Resume Building Tips for Misfits and Weirdos ft Steph Gillies

Having had 32 jobs in 15 years, Steph Gillies has amassed an ample amout of experience to learn how to perfect the job search! Now as a professional resume writer and career coach, Steph Gillies helps individuals embrace their identitifies and land their dream jobs in a competitive economy.

Since 2020, she has helped over 1000 people improve their branding, tailor their resumes and land their dream jobs!

So folks, take your pens and papers out, and get ready to take notes on tips and tricks from the resume whisperer!

Stay in touch with Steph:

http://www.linkedin.com/in/stephgillies

Instagram: @destinationdreamjob

For more on Steph and her services:

http://www.destinationdreamjob.com

Hiring managers are going to see the same resume, like that looks very similar from like 10 different people. And if you can really showcase your uniqueness and what sets you apart, that's really what's going to stand out.

Welcome to Weirdos in the Workplace, the podcast that celebrates authenticity, transparency, passion, and purpose in our world of work today. My name is Erin Patchell, your host, and I'm here with Steph Gillies, who is, well, how about we just let Steph say hi for now.

Hey, how's it going?

And now I will introduce you. So Steph is a career story coach helping individuals embrace their misfit identity and land their dream job. She's had 32 jobs in 15 years and through that experience she really learned how to perfect the job search. When she was laid off from what she thought was her dream job in 2020, she jumped full-time to business as a resume writer and career coach and has since helped over 1,000 people improve their branding and land their dream job. Welcome to the podcast.

Yeah, thank you so much for having me.

My pleasure and we kind of got the opportunity to work together a few years ago, which is how we met.

Yeah, unfortunately, not too closely. But I always heard such great things about the work that you did. And yeah, so you're you're a real pro.

Oh, thank you.

Yeah. And then I heard about you through, you know, that same organization and the great work that you're doing with your new company. So thank you so much. Yes. OK, so before we get started, why don't you just tell folks a little bit about yourself other than, you know, maybe something that's not in your bio? Like, what is it that brings you joy? Yeah, I think that, you know, working with people over the past few years, there's a few things that I've really learned and that I really love to share with people that I've learned from different people. You know, when I grew up, when I was younger, people always told me, you know, you got to go to school, get a job, work there until you retire. Right.

That was the message. You know, a lot of baby boomers passed on that message to their kids. And I was one of those people who had that message passed on. And, you know, after, you know, helping a thousand people with their personal branding and, you know, their career story, it's quite interesting to see how many people, you know, don't have that linear career path and how many people have made complete changes in their life. And so I'm one of those people who've made lots of different changes throughout my career. You know, I have multiple passions. I'm very excited about different things.

And, you know, I think that I know this is supposed to be about me and I'm not talking about me at all, but I think that's just really, you know, what I'm passionate about and what my message is, is to really teach people that you don't have to just be one thing. You know, you can be whatever you want to be. If you want to change your job, you know, five times you go and do that. If you want to marry multiple jobs together, I think that's also really exciting.

 And so, yeah, so I think that's kind of what I'm really passionate about and kind of a little bit of my own story as well. Yeah. Okay. So let's a little nugget from within that, like finding that thread. So I think a lot of people have a hard time with that when they're multi-passionate and, you know, maybe they're curious about lots of things and they want to dive into lots of things and live lots of different lives, like especially career lives.

You still need to find that thread through everything. Like what is it that connects all the dots so that your next employer, you know, can understand your story. So maybe we can take that and table it and talk about that a little bit later because I think that could be yeah for sure yeah so uh what makes you a weirdo Steph Gillies um well you know I call myself a misfit because I never really felt like I fit in you know growing up I went to an all girls private school um I wore a kilt every day to school and I've worn a dress maybe three times since then. 

You know, I never really, I never really felt like I fit in with all the girls and, you know, but I wasn't, you know, boyish enough to fit in with the boys. And so I was always kind of, I was always kind of different. And I went to church for a while and I would ask a lot of questions and they would tell me to stop asking questions because it's just about, you know, whatever the message was that they were giving and that didn't work for me either.

 And so, and then, you know, as you, as you shared in my bio, I had 32 jobs in 15 years and every time I would get into a job, I would get really good at it and then I would get bored. So I'd move on to something else. This was before I knew what informational interviews were, and I probably could have saved myself a lot of time had I done a little more research, but that's okay. It's part of my story. And, you know, it was a lot of fun. Honestly, I had, you know, at one point I had like four different jobs. They were all part-time and I just, yeah, I was just marrying different passions together, trying different things and trying to find out what fit. And so I think that, you know, in my 30s has really been the time where I have embraced a lot more of who I am, rather than trying to fight it or trying to hide from it.

So I, you know, this in the past two years, I shaved my head and got my nose pierced. So you know, it's been a lot of fun. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. You can be whoever you want to be. you know it's been a lot of fun yeah yeah absolutely you can be whoever you want to be I think that's like a general sense that especially younger people have today the you know I'm raising whatever three uh gen z kids gen z yeah that's right oh my gosh my brain is like not it's like not computing all of the different generations these days. What are they all called again? Yeah, so three Gen Zs and they are fully whoever they want to be. You know what I mean? Like they literally don't care. They're just like going to be who they are.

So I think we need to prepare for that too. Totally. Yeah, it's a different world now than it was for sure when I was growing up. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, don't put baby in the corner. Yeah. It's a different world now than it was for sure when I was growing up. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Don't put baby in the corner. Yeah. That was not the message at the all girls Catholic school that I went to. So Oh my gosh. But it's okay.

So you've worked with, you've helped over 1000 people improve their brand branding, their career stories and land their dream job. How did you end up in this niche after having, you know, what was it, 32 jobs in 15 years? Yeah, it's so when I had done all those jobs, I was kind of, you know, trying to, I'd always been interested in business. And so I was like, what could I do? And I found, you know, Career Profession professionals of Canada. And I was like, oh, there's a resume certification. So about nine years ago now, I took that certification. And I was like, maybe I'll do something with it. But then I was full time in the nonprofit world, which as most people know, it's a lot of work, you know, you're often overworked and underpaid. And so I was just busy, you know, doing that. And I wasn't really focusing on, you know, you're often overworked and underpaid. And so I was just busy, you know, doing that. And I wasn't really focusing on, you know, my business in my spare time.

So I only wrote a few resumes. And when I was laid off in 2020, it was kind of a decision point for me. I had to decide, you know, do I want to go back to work in the nonprofit world, which I wasn't super excited about? Or, you know, should I just dive in and start a business? And so I took some time to think about it and I did decide to dive into business. I had a part, I did get a part-time job while, while I was off and then I completely quit it. And I started two businesses actually, but the other one didn't work out. And one of them was writing resumes. And I thought, you know, this will just be temporary. It's something that I know how to do and I'll, I'll get good at it. And then, you know, I'll just figure out what I want to do. And here we are three years later, I'm still doing it. You know, I love, I love helping people, you know, figure out that career story and really helping them to identify what sets them apart so that when they are applying for jobs, then they can, you know, stand out in the job application process because, you know, everyone and their dog says they're really good at teamwork.

So how can you set yourself apart from the people who are like, Hey, I'm great at teamwork, you know, because we all say that in our resume. So my clients don't, but like, no, I'm not good at teamwork. Like, no, I hate that. Yeah. Oh yeah. I have people that were like that. Yeah. Don't put that in there. That's not true. Right. Like, yeah. Well, and knowing, knowing your strengths, right. Not just knowing your strengths, knowing your, you know, your purpose, your interests. So diving into that, how essential would you say that is in terms of the job search like today compared to the way it was when you first started? Yeah. You know, with remote work, I mean, I started my business right in the middle of the pandemic. And so things were changing, you know, as I started. But I noticed that, you know, pre-pandemic, you know, they said the stats are the average application gets about 250 applicants, which is a lot. You know, when you think about that, that's a lot. But nowadays with remote work, we're talking like, I don't know the exact stats, so don't quote me on this, but we're talking like, I've heard recruiters say they get like 5,000 to 2,000, sorry, 500 to 2,000 applicants per job application.

 So that's crazy. Like, how are you even supposed to navigate that many, that many resumes? Like it's not possible. So that means that the, for sure. Yeah. That means that it's so much more competitive than it was before. And I would say that's, that's more true for entry level positions rather than, you know, if you're mid-level or senior level, director level, you're not, your competition is not as high because, you know, there's just less people who have the experience that you're bringing to the table. And so this is more for those entry-level positions like customer service roles, you know, office administration, you know, types of roles like that. They're really getting a lot of applicants because people can apply now from all across Canada to the same role if it's remote, of course.

Yeah. So, you know, you're literally the perfect person to be talking to this audience because a lot of our listeners are multi-passionate, multi-hyphenate generalists, weirdos, rebels, like don't fit neatly inside a box, have a little bit of a chip on their shoulder, you know, want to try different things, maybe didn't feel like they were a right fit in a lot of places. So like, what, what kind of advice do you give to people right now in this economy, when they have that sort of that, that, that, you know, they need a purpose. They need, they need to be passion driven. Yeah. I think when you're, when you're really looking at the job application process right now is the best time to really lean into your uniqueness, your superpowers, you know, what sets you apart. You know, the hiring managers are going to see the same resume, like that looks very similar from like 10 different people. And if you can really showcase your uniqueness and what sets you apart, that's really what's going to stand out.

So an example I have is I have a client who is a death doula. So she helps people transition into the next life. And that is typically I would like two years ago, I would say no, we're not going to include that on your resume. Like, that doesn't make sense. It's not relevant. And she was applying to sales roles. But now we actually incorporated that into her resume and into her story because it's a huge part of showing how she can really relate to people on a different level. relate to people on a different level. And so, you know, if you have two sales resumes that both are very similar, but this one person has this really strong empathy that she brings from, you know, a different certification and something different that she does, and she's able to, you know, really relate to people from all different walks of life, you now start to see a difference between these two sales resumes that are almost exactly the same.

 And so really diving into, you know, what are those things outside of work that you can leverage? Like someone else I know does, you know, triathlons, you know, different things like that, that showcase that, you know, they, they have drive and dedication, you know, anything that you can think of, that's really going to set yourself apart and, and explaining why, like, it's not good enough to just put like, you know, triathlon finisher, right? You need to explain why that's important. You know, what is it about the triathlon that you think would be beneficial to this, this role or this position or to who you are. And I think that's really where you're starting to see the differences, especially with recruiters. Um, I was talking to a recruiter recently and he said the most frustrating thing he finds is when he sees a whole bunch of resumes and none of them say why they want to apply to this position, right?

 None of them have drawn the line from A to B. They're all just like, you know, the same, the same resume that they're submitting to everything. They're not like, this is why I'd be the best fit for this job. This is why I'm applying to this job. This is what sets me apart, right? That's what he wanted to see. So I thought that was quite interesting. And is what's the best way to articulate that or where is the best? Is it like in the email body? Is it the cover letter? Is it within the resume? Like, how do you do that? Yeah, I mean, it's really, there's no rules in terms of where to include that because that is a different, that is a different take than it used to, you know, than two years ago. So definitely the cover letter is an easy place to include that. But I, but for this, um, for the sales client that I was sharing, we put it right in the resume.

You know, we put it right in that top paragraph because we're showcasing what sets her apart and why she would be the best fit for this position. And so instead of just, you know, having a top paragraph that's like four sentences that are pretty general about why you'd be the best fit, this one was very targeted using, you know, her empathy and her other experience to showcase why she would be the best person for this position. Because typically hiring managers do look at that resume first, and they kind of, you know, at that point they decide, you know, is this a keeper or one to get rid of?

And then they'll review the cover letter after, you know, maybe look up LinkedIn. Um, but they're not looking at all the documents for all 500 people who are applying to the role. Right. So that first part of your resume is the most important real estate. Cause that's really where they're looking first. of your resume is the most important real estate because that's really where they're looking first. Interesting. And in terms of like, I'm assuming employers are still using ATS systems, the automated, I don't know what it stands for.

Applicant tracking systems. Yeah. Applicant tracking system. Can you tell I'm not a recruiter or in recruitment or in this field at all? And nor do I use them, by the way. So applicant tracking systems, I'm assuming are just like being used more than ever, probably. Is that true? Yeah. So I mean, there's like hundreds of applicant tracking systems out there. So it's hard to say, you know, what, you know, some of the features are. But what I've noticed is generally speaking, applicant tracking systems aren't eliminating people without a human eye. So typically the resumes go into the applicant tracking system and then the human, the recruiter is doing this keyword searching. And then they're doing that searching kind of based on the keywords that they put in the job posting and then finding which resumes pop up based on that. I mean, that's not a hard and fast rule because a lot of ATSs out there do their own thing and who knows what they all do. But if you have like, you know, specific qualifications, like it requires a bachelor's degree and you don't have one, then yes, it can eliminate you. But typically it's, you know, the hiring manager who's doing the searching. Right. Okay. Yeah.

 So, I mean, education is probably still the number one thing. Is it still the number one thing that, um, that businesses are looking for these days in terms of, you know, um, like qualifications, like basic qualifications? Um, I think it depends on the company, honestly. I've seen, um, you would be surprised by the amount of executive resumes I've written that don't even have an education section on the resume because they don't have any education. They have a high school degree that they diploma that they have from like 25 years ago. And so it's really not as important as it would have been, you know, 10 years ago. Education was everything. I think now once you hit 10 years into your career, you're really they're really looking at that experience over your education. Because like, for example, a client of mine is in software engineering. And he had a Bachelor of Software Engineering from like 1985.

Like, that's not even relevant. Yeah, not even relevant anymore. not even relevant yeah it's like not even relevant anymore the systems he was working on in school don't even exist so yeah so I think that I mean I think education is important but I also don't think that it's everything you know it's it's I'm not a huge post-secondary person um I think that you know you have a bachelor's degree it's good enough you don't need to go back for too much more unless it's something you're really excited about but um I think I mean you know, if you have a bachelor's degree, it's good enough. You don't need to go back for too much more unless it's something you're really excited about. But I think, I mean, if you're applying to schools, like universities, if you're applying to banks, any of those more traditional fields, they're going to be looking at your education.

But if you're looking at, you know, more new age organizations, you know, anything in software, you know, any of those companies that are more forward thinking the education is definitely less important interesting okay well that's definitely new um canadian job market like you know it how would you describe it right now i would say it's competitive um i would say that the typically people you know, the stats were that you would get a new job in three to six months. And I would say that, I mean, these are my own stats that I'm just making up, like the ones that I'm sharing that are updated. I would say now most of my clients are seeing more like six to nine months just because it's taking because the competition is higher. It's taking longer because you have to apply to more jobs. And networking is just so much more important than it was, because if you know someone in an organization who can share your name with the hiring manager, it's just and they have a thousand applications to go through.

You can bet that your name is going to go to the top of that list because that saves them a whole lot of time in doing that searching. because that saves them a whole lot of time in doing that searching. So really leveraging your network and seeing what's out there is, is a great way to kind of move that forward. Okay, yep. Good advice. So the the sort of like the hidden job market is alive and well. I'm seeing a lot of people complaining, like I'm hearing from a lot of job seekers that they seem to be like rejected almost immediately. Like they'll submit their resume. And I've had a few clients for whom this was true. They'd submit their resume and like within like an hour, they'd have a rejection, even though they felt like they qualified for the job. Do you think is that, that sounds pretty automated to me, would you say? Yeah, definitely. I would say that some sort of, you know, applicant tracking system, you know, I don't know, I'm not an applicant tracking system expert, but I just like, that makes me wonder, I wonder if they hit a limit, like they're like, oh, we're only going to accept 300 applications.

 I don't know, this is just conjecture, but you know, maybe they hit like, you know, they're only going to accept this many. I don't know, this is just conjecture, but, you know, maybe they hit like, you know, they're only going to accept this many. And if you're not in the top 300, then they just automatically reject you or they have specific, sometimes they, you can set up an applicant tracking system to have specific like formula or keywords that they look for. And if you don't have that, then they just don't even bother. And that might be, you know, the hiring manager's way to whittle down these like, you know, 500 applicants down to something more manageable. But I don't I'm not 100% sure about that. Right. So probably worth applying early, applying often and reapplying with new information if necessary.

And hiring someone like you probably to help out with that. Yeah, definitely. I mean, you know, a lot of my clients, when they have an updated resume and one that they can tailor to the applications, they do start to see more interviews. Of course. Yeah. There's any specific format that people should be, you know, either wary of or like a best practice that you'd recommend? I mean, the chronological format is typically the best format. And that's where you have, a little description at the top, a list of maybe your skills, and then your work education in reverse chronological order. So most recent first, obviously, because nobody cares really, but what you did 20 years ago, that's typically the best format.

 I do see some people who use a functional format. A functional format is where you front load all of your skills and then you just list your work experience and don't actually describe it. And that can be a concern. Hiring managers do tend to find that one a little bit concerning because they wonder if a you know, a client is, you know, trying to hide something, hide, you know, a career gap or hide the fact that maybe they didn't do this job for 10 years and they've done something else for the past 10 years and they're trying to hide that. And so they really want to see, you know, accomplishments under each work experience rather than just like all the accomplishments at the top because that way they can know that okay this is the past five years that they've done this you know really great work or um you know or it wasn't in their previous job you know maybe six years ago but they can see that it's recent and not something that you're trying to hide so i would definitely steer away from that functional format and steer towards that chronological format even though sometimes the functional format is a little easier. Yeah. And are people are, would you say like employers or hiring managers are more willing to sort of like accept people with gaps in their resumes or is it still like a major bias? I'm none of my clients. I mean, everyone has a gap in their resume now, like really COVID, um, created lots of gaps in resumes.

 And so I don't think that that hasn't really been a problem for a lot of my clients. Um, you know, I think the key is in an interview that you can explain why there's a gap, you know, what, what was the, what was happening there? I think the bigger issue, and I don't want to say issue because I don't think it's a gap, you know, what, what was the, what was happening there? I think the bigger issue, and I don't want to say issue because I don't think it's an issue, but like people feel like it's an issue is when they maybe took 10 years off to parent their kids or whatever, you know, be the home manager. And there's ways around that, you know, like for some of my clients who have done that, we actually add that in as a work experience. I worked with a client who had a husband who had a very severe, you know, medical issue. And so she took five years off and she was caring for him.

And she was like, now I have nothing to put on my resume. And I was like, this is absolutely a job. Just because you don't get paid for it doesn't mean you don't have work experience. Because she was planning all his medical appointments, him to these appointments you know advocating for his needs um you know caring for him as needed doing everything around the home you know so we just created a job around that um and we we described it in the same way that you would a regular job and it just showcases that you, there are transferable skills from those times in your life when you might need to, you know, take care of kids or do something different or go on a, go on a one year sabbatical and travel the world.

I mean, there's lots of things that you can bring out of those experiences that give you more of that life experience. Yeah. Awesome. Okay. So let's go back to the the the like drawing a thread like the the branding the storytelling side of this uh do you have any clients who how are just like had like like a really diverse like wacky kind of job experience and like tell me like how you actually helped them create a story out of this yeah I mean my own story is like a good example, but also like I worked with another client who was laid off like four times in three years. And so how do you turn that into a story that doesn't make it look like they're jumping around so much? And then same with myself, you know, having 32 jobs, how do you create a resume that doesn't look like I can't make up my mind about anything.

 And so it's really about, about getting creative and sometimes having multiple resumes. So when I was creating my own resume, when I was applying for jobs, I had different resumes for different focuses. So I'd like, you know, if I was doing customer service, then I would have one resume that focused only on the jobs that were specific to that role. And then, you know, if I wanted to do something, I mean, I did weird things. So if I wanted to apply to be like a rock climbing instructor, because that's one of the things I did, I would have a resume specific for that with the different jobs that I had where I like taught rock climbing and like, you know, whatever. So there were multiple different threads and I just like picked and choosed which resume fit based on the application that I was applying for.

So that's a really great way. I mean, I still do that. I have a resume focused one. I have a workshop focused one and I have a mental health focused resume and they're all a little bit different in how they describe my work experience and how they describe, you know, what my skills are. And so same thing for this client who was laid off, you know, several times. they describe, you know, what my skills are. And so same thing for this client who was laid off, you know, several times. There's, you know, I also had another client who had like 10 jobs in five years, like it was wild. And how do you turn that into a resume that a hiring manager isn't going to think is red flags. And so some ways to do it is to combine roles together.

 So if you had some really similar positions, like this one person was a recruiter at three different companies and they were all, you know, they were one after the other, but there was just a lot of layoffs involved in there. And so instead of, you know, listing them each separately, we combined them together into one role and listed the different companies so that because the job description, the accomplishments were essentially the same. And, um, it showed that he had been a recruiter for like a year and a half instead of showing like, you know, three, six months stints or whatever. Um, so trying to get, just getting creative about it and remember that there's like, there are resume rules, but that doesn't mean that you can't break them. Right. That's why we're here. That's why we're weirdos at work. Let's break the rules. Um, so, you know, if you have, if you have two jobs that are the same, just put them together. Like you don't need to separate them or, you know, I've seen so many resumes where they list three jobs and then all, all the bullet points are exactly the same. You're like, who wants to read that? Nobody wants to read that just as much as you don't want to write it.

So, you know, put those together. They don't need to be separated. And, you know, describing, you can sometimes take the opportunity to describe any red flags in your cover letter. So for this individual who'd been laid off a bunch of times, you know, there's an opportunity for her to explain in her cover letter, you know, this isn't me jumping around. This was, you know, experienced multiple layoffs and was able to secure jobs really quickly, which can show your determination, your innovation, you know, your ability to network, you know, just showcasing those skills and explaining to a hiring manager why, you know, why it's not a red flag. not a red flag. Right. Okay. Gotcha. And in terms of like the, like a lot of the time I have clients coming to me and they're like, they've like you, they're very diverse in what they've done a lot of the time because they have many different interests and, or, you know, failed fast. You know what I mean? They're like, well, don't like that one. Don't like that one.

Don't like that one. What do I like? And I think that's the whole point. It's like, what, what drew you to that in the first place? Was it like, what, what drew you to that in the first place? Was it like, in some cases, obviously it's going to be like money. That's important for a lot of people, survival. But if it's not survival, usually we have some options, you know, so there has to be something, you know, within that, that drew you there.

So what is that thread that we can pull out? How do you do work with clients on that? Is that something that you can incorporate into your work? Yeah, absolutely. I'm just currently reading the book, How to Be Everything, a guide for those who still don't know what they want to be when they grow up by Emily Wapnick. She has a really great, they have a really great TED talk that we can link in the show notes. And it's all about, you know, people who are the term that they, that they created was multi-potentialite. So someone who has lots of different, you know, passions or maybe changes their mind a lot. Hello, that's me. You know, but, but the interesting thing about this book is that they talk about how I'm just trying to articulate. Think about my thoughts here. They talk about how, you know, in the world, it's it's expected to stick with one thing. 

Right. You're going to get a job and you're going to stick with it. And then if you if you do move, it's going to be in the same industry or it's going to be a similar job. if you do move, it's going to be in the same industry or it's going to be a similar job. But one thing that I found really interesting about this concept is that these people who are multi-potentialites might finish a job sooner. So like, what is the end for you? Why did it end? So for me, like when I think about when I, after reading this book and then thinking back onto my experience, I was always like, oh, what's wrong with me? I can't make a decision. I can't stick to one thing. You know, everyone else has this like decision of what they want to be and they're sticking to it.

And I can't do that. Like, why is this a problem for me? And this book really talks about how, um, how, you know, what is there's, there's obviously something you get out of it and however you end it is, is how you want to end it. So like I would, I would master something. I would get really good at a job and then I would get bored and be like, okay, well that was cool, but now I don't want to do that anymore and move on. And so that was me completing something just in a different way, in a non-traditional way, rather than completing something in a traditional way where you just stick with it forever. And so really thinking about, you know, what are those things that you're getting out of these, out of these experiences and knowing that just because you change your mind or want to move on to something different, or you learned everything you need to know about that. And now you're ready to try something different. That's not a problem, right? Like that's okay. You can do that and still have a really fulfilling career.

 I've worked with lots of people who are like, you know, I'm so concerned about my resume because, you know, I've jumped around different industries and I'm not, you know, a specialist in anything. And the world wants a specialist, you know, that's what the world wants. That's what everyone thinks. The world wants a specialist. But what I've noticed is that a lot of these people who are more generalists or Jack or Jill of all trades, whatever you want to call it, they tend to be able to secure jobs in many different areas because they can take their skills, everything they've learned in one industry, they can bring it into another industry, bring new perspectives and new ideas. Then they learn everything they want about that industry.

And they're like, okay, now let's go implement this into a new industry and then really bring that innovation. And so I think that, um, I don't really remember what the initial question was because I just like talking about something I'm excited about, but I think that is really, um, you know, what people need to focus on, right? Like being who, being truly who you want to be and leveraging that and not worrying about, you know, the world saying you need to be a specialist or you need to choose one thing because you don't need to choose one thing. No. Okay. It's about building the story and knowing who you are and why you're engaging in certain things and really trying to understand yourself in order to build that thread through all of your stories, all of your different work experiences.

 And then eventually what you did and what I did is like, cause my, my, not quite as dramatic in terms of like 32, but like, you know, I did do quite a few things that are very different, like very, very like all over the place kind of stuff. But figuring out why I was doing that took a long time. And once I did, it actually helped me figure out what I wanted to do and that what I wanted to do that I could actually do for a while, probably, you know, and similar story for you, I think. Yeah. I mean, I think being in business is a great place for people who are multi-passionate because, you know, you can make changes, you know, every day is a little bit different. It's often not, you know, when you get into a job, it can sometimes be exactly the same every day, depending on the type of job you're in.

And so being in business is just an easy way to kind of make your own career and make it what you want. And when you get bored, you make a change, right? Like you can hire someone to do that thing you mastered and train them on it and then try to do something different, right? Like there's definitely opportunities there. Definitely. Yeah. Awesome. So I can just, I'm sensing the time here, but this has been a really, really awesome conversation. I hope this resonated with a lot of people. So practical, your advice.

 And we're going to make sure that everyone knows how to get in touch with you in the show notes, the website, LinkedIn, you know, everything, your podcast as well. And I think I'm coming on your podcast. We recorded some point. When's that going to, when's that happening? I don't sure. I'd have to look. I didn't look. I don't remember these types of things. Okay. So I'm going to be on Steph's podcast. Steph's coming on our podcast.

And I guess finally, do you have any like words of inspiration for folks who are kind of going through, you know, a job search or, you know, feel like they're a bit of a misfit and trying to like put all the puzzle pieces together? Yeah. I think there's a quote from that book. I was sharing how to be everything by Emily Wapnick. And it says, what would your life be like if you gave yourself permission to be everything you want it to be? So I think that's been like a really big message in my own life recently is just like, stop fighting, you know, the parts of yourself that are multi-passionate or the parts of yourself that want to do these, you know, other things, and just really embrace it and, and really start to dive into who you are.

Because the people who come to me who are typically really, like confident and authentic, they tend to land jobs quicker than people who are like, you know, more like, Oh, I'm not really sure I don't want to, I don't want to talk about myself, or I don't want to share that because that's too much or whatever.

You know, those people tend to struggle a little more in their job search because they're not, they're not portraying their full self and they're not portraying themselves in a confident way. So really just, you know, embracing that authenticity, embracing who you are and just really showing up as yourself, you know, whatever that means and whatever you're comfortable sharing. I think that is the big key. That's an amazing message to close things out. Thanks so much.

Yeah, thank you for having me. It was great to be here.

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