Lessons
Class Introduction
07:38 2Defining Brand
06:54 3Finding Your Mindset
03:14 4Winning A Job vs. Getting A Job
09:16 5Busy Is A Decision
02:33 6Honing your Mindset
04:02 7Generators vs. Drains
03:58 8Developing Your Mission (Statement)
10:27Identifying Table Stakes
05:18 10Characterizing Leadership
07:04 11Crafting Your Message
06:27 12How to Master Presentation
07:31 13The Importance of Being Trustworthy
02:30 14How to Achieve Success at your Interview–Part 1
10:32 15How to Achieve Success at your Interview–Part 2
14:00 16Artificial Harmony
04:14 17Developing Your Methodology
07:24 18How to Get the Interview
11:03 19Tips on Self Promotion
05:40 20Email Best and Worst Practices
06:50 21Creating a Stellar Resume and Cover Letter
05:49 22Set Big Goals and Final Q&A
04:30Lesson Info
Winning A Job vs. Getting A Job
The other thing is a bit more practical. And this is winning a job vs. getting a job. You don't just get a job. You don't just knock on somebodies door, some corporation, hi Google, can I have a job today? (audience laughing) Doesn't work that way. You are competing for a job. You are competing for a job with any number of other people. It could be two people, it could be five people, 10 people, a hundred people, a thousand people. In order to get that job, you have to win that job. You have to be better than everybody else that applies for that job, in order to get that job. And we don't think about that very often, we don't think about what could competitors that also want this job, be doing do get this job that I'm not doing? So left to your own devices, are you doing everything that you can, to get the job that you want, to win the job that you want. You are a competitor, you are a corporate athlete, you have to do everything you possibly can, aside from stalking or doing anything ...
creepy. (audience laughing) To be able to get the job. And I'm gonna talk about what you need to do in this next session. I want you to understand that it takes work to get the work you love. You don't just roll out of bed, think I'm gonna try to do this thing that I want to do, and then get it three hours later. It could take three years, it could take three months. It takes time. It takes time to get the work you love and you have to earn it and win it. It also is something that you need to anticipate will take some time. Because anything worth while takes a long time. Anything worth while. Now something happens when it takes a long time. Number one, you become a little bit more grateful that you're actually being recognized for doing something that you love. Number two, it's easier to sustain. You don't want to be a one hit wonder. You actually want to be able to grow into your talent and have a runway of things that you can talk about, and say, and design, and do. The more pressure you put on yourself to succeed at a young age, the harder it's going to be. Let your career unfurl. Work on being the best self you can be everyday. And continue to grow and continue to learn, and continue to have aspirations, and things that you want to try. As long as you have curiosity about what is possible for yourself, the more you can grow into that. But you are working on a journey, not a specific destination. Because the destination of fame, and the destination of power, and the destination of influence, is one that's always changing. And one that doesn't last. So the longer it takes I often joke, the longer it lasts and the more runway you have to build. So expect anything meaningful, anything worth while to take time. And engage in that time, enjoy that time, have fun in that time. So, ability is not enough. Now what do I mean by ability? What I mean by ability is talent. Talent. In our world today, talent is equivalent to operational excellence. Anybody know what operational excellence means? Operational excellence is being able to turn on the lights when you flip a switch. Operational excellence is when you press power on your computer, it goes on. (audience laughing) So when you're a designer. Or any kind of creative person at all. The fact that you declare that you're a designer, essentially means that people that listen to you expect that you know how to design. Any creative endeavor is a highly subjective experience. So talent is not enough. What is absolutely critical is being able to tell people why you made the decisions you made about the work that you created, in a way that helps to differentiate and guide them to understanding what you have created. The most important thing you need to consider when showing people or talking about your work, is being able to talk about it very specifically, so people understand what it is that you're showing them, and what it is that you stand for. You must know what you're talking about. We get ourselves into trouble, because we are trying to say things, sometimes that we don't know, that we think other people expect us to know, and that's when we get into trouble. How many people in this room have ever lied? Okay. How many people have ever been lied to? How many people have ever been lied to and have known when they were being lied to? Anybody not? Okay, so lets do the logical math here okay? If you've lied but you also know when other people are lying to you, what does it mean about the way in which people know that you are lying? People always know, they always know. And that's the biggest way to create a barrier between who you are authentically. The thing about not knowing something, and this is really true especially in an interview. Somebody asks, you know this? Or did you see this? Or did you do that? There's even a commercial about that now. I think a guy is sitting with a bunch of woman and they're talking about a TV show, and he pretends that he's watched it and seen it, and then he's sort of caught out. Once you're caught out like that, you just go into a downward shame spiral. 'Cause you never can recover, people will never believe you after that really deeply. But the biggest thing that happens when you admit that you don't know something, is that people want to then teach you that thing, or share with you the knowledge that they have. So if you don't know something in an interview admit it. And what will happen is that the person rather than judging you, will say, oh let me tell you about it, or you can ask about it. Even if they are judging you a little bit. Then say, oh well can you tell me about it? And the minute somebody goes into teaching mode, they feel good about the fact that they're providing something. And that's a way to get over the embarrassment of not knowing something that you don't know. That you probably shouldn't even be embarrassed about not knowing to begin with. It's not the mistakes that we make, it's the reaction to the mistakes that we make that often get us into trouble. So it's not the thing that we don't know, it's how we react to the thing that we don't know, that gets us in trouble. Let them hire for you the things that you do well. If you don't do them well, if you find that there's a lot of questions about a specific thing that you don't know how to do, then learn how to do it. Then take classes about how to do it. If everybody asks you if you know how to code and you don't know how to code, and it keeps you from getting a job, take classes on learning how to code. Pretty simple. You're not gonna find the perfect dream job that requires attributes that you don't have, if you don't have them. So, you must know what you're talking about. Life is very difficult when you don't know what you're talking about. You must know what you don't know. This is a hard one, this is a very very hard one. You must know what you don't know. So how do you find out the things that you don't know, that you don't know? You need people to tell you, you need people to tell you. So, see your opportunities in ways that you are gathering information. You are gathering information about who you are, how you come across, people love to tell you. Doesn't mean you have to believe it all. Take it all as sort of directional guidance. But when you are in interviews, or after the interviews, or with your family, or your friends, people that you trust, ask! How could this be better? If you don't get the job, there's absolutely no reason why you can't say, what would you have recommended that I do, or say, or show, in order to have gotten the job? You might not get an answer, they might not ever write back again, but you might. And then you know something that you didn't know, that you didn't know. And then you grow, and you learn, and you develop.
Ratings and Reviews
Hilary Larson
I was not expecting to get so much out of this accelerated class! Debbie is a captivating speaker who manages to get her points across directly while maintaining a strong sense of relatability with her audience. I really look forward to taking what I have learned here with me as I move forward in my career as a visual artist. Highly recommended.
Michelle
This class is for a specific audience - young or new-to-the-field designers. It is NOT a branding class for the regular person. The class description is misleading. However, there are bits and tips that anyone can benefit from, but you have to sit through the entire presentation to get those bits and tips. I am not a designer. Because I had the all-access pass, I dipped in and out of different classes, speeding up and skipping as needed. I found enough value in this Fast Class: A Brand Called You to watch it, rather than the long one. I can see how this would benefit new designers as they job hunt.
Matías Obando Ruiz
Debbie the OG