Find Your Dream Job: Insider Tips for Finding Work, Advancing your Career, and Loving Your Job

You don’t need to live in Los Angeles or have a hit song to have a successful career in music.  Across the country, tens of thousands of people make good livings as musicians and singers, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.  And the federal government predicts the number of such jobs will go up in the years ahead.

The pay can be good, too. The average wage for musicians was almost $50,000 a year in 2015.

This week on Find Your Dream Job, we explore how you can build a great career in the music industry. Our guest, Mark Powers, is a professional drummer who knows all about how to make a living in music. Mark shares his experience building a career as a performer, writer, and music educator. His advice to aspiring artists: create your own opportunities through diversification and building good relationships.

In this 29-minute episode you will learn:

• Why diversification is the key to success in a music career
• The importance of ROCK: Repetition, Opportunity, Commitment, and Karma
• Why music royalties are a small (but important) part of the income model for musicians
• Why you should put yourself in situations where you are the “weak link”
• How to build an online presence as a musician

This week’s guest:

Mark Powers (@MarkPowers | LinkedIn)Percussion Artist and EducatorAuthor, I Want to a DrummerOwner, PowersPercussion.com and DrumItInAMinute.comPortland, Ore.

Percussion artist and educator Mark Powers has shared the stage with everyone from Cheap Trick’s Rick Nielsen, Devon Evans (of Bob Marley and the Wailers), and the Rolling Stones saxophonist Tim Ries. Mark now offers video drum lessons on his educational website, DrumItInAMinute.com. He is the author of several percussion textbooks and a past contributor to Modern Drummer Magazine.Fun fact: Mark is a former co-holder of the Guinness World Record for Longest Drum Roll by a Group.

Listener question of the week:

• I love music - but I’m not musically talented.  What sort of jobs are out there in the musical field for me?

Do you have a question you’d like us to answer on a future episode? Please send your questions to Jenna Forstrom, Mac’s List Community Manager at [email protected].

Resources referenced on this week’s show:

• The Top Jobs In 10 Years Might Not Be What You Expect | FastCompany
• DrumItInAMinute.com
• PowersPercussion.com
• Mbrascatu
• I Want to Be a Drummer
• The Weekend Resume Makeover Course | JobJenny.com

If you have a job-hunting or career development resource resource you’d like to share, please contact Ben Forstag, Mac’s List Managing Director at [email protected].

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Thank you for listening to Find Your Dream Job. If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support!

Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com.

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Have you ever thought about putting everything you own into a moving van and taking a new job in a new city?

The typical American moves 11.7 times in a lifetime. From across town to across the country, you’ll face common challenges with job hunting and settling in a new city.

This week on Find Your Dream Job, we talk about how to kickstart your career in a new city. Our guest is Terry St. Marie, who knows all about starting over. In the midst of a successful business career, Terry made the big jump from the the East Coast to the West Coast in 2011.  He’ll share his best tips for building rebuilding a career--and a professional network--from scratch.

In this 41-minute episode you will learn:

• How to create a community after you move to a new place
• How to research new locations and opportunities to determine where you should move
• Networking tips for out-of-staters, from LinkedIn to email
• Why shared connections - from sports teams to donut preferences - can help build connections and strengthen relationships
• How a city’s culture affects the way you network
• How making an effort and putting yourself out there will help you secure an informational interview

This week’s guest:

Terry “Starbucker” St. Marie (Twitter | LinkedIn)

Co-Founder, BuiltOregon.com

Portland, Ore.

Terry “Starbucker” St. Marie is a writer, consultant, entrepreneur and startup investor living in Portland, Oregon. Before moving to the Rose City in 2010, he had a successful 23 year tenure as an executive in the cable television industry.  Terry has extensive experience in business operations, customer care, strategy and financial management. For the past 10 years he has also published a popular blog featuring his “More Human” leadership philosophy, TerryStarbucker.com, and was recently cited by Inc. Magazine as one of the “Top 100 Leadership and Management Experts”. He’s also the co-founder and publisher of the online media company focused on Oregon entrepreneurs, BuiltOregon.com, which launched in December 2014. Terry is also an investor in the Oregon Angel Fund, and is on the boards of the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network, and Social Venture Partners Portland.

Listener question of the week:

• I’m moving to a new city for a job.  Any tips on how to make sure my professional life doesn’t completely take over my personal life?

If you have a question you’d like us to answer on a future episode, please contact Jenna Forstrom, Mac’s List Community Manager at [email protected].

Resources from this week’s show:

• Weekend Resume Kit
• TerryStarbucker.com
• BuiltOregon.com
• Bushwackers
• GlassDoor's Best Cities for Jobs

If you have a job-hunting or career development resource you’d like to share, please contact Ben Forstag, Mac’s List Managing Director at [email protected].

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Thank you for listening to Find Your Dream Job. If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support!

Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com.

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You’ve survived years of schooling, finals, group projects and finally have a hard-earned degree in your hands.  You’re still looking for full-time work and your career route is an open road in front of you.  While catching your breath, you get this question, “What are you going to do with your life?”  It’s an overwhelming question for mid-career professionals.

So how do you answer that question just a few weeks after graduation?

Satya Byock, founder of Quarter-Life Consulting has three tips for you to thrive during your transition from college to career.

If you’re looking for more advice on how to network, check out our book, Land Your Dream Job In Portland and Beyond. You’ll find everything you need to get a great job whether you’re in Portland Oregon, Portland Maine, or anywhere in-between. For more information on Land Your Dream Job In Portland and Beyond, visit macslist.org/book.

Thank you for listening to Find Your Dream Job. If you like this shoe, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support!

Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com.

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Google the words “cover letter” and you will find lots of opinions on the best tactics: which format to use, the right salutations, and to whom you should address your letter.

Our guest expert this week, Susan Rich, author of How to Write a Kick-Butt Resume Cover Letter, says people are missing the most important point of all: an employer has a problem that needs to be solved.  The applicant who shows she or he can solve problem has a huge advantage. Susan shares her advice how to focus your thoughts into to key talking points that address the employer’s needs. A dynamite headline and a powerfully structured cover letter showcases your skills in a way that is uniquely appealing to employers looking for help.

In this 26-minute episode you will learn:

• How to frame job seeking as a business transaction
• Why being a problem solver is the key to your job search
• How to organize your thoughts to focus in on your key points for a cover letter
• The elements of a strong cover letter headline
• How to structure a cover letter that actually gets read

This week’s guest:

Susan Rich (Twitter | LinkedIn)

Author, How to Write a Kick-Butt Resume Cover Letter

Portland, Ore.

Susan Rich deliver results, not promises. People call her an idea refinery, always creating a new way forward. She is widely recognized for her strategic business and marketing savvy, her internal & external communications strategies. She is an expert speaker and trainer, and professional journalist with more than one million words in print.

Listener question of the week:

• “With email as the primary form of application these days, how formal do cover letters need now?  Do I still need to include the employer’s address?” - Beckie

If you have a question you’d like us to answer on a future episode, please contact Jenna Forstrom, Mac’s List Community Manager at [email protected].

Resources from this week’s show:

• Weekend Resume Kit
• The Muse's 185 Powerful Verbs That Will Make Your Resume Awesome
• RichWriting.com

If you have a job-hunting or career development resource you’d like to share, please contact Ben Forstag, Mac’s List Managing Director at [email protected].

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Thank you for listening to Find Your Dream Job. If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support! Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com.

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Find Your Dream Job, we’re talking about negotiation, a vital skill, especially at work. Maybe you’re considering a job offer. Perhaps  you’re about to ask for a raise. Or you’re chasing a  promotion. Whatever your ask, it will require negotiating.

Many people treat negotiations as a win-or-lose situation for the parties involved. If you get what what you want, it’s at someone else’s expense.

It doesn’t have to be this way.  We speak with Jeff Weiss, author of the Harvard Business Review’s “Guide to Negotiating.” Jeff will share his tips for how you can move from a game of concessions and compromises.   He’ll also talk about how to use collaboration and creativity so that you get better results and good working relationships with others.

In this 32-minute episode you will learn:

• The three negotiating mistakes most people make
• The questions you should ask when you’re told “no”
• The importance of understanding “why” you want a raise
• How to find creative solutions and compromises in your negotiations
• Why systematic preparation is key to great negotiating - from asking for a raise to managing contractors.

This week’s guest:

Jeff Weiss (Twitter | LinkedIn)

Author, Harvard Business Review’s Guide to Negotiating

Cambridge, Mass.

Jeff Weiss is a founding partner of Vantage Partners, a Boston-based consulting firm that works with Fortune 500 companies on improving how they negotiate.  Jeff has published extensively on negotiation is the author of the “Harvard Business Review Guide to Negotiating”.  He is also a member of the faculty of the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. In July 2016, Jeff will become the ninth president of Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Listener question of the week:

• “When should you bring up salary when interviewing?” - Ben

If you have a question you’d like us to answer on a future episode, please contact Jenna Forstrom, Mac’s List Community Manager at [email protected].

Resources from this week’s show:

• Weekend Resume Kit
• Harvard Business Review’s Guide to Negotiating
• Vantage Partners
• IWillTeachYouToBeRich.com
• Glassdoor.com

If you have a job-hunting or career development resource you’d like to share, please contact Ben Forstag, Mac’s List Managing Director at [email protected].

—

Thank you for listening to Find Your Dream Job. If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support!

Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com.

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Networking and coffee often go hand-in-hand; inviting a professional contact out for coffee is one of the easiest ways to score an informational interview or stay in touch with your network.

Chances are, before anyone accepts your coffee invite they are going to check out you out on social media. So it is vital that your social media profiles are a true reflection of who you are as a professional.

On this bonus episode of Find Your Dream Job, Joshua Waldman, author of Job Searching with Social Media for Dummies and founder of Career Enlightenment, shares his advice on how to keep your online presence and profiles up-to-date and professional during your job search.

His top tips? On top of having a stellar LinkedIn profile, consider giving your new contact more information about yourself with a simple About.me website.

If you’re looking for more advice on how to network, check out our book, Land Your Dream Job In Portland and Beyond. You’ll find everything you need to get a great job whether you’re in Portland Oregon, Portland Maine, or anywhere in-between. For more information on Land Your Dream Job In Portland and Beyond, visit macslist.org/book.

Thank you for listening to Find Your Dream Job. If you like this shoe, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support!

Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ever think about quitting your job? A vast majority of people do. One survey cited by CBS News found that 84% of Americans want to switch employers. Yet most of us show up for work every Monday even when we want to be somewhere else.

There are many reasons we don’t quit our job--even jobs that make us unhappy. Top concerns people cite include: family, money and opportunity.   But what if you walked out of your office today without lining up your next job? Does that sound crazy?

This week on Find Your Dream Job, we speak to author Tess Vigeland, who makes a case for why you should quit your job now - even if you don’t have a “Plan B.”

In this 34-minute episode you will learn:

• Why leaving a dream job might be the best move you can possibly make
• How to know when it’s time to quit your job
• How to review, understand, and present your employable skills
• How to discover who you are outside of your traditional career role

This week’s guest:

Tess Vigeland (Twitter | LinkedIn)

Author, Leap: Leaving a Job with No Plan B to Find the Career and Life You Really Want

SE Asia

Listener question of the week:

• “How does one brand themselves in the midst of a career / industry transition?” - Chris

Be sure to leave a comment on our Facebook page to be entered to win a special prize!  If you have a question you’d like us to answer on a future episode, please contact Jenna Forstrom, Mac’s List Community Manager at [email protected].

Resources from this week’s show:

• Weekend Resume Kit
• Bureau of Labor Statistics Career Outlook
• Leap: Leaving a Job with No Plan B to Find the Career and Life You Really Want
• TessUntethered.com

If you have a job-hunting or career development resource you’d like to share, please contact Ben Forstag, Mac’s List Managing Director at [email protected].

—

Thank you for listening to Find Your Dream Job. If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support!

Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s graduation season and a time to celebrate the great accomplishments of our graduating high school students. It’s also a time for those students to make some big decisions about their future. Should they continue their education? Enter the workforce? Take a gap year? Or perhaps sign-up for service?

“What to do next” is  a big question and one that can causes teenagers and parents a lot of stress. It’s also choice on many people’s minds as graduation season nears.

This week on Find Your Dream Job podcast, we talk about how to help teens choose what to do after high school so that they build a solid foundation for their career. Our guest is Dearbhla Kelly, author of Career Coach, a book to help parents and teens with career planning for young people.

In this 31-minute episode you will learn:

• How influential parents are on career choice for teens
• Why parents need to guide (not lead) teens when it comes to career management skills
• How open ended questions can help teens make good career choices
• The importance of informational interviews, job shadowing, volunteering, and career day opportunities

This week’s guest:

Dearbhla Kelly (Twitter | LinkedIn)Career CoachAuthor, Career CoachDublin, Ireland

Listener question of the week:

• “How do you stay challenged in your job while helping others?” - Cheryl Curry

Don’t forget to leave your question (or comment) on Mac’s List Facebook page!  If you have a question you’d like us to answer on a future episode, please contact Jenna Forstrom, Mac’s List Community Manager at [email protected].

Resources from this week’s show:

• Career Coach
• The Weekend Resume Makeover online course
• Good.co Mobile App 
• SkillShare
• Luminosity
• Strength Finders 2.0
• DearbhlaKelly.com

If you have a job-hunting or career development resource you’d like to share, please contact Ben Forstag, Mac’s List Managing Director at [email protected].

—

Thank you for listening to Find Your Dream Job. If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support!

Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When it comes to interviews, your wardrobe matters.

You want to pick the perfect outfit for your interview--one that is professional, but which also honors the existing office culture that you hope to join. Doing so creates a good first impression with the hiring manager and signals that you might be a good fit for the organization. 

On this bonus episode of Find Your Dream Job, Cecilia Bianco, former community manager at Mac's List, shares her advice on picking the right interview outfit. Learn the do's and don'ts of professional attire, as well as tips for customizing your outfit to accomodate the organization's internal culture.

If you're looking for more advice on how to ace your interview, check out our book, Land Your Dream Job In Portland and Beyond. You'll find everything you need to get a great job whether you're in Portland Oregon, Portland Maine, or anywhere in-between. For more information on Land Your Dream Job In Portland and Beyond, visit macslist.org/book.

Thank you for listening to Find Your Dream Job. If you like this shoe, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support!

Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Are you happy at your job? Unfortunately, most people aren’t. According to Gallup, unhappy employees outnumber happy ones, two to one.

There are many reasons people end up with jobs they don’t like. Some workers take the first job offered in order to pay bills. Others stick with an employer because they aren’t clear what they want to do next. And some worry if they say no to a job offer another one won’t come.

What would it take for you to be happy in your career? This week on Find Your Dream Job we explore this issue with career expert Hallie Crawford. Hallie shares strategies for finding your professional calling and tips for taking control of your career.

In this 26-minute episode you will learn:

• Career fulfillment: what it means and how you can achieve it
• Tools you can use to pick a career you’ll love
• How fulfillment plays a key role in your professional career
• Why you should listen to your gut when making career decisions
• How a career contrast list can help you focus on your career path
• The eight elements of the ideal career model to identify your career values

This week’s guest:

Hallie Crawford (@halliecrawford | LinkedIn)Certified Career Coach and Job Search ExpertFounder, Create Your Career PathAtlanta, GA

Listener question of the week:

• What is the difference between a resume and a CV?  Which one is appropriate to use when job hunting?

If you have a question you’d like us to answer on a future episode, please contact Jenna Forstrom, Mac’s List Community Manager at [email protected].

Resources from this week’s show:

• Unhappy Employees Outnumber Happy Ones By Two to One Worldwide
• Jenny Foss’ Weekend Resume Makeover
• Create Your Career Path
• Hallie Crawford’s Blog
• Dream Job Coaching
• Land Your Dream Job in Portland (and Beyond)

If you have a job-hunting or career development resource you’d like to share, please contact Ben Forstag, Mac’s List Managing Director at [email protected].

Thank you for listening to Find Your Dream Job. If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support!

Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.