Interested in Private Equity?

Don't miss my convo with Brian Ramsay, President at private equity firm Littlejohn and Company.  Brian talks about the skillset needed to succeed in private equity and how that set of skills evolves as you progress.  But the best part of this episode might be Brian's advice on networking.  It centers around something he learned in an economics class during his first year of college. This could be the key that unlocks the most powerful connections in your life.  Check it out!

If you're interested in learning more about the research behind the power of weak ties, here are some articles:   
Why your 'weak tie' friendships may mean more than you think (BBC)
The Strength of Weak Ties (Stanford)
Weak ties matter (Techcrunch) 
Why Every Employee Should be Building Weak Ties at Work

Recent book Brian enjoyed:
The Midnight Library, Addie LaRue

LAUNCH Career Strategies was founded by Karen Elders and Elyse Spalding. We help young professionals launch a successful career path with expert coaching services.  Reach out today for an initial FREE coaching session.
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This week's Top of the Pile is a fast facts episode where I'm giving you all of the most important tips and tricks to crank up your networking!  Shoot us a note if there's something that didn't get covered or you just have more questions about your career search process! Go to launchcareerstrategies.com and CONTACT US today!

SUBSCRIBE to Top of the Pile so you don't miss an episode!

LAUNCH Career Strategies was founded by Karen Elders and Elyse Spalding. We help young professionals launch a successful career path with expert coaching services.  Reach out today for an initial FREE coaching session.
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Just get your first move down. 

My guest Jane Holt has a front-row seat to the struggles - and the successes - that undergrads and new grads go through as they figure out their career path.  As former Director of Northwestern University's Waldron Student-Alumni Connections Program, Jane has seen first hand what employers are looking for and the important skills needed to succeed in this job market. Listen in for some real advice and inspiration - especially if you're still figuring things out.

And find out what the "airport test" is..... 😉

Hosted by Karen Elders of Launch Career Strategies

LAUNCH Career Strategies was founded by Karen Elders and Elyse Spalding. We help young professionals launch a successful career path with expert coaching services.  Reach out today for an initial FREE coaching session.
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Interested in Digital Media or Advertising?

Check out my conversation with James Saho, Senior Account Manager at Pandora, a leading music streaming service.

Hear how James' networking success came from a very unexpected place and led to internships at SiriusXM and the Howard Stern Show.  Ultimately, James landed himself at Pandora - this time through a part-time gig.  It's all very exciting to hear!

Extra Career Search Tips:
Know the acronyms of the industry you’re interviewing with. Google is your friend when you’re preparing for an interview. You don’t have to know exactly what they all mean but being familiar and letting your interviewer see that you’ve done your homework may be the difference in making it to the next round.

Find "experience patterns” - look at career paths on LinkedIn of people who have been successful in the industries, companies, and/or roles that you aspire to……maybe even just see where they've interned to get ideas for your own internship. 

As promised in this episode, a few things to follow up and share:
Learn about top Amazon author McGarvey Black and how she followed her passion for writing. 

Full Sail University - Degrees in entertainment, media, arts and tech.

Interesting stat regarding Volunteer Time Off (VTO) or Employer-Sponsored Volunteerism (ESV) – According to a 2019 study, 26% of companies offer paid time off for volunteering.

LAUNCH Career Strategies was founded by Karen Elders and Elyse Spalding. We help young professionals launch a successful career path with expert coaching services.  Reach out today for an initial FREE coaching session.
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Looking for a career path in a high growth area? 

Check out my conversation with Ned Horneffer, VP, Strategic Partnerships at PositivEnergy, a dedicated clean energy asset marketplace.

Whether you're interested in finance and investment, research, operations, sales, or engineering, learn how young professionals are launching successful careers in the booming renewable energy/cleantech space.  Hear how Ned carved his path and the advice he gives for those considering this growing sector.

Relevant links from our conversation:
Ned's undergrad alma mater St. Andrew's, Scotland

The Mongol Rally All you ADVENTURE SEEKING people out there - Check out the amazing bio-fuel road race across Mongolia that Ned did a few years ago!

Ned is currently VP, Strategic Partnerships at PositivEnergy

Check out Young Professionals in Energy
Young Professionals in Energy (YPE) is a non-profit organization, a forum for networking and career development. YPE aims to facilitate the advancement of young professionals in the global energy industry.

A few interesting startups Ned mentions:
Dandelion
Sealed Home

Renewable Energy Industry Terms:
What is ESG?  Environmental Social and Governance investment
Forbes Article on ESG
What is EPC Engineering, Procurement and Construction

LAUNCH Career Strategies was founded by Karen Elders and Elyse Spalding. We help young professionals launch a successful career path with expert coaching services.  Reach out today for an initial FREE coaching session.
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Thinking about a career in finance?

This week you'll hear how a liberal arts undergrad degree nurtured curiosity and an analytical mind. 

Get some amazing insights from this week's guest Jennifer Foster, Co-Chief Investment Officer at global investment management firm Chilton Investments.  Jennifer credits her liberal arts undergrad degree with her ability to think analytically.  This along with her natural curiosity to learn has supported Jennifer in her 23 years of success on Wall Street. 

A few top tips and links to share:

Be well-read = be interesting in interviews
A few great book recommendations from Jennifer:

Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the creator of Nike, Phil Knight

The Lemonade Stand: What every entrepreneur should know to succeed in starting and running any business

A good bio on Warren Buffet, here are a few suggestions:
Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist, by Roger Lowenstein
The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life, by Alice Schroeder

Dip your toe in an area that might be of interest. Accounting is a great class to check out for a career in finance.  A few online options:
Coursera: Accounting Fundamentals courses

For young women, if you're looking for a support or mentoring group, this seems worthy to check out:
Financial Alliance for Women

Need help figuring out your career path? or with your resume, LinkedIn or interview skills? Connect with Launch Career Strategies today!

LAUNCH Career Strategies was founded by Karen Elders and Elyse Spalding. We help young professionals launch a successful career path with expert coaching services.  Reach out today for an initial FREE coaching session.
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Thinking about Digital Media Sales?

Check out my conversation with Bailey Spalding, Account Executive on the Pandora sales team.  Hear about Bailey's path from college intern to entry level sales planner to successful seller.

A few links related to this episode:

Check out these great notebooks and make taking notes at work a lot more fun and interesting. 

Check out these notebooks to put a little style into your note taking….
 
Want a little attitude in your notebook? Funny and awkward notebooks…

Best Notebooks of 2021 according to New York magazine’s The Strategist

In case you don't subscribe, check out Pandora here: Pandora 

Courses to up your Excel and Powerpoint skills:

Excel online course

Advanced Excel course

Powerpoint online course

LAUNCH Career Strategies was founded by Karen Elders and Elyse Spalding. We help young professionals launch a successful career path with expert coaching services.  Reach out today for an initial FREE coaching session.
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In the amount of time it takes to watch an episode of
FRIENDS or THE OFFICE,
get the financial advice that every young professional needs to hear.

This week's guest Jacquette Timmons has been featured on SiriusXM, "Good Morning America," Oprah.com, CNN, HLN, FOX, Black Enterprise, NPR, Reuters.com, and The Wall Street Journal.

Jacquette is a financial behaviorist, author, podcast host, and the President/CEO of Sterling Investment Management. When she's not providing behavioral-based financial coaching, she's traveling the country for speaking engagements on behalf of Fortune 100 companies, AM Law 200 firms, nationally known non-profits, and conferences to talk about the intersection of emotions and money.

THE pep talk everyone wishes they had in their twenties.

Sterling Investment Management
Jacquette Timmons, Financial Behaviorist

LAUNCH Career Strategies was founded by Karen Elders and Elyse Spalding. We help young professionals launch a successful career path with expert coaching services.  Reach out today for an initial FREE coaching session.
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Happy New Year from Top of the Pile! We're sharing 5 easy things to do for your career (and just you) to start the new year off on the right foot!  If you’re an undergrad, new grad, or somewhere else in your career journey - listen in - these tips can help anyone!

Links to check out from this episode!
 Journey - Journal app  - Daily motivation and journaling app

Goal Setting Planners

Great Reads (fiction)
All The Light We Cannot See (Doerr)
American Dirt (Cummins)

Great Reads (Career, Young Professionals)
The Defining Decade: Why your twenties matter and how to make the best of them (Joy)
The Rocket Years: How your twenties launch the rest of your life (Segran)
I Graduated...Now What? (Dupree)

LAUNCH Career Strategies was founded by Karen Elders and Elyse Spalding. We help young professionals launch a successful career path with expert coaching services.  Reach out today for an initial FREE coaching session.
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Zeke Hughes lost his job in March just after COVID hit.  He immediately saw a choice before him: be negative and feel sorry for himself or pull himself up and take charge of his path. He chose the latter and followed his natural inclination to help others. Simply put, he chose to be progressive, not regressive.  

Key Topics Covered in this Episode:

Keeping a positive mindset: You get what you give
Company Culture: the importance of and how to find it
Networking now for the future
Don't love your job? Want to switch departments or leave?
The "hidden job market" and finding jobs that aren't posted on job boards

If you’re feeling down about your job search or just looking for some inspiration, listen to my conversation with Zeke.  Zeke defines the power of empathy and perseverance.

LAUNCH Career Strategies was founded by Karen Elders and Elyse Spalding. We help young professionals launch a successful career path with expert coaching services.  Reach out today for an initial FREE coaching session.
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