world.

What They Taught Me:

Everytime I talk to Katie she shares amazing stories of how she empowered one of her students or helped a struggling student on campus better themselves. She has taught me to never give up on a student and to find an outlet where they can be empowered.

How They Inspired Me:

Having Katie as one of the first advocates of The Niche Movement has really met a lot to me and establish a name for my passion project outside of New Jersey. Her encouragement and belief, along with many others, helps me recognize that I bring value to this subject of post-graduate life.

#Nichtip:

When you are finding your niche, there will be those that are cheerleaders and those that will be activators. The activators go beyond the cheers of support and they take action in ways that will amplify your message and help you reach your goals. Katie was an activator for me. I have lots of cheerleaders, but it is the activators that continue to help make this ‘dream’ a reality. Be an activator for someone else. There are many times throughout my story where I have done that for others, and I believe that is why I have been fortunate enough to see that kindness and dedication come back to me. If you have activators around you, thank them. They are critical to your success.

Day 16 - People Come Into Your Life for a Reason

“There will always be a reason why you meet people. Either you need them to change your life or you’re the one who will change theirs.” - Madeline Sheehan

 

On December 30th, 2008 on top of a lighthouse in Harbour Town - Hilton Head, SC right around sunset, my life changed: I proposed to my girlfriend of five years, Courtney Stone. I spent the two months leading up to the proposal planning it all out - from asking her parent’s permission to ordering the perfect ring to planning a spur of the moment trip to South Carolina. From that moment on after I popped the big question our relationship became that much better. Courtney and I came together to celebrate with friends and family over the next month and then the real fun began: start planning a wedding. Now for most guys, this seems like a daunting task that they want nothing to do with. Of course, things like wedding registry and the late nights putting together menus and seating charts were a bit painstaking to say the least.

Little did I know that apart from the menu tasting at our venue, meeting our photographers Chris and Suzanne LoBue of CLB Photography would be the highlight of the wedding planning festivities (oh yeah, and of course marrying Courtney was fun too!).

I still remember the first time we met Chris and Suzanne in April 2008 at their studio in the basement of their home in Red Bank, NJ. Talk about a start-up (in a good way). When we arrived for our initial appointment, we were pretty much greeted by their two young, beautiful daughters Sophia and Abby. Chris and Suzanne had it down to a science and organized babysitters every time they had an appointment so they would not be distracted from their clients. Somehow they always made it work.

Courtney and I loved the personal touch and were blown away by their studio converted basement. Immediately, Chris and Suzanne connected with us before even showing us any pictures, discussing prices, or talking logistics. It felt like we knew them for years and they genuinely wanted to know about us so they could put together the best creative behind their shots and make sure it was a fit even if we weren’t going to hire them.

Long story short, we did hire them because we loved their dynamic, our comfort level with them, and their picture style really did speak for themselves.

So how does all of this fit into the “How I Found My Niche” series? For starters, CLB Photography has come a long way since 2008 while still keeping their personal touch. They have moved their studio twice and are now settled into the heart of Red Bank, NJ where they have a storefront, full-time staff and a large studio upstairs. They still focus on wedding photography but have added boudoir shoots and B2B photography as well.

How do we know all this? Because Chris and Suzanne were not only our photographers the day of our engagement shoot and wedding - they became part of our circle. Both of them are great at connecting with a variety of personalities but most of all, they are creative and take risks, just like Courtney and I.

Since our wedding in May 2010, the story with them continued on:

1. In August of 2012, I was putting together an in-depth digital media training for my new student marketing team at Rutgers University.  When I needed a photographer to conduct a training that would relevant and especially engaging, who did I call? Chris LoBue.

He not only was full of energy and kept ten college students engaged for three hours at the end of summer, he put photography on a level playing field. Whether my students were experienced or have never held a DLSR camera before, Chris kept things simple, while giving of us some of the best advice: “Do whatever it takes to get the shot.” This philosophy has stuck with us helping us capture some of best moments in our department over the last two years. All because of his valuable, down to earth training.

2. When I started the Niche Movement in January 2013, I was racking my brain of people in the tri-state area that found their niche and had a great story. Sure enough it hit me: CLB Photography. When I reached out to Chris and Suzanne, they openly invited me to their studio to let me interview them (part 1 featured below). After hearing more of their story, I really got to know them on a greater level and appreciated how far they had come. They had a vision, took risks, and grew their business all while living out their passion every day.

Prior to CLB Photography, both Chris and Suzanne were on different paths with typical 9-5 jobs that didn’t fuel their creative-side. Sure, for a while they talked about their dreams, then started working on it on the side, and finally they took a leap of faith and have never looked back. That leap of faith has paid off as they have been featured in every wedding magazine in the tri-state area, appeared on Good Morning America, and have worked with many fortune 500 companies.

What they taught me:

As I built our digital marketing team at Rutgers, Chris played a major role in my knowledge and creative ability with a camera. To this day, I try and put myself in the same mindset that Chris and Suzanne use when they are on a shoot. As it relates to finding your niche and entrepreneurship they have taught me to trust your gut. Going out on their own requires a lot of risk, but if you have a passion, strong work ethic, and vision, you can really make a name for yourself.

How they inspired me:

As I reflect over the last few years since I met Chris and Suzanne, they have definitely inspired my creative side and confidence to capture the moment. Whether it is photography or videography, when you are behind the camera, you are in charge and hold the vision on how to capture the moment. Both in my personal and professional life they have taught me to take risks and not deviate from what you value at work.

#NicheTip:

Sometimes we put our relationships in boxes. I could have easily placed the LoBues in the 'personal relationship' or 'wedding planning' box, paid for our photos and moved on. However, when I meet someone that talented and passionate about their work I am always thinking about how I can connect them with my students or how I can build upon that relationship because I know I will learn a lot from them. Look at those in your life that have found their niche, and figure out new and different ways you can continue to build the relationship and learn from them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9kEf-MkN24